UPROAR AS ASARI DOKUBO CALLS HIMSELF AN IGBO MAN
UPROAR AS ASARI DOKUBO CALLS HIMSELF AN IGBO MAN In a video that is currently going viral, former freedom fighter, Asari Dokubo, identifies himself as an Igbo Man, and it has sparked reactions on social media since the former agitator have always bashed Ndi Igbo on social media. So, many netizens were surprised for the change of mind. Recall that Dokubo is from Kalabari in Rivers State and although, there are some ethnic groups in Rivers like the Ikwerres and others who can be said to be Igbos, since they speak a variation of the language, the Kalabari people are usually referred to as an Ijaw people. Also, Doubo had been antagonistic to the prominent Igbo personalities like Nnamdi Kanu, Peter Obi, and others who enjoy massive Igbo followership. His recent claim that he is an Igbo man has generated lots of dust. These are some of the comments by netizens concerning the matter: @Uchez2 writes: “Hehehehe na his way. Make una no take Asari serious o!” @JamesAgwu_E writes: “If the Ogogoro don finish make dem give you another one, biko.” @macchidula writes: “Asari is Kalabari and they are Igbos with a tiny mix of Ijaw. Asari didn’t lie.” @Eagleseyelid writes: “ASARI is Fulani, he can’t be an Igbo man no matter how he tries to claim Igbo.” @IDOWUTopeOlani1 writes: “Asari can never say this, igbophobic person.” @AkukariaSA writes: “Trust Asari Dokubo at your own peril. He has reduced the great Igbo people(his kith and kin) to a bargaining chip. He knows there’s nothing Nigeria fears more than the unification of the Igbo. So if they refuse to play ball with him, he’ll come out and say he’s Igbo.” @eduhandsome_ writes: “Today Asari Dokubo is Ijaw, tomorrow He is Igbo & of Igbo heritage. Then drags anambra of Soludo into his ancestry. When does it finally end with this nuisances? In 2024 your youths are still living in the delusions y’all put them through in Nigeria. Biko it’s getting boring.” @chuxenyi writes: “Today Ijaw, tomorrow Igbo. He should stay in one place and stop confusing the thunder.” @NkyEzenwa writes: “I don’t care what scorecard he is reading from but respectfully we Igbos don’t care.” @Uchez2 writes: “He should go and sit down and stop speaking from both sides of his mouth not.”@TheBull113 writes: “So which Igbo did he proudly claim his father’s enslaved? Leave this opportunistic propagandist. We know the truth that they are Igbos but coming from him it is obviously political. This man is just been a fox. Tinubu did not give him what he wanted and he has changed his game.”
FRESH CONTROVERSY OVER 13 VACANT PLATEAU ASSEMBLY SEATS
FRESH CONTROVERSY OVER 13 VACANT PLATEAU ASSEMBLY SEATS As confusion continues to trail 16 vacant seats in the Plateau State House of Assembly, the 13 candidates of the Labour Party (LP) assembly election have vowed to press on for the enforcement of the court judgments they secured against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) The candidates had prior to the February 2023 election, the candidates had secured a court judgment that the commission should include their names and party logo on the ballot papers which were omitted from the list of candidates for the election. Contrary to the judgment, INEC went ahead to conduct the election without implementing the judgement. Speaking, spokesman for the aggrieved LP candidates, Honourable Henry Yunkwap of the Shendam constituency, explained that the INEC did not allow them to participate in the election, despite court orders.. According to him, there are two subsisting judgments that the INEC has refused to comply with until the candidates finally got an injunction stopping the Speaker of the State House of Assembly from swearing in either the All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) laying claim to the seats. “We feel surprised, which is why we are dragging the matter with the INEC. The commission didn’t do well for us, despite a court order. It is either the INEC conducts another election or faces contempt of court charge. “We want justice and fairness to be done. The action is against democracy. We are appealing for justice to be done to the 13 constituencies of the Labour Party that were disenfranchised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Already, we have two judgments against the commission.” Meanwhile, the APC has threatened to take a legal action against Governor Caleb Muftwang and the Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly for their alleged refusal to swear in the 16 APC lawmakers affirmed by the Court of Appeal.The party, in a statement, stated that it would no longer tolerate the deliberate ploy to continue to frustrate its members from being sworn.
REAL STORY ABOUT DEMOLITION OF IGBO MAN’S PROPERTY IN ABUJA, BY WIKE
REAL STORY ON DEMOLITION OF IGBO MAN’S PROPERTY IN ABUJA, BY WIKE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has revealed what transpired between him and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SNECOU Group Limited, Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu, who decried the demolition of his investment on 214 hectares of land in the Asokoro district of FCT. Ukachukwu accused Wike of ordering the demolition without any court order despite pending valid two court orders from separate courts restraining him and the FCT administration from tampering with the property. Speaking in a recent interview with Channels, the Anambra-born businessman called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and save the multi-million-naira invested in the property. Ukachukwu claimed that the property was demolished because it was owned by an Igbo man, and not because the company violated any law. Claiming that the demolition was done in bad fate, Ukachukwu said: “Wike called for a meeting over the land, we went with our documents after seeing what we had with our lawyer and other company, Sunrise which they gave part of that land. Wike said that there is nothing on this that the court should take its effect.” Reacting to the allegation in a press briefing, Wike said the land allocated to Ukachukwu did not have the approval of any minister as his predecessor. The FCT minister said the land-grabbing in Abuja is becoming rampant because some officials in the land department of his ministry have compromised. Wike said, “I have been doing this before. I will continue to do it. And nothing will happen. Criminals are criminals. They may come in different ways. “I have never seen people like land-grabbing people in this place. I came in, (I met) so many petitions. One company came with different petitions, with different owners of properties. I summoned all of them. They came with their lawyers, senior advocates. “And I said look what is this? Companies presented their own cases. Company A presented their own case, company B presented their own, company C, company D, Company E, I said okay, I’m going to seek advice from external solicitors. I’m not going to take advice from insiders … because the biggest (fraud) is that the Land Department has been compromised. I sought the views of senior lawyers and told them, we need to do things differently… “This land, by this so-called ethnic jingoist, talked about, was allocated when there was no minister. The minister left on May 29, 2023. By June the land was allocated by the director of lands. “We all met and agreed that nobody should do anything on the land until we are able to take a final decision. You know what happened? These guys thought they were too smart and they started selling the land.” The minister said there was a time when he wanted to commission a Water Park, and he was informed he could not, saying, “The Pacco and its allies had gone to court stopping me from commissioning the water park.” “You see these guys (some officials in FCTA) are colliding with the plaintiff against the FCTA. I’ve never seen people who are so fraudulent like this! What they do here. They sued you, they sued me as FCT minister. They have court judgments in their pocket. I told him you are wasting time. His brother sent me a text message. I have never met his brother but he sent me a message saying, “You told your Ikwerre brothers you will deal with Igbos in FCT’, Imagine such.“Why do we behave like this in this country? We keep doing the same thing and expect different result. If you transfer a director, he would say, ‘Oh! It’s because I am Hausa! If…
Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- April 3, 2024
- 103 views
FAYE, SENEGAL’S NEW PRESIDENT: FROM PRISON TO PRESIDENCY
FAYE, SENEGAL’S NEW PRESIDENT: FROM PRISON TO PRESIDENCY Senegal’s new President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, was sitting in a prison cell just a few months ago, a relatively unknown figure outside his opposition party, Pastef. But, everything changed for him when the party’s firebrand leader, Ousmane Sonko, who was also detained, was charged with insurrection in July and barred from running in elections to succeed President Macky Sall. That cleared the way for Faye to emerge from the shadow of his former boss and eventually from prison, to become Senegalese new President the same day he celebrated his 44th birthday. It was an unlikely climb to the top for an unlikely national figurehead. Faye was a tax inspector before he became Sonko’s trusted lieutenant, and Pastef’s secretary general. Where Sonko is charismatic, with a verve that has attracted thousands of the country’s jobless youths to his anti-establishment movement, Faye cuts an austere figure. Sonko’s endorsement of his former deputy in the run-up to the delayed election was crucial, but a little short on rabble-rousing emotion. “My choice of Diomaye is not a choice from the heart, but from reason. I chose him because he meets the criteria that I have defined. He is competent and has attended the most prestigious school in Senegal,” Sonko said in a video message. “No one can say he is not honest. I would even say that he is more honest than me. I entrust the project into his hands,” Sonko said. According to Faye’s biography on his campaign website, he was often the top of his class growing up. He graduated from high school on Senegal’s southern coast in 2000, then studied law and got a master’s degree from Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop University. In 2004, the devout Muslim passed the competitive entrance exam to Senegal’s National School of Administration, which trains the former French colony’s top civil servants, where he specialised as a tax inspector. He was arrested in April 2023, a few months before Sonko was also held, and charged with contempt of court and defaming magistrates, charges Faye had denied. Crucially, unlike Sonko, he was not barred from running in elections. Convinced that Sonko’s detention and the banning of Pastef were part of a ploy by Sall’s government to eliminate strong rivals from the election, all accusations rejected by the government, several party members, including Faye put their names forward. Faye eventually made the cut while still in prison, despite a late challenge from ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba to have his candidacy rejected by the Constitutional Council. A coalition of more than 100 parties, and some political heavyweights, including former Prime Minister Aminata Toure, joined Faye’s campaign under the banner “Doimaye mooy Sonko,” which in the local Wolof language, means ‘Diomaye is Sonko.’ Thanks to a general amnesty law passed shortly before the vote to ease political tensions, Sonko and Faye left their prison cells in Dakar earlier last month, accompanied by thousands of supporters, who danced and chanted through the night. Both hit the campaign trail, crisscrossing the country and drawing thousands to their rallies and caravans. A 36-year-old part-time driver, Sidy Lamine Badji, who voted for Faye, rejected criticism that the candidate who lost a municipal election in his home town in 2022 was inexperienced in government affairs. “This is false. He has dignity. I believe in his promise and that he will not betray us,” Badji said, his voice choking. Faye has declined to say what role Sonko might play in any future government, and has insisted he would be his own man. “Why do we want to focus on just one person in a government when I have a coalition that includes more than 120 people?” he said, brushing off…
PETER OBI RAKES OVER NIGERIA’S DEBT, SAYS GOVT BORROWINGS UNPRODUCTIVE
PETER OBI RAKES OVER NIGERIA’S DEBT PROFILE, SAYS GOVT BORROWINGS UNPRODUCTIVE The former presidential candidate for the Labour Party, Peter Obi has described the Nigerian government borrowings as unproductive. Obi stated this in a statement via his verified social media handle on Tuesday. According to him, Nigeria’s public debt keeps increasing with little or no impact on the country’s economy. The former Anambra governor said the last administration incurred huge debt especially with the N30 trillion ways and means from the central bank. He said the last administration could have ended the nation’s borrowings, adding that the debt failed to yield value addition to the country. Obi said, “I remain concerned about our borrowings, considering their galloping situation over the years, and its concomitant effects on the economy. “More worrisome is the fact that there has been no corresponding visible usage or investments as required by the law, to show their impact on the nation.” Obi’s reaction comes against the backdrop of the country’s debt profile released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) last week. According to the DMO, Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10 percent hitting N97.3 trillion by the end of 2023. The Office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion. Meanwhile, Obi noted that in 2023, Nigeria spent huge amounts totaling N10 trillion in servicing both domestic and external debt which he described as “unproductive debts”. “The implication is that what we borrowed in a quarter about N10 trillion and what we spend on debt servicing, which is also about N10 trillion, are each more than the combined budgetary allocation for the four highest priority areas, which are; defence (N3.25trn), Education (N2.18trn), Health (1.33trn), and Infrastructure (N1.32trn),” he said.Obi said the government should “de-accelerate” its borrowings while an assessment of what the previous loans have been used for should be looked into to stem the tide of increasing debt profile.
EBONYI POLITICAL FOES UNITE FOR EX-GOVERNOR’S BIRTHDAY
EBONYI POLITICAL FOES UNITE FOR EX-GOVERNOR’S BIRTHDAY After years at loggerheads, leaders of Ebonyi State including Governor Francis Nwifuru, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former governors Sam Egwu, David Umahi and Martin Elechi, seem to have settled their differences. The leaders have not been attending public functions together until Tuesday, when all of them gathered to celebrate the 83rd birthday of former governor Elechi in Abakaliki. Elechi’s birthday celebration was organised by the Ebonyi State Government. The event, which took place at the Christian Ecumenical Centre, attracted personalities both far and near. The former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Anyim, who chaired the event, described Elechi as a foremost, resilient and uncompromising founding father of the state who fought for the unity the state is enjoying. “it is true that Chief Elechi was the Governor of Ebonyi State but I tell you, that was just a calling to fill a vacuum which he accepted in his usual willingness to make the utmost sacrifice for Ebonyi people,” Anyim said. Former governor of the state and ex-Minister of Education, Sam Egwu averred that Elechi displayed exemplary leadership as governor of the state and made enormous contributions to its development. “Your dedication and tireless effort in spearheading the struggle for the creation of the state has left an indelible mark on the history of our beloved state. “Your resilience in the struggle for the creation of Ebonyi State served as an inspiration to countless individuals, myself included. “At the end of my tenure as the first democratically elected governor of the state, I felt naturally happy to transmit the administration of the new state to you who spearheaded the struggle of the state creation. “As a governor, you demonstrated exemplary leadership and made significant contributions to the development of our state,” Egwu said, pouring encomiums on Elechi. On his part, Elechi’s successor and Minister of Works, Umahi described him as an experienced administrator who taught him administration in governance. In his speech, Governor Nwifuru said the state had every reason to celebrate Elechi. Nwifuru commended the former governor for his leadership style and his contribution to the development of the state. He described Elechi as one of the most respected elders in the state, Igbo land and the nation in general. “Chief Elechi no doubt remains one of our respected elder statesmen in Ebonyi State who continues to offer rare insights and counsel on how best to organise our state, with the benefits of hindsight, for effective governance. “I have benefited immensely from Chief Elechi’s knowledge and perspectives on a wide range of issues as they affect our state. As an astute politician, he has been part of every political epoch in our state. “Beyond his sage contributions to our development and political evolution over the decades, the most enduring aspect of his enviable life is his forthrightness, integrity, reliability and spartan life.” Elechi, in his remarks, lauded Nwifuru for organizing the event in his honour, describing it as the best gift to him.He stated that the governor has opened a new chapter in governance and assured of his continued support to his administration.
- Biafra News
- April 2, 2024
- 79 views
EFFORTS ON TO RELEASE NNAMDI KANU – REPS DEPUTY SPEAKER
EFFORTS ON TO RELEASE IPOB LRADER, NNAMDI KANU – REPS DEPUTY SPEAKER The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has revealed that there are ongoing efforts to secure the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB). He said while legal processes are underway, concerted political solutions are being pursued behind the scenes to ensure the release of Kanu. Addressing the issue during a special edition of “The Ben Kalu’s Mandate,” a radio program on FLO FM in Umuahia, Abia State, Kalu said a deliberate approach was being taken to achieve the objective. He clarified that the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), an initiative he recently launched to address security challenges in the region through non-kinetic measures, remains committed to reconciliation, including involving Nnamdi Kanu in the peace agenda. His words: “The PISE-P has reconciliation in the mix of what we are trying to achieve. We recognize the importance of our brother, Nnamdi Kanu, in the peace agenda we are pushing. That’s the truth. And I have been very vocal about it. I am not hiding it. “I have always told people that I will never deny Nnamdi Kanu. He’s my brother. We come from the same place, and I will never be happy having him incarcerated when we can have him out and increase our pursuit towards peace. “But we may not advance all the things we are doing backdoor, but I can assure you that all the powers-that-be in this country know that people like us are not sitting on the fence. I don’t know about the next person but I am talking about Benjamin Okezie Kalu. I am not sitting on the fence about it. I am lobbying. “We cannot go about this before the court. I am more interested in using a political solution towards resolving this. So, I am asking for one or two things from the federal government. “The last time I was with Mr. President, I discussed with Mr. President on the need for the elders of Igbo land to come, sit and engage with him. And I know that one of the topics that will come up there is this our brother. “We will also thank him for all the good things, the appointments he has been giving to Igbo people. So, while the court is doing what they are doing, I will not truncate legal processes, but some of us are not afraid to identify with him and to ask for him to be released. “Any other thing can follow up after that. So, that is what is going on at the moment, and those who are close to him will assure you we are working closely on this mandate. Is it achievable? The answer is yes. “And I am happy with the statement that he made the last time he was in court. He said all those who are causing violence are not IPOB people, that anybody who is using his name to be causing violence is a hater of Ndi Igbo. “Look, Igbos are not known for violence. We are known for trade, being creative. Call it Nollywood; we are the engine room that started the creative industry. We are not thieves, not known for violence. We put our energy towards creating wealth.“We are not life killers, and anybody coming now to introduce what is strange to us, it’s either the person is not an Igbo man, or we should question where he is coming from.”
LAGOS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE FOUND HANGING IN HIS HOUSE
LAGOS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF POLICE FOUND HANGING DEAD IN HIS HOUSE The lifeless body of a Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Lagos State Police Command, DCP Gbolahan Oyedemi was found on Tuesday morning in his private home in Ogbomoso, Oyo State. The deceased was the aide de Camp (ADC) to a former governor of Oyo State, late Adebayo Alao Akala, in 2006 and a native of Ogbomoso town of the state. It was learnt that he was in Ogbomoso for the Easter celebration last weekend from Lagos State before the incident. Sources privy to the incident informed Leadership Newspaper on Tuesday morning that his body was found hanging in the house on Monday, suggesting he probably committed suicide. “He came with his aides and we heard that he discharged them to go and celebrate Easter with their respective families only to hear that he committed suicide yesterday (Monday),” a former aide to late Governor Akala, who had served at the same time with DCP Oyedemi, narrated. “He was formerly staying with his mother in the same house he built for her around Randa area of Ogbomoso, later he built another house located at Petros Academy Street, Federal Lowcost area and he thereafter moved to the new building. He was unmarried,” another source stated.The Oyo State Police Command spokesperson, Adewale Osifeso, did not pick up repeated calls made to him seeking his comments on the issue.
- Biafra News
- April 2, 2024
- 76 views
MBAH, SOUTH EAST GOVERNORS CONSPIRING TO DESTROY US – IPOB
MBAH, SOUTH EAST GOVERNORS CONSPIRING TO DESTROY – IPOB WeThe Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has accused the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, and other Southeast governors of conspiring to destroy the group. The IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, raised the alarm in a statement issued on Monday. Powerful said IPOB is working hard to provide security and direction that many Southeastern Governors have failed to deliver. He further alleged that IPOB’s counterparts in the North are being funded and protected by the Nigerian government, unlike Southeastern governors. Emma Powerful added that the conspiracy to destroy IPOB would fail because they remain the last line of defense in the region. The statement read: “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great and amiable leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has been drawn to the plan of the Nigeria selected Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mba, to destroy IPOB in that state. “It is unfortunate that Peter Mba wants to tread the path of shame and destruction, which he has seen backfire on others who have tried. “IPOB is working hard to provide security and direction that many Southeastern Governors have refused or failed to provide. “While their counterparts in the Northern territory are being funded and protected by the Nigerian government, Southeastern Governors are conspiring to destroy IPOB, who is their last line of defense in Biafra Land.”
- Spirituality
- April 2, 2024
- 80 views
SCIENTIST PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT JESUS ROSE FROM DEAD
SCIENTIST PROVIDES EVIDENCE THAT JESUS ROSE FROM DEAD A scientist from the University of Washington in St. Louis, Joshua Swamidass, claims that there is strong evidence to support biblical account that Jesus Christ rose from dead. “I am a scientist. Yet on Easter I celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead some 2,000 years ago. This event is a milestone. In the same way that confident faith in science is tied to evidence, so is the faith I have in resurrection,” he wrote in a 2017 article for Forum Veritas. The researcher argues that the resurrection of Jesus had a huge impact on history. “No other event in all of recorded history has reached so far beyond national, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, political and geographic boundaries,” he notes. Swamidass uses the Bible to support his view, claiming that its prophecies predict the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. “These prophecies contain specific details that Jesus and his followers could not control,” the scientist writes. “For example, before the Romans invented crucifixion, Psalm 22:16 described Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced,” he explains. He also notes that “Jesus was a real person in history who died,” which is evidence that he did not fake his death. “Several manuscripts from various sources, including Jewish historians, describe a man named Jesus who lived and was executed,” he points out. “Specific details about his execution confirm that blood and water poured from a spear wound in his side. He really died, not just unconscious,” he claims. Swamidass notes that “early resurrection accounts and prophecies predicting them have been reliably transmitted through history.” A 2017 BBC survey found that one in four Christians in the UK do not believe Jesus has come back to life. The Reverend Dr Lorraine Cavanagh thinks it may be because adults don’t want to believe in things in the same way they did when they were children in Sunday school.”We’re talking about adults here. And adult faith requires constant questioning, constant reinterpretation, which, by the way, is what the modern Church is really about,” Cavanagh emphasises.