My life in danger over petition against Anyim — PDP leader cries out

A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, who alleged that former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Pius Anyim, tricked former President Goodluck Jonathan in the construction of the Centenary City, has said his life is now in danger.

Ojougboh has, as a result, asked his lawyer, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, to write two separate petitions on the alleged plan to kill him and the involvement of a foreign company in the alleged scam.


He said, “I have instructed my lawyers to forward petitions to the Government of the United Arab Emirates over the scam (allegedly) being perpetrated by Eagle Hills.

“The petition should also be sent to the Nigerian Immigration Service over the activities of a notorious Mexican drug baron called Carlos Cabal that has been given the task to assassinate me; the European Union and the Government of Germany over the activities of Berger the Billfinger in Nigeria and African Human Rights Commission in The Gambia.”

Ojougboh, who is the Vice Chairman of the PDP for the South-South, also appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to “comprehensively investigate the murder allegations.”

He called on the national leadership of his party, the PDP, to “ignore the ranting of this mass of protoplasm but to join hands together in building a strong, united and virile party for the upcoming elections.”

Ojougboh’s lawyer, Ajulo, confirmed to newsmen that he had been directed to write the petitions, adding that he had already written the letter.

He said, “Yes, he directed us to write the petitions and we, as his lawyers, have already written them. I can assure you that we would pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.”

Ojougboh had exonerated Jonathan from the scandal, saying if the ex-President had known what happened on the project, he would also not have done the ground-breaking ceremony of the city.

He explained at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday that the land size of the proposed city, which is located along the Airport Road in Abuja, is equal to Maitama, Asokoro and Guzape Districts put together.

Ojougboh alleged that the fraud involved in the project was about N1.2bn and that the Federal Government was also going to lose about $4b from the project.

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Abacha wanted to killl me - Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday, stated that there was no alternative to democracy, as he almost lost his life to a dictator under a military rule.

He said this on Friday at his Presidential Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, when officials of the National Association of Nigerian Students and some students union leaders from various institutions paid him a visit.

Obasanjo and some other retired military officers and civilians were jailed in 1995 by the military government of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, after he was found guilty by a military tribunal of allegedly plotting to overthrow Abacha’s administration.


They were released after the dictator’s death in 1998.

Narrating his near-death experience under Abacha’s regime, the former President said he would support the current democratic dispensation led by President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed.

He said, “I will work for the success of this current dispensation. There is no excuse, because there is no alternative to democracy.

“The alternative to democracy is worse than democracy. I experienced that. Abacha put me in prison and I was about to be killed. If it was under democracy (democratic rule), that would not happen.”

Obasanjo further said no matter what critics of President Buhari might be saying, Nigerians had started to witness a Nigeria of their dreams in the last two and half months.

He noted that the country had tottered toward the precipice so many times, but God had not allowed it to tumble.

Obasanjo said, “When one takes a look at everything, the most crucial and vital conclusion is that God loves Nigeria. The nation has gone towards the precipice many times and Nigeria did not tumble, this shows God is a Nigerian.

“Many had thought after the 2015 general elections Nigeria will be no more. Some had sent their families abroad. Some know the National Democratic Coalition route; I don’t know the NADECO route.

“I don’t have anywhere to go. But to the surprise of many of them, God did it in a miraculous way. The election took place, though some did not want it to take place. But let us thank God it took place. We must also thank those who conducted the elections.

“We thank God for peace even after the election. No single individual is a paragon of perfection. There is no Messiah except Jesus Christ. But there are people who still stick out their necks for the good of Nigerians.

“Thank God we have such as a leader now. What we have witnessed in the last two and a half months is that our dreams are coming true. We must give unalloyed support to the government. Criticisms that are objective and positive are welcome where necessary.”

Responding to a question on whether President Buhari took a right decision by giving the military a November deadline to end Boko Haram insurgency, the former president said it was a right decision.

He said setting a target was part of military war strategy to measure the success or failure of a particular operation.

Obasanjo said, “President Muhammadu Buhari took a right decision by telling the military to quash the Boko Haram insurgents by November.

“It is not good to just leave everything open-ended. It is a strategy in the military to set a target for any operation. This will enable those concerned to work hard. Having a target is necessary. Even if that target was not met, the people concerned would have something to work with.”

Obasanjo cited the Nigerian Civil War as an example, saying the military had set a six-month target to crush the Biafran renegades, but the war extended to 30 months.

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APC CRISIS: Saraki swallows pride, reaches out to Tinubu

Nigeria's Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had started reaching out to some of the aggrieved leaders of the party.

Saraki is one of the gladiators in the clash of egos and wills that followed the Senate leadership election on June 9 and subsequent appointment of principal officers.

The Senate President had earlier visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo to help him beg President Muhammadu Buhari.


He also reportedly met with the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, on the same matter.

During the week, some emissaries sent by Saraki met with President Buhari and sought forgiveness for the Senate President for acting contrary to the dictates of the party.

The emissaries included Senate Leader Ali Ndume, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Danjuma Goje, and Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

A report in a national daily on Saturday also said the emissaries apologised to the President for the individual roles they played in the crisis.

However, sources in the party revealed on Saturday that the emissaries also had a brief to meet with the party’s national leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu.

Many within the party see the crisis as a battle of wills with Buhari, Tinubu and some party leaders on one side of the ring and the Senate President and his backers on the other side. One of the prominent APC leaders that is believed to have backed Saraki is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

But sources revealed that Saraki, of recent, had made strenuous efforts to meet and appeal to Tinubu to sheathe his sword.

Our correspondents report that Saraki’s olive branch to Tinubu may mark a turning point in the crisis as the Senate President, before now, had insisted that he would not ‘beg’ the APC leader.

But the sources added that Saraki might have changed his position when all his efforts to get President Buhari to forgive him for his defiance to the party and move on.

It has been widely reported that Buhari has refused all entreaties to host the Senate President at the Presidential Villa since the controversial election in the senate. The President had also said the leadership of the senate should tow the party line.

Two APC officials who spoke to newsmen yesterday shed light on Saraki’s last two attempts to reach out to the APC national leader. They said that one attempt occurred three weeks ago while the other took place on Thursday in Abuja.

“Three weeks ago he tried to get across to Tinubu through one of his aides. Of course, the aide couldn’t have arranged the meeting. Tinubu’s disposition to the matter is well known,” the source said.

The APC national leader, sources said, had told some of Saraki’s emissaries in the past that the senate leadership should toe the party line.

Another source said the last attempt took place during the week when the APC senators, who met with the President at the behest of Saraki, also tried to get across to Tinubu. A source close to Tinubu said while the former Lagos governor was aware of the move, his position on the matter had not changed.

The source stated that Saraki needed a long-term strategy to pacify the aggrieved party leaders, adding that the Senate President’s is perceived as haughty by some of these leaders.

“It is a surprise that he is reaching out to Tinubu. Saraki has no respect for Tinubu. He is contemptuous of him. During meetings he refers to him contemptuously as “Bola”. In fact there was a time that Tinubu wanted to explain a point to him and he shut him up,” the source said.

The source may have alluded to the cultural norm in Tinubu and Saraki’s Yoruba ethnic group where an elder is not addressed by his first name. Tinubu is 63 while Saraki is 52.

But the source close to the APC leader insisted that the national leader had no ‘ego problem’ with Saraki.

“Tinubu’s take is that the senate should toe the party line. It is not a personal problem at all. If it were a personal problem, the President won’t be reacting the same way.”

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Lai Mohammed told one of our correspondents on Saturday that the APC believes in party supremacy.

He said, “I can’t comment on the story you are asking me about. However, the APC has made its position on party supremacy known.”

The spokesman for the Senate President, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, could not be reached on Saturday night. Calls and a text message sent to his line were not responded to.

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Controversial Radio Biafra back on air again

Controversial pirate channel, Radio Biafra, has again resumed transmission, despite the Federal Government’s claim that it had jammed the station’s signals.

The Federal Government had on July 14 announced that it jammed the transmission signals of the radio station, which was operating illegally from an unknown location.

NE observed that the channel had not been transmitting on the FM 104.7 band, on which its signals was received in Enugu, since July.


However, it was observed on Saturday that the station, which was monitored from 8pm to 9pm, had resumed transmission on the same 104.7 FM band, from which it transmitted before it went off air.

Listeners were invited to call in from various parts of the South-East, and from outside the country.

The station was still transmitting as of the time of filing this report.

The broadcast addressed the most current issues in the country, an indication that the channel was still on air

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'You are a liar, you didn't leave N7 Billiion in Rivers treasury' - Wike blasts Amaechi

The controversy concerning Rivers State’s treasury took a different dimension on Saturday when Governor Nyesom Wike disagreed with his predecessor’s insistence that he left N7.5bn cash in the state’s coffers.

Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi had, in a statement, said a total of N7.5bn cash was left behind as the balances for the state’s internally generated revenue account with Skye Bank; the Federal Account Allocation Committee accounts with Zenith Bank and Access Bank; and the state’s Reserve Funds in First Bank.



But Wike, on Saturday, dismissed Amaechi’s claim and asked why students under the state’s scholarship scheme were not paid their tuition fees and other allowances.


According to the governor, a fraction of N7.5bn would have saved the final-year students abroad the trauma of standing the risk of being sent back home from their various foreign universities.

Wike, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Opunabo Inko-Tariah, recalled when he had to send the sum of N713m to various foreign universities for Rivers students’ tuition fees and other allowances.

He said, “If he (Amaechi) is saying he left N7.5bn, why did he fail to pay Rivers students studying abroad under the state government’s scholarship scheme, apart from the fact that pensioners were owed between six and eight months’ pension arrears?

“The former governor has been inconsistent in the amount he said he left in the treasury. On one hand, he would say he left N7.5bn, and in the next breath, he would say he left N10bn.

“But we have been consistent in saying we met an empty treasury with huge debts to pay. Civil servants, footballers (Rivers Angels and Dolphins) and contractors were owed. But we thank God that we started paying them after we settled in. We have made our point and we are consistent about it.”

However, Amaechi disagreed with Wike, saying it is wrong for the governor to measure the non-payment of students and contractors with his claim that he (Amaechi) left funds in the state coffers.

Amaechi, who spoke through his former aide, Mr. Tony Okocha, said, “Wike should know that anything about government is about procedures and processes. That students abroad were not paid does not mean that there were no funds in the state treasury.

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There’s no alternative to democracy - Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said there is no alternative to democracy, arguing that he almost lost his life to a dictator under a military rule.

He said this on Friday at his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta when officials of the National Association of Nigerians Students and some student union leaders from various institutions of learning paid him a visit.

Obasanjo and some other retired military officers and civilians were jailed in 1995 by the military government of the late Gen.Sani Abacha, after he was found guilty by a military tribunal of allegedly plotting to overthrow  Abacha's administration.

 
He was released after the dictator's death in 1998 by the Abdusalami Abubakar military regime shortly after Abacha's death.

Narrating his near-death experience under the late Abacha's administration, the former President said he would support the current democratic dispensation led by President  Muhammadu Buhari to succeed.

He said, "I will work for the success of this current dispensation; there is no excuse because there is no alternative to democracy.

"The alternative to democracy is worse than dictatorship. I experienced that. Abacha put me in prison and I was about to be killed. If it was under democracy (democratic rule) that would not happen."

Obasanjo, who said no matter what the critics of Buhari might say, it was evident that in the last two and half months, Nigerians had started to witness a sign of a country of their dream.

He noted that the country had tottered towards the precipice so many times, but God had not allowed it to tumble.

The ex-president said, "When one takes a look at everything, the most crucial and vital conclusion is that God loves Nigeria.

"The nation has gone toward the precipice many times and Nigeria did not tumble, this shows God is a Nigerian.

"Many had thought after the 2015 general elections. Nigeria will be no more. Some had sent their families abroad. Some know the NADECO route. I don't know the NADECO route.

"I don't have anywhere to go. But to the surprise of many of them, God did it in a miraculous way. The election took place, though some did not want it to take place. But let us thank God it took place. We must also thank those who conducted the elections.

"We thank God for peace even after the election. No single individual is a paragon of perfection. There is no Messiah except Jesus Christ. But there are people who still stick out their neck for the good of Nigerians.

"Thank God we have such as a leader now. What we have witnessed in the last two and half months is that our dreams are coming true. We must give unalloyed support to the government.

"Criticisms that are objective and positive are welcome where necessary."

Responding to a question on whether Obasanjo added that Buhari took a right decision by giving the military a November deadline to end the Boko Haram insurgents.

He said setting a target was part of military war strategy to measure the success or failure of a particular operation.

He said, "President Muhammadu Buhari took a right decision by telling the military to quash the Boko Haram insurgents by November.

"It is not good to just leave everything open-ended. It is a strategy in the military to set a target for any operation. This will enable those concerned to work hard.

"Having a target is necessary. Even if that target was not met, the people concerned would have something to work with."

Obasanjo, who used the Nigeria's civil war as an example, said the military had set a six-month target to crush the Biafran renegades, but the war extended to 30 months.

He said, "For those of us who were involved in the Nigeria civil war, we set a six-month target to end the Nigeria-Biafra war, but it extended to 30 months."

On his own part, the vice-president, NANS, Ogunkuade Oluwatosin, said the students' body recognised the doggedness and contribution of the former president to the success of the 2015 general elections.

He said the Buhari-led administration should extend its anti-corruption war to education sector.

He said, "Your fatherly contribution to the development of Nigeria is visible, even three months after the general elections.

"We need your contribution to move Nigeria to Nigeria of our dreams. We want student-youth inclusion in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari."

Obasanjo threw a challenge to the students, arguing that none of them was too young to make meaningful contribution to the development of the country.

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Troops advance to clear terrorists’ camps in Borno – Army

The 7 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, on Saturday entered and cleared Gudumbali town in Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno.

This is contained in a statement signed by Col. Sani Usman, Acting Director, Army Public Relations.

He said the effort was part of the continued offensive against the Boko Haram terrorists.
He added that during the operation, a number of terrorists were killed and their weapons and equipment destroyed.


Usman recalled that the Nigerian Air Force inflicted severe damage on the terrorists' camps within the general area last Monday.
In related development, Usman said that troops of 5 Brigade Explosive Ordinance Devices (EOD) unit ran into landmines while advancing towards Dikwa.

He said the landmines were buried by the terrorists between old Marte and Kerenoa junction in Marte Local Government Area of Borno.

According to Usman, two soldiers lost their lives, while two others sustained critical injuries from the landmine explosion.
"The bodies of the two gallant soldiers have been evacuated while the two wounded soldiers are already receiving treatment at the military hospital,'' he said.

Usman said the army also lost a Mowag Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in the same location.

"Despite these sad events, the troops are not deterred as they continue their advance and pursuit of the terrorists to their enclaves in Sambisa forest.

"The troops in the various formations and units in Operation LAFIYA DOLE are in very high spirits and more determined to destroy the terrorists' camps and enclaves,'' he said.

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REVEALED: Why Buhari is after Jonathan’s men – Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole at the weekend declared that it was not wrong for President Muhammadu Buhari to beam his anti-corruption searchlight on men and women in the immediate past administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stressed that the cries of selectiveness of the Buhari's fight against corruption was uncalled for as Jonathan's men were fully in charge of managing the Nigerian economy that have been claimed to witness many corrupt practices.

The governor spoke during the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) event for celebrating two media icons, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday night.

Oshiomhole, who represented the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Chairman of the occasion, said: "They are serving a President who appreciates that these problems have to be confronted headon. The President who boldly told the world that the issue of corruption, if it is not killed, it will kill us. And since we don't want to die, we have to kill corruption."

"But the forces behind corruption are powerful, some are feasible and some are not feasible. They are men and women of rich, of means. Many are even billionaires in dollars and euros.

"Now where are the forces that will queue behind the president to confront the drivers of corruption. As you can see, people are already asking question about due process, people are asking questions about selective and so on.

"And it will be the job of Shehu and Femi to remind people that if you managed a house for 16 years and members of the community believed that the house has not been properly managed and that the reason for the mismanagement is that some people willfully … including resorting to corrupt practices, you can only deal with those in that house, the people who had responsibility for managing the house.

"So when you select those people and deal with them, of course it is selective. You can only select from among those who are involved with crime. Editors will help to take this to our people." He said

He wondered why those crying fowl play now decided to keep silent when many wrongdoings were carried out under Jonathan.

He said: "When my helicopter was stopped when going to Ekiti State, as a governor with immunity, I was stopped by a low-level military officer from flying to Ekiti because my purpose was to campaign. I didn't quite hear pastors protesting on my behalf.

"When Rotimi Amaechi was detained by a Commissioner of Police in Rivers State and they moved tankers to Government House, heaven didn't fall." He stated

Stressing that everything must be done now to guide the current democracy, he noted that it is not possible to fight war against corruption without having casualties.

"It is only in Nigeria, that for 16 years a particular political party was in power, they were fighting corruption war but there were no casualties. It is like the Nigerian Police that sees criminal and shoot to the air."

He said that the good news is that Nigeria now has a President with enormous political will, who is determined to get the job done.

"Whether in the course of doing it, he will make a mistake that he will become too careful as to leave the job undone. For all of us who agree, lamentations won't be our portion forever. It is time to get organized and deal with these issues." He added

He urged the NGE to assist the two Presidential Media aides as they have a huge and challenging tasks ahead of them in their spokesman's job for the President.

The governor prayed for God to give them the desired wisdom to succeed in their assignments.

The NGE Acting President, Garba Mohammed, said that the event was to express their happiness and back the two Presidential aides on their new jobs.

According to him, they are round pegs in round holes and a perfect team for the jobs.

"We will be with them through thin and thick." He stated

The two presidential aides were also presented with gifts during the event

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OAU ranked best university in Nigeria

The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has been ranked the best university in Nigeria by Webometrics.

According to the latest web ranking of world universities conducted by the Cybermetrics Lab of Spain, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC), OAU was rated as the best in the country

A statement by the insitution's spokesperson, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that in the newest ranking, which was released last Monday, "Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was placed, ranked and rated as the best University in Nigeria, while the Universities of Lagos and Ilorin came a distant 2nd and 3rd in positions.

" This is the first time in the history of higher education in Nigeria where a particular university, like OAU, would maintain been the first and the best in the country for more than four consecutive times."

The statement quoted the institution's Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, as applauding the ranking and ascribing the first position which OAU has been maintaining for the past years to the hard work and dedication to duty of the academic, administrative and technical staff.

He said the midas touch of the staff has placed the university far and above more than one hundred (100) other universities in Nigeria.

Prof. Omole re-emphasized his determination to make training and retraining of staff, on constant basis, his topmost priority, adding that he would not rest on his oars until OAU becomes the best in Africa, and one of the top ten in the world.

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Residents warned to stay indoors as Oro festival sweeps Ile Ife

Residents of Ile-Ife, have been warned to remain indoors as traditionalists wrap up the funeral rites for the immediate past Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade.


The final rites are to be performed by the Oro deity.


Town criers went from street to street on Saturday,asking residents especially commercial drivers and motorcyclists, to keep off the roads between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The Head of the Oro Cult in the town and the Awara of Iwara, Oba Layi Adereti, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), ordered the curfew, warning that anyone who flouted the order, irrespective of age or gender would face its consequences.


Many residents rushed to the few available markets to get essentials that would last them for the day.

Major markets in Ile-Ife have been shut since last penultimate Friday when the burial rites started,although some around Mayfair have been in operation.

As a result of the curfew, some Heads of Departments in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife cancelled the continuous assessment tests for their students scheduled for yesterday.

Some students, who reside off campus, were advised to remain indoors in compliance with the Oro cult order.

Also, hundreds of commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as "Okada riders" were seen on Friday distributing a hand bill to their colleagues, warning them against operating in Ife yesterday.

The Vice President of the Okada Riders Association, Ile-Ife chapter, Mr Idowu Akamo, told NAN that the fliers became imperative because some members of the association were always busy and might not have heard the town criers while making the announcement.

He said that many of the residents as well as the Okada riders had thought the mourning period would end on August 21, adding that many residents were surprised when they heard the stay-at-home order.

According to him, the Oro people should not be dared because the consequences might be disastrous, saying the association will not like to lose its members because of disobedience.

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