Author Archives: News All Around

By PHRANK SHAIBU

The people of Kogi State were shocked to the marrow when they woke up to news of Governor Yahaya Bello’s decision to anoint the Kogi State Auditor-General, Ahmed Ododo, as his preferred successor ahead of the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

After the sudden demise of Kogi APC governorship candidate, Abubukar Audu, during the poll, Yahaya Bello was pushed forward as the party’s candidate and he inherited 90% of former Governor Audu’s votes ahead of the rerun in which Audu already had an unassailable lead.

Without winning the APC primary, spending campaign funds or even needing to lobby anyone, Yahaya Bello, an ethnic minority, became governor of the confluence state. This could only have been possible by divine providence, reaping where he had not sown.

But many in the Igala nation were satisfied with the outcome since no one from the Ebira ethnic stock had ever been governor before. Despite becoming governor without the mandate of the people, Yahaya Bello’s tenure was far from impressive.

While seeking re-election in 2019, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, rolled up his babariga and went on his knees to beg the Kogi electorate to forgive the governor for his many failures including his inability to pay salaries.

Despite being the beneficiary of one of the most violent elections any state had ever witnessed which even culminated in the murder of PDP woman leader, Salome Obuh, who was burnt alive, the Igala nation stood with Yahaya Bello against their own son, Musa Wada, with the hopes that he would at least return power to the Igala people in 2023 but he has done the exact opposite.

For someone who rose to prominence by divine providence, one would have thought that Governor Bello would at least allow a fair and transparent process just as President Muhammadu Buhari did not stop him from contesting the Presidential primary of the APC last June.

The irony here, however, is that Governor Bello is now playing God, anointing his preferred successor while those who dare to defy his orders are intimidated. This has been Governor Bello’s modus operandi since assuming office. He decides who gets every political position in the state.
Governor Bello’s megalomaniacal attitude was even extended to the traditional ruler of Ebiraland, Okene, HRM Ohinoyi Dr. Ado Ibrahim, who was queried publicly and threatened with punishment for shunning a state event. This is most unbecoming for a man who rose to power by sheer providence.

Nigerians will not forget too quickly how Governor Bello vandalised tarred roads leading to the stronghold of PDP Kogi-East Senatorial candidate, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, in order to undermine her chances of victory.

With such a questionable legacy as governor including a running battle with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which has led to the forfeiture of at least 14 of his properties as well as a so-called visa ban by the United States for alleged electoral violence, the least Governor Bello could have done was to provide a level playing field for all interested aspirants to contest just as he was given a level playing field by the APC leadership in Abuja to contest the Presidency but he has failed to do so.

With Governor Bello shooting himself in the foot, this is the best time for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to get its act right. This is the time for the PDP to unite, look inward and pick a credible and popular candidate that can defeat the APC and Governor Bello.

Kogi State is in dire straits and is in need of investors which have since fled due to Governor Bello’s lack of foresight. Only recently, BUA Group, one of the wealthiest companies in Nigeria, said it would no longer be investing in Kogi State because there had been no visible effort by the state and successive governments to address the issues of access to the land that would enable BUA to utilise the land for its intended purpose.

Governor Bello’s overzealous and misinformed closure of Dangote Cement also scared off other intending investors. The PDP will thus need a business friendly, popular and accomplished candidate that can defeat Governor Bello and his lackey at the polls. This is not the time for the opposition to hand over its ticket to jokers, dancers and those with no meaningful track record that cannot even win an ordinary senatorial election.

For the sake of clarity, the Igala people remain the majority in Kogi State and no one who desires to step into Lugard House can do so without getting the votes of the Igala people. And so if Governor Bello has decided to play tribal politics by endorsing his kinsman as governor, his experiment will backfire if the Igala nation decides to go tribal as well. For taking the people of Kogi for granted, Governor Bello will bellow in agony once the last ballot is counted.

Phrank Shaibu, an indigene of Kogi State, writes from Abuja

The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has described the governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu as the best among his predecessors.

In a statement signed by the group’s Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro on Thursday said “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has embarked on assessment tours in the Southeast to ascertain the level of development and distribution of public amenities in various LGAs in the Southeast”.

“We had convened a high level of disciplined Igbo Team of Ingerity, made of erudite scholars, Igbo patriots, and impartial Court Judges(retired), with strict rules of engagement and terms of reference to evaluate the level of progress put together and challenges confronted in the 95 LGAs of Southeast towards the end of the tenures of the outgoing State Governors, and in alphabetical order, the Igbo Team of Integrity commenced the Assessment Tour from Abia State and their findings were remarkable and outstanding”.

“Igbo verdict on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is akin to the position of Former President Goodluck Jonathan found himself towards his exit from Power in 2015 after some years out of power Nigerians began to see the contrasts then started to celebrate him.

“We caught sight of Abia as of May 29th, 2015, which was deeply messed up and was grounded by activities of men of the underworld, the level of insecurity challenges then was at its crescendo

“Abia was the den of Kidnappers, the commercial city of Aba was the dirtiest metropolis in West Africa, the external debts of the State was the highest in Nigeria.

“Armed Robberies and other vices were the order of the day and the institutionalized godfatherism were about to kick off and modernized in 2015, and workers and pensioners welfare packages were at Zero level, amongst this myriad of challenges, Okezie Ikpeazu is leaving Abia State in 2023 in a better way than he met it at the resumption of office as Governor in 2015”.

“The records available to the Igbo Team of Integrity led by US-based scholar, Professor Obioma Nwadiuko, revealed that there was a steady State of revamping of dead institutions through PPP, there were records of reconstruction of over 700 roads, and the majority of the roads are in Umuahia and Aba and its environs, resuscitation of public confidence through improved security and wealth creation was superb, and the Promotion of SME businesses and Made in Aba Products we’re second to none”.

“Irrespective of minimum tackles in the areas of clearing of backlogs of workers’ welfare packages and low tackles of godfatherism, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu based on the indexes on the ground is as of today seen as the best Governor, Abians has caught a glimpse of in the last 24 years of Democracy in Abia State”.

“Ndigbo urges the President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to employ the security template of Abia State from 2015-2023 to deal with the undefeated insecurity challenges facing the country.

“It is only a magician like Okezie Ikpeazu can capsize the headquarters of kidnappers and bandits in Nigeria into the best-secured State with Zero violence, in the face of the heavily compromised security situation in the Southeast, the President-Elect needs Abia Security blueprints to save Nigeria from total collapse”.

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Thursday, called on the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) to transmit its proceedings live.

Frank in a statement in Abuja, said this has become necessary to ensure transparency and openness in the conduct of the tribunal.

He said the move would make Nigerians feel a sense of belonging by keeping them abreast of the progress or otherwise of hearings of the petitions as critical stakeholders.

He said: “We have seen in other countries even within Africa like Kenya where proceedings on election petition sittings were transmitted live so voters would have the opportunity to see how justice is being dispensed.”

He also urged the PEPT to urgently commence sitting, ensure accelerated hearing of the case and speedily conclude the case within time statutorily allotted before inauguration on May 29, 2023.

He said: “We know as it stands, the All Progressives Congress is buying time with delay tactics so as to frustrate the case till after inauguration.

“This is geared towards allowing the APC to use incumbency powers to influence the judgement of the court.

“But we call on the Tribunal especially the Justices of the Appeal Court and Supreme Court to put Nigeria first before personal interest.

“The people want the proceedings to be transmitted live. They must listen to the call of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) by doing the case differently for the first time.

“We are aware from intelligence reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) has started putting threat calls across to a few Justices of the Appeal and Supreme Courts to blackmail and get them to delay the court processes to the advantage of the ruling APC.

“This was the same way the DSS intimidated and blackmailed the Independent National Electoral Commission to swing the results of the general election in favour of the APC.

“We dare say that with the subterranean threats and pressure being mounted on the judiciary, Nigerians are beginning to lose hope of getting true and unfettered justice in the election petition cases before the courts.

“In Kenya, the Supreme Court concluded hearing of an election petition case and gave judgement in two weeks and we believe that the judiciary in Nigeria can equally save time and earn the trust of Nigerians by working to terminate the case and give its judgement before the inauguration date.

“Let the Judiciary know that Nigerians are watching them closely, both locally and internationally. Therefore there is need for them to impartially adjudicate on the present election petition task before them without any modicum of compromise or resort to selling justice to the highest bidder the way the DSS would want them to so do.

“We also use this opportunity to call on the international community to help save democracy in Nigeria by prevailing on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency call the DSS to order and stop the agency from interfering in the electoral and judicial processes in the country.”

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, equally called on the DSS to stop being partisan but to concentrate on their constitutionally assigned duties.

He described as unfortunate a situation where the DSS has been turned to an errand boy of highest bidders through alleged illegal sale of information that recently manifested in leakage of personal telephone conversation between high profile Nigerians.

He added: “This is not what the DSS is meant to do but today the agency has become very porous with its agents being accused of selling classified information and taking part in clandestine blackmail activities to please the ruling party.”

Enugu 2023: CSOs Move to Protect Mbah’s Mandate

Yesterday 5th Wednesday, 2023 witnessed the gathering of various interest groups in Enugu State, who converged to launch and publicly unveil a mandate protection movement for Barr Peter Mbah, the Governor-Elect of Enugu State, who contested and won the 2023 guber poll under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Though the move was Initiated by leading CSOs, the project attracted the interest of several pressure groups, professional associations, religious entities, youth and women pro-democracy networks among others. They officially launched the “Mbah Mandate Movement, also known as “M3GROUP” in its short form, created for the exclusive aim of driving widespread advocacies and leading civic actions to safeguard the mandate of Peter Mbah against all forms of existing and potential threats or distractions.

The stakeholders who initiated this project believe that Barr Peter Mbah deserved the victory he got at the polls on the 18th March, 2023. They affirmed that he was the best among the key contestants. According to the Convener and Lead Speaker of the group, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, the need to defend the mandate of Peter Mbah is critical to the rapid development of Enugu State. He affirmed that Peter Mbah administration will engender a responsible government whose priority is to accelerate social and economic development for the sustainable well-being of Enugu State and its people.

“Tell me who else, if not Peter Mbah, his records of past performances have made him the most acceptable among the three key persons who contested for the 2023 Enugu guber seat. His victory was well deserved and the results of the polls reflected the will of the people. Look at his achievements in the private sector where he distinguished himself, as a pacesetter. His Pinnacle Oil and Gas proudly has over 8000 employees. His Peter Mbah Foundation has shown compassion to thousands of persons through various humanitarian interventions. Among other contestants, show me anyone of them who has such an enviable legacy. Mbah has come to serve and to move Enugu State to its next realm of development and Ndi Enugu are aware of this. Therefore, those who are making efforts to distract his focus are hereby advised to distance themselves from him. This is the reason stakeholders have gathered today to launch the Mbah Mandate Movement, also known as M3GROUP, in its short form. It is a widespread advocacy group whose aim is to safeguard the mandate of Peter Mbah”, Iyere declared.

Stakeholders at the event thanked Ndi Enugu for giving their votes and their mandate to Peter Mbah. They assured Ndi Enugu and Nigerians at large that Peter Mbah remains the best and safest hand Enugu needs at this point as Governor. They appealed to the conscience of all stakeholders and further reminded them of the need to prioritize the well-being of Ndi Enugu above other personal or collective interests. They said that the prioritization of the well-being of Ndi Enugu is the primary reason Peter Mbah has volunteered to serve as Governor. They appealed for the support of everyone and also cautioned against distractions.

It is worthy to indicate that Prof Chris Nwaokobia, was the keynote speaker at the event. He is a major ally of Peter Obi and one of the key leaders of the Obidient Movement. Prof Nwaokobia said Peter Mbah won the support of the “Obidients” because he has the ingredients they want to see in the Governor they desire for a new Nigeria. Also, popular Nollywood Actress, Patience Ozokwo (Mama G), who is also a known figure in the “Obidient Movement” shared the same opinion with Prof Chris Nwaokobia. According to Mama G, Peter Mbah possesses the Character, Competency and Capacity which will make him the best Governor to ever lead Enugu State. Several others who spoke at the event also aligned themselves with the views of Prof Nwaokobia and Patience Ozokwo.

Various and different interest groups attended the event. Scores of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) participated and they were led by Enugu Network of Civil Society Organizations. Several groups attended the event, including NBA, NUJ, PCRC, the Obidient Movement, NCFront, IPAC, CNPP, CRPP, TMG, League of Women Voters etc. Different youth and women groups, student organizations, religious entities and Artisan networks were among the participants. Stakeholders pledged their commitment towards safeguarding the mandate of Peter Mbah and have aligned themselves with the Mbah Mandate Movement (M3GROUP), as a vehicle for the same purpose.

By Saiful Uba

The Civil Society Organisation  known as the Nigeria Civil Society Advocacy Group (NiCAG) has said that the position of the senate presidency should be zoned to the South South geopolitical zone of the country .

The group which held a press conference Abuja on Tuesday insisted that Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio who hails from that region is eminently qualified to be the senate President .

According to the group leader, Kenneth Etta Obi, 

” Akpabio remains the best material for this top position under the present circumstances, adding that an Akpabio as the President of the Senate under the Tinubu Presidency would be the best thing to happen to Nigerians in terms of inclusive democracy and good governance.

The group further  urged political all political actors  to appreciate the efforts and huge sacrifices of the South-South in ensuring that the Tinubu-Shettima ticket won the 2023 Presidential election.

“The National Assembly is a microcosm of the Nigerian-state and the politics of the National Assembly must be played to equally reflect and satisfy the yearnings of Nigerians for equity, justice and fairness to the zones that have not produced its leadership since the return of democracy

Obi rounded up .

*Says service’s nollywood script a recipe for tragedy, needs overhaul

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has said the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) has metamorphosed into an intelligence arm of the ruling party and urgently needs a total overhaul.

Frank, however said the DSS needs to wake up and restore the lost confidence Nigerians have in its leadership.

In a statement released he made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, on the recent activities of the DSS, the political activist accused the organisation of monitoring and then leaking telephone conversations of some political leaders (Especially in opposition) in order to embarrass them and to impress the APC elements.

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, said the DSS has the right to intercept unlawful communication but not to leak private conversations that are not favourable to the ruling party.

According to Frank, the main responsibilities of the DSS as stated in its enabling Act include counter-intelligence, internal security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance as well as investigating some other types of serious crimes against the state.

“The Department of State Services or the State Security Service needs a complete and total overhaul. The agency which was established by Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, was supposed to be patterned after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States of America or the MI5 Security Service in the United Kingdom.

“It is also charged with the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President, Vice President, state governors and visiting heads of states and governments with their respective families.

“But the DSS has since deviated from its core mandate in the last 10 years by becoming a willing tool to the government in power. In recent times, the DSS has focused more on regime protection and fostering the interest of politicians in the ruling party and their allies. The DSS and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have become one and the same and it is almost difficult to differentiate a statement written by the DSS and the APC.

“How do we explain away the fact that the DSS has continued to tap the telephone lines and release phone recordings of opposition politicians and influential Nigerians critical of the government?

“The latest misadventure was a leaked telephone conversation between Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and revered cleric, Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State.

“On the eve of the Presidential election, Obi and Bishop Oyedepo had a private telephone conversation. There was no terror plot and the conversation in itself was not about the use of violence. Obi simply asked Bishop Oyedepo to help him convince his congregation in the southwest to vote for him.

“Similarly, a day after the Presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo received a call from Musician, Charles Oputa professionally known as Charly Boy. In the conversation, Charly Boy asked Obasanjo what could be done to stop the stealing of the people’s mandate. Obasanjo suggested that they could protest. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the constitution.

“Private discussions are what they are: private. Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution expressly states: ‘The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected.”

The Bayelsa born activist descrived the recent leaked phone conversations as highly unprofessional and smacks of partisanship.

“It is worrisome when the most sophisticated security agency in the country descends into the arena of politics in order to favour the ruling party.

“How do we explain it that the immediate past DG of the DSS, Musa Lawal Daura, was a member of the APC and his successor, Yusuf Bichi, also has obvious ties with the ruling party? His son, Abba, is a member of the APC who openly supports Bola Tinubu on social media. His wife, Aisha, got the current Kano Governor-elect, Abba Yusuf, arrested last year following a confrontation between them at the VIP lounge gate of the Aminu Kano International Airport. Yes, Abba is a citizen who is free to support any candidate of his choice. But he is not an ordinary son, he is the son of the DG of the boss of the DSS whose actions or inactions would have huge ramifications for the country.

“Why have the telephone conversations of Bola Tinubu and his minions never been leaked? Why is it only the telephone conversations of opposition politicians that are being shared with journalists or posted on social media? It is obvious where Bichi’s loyalty lies. He seeks to be retained as DSS DG and is now trying to ingratiate himself to Tinubu by bootlicking.

“Under Bichi’s watch the DSS has strayed from its core mandate and metamorphosed into a town crier instead of a stealthy intelligence agency. The agency has become flippant, garrulous and loquacious. It spends more time making noise rather than gathering intelligence.

“Almost on a weekly basis, the once respected agency churns out insipid and unintelligent press releases. While their counterparts in foreign countries are involved with more noble and heroic acts, these are some of the DSS headlines as portrayed in the Nigerian media “DSS invites Chidi Onumah for wearing Biafra T-shirt”; “DSS cautions against violence and hate speech”; “DSS reiterates call against violence in Nigeria”; “DSS says there’re plans to incite religious violence across the country”; “DSS says some prominent persons plotting to destabilise the country”; “DSS uncovers plot to destabilise Nigeria”.

Continued, he said: “The latest misadventure of the DSS is another false alarm about plans to foist an interim government on the country and to also carry out nationwide protests. The nationwide protests began in various parts of the country immediately the result was announced so this is not the product of intelligence gathering. Also, the DSS should have made arrests if indeed it had uncovered a plot to foist an interim government.

“The agency also showed its disdain for the rule of law by warning the judiciary against making “frivolous orders”. What qualifies as a frivolous court order? The DSS is clearly a lawless organisation which selects which order of government to obey or disobey hence the hundreds of Nigerians being detained illegally in its various centres.

“The last time I checked, the overthrow of the government in Nigeria is treason and attracts the maximum penalty. So why has the DSS decided to announce a plan to overthrow a government when the headline should be ‘DSS arrests XXX for attempted coup?’

“With the APC in control of the Federal Government, the legislature and at least 22 states at the moment, the APC is the one that has the power to foist an interim government and not the opposition which does not even control the police. With the DSS making insinuations that the opposition are behind this plan, tt is obvious the DSS is playing a Nollywood script, a fictional plot with an uninteresting end.

“The kind of frivolity that DSS is preoccupied with while Nigerians are imperilled by insecurity adds a new cadence to the cliché of political authority acting like Emperor Nero – fiddling while the country burns. They have slaughtered professionalism on the altar of politics. Nigerians have grown tired of the DSS crying wolf when there is none.

“In the last eight years, more Nigerians have been killed and abducted by bandits more than any other time in Nigeria’s history if you remove the civil war period of 1966 to 1970. According to available data from the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme which documents violence in Nigeria, no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians have been killed on Buhari’s watch.

“But you will hardly see the DSS protecting the lives and dignity of regular Nigerians. All the so-called secret police are preoccupied with is hounding those who make their paymasters uncomfortable. Just today, April 4, 2023, bandits abducted 10 students from Government Day Secondary School in Kachia LGA of Kaduna. The DSS never saw this coming because they were busy tapping the telephone lines of the opposition while terrorists’ lines were left to their devices.

“On the watch of the current DSS leadership, thousands of schoolchildren have been abducted. By UNICEF’s estimates, 11,000 schools were closed between December 2020 and early 2022 over insecurity, largely in the north. The DSS never saw this coming.

“Train passengers were abducted, the Nigerian Defence Academy was attacked and a senior officer killed, prisons were attacked and over 1,000 escapees from all these attacks continue to roam freely including over 400 from the Kuje Correctional Centre. The DSS has not been able to do anything.

“Abductors use the telephone of their victims to contact their victims to pay ransom. The DSS has not been able to intercept these telephone calls to reveal the location of bandits whom Sheikh Gumi visits in broad daylight. However, the DSS has been super effective in bugging the phone lines of revered pastors and opposition politicians. What a shame!”

*Says service’s nollywood script a recipe for tragedy, needs overhaul

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has said the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) has metamorphosed into an intelligence arm of the ruling party and urgently needs a total overhaul.

Frank, however said the DSS needs to wake up and restore the lost confidence Nigerians have in its leadership.

In a statement released he made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, on the recent activities of the DSS, the political activist accused the organisation of monitoring and then leaking telephone conversations of some political leaders (Especially in opposition) in order to embarrass them and to impress the APC elements.

Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, said the DSS has the right to intercept unlawful communication but not to leak private conversations that are not favourable to the ruling party.

According to Frank, the main responsibilities of the DSS as stated in its enabling Act include counter-intelligence, internal security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance as well as investigating some other types of serious crimes against the state.

“The Department of State Services or the State Security Service needs a complete and total overhaul. The agency which was established by Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, was supposed to be patterned after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States of America or the MI5 Security Service in the United Kingdom.

“It is also charged with the protection of senior government officials, particularly the President, Vice President, state governors and visiting heads of states and governments with their respective families.

“But the DSS has since deviated from its core mandate in the last 10 years by becoming a willing tool to the government in power. In recent times, the DSS has focused more on regime protection and fostering the interest of politicians in the ruling party and their allies. The DSS and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have become one and the same and it is almost difficult to differentiate a statement written by the DSS and the APC.

“How do we explain away the fact that the DSS has continued to tap the telephone lines and release phone recordings of opposition politicians and influential Nigerians critical of the government?

“The latest misadventure was a leaked telephone conversation between Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and revered cleric, Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, and presiding Bishop of the Faith Tabernacle in Ota, Ogun State.

“On the eve of the Presidential election, Obi and Bishop Oyedepo had a private telephone conversation. There was no terror plot and the conversation in itself was not about the use of violence. Obi simply asked Bishop Oyedepo to help him convince his congregation in the southwest to vote for him.

“Similarly, a day after the Presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo received a call from Musician, Charles Oputa professionally known as Charly Boy. In the conversation, Charly Boy asked Obasanjo what could be done to stop the stealing of the people’s mandate. Obasanjo suggested that they could protest. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by the constitution.

“Private discussions are what they are: private. Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution expressly states: ‘The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected.”

The Bayelsa born activist descrived the recent leaked phone conversations as highly unprofessional and smacks of partisanship.

“It is worrisome when the most sophisticated security agency in the country descends into the arena of politics in order to favour the ruling party.

“How do we explain it that the immediate past DG of the DSS, Musa Lawal Daura, was a member of the APC and his successor, Yusuf Bichi, also has obvious ties with the ruling party? His son, Abba, is a member of the APC who openly supports Bola Tinubu on social media. His wife, Aisha, got the current Kano Governor-elect, Abba Yusuf, arrested last year following a confrontation between them at the VIP lounge gate of the Aminu Kano International Airport. Yes, Abba is a citizen who is free to support any candidate of his choice. But he is not an ordinary son, he is the son of the DG of the boss of the DSS whose actions or inactions would have huge ramifications for the country.

“Why have the telephone conversations of Bola Tinubu and his minions never been leaked? Why is it only the telephone conversations of opposition politicians that are being shared with journalists or posted on social media? It is obvious where Bichi’s loyalty lies. He seeks to be retained as DSS DG and is now trying to ingratiate himself to Tinubu by bootlicking.

“Under Bichi’s watch the DSS has strayed from its core mandate and metamorphosed into a town crier instead of a stealthy intelligence agency. The agency has become flippant, garrulous and loquacious. It spends more time making noise rather than gathering intelligence.

“Almost on a weekly basis, the once respected agency churns out insipid and unintelligent press releases. While their counterparts in foreign countries are involved with more noble and heroic acts, these are some of the DSS headlines as portrayed in the Nigerian media “DSS invites Chidi Onumah for wearing Biafra T-shirt”; “DSS cautions against violence and hate speech”; “DSS reiterates call against violence in Nigeria”; “DSS says there’re plans to incite religious violence across the country”; “DSS says some prominent persons plotting to destabilise the country”; “DSS uncovers plot to destabilise Nigeria”.

Continued, he said: “The latest misadventure of the DSS is another false alarm about plans to foist an interim government on the country and to also carry out nationwide protests. The nationwide protests began in various parts of the country immediately the result was announced so this is not the product of intelligence gathering. Also, the DSS should have made arrests if indeed it had uncovered a plot to foist an interim government.

“The agency also showed its disdain for the rule of law by warning the judiciary against making “frivolous orders”. What qualifies as a frivolous court order? The DSS is clearly a lawless organisation which selects which order of government to obey or disobey hence the hundreds of Nigerians being detained illegally in its various centres.

“The last time I checked, the overthrow of the government in Nigeria is treason and attracts the maximum penalty. So why has the DSS decided to announce a plan to overthrow a government when the headline should be ‘DSS arrests XXX for attempted coup?’

“With the APC in control of the Federal Government, the legislature and at least 22 states at the moment, the APC is the one that has the power to foist an interim government and not the opposition which does not even control the police. With the DSS making insinuations that the opposition are behind this plan, tt is obvious the DSS is playing a Nollywood script, a fictional plot with an uninteresting end.

“The kind of frivolity that DSS is preoccupied with while Nigerians are imperilled by insecurity adds a new cadence to the cliché of political authority acting like Emperor Nero – fiddling while the country burns. They have slaughtered professionalism on the altar of politics. Nigerians have grown tired of the DSS crying wolf when there is none.

“In the last eight years, more Nigerians have been killed and abducted by bandits more than any other time in Nigeria’s history if you remove the civil war period of 1966 to 1970. According to available data from the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme which documents violence in Nigeria, no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians have been killed on Buhari’s watch.

“But you will hardly see the DSS protecting the lives and dignity of regular Nigerians. All the so-called secret police are preoccupied with is hounding those who make their paymasters uncomfortable. Just today, April 4, 2023, bandits abducted 10 students from Government Day Secondary School in Kachia LGA of Kaduna. The DSS never saw this coming because they were busy tapping the telephone lines of the opposition while terrorists’ lines were left to their devices.

“On the watch of the current DSS leadership, thousands of schoolchildren have been abducted. By UNICEF’s estimates, 11,000 schools were closed between December 2020 and early 2022 over insecurity, largely in the north. The DSS never saw this coming.

“Train passengers were abducted, the Nigerian Defence Academy was attacked and a senior officer killed, prisons were attacked and over 1,000 escapees from all these attacks continue to roam freely including over 400 from the Kuje Correctional Centre. The DSS has not been able to do anything.

“Abductors use the telephone of their victims to contact their victims to pay ransom. The DSS has not been able to intercept these telephone calls to reveal the location of bandits whom Sheikh Gumi visits in broad daylight. However, the DSS has been super effective in bugging the phone lines of revered pastors and opposition politicians. What a shame!”

The former Nigeria minister of youth and sport Mr Solomon darlung has lead a delegations of northern Nigerian Christian Clergies to sheick Dahiru usman bauchi’s house in kaduna state north western Nigeria

According to him, the aims is to strengthens Christians and Muslim relationship for peace and unity among Nigerians

It was observed that, Christians from various northern states of Nigeria which include plateau, Bauchi, katsina, Gombe, Taraba, kaduna and sokoto were opportune to be among those who attended the interfaith Ramadan iftar to promote interreligious tolerance and mutual understanding among the adherence of different faith base organization in the country

Adding that for the past 12 years, they have been coming from various states in the north to join other top Islamic scholars towards breaking Ramadan iftar fast to promote peace and unity among Nigerians .

Darlung called for more prayers from both Muslims and Christians clerics nation wide ,, as he appealled to the newly elected candidate to always unite the people and, put the nation in their hearts

Similarly, pastor yohanna buru, who is the general overseer of Christ evangelical and life intervention ministry kaduna ,says this year Ramadan comes amids of increased cost of foodstuffs, scarcity of fuel and naira notes ,

He said, we came with many Christians Clergies this time from our neighbouring states to sthrenthening good relationship with our brothers.

“we are one family Under God “
“we are all children of Adam and eve “
“we all have holy books, Qur’an and bible, send from one God “
“we all believed in paradise and the day of judgement “

Pastor yohanna said, Ramadan provide huge opportunities for Christian Clergies to meet, interact, dialogue with other top Islamic scholars on how to promote peace and enabling environment for both the adherence of different faith base organization in the country

He said, they would keep praying for peace and unity in the country. While praying for Nigerian security personnel to succeed in tackling all the security challenges bedevilling peace stability in the country

In his remarks, sheick Dahiru bauchi expressed satisfaction and thank all the Christian Clergies and youths that joined him in breaking Ramadan iftar today.

He said ,they equally continue to pray for peace and unity in the country

He wish all the Christians that travelled far away to come and join him in breaking Ramadan fast a safe journey back to their various destination

A pro democracy group, Taraba First Group (TFG), has condemned a protest purportedly staged by NNPP members on Monday at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. The protesters were, among others things, demanding for review of the Taraba polls and calling for its cancelations. Recall that NNPP came second in the governorship polls won by PDP’s Lt Col Agbu Kefas (rtd). Kefas has since been issued with a Certificate of Return.

Describing the protest as a brazen affront on democracy, TFG said Taraba electorate are prepared to defend their votes, stressing that INEC must not allow for any anti people development with devastating outcomes. In a statement issued in Jalingo and signed by Inusa Aliyu, TFG said “the evil protest in Abuja is fake and a desperate attempt to upturn people’s will. Why didn’t they protest in Jalingo? They are aware of the popularity and acceptance of these results by the majority of Taraba citizens. Any attempt to touch the people’s wish shall not only be roundly condemned. It shall be vehemently resisted. Taraba state had a very transparent election with a clear winner emerging with a large margin. If anything, everyone have been expecting a congratulatory message from Professor Sani Yahaya of the NNPP. We are therefore bemused by the fake and rented crowd that went on a protest today at INEC. A cursory glance at the protesters would easily reveal that they are not even from Taraba state. We are therefore amused by this desperation on the part of national NNPP. As a matter of fact we even doubt if this was sponsored by NNPP Taraba because they know the truth.”

TFG noted further that forces it described as from outsiders have been overtly interested in Taraba politics. The statement reads, “one of the strange things we have experienced in this election cycle is the strange interest our election garnered especially from preachers outside our state who kept claiming Taraba will be won by the NNPP by hook or crook means. They spoke about the dominance of a certain demography. To their dismay, Taraba voted for balance and historical reality. Since then, the shell shocked NNPP has been in a state of suspended animation. They are so dazed that they are hallucinating. First was an attempt to get INEC to declare Taraba polls as inconclusive. When that failed, they started a crusade for reviews of the results. All that failed and now they are resulting to emotional blackmail. But the results of the election is as glaring as night and day. We urge INEC to remain steadfast even as we call on NNPP to go court.”

Emmanuel Bello

A good weekend they say is heralded by great weekdays. And in the case of Taraba state Governor Elect, Lt Col. Agbu Kefas (rtd), nothing could have been truer. Right after he got his certificate of return, the swashbuckling ex soldier has been doing many things consider the right moves. His utterances, his mannerisms and even social interactions presents him as one prepared for the job. There is also a clear sense of mission as he continously talks about working hard to change the narratives of Taraba state. In an instant, Taraba knew something different is upon us: a paradigm shift and a new deal.

He’s also brimming with hope as he hasn’t stopped talking of the state’s potentials. In various interviews, he has stayed on script, unraveling his plans and programs. Although not letting the cat out of the bag, Kefas doesn’t leave anyone in doubt about his good intentions, his sincerity and transparency. There is also decency seeping through his actions and comments: no double speak, no verbosity and no blame games- same style he adopted during his campaigns. A style that has endeared him to almost everyone who now calls him “Mai gaskia’ (man of truth)

Kefas famously once said he was running on the strength of his character and the dictate of his conscience. Happily, that’s how he plans to govern too. He plans to use all states resources to enrich the people, solve age long challenges and brings about rapid development.

In actualising these, he’s the Ultimate iconoclast, tearing down walls and old models. Where there was mediocrity he wants to shine his brilliance. Where there was sloth, his youthful energies would become the order. He’s not encumbered by mental or physical infirmities. He’s not limited by ancient hangups or stereotypes. Just a new man or better, new wine in a new bottle.

His incoming government is anchored on righteousness, efficiency, fairness and 21st century ideas that are changing the world. It is this direction that has made him a nightmare to the old class from the start. They knew he would deliver and be different once he gets in. And now, it has happened: “jungle don mature” as our people love to say. And indeed our state has finally been delivered.

Bello is spokesman of Governor Elect Lt Col Agbu Kefas