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Before They Set Nigeria Ablaze Again – Dele Momodu Fellow Nigerians, let me confess my sadness over the unfortunate, illogical and irrational bickering and grandstanding going on all over our dear beloved country at the moment. At the outset of my epistle today, let me confess my exceptional love for this country named Nigeria. Say what you will, Nigeria was created great despite the amalgamation of birds of different feathers. It was not for fun that our country was made the biggest black nation on planet earth. We are better and stronger as a bigger country than as tiny fragments that some people want us to become in their pipe dreams. I disagree vehemently with anyone who insists that the only solution to our myriad of problems, and the only way out of our forests of a thousand daemons, is to break up this gigantic entity called Nigeria. I say without any equivocation that they are wrong, very wrong! Our situation could be compared to the challenges of being in a marriage.

Nigeria Military Sentences Soldier To Death For Killing B’Haram [Terrorist] Suspect The Nigerian Military General Court Martial has sentenced a Lance Corporal, Hillary Joel, to death for killing a suspected Boko Haram terrorist in the Damboa in Borno State. The corporal and four others, Sergeant Samuel Balanga, Private Chima Samuel, Corporal Aliu Audu and Trooper Sunday Ogwuche, were convicted by the court, that sat in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Friday on offences related to the Boko Haram Terrorist insurgency. The President of the military court, Brig. -Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi, convicted Joel to death, and announced the reduction in rank to Private for Balanga and Audu, who were convicted for desertion and assault  accordingly. The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, and 7 Division Spokesperson, Lt.Col. Kingsley Samuel, confirmed the said trial, said that the cases based on human rights violation and other operational offences on Lafiya Dole Operation . “Lance

Be At Alert And Prepare For The Worst - Femi Fani-Kayode Advice Biafrans Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has advised Biafrans in the north to be at alert following a 3-month ultimatum given them to vacate the area by northern youths. This is never an accidental utterance by the Arewa Youths. Rather it is a highly premeditated and carefully planned position hatched by the Arewa elders at the background because of their complete jealousy and hatred to the Southerners. He reiterated that the northerners failed to embrace western education, rather they are still stuck in their 14th century Islamic traditions of producing as many children and sending them to the streets to be nuisance and beggars. “The Northern Elders Forum have backed the call by the Arewa Youths for Igbos to leave the north. We should brace ourselves and prepare for the worse," he wrote on his Twitter page. “We are about to enter a season of carnage, chaos and anomie. God deliver our people from thos

Anti Igbo Threat By Northerners, Niger Delta militants demandreturn of oil blocs held by Northerners held by Northerners A coalition of Niger Delta militants is demanding from the Federal Government the return of all oil blocs controlled by Northerners to the people of the oil producing region. The demand is in retaliation for the order issued by Northern youth organizations to the Igbo in the north to quit the region by October 1. The Niger Delta Watchdogs, Niger Delta Volunteers, Niger Delta Peoples Fighters, Niger Delta Warriors, Bakassi Freedom Fighters, Niger Delta Movement for Justice, Niger Delta Fighters Network and Niger Delta Freedom Mandate,said in a joint statement yesterday that they also intend to declare an independent Niger Delta on October 1 with a view to freeing their people from what they called northern enslavement. The communiqué was signed by ‘General’ John Duku (Niger Delta Watchdogs and Convener: Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators), ‘General’ Ek

Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Behind The Quick Notice Given To Igbos By Coalition of Northern Youth Groups To Leave The North In Three Months The group made its position known despite widespread condemnation that followed the ultimatum earlier handed by the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum. The forum expressed “disappointment” with the Northern Governors’ Forum for disowning the youth groups. Mr. Ango Abdullahi, the NEF spokesperson, told journalists in Zaria on Friday that it was hypocritical for the Igbos to continue to live in other parts of the country while agitating for Nigeria’s break up. he said: “I am disappointed in the decision taken by Northern Governors’ Forum disowning and condemning the agitation by this young agile and progressive youth groups. “Let me ask these Northern governors, whom are they representing, are they representing spirits, ghost or people of the north? “Recently, people from eastern part of this country, specifically Igbo, were busy calling for th

A pro-democracy and non-governmental organization, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has alleged that the group who  ordered Igbos to vacate the North in three months,  Coalition of Northern Youths, CNY, has the backing of some top officials from the Presidency. Disclosing this in a statement, the pro-democracy group claimed that the current “presidency is dominated mostly by known former officials of the AREWA CONSULTANTIVE ASSEMBLY whose youth wing made the threat” to force Igbo residing in the North out and to “confiscate their lawfully acquired housing/business assets.” In the statement jointly by the National coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA alleged that “there are evidence of high powered backing” of these Northern Youth from the “top most echelons of the current presidency.” The group noted that the venue of the press conference which the threat was issued – being AREWA H

Ex-Senate Leader Denies Supporting B’Haram As FG Insists A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday attended to the no-case submission filed by a former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, seeking an order terminating his trial on terrorism charges preferred against him by the Federal Government. The former senate leader, through his no-case submission, is seeking an order discharging him of the charges, including the allegation of supporting Boko Haram, and failure to disclose material information arising from his alleged relationship with the sect. His no-case submission was anchored on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to lead evidence linking him to the alleged offences. The no-case submission was further anchored on section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, among other provisions of the same law. While denying the charges on Tuesday, Ndume broke the silence on how he came in contact with the sect and how he disclosed the necessary information ab

Senate Probes Buhari’s $1Bn Ogoni Land Cleanup The Senate on Tuesday initiated plans to probe the President Muhamadu Buhari’s Ogoni land cleanup as the legislature directed its committee on environment to investigate the implementation of the cleanup. It is understood that the exercise, which was launched in 2016, is estimated to cost over $1 billion. The decision of the Senate followed a motion moved by Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment to mark the World Environment Day. During plenary, the senate directed its committee to also assess the progress of the Great Green Wall programme initiated to control desertification in the country. While moving the motion, Sen. Tinubu expressed dismay that despite the launch of the project, work has not commenced in the area. Also lending voice on the matter, Sen. Magnus Abe agreed with her, as he said that there was nothing on ground yet to show that the clean up was designed to actually cleanup the area

Northern Youths Declare War On Igbos In The North, Ask Them To ‘Leave’ Within Three Months Below is the text of the declaration: THE KADUNA DECLARATION  BEING A JOINT POSITION PAPER ISSUED BY THE  AREWA  CITIZENS ACTION FOR CHANGE,  AREWA  YOUTH CONSULTATIVE FORUM,  AREWA  YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION,  AREWA  STUDENTS FORUM AND NORTHERN EMANCIPATION NETWORK ON THE IGBO PERSISTENCE FOR SECESSION   June 06, 2017 PREAMBLE The persistence for the actualization of Biafra by the unruly Igbo of South-Eastern Nigeria has lately assumed another alarming twist which involved the forceful lockdown of activities and denial of other people's right to free movement in the South-East by the rebel Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its overt and covert sponsors.   This latest action and similar confrontational conducts which amount to a brutal encroachment on the rights of those termed as non-indigenous people residing and doing lawful businesses in those areas illegally dema

Some Northern Nigeria youth groups on Tuesday in Kaduna issued what they called a 'Kaduna Declaration' in which they declared “war” against all Igbos residing in the North, demanding they leave the area within three months.   They also asked Northerners in the South-East to leave the area, warning that as from October 1, which happens to be Nigeria’s National Day, they will commence implementation of ‘visible actions’ to prove they are no longer part of a federal union that includes the Igbo.  The groups that signed the declaration include Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum and Northern Emancipation Network, but it is unclear if known officials of any of the groups actually signed the document. They cite as reason for their decision the pro-Biafran activities of some Igbo, centred around the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), saying their latest action and similar confrontational c

Nobody Can Force My People To Withdraw  Support For Biafra – Akpabio Elder statesman and first medical practitioner in Akwa Ibom State, Chief Dr Thompson Akpabio has told Leader of Biafra Youth Nations Youth League to proceed with his youthful activities in Akwa Ibom stating that nobody can force his people to withdraw support for Biafra. Chief Akpabio who stated this in his hometown of Onna LGA while receiving the BNYL Leader, Comrade P. C. Obuka added that Akwa Ibom people are too wise to be used by Northerners against Biafra. While reacting to statement credited to former Governor Obong Attah, Chief Akpabio stated that Attah is speaking for himself based on his own experience but cannot decide for Akwa Ibom people because the war ended in Akwa Ibom. The President of Biafra Nations Youth League (BNYL), Comrade P Chimezie Obuka was recently in Akwa Ibom for special Congress with the elders of the State. It was recently noted that elders from Akwa-Ibom and Cross Ri

Expelling Igbos from Northern  Nigeria will have grave  consequences – Fani-Kayode Fani Kayode stated this via his Twitter handle in reaction to the threat made by the Northern Coalition Groups. The ex-Minister maintained that kicking the Igbos out of the North would not help matters in the country but rather complicate the fragile state of the nation.  He said: “Threatening the Igbo and kicking them out of the north won’t help.This time round the Middle Belt and the whole south will stand with them.” “We want peace by restructuring and not violence. Unleashing genocide against the Igbo or anyone else in north will have grave consequences,” he added. It could be recalled that a coalition of Northern Youth Groups tagged, “The Kaduna Declaration”  had given all Igbos residing in any part of Northern Nigeria three months  to relocate to their places of origin.

$15bn unremitted oil, gas revenue uncovered by Reps House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating allegedly missing 17 billion dollars crude oil and Liquified Natural Gas revenue, on Monday uncovered 15 billion dollars unremitted revenue into Federation Account. The trace of the alleged missing fund believed to have been stolen and diverted to a foreign destination, was contained in the two documents submitted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the committee’s sitting. While responding to questions from members of the committee, Mr Rabiu Bello, NNPC’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), admitted that there were discrepancies in the documents. In his presentation earlier, Mr Jack Ukitetu, a Director in Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who represented the bank’s Governor, explained that the Accountant-General of the Federation approved and determined the money accrued to the Excess Crude Account. Ukitetu said that before 2006, the CBN collected the

NEW PARTY APDA NOT IN ANY WAY ASSOCIATED WITH PDP The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from the newly formed Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA). The former ruling party said APDA did not emanate from its stable. APDA, a new party, was unveiled in Abuja on Monday. Raymond Dokpesi, a member of the PDP, was at the event. In a statement issued hours after the launch, Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the PDP, said the former ruling party did not sponsor the establishment of the new party. He also said the PDP was in no way associated with the APDA. “In the last few hours we have received numerous calls from our party members, concerned citizens and well-wishers on our association or otherwise with the Advance Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) which was unveiled today at Abuja,” he said. “For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate once again that we are not in any way associated with the new party in any form or guise. The APDA is neither

Saudi, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt cut ties with Qatar over terrorism The UAE has given Qatar’s diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi 48 hours to leave the country Latest developments: What we know so far The UAE has given Qatar’s diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi 48 hours to leave the country after  what it said where “Doha’s several policies which destabilizes the security and stability of  the region and manipulates commitments”. The UAE informed Qatari citizens they had 14 days to leave the UAE. Citizens from Qatar have also been banned from passing through the UAE.  Emiratis are now banned from visiting or even passing by Qatar at all means.The Saudi state  news agency SPA said Riyadh had closed its borders, severing land, sea and air contact with  Qatar and largely isolating it. It cited officials as saying it was to "protect its national  security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism".Etihad Airways said it would suspend all  flights to and from Doha from 02:4