Nigeria Police has asked the senate President Bukola Saraki, to report to a police station in Abuja on Tuesday, in connection with a robbery attack, but Saraki describes the invitation as an afterthought designed to achieve political purpose.
A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said that the Senate President had it on good authority that the Police had already decided on the suspects to be arraigned in court in Ilorin, Kwara state, north central Nigeria.
He said that the turn around to invite him was a ploy to score cheap political points.
“I have been reliably informed that the police invitation was planned by the Inspector- General to stop alleged plan by some senators and House of Representatives members from defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“It was also said that if I was detained between Tuesday and Wednesday, that will abort the so-called defection plan.
“While I continue to maintain that the issue of my position on the 2019 elections is not a personal decision for me alone to make, it should be noted that all these concoctions and evil plot cannot deter me.
“Those behind this fresh assault will fail as I have nothing to do with the robbery incident or any criminal matter for that matter.
“I am aware that following a request made by the Police on June 13, 2018 to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), he had written a legal advice dated June 22, 2018.
“In the advice, he stated that for the Senate President and the Kwara State Governor, this office is unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged office and the suspects”.
He lamented that, “the Police have obviously corrupted and politicised their investigations into the Offa robbery incident.
“They have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents, blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition.
“They are harassing the people whose exit from APC would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections.
“I want to make it apparent that I have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal activity.
“The Police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8 p.m. and requested that I report to the station by 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.
“This obviously demonstrated their desperation as I do not see why they are now in a hurry.”
Saraki added that the police also stated “in today’s letter that because in my response of June 7, 2018 to their own letter written on June 4, 2018, I stated that I was responding simply to the contents of the letter.
“They said that the full text of the statement made by the arrested suspects which they claimed indicted me was not made available to me they were now including the suspects’ statements in the current letter.
“Yet, instead of including the suspects’ statements, they only attached two copies of my own letter to the invitation. No suspect’s statement was made available.
“This plot aimed at compelling me and my associates to stay in a party where members are criminalised without just cause, where injustice is perpetrated at the highest level and where there is no respect for constitutionalism is an exercise in futility.
“It will fail. Once again, my confidence in God and our judicial system remains intact and unshaken. The truth shall also prevail in this case,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force has again invited the country’s Senate President, Bukola Saraki to report to the Head of investigation team, Inspector-General of Police Response Team (IRT) on Tuesday at 8 a.m. in Guzape, Abuja.
the invitation is in connection to an armed robbers attacked on five commercial banks in Offa, north-central Nigeria, on April 5, where 17 people, including policemen and a pregnant woman were killed.
Saraki was initially invited by the police, who said the suspects have confessed to be political thugs of the senate president.
A statement by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Monday, said that the invitation was aimed at making further clarification on the matter.
“In your response to the above allegations, you stated ” by virtue of my participation in politics, I have a large followership which makes it impossible for me to know all of them.
“For the records, your letter under reference did not include the full text of the statements made by the accused persons.
“After a careful perusal of your letter to the Police, it was discovered that the statement requires further clarification and coupled with the fact that you stated that the full text of the statements of the suspects were not shown to you.
“It is imperative you report to the Police to make further statements after giving you the full text of the statements of the suspects,” he said.
“It is in line with the above that you are requested to report to the head of the Investigation Team at the Intelligence Response Team’ at Guzape, Abuja,” he said.
The Nigerian senate has classified and declared the Inspector General of the police as anti democratic and unfit to hold any public office within and outside Nigeria, for failure to appear before the senate to explain the effort of the police in stopping the ongoing killings in Nigeria.
Three times the senate invited him. But he kept sending in his assistants.
Eugene Fahngon, the controversial Deputy Minister of Information in the CDC-led government has always postulated that the CDC’s emergence to the helm of power is a revolutionary overthrow of a “Political Cartel” that had always controlled and managed not only political power but also the mineral and natural resources of the republic. But our study of the revolutionary overthrow of a ruling class by the mass movement of the people indicates something on the contrary. Either Fahngon does not understand what a revolution is or he chooses to engage in a malicious distortion of the truth to the unsuspecting masses. In either of the cases, he is not serving the interest of the exploited class but rather the exploiting class which he refers to as “Cartel”. Elements like Fahngon are part of the social-chauvinists that need to be wiped out by the mass stampede of the people onto the stage of history.
In history, when the mass of people overthrow a cliquish and exploitative ruling class, they temporarily use the instruments of the old society to crush the resistance of the overthrown class. One way to do so is arming the people to combat a counter-revolution from the debased class (The transformation of the armed body of men that protects the interest of the
exploiting class into a people’s army that then suppresses the exploiting class to safeguard the interest of the exploited class). Another way is expropriating the wealth of the cliquish class to not only weaken it economically but also provide the basic means of life for the poor mass of people. Another form is replacing the political institutions of the ruling class with a people oriented one such as a people’s assembly whose members will not only be paid the wages of the average workers but will serve the simple function of administrative watchdogs of society instead of bourgeois political actors that place themselves above the people through the consumption of bumper salaries, emoluments and other perks.
The emergence to state power by the George Weah led-Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) contradicts the above revolutionary principles – a phenomenon which is a slap in the face of Fahngon’s worn out inane cliché of “Destruction of the Cartel”. Since the emergence of the CDC led government, some of those usually referred to as members of the cartel are still not only lingering but also calling the shots in the corridors of power. Emmanuel Shaw, an embodiment of the “Cartel” is the Chief Economic Adviser to President Weah. Charles Bright, another member of the “Cartel” is the de facto Prime Minister of the CDC – led government. Eugene Nagbe, one of the poster boys of the “Cartel” is Minister of Information in the CDC – led government. Nathaniel Patry, an old-time “Carteller” was recently appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia. Gbehzongar Findley, a bag boy of the “Cartel is Minister of
Foreign Affairs in the sham revolutionary government. Wilson Tarpeh, an assimilated “Carteller” is also Minister of Commerce in the CDC – led government.
Other members of the “Cartel”, although do not currently control any of the machinery of the state, but are still lavishing in pomp and pageantry with the wealth they plundered without being touched or expropriated by the so-called revolutionary takeover. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a woman believed to have presided over the wholesale looting of the state for 12years is still seen dictating the actions and inactions of President George Manneh Weah. She recently held a meeting with President Weah and told him to mandate his surrogates to quit shifting blame on her for the economic malaise that has engulfed the homeland. President Weah did not hesitate to give such mandate during his July 16, 2018 Address to the Nation. Also, there has been no determination from the so-called revolutionary government to subject this woman to a judicial commission of inquiry to account for her stewardship of the republic. Under her watch, the republic was crushed by rampant corruption evidenced by the preponderance of audit reports from the General Auditing Commission (GAC) that recommended the prosecution of those found culpable of colossal plunder. Madam Sirleaf has shares in gold mining companies like Liberty Gold Mines and hotels like Farmington Hotel in Liberia. She also gave these companies tax holidays in the latter stage of her regime. No
move has been made by the so-called revolutionary government to investigate these claims.
Robert Sirleaf, the reprobate son of Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who presided over the bankruptcy of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) is parading in Africa, Europe and America in opulence without being questioned by the so-called mass of the people’s takeover of the republic. Amara Konneh, the former Minister of Finance who questionably presided over the USD13million the European Union gave to fight maternal and infant mortalities in Liberia in 2013/2014 is still being left untouched by the “revolutionary government”. Disgraced and corruption-prone former House Speaker Alex Tyler who sought refuge in the ruling party has been assured a perpetual safe haven. Elias Shoniyin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in both the Ellen and Weah’s regimes, who was indicted by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) for siphoning a Japanese grant during the regime of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, now also enjoys the trust and confidence of President Weah.
While these parasites are not only enjoying their stolen wealth but also teaming up daily with the quote on quote “revolutionary forces”, the mass of the people who are purportedly the face of this sham revolution are still without the basic means of life. They are being crushed by inflation. They are being exterminated by unemployment. They wrestle daily with informal economic activities while members of the “Cartel” wine and dine with the so-called “Cartel destroyers”. On top of this, the new elites who
were the heralded forerunners of the revolutionary process have occupied top public service positions in the Legislative and Executive Branches of government and taking home huge salaries and other benefits while the average mass of the people struggle for a daily meal.
A lawmaker in the National Legislature makes USD15, 000.00 monthly in a country where the people are the fourth poorest in the world according to the World Bank. A Minister in the President’s cabinet makes not less than USD$5, 000.00 plus other benefits in gas coupons, GSM prepaid cards, latest model SUV, etc. Also, foreign multinational corporations still have private ownership of the fundamental levers of the country’s economy. These companies do not only pollute the environments, exploit the labour of the Liberian working class, they also pay paltry sum from their surplus profits as taxes and rent to national government. Instead of prioritizing public sector investment in education, healthcare, energy, agriculture, tourism, etc., the crumbs from foreign monopoly capital are used by the national government to cater to the huge salaries and emoluments of the opportunists who exercise political authority in the rotten bureaucratic state. In the approved 2018/2019 fiscal budget, a total of USD310million is allocated to government’s wage bill out of a budget of USD570million!
Nothing has changed since the Weah government started to preside over the state. The more we change political leadership without exorcising the decayed socio-economic system with its rotten values the more things
remain the same. The same actors are abusing the public trust. Unbridled corruption and the bad imitation of the values of the people who they democratically overthrew are displayed on a grandeur scale. In fact, the regime is not only a cartel but is fast becoming a hydra-headed monster that is sucking the people. It has betrayed the interest of the mass of people.
So it brings us to the conclusion that the argument from the semi-literate Eugene Fahngon is nothing but a reckless chest-beating spree that was meant to catch the votes and supports of a gullible and disillusioned mass of people. The emergence of the CDC was simply a scheme to continuously keep this cartel in power instead of smashing the Cartel’s State” and instituting the organized ruling class of the masses that would use the Cartel’s state structure to not only crush the resistance of the contending class but also place the productive forces of the economy under the management and control of the mass of people. Sequence of happenings on the home front indicates that the people are rapidly seeing through this political farce and will develop the revolutionary impetus to abolish it sooner or later.
The President’s convoy was booed by the mass of people on June 29, 2018 in the Red Light Market. The people’s views expressed in an interview conducted by KMTV Liberia with marketers in the Waterside Market demonstrate the indignation of the people towards the government that masquerades as a revolutionary takeover in Liberia. The people boycotted a
well-publicized June 30, 2018’s Pro-day Celebration. The people boycott action indicated that it was baseless to celebrate while they are being crushed by inevitable poverty and economic deprivation with no progressive macroeconomic steps taken to ameliorate the crisis. This brings us to the conclusion that “An accumulation of quantitative changes, which may not at first appear to change the quality of a thing, can eventually utterly transform it. Quantitative changes in nature drive the transformation of one quality into another.” Ben Curry
Yahmia is a student of the University of Liberia. He studies Political Science and Economics major and minor respectively. Yahmia is a staunch member of the Movement for Social Democratic Alternative (MOSODA). He can be reached via moseswyalc@gmail.com.
Air Assets Deployed to Jos by the Nigerian Air Force
Air Assets Deployed to Jos by the Nigerian Air Force
The Commandant, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), AVM Cletus Udeagulu, said on Monday that the institute would soon commence degree programmes in aerospace and defence engineering.
The Commandant said at a pre-convocation press conference of the institute coming up on July 27, that the school plans to transform into “a world class institution and first choice for study of aerospace and defence engineering.’’
Udeagulu said that the institution would be graduating students with National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diplomas in various disciplines during the 47th convocation ceremony.
“I am delighted to inform you that on December 5th 2017, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari assented to the bill upgrading the institute to a degree awarding university.
“In essence, AFIT will now also award BEng and MSc degrees in addition to Certificates and National Diplomas”, he said.
The commandant added that the institution would mount a new course in Aerospace Engineering at first degree and MSc level to reflect its current status as a University.
He reeled out some of the strides recorded by AFIT in Research and Development including its successful launch of the experimental Unmanned Aerial Vehicle codenamed AMEBO.
“Not resting on our oars, there are five staff and students led projects which will be displayed at the convocation ground.
“They are the Sun Tracker, Rocket Launcher Tester, Shock Absorber, Constructed Surveillance Airship and Fabricated Hexacopter”, he added.
Meanwhile, Nkemdilim Ofodile, the team leader of engineers that fabricated the Hexacopter said the device was 100% manufactured by the institute with few imported materials.
She explained that the Hexacopter would be used for aerial surveillance and can go as high as 400m altitude and cover 40 kilometers in 40 minutes.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Nigeria have called for strong Political will to make the Basic Health Care Provisional Fund (BHCPF), a statutory transfer as a means of steadily securing the fund.
They also stressed the need for pragmatic and high absorption capacity in ensuring efficient Financing of Nigeria’s Health Investment Case through improved Budgetary Allocation to the Health sector.
A communique issued at the end of a 2-day meeting in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria, by Asma’u Ahmad, CHR Knowledge Management and Communication Coordinator, says the meeting dwelt on “what the Investment Case priorities are, the gaps and developed advocacy messages and tools to engage national and sub-national leaders.”
The meeting observed, “There should be an inclusive stakeholder’s consultation to provide a framework that will ensure efficient utilization of the Basic Health Care Provisional Funds (BHCPF), through the involvement of Civil Society Organizations, private sector, business community under Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement.
“There is a need for an expanded coverage of all the interventions across all the 36 states and FCT, the broadening of the Minimum Package of Activities.
“That Reproductive health services should include comprehensive HIV Services, government should established youth friendly centres, including comprehensive family planning package, (not just the use of contraceptives) as well as holistic services for people with special needs.”
The CSOs noted that the expected result on Reproductive Maternal Neonatal and Adolescent Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) that projected modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (mCPR) target of 43% by 2021 need to be reviewed, as the set target of about 200% is unrealistic.
“The reasons being that mCPR percentage has barely gone beyond 11% consistently over the years coupled with dwindling financial resources and the fact that Nigeria is not fully financing family planning.
“Based on the review of the interventions proposed by the GFF Investment Case, the coalitions observed that not all States of the Federation are covered and not all RMNCAH+N services in the Minimum Package of Activities (MPA) are addressed. Also, Nutrition Services are not specified just as the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) pertinent to RMNCAH+N barely address the problems,” the meeting observed.
The Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) facilitated the meeting, which comprised the Community and Health Research Initiative (CHR), Nigeria GFF CSOs Working Group, National Advocates for Health (NA4H), Nigeria Youths Champions for Universal Health Coverage (NYC4UHC), Niger State Coalition on MNCH and Representative of GFF CSOs working group in Abia State.
Gombe State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, in northeast Nigeria, is to begin biometric data capturing for its 1, 200 intending pilgrims for the 2018 Hajj exercise.
Usman Gurama, Executive Secretary of the board, made the disclosure at the closing of induction course for the intending pilgrims in Gombe on Sunday.
He said those that would conduct the biometric capturing were expected to arrive Gombe on Sunday.
According to him, the exercise which is a directive from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is the only challenge facing the board.
He advised the pilgrims to create time and avail themselves to be captured to enable them depart on time.
Gurama also warned the intending pilgrims against carrying more than 32 kilogrammes of luggage and eight kilogrammes of hand bag.
He advised them to take good care of their Basic Transport Allowance (BTA) while in Nigeria and in the Holy Land.
Gurama also advised them to be careful with the people changing money to avoid being given fake money.
He said that recently, seven persons were arrested with fake dollars who intended to defraud intending pilgrims that might want to change dollar to Saudi Riyal.
Adamu Umar, the Board’s Deputy Secretary, also advised them to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations to perform a successful Hajj.
According to him, the practical aspect of the induction course will immensely assist them while in the Holy Land. (NAN)
A 23-year-old victim of child trafficking, Falodun Damilola, has advised children on vacation to beware of peer groups and always stick to wise words of their parents at every point in time.
Falodun told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the vacation period should be a time for children to get closer to their parents and wards instead of hanging out aimlessly on the streets.
“This vacation period is very delicate because devourers are out there looking for which child they could confuse for their selfish interests.
“This is the period that child traffickers go out en mass to convince young girls and even boys of better life through foreign trips,” she said.
According to Dami, as she’s popularly called, children should tell their parents about their going out and their coming in.
“It is very important that the children should share their decisions at every point in time to avoid making a life time mistake that may result to destruction.
“Young boys and girls should not respond to promises of foreign trips if it is not a scholarship programme or you have a relative over there.
“These are just tricks to send you to foreign countries and use you for slavery of all kinds, it is very terrible out there,” she said.
Dami, a native of Ekiti State, described her experience of travelling out as “being saved from hell”, which she said must not happen to any Nigerian child.
“I am sharing my experience because I am lucky to have escaped, so many did not have this opportunity to live and share their ordeal.
“This period of long vacation must not be treated with levity by our parents because of evil perpetrators among us. Please, get closer to your children through any means.
“Do not keep them with people you cannot trust, everyone is a suspect, your children should be your uttermost priority before your work,” she advised.
Dami recalled that she traveled to Oman, Nizwa, an Arabian country in June 2016, after she lost her parents and had no one to assist her.
“I lost my parents in 2014 after which I tried to assist myself and so I worked with some organisations where I got in contact with these agents.
“I got convinced of their promises because I was helpless and then I gathered my money to travel out thinking changing of environment would be the best option,” she said.
According to her, the agents “advised me that travelling out will be the fastest way to make money but I ended up being a slave out there.
“I urge young girls and boys to use this holiday period to learn skills instead of hanging out with unhealthy peer groups’’.
She said that her luck was a slim opportunity she got to run back home, adding that she became rehabilitated when she got in contact of Princess Ronke, the ambassador to Queen Moremi.
“It took the Grace of God for me to escape; there are several girls out there who would love to come back home, but no one to help them.
“Am grateful to Princess Ronke Ademiluyi who linked me to the Ooni of Ife, who is currently sponsoring my university education in Open University, taking care of my accommodation and feeding,’’ she said.
Dami appealed to relevant authorities to check any young lady going out and authenticate her mission before she could be allowed out especially during vacations.
NAN reports that schools had commenced their eight weeks vacation period which gave room for children to either travel to visit relatives or stay back for holiday coaching and skill acquisitions.
A Nigerian Senator, Abu Ibrahim, has urged his country to ensure proper monitoring of proposed disbursement of 322 million dollars recovered Abacha loot to forestall re-looting of same.
President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated interest in disbursing the funds through his administration’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme to poor households.
Ibrahim who gave the advice while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, expressed concern over a possible stealing of the funds again, if the process of disbursement was not properly monitored.
He said that the process of reaching out to poor Nigerians should be reasonably controlled to ensure that there were no loopholes that would encourage pilfering.
“There should be a monitoring structure to check attempts to loot the money,’’ he said.
On the seeming sour relationship between the Legislature and the Executive, Ibrahim said that the Presidential system of government was not designed for both arms to agree on every issue.
According to him, there will always be areas where both arms will disagree.
He, however, said that the system had provided for mechanism where both arms could also reach compromise, adding that the political players were yet to exploit “lobbying’’ which was also a democratic tenet.
“I have been in the National Assembly for upward of 15 years. This issue of disagreement between the Executive and Legislature has always been there.
“The national assembly is not supposed to be in the pocket of the president; there are checks and balances.
“What presently looks like ups and downs in the relationship between the two arms of government is nothing to worry about,’’ the lawmaker said.
