JUST IN: Obadiah Mailafia is dead

Obadiah Mailafia 

Obadiah Mailafia, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is dead.

Maliafia, the 64-year-old reportedly passed away on Sunday morning at the National Hospital Abuja.

Recall that Obadiah Mailafia stirred controversy after he granted an interview accusing most top government officials of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.

Confirming his death, Fani-Kayode on his Twitter page wrote: “I am saddened by the passing of my dear friend & brother Mr. Obadiah Mailafiya who was one of the most powerful and progressive voices in our country. I was informed that he passed on this morning. He was a great nationalist, a believer in Nigeria, a kind and gentle soul.”

Mailafia had been a fierce critic of Buhari’s government. Recently he raised an alarm over imminent terrorists attack in the country. He called on Christians to rise up and protect themselves from the ongoing Islamization and Fulanization Agenda, saying that the kind of Islam that is coming is very dangerous. 

He alleged that a pattern for elimination of Christians in the North has been set as over four hundred pastors has been killed while three hundred churches burnt.

Speaking on the theme ‘The Role of the Church in Nation Building’, Mailafia, emphasized that virtually all institutions in the country had collapsed with the country unable to perform its statutory roles.

“Nigeria has fallen from the grace to the most terrorised nation in the world. Nigeria cannot be described as a nation because the power is not concentrated in the hands of government alone. There are other blocs that now have power of coersion,” he said.

While disclosing that there is an ongoing agenda of islamisation and Fulanisaion of the country, Mailafia said that Boko Haram now control of over half of Niger State, adding that if they successfully take over Niger, Abuja would be a walkover.

“The kind of Islam that is coming from Sahara is dangerous. They want to take over your land and enslave you. Christians must rise to protect it.

“In the North East alone, more than 3000 churches have been destroyed, more than 400 priests and pastors have been killed. And there is a pattern that is reserved only for Christians, and that is beheading,” he said.

There may no cattle business again if we keep losing our members, says Miyetti Allah

Miyetti Allah 

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has alleged that five of its members have been killed by either bandits or kidnappers in 2021.

Recall that Abubakar Abdullahi, chairman of Lere LGA chapter of MACBAN in Kaduna, was killed by gunmen on Friday.

Abdullahi was said to have been forced to raise N250,000 before he was killed.

In a statement issued by Othman Ngelzarma, MACBAN national secretary, the group decried the increasing level of insecurity faced by its members nationwide.

MACBAN said the killings are affecting the association’s businesses and could lead to the collapse of the livestock industry.

“The death of Abubakar brings to five the number of MACBAN officials killed either by bandits, kidnappers or cattle rustlers this year across the country,” the statement reads.

“Alhaji Abubakar, aged 58 was kidnapped on the 16th of September and after paying ransom his dead body was found by the roadside on Friday, September 17, on the outskirts of Lere town.

“The challenge is making it almost impossible for our members to conduct their businesses in peace. This is partly responsible for the escalating cost of livestock and livestock products.

“If the insecurity continues, it might collapse the livestock industry in the country.”

The association called on security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“While we condole with the family of the deceased, we the Kaduna State Chapter of MACBAN, call on the security agencies to properly investigate this and a lot of other dastardly acts across the country and bring the culprits to justice,” MACBAN said.

“We call on the Federal Government to, therefore, ensure that the new policies geared towards improved livestock production are properly implemented.”

Just In: Giving South East the presidency is risky — Bulkachuwa

Nigeria's oldest serving lawmaker, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Alhaji Adamu Bulkachuwa, has said giving South East the Presidency is risky because no one can really tell what they are going to do once they get what they want.. 

Adamu who stated this in an interview with Daily Trust, said the South East are desperate for the Presidency even to the point of threatening the country. He said when such happens, the possibility of an hidden agenda cannot be ruled out.

Responding to questions on claims that giving Igbos the presidency would end secession agitations, he replied, "This comes back to what I was saying," making reference to his interview with Channels, where he he said, 'There are people who feel democracy is not good enough for them and they want to devise their own means of belonging to this entity called Nigeria and if they don’t have their wish, they’ll let Nigeria go to pieces.'

"Intimidating Nigerians to say, ‘look, give them and let’s see what is going to happen.’ Who will take that risk?" he questioned.

"They want the presidency to shift to the South East, that is why they are intimidating everybody." 

On whether the South East should be allowed to produce the next president, he said, "You don’t dash the presidency on a platter of gold to anyone. Let them produce whoever they think is worthy of becoming president and from whichever party. If Nigerians accept the person, good."

Bulkachuwa also defended his previous comment where he said during an interview with Channels TV, that Igbos deserve death and not the Presidency.

He said," The truth of the matter is that nobody will be forced to remain in Nigeria, but the way to exit is not by killing innocent people. What they should do is to negotiate for their exit. Several countries have done it without killing people or making governance almost impossible. 

"I said if they chose to go the same route of the civil war, of course the Nigerian government will have no choice but to go the same way the war was fought. Most of the people making comments misquoted me. They did not watch the interview.

"I have been around since independence and have seen the country’s journey to nationhood. So I must tell them the truth."

Just In: Nigeria has entered one-chance — Dalung slams Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari’s ex-Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has said Nigeria has entered one-chance under the Buhari government whom he accused of not honoring the promises he made prior to his election in 2015. 

Dalung who was reacting to Fani Kayode's defection back to the party he once badmouthed for over 6 years, said he's never been disappointed and ashamed that Buhari would stoop so low to welcome a traitor and someone known for being a 'political hawker'. 

Speaking in a statement issued on Friday, Dalung said, “In the whole of my existence, I have not been ashamed of myself like yesterday (Thursday) when I watched Femi Fani-Kayode standing by the President in the State House in Abuja. 

"I have no problems with people’s political affiliations but I have issues with the manner the confidence and goodwill of Nigerians are being gambled with recklessly by clueless political elites.

“Could recruitment of political liabilities in the face of raving insecurity that has claimed lives of many innocent Nigerians who voted for us be the priority now?

“What has happened to the humanity of APC leaders that we are so insensitive to the mode of the nation? If we have such political strategies of conquering political opponents like Femi Fani-Kayode, then why have we failed to deploy the same to defeat Boko Haram, banditry, unknown gunmen, kidnapping?”

He lamented that the mission of APC that they formed in 2015 had changed, adding that people now joined the party to get “juicy appointments.” 

Dalung said, “This wasn’t our mission when we mobilised Nigerians to trust us with power in 2015. The fear of APC is the beginning of wisdom, once a corrupt politician joins APC his sins are forgiven; all corruption charges will be automatically dropped and compensations with juicy appointments will follow.

“Loyalty in the APC party is a capital offence, no wonder Femi Fani-Kayode insulted President Buhari and swore he will prefer to die than joining APC.

“He is now the latest political bride of the President whom he earlier called a “criminal”. If this is what our party can offer at this critical stage of our national history, then Nigeria has entered one-chance.”

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has lamented the red carpet acceptance of Kayode back to the APC, saying it appears the party now reward enemies while loyalists are used and dumped. 

Igbokwe who made the lamentation in a Facebook post, said, “Despite all my push for the APC, Abuja has not given me a phone call talk-less of inviting me for a coffee with c in c (commander-in-chief) but here is a political charlatan and prostitute being given a red carpet in the seat of power, Abuja. 

“APC reward enemies. They pamper enemies. This life no balance at all. 

“Please I am ok where I am today but I know countless number of APC diehards who are 100 per cent better than FFK. Nobody has remembered them. Not even a recharge card, not even a bottle of coke, not even thank you.” 

Just In: I will cut ties with Jonathan if he joins APC — Wike

There has been speculation on whether or not former President Goodluck Jonathan, would eventually dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), but former aide to Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has refuted any such possibilities.

However, if the case of former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani Kayode, who similarly and vehemently ruled out any possibility of him joining the ruling party is to be taken into account, Nigerians have every right to feel concerned. 

But while speculations continue to rise, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has made his position known, saying he'd cut ties with his former boss, Goodluck Jonathan, should he decide to swap the umbrella for the broom to contest in the 2023 presidential election.

The APC has been making moves to have Jonathan join the party, and recently while featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the National Secretary, APC Caretaker, and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, John Akpanudoedehe, had stated that ex-President Jonathan would be given a founding member status if he joins the ruling party, and would also be allowed to contest in 2023 on a fair ground.

But Wike, while reacting on BBC, when he was asked if he will support Jonathan to secure the presidency he lost in 2015, said he will only support him if he contests as a member of the PDP despite that they both hail from the same South-South region of the country. 

"When you said pick ticket, from which party? Is it APC or PDP?" Wike queried.

"To pick ticket means you're representing the interest of a party. I'm in PDP and I will not be involved in anti-party activities. If he is APC, I won't support him because I'm not into that kind of politics.

"It is not about ethnicity for me, but about the party. If he joins APC I can't support him," Wike added.

JUST IN: It's an insult to say you facilitated my defection — Gov Umahi blast Fani-Kayode

Gov David Umahi 

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has asked Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation, to withdraw the statement that he was instrumental to his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former minister, who joined the APC on Thursday, had claimed that he was instrumental to the defection of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, including Umahi.

He had listed other governors that he influenced their defection as Ben Ayade of Cross River, and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara.

But during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Umahi said Fani-Kayode played no role in his defection.

“I think he needs to withdraw that statement, he’s my good friend but it was an insult to my person and the other governors.”

“The man did not know when I moved but he incidentally visited me and he said he’s coming to join me with the other governors to declare. How would someone in the PDP be instrumental in my moving? A whole governor of a state, not even a small governor, an experienced one.

“He has to withdraw his statement. He was never part of any discussion of my movement. I moved South East to the centre of administration. I moved to close the gap between the centre and South East, which our forefathers like Nnamdi Azikwe, fought for.

“For somebody to say that he’s instrumental to the movement of a whole chairman of South East Governors’ Forum is a bit of an insult to my person. And with all due respect, he has to withdraw that statement,” he said.

Will Lai Mohammed and Femi Adesina forgive Fani Kayode?

The expected defection of a former PDP chieftain, Chief Femi Fani Kayode, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), has become the talk of the town for a variety of reasons. 

While some think it's a good riddance for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), others however, wonder why the former Aviation Minister would be shameless enough to return to a party he once said he hated with passion, and would rather die than be a part of. 

But, while reactions continue to follow Kayode's defection, his poor choice of words and uncontrolled (questionable) rage during criticism of the Buhari administration in the past, is sure to haunt him, and or cause a bit of disaffection from within the presidency.

Late in 2019, Fani Kayode called minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, a 'goat' and also described Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, as a 'village idiot'.

Kayode's vituperation, came in response to the duo's rebuttal of the United States' decision to include Nigeria on its Special Watch List (SWL) of countries that have engaged in or tolerated “severe violations of religious freedom",

Lai Mohammed in his official reaction, said, "The United States have been misled by propaganda" and that the Americans were "sowing seeds of religious mistrust in Nigeria".

Adesina on his own part, said, “In international relations, you respect the internal affairs of other countries. The U.S. itself has enough to chew solving its own problems not to talk of poke-nosing into that of another country.”

“No man, no country, nobody has appointed them the policeman of the world, let them face their own issues.”

But reacting to Buhari's arrogance, Fani Kayode particularly took aim at Lai Mohammed by calling him a 'goat that once bleated to the nation that he had "never told a lie before" in his entire life'.

He said, "If there was ever a misplaced, misguided, inelegant, impolite, inappropriate, unacceptable and wholly irresponsible response to a very serious issue from a senior Government official this is it. And in his characteristic manner Lai Mohammed has once again outdone himself with his dirty and habitual lies.

"This is the same repugnant and ugly little creature that told us in 2014 that banning Boko Haram and labelling them terrorists was "unfair and unjust". It is the same goat that once bleated to the nation that he had "never told a lie before" in his entire life.

"Yet the truth is that Lai Mohammed is a pathological liar and a very sick man. Like satan, "he was a liar, the father of lies and a murderer from the start". Lying comes natuarlly to him because that is his nature, that is his name and that is what he came to the world to do.

"He and his master Buhari compliment each other very well. Both are heartless, deceptive, deceitful, callous, dangerous, mendacious, insensitive, self-serving and, worse of all, they have no fear of God.

"It is trite to say that not only are the Americans right about the vicious and murderous persecution that Christians are faced with in parts of Nigeria but they are also right about their fears for Christians and religious persecution in our country. We as Nigerian Christians welcome their concern and I am glad to see that CAN has said so publicly.

"Yet it doesn't stop there and Lai is not alone in his brazen display of falsehood and perfidy. Others in the Federal Government have made as much of a fool of themselves on this matter as he has done.

"For example on his own part, the village idiot of Aso Rock, Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Advisor to President Buhari on Media and Publicity said,

"'The United States itself has enough to chew solving its own problems not to talk of poke-nosing into that of another country. No man, no country, nobody has appointed them the Policeman of the world, let them face their own issues'".

"Strong and predictable words yet why would anyone be surprised about such an obnoxious, shallow, specious and pernicious contribution from this certified dullard. After all this is the same man that said that we should either give up our land to the Fulani herdsmen or give up our lives.

"He also said that Nigeria would have been a better place by now if Buhari's military regime had remained in power in 1985. This was a regime that abducted, injected and crated its critics and opponents, like Umaru Dikko, on the streets of London, locked up many people indefinately in detention, passed legislation to jail people for criticising the Head of State and the Government even where the allegations were true, clamped down on the media by jailing journalists and executed people by applying the death penalty retroactively.

"It matters not to him that thousands of Christians have been targetted and butchered all over the north over the last four years even though he claims to be a Christian himself.

"On Christmas eve and Christmas day in 2016 alone no less than 800 defenceless Christians, including women and children, were slaughtered in their homes by Fulani herdsmen yet the Federal Government which Femi serves did not arrest or prosecute any of the perpetrators and terrorists but instead turned a blind eye to their inhuman and barbaric behaviour. And this has been the pattern since 2015!

"One year ago, before the entire world, when Femi's boss crawled and lobbied his way to the White House and President Donald Trump gave him a public warning before the entire world at a press conference at the White House to "stop the attacks on Christians", Femi Adesina and Buhari did not say that America is not the world's policeman but instead smiled sheepishly, stood at attention, saluted with gusto and offered a very timid "yes sir, thank you sir!".

"Today it is a different story simply because they believe that they have sufficiently cowed the Nigerian people into accepting anything including the most barbarous atrocities.

"What an unfolding tragedy this is and whether Femi and his boss like it or not the truth is slowly coming out. Only God knows where it will all end."

It is said that in politics, there's no permanent enemies but permanent interest. So, with Kayode now in the ship he once said was sinking and beyond redemption, all those he had offended in the past, might have enough room to forgive and forget.