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Independent autopsy ordered by family of George Floyd, the African-American man, who died after he was pinned to the ground by a now dismissed cop, Derek Chauvin, reveals that he was killed by asphyxiation.

The result directly challenged preliminary result from the examination by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office that he was not strangled, but died from other factors, including being restrained, Star Tribune reports.

Family attorney, Ben Crump, during a news conference on Monday said, "George died because he needed a breath, a breath of air, for George Floyd, the ambulance was his hearse."

Crump added, "Floyd was living, breathing, talking until we see those officers restrain him while he's face down in handcuffs with Officer Chauvin having his knee lodged into his neck for over eight minutes, almost nine minutes, and the other officer having both his knees lodged into his back. And the doctors will explain the significance of that, as to the cause and manner of death." 

The attorney said that all the evidence to date points to Floyd having died at the scene and not later that night, when he was at HCMC.

"The medics, based on the EMT report that we have in our possession, performed pulse checks several times finding none and delivered one shock by their monitor, but George's condition did not change," he said. 

"They delivered him to the hospital, continued ventilation, but that last report was the patient was still pulseless."

Crump said last week that relatives sought their own autopsy because the first examination's findings "do not address in detail the effect of the purposeful use of force on Mr. Floyd's neck and the extent of Mr. Floyd's suffering at the hands of the police".  See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Former Police Officer, Derek Chauvin, Arrested For Death Of George Floyd 0 Comments 3 Days Ago

He added, "That the family and its attorneys are not surprised, yet we are tragically disappointed in the preliminary autopsy findings. 

"We hope that this does not create a false narrative for the reason George Floyd died. Attempts to avoid the hard truth will not stand."

The criminal complaint, citing the medical examiner's preliminary disclosure of autopsy results, said the examination "revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation" in connection with Chauvin's knee pressed against Floyd's neck.

Instead, the charges continued, Floyd died from a combination of being restrained, potential intoxicants in his system along with various underlying medical conditions including heart disease and hypertension.

"What we know is clear," said Antonio Romanucci, Crump's co-counsel. "George Floyd was alive before his encounter with police, and he was dead after that encounter. We believe there is clear proximity between the excessive use of force and his death."

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Every six seconds in 2019 the world lost an area of primary forest the size of a football pitch, a study says.

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The president threatens to deploy the army as protests rage over the death of a black man in custody.

Nine more patients have died from Coronavirus in Lagos State.

Commissioner for Health in the state, Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Monday via Twitter.

This brings the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in Lagos to 59. 

The tweet reads, ‪“#COVID19Lagos update as at 31st of May, 2020. 188 new #COVID19 infection confirmed in Lagos.‬

‪“Total number of confirmed #COVID19 cases in Lagos is now 4959‬.
‪
"Nine COVID19 related deaths were recorded bringing total #COVID19 related deaths in Lagos to 59.”
 

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National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Kola Ologbodiyan, has asked Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, to apologise to the people of the state for misleading them on COVID-19.

In a statement on Monday, Ologbodiyan said Bello did not show the required seriousness in leadership in the fight against the pandemic in the state.

He said the Kogi governor needed to apologise to the people for also not funding the committee he set up to fight the pandemic and for not providing palliatives to the people like was done in other states. 

Ologbodiyan, who is from the state, urged residents not to panic as Coronavirus was not a death sentence, adding that the disease shall soon be a thing of the past.

Following a reported case of COVID-19 in Kogi State, Governor Bello on Monday ordered a 14-day lockdown of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area effective from 12am June 2. 

He said the lockdown was aimed at identifying those, who may have had contacts with the alleged index case. 

The move was in contrast to where the Kogi Government stood a few weeks back when it insisted that there was no case of the virus in the state despite confirmation by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. 
 

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Immediate-past President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Prof Segun Ajibola, has said that it will be a miracle for government to realise the estimates in its revised budget.  

President Muhammadu Buhari had last Thursday reviewed the budget he passed in December 2019 down by N84.70bn.

The new spending plan presented is higher than the N1.5trn cut the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said government would make in March. 

Prof Ajibola told SaharaReporters in an interview that the government was only making ‘educated guesses’ and the fortunes of oil has since improved, giving the government room to be more optimistic than it was two to three months back. 

The academic feels “it will be miraculous if they meet them” – the new spending estimates.

Ajibola, who teaches economics at Babcock University, said all Nigerians need from any appropriation right now was a budget of survival.

“I don’t expect budget 2020 to offer much hope. If there is anything we can strive to achieve, it is a survivor. All we need in 2020 is budget of survival,” he said.

The revised spending plan increases recurrent expenditure by an estimated N85.55bn or 1.77 per cent, from the N4.84trn approved last December to N4.92trn. 

The size of the money Nigeria will be using to service its domestic and foreign loans was also raised by 8.30 per cent or N226.21bn from the previously approved N2.73trn to N2.95trn.

The professor notes that although the cost of governance and debt servicing are burdens on Nigeria’s finances, salaries needed to be paid.

He described the envelope meant for developmental purposes, which was reduced by 9.51 per cent or N234.50bn from the N2.47trn signed in December to N2.30trn, as a balancing item, saying it could be toiled with or even deferred.

He added, “Capital expenditure is usually a balancing item. You hardly can control recurrent expenditure. Capital spending is always a problem in the planning process.

“Some even suggested that for 2020 we should cancel capital expenditure all together, and ascribe that to COVID-19, then start afresh in 2021 as far as capital expenditure is concerned."

The possibility that Nigeria would match either its approved budget estimates is indeed a miracle. 

The net oil and gas revenue that came into the Federation Account in the first quarter of 2020, was N940.91bn, a shortfall of N425.52bn or 31.1 per cent of the assumed amount.

Non-oil tax revenue tells a gloomier story, with earnings of N269.41bn at the end of the first quarter of 2020. 

This is a shortfall of about 40 per cent of the hoped-for non-oil revenue income for 2020. 

While the shortfalls are above 30 per cent, the proposed revision to the budget is less than one per cent.

"We will still have enough energy to take us through this challenging moment and navigate into a new year," Ajibola said.

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The International Federation of Women Lawyers, Edo State chapter, has called on security agents in the country to carry out investigation into the rape and killing of Miss. Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100level student of the Department of Microbiology, University of Benin. 

The group urged the police and Department of State Services to do everything within their powers to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and ensure that they are brought to book irrespective of their status in the society. 

In a statement on Monday by its spokeperson, Florence Okundaye, the group condemned all forms of sexual abuse and violence against women and girls.

The group said it would not relent until the case was brought to a logical conclusion and justice prevailed.

The statement reads, "We received with great shock and sadness the news of the despicable and heinous act of rape which led to the death of Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa.

"We therefore call on all security agencies to wit; the police and State Security Service to thoroughly investigate the case and do the needful in ensuring that the perpetrators are brought to book very quickly.

"FIDA Edo decries all forms of sexual abuse and violence against women and girls and states that they are serious and widespread problems that have lasting impacts on individuals, families, communities and burdens our society with major health and safety issues."

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The LGBT app says it has a "zero-tolerance policy for racism" and will remove the filter.

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Farming communities in South East Asia are embracing online selling for the first time during lockdown.

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From police brutality to systemic racism, US protesters explain why they have taken to the streets.

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The UK and Canada oppose Russia's readmission, as Donald Trump invites Vladimir Putin to a summit.

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Being made redundant is rarely pleasant, but is it worse finding out via a video call?

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Some of Europe's best known art museums are reopening but it will be far from business as usual.

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Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka helped set up university brotherhoods in the 1950s but never imagined what they would become.

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Why are India's residents' welfare associations being called "little Hitlers" and "tin pot dictators"?

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Different states are easing lockdown at different rates, and some fear infections could rise again.

The Human and Environmental Development Agenda in partnership with Corner House, Finance Uncovered, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism and the University of Kent Law School, with the support of Transparency and Accountability Initiative of MacArthur Foundation, Open Society Foundation, and Open Society Initiative for West Africa is calling for applications from United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates based anti-corruption organisations, accountability actors (anti-corruption activists, investigative journalists, law enforcement officers, and potential whistleblowers) for training on "Experts’ Advocacy on Tracking and Recovery of Illicit assets Funds and Assets". 

Eligibility requirements 

Only applicants who are able to demonstrate evidence of investigative experience or capacity for investigation should download and fill the investigation planner via the links below. 

United Kingdom https://ift.tt/3gM3wuk

United Arab Emirates (UAE) https://ift.tt/3dv5Rbm

Applicants must be resident in the United Kingdom or United Arab Emirates. 

The deadline for submission of application is Friday, 27 June, 2020.

For further information, please email asset-tracing@hedang.org
 

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The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Nigeria on Monday announced new directives for reopening the economy and social activities in the country. 

According to the Task Force, a nationwide curfew remains in place even the timing was changed from 8pm-8am to 10pm-4am.

Under the new arrangement, banks and all financial institutions would commence full operations, resuming normal working hours.

The task force also announced the lifting of the ban on places of worship – churches and mosques would now commence regular services with guidelines to be provided by states where they operate. 

Inter-state travel according to the committee remains prohibited while essential workers and agricultural goods transporters are exempted from the restriction.

However, gatherings of more than 20 persons in public especially outside of workplaces and religious services remain banned.

Domestic flight operations will commence from June 21 and would adhere strictly to protocols developed for same purpose to be approved by Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika.  See Also PUBLIC HEALTH Nigerian Government Lifts Ban On Religious Gatherings, Reduces Curfew Hours 0 Comments 2 Hours Ago

The new directive gave hotels the nod to reopen but pointed that bars, gyms, cinemas, nightclubs, parks are to remain closed until further evaluation.

The task force also stated that restaurants outside of hotels must remain closed for eat-in and must only offer take-away services.

All schools are expected to remain closed until further evaluation, according to the latest directive by the Nigerian Government.

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The Nigeria Police Force has continued to ignore all directives to recall Sergeant Amos Olaniyan, an officer, who was verbally dismissed from service in 1994.

The police had ignored directives from the Nigerian Senate and a series of petitions demanding his recall into the force.

It was gathered that those, who were indicted alongside Olaniyan were back in the police.  Amos Olaniyan

On October 11, 1994, Olaniyan was on duty with Inspector David Oloyede and others, who were under the command of ASP Abiodun Asabi.

They were posted on crime prevention patrol duties along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ogere Toll Gate.

The team met the then Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abubakar Tsav, who asked his escort to search their patrol van.

The sum of N1,075 was found in the front seat of the van and they were taken to Zone II Headquarters, Onikan, Lagos, where they underwent orderly room trial on the allegation of corrupt practice and discreditable conduct.

The panel acquitted them of the allegations and asked them to return to service. 

However, while others returned to service, Olaniyan was verbally dismissed from the Force.

All efforts by Olaniyan to be recalled proved abortive as the outcome of the investigation, following a petition to the Police Service Commission, was swept under the carpet. 

A letter from the Ogun State Police Command sighted by SaharaReporters showed that Olaniyan was to have been recalled back to the Force as he was pronounced innocent of the allegations against him.

It was gathered that leader of the team that Olaniyan was attached to was not suspended from the Force.

“Even though the team leader of the ugly incident is still in the Force, he was not suspended for one day and he is now a Divisional Police Officer,” a letter from the Ogun State Police Command to the Police Service Commission partly reads.

DCP Patrick Dokumor of Ogun State Police Command in 2010 had recommended the recall of Olaniyan to the Force.

The Nigerian Senate had also in 2015 ordered that Olaniyan should be immediately recalled in a letter to the police.

In a letter to the police in 2011, Prof Itse Sagay described Olaniyan’s dismissal as not only a miscarriage of justice, but also condemnation and punishment of an innocent man by default. 

Olaniyan presently sleeps in a church and has no means of sustaining himself, said one of his four children, who spoke with SaharaReporters.

The daughter said, "Life has been difficult for him. After his ordeal, he went to work as a security man with a company around Isolo where he was attacked by armed robbers who came to rob the company.

"Since then, he has been feeding from what people give him. As for we, the children (four of us), we suffered. I had admission twice but was unable to go for studies due to funds.

"Presently, he sleeps in the church. He does not have a house and to even feed himself is hell for him.

"The Police Service Commission discharged and acquitted him and was waiting for signal to call him back to work which he did not see till today.”

Olaniyan urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; as well as the Police Service Commission to revisit his case and recall him to the Nigeria Police Force.

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The Nigerian Government has relaxed the lockdown imposed on Kano State to curb the spread of Coronavirus.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, while speaking during the daily briefing in Abuja on Monday said, “Easing the total lockdown of Kano State and introduction of Phase One of the eased lockdown.

“This is still a fight for life and our advancement to Phase Two does not mean that COVID-19 has ended. It is still potent and highly wasteful of human lives.

“I implore all Nigerians and corporate citizens to take responsibility and play the expected role.”

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The World Health Organisation has announced a new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO made the revelation in a tweet on Monday.

He said so far six cases have been identified with four people already dead. 

He said, "A new #Ebola outbreak detected in Western #DRC, near Mbandaka, Équateur province. @MinSanteRDC has identified six cases, of which four people have died.

“The country is also in final phase of battling Ebola in Eastern DRC, #COVID19 and the world’s largest measles outbreak.

“@WHO already has staff in Mbandaka, #DRC supporting the new #Ebola outbreak response.

"This outbreak is a reminder that #COVID19 is not the only health threat people face. WHO is continuing to monitor and respond to many health emergencies."

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The Nigerian Government has announced plans to resume domestic commercial flight operations on June 21.

This was part of measures to ease the lockdown put in place to curb the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The move was announced on Monday during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 daily briefing.

The ban on religious gathering was earlier lifted on Monday by the government. 

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The Nigerian Government has announced the lifting of the ban on religious gathering in the country.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, made the announcement on Monday.

He said, “The PTF submitted its recommendations and the President has approved the following for implementation over the next four weeks spanning 2nd – 29th June, 2020, subject to review-:

“Cautious advance into the Second Phase of the national response to COVID-19; application of science and data to guide the targeting of areas of on-going high transmission of COVID-19 in the country.

“Mobilisation of all resources at state and local government levels to create public awareness on COVID-19 and improve compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions within communities; sustenance of key non-pharmaceutical interventions that would apply nationwide and include: ban of gatherings of more than 20 people outside of a workplace.

“Relaxation of restriction on places of worship based on guidelines issued by the PTF and protocols agreed by state governments.”

The government also relaxed the existing nationwide curfew in the country.

Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media, in a tweet said, “BREAKING: The Presidential Task Force on COVID–19 has reduced the nationwide curfew. Effective from tomorrow, the curfew starts from 10pm - 4am."

Boss Mustapha

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Less than a week after killing 74 people across four villages under Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, gunmen on Saturday night again attacked Gatawa Village and killed three persons and abducted two others. 

The attack equally left many people including women and children injured. 

Those killed were buried on Sunday amidst tears. 

Immediately after the funeral, more people fled the village for fear of another attack by the gunmen.

Frequent attacks by armed hoodlums have displaced hundreds of people across the region in recent times. 

Many of the displaced persons have been moving around Sabon Birni town looking for shelter and begging for food.  See Also Insurgency UPDATE: Death Toll In Sokoto Gunmen Attack Rises To 74 0 Comments 3 Days Ago

Both the state and federal governments have not been able to curb the rising killings in this part of the country.

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Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has advised the state and the federal government to cut down cost and avoid frivolous spending to salvage the country's economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Falae said Nigeria's economy would soon pick up but noted that political leaders at the helm of affairs need to urgently block leakages and focus only on essential spending.

Former SFG, Olu Falae Sahara Reporters Media

He spoke in an interview with Sahara Reporters, listing strategies to recover from the pandemic.

The former minister said the price of crude oil, which initially fell as a result of the pandemic, would soon rise again and boost the nation's economy.

Falae added that the Nigerian government needed to seriously focus on agriculture and give necessary support to farmers to prevent the food shortage that may arise after the pandemic.

According to him, the country is not as badly affected as many other countries of the world with the pandemic, adding that the number of casualties was also minimal.

He said, "Corruption, lack of sincerity and wasteful spending are the clog in the wheel of progress of this country and nobody want to care about this.

“But we will gradually build up again and I believe in another twelve months, our economy should be back to normal. Growth is gradual and so it is in the economy. When countries are opening up, things will change again".

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Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Abdulhamid Sani Duburawa, has been killed by suspected bandits.

Daburuwa was killed on Sunday afternoon at about 2:45pm after gunmen besieged Sabon Garin Dunburawa Village where he hails from.

He was said to have travelled to the community to attend to some family matters. 

He was shot multiple times while in the village.

According to a source, the assailants came from a forest on a motorcycle and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

His body, it was learnt, had been deposited at the General Hospital in Batsari.

Katsina State has seen recent upsurge in activities of bandits in the last one month, leading to the loss of many lives and displacement of hundreds. 

 

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Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Abdulhamid Sani Duburawa, has been killed by suspected bandits.

Daburuwa was killed on Sunday afternoon at about 2:45pm after gunmen besieged Sabon Garin Dunburawa Village where he hails from.

He was said to have travelled to the community to attend to some family matters. 

He was shot multiple times while in the village.

According to a source, the assailants came from a forest on a motorcycle and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

His body, it was learnt, had been deposited at the General Hospital in Batsari.

Katsina State has seen recent upsurge in activities of bandits in the last one month, leading to the loss of many lives and displacement of hundreds. 

 

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Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Abdulhamid Sani Duburawa, has been killed by suspected bandits.

Daburuwa was killed on Sunday afternoon at about 2:45pm after gunmen besieged Sabon Garin Dunburawa Village where he hails from.

He was said to have travelled to the community to attend to some family matters. 

He was shot multiple times while in the village.

According to a source, the assailants came from a forest on a motorcycle and opened fire, killing him on the spot.

His body, it was learnt, had been deposited at the General Hospital in Batsari.

Katsina State has seen recent upsurge in activities of bandits in the last one month, leading to the loss of many lives and displacement of hundreds. 

 

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Muhammadu Buhari,  
President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dear Mr President,

Mr President; Please Belong To All Of Us

“One of the swiftest ways of destroying a kingdom is to give preference of one particular tribe over another or show favor to one group of people rather than another. And to draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who should be drawn near” Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio.

I have been prompted to write you this open letter, Mr President, by the loud sounds of drums, singing and dancing that erupted within many groups in the last few days on the grounds that you attained the fifth year in office as President of Nigeria. It comes as no surprise that enthusiasm for the celebration is not shared equally by segments of the public. While your admirers and supporters believe you have performed well, many others believe the five years you have been in office as our President has not met the yearnings, expectations and change promised Nigerians.

Mr President, you know me well enough and my position on issues to realize that I can be neither a rabid supporter nor a fanatical opponent of yours. I believe being a responsible citizen is enough reason to wish you well and to work for your success. As we have seen all too clearly these past few years, your success is ours as is your failure. We swim or sink with you!

You might wish to recall that after the results of the 23rd of February 2019 presidential elections were announced, giving you victory, I addressed a press conference during which I urged the runner-up, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, to concede defeat. The reason was clear: tensions were running high and little missteps by the leaders might ignite violence, as often happened after major elections. Some supporters of Abubakar Atiku disagreed with me and told me off. As it happened, Alhaji Atiku went ahead to mount a legal challenge to the outcome of the elections up to the Supreme Court. Mercifully, his actions did not result in an outbreak of violence as we feared.

At the same occasion, I counselled the declared winner, your good self, to use the opportunity of your second term to redeem your pledge of being a leader and president of all Nigerians.

On the occasion of the first-year anniversary into your second four-year term, I feel there is an urgent need to revisit this subject matter.

Mr President, you have often expressed the hope that history will be kind to you. It is within your competence to write that history. But you have less than three years in which to do it. You may wish to note that any authentic history must be devoid of myth. It will be a true, factual rendition of the record of your performance.

And truth be told, Mr President, there are quite a lot of things that speak to your remarkable accomplishments, not least of which is that for the first time in our democratic history, a sitting President was defeated. That feat was achieved by Muhammadu Buhari. The reason was the public belief of you as a man of integrity.

The corollary to this is that at the expiration of your eight-year tenure in 2023, your achievements will not be measured solely by the physical infrastructure your administration built. An enduring legacy would be based on those intangible things like how much you uplifted the spirit and moral tone of the nation. How well have you secured the nation from ourselves and from external enemies?

At this time and in the light of all that have happened since you took office, any conversation with you Mr President cannot gloss over the chaos that has overtaken appointments into government offices in your administration. All those who wish you and the country well must mince no words in warning you that Nigeria has become dangerously polarized and risk sliding into crisis on account of your administration’s lopsided appointments which continues to give undue preference to some sections of the country over others.

Nowhere is this more glaring than in the leadership cadre of our security services.

Mr President, I regret that there are no kind or gentle words to tell you that your skewed appointments into the offices of the federal government, favoring some and frustrating others, shall bring ruin and destruction to this nation.

I need not remind you, Mr President, that our political history is replete with great acts of exemplary leadership which, at critical moments, managed to pull this nation back from the precipice and assured its continued existence.

A few examples will demonstrate this:

In February, 1965, the NPC-led Federal Government was faced with a decision to appoint a successor to the outgoing Nigerian Army General Officer Commanding, General Welby Everard, a Briton. Four most senior officers were nominated; namely, Brigadiers Aguiyi Ironsi, Ogundipe, Ademulegun and Maimalari. The first three were senior to Maimalari but he was deemed to be more qualified due to his superior commission. He was the first Sandhurst Regular trained officer in the Nigerian Army. His being a Muslim Northerner like the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu and the Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, granted him added advantage by today’s standards. But to the surprise of even the Igbo, and opposition from some senior NPC members, Minister Ribadu recommended Ironsi, pointing to his seniority. The Prime Minister concurred and Aguiyi Ironsi was confirmed as the first indigenous GOC of the Nigerian Army.

When on 13 February 1976, the Commander-in-Chief, General Murtala Muhammed, was assassinated in a failed Coup de tat, General Olusegun Obasanjo, his deputy and the most senior officer at the time, was sworn in as his successor. The Chief of Army Staff, General T.Y Danjuma, a Northern Christian, was next in line to succeed Obasanjo as the Chief of Staff, SHQ and Deputy Commander in Chief. General Danjuma however waived his right and recommended a much junior officer, Lt. Col. Shehu Musa Yar’adua, for the post. Shehu was promoted two steps up to the rank of Brigadier and appointed Chief of Staff SHQ and Deputy Commander-in-Chief. Lt. Col. Muhammadu Buhari was appointed Minister of Petroleum. This was done to placate Muslim North which was deemed to have lost one of its own, Murtala Muhammed.

Both the chief of staff, Mr. Sunday Awoniyi, and the personal physician Dr Ishaya Audu to the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello, a direct descendant of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, were Christians.

Barely nine years after the civil war in 1979, the NPN Presidential candidate, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, picked an Igbo, Dr Alex Ekwueme, as his running mate. They enjoyed a truly brotherly relationship as President and Vice President. President Shagari’s political advisor, Dr Chuba Okadigbo and National Assembly Liaison, assistant, Dr K.O Mbadiwe, were both Igbos. His economic advisor, Prof. Emmanuel Edozien and his Chief of Personnel Staff Dr Michael Prest, were of Niger Delta extraction. Remarkably, all his military service chiefs were Christians with the exception of his last Chief Army Staff, General Inuwa Wushishi under whose tenure he was removed in a military coup de tat.

Mr. President, as a witness and beneficiary, it is our expectation that you would emulate these great acts of statesmanship. Which is why we have continued to engage with you.

You may wish to recall that I had cause to appeal to you, to confirm Justice Onnoghen as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria a few days before the expiration of his three months tenure of acting appointment to be replaced by a Muslim Northerner. We were saved that embarrassment when his nomination was sent to the senate by the then acting President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo. When he was finally confirmed a few days to the end of his tenure, he was removed after a few months and replaced by Justice Muhammed, a Muslim from the North.

May I also invite the attention of Mr President to the pending matter of appointment of a Chief Judge of the Nigerian Court Appeal which appears to be generating public interest. As it is, the most senior Judge, Justice Monica Dongban Mensem, a northern Christian, is serving out her second three-month term as acting Chief Judge without firm prospects that she will be confirmed substantive head. I do not know Justice Mensem but those who do attest to her competence, honesty and humility. She appears eminently qualified for appointment as the substantive Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal as she is also said to be highly recommended by the National Judicial Council. If she is not and is bypassed in favor of the next in line who happens to be another northern Muslim, that would be truly odd. In which case, even the largest contingent of PR gurus would struggle to rebut the charges that you, Mr. President, is either unwilling or incapable of acting on your pledge to belong to everyone — and to no one. I hope you would see your way into pausing and reflecting on the very grave consequences of such failure not just to your legacy but to the future of our great country.

Thank you for your time, Mr President.

Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd)

Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (retd)

Letter AddThis :  Original Author :  Abubakar Dangiwa Umar Disable advertisements : 
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Bayelsa State on Friday recorded its first Coronavirus death. 

According to the state COVID-19 Task Force, the deceased was a military personnel in his forties.  

SaharaReporters gathered that the victim is Major Iyida of the Military Police, Operation Delta Safe. 

Iyida was isolated at Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, after he tested positive for the virus and was said to be in stable condition. 

His health suddenly deteriorated and he developed severe respiratory distress, leading to his death. 

PUBLIC HEALTH News OBITUARY AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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