POWER VACUUM: PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT OUT OF NIGERIA
Dons Eze
- October 16, 2024
- Foreign Affairs
- April 9, 2024
- 60 views
US BREAKING APART? SURVEY SHOWS 50% IN 25 STATES IN SUPPORT
US BREAKING APART? SURVEY SHOWS 50% IN 25 STATES IN SUPPORT A leading Texas independence campaigner has said the United States is “breaking apart,” with over 50 percent of the population in 25 states ready to secede based on his interpretation of two recent surveys by the polling company YouGov. Questions about the integrity of the U.S. have increased in the face of fiercely partisan politics in Congress and the contested 2020 presidential election. In February 2023, House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene sparked controversy after calling for a “national divorce” between “red states and blue states.” Between February 2 and 5, YouGov asked 35,000 Americans whether they would support their state seceding from the union and becoming an independent nation. The results varied considerably—from highs of 36 percent in Alaska, 31 percent in Texas and 29 percent in California to a low of 13 percent in Minnesota. Across the U.S., the survey found that 23 percent of Americans wanted their state to become independent, with 51 percent opposed and 27 percent unsure. Miller argued that in the survey, support for independence was lower than it should be because “polling companies have no idea how to poll the issue of secession or withdrawing from the union.” To support this argument, Miller referenced a separate YouGov survey conducted in February for the Independent California Institute. The survey of 500 Californian adults found that 58 percent believed Californians “would be better off than they are now in a scenario where California peacefully becomes an independent country with a friendly relationship with the U.S.” Miller said the question more accurately calculated support for secession, as it specified that it would be peaceful and focused on whether individuals thought they would personally be better off. Miller said there was a 29-point difference between the two surveys—with 29 percent of Californians saying they would support independence in the first, while 58 percent said independence would make them better off in the second. Rounding this figure to 30 percent, then extrapolating it across the U.S., Miller concluded that in 25 states the independence campaign would win a hypothetical independence referendum. An analysis by Newsweek found that there were 23 states in which you could produce a majority for independence if you added 30 percent to the figure supporting independence in the initial YouGov poll. Newsweek does not endorse these figures, and the 29 percent discrepancy between the two Californian figures can be explained by any number of factors, which means it cannot be extrapolated across the nation. Moreover, the second California poll was on whether residents thought independence would make them better off, not on whether they supported it. In his podcast, Miller added: “The United States is breaking apart. Some people think that Texas is the only state with one foot out the door, but there are actually other states where support for secession is surging and ready to hit the tipping point.” “The United States is flying apart,” he continued. “States are ready to withdraw and in larger numbers than I think the public is generally aware.” Speaking to Newsweek, Professor Matt Qvortrup, a political scientist and the author of I Want to Break Free: A Practical Guide to Making a New Country, argued that support for independence often increased during referendum campaigns. He said: “In independence referendums, you often see that those who want to secede win over the campaign. In Scotland, the SNP (the Scottish National Party) came from 29 percent at the beginning of the campaign and ended on 45 percent. “In Catalonia, Quebec, and in Scotland, support for independence was in the twenties when the issue was first discussed. This has in all cases moved within touching distance of independence.”Newsweek is committed to challenging…
LAWMAKERS PROTEST ALLEGED MOVE TO LEGALIZE LG CHAIRMEN’S TENURE IN RIVERS
LAWMAKERS PROTEST ALLEGED MOVE TO LEGALISE LG CHAIRMEN’S TENURE IN RIVERS Members of the 10th Senate and House of Representatives belonging to opposition political parties have raised the alarm over alleged move to use Federal High Court to legalise what they called illegal extension of Local Government chairmen’s tenure in Rivers State, including freezing their accounts. The lawmakers numbering about 60, in a statement issued in Abuja by its spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, stated that they’ve received credible intelligence of a plot to use the Federal High Court to secure a secret exparte order that will attempt to legalise the extension of the about-to-expire tenure of LGA Chairmen in Rivers state. The lawmakers said that this plot was being perpetrated by former members of the State House of Assembly, who have lost legitimacy as lawmakers the very moment they decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC), after they illegally amended Sections of the Law No. 5 of 2018 extending the tenure of elected Local Government chairmen in Rivers State. They also said they were raising the alarm in view of the legitimacy of the desperate move, which if not halted, can lead to anarchy and collapse of constitutional governance. They warned that the opposition lawmakers will not take lightly any move to extend the tenure of the about-to-be expired LGA chairmen under any guise or method, adding that the monthly allocations of Rivers State LGAs can’t be stolen using a court order. The federal lawmakers, therefore, called on the eminent judges of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to beware of the alleged plot, saying that allowing such will throw Rivers into crisis. They also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a NADECO member and democrat to call those pursuing their selfish and greedy ambition by illegally using his name to destabilise constitutional activities in Rivers State to order. The statement reads, “We have received credible intelligence of a plot to use the Federal High court to secure a secret exparte that will attempt to legalise the illegal extension of the about to expire tenure of LGA Chairmen in Rivers state which was carried out by the former members of the state assembly who has lost legitimacy as lawmakers the very moment they decamped to APC knowing fully well that there was no crisis in PDP hence their seat as lawmakers became vacant immediately the remaining legitimate members declared the seats vacant. “We are raising this alarm in view of the legitimacy of the desperate move which if not halted can lead to anarchy and collapse of constitutional governance. We want to call on the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice Omotasho and other eminent judges to be aware of these plots that those behind it are already celebrating that the exparte order is in thier pocket awaiting release to the media even when the case have not been heard. “To our respected Chief Judge, Hon Justice John Terhemba Tsoho. We are compelled to publicly bring this shocking developments to your attention for the interest of justice and preservation of the image of our nations judiciary. “Few days ago we received credible intelligence that a suit filled on behalf of Abuja based former house of assembly members in rivers whose seats have been declared vacant over their decampment to apc even when there was no crisis in pdp but still parading as lawmakers and changing laws in the middle of the night from the corner of the hotel rooms in Abuja and emoha LGA were they are gathered and made to make legislative announcement without the legitimacy or due process to do so. “Our Dear Chief Judge Hon Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, we wish to inform you that this strange suit…
COURT BARS FIRMER PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, UCHE SECONDS, FROM PARTICIPATING IN NEC, BOT MEETINGS
COURT BARS FORMER PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, UCHE SECONDS, FROM PARTICIPATING IN NEC, BOT MEETINGS An order restraining Uche Secondus from participating in PDP NEC, BOT, caucaus meeting has been granted by a high Court in Abuja The court ordered as follows: 1. Order is hereby made restraining the 1st Defendant from demanding for any notice of National Caucus meetings or meetings of the National Executive Committee (5th Defendant) or Board of Trustees (7th Defendant) or any other meetings of the 2nd Defendant from the 4th Defendant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 2. Order is hereby made restraining the 1st Defendant from attending any meeting of the 2nd Defendant, be it caucus meetings, meetings of the National Executive Committee (5th Defendant) or Board of Trustees (7th Defendant) or any other meeting howsoever described participating in the proceedings, deliberations of any such meeting pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 3. Order is hereby made restraining the 4th Defendant, his Agents, Servants, Subordinates, Officers howsoever described from giving any notice of meeting of the 2nd Defendant be it caucus meetings, meetings of the National Executive Committee (5th Defendant) or Board of Trustees (7th Defendant) or any other meeting however called to the 1st Defendant who has been suspended from the 2nd Defendant pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 4. Order is hereby made restraining the 2nd defendant, its Officers, Servants, Agents, Privies, Organs howsoever described from granting access or allowing the 1st Defendant to attend and/or participate in the meetings of the National Caucus, the National Executive Committee or the Board of Trustees or any other meeting of the 2nd Defendant while his suspension subsists pending the hearing and determination ofthe Motion on Notice. 5. Order is hereby made restraining the 8th Defendant, its Officers, Servants, Agents howsoever described from according recognition to the report, proceedings, conclusions or resolutions reached at any meeting of the 2nd Defendant held in violation of the judgment in the case of Ibeawuchi Ernest Alex & 4 Ors, V. Prince Uche Secondus Suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021 and Articles 30 (1) (S), 31(1) (u) and 32 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (as amended in 2017) pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice. 6. Leave is granted the Applicant to serve the Motion on Notice, Originating Summons and all other processes of this Court in this suit on the 1st Defendant/Respondent by substituted means to wit, by pasting all the said processes of Court at the place ofbabode of the 1st Defendant/ Respondent at No.5, Bobo Close, Maitama, Abuja. 7. Service to be effected within 5 days of this Order. 8. Order is hereby made deeming such service as in (6) above as proper service. 9. Case adjourned to 12th April, 2024 forMotion on Notice.ISSUED AT ABUJA, under the hand of the Presiding Judge, Hon. Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, and seal of the Court this 5th day of April, 2024.
BETA EDU: EFCC RECOVERS N30BN, 50 BANK ACCOUNTS UNDER INVESTIGATION
BETTA EDU: EFCC RECOVERS N30BN, 50 BANK ACCOUNTS UNDER INVESTIGATION The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has so far recovered N30billion for the Federal Government, while it has also placed 50 bank accounts under investigation in the ongoing probe of the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, including the erstwhile chief executive officer of the now suspended National Social Investment Programme Authority (NSIPA), Halima Shehu. Both Edu and Shehu were suspended about three months ago by President Bola Tinubu over alleged financial malfeasance. The President also suspended Social Investment Programme and, thereafter, asked the EFCC to take over the case and probe both embattled officials including anyone involved. Three months after, executive chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, who made the revelations, said the anti-graft agency was making progress on the investigation, emphasising the magnitude of the case and the need for Nigerians to exercise patience. Olukoyede spoke in the March edition of the commission’s monthly e-magazine, EFCCAlert, on Monday. “We have laws and regulations guiding our investigations. Nigerians will also know that they are already on suspension and this is based on theinvestigations we have done, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proved to Nigerians that he is ready to fight corruption. “Moreover, with respect to this particular case, we have recovered over N30 billion, which is already in the coffers of the Federal Government. It takes time to conclude investigations; we started this matter less than six weeks ago. There are cases that take years to investigate. There are so many angles to it. And weneed to follow through with some of the discoveries that we have seen. Nigerians should give us time on this matter; we have professionals on this case and they need to do things right. There are so many leads here and there. “As it is now, we are investigating over 50 bank accounts that we have traced money into. That is no child’s play. That’s a big deal. Then you askabout my staff strength. And again, we have thousands of other cases that we are working on. “Nigerians have seen the impact of what we have done so far, by way of some people being placed on suspension and by way of the recoveries that we have made. You have seen that the programme itself has been suspended.“We are exploring so many discoveries that we have stumbled upon in our investigation. If it is about seeing people in jail, well let them wait, everything has a process to follow. So Nigerians should wait and give us the benefit of the doubt,” Olukoyede stated.
PHILIP SHUAIBU REJECTS IMPEACHMENT AS EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SAYS IT’S ILLEGAL
PHILIP SHUAIBU REJECTS HIS IMPEACHMENT AS EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SAYS IT’S ILLEGAL The embattled Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu has rejected his impeachment by the state House of Assembly, describing it as illegal. The assembly impeached Shaibu on Monday following reports by Justice S.A.Omonua,- led seven-man panel investigating the impeachment petition against the deputy governor. The panel in its reports said the allegation of perjury was not proven beyond reasonable doubt by the complainant against the Deputy governor while that of disclosure of government official documents was proven beyond reasonable doubt against the Deputy Governor. Reacting to his impeachment, Shaibu in a broadcast shared on his official X handle, vowed to seek redress, saying “We will fight this injustice with every strength in us for the sake of Edo State and the future of Democracy”. He said, “I denounce in the strongest terms the illegal impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly. This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on our very democratic principles. “It is a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment came because of my ambition to contest the 2023 Edo State Governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. “An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “It is a sad reality that those in power seem to silence opposition through illegitimate means. I have dedicated my love to serving the good people of Edo State with integrity and honesty”. The former Deputy Governor alleged that the members of the State Assembly had “chosen to forsake their oath of office and participated” in his impeachment.He said history “will judge you harshly for your betrayal of people who elected you to represent them”.
GOV OBASEKI SWEARS-IN 38-YEAR OLD ENGINEER AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR, REPLACES SHAIBU
GOV OBASEKI SWEARS-IN 38-YEAR OLD ENGINEER AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR, REPLACES SHUAIBU Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has sworn-in Omobayo Marvellous Godwins as the new deputy governor of the state. Omobayo replaced Philip Shaibu, who was earlier impeached by the State House of Assembly on Monday morning. Shaibu was impeached by the House of Assembly after the adoption of the report of the Justice S. A. Omonua (rtd)-led impeachment panel. The panel was set up by the Chief Judge of Edo State to investigate allegations of misconduct and perjury against Shaibu. Eighteen out of the 20 lawmakers that attended the plenary on Monday, April 8, 2024 voted in favour of the impeachment while one voted against. In the report, the seven-man panel found the former deputy governor guilty of leaking government official secrets. But he was not found guilty of the allegation of perjury. Following the impeachment, Obaseki immediately swore-in Omobayo to replace Shaibu. Omobayo hails from Akoko-Edo Local Government Area in the same Edo North Senatorial District, where the impeached deputy governor came from. Born July 19, 1986, Omobayo is said to be a “seasoned engineer with a proven track record of progressive professional experience in the oil and gas sector”. His profile showed that he has a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Msc in Public Administration from the University of Benin, UNIBEN. He is a registered member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN. He serves as a Senior Maintenance Engineer in Dresser Wayne West Africa Limited, cutting his professional teeth in the operations in the South South area. The new deputy governor is said to be active in politics in his local government area.
BREAKING: PHILIP SHUAIBU, EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR, IMPEACHED
BREAKING: PHILIP SHAIBU EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR IMPEACHED The Edo State House of Assembly, on Monday, impeached the state’s Deputy governor, Philip Shaibu. The impeachment followed the adoption of the report of the seven-man investigative panel set up by the Assembly to probe allegations of misconduct against Shaibu. The Justice S.A. Omonua-led seven-man panel investigating the impeachment petition against Shaibu rounded off its sitting on Friday. The panel was constituted by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, on March 22, 2024, in line with the resolution of the State House of Assembly to investigate the impeachment petition against the deputy governor which bothered on allegations of gross misconduct and perjury. Other members of the panel were Professor Theresa Akpoghome, Oghogho Ayodele Oviasu, Surveyor Andrew Oliha, Idris Abdulkareen, President Aigbokhian and Mariam Erakhoba Ilavbare.
ONLY SIX NIGERIANS SIGNED 1914 AMALGAMATION DOCUMENT, IGBOS NOT REPRESENTED
ONLY SIX NIGERIANS SIGNED 1914 AMALGAMATION DOCUMENT; IGBOS NOT REPRESENTED Many Nigerians have asked if there were parties from the southern and northern Protectorate that partook in the declaration of Nigeria, or did the British on their own sign the document in the absence of the people involved? Southern and Northern Protectorates were joined to form Nigeria in 1914. By then the nationalists we know of now were still little to know what happened. Nnamdi Azikiwe was only 10 years old, Ahmadu Bello was 4 years, Obafemi Awolowo was 5 years then. This forces concerned individuals to ask – Which Nigerian signed the Amalgamation document? It has been revealed that there were only 28 individuals involved in the Amalgamation of the South and the North Protectorates. Out of the 28, only 6 were Nigerians. The rest were all British citizens. Lord lugard, the first governor general led the Amalgamation (he was the one who proposed it first) and the final signature was his. The six Nigerians are; 1. HRH Maiturare Sarkin Mussulumi and Sultan of Sokoto 2. Usuman Dan Maje who later became Emir of Kano 3. Sir Kitoyi Ajasa a lawyer 4. HRH Oladugbolu Alaafin of Oyo 5. HRH R Henshaw (Obong of Calabar) 6. Abubakar Shehu of Borno These were the Nigerians present at the amalgamation. They were there ceremoniously. No Igbo man was present in the amalgamation of Nigeria, even though the Igbos had powerful Kings like the Obi Okosi of Onitsha, Eze Nri òbalíke among others. The reason is not far-fetched, It’s thought that the Igbos fought strongly against the British rule and they were never in support of their systems. Lagos colony was also against the amalgamation as at then. The British were more comfortable and had better relationship with Fulani/Northerners. The British perhaps handed over leadership roles to the Northerners. So, the saying that Northerners want to always rule Nigeria did not just start today. It was positioned so by the British.The location of the amalgamation was was in Zungeru, Niger State. That was the Capital of the British Protectorate of Northern Nigeria from 1902 until 1916.
- Igbo History
- April 8, 2024
- 61 views
WORLD’S OLDEST IRON-SMELTING SITE, DATED 2000 BC, IS IN LEJJA, NSUKKA, ENUGU STATE
WORLD’S OLDEST IRON-SMELTING SITE, DATED 2000 BC, IS IN LEJJA NSUKKA, ENUGU STATE In a village square in Lejja, located about 15 kilometers south of the university town of Nsukka in southeastern Nigeria, lies what appears to be the oldest iron-smelting site in the the world. Arranged in crescent shapes with mounds in the middle across a wide sitting area at Otobo Ejuona, as the arena is known, are hundreds of bits of smelting debris, or slags, recently carbon-dated to about 2000 BCE by a team of archaeologists and other experts from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Oxford University in the United Kingdom. The information yielded by the slags upsets the status quo as far as the global story of ironworking is concerned. For long conventional academic wisdom had it that the iron age started in southwest Asia in 1500 BC and spread to the rest of the world, including Africa, from there. Evidence of iron smelting in Africa that is at least 500 years older stands this conventional wisdom on its head. Why does iron matter?Iron matters because it changed the course of human civilization. Armed with iron, humans, the tool makers, finally found their vocation. They quickly transformed from hunter-gatherers to accomplished farmers armed with iron implements with which they cleared the bush and tilled the soil. They built weapons – spears, knives, guns – with which they went to war, conquered territories and built empires and began the march of civilization to where it is today. It was the precursor revolution that inspired all other revolutions that followed it. With the determination of the age of the Lejja site, the claim that has subsisted among many Western academics that there was no independent development of iron working in Africa is effectively rebutted. Slags are the waste byproduct produced when iron is heated in order to remove it from its stone ore. Tens of hundreds of these granite-like objects, some weighing as much as 60 kilograms, were arranged in patterns by people of whom the present occupants of Lejja have no memory. However, for them the site has acquired religious significance and become central to the people’s existence, housing the community shrine and meeting place of the masquerade cult, as well as serving as a general meeting place. Other smelting sites have been discovered in nearby places like Opi (dated 750 BC) , Umundu and Obimo, but none matched the antiquity of theLejja site. The slags, from which iron ore had been extracted, were transported to this site sometime in antiquity, and arranged in the patterns they were found. The most prominent pattern is the crescent shape made with the slags on the higher ground of the village square, which is faced by a mound of slags heaped together. Other arrangements then spread out with the gentle slope of the square. In the middle there’s a raised mound of earth, around which slags were arranged. Other semi-circular heaps werere also displayed around the square. To the right of the square, there’s a conical-shaped small building, the traditional masquerade’s house. At the base are also placed several slags. Archaeologists and other scholars see both an aesthetic and an astronomical purpose in the placement of the slags.For instance, the half-circular arrangement of the slags and the placement of a mound in the middle is thought to represent the intermittent visual nearness between the crescent moon and Venus, the planet. Therefore, the placement of the slags had a ritual symbolism attached to it and was never done randomly. While the present-day inhabitants of Lejja don’t have much information about their creation, they have keyed into its ritual significance, celebrating and receding it as something intrinsically linked to their existence and well being. .
BISHOP ADMONISHES ENUGU NOTH SENATOR, OKEY EZEA, TO CONTINUE TO SHOW LOVE TO HIS PEOPLE
BISHOP ADMONISHES ENUGU NOTH SENATOR, OKEY EZEA, TO CONTINUE TO SHOW LOVE TO HIS PEOPLE – The bishop of Nsukka Catholic diocese, His Lordship Rt. Rev. Prof. Godfrey Igwebuike Onah, has advised Senator Okey Ezea (LP, Enugu North), to rekindle the love he showed Nsukka people while he was in business many years ago and offer even more to them in his current position as a politician. Bishop Onah, who gave the admonition during his homily at a thanksgiving Mass celebrated in honour of Senator Ezea at the St Theresa’s Catholic Cathedral, Nsukka, on Saturday, went down memory lane to recall how Senator Ezea named his shipping and logistics company, Ideke Shipping Limited, said only a man who loves his people would give his business a name that is associated with the place where he comes from. “Whatever your reason, I interprete it as your love for Nsukka. Nobody doubts your interest in the welfare of nwa Nsukka. ‘Ideke’ is intimately associated with this town,” he said. Continuing, Bishop Onah, who is the second bishop of Nsukka Catholic Diocese, advised the senator to seek the voice of God if he wants to succeed as a leader of the people. “You were a successful entrepreneur before you decided to spend your money [in politics]. I know it. Like Abraham Lincoln, you won after several disappointments… You’re now sent to proclaim the good news. Whatever temptations you may face, ask: ‘Is it better to listen to God or men?’ Almost everybody around you would want you to be corrupt so they could benefit. “As St. Paul says in the scripture, you as a Christian can’t conform your life to the things of this world. Looking at you, I know a new culture will be created at the Senate,” Bishop Onah said. The bishop, however, used the opportunity to decry the lack of Christian values in the workplace, saying only genuine concern for the people’s needs would create the transformative leadership that will impact the people. He called on politicians to focus attention on education and the internalisation of the values of humanity, lamenting that the .absence of humanity in politics has been the reason behind corruption in most parts of Nigeria. “Until we get education right, corruption, indiscipline etc. will not abate. One lesson we learned from the 2023 politics is that there’s a limit to which the power holders can hold the people down,” he stated. In his speech during the Mass celebrated by more than 40 Catholic priests, Senator Okey Ezea thanked the bishop for upholding the integrity of the church by speaking truth to power. He restated his commitment to the emancipation of the Nsukka people, promising to work with the church and other relevant communities and professional groups to ensure the enthronement of equity, peace and probity at all levels of leadership in the Nsukka cultural zone. Later at the reception venue (Nsukka High School), Senator Ezea stated: “Many people worked hard for my victory and are possibly expecting rewards, but what reward is greater than the ways we’re creating to make life easier and happier for everyone in our zone?” He said that his job as a legislator was not the same as that of a president or governor who has executive powers. Listing his achievements in the nine months since he has been in the National Assembly, Senator Ezea said he has worked with other legislators elected from the zone to mitigate the incidents of marginalisation of the Enugu North senatorial district in the distribution of federal appointments and projects. “As you know, my interactions with my colleagues in the National Assembly, with many ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal government have started to produce good fruit. This…