A group known as the All Progressives Congress Network For Good Governance in Nigeria has protested the alleged harassment of members of the APC in Imo State by the government.

Coordinator of the group, Okpekor Ndep Okpa, in a statement made available to The Nation in Calabar, called on the Imo State government to also desist from the alleged harassment of former governor, Rochas Okorocha.

The statement read, “The APC Network For Good Governance Nigeria has called on Governor of Imo State to stop harassing and intimidating APC members in the state. We also ask the government to further stop fuelling and sponsoring groups going against the APC Leader in the state Senator Rochas Okorocha. All we want from them is to face governance and follow due process.

“They should sustain the gains of the previous administration for Imo people and not to erase the legacies of Okorocha’s administration. Imo is becoming unsafe for APC members due to constant intimidation and harassment of its members.

“We also condemn the harassment of Okorocha’s family and business places. The present administration should be guided by the laws of due process. Okorocha is a well respected person not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa. If it continues we will not hesitate to demonstrate against the present Government in Imo state.

“APC Network For Good Governance Nigeria is a socio-political organization that is out to showcase the good works in APC controlled states and the nation at large and to make sure Nigerians truly benefit and believe in the next level agenda of the party. Our interest in Imo State is born out of the fact that Okorocha did very well in terms of projects, programmes and turning the state into one of the tourism states in the country.

“Governance is a continuous process but with what the incumbent Governor is doing by demolishing and constant attack on the former administration it shows that he is out to destroy the Okorocha’s legacies.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo has denied the allegations making rounds in the social media that its president general, Chief Nnia Nwodo alongside former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu received N6.2billion from President Buhari for the establishment of RUGA in the Southeast.

In a statement issued on Friday, the apex Igbo sociocultural organization said neither Nwodo nor Ekweremadu have authority over lands in the Enugu or anywhere in the Southeast

In a statement by the group, it says:

“Our attention has been drawn to an insidious social media story making the rounds that the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, and a Distinguished Senator and former Deputy Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Ike Ekweremadu, collected a whopping N6.2 billion from President Buhari out of N22.2 billion budgeted to plant RUGA in the country. The story which was purported to have emanated from a faceless traditional ruler from Umuchigbo Abakpa in Enugu State sounded preposterous and deserves to be consigned to the dust bin where it rightly belongs knowing that the purveyors of the story may have underestimated the intelligence of some audience of the social media but who certainly may not be as gullible as they think and will do with some clarifications. Why did the writer not mention the name of the traditional ruler and whether he was there when money exchanged hands? One would have expected their detractors to have established the veracity of their claim by giving an insight into how the money exchanged hands or through which bank accounts they were remitted to Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu. It will also would have been good if the accusers had clarified if Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu collected the money as individuals or on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. For the sake of clarity, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has no control over land in Enugu State or in the South East neither does Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu. Again, Chief Nwodo and Senator Ekweremadu are not traditional rulers and therefore don’t have custody over land in the South East. They should also have authenticated their allegation by stating where the said RUGA settlements are in Enugu State or in the South East. It is sad that upon all Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been doing to improve the image of Ndigbo in the comity of Nigerian Nations and efforts to restore Ndigbo to their rightful place in the country, either some Igbo sons and daughters still allow themselves to be used to deride their own or some external forces are determined to undermine the unity of Ndigbo, afraid of what strength Ndigbo can derive from such unity. It is pertinent to put the public on notice that more of these senseless, vitriolic and demented attacks are expected to come from the stable of these traducers. It is also worthy of note that many Igbo organizations abound which are out to enrich their pockets and have opened bank accounts where they deceive Ndigbo to pay money into, money that is usually unaccounted for. These organizations only lay claim to their existence by attacking Ohanaeze Ndigbo and its leadership. The consolation is that social media users are knowledgeable and discerning to disregard such mercenary organizations.”

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with traditional rulers from the north.

The meeting started at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa around 11.30am.

Among those at the meeting include the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, the Emir of Bida, and Emir of Daura.

It was still in progress at the time of filing this report

19-year-old artist, Emediong Uko has turned Fela’s acclaimed ‘Beast of no Nation’ song into an expressive painting.

‘Beast of No Nation’ is the first song Fela wrote in 1986, after he was liberated from prison—serving two years from a five year prison sentence for trumped-up foreign currency violation charges.

In May, Emediong’s painting of music legend, ‘Lagbaja’ became the first African work to be displayed at the Cyprus Modern Art Museum.

The Akwa Ibom born artist is the youngest and only African artist to have her work exhibited at the museum, which is the largest in the Mediterranean region.

At her recent exhibition, Emediong also unveiled another Fela-inspired work, ‘Shuffering and Smiling’ to celebrate the strength of Nigerians.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, she said the painting is aimed at drawing attention to leadership lapses that need to be fixed in the country, while retaining Fela’s earlier message.

She said, “I decided to depict the essence of the song. It spoke about the leaders and how they need to do better at leadership.

“I did the painting in about a week this summer, 2019. I want the painting to spark conversations and I hope it inspires people.”

Emediong is known for using musical influences in her art and revealed that she loves every music genre with a message.

On Fela’s influence on new wave musicians, she noted that they are Fela-inspired in a way, from their sounds to lyrics.

She said, “These artists are Fela inspired in a way, especially Burna boy. His piece on the Beyonce album has some Fela-infused vibes.

“We are creating Africa and we are the ones reaching out. In this post colonial times, we are creating ourselves by ourselves.”

NAN reports that Emediong recently auctioned 17 paintings with themes on motherhood, music and nature. (NAN)

Humanitarian Services, Disaster Management & Internally Displaced Persons Minister Sa’adiya Faruk on Thursday received 133 Nigerian refugees from Cameroon.

The refugees arrived in Yola Airport, Adamawa, aboard a Nigerian Air Force plane at about 5pm.

The refugees, mostly women and children, had fled to Cameroon at the height of Boko Haram attacks in the Northeast.

The minister expressed satisfaction for the successful transportation of the refugees who are all from Adamawa and said they would be accommodated at Duware transitional camp in Yola South local government area after screening.

She said there are about 97,000 Nigerians taking refuge in Cameroon, out of which 8,000 were from Adamawa and the rest from Borno.

Faruk said that the evacuation of the refugees would continue up to the time that those that wanted to come back to Nigeria were brought back home.

The National Assembly/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lokoja on Friday sacked Senator Dino Melaye as the Senator for Kogi West.

In its judgement, the tribunal ordered that fresh elections should be held in the senatorial district.

Ado-Ekiti – A commercial motorcyclist has reportedly raped his landlady to death in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state capital.

The shocking incident occurred on Thursday at Olorunda area of the state.

It was gathered that the mother of three, described by family member as a middle-aged woman, was at home alone after her husband had gone to work while the children were said to have gone for holiday coaching when the incident happened.

The suspected tenant was alleged to have broken into the woman’s room, threatened her with a cutlass and tied her up before performing the dastardly act.

It was also gathered that after the act, the tenant fled the house but some of his belongings were found in the room which suggested that he was responsible for the act.

One of the children of the deceased who spoke with Vanguard said he saw the tenant on a bike while coming home but never knew he had killed his mum at home.

The question on the lips of the residents of the area who gathered at the house of the deceased was what strange spirit could have taken possession of the young man to have committed such a dastard act.

The husband of the deceased and her children could not hold their tears as they wept profusely.

The police public Relations Officer Caleb Ikechukwu, who confirmed the incident, said the police had swung into action to bring the suspect to book.

The Federal Ministry of Environment says 35 per cent of Nigeria’s landmass has been eroded by desertification with more areas still threatened.

The Minister of Environment, Dr Mahmud Mohammed, spoke on Thursday at the 2019 commemoration of the World Desertification Day in Nangere, Yobe.

According to Mahmud, the means of livelihood of 40 million Nigerians in 11 frontline states who depend on land resources is threatened by soil degradation and desertification.

The minister, who was represented by Mr John Alonge, the Director, and Environmental Assessment in the ministry, urged government at all levels and other stakeholders to collaborate to check desertification and reclaim lost land.

Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe said the state government would establish shelter belts, woodlots and plantations in the affected areas to check desertification.

“Government would set up a high powered advocacy committee under the chairmanship of the deputy governor to sensitize the people and distribute assorted tree seedlings for planting by the communities,” Buni said.

The governor, who was represented by Baba Malam-Wali, Acting Secretary to the State Government, said the government would also work on providing alternative sources of energy to safeguard trees.

Buni appealed to the Great Green Wall programme and the Federal Government to support the efforts of the state in combating desertification.

“Yobe is geographically located in a fragile ecological zone that is most often prone to the threat posed by desertification.

“Therefore, it needs support and collaboration with all stakeholders to effectively combat the menace,” the governor said.

ENUGU- A 67 years old woman, Mrs. Regina Mba has been allegedly raped and killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen at an Enugu suburb, Nchatacha-Nike in Enugu East local government area of Enugu state.

The incident brought about large protest by members of the community who brought the corps of the woman along Enugu-Abakaliki, blocked the highway, burning tyres and prevented vehicular movement.

The protest attracted a large number of security personnel, including the army, police, Air force, who immediately embarked on air surveillance until the crowd was dispersed and movement resumed.

President General of Nchatancha-Nike community, Mr. Kingsley Anike who spoke exclusively with Vanguard said “She (the deceased) went to farm yesterday (Wednesday) within the hours of 2pm and 6 in the evening, she was attacked. Later in the evening when we expected her home, she didn’t come back. We started searching for her throughout the night and this morning (Thursday), there was an expanded search team.

“It wasn’t really a distant farm, it is a nearby farm because people are not leaving far from the location, so we saw her corps lying dead and on getting there we saw her undies were torn apart, lying by the side, she sustained stabbing on her hands and at the back of her neck and she is dead already.

“We called the police who have visited the scene and took photo shots of the whole situation. The body has been deposited in the mortuary.”

Asked who they suspect as culprits, Anike said “Isn’t that obvious? The Fulani; There was this Fulani group with their cattle within that area that we know and when this thing happened, they moved out, they relocated. It couldn’t have been any other person; indigenes couldn’t just have attacked follow indigenes and an old woman for that matter in her late 60s.

“She is an old woman and it couldn’t have been any other person that can perpetuate that type of act from the same community. So we are sure it’s the Fulani and that’s the obvious fact there. If the police want, let them do their investigation and state the fact. We know what the country is and we pray that justice will take its course.”

Anike denied an allegation that the community had previous misunderstanding with the herdsmen.

Enugu state police command, through its spokesman, Ebere Amaraizu said the police received report of the incident and that the commissioner of police, Suleiman Balarabe has directed for a full scale investigations with a view to establishing what actually happened and persons involved  and motives.

He however said the command advises members of the public to continue to be law abiding and avoid any thing that will truncate the existing peace and security in the state as security operatives will leave no stone unturned towards unmasking those behind the dastardly act. Taraba killings: Joint security panel worried over Wadume video (Opens in a new browser tab)

Amaraizu also confirmed the corpse of the deceased woman has been deposited at the hospital mortuary of the annunciation hospital for autopsy.

Sources told Vanguard that the Hausa/Fulani community in the state is afraid of reprisal against them since the issue of alleged killing by herdsmen has in the recent time become common place in the state.

Chairman of Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, in Enugu state, Alhaji Haruna Salleh however denied that the killing was perpetuated by herdsmen.

Salleh said “We have been searching since we got the news and there are ho headsmen men around there. It was not herdsmen that killed the woman.”

KATSINA – The Katsina State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Alhaji Ahidjo Yahaya said corps members involved in last Sunday’s ghastly motor accident that claimed lives of three and several others injured, travelled without obtaining permission.

This was as he warned corps members fond of traveling without permission to steer clear noting that unnecessary traveling without permission attracts punishment.

The coordinator gave the warning during the swearing in ceremony of the orientation course for the 2019 Batch B Stream II corps members numbering about 1,502 (621 males and 881 females) deployed to the state.

Yahaya said the punishment could be in form of extension of service year or remobilization (repeat of the service year).

He said on it part in the state is to write the report and send to the headquarters where they would decide the punishment.

According to him, “Most of the journies by the corps members, 60% or 70% are done without permission. And we have been warning them and we would continue to warn them.

“Traveling without obtaining permission is there in the Act establishing the NYSC since 1973, it was amended and it is still there. There are various punishment for various offences. It is there in the Bylaw. It depends on days you spent. It can lead to extension of service year, remobilization (repeat the service year), it depends on the gravity of the offence that you commit. There are various offences viz a vis there punishment. They are there in the bylaw.

“The last Sunday’s ghastly motor accident involving our corps members traveling to Funtua was not with permission. They went to Funtua without permission,” the state coordinator said.

It would be recalled that a ghastly motor accident involving 12 corps members in a vehicle carrying the inscription “National Association of Catholic Corps members” and on their way to attend a mass wedding in Funtua area of the state left three dead on the spot while nine sustaining degrees of injuries.

The state coordinator said less than five of the corps members were still receiving treatment at the hospital while arrangements are on top gear for the burial rites of the three who lost their lives in the accident.

“We have bought three caskets and they are there in the General hospital. We would be conveying them to their various homes by Saturday for their burial. We are footing the expenses of the burial arrangements. We are sending a powerful delegations which includes Senior officials of the NYSC and Senior officials from the Catholic from Bishop Kuka to accompany the corpses to the various destinations as we have also made arrangements with our other colleagues in those places to join them and receive the corpses while we stay back to take care of those in the hospital.

“All corps members were insured by insurance company. So any corps members who died during service year, the family or next of kin will be given N1million,” Yahaya said.

The State Coordinator however said the deceased corps members were from Ebonyi, Imo and Delta states respectively.

Meanwhile, declaring the orientation course open, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Hussaini Dangani called on the corps members to shun corruption, other social vices to embrace integrity and be change agents.