British woman who took her father's ashes to a bank said she wanted to prove his death and stop the debt collection letters.
Siobhan Peers, 31, of Stockport, England, said her father, David, died of bone cancer at the age of 67 in October 2011, but she has since received about 20 letters from the Royal Bank of Scotland seeking to collect on a $9.17 overdraft debt, The Mirror reported Thursday.
Peers said she sent the bank a copy of David's death certificate within two weeks of his death, but the bank insisted on being shown the original certificate and the debt eventually grew to $955.31.
"I took my dad to the bank and slapped his ashes on the counter," Peers said. "I'm sick of getting hassled."
RBS said the account was closed after Peers' visit to the Stockport branch, but "further information came to light which meant it was necessary to contact her again."
The bank said the debt has been passed to a debt recovery agent.
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 story of comedy in Nigeria can never be complete without a chapter deservedly devoted to Basketmouth. Christened Bright Okpocha at birth by his parents, the Isiukwuato, Abia State born entertainment practitioner who is in his 30’s towers above many in his sector.
One of the leading lights of comedy, the enormously blessed rib cracker flaunted his lovely family, good fortune and ever-rising fame in this unputdownable interview with YES International! Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE. Other pertinent issues were also dissected by him…..
What is your definition of comedy?
For me, comedy is a way of life. Comedy is the way I breathe, the way I think, because everything I do right now, the end product is what will make someone laugh. So, comedy is life, comedy is health and comedy at the same time is relaxing.
What makes a good comedian?
A good comedian is someone that can feed from his environment that can make a joke from even the saddest moment. A good comedian is someone that is very, very active with his timing, confident and feeds from his audience. This is the most important one – a good comedian is someone that can be extremely spontaneous on stage. You have to be able to free your mind, see the crowd. Most times they will tell you that when you get on stage, do not look at the crowd; but not in comedy. In comedy, you have to see your crowd and be able to pick things from them and create jokes on the spot. That’s what makes a good comedian, apart from the fact that you really need to be assessed by the appearance and not only the content and most people don’t understand that. A good comedian is someone that is funny, that is enlightened, intelligent, someone that is perceived to have class, because you cannot sell water in the champagne bottle neither can you champagne in the water bottle. You have to sell champagne in the champagne bottle and water in the water bottle. That is my own analogy.
What is the biggest mistake that most comedians make?
Being someone else. You do not have to be someone else. Most of them grew up studying another comedian and that’s the biggest mistake you can ever make. Do not study the next comedian. Learn from him, but do not try to be like him, because there can never be two Ali Babas, two Klint De Drunks. You have to create your own style, create your own materials, and create your own approach to your own brand. So, a good comedian is someone that is unique. You have to be unique; you have to have your own name, your own brand and your own style. So, a good comedian is not someone that is just funny. Being funny doesn’t make you a good comedian. Yes, you can be funny, but you need to stand out. Standing out is key. You need to be remembered. A good comedian is someone that cracks jokes that people live in. That way, you crack a joke, but they are living your joke. So, whenever they do the thing that you said on stage, they remember you. So, you live in their minds and they live in your mind. It’s sexual (Laughs).
What distinguishes Basketmouth from the other comedians?
Honestly, I don’t know. It’s the fans that can tell that. But the truth is, I try as much as possible to be myself, I try as much as possible to be my own competition, I fight myself, I try to beat my own record, I do not try to beat the next man’s record, I try as much as possible to be very natural on stage and at the same time I try as much as possible be very, very open-hearted when I’m on stage. That way, whenever I’m performing, you will know that I’m just living my life; that it’s natural, it’s me. Most people say that…I’ve heard people say Basketmouth, I like your jokes, I like your performance because you are natural. And maybe that’s one of the things that distinguishes me from all these other guys. But the truth is, I do not work hard to be different, I just work hard to be myself.
What is the greatest thing that comedy has done for you?
Comedy has taught me a lot, because laughter is something that we all need. When I was younger, I thought everyone was funny because all my friends, everybody in my family was funny and I didn’t know that being funny was a talent, being funny was a gift and when I found out, I realized that what I had was a gift and when you have a gift, you have to use it and use it well. Now, what I’ve learnt from comedy is the fact that I need to be free-hearted every time because people expect me to be funny. I’ve learnt to be always a little bit freer with my environment, with the people around me and it’s key.
What has comedy not done for you?
Oh! There’s nothing! There’s nothing, man! Comedy has done everything for me. Comedy has given me a reason to be a better person, a reason to work hard, because making people laugh is my dream; it’s an accomplishment for me, and comedy has given me a reason to do all these things. Comedy has given me a career, comedy has put food on my table at the same time. So, comedy is my life, comedy is what I do, and comedy is me. I didn’t choose to be a comedian, comedy chose me and that’s the reason I cannot disengage myself from comedy. It’s done everything. It’s done every single thing that I want. It’s even done more things than it’s done for a banker (Laughs).
what do you like most about being a comedian?
I won’t just say being a comedian, but being recognized as more or less like a celebrity. It gives me access to a lot of things. It helps me go by some stuff. I’m sorry to say this, but when there’s a long queue, the manager of the bank will say come to my office, take a cup of tea (Laughs) and let my people get the money for you. Comedy has made me more liberal, because I’m a very shy person. I like keeping to myself, but being a comedian and being out there in the public, being a public figure has given me that opportunity to be able to learn more about myself. I won’t lie to you, comedy has done too much for me. It’s everything I can ever wish for. I’ve always wanted to be a comedian; I never wanted to be famous, I didn’t know that fame will come with this. I thought it was only money (Laughing). But not like I actually got into the game for the money, anyway. I got into the game for the love, I got into the game for the passion, but I didn’t know that fame was going to come with it and that fame, trust me, every celebrity, every artiste, every famous person will say the same thing. It opens doors and that’s the truth.
What don’t you like about being a comedian?
Everybody thinks that every day is a joke. For me, they think that okay, I’m the funny person that they see on stage; they don’t know that I live the same life that they live. That sometimes I can be depressed, I can be sad, I can be angered, I can be going through stress or whatever. They just assume that oh, this guy is always funny, oh, come, come…and they say the wrong stuff or do the wrong things and I just have to act it out and be what they want me to be.
When you crack a joke and people don’t seem to get the joke, how do you feel?
Honestly, I’ve learnt over the years that I do not have to crack jokes any more, I just have to tell stories and then I put the jokes inside my stories. So, that means if I tell a joke inside a story line and it doesn’t work, nobody will know that I’ve dropped a joke. I can skip that one and go the next one. So, it’s a trick. I call it the monkey bar. You know monkeys, when they want to swing, they hold on to one bar and until they grab the next bar, they do not leave the other hand. So, it’s the monkey bar trick. I’m holding my story line, then I drop the joke; if it doesn’t work, I stick to my story line. If it works, I leave the story line, go to the joke and just like that, it flows.
What is the easiest way to come about jokes?
You have to be free-hearted. For me, whenever I want to get jokes, I just have to be free-hearted, I have to be wild in my thoughts because you can’t be a comedian and be normal. People see things or tragic situations, but I look at it from a different perspective. I have to see beyond human eyes. It’s hard; but trust me, I always try as much as possible to see beyond the human eyes and that’s key, that’s the most important thing; that’s the only way you can actually get materials. You have to feed from the crowd, feed from your environment and all.
What is the hardest aspect of stardom?
Whaaoh! This is gonna be a long one (Laughs). Now, the thing about being a star, being a celebrity or living that life is the fact that you cannot live your life any more, you are not yourself again, you are now for the public. You cut your hair, they argue it; some people will like it, some people won’t like it. The fact that you can’t satisfy everyone any more. Every decision you take, it’s not your decision. You have to take a decision that every one, or more or less, that a higher percentage of your followership will like, because whatever decision you take will either make you or break you and the thing is, most people don’t understand that celebrities are human. If not for the fact that I’m famous or that I’m Basketmouth, I am that kind of guy that will still go to a local Buka, eat my amala and things, sit down by the road side bar, drink my beer with my people and eat my bush meat. I will like to go to Tejuosho Market (in Lagos) and buy some stuff (Laughs), buy my Okirika and go home. That’s my life, that’s how I grew up, that’s me, that’s what I know. I’ve lived more that way in the number of years I’ve lived in this life. But people don’t understand this. So, right now, I’m more or less living an artificial life, but not 100 percent. I’m living my life for the people. It’s not a rumour any more that I’m a little bit temperamental and all. I’m human. That’s my flaw. But most people don’t get to understand that, okay, this guy is human. When they say some stuff to me and I react in a funny way, they will go like, oh boy, this guy, wetin dey worry am sef? But you keep forgetting that you just said the wrong thing and I reacted as a human being would react. So, 90 percent of the time, I pretend not to be offended by what they say because they made me, I live my life for them, because if it were not for these people, I will not be Basketmouth, which is the reason I must respect their feeling, respect their perception, respect their dream for me and on my behalf. So, this is hard. This is me living someone else’s dream, this is me living someone else’s expectation; so it’s really hard to be living this life. Trust me!
Why did you change your looks?
Change is the only constant thing in life, to start with. But I got bored. And if you noticed, if you monitor my lifestyle, you will realise that I don’t do the same thing for too long. Like when I did Basketmouth Uncensored, it was for a particular point in time. I stopped it; then I did Lords of the Ribs, I stopped it; did Africa’s Kings of Comedy, stopped it; did Nigeria’s Kings of Comedy, went back to Africa’s Kings of Comedy. That’s me. Before, I used to wear baggy jeans, now I wear tight jeans. Very soon I will start wearing shorts. I just like changing. Now, with my hair, dreadlock was my symbol, it was trademark and I honestly wanted to cut it off. Not because I wanted to change my looks perse, but I honestly wanted a little bit of air entering my brain (Laughs). I wanted to have that skin-cut feel again, but I couldn’t just do it instantly. I had to do a different style; something youthful at the same time. Because trust me, the industry, entertainment is in the hands of youths, so I had to do something that they would also like, in as much as I’m trying to get rid of it.
How much of a family man are you?
100 percent family man! I live two lives. When I’m on stage, I’m Basketmouth, when I’m at home, I’m Bright, the husband, father and I give 100 percent to fatherhood, I give 100 percent to marriage, I give 100 percent to everything that concerns the family and trust me, I’m a 100 percent family man. In fact, if I were doing a reality show, it would sell.
You are constantly busy, how do you create time for your family?
What I do is, most times, when I’m out of the country or out of Lagos State and I come back, I cancel as many appointments as I can in Lagos and I do not leave my house. That’s why you won’t get to hear oh, Basketmouth was here, he was there! I stay indoors, I stay with the kids, I stay with my wife. Whenever I’m in town, I give them my time and I probably take one day to knock business off. But I try as much as possible to give them every part of me.
tell us about your family…
My wife’s name is Elsie. And I’ve got two kids – Janelle Ngozi Okpocha and Jason Chigozie Okpocha. The J came from my wife. She loves alphabet J. Jesus Christ! She’s very ‘churcheous’.
What would you say has been sustaining your young marriage? Celebrity marriages crash almost everyday…
Ah! Mine is going to last forever. And I can tell you that for sure, because of the kind of relationship I have with my wife. We dated for about 7 years, we fought, we’ve seen our ‘shit’ (Laughs). We’ve seen ourselves 100 percent. She’s the only person that actually understands me, she’s the only one that can tame me, she’s the only one that can make me go hyper, she’s like my best friend and that’s one thing that has sustained us. She understands me and I understand her. And the thing is, most people don’t understand this – a happy wife is a happy home. Even when she’s the one that is at fault and she’s a little bit embarrassed by what she’s done, I try not to put it in her face, I respect her feelings and I try as much as possible to own up to some of her faults to make her feel good. You know women, they love to be pampered. So, in as much as she’s learnt her lesson, but when the whole drama is over, I now call her and say baby, that thing you did, it was very wrong o! But I don’t make it public, I don’t put it in her face, I make the situation calm down and I try as much as possible to make her as comfortable as she can be. My wife is someone that is not materialistic and she doesn’t want to get into the kind of life that I live. She appreciates a lot and that’s one of the things that will keep us going. Because truly, once you bring your family out in the public, you are prone to a lot of damage, because I’m experienced, she is not. My kids are not experienced. They will make mistakes and people will pick on it. So, as long as my family issues are not outside, what we do inside stays inside, what I do outside stays outside, it helps. And my wife is the kind of person that respects my ‘hustle’, she understands me 100 percent, we understand ourselves and trust me, that’s one of the things. Understanding, friendship, love and all. That’s what is keeping us.
You make other people happy, who makes you happy or who makes you happy?
The first thing that makes me happy is my family – my kids, my wife and the love I get from the fans. I don’t have to actually laugh to be happy. The appreciation that they have for my work, when they go like oh, Basketmouth, I love your jokes, that gives me happiness; Basketmouth, your performance last night was beautiful, that gives me happiness. So, happiness is a constant thing. Even the criticisms and the critics, they make me happy. Because if they don’t really like me, they won’t criticize me. So, even critics make me happy. They criticize me because they love me and also want me to be better. Apart from the fact that my family makes me happy, the fact that I’ve got love from my mum, from my brothers and sisters also makes me happy.
You’ve told too many jokes, which of your jokes do you like best and why?
I have a particular one, I have to be honest – There are few that I like, because they are like my classics. But the one I remember always is ‘There are two things involved…’ That’s like my classic. That’s the one, especially when I’m outside the country, that most people want to hear. ‘Oh, oh, two things are involved…’ And that’s one of my best materials ever.
Why do most people attain success but find it difficult to sustain it?
Now, being successful is not as difficult as maintaining the success itself. Getting to the top of the ladder is quite tough. We are talking about hard work, perseverance, constant innovative restructuring and more. Most people savor that moment of relief when they get to the top of the ladder, forgetting that maintaining that spot is even harder than getting there. Sustaining success is harder than being successful. So, for me, I try as much as possible to remain hungry, hungry for more, never satisfied, always setting a challenge for myself and never taking that breath of fresh air. It’s very difficult sustaining success as it comes with a lot of responsibilities, attention, expectations and more. The moment one cant retain a constant metamorphosis of his talent and skills, time and change will work against him and trust me, going down that ladder is one of the easiest things on earth.
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.
Uncertain of his candidate winning next month’s chairmanship election of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday night met with selected governors at the Presidential Villa and appealed to them not to vote for Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.
The meeting was said to have become necessary when Jonathan's foot soldier, Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, was unable to convince fellow PDP governors to vote for Gov. Ibrahim Shema for the post.
Akpabio had tried unsuccessfully to persuade a majority of the governors to vote out his fellow South-South governor in place of a Northerner. Most of the governors from the North believe that his action is not out of love for them but to firm up the machinery for Jonathan's 2015 ambition.
The election for the office of the NGF chairman comes up in May, and the incumbent, who is not popular in the President's camp but is loved by his colleagues, is running.
At the Villa's night meeting, in addition to Akpabio, were 14 other governors, including the governors of Bauchi, Gombeand, and Katsina States.
Sources at the meeting said Jonathan begged the governors to rally round Shema and make sure he defeats Amaechi.
"You can do it. Tell your colleagues, especially those from our party that Shema is our sole candidate," the President reportedly urged. Unfortunately, none of the governors gave the President any word of commitment even when Akpabio asked them to speak.
"We have heard Mr. President. There is nothing to say, but we must make sure that the Forum is not seen as an extension of the PDP," one of the governors was said to have told Mr. Jonathan. The NGF has scheduled a meeting for next Wednesday, but the election is not part of the agenda.
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.
By overriding Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State to pass a bill prescribing death penalty for kidnapping offences in the state, the state House of Assembly appears set on a collision course with the executive, writes Davidson Iriekpen
Last week, the Delta State House of Assembly, in an attempt to assert itself and prove that the house was not a rubber stamp for the executive, overrode Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who had earlier withheld his assent to the bill prescribing death penalty for kidnappers in the state.
At the sitting last week, 26 of the 29 members of the assembly voted to override the governor, which has automatically made the bill a law. The lawmakers predicated their actions on Section 100 sub-section 5 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which gives them the power to override the governor. After passing the bill into law, Speaker of the Assembly, Hon. Victor Ochei, directed the Clerk of the House, Mrs. Lyna Ocholor, to urgently enroll the law into the state judiciary as it has become a law of Delta State with effect from Wednesday, April 17, 2013. The bill, known as “Law to Prohibit Terrorism, Kidnapping, Hostage-taking, Cultism, Use of Bombs and Explosives and Other Matters thereto”, was unanimously passed by the 28 members of the assembly late last year. The bill was initially passed in 2009 but the governor refused to assent to it.
Also, under the bill, any traditional ruler in the state in whose domain hostages are held will be deposed or his kingship withdrawn. Also, a telecommunications company, which refuses to make available to security agencies, within 24 hours of request, information on the communication made by a suspected kidnapper or terrorist, will pay a fine of N20 million for every request not granted. Other highlights of the bill are that the governor or his authorised representative shall have power to sign an order sealing up premises used to harbour persons kidnapped or held hostage, with or without the demand of ransom. The bill further states that the sealing of the premises shall remain in place until a competent court decides on the forfeiture.
It is an offence under the Act, for a person, who, not being a member of the armed forces, unlawfully receives or has in his possession, bombs and other explosives with intent to cause harm. Such a person is liable, on conviction, to 14 years imprisonment. The same goes for those that manufacture the explosives. It also forbids a person or group of persons from threatening the life of anybody through letters, phone calls or other electronic methods and gadgets, as any person found guilty is liable, upon conviction, to 14 years imprisonment.
For person in authority who receives information on operations of kidnappers and terrorists and fails to take proper action, he is liable on conviction to three years imprisonment. Community ruling organs including executives of town, trust members and youth leaders in whose domain people are held hostage with their knowledge are also liable on conviction to be jailed for five years without option of fine. Besides, those who aid and assist kidnappers to escape will be sentenced to 21 years imprisonment on conviction. To many people in the state, when the governor refused to assent to the bill the second time, it was just a case of who would blink first between him and the lawmakers.
Citing reasons why the assembly decided to veto the bill, the Speaker said the legislature considered the harsh and wicked activities of kidnappers and other terrorist acts too overwhelming to Deltans. “The House of Assembly in its judgment considered the harsh and wicked activities of kidnappers and other terrorist acts too overwhelming to Deltans,” he said. Ironically, both members of the executive and the legislature had either directly or indirectly fallen victims of kidnapping in the state and therefore concluded that one of the ways to tame the growing menace was to veto the bill. Such excuses notwithstanding, Uduaghan disagreed. In a letter to the assembly on why he refused to assent to the bill, the governor said from experience, death sentence had never reduced crime.
“I have in the last one year studied reports on these crimes and what I find is that in most of the kidnap cases, the offence of armed robbery is disclosed. Suspects are therefore charged for both offences. The death sentence for armed robbery has not deterred criminally-minded persons from engaging in the crime and fixing the same death penalty for kidnapping in the bill is not likely to achieve that desired purpose. “There is the current world-wide campaign calling for the abolition of death sentence from the law books and this campaign has been taken up by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies among several agencies,” Uduaghan said in his letter. Beside, Uduaghan, argued that there was already a death penalty in the state law and that the state did not need another law that would amount to duplication.
“Every kidnapper is an armed robber. So, I don’t know why we are talking today of death penalty for kidnappers. Why do I have to sign another law for kidnappers? So, why this unnecessary debate about Uduaghan not agreeing to sign the death penalty for kidnappers and all that?” he said. He, therefore, condemned the bill saying death penalty had never staved off the perpetuation of capital crimes since it was introduced in the statute books, but that death sentence makes criminals more desperate, adding that a life sentence would have been better. According to him, statistics had also shown that incidents of kidnapping are more pronounced in some neighbouring states where the same laws were in place and that it pales into insignificance when compared with the spate of killings and sectarian strife in some parts of the country.
Indeed, many analysts agreed with the governor to an extent because experience is believed to have shown that enacting laws was not the problem in the country but enforcement as well as securing conviction at the law courts. But in a country with weak enforcement and poor justice system, observers are sceptical on how the Delta assembly would succeed with its bill. In about seven states where the bill against kidnapping has been signed into law, there has not been a case of one person arrested, arraigned and tried for kidnapping. And in spite of such a law, instances of kidnapping and other forms abductions have continued unabated.
Unfortunately, since the law was vetoed by Delta assembly, all is said not to have been well between the executive and the legislature. No matter how the two arms of government had tried to play it down, observers see evidence of crack between the two. Until the development, the assembly was known to always tag along with the executive on practically everything. The governor, sources say, always invites the lawmakers to dine and wine with him at the Government House as a way of ensuring their loyalty at all times. But the executive has denied any instance of disagreement between it and the legislature. Information Commissioner in Delta, Mr. Chike Ogeah, said in a statement that “As an independent arm of government, the house was well within its rights in the exercise of its legislative functions in taking its decision. It must be pointed out here that the house’s decision does not in any way portend a strain in the relationship between the governor and the lawmakers. Far from it, both arms have enjoyed and continue to enjoy warm and cordial relations.”
On the contrary, he said the development was the outcome of the principled stance of the governor against the prescription of death penalty for convicted kidnappers in the state. “In his letter to the house explaining his decision to withhold assent to the bill, the governor had noted that death penalty for armed robbery in existing laws has not deterred criminally minded persons from engaging in the crime.” Therefore, fixing the same death penalty for kidnapping in the bill was not likely to achieve that desired purpose. “There is no incident of kidnapping that does not involve the charge of violent crime, including armed robbery and use of dangerous weapons in prosecuting suspects. In effect, existing statutes provide enough grounds for charges of armed robbery which attracts the death penalty should the law enforcement agents so desire.”
The commissioner noted that Uduaghan, as a true democrat, respects the decision taken by the Assembly which was done in exercise of its constitutional powers and will continue to collaborate with the lawmakers in curbing the scourge of kidnapping and other violent crimes in the state.
Whilst an obviously fulfilled assembly has refused to be drawn out on the matter, analysts believe it does not require a soothsayer to know that the development may have created a hard feeling between the executive and the legislature. But how far they would suppress the obvious disagreement in order not to be seen as rocking the boat is yet to be seen.
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.
After a lot of patching, the working collaboration between the Action Congress of Nigeria-controlled government in Oyo State and the Accord Party has finally collapsed. Tunde Sanni writes on how the development will change subsisting permutation for the 2015 elections in the state
Former governor of Oyo state, the late Alhaji Lamidi Adesina, would probably be giggling in his grave. He was visibly against the alliance in 2011 between the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led government and the then political bride of the state, Senator Rasidi Ladoja-led Accord Party. Due to the impressive performance of the Accord Party in the 2011 polls and with just four months of existence, especially at the state assembly election, the party leader, Ladoja, was approached to partner the ACN with an understanding to concede some posts to his party. But Adesina was suspect of such an alliance and feared that if Ajimobi dare give Ladoja an inch, he would ask for a yard. But Ajimobi, desperate to become governor, ignored Adesina and went ahead. After the polls, ACN had 13 lawmakers; PDP 12 and the AP 7 to make up the 32-member assembly.
However, with the political marriage, all eyes were initially on Ajimobi and his determination to keep his side of the bargain. But later, attention shifted to Ladoja on whether or not he would support a government in which his party men, including one of his siblings, were serving. True to promise, Ajimobi kept to his bargain, an Accord Party man, Tunde Laniyan became the deputy speaker while some other AP lawmakers had their field day in the assembly in deference to the PDP which had numerical strength than the AP lawmakers. Yet, the alliance must be kept.
At the cabinet level, were nominees of Ladoja which included two commissioners, two Special Advisers, some chairmen and members of boards of parastatals. Initially, two members of Ladoja’s party were appointed Caretaker Chairmen of local councils but before the bubble burst, they had been removed. Also caught in the web of the broken alliance were all his nominees in the cabinet. They are Ladoja’s brother, Alhaji Abiola Kabiru Ladoja; the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Alhaji Nureni Adisa; Commissioner for Special Duties, Alhaji Bayo Lawal; Special Adviser on Industries, Chief Taiwo Adegbite and Special Adviser on Physical Development and boards chairmen and members.
Things began to go bad when Ladoja felt he was no more having his way with Ajimobi and started throwing darts at the government, the ruling party and spoiling for popularity contest. Though, Ladoja was reported to have claimed that he had not been attacking Ajimobi but the party, observer however maintained that since Ajimobi is the symbol of the party in the state, it is as good as attacking the governor. But when the governor could no longer take more of the attacks, he decided to wield the big stick by offloading the Accord Party members in his cabinet. This he communicated to Ladoja in a letter personally signed by him and delivered to the Bodija private residence of the former governor.
In the letter, the governor traced the history of his alliance with the former governor and how, in the last few months, Ladoja had consistently broken the tenets of the accord by casting aspersion on a government in which he vicariously participated, through the participation of his nominees and proxies, which included his younger brother. The letter read in part: “Immediately after (the 2011) election, because of the peculiar configuration of the electoral balance, it was obvious that, for the good of our state and its development, I needed to extend my handshake across other frontiers. You will recall also that after the elections, I met with you to ask for an alliance between your political party, Accord Party and my government. The basis of the relationship being demanded was for you to support me and contribute, as well as participate, positively in the governance of the state, considering the devastation and degradation that had been visited on the state over the years.
“You will also recall that, at my meeting with you, you agreed with me that, for a total restoration of the state, there was the need for well-meaning citizens of the state to eliminate the politics of brickbats, mudslinging and the proverbial Pull-Him-Down Syndrome which had become the byword for politicking in our state. This politics, invariably, misinforms the citizenry through subterfuge and has, over the years, contributed to stalling the development of the state. At that meeting, you agreed with me that there was the need to rescue the state from those vices of the political arena that had driven our state backwards.” Ajimobi said in spite of the initial opposition by his party echelon, which had reasoned that Ladoja’s ambition to govern the state again would destroy the alliance, he stuck to the agreement with him, believing that, as a sportsman, the former governor would respect the spirit and letter of the alliance.
“Regrettably, recent developments, in terms of the conduct of your people and the campaign of calumny which is recorded frequently in the newspapers, unsubstantiated allegations, as well as unwarranted vitriolic attacks against my person and the government under my leadership, have made me come to the conclusion that these recent campaigns against me are incompatible with the spirit of our alliance. “There is nowhere in the world where an alliance that benefits a participating partner is repaid by destructive maneuvers and corrosive innuendoes aimed at bringing down the house as this,” he said. Among others, Ladoja had been quoted at campaign grounds as saying that his participation in the Ajimobi government had shown the inadequacies of the government.
“It is in view of the foregoing that I am using this medium to inform you of my decision to disengage your nominees from the government… I feel constrained to take this painful but inevitable decision, in view of our personal relationship.” The sacking of the Ladoja’s aides finally broke whatever remained of the relationship even though the relationship appeared doomed from the outset. First, was the mass protest of ACN members against the rejection of loyal party men who worked for the success of the party at the polls for Accord members who contested with them and could have even beaten them were it not for their strength and deep rooting. They shut down the assembly for two days until the lawmakers were made to suspend the screening of Ladoja’s nominees to allow tempers cool down.
In an attempt to ensure that the relationship never succeeded, ACN chieftains went back to the drawing table and came out with plans A and B to whip the governor in line in order to ensure that they did not lose relevance and reckoning in the state. Plan A was to evolve a working alliance with the 12 PDP lawmakers in the assembly to shore up the number of the lawmakers in the proposed anti-Ajimobi structure to 25 against the AP which has just seven lawmakers. Though a hard nut to crack, the PDP lawmakers caved in after consulting with their leaders. The alliance was not without its attachments to the lawmakers as the remaining vacant positions favoured the PDP lawmakers, thus posting a signal to the AP lawmakers that the end of the romance had indeed come. Plan B, according to sources, was to wield the big stick which is the impeachment. But that was no more contemplated as the governor proved to be a jolly good friend with the lawmakers.
Political observers however blamed Ladoja for his poor handling of the alliance and allowing the bubble to burst on him. Sources close to the government alleged that the governor held him in high esteem as much as constantly extending financial hands. For instance, Ladoja and one of his wives were reported to have benefitted from some contracts from the ruling government in the good old days. Aside from the Ladoja attacks on the ruling party, he has also been taking delivery of ACN members into his party and positioning AP as the next government in the state, judging by the rate of defections into the party. Even on the second day after the sack of his aides, he still received members of the ACN and PDP into his party where he was unsparing of his criticism of the ruling party and the management of the state resources.
He received another batch of defectors from Ibadan North mainly from the ACN and the PDP into his party. A wall post on his facebook reads: “Another milestone was turned in Ibadan North Local Area where numerous members of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Nigeria Conscience Party (NCP) declared for Accord. The event took place at the Compound of Genesis Private School, Total Ground, Ibadan. “The carnival like occasion had the Accord National Leader and former Governor of Oyo state, Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja; the Accord National Secretary, Hon. Nureni Adisa; State Chairman, Architect Bashiru Lawal; all Accord members of the Oyo state House of Assembly; and chieftains of the party in the state were in attendance. Senator Ladoja praised the courage of the new members who saw the light and left their former parties for Accord.”
He reiterated his resolve to champion the cause of the masses and stand by them. Senator Ladoja enjoined the leaders of the people to know that in Accord, “we are all one in the course of moving the state further and declared that the era of intimidation of the masses is over. Talking tough, Ladoja advised political parties and their chieftains who have perfected the arts of rigging to desist from such scheme and dared the Oyo State government to set in motion processes towards the local government elections.
But the questions being asked now are what becomes of Accord Party if Ladoja was removed and how far can the party go since all its strides so far are limited to Ibadanland where the elders of the town are maintaining their anti-Ladoja posture, on local government in Ibarapa in Oyo and in Ogbomoso. Available facts from the Accord Party showed that the defectors have been responsible for themselves and their new party without any ‘allocation’ from the national leader.
If the party is to make an impact and in fact, clinch the governorship in the 2015 polls, observers say it has to be in alliance with a party or fuse into one. There are fears that most of those who have rushed in with the new popularity status of Ladoja and his party because they feel it is the government-in-waiting, may also rush out if they discovered that there was nothing for them after all.
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.
Ahead of the election for the post of chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) slated for next month, governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will meet tomorrow to discuss the request by President Goodluck Jonathan to dethrone the Rivers State Governor and current chairman of the forum, Chibuike Amaechi.
Speculations have been rife that the president would want the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, to supplant Amaechi as the new chairman of the NGF, but a reliable source informed THISDAY Monday that Jonathan is not as fastidious as to who emerges insofar as it is not Amechi.
The meeting, which will hold tomorrow afternoon, is a prelude to the NGF meeting expected to take place at 8pm at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
Also, the governors will discuss the query issued by the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to the Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, over his utterances that Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State was not acceptable to the northern governors as the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.
The president will also on Thursday meet with all the governors elected on the platform of the PDP.
Jonathan last Sunday met with a select number of governors across the political parties. The governors of Anambra State, Peter Obi; Ondo, Olusegun Mimiko; Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwambo; Kaduna, Yero Ramallam; Delta, Emmanuel Uduaghan; and Akwa Ibom, Akpabio, were some of the governors that attended the meeting.
THISDAY gathered that at the meeting with the governors, the president solicited for their loyalty and support, and asked them to throw their weight behind the party by countering the criticism of the opposition parties.
A source privy to the meeting said the president complained that the PDP governors were giving too much latitude to the opposition and its governors who have been actively involved in criticising the federal government and the ruling party at any given time.
The president was said to have told the governors that the press has been agog everyday with darts constantly thrown by the opposition parties and their governors at the ruling party, while the PDP governors usually turned a blind eye to the criticism.
He told them they have to be actively involved in defending the federal government and the ruling party as everything had been left to the presidency to handle.
On the election of a new chairman for the NGF, the president, the source said, impressed it on them that Amaechi had to be replaced, as his loyalty to the party could no longer be guaranteed.
But some of the governors, it was gathered, are favourably disposed towards Amaechi’s re-election and believe that their support of the Rivers governor will be kept confidential, because the election would be held through a secret ballot.
However, PDP is insisting that as the party with majority of the governors, it should be given the option of presenting a consensus candidate.
The president was said to have urged the governors to consider his request for a consensus candidacy and revert to him when he meets with them on Thursday.
THISDAY further gathered that the governors that attended the meeting with the president last Sunday complained of lack of funds to carry out capital projects in their states.
The president was said to have promised the governors that their request would be looked into.
It was also understood that one of the issues that will feature on the agenda of tomorrow’s meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum is the query issued by Tukur to Wamakko.
Also, a committee headed by Shema on the efforts to resolve the crisis in the South-west PDP would formally present its report at the meeting.
Tukur had queried Wamakko over a statement attributed to him that Akpabio was not acceptable to the northern PDP governors as the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. On getting the query, Wamakko was said to have asked the secretary of the PDP in Sokoto, Alhaji Aminu Bello, to reply Tukur’s query to the chagrin of members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
But the governors, a source said, have taken umbrage with the query and are angry that Tukur had the temerity to issue it.
According to a governor that spoke to THISDAY on the issue, “We have to be watchful; yesterday it was Governors (Murtala) Nyako and Amaechi, today it is Wamakko, so who else tomorrow.”
In the meantime, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, held a closed-door meeting with Tukur in the chairman's residence at the weekend to harmonise matters arising from the on-going reconciliation efforts by the party.
Details of what Tukur and Anenih discussed at the meeting were still sketchy at press time, however, indications were rife that both men had used the meeting to dispel the perception that they had both been working at cross purposes.
Similarly, Akpabio and his counterpart from Bauchi, Alhaji Isa Yuguda, mid-last week had a formal meeting with Tukur in Abuja to chart new strategies aimed at re-launching the party ahead of the 2015 elections.
The meeting between Tukur and the PDP governors drew up strategies on how to put the ruling party on a sound footing and was aimed at fulfilling its dream of winning more states by 2015.
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.
Bode George muses on South-west politics but with particular reference to the ongoing altercation between the factional leader of the Odua Peoples Congress, Chief Fredrick Fasehun and leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria It is true that when falsehood goes unchallenged, it will invariably gain an element of truth. And when this happens, all norms become twisted, all cultivated civilities are invariably distorted- all ingredients of culture and long established normalcy are invariably imperiled, destined for the garbage dump of history.
The people of the South-west are now confronted with this general imbalance and total dislocation of all known verities of their culture amid the frightening and fractious aberration that the constituents of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) represent. From Ekiti to Lagos, the Yoruba people are now at a despairing, terrible passage in their history. They never had it so bad. The new rulers who had rigged themselves into office and often times, abetted to power through overtly compromised judiciary, invariably perceive governance as a trade and personal business.
Though they holler day and night about being disciples of the revered Chief Obafemi Awolowo, we surely know better. Papa Awolowo never perceived power as a personal business. He was a selfless and disciplined nation builder, who saw government as a means of improving the lot of the common man. He built institutions, raised infrastructure and cultivated a creed of selflessness and sacrifice in the overall interest and growth of every member of the society.
Not so the preening impostors who don Awolowo’s cap and spectacles in the distorted vision that the clothes make the monk. I am particularly impressed with the courage and steadfastness of Dr. Frederick Fasehun who has spoken out most eloquently against the ravages the ACN impostors are now inflicting upon our lands. At a time when otherwise well-meaning Yoruba leaders have chosen to keep quiet, Dr. Fasehun has spoken out most courageously in deriding the ACN leadership as basically mercantilist scavengers whose sole motivation is senseless acquisition and plunder.
Truly, Dr. Fasehun’s credentials are superb and immaculate. He has mostly led a Spartan, disciplined life of commitment and resolve towards the emancipation and uplift of the Yoruba people. He has built no palaces or sprawling chains of businesses. He is genuinely above board, supremely qualified to flaunt the real toga of Awoism.
The little, small-minded characters running around at the behest of the supreme impostor from Iragbiji have picked up on a wrong man. For while their boss, Bola Tinubu, has virtually turned Lagos State into a conquered vassal entity through a maddening senseless expropriation of Lagos properties and heritage, the purity of Awoism which Dr. Fasehun represents is really absolute commitment to the welfare of others. Papa Awolowo did not build palaces. We know all his modest properties in Ikenne, Lagos and Ibadan. The great sage did not expropriate public properties neither did he embark on a sickening race to erect castles in the air and on the ocean in some crazed pursuit of benighted self-aggrandizement.
The most heart-rending reality is the habitual, wicked and monstrous lies of these little men. They mouth the credo of free education and yet, they are making learning prohibitive and virtually unaffordable for the common man through a scandalous and vicious increment in school fees.
Thousands of the children of the ordinary workers in Lagos State alone have since turned into Okada riders and various menial jobs. The so called progressives have never built even a room of affordable accommodation for the common man, and yet they engage in dubious and self-serving demolition exercises from Badia to Orile, reducing humble home owners into under-bridge dwellers and overnight vagabonds.
The so called progressives are building sky-scrapers for the rich, endlessly seizing lands from the poor across the Lekki peninsula, choking the free passages of water from the Lagoon to the Atlantic in a befuddled attempt to reverse the course of nature thereby provoking more ferocious and devastating reverberations that may sink and bury the whole state when nature fights back. The fake and dubious Awoists talk about having respect for the decision of the electorate and yet, in brazen and cold-hearted complicity with the Election Tribunal in Lagos State, they virtually reversed obvious and established victories of the PDP in the last local government elections.
The most dubious one being the recent reversal of the PDP Chairmanship victory at Agbado Oke-Odo where a clear-cut victory at the election tribunal was unexplainably overturned by the appellate body without a firm, coherent rationale. They simply said the lower court made a mistake! Alas, what is the mistake? How was it committed? The answer is still in the winds! That is the judgment from the Tribunal set up by the so called Awoists. What a travesty of all that is pure and civil and fair that the great Awo stood for!
I appeal fervently to the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayo Phillips, to swiftly embrace and cultivate the no-nonsense approach of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Aloma-Muktar, who is heroically resolved on ensuring sanity and fairness in our judicial system. Indeed, the justice system is perhaps the most pivotal in the tripodal organs of the separation of powers. The judiciary is truly the last hope, not only of the common man but everyone else in any enlightened society. It is the bedrock of democracy. It is where equity, fairness and the fear of God must prevail at all times. It is where decency, the purity of purpose and enlightened commitment to the societal good must abide always.
Judges should never allow themselves to be used to serve the moment or bend their conscience towards a prevailing political tendency. They must arbitrate with stoic neutrality, confident in their wisdom, not swayed by the distortions of moneyed influences, indifferent to the high-handed protestations of temporary power holders, firm in their own commitment to the fairness doctrine and the guidance of Almighty God. It is only then that justice will be served and the society itself can prosper.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo still stands tall today almost three decades after his passage simply because he was true to himself and he was true to humanity. He was a man of conscionable principle and redoubtable veracity. His heart was pure, uncluttered. His spirit was without bias, stripped of partisan venom. His pursuit was simply about excellence, hard work and the progress of mankind. He acquired no riches and he harboured no hatred. He was tempered by the fear of God and the love of his fellow man.
It is a sheer monumental fraud for the South-west impostors with their base in Lagos to seek to illustrate themselves in the garb of immortal Awolowo. Nobody is deceived. The crude fixity of the ACN stalwarts is about untrammeled mercenary totality. They are indifferent to the challenges of the common man. Their concern is about unbridled self-enrichment. Nothing else matters. That is basically the point Dr. Fasehun is making. And our people too are seeing through their lies.
The Scottish Philosopher, Thomas Carlyle is right: “No lie can live forever.” This is what sustains Dr. Fasehun and the rest of us still slugging it out in the trenches. This evil will never prevail. *George is a former deputy national chairman of PDP
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 Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on Tuesday expressed reservations against the move by Federal Government to grant amnesty to members of Boko Haram, saying doing so was offensive to common sense in all ramifications.
The group also counseled the political class against making inflammatory statements that were capable of overheating the polity ahead of 2015 elections.
Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, took these positions on Tuesday while addressing newsmen in his State of the Nation address at Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Chief Fasoranti, who was flanked by other leaders, including Chief Olu Falae, Prof Akinyemi Onigbinde, Bashorun Seinde Arogbofa, Senator Iyiola Omisore, Abagun Kole Omololu, Chief Supo Shonibare, among others, also stated that giving amnesty to the insurgents would be preposterous and retrogressive.
Fasoranti, who observed that never in the history of Nigeria, except during the civil war era had Nigerians been more insecure than now, explained that Afenifere’s stand was based on the fallout of the amnesty already granted in the Niger Delta region which had recorded monumental abuse, especially among the elite managers of the scheme.
“For instance, we agree that granting amnesty in the Niger Delta region per se is in order. But we find it hard to defend the monumental abuse going on, especially among the elite managers of the scheme and are disturbed as to whether the scheme will bring a lasting peace giving episodic restlessness still being demonstrated.
“Yet, we have created a set of emergency billionaires from amnesty while the conditions in the creeks remain virtually what they were.
“It is with this at the back of our mind that we have been so skeptical over the so-called amnesty for Boko Haram which is a much more dangerous group than the Niger Delta insurgents who were known and whose demands were clear,” he said.
The Afenifere leader maintained that it would amount to a tragedy for the country to embark on another money-sharing spree in the name of granting amnesty to another group “with all the blood that has been shed.”
Fasoranti, who noted that the Boko Haram terrorists had been unfortunately complemented by the activities of kidnappers, assassins, armed robbers and others, advocated that any decision on Boko Haram should be holistic, saying the country should not be talking of the insurgents but also their victims as well as the causes of the menace with a view to ensuring that the situation did not repeat itself.
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.
Iran has denied any links to two men arrested in Canada on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on a train.
Canadian officials said an attack had been planned with support from al-Qaeda elements in Iran, although there was no evidence of state sponsorship.
Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, and Raed Jaser, 35, are due to appear in court on Tuesday for a bail hearing.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said to suggest a link between al-Qaeda and Iran was "ridiculous".
"This is the most hilarious thing I've heard in my 64 years," Salehi told the Iranian Isna news agency.
"It is really ridiculous to link al-Qaeda to Iran. I hope that the Canadian authorities think a bit more rationally and pay attention to the consciousness of the people and world public opinion."
Al-Qaeda – a militant Salafist Islamic movement – preaches a radical anti-Shia ideology that places it firmly at odds with Shia Iran.
However, analysts say that despite this enmity al-Qaeda and Iran have tolerated one another where it suited them.
Last September Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran, closing its embassy in Tehran and expelling all remaining Iranian diplomats from Canada.
At the time Foreign Minister John Baird said Canada viewed Iran "as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today".
Canadian authorities said the two suspects were arrested in Montreal and Toronto on Monday.
They had allegedly planned to derail a passenger train in the greater Toronto area, but it is not clear when.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said the surveillance operation leading to the arrests was "a result of extensive collaborative efforts".
It said FBI agents from the US were involved in helping to foil the attack, although a US justice department official said there was no connection between the plot and last week's Boston Marathon bombings.
Assistant Commissioner James Malizia: "Innocent people would have been killed or seriously injured"
The RCMP said the two men, who are not Canadian citizens, had planned to derail a train operated by VIA Rail and "kill and hurt people".
RCMP Chief Superintendent Jennifer Strachan said the attack was "definitely in the planning stage but not imminent".
"We are alleging that these two individuals took steps and conducted activities to initiate a terrorist attack," she said.
"They watched trains and railways in the Greater Toronto area."
Chief Supt Strachan did not say if the route being targeted was a cross-border route with the US.
However, New York Republican Representative Peter King said the attack was intended "to cause significant loss of human life including New Yorkers".
VIA Rail, which operates passenger rail services across Canada, said that "at no time" were passengers or members of the public in imminent danger.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said the arrests showed that terrorism continued to be a real threat to Canada.
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.
Japan would respond with force if any attempt is made to land on disputed islands, PM Shinzo Abe has warned.
His comments came as eight Chinese government ships sailed near East China Sea islands that both nations claim.
A flotilla of 10 fishing boats carrying Japanese activists was also reported to be in the area, as well as the Japanese coastguard.
Abe was speaking in parliament hours after dozens of lawmakers visited a controversial war-linked shrine, reports the BBC.
A total of 168 lawmakers paid their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japan's war dead, including war criminals, in a move likely to anger regional neighbours who say the shrine is a reminder of Japan's military past.
The warning from the Japanese prime minister was the most explicit to China since Abe took power in December, the BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Tokyo.
Asked in parliament what he would do if Chinese ships tried to land on the disputed islands, Abe said they would be expelled by force.
"Since it has become the Abe government, we have made sure that if there is an instance where there is an intrusion into our territory or it seems that there could be landing on the islands then we will deal will it strongly," he said.
The warning came as eight Chinese ships sailed around the islands – called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
The Japanese coast guard said it was the highest number of Chinese boats in the area since Tokyo nationalised part of the island chain in September 2012.
China said its ships had been monitoring Japanese vessels. The State Oceanic Administration issued a statement saying three of its ships had "found" several Japanese ships around the islands and "immediately ordered another five ships in the East China Sea to meet the three ships".
Ten Japanese boats carrying around 80 activists arrived in the area early on Tuesday, Reuters news agency reported, monitored by Japanese Coast Guard vessels. Public broadcaster NHK said the boats were carrying "regional lawmakers and members of the foreign media".
Japan's top government spokesman said the "intrusion into territorial waters" was "extremely regrettable". Japan also summoned the Chinese ambassador to protest, reports said.
The territorial row has been rumbling for years but was reignited last year when Japan bought three of the islands from their private Japanese owner.
China claims the island chain, which is controlled by Japan. Taiwan also claims the islands, which offer rich fishing grounds and lie in a strategically important area.
The dispute has led to serious diplomatic tension between China and Japan, most recently in January when Japan said a Chinese frigate locked weapons-controlling radar on one of its navy ships near the islands – something China disputes.
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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