I’m cautiously optimistic about Buhari, says Soyinka

Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says he believes that the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, cannot be worse than past presidents because he will be guided by a sense of history.

He, however, said that he “is cautiously optimistic” about Buhari’s performance.

Soyinka said this while delivering a lecture titled, ‘Predicting Nigeria, Electoral Ironies’ at the Harvard University Hutchins Centre for African and African American Research in the United States, according to a gazette by the institution

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A former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington, had asked Soyinka if Buhari could reform Nigeria like the late Singaporean leader, Lee Kuan Yew.

In his response, Soyinka said he was optimistic. He added that Buhari might deal ruthlessly with corrupt politicians.

Soyinka said, “I am very, very cautiously optimistic.”

He predicted that Buhari would be influenced by those around him to “keep his nose to the letter of the law. In his zeal to absolutely eradicate corruption, he might take advantage of ambiguous areas in the law and the constitution to empower himself to deal very ruthlessly and quickly with those who have robbed the nation blind.”

Soyinka reasoned that Buhari was unlikely to do worse than his predecessors.

He, however, said it would be naive for Nigerians to think that Buhari is the messiah.

He said, “I think that Buhari has a sense of history. He knows that he must make a mark, a very positive mark, on Nigeria to be able to live with himself, or die with a clean conscience. We must make sure that Nigerians are not allowed to forget his past. They should not think that the messiah has finally arrived.

“I think we stay on guard and continue to do what has needed to be done for the past 20 years or so.”

Soyinka said he believed that terrorism would continue for a long time because those perpetrating the act were of the belief that they were doing God’s work.

He said, “We will never get rid of Boko Haram. They are jihadists who wish to impose Sharia law and ban Western learning across Nigeria as indoctrinated. They are fanatics who believe that if they die in the cause, they will go straight to heaven where they believe literally in the 77 virgins awaiting their arrival.”

Praise singers misled Jonathan, says Mu’azu • I have evidence PDP chair worked for APC –Fayose

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu

The blame game among top Peoples Democratic Party members continued on Tuesday with the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, saying praise singers and insincere people misled President Goodluck Jonathan during the electioneering period.

Mu’azu, who is under pressure from some members of the party to resign for not doing enough to boost   Jonathan’s chances during electioneering, took to his Twitter handle on Tuesday to defend himself and other members of the party’s National Working Committee.

Insisting that he would not resign, he said those that were praise-singing and insincerely advising” the President during the campaign period were responsible for the     PDP defeat in the March 28 election.The PDP   chairman also said the low perception of the President and the PDP in the North was   partly responsible for the low votes they garnered from the region.

Mu’azu, who is a former Governor of Bauchi State, stated that he could not have convinced the people of the region to vote for Jonathan.

He said, “The perception of Jonathan and our party in the North was at an all time low because of the lies the people were told by politicians.

“Those who blame us for not delivering maximum votes to the President in the North seem to have forgotten that it is the people who vote.”

Mu’azu denied allegations that he conspired with the All Progressives Congress to ensure that the Presidency was returned to the North.

He said he had been a member of the PDP since 1999 and had helped the party to remain in power for 16 years.

To him therefore, it is unfair for anyone to accuse him of tribalism. He said in the face of insult and ridicule, he continued to support Jonathan till the end.

He said, “I have repeatedly reminded many that I, Adamu Mu’azu, has been in the PDP since 1999 as a matter of principle and strong ideology.

“Those who insinuate that I did not do my best for our great party and Mr. President during the elections are being economical with the truth.

“In the face of abuse, insult and open ridicule by our friends and brothers, we supported our leader, President Jonathan, faithfully.

“I gave my best and my all to the campaign of Mr. President and the party. We went to every state in Nigeria to campaign.”

The PDP chairman stressed that   those calling for his resignation alongside other NWC members were the ones that contributed to Jonathan and PDP’s defeat.

He said, “For those wishing that I will either defect or resign, I advise you to kindly stop the wishful thinking. We have a party to lead.

“Those who are seeking change in the entire NWC were the same who brought us to this level with their insincerity and praise-singing.

“We are committed to repositioning our great party, the PDP, and we will provide able leadership   by restoring its glory.”

Mu’azu urged all Nigerians to support the PDP as democracy cannot thrive without a formidable opposition.

He however called on all members of the party to sheathe their swords and work with him to reposition the PDP.

But as he twitted, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, who is one of those calling for the resignation of the NWC members, said he had evidence that Mu’azu helped the APC to win the elections on March 28 and April 11.

Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, wondered how the PDP could lose woefully in Bauchi State where Mu’azu,   Governor Isa Yuguda and the Minister for the FCT, Bala Mohammed, hail from.

He said, “How do we explain the PDP losing so scandalously in Bauchi State despite the presence of the National Chairman, the FCT Minister and the state governor?

“I am even more particular about the national chairman because he sold the party to the opposition. I have cogent evidence of his unholy alliance with the opposition before the elections and if they go any further, I will expose all his underhand deals.

“I want to say it again that I have no apology for calling for the resignation of the NWC members, especially the national chairman. After all, someone resigned his position as the national chairman for Alhaji Mu’azu to assume office.”

The governor said in saner climes, Mu’azu would have been made to resign, adding that a general who leads his men to defeat should not be allowed to be in charge again.

He also berated the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, for claiming that governorship aspirants were given about N100m each to campaign.

Metuh had also blamed Jonathan’s campaign team and overzealous supporters for the   defeat of Jonathan and the PDP.

He specifically mentioned hate campaign against Buhari, who he said was revered in the North as a contributory factor for PDP’s poor performance in the region.

Fayose had spearheaded a series of controversial campaigns against Buhari before the elections.

However, Fayose said it was unfortunate that the NWC could indirectly accuse him of contributing to Jonathan’s defeat.

The governor said all he received from the PDP during the June 21, 2014 governorship election and the March 28 and April 11, 2015 elections was N30m.

He said, “I have no apology on my position on the NWC because their responsibility as a party does not take away their failure in the last general elections.

“Only N30m was received for the last two elections and to the glory of the Almighty God and support of Ekiti people, we won all elections outright. I therefore demand the mode with which money was released to me by the NWC.”

Buhari meets Tunde Thompson

Thompson, Buhari

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday met with Tunde Thompson, one of the journalists jailed for violating Decree 4 in 1984 when he was a military Head of State.

Buhari met with him when he hosted members of his Media Team and Social Media Influencers at the Defence House, Abuja on Tuesday.

The President-elect cracked jokes with Thompson and praised him for rising above his jail experience to forgive and support his presidential bid.

He reminded Thompson, who is a member of his media team, that what happened under his military regime was one of the challenges of that period.

Buhari also applauded his campaign media team led by Mallam Shehu Garba for running “a very decent media campaign” despite the hate campaigns mounted against him by the Peoples Democratic Party.”

He added, “I want to commend you especially for two things. First, is the decent media campaign you conducted despite the PDP’s dirty tactics, you stayed focused on issues and avoided the temptation to sling mud.”

The President-elect particularly commended Garba for providing leadership that led to the success of his team.

He said, “I thank you for your uncommon motivation to do the work. Despite the lean budget on which we ran our campaign, you did not allow the lack of adequate remuneration to stall the work at any point in time. You continued to give your best.”

The President-elect also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission for deploying technology in the conduct of the last election.

Money laundering: Fani-Kayode learns fate June 18

Femi Fani-Kayode

A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed judgment for June 18, 2015 in the trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, charged with money laundering.

Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia fixed the judgment date on Monday following adoption of final written addresses and summary arguments by lawyers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and that of the accused person.

Fani-Kayode, whose trial began in 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed, was accused by the EFCC to have laundered about N100m while he was the Minister of Culture and Tourism and subsequently Aviation Minister.

The allegedly laundered sum was however reduced to N2.1m on November 17, 2014 after Ofili-Ajumogobia dismissed 38 out of the 40 counts levelled against Fani-Kayode by the EFCC for want of proof.

The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo, while urging the court on Monday to uphold the remaining two counts and to accordingly convict Fani-Kayode, said the former minister had failed to exonerate himself of the allegations.

Keyamo pointed out that the object of the charge was that Fani-Kayode transacted in cash sums above N500,000, which was the threshold stipulated by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

Keyamo argued that Fani-Kayode himself had admitted making such transactions in his confessional statement of December 22, 2008 made to the EFCC.

He said, “In this statement, he admitted that he transacted in cash above N500,000. My Lord, this statement went in without objection by the accused person and the statement was voluntary.

“With the combination of this confessional statement and the statement of the IPO that investigated the allegation, we rely on all of this to submit that we have discharged our burden that monies were received by the accused person in cash and were not done through any financial institution.”

Keyamo argued that the prosecution had discharged its duty once it established that Fani-Kayode transacted in large sums above the Money Laundering threshold, adding that it was left for Fani-Kayode to explain the source of the money.

“Once you cannot explain the source of the large sum of money found on you, you are guilty of money laundering. If the prosecution must show where the money is coming from, then the whole essence of the money laundering law is defeated.

“It is not in all cases that the burden of proof lies on the prosecution; the burden at this point shifts to the accused person,” Keyamo argued.

He further argued that the court could not simply believe that the large sums in cash that Fani-Kayode allegedly transacted in were proceeds of his father’s estate, saying the accused should have called the tenant who paid the money as rent to testify in court and back it up with his statement of account.

But Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), in his summary argument, maintained that Fani-Kayode made no confession to the EFCC, adding that the anti-graft agency had failed to show that Fani-Kayode actually accepted a cash sum of N1m, as alleged in one of the counts.

Adedipe said the EFCC had also failed to show to the court the person who handed the cash sum to the accused person.

He said for the case of the prosecution to succeed, it had to be proven beyond reasonable doubt.

“My Lord, it is our submission that the accused does not have to prove his innocence; it is the prosecution that must prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts.

“In this particular case, the prosecution has failed to give the evidence of acceptance of N1m; in the entire trial none of the witnesses brought by the prosecution gave evidence of giving the accused cash,” Adedipe said.

The senior lawyer said the defence had raised plenty doubts in the mind of the court regarding the veracity of the testimony of the EFCC witness, Supo Agbaje, who was earlier declared wanted by the EFCC and subsequently listed as a prosecution witness.

He added, “My Lord, reasonable doubt exists as to what happened and that doubt should be resolved in favour of the accused. Do we believe Agbaje, a man fighting for his liberty, for his life, who was remanded? Reasonable doubt exists in the testimony given by Supo Agbaje, who was declared wanted by the EFCC and later used as a witness.”

Adedipe, while urging the court to discharge and acquit his client, said the EFCC had no case against him but was only striving to “show to the world that we have caught a big fish; but My Lord, there is no big fish here.”

Ofili-Ajumogobia, while fixing judgment for June 18, also granted an application to substitute Wale Ajisebutu with Ogbor Elliot as surety for Fani-Kayode.

Kashamu sues NDLEA, EFCC, others over extradition plot

Buruji Kashamu

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, has dragged the Chairman, National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency and 11 others to court over an alleged plot to extradite him to the United States of America to face trial on alleged drug-related offences.

Kashamu, who instituted a fundamental rights enforcement action before a Federal High Court in Lagos, is seeking a declaration that the move to abduct and forcibly transport him to the United States of America amounted to a violation of his right to liberty, freedom of association and freedom of movement as protected by sections 35, 40 and 41 of the Constitution

He alleged that the plot was a further move in the political designs of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to ensure that he (Kashamu) was denied the opportunity of enjoying the mandate freely given to him to represent the people of Ogun East Senatorial District in the Senate.

Kashamu alleged that he had uncovered plans by Obasanjo to mastermind his arrest during his swearing in as a senator and to transport him to the US in a private plane to face trial before Judge Norgle.

Kashamu urged the court to declare as unlawful the alleged collusion between the 12 respondents and his political opponents, led by Obasanjo, to abduct and forcibly transport him to the US.

Apart from the NDLEA chairman, also joined as respondents in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/505/15 are the Inspector General of Police; Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Director General, Department of State Service; the Interpol National Central Bureau; and the Attorney General of the Federation.

Others are the Clerk of the National Assembly; the National Security Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission; Nigeria Customs Services; the Nigeria Immigration Service; and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The senator-elect is seeking an order of the court directing the police IG to “provide a security detail of at least six armed police officers to protect the applicant at all times of the day and to prevent (him from) any attack or abduction.”

Kashamu, in a 92-paragraph affidavit deposed to by himself, explained that though he was incarcerated in Brixton Prisons in London between 1998 and January 10, 2013, he was however later discharged after Judge Tim Workman held that “the allegations of the US authorities against me with regards to importation of narcotics to the US was a case of mistaken identity.”

Justice Okon Abang has adjourned till May 8, 2015 to take Kashamu’s fundamental rights enforcement application and the respondents’ preliminary objections.

100 killed in Plateau, Taraba

No fewer than 100 people, including a pastor and three soldiers, were killed at the weekend and Monday in Plateau and Taraba states.

Seventy of the deaths were recorded in Karim Lamido and Takum local government areas of Taraba State and 30 in two villages at the Barkin Ladi LGA   of Plateau State.

It was learnt that suspected Fulani herdsmen   invaded Vat and Zakupang , killing Pastor Luka Gwom of the Church of Christ in Nation and 29 others in the early hours of Monday.

Spokesman for the Special Task Force,   Ikedichi Iweha, told our correspondent in Jos   that the herdsmen took the action following the theft of about 400 of their cows.   More than 300   of the stolen cows, according to him, were later found and returned to their owners.

He explained that the cows were stolen in Jos East and   taken to Barakin Ladi, a development that made the herdsmen to launch the attacks.

The Chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA,   Emmanuel Lomang, who also confirmed the incident to journalists   in Jos, said the   attackers   killed 17 people   in Vat and 13 others in Zakupang, where the Minister of Water Resources, Serah Ochekpe, hails from.

Lomang decried what he called “incessant   attacks” on his people   and challenged the security agencies, especially the Special Task Force to arrest the perpetrators.

The village head of Kapwen in Foron District,   Gwom Ishaku Pam,   confirmed Gwom’s death.

He added   that a lady, Pualina, who got married two weeks ago, was among those killed by the herdsmen.

Pam said the series of   attacks on the villagers   had been causing them sleepless nights.

Efforts to contact the state Police Public Relations Officer,   Emmanuel Abuh,   proved abortive as his telephone could not be reached.

The latest Plateau incident came as the Taroh people in Wase condemned the invasion of three of their communities by soldiers on reprisal on Saturday.

The soldiers were said to have arrived Kadarko, Kurmi and Wadata   in about 40 vehicles   following reports of alleged killing of six of their colleagues at Angwan Nanmi in Karin Lamido LGA.

Although Iweha said that 28 people were killed, the traditional ruler of Kadarko,   Lot Nde, put the figure at 39.

The STF spokesman added that the soldiers, who destroyed an armoury   in Kadarko, had succeeded in flushing   out militiamen that had been terrorising people along the Plateau -Taraba border.

He said,   “I want to give you an update on the military operation to flush out militia from Kadarko. I wish to let you know that the operation is completed and soldiers killed 28 of the militia. One soldier was killed in the encounter. Our men also destroyed an armoury used by the militiamen in Kadarko.

“The incident actually started on April 28 when the militiamen ambushed and killed six soldiers. The manner these soldiers were killed was dehumanising because their eyes were plucked out; heads decapitated and their bodies severed.

“Four of our men are still missing. All these     prompted the 3 Armourd Division and STF to carry out an operation to flush out these militiamen.

“We have now completed the exercise and calm has been restored to the area. We implore residents to cooperate   by giving us information that can help us to do our job.”

The   Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights,   Beni Lar,   condemned the invasion , saying it was a conspiracy against the Taroh.

Lar, in a statement in Jos on Monday, vowed to report the incident to   the United Nations, the International Criminal Court   and the National Human Rights Commission.

“This attack is a serious violation of human rights to and an attack against humanity,” the lawmaker   added, calling on   relevant government agencies to investigate it.

Like Lar, the Secretary   General of Ngwang Ishi ‘O’ Taroh, Pastor Nanlir Napbut, described the killings   as genocide against the Taroh.

In   Karim-Lamido LGA of Plateau State, 27 people also lost their lives following a reprisal   by the military on Saturday.

It was gathered that suspected Fulani gunmen had   ambushed and killed six soldiers between Amar and Kambari villages in the council. Three other soldiers   were reported missing after the incident but their bodies were later found in bushes.

The soldiers were said to be on a routine patrol of the area when they were ambushed and killed.

The Chairman of the LGA,   Bobboi   Bendu, could not confirm the   casualty figure, but         he said there was an exchange of fire in the area.

“Two villages were   razed but I can’t tell the exact number of casualties at the moment. The report I am getting indicates that some persons were killed,” he added.

In Takum LGA, 21 people were   killed on Sunday by suspected Kuteb youths.

The youths were said to be also on a revenge mission over the killing of 13 of their kinsmen along the Takum-Katsina-Ala Road and Takum-Kashinbilla Road by gunmen on Friday and Saturday .

It was gathered that while the soldiers were in search of their   missing colleagues,   suspected gunmen opened fire on them but they replied, killing over 27.

The state Police Public Relations Officer,   Joseph Kwaji,who   said he was not aware of the killings in Karim Lamido, stated that nine people were killed in Takum following a clash between the Tiv and Kuteb.

Tension is   however said to be mounting in Takum and its environs as the Kuteb youths are alleged to be   attacking the Tiv.

The development made the   council Chairman, Caleb   Babafi, imposed a 24-hour curfew on the   town.

Meanwhile, a group known as the Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier,   has condemned the killings   in Takum and its environs.

The group,   in a statement   by its Vice- Chairman,   Kater Amah, called on the state government to quickly intervene and ensure the protection of lives and property.

It called on both parties to lay down their arms and embrace peace in the interest of   unity and development of the council and the state.

PDP NWC blames campaign team for Jonathan’s defeat … says hate statements cost party votes in the North

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has said the hate campaign against Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress by the President Goodluck Jonathan campaign team played a huge part in PDP’s woeful outing at the last general elections.

It also accused the   team of shutting out its members from Jonathan’s electioneering after receiving about N500m out of the N7bn generated from the sale of forms to the aspirants.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh,   told journalists at a news conference in Abuja on Monday, that apart from the N500m, the Jerry Gana -led fund raising campaign committee generated about N21bn which it spent without involving the NWC members.

He said that the belief by the Jonathan campaign team that it could denigrate   a respected statesman like Buhari, who is reverred in the North, instead of dwelling on issues, cost the party a lot of votes in that part of the country.

Metuh stated that the calls for the sack of the NWC members   by those he claimed were responsible for PDP’s poor performance at the polls, were immoral and stood logic on its head.

He explained that a greater chunk of the   N7bn generated from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms   was used to sponsor the party’s candidates at nearly all levels.

The PDP spokesman said, “We (NWC members) did not lead the party to failure. We were not involved in the campaigns and our advice was ignored. If we had handled the campaign, Mr. President would have won the election. We cannot be held responsible when our advice was ignored.

“I can tell you from my own records that we generated billions. I think we generated more than N7bn or N8bn or N9bn. We generated more than N7bn; we generated a lot of money.

“The first initial donation we made was half a billion to the presidential campaign funds even though we were not involved in raising funds for the presidential campaign.

“They generated campaign funds up to N21bn. The party was not involved in it and the party cannot account for it because we were not involved in the disbursement of that money. It was a Jerry Gana-led committee that handled it and nobody can question us for that.

“There is no governorship candidate that received less than N100m from this NWC . The House of Assembly candidates across the country got money from us too. The amount such people got depended on their states.

“These monies were given to some ministers and some people to distribute to the states. In some states, it was the campaign coordinators that we gave and   in   others, we gave to the governors or directly to the candidates of the party.

“For those of us in the North where the type of campaign that we generated made it impossible for our leaders in the North to garner support for our candidate(Jonathan) because of the hate campaign that was generated we are not answerable for it.

“We cannot be held accountable for issues that were generated that worked against our candidate in the North. This is clear; all Nigerians knew what happened.”

Among those that strongly attacked Buhari during the campaign were the First Lady,   Patience Jonathan, and the Ekiti State Governor,   Ayo Fayose.

Responding to allegations that members of the NWC received N30m   each, the PDP spokesman said, “We state clearly that we have not been given any money. Rather, this NWC generated billions of naira from the sale of forms from where we funded our candidates for governorship and state assembly elections in all the states of the federation. This is in addition to funds released to key leaders, including NWC and BoT members to prosecute the campaigns in their various areas.

“The NWC is willing and ready to make this account public in line with the Freedom of Information Act.”

Metuh also explained that several attempts had been made by some “divisive elements to portray the NWC in a bad light following the party’s defeat at the polls.

He recalled that in the attempt to discredit the NWC, the “divisive elements” pushed out a series of misleading information to the public   that the party leadership mismanaged the presidential campaign funds and hence   the PDP poor performance.

The PDP spokesman added, “When this wicked and baseless allegation was debunked by the NWC which publicly clarified that it was not involved in the handling of the campaign and its funding, and that such were exclusively managed by the Presidential Campaign Organisation appointed by the President, these divisive elements, in their desperation, came up with another allegation that the PDP leadership embezzled funds belonging to the party.

“Even after the NWC also debunked this despicable allegation showing that the party’s funds were judiciously appropriated for our state election campaigns, this group resorted to labelling the NWC with attempts to instigate President Jonathan, the PDP governors and other well-meaning members of our party against the national leadership.”

He also said that the “divisive elements” embarked on sponsored publications accusing the NWC   members of sharing money generated from the sale of forms to aspirants.

Metuh stressed that the NWC members had remained very transparent in all their dealings since coming into office.

When contacted,   the Political Adviser to the President,   Rufai Alkali, said   “I   don’t have details of the said briefing” by Metuh.

Attempts to reach the spokesman for the Jonathan campaign organisation,   Femi Fani-Kayode, were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone at 7:04pm indicated that it was switched off.

Efforts to reach Gana were also futile as of the time of filing this report.

Calls to his mobile telephone number indicated that it was switched off. The first call was at 8: 35pm, the second was at 8: 38pm and the third was at 8:54pm.