Presidency – Advent Cable Network Nigeria

President Begged Me For Attention – Pastor Adeboye

ACNN ADMIN — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 15:51:08 +0000

Pastor Enoch Adeboye of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has disclosed how an African president once begged for his attention.

Adeboye said he spent almost three hours conversing with the African leader, who had initially granted him an audience of about 15 minutes.

The RCCG General Overseer spoke while delivering a sermon at the dedication of Love of Christ Generation Church C & S Cathedral in Lagos.

According to Adeboye: “Some years ago, my wife and I went to one African country to hold a crusade, Holy Ghost Service, we said we would love to say hello to the President, they said okay he says you can come, maximum fifteen minutes.

“When we arrived, he said, ‘pastor, I have heard about you, you are welcome to my country and all of that,’ he began to talk, and for one hour, it was very difficult to tell the President we had to leave.

“As it was going to two hours, I said sir; your people are waiting in the stadium he replied, ‘let them wait, they have people they can talk to, but I have no one I can talk to, and I don’t know when you will be here again, let me tell you all I have to say.

“Finally, almost three hours later, we managed to come to prayers.”

Adeboye confirms release of 8 RCCG members

Presidency Accuses IPOB Of Gathering A Heap Of Substantial Weapons, Bombs Stockpile

ACNN ADMIN — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 10:05:36 +0000

The Presidency on Wednesday blasted Amnesty International for allegedly supporting the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which it accused of stockpiling substantial weapons and bombs across the country.

This was contained in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), in response to what it called Amnesty International’s latest salvo at Nigeria.

The statement said while the global rights group did not say anything new, it has decided to side with “terrorists.”

The statement read in part: “Again, they have decided to side with terrorists, before the liberty of those they injure, displace and murder.

“Speaking the language of universal human rights, Amnesty International deploys it only in defence – even outright promotion – of those that violently oppose the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Parroting the line of Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB, a proscribed terror organisation, they work to legitimise its cause to Western audiences.

This puts them in bad company.

“Controversial American lobbyists are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to do the same, laundering IPOB’s reputation in Washington DC.

“IPOB murder Nigerian citizens. They kill police officers and military personnel and set government property on fire.

“Now, they have amassed a substantial stockpile of weapons and bombs across the country.

“Were this group in a western country, you would not expect to hear Amnesty’s full-throated defence of their actions. Instead, there would be silence or mealy-mouthed justification of western governments’ action to check the spread of ‘terrorism.”‘

“Despite Amnesty’s self-proclaimed mandate to impartially transcend borders, unfortunately in Nigeria, they play only domestic politics. The international NGO is being used as cover for the organisation’s local leaders to pursue their self-interests.

“Regrettably, this is not uncommon in Africa. There is nothing wrong with an activist stance; there are claims of neutrality when all facts point to the opposite.

“Amnesty International has no legal right to exist in Nigeria. It must open a formal investigation into the personnel that occupy their Nigerian offices.

“They should reject the outrageously tendentious misinformation they receive and bring some semblance of due diligence to the sources they base their claims on. Currently, we see none.

“The Nigerian government will fight terrorism with all the means at its disposal. We will ignore Amnesty’s rantings. Especially when it comes from an organisation that does not hold itself to the same standards it demands of others.”

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…IPOB has amassed substantial IPOB has amassed substantial

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…IPOB has amassed substantial IPOB has amassed substantial.

What Ex-Naval Commander Said About Buhari Govt That Landed Him In Trouble [Full Text]

ACNN ADMIN — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 09:30:20 +0000

Former Nigerian Navy Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi last week held a controversial interview with Channels Television which landed him in trouble with the Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

Reports had emerged on Saturday stating Nigeria’s security agencies had declared Olawunmi, who is currently the head of the department of criminology and security studies at Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun state, wanted.

But the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) debunked the claim, adding that it only wanted the former military chief to share his information with them.

Read what the former Naval commander said during the interview:

ON THE ATTACK

“My impression, I think, is just the impression of every Nigerian at this point. This is an aberration. I mean, you don’t attack Nigerian Defence Academy and kill officers and get away with it. The last time I was in NDA was in 2017. I went to carry out an investigation by the minister of defence that wanted me to check what is going on with the training, and the security environment there.

“I remember I spent about a week at the NDA, with the commandant, and with the staff. But something struck me. And that was every Friday, the gate of NDA is thrown open, and everybody has access to come and pray in the mosque. I want to actually enjoin journalists to go to all military formations across the country on Friday by one o’clock. You are going to see the same thing happening across all military formations.

“If you go to Defence Headquarters — I served at Defence Headquarters as the deputy director, defence administration between 2015 and 2017. Throughout my two years at Defence Headquarters, I received visitors only twice because of the strict security architecture at the Defence Headquarters. But every Friday, the gate of Defence Headquarters is thrown wide open for everybody to come in and do Juma’at.

“That is the time the terrorists have the time to profile our security environment. It has always been the case. I’ve served in military intelligence for the past 35 years. Our problem is religion and socio-cultural. People expect me to come here and start talking about kinetics, about operations, and so on. I’ve been an operation commander all my life. I’ve commanded warships, troops, men outside Nigeria and so on. But I’m not going to come to your station to discuss kinetics. The problem is not kinetics. In 2017… 2016, I’m always a member of the security and intelligence brief at the Defence Headquarters. I told them – General Olonisakin then – that the challenge we have in this country cannot be solved the same way we solved the problem of the Niger Delta.”

ON ALLEGED SPONSORS OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY

“I told Olonisakin that the centre of gravity of Boko Haram and insurgency in Nigeria are the sponsors of that programme. It was beyond us, because the job we need to do is kinetics; fight, destroy places, resolve issues. But we cannot resolve issues of sponsors of Boko Haram that were in Buhari’s government that we know, that we know then.

“I was in the military intelligence and the Defence Headquarters’ staff that I worked with know and that was how we couldn’t pursue that aspect that could have resolved that problem, because you need to arrest people.

“Recently, 400 people were gathered as sponsors of Boko Haram. Why is it that the Buhari government has refused to try them?

“In April this year, the government said they have arrested 400 Bureau de Change (BDCs)-related people that were sponsoring Boko Haram. They told us. And Abu Dhabi also helped us to arrest few Nigerians. Why can’t this government, if not that they are partisan, and part of the charade going on, why can’t they bring these people out for trial?

“The people I mentioned that are in government are not these ones that they just arrested. You remember this Boko Haram issue started since 2012 and I was in the military intelligence that time. We arrested those people. It’s my organisation that actually conducted interrogation and interview and they mentioned names.

“I can’t come on air and start mentioning names of people that are presently in government now that I know that the boys that we arrested mentioned. Some of them are governors now. Some of them are in the senate. Some of them are in Aso Rock. Why should a government try to cause this kind of embarrassment?

“The truth I’m telling you now, not about sentiment, is that there are groups of people that feel that this country should be Islamised. This is a fact, except you want me to start mentioning names of people in this government that we have interrogated. I was a member of an interrogation team and I’ve interrogated a very high-ranking member of this government in 2007, 2008 on issue of Boko Haram. I interrogated him. He’s in the government right now. And what was the issue? Boko Haram. And this senior officer was actually let go, because he was found culpable. But right now, he’s in the government.

ON EFFORTS MADE BY GOVERNMENT TO TACKLE INSURGENCY

“When you have a problem at policy level, strategic level or operational level, what you need to do is identify the centre of gravity of the problem and attack it. What they (the federal government) are doing is not attacking the centre of gravity of the problem of Boko Haram and insurgency.

“So if the president is buying Super Tucano (jets), changing service chiefs, that is not the solution. We are looking at the wrong side. It’s not kinetics, it’s politics. The centre of gravity is what they should look at and it is the sponsor of Boko Haram and bandits.

“I was surprised at the tremendous information at the DSS. There have so much information presently at DSS about what I am talking about. But if a fish is going to get spoilt, it is going to start getting spoilt from the head. The DSS will not do anything except the commander-in-chief’s body language shows that this is the direction I want to go. That is what the problem is.

“The DSS has tremendous information. By the time 2023 is here and somebody take over and wants to undo some of these evils that I have seen in this country, you will be surprised names that the DSS will bring out. They have the information, there is nothing I want to say here that they don’t have. The Defence Headquarters has the solution for the kinetics aspect, they do. I am not going to come here to advise them. I worked with them and they are still there.

“The chief of naval staff was in the intelligence with me, we were together in Defence Intelligence Agency, that is Vice Admiral Gambo. I know these people are good, they know what to do. It’s not that they have problems. It has to do with politics, the sponsors, people that feel this country should be Islamised.”

‘END GAME IS TO TURN NIGERIA TO A TALIBAN COUNTRY’

“When you want to look at these type of challenges, what you do is go through what we call the intelligence circle. When you do the processing and analysis before dissemination point, you discover that the end game for them is to just turn this country to a Taliban type of country.

“It’s a mindset and anything goes. In other words, 10 percent casualty, 20 percent casualty is allowed in trying to achieve the end game of Islamising this country.

“The sponsors of Boko Haram and the bandits are the problems. And Defence Headquarters, army headquarters, naval headquarters, and the air force cannot do anything about that. Buhari has to do something about it.

“The Interpol has the list of those people sponsoring Boko Haram. I worked with Interpol. If they don’t know, they should ask. The government of Dubai have the list of those people during the trial, names were mentioned; they have the list. The government also said they arrested 400 sponsors of Boko Haram, why should a government not try those people and bring peace, harmony and safety to this nation. Why wouldn’t a government do that?”

Source: Franktalk

Commodore Olawunmi And The Maladies This Time

ACNN ADMIN — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 08:48:05 +0000

An early morning inferno broke out in Circus Maximus, Rome on June 19, 64 A.D. It spread like bushfire through the ancient city. Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar’s reaction was immediate: he scapegoated Roman Christians of the time and inflicted a persecution scarcely heard of in Roman history on them. Highly chagrined by the nauseating no-holds-barred interview granted by Retired Commodore Kunle Olawunmi on Channels television last week which exposed its security underbelly, the current Nigerian government found the template of this Roman emperor, renowned for debaucheries and political murders, fascinating. It thereby went on a route similar to Nero’s, unleashing the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, (NBC) its broadcasting regulatory Rottweilers, on the journalists who conducted the interview.

The Roman fire had wrecked a colossal havoc. In nine days, of the 14 districts in Rome, it totally destroyed three, severely destroying additional seven later. While this fire was raging, classical sources among Roman elite claimed to have sighted Nero, the most infamous among Roman emperors, who had recently acquired an obsession for music and the arts, sitting on his palace rooftop, attired in theatre apparel similar to a performer about to enter the stage. He was said to be reciting by rote a line from the Greek epic, The Sack of Ilium. This new passion of Nero’s for music must have given birth to the typecast that he fiddled as Rome burned. The emperor then ordered the brutal persecution of these scapegoats. While he decreed some of his victims to be attired in animal skins, preparatory to getting dogs to tear them into shreds and eat their flesh, for some others, he ordered that they be burnt alive at nighttime pyres.

Last Tuesday, the Nigerian fire got so very intense too. Unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, terrorists caught the self chest-thumping Nigerian security apparatchik literally in flagrante. In the early hours of that day, these murderous elements, unconscionably named bandits, matched their infidel feet on the country’s military university, the Nigerian Defence Academy, (NDA) Kaduna. By the time they were done, they had murdered two officers as if they were snuffing life out of gnats and abducted another big-epaulette soldier. A few other soldiers sustained serious gunshot injuries. Like itinerant Mullahs, the terrorists walked out of this highly prized, foremost military training institution, unscathed, into the dusk. This came at a time when the whole world, except this government and its palace courtiers, knows and is aghast that, regarding security and governance of the space called Nigeria, Aso Rock lacks a rudder.

Now, entered Commodore Kunle Olawunmi. Clinical, bold and unconventional, the retired military top-brass dissected the malady of governance and leadership afflicting Nigeria to its basest form in that interview. Very seldom saying anything that Nigerians didn’t know already, as a top officer-participant in the Nigerian security equation, his revelation prised the bottom off government’s can of cant and hypocrisy. If you had a modicum of respect and regards for government hitherto, that no-holds-barred interview defrosted them all. It seemed to solve a long-time jigsaw puzzle on the epidemic of violence, banditry and Boko Haram insurgency that has held on tight to Nigeria’s jugular. With the recent take-over of Kabul without a shot being fired by the Talibans and the suspected compromise of Afghan leaders in this roulette, permutations are rife that there is a mathematical permutation to get insurgents to take over Nigeria.

Many analysts have demonized Olawunmi. Typically, they even alleged that his anger at that interview was as a result of the systemic frustrations he encountered in the twilight of his stay in the military. He was unprofessional, they alleged and his revelations were similar to prattles of a chatter-box, unbecoming of a highly placed military officer of his hue. Having been entrusted with sensitive information, he shouldn’t have exposed those information in the glare of the public, they pursued further.

To me, these criticisms are unmindful of the precipice that Nigeria has been pushed to. It is gross irresponsibility to be conventional at a critical moment like this when it is obvious that those who hold the Nigerian steering wheel are bent on crashing the ship of state. Except for the Islamization agenda alleged by Olawunmi which may seem a bit off-tangent, there was nothing the retired Commodore volunteered in that interview that was not in the public domain about this government. Were we hearing for the first time that this is the most divisive government in the history of Nigeria? Was it new on us that we are trapped with an unrepentant nepotist leadership?

Even Olawunmi’s allegation of Islamization agenda may sound logical when viewed from the background of his revelation that security breach was committed every Friday at the NDA. Even a dimwit will know that, by the opening of doors weekly to Jumat prayers and the ease of penetration of the Officers’ Mess, that breach could not but happen. In this kind of equation, it is trite knowledge that spying on this key military institution as a precursor to planning the NDA-type attack was a fait accompli.

The NDA attack may have awoken Nigerians from their slumbers. Allegations that some governors, ministers and Senators sponsor both the Boko Haram insurgency and the banditry of the northwest are ten a dime on Nigerian streets. Ditto, information that the Nigerian intelligence community and the defense headquarters were aware that Bureau De Change operators were covert sponsors of the Nigerian daily blood spillage. It is in the public domain that, recently, the government of Dubai sent lists of these sponsors to the federal government. The veracity of Olawunmi’s claim that the DMI, DSS and Police intelligence know the sponsors too can be easily interrogated, as well as claim that the DSS possesses files of the sponsors.

Shouldn’t it be logical, judging by Isa Pantami’s romance with Islamic extremism, details of which are in the public domain, that “our brothers” in the forest have his sympathy? Olawunmi merely ignited Nigerians’ sense of disgust at a government that chose hesitancy in bringing these sponsors to judgment, at the expense of taking action. When you now imagine the cheetah speed with which this government is mowing down “dots in a circle” who have scarcely spilled a pint of blood and those who are merely calling for self-determination, Olawunmi’s frustration with the escalating Nigerian riddle will come into focus.

The NDA compromise just won’t jell. Under whose purview was such colossal disaster that befell the Nigerian military? Government’s reaction to it too was very tepid, too simplistic and petty. Or a combination of all. Its claim that the attack might have been a ploy by a God-knows-who to embarrass it is sickening and weak. Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, had said that government was looking at so many scenarios. “Could this be truly a criminal attempt to violate the sanctity of that military institution? Was this an opportunistic crime? Is it political? Does somebody want to embarrass the government by doing this?” He then went on a needless voyage to recount what he called the string of victories achieved by the government: “Look at how Boko Haram is unravelling in the north; they surrendered. All of the victories that have been recorded even in the north-west — these bandits are being taken out in large numbers. So, in a climate — political climate — in which people seek to make political capital out of this unfortunate incident, you don’t rule in anything, you don’t rule out anything.”

What makes the above claim worthless is that sensible governments all over the world don’t talk like a sissy as this; they act. While it is in the province of malefactors to embarrass governments, the government’s job is to make life miserable for them. Did you hear President Joe Biden after last week’s Kabul blasts where 13 American soldiers were killed? Biden had said, not through any proxy going by the name, “presidency” as we have in Nigeria: “To those who carried out this attack, as well as anyone who wishes America harm, know this: We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay. I will defend our interests and our people with every measure at my command.”

Terrorists killed soldiers fighting your war and all the president did was to convey his disgust through a voluble character. Nigeria has an infamous policy of granting amnesty to insurgents who kill its people at will, without regard for the philosophy behind forgiveness. In this regard, we shouldn’t be surprised at the bedlam Nigeria has become.

The global concept of amnesty is very ancient. Its principle was taken from the ancient Greek literature, Odyssey written by the great philosopher, Homer. Homer, author of the Iliadas well, had written, “Let them swear to a solemn covenant, while we cause the others to forgive and forget the massacre of their sons and brothers. Let them then all become friends as heretofore, and let peace and plenty reign.” The concept of amnesty was reinforced by Carl Schmitt, a German lawyer, who argued that a war against everyone was a civil war and “even the cold war turns to civil war” without amnesty. Without amnesty, he said, non-forgiveness becomes a vicious circle of self-righteousness and revenge. Still on the foundation of amnesty, Algerian philosopher, Jacques Derida, said it can only be measured against the fact that “forgiveness, if there is such a thing, measures itself.”

Predicated on the ethics of forgetting and what is called “the politics of a rejected memory,” amnesty is reconciliation and imposes “silence on the memory of the unforgettable.” In other words, the one granting amnesty and the amnestied, though the infraction of the latter is normally unforgivable, must take an oath to make a clean break from their memory of the past. From the first recorded amnesty in history which happened in Athens in 403 BC, to the pardon of war criminals of the World War II, people who worked as spies, soldiers, politicians, guards etc, amnesty is the banning of recalling of a certain misfortune. As said above, a major essential of amnesty is that both parties freeze the memory of the crime but with a proviso of non-occurrence of the act.

No doubt due to the confusion of the acts of the two criminal groups that have attacked the Nigerian state – Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants – this government has sought to follow the Umaru Yar’Adua route by granting amnesty to insurgents. In 2016, through the Defence Headquarters, government inaugurated what it called Operation Safe Corridor, (OSC) a counter-insurgency approach to rehabilitate what is called “low-risk repentant Boko Haram fighters” so as to reintegrate them into society. It comes with vocational training, de-radicalization and civic programmes. Two years ago, government claimed to have rehabilitated 893 ex-Boko Haram members with the Nigerian Identity Management Commission registering about 900 of them as citizens of Nigeria.

The truth however is that, Amnesty should not be a government-militants, two way without a third wave of victims’ involvement. In Nigeria, insurgents’ atrocity is still fresh in the minds of the victims. This freshness elicits stiff opposition to granting amnesty to those who killed their children, parents and consigned them to IDP camps. More instructively, the forgetting that this government forcefully midwives is apparently linear; on government’s side alone, without reckoning with the forgetting of the amnestied. Have the killers of yesterday renounced their atrocities? Have they taken the oath to forget? Have they forgotten their deeds indeed?

Apart from the tragedy of the NDA attack, last week also brought the tragic quality of government’s interface with the public by Aso Rock to the fore. No matter his personal imperfections, Samuel Ortom of Benue State represents the undisguised antagonism of the people of Benue to this government’s eerie silence to the spate of killings in Benue, alleged to be handiwork of armed Fulani herders. In response to the Benue people’s umbrage, Nigeria’s presidency willingly took a shuttle to the sewage.

Alleging that Ortom was engaged in “promotion of ethno-religious politics and divisive utterances,” and “sectarianism and ethnicity,” government walked on a predictable route that has become a convenient path to tread by ethnic warlords masquerading as governments. These are people whose governmental style does not represent what they verbalize. This is “the Rwandan genocide.” In the release, shamelessly, the presidency tacitly underscored its Acheulean grazing route while excoriating what it labeled “so-called” Benue’s own Ranches Establishment Law. It abused Ortom for this law which it said was “intended to withhold rights and freedoms from one ethnic group alone, whilst inciting race hatred against them, amongst all others.’’ Purely self-serving and nonsensical!

It is a dramatic irony that this government would label anyone an ethnic canvasser and their defence of their people “a copy of the language of Hutu Power.” What is the difference between the president’s labeling of Igbo people “dot in a circle” and Hutu’s profiling of Tutsi as “cockroaches,” preparatory to their genocidal rout? Just after that dot labeling, Imo and the east in general have witnessed killings the figure of which seeks to shake hands with the Rwandan genocide casualty. Aso Rock’s obsessive impunity has activated that narrative of some felon dipping the Quran in the sea. It is what is burning Nigeria. The killings of the last 6 years are about rivaling the figure of the Nigerian civil war and they can be linked to promotion of the narrative of a Fulani ethnic ascendancy, just like in Rwanda.

As much as we can blame Retired Commodore Olawunmi for violating the oath of secrecy he swore to as an officer, we must realize that this is a season of anomie and not a time to acquiesce to or be rigid to observance of any ancient norms of engagement. The man dies in him who keeps silent in the face of the brand of tyranny that confronts us in Nigeria today. We needed an Olawunmi kind of engagement to ensure our sanity and to be sure we are all on the same page about these locusts among us. I agree with him that this is the worst government in the history of Nigeria but Nigeria is greater than the runners of this government. We should endure this insanity. As interminable as the remaining two years look, before we wake up, the years will soon evaporate into nothingness. What we have endured is not up to what is left. Nigerians are the ones who must be resolved not to allow this affliction to rise a second time.

The Uokha and Ohanmi washed away road

A photograph gained notoriety on the social media last week. It was a washed away asphalt of a road constructed at Ohanmi in the Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. Said to have been awarded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the four-kilometer asphaltic road spanned Uokha and Ohanmi areas. In less than three months of its construction, the road got washed away, as revealed by the photograph. A federal Permanent Secretary is even said to hail from the area.

Construction of roads of such inferior and substandard quality has cast Nigeria in bad light in the eyes of the world as a country of anything goes. A few months earlier, a video of another road in same Edo State had become a subject of discussion on the social media. The question is, how did such quality of work, under a federal ministry, go through the well-known construction bureaucracy and get certified as done?

The blight of haphazard construction of roads and other infrastructure has become a major nightmare in Nigeria. Apparently fueled by the slide into the hub of corruption and lack of rigour in every facet of life in Nigeria, a phenomenon of this type has wriggled itself into our national life. Between those who award the contracts and contractors who get the contracts, there is an absence of fidelity to the need and desire by society to have infrastructure that endures. When construction works of this quality are done, the people lose two ways. They are the ones expected to make use of those infrastructure which they cannot and their money, used to fund the projects, goes into private pockets.

That such an eyesore could happen, and has indeed become a pattern, calls for serious concern. Nigerian roads are suffering severely from this blight that has almost become a Nigerian phenomenon. It will seem that the most profound way to attack the problem is for governments to award contracts to contractors who in turn must be made to legally adhere to an agreement. The agreement must spell it out that contractors who fail as in the Uokha and Ohanmi road, must get the roads back to shape as a matter of must, failure of which attracts sanctions.

On this Uokha and Ohanmi calamity, both the contractor and those who awarded and passed the road as having been executed should be made to face sanctions.

Article By: Festus Adedayo

Presidency Strongly Condemns Hoodlums Attacks On Travelers

ACNN ADMIN — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 12:15:11 +0000

The Presidency condemns the attack earlier Saturday on travellers from a religious event in Bauchi, passing through Jos, the Plateau State Capital and regrets the reported deaths of at least twenty-two persons with several others injured in that ambush on their travelling party.

It is widely known that Plateau State has been one of the states affected by herder-farmer clashes, which have, in a significant way, been curtailed following the intense peace-building efforts of the administration of Governor Simon Lalong.

However, to be clear, this is not an agriculturalist-on-pastoralist confrontation – but rather a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing.

With the evident preparedness of their attackers, it is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers not an opportunist ambush.

The Presidency offers condolences to the families of the victims and continues to liaise closely with the local authorities – including security, the police, and governmental agencies.

These kinds of attacks on our country’s citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions of our nation.

The Presidency stands steadfast with both Christians and Muslims at this time in condemnation of this latest attack and expects and insists that justice is swiftly – but fairly – delivered to the perpetrators.

“Make no mistake about it: in line with my commitment to protect all Nigerians, I have ordered our security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of this gruesome massacre of innocent travellers and bring them to justice,” President Buhari said.

As the facts of the sad incident continue to unfold, the Presidency commends the ongoing efforts by the Governors of Plateau, Bauchi, and Ondo; the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as well as a number of notable Christian and Muslim leaders as they intensify efforts to calm down the situation.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 14, 2021

Gov. Sule Calls For Rotational Presidency For All Regions To Benefit

ACNN ADMIN — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 08:57:07 +0000

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has called for the adoption of a rotational presidency for all regions to benefit.

The governor made this call on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amid increasing demand that the South should be given the presidential slot.

“I believe in the rotational presidency in Nigeria, I strongly believe in that,” he said. “This is my view, it is not the view of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors.”

While noting that he is a beneficiary of rotation in the emerging governor of Nasarawa, he noted that the best person from the zone should emerge as the nation’s President.

Meanwhile, the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are yet to make their positions known on zoning.

The southeast, southwest and south-south zones make up the southern region.

South-south produced former President Goodluck Jonathan, who ruled for five years.

Southwest produced Olusegun Obasanjo from Ogun State, who ruled for eight years. Obasanjo was president between 1999 and 2007.

The southeast comprising the Igbo states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo are fiercely agitating for zoning of the presidential power in 2023.

Source: Channels tv

Southern Senators Suggests That Rotational Presidency Will End Secession Agitations

ACNN ADMIN — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 08:57:40 +0000

SENATORS from the southern part of the country have backed the governors from the region on their unanimous decision on rotational presidency, describing the measure as the best political arrangement that can unify the country and correct the fault lines.

The governors had through a communiqué released after their meeting in Lagos on Monday among other things reiterated the need for the zone to produce the next president of the country come 2023.

The federal lawmakers opined that allowing the presidency to rotate between the North and the South will naturally quell the secession agenda being propelled by some individuals and groups.

The Southern Senators Forum in a statement by its chairman, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele on Wednesday commended the governors for coming out boldly to take the decision which he said would go a long way to address the political challenges confronting the nation.

The Ekiti Central senatorial district Senator said, “As much as we believe that competence and not regionalism should be the watchword in who becomes the president of any nation, we need to also be circumspect of our ethnic and political pluralities and think of the best way to further unite us.

“The events of the recent times where insecurity, secession agitations and others have further divided us and became one reality staring all of us in the face, we need to ruminate on how best to resolve these crises in the interest of our nation.

“Nigeria has never been this divided and the current parlous situation that has pushed our country to the verge of collapse necessitated the governors’ decisions and it shouldn’t be seen from the narrow spectrum that they were stoking the fire of disunity or promoting regionalism or ethnicity.

“Rotational presidency will resolve most of the political problems and would naturally ward off secession agenda being promoted by some individuals and groups.”

The senators posited that the governors thought rightly by placing bans on the open grazing system of cattle rearing in their respective states via the promulgation of anti-open grazing laws, saying the country must move with the tide of modernity.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Southern Governors’ Six Points Resolutions ( Full Text of Communique)

ACNN ADMIN — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 17:13:50 +0000

COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING OF THE GOVERNORS OF SOUTHERN NIGERIA AT THE LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE, IKEJA, LAGOS STATE, ON MONDAY, 5TH JULY, 2021 NIGERIA.
The Southern Governors Forum at the end of the meeting held on Monday, 5th July, 2021 reviewed the situation in the Country and focused on the current security situation, constitutional amendment, Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
Rising from the meeting, the Forum agreed on the following:

1. Re-affirmed their commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress and peaceful co-existence between and amongst its people.

2. The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern Region.

3.     Security
a.     The Forum reviewed the security situation in the country and commends security operatives for their relentless efforts in restoring security and safety and commiserates with families and loved ones of those who have fallen in the line of duty;
b.     Re-emphasised the need for State Police;
c.     Resolved that if for any reason security institutions need to undertake an operation in any State, the Chief Security Officer of the State must be duly informed;

d.     the forum frowns at selective criminal administration of Justice and resolved that arrests should be made within the ambit of the Law and fundamental human rights;
e.     Set a timeline of Wednesday, 1st September, 2021 for the promulgation of the anti open grazing law in all member States; and
f.      Resolved that Funds deducted from the Federation Account for the Nigeria Police Security Trust Fund should be distributed among the States and Federal Government to combat security challenges.

4.     Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) Law:
i.           The Forum commends the National Assembly for the progress made in the passage of the PIB;
ii.           the Forum rejects the proposed 3% and support the 5% share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House of Representatives;
iii.           the forum also rejects the proposed 30% share of profit for the exploration of oil and gas in the basins;
iv.           However, the forum rejects the ownership structure of the proposed Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). The Forum disagrees that the company be vested in the Federal Ministry of Finance but should be held in trust by Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) since all tiers of Government have stakes in that vehicle.

5. In order to consolidate our democracy and strengthen the Electoral process, the Southern Governors’ Forum reject the removal of the Electronic transmission of the election result from the electoral act; and also rejects the confirmation of exclusive jurisdiction in pre-election matters on the Federal High Court.

6. The Forum unanimously chose Lagos State as its permanent secretariat and appreciated the Governor of Lagos State for the wonderful hosting of this meeting while commending him for his good work in the State.

Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN
Governor, Ondo State and Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum

Benue Government Says FG’s Insistence On Open Grazing Indicates A Hidden Agenda

ACNN ADMIN — Wed, 26 May 2021 10:38:31 +0000

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Tuesday said the Federal Government’s insistence on open grazing suggests it has a hidden agenda.

The Presidency had on Monday faulted the recent resolutions of the Southern Governors, including the ban on open grazing in the entire southern part of the country.

A statement signed by Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the Governors’ resolutions failed to provide any solution to the lingering crisis between farmers and herders in the country.

Instead, the statement added, President Buhari has “commissioned and approved an actionable plan of rehabilitating grazing reserves in the States, starting with those that are truly committed to the solution and compliant with stated requirements.”

But the Benue State Governor, in a statement signed by spokesman Terver Akase, said the insistence on open grazing reserves was curious.

“We find the move not only shocking and curious but also as a misplaced priority,” the Ortom statement said.

“At a time the country is worried about the worsening security situation and many Nigerians are calling for national dialogue to address the fundamental issues that have led to the present state of affairs, the Federal Government considers the reopening of cattle grazing routes as the only solution available to it.”

The Governor faulted the Federal Government’s plan to commence rehabilitation work on grazing reserves in the country next month.

Ortom recalled that the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) had met on February 9 and agreed that the current system of herding mainly by open grazing is no longer sustainable, in view of the growing urbanisation and population of the country.

While noting that the Forum consequently resolved to sensitize herders on the need to adopt ranching as the new method of animal husbandry, Ortom said the 17 Governors of Southern Nigeria also met on May 11 in Asaba and banned open grazing in the entire region.

The Southern Governors, the Benue leader added, adopted ranching as the alternative method of rearing animals.

He added, “As it stands, the Presidency is the lone hand pushing for the continuation of open grazing and the return of cattle routes of 1950s and 60s. The Presidency has, by its endorsement of open grazing, emboldened armed herders who lay claim to all lands in Nigeria as belonging to Fulani, hence their invasion of farming communities and killing of original owners of such lands.

“The fact must be established that grazing reserves or cattle routes are no longer tenable in the 21st century when Nigeria’s population far exceeds that of the fifties at a time these routes were contemplated.

“At present, the routes have been taken over by airports, roads, schools, hospitals, as well as markets, houses and other human activities. The country’s land mass has also reduced to less than 923 square kilometers with the excision of Bakassi to Cameroon. Besides, the international best practice of animal husbandry is ranching; and that’s the stand of Benue State.”

“We in Benue have embraced ranching as the viable alternative to open grazing and there is no going back on our resolve. Our ranching law which prohibits open grazing is Benue people’s reaction to the incessant killings, and it is also an instrument of development. The law was enacted by representatives of the people in the Benue State House of Assembly, in the exercise of its powers as provided for by Section 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Part 2 of the Second Schedule reinforces the power of the State House of the Assembly providing that “a House of Assembly may make laws for the State with respect to industrial, commercial or agricultural development.” The Law followed due process with public hearings and requisite opportunity for all stakeholders making input.

Ranching as a policy has the potential to launch Nigeria into 21st-century agricultural good practices. Today, open grazing is extinct in most countries of the world. In Europe, America, Asia and in many countries in Africa, pastoralism has long given way to ranching. How can Nigeria then still be battling with a problem of pastoralism that in other countries has been solved over a century ago? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, India has 303 million cattle, Brazil, 226 million, China, 100 million, USA, 93 million, Argentina, 53 million and Australia 27 million. All these countries ranch their animals. Nigeria has less than 20 million cattle which can easily be ranched. Unfortunately, the cows are allowed to either roam the streets freely or encroach on people’s farms and other investments.

While we may not stop the Federal Government’s plan to rehabilitate grazing reserves or create cattle routes in other states, we wish to make it clear that no land in Benue State has been gazetted for grazing routes, grazing reserves, cattle colonies and Ruga settlements. Benue is therefore not part of the grazing reserves rehabilitation programme of the Federal Government.

We expect the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to weigh the negative consequences its recommendation will have on the unity and security of the nation and advise Mr President that Nigerians are not on the same page with him regarding the matter of open grazing. It is not too late to salvage the situation.

We are concerned about the plight of millions of farmers who have been displaced as a result of herders’ attacks and are now in IDP camps; a development that is already adversely affecting food production. Benue State has over one million displaced people who are mostly farmers, and the task of returning them to their ancestral homes is what should bother the Ministry of Agriculture and other agencies of the Federal Government.

Terver Akase

Chief Press Secretary

May 25, 2021.

Source: Channels tv

Church Must Remain Voice Of Reason, Faith, Calmness –Bishop Olumakaiye

ACNN ADMIN — Mon, 24 May 2021 09:10:58 +0000

The Anglican Bishop of Lagos, Dr. Humphrey Olumakaiye, takes a look at the deplorable state of security in the nation. He equates it to the state of Israel, which the book of Judges 17:6 depicts as ‘… in those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did what is right in his own eyes.’ In this interview with TAI ANYANWU, the Bishop appeals to the church in Nigeria to continue to be that voice of reason, faith and calmness in these trying times

How do you see the security in the country?

Thank you for this privilege to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national conversion at this crucial juncture in our history as a nation. It is clear to us all that insecurity in this country is at an all-time high; we have never had it like this before.

The deplorable state of security in this nation has every symptom of a state at war. Our insecurity situation mirrors what we have in Judges 17:6 where it was stated that in those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did what is right in his own eyes. If we don’t collectively arrest and address the situation now, there is every chance that this nation may implode before 2023.

There have been arguments about the capacity of President Buhari to handle governance at this stage…?

It is quite surprising that the President who is a retired Army General cannot handle the matter of insecurity. Let us not forget that one of the cardinal promises of this administration in 2015 and 2019 is to effectively handle the issue of security.

Now in 2021, the security situation has worsened than what it was in 2014/2015. I personally believe that the President’s inability to handle this matter is due to personal problems the President may be facing that are unknown to Nigerians.

There are rumours that the President is not fully in charge and the cabal whosoever they may be is the ones ruling the nation. Sincerely, the state of security and the general body language from the Presidency is seemingly confirming these rumours. The truth is that a sound, fit and coherent President Buhari can handle the matter of security.

He would have not allowed the issue to deteriorate to this level. To prove all doubters wrong, he must take charge now. At the same time, we should not write our President off, he is trying his best. Look at the daily carnage, kidnapping and closure of schools. Personally, I believe that there is economic and political undertone to all this kidnapping, banditry and daily carnage.

It is apparent that some high and rich people in this nation are financing and profiting from all these illicit activities. Take for instance, the case of Ini Umoren, the job seeking lady that was kidnapped and gruesomely murdered in Uyo, two weeks ago. There are emerging facts that some high and mighty people are linked to the case.

This case, though, one of many, mirrored the case of unnamed concubine in the Book of Judges 19. Just as it is now in our country, the ancient Israel society was enmeshed in a firebox of insecurity that led to civil war. This half-measure of closure of schools here and there cannot solve the situation.

There are cases of people being kidnapped in the marketplace, religious centers and even parks. So, are we going to lock everything down to solve this problem? You will recall that recently, a trailer load of ammunition was found in Onitsha.

The Onitsha incident further confirmed my earlier claim that some people are sponsoring chaos and anarchy in the land. How do you explain unverified trailer load of ammunition?

We all know that there are illegal possessions of firearms all over the nation before now. With the incident at Onitsha, it is scary that the situation regarding illegal possession of firearms is now at all-time high in this nation. This further strengthens the argument for strong, decisive leadership from the centre. It is when the centre cannot hold; that mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

What is the solution?

The way out is simple. We must have a national conference now.

In the book of Judges 19, when the matter of insecurity came to a head like we have it now, the whole nation had to meet together and dialogue the way forward. The problem we have now has transcended issues of ethnicity, religion, and class. It is a problem facing all regardless of their ethnicities, religious affiliation and class. When things are like this, it is time to convene a sovereign national conference and dialogue.

Do you believe there is external threat?

No. I do not believe that there is any external threat or conspiracy against us as a nation. The problem of Nigeria is caused by Nigerians and must be solved by Nigerians. We must solve our problem ourselves and we must not even depend on foreign aid to do it.

Is our National Assembly doing enough?

It is not that we have a spineless National Assembly but we have a National Assembly enmeshed in meaningless politicking. From my perspective, it appears our lawmakers value party loyalty and agenda above the nation’s interest.

They are more ready to support and protect their party interest and even individual selfish ambition than their works as lawmakers. But the problem here is upon all that is why they all must awake to their responsibilities. Now I am aware that some have called for President Buhari’s resignation or impeachment.

No, what we are facing is a phase’ it will soon pass away. Nigeria is very difficult country to rule. At the same time, I will advise Mr. President to act now in the interest of all Nigeria.

Those calling for his resignation or impeachment are doing so because we are all tired. It is not that they hate the President; we are in a life-death situation here.

Do you support the call for restructuring of Nigeria?

Absolutely yes! For me as everyone else there are two paths before us as a nation: restructuring and secession. For now, the far better option is restructuring. Each region must be allowed to be self-reliant, self-secured, and self-governed.

We are one nation yet with different cultural and ethnic orientation. The orientation of a northern person is different from the southerner. We cannot continue to think that we can be ruled from the centre. Nigeria is far too big to be handled like that. We must restructure.

Resources available to the government are falling, in the face of corruption. How do you see this?

It is sad that this is so. This administration promised to fight corruption and came to power on the mantra of change. But, emerging fact is showing that corruption in this administration is getting to an alarming proportion.

The fact is that the leaders around the president are complicit. The general laxity and negligence of the presidency is allowing every man to do what is right in their own eyes. That is why we are having it like this.

Many youths are resorting to yahoo and prostitution. What is the way out?

This is fundamentally a cultural and societal problem. In sociology, we talk of values: material and immaterial value. Our society values amassing material value more than cherished immaterial value of character, hard work, honesty and truth.

By this, we provide the context for our youth to resort to yahoo and prostitution as ways of getting rich quickly. The way out is that we must reinstitute immaterial value in the consciousness of our children and youth. This is everyone’s job: mosque, church, home, school, and street. Glorification of persons because of their wealth must stop; we must value honour, honesty, truth, hard-work as a people.

What’s your impression about insecurity in the South-East considering that some people are of the opinion that agents of the Federal Government have a grand plan to distabilise the region while deliberately putting it on IPOB and ESN?

My impression about insecurity in the South-East is this same as I have for all regions in the nation. The claim that agents of the Federal Government have a grand plan to destabilize the region is far from the truth. The growing security threat of IPOB might have led to militarising of the region.

Nonetheless, it is advisable that everyone should desist from violence. The continuous attack of security outposts in the East will further deteriorate the security situation of that region. It will continue to verify the false claim that there is grand plan to destabilise the region. Now, it is the time for the Igbo leaders and elders to be united and speak to their people to be calm. Fury and violence will lead to war.

How can the church assist the state in ensuring stability and good governance?

The church is doing her bit in preaching and praying for good governance and peace co-existence. The church must assist the state to be the voice of reason, faith and calmness this trying time.

We, as the church, must assume our prophetic role and serve as moral compass and conscious of the nation. And our pastoral ministry must not be neglected.

What does this insecurity portend for 2023 elections?

In a nutshell, it portends doom. I want to reiterate what I said earlier if we do not collectively arise as one to arrest and address this issue now, we may not even get to 2023 as a nation.

If, by God’s intervention, we manage to get to 2023 we must address the issue of restructuring, good governance, and fight against corruption. Emerging leaders must be ready to fully address these things. It is very crucial.

Source: New Telegraph