THE RESTORATION OF BIAFRA NATION

A few days ago the United States of America placed Nigeria on a Special Watch List (SWL) of countries that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom”. In his official reaction the Honorable Minister of Information of Nigeria, Mr. Lai Mohammed said, inter alia, that “The United States have been misled by propaganda” and that the Americans were “sowing seeds of religious mistrust in Nigeria”. If there was ever a misplaced, misguided, inelegant, impolite, inappropriate, unacceptable and wholly irresponsible response to a very serious issue from a senior Government official this is it. And in his characteristic manner Lai Mohammed has once again outdone himself with his dirty and habitual lies. This is the same repugnant and ugly little creature that told us in 2014 that banning Boko Haram and labelling them terrorists was “unfair and unjust”. It is the same goat that once bleated to the nation that he had “never told a lie before” in his entire life....

Once a dictator, as a military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari sought democratic power, preaching change; and we embraced him, believing that nothing could be worse than the regime of Goodluck Jonathan. But we are finding out the hard way: the obvious change the Nigerian people have seen since Buhari came back to power is a change to a “next level” of dictatorship that is wildly uncouth and acutely primitive to relate to the genius of changing times and its digital age. Buhari’s freefall, or rather his renewed dictatorship, is traced squarely to the time he disavowed his oath of office by deploying the worst form of political vendetta against the Eastern Nigeria for the simple reason that the people voted en masse for their native son in 2015 elections, similar to the electoral gesture accorded to Buhari himself by his native North in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019 electoral cycles. This apparent warpath heightened a call for secession and the tacit support given by the East to...

Chief Samuel Ewoh Nnaji is the father of the late Nnameka Nnaji, who was shot dead by suspected kidnappers in military uniform at Gwagwalada along Lokoja-Abuja Road. He tells RAPHAEL EDE how the death of his son has devastated the family How did you hear about the death of your son, Nnameka Nnaji?  My son was killed on December 8, 2019, very close to Gwagwalada, along with many others. I received the sad news on the morning of Monday, December 9, 2019. My son was returning to Abuja from the burial of a friend he attended in Imo State. He was also in Anambra State. On his way to Abuja, some guys wearing army uniforms opened fire on commuters along Lokoja–Abuja Road near Gwagwalada. Unfortunately, he was one of those killed. I didn’t hear the news of the incident on radio or read about it in the newspapers. There have been cases of such horrific and gruesome murder of Nigerians by bandits said to be herdsmen at the nation’s capital. The type of government we have now does...

The Nigerian Christian Graduate Fellowship (NCGF) has condemned the statement by the Sultan of Sokoto wherein he was quoted to have said that “It is a lie to say Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria.” Recall that the Christian Association of Nigeria had recently backed the inclusion of Nigeria in United States’ list of nations where religious intolerance was going on. A statement on Friday by Prof. Charles Adisa, National President and Mr Onyenachi Nwaegeruo, General Secretary, described the Sultan’s reaction as well as the attack on CAN as unfortunate. The statement also noted that the Christian leadership simply expressed its support to the international community as they have realised what many Nigerians have often lamented about, especially concerning Islamic fundamentalism, government tacit support of it and its effect on Christian faith. NCGF said: “The Sultan should have addressed the subject matter of the international opprobrium which Boko Har...

The convener of Concerned Nigerians, and human rights activist, Prince Deji Adeyanju, has on Tuesday apologized to the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu over the statement he made against him. Recall that Kanu's mission was to achieve a sovereign state for the Igbo. But his struggle, mission and vision was cut short by the current administration that later accused him of committing treasonable felony. Kanu was lacerated in Prison and was later bailed, despite the stringent conditions of his bail. In 2017, the IPOB leader accused the Nigerian soldiers of invading his home town in Abia with the view of killing him. Mazi Kanu made his way outside the country and since then has been filling reports and issuing statements against the Nigerian government. He accused Buhari's administration of marginalizing the Igbo, violating human rights and disobeying court order. However, having escaped to another country for refuge, Deji ...

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun Command, on Wednesday, confirmed the crash of a tanker laden with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) around RCCG Car Park C, near Mowe, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Mr Clement Oladele, Ogun Sector Commander of FRSC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun, that the accident happened at about 4.48 am. Oladele explained that the tanker, with registration number LFA 106 ZX, laden with petroleum product, lost control due to speeding around RCCG Car Park C, near Mowe and crashed into the road barriers on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. He said that two males were involved in the accident, adding however that no life was lost and that nobody sustained injury. The FRSC boss said explained that the development had created serious traffic gridlocks on both sections of the expressway. “The FRSC is managing the situation and has contacted the fire service and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc’s emergency team to commence trans...

Shehu Sani, former Kaduna Central Senator, has described the immediate order by the Federal Government for the release of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki and convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, as a “welcome development.’’ In a statement released on Tuesday, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, ordered the release of Dasuki and convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore. This is coming few weeks after Malami took over the case of Sowore from DSS. The decision to release Sowore and his co-accused was in compliance with the bail granted the two by the court. Dasuki’s lawyer in a terse statement, also commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the AGF for the decision. But, Sani in his reaction, called on Buhari government to extend its decision to other Nigerians in detention. On his Twitter page, Sani wrote: “Freedom for Dasuki and Sowore in compliance with the Court orders is a welcom...

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), says he will uphold the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in pursuing the policies of his regime “whether you call me  Baba Go Slow  or not”. Buhari stated this when he received residents of the Federal Capital Territory led by the Minister, Muhammad Bello, during the traditional Christmas Day homage at The presidential Villa, Abuja. Before receiving the FCT residents, he had earlier on Wednesday with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. The VP had presented Christmas gifts, including a card to his boss. Buhari said his administration would focus on the provision of infrastructure, especially roads, power and railway transport, notwithstanding any criticisms it had faced. According to him,  Nigerians will not care about who is the President or in government so long as they have good infrastructure. The  President said, ‘‘This administration sincerely believes that if you get infrastructure right, most Niger...

Nigerians have criticised Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, over his claim that the current administration has not detained any journalist nor seized copies of newspapers since it assumed office. Mr Shehu made this    on his official Facebook page on Wednesday’s reaction to the release of Omoyele Sowore, publisher of  Sahara Reporters . He said “some international news outlets have mistakenly been describing Mr Sowore’s release as that of a journalist which is wrong.” “For the avoidance of doubt, the Buhari administration has never, since coming into office in 2015, detained a journalist, seized copies of newspapers or shut down a medium of information.” “Sowore called for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria. He did so on television, and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely read digital newspaper run from the United States of America.” “He founded an organisation, Revolution N...

Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has claimed that four people fought from within President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, to ensure the release of Omoyele Sowore, convener of RevolutionNow Movement, and Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA). Writing on his verified Twitter page, Fani-Kayode listed them as Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari; Ekiti state Governor, Kayode Fayemi; the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami and Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika. “I can tell you authoritatively that 4 people fought from within to get Dasuki & Sowore released and eventually managed to convince Buhari. “They are Abba Kyari, Malami, Hadi Sirika and Kayode Fayemi. They represent the liberal and cerebal wing of the Buhari Govt. And I commend them,” he tweeted. Sowore and Dasuki were both released from the Department of State Services custody on Tuesday, December 24. Sowore was arrested on August 3 over a nationwide pr...

Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike has accused his Bayelsa counterpart Seriake Dickson of planning to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) to avoid arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption at the end of his tenure. “Dickson concluded plans to join the APC…(and) colluded with these people so that EFCC will not arrest him when he leaves Government,” Wike said in a statement by his media aide Simeon Nwakaudu. Both governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) but have been at loggerheads since the party lost the Bayelsa State governorship election to the APC in November. The feud between both governors got heightened after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja ruled that  Rivers State owns the contested Soku Oil Wells/Fields  between Rivers State and Bayelsa State. Dickson accused Wike of “merely using the disputed oil wells between the two sister states as a mere subterfuge to create disunity and ethnic disharmony in Ijaw lan...