Wednesday 22 April 2020
Multiplication and Division Sentences in Algebra
It covers the basic steps required in solving simple multiplication and division problems. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/algebra-multiplication-and-division-sentences-12292756
Addition and Subtraction in Algebra
A material that deals with basic addition and subtraction of algebraic equations. Ideal for Primary and early secondary school.https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/addition-and-subtraction-of-algebraic-equations-solving-equations-12291982
Introduction to Algebra
This is a set of slides that help with Introduction to Algebra for primary school students and for students in early secondary or high school.https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/addition-and-subtraction-of-algebraic-equations-solving-equations-12291982
Tuesday 18 February 2020
[RECAP] Lagos LG Facility Tour
[RECAP] Lagos LG Facility Tour: Welcome on board as I take you on a journey through the most immersive transport interchange in the heart of the city of Lagos, Nigeria. After a very long wait for the facility to be commissioned, we decided to take a tour on a less-busy day to capture the intrigues of this work of art. This me...
Friday 23 August 2019
Nigeria: Not All Gloom and Doom
It's not all doom and gloom.
Nigerians have generally become upset with the recently published names of fellow countrymen who have either been apprehended or declared wanted for financial crimes in the United States of America.
The actions of Nigerians like Thank you Jesus, Advanced Mega Plus Ltd, Williams high school, Fanta, Ryan Giggs, He is risen happy Easter, CTA finance source, Son of God, Mansion, Zero, Mystical, GodisGod, Code, Blade, Dee Dutchman, Chima Russia, Smart, Mobility, Boss Iffy, Ifeanyi Soccer, Humble, Pastor Kc, Slim Dad No1 and a host of others including one Adegoke have severely crashed the reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians across the globe.
Unfortunately, a lot of social media reviews of this list have passed through ethnic filters and we know the reason why this is so. I'll repeat it here again, do not do ethnic or religious profiling whenever it comes to crime. You will not like it at all when it is your turn to reap what you sow.
Some Nigerians have been mocking the EFCC whenever 'yahoo boys' get paraded. They question why the cops go after harmless young men and women who are only trying to survive. I am not sure if these Nigerians have also mocked the FBI and the DOJ because of joblessness. I hope they see now that such crimes are not tolerated globally and EFCC clamping down on home-based scammers is nothing extraordinary but part of their job description.
Some have tried to downplay the severity of this type of crime by comparing it to kidnapping and terrorism. I'm not quite sure these crimes are markedly different; one can even argue that these internet scams are the precursors of some 'worse' crimes. A scammer creates a fake persona with a name like Invictus for example and preys on vulnerable individuals to defraud them of their money. Some others are more daring and infiltrate bank accounts and corporations to siphon money. These individuals generally have flashy lifestyles and many of them have part or most of their loot in Nigeria. Other young people envy them and covet what they have. Some learn the ropes of scamming people but a few others are pushed to crime. Some of these scammers may require protection for themselves and their assets in Nigeria and can either have government agencies in their pockets or simply finance local violent men to do the job. This may be applicable to those who do drugs as well as other shady business across the globe.
One American woman who was a victim of such crimes lost almost $30,000 to a Nigerian who posed on Facebook as an American soldier in Afghanistan. Her husband shot and killed her, her father and himself in December 2018 when he found out she was still communicating with him even after some things had been exposed about the affair. Be careful before concluding that these crimes are harmless and without casualties. There are people who have committed suicide, individuals who have been bankrupted and families that have been scattered because of these criminals.
Poverty has been blamed for pushing these men into crime but I'm sure that even poverty will deny them. I suspect greed is the major culprit. We have had cases of dismissed policemen and soldiers who either sponsored or actively participated in armed robbery; they were probably dismissed in the first place because of their greed and bad behaviour. There are not a few former bankers who defraud their employers before fleeing out of the country to enjoy their loot in saner climes; was it poverty that opened their eyes to crime? Criminals abound in government and religious organizations; I dare say that criminals who are privileged and greedy far outnumber those who are genuinely poor. These men who defrauded thousands of people in America, did they get free visas, travel documents or tickets to get to America? Many of those paraded by EFCC are students of one higher institution or the other, will we say that they all come from poor homes hence the need to commit cyber crimes?
Some want to drive vehicles, some want to impress females while some others will say they want to liberate their people. Why cybercrime when football is there if they can't wait for education to yield reward? There are truly poor people who have learned a skill or a trade and who have done well for themselves. We are a people that will sneer at a young man learning carpentry or plumbing but will celebrate those who appear from the blues with blings and wads of cash. We'll probably give them front row seats everywhere and have them in all our TV and radio stations to talk about how they made it. We know those who churn out pangolo music but who claim to make more money than Grammy nominees and winners but we don't care and wish to make it like them. I hope those who gave Invictus their platforms to promote himself will inform young people of his crimes and ensure such never get airtime again.
The almost 80 Nigerians in this first list are definitely going to end up in the US prison system. They are fortunate that this is not Thailand or Indonesia so they can look forward to having long lives. Their investments and property in Nigeria will most likely be sold off or taken over by other opportunists so those who will return to Nigeria after their terms are not assured that they'll meet anything intact. The really smart ones among them will take advantage of the American prison system and learn a skill or earn a certification if they have none. Those who 'learn sense' may get out earlier for good behaviour while some will eventually become truly saved. I think America will correct their defects ultimately except village people corrupt the reset drive.
It appears America is very serious this time around and more lists may be published and more Nigerians caught in the net. Some say cybercrime is payback to the masters who are long dead; they probably forget that a lot of the slave business involved Africans selling Africans for gin, mirrors, gun powder, royal garb and ornaments. An eye for an eye will only land one in jail in this day and age.
If you love that home or foreign based family member whose ways are suspect, hurry up and call an emergency family meeting to plead and pray with them. These feds are not smiling at all. They know all our aliases and fronts; they clearly have access to all the backend servers Rigobert Atiku is looking for.
Asking people to live within their means is not an endorsement of poverty, it's probably the best advice a young person can get before lust creeps near. Fellas must understand they need not deceive to impress and ladies should not fall for fellas without origin and insertion. Parents should not push their children to take up lifestyles that'd destroy them; encourage hardwork and contentment.
To the almost 80 Nigerians on list one; when there's life, there's hope.
J. Olee Akeju
Nigerians have generally become upset with the recently published names of fellow countrymen who have either been apprehended or declared wanted for financial crimes in the United States of America.
The actions of Nigerians like Thank you Jesus, Advanced Mega Plus Ltd, Williams high school, Fanta, Ryan Giggs, He is risen happy Easter, CTA finance source, Son of God, Mansion, Zero, Mystical, GodisGod, Code, Blade, Dee Dutchman, Chima Russia, Smart, Mobility, Boss Iffy, Ifeanyi Soccer, Humble, Pastor Kc, Slim Dad No1 and a host of others including one Adegoke have severely crashed the reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians across the globe.
Unfortunately, a lot of social media reviews of this list have passed through ethnic filters and we know the reason why this is so. I'll repeat it here again, do not do ethnic or religious profiling whenever it comes to crime. You will not like it at all when it is your turn to reap what you sow.
Some Nigerians have been mocking the EFCC whenever 'yahoo boys' get paraded. They question why the cops go after harmless young men and women who are only trying to survive. I am not sure if these Nigerians have also mocked the FBI and the DOJ because of joblessness. I hope they see now that such crimes are not tolerated globally and EFCC clamping down on home-based scammers is nothing extraordinary but part of their job description.
Some have tried to downplay the severity of this type of crime by comparing it to kidnapping and terrorism. I'm not quite sure these crimes are markedly different; one can even argue that these internet scams are the precursors of some 'worse' crimes. A scammer creates a fake persona with a name like Invictus for example and preys on vulnerable individuals to defraud them of their money. Some others are more daring and infiltrate bank accounts and corporations to siphon money. These individuals generally have flashy lifestyles and many of them have part or most of their loot in Nigeria. Other young people envy them and covet what they have. Some learn the ropes of scamming people but a few others are pushed to crime. Some of these scammers may require protection for themselves and their assets in Nigeria and can either have government agencies in their pockets or simply finance local violent men to do the job. This may be applicable to those who do drugs as well as other shady business across the globe.
One American woman who was a victim of such crimes lost almost $30,000 to a Nigerian who posed on Facebook as an American soldier in Afghanistan. Her husband shot and killed her, her father and himself in December 2018 when he found out she was still communicating with him even after some things had been exposed about the affair. Be careful before concluding that these crimes are harmless and without casualties. There are people who have committed suicide, individuals who have been bankrupted and families that have been scattered because of these criminals.
Poverty has been blamed for pushing these men into crime but I'm sure that even poverty will deny them. I suspect greed is the major culprit. We have had cases of dismissed policemen and soldiers who either sponsored or actively participated in armed robbery; they were probably dismissed in the first place because of their greed and bad behaviour. There are not a few former bankers who defraud their employers before fleeing out of the country to enjoy their loot in saner climes; was it poverty that opened their eyes to crime? Criminals abound in government and religious organizations; I dare say that criminals who are privileged and greedy far outnumber those who are genuinely poor. These men who defrauded thousands of people in America, did they get free visas, travel documents or tickets to get to America? Many of those paraded by EFCC are students of one higher institution or the other, will we say that they all come from poor homes hence the need to commit cyber crimes?
Some want to drive vehicles, some want to impress females while some others will say they want to liberate their people. Why cybercrime when football is there if they can't wait for education to yield reward? There are truly poor people who have learned a skill or a trade and who have done well for themselves. We are a people that will sneer at a young man learning carpentry or plumbing but will celebrate those who appear from the blues with blings and wads of cash. We'll probably give them front row seats everywhere and have them in all our TV and radio stations to talk about how they made it. We know those who churn out pangolo music but who claim to make more money than Grammy nominees and winners but we don't care and wish to make it like them. I hope those who gave Invictus their platforms to promote himself will inform young people of his crimes and ensure such never get airtime again.
The almost 80 Nigerians in this first list are definitely going to end up in the US prison system. They are fortunate that this is not Thailand or Indonesia so they can look forward to having long lives. Their investments and property in Nigeria will most likely be sold off or taken over by other opportunists so those who will return to Nigeria after their terms are not assured that they'll meet anything intact. The really smart ones among them will take advantage of the American prison system and learn a skill or earn a certification if they have none. Those who 'learn sense' may get out earlier for good behaviour while some will eventually become truly saved. I think America will correct their defects ultimately except village people corrupt the reset drive.
It appears America is very serious this time around and more lists may be published and more Nigerians caught in the net. Some say cybercrime is payback to the masters who are long dead; they probably forget that a lot of the slave business involved Africans selling Africans for gin, mirrors, gun powder, royal garb and ornaments. An eye for an eye will only land one in jail in this day and age.
If you love that home or foreign based family member whose ways are suspect, hurry up and call an emergency family meeting to plead and pray with them. These feds are not smiling at all. They know all our aliases and fronts; they clearly have access to all the backend servers Rigobert Atiku is looking for.
Asking people to live within their means is not an endorsement of poverty, it's probably the best advice a young person can get before lust creeps near. Fellas must understand they need not deceive to impress and ladies should not fall for fellas without origin and insertion. Parents should not push their children to take up lifestyles that'd destroy them; encourage hardwork and contentment.
To the almost 80 Nigerians on list one; when there's life, there's hope.
J. Olee Akeju
Tuesday 20 August 2019
Still on Obinwanne Okeke
The Invictus Obi's saga is disheartening not because another Nigeria yet again has been busted for fraud, it's disheartening because the rippling effect will be enormous.
A lot of Nigerians are going to pay for yet another scandal by a single Nigerian.
Thing is Obinwanne was not just another average Nigerian, he had a CV and portfolio that was envied on even by the international community.
He was looked upon as one of the bright spots to come out of this dark hellish place called Nigeria.
Obinwanne Okeke (Invictus) was one of the supposed few answers to the damning question of can anything good come out of Nigeria?
Featured by Forbes as one of the Forbes 30 under 30.
He's been on BBC, given a Ted Talk, Spoke at London school of Economics Africa Summit.
Has a conglomerate spanning across many African countries dealing on oil, agriculture, infrastructure, solar energy etc.
Had a lot of International awards celebrating his achievements
With this sort of portfolio and at 32yrs, he was seen as this bright spark coming out from a country that has more trends for despicable things than amiable ones.
Only to find out that beneath all this facade was a fraudster. A serial one.
An international corporate yahoo boy with suits and a great CV to match.
Estimated to have stolen $20-$22million from US companies from 2011 till date.
There was always that gaping hole in his story about his start up capital that gave an itch of not adding up.
But then we gave benefit of the doubt as we usually do even to our own collective detriment in a bid not to come across as a hater.
He fooled a lot of people and that for a long time. Make no mistake about it, he's going to pay for his crimes. But he isn't my concern.
You can't help but feel for other innocent Nigerians that are going to pay for the crimes of Obinwanne too.
Obinwanne would be in his prison scrub for a long time serving his time.
While other Nigerian out there will be getting Visa denied even after meeting and surpassing all the requirements.
Other Nigerians would have to work twice as hard to earn a modicum of trust and respect within the international community.
International organizations are going to pull out of deals the moment they become aware a Nigerian is part of the deal.
International airports will be a lot more hostile than they already are the moment they see you with that almost worthless green passport.
More companies will start declining cards coming from this part of the world.
Nobody wins here, not you, not me.
Imagine one of the few people who had earned the trust and admiration of the international community being busted for fraud.
What is your fate being an average John Doe or Jane Doe?
While Obinwanne is going to pay for his crimes inside the walls of a correctional facility.
You are going to pay for his crimes in embassy halls, airports, business meetings, immigration offices etc.
It will be no fault of yours, you would probably have all the requirements but still would be treated as an infidel.
When one of your supposed brightest minds has been busted as a fraud.
What are your chances?
Nobody won here.
We all lost.
~Prince Uzor Onyemaobi
A lot of Nigerians are going to pay for yet another scandal by a single Nigerian.
Thing is Obinwanne was not just another average Nigerian, he had a CV and portfolio that was envied on even by the international community.
He was looked upon as one of the bright spots to come out of this dark hellish place called Nigeria.
Obinwanne Okeke (Invictus) was one of the supposed few answers to the damning question of can anything good come out of Nigeria?
Featured by Forbes as one of the Forbes 30 under 30.
He's been on BBC, given a Ted Talk, Spoke at London school of Economics Africa Summit.
Has a conglomerate spanning across many African countries dealing on oil, agriculture, infrastructure, solar energy etc.
Had a lot of International awards celebrating his achievements
With this sort of portfolio and at 32yrs, he was seen as this bright spark coming out from a country that has more trends for despicable things than amiable ones.
Only to find out that beneath all this facade was a fraudster. A serial one.
An international corporate yahoo boy with suits and a great CV to match.
Estimated to have stolen $20-$22million from US companies from 2011 till date.
There was always that gaping hole in his story about his start up capital that gave an itch of not adding up.
But then we gave benefit of the doubt as we usually do even to our own collective detriment in a bid not to come across as a hater.
He fooled a lot of people and that for a long time. Make no mistake about it, he's going to pay for his crimes. But he isn't my concern.
You can't help but feel for other innocent Nigerians that are going to pay for the crimes of Obinwanne too.
Obinwanne would be in his prison scrub for a long time serving his time.
While other Nigerian out there will be getting Visa denied even after meeting and surpassing all the requirements.
Other Nigerians would have to work twice as hard to earn a modicum of trust and respect within the international community.
International organizations are going to pull out of deals the moment they become aware a Nigerian is part of the deal.
International airports will be a lot more hostile than they already are the moment they see you with that almost worthless green passport.
More companies will start declining cards coming from this part of the world.
Nobody wins here, not you, not me.
Imagine one of the few people who had earned the trust and admiration of the international community being busted for fraud.
What is your fate being an average John Doe or Jane Doe?
While Obinwanne is going to pay for his crimes inside the walls of a correctional facility.
You are going to pay for his crimes in embassy halls, airports, business meetings, immigration offices etc.
It will be no fault of yours, you would probably have all the requirements but still would be treated as an infidel.
When one of your supposed brightest minds has been busted as a fraud.
What are your chances?
Nobody won here.
We all lost.
~Prince Uzor Onyemaobi
Obinwanne Okeke: The Young African Billionaire Who Duped All Of Us
The first time I heard about the exploits of Obinwanne Okeke, the CEO of Invictus Conglomerate, was in 2017, through his very close friend, Mitterand Okorie. For anyone who may be unaware of whom Obinwanne Okeke is; Obinwanne is on the Forbes list of rich young African entrepreneurs. He has bagged so many national and international awards for his 'unprecedented' feats in the business world. His 'feats and accomplishments' are dazzling and astounding. A rich 32-year-old guy, who controls billions of Naira and assets.
I watched a short video clip of a programme where Professor Charles Soludo, former CBN Governor, was the anchor. Having a deep look at the countenance of the former CBN Boss, I got a glimpse of an elderly man who got stupefied and dazed by the superlative achievements of this young Nigerian billionaire called Okeke. Also, I listened to one of his interviews on the BBC; the interviewer looked so mesmerised by the astonishing exploits of Obinwanne Okeke. Imagine a guy whose father died while at 16; and all of a sudden, he made it to the top at an age below 30! Isn't that amazing!
Obinwanne Okeke has a foundation - Invictus Foundation. This same Mitterand Okorie is the PRO of the foundation. Mitterand always sings the praises of Okeke and how God has been so good to him. On many occasions, where Okeke assisted with cash gifts, people came out to celebrate the young billionaire. On Facebook, I have read a lot of emotional reverence and encomiums poured on him for his no-mean feats. A lady got so carried away and said 'Obinwanne, I want to be like you'! Another one even said 'after learning about Okeke's entrepreneurial spirit, I am finding it difficult to sleep. "Okeke, please, I want to be under your tutelage", another one exclaimed.
Unfortunately and regrettably, Obinwanne Okeke got busted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States, after a bitter complaint from one of his victims. This guy is a typical Nigerian Yahoo-Yahoo guy. You are surprised? As in, ogbologbo 419. Shey you know wetin guys dey call shashe? I mean, if you want to see a don in real ise shisha, yes, Okeke is the main guy.
For the avoidance of ambiguity, let me state it clearly, Obinwanne Okeke and his friends are internet fraudsters. That's the point I'm making here. All the sweet success stories you have read above are fluke. Okeke is into big time graft, and he has been caught. The heartrending part of the whole story is how he escaped all due diligence and made it to the Forbes list of rich and influential global entrepreneurs. He scammed Forbes too. Wow!
Nevertheless, the undercover operation of the FBI, through a Special Agent, Marshall Ward, has revealed Okeke's fraudulent practices. For instance, in one fell swoop, Okeke hacked into the system of Unatrac Holding Limited, headquartered in the UK, and swindled the Company to the tune of 11 million US Dollars (about 4 billion Naira). Many fraud-related activities of Okeke were revealed in Marshall's report that was exhibited before a Virginia Court in the US.
Okeke's main email address, used for fraud, as revealed by the FBI, is iconoclast1960@gmail.com. There are other redacted (censored) email addresses tendered before the court. These redacted addresses belong to Okeke's criminal conspirators and friends. Who are his accomplices and partners in these criminal acts? It won't be funny if Mitterand Okorie is one of them.
Written by Adejare Ibrahim
Sunday 18 August 2019
Football Twitter thread : Peter Drury’s poetry
When you listen to a beauty, you can tell. What makes it even better, if it comes in form of poetry.
The best that can happen as a football enthusiast, if you have beautiful poetry as commentary to support the already scintillating show- mouth watering to say the least.
I have extracted some football commentaries by none other than Peter Drury. Read and listen and you would sure be convinced.
The best that can happen as a football enthusiast, if you have beautiful poetry as commentary to support the already scintillating show- mouth watering to say the least.
Wednesday 7 August 2019
Adesina: Hardly moved by social media attacks
Why I Don’t Lose Sleep Over Social Media Attacks –Adesina
WHEN you watch the television, listen to radio, read newspapers and threads of discussions on social media, and people bombard you with unsavoury comments on the social media or abuse the daylight out of you, how do you sleep?
I even snore.
With all the name-calling; people hurling abuses at you; the president and other functionaries?
It is members of the vocal minority that do it. And because they are so vocal, you think they are in the majority. But the truth is they are in the minority.
Their voices, however, matter. They do matter. Even if they are just 10 people, it matters.
But then, the larger majority of Nigerians are hopeful and they are cooperative; and they know that the government is out to serve them and it will make a change in their lives. Those strident voices are in the vocal minority.
Don’t you think that is too simplistic?
Well, it happens to be the truth and the last election shows that. Before that election, we did a survey which told us that the social media will account for just between nine and 11 per cent of the electorate. The poll showed that all the noise you saw and heard on the social media; that you thought that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might lose, would account for less than 11 per cent of the electorate. And that was what happened. You know why? Despite all the noise, most people on social media did not vote. They don’t even have voter’s cards.
So, if you had used the social media as your barometer, you would say ‘Ah! APC is gone.’ But see what happened – 11 million to 14 million; and three solid millions is the gap; though that is being contested at the Election Petitions Tribunal…
Yes, it is part of the democratic rights of people who are going to court.
I don’t think it is fair for me to ask you how optimistic you are that President Mohammadu Buhari will continue after the court has decided. Is it?
Yes, a fair conscience fears nothing, because the election was not manipulated. The election was free and fair. APC lost many states. How come it is when APC won that elections were manipulated? The election was not manipulated where APC lost. And APC lost minimum of six states. So, there were no manipulations in those places. To answer your question directly, we lose no sleep over the tribunal case at all.
Can I advise that you don’t dismiss the social media with a wave of the hand because of the experience in America?
No, no. The nine to 11 per cent will matter. They will matter. But the entire nine to11 per cent did not belong to the opposition. You will also have your fair share. Out of that 11 per cent, APC had. It was not that the entire 11 per cent that belonged to the opposition.
Recently, there was this pronouncement that the government would begin to take more than passing interest in what goes on in social media. But people construed that to mean a gag of freedom of expression. Isn’t it?
There is no absolute freedom anywhere. Licentious freedom is not recommended anywhere; it will hurt that society. It will hurt that country that allows licentious freedom. There must be checks and balances. And I was happy when the Department of State Services (DSS) came out, recently, to say that it had begun to look out for those who post hate speeches on social media; and they would be taking them in. It is good. You don’t allow the fabric of your country to be destroyed.
You said you were happy when the DSS made that pronouncement…
Yes, as a media person, I will never support muzzling of free press. But then, I will also not support liberty for licence in which you can say almost anything, including treasonable comments, and you get away with it. There must be law and order in a country.
Definitely, there must be self-censorship and self-restraint. If you refuse to self-censor, censorship will come up in another form. So, it is better to have self-censorship, so that the other kinds of censorship would not come in. We find a lot of irresponsible comments everywhere now and a nation cannot afford to go on in that way.
I remember a couple of years back, we were in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate (UAE). Somebody in that country was telling me that if you post anything irresponsible on social media in that country, within five minutes you are under arrest. We know UAE is a smaller country compared to Nigeria. Nigeria’s size is another problem; and you know that social media does not even have boundaries. Somebody may stay in America and be posting fake news against Nigeria. But there must be some form of control.
You used a word that got me worried ‘censorship’. Can you explain?
Censorship; in terms of self-restraint, in terms of self-control
People are already alluding to the fact that during President Buhari’s first coming as a Military Head of State (December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985), he gagged the press. This might be the beginning of a repeat. Don’t you think so?
No, no, no. It is not gagging of the press in that sense. Since he came in 2015, have you seen any tendency towards gagging the press? What I am saying is that those who also play in the public domain must restrain themselves. That is what I meant by self-censorship.
If you were not part of this government, if you were still the Managing Director of The Sun, still writing your column, would that be your position?
Even as president of the Guild of Editors (NGE), that was my position. The media is not above the law. That is what I always said as president of the NGE. If the media break the law, they can be called to answer questions, but don’t brutalise them. Don’t beat them. Don’t lock journalists up indefinitely, and all that. That has always been my position. Part of the duties of the government is to preserve the cohesion of the country’s peace and tranquillity to ensure protection of lives and properties. If we now find out that some people will rupture the peace in the land through careless utterances, we must not, on the altar of free expression, allow that to happen. We must balance free expression to responsible expression.
If you were on the other side of the divide, would you have written that in your column?
Yes. I have told you that even while I was on the other side, that was my position.
There is also this issue of mopping up of arms. The police asked people to be surrendering their arms…
(Cuts in…) The police themselves denied that they did not give that instruction.
Then, what is this government doing about the proliferation of illegal arms?
It is not something that is just happening under this government. Remember the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government set up a committee headed by Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, who later became Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) chairman. The committee was to look into illegal arms in the country and how they could be mopped up. That tells you that it is not just a current phenomenon.
Then, there is a United Nations (UN) report which states that the number of illegal arms in Nigeria is so high because of the problem in the Sahel, particularly the fall of Muammar Ghadaffi, and the issues in Mali and Burkina Faso. There are issues all over the Sahel which make illegal arms to proliferate in that area, and they just flow into Nigeria. It is a big problem. But that does not mean government will not look into it.
Can you confidently say that the government is on top of the situation?
It is a very complex situation, but the duty of government is to protect lives and properties. And this government, particularly, will not be irresponsible in that area.
What is the big step the president or the Presidency is going to take towards taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty?
There will be a blueprint, because it should go beyond mere mouthing it.
Definitely, there will be a blueprint that will be unfolded. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has said that in the next four years, it is going to create minimum of four million jobs. That is a big development. There will be blueprints everywhere. We have the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). All these things will cumulate towards taking people out of poverty.
And restore hope?
Definitely, because when life is better, hope is always restored. The reason I emphasised restoring of hope is because it reminds me of the late M.K.O. Abiola’s mantra in the build-up to the 1993 general election—banishing poverty.
Since the president decided to honour Abiola the way he did, why can’t he go the whole hog by studying his manifesto, ‘Farewell To Poverty,’ and draw valuable inspiration from the man’s plan for an optimistic future for Nigeria?
Nigeria does not lack blueprints. It is the implementation of such blueprints that is the issue. I am sure Abiola’s blueprint is also part of what other people would have considered. Nigeria has a surfeit of blueprints, but implementing those blueprints has been the challenge we face. This government is determined to make the difference.
Talking about making the difference, what are the things that might likely change in the next four years towards restoring hope?
It is clear. If you read the Next Level manual, they have been stated. The Next Level is going to be a level of infrastructure. It has started in the first term and it is going to be consolidated. Infrastructure will include road, power, rail and ports. You will see that all over the country. The Next Level is going to be a level of jobs. Jobs will be created in their millions and people will have opportunities. It is going to be a level in which power will be provided for Nigerians. The target is that by 2020, which is just about six months away, we will have a minimum of 10,000 megawatts. It is achievable.
And we are at 5000?
We had reached 7,000 before we dropped to 5,000.
We don’t even have the capacity to distribute what we generate…
(Cuts in…) That will be tackled. But the target is that by 2020, we will have 10,000 megawatts and, incrementally, we will build on it like that. Then, the Next Level will be time in which the education curriculum is going to lay emphasis on science and technology. The curriculum is going to be changed. It has already stated. The Next Level is a level of inclusive governance. There will be more women, and more young people in governance. Then, people at the bottom rung of the ladder will be taken care of through the establishment of what we call the People-Money Bank. The bank will be established to take care of the people at the bottom rung of the ladder.
We already have a social investment programme which is said to be the biggest in Africa. Already, millions of people have been affected by the social investment programmes. We have the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, and so many other projects under that social investment programme. We also have the Entrepreneurs Bank which will take care of small and medium scale enterprises. There are many things designed to ensure that people are taken out of poverty and that Nigerians are better positioned to live wholesome lives.
The Next Level is also the level of health. It is believed that healthy populace is needed to compete with the rest of the world. Therefore, health care is also going to be a focus in the Next Level.
Permit me to take you back to the inaugural Democracy Day celebration and the president’s pronouncements at the occasion. First, on the issue of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, many Nigerians applauded the president for this, just as they did when he declared June 12 as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day. But some people said: Why not name another national monument after Abiola? Why name a stadium that appears rejected or abandoned?
There is a saying that no drummer can please the whole dancers; never. You will still find those who will complain, no matter how well you beat the drum. The fact that a stadium is disused temporarily, does it mean it will always be like that? Besides, it is the institution that Abiola was named after, not its current state. That stadium will continue to be an institution.
Beginnings and endings (1)
So, there is nothing wrong in naming that stadium after M.K.O Abiola; remembering that he was the Pillar of Sports in Africa. For me, it is a befitting legacy for him.
More importantly, he is the symbol of June 12 as our Democracy Day, which I think is far greater than any physical monument. Democracy, which has been unbroken for 20 years, was actually built on the foundation of Abiola’s blood. Abiola stood resolutely against the annulment of the election, which he won, and that was what led to the exit of the military from governance. There would have been no democracy, if Abiola hadn’t done what he did and he paid the ultimate price.
I am sure you must have read some headlines that suggested that past Nigerian heads of state abandoned the president during the June 12 celebration; that they didn’t participate; that they shunned the president. Were they invited?
I wouldn’t use the word ‘abandoned’ or ‘shunned,’ because I am not privy to why they didn’t come. But we know why one of them didn’t come because he had taken a position against this administration; and that position he took, his side lost in the election. I understand why he didn’t come.
And who would that be?
You know it.
I don’t. Could that be former President Goodluck Jonathan?
Thou sayeth. Iwo wi i. On inauguration day, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon was around. If he couldn’t come on June 12, there ought to have been a reason. I remember few days before June 12, General Abdulsalam Abubakar met the president at the lesser hajj. I am sure he must have explained why he might not be able to come.
The ones that mattered were just presidents under democracy and we have just two of them living. One is the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua. So, we have Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan. President Buhari is the fourth under democracy.
As the president’s spokesperson, you don’t see that as a slight on your principal?
No, it was not a slight, because they must have had their reasons for not being around. I didn’t have any negative reason. They must have their reasons. Yes, we understand with one who wouldn’t show up, because he used to consider himself the landlord of Nigeria, now the keys of the house have been taken away from him. You know him. For the others, they must have their reasons. And that didn’t detract from the celebration in any way. June 12 celebration was splendid; it was successful. It was still colourful. It’s like a saying: ‘The Oyingbo market does not know anybody has not come.’
Who could this landlord you referenced be? Could it be former President Obasanjo?
If you say he is, then, he is.
Moving on to the National Assembly, the president and the APC had their way with the election of the principal officers. Their anointed candidates won. How do you feel?
Judging from the experiences of the past four years in which the leadership of the legislature was like champions of the opposition, you can’t but applaud what happened. You saw that the leadership of the legislature then got in through artifice and trickery. Eventually, they became opposition to the government; slowed everything down, and then, they defected. It was really a bad example of something to happen in a democracy. Now that the president showed his preference for some candidates, and those candidates are now in office, it is not going to be a rubber-stamp relationship. There will still be separation of power; but there will be mutual respect and collaborations.
The opposition insists that the APC members were coerced into affirming the principal officers, as it were. Weren’t they?
They are the opposition; you won’t expect them to carry a flag in your support. Because they are opposition, they will always look for negative things to say.
Do you think that the pronouncement by the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that APC would not share any office with the opposition is democratic?
From the nature of the voting, you would have seen that it was a bi-partisan thing. The figures recorded couldn’t have been recorded without the other parties voting APC members. Democracy is give and take. It depends on the agreement they had struck.
The party chairman is one person; he would have his opinion. But then, the final position would come from pronouncement by National Executive Committee (NEC) or the National Working Committee (NWC).
WHEN you watch the television, listen to radio, read newspapers and threads of discussions on social media, and people bombard you with unsavoury comments on the social media or abuse the daylight out of you, how do you sleep?
I even snore.
With all the name-calling; people hurling abuses at you; the president and other functionaries?
It is members of the vocal minority that do it. And because they are so vocal, you think they are in the majority. But the truth is they are in the minority.
Their voices, however, matter. They do matter. Even if they are just 10 people, it matters.
But then, the larger majority of Nigerians are hopeful and they are cooperative; and they know that the government is out to serve them and it will make a change in their lives. Those strident voices are in the vocal minority.
Don’t you think that is too simplistic?
Well, it happens to be the truth and the last election shows that. Before that election, we did a survey which told us that the social media will account for just between nine and 11 per cent of the electorate. The poll showed that all the noise you saw and heard on the social media; that you thought that the All Progressives Congress (APC) might lose, would account for less than 11 per cent of the electorate. And that was what happened. You know why? Despite all the noise, most people on social media did not vote. They don’t even have voter’s cards.
So, if you had used the social media as your barometer, you would say ‘Ah! APC is gone.’ But see what happened – 11 million to 14 million; and three solid millions is the gap; though that is being contested at the Election Petitions Tribunal…
Yes, it is part of the democratic rights of people who are going to court.
I don’t think it is fair for me to ask you how optimistic you are that President Mohammadu Buhari will continue after the court has decided. Is it?
Yes, a fair conscience fears nothing, because the election was not manipulated. The election was free and fair. APC lost many states. How come it is when APC won that elections were manipulated? The election was not manipulated where APC lost. And APC lost minimum of six states. So, there were no manipulations in those places. To answer your question directly, we lose no sleep over the tribunal case at all.
Can I advise that you don’t dismiss the social media with a wave of the hand because of the experience in America?
No, no. The nine to 11 per cent will matter. They will matter. But the entire nine to11 per cent did not belong to the opposition. You will also have your fair share. Out of that 11 per cent, APC had. It was not that the entire 11 per cent that belonged to the opposition.
Recently, there was this pronouncement that the government would begin to take more than passing interest in what goes on in social media. But people construed that to mean a gag of freedom of expression. Isn’t it?
There is no absolute freedom anywhere. Licentious freedom is not recommended anywhere; it will hurt that society. It will hurt that country that allows licentious freedom. There must be checks and balances. And I was happy when the Department of State Services (DSS) came out, recently, to say that it had begun to look out for those who post hate speeches on social media; and they would be taking them in. It is good. You don’t allow the fabric of your country to be destroyed.
You said you were happy when the DSS made that pronouncement…
Yes, as a media person, I will never support muzzling of free press. But then, I will also not support liberty for licence in which you can say almost anything, including treasonable comments, and you get away with it. There must be law and order in a country.
Definitely, there must be self-censorship and self-restraint. If you refuse to self-censor, censorship will come up in another form. So, it is better to have self-censorship, so that the other kinds of censorship would not come in. We find a lot of irresponsible comments everywhere now and a nation cannot afford to go on in that way.
I remember a couple of years back, we were in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate (UAE). Somebody in that country was telling me that if you post anything irresponsible on social media in that country, within five minutes you are under arrest. We know UAE is a smaller country compared to Nigeria. Nigeria’s size is another problem; and you know that social media does not even have boundaries. Somebody may stay in America and be posting fake news against Nigeria. But there must be some form of control.
You used a word that got me worried ‘censorship’. Can you explain?
Censorship; in terms of self-restraint, in terms of self-control
People are already alluding to the fact that during President Buhari’s first coming as a Military Head of State (December 31, 1983 to August 27, 1985), he gagged the press. This might be the beginning of a repeat. Don’t you think so?
No, no, no. It is not gagging of the press in that sense. Since he came in 2015, have you seen any tendency towards gagging the press? What I am saying is that those who also play in the public domain must restrain themselves. That is what I meant by self-censorship.
If you were not part of this government, if you were still the Managing Director of The Sun, still writing your column, would that be your position?
Even as president of the Guild of Editors (NGE), that was my position. The media is not above the law. That is what I always said as president of the NGE. If the media break the law, they can be called to answer questions, but don’t brutalise them. Don’t beat them. Don’t lock journalists up indefinitely, and all that. That has always been my position. Part of the duties of the government is to preserve the cohesion of the country’s peace and tranquillity to ensure protection of lives and properties. If we now find out that some people will rupture the peace in the land through careless utterances, we must not, on the altar of free expression, allow that to happen. We must balance free expression to responsible expression.
If you were on the other side of the divide, would you have written that in your column?
Yes. I have told you that even while I was on the other side, that was my position.
There is also this issue of mopping up of arms. The police asked people to be surrendering their arms…
(Cuts in…) The police themselves denied that they did not give that instruction.
Then, what is this government doing about the proliferation of illegal arms?
It is not something that is just happening under this government. Remember the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government set up a committee headed by Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, who later became Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) chairman. The committee was to look into illegal arms in the country and how they could be mopped up. That tells you that it is not just a current phenomenon.
Then, there is a United Nations (UN) report which states that the number of illegal arms in Nigeria is so high because of the problem in the Sahel, particularly the fall of Muammar Ghadaffi, and the issues in Mali and Burkina Faso. There are issues all over the Sahel which make illegal arms to proliferate in that area, and they just flow into Nigeria. It is a big problem. But that does not mean government will not look into it.
Can you confidently say that the government is on top of the situation?
It is a very complex situation, but the duty of government is to protect lives and properties. And this government, particularly, will not be irresponsible in that area.
What is the big step the president or the Presidency is going to take towards taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty?
There will be a blueprint, because it should go beyond mere mouthing it.
Definitely, there will be a blueprint that will be unfolded. The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has said that in the next four years, it is going to create minimum of four million jobs. That is a big development. There will be blueprints everywhere. We have the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). All these things will cumulate towards taking people out of poverty.
And restore hope?
Definitely, because when life is better, hope is always restored. The reason I emphasised restoring of hope is because it reminds me of the late M.K.O. Abiola’s mantra in the build-up to the 1993 general election—banishing poverty.
Since the president decided to honour Abiola the way he did, why can’t he go the whole hog by studying his manifesto, ‘Farewell To Poverty,’ and draw valuable inspiration from the man’s plan for an optimistic future for Nigeria?
Nigeria does not lack blueprints. It is the implementation of such blueprints that is the issue. I am sure Abiola’s blueprint is also part of what other people would have considered. Nigeria has a surfeit of blueprints, but implementing those blueprints has been the challenge we face. This government is determined to make the difference.
Talking about making the difference, what are the things that might likely change in the next four years towards restoring hope?
It is clear. If you read the Next Level manual, they have been stated. The Next Level is going to be a level of infrastructure. It has started in the first term and it is going to be consolidated. Infrastructure will include road, power, rail and ports. You will see that all over the country. The Next Level is going to be a level of jobs. Jobs will be created in their millions and people will have opportunities. It is going to be a level in which power will be provided for Nigerians. The target is that by 2020, which is just about six months away, we will have a minimum of 10,000 megawatts. It is achievable.
And we are at 5000?
We had reached 7,000 before we dropped to 5,000.
We don’t even have the capacity to distribute what we generate…
(Cuts in…) That will be tackled. But the target is that by 2020, we will have 10,000 megawatts and, incrementally, we will build on it like that. Then, the Next Level will be time in which the education curriculum is going to lay emphasis on science and technology. The curriculum is going to be changed. It has already stated. The Next Level is a level of inclusive governance. There will be more women, and more young people in governance. Then, people at the bottom rung of the ladder will be taken care of through the establishment of what we call the People-Money Bank. The bank will be established to take care of the people at the bottom rung of the ladder.
We already have a social investment programme which is said to be the biggest in Africa. Already, millions of people have been affected by the social investment programmes. We have the N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, and so many other projects under that social investment programme. We also have the Entrepreneurs Bank which will take care of small and medium scale enterprises. There are many things designed to ensure that people are taken out of poverty and that Nigerians are better positioned to live wholesome lives.
The Next Level is also the level of health. It is believed that healthy populace is needed to compete with the rest of the world. Therefore, health care is also going to be a focus in the Next Level.
Permit me to take you back to the inaugural Democracy Day celebration and the president’s pronouncements at the occasion. First, on the issue of the M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, many Nigerians applauded the president for this, just as they did when he declared June 12 as Nigeria’s new Democracy Day. But some people said: Why not name another national monument after Abiola? Why name a stadium that appears rejected or abandoned?
There is a saying that no drummer can please the whole dancers; never. You will still find those who will complain, no matter how well you beat the drum. The fact that a stadium is disused temporarily, does it mean it will always be like that? Besides, it is the institution that Abiola was named after, not its current state. That stadium will continue to be an institution.
Beginnings and endings (1)
So, there is nothing wrong in naming that stadium after M.K.O Abiola; remembering that he was the Pillar of Sports in Africa. For me, it is a befitting legacy for him.
More importantly, he is the symbol of June 12 as our Democracy Day, which I think is far greater than any physical monument. Democracy, which has been unbroken for 20 years, was actually built on the foundation of Abiola’s blood. Abiola stood resolutely against the annulment of the election, which he won, and that was what led to the exit of the military from governance. There would have been no democracy, if Abiola hadn’t done what he did and he paid the ultimate price.
I am sure you must have read some headlines that suggested that past Nigerian heads of state abandoned the president during the June 12 celebration; that they didn’t participate; that they shunned the president. Were they invited?
I wouldn’t use the word ‘abandoned’ or ‘shunned,’ because I am not privy to why they didn’t come. But we know why one of them didn’t come because he had taken a position against this administration; and that position he took, his side lost in the election. I understand why he didn’t come.
And who would that be?
You know it.
I don’t. Could that be former President Goodluck Jonathan?
Thou sayeth. Iwo wi i. On inauguration day, former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon was around. If he couldn’t come on June 12, there ought to have been a reason. I remember few days before June 12, General Abdulsalam Abubakar met the president at the lesser hajj. I am sure he must have explained why he might not be able to come.
The ones that mattered were just presidents under democracy and we have just two of them living. One is the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua. So, we have Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan. President Buhari is the fourth under democracy.
As the president’s spokesperson, you don’t see that as a slight on your principal?
No, it was not a slight, because they must have had their reasons for not being around. I didn’t have any negative reason. They must have their reasons. Yes, we understand with one who wouldn’t show up, because he used to consider himself the landlord of Nigeria, now the keys of the house have been taken away from him. You know him. For the others, they must have their reasons. And that didn’t detract from the celebration in any way. June 12 celebration was splendid; it was successful. It was still colourful. It’s like a saying: ‘The Oyingbo market does not know anybody has not come.’
Who could this landlord you referenced be? Could it be former President Obasanjo?
If you say he is, then, he is.
Moving on to the National Assembly, the president and the APC had their way with the election of the principal officers. Their anointed candidates won. How do you feel?
Judging from the experiences of the past four years in which the leadership of the legislature was like champions of the opposition, you can’t but applaud what happened. You saw that the leadership of the legislature then got in through artifice and trickery. Eventually, they became opposition to the government; slowed everything down, and then, they defected. It was really a bad example of something to happen in a democracy. Now that the president showed his preference for some candidates, and those candidates are now in office, it is not going to be a rubber-stamp relationship. There will still be separation of power; but there will be mutual respect and collaborations.
The opposition insists that the APC members were coerced into affirming the principal officers, as it were. Weren’t they?
They are the opposition; you won’t expect them to carry a flag in your support. Because they are opposition, they will always look for negative things to say.
Do you think that the pronouncement by the APC national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, that APC would not share any office with the opposition is democratic?
From the nature of the voting, you would have seen that it was a bi-partisan thing. The figures recorded couldn’t have been recorded without the other parties voting APC members. Democracy is give and take. It depends on the agreement they had struck.
The party chairman is one person; he would have his opinion. But then, the final position would come from pronouncement by National Executive Committee (NEC) or the National Working Committee (NWC).
Transcript of Fashola’s ministerial screening
https://drive.google.com/file/d/142s08ebtM-Lh-fhgFFu284jY9Zg4X-Jn/view?usp=drivesdk
This is a transcript of what transpired at the senate. The document can be accessed on google drive
Tuesday 6 August 2019
Sowore: A diagnosis
DIAGNOSIS
I think I know part of the source of Sowore's problem. It's his lawyer.
Being radical can sometimes be a problem; it blinds us from reason and distorts facts. Femi Falana spoke at a function and talked about the current obstacle before his client Sowore. He said the SSS allowed Sowore to call him and he asked his client if the SSS were going to charge him for treason. Falana suggested that the government would be foolish to pose a treason charge because Sowore had committed no crime.
Falana went ahead to say that he only had to call PMB as his witness since he called for a revolution in 2011 following the success of the Egyptian revolution in dethroning Hosni Mubarak. His claim was that Buhari endorsed and was advocating for what happened in Egypt.
Here's the problem. Falana may just be acting the lawyer in court to win an argument but the truth is that the statement he is banking on will guarantee his loss. He completely ignored the context; this may be deliberate or otherwise.
With respect to Egypt, Mubarak had been President in Egypt for 30 years in what can be said to be a quasidemocracy. He emerged through 5 elections during that time; the first four 'elections' had him as the sole candidate while the last one had two others and he still got almost 90% of the vote count. The people eventually revolted and stood their ground because his son was posturing to inherit the kingdom. This led to Mubarak stepping down and his son giving up his ambition.
Buhari following the 2011 event commended the people of Egypt for being resolute and he also praised the Egyptian forces for not turning on the people. That statement which was delivered by Odumakin had it clearly stated that even though PMB urged Nigerians to learn from the Egyptian revolution, he admonished the people to carry out theirs through the ballot box and not by upstaging the incumbent like it happened in the Nile nation. This part is what pro-Sowore folks cleverly leave out when they cite that document.
One fellow on a Facebook thread where the video of Falana's remark was being lauded went ahead to post the photograph of a Punch newspaper story which was captioned "Tinubu calls for revolution." He wrote that Tinubu would be the next witness after Buhari. Why many Nigerians fail to read beyond headlines is something worth investigating. The story had it in black and white that Tinubu's call was for a "Common sense revolution." He urged the people to return to decency, probity, transparency and fairness but some Nigerians don't want to know.
They keep arguing that Sowore only meant peaceful protests but no one can say that what he meant was revolution through the ballot box or a common sense revolution. He used terms like self-immolation, sacrifice and 'unbelievable amount of sudden change.' He talked about not being afraid of death; should anyone on a peaceful protest be afraid of dying? Let's assume he gets charged for treason which I don't think is necessary; will he not have to explain the boast by one of his lieutenants to the SSS that the agency would cease to exist on Tuesday (i.e. August 6) because of the revolution?
Some funny people have used this time to resume their campaign for Goodluck Jonathan, telling Nigerians how tolerant he was of opposition during his time. They readily point to the APC's November 2014 protest against the PDP led government as a pointer to Buhari's hypocrisy https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/buhari-amaechi-others-protest-rally-fg/amp/. They forget that politics was in full swing then. They also forget that the PDP in the build-up to the 2019 borrowed from the APC 2015 playbook. The defected like some did in 2014/ 2015 to weaken the ruling party and they also had their own protest rally to INEC on account of the Osun election and the subsequent elections https://youtu.be/k9jASR4BXBM . Did Buhari stop them from protesting? Some people will say anything to hang a canine.
Will Sowore because of the hepatic enlargement caused by his lawyer stand his ground instead of yielding because he wouldn't want to appear to have compromised before his followers? Eedris Abdukareem, Dede Mabiaku at al will not last on this potential marathon with him. Eedris already warned Area Fada not to show face; they could have benefited from his syncope special powers. Adeyanju is cheering from the rooftop, he has a positive history of prolonged haricot exposure that he won't want to relive. Dino Melaye has no script or soundtrack for this episode of gbòròmirò; Yele dragged him on top ABU certificate so Dino is probably praying for Buhari to punish him on his behalf. Dino is focused on being governor, he built a church in memory of his mother and has been in the spirit dropping scriptures on Twitter. I'm certain he has no time for revolutions that will lead to ordinary Nigerians looting his car dealership. Ben10 Murray-Bruce is occupied with electric cars and dual citizenships for his kin; Yele will be a distraction especially when they are trying to get their back-end server working. Falana will quote sections on his behalf and his son Falz will release a revolution track. At the end of the day, nothing will happen; Yele, Fela, Oby and co will meet to form him from again in 2022 but it will be too late.
I think I know part of the source of Sowore's problem. It's his lawyer.
Being radical can sometimes be a problem; it blinds us from reason and distorts facts. Femi Falana spoke at a function and talked about the current obstacle before his client Sowore. He said the SSS allowed Sowore to call him and he asked his client if the SSS were going to charge him for treason. Falana suggested that the government would be foolish to pose a treason charge because Sowore had committed no crime.
Falana went ahead to say that he only had to call PMB as his witness since he called for a revolution in 2011 following the success of the Egyptian revolution in dethroning Hosni Mubarak. His claim was that Buhari endorsed and was advocating for what happened in Egypt.
Here's the problem. Falana may just be acting the lawyer in court to win an argument but the truth is that the statement he is banking on will guarantee his loss. He completely ignored the context; this may be deliberate or otherwise.
With respect to Egypt, Mubarak had been President in Egypt for 30 years in what can be said to be a quasidemocracy. He emerged through 5 elections during that time; the first four 'elections' had him as the sole candidate while the last one had two others and he still got almost 90% of the vote count. The people eventually revolted and stood their ground because his son was posturing to inherit the kingdom. This led to Mubarak stepping down and his son giving up his ambition.
Buhari following the 2011 event commended the people of Egypt for being resolute and he also praised the Egyptian forces for not turning on the people. That statement which was delivered by Odumakin had it clearly stated that even though PMB urged Nigerians to learn from the Egyptian revolution, he admonished the people to carry out theirs through the ballot box and not by upstaging the incumbent like it happened in the Nile nation. This part is what pro-Sowore folks cleverly leave out when they cite that document.
One fellow on a Facebook thread where the video of Falana's remark was being lauded went ahead to post the photograph of a Punch newspaper story which was captioned "Tinubu calls for revolution." He wrote that Tinubu would be the next witness after Buhari. Why many Nigerians fail to read beyond headlines is something worth investigating. The story had it in black and white that Tinubu's call was for a "Common sense revolution." He urged the people to return to decency, probity, transparency and fairness but some Nigerians don't want to know.
They keep arguing that Sowore only meant peaceful protests but no one can say that what he meant was revolution through the ballot box or a common sense revolution. He used terms like self-immolation, sacrifice and 'unbelievable amount of sudden change.' He talked about not being afraid of death; should anyone on a peaceful protest be afraid of dying? Let's assume he gets charged for treason which I don't think is necessary; will he not have to explain the boast by one of his lieutenants to the SSS that the agency would cease to exist on Tuesday (i.e. August 6) because of the revolution?
Some funny people have used this time to resume their campaign for Goodluck Jonathan, telling Nigerians how tolerant he was of opposition during his time. They readily point to the APC's November 2014 protest against the PDP led government as a pointer to Buhari's hypocrisy https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/buhari-amaechi-others-protest-rally-fg/amp/. They forget that politics was in full swing then. They also forget that the PDP in the build-up to the 2019 borrowed from the APC 2015 playbook. The defected like some did in 2014/ 2015 to weaken the ruling party and they also had their own protest rally to INEC on account of the Osun election and the subsequent elections https://youtu.be/k9jASR4BXBM . Did Buhari stop them from protesting? Some people will say anything to hang a canine.
Will Sowore because of the hepatic enlargement caused by his lawyer stand his ground instead of yielding because he wouldn't want to appear to have compromised before his followers? Eedris Abdukareem, Dede Mabiaku at al will not last on this potential marathon with him. Eedris already warned Area Fada not to show face; they could have benefited from his syncope special powers. Adeyanju is cheering from the rooftop, he has a positive history of prolonged haricot exposure that he won't want to relive. Dino Melaye has no script or soundtrack for this episode of gbòròmirò; Yele dragged him on top ABU certificate so Dino is probably praying for Buhari to punish him on his behalf. Dino is focused on being governor, he built a church in memory of his mother and has been in the spirit dropping scriptures on Twitter. I'm certain he has no time for revolutions that will lead to ordinary Nigerians looting his car dealership. Ben10 Murray-Bruce is occupied with electric cars and dual citizenships for his kin; Yele will be a distraction especially when they are trying to get their back-end server working. Falana will quote sections on his behalf and his son Falz will release a revolution track. At the end of the day, nothing will happen; Yele, Fela, Oby and co will meet to form him from again in 2022 but it will be too late.
Saturday 3 August 2019
Do you want a Revolution?
Do you want a REVOLUTION?!!!
One thing I like about 2019 Nigeria is that the masks are off.
The stars have aligned in our milky way and we see clearly now those who have been pretending and those who outrightly lack substance.
Someone woke up one day, dusted his student unionism and activism resume and went to meet a vanishing rabbi.
Our olóyìnbó rabbi at one time asked his acolytes to burn down the country so that they could excise their inheritance. He took his jargon to Amelika and was demanding money from his audience to buy arms and ammunition to embark on killing sprees in Central Sudan.
Rabbi was full of anointing and returned to the country only to get picked up. After plenty tantrums in court, one man did surety for him and he vanished into thin air. Some very brilliant Nigerians said with certainty that rabbi had been martyred while others said he was confined to a vessel on the high sea. Months later, rabbi showed up like deacon Stephen in Jerusalem.
Back to our hactivist and his meeting with the established secessionist. They claimed to have found common ground and were in the same boat to save Nigeria. They shook hands and got baptised under the same anointing.
Hactivist returned home full of power and got the shigidi-migidi crooner on his side. He declared it was time for a revolution and some Nigerians thought it was a remix of Kirk Franklin's 2000 hit song. They talked loosely about revolutions in other nations and cited the fellow in China who stood in front of an armoured tank. They then talked about how revolution took off in North Africa; how a man set himself alight and forced a government change in his country.
Yele and his shigidi clearly talked about overthrowing a government through a revolution they hope to force. They declared "days of rage" and the last time I checked, rage refers to violent, uncontrollable anger and could also mean temper, fury or rampage. Uncontrollable anger can lead to anything except we want to deceive ourselves.
Mr Sowore clearly declared his manifesto and decided to kick off his campaign by spraying paint and defacing some structures somewhere in Ikeja. His goons have been blasting their horns and certain Ipobians and IMNites have been urging him on online.
So the state security service picked him up and I understand he allegedly declared that the SSS would go into extinction or something like that.
Some have said the move to apprehend him is an error while a few have theorized that part of his plan was always to force an arrest. When the police stayed far away from advancing IMN protesters in Abuja during the past few weeks, some individuals abused the government for treating them (IMN) mildly and failing to sanction serpent dances. They opined that the IMN protesters were peaceful suggesting that the cop and the young reporter who died were killed by friendly fire.
Those who lost out in the last elections and their supporters have now become advocates for protesters and revolutionists. They have probably seen how the back end server strategy currently playing out in court is falling apart so they have all decided to bare their knuckles. Some closet sympathizers have also started confessing and manifesting like the witches in kòtò Òrun. They are all speaking with one voice now which I love. The most amazing ones are those who have tried to explain how Sowore's hideous orange beret revolution actually means "Peaceful Protest." How now?
Let's assume the planned gathering takes off as planned and IMNites and IPOBians decide to hijack it to assault policemen and a chain reaction is set off. Let us assume a popular individual gets maimed or killed in any ensuing mayhem; who will be blamed? Do we think the events we like to cite in North Africa and parts of the Middle East as recent examples of revolutions were characterized by balloons and ribbons? Someone talked about self-immolation triggering a revolution and you are talking about bloodless revolution? Have you checked your vital signs recently?
2021 will be here soon and these people will gather again and expect to be gifted the reigns of governance. The chief example they ought to study they despise and treat with disdain. One man ran in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and was declared loser. He went to court to challenge results even when he had little hope and when they accused him of promoting post-election violence. Baba eventually went full political in 2015 and joined forces with the real person wey sabi road. He was declared winner and elected. To form an ordinary PACT composed of political featherweights in 2019 they couldn't form. Some went into early retirement after only one attempt while some returned to reign over their social media empires. A few are scamming their way through and some are lobbying. Some are determined to get buried with a certain backend server and some are still waiting to get paid.
We will all be fine and live happily ever after.
One thing I like about 2019 Nigeria is that the masks are off.
The stars have aligned in our milky way and we see clearly now those who have been pretending and those who outrightly lack substance.
Someone woke up one day, dusted his student unionism and activism resume and went to meet a vanishing rabbi.
Our olóyìnbó rabbi at one time asked his acolytes to burn down the country so that they could excise their inheritance. He took his jargon to Amelika and was demanding money from his audience to buy arms and ammunition to embark on killing sprees in Central Sudan.
Rabbi was full of anointing and returned to the country only to get picked up. After plenty tantrums in court, one man did surety for him and he vanished into thin air. Some very brilliant Nigerians said with certainty that rabbi had been martyred while others said he was confined to a vessel on the high sea. Months later, rabbi showed up like deacon Stephen in Jerusalem.
Back to our hactivist and his meeting with the established secessionist. They claimed to have found common ground and were in the same boat to save Nigeria. They shook hands and got baptised under the same anointing.
Hactivist returned home full of power and got the shigidi-migidi crooner on his side. He declared it was time for a revolution and some Nigerians thought it was a remix of Kirk Franklin's 2000 hit song. They talked loosely about revolutions in other nations and cited the fellow in China who stood in front of an armoured tank. They then talked about how revolution took off in North Africa; how a man set himself alight and forced a government change in his country.
Yele and his shigidi clearly talked about overthrowing a government through a revolution they hope to force. They declared "days of rage" and the last time I checked, rage refers to violent, uncontrollable anger and could also mean temper, fury or rampage. Uncontrollable anger can lead to anything except we want to deceive ourselves.
Mr Sowore clearly declared his manifesto and decided to kick off his campaign by spraying paint and defacing some structures somewhere in Ikeja. His goons have been blasting their horns and certain Ipobians and IMNites have been urging him on online.
So the state security service picked him up and I understand he allegedly declared that the SSS would go into extinction or something like that.
Some have said the move to apprehend him is an error while a few have theorized that part of his plan was always to force an arrest. When the police stayed far away from advancing IMN protesters in Abuja during the past few weeks, some individuals abused the government for treating them (IMN) mildly and failing to sanction serpent dances. They opined that the IMN protesters were peaceful suggesting that the cop and the young reporter who died were killed by friendly fire.
Those who lost out in the last elections and their supporters have now become advocates for protesters and revolutionists. They have probably seen how the back end server strategy currently playing out in court is falling apart so they have all decided to bare their knuckles. Some closet sympathizers have also started confessing and manifesting like the witches in kòtò Òrun. They are all speaking with one voice now which I love. The most amazing ones are those who have tried to explain how Sowore's hideous orange beret revolution actually means "Peaceful Protest." How now?
Let's assume the planned gathering takes off as planned and IMNites and IPOBians decide to hijack it to assault policemen and a chain reaction is set off. Let us assume a popular individual gets maimed or killed in any ensuing mayhem; who will be blamed? Do we think the events we like to cite in North Africa and parts of the Middle East as recent examples of revolutions were characterized by balloons and ribbons? Someone talked about self-immolation triggering a revolution and you are talking about bloodless revolution? Have you checked your vital signs recently?
2021 will be here soon and these people will gather again and expect to be gifted the reigns of governance. The chief example they ought to study they despise and treat with disdain. One man ran in 2003, 2007 and 2011 and was declared loser. He went to court to challenge results even when he had little hope and when they accused him of promoting post-election violence. Baba eventually went full political in 2015 and joined forces with the real person wey sabi road. He was declared winner and elected. To form an ordinary PACT composed of political featherweights in 2019 they couldn't form. Some went into early retirement after only one attempt while some returned to reign over their social media empires. A few are scamming their way through and some are lobbying. Some are determined to get buried with a certain backend server and some are still waiting to get paid.
We will all be fine and live happily ever after.
Old news: Nigerian jailed 90 years in US for fathering six children with own daughters
Odd Odd event. The height of wickedness and madness.
An award-winning Nigerian music director, Aswad Ayinde, found guilty of fathering children with his daughters will spend the rest of his life in jail.
According to Mail Online, Ayinde, 55, of Paterson, New Jersey, United States, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty in the second of five expected trials in which he is accused of repeatedly raping his six daughters, resulting in six children being fathered.
Mr. Ayinde was found guilty in his latest trial of having intercourse with a daughters when she was as young as eight-years-old. The second sentence adds to the 40 year sentence Mr Ayinde received in a 2011 trial for sexually assaulting a separate daughter.
Mr. Ayinde is known for directing the music video for the Fugees 1996 smash hit “Killing Me Softly.”
In a disturbing disclosure during his first trial, Mr. Ayinde’s former wife said he was trying to create a “pure family bloodline” by impregnating his daughters. He even claimed during a pre-trial hearing before the first trial that “the world was going to end, and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen.”
In this latest trial, it was revealed that Mr. Ayinde began having intercourse with his second daughter from the time she eight-years-old, impregnating her four times.
The sexual assaults happened for almost 30 years until Mr. Ayinde and his wife separated, officials said. They occurred in numerous homes across northern New Jersey, even while the family was under watch of state child welfare officials, according to NBC New York. Some of the rapes even took place in an abandoned funeral home.
The family moving as far away as Florida to avoid investigation after case workers removed multiple children from the Ayinde household in 2000, resulting in Mr. Ayinde being arrested for kidnapping for trying to take them from state custody in a medical center, NBC New York reported.
He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and received a year’s probation – as he continued raping one daughter for at least another two years, according to officials.
The depraved father also beat and starved the girls using wooden boards and steel-toed boots for even “minor transgressions,” Ayinde’s wife testified at the first trial.
Some of the children Ayinde fathered with his daughters were born in the home, with at least two babies who died in the home having been buried without notifying authorities or obtaining birth certificates, NBC New York reported.
Ayinde’s tortured daughters were home schooled and isolated from other children, so as to keep the family secrets hidden, the station added.
With his wife too afraid to confront him, Mr. Ayinde carried out his evil plan without hindrance even while directing the music video for the Fugees 1996 breakout hit ‘Killing Me Softly, for which he won ‘Best R&B Video’ at the 1996 MTV Music Video Awards. The Fugees are also originally from Northern New Jersey.
Source: Tribune
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REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS PERSONS OR ACTIVITIES TO THE AUTHORITIES
Copied from Princess Augusta Oghogho Aguinede wall
An award-winning Nigerian music director, Aswad Ayinde, found guilty of fathering children with his daughters will spend the rest of his life in jail.
According to Mail Online, Ayinde, 55, of Paterson, New Jersey, United States, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Friday after being found guilty in the second of five expected trials in which he is accused of repeatedly raping his six daughters, resulting in six children being fathered.
Mr. Ayinde was found guilty in his latest trial of having intercourse with a daughters when she was as young as eight-years-old. The second sentence adds to the 40 year sentence Mr Ayinde received in a 2011 trial for sexually assaulting a separate daughter.
Mr. Ayinde is known for directing the music video for the Fugees 1996 smash hit “Killing Me Softly.”
In a disturbing disclosure during his first trial, Mr. Ayinde’s former wife said he was trying to create a “pure family bloodline” by impregnating his daughters. He even claimed during a pre-trial hearing before the first trial that “the world was going to end, and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen.”
In this latest trial, it was revealed that Mr. Ayinde began having intercourse with his second daughter from the time she eight-years-old, impregnating her four times.
The sexual assaults happened for almost 30 years until Mr. Ayinde and his wife separated, officials said. They occurred in numerous homes across northern New Jersey, even while the family was under watch of state child welfare officials, according to NBC New York. Some of the rapes even took place in an abandoned funeral home.
The family moving as far away as Florida to avoid investigation after case workers removed multiple children from the Ayinde household in 2000, resulting in Mr. Ayinde being arrested for kidnapping for trying to take them from state custody in a medical center, NBC New York reported.
He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and received a year’s probation – as he continued raping one daughter for at least another two years, according to officials.
The depraved father also beat and starved the girls using wooden boards and steel-toed boots for even “minor transgressions,” Ayinde’s wife testified at the first trial.
Some of the children Ayinde fathered with his daughters were born in the home, with at least two babies who died in the home having been buried without notifying authorities or obtaining birth certificates, NBC New York reported.
Ayinde’s tortured daughters were home schooled and isolated from other children, so as to keep the family secrets hidden, the station added.
With his wife too afraid to confront him, Mr. Ayinde carried out his evil plan without hindrance even while directing the music video for the Fugees 1996 breakout hit ‘Killing Me Softly, for which he won ‘Best R&B Video’ at the 1996 MTV Music Video Awards. The Fugees are also originally from Northern New Jersey.
Source: Tribune
Feel free to Share this Post
Follow LMN on twitter: @loudmouth9geria
Ping LMN on BB: 296C21A4
--------------------------------------------------------------
REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS PERSONS OR ACTIVITIES TO THE AUTHORITIES
Copied from Princess Augusta Oghogho Aguinede wall
Prostitute murders her two daughters
Excerpts: Dailymail
A prostitute who murdered her two young children told her own mother that her youngest daughter 'will be next' after she suffocated the first girl.
Louise Porton, 23, of Rugby, Warwickshire, killed three-year-old Lexi Draper in January 2018.
Eighteen days later she strangled her youngest Scarlett Vaughan as the girls had 'got in the way' of her life as a sex worker.
Porton was jailed for life with a minimum term of 32 years yesterday.
Her own mother Sharon has branded Porton a 'monster' and revealed she was 'planning' to kill her youngest child, reports the Sun.
Sharon said: 'After Lexi died Louise said Scarlett will be next. It was threatening. She was already planning what she would do.'
Earlier this week Porton's mother Sharon condemned her daughter, who was heard 'laughing' at a funeral parlour two days before Scarlett's death, for being a 'monster'.
Devastated grandmother Sharon said she would never forgive 'evil' daughter Porton and also hit out at social services for missing 'clear warning signs'.
Sharon said: 'Something snapped in her head. She became a monster, my wonderful little girl changed.
She’s not the happy loving girl I brought up. I no longer consider her my daughter.'
Sharon also blasted social services who failed to take up warnings from 'mulitple people', questioning why there has yet to be an inquiry into the failings.
Text messages sent by the mother also revealed that on February 1 2018, the same date that she killed Scarlett, she was trying to get money out of a man called Patrick so she could take the toddler to the hospital.
Messages shared by the Mirror show that at 21.22 Porton wrote: 'Any chance of putting 30 in my bank now for fuel to get my daughter scarlett to the hospital I will transfer it bak wednesday x'
She then sent seven more WhatsApp messages in just over a minute saying the little girl 'was not well' and saying that she was 'not loosin another baby.'
At 21.24 a man called Patrick responded to the flurry of worrying texts telling Porton to 'call the ambulance don't waste any time hun xx'
It has also emerged that Porton attempted to sell her daughters' brightly coloured clothing in the months after she killed them.
Porton posted a picture of several bin bags on the 'Swap/sell/buy things in Rugby' Facebook page, selling them for £20 and saying: 'Can deliver'.
She said the bags contained clothes for girls aged 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months, reported the Mirror.
The mother-of-two also posted a tribute to her daughters on Facebook eight months after the two little girls were killed.
Alongside heart and a padlock emoji she wrote: 'Mommy's angels taken from me too soon. You will never be forgotten. RIP.'
And days after her arrest last year she made another post on the social networking site using the hashtags 'Smile' and 'f**kthehaters as she changed her profile picture.
Porton, a part-time model, who offered men she met online nude photographs or sex for cash, had tried to kill Lexi twice before succeeding in January 2018.
After the second attempt, she dialled 999 to report the child having a fit but paramedics arrived to find Lexi in a 'deep state of unconsciousness'.
During that hospital admission, jurors in the four-week trial heard Porton sent one man a topless photo from a bathroom and agreed to participate in sex acts during a photoshoot if the photographer paid cash into her bank account.
Prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC said during the same period, the mother also passed her number to a hospital security guard and went on to exchange 87 messages with him.
Judge Mrs Justice Yip told Porton at Birmingham Crown Court today: 'One way or another you squeezed the life out of your daughters. Why you did so only you know.
Your actions have devastated so many lives. Lexi and Scarlett had so much to offer to their wider family but you took all of that away.'
The girls' father Chris Draper, 25, who never had the chance to meet Scarlett, said he was 'broken' after the deaths of the children who were 'an inconvenience' to Porton.
He added in a statement read on his behalf that his girls had been 'let down by the system', and his only comfort was 'that both Lexi and Scarlett are together now'.
Porton, sat in the dock throughout the sentencing hearing looking at her feet with her head resting on her hands, did not react to Mr Draper's statement.
Twitter thread: How did Nigeria get her name?
If this thread is anything to go by, my education might be a waste. It means we are constantly lied to. True history has to be introduced to Nigerian schools.
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