The Edo State Governor and leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has indicated that the PDP may not sign the Peace Accord today on the grounds that the agency, the Police, responsible for enforcing the accord have, through their actions, shown that they are acting in the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and waging war against the PDP.
Obaseki spoke when he received the Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, who was on a courtesy visit to the Government House in Benin City, the Edo State capital, ahead of the signing of the Peace Accord
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, raised alarm over the deployment of associates of the former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to act as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State and the Edo Commissioner of Police in the lead up to the September 21 governorship election.
The governor, had in a statement he personally signed on September 10, noted that since the commencement of the electioneering process in the State, the steps taken by the Police has shown that they are one-sided.
During his interaction with Abubakar in Benin City, the governor expressed worry that the Police under the manipulation of the APC, has arrested not less than 10 PDP chieftains who they perceived would be strong political opposition to them in the coming election, including the serving Chairman of Esan West Local Government Area, Hon. Collins Aigbogun, who was arrested and whisked to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
He noted that upon learning of the council chairman’s arrest, he reached out to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, asking that due process be followed and that the matter be handled within the State’s jurisdiction, a directive which was flouted, directly undermining his authority as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the State. The governor also noted that the PDP chairman had also written two petitions to the IGP over the harassment of the party leaders, which has not been attended to.
Obaseki therefore queried how one enters a peace accord with an umpire who, from the onset, has shown bias in favor of one of the parties in the election.
The governor also demanded the immediate unconditional release of the PDP chieftains who were arrested in gestapo style by the Police and whisked to secret holding centres, noting that if these PDP leaders were legally arrested, they should be charged to courts in Benin City to answer for whatever infractions they are said to have committed.
According to him, “You are very conversant with the politics of Edo State. You were here in 2020 and we had a very heated election. You know this is an off-circle election and there is a lot of attention.
“Unlike 2020, I am very worried with the developments in the State today. The party met yesterday and we might not likely sign this agreement. This is the first time we are witnessing that the person who is supposed to keep and enforce the peace accord is now an active participant in creating a destructive environment.
“The opposition party in the State, the APC has always argued that they may not be as popular and didn’t win in the last election but however promised to use Federal might to determine the outcome of the election.”
He added: “We thought it’s just rhetoric but in the last four weeks, we’ve had a situation where from the office of the IGP, armed gang policemen have come into Edo State to invade, arrest and take away PDP members.
As we speak there are 10 PDP members arrested and detained in Abuja without a trial. Two days ago, they came to pick up a local government chairman. The Chairman was going back home and was attacked and shot at. We reported and the police asked him to come and give evidence, he came and was arrested. As I speak, he is in Abuja.
“Even if an offense has been committed in Edo State, why will you not charge the offenses and try them here in the State. Why take them to Abuja, are the offenses of high treason? Why not charge them to court?
“The IGP’s office came in, issued a warrant to arrest 60 PDP supporters, driving all our leaders into hiding. My role as the Chief Security Officer of the State is being made nonsense of by the IGP. I heard somebody was arrested and I called the Commissioner to inform him. He said he will come back to me only to hear that he moved the person to Abuja.
“Tell me sir, how can we sign a peace accord in this situation? Clearly, what they are saying is that it’s going to be a violent election and that they are going to use the forces of coercion and intimidation to win elections in Edo whether we like it or not. That is the message. Now that the IGP is in town, we say until everybody arrested is brought back to Edo and be tried here in Edo for whatever offences they have committed, we have no confidence that the police will protect us in Edo State during the Governorship election.”
On his part, the chairman of the PDP in Edo, Aziegbemi, said the party is raising dust over the involvement of Wike’s associates in the election because of the well-documented disagreement between the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and the FCT Minister, Wike, noting that the party sees the involvement of the officials as a recipe for disaster as they share close links with the Minister and are wont to do his bidding before, during and after the elections.
Aziegbemi noted that the Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) is Anugbum Onuoha, who is a former Special Adviser on Lands to the FCT Minister, Wike while he served as Governor, adding that the Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Nemi Edwin-Iwo, a close associate of the FCT Minister, was deployed to the State barely a month ago.
The PDP chair also stressed that the close link between these officials and the Minister means that the election may have been compromised even before it kicked off.
In a statement, Aziegbemi said: “We are worried that the election may have been compromised even before it starts. This is because we are certain that the officials responsible for conducting a free, fair and credible election are close associates of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“The INEC REC in Edo is Wike’s cousin and served as a Special Adviser on Lands to him in Rivers State. Everyone in Nigeria knows the antecedents of Wike and his conduct during elections in Rivers State. So we will not close our eyes and watch him deploy the same tactic in Edo State.
“The current Edo State Commissioner of Police, Nemi Edwin-Iwo, is also a close associate of Wike. We believe he would not act in the best interest of Edo people nor even in the spirit and letters of the electoral act.
“So, it is no wonder that the Police have been acting arbitrarily in the run up to the election. They have been after members and leaders of the PDP in the last few weeks, as a rogue team has been hounding, arresting and whisking PDP leaders away to Abuja in a gestapo style. So, for us, the precedent has been set and we will not sit and watch these men cause chaos in the State in pursuit of personal vendetta.”
*Question: Is Southeast and Igboland the same thing?*
*Answer* : Not at all. Southeast is only about 3/5th of Igboland. Igboland covers the whole of Southeast, parts of Rivers, Delta, Edo, Cross river, Benue, Kogi and Akwa Ibom states.
*Question: Why were we taught in school that Igbo people are easterners?*
*Answer* : It is both an unfortunate parroting by teachers and careless adoption by Igbo educated class. Igbo people come from Southern Nigeria and not Eastern Nigeria. It may be correct to say that the Igbo are found predominantly in eastern Nigeria. However, by saying that the Igbo are easterners, the implication is that the Igbo in western Nigeria, numbering about 2.5 million (Agbor, Ogwashi Ukwu, Ibuzo, Okpanam, Asaba, Orimili, Ndokwa, Anioma, etc) are not Igbos. The best known Igbo anthropologist Professor Mike Onwuejeogwu is from the western part of Nigeria, Chukwuma Nzeogwu, Dennis Osadebe, Okonkwo Adibe (the famous musician), Sony Odogwu, etc. are all from the western part of Nigeria. They are no less Igbo than those who live in the eastern part of Nigeria. The correct answer to your question is “the Igbo come from Southern Nigeria.”
*Question: Why do some Igbo refer to themselves as “core Igbo?”*
*Answer:* That is clearly arrant nonsense. Nobody is core and others peripheral. All Igbo are the same. It is both arrogant, thoughtless and insensitive for anybody to regard others as marginal.
*Question: Is Igboland landlocked?*
*Answer:* Not at all. Igboland stretches from Port Harcourt to Agbor. The Atlantic ocean washes the shores of Igboland at the islands Opobo and Bonny, Africa’s second largest river – River Niger, traverses Igboland with one part of Igboland in the east and another part in the west of Nigeria. Oguta Lake has the potential of accommodating large ships and could be made a navigable port. If Igboland is landlocked, then all Nigeria is landlocked.
*Question: Is there oil in Igboland?*
*Answer:* Yes, indeed. There is a lot of Oil & Gas in Imo, Abia and currently in Anambra states, and Igbo areas in Rivers and Delta States. Besides, Igboland has many other natural resources, including Coal, Iron ore, Limestone, Lead, Zinc, Brine, Glass etc.
*Question: Are the Igbo a nation or a tribe?*
*Answer:* The Igbo are a nation, and a very large one. There are many dialects or tribes in Igbo nation, just like you have many tribes within Israel.
*Question: Why do some Ikwerre people and other non southeastern Igbo say they are not Igbo?*
*Answer:* First, it is not up to them to say what they are and what they are not. When God created them, He did not ask them who they wanted to be. He just created them Igbo. The only way you’ll know who belongs to what ethnic group in Nigeria is the name and what language the name comes from. Anybody whose name is Amadi or Onyeri, or Eke, or Odili, Wanodi (Nwanodi) does not need to tell you who he is. He is Igbo, notwithstanding their politics.
*Question: But they claim that their language is Ikwerre, not Igbo.*
*Answer:* That is politics. Ikwerre is a dialect of Igbo language. Just like an Ngwa man speaks Ngwa Igbo, Arochukwu speaks Arochukwu Igbo, Ika speaks Ika Igbo, Ibani speaks Ibani Igbo etc.
*Question: Some people say that Igbo language is not complete, is it true?*
*Answer:* No language is complete. All languages borrow from each other. Igbo language is very rich. It has inexhaustible and rich linguistic features like idioms, proverbs, aphorisms, sayings, anecdotes, riddles, folklores, etc. Igbo language is one of the major languages of the world, being spoken by millions of people.
*Question: How many are the Igbo?*
*Answer:* The Igbo are very numerous. There is educated guess that if Nigeria’s census is properly enumerated, the Igbo could easily be the largest ethnic group in the country. They may number up to 40 million. Everything right now, is speculation. Nobody knows the true stratification or ethnic populations in Nigeria. The Igbo are the only ethnic group found in large numbers everywhere in Nigeria, and foreign countries more than any other ethnic group in Africa.
*Question: Do the Igbo have a culture of their own?*
*Answer:* Yes, indeed. Igbo culture is perhaps, one of the richest and all-encompassing cultures in this world. Igbo culture always observes the temporal and the spiritual aspects of cosmology. The study of Igbo culture reveals that it is extremely deep and original.
*Question: Why do the Igbo wear Yoruba Agbada and Hausa babban riga but the Yoruba and the Hausa do not ever wear Igbo national dress?*
*Answer* : Unfortunately this is the case. The Igbo have very attractive and resplendent national dresses. And they come in assortments that are extremely dignifying. The Igbo take up foreign cultures more readily than other Nigerians, and they seem not to care that nobody reciprocates their carefree attitude to life. Most ethnics promote their cultures and show off what makes them unique. Actually, it is still the same so-called educated Igbo class who behave in such disgraceful and the devil-may-care attitude.
*Question: Why do the Igbo call themselves Biafrans?*
*Answer:* Great question. Some people have the idea that Biafra originates from the Bight of Biafra. But that is wrong. Biafra was the National name of Igboland given to Igbo by the Portuguese, just as Nigeria was named by the English of Britain. There was the Kingdom of Biafra that ruled most of the ancient subtropical Africa about 50,000 years ago. Unfortunately, nobody talks about it, for whatever reason (maybe because Portugal lost the colony right of Biafra to Britain who buried it, in other to promote Nigeria amalgamation), “I do not know”. But, it is in the ancient maps of the world. If you wish search it in Google.
*Question: Were the Igbo also taken into slavery during the slave trade?*
*Answer:* Yes. The Igbo slaves themselves gave account of their travails in slavery. Olauda Ekwuano an Igbo ex-slave who bought his freedom in Britain was the first slave to write about his experience in slavery. His book has become a classic. You ought to find it and read it. Also, other Igbos who were brought to America revolted and some walked back on water and were said to have returned to Africa. Several books have been written about them. One of such books is “Ibo Landing.” It is available in bookstores like Barnes & Noble. In Haiti, the Igbo settled there and refused to be colonized by anybody. There are many places where the Igbo left their mark or their signature.
*Question: How did the Igbo know days and years?*
*Answer:* The Igbo invented an accurate, if not the most accurate calendar called “Iguafo Igbo (Igbo Calendar).” In Igbo calendar, there are four market days – Eke, Afor, Nkwo, Orie that make one week. Four days make one week, seven weeks make one month, and thirteen months make one year. There are 28 days for each month, with the last month having 29 days. Each month starts the same day as the previous. Igbo calendar forms the perfect astronomical alignment with the cosmos, and regulates the seasons, agriculture, navigation, astrology, geography, mathematics, travel, etc.
*Question: Did the Igbo have their own alphabet?*
*Answer:* Yes, indeed. It is called “Nsibidi.”
*Question: How about mathematics; did the Igbo know mathematics?*
*Answer:* Yes, indeed. There are such inventions as “Okwe” and “Mkpisi” which the Igbo used to resolve figures.
*Question: Did the Igbo know anything about banking?*
*Answer:* Yes. Igbo banking was more in the nature of Savings and Loans. The authentic Igbo savings and loans invention called “Isusu’ in which contributions are pooled each week and one person, who has the need, collects, is still in practice. Igbo slaves took this invention to the Caribbean Islands where they still practise it and call it “Sue Sue.”
*Question: Some people say that Igboland is too small for the Igbo, that they have no alternative than to live as Nigerians: is this true?*
*Answer:* False. Igboland is a large country. Do every Igbo need to stay and work in Igboland? No. Everywhere in the world, some will stay home while others venture abroad in search of opportunities. Igboland is large enough for the Igbo. And it is a very rich and hospitable part of the world. It has rich soil for agriculture, abundant rainfall, good sunshine, and table land in many parts. Its land space and population are more than that of over half of the present countries in the world.
*Question: Where did the Igbo come from?*
*Answer:* That question is still being asked. There are very intriguing theories or histories now being studied. You may have heard of the Jewish angle & the Egypt angle which are connected, and the Origin of man angle. This twenty-first century, hopefully, will resolve the mystery.
The Naira significantly gained against the dollar at the foreign exchange market 24 hours after depreciation.
FMDQ data showed that the naira appreciated to N1,555.75 per dollar on Wednesday from N1637.59 on Tuesday.
This represents an N81 gain against the dollar compared to N1,637.59 exchanged on Tuesday.
Further analysis showed that the Naira’s appreciation on Wednesday surpassed the N57.13 depreciation recorded on the previous day.
Similarly, Dayyabu Ashiru, a Bureau De Change operator in Wuse Zone 4 told DAILY POST that the naira gained to N1650 per dollar on Wednesday compared to N1660 on Tuesday.
“We sell at N1650 per dollar and buy at N1645 on Wednesday”, he said.
This comes as Foreign exchange transaction turnover stood at $221.24 million on Wednesday from $197.37 million on Monday.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it would conduct a thorough medical examination on its president, Joe Ajaero, to ensure his health has not been adversely affected by the detention.
The union also demanded return of his withheld travel documents.
Ajaero was arrested by operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday morning at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja while preparing to board a flight to the United Kingdom for an official assignment.
In a statement by its Deputy President, Adewale Adeyanju, yesterday, the NLC said Ajaero was freed around 11pm, following significant pressure from the Congress and a firm ultimatum from its National Administrative Council (NAC), which had demanded his release by midnight.
The workers’ body applauded Nigerians, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), affiliated groups, and the international community for their overwhelming support during what it termed ‘the recent unlawful arrest and detention of its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.’
NLC praised the unity and solidarity shown in defense of justice and workers’ rights, which it said showed the strength of collective action and the deep connection between the Nigerian populace and the labor movement.
The Congress further condemned Ajoero’s arrest as a severe abuse of power and an attack on the rights of all Nigerian workers and citizens.
The NLC warned against further actions by the government that could undermine the labour movement and stifle legitimate demands, including the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage.
It reiterated calls for the release of citizens detained for participating in #EndBadGovernance protests, cessation of the suppression of dissenting voices,m as well as reversal of recent hikes in petrol and electricity tariffs.
NLC noted that the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled for Tueday has been postponed to assess the situation and determine future actions.
“The NLC will not waver in its duty to defend the rights of workers, and we remain prepared to take all necessary actions to protect these rights and restore justice. The National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC which was proposed for today has therefore been suspended to assess the situation and determine the next steps in our collective struggle.
“We call on all Nigerians, our affiliates, and the international community to remain steadfast and vigilant as we continue this fight. The NLC is committed to ensuring that justice prevails and that the rights of workers and citizens are respected. Together, we will overcome these challenges and secure a better future for all,” the Congress added.
A court order has been obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to freeze N548.6 million (about $670,000 USD) that is believed to be in accounts held by users of the cryptocurrency platforms ByBit and KuCoin.
The Commission alleges these platforms played a role in the recent devaluation of the Nigerian naira.
This case is a part of a bigger push by the Nigerian government to address suspected tax fraud and foreign exchange crimes by foreign cryptocurrency platforms operating within the country. The action was made public in a September 3, 2024 court motion.
The EFCC is specifically accusing ByBit and KuCoin, along with several other unnamed platforms, of enabling “price discovery, confirmation, and market manipulation” that resulted in the naira losing value against other currencies.
“These fluctuations were primarily driven by activities on platforms such as ByBit, KuCoin, and other similar cryptocurrency platforms,” stated EFCC investigator Okoro Philip in his affidavit. He pointed to a sharp drop in the naira’s value on April 18, 2024, when it went from N1,250 to N1,980 to $1 USD on the black market, reversing months of government efforts to stabilise the currency.
According to the EFCC, 22 bank accounts—which are currently frozen—were utilised by certain persons to enable the exchange of naira for USDT, a virtual currency linked to the US dollar, at prices that were harmful to Nigeria’s financial system. These people, according to the Commission, were not allowed to deal in foreign exchange and were instead using sites like KuCoin and ByBit.
“ByBit is a cryptocurrency platform where the exchange of USDT (a digital dollar) to other currencies, including the naira, takes place,” the EFCC stated in its case filing. “One USDT is approximately equivalent to one United States dollar (USD). The exchange rates determined by users of these cryptocurrencies adversely affect the value of the naira by artificially lowering its value.”
The EFCC further alleges that these platforms are being used to launder proceeds of crime and to finance terrorist activities, due to the anonymity they afford users. The agency has requested and received detailed information from banks about the 22 frozen accounts.
This most recent move comes after a prior court ruling, which was granted on April 25, 2024, and which froze 1,146 accounts for ninety days due to comparable claims of illicit financial transactions. The EFCC has brought criminal charges against certain account holders and is still conducting its investigation, even if some of those freezing orders were eventually removed.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced that suspected Lassa fever cases in the country have risen to 7,973, with 982 confirmed cases.
The cases were recorded across 127 Local Government Areas in 28 states between January and August 25, 2024.
Data also showed that 168 deaths (including 17 probable) were recorded, with a case fatality rate of 17.1 per cent.
So far, the report stated that 34 healthcare workers have been affected.
Regarding response activities, the Director General of the center, Dr. Jide Idris, said the agency had conducted the 2024 National Lassa Fever After Action Review workshop, held multispectral Lassa Fever webinar series, and participated in the LF Taskforce Secretariat Meeting with CEPI, among other initiatives .
On the action plan, he added that there had been high-level advocacy to the Governors’ and Commissioners’ Forum to secure necessary political and financial support, as well as to ensure commitment and resources for outbreak response.
Other action plans, according to him, include: “Stepping up Risk Communication and Community Engagement interventions, including broadcasting key prevention messages on radio and TV stations in local languages from September, and sustaining the narrative throughout the peak season. Also, supporting states to conduct operational readiness one month before the outbreak season, and conducting environmental sanitation and deracination exercises in five hotspot states to reduce the rodent population to the barest minimum by October 2024.
“Early deployment of the National Rapid Response Team to support readiness actions and response, and deploying surge staff, including clinicians, laboratorians, IPC specialists, and contact tracers, from October, sustaining interventions throughout the outbreak season.”
He urged Nigerians to take precautionary measures to combat the disease.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted them bail on Wednesday while on the applications filed and argued by lawyers to the 10 protesters, who were charged, by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), with treason, advocate military takeover, among others.
Other conditions to be met by the 10 defendants, according to the judge, is to produce one surety each in like sum, while the sureties must be resident in Abuja.
The judge said each of the sureties must be property owners in Abuja and must deposit documents of the properties with the court in addition to swearing to an affidavit of means.
Justice Nwite added the defendants and the sureties must deposit their international passports and three recent passport photographs with the Court.
The judge restrained the defendants from further participating in any public rally during the pendency of their trial.
He ordered that the defendants remain in custody pending when they are able to meet the conditions set for their bail.
Justice Nwite adjourned till September 27 for the commencement of trial.
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.
