Award-winning Nollywood actor and film maker, Kunle Afolayan honored his dad, late Nigerian actor, Adeyemi Afolayan popularly known as Ade Love by sharing classic throwback photos of him.
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Kunle Afoloyan’s Throwback Photo Of His Late Father Is Classic
Award-winning Nollywood actor and film maker, Kunle Afolayan honored his dad, late Nigerian actor, Adeyemi Afolayan popularly known as Ade Love by sharing classic throwback photos of him.
What Actor, Mike Godson Told A Lady Who Wanted To Be ‘Yellow’ Like Him Will Leave You Shocked
Nollywood actor, Mike Godson shared his reply to a lady who called him up and asked him what bleaching cream he uses on Instagram.
Godson wrote; “I was sleeping one day and my phone rang. I picked the call behold it was a woman who said she was a fan but wanted to know what bleaching body Cream I use. For 20seconds I was mute just to make sure I heard her clearly. And bcoz I was very upset with the question I began to think of a way to make her look stupid and regret ever calling my phone!! so I replied and said, ok madam you want to be yellow like me abi?? She said “YES” then I said ok!! Buy original Mobil engine oil, red oil, motor battery water, alligator peper, fresh peper then mix all these ingredients with bitter cola and salt. Then call me later to tell me how yellow you have become.”
Buhari’s Rigid Leadership Style Is Making Nigeria’s Economic Problems Harder To Solve- Bloomberg
In an article titled “Nigeria’s Economy needs Visionary Leadership”, International business website, Bloomberg, said President Buhari’s rigid leadership style is making Nigeria’s economic problems harder to solve. Read the article which was published today below.
Africa and the world cannot afford a failing economy in the continent’s most populous nation. Yet that is exactly what Nigeria might be getting: Its economy is on track to shrink by1.7 percent this year, the official unemployment rate has more than doubled over the last two years, and inflation is at an 11-year high.
One concrete step President Muhammadu Buhari could take to address the crisis would be to eliminate the country’s disastrous foreign exchange controls. Instead, Buhari has made no secret of his desire to defend Nigeria’s currency.
And the central bank has mostly gone along. Despite allowingthe devaluation of the naira in June, it is continuing to manipulate the exchange rate — discouraging foreign investors, creating a crippling shortage of dollars for businesses that need to import, and feeding a currency black market. To keep down the street price of vanishing dollars, Buhari’s government hasarrested informal money-changers. More capital controls are in the works.
Dismantling Nigeria’s foreign exchange controls will doubtless cause at least a short-term rise in inflation. Yet doing so will not only draw foreign investment and make the economy more productive and competitive, but also cut off a conduit for corruption. Buhari can cushion the blow for Nigeria’s poor through targeted cash payments — an approach Nigeria has used in electronically delivering subsidies to poor farmers. That same mechanism could also shield the poor from the regressive impact of an increase in Nigeria’s value-added tax — which is relatively low but a potentially valuable source of additional government revenue.
Emeka Ike Spotted With Miss Tourism International 2015 As They Visit School Students In Aso Villa
Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike was spotted with Miss Tourism international, Queen Onyinye recently, at Aso Villa Banquet Hall as a special guest and to share her writing materials and exercise books to school children from Primary and Secondary schools in Abuja during the programme at the villa.
The event was graced by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Minister of women Affairs, Nollywood President and cross sections of high profile personalities. The event was the one year anniversary of Mr President campaign against Violence on Children.
Emeka Ike Spotted With Miss Tourism International 2015 As They Visit School Students In Aso Villa
Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike was spotted with Miss Tourism international, Queen Onyinye recently, at Aso Villa Banquet Hall as a special guest and to share her writing materials and exercise books to school children from Primary and Secondary schools in Abuja during the programme at the villa.
The event was graced by the Secretary to the Federal Government, Minister of women Affairs, Nollywood President and cross sections of high profile personalities. The event was the one year anniversary of Mr President campaign against Violence on Children.
Monday, 28 November 2016
Kim Kardashian Is Sleeping by Kanye West's Side in Hospital, Helping to Feed Him
Kim Kardashian West (L) and Kanye West attend the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City.
Kim Kardashian is nursing Kanye West back to health. The reality star has been sleeping by her husband's side and helping to feed him while he's in the hospital for exhaustion, a source close to the rapper exclusively tells Us Weekly.
"Kim has been amazing," the insider tells Us. "She knew he couldn't keep going the way he was. She has been by his side through all of this, helping to feed him and laying by his side."
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's nurturing behavior echoes that of her sister Khloé Kardashian, who stuck by her ex Lamar Odom's side as he recovered from a near fatal drug overdose last year. "All the Kardashian women stick by their men," the source notes.
As previously reported, the "Fade" rapper, 39, was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Monday, November 21, after he reportedly started behaving "erratically" while at his personal trainer's home. The health scare came hours after West canceled the remainder of his Saint Pablo Tour following a bizarre 15-minute rant against Beyoncé, Jay Z and Hillary Clinton at a Sacramento concert.
Since then, Kim, 36, has shown nothing but support for her hubby of two years, and even spent Thanksgiving in the hospital with him. "Kim wouldn't leave his side except to see the kids," the source tells Us, referring to the couple's children, North, 3, and Saint, 11 months. "She's been at the hospital all the time. Kim has been keeping a very close watch on him and not letting people disturb him. All kinds of people have called and sent flowers, but she's being very careful about not letting him get wound up and making sure he rests and recovers."
The Selfish author, meanwhile, has stepped out of the spotlight since she was robbed at gunpoint inside her private residence in Paris early last month
Donald Trump Claims He Lost Popular Vote Because of 'Millions' of Illegal Votes in Twitter Rant Against Hillary Clinton
President-elect Donald Trump claimed in a new Twitter rant that he lost the popular vote to rival Hillary Clinton because of the "millions of people who voted illegally."
His outburst came a day after the Clinton campaign announced that it will participate in an election recount. The Green Party filed for a recount in Wisconsin on Friday, November 25, and has also called for recounts in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Trump won the Electoral College by more than the required 270 votes, but Clinton leads the former reality TV star by more than 2.2 million in the popular vote count.
"Hillary Clinton conceded the election when she called me just prior to the victory speech and after the results were in," the real estate mogul, 70, tweeted just after 7 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 27. He then slammed the former secretary of state, 69, for criticizing his pre-Election Day statement that he might not accept the election results.
"Nothing will change Hillary's debate answer on delay: 'That is horrifying. That is not the way our democracy works. Been around for 240 years,'" Trump tweeted in a string of seven tweets, quoting Clinton's quote from the third presidential debate. "'We've had free and fair elections. We've accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them, and that is what must be expected of anyone standing on a [debate stage] during a general election. I, for one, am appalled that somebody that is the nominee of one of our two major parties would take that kind of position.' Then, separately she stated, 'He said something truly horrifying ... he refused to say that he would respect the results of this election. That is a direct threat to our democracy.' She then said, 'We have to accept the results and look to the future, Donald Trump is going to be our President. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.' So much time and money will be spent - same result! Sad."
The former Celebrity Apprentice host continued on Sunday afternoon: "In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. It would have been much easier for me to win the so-called popular vote than the Electoral College in that I would only campaign in 3 or 4 states instead of the 15 states that I visited. I would have won even more easily and convincingly (but smaller states are forgotten)!"
Trump, who won the electoral vote with 290 votes compared to Clinton's 233, did not provide any evidence of illegal votes to back his claims. The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Trump's allegation is bogus "with no documented proof." The former first lady has yet to respond.
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Britons could pay for EU citizenship after Brexit, says top negotiator
Guy Verhofstadt said he supported the idea of Britons who wanted to remain EU citizens having the ability to do so. Photograph: Isopix/REX/Shutterstock
Britons could pay to retain the benefits of European Union citizenship after Brexit under plans being considered by MEPs.
The European parliament’s lead Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said he supported the principle of the idea, which would see UK citizens sending an annual fee to Brussels.
The former Belgian prime minister said Britons who voted remain did not want to sever their links to the EU.
“Many say ‘we don’t want to cut our links’,” he told the Times. “I like the idea that people who are European citizens and saying they want to keep it have the possibility of doing so. As a principle I like it.”
The proposals were tabled by a liberal MEP from Luxembourg and MEPs will vote on the proposals by the end of the year, but any Brexit deal with the UK would have to have the agreement of the leaders of the other 27 EU nations as well as the parliament.
Brexit-backing Tory MP Andrew Bridgen claimed that these plans were just the EU attempting to undermine the referendum result.
He told the newspaper: “It’s an attempt to create two classes of UK citizen and to subvert the referendum vote. The truth is that Brussels will try every trick in the book to stop us leaving.”
US experts push for vote recount amid hacking suspicions
NEW YORK -- A group of computer scientists and other experts is questioning the integrity of the U.S. presidential election results in three key states and urging losing candidate Hillary Clinton's camp to file for a recount.
Election results in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania may have been hacked or otherwise manipulated, according to a group including J. Alex Halderman, director of the University of Michigan Center for Computer Security and Society. The news was reported by outlets including New York magazine.
These three battleground states typically lean toward Clinton's Democratic Party but went for Trump in this month's election. The experts learned that Clinton received a substantially smaller share of votes in Wisconsin counties that used electronic voting machines than in those that used paper ballots, according to the media reports. No concrete proof of hacking has been found.
Winning all three of those states would tilt the Electoral College in Clinton's favor, giving her the presidency.
Fidel Castro, Cuba’s revolutionary leader, dies aged 90
Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, Cuban state television has announced, ending an era for the country and Latin America.
The revolutionary icon, one of the world’s best-known and most controversial leaders, survived countless US assassination attempts and premature obituaries, but in the end proved mortal and died late on Friday night after suffering a long battle with illness.
The announcement of Castro’s death on Friday was long expected, given the former president’s age and health problems, but when it came it was still a shock: the comandante – a figurehead for armed struggle across the developing world – was no more. It was news that friends and foes had long dreaded and yearned for respectively.
Castro’s younger brother Raul, who assumed the presidency of Cuba in 2006 after Fidel suffered a near-fatal intestinal ailment, announced the revolutionary leader’s death on television.
“The commander-in-chief of the Cuban revolution died at 10.29pm tonight.”
He survived long enough to see Raul negotiate an opening with the outgoing US president, Barack Obama, in December 2014, when Washington and Havana announced they would move to restore diplomatic ties for the first time since they were severed in 1961.
After outlasting nine occupants of the White House, he cautiously blessed the historic deal with his lifelong enemy in a letter published after a month-long silence.
The thaw in relations was crowned when Obama visted the island earlier this year. Castro did not meet Obama and days later wrote a scathing column condemning the US president’s “honey-coated” words and reminding Cubans of the many Americanefforts to overthrow and weaken the Communist government.
As in life, Castro was deeply divisive in death. The announcement of his death was greeted by thousands online with celebration and condemnation of the “cruel dictator” and his repressive regime.
Others mourned the passing of “a fighter of US imperialism” and a “charismatic icon”.
In Miami, home to the largest diaspora of expatriate Cubans, people took to the streets celebrating his death, singing, dancing, and waving Cuban flags.
The Communist party and state apparatus has prepared for this moment since July 2006 when Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery and ceded power to his brother, Raúl, who remains in charge.
Fidel wrote occasional columns for the party paper, Granma, and made very occasional public appearances – most recently at the 2016 Communist party congress – but otherwise kept a very low profile.
Despite the mixed reactions to his death, one thing all could agree on was that this extraordinary figure left his mark on history.
More than half a century ago, his guerrilla army of “bearded ones” replaced Fulgencio Batista’s corrupt dictatorship with communist rule that challenged the US and turned the island into a cold-war crucible.
He fended off a CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as well as many assassination attempts. His alliance with Moscow helped trigger the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a 13-day showdown with the United States that brought the world the closest it has been to nuclear war.
The US had long counted on Castro’s mortality as a “biological solution” to communism in the Caribbean but, since officially succeeding his brother in 2008, Raúl has cemented his own authority while overseeing cautious economic reforms, and agreeing the momentous deal to restore diplomatic relations between Cuba and the US in late 2014, ending more than five decades of hostility.
By Raúl’s own admission, however, Fidel is irreplaceable. By force of charisma, intellect and political cunning the lawyer-turned-guerrilla embodied the revolution. Long before his passing, however, Cubans had started to move on, with increased migration to the US and an explosion of small private businesses.
His greatest legacy is free healthcare and education, which have given Cuba some of the region’s best human development statistics. But he is also responsible for the central planning blunders and stifling government controls that – along with the US embargo – have strangled the economy, leaving most Cubans scrabbling for decent food and desperate for better living standards.
The man who famously declared “history will absolve me” leaves a divided legacy. Older Cubans who remember brutal times under Batista tend to emphasise the revolution’s accomplishments. Younger Cubans are more likely to rail against gerontocracy, repression and lost opportunity. But even they refer to Castro by the more intimate name of Fidel.
Since largely vanishing from public view he has been a spectral presence, occasionally surfacing in what became a trademark tracksuit, to urge faith in the revolution. It was a long goodbye which accustomed Cubans to his mortality.
Exiles in Florida, the heart of the diaspora which fled communist rule, are expected to celebrate. Previous false reports of Castro’s death triggered cavalcades of cheering, flag-waving revellers.
Latin America’s leftist leaders, in contrast, will mourn the passing of a figure who was perceived less as a communist and more as a nationalist symbol of regional pride and defiance against the gringo superpower.
Details of Fidel Castro’s funeral and cremation will be announced on Saturday. It is expected to attract numerous foreign heads of state, intellectuals and artists.
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
Ghana were more difficult to beat than Nigeria - Elneny
Egypt midfield lynchpin Mohammed Elneny says the Black Stars of Ghana were more difficult to defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier, as compared to the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Pharaohs recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Black Stars on matchday two of the 018 FIFA qualifiers at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria and also pipped Nigeria 1-0 courtesy of a 66th minute Ramadan Sobhi at the same venue.
“We played in a realistic way against Ghana,” Elneny told DMC Channel, as reported by Kingfut. The result was important for us, more important than the performance.
“Hector Cuper makes us play in a defensive way that makes it difficult for any team to score against us.
“In training, eight attackers go against three defenders, and they fail to score, so you can imagine what happens when we are six defenders in the match.
“In general, I think Ghana was stronger than Nigeria’s team which we faced in the Afcon qualifications.’
“Cuper guided Egypt to qualify to the Afcon and also, we are in a good position in the World Cup qualifications.
“The results are very good in my opinion.”
The Pharaohs of Egypt are favourites to qualify for the World Cup after amassing with six points from two games so far.
2019: Nigerians divided over support for Buhari
THE polity was literary balkanised, yesterday, with mixed views from eminent Nigerians on whether or not President Muhammadu Buhari would be supported for re-election in 2019. The Presidency, on Monday, lambasted former member of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Alhaji Buba Galadima, for saying that the people would abandon Buhari if he chose to seek re-election.
In a strong worded statement, the presidency through Malam Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, stated that “suggestions that the masses will desert President Buhari in 2019 are unfounded and utterly ridiculous” because “the masses are solidly behind Buhari because he is not stealing their money and their future.
The President’s enormous goodwill remains ever strong because the people are convinced the President is acting in their best interest, despite the temporary unintended consequences of reforms.” Commenting on the issues, leaders were clearly divided with some saying that the permutation for 2019 is early. Those talking about 2019 are shameless – Junaid Mohammed In his reaction, Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said: “It is very unfortunate and shameless that a government that is yet to do anything is already talking of 2019.
It is very unfortunate that a party like APC that is fast becoming moribund is already talking of 2019 when they have nothing to show for the four years Nigerians gave them. This development shows they are power-hungry, hypocritical and corruption-ridden.
“This entire 2019 discussion is ridiculous. I believe a government that has performed will rely on its performance before being considered for another four years in office. We are not even in the middle of the four-year term given to them and they are already talking of 2019. This is an unfortunate development and it shows the ineptitude of the government.
For a man that has led us into the worst recession ever and has got nothing to show Nigerians since he assumed office to be talking of 2019, shows how shameless the government can be.” We are waiting to see Nigerians who will support them – Babatope Former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said: “I wish the Buhari administration luck in their wishful thinking. So far so good, I don’t know of anybody who will support them for another term of four years. But we are waiting patiently to see those Nigerians who will support them when people are dying daily of hunger and starvation.’’
It’s too early – Tsav Retired Police Commissioner, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav said: ”It is too early for anyone to be talking of 2019. However, I think it is his right to express his opinion if he so desires.’’ It’s an insult to Nigerians—Debo Adeniran Executive Director of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, said: ”My impression is that it is too early for people in the Presidency to be making such statement. It was wrongly timed for them to be flying such a kite because I believe that is what they are doing.
The administration has not even settled down, they have not come up with a policy thrust on the economy and they have not engaged in the business of real governance. The statement is an insult to the sensibilities of Nigerians. I believe that the President might not have approved such statement by his overzealous aides because I am sure the President has not shown that he is ambitious.”
Let Buhari improve lives of Nigerians – Afenifere The Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, in its reaction, said the President must ensure that the lives of Nigerians are improved. Its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said: “He (Buhari) has to yet formally declare that he is running for second term beyond the inferences from Garba Shehu’s comments in his response to Buba Galadima.
The constitution guarantees him the right to run for second term but he must ensure that the realities of Nigeria today improve for the better if he wants to exercise that right.” He should take a cue from fallen African leaders – Olapade Agoro National Chairman and former Presidential Candidate of the National Action Council, NAC, Dr Olapade Agoro, said: ”Considering the fact that President Buhari is a complete gentleman and statesman, one will consider the ongoing news running loose that he is considering running the 2019 Presidential race as a mere game plan of his detractors… Although it will not be strange to find any African leader limping in office wanting to stay put, one will be too sorry and sad to find Buhari falling into pit of shame like Idi Amin Dada of Uganda and Mobutu Sese Seko of DRC.” For now, only Buhari can be trusted – Igbokwe Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos State, Engineer Joe Igbokwe said: “Who would have thought that President Buhari will make fellow generals to return their loot and face trials? Who would have thought that the untouchable called judges in Nigeria will be brought down to give account of their stewardship? Who would have thought that a day will come when fraudulent politicians will be forced to return billions? Now, if the truth must be told, President Buhari has no competitor, he is the only man standing for that position in 2019.
We cannot trust any other person for now. He must finish clearing the Augean stable.” We need a leader like him, I will stand by him, – Ndume Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South, said he would support Buhari for second term. “I am behind President Muhammadu Buhari for 2019. Nigeria needs a leader like Buhari, as long as he is contesting in 2019, I stand by him. I urge Nigerians to stand by him; we need a leader that is incorruptible, matured, sincere, transparent and disciplined.
We have an opportunity, we should not bring politics into it, the present recession was not brought by him. We need a leader that has integrity, we need a leader and Buhari is the leader, ” he said Buhari should not be distracted – Alimikhena To Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, APC, Edo North, President Buhari has the right to contest in 2019 but it is too early for the presidency to raise such an issue because he would need time to concentrate and work for the country, and must not be distracted from delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Nigerians ‘ll decide – Ohuabaunwa Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, PDP, Abia North, who noted that the President has the right to contest as a sitting president said however that only God and Nigerians would determine who becomes the President of Nigeria in 2019.
“First and foremost, he is entitled to contest, he is a sitting President; it is his fundamental human right to contest. It is God and the people that will determine who will be the President of Nigeria, he has the right to contest, God and the people will decide who will be the president in 2019,” he said.
Those talking about 2019 are not Buhari’s friends – Senator Owie Former Chief Whip of the Senate and a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Rowland Owie said those saying that the President would contest in 2019 were not his friends. “I have said it often and often that presidents and governors once elected in Nigeria, become ‘prisoners of palace jesters’ These jesters take over the Chief Executives and manipulate them.
These are the people who say what the oga wants to hear because truth when said, is bitter. If not palace jestering in action, how can a sane person start talking about President Buhari running or not running election in 2019? These jesters should please allow President Buhari to do for Nigerians what he promised Nigerians in 2015 and for which he was voted into office.”
Tuesday, 22 November 2016
Arsenal fans react on Twitter to Bellerin’s new deal
Arsenal fans had reason to celebrate this week after star defender Hector Bellerin signed a new six-year deal with the club.
The former Barcelona man, who has long been linked with a return to the Catalan club, has quickly cemented himself as a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium after securing the right-back spot in Arsene Wenger’s team.
All the latest team news as Arsenal take on French champions PSG #AFC #PSG– https://t.co/SXXq6spO9j pic.twitter.com/LU77Oo4GAa— NinetyMinutesOnline (@90MinsOnline) November 23, 2016
Lightning quick, technically sound and always looking for the overlap, the 21-year-old has laid on five assists for his Gunners team-mates so far this season – one more than superstar Mesut Ozil.
Those performances have clearly convinced Wenger that the defender is a key part of the Arsenal team going forward, with Bellerin reportedly earning a whopping £100,000 per week under the terms of his new deal.
Here are the best tweets from Gunners fans regarding the news that the Spaniard has committed himself to at least six more years at the London club.
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) November 21, 2016
If BellerÃn sees out his new deal he will probably become Arsenal captain. That’s something I can get on board with.
— Lewis (@LGAmbrose) November 21, 2016
Talk of City wanting Bellerin was a bother. Good to see him sign such a long contract.— . (@gremlinzzzz) November 22, 2016
We are delighted Bellerin has signed a new long-term contract. He said this club is his home right now. How long is right now? I don’t know.— Wenger Knows Best (@wengerknowsbest) November 21, 2016
Great #arsenal news about the #Bellerin contract. I assume all it means is that he will just cost Barca more in the summer now.— Johnny Boy (@johnbulson) November 21, 2016
Hector Bellerin on £100k a week for 6 years is a brilliant signing. Barca and City would’ve paid him closer to £150k— R.H (@rhaq101) November 21, 2016
So happy to see Bellerin committing his long term future with us! Now for Alexis and Ozil to follow and I’ll be one happy gooner!! ????????— Daniel Lysaght (@DanielLysaght1) November 21, 2016
Trump, the Tragic Case of Bridget Agbahime and the Death of a Nation, By Chido Onumah
By not bringing the killers of Agbahime to book, the Nigerian state is inadvertently telling us that us that ours is a lawless state; that Nigeria is Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, where warlords rule and deranged zealots exert “justice” based on their demented vision of religious codes.
Two weeks ago, while the world faced the frightening prospect of a Trump presidency in the US, an equally tragic event took place thousands of kilometres away in Nigeria. Except that in the case of Nigeria, the people did not elect—pardon the pun—to foist on themselves the cataclysm that may yet consume the nation. Both events—the emergence of Trump as president-elect and the “not guilty” verdict pronounced by the judiciary, and by extension the Nigerian state, on some vermin in human skin posing as God’s arbiters, bear uncanny similarities.
I don’t know if it is our proclivity for the gory and the absurd or the excitement of the US presidential election; but whatever the reason, that bizarre incident in Nigeria went unnoticed. Few people—certainly, not the mainstream media, the tribe of Internet trolls, our effete civil society or women’s organisations—raised their voice or queried that infernal judgement.
Now that the US election is over, perhaps Americans can return, in the words of the good old Dr. Damages of SaharaReporters fame, to those things that they care about most: the ability of Kim Kardashian and her clan to hold down the Internet. And the rest of us lesser mortals can go back to worrying about those things that are important to us. And in the case of Nigeria, how to make meaning of a nation that has lost its soul. But before I return to Nigeria, a slight digression on the election of Donald J. Trump as the next president of the US.
Mr. Trump seems to be on a charm offensive, seducing everybody who cares to watch that, not minding his destructive campaign rhetoric, he has the capacity for good. There are those—including our beloved Oprah—who are having a change of heart about Trump and are calling on the pessimists to give him a chance; that we should hold out hope that the self-confessed p—y-grabbing money man may turn out to be a better president than he is a businessman and entertainer.
Some have argued that candidate Trump had to maintain a bellicose persona and deploy demagoguery in order for his campaign to gain traction and for him to stand a chance against the entrenched and well-oiled political machine that was the Clinton campaign. Of course, what was frightening wasn’t so much what Trump said or did—as dangerous as they were—but the fact that half of American voters actually believed in him enough to give him the Electoral College vote.
Let’s for once assume this murder was not done in the name of religion. It doesn’t make it any less heinous and it deserves no place in a modern democratic society. Dauda Ahmed and Zubairu Abdullahi and their cohort should be re-arrested and made to pay for their crime.
There is another side of the Trump victory that observers seem to have ignored: the people. What happened two weeks ago in the US? In one sentence, the people happened! Whether they are right or wrong, only time will tell. Trump may indeed turn out to be a “good president”, but it does not vitiate the fact that he and his campaign stood for something. His xenophobic, misogynistic and divisive messages resonated with some voters, including religious bigots. It is not likely that those who supported his campaign messages will allow him to do otherwise or not take advantage of his victory. America is trying to heal post Trump’s victory. We can only wish them well in this healing process. The first step, we know, in the healing process, is to accept there is a problem; and in Trump, America has a big problem!
Back to Nigeria. Here are the facts of the matter for those not familiar with the case. On June 2, 2016, Bridget Agbahime, a 74-year-old Nigerian trader, was savagely attacked and murdered at Kofar Wambai Market in Kano State, northern Nigeria, by a group of bloodthirsty fiends, ever desirous of propitiating heaven. Her offence? Blasphemy! That age-old alibi that has allowed religious zealots to perpetrate evil. She was reported to have prevented a fellow trader from performing ablution—the act of washing oneself in preparation for formal prayers in Islam—in front of her shop.
Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, described the murder of Agbahime as “unjustifiable” and promised justice in line with the laws of the country. The police arrested two key suspects, Dauda Ahmed and Zubairu Abdullahi. Solomon Arase, the Inspector General of Police, deployed the Homicide Section of the police to ensure proper investigation which led to the arrest of three more suspects, Abdulmumeen Mustafa, Abdullahi Abubakar and Musa Abdullahi. The suspects were charged at the Kano Magistrate court on a four-count of allegedly “inciting disturbance, culpable homicide, joint act and mischief”.
That murder took place in June. Fast forward to November, five months later, and the accused are free men, ready to prowl the streets of Kano for their next victim, thanks to Nigeria’s perverted justice system. On November 4, 2016, the chief magistrate, Muhammad Jibrin, acting on the advice of the Attorney General of Kano State, discharged the case and directed the release of the suspects on the ground that, “Police investigation regarding the murder has not in any way implicated the accused and that prosecutors have failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused have indeed carried out the crime of killing Bridget.”
Agbahime’s murder wasn’t the first time and probably won’t be the last time that a citizen of Nigeria would be killed in the name of religion… By ignoring these telltale signs, we are destroying the very thin fabric that holds us together as a people. And there are many for whom this nation died a long time ago.
In what looked like a state sanction of the execution of Bridget Agbahime, the Kano State government went a step further, affirming that, “There is no case to answer as all the suspects are innocent.” So who killed Bridget Agbahime? It certainly wasn’t Donald Trump. For me, it is not so much the crime, as gruesome as it was. The real tragedy here is what appears to be the connivance of Kano State and its institutions, and by extension the Nigerian state, to uphold this death sentence passed on Bridget Agbahime.
The murder of Bridget Agbahime challenges all of us. It is beyond comprehension that a Nigerian would be so savagely beaten to death on allegation of blasphemy. It certainly is not too late to get justice for Agbahime and others who have suffered similar fate, to restore hope that ours is or could be a nation of law and order, of respect for human life and dignity of persons. By not bringing the killers of Agbahime to book, the Nigerian state is inadvertently telling us that us that ours is a lawless state; that Nigeria is Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, where warlords rule and deranged zealots exert “justice” based on their demented vision of religious codes.
Agbahime’s murder wasn’t the first time and probably won’t be the last time that a citizen of Nigeria would be killed in the name of religion unless we reclaim Nigeria from the hands of these barbaric horde and their fellow travellers. By ignoring these telltale signs, we are destroying the very thin fabric that holds us together as a people. And there are many for whom this nation died a long time ago.
The words of Pastor Mike Agbahime who witnessed the savage attack on his wife are instructive. In a November 13, 2016, interview with Punch newspaper he noted: “The saying, ‘One Nigeria’ is just mere balderdash. I say this because the leaders’ mistake is a ‘leading’ mistake. To buttress it, if our leaders cannot keep the oaths of their offices and cannot respect the sanctity of life and our constitution, there is no need to talk about oneness in Nigeria. I also say this because even if the constitution condemns killing in one part of the country and declares other people who killed in other state innocent, I wonder what kind of constitution that is.”
Let’s for once assume this murder was not done in the name of religion. It doesn’t make it any less heinous and it deserves no place in a modern democratic society. Dauda Ahmed and Zubairu Abdullahi and their cohort should be re-arrested and made to pay for their crime.
Buhari is Shameless for Saying Nigerians will Vote him in 2019 – Dr. Junaid Mohammed
Dr. Junaid Mohammed has described the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari asshameless for saying Nigerians will rally behind the President in 2019.
On Monday, the Presidency through its Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, dismissed suggestions that the masses will desert President Buhari in 2019, saying the suggestion was unfounded and utterly ridiculous, saying that “ordinary Nigerians are the backbone of his (Buhari’s) mandate and the only reason he ran for the office is to protect them against the rapacious merchants of corruption, who have held Nigeria back for decades.”
Dr. Junaid Mohammed however had this to say on the issue: “It is very unfortunate and shameless that a government that is yet to do anything is already talking of 2019.
“It is very unfortunate that a party like APC that is fast becoming moribund is already talking of 2019 when they have nothing to show for the four years Nigerians gave them. This development shows they are power-hungry, hypocritical and corruption-ridden.
“This entire 2019 discussion is ridiculous. I believe a government that has performed will rely on its performance before being considered for another four years in office.
“We are not even in the middle of the four-year term given to them and they are already talking of 2019. This is an unfortunate development and it shows the ineptitude of the government.
“For a man that has led us into the worst recession ever and has got nothing to show Nigerians since he assumed office to be talking of 2019, shows how shameless the government can be.”
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