Coups: Democracy In Africa Not A System To Attain Western Developments-Ibe Pascal

September 3, 2023

Everywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d’etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.

According to Eduardo Galeano, most of wars or military coups or invasions are done in the name of democracy against democracy.

Mali has been under a transitional government for 3 years, following the coup d’état of August 18, 2020, in which the military overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Kéita. General elections are scheduled for early 2022, between February and March.

The popular fervour that accompanied the 2020 coup d’état faded very quickly. The junta, which had initially embodied the much hoped-for change, eventually appeared to be a repeat of the system it overthrew. None of the dignitaries of the old regime were questioned, including those against whom there were strong accusations.

In 2019, Sudanese coup d’état: On April 11, 2019, late in the afternoon, following mass demonstrations calling for his ouster, President Omar al-Bashir was deposed by the Sudanese Armed Forces. At that time, the army under the command of Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf overthrew the government and National Legislature and proclaimed a three-month state of emergency in the nation. This was followed by a two-year transitional period before an agreement was eventually reached.

2021 Tunisian self-coup: On July 25, 2021, the Hichem Mechichi government was overthrown by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who also suspended the Assembly of Representatives of the People and removed the immunity of its members. Described as a self-coup, the action followed a period of political unrest highlighted by a string of anti-Ennahda protests and the breakdown of Tunisia’s healthcare system in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Guinean coup d’état: Alpha Condé, the president of Guinea, was taken prisoner by the military on September 5, 2021. The leader of the special forces announced the dissolution of the government and constitution in a broadcast that was televised on state television by Mamady Doumbouya.

On September 30, 2022, a coup d’état removed Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba from Burkina Faso due to his apparent failure to handle the nation’s Islamist insurgency. Just eight months earlier, a coup had brought Damiba to power. Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed command in an acting capacity.

On July 26, 2023, the presidential guard of the Republic of the Niger detained President Mohamed Bazoum. Shortly after declaring the coup a success, presidential guard commander general Abdourahamane Tchiani assumed control of a new military junta.

Barely a month after Niger’s military toppled its president, Gabon’s army seized power, bringing to nine the number of military coups across sub-Saharan African since 2020. International sanctions have been imposed to try to nudge these countries back to democracy, with little success. With more of the region’s elected governments at risk of violent overthrow, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that “all the presidents across the region are more or less aware of the fate that awaits them” unless democracy is restored.

Four days after the central African nation held disputed presidential elections that incumbent Ali Bongo was reported to have won, army officers appeared on state television to announce they’d canceled the Aug. 26 vote and dissolved the country’s institutions. Bongo first took office in 2009, succeeding his late father, who had held power since 1967. While the oil producer hasn’t had to deal with the jihadist attacks or spreading insecurity that’s dogged much of West Africa, the ruling family’s grip on power has come under pressure in recent years. Soldiers already launched a failed coup in 2019, months after Bongo suffered a stroke that sidelined him for several months.

Promoting democracy has been a central pillar of the West, especially U.S. foreign policy for decades. Unfortunately, it’s doubtful about the results achieved by the hundreds of millions of dollars the U.S. has invested to promote democracy in Africa.

As one form of democracy does not fit all countries, perhaps there is some room, depending upon the nature of a country and its ethnic makeup, for the development of an indigenous democracy that incorporates local cultural and social values. The fact that most Africans vote along ethnic lines prevents the adoption of a western-style democracy.

Since the early 1990s, there have been significant transformations in political systems in many African countries. These institutional changes have resulted in, for example, the demise of the racially based apartheid system in the Republic of South Africa and the introduction of a nonracial democracy. Many civilian and military dictatorships have fallen, paving the way for the establishment of rule-of-law-based governance systems characterized by constitutionalism and constitutional government, including reforms such as term limits. Nevertheless, many of these countries still struggle to deepen and institutionalize democracy and deal effectively and fully with government impunity, particularly that which is associated with the abuse of executive power and the violation of human rights.

Notably, while presidents in some countries, such as Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana, have abided by their countries’ two-term limit, others have used legislatures subservient to the president to change their constitutions to allow them to stay in power beyond those two terms, and, in some cases, indefinitely. In addition, these and other recent institutional changes have created conditions that make it very difficult for the opposition to participate competitively in elections.

Presidents that have changed their countries’ constitutions to eliminate the two-term limit include Presidents Gnassingbé (Togo), Museveni (Uganda), Déby (Chad), Biya (Cameroon), Kagame (Rwanda), the late Nkurunziza (Burundi), and el-Sisi (Egypt), just to name a few. Changing the constitution to eliminate term and/or age limits for presidents and allow the incumbent president to unconstitutionally extend his mandate has been referred to as a constitutional coup. It is important to note that relatively weak institutions and the absence of a democratic culture have facilitated the ability of incumbents to manipulate constitutions in the countries named in this paragraph. The hope is that, as the level of democratic development improves in these countries, such constitutional coups will become a rarity.

At the same time, free and frequent elections as a constraint to governmental tyranny are a necessary but not sufficient condition to guarantee and guard liberty. In fact, while elections can help African countries consolidate, deepen, and entrench democracy, they can also pave the way for sustained majoritarian power to the detriment of the minority, as we have seen in countries like Cameroon.

It is important to note that, although elections are critical to the transition of a country from authoritarianism to constitutional democracy, they can also serve as a tool for the survival of authoritarian governments. For example, authoritarian regimes in countries, such as Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea have used elections to legitimize their leaders and remain in power indefinitely.

In each country in the world, groups or factions whose interests may not be in line with those of the country as a whole certainly exist. Indeed, in Africa, one of the most important constraints to democratic consolidation is the violent struggle by various factions, many of which are actually ethnocultural groups, to capture, through elections or other means, the apparatus of government. To combat the abuse of the rights of minorities by majorities—that is, to minimize majoritarian tyranny—a country can create a governmental system in which the people are sovereign but government power and the exercise of it is limited by the constitution, which includes provisions to explicitly protect individual rights, to instill separation of powers through checks and balances, and to enshrine popular sovereignty through elections. However, for such a constitutional democracy to survive and flourish, it must have a “virtuous,” robust, and politically active public, as well as political elites dedicated to maintaining the country’s constitutional institutions.

Importantly, term limits “can facilitate democratization in Africa” and “help push semi-authoritarian countries toward democracy by handicapping incumbents and increasing the chances of democratic turnover from one party to another.” For example, in interviews with high-level Kenyan officials, Dr. Alexander H. Noyes, a political scientist at the Rand Corporation, concluded that Mwai Kibaki’s “intention to step down after his second term was up in 2013 made him more inclined to agree to changes that constrained executive powers—including a new constitution in 2010—than if he was running for reelection.”

According to the African Center for Strategic Studies, since 2015, leaders of 13 African countries have “evaded or overseen the further weakening of term limit restrictions that had been in place.” For example, Alassane Ouattara, who has been president of Côte d’Ivoire since 2011 and who was seemingly barred from standing for the presidency this election cycle by the constitution’s two-term limit, argued in August 2020 that his first two mandates do not count because the limits were created by the constitution that was adopted in 2016, which effectively reset the clock. Although he initially declined to run again, the untimely death of his party’s chosen candidate created a vacuum in which he decided to stand again. The country votes this weekend.

These constitutional coups weaken the role of elections as a democratizing tool. Worse, in some countries (Cameroon or The Gambia, for instance), this circumvention of term limits has contributed significantly to the rise of violent and destructive mobilization by marginalized ethnocultural groups.

WESTERN DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY

Winston Churchill famously criticized democracy as “the worst form of Government”. Indeed people get a voice to shape their political and economic destinies through democratic exercises but in it has many imperfections. The Westminster Democracy has failed to be successful in Africa and critics have argued that it is because it does not speak to the culture of Africans. They suggest the need for an African democracy that speaks to values and cultures of Africans for it to be successful.

However proponents of democracy say that The Western democracy is a good form of government that can lead to socio- economic development if it is given time to develop. They give example of Successful democracy in the developed world and state that it took some countries more than 200 years to achieve successful democracy and therefore Africa should be given the time. The problem however is that Africa continues to languish as underdeveloped under the umbrella of democracy and we really do not have that time to wait and build democracy at the expense of development. Any pragmatic person can assertively say that the democracy that is currently being practiced is a social and economic ill to Africa.

Democracy
Democracy is a political system in which the eligible people (electorates) in any country participate actively in not only determining the kind of people that govern them but actually also participate actively in shaping the policy output of how government is managed (Eze, 1997).

Development refers to an advancement to state that is desired; a better state. People take development to mean change while some see it as advancement, progress or improvement (Ele, 2006).

The desired goal of development is improvement in people’s standards of living through good physical infrastructures such as roads, electricity, water and social infrastructures such as health, education and security services. Development is thus a multi- dimensional process that involves improving the social, economic, political and cultural aspects of people and by extension the environment in an effort to make the development sustainable.

Ali A. Mazrui wrote that democracy has four primary goals. (i.) To make the rulers accountable and answerable for their actions and policies. (ii.) To make the citizens effective participants in choosing those rulers who are in regulating their actions. (iii.) To make the society as open and the economy as transparent as possible. (iv.) To make the social order fundamentally just and equitable to the greatest number possible. Democratic governance is characterized not only by free and fair ballots, but it also entails freedom of speech, association, assembly, opinion and expression. Freedom of the press and mass movements; which enables them to expose decays within society. Rule of law governing accountability and equal justice.

African states today define democracy as:

i. More than one political party competing for election that is a multiparty state.

ii. Regular, fair and free elections to determine real governing power.

iii. Protection of civil and political liberties.

iv. Effective political representation.

v. Independent judicial bodies guided by the rule of law.

vi. Tolerance for opposition parties.

The poor socio-economic and political development in Africa has been attributed to abuse of basic human rights and freedoms, totalitarian rule, inequalities, corruption, ethnicity, tribalism, disregard of rule of law, Impunity, lack of office tenures, poor constitutions, weakened institutions and many other negative aspects. There is therefore need to conduct a comparative analysis of Nations to examine the contribution that the practice of democracy can make towards achieving any state’s overall development.

Correlation between democracy and development.

A country might be termed as ‘democratic’ because of how people participate in electing their leaders but you find that there is no democracy at all in how the elections are conducted in such states. The Western style of democracy adopted has failed to work in African states but has been assumed to be successful. It is a fallacy for one to state that Africans enjoy their democratic right hence they are developed. Adrian (1996) argues democracy can only serve as a framework for realizing development if it is seen as a means to an end and not an end in itself. However, it is indeed rare to find democracy thriving in a state that is economically flawed.

A state with poor electorates usually has leaders elected in a ‘democratic way’ although in real sense democracy was not practiced in the first place. It is a case of the political leaders campaigning by giving the poor handouts to vote for them with the deception of improving their economic situation. In turn the poor person with dire need to get the hand out to buy his basic needs will receive the hand out and eventually vote the political leader; not because he is a deserving leader but because the poor voter is returning a favor. Some researchers argue that socio- economic development leads to democracy while others argue it is democracy that leads to socio- economic development. They are informed by “Lipset thesis” (Lipset 1959; 1963) that explains economic development not only leads to democracy but is also essential for democracy to exist. The cases however vary from country to country.

When you carry a broader comparative analysis you find that in Western and Asian countries, democracy has been a means to an end in the former and an end in itself in the latter. For instance in Central and Eastern Europe, economic failure has acted as a catalyst to bring about democratic change. In others like South Korea and Taiwan, economic success has acted as a catalyst to democracy.

Samarasinghe S.W.R. de A. (1994), ask whether development leads to democracy?

They discuss the multiplicity of paths to democracy such as good governance, depending on the particular circumstances of the country. They conclude by stating it does not always happen.

The concept of democracy is tied to good governance that leads to development. Good governance can help the process of democratization by promoting essential democratic practices such as accountability that helps develop a political culture conducive to democracy. Good governance helps economic development which in turn can help nurture democracy. However according to World Development Report given by The World Bank, in (1991), it’s important to note that economic development can occur both in democratic and non- democratic states.

In Latin America, Peru and Bolivia have performed very poorly in the 1980s under democratic regimes and Chile did exceedingly well under an authoritarian regime. Costa Rica is a democratic state with good record in social welfare and development. South Asia, India, with long-standing democratic regime has had modest economic growth record since independence in 1947. Most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced low economic growth usually under non-democratic regimes. But quite frankly democracy in Africa will not guarantee economic development in Africa because in itself is flawed.

The failure of democratic practice in Africa is due to the fact that we do not really understand what constitutes democracy. We have gone on and on fighting for democracy; we are fighting to attain something we do not understand in the first place. It is therefore important to understand what it means so as to be able to judge whether it has failed to develop Africa or not. Some of the cases that suggest democracy has failed in Africa are the crises of military coups in Mali and Guinea Bissau, the fraudulent presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the recent refusal to concede elections outcome in Gambia by president Yahya Jammeh, the unconstitutional third term candidacy of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, the change of constitution to fit term in office by Rwandan president Paul Kagame, the never ending term of office for Zimbwabwe president Robert Mugabe and the 2007 post- election violence in Kenya. Citing Kenya as an example, the Western democracy of conducting elections has led to more outcries in terms of ethnic violence, poor governance and under development just to state but a few ills

The democratic practice in 2007 elections created a larger rift in social ties which had an impact in the country’s’ Gross domestic product. According to Guibert and Perez-Quiros (2012), over the period 2007-2011, per capita GDP was reduced by an average of 70 USD per year, which amounts to be approximately 5 percent of the 2007 baseline level.

In the disputed 2007 elections, Kenyans went to vote thus exercising their democratic right, the elections were rigged and the whole country turned into chaos. A Western style democracy demands that Democratic decisions be made by a majority vote. If well practiced, it fosters transparency; an important dimension to democracy but it also brings out the aspect of ethnic divisions. The minority positions are usually ignored and the marginalized people might tend to start war with an aim of expressing their views.

Ibe Pascal, is a journalist and writer.

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You Lied, Brother Bath To Farooq Kperogi On The Claim That Tinubu Graduated From Chicago State University

bvichannel1

September 3, 2023

1. On Saturday September 2, 2023, Faroog A. Kperogi published an article on his personal website titled: “Tinubu Definitely graduated from Chicago State University”.

2. In the article he made good effort, as if he was paid to do so, to put forward six-argument points to ‘prove definitively that Bola A Tinubu who is presently Nigeria’s President graduated from CSU. He said he was set out to refute the renewed, systematic dissemination of lies about Tinubu not having graduated from Chicago State University.

3. He started with a statement that would pass for a note bene: “I’m no fan of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, perhaps in anticipation of reactions that he wrote to patronise the man he clearly was set out to patronise as much as he can.

4. Before proceeding with his lines of defense, Farooq noted that Tinubu had lied when he said some years ago that he graduated from the elite highly-ranked privately owned University of Chicago. He noted the Tinubu later withdrew the claim and blamed one Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi for the error. One wonders how the Senator would have filled Tinubu’s form with information not provided by him (Tinubu), or how such a well-read Senator will mistake a CSU for the prestigious University of Chicago. The only thing that made sense was that lied, and when caught, claimed it to be an error, and foisted it on another. Now to Farooq’s points in attempting to prove definitively that Tinubu graduated from CSU.

5. His first argument was that the inexistence of Bola A, Tinubu in the archives of the US College graduation records is not a proof that he never graduated from CSU. Farooq affirmed that Tinubu’s name was not found in the archives because it was misspelt as BOLA A.THUBV. He wrote with so much conviction, presenting how it is possible that an “I” and an “N” written in longhand could be mistaken for a “H” and how a “U” could be mistaken for a “V”. He assumed that Tinubu might have complained about the error, but it was probably too late because the information had been sent to the National Student Clearinghouse. Prof. Kperogi would have made good his point here, if he showed any evidence that Tinubu did complain about the misspelling of his name, but he didn’t, so, his point here is a good effort but far from meaningful evidence.

6. His second argument was perhaps the most porous and unexpected from a man of his statute in learning. Here he referenced an alleged letter from FBI to EFCC in July 2011 that referred to a ‘Bola Tinubo’ having no record in CSU. The point here is that this letter has not been shown to be a certified true copy, and so using it as a basis to refute whatever it is Farooq was trying to refute was effort in futility. This argument makes absolutely no sense as a point for proving ‘definitely’ that Tinubu graduated from CSU.

7. Farooq’s third argument referred to a Southwest College (presently Richard J. Daley College) transcript allegedly belonging to one Bola A. Tinubu who was a female, in which he raised ‘several red flags’. He noted that the social security number in the transcript is an impossible number since it contained 9 digits in 3 parts of 3 digits each (231-060-595) instead of three parts of a 3-digit, a 2 digit and a 4 digit. It is amazing that Farooq who is magnanimous in considering that a THUBV was an erroneous representation of a TINUBU, could not imagine that an SSN of 231-060-595 SSN could have been a mistake of what could have been 231-06-0595 (or so). Prof. Kperogi also noted that the transcript was improperly dated and left the spaces for the date of birth and record of high school blank. What Farooq could have done was to leverage his network of friends as he claimed he did with CSU, to verify this transcript from Southwest College. Unless he can do this, this point is of no use as evidence.

8. As his fourth argument, Farooq defended CSU for locking its Twitter account for what he termed: “response to unremittingly vitriolic denunciations from some Nigerians”. How did the Prof. Kperogi get to this conclusion? He is neither the spokesperson of CSU, nor showed evidence that CSU told him the reason for locking its twitter account. He affirmed that these Nigerians say that CSU’s locking of its twitter account indicates that the school is guilty of issuing fake degree to Tinubu. This could be a figment of Farooq’s imagination as there is no evidence in this regard. Most incriminating, and a good suggestion of the mind of Farooq is his assertion that the quantum of negative attention CSU received were from Nigerians who were still smarting from the outcome of the last Presidential election. Question is: “is Prof. Farooq Kperogi unaware that Nigeria has remained uneasy since the February 25, 2023, Presidential election?” Or is Mr. Kperogi unaware that at least two opposition parties are presently challenging the process and outcome of that election (with overwhelming evidence) in the court. If Farooq Kperogi is ok with the declaration of Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s President (a man he noted lied that he graduated from the University of Chicago), he must respect the right of others who believe that an alleged perjurer among other allegations is a no fit as Nigeria’s president, to have their day in court. This fourth point is more like what is called in Nigeria, ‘a gossip talk’.

9. Farooq’s fifth argument seeking to definitively prove that Tinubu graduated from CSU is that no one should make a big issue of the fact that Tinubu withdrew his earlier claims that he attended primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. He did well to show that a candidate can earn a degree in America without ever attending a secondary school via GED Test. He noted that due to a wide speculation that Tinubu had changed his birth identity and disclaimed all associations with the schools he attended in his actual hometown in Osun State, he may have gained admission into higher institution through GED in Chicago. This Farooq’s argument is more indicting to Tinubu than it seeks to save him, (i) As at 1992 long after his claimed graduation from CSU, Tinubu filled his primary and secondary school in the INEC form. If he had disclaimed his association with his early schools in Nigeria in the 70s in the US, why claim them again in 1992? (ii) Why didn’t he fill his GED in his INEC form? (iii) Also noteworthy is that the primary and secondary schools he claimed he attended were not in Osun State. This argument does not make reasonable sense.

10. Farooq’s final argument to definitively show that Tinubu graduated from CSU relates to Tinubu’s frantic efforts to keep his academic records secret. Farooq educated his readers on the US Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which forbids universities and colleges in the US from disclosing a student’s academic record to a 3rd party without the student’s written permission, but that schools can only confirm directory information as to whether a student graduated from a school or not. Farooq didn’t think that Tinubu should accede to his academic records being released to his political opponents, even if it is just for the pleasure of seeing the opponent squirm in anger and frustration. With his last point Farooq showed no interest with Nigeria’s political wellbeing, and his decided intention to write the article in support of Tinubu’s efforts to make his opponents “squirm in anger and frustration”. If Prof. Kperogi does not wish Nigerians to continue to “squirm in anger and frustration due to Tinubu effects – which clearly and evidently the case, he would rather push efforts to encourage Tinubu to make his academic records available not just to his political opponents but to Nigerians to settle the matter once and for all. More so, considering that by his own admission Tinubu said he had an excellent record at CSU. Who is ashamed of showing excellent records? Farooq’s point is a watery as others.

11. Unless Farooq A. Kperogi was unable to express the intentions of his mind in this article (which is unlikely in view of his learning), then his efforts are not even as good as applying body fillers on rusted material.

Building Under Construction Collapses In Anambra, Kills Builder, Two Sons

Joseph Albert

September 3, 2023

A builder identified as Chizoba Aniefuna and his two sons have lost their lives following the collapse of a storey building with pent house at Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi, Nnewi North LGA of Anambra State.

Also trapped in the building, which was still under construction, was a relative of the builder, who eyewitnesses said was later rescued and rushed to St. Felix Hospital, Nnewi.

When officials of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN; led by the Anambra State Chairman, Engr. Victor Meju, and the Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North LGA, Engr. Chris Obiora arrived at the scene, manual labourers were seen trying to rescue those trapped in the building; as the excavator brought to help broke down at the site.

Addressing journalists after the dead bodies were brought out from the debris, the Anambra State Chairman of COREN, Engr. Meju explained that poor foundation, poor concrete mixture, poor quality of materials, poor wearing cost capacity, nonconformity to standard, non approval from relevant regulatory authorities led to the avoidable tragedy.

He announced seal-off of the collapse site, adding that the owner of the building, Mr. Chukwunafu Anamanjo will be invited for questioning to aid investigation.

Contributing, the Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North LGA, Engr. Obiora called on people to always make use of certified Engineers and other relevant personnel in the building sector, adding that monitoring teams are also important in ensuring that all stick to standard.

The Sectoral Head of COREN in charge of Nnewi and environs, Engr. Arinze Okwuosa, said his team observe a lot of foul plays in the course of carrying out their job, calling for government intervention to forestall future occurrence.
Credit: Joseph Egbeocha

Breaking: Head of Vigilante and Many Others Murdered in Mosque

Queen Madu

September 2, 2023

Suspected bandits have attacked worshippers in a Mosque at Saya-Saya village in Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing seven people.

Five of the victims were gunned down in the mosque, while the remaining two other victims were killed at different locations within the area.

The incident happened around 8pm when the villagers were performing Isha’i (Sunset) prayers at a local mosque, according to local sources.

The village Head, Malam Abdulrahaman Yusuf, confirmed the incident, saying the head of the vigilante in the village was among the victims killed inside the mosque.

We suspected they traced him (vigilante boss) to the mosque to attack him. We were inside the mosque praying when they arrived and started shooting. Five persons were killed at the mosque, while a driver who brought food items to the village was also killed. The other person was killed at a nearby village,” he said.

He said security agencies comprising soldiers and police from Ikara town and Palgore area arrived at the scene around 12:30am, but by then, the bandits had already left the village.

According to him, one of the victims with gunshot wounds was taken to Aminu Kano Hospital for treatment.

He said the village was thrown into confusion.

Contacted, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Uba Sani, Mohammad Lawal Shehu, declined comment, saying he will confirm the issue from the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs.

Acting Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, Mansir Alhassan, who confirmed the incident, said security personnel had been mobilised to nearby bushes to fish out the perpetrators.

According to him, the police and other security agencies were not informed on the attack until after the attackers left the area.

He urged the members of the public to always report suspicious movement within their communities to nearby security agencies at the right time.

(Journalist101)

Bola Tinubu Recalls all Ambassadors of Nigeria

Queen Madu

September 2, 2023

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the recall of all career and non-career ambassadors of Nigeria.

Alkasim Abdulkadir, the media aide to the minister of foreign affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

The minister in the statement said: “Sequel to the inquiries on the letter recalling the Nigerian ambassador to the UK, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has clarified that all career ambassadors and non-career ambassadors have been recalled on the instructions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Ambassadors as representatives of the country serve at the behest of the President and it’s his prerogative to send or recall them from any country,” it added.

The latest development came after the recall of Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Ishola.

Recall that immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, in July 2020, had appointed 41 non-career ambassadors and 42 career ambassadors for Nigeria’s foreign diplomatic missions.

This followed confirmation by the Senate and subsequent deployment as stipulated in section 171(2)(1c) and Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution.

(Journalist101)

FCTA Crushes 400 Impounded Commercial Motorcycles.

Joseph Albert

September 2, 2023

Picture reveals moment the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, commenced crushing of 400 impounded commercial motorcycles.

Human rights lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo; on his Facebook page, described the action as “the height of madness, insensitive, wickedness and hyoocracy.”

See picture:

Igbakwu Community Rejects Police Autopsy Reports On Slain Anambra Chief, Demands Dissolution Of Homicide Teams At State, Zonal Police Commands

Joseph Albert

September 2, 2023

Igbakwu community in Ayamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State has called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to disband the Homicide Investigation Teams at the Criminal Investigation Department of Anambra State Police Command Awka, and that of Zone 13 Police Command Ukpo, also in Anambra State for allegedly mishandling and attempting to cover up the murder of their son, Chief Daniel Mbanefo, aged 70.

The community also rejected autopsy result from the Police command, and appealed to the IGP to constitute an independent investigation team to conduct another autopsy on the corpse of Chief Mbanefo, who was allegedly murdered by a member of the community, Mr. Sunday Uyammadu; said to have been terrorizing the community.

They also called on the police boss to ensure that the independent autopsy on the corpse of the deceased is not obstructed.

Addressing newsmen in Igbakwu through their lawyer, Prince Christopher Muo, the community also called on Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo to direct his Commissioner of Homeland Security to interface with the people of the community and the family of the deceased to arrange on how to provide security for the witnesses who video recorded the alleged murder scene, as well as family members of the deceased, who are now allegedly being threatened by those who killed their father.

The community alleged that the police in Anambra State is desperate to release the suspect, Mr. Uyammadu, wondering what the desperation of the law enforcement agency is, to warrant the release of the suspect, who was video recorded while allegedly committing the crime, more so when the Police has not completed its Investigations.

Narrating the circumstances surrounding death incident, the Igbakwu community said the murder of Chief Mbanefo was the fourth linked to the suspect, Mr Uyammadu, adding that of all the killings, only the third victim survived to tell who attacked him, and that the present case where he was caught on video killing Chief Mbanefo is indisputable.

They said “The Deputy Chairman of Amakolum Age Grade of Igbakwu, which is incidentally the same age grade of the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Prof. Onuora Nwuneli, OON, the first African Professor of Mass Communication, reported a N300 million naira land fraud to the traditional ruler, who promptly stopped it.”

“The age grade went to the ancestral shrine of the community on July 30th 2023, where the deceased and members of the age grade placed an ancestral course on anybody from Eriato village Igbakwu, who will use their community land for fraud or tries to perpetrate fraud the second time.

“The placing of course on any person that will use our land for fraud did not go down well with one of our sons, the suspect who openly threatened late Chief Mbanefo, for pronouncing the course on behalf of the Eriato village members, but we told the suspect that nobody’s name was mentioned when the course was being placed and therefore, not targeted at any particular person.

Continuing, the community said “on July 31st 2023, some members of Igbakwu Vigilante placed distress phone call on the Commandant of Igbakwu Vigilante Group, Mr. Ikechukwu Agbata, informing him that they were doing a video recording of the suspect (name withheld) and seven others killing Chief Mbanefo.”
“The Commandant of the community vigilante quickly ran to the Divisional Police Station at Anaku, where he told the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, what his men just told him over the phone, and the DPO hid him in the Police Station.”

However, unknown to the suspect, Mr. Uyammadu, who has been linked to three earlier assassinations, out of which only one victim survived to tell who attacked him, the vigilante members who saw him killing Chief Mbanefo had sent the video to the Commandant of the community vigilante, who also forwarded it to the Police.

“Shortly after video recording the murder of Chief Mbanefo, the vigilante operatives attempted arrest of those who allegedly killed Chief Mbanefo on his way to his farm in the forest, but to their surprise, some armed men came out from behind and disarmed them, took their phones from them and deleted the video recordings of the murder of Chief Mbanefo, and smashed the faces of their Andriod phones, but did not know that some of the recordings have been sent to the vigilante Commander, who equally sent them to the Police.

“The armed men who disarmed the vigilante operatives had no reason to kill about six of them after killing Chief Mbanefo, and so left them to go, having deleted all recording of the murder incident from their phones.

“Barely one hour after killing Chief Mbanefo, the suspect, accompanied by the same number of people as reported by the vigilante operatives and captured in their video recordings, came to Anaku Divisional Police Station, claiming that he came to give a report that he saw Chief Mbanefo dead in the forest. The police men asked him how he knew the deceased and he replied that they are from the same village.

“The police men also asked him who were the young men he came with, and he replied that they are men who came to work in his farm and the Police asked him, you said these men wearing expensive Canvass shoes worth between N10,000 to N12,000 are the people to work in rice and yam farms in Igbakwu village, he said yes, and the policeman told them to come in and sit down, and immediately had all of them handcuffed.

“The principal suspect protested against his handcuffing, and asked the policeman why they were handcuffing him that came to report that an Igbakwu man was killed, but the Policemen told him not to worry that they will soon show him why he was being handcuffed.

“After handcuffing him, the policemen brought out the community vigilante Commandant where they hid him after he reported the information his men who video recorded the murder gave him, and the Police asked the suspect, do you know this man and he said yes and they told him to call his name and he did, and disclosed that he is the community vigilante Commander.

“The Divisional Crime Officer, DCO, told the suspect that the vigilante Commander had earlier come to the Police station some hours ago and reported that he was seen with some men killing Chief Daniel Mbanefo, and he was recorded, the Police played the video recorded scene to him and he became quiet.

“The police men told him that he was coming to put up a pretence, of which if nobody had seen him and his men committing the heinous crime, what would have happened was Igbakwu people would have started accusing their Omor neighbours of killing their Chief and another community crisis will start.

“The policemen bundled him to the State CID Awka for homicide prosecution, but the suspect who had always boasted that he has members of Nigeria Police in his pay roll, was proved right with an alleged attempts by the CID Awka to release him before the CID in Zone 13 Ukpo took over the matter and also tried to release him, without conducting the autopsy demanded by the Igbakwu community.”

According to the community, “The police in Anambra invited the younger brother to the deceased, Somudi Mbanefo, to come on an agreed date to identify his brothers corpse for autopsy to be conducted and the man arrived 30 minutes before the given time only to be told by an investigating police officer that the autopsy has been conducted and his brother died of heart attack and cardiac arrest, but the community and the family have rejected the report as unacceptable.”

“Apart from trying to cover up the case and set the suspect free, the police in the state also attempted to force the family members to write a dictated undertaking, which says ‘they don’t want case and will not write any petition’, but we as a community have rejected the autopsy report and the undertaking, and are insisting that an independent autopsy be conducted.”

Governor Soludo Meets Importers, Manufacturers, Exporters, Champions Production To Export Initiative

Joseph Albert

September 2, 2023

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has encouraged more investors to channel resources towards production for export.

Governor Soludo was speaking during
a Business Roundtable with manufacturers, importers and exporters in Anambra.

The International Convention Centre, Awka was venue of the event which had the theme; “From Import to Industrialization for Export”.

Governor Soludo said that the roundtable session was organized to ascertain the challenges facing manufacturers, importers and exporters with a view to assisting investors to solve them.

The Governor highlighted his administration’s economic transformation initiative including pharmaceutical processing hub, Export Emporium, Free Trade Zones, Industrial Parks, Leisure Hubs among others.

On the ease of doing business in the state, the Governor revealed that reforms are ongoing in Anambra Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, ANSIPPA to make sure that “multi-doors” are created to eliminate bottlenecks and speed up approval time for investors.

The Governor who said that his administration is already driving production efforts in agriculture, especially engendering a value chain ecosystem around palm and coconut farming, assured that his government is working to reduce processing time for acquiring land Certificate of Occupancy down to 72 hours.

Professor Soludo equally centered discussions on creation of road markings to differentiate red zones from free zones for motorists as a way of checking abuses by ARTMA officials, exploring the possibility of generating power with gas among others.

As a way of projecting Anambra as an investment destination, he promised that by December this year, Upper Iweka will wear a new look and become the safest place by the time the new security measures are introduced.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Industry, Mr. Christian Udechukwu said that the session is in line with Governor Soludo’s vision of transforming the state into one of the biggest industrial, financial, economic, leisure and entertainment hub in the continent, accelerating “Made in Anambra Export Policy Initiatives” to offer the state huge share of the African continental market.

Participants at the event took time to walk the Governor through their challenges including the Monday sit-home, bad roads in and around Onitsha, especially Owerri Road, difficulty in processing VISA, difficulty in procurement of Certificates of Occupancy, insecurity, touting, revival of the Onitsha Seaport, among others, and pleased with government to mount CCTVs at Upper Iweka and other entry points, to encourage investors to come in.

They also advocated the establishment of integrated trade platform, facilitated by the state, provision of incentives for more people to go into industrialization, creation of a contributory scheme for manufacturers for greater impact, among others as the way forward.
Credit: Ejike Abana

Imo Guber: Desist From Using Curses To Manipulate Imolites To Re-elect Uzodimma, BDFCG Warns Mburubu Monarch, Others

Joseph Albert

September 2, 2023

The Biafra De Facto Customary Government (BDFCG) has expressed deep concern over the video circulating on social media; in which the traditional ruler of Mburubu Kingdom, Igwe Emmanuel Mmuonyelu, and other traditional rulers in Orlu zone are seen using curses to intimidate and manipulate their subjects in a bid to root for the re-election of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.

In a statement made available to newsmen, the group said it is disheartening to see the Monarchs, who are supposed to be leaders of their communities, use their influence to promote partisan politics, as well as put their personal interests ahead of the welfare of their people.

BDFCG noted that the traditional rulers were the same people that invited former President Muhammadu Buhari to Orlu and bestowed on him the title of “Nwannedinamba”; at the time his presence in Orlu was a provocation, and called on them to immediately cease and desist from the ignoble acts.

The statement signed by BDFCG Spokesperson, Prosper Odinga, called on people of Orlu zone to reject the divisive and harmful messages of the traditional rulers, urging them to vote their conscience – people who have a proven track record of promoting peace and development in the state.

The statement reads in part:

“The act of laying curses on individuals for their political affiliations not only violates the fundamental democratic principles of freedom of expression and association but also undermines the social fabric of their respective communities.
BDFCG firmly believes in the importance of a fair and inclusive political environment where citizens are free to express their political views without fear of retribution or intimidation. We urge the relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate this condemnable act and take appropriate disciplinary actions against HRM Igwe Mmuonyelu Ogbuzulu and Co.
We also encourage Biafrans and friends of Biafrans living in Imo State to remain vigilant, speak out against any form of abuse of power, and work collectively towards promoting a peaceful and inclusive political environment.
As a De Facto Customary Government dedicated to the restoration of our rich cultural heritage and the principles of democracy, human rights, and good governance, BDFCG remains committed to supporting efforts that uphold the rights and dignity of all citizens in Biafraland. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and advocate for justice, fairness, equity ,good Governance and public accountability.”

Nov.11th Guber Election : Ejiogu Pledges Commitment To Workers’ Welfare, To Pay N80K Minimum Wage

Queen Madu

September 1, 2023

The Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the November Imo Governorship election, Sir Tony Ejiogu has pledged to improve the welfare of Imo workers by increasing the minimum wage to at least 80,000 naira per month while settling pensions and gratuities as and when due.

Ejiogu made this pledge while delivering a speech at the flag-off of his campaign on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State capital, where he also promised to rebuild Imo by tackling insecurity and reviving the economy of the State.

In an emotion-laden stump speech, Ejiogu who went down memory lane and bemoaned the lost glory of the State, said Imo has moved from the Eastern heartland to become the Eastern wasteland over the past three years and promised to tackle the security menace through a potpourri of measures including strengthening law enforcement, and investing significantly in community engagement to identify conflict drivers.

He said it was time to remind Imo people, that “In spite of our past triumphs and legacies, this is a time of great tension between good and evil, progress and retrogression, and a time to choose whether to continue on the path of destruction or begin the process of rebuilding our dear Imo”.

“My first charge in the rebuilding agenda is to make our communities liveable again. From August 2020 to July 2023, our dear Imo state has experienced 209 violent attacks. No fewer than 289 people have lost their lives to those attacks, while about 100 people have been kidnapped and mostly unaccounted for subsequently.

These are not just numbers. They are our sons, daughters, fathers and mothers, cousins and uncles. Who among you today still sleeps with both eyes closed? Who among you today will invite your friends from across the Niger to Imo for your children’s traditional marriage ceremony? These simple gestures that define us are now being threatened by the forces of evil. My priority is to restore security to our dear state so that we may once again enjoy the simple pleasures of life and feel safe while at it,” Ejiogu said.

While lamenting that despite boasting one of the highest literacy rates in the country, Ejiogu decried Imo’s unenviable status as the headquarters of youth unemployment in Nigeria. He, therefore vowed to implement strategic economic reforms and initiatives that will create the enabling environment for private enterprises to thrive and create much-needed jobs, thereby tackling poverty by its roots, while boosting internally generated revenue, IGR by 50% within three years.

The APGA flagbearer, whose candidacy is shaping up to be one of the strongest contenders in the race to the Imo government house in the November election, also promised to pay Imo workers a liveable minimum wage of at least 80,000 naira per month, while settling pension and gratuities as and when due.

Ejiogu also said his economic agenda will feature aggressive reforms of the agricultural sector to tackle food insecurity by harnessing the potential of the sector in the state through his “One-Community-One-Product (OCOP)” initiative, which will enable the state to develop specialty products from communities based on existing comparative advantage.

The former Seminarian said the time has come for all Imo people to shed their inhibitions, forget their differences and “choose to rebuild Imo by voting for the right leadership in the November Governorship election”.

He added, “My stewardship shall remain committed to a purposeful, people-centred, servant leadership that considers our people’s plight and incredible strength in delivering social justice, good governance, and engendering economic prosperity and protection for all. Ndi Imo deserves fresh ideas and initiatives that will set and propel our dear state on a trajectory of peace, growth and limitless prosperity.”

Ejiogu also pledged his commitment to full devolution of powers and the restoration of the local government system by conducting free, fair and credible local government elections upon assumption of office, and allowing them complete financial and operational independence.

(Gisthub24)

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