TNN.ng: South East

Why Nnamdi Kanu’s Biafra Project Must Be Stopped - By Joe Igbokwe

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<b>Ever since former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election on March 28, 2015 which some of us knew he would never win based on the facts that we all knew and the statistics available, a majority of the Igbo have been unhappy and angry. They have been cursing and abusing the President and the All Progressives Congress leaders wishing that President Buhari never existed and the APC never formed. Many of them have been so frustrated after the election that they are now looking for a way to get back to the APC-controlled Federal Government.</b></div>
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Now, one Nnamdi Kanu who has been dreaming about the State of Biafra has provided a space for them to vent their anger. Some of them have joined him to begin to wish for the State of Biafra. Suddenly, the so-called Radio Biafra has created a momentum for them. On Facebook, I have watched with keen interest what these guys dish out on a daily basis in the name of fighting for Biafra. They tell blatant lies, create havoc, make terrible noise, they abuse other Nigerians, and they preach unimaginable propaganda and hate that at once put Igboland in potential danger. I have been waiting for the South-East governors to speak up but they have maintained a deafening silence that suggests complicity. I have also waited for our elders to caution this young man but nothing has happened. With the so-called Radio Biafra, Kanu has unleashed an unimaginable trailer-load of lies and potentially dangerous propaganda that have put the Igbo nation in danger. It is now 45 years after the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War and I think that Igbo must rise up to stop this man who apparently never saw the 1967-1970 Civil War and who may not know the implications of what he is doing. He has never consulted anybody to seek his opinion. He has been speaking to the gullible and not too educated people in Igboland, and very soon these uneducated people will take a dangerous decision that may decimate and destroy Igboland. Soon, our people will start complaining that they were not consulted. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.</div>
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Last week, I saw a photo of a group of people that gave the impression that they are getting a military training somewhere in Igboland. Later, I saw another photograph on Facebook with some youths bearing guns and Kanu standing with them. I may not know where these pictures came from and what they are planning to do but this is the time to speak out and I urge anybody who is anybody who understands where we are coming from to stand up now to be counted. Woe betides a nation whose leaders are children. If we elders do not talk about this evil, posterity will never forgive us. Let us speak out and if these children do not hear us, then it should be on record that we spoke. About a month ago, the barrage of lies and uncontrolled propaganda Radio Biafra dished out everyday drew the attention of the National Broadcasting Commission which asked Nigerians to stop listening to the pirate radio station.</div>
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Now, here are compelling reasons why the Igbo must remain in Nigeria in their own interest:</div>
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The Igbo fought a civil war of self-determination between 1967 and 1970 and lost about one million people. This should be taken as a huge price for the unity of this country. Having made this monumental supreme price, I think the Igbo should work for the unity of this country based on social justice, equity and fair play.</div>
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Nigeria has three major ethnic groups: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. The Hausa/Fulani Empire has Hausa people stretching all through the Sahel to the Sudan. They are mostly Muslims and they have contact with the Arab world. The Yoruba nation has Togo, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone and even up to Brazil and Cuba to run to where their kinsmen are. The Igbo nation has no outlet anywhere in the world where the language is spoken. Therefore, they must see Nigeria as where they belong and work for its survival.</div>
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Nigeria provided a big space for the Igbo to spread their tentacles, explore, excel and blossom. The South-East is too small for this highly mobile and dynamic people to thrive.</div>
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The world pays attention to Nigeria today because of our size and population. If Nigeria splits into smaller countries, the world will pack their bag and baggage and leave. Population and size make a nation a destination.</div>
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Ndigbo control between 60 and 70 per cent of all the imports in Nigeria and other Nigerians, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Ijaw, Efik, Birom, Tiv, Idoma etc provide a huge market for Igbo mobile and big-time traders.</div>
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Monumental inter-marriages between the Igbo and Yoruba and other ethnic groups have thrived for close to 70 years now that we cannot just dismiss all these with a wave of the hand.</div>
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Ndigbo own huge and massive investments in property in Lagos and Abuja, and other state capitals in Nigeria. Now, are you going to wish all this away?</div>
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Other Nigerian cities have provided safe havens for the Igbo as places to run to cool off whenever self-inflicted crises arise or other problems. When kidnapping became a way of life in the South-East, our people moved to other parts of Nigeria to settle. Now, where will the Igbo go when confronted with these problems in Biafra?</div>
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How can the Igbo thrive without their Lagos and Abuja or Port Harcourt? What happens to all their connections and relationships in these places?</div>
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We have been so intermarried, interwoven, intertwined, inter-related that the idea of separation may not be encouraged. I do not want to lose my friends from the other parts of Nigeria for anything.</div>
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I can go on but there is no need to continue to do so. We must be strong enough to stop this world’s old problems of looking down on people who are different from us. This is the problem of Nigeria. Nigeria’s diversity is a big plus for all of us to excel. United we stand, divided we fall. I confess that the Igbo have not played better politics in Nigeria since 1970 and that has been our bane. Anytime Nigeria wants to change a bad leadership in the country, the Igbo as a bloc will resist it. It happened in 1993 and we lost everything. In 2015, the Igbo were at it again but forces of history prevailed. The Igbo can do better than this.</div>
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However, I want Nigerian leaders to show leadership by carrying all Nigerians along in distributing power and resources. If there is no justice, there will be no peace. If there is no peace, there will be no progress. Let justice prevail.</div>
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Let us be fair to all concerned. If the truth must prevail and it must prevail, Nigeria has not been fair to Igbo since the end of the civil war. They tell us that there is no victor and no vanquished but in actions and deeds, the victors are still celebrating and enjoying the spoils of the war while the defeated are still languishing in abject neglect. For instance, of all the six zones in Nigeria, only the South-East zone has five states. We have found solace in all these because we have found out that those who are still oppressing the Igbo in Nigeria are not better. We also take solace in the findings of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that all acts of indignity against human persons, against human society debase the perpetrators more than the victims. It is not that the offended cannot forgive but have the offenders repented? This injustice must stop now for the sake of unity of this country. I wrote <i>Igbos: 25 Years After Biafra</i> in 1995 thinking that the book will prick the conscience of other Nigerians but they have not paid any attention. It has been business as usual. Now, President Buhari must address this injustice. Case rested!</div>
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<b><a href="http://www.punchng.com/opinion/why-nnamdi-kanus-biafra-project-must-be-stopped/">The Punch</a></b></div>
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Why Nnamdi Kanu’s Biafra Project Must Be Stopped - By Joe Igbokwe

Ever since former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the presidential election on March 28, 2015 which some of us knew he would never win...

VP Osinbajo In Onitsha, Commiserates With Tanker Fire Victims

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<b>Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday commiserated with the people and government of Anambra over the fuel tanker accident, which claimed over 40 lives at Upper Iweka in Onitsha.</b></div>
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Mr. Osinbajo, who visited the scene of the accident and the injured at Toronto Hospital on Wednesday, said President Muhammadu Buhari was very concerned and pained by the incident.</div>
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He said the president felt it was not enough to send a condolence message and as such asked him to go and commiserate with the people.</div>
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“Every Nigerian citizen matters to the Federal Government no matter his status or where he resides.</div>
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“Mr President asked me to come and first commiserate with Gov. Willie Obiano and Anambra people.</div>
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“He was very concerned that he felt it was not enough to issue condolence message and so asked me to come and commiserate with the people.</div>
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“I have been taken round to see the heroic action of the hospital staff and those involved in emergency.</div>
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“Unfortunately, many lost their lives but some have seen today and are responding to treatment,’’ he said.</div>
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Mr. Osinbajo told a crowd that gathered around Upper Iweka, scene of the accident, that he had been discussing with Gov. Obiano on possible ways the Federal Government and Anambra Government could cooperate to forestall further accident.</div>
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He commended Mr. Obiano for undertaking to settle the hospital bills of the victims.</div>
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Earlier, while briefing the vice-president, Mr. Obiano said the Anambra Government had banned long trucks and petrol tankers from plying roads in Anambra during the day.</div>
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The governor said the government had banned heavy duty vehicles from plying state roads, adding that they must trans-load their cargoes on getting to state roads.</div>
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According to him, the materials used in constructing state roads are not the same as the ones used in building federal roads and each time heavy duty trucks ply state roads, they cause heavy damage on them. </div>
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VP Osinbajo In Onitsha, Commiserates With Tanker Fire Victims

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday commiserated with the people and government of Anambra over the fuel tanker accident, which c...

Why We Sold Our Child for ₦350,000, Couple Confess

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<b>A Nollywood actor and his wife have sensationally told the police why they decided to sell their two-year-old son, Samuel Chukwuneye for ₦350,000 to a Port Harcourt based woman simply identified as Ogechi. </b></div>
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The couple, though not legally married, had been living together. They were identified as Kanayo Awurum, 29, and Ugochi Kelechi, 28, both of who are from Ikeduru Local Government Area in Imo State.</div>
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Trouble started when Ugochi, who is pregnant with their second child, suspected that her live-in lover, who she claimed gave out their son temporarily to Ogechi, was planning to abandon her in Lagos. She alerted and confessed to the police about what they did before relocating to Lagos. Kanayo was arrested and handed over to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos police command, Ikeja for further investigation. </div>
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According to a police source, Kanayo, who is an upcoming Nollywood actor impregnated Ugochi more than two years ago and ran away. He returned sometime in October 2014 and apologized to her with a promise to marry her. Ugochi accepted him back and got pregnant again. When his resources dwindled, he convinced Ugochi to relocate with him to Lagos State as soon as they were able to raise money.</div>
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He convinced her to use their son as a collateral to collect a loan that will be paid back in three months. Unknown to Ugochi, her son was sold to one Mrs Ogechi who lives in Port Harcourt. Armed with the proceed of the sale, the couple relocated to Lagos and rented an apartment at Ikotun, Lagos. Two weeks later, Kanayo travelled home with an excuse that there was a project that he was called upon to execute. He left his lover with little or no money with the promise to return in two days. Days dragged into weeks and Ugochi was left at the mercy of the landlord and neighbours who gave her money for feeding.</div>
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Although Kanayo called giving excuses why he was yet to return, Ugochi became frustrated especially when her lover told her that their son, Samuel might not return again. She also learnt from the landlord, that her lover was making arrangement to collect the remaining part of the rent and send her packing. Ugochi confided in their family friend who alerted the police of the development.</div>
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Pleading for mercy, Kanayo said that he took the decision because of his quest to give Ugochi who he described as his fiancée a better life. </div>
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"I met Ugochi during our secondary school days in Amakaohia Comprehensive High School, Ikeduru, Imo state. We became lovers and continued our relationship after graduation. Fortunately, she got pregnant in 2012. I asked her to keep the baby because I loved her so much and wanted her to be the mother of my children. I met her brother who told me what to do to legalize the relationship. Sincerely, I wanted to legalize it but, I did not have much money so I left Ikeduru for Owerri. I am a trained painter and was also fortunate to be allowed to feature in some Nigerian movies. During that time, I called her severally to explain why I had to run to Owerri. She was angry and refused to pick my call or see reasons with me", Kanayo narrated.</div>
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In October 2014, Kanayo returned and sought the love and forgiveness of Ugochi who had given birth to a baby boy. </div>
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"With the little money that I had, I was ready to marry Ugochi. I pleaded with her severally and luckily, she accepted. I made another attempt to ask for her hand in marriage and her family vehemently refused. They threatened to get me arrested if I dared to come close to their sister again. But because she loves me so much, we continued our relationship till she became pregnant again.</div>
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"At this point we needed to leave town before her family would notice that she is pregnant again. I convinced her to elope with me to Lagos where we will start our lives together till her family is ready to accept me as their in-law.</div>
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"I was already broke and was sourcing for loan. My plan was to travel to Lagos and contact my mentor, Jerry Leonard who is also an actor and film producer. All the persons that I met for a loan refused but another actor, Emmanuel (full names withheld by us) gave me the only way out", he said.</div>
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The only way out given to him was to sell his two-year-old son and get quick money. </div>
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"He told me to use what I have to get what I don't have. Initially, I wanted to use my son as a collateral to get a loan but Emmanuel said that outright sale will be the best. He was the one who contacted, Mrs. Ogechi from Port Harcourt with the promise that I will pay him ₦50,000. I simply told Ugochi that the baby will be kept with one woman till we settle down. Since we were eloping, there was no need to contact any family member. Luckily, the woman paid ₦350,000 and I gave Emmanuel Ibeh ₦50,000.</div>
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"I contacted my mentor, Jerry and he was able to secure an accommodation for us in Ikotun area of Lagos", he further said.</div>
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Kanayo insisted that he had plans to return and trace his son. </div>
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"I know that what I did was bad but I did it to protect my fiancée. She will be an object of ridicule by her family if they discovered that she is pregnant again without a husband. I returned to Owerri when my brother called me that there is a big painting job. My plan was to also raise money to buy back our son. Meanwhile, we were having several issues with the house and I asked the landlord to refund us part of the money we paid. Unfortunately, I never knew that Ugochi had reported me to the police. I was arrested when I returned to Lagos to collect part of the money we paid for that house at Ikotun. I am sorry but all I did was out of love", Kanayo said.</div>
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He claimed that he played prominent roles in several nollywood movies including Fist of Vengence, Destiny Child and Rough Chase.</div>
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Ugochi on her part said that she never knew that their son was to be used as collateral. “I am pregnant and he convinced me that travelling down to Lagos with a small child would be stressful. He told me that my son, Samuel will be kept in his sister’s house for about two months when we would have settled down. It was also his son, so I felt that whatever plan he has was for our own good. I never knew that he was having money problem. We just reconciled and he was taking good care of me and my son ever since he returned. He only told me that the process of settling down is very stressful.</div>
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"When we got to Lagos, I kept reminding him of our son and he told me that he would soon return to Owerri to pick him up. Towards the end of April, he travelled home for a painting job and left me with little or nothing to eat. Life was hard and I relied on the landlord, neighbours and his mentor Jerry to survive. I pleaded with him to return our son and he kept telling me that I should not be in a hurry. I was forced to confess to the police when I learnt that he wanted to collect back the money he paid for the house that we were living in. I felt he had abandoned me, that was why I opened up to his mentor Jerry. I am aware that he wanted us to relocate from that house but he was no longer providing for me'', Ugochi said.</div>
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On why she agreed in the first place to elope, Ugochi said: "I was and I am still in love with him. I have dated him for more than 10 years and so far he is a caring gentleman. When I got pregnant in 2012, he asked me to keep the child. He also made effort to see my family but when he was given the list of things to buy, he ran away. I was devastated and refused to pick his calls when he tried to get across to me. He even sent his friends to me. My family protected me till I gave birth in November 2012. Sometime in October 2014, he returned and started begging again. I love him, so I had no choice but to accept him back. He was actually ready to marry me but my family members refused. They even sent my brother to their house to drop a piece of kolanut. What that meant was that they are at liberty to beat him up, if he dares to come around seeking for my hand in marriage. I love him and I am pregnant again. I cannot bear the shame for the second time that was why I agreed to elope with him.</div>
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"This was why I did not even contact my family when I was dying of hunger and it was obvious that my baby might not return. He actually called his mentor and told him that our son died in a car accident while they were on their way back to Lagos", Ugochi further said.</div>
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Continuing, she said that she cannot believe that Kanayo could sell their son for money. </div>
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"I miss my son and I want him back. He was fooling me all this while, but I love him".</div>
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Describing Kanayo as an upcoming actor in Nollywood, Jerry Leonard said he was not aware of the illicit transaction till Ugochi confessed to him. </div>
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"I am a Martial art instructor and also a successful movie producer. I know him from my maternal village, Ikeduru where I discovered that he had great skills in acting. He had featured in several movies of which I connected him to the producers.</div>
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"Sometime in March, he called that he wants to relocate to Lagos and pursue his acting career. As agreed, I got a mini flat for them close to the area where I live in Ikotun. He told me that he was coming with his wife. I signed as guarantor to secure the accommodation. I was surprised when the landlord called me that Kanayo was planning to leave the compound. He was the one who told me that Ogechi was stranded and comes around to beg for food. I intervened and called Kanayo who said that he had a project and would soon return. Ogechi then opened up to me when I informed her, that her husband (as he was made to believe) said that their son died in an accident. I was confused and not sure what my suspicion could be. We now arranged with the landlord to ask him to come and collect part of the money he spent on rent.</div>
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"I had some young men around who overpowered him. He confessed to me, pleading that he had plans to go back and rescue their son. I alerted the police and they came and picked him up'', Jerry narrated.</div>
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Confirming the incident, Lagos State police spokesman, Kenneth Nwosu said that the police is on the trail of one Emmanuel who was alleged to have initiated the transaction and Ogechi, the woman who bought the baby. </div>
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"The Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti has directed the officer in-charge of SARS, SP Abba Kyari to ensure that baby Samuel is found and the other accomplices arrested and prosecuted", he stressed.</div>
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Why We Sold Our Child for ₦350,000, Couple Confess

A Nollywood actor and his wife have sensationally told the police why they decided to sell their two-year-old son, Samuel Chukwuneye f...

Human Flesh Restaurant Story, Wider Smear Campaign - ANSG

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg446r_xjRwzG8TbxErG9_F_PRi0-CqwsNsosR0cdQjgKC7bEqi8O9t8oOu_ogUighyphenhyphenKe58mUBaShCuBdsC08i2EIibbClif8QU5NFVE-KgGXm2dw06AIQkJDqRfHTL6-vNOERl74_9Uw9u/s1600/Anambra+State.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg446r_xjRwzG8TbxErG9_F_PRi0-CqwsNsosR0cdQjgKC7bEqi8O9t8oOu_ogUighyphenhyphenKe58mUBaShCuBdsC08i2EIibbClif8QU5NFVE-KgGXm2dw06AIQkJDqRfHTL6-vNOERl74_9Uw9u/s1600/Anambra+State.png" /></a></div>
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<b>The Anambra State Government on Thursday described the story of a purported restaurant in the State, which serves human flesh as meat to unsuspected members of the public, as the handiwork of anti-democratic forces.</b></div>
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State Commissioner for Information, Youth and Culture, Dr. Mary Nwogu, in a statement, made available to newsmen in Awka, the state capital, described the story as a "wider smear campaign" by enemies of the state.</div>
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The statement read: "The attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to a false and malicious report circulating on social media over the purported closure by the Nigerian Police of a restaurant selling human flesh in Anambra State.</div>
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"This story, as reprehensible and false as it is, was also published by a national daily, which has since retracted it and apologised, having found it to be untrue.</div>
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"The government of Anambra State, having investigated the story and found same to be false, hereby urges <i>Ndi Anambra</i> and friends of the state to ignore the said story as it is part of a wider smear campaign by anti-democratic forces and enemies of progress, who have been attempting to sabotage the fast-paced visible infrastructural and social development going on in the state.</div>
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"These individuals, who go by various aliases on social media and on some other media platforms, have continued to feed unsuspecting members of the public with lies about Anambra State in the hope that they will distract the present administration."</div>
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The state government added: "It is instructive that the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police, Anambra State Command, Uche Ezeh, had, in an earlier statement to the media, debunked the false story.</div>
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"Anambra State, the light of the nation, is open for business and is now the destination of choice in Nigeria for investors looking for a government friendly investment climate, security, large market, attractive return on investment, skilled manpower and supporting infrastructure".</div>
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Human Flesh Restaurant Story, Wider Smear Campaign - ANSG

The Anambra State Government on Thursday described the story of a purported restaurant in the State, which serves human flesh as meat t...

Restaurant Cooking, Serving Human Flesh Shut

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrsD1AjdxueaawSsPPREqIo-7DWwh7QaQIif7wxDbzdY1QOHVr1dkMTR4XzvGTPH5xzDZYgDruTJi9JtZ_nWnQSzD2x2JikVeU12XMYL9a5zKRhWOPn2GsH0HO-JYEEHeQPpaFNdsbO7w/s1600/Anambra+State.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJrsD1AjdxueaawSsPPREqIo-7DWwh7QaQIif7wxDbzdY1QOHVr1dkMTR4XzvGTPH5xzDZYgDruTJi9JtZ_nWnQSzD2x2JikVeU12XMYL9a5zKRhWOPn2GsH0HO-JYEEHeQPpaFNdsbO7w/s1600/Anambra+State.png" /></a></div>
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<b>A restaurant in Anambra has reportedly been shut down for cooking human flesh and serving it to customers.</b></div>
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The police were tipped off by locals who suspected something horrific was taking place inside the kitchen.</div>
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They raided the hotel restaurant to discover human heads which were still dripping with blood in plastic bags.</div>
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A local priest who ate at the restaurant was alarmed at the price of meals there, let alone where the meat came from, <i><b>BBC Swahili</b></i> reported.</div>
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He was presented with a bill of ₦700.</div>
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The priest said: ‘The attendant noticed my reaction and told me it was the small piece of meat I had eaten that made the bill scale that high.</div>
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"I did not know I had been served with human meat, and that it was that expensive."</div>
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The police also found a terrifying arsenal of weapons which included grenades when they raided the restaurant. Ten people were arrested in connection to the crimes.</div>
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One resident said: "I am not surprised at the shocking revelation. Every time I went to the market, I observed strange activities going on in the hotel.</div>
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"People who were never cleanly dressed and who looked a bit strange made their way in and out of the hotel, making me very suspicious of their activities."</div>
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Restaurant Cooking, Serving Human Flesh Shut

A restaurant in Anambra has reportedly been shut down for cooking human flesh and serving it to customers. The police were tipped o...

Igbos, Fayose And The Reasonableness Of A Voter's Choice - By Ugoji Egbujo

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoP4uveyh-qIovqLL6cFlJ7bd76jSGM5y7GO05rg2N1y1tEJJVdOoNgF_7ODWznVi9lePAZSqhGLeiA3rU8x5kkqvGDkKSx4vBBG_UpNrJ3Z7r7Wy2S68_T-lpbMjAiBYJVYEe502A19u/s1600/Igbos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaoP4uveyh-qIovqLL6cFlJ7bd76jSGM5y7GO05rg2N1y1tEJJVdOoNgF_7ODWznVi9lePAZSqhGLeiA3rU8x5kkqvGDkKSx4vBBG_UpNrJ3Z7r7Wy2S68_T-lpbMjAiBYJVYEe502A19u/s1600/Igbos.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>When can anyone justifiably criticize the choice made by a voter?</b></div>
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Voters, no doubt, have misconceptions and biases and are often enamoured of trivia like charm and oratory and beauty. Voters are supposed to be public spirited and should advance the common good. But what really is a sensible choice? So much subjectivity is embedded in these seemingly value neutral evaluations. Voters can only really be judged by clear objective context specific standards. Since ignorance of relevant political and economical issues afflicts the voting public of even the western nations, voters in Nigeria would not merit any moral criticism for being relatively unenlightened. So when would a criticism not amount to an attempt at illegitimate restriction on self determination?</div>
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There has been a flurry of criticism directed at Igbos for their near exclusive preference of Jonathan in the last presidential elections. And I had on this column attributed their reflexive rejection of the APC to naivety and bigotry. Many have wondered why Ekiti people chose seemingly obstreperous Fayose rather than an urbane and articulate Fayemi. And not a few openly criticized that choice and attributed it to what they termed 'stomach infrastructure' a euphemistic term for exploitative inducement of voters with food and money. Why are many contemptuous of the Ekiti electorate for the choice they made? Are there any moral justifications for such widely held contempt?</div>
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What would reasonably justify the moral criticism of a voter’s preference? Democracy entails equality and allocates one vote to every man despite the fact that all men aren’t similarly intellectually endowed or politically informed. Left to John Stuart Mills , university graduates would have 5 votes each while unskilled labourers would have one. It would appear that current democratic practice prioritizes moral equality of persons above the rationality of outcomes. So democracy seeks to enthrone freedom through the widest possible equal consensual participation and perhaps purchases that at the cost of some rationality and perhaps efficiency.</div>
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Since democracy no longer seeks to weight intellectual capacity and insists on participation by nearly everyone rather than a select committee of very wise men it would then appear that voter preferences are in a sense incommensurables. Like the choice of colours or music. But voter choices unlike choice of colours can have very significant consequences on the lives of others. Electoral outcomes can be harmful. So voters must have some moral obligations .</div>
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Man, being a self interested agent, is not ordinarily suicidal. The social contract theory suggests that man preferred life in organized communities in furtherance of his self interests. In mutually submitting to the laws and coercive powers of the state every Nigerian citizen expects an improvement of individual autonomy</div>
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Personal autonomy is the capacity to choose and pursue a life path. The primary function of the state is to enhance the personal autonomy of citizens by increasing viable options and providing an enabling environment for individual and collective self realizations. An individual decreases his personal autonomy when he embraces harmful options. The unfettered freedom of an individual can be justifiably circumscribed by the state only to prevent him from either harming himself or harming others. So while a person has freedom to author his life he will rightly earn moral criticisms, and perhaps criminal sanctions in some cases, when he acts in a way that actually or potentially harms others or himself.</div>
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If harm is understood to mean the encroachment on freedoms then a man perhaps does not harm himself by voting an illiterate person rather than a professor. Because there is no factual necessary harm associated with that choice. Like a member of the Jury, a voter owes no one any explanation for voting in line with reasonably held beliefs. However , a misogynist who would not countenance the idea of voting for a woman can be morally criticized if the only reason for rejecting a certain candidate is gender prejudice. For in discriminating against women such a voter limits the freedom of others to be full members of the society, denies them human dignity and harms the general society.</div>
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Igbos are entitled to freely exercise their franchise like anyone else. And they can vote for whomsoever they want. Any one who is manifestly harmful should not be an electoral option in the first place because it is the duty of government to identify and remove harmful options from such public menu. This is not perfectionism of any sort. That is why convicted felons cannot run for elective positions even in many very liberal jurisdictions.</div>
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I criticized a rather wholesale rejection of the APC by Igbos on two grounds. One moral ground and one prudential ground. Igbos who rejected the APC by labeling it an Islamic party showed unhealthy religious bias which is harmful to the polity. I must not be misunderstood. There is nothing morally wrong with a Christian voting another Christian because they share same faith and there is nothing wrong with a Muslim acting likewise. But it would amount to religious intolerance or discrimination for a Christian to reject the idea of voting for anyone who is a Muslim solely on the grounds of religion. Every citizen of plural society has an ethical duty of civility.</div>
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We need to get the distinction right. Okeke can rightly refuse to vote an Ibrahim whom he reasonably believes is an Islamic fundamentalist. Because his right to religious freedom may be circumscribed by the election of such an intolerant fellow. But Okeke lacks moral justification to reject out rightly, based on religious considerations, a Balarabe who is a law abiding Muslim, who understands that tolerance is an indispensable virtue in a plural society. And it is not enough for Okeke to whimsically label Balarabe a muslim fundamentalist to avoid moral condemnations because that belief must be reasonably held, evidence based. Since the labeling of APC as an anti-Igbo, Islamic party was purely conjectural and unreasonable there was then no justification for a total rejection of the party on religious or ethnic grounds.</div>
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I criticized the rejection of the APC by Igbos on another ground. I considered it naïve for an industrious, well dispersed, competitive ethnic group like the Igbo whose priority must the enthronement of equity, stability and fairness to fail to realize that their interest would best served by the coming of a strong national party to end one party domination, to create a truly national multi party democratic setting. The emergence and entrenchment of the APC and the political competition it would engender is in the overall best interest of the Igbo. It was patently shortsighted to dismiss the party on mere sentiments. This second criticism is however not a moral criticism but a criticism founded on prudential considerations.</div>
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Since there is no consensus on what amounts to overriding Igbo interests, some Igbos may perhaps give priority to an apparent emerging solidarity with the South South. Many others consider a resistance against the prospect of a return of Hausa-Fulani hegemony as having priority over the need for a second national party. Many passionately held the later view and they cannot be accused of ethnic or religious prejudice because they may have been conditioned by empirical experience. It is always beneficial to accommodate the voter’s subjectivity and analyze from the voter’s internal perspective. Igbos cannot therefore attract any moral criticism on this score</div>
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But then many have criticized the Igbo for the wrong reasons. For instance, the Oba of Lagos . And such savage displays of presumptuousness and crude attacks on freedom of choice have managed to polarize the polity to the extent any meaningful discourse on the reasonableness of a group’s electoral choice is now potentially inflammable.</div>
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Criticisms of the Igbo that border on voting for pecuniary benefits deserve more than a mention. Financial inducements did not make Igbos to vote for Jonathan. A few of the reasons why that happened have been proffered above. The conclusions and criticisms that rest on materialism are nonsensical. Similar criticisms have been levied against the people of Ekiti state. I would argue that Ekiti people voted Fayose for reasons besides material inducement. I do not seek to exonerate Fayose who has admitted employing such exploitative tactics.</div>
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But suppose they did. Can anyone criticize the choice of a voter in Nigeria who voted in a certain direction even if the direction was influenced by certain material benefits?</div>
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Lets get it straight, it’s criminal to buy or sell votes, the electoral act is explicit. But if I am so economically desperate that a gift of a bag of rice, three days to an election, sways my sympathy in one way or the other, have I really sold my vote? This isn’t same defence like "I stole the bread because I was dying of hunger" . Selling in this circumstance must entail an unconscionable conduct by reason of a payment. Is the conscience of the desperate and dispossessed down trodden pricked by the acceptance of such gifts?</div>
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How much luxury for niceties do the poor have? Why wouldn’t a desperate poor man accept money to meet his needs? What really are his options? In a country where there are no social security nets, do voters view any benefits, any such inducements as exploitative? And can they really be so if the poor gets practically nothing else from decadent politicians? Should poor voters rather give their votes to hypocritical politicians who entice them with policies and promises they have no intention to fulfill? These beguiling politicians who induce poor voters with cash or with false promises are unscrupulous exploiters no doubt. But can we read any culpability into the act of impoverished voters who accept material gifts? Can we all pretend to have this same luxury of low time discounting? You know that talk of mortgaging the future. Isn’t it true that for some, today is all that matters and not by choice? You know about living from “hand to mouth”.</div>
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Democracy must have some preconditions. A substantial part of the electorate must be free. The majority of Nigerians living below poverty lines are not free. A man who is not free does not have a free conscience and it would take valour to reject inducements. So is the exploited majority somehow condemned to a vicious cycle of domination by these manipulators?</div>
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Well, unfortunately, it would appear that the rulers believe so. They loot the treasury, deny the poor amenities and leave them desperate. Then prey on them, take their votes and head back into the treasury. The status quo where a privileged few in public and private sectors are extremely rich living off the majority who are desperately wretched and destitute is morally and practically unsustainable. Democracy has been held hostage. I pray that the time does not come when the poor will have to eat the rich. Why can’t every citizen must be accorded human dignity? A social security net for the poor, unemployed and elderly is imperative. Affordable health, compulsory education and accessible shelter are non negotiable. That way choice may be free.</div>
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<b>Vanguard</b></div>
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Igbos, Fayose And The Reasonableness Of A Voter's Choice - By Ugoji Egbujo

When can anyone justifiably criticize the choice made by a voter? Voters, no doubt, have misconceptions and biases and are often en...

Igbo Leaders Must Learn From Tinubu, Says Okafor

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkWsjUAXsxM9Yot379VRQYWhijjxPv_P5wT4fZxXQHhHmGRHe48DDwiA2HIXh4nmZoZEQvgMu2v3PqRgDJCyuGm4PtLJJIbbZWy34ssZn_rKim6iLSL1ViqxaQdiZdZS11pbFgzoN1oul/s1600/Tinubu22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzkWsjUAXsxM9Yot379VRQYWhijjxPv_P5wT4fZxXQHhHmGRHe48DDwiA2HIXh4nmZoZEQvgMu2v3PqRgDJCyuGm4PtLJJIbbZWy34ssZn_rKim6iLSL1ViqxaQdiZdZS11pbFgzoN1oul/s1600/Tinubu22.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Former Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council in the state, Mr. Chima Okafor told journalists in an interactive session that political leaders in the South-east have a lot to learn from former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu. <i>Shola Oyeyipo</i> brings the excerpts:</b></div>
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<b>Why did you leave Governor Peter Obi's cabinet?</b></div>
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I left on the grounds of principle. I saw that the direction wasn’t the direction to serve the people and if there is anything, the trend of event has justified why I left. I had to leave because I cannot work under such a situation.</div>
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No amount of monetary inducement can justify why I had to leave my young family to come down to work. If I had projects I was doing that relate with the people; if I brought my children down, I’d be able to justify why I left when I was not with them and they will know their dad is a responsible person. So, I saw a different approach and I cannot in all fairness go along with my conscience. That was why I said I resigned on principle and at the appropriate time, I will go into details. It is not easy but you can see the trend of events.</div>
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When you have principle, it is better you die on principle so that it would be said this man died on principle. If it is earning salary and all that, I will still be in Anambra perhaps but it is not that easy. Principle comes at a price. At a stage, my life was in danger. I was threatened and I made a report to my governor; he ignored it. A situation where my life was threatened over certain principle stands on issues, I decided I had to leave because it was no longer a project worth sacrificing your life for.</div>
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<b>How realisable is the Igbo presidency in the foreseeable future?</b></div>
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Our permutation and projection is this, the election has exposed the underbellies of Igbo leadership and the cause for re-thinking. Where hustlers parade themselves as Igbo leaders is a tragedy for us. So, we are trying to start a new thing so that our people will see beyond porridges and have principle stand and I give you one instance. Mr. Peter Obi was in a position – I can authoritatively say that, to do the same thing Senator Bola Tinubu did in the South-west. That is the difference between vision and porridge.</div>
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When you see leadership, it comes with sacrifice and you must be focused on it. These things Asiwaju is doing, they were not a one-day thing but people have seen what he has done now. Everybody is toasting him now, even those who never believed in his principle and never cherished what he was doing. We had the opportunity to do the same thing in the South-east – that was part of why I left. When you control the five block states, it becomes a block and you’ll be able to negotiate with other power blocks. That is how it is done!</div>
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In any event, GMB came to our people how many times? They disappointed him. Yes they did, except Chuba of blessed memory, who stood by him. Emezioke ended up trading his son for position. He reached out to our people but they never appreciated him. Now, my people have been calling me, but what are they calling for? To see how they can come in, collect and move on.</div>
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That is not life! What we need is a total change. It will get worse before our people realise and we believe we are on the ground now. They have seen the folly of their actions. Even in investment. You are always told to disperse your assets so that you edge. Even our son, Dr. Alex Ekwueme who was founder of G-6, to G-12, to G-18 and to G-34 - where is he today in the scheme of things?</div>
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Is it not enough for someone who has conscience to say please, enough is enough? Don’t treat us this way. We need to organise together to get the power block for Igbo presidency, but it requires hard work – coming together first and foremost so that you can speak with one voice and have credible leaders.</div>
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We are already in the process of that. The election that threw up GMB, has already started a revolution in Igbo land because it’s either they go to sleep or we force them to see so that we can follow the appropriate channel and key into the project.</div>
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Part of what we told our people, when we were selling the APC was that the party is a national party and it has shown in the election by spread. Per chance, if GMB runs eight years by rotation power comes down to South. And if you have a power block, the natural thing will be that South-west and South-south have had shots, so you tradeoff with the two other power structures to say, 'please can we have a shot too?' That is how it is done. It is concession! Nobody freely gives you, but you must have shown strength so that the other will be able to listen to you. But when we are not organised and speak with one voice, who would you speak with and who do you form alliances with?</div>
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We want to rest those who are parading themselves as leaders because they have been exposed. Even when the president of the United States, for the first time in history, addressed Nigerians directly, it didn’t strike them that some fundamentals are going on because they don’t read. They don’t even understand. Eight opposition leaders have taken over in Africa.</div>
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So, you must show strength of character and that is what the APC has done in terms of General Buhari. His lieutenant, Tinubu, what money can you give to him? What joy can he not drive from what he has done for his people?</div>
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<b>What should Nigerians expect from the incoming administration as from May 29?</b></div>
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You have started seeing the changes. Even without being sworn in, his election has been able to restore confidence in the economy and you can see that foreign investors have started coming in. It is three things. He would do them: security, economy and corruption.</div>
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United States of America stopped buying our oil. It is not that they stopped importing from other countries, rather, what they were importing from us; they distributed Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Mexico. They stopped buying one barrel from us. Why? Because they know the money ends up in private pockets. So when you say there is no tsunami in Nigeria you are joking because the greatest tsunami is corruption – a situation where someone appropriates something his tenth generation does not even need.</div>
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With GMB and his vice-president, Prof. Osinbajo, you will see dramatic change. The manifesto will be followed and would be implemented. There is no question about that, so you will see changes in terms of infrastructure development, power generation and all that. Give him one year or thereabout, you will see. The problem has been with leadership. Once a leader takes a stand and gives direction, everybody follows suit.</div>
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So, even the change we are talking about is now on every person’s mind. It is not to do with APC again; the change now is between you and me.</div>
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<b>Is your party not afraid of the burden of expectations?</b></div>
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It is not an easy task. He is on a rescue mission, so the expectation is very high, but we pray God will give him the strength and the enablement to meet our aspiration.</div>
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<b>Do you think all these are achievable in view of the fears that the Hausa/Fulani could hijack power and fence off Buhari from the rest of the country?</b></div>
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I will not descend to this. Whoever knows the General knows that he has a mind of his own. The country has gone beyond myopic or ethnic infrastructure. That is global world for you. You can discuss with someone in Sokoto through phones, internet and all that. So, if you are not transparent others will pick it. So, those primordial fears, I don’t see them. If you are relating with him one-on-one, you will know who he is.</div>
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He knows very collectively everybody worked for him and the love that has been shown to him in this country, it is going to be very difficult for a section or a group to lay claim to the presidency. If there is any group that one would say could lay emphasis on the presidency, it is the South-west – Tinubu, but we believe the process that threw up Buhari, was sanctioned by God. It couldn’t have been possible without God’s doing. Could you have imagined what would have happened if the South-west traded off their support? We have to be realistic. Just like I’m saying, the South-east, people could say we didn’t vote but we worked. I was telling them in the meeting.</div>
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<b>If you have an opportunity to serve in General Buhari’s cabinet, would you go for it?</b></div>
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I would be delighted to offer my services. I opted out because I believe the objective of why I came to serve was no longer being met. It is not drawing salaries or being taken care of. Once I come into something I have objective and when those objectives are no longer feasible and those things are not working according to programme – that is all. So, if I’m found suitable in any position, I will contribute positively and that is the way it should be because the key thing is that he needs capable hands to drive the process to deliver democracy dividends.</div>
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<b>ThisDay</b></div>
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Igbo Leaders Must Learn From Tinubu, Says Okafor

Former Anambra State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Coordinator, All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Counci...

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