The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT last week thursday, gave a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resolve the strike embarked upon by university lecturers.
The NUT President, Michael Olukoya, gave the ultimatum in Abuja at the end of the union’s meeting with teachers’ representatives across the country.
The NUT is made up of teachers in public primary and secondary schools across Nigeria.
ASUU had on July 1 embarked on a strike it described as “comprehensive, total and indefinite’’.
The lecturers are protesting the non-implementation of some issues contained in an agreement the union had entered into with the Federal Government since 2009.
Mr. Olukoya said that members of the union would not hesitate to close down the nation’s schools, if the two parties failed to reach agreement after two weeks.
He described the current ASUU strike “as nationalistic, patriotic and self-sacrificing.
“We will not hesitate to shut down the education system in the country, if the government fails to fulfill or honour the agreement it entered into with the lecturers,” he said.
The NUT president said that Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo’s call for a complete over-haul of teachers’ qualification as unacceptable to the NUT.
He said that the blame should be put on the door steps of the employers and not teachers.
“NUT will forever be proud of all its teachers, believing that all employment agencies are corruption-free, disciplined and quality conscious in their employment drives,” he said.
Mr. Olukoya also urged the governors of Kogi, Benue and Cross River to honour the agreement they made with teachers on the payment of 27.5 per cent teachers salary structure.
Source:(NAN)
Monday, September 30, 2013
Rivers State Commissioner Of Police Accuses Amaechi Of Mobilising Youths Against Jonathan
A couple of days ago, it was reported of how Gov. Amaechi had blasted the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Mbu stating that he associates with criminals. Guess the Commissioner got pained and decided to flex muscles with Mr Governor this time around.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, on Thursday accused the Rivers State government of mobilising youths against President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mbu said this while giving reasons for the chasing out of 13,000 newly-recruited teachers from the Liberation Stadium where they had gathered to receive their letters of posting on Wednesday.
Armed policemen had stormed the stadium and chased away the teachers.
But speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, Mbu explained that he acted on a security report that those at the stadium were hired to disrupt the peace in the state.
The CP said the people at the stadium on Wednesday were youths hired to demonstrate against Jonathan.
Putting the number of the youths inside the stadium at 18,000, Mbu displayed some placards allegedly recovered from the crowd.
Some of the placards displayed by the CP read, ‘Amaechi for Vice President 2015’, ‘North for President,’ ‘Amaechi for VP,’ ‘It is time for the North’.
Mbu said the action of the state government was targetted at distracting the police.
He said, “The truth is that the government of the state is trying to keep the police perpetually at work and distracting us. Those newly employed teachers in quote were hired youths. They were hired to carry placards and protest against the President of the country. I am here to show you the placards.
“They were called to go there. In all, they did not invite the police; nobody invited the police. My informants called me that they were not called to be given letters but were given card boards to protest against Jonathan.
“They tore these things into pieces (holding the placards). We put them together. As a Commissioner of Police whose ears are on the ground, I will always abort such gatherings.”
Reacting, the state government described Mbu’s claim as a fabrication aimed at justifying police nefarious activities.
A statement by the Chief of Staff in the Rivers Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, described Mbu and the state police command as liars.
........We have more pressing issues to deal with in this nation,while people that are suppose to be"on top of the situation" are busy flexing muscles.God Help us!!!!!
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, on Thursday accused the Rivers State government of mobilising youths against President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mbu said this while giving reasons for the chasing out of 13,000 newly-recruited teachers from the Liberation Stadium where they had gathered to receive their letters of posting on Wednesday.
Armed policemen had stormed the stadium and chased away the teachers.
But speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, Mbu explained that he acted on a security report that those at the stadium were hired to disrupt the peace in the state.
The CP said the people at the stadium on Wednesday were youths hired to demonstrate against Jonathan.
Putting the number of the youths inside the stadium at 18,000, Mbu displayed some placards allegedly recovered from the crowd.
Some of the placards displayed by the CP read, ‘Amaechi for Vice President 2015’, ‘North for President,’ ‘Amaechi for VP,’ ‘It is time for the North’.
Mbu said the action of the state government was targetted at distracting the police.
He said, “The truth is that the government of the state is trying to keep the police perpetually at work and distracting us. Those newly employed teachers in quote were hired youths. They were hired to carry placards and protest against the President of the country. I am here to show you the placards.
“They were called to go there. In all, they did not invite the police; nobody invited the police. My informants called me that they were not called to be given letters but were given card boards to protest against Jonathan.
“They tore these things into pieces (holding the placards). We put them together. As a Commissioner of Police whose ears are on the ground, I will always abort such gatherings.”
Reacting, the state government described Mbu’s claim as a fabrication aimed at justifying police nefarious activities.
A statement by the Chief of Staff in the Rivers Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, described Mbu and the state police command as liars.
........We have more pressing issues to deal with in this nation,while people that are suppose to be"on top of the situation" are busy flexing muscles.God Help us!!!!!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
over 30 students killed as Boko Haram attacks College of Agriculture in Yobe State
Boko Haram gunmen this morning Sunday September 29th stormed the student dormitory of the College of Agriculture in Gujba, Yobe State, shooting students as they slept, killing at least 30 of them. The death toll could be way higher as several dead bodies were recovered from hostels, classrooms, bushes and corners around the school.
Area Military spokesman Lazarus Eli confirmed the incident and said that security forces have been deployed to the school to protect surviving students until they can all leave the campus. Eli said the attack was carried out by “Boko Haram terrorists who went into the school and opened fire on students while they were sleeping"
May their souls find eternal rest...
Area Military spokesman Lazarus Eli confirmed the incident and said that security forces have been deployed to the school to protect surviving students until they can all leave the campus. Eli said the attack was carried out by “Boko Haram terrorists who went into the school and opened fire on students while they were sleeping"
May their souls find eternal rest...
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Governor Fashola Should Not Have Apologised To Igbos – Femi Fani Kayode
Few days ago the Lagos State Governor apologised to the igbos for dumping some dsetitutes at upper Iweka in Onitsha,Anambra state.
Well Chief FFK do not think that(the apology) was neccessary,in his words...........:
There can be little doubt that the relocation of the 19 igbo destitutes from Lagos state a few months ago was a lawful exercise and that it was done in the interest of Lagos state.
Consequently I do not believe that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ought to have tendered any form of apology whatsoever to the igbo for what he did. The only redeeming factor is the fact that the apology was obviously designed simply to calm frayed nerves and I commend Fashola for that gesture if nothing else. I say this because my understanding is that he apologised NOT for the deportation itself but for ''the misunderstanding that arose from it''. There is a world of difference between the two.
I also commend him for admonishing the igbo to develop their own region and to decide whether they are ''igbo before they are Nigerians or Nigerians before they are igbo''.
For the purposes of clarification the debate that has been raging in the land for the last two months, though sparked off by Fashola's relocations, was more about the curious claim that Lagos state was ''no man's land'' which the igbo jointly own with the yoruba and which they had developed, and are indeed still developing, with their money and nothing else.
Fashola and others have said publiclly that it is ''absurd'' and ''insulting'' for anyone to call Lagos state ''no-man's land'' and that is good enough for me.
As long as he did not apologise for saying that, I have no problem with whatever he may or may not have said about the deportations even though, had I been governor, I would have handled it differently.
The truth is that the yoruba way is to apologise not only when you are wrong but also when you are right if you believe that the other party has been badly hurt by your actions.
Yet to those from outside yorubaland that do not share that disposition, that do not understand that spirit and that cannot even begin to comprehend it, an apology is nothing less than an admission of guilt and wrong- doing and a trophy of triumph to those whom it is offered.
It is for this reason that I believe that it was wrong for Fashola to apologise and that it is important for us to consider the long term implications of what he has done.
The truth is that in life perception counts for everything. And rightly or wrongly the perception that most people have, particularly amongst the igbo, is that Fashola has indeed apologised for the deportations.
This perception is supported by misleading newspaper headlines which were drafted and written by journalists who did not bother to read the text or properly decipher the statement.
Whether anyone likes it or not this latest development is viewed as a great triumph for the hardline igbo nationalists and the Governor Peter Obi's of this world who honestly believe that the igbo have some kind of special rights or special status in Lagos and indeed in yorubaland. They say and do things in Lagos and other parts of the west that they dare not do in the north and that they will never allow our people to do in the east.
This is because they fear the northerners who have often put them in their place when they cross the line but they have nothing but contempt for us.
Fashola has now given those within the igbo community that have this mindset far more legitimacy, strength and confidence.
In any case now that dishing out apologies is the order of the day and he has set the precedent, the question has to be asked- will Peter Obi take a cue from that, be a gentleman and apologise for deporting the people of Akwa Ibom from his Anambra state as well?
Is Obi that reasonable or charitable? Do those that think like him believe that what is good for the goose is good for the gander?
I doubt it very much.
Again will Fashola apologise to the numerous northerners that he deported from Lagos as well and will he apologise to his yoruba kith and kin from Oyo and Osun for deporting them too?
I really do wonder how far this new-found large-heartedness and seasonal expression of regrets will go.
Will it be spread everywhere or is it exclusively reserved for the igbo?
More importantly, in the spirit of this new approchement, will Fashola secretly conceede portions of Lagos state and yorubaland to them as well? Will he take my dear egbon and former cabinet colleague, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe's counsel, and wholeheartedly accept the interesting notion that the igbo have ''married all our daughters'' in idungaran and isale-eko and that we should therefore give all our land and territory to them?
Will he give up the patrimony of his people all in the name of trying to appease the igbo and get their votes for the APC in the upcoming governorship election in Anambra state?
If that is the plan I doubt that it will work because they are a pretty unforgiving lot. The more you give the more they will ask for and at the end of the day you will end up losing far more than you gain.
Governor Chris Ngige, who is an amiable gentleman and one of the most decent, accomodating, liberal, detribalised and civilised people that I know from the east, will gain nothing from this and sadly the person that will gain from it will be the hardline, igbocentric Peter Obi and his APGA candidate in november's gubernatorial election in Anambra state.
People like Fashola need to undersatand that sometimes in trying to play the generous statesman and the kind-hearted omoluwabi we end up being taken for granted and making fools of ourselves.
You only apologise to those who will appreciate it, who do not necessarily see it as an admission of guilt and who will not misconstrue it as weakness.
This is because the display of weakness by any leader, no matter how well-liked, only attracts impudence and aggression from those who have a hidden agenda.
A word is enough for the wise.
If I were Governor of Lagos state I would never have apologised for the execution of a legitimate and lawful exercise which was absolutely necessary and which was done in the interests of my state and my people, no matter how many cows I had been offered or given by the kinsmen of those affected.
What Fashola has done, albeit inadvertently, is to betray those amongst his yoruba kith and kin that stood by him and defended him when he took that historic and controversial decision to deport the igbo destitutes.
He has also fuelled the erroneous impression that is held by most of the igbo that the yoruba people and their leaders are bumbling and inconsistent cowards that cannot stand firm when put under pressure and when faced with threats and hardship.
This is sad and unfortunate because that is not who or what we are. Though we cherish and often manifest the omoluwabi spirit, the yoruba are also a lion-hearted people- we are slow to anger but irresistable in battle.
We are as constant as the northern star even though we are accomodating and generous.
I have immense respect for Fashola and I happen to have a soft spot for him but I believe that his behaviour is a clear u-turn and that it represents a double standard, a capitulation of values and a revocation of principle.
You don't apologise for government policy just to appease a certain group of people no matter how bellicose, violent, loud and aggressive they may be.
It is better to lose a million elections outside yorubaland than to conceed even one inch of yoruba territory to those that seek to lay claim to that which is not theirs.
A word is enough for the wise.
.........Do you agree with him or not???
Well Chief FFK do not think that(the apology) was neccessary,in his words...........:
There can be little doubt that the relocation of the 19 igbo destitutes from Lagos state a few months ago was a lawful exercise and that it was done in the interest of Lagos state.
Consequently I do not believe that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ought to have tendered any form of apology whatsoever to the igbo for what he did. The only redeeming factor is the fact that the apology was obviously designed simply to calm frayed nerves and I commend Fashola for that gesture if nothing else. I say this because my understanding is that he apologised NOT for the deportation itself but for ''the misunderstanding that arose from it''. There is a world of difference between the two.
I also commend him for admonishing the igbo to develop their own region and to decide whether they are ''igbo before they are Nigerians or Nigerians before they are igbo''.
For the purposes of clarification the debate that has been raging in the land for the last two months, though sparked off by Fashola's relocations, was more about the curious claim that Lagos state was ''no man's land'' which the igbo jointly own with the yoruba and which they had developed, and are indeed still developing, with their money and nothing else.
Fashola and others have said publiclly that it is ''absurd'' and ''insulting'' for anyone to call Lagos state ''no-man's land'' and that is good enough for me.
As long as he did not apologise for saying that, I have no problem with whatever he may or may not have said about the deportations even though, had I been governor, I would have handled it differently.
The truth is that the yoruba way is to apologise not only when you are wrong but also when you are right if you believe that the other party has been badly hurt by your actions.
Yet to those from outside yorubaland that do not share that disposition, that do not understand that spirit and that cannot even begin to comprehend it, an apology is nothing less than an admission of guilt and wrong- doing and a trophy of triumph to those whom it is offered.
It is for this reason that I believe that it was wrong for Fashola to apologise and that it is important for us to consider the long term implications of what he has done.
The truth is that in life perception counts for everything. And rightly or wrongly the perception that most people have, particularly amongst the igbo, is that Fashola has indeed apologised for the deportations.
This perception is supported by misleading newspaper headlines which were drafted and written by journalists who did not bother to read the text or properly decipher the statement.
Whether anyone likes it or not this latest development is viewed as a great triumph for the hardline igbo nationalists and the Governor Peter Obi's of this world who honestly believe that the igbo have some kind of special rights or special status in Lagos and indeed in yorubaland. They say and do things in Lagos and other parts of the west that they dare not do in the north and that they will never allow our people to do in the east.
This is because they fear the northerners who have often put them in their place when they cross the line but they have nothing but contempt for us.
Fashola has now given those within the igbo community that have this mindset far more legitimacy, strength and confidence.
In any case now that dishing out apologies is the order of the day and he has set the precedent, the question has to be asked- will Peter Obi take a cue from that, be a gentleman and apologise for deporting the people of Akwa Ibom from his Anambra state as well?
Is Obi that reasonable or charitable? Do those that think like him believe that what is good for the goose is good for the gander?
I doubt it very much.
Again will Fashola apologise to the numerous northerners that he deported from Lagos as well and will he apologise to his yoruba kith and kin from Oyo and Osun for deporting them too?
I really do wonder how far this new-found large-heartedness and seasonal expression of regrets will go.
Will it be spread everywhere or is it exclusively reserved for the igbo?
More importantly, in the spirit of this new approchement, will Fashola secretly conceede portions of Lagos state and yorubaland to them as well? Will he take my dear egbon and former cabinet colleague, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe's counsel, and wholeheartedly accept the interesting notion that the igbo have ''married all our daughters'' in idungaran and isale-eko and that we should therefore give all our land and territory to them?
Will he give up the patrimony of his people all in the name of trying to appease the igbo and get their votes for the APC in the upcoming governorship election in Anambra state?
If that is the plan I doubt that it will work because they are a pretty unforgiving lot. The more you give the more they will ask for and at the end of the day you will end up losing far more than you gain.
Governor Chris Ngige, who is an amiable gentleman and one of the most decent, accomodating, liberal, detribalised and civilised people that I know from the east, will gain nothing from this and sadly the person that will gain from it will be the hardline, igbocentric Peter Obi and his APGA candidate in november's gubernatorial election in Anambra state.
People like Fashola need to undersatand that sometimes in trying to play the generous statesman and the kind-hearted omoluwabi we end up being taken for granted and making fools of ourselves.
You only apologise to those who will appreciate it, who do not necessarily see it as an admission of guilt and who will not misconstrue it as weakness.
This is because the display of weakness by any leader, no matter how well-liked, only attracts impudence and aggression from those who have a hidden agenda.
A word is enough for the wise.
If I were Governor of Lagos state I would never have apologised for the execution of a legitimate and lawful exercise which was absolutely necessary and which was done in the interests of my state and my people, no matter how many cows I had been offered or given by the kinsmen of those affected.
What Fashola has done, albeit inadvertently, is to betray those amongst his yoruba kith and kin that stood by him and defended him when he took that historic and controversial decision to deport the igbo destitutes.
He has also fuelled the erroneous impression that is held by most of the igbo that the yoruba people and their leaders are bumbling and inconsistent cowards that cannot stand firm when put under pressure and when faced with threats and hardship.
This is sad and unfortunate because that is not who or what we are. Though we cherish and often manifest the omoluwabi spirit, the yoruba are also a lion-hearted people- we are slow to anger but irresistable in battle.
We are as constant as the northern star even though we are accomodating and generous.
I have immense respect for Fashola and I happen to have a soft spot for him but I believe that his behaviour is a clear u-turn and that it represents a double standard, a capitulation of values and a revocation of principle.
You don't apologise for government policy just to appease a certain group of people no matter how bellicose, violent, loud and aggressive they may be.
It is better to lose a million elections outside yorubaland than to conceed even one inch of yoruba territory to those that seek to lay claim to that which is not theirs.
A word is enough for the wise.
.........Do you agree with him or not???
Friday, September 27, 2013
8,000 Women Protest Over Scarcity Of Men In Zamfara
Is this the fufillment of the prophesy in the Bible that said : " a time will come when four women would be asking for one man to marry them? Well I hope not.
The Chairperson of the Zamfara Widows Association, Hajiya Suwaiba Isa and the patron, Alhaji Sa’idu Goshe,has said they needed husbands to become whole as they were not living a normal life.
In her words;“Many of us cannot afford two meals in a day because there are no men to support us,”
Alhaji Goshe said the association had over 8,000 women, comprising 5,380 divorcees, 2,200 widows, 1,200 orphans and 80 others, whom he said, were looking for men to marry.
According to him, the women also needed assistance to purchase household items such as beds, mattresses and other basic necessities needed to move to their husbands’ houses.
Goshe appealed to the commission to assist the association in screening suitors for the women. He said the screening would determine the suitors’ health status, source of livelihood and ability to maintain a family.
May God help us.....
The Chairperson of the Zamfara Widows Association, Hajiya Suwaiba Isa and the patron, Alhaji Sa’idu Goshe,has said they needed husbands to become whole as they were not living a normal life.
In her words;“Many of us cannot afford two meals in a day because there are no men to support us,”
Alhaji Goshe said the association had over 8,000 women, comprising 5,380 divorcees, 2,200 widows, 1,200 orphans and 80 others, whom he said, were looking for men to marry.
According to him, the women also needed assistance to purchase household items such as beds, mattresses and other basic necessities needed to move to their husbands’ houses.
Goshe appealed to the commission to assist the association in screening suitors for the women. He said the screening would determine the suitors’ health status, source of livelihood and ability to maintain a family.
May God help us.....
Buhari, Fayemi, others visit recuperating Tinubu in London home
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, including Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, visited former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu in the United Kingdom, where he is recuperating after a knee surgery.
Mr. Tinubu, who has been out of Nigeria since July, had the surgery in the United States the following month after which he moved to London, to recuperate.
Apart from Mr. Buhari, those who visited the former Lagos State governor, himself a leader of APC, were Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, Senators Babafemi Ojudu, Bunmi Adetumbi, Jide Adesoye, Tony Adeniyi and Kemela Okara.
At the end of the visit, Mr. Tinubu posed in a group photograph with his visitors.
Mr. Tinubu, who has been out of Nigeria since July, had the surgery in the United States the following month after which he moved to London, to recuperate.
Apart from Mr. Buhari, those who visited the former Lagos State governor, himself a leader of APC, were Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, Senators Babafemi Ojudu, Bunmi Adetumbi, Jide Adesoye, Tony Adeniyi and Kemela Okara.
At the end of the visit, Mr. Tinubu posed in a group photograph with his visitors.
Police deny using tear gas to disperse teachers in Port Harcourt
The police in Rivers on Thursday denied allegations that it used tear gas to disperse newly recruited teachers at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday. The Commissioner of Police,
Mr Joseph Mbu, said at a news briefing that over 18,000 people had thronged the stadium to collect their appointment letters.
"The police did not tear gas new teachers; over 18,000 people thronged the Liberation Stadium. They were deceived to come and collect their letters of appointment.
"When they got there, sheets of cardboard were handed over to them and they were told to write: 'Amaechi for Vice-President'; 'Goodluck Jonathan, respect your agreement'.
"Some of the good ones among them called me, saying 'Oga, something is about to happen here; it is not about appointment letters; there is more to it.
"We are being given placards to write,'' the police chief quoted them as saying.
Mbu said that when a lady (who he did not identify), called that ministry of education; she was told that the letters were not ready.
He also denied some allegations that he was a cultist.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government in July employed about 13,000 teachers and gave those letters of appointment.
Besides, Mbu said that Bishop Ignatius Kattey, the Anglican Archbishop of Niger Delta Diocese, who was recently kidnapped and released, was aware that he called a series of press conferences prior to his release.
Kattey had alleged at a press conference that he was not rescued by the police, contrary to the claims of the police.
Mbu said that as soon as the cleric was released, the divisional police officer in charge of Eleme visited him about four times, alleging that Kattey refused to see him.
Back
Mr Joseph Mbu, said at a news briefing that over 18,000 people had thronged the stadium to collect their appointment letters.
"The police did not tear gas new teachers; over 18,000 people thronged the Liberation Stadium. They were deceived to come and collect their letters of appointment.
"When they got there, sheets of cardboard were handed over to them and they were told to write: 'Amaechi for Vice-President'; 'Goodluck Jonathan, respect your agreement'.
"Some of the good ones among them called me, saying 'Oga, something is about to happen here; it is not about appointment letters; there is more to it.
"We are being given placards to write,'' the police chief quoted them as saying.
Mbu said that when a lady (who he did not identify), called that ministry of education; she was told that the letters were not ready.
He also denied some allegations that he was a cultist.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state government in July employed about 13,000 teachers and gave those letters of appointment.
Besides, Mbu said that Bishop Ignatius Kattey, the Anglican Archbishop of Niger Delta Diocese, who was recently kidnapped and released, was aware that he called a series of press conferences prior to his release.
Kattey had alleged at a press conference that he was not rescued by the police, contrary to the claims of the police.
Mbu said that as soon as the cleric was released, the divisional police officer in charge of Eleme visited him about four times, alleging that Kattey refused to see him.
Back
Boko Haram may have anti-aircraft missiles- US reports
Not only has Boko Haram been linked to the group behind Kenyan mall attack al Shabaab, there are also reports that they may have anti-aircraft missiles. Hmmmm.
From Punch
A report by a committee of the United States House of Representatives has linked the fundamentalist Islamist sect, Boko Haram to al Shabaab, the terror group that carried out the September 21 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
The report dated September 13, 2013 and entitled, ‘Boko Haram: Growing Threat to the US Homeland’, also acknowledged the growing relationship between the Nigerian sect and another terror group, the Al Qaeda in the land of the Islamic Maghreb.
The 39-page report noted that “while there is no evidence that al Qaeda’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan commands Boko Haram’s operations, it is clear from the words of multiple US officials and media reports that Boko Haram is supportive of, and supported by Al Qaeda networks such as AQIM.”
It noted that “it is the unity of ideology and mutual hatred for the West between the Al Qaeda networks that exposes the danger Boko Haram poses to the U.S Homeland.”
The committee described Boko Haram as a “hardened and sophisticated terror network” that required multiple simultenous local and international efforts to enhance the capacity and capability of the the Nigerian Police and the military to curtail its activities.
It said there was an urgent need by the US to designate the sect as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation because it has shown no signs of ending its aggression against the government of Nigeria and the Western world.
The commiteee wrote, “The world is coming to know more about Boko Haram; their intentions, what they’re capable of, and who is supporting them.
“The US Intelligence Community is working to erase the gaps in our understanding of Boko Haram, but it is already evident they are a serious threat to US interests and potentially to the US Homeland.
‘‘Acknowledging this threat publicly by designating Boko Haram an FTO will establish a legal mechanism for prosecuting any supporters within US jurisdictions.
“This is an increasingly important tool given their attempts to market themselves to a wider international audience.
“Boko Haram shows no signs of ending its campaign against the government of Nigeria and the Western world. Two years after their August 2011 bombing of a United Nations facility in Abuja, Nigeria, Boko Haram remains a threat to the international community, and continues to be a developing threat to the US Homeland.”
The report said that Boko Haram had “highly skilled bomb makers who might have received training from experienced militants elsewhere, potentially indicating a stronger relationship between them and AQIM or Al Shabaab.
It said that besides building sophisticated weaponry, it was now possible that Boko Haram had acquired or will acquire SA-7 and SA-24 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
The SA-7 missile is effective up to 1,300 metres, while some newer models reach altitudes of almost four kilometres. Although most aircraft cruise around 9,140 metres, the SA-7 could be used to target aircraft during takeoff and landing.
In the report, the committee warned, “It does not take much imagination to picture the threat these weapons would pose to commercial aviation in Abuja if they fell into Boko Haram hands.”
Out of the 20,000 such weapons in Libya, only 5,000 of them had been secured through a $40m US programme to buy up loose missiles during the fall of the Gadhafi regime. Most are believed to have found their way into countries that share common boundaries with Nigeria.
The committee acknowledged that the Goodluck Jonathan administration had taken some potentially promising steps in its effort to fight Boko Haram.
It said the appointment of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), a northern Nigerian Muslim, to the position of National Security Adviser on June 23, 2012, demonstrated Jonathan’s willingness to give northerners and Muslims a visible role in Nigeria’s struggle with Boko Haram.
“Dasuki has taken the lead in organising government’s fight against Boko Haram, and his background as a Muslim from the North may give him obvious and potent symbolic significance,” the committee said.
In spite of this, the committee observed that concerns regarding the capability of the Jonathan administration to effectively deal with Boko Haram remained prominent.
The committee said without foreign assistance from countries such as the US and the UK, the Nigerian government would almost certainly face a prolonged battle in neutralising Boko Haram.
According to the committee, the State Department, which has also engaged Nigeria through its African Coastal and Border Security programme, has focused its assistance on peacekeeping support, training, border and maritime security, and increasing military professionalisation.
But it lamented that in spite of the training, the “JTF continues to behave unprofessionally, and has been accused of human rights abuses by Human Rights Watch, among other entities, including the State Department’s most recent annual human rights report.”
It also warned that greater pressure must be applied to the JTF to abandon counter-productive and brutal tactics alienating northerners.
The committee said failure of the Secretary of State to designate the Boko Haram sect an FTO, was the ‘most obvious flaw in the US effort to combat it and prevent its expansion.’
It said, “If Boko Haram were to be designated an FTO, it would support US intelligence community efforts to curb the group’s financing, stigmatise and isolate it internationally, heighten public awareness and knowledge, and signal to other governments the US takes the threat from Boko Haram seriously.
“If Boko Haram is not designated an FTO, its potential threat to the US and its capability to attack the homeland would likely increase. It is therefore an urgent next step to take in fighting this growing al Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria.”
The committee further said as the number of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram had increased in 2013, so had the attention paid to the group by the US.
From Punch
A report by a committee of the United States House of Representatives has linked the fundamentalist Islamist sect, Boko Haram to al Shabaab, the terror group that carried out the September 21 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
The report dated September 13, 2013 and entitled, ‘Boko Haram: Growing Threat to the US Homeland’, also acknowledged the growing relationship between the Nigerian sect and another terror group, the Al Qaeda in the land of the Islamic Maghreb.
The 39-page report noted that “while there is no evidence that al Qaeda’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan commands Boko Haram’s operations, it is clear from the words of multiple US officials and media reports that Boko Haram is supportive of, and supported by Al Qaeda networks such as AQIM.”
It noted that “it is the unity of ideology and mutual hatred for the West between the Al Qaeda networks that exposes the danger Boko Haram poses to the U.S Homeland.”
The committee described Boko Haram as a “hardened and sophisticated terror network” that required multiple simultenous local and international efforts to enhance the capacity and capability of the the Nigerian Police and the military to curtail its activities.
It said there was an urgent need by the US to designate the sect as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation because it has shown no signs of ending its aggression against the government of Nigeria and the Western world.
The commiteee wrote, “The world is coming to know more about Boko Haram; their intentions, what they’re capable of, and who is supporting them.
“The US Intelligence Community is working to erase the gaps in our understanding of Boko Haram, but it is already evident they are a serious threat to US interests and potentially to the US Homeland.
‘‘Acknowledging this threat publicly by designating Boko Haram an FTO will establish a legal mechanism for prosecuting any supporters within US jurisdictions.
“This is an increasingly important tool given their attempts to market themselves to a wider international audience.
“Boko Haram shows no signs of ending its campaign against the government of Nigeria and the Western world. Two years after their August 2011 bombing of a United Nations facility in Abuja, Nigeria, Boko Haram remains a threat to the international community, and continues to be a developing threat to the US Homeland.”
The report said that Boko Haram had “highly skilled bomb makers who might have received training from experienced militants elsewhere, potentially indicating a stronger relationship between them and AQIM or Al Shabaab.
It said that besides building sophisticated weaponry, it was now possible that Boko Haram had acquired or will acquire SA-7 and SA-24 shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
The SA-7 missile is effective up to 1,300 metres, while some newer models reach altitudes of almost four kilometres. Although most aircraft cruise around 9,140 metres, the SA-7 could be used to target aircraft during takeoff and landing.
In the report, the committee warned, “It does not take much imagination to picture the threat these weapons would pose to commercial aviation in Abuja if they fell into Boko Haram hands.”
Out of the 20,000 such weapons in Libya, only 5,000 of them had been secured through a $40m US programme to buy up loose missiles during the fall of the Gadhafi regime. Most are believed to have found their way into countries that share common boundaries with Nigeria.
The committee acknowledged that the Goodluck Jonathan administration had taken some potentially promising steps in its effort to fight Boko Haram.
It said the appointment of Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), a northern Nigerian Muslim, to the position of National Security Adviser on June 23, 2012, demonstrated Jonathan’s willingness to give northerners and Muslims a visible role in Nigeria’s struggle with Boko Haram.
“Dasuki has taken the lead in organising government’s fight against Boko Haram, and his background as a Muslim from the North may give him obvious and potent symbolic significance,” the committee said.
In spite of this, the committee observed that concerns regarding the capability of the Jonathan administration to effectively deal with Boko Haram remained prominent.
The committee said without foreign assistance from countries such as the US and the UK, the Nigerian government would almost certainly face a prolonged battle in neutralising Boko Haram.
According to the committee, the State Department, which has also engaged Nigeria through its African Coastal and Border Security programme, has focused its assistance on peacekeeping support, training, border and maritime security, and increasing military professionalisation.
But it lamented that in spite of the training, the “JTF continues to behave unprofessionally, and has been accused of human rights abuses by Human Rights Watch, among other entities, including the State Department’s most recent annual human rights report.”
It also warned that greater pressure must be applied to the JTF to abandon counter-productive and brutal tactics alienating northerners.
The committee said failure of the Secretary of State to designate the Boko Haram sect an FTO, was the ‘most obvious flaw in the US effort to combat it and prevent its expansion.’
It said, “If Boko Haram were to be designated an FTO, it would support US intelligence community efforts to curb the group’s financing, stigmatise and isolate it internationally, heighten public awareness and knowledge, and signal to other governments the US takes the threat from Boko Haram seriously.
“If Boko Haram is not designated an FTO, its potential threat to the US and its capability to attack the homeland would likely increase. It is therefore an urgent next step to take in fighting this growing al Qaeda affiliate in Nigeria.”
The committee further said as the number of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram had increased in 2013, so had the attention paid to the group by the US.
Arik Air passenger causes Drama at abuja airport as they block runway
Angry passengers yesterday evening Thursday September 26th blocked the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, preventing planes from taking-off or landing.
The passengers, who disembarked from an Arik Air flight, blocked the Abuja runway because the flight they took from Abuja to Calabar was not allowed to land in Calabar around 5.30pm for safety reasons - the runway lightening was poor, forcing the pilot to return the passengers to Abuja.
The passengers now felt the best way to express their anger was to prevent other planes from taking off or landing at the Abuja airport. Continue...
Arik Air spokesperson, Mr. Adebanji Ola, said that it was not the airline's fault that the Calabar airport was closed by the time the flight from Abuja got there.
He said,
“The flight was delayed because there was Very Important Personality movement and there was also some weather issues, it is not the fault of the airline that the plane could not land there. We are amazed that despite the security at the Abuja airport, passengers were still able to hijack the aircraft and hold other planes to ransom, that should not be the case.
The passengers, who disembarked from an Arik Air flight, blocked the Abuja runway because the flight they took from Abuja to Calabar was not allowed to land in Calabar around 5.30pm for safety reasons - the runway lightening was poor, forcing the pilot to return the passengers to Abuja.
The passengers now felt the best way to express their anger was to prevent other planes from taking off or landing at the Abuja airport. Continue...
Arik Air spokesperson, Mr. Adebanji Ola, said that it was not the airline's fault that the Calabar airport was closed by the time the flight from Abuja got there.
He said,
“The flight was delayed because there was Very Important Personality movement and there was also some weather issues, it is not the fault of the airline that the plane could not land there. We are amazed that despite the security at the Abuja airport, passengers were still able to hijack the aircraft and hold other planes to ransom, that should not be the case.
The 'White Widow' behind the Kenyan mall massacre may have visited Nigeria
According to a report by UK Daily Mirror, Samantha Lewthwaite, the British woman known as the “White Widow” accused of masterminding the Kenyan shopping mall massacre that left 68 people dead and over 170 injured was in Nigeria sometime ago and evaded detection.
From Daily Mirror;
If White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite is on the run she will be hard to catch. If Lewthwaite were to be on the run in Kenya, Nigeria or Somalia, it would be a easier to evade detection than in Europe. She would be wearing a veil, and sensitivities about searching Muslim women would be observed so she could easily slip through difficult checkpoints.
In Nigeria, where police forces are notoriously corrupt, there were reports she was almost caught a while ago, but she bribed her way out of trouble. Extremist communities such as al-Shabaab are tight-knit in these countries, making it difficult to recruit agents to penetrate them and trace her.
And Lewthwaite may hold a great deal of power as a special kind of jihadist, having proved her worth in previous attacks. As a white convert mum and widow of a 7/7 bomber, she would be invaluable propaganda and would command huge loyalty. Also, the austere nature of her adopted culture means she would rarely go out, so there would be few opportunities to follow her. Bounties have failed to nail jihadists as money has no value to individuals loyal to the cause.
From Daily Mirror;
If White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite is on the run she will be hard to catch. If Lewthwaite were to be on the run in Kenya, Nigeria or Somalia, it would be a easier to evade detection than in Europe. She would be wearing a veil, and sensitivities about searching Muslim women would be observed so she could easily slip through difficult checkpoints.
In Nigeria, where police forces are notoriously corrupt, there were reports she was almost caught a while ago, but she bribed her way out of trouble. Extremist communities such as al-Shabaab are tight-knit in these countries, making it difficult to recruit agents to penetrate them and trace her.
And Lewthwaite may hold a great deal of power as a special kind of jihadist, having proved her worth in previous attacks. As a white convert mum and widow of a 7/7 bomber, she would be invaluable propaganda and would command huge loyalty. Also, the austere nature of her adopted culture means she would rarely go out, so there would be few opportunities to follow her. Bounties have failed to nail jihadists as money has no value to individuals loyal to the cause.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Lagos State Governor Apologises To Igbos Over Deportation Drama
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Thursday offered an unreserved apology for the misunderstanding generated by the alleged deportation of some destitutes to Onitsha, Anambra State.
The state government had been accused of dumping 70 beggars at Onitsha Bridge on July 24, a situation that generated public outcry and bad blood.
Fashola, who spoke at the silver jubilee of the Igbo socio-cultural think tank, Aka Ikenga held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, insisted he has no problems with the Igbos.
He noted that the largest herds of cattle he received when his father died was from the Igbos.
Fashola said:
I came here to say to say thank you for the honour done to my family and the memory of my late father. People who clearly do not understand the actions taken and words spoken are those I owe an explanation.
I cannot take the Igbos for granted because we have built a relationship based on tolerance, mutual respect, love and trust. That relationship was built by our ancestors and I put a lot of value in that relationship.
I offer an unreserved apology if the actions taken had been misunderstood. But I think the basic issue Aka Ikenga must address is why people feel compelled to immigrate from one part of the country to the other? Is it the case that some lack the resources to develop or perhaps some parts are endowed with enormous resources but not adequately managed? How can development be so difficult from the zone that has produced people like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alex Ekwueme, Ike Nwachukwu, among others?
As political storm gathers, there are contact spots but like in football, contact spots have rules. Those who are victims of our shortcomings as professionals in and out of government should not be pounced. A day like these calls for deep reflection about issues of our loyalties. Are we more Igbo than Nigeria or we are more Nigeria than Igbo?”
At the event were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Ayim, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan; House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha; Catholic Bishop, Mathew Kuka; former Minister, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; President Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazurike; former ambassador George Obiozor and President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Gary Enwo-Igariwey.
Others included the former President Aka Ikenga, Chief Chris Asodoka; Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi; Captain Emma Iheanacho; Nollywood artistes, Onyeka Onwenu and Kanayo O. Kanayo.
Fashola called on residents in the state to embrace Residence Registration Scheme (RRS) to enable the government meets its obligation to them.
Source:NationOnline
The state government had been accused of dumping 70 beggars at Onitsha Bridge on July 24, a situation that generated public outcry and bad blood.
Fashola, who spoke at the silver jubilee of the Igbo socio-cultural think tank, Aka Ikenga held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, insisted he has no problems with the Igbos.
He noted that the largest herds of cattle he received when his father died was from the Igbos.
Fashola said:
I came here to say to say thank you for the honour done to my family and the memory of my late father. People who clearly do not understand the actions taken and words spoken are those I owe an explanation.
I cannot take the Igbos for granted because we have built a relationship based on tolerance, mutual respect, love and trust. That relationship was built by our ancestors and I put a lot of value in that relationship.
I offer an unreserved apology if the actions taken had been misunderstood. But I think the basic issue Aka Ikenga must address is why people feel compelled to immigrate from one part of the country to the other? Is it the case that some lack the resources to develop or perhaps some parts are endowed with enormous resources but not adequately managed? How can development be so difficult from the zone that has produced people like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alex Ekwueme, Ike Nwachukwu, among others?
As political storm gathers, there are contact spots but like in football, contact spots have rules. Those who are victims of our shortcomings as professionals in and out of government should not be pounced. A day like these calls for deep reflection about issues of our loyalties. Are we more Igbo than Nigeria or we are more Nigeria than Igbo?”
At the event were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Ayim, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan; House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Chief Emeka Ihedioha; Catholic Bishop, Mathew Kuka; former Minister, Gen. Ike Nwachukwu; President Aka Ikenga, Goddy Uwazurike; former ambassador George Obiozor and President of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Gary Enwo-Igariwey.
Others included the former President Aka Ikenga, Chief Chris Asodoka; Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Pat Utomi; Captain Emma Iheanacho; Nollywood artistes, Onyeka Onwenu and Kanayo O. Kanayo.
Fashola called on residents in the state to embrace Residence Registration Scheme (RRS) to enable the government meets its obligation to them.
Source:NationOnline
Army to verify the authencity of new Boko Haram video
The army said Thursday it was trying to verify the authenticity of a video that appeared to show Boko Haram's leader mocking reports that he may have been killed. A security task force last month
said wanted Islamist insurgent commander Abubakar Shekau "may have died" from a gunshot wound after a clash with soldiers on June 30.
In a video uploaded on Youtube on Wednesday, a man resembling past images of Shekau taunted the regional military spokesman who suggested he had been killed.
"We cannot say at this juncture whether the claim is true or false until we authenticate the veracity of the video," army spokesman Ibrahim Attahiru told AFP.
"The army authorities have to verify the claim. This is precisely what we are doing," he said.
The initial statement concerning Shekau's possible death came from a military spokesman based in the northeast, Boko Haram's stronghold.
National defence spokesman Chris Olukolade has told AFP that statement may have been issued prematurely and that the military lacked definitive proof of Shekau's death.
Shekau has been declared a global terrorist by the United States, which put a $7 million bounty (5.2 million euros) on his head.
It was not clear when or where the latest video was recorded, but in it Shekau claims recent attacks in the northeast.
"I want the whole world to know that I'm alive by the grace of Allah," he says in the Hausa language.
said wanted Islamist insurgent commander Abubakar Shekau "may have died" from a gunshot wound after a clash with soldiers on June 30.
In a video uploaded on Youtube on Wednesday, a man resembling past images of Shekau taunted the regional military spokesman who suggested he had been killed.
"We cannot say at this juncture whether the claim is true or false until we authenticate the veracity of the video," army spokesman Ibrahim Attahiru told AFP.
"The army authorities have to verify the claim. This is precisely what we are doing," he said.
The initial statement concerning Shekau's possible death came from a military spokesman based in the northeast, Boko Haram's stronghold.
National defence spokesman Chris Olukolade has told AFP that statement may have been issued prematurely and that the military lacked definitive proof of Shekau's death.
Shekau has been declared a global terrorist by the United States, which put a $7 million bounty (5.2 million euros) on his head.
It was not clear when or where the latest video was recorded, but in it Shekau claims recent attacks in the northeast.
"I want the whole world to know that I'm alive by the grace of Allah," he says in the Hausa language.
26 years old sentenced to death by hanging for armed robbery
For robbing a couple at gunpoint and raping their teenage daughter, a Delta High Court sitting in Warri, yesterday, sentenced a 26-year-old furniture maker, Chijioke Ede, to death by hanging.
The condemned armed robber and rapist was arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and rape before the court presided over by Justice Marshall Mukoro.
He was found guilty on all the charges and sentenced to death on count one and two, while he got life imprisonment on the charge of rape.
Prosecution from Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the court that Chijioke, from Enugu State, with another person still at large, on or about October 12, 2009, at Okoro Street, Warri, off Marine Gate, within the Warri Judicial Division, robbed his victims of a DVD player, a laptop computer, cash, jewelries and other valuables at gunpoint and also raped their teenage daughter.
The convict was arrested by the vigilante group in the area as his gang made to escape with their loot.
.......Well our learned friends would understand better,if the judgement was not too extreme
The condemned armed robber and rapist was arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and rape before the court presided over by Justice Marshall Mukoro.
He was found guilty on all the charges and sentenced to death on count one and two, while he got life imprisonment on the charge of rape.
Prosecution from Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the court that Chijioke, from Enugu State, with another person still at large, on or about October 12, 2009, at Okoro Street, Warri, off Marine Gate, within the Warri Judicial Division, robbed his victims of a DVD player, a laptop computer, cash, jewelries and other valuables at gunpoint and also raped their teenage daughter.
The convict was arrested by the vigilante group in the area as his gang made to escape with their loot.
.......Well our learned friends would understand better,if the judgement was not too extreme
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Update on Abuja's killing:Obasanjo's sister owns Apo building where squatters were killed
The unfinished building where security forces killed at least seven squatters on Friday September 20, in the Apo neighbourhood of Abuja, belongs to Mrs. Adunni Oluwole Salisu, believed to be the sister to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Pemium Times reports exclusively.
Documents from the Abuja Geographical Information Systems (AGIS) shows that the property, located at No. 8 Bamanga Tukur Street, Gudu District, near the Gudu cemetery, belongs to Mrs. Salisu.
Mrs Adunni Oluwole Salusi was said to have engaged the services of SSS operatives led by Marilyn Ogah and combined team of soldiers to get the squatters out of her building. Unfortunately 7 people were killed in the operation though the SSS said they stormed the uncompleted building because they got intelligence report that Boko Haram members were hiding in the building and were planning to strike Abuja.
Culled from Lindaikeji blog
Documents from the Abuja Geographical Information Systems (AGIS) shows that the property, located at No. 8 Bamanga Tukur Street, Gudu District, near the Gudu cemetery, belongs to Mrs. Salisu.
Mrs Adunni Oluwole Salusi was said to have engaged the services of SSS operatives led by Marilyn Ogah and combined team of soldiers to get the squatters out of her building. Unfortunately 7 people were killed in the operation though the SSS said they stormed the uncompleted building because they got intelligence report that Boko Haram members were hiding in the building and were planning to strike Abuja.
Culled from Lindaikeji blog
67 year old Nigerian man dies on United flight from Lagos to Houston
A 67 year old Nigerian passenger died on a United Airline flight which left Lagos on Monday night September 23rd and landed in Houston, USA early Tuesday morning.
Benedict Sylvester Igwedike died in the air after the flight left Lagos according to the Houston Police Department. Mr Igwedike was found dead in his seat on United Flight 143 which arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport yesterday Tuesday September 24th
Houston police say they are awaiting autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death, according to a press release.
Benedict Sylvester Igwedike died in the air after the flight left Lagos according to the Houston Police Department. Mr Igwedike was found dead in his seat on United Flight 143 which arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport yesterday Tuesday September 24th
Houston police say they are awaiting autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death, according to a press release.
Update,Kaduna State House of Assembly: "My removal is illegal, I am still the Speaker" - Gangara
Impeached speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji Usman Gangara (PDP, Giwa East), and his deputy, Dogara Mato (PDP, Lere), have rejected their removal from office saying their impeachment was 'illegal.'
Alhaji Gangara made this statement during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, secretariat in Kaduna hours after their impeachment by 19 of the 34 lawmakers.
According him, the action of their fellow state lawmakers on Monday was wrong.
"I am still the speaker because the house that impeached me is not in session and the action taken today is Illegal," Alhaji Gangara said.
Gangara was removed from office, yesterday, by 19 out of the 34-member legislature, during a sitting in which both the speaker and his deputy, Dogara Matoh, were absent.
The lawmakers, headed by Mr Phelimon Gidanmana (PDP-Makera), also announced the appointment of Alhaji Shehu Tahir (PDP-Giwa West), as the new Speaker.
Monday's impeachment climaxed previous attempts to impeach the speaker and his deputy by their colleagues since August, forcing the House leadership to agree to a 30-day ultimatum within which to change its style of leadership to accommodate all members.
The ultimatum had expired on September 14, and the aggrieved members said there had been no changes since the deadline.
The motion for the removal of the speaker, tabled by Gidanmana and seconded by Yakubu Soja (APC-Zaria Kewaye), was unanimously adopted by the members.
In his acceptance speech, the new speaker said the task before him was to reinvigorate the assembly for maximum result.
He pledged to guide the House into making laws that would promote "peace, unity and good governance in the state".
While pledging to work closely with the executive and the judiciary, Tahir said the members would also perform their oversight responsibilities with diligence.
Alhaji Gangara made this statement during a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, secretariat in Kaduna hours after their impeachment by 19 of the 34 lawmakers.
According him, the action of their fellow state lawmakers on Monday was wrong.
"I am still the speaker because the house that impeached me is not in session and the action taken today is Illegal," Alhaji Gangara said.
Gangara was removed from office, yesterday, by 19 out of the 34-member legislature, during a sitting in which both the speaker and his deputy, Dogara Matoh, were absent.
The lawmakers, headed by Mr Phelimon Gidanmana (PDP-Makera), also announced the appointment of Alhaji Shehu Tahir (PDP-Giwa West), as the new Speaker.
Monday's impeachment climaxed previous attempts to impeach the speaker and his deputy by their colleagues since August, forcing the House leadership to agree to a 30-day ultimatum within which to change its style of leadership to accommodate all members.
The ultimatum had expired on September 14, and the aggrieved members said there had been no changes since the deadline.
The motion for the removal of the speaker, tabled by Gidanmana and seconded by Yakubu Soja (APC-Zaria Kewaye), was unanimously adopted by the members.
In his acceptance speech, the new speaker said the task before him was to reinvigorate the assembly for maximum result.
He pledged to guide the House into making laws that would promote "peace, unity and good governance in the state".
While pledging to work closely with the executive and the judiciary, Tahir said the members would also perform their oversight responsibilities with diligence.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Breaking news:Kaduna Assembly speaker, deputy removed
The Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Muazu Usman Gangara, and his deputy, Hon. Dogara Mato, have been impeached.Details coming right up
Source:Sun newsonline
Source:Sun newsonline
Breaking news:Kaduna Assembly speaker, deputy removed
The Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Muazu Usman Gangara, and his deputy, Hon. Dogara Mato, have been impeached.Details coming right up
Source:Sun newsonline
Source:Sun newsonline
Update Abuja killings: Traders vow to sue DSS
The shooting by security operatives at an uncompleted building behind Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja last Friday which claimed eight lives took a new turn on monday as Garki Modern Market Traders Association have vowed to drag the security service to court claiming those who were killed were its members and were innocent.
This is just as the death toll in the shooting has risen to 10 as one of the injured victims died yesterday at the hospital.
The Garki Modern Market Traders' Association has started briefing its lawyers with a view to dragging the Department of State Service, DSS,to court over the killing of its members at an uncompleted building, behind the Apo Legislative Quarters, in Abuja, last week.
The Secretary of the association, Murtala Abubakar, said that they had already reported the murder of their members to the Senate and the National Human Rights Commission for appropriate actions against the murderers.
Abubakar lamented: "Those people are eligible traders trading in our market so I don't see why they should be killed."
According to him, "We lost two of our members as now, while eight were seriously wounded by the soldiers who shot them at close range. Five others are missing as we speak.
"The security agents did not recover anything not even a gun. They were just saying that our members opened fire on them but they were just saying it to cover up because they don't have any proof that these people are Boko Haram"
Abubakar added that the DSS was still holding two of the association's members who were arrested on Friday morning as they went back to collect their property from the scene of massacre.
Meanwhile the Abuja Keke Napep Chairman, Musa Ibrahim Said they have taken the remaining two bodies from the mortuary although one of the bodies has been at the Asokoro Hospital mortuary since Friday.
In his word; "We took seven bodies and gave them to their relatives since the day of the attack. The body that was deposited in mortuary was as a result of our not being able to get in touch with the family.
"We have been able to establish contact with all the families of the slain men. Meanwhile, we just lost another victim who was rushed to the hospital that Friday. His name was Nasiru Adamu, and hailed from ZamfaraState.
"The seven that were killed that day were all our Keke NAPEP members; we issued them with identity cards, which they were carrying at the time of their death.
"They had lived in that uncompleted building for over two years and were paying N200 weekly to the security guard of the building as a caretaker of the landlord.
"Even the owner of the building was aware that these people were living in the house. He had given them a quit notice and they were preparing to leave a day before the attack.
"After the attack, there were no security operatives around the building; it was our members who even informed the nearest police station to come around.
"If those who were left in the building were actually Boko Haram, they would have run away after the attack.
"As we know, those who lost their lives and the survivors were not Boko Haram members. We want the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the matter and punish whoever is behind the dastardly act because it is not acceptable.
Meanwhile, one of the victims died on Monday, bringing the death toll to 10.
Nine persons had earlier been killed by bullets fired by security agents when they stormed an uncompleted storey building in the neighbourhood in search of 'terrorists' whom they claimed tried to stop them from uncovering buried arms in the compound.
Hmmmm.....this is really tragic,I pray that their souls find eternal rest and the police,house of assembly and Federal Government should please launch an investigation into this matter. We want to know what really happened??!!!
This is just as the death toll in the shooting has risen to 10 as one of the injured victims died yesterday at the hospital.
The Garki Modern Market Traders' Association has started briefing its lawyers with a view to dragging the Department of State Service, DSS,to court over the killing of its members at an uncompleted building, behind the Apo Legislative Quarters, in Abuja, last week.
The Secretary of the association, Murtala Abubakar, said that they had already reported the murder of their members to the Senate and the National Human Rights Commission for appropriate actions against the murderers.
Abubakar lamented: "Those people are eligible traders trading in our market so I don't see why they should be killed."
According to him, "We lost two of our members as now, while eight were seriously wounded by the soldiers who shot them at close range. Five others are missing as we speak.
"The security agents did not recover anything not even a gun. They were just saying that our members opened fire on them but they were just saying it to cover up because they don't have any proof that these people are Boko Haram"
Abubakar added that the DSS was still holding two of the association's members who were arrested on Friday morning as they went back to collect their property from the scene of massacre.
Meanwhile the Abuja Keke Napep Chairman, Musa Ibrahim Said they have taken the remaining two bodies from the mortuary although one of the bodies has been at the Asokoro Hospital mortuary since Friday.
In his word; "We took seven bodies and gave them to their relatives since the day of the attack. The body that was deposited in mortuary was as a result of our not being able to get in touch with the family.
"We have been able to establish contact with all the families of the slain men. Meanwhile, we just lost another victim who was rushed to the hospital that Friday. His name was Nasiru Adamu, and hailed from ZamfaraState.
"The seven that were killed that day were all our Keke NAPEP members; we issued them with identity cards, which they were carrying at the time of their death.
"They had lived in that uncompleted building for over two years and were paying N200 weekly to the security guard of the building as a caretaker of the landlord.
"Even the owner of the building was aware that these people were living in the house. He had given them a quit notice and they were preparing to leave a day before the attack.
"After the attack, there were no security operatives around the building; it was our members who even informed the nearest police station to come around.
"If those who were left in the building were actually Boko Haram, they would have run away after the attack.
"As we know, those who lost their lives and the survivors were not Boko Haram members. We want the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the matter and punish whoever is behind the dastardly act because it is not acceptable.
Meanwhile, one of the victims died on Monday, bringing the death toll to 10.
Nine persons had earlier been killed by bullets fired by security agents when they stormed an uncompleted storey building in the neighbourhood in search of 'terrorists' whom they claimed tried to stop them from uncovering buried arms in the compound.
Hmmmm.....this is really tragic,I pray that their souls find eternal rest and the police,house of assembly and Federal Government should please launch an investigation into this matter. We want to know what really happened??!!!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Catholic Bishops in Imo condemn abortion law
The Catholic Bishops in Imo State have called on Governor Rochas Okorocha and members of the State House of Assembly to repeal sections of the Abortion Law. They said some of the sections of the legislation enacted last year were 'anti-life.'
The church leaders argued that any law which failed to respect the right to life and human dignity was "automatically null and void" as it contradicted "natural and divine laws."
"A law to prohibit violence against women, legitimate as it is in principle must, with all the more reason, prohibit violence against helpless unborn children from conception to natural death without exception. Thou shall not kill," the bishops said in a joint communique.
"We must not enthrone the culture of death through the legalization of abortion, with its consequent sexual permissiveness of all, which will ravage our society morally and spiritually as it has done in Europe, America and elsewhere."
The bishops argued the right to life and human dignity belonged to human nature and was inherent in every person by the creative act of God.
"These rights do not depend on individuals, parents, church, society or state. They are guaranteed by natural laws, divine commandments and affirmed in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".
The church leaders pledged to continue working with stakeholders in Imo State, for the protection of the fundamental rights of all, including those of women and the unborn child.
"We will continue to engage Imo State government and Imo State House of Assembly on ways and means to provide for laws that will strengthen the family and protect the human rights of all Imo citizens."
The church leaders argued that any law which failed to respect the right to life and human dignity was "automatically null and void" as it contradicted "natural and divine laws."
"A law to prohibit violence against women, legitimate as it is in principle must, with all the more reason, prohibit violence against helpless unborn children from conception to natural death without exception. Thou shall not kill," the bishops said in a joint communique.
"We must not enthrone the culture of death through the legalization of abortion, with its consequent sexual permissiveness of all, which will ravage our society morally and spiritually as it has done in Europe, America and elsewhere."
The bishops argued the right to life and human dignity belonged to human nature and was inherent in every person by the creative act of God.
"These rights do not depend on individuals, parents, church, society or state. They are guaranteed by natural laws, divine commandments and affirmed in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".
The church leaders pledged to continue working with stakeholders in Imo State, for the protection of the fundamental rights of all, including those of women and the unborn child.
"We will continue to engage Imo State government and Imo State House of Assembly on ways and means to provide for laws that will strengthen the family and protect the human rights of all Imo citizens."
Flood affects 4000 people in Katsina state
More than 4 000 people have been affected by flood in 17 local government areas of Katsina State this year, Alhaji Hassan Rawayau, the Executive Secretary, State Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (RERA),has said.
Rawayau said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Katsina that the floods had also destroyed property worth millions of naira.
He, however, said that in spite of the magnitude of the disaster, it was far below what was experienced in 2012.
"The magnitude of the flood this year cannot be compared with that of the year 2012 where 10 536 people were affected by flood across the state."
"Also the extent of the damage on property this year is far less than that of last year," the executive secretary said.
Rawayau also said 18 out of the 34 local government areas were affected by flood last year as against 17 local government areas this year.
According to him, the reduction in the affected victims is due to the aggressive public enlightenment campaign mounted by the ministry for environment on the dangers of flood.
He said that RERA and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were assessing the areas affected for further intervention.
Rawayau added that the state government had since distributed relief materials to some of the flood victims in Kankia, Charanchi and Faskari local government areas, while the victims in other areas would be assisted soon.
The executive secretary acknowledged the receipt of relief materials from the NEMA for some of the flood victims in the state
Rawayau said in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Katsina that the floods had also destroyed property worth millions of naira.
He, however, said that in spite of the magnitude of the disaster, it was far below what was experienced in 2012.
"The magnitude of the flood this year cannot be compared with that of the year 2012 where 10 536 people were affected by flood across the state."
"Also the extent of the damage on property this year is far less than that of last year," the executive secretary said.
Rawayau also said 18 out of the 34 local government areas were affected by flood last year as against 17 local government areas this year.
According to him, the reduction in the affected victims is due to the aggressive public enlightenment campaign mounted by the ministry for environment on the dangers of flood.
He said that RERA and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were assessing the areas affected for further intervention.
Rawayau added that the state government had since distributed relief materials to some of the flood victims in Kankia, Charanchi and Faskari local government areas, while the victims in other areas would be assisted soon.
The executive secretary acknowledged the receipt of relief materials from the NEMA for some of the flood victims in the state
Breaking News: Oyo governor fires all commissioners, advisers
Abiola Ajimobi, the Oyo State Governor has said to have sacked all his commissioners, assistants, and advisers. He announced the dissolution of his cabinet moments ago.
Wanted Anambra Commissioner Resigns, Sues Commissioner of Police
The Embattled Anambra State commissioner for special duties, Chief Vincent Ejikeme Ezenwajiaku, who was declared wanted by the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, of the Nigeria Police for allegedly obtaining N10.6 million by false pretence and forgery has announced his resignation from the Anambra State Executive Council.
He has also sued the Commissioner of Police in charge of Special Fraud Unit, SFU, as well as one Chuks Mgbenena of NIMASA and CSP Okposiakpo Elolor for N250 million over what he described as an attempt to damage his reputation.
Addressing reporters Thursday in Awka, Ezenwajiaku, who looked sober, said the import of what the people were doing was just to take his pound of flesh because he was appointed a commissioner by Governor Peter Obi.
According to him, the amount involved was not N10.6 million naira, adding that Chuks Mgbemena and SFU just want to put him in bad light, to smear his hard -earned image that had taken him time to build and perhaps, to lose his job as commissioner in the state.
He said: “Since my life, I have never been involved in fraud, or arrested or detained by the police on anything concerning any form of illegality because it was a vow I took after my National Youth Service Corps.
“As a result of this raging fire, I am going further by resigning my position as the State Commissioner for Special Duties and I am going to tender my letter to Governor Obi first thing tomorrow morning (Friday), because I do not intend to embarrass this government.
“This is to prove my innocence until I clear my name of this mess. Whatever it will take to do it, I will do it”.
In the suit instituted at the Awka High Court, Ezenwajiaku is urging the court to restrain Mr. Chucks Mgbemena, the Commissioner of Police in charge of SFU and CPS Elohor from arresting him or continuing to harass him, pending the determination of the suit.
In the suit No A/MISC/2013, Ezenwajiaku said he decided to go court to enforce his fundamental human rights in suit No: A/MISC. 130/2013 at the Awka High Court.
Going down memory lane, Ezenwajiaku said: “This matter is a commercial transaction between two brothers from the same town, in 1992. I established a company, Bio Plastics Limited, which I funded and promoted with my money without any bank transaction at the cost of N37 million”.
“The industry produces containers for packaging of cosmetics and we went into production in 1995. This Mgbemena man was my wedding sponsor and I told him what I was doing and he declared interest in it.”
“He also stopped me from bringing in another brother of ours, Chief Jude Ezechukwu, the owner of the Defunct Jasper Football Club, into the company.
“The issue of owing this man came up in 2004 after the meeting of the board of the company and it was agreed that I should pay him N7.5m which I agreed to do.
We have never quarreled. Things went had because I was bed ridden for a long time and that was what delayed the payment.
“All I know is that I owe Mgbemena N7.5millon of which I have already paid N1.5 million, remaining N6million which I have promised to liquidate. I do not know why my brother has taken this small thing too far.”
The issue also came up at the State House of Assembly for deliberation, but it was later stood down, apparently for the lawmakers to get the true picture of the matter.
The issue was raised by Mr. Ebele Obi representing Idemili South constituency under matters of urgent public importance.
Source: Vanguard
He has also sued the Commissioner of Police in charge of Special Fraud Unit, SFU, as well as one Chuks Mgbenena of NIMASA and CSP Okposiakpo Elolor for N250 million over what he described as an attempt to damage his reputation.
Addressing reporters Thursday in Awka, Ezenwajiaku, who looked sober, said the import of what the people were doing was just to take his pound of flesh because he was appointed a commissioner by Governor Peter Obi.
According to him, the amount involved was not N10.6 million naira, adding that Chuks Mgbemena and SFU just want to put him in bad light, to smear his hard -earned image that had taken him time to build and perhaps, to lose his job as commissioner in the state.
He said: “Since my life, I have never been involved in fraud, or arrested or detained by the police on anything concerning any form of illegality because it was a vow I took after my National Youth Service Corps.
“As a result of this raging fire, I am going further by resigning my position as the State Commissioner for Special Duties and I am going to tender my letter to Governor Obi first thing tomorrow morning (Friday), because I do not intend to embarrass this government.
“This is to prove my innocence until I clear my name of this mess. Whatever it will take to do it, I will do it”.
In the suit instituted at the Awka High Court, Ezenwajiaku is urging the court to restrain Mr. Chucks Mgbemena, the Commissioner of Police in charge of SFU and CPS Elohor from arresting him or continuing to harass him, pending the determination of the suit.
In the suit No A/MISC/2013, Ezenwajiaku said he decided to go court to enforce his fundamental human rights in suit No: A/MISC. 130/2013 at the Awka High Court.
Going down memory lane, Ezenwajiaku said: “This matter is a commercial transaction between two brothers from the same town, in 1992. I established a company, Bio Plastics Limited, which I funded and promoted with my money without any bank transaction at the cost of N37 million”.
“The industry produces containers for packaging of cosmetics and we went into production in 1995. This Mgbemena man was my wedding sponsor and I told him what I was doing and he declared interest in it.”
“He also stopped me from bringing in another brother of ours, Chief Jude Ezechukwu, the owner of the Defunct Jasper Football Club, into the company.
“The issue of owing this man came up in 2004 after the meeting of the board of the company and it was agreed that I should pay him N7.5m which I agreed to do.
We have never quarreled. Things went had because I was bed ridden for a long time and that was what delayed the payment.
“All I know is that I owe Mgbemena N7.5millon of which I have already paid N1.5 million, remaining N6million which I have promised to liquidate. I do not know why my brother has taken this small thing too far.”
The issue also came up at the State House of Assembly for deliberation, but it was later stood down, apparently for the lawmakers to get the true picture of the matter.
The issue was raised by Mr. Ebele Obi representing Idemili South constituency under matters of urgent public importance.
Source: Vanguard
Friday, September 20, 2013
It’s Time COZA Pastor, Biodun Answers These Questions – Church Member Japheth Omojuwa
Another COZA church member, Japheth Omojuwa has written yet another robust letter to the Abuja based pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo asking him vital questions that he needs to answer urgently over his love affair with his female church members, especially Ese Walters. The note appears to be very long, but have patience and read on:
“Now read my lips, I know there are people here that are not part of our church, read my lips, we are going to speak but we are consulting to come out with a robust reply.”
“When we asked God, God said be quiet.” Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo in his non robust reply to the Ese Walter accusations on Sunday 25th August 2013.
One shouldn’t need a robust reply to say “I didn’t do it!” but I digress. The Miss Ese Walter – Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo affair has since come and for many, who’d rather the truth be buried, should be gone by now. Unfortunately, this will not go yet. The reason is simple; pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo just has to speak up. This was my initial take on the issue and you may need to read it to understand where this writer is coming from. If you haven’t read that, you’d not understand my mind with respect to how, no matter what we think or assume, we should never judge until all sides are heard. I now know more than I did from that last time and all sides have had at least 3 weeks to be heard.
Before I continue, let me address the men worshippers who go to church on Sundays and during the week sincerely believing they are worshipping God but in reality are bowing to the carnal desires of fellow men. My last year in Nigeria saw me spend more time in Abuja than any other Nigerian city. Anytime I found myself in Abuja, I’d always attend the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) or on select occasions The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
My Lagos church has no branch. COZA was convenient for me for many reasons but the most appealing part was the fact that it was a church I could go without being treated specially. Yes, a few people would know and notice me but I’d largely be just another member of the congregation and my life needed just that. I was not just attending COZA though; I truly liked the church. I was committed to the church financially.
I may be did not give as much as many people but I at least gave enough to receive a gracious call from Pastor Fatoyinbo himself. I am yet to give anyone – including my mother – as much of my resources as I have given to COZA. More often than not my donations were in hard currency. Given a chance, I’d do this again. Giving is my culture anyway.
This point needs to be made because some hypocrites will come up here to pretend they love the church more than people they’d consider evil like myself because one has chosen to ask questions. I don’t know how else to prove one’s love for where one’s heart is without spending one’s money on same. I gave not because I was moved by words but because I was impressed by the church’s dedication to excellence. Hate him or love him, pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo was a man driven by excellence.
I was impressed because after each journey away from Nigeria, I’d visit COZA to see the aesthetics have been improved upon markedly. I was just impressed and I was even more impressed because being a man driven by excellence myself, it was great to see it in display in a Nigerian organization. That mattered to me because Nigerian positive outliers gain my attention for obvious reasons – excellence remains a scarce commodity in here.
I saw pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo for the first time in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, I think in 2007 when he came to preach at The Father’s House where I worshipped at the time. His depth impressed me. Again, hate him or love him, he knew his word. He knew (knows) the bible and he had – of course still has – the God given ability to not just preach the word but to teach it and impact people. His strongest attribute for me though would be his vocals. I don’t think there is a better singer than the man in COZA!
I have made all the above points because some would come here, not to read this or in search for the truth, but to defend their illusion and the lie they want protected in their hearts. I have said the above to let you know if you love the man, I love him too and if you love the church I do too. Unfortunately, I love the truth more and that was the reason I opened myself up to hearing the experiences of the many people who reached me after this article.
I exchanged emails with Ese Walter – she had reached out to me to encourage me during my Arik matter but I didn’t know that until after I sent an email to her to say to be strong – I was speaking from my understanding of what being in the media storm is. I received a call from an Abuja based counselor and had exchanges with people who had worshipped at pastor Fatoyinbo’s church in Ilorin. I did not reach out to any of these people myself; they sought me out themselves.
Loyalty is a necessity in every relationship. There must be a purpose and truth behind it. Should one remain loyal when one discovers that, that loyalty was pledged on the wrong premise? Every loyalty has a foundation and once that foundation is destroyed, loyalty must find a new shelter.
The Nigerian society is what it is because we do not care about the truth as a people, we only care about our interests. People think they care about the truth when the truth does not affect them, as soon as the table turns; their only care is about the protection of their own kind of truth or their own interest. It is the reason the same people say to you one day, “I love the way you write and focus on issues and the fact that you are unbiased” and the next time they go “what’s your interest in this? What is the point? I used to be your fan but not anymore!” I am so used to this yo-yoing from readers I never care about fans, friends or foes, I just care to put the word out based on what I think is right only being at peace with my conscience and my God. I don’t care to be loved or hated. I think I can do without caring for people whose feelings change at the direction of whether the matter affects them directly rather than whether the matter deserves one’s sincerity. This will open me to abuse but who cares about people whose lives and souls are subjected to what fellow men feel rather than what God cares about?
We may not be acutely aware of this as Nigerian Christians but while a man of God is truly a man of God, he becomes just another man when it comes to his own failings and addictions. A man of God who is addicted to drugs for instance is not addicted to drugs as a man of God, he is addicted to drugs as a man. The same thing goes for sex, stealing, adultery and all the other vices listed by the bible and our understanding of morality. When a man of God who is not married to you touches your breast, he touches it as a real man not as a real man of God. The hardness that comes with it is of his own blood, no matter what you want to assume.
Of course men of God have a special kind of grace, a certain level of Grace, but that grace has its purposive boundaries. You can have grace to pull 100,000 people into a stadium as a preacher but that grace may not be available to you if, say you invited people a year after to come hear you declare yourself to run for a public office. Every form of Grace has a purpose and a place for it. Will Pastor E.A. Adeboye gather as much people in Redeem Camp if the event was his declaration to run for a political office? I have gone at length to make this point about grace because as Christians in Nigeria, some of us have become passionate church going zombies! My words sound harsh but think mot juste – it is what it is. As long as pastor says it, it is right.
As long as pastor does it, it is right. So then, pastor is always right. Our thin line between pastor and God, which was supposed to be a clearly marked reality, has since become eroded. Pastors have indeed become our gods! We literally worship them now. My last service at COZA on the 25th of August showed this a lot. It was the loudest I had heard the church and trust me, COZA on a regular day is loud. On this day, I sat there in church and asked myself sincere questions;
Why is this church overly loud today, is it because of God or because of man? The extraordinary praise and worship session – which I really danced to because of my weakness for praises – and the loud cheers and applauses had a note to them that never used to be there. This was no longer about God, it had become about “our pastor.” I ordinarily would not tweet during a church service but I did on this day because I was so sure in my mind I was no longer in church. I realized I was in a theatre.
Everything was a show and it was at best a world-class show. It was no longer about God, it was about “our church, our pastor” and you are sure to see that put up here in the comments. Why have we suddenly assumed and believed that defending our pastors mean defending God? Who told us that when our pastors fall God will fall? Are we mad or are we just spiritually insane? Our Christianity is no longer about God, it has since become about pastors and our church’s brand. We are more obsessed with what people perceive of our church’s reality than what God cares about. Even the most seemingly independent minded among us lose their ability to rationalize anything as long as it is about defending these pastors and their increasingly way ward ways. In our usual way, we misinterpret the bible for our end, saying for instance “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.” I leave you with thisWhat does it really mean when it says not to touch the anointed? article.
This is our way of putting pastors above board, beyond questions and their actions protected inside our common ignorance of God’s word. People continue to perish for lack of knowledge. And you better not think this is a Pentecostal thing, it is as ubiquitous as you’d find religions. There is a fake version of anything that is original. If your religion has no fake version of its good leaders, your religion itself is fake!
There are of course true men of God and real churches dedicated not just to getting men and women focused on God and the things of God, but contributing extensively to the development of men, women and families including underprivileged in the society. The existence of a fake thing is proof there is an original. I work with some men of God fully committed to this and the works of the likes of Daystar and the Elevation Church in Lagos inspired this piece on what the church can do about poverty in Nigeria . I think pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo is a real man of God but he is a real man too; much more real a man than a god at least. And when these realities come clashing, we must not treat these separate phenomena as one. You can tear yourself to pieces over these questions as one of these folks with suspended minds, but he really needs to answer them or just let silence do the talking.
These are questions for the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo to answer:
Did he do what Ese Walter accused him of doing? When she came back to Nigeria and asked that he needed to step away from the pulpit, did he meet up with her, even tried to kiss her again and later called her to say he forgot something in her car after he left? Did the thing he forgot turn out to be N500,000 cash! Was this part of his personal earnings in church or was it part of the church’s income? Did they meet at another hotel – not in England – where he tried to pay for his own accommodation and had his cash refused because the hotel wouldn’t take cash so Ese had to pay with her card? Does he use an aphrodisiac perfume? Is that for the fun of it or for some kind of fun? Did he insist Ese Walter stay back in London after she came back to Nigeria defying his earlier demand? Ese Walter might have held back many details in her blog because no one gets to write it all on matters like that, but will the real man please stand up and say something? Oh, and our ultra-super-religious-and-spiritual-we-are-all-clean society has crucified Ese Walter, making sure others like her never dare come out to cast other pastors again. And trust me, there are other named ones. You see, we think we are a free people but we are not.
The person whose body is shackled is freer than the person whose mind is. We have been manipulated to assume certain things. It is so bad it has become so tough to confront falsehood in our society. In contrast, it has become the norm to confront those who dare ask questions around such. We remember the Bible verses that justify our ways as though even the devil doesn’t quote the Bible for his own end. Here is one thing you should take home; “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15).
The sheer number of women who cannot speak up on their experiences like these shows how much the society condemns the brave and gives the halo of holiness to their mental oppressors. This is not limited to pastors, leaders of other religions are very much involved in immoralities with wives and daughters of trusted members but this is a mirror for my home. I ignored my Muslim followers who insisted I speak about their own leaders for obvious reasons. This remains Nigeria. I know they will have fearless people who will show them their mirror too. Some even already started with tweets on those yesterday.
One thing appeared constant in all the other alleged affairs; the pastor always used disparaging words for his wife, telling the other women his wife is “pretty on the outside, empty upstairs,” a theme that appeared in all the stories. This set me off over and again, hearing it from people who even as I write have never met themselves. Did the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo tell these women his wife is too fat and tried for years to lose weight but just couldn’t; and to think that the woman in question is not fat. There is more on this but better to reserve some questions. Is it true the wife is aware of the pastor’s issues to the point she makes sure to regularly keep tabs on him with phone calls? Is it true some of the pastors are well aware of this? Are they party to it like some of the women in this loop suggest?
What about these other stories?
One of the women – who admitted she was seeking counseling not because she felt abused by the pastor but because she felt used and dumped, because the pastor had abandoned her – had much to say. She said that it started when she went for counseling with pastor Fatoyinbo. That, they exchanged numbers and they started calling each other at odd hours. It went from phone sex to the bedroom.
There is no need to give the graphic details of the wildness she said transpired. The second story as relayed by the Abuja counselor was exactly like the first, from marital counseling to wild sex. This second person is actually married, and remains married. One of the ladies admitted she was so addicted to him she threw all caution to the wind.
The money according to them was another attraction they’d not deny. They didn’t say they were abused, they said they felt used and dumped. She said the pastor has a huge appetite for sex but gets bored easily and this explains his constant change of girls.
Hard to believe, but these stories from Ilorin make the hardness go a bit softer. Had an Ilorin student, who lived off campus, who was at the time his member, ever drive out pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo out of her room? Did he ask her to sit on his laps? Did he try to touch her breasts? Did he try harder until she threatened to shout?
Would the pastor remember if I added he used to visit the family, that they used to push his car at the time? Did any pastor at the time reprimand pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo after the lady in question had reported him? Does he still remember the words that man of God told him? Did the lady continue to come to church after the incident? She left the church eventually when she couldn’t stand seeing the pastor preach. People know about this, families know about this. These are open secrets.
What about this other girl pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo allegedly dated in Ilorin? She admitted they had a steady relationship, and that he would tell her how his wife was not homely, how his wife couldn’t cook. Pastor Biodun, according to her would tell her how he felt very homely and welcomed around her, how she was just like a mother. She admitted she dated the pastor for a very long time and even got pregnant and aborted for the man of God. People say there can be no smoke without fire but I don’t even agree with that because I know at least one gas that produces smoke without fire. Unfortunately, this is beyond the smoke of a gas, this is a thick, fat, carbon soaked smoke with burning flames that can only be associated with fire! Like Moses’ burning bush, something is wrong somewhere and silence will not help on this one.
Silence can be beautiful, silence can be ugly, silence can be so subtle no ones hears it and silence can be so loud it screams “guilty!” I defended pastor Fatoyinbo’s rights to be heard and I still do but I cannot defend his long silence. This silence is so loud it is too distracting. This silence is too robust to be ignored. Anyone who says it is better for the pastor to remain silent at this time is not only a hypocrite but also a church zombie. This is not me being abusive, this is me saying it as it is. Just look out for the meaning of the word.
When God created things, he said it was good, after God created man He said it was very good. God did not do all that so that we’d suspend our ability to think when it comes to matters of our pastors or anyone for that matter. Even God called out to Adam after he committed the first sin. God did not convict him, he gave him a chance to defend himself and Adam did present his case.
You see, after all said and done, we all like Adam, we fall short. King David fell short and prophet Nathan told him to his face. We all know what he did and the price he paid for that but we all know that several millennia after, King David remains an iconic figure in Israel. Israel’s flag and major national symbols bear his insignia to this day! King David said “hata al-Yahweh” (Hebrew for “I have sinned against God”) and his admission of his own human failings is the reason we can all read Psalm 51 today and raise our heads knowing God is able and willing to forgive us. God of course did forgive David but he never let go of the consequence of that sin. His life was spared – against the Law of Moses, which at the time meant David himself should have died – but he lost the child born by Bathsheba. Of course we never read of David committing that sort of sin again because the chastisements of God helped clean him like David himself wrote in Psalm 51.
Talking about Joseph; is this what the pastor says Joseph did not defend himself for? Would Joseph have defended himself if he was offered the chance and he lived in the society as a free man and not the slave he was? How did Moses write the account of what happened inside a room between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife if Joseph never made a point to defend himself at one time or the other? Would Joseph have kept quiet if he had a congregation to account to? How come a young lady in Abuja who had been in the COZA Ilorin choir knew Joseph was going to form part of the message on Sunday the 25th of August even before the pastor came on the pulpit?
Had this happened in Ilorin and pastor Fatoyinbo had to offer the same “the people who lived in Joseph’s time did not know he did not do what he was accused of, we are the ones that know” excuse? Should we forget these questions and wait for those who will be on earth in 5000 years time to know all these were supernatural co-incidental lies or would it be better for pastor Fatoyinbo to accept he is a real man of God yes but he is indeed a real man with flesh, with the ability to indeed fail?
Can pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo do what David did and admit his wrong to his congregation and let those who will stay, stay and those who will leave, leave? Is it better for the church members to know exactly what they are getting or should they all just continue to live a lie or in-between a lie and confusion? Sir, can we even just let go of the robust response and just say “I never did what Ese Walter accused me of,” because you were true to your conscience enough on Sunday the 25th of August not to deny it happened.
I remembered clearly no words were said to that effect. If indeed it did not happen, can we get an “I did not do it” short, simple and direct response before this robust reply is ready for our consumption? How can all sides be heard if one side decides silence should do the talking?
At least no one can say I wrote this because of the new COZA land or building project because I worked for the money I contributed to it. And I hope to visit when this project is completed. But our Christianity needs to rise above this carnality and obsession with buildings and what toilets and church seats should look like.
These are all cool and I’d always be likely to worship in a church that pays attention to all these but at the end of the day, this is not what Christianity is about. Our faith is about Christ and we were called Christians at Antioch for the first time not because of how beautiful our churches looked or how well our pastors/apostles spoke, it was because of our Christ-like attitude. Is this what the Nigerian church is about today or should we forget this question was ever asked?
Are we still worshipping The Way, The Truth and The Life or have we redefined God? We need to ask these questions and more about our Christianity. Let us even for a while forget what others think or say about us, who really are we? Now let the abuses rain on me. I need to shower myself. May the peace of the Lord be upon His church! Amen
“Now read my lips, I know there are people here that are not part of our church, read my lips, we are going to speak but we are consulting to come out with a robust reply.”
“When we asked God, God said be quiet.” Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo in his non robust reply to the Ese Walter accusations on Sunday 25th August 2013.
One shouldn’t need a robust reply to say “I didn’t do it!” but I digress. The Miss Ese Walter – Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo affair has since come and for many, who’d rather the truth be buried, should be gone by now. Unfortunately, this will not go yet. The reason is simple; pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo just has to speak up. This was my initial take on the issue and you may need to read it to understand where this writer is coming from. If you haven’t read that, you’d not understand my mind with respect to how, no matter what we think or assume, we should never judge until all sides are heard. I now know more than I did from that last time and all sides have had at least 3 weeks to be heard.
Before I continue, let me address the men worshippers who go to church on Sundays and during the week sincerely believing they are worshipping God but in reality are bowing to the carnal desires of fellow men. My last year in Nigeria saw me spend more time in Abuja than any other Nigerian city. Anytime I found myself in Abuja, I’d always attend the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) or on select occasions The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
My Lagos church has no branch. COZA was convenient for me for many reasons but the most appealing part was the fact that it was a church I could go without being treated specially. Yes, a few people would know and notice me but I’d largely be just another member of the congregation and my life needed just that. I was not just attending COZA though; I truly liked the church. I was committed to the church financially.
I may be did not give as much as many people but I at least gave enough to receive a gracious call from Pastor Fatoyinbo himself. I am yet to give anyone – including my mother – as much of my resources as I have given to COZA. More often than not my donations were in hard currency. Given a chance, I’d do this again. Giving is my culture anyway.
This point needs to be made because some hypocrites will come up here to pretend they love the church more than people they’d consider evil like myself because one has chosen to ask questions. I don’t know how else to prove one’s love for where one’s heart is without spending one’s money on same. I gave not because I was moved by words but because I was impressed by the church’s dedication to excellence. Hate him or love him, pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo was a man driven by excellence.
I was impressed because after each journey away from Nigeria, I’d visit COZA to see the aesthetics have been improved upon markedly. I was just impressed and I was even more impressed because being a man driven by excellence myself, it was great to see it in display in a Nigerian organization. That mattered to me because Nigerian positive outliers gain my attention for obvious reasons – excellence remains a scarce commodity in here.
I saw pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo for the first time in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, I think in 2007 when he came to preach at The Father’s House where I worshipped at the time. His depth impressed me. Again, hate him or love him, he knew his word. He knew (knows) the bible and he had – of course still has – the God given ability to not just preach the word but to teach it and impact people. His strongest attribute for me though would be his vocals. I don’t think there is a better singer than the man in COZA!
I have made all the above points because some would come here, not to read this or in search for the truth, but to defend their illusion and the lie they want protected in their hearts. I have said the above to let you know if you love the man, I love him too and if you love the church I do too. Unfortunately, I love the truth more and that was the reason I opened myself up to hearing the experiences of the many people who reached me after this article.
I exchanged emails with Ese Walter – she had reached out to me to encourage me during my Arik matter but I didn’t know that until after I sent an email to her to say to be strong – I was speaking from my understanding of what being in the media storm is. I received a call from an Abuja based counselor and had exchanges with people who had worshipped at pastor Fatoyinbo’s church in Ilorin. I did not reach out to any of these people myself; they sought me out themselves.
Loyalty is a necessity in every relationship. There must be a purpose and truth behind it. Should one remain loyal when one discovers that, that loyalty was pledged on the wrong premise? Every loyalty has a foundation and once that foundation is destroyed, loyalty must find a new shelter.
The Nigerian society is what it is because we do not care about the truth as a people, we only care about our interests. People think they care about the truth when the truth does not affect them, as soon as the table turns; their only care is about the protection of their own kind of truth or their own interest. It is the reason the same people say to you one day, “I love the way you write and focus on issues and the fact that you are unbiased” and the next time they go “what’s your interest in this? What is the point? I used to be your fan but not anymore!” I am so used to this yo-yoing from readers I never care about fans, friends or foes, I just care to put the word out based on what I think is right only being at peace with my conscience and my God. I don’t care to be loved or hated. I think I can do without caring for people whose feelings change at the direction of whether the matter affects them directly rather than whether the matter deserves one’s sincerity. This will open me to abuse but who cares about people whose lives and souls are subjected to what fellow men feel rather than what God cares about?
We may not be acutely aware of this as Nigerian Christians but while a man of God is truly a man of God, he becomes just another man when it comes to his own failings and addictions. A man of God who is addicted to drugs for instance is not addicted to drugs as a man of God, he is addicted to drugs as a man. The same thing goes for sex, stealing, adultery and all the other vices listed by the bible and our understanding of morality. When a man of God who is not married to you touches your breast, he touches it as a real man not as a real man of God. The hardness that comes with it is of his own blood, no matter what you want to assume.
Of course men of God have a special kind of grace, a certain level of Grace, but that grace has its purposive boundaries. You can have grace to pull 100,000 people into a stadium as a preacher but that grace may not be available to you if, say you invited people a year after to come hear you declare yourself to run for a public office. Every form of Grace has a purpose and a place for it. Will Pastor E.A. Adeboye gather as much people in Redeem Camp if the event was his declaration to run for a political office? I have gone at length to make this point about grace because as Christians in Nigeria, some of us have become passionate church going zombies! My words sound harsh but think mot juste – it is what it is. As long as pastor says it, it is right.
As long as pastor does it, it is right. So then, pastor is always right. Our thin line between pastor and God, which was supposed to be a clearly marked reality, has since become eroded. Pastors have indeed become our gods! We literally worship them now. My last service at COZA on the 25th of August showed this a lot. It was the loudest I had heard the church and trust me, COZA on a regular day is loud. On this day, I sat there in church and asked myself sincere questions;
Why is this church overly loud today, is it because of God or because of man? The extraordinary praise and worship session – which I really danced to because of my weakness for praises – and the loud cheers and applauses had a note to them that never used to be there. This was no longer about God, it had become about “our pastor.” I ordinarily would not tweet during a church service but I did on this day because I was so sure in my mind I was no longer in church. I realized I was in a theatre.
Everything was a show and it was at best a world-class show. It was no longer about God, it was about “our church, our pastor” and you are sure to see that put up here in the comments. Why have we suddenly assumed and believed that defending our pastors mean defending God? Who told us that when our pastors fall God will fall? Are we mad or are we just spiritually insane? Our Christianity is no longer about God, it has since become about pastors and our church’s brand. We are more obsessed with what people perceive of our church’s reality than what God cares about. Even the most seemingly independent minded among us lose their ability to rationalize anything as long as it is about defending these pastors and their increasingly way ward ways. In our usual way, we misinterpret the bible for our end, saying for instance “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.” I leave you with thisWhat does it really mean when it says not to touch the anointed? article.
This is our way of putting pastors above board, beyond questions and their actions protected inside our common ignorance of God’s word. People continue to perish for lack of knowledge. And you better not think this is a Pentecostal thing, it is as ubiquitous as you’d find religions. There is a fake version of anything that is original. If your religion has no fake version of its good leaders, your religion itself is fake!
There are of course true men of God and real churches dedicated not just to getting men and women focused on God and the things of God, but contributing extensively to the development of men, women and families including underprivileged in the society. The existence of a fake thing is proof there is an original. I work with some men of God fully committed to this and the works of the likes of Daystar and the Elevation Church in Lagos inspired this piece on what the church can do about poverty in Nigeria . I think pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo is a real man of God but he is a real man too; much more real a man than a god at least. And when these realities come clashing, we must not treat these separate phenomena as one. You can tear yourself to pieces over these questions as one of these folks with suspended minds, but he really needs to answer them or just let silence do the talking.
These are questions for the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo to answer:
Did he do what Ese Walter accused him of doing? When she came back to Nigeria and asked that he needed to step away from the pulpit, did he meet up with her, even tried to kiss her again and later called her to say he forgot something in her car after he left? Did the thing he forgot turn out to be N500,000 cash! Was this part of his personal earnings in church or was it part of the church’s income? Did they meet at another hotel – not in England – where he tried to pay for his own accommodation and had his cash refused because the hotel wouldn’t take cash so Ese had to pay with her card? Does he use an aphrodisiac perfume? Is that for the fun of it or for some kind of fun? Did he insist Ese Walter stay back in London after she came back to Nigeria defying his earlier demand? Ese Walter might have held back many details in her blog because no one gets to write it all on matters like that, but will the real man please stand up and say something? Oh, and our ultra-super-religious-and-spiritual-we-are-all-clean society has crucified Ese Walter, making sure others like her never dare come out to cast other pastors again. And trust me, there are other named ones. You see, we think we are a free people but we are not.
The person whose body is shackled is freer than the person whose mind is. We have been manipulated to assume certain things. It is so bad it has become so tough to confront falsehood in our society. In contrast, it has become the norm to confront those who dare ask questions around such. We remember the Bible verses that justify our ways as though even the devil doesn’t quote the Bible for his own end. Here is one thing you should take home; “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15).
The sheer number of women who cannot speak up on their experiences like these shows how much the society condemns the brave and gives the halo of holiness to their mental oppressors. This is not limited to pastors, leaders of other religions are very much involved in immoralities with wives and daughters of trusted members but this is a mirror for my home. I ignored my Muslim followers who insisted I speak about their own leaders for obvious reasons. This remains Nigeria. I know they will have fearless people who will show them their mirror too. Some even already started with tweets on those yesterday.
One thing appeared constant in all the other alleged affairs; the pastor always used disparaging words for his wife, telling the other women his wife is “pretty on the outside, empty upstairs,” a theme that appeared in all the stories. This set me off over and again, hearing it from people who even as I write have never met themselves. Did the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo tell these women his wife is too fat and tried for years to lose weight but just couldn’t; and to think that the woman in question is not fat. There is more on this but better to reserve some questions. Is it true the wife is aware of the pastor’s issues to the point she makes sure to regularly keep tabs on him with phone calls? Is it true some of the pastors are well aware of this? Are they party to it like some of the women in this loop suggest?
What about these other stories?
One of the women – who admitted she was seeking counseling not because she felt abused by the pastor but because she felt used and dumped, because the pastor had abandoned her – had much to say. She said that it started when she went for counseling with pastor Fatoyinbo. That, they exchanged numbers and they started calling each other at odd hours. It went from phone sex to the bedroom.
There is no need to give the graphic details of the wildness she said transpired. The second story as relayed by the Abuja counselor was exactly like the first, from marital counseling to wild sex. This second person is actually married, and remains married. One of the ladies admitted she was so addicted to him she threw all caution to the wind.
The money according to them was another attraction they’d not deny. They didn’t say they were abused, they said they felt used and dumped. She said the pastor has a huge appetite for sex but gets bored easily and this explains his constant change of girls.
Hard to believe, but these stories from Ilorin make the hardness go a bit softer. Had an Ilorin student, who lived off campus, who was at the time his member, ever drive out pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo out of her room? Did he ask her to sit on his laps? Did he try to touch her breasts? Did he try harder until she threatened to shout?
Would the pastor remember if I added he used to visit the family, that they used to push his car at the time? Did any pastor at the time reprimand pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo after the lady in question had reported him? Does he still remember the words that man of God told him? Did the lady continue to come to church after the incident? She left the church eventually when she couldn’t stand seeing the pastor preach. People know about this, families know about this. These are open secrets.
What about this other girl pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo allegedly dated in Ilorin? She admitted they had a steady relationship, and that he would tell her how his wife was not homely, how his wife couldn’t cook. Pastor Biodun, according to her would tell her how he felt very homely and welcomed around her, how she was just like a mother. She admitted she dated the pastor for a very long time and even got pregnant and aborted for the man of God. People say there can be no smoke without fire but I don’t even agree with that because I know at least one gas that produces smoke without fire. Unfortunately, this is beyond the smoke of a gas, this is a thick, fat, carbon soaked smoke with burning flames that can only be associated with fire! Like Moses’ burning bush, something is wrong somewhere and silence will not help on this one.
Silence can be beautiful, silence can be ugly, silence can be so subtle no ones hears it and silence can be so loud it screams “guilty!” I defended pastor Fatoyinbo’s rights to be heard and I still do but I cannot defend his long silence. This silence is so loud it is too distracting. This silence is too robust to be ignored. Anyone who says it is better for the pastor to remain silent at this time is not only a hypocrite but also a church zombie. This is not me being abusive, this is me saying it as it is. Just look out for the meaning of the word.
When God created things, he said it was good, after God created man He said it was very good. God did not do all that so that we’d suspend our ability to think when it comes to matters of our pastors or anyone for that matter. Even God called out to Adam after he committed the first sin. God did not convict him, he gave him a chance to defend himself and Adam did present his case.
You see, after all said and done, we all like Adam, we fall short. King David fell short and prophet Nathan told him to his face. We all know what he did and the price he paid for that but we all know that several millennia after, King David remains an iconic figure in Israel. Israel’s flag and major national symbols bear his insignia to this day! King David said “hata al-Yahweh” (Hebrew for “I have sinned against God”) and his admission of his own human failings is the reason we can all read Psalm 51 today and raise our heads knowing God is able and willing to forgive us. God of course did forgive David but he never let go of the consequence of that sin. His life was spared – against the Law of Moses, which at the time meant David himself should have died – but he lost the child born by Bathsheba. Of course we never read of David committing that sort of sin again because the chastisements of God helped clean him like David himself wrote in Psalm 51.
Talking about Joseph; is this what the pastor says Joseph did not defend himself for? Would Joseph have defended himself if he was offered the chance and he lived in the society as a free man and not the slave he was? How did Moses write the account of what happened inside a room between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife if Joseph never made a point to defend himself at one time or the other? Would Joseph have kept quiet if he had a congregation to account to? How come a young lady in Abuja who had been in the COZA Ilorin choir knew Joseph was going to form part of the message on Sunday the 25th of August even before the pastor came on the pulpit?
Had this happened in Ilorin and pastor Fatoyinbo had to offer the same “the people who lived in Joseph’s time did not know he did not do what he was accused of, we are the ones that know” excuse? Should we forget these questions and wait for those who will be on earth in 5000 years time to know all these were supernatural co-incidental lies or would it be better for pastor Fatoyinbo to accept he is a real man of God yes but he is indeed a real man with flesh, with the ability to indeed fail?
Can pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo do what David did and admit his wrong to his congregation and let those who will stay, stay and those who will leave, leave? Is it better for the church members to know exactly what they are getting or should they all just continue to live a lie or in-between a lie and confusion? Sir, can we even just let go of the robust response and just say “I never did what Ese Walter accused me of,” because you were true to your conscience enough on Sunday the 25th of August not to deny it happened.
I remembered clearly no words were said to that effect. If indeed it did not happen, can we get an “I did not do it” short, simple and direct response before this robust reply is ready for our consumption? How can all sides be heard if one side decides silence should do the talking?
At least no one can say I wrote this because of the new COZA land or building project because I worked for the money I contributed to it. And I hope to visit when this project is completed. But our Christianity needs to rise above this carnality and obsession with buildings and what toilets and church seats should look like.
These are all cool and I’d always be likely to worship in a church that pays attention to all these but at the end of the day, this is not what Christianity is about. Our faith is about Christ and we were called Christians at Antioch for the first time not because of how beautiful our churches looked or how well our pastors/apostles spoke, it was because of our Christ-like attitude. Is this what the Nigerian church is about today or should we forget this question was ever asked?
Are we still worshipping The Way, The Truth and The Life or have we redefined God? We need to ask these questions and more about our Christianity. Let us even for a while forget what others think or say about us, who really are we? Now let the abuses rain on me. I need to shower myself. May the peace of the Lord be upon His church! Amen
It’s Time COZA Pastor, Biodun Answers These Questions – Church Member Japheth Omojuwa
Another COZA church member, Japheth Omojuwa has written yet another robust letter to the Abuja based pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo asking him vital questions that he needs to answer urgently over his love affair with his female church members, especially Ese Walters. The note appears to be very long, but have patience and read on:
“Now read my lips, I know there are people here that are not part of our church, read my lips, we are going to speak but we are consulting to come out with a robust reply.”
“When we asked God, God said be quiet.” Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo in his non robust reply to the Ese Walter accusations on Sunday 25th August 2013.
One shouldn’t need a robust reply to say “I didn’t do it!” but I digress. The Miss Ese Walter – Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo affair has since come and for many, who’d rather the truth be buried, should be gone by now. Unfortunately, this will not go yet. The reason is simple; pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo just has to speak up. This was my initial take on the issue and you may need to read it to understand where this writer is coming from. If you haven’t read that, you’d not understand my mind with respect to how, no matter what we think or assume, we should never judge until all sides are heard. I now know more than I did from that last time and all sides have had at least 3 weeks to be heard.
Before I continue, let me address the men worshippers who go to church on Sundays and during the week sincerely believing they are worshipping God but in reality are bowing to the carnal desires of fellow men. My last year in Nigeria saw me spend more time in Abuja than any other Nigerian city. Anytime I found myself in Abuja, I’d always attend the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) or on select occasions The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
My Lagos church has no branch. COZA was convenient for me for many reasons but the most appealing part was the fact that it was a church I could go without being treated specially. Yes, a few people would know and notice me but I’d largely be just another member of the congregation and my life needed just that. I was not just attending COZA though; I truly liked the church. I was committed to the church financially.
I may be did not give as much as many people but I at least gave enough to receive a gracious call from Pastor Fatoyinbo himself. I am yet to give anyone – including my mother – as much of my resources as I have given to COZA. More often than not my donations were in hard currency. Given a chance, I’d do this again. Giving is my culture anyway.
This point needs to be made because some hypocrites will come up here to pretend they love the church more than people they’d consider evil like myself because one has chosen to ask questions. I don’t know how else to prove one’s love for where one’s heart is without spending one’s money on same. I gave not because I was moved by words but because I was impressed by the church’s dedication to excellence. Hate him or love him, pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo was a man driven by excellence.
I was impressed because after each journey away from Nigeria, I’d visit COZA to see the aesthetics have been improved upon markedly. I was just impressed and I was even more impressed because being a man driven by excellence myself, it was great to see it in display in a Nigerian organization. That mattered to me because Nigerian positive outliers gain my attention for obvious reasons – excellence remains a scarce commodity in here.
I saw pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo for the first time in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, I think in 2007 when he came to preach at The Father’s House where I worshipped at the time. His depth impressed me. Again, hate him or love him, he knew his word. He knew (knows) the bible and he had – of course still has – the God given ability to not just preach the word but to teach it and impact people. His strongest attribute for me though would be his vocals. I don’t think there is a better singer than the man in COZA!
I have made all the above points because some would come here, not to read this or in search for the truth, but to defend their illusion and the lie they want protected in their hearts. I have said the above to let you know if you love the man, I love him too and if you love the church I do too. Unfortunately, I love the truth more and that was the reason I opened myself up to hearing the experiences of the many people who reached me after this article.
I exchanged emails with Ese Walter – she had reached out to me to encourage me during my Arik matter but I didn’t know that until after I sent an email to her to say to be strong – I was speaking from my understanding of what being in the media storm is. I received a call from an Abuja based counselor and had exchanges with people who had worshipped at pastor Fatoyinbo’s church in Ilorin. I did not reach out to any of these people myself; they sought me out themselves.
Loyalty is a necessity in every relationship. There must be a purpose and truth behind it. Should one remain loyal when one discovers that, that loyalty was pledged on the wrong premise? Every loyalty has a foundation and once that foundation is destroyed, loyalty must find a new shelter.
The Nigerian society is what it is because we do not care about the truth as a people, we only care about our interests. People think they care about the truth when the truth does not affect them, as soon as the table turns; their only care is about the protection of their own kind of truth or their own interest. It is the reason the same people say to you one day, “I love the way you write and focus on issues and the fact that you are unbiased” and the next time they go “what’s your interest in this? What is the point? I used to be your fan but not anymore!” I am so used to this yo-yoing from readers I never care about fans, friends or foes, I just care to put the word out based on what I think is right only being at peace with my conscience and my God. I don’t care to be loved or hated. I think I can do without caring for people whose feelings change at the direction of whether the matter affects them directly rather than whether the matter deserves one’s sincerity. This will open me to abuse but who cares about people whose lives and souls are subjected to what fellow men feel rather than what God cares about?
We may not be acutely aware of this as Nigerian Christians but while a man of God is truly a man of God, he becomes just another man when it comes to his own failings and addictions. A man of God who is addicted to drugs for instance is not addicted to drugs as a man of God, he is addicted to drugs as a man. The same thing goes for sex, stealing, adultery and all the other vices listed by the bible and our understanding of morality. When a man of God who is not married to you touches your breast, he touches it as a real man not as a real man of God. The hardness that comes with it is of his own blood, no matter what you want to assume.
Of course men of God have a special kind of grace, a certain level of Grace, but that grace has its purposive boundaries. You can have grace to pull 100,000 people into a stadium as a preacher but that grace may not be available to you if, say you invited people a year after to come hear you declare yourself to run for a public office. Every form of Grace has a purpose and a place for it. Will Pastor E.A. Adeboye gather as much people in Redeem Camp if the event was his declaration to run for a political office? I have gone at length to make this point about grace because as Christians in Nigeria, some of us have become passionate church going zombies! My words sound harsh but think mot juste – it is what it is. As long as pastor says it, it is right.
As long as pastor does it, it is right. So then, pastor is always right. Our thin line between pastor and God, which was supposed to be a clearly marked reality, has since become eroded. Pastors have indeed become our gods! We literally worship them now. My last service at COZA on the 25th of August showed this a lot. It was the loudest I had heard the church and trust me, COZA on a regular day is loud. On this day, I sat there in church and asked myself sincere questions;
Why is this church overly loud today, is it because of God or because of man? The extraordinary praise and worship session – which I really danced to because of my weakness for praises – and the loud cheers and applauses had a note to them that never used to be there. This was no longer about God, it had become about “our pastor.” I ordinarily would not tweet during a church service but I did on this day because I was so sure in my mind I was no longer in church. I realized I was in a theatre.
Everything was a show and it was at best a world-class show. It was no longer about God, it was about “our church, our pastor” and you are sure to see that put up here in the comments. Why have we suddenly assumed and believed that defending our pastors mean defending God? Who told us that when our pastors fall God will fall? Are we mad or are we just spiritually insane? Our Christianity is no longer about God, it has since become about pastors and our church’s brand. We are more obsessed with what people perceive of our church’s reality than what God cares about. Even the most seemingly independent minded among us lose their ability to rationalize anything as long as it is about defending these pastors and their increasingly way ward ways. In our usual way, we misinterpret the bible for our end, saying for instance “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.” I leave you with thisWhat does it really mean when it says not to touch the anointed? article.
This is our way of putting pastors above board, beyond questions and their actions protected inside our common ignorance of God’s word. People continue to perish for lack of knowledge. And you better not think this is a Pentecostal thing, it is as ubiquitous as you’d find religions. There is a fake version of anything that is original. If your religion has no fake version of its good leaders, your religion itself is fake!
There are of course true men of God and real churches dedicated not just to getting men and women focused on God and the things of God, but contributing extensively to the development of men, women and families including underprivileged in the society. The existence of a fake thing is proof there is an original. I work with some men of God fully committed to this and the works of the likes of Daystar and the Elevation Church in Lagos inspired this piece on what the church can do about poverty in Nigeria . I think pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo is a real man of God but he is a real man too; much more real a man than a god at least. And when these realities come clashing, we must not treat these separate phenomena as one. You can tear yourself to pieces over these questions as one of these folks with suspended minds, but he really needs to answer them or just let silence do the talking.
These are questions for the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo to answer:
Did he do what Ese Walter accused him of doing? When she came back to Nigeria and asked that he needed to step away from the pulpit, did he meet up with her, even tried to kiss her again and later called her to say he forgot something in her car after he left? Did the thing he forgot turn out to be N500,000 cash! Was this part of his personal earnings in church or was it part of the church’s income? Did they meet at another hotel – not in England – where he tried to pay for his own accommodation and had his cash refused because the hotel wouldn’t take cash so Ese had to pay with her card? Does he use an aphrodisiac perfume? Is that for the fun of it or for some kind of fun? Did he insist Ese Walter stay back in London after she came back to Nigeria defying his earlier demand? Ese Walter might have held back many details in her blog because no one gets to write it all on matters like that, but will the real man please stand up and say something? Oh, and our ultra-super-religious-and-spiritual-we-are-all-clean society has crucified Ese Walter, making sure others like her never dare come out to cast other pastors again. And trust me, there are other named ones. You see, we think we are a free people but we are not.
The person whose body is shackled is freer than the person whose mind is. We have been manipulated to assume certain things. It is so bad it has become so tough to confront falsehood in our society. In contrast, it has become the norm to confront those who dare ask questions around such. We remember the Bible verses that justify our ways as though even the devil doesn’t quote the Bible for his own end. Here is one thing you should take home; “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15).
The sheer number of women who cannot speak up on their experiences like these shows how much the society condemns the brave and gives the halo of holiness to their mental oppressors. This is not limited to pastors, leaders of other religions are very much involved in immoralities with wives and daughters of trusted members but this is a mirror for my home. I ignored my Muslim followers who insisted I speak about their own leaders for obvious reasons. This remains Nigeria. I know they will have fearless people who will show them their mirror too. Some even already started with tweets on those yesterday.
One thing appeared constant in all the other alleged affairs; the pastor always used disparaging words for his wife, telling the other women his wife is “pretty on the outside, empty upstairs,” a theme that appeared in all the stories. This set me off over and again, hearing it from people who even as I write have never met themselves. Did the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo tell these women his wife is too fat and tried for years to lose weight but just couldn’t; and to think that the woman in question is not fat. There is more on this but better to reserve some questions. Is it true the wife is aware of the pastor’s issues to the point she makes sure to regularly keep tabs on him with phone calls? Is it true some of the pastors are well aware of this? Are they party to it like some of the women in this loop suggest?
What about these other stories?
One of the women – who admitted she was seeking counseling not because she felt abused by the pastor but because she felt used and dumped, because the pastor had abandoned her – had much to say. She said that it started when she went for counseling with pastor Fatoyinbo. That, they exchanged numbers and they started calling each other at odd hours. It went from phone sex to the bedroom.
There is no need to give the graphic details of the wildness she said transpired. The second story as relayed by the Abuja counselor was exactly like the first, from marital counseling to wild sex. This second person is actually married, and remains married. One of the ladies admitted she was so addicted to him she threw all caution to the wind.
The money according to them was another attraction they’d not deny. They didn’t say they were abused, they said they felt used and dumped. She said the pastor has a huge appetite for sex but gets bored easily and this explains his constant change of girls.
Hard to believe, but these stories from Ilorin make the hardness go a bit softer. Had an Ilorin student, who lived off campus, who was at the time his member, ever drive out pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo out of her room? Did he ask her to sit on his laps? Did he try to touch her breasts? Did he try harder until she threatened to shout?
Would the pastor remember if I added he used to visit the family, that they used to push his car at the time? Did any pastor at the time reprimand pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo after the lady in question had reported him? Does he still remember the words that man of God told him? Did the lady continue to come to church after the incident? She left the church eventually when she couldn’t stand seeing the pastor preach. People know about this, families know about this. These are open secrets.
What about this other girl pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo allegedly dated in Ilorin? She admitted they had a steady relationship, and that he would tell her how his wife was not homely, how his wife couldn’t cook. Pastor Biodun, according to her would tell her how he felt very homely and welcomed around her, how she was just like a mother. She admitted she dated the pastor for a very long time and even got pregnant and aborted for the man of God. People say there can be no smoke without fire but I don’t even agree with that because I know at least one gas that produces smoke without fire. Unfortunately, this is beyond the smoke of a gas, this is a thick, fat, carbon soaked smoke with burning flames that can only be associated with fire! Like Moses’ burning bush, something is wrong somewhere and silence will not help on this one.
Silence can be beautiful, silence can be ugly, silence can be so subtle no ones hears it and silence can be so loud it screams “guilty!” I defended pastor Fatoyinbo’s rights to be heard and I still do but I cannot defend his long silence. This silence is so loud it is too distracting. This silence is too robust to be ignored. Anyone who says it is better for the pastor to remain silent at this time is not only a hypocrite but also a church zombie. This is not me being abusive, this is me saying it as it is. Just look out for the meaning of the word.
When God created things, he said it was good, after God created man He said it was very good. God did not do all that so that we’d suspend our ability to think when it comes to matters of our pastors or anyone for that matter. Even God called out to Adam after he committed the first sin. God did not convict him, he gave him a chance to defend himself and Adam did present his case.
You see, after all said and done, we all like Adam, we fall short. King David fell short and prophet Nathan told him to his face. We all know what he did and the price he paid for that but we all know that several millennia after, King David remains an iconic figure in Israel. Israel’s flag and major national symbols bear his insignia to this day! King David said “hata al-Yahweh” (Hebrew for “I have sinned against God”) and his admission of his own human failings is the reason we can all read Psalm 51 today and raise our heads knowing God is able and willing to forgive us. God of course did forgive David but he never let go of the consequence of that sin. His life was spared – against the Law of Moses, which at the time meant David himself should have died – but he lost the child born by Bathsheba. Of course we never read of David committing that sort of sin again because the chastisements of God helped clean him like David himself wrote in Psalm 51.
Talking about Joseph; is this what the pastor says Joseph did not defend himself for? Would Joseph have defended himself if he was offered the chance and he lived in the society as a free man and not the slave he was? How did Moses write the account of what happened inside a room between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife if Joseph never made a point to defend himself at one time or the other? Would Joseph have kept quiet if he had a congregation to account to? How come a young lady in Abuja who had been in the COZA Ilorin choir knew Joseph was going to form part of the message on Sunday the 25th of August even before the pastor came on the pulpit?
Had this happened in Ilorin and pastor Fatoyinbo had to offer the same “the people who lived in Joseph’s time did not know he did not do what he was accused of, we are the ones that know” excuse? Should we forget these questions and wait for those who will be on earth in 5000 years time to know all these were supernatural co-incidental lies or would it be better for pastor Fatoyinbo to accept he is a real man of God yes but he is indeed a real man with flesh, with the ability to indeed fail?
Can pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo do what David did and admit his wrong to his congregation and let those who will stay, stay and those who will leave, leave? Is it better for the church members to know exactly what they are getting or should they all just continue to live a lie or in-between a lie and confusion? Sir, can we even just let go of the robust response and just say “I never did what Ese Walter accused me of,” because you were true to your conscience enough on Sunday the 25th of August not to deny it happened.
I remembered clearly no words were said to that effect. If indeed it did not happen, can we get an “I did not do it” short, simple and direct response before this robust reply is ready for our consumption? How can all sides be heard if one side decides silence should do the talking?
At least no one can say I wrote this because of the new COZA land or building project because I worked for the money I contributed to it. And I hope to visit when this project is completed. But our Christianity needs to rise above this carnality and obsession with buildings and what toilets and church seats should look like.
These are all cool and I’d always be likely to worship in a church that pays attention to all these but at the end of the day, this is not what Christianity is about. Our faith is about Christ and we were called Christians at Antioch for the first time not because of how beautiful our churches looked or how well our pastors/apostles spoke, it was because of our Christ-like attitude. Is this what the Nigerian church is about today or should we forget this question was ever asked?
Are we still worshipping The Way, The Truth and The Life or have we redefined God? We need to ask these questions and more about our Christianity. Let us even for a while forget what others think or say about us, who really are we? Now let the abuses rain on me. I need to shower myself. May the peace of the Lord be upon His church! Amen
“Now read my lips, I know there are people here that are not part of our church, read my lips, we are going to speak but we are consulting to come out with a robust reply.”
“When we asked God, God said be quiet.” Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo in his non robust reply to the Ese Walter accusations on Sunday 25th August 2013.
One shouldn’t need a robust reply to say “I didn’t do it!” but I digress. The Miss Ese Walter – Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo affair has since come and for many, who’d rather the truth be buried, should be gone by now. Unfortunately, this will not go yet. The reason is simple; pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo just has to speak up. This was my initial take on the issue and you may need to read it to understand where this writer is coming from. If you haven’t read that, you’d not understand my mind with respect to how, no matter what we think or assume, we should never judge until all sides are heard. I now know more than I did from that last time and all sides have had at least 3 weeks to be heard.
Before I continue, let me address the men worshippers who go to church on Sundays and during the week sincerely believing they are worshipping God but in reality are bowing to the carnal desires of fellow men. My last year in Nigeria saw me spend more time in Abuja than any other Nigerian city. Anytime I found myself in Abuja, I’d always attend the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) or on select occasions The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP) of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
My Lagos church has no branch. COZA was convenient for me for many reasons but the most appealing part was the fact that it was a church I could go without being treated specially. Yes, a few people would know and notice me but I’d largely be just another member of the congregation and my life needed just that. I was not just attending COZA though; I truly liked the church. I was committed to the church financially.
I may be did not give as much as many people but I at least gave enough to receive a gracious call from Pastor Fatoyinbo himself. I am yet to give anyone – including my mother – as much of my resources as I have given to COZA. More often than not my donations were in hard currency. Given a chance, I’d do this again. Giving is my culture anyway.
This point needs to be made because some hypocrites will come up here to pretend they love the church more than people they’d consider evil like myself because one has chosen to ask questions. I don’t know how else to prove one’s love for where one’s heart is without spending one’s money on same. I gave not because I was moved by words but because I was impressed by the church’s dedication to excellence. Hate him or love him, pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo was a man driven by excellence.
I was impressed because after each journey away from Nigeria, I’d visit COZA to see the aesthetics have been improved upon markedly. I was just impressed and I was even more impressed because being a man driven by excellence myself, it was great to see it in display in a Nigerian organization. That mattered to me because Nigerian positive outliers gain my attention for obvious reasons – excellence remains a scarce commodity in here.
I saw pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo for the first time in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, I think in 2007 when he came to preach at The Father’s House where I worshipped at the time. His depth impressed me. Again, hate him or love him, he knew his word. He knew (knows) the bible and he had – of course still has – the God given ability to not just preach the word but to teach it and impact people. His strongest attribute for me though would be his vocals. I don’t think there is a better singer than the man in COZA!
I have made all the above points because some would come here, not to read this or in search for the truth, but to defend their illusion and the lie they want protected in their hearts. I have said the above to let you know if you love the man, I love him too and if you love the church I do too. Unfortunately, I love the truth more and that was the reason I opened myself up to hearing the experiences of the many people who reached me after this article.
I exchanged emails with Ese Walter – she had reached out to me to encourage me during my Arik matter but I didn’t know that until after I sent an email to her to say to be strong – I was speaking from my understanding of what being in the media storm is. I received a call from an Abuja based counselor and had exchanges with people who had worshipped at pastor Fatoyinbo’s church in Ilorin. I did not reach out to any of these people myself; they sought me out themselves.
Loyalty is a necessity in every relationship. There must be a purpose and truth behind it. Should one remain loyal when one discovers that, that loyalty was pledged on the wrong premise? Every loyalty has a foundation and once that foundation is destroyed, loyalty must find a new shelter.
The Nigerian society is what it is because we do not care about the truth as a people, we only care about our interests. People think they care about the truth when the truth does not affect them, as soon as the table turns; their only care is about the protection of their own kind of truth or their own interest. It is the reason the same people say to you one day, “I love the way you write and focus on issues and the fact that you are unbiased” and the next time they go “what’s your interest in this? What is the point? I used to be your fan but not anymore!” I am so used to this yo-yoing from readers I never care about fans, friends or foes, I just care to put the word out based on what I think is right only being at peace with my conscience and my God. I don’t care to be loved or hated. I think I can do without caring for people whose feelings change at the direction of whether the matter affects them directly rather than whether the matter deserves one’s sincerity. This will open me to abuse but who cares about people whose lives and souls are subjected to what fellow men feel rather than what God cares about?
We may not be acutely aware of this as Nigerian Christians but while a man of God is truly a man of God, he becomes just another man when it comes to his own failings and addictions. A man of God who is addicted to drugs for instance is not addicted to drugs as a man of God, he is addicted to drugs as a man. The same thing goes for sex, stealing, adultery and all the other vices listed by the bible and our understanding of morality. When a man of God who is not married to you touches your breast, he touches it as a real man not as a real man of God. The hardness that comes with it is of his own blood, no matter what you want to assume.
Of course men of God have a special kind of grace, a certain level of Grace, but that grace has its purposive boundaries. You can have grace to pull 100,000 people into a stadium as a preacher but that grace may not be available to you if, say you invited people a year after to come hear you declare yourself to run for a public office. Every form of Grace has a purpose and a place for it. Will Pastor E.A. Adeboye gather as much people in Redeem Camp if the event was his declaration to run for a political office? I have gone at length to make this point about grace because as Christians in Nigeria, some of us have become passionate church going zombies! My words sound harsh but think mot juste – it is what it is. As long as pastor says it, it is right.
As long as pastor does it, it is right. So then, pastor is always right. Our thin line between pastor and God, which was supposed to be a clearly marked reality, has since become eroded. Pastors have indeed become our gods! We literally worship them now. My last service at COZA on the 25th of August showed this a lot. It was the loudest I had heard the church and trust me, COZA on a regular day is loud. On this day, I sat there in church and asked myself sincere questions;
Why is this church overly loud today, is it because of God or because of man? The extraordinary praise and worship session – which I really danced to because of my weakness for praises – and the loud cheers and applauses had a note to them that never used to be there. This was no longer about God, it had become about “our pastor.” I ordinarily would not tweet during a church service but I did on this day because I was so sure in my mind I was no longer in church. I realized I was in a theatre.
Everything was a show and it was at best a world-class show. It was no longer about God, it was about “our church, our pastor” and you are sure to see that put up here in the comments. Why have we suddenly assumed and believed that defending our pastors mean defending God? Who told us that when our pastors fall God will fall? Are we mad or are we just spiritually insane? Our Christianity is no longer about God, it has since become about pastors and our church’s brand. We are more obsessed with what people perceive of our church’s reality than what God cares about. Even the most seemingly independent minded among us lose their ability to rationalize anything as long as it is about defending these pastors and their increasingly way ward ways. In our usual way, we misinterpret the bible for our end, saying for instance “touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.” I leave you with thisWhat does it really mean when it says not to touch the anointed? article.
This is our way of putting pastors above board, beyond questions and their actions protected inside our common ignorance of God’s word. People continue to perish for lack of knowledge. And you better not think this is a Pentecostal thing, it is as ubiquitous as you’d find religions. There is a fake version of anything that is original. If your religion has no fake version of its good leaders, your religion itself is fake!
There are of course true men of God and real churches dedicated not just to getting men and women focused on God and the things of God, but contributing extensively to the development of men, women and families including underprivileged in the society. The existence of a fake thing is proof there is an original. I work with some men of God fully committed to this and the works of the likes of Daystar and the Elevation Church in Lagos inspired this piece on what the church can do about poverty in Nigeria . I think pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo is a real man of God but he is a real man too; much more real a man than a god at least. And when these realities come clashing, we must not treat these separate phenomena as one. You can tear yourself to pieces over these questions as one of these folks with suspended minds, but he really needs to answer them or just let silence do the talking.
These are questions for the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo to answer:
Did he do what Ese Walter accused him of doing? When she came back to Nigeria and asked that he needed to step away from the pulpit, did he meet up with her, even tried to kiss her again and later called her to say he forgot something in her car after he left? Did the thing he forgot turn out to be N500,000 cash! Was this part of his personal earnings in church or was it part of the church’s income? Did they meet at another hotel – not in England – where he tried to pay for his own accommodation and had his cash refused because the hotel wouldn’t take cash so Ese had to pay with her card? Does he use an aphrodisiac perfume? Is that for the fun of it or for some kind of fun? Did he insist Ese Walter stay back in London after she came back to Nigeria defying his earlier demand? Ese Walter might have held back many details in her blog because no one gets to write it all on matters like that, but will the real man please stand up and say something? Oh, and our ultra-super-religious-and-spiritual-we-are-all-clean society has crucified Ese Walter, making sure others like her never dare come out to cast other pastors again. And trust me, there are other named ones. You see, we think we are a free people but we are not.
The person whose body is shackled is freer than the person whose mind is. We have been manipulated to assume certain things. It is so bad it has become so tough to confront falsehood in our society. In contrast, it has become the norm to confront those who dare ask questions around such. We remember the Bible verses that justify our ways as though even the devil doesn’t quote the Bible for his own end. Here is one thing you should take home; “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 17:15).
The sheer number of women who cannot speak up on their experiences like these shows how much the society condemns the brave and gives the halo of holiness to their mental oppressors. This is not limited to pastors, leaders of other religions are very much involved in immoralities with wives and daughters of trusted members but this is a mirror for my home. I ignored my Muslim followers who insisted I speak about their own leaders for obvious reasons. This remains Nigeria. I know they will have fearless people who will show them their mirror too. Some even already started with tweets on those yesterday.
One thing appeared constant in all the other alleged affairs; the pastor always used disparaging words for his wife, telling the other women his wife is “pretty on the outside, empty upstairs,” a theme that appeared in all the stories. This set me off over and again, hearing it from people who even as I write have never met themselves. Did the real man in pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo tell these women his wife is too fat and tried for years to lose weight but just couldn’t; and to think that the woman in question is not fat. There is more on this but better to reserve some questions. Is it true the wife is aware of the pastor’s issues to the point she makes sure to regularly keep tabs on him with phone calls? Is it true some of the pastors are well aware of this? Are they party to it like some of the women in this loop suggest?
What about these other stories?
One of the women – who admitted she was seeking counseling not because she felt abused by the pastor but because she felt used and dumped, because the pastor had abandoned her – had much to say. She said that it started when she went for counseling with pastor Fatoyinbo. That, they exchanged numbers and they started calling each other at odd hours. It went from phone sex to the bedroom.
There is no need to give the graphic details of the wildness she said transpired. The second story as relayed by the Abuja counselor was exactly like the first, from marital counseling to wild sex. This second person is actually married, and remains married. One of the ladies admitted she was so addicted to him she threw all caution to the wind.
The money according to them was another attraction they’d not deny. They didn’t say they were abused, they said they felt used and dumped. She said the pastor has a huge appetite for sex but gets bored easily and this explains his constant change of girls.
Hard to believe, but these stories from Ilorin make the hardness go a bit softer. Had an Ilorin student, who lived off campus, who was at the time his member, ever drive out pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo out of her room? Did he ask her to sit on his laps? Did he try to touch her breasts? Did he try harder until she threatened to shout?
Would the pastor remember if I added he used to visit the family, that they used to push his car at the time? Did any pastor at the time reprimand pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo after the lady in question had reported him? Does he still remember the words that man of God told him? Did the lady continue to come to church after the incident? She left the church eventually when she couldn’t stand seeing the pastor preach. People know about this, families know about this. These are open secrets.
What about this other girl pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo allegedly dated in Ilorin? She admitted they had a steady relationship, and that he would tell her how his wife was not homely, how his wife couldn’t cook. Pastor Biodun, according to her would tell her how he felt very homely and welcomed around her, how she was just like a mother. She admitted she dated the pastor for a very long time and even got pregnant and aborted for the man of God. People say there can be no smoke without fire but I don’t even agree with that because I know at least one gas that produces smoke without fire. Unfortunately, this is beyond the smoke of a gas, this is a thick, fat, carbon soaked smoke with burning flames that can only be associated with fire! Like Moses’ burning bush, something is wrong somewhere and silence will not help on this one.
Silence can be beautiful, silence can be ugly, silence can be so subtle no ones hears it and silence can be so loud it screams “guilty!” I defended pastor Fatoyinbo’s rights to be heard and I still do but I cannot defend his long silence. This silence is so loud it is too distracting. This silence is too robust to be ignored. Anyone who says it is better for the pastor to remain silent at this time is not only a hypocrite but also a church zombie. This is not me being abusive, this is me saying it as it is. Just look out for the meaning of the word.
When God created things, he said it was good, after God created man He said it was very good. God did not do all that so that we’d suspend our ability to think when it comes to matters of our pastors or anyone for that matter. Even God called out to Adam after he committed the first sin. God did not convict him, he gave him a chance to defend himself and Adam did present his case.
You see, after all said and done, we all like Adam, we fall short. King David fell short and prophet Nathan told him to his face. We all know what he did and the price he paid for that but we all know that several millennia after, King David remains an iconic figure in Israel. Israel’s flag and major national symbols bear his insignia to this day! King David said “hata al-Yahweh” (Hebrew for “I have sinned against God”) and his admission of his own human failings is the reason we can all read Psalm 51 today and raise our heads knowing God is able and willing to forgive us. God of course did forgive David but he never let go of the consequence of that sin. His life was spared – against the Law of Moses, which at the time meant David himself should have died – but he lost the child born by Bathsheba. Of course we never read of David committing that sort of sin again because the chastisements of God helped clean him like David himself wrote in Psalm 51.
Talking about Joseph; is this what the pastor says Joseph did not defend himself for? Would Joseph have defended himself if he was offered the chance and he lived in the society as a free man and not the slave he was? How did Moses write the account of what happened inside a room between Joseph and Potiphar’s wife if Joseph never made a point to defend himself at one time or the other? Would Joseph have kept quiet if he had a congregation to account to? How come a young lady in Abuja who had been in the COZA Ilorin choir knew Joseph was going to form part of the message on Sunday the 25th of August even before the pastor came on the pulpit?
Had this happened in Ilorin and pastor Fatoyinbo had to offer the same “the people who lived in Joseph’s time did not know he did not do what he was accused of, we are the ones that know” excuse? Should we forget these questions and wait for those who will be on earth in 5000 years time to know all these were supernatural co-incidental lies or would it be better for pastor Fatoyinbo to accept he is a real man of God yes but he is indeed a real man with flesh, with the ability to indeed fail?
Can pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo do what David did and admit his wrong to his congregation and let those who will stay, stay and those who will leave, leave? Is it better for the church members to know exactly what they are getting or should they all just continue to live a lie or in-between a lie and confusion? Sir, can we even just let go of the robust response and just say “I never did what Ese Walter accused me of,” because you were true to your conscience enough on Sunday the 25th of August not to deny it happened.
I remembered clearly no words were said to that effect. If indeed it did not happen, can we get an “I did not do it” short, simple and direct response before this robust reply is ready for our consumption? How can all sides be heard if one side decides silence should do the talking?
At least no one can say I wrote this because of the new COZA land or building project because I worked for the money I contributed to it. And I hope to visit when this project is completed. But our Christianity needs to rise above this carnality and obsession with buildings and what toilets and church seats should look like.
These are all cool and I’d always be likely to worship in a church that pays attention to all these but at the end of the day, this is not what Christianity is about. Our faith is about Christ and we were called Christians at Antioch for the first time not because of how beautiful our churches looked or how well our pastors/apostles spoke, it was because of our Christ-like attitude. Is this what the Nigerian church is about today or should we forget this question was ever asked?
Are we still worshipping The Way, The Truth and The Life or have we redefined God? We need to ask these questions and more about our Christianity. Let us even for a while forget what others think or say about us, who really are we? Now let the abuses rain on me. I need to shower myself. May the peace of the Lord be upon His church! Amen
Update: Bokoharam gun fire exchange with the SSS
Contrary to my earlier publication about boko haram in a gun battle with the sss in abuja
Its been gathered that they were not boko haram after all neither was the people involved in the shooting, the SSS.
According to sources, Unknown gunmen dressed in military fatigue stormed an uncompleted building behind Legislator’s Quarters in Apo, Abuja in the early hours of this morning Friday September 20th killing over 10 people.
The people killed were inhabitants of the uncompleted building, mostly abokis who polish shoes and sell water.
According to eyewitnesses, the owner of the uncompleted building had warned people who pass the night in the building to desist from it, but they refused. Then the massacre this morning happened.
A survivor said they pay someone N200 every night to sleep in the uncompleted building and had been harassed and warned severally by military men to stop coming there...but they couldn't because they had nowhere else to go.
A resident in the area said that at about 12:30am he heard gunshot severally throughout the night, causing panic in the area.
Its been gathered that they were not boko haram after all neither was the people involved in the shooting, the SSS.
According to sources, Unknown gunmen dressed in military fatigue stormed an uncompleted building behind Legislator’s Quarters in Apo, Abuja in the early hours of this morning Friday September 20th killing over 10 people.
The people killed were inhabitants of the uncompleted building, mostly abokis who polish shoes and sell water.
According to eyewitnesses, the owner of the uncompleted building had warned people who pass the night in the building to desist from it, but they refused. Then the massacre this morning happened.
A survivor said they pay someone N200 every night to sleep in the uncompleted building and had been harassed and warned severally by military men to stop coming there...but they couldn't because they had nowhere else to go.
A resident in the area said that at about 12:30am he heard gunshot severally throughout the night, causing panic in the area.
Entertainment: A Nigerian wins World Muslim beauty pageant held in Indonesia
A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.
The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.
But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.
After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.
Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic verse.
She said it was "thanks to almighty Allah" that she had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes.
Ajibola told newsmen before the final that the event "was not really about competition".
"We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," she said.
Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently.
Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World".
"This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,"she said.
The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.
But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.
After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.
Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic verse.
She said it was "thanks to almighty Allah" that she had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes.
Ajibola told newsmen before the final that the event "was not really about competition".
"We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," she said.
Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently.
Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World".
"This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,"she said.
Health: Switch to new yellow fever card to take effect October 1st
The Federal Government of Nigeria through its health ministry has announced that the issuance of a new yellow fever card has commenced and the replacement would take full effect on the 1st of October,2013.
The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who made this known at an event in Abuja, disclosed that the new yellow card also known as international certificate of vaccination and prophylaxis will have advanced features.
It would be recalled that there was a diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and South Africa, over 18 months ago, which led to the deportation of over 125 Nigerians.
The health minister advised that international travellers need not risk their trips with fake yellow fever vaccination cards as genuine cards used to certify vaccinations against yellow fever, cholera and small pox can easily be obtained at the public health department of the federal ministry of health and the nation's airports and seaports.
Good job!!
The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who made this known at an event in Abuja, disclosed that the new yellow card also known as international certificate of vaccination and prophylaxis will have advanced features.
It would be recalled that there was a diplomatic face-off between Nigeria and South Africa, over 18 months ago, which led to the deportation of over 125 Nigerians.
The health minister advised that international travellers need not risk their trips with fake yellow fever vaccination cards as genuine cards used to certify vaccinations against yellow fever, cholera and small pox can easily be obtained at the public health department of the federal ministry of health and the nation's airports and seaports.
Good job!!
ASUU strike may soon be called off
The Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU may call off the lingering strike action across public universities in the country, as the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo met with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, in Abuja yesterday.
The meeting which was held behind closed doors had in attendance the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie.
The union was led by its National President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, and two former Presidents of ASUU; Dr. Dipo Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
It was however uncertain if yesterday's discussion was fruitful as the two parties did not disclose the outcome of the meeting which lasted for two hours to journalists.
Fagge, however, told State House Correspondents that the union would make its position known after the National Executive Council meeting.
Wike assured Nigerians that students would soon return to school as government was ready to make sure all the contending issues were resolved as soon as possible.
And I say Amen to that!!!!
The meeting which was held behind closed doors had in attendance the supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike and the Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission, Prof. Julius Okojie.
The union was led by its National President, Dr. Nasir Faggae, and two former Presidents of ASUU; Dr. Dipo Fasina and Dr. Abdullahi Sule-Kano.
It was however uncertain if yesterday's discussion was fruitful as the two parties did not disclose the outcome of the meeting which lasted for two hours to journalists.
Fagge, however, told State House Correspondents that the union would make its position known after the National Executive Council meeting.
Wike assured Nigerians that students would soon return to school as government was ready to make sure all the contending issues were resolved as soon as possible.
And I say Amen to that!!!!
Breaking News: Boko Haram engages SSS in gun battle in Abuja
Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members on Friday morning engaged State Security Service operatives in a gun battle at Apo Legislative quarters, Abuja. Some people were hurt and 12 suspects were arrested during the encounter.
The SSS operatives had gone to the quarters to exhume weapons buried in an uncompleted building by Boko Haram members when they were attacked the sympathisers of the sect.
The police have warned the members of the public to be watchful and report any suspicious activity around their area to the police .
The SSS operatives had gone to the quarters to exhume weapons buried in an uncompleted building by Boko Haram members when they were attacked the sympathisers of the sect.
The police have warned the members of the public to be watchful and report any suspicious activity around their area to the police .
Thursday, September 19, 2013
For Mothers: Too Much Of Fast Food Can Destroy The Teeth Of Your Kids—Dentist
A Dental Surgeon at Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital (LAUTH), Osogbo, Juliet Ogunlela, said on Thursday that fast food posed threat to oral hygiene in children.Ms. Ogunlela, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Osogbo, said diet had a lot of effect on the dental health of humans, especially, children.
‘’In recent years, diet has changed with children; they even prefer to be fed with fast food that gets quite sticky in the mouth. To worsen the matter, many parents do not have the time to monitor their children when they are brushing their teeth.
‘’Basically, brushing the teeth is to remove the left-over from the mouth, and to clean the teeth of the thin layer of bacteria. When this is not properly done, mouth odour is inevitable and it could lead to other serious dental problems,”she advised that the best time to brush the teeth is late at night and after breakfast.
She therefore advised parents to be more concerned with what their children consumed.
‘’The best time to brush the teeth is after the last meal at night, and after breakfast. This is because most tooth-pastes do not offer more than 12 hours protection’’, she said.
Ms. Ogunlela also noted that some people were scared of paying regular visits to Dentists for fear of their teeth being removed.
She urged people to always be visiting dentists, saying that “removal of the teeth is not the only solution to dental problems.”
“An early diagnosis of oral problems goes a long way in making correction and treatment easier.
‘”I will advise all Nigerians to make it a point of duty to visit the dentist every 6 months,” she said.
‘’In recent years, diet has changed with children; they even prefer to be fed with fast food that gets quite sticky in the mouth. To worsen the matter, many parents do not have the time to monitor their children when they are brushing their teeth.
‘’Basically, brushing the teeth is to remove the left-over from the mouth, and to clean the teeth of the thin layer of bacteria. When this is not properly done, mouth odour is inevitable and it could lead to other serious dental problems,”she advised that the best time to brush the teeth is late at night and after breakfast.
She therefore advised parents to be more concerned with what their children consumed.
‘’The best time to brush the teeth is after the last meal at night, and after breakfast. This is because most tooth-pastes do not offer more than 12 hours protection’’, she said.
Ms. Ogunlela also noted that some people were scared of paying regular visits to Dentists for fear of their teeth being removed.
She urged people to always be visiting dentists, saying that “removal of the teeth is not the only solution to dental problems.”
“An early diagnosis of oral problems goes a long way in making correction and treatment easier.
‘”I will advise all Nigerians to make it a point of duty to visit the dentist every 6 months,” she said.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Eleven Governors not happy with the Blockage of Rivers State Govt. House by the Police, Accuse President Jonathan of Bullying Amaechi.
The Progressive Governors Forum has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using his powers to bully Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi. The governors stated this on Friday while reacting to the action of the armed policemen that blocked one of the gates leading to the Rivers State Government House last week Thursday.
The governors in a statement titled, “Blockade to Rivers Government House: Assault on Constitution and Descent to Anarchy”, said the incident was a direct affront on constitutional order. They said, “A situation whereby the Federal Government will use powers vested in it under the constitution to bully and intimidate state governments is unacceptable and should be resisted by every democratic government.
“We wish to unequivocally state our resolve to work with all democrats in the country to ensure adequate protection of democratic governance.’’
Democratic Rule abi Civilian rule? Continue......
The statement was signed by Borno State Governor, Kashim Shetima; Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Almakura; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State Governor, Abiola
Ajimobi; Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geldam; and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari. The governors’ statement came just as some Nigerians condemned the action of the police authorities in Rivers and the police insisted that they did not bar the governor from accessing Government House.
The governors said they received the news of the blockade with shock and disbelief, adding that crisis in Rivers since July 2013 constituted a major threat to the nation’s democracy.
They added that the situation in Rivers State was unfortunate and that all Nigerians must call on the Federal Government and all its agencies, including all arms of the security services, to respect the letter and spirit of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
They said, “In the specific case of Rivers State, provisions of Section 215(4) of the 1999 Constitution must be fully respected. This section provides that the Governor “may give to the Commissioner of Police of that state such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and security of public safety and public order within the state as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or cause them to be complied with.’’
The governors noted that the inability of the federal Authorities to exercise all the necessary constitutional and moral authority to ensure the speedy resolution of the crisis had remained a source of danger for the nation’s democracy , the life of Amaechi and those of other public officers serving in the state.
The governors said the police action was a bad precedent and wondered if it was a signal that a similar blockade could be mounted against the President at the Presidential Villa. The police had on Thursday stopped Amaechi from using the gate to gain entrance into the Government House. The governor was in company with 102 former speakers of state Houses of Assembly when a team of policemen allegedly drafted by the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, blocked the Forces Avenue which leads to the governor’s house in the Government House.
The ex-Speakers were in the state capital for a meeting and had gone on an inspection tour after paying a courtesy visit to the governor. Reacting, the New Peoples Democratic Party said what happened in Rivers State was a sign that the country was returning to the dark days of the former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, in Abuja on Friday, said many events in the country had shown that democracy was not being allowed to thrive.
“Indeed, General Sani Abacha must be lamenting in his grave that Nigerians wrongly abused him considering the high degree of impunities being encouraged in a democratic set up, with the Police being used as a tool to haunt political opponents,” the faction said.
Culled from the Punch
The governors in a statement titled, “Blockade to Rivers Government House: Assault on Constitution and Descent to Anarchy”, said the incident was a direct affront on constitutional order. They said, “A situation whereby the Federal Government will use powers vested in it under the constitution to bully and intimidate state governments is unacceptable and should be resisted by every democratic government.
“We wish to unequivocally state our resolve to work with all democrats in the country to ensure adequate protection of democratic governance.’’
Democratic Rule abi Civilian rule? Continue......
The statement was signed by Borno State Governor, Kashim Shetima; Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola; Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Almakura; Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; Oyo State Governor, Abiola
Ajimobi; Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geldam; and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari. The governors’ statement came just as some Nigerians condemned the action of the police authorities in Rivers and the police insisted that they did not bar the governor from accessing Government House.
The governors said they received the news of the blockade with shock and disbelief, adding that crisis in Rivers since July 2013 constituted a major threat to the nation’s democracy.
They added that the situation in Rivers State was unfortunate and that all Nigerians must call on the Federal Government and all its agencies, including all arms of the security services, to respect the letter and spirit of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
They said, “In the specific case of Rivers State, provisions of Section 215(4) of the 1999 Constitution must be fully respected. This section provides that the Governor “may give to the Commissioner of Police of that state such lawful directions with respect to the maintenance and security of public safety and public order within the state as he may consider necessary, and the Commissioner of Police shall comply with those directions or cause them to be complied with.’’
The governors noted that the inability of the federal Authorities to exercise all the necessary constitutional and moral authority to ensure the speedy resolution of the crisis had remained a source of danger for the nation’s democracy , the life of Amaechi and those of other public officers serving in the state.
The governors said the police action was a bad precedent and wondered if it was a signal that a similar blockade could be mounted against the President at the Presidential Villa. The police had on Thursday stopped Amaechi from using the gate to gain entrance into the Government House. The governor was in company with 102 former speakers of state Houses of Assembly when a team of policemen allegedly drafted by the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Joseph Mbu, blocked the Forces Avenue which leads to the governor’s house in the Government House.
The ex-Speakers were in the state capital for a meeting and had gone on an inspection tour after paying a courtesy visit to the governor. Reacting, the New Peoples Democratic Party said what happened in Rivers State was a sign that the country was returning to the dark days of the former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, in Abuja on Friday, said many events in the country had shown that democracy was not being allowed to thrive.
“Indeed, General Sani Abacha must be lamenting in his grave that Nigerians wrongly abused him considering the high degree of impunities being encouraged in a democratic set up, with the Police being used as a tool to haunt political opponents,” the faction said.
Culled from the Punch
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