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To further put the Igbos in bad light, you said “He (Achebe) claimed that they (the Igbos) were the dominant tribe, led the nation in virtually every sector – politics, education, commerce and the arts”. You agonizingly noted in your pathetic myopia “which included having two vice – chancellors in Yoruba land…”Your list is not exhaustive . At that time, Engr. Francis C.N.Agbasi was the first Nigerian Principal of Yaba College of Technology and Mr. Clement Odunukwe was the Senior Lecturer –in –charge (Principal) of Federal Emergency Science School, Onikan, Lagos. Also, Mr. F.C. Nwokedi, was the first Nigerian Federal Permanent Secretary to be appointed by the colonial masters. When Mr. P. G. Stallard was retiring, Mr. Nwokedi ought to have succeeded him as the first Nigerian Secretary to the Council of Ministers. But because he came from the ‘wrong’ tribe, he was skipped and Mr. S. O. Wey was given the post while Mr. Nwokedi became the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Modesty will not restrain me from expressing my joy, be it of local patriotism because, the last three gentlemen mentioned above, hailed from my home town, Nnewi, and Mr. Nwokedi was from my village, Edoji.
Since these institutions are in Yorubaland, you created the impression that the Yoruba benevolently allowed the Igbos to occupy those posts. You deliberately ignored the fact that they are Federal Government institutions and appointment into those positions followed very rigorous due process. I had described in a previous article how Professor Kenneth O. Dike was unanimously elected the Principal of the University College Ibadan, by the University College Council. It bears repeating for your benefit. The Chairman of the Council, Dr. Akanu Ibiam, went to London, and consulted Sir Charles Morris, Chairman of the Inter ‐ University College Council that found Principals and Vice Chancellors for colonial Universities. Sir. Morris said to Dr. Ibiam, ”Why do you come to us? You have your man there (Prof Kenneth Dike).You are lucky to have a ready – made man on the spot.”

In my second session as an undergraduate at Ibadan University in 1965/66, a Yoruba undergraduate wrote an article in which he said “If this university was situated east of the Niger, one would understand; but to hear people ‘keduing’ about all over the campus in a university founded in Yoruba land is unacceptable.” Kedu is the Igbo word for how do you do.

In that same year, some of us students were hanging around the Faculty of Science premises where Faculty Lecturers were reviewing the sessional results of students. We asked Dr. V.O. Olunloyo, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics who was the first lecturer to come out of the meeting, about the result of Mr ONWUCHEKWA, a final year Mathematics student. He said, second class upper.

We expressed our dismay, for we had expected Onwuchekwa to make a first class in the light of his brilliant records. Dr.Olunloyo remarked, “ You don’t expect Onwuchekwa to make a first class considering the high standard set by Kenku last year.” I am not aware that the record set by Prof Iya Abubakar in Mathematics has been equaled or broken ,yet Kenku made his first class without equaling Abubakar’s record. Instead of saying that Onwuchekwa did not meet the first class bar, he resorted to ethnic politics by comparing Onwuchekwa’s ( an Igbo) result with Kenku’s(a Yoruba) result .

In 1998, Emeritus Professor Chike Obi solved the over 300 years old Mathematics puzzle – FERMAT’S LAST THEOREM, established in 1637 by a French Lawyer/Mathematician, Pierre Fermat. Chike Obi’s paper was accepted for publication and appeared in the USA – based Journal of Algebras, Groups and Geometries, Vol. 15 pp 289 – 299 (1998). Despite the fact that Chike Obi’s paper was published by a renowned and distinguished American Journal, Dr. Olunloyo and one Ogunsola, an actuary, openly disputed without any basis, the validity of Chike Obi’s proof.

To add to these polemics by some Yorubas, Damola Awoyokun accused the Igbos of boastfulness and excessive exhibitionalism, of their strenuous achievements, when it is known that potentials, abilities, competences and the like, are either God – given or acquired. The Igbos have not been known to be boastful for such attributes coming their way.

Achebe simply traced the Igbos’ ‘LONG WALK’ to acquire them, which made Damola furiously uncomfortable.Your mindless determination to tarnish the image of the colossus, Achebe has failed. The following is the view of a Yoruba man, Duro Onabule, on Achebe. “Whatever the bad feelings of his critics, Achebe’s reputation, unlike his contemporaries, is that of a straightforward man. He has never been known to be cowardly, neither does he cringe before nor collaborate with local or international establishment. Achebe’s character is definite as he does not charade in the day only to be settled at night…….

Even if Awolowo was not in the position to effect his belief in starvation as a weapon of war, the fact remains that he (Awolowo) publicly took that position and was widely reported in the media in Nigeria and abroad….Is Chinua Achebe fair to Awolowo in his criticisms? The appropriate preceding question is: was Awolowo fair to himself when he publicly upheld starvation as a legitimate weapon of war, more so during a civil war in which the outside world was disgusted with television visuals of thousands of starving malnourished innocent children? Achebe’s critics on his latest book, especially Yoruba, should objectively read “AWO”, Obafemi Awolowo’s autobiography, in which throughout , there is not a single sentence complimentary to Nnamdi Azikiwe, portrayed as an ethnic jingoist….Yet, Awolowo’s criticism of Azikiwe were never mischievously interpreted as hatred for Igbos. Nobody of Achebe’s status and with terrible experiences of the civil war could be expected to write his recollections without justifiable criticism of starvation as a weapon throughout the war. His critics just have to be realistic rather than being emotional.”

Damola Awoyokun and Odia Ofeimun would want Achebe’s THERE WAS A COUNTRY: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BIAFRA not only banned but all existing copies of the book burnt. Damola said ”Instead of writing the book as a writer who is Igbo, Achebe wrote the book as an Igbo writer ( I do not see any difference here except that an Igbo writer is one who writes in Igbo language.) …All the places that
should alarm the moral consciousness of any writer, Achebe is either indifferent or dismisses them outright because the victims are not his people. But in every encounter that shows the Igbo being killed or resented by Nigerians, or by the Yoruba in particular, Achebe intensifies the spotlight, deploying stratospheric rhetoric…Furthermore, not only does he take pride in ignoring the findings of common sense, he allocates primetime attention to fact – free rants just because they say his people are the most superior tribe in Nigeria. The book, to say the least, is a masterpiece of propaganda and sycophancy. It is not a writer’s business to be an accomplice to lies.”

Damola is guilty of the same charge for where Biafra or Igbos are the victims, he ignored it totally, as in this case where the American secret files say that “Mohammed the Second Division Commander was reported to have criticized Obasanjo thus: “We told you not to end the war the way you did so as to sort things out, you went on gaddamgaddam and finished it.” Damola ignored the fact that what Murtala Mohammed meant was that Obasanjo did not give him time to apply the FINAL SOLUTION TO THE IGBO PROBLEM! That is, to give him time to wipe out the Igbos from the surface of the earth. Next, I do not think that Damola Awoyokun has the competence, experience or stature to grade Achebe’s literary work.

Odia Ofeimun said” I believe he (Achebe)got it very wrong in that book and therefore, since I believe that we must allow generations coming after us to live by the spacious and opportunistic views that our fathers had, we must contest all the lies, we must ensure that their wrong views of the way the world works get corrected…… Achebe says that Igbo people are individualistic and that was what
helped them to acquire western education, catch up with the Yoruba and then took over all the jobs.

It is a very wrong description of what actually happened. What happened is that before independence, the NPC and the NCNC reached an agreement to run Nigeria together. Nnamdi Azikiwe refused to form a coalition with the AG because the Yoruba were educated and would be competing with the Igbo people for the jobs. Therefore they wanted a coalition.( with the NPC) Because that coalition was a very conservative one, they wanted to go with the Hausa-Fulani, who did not have enough people to take over the jobs that the Europeans were exiting from nor did they have any to deal with the new jobs that would be created by independence. So, the Yoruba leader was jailed and the Yoruba who could have looked for jobs were shunted aside. So, the NCNC, though they have a strong following in the Western Region, arranged for the jobs to be taken over by their primary constitutuencies. That was it.

The above statement constrains me to define a lie and an incorrect statement. One tells a lie when one knows the truth but proceeds deliberately to tell the opposite. An incorrect statement is one that is generally limited by inappropriate or incomplete knowledge. It is not a deliberate act. Ofeimun has deliberately told a bundle of lies. What Achebe said was “ The Igbo culture being receptive to change, individualistic and highly competitive, gave the Igbo man an unquestioned advantage over his compatriots in securing credentials for advancement in Nigerian colonial society. Unlike the Hausa/Fulani he was unhindered by a wary religion and unlike the Yoruba unhampered by traditional hierarchies. This kind of creature, fearing no God or man, was custom – made to grasp the opportunities; such as they were, of the white man’s dispensation. And the Igbo did so with both hands.

Although the Yoruba had a huge historical and geographical head-start, the Igbo wiped out their handicap in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 and 1950…. The rise of the Igbo in Nigerian affairs was due to the self-confidence engendered by their open society and their belief that one man is as good as another, that no condition is permanent. It was not due, as non-Igbo
observers imagined, to tribal mutual aid societies. The “Town Union” phenomenon, which has often been written about, was in reality an extension of the Igbo individualistic ethic.” Achebe never said that” the Igbo took over all the jobs.”

Zik decided never to ally with Awolowo after the carpet-crossing incident of 1951 in the Western House of Assembly at Ibadan, which prevented the NCNC from forming the government in spite of the fact that the NCNC was declared the winner of that election or as Achebe would put it “Chief Awolowo ‘stole ‘ the Government from him (ZIK) in broad daylight.” Job opportunity or who would take over from the departing British was never part of the issue at all. During the colonial era and immediately after, the Igbo relied on merit and competence for advancement and securing appointments in the public service .

It is worth mentioning here again, that the first Nigerian to be appointed a Federal Permanent Secretary by the British was Mr. F.C. Nwokedi an Igboman! This achievement of Mr. Nwokedi had nothing to do with the NCNC – NPC COALITION. With such men as Chiefs T.O.S. Benson, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Kolawole Balogun, Adegoke Adelabu and many others of timbre and caliber it was impossible that “the Yoruba who could have looked for jobs were shunted aside.”, because their leader was jailed! By the way, it was a Yoruba judge, Justice Sowemimo who sent Awolowo to jail. It is very surprising that Ofeimun left the stark naked facts and decided to dish out outlandish fiction and lies to the public ;just to ridicule and defame Achebe.On the Twenty Pounds Policy, Damola, you deliberately avoided the main issue .We are saying that all the bank accounts opened in Nigeria by Igbos, but operated in Biafra, were reduced to TWENTY POUNDS no matter the size of the account! We are not complaining about the exchange value of the Biafran currency. As the victor, Nigeria was free to pay twenty pounds or nothing for the Biafran money in spite of the NO VICTOR NO VANQUISHED bogey. Your reference to Zik’s statements condemning Ojukwu, Igbos and Biafra is in bad taste and very poor logic. Zik, having abandoned Biafra and the Igbos in particular, in their darkest hour, had to make himself amenable for pardon by Nigeria! Therefore Zik’s statement on Biafra, were not objective, credible or valid because of the above handicap.

Since the anti-intellectual opium that has made most non-Igbo Nigerians to hold Igbos responsible for the first coup, is still prevalent, I need to bring in Ademoyega again where as part of the FIVE MAJORS’ prescriptions for clearing the Nigerian Augean stable, said, “Tax and trade laws would be such that it would be unnecessary for any individual to accumulate unspent money in local and foreign banks, while millions of Nigerians have little or nothing to survive on. It should be impracticable for a single man to spend two million naira to build himself a personal house, while a very large number of Nigerians in the same community dwell in hovels, and sleep in gutters and under bridges.

The Government would not cater for the interest of a few people, while denying the majority of Nigerians
their rights and privileges as happened with the Obasanjo Government. That Government helped a few Nigerians to make easy millions of naira through oil distributorship, while denying the majority of Nigerians their rights to obtain loans to buy motor cars, on the selfish declaration that “it is not the intention of Government that every Tom, Dick and Harry should own a car”. Such a comment constituted
a most diabolical comment on the good intentions of the January 15 revolutionaries, who removed the evil politicians with the purpose of instituting a corrective and revolutionary military era.

“Educationally, we had agreed that there was only one answer to the mass illiteracy that troubled Nigeria in 1965, namely, mass education – both formal and informal……..Moreover, the people, especially in the North, had been exploited for a long time and had become inured to suffering, blaming their man – inflicted wounds on the will of Allah, whereas Allah was totally opposed to such human wickedness…”

Ademoyega went on to say, “Today, if one were to ask “when did the preparation for the revolution really begin?” the most accurate answer would be, “from 1961”, because the three of us who formed the nucleus of the revolutionary group had met in that year. Although we had not there and then planned a revolution, we had seen eye to eye and we knew that we had a common cause. It was as if he seed was sown at that time and only needed time to germinate, grow and bear fruit” Damola, was it the Igbos that synthesized this climate of patriotic spontaneous disposition to rescue Nigeria from further decay? Ademoyega continued, “But these meetings were between Ifeajuna and me on the one hand and between Nzeogwu and me on the other….Moreover, active efforts were made to get in touch with more officers of the Army so as to ascertain their inclinations and loyalty. These contacts were made most quietly and surreptitiously. A coup d’etat is not a conventional operation of the Army. Preparations for it could not at any time be done in the open or in plain language. Therefore when we discussed with officers, unless an officer showed serious interest, we always sounded casual and the matter was always left unspecified and inconclusive.”

The other aspect of the coup which could not have been handled by Ndigbo is illustrated here by Ademoyega. “The Battle Group Course went on without a hitch in Abeokuta until the first week of December 1965. There were twenty student officers on the Course, all Captains. I indoctrinated and orientated them towards the revolutionary thought – concept. I also held personal interviews with all of them. I took the whole group on an official reconnaissance of all the strategic locations in Lagos and I taught them how important positions could be held or defended in time of war or other military actions.

This was acknowledged as a very successful exercise and student officers were particularly happy that they were being introduced to the practical aspect of their defensive duties. If the coup took place before the course ended, many of the officers would have carried out any duties allotted to them without looking back, and our Lagos operation would have been as successful as the Kaduna operation came to be.”Damola, perhaps, this military exercise was also sponsored by The Igbo State Union.

Before the coup, the whole country was in distress; but the West was the most distressed, with the widespread riot, killings and their leader, Awolowo, in prison. The West was therefore, the tribe in greatest need for a coup to change the Federal Government, and restore their liberty, not the Igbos.

It has become necessary to ask, why has the North always succeeded in first, allying with the East(Azikiwe) to deal with the West and finally with the West(Awolowo) to destroy the East (Igbos)? Zik returned from America with the noble ambition to found a ‘BIG’ One Nigeria, which was not a bad idea.

But the foundation for that size of Nigeria was lacking. The summary of the feasibility report on the One Nigeria Project said – NOT FEASIBLE, NOT VIABLE AND NOT PROFITABLE! Awolowo saw this and wisely decided to concentrate his efforts in working for the Yorubas .Similarly, Sardauna, in answer to a question by a journalist, said, “I am first and foremost a moslem, secondly a Northerner, I am yet to be a Nigerian!” Why Zik could not come to the same conclusion as Awolowo and Sardauna remains a puzzle. My great and near fanatical admiration for Awolowo has been based on this self evident fact that Awolowo served and sacrificed everything he had for his Yoruba people .The Igbos were not that lucky with Zik.

After the Awolowo constitutionally insinuated carpet crossing of 1951 in the Western House of Assembly, at Ibadan, ZIK decided not to ever have anything to do with Awolowo in politics, which was a most imprudent decision. For it is said that in politics, there is no permanent enemy, only permanent interests! Also, Chairman Mao Tse Tung said “There is a time to ally with the enemy, but more
important is to know when to break with the enemy! It is true that the Federal Government of NPC and Zik’s NCNC sent Awolowo to jail, for which he was entitled to be bitter, it is also equally true that the Igbo led NCNC under Dr. M.I. Okpara formed the United Progressive Grand Alliance UPGA, with the Adegbenro led Action Group and other progressives, to oppose the Nigerian National Alliance NNA.

Arising from this alliance , Dr M.I. Okpara(M.I. POWER) informed Akintola that he would be visiting Ibadan. Akintola told him not to come, that he would not be in . Okpara said he would at least sign the Visitors Book in his absence. Okpara visited Ibadan as a show of solidarity to Adegbenro and the Yorubas. Okpara and his team were treated to a very rousing and enthusiastic reception by the students of Ibadan University, which was chaired by Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi. I was an undergraduate at Ibadan University then. During the last election to the Western House of Assembly before the coup, Okpara on behalf of the Igbos, sent Mazi Ukonu of Eastern Nigerian Broadcasting Service to Ibadan, as a continued show of solidarity with the Yorubas, where he stayed at Awolowo’s house at Oke Ado to announce the correct version of the election results. All these should not have been lost on Awolowo when he decided to support Gowon to crush the Igbos during the war, more especially with his inhuman strategy of ‘STARVATION IS A LEGITIMATE WEAPON OF WAR!’

As regards the fate of the soldiers and politicians arrested in Lagos, the failure of the coup there, threw the revolutionaries into a quandary. Probably, in the ensuing confusion and tension, the arrested politicians and soldiers became a heavy load and were unfortunately shot.

Your recourse to 21,000 pages of American secret files was most unnecessary when you could have benefitted immensely from Major Adewale Ademoyega’s 194 pages book, WHY WE STRUCK .

While you relied entirely on the American secret files which are not only a reported speech, but one doctored to suit some entrenched partisan interest, my own account is based solely on what came out of the horse’s mouth.

Damola, I had expected the same logic and reasoning you displayed in your masterpiece of an article –
EINSTEIN AND THE EXPRESSWAY CHURCHES to be once more evident.

By confronting Emeritus Professor Chinua Achebe, Ndigbo and Biafra the way you did , you failed to meet the mark of adequate intellectual depth and strength and exposed your smallness in grappling with such a LABOUR OF HERCULES.

Concluded.

Read part 1 of this article: Igbo Coup, Biafra: Damola Awoyokun, Too Small To Be A Hercules

MAZI CHIKE CHIDOLUE , was former Officer, 12 Commando Brigade Biafra Army.

Source: Vanguard

A competent source close to the panel, whose office is in the presidency told Saturday Sun that about four different meetings between the SIP team headed by a retired senior military officer and a Switzerland-based lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, hired by the Federal Government to assist in the recovery of the Abacha loot in foreign jurisdictions, had taken place outside the country in the last eight months.

Monfrini is an Attorney-at-Law, Monfrini Grettol & Associés, Geneva, Switzerland. The source, who preferred to be anonymous because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said: “In the course of the recent meetings between the Nigerian team and authorities in about four other jurisdictions as well as the team from the foreign legal firm, it was discovered that a lot of underhand dealings must have taken place in the recovery of the Abacha loot.

“This was largely responsible for the under-declaration of what has been recovered so far by three successive governments and worse still what is still trapped in offshore accounts, which, in our estimation, in our last meeting with our foreign team, stands at $210 billion.” Some of the foreign jurisdictions, where the stolen funds had been traced to include Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

One of the latest discoveries includes a $550 million in a coded account in France. “It has been very difficult to get details out into the public domain so far because the latest process is being secretly coordinated by the retired senior military officer heading the SIP in the presidency and the Attorney General of the federation, who provides legal advice for the team,” the source added. The Federal Government was said to have been encouraged to dig deeper into the Abacha loot because of a recent statement credited to the Swiss lawyer, Monfrini, handling the case.

While giving further insight into previous efforts to recover the stolen money, the lawyer was quoted to have said: “Civil action was initiated by the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the High Court of London in May 1999. It resulted in the seizing of only USD 60 million in the United Kingdom. The ‘full account’ given by the members of Abacha family was notoriously incomplete, notably in respect of their Swiss, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg assets, totaling USD 1.5 billion, which were entirely omitted. Less than USD 10 million of frozen assets been forfeited and recovered in the United Kingdom, none of which was through civil proceedings.”

Only the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo has been able to record the highest amount of $1.25 billion from the Abacha loot. The preceding regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the succeeding government of the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua could not do much in this regard notwithstanding the efforts also made. Obasanjo recently gave an indication that much could still be trapped outside the country when he declared, at a function in Delta State: “When I was president, I called the World Bank.

I said, please, give me the list of the amount that has been stolen, where it is kept and who the beneficiaries are. I never got anything from the World Bank thereafter. We have on our own decided that we will investigate and get from one family, Abacha family alone. “From the Abacha family alone, we recovered millions of dollars. I got 1.25 billion dollars and the lawyer in Switzerland (he is still there), who was doing it for us, said, when I was leaving, that if we worked harder, there was still, at least, one billion dollars that we can get from that family alone.” General Sani Abacha had ruled Nigeria as a military Head of State between November 17, 1993 and June 8, 1998, when he died suddenly of a heart attack.

As a result, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the head of state and within a short time, he re-established democracy in Nigeria, arranging for general elections that resulted in the emergence of Obasanjo assuming the presidency as the democratically elected leader of the country in 1999. Before Obasanjo took office, Abubakar’s government had delivered a clear message that Abacha had looted huge sums, and they had to be restored. Members of the Abacha family and some of their accomplice then ‘voluntarily’ returned approximately $1 billion to the Federal Government.

In 2002, the Obasanjo administration tentatively came to an agreement with the Abacha family to return another $1 billion out of the $1.1 billion that had been identified, traced and frozen, with the quid pro quo that the Abachas would be allowed to keep balance that had been assessed not to be of criminal origin. The arrangement was not well received by the masses.

Although the proposal caused a massive outcry for seeming to reward the theft of public funds, it was subsequently rejected by the late dictator’s son, Mohammed Abacha, who continued to maintain that all the assets in question were legitimately acquired. The highest sum that had in the past been traced to the family ranged from $3 billion to $5 billion, which includes money allegedly derived from misappropriation of funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria, bribes received from multi-nationals, among others.

The Swiss government last December said that it has so far returned to Nigeria the sum of $700 million stolen by the late dictator and deposited in several Swiss banks. The Swiss ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel, had announced the figure at a media briefing in Abuja. In addition to freezing about $640 million, the Swiss judicial authorities handling the case have also indicted Mohammed Abacha and Atiku Bagudu under Swiss legislation regarding money laundering, fraud and taking part in a criminal organisation.

While the latest discovery of the volume of stolen funds still trapped outside the country may appear as an indication of a breakthrough in the renewed effort to recover the looted funds, the sad news is, however, that Nigeria may never get the money back through the legal means it has been following since 1999. “In one of the last meetings before the SIP team stopped foreign trips on the case, the Nigerian government was told in plain terms that it will be too hard to get the money repatriated to the country through any court case or legal battles except through diplomatic negotiations with the foreign jurisdictions where these funds have been servicing their economies,” our source added.

It was further gathered that the Jonathan administration is already contemplating the idea of checking the record of recoveries made under the coordination of a former National Security Adviser (NSA). As a result, the SIP was said to have recently interacted with a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Peter Gana who worked with the ex-security adviser on the recovery of the Abacha loot with a view to getting certain clues needed for further probe.

Culled from The Sun

He said Johnson had remained undaunted that he was out to finish the rest of his family who survived his onslaught. Ozor, who has a handful contending with the loss of his wife who was heavy with an eight-month-old pregnancy as at the time she met her untimely death is now living in fears following Johnson’s sustained short message service (sms) threatening that he was not yet done with the family.

“Please help me. My life is in danger,” Ozor pleaded, his voice quivering with fear as he spoke. “Johnson has been sending me threatening messages since that day but it has become worse now as he repeatedly threatened to kill me. In the latest message he sent to me he said: ‘Wherever you go I’ll get you’,” Ozor told Daily Sun. Now living with palpable fear of the unknown, Ozor confirmed to Daily Sun that he had gone into hiding because from the venom in the threat messages Johnson needed to be taken seriously. “I have been hiding.

My movement is restricted. I cannot move anyhow. I cannot go anywhere. Even attending to the children in the hospital has not been an easy task for me. I cannot even move from one ward to the other,” he said. Ozor is a lot more worried because the bloodthirsty Johnson remains on the run. Some sympathisers who share in his pain fear that the assailant might extend his threat to his home in his native Delta State.

Although the police launched a manhunt for Johnson soon after he committed the heinous crime, at the moment, his whereabouts had remained unknown. However, the police have assured that he would not hide for too long. Johnson last Saturday, February 16, stormed the home of the Ozors and massacred almost the entire household before fleeing. Johnson had jumped into their compound at the Igando area of Lagos, shot his girl friend, Sandra and her twin, Katherine; Mrs Ozor, their elder sister, who the twins lived with; Mrs. Ozor’s first daughter, Happiness and second daughter, Bethel.

While others died on the spot, Katherine and Bethel survived and were recuperating in an undisclosed hospital. Still blazing with anger, Johnson stormed the home of the Odias and killed Mrs Ngozi Odia, eldest sister to the twins and Mrs. Ozor and her three children including Angela, 12; Chidinma, 10 and Chinenye, eight years old. With this development, Ozor is now faced with many challenges – coping without his wife, how to bury the seven members of his family, how to tell the incident to his family at home, how to attend to the hospitalised ones and above all how he will survive.

The death threat confronts him as a ghost. It makes the whole situation very unbearable. For days, Ozor said he had not eaten any food, saying he was still dazed by the whole incident. His flat had become a ghost zone, which could not guarantee his safety. The sorrow of Ozor heightened with the distorted story some blogs painted after the news broke on Tuesday. In the blog, his picture was mistakenly referred to as the runaway killer. Poor Ozor almost fainted, when his friends began to call to notify him of the error. When Daily Sun met him, he looked calm but really needed help to calm his tensed soul.

His three-year-old daughter, Victory, could not help him at that moment, rather; she was asking after her mother and sisters. She was restricted from seeing the one recuperating in the hospital. Meanwhile, some sympathizers, who thronged the hospital, said the blood thirsty man, who was still on the run, was also threatening Ozor that he would wipe out his extended family at Igbodo community in Delta State. Ozor is calling on the Federal Government and spirited Nigerians to wade into the matter and save him and his entire community from Johnson’s cruel plot to exterminate them.

Culled from The Sun

Sir but many people believe that Governor Aregbesola is performing. Do you think you have the chance of unseating him? Ahaaa (laughter) ma wo bobo yi” See this guy ,you know performance to nitwits means performance in the newspapers, on the social media and in the internet but it is different from the performance on the ground. There is nothing to show for his two years in office he has done nothing. Sir, if those who read newspapers, those on social media and those that use the internets are nitwits who then are the geniuses who shall vote you into office inspite of your odious perception. I said don’t query me whatever I say that is the truth, that is the fact. If you do not mind your language I will dispatch you to golgotha. I am surely the most honourable politician in Africa South of Sahara. Do you want to tell me I don’t know what am saying. You see governance has gone beyond the level of making noise in the newspapers. When you are performing we must see the indicators. He has not done a single thing. Nothing is done in the health sector; nothing is done in the educational sector NECO, WAEC results are worse than when we were in the office, don’t you see the performance in education when we were there, he said we spent 74 million only for as running and examinations grants in Primary Schools during our seven and half years in power. Is it the amount you spent that matters ? He who has spent billions within 2 years what are the results? Sir, the WAEC and NECO results have shown that the man has made a difference in the educational sector, pupils in primary 1 to 4 are being fed during school hours and school uniforms are now freely distributed to the students and pupils in the schools in the state, not only that a computer device that contain over 54 text books in 17 subjects are being taught in Osun senior secondary Schools, ten-year WAEC and JAMB past questions and tutorials in a virtual learning environment are about to be given free of charge to about 150,000 high school students to assist them in preparation for the final year examination in WAEC and NECO examinations. Enrollment figure has increased phenomenally and enthusiasm has returned to learning in public schools. Look young man do not let Aregbesola deceive you, where will he get the money to carry out such a project?

Aregbesola awarded a contract on Osogbo-Kwara boundary road, a Federal Government project which I awarded and paid for. Sir were you once a minster of works and if so when was that? No, I am talking of when I was in the senate I awarded and paid for it. Sir you are economical with truth. Look man I told you not to be querying me. Sir this road project goes beyond what you ever did if you really did anything. The fact is that Ogbeni’s administration is reconstructing and dualising the Osogbo-Kwara (Ila-Odo). Sir you claimed Aregbesola has so far done nothing,in your almost 8years of administration in Osun you were only able to build 513 kilometer of roads but Aregbesola under two years has built 533 kilometer of roads besides the 218 kilometers that cut across the local government in the state.
> Ma da lohun-(don’t mind him) may be those are the works he borrowed money for. He collected 281 billion and borrowed through bond, through debts swap so we are already in deep shit. Do you know economics at all Sir? Otherwise, how can a State with less than 240 billion Naira total revenue in four years, borrow 281 billion Naira? Who will lend out such money? Above all you are incoherent by saying hitherto that he has done nothing. Do you expect me to acknowledge that he has achieved something in the state? I have warned any Bank that lends that man money, they will bear the brunt. I am an experienced administrator as soon as I am voted in 2014, come and see wonder, I will build roads nobody has ever built and construct bridges where there is no river and transform the rural areas into small London by the time I finish my first term the people will be begging me to continue the second term. These claims are simply outlandish sir.

> Is School reconstruction our problem in the state? Sir most of the school structures are dilapidated and the few that are still standing are too small to accommodate the pupils, and to make the students and pupils have all round development in education that is why he embarked on the project. Kabo Mr lawyer (welcome solicitor) I told you not to puncture my statements. I am telling you the education sector has nosedived and the man is talking of rebuilding of schools, where is the connection?

> Sir in your party’s tenure in the state some school buildings were constructed on the playgrounds such that the pupils have no place to play and exercise their body. In order to correct this and other anomalies some weak and badly positioned and dilapidated structure are being demolished. I told you the man has done nothing you are still defending him keep defending him by the time I resume in 2014 you will know that the man cannot be compared with what I will do for my people in the state.

They accused me over Bola Ige he was my leader my mentor I loved him even his son knows me that I am a member of the family how can I descend to that level of killing my leader. But you were at the Ooni’s palace the day Bola Ige’s cap was removed and you were quoted that was the beginning of his travails, a statement you never retracted. That is not true even though I was around I don’t remember ever witnessing such a sacrilege. The evil people in the Alliance for Democracy were the people that did not like my face and they wanted to blackmail me. They fabricated the lie to malign me and I will soon sue them for malicious persecution. Emi ke won kere si nonba wa ( I they are too small to challenge me).

> I have been winning all my election in Esa-Oke and the people love me till date even when I was in detention they voted for me. Sir but you lost your last election woefully you could not even win your ward how don’t you know the implication of that? Your people had rejected you even as a Councillor. What trick are you going to use to defeat a man that freely and open walks with over 250,000 people every month across the State on the Walk-To-Live programme to an ecstatic adulation and excitement of the people. Ko ye e ni, ma de je ko ye e ( You do not understand and I will explain to you). That man called Ogbeni is a brilliant guy he wants to hoodwink the people with all tricks, do you think those crowd that follow him monthly including Kabiyesis that are supposed to be resting in their domain are genuine supporters? No, it is monetary inducements that made them to come out. Sir, how much and how many of them do you think will be given the inducements monthly for the mammoth crowd ? Omode ni e o moro (you are kidding). If I walk the street as he used to do don’t you think I will get more crowd than him? I am a man of the people, any time any day I will pull more crowd than him just wait till next year election, you will know who is more acceptable when they shall vote me the wonderful senator as the governor. If you care sir pls do now and let us see whether your crowd will be howlers or hailers that is if they can match the intimidating size of Ogbeni’s. Osun a Dara.

He added that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar merely claimed the victory for the truncation of the project.

El-Rufai, who disclosed these in his book, “The Accidental Public Servant,” said that Buhari fought third term ambition of Obasanjo without taking the credit.

He listed others, who also fought the Obasanjo’s third term dream as Dr. Usman Bugaje; Farouk Aliyu, Bala Na’Allah and Femi Gbajabiamila.

El-Rufai said, “In the House of Representatives, the most vocal and articulate opponents of the third term bid, who rallied around Dr. Usman Bugaje (Peoples Democratic Party), included Aliyu, Na’Allah of the All Nigeria Peoples Party and Gbajabiamila of the then Alliance for Democracy.

“They all did a great job, they were courageous and took risks to openly oppose the third term project, while others like Atiku claimed victory.”

He explained that between 2003 and the time the third term debate started, Obasanjo and Buhari were not on talking terms.

The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory said that he intervened and appealed to Buhari to be talking with Obasanjo.

El-Rufai said that he told Buhari during a visit that he should be talking with Obasanjo.

He said that he told Buhari, “You are a former President (Buhari); he (Obasanjo) is the current President. You were his petroleum minister (when he was a head of state). You were very close and enjoyed mutual respect. You should be talking,” he wrote in the book.

The former minister said after his intervention, a delegation representing Buhari had an initial meeting with Obasanjo at the Banquet Hall, near the State House in Abuja.

According to him, the delegation comprised Dr. Mahmood Tukur; Adamu Fika (Wazirin Fika) and Dr. Sulaiman Kumo.

He stated, “I learnt from Obasanjo that the trio led by Fika reportedly told him that his third term project would be defeated.

“At this point, I was not looking like a successful emissary in Obasanjo’s eyes, but my job was done.

“Merely by reaching out, we had succeeded in recruiting Buhari to spearhead the guerrilla warfare that helped end the ‘constitutional amendment’ debates in the National Assembly.”

Explaining the role of the former head of state, el-Rufai said, “Buhari remained available to engage with Obasanjo while making repeated trips to Abuja to visit legislators in their houses or calling them, making a pitch for them not to support the third term attempt.”

The former minister stated that Buhari had argued that the United States Constitution, which Nigeria’s was modelled after, started without a term limit provision but that US citizens later realised that term limit was necessary and hence it was added to the US constitution.

Buhari’s second argument, El-Rufai added, was that if the Nigerian constitution was amended to pave way for Obasanjo’s third term bid, nothing would stop him from further tenure elongation.

He said, “Buhari had considerable moral authority and was completely disinterested in the outcome of the third term debate, so having him available and physically in Abuja to oppose it helped a lot in defeating Obasanjo, Tony Anenih, Ahmadu Ali, Ojo Maduekwe, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Dalhatu Tafida and other third term protagonists.

“What was impressive about Buhari was that he did this quietly and effectively without the desire to claim any credit.”

El-Rufai also disclosed that as part of the third term project, a public communications management group was formed.

El-Rufai said the group budgeted N1.2bn for public relations.

He said, “Circulated at one of the meetings was a public relations budget for media spending to the tune of N1.2bn that was drawn up in support of the third term project.”

El-Rufai stated that when he asked how the money would be sourced, he was told that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Federal Capital Territory would provide it.

He said, “I had no intention of using FCT’s security budget for such an endeavour. I was therefore relieved when one of the newspapers in vehement opposition to the third term project obtained the budget and it was front page news a few days later.”

When contacted, Atiku’s spokesman, Mallam Garuba Shehu, said, “We thank God that El-Rufai is not the only Nigerian that witnessed the third term project. The facts cannot be changed to suit his current political need.”

He said that the former minister’s book was a tissue of lies.

Culled from The Punch

Senate President David Mark is also implicated in the sordid affair.

Impeccable sources close to the SSS told News Express that during the last recruitment exercise embarked upon by the Service “David Mark alone sent in over 40 names of his kinsmen in clear and flagrant violation of the Federal Character principle.”

The sources alleged that “there were supposed to have been 155 cadets but federal character violators like the senate president increased the number to well above 300.”

The cadets are undergoing training at Ojo Barracks in Lagos, South-West Nigeria. The training, which began their around July last year, is scheduled to last for a year.

The manner in which the cadets were selected reflects the new but illegal practice of top Nigerian government officials sharing vacancies among themselves while more qualified candidates who have no godfathers roam the streets in search of non-existent jobs.

“Why is Mallam Abba Moro, the Minister of Interior, not screaming Federal Character violation?” asked a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He sacked erstwhile Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Rose Uzoma, over a similar offence while he has remained mute over the scandal at the SSS, a department which his ministry also supervises,” the source observed.

Contacted by News Express, Marylin Ogar, Assistant Director, Public Relations, at the SSS, said: “I cannot respond to security issues over the phone. You have to come to our office and fill a form. You have to sit in front of me and ask your questions so that I’ll be sure I am talking to a journalist.”

Informed that News Express had earlier sent her a mail and requested her response through the same channel, Ogar cut the line after saying: “I cannot do that! Good day and God bless you.”

Contacted by News Express, Kola Ologbondiyan, Special Adviser on Media to Mark, replied: “Kindly scan the list and forward to me so that I confirm the letterhead and signature. Tanx.”

source:247ureports.com

Sources say the food seller who is fondly called Mama Ngozi, took the money to the Karu Police station and handed the money to the officers on duty for safe keeping, in the event that the white man who misplaced the money came back for it.

However, it was gathered that after she had taken the money to the police station, the officers on duty allegedly took the money and sternly warned her to deny ever seeing such money or bringing it to the police station.

To make matters worse, as soon as the woman returned from the police station, neighbours and other people who did business around the park thronged her canteen and bluntly rebuked her for returning the money to the police when she could have helped herself with such huge sum.

Her husband also did not spare her as he angrily rebuked her for returning the money.

However, when Mama Ngozi was approached with regard to her take on the matter, she confirmed that people had been visiting her canteen to ask her why she returned the money. But she expressed shock at the story and wondered that it had already gone to town. Mama Ngozi denied ever coming across such an amount in her shop and also denied taking the money to the police.

According to Goal.com, Ghead was the fourth official in yesterday’s game between Algeria and the Ivory Coast, three days after the NFF and Sports Ministry told Nigerians that he had been sent home by CAF for his poor handling of the Zambia versus Nigeria game last Friday.

In a press release by NFF spokesman, Demola Olajire, the NFF had claimed that Ghead had been punished by CAF for his poor handling of the encounter between the Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo where a late penalty call was given to the defending champions.

When Goal,com contacted Olajire about it, he said, “That was the impression that Caf gave us [that he had been suspended].”

Up until now, CAF has yet to make a statement about Ghead.

Who will find their name and their faces gracing newspapers, their profiles loaded to websites and blogs?

Who will become the subject of drive time radio and just who will find themselves heating up the Twitter-sphere?

At this time there is no way to know this but if you meet the entry requirements and enter between now and Valentine’s Day on Thursday 14 February, you may well be among the superstars in waiting and may find yourself flirting with fame and fortune!

To register online click here

This year, entry is open to the same 14 countries as the year before with the only exception being Liberia which will be replaced by Ethiopia. The replacement comes as AfricaMagic and series producers Endemol SA rotate certain countries into and out of the format. The reason for this is to ensure that a wide range of countries can be included in different editions of the series.

As a result of the change, participating countries this year are: Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Entry is open to all persons over the age of 21, who are citizens of one of the participating countries and who either have a valid passport or will be able to obtain one by the end of March. Producers are looking for persons who are fluent in English, entertaining and passionate about the Big Brother experience. Of particular importance to the selection team are the qualities of tolerance, determination and enthusiasm. If you are open-minded, bold and adventurous, that’s even better!

This year, the winner will walk away with USD 300 000.

The father of three said contrary to reports by traffic and emergency officials, he was not on high speed when the incident occurred.

Oladimeji, who is a minister of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, said he was on his way home from work.

He said, “I work on the island and I left home for a meeting in the early hours of Saturday. After the monthly environmental sanitation, I started driving back home.

“I was driving at the speed of 60km/hr and was on the fast lane because the road was free. At Ebute Meta bypass, I saw two vehicles that had been involved in an accident but I kept on driving. Suddenly, everything went blank, I couldn’t see anything again, and I just found myself in the water.”

Oladimeji said he did not lose consciousness in the water and as such, was able to loosen the seat belt.

He said in the water, he saw a ray of light and swam towards it.

He said, “I was not on high speed. When the car hit the railing of the bridge, the airbag was not released.

“After falling into the water, I unfastened the seat belt and noticed that one of the doors of my car had broken off, so I swam out of the vehicle to the surface of the water even though I don’t know how to swim.

“It was while I was waving my hand that fishermen saw me and quickly came to my aid. They took me away from the scene and took me to a clinic located on the water where they administered the first aid.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Oladimeji was later taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital where an X-ray scan was conducted on him.

“The doctors said that my leg was not fractured. They, however, cast my leg with Plaster of Paris because I had a sprain,” he said.

Oladimeji said contrary to what is written on his medical report, he is 43 years old not 53.

Our correspondent, who visited the Abule Egba home of the victim, observed members of his church came in droves to felicitate with him.

A pastor at MFM, Berkeley Parish, Mrs. Praise Onanuga, said the incident was an indication of the existence of God.

She said the victim had just bought the car eight days before the accident.

She said, “Brother Oladimeji is the leader of prophetic group and a house fellowship coordinator. He was supposed to have been at a vigil with us the night before but he begged to be excused because of the meeting he was to have on Saturday.

“He bought the car just eight days before the accident and we were supposed to do the dedication today (Sunday) but we thank God that we were not put to shame.

“We will hold a thanksgiving for him soon because this is a miracle.”

Culled from Prime Gossips