UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Sporting Lisbon 0-1 Chelsea

Nemanja Matic's header was enough to hand Chelsea a narrow 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon and send Jose Mourinho's men to the top of group G in the Champions League.


Matic, who spent three years in Lisbon with Sporting's great rivals, Benfica, before returning to the Blues in January, converted Cesc Fabregas's cross after 34 minutes.

The Serb found the net in a half dominated by the visitors but the home side proved more competitive after the break to leave the result in doubt up until the final whistle.

The result sees Chelsea bounce back from their draw with Schalke at Stamford Bridge on matchday 1, while Sporting, who had previously lost just one of nine home fixtures against English opposition, will rue the end of an unbeaten run at the Estadio Jose Alvalade that stretched to 16 matches in European competition.

Having previously claimed that in-form frontman Diego Costa was incapable of playing multiple matches in a week, Jose Mourinho named the Spain international in his starting XI for the second time in four days, while captain John Terry made his 100th Champions League outing.

Costa was in the thick of the action early on - failing to slip a shot past advancing Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio after being sent clean through in the second minute.

It was the visitors who were dictating the early pace but Thibaut Courtois had to be on guard to scoop up a low Jonathan Silva cross from the left when Sporting looked to threaten the Chelsea goal for the first time.

Patricio got down well to deny Andre Schurrle as the Germany forward tried to round the goalkeeper after getting on the end of an Oscar through-ball in the 15th minute before Islam Slimani's downward header at the other end was comfortably held by Courtois.

Schurrle should have done better than skew wide of the left-hand post when Eden Hazard found him with a cut back in the 22nd minute but Matic finally made the breakthrough 12 minutes later. The 26-year-old midfielder peeled off at the back post to meet a Cesc Fabregas free from the left, sending a looping header over a helpless Patricio and into the back of the net.

A push by Filipe Luis on Nani on the edge of the Chelsea box drew the ire of all in green and white five minutes into the second half before Oscar squandered a one-on-one opportunity similar to Costa's early chance.

Sporting certainly looked more alert at the start of the second half - Nani sent an effort into the side netting, while Adrian Silva swerved a volley over the crossbar.

Filipe Luis and Mohamed Salah went close for Chelsea in the closing stages, while a curling strike from Nani whistled narrowly wide, and Mourinho may be concerned by his side's failure to put the match to bed.

However, news of a draw in Group G's other fixture between Schalke and Maribor, along with Costa's ability to last the full 90 minutes, should soon bring a smile back to the face of the Chelsea boss after picking up a valuable three points in his homeland.
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Patience Jonathan calls for unity among Rivers people

First Lady Patience Jonathan on Monday reiterated the need for love, peace and unity among the people of Rivers.



The president’s wife made the appeal when she visited, Chief Peter Odili, a former Rivers governor, to congratulate him for receiving the Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) Award.
Other recipients of CON from the state, include Minister of State for Education, Chief Nysom Wike; and Sen. George Sekibo.

She said these virtues were the hallmark of Odili’s tenure as the governor of the state.
The first lady, who extolled Odili’s virtues, said that the former governor carried everyone along.
“I am not surprised at the honour bestowed on you today; it is an honour well deserved, you served well and carried every Rivers person along.

“Everybody know me as Mama Peace because I believe in peaceful coexistence,’’ she said.
Jonathan urged the people to emulate Odili’s leadership quality and continue to support him.
Odili, who spoke on behalf of other recipients from the state, said that since 1967, it was the first time the state would be producing three CON awardees.

He expressed his appreciation to the first lady for her love and support to the people.

The former governor said this would not have been possible without the hard work, commitment and love expressed by the first lady toward her people. (NAN)
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Who believes the lie that there are more people in the North than in the South? - Femi Aribisala

In 2011, more votes were cast in Zamfara than the total number of legitimately-registered voters, according to the revelation of INEC’s clean-up exercise.



Everything turns upside down in Nigeria. Logic becomes illogical. Wisdom becomes foolishness.

Two plus two becomes seven. Hospitals become mortuaries. Stealing is not corruption. Education is a sin. In Nigeria, so many things fly in the face of simple common sense.

One major example is the ridiculous idea that, by some inexplicable freak of nature, more people live in the arid less-developed Northern part of Nigeria than in the wet, coastal, more-developed South.
Insult to intelligence

The larger population of the North is an elephant in the Nigerian living-room. According to the last disputed census of 2006, there are 75 million Nigerians living in the North and 65 million in the South. This is balderdash! As long as we continue to accept such blatant lie, there can be no true democracy in Nigeria. Electoral results must continue to be falsified to conform to it. As long as we continue to entertain such outright falsehood, we shall continue to be subjected to a “born to rule” mentality on the part of some mischievous Northern politicians.

The assertion that there are more people in the North than in the South is an insult to intelligence and commonsense. All over West Africa, the coastal states are more densely and highly populated than the arid desert hinterlands. Nobody has been able to come up with a reasonable reason why Nigeria would be the only exception to this rule. Most of the people in Egypt live on a strip along the Nile River. But in Nigeria, we are meant to believe most of the people live in the desert.

Some make the case that Northern polygamy leads to more births. If so, why are there only 30 million people in Saudi Arabia, a country more than twice the size of Nigeria? The Saudis are also polygamous. If there are so many more live-births in the North than in the South, this should be reflected in children immunization programs: but it is not.

Everything we know about demographics contradicts the inflated population of the North relative to the South. The economic opportunities in the South far outweigh those in the North. That means economic migration is bound to be southward and not northward. The states with the highest internally generated revenues all come from the South; while eight of the last ten are from the North.

No Northern state features in the top ten.

Mythical Kano
The North regularly trots up Kano as the largest state of the federation, but there is no doubt that this is also pure fiction. There is no way that there can be more people in Kano State than in Lagos State or even Oyo State. Let me be even more categorical. Kano cannot be as populous as Ibadan. Kano cannot even have half the population of Lagos.

We were told Kano State was bigger in population than Lagos State. Then Jigawa State was carved out of Kano in 1991. But lo and behold, the remaining rump of Kano was still bigger than Lagos. In 1991, we were told there were 5.8 million people in Kano State, while 5.7 million were in Lagos. In 2006, Kano was awarded a population of 9.4 million; more than Lagos which was given 9.1 million.

In the meantime, Jigawa was awarded 4.3 million people in 2006. If this were to be believed, it would mean Kano (including Jigawa) had outpaced Lagos by more than four million people by 2006. That is impossible. Moreover, Kano was awarded 44 local government areas; Jigawa 27 and Lagos only 20.

Why any right-thinking person would believe Kano State has more people than Lagos State is beyond me. For years, the total amount of internally generated revenue in Kano was less than 6 billion naira a year. In the last year or so, it is now averaging 20 billion. But get this: the internally generated revenue in Lagos is 219 billion naira. So why would people be moving to Kano instead of Lagos?

Where are the jobs in Kano to attract them relative to Lagos?

Why would more people keep moving to Kano where there is insurgency; from Maitasine to Boko Haram, relative to Lagos where there is none? The answer is simple. The large population of Kano relative to Lagos is bogus. It is pure fiction! If there were more people in Kano than in Lagos, it would show up, for example, in waste-generation. How much waste does Kano produce relative to Lagos? The answer is only a fraction.

How many houses and physical structures are there in Kano relative to Lagos? There is no comparison. Google satellite maps show a concentration of people and houses in Kano city centre. Everywhere else is sparsely populated. This is not the case with Lagos. It is not the case with Ibadan. It is not the case with Aba. If there are so many people up North, where are the people?

Where do they live? Which vehicles take them from A to B? How many of these vehicles are in Kano relative to Lagos? Only a fraction!

Magical Zamfara
Precisely because we have accepted the lie of Northern population supremacy over the South, Attahiru Jega and his INEC cohorts decided to sneak further falsehood past us. Having discovered far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South, INEC still went ahead to create additional polling units, allocating a disproportionate number of these to the North. However, the very audacity of INEC in the attempted perpetration of this fraud has brought to light certain anomalies in the 2011 elections, especially as it relates to the North-West.

INEC’s recent cleanup exercise of the voters register is a big indictment of the North. INEC discovered that there are far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South. The greatest fraud in this regard is committed in the North-West, and the most fraudulent state in the country turns out to be Zamfara.

Sokoto and Zamfara states border the Republic of Niger. Niger Republic is 19 times bigger than Sokoto and Zamfara put together in land area. And yet, we are meant to believe that in 2006, Sokoto and Zamfara had a combined total population of 6.9 million; more than half of Niger Republic’s population of 12.9 million.

Zamfara’s fictitious population in the 2006 census was 3.2 million. Nevertheless, INEC registered 2 million voters for Zamfara for the 2011 elections. That means 62.5% of the people in Zamfara registered to vote. (This is roughly equal to the 64% of people who registered to vote in the 2012 elections in the United States; a country of far higher voter-awareness and socialisation). This is fraud of the highest order for the simple reason that 62.5% of the population of Zamfara cannot be eligible to vote.

The voting age in Nigeria is 18 years. According to U.N. demographics, 44% of Nigerians are below the age of 15. This means under no circumstances can 50% of the population anywhere in Nigeria be said to have registered to vote in any election. It is not surprising therefore that although INEC registered 2 million voters for the 2011 elections in Zamfara, the same INEC discovered in its clean-up exercise this year that 1.1 million of those voters (over 50%) were fraudulent; the result of double registration.

Voodoo results

That means only 914,886 of the names on the Zamfara register could be verified as not pertaining to double registration. (This does not tell us how many of the remaining names are fictitious). But then get this: according to INEC records, 927,219 people voted in Zamfara in the 2011 presidential election; mostly for Buhari. That means more votes were cast in Zamfara than the total number of legitimately-registered voters, according to the revelation of INEC’s clean-up exercise.

Let us put this in stark terms. It means, according to INEC, over 100% of the Zamfara electorate voted in 2011. What malarkey! By the time we factor in the fictitious names that must have been in the register, we can see that the figures coming out of Zamfara have nothing whatsoever to do with reality. In Zamfara, there is procedural inflation of figures pertaining to population and elections.

This gives us an idea of how fraudulent the North-West of Nigeria is with regard to population and electoral figures. This is not to say that manipulation and falsification of figures is not standard operational procedure in other states of the federation, but INEC revealed that it is most exaggerated in the North in general and in the North-West in particular.

It is not surprising therefore that, in the 2011 presidential election, there were 10.6 million “voters” from the North-West alone; twice the number of voters from either the South-West (4.6 million) or the South-East (5 million). This is preposterous, and is nothing but one big lie!

Back to Jega
It is on this fictitious super-structure of a larger population in the North relative to the South that Jega’s INEC based its outrageous allocation of 21,000 additional polling booths to the North, relative to 8,000 to the South.

In defense of this regional-chauvinism, Hakeem Baba-Ahmad added insult to injury by saying: “Jega admitted that many states in the south did not even deserve the number of units they got, but for the inclusion of the principle of fairness and equity. In other words, if INEC had been strict in sharing out the units in accordance with voting population and geography, the north would have received even more.” What poppycock!

In what appears to be the triumph of commonsense and logic, the Senate has advised Jega to suspend the allocation of new polling units until after the 2015 general elections. That should be the end of the matter. People who don’t understand how the Nigerian political system works feel Jega can ignore this advice. He cannot! The legislative branch of the government has oversight powers over the executive branch. Such a directive from the legislature to an arm of the government is not subject to debate. It must be obeyed otherwise Jega will be sanctioned.
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National Award: Nigerians hail Jonathan on choice of recipients

Some Nigerians have hailed President Goodluck Jonathan’s inclusion of some ordinary people as recipients of the 2014 National Honours Awards.

In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday , the respondents said described the decision as commendable, saying that it would encourage more Nigerians to be diligent in their endevours.



Mrs Kemi Abdulrasak, an Abuja-based civil servant, said “The president’s recognition of those ordinary people is really commendable and he should keep it up.

“This shows that diligence has reward and people would be encouraged to be more patriotic in whatever they do,” she said.

For Patrick Attaiye, an artist, it is a call to higher responsibility for the awardees.

“To whom much is given, much is expected. I am sure they didn’t know that their modest efforts were being noticed at the highest level. They should keep it up.”

Attaiye added that the President was so thoughtful to have awarded the Head of Presidential Stewards, Mr. Onuh Isaac Michaels.

“Onuh, who hails from Etutekpe Community in Olamaboro Local Government of Kogi State, is reputed to have served nine presidents to date.

“I believe he never taught of being awarded.”

However, Mr Abraham John, a pensioner, suggested that such awards should come with some financial incentive.

“Though the recognition is commendable, it could become valueless, if the awardees live in penury.
“I suggest that some financial incentive should be attached, especially for those poor awardees.”

NAN reports that a total of 313 Nigerians were honoured by the President at a ceremony that saw recipients who had distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavour bagging various categories of the National Award.

Among the awardees, it was Mr. Imeh Usuah, an Abuja-based taxi driver who returned a large sum of money forgotten in his vehicle, Mr. Solomon Dauda, a traffic warden, and Mr. Onuh Isaac, a steward, who stole the show.

In addition to the award of the Member of the Order of the Niger, three of them also got house gifts in the Federal Capital Territory.

Jonathan also directed that the designer of the national flag, Pa Michael Akinkunmi, be placed on the salary of a Special Assistant to the President for life, in addition to his national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic.
The President charged the honourees to ensure that the awards were not seen as mere pieces of paper and garlands tied around their necks.

NAN
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Ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo goes back to school

Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, is set to go back to school for a higher degree in Christian Theology.

Mr. Obasanjo will on Tuesday formally enrol as a graduate student at the headquarters of the National Open University of Nigeria in Lagos.



Having obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in 2009, Mr. Obasanjo will now be working towards a doctorate degree, beginning first with a Masters degree, an associate of the former president revealed.

When contacted Monday night, Mr. Obasanjo confirmed he was returning to school.

He said it was important for him to make some commitments towards achieving his aspirations in life.

“I’m going back to school because I have to have something to aspire to in every endeavour of life,”

Mr. Obasanjo further said,  “I always aspire to something new in my farm. I do that in my international activities. I do it in my writing. I do it in the improvement of my academic work which helps to sharpen my brain and strengthen my faith.”

When asked how he was going to cope combining his studies with his tight international engagements, Mr. Obasanjo said he would take advantage of the flexibility of the National Open University’s system.

“Fortunately, the Open University is flexible enough and I will definitely be able to cope. I was able to cope when I did the Post Graduate. I was also busy during the period,” he said.

The National Open University was initially established in 1983 but was suspended by the then military government in 1984. Mr. Obasanjo resuscitated it in 2001.

In November 2006, a few months to the end of his eight-year tenure, the then president enrolled for a post graduate diploma in Christian Theology at the university.

He graduated in January 2009.

At the graduation ceremony, the then Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Olagbemiro Jegede, described Mr. Obasanjo as a hardworking student.

”As a student, Obasanjo vigorously pursued his studies on full time basis…He is a shinning example of how seriously a student should take his learning. Like everybody, he sat for all the examinations using anonymous matriculation numbers, and by our internal quality control and security-proof control measures, his papers were marked by different tutors located in some of our study centres including Damaturu, Minna and Yenagoa,” Mr. Jegede said.

Born on March 5, 1937, Mr. Obasanjo attended Abeokuta Baptist High School; Mons Officers’ Cadet School, Aldershot, England; Royal College of Military Engineering, Chatham, England and School of Survey, Newbury, England.

He also attended the British Royal Engineers’ Young Officers School, Shrivenham, England; Indian Defence Staff College; Indian Army School of Engineering and Royal College of Defence Studies, London.

He enlisted into the Nigerian Army in 1958.

He was Nigeria’s Head of State between 1976 and 1979 when he voluntarily handed over to a civilian administration led by Shehu Shagari. In 1999, he was elected president. His tenure expired in 2007.
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I am in politics to end APC’s reign – Maku

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku has avowed that the opposition party in Nasarawa State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP will defeat the ruling party, All Progressive Party, APC in the forthcoming general elections in 2015.

The Minister made the declaration yesterday, during the formal reception and celebration of his national honour award, Commander of the order of the Niger, CON at Radio House, Abuja.



Maku who expressed gratitude to the President for the honour done him, said the award will propel him to work harder for the nation and Nasarawa State.

The Minister who lamented the pace of development in Nasarawa State said time has come for change and maintained that nothing would stop him from bring his experience to bear towards ensuring the successful outing of the PDP in the state in the 2015 general elections.

He commended the PDP members in the State Assembly for keeping faith with the PDP and urged them to join him in sealing victory for the party come 2015 elections.

‘‘I thank the President for the opportunity he gave me to serve Nigeria and for recognizing my effort all these years. My award is a grace of God and I promise to put in more effort to serve my country.

‘‘I also thank the Nasarawa State House of Assembly for keeping the flag flying and refused to defect to the ruling party. PDP is the reason for my rise in politics; I will continue to be committed to the party, especially in the coming elections.

‘‘We will struggle to defeat APC in Nasarawa State in the next general elections. We will end tribalism and senseless killings in Nasarawa state. That is why I am in politics, to bring peace and development to the people of Nasarawa State.

‘‘We shall work hard until we achieve success. This is the first award I am receiving because it is not all awards that are award. This award for me is the beginning of life. I will use the award to serve Nigeria, even better because Nigeria is the hope of Africa and without Nigeria the entire African continent will be in slavery,’’ Maku added.

In remarks, a former Senator from Nasarawa State, Sen. Ahmed Wadada described the Maku award as an honour well deserved. He said Maku had worked very hard to serve his state and Nigeria in general to deserve the national award, despite coming from a poor background.

He urged the Minister to look upwards and see the award as a challenge to do better in his national callings.
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NEW VIDEO: Patoranking – Happy Day

We have all been yearning for fresh material from Patoranking, here it is, no one saw this one coming, he premieres the visuals to “Happy Day”.

“Happy Day” is a wedding song as portrayed in the video, and it should be  top of DJ’s playlists at weddings in due time.

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Ebola: 3,700 orphaned in Guinea, Liberia, S’Leone

At least 3,700 children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have lost one or both parents to Ebola this year, the UN children’s agency has said.


Finding care for them is proving incredibly difficult because the children are stigmatised, Unicef added.

Some are “being fed by neighbours but no more”, the agency said.

The World Health Organisation says more than 3,000 people have died of Ebola in West Africa – the world’s most deadly outbreak of the virus.



The Unicef figure on the number of children orphaned because of Ebola follows a two-week assessment mission in the three countries worst-affected by the outbreak.

It found that children as young as three or four-years-old were being orphaned by the disease.

Children were discovered alone in the hospitals where their parents had died, or back in their communities where, if they were lucky, they were being fed by neighbours – but all other contact with them was being avoided.

The UN children’s agency says there is an urgent need to establish a system for identifying and caring for Ebola orphans.



It will be holding a meeting on the issue in Sierra Leone next month but before then it wants potential carers to come forward.

An earlier version of this story said that 4,900 children had lost parents but the correct figure is 3,700.

BBC
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God has chosen who ‘ll lead Nigeria in 2015 — Sultan

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday, said that God had already chosen who would be leader of the country in 2015.



Abubakar was speaking at the inauguration of Holy Mother and Child Clinic, constructed by the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, to enhance health care delivery in the state.

He said that all that was expected of Nigerians was to live in peace with one another, to enable government to fashion out developmental programmes for the well being of the people.

He also called on leaders to always have the fear of God while discharging their constitutional duties, saying that “we are going to account for our deeds before God.”

He called for responsible politics in 2015 to ensure free, fair and credible elections and emergence of good democratic leaders that would develop the nation forward.

He said that God had blessed the country with human and mineral resources for the benefit of citizens.

He said that since sickness did not recognise religion, the need for all to unite and fight all illnesses was paramount.

“Mosquitoes do not know religion. They go to the mosques on Fridays and Churches on Sundays to bite people, regardless of their religion. We must unite to fight our common enemy.
“We can be strong in this country if only we keep ourselves as brothers,” he said.

Earlier, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State had commended the cordial relationship between the Muslims and Christian communities in the state, adding that, that was possible through the mutual understanding between the two major religions.

He called on Nigerian leaders to accord equal attention to human capital and infrastructure development.

He said that although leaders were assessed by the number of roads and other infrastructure provided, governments should pay similar attention to human capital development from pregnancy.
He challenged elected leaders to give more attention to pregnant women to ensure smooth delivery of expected young Nigerians.

He observed that most programmes of government were not aimed at improving the condition of the poor.

“We hardly consider the poor in our programmes. There is the need to have an improved pro-poor programmes instead of such that only consider the middle and upper class of the people,” he said.
Uduaghan donated a new ambulance to the clinic.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, represented by Minister of State for Health, Haliru Alhassan, said that “maternal and child care were the cornerstone of health systems of all nations, adding that the Federal Ministry of Health would collaborate with the Diocese for the success of its programmes.Gov. Aliyu Wamakko commended Bishop Matthew Kukah for his efforts in bridging the gaps in development.
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October 1 film gulped $2 million — Kunle Afolayan

What if a man leaves the comfort of a bank job to face an uncertain future as a film maker and not long after wins the Oscar? Well, this may be the premise someday for Kunle Afolayan’s story. Hailed by the New York Times as the ‘Martin Scorsese of Lagos’, Kunle has continued to push back the frontiers of film making in Nigeria. In this interview, he talks about his new film, October 1, and the journey so far as a film maker. Enjoy!

How was growing up like with your dad, Ade Love, and how has that influenced who you are today?

I would say my growing up really helped and influenced where I am today. It also influenced my decision to do what I am doing today -which is film making.

I didn’t really have the opportunity to try my hands on the trade as a child but, as I grew older, unofficially my father got me involved in how to do cinema business not really how to make film.

I didn’t know anything about how to make film but how to do exhibitions, and also promotions of films, and I did that for some time before my father passed on and through that I also visited some of the movie sets.

That also got me curious and interested in movie making but, to a large extent, I would say my background has really helped in moulding and grooming me towards what I have become today.

Is being a film maker what you’ve always wanted to be,considering the fact that you majored in accounting before you went to the New York Film Academy and you also worked in the bank as well?

Well, I would say yes and no, film wasn’t in my agenda but, of course, an average child who grew up around a movie making circle would probably want to be an actor, maybe not a film maker; you know, as a child, almost all the children of the practitioners were also involved in the same business then – acting.

For us our father shielded us from it because he just said, you would be distracted and you needed to go to school and be educated. Yes, I always enjoyed the cheap publicity of being a son of Ade Love but it wasn’t something I really wanted to do, not until I grew up, the man passed on, then I was seeing a new generation of film makers and I realized they were not doing as much as my father and those who started it used to do and I said to myself, ‘I can actually do better’, which was what really got me interested in making film.

How easy was it for you to leave the comfort of a paid employment to jump into the uncertain waters of filmmaking, I mean first you left for the New York Film Academy, what gave you that confidence that this was going to work out?

Well, before I even became a film maker, I started off as an actor in 1998, and when the zeal, anxiety and dream of wanting to become a film maker came, I approached established film makers like Tade Ogidan and Tunde Kelani.

Tunde Kelani gave me audience and when I said I wanted to be a film maker, he said what do I know about films? That film making is not a fluke -you have to learn it, you need to go to school -and he said he would advice that I start as an actor, that if I started as an actor, I could start like my father.

When it was time for them to shoot Saworoide, they invited me for audition and I scaled through and that was how I started as an actor. But, the following year, I started working in the bank, that didn’t give me room to feature in so many films. So, while in the bank between 1998 and 2004, I didn’t feature in up to ten films.

But in 2004 I said to myself that I didn’t belong in the bank. I was making money, I was comfortable, I had a car, I was living in a four-bedroom flat but it wasn’t really what I wanted to do. So one day I resigned, stayed home for eight months doing research on what I wanted to do.

Afterwards I went to school, did a diploma in digital film making, came back, and set up this production office; it was quite small, just two people and now we are where we are and I think it’s the passion really.

Apart from the normal challenges any entrepreneur faces, what was the most difficult challenge you faced when you came back from America to set up?

Setting up, as an entrepreneur, like getting an office, was not difficult for me because there was someone who was just moving out of an office and the person had six months’ rent still available and he said to me, ‘Kunle, you can take over this office and when the rent lapses you can pay’.

I just said to myself, ‘I doubt if I would be able to pay’, because it was in Opebi, but I said ‘let me at least enjoy the first six months’. I took over the office, got an office assistant and it was just two of us. Then I got myself a computer to learn editing, then this idea of Irapada film came.

From ‘Irapada’, I bought my first camera. Thereafter, every project that I did, I’m always equipping myself for those projects, that was how it all started. After Irapada, we grew to maybe a company of five staff and we moved out of there to another office, a bigger space. But I would say we have really done well in Golden Effect between 2004 and now.

And I think what has really helped is the fact that once I dreamt it, it had to be actualized, and I’ve always worked with practically the same people as crew, some of them on contract, some of them as permanent staff. In addition, I’m able to combine my creativity in art with business, and that is why the show is still on because a lot of people don’t break even in art.'

Of all the movies you’ve produced and directed, which one is your favourite?

That’s a tough question because I think there are different genres, there are different kinds of films, so people relate to them differently and they have their advantages. Irapada, which was the first film, cut across the lower Yoruba crowd; Figurine was what did it for me, it went really international, recognized all over the world; but it cost me so much. In fact that was the most difficult film I have ever done. October 1 is not even as difficult as Figurine.

And why is that?

Well, it’s because after Figurine, I did Phone Swap, so I’ve been able to master the flow, the trade and business. October 1 is supposed to be more difficult because it’s even set in a particular period and it benches you to a particular work flow, you can’t shoot in a modern setting and you can’t have cables and masts and billboards, mobile phones, you can’t have all of these showing in your film, meaning our direction must be accurate.

Figurine was a bold step. Figurine was a step that nobody in this country has ever tried before, so it cost arm and leg – we lost a lot of equipment, a lot of people fell ill after the shooting; it was really tough and it’s because we embarked on something that seemed bigger than we bargained for.

You are a very busy man and obviously you have to travel and be on the road most times -how have you been able to handle that and still stay happily married with four kids?

Well, they came into my life while I was already in this business. My wife of course knows what goes with the kind of job that I do; so when I’m not working, I give them all the attention, and when I’m working, the one they can join and support in, they do; the ones they can’t, they give me my space and allow me do my thing. So really I’ve been able to balance both.

You wrote on your Facebook page, about a month ago, how you and your brother Gabriel were isolated on a flight to Seychelles from other Kenyans onboard due to the Ebola virus scare. How was the experience and have you had other related challenges lately as a Nigerian?

Well, I wasn’t really surprised because the Ebola thing was all in the air that time. We flew through Kenya to Seychelles and while in Kenya we had to go with some of our Kenyan colleagues. When we got to Seychelles, the Kenyans were coming from East Africa we were coming from West Africa and West Africa is where the Ebola thing has been reported. So, even with my yellow card, they had to put me and my brother aside and allowed every other person to go and we had to fill so many forms.
We had to be sure that we were not coughing but because we were also invited by the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation. It was easy to just get out once they realized that we were government’s guests, but it’s normal, it’s good to take precautions. Nigerians would have done the same thing. I didn’t know the news was going to spread that much because I was just thinking out loud, I wasn’t reporting.

Tell us about your latest movie October 1. What was the inspiration behind it?

October 1 is a film set in Nigeria against the backdrop of the Nigerian independence in 1960.
When the idea of the film came, I was initially going to run away from it because I knew it was going to be challenging and considering that in Nigeria we hardly archive things, we don’t even have records. We were looking for all the guns of the 60s, we couldn’t find them. When I read the script, I realized it was challenging but if I did this, it was going to definitely put me on a new slate and it’s a film that cut across internationally.

October 1st

So I decided to give it a shot and not just shooting it, but also using actors that I believed would do justice to interpreting the roles. The project took us about two years, pre- production took more than six months, we shot for about two months, and post-production took more than eight months.'

Right now, it’s ready and it’s going to have its world premiere on the 28th of September 2014 at the Eko Hotel and Suites. After that, it’s going to be released in cinemas in Nigeria from the 1st of October.

How much did the movie cost you?
It’s a two – million dollar budget film.'

How did you get Sadiq Daba to feature in it?
When I read the script and the script says ‘a northern police detective who is at the age grade of 50 and 60’, I looked around and I didn’t want someone who could speak Hausa, I wanted someone who could really represent the North when people see it. I looked around and he was the only person that came to mind. I looked for him and found him. I got him the first draft and he got excited and we pulled it through.

Has any of your children shown interest in acting?
Well, even if they don’t show it, sometimes when I’m looking for extras, I always put them. At least it saves me cost but I know that there’s no way one of them would not end up doing what I’m doing. If they want to do it, I would give them all the support they would need. If not, whatever it is they want to do, I’m open.

What’s your thought on actors going into politics now and do you have any plans of doing same in the nearest future?

Well, Arnold Schwarzenegger became a governor and Ronald Reagan was also an actor; so there’s nothing wrong. First of all, you have the advantage of having people who like you because you are a public figure.

But being a public figure as an actor is different from going into politics. Politics is a serious game; for me, I am not interested, but I would always support anybody who I believe has good intention to lead. I’m not a politician but I would always do whatever it is in my capacity to support whoever that I think is chasing the right position.

Credit: www.samumukoro.com
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Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor opens up on $9.3m arms deal

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, yesterday for the first time spoke on the controversial $9.3m cash allegedly smuggled into South Africa by two Nigerians and an Israeli using his private jet. The money which has been confiscated by a South African court was meant for the purchase of arms for the Nigerian Intelligence Services.

 This is just as the #BringBackOurGirls# campaign group, has said it will soon drag the CAN president and the Federal Government to court over the money.

Following the use of his aircraft to convey the money which was not declared in South Africa until immigration officials discovered it, the CAN president was linked to the arms deal with critics condemning his role in the arms deal.



Explaining his own side of the story yesterday, at an emergency meeting of the expanded National Executive Council, NEC, of CAN in Abuja, Pastor Oritsejafor denied any involvement or knowledge of the deal to buy arms in South Africa, noting that enemies of Christians were fuelling the division of CAN.

He said: “The media has been awash in the past few days about an unfortunate incident involving the movement of funds from Nigeria to South Africa. In the unfortunate news reports, attempts have been made to link me directly with the transaction. So far I have refrained from making any direct public statement pending the time that I would have briefed the leaders of the church and explained my position on the issues to them.

“I believe that the primary institution that I owe any explanation to is the church. Permit me to thank everyone who stood by me these past days by ways of prayers, as well as strongly defending me even though I have not undertaken any public defence of myself.

“I am particularly appreciative of the valuable support of the Catholic Church in refuting a distorted news item by mischievous elements in the media. I wish to assure you that I will not do anything to tarnish the image of Jesus Christ or compromise the divine standard of the Church.

The aircraft is mine — CAN president

“At the risk of being seen to be defending myself, I wish to confirm to the distinguished leaders of the church that the Bombardier Challenger 601 aircraft in question is mine.

“The aircraft was presented to me as a gift by members of our congregation and ministry partners world wide at the 40th anniversary of my call into the ministry. May I be permitted to stress that the aircraft was not given to me by the President of Nigeria, neither was it a settlement for any political favour or patronage.

“With the benefit of hindsight, the President of the country was a guest in our church during the anniversary celebration when the Jet was presented to me and this has been construed to imply that it was a gift from the President of the country.

“The President of Nigeria has nothing to do with the gift of the aircraft. By the way, I still wonder why all those saying this, still cannot come out to show proof so that the matter can be put to rest once and for all. Let me say that this might be an issue of the court in the near future.

“In order to ameliorate the cost of maintenance of the aircraft, I sought and got permit to allow the aircraft fly in and out of Nigeria.

“Based on this, I leased the aircraft on August 2, 2014 to a company to run it. It was the leasee that entered into an agreement with the people who carried out the transfer of funds. Having leased the aircraft to the Green Coast Produce Company Limited, any transaction undertaken with the aircraft can no longer be attached to me.

War against the Church
“In as much as I am shocked and distressed by the incident, I wish to appeal to Christians in Nigeria to remember that a war has been waged against the Nigerian Church. This war is being fought on many fronts and this unfortunate incident is another dimension in the assault against the Church.

“It is clear that those who manipulated this conspiracy desire to create a schism in the Church. The media hype and the deliberate distortion of information that followed it confirmed that forces that desperately desire to cause division and disunity in the Church are at work. Even the devil knows that a house that is divided cannot stand.

“As Christians, we need unity in the Church now more than ever. We are witnessing inhuman attacks by religious extremists against Christians in the northern part of the country while Christian infrastructure is being destroyed in hundreds.

“If we permit the enemy to divide us, our chances of corporate survival shall be severely threatened.
“Distinguished leaders of the Church, please permit me to state clearly before God and before all of you here present today, I am not a party to the movement of $9.3 million from Nigeria to South Africa to purchase arms and ammunition. I am not part of the deal. I know nothing about it.

“Let me make a passionate appeal to our heads of blocks, heads of denominations and Christian leaders at different levels and spheres of influence to please use your good offices to caution and control your subordinates and followers from making public statements that will further polarise the Church and strengthen the arms of the enemies of the church.

“If I offend you or you offend me, instead of talking to media, let us talk to each other within the house of God.”
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Jonathan confers national honours on 313 persons

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday conferred different categories of national honours on 313 persons who have distinguished themselves in their various fields of endeavour.

Among those honoured at the ceremony which was held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja were a taxi driver, Mr. Imeh Usuah; a traffic warden, Cpl. Solomon Dauda; and a steward, Mr. Onuh Isaac, who have displayed exemplary performances.


The three of them got house gifts in the Federal Capital Territory from the President in addition to their national awards, Member of the Order of the Niger.

Jonathan also directed that the designer of the national flag, Pa Michael Akinkunmi, be placed on the salary of a Special Assistant to the President for life in addition to his national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic.

The President charged the honourees to ensure that the awards are not seen as mere pieces of paper and garlands tied around their necks.

The Monday’s investiture brought to 4,737, the total of the national honours so far conferred on individuals since its inception in 1963.

Twenty-five individuals were conferred with the national honour of the Commander of the Order of Federal Republic; 60 persons were honoured with Commander of the Order of Niger, 54 got the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic; 63 received the Officer of the Order of the Niger; 53 were presented with Member of the Order of the Niger; and 56 got Member of the Order of the Niger.

One recipient each got the Federal Republic Medal (First Class) and Federal Republic Medal (Second Class) respectively.
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Boko Haram looting our armoury – DHQ

The Defence Headquarters has said that it was aware that members of the outlawed Islamist sect, Boko Haram, were in the habit of looting its armoury.



The military authorities stated that they were making efforts to secure all armouries in its various formations across the country.

Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, made the disclosure during his first real-time Twitter chat which held on Sunday night.

The army general was, however, not categorical about the grades of weapons just as he did not name the armouries that have so far been looted by the insurgents.

“We are taking measures to ensure that our armouries are secured. We agree and are aware Boko Haram has stolen arms,” Olukolade said while responding to an inquiry by one of the participants of the Twitter chat.

The Defence spokesman explained that the military high command frowned on the proliferation of arms, noting that inter-agency cooperation had recently been heightened to contain the menace.

According to Olukolade, the policing of Nigerian borders with other West African neighbours have been repositioned in view of the security threats posed by the Boko Haram insurgents.

“Interagency collaboration has been heightened; from all indications policing of our borders has increased. Our strategic information-sharing policy considers transparency, security, propriety and accuracy in reporting to the public,” he added.

Warning that the military would deal decisively with saboteurs among its officers and men engaged in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East, Olukolade said the service chiefs were “monitoring all personnel both in the frontline and rear”, adding that “suspicious people are being vetted.”

Dismissing the insinuation that top military commanders were feeding large on the entitlements of the rank and file of the armed forces, the military spokesman argued that the quality of food being provided for the officers and men at the battlefront are the same.

He claimed that the welfare package for the slain officers and men who die on the battlefield was attractive.

“The food they (officers and men) eat is within standards and best diet design as practicable. All eat the same food, be it officers or soldiers.

“By the way, there are two levels of insurance covering all soldiers and men involved in the anti-terror war. There is the Personnels’ Service Arm insurance, the Defence Headquarters Insurance package which is different from the gratuity, death benefits and children scholarships. On honour for slain soldiers, we do give due and befitting burials,” Olukolade said.

According to him, since Shekau has been killed by the military forces, the Armed Forces would remain focused by maintaining the tempo of “firepower to ensure that we sweep them (Boko Haram) off their nuisance hotspots.”

Insisting that the Defence Headquarters would not concede any portion of Nigeria to terrorists, Olukolade said the surveillance and air operations were ongoing with a view to exerting control and ensure minimum collateral damage.

Olukolade further said that the Nigerian Armed Forces were better armed, responsive and service oriented when placed in comparison with their Cameroonian counterparts.

“We welcome input from allies. It still remains our duty to get best results for our people. We are exchanging ideas and intelligence.

“We have a Nigerian-led Multinational Joint Task Force particularly on the Lake Chad Basin area. Cameroon is inactive in this.

“Any campaign to suggest that our Army is weaker than Boko Haram, Cameroon’s or any other force is a campaign against Nigeria.

“There is so much eagerness to discredit us and make us bow psychologically. I am working for my country. No denials.

“They are trying to pitch the soldiers against the leadership. Any military that loses leadership is doomed for the nation.

“Officers are paid to manage soldiers. Civilians can’t control them. Anarchy looms if authority loses grip.”

Olukolade added that there was no time frame to putting an end to the insurgency as terrorism is usually a long fight.

He, thereafter, warned the media against what he described as the undermining of structures.

“This is not the time to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword. Nigerian media should not undermine structures. We appeal to foreign and the local press to be circumspect and be consistent with democracy and public interests.

“We agree that there is such a need to review its (military) communication mechanism and we have engaged with various stakeholders to maintain robust counter-terrorist communications,” he said.
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Synagogue: We had approval to build 12 floors — Joshua’s aide

Barely two weeks after the collapse of the guest house at Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, a fresh indication emerged yesterday that the church was given an approval for a 12-storey building by the Lagos State government.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, yesterday, Mr. Ken Emeakayi, an aide to Prophet T.B Joshua, refuted reports that the building had no approval.



He said: “It is not true and I stand to be corrected. I want to also point out that whosoever said that was not saying the correct thing, because I also listened to a commissioner of Lagos State, when he came to your studio. He said that when he got there, he discovered that there was no approval for the building, meaning that he has not been there before and there was nothing of such. Yes, the church had approval.”

Asked if the church had shown the approval to the Lagos State Government authorities, he said: “Yes, ofcourse. Officials of Lagos State Government have been there severally. They have even come to look at other buildings in the church premises. So, there is no additional sturcture to the building. We are talking of a building that is on its own. We have the pictures. It’s a new structure.

“The building is still under construction, but it is not as if it is an attachment to the church auditorium. It is a building standing on its own and in a different compound. It is a guest house. It is a building that has its own design and approval. This particular structure in question, has an approval for 12-storey building and they have even come to examine the foundation and its casting after this incident. They have therefore seen that it was done with the specification of a 12-storey building.”
When contacted, Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde, declined comment on the matter saying, “there will be no further comment on the collapsed Synagogue building until investigations into the matter are concluded and the report made public.”

Lagos is conducting thorough investigation — Fashola

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, declared that the state government is conducting thorough investigation to unravel the facts surrounding the collapse of a six-storey building owned by the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, saying, “we are acting methodically on the issue.”

This came two weeks after the six-storey guest house owned by SCOANs killed over 100 persons and 131 others rescued.

Fashola, who stated this during a courtesy visit by the executive members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP, led by its President, Mr. Steve Onu, at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja, warned residents to refrain from making false statements on the collapsed building.

The governor, while reacting to complaints from residents, demanding immediate action said:

”People must understand that when accidents like this happen, there are many issues involved. Perhaps, we have got used to what was amounts to an inappropriate conduct on arrival at an accident scene and make pronouncements on what happened before the investigations are concluded.

“Residents must desist from this act and wait for professionals to make pronouncements. I think we should just allow that process to go on. I think the investigation will be held if we refrain from any further comment about this incident. So, some of the people we took away from the accident scenes, who are in coma and who are in shock, people count them as dead people.

“This kind of behaviour must stop. Unless there is anybody keeping dead bodies in his house and private hospital, we are the regulators and all those bodies come to our mortuaries. So, we must account for them.” he warned.
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Unlawful detention: Court orders SSS to apologise to El-Rufai, pay him N2m in damages

The Federal High Court on Monday ordered the State Security Service to apologise to a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, and to pay him N2 million in damages for unlawful detention.

This follows the events of November 15 and 16 2013, during the last Anambra governorship elections, when SSS officials detained and harassed Mr. El-Rufai at the Finotel in Awka.

Dissatisfied with his treatment, and believing that the conduct of the SSS had no basis in law, Mr. El-Rufai approached the court for redress.

The case was listed as FHC/AWK/CS/310/13, with the SSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents.

Delivering judgment in Awka on Monday, Justice Ibrahim Bature Gafai held that the SSS has no statutory powers under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 or under any Nigerian law to detain Mr. El-Rufai without showing cause to a court of competent jurisdiction.

The court therefore ordered the SSS to publish an apology in two national dailies for the unlawful and unconstitutional violation of his liberty.

In addition to the apology and monetary damages, the court also made significant pronouncements regarding the restriction of movement during elections.

The court declared that the Respondents have no powers under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 or under any Nigerian law to either impose a general restriction on movement or restrict the applicant’s constitutional right of freedom of movement as enshrined in Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 on account of the Anambra State Gubernatorial election that took place on the 16th day of November, 2013 or any other election.

This decision has massive implications for the way government agencies routinely attempt to restrict movement of persons, especially during elections.

The court also granted other prayers sought by Mr. El-Rufai, including:

i. A DECLARATION that the detention of the Applicant, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, OFR, without charge, at the premises of Finotel Hotel, Akwa, Anambra State, between the 15th day of November, 2013 and 16th day of November, 2013, by agents of the 1st Respondent, (SSS) or officers, servants, privies of the Respondents and/or of the Federal Government of Nigeria, constitute a gross violation of the Applicant right to personal liberty and freedom of movement respectively guaranteed under sections 35 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and Articles 6 and 12(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is therefore unconstitutional and illegal.

ii. A DECLARATION that the unlawful deprivation of the Applicant, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, OFR, from granting/continued granting of interview with an AIT Correspondence, Mr. Obiorah Iloh and other mass media representatives within the premises of Finotel Hotel, Akwa, Anambra State, at about 2pm of 16th day of November, 2013 by agents of the 1st Respondent, (SSS) or officers, servants, privies of the Respondents and/or of the Federal Government of Nigeria, constitute a gross violation of the Applicant’s freedom of expression guaranteed under section 39 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and Article 9(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is accordingly unlawful unconstitutional and illegal.

iii. A DECLARATION that the detention of the Applicant at the premises of Finotel Hotel, Akwa, Anambra State, without charge, on the 15th day of November, 2013 to the 16th day of November, 2013, by agents of the 1st Respondent, (SSS) or officers, servants, agents, privies of the Respondents and/or of the Federal Government of Nigeria with a view to denying the Applicant, Deputy National Secretary and Member/Secretary Electoral Committee, of All Progressives Congress Anambra Governorship Election, 2013, freedom to associates with fellow members of the said All Progressives Congress, at Akwa, Anambra State, is a violation of the Applicant’s Right to Peaceful Assembly and Association guaranteed under section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and Articles 10(1) and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and is accordingly unconstitutional and illegal.

iv. A DECLARATION that the restriction and prevention of the Applicant from moving out of his room in Finotel Hotel wherein he lodged at Awka in Anambra State to monitor the 16th November, 2013 Anambra State Gubernatorial Election by the Agents of the Respondents, Officers, Servants, Agents or Privies constitutes a gross violation of the Applicant’s constitutional right of freedom of movement as enshrined in section 41 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended).

v. A DECLARATION that the restriction and prevention of the Applicant from moving out of his room in Finotel Hotel wherein he lodged at Awka in Anambra State to observe congregation prayers (salat) on the 16th November, 2013 by the Agents of the Respondents, Officers, Servants, Agents or Privies constitutes a gross violation of the Applicant’s constitutional right of freedom of Religion as enshrined in section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended).
​
vi. A DECLARATION that the Respondents have no powers under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) or under any Nigerian Law to either impose a general restriction on movement or restrict the Applicant’s constitutional right of freedom of movement as enshrined in Section 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) on account of the Anambra State Gubernatorial election that took place on the 16th day of November, 2013 or any other election.

vii. A DECLARATION that the 1st Respondent has no statutory powers under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) or under any Nigerian Law to detain the Applicant without showing cause to a Court of competent jurisdiction.

viii. AN INJUNCTION restraining the Respondents, whether by themselves or by their officers, agents, servants, privies, or otherwise howsoever from further detaining or in any other manner infringing on the fundamental rights of the Applicant.

ix. AN ORDER for the award of compensation/damages to the Applicant, in the sum of N2,000,000.00 (Two Million Naira only) for the unlawful and unconstitutional detention/violation of his right to personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of association and expression.

x. AN ORDER directing the Respondents to publish apologies to the Applicant in two (2) National Dailies, for the unlawful and unconstitutional detention/violation of his right to personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of religion, freedom of association and expression guaranteed under the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) and Articles 6, 9(2), 10(1), 11 and 12(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

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We need a “common sense” revolution in Nigeria - Tinubu

A former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says there is a need for the country to undergo a “common sense” revolution in the country.



Tinubu, who is a national leader of the All Progressives Congress said the many years of misrule by successive Peoples Democratic Party presidents had continued to sink the country further into crisis.

The former governor said this in a statement titled ‘A Return to Decency,’ on Monday.

He described the 16 years of PDP rule at the federal level as a period of steady decline into disaster.

He said, “The longer they rule, the less benefit the people derive. Nigeria now needs a ‘common sense revolution,’ a revolution that calls forth a return to decency, probity, transparency of process and fairness in outcome.

“This is done not by subterfuge, divide and rule and turning Nigeria in a field of discord or a street of broken institutions. It is accomplished by honouring the principles of democratic good governance and economic justice. It is done by persuading the people they are better off as one instead of better off tearing at one another’s throats.

“Nigerians should be prepared for change. We must rescue Nigeria from those set to cause it irreparable harm. The change I talk about is the only route to our deliverance from 16 years of the PDP locusts. Nigeria is ours to keep and its democracy is ours to save.”

He advised that this year’s Independence Day should be a time of sober reflection because other countries that received independence at the same time as Nigeria had since surpassed the country.

He described the Nigeria of today as the nightmare of its founding fathers. Tinubu further berated the PDP-led Federal Government of using religion to divide Nigerians.

He said, “We commemorate this Independence Day because the nation has survived despite its many challenges. We dare not celebrate because the nation has not flourished as it should. Fifty four years our national trek began with hope and promise, peace and unity.

“Today, the nation staggers beneath the weight of trouble multiplied by hardship. Peace and unity seem to have yielded the moment to violence and discord. We exist as a political unit on a map but we do not prosper as brothers and sisters in one nation, under one flag and pursuant to one accord.”

“Never has an elected government in Nigeria employed religion as a tool to divide the people, setting Nigerian brother against brother in a manner that allows this administration to function at the basest level of governance while seeking to establish a political domination that seeks no greater purpose than its self-perpetuation.”

He described attempts to stigmatise and physically intimidate the APC and the militarisation of elections as features of a perverse democracy.

He described President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda as an avenue to siphon funds through a dubious blueprint.

“They do not have a national blueprint or vision. They do have a blueprint and vision for excessive self-enrichment. Their equation is simple: You work, they feast. You toil, they grow fat. You seek a decent wage; they pilfer the collective treasury to enjoy a king’s ransom,” he said.

He said rather than promote religious tolerance and harmonious living, Jonathan’s government believes its electoral chances are enhanced by promoting ethnicism, internal divisions and religious suspicion but “successful nations are not built this way, have we not learned the lesson that we paid the high price of civil war to learn.”
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60 Nigerian soldiers face trial for mutiny

Another set of 60 soldiers are to be arraigned before a General Court Martial by military authorities in Abuja on Tuesday (today)   for mutiny.

The soldiers allegedly committed mutiny on August 4, 2014 by refusing to join troops in Maiduguri for “an operation.”

Their arraignment which is to take place at the Sani Abacha Barracks in Abuja comes as It was also gathered on Monday that some of the 12 soldiers convicted on September 15, 2014 by the GCM had notified the Court of Appeal of their intention to challenge their sentences.

The   GCM headed by Brig. Gen. C. Okonkwo   had sentenced 12 out of 18 soldiers facing trial guilty of mutiny among other offences and sentenced them to death. Five of them were however discharged and acquitted   and one sentenced to 28 days’ imprisonment with hard labour and reprimand.

The soldiers were charged with mutiny among other offences, including   attacking the former General Officer Commanding the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, Ahmed Mohammed.

A copy of the charge sheet filed against the 60 soldiers revealed that the soldiers, comprising two corporals, nine lance corporals and 49 privates, are to be arraigned on two counts of conspiracy to commit mutiny and mutiny.

The accused allegedly committed the offences at the Mulai Primary School, opposite African Independent Television in Maiduguri, Borno State on August 4, 2014 by refusing to join “111 SF Bn troops” led by Col. E.A. Aladeniyi to Maimalari Barracks in connection with an operation.

According to the charge sheet, they “conspired to commit mutiny against the authority of 7 Division,” an offence said to be punishable under Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004.

The soldiers were also accused of committing mutiny which is said to be punishable under Section 52(1)(a) of the AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.

The charges   are said to be triable in the GCM under Section 114 of the AFA Cap A20 LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004.

The two corporals   are Andrew Ogolekwu and Saturday Efa.

The charge sheet reads, “Count One: Criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny triable by the General Court Martial by virtue of Section 114 of the AFA Cap A20 LFN 2004 and punishable under section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P 89 LFN 2004.

“Particulars of offence: In that you at Mulai Primary School Camp opposite AIT Maiduguri on or about 4 August 2014 conspired to commit mutiny against the authority of 7 Division.

“Count 2: Mutiny contrary to and punishable under section 52(1)(a) of the AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.

“Particulars of offence: In that you at Mulai Primary School Camp opposite AIT Maiduguri on or about 4 August 2014 refused to join 111 SF BN troops led by Col. E.A. Aladeniyi (N/9695) to Maimalari Barracks in connection with an operation.”

Indications had emerged on Sunday that lawyers seeking to file an appeal challenging the conviction of some of the 12 soldiers by the GCM     had not been able to have access to them.

There were reports that the convicted soldiers had been moved from the Defence Headquarters Garrison, Abuja to a detention facility at the Directorate of Defence Intelligence, Lagos.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Godwin Obla,   who brought the process of appeal on behalf of three of the convicted soldiers, said   his chambers had made unsuccessful attempts to get in touch with them   without success.

The soldiers are Iganmu Emmanuel, Steven Clement and  Andrew Ngbede.

Obla told one a source that the military did not volunteer information on where the convicts were being kept.

He said that the inability to locate them had hampered the completion of the appeal process as they had not been available to sign some documents required for the appeal.

Soldiers facing trial

The SAN said, “We have been trying to get them (the soldiers) to sign for the process; and because we have not been able to get them, we have not been able to complete the process; there are things for them to sign.

“Nobody has been able to tell us where they are being kept; nobody is volunteering information; nobody has been able to tell us where they are.

“We are just hearing that they have been moved to the Directorate of Military Intelligence Cell in Lagos.

“We   will make the move so that the process would be filed on their behalf.”Obla also said that the filing process at the Court of Appeal had not been completed   because the findings against and the sentencing of the soldiers by the GCM had not been promulgated and communicated to them.

He said that the filing could only be made after the findings and the verdict of the court martial had been promulgated and communicated to them.

Obla said, “The findings and sentence by the General Court Martial need to be promulgated and it is to be communicated to the convicts. It has not been communicated to them.

“It is after the findings and the sentence have been communicated to the convicts that the filing can be made.”

A lawyer from Obla’s law firm, Mr. Enokela Onyilo-Uloko,   said     that the law firm of a former President of the Senate, Chief Amah Ebute, was handling the defence of six of the   convicted soldiers.

He listed those being represented by Ebute’s law firm as Jasper Braidolor, Friday Onuh, Alao Samuel,   Linus Alan,   Ifeanyi Alukagbe and Amadi Chukwudi.

He said, “Nine of the soldiers are already before the Court of Appeal; the appeals are within time; we are awaiting the hearing date from the Court of Appeal.

“A motion for Stay of Execution is being filed to make sure they don’t tamper with them.”

It was also learnt  that the Army might soon arraign 13 soldiers for cowardice and failure to obey orders from their superiors to advance at the (war) front.

The soldiers were said to have been directed to join their counterparts at the 7 Division, entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the North-East early in the year.

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