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More than 100 people have been killed in Gaza and seven have died in Israel since Monday.

The Nigerian government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that it is "watching with great concern" the escalating crisis between Israel and Palestine, urging the two parties to find an urgent, lasting solution. 

The spokesperson for the ministry, Mr Ferdinand Nwoye, stated this in a release titled, "Official Statement of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Developments in Israel and Palestine" obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday. 

The ministry said, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to state that the Federal Government of Nigeria is watching with great concern, the unfolding developments in Israel and the State of Palestine and urges both parties to see reason and de-escalate the hostilities. 

"The Nigerian Government further urges the two parties to remain committed to the two-state solution and, in the meantime, guarantee the rights of all citizens to live in peace and dignity." 

Meanwhile, some Nigerians have scolded the government for showing concern to the situation in Israel and Palestine when its own territory is confronted with more deadly security challenges from the Boko Haram, ravaging bandits and kidnappers. 

"The same Nigerian government that keeps quiet when hundreds are slaughtered in Nigeria and where young critics of state governors like (Nasir) El-Rufai disappear never to be seen again," a Nigerian, Ikhide Ikheloa, said. 

The decades-long Israel-Palestine crisis resurrected in the past weeks with the deadly escalation of violence across Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, in which at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds injured. 

The crisis has demonstrated how the core areas of disagreement between Israelis and Palestinians still run deep. 

But added to the violence is also internal political unrest in the two countries which centre on leadership on both sides.

For Israelis, this has manifested itself in four elections in two years that have so far failed to end in the formation of a stable government. The most recent election, held on March 23, is still mired in wrangling between various parties and factions. 

Coalition talks were frozen on Monday after violence exploded in Jerusalem and Gaza.

For Palestinians, meanwhile, the ongoing crisis of leadership has been encapsulated in Hamas commandeering the resistance, further sidelining Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party and the Palestinian Authority, of which he is president.

Tensions between Fatah and Hamas have dominated Palestinian politics since 2006, when Hamas was victorious in the Palestinian Authority’s last parliamentary elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council, ending the era of Fatah’s dominance. 

After armed conflict between the two factions and the failure of an attempted unity government, the Palestinian leadership has been divided since 2007, with the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority governing the West Bank, and Hamas governing the Gaza Strip. 

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The Christian Association of Nigeria has urged the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs to caution extremists who are giving bad names to Islam.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Association's General Secretary, Joseph Bade Daramola, said the extremists are not grounded in Islam.

Christian-Association-of-Nigeria-CAN

The religious body gave the advice in its Eid-el-Fitr message to the NSCIA and Muslims.

CAN prayed that the aftermath of this year Ramadan will usher in peace and unity into the country.

The statement read, “The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is rejoicing with the leadership of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and all Muslims in the country as they celebrate the successful completion of this year’s Ramadan. We wish you all Ramadan Mubarak.

“We are not unaware that your fasting was in obedience to the divine directive: 'O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous' — Surat Al-Baqarah 2:183. May God answer all your godly prayers offered throughout the month?

“We appeal to the leadership of NSCIA to continue to advise and caution the extremists who are not well-grounded in the faith and whose wicked and ungodly actions are giving bad names to Islam. It is trite to know that no godly person will engage in the promotion of violence, kidnapping, banditry and terrorism or identify with the perpetrators.

“We recognise and appreciate the ‘efforts’ that are being made by the police and other security agencies towards ensuring peaceful celebrations. May God put His fears into the hearts of our leaders to promptly do what is right, justly, and godly. We also pray that those who have compromised and are compromising the security in the country will have a change of mind and those who refused to change will be exposed and sanctioned by the Almighty God Himself.”

CAN vowed not to relent in promoting religious tolerance, peace and unity in the country and genuinely collaborate with NSCIA.

The statement added: “We remain partners in peacemaking. Let us continue working together for peace, unity and progress of the country.

“Our heart goes to the families and friends of those who are bereaved especially as a result of senseless and unwarranted killings in the country. May God console and comfort them all. Eid Mubarak to the leadership of NSCIA and all the Muslims in the country.”

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The abductors of a Deeper Life Bible Church Pastor, Otamayomi Ogedengbe in Ondo State have made contact with his family, demanding a ransom of N30 million. 

The pastor was kidnapped three days ago and his kidnappers insist on collecting the ransom before he will be released. 

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Ogedengbe, a native of Akungba Akoko in the Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state was kidnapped from a church along Irese Road in Akure around 8.37pm on Monday. 

A family source said the kidnappers insisted that the ransom was unnegotiable, according to WithinNigeria. 

The victim’s wife, Yinka Ogedengbe had earlier begged security agencies to help rescue her husband unhurt as quickly as possible due to his state of health.

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The abductors of a Deeper Life Bible Church Pastor, Otamayomi Ogedengbe in Ondo State have made contact with his family, demanding a ransom of N30 million. 

The pastor was kidnapped three days ago and his kidnappers insist on collecting the ransom before he will be released. 

Channels TV

Ogedengbe, a native of Akungba Akoko in the Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state was kidnapped from a church along Irese Road in Akure around 8.37pm on Monday. 

A family source said the kidnappers insisted that the ransom was unnegotiable, according to WithinNigeria. 

The victim’s wife, Yinka Ogedengbe had earlier begged security agencies to help rescue her husband unhurt as quickly as possible due to his state of health.

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A human rights activist, Lookman Hassan, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 5, Dibal Yakadi, over the unlawful detention of his younger brother, Chikogwu Isaac, by officers of Delta State Criminal Investigation Unit. 

In the petition filed through his counsel, M. O. Uwaila, Hassan said the police had denied Isaac access to his lawyer and family members and that his family was worried about his whereabouts.

He described the action against Isaac, who is a businessman, as a violation of his rights.

It read, "Our client is a businessman by profession for over a decade with an enviable track record but now facing a serious threat to his life by the above-named office.

"My client informed us that sometime in the month of March, 2021, his younger brother by the name, Chikogwu Isaac, was at a party when he received a call that some policemen were at his landed property, destroying his gate as his land had already been fenced.
"Our client stated that his brother immediately proceeded to the landed property and met some policemen who later informed him that they were from the Anti-Kidnapping office. They came with some boys whom the policemen alleged were kidnappers, who bore a hole in the fence and gained entrance without his notice.

"Our client informed us that the policemen were breaking the padlock on the gate and he asked them to stop so he could open it but before he knew what was happening, they pounced on him, beat him to a state of stupor, threw him into their van and drove off to Anti-Kidnapping office, Asaba and have detained him since March 2021 till date, without charging him or releasing him.

"Sir, it is disheartening to note that our client and his relations have been going to Asaba to either give him food or see the boy, all to no avail as the policemen did not allow them to see him in the cell.”

The lawyer said the family was highly apprehensive about the whereabouts of their son and therefore appealed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police to step in and order the transfer of the case from Asaba as they suspect foul play in his arrest and detention.

"Our client's family is apprehensive as to the whereabouts of their son and our client's family sent a lawyer to see the Investigation Police Officer to find out what the issue was but he was driven away from their office and all efforts made by the family for the police to charge him to court have not been successful.

"We are aware that the alleged offence if any is serious assault or at best obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty which is a bailable offence and we also know our right to file for a fundamental rights enforcement for failure on the part of the police to charge him to court if any offence is proved.

"In the above circumstances, therefore, we appeal to the AIG to urgently intervene by ensuring that this pathetic case is transferred out of this lawless office or officer to your esteemed office, where we believe that justice will be done as the police at Asaba have been compromised and culprits will be brought to justice,” Uwaila said.

Commenting further on the unlawful detention of Chiakogwu, the President, Talakawa's Parliament, Marxist Kola Edokpayi frowned on the denial of access to the client in police custody, as a suspect is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He urged the IGP and AIG to look into the matter and ensure justice is done so the detained businessman will be granted bail or be charged to court if there is a prima facie case against him. 

He added that the family of the detained Chikogwu had been having sleepless nights over his unlawful detention. 

Edokpayi however expressed confidence that the IGP and AIG would do the needful with a view to redeeming the battered image of the police force.

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A human rights activist, Lookman Hassan, has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone 5, Dibal Yakadi, over the unlawful detention of his younger brother, Chikogwu Isaac, by officers of Delta State Criminal Investigation Unit. 

In the petition filed through his counsel, M. O. Uwaila, Hassan said the police had denied Isaac access to his lawyer and family members and that his family was worried about his whereabouts.

He described the action against Isaac, who is a businessman, as a violation of his rights.

It read, "Our client is a businessman by profession for over a decade with an enviable track record but now facing a serious threat to his life by the above-named office.

"My client informed us that sometime in the month of March, 2021, his younger brother by the name, Chikogwu Isaac, was at a party when he received a call that some policemen were at his landed property, destroying his gate as his land had already been fenced.
"Our client stated that his brother immediately proceeded to the landed property and met some policemen who later informed him that they were from the Anti-Kidnapping office. They came with some boys whom the policemen alleged were kidnappers, who bore a hole in the fence and gained entrance without his notice.

"Our client informed us that the policemen were breaking the padlock on the gate and he asked them to stop so he could open it but before he knew what was happening, they pounced on him, beat him to a state of stupor, threw him into their van and drove off to Anti-Kidnapping office, Asaba and have detained him since March 2021 till date, without charging him or releasing him.

"Sir, it is disheartening to note that our client and his relations have been going to Asaba to either give him food or see the boy, all to no avail as the policemen did not allow them to see him in the cell.”

The lawyer said the family was highly apprehensive about the whereabouts of their son and therefore appealed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police to step in and order the transfer of the case from Asaba as they suspect foul play in his arrest and detention.

"Our client's family is apprehensive as to the whereabouts of their son and our client's family sent a lawyer to see the Investigation Police Officer to find out what the issue was but he was driven away from their office and all efforts made by the family for the police to charge him to court have not been successful.

"We are aware that the alleged offence if any is serious assault or at best obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty which is a bailable offence and we also know our right to file for a fundamental rights enforcement for failure on the part of the police to charge him to court if any offence is proved.

"In the above circumstances, therefore, we appeal to the AIG to urgently intervene by ensuring that this pathetic case is transferred out of this lawless office or officer to your esteemed office, where we believe that justice will be done as the police at Asaba have been compromised and culprits will be brought to justice,” Uwaila said.

Commenting further on the unlawful detention of Chiakogwu, the President, Talakawa's Parliament, Marxist Kola Edokpayi frowned on the denial of access to the client in police custody, as a suspect is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He urged the IGP and AIG to look into the matter and ensure justice is done so the detained businessman will be granted bail or be charged to court if there is a prima facie case against him. 

He added that the family of the detained Chikogwu had been having sleepless nights over his unlawful detention. 

Edokpayi however expressed confidence that the IGP and AIG would do the needful with a view to redeeming the battered image of the police force.

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People of Oke-Isoko in the Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta state have taken a swipe at the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and his political ally, a one-time House of Assembly member, representing Isoko South constituency 1, Ross Uredi, as a newly built road in the community becomes impassable each time it rains. 

The Okpe-Isoko Road project, SaharaReporters, gathered was awarded in 2018 at a whopping sum of N850 million by the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa to Runscon Limited, owned by the governor's ally, Ross Uredi. 

The project was recently completed and awaiting inauguration when it was submerged by rising rain water after a downpour last weekend. 

Our correspondent, who visited the community during the downpour observed that the road project was submerged by water, making it difficult for motorists as well as local farmers to use. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a cross-section of Okpe-Isoko indigenes, lamented the quality of the road, describing it as a 'shoddy job, given by paddy to paddy'.

An indigene of the community, who simply identified himself as Oruaro, said, "When Governor Okowa awarded this road to Ross Uredi, we just knew nothing good would come out of it. At a point when the project was ongoing, we discovered some defects and it was a war between us and Uredi. Because he is a very close friend of the governor, he never bothered to retrace his steps and do a quality job.

"Even at a point, the contractor, Ross, went after some of our youths who were clamouring for a standard job. All our efforts, cries and calls on the governor to redirect his friend, Ross, on the need to do a standard job, were useless. Okowa turned deaf ears to all our calls. Today, the same road is impassable once it rains. You can see for yourself, this is a newly constructed road awaiting Okowa's inauguration flooded as if it is a lake."

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being harassed and attacked by people loyal to the contractor, described the road project as "nothing but a sham and food for the boys". 
"More or less kolanut contract from paddy paddy to a loyal paddy paddy. This road project almost caused a serious crisis in our community among indigenes. Some loyal to the contractor were against those calling for a standard job," he said. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a director at the state Ministry of Works who also spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said, "The firm that handled the execution of the project, Runscon Limited, did a very poor quality job but because of his closeness to the state governor, our hands are tied. We have received a series of complaints from people in the community.

"Even on our own, we have visited as well and we saw those defects being complained about. However, all our efforts to see that a standard job was done failed. Because we are also afraid of the contractor's closeness to the governor. The contractor is Ross Uredi and if you watch well, he's always the number three man sitting beside the governor in any event as the case may be. The road project covers about 2.7km."

Last year during a press conference by Governor Okowa, the attention of the governor was drawn to the shoddy jobs being carried out by the contractor on the road, but the governor reacted, saying, "It is possible that when you have so many jobs that are ongoing, it is possible to have a few defects. It is possible to have people who are contractors but may not be standard enough."

Efforts to reach the contractor on the phone for comments were not successful as he did answer calls to his phone. He also did not reply a text message sent to his mobile line.
 

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People of Oke-Isoko in the Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta state have taken a swipe at the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and his political ally, a one-time House of Assembly member, representing Isoko South constituency 1, Ross Uredi, as a newly built road in the community becomes impassable each time it rains. 

The Okpe-Isoko Road project, SaharaReporters, gathered was awarded in 2018 at a whopping sum of N850 million by the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa to Runscon Limited, owned by the governor's ally, Ross Uredi. 

The project was recently completed and awaiting inauguration when it was submerged by rising rain water after a downpour last weekend. 

Our correspondent, who visited the community during the downpour observed that the road project was submerged by water, making it difficult for motorists as well as local farmers to use. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a cross-section of Okpe-Isoko indigenes, lamented the quality of the road, describing it as a 'shoddy job, given by paddy to paddy'.

An indigene of the community, who simply identified himself as Oruaro, said, "When Governor Okowa awarded this road to Ross Uredi, we just knew nothing good would come out of it. At a point when the project was ongoing, we discovered some defects and it was a war between us and Uredi. Because he is a very close friend of the governor, he never bothered to retrace his steps and do a quality job.

"Even at a point, the contractor, Ross, went after some of our youths who were clamouring for a standard job. All our efforts, cries and calls on the governor to redirect his friend, Ross, on the need to do a standard job, were useless. Okowa turned deaf ears to all our calls. Today, the same road is impassable once it rains. You can see for yourself, this is a newly constructed road awaiting Okowa's inauguration flooded as if it is a lake."

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being harassed and attacked by people loyal to the contractor, described the road project as "nothing but a sham and food for the boys". 
"More or less kolanut contract from paddy paddy to a loyal paddy paddy. This road project almost caused a serious crisis in our community among indigenes. Some loyal to the contractor were against those calling for a standard job," he said. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a director at the state Ministry of Works who also spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said, "The firm that handled the execution of the project, Runscon Limited, did a very poor quality job but because of his closeness to the state governor, our hands are tied. We have received a series of complaints from people in the community.

"Even on our own, we have visited as well and we saw those defects being complained about. However, all our efforts to see that a standard job was done failed. Because we are also afraid of the contractor's closeness to the governor. The contractor is Ross Uredi and if you watch well, he's always the number three man sitting beside the governor in any event as the case may be. The road project covers about 2.7km."

Last year during a press conference by Governor Okowa, the attention of the governor was drawn to the shoddy jobs being carried out by the contractor on the road, but the governor reacted, saying, "It is possible that when you have so many jobs that are ongoing, it is possible to have a few defects. It is possible to have people who are contractors but may not be standard enough."

Efforts to reach the contractor on the phone for comments were not successful as he did answer calls to his phone. He also did not reply a text message sent to his mobile line.
 

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People of Oke-Isoko in the Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta state have taken a swipe at the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and his political ally, a one-time House of Assembly member, representing Isoko South constituency 1, Ross Uredi, as a newly built road in the community becomes impassable each time it rains. 

The Okpe-Isoko Road project, SaharaReporters, gathered was awarded in 2018 at a whopping sum of N850 million by the state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa to Runscon Limited, owned by the governor's ally, Ross Uredi. 

The project was recently completed and awaiting inauguration when it was submerged by rising rain water after a downpour last weekend. 

Our correspondent, who visited the community during the downpour observed that the road project was submerged by water, making it difficult for motorists as well as local farmers to use. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a cross-section of Okpe-Isoko indigenes, lamented the quality of the road, describing it as a 'shoddy job, given by paddy to paddy'.

An indigene of the community, who simply identified himself as Oruaro, said, "When Governor Okowa awarded this road to Ross Uredi, we just knew nothing good would come out of it. At a point when the project was ongoing, we discovered some defects and it was a war between us and Uredi. Because he is a very close friend of the governor, he never bothered to retrace his steps and do a quality job.

"Even at a point, the contractor, Ross, went after some of our youths who were clamouring for a standard job. All our efforts, cries and calls on the governor to redirect his friend, Ross, on the need to do a standard job, were useless. Okowa turned deaf ears to all our calls. Today, the same road is impassable once it rains. You can see for yourself, this is a newly constructed road awaiting Okowa's inauguration flooded as if it is a lake."

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being harassed and attacked by people loyal to the contractor, described the road project as "nothing but a sham and food for the boys". 
"More or less kolanut contract from paddy paddy to a loyal paddy paddy. This road project almost caused a serious crisis in our community among indigenes. Some loyal to the contractor were against those calling for a standard job," he said. 

Speaking with our correspondent, a director at the state Ministry of Works who also spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said, "The firm that handled the execution of the project, Runscon Limited, did a very poor quality job but because of his closeness to the state governor, our hands are tied. We have received a series of complaints from people in the community.

"Even on our own, we have visited as well and we saw those defects being complained about. However, all our efforts to see that a standard job was done failed. Because we are also afraid of the contractor's closeness to the governor. The contractor is Ross Uredi and if you watch well, he's always the number three man sitting beside the governor in any event as the case may be. The road project covers about 2.7km."

Last year during a press conference by Governor Okowa, the attention of the governor was drawn to the shoddy jobs being carried out by the contractor on the road, but the governor reacted, saying, "It is possible that when you have so many jobs that are ongoing, it is possible to have a few defects. It is possible to have people who are contractors but may not be standard enough."

Efforts to reach the contractor on the phone for comments were not successful as he did answer calls to his phone. He also did not reply a text message sent to his mobile line.
 

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Former Aviation Minsiter, Femi Fani-Kayode has slammed Prof Usman Yusuf over his comment that southern governors should consult Fulani leaders before placing a ban on open grazing in their states.

Fani-Kayode described on Twitter, Thursday, the statement as ‘arrogance and effrontery of the uncircumcised Philistine,’ as he warned Yusuf to stop playing with fire.

Yusuf, a former Director-General of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on AIT News, Wednesday, challenged the governors from Southern Nigeria who met in Asaba for coming out with their resolutions without meeting with Fulani.
 
He said: "They are there making laws for a people and the people are not being consulted, ask the governors, where any of the Fulani consulted? How come 13 governors of the South met in a hotel to sit and talk without consulting any Fulani leaders?
 
"You must sit down and talk to the people you are making laws for. None of the southern governors has sat down to discuss with the Fulani leaders and tell them what they are trying to do."
 
While the comment had met with outrageous remarks from the southern part of the country, Fani-Kayode, in his reaction, blew hot, saying any attempt to threaten the South will be met with a ruthless resolve.
 
“The arrogance and effrontery of this uncircumcised Philistine appauls me. Why should southern governors consult with Fulani leaders about the laws they are passing in their respective states? Are Southerners slave? And what the hell does he mean when he says southern governors should ‘be careful’?
 
“This man should stop playing with fire. We want peace and are ready to build bridges but any attempt to threaten, denigrate, enslave or intimidate us will be met with contempt, disdain, defiance and a ruthless resolve to resist those that seek to oppress us,” Fani-Kayode tweeted.
 

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Former Aviation Minsiter, Femi Fani-Kayode has slammed Prof Usman Yusuf over his comment that southern governors should consult Fulani leaders before placing a ban on open grazing in their states.

Fani-Kayode described on Twitter, Thursday, the statement as ‘arrogance and effrontery of the uncircumcised Philistine,’ as he warned Yusuf to stop playing with fire.

Yusuf, a former Director-General of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on AIT News, Wednesday, challenged the governors from Southern Nigeria who met in Asaba for coming out with their resolutions without meeting with Fulani.
 
He said: "They are there making laws for a people and the people are not being consulted, ask the governors, where any of the Fulani consulted? How come 13 governors of the South met in a hotel to sit and talk without consulting any Fulani leaders?
 
"You must sit down and talk to the people you are making laws for. None of the southern governors has sat down to discuss with the Fulani leaders and tell them what they are trying to do."
 
While the comment had met with outrageous remarks from the southern part of the country, Fani-Kayode, in his reaction, blew hot, saying any attempt to threaten the South will be met with a ruthless resolve.
 
“The arrogance and effrontery of this uncircumcised Philistine appauls me. Why should southern governors consult with Fulani leaders about the laws they are passing in their respective states? Are Southerners slave? And what the hell does he mean when he says southern governors should ‘be careful’?
 
“This man should stop playing with fire. We want peace and are ready to build bridges but any attempt to threaten, denigrate, enslave or intimidate us will be met with contempt, disdain, defiance and a ruthless resolve to resist those that seek to oppress us,” Fani-Kayode tweeted.
 

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Former Aviation Minsiter, Femi Fani-Kayode has slammed Prof Usman Yusuf over his comment that southern governors should consult Fulani leaders before placing a ban on open grazing in their states.

Fani-Kayode described on Twitter, Thursday, the statement as ‘arrogance and effrontery of the uncircumcised Philistine,’ as he warned Yusuf to stop playing with fire.

Yusuf, a former Director-General of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on AIT News, Wednesday, challenged the governors from Southern Nigeria who met in Asaba for coming out with their resolutions without meeting with Fulani.
 
He said: "They are there making laws for a people and the people are not being consulted, ask the governors, where any of the Fulani consulted? How come 13 governors of the South met in a hotel to sit and talk without consulting any Fulani leaders?
 
"You must sit down and talk to the people you are making laws for. None of the southern governors has sat down to discuss with the Fulani leaders and tell them what they are trying to do."
 
While the comment had met with outrageous remarks from the southern part of the country, Fani-Kayode, in his reaction, blew hot, saying any attempt to threaten the South will be met with a ruthless resolve.
 
“The arrogance and effrontery of this uncircumcised Philistine appauls me. Why should southern governors consult with Fulani leaders about the laws they are passing in their respective states? Are Southerners slave? And what the hell does he mean when he says southern governors should ‘be careful’?
 
“This man should stop playing with fire. We want peace and are ready to build bridges but any attempt to threaten, denigrate, enslave or intimidate us will be met with contempt, disdain, defiance and a ruthless resolve to resist those that seek to oppress us,” Fani-Kayode tweeted.
 

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Former Aviation Minsiter, Femi Fani-Kayode has slammed Prof Usman Yusuf over his comment that southern governors should consult Fulani leaders before placing a ban on open grazing in their states.

Fani-Kayode described on Twitter, Thursday, the statement as ‘arrogance and effrontery of the uncircumcised Philistine,’ as he warned Yusuf to stop playing with fire.

Yusuf, a former Director-General of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on AIT News, Wednesday, challenged the governors from Southern Nigeria who met in Asaba for coming out with their resolutions without meeting with Fulani.
 
He said: "They are there making laws for a people and the people are not being consulted, ask the governors, where any of the Fulani consulted? How come 13 governors of the South met in a hotel to sit and talk without consulting any Fulani leaders?
 
"You must sit down and talk to the people you are making laws for. None of the southern governors has sat down to discuss with the Fulani leaders and tell them what they are trying to do."
 
While the comment had met with outrageous remarks from the southern part of the country, Fani-Kayode, in his reaction, blew hot, saying any attempt to threaten the South will be met with a ruthless resolve.
 
“The arrogance and effrontery of this uncircumcised Philistine appauls me. Why should southern governors consult with Fulani leaders about the laws they are passing in their respective states? Are Southerners slave? And what the hell does he mean when he says southern governors should ‘be careful’?
 
“This man should stop playing with fire. We want peace and are ready to build bridges but any attempt to threaten, denigrate, enslave or intimidate us will be met with contempt, disdain, defiance and a ruthless resolve to resist those that seek to oppress us,” Fani-Kayode tweeted.
 

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These days, it seems all right to play with fire. The blaze started like a solitary spark in Mali in August when the streets, the elite and jihadists banded to remove President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. 

The former president had discarded election results and written a version that tightened his grip on power. How he thought he could reinvent the Mansa Musa legend in a country riven by violence and poverty only he can tell. Outside the capital, Bamako, however, it was clear that Keita’s ambition was dead on arrival, awaiting funeral. And, of course, he didn’t last to tell the story.

To this day, efforts by the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to remove the military regime that sacked Keita, or even get a firm handover date commitment, have failed. You can choose when to have a military government, but often, you can’t decide when, or even if, they would leave.

Before the coup in Mali, West Africa had been coup-free for nearly a decade, with the exception of Guinea Bissau. 

Apparently, soldiers in Niger, Mali’s eastern neighbour, had their own plans as well. On the eve of the swearing-in of President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, they struck, but failed. A government spokesperson described the attempt as a “cowardly and retrograde” act, but the same ECOWAS which rallied to chase away The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh four years ago when he wanted to steal an election, barely said a word. 

To compound the region’s misery, Chad happened. The military coup was partly as a result of President Idriss Deby’s misrule and mainly as a result of the destablisation of the Sahel and the Chad Basin by ISWAP elements from Libya. 

Like ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), has also been silent. France, weeping more than the bereaved, didn’t mind the hypocrisy of defending Deby’s repressive record and his son’s illegitimate takeover, because clearly, French financial and strategic interests were worth the crocodile tears. Within nine months a region that had witnessed relative political stability recorded three military coups, two of them successful.

What started as a spark in Mali is slowly growing into a wildfire. And now, a section of public opinion in Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, is that it might not be a bad idea to light a fire from the neighbourhood to quench the current blaze of domestic problems.

Why is Nigeria playing with fire? How did we become so desperate and so overwhelmed by the bad examples from our neighbours that copying them now appears to be only where salvation lies? 

Robert Clarke, a senior advocate of Nigeria, swore by his father’s grave last week, that if things continued the way they were, he could not guarantee that Nigeria would survive another six months. His apocalyptic view may have been exaggerated, but his concern is not. 

Kidnapping for ransom has become a deadly game with dozens of school children in and out of dormitories as targets. A foreign newspaper recently described Nigeria as a bandit country, with little distinction between bandits and negotiators.

Since January, dozens of security men have been killed in violent attacks, while police stations and correctional centres have been set on fire and destroyed with hardly a record of anyone held to account.

On top of this, Boko Haram has planted flags in communities less than two hours’ drive from Abuja, the federal capital, and is reported to be collecting taxes and even distributing “relief materials” in some communities. Where Boko Haram is not running amok, ethnic militias have seized the space, issuing ultimatums, imposing curfews and generally behaving like an alternative government.

Kaduna State in the North west, which has the highest concentration of elite military institutions in the country, has been so badly devastated by the spate of deadly clashes, kidnappings and banditry, that Governor Nasir El-Rufai suggested that schools should relocate close to military bases. But anyone who has seen the fortification around these bases will know that even the bases are struggling to save themselves.

In the midst of this, President Muhammadu Buhari’s government appears bereft, divided against itself, weary of issuing condolences, but not ashamed of being condoled with. The government is lost between hijackers and incompetents. Not a good place to be.

That should worry anyone and Clarke is right to fear the worst. But agreeing, as most members of the elite now do, that Nigeria is in serious trouble, besieged by echoes of what has brought its neighbours to their knees, does not mean the worst would happen. Nor does it suggest that a military coup is desirable or viable. 

Not because the military’s knee-jerk promise of loyalty means much, but for two main reasons: one is the enlightened self-interest of the military itself, and two, is that state institutions and civil society have been severely weakened, and ethnic and religious passions dangerously inflamed. With the proliferation of arms among rogue elements wearing different hats, the military cannot prevail without the country potentially dissolving into fragments.

In pre-1999 Nigeria when soldiers ruled, they held power without being accountable. At first, they didn’t care, hiding behind the vague idea of “national interest and corporate survival” as the main reasons for seizing power.  

As time went on and it became clearer that they tolerated criticisms mainly as a small price to pay for the large amounts of money they were stealing, they began to clamp down on civil society and became more hostile and intolerant. 

By the end of the Cold War and with increasing internal pressure and demand for change, soldiers had had enough. But not before Nigeria’s peacetime generals and their acolytes emerged, discreetly below Forbes’ radar, as some of the richest men on the continent.

Democracy has made them even more prosperous, and with less headache that comes from being at the political helm. Today’s military top brass is speaking in cryptocurrency, fat bank accounts, prime landed assets and foreign stock options. Rocking the boat is too high a price.

With chunks of the trillions of naira set aside for the prosecution of the endless war on insurgency in the last over one decade ending in private military pockets, only mad officers would make a coup. For what?

Also, the country is so broken along ethnic, tribal and religious lines with light arms and ammunition per capita nearly tripling in five years, that militias with secessionist agenda may prove far more difficult to handle than any ambitious officers may reckon. And that’s not adding Boko Haram and the current wave of banditry to the messy pile. 

The hubris of a potential coup is exaggerated. The chances of Mali or Chad happening in Nigeria are zero. What should keep the country awake at night is not a threat from the army but the surge of poverty, hopelessness and lawless groups that could supplant both the military and civil society together. We’re mutually vulnerable.

Former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, is right that the Nigerian elite is fed up with Buhari’s government. Those pretending otherwise are mostly hypocrites or folks determined to be misled. Also, calls for Buhari to resign are futile. Those calling for his resignation know he won’t, and they too, would not resign if they were in his shoes. But it’s foolish to think that a military coup is an option. 

The value of the current frustration is that it must not be invested in short-cuts or quick solutions. Instead, it should make citizens wiser, and perhaps, more painstaking in choosing the next leader in two years’ time.

 

Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Azu Ishiekwene Disable advertisements : 
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Some Obas in Yoruba Nation have been the focal point of fascination and controversy. The granddaddy of all mad kings in Yoruba Kingdom today is Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi. The arrogant, adulterous, wife beater, raven maniac Oba, behaves like he’s being tormented by animal-like insanity. Oluwo’s madness has become the framework through which royal insanity is seen in Yoruba Nation.

But he is not alone. Some Obas engage in stinking fraud and corruption. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was busted in a story in SaharaReporters, headlined: “Royal Fraud: Companies Linked To Ooni Of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi Defraud Nigerians In Massive Real Estate Scandal” “According to a report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Oba Ogunwusi and his companies have swindled a lot of housing investors and buyers to the tune of hundreds of millions of naira, as the king appeared to be above the law,” reports SaharaReporters. 

In the Yoruba Nation I grew up, the Oba is the custodian and high priest of morals, culture and tradition. He is a man of war. He is a unifying source of wisdom, power, majesty, and identification. He is a model to relate to and copy. He sets the standard for protection and made provision for his people. The Oba protects and defends the kingdom. Increase the wealth and trade of the kingdom for the general good of his people. He takes care of the poor by redistributing the tribute paid as necessary. This was the ideal monarchic structure. And it worked. 

The Oba in those days was an inherited position. Candidates were usually raised for the ruling. Kingmakers through Ifa divination, selects the candidate from the competing royal ruling houses. 

But in today’s Yoruba Nation, the opposite is true. Obas are now handpicked by dirty politicians whose hands are soiled with blood and blood money. Obas now oversee a web of corruption. They influence cabinet appointments, win lucrative federal, state, and local governments tenders through corruption. 

They are behind illegal mining of our gold and other precious minerals carried out by foreign business rogues. They collude with Buhari government to oppress our people. They serve as royal beggars frequenting Aso Rock begging for money from Buhari. In the face of unprecedented massacre of our people by Fulani terrorists, they remain silent, subservient, and subjugated. They sold out our people to Fulani invaders for a mess of pottage. They have become pawns and puppets in the hands of Fulanis and Tinubus of the world. It’s no surprise they strenuously oppose agitation for Yoruba Nation. 

Oba Ogunwusi and Oluwo of Iwo are not the only Obas who wear the crown purposely to enrich themselves at the expense of our people. They are not the only Obas serving as willing traitors  and betrayers of our people. More revelations are in the offing. Time will expose them all - the profiteers of misery of our people. 

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Bayo Oluwasanmi Disable advertisements : 
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