Military Dislodges Another Radical Islamic Sect In Niger

No fewer than 240 members of a radical and controversial Islamic sect were yesterday, June 4 evacuated from their camp by the joint military group led by Lt. Col Adamu Yakubu.

The sect, Nibrassiya Huda Islamic Sect made up of mostly young men and women were dislodged from their houses in a forest in Chechei, Lapai Local Government Area in Niger State and about 40 thatched roof houses built of straws and new buildings were demolished.
The sect under the leadership of of Sheik Mohammed Abubakar, had been at loggerheads with members of the public and the traditional ruler of the town, Etsu Lapai, Alhaji Umar Bago Tafida, who accused the leader of the sect of teaching and propagating wrong doctrines that have no root in Islam.
Members of the group were also accused of causing trouble, attacking people who do not share their views, engaging in promiscuous activities, conducting forced marriages which they also dissolve at will and they also allegedly see other Muslims as not well informed as they are.
Their problem started on May 13, when the government of Niger State revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of the land where the camp was situated and giving the sect members two weeks notice to move out, following complaints by the public that the sect was using the place to train terrorists but the members ignored the government.
Yesterday, the military troop swung into action and evacuated the sect members from the camp, moving them to their local government areas except for two members who were said to have hailed from Kwara State.
However, the leader of the sect, Mohammed Abubakar debunked all the allegations against them, saying the group had come together only for the purpose of learning more of Islam and without any other motive and they have never engaged in illegal activities.
Meanwhile, the Etsu Lapai, Alhaji Umaru Bago Tafida, commended the action of the state government in dislodging the group, saying “if no action is taken now, the sect will grow to become a terror that will consume all.”
The Niger State Jumaat Imams Forum had sometime in April raised an alarm over the spring up of Boko Haram look-alike Islamic group in Bida, Niger State, which according to them is capable of impeaching the peace of the state

Pregnant Woman Fleeing Boko Haram Attack Delivers Baby In The Bush

A pregnant woman reportedly gave birth to a baby girl in the bush at Kala-Balge community in Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria while allegedly fleeing from at­tacks by the Boko Ha­ram sect.

Abba Ab­dulmuminu, a native of the Kala-Balge community, told journalists during a press con­ference at the Correspondents Chapel in Bauchi that the woman, whose name was not identified, delievered the baby on Tuesday.
He said she was among thousands of natives of the local government area, who had fled their homes because of constant terror attacks on the people of Kala-Balge by members of the deadly boko haram sect.

It could be recalled that the people of Kala-Balge were commended last month when they defended themselves from the attacks of the Boko-Haram insurgents when they killed over 300 of the terrorists who had attacked them.
Mr. Abdulmuminu said: “As a result of that attack, one month ago, the Boko-Haram members have regrouped and are killing the people of Kala-Balge community. In fact, as I am talking to you now, almost all the people of Kala-Balge villages and towns have fled. Some of them are in the bor­der between Cameroon and Nigeria while some are in the bush.
“Only on Tuesday, I was informed that a woman gave birth to a baby girl in the bush. There was no water, no shelter and no food because it is a semi-desert area and there are no trees there. So the people there, even those in the borders, live under scorching sun.”

The community leader, who said he had not heard from his mother and many of his rela­tives who fled since the sus­tained attacks on Kala-Balge, appealed to the Federal Gov­ernment to deploy troops to the community and bring relief materials to the people of Kala-Balge.
The Boko Haram insurgents have claimed responsibility for many attacks in the Kala-Balge community and most of the attacks are not reported.
A large group of Boko Haram members was reported on May 31, 2014, to have killed over 40 people and left multiple building destroyed in Kala Balge community.
And about 40 soldiers of the Nigerian Army were said to be held in captivity by civilians in Kala-Balge village, Borno State, for over two weeks some weeks ago.
The suspected military men were caught the day residents of the community defended themselves from Boko Haram assault and killed about 200 insurgents.

Senate Amends Constitution To Empower INEC To Deregister Psrties That Gain No Electoral Support

Nigerian Senate has on Wednesday looked at areas up for review in the 1999 constitution that deal with the Electoral Act.

The lawmakers have approved an amendment that empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister any political party that fails to win any seat in the National Assembly or State House of Assembly, Channels Television reports.
Although some senators asked for more time to study the report of the Constitutional Amendment Committee headed by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, the voting began and lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of all the clauses up for amendment.
On Thursday the senators will vote on the controversial Section 9 that deals with the procedure of drafting an entirely new constitution.
Senate Amends Constitution To Empower INEC Deregister Psrties That Gain No Electoral Support
The need for a new constitution has been emphasised by some Nigerian lawyers who argue that the country needs a law that will have inputs from Nigerians and not one put together by past military administrations.
This issue has also been discussed at the ongoing National Conference set up by President Goodluck Jonathan.
If the Senate amends the constitution to enable the president to initiate production of a new constitution, the recommendations of the National Conference, which would be submitted to Jonathan, could be forwarded to the lawmakers for deliberations and entrenchment into the constitution.
In May, President Jonathan asked Nigerian media to support his idea of drafting a new constitution. Read here what the Naij.com readers have to contribute to the discussion.

A.N.I Entertainment Boss Robert Edward Is Dead

A renowned Nigerian record label executive Robert Edwards passed away in Lagos on June 3, 2014, Tuesday.

According to report by Linda Ikeji, this was a sudden death.
The CEO of A.N.I (Aiint Nothing illa) Entertainment slumped and died in the evening, while playing snooker at E-bar in Lekki, Lagos.
Singers Halle Mordu and Brian INK Edwards were under his record label.
Rest in peace.

New CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele Meets President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

New governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele has on Wednesday made his first appearance before President Goodluck Jonathan.

Godwin Emefiele formally assumes office as Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at the Bank’s Headquarters in Abuja. Credit: CBN

They held a closed-door meeting at the presidential villa in Abuja for about one hour. But the governor refused to talk to the State House correspondents after the meeting.
Leadership gathered, however, that Emefiele and Jonathan discussed the issues of the economy and the banking sector.
Also on Wednesday, Emefiele paid visit to Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the CBN said in its twitter.

Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, pays visit to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance at her office in Abuja on June 3, 2014. Credit: CBN

Emefiele, whose candidacy for the position was approved by the Senate on March 26, officially assumed office on Tuesday, June 3.
Emefiele is to address World Press Conference at 10.00am on Thursday, June 5, 2014.
The previous governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has challenged his suspension by the president in court.

Ghanaian Witch Doctor, Kwaku Bonsam Claims Responsibility For Ronaldo’s Injury

Ghana’s most influential witch doctor, Nana Kwaku Bonsam has said he is responsible for Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo’s knee injury and that no doctor can cure it.

The spiritualist whose name literally means “Devil of Wednesday” said his aim is prevent the the Portugues player from playing against Ghana during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
News broke out last week that Ronaldo was injured and a statement from the Portuguese FA on Wednesday confirmed that Ronaldo is suffering from tendinosis in his left knee as well as nursing a muscle problem in his left thigh, which caused him to miss the 0-0 draw with Greece at the weekend.
Kwaku Bonsam who claims to have conjured a special powder from his gods, mixed with several leaves and concoctions which have been placed around an image and caricature of the former Manchester United player said:
“I know what Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury is about, I’m working on him,” Bonsam, who serves at the Kofioo Kofi shrine, said in an interview with the Kumasi-based Angel FM.
“I said it four months ago, that I will work on Cristiano Ronaldo seriously and rule him out of the World Cup, or at least prevent him from playing against Ghana, and the best thing I can do is to keep him out through injury.” he said.
“I am very serious about it. Last week, I went around looking for four dogs and I got them to be used in manufacturing a special spirit called ‘Kahwiri Kapam’”he added.
“This injury can never be cured by any medic, they can never see what is causing the injury, because it is spiritual. Today, it is his knee, tomorrow it is his thigh, next day, and it is something else.”
Meanwhile Ronaldo who missed the game with Greece over the weekend is also likely to miss Portugal’s World Cup warm-up matches against Mexico, and Ireland. It is however not clear if he will recuperate early on time for the World Cup.
Ghana to play Portugal on June 26 in Brasilia, in their final Group G match which comprises Germany, USA, Portugal and Ghana

My Father Is Greater Than Obasanji – MKO Abiola’s Daughter

Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Castello, daughter of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the undeclared winner of the 1993 presidential election has said her father is greater than former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Reacting to a recent statement by Obasanjo that Abiola made sacrifices that needed to be recognised by the nation, Hafsat said her father did not need the former president’s recognition, because “MKO was a greater man”.
“I feel that if he wanted to recognise MKO Abiola now, it’s good for him. But, MKO Abiola was always the greater man. And you cannot recognise somebody that is more than yourself. MKO Abiola did not require General Obasanjo to recognise him,” she said.
Speaking on Wednesday, at the Kudirat Abiola’s 18th anniversary, organised by the Campaign for Democracy, in collaboration with Women Arise and the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, Hafsat said linked her father’s greatness to his legacies, saying his dedication to the cause of the common man and a better Nigeria has immortalised him in the hearts of many.
She said the only recognition her her father needed was from the Nigerian masses and they saw his good heart that was why they rewarded him with the June 12 election, which was so free and fair that no Nigerian leader has been able to attain till date.
While addressing the audience at the Abiolas house during the commemoration of her mother who was killed on June 4, 18 years ago, Hasfat urged Nigerians to remain undivided by the country’s politicians whose goal is to separate the nation.
According to her, her late father had warned of Nigeria’s current dilemma over 20-years ago and now it is coming to pass.
Also at the event were the son of the late Kudirat Abiola, Abdul; NADECO chieftain Comrade Fred Agbeigbe; Comrade Mike Falola; Comrade Raji Rasheed; CD Treasurer Comrade Obatunde Adebayo; Comrade Godwin Akangbe; Comrade Ola Baolgun and members of diverse civil rights groups.

WICKEDNESS (NOT CORRUPTION) IS THE BANE OF NIGERIA

I love my country – Nigeria. In spite of the hydra-headed nature of the problems plaguing Nigeria, I have faith that one day Nigeria would take her pride of place amongst the comity of nations. Often times, I ponder on the state of Nigeria in an attempt to understand our situation and how we got here. I believe the Nigeria of today does not correspond to the visions of our founding fathers that fought for her independence. The Nigeria of today will sadden all those who fought for her independence.

To most people, the major problem plaguing Nigeria has been narrowed down to corruption. I am not one of those people. I have been opportune to engage in debates and arguments about the nature of our problems as a nation and I have always argued in favour of WICKEDNESS as the underlying factor and root cause of all our problems.
Some time ago, a video clip showing the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole reveal the WICKED side of him went viral. Not a few Nigerians expressed shock at such WICKEDNESS from no less a person than the people’s comrade. The video showed our own Comrade, Adams Oshiomhole angrily telling a poor widow to go and die as the hapless woman wailed and begged the governor to salvage her only source of livelihood in an economy that has done more harm than good to ordinary Nigerians. Comrade Adams Oshiomholes behaviour can aptly be described as WICKED, a characteristic most of our leaders share.
Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and natural resources; but is also cursed with WICKED leaders. If not, how can one juxtapose our huge oil revenues with the sorry state of our nation? How can one explain over 70% of Nigerians living below poverty level and on less than a dollar a day? How can one explain the majority of Nigerians lacking basic social amenities? How can one juxtapose the billions of dollars supposedly invested in power, yet no electricity to power our economy and homes? How can one juxtapose the obscene opulence our leaders revel in and the abject poverty most Nigerians are subjected to? All of these questions have a common answer – WICKED leaders.
Nigeria ranks poorly in the Human Development Index (Long and healthy life, access to education/knowledge and decent standard of living) and many other international indexes such as maternal/child mortality, life expectancy, ease of doing business, university ratings, etc. Our universities are no longer conducive for learning and research. The sanitary conditions and ambience are despicable. Growth of student population is no longer anticipated and preceded by a commensurate or correspondent growth in infrastructure and capacity. Hostels, laboratories and lecture theatres are overcrowded.
Corruption is at an all time high and growing too. Our politics is characterised by profiteering. Parliament blackmail the executive into increasing their allocations thereby increasing the cost of governance. Legislators have turned budget endorsements into money making ventures. Lack of probity, transparency and accountability has resulted in public distrust for government and her institutions. Unemployment has resulted in grave social consequences amongst them crime and insecurity.
Our leaders, at all levels, have failed. They make governance seem like rocket science? They have abandoned their responsibilities. They keep calling on youths and graduates to be entrepreneurs without complementing such calls by creating the enabling environment for the actualization of such ideals. What have they done about the output of our economy? What steps have been taken to diversify the economy? Inadequate and inefficient infrastructure increases the cost of doing business. Businesses are forced to bear indirect costs to fill gaps created by government.
As a nation, we must begin to pray for God to instil His fear in the hearts of our leaders. We must pray that God causes our leaders to have a change of heart to one of mercy and compassion.
As citizens, we must begin to take steps to ensure our voices are heard.  We must begin to air our opinions with specific demands; demands for exemplary conduct and high moral standards from our leaders; demands for balanced income distribution to minimize the great gulf between the rich and the poor; demands for existent and uninterrupted power supply, good roads, health, education and other critical infrastructure that would encourage local industry and attract foreign direct investment to transform our economy; demands that our democracy be demonetized. It is evident that money does not guarantee good governance or discourage corruption. Nigerians must wield and exploit the powers of democracy, exposure to international best practices and the ubiquitous social media to reap the dividends of democracy.

Check Out Tonto Dikeh’s New Hairstyle

Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh shared photos of her new gorgeous look on social network.
On her official Instagram page, Tonto Dikeh showed off her new hairstyle, saying “I promise to always look Gorgeous. All d days of ma life. Am so proud mii.never b more happy, tnx to evry1 who f*cked wit mii..Blessings I wish 4 all.”
The actress revealed that this hairstyle was inspired by her sister.
Do you like her new look?

N100m Pension Bill: Akpabio Has Breached His Constitutional Oath

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has described the N100 million pension bill just passed into law by the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly as immoral, unfair, unconstitutional and a rip-off on the people of the state.

“Akwa Ibom must be the only place on the planet where such pension scheme exists. The governor must now put Akwa Ibom ahead of his personal bank balance by immediately withdrawing this grotesque bill,” SERAP said in a statement.
The civil society group also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to swiftly investigate the spending of public funds under the watch of Governor Godswill Akpabio and also punish any suspected corrupt practice.
It argued that Nigerians should not be “made to subsidise these bloated pensions and clearly undeserved perks. The governor obviously views disadvantaged Nigerians and poor pensioners according to Orwell’s Animal Farm dictum: ‘All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.”
Signing the bill into law, the group stated, amounted to a fundamental breach of the governor’s constitutional oath declaration to serve the interest of justice, common good, transparency and accountability. “This so-called proposed legislation means that millions of Nigerian, who continue to suffer from years of pervasive corruption and impunity of perpetrators will have to fund the massive and unjust pensions for Governor Akpabio and his deputy and others that will come after them.
“SERAP is appalled by this apparently unfair and discriminatory law. There is absolutely no justification for such law at a time when the pensions systems across the country are in poor shape, and pensioners continue to be denied the fruit of their labour,” the statement said.

CBN Did Nothing Wrong By Spending N56 Billion On Varsities, Poly – Sanusi Lamido

Suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Malam Sanusi Lamido, has disclosed that he only disbursed the sum of N56 billion as intervention fund for the provision of infrastructure at 27 universities and six polytechnics across the country.

According to him, based on the dividend payments to the Federal Government in two years – 2012 and 2013 – there was nothing wrong in the apex bank undertaking “capital projects of N56 billion in five years”.
These formed part of his remarks at the Zonal meeting of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, (SSANU) held at Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST) on Friday.
Sanusi also appealed to the FG not to suspend on-going projects funded by CBN at various universities based on the bad-blood between them.
He said: “I want to clarify that a lot of numbers have been thrown around that I have spent N160 billion university interventions. I want to tell you that from 2009 to 2013 the total amount disbursed by the CBN on all the contracts at universities,  polytechnics, secondary schools and CBN branches was N56 billion”.
The Kano-born prince clarified that it was an average of N11 billion per annum, noting that CBN has in 2013 alone given the federal government a dividend of N159 billion and N80 billion in 2012.
Justifying his spending on universities, Sanusi asked: “if CBN was giving N159 billion and N80 billion as dividends in two years, what is wrong in undertaking capital projects of N56 billion in five years?”
He stressed the need for SSANU and ASUU “to appeal to the federal government that it should let the projects continue” because according to him, “History will judge as all structures are there for all to see”.
He continued: “Several months ago, ASUU was on strike because federal government did not meet its commitment to developing university education. The federal government came to me as part of its efforts to end ASUU strike, saying that the CBN should give the list of the project it had carried out in Nigerian universities and the deputy should explain to ASUU that CBN as agency of government has ongoing projects at the universities”