IYANDA'SBLOG

05/28/19

The African Action Congress, AAC, has dragged its former national secretary, Leonard Ezenwa and others who participated in a widely televised suspension of pro-tem party Chairman, Omoyele Sowore to court.

Leonard Ezenwa in the company of one Mazi Okwy had on May 13, 2019, announced the suspension of Omoyele Sowore; and eight others, including its Deputy National Chairman (South West), Ogunlana Rotimi Jacob, for a period of six months over alleged anti-party activities.

READ BREAKING: INEC Debunks Sowore's Suspension From AAC, Says 'He Is The Only Chairman We Recognise'

Shortly after, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discarded the suspension and maintained that the only chairman it recognizes is Omoyele Sowore.

However, the party on Friday dragged the participants in the event to court as conveyed in a statement by Rachel Onamusi-Kpiasi, director public relations, and media for the party.

The statement reads: "Today, 28th May 2019, the African Action Congress (AAC) took its first legal steps towards a conclusive end to the greedy, grasping reaches of the expelled former national secretary, Leonard Nzenwa and his cohorts.

"Our lawyers have approached the courts to firmly and vehemently deny all of Nzenwa’s lies, claims, and accusations, and will present evidence showing irrefutably the character – or lack thereof – of the man and his followers, and we will have our day in court as the case has been adjourned to the 24th June 2019.

"Before that time, there are some truths that must be made known; some legal facts that Nzenwa, with all of his newly-acquired friends and their dishonest wealth, cannot make dispel with:
There is no court injunction naming Leonard Nzenwa as the “Acting Chairman” of the African Action Congress. He sought the position from the court in the same suit where he requested to have Sowore suspended as chairman and it was never granted.

"To all intents and purposes, Leonard Nzenwa remains exactly what he always was: an outcast without the support, the control or the ability to run a party driven by Omoyele Sowore’s ideas and vision for Nigeria.

"Today, the African Action Congress garnered a victory in court; a victory that is sure to cripple their plans to profit off the hard work, sweat and endeavours of the TiB/AAC leadership over the past fourteen months, Nzenwa’s lawyer has been forced to make an undertaking before the court that his planned national convention on the 5th of June will not hold because it is illogical and indeed illegal to do so while the case he hastily brought before the courts is still pending.

"The founders and leaders of both the Take it Back Movement and the AAC party are very astute students of history and politics, both within and outside Nigeria, and, when they conceived and birthed both the TiB and AAC, they did so with foresight, putting the necessary structures and guardrails in place to ensure that the pedestrian political jobbers who will invariably be embedded in our midst do not have the control, the instrumentalities, nor the capabilities to actualize the nefarious, destructive missions.

"The Take it Back Movement is resolute in its crusade for Nigeria’s liberation and progress. An integral part of this goal is freedom from the ties that bind us to malfeasance and utter demoralization. We continue to fight corruption wherever we find it. The struggle continues because Nigeria MUST progress."

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Adewura’s Death: What Is The Value Of The Nigerian Life? By Damilola Faustino

After social media messages surfaced on May 15th that beautiful and recent graduate of the University of Lagos, Adewura Lateefa Bello, has gone missing along the Cement/Iyana Ipaja axis of the center of excellence, hundreds of Nigerians contributed their likes, retweets, and comments to make the message go viral and it sure did.

Sadly, social media has become a platform for Nigerians to report their challenges, problems, and concerns because the people, the government and its parastatals have completely failed and collapsed at all levels.

Therefore, it came as a rude shock, a depressing tale of a country that 'kills' its own citizens when it was eventually confirmed that lovely and innocent Adewura has died. It is even more painful, unpleasant and irksome when you consider how she died.

She was not kidnapped like everyone had thought nor was she butchered! She died because of 'OUR' carelessness and negligence. How did she die? She fell in a manhole...a manhole that was supposed to be covered! How come the manhole was open?

The lackadaisical government official that was supposed to monitor them, the greedy man who removed the manhole and sold it, the man who bought it, the Nigerian who every day take that route and ignore the manhole as well as the government official who ride past that road in tinted convoy of cars and are blinded to these holes.

It then begs the question what is the value of Nigerian life? Uncle Jimi of Classic FM has asked this question severally! The life of a Nigerian is worthless, useless and insignificant. It is by the grace of God we are surviving in this country. Last...last...all of us go run go Canada! Like a singer sang: 'If no be God ooo...If no be God...I for don finish! OYO.

Nigerians have been killed by our ragtag security agencies, some have been kidnapped and never found while others have been murdered by armed robbers. What about Nigerians killed by falling containers, tankers? The list is endless...No apologies, we die like chickens in this country.

We can only mourn Kolade Johnson, killed by a trigger-happy SARS official, Stephen Urueye, Unilag graduate and House Officer stabbed to death by arm robbers, Rotimi Adeyemo, the LASTMA official shot dead during an altercation with a SARS operative who was later beaten to death by a vengeful mob. Remember the stray bullet that hit a mother at Onipanu in 2017 because SARs officials were chasing yahoo boys? See how the lives of Nigerians are 'wasting' in Rivers, Jos, Bauchi and Benue.

To show you that we are in an ill-fated country, the killers of each of the aforementioned persons and those not mentioned are on the streets planning their next attack and readying their guns for the next life to take.

The death of Adewura will probably attract so much uproar for the next few weeks or months and everyone will move on afterward. Annoyingly the status quo will remain until another disaster happens.

This leaves the family of Adewura to mourn like others without closure. Will they ever get closure? 98% no and 2% yes. That is our Nigeria!

Nigeria, please convince us that the death of Adewura won't go the same way as others did because Nigeria you killed Adewura! Yes, you killed Adewura! You murderer!

Who is the next person that will fall to the cold hands of the Nigerian manhole? Who will change the Nigerian narrative? Of course, it is not bubu...he is busy lounging in Aso-Rock waiting to leave in 2023 and definitely not the incoming governor of Lagos state. He is in the pocket of the man in Bourdillon. He dare not squeak! And the other governors? They are too weak to resist the temptation of stealing. Oh, Fela...Oh, Gani...Where art thou?

Whatever the case may be, all manholes should be covered and whoever dares touch or even as much as open it; should be shot immediately! Nigeria needs 'mad' leaders to give us brain! These avoidable deaths must be ended. We are humans from Nigeria and someday somehow we MUST get there.

For the family of Adewura, we know the pain is unbearable and the loss irreparable but...I am sorry...I am lost for words to comfort the family...the only good news here is that she was found.

Let’s us all continue to pray for Nigeria to become a better place for everyone-the rich, and the underprivileged. Love your neighbors …and let’s all pray we do not fall prey to the bad side of Nigeria!

Damilola Faustino

A Social Commentator from Lagos

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I Pleaded With Senator Melaye Not To Commit Suicide, Witness Tells Court

A prosecution witness on Tuesday told an FCT High Court that he pleaded with Senator Dino Melaye not to drink a substance he had in his hand when he threatened to commit suicide on April 24, 2018.

Testifying, a Police Sergeant with the Inspector-General of Police Special Tactical Squad, Sgt. Alwo Mohammed, said, “I pleaded with him to get back into the bus.

“I told him he was my most favorite senator. He refused to get up. He had a substance in his hand.”

Melaye, who represents Kogi West senatorial district in the National Assembly, is charged before Justice Sylvanus Oriji, sitting in Apo, by the police with six counts bordering on attempted suicide, attempt to escape from custody and damage of Police property.

He was alleged to have committed the alleged offense on April 24, 2018, while being conveyed by the Police to Lokoja, Kogi State.

The witness informed the court that while conveying the defendant to Lokoja, on reaching Area 1 roundabout, a white Toyota Hilux van blocked their bus.

He said the defendant then broke the windshield, stood up and started shouting, “I will not go to Lokoja.”

“I held him down with one hand. While we were struggling with the defendant, he pushed one of the officers and forced the door open.

“The defendant then jumped out of the bus, sat on the ground shouting, ‘I will kill myself and put the Police in trouble.'”

The witness further reported that street urchins then blocked the bus and seized Melaye.

The Police sergeant further informed the court that the Police team chased the Hilux van and caught up with it at the Yar’Adua Centre.

“We caught up with them near Yar’Adua Centre because their vehicle had hit a jeep.

“Some of the men ran into the bush behind the National Mosque. Only one person was eventually arrested there.”

While being cross-examined by counsel for Melaye, Benson Igbanoi, who held the brief for Dr. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the witness said that he gave a statement on the day the Police team attempted to convey Melaye to Lokoja.

Mohammed, who testified as the third prosecution witness (PW3), informed the court that the signature on the statement was his but said that the phone number did not belong to him.

“I am not the owner of the MTN number 08067678745. It is not my phone number,” he said.

Igbanoi, offered to tender the statement as exhibit, but the prosecution counsel, Mr. Jovi Oghojafar, objected to the application, arguing that the CTC was not paid for the document.

The defence counsel, urged the court to overrule the objection, saying it was a public document and the name of the schedule officer who certified it and signature, were on the document.

Justice Oriji ordered the defence counsel to pay the required fees before the document will be admitted in evidence.

The defence counsel asked for an adjournment to enable him act as necessary.

(NAN)

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FEATURE: From Obasanjo To Buhari, Four Things Each Administration In The Fourth Republic Will Be Remembered For

Olusegun Obasanjo At Swearing-In Ceremony 1999

Umaru Musa Yar'adua At His Inauguration in 2007

Goodluck Jonathan Waving To Onlookers Shortly After His Swearing-In, 200

President Buhari At Eagle Square During His Inauguration In 2015

May 29 is symbolic in the chequered history of Nigeria. The day is only rivaled in significance by October 1st and perhaps June 12. These two days-May 29 and October 1st--speak of freedom. One speaks of the freedom from the clutches of colonialism and the beginning of self-rule while the other speaks of an end to militarism and the return of democratic rule or what some people call the beginning of 'the fourth republic'.

On May 29,1999, in an exuberant ceremony of martial music and marches Nigeria was ushered into democracy as General Abdusalami Abubakar handed the reins of power to Retired General Olusegun Obasanjo ( 20 years after he did the same thing to the late Shehu Shagari). The historic event signaled the culmination of tumultuous military interregnum whose end started with the sudden death of Sanni Abacha.

Olusegun Obasanjo At Swearing-In Ceremony 1999 AP

However, 20 years of seamless transition from one democratic administration to the other have been characterized with the good- often few and far between, the bad and the ugly( which is the order of the day) and the stuff of the Nigerian brand of politics.

In the spirit of democracy day, we present you four things, of all the numerous things, that happened in each democratic administration.

Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007)
He was the second executive president of Nigeria. Obasanjo once ruled as the military head of state from February 1976 to October 1979. He was plucked from the gulag, where he was thrown by the Abacha-led junta for the trumped up charge of treason, to contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) against Oluyemisi Falae of the Alliance For Democracy(AD)/All People's Party. He defeated Olu Falae to become the second executive president.

Four Things Obasanjo's Administration Will Be Remembered For
1. Obasanjo established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and also strengthened the Code of Conduct Bureau to fight corruption in Nigeria. Corrupt politicians and public office holders like Tafa Balogun, Bode George and swindlers and internet fraudsters have been sent to jail by these agencies.

2. He secured an $18 billion debt relief from the Paris and London clubs.

3. He originated the "do or die" politics in Nigeria. His desperate efforts, in the build-up to the 2007 election, to install his political godson and younger brother of his friend and second-in-command during his military reign (Shehu Musa Yar'adua), Obasanjo perpetrated one of the violent electoral heists in the history of Nigeria.

4. Obasanjo used his position to 'corner' considerable shares of Transcorp, a blue chip company that was formed overnight, to corner juicy contracts and make unlawful company acquisitions. The former President used his influence to sway the purchase of Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) in favor of Transcorp.

5. He wanted tenure elongation through his "Third Term Agenda" but his selfish and unconstitutional wish did not come to fruition. Though he keeps denying this but there have 'confessions' from his erstwhile allies and confidants to put the lie to his claim.

Umaru Musa Yar'Adua( 2007-2010)
He was the president of Nigeria from May 2007 to May 5, 2010, when he died in office after a protracted illness.

Umaru Musa Yar'adua At His Inauguration in 2007 File

Four Things About His Administration
1. The first president in the history of Nigeria to declare his assets before assuming office; he also accepted publicly that the election that brought him into power was marred with violence, irregularities, and manipulations.

2. He released the N10 billion Lagos state local government council funds withheld by the Obasanjo administration because of political differences with the then governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

3. In a flagrant violation of constitutional stipulation, he refused to relinquish power to Goodluck Jonathan, his second-in-command when he was leaving the shores of the country for medical treatment in Saudi-Arabia. It took the intervention of patriotic activists and other influential Nigerians under the auspices of Save Nigeria Group(SNG) to correct the anomaly and ensure Jonathan's ascendancy to the presidency.

4. Yar'adua brought to an end the militancy in the Niger Delta region when he invited the militants to Aso Rock and urged them to lay down their arms. He also kick-started the amnesty program which re-absorbed the militants into the society and rehabilitated them ending the years of crisis in the region.

Goodluck Jonathan( 2010-2015)
He became the president of Nigeria after the demise of Umaru Yar'adua. Jonathan remains the first and only president to have come from the South-South geopolitical zone in Nigeria.

Goodluck Jonathan Waving To Onlookers Shortly After His Swearing-In, 200 BBC

Four Things About Jonathan's Administration
1. He granted presidential pardon to Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former governor of Bayelsa State, who was convicted of money laundering. He also shielded Stella Uduah, former Aviation Minister, who bought two armored BMW cars for N255 million from prosecution. When he eventually acted, he only removed the former minister from office.

2. Jonathan inherited as much as $60 billion in foreign reserve but plundered it to as low as $40 billion in five years. The country's external debt rose by 40 percent to $9.377 billion and domestic debt of $ 47.653billion in June 2014.

3. More than 100 girls were kidnapped from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 when Jonathan was in power.

4. He lost the 2015 election to the perennial contestant, Muhammad Buhari. He remains the first incumbent president to lose an election to his opponent. However, he was gracious in defeat, he conceded defeat to Buhari. Jonathan said, in his post-defeat statement, "My Ambition Is Not Worth The Blood Of Any Nigerian".

Mohammadu Buhari(2015-)
He became president in 2015 after losing in his bid to become president in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He defeated the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. He contested again in February 2019 and won.

President Buhari At Eagle Square During His Inauguration In 2015 Time Magazine

Things His First Tenure Will Be Remembered For
1. Nigeria has become a massive killing field with marauding Fulani herdsmen, which Global Terrorism Index named the fourth deadliest terror in the world, wreaking havoc, especially on southerners.

2. Selective fight against corruption, cases of corruption against Buhari's loyalists and APC members are treated with kid's glove while prosecution of people other than his loyalists and party members are often carried out promptly. The case of Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti and Musiliu Obanikoro is a good example.

3. He will go down in Nigerian history as the president that spent more days outside the country. As of April this year, Buhari had spent 217 days outside the country on health grounds and meeting of Commonwealth Heads of State and Government.

4. The administration implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) proposed by the Goodluck Jonathan in 2012. The financial policy is to consolidate all inflows from all agencies of the Federal Government into a single account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

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Malaysia orders tonnes of imported waste to be returned

EFCC Nabs SSG's Brother With N60m Cash In Car Boot

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Sokoto zonal office, on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, arrested one suspected politician with N60, 000, 000 (Sixty Million Naira) cash, following intelligent report of his suspicious money laundering activities.

The suspect Murtala Muhammad who is alleged to be a brother to Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Professor Abdullahi Shinkafi, was arrested at No.145 Igala Housing Estate, off Byepass Road, Gusau, Zamfara State by the operatives of the Commission.

Items recovered from him at the point of arrest include one Black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Jeep with registration number DKA 67 PX Kaduna loaded with 4 bags of 'Ghana Must Go' containing one thousand Naira notes of fifteen million Naira each, totaling to sixty million Naira.

One single barrel gun, one locally made revolver pistol, 25 rounds of cartridges and 12 rounds of 12.9mm live ammunition.

He will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.

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EFCC Nabs SSG's Brother With N60m Cash In Car Boot

One single barrel gun, one locally made revolver pistol, 25 rounds of cartridges and 12 rounds of 12.9mm live ammunition.

He will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.

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ICPC Set To Investigate Alleged Malpractices In 2019 UTME

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Crimes Commission (ICPC) has commenced investigations into the Joint Admissions Matriculations Board for alleged malpractices during the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

This was made known to newsmen earlier today by a member of the ICPC board, Olubukola Balogun.

Balogun told the newsmen in Abuja that malpractice is an act of corruption it is the mandate of the anti-graft body to investigate by some of the candidates who were aided by their parents to get professional help.

“We are putting everything together for Jamb. The Commission is going to know what happened and how we can prevent it in future,” she said.

She further declared that anyone found to be involved will be prosecuted.

“Those that err, after our investigation, we are going to prosecute”. She disclosed.

Balogun decried the current spread of corruption in the country and claimed that the ICPC would not let it thrive in the educational sector.

“There is corruption everywhere, therefore, we have to go back to the drawing board and we have to all come together to fight against this scourge,” she added.

The JAMB Registrar had stated in an earlier forum called for a synergy between all stakeholders in the education sector in order to stem the ugly tide of sharp practices in the conduct of the UTME.

The examination body had conducted the 2019 UTME in April with about 1.6 million candidates participating.

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Kano Court Orders Arrest Of Sanusi, Two Others Over N4bn Fraud

The Kano State Public Complainant and Anti-corruption Commission's Investigation into the alleged N4billion fraud against the Emir of Kano took on a legal coloration on Tuesday when the commission wrote to the court for an order of arrest of three palace officials.

A Chief Magistrates' court in Kano on Tuesday granted the order citing their refusal to honor the commission’s invitation.

Chief among those ordered to be arrested is Mannir Sanusi, the Chief of Staff to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. Sanusi holds the traditional title of Damburan Kano.

The two others are Mujitaba Abba and the Accountant of Kano Emirate Council Sani Muhammad-Kwaru.

Chief Magistrate Mohammed Idris consequently issued and signed the arrest warrant sequel to a motion by Salisu Tahir, Chief State counsel.

Tahir had said that the request was based on the provision of Section 38 of the enabling Law establishing the Commission.

NAN recalled that the Commission had invited four people in connection to the allegation, of which only one person, Isa Bayero, alias Isa Pilot, who was a former Scribe to the Emirate Council, honored the invitation.

Mr. Muhiyi Magaji, the Chairman of the commission, said the three persons that have an arrest warrant on their heads are the principal suspects in the case.

He said the commission had already requested security operatives to enforce the order and arrest the three persons.

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Bow Out, APC Deputy National Chairman Tells Oshiomhole

Senator Lawal Shuaibu, Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has asked Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the party, to resign from his position for being unable to add to the value of the party.

In a letter to Oshiomhole dated May 27, 2019, Shuaibu blamed Oshiomole for APC’s loss in Zamfara.

Oshiomhole was advised to take the honourable path and step aside from his position in the party and gave room for improvement of the damage done by him.

The letter titled “APC: IT’S FORTUNES Vs MISFORTUNES, TIME TO ACT!” reads,

“I write this letter to you with very deep heart and high sense of responsibility.

“I write this letter thinking because I am a critical stakeholder in the APC project.

“I write this letter with my hands shaking arising from the realizing of myself being involved in a project that is currently seen as failing, even before achieving the ambition of its founding fathers. I never found myself in any failed project.

“In advanced democracies, people who fail to add value or build over and above what they met on assumption of duty show some civilized examples, they honourably bow out.

“In that connection, therefore, I want to advise you to take the path of honour, to step aside and allow the Party to embark on the onerous task of reconstruction and rehabilitation in those States it was weakened by the effect of manner (sic) the last primary election exercises were conducted or even the task of recreating the party where it is on the path of extinction, arising from the loss of a sitting APC Government, for example in Zamfara State, where you directly personally created the problem leading to the painful complete loss of APC’s electoral fortunes. From up to down, all these are uncontestable facts.

“You cannot exonerate yourself from blame on what happened to APC Zamfara State, thereby destroying the hopes and aspirations of 534,541 APC members and supporters.”

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