Sunday, 5 March 2017
Friday, 3 March 2017
Night Ranti got me hooked to the classics
Ranti Ihimoyan
As she commenced her rendition of J. Strauss Junior’s Mein Herr Marquis, the classic, the atmosphere in the hall grew serene, the audience was very attentive. Then she did the often-heard The Laughing Song; and she was rewarded with a resounding applause by the appreciative guests gathered at that evening of classical music performance at the Banana Island School, Ikoyi. It was no surprise that after the main act, and the guests were asked to request a bonus classic number from the offered menu, the unanimous decision was that Ranti should render The Laughing Song again.
The soprano solo, Ranti Ihimoyan was my favourite performer on Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at the Vesta Violins-organised Wednesday Classics (a series of concerts, which holds on the last Wednesday of every month; but on this occasion, was staged in collaboration with-the British Council as part of the Lagos Theatre Festival.
Attendance at the concert was a blend of demographics — the elderly and the young, Nigerians and foreigners – a rich mix of tastes and obvious lovers of western classic tunes. Ranti, the trained chemical engineer turned professional singer won their hearts all. I wondered why I had not heard of this beautiful singer before then. My search online revealed that her Yoruba folk song, Iwe Kiko had enjoyed massive airplay on several radio stations. While in secondary school, Ranti won the first place soloist prize in the Shell Schools Competition, and has since been performing at top range classical music concerts in the country and outside. But the other performers of the nine classic tunes selected also performed with grace and panache, and the audience had a full feast.
Without doubt, the classic music scene is thriving with candour in Lagos, and the Vesta Violins- Classical Wednesday session flagging off opening programmes of the Lagos Theatre Festival, was indeed a blessing.Dolapo is also participant in the ongoing Young Critics workshop as part of 2017 Lagos Theatre Festival
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2mPCypW
“Here and yonder, high and low, Goldenrod and Sunflower glow.” -Kelly weeks (1840-76)
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“Shock-O-Lat”
Sunflowers have many uses such as for producing biodiesel and cooking oil. But the best use of a sunflower is to brighten the garden patios, even indoor rooms any time of the year. Sunflowers typically evoke feeling of positivity because of the large, smiling daisy-like flower faces of bright yellow petals. They stand tall taller than many other garden blooms and always seem to perk up our moods. Aside from growing a cheerful pretty flower, there are also many benefits to growing sunflowers.
It’s interesting to learn more about the flowers in our garden, and knowing a bit about each one can also help us make better garden plans and understand how each plant may interact with others nearby. The bright flowers attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and birds. The giant flower on sunflowers is actually made up of many tiny blooms. The center of the sunflower, where the seeds develop, is made up of tiny flowers that bees absolutely love. As we know bees and other pollinators urgently need our help to survive and keep pollinating plants. Most sunflowers are good for pollinators, so you could take your pick, plant a sunflower like ‘lemon Queen’ varieties for the pollinator’s survival, as long as you remember not to pick a pollen-free variety. Sunflowers were originally natives to the Americas. They were grown for beauty as well as harvested for seed.
They are used for medicine, dye, food and oil and exported around 1500. Sunflower oil is packed with calcium, iron and contains vitamin A and D. Not all sunflower petals are yellow. Toss out that misconception about sunflowers. There are more than 60 varieties of sunflowers that live across the globe. These vibrant beauties come in all colors of the rainbow from the white light petals of ‘Coconut Ice’, Italian white to the dark chocolate of ‘Chocolate’, ‘Moulin Rouge’ ‘Earth walker’. Some of these varieties have striped petals and also multi-colored sunflowers typically grow between five and twelve feet tall. Some grow to over 16 feet in height like the ‘American Giant’, ‘Russian Mammoth’ and “Sun forest Mix”
While they are associated with large fields and big garden plots ,they can be grown in containers, in borders, hedges and many cultivars have been developed for small spaces and pots. Even a small 3 gallon pot can house the enormous “Mammoth” sunflower. Sunflowers can reach maturity and flowering stage in 4 months. At the bud stage, sunflowers exhibit a unique trait called-heliotropism …….. the bud of the sunflower faces the sun at all times throughout the day and ending it facing west. They will grow leggy and topple while reaching for the sun growing in the shade. Sunflowers need full sun and rich, well-drained soil to reach their maximum height.
Sunflowers prefer sandy soils.Though not too fussy, sunflowers thrive in slightly acidic to somewhat alkaline (pH 6.0 to 7.5). Tall and of course, the plants have creeping or tuberous roots and large bristly leaves. Sunflowers are natural decontaminator of soils. Sunflowers remove toxins such as lead, arsenic and uranium from contaminated soil, and have been used to clean up soil at some of the world’s biggest environment disasters including Chernobyl and Fukushima. Most sunflowers are remarkably tough and easy to grow as long as the soil is not waterlogged. Most are heat and drought tolerant. While the plants tolerate drought, they grow best when watered regularly.
Containers require a bit more vigilance as they can dry out quickly in hot weather. They make excellent cut flowers and many are attractive to birds and bees and other wildlife. Sunflowers should be started from seed. It takes about 3 month to 4 months for sunflowers to reach a mature blooming stage. For potted plants, you can place them in arrangements on balconies, porches; borders, beds, walkways. Sunflowers perform best with lots of fertilizers. Apply a high nitrogen fertilizer while the plant is growing. Then when the flowers begin to open, change to a fertilizer that is high in phosphorus. The phosphorus will help to ensure a spectacular bloom.
Planting
You can plant sunflowers individually or with annuals. Pair with other annuals that have prolific blooms. With the right counterparts a container or garden bed design that features a sunflower can be interesting and attractive for the entire season. Remember that any companion plants with sunflowers will need to tolerate full sun. Be careful as slugs and snail like to eat the new shoots. You may have to protect the seedling by cutting the top of a plastic bottle and placing it over it or a mesh bag or nettings over the blooms until seeds ripen. Experiment with plantings staggered over 5 to 6 weeks to keep enjoying continuous bloom.
Staking
Tall species and cultivars require support. Bamboo stakes are a good choice for any plant that has a strong, single stem and needs support for a short period of time. Place a cane near the stem and loosely tying the cane to the plant. Watch your sunflower grow and grow. The sunflower is the only flower with the word “flower” in its name.
Meaning and Symbolism
Explore the botanical name of this flower, helianthus annuus, and you learn that it derives from the Greek ‘helios’ (meaning sun) and ‘anthos’ (meaning flower). The word “annuus’ translates as annual, so the botanical name literal translation is sunflower annual-a perfect description of this beautiful plant. Sunflower meaning and symbolism in various cultures run counter to the idea of a short-lived Annual.
In Chinese sunflower symbols include the idea of longevity and long life. Many cultures associate sunflower with prolong constancy and loyalty, reflecting the flower bud’s tendency to follow the sun across the sky. The symbolism in Chinese also extend beyond longevity to include good fortune, vitality, intelligence and happiness. In the modern world sunflowers are a gift of choice for third wedding anniversary. More recently sunflower meaning; is a world free of nuclear weapons. When Ukraine surrendered its last nuclear warhead in 1996, officials from Russia, the USA and Ukraine marked the event by scattering and sowing sunflower seeds.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2loKbGK
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Obasanjo chides police for lateness, storms out of meeting (Read full details)
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo PHOTO: NAN
• ‘Loss of values responsible for high crime rate’
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday afternoon chided the Nigeria Police for keeping him waiting at an event organised by the security agency in Lagos.
Obasanjo, who was the special guest of honour at the maiden yearly special training and capacity development organised by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone II, advised them to be ready when next they invite him to an event.
The reaction of the former president sets what looks like an official precedent in efforts to curb lateness to corporate meetings in the country . Most public sector-organised events often take off many hours behind their official schedule at a time known as ‘African time’ leading to the loss of man hours in private and government businesses. In Nigeria, the practice has over time been generally accepted as normal.
The former president was at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos venue of the training for about 90 minutes before the event started. “Next time, before you call me, please be ready,” Obasanjo said as he stormed out of the hall.
Billed for 10:30 a.m., the police event did not begin until 11:52 a.m., with the former president informing the gathering he had to return to Ogun State for an event he left midway to attend the police training.
It was learnt that AIG Kayode Aderanti, the host of the training, had sent a police helicopter to convey Obasanjo to the venue. There was, however, a communication breach between operatives that went to bring Obasanjo and the team expecting the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.
Speaking on the initiative, Obasanjo said there was no substitute for training, urging security operatives to be in tune with the best practices alongside their contemporaries in other parts of the globe. According to him, all human institutions need constant appraisal, regeneration, introspection and training.
“Police must be aware and in touch with new developments in other parts of the globe. I can see my former IGP Musiliu Smith. Smith is completely out of date to give lecture on police duty. He has experience to share with you, but not on modern ways of policing,” Obasanjo said.
Idris who got to the venue of the event around 12:19 p.m., about 10 minutes after Obasanjo left, apologised for being late. “I was told former President Olusegun Obasanjo was here and I would have loved to meet him. He’s a committed Nigerian who has given so much to this country. I sincerely appreciate his coming, which shows the level of his commitment to our quest for democratic policing.”
The IGP expressed optimism that such trainings would improve the level of professionalism of policemen, adding that in no time, the police would not only be celebrated at home but also abroad.
Also at the event were Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Training, Emmanuel Inyang; AIG Tunji Alape (rtd); Commissioner of Police (CP) Olayinka Balogun (rtd); Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni; his Ogun State counterpart, Ahmed Iliyasu; and former Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Dr. Ndi Okereke, among others.
In his remarks, Aderanti advocated heavy investment in security, commending the IGP for placing a high premium on training. He expressed the hope that the training would enhance the capacity of the participants.
At another event yesterday, Obasanjo blamed the loss of values in the society on the high rate of criminality and delinquency. The former president, who spoke in Abeokuta at the 2017 International Youth Variety Day and Public Presentation of volume one of Olusegun Obasanjo’s Books for Children, said it was sad that youths now lack morals and values.
The programme organised as part of activities to mark the commissioning of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) was also part of his 80th birthday activities.
Obasanjo who went down memory lane to recall his Yola prison experience during the period of his incarceration under the late Gen. Sanni Abacha-led military regime, said his interaction with the inmates revealed that some of them were being punished for offences committed as a result of the moral decadence in the society.
He chided religious institutions, parents, teachers and community leaders for not living up to expectations from them. Obasanjo expressed regret that Nigeria has no “institutional memory”, saying that the nation has been careless with what it ought to preserve as national treasures.
He lamented the situation in some of the country’s national museums. “There is nothing to write home about in most of our museums,” he said.
“One of the confusions in people’s mind is that Presidential Library is the same as normal library. And I see many people sending books to me. The library is for both young and old. I also believe that it might start bridging the gap in our behaviour and attitude about our carelessness in preserving our national treasures. One of our behavioural patterns and attitude is that we have no institutional memory; that is what brings about the idea of Presidential Library. If you go into our national museums, the situation is pathetic”.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in his speech noted that the library and books of the former president were borne out of his interest and passion to move the Nigerian’s education system forward.
Adamu, who was represented by Dr. Yakubu Gambo, described the former President as a detribalised Nigerian and a rare gift God has given to Nigeria.
The Wife of Ogun State governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun described Obasanjo as a role model, a devoted and patriotic Nigerian.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2myWH6O
Senate berates DSS over raid of judges’ houses (Read full details)
DSS
Says anti-graft agencies must fight corruption as defined by law
The Senate has described last year’s invasion of homes of some judges by operatives of the Department of States Services (DSS) as an illegality. The parliament which came hard on the security agency said that there was a need for all government bodies to operate within the confines of their mandate.
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki spoke at a National Dialogue on the Fight against Corruption organized by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, (PACAC) at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Represented by Senator Chukwuka Utazii, Saraki accused PACAC of supporting the adoption of extra judicial actions to fight corruption in the country.
He contended that this would make the fight against corruption unsustainable. His words; “PACAC should not lend itself to supporting extra-legal actions, if the fight against corruption will be sustained and ingrained in the body polity.
“A situation where PACAC speaks in favour of patently extra-legal means of law enforcement does not bode well for the rule of law. “The end-result of any action of government is as important as the process. The platforms for fighting corruption should not, themselves, be corrupt or be seen to be corrupted.
“The recent so-called sting operation by the Department of State Security on the residences of some very Senior Justices, some without warrants, others without any proof of incriminating body of evidence, leaves much to be desired.”
He said that even though the National Security Agencies Act of 1986 granted the DSS the mandate to act in economic crimes of national security dimension, Section 6 (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Act of 2004, a latter enactment, according to him, had vested the power for the co-ordination and enforcement of all economic and financial crimes laws and enforcement functions conferred on any other person or authority on the EFCC.
He said: “It is even more instructive that by Section 2 (1) (e) of the EFCC Act, the Department of State Security sits on the Board of the EFCC and could easily, in their meetings, point out the persons or bodies the EFCC needs to investigate and prosecute backed up by the evidence it had clandestinely gathered.
“That sting operation was a needless violation of our laws and an aberration that democratic society should consider anathema. “The EFCC should have been provided the necessary intelligence to execute its mandate if the evidence disclosed a prima-facie case against the Justices.”
The lawmaker also accused PACAC of blackmailing the country’s parliament as a corrupt institution saying that the development would not augur well in the fight against the menace of graft in the country.
“Certain government agencies and civil society bodies (and PACAC is not innocent of this), have formed the habit of making a scape goat of the National Assembly as a den of corruption. They deliberately cast institutions of state in unsalutary hue that is divorced from reality. It does not help in confidence building, within government and across the civil population, when institutions of state are deliberately demonised in order to put the shine on others.
“As a critical stakeholder and partner in the mandate given to PACAC, it does not feel right when you mount rostrums to say how badly the National Assembly has performed; how they have left their duties derelict and how corrupt they are. Indeed, it is counter-productive for PACAC to do so because its mandate of advising should be given across board to all arms and tiers in order to promote the effectiveness of all government institutions and strengthen anti-corruption measures in a comprehensive manner,” he said.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lAd4er
CCB had no case initially against Saraki, says witness (Read full details)
Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), PHOTO: LUCY LADIDI ELUKPO
The second prosecution witness in the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday stated that he was not aware that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) had any case against the defendant until it was urged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Ministry of Justice.
Saraki is being prosecuted on an 18-count charge bordering on false assets declaration and money laundering while in office as Governor of Kwara State.
Under cross-examination by the lead defense counsel, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN), the witness, Mr. Samuel Madojemu, a staff of CCB, also told the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) that while the CCB and EFCC collaborated to ensure detailed investigation on Saraki’s assets declaration matter, intelligence report was received from the Ministry of Justice.
“There was no petition at CCB against the defendant but arising from complaint and intelligence supplied by the Attorney General of the Federation, the CCB and EFCC decided to collaborate to ensure detailed investigation on infraction discovered in the Assets Declaration Form. CCB had nothing against Saraki; not to my knowledge,” he stated.
When asked whether the intelligence report from the Ministry of Justice was oral or written, he said: “Arising from EFCC investigation, the CCB Chairman was briefed by the AGF but I was not there.”
When asked if he recalled conducting an interview with the defendant, the witness explained that he did not see any need for the interview since the defendant had made statement in his Assets Declaration Form on oath.
Admitting Saraki was not the only ex-governor the Bureau has investigated, the witness however denied knowledge of outcome of others’ investigation report.
The witness had earlier told the tribunal that he was not familiar with all aspects of the case. But when asked if he was familiar with every aspect of the case, Madujemu told the tribunal that he was not totally familiar with every aspect of the exhibits tendered before the court.
“I was not a member of the 2006 investigation team that verified the assets of the defendant before his assumption of office in 2003,” he said.
However, the witness admitted being a member of the 2015 investigation team, which he said, comprised of the CCB and the EFCC.
Since he was not part of the 2006 team, the defence counsel queried if he was at the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the report. The tribunal adjourned proceedings till March 21 and 22.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2myWDE6
Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill four in fresh attack on Benue community (Read full details)
Fulani Herdsmen
• Ortom seeks deployment of more policemen
• Committee moves to arrest cattle rearers over destruction of farmland in Osun
No fewer than four persons were yesterday killed and several others injured in a renewed attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Mbahimin community in Gwer-East Local Council of Benue State.
The suspected herdsmen, numbering over 50 who were said to be carrying dangerous weapons, invaded the community in the early hours of Wednesday, killing and maiming the unsuspecting residents who are mostly farmers.
A member of the community, who identified himself as Titus Nor, said that apart from those killed, about 12 others, including a pregnant woman and a 10-year-old child sustained serious machete wounds.
The state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Mike Gusa, lamented the attack but, however, urged members of the community not to take to reprisal attack.
Also, the police spokesman for the state, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident, said men of the command had already been drafted to the area and promised that the police would ensure law-abiding citizens go about their businesses without molestation.
Governor Samuel Ortom has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to deploy more policemen to Benue State to forestall further breakdown of law and order as the influx of herdsmen has become overwhelming day in and day out.
Ortom, who made the request through the Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG) in-charge of Zone Four, Alkali Baba Usman, who paid him a courtesy call at Benue People’s House, Makurdi yesterday, appealed to farmers across the state not to take laws into their hands but always report to appropriate authorities.
In another development, Chairman, Osun State Committee on Peaceful Co-existence between Fulani/Bororo and Farmers in the state, Mr. Mudasiru Oguntola Toogun, has urged residents of Ajenisuwa community and farmers in the state to co-operate in apprehending the runaway herdsmen who allegedly invaded farmlands and destroyed crops in the area.
Toogun gave this advice while addressing residents of Ajenisuwa, a farm settlement at Oke Osun, Osogbo, during an on-the-spot assessment of a cassava and plantain farm destroyed by cattle rearers in the area.
He, therefore, directed the people of the community to fish out the herdsmen in the area and their accomplices to avoid further damage to their farmlands.
Besides, he urged the people to be security conscious by refusing to harbour Fulani/Bororo cattle rearers in their domain illegally to guide against destruction of farmlands.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lAahBG
NASS flays poor funding for capital projects in budget (Read full details)
National Assembly Complex Abuja.
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Appropriation yesterday expressed disappointment at the poor funding for the 2016 capital project provided for in the 2016 budget.
The disclosure by the Director-General in charge of Budget Office, Ben Akabueze that out of the N1.587 trillion appropriated for capital projects in the 2016 budget, only 870 billion has been released so far annoyed the joint committee, which had summoned stakeholders in budget implementation regarding the level of implementation of the capital aspect of the 2016 budget so far.
When Akabueze said the Federal Government had achieved 55 per cent of funding for the capital budget, lawmakers disagreed. Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, had told the committee that “One critical aspect of budget implementation that concerns the office of the Accountant General of the federation is that of release as appropriated and as approved.
He said “for personnel we spent N1. 482 trillion. Our record also shows that total capital payment released for 2016 as at today, is N870 billion.”
Akabueze had also stated that government had achieved 100 per cent performance in statutory transfer as well as debt service of N1.3 trillion.
Also, the Budget office DG said government had fully released the N113.440 billion voted for transfer to sinking fund.
Akabueze had said that 85 per cent of funding has been achieved for overheads in Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) but the panel noted that its investigation showed that only about 65 per cent funding for MDAs regarding overhead cost was achieved.
Akabueze explained that the failure to fund the capital budget arose from the fact that government was not able to realise the N1.506 trillion it had expected from internally generated revenue adding that there was a shortfall of N1.1trillion from this aspect of national revenue.”
The committee also wanted to know if the loan taken was used to finance budget for overhead and capital? The DG budget said “Until the 2016 budget life lapses at the end of March, we cannot make that determination”
The committee also expressed anger at the absence of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele from the meeting.
Chairman of the joint committee, Danjuma Goje, had explained that the meeting was called to update Nigerians on the implementation of 2016 budget.
“We have left the serious business of producing the 2017 budget to invite these key officials to brief us on the performance of the 2016 budget. So, the CBN governor has no reason not to be here. He could not even call. He did not send a deputy governor but only an acting director.
“We are sending the acting director, Mohammed El- Yakubu to go because he is not competent to answer questions. Nigerians deserve to know how their economy is managed,’’ he stated.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2mz4wJK
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Reps probe alleged payment of N19b to state governments account (Read full details)
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara PHOTO: TWITTER/DOGARA
• To summon CBN gov, Finance ministry over BoA recapitalization
The House of Representatives is set to probe an alleged payment of N19 billion by the Ministry of Finance to the account of the 36 states rather than that of the 774 local governments.
The resolve was precipitated by a petition by a legal firm, Edwards and Partners to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, claiming that the N19 billion was the legal fee on the money recovered from the Paris Club.
The Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, confirmed the development and said the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele would be summoned tomorrow to explain their role in the lodgment of the money.
The petition by the law firm said it was retained by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), to assist, manage and coordinate with other professionals, the recovery of approximately $3.189billion of Paris Club related deductions from amounts standing to the credit of the 774 local governments of Nigeria in the federation account by the Federal Government.
The petition added: “Our brief was successfully concluded with judgment and garnishe order Absolute secured for ALGON and the consultant for its fees in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS//130/13 while we got our judgment and garnishe order for our legal fees in suit number FCT/HC/CV/1545/2015.
The firm stressed that despite notifying the Ministry of Finance and CBN of the order of court, both the ministry and the apex bank still went ahead to make several disbursements to state governments directly without the mandated first line deduction at source.
They also stated in the petition that “the minister of finance further directed the CBN to pay our legal fees to the Governors Forum, an entity unknown to us in the course of the entire transaction and her directive were dully effected by the CBN.
Members of the House also at the plenary resolved to summon the CBN and Finance Ministry over their alleged non-compliance with the presidential directive on recapitalization of the Bank of Agriculture (BoA).
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Femi Fakeye, who stressed the need to fully subscribe to the share capital of BoA for optimal contribution to Nigeria’s ailing economy.
The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee yesterday threatened to bar Conoil Plc from lifting petroleum products over its inability to pay up outstanding debt of N3.182 billion to the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC).
The Abdullahi Mahmoud Gaya-led committee probing the alleged debt of over N500 billion and sabotage by oil marketers in connivance with the PPMC, made the threat after it discovered that Conoil had been in default of the 15-day allowable credit circle without paying interest, even as it continued to lift oil products.
However, the Financial Controller of Conoil, Abdulateef Ijaiya, stated that the debt position of the company with government as at December 31 was N3. 3 billion, out of which N2.5billion is due to PPMC.
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lffljQ
Militants threaten South African firms over xenophobic attacks (Read full details)
• Obasanjo accuses Zuma of insincerity
• Senate sends delegation to Pretoria
Militant groups in the Niger Delta have asked the 18 South African companies and personnel to leave the region or risk attacks.
The militants warned of imminent attack on all South Africans business interests and added they could no longer sit and watch innocent Nigerians being slaughtered in the southern Africa nation.
The threat was contained in a joint petition to the South African High Commission in Nigeria and signed by General John Duku of the Niger Delta Watchdogs, General Ekpo Ekpo of Niger Delta Volunteers and General Hart Bradford of the Niger Delta Strike Force.
The militants, after their meeting yesterday in Port Harcourt, condemned the recent attack on Nigerians and pledged reprisals that would target the country’s economic interests in Nigeria.
The petition, a copy of which was sent to The Guardian said in part: “Our attention has been drawn to the series of unprovoked attack, looting, shutting down of business offices, killing and maiming of Nigerian nationals living in South Africa.”
The militants maintained that the South African government and her citizens have a number of businesses in Nigeria, going about their normal businesses peacefully, making huge profits and living in a very friendly environment with Nigerians.
According to the militants, “It is so regrettable that a country and nationals that had enjoyed the greatest affection of Nigerians was now repaying such hospitality with mindless killing and brutality.
To this end, the militants urged the Nigerian government to shut all the business premises owned by South Africans such as MTN, Multi-choice, Shoprite, Eskom Nigeria, South African Breweries (SAB Miller) and others. “Failure to do this within one month, we shall commence attack on the firms.”
Meanwhile, former president Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned the attack on Nigerians in South Africa, accusing the host government of “insincerity.”
He spoke yesterday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving leaders and members of the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), led by its chairman, Major General Laurence Onoja (rtd).
To Obasanjo, the negative developments in South Africa “have betrayed Nigeria, which played a huge role in rescuing the country from apartheid. I blame the youths of the country for the attacks but I will apportion more blame to the leaders of that country that allowed the attacks against fellow Africans for whatever reason.”
To explore diplomatic solutions, the Senate yesterday announced the names of delegation that will travel to South Africa to meet its parliament.
The delegation is led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Shehu Sani and others.
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President Oprah? Winfrey doesn’t rule out 2020 run…Read full details
In an interview with Bloomberg TV that aired Wednesday, host David Rubenstein asked whether she had ever thought about her own White House campaign.
Winfrey replied, “I never considered the question even a possibility,” before adding: “I just thought, ‘Oh. Oh?’”
Reminded by her host that Trump’s victory proved one did not need government experience to be elected president, Winfrey flirted with the prospect.
“That’s what I thought,” the former talk show icon said, in the interview taped in December about one month after Trump’s election win.
“I thought, ‘Oh gee, I don’t have the experience, I don’t know enough.’ And now I’m thinking, ‘Oh.’”
The extraordinarily influential Winfrey was a strong supporter of Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Eight years earlier her endorsement of Barack Obama proved a critical factor in his primary victory over rival Clinton.
Winfrey is no stranger to discussing presidential politics. In 1988, on the set of her talk show, she asked Trump, then 42, if he would ever run for president.
“Probably not,” the real estate mogul replied, before adding that if he did run, “I would have a hell of a chance of winning.”
Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2lf13zA