Category: society

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has given two men seven days to retract the allegation that the ‘Change Begins With Me’ concept was not his, and apologise or be sued for libel.

Shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari had, September 8, 2016, flagged off the new media-based campaign aimed at changing the attitude of Nigerians towards national life, two men -Akin Fadeyi and Omo Bazuaye, who run a communications firm known as Bufferzone International Limited, Lagos, claimed ownership of the concept and accused Mohammed of adopting the idea from the rejected proposals they had earlier presented to him.

Mohammed has denied the claim, saying that he had already concluded the campaign concept with his team before being inaugurated as a minister and would therefore not understand how he could have   stolen anybody’s idea.

Consequently, he asked the law firm of Falana and Falana Chambers to write the two men demanding a retraction and apologise within seven days.

In the notice issued on September 19, 2016 by the law firm and signed by Oludare Falana Esq, Mohammed said: “Having damaged our client’s hard earned reputation by your reckless action, we have his instructions to demand a retraction of your libellous publication within seven days of the receipt of this letter.

“Take notice that if you fail or refuse to accede to our client’s demands, we have his instructions to sue you with a view to restoring his reputation which your reckless publication has damaged.”

The trial judge of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nanmdi Kanu, Justice John Tsoho on Monday withdrew from the ongoing case.

Tsoho said this at the Federal High Court, Abuja, while reacting to an application by Kanu’s lawyer, Chuks Mouma, who accused him of bias in the handling of the matter.

He said Kanu’s case file has been returned to the Chief Justice of the Court, Ibrahim Auta for reassignment.

Mouma, had accused the court of acting in line with the suggestion of President Muhammadu Buhari that the incarcerated IPOB leader will not be released under any circumstance.

According to Mouma, the court should hands off the proceedings in line with a petition written to the National Judicial Council, NJC, to protest the judges handling of Kanu’s trial.

“We are only asking the court to hands off; my client has lost confidence in this court.

“I understand that there is a letter to NJC, though I haven’t seen it and the CJ has replied saying that the matter will be investigated.

“I would urge you that you transfer the matter; I would suggest that it be sent back to the CJ,” he said.

Reacting to Mouma’s submission, Justice Tsoho said, “I have no interest in trying your matter and I will return it to the CJ, but I will condemn the attitude of that counsel. I do not care if you take your case to another planet.

“This case is hereby transferred to the CJ.”

Kanu who is currently standing trial before Justice Tsoho for charges bordering on treasonable felony had faulted the judge over his handling of his case.

Dailypost

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced that Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina, its president and former minister of agriculture under ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, will visit Nigeria today, Monday, September 26 to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The AfDB says Adesina will “meet policy-makers, the private sector, and development partners to discuss the challenges facing Nigeria and highlight the AfDB’s commitment to further strengthen its partnership with Nigeria”.

“I am very much looking forward to my first official visit to Nigeria as President of the AfDB. Nigeria is a vital shareholder and partner for the Bank. The Nigerian economy is in a critical phase, and in these difficult times, we have to make sure we all work together to tackle the challenges facing Africa’s largest economy,” Adesina said ahead of his trip.

Adesina is expected to hold a series of meetings with the leaders in Nigeria, including President Muhammadu Buhari, minister of finance Kemi Adeosun, and Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele.

Adeshina will also “take part in a roundtable discussion with philanthropic leaders and hold discussions with the private sector, as well as development partners. Adesina will also receive an award by the Nigerian Economic Society”.

Nigeria is one of the AfDB’s founders, its biggest shareholder and one of the largest beneficiaries of AfDB’s assistance.

Meanwhile, the acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Comrade Timi Frank has asked Nigeria’s former First-lady, Dame Patience Jonathan to go and clear her name before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) rather than resorting to under-hand tactics to armtwist the anti-graft agency into doing her bidding.

Frank in a statement issued on Sunday, September 25 in Abuja, said the immediate-past First-lady is not above the law, describing as shameful, threats by a Niger Delta militant group and the protest at the Port Harcourt zonal office of the EFCC in support of Mrs Jonathan, over the freezing of her dollar account containing about $31.4 million.

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reiterated its resolve to continue the agitations for the actualisation of Biafra, stressing that nobody, including President Muhammadu Buhari, can stop their dream of achieving Biafra.

This was as the group said the compliance and successful observation of its sit-at-home protest without bloodshed was an expression that it is a responsible group that will achieve its pursuit without shedding blood in the shortest possible time.

Recall that the group had issued a sit-at-home order to people of the South-East geo-political zone in protest of the incarcerated of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu by the Federal Government.

IPOB had called for markets, banks and other institutions to be shut down, while movement should be restricted in the whole of the South East geo-political zone.

However, the group in a statement released by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Mr Emma Powerful on Sunday, advised the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, government to release its leader to avoid attracting more negative remarks from Nigerians and foreigners.

The statement read, “Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was once a respected man in and outside Nigeria, but the high esteem on which he was place has been eroded by his lack of respect for the law, he is now behaving like a dictator, and Nigerians and the world are seeing him as one, who lacks respect for the law, somebody should tell him they Nigerians and the world are beginning to loose respect for him, he should release our leader without further delay to start earning back his respect other wise IPOB issue will diminish the respect the world have for him.

“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who has been in detention since October 2015 did not do anything to deserve the incarceration he is going through under Buhari’s government, the IPOB members worldwide are bent on restoration of Biafra, no government, not even Buhari’s government will stop up, he should leave us alone and face his Nigeria government

“IPOB is a nonviolent movement that follows due process in pursuing the freedom for our people and we are not akin to use of force in our agitation for Biafra actualization, the Nigeria security agents were waiting to kill our people again during the Sit- at -Home protest but we shocked them and they were disappointed, that this time we did not give them room to kill our people again, we will continue to frustrate them with our styles that will lead to actualization of Biafra soon.

“The protest took place in more than 97 countries across the globe where Biafrans and friends of Biafra, lovers of freedom live, we submitted letters to the world leaders, the United Nations UN offices across the globe, letters and petitions were also submitted to the Presidents of countries, Chancellors, Prime Ministers and other World leaders where Biafrans live including the Amnesty International, Human Right Watch.

“As our leader and Director Radio and Biafra and Television, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu appears in court on Monday 26th September 2016 in Abuja, we expect nothing short of his unconditional by Buhari’s led government of APC, they should give themselves soft landing by releasing him because all their effort in frustrating him and forcing him to renounce Biafra failed .

“We are also calling on international community and other world notable leaders to prevail on the Nigeria government to release our peaceful leader Mazi Kanu unconditionally and others detained in different prisons and security cells across the country.

Dailypost

The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Timi Frank, has frowned at recent protests staged by some groups of youth in the Niger Delta in support of the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience.

Frank wondered why some persons could organize protest in favour of Mrs. Jonathan at the Port Harcourt zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, over the freezing of her account containing about $31.4m, instead of asking their daughter, Patience to tender unreserved apology to Nigerians for the mess her husband, Jonathan has brought to the economy.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Frank described threats by the groups to bomb oil pipelines as empty and baseless.

He said, “My candid advice to Mrs. Patience Jonathan is to apologise to Nigerians for the current economic hardship which Mr. Jonathan’s regime could have easily averted instead of sponsoring shameless protests against the government. Anyway, Nigerians are still waiting for the apology.”

The statement warned youths to desist from such shameless act of defending politicians for a pot of soup, adding that the current APC administration was fighting corruption so as to secure the future.

“The show of shame called protest at the Port Harcourt office of the EFCC to demand the unfreezing of Mrs. Jonathan’s dollar accounts was uncalled for. And there is nothing wrong if the former first lady explains the source of the $31.4m to anti-corruption agencies.

“The country is presently going through recession as a result of mismanagement of the economy left behind by Patience Jonathan’s husband led administration which the APC is working hard to correct as soon as possible.

“It should be made clear that there is nothing wrong for the EFCC to invite Mrs. Patience Jonathan for questioning if the organisation suspects a foul play in the accumulation of such big amount of money.
“Again, the era of ‘I’m above the law’ is over. This is a change government of accountability where the rule of law is paramount.

“The number four citizen of this country today, Senate President Bukola Saraki, whose office is prominently recognised by the constitution is facing trial and why not one former first lady that is not recognised by the Nigerian constitution?”