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"Without justice, what else is the State but a great band of robbers"~~St Augustine 

The reaction of Nigerians to Saturday's shooting of yet to be ascertained number of members of Shiite Islamic sect at Zuba bridge, Abuja, by the Nigerian army has conclusively exposed the fact that reasonable number of Nigerians have very low sense of Civic consciousness in addition to knowing absolutely nothing on how security forces ought to operate and relate with civilians in a civilized society.

Of course, I blame them not, considering that we live in Nigeria, a country where the President and Commander-In-Chief and all his security Chiefs take turn justifying and explaining away the routine massacre of hundreds of tax paying citizens by Fulani militia  operating under the umbrella of a group, Miyetti Allah, which has no other person but the same President and Commander-In-Chief as Chief Patron. Living in such a country has a way of making one begin to see state violence as the norm and human life as nothing.

But first, let's get the issue very clearly:

According to the Nigerian Army, the Shiites smashed their vehicles' windscreens and windows, injured two soldiers and tried to cart away the "ammunition and missiles" they were transporting simply because they (the soldiers) tried to dismantle the roadblock they mounted while on procession. This is the summary of the official statement by the Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Major General James Myam.

Before we analyze this, permit me to take us back to 2015 killing of hundreds of the same Shiites by the same army. Then, their excuse was that the Shiites blocked the convoy of the Army Chief, Lt General Tukur Yusuf Buratai. Meanwhile, evidence showed that the same Army, even after killing hundreds of stick-wielding Shiites, supposedly to create a passage for the Army Chief, went to the home of the Shiites leader, Sheik Ibraheem Alzakzakky, and was caught on video shooting people including women and children. If we all pretend to be Savages by justifying the killing of hundreds of civilians by a National Army, just to create a passage for an army Chief, how do we explain the same Army going to another location to kill more of the same people??

The people killed at Alzakzakky's house, were they also blocking the Army convoy???

Testifying before a Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to look into the December 12, 2015 massacre, the Secretary to the Governor Nasir Elrufai headed government of Kaduna state, Mr. Balarabe Lawal, admitted that the state government and the Nigerian Army buried 347 of the killed Shiites IN A MASS GRAVE.  In other words, they didn't allow families of their victims to take the bodies of their loved ones and afford them a decent burial in accordance with their religious belief.

Now, the same Army has killed the same people with the excuse that they attacked them with stones. And with no shame whatsoever, some Nigerians including those who have always condemned Israeli soldiers for responding to stone-throwing Palestinians with live bullets are defending their own army responding to the same stone with bullets.

Even the claim by the army that they were transporting weapons when they ran into the Shiites appears to be as weightless as their claim that they were at Nnamdi Kanu's compound last year, not to attack him but to do "SHOW OF FORCE".  These are illiterate excuses. You don't do Show Of Force in a locality populated by your own unarmed citizens. You do "Show Of Force" to codedly warn enemy countries to respect themselves and you do this by displaying your military might.

If the army could be dumb enough to load sensitive weapons (ammunition and missiles) and start moving them from place to place WITHOUT getting intelligence about the traffic situation of the route they intend to ply, it simply means we have a bunch of Morons heading the Nigerian army. And if they knew the Shiites were doing procession there and still chose to take that route, instead of getting the police to disperse the Islamic sect, that is premeditated murder. If we say the Nigerian Police cannot disperse unarmed stone/stick-wielding group, then we are simply saying we don't have a police force.

Let us get this one point very clear, SOLDIERS HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING OUTSIDE THEIR BARRACKS FULLY ARMED AND IN COMBAT MODE EXCEPT THEY ARE GOING FOR OPERATION WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE GOING TO DISPERSE A BUNCH OF RIOTOUS RELIGIOUS CROWD ON PROCESSION. The business of the army is the protection of the territorial integrity of the country. Soldiers are permitted to engage civilians only when Police and other law enforcement such as Civil Defence have conclusively failed to contain the situation and it must be in cases where the riotous assembly is populated by people who are ARMED with gun, not stick or stone.

Soldiers are trained to understand only  "Open fire" and "Ceasefire". You don't send soldiers against stone or stick-wielding citizens. You send the Police who are trained and equipped with tear gas, rubber bullet, water canisters etc.

The militarization of the civic spaces is itself a moral crime against the citizens. It speaks to a worrisome level of 'anyhow ness' and a clear intent to massacre tax paying citizens who the government exists solely to serve and protect.

ANY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OR ARMY CHIEF WHO SEND IN SOLDIERS TO CONFRONT UNARMED CIVILIANS HAS ONLY ONE THING IN MIND AND THAT IS THE MASSACRE OF THE SAID CIVILIAN CITIZENS. There is no "but", there is no "IF" here. In any confrontation between the Citizens and the government, the responsibility of applying restraints rests more with the government. We owe it to ourselves to stop diplomatizing and rationalizing needless state violence especially by a government that has repeatedly been found wanting in cases like ethnic cleansing by Fulani militias where that state violence are desperately needed.

It is important that we all remind ourselves that the Muhammadu Buhari led government has been holding the Shiite leader and his wife in detention since December 2015 AGAINST COURT ORDER that they are released. That is impunity of the highest order.

The Buhari government must obey the order of its own court by releasing the Shiite leader and his wife.

As the former head of Kenyan anti-graft agency, professor PLO Lumumba would say "Peace can only be a product of intercourse between justice and truth. Any peace acquired through any other way is nothing but the peace of the graveyard which is no peace at all" 

Please follow me on Twitter @OgbuCharlesSun2.

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Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the Economic Management Team are currently meeting with some state governors towards taking a position on the new national minimum wage.

The meeting, which is taking place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, has in attendance Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State; Atiku Bagudu, Governor of Kebbi State; Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of Osun State and Simon Lalong, Governor of Plateau State.

Also present at the meeting are Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance; Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment; Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Service to the Federation; Richard Egbule, Director-General, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, and Ahmed Idris, Accountant-General of the Federation.

Details soon...

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Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has proffered an eight-point solution to address the violence in Kaduna State.

Among the solutions the lawmaker proffered is "strict application of security votes for security issues and not for politics", among others.

He highlighted these in a press statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, and made available to journalists.

The points are: "Addressing the problem of extreme and pervasive poverty and unemployment among our teeming young people; an institutional action against hate speech and intolerance by political, religious and community leaders; strict application of security votes for security issues and not for politics; respect for the constitutional rights of freedom to hold religious beliefs without discrimination or contempt, and equitable distribution of development and resources among diverse populace and Inclusiveness in governance."

Others are: "The elite bourgeoisie political class must end the exploitation and manipulation of religion for political ends; elected and appointed political leaders must not demonstrate that they are servants of all and not vanguards of their faith or conquerors of others; and Northern intellectuals, leaders of thought and patriots must convoke a regional conference to come out with a road map towards tackling religious intolerance and terrorism, in the face of apparent failure of the political class to address the problem."

Kaduna has been the centre of violent killings in the last week, prompting the state government to declare a 24-hour curfew, which it relaxed and again enforced before finally relaxing it on Sunday.

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Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of "murdering opponents of government".

He also accused the opposition party of "abusing the judicial system" by going to court to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari's West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

He stated this on Monday, via his Twitter handle, where he warned Nigerians thus: "No matter their sweet words, don't believe them".

His post read: "We have read that the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is going to court to challenge the President’s West African School Certificate (WASC). This is a waste of time because we have the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by Mr President. This certificate story is an old one.

"As Femi Adesina stated clearly, it is a settled issue in the courts. To approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system. It is shameful, disgusting and disgraceful.

"It is clear to all at this time that the PDP, facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy. They are attacking the courts and the Police; they are molesting INEC commissioners.

"They are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the President. By doing these, they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the country; the issue of internal security which has been jeopardized by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the PDP; the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the President is pioneering; corruption to which the PDP is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy, a business-friendly government working day and night, creating more jobs and affordable life for the poor.

"This election isn’t about the settled issues of certification. No matter how honeyed their sweet words, don’t believe them. Their evil record can never be washed away. The PDP set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before. They put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. Don’t believe their honeyed promises."

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Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of "murdering opponents of government".

He also accused the opposition party of "abusing the judicial system" by going to court to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari's West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

He stated this on Monday, via his Twitter handle, where he warned Nigerians thus: "No matter their sweet words, don't believe them".

His post read: "We have read that the failed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is going to court to challenge the President’s West African School Certificate (WASC). This is a waste of time because we have the record of this and of higher qualifications obtained by hard work and truly merited by Mr President. This certificate story is an old one.

"As Femi Adesina stated clearly, it is a settled issue in the courts. To approach the court to pursue a matter long settled by the temple of justice is an abuse of the judicial system. It is shameful, disgusting and disgraceful.

"It is clear to all at this time that the PDP, facing an imminent humiliating defeat wants to sow division and chaos by seeking the destruction of the institutional structures that support our young democracy. They are attacking the courts and the Police; they are molesting INEC commissioners.

"They are theatrical in spreading falsehoods against persons including the President. By doing these, they assume that they can take away attention from the discussions on issues gaining momentum in the country; the issue of internal security which has been jeopardized by years of near-zero investment under 16 years of the PDP; the provision of long-delayed infrastructure which the President is pioneering; corruption to which the PDP is incurably tied and the sustenance of the prevailing good days in the economy, a business-friendly government working day and night, creating more jobs and affordable life for the poor.

"This election isn’t about the settled issues of certification. No matter how honeyed their sweet words, don’t believe them. Their evil record can never be washed away. The PDP set a record of murdering opponents of government and corruption on a scale never seen anywhere before. They put the national security at stake by diverting huge budgetary allocations to service their greed. Don’t believe their honeyed promises."

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On Sunday, October 28, the Ake Festival came to an end. 

The four-day event, which holds annually in Nigeria, is the brain-child of author Lola Shoneyin, whose debut novel 'The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives' was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2010. 

The event was declared open on Friday by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who acknowledged the importance of the creative industry, while also paying tribute to great Nigerian poets such as Niyi Osundare, Molara Wood and Tanure Ojaide. 

Delivering his welcome address, he cited the consequences of discouraging participation in the arts with a fictional childhood experience he had with a girl he "fell in love with".

“Does the artist have a responsibility to society beyond that of the ordinary citizen? Is there a civil tax payable on talent? Does the fact of your genius place upon you, a moral burden to attempt to use the powerful voice of your art to fight for the soul of the land, especially to fight for the soul of the land from whence you came?” he asked.

According to Osinbajo's fictional narrative, he wrote a “lovely poem” to the aforementioned girl, but unfortunately for him, his mother found the letter in his bag and she beat the “poetic genius" out of him.

His narration went thus: "When I was 10 years old, there was a girl in my class who I was quite certain at the time that I could give my life. So I wrote her a lovely poem over a weekend; I wrote the poem on Friday and finished it on Saturday. And it was, if I may say so myself, a work of sheer genius. It ended with the dramatic words; 'your warm embrace may be the last desire of my heart before I die!'

"I tucked it in my school bag and looked forward with a heart filled with love for Monday, to present to the object of my affections.

"My mum, while cleaning out the bag, found the letter, and all hell broke loose. Needless to say, she beat the poetic genius out of me that terrible afternoon.

"But that’s not the end of the story. True love as you know, will survive even the worst brutality. So, I bore my injuries as a worthy suffering for my beloved. On Monday morning, I found the best opportunity to give her a freshly written version of the poem. I turned away as she took the letter, I didn’t want to behold the sheer pleasure as she read it, but as I turned around, I noticed that she had actually handed the poem over to the teacher and she was pointing at me!

"While my physical bruises have healed from that experience, from as you can imagine, what happened with the teacher, my capacity for writing romantic poetry had been greatly diminished."

In his closing address, he reminded participants at the festival that the story he just told them was a work of fiction.

“Did you enjoy the story I told earlier? It was fiction,” he said as the whole room erupted with laughter as he made his way back to his seat. 

Later in the evening, everyone was serenaded to the music of the Queen of Waka, Salewa Abeni, Brymo, Adedeji, Sereetsi and the natives and Clayrocksu. 

Second day of the festival featured panel discussions, which saw various discussants speak on topics ranging from spirituality, mother tongue, Biafra-Nigeria war, Women, Music, Africa and chat with film directors.

There was also an interview session by veteran journalist Kunle Ajibade and the festival headliner Nuruddin Farah, a Somali novelist better known as a 'Male Feminist'.

In the interview, Farah advised writers to read and research more after their debut book gets published. 

There was also a stage play based on the novel, 'The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives'. It was directed by Femi Elufowoju Jr.

The third day had more panel discussions that saw writers such as Nnedi Okorafor, Roye Okupe and Toni Kan speak on wide-ranging issues from Afrofuturism, Black panther phenomenon, African Literature, to Lagos of the future and blood.

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The Lagos State House of Assembly has asked the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to postpone its scheduled Operation Velvet.

The decision was announced during the plenary session on Monday, after the motion was raised by Honourable S.O.B. Agunbiade.

A circular, which trended on social media on Monday, tagged 'Operation Restore Sanity on Lagos Roads/Velvet', had noted that the exercise was to tackle the "recent upsurge in the volume of traffic and its attendant problems" on Lagos roads.

The document read: "The recent upsurge in the volume of traffic and its attendant problems have thrown up enormous challenges, including severe hardship on motorists and commuters on our highways, particularly, Ikorodu road, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Agege Motor road, Lekki-Epe Expreessway, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Awolowo Road, Ikeja and the entore road networks in Lagos Island.

"Apart from the fact that this traffic congestion is caused by some bad portions of the roads, it has also been observed that disregard for traffic rules and regulations, by the intransigient commercial drivers and motorcyclists on the highways, contributed majorly to this phenomenon.

"Against this backdrop and to bring back law and order, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, has ordered Operation Restore Sanity/Velvet on all our roads in the state."

However, the lawmakers, who commended the Police for the initiative, asked that the exercise be postponed to give motorists a window for regularisation of their papers.

They also urged Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State, to work towards sensitising the populace on the need to regularise their papers.

Proceedings of the session were revealed via a tweet on the Lagos Assembly handle that read: "The majority Leader @Sobagunbiade who raised the motion, further read the resolution of the House on #OPERATIONVELVET as thus: This House commends the Nigeria Police Force for stepping up to their responsibility in curtailing reckless driving in Lagos.

"The House implores NPF to postpone the exercise and give a window for regularisation of papers by motorist; call on His Excellency @AkinwunmiAmbode to sensitize the populace on the need to regularize their vehicle papers and also; call on Public Works Bureau to fix the bad portions on our roads to ease flow of traffic."

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Michael Adedeji, a member of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, who was shot last week, is dead.

The lawmaker was shot at close range at Ado-Ekiti while on his way to Akure, the Ondo State capital, last Friday. See Also CRIME Ekiti Lawmaker Shot In The Head While Trying To Escape From Gunmen 0 Comments 3 Days Ago

Adedeji died on Monday at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido Ekiti (FETHI), Ekiti State.

Adeniran Alagbada, Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, confirmed this to SaharaReporters.

He explained that the late Adedeji was admitted at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, before he was referred to the FETHI where he gave up the ghost.

He said: "Yes, I can confirm to you that he is dead, and we have consoled his family over the loss. He died at the Federal Teaching Hospital today.

"We have asked security agents in the state to investigate those who are behind this carnage."

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker was said to be one of those that fell out with Ayodele Fayose, immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, before the latter's exit from office.

SaharaReporters learnt that the late lawmaker hailed from Ogotun Ekiti in Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area of the state.

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For the second time in two days, men of the Nigerian Army — joined by those of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) — opened fire on Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) members on Monday in Abuja, this time at Nyanya checkpoint along Mararaba road.

The protesters, who were coming from Mararaba axis, were stopped by the armed policemen and soldiers drafted to mount a road block in the area.

The exact casualty toll could not be established as of the time of filing this report, but as can be seen in the video below, the security agents fired live bullets at the Shi'ites who clearly were not firing gunshots in the opposite direction.

Earlier on Staurday, at least five followers of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky were killed in a clash with soldiers in Zuba, gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja.

Many Feared Dead As Policemen, Soldiers Open Fire On Shi'ites Again VIDEO: Many Feared Dead As Policemen, Soldiers Open Fire On Shi'ites Again...

The Shi’ites were in a procession from Suleja in Niger State to Abuja for the three-day mass march, tagged ‘Arbaeen Symbolic Trek’, scheduled to begin on Sunday.

It was gathered that when members of the sect approached a military checkpoint near Zuma motor park, the soldiers on duty refused to allow them to pass.

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Most Reverend Cyprian Kizito Lwanga, Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, has proposed that the central government deducts 10 per cent from the monthly salaries of workers, and forward the deductions directly to the church.

He stated this at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Rubaga during mass, according to Citizen TV.

He said non-payment of tithes affects project development in the church.

His words: "Whenever we ask for tithe, everyone gives only what they have at that time. But the Bible says a tenth of whatever you earn belongs to the church.

“Give me your support as I front this proposal because it is good for us. Aren’t you tired of putting money in the baskets all the time?”

Lwanga said he wanted Uganda to toe the line of Germany, where citizens who are registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews have a church tax (Kirchensteuer) of eight to nine per cent deducted from their annual income. The church tax is collected by the government and channeled to the respective faiths.

“I was told Germans make agreements with their government to deduct monthly tithe from their salaries and forward it to the church and this money they use to build and renovate their churches,” he added.

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Any African, who hates Nigeria, probably hates the entire black race.   We are very unique in multiple nuances.  In academics, various fields of specialties have the impressive footprints of Nigerians. 
 
In crimes, we have proved again and again that its sophistry is our exclusive reserve.  We have gone to bestial limits where we proudly delight in plotting mass murders of our own kith and kin, or extermination of whole communities for political gains. We no longer dread the sight of blood. 
 
We go paranoid in the worship of God; but demonstrate through words and actions,  the unbridgeable gulf about the basic tenets of religiosity.  Very richly endowed in politics, we experiment democracy in a manner that compels political scientists around the world into weekly researches to demystify our complex political mysteries.
 
 Nigerians are world acclaimed masters of partisan politics.  But, we loathe progressive democratic traits and concepts,  such as development or issue-based campaigns, innovative ideas, positive leadership character, and integrity.  But we endlessly adore the negative concepts, with edifying slogans.
So, opponents are only good for application of negative partisan concepts like physical or character assassination, arm-twisting, thuggery, blackmail, political vendetta, mudslinging, sentimentalism, ethnicity, sectionalism, regionalism, religiosity, hate speeches and campaigns of calumny.     
 
Incumbent President Muhammadu  Buhari  (PMB) is once again under the fire of opposition politicians, partisan spin doctors, Mr. fixers and their minions. Now, like in 2014, the heat against President Buhari in 2018  is not on what else he would do for Nigerians if reelected in 2019. It is not about his WAEC certificate.  So, every Nigerian has become a WAEC or INEC officer.
 
And we have demonstrated enough of our very poor grasp of the issue. While we are asking PMB for WAEC certificate he obtained in 1961 from Government College, Katsina. But the real nomenclature of the certificate is Cambridge West African School Certificate, (WASC).  He also earned it from Provincial Secondary School, Katsina; not Government College.
 
However, it is part of the deliberate confusion, we create to religiously exploit the system and extort money from our unconscionable paymasters. We insistently drum into their ears, how we have launched the “battles” against their rivals and such debasing blathers.
 
It’s all more interesting,  the progression of this nonsensical ranting about  Buhari’s certificate.   In 2003, when PMB vied against former President Olusegun Obasanjo (OBJ), Buhari’s   WASC  ( or is it WAEC) certificate was not a sentimental issue.  Same in 2007 and 2011.  In 2014 it became an issue because Buhari was contesting against a PDP incumbent President,  Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who felt chillingly intimidated and threatened by Buhari’s presidential candidature.
 
Therefore, we exhumed it and made a mountain out of a molehill. But it was Buhari’s saving grace.  Former President Goodluck Jonathan had all the powers and authority in the world to expose Buhari’s  “faked” or non-possession of a  secondary school certificate, to shame and ridicule him out of the contest. But both open and secret investigations failed to yield the fruitful results pleaded.
 
Some PDP hirelings and apologists went to court and challenged Buhari over his 1961  WASC qualification.  A legal practitioner, Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe played the spoil master.   But as the case progressed in an  Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, presided over by  Justice Adeniyi Ademola, the plaintiff voluntarily withdrew the suit.   And it was struck out for obvious reasons.
 
This action was initiated after the   Buhari’s alma mater, Government College, (formerly,    Provincial Secondary School), Katsina officially confirmed that he indeed,  sat for WASC exams in 1961  and obtained a certificate. It was released with grades.
A Premium Times exclusive report,  dated January 21, 2015, explicitly states that the medium, “…obtained the computer printout from Cambridge University as well as a statement of result, signed by the current principal of Katsina College, dated January 21, 2015…The Cambridge print out also shows the result of 17 other candidates at the center, including Shehu Yar’Adua, a former Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.”
 
The antagonists’ could not go any further. These are facts in the public domain; trashed and conclusively confined to the dustbin of history more than four years ago.  
 
But we are back at it again just to keep ourselves excitedly busy on the politicking plane, poking at hard facts,  we can never ever crack. The failure of Buhari’s traducers to claim Mr. President has presented a forged certificate has spurred fresh anger, just to find something to hold against him.
 
They have wonderfully ignored the strength of submissions of Nigeria’s legal luminaries, affirming and reaffirming the qualification of PMB to vie for the office of President of Nigeria in 2019.
Provisions of the 1999 Constitution on who is qualified to vie for the office of President of Nigeria are contained in Section: 131 and the issue of academic or other qualifications are clearly defined in Section: 318 (1) of the same Constitution, which have not passed a verdict of guilt on  Buhari.
 
It, therefore, changed the narrative from legal requirements to morality.  I imagine who has vetoed PDP  from approaching WASC successor body in Nigeria, WAEC, to confirm the truth or falsehood of the certificate?  There are a dozen emergency activists and artificial organizations’ they would have hired to execute the assignment. But they are hesitant. Why?  Is PDP not prepared to present incontrovertible evidence that PMB has no certificate?
 
These critics know,  when the military junta of IBB ousted Buhari as  Nigeria’s military Head of State in 1984, he was dumped into detention for months,  by orders of the military government. His private residence was raided and personal documents, including certificates’, carted away by the military government.
 
 The action was spurred by the zeal to find something incriminating against  Buhari. They found nothing,  but never returned his seized documents. IBB is still alive and part of the force angling to unseat PMB.   
 
PDP and its acolytes are free to make all the noise on the certificate. But PMB  has not applied to serve as  PDP’s BoT chairman or its President. He is seeking to continue leadership of Nigeria and Nigerians.  This propaganda has failed flatly like others before now.
 
Only PDP knows  PMB  is too old, frail and weak with health challenges to continue to lead Nigeria. But where is their dollar Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar now and at what age?
 
Those who chant PMB’s religious fanaticism and bigotry to indict his character and integrity are usually dumbfounded when he pays a visit to the Anglican Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby,   each time he is in United Kingdom (UK). 
 
There are more Muslim Mayors in the UK than you can find Emirs in Nigeria. But he visits none, preferring to hobnob with a Christian cleric, who is also his best of personal friends around the world.    
 
As a Nigerian and like millions of others, we prefer to again,  vote for a leader of integrity, even if he flaunts  NEPA bill as a certificate. Its better than mortgaging our destinies and future in the hands of known capitalist cum political rogues, whose only occupation is feasting on the national treasury. PDP!  May you know that in 2019, and in spite of your noises, we will still overwhelmingly vote for President Buhari. 

Odoh writes from the United Kingdom.

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As the face-off between the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and members of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) continues in Abuja, security operatives have opened fire on members of the group, killing an unspecified number of members of the sect.

The incident took place on Monday at Nyanya checkpoint along Mararaba road.

The protesters, who were coming from Mararaba axis, were stopped by the armed policemen and soldiers drafted to mount a road block in the area.

The number of those killed could not be ascertained at the time of this report.

It was gathered that security operatives opened fire on the protesters at close range, as they advanced towards Abuja. It was also gathered that security agents used live ammunition on the protesters. See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Five Shi'ites Killed In Clash With Army Ahead Of 'Arbaeen Symbolic Trek' 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

This is the second time in two days that soldiers have opened fire on Shi'ites.

On Saturday, at least five followers of Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky were killed in a clash with soldiers in Zuba, Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja.

The Shi’ites were in a procession from Suleja in Niger State to Abuja for the three-day mass march, tagged ‘Arbaeen Symbolic Trek’, scheduled to begin on Sunday.

It was gathered that when members of the sect approached a military checkpoint near Zuma motor park, the soldiers on duty refused to allow them to pass.

However, the directive did not go down well with the group and they insisted they would pass through the road.

Findings revealed that the Shi’ites later resorted to hurling stones at the soldiers, which led to pandemonium, as the soldiers were alleged to have opened fire on them, leading to the death of five people.

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Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State

An emergency meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum is scheduled for Tuesday, October 30, 2018, to discuss the new national minimum wage.

This was disclosed by Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State on Tuesday, after a meeting of the Economic Management Team, which had Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in attendance.

According to NAN, Yari spoke after the meeting on Monday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where he restated that it was not that the governors were unwilling to pay, but the issue was "the muscle to pay".

He said: “The position of the governors is not very clear to some of you — that we are willing to pay the amount but the issue is the capacity — the muscle to pay. We discussed that government has some numbers and eventually, the committee has made some proposals, but the governors have not come out with any amount.

“So, tomorrow, we are going to discuss with governors and say 'look at what Labour is sending'.

“[We'll] look at the bill that was directed by the Minister of Labour and Employment to be sent to the NGF’s secretariat, so that we can digest the content of the bill, discuss it and come up with our position as governors, because we are critical partners on this."

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The Oyo State Government has claimed workers in the state received 300 per cent salary increase between 2011 and 2015.

This was contained in a statement by Toye Arulogun, Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Oyo State on Monday.

According to Arulogun, Abiola Ajimobi, Governor of Oyo State, had given the approval for the immediate payment of outstanding salaries of workers in the state.

Arulogun said the payment would cover the outstanding salaries for September and October 2018.

He said: “Before the economic meltdown, the Senator Ajimobi administration used to pay on or before the 25th of every month. During this period, workers in the state also received a 300% increase in salaries between 2011 and 2015 as well as 13th month salaries for three years consecutively.

"There is no doubt that this administration is strongly committed to the welfare of the people and efforts are being put in place to ensure that salaries are no longer owed."

He charged workers in the state to be diligent, dedicated, devoted, committed and work assiduously towards ensuring financial sufficiency for the state.

He also restated the state government's committment to the well-being and welfare of the people.

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Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), has indicted the President Muhammadu Buhari administration for shielding corrupt individuals. 

Ezekwesili said this on Monday while delivering a speech titled, ‘To those who say we cannot win: Unveiling the Oby Ezekwesili Roadmap to 2019’ in Lagos. 

“There is no shadow of doubt: President Buhari is the most parochial, most nepotistic and most partisan President that Nigeria has ever seen,” she said in her speech.

“This President talks about fighting grand corruption. Please, please, give me a break! Can corruption fight corruption? Does he think we cannot see? A President that looks the other way while his friends and cronies suffocate and strangle our country?”

Ezekwesili called on Nigerians to support her candidature saying she is one of the very small tribe of Nigerians who have served in government but who have no allegation of corruption against them.

"I don’t mean court case o. I mean allegation. Zero, none," she said.

The former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa has as a campaign cornerstone the lifting of over 80 millions Nigerians out of poverty into progress and prosperity. 

Ezekwesili is a graduate of the University of Lagos and Harvard University. She is a former Minister of Education, and then of and Solid Minerals.

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Seriake Dickson, Governor of Bayelsa State, has mocked the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor Timipre Sylva over the "rising cases of defection into the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state".

He also predicted that the activities of APC in Bayelsa would soon "wind up".

Dickson was speaking during a state media chat after the defection of APC chieftains led by Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Chief Gideon Ekeowe, former Secetary to Government and the state agent of APC during the 2016 governorship poll; Chief Nathan Egba, former APC Governorship Campaign Director (Media and Publicity) and one-time PDP state chairman, Chief Rufus Abadi, popularly known as Barbaru.

Dickson labelled APC as "the other party", noting that the recent gale of defections witnessed was part of his mandate to the PDP to ensure that the APC "winds up" its activities in the state before the 2019 general election.

He said: "We are going to wind up the other party (APC); that other party whose politics is about violence and killings; that other party whose leaders are not interested in the development of our people and the state; that other party that does not have respect and regard for those that have worked hard for them; that other party that makes appointments based on man-know-man and percentage of votes; that other party that has never worked for the common good of the people of Bayelsa."

The governor commended the PDP leadership and the political desk of his administration, and explained that he agreed to personally receive the APC defectors because of his respect for their persons.

He said: "I am the only one that has ever defeated the ruling party at the centre with their federal might. They fought me very hard, but with God and the people we won. You can see what they did in other states with inconclusive and rerun elections. But I defeated them despite all they did.

"After all, with tribunal, and even shifting the tribunal to Abuja, the Appeal Court and Supreme Court, we won. We have no reason to fight in the game. People in opposition are not our enemies. I'm using the Bayelsa example to politicians at the national level to treat opposition with love and respect."

Dickson also announced that those who defected would be received at a mega rally slated for Tuesday.

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The Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET) has called on the Federal Government to investigate the attack involving the members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigerian Army at a military checkpoint along Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

On Saturday, the Shi’ites had clashed with the soldiers manning the Zuba road during a procession from Suleja in Niger State to Abuja for their three-day march tagged 'Arbaeen Symbolic Trek', which was scheduled to begin on Sunday.

Although eyewitnesses had claimed that five Shi'ites died during the attack, a statement by the Nigerian Army noted that three Shi’ites died, while two soldiers sustained injuries. See Also ACTIVISM Islamic Movement Stoned Us, Attempted To Cart Away Ammunition And Missiles, Says Army 0 Comments 14 Hours Ago

However, in a statement issued and obtained by SaharaReporters on Sunday, CESJET described the incident as “totally unacceptable”.

Joyce Ogwu, Executive Director of CESJET, who signed the statement recalled that the last time the members of the Islamic group entered Abuja, it led to weeks of confrontation with security operatives.

Ogwu, however, alleged that Saturday’s attack was an attempt by the group to invade the nation’s capital with “thugs and militants".

The statement read: “Even if the soldiers manning the checkpoints had acted not to allow ‘armed persons’ free access into Abuja, it does not call for the kind of unwarranted and unprovoked attack unleashed on them by the militant wing of IMN.

“It is most unfortunate that this is not the first time of deploying violence against an institution of state, as they had in the past killed military personnel at will and shot at anyone that dares to rein them in when they engage in improper conduct.

“We call on the Federal Government to immediately arrest and investigate those that attacked the military checkpoint, the nature of response on the part of the soldiers they attacked and any other aspect that will help prevent the kind of provocation that caused the crisis in Zuba.

“The manner of projectiles and other weapons unleashed on the personnel manning the checkpoint is a clear indication that members of the sect were using the so called ‘Arbaeen Symbolic Trek’ as cover to infiltrate Abuja to begin carrying out attacks, as they had previously threatened."

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