Addressing the Issues of our collective existence - Captain Solomon Musa, SOKAPU President.

Speech By The National President Of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) At The Mass Peaceful Protest in Gwantu, Sanga Local Government Area Of Kaduna State, Organised BY SOUTHERN KADUNA PEOPLES UNION   - Thursday 25/8/2016

The great and peace loving people of Sanga and indeed, Southern Kaduna, I send you warm greetings from our brothers and sisters from other places in Nigeria and other parts of the world.

Today, we have come here, irrespective of our religion, political affiliations and ethnic groups, to inform you that we are sad witnesses to all the evil that has come over Sanga and many parts of Southern Kaduna and that we share your pains, anger and frustration.

We have come to this ancient land of civilised and accommodating people to demonstrate our solidarity with you and to insist that you have a right to live in peace and dignity as you pursue your livelihood, like any other persons in a free society as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

We are together joining our brothers and sisters all over the world, and all men of goodwill and conscience to say that enough of the bloodshed of our harmless and armless people in Sanga and other parts of Southern Kaduna. Enough of blood shedding and kidnapping in Kaduna state. Let it Stop!
SOKAPU stand with you in demanding that the energy, commitment and funds with which the present government of Kaduna state is spending in co-funding a joint military operations in the forests and bushes of Birnin Gwari to rescue rustled cows and goats, should be extended to Southern Kaduna to safe human lives and secure properties.

While we appreciate and thank Governor Nasir el-Rufai for visiting some of our communities that were ravaged by herdsmen in Sanga and Jema’a LGAs, we are very unhappy that his promise to end the killings and wanton destruction of our homes and crops, and to fish out the culprits, was just a political statement.

As if to spite the governor, two days after his much celebrated visit around here, a cleric, Pastor Luka Ubangari, of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Unguwan Anjo near Godogodo, was killed by people suspected to be armed herdsmen. Two days later, the same herdsmen, came to Ningon Community and shot dead Gambo Sule, 38 leaving his wife a widow and his five children fatherless. They also killed Benjamin Auta, 35 and father of two little children. A girl who survived that attack is presently receiving treatment at the Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa hospital in Kafanchan as a result of bullet wounds on her abdomen.

These are just very recent of all the undeserved evil that has enveloped the people of Sanga and many communities of Southern Kaduna - too numerous and painful to be recalled.

Indeed, it has been estimated that not less than 10,000 Southern Kaduna natives from 24 villages have been killed since the invasions of our communities started in 2011. In 2014, there were about 30,000 refugees fleeing killings and arson from Sanga areas alone. Today, majority of these natives are yet to return as herdsmen have converted their farmlands to grazing grounds under arms.
But, it was for the poor security situation in Southern Kaduna, that the people of these areas gave an opposition political party unprecedented number of votes since 1999 helping it to decisively defeat a sitting government.

We are sad to say that the situation is no better today, with a worse dimension added – Kidnapping and destruction of crops. While, almost every day someone is kidnapped in Southern Kaduna for a ransomed, growing crops are being ravaged by herdsmen.

In Godogodo, seven young men who dared to venture to their farms were found shot death, and the corpse of one is still missing. They were all said to have been killed by armed herdsmen.
Yet, with these nefarious acts, we are yet to hear that one single herdsman has been arrested and charged with murder. Instead, it is our youths who are putting their lives at stake to protect their communities that are always arrested by the Police and Soldiers and locked up in Kafanchan.

Could this weak law enforcement attitude, and selective arrest be linked with the thinking of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai in a tweet that later went viral, on the 15th July 2012, when he tweeted that:“ Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.” https://twitter.com/elrufai/status/224577000218689537
SOKAPU has no choice than to conclude that our governor may have been convinced by the well publicised statement of Kaduna State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MCBA, Dr Haruna Usman after the Gada Biyu, Akwa’a, Anjoh and Godogodo killings two weeks back. He had said that the Fulani had carried out the killings and destructions of some of these villagers in retaliation to the killing of a Fulani chieftain around there.
The seeming lack of interest by the governor in bringing the herdsman king-pin to prosecution would look like he already has a mindset that the herdsmen have natural tendency and right to take the law into their hands and kill anyone and cause havoc on any property he suspects of killing his own.
This is also buttressed by the desperation with which this government is doing everything to please the Fulani herdsmen, including the annexation of our lands into Grazing Reserve and Ranches despite its clear constitutional illegality and total rejection of the policy by Southern Kaduna Communities.
It is also evident that in Kaduna state there are two kinds of law for two different citizens. Today, Mr. Nasir Jagaba, SOKAPU youth wing President has been arrested, detained and charged to Court by the Governor over an innocuous statement in which he caution the governor on the grave consequence of demolishing Gbagyi villa.

But, Haruna Usman is still going about his business despite making a very incriminating assertion on the reasons behind the heinous crimes committed by his kinsmen.

In view of the above, on behalf of all the 67 tribal grouping of Southern Kaduna, SOKAPU wish to demand that:

1. The government of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai keeps his campaign promise of safe guarding our lives and property by also funding a formidable joint military operation to flush our murderers and restore ‘captured’ lands to their owners.

2. We demand for the release of all our youths unjustly detained in Kafanchan and restitution paid them over the haranguing experience they have been put through.

3. SOKAPU calls for the arrest and interrogation of Haruna Usman of MCBA. He should be made to produce or identify the Fulani that were “on vengeance” mission.

4. With all the seriousness we can muster, SOKAPU rejects completely the confiscation of 120,000 hectares of our ancestral lands as Cattle Grazing Reserves or ranches. Even when the constitution entrusts all lands in the hands of state governors, it was clear that no land should be taken from a community and allocated to another entity for the exclusive use for profit.

5. We call on both the state and Federal government to assist our Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, with shelter, food and roofs over their heads as they now live under sub-human conditions in public schools and private places they could find.
6. SOKAPU is also using this occasion to appeal to all our members, their friends, Churches, mosques, corporate organisations, NGOs and every willing person to generously donate to our IDPS.
Finally, SOKAPU calls on its members never to take the law into their hands no matter the provocation. However, we encourage all our communities to take every available legal means of defending themselves, their property and dignity against anyone set out to terrorise them, should government renege on that cardinal responsibility it owes them.
Thank you and May God guide you as make your ways back home.

Sign: Barr. Kaptain Solomon Musa
President of SOKAPU

Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Twitter
“We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.”
twitter.com

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau fatally wounded ,commanders killed during aerial operation- Nigeria Army

The Nigerian Military, on Tuesday, disclosed that an aerial operation on Boko Haram enclave in Sambisa Forest, has left some members of the insurgent group, including its factional leader, Abubakar Shekau fatally wounded.
A statement by Army’s acting spokesman, Col Sani Usman, said Shekau was believed to have been injured on his shoulders, while some commanders of the group were killed in an aerial operation by the Nigerian Air Force.
According to the Army spokesman, the operation was carried out on August 19, 2016 as the terrorists were performing Fridayrituals at Taye village, Gombale general area, within Sambisa forest, Borno State.
Usman said, “In what one could describe as the most unprecedented and spectacular air raid, we have just confirmed that as a result of the interdiction efforts of the Nigerian Air Force, some key leaders of the Boko Haram terrorists have been killed while others were fatally wounded.
“The air interdiction took place last week Friday 19th August 2016, while the terrorists were performing Friday rituals at Taye village, Gombale general area within Sambisa forest, Borno State.
“Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, amongst others, while their leader, the so-called ‘Abubakar Shekau’, is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders. Several other terrorists were also wounded.”

Herdsmen Kill Redeemed pastor in Kaduna.

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on Sunday night killed one Pastor Luka Ubangari of Redeemed Christian Church of God at Shawa village, near Godogodo, in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Ubangari was said to have been ambushed, shot and killed while returning from evangelism to Golkofa village.
The incident occurred few days after Governor Nasir El-Rufai condemned incessant herdsmen killings during his visit to the area.
El-Rufai had described the killings as ‘senseless’ and promised that perpetrators are arrested and punished.
A source, who craved anonymity, noted that despite the governor’s promise herdsmen, “who are out to remove us from our ancestral lands, continue to kill our people.”
“We were happy that the Governor (Nasir El-Rufai) had visited and assured us of improved security and that the killers would be found and punished.
“To our shock, Pastor Luka Ubangari was ambushed, shot and killed as he was riding his motorcycle home after an evangelical visit to Golkofa.”

RESTRuCTUrING:WHY IS THE NORTH RELUCTANT? - BY JOHN DANFULANI

RESTRUCTURING: WHY IS THE NORTH RELUCTANT?

                                 By

                         John Danfulani, Ph.D
                         Johndanfulani@gmail.com

So far, major pan cultural clusters of Southern Nigeria like Afenifere, Ohaneze Ndi Ibgo et al  have added their receptive voices to the quest of restructuring the dysfunctional and poorly designed political structures of Nigeria. These groups and individuals are aggressively pressing their positions and prescribing how Nigeria political structure and power vested on each layer of authority should be  . All their discussions are littered with the usual concepts like; true or fiscal federalism, resource control, regionalism, weak centre,state police, and revenue sharing formula.

Whilst  Southern Nigeria groups and political juggernauts are patriotically adding fuel to the flame of restructuring discourses, two reactionary and retrogressive  northern Nigeria groups called Arewa Consultative Forum( ACF) and Arewa Elders Forum(AEF) are singing a discordant tune. And hatching sundry conspiracy theories on a very popular advocacy that its time is at hand. To these groups peopled by elements that killed the mission of Nigeria's founding father on their alter of greed and corruption, southern Nigeria groups orchestrating the project of restructuring have a short gun in their sleeves. In a plainer  language, ACF/AEF kingpins and their docile followers believe the South had made all necessary preparations to stage the final mass for Nigeria. And ready to use any national dialogue or discussion forum to actualize their mission of ending the British colonial masters 1914 contraption called Nigeria.

On a separate front, northern Nigeria self appointed ultraconservative ideologues in the media are busy diverting attention with their doomsday predictions and parochial narratives that the problem isn't with  political structures and allocation of powers thereof  but poor leadership and corruption. Leading this cream of ethno-religious jingoist is an old Nupe journalist turned Hausa-Fulani Mr. Mohammed Haruna who in recent times wrote two discouraging articles in his syndicated columns titled "Atiku Abubaka's Formula For A "True Federation, and In Defense Of Osinbajo". Other lightweighted  Northern Nigeria tusks like Bala Mohammed(On Restructuring:Another View), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed( Beginner's Guide on Restructuring) and Sani Abubakar (Restructuring Nigeria: Be Careful What You Wish For, Or How You Demand For It) joined the fray. Because of their biases and outdated mentality of we-are-born-to-rule,they tactically supported the status quo. Their concomitant insincerity denied their discourses the intellectual depth capable of engineering further ding dongs on this matter of national importance.

These ultraconservative northern elements shackling on the myths and realities of yesteryears opposing calls for restructuring knows the quantum of injustice their political and military cabals meted on other Nigerians, right from time immemorial. That accounted for a bull headed resistance to any advocacy that seeks a redress to the present lopsided and terribly skewed  political structures of Nigeria.

If the North is not hiding something or unduly benefiting from what all can see is holding the nation back, why the resistance? We have read and seen them talk on how the former Northern Region built its economy from groundnut and cotton pyramids. Is their lands no longer arable enough to stage a repeat of building an economy on proceeds of pyramids? We all know that they are afraid of a likely resolution that will allow states control resources found in their domains. They are afraid of questions that will inquire the formula used in creating 44 LGAs in Kano while Lagos has less despite surpassing the later in population.The north is afraid of others rejecting the anachronistic system of creating grazing reserves in other place instead of ranching by those who owns the cattle. We know, as well as they do, that they are afraid to answer questions bordering whether the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or some holy books that will guide our actions as a people in country called Nigeria.

ACF/AEF and their corrosive penman sandwiched in a single news outlet that  its mission is spreading ethno-religious sentiment and supremacy and their young recruits can run but they can't hide. Their negative disposition to this raging quest for restructuring  is a waste of time because they are only postponing the evil day. The momentum is too good, because  all well meaning Nigerians are fire up. And had already rolled up their sleeves in readiness for the show. No amount of diversionary machanism will quench this blazing fire of restructuring.

Mr. Atiku Abubakar told his northern kith and kins the truth and the whole truth  by saying they better agree to talk about the future of Nigeria on a round table to avoid talking in some unpredictable situations. I totally agree with Mr. Abubakar's take.

Usain Bolt Roared into Olympics history.

Usain Bolt roared into Olympic history here Sunday, capturing an unprecedented third consecutive 100m crown to confirm his place in the pantheon of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen.
The 29-year-old Jamaican legend, competing in his final Olympics, powered over the line in 9.81sec, vanquishing drug-tainted American rival Justin Gatlin who took silver with Andre De Grasse of Canada claiming bronze.
Gatlin, who had been booed by the Rio crowd as he was introduced, crossed in 9.89sec with De Grasse just behind in 9.91.
Bolt galloped away in celebration after a superb win, basking in the adulation of the stadium and even taking selfies with fans during his lap of honour.
He then delighted the fans with his traditional “lightning bolt” pose as reggae blasted out of the stadium sound system.
The victory left Bolt standing alone in the 120-year history of sprinting in the modern Olympic games.
No other athlete — man or woman — has ever won three consecutive individual Olympic sprint titles.
It also leaves Bolt on track to complete an incredible “triple-triple” of clinching 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles for a third consecutive Olympics.
Bolt, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic champion, had already earned the right to be regarded as the greatest sprinter in the history of athletics after accumulating more golds on the track than anyone else.
But the Jamaican’s latest triumph erases any last lingering doubts that he deserves to be ranked alongside the likes of Muhammad Ali, Pele and Michael Jordan as the kind of once-in-a-generation athlete who transcend their sports.
Bolt’s win — his 18th gold in Olympic and World Championships since 2008 — averted what might have been a public relations disaster for the drug-tarnished world of track and field.
A corruption scandal involving the sport’s former rulers, who were accused of accepting bribes to cover up positive drug tests, and an investigation which alleged an elaborate state-sponsored doping system in Russia have plunged track and field into the worst crisis in its history.
A gold medal for Gatlin on Sunday would have made uncomfortable viewing for many — world athletics chief Sebastian Coe among them — who have advocated that serial doping offenders should be banned for life.
But those fears were swept away by the smiling, laughing figure of Bolt, for so long the sport’s most charismatic showman.
Gatlin, who has served two drug bans during his long career, made a powerful start to lead over the first 50 metres.
But as soon as Bolt’s head came around the midpoint the American was in trouble and the defending champion surged home around a metre clear of the field.
AFP

A New militant group blows up pipe line in Delta

A new militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, which threatened to blow up oil installations in the upland of the Niger Delta region, on Wednesday, made good its threat.
The group reportedly blew up a major trunk line operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company in Isoko, which feeds Eriemu Manifold.
NDGJM claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was part of the group’s demolition of oil facilities tagged ‘Operation Zero.’

Trump becoming president a “frightening” prospect – German FM

 German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier believes Donald Trump becoming US president would be a “frightening” prospect for the world, his spokeswoman said Wednesday.
Steinmeier “is not neutral” on whether the Republican candidate is fit to occupy the Oval Office, the spokeswoman, Sawsan Chebli, told reporters.
“He is of the opinion that it is frightening, if you follow Trump’s remarks, what could become of this world if Trump actually became president,” she said.
“The foreign minister is calling attention to that and that is his right.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokeswoman told the same news conference that she would stand by her policy of not commenting on the US election campaign.
Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, had already compared Trump last week to a “hate preacher”, saying he had much in common with “fear-mongers” in Germany’s right-wing populist AfD party as well as advocates of Britain’s exit from the EU.
French President Francois Hollande said Trump makes “you want to retch” following the Republican’s “hurtful and humiliating comments” against the Muslim parents of a slain US soldier who criticised the candidate.
Trump’s bid to take the White House is reeling from a series of self-inflicted scandals after he disparaged Muslims, babies, firefighters and the military, prompting his Republican stablemates to issue awkward denunciations.
He stirred new controversy Tuesday over comments interpreted by some as a threat of violence against rival Hillary Clinton.

Credit : The Punch

10 most dangerous Dogs in the world.

 Ten most dangerous Dogs in the world

No 1: Pitbulls

Pitbulls weighs around 55 to 65 lbs. If you are someone, who is familiar with almost all the dog breeds, then I am sure, seeing a “Pitbull” in the list of “top 10 most dangerous dogs” must be a big surprise. When compared to other dog breeds, death rates caused by Pitpulls are far higher. Due to its aggressive nature, some state governments have even banned breeding of Pitbulls


No 2: Rottweilers

Even though “Boxer” is listed one among the top 10 most dangerous dog breeds, by nature these are not so aggressive. Boxers are very intelligent and hard to train. Since these dogs stay energetic the entire day, their energy has to be utilized in positive ways. It can weigh around 70 lbs


No 3: Boxer

Even though “Boxer” is listed one among the top 10 most dangerous dog breeds, by nature these are not so aggressive. Boxers are very intelligent and hard to train. Since these dogs stay energetic the entire day, their energy has to be utilized in positive ways. It can weigh around 70 lbs


 No 4. German Shepherd

“German Shepherd” is a very intelligent and powerful animal. However, they are reported to be more dangerous too. That’s why it has raised them to 4th in the list of top ten most dangerous dogs. These dogs can serve you loyal but when they are not treated well, they can be dangerous too. It weighs around 100 lbs


No 5: Chow Chows

These dogs are very independent. However, when they are not bred with proper attention, they easily turn aggressive. As one of the top ten most dangerous dogs, it weighs around 70 lbs


No 6: Huskies

Although Huskies look puffy and soft, reports say that 15 people have died in the last 20 years because of them. Like the Malamute, the Husky is primarily known as a sled dog. Huskies are athletic and energetic dogs. Since these dogs are very energetic, they should be taken on regular walks. A well-trained Huskey will be very loyal to its family’s lives

No 7: Wolf Hybrids

All dogs are descendants of wolves, but many of today’s dog species are still directly crossbred with these wild animals. Because of the inherent danger in breeding a wild animal with a domestic one, these dogs are often extremely skittish and unpredictable, to the point that many states have made it illegal to own a wolf hybrid. The CDC determined that wolf hybrids were responsible for the deaths of 14 people in the United States from 1979 to 1998.


 8. Alaskan Malamute.

Alaskan Malamutes weigh around 100 lbs and are very intelligent breeds. Just like Huskies, these are very energetic. However, when their energy is not used positively, they can turn aggressive.


 9. The Great Dane.

The Great Dane is a large German breed of domestic dog known for its giant size. The German name of the breed is Deutsche Dogge, or German Mastiff. The French name is Dogue Allemand. The Great Dane is one of the tallest dog breeds


No 10: Doberman Pinschers

Dobermans weighs around 65 to 90 lbs and are widely known for alertness, loyalty and intelligence. You can see these dogs guarding almost everywhere. It usually attacks when its master’s family faces some sort of danger. It also takes over when it is aroused.

Aisha Buhari’s Embarrassing Grammatical Infelicities at USIP- By Prof Farouk Kperogi.

Aisha Buhari’s Embarrassing Grammatical Infelicities at USIP, By Professor Farouk Kperogi

I am aware that this article won’t endear me to several of my thin-skinned Buhari/APC partisan readers who, interestingly, wildly acclaimed my past articles that pilloried former First Lady Patience Jonathan’s sidesplitting grammatical transgressions.  But I am never one to shy away from embarking on what I’m convinced is a just and fair undertaking because of a fear of backlash from mawkish, hypersensitive crybabies.

In any case, in my Saturday column—and in my Facebook status updates—I have defended Wife of the President Aisha Buhari against Gov. Ayo Fayose’s brash and reckless calumny against her. In an ironic twist, it was her bid to give the lie to Fayose’s charge that she couldn’t visit the US without being arrested that caused her to come here and give a speech at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) that is the subject of this column.

Mrs. Aisha Buhari’s speech at the United States Institute of Peace didn’t rise to the level of former First Lady Patience Jonathan’s legendary contortion of English grammar, but it was inexcusably egregious nonetheless, not least because it was supposed to be the product of preparation and forethought.

In general, the speech was riotously incoherent, lacked lexical and semantic discipline, and was peppered with avoidably ugly and elementary grammatical infractions.  Mrs. Buhari vacillated between reading from a prepared script and speaking off the cuff.  But the prepared speech and Mrs. Buhari’s extemporizations were indistinguishable: both were tortured, infantile, error-ridden, and cringe-worthy.  Winston Churchill’s famous putdown of his opponent—”He spoke without a note and almost without a point.”—seems to apply to the Wife of the President. (Watch the video below.)

Below are highlights of the infelicities that stood out like a sore thump during Mrs. Buhari’s 10-minute speech at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC:

1. Subject-verb agreement. Like Patience Jonathan—and former President Goodluck Jonathan—Aisha Buhari doesn’t seem to have any respect for subject-verb concord rules in English grammar. These howlers illustrate this: “I want to…thank the international community for giving us a solutions…,” “those that needsto be…,” “the school have been running…,” “adult ones that needs the opportunity.”

Most people know that a singular subject (such as “the school”) agrees with a singular verb (such as “has”) and a plural subject (such as “those,” “adult ones”) agrees with a plural verb (such as “need” instead of “needs.”) That means the Wife of the President should have said, “those that need to be,” “the school has been running,” “adult ones that need the opportunity.”

Of course, “a solutions” is a self-evident bloomer: you don’t pluralize a noun that is preceded by the indefinite article “a” because “a” signals nominal singularity. In other words, “a solutions” is both ungrammatical and illogical since it implies nominal plurality and singularity simultaneously. It is either “solutions” or “a solution.”

2. Redundant pronoun. Pronouns typically take the place of a noun and save us the torment of ungainly repetition. That’s why, in Standard English, pronouns don’t typically appear in the same sentence as the nouns they refer to. In her USIP speech, Mrs. Buhari said the following: “As you are all aware, Boko Haram issue, it is a global issue attached to terrorism, which need [sic] to be addressed globally.”

“Boko Haram issue” is the antecedent for the pronoun “it” in the sentence quoted above, which makes the pronoun superfluous since it appears in the same sentence as its antecedent. “Boko Haram is a global issue…” would convey the same meaning—and without the ungrammatical baggage. I admit, though, that redundant pronouns of the kind I identified in Mrs. Buhari’s speech occur in nonstandard native English dialects. But we are talking of an official speech in a formal context in a foreign, English-speaking country.

The sentence also violates the basic principle of pronoun-antecedent agreement. The principle says, “A pronoun usually refers to something earlier in the text (its antecedent) and must agree in number — singular/plural — with the thing to which it refers.” The phrase “which need” refers to “Boko Haram issue,” which is a singular subject that needs a singular verb, i.e., “needs.”

3. A curious resultant “done.” During her speech, Mrs. Buhari praised the University of Maiduguri for remaining open even in the worst moments of Boko Haram insurgency. “The university really done us proud,” she said. This is a misuse of the past participle “done” that linguists call the “resultant done.” It is curious because it is typical of the informal, nonstandard (and sometimes illiterate) speech of the American south.

In Standard English, the sentence would be reworded as, “The university has done us proud.” If we want to be faithful to Mrs. Buhari’s lexical and structural choice, we would rephrase it as, “The university really did us proud.”

4. Buhari’s government as a “recent regime.”Mrs. Buhari puzzlingly referred to her husband’s administration as “the recent regime.”  Here is the context: After thanking the “international community” for its military and financial support that led to the defeat of Boko Haram, in a rather awkward transition, the Wife of the President said, “In which the recent regime has done so far considering what we inherited—the level of insecurity in the country—we can now say that we successfully fought the Boko Haram insurgency.”

Apart from the weak, messy transition, that’s some really dizzyingly incoherent verbal blizzard! But the bigger issue is that she called the current administration “a recent regime.” There are two problems with that. First, the word “recent,” especially when it is applied to administrations, implies an immediate past, that is, that which precedes the present. It is both ungrammatical and illogical to speak of an incumbent administration as “recent.”

Second, there is always a tone of disapproval when a government is referred to as a “regime.” That is why the word is often reserved for military and other totalitarian governments. Even the Associated Press Stylebook defines “regime” as “the period in which a person or system was in power, often with a negative connotation. For example, Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Nazi regime.” I hope Mrs. Buhari doesn’t consider her husband as the honcho of a regime.

5. “Academicians.”  Mrs. Buhari called university lecturers in the audience “academicians.” Well, it’s OK to refer to university teachers as “academicians” in Nigeria and in other non-native English-speaking countries, but it doesn’t hurt to learn the proper form when you address native speakers in their own territory. Educated native English speakers call university teachers “academics,” not “academicians.”

Here is an abridged version of what I wrote on this in my December 6, 2015 column titled, “Academician” Or “Academic”? Q and A on Nigerian English Errors and Usage”: [A]n ‘academic’ is someone who teaches or conducts research in a higher educational institution, typically in a university. In British and Nigerian English, academics are also called ‘lecturers.’ In American English, they are called ‘professors.’

“An ‘academician,’ on the other hand, is a person who works with or is honored with membership into an academy, that is, an institution devoted to the study and advancement of a specialized area of learning such as the arts, sciences, literature, medicine, music, engineering, etc. Examples of academies are the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, etc.

“Not all academics are academicians and not all academicians are academics. In other words, you can teach in a university, polytechnic, college of education, etc. and never be made a member of an academy, and you can become a member of an academy without ever being a teacher or a researcher at a higher educational institution. Note that while most academicians are also academics, most academics are never academicians.

“A little note on pragmatics is in order here. Although many dictionaries have entries that say ‘academician’ and ‘academic’ can be synonymous, this isn’t really the case in actual usage, at least among educated native English speakers. It is considered illiterate usage in British and American English to call higher education teachers and researchers ‘academicians’; they are properly called ‘academics.’ Many dictionaries merely capture the entire range of a word’s usage without discriminating socially prestigious usage from uneducated or archaic usage.”

Concluding Thoughts

Mrs. Buhari obviously needs a lot more help than she is aware of and is getting. She is grossly ill-served by her speech writer, who also probably manages her social media accounts. The recent grammatical bloopers from her Facebook page (which were quickly cleaned up after she became the object of ridicule on social media) could be an indication that her speech writer is also her social media manager.

Given how much she is thrusting herself into the public eye, her poor grasp of English grammar will soon become grist to the humor mills—like it was for Patience Jonathan. She can avoid this by doing the following: (1) recede to her quiet, unobtrusive self, (2) bone up on basic English grammar, (3) surround herself with people who give a thought to grammatical correctness and completeness, or (4) speak in Fulfulde or Hausa and get an English translator.

All Eyes On American Voter -By John Danfulani

ALL EYES ON AMERICAN VOTER

                              By

                   John Danfulani,Ph.D
                 Johndanfulani@gmail.com
                 +2347082622012

The Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland and Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia wrapped-up a marathon intra-party presidential candidate selection process of the U.S.two major political parties. After observing most of their convention rituals the RNC selected a TV celebrity star and real estate mogul Mr.Donald J. Trump. And the DNC made the former First Lady, a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Madam Hillary Rodham Clinton. Madam Secretary is her party's establishment candidate
while Mr.Trump is an outsider that outflanked a horde of establishment candidates during the  GOP primaries.

While canvassing for support of  their party faithfuls, the duo unveiled their economic, immigration, security and foreign policy programmes. Madam Secretary campaigned within the ideological boundaries of her party. Mr. Trump crossed some long standing ideological borderlines of the GOP. Their approaches to core party philosophy reflected on internal party unity or disharmony before, during, and after their conventions. Mr. Trump's  philosophical rebellion made  party juggernauts and former Presidents steer clear the Cleveland convention. As a party with longstanding conservative principles,self acclaimed ideological puritans and constitutionalists, most heavyweights believed attending Cleveland Convention is tantamount to committing ideological suicide. It was so bad at the GOP's front that the convention host state Governor and  Mr.Trump's former rival John Kasich didn't show face. On the other hand, Madam Secretary got total support from her party's heavyweights, President Barak Obama and the First Lady, Vice President Joe Biden, former democratic presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and her archrival during the primaries and democratic populists Senator Bernie Sanders.

With Cleveland and Pennsylvania over Mrs Clinton and Mr.Trump are criss crossing the length and breadth of the U.S. to market their visions and missions to Americans, irrespective of their party affiliations. Before the November 8th Presidential poll, Mrs Clinton and Mr. Trump, as well as their running mates; will engage in Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.They will answer questions on economy, security, and Foreign Policy - either from the anchors of the debate or audiences within the debating arena. These face-offs are guided by ground  rules agreed by the participating parties and the National Council On Presidential Debates.

American presidential elections do attract global attention because of the dominant  influence of the country in the world . Its 2016 poll have a new high record of global attention because of the conduct and pronouncements of leading participants  before their conventions. In their attempts to proffer solutions to the economy, illegal immigration, global and homegrown terrorism, refugee crisis, inter-racial relationship, law and order; some of them (now one of them) pledged a walked-away from some America's bilateral and multilateral commitments with other State Actors and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. These intentions, by one of the candidate, have triggered reactions from statesmen of other nations like Vicente Fox of Mexico and the head of Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI. The French President Francois  Hallande added his voice on the ongoing campaigns by saying the GOP candidate's comment sometimes makes him feels retching . A direct interference in the U.S.politics that has no reference point in recent memory.

To ameliorate the menace of illegal immigrants crossing their porous border with Mexico, the GOP candidate proposed building of a Great Wall on the border.And Mexico, not the U.S.who raised the structure will pick the bills. Mr. Trump's solution to ISIS and other terror related palavers is complete banning of all Muslims from entering the country. Breaking trade deals like NAFTAC and bilateral economic relations with countries like China is one of his economic strategy of creating jobs at home and increasing the wealth of his nation. Mr. Trump also threatened to abandon the U.S.obligation to NATO and treaty of mutual and security cooperation with it Second World War foe Japan. His main rival did not make a statement showing any unwillingness to continue to honour any bilateral and multilateral commitments with  states and non state actors at the international level. She proposed some very opposite solutions and strategies with her GOP rival.

When Mr. Trump started advancing his unprecedented proposals to GOP members during their party primaries, the world assumed his words will boomerang and collapse his mission, prematurely. The GOP establishment and ideologues also thought he was a joker stretching his comedy too far. Heck,international community, independent Americans, and GOP establishment misjudged and underrated the resonating gravity of Mr. Trump’s maverick tantrums with GOP caucus goers and primaries participants. When GOP establishment resolved to stop the Real Estate Developer turned politician to save their party from an ideological flip flopper and calamitous invader, their action was; too little, too late.

American voter has two diametrically opposed options starring him in the eye. His 8th November 2016 decision has repercussions that transcends his territorial boundaries.His decision is capable of shattering the internal political system, economic deals, strategic alliances, and resolutions of conventions and protocols that have since become acceptable ethics in the modern world.

The pertinent questions here are:

(a) Is American voter aware of the enormity of the global responsibility on the shoulder of his country?

(b) Is American voter aware that his country is founded on the basic principles of rights and liberty of mankind. And his constitution encourages propagation those ideals in all parts of the globe?

(c) Is American voter in the know of the global security and economic implications of his country's reneging from its bilateral and multilateral commitments?

In contemporary world history, when all hope seems lost ,America always rising to the occasion. America has led the world in spreading the messages of justice, freedom, and liberty. America taught the world the lesson of freedom and liberty by leading the war against slavery and colonial subjugation across the world. America joined forces of good in the First and Second World Wars and defeated axis of evil that set the world in turmoil. The world have great faith in America's democracy and institutions.And sincerely hope that American voter will make an informed decision that will address his internal socio-economic challenges without shying away from their global responsibilities that have been the stabilizing force of the world systems.

Mbaka attacks Buhari, says Nigerians may not vote him in 2019.

Enugu Catholic priest, and Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians will not vote for him in 2019 if he does not address the high level of hunger and suffering in the country.
Mbaka has been one of Buhari’s most vocal supporters since he asked Nigerians to reject the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2015 presidential pol and predicted Buhari’s victory.
But, in a surprising turn of events, Mbaka attacked Buhari in a recent message, details of which were obtained by journalists on Tuesday night.
In the message, Mbaka noted that there was too much suffering in the country, and faulted the President for not appointing the right people.
He also accused the President of listening to the wrong advice.
The message partly read, “The issue is that Mbaka is speaking as the Spirit leads him – there is hunger everywhere. My job is to tell leaders the truth, the landlords are crying, the tenants are lamenting, sellers are crying, buyers are lamenting – there is hunger on the streets.
“I can’t keep quiet when things are going wrong.
“I am telling the President to look around him and know those who are advising him rightly and those who are telling him that there is no trouble.
“The President should know that there is trouble – if things continue like this, in the next election, nobody will vote for him.
“Whether they like it or not, I am speaking the raw truth.
“If the President should have somebody like me and he cannot be talking with me, then there is a problem.
“There is a problem somewhere; somebody who can advise you without asking for anything and he is representing the poor masses in the country and he won’t tell you lies.
“He will praise you when you are doing well and when you are not doing well, he will look at you in the face and tell you.”
Continuing, he said, “I don’t need the President; I need God, I need the Holy Spirit, I need Jesus; there is suffering everywhere, people are suffering.
“To feed is now a problem, and an hungry man is an angry man.
“Hunger and anger will lead to danger.
“So, let him know whether he can do away with some advisers around him and bring in the people who are experts in economic revamp.
“There are people who are experts in that; let them begin to empower people, people are not empowered, they are still walking around in vicious circles, planning and planning and planning.”
Mbaka said there were no spaces left in mortuaries across the country.
“Hunger is everywhere, many neighbours don’t eat again, many are being attacked by hunger, hunger is becoming a normal thing and there are people responsible for this.
“Mortuary and ambulance business is now thriving because many cannot afford drugs.
“In today’s Nigeria, many are becoming hawkers, who will buy from you, with what?
“Everyday, more pipelines are being blown, the Avengers are at work and up till now, there is no solution.
“You know when certain things begin to happen, you begin to ask some questions, somebody like me will begin to ask – when will this end?
“If it continues in the next three months, there will be no money to pay salaries – the vicious effect is disastrous and when salaries cannot be paid, teachers will come home, students will stop going to school, there will be more kidnappings, more hooliganism, more armed robbery, more prostitution, immorality will be on the increase.”
He urged Buhari to sit up and stop going after the leadership of the Senate.
Mbaka equally bemoaned the continuous depreciation in the value of the naira.
“So, the President should sit up – there is a red light blinking on the country.
“The issue of Saraki and Ekweremadu, nobody wants to listen to such stories any more, whether Saraki is the President of the Senate or Ekweremadu is not this or that, the countrymen are tired of such stories.
“We need economic experts, gurus, sages that are sincere, who can come in and think about our economic revamp and judicial reformation.”

Former appropriation committee chairman submits petition against Dogara to EFCC, ICPC, , others.

A former Chairman, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has submitted a petition against the Speaker of the House of Representatives and some principal officers of the House to anti-graft agencies in the country.
Jibrin, who accused Dogara of corruption and budget padding – a claim the speaker denied, said it was now up to the anti-graft agencies to do their job.
He disclosed this via his official Twitter account.
“What a day! Submitted petition against Speaker Dogara and twelve others. Now it’s over to the security and anti corruption agencies,” Jibrin tweeted.

Federal government scraps HND programmes.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a comprehensive reform of Nigeria's tertiary education system, scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.
In effect, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes.
Also, all the programmes currently being run by the polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which are about 70 per cent,
will be scrapped.
Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those
universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils.
The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education will be awarded
the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the proximate university.
To kick-start the new policy, the nation's two most prominent polytechnics - Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic -
will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.
And to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment into law.
With education being on the concurrent list, the states may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions. But if they do not wish to follow the federal example, their programmes will continue to be regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education.
The first bill will concretise the setting up of the two city universities while the second will approve the preparation and consolidation
of all federal polytechnics and colleges of education as campuses of proximate universities.
The Ministry of Justice will do the preparation and submission of the two bills to the National Assembly.
Minister of Education, Mall. Adamu, told journalists after the weekly meeting of the council that under the reform measures, her ministry would, however, continue to licence private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualification at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels.
She said: "There will be no more award of HND.
After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more award of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admission for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics. About 70 per cent of polytechnic graduates are in the non-technical courses. It is going to be a rigorous implementation programme."
A ministerial committee to ensure the smooth implementation of all that is required for the take-off of the reform initiatives is to begin work immediately.
Mall. Adamu said: "The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the work place.
The NCE certificate will be retained as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic level of education. Any higher qualifications by
these private or state-owned polytechnics will be only affiliation with a university. So, HND is no longer in existence, but existing HND will be respected and considered legal tender."
The council also approved the Federal Government's formal take-over of the Waziri Umaru Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, which will be the College of Technology campus of the Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, as well as the Hussein Adamu Polytechnic, Kazaure,
Bauchi, which will be a College of Technology of the proximate university in the state.
Also, the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, has been taken over as a campus of the Federal University of
Technology, Owerri.
A state that had never had any federal institution, like Bayelsa, is to have a College of Technology as a campus of the College of Technology of the University of Port Harcourt.
Also, Bali, in Taraba State, is to have a college of technology as a campus of the proximate university.

Why Bank Manager committed suicide - FCMB

First City Monument Bank Plc says its official, Olisa Nwakoby, who committed suicide on Friday in front of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Lekki, Lagos State, had personal challenges and became frustrated.
The bank, however, noted that neither the management nor colleagues of the deceased were aware of the challenges, adding that it was working with Nwakoby’s family and the police to unravel the nature of the challenges.
Forty-four-year-old Nwakoby, said to be the manager of the bank’s branch in Lekki, shot himself in the head over a bad debt estimated at N350m on Friday.
The deceased was said to have given out the sum as loan to a bank customer, who allegedly failed to service the loan.
He was reportedly under pressure from the bank’s management to repay the loan and became frustrated as he could not meet the demand.
But the Acting Group Head, Communications and Brand Management of the FCMB, Lola Egboh, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday, said the suicide had nothing to do with the bank, adding that she did not have the knowledge of any loan.
Egboh, who described Nwakoby’s death as shocking, said the bank would have come to his aid if it was aware that he had emotional challenges.
She said, “It is rather unfortunate that the incident happened. Mr. Nwakoby was a member of staff of the FCMB. We are not aware that he was facing personal challenges, which led to the incident. As a bank that caters to the well-being of its workers, we have counsellors who could have helped him. This came as a surprise to us as it was to the public. It is such a trying time for the family; we have been in touch with them. There is a lot of speculations going on at the moment, a lot of them unfounded.
“We are working closely with security operatives and his family to understand what could have led to the personal challenges. I am not aware of any loan. I can’t comment on speculations.”
Efforts to speak with the family proved abortive as of press time. But a source close to the family said, “They were too distraught to speak to the press now.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said a pistol and live cartridges were recovered from the scene, adding that Nwakoby corpse had been deposited at the Lagos Island Hospital’s morgue.
She said, “At about 9.45am on Friday, one Olisa (Nwakoby) allegedly shot himself in the head with a pistol in front of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Northern Foresore Estate, Lekki.
“A team of policemen attached to the Ilasan division visited, examined and photographed the scene. The exhibit, a silver America pistol with five rounds of unexpended ammunition, was recovered to the station while the corpse was removed and deposited at a morgue for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.”


Credit : The Punch.

cheating does not pay. One bad turn deserve another.. (see those that voted for Buhari: photos)

Cheating does not pay!
Look at those who voted for calamity(Buhari )!

No wonder they're all malnourished just after one year of Buhari presidency! Those malnourished children who survive this calamitous government will not go near the pooling boots come 2019.
Just enter a filling station in the North to take fuel,  you will understand what I am saying. One bad turn deserve another. But I don't blame them, because this children were not around in 1984 and 1985. They are now victims of his voodoo economics!

LET US TALK, NOW IS TIME! - By John Danfulani, Ph.D.

LET US TALK,NOW IS TIME!

                               By

                     John Danfulani,Ph.D
                   Jondanfulani@gmail.com

"A stitch in time saves nine" Ancient Proverb


Even before the lowering of the Union Jack on 1st October 1960,certain  forces have asked pertinent questions bordering the 1914 political solemnization of Northern and Southern protectorates by representative of the Crown Lord Legard.The colonial master's amalgamation hatched a federal entity that its experience can't be found in any pre-existing federal structures in developed and less developed worlds.More to that, reasons that instigates units and constituents to hem a federal political setting are totally absent in Nigeria experience.

Because reasons that gingered the  colonial master's welding of Southern and Northern protectorates were centred on their exploitative economic interest and administrative conveniences, dissenting voices were surprised. After every round of protestation, colonial masters merely convocated constitutional conferences at home and abroad- not with intention of sincerely addressing concerns raised but to cool down tension in other to have a conducive atmosphere for their business of economic exploitation, cultural subjugation, and political domination. After gaining the so-called  political independence in 1960, the political and economic  caste that succeeded the colonial masters ignored commentaries and agitations asking for a dialogue to settle multifaceted questions related to the structure, allocation of powers to layers of authorities, and even existence of Nigeria as a single political entity.

Advocates of this position coined names like National Conference, National Dialogue,True Federalism, and Sovereign National Conference. On each occasion,opponents of this advocacy innovate technical mechanism of evading poignant issues. If communiques of groups included words like Sovereignty and True Federalism, Nigeria unpatriotic and compradorial ruling caste and their apologists dodged through running commentary on technical grounds like; you can't have two sovereigns in a body polity, and there is nothing like True Federalism. While folding up their opposition, they arrogantly pique; Nigeria is indissoluble and indivisible political entity.


The refusal of Nigeria political class and their exploitative and unpatriotic business caste to accept the impeccable realism that there are questions to ask and answer to provide about the entire Nigeria project indirectly triggered a 30 months civil war that annihilated almost a million Nigerians and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira. Till this day, claims from the federal and Biafran sides on whether certain policies that looks genocidal were part of the overall war strategy of leaders of the Federal Government of Nigeria( FGN) are making the rounds. One last major controversy associated with Nigeria civil war narrative came through a book one of the world's greatest writer Chinua Achebe published before his demise.Truth be told, conscious and deliberate refusal to address centrifugal agitations that emanated from political and military brass from South Eastern Nigeria contributed in no small measure to the destructive civil war.

After the civil war in 1970 people with the long history of this agitation muted.Their muteness wasn't masterminded by the fact that the  old questions of the corporate  existences of Nigeria and related matters like the structure of Nigeria's federalism had been settled by the boom-boom of bombs and zing-zing of riffles between 1967-1970. Even though open advocacy was a rarity, academicians in ivory towers and other research centres  busied themselves writing, researching and publishing opinions on the structure of Nigeria Federalism and other national questions thereof. Occasionally, a few media outlets do remind the nation of the existence of uncleared national questions through their editorial opinions.

To say the truth,no region hasn't agitated  for one form of national dialogue or the other, or openly threatened to breakaway from Nigeria. In 1957 the then northern region threatened to permit other regions proceed on self rule if the motion tabled by Action Group for self rule in 1957 materialized. Before this period, the leader of South West region threatened to end the political wedlock if the colony of Lagos is not added to the area under the control of his region.These few instances cited vividly demonstrated that centrifugal disposition was not only displayed by South East region alone.The difference is, others merely issued threats but South East walked their threat through a declaration of a separate republic in 1967.

Having gone through  this compressed analogy of how Nigeria was created,reason for its creation, and persistent calls for restructuring; a careful reader will accept the impeccable and incontrovertible reality that the leadership of Africa's most populous and endowed nation have been playing the ostrich,all along.Nigerians have been swimming in a dangerous pool of deceit through a delusional pretense that they are a country that its existence as corporate entity is unnegotiable.No "Solomonic" wisdom is needed to discern that this pretentious tantrum of the country's solidness and indivisibility is astronomically detached from the realities on ground.

How long can Nigerians cling on these straws of pretense and falsehood? Are Nigerians not wasting  time and consciously postponing evil days that will surely come- sooner or later? From the looks of things, the country is approaching the tip of a perilous cliff, why can't the leaders and the led garner courage and tackle these aged concerns of these assembly of various ethnic nationalities and people of assorted faiths and tongues embedded in a ramshackle political contraption called Nigeria? Nigerians better know that the  only thing they will lose is colonial master's political conjugal ring that is not giving those involved happiness. The more time the country waste the more problems they will confront in due course.

Nigerian's unwillingness to square off with contending issues right now will lead to apocalyptic disaster that the world don't have  capacity to handle due to the country's heavy  population and the nature of its borders. Without claiming to posses mesmerizing  long view of a futurologist, the extensive and intensive nature of the crisis that will germinate from refusal to talk will spread to most West and Central African nations Nigeria shares long porous borders with. And all and sundry knows that Nigeria's  neighbours don't have the economic muscle and sufficient infrastructure to host refugees or immigrants that will flood their small political geographies.

Pretending not to see or hear resource control agitations and environmental challenges of  various communities of Niger Delta will never make them give up.No amount of alliances and giving of political offices to the States of South West will stop their advocacy for a return to a regional political structure akin to the regional order of the First Republic.Nothing will stop Hausa-Fulani Muslims of Northern Nigeria from advocating for incorporating Shariah legal system in Nigeria.No explanation will eliminate the quest of a Southern Kaduna man to have a their own state out of the present Kaduna State.Nothing will stop middle beltern communities of Northern Nigeria from advocating for the right to bear arms because of the activities of the Fulani janjaweeds killing them in their villages and farms like ants. Noting will stop people from South East from advocating for their Biafra Republic despite suffering serious setbacks during the civil war.

Most of the agitations enumerated in proceeding paragraph appeared on the political radar in this dispensation that commenced on 29th May  1999. People will continue to use Boko Haram, Niger Delta Avengers, Odua Peoples Congress, Bakassi Boys, Miss World riot, Refusal of a films Village by Kano people,beheading of a woman under the guise of blasphemy,creating conspiracy theory around polio vaccine, burning of a church because members  prayed on a Friday,killing of a preacher, and others as a reminder that they  have questions desiring answers and aspirations that must be made in Nigeria.

What is to be done? Where do we go from here? The first solution is for members of the National Assembly(NASS)to discard their party differences and set up an inter-party committee to prepare for a serious and sincere constitutional amendment exercise. The exercise must have a timeframe so that the exercise wouldn't be rendered a nullify because of expectoration of the life of the 8th Assembly. Before swinging to action, all the 36 state assemblies be put on notice of these development for their quick response.Members of NASS should rollback to their constituencies to discuss with their constituents  so that they can find a way of including their aspirations in the amendment document. I know that consulting with constituents could generate laughable ideas,with some of their thoughts quite  anachronistic, but that is the beauty of democracy.Democracy has enough space for the good, bad and ugly ideas.

The second option is for the president to send an executive bill to NASS asking them for a permission to directly organise internationally supervised referendum that will ask all Nigerians of 18yrs and beyond questions related to our continued existence,revenue sharing formula and restructuring of the existing political structures. Since real sovereignty lays with the people, their decision stands. And such decisions must not be subjected to further discussions by either the NASS or executive branch. Or any legal interpretation by the highest court of the land. Thankfully, NASS has a tradition of midwifing resolutions under a broader caption called THE DOCTRINE OF NECESSITY. When former President Umar Musa Yar'Adua left the country in 2010 on a medical tourism to Saudi Arabia without an official handing over note to the Vice President, the senate invented a doctrine that saved Nigeria from a constitutional crisis. That can also hold on at this instance!

I have to restrict myself to these two arms of government to block the usual excuses of saying  there can't be two sovereignties  concurrently existing in the same political scape. This short proposals are capable of  blocking all legal gymnastics and similar excuses taunted by ultraconservative and reactionary forces that are converting this dysfunctional and hopeless situation to their parochialistic political and  economic aggrandizements. Unfortunately, these wicked political and economic class will never witness backlashes of their act of refusing all efforts towards nip-budding these serious national questions.

It's time to talk. Now is the right time!

ANARCHISM AND DICTATORSHIP IN KADUNA - BY JOHN DANFULANI, Ph.D

ANARCHISM AND DICTATORSHIP IN KADUNA

                                   By
                         John Danfulani, Ph.D
                         Jondanfulani@gmail.com

"Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God" Thomas Jefferson

A few months after delivering his inaugural speech in Murtala Square Kaduna, pronouncements and actions of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i started signaling the beginning of a strange political culture premised on executive orders, instead of legislations by Kaduna State House of Assembly(KDSHA). Hiding under the canopy of reforms and quests for a slimmer and efficient government,many unethical and unprofessional decisions were taken without pondering on the short and long term negative consequences of his actions.

Take a look at these actions by His Excellency Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i since assumption of office on 29th May 2015.

1. He retired Permanent Secretaries without observing the State's civil service rules like ;paying them their entitlements,number of years left before hitting their retirement time, and when they were appointed. Interestingly, the purging exercise was not guided by any standard other than irredentism, nepotism and sectionalism.

2. For over a year now he has been screening civil servants by using all sort of consultants. So far, they have not been able to get  a breakthrough. His verification exercise led to non-payment of salaries for some staff for over ten months, and labeling genuinely employed workers ghost workers.Similarly most retirees have 12months arrears to clear from the State Government.

3. In October of 2015, he told critics to head to famous Kufena Mountain in Zaria LGA in Kaduna North Senatorial District and jump down if they can't  accept his definition of the truth. Knowing the altitude of Kufena Mountain, his marching order simply said; go and die if you don't agree with me. His order has every feature of a hate speech....an internally condemned crime.

4. Sometimes in the first quarter of 2016 he told the newly sworn in caretaker of 23 LGAs in the state not to have any dealings with PDP members in their LGAs because they are like viruses. This aptly fits into what is known as hate speech. But sometimes in January, the conclave called State Security Council under his leadership milled a resolution against hate speech.

5. In the second quarter of 2016 he called members of APC factional branch called APC AKIDA ants...and that, he will crush them. He spewed this venom  while holding town hall meeting in Giwa headquarters of Giwa LGA in Kaduna Central Senatorial District. That was akin to the type of speech former Governor of Katsina State gave in 2014. He was adjudged of committing the sin of hate speech. Using the same yardstick,Mr. El-rufa'i too committed the same sin.

6. Some days ago,  he visited a disputed settlement in the southern part of Kaduna city called Gbagyi Villa. While there, he assured his will be victims that he will demolish thousands of structures there. After displaying his dictatorial credentials, he was reminded that there are cases before courts; a kind of reminding him that his action must wait for the the adjudicator(s) to decide who owns the land. Instead of thanking them for drawing his attention on the position of law, he  called them thieves and said no-going-back on his demolition plan.

A survey of issues raised from 1 to 6 hereinbefore shows that, the  tap-root of dictatorship and autocracy has shot down the political soil of Kaduna State. The most dangerous is his disposition of disregarding matters before courts. Those who read George Owell's award winning book titled ANIMAL FARM can see a symbiotic relationship between the narration in the book and what is happening in Kaduna State.

Now that Mr. El-rufa'i through his action and pronouncement has  demonstrated that he is above the law, what are the options left for those he is leading cum victims? Are the people to obey unabashed whims and caprices of a tyrant in a democracy or resist it using means accepted by the constitution? Is there justice for people to resist anarchy using constitutional means while what they are resisting isn't legal? From all indications, there is no easy way out for the vulnerable and helpless masses. This situation can be liken to a title of a book called The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth. 

For those onlookers on the fence, for those timid cold feet, for those weak souls, and for those with the privilege to speak the truth but prefer not seeing or hearing this evil, there turn is lurking at the corner. Lest they forget lessons of famous poem SPEAK OUT by a priest during the Nazi era in Germany. Let nonchalant not also forget Dante's sermon that says the hottest part of hell is reserve for those who mutes in times of moral crisis. For their good and that of democracy they better join all resistance movements against this evil spreading apocalyptic disaster horizontally and vertically in Kaduna State.

Now is time, I mean time to act against this political madness called EL-RUFAISM.

Un Suspends humanitarian aids in Nigeria's North - East after attack.

The United Nations has suspended its humanitarian assistance mission in the North East epicenter of Boko Haram terrorism following a bloody attack on humanitarian convoy by the Boko Haram insurgents, which left several officials of aid groups seriously wounded.
The suspension will be in place pending the review of the security situation in the Northeast.
A statement issued by the UN reacting to the attack said, “Today (Thursday) unknown assailants attacked a humanitarian convoy that included staff from UNICEF, UNFPA and IOM.
The convoy was traveling from Bama to Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria, returning from delivering desperately needed humanitarian assistance.
“UNICEF can confirm that a UNICEF employee and an IOM contractor were injured in the attack and are being treated at a local hospital. All other UNICEF, IOM and UNFPA staff are safe.
“The convoy was in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria, where protracted conflict has caused extreme suffering and has triggered a severe malnutrition crisis.
“This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on the people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing.
“The United Nations has temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions pending review of the security situation.”
Continuing the statement said, “UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.
The Army headquarters while confirming the attack on the UN bodies in a statement titled “Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Humanitarian Escort Convoy” said, “Troops returning from Bama on humanitarian escort duty, were ambushed enroute Maiduguri by suspected remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hiding in Meleri village, a few kilometres from Kawuri.
“The gallant troops however, successfully cleared the ambush and exploited up to Afunori.
“Unfortunately, 2 soldiers and 3 civilians were wounded in the ambush, among who were staff of United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian organizations.
“The wounded have been evacuated to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri and they are in stable condition.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to sympathize with our wounded colleagues, the United Nations and other Non-governmental organizations whose personnel were also injured in this sad incident.
“We wish to reiterate our determination and commitment to ensuring safety and security in the North East and safeguarding the lives of all persons.
In another development, the Army said early today that Multi-National Joint Taskforce (MNJTF), has finally captured and occupied Damasak town.
Damasak is a boundary town between Nigeria and Niger Republic and is located in Northern Borno. It is one of the last frontiers of Boko Haram terrorists.
A statement signed by Public Information Officer and spokesperson of MNJTF, Colonel Muhammad Dole, said that the troops have also cleared the terrorists from the surrounding villages
“In continuation with clearance operation of the towns and villages by MNJTF, the troops of the Sector 4 in Diffa Niger Republic have successfully cleared Sure village, captured and occupied Damasak town today by 1000hrs.
"The forces are coordinating to stabilize the immediate environs. The gallant troops fought their way into the town with Close Air support by combined Air Operation from MNJTF member states."
He added that: "While Operation Lafiya Dole is conducting operation to link up with Sector 4 at the location, the troops' morale remains very high."
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) is the combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. It is headquartered in N'Djamena, Chad and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Flashback: July 29, 1966 counter-coup: Africa's bloodiest coup d'etat - By Chucks Iloegbunam.

The first shots shattered the peace of the night at the Abeokuta Garrison of the Nigerian Army a few minutes after midnight on July 29, 1966.
Three casualties lay instantly dead in the persons of Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Okonweze, the Garrison Commander, Major John Obienu, Commander of the 2nd Reece Squadron, and Lieutenant E. B. Orok, also of the Reece Squadron. It was the beginning of the much-touted revenge coup of Northern Nigerian army officers and men against the regime of Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi.
By August 1, when Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon assumed power in Lagos as Nigeria’s second military Head of State, the bullet ridden bodies of both Ironsi and his host, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, the military Governor of Western Nigeria, lay buried in shallow graves at Iwo, outside Ibadan.
“Within three days of the July outbreak, every Igbo soldier serving in the army outside the East was dead, imprisoned or fleeing eastward for his life”, observed Professor Ruth First in The Barrel of a Gun: The Politics of Coups d’Etat in Africa [Allen Lane The Penguin Press, London, 1970, p317.]
But Africa’s bloodiest coup did not stop at that stage, despite the shooting deaths of 42 officers and over 130 other ranks, who were overwhelmingly Igbo. The killing sprees and ever-expanding killing fields spread like wild fire across most of the country. There were three phases to the coup – the Araba / Aware massacres in northern Nigeria pre-July that called for northern secession, the July Army bloodbath, and the ethnic cleansing that went on for months after Ironsi had been assassinated and his regime toppled. The maelstrom prompted Colonel Gowon into making a radio broadcast on September 29, 1966.
This was the kernel of what he said: “You all know that since the end of July, God in his power has entrusted the responsibility of this great country of ours into the hands of yet another Northerner. I receive complaints daily that up till now Easterners living in the North are being killed and molested, and their property looted. I am very unhappy about this. We should put a stop to it. It appears that it is going beyond reason and is now at a point of recklessness and irresponsibility.”
Salutary intervention
But Gowon’s salutary intervention changed nothing, as the massacres continued unabated. Northern soldiers and civilians went into towns, fished out Easterners and flattened them either with rapid gunfire or with violent machete blows, leaving their properties looted or torched.
According to the Massacre of Ndigbo in 1966: Report of the Justice G. C. M. Onyiuke Tribunal, [Tollbrook Limited, Ikeja, Lagos] “…between 45,000 and 50,000 civilians of former Eastern Nigeria were killed in Northern Nigeria and other parts of Nigeria from 29th May 1966 to December 1967 and although it is not strictly within its terms of reference the Tribunal estimates that not less than 1,627,743 Easterners fled back to Eastern Nigeria as a result of the 1966 pogrom.”

Counter-coup

This is contemporary Nigerian history, only 50 years old. But when experts like Dr. Reuben Abati and Professor Jonah Elaigwu write about it, they lose all sense of numeracy and statistical acuity, and glibly state that the July 29, 1966 counter-coup cost “many” Igbo lives.
Well, the truth is that the July 29 counter-coup appears to be the bloodiest in the world’s recorded history because the casualty figures it posted far outstrip those registered in decided bloody coups like the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which King James II of England was overthrown by an invading army led by William III of Orange-Nassau; the 18 Brumaire of 1799 coup in which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory on November 9, 1799; the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China; the Bolsheviks October Revolution of 1917 that led to the creation of the Soviet Union; and the Iraqi coup d’état of 1936, the first among Arab countries. Each of these coups/revolutions led to war. But none of them managed anything near the sea of blood occasioned by July 29, 1966.
Giving their interest in posting photographs and videos on the Internet by Instagram and Snapchat, and advertising mostly poor language on Facebook and other such portals, today’s Nigerian youths may know next to nothing about what led to the catastrophe of July 29. But the details follow here for those of them interested in learning.
The problem sat rigidly on the superficiality of Nigeria, a geographical expression contrived by colonialist Britain. At Independence in 1960, the country operated a federal system of government with three powerful regions that didn’t take dictation from Lagos, the nation’s capital. A fourth region, the Midwest, with capital in Benin City, was created in June 1963.
But destroying the very fabric of the artificial political entity were tribalism and corruption, corruption which by today’s standards, would seem like cloistered nuns delightfully engaging in a game of Ping-Pong!

Controversial census

There were the 1960 and 1964-1965 uprisings in the Tiv country of the Middle Belt, and fractious elections in Western Nigeria in 1964 and 1965. There was the highly controversial national census exercise of 1963, and there was the military action of Isaac Boro’s Niger Delta Volunteer Force.
Then, the military moved in on January 15, 1966, having contracted the germ of the idea of military putsches running riot across the world. In Algeria, for instance, Colonel Houari Boumediene and Ahmed Ben Bella overthrew Benyoucef Benkhedda on July 3, 1962.
Three years later, on June 19, 1965, Boumedienne overthrew Ben Bella. More: In Argentina, General Eduardo Lonardi overthrew President Juan Domingo Peron on September 16, 1955. On March 29, 1962, General Raul Pogi overthrew President Arturo Frondizi. In Brazil on March 31, 1964, Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco overthrew João Goulart to set up a 21-year-long dictatorship. In Indonesia General Suharto overthrew President Sukarno on September 30, 1965.

First West African coup

Inside Africa itself, coups were also trending. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser had overthrown Muhammad Naguib as far back as February 27, 1954. The first coup in West Africa was on January 13, 1963, when Etiene Eyadema overthrew Sylvanus Olympio. Colonel Joseph (later Mobutu Sese Seko) toppled Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba on September 14, 1960 and “neutralized” all political parties in Congo-Kinshasa. In neighbouring Benin Republic, Christophe Soglo overthrew Hubert Maga on October 28, 1963. Soglo carried out another coup on November 27, 1965, toppling Sourou-Migan Apithy.
Both coups happened when the country still bore the name of Dahomey.
On New Year’s Day of 1966, Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa overthrew his cousin, President David Dacko in Central Africa Republic. Two days later, Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana overthrew President Maurice Yaméogo in Upper Volta, which was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984 by Marxist revolutionary Captain Thomas Sankara.
But there was a difference between the rash of coups that occurred elsewhere and the one of January 15, 1966 in Nigeria. The Nigerian coup took an immediate ethnic colouration, and for reasons that were all too obvious. Of the five Majors that formed the innermost circle of the plotters, four were Igbo – Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna, Donatus Okafor, and Chris Anuforo. But there was also among them Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba. Then, there was also the more disturbing fact that most of the coup’s casualties were non-Igbo, like Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Northern Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, Western Premier Chief Samuel Akintola, and Federal Finance Minister Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh. No Igbo politician had lost his life in the bloody action.
Further, in executing the coup, the military had turned against itself in the killings of the following Northern military officers: Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari (Commander 2 Brigade), Colonel Kur Mohammed (Chief of Staff, Army Headquarters), Lieutenant Colonel James Yakubu Pam (Adjutant-General), and Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Abogo Largema (Commander 4th Battalion, Ibadan). Two Yoruba officers were also victims: Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun (Commander 1 Brigade), and his deputy, Colonel Ralph Sodeinde. The coup was, in effect, as bloody as they come. Its very nature fanned the fiction that it was an Igbo coup.


Chuks Iloegbunam (iloegbunam@hotmail.com ), is the author of Ironside , the biography of General Aguiyi-Ironsi.