POPE BENEDICT FINAL HOUR AS THE POPE :the lesson

My heart bleeds this morning as I watched Pope Benedict shaking hands and bidding the final farewell  with over 170 Catholic cardinals. It reminds of what the journey of life looks like. A time to be born and a time to die, a time to come and a time to go. Today the most respected figure among the Catholics and non Catholics faithfuls has left the biggest stage and hight which only few mortals can attend due to old age. How I wish I can read his mind with this tears in my HEART? May be I would learn more lessons about this noisy world and understand the power of solitude. The Pope must have understood the power behind quietness and solitude before departure from the mother earth. His desire to have time of prayers and meditation is a note with many lessons. He had really worn my love and admiration. I wish him the best of life at this age and godly relationship as he continues to pray for the world and think of the life beyond. I love you Pope Emeritus. We may not be able to see you again publicly but your legacy will always be remembered even after your final exit from the sorrows and pains of this mother -earth. Prince Okey Emezu. princeht2000@yahoo.com

Abia, politics gets messier as T. A. Oji moves to revoke Kalu 's degree

Abia State governor, Chief Theodore A. Orji may have
taken the fight against his predecessor and benefactor,
Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu to a more desperate level as Daily
Sun reliably gathered that he is making subterranean
moves to revoke the degree awarded the former
governor by the Abia State University (ABSU) in 2002.
Gov. Orji who is invoking his powers as Visitor to the
university is said to be behind a move compelling the
varsity authorities to consider the recommendations of a
kangaroo investigative panel that allegedly looked into a
spurious petition lodged against the award of the
degree to Kalu by the university several years ago. Kalu
who had abandoned his degree programmme at the
University of Maiduguri had his transcript records and
other details transferred to ABSU while he was serving
as governor and eventually completed the programme
some eleven years ago.
In fact, photos of the then Governor Kalu sitting among
other students to write his semester exams made
interesting news for several newspaper houses then, as
they lavishly splashed them in their publications. Eleven
years down the line, however, Gov. T. A. Orji is said to
be desperate to withdraw the degree to score a political
point against Kalu whose return to the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) has sent cold shivers down the
spine of the governor and his allies.
Daily Sun gathered that the Senate of the University met
last Tuesday to consider the report of the investigative
panel hurriedly set up to look into the curious petition
filed by a yet to be unmasked petitioner. The panel
alleged, in an excerpt of its report obtained by Daily
Sun, that although there indeed “was a student by name
Kalu, O.U. with Matriculation Number 00/42226, who
supposedly transferred to Abia State University,” the
process of the transfer and the documentation was
incomplete and that “In effect, the said transfer of Kalu,
Orji U. into Abia State University was irregular ab initio.”
The Senate was, however, said to have dismissed the
report and recommendations of the panel, saying it was
hurriedly put together and did not follow due process.
Apart from the fact that the report was hurriedly done,
the Senate also noted that the Vice Chancellor as at the
time of the report, was never invited to give evidence
during the so-called investigation. Similarly, the Senate
noted, neither Kalu who is a central figure to the petition
nor any other key figure to the matter was invited to
testify.
Not satisfied, however, those believed to be bent on
scoring cheap political point with the matter are said to
have mounted pressure on most members of the Senate
to re-visit the matter. Consequently, an emergency
meeting at the university Senate has been convened
tomorrow with Kalu’s degree as the only item on the
agenda. A member of the Senate who spoke to Daily
Sun last night on the condition of anonymity said the
development is dangerous. “They should not bring
politics into academics because it will destroy the
institution,” he said.
Confirming that some members of the university Senate
have been under pressure since Tuesday, the source
said: “Yes, offers have been made to some members
after majority of us rejected the bid on Tuesday. With
the way things are now, I doubt whether we will have
quorum on Friday.” Reacting to the move yesterday, Dr.
Orji Uzor Kalu who is abroad said that the Abia State
government’s latest move has shown the level of
desperation of the government. Kalu who spoke through
his aide, Kunle Oyewunmi, said that “it is obvious that
this shameless desperation was provoked by my return
to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
If the governor is popular as he claims, why is he jittery
and desperate that one man is re-joining a party he co-
founded.” Kalu called on well-meaning Abians and
Nigerians to call Gov. T.A. Orji to order, adding that
Abians are yearning for dividends of democracy and the
governor has the responsibility to provide them.
Sounding philosophical, Kalu said that he is confident
that this “move will also come to pass because no
human being except God has the power to determine
any other person’s destiny.”

Pope Benedict Final Public Appearance

Pope Benedict today gave his farewell speech in St Peter’s Square before tens of thousands of pilgrims on the eve of his momentous resignation.

A smiling Benedict looked relaxed as his white “popemobile” bore him through the famous plaza where more than 150,000 people had gathered under a bright, cloudless sky for his historic sendoff.

A woman clutching a rosary wiped away tears as the octogenarian Benedict passed. One of the hundreds of cardinals and bishops in their red and purple-sashed robes could also be seen tearing up.

Some in the throng held up huge banners with messages such as “Benedict, we’ll miss you!” and “The pope is the heart of this city!” or waved the Vatican’s yellow and white flag at the pontiff’s last public event.

A hush fell over the sea of pilgrims as the pope began speaking.

Pope Benedict XVl: Time to go

Benedict drew an analogy between his reign and a miracle recounted in the Bible when Jesus Christ calmed the waters as he was sailing on a fishing boat with his disciples including St Peter — who is believed by Christians to be the first pope.

“The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds,” the pope said in an apparent reference to the multiple scandals that have plagued his reign.

“But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink,” the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics told the cheering crowd.

Benedict also said his decision to resign —which makes him the first pope to do so since the Middle Ages — had not been an easy one but had been taken for the good of the Church.

“I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit,” he said, adding: “I will continue to accompany the Church with prayer and reflection.”

“The Lord gave us days of sun and of light breeze, days in which the fishing was good. There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds.But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink.”

—Pope Benedict XVl in his last speech 27 February, 2013

The frail 85-year-old stunned the world with his abrupt decision to end an eight-year reign dogged by scandal and Vatican infighting, declaring he was too weak to keep up with the modern world.

The scourge of paedophile priests and cover-ups by their superiors cast a dark shadow over Benedict’s papacy, combined with a longstanding money-laundering scandal at the Vatican bank, which exposed infighting among Benedict’s closest allies.

What observers said may have been the last straw was the scandal that came to be known as “Vatileaks”, in which his trusted butler leaked secret papal memos revealing intrigues between rival groups of cardinals.

But Wednesday’s crowds did not dwell on the scandals.

“I have come in gratitude for everything he has done these past eight years,” said Father Giulio, a 67-year-old priest from the Abruzzo region.

“Resigning is a powerful message for every Christian. He resigned without bitterness but instead in sweetness and serenity,” he said.

Giuseppe Fan, a Vietnamese seminarian, stood on tiptoe on the steps of one of the square’s fountains for a better view.

“I love the pope,” he told AFP. “I’m sad that he’s leaving, but he has made a grand gesture of love for the Church.”

A top Vatican prelate, Rino Fisichella, praised Benedict’s speech as a “true hymn to the Church”.

The pope “has put all his faith in the hands of the spirit (in) a great testimony of faith,” said Fisichella, who heads the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation.

Benedict’s resignation is a break with Catholic tradition that has worried conservatives but kindled the hopes of Catholics around the world who want a successor who will breathe new life into the Church.

“In these last few months, I have felt my strength diminish and I have asked God with insistency in my prayers to illuminate me with his light and make me take the best decision.I took this step in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit. Loving the Church also means having the courage to make difficult, painful choices, always keeping the good of the Church in mind and not ourselves.”

—Pope Benedict XVl

Sharon Clark, a tourist from the United States, told AFP: “I admire Benedict, but I hope the next pope will have the strength to unite the Church and help it grow again — and bring back a bit of morality.”

While most appeared to accept the pope’s imminent departure, at least one banner pleaded: “Benedict, change your mind!”

But Jan Graubner, archbishop of Olomouc, Czech Republic, said that while he was sad to see the pope leave, “gratitude outweighs sadness because I see that the Holy Father wants this. It’s his will.”

Later Wednesday the pope followed up his farewell speech with what the Vatican said would be one of his last Tweets: “If only everyone could experience the joy of being Christian, being loved by God who gave his Son for us!” the pope wrote.

Tony Anenih elected PDP B. O. T Chairman

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is expected
to announce the selection of Chief Tony Anenih as its
Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman this week. It would
be the second coming of Anenih, who is currently the
chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Ports
Authority (NPA).
Top party sources told LEADERSHIP Sunday last night
that his imminent emergence as the new BoT chairman
has received the blessings of most of the top members
of the board who were hitherto opposed to his choice.
Before now, Anenih, who is not in good terms with
former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had been locked
in the contest with former national chairman of the party
Ahmadu Ali, former president of the Senate Ken
Nnamani, and Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, among other
aspirants.
Anenih’s emergence as the new PDP BoT chairman,
barring any last-minute change, will be coming at a
time the party is faced with major challenges, mostly
from within.
Some of the key challenges the expected Anenih
leadership would have to contend with include that of
the seeming feud between the presidency and the
Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
Also, the new leadership would have to address the
various contending forces within the party.
Only last week, some perceived loyalists of former
president Olusegun Obasanjo were sacked from the
National Working Committee of the party.
The South-West congresses believed to be in favour of
the Obasanjo camp were also cancelled. Another major
challenge that is facing the PDP, which the new BoT
chairman has to contain, is the seeming threat posed by
the newly formed All Progressive Congress, APC.
Checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday on the choice of Anenih
as the new BoT chairman revealed that the kingmakers
had, after an extensive consultation among top party
members on the long list of aspirants, settled on Anenih
as he was seen as the most experienced of them all.
A top member of the party also told LEADERSHIP
Sunday that the choice of Anenih was based on the
belief that, with his vast knowledge of the inner
workings of the party, he would be in a better position
to reconcile all contending power blocs within the party
and also effectively check the threat posed by the new
APC.
The PDP BoT meeting that held on January 8 ended in a
stalemate and in the formation of a committee headed
by Professor Jerry Gana. It was mandated to streamline
the membership of the party’s BoT and to report back to
the members in the next meeting.

Kalu, Saraki, Bode George, Ribadu, others form new group

A new political group with membership drawn from the
nation’s crop of prominent politicians, has been formed.
Chaired by the former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji
Uzor Kalu, the group parades an array of over 200
politicians in the country. According to a report by The
Eagle Online, they include Senator Gbemisola Saraki
who is the vice chairman of the group, Akin Osuntokun
(Secretary), a former Chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu; former
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia (SAN);
and former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party,
Chief Olabode George. Others are Ambassador Fati
Abubakar, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to
Ghana, Ambassador Musiliu Obanikoro; a former
Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode and Chris Uche
(SAN), Lawal Shuaibu, human rights activist, Uba Sani;
Senator Umar Argungu, Olusegun Awolowo, Hon. Uche
Ekwunife, and Hon. Yemi Arokodare. Though yet without
an official name, the group that started with 37
members, has been meeting as a non-partisan political
organization with the aim of instituting good governance
and ensuring the unity of the country.
Sources stated that it has met at least five times in the
last few months, in the house of a senator in Maitama,
Abuja, adding that the attendance increased with every
subsequent meeting. It was gathered that at the latest
meeting on Wednesday, over 200 prominent politicians
were in attendance. It was learnt that the last five
meetings have been used to discuss the state of the
nation, especially the issue of insecurity. A source
within the group said: “We are concerned about total
leadership.

Pastor Tunde Bakare's STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013;

Pastor Tunde Bakare's STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013;

DELIVERED AT THE LATTER RAIN ASSEMBLY, Lagos

Fellow citizens of Nigeria, I have a very heavy word to deliver to both the church and the nation today and my heartfelt prayer is that we will heed the warnings of Jehovah in order to avert His unbearable blows. I hope it is not too late already.

As is my practice, let me start with some portions of Scripture that will govern my contribution to the issues currently bedeviling our nation. Turn your Bible with me, if you will, to:

Psalm 141:1-6 (NKJV) -1 "LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. 2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. 5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. 6 Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet."

And Proverbs 15:28 and 29 (NKJV) -28 "The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil. 29 The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous."

And verses 31 and 32 (NKJV) -31 "The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. 32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding."

I have chosen a title drawn from the scriptures just quoted:

THE HEAD THAT REFUSES A LIFE-GIVING REBUKE WILL BE THROWN DOWN THE CLIFF OF PERDITION.

In the past week, the media has been awash with emotive distractions from what is apparently a national calamity and shame. But in the midst of the fury, noise and emotional outbursts, there have been voices of wisdom and courage both from the press, some in government as well as patriotic citizens. Let me start with the Leadership Newspaper editorial on Justice in Nigeria sent to my e-mail box by a well-respected veteran journalist, Chief Tola Adeniyi, yesterday:

Two judgments delivered within the last one week by two different courts send powerful messages to both the poor and the rich in the country. On Wednesday, in Abeokuta, a magistrate court headed by Idowu Olayinka sentenced 49-year-old Mustapha Adesina to two years in prison for stealing vegetables valued N5, 000. This Monday, in Abuja, a former director of the Police Pension Board, Yakubu Yusuf, who admitted he stole N32.8 billion, received an even lighter sentence from Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT High Court: two years in jail or payment of N750, 000 fine. In other words, the latter convict was told to pay 0.0015 of what he stole and walk home free while the former, who probably could not pay the N10, 000 fine given him as an option, would spend two years in jail.

With these contrasting judgments, no one needs to be reminded anymore that justice in Nigeria is a travesty. Little wonder why the prisons are brimming with the poor and the unknown while the rich and the powerful who commit more grievous crimes get away scot-free. Indeed, convicts like Yusuf have become the new normal. Former Edo State governor Lucky Igbinedion, who was found guilty of stealing N9 billion, was fined N3 million after a fraudulent process called "plea bargaining". Cecilia Ibru was said to have crippled Oceanic Bank plc after stealing more than N190 billion, but she spent just four months, not in jail but in a hospital; there are now even reports that she has reclaimed most of her properties that had been confiscated. Former inspector-general of police Tafa Balogun stole N17 billion but was sentenced to six months in jail - and he spent most of the term in a hospital too.

Those are among the few celebrated cases that ended up in the court slapping the influential convicts on the wrist. The cases of many others have either been buried in endless litigations or forgotten altogether. The man who stole vegetables - most likely out of poverty and probably to feed himself and his family - will spend two years in jail while all the suspects in the murders of Bola Ige, Marshal Harry, Aminoasari Dikibo, Funsho Williams, Dipo Ojerinde and others have been freed.

While members of the executive arm of government are the usual culprits in embezzlement of public funds, it could be safely concluded that the Nigerian judiciary is the greatest cog in the country's wheel of progress. For all the public outcry against corrupt judges, the temple of justice in this country is still tainted with the putrid smell of corruption. Almost always, it is chicken thieves who steal to stay alive that get sentenced while those who steal billions of naira can buy their way out of trouble. Knowing that it is money that can set them free, treasury looters have learned to steal very huge sums: "the bigger the loot, the safer."

Is it strange, then, that no "big man" in Nigeria is in jail today in spite of the monumental corruption witnessed every day? No. What exists in the country is like a cult of the rich and influential who control the executive, legislature and judiciary. Convict Yusuf is lucky to belong to that club. And it has earned him the freedom he needs so much. Out of the N32.8 billion he embezzled, he would have lost less than N1billion through forfeiture of his properties, payment of a fine and getting "justice" done speedily. He may even buy back the confiscated properties with the balance of the looted billions remaining with him. And he will enjoy the rest of the money in the most beautiful cities of the world - and live happily ever after.

The vegetable thief from Abeokuta must be full of anguish now, knowing that Nigeria is hellish to poor thieves but magnanimous to the rich ones. In this country, the judiciary has since ceased to be the last hope of the common man; it has become the last refuge of crooks. Is it surprising then that many of our young people are carrying arms against the state via one terrorist group or the other?

As if that is not enough food for thought, the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) was quoted by Daily Post as saying that: "Jonathan does not have what it takes to solve Nigeria's problems". Let me quote from the Daily Post:

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has declared that President Goodluck Jonathan-led federal government lacks the requisite knowledge and capacity to tackle Nigeria's problems, saying that there is the need to effect a change at the centre in 2015 for the country to achieve positive development.

Fashola, who stated this during an exclusive interview with a team of LEADERSHIP editors in Abuja yesterday, was giving the rationale behind the ongoing merger talks by his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) towards dislodging the People's Democratic Party (PDP) at the centre in 2015.

Explaining that their push for political alignment was not only to seize power but to use it to better the lives of the people, he likened Jonathan's government to an unskilled auto mechanic who consistently failed to correctly service a vehicle, causing it to continuously break down, a fallout that would necessitate the owner to try another technician.

"You buy a car and it breaks down and you go to a mechanic and he fixes it in the morning, and it breaks down again in the afternoon. You go back in the evening, he fixes it but it doesn't take you home. You go and call him again; he tosses it up and says you should come back by 6am the next day.

"You take it at 6am and it doesn't take you home. Are you going to stay with that mechanic?" he asked.

"Nigeria needs a new mechanic. The country's problems need a new pair of eyes and pure heart that can see, and clearer minds that can articulate the problems better. That is the heart of the matter. It is now left for the electorate to decide whether they are satisfied with this mechanic."

All these came in the wake of a rude-awakening sort of lecture delivered at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka by former Minister of Education and Vice President of the World Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, titled: "The wealth and poverty of a nation: Who will restore the dignity of Nigeria?"

In her timely lecture, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili spoke some naked truths to power in Nigeria in a season when massaging the over-bloated egos of our rulers has become an industry for allied sycophants across all strata of our society.

Though some of the facts she released are not alien, her pedigree as a founding director of the global anti-graft body, Transparency International, and Director of Due Process office, sufficiently exonerate her from the charge of frivolity or ignorance on the subject of profligacy she chose to address in our body polity.

For those who may not have accessed the details of what is now referred to as 'Oby's bombshell', here are some excerpts from the incisive lecture:

Due to profligacy we have dismal human development indicators which are inconsistent with the scale of our earnings. For example using life expectancy as a proxy measuring how we score on human development, 51.4 years for Nigerians falls far short of the 80 years for citizens of Singapore and South Korea, 78 years for citizens of Chile, 73 years for citizens of Malaysia and 72 years for citizens of Brazil. We may in fact be the world record holder in the rank of natural resources rich countries that tend to have worse human development scores when compared to countries without endowments. As our human development scores have lagged, we continued with our binge on oil revenue and became trapped in cyclical decline of national competitiveness. It explains why every other economic sector in Nigeria has suffered the effect of the oil enclave economy. Oil has unleashed shocks and volatility of revenues on our economy due to exposure to global commodity market swing, proliferated "weak, ineffectual, unstable and systemically corrupt institutions and bureaucracies" that have helped misappropriate or plunder public recourses. Nations with abundance of natural resources especially in Africa, Latin America and part of South Asia have experienced the fuelling of official corruption and "violent competition for the resource by the citizens of the nation."

While these countries moved up the manufacturing and economic development ladder, in my fifty years of existence all I can say for Nigeria is that during the same period I have known at least five cycles of commodity booms that offered us rare opportunities to use revenues generated from oil to transform our economy. Sadly, each cycle ended up sliding us farther down the productivity ladder. The present cycle boom of the 2010s is however much more vexing than the other four that happened in the 70s, 80s, 90, 2000s. This is because we are still caught up in it even as I speak today and it is more egregious than the other periods in revealing that we learned absolutely nothing from the previous massive failures.

Furthermore, it is happening back to back with the squandering of the significant sum of $45 billion in foreign reserve account and another $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account being direct savings from increased earnings from oil that the Obasanjo administration handed over to the successor government in 2007. Six years after the administration I served handed over such humongous national wealth to another; most Nigerians but especially the poor continue to suffer the effects of failing public health and education systems as well as decrepit infrastructure and battered institutions. One cannot but ask, what exactly does Nigeria seek to symbolize and convey with this level of brazen misappropriation of public resources? Where did all that money go? Where is the accountability for the use both of these resources plus the additional several hundred dollars realized from oil sale by the two administrations that have governed our nation in the last five years? How were these resources applied or more appropriately, misapplied? Tragic choices! Yes.

Our national dignity continues to be degraded by cycles of stagnation because of the terrible choices my generation and those before repeatedly make as a result of free oil money. The wealth and poverty of a nation never found a better symbol!

Towards the tail end of her lecture, she threw a serious challenge to the Class of 2013 - It's vintage Oby. Hear her:

But I warn you to be mindful and not rush to decide. You will need to fully assess all the possible costs of your decisions and choices and then determine whether you have the strength of will to bear them. Whatever choices you make from today for the purpose of helping build a New Nigeria will most certainly cost you something. Such is the reality of nation rebuilding. Those who truly build their societies pay a price. For example you cannot be one given to the lure of free money, one who cannot defer gratification and one for whom the path of least resistance holds abiding fascination; and then say you are part of the Turning Point Generation. No! The willingness to "enjoy" wealth that is not earned is not consistent with such Turning Point paradigm. For example, for anyone of you in the Class of 2013 you cannot having perverted the maxim "reward for effort" cheating in exams or using forged certificates to gain your admission and say you are a catalyst for the emergence of the New Nigeria. If your decisions or choices from today are driven by some selfish interest of replacing the failed and fading generations so as to repeat their nation-hobbling pattern then please know that you are not of the Turning Point Generation.

I have spoken to you today to stir up your collective effective angst at the indignity of your inheritance. If I have succeeded in raising your determination to free our nation from the trap of oil, then my coming is worthy. If I have succeeded in helping you see how continuous education and not more extraction of oil will help you outperform and take Nigeria up the economic development ladder, then my coming is worthy. If I have succeeded in preparing you to embrace dignity of labor as your philosophy of life -never shunning legitimate vocation that helps you earn a living regardless of how lowly it might seem - then my coming is worthy. If today, I have succeeded in preparing you for a life of private and public integrity then my coming is worthy. If I have deposited in you a deep seated contempt for poor governance, then my coming is worthy. If I have succeeded in preparing you for a lifetime of costly choices that invariably ennoble your path, then my coming is worthy. If I have succeeded in helping you realize that you are not weak - that you are actually very powerful - and have both the exceptional opportunities and the tools like your peers in other nations to solve our own Big Problem then my coming is worthy.

If I have moved you to decide that you will be one of those that will redefine and build a New Nigeria of our dreams, then is my coming worthy. If I have succeeded in inspiring a resolve within you to uphold from today a strong sense of personal responsibility for the political governance of Nigeria then my coming is worthy. Above all, if I have succeeded in getting you motivated and empowered enough to walk out of this hall being ready to walk and work as a part of the Turning Point Generation that courageously dares to restore the dignity of Nigeria, then my BEING is truly worth it!

Rather than giving a lucid, reasoned and mature response to Dr. Ezekwesili, the Federal Government, through its spokespersons, went into all manner of tirades against her person, virulently attacking the messenger while ignoring the message.

Prior to belatedly presenting some mumbo-jumbo statistics on our foreign reserves from 2007-2012, which have only raised yet more integrity questions for the administration, the first puerile action of the Federal Government was to ask Oby to account for four years of budgetary allocations to the Ministry of Education of which she spent only a few months as Minister.

This puerile approach must have incensed many Nigerians with a sense of decency and propriety in public affairs. One young Nigerian with such righteous indignation went on Twitter to comment, among other things, that if Christ in all His holiness were to criticize the present administration, it would, out of its intolerance, accuse the Messiah of having slept with Mary Magdalene.

It was the re-tweeting of this figurative expression by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that the agents of diversion have latched onto in order to take our focus from the fundamental issues Oby raised and to which they have no answer. Nigerians must be used to this worn out strategy by now as they have seen how the $620,000 Otedola-Farouk bribery saga has been used to bury the N2.6 trillion subsidy theft uncovered by the House of Representatives Probe.

For how long are they going to bewitch us like foolish Galatians? It is rather unfortunate that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that should bring understanding to the simple on matters like this has chosen to confirm its description by the Catholic Church as an arm of the government in power by fanning the propaganda of agents of the administration that Nasir El-Rufai is a "bigot" for a statement that did not originate from him and whose meaning should be clear to a non-mischievous person.

This is nothing but feeding on mass neurosis and widening the gap between people of different faiths in our country. Is CAN saying the gentleman who wrote the "offending" statement who happens to be a Christian is a "bigot"?

If they are not saying so, they are only showing selective integrity by picking on El-Rufai who re-tweeted simply because he is a Muslim! And can El-Rufai justifiably be called a "bigot" by any stretch of the imagination? I say NO as he has worshiped with us at the Latter Rain Assembly on several occasions and shared Christian messages from our services with all who follow him on Twitter. He is a liberal Muslim who respects the faith of others. Given the fragile state of our country today, we need faith leaders who are voices of moderation across the faiths who will preach harmony and not divisions.

It must be pointed out that CAN's bellicose posture came after El-Rufai publicly apologized for the re-tweet. Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to forgive those who nailed Him to the cross when they didn't even acknowledge they did anything wrong, must be wondering what those who are supposed to be His servants are doing in His name to a man who asked for forgiveness.

For those who do not really know him, let Mallam El-Rufai speak directly to you from his fantastic book, The Accidental Public Servant, due to be presented to the public on the 7th of February in Abuja, and you will perhaps understand what quality stuff he is made of. Hear him as I quote from pages 91 and 92 of this must-read book for every Nigerian who loves truth:

By the time I came to the BPE, my thoughts and life experiences had already aligned in one particular direction, which can be summarized in four points. The first was that although Nigeria had a population then of some 120 million people (now more than 160 million) over 500 languages and more than 300 ethnic groups, I had come to the conclusion through my experiences up to that point that there are simply two kinds of people in Nigeria. There were good people and there were bad people, period! Each can be found speaking every language, in every religion, every ethnic group, every village, every town and every city. In my private sector career, I had been helped more by people from the south of Nigeria despite the fact that they knew me as a 'northerner', and I had more often than not been let down by fellow 'northerners' perhaps because I grew up knowing more of them. I therefore do not perceive my country and its population through tribal or ethnic lenses.

Secondly, I believe that human beings are generally about the same, and to a large extent, strategic and rational in their thinking and conduct. Everyone pursues what he or she perceives to be in his or her interest. An effective way I have found of relating to people is to consider what I would do if I were in their position pursuing my rational strategic interest. Any negotiation that bears that in mind will result in a deal being made. Our common humanity suggests that people of all religions, ethnic groups or races are essentially all the same, which leads to my third point. Thirdly, human beings respond to incentives and sanctions, and shape their conduct accordingly. People like to say Nigeria is a corrupt country; it simply is a matter of incentives or absence of sanctions. I have seen many British, Italian and American citizens who have come to Nigeria and were they to be judged strictly on their corrupt tendencies and actions, one might easily then think they were born in Nigeria, which proves that environment trumps race or ethnicity anytime. They conduct themselves simply in response to the incentives they find, a person looking around the system and subconsciously asking, "What can I get away with?" The reason people are more honest in one society than another is because there is a very high chance of being caught and sanctioned somehow, for dishonesty. In Nigeria, the unfortunate verdict seems to be that if you are dishonest, not only is there very little chance of getting caught, there is very high chance of being rewarded with senior appointive or elective positions in politics or public service, honoured with chieftaincy titles, and with praises and respect of one's community. As a nation, we have become unquestioning of wealth, no matter how ill-gotten, and generally forgotten to name, shame, and ostracize bad people, while failing to recognize and adore the good - those that sacrifice and resist all temptations in order to be decent and serve the nation honestly.

In the forward to the book you will read my considered opinion of a good man being vilified by religious zealous, viz: "In this book, Nasir El-Rufai enumerates four cardinal points which governed his orientation and disposition as a public servant. First is a detribalized, religiously neutral humanistic view of the Nigerian person - whether good or bad." No book in recent history has fully diagnosed our leadership problems and proffered solutions like this book written by an accomplished patriot who is calling our attention to how we can still turn our numerous potentials as a nation into major assets for national development and greatness. I have read most publications in Nigeria in the last week and I am yet to come across a word spoken by the leaders of CAN on the weighty issues Dr. Ezekwesili raised on how the "prodigal sons" have run our country bankrupt - what a sinful silence!

Instead of speaking truth to power or putting the 'House of CAN' in order following the withdrawal of the Catholic Church from CAN's activities at the national level, it is a big shame that the response of CAN's leadership is that the Catholics are withdrawing because they lost election to the current leader. What do we expect those in government to do when critical issues of good governance and accountability are raised and leaders in the church leave the substance and chase shadows? No wonder President Jonathan thinks the way he thinks and talks the way he talks because he is surrounded and encouraged by the likes of the present CAN leadership. I recall the response of President Jonathan to the Fuel Hike Protest in January 2012. To him, the protest was spearheaded by election losers.

And now the Catholics are said to have pulled out because they lost election to a Pentecostal pastor. How shallow can we be in our thinking? Let's have a roll call of past CAN Presidents to debunk this flimsy assertion.

1. The Founding President of CAN: Eminence Dominic Cardinal Ekanem of the Methodist Church. Neither the Catholics nor any other group withdrew during his tenure; 2. He was succeeded by Bishop Olubunmi Okogie -a Catholic. No group withdrew during his tenure; 3. Followed by Sunday Mbang of the Methodist Church - the Catholics did not withdraw, nor did any other group; 4. Then Jasper Akinola of the Anglican Church - No withdrawals; 5. Then John Onaiyekan - a Catholic. No group has ever withdrawn. But now, "O do ri aka yin - akara de gun" - Now it is the turn of the gospel czar, bean cake has transformed into a very hard bone. Indeed we have "promoted" men into leadership positions both in the Church and the nation beyond their mental capacities and the incompetencies are now very glaring to the whole world except the leaders themselves, or how do you categorize our using ring worm medicine to cure leprosy?

The reason the Catholic bloc gave for their withdrawal - namely that "CAN is being dragged into partisan politics thereby compromising the ability to play its true role as the conscience of the nation and the voice of the voiceless" was never addressed - rather the shallow response of their losing election to one of us became "the badge of honour" we wear on our oversize Episcopal garments. Shame! Big Shame!!

Nothing can be more appropriate at this juncture than the very words of Jesus Christ, the one and only true Head of the Church, as recorded in Revelation 2:5 -

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent." One final word from the Lord for those who make mountains out of molehills; the religious zealots who confuse the zeal of God with the 'zeal for God, and (that) not according to knowledge':

Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV) -1 ""Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen: "The greatest homage we can pay to truth is to use it" (James Russell Lowell); for "truth is the property of no individual but is the treasure of all men." (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

The emotive distractions flowing from different spokespersons of the government is the problem you encounter when you tell truth to those who are not worthy of it.

May God help us all know the truth and may the truth set our nation free. Amen.

Thank you for listening, God bless you all, and may God bless Nigeria.

Pastor 'Tunde Bakare Serving Overseer The Latter Rain Assembly (End-time Church)

The Ceasefire deal•Boko Haram demands N26bn from FG, Borno govt

•Boko Haram demands N26bn from FG, Borno govt
By ADE ALADE
The Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, has asked the federal and Borno State governments to compensate its leadership, members and families of its dead members, as a major condition to sustain the one-week-old ceasefire it announced last Monday.  Saturday Sun gathered exclusively that the sect’s demand for monetary compensation, which will cost both the federal and Borno State governments nothing less than N26 billion has already been accepted by the Borno State government, which has been the worst hit by the activities of the sect.
The amount, it was gathered, could be more or less depending on the total number of the sect members that have been killed by the security agencies.  According to a highly placed source, “the money being demanded by the sect leaders, they claim they will use it to compensate themselves, their members for all their losses, especially their houses, cars and businesses that have been destroyed by government.
They also said they need the money to take care of the families of their members that had been killed by soldiers. So, the figure for now can’t be less that N26 billion, but could be far more depending on the number of the sect members the government agreed its security agencies had killed so far. The figure can only be less if some government brings in some negotiation tricks.”
A top security source, who has the details of the meetings between Boko Haram representatives and the Borno State government officials, also told Saturday Sun that the same demand had earlier been made by the sect about six months ago but was not well treated by the Federal Government.  According to the source, “the latest ceasefire by the sect is hinged on the same demand that had been made about six months ago when the people in Abuja, led by the new NSA, I mean Dasuki, went into peace talks with the sect leaders.
I think the peace process crashed then because the Federal Government was not ready to commit a kobo on the sect members, like it did and still doing for militants in the Niger Delta region.  “So, the sect resumed hostilities, which got worse; but in the present case, the Borno government has offered to pay the sect part of the money, encourage other states, like Yobe and the Federal Government to contribute the rest. This is though not the only demand, but the decision of the Borno government to agree to the deal has led to the ceasefire, which came after over four weeks of secret talks with trusted aides of the governor.”

S’African court defers Okah’s sentencing

Justice Neels Claassen of Johannesburg High Court has adjourned the pleading for mitigation of sentence in Henry Okah’s trial February 28.

Claassen gave the ruling after a further appeal by Okah’s counsel for adjournment of the case to allow all the witnesses to make their pleas for mitigation sentence on Okah, who was convicted on January 21.

The judge said the adjournment would be the final to allow all the witnesses called by Okah to testify in the pleading for mitigation of sentence to ensure that justice was done.

“I will grant you this request for the last time. I’m granting you three days from February 28, March 1 and March 4, to call  all your witnesses to testify in mitigation or aggravation of sentence.

“You have to ensure that all your witnesses appear in court in those three days, and if for any reason any of the witnesses fails to appear, the court will go ahead with the pronouncement of the sentence.

“I cannot entertain any further delay in this trial due to the nature of the case and its security implication for South Africa and Nigeria governments,” Claassen said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Okah’s attorney requested for the adjournment of hearing for mitigation of sentence to enable him to produce in court all the witnesses willing to testify on behalf of Okah.

The adjournment is also to allow Okah to engage with the Nigerian government in the peace process in the Niger Delta.

Okah was found guilty on 13 counts of conspiracy to commit terrorism by masterminding two car bomb attacks in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on October 1, 2010.

The South African judicial system, like most systems, allows convicted persons to plead for mitigation of sentence before the trial judge makes his pronouncement.

Tribute To My Beloved Father Hon Dr A.T. Emezu

Tribute To My Beloved Father

Today is the memorial date of my Daddy Hon Dr A.T. Emezu, Agumba 1 of Obibi Ochasi, Its been 8 year's now since we last saw you!

Our hearts still cries even today.

Feb 2, 2005 you left your friends and your family to be with your Creator. That day you left us will never be forgotten just as you will never be forgotten. You are in our heart, our minds, our thoughts and yes even in our prayers.

We Miss You So Much Daddy. Our Hearts Still Breaks Each Day
Yes Dad those you left behind still say 'how i wish Doc is around' and they still say 'we miss him' terribly but we know in our hearts you are finally pain free and happy. I am sure you are very proud of your children, who are doing their best in life and keeps your memory alive.

We have only memories of all the good times we had together but your spirit will live on, in our hearts. You brought so much joy to people who knew you.
Just know Daddy how much you are loved and missed.

I rember we didn't get a chance to say goodbye because you left so quickly.
I will never forget the last day we saw each other.

I still see you lying on that bed telling me how you have finished your 'race', you had asked me not travel back till you take your last breath, I remember seeing those tears in your eyes when you ask me to pray with you for a journey mercy back home beyond. I can still remember the last song we sang together 'I FLAY AWAY TO GLORY' from one of your favorite singer the late Jim Reeves.

Yes you really flew away to glory. Dad, I know you are up in heaven and we love you and miss you very much and still think about you to this day.

Adue Daddy.
Rest in peace Agumba!
Till we meet to part no more!
We love you.

Prince Okey Emezu (son)

Lawan, emenalo remanded in prison•Over $620,000 bribe

From IKENNA EMEWU, Abuja
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday ordered that the former chairman of the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on fuel subsidy probe, Hon Farouk Lawan and the clerk of the committee, Boniface Emenalo be remanded in Kuje prisons till February 8 for a decision on their bail applications.
This followed their arraignment in court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on seven criminal charges, including the violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi had, on Thursday, granted leave to the ICPC to prosecute the two on criminal charges under Section 185(b) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Prosecution Counsel Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) had told the court that investigations have been concluded and the list of witnesses filed and that he is ready to go on with the trial. He prayed the court to place in custody the accused persons pending the trial date as according to him “we were served the motion for bail this morning, if it is convenient for you to take the application we will take the application on points of law.”
Defence counsel, Ricky Tarfa (SAN) who led Mike Ozekhome (SAN) in an oral application for bail said “we apply that the accused persons be admitted to bail pending the trial. We are also asking for bail on the most liberal terms. We adopt our written address as the accused persons have been on administrative bail and they have never violated any of the terms of bail, the accused have been reporting to the police on 37 occasions, he has not travelled out more than four times since the commencement of investigation.”
Awomolo in response said: “We oppose the application for bail, he is charged with offences that are punishable with seven years in prison. There is the likelihood of his committing the same offence while on bail.  They did not give an undertaking that when they are allowed to return to the National Assembly that they won’t obtain bribe.
“The right to liberty is not absolute as guaranteed by the constitution under Section 35, the accused persons were part and parcel of the enactment of the ICPC Act in year 2000. They know the intention of the law and still got involved in it.” The court adjourned to February 8 for ruling on the bail application and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in the custody of Kuje prisons.

Rev King must die

Six years after a death sentence was slammed on him, Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, yesterday ruled that Lagos pastor and General-Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (a.k.a. Rev. King), must die by hanging.
A Lagos High Court, presided over by Justice Joseph Oyewole had, on January 11, 2007, passed death sentence on Rev. King for alleged murder of a church member, Ann Uzoh, as well as the attempted murder of five other members of his church. The embattled pastor, who has been in prison custody since then, had appealed the death sentence, citing inconsistencies in the evidence of the prosecution’s witnesses.
At the sitting of the appellate court yesterday, Justice Fatima Akinbami, who read a unanimous judgment of the court, dismissed Ezeugo’s appeal, stating that the prosecution had “surely and effectively” proved its case against the embattled cleric at the trial court. The appeal panel dismissed the appellant’s contention that there were “contradictions and inconsistencies” in the prosecution’s evidence.
The judge ruled: “This appeal fails and is hereby resolved against the appellant. This appeal is devoid of merit and it is hereby dismissed. “The conviction and sentence passed on the appellant on January 7, 2011 by Justice Joseph Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja Division is hereby affirmed.”
Counsel to Rev. King, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, had argued, in his 32 grounds of appeal, that the judgment of the trial court occasioned miscarriage of justice for relying on unresolved contradictions and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence. According to Ojo, there were contradictions in the testimonies of some of the prosecution witnesses with some saying that the cleric ordered for matches to set the victims ablaze and others saying he only ordered for matches after a lighter failed.
Justice Akinbami said the contradictions were immaterial to the case of the prosecution. She said: “Not all contradictions in the case of the prosecution will raise a doubt. For contradictions to be fatal to the prosecution’s case it must be related to the material fact. “All the witnesses are unanimous that the appellant used matches.” On Ojo’s contention that the evidence adduced by the prosecution did not show that the action of his client was linked with the death of the deceased, Akinbami said the evidence given by eyewitnesses and that of a pathologist ascribing the cause of death to ‘hypovolemic’ (severe loss of blood and tissues), showed that Ezeugo’s action was the cause of one of the victims’ death.
“The evidence is overwhelming and damning,” Justice Akinbami said, adding: “He was offering them stone when they demanded for bread. He was giving them scorpion when they demanded for fish.” Rev. King was arraigned on September 26, 2006 on a six-count charge of attempted murder and murder by pouring petrol on a deceased member of his church and five other persons and later set them on fire

Biafran President election on February 20’

 

From PETRUS OBI, Enugu
Abia State-born Ben Onwuka and his pro Biafra group, Biafra Zionist Movement (BZM), became popular after they were arrested in Enugu on November 5, 2012 for re-declaring the Republic of Biafra at an open space in the coal camp area of Enugu.
Close to 100 of them alongside Mr. Onwuka were picked up by the police, as they were marching round the streets of Enugu with Biafra, United States and Israeli flags. For the next 38 days, the group languished at the Enugu Maximum Prison.
Onwuka grew up in the United Kingdom and has lived in London for 28 years. He studied Law and International Politics. He practiced law for about 10 years in London.
“It was from there I decided to return home because the means that Biafra issues have been fought have not been internationalised. The international community does not understand or does not know the aspirations for independence by the Biafra people. And to do that Biafra must align itself with the United States of America; though it’s difficult because of Great Britain; and at the moment I am categorically assured that the United States, Israel and France are on our side. And with the US on our side we will defeat Britain diplomatically, in order that Biafra can be independent,” Onwuka said.
Fresh from prison custody, Onwuka, who says there is no going back in the struggle for Biafra, recently addressed a press conference announcing February 20, as the date fixed for the inauguration of the Biafra government in Enugu.
In this chat with our reporter in Enugu the BZM leader shares his prison experience and also threw more light on the February 20, inauguration of Biafra government.
Sir, what was it like, spending 38 days in prison?
It was quite horrendous; we were mixed up with hardened criminals; we were mixed up with murderers, armed robbers, kidnappers, just name them. All night, nobody slept; the place was like an oven; they smoke 24 hours of the day and any slightest mistake you will be beaten to hell by the inmates. So it wasn’t a very good experience, but it’s part of the struggle; you cannot emancipate your people, as a leader without tasting that. It’s also good we went there because we saw a lot of injustices being done to the inmates; even though a lot of them have committed a lot of crimes they are suffering unjustly. For instance, a lot of them have been condemned because they have nobody to speak for them; lawyers will go in there, take money from inmates and they will disappear and their case is completely forgotten. I saw hundreds of young men who have been there for eight to nine years and forgotten because their lawyers have disappeared. It’s good we went there because we are going to make sure that this issue of lawyer or the judiciary is going to be completely overhauled and reformed; when you are paid you must do your job. So it wasn’t physically a good experience, but it was good we saw the other side of the world; it’s really an inside world; when you are there you don’t know what happens outside. It wasn’t quite pleasant, but it was good we went there and I am prepared to take it again for the sake of this struggle.
Were you put in a common cell?
I was in a common cell, with about 53 other inmates; and in that cell you are not allowed to misbehave; any slightest thing you are beaten thoroughly. They have their laws and if you do not dance to the tune of the inmates you find yourself in a very hot soup.
Can you give an instance of what you mean here?
They have their routine; for instance, you are not allowed to speak to somebody when there is quietness; they have time when nobody must speak a word. If you just make any turn to talk to somebody you are sent to the toilet to spend the night. If it is time to bathe, you mustn’t spend more than five minutes in the bathroom; if you stay more than that you’ll go and stay in the corridor the whole night. If you don’t flush the toilet properly, because there they ration water, you are going to stand at that toilet the whole night and nobody will rescue you. If a mobile phone is brought in for you and you are recharging without informing the boss in the cell there, they will seize the phone from you and sell it.
Our cell is an open hall without window; there is little or no ventilation and people sweat all through the day. We were 53 inmates in all and there were five BZM members with me in the cell. They kept increasing and reducing the number of inmates, but at the last count before we left we were 53.
Who informs a new inmate of the rules in a cell?
It’s the inmates; inside each cell we have a governor; you have a 2i/c, that is like the deputy; you have all the positions, just like you have in government. So each cell has a governor and this governor is like a president and is very powerful. When he is coming in from work, because they are chosen as a task force men and they become administrators within, everybody shows respect. These are people that have spent seven to eight years in prison. The taskforce works with warders to check the cells. The governor has everything; he has his own bed, we sleep on the floor, but the governor has a bed; he has mosquito net covered for him; he is paid. The government pays him; you know inmates are entitled to about N20 daily. They don’t give it to prisoners; it rather ends up with the governors and you dare not complain. In another way, it’s good because they maintain law and order in the prison because some inmates there committed terrible crimes and if you give them another chance they will do same even in the cell there. The governors are on their toes to ensure that nothing goes wrong in the prison because if you give them a chance they will kill you there; they can kill you, Most of them committed murder.
Is there no separate cell for hardened criminals?
No. But they asked me if I wanted a private cell; you have to pay N35, 000 to stay on your own, where you can have access to people and all that.
So what are the things you would change in the prison system if you have the opportunity?
First is the legal system; the legal system is failing them; they are human beings, like us. The situation where lawyers go extorting money from prisoners must be stopped; a lot of prisoners are there waiting endlessly for their lawyers. They will go there to visit them and say ‘oh look I ’m going to handle your case, but you’ll pay N400, 000.’ The family will run around and pay the money and then the lawyer will disappear. So it’s very bad; a lot of boys are suffering there because their lawyers have disappointed and nobody cares about them. Also, there is a lot of abuse by the inmates themselves; they smuggle telephones to the prison and use it to extort money from outside. So we will reform the prison to be a place that would correct people; we will also entrench the basic individual rights. In Biafra we are going to restore the death penalty to serve as a deterrent…there are very young people there who committed very serious crimes and they confessed they did it; some raped a 70-year-old woman and all sorts of thing. So we will make sure that anybody that takes human life will pay for it.
Could you tell us more about the inauguration of the Biafra government on February 20?
There is no compromise to the Republic of Biafra issue. The president of Nigeria will be the president of Nigeria and the President of Biafra will be a president of Biafra. Our message to him and to the world is that Biafra has been re-declared on November 5, 2012 and it’s our right to opt out of Nigeria when we feel that the security of the lives of our people is no longer guaranteed. Our people are being killed on a daily basis across Nigeria; there is no security for us. Go to our churches in the North they have become ceaseless targets and most of the worshippers are easterners and mainly Igbo. So you cannot have a state where, within that state, a group or a tribe is targeted on a daily basis. Biafra was declared in 1967 to purely provide security for our people; this is fundamental international law; it’s not against anyone. So the president of Nigeria will be there; we informed him we were going to redeclare Biafra in November and we did it. Again, we have come out; we are pursuing the same agenda; now is the inauguration of the government and to tell the world that there is Nigeria and also there is a Republic of Biafra. So our message to the Nigeria president is: we wish him well, as he runs the affairs of Nigeria. Nigeria and Biafra are brothers, so we can cooperate; we will cooperate with them; where we will disagree, we disagree with them. The security of our people is very important to us and we will go the length to protect our people and give the right to freedom of worship.
Why do you say that the there is no compromise on the issue of Biafra?
Remember, Nigeria is an artificial creation; it was an amalgamation of the three components, mainly the easterners, the westerners and the northerners. Our view was never sought when it was amalgamated and we have seen that the Biafra, particularly, the Igbo side of Nigeria, has been the target of killing; we have lost over 3.8 million Igbo, who make up more than 80 percent of Biafra since 1914.  Again, people say Ijaw, Efik, Urhobo, Igala; no; if you go to the North they don’t differentiate; they say we are all one. If you go to the West they say you are all one. So if we are going to be targeted all the time; killing, shedding blood, no; we have the right to seek our own independence. It is done elsewhere why not here. That’s why we are saying no compromise on Biafra. We have informed the international community; Nigeria has been informed, we have also informed the US; it’s no longer a hidden thing.
What’s next; what do we expect on February 20?
The next thing is the formation of government on February 20; because you cannot just  declare a country without forming a government. So next is the inauguration of the Biafra government on February 20 here in Enugu; it won’t be in secret; the world will see it.
What have you put in place to make it a success?
We are not going to reveal our strategy.
Are we expecting a Biafra president to emerge that day?
Yes. BZM will elect who will be the president of Biafra. Let me clarify this situation; whichever group that will make sure that Biafra is actualised or re-declared, as a sovereign independent state and recognised internationally, has the power and the right to form the government. Let me give you an example. In South Africa, the ANC formed the government because it was the ANC that pioneered the independence of the country. If you go to Zimbabwe, it is still the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front led by Robert Mugabe that has been in power since 1980. BZM did it on November 5; BZM wants to establish a government of Biafra; however, we want to also incorporate all groups to come together because Biafra is not one-man bandwagon. So we want other groups to send in candidates for ministerial appointments. It’s an inclusive government for all, but the group that champions it, that is at the forefront that is easily recognized by the international community will form the crux of the government.
What will be the picture of the government?
It will be a presidential system of government not parliamentary

Appeal Court upholds Rev King’s death sentence

FEBRUARY 1
Rev. King
The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos on Friday confirmed the death
sentence slammed on Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (alias Rev. King) for
killing a member of his church over six years ago.
Details later.

Reps Farouk Lawan, Boniface Emenalo remanded in prison

Lawan Farouk and Boniface Emenalo, both Chairman and Secretary
of Nigeria’s House of Representatives Adhoc Committee for the
probe of the oil subsidy regime were on Friday arraigned before an
Abuja High Court on a seven count charge for allegedly soliciting for
and obtaining the sum of $620,000 from businessman Femi
Otedola, chairman of Zenon Oil.
Both lawmakers pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The court subsequently adjourned till 8 February, to rule on the bail
application moved by their lawyers led by Mr. Rickey Tarfa and
Chief Mike Ozhekome, both senior advocates of Nigeria. The court
remanded the accused persons to Kuje Prison pending the court’s
ruling on their bail application.
Details later.