A retired boxer known as Everistus Ezehiri is said to have boxed his wife to death in the University town of Uli in Anambra state.
According to information reaching us, the wife, described as a hard-working petty trader in the local Ekeagbagba market, had asked the husband (now at large) for money with which to cook for the family on Christmas day.
It was gathered that instead of providing the money, Evaritus, said to be a pastor with a local branch of Our Lord Chosen Church in the town, turned her into a punching bag, leading to her instant death.
It was learnt that as a result of the incidence, youths from the deceased’s neighbouring village of Amamputu, also in Uli, descended on Evaritus’ Country home, setting it ablaze.
Information has it also that several charms and idols were discovered in the house of a purported pastor, including a moulded human statue clothed with the apron of Our Lord Chosen.
Since Alhaji Abubakar Atiku left the ruling All Progressive s Congress (APC), and later returned to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it has been one political discourse or the other in the media.
Many political stalwarts across the platforms have reacted differently based on their opinions, leaving no one in doubt about the personality of the former number two man on the saddle of this great nation. The APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi said: “the former vice president found that his interest would be better served elsewhere and he decided based on that.” Abdullahi went on to say “no party would be happy to see its leaders depart, but politics is all about interest. ” Abdullahi’s assertion has countered insinuations in some quarters, regarding constant defections across platforms, by Atiku. The Nigerian political system is not new to defections, especially when such is done with the sole aim of realizing a noble ambition.
Recall that President Buhari’s political journey started from APP to ANPP, CPC, ACN, and finally, he won elections in 2015 on the platform of APC. Ben Murray Bruce, a senator representing Bayelsa East says Atiku Abubakar is Nigeria’s next president following his formal return to the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Senator Bruce further said that PDP has a good retirement plan for President Muhammad Buhari come 2019.
By a stretch of imagination, Atiku is a political phenomenon who has not only the means and capacity to prosecute elections, but also the sagacity and clout to wield influence and garner support for his cause. The Wazirin Adamawa has a pan-Nigeria spirit. Over the years, he has built bridges across the country. He has got the pedigree with regards to leadership and statecraft. The APC will, for a very long time, regret losing such a political heavyweight.
While addressing newsmen in Abuja on the occasion of his decamping, the former vice president said he made the mistake of his life to have joined the APC in the hope that it would adhere to the tenets of democracy. He also justified his resolve to dump the party, saying it was borne out of the fact that the Muhammad Buhari-led administration has not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians.
Also in a live Facebook chat with Nigerians, Atiku said “rather than the promise to create three million jobs annually, no fewer than three million Nigerians have instead lost their jobs in more than two years of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Atiku saw APC, not in the spectrum of a formidable political party, but a conspiracy amongst desperate politicians to seize power, yet without a clear-cut plan for governance. More so, president Buhari’s clear lack of direction and intelligent governance has sure left a great disillusionment amongst a wide spectrum of the citizenry.
Previously, at a forum in Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo state, Atiku observed rather with great dismay, that Nigeria has never been so divided along ethnic and religious lines than it is now, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Our country is not at war in the sense of guns and bombs, but the level of interethnic discontent, hatred and hate speech is at an all-time high”, he maintained.” Secession threats, interethnic discontent, hatred and hate speech have plunged present-day Nigeria into a division that has probably never existed before,” Atiku had said.
The former vice president who was represented at the occasion by his media adviser, Paul Ibe emphasized the need for unity among different ethnic groups, the northern and southern regions, and members of different religious persuasions.
Exploring some of President Muhammadu Buhari’s vulnerabilities, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olisa Agbakoba, said President Buhari is bereft of how a government should be run. The front line legal practitioner went on to describe the federal cabinet constituted by Buhari as incompetent, saying “Buhari is sleeping on the job.” “Government work is misunderstood even by the president. He doesn’t understand the nature of how to run a government “,Agbakoba told newsmen in Lagos recently.
Should Atiku emerge as the flag bearer of the PDP, the major opposition party, for the 2019 presidential polls, and eventually be voted as the president of Nigeria, this nation would be saved from imminent disintegration. Of course, many Nigerians across both sides of the divide see him as a credible alternative to the current leadership. Abubakar Atiku as vice president under former president Olusegun Obasanjo, was a powerful political figure, and a force to reckon with. He used his position to build and nurture a powerful political machine and rallied support for Obasanjo across the north and south divides. Given his experience as a bridge builder, the Wazirin Adamawa has all it takes to govern the most populous black nation on the globe.
Joseph Orjime, a journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote in from Abuja.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect Greenbarge Reporters’s editorial policy.
Former Vice president Atiku Abubakar has promised to rally round his family members in prayer for quick recovery of Yusuf, the son of President Muhammadu Buhari who was involved in bike accident during which time he sustained head injury in addition to breaking limb.
In a tweet today, Wednesday, Atiku wrote: “our thoughts are with the first family – our family will be praying for you. We wish Yusuf a speedy recovery.”
This was even as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki expressed sympathy over the motorbike accident, praying in a tweet also for his quick recovery.
He wrote: “May the Almighty grant Yusuf Buhari a quick and full recovery. My prayers are with President Buhari and his family at this time.”
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has sent former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to support Liberia to peacefully transfer power to a democratically-elected president.
Guterres, who announced this today, Wednesday in New York through his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, commended the peaceful conduct of the second round of the presidential election in Liberia.
Guterres asked Obasanjo, who is a member of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation, to travel to the capital, Monrovia, tomorrow, Thursday, December 28 and to remain there till Saturday, December 30.
Obasanjo is one of 18 global leaders, senior officials and experts on the high-level board created earlier this year to advise the Secretary-General on mediation and back those efforts around the world. He was involved in mediation efforts in Angola, Burundi, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa, among others.
The high-level board is part of the Secretary-General’s pledge for the UN to embark on a “surge in diplomacy for peace.”
Liberians yesterday, Tuesday, voted in a second round of elections, deciding between Vice-President Joseph Boakai and George Weah, a politician and former soccer star.
This would be Liberia’s first peaceful transfer of power from one democratically-elected leader to another in more than 70 years.
“The Secretary-General hopes that the will of the Liberian electorate will be respected and that a seamless transfer of power will take place within constitutional timelines,” the statement said.
The first round of elections in the West African country was held in October.
A runoff was originally scheduled for November, but was delayed due to allegations of voter irregularities by a third candidate.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September, outgoing Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said that the polls would signal an “irreversible course” towards democracy in the country.
Sirleaf, the first woman elected as head of an African country, took office in 2006, ending a civil war that erupted under the leadership of her predecessor, Charles Taylor.
The United States of America has agreed to sell A29 Super Tucano Aircraft to Nigeria, according to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, to help Nigeria to completely defeat the Boko Haram Terrorists.
The Ambassador who presented the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) to the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at NAF Headquarters in Abuja, today, Wednesday, said that the LOA represents the official US Government offer to sell US defence articles and services to the Nigerian Government.
He said that the US government is making the offer because of its belief that peaceful existence in Nigeria is strategic to the security of the entire West African Sub-Region in particular and the entire world at large. Ambassador Symington emphasized the commitment of the US Government to help Nigeria to also eliminate all forms of terrorism from its territory even as he said that the US Government believed that the capacity of the Nigerian Air Force could greatly be enhanced by the acquisition of the Super Tucano Aircraft. According to him, the US Government would continue to support the NAF in its capacity-building efforts, including the timely supply of needed aircraft spares. The US Ambassador also indicated the readiness of relevant US Government officials to work with NAF officials to facilitate the early delivery of the aircraft once payment had been made. In that regard, officials of both the US Government and the NAF would be meeting in early January 2018 to jointly study the LOA prior to subsequent endorsements by both parties. Receiving the LOA, the Chief of Air Staff expressed the appreciation to the US Government for its steady support towards sustaining NAF air operations. He also praised the personal commitment of the US Ambassador to ensuring that the Super Tucano Aircraft deal became a reality. Air Marshal Abubakar agreed with Ambassador Symington that the wellbeing of Nigeria was closely linked to those of other African countries, and indeed the entire world, as terrorism is a global phenomenon, which had to be confronted by all stakeholders. He then reassured the US Ambassador of the commitment of the NAF to the stipulated deadlines in the LOA. Furthermore, the CAS assured the US Ambassador that the NAF would ensure the readiness of proposed home base of the Super Tucano Aircraft in Nigeria before the aircraft’s delivery. He further said that the NAF would nominate and prepare all the pilots and maintenance crew to be trained on the Super Tucano Aircraft, ahead of their training in the US. It is expected that the LOA would have been signed and necessary payments made before 20 February 2018 to ensure the commencement of production of the NAF’s Super Tucano Aircraft. It would be recalled that the US State Department had earlier approved the sale of 12 x A29 Super Tucano Aircraft to the NAF to further aid the nation’s counterinsurgency campaign.[myad]
File photo: Some arrested suspected kidnappers in kogi
The Nigeria Police have released the names of 30 suspected kidnappers, armed robbers and cattle rustlers, who are said to be terrorizing innocent citizens along Lokoja-Okene express way.
The suspects are Yahaya Bello a.k.a Halti, Bello Tukur, a.k.a Gwojor, Aminu Adamu a.k.a Kashi, Abubakar Bello a.k.a Babangida, Bello Hassan, a.k.a Nasara, Umar Isiaka a.k.a Baddi, Abdulkadir Abubakar a.k.a Nagari, Sanusi Saleh, Abubakar Hassan a.k.a Kadel and Shede Zekeri.
Others are Adamu Garba, Adamu Bello, Goma Hamza, Isah Usman Abarba, Abdulkareem Idi, Abdulwahab Idi, Umoru Adamu, Daniel Musa, Junior Adams, Sanusi Sufyanu and Usman Musa, Lukman Abdulsalam, Musa Yahaya Bello, Ismalla Momoh, Ochefije Alhaji, Abuh Ali, Obinna Okpai, Lawrence Uchegbu, Chinwale Chima and Chinedu Obi.
Exhibits recovered from the suspects include eleven, AK47 raffle, two Beretta English Pistol, two Revolver Pistols, 334 7.56mm AK47 ammunitions six rounds 9mm Beretta ammunitions, one cut to size locally made Revolver gun, two locally made Pistols, 54 rustled cattle and pairs of suspected fake military uniform
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Jimoh Moshood, who paraded the suspects before news men in Lokoja today, Wednesday, said: “in order to add new impetus to the fight against kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes in Kogi State, the Inspector General of Police has deployed the IGP intelligence Response Team responsible for the arrest of Kidnap for Ransom Kingpin, Evans and his Gang and killing of Vampire during a gun duel between the Police and gang; to team up with the personnel of Kogi State Command to expand the operation and ensure the arrest of all the suspects involved in various kidnap cases in Kogi State. The IGP mandated the joint team to root out kidnappers in kogi State and other contiguous states such Edo, Benue, Kwara, Enugu and FCT.
“The IGP-Intelligence Response Team and Kogi State Police Command, working on actionable intelligence and in compliance with IGP’S directives to clamp down on highway robbers and kidnappers have arrested the gang responsible for the unfortunate Kidnapping and killing of a Portuguese Expatriate attached to Dangote Group and two Mobile Policemen attached to him in Kogi State.
“After a sustained one week surveillance and raid of the criminal hideouts and kidnappers den by the men of Operation Absolute Sanity comprising the Special Tactical Squad (STS), Police Mobile Force (PMF), Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) the 29 suspects were arrested.
“All the suspects arrested confessed to the crime and admitted to the various roles they played in the commission of these capital offences. They will be arraigned in Court on completion of investigation.”
He gave assurance that investigation is being intensified to arrest other suspects who are at large[myad]
Son of President Muhammadu Buhari, Yusuf, is reported to have broken a limb and sustained head injury in a bike accident in Abuja, the Nigeria’s Federal Capital. In a statement today, Wednesday, the senior special assistant to President Buhari on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu said that Yusuf had the accident last night around Gwarimpa. “He broke a limb and had an injury to the head as a result. He has undergone surgery at a clinic in Abuja. He is in a stable condition.” The statement said that the President and his wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, are thankful to Nigerians for the good wishes and prayers for their son. [myad]
Fresh circulation of “July 2017 Memo” purportedly written by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kackiwu, predicting the likely shortage of PMS, popularly known as petrol, has been described in many quarters as another grand design to discredit and embarrass President Muhammadu Buhari and his Chief of Staff, Abbah Kyari. An industry player who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the “Memo,” which is now being circulated by a section of online media as non-existent. “There was no such memo let alone it being suppressed by so-called Aso Rock cabal. “Those of us who are familiar with the workings of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources are aware that since his removal as the GMD of the NNPC for inefficiency and lack of adherence to due process from multiple fronts, Kachikwu has not hidden his disdain for the Government of President Buhari, under which he currently serves as a junior Minister. “It is therefore not surprising that at every opportunity, he resorts to campaign of calumny and blackmail against the government and those that are saddled with responsibility of managing the oil and gas industry. These have been his trademark.” However, Kachikwu, who appeared to be disturbed by the circulation of the said memo, has distanced himself from the publications. A statement released on Sunday by the spokesperson in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Idang Alibi, reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a message making the rounds on social media of a purported memo by the Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu to the President on the fuel crisis. The message and its content is false.” However, another oil and gas industry stakeholders simply described the Minister’s reaction as ” weak and belated. “This was the same tactics they employed when he came up with the issue of non-existent $25 billion contracts. He and those he represents, are desperate to bring Buhari’s government down for selfish ends. “This is very sad and Nigerians must not allow people who have vested interests to rubbish the good work the President has initiated in NNPC through Dr. Baru. “With the current reforms going on in the NNPC, the Federal Government is beginning to reap the benefits of a productive policy. NNPC is making profits in some of its subsidiaries unlike in the past. We know that this is not going down well with people who are used to the old ways of doing business. “The President had said that business in NNPC and its subsidiaries will no longer be as usual.Those who are no longer profiteering are desperate and wants to frustrate these reforms by all means necessary. But I can assure you that Dr. Baru and his team will not be deterred or intimidated.” It is on record that few months ago, a memo written by Kachikwu to President Buhari, was leaked to the press. In the memo, the Minister alleged award of contracts totalling $25 billion by the NNPC without following due process. The NNPC, in its reaction, described the $25 billion contracts as non-existent. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged the simple, humble and disciplined leadership which the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has provided. President Buhari, in his birthday message to Dogara as he clocked 50 years today, Tuesday, extolled his “humility, simplicity and discipline in providing exceptional leadership for the lower House for over two years, by diligently bridging the gaps and creating a harmonious atmosphere for debates and exchange of ideas for national development.” The President described the speaker as erudite and charismatic leader who is celebrating years of remarkable achievements and awards. According to Buhari, Dogara’s personal attributes of selflessness, maturity and friendliness have substantially eased the relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms, resulting in the passage of bills that directly impact the livelihood of Nigerians. President Buhari recalled his personal interactions with the Speaker, saying that having followed his political trajectory in the House of Representatives, “Nigeria’s future would be secured with great leadership by younger Nigerians, who are fired with the zeal to build one great nation that everyone can call a home.” The President acknowledged that Dogara”s leadership is being fired with the zeal to build one great nation that everyone can call a home, even as he prayed to God to grant the Speaker longer life, good health and wisdom to continue to serve the country and humanity.
Pope Francis has called for a negotiated two states in Israel as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his address – “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) during the Christmas celebration, Pope Francis highlighted the “children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because of growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.” Pope’s suggestion came days after more than 120 countries backed a U.N. resolution urging the U.S. to reverse its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two States within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders.” The pope had previously publicly criticized the United State of America President, Donald Trump’s decision on Jerusalem, saying: “he cannot remain silent” about the decision.” He called for all to respect the “status quo” in conformity with U.N. resolutions even as he noted that Jerusalem is “a unique city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. He said that they are Holy Places for the respective religions and are venerated. “It has a special vocation to peace.” After calling for prayers for peace in the Middle East, Francis used the rest of his address to call for the end of conflicts across the world, including Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, Venezuela, South Sudan and Somalia. He also called for the protection of minority groups in Myanmar and Bangladesh, saying’ “Jesus knows well the pain of not being welcomed and how hard it is not to have a place to lay one’s head.” In his Christmas Eve address, Pope Francis strongly defended immigration, calling for openness to foreigners and refugees.
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The United States of America has agreed to sell A29 Super Tucano Aircraft to Nigeria, according to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, to help Nigeria to completely defeat the Boko Haram Terrorists.
President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged the simple, humble and disciplined leadership which the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has provided.
[myad]
Pope Francis has called for a negotiated two states in Israel as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.