Friday 27 January 2017

The Fraud Behind #OccupyCBN Campaign



By Kelvin Adegbenga

When I first saw the Hashtag #OccupyCBN, I was wondering if the Unity Fountain has been moved to the Central Bank of Nigeria building.

When I did my findings, I observed that those leading the campaigns; Adeyanju Deji and Adelaja Adeoye are known agents of cabals who have remained persistent in their move to misinform the public, with the intention of discrediting genuine efforts at managing the economy, thereby creating public distrust and panic within the financial system.

I remembered vividly that Adeyanju Deji used to be the mouth piece of the PDP and since all his avenue of making illegal money has closed especially in Ondo State, he has resolved to become an overnight activist.

Undeniably, the egocentric individuals have resorted to the sponsorship of sequential information to mislead the public on the objectives of the CBN fantastic policies.

I must their sponsored that Nigerian will stand up against the CBN and the Federal Government if it reverses the current FOREX policy. The FOREX Policy is aimed at protecting the foreign exchange, motivate agriculture and manufacturing and also promote exports, so we are comfortable with it.

Nigerians must know that the present economic encounters we facing have been worsened by the past administration practice of squandering huge earnings made from crude oil sales as can be witnessed in the arms deal under the former National Security Adviser, Dasuki!

The CBN has explained severally that her decisions on FOREX management are prompted by the challenge posed by the level of depletion of the country’s reserves, arising from issues such as a drastic reduction in oil earnings, speculative attacks and round tripping.

Do we need to engage an Economist for the jobless youths and their sponsors that the pressures on the country’s foreign reserves have persisted due to a huge fall in the monthly foreign earnings, which fell from over US $3.2 billion sometime in 2013 to below $500 million per month sometime in 2016, when the demand for the US dollar, particularly by importers, continued to rise considerably!

According to a release from the CBN, the Bank has continued to ensure that there is liquidity and transparency in the FOREX market. The Central Bank of Nigeria has continues to ensure that inflation remains within manageable limits; intervene in critical sectors of the economy, through injection of much-needed capital to promote growth and employment; promote export-driven industrialisation; provide access to credit to farmers and small scale entrepreneurs at single digit rates, to create wealth; protect the interest of Bank customers in Nigeria; and above all ensure that the masses of our country’s low income earners are protected from the vagaries of high naira depreciation. So what does that cabal want? Why did they want to crippled the country; not minding the suffering of millions of Nigerians?

I am using this medium to call on the CBN to continue in their policies of monetary and price stability as well as maintain external reserves to safeguard the international value of the Naira.

It is time the cabals and their agents contribute to the reliability of the Nigerian economy instead engaging baseless #OccupyCBN protest which is capable of damaging the determinations of the Federal Government at moving the country out of recession.


Kelvin Adegbenga writes in from Abuja Twitter @kelvinadegbenga

Friday 20 January 2017

Online Platforms And The Dangerous Quest For A Carte Blanc



By Gabriel Onoja


There is something worse than crying more than the bereaved. On the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration as the President of the United States, a crowd anti-Trump protesters got unruly and clashed with Trump's supporters and police in Washington DC. The police pepper sprayed the protesters and added chemical spray as deterrence. This happened in the famed "land of freedom' on the eve of one of the most significant waypoint in US democracy – the inauguration of a new president. The protesters, knowing the are in breach of the law, had nothing to say to the police that were simply doing their job of maintaining law and order. 

At about the same time in Nigeria, the news was making the rounds about the Nigeria Police arresting the publisher of online newspaper, Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi and its judicial correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu. Both were taken in on the strength of a petition about Premium Times libelous publication against the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Tukur Buratai. According to a police officer quoted in one of the frenzied reports in the wake of the arrests, criminal libel is not being ruled out, which would potentially transform what the journalists are dealing with from 
a civil to a criminal case. 

The news site later crowed in one of its headlines that "Nigerian Police bow to pressure, release detained PREMIUM TIMES journalists," which offers an insight into the kind of belligerent attitude that is prevalent in the publication and among its cohort. The new normal is for these outfits to begin their work from the point of view of being the enemy of establishment as opposed to acknowledging their role as a component that is essential for the nation's survival. 

Of course, news of the arrest triggered social media chatter on scale that was sufficient to drown out news about police in the US pepper spraying anti-Trump protesters. By the way, the same crowd that was condemning the arrest of the journalists were the bulk, being ignorant of American dynamics, never believed that Donald Trump will win the election. The anger expressed by these newfound online activists was therefore misdirected in the most part being the product misinformation that has been deliberately or unconsciously orchestrated by Premium Times in the few years of its existence. 

A sad reality of dealing with mass hysteria of half informed people online is the spiral of silence that sets in for those with alternate view of events. According to www.masscommtheory.com, "Originally proposed by German political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974, Spiral of silence is the term meant to refer to the tendency of people to remain silent when they feel that their views are in opposition to the majority view on a subject."  

Wrong was thus bestowed the toga of right simply because the baying mob would lynch anyone that as much as offer an alternative view to their fixation on vilifying those they have labelled "enemy of democracy. Yet, this prejudiced stance is as damaging as it is misleading since it overlooks the failings of Premium Times to whose rescue they so promptly rushed. 

The cyber Nazis are right on one account though. There is an emergency dictatorship. Interestingly and contrary to the impression being created, the dictator is neither the police nor the Nigerian Army, who in this case are the victims of online trolls. The dictatorship is the horde of online sites, led by Premium Times with its wrongly informed supporters and other platforms in similar fashion that place themselves above the laws of the land, conventions and even common sense.  

Only a resolute dictator like Premium Times would gloss over the grievous allegations the Army made against it by trying to exploit the court of public opinion to turn the tables. The military severally accused it of sabotaging the war on terror by running propaganda materials for Boko Haram, using its platform as a cover to publish information about troops movement and working in collaboration with foreign interests to unravel Nigeria. Even if these accusations were false, which they have not been proven to be, the newspaper should have in line with the standard it seeks to impose on others explain its version of the story not resort to abusing its platform to wage war on the nation's vital institutions. This too is dictatorship. 

It is a sick behavior that has led to the death of troops betrayed by Premium Time's treachery. The blood of civilians that died following from the publication's romance with Boko Haram drips from the hands of the newspaper writers. 

Because people are not connecting the dots, they are not seeing worrisome patterns. Amnesty International is one of the foreign entities that several groups had accused of having hidden agenda in Nigeria with further claims that it uses pliant media platforms for the execution of such destabilization projects. It is notable that Amnesty International was among those that tweeted condemnation of the arrests before it had time to know the facts of the matter, this suggest collusion on a scale that may be detrimental to collective interest of Nigerians. 

Others that demanded blanket immunity for Premium Times to embark on wholesale impunity are the celebrity activists, persons' with ambiguous credentials whose only claim to relevance is the large following of unenlightened educate oafs that will curse their own parents when doing so is considered western, modern and funky. They live daily with the delusion which is, they can make enough noise on social media then it becomes law. 

Someone must wake the online community up to the reality that the loudest and most vicious persons of the about 7 million Tweets or 16 million Facebook profiles do not constitute a majority in a country with an estimated population of 186 million.  The idea that they can ask for and get a carte blanc is therefore not only ridiculous but also dangerous. If they can force the police to become zombie-like or push the military into docility who will protect the country  when the meltdown they are inviting comes?

Furthermore, if everyone were to abuse their constitutionally recognized professional tools against their neighbors in line with what Premium Times has started which is now being advocated, soldiers would have killed all the police in Nigeria, police killed all the motorists and all journalists sent to prison by judges and lawyers who themselves would have succumb to killed medications that doctors and nurses would administer. 

No. The rest of us, sane Nigerians, cannot continue to indulge Premium Times with a carte blanc. Its dictatorship is a danger to our democracy and it must be stopped now that it is still possible.


Onoja a public affairs analyst  writes from Jos, Plateau State.

Thursday 19 January 2017

Libel: Police Arrest Premium Times Publisher, Reporter



The Publisher of Online Newspaper, Premium Times, Mr Dapo Olorunyomi, as well as the judiciary correspondent of the paper Evelyn Okakwu were on Thursday arrested by police officers over allegations of defamation of character and libellous story published against the Chief Of Army Staff  (COAS) Lt Gen TY Buratai.

The Police, it was gathered acted on a warrant of arrest issued against the Newspaper by a Wuse 2 Magistrate Court Thursday evening as to enable the police carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.

The arrest is coming on the heels of a petition written by Osuagwu Ugochukwu Esq, attorney to Lt Gen TY Buratai, to the FCT police commissioner, decrying a "false and malicious story" written by Premium Times against his client and the refusal of the Newspaper to retract the story

Our reporter gathered that the Court order for the arrest was issued at the FCT Chief Magistrate Court Wuse Zone 2, Abuja earlier Thursday afternoon.

It would also be recalled that the Nigerian Army had also written to Premium Times, urging the Newspaper to withdraw a report where it Lt Gen Buratai is being investigated by Code of Conduct Bureau, a story which was later confirmed to be false but the media outfit refused to do so.

In the petition, Buratai's attorney had complained that the PREMIUM TIMES informed the public that his Client, Lt Gen Buratai is being investigated by Code of Conduct Bureau.

According to him, this story received wide publication and readership, adding that it created bad image for his Client and caused Military men on the field to get worried about their Boss even when the said story was false and fabricated.


Read full text of petition:
January 18 2017
The COMMISSIONER of POLICE FCT
FCT POLICE COMMAND
AREA 10 GARKI
ABUJA

Dear SIR

PETITION AGAINST EVELYN OKAKWU AND EDITORS OF PREMIUM TIMES ONLINE NEWSPAPERS OVER INJURIOUS FALSEHOOD AND CRIMINAL DEFAMATION ON THE PERSON OF LT.GENERAL T.Y.BURATAI( CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF)

We are Solicitors to LT.GEN. T.Y.BURATAI, CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF and write you as per his instructions.
By a December 12 2016 publication by PREMIUMTIMES penned by EVELYN OKAKWU with the title "Bureau to investigate Army Chief Buratai for alleged false asset declaration" the PREMIUM TIMES informed the public that Our Client is being investigated by Code of Conduct Bureau. This story received wide publication and readership. In fact it created bad image for Our Client and caused Military men on the field to get worried about their Boss even when the said story was false and fabricated.

It may interest you to know that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) had since absolved the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai of any infraction of the laws over the declaration of Dubai Flat.
The CCB through a letter dated July 11, 2016 with Reference CCB/HQ/671/G/1/6 and signed by Mrs. Ijeanuli Arinze Ofor on behalf of the CCB chairman emphatically stated that LT.Gen.T.Y.BURATAI never contravened the CCB Act.
Also by a letter dated 29TH SEPTEMBER, 2016 signed by the Chairman of CCB LT.Gen.T.Y.Buratai and Fourteen other public officers had submitted themselves for verification of assets and were found to be clean. The CCB thus ended investigation on assets of these officers and that of LT.Gen.T.Y.Buratai on September 29 2016 and issued them certificates of completion.
This Firm  had on December  13 2016 reached out to the management of CCB and they have denied ever contradicting themselves on the assets issue of Our Client and that they stand on their September 29 2016 letter.

Sir, it is clear that the PREMIUM TIMES publication of December 12 2016 was done to incite the public against Our Client, tarnish his reputation and subject him to public ridicule. This is a case of injurious Falsehood and Criminal Defamation.

We urge you to invoke the relevant sections of the PENAL CODE to apprehend the said EVELYN OKAKWU and MANAGEMENT OF PREMIUMTIMES SERVICES LTD with a view to prosecuting them before the Abuja Courts.
Awaiting your kind prompt action Sir.

Regards,

OSUAGWU Ugochukwu ESQ
Principal Attorney and Human Rights ADVOCATE

Hard Times Are Real, Nigerians Should Rally Behind Buhari – SUN


A coalition of civil society organisation under the mantle of Stand up for Nigeria (SUN) has urged Nigerians to rally their support for President Muhammadu Buhari as they put up a one million man rally following a backlash the government has received in recent times over the challenges facing the country.

Addressing journalists during a one million man rally at the Gani Fawehinmi freedom park in Lagos, Comrade John Blessing, the South-West coordinator for Stand Up for Nigeria (SUN) said Nigerians should come to terms with the realities facing the country which was caused by the failure of previous administrations to do the needful.

“The economic recession is real. The fall in the value of the naira is real. Inflation that has taken away the purchasing power of Nigerians is real. But these are not the only real things we know in this country. The looting of public treasury by previous administrations is real. The neglect of critical infrastructures by previous leaders is real. The failure to diversify the economy from being dependent on crude oil is real.

“There are more things that are real as well. The sabotage of oil and gas installations by sponsored militants is real. Economic sabotage to frustrate the intervention of the current government is real. The fight back by corruption against the anti-graft war is real. Scheming to block Nigerians from enjoying the gains of reforms being implemented by this government is real. Political Boko Haramists sponsoring terrorism is real.”

Blessing however stressed that, “Why then would some people ignore these realities, these other realities, and take to the streets to accuse the present government of inflicting hardship on Nigerians? Are they saying that they are not aware that the only reality they see, the economic recession they are lamenting about, might have been averted if the past governments, on behalf of which they are now acting, had been half as sincere as the government of President Muhammadu Buhari”?

He further spoke against the United action for democracy who took to the street on January 16, to protest against the present administration

“Where was the United Action for Democracy (UAD) when different democratically elected governments were organizing bazaars and converting budgetary allocations into personal allowances?

The UAD actors and all their affiliates were all there of course. They could not talk that time because their mouths were full. They were obeying the saying that say “you don’t talk while eating” and these guys could not even whimper that time because their mouths and tummies were filled with stolen funds beyond comprehension. They never reckoned that an accountable government would one day be in place – the same way the governments they ate under failed to save they also failed to save or invest as individual. They have therefore been forced back on the streets by hunger that is not in any way connected with the economy but rather a product of corruption induced lifestyle that can no longer be sustained”.

“Let us not waste time on these yesterday men. Instead of giving them undue publicity let us focus that energy on making contributions towards supporting Mr President to deliver the Nigeria of our vision. Let us see where and how we fit into the anti-corruption fight, diversification of the economy, supporting made in Nigeria goods, becoming employment creators and doing other things that change Nigeria for good.

“Even as the country struggles to make headway with the electricity situation, small scale industries and businesses are beginning to have greater prospects of survival as Nigerians now look inwards and patronize goods made in their country.

“The fight against terrorism has witnessed the kind of progress some people never expected they will see in their lifetime. The military has dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from what was once described by several “experts” as impregnable on account of terrain, geography and the terror group’s fabled invincibility. December 24, 2016 thought us differently. The terrorists learnt the lesson that taking flight is the only option left for them even as troops continue to chase after and arrest them.

The funds stolen under those government that gave “rosy” economy are being recovered. The sums involved are mind boggling. The impunity with which the theft was done, confounding. But for the first time we have a large chunk of the budget being financed with recovered loots. Today, Nigeria is no longer regarded as “fantastically corrupt”.

“This progress was possible thanks to President Buhari’s doggedness and the political will to do the right things. In our various cultures we have sayings that gratitude begets more goodwill. This is why we are here today, one million Nigerians, on the street to endorse the actions of Mr President, give him our vote of confidence and assure him that he has our support to do more.”

“While Mr President continues to do the work he was elected to do, we will be educating ourselves on the relationship between the failings of the past government and the economic hardship of today while preparing to be beneficiaries of the years of economic booms that lie ahead because of the sacrifices being made to lay a solid foundation for Nigeria.

“President Buhari policies are healing Nigeria’s past wounds and we all know how painful the healing process can be whether after an accident or after surgery and the country has had both,” h e said

Mr Oladapo Sanmi, said “This confidence with which we canvass support for Mr President is evidence based. Even while managing the disaster he inherited from the past government we can already see things turning around. For the Naysayers we boldly point out.

“President Buhari’s government has directly impacted the poorest of the poor through the ongoing Conditional Cash Transfer programme that has started paying N5000 to poor households.
His government has not left out the unemployed youth who are now getting monthly stipends of N30000 while they have been matched with work places where they will acquire skills and experiences for future job. 200,000 youths are part of the first batch while more is to follow.

Mrs Joke Adeleke however urged Nigerians not to waste time on the blame game and focus on ways to key into the progresses of the Buhari-led government.

”No one is in doubt as to the impact the Homegrown School Feeding Programme will have. Not only are children being provided the nutrition to help them focus on learning, the vendors that supply this food are providing employment while agriculture is getting a much needed boost from the food orders being placed.”

Tuesday 17 January 2017

CESJET Condemns Maiduguri Bomb Blasts, Urges Military Not To Be Deterred



The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has condemned Monday's suicide attack on a mosque at the University of Maiduguri in Borno state, describing it as desperation on the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists to remain relevant.
CESJET in statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday by its Executive Secretary, Isaac Ikpa however urged the Army and other security agencies not be deterred but to redouble their efforts in ensuring that the remnants of the terrorists who fled the Sambisa forest are apprehended.
He said the attack was apparently orchestrated to be a major distraction to the ongoing operation to apprehend fleeing Boko Haram fighters and to create the impression that the group remains formidable even when the last of its known bases has been captured by the Nigerian Army.
He said, "As it was during the group's ascendancy to the basest form of evil, in its final decline Boko Haram remnants are again turning on a places of worship because they are no longer able to stage any daring attacks and must therefore seek soft targets. It speaks volumes that a group that had hinged its insurgency on a demand for the strict application of Sharia law could attack a mosque where Muslim worship.
"The haste with which some people gleefully used this attack to justify their claim that Boko Haram is undefeated calls for concerns as it appears that they were in agreement with the terrorists to strike so that they will have justification to continue insisting the terror group is still relevant.
"Boko Haram was never relevant and should be discussed only in context of what punishment is befitting for its members, their sponsors and sympathizers."
Ikpa therefore urged the military to remain focused, ignore distractions, and speed up its pursuit of these terrorists so that their capacity to attempt causing havoc in any part of the country.
He said the pursuit should be expanded to include identifying and prosecuting those that offer support to the terrorists as their crime is no lesser than those they empower to blow other Nigerians up.
According to him, Nigerians must remember that the key stopping these remnants of Boko Haram from regrouping remains vigilance, stressing that better results would be achieved if the nation act as one to rid the soceity of the last of these killers.
He said, "We cannot continue to present a divided front regardless of our religious, ethnic or geo-political differences. The security agencies and the military should be supported to succeed in fishing out those who escaped from the various camps that were captured in Sambisa Forest.
"We appeal to the Federal Government to improve on intelligence gathering now that the war on terror is in a different phase following the defeat of Boko Haram."

Monday 16 January 2017

Army's Frustration, Premium Times' Sabotage



By Bukar Raheem

Two angry letters later, the relationship between the Nigerian Army and online newspaper, Premium Times has taken on some clarity. They have both threatened to take legal actions against each other but the Army's letter, which came first is the one that gives one concerns. Some Nigerians would by now be ruing their earlier recriminations and taking sides without the benefit of information.

The first layer of concerns is about what the military's letter accused the newspaper of. The second level of concerns derived from the inability of the letter written in response by Premium Times to sufficiently discharge it from the weighty accusations levelled against it by the army.

On a different facet is the dimension that the army has not made similar accusations against any other publication even though it is on record that several media organisations have reported, without jeopardising our collective security, the shortcomings that they discovered in the way the military conducts its affairs. This could only imply that the Army detected something sinister in the way Premium Times has been reporting its operation and has for some reason been mild in responding to this obvious threat.

The letter written by Major General I.M. Alkali on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff ((COAS), Lt General Tukur Buratai is an eye opener. In that communication more facts emerged as to why the Nigerian Army finally decided to pursue legal actions against the online newspaper. It exposed the newspaper's interest in bringing down not just the army as an institution but also Buratai as an individual.

It also revealed the Army's frustration with what amounted to that publication's deliberate sabotage of the anti-terror war in manners that have led to troops' deaths on several occasions. It appeared the decision to intimate Premium Times about a potential law suit was driven by a desire to see the newspaper embrace professionalism like its other contemporaries irrespective of its hidden agenda.

Several Nigerians have argued that openness with information is needed for counterinsurgency operations to succeed. It is however important to establish that some of those canvassing such openness merely parrot lines from international gatherings without full appreciation of the considerations involved. Few of those who demand disclosure of sensitive operational information are aware that those who marketed these standards to them do not themselves implement same in their own countries.

One is therefore compelled to ask if the army could have approached the issue in another way, like handing over every single byte of military secrets to appease Premium Times. It does not appear this would have achieved much with resoluteness one has seen on the part of its aggressor, who is running the propaganda that the army is high handed. But with the much one has seen of that organisation since Buratai took charge it pursues the most conciliatory approach possible, which in this case was mooting the prospect of dragging Premium Times before a court perchance it will trigger a rethink. In exploring the legal option, the army came off as not wanting to be seen as stifling freedom of the press even though the breaches committed by the online newspaper are grievous.

That the newspaper rather resorted to writing a reply that only played to the gallery is a testimony to its accuser's claim that it not only hates the leadership of the Nigerian Army and the Army as a service but that it also hates Nigeria as a nation. This should set off alarm bells for all patriotic Nigerians. We can survive the dangers of daily onslaught on the existence of the country by foreign media networks but the nation's future existence would be counted in months if an indignous media organisation staffed by Nigerians is on a hate campaign against the country.

It therefore appears Nigerians do not realise that Premium Times is hiding under the guise of exclusive reports to put the lives of soldiers on missions at risk on several occasions, with some even losing their lives. If this had continued it was a matter of time before the terrorists overran everywhere and kill off the rest of us. This will explain the reservation expressed by the military leadership in the past but which seemed to have only spurred the people in the newspaper to do more of such dangerous reporting.

The military is like a big family. The COAS must therefore tend to see the troops as his family so one can imagine how painful it is for him, which would be the case for other commanders, when people hide under media to share information that lead to the death of troops.

It must be recalled that in the days when Boko Haram was running all over the place, Premium Times was always the first to leak information about troops movement. Some of those reports led to troops being ambushed and each time that happened things ended badly. A cursory look at other media, even the libertarian media of western countries do not share information that could potentially endanger their militaries and definitely not reporting troop movement prior to operations and platform where terrorists have access to read.

Just like the army claimed, whatever grudge the online newspaper harbours goes beyond the situation in the Gambia in a way that could have endangered Nigerians living there. Premium Times' story that the Nigerian Army was planning to attack outgoing Gambian President (Yahya) Jammeh was one that could have put the lives of Nigerians in Gambia at risk for the mere fact that they would transform from peaceful regional citizens to aggressors overnight.⁠⁠⁠⁠ There was also the diplomatic aspect of how Nigeria now has to convince Gambians that it is not invading their country. What were they trying to gain by making it look like Nigerian Army was going to attack another country when it was an ECOWAS decision?

Those loyal to Jammeh could have risen against helpless Nigerian civilians living in the Gambia and they will lose their businesses and even their lives. Premium Times would have then be able to repeat the scenario where it hides under journalistic reporting to provide information for Boko Haram terrorists to kill troops when its report triggers the lynching of Nigerians in Gambia. Why it wants to earn this unpleasant record of killing the most Nigerians whether soldiers or civilians and whether here at home or in far away Gambia remains a mystery.
This is the kind of frustration that Premium Times wants those securing Nigeria to face on daily basis.

Raheem, a public affairs commentator writes from Kaduna, Kaduna State.

Sunday 15 January 2017

Group Accuses Borno Govt Of Undermining Military Efforts To End Terrorism



An Interfaith group, the Northern Interfaith and Religious Organizations for Peace  (NIROP) has querried the motive behind the Borno state government's reaction to the arrest and interrogation of the Chairman of Mafa Local Government Council, Alhaji Shettima Lawan who was caught harboring Boko Haram fighters.

National Coordinator of the group, Bishop Musa Fomson who addressed journalists in Abuja on Sunday said it appears that while soldiers are diligently working to round up escaping terrorists Borno state politicians are covertly subverting the military's efforts thereby making the work to be worthless.

Fomson expressed worry that the action of the state government shows sabotage in the federal government's quest to end terrorism.

He said Nigerians must therefore rise up and condemn any attempt that will encourage the terrorist group from regrouping. He urged the army to remain focus in its mission of moping up remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists.


He said, "We appeal that Nigerians make vigilance their watchword, be their neighbors' keepers and support the military to expose those that are political Boko Haram as we see this as being strategic to winning the battle and ensuring that the peace in the wake of the terror group's defeat is not short lived.

"The Nigerian Army on its part has only one option, which is to go after the identified political Boko Haram members.

"In our view, no one deserves to go through the harrowing experiences that Nigerians, particularly the people of the northeast, had gone through in the hands of the terrorists and it is definitely not an experience that should be repeated by allowing the killers to regroup.

"This is what makes it sad that some people under certain organizations or political configuration are practically wishing and working for the terrorists to regroup.
We urge Nigerians to collectively condemn these individuals and groups regardless of whether they pretend to be politicians, activists, journalists, NGOs, media or any other covers being used to promote the interest of the defeated terrorists.

He said the Borno state government has openly advertise these subversive activities as reaction to the arrest and interrogation of the Chairman of Mafa Local Government Council, Alhaji Shettima Lawan who was caught harboring Boko Haram fighters.

He said "The Borno state government has been confirmed to be sponsoring some Civilian JTF members to come to Abuja to stage protests aimed at exonerating its officials for over half a decade long sponsorship of terrorism.

"The Civilian JTF members have been coached to counter the Nigerian Army. This plot could only have been contrived to divert attention from the ignoble roles Borno state and local government officials have played in keeping Boko Haram terrorism in place for these years.

"The account of some rescued  Chibok Girls that they were kept in the residence of state officials in Maiduguri and later Gwoza before they were moved to the bush after their capture is a testament to the culpability of Borno officials in the years of horror Nigerians have been forced to endure.

"These clandestine of the Borno State Government and its officials since the arrest of politically exposed persons in the State  by the Nigerian Army  therefore calls for a wider investigation and corresponding actions against those indicted. Nothing in the laws of the land empowers component governments to unleash terror on the scale of Boko Haram on the other federating units."
             
He wondered how the Civilian JTF turned into paid protesters to start addressing press conferences in order to prove the innocence of a man who has the capacity to speak for himself

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Enough Of the Mockery of Aisha Buhari’s Modesty




By Okanga Agila  

If given the latitude to describe the personality in Hajiya Aisha Buhari, the wife of Nigeria’s President Muhammedu Buhari, I would not hesitate to say, she is a complete encapsulation of a virtuous woman. She blazes as an epitome of excellence, hard work, discipline and humility. Though, an introvert, no one can contest her unbeatable savvy in uprightness and philanthropy. 

Unarguably, Aisha Buhari is so far the only wife of a Nigerian President, who operates quietly and noiselessly, but very impactful on the lives of thousands of people. She is distinctively measured in domestic affairs or matrimony, much as in business and academics. But imbued with all these enviable qualities, she does not puff the usual aura of celebrities or the exuberance of rare breeds of her stuff, but keeps a low profile of herself and the family, reputed as stainless and unblemished.

I am sure these are essentially the noble virtues; the likes of Mr. Reno Omokri, the former aide on Social Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan admired in Aisha Buhari, but lacked the wit and gait to accurately reflect in his recent facebook comments on her.

Again, while struggling to tame the anger instigated by Omokri’s egoistic provocations on the first family, I noticed that the online portal, Saharareporters, which excites itself with the visibility of substance in the “change agenda,” in the contour and face of governance in Nigeria, baselessly and conspiratorially went on the offensive. It downplayed its relishing of the extra-ordinary stripping of the appurtenances and flamboyance routinely associated with the office of First Ladies in Nigeria, which President Buhari has suspended, preferring his better half, Aisha to function in Nigeria’s context as wife of Mr. President.

Yet, in spite of his voluntary submission to the ethos of prudence and a culture of discipline completely alien to former First Ladies of Nigeria, the online publication’s insatiable quest to unjustly malign and castigate eminent personalities in Nigeria compelled it to do the unthinkable. It has pursued the shadows of Aisha Buhari in blind fury and tended to injure itself.   

Back to Reno Omokri for a while; I dare say, he deserves pity. He is obviously exuding signs of senility. And it has so frustrated him to the extent; it appears he talks before thinking. He is glued to politicking. But unfortunately, his inability to find a bearing to exercise his sycophantic instincts like he did in the Jonathan days in Aso Rock bleeds torrents of indignation. Thus, upstaged by destiny, rioting thoughts constantly assail and enslave his prehensile so badly.

He posted on his Facebook account these idle comments thus; "Aisha Buhari is a decent and courageous woman who carries herself well in my opinion. Her public interventions have shown that she has the heart of the common man in mind. She is, dare I say it, a breath of fresh air. I actually wish she was our President instead of her truly clueless husband. But whatever the case, she is not an elected official, thus, the media should leave her alone and focus on her husband."

A perusal of the comment leaves you in the middle of nowhere; or in some sort of dilemma understanding his intentions. Is it to praise or lampoon the Buharis? It’s a question; Omokri himself would spend a century pondering an answer.

But observing him from the outside, I could not resist the conclusion that he deserves to be assisted in discerning and appreciating the new political and governance environment in Nigeria, ennobled by President Buhari. It continuously and unbelievably assail his sensitivities, throwing him into a mesmerized trance of repeatedly shouting aloud to his solitary self, “It cannot be true.” But it’s true, Omokri, that the face of Nigeria is changing for good.

I know Reno Omokri is an African from Nigeria’s Niger Delta creeks. Our belief in Africa is that behind every successful man there is a woman. A family is a perfect example of an ideal home only to the extent both the husband and wife pair evenly in noble character. It’s not possible to completely separate the meat from the born.

So, if Aisha Buhari is agreeably a positive character as Omokri affirms, would her husband Buhari not be infectiously influenced by these virtues? It’s impossible for Omokri to draw a distinction or rightly put, perceive a success in Hajiya Aisha and failure in President Buhari simultaneously. As a reminder, his former boss, Ex-President Jonathan was a failure in leadership because his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan was not just his albatross, but the worse image of failure. It affected him severely. If Omokri reflects deeply on the allusion, the difference would strike him like thunder.

For emphasis though and re-education of warped minds like Omokri, President Buhari is a rare example of a leader, not just in Nigeria, but in the entire world. Nigeria has become a country accorded prestige in the comity of nations, with glowing appellations from world leaders because of the Buhari Presidency. It has never happened since 1999.

The digestive tips suggest that despite the inherited economic crunch and its refusal to subside, since Buhari took over the reins of governance, he has been able to forage and steadily remedy Nigeria’s tissue of problems. He has improved public power supply and re-energized the construction of rails, as an alternative public transport system for the masses.

Buhari  is constructing multi-billion naira road projects across the country; he has dealt a fatal blow to insecurity,  by defeating Boko Haram insurgents; much as  providing jobs for unemployed youths in Nigeria; his anti-graft campaigns have not only polished Nigeria’s image abroad, but looters are returning amazing amounts of stolen wealth; Nigeria’s economy is on the path of diversification in agriculture, with verifiable loans to farmers and the measures already implemented have indicated signs of Nigeria’s hopeful recovery from the economic recession in 2017 and so forth. This is not a president any sane mind can describe as clueless.

Aisha Buhari is a replica of her husband. In her private career in beauty and fashion, she established and administered a successful company called, Hanzy Spa and the Hanzy Beauty Institute in Kaduna and Abuja. Her resentment of corruption compelled her to shut down her beauty salon following the emergence of her husband as President of Nigeria, to frustrate con-persons from using it to blackmail and defraud Nigerians.

In academics she has measured impressively to the extent of authoring a book titled; “Essentials of Beauty Therapy: A Complete Guide for Beauty Specialists.” Innately philanthropic, Aisha Buhari donated the N55 million realized from the public presentation of the book to parents of the missing Chibok school girls and the Buni Yadi school boys slain by Boko Haram insurgents. 

Each time she visits IDP camps in the Northeast, the occupants, especially women, the young and vulnerable feel the tender, affectionate touch of not just the mother of a nation, but the love of their own biological mothers. The gestures are not incidental to her, as wife of the President, but it is a cause she is naturally inclined and has pursued and devoted her entire life.  Though a Muslim, she fetes Abuja residents, her temporary residential abode, with Christmas gifts to demonstrate that religion is not a barrier in the communion and unity of Nigerians.

A loud woman and child-rights advocate, Mrs. Buhari’s NGO “Future Assured” is anchored on the promotion of the good health and well-being of women and children through community mobilization and health promotion. It is mainly focused on improving the recurring poor health conditions of women, children and other vulnerable Nigerians. Foresighted enough, Aisha has exposed her NGO not only to Nigerians, but publicly launched “Future Assured” at the last session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in September 2016.

A woman with a corruptible mindset would not dare expose herself to a venerated world body like the United Nations (UN). It brings to the fore; Saharareporters smear campaign and foolery in attempting to demean the character and persona of the wife of President Buhari. 

It alleged in publications that Hajiya Aisha Buhari’s frequent visits to London engulfed a “minimum” of £7,000 from the Nigeria’s High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK), an amount it claimed was for hospitality on each of the trips.

It said, “Last year alone, Mrs. Buhari visited the UK at least seven times.” It quoted a memo signed by Ibrahim Sule, Minister Counselor/Head of Chancery to the effect although the wife of the President and members of her entourage would stay at the vacant house/official residence of High Commissioner, but hospitality to the tune of  £7,000 was needed for the purpose and the request was approved the same day.

In normal government operations, nowhere request for such expenditures are approved in the exactitude of the amount requested as the media report presented. Wife of the President is entitled to such protocols anywhere she visits. Besides, in Aisha Buhari’s case her NGO sponsors most of the trips.

Some arm-chair critics of the Buhari administration may not notice the change in the face of governance in Nigeria. But prior to the emergence of Buhari as President, in the same UK, a whooping £32, 000 would be squandered on landing fees for the private jets of Nigerian First Ladies alone; hospitality excluded. But in Mrs. Buhari’s case, only a paltry £3,500 was expended on hospitality or for the entire trip, in spite of the hullabaloo by the online platform, which covered her entire entourage for days.

Even on the face value, is there no yawning difference between the past and the present or are the sponsors of the report insinuating that the wife of Nigeria’s incumbent President is not entitled to official treatment anywhere she goes in the world for whatever reason? This is babyish pettiness. The report could not as much as even whisper to gratify itself that the £3,500 the Nigerian High Commission claimed to have been expended on Mrs. Buhari was handed to her in cash as estacode allowance. This is truly, idle journalism.

Hajiya Aisha Buhari has demanded a mere apology from the online medium over the malicious publication for the embarrassment cause her. It is in her spirit of humility, but the online portal should go the extra-mile to repair its damaged reputation by its penchant to anoint and decorate falsehood with the status reality. The Buharis remain an incorruptible family and no hateful propaganda can tarnish this image.

Okanga writes from Agila, Benue State.


Sunday 1 January 2017

War Against Corruption Will Boost The Economy – Banji Jimoh

Banji Jimoh
An opinion leader and finance expert, Banji Jimoh in his New Year message has called on Nigerians to support the Buhari’s administration.

In a press release made available to Swift Reporters, he said  “My prayer for Nigeria in the year 2017 is that we continue to forge greater ties across the length and breadth of this great nation to the end that we may achieve the Nigerian Dream.”

He went further to commend President Buhari on curbing the activities of the Boko Haram and capturing of the Sambissa forest.

Furthermore, he believes the year 2017 will provides an opportunity for the Federal Government to build on those aspects of our national life that unite us.

He urged Nigerians to join hand in fighting corruption as that will further boost the economy of the country with moneies recovered spent on infrastructure.

He wished Nigerians a prosperous New Year ahead.

Let Us Work Together To Achieve Economic Progress - Abdulrahman

Dr. Fatima Abdulrahman

Dr. Fatima Abdulrahman, the immediate past National President of All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) has urged Nigerians to be more focused, resolute and show love to one another.

In a New Year message made available to Swift Reporters, she assures Nigerians that the current administration has what it takes to put an end to the current sufferings and economic recession in the country if true love and patriotism is demonstrated by all.

“I urge Nigerians to stand by President Buhari by demonstrating true love for one another and patriotism for our motherland in all our undertakings. We must be driven by an urge to make Nigeria great by providing solutions to issues and challenges that confront us as a nation.

We must face the future as one united Nation, seeking a common solution to our common problems”.

She congratulated President Buhari, the Nigerian Armed Forces and Nigerians on the efforts and successes achieved in tackling the security challenges facing the country and urge the government to strengthen all measures being put in place to minimize waste in governance while promoting fiscal policy that will see government spending more on capital infrastructure.

“As we start 2017, let us remember to always be a nation dedicated to the service of mankind and to the Glory of our Almighty Creator. Let us work together to achieve economic progress that will see us out of recession in 2017. I pray for every Nigerian and our Nation, that as we scale through the old year and embrace the new one, God will see us through a year of great achievement, Abdulrahman said.