Saturday, May 9, 2020
Sudden Disappearance Of Constructed Pavilion, Gates, Other Items At Proposed Palace Site Provoked Concerns
Okonta Emeka Okelum, Asaba
These days are not best of days for so many active Asaba citizens, especially, those concerned with actualization of a proposed palace for the town's royal father.
It will be recalled that some years ago, the apex leadership of Asaba Development Union (A.D.U) came up with an idea to plan, design and construct a befitting palace for the town's royal father.
The plan behind the project was to have a permanent palace that will house the royal family, with other facilities within the compound, an Asaba community own and driven project.
The town union reached out to her citizens for support to commence the project, which received same attention but for some concerns and issues, the project witnessed some stagnation, but recently, some strange happening took place at the construction site, which left behind too many unanswered questions.
The town woke up one day recently to find out that some yet to be identified persons had pulled down and removed from the construction site, two pavilions (a Large and small one, at more than 65% completion rate), with aluminum roofing sheets, an existing iron gates, pillar works and other iron fittings, were both dismantled and removed from the construction site.
In all these, the most painful part is the wanton dismantling and total removal of the security gate, some previously constructed block works.
Why in the name of or under any guise, should anyone or group of persons deface without fear, a town wide project, one supported with kind donations from sons and daughters of the land both at home and abroad.
Many in the town, who contributed toward the project had raised concerns about the recent development, question on the lips of many is why will somebody be so heartless as to retrogress the town's progress.
Should the town through the leadership of her town union not be informed about such removal?
What happened at the proposed palace site is a huge slap on the love Asaba Children had demonstrated in the recent years.
Who removed those items from the construction site does not have interest of the town at heart, such person does not want a progressive image of the town, many concerned Ndi-Asaba shared with our reporter.
Asaba Post News Wire ONLINE is still committed at seeking out who and why such ill was thrown at Asaba people.
From the attached photos, one can see from the first photo, the previously constructed pavilions at the proposed palace site, other photo show how the gates were cut off from the fence, and how the construction site is now with the disappeared previously constructed structures.
CORONA VIRUS THE PANDEMIC THAT NEVER EXISTED. THE CURE.
A Nigerian pharmaceutical company says Covid 19 PANDEMIC IS A MONEY MAKING VENTURE, AND THEY HAVE A DRUG THAT CAN CURE IT WITHIN 72 HOURS, read their Press Statement;
CORONA VIRUS THE PANDEMIC THAT NEVER EXISTED. THE CURE.
BY Dr Paul Olisa Ojeih MD Iris Medical Foundation Drugs and Pharmaceutical.
On March 3rd 2020, I got a call from The Honorable Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Mohammed. It was a 5 minutes call.
The call was centered on Iris medical foundation Drugs and it's effectiveness in treating the Corona virus. I was blunt with the minister, I told him the truth I asked him do you people in Abuja want the Cure or you guys just want to be making billions from grants from America, WHO and other international agencies.
The truth is Covid 19 is a curable viral infection that we should not loose sleep over or fret over.
In 1985 there was a major viral out break in Tanzania. The fatality, was percent the death ratio was 10 infection to 9 death on a daily basis. The then president, Julius Nyanrere, invited Prof Dr Paul Ojeih Snr, founder of Iris Medical foundation who stepped into Tanzania and with in 3 months the virus was contained with in 6 months there was a cure.
That virus was treated with a phynto organic drug known as VENEDI ELIXIR. The virus was later classified as Ebola, virus.
I told Nigerians on social media that our government most especially The minister of health, The presidential Task force on Covid 19, The Ncdc, are reaping Nigerians off and making billions from this pandemic that never existed.
I told Nigerians on social media that our government most especially The minister of health, The presidential Task force on Covid 19, The Ncdc, are reaping Nigerians off and making billions from this pandemic that never existed.
In my letter to the minister of information I told him that Covid 19 is perfectly treatable and curable.
I told the minister that I will infect myself with the virus under 73 hours that virus will be cured. I stake my name, my reputation and credibility that Corona virus is a curable disease.
Iris medical foundation drug and pharmaceutical has an authentic cure for this virus, a cure drived, from the enzymes of plants which is pharmacutically engineered to treat complex viral infection.
Our drug VENEDI Elixir for 18 years has been used, in the treatment of HIV viral infection, Herpes Viral infection, Syphilis viral infection and infections that are drug resistant.
I have told the federal government to stop playing games, to stop looting our treasury all in the name of borrowing money to build isolation centres that we don't need. They know the games they are playing .
They don't want to listen because this Covid pandemic is a money making venture, they are putting fears in Nigerians keeping them at home and milking our economy dry.
So far our government has spent billions of Naira, money that would have been put into good use.
The truth they say is bitter, and the bitter truth is Corona virus is another oil boom for some selected criminals In the government. When Madagascar launched their Herbal initiative to get a cure, I drew the attention of the minister of information and culture, who in turn informed the minister of health Dr Osagie, Ehanire, who went on air and said traditional medicine will be inculcated into the fight against Covid 19.
This was never done. While foot dragging, a tiny island nation like Madagascar found a cure through herbal medicine. Then our shameless Chairman of the presidential task force on Covid 19, Boss mustapha, said we were going to import a plane load of the Madagascar herbal cure.
Shame, to the country, Shame, to the government, shame to the minister of health and the Ncdc that have been playing games and politics and making billions off this pandemic that never existed.
I state, once again for the sake of clarity and emphasis that Corona virus is a baby virus a virus that is perfectly curable under 72 hours with Iris medical foundation drug known as VENEDI Elixir.
I have asked the government give me 10 infected patients let's place them on Iris Drugs we keep meeting with a brick wall resistance. Why are they foot dragging, what is their fear and resistance, they play politics meanwhile people are dying, people are loosing their jobs and the country is sliding into recession.
As a patriotic Nigeria, i have done my bid. I have sounded the alarm that Corona virus is a baby virus its a friendly virus that is perfectly curable.
This is a virus that is very stable in clinicals, a virus that does no harm to the body tissues and organs except when not treated.
In essence the virus can be within you and your body system still functions perfectly well with in 72 hours or even longer.
This can not be said of other deadly virus such as Ebola. Immediately Ebola enters your blood stream your immune gets compromised and shuts down with in 48hours, you start bleeding from all bodily pores all openings and orifice with in 72 hours you're dead.
But with Covid 19 you don't even know you're infected because the virus is not a violent virus that takes over your immunity and shuts it down.
We at Iris medical foundation for over 25 years have been into drug research and cure we understand what it means to compound drugs from plants and enzymes and synthesis it into potent cure.
Our founding MD Professor Dr Paul Olisa Ojeih (Professor of Medicine) is a pioneer in Alternative and comparative medicine and has popularised Alternative medicine and sector that China, and Indian have taking the lead on. This is one sector that our government has refuses to encourage and invest in, yet a tiny island nation like Madagascar has created and perfected the cure to Corona vurus.
Finally, when we say we In Iris medical foundation Drugs and pharmaceutical say we have the cure for Corona virus, We indeed have the cure.
All we ask is, for our leaders to stop playing Russian Roulette with our lives and avail Nigerians the cure to the virus. May God help us all.
Iris medical foundation no 12 Ajayi Road Ogba Ikeja.
Dr Paul Ojeih 08023950797
Dr Solomon Ojeih 07030595310
Courtesy of Titiloye Charles
WE PLANT, OTHERS HARVEST.
A country, with no vision and mission.
Dr. Fauci in USA yesterday, had announced the vaccine REMDESIVIR as the cure for COVID 19.
Guess! who is leading the research...?
Dr. Babafemi Taiwo, the chief, division of infectious diseases, Feinberg school of medicine, Northwestern University Chicago.
Dr. Babafemi was a graduate of the college of medicine, University of Ibadan, before fleeing to a country with prospects, to horn his skills.
Ppkk My question is: How do you expect such intelligent person and thousands of other skilled Nigerians to remain, in a country with corrupt leaders that can't pronounce COVID 19 properly or know what it means exactly?.
How do you expect such person's to remain in a country, where illitrate politicians, are the once directing the affairs of a nation cluelessly with analog mindsets?
How do you expect such person's to remain in a country, where N17million state money, is paid to a state speaker every month, as house allowance, instead of building medical research centers?.
A foollish, corrupt, greedy but selfish billionaire, Nigerian politician, would think himself, wise, until he is buried, with not even a N100 note in his pocket.
What a wasted effort of visionless, Nigerian leadership.
Elsewhere in another WhatsApp forum early this morning, I had reacted in a dialogue with one Dr Nwabueze Ajudua, a Nigeria medical doctor based in South Africa, who bemoaned the fate of home groomed intellectuals cum scientists like Dr Babafemi Taiwo, a university of Ibadan trained medical doctor, now a diasporian in the United States, celebrated for leading the research team breaking grounds with the manufacturing of a drug, a remarkable solutions to curing corona virus
My lamentations and (critical deconstructive postulate, similar to Governor Wike's epistle, reads)
Nigeria, as a Nation, presents an abysmal curious case in her under development trajectory; while the Advanced world have embraced knowledge pursuit and excellence in human capital aggregation as a fundamental state policy, in all its ramifications, a system, for instance that encourages the nurturing of the likes of our scientific rave of the moment, Dr Taiwo, in the USA.
Nigeria presents an abysmal anti clock wise developmental policy direction- quotarization-that discriminates flagrantly and unashamedly, the competitive striving for knowledge acquisition and ventilation, as a fundamental principle of state policy, producing in its wake a crippled giant, a theatre of the absurd, a Nation facing acute diminishing returns in all facets of human life, the poverty capital of the world, governed largely by a bunch of proven idiots and atavistic remnants of anthropoid apes
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(News analysis below the threshold)
Who's Bill Gates and why is he so fearless in his determination to force his vaccine on the world?
Who's Bill Gates and why is he so fearless in his determination to force his vaccine on the world?
By Odilim Enwegbara
Bill Gates was made super-rich by his maternal great, great uncles, the Rockefellers. The Rockefellers too became super-rich, in fact, the richest ever in any known human history by the Rothschild. John D. Rockefellers, the son of a business scammer who sold crude oil as cancer cure, became the first billionaire in the world. He ran his oil business with such an unheard-of monopoly that his Standard Oil's monopoly was forcibly broken by US Congress he only subdivided itself into Exxon, Mobile, Chevron, and Texaco.
Besides oil, the Rockefellers are major owners of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. With the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as the majority owner of the US dollar currency, unknown to most of us it's still a private currency controlled by the Rockefellers.
Remember that when President John F. Kennedy wanted to turn the dollar currency into what it was during President Abraham Lincoln's time as a fully government owned currency like Lincoln he was assassinated before he could circulate dollar notes owned by US Government.
The Rockefellers were made superrich by the Rothschilds, who for more than a century ruled the world of finance using Rothschild banking dynasty became superrich themselves by scamming the whole of Europe starting from their Frankfurt base and spreading across the entire Europe operating as both the lender of last resort and lender of the first resort.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries their major source of banking wealth came from organizing and financing wars between and among European powers and in these cases to prolong these wars including the Napoleonic War. That's why as the central bankers to most European monarchs and ruling families, they supplied them money to either start new wars or continue to prolong existing wars, who had to pay them at exorbitant interest rates not in their currencies but in gold.
Being the indirect owners of Europe central banks such as the Bank of England, Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty once said in 1802, "Give me control of a nation's money supply, and I care not who makes its laws. I control England's money supply and I control British Empire and care not who makes British laws."
Little wonder when President Andrew Jackson in 1930s refused to re-charter their Second Bank of America, which the Rothschilds set up as America's private central bank, an assassin was sent to him who only narrowly missed Jackson as his assassination target simply because the gun due to the cold weather misfired.
The Rothschilds funded the US Civil War by setting southern states against other states that made up the then United States. But when Abraham Lincoln at the tail end of the war rather than accept to pay them in gold insisted paying them with his government's own dollars, the greenback, which he just printed to finance the war, he was assassinated by a hired assassin.
They continued ruling the world's finance with their base in London until the US Rockefeller and Morgan dynasties successfully executed their WWI strategy of setting European powers against each other. Successful, they jointly replaced the Rothschilds not only by dismantling their immense financial powers in the US, but also taking over their banking dynasty in the whole of Europe.
But by successfully financing the presidential election of Franklin Roosevelt in 1932, the Rockefellers carefully removed the J.P. Morgans as their competitors who they had to accommodate as co-owners the world's economy. They successfully achieved this when President Roosevelt based on the request of the Rockefellers, reduced Morgans from an all encompassing international financial dynasty to a mere players as an investment banking institution. And by denying Morgan the badly enjoyed access to other banking activities, the Morgans became subdued with the Rockefellers running the world's economy without rivals.
To consolidate the world under their imperial control, the Rockefellers decided to unleash the most deadly war the world, this time the WWII. First, they successfully rearmed Germany by propping up Hitler as the protege.
Financing his government's European military hegemonic ambitions, the Rockefellers rebuilt German military into frighteningly the largest and most sophisticated military industrial complex in Europe with no other main targets but Britain and France for the WWII. Decimating Euope to ground zero was their only way to fully control European economies.
Even though their wealth is completely hidden away from the world, the Rockefellers are estimated to worth over $5000 trillion. Their unheard-of covers US dollar notes, bank credits, raw gold (hidden in bunkers), oil reserves across the world and as a major owner Aramco (Arabian American Company), precious metals of all kinds, military hardware and software (being indirectly owners of most of the world's industrial complexes). Others are land assets, real estates, agribusinesses, big pharma, research institutes, ICT, entertainment industry, security services, strategic service industry of all kinds, banking and financial service industry, general manufacturing, etc.
Don't forget that to run the world from their New York headquarters, they had to set up and bankroll the United Nations along with all its subsidiaries including FAO, WHO, etc. Since they, they still call all the shots in the appointment of UN Secretaries General without an exception.
Also to run the world from their New York headquarters, they have to run the US's foreign policy and that too is done through their Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) which rather than being headquartered in Washington is located in New York.
But to fully control governments around the world they had to spread their illuminati around the world where members are helped to run their countries' governments on their behalf. Unlike the Freemasons headquartered in Washington, they had to fund and relocate illuminati from its original Frankfurt, Germany headquarter which was indirectly the brainchild of the Rothschilds in the late 18th century and who spread across the world for their control of the world of finance. This earlier was in fierce opposition to Freemasonry headquartered in Washington DC.
Since they set out in late 1970s to collapse the world into one government, one religion and one currency, they have been financing the globalists, most of whom were recruited in the 1980s from MIT and Harvard with Prof Henry Kissinger, a longtime protegee of the Rockefellers heading the Rockefeller globalist movement.
One of the people they propped up as a major globalist champions is William Henry Gates Jr., who notwithstanding being a Harvard dropout they still went ahead to help him set up Microsoft and turned it into the largest money making machine ever with to much technological content. In return they imposed on him the leadership of championing their depopulation agenda, started in early 20th century.
Like his great, great uncles who funded him and made him extraordinarily rich, Bill Gates was assigned the duty of using his immense wealth to recruit and finance all Rockefellers' depopulation agenda, including financing big pharma, scientists, research centers, academics, businessmen, and economists and doing so by turning them into unapologetic globalists
If you remember that the lead Rockefeller globalist Kissinger once said, "If you control oil, you control governments; but if you control food you control the people of the world," you can now understand why the Rockefellers are leading GMO agribusiness across the world so that with that they will have no problem controlling what you and I eat and their ability to sterilise our ability to reproduce.
Now, if you can understand why Bill Gates is fiercely championing vaccines. He is unapologetically pushing for reproductive sterilising vaccines around the world as the surest way to control the world's population. The Rockefellers are fully behind Bill Gates is why he calls in shots on who runs WHO and major big pharma around the world along with FAO.
But understandably, there's no way he can successfully achieve that without being interested in the production of deadly infectious viral diseases. This is why Mr. Gates Jr is determined and unapologetic in his pursuit of the latest depopulation agenda using viruses from HIV, MESR, Ebola and now to Novel Coronavirus.
So rather than Gates's vaccines being for protection and treatment, they are designed purely for world's depopulation and that is what is planned to achieve with Covid19. If should he fail with this, he will still come up with another virus in future; and possibly worse than Covid 19.
We have to get ready for he is determined and ready to inflict on the world more harm than we can imagine. So far it is either he succeeds or dies one day while still trying to depopulate the world.
Knock knock, WHO is there?
Knock knock, WHO is there?
Bill and Melinda Gates foundation sponsored vaccines?
Yomi Lawal (05/02/2020)
Do you remember this game? Well, this is not a game. Bill Gates is not your friend even if you defend him to sound woke. You will die and they will cross your number off the list, they won't even know your name, you are just another variable that didnt work.
So who is there if Gates is not there for you? Is it WHO? WHO pretends to be your doctor but WHO is not your doctor. WHO is an organ of the UN.
The UN is that powerless international body that goes begging for money, has no soldiers, cannot enforce or protect anyone and is controlled by donors. That is why you only see them shouting on the pages of newspapers as innocent people are killed in needless wars. And that shouting only comes after tens of thousands have been killed.
WHO is an agency under the UN that is supposed to protect the world against diseases. They also solicit money and apparently have conflict of interests, because since December 2019, they appear to have abandoned their mandate and helped disease spread around the world instead. Starting from helping China hide data, telling us a coronavirus is not being spread person to person, keeping mute on hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment and now helping Bill and Melinda Gates foundation find viable human specimens for their games of vaccines.
I chronicle recent pattern of WHO inconsistency below and where they interface with Nigerias corruption laden legislature and NCDC.
On the 3rd of April 2020, two mentally challenged French doctors had suggested that Africa be used as specimens for testing experimental vaccines for COVID-19.
On the 6th of April 2020, the DG of WHO pretended to be angry at the French doctor's suggestions. In delivering this acting master piece, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (DG WHO) was as angry as he was when he threatened the United States and other countries (that demanded answers over his romance with China) with body bags.
Tedros practically swore that Africa would not be a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccines.
On the 20th of April 2020, Dr Fiona Braka said COVID-19, being a new disease, has no ready vaccines, adding that public safety was the key consideration of WHO campaign for now. She is the Team Lead for WHO in Nigeria.
On the 29th of April, Gbajabiamila was chosen -few hours after IMF loaned them $3.4bn- to rush an infectious disease bill into law. The bill essentially takes away the rights of every Nigerian and makes us specimens for the DG of NCDC.
On the 1st of May 2020, WHO, same WHO that said Africa will not be a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccine, same Dr Fiona Braka that said safety was the key issue for WHO suddenly announced that same COVID-19 vaccine trials is about to start in Nigeria. Is Nigeria now part of Europe or Middle east?
Do you see what is going on? They are leading you like lambs to the slaughter with public lies!
If not for the few brave Nigerian lawmakers that opposed the 3rd reading of the bill, Gbajabiamila with Lawan, both stooges of buhari would have quickly taken away our freedom and potentially life. Fiona said that trials will be voluntary, a day before then, Gbajabiamila tried to make any vaccine and every vaccine mandatory, including trials!!!
So who is the beneficiary of this 200m specimen that Gbajabiamila, Lawan and buhari wanted to dash out?
Look no further than the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation!.. again!!
The recurring decimal in WHO, NCDC, Gbajabiamila, experimental vaccines and Africa CDC is this same Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. All these bodies are fed by the Gates foundation and he dictates what he wants to them, including WHO! Gates decides which projects to fund using WHO as a vehicle into nations.
What does Gates want with vaccination? Why is he so particular about a programmable DNA/RNA VACCINES whose side effects even he and the scientists that made the vaccines do not know?
Do you know why these COVID-19 vaccines are being avoided and secretly ferried around? It is because they are mostly types of vaccine NEVER BEFORE used in human beings and none of them, including the vaccine makers, the funders, WHO, CDC, NCDC or any living being on this planet knows what the side effects could be or when those side effects will show up!
Do you recall that deaths in Kano started after some people were given COVID-19 vaccines? Within days, COVID-19 cases shot past Lagos numbers. Can anyone explain what happened there? All Lai Mohammed could say was that it was a fake vaccine, who were those giving it out? No investigation was done!
I'm sure you have come across some people telling you vaccination is no big deal, ask them what type of vaccine is to be administered for this COVID-19, 99% of them have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
Its like someone telling you that medicines are good that you should agree to test out an experimental medicine, yet having absolutely no idea what kind of medicine he is asking you to try. Are all medicines the same?
I challenge the DG of NCDC and the WHO Team Lead in Nigeria Dr Fiona Braka to a live debate on this issue, if they have nothing to hide and understand what vaccine they are peddling.
What is the name of the vaccine they want to trial in Nigeria and what are the potential side effects and where is the literature on these side effects. NONE of them knows!
My advice, the ONLY VACCINE I would consider are those developed by actual universities not in any manner funded by the Gates foundation and certainly not DNA/RNA vaccines.
There are just too many red flags!
How can the same people arguing that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine (drugs we have known for decades) should not be used to save lives from COVID-19 certain death be the same ones trying to force us to take DNA/RNA vaccines that HAVE NEVER BEEN USED IN HUMANS BEFORE! Actual medical doctors said HCQ and CQ (which are cheaper than vaccines) not only act to prevent people becoming infected with the virus but also quickly treats the COVID-19 symptoms and gets rid of the virus when combined with Zinc! So why are they bent on vaccines?
Yet they do not know what will happen 1yr, 2yrs or immediately after you are injected with these synthetic nanomaterials which includes carbon and gold metals.
Let Bill Gates -or any of the so called experts in NCDC that Gbajabiamila wants to sell us to- explain what they understand by DNA/RNA vaccines!
Challenge them to come on air and debate it. Debate and not a one way interview. Actual debate! Since Gates has time for interviews and telling which country what vaccine to take, he has all the time too for a debate! Lets see if they actually mean well for us or its just part of the CORONAVIRUS corruption.
Bill Gates has spent monies he should have paid as taxes to create an army of dangerous experts who are bent on forcefully experimenting with your very lives. They do not care about you nor your children. They have asked the government to shield them from any lawsuits if and expectedly something goes wrong when they give you the vaccine. There is a feeding frenzy of clinical trials going on with your loved ones being used as free for all specimens, go check.
Same people telling you hydroxychloroquine will make your heart beat rise and so should not be used to successfully treat COVID-19 are however ok with you dying, becoming paralyzed or becoming catatonic from a vaccine whose effects they dont even know in theory?
Speak now or become casualties, this is no ordinary vaccine, these are experimental vaccines in type and in treatment. Reject forceful vaccinations NOW!
Bill and Melinda Gates foundation sponsored vaccines?
Yomi Lawal (05/02/2020)
Do you remember this game? Well, this is not a game. Bill Gates is not your friend even if you defend him to sound woke. You will die and they will cross your number off the list, they won't even know your name, you are just another variable that didnt work.
So who is there if Gates is not there for you? Is it WHO? WHO pretends to be your doctor but WHO is not your doctor. WHO is an organ of the UN.
The UN is that powerless international body that goes begging for money, has no soldiers, cannot enforce or protect anyone and is controlled by donors. That is why you only see them shouting on the pages of newspapers as innocent people are killed in needless wars. And that shouting only comes after tens of thousands have been killed.
WHO is an agency under the UN that is supposed to protect the world against diseases. They also solicit money and apparently have conflict of interests, because since December 2019, they appear to have abandoned their mandate and helped disease spread around the world instead. Starting from helping China hide data, telling us a coronavirus is not being spread person to person, keeping mute on hydroxychloroquine as an effective treatment and now helping Bill and Melinda Gates foundation find viable human specimens for their games of vaccines.
I chronicle recent pattern of WHO inconsistency below and where they interface with Nigerias corruption laden legislature and NCDC.
On the 3rd of April 2020, two mentally challenged French doctors had suggested that Africa be used as specimens for testing experimental vaccines for COVID-19.
On the 6th of April 2020, the DG of WHO pretended to be angry at the French doctor's suggestions. In delivering this acting master piece, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (DG WHO) was as angry as he was when he threatened the United States and other countries (that demanded answers over his romance with China) with body bags.
Tedros practically swore that Africa would not be a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccines.
On the 20th of April 2020, Dr Fiona Braka said COVID-19, being a new disease, has no ready vaccines, adding that public safety was the key consideration of WHO campaign for now. She is the Team Lead for WHO in Nigeria.
On the 29th of April, Gbajabiamila was chosen -few hours after IMF loaned them $3.4bn- to rush an infectious disease bill into law. The bill essentially takes away the rights of every Nigerian and makes us specimens for the DG of NCDC.
On the 1st of May 2020, WHO, same WHO that said Africa will not be a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccine, same Dr Fiona Braka that said safety was the key issue for WHO suddenly announced that same COVID-19 vaccine trials is about to start in Nigeria. Is Nigeria now part of Europe or Middle east?
Do you see what is going on? They are leading you like lambs to the slaughter with public lies!
If not for the few brave Nigerian lawmakers that opposed the 3rd reading of the bill, Gbajabiamila with Lawan, both stooges of buhari would have quickly taken away our freedom and potentially life. Fiona said that trials will be voluntary, a day before then, Gbajabiamila tried to make any vaccine and every vaccine mandatory, including trials!!!
So who is the beneficiary of this 200m specimen that Gbajabiamila, Lawan and buhari wanted to dash out?
Look no further than the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation!.. again!!
The recurring decimal in WHO, NCDC, Gbajabiamila, experimental vaccines and Africa CDC is this same Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. All these bodies are fed by the Gates foundation and he dictates what he wants to them, including WHO! Gates decides which projects to fund using WHO as a vehicle into nations.
What does Gates want with vaccination? Why is he so particular about a programmable DNA/RNA VACCINES whose side effects even he and the scientists that made the vaccines do not know?
Do you know why these COVID-19 vaccines are being avoided and secretly ferried around? It is because they are mostly types of vaccine NEVER BEFORE used in human beings and none of them, including the vaccine makers, the funders, WHO, CDC, NCDC or any living being on this planet knows what the side effects could be or when those side effects will show up!
Do you recall that deaths in Kano started after some people were given COVID-19 vaccines? Within days, COVID-19 cases shot past Lagos numbers. Can anyone explain what happened there? All Lai Mohammed could say was that it was a fake vaccine, who were those giving it out? No investigation was done!
I'm sure you have come across some people telling you vaccination is no big deal, ask them what type of vaccine is to be administered for this COVID-19, 99% of them have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
Its like someone telling you that medicines are good that you should agree to test out an experimental medicine, yet having absolutely no idea what kind of medicine he is asking you to try. Are all medicines the same?
I challenge the DG of NCDC and the WHO Team Lead in Nigeria Dr Fiona Braka to a live debate on this issue, if they have nothing to hide and understand what vaccine they are peddling.
What is the name of the vaccine they want to trial in Nigeria and what are the potential side effects and where is the literature on these side effects. NONE of them knows!
My advice, the ONLY VACCINE I would consider are those developed by actual universities not in any manner funded by the Gates foundation and certainly not DNA/RNA vaccines.
There are just too many red flags!
How can the same people arguing that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine (drugs we have known for decades) should not be used to save lives from COVID-19 certain death be the same ones trying to force us to take DNA/RNA vaccines that HAVE NEVER BEEN USED IN HUMANS BEFORE! Actual medical doctors said HCQ and CQ (which are cheaper than vaccines) not only act to prevent people becoming infected with the virus but also quickly treats the COVID-19 symptoms and gets rid of the virus when combined with Zinc! So why are they bent on vaccines?
Yet they do not know what will happen 1yr, 2yrs or immediately after you are injected with these synthetic nanomaterials which includes carbon and gold metals.
Let Bill Gates -or any of the so called experts in NCDC that Gbajabiamila wants to sell us to- explain what they understand by DNA/RNA vaccines!
Challenge them to come on air and debate it. Debate and not a one way interview. Actual debate! Since Gates has time for interviews and telling which country what vaccine to take, he has all the time too for a debate! Lets see if they actually mean well for us or its just part of the CORONAVIRUS corruption.
Bill Gates has spent monies he should have paid as taxes to create an army of dangerous experts who are bent on forcefully experimenting with your very lives. They do not care about you nor your children. They have asked the government to shield them from any lawsuits if and expectedly something goes wrong when they give you the vaccine. There is a feeding frenzy of clinical trials going on with your loved ones being used as free for all specimens, go check.
Same people telling you hydroxychloroquine will make your heart beat rise and so should not be used to successfully treat COVID-19 are however ok with you dying, becoming paralyzed or becoming catatonic from a vaccine whose effects they dont even know in theory?
Speak now or become casualties, this is no ordinary vaccine, these are experimental vaccines in type and in treatment. Reject forceful vaccinations NOW!
PRESS RELEASE BY IMEOBI IGBO FORUM
PRESS RELEASE
BY
IMEOBI IGBO FORUM
A Pan Igbo Grassroots Sociocultural Organization, On The Influx of Suspected Almajiris From The Northern Nigeria Into The Igbo States of Nigeria
1. Imeobi Igbo Forum appreciates the efforts of the Governors of the Igbo States of Nigeria and the sacrifices of Ndigbo to protect them from the Covid 19 pandemic.
2. Imeobi Igbo Forum in a previous Press Statement had called for the South East Governors to set up a security outfit akin to the Amotekun of the South West but modified to our unique culture. The lack of heed to this advice has created a vacuum allowing infiltration of the almajiris from the northern part of Nigeria.
3. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on the Northern Governors who are exporting almajiris across Nigeria to stare clear of the Igbo States, as Ndigbo have no almajiri culture.
4. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately call the Arewa Youth Leader Yerimah Shettima to order, for his threat to force almajiris on Igbo States. We note that this is not the first time he has threatened the corporate existence of Nigeria without caution.
5. Imeobi Igbo Forum notes that trailer loads of potential Covid 19 infected people suspected to be almajiris being transported from the North to Igbo States of Southern Nigeria have been intercepted at some of our borders.
6. God in his infinite mercies has spared the Igbo States from the Covid 19 that is ravaging in a number of States in Nigeria.
7. Imeobi Igbo Forum urges the Governors of the Igbo States as Chief Security officers of the States, to double their efforts to ensure that these human cargoes are intercepted and turned back.
8. Activities flouting the orders of Government on border closures have not abated. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on all security agencies charged with that responsibility to be patriotic to their duties. One sure way is to allow vehicles pass every 30 minutes except emergencies. This would provide time for the necessary checks on the pool as the human cargoes are usually clandestinely hidden amidst cattle and food stuffs in trailers.
9. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on all the Local Government Chairmen, Town Unions and Local vigilante outfits of border communities to be fully mobilized by the Governors to assist the police in this endeavor, for our survival depends on it.
Let's Keep Watch, Obey the Medical Advisories and Stay Safe.
Chief Dr Mike Ikegulu
National President
Bar Chibuike Nwabueze
National Secretary
BY
IMEOBI IGBO FORUM
A Pan Igbo Grassroots Sociocultural Organization, On The Influx of Suspected Almajiris From The Northern Nigeria Into The Igbo States of Nigeria
1. Imeobi Igbo Forum appreciates the efforts of the Governors of the Igbo States of Nigeria and the sacrifices of Ndigbo to protect them from the Covid 19 pandemic.
2. Imeobi Igbo Forum in a previous Press Statement had called for the South East Governors to set up a security outfit akin to the Amotekun of the South West but modified to our unique culture. The lack of heed to this advice has created a vacuum allowing infiltration of the almajiris from the northern part of Nigeria.
3. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on the Northern Governors who are exporting almajiris across Nigeria to stare clear of the Igbo States, as Ndigbo have no almajiri culture.
4. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to immediately call the Arewa Youth Leader Yerimah Shettima to order, for his threat to force almajiris on Igbo States. We note that this is not the first time he has threatened the corporate existence of Nigeria without caution.
5. Imeobi Igbo Forum notes that trailer loads of potential Covid 19 infected people suspected to be almajiris being transported from the North to Igbo States of Southern Nigeria have been intercepted at some of our borders.
6. God in his infinite mercies has spared the Igbo States from the Covid 19 that is ravaging in a number of States in Nigeria.
7. Imeobi Igbo Forum urges the Governors of the Igbo States as Chief Security officers of the States, to double their efforts to ensure that these human cargoes are intercepted and turned back.
8. Activities flouting the orders of Government on border closures have not abated. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on all security agencies charged with that responsibility to be patriotic to their duties. One sure way is to allow vehicles pass every 30 minutes except emergencies. This would provide time for the necessary checks on the pool as the human cargoes are usually clandestinely hidden amidst cattle and food stuffs in trailers.
9. Imeobi Igbo Forum calls on all the Local Government Chairmen, Town Unions and Local vigilante outfits of border communities to be fully mobilized by the Governors to assist the police in this endeavor, for our survival depends on it.
Let's Keep Watch, Obey the Medical Advisories and Stay Safe.
Chief Dr Mike Ikegulu
National President
Bar Chibuike Nwabueze
National Secretary
Taraba Rejects 100 Almajiris From Nasarawa
The Taraba State government has rejected 100 Almajiris repatriated from Nasarawa State.
The state government says its quarantine centre is not a dumping ground for Almajiris.
Chairman Technical committee on COVID-19 in Taraba State, Innocent Vakkai, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Jalingo, the state capital.
According to him, the state government cannot accept any Almajiri whose health status on COVID-19 is not ascertained and not accompanied by any health official from the state.
He, however, declined to mention where the Almajiris are.
Vakkai also announced that Talatu Idris, the female COVID-19 patient said to have escaped from the isolation centre has been found and returned to the isolation centre at the NYSC orientation camp with contact tracing in top gear.
Vakkai said she was identified by the Jalingo Local Government disease surveillance and notification officers.
He urged members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious case of COVID-19 to the committee.
He insisted that the state government’s directive on the lockdown remains unchanged, despite the new directive by the Federal Government.
The Story of How Gani Almost Lost His Wig and Gown
by Onigegewura
Today is Gani’s birthday. Were the fiery advocate to be alive, he would have been 80 years old today. Of course, you know the Gani I am talking about. While most of us would go through life requiring both our first and last names [or in some cases of extremely famous people, their last names] for proper identification, there are a few people whose first name suffices as their trademark.
Growing up in the ‘80s, there were three Nigerians whose first names were legendary. It was even said at the time that a letter addressed to any of the three with only their first name would certainly be delivered to the right person. The oldest was Tai. Ask anyone who was old enough in the 80s, there was only one Tai. And that was Tai Solarin [August 20, 1922 - July 27,1994]. The youngest was Fela [October 15, 1938 - August 2, 1997]. Till date, the only Fela that most Nigerians know is Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
The third of the trio was Gani, the irrepressible advocate. Mention the name Gani anywhere in Nigeria and the tendency is for most people to assume that you are referring to Abdul Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi. As Iya Agba would have said: A n ki, a n sa, a so pe aladanla, iwo n bere pe se okunrin loku abi obinrin. Se obinrin a ma lo ada ni ile Kaaro oojire ni? [We are praising someone to the left and right, describing the person as the owner of the mighty machete. You are still asking whether the person who died was a man or a woman. Have you ever seen a woman wielding big cutlass in Yorubaland?]
Gani was stuff legends are made of. He was as brilliant as he was fearless. He was as principled as he was generous. He was irrepressible. He was courageous. He was bold. He was brave. And he was Gani! If any testimonial about Gani’s fearlessness is required, IBB was kind enough to provide one when Gani died.
In the words of the former military president: “There was one vivid meeting that has remained in my memory about Gani, and that was in 1984. I was the Chief of Army Staff. Gani, in his characteristic manner, was as fearless as ever when we asked him to relate his own side of a particular issue as he blasted all of us irrespective of the fact that we were all generals in uniform and he was the only civilian among us and all what we did was to clap for him as we appreciated his courage.”
That’s Gani for you! O lo aso mo idi, gba ibon lowo omo ojo. [The brave one who while armed with only his loincloth was courageous enough to disarm the coward.]
Gani was a fighter who was not afraid to stand alone. And that’s what he did in this story.
Onigegewura is about to tell you today. He stood alone against the legal establishment in Nigeria. While the Nigerian Bar was represented by the formidable F. R. A Williams who led other bright stars of the Bar like G. C. M. Onyiuke, SAN; Kehinde Sofola, SAN; E. A. Molajo, SAN; and FRA Williams (jnr), Gani stood on the other side, all alone.
And it started with an advertorial in a weekly newsmagazine.
For other professionals, it would have been just another advert. But for a legal practitioner, it was a cardinal sin. One of the first things you are taught in Law School is that advertisement is against the ethics of the legal profession.
If you look carefully at the first picture above, you would observe that Gani was holding a book. I hope you can see it very well. Can you see the title of the book? You may need to zoom in on the picture. You can see it? Good! That’s Nigerian Constitutional Law Reports. That’s the book that triggered this story you are about to read.
In its March 23, 1981 edition, the West Africa magazine carried an advertorial announcing the publication of Gani’s new book. Yes, the same book in that picture. The magazine is now defunct.
The advertisement ran like this:
A NEW BOOK ON NIGERIAN CONSTITUTION
TITLED
NIGERIAN CONSTITUTIONAL LAW REPORTS
1981 Volume One
Edited by
Chief Gani Fawehinmi
The famous, reputable and controversial Nigerian Lawyer
The legal establishment in Nigeria must have read the advertisement a million times! The famous, reputable and controversial Nigerian Lawyer! What audacity! What insolence! Famous! Reputable! Controversial! Has the Rules of Professional Conduct been amended? Lawyers ran to their libraries to check the RPC. No, it had not been amended. It was still there in black and white. It was in fact Rule 33.
As fate would have it, the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Bar Association was scheduled to meet the following month in Calabar. The President of the NBA at the time was Chief Adetunji Fadayiro while Mrs. Hairat Balogun was the Secretary General. Of course, your guess is right, the issue of Gani’s ‘self-advertisement’ was on top of the agenda. It was at the meeting in Calabar that it was resolved that the conduct of Gani should be referred to the Disciplinary Committee.
Let me tell you about the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. It is a body established under the Legal Practitioners Act. It serves as lawyers’ court. When a lawyer does something ‘unprofessional’, it is the Committee that will decide his case. In other words, the duty of the LPDC is to consider and determine any case charging a legal practitioner with misbehaviour. That’s where Gani was to be taken to for advertising himself or causing himself to be advertised as famous, reputable, and controversial Nigerian lawyer. And you know what? Gani was less than 17 years at the Bar at the material time.
On December 1, 1981, Gani was in his chambers at Sabiu Ajose Crescent in Surulere when he was served with a letter from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Justice. At the time, the Ministry was in Ikoyi, Lagos. The letter was signed by Mrs. O. O. Fatunde on behalf of the Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry.
The letter informed Gani that the attention of the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had been drawn to the advertisement in the magazine I told you about. The Honourable Attorney General requested Gani to show cause by way of written explanation why the matter should not be referred to the LPDC for appropriate action.
The ‘famous, reputable, and controversial’ legal practitioner was given 14 days to respond.
However, on December 3, the same Mrs. Fatunde drew up a formal charge against Gani. It was a two-count charge. Under count one, Gani was alleged to have contravened Rule 33 – I have told you about the rule – by commercially advertising the importance of his position as a lawyer in Nigeria by describing himself as “the famous, reputable and controversial Nigerian lawyer.” Under count two, Gani was accused of contravening Rule 34. He was informed that his case would be heard by the LPDC on January 25, 1982.
Now, this is very important. How many days was Gani given to respond to the first letter? 14 days! You are right. Second question, what was the date of the letter? December 1. So by logic of simple arithmetic, Gani ought to have been allowed till December 14 before any action was taken, right?
Gani who was in the process of responding to the initial letter was naturally shocked to receive the charge – two days after the service of the letter. He checked the calendar. He still had more than 10 days! Why the haste? Who was in a hurry to see him in the dock? It was this haste in the framing of the charges which excited his suspicion and put him in fear, leaving him in doubt as to whether his trial would be fair.
The Ondo Chief knew that ijafara lewu [delay could be risky]. He knew that to wait for the January 25 date would be dangerous. Yet, he knew that the matter at hand was like hot soup; he needed to be strategic if he was not to burn his tongue. Like a fighter he was, Gani went to his legal armoury to fortify himself for the coming battle. Sleepless nights were spent researching all the fine points of law.
On January 25, Gani went to the Nigerian Law School in Victoria Island where the LPDC proceedings would take place. Immediately his case was called and he saw that Chief Richard Akinjide, who was the Federal Attorney General, was also the chairman of the LPDC, Gani knew that his hen would never get justice in the court of fox. Chief Akinjide told him that his case would be adjourned to February 22, 1982 when his trial would begin.
On leaving the Law School, Gani did not bother to go home. He headed straight to the Lagos High Court. You know that Gani was clever. He did not alert the other party about what he wanted to do. He filed an ex-parte motion for the enforcement of his fundamental right.
Two days later, he was back in Court to argue his application before My Lord Justice Ademola Candide Johnson. [I have explained the difference between ex-parte application and motion on notice in the MKO Abiola and Afe Babalola’s story.] In arguing his application before His Lordship, Gani submitted that he was doubtful of getting fair hearing before the LPDC. His Lordship listened to the famous, reputable and controversial lawyer. To Gani’s eternal relief, Justice Candide Johnson agreed with him. My Lord was satisfied that there was merit in his application. The court ordered the LPDC to ‘stay further proceedings in respect of the charges against the applicant until Gani’s substantive application was finally determined’.
Gani had scored the first goal!
It was a very proud Gani that went to court the following day to file his motion on notice. This was to formally notify the LPDC that he was challenging its competence to try him on the charges as framed and on the panel as constituted. Upon being served with the order and the application, the LPDC constituted a team of formidable legal practitioners to represent its interest.
On February 25, 1982, the two parties appeared before His Lordship. Gani’s friend and fellow
activist, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa led the counsel appearing for Gani. The LPDC team was led by the legendary FRA Williams. Though the matter was strictly between Gani and the LPDC, almost every lawyer in Lagos was in court on that day. Gani was just seventeen years old at the Bar. His future in the profession hung precariously on the outcome of the suit.
Has Onigegewura told you the grounds upon which Gani was even challenging the competence of LPDC? I haven’t? I will tell you.
Do you recall what Mrs. Fatunde said in her letter to Gani on December 1? She said that “the attention of the Attorney-General.....” You remember? Good. Mrs. Fatunde who drafted the charge was a counsel in the Office of the Attorney General. I hope you are following these fine details. In effect, the Attorney General was, by the letter of December 1, the accuser. The Attorney General, by the charge of December 3, was also the prosecutor. That’s not all. Have I told you that the Attorney General was also the chairman of the LPDC? Yes, the chairman of the LPDC was the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, who at the material time, was Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN.
I can see you shaking your head in disbelief.
Gani’s case was therefore straightforward. According to him, “As a result of the part played by the Attorney General of the Federation in bringing the complaint and charges to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, there is a real likelihood of bias on his part as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee in the consideration and the determination of the said complaint and charges.”
At the hearing before Justice Candide Johnson, both parties put up spirited argument in support of their respective case. At the conclusion of hearing, Justice Johnson decided the case in favour of Gani. That was not all. His Lordship also came down heavily on the composition of the LPDC. In prohibiting the Committee as constituted from proceeding to try Gani, His Lordship found that there was a real likelihood of bias if the Committee was allowed to determine the charges against Gani.
According to His Lordship: “…neither the members of the Executive Committee present at the meeting held at Calabar on the 25th of April, 1981 nor the Attorney General of the Federation is competent to sit on the Disciplinary Committee if the provision of section 33(1) of the Constitution is to be preserved and enforced.”
Gani had scored the second goal!
Naturally, the LPDC and its parent body, the NBA, were not happy with the judgment. Their legal team was instructed to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The Appeal was heard by five Lord Justices: My Lords Nasir, Kazeem, Nnaemeka-Agu, Mohammed and Kutigi. On behalf of LPDC, it was contended that to the extent that the Legal Practitioners Act did not make the decision of the Committee final and conclusive, Gani’s rights were not infringed under the Constitution. The trial court’s decision was also faulted on the ground that His Lordship made a finding on the truth or otherwise of Gani’s affidavit when Gani was not cross-examined.
The Panel listened to the parties and in a unanimous and considered judgment, all the five Lord Justices dismissed the appeal as being without merit. In holding that the appeal failed, My Lord Nasir ordered that “the Attorney General of the Federation, (Chief Akinjide) and the three members of the Disciplinary Committee against whom complaint has been made are prohibited from taking part in any future proceedings as members of the Disciplinary Committee…”
Gani had scored the third goal. But the match was not yet over.
LPDC decided to drag Gani to the Supreme Court for the Mother of All Battles. Having regard to the constitutional importance of the case, seven Lord Justices were empanelled to hear the appeal.
Chief FRA Williams who led three other senior advocates and one junior put up brilliant and creative arguments before the apex Court. According to the former Attorney General of the Western Region, the function of the LPDC was to set the ball of disciplinary proceedings in motion, and this was basically an administrative function. The foremost legal practitioner cited many landmark decisions from the House of Lords in the United Kingdom as well as from the Supreme Court of the United States in order to persuade the Court to upturn the decisions of the lower courts. In particular, FRA Williams urged the Court to avoid what Lord Wilberforce of Britain had referred to as “the austerity of tabulated legalism” in interpreting the Constitution.
It was an impressive submission. My Lords were impressed with the quality of advocacy of the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria [awarded on April 3, 1975, along with Dr. Nabo Bekinbo Graham-Douglas].
Gani who appeared for himself responded to the Chief’s argument in his characteristic forensic and analytical manner. He contended that contrary to FRA’s submission, there were two different and distinct bodies dealing with discipline under the Legal Practitioners Act, namely the Legal Practitioners Investigating Panel and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal. He argued that the latter had power of trial and punishment. And it was before the Tribunal that he was brought. The Tribunal must therefore observe rules of fair hearing. Like FRA, Gani also cited authorities which went as far back as 1890 as well as decisions from even the Hong Kong Law Report!
It was equally an impressive submission. My Lords were impressed with the quality of advocacy of the relatively young advocate who would not become a Senior Advocate until 2001.
In resolving the issue before it, the Supreme Court said that one of the cases cited by Gani was very proximate to the matter before it. That’s the case of Re Godden where a medical doctor who had examined a police officer and had formed opinion about his mental state was later requested to be the doctor to issue a report when a formal proceeding was to be taken.
Having considered all the arguments canvassed by both LPDC and Gani in the light of the facts of the case, My Lords placed the matter on the invisible scale of justice. Slowly and slowly, the scale began to tilt in favour of Gani. And finally, My Lord Aniagolu pronounced the magic words: “In the result, this appeal by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal must fail, and hereby fails.”
In dismissing the appeal, His Lordship held that: “In the instant appeal, Chief Richard Akinjide, by reason of the way he handled the Respondent’s (Gani) matter was in like, although not exact, positions as Dr. B in Re Godden…. his behavior seemed to portray him as having arrived at a conclusion on the guilt of the Respondent, Gani, thus rendering him unfit to sit again, in judgment over the case…”
His Lordship was not alone in throwing out the appeal. Justice Obaseki also held that: “Chief R. O. Akinjide and members of the National Executive of the Nigerian Bar Association cannot play the role of prosecutor and adjudicator at the same time.”
Justice Esho also concurred with their Lordships and held that: “Nothing could be worse than the instant case in seeking an example of breach of natural justice. The accusers are not just merely the judges but they are in fact impatient accuser judges; and undisguisedly so.” Other Justices on the panel, My Lords Irikefe, Uwais, Karibi-Whyte, and Oputa also did not hesitate to dismiss the appeal filed by LPDC.
The appeal was not only dismissed, the apex Court also directed LPDC to pay Gani the costs of the appeal which was assessed at the princely sum of N300 [Three Hundred Naira only].
Gani had scored the fourth and final goal of the legal match!
The Supreme Court blew the final whistle!
Match Over!!!
May Almighty Allah forgive Gani’s shortcomings and continue to grant him aljannat fridaus.
What is your fondest memory of Gani, the famous, reputable, and controversial Nigerian lawyer?
I thank you for your time.
Olanrewaju Onigegewura©️
History Does Not Forget
Culled from Onigegewura.blogspot
The right of Olanrewaju Onigegewura©️ to be identified as the author of stories published on this blog has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright laws
THE ONLY SOLUTION AT MIDDLE AGE, IS A LIFE STYLE CHANGE.
As we grow older, say from 40 years up to 65. There is nothing better than a total life style change to preserve us and keep us healthy.
After 40 if a person still wants to keep living like a child, he or she might not make it passed middle age. If however such individuals make it, while living like children, then they might suffer a lot of health problems as they age.
One of the first things someone over forty years should consider, will be a life of moderation.
Drink moderately, eat healthy and wisely, sleep enough and don't deprive yourself of sleep because of partying, hanging out and all such youthful desires and occupations.
Regular exercises should not be missed. Because at the age of forty and above the vital organs of a human being will need some aiding to function properly through exercising.
Any man or woman who after 40 still consumes alcohol like a little boy or girl and indulge freely in all the things he or she did at age 20, or say 25, does not understand that the body is no more the same as it used to be.
Many deaths, stroke, erectile dysfunction issues, heart problems, etc, that occur amongst middle age people today, can be avoided if people of this age group will just embark on a life style change.
I have seen friends, neighbours and relatives who like me are middle agers but suffer like old men, die untimely, play with so much Viagra because of erectile problem. This ought not to be, life style change is the answer.
At middle age a lot of changes takes place in us, living us not as strong as we use to be before, therefore we can't put unnecessary pressures that only youthful bodies can take, on our aging bodies.
Eating time should be reduced to 7pm, because anything after 8pm is poison to the system of a middle aged person. Red meat should be substituted with white meat. Sugar, iced cold water, lots of salt, should be avoided. Load up on high-fiber fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Your whole digestive system does slow as you age, so fiber is very important. Consume fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. They will help you feel more energetic and give you fuel to keep going.
Regular check up on our blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, breast, prostrate and so on will be very helpful.
Bless you all fellow middle agers, we have gotten to that stage when we don't think of every other person and leave ourselves unattended to, think of yourself more now, you need you to stay well.
After the age of 50 one may experience many types of illnesses. But the one I am most worried about is Alzheimer's. Not only would I not be able to look after myself, but it would cause a lot of inconvenience to family members.
One day, my son came home and told me that a doctor friend has taught him an exercise using the tongue. The tongue exercise is effective to reduce the onset of Alzheimer's and is also useful to reduce/improve
*1* Body weight
*2* Hypertension
*3* Blood-Clot in Brain
*4* Asthma
*5* Far-sightedness
*6* Ear buzzing
*7* Throat infection
*8* Shoulder / Neck infection
*9* Insomnia
The moves are very simple and easy to learn. Each morning, when you wash your face, in front of a mirror, do the exercise as below:
*stretch out your tongue and move it to the right then to the left for 10 times*
Since I started exercising my tongue daily, there was improvement in my Brain Retention.
My mind was clear and fresh and there were other improvements too.
1 Far sightedness
lesser
2 No giddiness
3. Improved wellness
4. Better digestion
5. Lesser flu / cold
I am stronger and more agile.
The tongue exercise helps to control and prevent Alzheimer's disease. Medical research has found that the tongue has connection with the BIG Brain. When our body becomes old and weak, the first sign to appear is that our tongue becomes stiff and often we tend to bite ourselves.
Frequently exercising your tongue will stimulate the brain, help to reduce our thoughts from shrinking and thus achieve a healthier body. Senior Citizens. "Doctors encouraged each person receiving this newsletter to forward it to another ten people, certainly at least one life will be saved ... I've done my part, I hope you can help do your part.
Thanks.
Melaye Sues Gbajabiamila, Others Over Control Of Infectious Diseases Bill
A former lawmaker representing Kogi West senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, has sued the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Femi Gbajabiamila, and four others over the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill, 2020.
In a suit he filed on Monday, Senator Melaye asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to declare that the provisions of sections 5(3), 6, 8, 13(1&2), 15, 16(6), 17(7), 19, 23, 24, 29 (b), 30, 44, 45 and 47 of the bill were draconian, oppressive and authoritarian.
He also sought an order of the court declaring that they were in breach, and or were likely to breach his fundamental rights, as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
In a notice of application for an order enforcing his fundamental rights, Senator Melaye prayed for an order of the court declaring the sections as invalid, illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null, and void and of no effect whatsoever.
He also requested an order of the court directing the first to fourth respondents to delete the provisions of sections 5(3), 6, 8, 13(1&2), 15, 16(6), 17(7), 19, 23, 24, 29 (b), 30, 44, 45 and 47 of the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill 2020, saying they inconsistent with sections 34,35,37,38,40,41(1) and 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
Senator Meale also sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents, whether, by themselves, their committees, their agents, employees, servants, privies and or howsoever called, from further proceeding with, or continuing with further debates, or the law-making processes with respect to sections 5(3), 6, 8, 13(1&2), 15, 16(6), 17(7), 19, 23, 24, 29 (b), 30, 44, 45 and 47 of the Control of Infectious Diseases Bill,\ 2020.
Listed as the first to fifth respondents are Clerk of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Clerk of the House of Representatives, and the speaker of the House of Representatives.
Others are the Attorney General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police.
However, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
MY DADDY, MY BEST FRIEND
By Aisha Abba Kyari
On 17th April, 2020, my world came crashing down and my heart shattered into a billion pieces. Upon receiving the news of my father’s passing, I immediately felt the most excruciating pain – a pain I would not wish on my worst enemy. My biggest fear in the world had materialised.
Most people knew my dad as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. As it is with many public servants, there was much more to him than the signature white kaftan and red cap by which he came to be recognised. He was a most remarkable husband to my mother (HauwaKulu), and father to myself and my three younger siblings (Nurudeen, Ibrahim, and Zainab). Completely irreplaceable.
Growing up, my dad doted over us. He was extremely protective and his role in raising us with my mother was as complimentary as it was distinct. His main focus was our education, and my mother’s was etiquette and religion! He was stern, and Ammui (as we call her) was playful. It was a perfect balance.
He was always working. My dad reminded us he worked hard so that he could give us all that we needed to excel at whatever we chose to do. And as far as I remember, my siblings and I lacked nothing; we had all we asked and more. That said, the asking part was hard! It often would come with a lecture and many questions as to why we would even ask for things. In the end, we would get what we wanted as long as a compelling case could be made for it.
He had a hard exterior but a heart of gold and a quirky sense of humour. He had zero tolerance for mediocrity: A no-nonsense man in every sense of the word. He expected excellence at all times and when it came to time, my father was Swiss-German – for him, arriving on time was arriving late. To this day, my friends always tease me about how and why I get to airport hours before a flight. It is what my daddy instilled in me.
Daddy’s biggest obsession was education. He truly invested in us the best education. In 1996, I recall as a nine-year-old when he told me that he and I would be leaving for London the next day. He didn’t say why we were going. For the first three days, he took me to three different schools to take entrance exams. I remember being so lost as to why anyone would have to go all the way to England just to take exams. I passed all three and he picked his favourite school of the three. The day my dad dropped me off at the school dormitory, all the other students and their parents were hugging, smiling, and getting settled in.
My case was different, in true daddy style, he said: “Well Ammi, you are here to study and not play. The rules in this country are different, if you fail a single class test or school exam, they will revoke your visa and send you back to Nigeria and as you know, I don’t have space for failures in my house.” He then patted me on the back and left.
As a little girl in a foreign country, I panicked but also believed him. My mum called the school the next day to check up on me and I cried and told her what he said. It didn’t help matters that I hadn’t understood what they taught me in class that day because I couldn’t understand my teachers’ accents. She reassured me that what he said was not true. Thank God for mothers!
My dad never missed a single parent-teacher meeting. Even when he had daunting schedules as chief executive of a bank, he would take the first flight out of Lagos to arrive in London for those meetings. Upon arrival, he would go to the hall to meet with my teachers. Typical of kids, we would peep into the hall to see which teachers our parents were talking to at the time and whether they looked angry or not.
My friends would always ask “Aisha why is your dad taking notes?” I really had no idea. All I know is that I was always embarrassed. He would come out, take me to a corner and run through his notes and tell me what every teacher said about me and places I needed to improve, and then he would make sure I was okay and happy.
He would get in the car and drive straight back to the airport to catch a flight back to Lagos. As busy as he was, his family was always his top priority. He made these exact efforts with my mother and every one of my siblings. That is the kind of man my dad was!
Whenever we visited relatives, my dad would call their homes several times a day to ask how we were. Many of them took offence to that as it suggested that he didn’t trust them with his children but that never stopped him from calling.
For as long as I can recall, my dad and I spoke every day of my life until the very end. No matter where anyone of us was in the world, we spoke every day. My friends would often tease me after every call: “I can’t get over how often you and your dad speak, you’re such a daddy’s girl”.
This was something I heard all my life and I was proud to be my daddy’s girl. Even with his very busy schedule as `Chief of Staff, he would make sure he came home and have dinner with us and discuss our days even if it meant him going back to the office afterward. On days that he couldn’t make it back on time, he would ALWAYS call and say, “don’t wait for me.”
My dad had almost everything that most people yearned for. Professional success, financial security – his needs were basic – and towards the end, political influence albeit nowhere near as much as many Nigerians think. But the true measure of a man particularly in the eyes of God is in his kindness, selflessness, loyalty, generosity, and humility. And with all these virtues as yardsticks, he truly was immeasurable.
I was always in awe of his intellect, his moral compass, his sense of integrity, his dedication to duty, and his honesty. My dad was a walking encyclopedia and a thesaurus. Countless times I would say to people in the middle of debates: “Hold on let me call my dad, he would know”. And I would confidently put him on the speakerphone because HE ALWAYS KNEW.
My dad’s attention to detail was next to none. I would often read texts and emails to him twice or three times over before sending them because he would first respond with corrections to any typographical or grammatical errors before responding to the actual message itself.
I have always seen myself as an extension of my father. I was his right-hand man (yes! I said man because my father raised me just as he would have if I was a man). I was the person he called when he was angry at someone, I was his PA and his friend, and he was my everything. Most of my life, just by how much I looked like him, people would see me in random places and ask if I was Abba Kyari’s daughter. As a little girl I hated it so much. I saw my mum as the most beautiful woman in the world and I desperately wanted to look like her and not him. Now, as much as I have many of her excellent attributes, I could not be more proud to look like my dad.
In spite of my dad’s busy schedule while we were growing up, he always tried to make time for family holidays. He would pick a new country for us to visit every year and even if he could only join us for just a few days, he would make sure he was there. He literally showed us the world. His favourite place to visit was the Maldives where he went with my mum for a week annually for six years. Just 10 days before they were to take their annual trip to the Maldives in 2015, he was appointed as Chief of Staff to the President. He kept postponing the trip and was never able to find the time. His time was no longer his.
My siblings and I often asked my dad what he planned to do when he was no longer Chief of Staff and without hesitation, he would say: “I’m going to Bora Bora with a suitcase full of books.”
He really looked forward to that. We would often try to convince him to take a two-week break from work and just go to Bora Bora and not wait until he was no longer Chief of Staff but we were never successful, and he never took the trip. They say Bora Bora is paradise on earth. Daddy, Insha Allah you are now in the most genuine of paradises!
My dad was first-class material. He had a Sociology degree from the University of Warwick and a Law Degree and Masters from the University of Cambridge. He later attended International Institute For Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development but he didn’t flaunt them as many others do. He began his career as a journalist before moving on to a career in banking where he reached the top as the MD/CEO of United Bank For Africa (UBA). He was a thoroughbred professional and gave his best at whatever he engaged in. Most people don’t know that he had retired for ten years before taking up his appointment as Chief of Staff to the President. He saw it as his patriotic duty. Not many people reach the top of their career in the private sector, take a ten-year break and return at the top of the public sector in one lifetime. He was pretty fortunate and spectacular. Was he, really? This may sound odd but my beloved daddy couldn’t drive a car! He never learnt how to drive for a day in his entire life.
My dad was highly principled: for nearly five years as Chief of Staff, he was first to arrive and last to leave the office – seven days a week; and demanded the same from his staff. He had impeccable moral authority and the capacity to always focus on the greater public good over individual gain. Businessmen and politicians have been known to leave his office in shame or tears after having had their bribes refused. He was passionate about protecting poor Nigerians. He would say “any policy that does not benefit the vast majority of Nigerians – many of whom are poor – should not be considered a policy of government.” For example, when increases in electricity tariffs were suggested, he sat through planning meetings – weekend after weekend – to ensure tariff increases were segregated and that the poorest Nigerians were protected.
My dad was terribly misunderstood and arguably mischievously misrepresented. Even his age was never gotten right from the day he became Chief of staff till the day he died. My dad died at the age of 67. He was often mistaken for the late Brigadier Abba Kyari who was indeed in his 80’s.
At this time of mourning, I should be holding things together for my family as I know my dad would expect me to, but I have instead found myself having to defend his memory against vile and malicious comments that have left me questioning the very humanity that should unite us all in difficult times.
One of the books I found on his bookshelf by Author Chris Whipple is ‘The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.” Like a huge part of Nigeria’s 1999 constitutional democracy, the concept of the “office of the Chief of Staff to the President,” was also copied from the office of the President of the United States. A central theme of that book is that Chiefs of Staff are mostly never liked for numerous reasons: mainly due to access granted to the President and the lack of it. James A. Baker III, President Ronald Reagan’s long-serving Chief of Staff said: ‘The chief of staff usually walks around with a target painted on his front and on his back. Your job literally is to catch the javelins that are intended for the old man.’
True to that statement, my dad as Chief of Staff was an accomplished javelin catcher. But he was also much more than that. He was also a lightning conductor, bomb-proof and bullet-proof vest combined. For many Nigerians, if waves from the Atlantic Ocean claimed an inch of Victoria Island, they were sent by Abba Kyari or if a child fell off his bicycle, it was Abba Kyari!
My dad was fiercely loyal to his boss and refused to entertain “business as usual.” He wanted to do the right thing. This meant he stepped on the toes of several people and in their fightback would smear his name in the media in the hopes that he would be pushed out of their way! Clearly, they had no knowledge or any understanding of the man. He usually knew exactly from whom the attacks came but that never got in his way of pursuing what he considered to be the right path.
Like many others, I tried unsuccessfully to get him to respond to the more preposterous and spurious allegations but he never did. He refused to take on the character assassins. The only time he came close to responding was when I got personally attacked and he felt the need to defend me. You could attack him but not his family! He was ready to fight!
For clarity, my dad was more than capable of defending himself. The reason he didn’t is that it would have distracted him from his primary assignment of serving his principal and by extension, his country. His passion was to help his principal modernise Nigeria’s infrastructure and grow the agricultural sector. In his office, hanging on the wall, are large framed renderings of the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan Expressways; after decades of these projects being under development, he wanted to have them finally completed. With the President’s backing, he successfully fought to revive and build 34 existing and new fertiliser blending plants all across Nigeria – except in the northeast, where he was from, due to concerns of urea (a component of fertiliser) being supplied to terrorists to be used as bombs.
My dad was a Shuwa-Arab man from Borno State and he saw far beyond religious and tribal divides. Most of his best friends were not even from the Northern part of the country nor were they Muslims. He had friends from all parts of the world and from different walks of life. His network was vast and wide; the tributes written since his passing can attest to that. He always dreamed and truly believed in one Nigeria.
In his tribute, President Muhammadu Buhari said “Mallam Abba Kyari was the very best of us” and he truly was. Geoffrey Onyema, one of my dad’s best friends said in his tribute “Nigerians will look back in years to come and see that he was truly the Best Man”. No lies there, he truly was THE BEST MAN!
When all is said and done, Daddy has only gone to meet his maker at the appointed time as we all shall. In the last two weeks, people have told me to be strong but it certainly feels like my source of strength is gone. Losing a father is hard, but having it happen on the world stage with everybody having a say and offering their opinion(some kind, others not) has been a completely different emotional rollercoaster. But I guess, he didn’t just belong to us his family. He belonged to Nigeria as well. This is something he often apologised for.
Now to my dearest daddy, although you have gone the way of all flesh ahead of the rest of us, please take this message: Ammui, Nurudeen, Ibrahim, Zainab and I will do everything in our power to live by your example and carry on your legacy for as long as we live. I love you and miss you with every atom of my being.
May Allah grant you the highest station in Jannah.
•Aisha is the eldest child of the late Mallam Abba Kyari
COVID-19: Katsina Govt. shuts down Emir of Daura’s palace
The Katsina State Government has shut down the palace of the Emir of Daura as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Gov. Aminu Masari, who made the disclosure in Katsina while giving update on the COVID-19 situation in the state, said there was no ulterior motive to the decision to quarantine the palace.
“Palace is a place where people visit all the time, we take this decision to contain spread of Coronavirus.
“Reports reaching me reveal that people in rural areas don’t obey the order, people gather during marriages, naming ceremonies, burials and other social gatherings.
“I have directed the Emirs of Katsina and Daura to deal decisively with anyone violating the order,” he said.
The governor explained that there have been some COVID-19 positive cases from the palace, while samples of 89 people had been taken from the palace for screening by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Masari urged people of the state to continue to adhere strictly to the advice of health experts like social distancing, use of face masks and sanitiser, as well as frequent washing of hands with running water.(NAN)
Monday, May 4, 2020
FROM THE DESK OF CHIEF PROF. EPIPHANY AZINGE, PRESIDENT GENERAL, ASABA DEVELOPMENT UNION WORLD WIDE (A.D.U W-W)
FROM THE DESK OF CHIEF PROF. EPIPHANY AZINGE, PRESIDENT GENERAL, ASABA DEVELOPMENT UNION WORLD WIDE (A.D.U W-W)
Good afternoon.
Ahaba Igwe Igwe nu.
Happy Sunday to everyone.
I am obligated to speak on behalf of Asaba Development Union World Wide on this day.
Firstly to thank Asaba people all over the world for your magnanimity, generosity and clear demonstration of our common humanity.
You have reinforced my confidence in our people and your capacity to rise up to challenges, I Thank you all.
How many times have I been drawn to tears as you inundate us with donations all over the world.
The donation yesterday from New York moved me to tears again.
Who does not know what is going on in New York?
Yet you spared your thoughts for your Kiths and kins in Asaba, God bless you all, God guide and guard us throughout this perilous time.
Yesterday, our outstanding Committee informed me that they have formally ended their assignment.
While I expect their official report which I promise to disclose publicly to all, May I on behalf of Asaba thank them for the sacrifices made in the service of our people. Again I pay public tribute to them for their selflessness and their love of our motherland.
When this story is told in years to come, we will remember them with love and fondness and history will be very kind to them.
I am impressed with the appreciation from stranger elements in Asaba. It has been effusive and gratifying. So also the appreciation of AHABA people of all stations in Life.
We drew a lot of strength from these and are emboldened to serve our people with all our strength and all our hearts.
We are certainly not infallible and must have made mistakes unknowingly, please find it in your hearts to forgive us.
We are human after all and susceptible to human frailties. We will learn from our mistakes and improve in the days ahead.
Recall that we initially send 8 million naira to the committee for both the Vulnerable groups and the Ebos. This was followed with 3.5millon Naira for hand sanitizers, facemasks, Okwulagwes , Umuada Ntas , other Vulnerable groups earlier omitted and of course, the non-natives of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Igalla, Calabar/Ogoja, Ijaw, Ischekiri, Ndokwa, IkA, Isoko, Urhobo among others.
The church, orphanages and old people’s home were not overlooked either.
I am mindful of the fact that the money available would not suffice and considering that we have difficulty transferring money from Abuja, we gave a verbal undertaking for the committee to incur expenditure on our behalf.
They have forwarded a statement to the effect that incurred additional expenses of N896, 500 .
As at now we have a balance of N3,765, 811.
By the time Abuja opens up tomorrow after the May1st public holidays, we will transfer N896,500 to the committee and our balance after all expenses will be N2,869.311.
We are now confronted with the challenge of how best to proceed.
Perhaps, we may tarry a while and observe whether there is need to intervene in the near future.
Second is to seek approval of late donors to channel their donation to other public interest requirements in Asaba.
Example is a crying need to drill a borehole in Umuagu.
We certainly cannot touch the donations for foodbank unless we are authorized so to do.
All said, we are happy that through Your instrumentality, we made intervention when it was most auspicious to do so.
Thank you Umu AHABA.
Please Do not your back on Asaba Development Union World Wide.
We will never disappoint you.
My solemn pledge Finally, I want to thank His Royal Majesty Asagba AHABA for his support and solidarity in all we have done.
We are eternally grateful.
Nna Agu! Agu!!Agu!!!..
Long May you reign your majesty..
May God continue to bless Ani AHABA.
Good afternoon.
Ahaba Igwe Igwe nu.
Happy Sunday to everyone.
I am obligated to speak on behalf of Asaba Development Union World Wide on this day.
Firstly to thank Asaba people all over the world for your magnanimity, generosity and clear demonstration of our common humanity.
You have reinforced my confidence in our people and your capacity to rise up to challenges, I Thank you all.
How many times have I been drawn to tears as you inundate us with donations all over the world.
The donation yesterday from New York moved me to tears again.
Who does not know what is going on in New York?
Yet you spared your thoughts for your Kiths and kins in Asaba, God bless you all, God guide and guard us throughout this perilous time.
Yesterday, our outstanding Committee informed me that they have formally ended their assignment.
While I expect their official report which I promise to disclose publicly to all, May I on behalf of Asaba thank them for the sacrifices made in the service of our people. Again I pay public tribute to them for their selflessness and their love of our motherland.
When this story is told in years to come, we will remember them with love and fondness and history will be very kind to them.
I am impressed with the appreciation from stranger elements in Asaba. It has been effusive and gratifying. So also the appreciation of AHABA people of all stations in Life.
We drew a lot of strength from these and are emboldened to serve our people with all our strength and all our hearts.
We are certainly not infallible and must have made mistakes unknowingly, please find it in your hearts to forgive us.
We are human after all and susceptible to human frailties. We will learn from our mistakes and improve in the days ahead.
Recall that we initially send 8 million naira to the committee for both the Vulnerable groups and the Ebos. This was followed with 3.5millon Naira for hand sanitizers, facemasks, Okwulagwes , Umuada Ntas , other Vulnerable groups earlier omitted and of course, the non-natives of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Igalla, Calabar/Ogoja, Ijaw, Ischekiri, Ndokwa, IkA, Isoko, Urhobo among others.
The church, orphanages and old people’s home were not overlooked either.
I am mindful of the fact that the money available would not suffice and considering that we have difficulty transferring money from Abuja, we gave a verbal undertaking for the committee to incur expenditure on our behalf.
They have forwarded a statement to the effect that incurred additional expenses of N896, 500 .
As at now we have a balance of N3,765, 811.
By the time Abuja opens up tomorrow after the May1st public holidays, we will transfer N896,500 to the committee and our balance after all expenses will be N2,869.311.
We are now confronted with the challenge of how best to proceed.
Perhaps, we may tarry a while and observe whether there is need to intervene in the near future.
Second is to seek approval of late donors to channel their donation to other public interest requirements in Asaba.
Example is a crying need to drill a borehole in Umuagu.
We certainly cannot touch the donations for foodbank unless we are authorized so to do.
All said, we are happy that through Your instrumentality, we made intervention when it was most auspicious to do so.
Thank you Umu AHABA.
Please Do not your back on Asaba Development Union World Wide.
We will never disappoint you.
My solemn pledge Finally, I want to thank His Royal Majesty Asagba AHABA for his support and solidarity in all we have done.
We are eternally grateful.
Nna Agu! Agu!!Agu!!!..
Long May you reign your majesty..
May God continue to bless Ani AHABA.
WPFD 2020: Salute to Courage
Media Release
Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
This year, the NUJ joins the rest of the World in observing the day with the theme, "Journalism without Fear or Favour", to focus on taking action to secure independent journalism which is one of the fundamental principles of the Windhoek Declaration.
We Salute Nigerian Journalists for their courage and professionalism and call on them to sustain and improve on their professional calling.
It is worth reiterating that no democracy can grow and flourish without a vibrant independent media that will be a catalyst for good governance and rule of law. It is in this regard that today, we celebrate Nigerian Journalists for promoting independent journalism practice despite myriad of challenges.
We continue to note with disdain the issue of safety and security of Journalists in the country which have not significantly improved but rather continued to impact negatively on good journalism. It is regrettably that politicians and political office holders and agents of the state are increasingly initiating actions against Journalists which include physical assault and detention all with the sole aim of inducing fear, thus restricting quality independent practice.
We enjoin journalists on this auspicious ocassion of the 2020 World Press Freedom Day, to work assiduously towards promoting ethical journalism without fear and without any favour.
Chris Isiguzo
National President
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
May 3rd, 2020
Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
This year, the NUJ joins the rest of the World in observing the day with the theme, "Journalism without Fear or Favour", to focus on taking action to secure independent journalism which is one of the fundamental principles of the Windhoek Declaration.
We Salute Nigerian Journalists for their courage and professionalism and call on them to sustain and improve on their professional calling.
It is worth reiterating that no democracy can grow and flourish without a vibrant independent media that will be a catalyst for good governance and rule of law. It is in this regard that today, we celebrate Nigerian Journalists for promoting independent journalism practice despite myriad of challenges.
We continue to note with disdain the issue of safety and security of Journalists in the country which have not significantly improved but rather continued to impact negatively on good journalism. It is regrettably that politicians and political office holders and agents of the state are increasingly initiating actions against Journalists which include physical assault and detention all with the sole aim of inducing fear, thus restricting quality independent practice.
We enjoin journalists on this auspicious ocassion of the 2020 World Press Freedom Day, to work assiduously towards promoting ethical journalism without fear and without any favour.
Chris Isiguzo
National President
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
May 3rd, 2020
MY DADDY, MY BEST FRIEND
By Aisha Abba Kyari
On 17th April, 2020, my world came crashing down and my heart shattered into a billion pieces. Upon receiving the news of my father’s passing, I immediately felt the most excruciating pain – a pain I would not wish on my worst enemy. My biggest fear in the world had materialised.
Most people knew my dad as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. As it is with many public servants, there was much more to him than the signature white kaftan and red cap by which he came to be recognised. He was a most remarkable husband to my mother (HauwaKulu), and father to myself and my three younger siblings (Nurudeen, Ibrahim, and Zainab). Completely irreplaceable.
Growing up, my dad doted over us. He was extremely protective and his role in raising us with my mother was as complimentary as it was distinct. His main focus was our education, and my mother’s was etiquette and religion! He was stern, and Ammui (as we call her) was playful. It was a perfect balance.
He was always working. My dad reminded us he worked hard so that he could give us all that we needed to excel at whatever we chose to do. And as far as I remember, my siblings and I lacked nothing; we had all we asked and more. That said, the asking part was hard! It often would come with a lecture and many questions as to why we would even ask for things. In the end, we would get what we wanted as long as a compelling case could be made for it.
He had a hard exterior but a heart of gold and a quirky sense of humour. He had zero tolerance for mediocrity: A no-nonsense man in every sense of the word. He expected excellence at all times and when it came to time, my father was Swiss-German – for him, arriving on time was arriving late. To this day, my friends always tease me about how and why I get to airport hours before a flight. It is what my daddy instilled in me.
Daddy’s biggest obsession was education. He truly invested in us the best education. In 1996, I recall as a nine-year-old when he told me that he and I would be leaving for London the next day. He didn’t say why we were going. For the first three days, he took me to three different schools to take entrance exams. I remember being so lost as to why anyone would have to go all the way to England just to take exams. I passed all three and he picked his favourite school of the three. The day my dad dropped me off at the school dormitory, all the other students and their parents were hugging, smiling, and getting settled in.
My case was different, in true daddy style, he said: “Well Ammi, you are here to study and not play. The rules in this country are different, if you fail a single class test or school exam, they will revoke your visa and send you back to Nigeria and as you know, I don’t have space for failures in my house.” He then patted me on the back and left.
As a little girl in a foreign country, I panicked but also believed him. My mum called the school the next day to check up on me and I cried and told her what he said. It didn’t help matters that I hadn’t understood what they taught me in class that day because I couldn’t understand my teachers’ accents. She reassured me that what he said was not true. Thank God for mothers!
My dad never missed a single parent-teacher meeting. Even when he had daunting schedules as chief executive of a bank, he would take the first flight out of Lagos to arrive in London for those meetings. Upon arrival, he would go to the hall to meet with my teachers. Typical of kids, we would peep into the hall to see which teachers our parents were talking to at the time and whether they looked angry or not.
My friends would always ask “Aisha why is your dad taking notes?” I really had no idea. All I know is that I was always embarrassed. He would come out, take me to a corner and run through his notes and tell me what every teacher said about me and places I needed to improve, and then he would make sure I was okay and happy.
He would get in the car and drive straight back to the airport to catch a flight back to Lagos. As busy as he was, his family was always his top priority. He made these exact efforts with my mother and every one of my siblings. That is the kind of man my dad was!
Whenever we visited relatives, my dad would call their homes several times a day to ask how we were. Many of them took offence to that as it suggested that he didn’t trust them with his children but that never stopped him from calling.
For as long as I can recall, my dad and I spoke every day of my life until the very end. No matter where anyone of us was in the world, we spoke every day. My friends would often tease me after every call: “I can’t get over how often you and your dad speak, you’re such a daddy’s girl”.
This was something I heard all my life and I was proud to be my daddy’s girl. Even with his very busy schedule as `Chief of Staff, he would make sure he came home and have dinner with us and discuss our days even if it meant him going back to the office afterward. On days that he couldn’t make it back on time, he would ALWAYS call and say, “don’t wait for me.”
My dad had almost everything that most people yearned for. Professional success, financial security – his needs were basic – and towards the end, political influence albeit nowhere near as much as many Nigerians think. But the true measure of a man particularly in the eyes of God is in his kindness, selflessness, loyalty, generosity, and humility. And with all these virtues as yardsticks, he truly was immeasurable.
I was always in awe of his intellect, his moral compass, his sense of integrity, his dedication to duty, and his honesty. My dad was a walking encyclopedia and a thesaurus. Countless times I would say to people in the middle of debates: “Hold on let me call my dad, he would know”. And I would confidently put him on the speakerphone because HE ALWAYS KNEW.
My dad’s attention to detail was next to none. I would often read texts and emails to him twice or three times over before sending them because he would first respond with corrections to any typographical or grammatical errors before responding to the actual message itself.
I have always seen myself as an extension of my father. I was his right-hand man (yes! I said man because my father raised me just as he would have if I was a man). I was the person he called when he was angry at someone, I was his PA and his friend, and he was my everything. Most of my life, just by how much I looked like him, people would see me in random places and ask if I was Abba Kyari’s daughter. As a little girl I hated it so much. I saw my mum as the most beautiful woman in the world and I desperately wanted to look like her and not him. Now, as much as I have many of her excellent attributes, I could not be more proud to look like my dad.
In spite of my dad’s busy schedule while we were growing up, he always tried to make time for family holidays. He would pick a new country for us to visit every year and even if he could only join us for just a few days, he would make sure he was there. He literally showed us the world. His favourite place to visit was the Maldives where he went with my mum for a week annually for six years. Just 10 days before they were to take their annual trip to the Maldives in 2015, he was appointed as Chief of Staff to the President. He kept postponing the trip and was never able to find the time. His time was no longer his.
My siblings and I often asked my dad what he planned to do when he was no longer Chief of Staff and without hesitation, he would say: “I’m going to Bora Bora with a suitcase full of books.”
He really looked forward to that. We would often try to convince him to take a two-week break from work and just go to Bora Bora and not wait until he was no longer Chief of Staff but we were never successful, and he never took the trip. They say Bora Bora is paradise on earth. Daddy, Insha Allah you are now in the most genuine of paradises!
My dad was first-class material. He had a Sociology degree from the University of Warwick and a Law Degree and Masters from the University of Cambridge. He later attended International Institute For Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development but he didn’t flaunt them as many others do. He began his career as a journalist before moving on to a career in banking where he reached the top as the MD/CEO of United Bank For Africa (UBA). He was a thoroughbred professional and gave his best at whatever he engaged in. Most people don’t know that he had retired for ten years before taking up his appointment as Chief of Staff to the President. He saw it as his patriotic duty. Not many people reach the top of their career in the private sector, take a ten-year break and return at the top of the public sector in one lifetime. He was pretty fortunate and spectacular. Was he, really? This may sound odd but my beloved daddy couldn’t drive a car! He never learnt how to drive for a day in his entire life.
My dad was highly principled: for nearly five years as Chief of Staff, he was first to arrive and last to leave the office – seven days a week; and demanded the same from his staff. He had impeccable moral authority and the capacity to always focus on the greater public good over individual gain. Businessmen and politicians have been known to leave his office in shame or tears after having had their bribes refused. He was passionate about protecting poor Nigerians. He would say “any policy that does not benefit the vast majority of Nigerians – many of whom are poor – should not be considered a policy of government.” For example, when increases in electricity tariffs were suggested, he sat through planning meetings – weekend after weekend – to ensure tariff increases were segregated and that the poorest Nigerians were protected.
My dad was terribly misunderstood and arguably mischievously misrepresented. Even his age was never gotten right from the day he became Chief of staff till the day he died. My dad died at the age of 67. He was often mistaken for the late Brigadier Abba Kyari who was indeed in his 80’s.
At this time of mourning, I should be holding things together for my family as I know my dad would expect me to, but I have instead found myself having to defend his memory against vile and malicious comments that have left me questioning the very humanity that should unite us all in difficult times.
One of the books I found on his bookshelf by Author Chris Whipple is ‘The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency.” Like a huge part of Nigeria’s 1999 constitutional democracy, the concept of the “office of the Chief of Staff to the President,” was also copied from the office of the President of the United States. A central theme of that book is that Chiefs of Staff are mostly never liked for numerous reasons: mainly due to access granted to the President and the lack of it. James A. Baker III, President Ronald Reagan’s long-serving Chief of Staff said: ‘The chief of staff usually walks around with a target painted on his front and on his back. Your job literally is to catch the javelins that are intended for the old man.’
True to that statement, my dad as Chief of Staff was an accomplished javelin catcher. But he was also much more than that. He was also a lightning conductor, bomb-proof and bullet-proof vest combined. For many Nigerians, if waves from the Atlantic Ocean claimed an inch of Victoria Island, they were sent by Abba Kyari or if a child fell off his bicycle, it was Abba Kyari!
My dad was fiercely loyal to his boss and refused to entertain “business as usual.” He wanted to do the right thing. This meant he stepped on the toes of several people and in their fightback would smear his name in the media in the hopes that he would be pushed out of their way! Clearly, they had no knowledge or any understanding of the man. He usually knew exactly from whom the attacks came but that never got in his way of pursuing what he considered to be the right path.
Like many others, I tried unsuccessfully to get him to respond to the more preposterous and spurious allegations but he never did. He refused to take on the character assassins. The only time he came close to responding was when I got personally attacked and he felt the need to defend me. You could attack him but not his family! He was ready to fight!
For clarity, my dad was more than capable of defending himself. The reason he didn’t is that it would have distracted him from his primary assignment of serving his principal and by extension, his country. His passion was to help his principal modernise Nigeria’s infrastructure and grow the agricultural sector. In his office, hanging on the wall, are large framed renderings of the Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan Expressways; after decades of these projects being under development, he wanted to have them finally completed. With the President’s backing, he successfully fought to revive and build 34 existing and new fertiliser blending plants all across Nigeria – except in the northeast, where he was from, due to concerns of urea (a component of fertiliser) being supplied to terrorists to be used as bombs.
My dad was a Shuwa-Arab man from Borno State and he saw far beyond religious and tribal divides. Most of his best friends were not even from the Northern part of the country nor were they Muslims. He had friends from all parts of the world and from different walks of life. His network was vast and wide; the tributes written since his passing can attest to that. He always dreamed and truly believed in one Nigeria.
In his tribute, President Muhammadu Buhari said “Mallam Abba Kyari was the very best of us” and he truly was. Geoffrey Onyema, one of my dad’s best friends said in his tribute “Nigerians will look back in years to come and see that he was truly the Best Man”. No lies there, he truly was THE BEST MAN!
When all is said and done, Daddy has only gone to meet his maker at the appointed time as we all shall. In the last two weeks, people have told me to be strong but it certainly feels like my source of strength is gone. Losing a father is hard, but having it happen on the world stage with everybody having a say and offering their opinion(some kind, others not) has been a completely different emotional rollercoaster. But I guess, he didn’t just belong to us his family. He belonged to Nigeria as well. This is something he often apologised for.
Now to my dearest daddy, although you have gone the way of all flesh ahead of the rest of us, please take this message: Ammui, Nurudeen, Ibrahim, Zainab and I will do everything in our power to live by your example and carry on your legacy for as long as we live. I love you and miss you with every atom of my being.
May Allah grant you the highest station in Jannah.
•Aisha is the eldest child of the late Mallam Abba Kyari
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