Two teenagers in Anambra state have yet again proven the
ingenuity of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria by assembling a helicopter by
themselves.
The young inventors, both 18 years of age, were at the reception held
by Senator Chris Ngige after the burial of his late father, Pa Pius
Okonkwo Ngige, who died at the age of 105.
According to the students of a local technical college, the
helicopter was a project they embarked on based on their field of study
and believe they would have done better had they gotten more sponsors
from well-to-do Nigerians.
The two young men who produced a helicopter in the eastern part of the country. Photo: Emmanuel Osodi
In fact, they said that they attended the burial reception because
they believe they are likely to meet with the rich and mighty in the
state and country who may help sponsor them to make their project even
bigger.
One of them said: “The one we produced cannot fly yet because the
things required for it to fly are not complete and it took us a while
before we could come up with even this small one.
One of the boys holding up his helicopter. Photo: Emmanuel Osodi
“If we can get people to sponsor us, we are sure of getting more
of this projects and even produce an even bigger one which will fly.”
Check out the video featuring the young inventors here:
— Popular Ghanaian witch doctor, Priest Nana Kwaku Bonsam,
has had a ‘war’ with popular Nigerian Prophet, TB Joshua, at least once
in the last two years — Priest Nana Kwaku Bonsam says he backs up over 1,700 African preachers ‘spiritually’
Prophet TB Joshua who is the founder of Synagogue Church of All
Nations (SCOAN), has come under fire several times for allegedly hiring
people to pretend to be sick and disabled and then claim to heal them
during his prayer meetings.
Kwaku Bonsam, who operates from a shrine at Sa-Peiman, a village on
the outskirts of Nsawam in east Ghana, is assumed to be a very
strong witch doctor who is also called ‘Devil of Wednesday’.
Apparently, this Ghanaian priest is said to be very powerful, that he
has claimed he’s the ‘spiritual father’ of some of the most powerful
preachers in Africa.
Here’s what the priest had to say:
“Over 1, 700 pastors and so called men of God
from different parts of Africa have approached me, seeking powers to
perform miracles, including Prophet T.B Joshua from Nigeria. He is my
boy. I challenge him to come out and deny this. Apart from the
pastors, many prominent business people and celebrated church founders
in Africa frequent my shrine for my services and if they deny, I am
going to name them.”
Kwaku Bonsam went on to say that his god is called Kofi-Kofi, and he fortifies him with supernatural powers which he in turn provides to pastors across Africa.
The question is, why would he choose to threaten to expose his ‘dedicated’ patrons?
Soldiers invade Ondo community for Ajube, ex-MEND leader
lJTF can’t hold community leaders liable —Boyloaf
lIjaw under military siege —Rights group
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South & Akpokona Omafuaire SECURITY operatives hunting for the militants who bombed oil pipelines in
Delta State have invaded the riverine Bolowoh community in Ondo
State, in search of a former commander of the Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Bibopre Ajube, aka
Shoot-At-Sight. Vanguard learned that the security agents were hunting for
the former militant leader, a partner of former General Officer
Commanding, GOC, of MEND, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.
Meanwhile, former Commander of MEND, Victor Ebikabowei Ben, alias
‘General’ Boyloaf, has dismissed the recent statement by the JTF, in the
Niger Delta that it would hold community leaders responsible for
attacks by militants on oil facilities in their areas.
Boyloaf, in an interview with Vanguard, said, “Truth is, the
JTF cannot hold any community leader responsible for any attack that
has taken place in the past or in the future, and they know it, because
the community leaders are not empowered to secure or watch over the
pipelines.”
This came as a non-governmental organisation, the Ijaw People
Development Initiative, IPDI, cried out yesterday to the international
community that the Ijaw nation was under military siege.
Ijaw nation under military siege —IPDI
National president of the organisation, Austin Ozobo, who called for the intervention of the international community told Vanguard
on phone: “Thousands of residents have deserted their communities in
Gbaramatu Kingdom and Bolowoh community, Ondo State, the hometown of
former militant leader, Bibopre Ajube, aka Shoot-At-Sight, because of
Monday’s invasion of the community.
“Movement is restricted in the area, cost of food is high and some persons are trapped,” Ozobo said.
Also, the Committee for Rural Development, Warri, Delta State,
claimed, yesterday, that security operatives searching for perpetrators
of the last pipeline bombing in the state had issued an ultimatum to
Ijaw residents living in Sandfield I and 2, Ogbogbene, int Warri over
side, Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state, to vacate the
areas.
President of the Committee, Mr. Asiayei Enaibo, in a statement, said:
“The issue of JTF asking Ijaw communities, especially Sandfield I and
2, Ogbogbene, at Warri over side, because they are in search of Tompolo,
is a sign of misdirected action.”
A military source, however, denied that the task force issued a quit
notice to Ijaw communities, saying people were just blowing the military
operation out of proportion.
Enaibo, who said the residents were already deserting the community,
added, “The JTF should ensure professionalism in their operations, as
they are known to be perfect in intelligence gathering. An ultimatum to
Ijaw communities to pack out on January 28, is a declaration of war
against Ijaw nation by President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.”
Security operatives, who stormed Ondo State, were reportedly working
on intelligence that Ajube took part in the Delta pipeline bombing,
which the ex-militant leader denied.
Narrow escape
The details were still sketchy, yesterday, as the JTF in the Niger
Delta was keeping its current operation in Ondo State secret, but our
source said, “Ajube was not at home when they stormed his home.”
Our source said, “Soldiers narrowly missed arresting him, he escaped
before they could seize him. They seemed to be targeting people close to
Tompolo and have made more arrests. Ajube is one of the top Tompolo
generals that accepted amnesty.
“We do not have the identities of the people they have arrested so far and the purpose of the army invasion,” he added.
Last week, the Arogbo Ijaw National Front raised alarm that the
Nigerian Army was exacerbating inter-ethnic tensions and other forms of
violence in the riverine parts of Ondo State with an ill-advised manhunt
for the founder of a vigilante group.
In a statement, its president, James Akubirisei, accused the military
of declaring an unwarranted search for Ajube, saying that security
agents accused members of a local anti-crime group, Gallery Security
Services, founded by Ajube, abandoned their duty posts to carry out the
Delta attacks.
Meanwhile, the Okerenkoko Federated Communities have advised the JTF
not to bring reproach on the military through indiscriminate arrests of
Gbaramatu people over the recent crude oil and gas pipelines bombing in
the state.
Secretary, Okerenkoko Federated Communities, Ernest Bebenimibo, in a
statement, said, “I want to call on the security agency to stop
harassing, arresting and detaining Okerenkoko and Gbaramatu youths
without cogent reasons after the recent pipeline bombardment which was
roundly condemned by us.”
However, General Boyloaf, in an interview with Vanguard, was asked:
How do you see the present travail of Tompolo concerning a
bench warrant by a court for his arrest and insinuation that he was
party to the last pipeline bombing in Delta State?
What we have to do is to place events in their proper prospective to
avoid over heating the polity and causing unnecessary friction. Most of
us have our private businesses and in the course of doing business, we
interact on a corporate platform with other businesses and institutions
of the government.
In business, there may be misunderstanding, claims and counter claims
and I believe that there are ways and means to resolve whatever
differences that occur in the process of doing legitimate business. They
should explore that process.
A group of ex-militants which said ex-President Jonathan did
not grant them amnesty had claimed responsibility, saying that they
struck to draw attention to their demand. Do you think they are
justified?
The late President Umaru Yar’Ádua, may God bless his soul, granted
the amnesty. It was continued by President Goodluck Jonathan and
President Buhari is sustaining it. Those who claimed responsibility
should open up. They should show their faces so that we will know if
they are beneficiaries of the amnesty or not.
It is not enough to make bogus statements that you cannot
substantiate. Anyone who is under amnesty has no justification to blow
pipelines. If you do so and they identify you, the normal thing is that
you automatically lose the benefits of the amnesty and they treat you as
a common criminal.
JTF had said it would hold community leaders responsible for future attacks in their domains. What is your opinion on this?
Truth is, the JTF cannot hold any community leader responsible for
any attack that has taken place in the past or will take place in the
future, because the community leaders are not empowered to secure or
watch over the pipelines.
The communities do not have the wherewithal and capability to protect
the pipelines, except the government is encouraging communities to
start carrying arms to protect the pipelines, because you cannot protect
the pipelines with your bare hands, as the people who destroy the
pipelines do not come with bare hands.
I can recall that in the run- up to the last presidential election,
mindful of all the threats and tension in the country at the time,
government awarded pipeline protection contracts to community based
entities. However, uptil now, the government has not paid and most of
these community entities are now indebted to their banks that provided
funds for the execution of the contracts.
Now, the government is still expecting them to risk their lives to
protect the pipelines. The best the community can do is to provide
information to the JTF and they can only do this in a discreet manner or
else there will be consequences. It is a matter of life and death.
What is your advice to Tompolo, to submit himself for arrest or continue to defy the law by not coming out?
I really have no advice, other than to say that all responsible
adults should be able to discern and count their teeth with their
tongues.
What is your advice to militants in N Delta regarding the Buhari regime?
First thing is that they should remember that it was not President
Jonathan that granted the amnesty, so the future of the amnesty is not
tied to the tribe of the occupant of Aso Villa. With that in mind, the
end of Jonathan administration is not necessarily the end of the
amnesty.
The sad part is that Jonathan’s administration, through Kingsley
Kuku, mismanaged the programme. I cannot fully understand the political
agenda and direction of the Buhari administration on the amnesty
programme. However, the Coordinator, General Boroh, is doing his best.
So my advice is that our people should understand the issues and the
times we are in, and as far as the government has not made any
categorical statement against the amnesty, the people should continue to
support the government to succeed.
YOU WORKER OF INEQUITY, LEAVE DR. UCHE OGAH ALONE: ISUIKWUATO SQUAD
The media circulation of threats against the life
of Dr. Uche Ogah has been confirmed that it was really leaked by a Good
Samaritan. But the question is why these workers of inequities should
be planning against an innocent man who has decided to mind his
business.
Why these rotten eggs in the sinking ship do not
want to sink alone? Why these thieves, looters, frustrated and
shameless cultists should not mind their business? We could only
envisage that they know that their ends have come and they are afraid of
been joblessness.
They are not asking to leave Dr. Ogah alone because
they can kill him but just asking them to look for other meaningful
things to do with your rotten lives. Though we Isuikwuato Squad already
knew their antics that every time justice goes in favour of Uche Ogah,
they employ these threats trying to scare him but this will not work
again. Let it be known that should anything happens to Ogah, it will
repay with 100 heads as anyone that has hand in it will lose his entire
family. Our silence should not be taking for foolishness and let the
perpetrators be warned. Signed: Shredrack Nkemdili Leader of Isuikwuato
Squard.
BREAKING! EFCC Seals Ihejirika’s Abuja House; You’ll be shocked what Happened at the Scene (See Photos)
An Estate along Jabi Airport road junction in Abuja, belonging to the
former Chief of Army Staff (COAS).Azubuike Ihejirika, CFR was today
27/1/2016 sealed by the officials of the EFCC in company of heavily
armed security officials.
During the operation, see what happened to an eyewitness for taking photos of the building:
“I received 2 hot slaps from one of the security agents for daring to
take these photos. My phone was seized and searched but the photos were
not found (Narrow escape).
Afenifere to Buhari: Don’t make anti-graft war your only agenda
Akure—PAN-Yoruba Socio- Political
organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari
against making the anti-corruption fight his only agenda but to tackle
the nation’s dwindling economy.
It also kicked against the plan to finance the 2016 budget through excessive borrowing from international financial institutions.
Rising from its monthly meeting in Akure, Ondo State, the group
kicked against the sensationalising of corruption by the Federal
Government.
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, who read
the communiqué also faulted the presentation of the 2016 budget.
While it threw its weight behind the war against corruption,
Afenifere said “we support the war, because corruption is evil but we
quickly warned that our war against corruption should not be selective,
sectional and should be all embracing and compassing.”
It, however, said the anti-graft war should be fought “within the
confines of rules of law. And the anti-corruption war should not be the
only agenda of the government. They should concentrate on rebuilding the
economy because we have seen countries that have been ravage by war,
Liberia, Serria-Leone, people took over government there and they
started rebuilding the economy. So we should not turn anti-corruption to
the only agenda. Building the economy is important.
“The naira is collapsing. Every sector is going down. Investors are
leaving our country. This should attract the attention of the government
because ultimately, our experience have shown that anti-corruption
takes a long time to win the war.”
What Can Africa Learn From Jonathan by Kalu By:Peter Agba Kalu
From the time of King Pharaoh of Egypt to Queen Sheeba of Ethiopia; from
Anwar Sadat to Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana; from King Chaka (c
1788-1828) founder of the Zulu Empire to Uthman Shehu Danfodio, from
El-Kanemi Sheikh Muhammad El-Amin (c 1779 – 1835) of Borno to the
founder of the Swazis kingdom King Sobhuza (c 1795 – 1836), that Africa
in particular and the black race in general
has never lacked great minds who defined their generation. And in so
doing they became so special that we have no alternative than to elevate
them to the position of African heroes.
If truth be told, the greatest challenge that Africa is facing in this
21st Century is leadership. From Egypt, Ghana, Liberia, Uganda,
Cameroon, Ethiopia down to Congo; good leadership is what each and every
citizen of every nation of Africa aspires to. And over the years,
African sit tight syndrome by her leaders wasn’t helping matter. But, in
the mist of all these bad examples, We equally have in abundance those
whose activities in the past put Africa in a good light like Nelson
Mandela, Julius Nyereye of Tanzania, Jerry Rawlings of Ghana and few
others who by putting the peoples interest first carved an inch in the
history of Africa alongside the likes of Kwame Nkruma of Ghana
(1902-72), King Abu Hassan 1 of Morocco (1836-94), Paul Hazoume of Benin
Republic (1890-1980), Richard Abrom Henries of Liberia (1908-80), Leon
Mba of Gabon (1902-67) to mention but few.
The leadership challenge was carried over to this generation and it was
the desire to encourage good leadership in Africa that made Mo Ibrahim
to set up the yearly Mo Ibrahim Leadership Award with a reward of $5m
USD. These are great minds Frantz Fanon had in mind when he said, “Each
generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission,
fulfill it or betray it”. That’s where the unavoidable mention of
Goodluck Jonathan comes in, for here is a leader who discovered the
greatest need of Africans today and did not out of the glory that goes
with power betray the mission.
The question today should be, in trying to move democracy forward what
should Africa learn from Jonathan? In attempt to answer this question
the Commonwealth Observer Group recently send him to Tanzania as Head of
Commonwealth Tanzanian elections observer. Coming out the elections in
Tanzania, in one of his speeches and his experine he thundered,
“I know people would really want to know how we can progress as a continent.
First and foremost, let me commend African countries because our
democracies are still very recent. Most African countries gained
independence between 1960 and 1965 although Ghana was the first African
country South of the Equator or South of the Sahara that gained
independence in 1957. But most countries for instance, Nigeria gained
independence in 1960 and others 1965. Zimbabwe was the last in 1980.
So you can see that we are very young democracies. At the beginning at
independence, governments were not very stable – with military
interventions, territorial activities and so on. Now democracy is
stabilizing in Africa and at the beginning of everything there must be
issues. And if you read about the democracies of many countries, what
they passed through, you will see that we’re even moving faster. Of
course we have the advantage because you should think about the concept
of not rediscovering the wheel.”
The point is that African leaders need to refined leadership in Africa
by establishing institutions away from their selves. So that after
office they will have a global applause; this will force highly
respected organizations and institutions to fall over themselves to
recognize and honour them. By only going round the world honouring
invitations and delivering speeches on how to make democracy work in
Africa or their tenure experience they will make lots of money to run
their foundation. The sit tight syndrome African leaders are exhibiting
is dehumanizing the people in their selfish quest for power.
Talking about building institutions, it’s important to note that
democratic principles are not just defined by conducting election.
Building institutions away from the leader and having access information
are part and parcel of it. Like under Jonathan for five good years
there was no single political detainee in Nigeria under any excuse, even
when it was noted that he was the most criticized president in the
world, he still allow freedom of expression to flourish. This is how
democracies are built. These are some of the positives African leaders
can learn from him.
Achieving this is not suppose to be so difficult once our leaders put
self apart be like he pointed out, “we have the advantage because you
should think about the concept of not rediscovering the wheel” and
continuing in that line of thought after his Tanzania election
monitoring he said, “The wheel is already there, so we can now just
observe what others do and then modify to suit ourselves. Others
discovered the wheel and it is left for us to follow what they do. We
cannot go and re-invent the wheel. So that’s what is giving us the
advantage. Basically from my experience in government, I think I will
share with other governments in the continent and in fact in the country
because you did mention of local elections and Nigerian general
election.
Election observation has two components. What makes a good election is
not what happened on Election Day alone. Most people talk about the
election on the voting day. The pre-election activities, election
activities and post-election activities give whole concept of election
observation. The first thing is have you registered your voters? Make
sure that some people have not been disenfranchised. Are you sure 100%
of the people who are supposed to vote, who have reached the adult
suffrage which is 18 years have been registered? If an election process
does not register all the people who are supposed to vote, we have an
issue!”
These observations coming from a leader whose main philosophy about
power is that the blood of one single citizen is not worth his quest for
power. And went on to live by the examples of his advocacy and by so
doing refused to be another big embarrassment to Africa, if he had
chosen to remain in office by all means. In a polity where in no
distance history a leader once thundered that elections are do-or-die
affairs, the believe in some circle that President Jonathan chose to
build a legacy in Africa is not out of place. As a result, the
suggestion that he has taken a noble step like Nelson Mandela is not
farfetched. And, in line with his noble step that saved bloodshed in
other West African nations like Togo, Ghana, Benin Republic, Ivory
Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Loan, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and
Liberia has made some institutions to suggest a Noble Peace Prize
nomination. This is against the background of how the refusal to
relinquish power led Ivory Coast to a Civil War that devastated the
nation and caused thousands of avoidable deaths. This is exactly where
and why the Jonathan lesson for Africa comes handy.
This is coming in a continent where the Prime Minister who has ruled
Equatorial Guinea since 1979 is still holding firmly to power, just like
that of Angola. In a continent where the president of Zimbabwe has been
in power in since 1980, and that of Cameroon since 1982.
One of the most disappointing is that of Uganda who has ruled since
1986.While in the bush as a rebel fighting the government of the day, a
BBC reporter came to interview him, he wondered what was wrong with
African leaders that they want to die in office. He hid his face
in-between his legs in shame for such an attitude but, today, he
adjusting their constitution each time his tenure expires.
Do we then talk about Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of Sudan who has been in
office since 1989 or Blaise Compare of Burkina Faso who fled after
failing to extend their constitution after 27 years in office? Look at
President of Rwanda, who came to power in 1994, he is now trying to
amend their constitution to remain in power. The same power bug is
biting President Pierre Nurunziza who after ruling Burundi for 10 years
extended their constitution to contest again. One can count how many
lives that has been lost in Burundi to help you appreciate President
Jonathan the more.
Since elections are the main bane into all these problem after observing
the Tanzanian election President Jonathan rightly suggested, “During
their campaigns, are all the parties should be well exposed through the
government media? Unless where there are restrictions? And also how do
you do your campaigns? Back home here there are certain things we do and
we take them for granted. Internationally, they are not right. For
example in most of our campaigns, politicians give gifts to people such
as matches, biro pens and so on. Internationally these are regarded as
inducements to the people. It’s not the best global practice.
So most of our electoral bodies need to come up with guidelines so that
political parties and those who do rallies should not go to rally
grounds and start distributing items thereby inducing the electorate.
Then of course what happens on the Election Day, the election procedure?
Well, of course in Tanzania it was quite clear and neat. Then in the
post-election process having processed the result we expected any
aggrieved person to go to court and get justice.
The post election period and what happens in the courts are very
important because if people think there were anomalies in the elections
then the courts are the last resort. So the package is total. African
countries are moving and I believe they will continue to improve.”
Coming home after the Tanzania experience to meet the Kogi and Bayelsa
election, when is opinion was sought he said, ” Kogi elections, I wasn’t
there but in Bayelsa elections I was involved. But I was not too
pleased because of the security challenges that they couldn’t conclude
elections in Southern Ijaw local government. That election was
inconclusive and even elections elsewhere what I heard wasn’t too
pleasing as well, people were killed, people died in the process.
Why should governorship elections cost the blood of innocent Nigerians?
Why should local government elections cost the blood of Nigerians. My
take here is that no election is worth the blood of Nigerians. So when I
see people with gunshots, even traditional ruler of Peremabiri
Community in Southern Ijaw LGA in Bayelsa is in critical condition in
hospital with bullets lodged in his brain! That’s definitely not the
right thing to do. So in subsequent elections we need to work very hard
to make sure that some of these atrocities don’t come up again.
International observers always comment on these issues whenever they
observe elections but unfortunately they don’t have the powers to
curtain these in a sovereign nationality and to do what they want to do
to stop all these. These few things I raised are critical in declaring
elections as credible, free and fair. So the good news is that African
countries are really improving everyday. Even in Nigeria right from 1959
elections till date, INEC or whatever name the electoral body bears at a
particular time is improving wit every election. There’s indeed good
hope and I believe that it will get better especially as all African
countries are democratized.
There may be differences in standards – democracy is not just all about
elections. Who and how the election is conducted matters so much. The
size and the stability of our democracies in Africa are improving and
that’s the only way to stimulate economic growth. Investors will not be
willing to invest in an unstable economy. Even in ECOWAS when I was
there we emphasized that our states must be very economically and
politically stable- so that foreign direct investors will be encouraged
to come calling. To get this foreign direct investment, first there must
be a stable government which in turn will attract these foreign
investors. That’s it, so than you.”
These are some of the issues and actions that made some international
scholars to suggest that indeed Jonathan is in a class of his own in a
continent where a former democratic president once publicly boasted that
elections are a do-or-die affair. And, where leaders are living true to
that boast. And then you have a President who came and said my ambition
is not worth the blood of any citizen. According to some global circle
such a man should be appreciated.
According to some school of thought, if President Jonathan had behaved
like some other African leaders there would have been no peace in
Nigeria and to a larger extend West Africa today. Courtesy of his
selfless leadership democracy has gained a solid foot in one big African
family. And looking at it from the point of a continent where millions
has been killed in quest for power, this single soul that never allowed
his personal ambition to put the lives of 160 million people in jeopardy
deserves, to a very reasonable extend, any accolades being poured on
him to globally.
It is against this back ground that some international observers has
proclaimed President Jonathan not just an asset to Nigeria but, to the
entire African continent that is in need of a heroic figure that will
step into the giant shoes of Mandela.
Peter Agba Kalu-author, journalist, social critics & human rights
activist a Senior Writer Sun Newspaper is also the Editor-in-chief
Journalist101, CEO African Heritage Online, DG Igbo kwenu! Publisher
World Sports News
