The Presidency has described the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as the Nigerian version of former US President and Republican candidate for the US 2024 election, Donald Trump.
The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, Temitope Ajayi, drew the comparison in a post on social media platform, X on Wednesday.
“Peter Obi is the Nigeria version of Donald Trump. Like Obi, Trump will use the most negative epithets imaginable to describe a country he wants to lead again just to make a point and rile up his base,” he wrote.
This comes following the US presidential debate between Trump and Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Kamala Harris put Donald Trump on the defensive in a fiery televised debate Tuesday, getting under her rival’s skin as they battled for a breakthrough in an agonizingly close US presidential election.
The 2024 US elections are slated to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.
Ajayi added, “Kamala Harris prosecuted Trump very well in their first face to face debate yesterday night. Kamala convincingly won the debate and left no one in doubt about his capacity.
“Vice President Harris knew Trump’s weakness and set traps for him. Trump fell for her baits. Both candidates have been fact-checked on their claims in the debate. While Harris was reported to have made just one incorrect claim, Trump made 33 false claims in the same 90 minutes debate.”
While the duo debated, Trump often responded to Harris’s provocations by repeating conspiracy theories and making false statements regarding the 2020 election and immigration.
Despite being fact-checked by debate moderators, the former president stood by his controversial claims, including the assertion that immigrants were consuming the pets of U.S. residents.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in — they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump said, contradicting the Springfield city manager, who said such accusations had no basis in fact.
In a performance that earned her the endorsement of pop superstar Taylor Swift, the Democrat baited the “extreme” Republican into angry responses on issues ranging from abortion to democracy and foreign policy.
The 59-year-old US vice president managed to knock Trump off his game in their first and only scheduled showdown, which featured a series of bitter personal attacks on both sides.
Trump said afterwards that the ABC News-hosted clash in Philadelphia was his “best debate” but snap polls and commentators said Harris had won, with her campaign quickly challenging him to a second debate in October.
With less than two months until election day, Harris was under pressure to deliver in front of an audience of tens of millions after her sudden rise to the top of the Democratic ticket in place of US President Joe Biden.
She started on the front foot by surprising Trump by approaching him to shake his hand before they took to their lecterns — and then kept the upper hand.
Trump repeatedly raised his voice as he hit back at the vice president on immigration and the economy, branding her a “Marxist” and blaming her for what he said were the failings of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Harris responded by looking on in amusement before declaring that she represents a fresh start after the “mess” of the Trump presidency — and saying: “We’re not going back.”
‘Bunch of lies’
One of their most intense exchanges was on abortion.
Trump insisted that while having pushed for the end of the federal right to abortion, he wanted individual states to make their own policy.
Harris said he was telling a “bunch of lies” and called his policies “insulting to the women of America.”
Another jarring clash came as Trump doubled down on his unprecedented refusal to accept losing to Biden in the 2020 election, before trying to overturn the result.
Harris responded by mocking his catchphrase as a reality TV star, saying that Trump had been “fired by 81 million people” and calling him a threat to democracy.
The former prosecutor pointed out that Trump is a convicted felon, called him “extreme” and said it is “a tragedy” that throughout his career he had used “race to divide the American people.”
The rivals also clashed on foreign policy, with Harris telling Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin would “eat you for lunch” when it came to the war in Ukraine and that world leaders were “laughing” at him.
Trump shot back by accusing Harris of being weak on the war in Gaza, saying she “hated Israel”.
But Harris, who spent five days intensively preparing for the debate, repeatedly managed to needle Trump into finger-jabbing insults and meandering invective.
She elicited an angry response when mocked the size of his trademark rallies, one of his favorite topics, saying that attendees were leaving early out of “exhaustion and boredom.”
Four days before the September 15, 2024, date announced by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to start lifting Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, from the Dangote Refinery, investigations by The PUNCH show that no commercial agreement has been reached to that effect by both parties.
Multiple sources from NNPC and Dangote confirmed on Tuesday that the two oil firms had yet to reach a deal on the quantity and pricing of PMS to be lifted by the national oil company.
On September 5, 2024, the Executive Vice President of Downstream, NNPC, Adedapo Segun, said during a live television programme that the company would lift Dangote petrol on September 15.
He also outlined factors that would determine the price of the commodity, as he stated that foreign exchange rates and market forces would influence the cost of petrol, stressing that the market had been deregulated.
But on Tuesday, government sources close to the development revealed that no paperwork had been signed by both parties for the lifting of petrol from the $20bn Dangote refinery by NNPC from September 15.
They stated that the terms and conditions required for the deal had not been agreed on, stressing that the national oil company may not lift any petrol from Dangote on the announced date.
When told that September 15, 2024, is around the corner and asked whether plans had been concluded for NNPC to lift Dangote petrol from that day, a senior official at Dangote refinery, who spoke to one of our correspondents in confidence due to lack of authorization to speak on the matter, said nothing had been agreed on pricing, and petrol lifting, among other things.
“Right now, no documentation from NNPC and NMDPRA (Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority) on product lifting. Nobody has spoken to us that they want to pick up PMS on September 15.
“For you to come and pick products in five days there must be discussions on pricing and other things, which is the commercial engagement. Of course, there must be an offer and other things, the lawyers will structure the terms and conditions,” the source stated.
On how PMS lifting from the Dangote refinery could be, the official replied, “It will be through the same way that products are imported and put in terminals before being lifted by marketers for distribution across the country.”
Another official at the Federal Minister of Petroleum Resources, corroborated the position of the Dangote source, stating that “nothing concrete has been agreed on right now in terms of petrol lifting, but I believe the process is still ongoing.”
A seasoned business adviser to several companies in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas sectors in Nigeria, Mr Dan Kunle, urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
“The President must act now to address the concerns caused by the issues surrounding the supply of petrol and how this has been fueling the socioeconomic crisis across the country,” he advised.
The spokesperson for the NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, had yet to respond to enquiries on the matter up till when this report was filed on Tuesday night.
Refiners react
Also on Tuesday, the Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria said the Dangote refinery petrol might be cheaper if it gets the necessary concessions from the Federal Government.
CORAN’s comment is coming amid fears that the Dangote petrol may be more expensive when released into the market.
The PUNCH reports that the refinery has yet to roll out its petrol a week after it was unveiled by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.
Marketers had expressed fears that the product from the Dangote refinery may be as high as N1,000/litre considering the current landing cost of petrol.
However, speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, CORAN Publicity Secretary, Eche Idoko, disclosed that there is no way Dangote’s PMS will be more expensive if the government fulfils its promises.
While saying he was not in a position to determine the price, he stated, “There’s no way his fuel will be too expensive if all the other concessions the government has arranged come to bear. So, if those come to bear, definitely his prices will be cheaper.
“The only thing that will make his products more expensive is if he gets the crude on a higher term. That was all we were crying out for the first time. We must have a special pricing arrangement for local refining like it’s done in other places,” he suggested.
The CORAN spokesman advocated that the committee set up by the Federal Government on naira crude sale to local refineries should come up with a report, while the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority will guide on prices.
He also requested, “For those of us who are local refiners, we must be able to create a special pricing arrangement for both feedstock and the refined product that will satisfy the Nigerian people.”
The position of the association, he said, is to make sure members break even in business while producing the quality specification that best serves Nigerians and delivering it at a reasonable price that will satisfy Nigerians.
He told our correspondent that the group was planning to meet with Dangote on pricing.
“By the time we interact with Dangote on his pricing arrangement, we will be able to address him where we deem it necessary and then we will also come out and publicly address the press on that. At this instance, we are yet to do that,” he said.
On the back and forth between the Dangote refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Idoko said refiners were not surprised.
“We are not surprised at what is happening. Usually, when there is going to be a market shift, the incumbents are bound to react,” he noted.
He stressed that discussions are still ongoing and there is nothing concrete yet.
“Because there is nothing concrete and everything is still based on speculations and bickering from both Dangote and NNPC, we don’t want to take a position until the negotiations are completed, especially with the committee set up by the Federal Government to see to the supply of crude in naira is completed and we are properly briefed, then we can give a position.
“But, by way of summary, our position ultimately will be what would be in the interest of, first, the Nigerian people, and then secondly, we would also throw our weight behind people who are seeking to invest in our economy. Those are the two paramount things.
“We always keep telling the government and telling anybody who cares to listen, that the decisions that have to be reached on local refining shouldn’t be done from the lens of one man alone. Dangote means just one out of many of us.
“So, we want the decision of the government to be palatable to even new entrants. So, in this instance, we want to tell the government to actually look at the broader picture of things and not say, ‘We are doing this because of Dangote’. We are doing it because of new entrants that are coming tomorrow,” he stressed.
According to him, refining locally has its advantage over importing products.
“We also want to advise NNPC to be very transparent about it and it’s not the time for politics because people are really suffering,” Idoko mentioned.
On the condition of the NNPC that it would only pick Dangote PMS if it is cheaper, Idoko maintained that the intervention of the Federal Government is still being awaited.
“I know if Dangote gets a special arrangement, they will also sell under that special arrangement for that quantity they are going to be refining. So, a lot is still going on right now. And then as an umbrella association, we don’t want to make any statement until we have seen the actual facts.
“But I think whatever you are seeing in the press is the normal thing that happens between the two parties trying to buy. So everything is done to give you a negotiating advantage. And in this case, playing to the people’s sentiments is key.
“But when it comes to pricing, I know that some compromise will be reached sometime, but our position is that whatever the compromise is, it should be in the overriding interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
“Dangote has not briefed us nor has the committee set up by the Federal Government reverted to us on what had been agreed. We have told them what our intentions are and we have told them what our expectations are and I think Nigerians should just wait patiently for this to be agreed,” he said.
Lecture delivered to the Aladinmma Town Hall Meeting on 30 April 2022 by Barrister Emeka Emekesiri
1. Introduction:
(1) I express my appreciation to the leaders of Aladinmma Town Hall Meeting for extending their invitation to me to deliver this lecture. My name is Emeka John Chigozie Emekesiri. I am a native of Okwara-Unegbu Village, Amucha, Njaba Local Government Area, in the Orlu Senatorial District, Imo State. By professional training and qualifications, I am a Barrister & Solicitor, Estate Surveyor & Valuer, Management Consultant, a Theologian and Minister of God and an Apostle of Jesus Christ. By traditional and customary leadership status in Igboland, I am the Nzeobi II of Okwara-Unegbu in Amucha, Njaba Local Government Area, Imo State.
(2) In the quest for the emancipation of the Igbo Nation, I created and founded five institutions to engage with the Nigerian Government for the freedom of the Igbo Nation by the rule of law, politics and diplomacy. Those five institutions are as follows:
(a) Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
(b) Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra (SCE-IPOB)
(c) Bilie Human Rights Initiative (BHRI)
(d) Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN)
(e) Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra (CG-IPOB)
(3) These institutions started very well and worked by the rule of law and political diplomacy and engaged with the Federal Government of Nigeria in a peaceful and diplomatic way until an evil wind blew and scattered us and seemed to have changed the course and direction of the struggle. However, the struggle continues as we have learnt our lessons the hard way and adopted different strategies.
2. What the Igbo People Want and How to Achieve it
(1) I have been requested to speak on the topic: “Freedom, Development or Presidency- Which Way Forward?” It appears to me that the framers of the question think that the three options (Freedom, Development and Presidency) are mutually exclusive. In other words, they think that we can take one option and forget the others. They are wrong for thinking this way, with due respect. My position is that the Igbo people should actually have the three (Freedom, Development and Presidency) and I will tell you how and why.
(2) In a nutshell, the Igbo people want all the three. They are clamoring for freedom. They are clamoring for development. They are clamoring for an Igbo man to become the President of Nigeria. But the question is whether the Presidency of Nigeria by an Igbo man alone will solve the problem of the Igbo nation. No, I do not think so.
(3) I want to make a prediction regarding the Presidency of Nigeria in 2023. It is very likely that the owners of Nigeria and the international community will concede the presidency to the Igbo Nation in 2023 but will give the position to an Igbo man who they can manipulate and blackmail into submission so that the problem of the Igbo Nation continues! I used the phrase “concede the presidency to the Igbo Nation” because the Igbo people will not be able to win the Presidency under the current Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 unless the other Regions concede it to them. The Constitution and Laws of Nigeria are skewed particularly against the Igbo people to stop them from rising up as a Regional Power.
(4) As I said in the introductory part of this lecture, we have changed our strategies to achieve the type of freedom and development that the Igbo people are yearning for which they really need. We are not confused despite the confusions that have been introduced into the struggle by career freedom fighters who depend on the struggle for their stomach. For this reason, we have activated the second phase of the struggle for the emancipation of the Igbo Nation which we describe as the Autonomous Regional Government of the South East of Nigeria by Devolution of Power also known as the Restructuring of Nigeria into six self-governing autonomous Regions. We are not talking about Biafra now but the Igbo Nation.
(5) On the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999:
(a) Some freedom fighters are of the opinion that the Nigerian Constitution is fraudulent and should be pulled down first before any progress can be made in the emancipation of the Igbo Nation and other ethnic nationalities trapped in Nigeria. Their argument is hinged on the Preamble to the Nigerian Constitution which says that “We the people of Nigeria” made the Constitution which we never made. This is a big lie because we did not make the Nigerian Constitution. It was made by the military and imposed upon us.
(b) In other words, the military people who made the Nigerian Constitution did not obtain the consent of the Nigerian people before promulgating a Decree called the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. Therefore, for making the Constitution without the consent of the people for whom it was made, the Nigerian Constitution lacks legitimacy. This is a good legal argument, although they have not argued the exceptions to the rule of law in making a contract. The Constitution is a social contract and therefore subject to the rules of the law of contract.
(c) They argued that the Constitution is fraudulent, void and invalid for lacking legitimacy and therefore the Nigerian Elections in 2023 should not hold unless the Constitution is first pulled down and replaced by the people’s Constitution. They argued that no amendment by the legislature can save the fraudulent Constitution because it is incurably bad. The legislature itself was the product of the fraudulent Constitution.
(d) I agree with the submission that if an act is void, it is bad and incurably bad and cannot be saved by an amendment. This is the decision of the Court in the case of Macfoy v UAC (1969) 3 All ER 1169 where Lord Denning pronounced the position of the law that “If an act is void, then it is in law a nullity. It is not only bad, but incurably bad. There is no need for an order of the court to set it aside. It is automatically null and void without more ado, though it is sometimes convenient to have the court declare it to be so. And every proceeding which is founded on it is also bad and incurably bad. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stay there. It will collapse.”
(e) If we apply this principle of law in the case of Macfoy v UAC to the Nigerian Constitution without balancing it with the exceptions to the rule of law of contract in contract-making, it means that the Nigerian Constitution is void and a nullity and incurably bad. It means that everything built or established under the Nigerian Constitution must collapse because you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.
(f) Therefore, it means that all the institutions established by the Nigerian Constitution must collapse: the judiciary, the army, the police, the states and local governments, the universities and the certificates awarded by the universities, etc. In effect, there will be anarchy because there is no law holding Nigeria as one country anymore. In such a situation, nobody should talk about Igbo Presidency in the 2023 Election because there is no more Nigeria to conduct an election.
The Rule of Law that validates the Nigerian Constitution
(g) I want to make a very strong legal argument here regarding the Nigerian Constitution as to whether it is fraudulent and invalid or not. My legal argument may offend some people but I must tell you the truth as a lawyer.
(h) The Nigerian Constitution was made without the consent of the people of Nigeria for whom it was made. Therefore, it lacked legitimacy at the time it was made. However, the people of Nigeria accepted it and elected their representatives who went to the National Assembly and RATIFIED the evil Constitution in 1979. It is the same Constitution that has been amended from time to time until now called the 1999 Constitution.
(i) Ratification is the acceptance and adoption by a person of an act done on his behalf by another person who was not his agent and did not have his consent or authorization at the time to do what he did. Ratification gives effect to what a purported agent has done without prior authority of the person for whom it was done. It is retroactive in effect and furnishes the authority that was lacking at the time the contract was made.
(j) Ratification can be express or implied by conduct. If a person creates a contract on your behalf without your consent, and upon knowing what he has done, you accepted some benefits from the contract, you cannot turn around to reject the contract for being made without your consent. You have ratified the contract by enjoying some benefits derived from the contract.
(k) The principle of law of contract by ratification states that “Ratihabitio mandato aequiparatur” (Ratification is equivalent to express command). Once you ratify an act done by somebody on your behalf without your consent, whether you ratify it expressly or by conduct, you have given a retroactive authorization to the person who acted without your consent. This is the law of contract applicable to social contracts which every lawyer knows or ought to know.
(l) Another principle of law is that every law enacted by the parliament remains valid until repealed or set aside by a court of competent jurisdiction; and every order or judgment of the court remains valid until set aside by a higher court. At the moment, no Court of Law has declared the Nigerian Constitution null and void. The Constitution therefore remains valid as the Nigerian law until repealed or set aside.
(m) Yet another principle of public law is encapsulated in the maxim, “salus populi est suprema lex” (the safety of the public is the supreme law). By this principle, all the Judges in the world are required to abstain from pronouncing any judgments that can cause chaos, anarchy and breach of public peace. If any Judge pronounces a judgment declaring the Nigerian Constitution void and a nullity, it means that the judiciary where the Judge is sitting becomes void and every decision of the Court made in the past becomes a nullity. Every institution will collapse. There will no longer be the army, the police, the universities, the states and local governments, etc, because they were all created by the Constitution. There will be anarchy and no Judge will pronounce a judgment that can cause anarchy and breach of public peace.
(n) The Nigerian Constitution is the grundnorm upon which all other laws in Nigeria are founded. Some of the benefits derived by the people from the Nigerian Constitution are the creation of States and Local Governments, the creation of the judiciary, the creation of the police, the army, the universities, the licensing of the banks and other financial institutions, etc. Today, if we recommend that the Degree Certificates of all the graduates from the Universities in Nigeria (whether State or Federal) should be declared invalid, null and void, ab initio, you can imagine the consequences. If we recommend that the Local Governments should be dissolved because they were created under the fraudulent Constitution, many people will never agree that their own Local Governments should be dissolved.
(o) Every Local Government in Nigeria receives not less than N50 million every month from the Federation Account. I am not talking about the States but the Local Governments. What have they done with this money every month? You can see that although the Nigerian Constitution is bad and should be pulled down immediately and replaced with the people’ Constitution, the problem of the Igbo Nation goes beyond the Constitution.
6. The Way Forward:
(1) Putting our House in Order: I have seen that almost every Igbo person who considers himself or herself to be a freedom fighter thinks that he knows it better than the other persons. For this reason, there is rebellion and insubordination in the Igbo National Leadership. It appears impossible to get the Igbo people to agree with one another on the way forward. This is a very difficult problem touching upon the psyche of the Igbo Nation.
(2) When we started the struggle for self-determination by the movement of Indigenous People of Biafra under the leadership of the Supreme Council of Elders headed by His Royal Majesty, His Lordship, the Honourable Justice Eze Ozobu; Dr Dozie Ikedife, Brig Gen Joe Achuzia, and the other Elders, there was a young man who came from MASSOB and joined us. We put him in our Media Department because we believed he was talented in media work. We did not know that he had an ulterior motive. He became recalcitrant and rebellious. He announced on the air that he had dissolved the Council of Elders and declared himself the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra! In his broadcast against any person having a different opinion about the way forward in our liberation struggle, he condemned our legal methodology of self-determination. Let me reproduce the broadcast here:
“Every calamity that has ever befallen the Biafran people in the expired Lugard contraption Flora Shaw named Nigger-area (Nigeria) were perpetrated by those Igbos born outside Biafraland of dubious and questionable parentage. The list is endless right from Dr. Azikiwe to the fool called Ukpabi Asika who I am certain is in hell. Henceforth and in keeping with our oath, all saboteurs will be caught and executed. There will be no mercy, no pardon, no forgiveness. All traitors must die and so too their families. This nonsensical disease of Igbo saboteurs springing up all over the place in the name of having a different opinion on Biafra liberation will no longer be tolerated especially those who claim they are Biafrans but are supporting APC or APC candidates”. (Speaker’s name withheld).
“The best antidote to lies and deceit is TRUTH. The best antidote to treachery and sabotage is death. To all the amateur lawyers experimenting with Biafra independence in Nigeria law court and their shameless deceit your end is near. THIS IS THE PM EDITION OF RADIO BIAFRA LIVE BROADCAST OF 14 JUNE 2014 FROM ENUGU THE CAPITAL CITY OF BIAFRALAND. In this episode: Three questions Bilie APC/BHRI will never answer and which they must be pressured to provide answers are: (1) Why is Bilie APC/BHRI continuing to deceive Biafrans with a court case when there is no recorded case in history where a country got independence through legal method? Ask them to name one country that got freedoms through the courts………Say no to further deceit in the name of Biafra, join the revolution today. Without violence there will be no Biafra. No country won her freedom through legal method. This legal method rubbish is a fraud. No compromise, no retreat, no surrender. Biafra or death!” (Speaker’s name withheld)
(3) From the above statements, it is clear that there is a big problem now because some people do not believe in the use of law, politics and diplomacy for the emancipation of the Igbo nation. The speaker preached that “without violence there will be no Biafra. No country won her freedom through legal method. This legal method rubbish is a fraud”. The legal methodology consists of the use of judicial, political and diplomatic strategies.
(4) At the moment, we have seen the people called Unknown Gun Men who kill anybody in the South East participating in the Nigerian politics. They do not allow any person in the South East to obtain the Voter’s Card (PVC). They are agitating for the freedom of Biafra and say there should be no election in Biafraland.
(5) The irony is that their “Biafraland” is only the five States of the South East Region where they enforce their Monday Sit-At-Home Order. All other States in the South-South Region and other parts of Nigeria where the Igbo people dwell are moving on with their daily lives including Asaba in Delta State. They have threatened to kill any person who comes out for the election in the South East. How then shall those asking for the Igbo Presidency succeed in their quest? These people do not accept other people’s opinion on the way forward for the emancipation of the Igbo Nation. It is either their own way or no other way! This is a big problem.
(6) Message to Unknown Gun Men in Igboland: Putting our House in Order:
(a) The Unknown Gun Men have struck fear into the hearts of the people of the South East. Many Igbo people and businesses have relocated to the South-South, South West and the North to escape from the killings going on in the South East. It is an abomination in Igbo Customs and Traditions for you to kill your own brother who is suffering and fighting the same battle with you instead of killing the common enemy. In a situation of lawlessness as we have in Igboland today, nobody is safe because your enemies can come as “Unknown Gun Men” and kill you in the name of agitating for Biafra.
(b) I therefore appeal to the Unknown Gun Men to stop the killings and allow peace to return to Igboland. There can be no development in Igboland without peace and security. If there is no election in Igboland, the President of Nigeria can activate his emergency powers under Section 305 of the Constitution and impose some retired Army Generals to govern the South East as Military Administrators. Of course, we know that the current President of Nigeria hates us and will not choose the Retired Generals from the South East but will impose upon us some names like Retired Maj General Abdullahi; Retired Lt Col. Muhammadu; Retired Brig Gen Shehu, etc. Then, the South East will be under the Fulani Military Rule. Is this what we want?
(c) I can appreciate the fears of the Unknown Gun Men regarding the power of the law. This is why they hide their faces and describe themselves as Unknown Gun Men. They fear that the law will go after them and catch them if they become known. I would like them to know that they have the right to be represented by any lawyer of their choice who will protect their confidentiality and present their grievances to the appropriate authority. In my capacity as Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and the Solicitor of England & Wales, I promise to secure pardon and amnesty for them if they would accept my plea and stop the killings and allow peace to return to Igboland. They can be redeployed into other aspects of the struggle for our common good and be properly regulated under the law and remunerated.
(d) We must put our house in order and return to the original Igbo foundation and philosophy of life established by our ancestors. We must return to our ancestral foundation of godliness, morality, honesty, integrity, fear of God and respect for elders and constituted authorities in the land. Without orderliness, fear of God and respect for constituted authorities in Igboland, we cannot succeed in our quest for freedom, development, presidency and the general Igbo emancipation.
(7) Critique of the Various Methods:
We have observed three methods being canvassed by freedom fighters which we have summarized as follows:
(a) Group 1: This group said that the only way forward is to first of all pull down the Nigerian Constitution before anything can be done.
The question for this group is: “How will they pull down the Nigerian Constitution”?
(b) Group 2: This group said that violence is the only language that Nigeria understands and therefore without violence there can be no freedom.
The question for this group is: “How do they intend to prosecute a war with Nigeria and her international allies such as Great Britain, Russia, China, etc, which have invested heavily in Nigeria and signed defence treaties with Nigeria”?
(c) Group 3: This group believes that by the use of the legal methodology consisting of judicial, political and diplomatic strategies, they can achieve self-determination.
The question for this group is: “How will they achieve freedom through the use of law, politics and diplomacy in a corrupt country like Nigeria where the votes are rigged and the High Court Judges are easily bribed”?
(8) I am not able to speak for the 1st and 2nd groups because I do not believe in their method. They will speak for themselves. I will rather speak for the 3rd group where I belong:
The question is “how do we intend to achieve freedom, development and the presidency through the legal methodology consisting of the use of law, politics and diplomacy in a corrupt country like Nigeria where the votes are rigged and the High Court Judges are easily bribed”?
(9) In the introductory part of this lecture, I said that we had activated the second phase of the struggle for the emancipation of the Igbo Nation. We describe it as Devolution of Power by Restructuring Nigeria into 6 autonomous Regions in accordance with the existing 6 geopolitical Regions.
(10) Before we embarked upon this journey for Devolution of Power by way of Restructuring of Nigeria, we met and discussed with the Governments of various powerful countries in the International Community which have invested heavily in Nigeria because we know that any decision that affects Nigeria must be discussed with those who have interests in Nigeria. This is based on the spiritual principle stated by the Lord Jesus Christ that where a man’s treasures are, that is where his heart will be. One of such countries we discussed with is the Great Britain. We presented our Memorandum to the British Government and adopted the British Model of Many-Nations-in-One-Nation where they have Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 4 autonomous nations in one Great Britain. We shall also divide Nigeria into 6 nations in one country. This is why we have the 6 geopolitical Regions today. The Regions shall become autonomous. This is the Igbo Master Plan drawn in 1994 and approved by General Abacha at the 1995 Constitutional Conference.
(11) The British Government accepted our proposal and helped us to lobby the Nigerian Government to include Devolution of Power and Restructuring of the country on the list of items for the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution. We presented our Memorandum to the Nigerian Senate during the Senate Public Hearing on 26th and 27th May 2021. We appeared before the Nigerian Senate as Biafran Agitators and they received us. The Senate Committee did not arrest us for describing ourselves as Biafrans in Nigeria. All the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria have agreed with us that Devolution of Power to the 6 Regions is the best solution to the Nigerian problem at the moment. This is where we are going and we shall get there. The process has just begun.
(12) Politics and Self-Determination: Some people have said that if we participate in the Nigerian politics and achieve the Presidency of Nigeria, we shall forget our struggle for self-determination. This is a wrong thinking. I have already said that the problem of the Igbo Nation is neither the Presidency nor the Constitution of Nigeria.
(13) We have an example from the Great Britain where Mr Gordon Brown from Scotland was the Prime Minister of the Great Britain from 2007 to 2010 but the Scottish people still continued to agitate for their total independence despite being a Regional Government. Therefore, the Presidency of Nigeria by an Igbo man will not stop us from agitating for total freedom of the Igbo Nation by the rule of law and political diplomacy.
7. Conclusion:
In concluding this lecture, I would like to say that the struggle for the emancipation of the Igbo Nation is a teamwork. Everybody must be involved: our politicians, community leaders, lawyers, civil servants, teachers, all professionals, businessmen, men, women, the youth and children. At the moment, we are talking about the emancipation of the Igbo Nation and not Biafra. We must put our house in order first. This is why we are agitating for Regional Government by Devolution of Power to the 6 geopolitical regions in Nigeria to become 6 countries in one Great Nigeria just like we have 4 countries in one Great Britain. This is the current stage of our freedom movement. The pertinent questions now are these:
(a) Will the South East Region be able to govern itself now that insecurity and anarchy have enveloped the Region?
(b) Will the South East be able to participate in the election to achieve the Presidency of Nigeria in 2023 now that the Unknown Gun Men are killing anyone who participates in the Nigerian politics?
My answers to the two questions are in the negative. Therefore, the Igbo Nation needs the co-operation of everybody including the Unknown Gun Men to achieve freedom, development and presidency. This is a team work. Emeka Emekesiri and his group cannot achieve it alone.
Thank you for listening to me.
EMEKA EMEKESIRI, ESQ.
(IPOB FOUNDER AND VISION BEARER)
Nzeobi II of Okwara-Unegbu, Amucha Ohonya, Imo State.
Brief Profile of Emeka Emekesiri
Emeka Chigozie Emekesiri, Esq. (formerly called Emeka Adolf Chigozie Emeka), is a Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Solicitor of England & Wales, Registered Estate Surveyor & Valuer, Professional Management Consultant, Theologian, Minister of God and Founder of Christ The Rock Community. He was trained at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus; Imo State University Owerri; Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt; Royal Theological Seminary Aba; Charisma University, Turks & Caicos Islands, British Overseas Territory; and the University of Law, London, United Kingdom.
He is a member of the Law Society of England & Wales; Member of the Nigerian Bar Association; Member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers; Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management; Member of the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy.
He is versatile and multi-talented: the first Estate Surveyor & Valuer in Africa to invent new concepts and mathematical formulae in Valuation Science called Mekadolf Formulae; the first Valuation Scientist in the world to invent the Dutiable Value (DV) Formula for computation of stamp duties, estate duties and capital gains tax; the first Valuation Scientist in the world to invent the Life Productivity Value (LPV) Formula to assess the value of the life of a human being killed or injured by accident for compensation purposes.
His Formulae have been approved by the Estate Surveyors & Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and made compulsory in all the Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics for the study of Estate Surveying & Valuation.
In his work on “The Road Map to Peace and Development in the Niger Delta” presented to the Nigerian Government in 2006, he created the formula that formed the basis of the Petroleum Industry Bill which has been passed into law by the National Assembly. He is the Principal of the Law Firm in London called Jaycee Gold Solicitors which can be found at www.jayceegold.com and the Law Firm in Nigeria called Mekadolf Chambers.
Other Works & Inventions of Emeka Chigozie Emekesiri, Esq
His works and inventions include:
1. Mekadolf Formulae for the Control and Regulation of Real Estate Practice: The Valuation Approach. Published 1999 & 2015: ISBN 978 – 027 – 688 – 2
2. Deliverance of African Christians, Published 2001: ISBN 978-027-687-4
3. The Road Map to Peace and Development in the Niger Delta: (Research Work Published in 2006 and Submitted to the Federal Government of Nigeria which formed the Basis of the Petroleum Industry Bill to resolve the Niger Delta Crisis in Nigeria)
4. Biafra or Nigerian Presidency- What the Ibos Want: Published 2012: ISBN: 978-0-9573250-0-5, available on the Amazon Bookshop.
At least three people were killed and five others injured when unidentified gunmen attacked the Isionye community, which borders Enugu Ukwu and Nawfia in the Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Reports indicate that the armed assailants, disguised as land buyers, lured their victims to the site before launching their brutal attack.
Local sources revealed that the incident occurred late Monday evening, sending shockwaves through the community as multiple gunshots rang out.
One eyewitness recounted, “Unidentified gunmen invaded our community in Enugu Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government, this evening, killing several people. They arrived in a Sienna vehicle, posing as potential land buyers.
“None of us sensed the danger until they drew their weapons and began firing. Those who had escorted them to the land were shot, and many residents who panicked and ran were wounded by the gunfire.”
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, Anambra State Police spokesman Superintendent Tochukwu Ikenga stated that police had recovered the vehicle abandoned by the attackers and were actively investigating the incident.
Ikenga said, “The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Itam, has ordered an investigation into the murder of three individuals and the serious injury of five others on Monday, September 9, 2024, at 2 p.m. on Isionye land, near the boundary between Enugu Ukwu and Nawfia.
“Preliminary reports suggest that the victims were deceived into coming to the land under the pretense of a real estate transaction before being assaulted with firearms and machetes.
“The Commissioner of Police has urged the community to remain calm as police operatives work to identify the killers.
“The testimony of the injured victims, who are currently receiving medical treatment, is aiding the investigation, while the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the morgue.
“Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.”
The Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the last general election, Mr. Peter Obi, and Governor of Abia State, Mr. Alex Otti, have written to the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to notify the regulatory body of the setting up of a 29-member caretaker committee to organise the party ‘s Congresses and National Convention within a period not exceeding 180 days.
The letter, which was dated September 6, 2024 and signed by Obi and Otti, also informed the INEC chairman of the leadership crisis in the party.
The letter formally unveiled the names of the 29-member caretaker committee.
In the letter, Obi and Otti, who convened the September 4 expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, where the committee was set up, stated: “You will recall that Labour Party had had a leadership crisis in recent times culminating in the de-recognition of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) by INEC effective June 2024. This is sequel to the settlement brokered by INEC on June 27, 2022.”
The letter said the settlement was founded on the consent court judgement by Justice Gabriel Kolawole on March 20, 2018.
“A major part of the settlement states that an all-inclusive national convention, preceded by ward, local government and state congresses shall be convened not later than one year after signing the terms of settlement,” the letter said.
It added that because of the 2023 general election, the implementation of the agreement was deferred by one year to 2024.
Obi and Otti stated in the letter, “By March 2024, the Abure-led NWC organised a convention at Nnewi without first organising Ward, Local Government and State congresses. This fell short of the standards and the spirit of the terms of settlement as stated above. In the light of all these, a leadership vacuum arose in the party. In like manner, the National Executive Committee membership got depleted leaving less than 10 members standing.”
The letter explained, “Given the above scenario, the statutory executives of the party made up of the governor, deputy governor, and legislators, in addition to all surviving members of NEC, the leadership of organised labour, representatives of governorship candidates in the 2023 election and subsequent ones, presidential and vice presidential candidates in the 2023 election and other party leaders, met in Umuahia, Abia State, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 and set up a caretaker committee to organise congresses and the national convention within a period not exceeding 180 days to fill the vacuum created by the expiration of the tenure of the erstwhile leadership of the party at all levels.”
Obi and Otti also informed the INEC chairman that Senator Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha were appointed by the stakeholders’ meeting as Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of the party’s caretaker committee.
The letter also listed other members of the committee representing critical stakeholders of the party.
They included representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, and Comrade Chris Uyot.
According to the letter, the Senate is being represented by Senators Victor Umeh, Neda Imasuen, and Ireti Kingibe, while the House of Representatives is represented by Hon. Afam Ogene, Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, Hon. Sunday Umeha, Hon. Donatus Matthew, and Hon. Esosa Iyawe
The former Governorship candidates of the party were represented by Ken Pela (Delta), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Lagos), Jonathan Asake (Kaduna), and Edward Pwajok (Plateau).
The members of the State Houses of Assembly in the Caretaker Committee included Hon. Edosa Richard, Hon. Harrison Oghara, Hon. Augustine Okezie, and Hon. Clinton Amadi.
Representatives of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the committee were Mohammed Misau, Austin Jonah, and Sansa Omalara.
According to the letter, the other members of the caretaker committee are Edwin Bafte Sajo, Nike Oshola, Aishat Madijiem, Ugoeze Caroline Onwubiko, and Dominic Essien.
Leaders and indigenes of Enugwu-Ukwu community in Njikoka local government area of Anambra state, have called on the state government to urgently investigate the killing of some of its indigenes by men allegedly sponsored by unknown individuals from Nawfia, a neighbouring community, also in Njikoka.
Ambassador Elijah Onyeagba, Nigeria’s immediate past Ambassador to Burundi and a cabinet member in the community said that the whole town is in shock and mourning over the brutal violence meted out to some of their kinsmen.
“It was in the afternoon of Monday, 9th September 2024, that news went round the community of the killing of some of our brothers. It was reported that the men were lured via phone calls to Agu Isionye land belonging to Enugwu-Ukwu and were each executed gangland style. Enugwu-Ukwu is currently deliberating on this. Our President – General has already informed the state government. The police authorities at Zone 13, Ukpo, Dunukofia local government have also been informed. Urgent action is required to avert escalation of the crises”.
A youth leader in the community, Emeka Okonkwo said that Nawfia people in doing this have thrown away their Umunri brotherhood bond. “How can supposed brothers kill one another? This is an abomination.Some of the survivors with bullet wounds are being conveyed to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi as we speak. Do you think that we will forget this easily?”, Okonkwo asked.
Another youth from Enugwu-Ukwu Boniface Okafor said that Enugwu-Ukwu youths are meeting to discuss their next line of action. “We will not take the law into our hands but we expect that the government and police should urgently engage with the two communities. Those that committed these atrocities should be punished and the necessary traditional sacrifices made”.
A viral voice note from a supposed Nawfia indigene wondered why the ugly occurrences of Monday, 9th September, 2024, was not being shared on major Nawfia WhatsApp platforms. He wondered if this signified general support by Nawfia community for the gruesome murders of their Umunri kinsmen. The indivisible cautioned members of the community to be vigilant as he feared reprisals and asked those who can to leave the community immediately.
Cristiano Ronaldo reached another extraordinary milestone in his career on Thursday, scoring his 900th goal during Portugal’s Nations League match against Croatia. The 39-year-old forward netted his 131st goal for his country, bringing the score to 2-0, and marked the moment with an emotional celebration, dropping to his knees by the corner flag in tears.
Ronaldo’s illustrious career spans multiple top-tier clubs, including Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and currently Al-Nassr. His journey began on October 7, 2002, when, at just 17, he scored his first competitive goals for Sporting Lisbon in a 3-0 win against Moreirense. He has since become the leading scorer in men’s football at the highest levels, having surpassed 800 official goals during his second spell at Manchester United.
At Real Madrid, Ronaldo cemented his place as one of football’s greatest, scoring 450 goals in just 438 appearances over nine seasons. His stints at Juventus and his return to Manchester United saw him add 101 and 27 goals, respectively, before joining Al-Nassr, where he has already netted 68 goals.
While there is no official global record of the top goal scorers in men’s football, Ronaldo leads the chart for official games. Rival claims by Brazil’s Pele and Romario suggest they scored over 1,000 goals, but those include friendlies. According to the RSSSF, Pele scored 778 goals, while Romario tallied 785. Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s long-time competitor, has scored 867 goals so far.
Despite being 39, Ronaldo remains determined to reach the 1,000-goal milestone, a feat he believes is possible within the next few years if he stays injury-free. “I want to reach 1,000 goals,” he said in a recent interview with Rio Ferdinand. “If I don’t have any injuries, this for me is the most important (thing), I want that.”
With his incredible work ethic and love for the game, Ronaldo continues to chase records, inspiring generations of football fans worldwide.
Prisoner holding metal cage in jail, no freedom concept
A United States Court has sentenced two Nigerian siblings to 17 years and six months in prison over sextortion.
Aside from the 17 years and six months, the two convicts, Samuel Ogoshi, 24, and his brother, Samson Ogoshi, 21, from Lagos, Nigeria, would also undergo five years of supervised release.
The two brothers were extradited to the US to be tried on charges of conspiring to sexually exploit multiple minors.
Their scheme led to the death of a 17-year-old high school student, the US Justice Department said in its announcement of the judgment on its Facebook page on Thursday.
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The victim, Jordan DeMay, was a male school student in the state of Michigan.
Aside from DeMay, the Ogochi brothers were said to have exploited more than 100 victims, including 11 minors.
“These defendants sexually exploited and extorted more than 100 victims, including at least 11 minors, resulting in the tragic death of a 17-year-old high school student,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the same Facebook post.
Also reacting to the judgment, US Attorney Mark Totten for the Western District of Michigan, said, “To criminals who commit these schemes: you are not immune from justice. We will track you down and hold you accountable, even if we have to go halfway around the world to do so,”
According to the details shared on its Facebook post, the Ogoshi brothers used hacked social media accounts to create fake profiles.
They also conducted online research about their victims to learn where they lived, attended school, worked, and the identities of their family and friends.
After their research, they solicited their minor victims to produce sexually explicit images of themselves, and once they received the images, they created a collage of pictures that included the sexually explicit image with other images of the victim and their school, family, and friends.
The Ogoshi brothers threatened to disclose the collages to the family, friends, and classmates of the victim unless the victim agreed to pay money using online cash applications.
The Ogoshi brothers were charged in November 2022 alongside Ezekiel Robert, also a Nigerian national, in connection with the sextortion scheme that led to DeMay’s death.
They were extradited to the US in August 2023 and pled guilty in April.
The third Nigerian Robert’s extradition is pending following an appeal in his home country.
The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified that the ministry has not stopped students who are not up to 18 years old from writing the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council exams.
The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, made the clarification in Abuja on Friday while fielding questions from journalists at an event to mark the 2024 International Literacy Day.
Sununu said that the public misconception and misinterpretation of what was said by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, was highly disappointing.
He said that the minister was speaking on the 18 years of entry age into the tertiary institutions as was practiced in the 6:3:3:4 system of education.
“We have agreed that we are going to consider it as a work-in-progress. The National Assembly is working and we are also working.
“It was shocking to say that a university in this country gave admission to children at ages 10, 11 and 12 years. This is totally wrong.
“We are not saying that there are no exceptions, we know we can have talented students that have the IQ of an adult even at age 6 and 7, but these are very few.
“There must be a rule, and the ministry is looking at developing a guideline on how to identify a talented child so that parents don’t say we are blocking their children’s chances.
“Nobody said no child will write WAEC, NECO or any other examination unless at age 18. This is a misconception and misrepresentation of what we have said,” he said.
Speaking on International Literacy Day, Sununu underscored the critical role of literacy in fostering mutual understanding, peace and socio-economic development.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing literacy challenges through the Education for Renewed Hope roadmap (2024-2027).
He highlighted youth and adult literacy as key components while emphasizing the importance of using learners’ mother tongues as a medium of instruction.
“We must focus on the role of a learner’s first language in becoming literate, which will foster mutual understanding and peace,” he added.
He also emphasized the need for well-trained educators who should be equipped to teach in local languages, as well as the development of follow-up reading materials in these languages.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education, Prof. Simon Akpama, reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to integrating multilingual education into schools’ literacy programmes.
“In an increasingly interconnected world, multilingual education is not just a necessity, it is a tool for fostering peace and cultural respect,” he said.
Meanwhile, UNESCO’s Country Representative, Mr Diallo Abdourahamane, re-echoed that literacy remained a fundamental human right, hence the need to create a just, peaceful and sustainable society.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the ILD which is celebrated annually on Sept. 8, is aimed at highlighting the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace.”
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians by immediately reversing the hike in prices of petrol.
NMA’s Lagos chapter in a statement signed by its chairman, Saheed Kehinde, warned that the recent hike in petrol prices would exacerbate depression rates, hospital admissions related to stress-induced medical conditions, social unrest, and even mortality among Nigerians.
The body expressed concern over the sudden increase in petrol prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), describing it as a “unilateral decision” that imposes further hardship on Nigerians.
The statement reads in part: “This unilateral decision has imposed further unbearable hardship on Nigerians, including our members, medical and dental doctors, who are already grappling with severe economic challenges and insecurity.
“Many of these members are being forced to leave the country in droves due to the dismal economic situation, and this recent development will only exacerbate the already dire circumstances they face”.
On Tuesday, PREMIUM TIMES reported that NNPC retail outlets adjusted the pump price to N855 and N897 per litre, depending on the location, from the previous N568 and N617. Others have also adjusted their pump prices, in some instances above N900 per litre.
‘Impossible to cope’
The doctors further lamented that it is nearly impossible for doctors who earn an average of $300 per month to cope with the development.
“How can we rationalize a situation where doctors, who earn an average of $300 per month, are expected to navigate such astronomical increases in the cost of living?
“The recent hike in PMS prices has only worsened an already unsustainable economic reality for healthcare professionals, and indeed all Nigerians, making it nearly impossible for them to cope,” the association noted.
It added that reversing the fuel price will “provide much-needed relief to our members and the general public, who are already struggling under the weight of the recent removal of petrol subsidies, escalating inflation, rampant insecurity, high electricity tariffs, and excessive taxation on wages.”
Need for self sufficiency
The association also advised the Nigerian government to review its economic policies, move towards self-sufficiency in petroleum products, and address persistent insecurity to create a stable environment for economic growth.
The statement further noted: “Furthermore, instead of continually burdening the populace with rising fuel prices, we strongly advise the Federal Government to rethink its economic policies. It is high time Nigeria moved towards self-sufficiency in the production of petroleum products, including PMS.
“We urge the government to expedite efforts to end the importation of petrol and focus on revitalizing our local refineries.
“Additionally, addressing the persistent insecurity in the country must be a top priority if we are to create a stable environment, conducive for economic growth and reduce the ever-widening gap of hardship and poverty among Nigerians.
“The NMA Lagos State stands firm in its commitment to advocating for the well-being of all our members, who continue to provide essential healthcare services under increasingly difficult conditions.”
