Six Reasons Why Naira Marley Maybe free from Mohbad Death

 

If issues are treated with the sense of urgency and importance they get in the court of public opinion compared to the conventional court of law, Nigeria might stand a chance of being a better place. The court of public opinion is unorganized and loud. It entails vigilantism and it follows trends. With due respect, opinions here hardly count on legal grounds. Whereas, the court of law which is supposed to uphold the rule of law in situations of distress, has become more vulnerable than a person battling extreme learning disability and autism.

I have followed the untimely demise of singer Mohbad since the drama ensued, and from the beginning, one needs no binoculars to see how it ends, except if the person is a foreigner. The principal actors are Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, Samson Erinfolami Balogun popularly known as Sam Larry, and on the periphery, Zinoleesky (Oniyide Azeez).

Below are the reasons why Naira Marley and Sam Larry might go scot-free despite the massive allegations against them: 

(1) Nigerian factor:

Nigeria is not the easiest place to pursue justice against an influential figure. This is because certain individuals are stronger than the institutions in the state. This is supposed to be vice versa. Influential people are more connected than you can imagine, and they just find their way around their travails. If Senator Ike Ekweremadu (serving a jail term in the UK for organ trafficking) had erred on Nigerian soil, do you think he would have been convicted? The answer is no. Doesn't it beggar belief that Naira Marley - a proud ambassador of marijuana and a rumoured drug peddler is the face of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA? Anything is possible as long as Nigeria is concerned.

(2) Politics:

An industry that is booming in Nigeria, especially in Lagos State is the industry of thuggery and hooliganism.  This is due to the nature of our politics. Our politics is extremely combative in nature. Our democracy is a decoy to give a resemblance of legitimacy to handpicked public office holders. It is a system where the violent and the crooked win the game by force, without adhering to the rules of the game. So the politicians hire thugs during the general elections and political crises. This accounts for why popular thugs are doing better than doctors, engineers, lawyers, IT personnel, entrepreneurs, and other top professionals. With Sam Larry being reportedly linked with some ruling elites, I see them secretly bailing him out when the current thick smoke subsides.

(3) No Evidence:

Like the singer Burna Boy said; "without evidence, you go explain tire" 

Naira Marley and Sam Larry (prime suspect) have bullied, tortured, and victimized Mohbad courtesy of some of the videos available on social media. But on the contrary,  none of the videos prove they directly murdered him. People are just driven by emotions which is understandable. One of the major catalysts of the #JusticeForMohbad movement - GistLover Blog claims that the deceased friend named PrimeBoy hit him with a charm during a fight. According to the blogger, PrimeBoy was a turncoat who was a loyalist of Naira Marley and Sam Larry.  PrimeBoy has since laid the accusations to rest with a timely video statement. Can you tender black magic in court as evidence? This seems like a story for the gods. The nurse who reportedly injected Mohbad and his friends who took him to the hospital are all closer to jail than the prime suspects.

(4) Cultural factor:

Rumours have it that Naira Marley is peddling drugs. Others say he is a cultist. These allegations constitute the average lifestyle of a typical Nigerian musician. Rapper Olamide in one of his songs called his colleagues 'Science Students', mixing hard/bad substances together and we danced to the song. Nobody paused to think about the reality of the lyrics of the song. Other music artistes also rap about gang violence and drugs. Drugs, alcoholism, promiscuity, internet fraud, gangsterism, and all manners of civil disobedience are the cultural attributes of the Nigerian music industry.  The only difference right now is that the monster we created is asking for a human head for dinner.

(5) Our judiciary:

If this case gets to court as expected, I suspect it might drag longer than the arms deal trial of the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki over alleged $2 billion fraud. Is anybody still talking about it? Justice is always delayed in Nigeria, as long as you have the resources to get the best lawyers who exploit the lacunas in the Nigerian judicial system. Over time, people will move on to other issues. Sam Larry might enter into a plea bargain with investigators for bullying and harassment. He could eventually get a slap on the wrist. Naira Marley can also wiggle out of this in some way unscathed. Bribery and corruption can also play a key role in the outcome of this criminal case. If politicians can procure court injunctions, other wealthy people can also replicate that.

(6) The court of public opinion is misleading:

Due to the problems of social conformity, bandwagoning, and groupthink, people tend to abandon their sense of reasoning to follow the popular trend. This is done for the sake of acceptance. Most times, the popular road has proven to be the wrong direction. Remember when a section of the country believed former President Muhammadu Buhari was dead, and replaced by one body-double named Jubril Al Sudani from Sudan? They also believed Buhari's school leaving certificate didn't exist. On the entertainment end, many also believed rapper Ruggedman slept with Toni Payne (the ex-wife of singer 9ice). I can go on and on. These were just mere trends that didn't have the legs to stand the test of time. When a concrete investigative structure is set, all these hearsays and rumours evaporate.

In conclusion, I am not a fan of Naira Marley and I will never be. I apologize if my reader feels I have sounded like one or probably my article is insensitive. I am just trying to play the devil's advocate here and wake people up to smell the coffee. By law, Naira Marley and Sam Larry are deemed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

I believe Naira Marley has seen the worst already. He is scalded for the rest of his life. I assume his musical career is already over. He was a setting sun before now anyway. This ordeal might also blacklist his record label and other business engagements he might also have in the entertainment industry. I think it might require genuine spiritual intervention for Naira Marley to reclaim his spot in the music industry again. He has always 'enjoyed' the Black Sheep identity, but this time around, he will have to 'endure' it. The decision of the court will not alter the public perception of him because Nigerians never had faith in the judiciary.

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Osahon George Osayimwen is a UK-based Nigerian Journalist and Psychologist. He has an incurable addiction to writing.

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Profile of Acting CBN Governor, Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi

 

Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, appointed acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by President Bola Tinubu on Friday, is not your typical banker. 

The CBN deputy governor (operations) trained as a mechanical engineer, went into marketing, moved into information technology — and became a central banker.

TheCable understands that the decision to suspend Godwin Emefiele, the governor, was taken on Friday afternoon after a number of scenarios, including an outright sack, was contemplated.

However, presidential sources said a sack was considered legally complicated because of the CBN law which empowers only the senate to remove the governor by two-thirds majority.

By law, one of the deputies must complete Emefiele’s tenure, which expires May 2024.

The central bank has four deputy governors but Shonubi was considered above Aishah Ahmed, Edward Adamu, and Kingsley Obiora.

PRODUCT OF UNILAG

Shonubi, born on March 7, 1962, is a product of the University of Lagos.

He attended the university from 1978 to 1983, receiving a BSc in mechanical engineering before studying for an MSc in the same field at the same university.

After working as a consultant engineer at Mek-ind Associates from 1984 to 1989, he changed his line of education and profession by studying for an MBA with focus on finance.

With an MBA in his hands, he moved into the IT industry which would later shape his career.

THE OPERATIONS MAN

He was marketing executive at the Inlaks Computers Ltd from 1989 to 1990 and took a giant leap when he was appointed head of treasury operations at Citibank Nigeria Ltd in 1990.

In 1993, he moved to Agusto & Co. Ltd as a supervising consultant, working there for three years before joining MBC International Ltd as deputy general manager, banking operations and IT.

In 1999, he was on the move yet again, taking up the position of vice-president, operations and information technology at the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Ltd.

He left FCMB in 2003 for Ecobank Nigeria Plc, where he became executive director, operations and information technology.

Shonubi was also director, information technology and corporate services at Renaissance Securities Nigeria Ltd as well as executive director, operations, technology and services at Union Bank of Nigeria Ltd from 2009 to 2012.

Before he was appointed into CBN in October 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari, he was MD/CEO of the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).

Pending the appointment of a new CBN governor or the unlikely recall of Emefiele, who was suspended by Tinubu Friday night, Shonubi is now the chief central banker of Africa’s biggest economy.

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RMAFC Reveals How Much Tinubu & Governors Will Earn Monthly

 

The amount President-elect Bola Tinubu and other Governors-elect will pocket as monthly salary has been revealed.

 

The revelation was made by the Executive Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu.

 

He said the monthly salary of the Nigerian President currently stands at N1.2 million, while that of Governors is pegged at N1.1 million.

 

He said President-elect, Bola Tinubu, would earn the same package unless the the proposed review of the Remuneration Act for elected and designated public officials designed by RMAFC is passed into law before President Muhamamdu Buhari administration winds down on May 29.

 

Shehu said some heads of Federal Government agencies earn higher monthly salaries than the president and governors. He noted that no public servant ought to earn higher than the president or state governors.

 

He made these disclosures in Abuja at the Economic Confidential public lecture and book presentation themed “Economic diversification in an evolving cashless society” organized by Economic Confidential, Publishers of PR Nigeria and Economy Digest. Two books were unveiled at the occasion- Pantami: Trials & Triumphs Digital Economy Maestro and The eNarial Revolution.

 

The RMAFC Chairman said: “The salary of Mr. President is N1.2 million a month. I’m sure some MDAs heads earn N5million and some N2 million a month. No public servant in Nigeria should earn more than Mr. President and the governor of a state. Elected National Assembly members earn N12 million and N8million respectively. All those monies some people alluded to are not their salary. They have operational costs and other expenses added to it. These monies were put into it by the National Assembly as logistics and they are paid from the system. We don’t have the power to checkmate that. Only the Nigerian public can challenge that.”

 

He recalled that the salaries of political office holders and other designated public and judicial office holders were last reviewed in 2008, emphasising that the exercise was overdue for review.

 

He said revenue from solid minerals is now being shared while 13 percent derivation is paid to solid minerals producing states as is the case with oil producing states.

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Lt Col Yusuf Appointed ADC of President-Elect Bola Tinubu

 

Lieutenant Colonel Nurudeen Alowonle Yusuf has been appointed as the Aide-de-Camp of President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

 

Yusuf is the son of a monarch, Oba Yusuf Omokanye Oyekanmi, the Elemona of Ilemona in the Oyun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

 

According to Vanguard, Yusuf is billed to resume official duties on Monday, May 1, 2023.

 

Sources revealed that Tinubu’s ADC designate has previously served in sensitive roles in the Presidential Villa during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

This means that Yusuf is bringing his experience in intelligence and VIP protocol and protection to the new role.

 

Yusuf’s antecedents must have prompted Tinubu to seek the permission of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, to have the senior military officer work with him as he prepares to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29.

 

Yusuf’s rise in military ranks

After completing his Ordinary National Diploma in Computer Science from Offa Polytechnic in 2000, Yusuf enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Electrical-Electronics).

 

Between 2004 and 2005, he attended Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), in the United Kingdom.

 

The RMAS is an institution where all officers in the British Army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers.

 

In 2006, he attended the Nigerian Army Intelligence School in Lagos where he was trained in intelligence and security-related subjects in accordance with the Nigerian Army training policies and directives.

 

Attending the Young Officer’s Course Infantry, NASI, another course in Kaduna in 2007 equipped him with military skills on the use of various types of weapon systems used in infantry units as well as special operations

 

In 2008, Yusuf completed the Tactical Intelligence Officers and Security Investigations courses to improve his capabilities as a military officer.

 

Between 2009 and 2018, the multilingual officer, who is fluent in Yoruba, Hausa, English and French, had several military trainings in Mali, Pakistan, China, Israel and the United Kingdom.

 

The trainings include Military Intelligence Basic Officers Course (Mali); Junior Staff Course (China); Officers Advanced Intelligence Course, SMI, (Pakistan) Advanced Command and Staff Course (Shrivenham UK).

 

While acquiring military training, Yusuf obtained a master’s degree in Defence Studies from Kings College, London in 2018, and a postgraduate diploma in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the National Open University (NOUN).

 

Yusuf recently completed another military course designed for Commanding Officers in Jaji, Kaduna, prior to his appointment as the ADC designate to the president-elect.

 

Other courses he took include Joint Information Course, Darfur, Sudan (2013); Humanitarian Recovery and Development Unit Course, Sudan (2013); Basic Counter Terrorism Training, Kontagora (2013); VIP Protection Leadership Training, Israel (2013); UN Military Observers Course, Egypt (2019); Joint Basic French Course (A1), Alliance Francais, Abuja (2019) and Joint Basic French Course (A2), Paris, France.

 

Yusuf’s past roles

Yusuf served as an officer in charge (Technical) for 119 Intelligence Group, Lagos. He was thereafter transferred to HQ 4 Brigade, Benin, where he served as Operations Officer.

 

He also served as Officer Commanding at State House Military Intelligence Group and in 2015, he was promoted to Officer Commanding, Presidential Body Guard, State House, Abuja.

 

In 2017, Yusuf served the Nigerian Army as Staff Officer Grade 1 for the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corp (NAIC).

 

Yusuf was commissioned into the Officers Cadre from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK, in 2005 and proceeded to become Military Assistant to the Chief of Training/Operations at Army Headquarters between 2017 and 2019. Later, he was promoted to Assistant Director of Intelligence/Security.

 

From 2020 to 2022, Yusuf served at Nigerian Defence Section, in Paris, France as DDA Librarian, and until his appointment as Tinubu’s ADC, he was Staff Officer, Headquarters, NAIC, Abuja.

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Supreme Court Ruled That Old Naira Notes Remain Legal Tender Till Dec 31

 

The Supreme Court has ruled that Nigerians should continue using old N200, N500 and N1000 banknotes as legal tender.

 

The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-member panel of Justices, held that the old banknotes should remain valid legal tenders until December 31.

 

It held that the old Naira notes should be used alongside the redesigned currencies.

 

It faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for introducing the demonization policy, without due consultation with the Council of States, the Federal Executive Council, the Civil Society and other relevant stakeholders.

 

In the lead judgement that was delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court accused President Buhari of disobeying its interim order that halted the full implementation of the new monetary policy.

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Why President Buhari Showed His Ballot Paper After Voting

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed why he openly showed his ballot paper after casting his votes in Daura, Katsina State.

Buhari said he displayed his ballot paper openly to show that he voted for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

He said the display of his ballot paper was to demonstrate his allegiance to the party.

Buhari expressed his happiness over the massive turnout of people during the election.

According to Buhari: “All over the place I mentioned my favourite candidate, Asiwaju Tinubu, and I believe my constituency will elect him 100 percent.

“Nigerians should make sure that they are respected; that means that the candidate they want to vote for they are allowed to vote for him.”

Prior to Saturday’s election, there were insinuations of an alleged rift between Buhari and Tinubu.

Tinubu had accused Buhari’s government of using the naira redesign and fuel scarcity to frustrate his presidential ambition.

However, Buhari had urged Nigerians to vote for Tinubu.

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Supreme Court Adjourns New Naira Suit With New Date For Judgement

 

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Wednesday, adjourned judgement in the new naira policy suit filed by state governors to March 3, 2023.

With the apex court’s decision, Nigerians, especially consumer and business groups as well as professional and trade unions looking up to the apex court for a favourable judgment (today) that they expect will ameliorate their suffering, will have to wait.

The Supreme Court had on February 8 restrained the Federal Government from implementing the February 10 deadline for swapping the old naira notes with new ones, but the Central Bank of Nigeria refused to shift the deadline.

The injunction was sequel to a suit filed by Zamfara, Kogi and Kaduna state governments against the Attorney-General of the Federation on February 3.

Other states including Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, Kano, Sokoto, Ogun and Cross River have also joined the suit as co-plaintiffs.

While taking arguments on Wednesday, counsel for the Federal Government, Kanu Agabi, said the Supreme Court held that all reliefs are rooted in section 20 of the CBN Act.

He argued that the apex court has no jurisdiction to hear the suit as the action cannot commence with an Originating Summons.

He also contended that the plaintiffs did not deem it fit to the CBN to court as a respondent despite making reference to the apex bank 32 times in their originating summons and despite the fact that seven of the reliefs sought relate to the CBN.

He asserted that Nigerians were already turning down the old notes way the President’s directive.

Agabi also asserted that by asking Nigerians to deposit their old naira at the CBN designated centres, the president was abiding by the court order and that Buhari is empowered under the constitution to veto any legislation.

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Northern Elders Lament Over Cash Scarcity Blames Buhari

 

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari over its naira redesign policy.

 

The group said the Central Bank of Nigeria's cashless policy is a strategy to demarket the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming general elections.

 

The NEF spokesman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed stated this during an interview on on Channels Television’s programme, “The 2023 Verdict.”

 

Baba-Ahmed insisited that President  Buhari has made a mistake for supporting the CBN policy.

 

He argued that the policy was targeted at sabotaging the chances at the 2023 election.

 

Speaking further, he noted that various individuals including Tinubu had revealed that the redesigned naira was targeted at ruining his candidacy hence it was confusing that Buhari still claimed he was in full support of the APC flag bearer.

 

He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari has messed up…to have allowed this kind of fiasco to happen on the eve of election when you are actually campaigning to have your party voted for.

“This money thing is a major demarketing strategy for the APC. If the worst enemy of APC had design strategy for them to lose this election, he couldn’t have chosen a better strategy and this fiasco around this printing of naira notes.

“Their own people said it is all contrived to make Tinubu to lose. The governors even said it was designed to make the candidate lose. The candidate himself says it was designed to make him lose and President Buhari is following him around saying, “vote for him.”

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Military Warns That No Group Can Stop 2023 Elections In SouthEast

 

The military has assured Nigerians that it will work in collaboration with other security agencies to ensure that the 2023 general elections would hold peacefully in the Southeast states and every other part of the nation in spite of threats by criminal persons and groups.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, gave the assurance in Abuja at the 25th edition of President Muhammadu Buhari Scorecard Series.

NAN reports that the edition featured the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, who presented the scorecard of the ministry.

Responding to a question on the threat by the Simon Ekpa-led faction of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to stop this year’s general elections in the southeast states, Irabor said no person or group could stop the polls.

He said: “The armed forces are working in concert with the Police and other security agencies to ensure that the menace of criminalities from IPOB and Eastern Security Network are eliminated.”

Irabor also corroborated the position of Magashi that “no territory of Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.”

According to him, all communities in the North East zone of Nigeria had been liberated from criminal elements.

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Bloomberg Polls Indicates Peter Obi As Top Candidate To Win Presidential Election

 

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party is the man to win February's presidential election, according to Bloomberg.

 

The international news platform said that polls it conducted shows that Obi will emerge as President in the 2023 election.

 

According to the poll, Peter Obi secured 66% of decided and 47% of undecided votes.

 

He was followed by Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar respectfully.

 

 

A part of the report read: 

 

"Nigerian businessman and ex-governor Peter Obi remains the top choice to become the nation’s next president, according to a new poll. 

Two-thirds of respondents said they intend to vote for Obi, a third-party candidate, in elections scheduled for later this month. The results of the survey conducted for Bloomberg News by Premise Data Corp. were published on Friday – 15 days before the vote to choose President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.

Of the 93% of participants who said they’ve decided how to vote, 66% named Obi as their preferred choice. Obi scored a slightly higher 72% among decided respondents in an earlier Premise poll that was released by Bloomberg in September as the official election campaign kicked off.

While Obi’s campaign has generated a momentum that the two established forces in Nigerian politics were not expecting, the ruling All Progressives Congress and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party insist that he cannot triumph on Feb. 25. They say his appeal is too thinly spread across the country’s states and have derided polling that has almost universally put the candidate of the much smaller Labour Party in first place.

A Surprise Presidential Candidate Leads Nigeria Race, Poll Shows

Still, Obi has emerged as the most popular candidate in six polls including the two surveys conducted by Premise for Bloomberg. Another poll released this week by Lagos-based media and data company Stears predicted that Obi will win in the event of high turnout, but lose to Bola Tinubu of the APC if participation is weak.

Dismissed by his opponents as a “social media candidate,” Obi’s rise has been fueled by disenchantment with the status quo. His campaign has attracted an enthusiastic following known as “Obidients” — initially online but increasingly at rallies and marches — even if the man they wish to help to Nigeria’s biggest ever electoral upset hardly has an anti-establishment background. 

Pollsters say they account for Nigeria’s electoral makeup when designing their surveys. 

San Francisco-based Premise polled 2,384 Nigerians from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4 via a smartphone app. Submissions were selected from quotas developed by age, gender and location across the country’s six geopolitical zones, the company said. Results were then weighted against the original quotas to ensure national representation."

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Senate President Ahmed Lawan Gives Update on Naira Swap

 

Senate President Ahmad Lawan has talked about the new naira note scarcity.

He says there is no need for a time limit on the validity of the old naira notes.

He spoke on Friday to journalists after a meeting of the council of state, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Membership of the council comprises the president, vice-president, secretary to the government of the federation, former presidents, former heads of state, former chief justices, senate president, house of representatives speaker, governors of the 36 states of the federation, and the attorney-general of the federation.

The council had asked Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to make new naira notes available or recirculate old notes to ease the suffering of Nigerians.

Lawan said he told Buhari, in a separate meeting, that the national assembly has resolved that there should be no deadline for the currency swap because of the way it has impacted Nigerians.

“For us in the senate, initially we felt that this policy in the first place is not a bad one. But we also feel there is no need for time limit,” he said.

“Allow the old and the new to co-exist until the old is phase out. So, what is wrong in that? This is not going to be the first country to deploy it that way.

“Other countries have been doing the same thing. And to say that in three months it will be okay? It is not okay, especially in a country like ours where maybe 80, 85, 90 percent of the population have no access to banks.

“When Britain changed their currency, it took them over a year to change and the validity of the old remains and remains a legal tender. So, why ours? We are not cashless yet and that society is cashless already and they needed even more time.

“So, we should have an open-ended time but what will make it quick is for us to have more of the new currencies and then they co-exist with the old ones until the old dies a natural death.”

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Geoffrey Onyeama Shed Tears When He Visited Camp Where Nigerians Are Kept In Libya

 

The minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, has lamented the state of some Nigerians who travel outside.

He says he regrets the disdain with which Nigerians are treated outside the shores of the country.

The minister spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the 22nd edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration scorecard series.

Onyeama was responding to a comment by a journalist who expressed displeasure about how Nigerians travelling abroad are being subjected to harassment when their passports are seen.

The minister agreed with the position of the journalist and attributed the challenge to the desperation of many Nigerians who took illegal measures to travel out of the country.

“If there is one thing that I look back to with the greatest regrets in my seven and half years in the ministry of foreign affairs, it is the situation of Nigerians in foreign countries,” he said.

The minister cited incidents he witnessed and intervention efforts he undertook to rescue trapped Nigerians in other countries.

Onyeama said he shed tears when he saw the camp where Nigerians were kept in Libya.

“I went to Libya and I actually shed tears when we went to this camp where they were holding Nigerians,” he said.

“There is that whole issue of slavery and of course, all the exploitations that go with it and they told us that there were only a hundred or two hundred Nigerians there.

“So, we went to the yard and it was one of the most touching things I ever experienced. We have all these young boys –13, 14, 15 years old and they all came out, over a hundred of them and they all stood up to attention.

“As soon as they saw us, they started reciting the Nigerian national anthem and tears came to my eyes. We were told that the girls were used as prostitutes at night.

“When we saw them, the girls told us there were more Nigerians and we insisted they should bring them out. Lo and behold, twenty minutes after, they brought out another set which was about 200 Nigerians.

“The president gave directives, that we should charter planes in order to get them out and we did. Those of us in government have to blame ourselves, particularly in the immigration and even in foreign affairs.”

Onyema narrated another incident where the US ambassador to Nigeria showed him the list of Nigerians that were issued visas through Note Verbal to travel but absconded and never attended the events they were scheduled for.

He said he was also shown the list of those who were not respecting their visa deadlines and requirements.

The minister said all the illegal acts and sharp practices contributed to the way Nigerians are treated abroad.

“In order to reverse the situation and ensure Nigerian passport is given the due respect it deserves, we all have to work hard and behave ourselves,” he said.

“We are all suffering from this because we have people with genuine missions seeking to travel abroad looking for visas and they are denied.

“It is a challenge for each and every single one of us and it is impacting negatively on our country.

“We all have the responsibility to salvage the situation.”

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How Nigerian President Buhari Lost Two Children To Sickle Cell

 

Nigeria's number one man, President Muhammadu Buhari has made some revelation about some of the tragedies he suffered.

He revealed that he lost two of his children to sickle cell.

Buhari made this known in a documentary played at a private dinner organised by his family and close associates to mark his 80th birthday on Friday night at the State House Banquet Hall.

Speaking on his personal life, the President revealed that he lost two of his children by his late wife, Safinatu, to sickle cell anemia.

This explained why, at the time he married the first lady, Aisha Buhari, he insisted his second wife must be AA genotype so that his children would not inherit the S from his AS genotype.

Buhari also described as “not a funny joke,” claims by some Nigerians that presumed him to be long dead and replaced by a body double named ‘Jibril of Sudan.’

The President said the dark rumour was the handiwork of some mischief makers who thrive on what they do not understand.

In the documentary interview, Buhari responded to a question about the rumour saying, “Yes! People said I am somebody from Sudan. I didn’t bother with the name. Nigerians have mischievous ways of explaining themselves.”

Asked if he finds such allusions to be funny, he said: “No. It is not funny because those who made those statement, they just want to be cheeky. They want to distract attention from the main issue. Our main issue is to do the infrastructure, make people aware that they need to work hard to live well. They just want to enjoy life without earning the respect of their community and so on.”

While proposing a toast for the celebrant earlier, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo described Buhari as a forthright, kind man and an exemplary leader.

Osinbajo eulogised Buhari for leading the nation with “great courage and commitment,” saying, “I invite your excellences, ladies and gentlemen, to join me in proposing this toast to an exemplary leader, a forthright and honest man, a good and kind man, and a man who has led this country with great courage, determination and commitment for so many years.

“We pray that the almighty God will preserve his life for very many years to come and that he will live all of these many years in good health, peace, joy and with the love of all of our country men.”

In attendance were governors of Kebbi, Atiku Bagudu; Katsina, Aminu Masari; former Ekiti state Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; cabinet members, family members, captains of industry including Chairman of AriseTV and the Thisday Group, Nduka Obaigbena, among others.

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Singer Seun Kuti Insults Aisha Buhari That She Is Fat For Her To Arrest Him

 

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has been mocked by singer, Seun Kuti.

 

He dared the first lady of Nigeria to send men of the Department of State Security DSS to arrest him while calling her ''fat'' and alleging that she used money meant for Nigerians to get fat.

 

He shared a video dragging Mrs Buhari on social media days after Muhammed Aminu, a final-year student in the Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State, was picked up and arraigned in court for sharing a post on Twitter sometime in June this year, where he called the first lady fat.

 

Aminu had shared a photo of Mrs Buhari on his handle and tweeted in Hausa “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi”, which loosely translate as “Mama has fed fat on poor people’s money.” 

 

Reacting to the incident, Seun who is the son of legendary afrobeat singer, Fela Kuti, dared Mrs Buhari to send her DSS to arrest him as he called her "fat". He said;

 

''You are fat and it is our money you use to get fat. Send your DSS come this side. If you no send that your DSS come this side you nor get sense, you be goat. Aisha Buhari you are fat!''

 

That woman should be in jail. If Aisha Buhari is not in jail, then there is nothing like law in Nigeria. If Aisha Buhari is not thrown in jail for abuse of office..she doesn't even have an office. Constitutionally, there is nothing such as the office of the first lady. This is a major office they use our money to waste on their wives so their wives will not monitor them and their girlfriends, mounting everything with holes...male and females..These girlfriends are not only females. There are males and there are females.''

 

Watch a video of him speaking below:

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President Buhari Appoints Lauretta Onochie As NDDC Board Chairman

 

Lauretta Onochie, the new media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari has been appointed as the substantive chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

 

President Buhari announced the appointment on Wednesday in a letter forwarded to the 9th senate.

 

Buhari also announced the nomination of 15 others as NDDC board members.

 

The President in the letter which was read in the upper chamber at plenary on Wednesday requested the Senate to confirm the nominees.

 

Recall that President Buhari in October 2020, nominated Onochie as the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to represent Delta State.

 

The nomination was, however, condemned by members of the opposition party and civil society groups.

 

They had claimed that she is a card-carrying of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who can not serve in a sensitive institution like INEC.

 

Onochie on three different occassions during her screening denied that she is a member of the APC.

 

Lawmakers in the Senate eventually rejected her nomination based on the federal character principle.

 

The chairman of the screening panel, Senator Kabiru Gaya said there was currently a serving commissioner of INEC from Delta State, where Onochie hails from, and confirming her appointment would violate the constitutional provision.

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President Buhari Unveils Redesigned Naira Notes To Nigerians

 

The redesigned naira notes have been unveiled to the public by the Federal Government.

It was unveiled at the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari a few minutes ago.

 The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele warned Nigerians against holding of the old notes, saying there is no going back on the January 31st 2023 deadline to completely render the old notes useless.

 The redesigned notes are in denomination of N1000, N500 and N200.

President @MBuhari presides over FEC and the Launch of the Newly Redesigned Naira Notes at the State House, Abuja. pic.twitter.com/RtNOG6hCmG

— Government of Nigeria (@NigeriaGov) November 23, 2022

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CBN Gov Reveals President Buhari To Unveil New Naira Notes

 

The Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, has made a new revelation.

He confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari will unveil the designed Naira notes tomorrow Wednesday, November 23, 2022.

Emefiele announced this during the Central Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee monthly meeting in Abuja.

Recall that Emefiele had announced in October that the apex bank would issue redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes, effective December 15, 2022,

However, he has disclosed that CBN won’t wait till December anymore for the unveiling of the new notes.

He said the deadline for returning the old Naira notes to commercial banks in exchange for newly designed ones would not be shifted.

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IPOB Urges Buhari To Release Nnamdi Kanu As Abuja Is About To Fall

 

The Federal Government has been told to release Nnamdi Kanu following security alerts issued by US and UK.

 

US and UK had urged its citizens to leave Abuja over reports of looming terrorist attack.

 

Reacting, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Friday, urged the Department of State Services, DSS, to adhere to court orders and release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

 

IPOB called on DSS to release Kanu because the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is about to fall to sponsored terrorists.

 

The group was reacting to the terror alert issued by the United States, United Kingdom, Canadian, and Australian embassies, on the possibility of a terrorist attack in Abuja.

 

The warning said the attack targeted government buildings, worship centres, schools, and large crowds.

 

Amid the terror alert, Kanu is locked up at the DSS facility in Abuja despite a court ruling ordering his release.

 

However, the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, in a statement, said: “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by the great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU has been drawn to the possible fall of Abuja to the Nigerian state-sponsored terrorists in the coming days.

 

“The US and UK security intelligence reports concerning the fall of Abuja and Nigeria to the terrorists are real, but Nigeria compromised security agencies, particularly their Military and DSS, are busy chasing armless and peaceful citizens of Biafra in Biafraland.

 

“The ability and preparedness of the Nigeria security forces, especially the Military (Army, Navy & Airforce) to defend the territorial borders of Nigerian has been greatly sabotaged and deteriorated to a level that will allow any foreign invader to walk into Nigeria’s capital with little or no resistance from the military.

 

“The Nigerian State has carefully positioned these terrorists to overrun Abuja once they feel that power will slip out of their hands during the upcoming charade they call an election, and they will, on behalf of the Fulani take over the reins of power in an invasion commando style as it happened in Afghanistan.

 

We are very much aware that the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria has concluded every arrangement to hand over the Government of Nigeria to their sponsored terrorists in the coming days.

 

“IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been in the know of this sinister plan and have been hammering on it, but some so-called Biafran elites and other ethnic groups have refused to listen and heed the clarion call by IPOB, and its leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU to divide Nigeria to save all of us from this ugly situation.

 

“American and British governments have shut down their Embassies and have started evacuating their citizens in Abuja and its environs. If you’re still in Abuja and still thinking this warning is a joke, you will have yourself to blame.

 

“IPOB state unequivocally that the Nigeria Government and Malami must adhere to and implement the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which declared Kanu a free man discharged and acquitted of all spurious allegations and charges.

 

“We are warning the Fulani Government to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu urgently.”

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Those Against CBN’s Decision To Change Naira Notes Revealed

 

The Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has reacted to the proposed redesign of the naira notes.

The CNPP on Thursday hailed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over its sudden decision to redesign high denominations of Naira notes, including N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.

The CNPP said this in a statement issued in Abuja by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu.

It noted that “only politicians who intended to buy votes and financially induce electoral officials, the ignorant of the import of the policy or beneficiaries of proceeds of crimes, including drug barons and kidnappers, will kick against the move by the CBN.

The statement read in part, “It is therefore obvious that many politicians, especially since 2015, amassed illicit wealth and depleted the national commonwealth to the extent that the currency in circulation has more than doubled since 2015, rising from N1.46 trillion in December 2015 to N3.2 trillion as of September 2022, according to the CBN data.

“Certainly, this is unacceptable in any economy controlled by sane financial experts.

“The CNPP is glad that the timing for this Naira notes redesign is right as there is no better time than in an election year, especially where politicians have made vote-buying an alternative to convincing the electorates through their track records and capacity to govern beyond rhetoric as well as a commitment to selling the manifestos of their political parties during campaigns.

“We urge the anti-graft units of all security agencies and commissions to use the opportunity created by the new and existing currencies exchange window from December to January 31, 2023, when the existing currencies shall cease to be a legal tender, to monitor illicit campaign financing, money laundering, terror financing, ransom to hostage takers and drug barons.

“In the same vein, bank managers should be banned by the CBN from any form of home delivery of cash to citizens and corporate organizations until after February 1, 2023, to ensure that the country reaps the gains of the CBN monetary policy.

“We equally commend President Muhammadu Buhari for his approval of the planned redesign of the currency notes, especially at this time.”

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FG Appeals Judgement Discharging Nnamdi Kanu IPOB Leader

 The Buhari-led federal government has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court to appeal the Court of Appeal judgement which discharged Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

In the appeal filed yesterday October 19, before the apex court by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the federal government asked the Supreme Court to stay the execution of the October 13 Court of Appeal judgment that freed the leader of the separatist group.

The federal government in the seven-ground notice of appeal, faulted the lower court’s decision and also asked that it be set aside.

The federal government claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when it faulted the manner Kanu was brought back to face trial after he jumped bail and fled the country.

It also claimed that the Court of Appeal erred when it struck out the pending charge against Kanu on the ground that the trial court no longer possessed the requisite jurisdiction to continue the trial because of the manner Kanu was returned to the country upon allegedly jumping bail.

A date for the hearing of the motion for the stay of execution is being awaited.

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