The member representing Aguata Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Rep. Dominic Okafor, has threatened to take legal action over a media report that he collected a bribe of $140 million from Binance. 

He stated this while addressing journalists at the House of Representatives on Friday.

He said the publication was an attempt to smear his name and integrity after moving a motion to probe the escape of a Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from the custody of Nigerian security.

He said: “Shortly after I moved that motion, which was well received and a lot of people were calling to commend me, I started getting calls from my friends all over the world saying I collected bribes from this very company. I got worried and wrote a letter to Premium Times, the media company that originated the story.”

“I wrote a letter to them which I copied the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Clerk, Inspector General of Police, EFCC and DSS. I asked them to retrieve the information within 24 hours, if not I will take legal action against them.”

It would be recalled that bribery allegations were levelled against members of a ‘federal government’s committee’ by an executive of Binance, an online cryptocurrency trading platform.

[DailyTrust]

 

The recent report by the International Rescue Committee, IRC, that an estimated 16 percent of Nigerians will face severe food insecurity and extreme hunger between June and August 2024 is a big source of concern to many Nigerians.

According to the report, the 2024 figure is higher than that of 2023- a clear indication of the increasing spate of hunger and the worsening living conditions, not only in Nigeria, but also across the West and Central Africa regions.

The report further revealed that the total number of people across West and Central Africa, who are likely to face food insecurity during the period, popularly referred to as the lean season, stands at a staggering 52 million, which is about 12 percent of the analysed population.

However, in Nigeria, the report said about 32 million people, representing about 16 percent of the country’s population, would face severe hunger, a development that is considered to be at a crisis level or emergency food insecurity.

The report said: “Looking ahead, the projected outlook for the period June-August 2024 appears even more severe.

“Nearly 52 million people across the 17 analysed countries are anticipated to face phases three to five during the lean season of June-August. This translates to 12 percent of the analysed population struggling to meet their basic food and nutrition requirements.

“These countries include Mauritania (656 652, 14 percent), Burkina Faso (2 734 196, 12 percent), Niger (3 436,892, 13 percent), Chad (3,364,453, 20 percent), Sierra Leone (1,569,895, 20 percent), and Nigeria (31,758,164, 16 percent).”

The report went further to state that the situation would be more severe in the northern states of Sokoto and Zamfara, where the IRC analysis described the situation as critical, with over 15 percent of the children in the states experiencing acute malnutrition.

According to the report, the major contributory factors to the severe food insecurity across the Sahel region include insecurity, climate change, and worsening macroeconomic conditions, especially on the inflationary front.

DAILY POST recalls that in January 2024, the average inflation rate in the region stood at 21 percent, which is an increase from the 18 percent that was recorded in the same period in 2023.

Earlier in the year, the World Bank, in its food security report for Nigeria, projected that seven states in the North would face severe food security problems with the spate of food inflation and insecurity across the food-producing states.

While the Boko Haram insurgency greatly affected food production in the North East, leading to the destruction of farmlands, the farmer-herder crisis and banditry have significantly affected food production across the North West and North Central regions of Nigeria.

Reports show that insecurity, coupled with disruptions in global food supply chains has pushed food inflation in Nigeria to about 40.01 percent in March.

Nigeria has an estimated population of over 200 million people, making it the most populous country in Africa, and the sixth in the world. It is also believed to be the 10th largest producer of oil in the world, but ironically, about 84 million Nigerians, representing about 37 percent of the population live below poverty line, according to the World Food Programme, WFP, report.

The WFP also agreed with the IRC report that insurgent activities in the north, have added to a fragile resource environment, deepened insecurity, hampered development and heightened the food and nutrition insecurity of vulnerable women and children

However, with the recent report, Nigerians have expressed fear that the prediction might come to pass.

Some observers, however, agreed that Sokoto and Zamfara states may not be the worst hit states when the time comes, looking at the level of havoc that kidnappers and militant herdsmen are wreaking in the North central states of Nigeria.

They, however, called on the government to sit up and ensure that Nigerians were not thrown into such a precarious situation.

One of those urging the government to take decisive action against banditry, kidnapping and all forms of criminalities is the president of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Dr. Pogu Bitrus.

He believes that only the government has the powers to prevent the IRC’s projection from manifesting, by tackling insecurity headlong.

He emphasised that Nigeria does not need any international body to give her the report of an impending hunger between June and August because the reality is staring everybody in the face.

“We know it is a reality because banditry has reached a stage where farmers can’t go to farm, and if farmers can’t go to farm, naturally, there won’t be food to eat.

“Besides, that time is a period when crops like maize are expected to mature, and if there is no maize to complement or supplement whatever that is out there, then there will be trouble, and hunger will definitely set in, unless the government rises up and does something to address the insecurity situation.

“So, their report is in order because it is in line with what is on ground. Unfortunately, it will not be worse in only Sokoto and Zamfara as the report stated, because there are so many other areas where bandits do not allow farmers to go to farm.

“And in such situations, you will agree with me that there will be a devastating hunger unless the government takes a proactive action to address the issue of banditry, so that farmers can return to farm in peace,” he told DAILY POST.

Also aligning with the IRC’s report is a former lawmaker in the Katsina State House of Assembly, Hon Yusuf Shehu.

He believes that traditionally, the people in Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina axis experience shortage of food between June and August every year but lamented that the insecurity in those areas would worsen the situation this year.

The ex-lawmaker told DAILY POST that, “Ordinarily, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and other states on that axis receive their first rains around May/June; so it is the beginning of the harvesting season.

“And every year, we, in the north, normally experience food shortage around June/July because most people would have brought out the remaining food in stock at that period to plant for the next season. And there is nothing more for the peasant farmers to do than to go to farm during the period.

“Now, considering the insecurity situation in the country today, where bandits and kidnappers are riding roughshod on the people, coupled with the high cost of living, obviously, there will be acute food shortage.

“The period is the beginning of the harvesting season and the bandits and kidnappers don’t allow people to go to farm; so what do you expect? Added to that is the removal of fuel subsidy which has heightened the cost of living.

“So, for me, I think the report is a wake-up call to the government to take steps in advance so that unavoidable deaths that could result from known calamity could be avoided.

“It is for the government to take the war to the bandits and kidnappers, clear them from our forests and bushes, and allow the farmers to go back to the farm.

“That is the only way to avert the IRC’s prediction, otherwise the percentage of Nigerians that would face severe hunger during the period could even be far more than the predicted 16 percent,” he stated.

A lawyer and public affairs commentator, Nnamani C.I, said there was no hard and fast rule to making food available, apart from creating an enabling environment for farmers to do their farm work without fear of being attacked, kidnapped or even killed.

He stressed that it would be a surprise and one of the greatest miracles of the century if, between June and July, Nigerians don’t experience a biting food crisis.

The lawyer said bandits and kidnappers had taken over the farms and forests, forcing the farmers to stay permanently at home.

“It is when farmers go to farm that they can produce. A situation where bandits, kidnappers, herdsmen and Boko Haram Islamist insurgents have driven farmers away from the farm, without any reaction from any quarter, what do you expect? Do you expect manna to fall from heaven in this 21 century? No, that won’t happen.

“The report by the IRC is just stating the obvious. We know that we are in big trouble. And unless the government takes the report seriously and rises to its responsibility, Nigeria may experience civil unrest of unprecedented proportions, and it will start from the north.

“There is a saying that a hungry man is an angry man; and an angry man is violent, while a violent man is an unreasonable man that is capable of doing anything, should not be disputed by any reasonable human.

“The report has just warned the government of a danger lurking around the corner. And I believe the government will not just fold its arms and allow the prediction to come to reality.

“I expect the government to declare a total war against those enemies of the state, rout them out once and for all and allow the farmers to return to farm in peace.

“That way, what the IRC said in its report may not be as adverse as it would have been, but if the government fails to act, the prediction might just be a child’s play to the kind of hunger that will envelop the country, particularly those on the fringes of Sahel during the period,” he told DAILY POST.

[DailyPost]

 

• Prince, wife begin Nigerian visit, campaign for mental health

• He’s not representing King Charles, says High Commissioner

It was a fun-filled day for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle yesterday as the couple freely interacted and chatted with students, soldiers and government officials at the start of a 72-hour visit to Nigeria.

They pumped hands, patted backs, danced, posed for selfies and were cheered by fans, who were eager to give them a first-hand experience of Nigerian hospitality.

The couple’s British Airways plane touched down in Abuja just before 5am following a slight delay caused by the scheduled pilot unexpectedly falling sick and replacement scrambled.

Five hours after their arrival, the royal couple visited the Wuse Lightway Academy where they spoke about mental health at the school supported by their Archewell Foundation.

The Prince in particular evoked memories of his suffering in the aftermath of his mother Princess Diana’s death, saying: “’In some cases around the world, in more than you would believe, there is a stigma when it comes to mental health.

“Too many people don’t want to talk about it, because it’s invisible – something in your mind that you can’t see. It’s not like a broken leg, it’s not like a broken wrist; it’s something we are still relatively unsure of.

 

“But guess what? Every single person in this room – the youngest, the oldest – every single person has mental health. So therefore you have to look after yourselves to be able to look after other people, and other people have to be able to look after themselves to be able to look after you. That’s the way it works.

“And there is no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day, OK? That you woke up this morning feeling sad; that you were at school, feeling stressed; that you’ve lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to turn to or who to speak to. All of these things you may even be led to believe are not for conversation.

“We are here today to tell you that that is not the case. Every single one of those things is completely normal, it is a human reaction, whether it’s grief, stress, whatever the feeling is. It comes from an experience that you have had – you can have it, she (Meghan) can have it, I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day.

“So if you take anything away from today, just know that mental health affects every single person.”

Meghan: “I see myself in all of you”

Also speaking, Meghan Markle said: “’As I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well. So it is a complete honour to have our first visit to Nigeria, be here with all of you.

“We believe in all of you, we believe in your futures, we believe in your ability to continue telling your stories and to just be honest with each other. There is no need to suffer in silence. Just make sure that you’re taking care of yourselves (and) your mental health.

“So thank you to all of you. Thank you to these teams, to our executive director of the Archewell Foundation, whose birthday is today.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex thereafter visited the  Defence Headquarters in Abuja where they were received by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

Also on hand to welcome them were wives of military officers led by the President, Defence and Police Officers Wives Association, Mrs Oghogho Musa and top officers of the Nigerian military.

The visitors went into closed door meeting with the defence chief, at the end of which they declined to speak with newsmen.

They later left for Kaduna to comfort Nigerian troops who were wounded across various theaters of operations and currently receiving treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.

Prince Harry, who was y welcomed at the Kashim Ibrahim House, by the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, said his visit was to r boost the morale of the wounded soldiers.

He said reports he earlier received from CDS Musa indicated that the Invictus Games, an initiative of the Prince, has brought joy to injured troops from Nigeria.

He said participating in the Invictus Games had a positive impact on the morale of wounded troops, restoring smiles to their faces.

In his remarks, Governor Uba Sani expressed gratitude to Prince Harry for the visit, recognising it as a testament to his dedication to inspiring recovery, aiding rehabilitation, and honoring the courageous troops.

“Your visit reminds us of another happy event 68 years ago, when Queen Elizabeth II, your grandmother, was welcomed to Kaduna on 2nd February, 1956, by our revered leader, the Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello (of blessed memory),” the governor said.

The governor described his guest as “a symbol of courage, perseverance, compassion, and the oneness of humanity.”

The Invictus Games, according to Wikipedia, is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014 for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.

The word ‘Invictus’ is Latin for ‘unconquered’, chosen as an embodiment of the fighting spirit of the wounded, injured and sick service personnel and what they can achieve post-injury.

The Invictus Games were founded by Prince Harry, the Ministry of Defense, and with the assistance of Sir Keith Mills. The inspiration came from Prince Harry’s 2013 visit to the Warrior Games in the United States, where he witnessed the ability of sport to help both psychologically and physically.[1]

The Games were launched on 6 March 2014 by Prince Harry at London’s Copper Box arena, used as a venue during the 2012 Olympics.

[TheNation]

Senator Ali Ndume has condemned the controversial cybersecurity levy recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria, adding that the Federal Government cannot continue to impose levies on Nigerians without increasing their income.

The All Progressives Congress lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, disclosed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today Programme on Friday.

Ndume stressed that the cybersecurity levy will increase the tax burden on Nigerians.

The senate leader said, “You cannot be loading taxes on people when you are not increasing their income. Their source of income, you are not widening it, you are not increasing it. I am not part of those that support levying people anyhow.”

“The amendment to the Cybersecurity Act, I supported it but not the nitty-gritty and I am not trying to run away from any blame. We have issues with cybercrime you know that, and there is a need for the government to improve the Cybercrime Act, that is what I understand by the amendment.
“Looking at the nitty-gritty would have been the responsibility of interested parties. If I had known there is an issue where a cost would be transferred to a customer or a Nigerian, I would not agree,” he said.

Ndume said the lawmakers alone should not take the blame for the Act, saying that where some things escape the notice of the lawmakers, civil society organisations and the labour unions are supposed to point out grey areas during public hearing.

On May 6, the CBN had in a circular directed all deposit money banks, mobile money operators and payment service providers to begin the deduction of the levy to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund, administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The proposed levy has since been greeted by condemnations, with the labour unions threatening a nationwide action should the government fail to backtrack.

[Punch]

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, has gazetted an executive order moving the sitting of the state house assembly to the government house.

The executive order 001 is dated October 30, 2023.

The governor said the sitting of the state parliament will henceforth take place at the government house until the assembly complex, which was affected by fire in October, is renovated.

“That on the 29th day of October 2023, a fire incident occasioned by unknown persons burned and damaged the hallowed chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly,” the gazette reads.

“That the Hallowed Chamber of the Rivers State House of Assembly in its present state is unsafe and constitutes a threat to the lives of the staff and the Honourable members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and thus not conducive for the business and proceeding of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“That it is expedient to carry out urgent repairs, renovation, and reconstruction of the burnt and damaged chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“That it is further reasonable to ensure that the business and proceedings of the Rivers State House of Assembly are not impeded and frustrated.

“Now therefore, I, sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, the Governor of Rivers State this 30th day of October 2023, pursuant to the powers vested in me under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) hereby issue, order, and direct that all proceedings and business of Rivers State House of Assembly shall temporarily take place at the Auditorium, Admin Block, Government House, Port Harcourt until the repairs, renovation or reconstruction of the chambers of the Rivers State House of Assembly are completed.”

As the Igbo would say, the man who sets out to marry a wife and celebrate his wedding in the Village square while wearing stolen and brightly coloured clothes of another should pray that the owner of the apparel on his back does not turn up in the Village Square while he is rocking his new-found body gear of questionable origins. And this saying has an extension: He who prays that the owner of the stolen clothes he chose to wear to a public event should not attend the event and see him should remember that the village is a small place and that the original owner of the clothes has friends and relations who will carry home a report that would make the thief unable to sleep after close of the day’s business.

But the matter of whether Ohaneze was planning to embark on a begging expedition or not has been laid to rest for good. Just when it was beginning to look like a crescendo was about to be attained by drivers of the campaign of calumny, the project ran out of gas. Untruth may rear its head, and even display some bright colours you cannot ignore, but it can never last long enough to challenge the truth. The mischief makers who tried to float the totally reprehensible narrative lost out in the end. But there is still the after-smell of un-sanctity in the air. No matter.

In reaction to the shocking tale of beggary, the President-general of Ohaneze and the organization’s Secretary General rolled out the tanks of public discourse and drowned out the ridiculous, but viral, claim that the organization came up with the had the hare-brained idea going on some kind of begging expedition to the northern part of the country. To begin with, there was nothing remotely resembling that thought in the two-day Ohaneze retreat where the idea was alleged to have sprouted.

I was at the event. I was also the Lead Speaker at the retreat held in Enugu. My presentation, and other presentations, were focused on new paradigms for Igbo self-actualization in the nation that essentially undergirded by a conspiratorial, and not openly and freely competitive, political economy. It was a soul-searching and truth telling outing. The ensuing Communique spoke to the issues discussed, as well as the new programmes and focal concerns of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Worldwide. So where did the tale of begging and supplication come into it?

Ohaneze, and Ndigbo generally, had a chance to “beg” the North or, more specifically, the Fulani, for support about a year ago. That was before the Last presidential elections, when Peter Obi was a candidate. They did not such thing. Instead, a meeting was called some five months before the elections between the South East Elders Forum and the Northern Welders Forum. In attendance covered the confederacy of all otherwise distinct platforms from both parts of the country, all with a common interest on the issues the coming elections were likely to put   the table.

Prof Ango Abdullahi led the Northern team, while the South east team was led by Chief Simon Okeke, for Chairman of the Police service Commission (PSS) and Chairman of the Anambra Public Officers and Elders Forum (ASPOF). The atmosphere was sombre. The air was charged with barely concealed expectations of horse-trading proposals, since it was a question of an election wherein the highest position in the land was being sought by an Igbo man.

There was a smell of “What is in it for us” in the air. So, it was for the South East Elders Forum to “Make their case” and convince their counterparts that a Peter Obi Gamble was worth their while. The Northern Elder presented Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed as spokesman, while the South East Elders presented Prof Okey Ikechukwu, mni, as spokesman. And so, Ikechukwu was invited to address the Northern elders after the leaders of the two teams had put forth their opening pleasantries.

As one of the very highly respected and also very old Northern Elders later quipped, after the three-hour interaction and exchanges, “We did not see it coming at all. That your Ikechukwu just compelled some of us to thinks about things we probably have bever adverted my mind to in the politics of the momen”. So, what really happened?

As the designate spokesperson for our own side of the table, I started by saying that we had come with a central message; which is captured in the statement: “Come let us reason together”. I said the we had not come to beg them to vote for Mr. Peter Obi, or to ask them to support our son and brother, no. Instead, had come to compare notes with them, on the good product that Nigeria needed a tthat historical hour.

I pointed out that Obi’s choice of their son and brother as running mate was based on his assessment of the latter, as enlightened, successful, and hands-on manager of human and material resources. Obi chose one of their best, who, in addition to being broad-minded, was also known for his substantial, and sustained, investments in human capital development. So, let us reason together, with these questions in mind: (1) “What  sort of leadership and navigational skills do we need to save Nigeria. (2) What type of person can deliver on this, and is Peter Obi, alongside his running mate, the type of team that dan do this job well?

Then came my clincher: “Gentlemen and elders, what every one of us here has in common is that we have all the attributes of people who can be kidnapped for ransom. are prime targets for kidnappers. That is not to say that we are wealthy by any stretch of the imagination in the conventional sense of Nigerians who can routinely sign off millions of naira, or eve n dollars, without blinking; no”!

I pointed out that we all came in more than passably clean air-conditioned vehicles; all in relatively good condition. We all look a little less harassed and less desperately hungry than the average person out there. So, anyone seeing us, and who has caught unto the new-fangle trade of capturing human beings in order to release them again after being paid, will see a potential product he can secure and use to make money”. Everywhere was dead quiet.

I continued: “No bandit, kidnapper or terrorist who accosts any of us on the road will first try to find out who we are, how good or bad we are and whether we are doing our best for humanity and for our fatherland. We would all be just, “ransom-able commodity” and nothing more. Professor, Imam, Senator, Senior military officer, students, name is!

Turning to the Prof Abdulahi, I said: “Recall, sir, that your son was one of the unfortunates of the Kaduna-bound train mishap. Fortunately, no stray bullet found him. But unfortunately, he was taken captive alongside everyone else they people could get hold of after derailing the train and killing some of the passengers. The young man’s identity as your son your son did not make any difference to them, or to anyone for that matter. No! with all the sacrifice you and many other people have made over the last 50 years?

I spoke if the demand for ransom and of the fact that the criminals held unto the young man until the full ransom was fully paid. Shortly thereafter, an incident involving the kidnap of another of your relations, this time with four of your beloved grand children in tow, was reported. It was all Ango Abdullahi’s problem while it lasted.

“The concern for us at the South East Elders Forum had more to do with a desperate need to rescue even our humanity as a people, in addition to all the hullabaloo about elections and positions after the elections. The coming elections, we held, must be sued as a tool for the restoration of the people-centred leadership ideals that characterized the era of the Ahmadu Bellos, Ziks, Awolowos, and so many others of that era.

I reminded us of the circumstances under which Prof Onyemelukwe lost his life in Anambra State, at the age of 84. He was accosted on the road by armed young men. Then they discovered that he was a saboteur working with the Fulanis in Nigeria against Igbo interests. Yes! And they had clear evidence and proof of his treachery before their very eyes. They also told him about this evidence and proof before they shot him. Guess what proof of his treachery and betrayal of Ndigbo they had against him? The 84-year-old man was wearing a caftan. That was all. He had to be executed for wearing Fulani dress in Biafra Land. That was the end of a great scholar of international repute and community leader.

Traditional rulers hitherto thought to be untouchable in various parts of the country are now routinely picked off their royal stool in their kingdoms and emirates like hapless chickens I nan exposed cage. Alongside the foregoing several other issues that were discussed in confidence on both sides.

Baba Ahmed was at his eloquent, and also very realistic best when it was his turn to speak for his side of the table. He raised all the relevant issues, forever focusing on the things that mattered the most. There was neither begging nor demand for begging. The gathering did not query, or try to impugn, the reputation or aspirations of other candidates besides the ones we had on the table at our meeting.

Then the meeting rose, agreeing embark of serious group reflections and introspection, and to reconvene soon thereafter to determine next steps. It was about Nigeria, about or physical, economic, political and moral survival as a people facing common problems that we needed to “reason together” and chart a way forward.

Imagine if a man who, as Vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello university, did so much to fast-track tertiary education for Northerners were to lose his son to criminals at whose current means of livelihood is the fact that they had no education and no socially useful survival skills. The north stood by and Ango’s son was held captive for months. Just as the East watched the husband of Dora Akunyili bumped off in broad daylight by gunmen.

Going back to the matter of whether Ohaneze was planning to beg anyone or not, ”Untruth may rear its head, and even display some bright colours you cannot ignore. But it can never last long enough to challenge and permanently displace the truth”. Begging? I beg your pardon!

Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State has become a metaphor for the dastardly actions of suspected Fulani herdsmen who have terrorised it for decades. At night and in broad daylight, innocent men, women and children of the community are gruesomely murdered by the marauders who desire their homeland for grazing their cattle. 

The beautiful grassland have been turned to killing fields and the people who try to resist the take-over of their ancestral homelands have become the guinea-pigs in a chilling experiment in forceful land grab. 

Penultimate Sunday, the marauders who have encircled the community and set up camps in the deep forests, paid one more visit to the community and as usual, left behind sorrows, tears and blood. Not only were four members of the community slaughtered like rams, most of the inhabitants of the village have now been forced to desert their homes and run for dear lives.

For long, Nimbo has not known peace. Everyone who has lived there in the past 2 decades has somehow learnt how to sleep with only one eye closed. Their land is fertile and they are preponderantly farmers; they pride their community as Enugu State’s food basket. But the vast farmlands have been targeted by herdsmen who crave it, instead, for their cattle. 

The gruesome event of penultimate Sunday was not the first of that magnitude but it caught national attention because of its similarity with the carnage of April 2016. Exactly eight years ago, they had attacked the villagers at night, killed many and set scores of houses ablaze. 

 

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, barely a year in office, had promptly visited the traumatised community. He came face to face with the wounded, the bereaved and saw the wreckage of burnt homes. The village was empty, save for the frightened few who sneaked in from nearby communities to receive him. 

The visit was going well as the governor took in the carnage and empathised with the people, until he was overtaken by emotion. He bowed his head at one point and shed a few tears. The crying drama earned him much criticism: of what use are tears to the villagers who expected their governor to stand strong with them? 

But there was a heartbreaking side to why the governor broke down in tears. A few days before the killings, he had received security reports about a possible attack on Nimbo but at the State Security Council meeting which he summoned to discuss it, he was assured by the Commissioner of Police that the situation was under control.  He was assured that the Area Commander of the State Anti-Robbery Squad was on ground in Nimbo. Sadly, in the early hours of the next Monday, reports of the carnage reached him. He was totally let down.

Ugwuanyi picked courage after the visit, and issued the usual threat to bring the perpetrators of the carnage to justice and take measures to strengthen security structures that would endure. For whatever it was worth, the people heaved a sigh of relief. 

Nimbo and the larger Uzo-Uwani area remained the same. In fact, the herdsmen have since become more brazen in their attacks and the people’s misery has increased.The killings and displacement have continued with impunity and many more people have been killed, some in their farmlands, while a large number of their homes have been torched. 

Sadly, not much was done to prevent a repeat. The Commission of Inquiry set up by the administration only scratched the surface; if it made any far-reaching recommendations at all, they only probably exist somewhere in the books. 

A community on the state’s borderline, Nimbo has largely remained forgotten, attracting the attention of government for the wrong reasons. While the people lament the lack of government attention by way of projects and facilities, their sons and daughters are not integrated into government by way of political positions. They have long concluded that they are abandoned to their fate.

Last week, it was at Ugwuijoro that the terrorists struck. The villagers had gathered to mourn their dead and deep into the obsequies, the gunmen wielding sophisticated weapons, struck. The unsuspecting villagers were easily overpowered and by the time their operation was over, four men lay dead with many more seriously wounded. 

Those killed, according to reports, are Okeh Simon Ugwu Oruku, Okeh Chukwuebuka, Julius Ogbonna Odiegwu and Gabriel Ugwor Ezea. Those who could afford to run, abandoned their homes for fear of more attacks. 

The following day, a Monday, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State did what his predecessor did exactly eight years earlier, minus the tears. He paid a visit to the community within 24 hours and repeated the usual condemnation  of the people who have taken the indigene’s open arms of welcome for granted. He announced a scholarship programme for children whose parents were killed during the attack, promised that the marauders would be brought to justice and to ensure stronger protection for the people. 

Whether the people believed him is another matter, considering how previous promises turned out to be meaningless. 

The strong police presence Ugwuanyi promised eight years ago is not there. The influx of strange faces with trailer-loads of cattle has continued on a daily basis in spite of the promise of monitoring activities in the forests. It has been easy for the herdsmen who had reinforced in nearby forests around Adani, Opanda and Ugboda, all within Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, to consistently attack and overwhelm the unsuspecting locals.

They have largely succeeded in terrorising the villagers because government at state and federal levels that should guarantee their safety, chose to handle the terrorists with kid gloves. Some locals even accuse the federal forces of complicity while much has not come from the state government, beyond the occasional treats against forceful take-over of community land by herdsmen. 

The ceaseless attacks on Nimbo and the deaths of the innocent villagers send a strong signal across Enugu State that government has failed to guarantee the people’s safety. It tests the resolve of the government to deal with the criminals who are sworn to forcefully annex that juicy swath of Igboland. If enough, truly, is enough, as the Governor Peter Mbah declared after visiting the crime scene,  he should go beyond platitudes and give the people reason to live safely and peacefully in their ancestral homes.

SPEECH BY PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU AS READ BY VP KASHIM SHETTIMA ON THE OCCASION OF 90TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY OF HRM OBA SIKIRU KAYODE ADETONA, THE AWUJALE OF IJEBULAND ON MAY 10, 2024

Protocols

We are here today to celebrate and rejoice with an outstanding and extraordinary monarch on the occasion of his 90th birthday anniversary.

It also gladdens my heart to see the Awujale in his full glory and majesty attain this important milestone.

I had planned to personally attend this epoch-making event as a mark of honour to our reverred royal father. I returned from my travel abroad to be part of this celebration. However, the exigencies and demands of state duty have both conspired to make it practically impossible to be here.

Earlier, I sent a personally-signed tribute to Kabiyesi Awujale, underscoring his transcendental and preeminent status as a royal father not just in our country, but also as one of the most adored around the world.

Kabiyesi Adetona deserves all the accolades we can accord him because he earned them.

In the last 64 years, Kabiyesi had served the people of Ijebuland with great wisdom and rare dedication. It is not surprising that his kingdom and people have continued to thrive.

While we rejoice with Oba Adetona today, it is important to state that what we are celebrating is much more than this 90th birthday anniversary.

In Oba Adetona, we are celebrating courage, dignity, honour and a life that is wholly committed to duty and service.

In time of adversity, Oba Adetona showed strength and kingly character. He stood his ground and confronted injustice and oppression during our just struggle for the restoration of democratic rule in the land between 1993 and 1999. If democracy is blossoming in our country today, it is because patriarchs like Oba Adetona stood firmly on the side of the people.

Motivated by higher and noble ideal to entrench democratic good governance in our country, Oba Adetona recognized the importance of expanding the frontier of knowledge with his endowment of a professorial chair at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in Ogun State.

It is appropriate that as part of activities marking this birthday anniversary, we are also inaugurating the Post-Graduate School on Policy and Governance Studies funded by Kabiyesi.

Because Oba Adetona has honoured our country and humanity with his many years of meritorious service, I therefore, on this special occasion of his 90th birthday ceremony, confer on him the second highest National Honour of Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON).

To ensure that the knowledge production and intellectual output of the Post-Graduate school benefit the entire country, the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos will be asked to take over the running and management of Oba Sikiru Adetona School of Governance Studies. This will be a fitting compliment to Kabiyesi's educational legacy.

I wish Kabiyesi Awujale more years of service to the people of Ijebuland and robust health on the throne.

Many happy returns Kabiyesi.