May-May Nwa' Africa

A founding chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abia State, Prince Paul Ikonne has asked former governor of the state and member of the party, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, to stop acting as a spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also cautioned him against comments that could portray the APC as incapable of keeping to its words.

Ikonne lamented that the former governor had boldly informed Nigerians that ailing Buhari would return to the country before June 12, a declaration that failed.

Okonne said, “Last time, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu told Nigerians that President Buhari would return soon and he is not the spokesman of the President.

“Till now, the President is yet to return. He should keep quiet and learn to live like an elder statesman, not trying to take the job of the president’s spokesmen.” 

Okonne, a former governorship aspirant under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, 

ACN, was speaking with journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, where he said 95 per cent of the people of Abia State were not happy with the way Kalu governed Abia for eight years.

He added, “I plead with him not to scare people away from joining the party because we need a strong party in the state.

“The real voters are the masses and if they are scared that the deception we witnessed in the past would also be associated with the APC in the state, then they will not come in.”

He further pleaded with Kalu not to scare members of the party in Abia “with his style of leadership because we need a strong APC in Abia State.

“If Abia is backward, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu laid the foundation and has taken Abia 16 years backwards. He laid a very wrong foundation for Abia state and as such, he should not be making statements that are false.

“My advice to him will be to keep quiet, be in a sober mood, go in for retreat, and try as much as he can to build a path of peace. He should embark on a mission to reconcile everybody. Let him make peace with his enemies so that we can attract more people to the party.”

By Dele Agekameh

The verbal war between Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing and members of the National Assembly (NASS) intensified last week when the minister took on the spokespersons of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both Sabi Abdullahi, the chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Abdulrazak Saad Namdas, had earlier taken the minister to the cleaners over his comments on the discrepancies noted in the 2017 appropriation bill. The bill was recently signed into law by the acting president, Yemi Osinbajo.

The document was still dripping with the ink of Osinbajo’s pen when Fashola raised the alarm over the drastic slashing of the budget estimate for the completion of some key projects in the country. The projects had dragged on for too long, making it look as if they would be under construction for eternity, while Fashola is determined to conclude the projects. The projects include the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, the Mambilla Power Plant, the Bodo-Bonny road, the Kano-Maiduguri road and others.

The major plank of Fashola’s grudge was that even though his ministry had gone through the tortuous process of budget defence in the NASS, members of the NASS still went behind to insert into the budget some funny projects like boreholes, health centres, grinding machines and others, which are not on the concurrent list. Besides, Fashola said, the items that were inserted into the budget through the backdoor were items which should ordinarily be the concern of either states or local governments.

In an attempt to get funding for these mushroom projects, the NASS had tinkered with the financial allocations for the aforementioned key projects. For instance, whereas the sum of N31 billion was earmarked for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, after the ministry had successfully defended the allocation, NASS went behind and slashed it to a paltry N10 billion.

Similarly, the allocation of N15 billion for the Second Niger Bridge was mischievously slashed to N10 billion. The allocation for the other projects, including the Mambilla Power project, were equally drastically slashed, thereby rendering the ministry powerless and unable to meet its target of accelerating the construction of these projects.

While defending the actions of NASS, the two spokespersons had berated Fashola and accused him of being interested in awarding big contracts. They also pointed out that other items were introduced into the budget for the purpose of equity, amongst other reasons for their action. For instance, on the issue of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, they said NASS took the action because there was a subsisting concession agreement with a private developer on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

But Fashola dismissed this as mere balderdash. He accused the Assembly members of revelling in ignorance. He also said that it amounts to a waste of tax payers money and unnecessary distortion of planning and development for all sections of the country, for lawmakers to unilaterally insert items not under the Exclusive or Concurrent lists of the Constitution like boreholes and street lights, after putting ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) through the process of budget defence. The minister tried as much as possible to educate the lawmakers on their actual role in budget making.

It is quite obvious that our lawmakers have constituted themselves into stumbling block on the path of national development. Therefore, to get back on track, the lawmakers at all levels need to step up in every way through their thoughts and actions so as to help move this country forward…

But the story behind the scene is totally different from the picture put forward by the NASS. For instance, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project, NASS talked about PPP arrangement but Fashola said that there’s no existing PPP. What the NASS has failed to disclose to the public is that a lawyer and controversial private investor who could not deliver on his agreement to undertake the construction of the road in question in the past, has suddenly resurfaced. This investor has proposed a fresh PPP arrangement to finance the road. The government did not reject his offer.

However, the government is of the opinion that work should go on as scheduled. But with a proviso that if and when he comes up with the funds, the government will only deduct what has been spent so far and then concession the road to him. This idea does not seem to have gone down well with the lawyer, as he insisted that he would rather have his way. In a bid to achieve this, he then approached the leadership of the NASS and struck a deal with them for the PPP. This explains why the NASS now went ahead to ruthlessly slash the budget of the road based on the anticipation of funds that may never materialise.

The same private developer had, many years ago, struck the same deal with assurances of funding given to him by the defunct Oceanic Bank. But the whole arrangement fell flat on its face when the then governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) now the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, moved against some banks. In the process, the then managing director and chief executive officer of Oceanic Bank lost her seat and the bank went under. Consequently, work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was stalled for several years. It was only the coming of the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration that breathed life into the almost moribund road.

Similarly, Fashola has addressed the issue of the Second Niger Bridge. What really happened was that there was no design for the link road to the bridge on both sides – the Asaba and Onitsha ends. That was just recently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). Also, there were issues of right of way and compensation to communities which is being handled by the governors of Delta and Ananmbra States. Therefore, the piling that has so far been done on the bridge was just to give a semblance of activity on the bridge. Even at that, no money had been released by the Finance Ministry, meaning that none was returned as insinuated by the NASS.

It would also be interesting to note that the NASS also tinkered with government’s plans on housing. The government’s plan in this sector is to kick-start a National Housing Scheme in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). A budget of N70 billion was earmarked for this purpose. That amount was also cut to N28 billion by the NASS. In it’s place, the NASS members inserted such items as bore holes, primary schools, healthcare centres, grinding machines, motorcycles, toothpicks, etc. as constituency projects

It may interest the public to know that the health centres don’t have support staff (nurses, doctors, etc.) and some of the buildings are just there serving no useful purpose. Boreholes, too, are without maintenance or servicing plans which means that they could become relics after a year or so of their being commissioned.

With all these revelations, it is shameful that in spite of the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians for ambitious infrastructural development with adequate and steady power supply in the country, members of NASS seem to be thinking otherwise. That is the only way to explain what happened to the allocation for the Mambilla Power Plant, the biggest power project ever in the country. Its allocation was slashed by N4 billion, thereby making the counterpart funding by government for the Chinese company that was billed to undertake the construction of the project, extremely impossible. If things go on at this rate, the project may remain on the drawing board and may never see the light of day, courtesy of our almighty but visionless lawmakers.

A serious nation needs to prioritise it’s developmental projects and commit resources to those projects rather than sinking boreholes and buying grinding machines which can be handled by state governments and local governments. It is quite obvious that our lawmakers have constituted themselves into stumbling block on the path of national development. Therefore, to get back on track, the lawmakers at all levels need to step up in every way through their thoughts and actions so as to help move this country forward rather than dwelling on mundane issues and other inanities. May God help us; help Nigeria!

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By Samuel Akinnuga

Dear Nigerians,

Please accept this very kindly. It is from the heart of a concerned young Nigerian.

I am just a little over 2 decades old so I cannot claim to know much or to have experienced some of the epoch-making eras in our country’s history but I have had to read just so I am in touch with the stories and dramas I am not old enough to have witnessed. Let me begin by sharing a few things I know about our country:

Nigeria became an entity in 1914 by the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates, a marriage priested by our colonial masters. We became independent in 1960 and in 1963, a federal republic.

Just six years into our democracy in 1966, the military no longer found the barracks congenial and tampered with the democratic set-up giving reasons such as the high-level corruption in government for the usurp.

Somewhere I read that in seven years after our independence precisely in 1967, there was war in the country. The Civil War, it was called. A war that took the lives of men, women and children. A war to crush the agitation for secession of a certain part of the country. Over 3 million Nigerians lost their lives in the war that lasted almost 3 years.

I have read that military men kept ousting themselves from the seat of power whenever there was a discontent in some quarters many of which were based on tribally-induced biases.

I have read that the military subjected Nigerians to the darkest years of governance. Things were really bad – military heads became gods and Nigerians became slaves in their own country.

The military came back to their senses by handing over to the civilians in 1979. Again, I read this was short-lived as another coup ousted the democratic apparatus on ground. We, or should I say the military government dragged this on till sometimes in 1993 when the Head of State set in motion a series of activities that culminated in the formation of new political parties and the conduct of a democratic election. After the successful conduct of the election which is still adjudged to be the freest, fairest and most credible in the history of the country, the military head annulled the election and by this singular unreasonable move, truncated what could have been the turning point, the beginning our greatness. I learnt the election was particularly special because for the first time on June 12, 1993, Nigerians shunned ethnic and religious biases and voted for conscience by putting the nation first.

I read the interim government put in place was put in place and this setup was again distorted when another military junta, headed by the Dark-goggled General or so they describe him seized power in 1993. I read that this period scored as the darkest period in the history of the country. A lot of Nigerians were beaten, jailed and in the worst case killed for criticising the people into whose hands their corporate and collective destinies was put.

I read this military head was himself ousted, this time not by the military, but by some ‘miracle apple’, the details of which I am not so clear about. I read that the celebration that followed his death was unprecedented in the history of the country.

The military head that succeeded the black-goggled General set in motion processes that culminated in the drafting a new constitution and ultimately the transition to civilian government in 1999. A retired General and a former Head of State was the man who would be steering the wheels of the Nigerian state from the beginning of the

Presidents have come and gone. Governments have promised and failed. Nigeria, in my opinion, has not seemed to have a lot of progress in the right direction. The spirits of many concerned have isn’t as high as it should be. The nation is in a mess – sick in my opinion. I must say that this essay is not to blame anyone or anything for our woes. We are all responsible. This happened before our very eyes and we did nothing about it.

I am of the opinion that only Nigerians can solve the multifarious challenges the nation is grappling with. We are daily inundated by the dramas that the political leaders put up. It is very unfortunate that at this stage of our political evolution, we still place personal interests high and above the national objectives.

Some have argued that Nigeria is not a nation that practices true federalism and that that is a major of our problems. I am asking if Nigeria is a nation yet or just a geographical entity filled with natural resources or a term used to differentiate those who live within the geographical space from those who do not. I want to maintain that I don’t think Nigeria is a nation yet.

As a young Nigerian, I have, just like many others had my share of the frustrations and disappointments that the system has an overabundance of. Every year in the country always has its own drama. There’s a lot to be done in the country and there is a lot to be done for the country people. I believe that the Nigerian people also have a role to play in the Nigerian project. We can start by getting involved in the political process. We can begin with a change in our orientation. We can begin with a firm to resolve to get the right people to the right places. We can start be reviving our moral codes because of a truth, our moral system is in a sordid state. The best place to start is certainly an admission that the country needs saving and that is the reality. I have made a resolve to be a plus to the society. It is my hope that every Nigerian would too, in thoughts, words and actions. It is a place of 180 million Nigerians – bright, enterprising, promising people.

I want to end this by stating that I really do not expect so much from the older generation but I look forwards to the time when the younger Nigerians would take hold of the destiny of this country, save it and present a nation worth having to the tomorrow Nigerian.

Fellow Nigerians, our country deserves better. Let us save it – it’s the only one we’ve got.

May God bless us!

Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Oriental Times

Spiritual leader of the Adoration Ministries in Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has said those working with President Muhammadu Buhari, are only interested in what they can get from the current administration. 

Mbaka insisted that Buhari had good intentions for Nigeria, but his efforts were being frustrated.

In a sermon at the first Adoration Crusade for the year, Mbaka said: “Unfortunately, he (Buhari) surrounded himself with officials who have different agenda. 



“Buhari has good intentions for the country; unfortunately, his subordinates have different agenda – they are interested in their pockets.

“Those wishing the president dead don’t love this country. Children of God, what do people gain by wishing somebody dead? We should pray for our leaders; that is what the Bible says.”

He also encouraged Nigerians not to lose hope, as there was light at the end of the tunnel.

A renowned lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana have condemned President Muhammadu Buhari for not disclosed the status of his health condition to Nigeria.

Falana said Nigerians have the right to know the health status of a sitting president.

Speaking on a Channel television’s programme, Falana said even if the law does not mandate the president to make such disclosures, Nigerians deserve to know his health status.

“Under the Freedom of Information Act, the right to health is supposed to be shrouded in secrecy but I am saying now that henceforth, this situation calls for a review of the law so that we won’t be left guessing next time,” Falana said. 

“We are talking of the President. Many state governors go in and out of the country, some for a month or two, some for three months without anybody asking any question and without any handover to their deputies,” he said.

The senior lawyer said the system has been structured in a manner that a public office holder does not have to be secretive about issues concerning him.

Falana said: “But I am saying that with what we are going through now, we must come to appreciate that if you are going into public office, you have no secrecy.”

“It is our duty and right and the President took cognizance of that last year when he disclosed to Nigerians what he was going abroad for. This year should not be an exception.

“This is what has given room to a lot of rumours and speculation which are totally uncalled for,” he said.

The General Overseer of Trinity Gospel Mission with its headquarters in Delta State, Diamond Emuobor, has called on Christians in the country to defend themselves against rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

According Punch, the prominent bishop and Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Delta State, gave the charge on Wednesday in Ughelli while reacting to recent killings in Southern Kaduna which had claimed lives and property, adding that Christians needed to “own a sword and defend themselves” against further attacks by herdsmen.

 

The influential cleric stated that the killings in the northern part of the country especially in Southern Kaduna was an attempt to wipe out Christianity, stressing that it was a war against God, which the perpetrators would not win.  

The man of God who disclosed further that it was not unbiblical for a Christian to defend himself against external aggressors, said; “Christians should defend themselves and he who has no sword, should sell his coat and buy one to defend himself. We are all human beings, nobody should catch you like a snail and slaughter because you believe in Jesus Christ.

“We all would not die and those of us, who are alive, have the right to defend ourselves. Jesus says in the Book of Luke that those who have no sword should sell their coats and buy one for the defence of their lives.”

Emuobor however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to double his efforts to end the alleged killing of Christians, especially in the northern part of the country.

There was uproar in the Senate on Tuesday as Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter, which criticized the resolution of the Senate that Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Babachir David Lawal, should resign his position and face prosecution over alleged abuse of office.

Senator Shehu Sani, (Kaduna Central) who said that he was shocked that President Buhari could be misled to write such a letters, described it as “the funeral service for anti-corruption fight” in the country.

Senator Sani who was chairman, Senate ad-hoc committee on “Mounting humanitarian crisis in the North-East” while defending the report of his committee came hard on President Buhari.

The Kaduna Central Senator noted that it was unfortunate that President Buhari’s Government has chosen to fight corruption with “insecticide when it has to do with the Judiciary, National Assembly and the larger society and uses deodorant when it has to do with the Presidency.” 

He also insisted that “It is unfortunate that we have a political atmosphere where you have a saintly and angelic presidency and a devilish and evil society.”

Saraki appeared uncomfortable with the line of defence Sani was offering and attempted to cut him short.

There was instantaneous uproar in the chamber as Senators across party line urged Sani to “fire on.”

Saraki retreated and allowed Sani to conclude his explanation about how his committee arrived at its conclusions and recommendations on the need for Lawal to resign and be prosecuted for alleged abuse of office.

Many Senators were also said to have doubted that President Buhari actually wrote the letter since it was “hurriedly sent to the Senate after President Buahri travelled to the United Kingdome for medical treatment.

How many will actually buy this and whatever happened to “TRUST”? Reports has it that there is a new p3nis implant will alert your cell phone when your man is cheating. It is reported that Microsoft and Apple have joined forces to cut down on infidelity, save marriages and keep people in relationships accountable for their actions. Together, the technology giants have created a “genital implant” that will alert your cell phone if your partner goes astray. It is called Commit-Tech.Commit-Tech is a tiny chip that will be implanted at the tip of the p3nis on the man and the vulva of the woman. These two microchips will be synced together with an app that is installed on your cell phone. If at any time, one of these chips is involved in any s3xual activity without the other chip, it will alert the partners cell phone that the other rumping up.

The chip will be compatible across all devices…CCNA’ers, will you buy this chip?

Yesterday,Mallam Muhammad Sanusi II, The Emir of Kono, called on wealthy individuals in the North to use the wealth Allah blessed them with, not only in building mosques but to also educate girls and discourage their early marriage.

The Emir made the call on Thursday in his keynote address at the 3rd international conference on Islamic Banking and Finance, organised by the International Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance, Bayero University, Kano.
He said,

According to him, over 50 per cent of girls between the age bracket of 18 and 20 were given out in marriage in this part of the country. 

He added that the worrisome dimension of it was that 75 per cent of them could neither read nor write.

Calling for a review of laws to prevent early marriage and encourage girl-child education, he said,

“It is not a mere coincidence that this is where you have the highest levels of illiteracy, early marriage, divorce and the highest levels of domestic violence…

“People need to understand that the law has to change. If you look at the medical data on maternal health, girls who get pregnant below the age of 15 are five times as likely to die as girls who get pregnant at the age of 20. Those who get pregnant under 18 are twice as likely to die as those who get pregnant at the age of 20. So, it is important that we look at this issue of early marriage.”

Punch

Ekiti state governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has described the non-extension of invitation to President Muhammadu Buhari to attend United States of America President-Elect, Donald Trump’s inauguration as a clear signal that Buhari does not enjoy international relevance any more.
The governor, who said the 10 days’ vacation announced by the president could be to cover up the embarrassment, after all efforts to secure invitation to the inauguration failed, added that the development was a very clear signal that Buhari’s government will not enjoy tangible support from the new US government, adding that.

According to a statement signed by his special assistant on public communication and new media, Mr. Lere Olayinka, Fayose said “there is no doubt that Buhari is not in the good books of the incoming US government,” arguing that Buhari’s frequent visit to US during Obama administration and the romance was due to the tacit support given to Buhari by Obama to win the 2015 election with deception.

He said; “with Obama’s role in the emergence of President Buhari, it can be said that he (Obama) is a member of the APC in the diaspora.”

Fayose continued; “There is more to it that in an important event like the inauguration of a new US President, our president will be missing in action.”

The governor wondered why the same Buhari, who was a regular visitor to the US under Obama, is today not part of the historic inauguration of a new administration.No doubt, something is fundamentally wrong because if there is hope of a future relationship between President Buhari and the new US President, they would have been celebrating his inauguration and would not have allowed Nigerians to hear any other news apart from Buhari going to America.

 

“Obviously, Buhari’s junketing to US that gulped $1 million per trip, has come to an inglorious end,” he said.

The governor, who congratulated Trump for winning against all odds, like he (Fayose) won his own election in Ekiti in 2014, appealed to the new American president to do everything humanly possible to save Nigeria from the wanton killings and horrid human rights abuses of the Buhari administration.

He enjoined Trump to use his good offices to look into the daily killings in Nigeria particularly in Southern Kaduna where over 1,000 people were killed like goats and buried in mass graves.

Fayose reiterated; “The Southern Kaduna killings is a clear case of genocide that must be thoroughly investigated and unraveled.

“To make matters worse was the bombing of the Internally Displaced Persons camp by the military in apparent desperation to cover up the corruption and mismanagement of affairs in the camp.

“We appeal to Trump to ensure that the voice of the opposition is not silenced in this country.”

Describing the emergence of Trump as the will of God despite human gang up, Fayose said that the opposition in Nigeria will work with the new American government.

Fayose also cited the reckless disobedience to court orders; the deliberate efforts to kill opposition and turn Nigeria into a one-party state; the intolerance of this administration which is second to none, victimization and hacking of opposition leaders’ telephone conversations under the guise of anti-corruption war; the bastardization of institutions of state such as the armed forces, INEC, Police, Department of State Security, compromising of a section of the Judiciary, and turning them all into jellies doing the bidding of the ruling party at the snapping of fingers are other possible reasons why Buhari was not invited to Trump’s inauguration.He implored the new American president to put international pressure on the Buhari administration to restore true democracy to Nigeria.

“We however appreciate the non invitation of Buhari because that will give him the much needed opportunity to face the problems he inflicted on Nigeria, especially the IDP bombing, which left over 100 hapless Nigerians dead,” he said.

Yaba market is one of the most popular markets in Lagos. At the market, you find all kinds of people selling all sorts of things. These traders are very aggressive and can be extreme sometimes to get customers. 

Women are always at the receiving end. They complain that whenever they visit Yaba market, they are always being harassed by the traders. So, for some women, they are scared of visiting this market. You don't need to worry as we share tips that can help women survive Yaba market without being harassed. Continue...

a. Dress the way you want to be addressed
Most of the times, the very flirty guys at Yaba market harass women who are not well dressed. Fine, you have a right to wear whatever you like. Regardless, when you are visiting Yaba market, ensure that you are well dressed to prevent any harassment. It is no gainsaying ; dress the way you want to be addressed.

b. Keep a straight face
The best way to deal with these salacious men is to keep a straight face. Don't smile when they touch you and do not even talk to them except you want to patronize them. Your smile simply means you accept their harassment and this will further motivate them.

c. Always go with a man
They are most likely to respect themselves when they see a lady with a man strolling around the market. So, if you are tired of their unwelcomed physical touch, you should always go there with your boyfriend or your brother.

d. Avoid walking at the center of the market
You are definitely begging to be harassed if you walk at the center of the market. That is where you find the badass guys. These ones don't care if you are well-dressed or not, they will harass you and go as far as to grope you. Perhaps, since government is planning to dislodge from the road, it may not change anything.

e. Don't go to the market
If you can avoid visiting Yaba market, you should. This is perhaps the best option for you.

By Damilola Faustino

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Mansur Dan Ali said the capture of Camp Zrro in Sambisa forest is the end of a strategic phase of the mission against Boko Haram and not the end of the campaign against the dreaded sect.

The Minister spoke in Yola at the Command centre of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) during a briefing for members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) team and select local and international journalists.

The BBOG group alongside the journalists had been invited by the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on an operational visit to Sambisa forest to have a first-hand view of how the military has been fighting the war on insurgency and the efforts to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.

The BBOG team which comprised of the convener and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwezili, the coordinator BBOG, Aisha Yesufu and another official, Dr. Manaseh Allen.

The Minister was responding to questions from Ms. Ezekwezili on why the military is still conducting operations in sambisa when it claimed to have captured it.

“Camp Zero is the spiritual headquarters of Boko Haram, it doesn’t mean when you capture that all of them will disappear but it is significant because it was thought that the place was impregnable. 

“Capturing Camp Zero is the end of the mission to capture the place, we are not saying the campaign is over but we have dominated camp Zero,” the Minister said.

Leading the briefing, the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command, Air Vice Marshal, Nurudeen Balogun  said the NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance  (ISR) missions over Sambisa forest have revealed sightings of women and children, many trying to flee Boko Haram.

Also present at  the briefing were the  Minister for Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

The team left Abuja aboard the Air Transport Plane Hercules C-130 for Yola where a full briefing was held.

“We have intensified our ISR to ensure displaced Boko Haram members do not regroup. Since January 1 to 15, 2017, we have flown a number of sorties and there have been some sightings of abductees,” Balogun said.

The former minister of avaition Femi Fani-Kayode has said that there are some individuals in Nigeria who are deadly monsters.

Writing on the killings in the Southern part of Kaduna state by some Fulani herdsmen, the former minister commended the founder of the Living Faith Church David Oyedepo for his courage on speaking against the atrocities.

When you take everything away from a man or a people, including their humanity, their loved ones, their land, their possessions, their faith, their God, their self-respect, their identity and their dignity and you put them and theirs under the fire and sword morning, day and night you cannot expect them not to voice their pain and not to scream and shout.

And when the screaming and shouting goes unheeded you cannot expect them not to hit back and attempt to break the yoke of torment, subjugation, tyranny and slavery.

No matter how powerful you are and how long you have been killing them and all that are theirs, one day they will rise up, pull you down from your giddy heights and cut open your throats.

If history teaches us nothing else, it teaches us this. The morale of the tale is as follows: mind how you insult and mock your victims and those that you treat with contempt, kill at will and hold in bondage because one day their time will come.

It is in this context that I view the shameful call by the Council of Imams for the arrest of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Christian leaders in Southern Kaduna for asking the people to defend themselves from genocide.

The call is not only reckless and provocative but it is also self-seeking and dangerous. They must stop this nonsense.

The facts are as follows. 808 Christians were butchered on Christmas eve and Christmas day by the Muslim Janjaweed Fulani militia in Southern Kaduna. Not one of the butchers and bloodthirsty murderers have been identified, apprehended, killed or arrested since then by our security forces.

The Christians of Nigeria are still in mourning and the people of Southern Kaduna are still in trauma.
Yet there have been no soothing words or expressions of regret, consolation or solidarity from any Sunni Muslim group in the country since the pogrom took place.

Only threats and insults from the Council of Imams. The only exceptions are the Shiite Muslims who have consistently expressed outrage about what is going on in Southern Kaduna and who have themselves also been subjected to mass murder and genocide in Kaduna state simply because they are not Sunnis.

You first butcher the flock and then you say that the shepherd dare not complain or attempt to protect those that are still left behind and alive. What type of monsters are these?

The Supreme Council Of Islamic Affairs made matters worse by saying that those that killed 808 Christians in Southern Kaduna on Christmas eve and Christmas day were “unknown elements”.

Really? This, perhaps, is the biggest insult of all. It is rather like saying that those that perpetuated the holocaust against the Jews which resulted on the cold-blooded murder of 6 million Jews were “unknown elements”. It is insensitive and it is callous.

It represents the greatest depravity of truth and most beastly denial of decency and justice that Nigeria has witnessed in many years.

It is falsehood and perfidy, cooked up and served by a group of unconscionable and uncontrollable dark and evil men who believe that they can get away with anything and that they are a law into themselves.