AN estimated 2.9 million people living with HIV/AIDS out of 3.4 million Nigerians diagnosed last year are not receiving treatment needed to suppress the infection. Those affected, most of who are currently living in hiding, are not only at risk of death from HIV related illnesses, but are also infecting new people, causing a surge of the disease.
Nigerian HIV experts revealed this at a scientific symposium to mark this year’s World AIDS Day, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, in collaboration with Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Lagos branch.
In her submission, representative of the Population Council Abuja, Dr. Sylvia Adebajo noted that only 500,000 people are currently on treatment, while the 2.9 million largely men, serve as reservoir for the spread of HIV.
“Men do not go to hospital as much as women so they are the most difficult to reach. Those at higher risks include; women, homosexuals, men who engage with drugs and those who have sex with female sex workers.”
Adebajo said the attitude of testing people and letting them go without follow up needs to be stopped, and more people, particularly men needs to be reached with treatment.
Director-General of NIMR, Prof Innocent Ujah regretted that despite that effective available for the diagnosis and clinical management, the AIDS epidemic still claims an estimated two million lives each year, of which about 270, 000 are children.
“The multi – year theme since 2012 has been “getting to zero with the three main sub-themes of zero new infections, zero deaths from AIDs – related illnesses and zero discrimination.
Ujah who lauded the UNAIDS 90 – 90 -90 initiative said it was designed to have 90 percent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained ARV therapy and 90- percent of all people receiving ARV will have viral suppression.
“With 90 percent of those on treatment having viral suppression, there will be a drastic break of transmission of new infection and end the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030.”
He said NIMR will be conducting an outreach in Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos state to increase awareness on HIV/AIDS as well as enhance HIV counselling and testing.
Also in her presentation, on how to prevent new infection, Dr. Oladipo Fisher, from Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, LASACA, said early initiation of HIV positive people into antiretroviral drugs will decrease rate of new infection, as well as reduce HIV-related illnesses and deaths.
In the same vein, Consultant Haematologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Prof. Sulaimon Akanmu, noted that people who test positive to HIV can possibly eliminate the virus if they commence treatment immediately they are diagnosed. “This will help bring their viral load to an undetectable level, where they will likely not infect other people, and is in line with the World Health Organization, WHO’s new treatment guideline for HIV/AIDS.”
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 Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has advised the management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, to take the Employees Compensation Scheme, ECS, to the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, for them to know the benefits of the scheme.
Speaking during a department briefing with the management team in his office in Abuja, weekend, Senator Ngige called for a review of the ECS Act 2010, to include stiff penalties for employers that failed to register their employees on the scheme.
The minister, who stressed the need for the NSITF management to come hard on defaulters, lamented that the level of compliance was low after over four years of implementation, even as he regretted that he had not heard of any prosecution of employers for non-compliance.
He told the management of NSITF to make a business case of the scheme to the Governors Forum, stressing that it would be a more effective way to get the states come on board.
According to him: “We have no option, but to push the ECS to performance level. There is no doubt that the idea is a great one. We must, however, ensure that Nigerians feel the positive impact of this initiative.
“I think that the management has to engage the governors through the Governors’ Forum so that we can explain the advantages of this scheme to them. I believe that the stipend to be paid on employees salaries are small to the advantages that the scheme gives to workers especially when they are injured in the course of work.
“I believe every governor would be happy to hear about the numerous advantages that their workers stand to benefit by joining the scheme.
“It is not acceptable that no employer has been sanctioned for non-compliance especially when cases or non-compliance abound. This must change.”
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of- NSITF, Umar Abubakar told the minister some of the challenges confronting the Fund which include lack of comprehensive data on all employees on government’s payroll and non-compliance by state governments and many organizations in the private sector of the economy.
Abubakar disclosed that the Fund has installed computer software that would greatly enhance its operations through a partnership with Oracle systems, pointing out that the computerization project had earned the Fund an ISO 27001:2013 certification.
He said that the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Turin, Italy, continually train NSITF staff on the global best practice in social security, stressing that available data speaks volume to how much the Fund had delivered in terms of claims and benefits in response to claim requests submitted to it.
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.
Lagos—As Nigeria today joins the rest of the world to mark 2015 World AIDS Day, the World Health Organisation, WHO, yesterday announced that the Millennium Development Goal that called for halting and reversing the spread of HIV on a global basis was met with 7.8 million lives saved in 15 years.
WHO also announced that the number of HIV deaths was reduced by 42 per cent by 2014 from a peak of more than 2 million in 2004 to an estimated 1.2 million.
The global health body, in a new report to mark this year’s World AIDS Day however noted that the world is poised to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
The report tagged; “Global Health Sector Response to HIV 2000-2015”also observed that the projections of an end to the epidemic by 2030 once considered to be unattainable are now realistic.
According to the report, “The rapid scale-up of access to Antiretroviral Therapy, ART, one of the greatest public health achievements in recent times, has made treatment available to more than 16 million people living with HIV across the globe.
“Today, more than 11 million people in the WHO African Region alone are receiving HIV treatment, versus about 11 000 who were taking the medications 15 years ago,” the report added.
Describing the progress as a thousand-fold increase, the report which noted that more must be done disclosed that globally 60 percent of all people living with HIV have not yet enrolled in antiretroviral treatment.
Reacting to the report in the statement, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti explained that in the last 15 years, new HIV infections have reduced by 41 per cent in the African Region, more than in any region in the world.
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.
IN the eight years of Obasanjo’s presidency, there was no headline-grabbing demand for Biafra. Ditto for the eight years of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan presidency. However, within months of Buhari’s presidency, the Igbo demand for Biafra has become deafening.
Without a doubt, the blame for this new impetus must be laid firmly at the doorstep of President Buhari. Moreover, rather than attenuate it, the president and the APC have exacerbated separatist tendencies in the country.
This was part of the reason why people like me did not support Buhari’s election as president of Nigeria. I have written severally in Vanguard that Nigeria must remain a united nation. In my column of 4th March, 2014 entitled: “Re-inventing Igbo Politics in Nigeria,” I maintained that: “Nigeria cannot survive without the Igbo.” The following week on 11th March 2014, I wrote another article entitled: “Nigeria Cannot Do without the North.”
I remain persuaded by both positions. But if Nigeria is indeed to remain united, there are certain things that must be said and done. The problem with the Buhari administration is that it seems totally impervious to these imperatives.
Second-class treatment
There is no question that, as one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Igbo have been hard done by. Since the civil war 45 years ago, they have been treated as if they were a minority ethnic group in Nigeria when in fact they are one of the majorities. No Igbo has been considered worthy of being head-of-state. The South East of Ndigbo is the only one of the six geopolitical zones of the country with five states. All other zones have six or more. Indeed, the number of local governments in the North-East is virtually double that of the South-East. As a result, the Ndigbo receive the smallest amount of revenue allocation among all the zones, in spite of the fact that some of the South-eastern states are among the oil-producing states.
The roads in the South-east are notoriously bad. Government after government have simply ignored them. Inconsequential ministerial positions are usually zoned to Ndigbo. Time was when it seemed the lackluster Ministry of Information was their menial preserve. It is also a known fact that every so often the Igbo are slaughtered in the North under one guise or the other. Many are forced to abandon their homes and businesses and run for dear life. The people who perpetrate these acts never seem to be arrested or prosecuted.
When a major tribe is treated procedurally as second-class in their own country, there will be a demand for self-determination sooner rather than later. When a group of people feel unsafe in their own country, they cannot but be expected to decide to opt out. It is not the responsibility of the government to imprison the Igbo in Nigeria. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure and guarantee that they feel safe and are treated with respect.
Discrimination against the South: While these issues have been brewing under the surface for some time, the lop-sided tendencies of President Buhari have brought them all out to boiling-point. In his first-coming as head-of-state in 1984, Buhari antagonised Ndigbo by locking up Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, an Igbo man, in jail in Kirikiri; while President Shehu Shagari, a Fulani man was only placed under house arrest. In addition, Buhari arrested and jailed Ojukwu, another Igbo icon for no just cause.
As Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, Buhari discriminated blatantly against the South and especially the South-east. For example, his PTF built only 4,440 kilometres of roads in Southern Nigeria representing a paltry 24%; while 13,870 kilometres were built in the North representing 76%. Of these figures, the Southeast and South-south combined only received 13.5%.
Under the PTF’s National Health and Rehabilitation Programme, NHERP, the entire South got 0% allocation, while the North got 100% in the tertiary programme. In the vocational programme, the entire South had only 3% while the North had 97%. The same was for the primary side where the South had only 12% but the North was allocated 88%. The secondary area was no different. While the North had 86% percent, the South had just 14%.
Disenfranchisement of Ndigbo
These anomalies have been duplicated to date in the seven months of Buhari’s presidency. In the first place, Buhari won virtually without Igbo votes. In order to diminish Jonathan’s votes, a major assault was made against them; recognising that they are some of the staunchest Jonathan supporters. INEC ensured that, far more disproportionately relative to other geopolitical zones, millions of South-East voters disappeared between 2011 and 2015.
Only 7.6 million voters were registered for the 2015 election in the South-east, and only 5.6 million PVCs collected. Compare this with Buhari’s North-west, there were 17.6 million registrations and 15.1 million collections. While in the South-west, there were 4.2 million votes in 2015, relative to 4.6 million in 2011: in the South-east, there were only 2.6 million votes in 2015, relative to 5 million in 2011; a drastic drop of 2.4 million.
While Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa and Bauchi posted their traditional humongous figures; Imo, Anambra and Abia posted relatively disappointing figures. While the internally displaced Northerners in the North-East could vote; internally displaced Igbos from the North could not. While the card-readers failed in many parts of the South-east, suggestive they were programmed to fail; they worked in most parts of the North. In places like Lagos and Kano, many non-indigenes, including the Igbo, were not even given their PVCs.
Making of a hero: President Buhari then added insult to injury by stating on his visit to the United States that he could not be expected to treat those who voted for him in the same way as those who did not.
He said: “(Going by election results), constituencies that gave me 97% cannot in all honesty be treated, on some issues, with constituencies that gave me 5%. I think these are political realities. While, certainly there will be justice for everybody but the people who voted, and made their votes count, they must feel the government has appreciated the effort they put in putting the government in place.”
While his media assistants later tried to water down this disturbing statement, the reality was that, apart from the constitutionally-stipulated requirement that every state must be represented in the presidential Cabinet, Buhari has virtually ignored the Igbo in his appointments.
Two moves showed the level of insensitivity of the Buhari administration to these anomalies. The first was the decision to move Boko Haram prisoners down from the North to the South-east; a move firmly resisted by the Igbo as it would have made them a target of suicide-bombers. The other was the blunder of placing Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra, under arrest; charging him with treason and terrorism.
All the government has achieved by this is inflame passions in the South-east. It has also made a hero out of Kanu. Those who did not know about Kanu before now know him. Those who were not disposed to Biafra before are now shouting Biafra. For weeks on end, Biafra has become the biggest news item nationwide, with agitations, demonstrations, threats and arrests.
Agenda for action: The government needs to apply more wisdom here. At the moment, it has become the biggest promoter of Biafra by the way it has gone about things. The idea of Biafra cannot be killed with a sledge hammer, if at all. What is required is to address the root causes that impelled Biafra. Unfortunately, it would appear the Buhari administration is unwilling to do this.
As a matter of urgency, Nnamdi Kanu must be released unconditionally. If the government persists in labeling him a terrorist, his supporters might decide to become terrorists. Nigeria already has enough problem of Boko Haram conflagration in the North-east. We cannot afford to light another fire in the South-east.
Kanu was living in England. If he were a terrorist, he would have been arrested there. The fact that he lived there without constraints or restraints shows he was not considered a threat, either to Britain or to Nigeria.
It is not a crime to fight for self-determination; it is a right. The government must not give the impression that Nigeria is a prison where we must all live, irrespective of the living conditions. The government needs to address the grievances of the Igbo. Their roads and bridges must be built. Their waterways must be opened up to the Atlantic Ocean.
Eastern sea-ports must be developed. Railways must link their mercantile cities to the North. Their coal resources must be profitably exploited for the benefit of their unemployed youth and citizenry. An additional state must be created in the South-east to bring it up to par with other geopolitical zones.
National question
Moreover, we need to revisit again a critical issue addressed during the truncated National Conference: the issue of resource allocation. This is a major gripe of the Igbo and it is a legitimate gripe. It is not in the interest of Nigeria to continue in this age-old practice where all the states gather every month in Abuja for handouts, whether they are productive or not. This gives the wrong impression that some states are insisting on being piggy-backed by others. We need to develop a system that rewards and encourages productivity.
Those who produce should be allowed to keep disproportionately what they produce, instead of the current situation where they are required to share it disproportionately with those relatively less productive. The truth of the matter is that every part of Nigeria is resource rich. Every part of Nigeria has the requisite manpower. Unfortunately, our current over-concentration on oil militates against the development of other indigenous resources.
A situation where national resources are distributed according to the number of local government councils, and where there is now supposedly only 96 local government councils in the South-East, relative to 186 in the North-west does not suggest equity and justice.
The disgruntlement in the South-east about the Nigeria project will not disappear by ignoring it. It will not disappear by arresting Kanu. It will not disappear by issuing threats. Neither will it disappear by denying the youth of the South-east their freedom of speech and assembly.
Today, the demand for Biafra remains the demand of a minority of the Igbo. If the root causes of their anger are not addressed, the minority will soon become the majority. If that happens, Nigeria might unravel. I repeat what I have stated before: the Nigeria of our manifest destiny cannot be realised without the Igbo.
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.
MAIDUGURI— Following repeated accusations by Amnesty International and other international rights groups of brutalization and human rights abuses by the Nigerian Army in the war against Boko Haram insurgents, the Nigerian Army has inaugurated a joint Nigerian Bar Association, NBA/Nigerian Army human rights monitoring team as part of measures to improve human rights protection and reduce abuses by military personnel.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, announced this, yesterday, at the NBA workshop on ‘Human Rights in times of Conflict,’ organized at the Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.
According to Buratai, the Nigerian Army was established by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, therefore, guided by its laws in all its affairs.
While noting that the Nigerian Army respected and protected human rights even in the fight against terrorism and insurgency, Buratai said the Nigerian Army took human rights issue very seriously and trained its personnel both locally and abroad on the issue.
“The Nigerian Army has also partnered National Human Rights Commission and International Committee of Red Cross who visited Army detention facilities on regular basis,” he said in a statement signed by Col. Sani Usman, Acting Director, Army Public Relations..
He added that there was no safe haven for human rights violators in today’s Nigerian Army.
On his part, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegbe, at a workshop in Maiduguri, lauded the military’s counter-insurgency efforts in the North-East.
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.
FROM a seamless electioneering campaign to an acrimonious polls and now a season of inconclusiveness: inconclusive death, inconclusive election and inconclusive replacement, the brouhaha generated by the Kogi polls is fast turning into a national problem.
With increasing political intensity, the warring factions are poised to push things to the wires in their bid to be crowned the next Lord of the Lugard House, Lokoja.
The sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the early hours of Sunday, November 22, 2015, has thrown the state into a frenzy, power play and resurgence of ethnic and religious hostilities.
With the APC given the opportunity to replace its candidate, renewed hostilities were ignited as the winner of the APC ticket has a 98 percent chance of winning the governorship. APC requires just 4500 of the 49,000 votes up for grab in the supplementary polls.
The stakes are very high with the likes of Mohammed Audu, Isah Jibrin Echocho, Yahaya Bello and Abiodun Faleke as contenders .
However, it emerged on Friday that Yahaya Bello has been favoured by the National Working Committee of the party (NWC) and the presidency. Other aspirants to the APC throne vacated by Audu on account of death are hell bent on giving Yahaya Bello a run for his money.
Yahaya Bello, a business magnate of international repute was one of the frontrunners for the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the August 29, 2015 primaries. Analysts are of the opinion that Yahaya Bello would have won the primaries but for the lack of unity among the contenders from Kogi Central.
Bello fought for the ticket with all his might and was on the verge of nipping it before the National Legal Adviser of the party advised against stripping the late Audu of the ticket.
Nonetheless, proponents of the Faleke candidacy are coming up with cogent issues. To them, Faleke held a joint ticket with the late politician and by logic and law, the sole beneficiary of the votes casted on November 21. They argued that no other candidate would have the legal propriety to the votes casted in favour of the Audu/Faleke ticket.
With the expected declaration of Yahaya Bello as the party’s candidate, hostilities may take the battle to the law courts as Faleke is poised for a showdown with the NWC of his party.
Taking the issue to the legal wires may test the cohesion of the APC as the party may be forced to wield the big harmer against the politician known as him.
Smart as he is, Faleke has succeeded in striking a chord of interest with the political dynasty of the late Prince Abubakar Audu. He was said to have succeeded in wooing Mohammed Audu, son of the late politician to his side. Inside sources told Vanguard that Faleke has already penciled down Mohammed as his running mate.
But whether Kogi East people are in tandem with Mohammed Audu’s “pact” with Faleke is left to be seen. Kogi East has prided itself as the power base of the state, having ruled the state from inception.
It is on record that every elected governor of the state since 1992 had been an Igala man. Both the Okun and the Ebira have been settling for the positions of the deputy governor and House of Assembly speaker.
The looming shift of power base from the East to the Central and West is believed to be generating ripples among leaders of Kogi East.
If Yahaya Bello sails through as governor, he would be the first governor outside of Kogi East. With Faleke being projected as his deputy and the Speaker also from the same local council, Kogi East may have to put up with an unusual power scenario for four years, a situation that is not going down well with the people of Igala extraction.
The angst of the East is understandable. They have been in power for 23 years and had the opportunity to extend it by another four years before fate truncated the dream.
Having secured the governorship tickets of both APC and People’s Democratic Party, PDP, the Igala had thought that it was only a matter of time before one of their own takes over at the Lugard House in January 2015.
But with the death of Prince Abubakar Audu with an almost unassailable lead for the APC and the decision of the APC hierarchy to go with the candidature of Bello, it has become a twist of fortune for the Eastern fortress.
Political arithmetic
With the political arithmetic failing the East, political leaders in the zone are already working on a number of options, including but not limited to legal actions.
A political leader from Kogi East who craved anonymity said the Igala are coalescing under the Igala Unity Umbrella.
“The situation on ground now is beyond political parties. We are looking at how to maintain and protect the Igala political interest. APC has failed us. They should have replaced the late Prince Abubakar Audu with another Igala man. Replacing him with an Ebira or Okun man is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
“We are still meeting to fine-tune our strategies. Even if we give all our votes to Wada, he may still not win as the APC only requires 5000 votes to win the election. We are boxed into a trap of uncertainties but we won’t give up.
“The only option left to us now is for Wada to boycott the supplementary poll sif he cannot stop the conduct by INEC, and challenge the results in court. He should demand to be declared governor because no candidate can inherit the votes of the dead”.
The juxtaposition of the variables and the dynamics of the Kogi scenario show a long hug with controversies, acrimonies and ethnic tensions, even after Saturday’s supplementary election.
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 Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday announced a loss of N240.987 billion in its operations for 10 months, between January and October 2015.
The NNPC, in its Monthly Oil and Gas Report for October 2015, also revealed that all its total sales proceeds from the export of crude oil and gas in October, amounting to $445.786 million, about N89.157 billion, was utilized for Joint Venture Cash Call funding, while only N88.475 billion was paid to the Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, in the month under review.
In an analysis of its financials between January and October 2015, the NNPC report pointed out that the three refineries — Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries — posted a combined loss of N67.359 billion between January and October 2015; Retail segment posted a combined loss of N76.41 billion; while the Strategic Business Units/Corporate Service Units (SBU/CSU) lost N59.537 billion.
The SBU/CSU is made up of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, Integrated Data Services Limited, IDSL, National Engineering Technical Company, NETCO and the Nigerian Gas Company, NGC.
Commenting on the loss, the NNPC said, “58.19 per cent of year-to-date, YTD, NNPC deficit of N240.99 billion is mainly accounted for by claimable pipeline repairs/management cost of N86.69 billion and crude & product losses of N53.55 billion due to vandalized pipelines.
“The N80.87 billion deficit attributable to PPMC was arrived at after adjusting for an estimated claimable subsidy of N276.81 billion from the petroleum products sales. Refineries’ revenue does not include Petroleum Product sales, similarly the expenses excludes Crude cost processed.
“SBUs/CSUs retained the excess revenue generated but share Head Office Cost through Corporate Overhead Cost Allocation.”
In the area of dollar payments to JV cash call and the Federation Account, the NNPC stated that total export proceeds of $445.79 million was recorded in October, 2015 with proceeds from Crude oil sales, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG and Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Feedstock, and Miscellaneous receipt amounting to $325.28 million, $84.57million, and $35.93 million, representing 72.97 per cent, 18.97 per cent and 8.06 per cent contribution respectively.
“The current total export receipts outperform the previous receipt by $173.79 million (63.90%). The positive outlook is attributable to NNPC initiated third party project-Reserve Development-which contributed $35.67million or 20.52 per cent. Other factors include improvement in the export crude lifted by 104 per cent and received from N-Gas,” it stated.
To this end, the NNPC disclosed that while dollar remittances were not made to the Federation Account between April and October 2015, a total of $607.8 million had been paid so far to FAAC in the year 2015 from sales of export oil and gas.
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.
As the River Nile runs from Victoria in Uganda to Egypt, so activism runs in the family of the traditional ruler of Afaraukwu in Umuahia, the Abia State capital. From the monarch himself, His Royal Majesty, Eze Sir I. O. Kanu, Eze Ikputu of Afara Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia, to the least of his children, it’s all the same blue blood of activism permanently glued in their veins. In the early 1990s, Nnamdi Kanu’s younger brother, Emmanuel, spearheaded the agitation for the reduction of school fees. Now Nnamdi, is leading a group to demand the freedom of Biafra.
In this interview, their father, HRH Eze Kanu, who said it was activism that made him represent his area three times as Councillor, said he was ready to abdicate his throne over the course for which his son is being detained.
Excerpts:
How do you feel concerning your son appearing in court last week? I’m very happy that he was brought to court on Monday (last week). From what I heard, as I was not able to go because of my health, I was impressed at least my family members were able to see him.
You may have had high hopes your son would be released last week, but he was not. How do you react to this failed expectation? Well, it’s true that his release has taken time, but every Biafran in Abuja, I learnt, was protesting that he be released. Even those of them that were not on their Biafran uniform later changed to it, flying their flags and also chanting that he should be released. It made me sad that he was not released because I expected them to release him on that very day, but it didn’t come through, instead they adjourned the case.
Do you think it is just for him to continue to be in custody? No, I don’t see any reason they should not obey the order, which granted him bail; they should not continue to detain him. He is not supposed to be in cell any more.
What’s your appeal to the Federal Government? I’m appealing to the Federal Government and (President Muhammadu) Buhari) in particular to release my son because he is not fighting with arms; he is just talking with his mouth. Also, half of Nigerians believe that he has not done any wrong and he should be released. Buhari should tamper justice with mercy and release him because he has not come to destroy, rather he wants to set things right. If Biafra is granted, there is nothing Nigerians will look for in Biafra that they will not get; the same is applicable to Biafrans. Using the case of Lot of Abraham as an example, we want peace. We are not the same as the northerners; so I don’t see any reason any one who knows the right thing will not do it. If we go to other countries, we will see how they gained their independence.
Will you advice your son to stop the Biafran pursuit for his freedom? No, I will not. Biafra is not only applicable to my family; it is for everyone.
Would you abdicate your throne as condition for Biafra to be realised? Yes, even in the next 24 hours I will agree if that is the condition necessary for Biafrans to be free. My kingship is not as important as Biafran freedom.
Why is Biafra so important to you? Biafra is important to me because there is nothing greater than one’s freedom. Yes, we are just like slaves the way we are. For example, the newly appointed ministers, can’t you see we are rejected. All the positions we are supposed to get they shared among themselves; so I want Biafra.
What word do you have for your son, Nnamdi?
I am asking him to be patient; what we do not get today might be got tomorrow. Nothing is going to happen to him, by Gods grace. Let him be careful with the food and water he takes there because they can kill him through any means possible. Even if he dies today, many others will rise for the actualisation of Biafra till the end, but we don’t pray for such to happen.
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.
OWERRI—Operatives of Imo Security Network, ISN, in collaboration with Imo Community Watch, ICW, have rescued an eight-year-old boy (names withheld), who was kidnapped by hoodlums.
The lucky boy has been reunited with his parents, while one of the kidnap suspects, who was nabbed by the security operatives, has been handed over to the police for investigation and possible prosecution.
Sources said the hapless little boy’s aunt, Ngozi Enebili, pleaded with one Emeka, to escort the innocent boy to school, but he later absconded with the boy.
It was gathered that the said Emeka, now on the run, after disappearing with the little boy, handed him over to one Chinedu Ogbuka, claiming that the boy was related to him.
Vanguard gathered that three days after the boy got missing, the gang of kidnappers made contact with the boy’s mother, Mrs. Happiness Enebili, and demanded N350,000 as ransom.
“Armed with the criminal demand, the anguished parents of the little boy, who live at Mmahu, in Ohaji/Egbema local council area of Imo State, quickly contacted the Imo Security Network”, a villager that spoke on condition of anonymity, recounted.
The villager claimed Chinedu Ogbuka was nabbed as he allegedly went to collect the ransom placed at the designated point by the parents of the boy.
It was also gathered that soon after the hoodlums and the boy’s parents agreed that the ransom should be placed at a designated location at Orsu Obodo, operatives of the Imo Security Network laid ambush close to the ransom point and nabbed Chinedu Ogbuka as he made for the money.
The villager disclosed that as soon as the suspect was nabbed, he quickly gave information as to the whereabouts of the missing boy.
“The security operatives quickly stormed the hideout, freed the little boy and reunited him with members of his family, but the alleged mastermind of the kidnap saga, Emeka, disappeared”, the villager recounted.
When the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, promised to make inquiries as to ascertain the unit that was handling the case.
“I do not have the details for now but I will definitely make some inquiries to ascertain the unit that is handling the matter. I will get back to you thereafter”, the PPRO promised.
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 Business Planning Manager, Saudi German Hospital (SGH), Iftakhar Asfi has stated that the hospital management will be establishing, at least, two hospitals in Nigeria, as well as partnering with Nigerian medical colleges, noting that it was bothered by the dire health needs of Nigerians, particularly, the medical bills spent abroad.
Addressing journalists in Lagos when representatives of the hospital hosted stakeholders in the healthcare sector, Asfi, said: “We have been attending to many dignitaries from Nigeria over the years. We receive more than 10, 000 patients from Nigeria in Dubai only.
“During hajj, we are the primary responder to emergencies. We had more than 1,000 Nigerians admitted during the recent calamity that happened in the holy land.Many people, who were in critical conditions, were brought to us. We quickly responded to the situation because our government has listed us to handle such situations and we couldn’t afford to fail.”
He added: “The huge number of patients we receive from Nigeria showed the gravity of the health needs of the people and that is why our management has decided that we come and establish two hospitals here.
“When we come here, the cost is definitely going to be lower. We are looking at starting off from Abuja and Lagos because these two parts of the country are well represented. But when we are fully on ground, we would spread to other parts of the country.”
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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