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Did Oba Akiolu really threaten Igbos in Lagos State.

A statement credited to paramount ruler of Lagos State Oba Rilwan Akiolu threatening Igbo residents in Lagos to vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections or perish in the lagoon has gone viral.
The inciting statement which was published by ThisDay newspapers has been described as tasteless and reckless with many calling both parties (Akiolu and Ambode) to clear the air. While some argued that it emanated from Jimi Agbaje’s camp, others accused Ambode of using the royal father to divide the state.

Excerpts from the hate speech. “On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me.

“Jonathan is my son and I speak to him everyday. By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the dead and those coming in the future.

“I’m not ready to beg you. Nobody knew how I picked Ambode. Jimi (Agbaje) is my blood relation and I told him that he cannot be governor in Lagos for now. The future belongs to God. I am not begging anybody, but what you people cannot do in Onitsha, Aba or anywhere, don’t do it here.

“If you do what I want, Lagos will continue to be prosperous for you. If you go against my wish, you will perish in the water.”

 “I am for the progress, growth and development of Lagos. Ambode is highly cerebral, he’s a symbol and he is going to deliver the message which I, the Oba of Lagos, have said. And he will govern the state for another eight years.

“He is going on a mission and God will give him the wisdom and knowledge to fulfill that mission. Almost a year ago, I declared that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos and it will not change.

“From time immemorial, the previous occupiers of this house will say what they wanted after consultations with other people. And this hasn’t changed and it will not change at this time,” he said.

Photo: Bola Tinubu branded Nigeria's Machiavelli.

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made the cover page of foreign business newspaper, Financial Times. The story on the APC chieftain was captioned, “Nigeria’s Machiavelli: How A Political Godfather Helped Bring Down A President”.

Excerpts from the article.

The political godfather of Nigeria’s south west, Mr Tinubu’s unlikely alliance with the austere former military ruler, now president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, made possible the first opposition victory in Nigeria’s electoral history.‎ 

Described as “deeply Machiavellian” and a “master strategist” by one of his party peers, the Jagaban has cannily built a political empire among ethnic Yorubas in Lagos and the south west, as formidable, according to allied politicians, as that of Obafemi Awolowo, who led Nigeria’s second largest ethnic block at independence.‎”

Emenike, teammates escape death

Nigerian international, Emmanuel Emenike and his Fenerbahce  teammates were almost killed by armed bandits in a gun attack yesterday.
According to a report published on Hurriyet.com‎, the team were returning home after a match against Rizespor in the North Eastern part of Turkey when gun shots were fired at the bus.
The bus driver reportedly lost control after gunshots hit him. He was immediately rushed to the hospital after the team members stopped the vehicle.


Ronaldo would pay out of his pocket to have Messi in his team.

Now don’t you think it’s Cristiano Ronaldo that we are referring to here. Come to think of it, why would he want and pay to have his arch rival in his team? The Portuguese will be stark mad if his club ‎even break the news to him. Well, I don’t see that happening soon.
Brazilian football icon, Ronaldo has revealed that he is ready to part with his bucks to have Argentine legend, Lionel Messi in his‎ Fort Lauderdale Strikers team.
Ronaldo ‎revealed his wishlist to reporters at a recent event‎.
“I’d pay out of my own pocket to sign Messi. The sky is the limit for Strikers. This club will become great. Why not Messi? Why not Cristiano Ronaldo? In a few years’ time we will be able to make it happen.

“Nothing is impossible. The US is the second-fastest growing country in the world in terms of football, after China. A lot of famous players will want to come and play in South Florida because of the quality of life. Who wouldn’t want to live here?”‎ He said

"I am yet to see somebody luckier than me." President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan while reminiscing on his journey to power stated that he considers himself the luckiest Nigerian.
He said this today while receiving visitors who paid him an Easter homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.‎ ‎

He said, ” I think it is enough. For me as an individual, this Easter coincides with the time I am leaving but I always say that I am one of the luckiest Nigerians. I am yet to see somebody luckier than me.

“From 1999, I was in the hands of government for 16 years. Not just in government as a parliamentarian because if you are a Senator or House of Representatives member, you take care of yourself, you live in your own house.
“I was in a cage, being taken care of by the government. From May 29, 1999 to date; 16 good years. I think it is enough and I am happy, help me to thank God for that.
“I will continue to thank Nigerians for giving me that privilege. I became a deputy governor because Bayelsans voted for me and my governor then. I became a Vice President because Nigerians voted for Yar’Adua and myself.
“I continued in 2011 because Nigerians voted for me and Architect Namadi Sambo. I have to thank all Nigerians. Wherever I will be, I will remain grateful to this great country. Today is a glorious day for me.”

Source: PUNCH 

Alao-Akala dissociates self from "Sai Buhari, Sai Akala" posters.

The gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party in Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has distanced himself from posters bearing his picture and that of President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.
The circulation of posters which began in Ibadan, Oyo State capital last Wednesday raised many eyebrows in and outside the state with many believing it is a clever ploy to ride on the goodwill of the retired military officer.

Mr. Alao-Akala, who spoke through his media aide, Oludare Ogunlana, said that “though I have no hatred for the newly-elected president, but why would I use his picture to sell my candidature at this point when it is certain that the incumbent administration has few months in office”.

He affirmed that,  “I am a member of the LP while the president-elect is of the APC. It is shameful for the dying APC administration in the State to resort to such indecent propaganda when it is very obvious that their administration is living on a borrowed time.

“Such political lies wrapped with expired fallacy can only be marketable to politicians of yesteryears. Deliberately, they went to the press to react thinking that people will succumb to their lies. 

Those eras when lies thrived are gone for good. Governor Abiola Ajimobi should be preparing his handover note because the people have already resolved to send him packing”.

Read APC's reaction after General Buhari's missing certificate resurfaces

Reactions have continued to trail President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari’s missing Secondary School certificate which was found by the Nigerian Army few days ago. 
The All Progressives Congress (APC) party pointed accusing fingers at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and added that it was one of the tactics deployed to stop the retired military man from contesting in the presidential election. Below is a statement from them.
Someone working for the PDP obviously removed the certificate from his file at the Defence Headquarters. This is part of the strategies the PDP deployed in their campaign of calumny.
All Change Agents who worked tirelessly to repel the Jonahideens should pop something wherever you are. We know it was foolhardy to say that Buhari had no certificate. But try as we did to convince them that this was a non issue, they refused to shift ground.

It was even most disgraceful that the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign organisation was a Retired Colonel, in the person of Ahmadu Ali. He should have cautioned them about bringing the Military to disrepute. He did not.

This singular act as far as I am concerned did more damage than good to the PDP.

Beyond bringing out Buhari’s certificate, there is an urgent need to restore pride and sanity to the military. As it stands now, the Nigerian Army, is an Army of 

anything goes! There have to be a clean sweep and overhaul of the military from top to bottom!

The entire top echelon at the Defence Headquarters should turn in their resignation and leave with President Goodluck Jonathan on the 29th of May, so that the process of rebuilding and restoration shall begin in earnest.



To God be all the Glory!

Opinion: Nobody should celebrate Buhari | By: Etcetera

Why are we dancing? Why do we keep rolling out the drums each time we have a new government, only for us to start crying few months down the line? Is it that we are too quick to forget or we just love to dance? Do you celebrate a child who’s about to write his exams or the one who has written and passed? What is this jubilation for? Because I really don’t understand.

Is it that the election of Buhari in itself has suddenly alleviated our sufferings? I am really confused here, hearing how six bikers lost their lives in Zaria celebrating Buhari’s victory. One would think that a people who have been shortchanged for so long by past presidents will know better to be calm and take every word of the new president with a pinch of salt until he proves to be different.
This process is becoming an unending circle, again and again we’ve danced and again and again, we’ve cursed and cried at the end. It is still shocking to me that a lot of Nigerians fell for the story that the president was born without shoes.

Was anyone born with shoes on? Buhari’s triumphant entry into the presidency last Sunday which coincidentally was a palm Sunday doesn’t yet prove he is the redeemer. Just like the second coming of our supposed political messiah Obasanjo didn’t prove any significant improvement in our lives.
We all thought he was the one anointed by the gods to take us by the hands and lead us right straight into the promised land, where we shall have no more gnashing of teeth. But when he left office, the roads were still as bad as they were before he took office. The hospitals are still without facilities and most importantly, he failed to defeat the demon in the power sector even with billions of dollars thrown at it.

The demons in the same power sector have claimed Jonathan just like they did Yar’Adua, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Sanni Abacha, Shonekan, IBB and Shagari. Even Buhari himself had already been defeated by this demon before. So what says it is not going to be the same this time around. Remember obasanjo was defeated twice by this same demon.
Why won’t our leaders take us for granted when they’ve noticed that we are always ready to jump to our feet and “judile” with the announcement of every new regime? When Buhari overthrew the democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari in 1983, many of you reading this took to the streets to boogie down.
When Babangida sent Buhari packing a couple of months later, a lot more of you got drunk and vomited all over the place. Even Abacha’s sudden death brought smiles on the faces of most bar owners across the country as they ran out of booze. Is something wrong with us as a people? We are forgetting a very important fact that this election proves that we are and will still remain a divided people.
We are divided by our ideologies with no realistic integration in sight. The election has also reinforced the thinking that we are divided by regional, tribal and religious interests and not national. These are some of the significant issues that will define our tomorrow.

Finally, some of you who are reading this may be saying, oh Etcetera, can’t you be optimistic for once? My brother, I can’t. Optimism and its younger brother, hope have proven to be very dangerous especially in Nigeria. They have sent millions of Nigerians to their early graves. What is the point of being optimistic in a system that has always left me in tears and heartache? Or is it till I get arrested by Mr. Cardiac? Tufiakwa!

Prof Attahiru Jega to leave office in June, says he will reject tenure extension

Professor Attahiru Jega’s tenure as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission will come to an end in two months time, June to be precise.
In an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the electoral umpire who was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 said he will not accept a tenure extension.
“I am grateful to God. I was asked to come and contribute my own quota to the national development and I have done my bit to the best of my ability. Whatever assignment one will do for five years – just like this difficult one — to me if one is able to successfully accomplish the task, someone else should be given the opportunity. 


Because for me I am not interested and if I am requested to serve again, I will not do it, by God’s grace.” He said.

Full text of President Jonathan's phone conversation with General Buhari

The infamous phone conversation between President Goodluck Jonathan and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on March 31 on the latter’s victory at the last Saturday’s presidential election has been revealed.
The audio recording released by ENDS.ng was tagged “Historic congratulatory call from President Goodluck Jonathan to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, 2015.”
Details
Jonathan’s aide: Your Excellency, Sir.
Buhari’s aide: Good evening.
Jonathan’s aide: Hope I’m speaking with General Buhari, sir.
Buhari’s aide: Yes.
Jonathan’s aide: Ok, President Goodluck Jonathan will like to speak with you, sir.
Buhari’s aide: Ok, ok, I’m connecting you, sir.
Jonathan: Your Excellency.
Buhari’s aide: Hold on …I’ll connect you, sir.
The phone rings for a moment.
Jonathan: Your Excellency.
Buhari’s aide: Hold on, sir.
Buhari: Your Excellency.
Jonathan: Your Excellency, how are you?
Buhari: I’m alright, thank you very much, Your Excellency.
Jonathan: (laughs) Congratulations.
Buhari: Thank you very much, your Excellency (laughs).
Jonathan: Yeah, so how are things?
Buhari: (laughs) Well…
Jonathan: So, you’d find time to come one of these days so that we can sort out how to plan the transition period.
Buhari: Thank you very much, your Excellency.
Jonathan: Congratulations.
Buhari: Thank you.
Jonathan: Ok.
Buhari: My respect, Your Excellency.
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