Political Statements That Seemed Harmless But Proved Costly

"My hands are tied" - Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo

"Money is not Nigeria's problem, but how to spend it" - General Yakubu Gowon


"The worth of a child born and bred in Nigeria cannot be compared to that in the United States." – Yakubu Gowon

"If you Tarka me, I will Daboh you" - Godwin Daboh

"Until I see someone eating out of the gutters before I believe there is poverty in Nigeria"– Umaru Dikko

Niger Delta govs working with militants - Itsekiri voice out

Buhari should lead FG’s negotiating team—S-South leaders 

WARRI—ITSEKIRI ethnic nationality in Delta State, yesterday, accused some serving and former governors in the Niger Delta, of fraternizing with militants to wreak havoc in the region, only to openly and secretly call on the Federal Government to dialogue and drop the criminal charges against them. 

Chairman of Warri Study Group, WSG, the intellectual arm of the Itsekiri nation, Mr. Edward Ekpoko, who made the allegation in a statement, urged the Federal Government not to dialogue with Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, or any other militant group.

“Politicians, including an ex-governor of Delta State and militants have continued to use this neglect to blackmail the Federal Government as a reason for the renewed crisis. But who is to be held responsible?”

VICE PRESIDENT OSINBAJO TO REPRESENT NIGERIA AT 8th SUMMIT OF AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN & PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES IN PAPUA, NEW GUINEA

President Muhammadu Buhari will be represented by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, at the 8th Summit of Heads of States of African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States holding in Papua New Guinea from May 30-June 1.

According to Mr. Laolu Akande who is the Senior Special Assistant--(Media and Publicity) in the Office of the Vice President,  Prof. Osinbajo will join leaders from 78 other countries to address the summit in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea which will discuss the future of the ACP Group as a "revitalised cohesive force advocating the interests of its member states in the international arena."

Obasanjo Writes off Buhari on Economy, Diplomacy

Only Time will tell!  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Monday said Nigeria would have made remarkable progress if his successors had continued with the policies and programmes of his administration.

He declared that while the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua reversed some of his policies, the succeeding administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan also slipped into massive corruption, which his (Obasanjo) regime fought to a standstill.

He also said though President Muhammadu Buhari may not be actively knowledgeable about economy and foreign affairs matters, he believed in the current leader’s fight against graft and insecurity.

347 Corpses Plus 55 Shallow Graves

The verdict By Olusegun Adeniyi: Email: olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

After reading several rave reviews, I decided to watch the movie, “Eye in the Sky” which essentially centres around the ethical dilemma of the use of drones in modern warfare. Released last September, it features a British military officer (played by Helen Mirren) who, in the process of commanding a joint (British and American) operation to capture some Al-Shabaab terrorists in Nairobi, Kenya, discovered that not only did they have explosives, the insurgents were also preparing two suicide bombers for a fresh attack.

While that changes the dynamics of the operation, the officer would need authorization to equally change the objective so she could kill the terrorists by drone, especially when a British citizen was among them. Meanwhile, an American Reaper Drone controlled from an Air Force Base in Nevada had been providing aerial surveillance on the Nairobi building with the proceedings in the house monitored.


Eventually, the British commander secured the authorization to attack the building but just as the pilots were ready to strike, they ran into another dilemma, this time a moral one: an innocent nine-year old girl had entered the kill zone. The pilots could see the girl selling bread outside the targeted building and were almost certain she would end up as collateral damage if they released the missile. All attempts to use the spy on ground to buy the entire loaves of bread on her counter so she could leave the vicinity failed at about the time the battery of the surveillance video ran flat; and with it, the image from the scene.

Listening To Him, Borno Governor And His Witch Cries

This is indeed a wise saying: Some people talk out of experience and some, out of experience, do not talk. Maybe, the Federal Government should learn to listen to Alhaji Kashim Shettima, the erstwhile university teacher and wordy Governor of Borno State. The man can pass for a prophet, as everything he has said concerning Boko Haram has turned out to be true, and his predictions about the terrorist Islamic sect equally come to pass always. The accuracy of his predictions would make seers in Nigeria cringe with envy.

Let us recall a few of them. The banker turned politician once stunned the plagued nation, saying to whoever cared to listen, that Boko Haram terrorists were better armed and better motivated than the highly rated Nigerian military. It turned out to be factual that these factors were chiefly responsible for why the military could not take out a ragtag army called Boko Haram.

June 12: Sacrifices, Unity & Politics of Division by M.B.O Owolowo

“Indeed, Abiola contributed to the development of this country. He sacrificed everything for the development of this country,” - Olusegun Obasanjo, May 2014

Better late than never some would say, how honourable it would have been if Obasanjo had made this statement whilst he was President and honoured M.K.O Abiola accordingly. Maybe Obasanjo has come to accept the bitter reality that June 12 is symbolic and without the sacrifices of the likes of Abiola, he would never have returned to power in 1999.

But, this isn’t about the man who 'blessed' Nigeria with 'Goodluck', but something far greater. It is about sacrifices and defending our unity.

Quoting the words of another great man in our history, a supporter of the June 12 cause and the first man to move the motion for Nigeria's independence;

President Jonathan performs below expectations; security agencies underrat Boko Haram – Obasanjo

After weeks of what appeared to be an undeclared truce, former President Olusegun Obasanjo continued his verbal assault on President Goodluck Jonathan and his government, when he admitted in an interview aired on the Bloomberg Television Africa that he was disappointed in the government, noting that the president had not performed to his expectation.

Chief Obasanjo, who fielded questions from Ijeoma Ndukwe, did not hide his disavowal of the government, especially the lackadaisical manner, he believed President Jonathan handled the Boko Haram issue. According to him, he had made intervention three years ago by visiting Borno State shortly after the sect bombed the United Nations building in Abuja, which he said was rebuffed by the government. He stated that if the government had acted on his recommendations, the Boko Haram menace would have ended.

Shehu Sani: Jonathan is not ready to end Boko Haram insurgency

Calls for Release of Boko Haram Detainees in exchange for Chibok Giels

The president of the Civil Rights Congress, Shehu Sani, has described the steps outlined by the Federal Government as inconsistent and incapable of bringing the insurgents to the negotiation table. The statement is coming just 24 hours after President Goodluck Jonathan declared measures to end insurgency in the country.

The Civil rights Activist who had been involved in two previous attempts to negotiate for peace between the government and the insurgents, said the Federal Government had never been serious in finding a lasting solution to the rising surge of terrorism in the north.

According to him, Federal Government does not want to negotiate with the sect so as not to be seen as a weak government and surrendering to insurgents. He told newsmen yesterday that “it was the insincerity of the Federal Government to accept and implement the conditions previously given by the sect that had given rise to the attacks being launched by the group, saying that if the government had accepted the agreement brokered by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo and himself with the sect members in Maiduguri, the problem of insurgency would not have escalated to its present deadly form.“

Again!!! Obj initiates another contact with Boko Haram to help #BringBackOurGirls

A former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has commenced efforts to reach out to the extremist Boko Haram sect, in a series of attempts at negotiating with the sect to free over 250 school girls it abducted more than a month ago from Chibok, in Borno State. A source close to the former leader said on Tuesday that Mr. Obasanjo has contacted a go-between, who assisted him in his unsuccessful attempt at mediating with the Boko Haram group in 2011.

The go-between, a lawyer, was led by a prominent civil rights activist, Shehu Sani, to meet with Mr. Obasanjo weekend in his Otta farm in an “exploratory” effort, our source said. Mr. Obasanjo’s 2011 attempt at negotiations with the deadly sect ended on a bloody note with the murder of Babakura Fugu, the man who received him and made effort to establish a link between Boko Haram and the former president.

Why Presidency, PDP in secret plot to impeach Nyako

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have resolved to impeach Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State,it was learnt yesterday.

According to a source, the Presidency  was the brain behind the move. Their decision follows Nyako’s recent memo to Northern governors on the insecurity in that part of the country. The Presidency and the PDP consider the memo a danger to national security.

They are also relying on the reports of security agencies into the allegations contained in Nyako’s letter. The security agencies, including the Police, have faulted Nyako’s observations and rated the letter as “subversive and seditious.”

Aregbesola Re-Election: Oyinlola, Adeleke, Others Set to Join APC by Saturday

Arrangements have been concluded by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State to receive two former governors of the state, Mr. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Senator Isiaka Adeleke and their supporters into the ruling party in the state next Saturday.

Apart from the two governors, also set to defect are the former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mufutau Gbadebo Ayinde, state Deputy Chairman of PDP, Dr. Bashiru Salami and other prominent PDP members in the state.

Between Obasanjo And Jonathan: Boko Haram - Creation Of Bad Governance by Faseyiku

In my last post, I wrote about the historic responsibility that has been bestowed on the present generation of young Nigerians to change their country.

In 1999, a certain Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was "elected" in a very flawed process to lead the country. He had just been released from prison. Most of those who saw the first published photographs of Obasanjo after his release would doubt they were seeing a man they once knew. Prison life had battered him.

When he got into government, many thought prison had also changed him and he would be a better leader. But we were disappointed. Nigeria ended up much worse under his tenure. Under him a serving attorney-general was murdered in yet unresolved circumstances. A comical perspective to his reign was summarized by Pius Adesanmi in his writing for Saharereporters http://goo.gl/l8CKU8. Motor park tout, Tokyo, became the lord of Ibadan, Uba became the garrison commander of Anambra. One Adedibu became the treasury keeper of the government in Oyo State.

More Problems for President Jonathan as Decampee PDP Reps Present His Impeachment Motion , See Details!

The 37 All Progressive Congress members in the House of Representatives who are former members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are set to present an impeachment motion against President Goodluck Jonathan. The legislators, who are allegedly acting in concert with their governors who defected with them to APC, are also following up their plans with a high profile sensitisation campaign against alleged misdeeds of the administration.


The Speaker of the house, Aminu Tambuwal and some PDP loyalists in the House have also warned the 37 members that the plan could worsen their precarious position.


The impeachment notice, which has been articulated into 30 points according to sources in the camp of the legislators, is a narrative of alleged misdeeds of the administration including financial misappropriation, unaccountability, extra-budgetary spending, among others.

If President Jonathan Is Not A Terrorist.....

The Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON (born 20 November 1957) is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria. Prior to his role as President, he served as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Governor of Bayelsa State and Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Since the inception of his administration as president, Nigerians has never known any genuine peace. Kidnapping and robbery in the entire southern region zones, Boko Haram Insurgents and the herdsmen Killing spree in the entire North of the country. His regime gives room fall all things including stealing at the highest order. With the Mr. President saying and confirming it that Boko Haram are in charge of his government without any cares to flush them out of the system.

Punch: I was chased out of Sudan when I raised the alarm about Boko Haram – Ambassador Bola Dada

Ambassador Bola Dada shares his experiences in international affairs as a former diplomat with ADEOLA BALOGUN and JESUSEGUN ALAGBE

When did you retire and how are you spending your time now?

I retired from the federal civil service in June 2009, and since my retirement, I have been working in the farm. I am a farmer as well as a consultant. I consult for people on oil and gas and on any business connected to any of the countries where I worked before. I provide information and materials to anybody who is interested in businesses in such countries like Iran, which is the last country I was posted to. I am now into snail farming.

Apart from Iran, where else did you serve?

Boko Haram: Femi Fani-Kayode And APC Muslim/Muslim Ticket (1)

"...................... APC is not an affiliate of Al Qaeda and neither is it a Boko Haram party, a Janjaweed party or a Muslim Brotherhood Party."

“The last notable Christian-Christian ticket was Awolowo-Umeadi in 1979 and the last notable Muslim-Muslim ticket was Abiola-Kingibe in 1993. You can figure out the rest. But let the optimists know that reality always trounces wishful hope in political contests. Chief Femi Fani-Kayode’s advice that we get real must be directed where it truly belongs – to the leadership of the APC,” Chief Kayode Samuel, Facebook, 29th March 2014.

I thank my brother Kayode Samuel for his contribution and I shall take his advice and direct my counsel to the leadership of the APC and to the Nigerian people in general. That is the purpose of this essay and so important is the subject matter under consideration that I would urge as many as possible to find the time to read it from the beginning to the end.

Obasanjo lied on me and God will be the judge between me and him - Al-Mustapha

The Chief Security to the late Maximum Military dictator General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, yesterday refuted an allegations that he beat up former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his (Obasanjo’s) incarceration in prison. 

Al-Mustapha, the Abacha's Chief Security Officer, was a well-feared military officer during that military dictatorship era.

Al-Mustapha who affirmed that he rather helped OBJ with his personal upkeep at the various prisons, due to the respect he had for him as a former military head of state and an elder statesman.

Is Boko Haram Planning to Attack Abuja soon? Hear the prophecies!

Pastor Collins Obi of God’s City of Joy Church, Abuja has said that the insurgency in the North-East has planned to attack some petrol stations in Abuja very soon adding that Nigerians have to pray fervently to stop the deadly move. Speaking  in Abuja, Pastor Obi said God was not happy with the bloodbath in the country hence the revelation which calls for urgent action.

President Jonathan sacks chief of staff Mike Oghiadomhe

Abuja - Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed his chief of staff, three senior government sources confirmed this on Monday, extending a wave of government changes a year before elections.

Africa's second largest economy and biggest oil producer is advancing as an investment destination but political instability is a concern for investors, especially as wasteful government spending tends to spike ahead of elections.

Presidency spokesperson Reuben Abati told reporters that chief of staff Mike Oghiadomhe had resigned because he wanted to pursue political opportunities in the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Government sources said he was sacked.

Jonathan is facing a crisis within the PDP centred around his assumed intention to run for another term in the 2015 election. He has yet to say whether or not he will do so.

Five powerful state governors and dozens of lawmakers have defected to the recently formed coalition All Progressives Congress (APC), mostly politicians from the largely-Muslim north. Jonathan is a Christian from the southern oil region.

Analysts say Jonathan is still favourite to win a second term, if he runs, in a country where incumbents rarely lose.

Jonathan last month overhauled his military high command and appointed 12 new cabinet ministers, while the chair of the PDP resigned.

"He is removing divisive figures and asserting his authority by aligning the people he thinks will get him in the best shape for next year," a senior government source said.

"Election campaigning has already begun."

Jonathan has been accused, most recently by his former mentor and twice president Olusegun Obasanjo, of stuffing government posts with people from his southern region.

Oghiadomhe hails from Edo state in the south and analysts will be watching to see if Jonathan appoints a northern replacement as chief of staff to appease his detractors.

- Reuters