Funeral Allowed; Update from Lagos State Govt.

Ninth Update on Coronavirus by the Lagos State Incident Commander, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Dear Lagosians,
1. It has become imperative for me to address you again today, following the culmination of the second phase of the Lockdown on Lagos, Ogun and the FCT, and the Nationwide Address by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday. 

2. It is now my duty to share a broader framework for the implementation of the President’s directives here in Lagos State.

3. But before I do that, let me reiterate some of these directives, as outlined by the President in his address:

a. There will be an overnight curfew from 8pm to 6am, except for essential services. This means that from the hours of 8pm to 6am we expect all Lagosians to stay in their homes. 

b. Furthermore, there is a ban on interstate travel at this time. This means that no persons will be allowed in or out of Lagos until further notice, except for those delivering essential goods and services. And by this, we mean food items, petroleum products, newspapers, and essential manufactured goods.

c. According to the President, “Partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services will be allowed for the movement of goods and services from producers to consumers.” 


4. Lagos State will be very strict in the implementation of this directive. As a first step, I am directing that vehicles carrying food and agricultural produce into Lagos from any part of the country cannot have more than 7 passengers on board. The same applies when these vehicles are leaving the state.

5. We are compelled to issue this directive because we have in recent weeks seen attempts to conceal people in trucks and other vehicles carrying essential items, with the aim of sneaking them into or out of the State. 

MEDICAL UPDATE

6. Dear Lagosians, before I fully outline the guidelines for the easing of the Lockdown in Lagos State, let me officially update you on the medical situation. Our
State continues to be the epicentre of #COVID19 in Nigeria. The total number of confirmed cases in our State as at midnight April 28, 2020 is 844. 

7. One Hundred and Forty-Three (143) persons have been treated and discharged, and I am pleased to announce that today alone, we are discharging 49 people, of whom there are 48 Nigerians and 1 Foreigner – a Greek national.  Of these there are 28 females and 21 males. Sadly, we have lost 19 people, and we currently have 682 active cases.

8. I have been on the phone with our medical personnel who contracted the Coronavirus; I spoke with all of them earlier today; and I am pleased to say that they are all doing very well and in very high spirits. We are all looking forward to their discharge very soon.

9. Our medical workers will continue to be top priority for us at this time, and we will continue to make available all the resources they require, in terms of Hazard Allowances, Covid Allowances, Personal Protective Equipment, psycho-social support, and others. 

10. We are continuing our active case finding in communities across Lagos State. So far, we have covered over 1.5million households; and we are also continuing to scale-up our Isolation and Treatment capacity. The Isolation Center at Gbagada opens tomorrow, and we are currently working on building three additional Isolation Centers in the state.  

11. Also ongoing are our relief package distribution efforts, with the kind support of private organisations and civil society groups. 

12. We are encouraging businesses in Lagos to commence the production of face masks, as we roll out a new campaign to Mask Up Lagos. This is an opportunity for our people, especially the youth, to display their creativity and artistic flair, and project the cultural spirit of Lagos State to the world. 

13. I will now go on to share details of how the Presidential Directives on the gradual easing of the Lockdown in Lagos State will be implemented and enforced.

PUBLIC SERVICE 

14. Our public officers in the entire unified public service from grade levels 1-12 are to remain and work from home; unless otherwise directed by their Accounting Officers. 

15. For those on Grade Levels 13 and above, Accounting Officers will carry out a Needs Assessment of critical staff, identify essential officers and draw up a Flexible Work Roster in compliance with Social Distancing principles.  The Head of Service will provide further details via a circular. 

16. None of these directives applies to essential service providers. These people are expected to continue working as frontline workers, whose services are deeply appreciated. 

MALLS/STORES/MARKETS 

17. All open markets and stores will be allowed to open daily from 9am till 3pm on selected days. Everyone attending these markets and stores will be mandated to observe precautionary measures of social distancing and very high levels of personal and hand hygiene. 

18. Malls will be allowed to open with the proviso that stores in the malls maintain a 60% occupancy capacity within the stores; while also ensuring that a 2-meter social distancing is maintained between every person and the next, in the store. 

19. Hand sanitizers and/or wash basins must be provided at all entry points, and temperature checks must be carried out. 

EATERIES AND RESTAURANTS 

20. Eateries and restaurants will be allowed to open daily between 9am and 3pm, but only take-out and delivery services will be permitted. In-dining services are not allowed. 

21. All food handlers and staff of eateries are expected to have gone through exhaustive health checks and must also practise high levels of personal and hand hygiene in serving members of the public. 

22. Food handlers are also mandated to wear masks and hand gloves at all times; particularly during the preparation and serving of the food.

23. Hand sanitizers and/or wash basins must be provided at all entry points, and temperature checks must be carried out periodically throughout the period they are open for business. 

HEALTHCARE 

24. All medical establishments will continue to open, and maintain a high index of suspicion for Covid-19. All suspected cases of Covid-19 must be immediately reported to the State Helpline: 08000-267662.
EDUCATION 

25. All Schools and Institutions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels remain physically closed.  Students are expected to continue learning on the alternative online and media channels announced by the various institutions of learning. 

RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS 
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26. All places of worship (both formal and informal) are to remain closed from any form of congregational services or assemblage, until further notice. 

27. Our Muslim brothers and sisters taking part in the Ramadan Fast must observe all meals and prayers within their homes. In line with the pronouncement of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), no gatherings are allowed for Iftar, Suhur, and
Tarawih; and the conduct of Tafsir is also suspended. 

28. Because the process of ablution involves touching the face, it is essential to ensure that the hands are clean.
Ablution should, therefore, be preceded by the washing of hands with soap.

TRANSPORTATION 

29. The capacity of our public transportation system to reduce the risk of contagion will also be strengthened by a number of proactive measures we intend to take.
These are as follows:

a. All commuters are mandated to wear face masks at all times, sanitize with alcohol-based sanitizer or wash their hands with soap and running water before and after every trip.

b. All transport operators/companies are expected to sanitize their vehicles, parks and garages regularly and continuously at least before and after every trip.

c. All Transport Operators/Companies are expected to have at the entrance of the respective parks hand washing equipment with running water; and deploy temperature readers to test every passenger before boarding.

d. All operators are expected to have alcohol-based sanitizers in their vehicles for drivers, conductors and passengers.

e. All motor parks and garages must avoid overcrowding. Social distancing is required for passengers queuing up to board buses. 

f. All buses should be loaded to a maximum of 60% of full capacity. This means that if a bus normally takes 10 people at full capacity, during this period, no more than 6 persons can be allowed to board at any point in time. 

g. No standing allowed in all BRT and LBSL bus operations.  All air- conditioning systems in public transport systems must be switched off. 

h. All Operators, i.e. Drivers and Conductors, are mandated to always wear face masks and hand gloves while in transit and dispose of same appropriately. 


30. All of these guidelines as outlined – face masks, regular disinfection, hand-washing equipment, temperature checks, and 60% maximum capacity – shall equally apply to Water Transport Operations. 

31. In addition, from May 4, 2020, Water Transport Operations will be restricted to the period between 6am and 6pm daily, until further notice. 

32. Commercial Motorcycles, popularly known as Okadas, are to suspend their operations statewide, except for those motorcycles used for courier and logistics purposes. Tricycles (Kekes) operating in unrestricted areas, must not carry more than two passengers per trip and must ensure appropriate social distancing is maintained between passengers.
OFFICES AND BUSINESSES

33. From May 4, 2020, businesses are allowed to operate within a framework that we call a “Controlled Easing Phase”.  Let it be clear that this is not a full reopening of the economy. It is a gradual and controlled easing of the lockdown.  We will continue to monitor the public health situation; the economic impact of the lockdown and always adjust our responses accordingly.

34. Companies that choose to operate within this Controlled Easing Phase are to operate between 9am and 3pm; and are also directed to operate at a maximum of 60% of their staff capacity. 

35. Let me, however, say this: as many of us that can continue to work online and remotely from the office, please let us do so.   Online and Work-from-Home arrangements are highly encouraged to continue as much as is practicable.

36. We understand the important roles Banks and Financial Institutions play in our economy, and for this reason they are highly encouraged to open their branches and offer their full complement of services to the general public. They are however to observe the operational working hours of
9am to 3pm.  Very important for me to mention is that these Banks are also to ensure regular cleaning and decontamination of the various ATM machines.


37. For those institutions operating within the Controlled Easing Phase, certain measures and directives must be strictly adhered to.  These are:

a. All buildings are to ensure a 2-meter distancing measure is maintained in all common areas; and at all service and customer facing desks. 

b. All buildings are to maintain a 60% occupancy limit in all office rooms within the building; and no more than 50% of the elevator capacity in any building shall be utilized. 

c. Businesses/Companies are encouraged to make adequate arrangement for the transportation of their staff to their places of work to reduce the risk of contagion and exposure while traveling on public transportation. 

d. Companies transporting their staff to work in their private transportation arrangements shall be expected to strictly adhere to the principles of social distancing; as well as enjoin their staff to practise very high levels of hand and personal hygiene.

e. Hand sanitizers and/or wash basins must be made available at all entry points, and temperature checks must be carried out upon entry into the work premises. 

38. Whistleblowers are encouraged to report companies which flout these directives. Our whistleblower channels will be duly communicated to the public.  Whistleblowers are guaranteed full protection; their identities will be kept strictly confidential.  
ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS 

39. All entertainment centers such as event centers, cinemas, arcades, bars, casinos, day clubs, nightclubs and beaches will remain closed till further notice. 
PARKS, POOLS, SPAS, GYMS AND SALONS 

40. Swimming Pools, Gyms, Barber-shops, Spas, Beauty Salons, and all Public Parks, including those in private and residential estates, will continue to remain closed for another two weeks in the instance; at which point we will review and advise on the permissible opening date for these establishments.  Residents’ Associations should please enjoin their members as well as operators of businesses within their association to adhere to these directives.

ELDERLY 
41. All elderly persons, as well as all persons with underlying or pre-existing health conditions, are encouraged to stay indoors as much as is practicable; and request the assistance of those not in the vulnerable or elderly category to procure essential items needed.

FUNERALS
42. As I announced in my last address, funerals are permitted and encouraged with strict adherence to the published directives.  I would like to thank the people who have complied or are in the process of complying.  I would once again reiterate the approved guidelines for organizing and attending funerals:

a. Size of gathering should not exceed 20 people, including the officiating religious leaders. 

b. Physical distancing must be maintained. 

c. All guests must leave for their homes after the funeral; accompanying parties or receptions are not permitted. 

  IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
43. Tomorrow, Thursday April 30, I will inaugurate a Committee comprising representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Private Transport Operators, Nigeria Employers'
Consultative Association (NECA), Manufacturers
Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce & Industry; Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget.

44. This Committee will be charged with the responsibility of communicating, to their members, this framework I have outlined above, on the controlled easing of the Lockdown, so that we all fully understand what is expected from us. We are mindful of the fact that the success of the implementation will be determined by how well it is communicated to all the Stakeholders, and this Committee will play a critical role in this regard. 

CONCLUSION
45. As I close, let me specially thank everyone who has donated to the Lagos State Covid-19 response, by way of cash, medical equipment and other essential materials. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.  From Friday, May 1st, the Lagos State Government will be acknowledging all of you our worthy partners, in newspaper advertisements that will outline all that we have received, in the spirit of full transparency and accountability. 


46. Let us continue to remember that we are in unprecedented times; which call for unprecedented responses. We will have to adjust and adapt our behavior in ways that will be painful and uncomfortable, including maximizing the use of the tools of technology at our disposal. This also places upon us a duty to support the most psychologically vulnerable among us, which includes parents taking the time to explain to their children what is going on, in a way that they can understand.

47. We must all see these forced adjustments as a small price to pay to guarantee victory for humanity over a deadly and unrelenting enemy. 


Thank you.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu Governor of Lagos State
April 29, 2020

LOCKDOWN OVER!!! True motif!!!

So yesterday, President Muhammad Buhari in a prerecorded statement announce the temporary relaxing of the lockdown from Monday, 4th May, 2020.

He also announced a curfew daily from 8pm - 6am.

This sounds absolutely suspicious, this is due to the previous rumor of the 5G.

Some have expressed concerns and suspicion that is it possible that the government is planning to test the 5G network that has been rumored to be killing people in other countries?

We appreciate the relaxing of the lockdown but why the curfew from 8pm to 6am? Is that the time the Corona virus flies?

Something is obviously not being said to us by the government. We would wait and watch.

If you missed the statement, view it here>>>

SUCCESS IN THE WORLD'S TERM

How are y'all doing.

Happy Covid'19 period.

So from now till a few days; this will be my Heart's diary. After all its Fabulous gist yea.

Today, I want to talk about success in the world's term.

Have you noticed that sometimes, the world and people in it have a way of placing an undue pressure on you. These days, it is done through the use of social media. We all stalk each other using our statuses and because from everyone’s status they seem to be doing better than us, we tend to feel we are not doing enough or that our best is not enough.

Darling, I am here to debunk such lies. The reality is for some, they may truly be doing better than us. But, do we even know what they went through, training, disciplines, sadness, pains and all that led them to that level.

While for some others its just a show to make you feel exactly how you are feeling right now especially in this Corona period where everyone is forming motivational speaker and some are simply just sleeping at home or watching film.

I just want to tell you this; Listen

The beauty of the process

Although I am trying to meet up with several targets at the same time, I thought to take out some time to tell you about the beauty of the process.

I have discovered that a lot of people do not appreciate the process of growth. In the euphoria of wanting to become great, many oftentimes skip the process and jump on from one phase of life to the other. This sort of blinds us to great things that happened in that phase while trying to rush on to the next phase of our life.

Before, I judge and make others the victim, I will admit here and now that manytimes, I often fall victim of this... Many times I have my gaze so much on the other side of the process which makes me unappreciative of this now phase of your life and if care is not taken, it could make you desperate and even frustrated.

But with each passing day, and each privilege to learn about ME, and the process which God will have me go through, I began to learn to appreciate the process of growth, the gift of life, the gift of relationships and trust me, its absolutely beautiful.

Let me encourage you, the beauty of growth is the beauty of process and in the process there is something about our character that is being developed...

How do we enjoy the process and not endure it?

Simply, by being appreciative and this boils down to what we see and how we see it.

Depending on how we look, there are many things to be grateful for, there are also many things to be ungrateful for but being grateful is deliberating choosing to overlook the bad and stay put on the good while trusting the process.

Celebrating yourself on little wins is also paramount. 

Listen, I know that your friends have done all those things but relax, what is yours will never pass you by so lets enjoy the ride together. 

PDP abuses APC, says Buhari-led government lacks direction

Peoples Democratic Party in a statement has claimed it it has thoroughly reviewed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress administration and come to the conclusion that it has failed in every sector.

The PDP said that it noted that available data, both locally and internationally, confirmed that the Buhari administration had failed woefully in all its promises and claims, particularly on the fight against corruption, economy, security, democracy and national unity.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday said the PDP observed that the Buhari administration’s claimed fight against corruption had also been exposed to be what he described as a big lie.

An expert on what he said is; “the Buhari administration is practically a felonious empire of corrupt individuals, certificate forgers, contract inflators, looters of treasuries and well-known liars, making it, ‘head to toe’, the biggest assemblage of plunderers in the history of our nation.”

“We ask if Mr President is indeed a man of integrity as his handlers want the world to believe. Why is he comfortable employing, embracing, surrounding himself with and offering protection to corrupt persons, certificate forgers and liars as ministers, advisers and political associates?'

The problem now is whether the PDP is not just witch-hunting to get into power and do worse.

Please let's vote as enlightened Citizens of Nigeria, let's not be bamboozled into thinking this hungry politicians actually care for the masses, most of them are just power hungry and will do anything to hold the reigns of power again. PVC is key. Well, that's if the election won't be rigged again in the favor of some. 

Acting President sacks DSS Boss Lawal Daura

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo gave directives for the sack of the Director-General of the Department of State Service, Lawal Daura.

Following the invasion of NASS by suspected masked DSS staff.

Meanwhile, President Buhari who claims to be on sick leave was watching the whole drama from his London home.

Alibaba not selling cloned PVC - Ruth Abidoye

A news went viral this morning stating that Alibaba.com was selling cloned PVC, this was an attempt to create a propaganda to defame the ruling party APC, but having checked from the website and confirmed from reliable sources, this news is not true.

In Nigeria, we have a habit of sharing wrong information without even dignifying ourselves by verifying. This is not good.

2019 elections are coming and there would be a lot of false alarming propagandizing news flying around so please let's be wise enough to verify every news and claims before acting on it.

Your Favorite Blogger 

The Politics of fuel subsidy.

Fuel subsidy payment incurred by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, rose by N9.94 billion to N16.785 billion in less than one month.

This was allegedly to ensure that the price of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, did not rise above the official rate of N145 per litre.

It was obtained from the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report for November 2017, showing that the subsidy payment for November represented an increase of 145.08 per cent from N6.849 billion paid in October 2017.

The amount expended by the NNPC on subsidy was the second highest amount since subsidy on fuel returned in 2017, after the N36.27 billion paid by the NNPC in January 2017. To this end, the report stated that the NNPC has spent a total of N128.855 billion on fuel subsidy payments between January and November 2017.

Sebi, Uncle Buhari said he doesn't know about any subsidy and that fuel subsidy would not even be an issue when he comes into Government. Every new Government comes in and immediately increase the pms rate.

I wrote in my undergraduate project how that fuel subsidy is political and is being distributed amongst the cabals within the oil sector.

Fuel scarcity is still a present day reality and many traders still sell at ridiculously high rates.

Buhari forecasts millions of Nigerians joining the leading party APC.

President Muhammad Buhari in a letter to Senator Basheer Lado Congratulated him for his deflection to the ruling party and said the Party expects millions to join the Party.

Here is a copy of the letter to the Senator duly signed by the President himself.

“I was most delighted to receive your letter informing me of your impending decision to formally declare for our great party, the APC.

“Furthermore, I am very encouraged to learn that you are bringing thousands of new supporters into the fold.

“We are expecting millions to join us in the next few months from all parts of the country.

“I would have very much welcomed another opportunity to be in Kano but due to a conflict of engagements; I am due on that day in Addis Ababa for an important African Union meeting which was scheduled months ago.

“I hope I shall have the pleasure of welcoming you to the Presidential Villa in the near future. I wish the event turns out to be a resounding success.”

Basheer Lado joins the APC with about 5,000 supporters joined the APC at the Sani Abacha Stadium Kano, on Saturday and was warmly received by Deputy National Chairman of the APC, Segun Oni, on behalf of the party’s National Chairman, John Oyegun.

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo blasts Buhari's apologists

Senator Obasanjo who served in the Nigerian Senate between 2007 and 2011 has retorted at the defense of the supporters of Buhari concerning the letter her father Chief Obasanjo issued.

The letter reads in part;

“My attention has been drawn to the republishing (in social media) of a letter from 2013 that has since been overturned by events. I am surprised that agents of the current Nigerian administration who should benefit from the advice and admonishment of one of the most brilliant leaders to ever emerge in modern Africa have resorted to a cheap tactic that further reiterates the message that they found abhorrent enough to start looking for unconnected issues to put together to make their point.

“To say that Nigeria has problems is to make an understatement. The wise should listen, wherever help and advice come from. Those who republished the old letter should have spent time to respond to the content of the said statement which, among other things, called on President Buhari to join the rank of retired elder statesmen in 2019.

I would think this was appropriate and even unnecessary advice, given the serious medical problems he has had over the last few years. “I have had no connection with his administration or to the previous one after I left the Senate in 2011, and to try and use me and my name as some excuse is shameful. I agree with the contents of the open letter and like all people that wish Africa well, hope that Nigeria someday comes out of its death spiral to become a leading nation in the world. “It is tiring to continue to be part of the Nigerian conversation when there is no positive impact to it. I really do not want to be part of it, as I have found over and over again that speech and words are wasted on people who have no understanding of the responsibility on us as black people on this planet.

Senator Obasanjo is now a university professor based in Virginia, United States.

Chief Obasanjo's letter to Buhari. FULL TEXT!!!

THE WAY OUT: A CLARION CALL FOR COALITION FOR NIGERIA MOVEMENT

Special Press Statement

By

President Olusegun Obasanjo

———————————————————————————————-

Since we are still in the month of January, it is appropriate to wish all Nigerians Happy 2018. I am constrained to issue this special statement at this time considering the situation of the country. Some of you may be asking, “What has brought about this special occasion of Obasanjo issuing a Special Statement?” You will be right to ask such a question. But there is a Yoruba saying that ‘when lice abound in your clothes, your fingernails will never be dried of blood’. When I was in the village, to make sure that lice die, you put them between two fingernails and press hard to ensure they die and they always leave blood stains on the fingernails. To ensure you do not have blood on your fingernails, you have to ensure that lice are not harboured anywhere within your vicinity.

The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality – are very much with us today. With such lice of general and specific poor performance and crying poverty with us, our fingers will not be dry of ‘blood’.

Four years ago when my PDP card was torn, I made it abundantly clear that I quit partisan politics for aye but my concern and interest in Nigeria, Africa and indeed in humanity would not wane. Ever since, I have adhered strictly to that position. Since that time, I have devoted quality time to the issue of zero hunger as contained in Goal No. 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. We have set the target that Nigeria with the participating States in the Zero Hunger Forum should reach Zero Hunger goal by 2025 – five years earlier than the UN target date. I am involved in the issue of education in some States and generally in the issue of youth empowerment and employment. I am involved in all these domestically and altruistically to give hope and future to the seemingly hopeless and those in despair. I believe strongly that God has endowed Nigeria so adequately that no Nigerian should be either in want or in despair.

I believe in team work and collaborative efforts. At the international level, we have worked with other world leaders to domicile the apparatus for monitoring and encouraging socio-economic progress in Africa in our Presidential Library. The purpose of Africa Progress Group, which is the new name assumed by Africa Progress Panel (APP), is to point out where, when and what works need to be done for the progress of Africa separately and collectively by African leaders and their development partners. I have also gladly accepted the invitation of the UN Secretary-General to be a member of his eighteen-member High-Level Board of Advisers on Mediation. There are other assignments I take up in other fora for Africa and for the international community. For Africa to move forward, Nigeria must be one of the anchor countries, if not the leading anchor country. It means that Nigeria must be good at home to be good outside. No doubt, our situation in the last decade or so had shown that we are not good enough at home; hence we are invariably absent at the table that we should be abroad.

All these led me to take the unusual step of going against my own political Party, PDP, in the last general election to support the opposite side. I saw that action as the best option for Nigeria. As it has been revealed in the last three years or so, that decision and the subsequent collective decision of Nigerians to vote for a change was the right decision for the nation. For me, there was nothing personal, it was all in the best interest of Nigeria and, indeed, in the best interest of Africa and humanity at large. Even the horse rider then, with whom I maintain very cordial, happy and social relationship today has come to realise his mistakes and regretted it publicly and I admire his courage and forthrightness in this regard. He has a role to play on the side line for the good of Nigeria, Africa and humanity and I will see him as a partner in playing such a role nationally and internationally, but not as a horse rider in Nigeria again.

The situation that made Nigerians to vote massively to get my brother Jonathan off the horse is playing itself out again. First, I thought I knew the point where President Buhari is weak and I spoke and wrote about it even before Nigerians voted for him and I also did vote for him because at that time it was a matter of “any option but Jonathan” (aobj). But my letter to President Jonathan titled: “Before It Is Too Late” was meant for him to act before it was too late. He ignored it and it was too late for him and those who goaded him into ignoring the voice of caution. I know that praise-singers and hired attackers may be raised up against me for verbal or even physical attack but if I can withstand undeserved imprisonment and was ready to shed my blood by standing for Nigeria, I will consider no sacrifice too great to make for the good of Nigeria at any time. No human leader is expected to be personally strong or self-sufficient in all aspects of governance.

I knew President Buhari before he became President and said that he is weak in the knowledge and understanding of the economy but I thought that he could make use of good Nigerians in that area that could help. Although, I know that you cannot give what you don’t have and that economy does not obey military order. You have to give it what it takes in the short-, medium- and long-term. Then, it would move. I know his weakness in understanding and playing in the foreign affairs sector and again, there are many Nigerians that could be used in that area as well. They have knowledge and experience that could be deployed for the good of Nigeria. There were serious allegations of round-tripping against some inner caucus of the Presidency which would seem to have been condoned. I wonder if such actions do not amount to corruption and financial crime, then what is it? Culture of condonation and turning blind eye will cover up rather than clean up. And going to justice must be with clean hands.

I thought President Buhari would fight corruption and insurgency and he must be given some credit for his achievement so far in these two areas although it is not yet uhuru!

The herdsmen/crop farmers issue is being wittingly or unwittingly allowed to turn sour and messy. It is no credit to the Federal Government that the herdsmen rampage continues with careless abandon and without finding an effective solution to it. And it is a sad symptom of insensitivity and callousness that some Governors, a day after 73 victims were being buried in a mass grave in Benue State without condolence, were jubilantly endorsing President Buhari for a second term! The timing was most unfortunate. The issue of herdsmen/crop farmers dichotomy should not be left on the political platform of blame game; the Federal Government must take the lead in bringing about solution that protects life and properties of herdsmen and crop farmers alike and for them to live amicably in the same community.

But there are three other areas where President Buhari has come out more glaringly than most of us thought we knew about him. One is nepotic deployment bordering on clannishness and inability to bring discipline to bear on errant members of his nepotic court. This has grave consequences on performance of his government to the detriment of the nation. It would appear that national interest was being sacrificed on the altar of nepotic interest. What does one make of a case like that of Maina: collusion, condonation, ineptitude, incompetence, dereliction of responsibility or kinship and friendship on the part of those who should have taken visible and deterrent disciplinary action? How many similar cases are buried, ignored or covered up and not yet in the glare of the media and the public? The second is his poor understanding of the dynamics of internal politics. This has led to wittingly or unwittingly making the nation more divided and inequality has widened and become more pronounced. It also has effect on general national security. The third is passing the buck. For instance, blaming the Governor of the Central Bank for devaluation of the naira by 70% or so and blaming past governments for it, is to say the least, not accepting one’s own responsibility. Let nobody deceive us, economy feeds on politics and because our politics is depressing, our economy is even more depressing today. If things were good, President Buhari would not need to come in. He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game. Our Constitution is very clear, one of the cardinal responsibilities of the President is the management of the economy of which the value of the naira forms an integral part. Kinship and friendship that place responsibility for governance in the hands of the unelected can only be deleterious to good government and to the nation.

President Buhari’s illness called for the sympathy, understanding, prayer and patience from every sane Nigerian. It is part of our culture. Most Nigerians prayed for him while he was away sick in London for over hundred days and he gave his Deputy sufficient leeway to carry on in his absence. We all thanked God for President Buhari for coming back reasonably hale and hearty and progressing well in his recovery. But whatever may be the state of President Buhari’s health today, he should neither over-push his luck nor over-tax the patience and tolerance of Nigerians for him, no matter what his self-serving, so-called advisers, who would claim that they love him more than God loves him and that without him, there would be no Nigeria say. President Buhari needs a dignified and honourable dismount from the horse. He needs to have time to reflect, refurbish physically and recoup and after appropriate rest, once again, join the stock of Nigerian leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country. His place in history is already assured. Without impaired health and strain of age, running the affairs of Nigeria is a 25/7 affair, not 24/7.

I only appeal to brother Buhari to consider a deserved rest at this point in time and at this age. I continue to wish him robust health to enjoy his retirement from active public service. President Buhari does not necessarily need to heed my advice. But whether or not he heeds it, Nigeria needs to move on and move forward.

I have had occasion in the past to say that the two main political parties – APC and PDP – were wobbling. I must reiterate that nothing has happened to convince me otherwise. If anything, I am reinforced in my conviction. The recent show of PDP must give grave and great concern to lovers of Nigeria. To claim, as has been credited to the chief kingmaker of PDP, that for procuring the Supreme Court judgement for his faction of the Party, he must dictate the tune all the way and this is indeed fraught with danger. If neither APC nor PDP is a worthy horse to ride to lead Nigeria at this crucial and critical time, what then do we do? Remember Farooq Kperogi, an Associate Professor at the Kennesaw State University, Georgia, United States, calls it “a cruel Hobson’s choice; it’s like a choice between six and half a dozen, between evil and evil. Any selection or deflection would be a distinction without a difference.” We cannot just sit down lamenting and wringing our hands desperately and hopelessly.

I believe the situation we are in today is akin to what and where we were in at the beginning of this democratic dispensation in 1999. The nation was tottering. People became hopeless and saw no bright future in the horizon. It was all a dark cloud politically, economically and socially. The price of oil at that time was nine dollars per barrel and we had a debt overhang of about $35 billion. Most people were confused with lack of direction in the country. One of the factors that saved the situation was a near government of national unity that was put in place to navigate us through the dark cloud. We had almost all hands on deck. We used people at home and from the diaspora and we navigated through the dark cloud of those days. At that time, most people were hopelessly groping in the dark. They saw no choice, neither in the left nor in the right, and yet we were not bereft of people at home and from the diaspora that could come together to make Nigeria truly a land flowing with milk and honey. Where we are is a matter of choice but we can choose differently to make a necessary and desirable change, once again.

Wherever I go, I hear Nigerians complaining, murmuring in anguish and anger. But our anger should not be like the anger of the cripple. We can collectively save ourselves from the position we find ourselves. It will not come through self-pity, fruitless complaint or protest but through constructive and positive engagement and collective action for the good of our nation and ourselves and our children and their children. We need moral re-armament and engaging togetherness of people of like-mind and goodwill to come solidly together to lift Nigeria up. This is no time for trading blames or embarking on futile argument and neither should we accept untenable excuses for non-performance. Let us accept that the present administration has done what it can do to the limit of its ability, aptitude and understanding. Let the administration and its political party platform agree with the rest of us that what they have done and what they are capable of doing is not good enough for us. They have given as best as they have and as best as they can give. Nigeria deserves and urgently needs better than what they have given or what we know they are capable of giving. To ask them to give more will be unrealistic and will only sentence Nigeria to a prison term of four years if not destroy it beyond the possibility of an early recovery and substantial growth. Einstein made it clear to us that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the height of folly. Already, Nigerians are committing suicide for the unbearable socio-economic situation they find themselves in. And yet Nigerians love life. We must not continue to reinforce failure and hope that all will be well. It is self-deceit and self-defeat and another aspect of folly.

What has emerged from the opposition has shown no better promise from their antecedents. As the leader of that Party for eight years as President of Nigeria, I can categorically say there is nothing to write home about in their new team. We have only one choice left to take us out of Egypt to the promised land. And that is the coalition of the concerned and the willing – ready for positive and drastic change, progress and involvement. Change that will give hope and future to all our youth and dignity and full participation to all our women. Our youth should be empowered to deploy their ability to learn, innovate and work energetically at ideas and concepts in which they can make their own original inputs. Youth must be part of the action today and not relegated to leadership of tomorrow which may never come. Change that will mean enhancement of living standard and progress for all. A situation where the elected will accountably govern and every Nigerian will have equal opportunity not based on kinship and friendship but based on free citizenship.

Democracy is sustained and measured not by leaders doing extra-ordinary things, (invariably, leaders fail to do ordinary things very well), but by citizens rising up to do ordinary things extra-ordinarily well. Our democracy, development and progress at this juncture require ordinary citizens of Nigeria to do the extra-ordinary things of changing the course and direction of our lackluster performance and development. If leadership fails, citizens must not fail and there lies the beauty and importance of democracy. We are challenged by the current situation; we must neither adopt spirit of cowardice nor timidity let alone impotence but must be sustained by courage, determination and commitment to say and do and to persist until we achieve upliftment for Nigeria. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and we believe that our venturing will not be in vain. God of Nigeria has endowed this country adequately and our non-performance cannot be blamed on God but on leadership. God, who has given us what we need and which is potentially there, will give us leadership enablement to actualize our potentiality.

The development and modernization of our country and society must be anchored and sustained on dynamic Nigerian culture, enduring values and an enchanting Nigerian dream. We must have abiding faith in our country and its role and place within the comity of nations. Today, Nigeria needs all hands on deck. All hands of men and women of goodwill must be on deck. We need all hands to move our country forward.

We need a Coalition for Nigeria, CN. Such a Movement at this juncture needs not be a political party but one to which all well-meaning Nigerians can belong. That Movement must be a coalition for democracy, good governance, social and economic well-being and progress. Coalition to salvage and redeem our country. You can count me with such a Movement. Last time, we asked, prayed and worked for change and God granted our request. This time, we must ask, pray and work for change with unity, security and progress. And God will again grant us. Of course, nothing should stop such a Movement from satisfying conditions for fielding candidates for elections. But if at any stage the Movement wishes to metamorphose into candidate-sponsoring Movement for elections, I will bow out of the Movement because I will continue to maintain my non-partisan position. Coalition for Nigeria must have its headquarters in Abuja.

This Coalition for Nigeria will be a Movement that will drive Nigeria up and forward. It must have a pride of place for all Nigerians, particularly for our youth and our women. It is a coalition of hope for all Nigerians for speedy, quality and equal development, security, unity, prosperity and progress. It is a coalition to banish poverty, insecurity and despair. Our country must not be oblivious to concomitant danger around, outside and ahead. Coalition for Nigeria must be a Movement to break new ground in building a united country, a socially-cohesive and moderately prosperous society with equity, equality of opportunity, justice and a dynamic and progressive economy that is self-reliant and takes active part in global division of labour and international decision-making.

The Movement must work out the path of development and the trajectory of development in speed, quality and equality in the short- medium- and long-term for Nigeria on the basis of sustainability, stability, predictability, credibility, security, cooperation and prosperity with diminishing inequality. What is called for is love, commitment and interest in our country, not in self, friends and kinship alone but particularly love, compassion and interest in the poor, underprivileged and downtrodden. It is our human duty and responsibility so to do. Failure to do this will amount to a sin against God and a crime against humanity.

Some may ask, what does Obasanjo want again? Obasanjo has wanted nothing other than the best for Nigeria and Nigerians and he will continue to want nothing less. And if we have the best, we will be contented whether where we live is described as palaces or huts by others and we will always give thanks to God.

I, therefore, will gladly join such a Movement when one is established as Coalition for Nigeria, CN, taking Nigeria to the height God has created it to be. From now on, the Nigeria eagle must continue to soar and fly high. CN, as a Movement, will be new, green, transparent and must remain clean and always active, selflessly so. Members must be ready to make sacrifice for the nation and pay the price of being pioneers and good Nigerians for our country to play the God-assigned role for itself, for its neighbours, for its sub-region of West Africa, for its continent and for humanity in general. For me, the strength and sustainable success of CN will derive largely from the strong commitment of a population that is constantly mobilized to the rallying platform of the fact that going forward together is our best option for building a nation that will occupy its deserved place in the global community. May God continue to lead, guide and protect us. Amen.

Nepotism; the order of the day in President Buhari's administration.

Nepotism is a deadly virus that once it eats into any system it Won't Leave till the system is in jeopardy.

It was for the fact that nepotism is the greatest form of corruption that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) went to elaborate ends to forbid it in the distribution of our public offices and goodies. Section 14(3) says it all: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria, and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic groups or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies.

But our President Muhammad Buhari has defied this and violated the constitution. Upon assumption to power, he met a group of Northerners and made certain statements excerpt of which is "I charge you to join me as we build a new northern Nigeria in a generation … the best investment we can make in the north is not finding oil in the Chad Basin … we will start with one local government in each state until we get to every school in all of northern Nigeria … To achieve this, I have secured a northern rehabilitation fund … to rebuild the north after the devastation of Boko Haram insurgency … Join me my brothers and sisters and let us finish the work our forefather, Ahmadu Bello, started,” he exhorted his audience.

It is quite appalling to think that Buhari didn’t seek the presidency for 12 years to rebuild Nigeria. As Professor Ben Nwabueze observed recently, this speech “portrays the picture of someone driven by something more than the ordinary ambition to become President of Nigeria.

“Buhari was driven by a passion, the passion of religious fanaticism or a religious zealot, to become president of Nigeria in order to carry on and finish the work started by his forebear, Sir Ahmadu Bello, including the Sardauna’s fond idea to extend the rule of the Moslem north throughout the country by means of a jihad.”

More than two weeks after the fatal attacks by a group already labelled by the Global Terrorism Index in 2015 as the fourth deadliest known terrorist group in the world – only Boko Haram, ISIS and Al-Shabab terror groups were deemed deadlier – Buhari, the same president whose regime declared the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), a self-determination group, a terror organisation could not muster the will to declare murderous herdsmen same.

Chief Obasanjo said two days ago  as the criticism against President Buhari increases, that although he supported the election that brought Buhari to power,  that Buhari has failed and should “dismount from the horse”.

Chief Obasanjo acknowledged his complicity in making a man who “is weak in the knowledge and understanding of the economy.” He thought that Buhari could make “use of good Nigerians in that area.”

Obasanjo insisted that Buhari’s “experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the side line for the good of the country.”

“The lice of poor performance in government – poverty, insecurity, poor economic management, nepotism, gross dereliction of duty, condonation of misdeed – if not outright encouragement of it, lack of progress and hope for the future, lack of national cohesion and poor management of internal political dynamics and widening inequality – are very much with us today,” Obasanjo said in a 13-page statement titled ‘The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement’.

“With such lice of general and specific poor performance and crying poverty with us, our fingers will not be dry of ‘blood’,” he added.

Obasanjo said Buhari, apart from being bereft of the necessary ideas that could move the country out its current doldrums, has been unduly “nepotic” in his appointments.

“But there are three other areas where President Buhari has come out more glaringly than most of us thought we knew about him,” continued Obasanjo. “One is nepotic deployment bordering on clannishness and inability to bring discipline to bear on errant members of his nepotic court. This has grave consequences on performance of his government to the detriment of the nation.

“It would appear that national interest was being sacrificed on the altar of nepotic interest. What does one make of a case like that of (Abdulrasheed) Maina: collusion, condonation, ineptitude, incompetence, dereliction of responsibility or kinship and friendship on the part of those who should have taken visible and deterrent disciplinary action? How many similar cases are buried, ignored or covered up, and not yet in the glare of the media and the public?

“The second is his poor understanding of the dynamics of internal politics. This has led to, wittingly or unwittingly, making the nation more divided, and inequality has widened and become more pronounced. It also has effect on general national security.

“The third is passing the buck. For instance, blaming the governor of the Central Bank for devaluation of the naira by 70% or so and blaming past governments for it, is to say the least, not accepting one’s own responsibility. Let nobody deceive us; economy feeds on politics and because our politics is depressing, our economy is even more depressing today. If things were good, President Buhari would not need to come in. He was voted to fix things that were bad and not engage in the blame game.”

Buhari's reaction to the Fulani Herdsmen killings

The invasion of Fulani Herdsmen to different states and the killing of Farmers has taking a new dimension recently and despite this,  the Federal Government has not dimmed it fit to address the nation or visit the affected States.

In Benue State, over 74 people were gruesomely murdered between 31st December 2017 and 17th January 2018 yet the Federal Government has remained silent about it.

Governors from other States and Individuals have on different counts commiserated with the Governor and the people of Benue over the gruesome murder of over 73 persons by herdsmen.

Although he made a release by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu,  he hasn't come out to face Nigerians or to show sympathy.

Also, in another meeting with Benue stakeholders  he was quoted to having said;

“Your Excellency, the governor, and all the leaders here, I am appealing to you to try to restrain your people. I assure you that the Police, the Department of State Service and other security agencies had been directed to ensure that all those behind the mayhem get punished.

“I ask you in the name of God to accommodate your country men. You can also be assured that I am just as worried, and concerned with the situation.’’

However, this statement doesn't even show concern for the lost lives, it further goes to show that the President has not stayed true to his word that 'he belonged to everybody and nobody' he has shown that he is being impartial and in support of the attacks by the Fulani herdsmen.

senator Bruce queried Buhari’s statement, describing restraint from herdsmen by Nigerians as suicidal.

He tweeted “I honestly dont understand how we can ask those being slaughtered to show ‘restraint’.

Padded Budget, Padded change - Prof Okey Ndibe.

Professor Okey Ndibe, an associate Professor of English at Simon's Rock college in great barrington, has spoken concerning the situation in Nigeria. 

Read what he said: 

I have often argued that the Nigerian state is, at bottom, a criminal enterprise, organized to serve the interests of its most unconscionable criminals, often chaps who go by the pompous designation of political stakeholders. And, save for cosmetics and a higher hypocrisy quotient, there is little in today’s political environment to warrant a revision of my dour opening claim.

It is still their wont to serve themselves first, serve themselves next, and serve themselves last. They remain specialist profiteers from Nigerians’ collective misery.

On any given day, members of Nigeria’s state and national legislatures—whose chief mandate is to propose or pass laws—provide proof that their country is a lawless, ethics-free, anything-goes space.

The latest chapter of Nigeria’s absurd legislative drama is tied to what’s now known as “budget padding.” More than a week ago, Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives announced the removal of Abdulmumin Jibrin as the chairman of the appropriations committee. The erstwhile chairman was blamed for the illicit sneaking in of billions of naira into the 2016 budget. That shady and embarrassing affair, tagged padding, created a further fiasco in the 2016 budgetary process.

If Mr. Dogara thought he was going to have the last word, that the former appropriations man would shamble off to a corner and bow his head in a penitential act of shame, well, Mr. Jibrin either didn’t get the memo—or he was having none of it. Far from exhibiting contrition, Mr. Jibrin—like a reeling boxer bolstered by a sudden rush of adrenaline—went into a ferocious attack mode.

First, he dismissed the idea that he had been punitively removed. Instead, he had decided to step down for wholly personal reasons, he said, and after consultation with his family. And then he unleashed a flurry of counter-punches. In personal statements, tweets and releases by his law firm, he accused the speaker and three other major officers of the House of Representatives of conspiring to remove him because he had, in fact, resisted their pressure to illegally insert N40 billion into the budget for their personal benefit.

What followed was typical political flimflam. An official of the House stood by the speaker, excoriated Mr. Jibrin, and declared that fellow legislators would soon deal with him. The speaker demanded that the ex-chair of appropriations recant and retract the allegations he made, or face a lawsuit. Ever defiant, Mr. Jibrin reaffirmed his claims and told Nigerians that Mr. Dogara’s threat to hasten to court was a well-worn strategy for sweeping the scandal under the carpet. For—according to him—once the case is in court, where interminable adjournments are the rule of the game, the speaker and his cohorts could foreclose any further discussion simply by stating that the matter was sub judice.

If the late Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, were around, he would have a pithy phrase for the entire odoriferous affair. Let’s just say, in the spirit of that musical genius who possessed an uncommon insight into the pathologies of Nigerian life, “yeye dey smell!”

Let’s pause for a simple test. I want you, dear reader, to name three bills passed by the National Assembly since 1999 that have uplifted Nigerians in a significant. Go ahead, take thirty minutes and think about it. Okay, exhale. Now, let’s do another test. Think of the various scandals that have shaken the National Assembly in sixteen years. Exhale again!

It is no secret any more: Nigerian legislators (it’s become a tacky cliché to call them legislooters) are some of the highest paid of their kind in the world. Yet, many “honorable” members hardly ever stand up to say “good morning” in the legislative chambers. Oh, forget about initiating or co-sponsoring a bill. In fact, many of Nigeria’s 109 senators and 360 representatives hardly bother to show up for work. Just go to youtube and watch a few videos of legislative sessions and see how scandalously sparse attendance is. Each year, Nigerians left raggedy by poverty, millions of them scrounging about on less than a dollar a day, richly reward state and federal legislators for work NOT done. We take food from the mouths of malnourished, dying infants to hand premium perks to some of this earth’s most indolent men and women.

Nigerian senators officially and flatteringly address themselves as Distinguished Senator This and That. Yet, many of them are incapable of asking a single serious question when screening ministerial nominees. It’s as if these senators are either nose-deprived or (as the Nigerian expression goes) can’t “hear” a smell, even one that’s rubbed against their noses. How many stinky nominees did these lawmakers look at and, asking nary a question, use that most facile phrase, “Take a bow and go!”

Often, Nigerian legislators, those at the National Assembly as well as their “junior” counterparts at the state level, are most vociferous in matters concerning money. And I mean money in their pockets. Some of the fiercest fights between governors and state assemblies have had cash at their core. And in the reckless pursuit of lucre, some legislatures have had no qualms invoking the threat of impeachment against an obstinate, tightfisted governor.

The brouhaha over budget padding has given Nigerians one more evidence of the raw deal they get from the misshapen bunch in Abuja and thirty-six state capitals who presume to run the country—but are specialists in serving their guts alone, ruining others’ lives in the process. In a telling interview, a member of the House, Lawal Gumau, disclosed that budget padding was a longstanding crime. Mr. Gumau said he arrived at the National Assembly in 2011 and has been fighting the blight of budget padding since 2012.

Here, then, is a memo to those who persist in the fiction that “change” touched down in Nigeria when the All Progressives Congress came to power in 2015: both Speaker Dogara and Representative Jibrin are APC members. At the very least, one of them is guilty of transporting a PDP-made malady into the APC dispensation. That’s why I long argued that both parties struck me as Siamese twins.

As I write, President Muhammadu Buhari has not deemed fit to voice one word of moral revulsion on the budget padding matter. Nor has Nigeria’s attorney general, Abubakar Malami, announced that his office had launched an investigation into the crime. It’s as if the matter of a grave crime, the unconscionable wastage of billions of naira of public funds in a country where millions are unemployed and hundreds of thousands of the employed are being owned salaries—it’s as if this grave crime is being treated as side entertainment.

So I ask: what has changed with change?

The whole scandal is an opportunity to rethink the structure and size of Nigeria’s machinery of governance. I’ve said before, and restate here: There’s no financial or political sense in having full-time legislators in Nigeria. In many states in the US, lawmakers are part-time, and merely receive sitting allowances if and when they meet to do the people’s business.

Nigerian labor unionists, students, peasants and professionals (who actually earn their keep) should insist that, a., the size of the House be significantly cut (I’d suggest, by half), and, b., that those who wish to make laws for us accept to do so on a part-time basis. Not only would we save ourselves a ton of money, we’re likely to attract savvier lawmakers—those who truly wish to do public service, rather than engage in primitive stuffing of outsized bellies.

FG claims that hike in fuel price is not because of fuel subsidy removal

On Monday, the Federal Government increased the price of petrol from the initial N97 to N147. Even though this didn't go down well with many Nigerians, it made fuel available and it was believed that the Federal Government removed subsidy.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, speaking at a news conference in Abuja, justified the increase in the price of petrol to N145.

He also faulted a claim that the new price regime was about removal of subsidy. He further debunked the claim.

Read what he said below:

“We have no choice but to liberalise the price of petrol if we are to end the crippling fuel scarcity that has enveloped the country, ensure the availability of the product and end the suffering of our people over the lingering scarcity.”

“There is no subsidy to remove because no provision was made for subsidy in the 2016 budget. Last year, the government paid out N1tn in subsidy, and that’s one sixth of this year’s budget. We can’t afford to pay another N1tn in subsidy.”

Justifying the government’s action, he said the fall in the price of crude oil had led to the reduction of foreign exchange available in the country.

This, he explained, had forced marketers to stop the importation of the product, thus making the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation the supplier of over 90 per cent of petrol.

President Muhammad Buhari in London for Support Syria Conference

President Muhammadu Buhari just arrived London after leaving France where he addressed the Plenary Session of the European Parliament and attended Bilateral Meeting with the President of the European Commission in Strasbourg.

The President is in London to participate in the Supporting Syria Conference 2016.

The purpose of this Conference is to raise the money needed to help millions of people whose lives have been torn apart by the devastating civil war.

posted from Bloggeroid

Pastor makes new revelations about Biafra.

The general overseer of God’s Covenant of Christ Sabbath Mission, Amannachi in Orsu Local council Area of Imo State, High Priest
Clifford Nmenabu, has made a new revelation about Biafra and Nigeria.

The Pastor said he went into a trance with God where he was informed of imminent bloodshed if Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of Radio Biafra is not released.

The Pastor while addressing journalists yesterday said “Kanu was not speaking against anybody
or group of persons. His broadcasts were truth-oriented and consciousness-awakening.
It was a divine arrangement for a renaissance and liberation of a particular sect who have
been under bondage.”
He also claimed that the prophecy about Biafra was revealed to him in 1971 after the Nigerian Civil war. According to him, “The revelation came this way: The spirit of God showed me a finger that pointed at the Nigerian map. It subsequently
showed the map divided in two, one part was named Biafra and the other, Nigeria. Also in 1996, God visited and showed me, in a trance,
where properties belonging to Nigeria were kept in a place at the Bridge Head, Onitsha.
While some of the properties were thrown across to the Asaba end of the Niger bridge, the other was thrown across to the Onitsha
end. The prophecy also says that the one thrown to Asaba area belongs to Nigeria, while the other belongs to Biafra.”
High Priest Nmenabu claimed that the Biafra project must be achieved and that recent unrest in the country were signs of liberation.