Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, has began a personal campaign of increasing locally made content when he formally presented a made in Nigeria cassava flour bread which he declares he will eat until he leaves power. ‘ I have been eating this bread for the part one week and I will continue to eat only this bread till I leave the state house’, President Jonathan said.
To support this, he has directed the Minister of Finance and cordinating Minister of the Economic team, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; minister of Trade and Investment-Dr Olusegun Aganga; Minister of Agriculture – Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; Minister of National Planning- Mr Shamsudeen Usman and the Chief Economic Adviser to the President -Prof. Nwaneze Okidigbe to meet and fashion out policies that will grant incentives to users of the cassava flour in their production lines. He condemns the preference of foreign goods to local product as it has adverse effect on the nation’s economy through importation. He stressed that for a nation to note forward, we must tame our exotic taste of foreign made products as what is produced in the country is smoothnes better than what is brought in from other countries. ‘ We must encourage what we have. Other countries that have become great did not wake up one day and become great.’ President Jonathan urged. He believes that with the new incentive policies to be created by the ministers,many people who produce bread will start to use different percentages of cassava flour. He therefore, encourages that more insight should be given to how to harness local resources to attend to local needs. Nigeria is the highest produces of cassava in the world with 34 million too per annum. Processing the product will rate Nigeria #656 billion yearly on flour import,create job and more income for local farmers
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
United States is considering taking a tough stance on Boko Haram, it emerged yesterday. The US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security released a report yesterday on what it termed the emerging threat from Boko Haram, according to Huffington Post.
Boko Haram piqued the interest of some Capitol Hill lawmakers when it bombed the United Nations House in Abuja in one of a series of attacks. The report by the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, chaired by Rep. Patrick Meehan, warns against underestimating Boko Haram’s intent and capability to attack the U.S. homeland. It urges the State Department to investigate whether the group should be designated a foreign terrorist organisation. It also recommends increasing intelligence gathering on Boko Haram, including reaching out to Nigerian immigrants in the United States and boosting U.S. government support for Nigerian efforts to counter the group.
In Abuja yesterday, the State Security Service (SSS) paraded members of four syndicates, who allegedly specialise in sending threat telephone calls, text messages and e-mails to prominent politicians and foreign embassies for the purpose of extorting money from their victims.
Four members of one of the syndicate groups operate from Suleja, Niger State and Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They are Stanley Ochuwa, Emmanuel Chinonyerem, Onyedikachi Akpasue and Mathias Akuegbo.
Operating under code names of Col. Murphy, Col. Adams, Col. Mordi and Engr. Emma Nwachukwu, the men confessed to sending to prominent citizens and politicians messages to instill fear and cause panic.
They send the messages warning their victims that they have been marked for assassination and that they would spare their lives, if the victims could pay a ransom into specified bank accounts.
Among the GSM lines used are 08033832929 and 07038867338. The men claimed that they usually obtain the telephone numbers of their victims from documents and complimentary cards taken from refuse dump sites of government ministries, departments, agencies and on the Internet.
SSS spokesperson, Ms Marilyn Ogar said some highly placed Nigerians, including an unnamed senator, have fallen victim to the syndicates. Another member of a different syndicate, who operates from Kaduna, Haruna Alhaji Hassan (a.k.a Alhaji Madu Gana) allegedly threatened a former governor, now a senator, a Federal Permanent Secretary, a woman party leader in Maiduguri and a party chairman in Bauchi. According to Ogar, Hassan introduces himself as the secretary of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and usually asks his victims to donate money for the purpose of propagating Islam or risk being bombed. Ogar added that Hassan had received various sums of money, ranging from N30, 000 to N100, 000 from some of his terrified victims through a Union Bank account. A sample of some of his messages from his operational GSM number 08052611833 reads: “We are still aware with you and we will soon get to you. Insha Allah, expect us.†Another suspect, Maurice Efe Lawrence, who hails from Delta State operates from Calabar with three GSM numbers – 08100428701, 08080468686 and 070383912813. He scares victims by threatening to bomb some cities, the SSS said. He usually lists cities, such as Abuja, Port Harcourt, Jos, Katsina, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Lagos, Dutse and Akure. One of his text messages to a director in the Ministry of Information reads: “A bomb attack is to take place on Friday and I have every detail even if you don’t want to be involved, send me the number of any SA or PA to Information Minister.†Lawrence was also said to have claimed through text messages that he has information on plans to assassinate a governorship candidate in Kogi State and an armed robbery in Ondo State. He was also caught with telephone numbers of some prominent politicians, public servants and private individuals which he claimed to have got from the Internet. Another one, Chiwendu Josiah, from Imo State, who works in a cyber cafe in Benin-City, allegedly by sends threat e-mails to foreign embassies, alerting them of pending bomb attacks.
The SSS spokesperson said from investigation, it was established that Josiah was the author of the security threat messages that prompted some foreign embassies to issue travel alerts during the last Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. He sends his messages with a cloned GSM number 081881816038 and e-mail addresses; engr-wendy.netguescyber @hotmail.com, book-haram-algaedas@hotmail.com, materp4pee@rmail.com and materp411@yahoo.com.
His text messages: “We are Boko Haram, we are coming for youâ€; “The brotherhood remains one indivisible entity. There is no split and there is no splinter group. Stories of split are tissues of lies by the State Security Service to discredit us. Call on all true faithful who believe in our cause to join us by enlisting as a follower and become a member of the brotherhood in our site.â€
Josiah is said to have confessed to have been involved in Internet scams since1998.
The SSS stated that criminal elements have taken advantage of the current security situation in the country to cause panic and extort money from prominent members of the society.
Ogar advised top government functionaries and prominent citizens to be careful how they dispose used documents and other materials containing their vital details.â€
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
FOLLOWING claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that he discussed the possibility of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu apologising to Nigerians over the Civil War, a family member of the Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Anthony Udemefuna Ojukwu, has described the claim as “a huge falsehood.”
According to the 72-year-old legal practitioner, at no time did President Obasanjo hold such discussion with the late Ikemba.
Insisting that the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu had no reason to apologise “for committing no offence,” he said most Nigerians were oblivious of the actual cause of the war, as it was fought even against the wishes of the deceased and the Igbo people.
Also, in her reaction to the claim, former Governor of Anambra State, Virgy Etiaba, said it was the first time she would be hearing about such discussion, despite being close to Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
She also questioned the veracity of the widely held “no victor-no-vanquished” slogan in the face of the current controversy stoked by Obasanjo’s alleged advice to the late Ikemba.
Meanwhile, tribute continued to pour in for the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozie, former Governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun; and Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, a former Special Assistant to the late Chief MKO Abiola, Lisa Olu Akerele, Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) and the Igbo Political Forum (IPF) mourned the death of the Ikemba of Nnewi.
Udemefuna Ojukwu noted that President Obasanjo was far too junior to Odumegwu-Ojukwu in the Army for him to advise the late Ikemba on such matter, especially as Odumegwu-Ojukwu belonged to a class of military intellectuals at the time.
“Otherwise, why didn’t Chief Obasanjo come up with this claim earlier when he (Odumegwu-Ojukwu) was alive?” he queried.
Ojukwu said that having served in the 18 Division of the Biafran Army and close as he was to his late cousin, he would have been informed if such serious discussion took place between Odumegwu-Ojukwu and Obasanjo.
The Aba monarch said Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s giant strides towards national development would be remembered in several ways.
Oyegun said his major regret about the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu was the inability of the warlord to unite his people for better bargaining power in the county.
Oyegun told The Guardian yesterday that if the late Ikemba had succeeded in unifying his people, it would have given the Igbos strong voice in the country.
In a statement, Akerele stated that by Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s death, the nation has lost a great reformist who was committed to the progress of Nigeria.
However, he regretted the role Odumegwu-Ojukwu played in later years “when he led late Gen. Sani Abacha’s campaign to western nations’ capitals to defend the injustice perpetrated on Abiola in the annulment of June 12 by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida”.
He held that Odumegwu-Ojukwu “never rose beyond the toga of an Igbo leader in words and deeds all through his political career,” and urged late Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s “contemporaries still alive and the younger generation to strive beyond their ethnic enclave, and view Nigeria from a nationalistic perspective.”
The NDLF likened the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu to the late Niger Deltan activist, Maj. Isaac Adaka Boro.
In a statement by its National Chairman, S.N. Okeke and National Secretary, Chyna Iwuanyanwu, the IPF described the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu as “an avatar, a moral guide, a spiritual epigone, consummate patriot, an astute and passionate political leader and pan nationalist per excellence, who sacrificed his health, wealth and intellect for his people.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Senate, yesterday resolved to urge the Federal Government to immortalise the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu.
Also, elders and leaders from the South-East are demanding a posthumous national honour for the late Ojukwu.
While former governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, said the country has lost another great patriot, Pastor of the Household of God Church, Oregun, Reverend Chris Okotie, described the late warlord as a leading voice of democracy in Nigeria.
Senate to honour him
Senate will, Thursday, honour the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu just as it plans to pass a resolution that will urge the Federal Government to immortalise him.
Senate President, David Mark, who gave the indication during yesterday’s session, said the Senate would dedicate Thursday’s sitting to debate a motion on the late Biafran leader.
The Senate decision was upon a motion sponsored by Senator Andy Uba.
Senator Uba, while moving the motion, said the late Chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was worthy of celebrating as a national hero.
However, revealing the disposition of the Senate leadership, Mark had earlier in reaction to Ojukwu’s death, described him as the “hero’s hero and a dogged fighter who fought till the end to liberate the oppressed.”
The Senate President had also described him as “a great fighter who stood for justice, equality before the law, fairness and freedom to all citizens,” adding that “no matter how much you loved or hated him, Ojukwu was a man who loved his people and was ever prepared to lay down his life for them to have a better life.”
Mark announced that the Senate would have considered the motion today but had to shift it to Thursday because it had already scheduled the consideration of the report on the investigation into the privatisation of government-owned companies today.
Also speaking on behalf of the Senate, its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, had in reacting to the death, described the late Biafran warlord as the “issue in Nigeria’s evolutionary process.”
Abaribe, in a statement, described Ojukwu as a visionary leader whose passion for a Nigeria where every federating unit would be proud of belonging to, was unparalleled. He saw tomorrow and his action and passion for a truly united Nigeria shaped our socio-political environment of today.”
However, chatting with Senate correspondents on Monday, Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, said the Federal Government was deeply moved by Ojukwu’s death but declined comments on how he might be immortalised by the government.
South-East elders demand national honour for Ojukwu
South-East elders yesterday demanded a posthumous national honour for late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu before his burial.
Former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Dozie Ikedife, who spoke on behalf of other South- East elders, insisted that the national honour must come before Ojukwu’s burial, adding that such an honour coming after his burial was unacceptable to Ndigbo.
Ikedife said late Ojukwu deserved such recognition being a former governor of Eastern Region, which today comprises about eleven states of the Nigerian federation.
He said: “We want the Federal Government to give Ojukwu national honour posthumously and it must come before his burial.
“He deserves to be honoured as a former governor of Eastern region, which today comprises of about eleven states of the Nigerian federation.
“The Federal Government should give him national honours for the sake of no, victor, no vanquished, declared at the end of the war. If they fail to do this, it means there is a victor and a vanquished. And we are insisting that he must be honoured before his burial.
“Such an honour is unacceptable to Ndigbo if it comes after his burial,” Ikedife said.
A leading voice of democracy in Nigeria- Okotie
Prince of Nigeria, Rev Chris Okotie has joined millions of Nigerians in mourning the deaths of the Guardian Publisher, Alex Ibru and Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.
Rev Okotie who hailed Dim Ojukwu as a great Nigerian who contributed immensely to the growth of democracy through enlightened dialogue, active involvement and a commitment to the defence of injustice, which culminated in the unfortunate civil war he led.
“Ojukwu’s transmutation from a rebel leader who led a secession, into a patriotic leader and leading voice of democracy in Nigeria, is unprecedented, impressive and worthy of emulation”, the Reverend said.
Okotie said Ojukwu was a great historical figure, and one of the last of our political gladiators, in our evolving democracy.
Rev Okotie, who is also the Chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, and pastor, Household of God Church, Oregun, Lagos, described Ibru as a business icon, who changed the face of journalism in his generation.
He noted that Mr. Ibru launched the Guardian in 1983 at a time when the fortunes of the then flagship of the press, the government-owned Daily Times, were nose-diving terribly.
“Mr. Ibru recruited some of the best minds from the ivory tower and mainstream media and then, began a polishing process for the media, which restored the dying tradition of quality journalism. He succeeded in sustaining the high standard of the Guardian till date. That’s his greatest legacy, apart from his quiet philanthropy and his famous ecumenical institution, the Ibru centre”, he added.
We have lost yet another great patriot – Ohakim, Iwuanyanwu
Prominent Imo citizens, including Chief Ikedi Ohakim and Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu have shock over the demise of Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.
The immediate past Governor of Imo State, Chief Ikedi Ohakim said: “We have lost yet another great patriot who, though was largely misunderstood by many, lived his entire life in the struggle for equity and social justice”.
Ohakim also reasoned that his death offers Nigerians an opportunity for sober reflection, especially on the events of those difficult days when we took up arms against one another over issues we would have resolved through dialogue.
It was Chief Ohakim’s considered opinion that “the bitter experience of the civil war is behind our current determination to pursue our collective destiny as one people, together with our appreciation of the fact that we can only achieve this by imbibing a democratic culture built on equity, honesty and the rule of law”.
Chief Iwuanyanwu said he thought of Ikemba Nnewi from a position of sound knowledge of his potentialities, having served under him at a critical period of the country’s history.
“I found him a very reliable and steadfast leader, a man of extra-ordinary courage and also endowed with sharp intellect and an outstanding oratory skill. Ojukwu’s love and commitment to his people, Ndigbo, was unparalleled”, Iwuanyanwu said.
While saying that Ojukwu was a strong believer and advocate of one Nigeria, Iwuanyanwu similarly reasoned that the late Igbo leader insisted on a Nigerian nation where men and women of all tribes, or creed will have equal access to opportunities.
“He was brutally frank in propagating his views. The Igbos, Nigeria and Africa have lost a great genius. His life and times will definitely form very indelible chapter in the history of Nigeria and Africa”, Iwuanyanwu said.
He was an extraordinary leader – INC
The Ijaw National Congress (INC) is deeply saddened by the passing away of an extraordinary leader, a committed nation builder, father and husband- Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Eze Ndigbo gburu gburu.
Chief Ojukwu, the Ikemba of Nnewi was an exemplary leader whose style is worthy of emulation. He meant well for the Igbos and for Nigeria as a whole. As an activist, he went the extra mile fighting the cause of the Igbos. He led a very productive life and has left indelible prints on Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his family, Igbo land and Nigeria as a whole. The Biafrian warlord touched many lives and will be missed dearly. We pray and hope that the cause(s) he fought for will not be abandoned.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
THE Minister of Finance, Dr NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, has described the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odume-gwu Ojukwu as an hero, father figure of the Igbo and a symbol of the Igbo struggle for a better Nigeria.
Reacting to the death of the Igbo strongman, Okonjo-Iweala said Ojukwu was a man who had the courage of his convictions, adding that his example should serve as an inspiration for Nigerians.
Okonjo-Iweala said what made Ojukwu exceptional was that after fighting a war in pursuit of his conviction, he returned to contribute to the Nigeria project.
Also, the Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo, on Tuesday, said with the death of Ikemba Nnewi, an intergral part of Ndigbo has gone.
In a statement, chairman of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nwabueze Obi, told Ndigbo to use the demise of Ikemba to rejig the process of re-igniting the political, social and economical renaissance of the Igbo nation.
He expressed deep concern for the death of the political pillar and icon of Ndigbo, saying that with the death of Ikemba, an integral part of Ndigbo was in coma.
A member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, in a statement he issued in Owerri, said “Ojukwu was a very reliable and steadfast leader, a man of extraordinary courage, endowed with sharp intellect and on outstanding oratory skills.”
He said Ojukwu was a strong believer and advocate of one Nigeria, though he insisted on a Nigerian nation where men and women of all tribes, ethnic or creed would have equal access to opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has left Owerri with other top members of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to London, to console with the bereaved family.
In another development, the first Nigerian to bag Ph.D in Islamic Law in Medina University, Saudi-Arabia, Dr Sirajudeen Bilal Al-Asrau, on Monday, described the death of the former military governor of the Eastern Region, Chief Ojukwu, as a great loss to the country.
The Islamic scholar, in a statement made available to the Nigerian Tribune, said the death of the statesman would remain relevance in the history of humanity, adding that his achievements and contributions to the country would linger on.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Odumegwu Ojukwu, who attracted international attention when he led the Republic of Biafra’s secession from Nigeria in 1967 and subsequently waged a civil war that left more than 1 million dead — many of them children who succumbed to starvation — has died in London. He was 78.
News accounts reported that he died Nov. 25 or 26. A cause of death could not be confirmed.
(Anthony Astrachan/The Washington Post) – Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Biafran head of state, addressing a joint session of the consultative assembly and house at Owerri, on Jan. 31, 1968.
Mr. Ojukwu was an unlikely rebel leader. The son of a NiÂgerÂian millionaire knighted by the Queen of England, he grew up in a mansion and attended a private high school in Surrey, England, where he set a school record for the discus throw.
At Lincoln College at the University of Oxford, he played on the rugby team and was known for his flashy clothes and red sports car. He graduated in 1955, then returned to Nigeria. He rebuffed his father’s offer to join the family transport business and enrolled in civil service, working on community projects building roads and digging culverts.
He later joined the military — partly to spite his father, he said, but also because he sensed that “Nigeria was headed for an upheaval and that the army was the place to be when the time came.â€
The most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria is on the western coast, just north of the equator. For decades, Nigeria was a British colony until declaring independence in 1960. Three years later, Nigeria became a republic within the British commonwealth.
Mr. Ojukwu rose through the army ranks before the chaos he predicted arrived in January 1966. A gang of officers overthrew the government in a coup and assassinated the prime minister.
Although Mr. Ojukwu didn’t participate in the coup, he was made the military governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich eastern region, home to many ethnic Ibo Christians like himself.
A counter-coup followed a few months later that left Nigeria in disarray. Throughout the power struggle, Mr. Ojukwu kept the eastern region running smoothly and mostly independent of federal rule.
In September 1966, 20,000 Ibo were massacred in pogroms in the Muslim-dominated northern region. Mr. Ojukwu called the unprovoked aggression “organized, wanton fratricide.â€
Mr. Ojukwu grew a thick, bushy beard “as a sign of mourning,†he said, for the injustice caused to the Ibo. He acceded to mounting demands of an Ibo-led secession of the eastern region, a total area of 30,000 square miles.
He announced the birth of the Republic of Biafra during a radio address at 3 a.m. on May 30, 1967. The ceremony featured a 42-gun salute and champagne served from waiters in white coats. He named his country after a NiÂgerÂian coastal inlet and chose Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia†as the melody for his nation’s anthem.
For much of his 30-month rule, he was a revered figure among his people. A raconteur who charmed journalists, he quoted from Shakespeare and spoke authoritatively about the reign of King Louis XIV of France. He landed on the cover of Time magazine in 1968 and gained sympathetic followers such as the celebrated Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, who moved to Biafra’s capital and later wrote many books inspired by the secession.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex socio-cultural organization of Ndigbo, yesterday told all its kinsmen to use the celestial departure of Ikemba, Dim Odimegwu-Ojukwu to rejig the process of reigniting Igbo political, social and economical renaissance.
In a statement, Chairman, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Federal Capital Territory , Nwabueze Obi, expressed deep concern for the demise of the political pillar and icon of Ndigbo, saying that with the death of Ikemba, an integral part of Ndigbo is in coma.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo, FCT, is deeply saddened by the passing on of the quintessential and iconic Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Eze-Igbo Gburugburu. No doubt, it is the end of an eventful era. With the Ikemba’s passage, an integral part of Ndigbo is in coma†he said.
Obi however, enjoined Ndigbo wherever they are, to seize the opportunity of his celestial departure to rejig the process of reigniting Igbo political, social and economical renaissance as that is the only way the hero will sleep well in eternal bliss.
Also, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has described the late icon as a hero , father figure of the Igbo and a symbol of the Igbo struggle for a better Nigeria .
Reacting to the demise of Ojukwu, Okonjo-Iweala stated that the late Ojukwu was a man who had the courage of his convictions and that his example should serve as an inspiration for Nigerians to stand for what they believe in.
She recalled vividly her war-time experiences in Biafra and said that what made Ojukwu exceptional was that after fighting a war in pursuit of his convictions, he returned to contribute to the Nigerian project.
She prayed the Almighty to comfort the Ojukwu family, the Igbos and the entire nation.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Fresh from exile in 1982, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) signifying the beginning of his politics. NDUBUISI ORJI writes on the philosophy that informed his political trajectory. Thursday, December 01 , 2011
When Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu joined partisan politics in 1982, not a few were bewildered. Even more confounding was his choice of political party. Late Ojukwu after 12 years in the Ivory Coast had joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). His decision to pitch his tent with the NPN raised several questions.
The major question was why NPN of all parties. The reason for this was not far fetched. Prior to his exile in early 1970, the Igbo leader had led the Igbo nation in a war to secede from Nigeria. The general expectation that he would have joined the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) led by the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. The NPP was seen largely as an Igbo party, more so when NPP controlled the two eastern states of Anambra and Imo at that point. While the NPN on the other hand was perceived as a Northern party. Many had insinuated at that point that Ojukwu’s membership of the NPN may have been part of the deal he reached with the government of Shehu Shagari, which granted him a state pardon thereby making his return to the country possible.
Even the government of Shagari was shocked that he joined politics. According to the Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi , Director General of the Nigerian Security Organization at that time said the Ikemba involvement in partisan politics was not part of the understanding reached with the government before his return. Commenting on the events of those days, Shinkafi told a national daily “I do not know about (Alex) Ekwueme, but it was certainly not President Shagari’s wish. He didn’t want Ojukwu to get involved in party politics, even in NPN.†But then Ojukwu disappointed them all and embraced partisan politics. In joining politics, he was motivated by the same factor that influenced him into joining the civil service as an assistant district officer . That is service to the people. It was that burning desire that also drove him into confronting the Federal Government led by General Yakubu Gowon.
Ojukwu’s involvement with the NPN changed the tempor of the politics of Eastern Nigeria. He declared for the Onitasha Senatorial seat on the platform of the NPN. The NPP government in the old Anambra State under the watch of Chief Jim Nwobodo was already giving Vice President Alex Ekwueme tough time. To effectively checkmate the NPP, which already had a militia group , he formed the Ikemba Front. The Ikemba Front came to be more than a match for the NPP militia group. Shinkafi explained that “Even before Ojukwu returned, Ekwueme and Governor Jim Nwobodo were having a running battle in the area. NPP already had a militia. Ojukwu only reacted by forming his own militia. Several times I went to the East and urged Nwobodo to respect the office of the vice president. However, in responding to NPP and forming his own militia, Ojukwu went beyond expectation.†At the end of the 1983 senatorial, Ojukwu host to the less popular NPP candidate In 1983, he contested the Onitsha senatorial poll, but lost to a relatively little known Anambra State commissioner in then Governor Jim Nwobodo’s cabinet, Dr. Edwin Onwudiwe. But the NPN won the governorship of the state. Some political historians have said that NPN deliberately sacrificed Ojukwu because they could not fathom how to handle Ojukwu if he ended in the senate of the Second Republic.
Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, who was then the Presidential Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, said “The basic aim of persuading him to join the NPN was to reintegrate the Igbo to the mainstream national politics after the civil war. Then, the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) was the ruling party in the South-east states of Imo and Anambra and we believed that Ojukwu should no longer play regional politics. We met and went to him and convinced him to join the NPN, at least for the sake of the Igbos and it eventually paid off when the NPN won Anambra governorship election with Onoh as the governor.†For the Igbo leader “I joined NPN to bring the Igbos into the main stream of Nigeria’s politics since I was the one that pulled them out in the first place,†Ojukwu was quoted severally to have replied when asked why he joined the NPN upon returning from Ivory Coast.
The failed senatorial adventure was not Ojukwu’s first romance with politics. During the 1978 election, the late Biafran leader had nursed the idea of contesting for the Nnewi Federal Constituency on the platform of the Great Nigeria Peoples Party (GNPP.) He was nominated in absentia. According to the Ikemba in his book. Because I am Involved , “ I was convinced that such a momentous change (1978 transition programme), such an event must not take place without my being an issue. I made contacts with my compatriots individually and as party member , finally it was the GNPP, under Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim that settled upon my candidature. The campaign began in earnest. I was nominated in absentiaâ€. He said he was motivated by Nkwame Nkrumah and Kenyatta who had moved into power from prison. However, the dream was stillbirth as the military authority reacted negatively to the idea of his participation in the transition programmes, thereby forcing Waziri and others to deny him.
Not loog after the 1983 election, the military struck. The General Muhammadu Buhari’s regime that toppled the civil administration clamped Ojukwu and other politicians of that era into prison. . He was detained for 10 months. Forging ahead Having put his hand in the plough, there was no going back for the Igbo leader politically. In the third republic , he joined the National Republican Convention, NRC, and aspired to contest the presidency. He said the surest way to show that the civil war had ended and the Igbo fully integrated into the affairs of the nation was to allow the Igbo become president. However, General Ibrahim Babangida promptly disqualified him from running for president alongside other “old breed†politicians. During the General Sani Abacha regime, he was one of those elected to the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) of 1994 to 1995.
At the inception of the fourth republic, Ojukwu first joined the All Peoples Party (APP, now All Nigeria Peoples Party) in the Fourth Republic. Together with Dr. Olusola Saraki, Chief Tom Ikimi, the late Lamidi Adedibu, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, all political soul mates who could change Nigeria along defined lines. Their efforts at building a strong national party failed when the APP lost at the 1999 polls, as many of them left for the ruling party. But Ojukwu soldiered on. He later founded the Peoples Democratic Congress which was not registered as a political party.
Then in 2002 with Chief Chekwas Okorie, the former military governor formed the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). It was in APGA that he came close to realizing his dream of offering service to the people. Though the two attempts he made at governing the country on the platform of the party was not successful, the party won governorship elections in Anambra and Imo State in the last general election. He was the party’s presidential candidate platform in the 2003 presidential poll. He fought the polls against President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Buhari and other contenders and came third. He repeated the quest in 2007 and came sixth. However he did not participate in the last election though to ill health.
Ojukwu no doubt had an eventful political career. But his main regret would be that he never lived to see an Igbo man elected as Nigerian president. Because that for him would mean the full integration of Ndigbo into Nigerian polity after the 30 moths bitter civil war, he led to give the Igbos a better deal in Nigeria.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA—THE Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, yesterday, quashed the entire 3-count criminal charge that was preferred against the erstwhile governor of Lagos state and leader of the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu by the federal government.
The former governor was charged to court on allegation that he violated section 7 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 LFN, 2004, as amended, by operating10 foreign accounts whilst he was in office between 1999 and 2007.
In a unanimous ruling of a 3-man panel of justices of the CCT led by its chairman, justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, yesterday, the ex-governor was discharged on the premise that the charge against him was legally defective.
The tribunal not only declined jurisdiction to exercise further jurisdiction in respect of the case, but also accused the federal government of abusing judicial process by dragging the accused person to court without recourse to the rules governing criminal prosecution.
The panel maintained that the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, which recommended the ex-governor for trial, ought to have in-line with the Act that established the CCT, granted the accused person the necessary facilities that would enable him to properly defend himself over the allegations, saying the manner in which the 3-count amended charge was brought before the court amounted to “trial by ambush.â€
According to Justice Umar who read the ruling yesterday, “There is condition precedence before this court that the accused person ought to have been invited by the CCB before this charge was filed, though the prosecuting counsel tendered the initial one-count charge dated March 22, which it eventually replaced with an amended charge dated September 19 but filed on the 20th, as an exhibit before this court, it however failed to adduce evidence of invitation it extended to the accused person prior to the charge.
“Consequently, it will be proper for me at this stage to seize further exercise of jurisdiction since the condition precedence was not met before the charge was filed.â€
On the contention that the charge amounted to an abuse of judicial process, the panel insisted that the federal government circumvented the rules by serving both the tribunal and the accused person a copy of the amended charge right inside the courtroom.
Justice Umar maintained that the prosecution failed to follow the due process, adding that failure to attach a proof of evidence or an affidavit in support of the charge rendered it legally incompetent.
The court held that the leave it earlier granted to the complainant was in respect of the first charge, which was withdrawn, and not on the amended charge.
“To determine whether prima-facie case has been established, this court has to look at the totality of the proof of evidence before it considering that this is a criminal trial where the liberty of the accused person is at stake.
“An amended charge constitutes a fresh matter altogether and is different from the one the court considered before it issued a summon against the accused person on September 6.
“How can this court hold that a proper case has been meted against an accused when there is no proof of evidence before this court? Having looked at the amended charge, there is no reason for this tribunal to proceed with this case. I am of the opinion that the federal government did not follow the proper procedure. It should have submitted copies of the said amended charge to the tribunal for analysis.
“That would have helped us to determine if a prima-facie case has been established or not. The charge here is an abuse, this court has no option than to dismiss it, and it is hereby dismissedâ€, the tribunal held.
On the substance of the charge itself, the tribunal, noted that the foreign bank accounts the federal government said was operated by the former governor while he was in office, were not opened in his name, stressing that there was nowhere in the charge that he was accused of operating foreign accounts by proxy or through a trustee or an agent.
“I therefore hold that this tribunal has no jurisdiction to try the accused person on the basis of the amended charge and it is hereby quashed and the accused discharged.
Nevertheless, the tribunal dismissed as irrelevant and frivolous, the contention of the former governor that he ought to have been tried in Lagos state rather than in Abuja, saying the jurisdiction of the CCT is nationwide and not territorially confined.
Meanwhile, the federal government yesterday requested for a certified true copy of the ruling, even as it has vowed to test its validity at the Court of Appeal.
A chief prosecutor from the federal ministry of justice, Mr Ismaila Abas Rimi, who made the disclosure immediately the ruling was delivered yesterday, said the complainant was sure the accused person still have a case to answer.
Among those in court yesterday were the governors of Lagos and Osun states, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN and Rauf Aregbesola, as well as serving lawmakers under the platform of the ACN.
It would be recalled that the former governor had at the last adjourned date, October 26, declined to either mount the dock or enter his plea to the charge, arguing that he should have been tried in Lagos state where he allegedly committed the said offence.
Arguing through his lead counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, Tinubu had told the tribunal that while he was a governor, “some forms for declaration of assets were brought to him from the Code of Conduct Bureau, at its office in Lagos. The said forms were filled, completed and deposed to at the High Court of Lagos Registry and same duly returned to the CCB in Lagosâ€, stressing that he did not have any personal dealing with the CCB in Abuja.
Besides, the ex-governor through his team of lawyers comprising of over 15 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, maintained that he “is being accused and/or charged before a Tribunal which is not known to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended).
Referral of complaints
According to him, “the mandatory conditions precedent for the referral of complaints by the CCB to the CCT and the subsequent exercise of jurisdiction by the said Tribunal, have not been complied with.
“The amended charge is an abuse of court/judicial process, as an earlier charge with No: CCT/NC/ABJ/02/07, dated 5th March, 2007, containing similar particulars like this present one, is still pending.
“The counts contained in the amended charge are vague, ambiguous, unspecific and nebulous. The charge does not link the applicant to the commission of any offence. The counts do not disclose any prima facie case against the applicant.â€
Relying on the provisions of sections 36(6) (a) (b), 36(12) and paragraph 15 of the Fifth schedule of the 1999 constitution, section 3 and paragraph 1 of the Third schedule of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Tinubu beseeched the tribunal for an order quashing and/or striking out the 3-count charge dated September 19 but filed against him the next day.
He listed 10 grounds and attached four exhibits that should be considered by the panel in granting him the reliefs.
However, the federal government vehemently opposed his application, insisting that he must face trial in Abuja.
The prosecuting counsel, Dr Alex Iziyon, SAN, who tendered two exhibits in support of a counter-affidavit he filed in opposition to the suit, said the CCT has the requisite jurisdiction to prosecute the former governor over the charges pending before the court.
Administrative convenience
According to FG, “the offices of the Code of Conduct Bureau established in the states of the federation are for administrative convenience and do not affect the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
“The accused person/ applicant in this present charge is not protected by the provision of section 308 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 199 as he is not occupying the office of Governor presently.
“The accused/applicant knows the case against him and knows how to prepare his defence as he has been aware of same since 2007 when the earlier charge was filed.
“He knows as a fact that this honourable tribunal is one of summary jurisdiction. The CCB invited the accused/ applicant severally regarding the complaint leading to this charge but the accused refused to appear and was evasive.
“The counts disclosed in the charge clearly disclose a prima facie case against the applicant, this application is frivolous and should be dismissedâ€, it added.
In the meantime, the embattled ex-governor yesterday described the ruling of the tribunal as a victory for democracy, saying the verdict has further re-affirmed the position of the judiciary as the bastion of hope for the common man.
Lagos ACN Lauds Code of Conduct Tribunal Verdict on Tinubu.
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has applauded the Code of Conduct Tribunal for dismissing the charges brought up against the National Leader of the ACN, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The party says that by that ruling, the tribunal has demonstrated that justice is still obtainable even in an atmosphere of petty politics and funny contrivances.
In a release in Lagos , signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said the court ruling was a vindication of its National Leader whose fault is that he is seen as a threat to PDP’s desire to hold the country hostage till eternity. The party said that the ACN will remain undaunted in its mission to end the bad rule of the PDP despite the scheming of the party.
“We are gladdened that the Code of Conduct Tribunal has dispensed justice without fear or favour in this frivolous case, meant to slow down the desire to do away with the misrule of the PDP. We see this as a reinvigoration of that desire and state that nothing will stop our great party from its determination to replace the PDP, which has led the rapid degradation of governance in a well endowed country as Nigeria .
“By dismissing this frivolous case, nurtured and cooked in the chambers of vindictive and petty politics, the Code of Conduct Tribunal has shown a desire not to be employed as a hatchet to prosecute the selfish partisan battles of the PDP, we are happy that the tribunal is showing that signal at a crucial stage of our national life when the nation longs for a fresh air from 13 years of unmitigated misrule. We salute the courage of the members of the tribunal and we state that by this ruling, the tribunal has shown the way on an impartial approach to issues.
“We congratulate the National Leader of our great party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his latest victory, which is just one out of the strings of victories that he has recorded against those that hold Nigeria by the jugular. We salute his raw courage and audacity to lead the time honoured quest to rescue Nigeria from the hands of rapacious political predators that want to keep Nigeria hostage till eternity. We want him to see this as just the beginning of the battle for the soul of Nigeria , as we pledge our unalloyed support to him.â€
Also reacting to the development, former Senator Omololu Meroyi a chieftain of the ACN in Ondo State described it as a vindication of the fact that the judiciary in Nigeria is still alive to its responsibility.
“This is a clear case that the judiciary in this country is alive to its responsibility. We must have only one set of laws for everybody in this country, we cannot have two sets of laws one for some and another for others and I am happy that with this that there is still hope for the common man in this country,†Meroyi said yesterday as he congratulated Tinubu over the victory.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
We knew the day would come. It would have happened this time last year when he was hit by a catatonic stroke. But, just like the great warrior that he was, he fought death for another year and bowed as all mortals eventually must.
When last I met him, it was at the Hotel Concorde, Owerri in November 2009. While humorously referring to his bout with ageing, the partially blind Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, told me in his suite: O na ekili m, mu na-ekili ya. “It is staring at me, and I am staring at itâ€. Ojukwu has finally blinked.
There is a reason for which God the Almighty sent every human being. If you are lucky you will discover yours and leave the world different than you met it. If not you will come and go and none will know. Ojukwu was lucky. He found his reason for being sent to Nigeria.
My interpretation of it? He was sent to expose the treachery of the British colonial masters which amalgamated the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, thus creating one of the most potentially beautiful and prosperous political entities that the modern world may yet see. Britain later decided to inject poison into the veins of this entity, making sure to punish those who were eager for them to grant Nigeria independence quickly and go home.
Born into the household of Sir Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, one of the richest Nigerians of his time, Ojukwu was given the best education a multimillionaire’s favourite son could ever have. Egged on by destiny, he did not do many things his father wanted him to do. After bagging a Master’s Degree in Oxford, he wanted to serve the nation, so he went into the civil service briefly before enrolling in the Royal Nigerian Army. He was thus perched on the threshold of his historic duty post.
Throughout his eventful life, Ojukwu maintained he was a patriot and a nationalist even though he led a secessionist war against Nigeria and pitched his leadership activities in his native Igboland. Going by the positions and principles he stood for when the going got tough, his claim was justified.
He was not one of the plotters of the military coup that ushered the military into the political arena in January 1966. If anything, he commanded his unit to ensure the coup did not succeed in the Kano area, while in Lagos the General Officer Commanding, GOC, the Nigerian Army, Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, coordinated efforts to prevent the takeover of government by the Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu-led group of young military whippersnappers.
It was not until the assassination of the first military Head of State, General Aguiyi-Ironsi, by Northern officers that Ojukwu’s mission to Nigeria started showing.
In the brief moments when there was a vacuum following the death of Ironsi, Ojukwu, as a member of the Supreme Military Council, argued that the order of succession should be followed, whereby the next most senior officer should take over power. He took this stand irrespective of the fact that the next most senior officer after Ironsi was Brigadier B.A.O. Ogundipe, the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, a Yoruba.
However, in spite of the fact that Southern officers dominated the SMC (Lt Col Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of the Western Region; Lt Col David Akopde Ejoor, Military Governor of Mid Western Region; Ogundipe; Commodore JEA Akinwale Wey, head of the Navy and Lt Col George Kurubo, head of the Air Force) as opposed to two from the North (Lt Col Yakubu Gowon, Chief of Staff, Army Headquarters and Lt Col Hassan Usman Katsina, Military Governor of the Northern Region), Ojukwu’s motion was not acted upon. Ogundipe himself played safe, because according to him, Northern officers who staged the counter-coup would not allow him to assume leadership. The North and their technical advisers, the British authorities, asked Gowon to take over and he did.
This incident was the beginning of the collapse of professionalism in the Army and the beginning of its ethnicisation. Ojukwu firmly continued to oppose this outrage and refused to recognise Gowon’s authority because Gowon was a junior officer to him and many in the SMC.
But as time went on, history’s revisionists started portraying Ojukwu’s stand as a personal grudge against Gowon. If Ojukwu’s principled stand was adhered to, it would have helped preserve the professional integrity of the Nigerian Army.
Ogundipe, as a third and neutral party outside the Igbo and Northern tango, could have conducted a brief transition to civil rule while the injustices committed in the wake of the two coups d’etat would be ameliorated in the spirit of national reconciliation.
But the then united North was allowed to force its way to power and started taking steps that diminished the Igbo stake in Nigeria and thus forced them to take up arms to defend themselves and seek a safe haven in a separate republic known as Biafra. The failure of Ogundipe to succeed Ironsi entrenched the Northernisation of the Nigerian Army and the perpetuation of the North as Nigeria’s political overlords in the place of the former British colonialists.
During the total of 27 years when the military dominated the political space of Nigeria the power struggle was no longer between North and South or North and East. It was now between North and North, particularly between the Muslim North and the rest of the North, with the latter (Gowon’s people) increasingly taking Ojukwu’s place as the “rebels†who plotted so many failed bloody coups against the Fulani establishment.
There was a total breakdown in discipline, as non-Muslim Northerners in the military as well as their Southern counterparts were often ridden rough-shod by less fancied junior, well-connected Northern Muslim officers. The height of it was in 1987 when General Sani Abacha was in power. Major Hamza Al Mustapha openly toyed with Yoruba generals such as Major General Abdulkarim Adisa, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and the Chief of General Staff, Lt General Oladipo Diya when they were caught in coup plot against Abacha.
It was only after Olusegun Obasanjo took over in 1999 as elected president that he put a halt to this sectional madness by retiring 93 politically-exposed military officers. Thus resumed the process of re-professionalisation and re-nationalisation of the Nigerian Army. We will continue on Monday, God willing.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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