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Jonathan Replies Lamido: How Not To Be A Patriot And A Good Party Man

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By Ikechukwu Eze

Our attention has been drawn to a Sunday Sun publication of October 25, 2019 in which Alhaji Sule Lamido claimed that former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan traded off the Bayelsa elections in order to escape being investigated over the controversial Malabu oil deal. In an interview granted the newspaper, Lamido was quoted to have said: “The leadership of the APC and the government are blackmailing Jonathan and I think I can say it anywhere that he traded this for his own freedom.”

Ordinarily we shouldn’t be responding to an interview of this nature because it is obvious that given his amiable nature, former President Jonathan does not consider the idea of joining issues with individuals on the pages of newspapers a decent conduct. We are also well aware of the former President’s belief that truth always has a way of catching up with statements rooted in lies and propaganda, such as this one. Furthermore, we considered that when former President Jonathan was in office Mr. Lamido was one of the governors that worked closely with him.

However, we chose to make this clarification just to set the record straight, especially as a number of the former President’s close associates have been asking questions about the blatant statement credited to Mr. Lamido.

We really do not know why Mr. Lamido, chose to speak like he did, especially with such hostility, contempt and lies against former President Jonathan. However, one thing is clear: In his anger and apparent bile-filled disposition, Mr. Lamido, an otherwise astute and erudite politician, obviously dropped the ball by electing not to speak responsibly like a statesman. He actually came off the interview sounding like a sulking skunk, to whom logic or reason meant nothing. It didn’t matter to him that, as a well respected member of the society, he shouldn’t make such weighty claims against a former President if he was only guessing, like he admitted. Hear him: “And the issue of Malabo, I think, played a key role.” So hugely pathetic!

Apparently seized by some inexplicable resentment, Lamido held on to the lie currently being pushed by few mischief-makers to the effect that former President Jonathan helped the All Progressive Congress (APC) to win the last gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State.  Unfortunately, the former Governor jumped into this convenient bandwagon of grovellers without first thinking of the burden of substantiating his claim. What to do? Orchestrate a raft of incongruent drivel of cheap lies to confuse the readers. In one breathe, Lamido alleged that Jonathan worked against his party “because he was very, very angry with (Governor) Dickson,” in another he claimed that it was “because he (Jonathan) sure knows his problem with Buhari and his government. And the issue of Malabu, I think, played a key role.”

This absurd claim definitely would have gained more traction in the public space if it really made any sense. But it didn’t. What, if we may ask Mr. Lamido, is the correlation between Jonathan supporting APC because he was angry with Governor Dickson and Jonathan supporting APC to avoid prosecution over Malabu?

Where was Lamido and his ‘Malabu problem’ when Jonathan campaigned vigorously and helped PDP to win Bayelsa governorship election in 2015, under the same President Buhari?

It is important to establish at this point that Mr. Lamido probably knows very little about the Malabu case, for which he was not supposed to have commented blindly. In the first place, the Malabu oil block was not given out by Jonathan. It was a deal that was sealed during the time of late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha. We feel that Mr. Lamido is in a position to know that the business of oil exploration has an international dimension, as such, it is clear that it is not only the Nigerian Government that is looking into the Malabu case. If that is the case, he should also have known that there are atleast three other countries outside Africa that are investigating the matter. Assuming without conceding that the former President Jonathan is culpable as Lamido alleged, would a trade off deal with the Nigerian Government also free him from blame in other countries like Italy, United Kingdom and the United States?

His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan is convinced that Mr. Lamido’s awkward intervention in this matter was deliberately designed as a form of blackmail. Having tried many other ways to discredit the former President to no avail, Mr. Lamido is now scheming to project Malabo as Jonathan’s Achilles heel. Here again he has failed because the true story of Malabo is already very well known to Nigerians.

Mr Lamido, we believe, is too smart not to realise that when the pot conveniently calls the kettle black, it is a grand design to confuse, deceive and cover up the truth. Lamido served as Governor of Jigawa State for two terms under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after which the ruling APC took over his state.  Is he then telling Nigerians that he cut a deal with APC, helped the ruling party to procure victory at the polls and take over his state?

The fact is that it is not only in Bayelsa State that the country had experienced such a situation where PDP or even APC had lost elections to another party. Holding Jonathan responsible for PDP’s loss in Bayelsa without first investigating the issues that determined the fate suffered by the party in the state is not only disingenuous but also detrimental to the image and aspirations of the party.

It is true that Jonathan who is a former deputy Governor and Governor of Bayelsa States as well as former Vice President and President of this country is well loved and respected by his people. However, it will be tantamount to playing God for anybody to expect that the former President should command a vice-like grip on every Bayelsan in all the local government councils in his state.

Rather than cast aspersions and throw shades because of pre-existing animosities and prejudices against the former president, what is expected of party leaders like Mr. Lamido is to seek to interrogate whatever went wrong in Bayelsa, to avert a repeat in another state.

We believe that further interrogation of Lamido’s other weird claims is not necessary in this space, lest it gives the unfortunate interview more attention than it deserves. However, we feel that it is important to reiterate, as we have always done, that former President Jonathan did nothing wrong as far as the Malabu deal is concerned. He therefore doesn’t need to cut a deal with anybody within or outside Nigeria.

For the umpteenth time, we restate the following facts to proclaim Dr. Jonathan’s innocence:

Former President Goodluck Jonathan did not ask for or collect any bribes over the Malabu deal, neither has he been charged for asking or collecting bribes, neither will he ever be charged with asking for or collecting bribes, because such never happened.

The fact remains that as recent national events continue to vindicate former President Jonathan, and as the world continues to celebrate him, those who are insecure will feed such propaganda to their media agents to serve their narrow interests.

We have always made it clear that beyond this wave of conjecture, former President Jonathan was not linked, indicted or charged for collecting any monies as kickbacks or bribes by any law enforcement body the world over.

It bears repeating that the documents relating to the transactions and decisions of the Federal Government on the Malabo issue, during the Jonathan administration, are in the relevant Government offices, where they are accessible.

We would like to point out that all the actions taken by the Jonathan administration in relation to activities in the oil industry were legally conducted by relevant Nigerian Government officials and were carried out in the best interest of the country

We call on anyone, including Mr. Sule Lamido, who has any shred of evidence linking former President Jonathan to any wrongdoing in the case of the Malabu incident to waste no time in publishing such evidence or forever remain silent.

While we wait for such an impossible task to be undertaken by Mr. Lamido and his co-travellers, we would also want to draw their attention to the following fact:

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as an elder statesman, is a father figure to all Nigerians. His door is open to all who wish to pay him courtesy visits or seek his counsel. That should not mean that he automatically subscribes to whatever political agenda his visitors subscribe to.

While he was president, former President Jonathan had the largeness of heart to receive then members of the All Progressive Congress at Aso Rock Presidential villa, including Muhammadu Buhari, who he conferred an award on in 2014. Ahead of the last governorship election, most of the gubernatorial aspirants and candidates from different political parties in Bayelsa state visited Jonathan as a father of the state and that is a role the former President will continue to play.

We wish to state categorically, that Dr. Jonathan remains a faithful member of the PDP and had no reason to have worked against his political party in the last election. That the PDP lost in the gubernatorial election to APC is unfortunate, but attributing the defeat to the former President is to be gratuitously obsessed with blackmail and red herring.

Finally, Dr. Jonathan would want to counsel Mr. Lamido and others in his shoes to look at their national passports. They would see that their citizenship is Nigeria. We are first Nigerians before we are members of any political party or social organisation. If Mr. Lamido does not know that, then it is a pity. A big pity indeed.

Ikechukwu Eze

Media Adviser to His Excellency Dr Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR GCON

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Opinion

Ezeife: The Sage’s Last Journey Begins April 12

By Law Mefor

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Reminiscing about the demise of His Excellency Okwadike Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, one might easily think of the great philosopher Epicurus. The great thinker made this statement on the marble: “Against all else, it is possible to provide security, but as against death, all of us mortals alike dwell in an unfortified city.” Death is indeed an inevitable end that must come when it must come. 

In his magnum opus, The City of God, one of the Doctors of the Church (Catholicism), St. Augustine, pointed out how death is inevitable. He said, “For no sooner than we begin to live in this dying body than we begin to move ceaselessly towards death. For in the whole course of this life (if life is what we must call it), its mutability tends towards death. Our whole life is nothing but a race towards death.” There is an end to life that comes when no one knows.  

Thus, death is a portion that all living things have to take, and Okwadike has merely taken his share. Dr. Chukwuemeka Pius Ezeife, Okwadike Igbo Ukwu, passed away at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja on Thursday, December 14, 2023, at the ripe age of 86. He was a highly contented and joyful man. As a leading Igboist and statesman in Nigeria, he had the most impactful influence over Igbo matters and Nigerian politics.

 On December 15, 2023, Ezeife’s family announced his passing. The Service of Songs and a carnival to honour his life will kick off his final earthly journey back to his creator on April 12 in Eagle Square, Abuja. On April 19, the Anambra state government will conduct his state burial in Awka. On April 20, he will be interred and given an Igbo burial in his hometown of Igbo Ukwu. On April 21, there will also be a Thanksgiving service in Igbo Ukwu. It is a week-long celebration of the life and time of Okwadike Chukwuemeka Ezeife, and he takes the final bow, leaving the stage. 

On February 8, in Abuja, the national burial committee was officially inaugurated by Rt. Honourable Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former governor of Enugu State, was chosen to lead Chukwuemeka Ezeife’s national burial committee. He is also the former governor of Anambra State. The star-studded national burial committee of the late sage consists of former governors, legislators, captains of industries, and elder statesmen of various social-cultural groups, faith-based organisations, political parties, and civil society groups across the country. 

The Deputy Speaker, who presided over the committee’s official inauguration, tasked the Nwodo-led group with ensuring that the late Ezeife received a fitting send-off. He also promised the assistance of the National Assembly members. Deputy Speaker Kalu remarked at the time, “Ezeife was a great man who sacrificed for the Igbo tribe. He believed in a South East of peace and unity. He did not stand for the killing and destruction some people are carrying out in the region now. He also believed in dialogue and the spirit of oneness. So, we will use his burial to tell Nigerians that Igbo people are united.” 

Indeed, Ezeife lived a long and healthy life until his final hour, in keeping with George Santayana’s advice that “there is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.” This is especially true if one takes into account the palmist’s postulation that a man’s life on Earth is three scores and then eighty if he is still strong and he flies away. 

Man’s journey from womb to tomb is paved with obstacles and driven by fate. We can learn from Ezeife that hard work, courage, and divine providence are prerequisites for achieving destiny. Fulfilment of destiny must be based on intentional hard work. Anyone who lacks the courage to take risks like Ezeife did will undoubtedly die unknown and unrenowned. On November 20, 1938, Ezeife was born in total obscurity in the Igbo-Ukwu community in Anambra State and struggled to attain national prominence. His life story shows the boundless achievement that can be attained, even in the most daunting situations, with perseverance, integrity, and the grace of God.

Ezeife was a philosopher, statesman, Igboist, nationalist, political economist, activist, humanist, and humorist. He was a top social justice fighter and a major voice against the marginalisation of Igbo people in Nigeria. More importantly, as a nationalist, Okwadike had a firm belief in a restructured Nigeria rather than a dismembered Nigeria. He once clarified that “a sovereign Biafra by default” meant that if Biafra was “forced on Ndigbo,” the major black ethnic group would have no choice other than to become a nation. Most Igbo people agree with Okwadike’s position on Biafra as a last resort—Biafra by default. 

Chukwuemeka Ezeife is one of the few men who attained immortality by demonstrating through their lives that life continues beyond death. The lives of such men suggest that there is significance to all we accomplish in this life. It would imply that even when a person passes away, their suffering, good deeds and even evil deeds will all have significance for those who will live after them. This line of reasoning suggests that the only thing that gives our time on earth meaning is the hereafter. Men like Okwadike left enormous imprints on the sands of time, having made their time here on earth sublime. The legacy of Okwadike will therefore pass into time, and he will be eternally and nostalgically remembered for good. 

Biblically too, life doesn’t end; it gets changed and changed to immortality, the imperishable form that can cohabit with the immortal God, the creator. Man’s destiny in life is to return to God, from whom he entered the world. Men are but pilgrims here. One life ends, another begins. So, Okwadike technically is not dead; he has entered a life of immorality, where he would continue his championship of the common good. 

The Igbo battle axe and true leader, Okwadike Ndigbo, may you rest in peace. We, your survivors, will persevere until we finish the tasks you began and take on the remaining tasks you couldn’t attend to. May the good Lord, who bestows rest upon weary souls, bestow repose upon your fighting soul. Amen.  

·       Dr. Law Mefor, an Abuja-based forensic and social psychologist, is a fellow of The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought; drlawmefor@gmail.com; Twitter: @Drlawsonmefor.

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Fear As Death Decimates Akwa Ibom APC

By Etim Etim

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Members of Akwa Ibom branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are getting increasingly frightened at the rampant incidents of untimely deaths of its important leaders in the past few months. Some are worried that at this rate, the party may be bereft of its fighting force by the next election. In the last 12 months, no fewer than six influential members of the party have kicked the bucket. Some of the departed are:

1.     Obong Uko Umo, former Vice Chairman of APC, Uyo Senatorial District. Fondly known as Commander by his friends and political associates, he was buried in in March 2024.

2.     Engr. Akanimo Edet, former Chairman of Etim Ekpo LGA. Also fondly known as Commander by his friends and political associates, he is yet to be buried.

3.     Rt. Hon. Bassey Effiong Etim, former member of the House of Representatives. Fondly known as BAFIL by political associates and friends, he is yet to be buried.

4.     Engr. Maurice Ebong, Political Leader of Uyo Senatorial District. He is yet to be buried.

5.     Mr. Uyio Nathaniel, Youth Leader of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District and former SA to MD of NDDC. He died only yesterday (Monday, March 26, 2024).

6.     Engr. Etim Eyoette. He was a director at NDDC and a strong party member. He was buried a few months ago.

7.     Mrs. Cecilia Ekpenyong Okon, former Chapter Women, Leader, Itu LGA. She was buried March 2024.

8.     There is also a rumour currently circulating about the health of a prominent female leader of the party. I hope it is not true.

These people were very committed and active members of the party who played prominent roles in building the platform and in all the elections the party had participated in. Some party members are wondering if these deaths, or some of them, might be connected with the traumas of successive election losses and disappointments which they have experienced over the years.

Said a former party official, “I suspect that their deaths are linked to dashed hopes and expectations, particularly considering the pains of unsuccessful bids of the party for the Governorship seat in the last three election cycles. Their deaths may also be associated with depression occasioned by frustration following the comatose condition of the state chapter of the party.”

I should also note that in 2021, the party’s State Chairman, Hon. Ini Okopido, passed away on active duty.

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Gaza: Akpabio’s Audacious Call For Ceasefire

By Eseme Eyiboh 

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President of Nigeria’s Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON has in faraway Geneva, Switzerland at the ongoing 148th Session of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) took the bull by the horns when in an audacious display of depth and the Nigerian spirit called for action towards an enduring ceasefire and peace in Gaza. Akpabio was unequivocal in declaring that the time to end the carnage in Gaza is now and all hands must be on the deck. 

According to the President of the Senate, there is time for everything and the present circumstances demand all nations to rise above sentiments and invoke the spirit of humanity, by doing all it requires to bring sustainable peace to the region.

Akpabio, whose contributions evoked a whirlwind of emotions at the session, attracted comments from a wide spectrum of the global community. As the head of Nigerian delegation, which included the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu and other lawmakers from both the Senate and House of Representatives, Akpabio unequivocally spoke with clarity of mind and certain terms, setting the tone for robust and fruitful deliberations on the war in Gaza, which has so far left children and women killed, shelling of more than two-thirds of Northern Gaza and annihilation of the entire population.  

This contribution has brought out the best of humanity in Senator Akpabio; his milk of kindness and compassion was brought to bare as he sought for the return of humanitarian aid, and restoration of normal life to Gaza, as well as meetings on a permanent truce.

Akpabio’s presentation at the IPU is a testimony to the fact that Nigeria has regained her voice in the comity of nations and is poised to take her pride of place as the giant of Africa. The era of playing second fiddle and being muzzled by smaller nations on the continent is effectively over, courtesy of the ostentatious, courageous and purposeful leadership exemplified in the ilks of the Akpabios.        

His presentation was awe-inspiring words and like John the Baptist, the voice of one nation crying in the wilderness that the world should rise up and take a proactive decision. He said “Madam President, this is a lone voice from Nigeria. We tried our best in Angola and we failed to lend a collective voice to what is happening in Gaza. Today, the world is very expectant. We must drop our ego. It has nothing to do with which country brings the proposal. The basic tenets of humanity demands that we leave here with a resolution for the rest of the world, to show that we have human feelings in us.

“The issues are very clear. If you notice the proposal for 12 blocs; they attempted to even marry the proposals from South Africa. Yes! South Africa has a right to be emotional, but we have children who are dying even as we are talking now. We have people who do not have water to drink even as we are talking now. We have people who are going to suffer infection from gunshots”.

Hitting the nail on the head, the leader of the Nigerian delegation submitted that humanity must not be lost on the altar of emotions. Humanity must be expressed, demonstrated and its impact felt. According to Akpabio, “We have to show the world that we are human beings. The cessation of hostilities must be a part of our resolutions. Access to humanitarian aid must be a part of our resolutions. At the same time, release of hostages and even those who are Prisoners of War, because if both sides take steps in releasing the hostages, releasing the Prisoners of War, it means that both sides have agreed that the International Community can go to the next stage, which is negotiation for sustainable peace.

“If they cannot agree, I would urge that from here, we have a three-man drafting committee to come up with those resolutions which we must make before we leave here. We can no longer allow a child to die tonight, without lending our voice. It doesn’t matter which side. We are all parents. If we come here to look for ego and then try to be emotional, it’s not affecting them.

“Nothing is affecting Denmark, there’s nothing affecting South Africa. The people affected are over there and nobody will agree to the lone resolution from Israel. It must be all-encompassing, so that we stand up from here as human beings. That would be my plea.

“Let them go aside, meet and remove those vexatious items. In the course of their discussions, we can have amendments, we can add items that we should add but we must discuss the Gaza issue in this 148th IPU Assembly. That is my position,” he declared.

This is incisive and denotative. It means Nigeria is no longer playing at the periphery but in the mainstream of global legislative politics and it must be heard loud and clear. As the 148th Session of the IPU comes to a close, delegates from the member nations would depart with an indelible message, the call by Senator Godswill Akpabio that sanity must return to Gaza.

Rt. Hon Eseme Eyiboh is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and the official Spokesperson to the President of the Senate

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List Of Jobs Where You Can Earn Dollars In Nigeria

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Naira dollar exchange for March 28

Remote IT And Software Development

1. Software Developer: Many Nigerian software developers work for international companies remotely, receiving salaries in dollars.

2. Web Designer: Designing websites for overseas clients can be lucrative.

3. IT Consultant: Offering consulting services to foreign firms, especially in cybersecurity, cloud computing, and IT infrastructure.

Digital Marketing And Content Creation

1. Digital Marketer: Working as a freelance digital marketer for international brands or agencies.

2. Content Writer/Creator: Producing content for websites, blogs, and social media platforms that cater to a global audience.

3. SEO Specialist: Helping businesses improve their online visibility internationally.

Online Tutoring And Education

https://gwg.ng/2024/03/25/full-list-of-countries-that-have-restricted-banned-binance/

1. Online Tutor: Teaching subjects like English, mathematics, or science to students abroad.

2. E-Learning Developer: Creating educational content and courses for international e-learning platforms.

Freelancing In Various Fields

1. Graphic Design: Providing design services to clients worldwide.

https://gwg.ng/2024/03/25/nigerian-nurse-on-the-run-after-alleged-botched-abortion/

2. Video Editing and Production: Offering video production services for foreign clients, including editing, animation, and post-production.

3. Voice-Over Artist: Doing voice-over work for international projects in advertising, documentaries, and films.

Consulting And Advisory Services

1. Financial Consultant: Offering financial planning, investment advice, and portfolio management services to overseas clients.

2. Legal Consultant: Specializing in international law, helping businesses navigate cross-border legal issues.

Health And Telemedicine

https://gwg.ng/2024/03/25/how-binance-manager-escaped-from-nigeria-nsa/

1. Telemedicine Practitioner: Providing medical consultations and services to patients in other countries.

2. Healthcare Consultant: Advising international healthcare organizations on management, operations, and policy.

Creative Arts And Entertainment

1. Musician/Producer: Working with international music labels or clients to produce music that can be sold globally.

2. Artist: Selling artwork or conducting exhibitions internationally, leveraging online platforms for exposure.

E-Commerce And International Trade

1. Export Business: Selling locally sourced products internationally, particularly in areas like agriculture, fashion, and crafts.

2. E-commerce Specialist: Running an online store that caters to international customers, selling various products or services.

Tech Startups And Entrepreneurship

https://gwg.ng/2024/03/25/tinubus-camp-mum-as-el-rufai-makes-new-contacts-with-sdp-pictures/

1. Startup Founder: Creating a startup that operates globally or attracts foreign investment.

2. App Developer: Developing mobile applications for a global audience.

Earning dollars in Nigeria through these roles not only provides financial benefits but also exposes individuals to international markets, enhancing their professional growth and global networking opportunities.

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State Police: Navigating Between Janjaweed Terrorists And Fear Of Abuse

By Law Meefor

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For a while now, there has been a heated debate in Nigeria regarding the creation of state police. The majority of Nigerians think state police is a good idea whose time has come, but they are extremely concerned that the avaricious and power-hungry state governors, who have a famous predilection for using brutal force against both real and imagined opponents, will abuse it.

Before discussing how to put safeguards in place to prevent governors from going too far, there is a much more infuriating question that has not gotten the attention it deserves: is it better to leave Nigerians defenceless while the invading, heartless bandits and terrorists from the Janjaweed massacre the citizens?

Nigerians are faced with a decision: either they embrace state police and all the abuses that are expected of them, putting them in a strong position to protect themselves, or they continue to live in despair as they face their killers and kidnappers with hands tied behind their backs by the law.

During his tenure as president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) warned Nigerians that the majority of terrorists, bandits, and killer herdsmen were not native to this country. The statement made by the then-president provided insight into the precarious situation Nigerians have found themselves in, even though his government’s lax policies and treatment of killer herdsmen as though they were acting in self-defense and bandits as economic agitators like the Niger Delta militants contributed to the growth of insecurity in Nigeria.

Yes, Boko Haram terrorists began as Islamic sectarian rebels in Borno, but they have now allied themselves with other terrorist groups such as al Qaeda in the Maghreb, ISIS in West Africa, and others who have discovered that Nigeria has a lax and ineffectual law enforcement apparatus. Because of how inadequate the country’s police force is, more than thirty states of the federation have the military handlibg internal security operations. The president of Miyetti Allah had just trained, armed, and commissioned a militia group in violation of the country’s constitution.

Section 214 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution reads: “There shall be a police force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section, no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof”. Again, it was the military that took action and arrested the man for prosecution. The military had to take it upon themselves to declare some terrorists wanted. Generally speaking, the military wouldn’t have to get involved in these domestic security issues in our country if the Nigerian police system is working.

According to reports, bandits were purposefully brought into the country for elections and dumped on Nigerians when the job was done or the mission was aborted. They are now fighting for land in Nigeria, and so are foreign killer herdsmen who have been sacking communities and planting themselves in their place.

The number of killer herders has increased dramatically because of stranded herdsmen who have been driven out of other nations and are exploiting ECOWAS protocols for the free movement of people and goods around West Africa with the aid of internal collaborators.

Despite all these existential security concerns, Nigerians are legally prohibited from organising for self-defence adequately. Their finest effort is to organise vigilante groups. These vigilantes cannot even function as community police since they are ill-paid, ill-trained, and ill-equipped. Barrel and pump-action guns are the highest-calibre weapons that vigilante operators are permitted by law to possess. The IGP is unlikely to authorise any police commissioner to give the vigilantes permission to carry military-grade assault rifles, even AK-47s. Yet, terrorists, bandits, and killer herders use this advanced weaponry against defenceless Nigerians who are not allowed by law to defend themselves adequately.

From north to south, the nation’s forests have been overtaken by these murderers and criminals, who use them as training grounds, bases of operations, and places of kidnapping- for- ransom to earn money for supplies, fighter salaries, and more weaponry.

Nigerian law enforcement is beset by glaring institutional issues. Out of the 26 federal states around the globe, Nigeria is the only one that uses a centralised police force, whereas state police and community police are fundamental elements of a real federal system and federalism. Nigeria should stop playing the ostrich by shying away from the obvious to escape impending cataclysmic consequences.

The fact is that the reason Nigeria is entangled and engulfed in insecurity is simply that the Nigerian police are not appropriately organised and modelled after a typical and effective federal system.

Nigeria is undoubtedly a federal environment operated as a unitary system, with over 250 ethnic nationalities distributed throughout 774 LGs, 36 states, the federal capital territory, 8,812 wards, and more. Despite this overwhelming diversity, Nigerian police officers and men are only 371,000, over 30% of whom are serving as bodyguards of big men and their wives and guarding government concerns.

Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first military ruler, issued Unification Decree No. 34 of 1966, which marked the beginning of the country’s transition from a federal to a unitary structure. Subsequent military coups have maintained Nigeria’s increased centralization ever since, notably in the architecture of security and the police force in particular.

The deployment of state police, community police, and forest rangers is one of the steps that must be taken urgently to restore federalism to Nigeria. There is an immediate need for both state and community policing. Local content and empathy are some of the things state police will bring to the table, something the NPF does not, which is one reason why the Nigerian police force as it exists today lacks empathy and affective commitment.

It is feasible to implement state police, in particular, if the following steps are taken: Let the state police be established under the constitution, which will provide tenure for a state police service commission made up of military and police and security professionals, CBOs, CSOs, and the media, and which will be safeguarded from governors. This will prevent members from being removed arbitrarily by any governor.

Also, to prevent the governors from depriving the state police service commission of funding, the constitution has to place the commission’s budget on the first line. The public must have access to an extremely clear operational manual for the state police, which they can use to legally challenge the actions of state police officers in court.

Of course, to guarantee their impartiality, commission members and operatives must not be party card holders, only professionals.

Abuse may still occur, to be sure, but these steps can curb it substantially. Nigerians can put up with whatever abuses may still occur if these requisite legal and operational frameworks are in place to enable state police to function effectively. With all of the envisaged shortcomings, it is still preferable to have state police and community police in place than to leave Nigerians defenceless while killer herdsmen, Janjaweed bandits, and soulless terrorists who have converged on Nigeria from all around kill and kidnap the citizens.

We do have a choice, after all. Contrary to what many would have us believe, state police are not the devil’s alternative. A Nigerian proverb warns that we cannot take the chances of casualties and choose not to fight the required war.

*Dr. Law Mefor, an Abuja-based forensic and social psychologist, is a fellow of The Abuja School of Social and Political Thought; drlawmefor@gmail.com; Twitter: @Drlawsonmefor.

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Economic Saboteur, Spa Retreat, And The Great Escape

By: Phrank Shaibu 

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Binance executive

In a move that could only be described as the epitome of Nigerian political theater, the Tinubu-led government has once again captured the nation’s attention – this time with a real-life drama that would make even the most seasoned scriptwriter blush.

Picture this: a suspected economic saboteur, accused of single-handedly derailing the Nigerian economy, finds himself not behind bars, but rather in the lap of luxury at what can only be described as a guest house fit for royalty.

And if that weren’t enough, he’s granted privileges that rival those of a five-star hotel guest, including unfettered access to phone calls and leisurely strolls to the mosque for prayers. Is it any wonder, then, that we find ourselves scratching our heads in bewilderment as news breaks of his miraculous escape from custody?

Yes, dear readers, you heard that right – in a plot twist that would give even the most incredulous soap opera a run for its money, the Tinubu administration has managed to turn detention into a spa retreat, complete with all the amenities one could possibly desire. Because, apparently, when it comes to apprehending alleged economic saboteurs, nothing says “justice” like a pampered staycation.

But let’s take a step back and examine the sheer absurdity of it all. Here we have a suspect accused of wreaking havoc on the nation’s economy, yet instead of being locked away in a high-security prison cell, he’s lounging in what can only be described as a plush getaway. It’s as if the government is saying, “Sure, you may have tried to sabotage our economy, but hey, why not enjoy a relaxing massage while you’re at it?”

And then there are the perks – oh, the perks. Not only is our intrepid saboteur given the luxury of making phone calls – presumably to his co-conspirators or perhaps to book his next escape route – but he’s also afforded the privilege of attending mosque for prayers. Because, you know, nothing says “rehabilitation” like a bit of religious introspection.

Now, call us cynical, but when you treat alleged criminals like esteemed guests at a five-star resort, it’s hardly surprising that they start feeling a tad too comfortable. It’s almost as if the government handed them the keys to the kingdom and said, “Good luck, old chap!”

So, here we are, dear readers, left to ponder the sheer lunacy of it all while our economy hangs in the balance. In the theatre of Nigerian politics, it seems that incompetence and extravagance reign supreme, and the citizens are left to pick up the pieces – or, in this case, foot the bill.

But fear not, for amidst the chaos and confusion, there lies a glimmer of hope. Perhaps one day, we’ll look back on this absurd chapter in our nation’s history and laugh – not because it was funny, but because laughter is sometimes the only response to sheer absurdity.

In the meantime, let us not forget the lessons learned from this debacle: when it comes to detaining economic saboteurs, perhaps a little less luxury and a lot more security would serve us all better. After all, it’s hard to undermine the economy from behind bars – unless, of course, those bars happen to be made of gold.

Phrank Shaibu is an aide to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar

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Opinion

The Escape Of The Binance Executive And Other Security Matters

By Etim Etim

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Binance executive

The escape of Nadeem Anjanwalla, one of the two detained executives of Binance Holdings Ltd, from the DSS custody in Abuja is the most embarrassing security breach of the Tinubu administration and it’s a clear pointer to the porosity of our fight against terrorism and financial crimes.

Elsewhere, such lapses would automatically lead to the sack of the security chief, arrest of the guards and their supervisors and the resignation of the supervising minister. But in Nigeria, the government will move on as if nothing happened. So far, the government has remained tightlipped.

Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gamabaryan, together with their company, Binance Holdings, were facing charges of tax evasion, money laundering and other offences in the Federal High Court Abuja. The two men have been in DSS custody since February 26 when they arrived the country. Anjarwalla is Binance’s Africa regional manager and Gambaryan, a US citizen is its compliant officer.

The company is facing serious criminal charges including nonpayment of VAT, company income tax and complicity in aiding its customers to evade taxes through its platform; failure to register with FIRS for tax purposes and unwillingness to collect and remit various categories of taxes to the federal government, thus contravening Section 40 of the FIRS Act of 2007.

In addition, Binance is accused of encouraging speculative currency trading on its platform which was responsible for the drastic fall in the value of the Naira.  The two men are co-defendants in the case.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja, and on February 28, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) an order to remand the duo for 14 days. The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.

But the company refused to comply with the order and the court extended the remand of the officials for an additional 14 days to prevent them from tampering with evidence. The court then adjourned the case till April 4. Meantime, the government has revealed that over $21.6 billion was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance.

The government also believes that some dubious persons were using Binance for money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation and market manipulation, distorting the Nigerian economy and weakening the Naira against other currencies.

These are very serious indictments that border on serious economic sabotage against the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Whosoever aided and abetted the escape of one of them should be treated as an economic saboteur and an enemy of Nigeria. According to Premium Times, Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, 22 March, from the Abuja guest house of the DSS where he and his colleague were detained after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.

A British citizen with a dual Kenyan citizenship, Anjarwalla is believed to have fled on a Middle East airliner. Security officials are however puzzled that Anjarwalla left the country although his British passport, with which he entered Nigeria, had been seized by the Nigerian authorities.

I am not puzzled. Rich people can wangle their way out of any tight situation, especially in a nation of corrupt officials. For a man who was detained in a comfortable setting in a guest house and allowed use of telephones, it is no brainer that he was able arrange for his Kenyan passport to be sent to him, and with that he fled Nigeria.

It is also likely that Anjawarlla had also compromised our security guards with huge financial inducements. In December 2019, Nissan chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, escaped from a house arrest in Japan to his country, Lebanon, in what has been described as a most daring escape of the 21st century.

The escape of the Binance executive is the latest in the long string of security challenges that has plagued the country in recent months, the recent being the kidnap of over 140 school children in Kaduna and killings of 17 soldiers and six policemen in Delta State. Although President Tinubu has shown some courage in tackling insecurity, there are indications that there are powerful fifth columnists who are willing to sabotage his efforts.

The persistent killings of peasant farmers in North Central region and the inability of the security forces to stop them smacks of collusion between some elements in the security forces and the terrorists. The upsurge in violence in the Niger Delta, especially the persistent massacres of soldiers and policemen is seen as an attempt to plunge the region into another orgy of violence in order to disrupt oil production. A prolonged cessation oil exports may lead to an unprecedented economic crisis and immense social upheavals.

In many jurisdictions, Binance is mired in legal controversies. In February, Binance Holdings Ltd agreed to pay $4.3 billion fine in a plea deal to settle criminal money laundering charges levelled by the US Department of Justice. Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, pleaded guilty and agreed to resign. His criminal trial has been postponed to 30 April by a US court. The government must seek to bring Anjawarlla back to face the law and all those who are complicit in his escape should be punished.

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Opinion

Time To Cool It: An Open Letter To Maazi Nnamdi Kanu

By Vitus Ozoke

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Kanu

“…And I suspect that some people in government are complicit. They are making money with insecurity. They are making money with it. They know [if] Nnamdi Kanu is outside, in two minutes this nonsense will stop. Who is the idiot? Who is the bagger that will speak when I’m talking? Who is the fool? Who is the idiot, I ask? That I give an order in the East and any idiot will counter it. Who is the bastard? I’m asking you. Nobody can. I’m Nnamdi Kanu. Who is the idiot?…” (Maazi Nnamdi Kanu, 3/19/24)

Nwanne m, Maazi Nnamdi Kanu:

Fraternal greetings!

Watching you in the video from which the above comments were excerpted, I’m delighted and excited at your vibrance and level of energy. Truly, the tiger still wears his unmistakable spots. I am encouraged even as I commend you to the care and protection of the gods of our fathers. Be strong! It is well.

I look forward, most fervently, to the day that you finally take the long walk to freedom. I can’t wait to see you released from what has since become an unlawful kidnap and detention. I have said that in one million different ways. But I doubt seriously that you, Nnamdi Kanu, even understand why you are still being held. If you did, you would not be making the kinds of comments and threats you made in the referenced video. 

It’s obvious to me that you think – perhaps even believe – that it is Abuja that is holding you in Abuja. No, brother, it is not Abuja that is holding you. It wasn’t Buhari that was holding you, just as it is not the current gang of illegitimate usurpers that is holding you. Look east of the Niger Bridge for those who have kept you locked up in Abuja. You will find them in the regional power centers of Enugu, Agụ Awka, Umuahia, Owerri, and Abakiliki. 

You see, Brother Kanu, you have never run or won any elections known to law in Igbo land. And in Igbo land today, almost every position of leadership is elective, including those of traditional rulers. People spend insane sums of money, take all kinds of risks, commit all sorts of unprintable atrocities, to win or steal those elections. When they have won or stolen those elections, they guard the power that they bestow with their lives. They go to the ends of the earth to fortify their powers and positions against any threat or opposition, real or imagined. They do even worse things to keep themselves in power than they did to win or steal it, including sacrificing away and selling out their own flesh and blood. For them, no price is too high to pay to keep the reins and lucres of power.

After listening to you in that video, it was clear that you were directing your fiery vitriol at the governors of Igbo states – as should you. After listening, there was a part of me that stood in ovation. But there was also a part of me that screamed, “Holy shit! Does he even know what a grievous mistake he just made?” That first part of me was the visceral one. The second was the circumspect. The visceral me wants you to keep spitting fire, it does not care from where you are spitting. The circumspect me cares about where you are when you are spitting the fire more than the fire itself. It doesn’t want the fire coming from behind bars. In that internal struggle, I let the circumspect win the day.

So, yes, holy shit, do you even know what a grievous mistake you just made? It is a mistake that will keep you spitting fire from behind the bars of Abuja gulag in your white Versace jumpsuit for months and years to come. You see, bro, power loathes raw challenge. So, when you ask, “who is the idiot? Who is the bagger that will speak when I’m talking?”, those governors in Enugu, Agụ Awka, Owerri, Umuahia, and Abakiliki take serious note and offense.

When you ask, “who is the fool? Who is the idiot? That I give an order in the East and any idiot will counter it. Who is the bastard? Who is the idiot?…”, when you ask those questions, even as rhetorical as they are, and make those declarative claims, the governors are rattled and robbed the wrong way. Those same governors who come to break breads with you in Abuja prison, or so it seems, accompanied by a crew of cameras and social media aides, feel threatened and endangered when you roar like a wounded lion and spit fire like a dragon. The same governors who go to Aso Rock to beg for your release in closed door meetings, or so they claim, hate to see such challenge. So, yes, holy shit, do you know what the hell you are doing? Obviously, you don’t.

Let’s break it down, bro; let’s be real here for a minute. You are from Abia State. That’s Gov. Alex Otti’s state. If you are released today, you are headed home to Umuahia. Do you know who lives in Umuahia? Alex Otti lives in Umuahia. Now, let me tell you something about Alex Otti. He is beloved in Abia State and across Igbo land. He is doing things that nobody ever thought could be done in this era of politics in Igbo land. You will love Alex. He’s Jesus! If there’s an election in Abia State today, between you and Alex Otti, he will beat you with a very wide margin. As a matter of fact, you might even vote for him yourself. That may sound like sad news for you, bro!

But that’s Alex Otti of your home state of Abia. In the remaining four Igbo states of Enugu, Anambra, Imo, and Ebonyi, if an election were held today between you and each of those state governors, you will beat each of them like a drum. Ironically, however, that’s also sad news for you, bro! So, whether it is Abia state where Alex Otti will beat you in a matchup, or in Enugu, Anambra, Imo, and Ebonyi states where you will beat Governors Mba, Soludo, Uzodimma, and Nwifuru like they have stolen things you treasure, the effect is essentially the same. The good people of Abia State whose lives have been dramatically changed under the transformational leadership of Alex Otti will resist any attempt by any human being to disrupt the good thing they have going – and that, I’m afraid, includes your fire-spitting self.

In Enugu, Anambra, Imo, and Ebonyi states, the people will be your foot soldiers against their own governors. That’s good news for you. But there’s one bad news for you and the people who are fanatically willing to be your foot soldiers: the governors’ soldiers have bigger guns and deeper pockets. Abuja guns are the biggest just as Abuja pockets are the deepest. And those governors have ingratiated themselves to Abuja guns and pockets and have shown no inclination for restraint in calling them in for backup.

Nwanne m, Maazi Kanu, that’s your reality in Igbo land today. I’m not here to flatter you’ll, I’m here to give it to you unfiltered. It’s not going to be business as usual for you in Igbo land if and when you regain your freedom. I say if because your fiery rhetoric, as much as I love it, will keep you in Abuja inexplicably longer. The people you call idiots, baggers, and bastards; the people whom you dare to talk when you are talking, or counter you when you have given an order in the East, even though they are the ones who have actually stood for elections and either won or stolen the results, don’t want to talk when you are talking, or counter you when you give order in the East. To be honest with you, they don’t. The reason they don’t is not because they can’t. No, it is because they don’t have to. They don’t have to for as long as they work with your Abuja jailers to keep you locked up and locked down.

Open your eyes, bro. Your travails don’t come from Abuja. Abuja should be the least of your worries. Your core enemies are homegrown. Abuja cannot hold you as indefinitely as they have without the active conspiratorial connivance and acquiescence of Abakiliki, Abor, Aba, and Abatete. And if you want to be truthful to yourself, you can see why. You can see why your so-called Igbo governors and the itinerant Ọhaneze bunch may not be in a hurry to see you back in Igbo land. You are bad business for them. You are a threat to their power and their authority. They may pay you occasional visits in Abuja just as part of their sightseeing when they are in town. They will come with camera crews and social media aides. They will post photos and videos on social media to fool their local constituents who are fanatic about you. And they will issue press statements about their closed-door meetings with Aso Rock where they had gone to press for your immediate release. I trust you are smart enough to see through those stunts and charades. 

My brother, listen to me. These your brothers don’t want you out. And if you want to know the mad truth, if I were one of the Igbo governors myself, I would not want you released. Yes, you heard me. Why would I? If you Nnamdi Kanu were Gov. Nnamdi Kanu of any one of those Igbo states, would you want the fire-spitting Nnamdi Kanu released back to Igbo land? Of course not! Will I lose my car keys for telling you the truth? That is just what it is, my friend! The sooner you reconciled yourself to that reality, the better for you and the millions of us who want you out. As you can see, it is no longer the law that is holding you in prison. The law has already set you free. What is still holding you back in Abuja prison is power – raw and naked power. It is power that is fueled and driven by fear, the fear of you.

Now, you have a choice. Do you want to remain the fearsome lion that you are, but a caged one? Or does the caged lion want to give up some of his teeth in trade for his freedom? Look, bros, I don’t know what your lawyers and advisers tell you when they have your ears. I’m a realist, so let’s be downright realistic here. The reality of your situation right now is that there is no way the governors of Igbo states and the leadership of Ọhaneze will sign on to your release with the sort of incendiary salvos you fired in that referenced video. Take it to the bank. These guys did not commit all the atrocities they committed to become governors just to surrender it to a mega potentate. Hell no! That’s not how the game of power is played. Question is how many teeth is the lion prepared to pull and trade to be uncaged? That is what it all comes down to. It’s a shrewd negotiation, but it is one that must be had.

Brother Kanu, I think it’s time you cooled it. Stop wasting your time with Justice Binta Nyako and the Abuja judicial elite. Your trouble is not with them. Your trouble is not legal anymore. Your trouble is local. If I were a negotiatior for your release, I would take a straight flight down to Enugu and prevail on the governor of Enugu state to call a meeting of all the governors of the Igbo states and the leadership of Ọhaneze ndị Igbo. I don’t need Abuja. If I negotiate a form of power accommodation deal for you with those Igbo governors and Ọhaneze leadership, Abuja will cut you loose in 24 hours. Of course, that will mean that you spit less fire, bare less fangs, and make the governors and Igbo leaders less uncomfortable.

It’s not going to be an easy negotiation; I must tell you. How does anyone negotiate a power sharing deal between people who, in the eyes of the law, are elected and legitimate authorities and one individual who has never stood for election, let alone won any office of power? It’s going to be a tough negotiation, my friend. I will not be holding much in terms of leverage. The only bargaining chip I will have going in is that Nnamdi Kanu wields charismatic and intimidatory power across Igbo land. The problem with that is that Igbo land is not North Korea and should never be. So, you must be willing to give me more to work with. You must be willing to chill and cool your tigritude. As difficult as it will be for you, you must be prepared to acknowledge the governors as the holders of real and legitimate power and authority in Igbo land. I hate to break it to you, bro, but that is the only way this works. Know that and know your freedom.

But you are Nnamdi Kanu. You are the Ọhamadike of Igbo land. With or without a position of power and authority known to law, the people know their warrior and their leader (ọhamadike)! When you are free and back with your people, you can play the legitimate game of power. You cannot play it in chains. With the clout and charm and charisma that you have, you can unseat each of the governors of Enugu, Anambra, Imo, and Ebonyi. Alex Otti and Abia State are beyond your reach. You can be the kingmaker who plants his loyalists in the government houses of those four Igbo states. That is where things are, Maazi. That is the reality of the moment. I can’t wait to see you released, my friend. You are one hell of a courageous hero! But when that day comes, and the shackles come off, and the gates are flung open, and you take that long walk to freedom in Igbo land, just remember not to do that on a Monday. You see, bro, we are still sitting at home – the way you commanded us. Until then, may the gods of our land keep you company. 

*Dr. Vitus Ozoke is a lawyer, a civil and human rights activist, and a public commentator based in the United States.

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Opinion

Tony Okocha, His Demigod And The Belligerent Rantings

By Ebare Tonwei

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Tony Okocha

Discerning minds are definitely amused by the new found occupation of Rivers State Caretaker Committee Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Tony Okocha.

It is amusing because each time he speaks or writes, he apparently exposes the height of his crass ignorance. Rivers people, however, know exactly where he draws his energy from in his new found hatchet job.

Rather than face the task of adequate representation of Rivers State in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), he rather chooses ignominy and belligerent ranting as an insane alarmist. Anyway, that, of course, is the only way he could possibly justify the filthy lucre from his demigod and benefactor.

Indeed, one wouldn’t have dissipated energy dignifying Tony Okocha with a response, considering his unstable character which inspires his bunch of false and uninformed diatribes. Made toxic by his rabble-rousing antics, he now can be aptly labelled “Toxic Tony Okocha”.

All caught-up in his toxic state, Okocha deliberately refuses to see through logical reasoning and constructive criticism. Instead, he chooses fiction over empirical facts.

In his recent tantrums, he has been quixotically sounding sarcastic in his posers.

He apparently chose devilish propaganda without corresponding empirical evidence as he failed in his uninspiring tirades of comparing Rivers State with Borno, Lagos, Kaduna, Niger, and Akwa Ibom states without showing the benchmark for such tasteless exercise.

Today, it is obvious that the main man in Rivers State engaged in foolery and falsehood as his article in trade is Toxic Tony Okocha.

He has been quite unreasonable with his campaign of calumny which does not reflect the reality on ground in Rivers State. Someone should educate Okocha that his approach is definitely not the right way to play the role of opposition.

Toxic Okocha needs to stop this deliberate attempt to distract by focusing attention on efforts to reconcile a fragmented and factionalised APC in Rivers State. Okocha needs to stop this meddlesomeness in the workings of the State Executive Council and the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature, which he is partly instrumental to, and focus on bringing all APC members together and holding regular Executive Committee meetings with all stakeholders in his party.

Any living citizen of Rivers State that in his clear conscience supports Tony Okocha’s perfidious perdition and foolery is not only wickedly complicit to the machinations of servitude, but an enemy of strategic development that is being propagated by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

Which responsible citizen will be unhappy that civil servants are being promoted and earmarked to earn corresponding wages? In fact, Tony Okocha and his cohorts have not been happy that the funds their demigod had been covetously syphoning are now being used for the welfare of Rivers workers. So, his assignment is to discredit every good effort of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

It is instructive to inform Toxic Okocha that Sir Siminalayi Fubara is judiciously deploying the resources of the state for the utmost development of the state and the welfare of the people.

Furthermore, Okocha now sanctimoniously sees Rivers women half naked in protest against servitude and reckless intimidation of their sons as abominable, but never saw any infractions or condemned it, when in 2019, the same women protested half naked to defend their mandate that they freely gave to his benefactor. What a hypocrite? A case of removing a speck in another man’s eye but having a log in your own eye.

Okocha attempted to query Sir Siminalayi Fubara for expending Rivers State resources without an approved budget. Indeed, one can truly see that Tony Okocha is suffering from fixated amnesia, perhaps hallucinating on the idea of Governor Fubara re-presenting a budget already passed and signed into law to an assemblage of men suffering from legitimacy questions. The legitimate members of Rivers State House of Assembly have done their bit on the 2024 budget, and the budget is already operational. If Tony Okocha is aggrieved and not satisfied with it, he should go to court to challenge it. Period!

In the eyes of Tony Okocha and his benefactor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara is guilty of their own infractions, but in the eyes of the law and the good people of Rivers State, whom SIM holds their mandate, Governor Fubara is well acquitted and doing the right thing to totally liberate them from the shackles of servitude and criminal greediness.

Apparently, in Rivers State, we live in two worlds: one that accommodates all Rivers people with Sir Siminalayi Fubara; and the other where Toxic Tony Okocha and his benefactors live with the wicked intention of perpetually enslaving and suffocating the people for their selfish interests.

It may be trite to reiterate, but it is a fact that whatever revenue accruing to Rivers State is being prudently utilized by Sir Siminalayi Fubara to better the lots of the people. We need not remind Okocha that, because of his crass ignorance, he could not drive his earlier narrative of Siminalayi Fubara squandering over N140billion. This is because he did not remember that Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s signature project, the Port Harcourt Ring Road is worth over N195billion, with a down payment of N150billion. Of course, the project is funded with a loan serviced from the State’s monthly allocations. Besides, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has also embarked on several other life-impacting projects that the wicked will pretend not to see in their blind criticism.

The projects include the 20,000 units low income housing; rehabilitation of the Aleto-Ebubu-Eteo Road; the Bori and Elelenwo internal roads; the extended 12.128-kilometer Egbeda internal roads; the rehabilitation of various roads in the Port Harcourt metropolis; the N4billion MSMES fund; payment of WAEC/NECO fees; completion of all inherited projects from the previous administration, the State Government intervention to boost the productive capacity of the DADTCO Rivers State Cassava Processing Factory, and efforts already in top gear to resuscitate the Rivers Songhai Integrated Farm, and other agricultural transformation investments of Government abandoned by the previous administration for eight years, among others.

Does Okocha need all the projects of Government ongoing in the 23 local government areas listed for him to realise that he has been delusional. 

In fact, Tony Okocha acknowledged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is also paying the corresponding wages to the promoted civil servants in the state in addition to the Christmas bonus they received. He should also know that Governor Siminalayi Fubara is paying pension and gratuities, including death benefits of retirees that were abandoned by his benefactor for eight years.

The Rivers State Secretariat Complex now has water and power supply, a huge infrastructure investment, providing working offices for thousands of Rivers people but was also abandoned for eight years. These are funds his benefactor was initially frittering away in the past while Rivers people languished in abject poverty.

Similarly, the calculated attack by Okocha on Governor Siminalayi Fubara is nothing but an assigned, coordinated political propaganda to taint the efforts of Sir Siminalayi Fubara. It is clear testament that as a crack technocrat, Sir Siminalayi Fubara has been quite prudent in resource management since his assumption of office. So, insinuating, without facts, that he is sponsoring rallies of the SIMplified Movement across the 23 local government areas under the disguise of thanksgiving with Rivers State fund is nothing but imaginary summation.

One wonders if Toxic Okocha is not aware that Sir Siminalayi Fubara is gaining organic support from Rivers people, old and young, just because of the strategic policy actions that are directly affecting their lives positively. In fact, he should know that liberated Rivers people are ready to mobilise and mop-up whatever funds they may have anywhere to galvanise support for Sir Siminalayi Fubara to enable him succeed. He does not need to spend state funds to gain the people’s support. No. The earlier Toxic Tony Okocha and his cohorts realize this, the better for their health before they relapse into incurable high blood pressure.

 Tonwei, a public affairs analyst, writes from Port Harcourt

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