Niger Delta Avengers: Britain cautions FG over military option

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, His Excellency, Paul Arkwright, on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, cautioned the Federal Government over military option as a measure to tackle the resurgence of militancy and other criminality in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. TheBritish High Commissioner stated this during an interview in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, shortly after his courtesy visit to the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo. Arkwright who arrived the Ake Palace at 11am was accompanied by political Counsellor, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Dr Emeka Anyioku, also advocated for dialogue as part of a comprehensive approach that should be adopted by Nigerian government to address the situation, adding that force alone may not bring about a lasting solution to the Niger Delta issue. Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), an armed militant group, and other violent youth organisations have been launching violent attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta area. This action has forced the Federal Government to respond by deploying troops to the area’s creeks to stop the alleged destruction of national economic assets and spate of sabotage being perpetrated there by the region’s restive youths. While speaking with newsmen, Arkwright said though, there is the need to protect the investments, not just the British companies and international companies operating there, but also Nigerian companies from acts of criminality going – on in the region, the military should tread softly. He noted that Britain is already talking to Nigerian government and its authorities on need to take a “comprehensive approach” and not to rely solely on military option as solution to the Niger Delta militants. According to him, it is important that the Nigerian government explores ways to engage the communities in the area, understand the grievances of the people and also ensure that the environmental damage is cleaned up. He also suggested that same option should be applied to conclude the fight against Boko haram terrorists in the North East of the country as being canvassed ever since by Britain. “We need to protect the investment there, not just British companies, international companies but Nigerian companies as well. “We are talking to Nigerian authorities about that, we need to have what we called a comprehensive approach to this; in other words we need to have dialogue and we need to engage the communities down there. “We need to understand the grievances of the people down there. We need to ensure the environmental damage is cleaned up. “We need to protect the investment there, not just British companies, international companies but Nigerian companies as well. “When there is criminal activity, (it) is right that the government should take proactive action against that criminal activity, we strongly support them but we don’t think military solution alone is the final solution to handle issues in Niger Delta. “And to handle Boko Haram in the North, so we need comprehensive approach and that is what we have been talking to the Nigerian government about. “I was very encouraged to hear Hon Minister Ike Chukwu say about the need for dialogue and we are certainly looking to see what we can do to help in dialogue and bring peaceful outcome to what you say is economic threat to this country.” While speaking on the looted fund stashed in British banks, the British High Commissioner assured that Britain is committed to her intention to return all looted funds from Nigeria back to the country. He said his country would follow the rule of law and also wait for the judiciary to take a decision on the matter before the loots could be re – directed to Nigeria, its “rightful place.” He said: “President Mohammadu Buhari made the same point when he was in London for Anti Corruption summit which my Prime Minister setup we need international action to fight corruption. “We need all the looted funds around the world, including United Kingdom to return to rightful place which is Nigeria, United Kingdom is doing everything we can to ensure that those funds are return to Nigeria. “We have no interest, no intention of keeping the money, we want it to go back to Nigeria, full stop.The issues is that you will understand that United Kingdom just like Nigeria, is a country which respect the rule of law. “We have independent judicial process, that judicial process need to run it course and we are doing what we can to help accelerate the return of the funds, if there are delays and issues surrounding that, these are delays related to judicial process. ” And have nothing to do with political will of the British government which my Prime Minister has made it clear and as i have said in the past Umited Kingdom wishes that the funds is return as soon as possible.” Meanwhile, the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo has called for the resuscitation of the British Council Library in his domain as part of contribution of the United Kingdom educational development in the area. The traditional ruler recalled that the Library which has been in the town, has contributed immensely to the reading and learning culture among the young and the old. He however, lamented that the extinction of the library had brought education development backwards. He said “We want to request that as you go back, the British Council Library be restored so that the young one can learn more about the world. The monarch recalled that there had been an aged long relationship between Egba and the British, which was dated back to 1843, through Henry Townsend, “who brought a new Bible in 1904, after the first one got burnt. It was that period that we “Treaty of Friendship” by Egba United Government. Oba Adedotun added “in 1906, the British facilitated Electricity supply into Egba and it also included four key areas of monarchical form of government, education (western), military and cultural link. “During the military, we have some friends including France, British who gave us the wherewithal and logistic supports to win the battle in 1830. In education, you allowed us to produce the first medical doctor and engineer.”

Supreme Court upholds election of Akwa-Ibom Gov, Emmanuel Udom

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the election of Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state. The apex court in its ruling set aside appeal court judgement which cancelled elections in all 33 Local Government Area of the State, calling for a re-run. You may recall that Udom headed to the Supreme Court soon after the lower court ruling last year. The supreme court has upheld the election of Emmanuel Udom as governor of Akwa Ibom state. The apex court held that Udom’s appeal challenging the decision of the appeal court, which sacked him, was “meritorious.” The court affirmed the declaration of Udom as the winner of the April 11 governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It said it would advance reasons for its decision on February 15. The Akwa Ibom state governorship election petition tribunal had ordered a rerun election in 18 local government areas of the state. But Umana Okon Umana, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenged the decision of the tribunal on the grounds that the April 11 governorship election in the state should have been cancelled, owing to wanton irregularities. In December 2015, the appeal court gave judgment in Umana’s favour, cancelling the entire election; and it directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold a fresh one in the state within 90 days. But Udom went to the apex court to challenge the decision of the lower court. He asked the Supreme Court to set aside the judgments of the lower courts for being “perverse.”

Fayose, Wike Travel Ban: Don’t Plunge Nigeria Into Civil War - PDP Warns Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Osun state chapter, yesterday warned President Mohammadu Buhari against act capable of plunging the country in to civil war, saying tampering with the constitutionally-guaranteed immunity of governors would spell doom for the country. The party, in a statement issued in Osogbo by its Director of Research, Publicity and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi, urged the President to immediately drop plans to impose travel ban on Governors of Ekiti and Rivers, Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose, saying there was nothing done to Buhari by the duo that Rauf Aregbesola of Osun did not do to Goodluck Jonathan while in office. Odeyemi said the same Section 308 of the constitution that gives the President immunity also provides the governors with same leverage, adding that, instead of tinkering with the idea of travel ban on the governors, if any security infraction is noticed, the President should have approached the court. Recalling how the PDP Obasanjo-led Federal Government approached the court when the administration of Senator Bola Tinubu created local government areas in Lagos state, Odeyemi opined that adding the salt of travel ban on governors with immunity same as the president, to the injury of constant flouting of court orders by the Buhari administration in the last one, is not portraying the president as a true democrat. The statement reads: "Since the news broke of plans by Buhari to ban our governors Ayo Fayose and Nyesom Wike from travelling using Department of State Security, DSS, images of events of the past have kept on reappearing. "Allusions have been made to how His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade and his friend, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero were slammed with travel ban by Gen Buhari in 1984. Also reference has been made to how President Sheu Shagari was kept under house arrest and his vice, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, locked up.

Emir Of Kano Sanusi Orders Burnt Baptist Church Rebuilt, Warns District Head

The Emir of Kano has ordered the rebuilding of a Baptist church and pastor's house in Rogo Local Government Area (LGA), Kano State, and has warned against any further attacks on churches within his emirate. The church and pastor's house had been destroyed in violence that resulted in the death of the pastor's daughter. Fifteen people have been arrested in connection to the attack on the church and pastor's house in Gidan Maso Village on the evening of 1 April, which claimed the life of the daughter of Reverend Habila Garba. Local Muslim youths set fire to her home and church after failing to locate a Christian man who had briefly converted to Islam before returning to Christianity. On 9 April, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi II, summoned Rev Haliba Garba, the Rogo District Head, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Rogo and the CAN public relations officer to his palace to express dismay over the incident. He warned the District Head that such an incident should never be repeated in Rogo or anywhere else in the Kano State Emirate and ordered him to contact the LGA Chairman to facilitate the rebuilding of the church and pastor's house, sending a letter to the Chairman to that effect. At a press conference in Abuja, General Ishaku Ahmed Dikko (Rtd.), president of Tarayyar Masihiyawan Nijeriya (a Hausa, Fulani and Kanuri Christian organisation) said: "The action of the Emir has really rekindled the hope of all oppressed Hausa Fulani Kanuri Christians not only in Kano State but in all states where our people reside." Prior to the Emir's intervention, a Kano State official who had visited the area to assess the situation had caused consternation by reportedly dismissing the violence as a minor incident that had attracted unwarranted publicity. General Dikko also called for action against four youth who were "roaming about boasting and threatening the Christians because they have not been arrested." Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said: "We applaud the decisive intervention by the Emir of Kano to ensure justice and restitution. Without his proactive intervention this appalling incident that claimed an innocent life would merely have been the latest occurrence in a litany of injustices suffered by religious minorities in Shari'a states. We encourage others in authority to emulate the Emir by ensuring equality before the law, justice and restitution regardless of the ethnicity or creed of victims of violence. If this occurs, his commendable initiative could mark the beginning of the erosion of impunity surrounding religion-related violence." (indcatholicnews.com)

Redirect ship of state or risk revolution, Okogie tells Buhari

Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Anthony Caedinal Okogie, yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to return to his inaugural address to the nation, incorporate his ruling party’s blueprint and redirect the ship of state or risk a revolution. Addressing newsmen in his Archbishop’s Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, as part of preparations for his 80th birthday and his 50th priestly ordination anniversary, the cardinal averred that one year after the inauguration of the Buhari administration, the poor masses were left to roam about without proper guidance, adding that majority wallop in penury in the midst of plenty. “The swearing in of the APC government last year was perceived as a major milestone in the people’s quest for positive change and improvement in their quality of life. But a year later, thousands of workers are being laid off every day, the value of the Naira is falling drastically, while many states are owing their workers many months of unpaid salaries,” Okogie further agued. Okogie, who took a cursory look at the state of the nation after one year of Buhari’s administration, warned that the Federal Government, which gave so much promise last year, must tread softly with the Biafra agitators and Niger Delta Avengers, noting that there was so much poverty among the youth. “There is a popular saying that to jaw jaw is better than to war war, I am aware that the Niger Delta Avengers have reeled out a number of conditions to be met before seizing further attacks on oil installations. I am equally aware that President Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the militants,” he maintained, adding that just a few day ago, the Nigerian military stormed Gbaramatu Kingdom in search of ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo. “While condemning the disruption of our oil facilities under any guise, I equally want to, stress that the use of military force is not a solution,” noting that option of military would only aggravatthe situation.

BIAFRA: Nigeria is looking for trouble - Uwazuruike

The President of Aka Ikenga, a socio-political group in the South East, speaking on Channels Television Sunrise Daily today said the Nigeria Army is looking for trouble in the way they respond to the agitation for the Republic of Biafra by the youths in the area. Uwazuruike said those agitating for the Republic of Biafra are unarmed, saying that it is wrong to send the Army to confront and shoot, stressing that when that is done the Army is looking for trouble. He said unarmed protests are allowed all over the world, saying the group would not support armed struggle in the South East. He also pointed out that the agitators have had to stage a protest in front of the White House in the United State of America and no one confronted them. He said that the response by the Federal Government to the agitation for Biafra Republic has varied, saying that the Obasanjo government ignored them, while Yar’Adua and Jonathan did so but the Buhari government chose to confront them. He said the Yar’Adua and Jonathan engaged the youths with jobs all over the country but the Buhari government termed those jobs/contracts as corruption. He added that there is need for the government to negotiate with the youths in the South East instead of confronting them. According to him, the average Igbo man does not want to leave Nigeria for Biafra. He added that one of the solutions to the crisis in the country was the devolution of power, saying that the Federal Government has no business drilling a borehole in the villages. Uwazuruike said that one of the recommendations of the National Conference was the devolution of power, with greater power going to the states and local governments. He condemned what he described as hypocrisy going on in the system, where anyone who has a contrary view on the policies and programmes of the APC government is termed a friend of Jonathan, stressing that this has been a major issue. He also wondered why the President who had contested the presidency for four times could spend one year planning what to do.

BREAKING news: Top Igbo leaders in a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential villa.

By Collins Ughalaa Top Igbo leaders led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain, under the auspices of Igbo Leaders for Change today met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential vila. Details later