A Nigerian journalist who is believed to have free access to the leadership of Boko Haram, Ahmed Salkida has revealed that over 200 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state, abducted by members of Boko Haram are still alive.
He said that he was told by credible sources that the missing girls are still alive, debunking President Muhammadu Buhari’s media chat statement that there was no intelligent report about the girls.
The schoolgirls were kidnapped from their dormitory in April 2014, with at least 219 of them still believed to be in captivity. Clues as to the exact location of the missing girls have remained elusive.
Salkida said that some of the girls have refused to convert to Islam or allowed themselves to be married off, saying in an opinion write up that President Buhari should use state machinery to open up access to the militants rather than say he has no clue on the kidnapped girls whose abductions sparked off the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
“Most of the Chibok girls, whether they are split into groups or not, are alive, multiple credible sources have told me, and if a deal to release them will weaken national security and endanger the entire country, then the federal government shouldn’t make a deal.
“I am confident that Chibok girls and other captives can return to their families if the government is half as strong-willed as some of the girls in captivity that have refused to be married out or give up their faith.
“The girls would have never backed out of any process, no matter how irritating it is. They would stay on and negotiate hard until they get a deal that will earn them their freedom and stop such abductions so that no one else can ever witness their woeful plight.” [myad]
Overall, the Nigerian constitution contains fourteen sections on the fundamental human rights of a Nigerian, while the United Nations provides for thirty declarations of the universal human rights. And the relevant section in the Nigeria constitution, read, in conjunction with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights goes thus: “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.” Going by the relevant constitutional provisions and this UN declaration, would one be correct to say that the former Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki is presumed innocent of the arms deal scam that has taken the nation by surprise in the last couple of months? Does he need to be proved guilty or otherwise by court before even a layman would accept that he is actually guilty? This is a man who has admitted and is proved to have cornered $2.1 Billion (over N400 Billion) meant to procure arms and ammunition for the soldiers that are prosecuting the war against Boko Haram in the North East in particular and other parts of the North in general. There are other monies, including the returned Sani Abacha loot which he was also reported to have cornered. The allegation was confirmed by no less other than the former coordinating minister of economy and minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. As a matter of fact, every other person that benefited huge financial gains from the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan, ranging from the Daar Communications Limited chairman emeritus, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, to the publisher of ThisDay newspapers, Nduka Obaigbena pointed at Dasuki as the giver. The former NSA even admitted, whether true or false, that he gave some Dollars to some former and probably serving governors. The issue before the court and public domain as it stands now, is not whether Dasuki is guilty of denying our soldiers the right to sophisticated weapons to prosecute the war by hijacking the money meant to acquire weapons and distributing such monies to the favoured, already comfortable Nigerians, but the issue is what is the appropriate way to deal with him. Of course, it is completely out of place for anybody to claim that the government of Muhammadu Buhari is undermining the judicial arm of the government by refusing to comply with the court ruling granting Dasuki bail. For one thing, from the facts before the court, Dasuki ought to have been framed with mass murder and therefore made to face criminal charges. But the Nigerian kind of Judiciary, which as one of the third arm of government in democracy, is suppose to be an institution to regulate the activities of the other two arms: the executive and the legislature, now seems caught in the web of suspiciousness. This is an institution which even in a none democratic environment as in military government, stands, as the executive and legislature are trampled under the jackboot. The supposed beautiful thing about the Judiciary is that it is supposed to be the last hope of the oppressed and a serious threat to the bad eggs in the society. But a situation where the judiciary allows itself to be dancing to the tune of even the bad ones makes the country to slide into confusion and anarchy, because, the bad ones that become powerful through the distribution of the nation’s collective matrimony to those who are vocal would be protected by such few but powerful vocal elements. With the facts on the ground, granting Dasuki bail under the circumstance put to question the integrity of the judiciary, even though the vocal few are making it to look as if the executive is undermining the judiciary. Why are the courts in a hurry to grant Dasuki bail just for the asking? What is the over-riding interest in the judges falling over themselves to let Dasuki enjoy freedom when everyone is now aware that he and only he possesses almost all the monies this country needs to move forward? Indeed, the fresh facts coming from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), about the possiblility of floating Dasuki for the 2019 Presidency under its platform speaks volume about the moral question involved in the whole scam. Like the Cardinal John Onaiyekan said, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari should move fast to recover all the monies, our collective patrimony, from Dasuki and his likes and thereafter, allow them to go and enjoy their freedom. They cannot be in possession of the money meant for the welfare of over 170 million Nigerians and expected that they would be let off the hook, just so that they would fight the government from all angles: a case of corruption fighting hard to remain entrenched in the nation’s system. If Dasuki wants to contest the 2019 Presidential election, for God’s sake, he should work hard to earn his money for the campaign, not the one he has stolen from Nigeria, leading to the unfortunate death of tens of our gallant military men in the war front with Boko Haram. And it is unfortunate that in the whole scenario as it manifests, Judiciary has shot itself In the Foot and looking for sympathy from the same traumatized Nigerians. [myad]
Our sister died. And we are all devastated. We called her Sista Bisi, Mama Kiitan, Olori, Chief (Mrs). To some other people, she was lawyer Bisi, or simply Bisi; at a time she was Bisi Cole, and later Mrs Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi, wife of the Olowo of Owo, HRM Fola Olateru-Olagbegi. She was a diligent, hardworking, generous, vivacious, public-spirited, passionate, committed, creative, astutely brilliant, optimistic, fashionable, and an absolutely lovely woman, who in addition to all that was gifted with an untainted love for all causes humanistic, decent and progressive. In our neighbourhood in Abeokuta, she was the first big sister to become a star, and who as she moved from one stage in her life to the other, took all of us: siblings, cousins, and family friends as her own, mentoring us as much as she could.
She used to come home on holidays from the then University of Ife, or from Lagos, at a time when we, the younger ones were still either in primary school or busy dreaming of the day when we too, would write the School Certificate Exam. We used to refer to WAEC as Baba Yaba, or the Almighty Yaba, because it was the ladder to future opportunities, and any one who had passed that hurdle as if it was so easy, was admired. She had passed the WAEC in Grade One Division, completed her HSC and earned the distinction of being the Second Best student in History in the whole of the then Western Region. By the time she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1976, many of us were still in the primary school.
In the communities of old, successful young persons within the neighbourhood usually inspired younger ones to aspire and excel; the role models of the time were the sisters and brothers who had passed the School Certificate Examination, who had become university undergraduates or graduates and who were doing well in their chosen lines. There wasn’t at the time, the kind of tragedy that has befallen Nigeria these days where society’s new role models are persons who drive flashy cars, wear slutty clothes and flaunt hideous wealth. Sista Bisi was a role model of the old tradition, she knew all of us in that extended family fold and throughout her lifetime, she encouraged us all, and further extended that love to our children and wives. She was never tired of connecting with people.
She was simply what you will call, a people’s person, a networker, a communicator, a humanist. She went to law school, got married shortly thereafter to a lecturer at the Nigerian Law School, who would later become the Olowo of Owo. Marriage and career didn’t take her away from family. When she and her husband lived in Alagbon Towers, 2nd Avenue, in Ikoyi, Lagos, we all used to troop in and out of her home, there was an unending flow of traffic from Abeokuta, and at least four of her Adeogun siblings: Kunle, Yemi, Ope and Tunji, more or less became permanent members of her own immediate family.
It is a tribute to her capacity to manage relationships how she coped with the constant pressure for her attention from all her quarters. Then the children came: Kiitan, Bamarajo, Olasimbo and Olafusi. She was a devoted mother; she loved to succeed in everything she touched, and in particular, she loved children to a distraction but she was strict and firm. She brought the children to Abeokuta as often as she could, she wanted them to be properly grounded, and as they grew older, she never failed to remind them of their family heritage.
She came from illustrious Egba and Lagos backgrounds, married into Owo royalty, and became the mother of princes and princesses. She took that legacy very seriously. On many occasions, she would emphasize how the Olateru-Olagbegi family of Owo, apart from being royalty, is one of the largest and most educated families in Yoruba land, and that any Olateru-Olagbegi child has a duty and an obligation to excel and live a life of dignity. For her, a good name is the most valuable asset. She therefore devoted her time and energy to making sure her children got it right, which is why it is so painful that just as the children are settling down to their own lives, and charting their own path and making her proud, and just as the grandchildren were beginning to arrive, and she herself was beginning to settle down to that phase of life, that enemy of life, that cruel grim reaper, that cause of agony in many Nigerian families called CANCER crept in and gradually took our sister away. God will punish cancer!
Sister Bisi was not just good at home; she was a true citizen and a humanist. Her great impact was felt not just in the goodness that she spread within the private domain, but in the public arena where she was influential as an activist for progressive causes. A lawyer, she regarded the law as an instrument for ensuring social justice, human rights and development, and hence for more than 30 years, she was engaged not just as a legal practitioner and notary public but as a leading advocate for the rights of women, equity, non-violence, children’s rights.
She campaigned vigorously against illegal migration, human trafficking, child abuse, and domestic violence and with the same passion, for the political rights of women, gender equity, the rights of the girl child, gender empowerment and human rights. Under the auspices of the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), a Non-Governmental Organization with UN Special Consultative Status which she co-founded in 1995, she organized trainings for other advocates, facilitated workshops, wrote and presented papers at local and international conferences and became over the decades, a major voice on key issues of development and social progress and a mentor to a generation of younger women who looked up to her.
She wrote prolifically and with great insights on the issues that engaged her attention, and it is well that she has left behind as part of her legacy, a book titled Path to Women’s Development: Thoughts, Vision and Passion (Lagos: WOCON, 2013). The book offers a strong and impressive portrait of her concerns as well as her many convictions. She was for more than 30 years actively involved in many of the activities for centering women’s role in the development process in Nigeria, and for ensuring national good, her most recent national assignment being her membership of the National Conference in Abuja, in 2014. Even while on her death bed, she remained engaged, indeed the morning she died, on December 17, 2015, WOCON had a programme on Human Trafficking in Badagry where she had been scheduled months earlier to give a keynote address. She sent a representative to deliver the address, and although she died on the opening day of the workshop: the EU/UNODC Campaign Programme Against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants, her wish was dutifully carried out as she would have wanted.
Her friends and colleagues would readily attest to the fact that she was a polymath; she was involved in so many causes all at once, managing her time and energy carefully to be able to multi-task productively, demonstrating passion, intellect and courage. Some of these include her stint as Publicity Secretary and Chair, Public Relations Committee of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria (1986-1990), President FIDA, Nigeria (1993 -1994), President, Eko Lioness Club (1990-91), Secretary, Law and Status Committee of the National Council of Women’s Societies (1988-1992), Member, Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice in the Establishment of the International Criminal Court (1998); National Co-ordinator and Board Member, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), Vice-Chair/South-West Coordinator, Transition Monitoring Group (2001-2004), Board Member, Advocacy Project of USA (2003-2015), Founder and Co-ordinator, National Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons (2000-2015).
A Christian, she was also very active in the Lord’s vineyard, giving of her time and resources to support the work of God. She was a Trustee and former President of the Busy Bees Society at the African Church Cathedral Bethel, Lagos, where she worshipped. She was also Matron of the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Society of St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Oke Ijeun, Abeokuta and Legal Adviser, African Church, Iworo, Badagry. She loved singing and dancing, and was always ready with a humorous remark to brighten up the room and put people in a good mood. So versatile was she that she even got involved with Karate and served as the First Executive Chairperson of the Karate Association of Nigeria (1986 -1990).
She dressed simply, her favorite choice being local fabrics, and particularly Aso Oke, to promote indigenous culture. She avoided ostentation, lived in a modest house at Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos and was contented with her life. She will be remembered for her contributions to the women’s movement in Nigeria, and her principled advocacy for the empowerment of women and the girl-child, the promotion of constitutionalism, human rights and social justice, and her defence of citizen rights. She belonged to a generation of Nigerian women who used their time, professionalism and talents to serve the higher cause of moving society forward, and who are admired not for being female, but for being human and progressive.
There is an established tradition in this regard, dating back to a long time in the past, from the days of the likes of Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, strong amazons who added value to the Nigerian story and collective experience, without seeking reward or personal glory. Today, there are so many young women following in the same footsteps. Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi has played her part, someone out there will pick up the baton she has dropped, and we are consoled that the struggle for equity will always continue as the search for social justice remains an unending global challenge.
In her case, she was a lawyer who got involved; her expectation is that more female lawyers will also see the umbilical link between law and social change. Here are a few words of her own, defining a societal role for female lawyers: “…the female lawyer occupies a unique position in the society”, she writes. “By virtue of her education, she is relied upon by other women, for the advocacy, and enforcement of their rights. With good use of her expertise as a lawyer, she is in a position to effect positive change not only for women and children but the society at large in the efforts to promote equality, development and peace. If female lawyers in Nigeria play their role, I believe, we will in the next millennium witness a society where peace and justice reign.”
That of course was her vision and her mission, the compass for her commitment. Cancer, be not proud! Olabisi Ibijoke Olateru-Olagbegi (nee Cole) lived a life of meaning, purpose and impact. As she joins the Saints triumphant on Friday, January 29, all we have to say is: Thank You, Lord. Sista Bisi. Goodnight. Goodbye. [myad]
The Nation Newspaper has expressed regrets that it has been linked to the arms procurement scandal, with the former National Security Adviser, retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki in the centre of it.
Obviously embarrassed by the revelations, the Nation newspaper, owned by National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and owner of the Nation Newspaper, Bola Tinubu, has quietly returned the sum of N9 Million which was its share of the money handed over through the Newspaper Propriators Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
It would be recalled that investigations from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), had traced a suspicious transfer of funds from the former Dasuki to Newspaper outlets including Tinubu’s own Nation.
In a statement, the Board and management of the newspaper company said: “we are again compelled to comment on the N9 million received by Vintage Press Limited as compensation from the government of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan through the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) for the seizure of our publications, The Nation and Sporting Life in June, 2014.
“We do this for two reasons. First, to restate the sequence of events that culminated in the payment , thereby debunking insinuations about the motive for the compensation. Second, to inform the public that the N9 million collected from NPAN on behalf of the Jonathan government has been returned to the association .
“This decision was arrived at on Wednesday by the Board and Management of Vintage Press Limited after a painstaking examination of the legal and moral issues arising from the compensation.”
“In our first comment published in the Saturday, December 12 edition of The Nation, we provided the background to the compensation. We recalled the mindless, illegal and unjustified seizure of thousands of copies of both titles by soldiers in major cities and towns across the country.
“Not only were copies of both papers impounded, our vehicles and drivers were arrested and detained in military barracks. They were released very late, in some instances at 7pm, when it was practically impossible to put the consignments in the market.
“We know of no other newspaper that was so harassed and maltreated by soldiers who claimed that they had intelligence reports that newspapers vehicles were to be used by insurgents to ferry arms.
“Our response to this unjustifiable infringement of our rights was go to court to get justice and ask for Compensation. We briefed the legal firm of Femi Falana (SAN) to institute an action against the government and the military authorities and demand N300 million compensation.”
“Soon after the clampdown, Jonathan hosted the NPAN in Lagos and the issue of compensation was raised with him. He promised to get back to the association through its president, Nduka Obaigbena the publisher of Thisday.
” Obaigbena later briefed members that the government had agreed to pay N10 million to each newspaper. A mail followed from the association asking newspapers to submit their statements of claims for compensation.
“This development was discussed with our lawyer who advised that the N10 million compensation was reasonable, following which we resolved to stay action on the suit .
“At subsequent meetings in Lagos and Abuja , NPAN assured members that the government had not changed its mind . At the Abuja meeting in March but year, the association resolved that N1million be paid by each newspaper on receipt of the N10 million towards the acquisition of a befitting corporate office for it.
“In May, the secretary of NPAN, Mr. Feyi Smith, brought a draft for N9 million to Vintage Press Limited. The draft was accepted in good faith, believing it was from the account of the association and also from the appropriate department of government.
“Who was in a better position to deliver a draft from NPAN to Vintage Press than the NPAN secretary? Vintage Press, like other newspapers that received drafts/cheques from the NPAN, did not know that the money was paid to a private company by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and from funds collected by that office specifically for the procurement of arms ?
”This was until The Nation, in its edition of Friday, December 4, published details of the stupendous sums of money collected by individuals and organisations from the ONSA.”
“Now, the source of the payment to us is beyond contention. We now know it came from the ONSA and routed through a private company, General Hydrocarbon Limited.
”This company is unknown to NPAN. Facts in the public domain show clearly that the money the company collected was for ‘energy consultancy.
”That this company would collect the compensation on NPAN’s behalf was never disclosed to the association in line with corporate best practice. As a business that subscribes fully to the tenets of sound governance, we are not at ease with this revelation.
“We are also uncomfortable with the revelation that the compensation was from the money earmarked for the purchase of arms for troops fighting insurgency.
“This point was stated clearly in our editorial of Wednesday, December 23 in which we said: ‘it is unclear to what extent the extension of the anti- terror war was due to fraud – related factors. But it is clear enough that the war effort was deliberately hampered by fraudulent activities.”
“It is a shame,” we said further, “that there is even a possibility, however slim, that media players helped to create an enabling environment for terrorists, wittingly or unwittingly, by linkage with Dasuki.
“In the light of the foregoing, Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation and Sportinglife, on Wednesday resolved that the N9 million compensation be returned to the NPAN for onward delivery to the source of the money. A draft for N9million was handed over to Mr Smith today in Lagos.
“The Board and Management of Vintage Press have also resolved not to resume the legal action it asked the firm of Femi Falana (SAN) to initiate against the government and the military authorities but to regard the losses incurred during the period as part of the sacrifice The Nation has made to the enthronement of a new order in our country.
“It was noted with satisfaction that no law of the land was breached in asking for compensation and receiving same from the government but that with the sordid disclosures about the ONSA, Vintage Press cannot in good conscience regard the compensation as a closed case on which nothing can be done.
“However,, we find most uncharitable the infantile claim that the compensation was meant to compromise us.” [myad]
In the aftermath of the Presidential Media Chat by the President Muhammadu Buhari, the first since the decisive mandate of 2015, a mandate based on expectations of change, analysts of various hue have taken over the space presenting their own views on what he said, what he could have said and what he didn’t.
Feedback from the Social Media indicates that the programme was widely followed by Nigerians at home and abroad.
Tweet Trends at the end of the programme showed that there were more than 300,000 tweets and feedbacks from TV viewers and radio listeners using the hashtags #presidentialmediachat, #PMBmediachat and #ASKBuhari. Given 30 minutes to take questions from Twitter, Channel TV’s erudite Presenter, Kayode Akintemi said that he had over 1,000 questions to pick from. It was not all praises through. As to be expected, the president got some knocks on the issues of Nnamdi Kanu of Biafra and ex-National Security Adviser Colonel Sambo Dasuki. There were attacks also on government policy on the use of Naira Mastercard abroad and the Hijab.
The Hijab issue in particular has been taken completely out of context with attention-Imams swearing and shouting at the President for merely contemplating the need to consider what to do about a national security problem, not that a decision is reached.
But on the whole and overall, the President come out shining, out of what turned out to be a very dramatic evening. In one word, the outing erased many doubts of the President’s articulation and his cohence of thinking. A Twitterer asked this question at one point: “Is this the one they said was brain-dead?” When President Buhari spoke, it was ram rod and straight talk, which many believe is what is needed to clean up the decadent status-quo and the Augean stable. Many said they liked his hang on Biafra and the accusations of the marginalization of the South-East states.
He was unpretentious throughout. This alone had the effect of reinforcing his reputation for candor. But he also showed a softer side of himself. He joked, he laughed and showed flashes of frustration and he was characteristically himself: calm, self-confident, composed and not for a moment did he try to being someone other than himself. The important take-away from my point of view is, beyond there being a “New Sheriff in Town” in the president as Commander-In- Chief, the President used the occasion to go over the heads of the editors to engage the millions of viewers, forcefully driving home his sometimes bitter points of view on a wide variety of issues. He put up a brave presence and a brave defense on key issues of the day –security, corruption, economy and the indivisibility of the country.
For instance he offered a rare opportunity to undo the impasse over the missing Chibok girls by agreeing to unconditional talks to a credible Boko Harm leadership (If any will come forward).He said anyone that embarrasses his government on the issue of corruption will be shown the way out. Not only that, they will be prosecuted.
Addressing the issue of Biafran agitations, the president drew lessons from history on the strategic consequences of failing to act with firmness and great wisdom. His economic review presented a sobering picture not only for the government, but for the general public to heed the warning signal.
On the other hand many understand his comments regarding the bail for Col Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu to mean that government would use all avenues in the legal system to ensure that they are made to face trials. Under the constitution, no one can stop the courts from doing their jobs and it is matter the President keeps going back to given his much-cherished, newly-acquired democratic beliefs.
On any given day in court, lawyers argue the pros and cons of given issues. As writers and commentators in the media, this is what we do always. The one who argues for bail and the one who argues against it are both entitled to their views.
It is harsh of anyone to deny the President an opinion on these matters when all of us are freely commenting upon them. Muhammadu Buhari is first a citizen before becoming a President. He is entitled to hold views as you and I are under the constitution.
What will be wrong is when he tries to impose those views on the courts or on anyone, and this not anything he has done, and is will not do as the elected president of Nigeria.
Some quotes from the #Presidentialmediachat read as follow:
War on corruption will take years, we are appealing to some countries to cooperate with us, Nigeria on its knees -PMB
Under the military, you were guilty and you had to prove yourself Innocent. But under democracy, you are innocent until proven otherwise-@MBuhari
I have declared my assets four times, mentioned which banks I took money from and how many cows I have” -@MBuhari.
The body in charge of my asset declarations should not browbeat the media, they should release my assets declarations.
I have not taken anyone into my cabinet who is being prosecuted for corruption, consciously I have not -@MBuhari.
I don’t think I picked anybody that I think will embarrass my govt, or who has got a corruption case. Name one.-@MBuhari.
If anyone in my cabinet is involved in corruption, I’ll not only sack the person , I’ll ensure they are prosecuted
On Chibok Girls #BringBackOurGirls we will negotiate with Boko Haram without precondition to return the missing girls.
Some G7 countries have sent training teams and given military hard/software to Nigeria -PMB.
#BringBackOurGirls The Nigerian security doesn’t have intelligence as to whereabouts and status of the Chibok girls.
….. “President of Iran spoke to me about the attack on Shiites by the Nigerian military” – PMB
On Shiites, I expect a judicial commission of inquiry by the @GovKaduna state, I’ll rather wait for the report – PMB
When I say the war has been technically won, I meant their capacity to carry out conventional attack has weakened-PMB
“Personally I don’t want to support devaluation of the Naira” –PMB
“@NNPCgroup has 45 accounts, the military- Army, Navy, Airforce, Police had 70 accounts until we introduced TSA” -PMB
“I need to be convinced before I can approve the devaluation of the Naira” -PMB
“We have stopped 43 items from being imported including toothpicks” – PMB
“By the end of next quarter we won’t be talking about subsidy because cost of refined product will be so low. There’ll be no need for subsidy.”
I was only told of N700million for vehicles for the Presidency & as for the National Assembly, I hope they’ve not bought them.
“27 out of the 36 states couldn’t pay salaries when we came in” -PMB
“The federal gov’t will not touch minimum wage”-PMB
“Nnamdi Kanu has two passports, British and Nigerian. But he entered this country with none of the two passports.”
Talking about condour, it is very rare that when asked a question, the leader of a country will say I don’t have the answer, I will seek explanation from so, so or that I will instruct the Central Bank to issue a statement on that. This is why when he speaks, the public believes him because he does so with an aura sincerity. This is something that helps public perception. A leader who knows it all by himself is not what a country needs.
Since assuming power in May, 2015, the President has sent very clear signals to the media of his non-interference with their freedom. As the leader of this large and diverse country, he had an important message for them he kept for the last: he wants the media to rise above speculations, do a lot of research and investigation to produce credible articles. In his view, they need to do this to ramp up their credibility. Should they fail to do this, they will risk dragging down their reputable institution from the high pedestal it occupies. The self –regulating arms of the industry will be doing a disservice to both the media and the nation if they ignore this freely-offered advice.
From my own partisan, but certainly not jaundiced view, the first of the quarterly Media Chats was a win-win move. It served both sides well, with the media carrying out their constitutional duty of auditing the administration and the President having a useful platform to reach millions of citizens who harbor a love for him and a shared expectation of change.
Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, wrote form Abuja. [myad]
Saudi Arabia has executed a prominent Shiite cleric behind anti-government protests along with 46 other men, drawing angry condemnation from Iran and Iraq.
The execution of Nimr al-Nimr and the others, including Shiite activists and Sunnis accused of involvement in deadly Al-Qaeda attacks, was announced by the Saudi interior ministry.
It prompted calls for demonstrations, with the brother of the 56-year-old cleric warning it could stir more trouble in oil-rich Eastern Province where Shiites complain of marginalization.
“This action will spark anger of (Shiite) youths” in Saudi Arabia, said Mohammed al-Nimr.
The interior ministry said the 47 men had been convicted of adopting the radical “takfiri” ideology, joining “terrorist organisations” and implementing various “criminal plots”.
A list published by the official Saudi Press Agency included Sunni Muslims, convicted of involvement in Al-Qaeda attacks that killed Saudi and foreigners in the kingdom in 2003 and 2004.
One of those executed was Fares al-Shuwail, described by Saudi media as Al-Qaeda’s top religious leader in the kingdom. He was arrested in 2004.
Notably absent from the list, however, was Nimr’s nephew, Ali al-Nimr, whose arrest at the age of 17 and alleged torture during detention sparked condemnation from rights watchdogs and the United States.
All those executed were Saudis, except for an Egyptian and a Chadian.
Some were beheaded with a sword while others were executed by firing squad, said interior ministry spokesman Mansur al-Turki.
Executions have soared in the country since King Salman acceded the throne in January 2015, with 153 people, including convicted drug-traffickers, put to death last year, nearly twice as many as in 2014.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari has threatened that Saudi Arabia will pay “a high price” for executing prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr today.
“The Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution… the Saudi government will pay a high price for following these policies,” Ansari said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. [myad]
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan on Friday urged the Federal Government to pardon those involved in money laundering if they were willing to return such funds.
Onaiyekan made the appeal at the St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Nyanya as part of his New Year message for the nation in Abuja.
He said that the best strategy to ensure the return of the monies would be an agreement with the people involved to have them return what they had stolen.
He said that the ongoing developments had shown that corruption could be eradicated over time, adding that the fight against fraudulent acts must be handled with care.
“It is okay to expose people and disgrace them, but that will not solve the problem. “If we want our money back, we have to strategize so that the countries that are keeping our money can feel challenged to return them.
“The easiest way to get the money back is to convince them to go bring the money back, and then it will be easy. “One way to convince people to bring stolen money back is to promise them that they will not be disgraced.”
Onaiyekan said that the amnesty is not like a plea bargain which only leads to the return of some stolen funds, adding: “this is different from plea bargain where you tell a person who stole hundred billion of naira to return fifty billion and be forgiven; that for me is not the right thing.
“If you have stolen hundred million and you are ready to bring back all, then we will leave you and not send you to jail, Nigeria can do that.’’
The cleric said that corruption is embedded in the Nigerian system, therefore, required a systemic change to reverse the situation even as he earlier advised the government to swing into proper action in the New Year, for the fulfilment of all its campaign promises.
“The success of the party that won was built on a promise of change and will be in the spotlight of spectators in this New Year.
“We can say that from May till now, it has been a period of consolidating, making strategies and preparing. “2016 will be a year that we will now begin to see exactly where we are going and how we are moving,” Onaiyekan said.
Onaiyekan said that the movement would include all the nation’s challenges in terms of security and anti-corruption campaign, “which is at the forefront of the country’’.
“We must find a way to discuss and negotiate the peace and tranquility of our nation,” he said. [myad]
The Super Eagles squad, just put together by the Head Coach Sunday Oliseh, has left for South Africa ahead of the the 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) which announced this today in a statement by its Assistant Director (Communications), Ademola Olajire, said that the coach released the team’s final list of 23 players for the championship.
The statement said that the list has goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, defenders Austin Oboroakpo and Chima Akas, 2016 Olympic team midfielders Usman Mohammed and Yaro Bature, and forward Chisom Chikatara, among others.
“The list also has Enyimba International FC’s winger Ezekiel Bassey, former junior international Ifeanyi Mathew and Sunshine Stars’ trio of Paul Onobi, Prince Aggrey and Tunde Adeniji.
“Former junior international goalkeeper Femi Thomas, Shooting Stars’ central defender Jamiu Alimi and former Supersand Eagles’ ace Bartholomew Ibenegbu have also been included,’’ the statement said.
It said the Eagles B team, alongside technical and backroom staff, left the country on Saturday afternoon for Cape Town in South Africa.
“There, the squad will stage a 10-day pre-Championship training camp, and play two friendly games against Angola and Cote d’Ivoire, who are also CHAN-bound on Jan. 6 and Jan. 11 respectively,’’ the statement said.
The Federation said that coach Oliseh had arrived in South Africa ahead of the delegation.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles B had finished third at the third edition of the African Nations Championship held in South Africa in 2014.
The Eagles will campaign in Group C of this year’s championship alongside 2011 winners Tunisia, Niger Republic and Guinea, with matches to be played at the Stade Regional Nyamirambo, Kigali.
The championship holds from Jan. 16 to Feb. 7.
The Full List:
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Sunshine Stars); Olufemi Thomas (Enyimba International FC); Okiemute Odah (Warri Wolves)
National publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh has admitted that his party is simply doing to President Muhammadu Buhari what he leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) did to former President Goodluck Jonathan, in terms of criticisms, wondering why the APC cannot accept, with equanimity, such criticisms.
Metuh who was apparently responding to the warning handed down to PDP recently by the APC national chairman, John Oyegun over what he called open insult of President Buhari, said it is unfortunate that the APC and its leaders, who gleefully and unjustifiably poured invectives on former President Jonathan in the guise of playing the role of an opposition party, would now not want to condone criticisms.
In a statement today, Metuh said: “unlike the APC that denigrated the office and person of former President Jonathan by wrongly depicting him as ‘clueless and incompetent’, the PDP remains the most decent, mature and constructive opposition party in our democracy and we have evidenced great respect for the person and exalted office of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“During the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, while in the saddle as interim Deputy National Secretary of the APC, in a post on his twitter page, described President Jonathan as ‘lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless and useless leader.’ Other APC leaders made raining abuses on Jonathan a past time.
“The PDP is a very responsible opposition party; our leaders are mature; and we have demonstrated so in our critique of the President’s responses during the maiden Presidential Media Chat. We have reviewed President Buhari’s performance and concluded that it was uninspiring
“The entire world listened to President Buhari during the chat and went away with different impressions. We did and came up with the theme of our initial reaction that portrayed him very appropriately as a tyrant. And for purpose of clarity, a tyrant is a ruler who has complete power over a country and who uses the power in a cruel and unfair way, which was why we recommended the suspension of the operation of the constitution so he can rule for the next four years as a maximum ruler.
“In its reaction, his party National Chairman, John Oyegun magisterially and dictatorially warned that ‘we (APC) may not condone such anymore.’ Our position in the PDP is that we are in trouble as a nation. All we hear from the APC regarding our freedom is ‘we won’t tolerate’, ‘we won’t condone.’ Are these words used by democrats or tyrants?
“So, the PDP too is being warned and coerced on what to say as opposition party. The PDP must be commended for the civil, responsible, mature, issue-based opposition it has played. The nation knows how the APC rained insults on former President Jonathan and that the PDP, during that time, never used words like ‘it would not condone…’
“Some have even criticised the PDP style of opposition as being too civil considering the tyranny we are facing. That is why Chief John Oyegun could term a dictionary word-‘tyrant’- as insulting. Nigerians do not need the PDP or anyone else to make them decide if President Buhari’s APC government fits the definition of a tyrant.
“The real trait of the President was unraveled during the media chat. He has repeatedly shown his scorn for the Legislature, an independent arm of government while sanctioning security agencies’ disrespect for court orders and the impunity of continuous incarceration of people who have been granted bails by the courts.
“Also from his responses, the President has even pronounced a guilty verdict on Col Sambo Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu of Radio Biafra even before the hearings by the courts. Sadly, even the international community has noted this brazen scorn and disdain for the independence of the judiciary.
“Furthermore, how do we describe a President who openly denigrated an entire race as he did in the media chat when he suggested that the Igbos were insatiable with the appointments his government has so far given to them? Indeed, the timing and the tenor of the President’s comment, given the security and political situation in the land, remain worrisome, especially at a time a nerve-soothing statement from the father of the nation could have reassured the agitators of the need for peace and unity in the nation.
“Besides, it is sad and embarrassing that President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade has now been reduced to a war between the APC and the PDP as declared by the Office of his spokespersons. Since they have confirmed that this is what the anti-corruption crusade is all about, the APC is obviously seeking to destroy the PDP so that it can push through Buhari’s second tenure in 2019 without opposition from the PDP.
“This has also confirmed our concern that this is the reason the Federal Government is persecuting, and not prosecuting, Col. Sambo Dasuki. The APC and its leaders fear that Dasuki, given his vast political and security network, may be harbouring a presidential ambition, more so that the PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the north.
“The PDP is conversant with the sinister plan by the APC-led Federal Government to completely decimate our party by raking up all manner of allegations of corruption against the Goodluck Jonathan administration and leaders of the PDP with a view to taking them to court on orchestrated charges.
“Finally we are aware that President Buhari has directed security agencies to be more vicious in dealing with our members and has continued to subtly coerce the Judiciary to convict those being charged to court. But what gives us joy is that President Buhari is not God and we will not worship him.” [myad]
Agitators for the return of over 200 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, abducted by members of Boko Haram, have scheduled a peaceful protest to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa on January 14.
According to the convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) Aisha Yesufu at daily sit-out session to mark ‘Day 627’ since the girls were taken from their school’s dormitory in Chibok, January 14 would be exactly 21 months since the incidence took place.
She said that the group would stage peaceful march to the Presidential Villa to engage President Muhammadu Buhari on the way forward.
This was even as the group asked the government to set up a special search and rescue team to find the missing schoolgirls.
The group expressed disappointmentd that President Buhari did not say anything about the missing girls in his New Year message to Nigerians.
The group would not accept the President’s statement during the media chat on Wednesday that the government has no credible intelligent report on the whereabouts of the girls, adding that government needs to consider acquiring credible intelligence.
The group said that there was a credible report on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls from the testimonies of the former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Air Marhall Alex Badeh and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State.
In the heat of demands from the BBOG and global outcry for the rescue of the girls, Air Marshall had told reporters that the military had a tip off about where the girls where, but that the military was being cautious to avoid civilian casualties.
The girls were abducted by members of the Boko Haram terrorist group on April 14, 2014.
Meanwhile, another leader of the group, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili had recently asked the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to cause the reinstatement of the soldiers that were jailed for cowardice against the Boko Haram insurgency and mutiny. [myad]
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A Nigerian journalist who is believed to have free access to the leadership of Boko Haram, Ahmed Salkida has revealed that over 200 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state, abducted by members of Boko Haram are still alive.
Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi, By Reuben Abati
She used to come home on holidays from the then University of Ife, or from Lagos, at a time when we, the younger ones were still either in primary school or busy dreaming of the day when we too, would write the School Certificate Exam. We used to refer to WAEC as Baba Yaba, or the Almighty Yaba, because it was the ladder to future opportunities, and any one who had passed that hurdle as if it was so easy, was admired. She had passed the WAEC in Grade One Division, completed her HSC and earned the distinction of being the Second Best student in History in the whole of the then Western Region. By the time she was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1976, many of us were still in the primary school.
In the communities of old, successful young persons within the neighbourhood usually inspired younger ones to aspire and excel; the role models of the time were the sisters and brothers who had passed the School Certificate Examination, who had become university undergraduates or graduates and who were doing well in their chosen lines. There wasn’t at the time, the kind of tragedy that has befallen Nigeria these days where society’s new role models are persons who drive flashy cars, wear slutty clothes and flaunt hideous wealth. Sista Bisi was a role model of the old tradition, she knew all of us in that extended family fold and throughout her lifetime, she encouraged us all, and further extended that love to our children and wives. She was never tired of connecting with people.
She was simply what you will call, a people’s person, a networker, a communicator, a humanist. She went to law school, got married shortly thereafter to a lecturer at the Nigerian Law School, who would later become the Olowo of Owo. Marriage and career didn’t take her away from family. When she and her husband lived in Alagbon Towers, 2nd Avenue, in Ikoyi, Lagos, we all used to troop in and out of her home, there was an unending flow of traffic from Abeokuta, and at least four of her Adeogun siblings: Kunle, Yemi, Ope and Tunji, more or less became permanent members of her own immediate family.
It is a tribute to her capacity to manage relationships how she coped with the constant pressure for her attention from all her quarters. Then the children came: Kiitan, Bamarajo, Olasimbo and Olafusi. She was a devoted mother; she loved to succeed in everything she touched, and in particular, she loved children to a distraction but she was strict and firm. She brought the children to Abeokuta as often as she could, she wanted them to be properly grounded, and as they grew older, she never failed to remind them of their family heritage.
She came from illustrious Egba and Lagos backgrounds, married into Owo royalty, and became the mother of princes and princesses. She took that legacy very seriously. On many occasions, she would emphasize how the Olateru-Olagbegi family of Owo, apart from being royalty, is one of the largest and most educated families in Yoruba land, and that any Olateru-Olagbegi child has a duty and an obligation to excel and live a life of dignity. For her, a good name is the most valuable asset. She therefore devoted her time and energy to making sure her children got it right, which is why it is so painful that just as the children are settling down to their own lives, and charting their own path and making her proud, and just as the grandchildren were beginning to arrive, and she herself was beginning to settle down to that phase of life, that enemy of life, that cruel grim reaper, that cause of agony in many Nigerian families called CANCER crept in and gradually took our sister away. God will punish cancer!
Sister Bisi was not just good at home; she was a true citizen and a humanist. Her great impact was felt not just in the goodness that she spread within the private domain, but in the public arena where she was influential as an activist for progressive causes. A lawyer, she regarded the law as an instrument for ensuring social justice, human rights and development, and hence for more than 30 years, she was engaged not just as a legal practitioner and notary public but as a leading advocate for the rights of women, equity, non-violence, children’s rights.
She campaigned vigorously against illegal migration, human trafficking, child abuse, and domestic violence and with the same passion, for the political rights of women, gender equity, the rights of the girl child, gender empowerment and human rights. Under the auspices of the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON), a Non-Governmental Organization with UN Special Consultative Status which she co-founded in 1995, she organized trainings for other advocates, facilitated workshops, wrote and presented papers at local and international conferences and became over the decades, a major voice on key issues of development and social progress and a mentor to a generation of younger women who looked up to her.
She wrote prolifically and with great insights on the issues that engaged her attention, and it is well that she has left behind as part of her legacy, a book titled Path to Women’s Development: Thoughts, Vision and Passion (Lagos: WOCON, 2013). The book offers a strong and impressive portrait of her concerns as well as her many convictions. She was for more than 30 years actively involved in many of the activities for centering women’s role in the development process in Nigeria, and for ensuring national good, her most recent national assignment being her membership of the National Conference in Abuja, in 2014. Even while on her death bed, she remained engaged, indeed the morning she died, on December 17, 2015, WOCON had a programme on Human Trafficking in Badagry where she had been scheduled months earlier to give a keynote address. She sent a representative to deliver the address, and although she died on the opening day of the workshop: the EU/UNODC Campaign Programme Against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants, her wish was dutifully carried out as she would have wanted.
Her friends and colleagues would readily attest to the fact that she was a polymath; she was involved in so many causes all at once, managing her time and energy carefully to be able to multi-task productively, demonstrating passion, intellect and courage. Some of these include her stint as Publicity Secretary and Chair, Public Relations Committee of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria (1986-1990), President FIDA, Nigeria (1993 -1994), President, Eko Lioness Club (1990-91), Secretary, Law and Status Committee of the National Council of Women’s Societies (1988-1992), Member, Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice in the Establishment of the International Criminal Court (1998); National Co-ordinator and Board Member, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF), Vice-Chair/South-West Coordinator, Transition Monitoring Group (2001-2004), Board Member, Advocacy Project of USA (2003-2015), Founder and Co-ordinator, National Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons (2000-2015).
A Christian, she was also very active in the Lord’s vineyard, giving of her time and resources to support the work of God. She was a Trustee and former President of the Busy Bees Society at the African Church Cathedral Bethel, Lagos, where she worshipped. She was also Matron of the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) Society of St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Oke Ijeun, Abeokuta and Legal Adviser, African Church, Iworo, Badagry. She loved singing and dancing, and was always ready with a humorous remark to brighten up the room and put people in a good mood. So versatile was she that she even got involved with Karate and served as the First Executive Chairperson of the Karate Association of Nigeria (1986 -1990).
She dressed simply, her favorite choice being local fabrics, and particularly Aso Oke, to promote indigenous culture. She avoided ostentation, lived in a modest house at Dolphin Estate in Ikoyi, Lagos and was contented with her life. She will be remembered for her contributions to the women’s movement in Nigeria, and her principled advocacy for the empowerment of women and the girl-child, the promotion of constitutionalism, human rights and social justice, and her defence of citizen rights. She belonged to a generation of Nigerian women who used their time, professionalism and talents to serve the higher cause of moving society forward, and who are admired not for being female, but for being human and progressive.
There is an established tradition in this regard, dating back to a long time in the past, from the days of the likes of Mrs Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, strong amazons who added value to the Nigerian story and collective experience, without seeking reward or personal glory. Today, there are so many young women following in the same footsteps. Bisi Olateru-Olagbegi has played her part, someone out there will pick up the baton she has dropped, and we are consoled that the struggle for equity will always continue as the search for social justice remains an unending global challenge.
In her case, she was a lawyer who got involved; her expectation is that more female lawyers will also see the umbilical link between law and social change. Here are a few words of her own, defining a societal role for female lawyers: “…the female lawyer occupies a unique position in the society”, she writes. “By virtue of her education, she is relied upon by other women, for the advocacy, and enforcement of their rights. With good use of her expertise as a lawyer, she is in a position to effect positive change not only for women and children but the society at large in the efforts to promote equality, development and peace. If female lawyers in Nigeria play their role, I believe, we will in the next millennium witness a society where peace and justice reign.”
That of course was her vision and her mission, the compass for her commitment. Cancer, be not proud! Olabisi Ibijoke Olateru-Olagbegi (nee Cole) lived a life of meaning, purpose and impact. As she joins the Saints triumphant on Friday, January 29, all we have to say is: Thank You, Lord. Sista Bisi. Goodnight. Goodbye. [myad]