Dana Air crash-lands in Port Harcourt, overshoots runway

Tragedy was averted yesterday when a Dana aircraft numbered 9J0363, flying from Abuja to Port Harcourt crash-landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

Spokeswoman for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu told aviation reporters late Tuesday that the incident was suspected to have been caused by a heavy rain, which was accompanied by strong wind and storm in Port Harcourt.

“No casualty was recorded, as all passengers on board were safely evacuated,” she said.
Two weeks ago, the same Dana flight had its door blown open while landing.

Recall that on Sunday, 3 June 2012, an aircraft belonging to Dana Air, which took off from Abuja, crashed into a furniture works and printing press building in the Iju-Ishaga neighbourhood of Lagos, killing all 153 people on board and 10 more on the ground.

The aircraft was a twin-engined McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registered in Nigeria as 5N-RAM, built in 1990 and flew for Alaska Airlines until 2007, and was sold to another airline before being acquired by Dana Air in February 2009.

The aircraft was said to have accumulated more than 60,000 hours of total flight time since, with over 55,000 and 26,000 hours of total flight time before the crash. According to reports, the last maintenance on the aircraft was performed on June 1, 2012, two days before the accident.

Daily Sun Report

Abia couple sells own newborn baby for N400,000

…two of their seven children unaccounted for – Police

After three weeks of investigation, the Monitoring Unit of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the Imo State Police Command has nabbed a couple for allegedly selling their daughter, Chinecherem, for N400,000, a few hours after delivery.

The couple – Ifeanyi, 35, and Emmaculata Elijah, 30 – are indigenes of Amakpu- Umuba, in the Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State. But they are residents of Irete, in the Owerri West LGA of Imo State.

Other suspects said to have been involved in the crime are Grace Mezu, 55, of Umuoba Uratta, in the Owerri North LGA; Fedalia Ariri, 55, also of Umuoba Uratta; and Amarachi Obiekwe, 49, of Osina, in the Ideato North LGA.

Parading them on Monday at the command headquarters in Owerri, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, said the couple conspired on January 26, 2018, a few hours after giving birth to the girl and sold her to Obiekwe, through Mezu and Ariri.

Enwerem, who disclosed that the couple had given birth to seven children, said the whereabouts of two were still unknown.

According to him, the woman was delivered of the baby at home, while the waiting buyers paid immediately to take possession of the newborn baby.

The police spokesperson, who explained that the baby was recovered on February 17 in Lagos State, said the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, had ordered that the matter be charged to court at the end of investigation.

Enwerem said, “The innocent baby was denied love and parental care immediately she was given birth to. The parents conspired to take N400,000 instead of their daughter.

“The Commissioner of Police, who is pissed off with this act of wickedness and crime against humanity, has ordered that the wheels of justice and investigation be accelerated so that the matter would be charged to court.

“Having found out that the mother of the child was part of the conspiracy,  the CP has ordered that the innocent baby be taken from her and handed over to the Imo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

“The suspects have made confessional statements and we are working to ensure that justice is served. The Commissioner of Police advised that those who are in need of children should go through legal means to adopt them.”

There was a mild drama when the couple and the other suspects started accusing one another.
While the three other suspects and the child’s father, Ifeanyi, said the baby’s mother was part of the crime, Emmaculata denied knowledge of it.

Speaking to newsmen, the woman who allegedly bought the baby, Obiekwe, said she gave the couple the agreed amount in their house.

The father of the baby, who confessed that he traded his daughter for money, said the crime was planned and hatched by himself and his wife.
He said he and his wife gave Mezu, who brought the buyer, N6,000 from the amount that was paid for the baby.

Punch Report

Cows occupy Akure airport runway, prevent flight’s landing

An Air Peace flight from Lagos was on Saturday afternoon prevented from landing at the Akure Airport as cows took over the runway.

Eyewitnesses said it took the efforts of airport security and other aviation staff to clear the runway.
The pilot was said to have contemplated returning to Lagos before he was eventually cleared to land.
The Corporate Communications Manager of Air Peace, Mr. Chris Iwarah, confirmed the incident to our correspondent.

Iwarah said, “At about 12.15pm the control tower advised our pilot to hold because cows were on the runway of the airport. The flight held for about seven minutes.

“They also called the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria’s Aviation Security department to clear the runway which was done. The pilot was asked to land after the runway was cleared.

“The aircraft landed safely without any incident and passengers were duly informed about the situation while they were still hovering waiting for instruction to land.”

He added that when the aircraft was also about to return to Lagos at about 1.02pm, the pilot was advised to hold on to confirm if there were still cows on the runway.

In a statement by its General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN also confirmed the incident and apologised to Air Peace and the affected passengers for the runway incursion.

The agency said normalcy was quickly restored as officers of the aviation security department quickly dispersed the cows from the runway and cleared the aircraft to land.
Meanwhile, the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has hailed Air Peace pilot for saving the lives of the passengers

The governor, on his Twitter handle, said he witnessed cows taking over the airport runway and preventing Air Peace aircraft, No. 5NBQQ, from landing for some minutes.
He commended Capt Inyang for saving the lives of the passengers.

He said, ‘Today, while at the Akure Airport to board Air Peace commercial flight to Lagos, I witnessed cows taking over the Airport runway and preventing Aircraft No. 5NBQQ from landing for more than 15 minutes.
“Thanks to Capt Inyang for saving the lives of the passengers.”

Punch Report

FG abandons plan to create thousands of ICT jobs

The Federal Government appears to have discarded its plan to create thousands of jobs through the establishment of technology hubs. 

While representing President Muhammadu Buhari at an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) forum in Abuja mid-2016, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had unveiled the plan for two ‘super hubs’ in Lagos and Abuja, and six others across the country by the end of 2017.
Regrettably, the initiative, 19 months after it was announced, exists only on paper.

“Each hub will be designed to produce relevant innovative technology solutions to a wide range of business, commercial and government problems. For example, alternative energy solutions, creative technology, public services delivery in health, education and government processes, import substitution, among others,” said Osinbajo.

The vice president even disclosed that many major technology companies were partnering the Federal Government for the provision of infrastructure and opportunities at the hubs.
“We intend to create a reservoir of human capacity in technology that can be exported internationally. Nigeria could lead India as a market for technology and innovation talent,” he had said.

When The Guardian contacted the Senior Special Adviser to the President on ICT, Lanre Osibona, on the matter, he asked for some time to gather information. Three weeks later, he has not got back to the reporter. He did not pick his calls either or reply to text messages. Laolu Akande, the spokesman for the vice president, also promised a response. He had not done so as at press time.

An ICT or technology hub is a space where technologists gather to bounce ideas, network, programme and design, and bring their ideas to fruition for economic benefits.
A hub can establish a minimum of 10 startups and a maximum of 20 in about five teams each. This means that 20 startups multiplied by five teams each would create about 100 jobs. Multiplying 100 by the eight hubs planned by the Federal Government would yield 800 jobs.

Checks on the Nigeria ICT Roadmap showed that the Ministry of Communications targeted the creation of over two million jobs by 2020 through the establishment of the hubs.
The Federal Government, however, seems unwilling to pay adequate attention to the potential of technology for the economy, triggering concern among industry watchers.

They expressed dismay that the nonchalant posture is coming at a time the country’s ICT sector is attracting the attention of the world’s biggest technology giants like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook.

They bewailed the failure of the president to see opportunities for productivity gains, cost saving and reduction of inefficiencies. They also decried the absence of pointers in his 2018 speech suggesting his readiness to leverage technology in addressing healthcare delivery, citizenship engagement or the revamp of education.

“The establishment of innovation hubs is a prerequisite for current and future competitiveness and survivability. This, in my opinion, was why the Federal Government decided to establish eight hubs across the nation in 2017. Regrettably, the mission was never actualised,” said Chris Uwaje, Director-General of the Delta State Innovation Hub (DSHUB).

He stressed that nations must be re-tooled to meet the challenges of emerging, high-skilled and ICT-driven societies; they must establish new development strategies and responsive institutional frameworks and sustainable models.

He explained: “From the 100 startups that would emerge, not all would make it. It might just be 50 per cent, that is half of the 100. And if their solution is very good and meets market requirements and need, that might lead to the employment of about 500 people in the minimum.

At that stage, they are still small-scale enterprises, which means that if they weather the storm and become marketable, the employment generation could run into thousands.”
He revealed that in India, a minimum of 1,000 people work in an ICT environment, compared to Nigeria’s 155. This, he noted, proves Nigeria is lagging behind.

“There is a need to put in place a national and state innovation development fund. It is through this that innovation would be adequately developed,” he said.

Disturbing data from the Nigeria Association of Computer Science Students (NACOSS) show that about 325,000 students are in computer science departments in tertiary institutions across the country. “When they graduate, where will they go?” Uwaje asked, adding: “Government must be responsive to some of these facts on ground.”
   
Telecoms expert and Manager at MainOne, Temitope Osunrinde, said that to achieve the “global economic competitiveness targeted under the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan,” the Buhari administration must look not only at rail, road, gas and power; it must also focus attention on fibre line (broadband), the fourth rung of a modern economy. This, he said, would lift innovations emerging from ICT hubs.

Guardian Report

Lagos trader tortures stepdaughters with hot knife, pepper

A 10-year-old girl, Vera, and her younger sister, Favour, five, are grappling with injuries inflicted on them by their stepmother.

The woman, Chidima Nnachi, reportedly beat up Vera, rubbed pepper on her eyes and burned her back with a hot knife.

She also reportedly injured Favour on the forehead and inserted pepper in her eyes for allegedly soiling her body.

The family, including Nnachi’s husband, resided on Aso Rock Street, Brucknor Estate, Ejigbo, Lagos State.

While the children were rescued and taken into protective custody by the Office of the Public Defender of the state Ministry of Justice, Nnachi was arrested by the police from the Ejigbo division.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the 29-year-old trader allegedly tortured Vera, a primary four pupil of Ola Olu Montessori School, because she went to play after returning from the school on February 7, 2018.

It was gathered that the children’s mother died in 2012 after she gave birth to Favour.
A neighbour, identified simply as Olajide, was said to have reported the case at the Ejigbo Police Division and the suspect was apprehended.

Olajide told the police that Nnachi had been maltreating the children for a long time, adding that Vera’s groans on that day prompted her to make a report.

He said, “It was a neigbour who called my attention to the maltreatment of the children by their stepmother. I witnessed the torture of the girl (Vera) by her stepmother.

She beat her for about three hours on that day. I was sad and informed the community development association chairman who advised that that we should report the case to the police.”

Vera said she had returned from her school – some distance away from the house – on the day with Favour, but returned to the school premises to play.

She said when she returned home around 3.30pm, she met her stepmother, who beat her up with a stick for playing on the street.

The girl added that Nnachi put a knife in a burning liquefied petroleum gas (cooking gas) for some minutes and pressed it on her back.

She said, “On Wednesday, February 7, after the school closed, I went back to the school compound to play and came back home around 3.30pm. When my stepmother returned from her shop in Isheri Osun, she asked me why I left home to play on the street. I told her that I was playing at the school compound, but she said I was lying.

“She started beating me. She put on the cooking gas and placed a knife on fire. She put pepper in my eyes and I could not see again. She then pressed the hot knife on my back. I cried and felt pains.

“The following day, my younger sister woke up in the morning with faeces on her body. She (Nnachi) beat her and put pepper in her eyes too. Our father had travelled when the incidents happened.”
The suspect, the mother of one, in her statement to the police reportedly confessed to assaulting Vera, adding that she did not treat her injuries.

She said, “Favour and Vera have been living with me since 2014 when I got married to their father. I was told their mother died in 2012 after Favour’s birth. On February 7 around 3pm, I came back from my shop in Isheri Osun and met only Favour and my two-year-old child, Dominion, at home.

“I checked everywhere, but did not see Vera. When she later came back, I asked her where she went to. She said she went to another street. As I wanted to beat her, she ran away. Her school proprietress brought her home.

When the proprietress left, I put fresh pepper in her eyes and pressed a hot knife on her back several times. Vera was the one who took care of her sister and my son when I had gone to the shop.”

A police prosecutor, Sergeant Koti Aondohemba, brought the defendant before an Ogba Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on five counts of assault.
 Aondohemba told the court that the offences contravened sections 10(b)(c)(d) of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.

The charges read in part, “That you, Chidima Nnachi, on February 7, 2018 around 3.30pm, on Aso Rock Street, Brucknor Estate, Ejigbo, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did inflict injuries on one Vera, 10 years old, by burning her back with a hot kitchen knife and caused her bodily harm.

“That you, Chidima Nnachi, did unlawfully assault one Favour, five years old, by flogging her all over her body and inflicting injuries on her back and face, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 10(c) of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and elected summary trial.
The presiding magistrate, Mr. A.O. Ogbe, granted her bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till March 5, 2018.

Punch Report

Herdsmen sack Ondo council

Hoodlums suspected to be herdsmen, yesterday, stormed the secretariat of Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State and threatened to kill some workers.

The herdsmen, numbering over 30, reportedly stormed the council secretariat in the afternoon and vandalised some valuables belonging to the staff of the local government.

Daily Sun was reliably informed that the herdsmen brandished various weapons, including cutlasses, daggers, charms and axes.

The siege by the herders disrupted official activities at the council offices, including marriage ceremonies going on at the registry.

Some staffers of the council were driven out of their offices one by one by the herders, who allegedly threatened to kill anyone who looked into their eyes.

Sources said trouble started when a worker at the council warned a herder to take his cattle away from the council’s agriculture department vegetable farm, located behind the secretariat.

The herder, a boy of about eight years, reportedly ignored the warning and allowed the cows to graze on the vegetable cultivated there. The local government worker allegedly moved towards the boy and, while attempting to make him herd the cows out of the farm, the boy fell down.

It was gathered that an older herder, suspected to be the father of the boy, who was coming behind and saw what transpired pulled out a sword and confronted the local government worker.

It was learnt that the council worker, who also had a cutlass in his hand, stood up to the herdsman. While both men were flexing muscles with their weapons, the herder was injured. The injured herdsman was said to have mobilised over 30 of his colleagues, who stormed the secretariat and sacked workers from their offices.

The herdsmen also went to the secretariat’s registry and sent away couples that were holding marriage ceremonies.

Caretaker chairman of Akure South Local Government, Mrs. Margaret Atere, described the situation as fearful and called for prompt security measures.

Daily Sun gathered that workers in the council fled their offices and vowed not to return until their security was guaranteed.

Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Gbenga Adeyanju, who led his men to the secretariat to assess the situation, said normalcy had returned to the area.

Daily Sun Report

Herdsmen overrun Plateau varsity

•VC raises the alarm over deadly grazing
•As Ortom slams Lalong again
Vice Chancellor of Plateau State University in Bokkos, Prof. Docknan Decent Sheni, has raised the alarmed over deathly grazing of cattle by Fulani herdsmen in the University premises.

Prof. Sheni stated this yesterday during a press briefing at the University in Bokkos explaining that despite the arrest of Fulani herdsmen who carry out aggressive grazing in the university premises, the menace had continued unabated.

“There are security challenges in the university because the institution has not been completely fenced, we have seen several strange persons within the university who constitute threat to lives and properties.

“Our greatest challenge is the aggressive grazing carried out by herdsmen within the premises of the University. Lectures will be going on and cattle will be roaming around, up to the administrative block and this is not pleasant to the system.”

Prof. Sheni revealed that the institution has lost two persons due to insecurity and they are working hard to stop grazing in the University. “We cannot allow that to continue because we don’t know the motive behind that, we have seen how people have been butchered in different part of the country by suspect herdsmen and we don’t want that to happen to any of us.

He lamented that female students have also been harassed by suspected hoodlums who jumped through the fence at night with the intension of raping and causing untold hardship on students.
The VC said the University does not condone activities of cultism and vowed to expel any student found wanting.
He explained that the institution has suffered several executive inferences which constituted a clog on the wheel of development, saying it’s operated for 12 years without accreditation.

Prof. Sheni noted that two set of students who graduated could not be mobilised for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) due to lack of accreditation of courses by NUC until 2015.
He said the University has recorded tremendous improvement in infrastructure and man power development where it has the capacity to admit 150 students unlike previous years that the admission was restricted to 300 students.

In another development, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has reiterated that the claim by his Plateau State counterpart, Simon Lalong that he was warned against the enactment and implementation of the Anti-Open Grazing Law was untrue.
Ortom stated this during a meeting between the Federal Government committee on herdsmen and farmers crisis and Benue stakeholders at the Government House in Makurdi.

Ortom who was reacting for the first time after Lalong told State House Correspondents some weeks back that he warned him against promulgating the law but he (Ortom) refused to heed his warning stated that at no time did Lalong warn him against the law.
His words: “At no time did governor Simon Lalong warned me against enacting the law. He said Lalong must mind his business and let me mind my business.

The Governor commended the committee led by the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi for deeming it fit to visit Benue first on a fact finding mission in the task of finding sustainable resolutions to the farmers/herders skirmishes in Nigeria.

He particularly appreciated the committee for choosing Benue state as its first port of call and expressed optimism that the visit would afford the members the opportunity to see things for themselves.

“We choose the path of Peace in a civilized way to tackle the crisis even when Fulani herdsmen are killing our people like chickens. We remain committed to this course in ensuring that we live in peace. We must not accept the total deceit that is going on in the country. The anti-open grazing law started smoothly until Miyetti Allah issued a threat which was actually carried out by them.

Therefore, l want to urge the committee to work assiduously to bring justice to Benue.”
On his part, leader of the Federal Government delegation to Benue and Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi condemned the killings in Benue and other parts of the country noting that the crisis in Benue state was a delicate one which must be handled with open minds.

Umahi said: “We are here to tell you that we feel your pains because whatever happened in Benue may affect other ethnic groups in country. That is why at the national economic council meetings, the issue of Farmers and herdsmen crisis were discussed extensively after which agreement was reached that a nine man committee be set up to proffer sustainable solutions to the crisis between the farmers and herdsmen,”

The Ebonyi state governor also posited that insinuations in some quarters, especially on the social media, that the Federal Government had directed states to allocate 5000 hectares of land for cattle colonies was not true, stressing that at no time did Federal Government gave such directives.

Umahi who noted that the herdsmen/farmers crises is not just a Benue problem but a national problem, maintained that it was for that reason that in one of their meetings, it was agreed that a sub-committee should be set up to visit the four most affected states including Benue, Taraba, Kaduna and Plateau states to interact with the people and get their submission.

“We have heard the submission of the Benue people and shall also try to hear the submission of the herdsmen so that sustainable solutions can be found to the problem. The herdsmen/farmers crisis is not a Benue problem alone but a national problem which require national attention and solutions.  Several persons earlier spoke on the clashes between  herders and farmers including; the president general, Mzough U Tiv, Chief Edwin Ujege, Pastor David Ogbole, Justice Benard Hon, Chief Daniel Abomtse among others.

They described the invasion of Benue by the herdsmen as ethnic cleansing and a ploy to annihilate the people and occupy the Benue Valley.
They noted that the issue was not just about grazing but a jihad with a view to conquering the land and move down to the south vowing that no matter the intimidation, the Anti-open grazing law has come to stay.

Ujege who spoke on behalf of Benue socio-cultural groups, said since the crisis started in 2011 in Benue state, over 2000 people had been killed including women and children with property worth about N95bn destroyed.

He insisted that the Benue people want peace, protection of lives and properties in accordance with Nigerian constitution, noting that, “Our children no longer go to schools, we  have been chased out of our home, markets and schools. We want restructuring, devolution of power and establishment of state police”.

He said Federal government must ensure that the anti- open grazing law enacted by Benue state government work by making sure that lives and properties of  Benue people are protected.
He disclosed that before the law was enacted, 14 local government areas of the state were attacked by herdsmen.

Also, Catholic Bishop of Makurdi diocese, Very Rev. Wilfred Anagbe who spoke on behalf of the clergies said that before the law was enacted, several villages in Tiv land, up to Agatu were deserted when the herdsmen launched massive attacks on Benue communities.

“I am happy that the federal government has set up this committee to find solution to these incessant attacks on Farmers. We have changed government, educational curriculum in Nigeria why can’t government insist on ranching. It is only in Nigeria that cows are not ranched but are allowed to freely invade communities including airport runways.

If the herdsmen are for grazing, why are they killing people, there is more to grazing. In 1950s, 1960s, Fulani came to settle in our community with their wives and children but the present crops of Fulani now come without their families but with sophisticated weapons,” he noted.  Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse expressed concern about the sincerity of the federal government and the committee to find a lasting solution to the crisis stressing that several other reports before this particular one had never been acted upon.

Ayatse who also wondered the motive behind the pre-announcement of the military operation code named Ayem Kpatuma (Operation Cat Race) before its eventual commencement, also expressed the fear that the military operation may be targeted at the Benue people.

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state is a member of this committee yet he refused to attend this meeting because he has taken a position. We have no confidence in the military dance because it is belated and had been  pre-announced. The military is not coming to rescue the people but to harass our children and youths in our community. Law is made to address mischief therefore we will not bend the law but go extra mile to protect the law.”

Daily Sun Report

Pastor arrested for car snatching

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested the General Overseer of God’s Favour Ministry, Iba, Lagos State, Daniel Onwugbufor, for alleged car snatching.
The pastor was arrested on Thursday, February 1, 2018, along with one Israel Animashaun, by men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said their arrests followed a series of car snatching reports which the command had been trying to unravel.
He said police efforts paid off when one of the snatched cars, a Lexus RX 330 Jeep, was tracked to the pastor’s residence at Iba.

Oyeyemi explained that the pastor’s arrest led to the apprehension of Animashaun, an active member of a three-man gang which specialised in snatching exotic cars at gunpoint.
He said Animashaun confessed that his gang snatched the Lexus Jeep at gunpoint at Ajah, Lagos, and took it to the pastor, who used to help them in selling such items.

The suspect also reportedly confessed that the pastor paid him N350,000 for the car and he (pastor) had used it for two weeks before transferring it to another accomplice in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Oyeyemi said, “The pastor, who first denied knowing Animashaun to be an armed robber, later confessed when confronted by the said Animashaun. He blamed his action on the devil.”


Punch Report

Passengers panic as Dana Air emergency door falls off

Alarmed passengers say they were terrified when one of the emergency exit doors fell off a plane as it landed in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Passengers took to social media to document their experiences aboard the Dana Airlines aircraft Wednesday.

Ola Orekunrin, a doctor from Lagos, tweeted that the “exit door fell off” the Nigerian airliner as they touched down in the city on their 6.48 am flight from Lagos to Abuja.
She added that the door had been “unstable throughout the flight.”

Ola Brown(Orekunrin)
@NaijaFlyingDr
Flew Dana. Exit door was unstable throughout the flight. As we touched down it fell off. Scary stuff.
Igah Dagogo was also traveling on the same flight. He told CNN he noticed the emergency exit door was not properly latched before takeoff in Lagos.

“I was one foot away from the emergency exit door, so I could see the handle was popping out,” Dagogo said.

“We informed one of the air hostesses who insisted that it was locked,” he added.
Dagogo said the plane had just taxied on the runway when the door came unhinged and almost hit a passenger.

“We were in the process of landing, that was when the door just opened. The white man by the door had to shift because the door would have hit him. When he shifted the door now fell on the floor of the plane.”

“Maybe it was breeze, but the door came off completely and the passengers came to check and began shouting and taking photos. I wonder what would have happened if the door fell off mid-air.”
CAB van der Vinne
@JoopvanderVinne
Replying to @NaijaFlyingDr
Scary. Another airliner off my list..
15:57 – 7 Feb 2018

Dagogo said crew members tried to calm passengers’ nerves and one of them complained to the pilot who said he should have been informed before takeoff.

Dana Airlines responded to the reports with a statement.
Dana Airlines Ltd.
@DanaAir
Aircraft doors cannot fall off without conscious efforts to open it,’ Dana enlightens media… https://fb.me/2Ho3yPX7n
14:22 – 7 Feb 2018

DANA Air today debunked falsehood alleging that the door of one of its aircraft fell off after landing and whilst taxing in Abuja earlier today. Some online publications had started posting reports…
nigerianflightdeck.com

“We wish to state categorically that this could never have happened without a conscious effort by a passenger to open it,” it said.

The airline also said when the aircraft is airborne, the seat or door could not be “shaking” as Brown had said because it is “fully pressurized.”

“A thorough inspection was however carried out on the said aircraft upon landing in Abuja by our engineers and a team from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and no issue was reported.
There was also no threat to safety at any point.”

“A thorough investigation of the concerned passenger is ongoing.”
Dana Airlines commenced operations in Nigeria in November 2008.
In June 2012, one of its Boeing aircraft slammed into a two-storey residential building in a densely populated neighborhood of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.

More than 160 people died. An investigation determined mechanical failure and pilot error were to blame.
After Wednesday’s incident, Nigerians seized the opportunity on social media to express their disappointment with the country’s aviation industry.

DapoSanwo
@DapoSanwo
Replying to @NaijaFlyingDr @thagaucho
Abeg
If there is a class action lawsuit against Dana for gross negligence and endangering the lives of passengers. I want in, I also was on that flight : 25d : The Door Panel was loose indicative of lack of maintenance.

09:32 – 7 Feb 2018
Surprisingly, Dagogo took Dana’s evening flight back to Lagos the same day
“Seven of us who flew in with the morning flight came back to Lagos with the evening flight.”
“I’ll take any flight that suits my time. It’s God that determines my fate,” he said.

PM NEWS REPORT

I use human flesh for money ritual – Alfa

The Oyo State Police Command on Thursday paraded an Islamic cleric (Alfa), a pastor, and two others, who were allegedly caught with suspected human parts in the Ayegun area of Ibadan.

The state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, said Alfa, Sulaiman Hamed, 35, participated in the Fidau prayers for a dead man but later contracted two men to exhume the corpse because he needed the body parts for money ritual.

The two accomplices – Olapade Saheed, 32, and Olatunji Abiodun, 26 – were later caught with the deceased’s head and other body parts, leading to the arrest of Hamed and Tope Akinyele, 45, who claimed to be the pastor of a church in Ojagbo, in the Oranyan area of Ibadan.

Hamed said he usually paid N2,500 for human flesh which he used in making money charm for his clients.

He said, “Someone introduced Saheed and Abiodun to me. I gave them N2,500  to help me find human flesh. We all met at Ayegun junction, Ibadan.  Around 10pm, I took them to a grave where a body that was brought from Warri, Delta State, was buried.

“I took part in the prayers for the deceased before he was buried. I left them (Saheed and Abiodun) there, but they refused to let me go. They said they wanted to sleep in my house that night.  I got them a place close to my house.

“In the early hours of the second day, they came to me with a cellophane bag. I did not check what was inside, but I hanged it on the wall of my house. I was on my way to my office in Ile-Tuntun when I saw them in the midst of a crowd with a human head.

“I use human flesh to make money ritual for people and I pay N2,500 for the flesh. In this case, the charm was for myself. I did not ask them to cut off the head and it was not in my possession when the police came.”

In his statement, Saheed said Alfa paid them N1,500 to do the job and that he took them to the grave of the deceased.

“Alfa called us for a job at Ayegun. When we got there, he showed us a grave three houses away from his house. After we finished the job (of exhuming and cutting off body parts), he took what he needed from the remains of the dead man and asked us to dispose of the rest.

“We left early in the morning.  But on our way, a local vigilance group stopped us and asked what was in the bag we carried. They beat us up after realising that there was a human head and other body parts in the bag. The police later came to arrest us,” he said.

Odude said the police would continue to rid the state of criminals, noting that the suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigation.

Punch Report

Tragedy! Fulani herdsmen kill SARS boss

Fulani herdsmen have done it again. This time around, they went for the Officer-in-Charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Saki Unit in Oyo State Police Command.

Nigerian Tribune reports that the SARS boss was macheted to death by Fulani herdsmen Tuesday night during an operation in a forest at Saki-Ogbooro Road in Oke-Ogun area of the state.

Tribune stated that police authorities in the state have confirmed the killing of the SARS boss who is an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP.


PM NEWS Report

Buhari reinstates NHIS boss under probe for alleged N919m fraud

President Muhammadu Buhari has recalled the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, who was suspended by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, on July 6, 2017,   has learnt.

In a letter with reference number, ‘SH/COS/10/6/A/29’, signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, the President informed the minister of Yusuf’s recall, adding that he (Yusuf) had been “admonished to work harmoniously with the minister.”

The letter, it was learnt, was sent to the minister on Tuesday evening. When our correspondent called the minister to confirm the new development, Adewole only said, “Yes, what you have heard is true.”

He refused to answer any further inquiries about the issue.
Sources at the federal Ministry of Health also confirmed Yusuf’s reinstatement. They did not, however, disclose when the NHIS boss would resume.

 The letter made no mention of the probe Yusuf was facing at the EFCC.
Incidentally, Yusuf was being grilled by the men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday when his letter of reinstatement was sent to the Federal Ministry of Health.

Yusuf, who is being probed by the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, was accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m.
A committee set up by the minister had submitted a probe report to the President last September accusing Yusuf of abuse of office.

In the report which was compiled by senior officials of the health ministry, the Department of State Services and the ICPC, the panel described Yusuf as a public servant who “portrayed a holier than thou attitude but at the background, milked the agency dry” by conniving with others to perpetrate fraud to the tune of over N919m.

According to the panel, the N919m was dubiously given as payment to consultants for staff training.
The committee said as the head of the agency, Yusuf was personally responsible for all administrative, procurement and financial lapses.

According to the report, “His (Yusuf’s) deceitful attitude coupled with ‘name dropping’ of Mr. President as having sent him to sanitise the NHIS but he caused more harm than good to the scheme.”
The committee, therefore, recommended that the EFCC probe the agency for diversion of funds and contravention of the Procurement Act of 2007.

The report stated that Yusuf contravened the Procurement Act of 2007 through nepotism and other irregular award of contracts and should be sanctioned in line with the provision of the Act.

Explaining how the alleged staff training scam took place, the committee said in some instances, the number of trainees was far more than the entire number of employees at the agency while in some other instances, some employees were registered for the same training in two different states at the same time.

Most of the consultants were said to have charged about N250, 000 per participant.
The PUNCH had exclusively reported in December that Yusuf, who is close to the cabal in the Presidency, had been making moves to return to his post.

When our correspondent reached out to him to respond to the allegations levelled against him last December, Yusuf had said, “F*ck you, and f*ck the minister.”
Meanwhile, it was learnt that Yusuf was grilled for over 12 hours at the EFCC on Monday and Tuesday.

 A source at the EFCC said, “The NHIS boss was with us all through Monday and returned on Tuesday for more questioning. His passport was also seized. He will return on another day for more questioning.”

Punch Report

Visa, Master cards holders panic as Egmont threatens to suspend Nigeria

The Nigerian banking community is now in panic mode following threat by Egmont Group to suspend the country from its network. If the threat is carried out, millions of Nigerian visa and master cards holders will no longer be able to handle international transactions with their cards.

Egmont Group is a united body of 155 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) which provides a platform for the secure exchange of expertise and financial intelligence to combat money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF).

This is especially relevant as FIUs are uniquely positioned to cooperate and support national and international efforts to counter terrorist financing and are the trusted gateway for sharing financial information domestically and internationally in accordance with global Anti Money Laundering and Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) standards.

The group had in July 2017, suspended the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) at its 24th plenary of the Heads of the FIUs in Macao. On the ground that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under which the NFIU was situated, was leaking sensitive information to the media.

It  also accused the EFCC of blackmailing individuals with the confidential intelligence at its disposal.

“The Heads of FIU made a decision, by consensus, to suspend the membership status of the NFIU, Nigeria, following repeated failures on the part of the FIU to address concerns regarding the protection of confidential information, specifically related to the status of suspicious transaction report (STR) details and information derived from international exchanges, as well as concerns on the legal basis and clarity of the NFIU’s independence from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The measure will remain in force until immediate corrective actions are implemented,” the group said in a statement.

But EFCC had denied the allegations, saying that the   “false petition” was  sent to the Egmont Group by an aggrieved  former director of  NFIU.

“What Nigeria is facing today may have been self-inflicted as certain citizens with vested interests in the running of the NFIU are known to regularly feed the world body of FIUs with false information regarding the situation in Nigeria.

“The issues that culminated in the recent suspension of Nigeria are predicated on a false petition by a former director of the NFIU who, embittered by the manner of her dismissal, painted a false imagery of siege on the NFIU with the objective to compromise information from the Egmont Secure website,” an official from EFCC, said.

However, the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in a memo: SH/OVP/DCOS/NFIU/ which was  addressed to the chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Chukwuka Utazi, explained that he had set up an ad-hoc committee to reposition the NFIU and restore its membership of the Egmont Group.

The memo listed Utazi as the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee. Other members include Kayode Oladele, a member of the House Representatives, Abdullahi Shehu, and representatives of the Federal Ministries of Justice, Finance and Interior. Others are the Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), a representative of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and a representative of the EFCC.

The committee was charged with facilitating the legal and regulatory measures to bring about financial and operational autonomy of the NFIU, and to make other recommendations necessary to boost the country’s capacity to deploy financial intelligence to fight crime.

The committee was expected to turn in a final report by the end of August 2017. However, nothing has been heard of its recommendations.

Reacting to the threat, an Economist, Professor Pat Utomi, said that it will be disastrous for Nigeria because transaction cost will be higher for Nigerian card hold and the cost of doing business will increase. He noted that the financial inclusion policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria will sufer a set back.

On what Nigeria can do to avoid being sanctioned, the professor of Economics noted that the issue resides on the managers who are expected to strengthen the institution.

A director at WAIFEM,  Mr Baba Musa,  in his response,  said that suspending Nigerian will have a grave legal implication because Nigeria has a franchise with Visa and Master cards to issue those cards.

According to him, if Nigeria is suspended it will cauxe a lot of inconveniences to millions of card holders. Baba said that although the visa and master card  companies are private sector businesses, government still has a right to monitor the flow of money through the channels in order to build its reserves.

He said that the 1994/6 financial crises were caused by private-sector debts and so the government has a right to monitor how these funds are being moved about because if there is a shortfall the burden falls back on the Central Bank of Nigeria as banker to the government to make it up. Even in the US,  anyone that transacts beyond their set financial  threshold will be called to question, he explained.

The WAIFEM director also added, “disclosure is important in financial transaction and it is within the global anti-money laundering law for the private sector or anybody at all to disclose financial  transactions at all times.

So, what the government needs to do is to sit down with Egmont to let them know that what the EFCC is doing is still within the ambit of the Money Laundering Act in the interest of the country and the global financial system.”

In a text message response to Daily Sun enquiry, EFCC spokesman, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, stated, “There is no threat to sanction Nigeria. What  you have is the recycling of old news by vested interest pursuing personal agenda.”

Daily Sun Report

How juju arrested PHCN officials in Osogbo

 I don’t know how to translate this into English, but “ohun t’aba wi f’ogbo, logbo ngbo…” is the most popular Yoruba incantation used by Ifa believers to spellbind an individual; hypnotise the enemy or arrest an awkward situation. But some Ifa adherents don’t have to chant incantations. They are incantations themselves! The Araba of Osogbo, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, belongs to this class of esoteric clan of Ifa votaries.

 It was about midday in the heart of Osogbo. Some officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria were on a mass disconnection at the Ayetoro area of the city capital. Snaillike, their vehicle inched towards Ifayemi Elebuibon Street, stopping at the very pole in front of the expansive residence of the Ifa priest.

Four PHCN officials alighted from the vehicle. A group of residents, whose electricity cables had been disconnected some distance up the street, had followed the vehicle on foot. The leader of the team, a dark-skinned middle-aged man, opened a conversation with the restless residents.

 Two men, who appeared to be the youngest in the PHCN team, brought down a brown, long wooden ladder hinged to the top of the pickup. As they were mounting the ladder against the pole, Elebuibon came out of his compound. He greeted them and asked what their mission was.

The team leader told him that they were going to disconnect the cable supplying his house with electricity unless he produced a bill showing that he was not owing the PHCN. The babalawo told them that he was not owing the PHCN and added that it was not his place to produce any bill. He said the PHCN should have a record of those who had paid up their bills just as he stressed that he had never owed electricity tariff all his life. Some residents intervened and told the officials that the Araba never owed electricity bills.

 Shunning all entreaties, one of the PHCN officials rebuffed the pleas and started to climb the long ladder. Residents yelled and told him not to climb the ladder, but he refused, climbing and grumbling. Elebuibon raised his hand, saying ‘e je o gun, to bati le bo’le’; meaning: let him climb the ladder if he would be able to climb down from it. One! Two! Three! Four!…the brave official climbed the ladder to the top. Suddenly, he stopped grumbling, became utterly silent, distant and hazy.

He couldn’t disconnect the cable, neither could he come down. Looking as cool as cucumber, he chewed a gum slowly, absent-mindedly and remained at the top of the ladder, blinking and oblivious of the flood of pleas gushing on his behalf down below.

The other three PHCN officials at the foot of the ladder sweated and begged. Together with residents, they pleaded with Baba Elebuibon to set the young man free. Elebuibon yielded. ‘Arakunrin, ma bo nle (young man, come down),’ he simply said, snapping the detainee out of his forced reverie.

The Ifa priest later told one of his children to go inside his house and bring the bill showing he had paid his electricity tariff. Elebuibon was able to resist the highhandedness earmarked for him by the PHCN, but do millions of Nigerians, whose businesses and well-being are tied to electricity supply, have the arcane power to such do?

 The commonest testimony that governmental injustice and corruption freely and daily stalk our land unchallenged is the PHCN. Injustice and corruption aided, abetted and perpetrated by the government against the people. Or what better adjectives are there to qualify a government parastatal that collects citizens’ hard-earned money and yet refuses to provide the commodity for which they paid? Worse still, those that pay brazenly have their power supply cut if they were not around to show the almighty PHCN officials their bills.

 The inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to bring just one ‘oga’ to book despite the trillions of naira that have gone down the PHCN drain since 1999 shows the corrupt nature of the country’s anti-corruption fight. Nigerians watch hopelessly as yesterday’s corrupt politicians have had their iniquities washed with hyssop and a detergent called defection while the EFCC bays at the midnight moon.

The crazy bill phenomenon by the PHCN is the crowning of the nation’s abhorrent corruption behemoth. How a government could watch and support the fleecing of her citizens year in and year out without a twinge of compunction beats the imagination.

And all the agencies, state and national parliaments statutorily constituted to check underhand practices in the various segments of the economy look the other way as the python of corruption and insensitivity encircles the citizenry. A Nigerian-American living in Huntsville, Alabama, Olusegun-Richard Adeyina, said he has witnessed uninterrupted power supply since relocating to the US 16 years ago.

 A report by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project said at least N11tn meant for the provision of adequate electricity for Nigerians was squandered under ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan. The report also warned that the ‘financial loss to Nigeria from corruption in the electricity sector’ may reach N20tn in the next 10 years.

 The report, which was presented to the media by an Associate Professor of Energy and Electricity Law, University of Lagos, Yemi Oke, some months ago, said, “The much publicised power sector reforms in Nigeria under the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005 is yet to yield desired and/or anticipated fruits largely due to corruption and impunity of perpetrators, regulatory lapses and policy inconsistencies. Ordinary Nigerians continue to pay the price for corruption in the electricity sector – staying in the dark, but still made to pay crazy electricity bills.

The Obasanjo administration spent $10bn on NIPP with no results in terms of increase in power generation. $13.278,937,409.94 was expended in eight years while unfunded commitments amounted to $12bn. The Federal Government then budgeted a whopping N16bn for the various reforms between 2003 and 2007, which went down the drain.”

 Oke said that the country had lost more megawatts in the post-privatisation era due to corruption and impunity, among other social challenges reflected in the report.
 Largely owing to insatiable greed and cronyism, the privatisation of the power sector carried out in November 2013 has worsened the electricity misery of Nigerians, instead of alleviating it.

The excuse of liquidity challenge and damage to gas pipelines by the distribution and generation companies are a reflection of corruption and operational inefficiency. It is only in Nigeria that power firms could ask for the fulfilment of N100bn subsidy fund after the National Electricity Power Authority assets were sold off ten a penny.

Despite collecting monthly tariffs from Nigerians for electricity they never supplied, it is insensitive that these firms are yet clamouring for consumers to pay cost-reflective tariffs – to reflect the devaluation of the naira and rise in inflation. My take; if due process was followed to the letter during the privatisation exercise, the country won’t arrive at this rack and ruin.
 I don’t give a hoot about the good-for-nothing improved-power statistics being bandied about the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

But I give a fig about the huge number of Nigerians whose lives have been snuffed out by generator fumes, despite paying through their noses crazy electricity tariffs by the most inefficient power company on the planet. I worry stiff about the millions of Nigerians – long dead and buried – on whom mosquitoes sneaked in when they opened their windows and doors to keep alive from PHCN-induced suffocating heat.

 Does the way Nigeria treats adequate power supply, which remains the greatest change factor in this industrialised century, not suggest that we are truly a “wasted generation”?
Unlock the potential of the country; provide electricity – therein lies the key to prosperity.

Punch Report

Ooni ordered his guard to push me at public gathering, Oluwo alleges

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi, has alleged that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, ordered his bodyguard to push him out of the way during the meeting of traditional rulers in the country held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Oba Akanbi made the allegation in a statement, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday.

The Oluwo claimed that the incident happened on Tuesday at the Hotel Presidential when the Ooni was called to the podium to give a vote of thanks.

The statement read, “The bodyguard of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, in what seemed to be an errand message, pushed Oluwo at the public gathering of the first-class paramount rulers held at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State last Tuesday.

“Dignitaries at the event were taken aback by what they considered as a desecration of the crown as the bodyguard of the Ooni pushed a first-class paramount ruler, Oluwo.

“As shown in the pictures, the Ooni was called to make a vote of thanks as the Oluwo was engaging the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, who came to represent President Muhammadu Buhari.

“While the Ooni was coming to his seat, his security guard descended on the Oluwo and asked him to give way or he would push him. Oluwo tried to plead with him to be patient, but he (bodyguard) resisted. He then pushed the Oluwo.

“The monarch excused himself in order to maintain peace. The Ooni was observing and he felt satisfied with the action of his guard. Oluwo stepped aside and thereafter revisited his conversation with the minister.”

But the Ooni, while reacting to the allegation in a statement issued by his Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Moses Olafare, described the claims of the Oluwo as untrue.
Olafare said, “There was no altercation between Oluwo and anybody at that venue at all.

“Kabiyesi Ooni went to make his speech in his capacity as a co-chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers. On his way back to the seat right beside the representative of the President, General Dambazau (retd.), on sighting Oluwo who had come to the high table to take pictures with some dignitaries while the programme was still ongoing, he waited for some minutes to allow Oluwo leave the way to his seat.”

Punch Report

Buhari ignored federal character in security chiefs’ appointments —Obasanjo

 ‘My letter to Buhari not borne out of bad belle’
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has berated the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission for failing to check the excesses of President Muhammadu Buhari in the uneven distribution of public offices.

Obasanjo also said his recent open letter to President Buhari was not borne out malice or ‘bad belle’ but out of his deep concern for the situation in the country.

He said this on Thursday at the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oke Ilewo area of Abeokuta, shortly after the Coalition for Nigeria Movement was inaugurated in Ogun State, and he was registered as a member of the movement.

The former President, who was flanked by a former Military Administrator of old Ondo State, Gen. Ekundayo Opaleye and a former Minister of State for Defence, Mrs. Dupe Adelaja,  said the ethos of nation building through even distribution of public offices had been abused.

He said, “Let me emphasise important areas, programmes, priorities or processes for improved attention. To start with, we seem to have taken nation building for granted. Nation building must be given continued attention to give every citizen a feeling of belonging and a stake in his or her country.

“For instance, the Federal Character principle, as espoused in our constitution, was to guide the leadership to search for competent holders of major offices to be distributed within the entire nation, and avoid concentration in a few ethnic hands or geographical places, as we currently have in the leadership of our security apparatus.

“To avoid such non-integrative situation, we have the National Assembly and the Federal Character Commission, both institutions which must raise the alarm or call for correction of actions by the executive that violates the spirit of our constitution.”

Obasanjo’s registration came almost 24 hours after the CNM was inaugurated in Abuja.
Obasanjo arrived the venue at exactly 12.44pm in company with dignitaries including former governors of Cross River and Osun states, Donald Duke and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The former President, while addressing scores of potential members who had gathered at the venue, said he was surprised that many Nigerians were worried that he exchanged pleasantries with President Buhari at the African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, few days after he wrote the open letter to the President.

He noted that he never condemned Buhari in totality but commended him in areas where he had performed well.
Obasanjo said, “Last week, I issued a statement which I did not do lightly or frivolously but out of deep concern for the situation of our country.

“I wonder why some Nigerians were worried why I had to pay respect to the Nigerian President at Addis Ababa. That’s my own upbringing as a well born and bred Yoruba boy.
“That doesn’t mean that what I have said about the President, was said out of bitterness and hatred. It is evident that the President has performed,  in some areas, good enough.

“In other areas not good and a proper advice was given which he may take and he may not take.
“I didn’t do that out of malice or out of ‘bad belle.’ I did it out of my respect for that office and my interest, and I hope, in your interest and the interest of Buhari in Nigeria.

“I went to him just before the beginning of the opening of the AU summit. I had gone round to greet some few other Presidents, should I ignore him? So, I went to my President, greeted him and we joked before General Abdulsalami (Abubakar) said we should have a group photograph.
“I had wanted him (Buhari) to stand in the middle before he said I am the most senior and the photograph went viral on the social media.”

Obasanjo, while justifying the need for the CNM, argued that if all the instruments the country had used in the quest for nation building and governance since independence had failed, it was imperative to try new ways.

He said, “If what we have tried in the past has not taken us to the Promised Land, we have to try something else and something else is this grassroots popular movement built from the bottom-up to lead us, I hope and pray, to the Promised Land.”

He, however, warned that if the movement “decides to transform itself and go into partisan politics, I will cease to be a member.”
Obasanjo further said the spate of violence, and other forms of criminality had not received sufficient proactive ameliorative responses through transformational leadership.

He said the youth and women would be carried along, as “they must be part and parcel of governance in this country.”
Obasanjo, who urged Nigerians to go online and register as members, said the CNM currently had no link with other movements.

But he, however, said “if there are people of like minds, people who share the views and the aims and objectives of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement who want to join this movement, we will not object, we will welcome them.”

He said the movement did not regard itself as a third force, but “it sees itself as a popular movement that can accommodate all Nigerians irrespective of their political interest or affiliations and will propel Nigeria forward.”

Obasanjo added, “This is the new message in town, the new dance in town, the ceremony in town and I will appeal to you to join this ceremony and dance in town.

“There may be many masquerades and those of you who had my own type of background, when we were growing up,  we were playing masquerades too but those were small masquerades, but when big masquerades come out,  the small masquerades must go.”

Obasanjo later led the gathering to sing a chorus titled, ‘I see a new Nigeria, in the hands of God.’
Others at the event included a former deputy governor in Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja, a two-time governorship candidate in Ogun State, Prince Gboyega Isiaka and some other politicians in the state.

Punch Report

Magboro community raises the alarm over herdsmen invasion

Some residents of Magboro, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have called on the Ogun State Government and security agencies to rein in the activities of herdsmen in the community.

The landlords, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, lamented the presence of herdsmen in their neighbourhood at an ungodly hour, saying their activities constituted security risk.

They also said some of the men carried guns while grazing their cattle on residential areas.
A landlord, Linus Okoye, said he had seen the herdsmen entering into the community with cattle three times in January.


He said, “I saw them at Magboro town as they grazed their cows and moved to the Abule area to MFM Prayer City, Magada and Onigbagbo areas. I was shocked when I saw them grazing their cows around 3am sometime last week. For the past 10 years that I have been living in this community, I have never seen them within this neighbourhood until now.

“We don’t want cattle in Magboro because there is no farmland here. We are living in this community with our wives and children and there are schools all around.  So, what business do cattle have with humans? We feel uncomfortable. If they want to graze, they should go inside the bush. This is a town.

We are trying as a community to repair our roads and they want to compound the problem; that will not happen. The government should stop their activities here. If we want to buy cows, we know where to get them.”

Another landlord, Wole Akinlowo, who is also a member of the Magboro Community Development Association, described the development as strange, saying reports from residents showed that trouble might be looming.

Akinlowo noted that on Sunday, January 21, the herdsmen were seen grazing between 4pm and 5pm, adding that they returned on Thursday, January 25.

“Around 2am on that day, they passed through every nook and cranny of the neighbourhood, searching for where to graze. After they left around 4am, cow dung littered everywhere. What would happen if anyone mistakenly threw a stone at the cows?

“The real issue is that the neighbourhood is not for grazing. Except for few houses under construction, there are houses everywhere. There is no farmland, ” he added.
Another resident, Damola Ojo, said he was returning home from work around 12am when he sighted the herdsmen with their cattle.

“I decided to drive slowly to observe the man leading them. I saw him with a gun. He did not hide it. These Fulani herdsmen are getting emboldened and it is sad that nobody is doing anything about them,” he said.
The Chief Security Officer of Kara-Ibafo, Usman Aliu, condemned the alleged actions of the herdsmen.

He said, “I support the move to stop their night movements because it is unreasonable. These are difficult times and people are scared. If they want to feed their cows, they should go to the expressway. They should not be entering into people’s houses. I also have cattle and I take them far from residential areas.”

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the command was not aware of the development.

He urged residents to report their security concerns to the police.
He said, “If there are herdsmen carrying guns, residents are supposed to report at the nearest police station. We have security forums and committees comprising traditional leaders and heads of the Fulani community.  We are a proactive organisation and we cherish information on any security threat.

“However, people should stop raising false alarms. We once got a report that herdsmen razed a farm in Ijebu Ode, which did not happen. If you see anything that is inimical to your safety, let the police be your first port of call.”
The state Commissioner for Information, Adedayo Adeneye, had yet to react to the incident as of the time of filing this report.

Punch Report