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Abducted CAN Chairman Regains Freedom

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

Bishop Joseph Masin, the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN ) has regained freedom after being kidnapped on May 27. 

ABN TV reported earlier that the gunmen who stormed his residence at Bukan Sidi area of Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital had demanded an N20m ransom for his release. 

One of the CAN Chairman’s sons, Pastor Sam Joseph who confirmed that his father has been released said he arrived home around 2am on Sunday May 31. He said;

“The Bishop was released around 11 pm on Saturday and arrived home around 2am this Sunday.”

It is however not clear if a ransom was paid to secure the CAN Chairman’s freedom.

UNIBEN Student Raped Inside Church In Edo, Dies

By
Alex Enemanna
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3

Miss Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 100 level student of the University of Benin, UNIBEN, from the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, has died from injuries sustained from rape.

The 22-year-old victim was said to have been raped on Friday 29th May near Ikpoba Hill in Benin City, at her church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

ABN TV gathered that the deceased had gone to the church to read as usual, in preparation for the lifting of the coronavirus-imposed shutdown of schools.

The perpetrators were said to have attacked her at the RCCG Ohovbe road branch, raped and smashed her head with a fire extinguisher, leaving her for dead.

Miss Vera was rushed to the UNIBEN, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where she battled for her dear life at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Read Also: There Will Be A Lot Of Babies As A Result Of This Lockdown, Pastor Enoch Adeboye [VIDEO]

She, however, gave up the ghost Saturday midnight, May 30, following the excess loss of blood and deep cuts sustained from the attack.

A family source, who confirmed the development, described the deceased as “an easy-going somebody (sic).” Her remains had been deposited at the morgue.

Nigerians have since taken to Twitter, using #JusticeForUwa, to demand justice for the fallen student and one of the numerous victims of rape in the country.

What My Father Told Me About The Biafran War – Osita Chidoka

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

As the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB celebrates and honours its fallen heroes and heroines, many Nigerians of Igbo extraction, Saturday took to the micro-blogging sites, (twitter and Facebook) to pen down stories that touch the heart.

The 48-year-old, former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, was not left out, as he enlightened Nigerians with his father’s words of wisdom.

Read what Osita Chidoka wrote below: “My father is 93 years old and lived through Biafra as a middle-aged man. He suffered the loss of family members, abandoned properties as he lived in Port Harcourt.

“He never quite recovered from the War.

“Whenever he visited me in Abuja, he gave me the same advice. Always park your car facing the exit Always buy fuel at a half tank, in case you have to run back to the East.

Read Also: Wizkid Reacts To Police Brutality In Nigeria

“His friends all got stuck in Port Harcourt due to no fuel and many died from the shelling Know your route to the East avoiding possible volatile areas.

“Igbos coming from the North lost their lives at certain communities on their way home. Keep some cash at home. Banks did not work as Port Harcourt fell to the federal troops.

“His advice always struck me as the effect of trauma, untreated. Interestingly, refusal to discuss Biafra and resolve the trauma has led to a generation who did not experience the war, taking the lead on the conversation.

“This generation leading the conversation has its implications for the nation.

“Time to openly, truthfully and peacefully have the conversation is now, before those who experienced the war, all leave the stage. Please join the Centre For Memories for a discussion on Onye Aghala Nwanneya”.

Wizkid Reacts To Police Brutality In Nigeria

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

Iconic Nigerian singer, Wizkid has joined the league of celebrities who have been reacting to the police brutality civilians face around the world.

Trending reports across the globe are that of the Pandemonic protest against police brutality on African Americans after the video of George Floyd being murdered in cold blood by White Police officers stormed the internet.

In reaction to this and also the police brutality Nigerians face here at home, —most especially by young Nigerians— Wizkid took to his official Twitter account to tweet, saying no man can sort the matter and God should save us.

Read Also: “If God Exists, He Owes Me An Apology” – Humanist Mmasinachi

“Police dey kill black Americans and Naija police dey kill Nigerians. No man fit sort this matter. God save us” he wrote.

It should be recalled that earlier this week, a 16-year-old girl, Tina was shot and killed by a trigger-happy police officer in Lagos, while in the United States, George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer who knelt on his neck till he passed out.

“If God Exists, He Owes Me An Apology” – Humanist Mmasinachi

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

A self-proclaimed Queen of Nature and Humanist, Mmasinachi Peculiar has taken to her social media page to share her thoughts on the pandemic currently rocking the world.

In her post, Mmasinachi questioned the existence of God and said if he truly exists, he owes her, Mmasinachi an apology because he allowed the pandemic to poison nature.

Her post on Instagram reads ;

Read Also: PDP National Chairman Berates Buhari’s Performance After Five Years In Office

IF THERE’S A GOD, HE OWES ME AN APOLOGY!

World happenings are enough to tell us that there’s no sky god no where, #you Are Your Own God! People are confused and insane yet with brains. The once cherished and “get it all” places of miracles and healings cum churches and mosques are shut down to a deadly virus with code name Covid-19 (Corona Virus). What does all these tell us? What have they finally revealed?

1. Nature doesn’t poison itself and its own, never! Nature can never ever advance anything so dreadful and capable of wiping it out of existence. Nature ensures the cycles of food, gases, etc for existences forever (both physical and spiritual). Covid-19 isn’t a natural disease but a bio weapon. I know this because nature has spoken to me already. Think of it, just as the body via its cells creates immunity and replenishes worn out cells/tissues without introducing diseases to the body rather prevent them or/and jettison them so nature does also, this is because we are a microcosm of the macrocosm (a smaller nature of the bigger nature or a smaller universe of the bigger universe).

2. Christianity et al has no remedy or remedies when it comes to healing us and our world, rather it/they destroy(s) us by instilling morbid fear in the hearts and minds of earth citizens, preaching a hellish fiery place and a cool cozy heaven. Hogwash! I mean it has come to practical use of the powers of the Church/churches, congregations, etc, but what do we observe today? Even those at the helm of religions affairs (Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Priestesses, Elders, Pastors, Imams) have all ran off and closed down churches, especially the mega ones that accommodate huge congregation for fear of Covid-19. Where are the miracles so promised the world in catastrophic events like this? Where are the powers of healings so promised the sick and affected? I mean if a pastor can take in poison and be bitten by snakes and scorpions and nothing happens what then is the fear of Covid-19 for? Is their deity god (Jesus, Jehovah, Yashua, Jah, Yehoshua, El, etc) not the same yesterday, today and forever? Are these words not borrowed?

PDP National Chairman Berates Buhari’s Performance After Five Years In Office

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Uche Secondus, has described the five years’ administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as a waste and a road that ought not to be taken.

In a statement on Friday, the PDP national chairman said that in the last five years, all negative indexes in the country’s socio-political and economic life as a nation were activated.

Read Also: Chevron To Sack 6,750 Staff

Speaking further, he noted that in 2015, the global international community stood in salute for Nigeria for the great feat recorded in the area of democracy but rather than progress from it, the nation under the watch of the APC has continued to go in retrogression.

In the key areas of security, corruption, threats on democratic institutions, unity of the country and economic development on which the Buhari administration had hinged its promises to Nigerians, the PDP also scored the administration low.

Chevron To Sack 6,750 Staff

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

The United States super oil major, Chevron Corporation, has slated 6,750 staff for the sack in one of the biggest global mass disengagement of the work force.

The mass sack, the company with third biggest Joint ventures in Nigeria said, represents a cut of between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its worldwide workforce as part of an ongoing restructuring at the second-largest U.S. oil producer.

A spokeswoman for Chevron, Veronica Flores-Paniagua, confirmed this while maintaining that Chevron, which has 45,000 employees, expects to remove about 10 to 15 per cent of its global staff to “match projected activity levels.”

The oil producer previously disclosed a 30 per cent reduction in its 2020 spending and some voluntary job cuts amid this year’s sharp drop in oil prices and lower demand for oil and gas due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chevron has been widely seen as the standard-bearer of financial discipline in the oil industry and was among the first to make significant budget cuts as oil demand plummeted.

Read Also: Tinubu Is Not My Man – El-Rufai Says, Congratulates Aregbesola At 63

Last year, it abandoned a takeover bid for Anadarko Petroleum Corp rather than get into a bidding war with Occidental Petroleum Corp.

Chevron pocketed a $1 billion break fee while Occidental has faced investor wrath for its ill-timed deal. U.S. crude oil prices have nearly halved this year to about $33 a barrel as the COVID- 19 pandemic slashed travel and led to stay-at-home orders that have cut oil demand by as much as two million barrels per day. Chevron this month said it would reduce planned U.S. shale output by about 125,000 BPD.

The about 4,500 to 6,750 job cuts envisioned are to “address current market conditions,” with varying impact on each business unit and region, said Flores- Paniagua.

Most reductions will take place this year. “This is a difficult decision and we do not take it lightly,” she added.

At its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, No. 1 U.S. oil producer Exxon- Mobil Corp said it had not yet taken steps to reduce its workforce.”

Tinubu Is Not My Man – El-Rufai Says, Congratulates Aregbesola At 63

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

In a fresh twist to the silent row between the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Kaduna governor has said Tinubu is not his man.

Speaking at a webinar in commemoration of the 63rd birthday of the Minister of Interior and former Governor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, on Saturday, El-Rufai, noted that Aregbesola remained his man any day but that Tinubu was not his man.

This, he said, was due to the differences between him and the former Lagos governor.

The webinar was tagged, ‘Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Colloquium 2020,’ with the theme, ‘Government Unusual: Innovative economic solutions to unlock mass prosperity,’ and was moderated by Boason Omofaye.

El-Rufai’s statement came as a subtle confirmation of the disagreement between him and Tinubu.

Both of them are stalwarts of the ruling party and are rumoured to have ambitions to contest the presidency in the 2023 elections.

Tinubu has never made any public statement about their seemingly frosty relationship and el-Rufai had also been conservative on the issue except for very few occasions.

Already, there had been mounting tension over which of the six zones would produce the next president in the 2023 elections.

Read Also: SERAP Calls For Audit Of Loans Obtained By Buhari’s Administration

Also in February, the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, while responding to fears that the APC might collapse when the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), leave office in 2023, said the much speculated presidential ambitions of El-Rufai and Tinubu could not break the APC, stating that it would rather strengthen the party.

At an event organised by the Bridge Club tagged, “An evening with His Excellency Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, in May 2016, the Kaduna governor was believed to be referring to Tinubu when he explained how to end godfatherism in Lagos. Tinubu is widely known to be the godfather of Lagos politics since he left office as governor in 2007.

During the question and answer session, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and three-time commissioner in Lagos State, Dr Muiz Banire, asked El-Rufai how godfathers could be dealt with given how it had served as one of the drawbacks for professionals and businessmen who might want to go into politics.

Responding, El-Rufai said he defeated and retired four political godfathers in Kaduna State, saying the feat could be replicated anywhere, including Lagos State. He stated that the key was to go back to the people directly, noting however that it was a step that required time and hard work. “The key is to go to the people,” he added.

But while eulogising Aregbesola during the webinar, El-Rufai said he was not ashamed to state that he copied the school feeding initiative in his state from Osun State when he visited Aregbesola as governor, adding that there was a lot governors could learn from the way he developed the state, in spite of the economic crisis that plunged the state into debts.

While congratulating the birthday celebrant, El-Rufai said, “I want to congratulate my brother, Ogbeni (Aregbesola), on his birthday. You know I’m your man any day. I’m not Asiwaju’s man and you are Asiwaju’s man, but I am your man any day. Asiwaju and I have differences but you and I have no differences.”

In his remarks, Aregbesola, who was visibly overjoyed by the contributions of the panellists and the eulogies he received from them, noted that his achievements as governor were driven by his passion for the people, a virtue he said he imbibed from his teenage years.

He, however, appreciated the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), for encouraging him all along, adding that, “the second person who has played a very huge role in making me a good public administrator is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He takes all the glory, apart from God.”

Read Also: Abducted CAN Chairman Regains Freedom
Other panellists at the webinar were the governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Statistician-General, Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, Dr Yemi Kale; the CEO, Financial Derivatives, Mr Bismarck Rewane; the Chairman, Citibank Nigeria; Dr Yemi Cardoso; the CEO, Lotus Capital Limited, Mrs Hajara Adeola; and the Country Director, Development Alternatives Incorporated, Dr Joe Abah.

Kale, in his submission, drew a nexus between weak earners, larger households, especially in rural areas, illiteracy, lower education indicators and poverty.

He proposed three solutions to address poverty from the state level, saying, “Address unemployment, increase formalisation of the informal sector and design appropriate tax systems to extract revenue from economic activities

SERAP Calls For Audit Of Loans Obtained By Buhari’s Administration

By
Alex Enemanna
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1

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to provide the spending details of all loans obtained by his administration since May 29, 2015.

In a letter to the President dated May 30, 2020, the group urged the Nigerian leader to use his leadership position and the opportunity of the fifth year anniversary of his government to grant its request.

It called for an independent audit of all loans to resolve the purported allegations of mismanagement and corruption.

SERAP also urged the President to publish the spending details of loans obtained by successive administrations since 1999, as well as the list of countries and bodies that have given such loans with the specific repayment conditions.

It noted that President Buhari had last week sought the National Assembly’s approval for a fresh loan of $5.513 billion to fund the 2020 budget deficit, critical projects, and support some states.

In its Freedom of Information request, the group decried that while successive governments have borrowed money in the name of Nigeria and its citizens since 1999, much of the funds have reportedly been mismanaged, stolen or squandered.

Read Also: UNIBEN Student Raped Inside Church In Edo, Dies

According to it, opacity in the spending of loans will continue to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of citizens.

SERAP, however, believes transparency will ensure the loans are not diverted to private pockets, increase public trust, provide good value for money, and reassure Nigeria’s creditors.

It also advised the President to cut the costs of governance rather than taking more loans and increasing the nation’s debt burden.

Read the Freedom of Information request addressed to the President below:

30 May 2020

His Excellency

Muhammadu Buhari GCFR

President, Federal Republic of Nigeria

Aso Rock Presidential Villa

Abuja

Your Excellency,

 

Re: Freedom of Information request to publish details of spending of loans and Nigeria’s debts since the return of democracy in 1999

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is writing on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of your government in office and pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to request you to provide details of the spending loans obtained by your government since May 29, 2015, including details of projects on which the loans have been spent.

SERAP is also urging you to disclose information on details of spending of loans obtained by successive governments since the return of democracy in 1999, a list of countries and bodies that have given the loans, and specific conditions of repayment of the loans.

SERAP is a non-profit, nonpartisan, legal and advocacy organization devoted to promoting transparency, accountability, and respect for socio-economic rights in Nigeria. SERAP received the Wole Soyinka Anti-Corruption Defender Award in 2014 and was nominated for the UN Civil Society Award and Ford Foundation’s Jubilee Transparency Award. SERAP serves as one of two Sub-Saharan African civil society representatives on the governing Committee of the UNCAC Coalition, a global anti-corruption network of over 380 civil society organizations (CSOs) in over 100 countries.

According to our information, your government has recently sought the approval of the National Assembly for a fresh loan of $5.513 billion, reportedly to finance the 2020 budget deficit and critical projects as well as support states in the country. Several such loans have been obtained from China, the World Bank, and other sources, including the N850 billion loan, which the National Assembly speedily approved. Another loan of $22.79bn, which has reportedly been approved by the Senate is now pending before the House of Representatives.

SERAP is seriously concerned that while successive governments since 1999 have borrowed money in the name of Nigeria and its citizens, much of the funds have reportedly been mismanaged, stolen, or squandered, leaving the future generation of Nigerians with the burden to repay these loans.

We are concerned about the massive and growing national debts, and the negative impacts on socio-economic development as well as access of Nigerians to public goods and services, including quality education, adequate healthcare, clean water, and regular electricity supply.

While access to loans can provide indispensable resources, the mismanagement and squandering of any such resources would be counter-productive. Nigerians should no longer be made to repay debts incurred in their name but which have not benefited them in any manner, shape, or form.

Transparency and accountability in the spending details of all the loans that have so far been obtained by your government and those obtained by previous administrations would mean that the loans can help Nigeria to overcome its acute development challenges, reduce the possibility of mismanagement and corruption. It would also help to avoid a morally repugnant result of visiting the sins of corrupt governments and officials on innocent Nigerians.

Opacity in the spending of loans would continue to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of citizens. Transparency would ensure that the loans are not diverted to private pockets, increase public trust that these loans would be used to benefit Nigerians, provide good value for money, and reassure Nigeria’s creditors.

Any unresolved allegations of mismanagement, bribery and corruption in the use of loans would continue to deprive millions of Nigerians access to basic public goods and services including quality education, adequate healthcare, clean water, and would leave your government without the resources to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

Rather than taking more loans and increasing Nigeria’s debts burden, we urge you to exercise sufficient political will to urgently promote ground-breaking reforms to cut the costs of governance, including by instructing the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abukabar Malami, SAN to immediately enforce the judgment by Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo ordering your government to recover pensions collected by former governors and challenge the legality of states’ pension laws permitting public officials to collect such pensions.

Ensuring the enforcement of the judgment would remove the burden on your government of constantly providing financial support to state governors, and ensure that state governors are not using financial support from the Federal Government to finance the lavish lifestyles of former governors with impunity.

SERAP, therefore, urges you to urgently commission an independent audit on the spending of loans so far obtained by your government and previous administrations with a view to resolving any allegations of mismanagement and corruption in the spending of such loans.

We urge you to ensure that those suspected to be responsible for any mismanagement and corruption are promptly referred to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for further investigation, and where there is relevant admissible evidence, prosecution.

We also urge you to promptly instruct Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor the spending of all loans obtained since the assumption of office of your government in May 2015.

SERAP also urges you to disclose:

  1. Details of the spending of loans obtained by your government since May 29, 2015, including specific details of projects and locations of the projects as well as the conditions of any such projects;
  2. Total amount of debts that have so far been incurred by your government, including the interest rate, the details of debts inherited from the previous administrations, and details of refinancing of any such loans, as well as any strategy put together on borrowing decisions, and to promote sustainable borrowing;
  3. Whether any public officials solicited and/or received bribes in the negotiations for any of the loans

By Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on the details of spending of the loans and debts incurred by your government and previous administrations. By Section 4 (a) of the FoI Act, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or urgency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within 7 days after the application is received.

By Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the FoI Act, there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing information relating to the details of spending of the loans and debts incurred by your government and previous administrations are widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means. The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FOI Act.

The information requested for as indicated above, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FOI Act, bothers on an issue of national interest, public concern, the interest of human rights, social justice, good governance, transparency, and accountability.

We would be grateful if the requested information is provided to us within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, the Registered Trustees of SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.

Please accept the expression of our highest consideration. Thanking you in advance for your urgent attention to the matter.

Yours sincerely,

Kolawole Oluwadare

Deputy Director

 

CC:

Mr Abukabar Malami, SAN

Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice

Federal Ministry of Justice

Shehu Shagari Way,

Central Area

Abuja

 

Mrs Zainab Ahmed

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning

Ahmadu Bello Way, Central Business District

Abuja

 

Ms Patience Oniha

Director-General of the Debt Management Office

NDIC Building (1st Floor)

Plot 447/448 Constitution Avenue,

Central Business District

P.M.B. 532, Garki Abuja

Abducted CAN Chairman Regains Freedom

By
Alex Enemanna
-
0

Bishop Joseph Masin, the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN ) has regained freedom after being kidnapped on May 27. 

ABN TV reported earlier that the gunmen who stormed his residence at Bukan Sidi area of Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital had demanded an N20m ransom for his release. 

One of the CAN Chairman’s sons, Pastor Sam Joseph who confirmed that his father has been released said he arrived home around 2am on Sunday May 31. He said;

“The Bishop was released around 11 pm on Saturday and arrived home around 2am this Sunday.”

It is however not clear if a ransom was paid to secure the CAN Chairman’s freedom.

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