WHY I WILL RECONTEST IN 2019 — GOODLUCK JONATHAN

Former president Goodluck Jonathan has declared his interest to run for presidency in 2019 in Bayelsa State today. A jubilant crowd erupted as news leaked that the former president would be holding a press briefing this afternoon. In a statement released by his media secretary, the former president said, he has been inundated with calls from famous Nigerians to reconsider and salvage the economy from the current decay under the APC led government.
The statement reads in part: “A while ago I stood at the Eagle Square, to offer myself for election as the President of our beloved country on the platform of our great party; the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). I decided to run for office because of the many troubles our dear country faced. In a hotly contested election, we ‘lost’ the election to the opposition. We would have rejected the election results but decided my personal ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

Where is Mr President! The Unseen Drummer and the Alien Herdsmen of Massacre

When the news of the kidnap of a front line Afenifere stalwart and a former minister of finance Chief Olu falae came to the fore ,it came along with it a gust of criticisms that stirred up a strong awareness at the national level the nature of atrocities and the level of risk the now infamous Fulani herdsmen can pose to our collective security as citizens in the country.

Not that Nigerians were not aware of these issues before, but prior to this time most issues or perhaps reports from different parts of the country relating to the heinous activities of these bloodthirsty men and the atrocities they mete out to their host communities have not been taken seriously by both the federal Government and many of those who have the instrument to make it a case at the national level.

A Pattern of Destruction

Mr President, should we wait to be killed or fight?

“All animals are equal; but, some animals are more equal than others”. George Orwell, 1903-1950 in ANIMAL FARM. 

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.”—Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962, wife of late American President. 

From Agatu to Akure to Aba the story is the same. For that matter from Abia to Zamfara states and the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal government and its security agencies have apparently created two classes of Nigerians – herdsmen and the rest of us.

Notice, please that I did not add Fulani because they are not all Fulani or even all Nigerians. The reason is simple, I was once a cattle owner and several of the nomads engaged by the later supervisor, Yinusa Idi, who lived in a settlement near Gezawa in Kano State, were Fulani or Nigeriens.

2016Budget Issues to be Resolved Soon, we have arrived at a decision Says Speaker Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said the National Assembly and the Executive are likely to resolve issues surrounding the 2016 budget very soon.

Dogara, who made this known when he received a delegation of All Progressives Congress elders and stakeholders from Kwande/Oshongo federal constituency of Benue State in the National Assembly, 

He also stated that the executive and the parliament will not have any fight over their differences arising from the 2016 budget as passed by the National Assembly.

He stated: “We know that our people cannot wait forever for the budget and as a responsible government, we cannot afford to go to sleep on this."

Unknown gunmen kill 19, kidnap 17 in Benue

As the security situations in Benue state remain unfavourable will the acclaimed and continuous Fulani herdsmen killing spree, no fewer than 19 persons among them women and children were yesterday killed by unknown gunmen while 17 others were abducted in different villages of Agatu Local Government Area of the Benue State. 

Agatu Local Government Chairman, Hon. Stephen Dutse told newsmen in Makurdi yesterday that the attackers stormed, Olegaje, Ogumogbo, Ejuma and Ogbagaji, headquarters of the local government about 10pm in a guerrilla manner and started shooting sporadically making the people to run for dear life.

Breaking: Benue state still under attacks, many fare dead in Agatu land

Reports from Benue state indicate that the state is still under severe attacks of the suspected herdsmen bandits  as more than a dozen were killed in Gwer-East, Agatu, Gwer-West, Makurdi today.

Details later...