Featured

IBB Terrorises Buhari as Saraki Transmits I-G

Published

7 years ago

May 21, 2018

Eric

Tunde Odesola

You can call me a fool for all you care, I won’t bat an eyelid. I have the right to be foolish, anyway. But move away from my arm’s length if you call me stupid, for stupidity is mental retardation simplified. Foolishness is a choice. Stupidity is not, it’s endowed. It’s wired to the DNA. As adjectives, ‘foolish’ is lacking a good sense or judgment but ‘stupid’ is lacking in intelligence or the inability to think. Stupidity is the crown on an empty skull. Foolishness is the obstinacy that dares the lamb to look at the tiger in the eyes. With a little more caution, the lamb could, by keeping silent in hiding, escape a bloody journey into the belly of the black-striped, gold-furred tiger with flaming eyes, stalking the jungle.

Then Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari blazed into power in the very last minute of 1983. His coup was a welcome blow that broke the spine of the inept and corrupt Shehu Shagari administration which was more popular for wearing long caps on idle heads than arresting the debilitating inflation crippling the economy. Fire bellowed down the nostrils of the Buhari tiger, clawing, tearing and mauling perceived impediments to national greatness. Everybody feared the tiger until a certain lamb from the largest state in the country, Niger, came to tame it two years after. This Niger lamb was beautiful and pleasing to the eyes, its baaing was melodious to the ears; everybody who feared the tiger loved the iamb of the lamb. The furry lamb was a paradox that unnerved and reassured simultaneously. Not very long after being crowned king, however, the corrupt-wind of genetic mutation blew the way of the lamb, which sloughed its fur for scales and metamorphosed into a snake. The lamb’s harmless mouth turned into striking serpentine jaws of poison, savagery replaced genteelness, and evil stalked the land unstoppably. Sometime in the August of 1985, the snake chased out the tiger from the lair, taking over the kingdom.

I’ve never set my eyes on a scrotal sac with one ball. But I’ve often heard the Yoruba describe any man wailing meaninglessly as having only one ball in his sac. What’s the link between wailing and one scrotal ball? Does wailing complement a missing ball? Does wailing alleviate the pains or absence of a missing ball? With the way Nigerians wail meaninglessly on social media, compulsory medical check on scrotal sacs across the country won’t be a bad idea. However, it’s not only Nigerian proletariats that wail, Nigerian leaders wail, too. Last week, former man of steel, President Buhari, lamented in Abuja during the inauguration of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. He said he was ousted in 1985 and detained for three years by Brig Gen Ibrahim Babangida because he (Buhari) was fighting corruption as of the time. The President said, “I was removed as the head of state, detained for three years and people whom we recovered stolen money from were given back their money and I remained in detention up until my mother had to die to save me from detention.”

Mr President, you’re free to think Nigerians are fools, but don’t you think we are stupid. In our foolishness, we can clearly see the lie in your statement that your mother waited three years to save you from detention. Why would a mother wait for 1, 095 days to save her son? What if death had knocked on your soul before her intervention? Oh, your media aides would say, “The President was speaking figuratively.” Yes, he was speaking politically, too. When a figure of speech borders on representing an idea better or worse than it really is, it is called an exaggeration. So, is the President blowing issues out of proportion in order to gain political sympathy? The President said he was toppled 33 years ago because of corruption and that the money he retrieved from corrupt politicians were returned to them, right? And Babangida, who toppled him, is still alive. Please, where should the anti-corruption war of Buhari begin from, if it is only to set the records straight and debunk the claims that his military administration was vindictive? So, Buhari knows some individuals with stolen public wealth, and he keeps quiet and feels comfy about it? What manner of leader is he? A weakling? There, surely, exists a difference between foolishness and stupidity.

Foolishness and stupidly rule the Nigerian online political space where innumerable people talk inanities all at once. Some talk and say nothing. Some applaud roguish politicians defecating on our collective sensibilities. In Animal Farm, George Orwell depicts the proletariats as stupid. Are Nigerian proletariats better? Foolishness and stupidity went round the bend last week as another President, Bukola Saraki, tackled the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. Saraki, the President of the Nigerian Senate, last Wednesday, accused the IGP of planning to implicate him in the trial of some suspected hired killers arrested in Kwara State. Hitherto, there was no love lost between Saraki’s flimsy Senate and the unmeet police boss as Saraki and his gang of senators had repeatedly invited Idris to appear before the Red Chamber futilely. If the Senate was planning not to pass the budget of the police – in retaliation of the I-G’s scorn, a quick rethink wasn’t unlikely as Idris wouldn’t think twice before withdrawing police orderlies from our self-serving senators. Who wan die? Not these senators gulping billions of naira in taxpayers’ funds monthly with nothing to show for it.

In the heat of the back-and-forth kafuffle between the senate and the I-G, a video clip went viral. In the video, Idris, who was reading an address at a public function, was portrayed as being unable to coherently read his address, needlessly repeating the word ‘transmission’. A man in a dark suit and blue shirt stepped in to help with the speech which being ruffled by the wind while Idris bungled on. A closer look at the video, however, shows that Idris’ lips and the audio don’t sync. The IG, though a lawyer, doesn’t possess the gift of the garb. He speechifies the English Language in a laborious way. With its back pinned against the wall, the police force released its version of the video showing the IGP reading an error-free address. The two versions were from the same Kano event, but the part wherein the man in suit stepped in to offer a helping hand was excised from the version released by the police – suggesting that Idris truly made a couple of mispronunciations while delivering his speech. His traducers, however, fanned the embers of the innocuous error into a horrible conflagration by manipulating the audio to make the I-G sound as repeating himself. The Presidency later joined in the fray by describing the video as doctored. I’m not a fan of the IGP as I consider many of his actions unbecoming since he was appointed by Buhari on March 21, 2016. But a fool worth his salt would see through the deft doctoring of the video. That a lot of Nigerians believe that the IG could, in a two-minute, 18-second video, publicly repeat ‘transmission’ 13 times, and ‘I mean’ six times, shows why the political class continues to manipulate us with the stupidest of ploys. A bosom friend, Shola Ogunjimi, however, has a different opinion. He said Nigerians knew that the video was doctored, but that they believed it because of the brainlessness that attended some of Idris’ past actions. A former Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, Prince Ayoade Adedayo, who felt no pity for Idris, believes there is more to the video than what the police are claiming.

I ask, why is Idris suddenly being portrayed as deficient in speech and reading now that some powerful people are being linked to some suspected hired killers? Why?

The Punch

Featured

Court Sends Woman to Prison for Abusing Tinubu’s Son, IGP on Social Media

Published

18 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Eric

Olamide Thomas, who reportedly threatened Seyi Tinubu on social media, was on Friday, arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Olamide was arraigned by the office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, before Justice Emeka Nwite on a three-count charge.

Olamide was alleged to have, sometime in 2024, knowingly and intentionally transmitted communication in the form of video recording through a computer system or network on her social media platforms wherein she made remarks in Yoruba language.

In the video, she was alleged to have stated: “Mr. Seyi Tinubu would die this year, and misfortune and calamity had befallen the Tinubu family, with intent to bully, threaten, harass the person of Mr Seyi Tinubu.”

The communication was said to have placed Seyi in fear of death, violence or bodily harm.

The offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (2) (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.

In count two, the defendant was alleged to have intentionally transmitted communication in the form of video recording wherein she made remarks in Yoruba Language to bully, threaten, and harass the person of Egbetokun.

The communication was said to have placed Egbetokun in fear of death, violence or bodily harm.

The offence is contrary to and punishable under Section 24 (2) (a) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.

She, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Olamide was arrested on allegations bordering on harassing and threatening Seyi Tinubu, Egbetokun, and the Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a viral social media post.

In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/636/2024 dated and filed on December 18 by the police team of lawyers led by A.A. Egwu, Olamide was sued as sole defendant.

Upon resumed hearing, Victor Okoye, who appeared for the police, informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and that he was ready to proceed.

After the counts were read to the defendant, she pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defence lawyer, T J. Aondo (SAN), sought to move an oral application on his client’s behalf but the request was turned down.

Justice Nwite directed Aondo to file a formal bail application and adjourned the matter until December 30 for the commencement of trial.

The judge, however, assured the defence counsel that as soon as a bail application is filed in form of a motion on notice, the court would not hesitate to hear it.

Justice Nwite, thereafter, ordered Olamide to be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre pending the hearing of her bail application.

Featured

Buhari Denies Ownership of Abuja Land Revoked by Wike

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Eric

Former President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, denied ownership of a piece of land purportedly allocated to him by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) in Abuja.

Media reports indicate that Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked the ownership of 762 plots of land in the Maitama 1 District of Abuja, citing non-payment of statutory fees.

According to the trending reports, high-profile figures, including former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, are among those affected.

The FCTA had also issued a two-week ultimatum to 614 other individuals and organisations, demanding they settle outstanding Rights of Occupancy (R-of-O) fees or risk losing their plots.
However, debunking the reports, the former President stated he is “not the owner of the said plot of land which is allocated in the name of a ‘Muhammadu Buhari Foundation.’”

In a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, in Abuja, the former President explained that he turned down the offer by the administration when it was presented to him.

The media aide further clarified: “When he and his cabinet members were invited to fill the forms and obtain land during his tenure in office, he returned the form without filling it, saying that he already had a plot of land in the FCT and that those who did not have should be given. He, therefore, turned down the offer.

“All those jumping up and down in the digital space talking about the rightfulness or the lack of it on the reported seizure of Buhari’s land in Abuja to get their facts right and stop dragging down the name of the former president.

“As with anything Buhari—and there is no surprise in this at all—there is a lot of buzz in the media on the reported seizure of a piece of land by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, FCTA, allegedly belonging to the former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Former President Buhari is personally not the owner of the said plot of land, which is allocated in the name of a ‘Muhammadu Buhari Foundation.

“The Foundation was itself floated by some utilitarian individuals around him who, it must be said, went about it in a lawful manner with the support of a number of well-meaning persons.

“But they ran into a roadblock in the land department of the FCDA, which handed them an outrageous bill for the issuance of the certificate of occupancy, very high in cost that did not at all compare with the bills given to similar organisations.

“It may have been that this was not erroneous, but a deliberate mistake, making the revocation of the land no surprise to anyone.

“As a person, the former President has a plot of land to his name in Abuja,” he added

Featured

Dangote Refinery, a Wonder of Modern Technology – Japan Ambassador, Business Community

Published

6 days ago

December 16, 2024

Eric

The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex has been hailed as an astonishing masterpiece, showcasing Nigeria’s technological advancements on the global stage.

This accolade was shared by a delegation from the Japanese Business Community in Nigeria, led by Japan’s Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo. The Dangote Group also reiterated that its petroleum products are in demand worldwide, as it expands its polypropylene section to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on imported polypropylene, a crucial material used in packaging, textiles, and the automotive manufacturing industries.

The Japanese delegation, which toured the impressive facilities housing both the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals as well as Dangote Fertilisers, commended the state-of-the-art technology on display, noting that it reinforces Nigeria’s role as the gateway to Africa.

Managing Director of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Takashi Oku, remarked that while Nigeria remains the gateway to Africa, the Dangote Refinery stands as a remarkable project that showcases the country’s technological progress. He added that the facility, as the world’s largest single-train refinery, is a point of immense pride for Nigeria. JETRO is Japan’s governmental organisation for trade and investment.

“We had heard about the excellence of the Dangote Refinery through the media but seeing it in person has left us truly amazed by its vastness and grandeur. It demonstrates that Nigeria’s population is not only growing but also advancing in technology. We are keen to collaborate with Nigerian companies, especially Dangote Refinery,” he said.

Emphasising that the refinery has bolstered Nigeria’s leading position in Africa, he further noted that the facility serves as an ideal introduction to the country for the global community.

Managing Director of Itochu Nigeria Limited, Masahiro Tsuno, also praised the sheer size and automation of the Dangote Refinery, calling it a miracle and one of the wonders of the world.

“I’ve seen many standalone refineries across the globe, including in Vietnam and the Middle East. However, this size of a refinery built by one single investor is probably a miracle in the world. And I’m just actually witnessing a miracle, to be honest, today,” he said. Tsuno indicated that his company would seek collaboration with the refinery across various sectors, including polypropylene and other petroleum products.

Commending the ambassador-designate and his team, which described the Dangote Petroleum Refinery as a wonder of modern technology, Vice President of Oil and Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, explained that the facility is the vision of a Nigerian investor- Aliko Dangote, designed and built by Nigerians, and intended to serve the global market.

He said that it is a point of pride that a Nigerian company not only designed but also built the world’s largest single-train refinery complex. Dangote Industries Limited, a Nigerian company, acted as the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractor for the refinery. In the process, cutting-edge technologies from around the world were incorporated to ensure that the facility meets the highest standards. Edwin assured the ambassador-designate and the delegation that the company is open to collaboration, always striving to maintain the best possible standards.

“Even now, we have a lot of Japanese equipment inside both the refinery and the fertiliser plant. There are significant opportunities for collaboration, as we always seek the latest technology in any business we engage in. For instance, our cement plant laboratory is managed by robots, and we always embrace advanced technology. With Japan’s focus on technological innovation, there is ample scope for cooperation and for supplying various types of technology,” he said.

Edwin also stated that the Dangote Petrochemical project will significantly boost investment in downstream industries, creating substantial value, generating employment, increasing tax revenues, reducing foreign exchange outflows, and contributing to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He confirmed that products from the refinery meet international standards and are already being exported globally.

“In recent weeks, we’ve exported petrol to Cameroon, Ghana, Angola, and South Africa among others. Diesel has gone all over the world, and jet fuel is being heavily exported to European markets. Our products are already making their mark internationally,” he said.

He further added that by leveraging Africa’s vast crude oil resources to produce refined products locally, the Dangote Group aims to create a virtuous cycle of industrial development, job creation, and economic prosperity.