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  • Starship to leave for Mars at end of 2026 – Elon Musk

    Starship to leave for Mars at end of 2026 – Elon Musk

    SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Saturday its massive Starship rocket would leave for Mars at the end of 2026 with Tesla humanoid robot Optimus onboard, adding that human landings could follow “as soon as 2029.”

    “Starship departs for Mars at the end of next year, carrying Optimus. If those landings go well, then human landings may start as soon as 2029, although 2031 is more likely,” Musk said on his X social network.

    Starship — the world’s largest and most powerful rocket — is key to Musk’s long-term vision of colonizing Mars.

    NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.

    But before SpaceX can carry out those missions, it must prove the vehicle is reliable, safe for crew, and capable of complex in-orbit refueling — critical for deep space missions.

    SpaceX faced a setback this month when its latest test flight of the Starship prototype ended in a fiery explosion, even as the booster was successfully caught in its orbital test.

    It was a near replay of the previous attempt.

    Minutes after liftoff and booster separation, a live video feed showed the upper stage tumbling uncontrollably before the signal abruptly cut.

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said SpaceX will be required to conduct an investigation before it can fly again.

  • IPoB tackles Abia police boss, alleges intimidation of Igbo people

    IPoB tackles Abia police boss, alleges intimidation of Igbo people

    NNEWI——- THE Indigenous People of Biafa, IPoB, has accused the Abia State Police Commissioner of intimidating Igbo in the state while their Fulani counterparts attack them.

    The pro-Biafra group warned the Abia police boss to refrain from such alleged acts of intimidation to avoid promoting hatred between the host communities and their visitors in the state.

    IPoB in a statement entitled, “IPoB warns Abia Police Commissioner to stop the intimidation, Ndigbo must defend themselves against Fulani attackers” alleged that the state Police boss had summoned some leaders from the Nkpa community in Isikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State over alleged false accusations of the murder of a Fulani herdsman in their community.

    IPoB’s ststement read, “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, worldwide has been drawn to the summoning of some leaders from Nkpa community in Isikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State by the Abia State Police Commissioner, over the false accusations of the murder of a terrorist herdsman in their community.

    “The IPOB intelligence unit has confirmed that Abia State Police Commissioner and his group of clueless and unprofessional officers summoned the leaders of Nkpa community for defending their community against the murderous terrorists getdsmen who rape their women and kidnap people for ransom.

    “The terrorists’ herdsmen informed their brothers in the Nigerian Police that the community murdered one of their terrorist brothers. The terrorists are setting the stage to invade the community with this false accusation. The false alarm was a strategy to use the Nigerian Police to intimidate the Nkpa community for obstructing their terrorists’ plans.

    “The terrorists’ sympathetic Nigerian Police Commissioner in Abia State should stop intimidating our people in order to leave their communities vulnerable for a violent ethnic community to attack and kill them at will.

    “We want to warn the Abia Police boss that the ESN does not need the communities’ approval to defend our land against any terrorists. We learnt that some people from Nkpa community were invited by the Abia State Police Commissioner for interrogations.

    “The list of the invitees are Mazi Ernest Lekweke – Youth leader, Bishop elect Ugoo Nwosu, the President General of the community, the woman leader, and the community Vigilante commander, Mazi Okechukwu Felix Okoro.

    “We were reliably informed that the Abia Police Commissioner, through his proxy officers, grilled the above-named persons for hours and forced them to accept that a Fulani terrorist was killed in their community when no such thing happened.

    “The Nigerian Police is pressuring the people to accept the case of Fulani murder and to produce those responsible. The question IPoB is asking the Nigerian Police is how many times have the Nigerian Police invited Fulani leaders for interrogations over uncountable terrorist attacks by the Fulani herdsmen anywhere in Igbo land?

    “The Abia State Police Commissioner must stop provoking Ndigbo, he should stop promoting hatred between Ndigbo and Funanis or any ethnic group. If anything untoward happens to those people they interrogated and the Nkpa community, the Police Commissioner will be held responsible.

    “It is important that the Abia State Police Commissioner support those defending themselves against terrorists herdsmen’s invasion or leave them alone. The terrorist ethnic group masquerading as herdsmen are always the actual aggressors against indigenous Nigerians, but they deceptively claim to be victims anywhere they are.

    “These invaders are the most violent and dangerous ethnic group in sub-Saharan Africa and have been named among the most dangerous terror groups in the world.

    “It is obvious that the Muslim -Muslim Presidency ticket and term in office is a secret code for the continuation and completion of the Fulanization agenda in Nigeria. The terrorists have killed thousands of civilians and security forces across Nigeria, yet the government of Nigeria has never proscribed them as terrorists.

    “The entire State Institutions from the Nigerian Judiciary, Police, Army, DSS, etc, are colluding with them in their quest to kill, destroy, displace, and occupy indigenous people’s communities in Nigeria.

    “When we tell people that the Nigerian government is behind the Fulani murderous terrorist activities, some ignorant Nigerians argue. A few days ago, the public was awash with a sickening judgement from the Nigeria Supreme Court that upheld a death sentence by hanging from a High Court Judge in Yobe against a man called Sunday Jackson for defending himself against a Fulani terrorist 10 years ago.

    “The Nigerian government, her security agencies, and the judiciary are accomplices. Perhaps they are either under mysterious powers or they are all working hard to establish Nigeria as a radical extremist Islamic Caliphate. But as long as IPoB and ESN are concerned, Biafra land will not bow to radical Islamic conquest.

    “Biafra land is not a conquered territory and will never be conquered. IPoB worldwide is bringing to the attention of the Abia Police Commissioner and the terrorist sympathetic federal government that IPoB will never allow their plans to intimidate Ndigbo nor to defend themselves against the rampaging terrorists.

    “Self-defense is an inalienable right of every person. Only a tree will stand and watch while being cut down. The Nigerian government and her compromised judiciary and security are all colluding to frustrate people’s efforts to defend themselves against the state-sponsored terrorists.

    “IPoB refuses to allow Ndigbo to be vulnerable to terrorist attacks without resistance. Terrorists masquerading as herdsmen cannot be allowed to kill our people without resisting them.

    IPoB is, therefore, calling on Ndigbo at home and in the Diaspora to mobilise resources and prepare to defend themselves against terrorists and invaders who enjoy the support of the Nigerian government and her security forces.

    “We can not fold our arms and watch these marauding terrorists attack and kill our people at will. Self-defense is lawful even when the Nigerian Supreme Court tried to take away the inalienable right of people to defend themselves with their perverse judgement against Mr. Sunday Jackson.

    “ESN operatives will be on the ground in many parts of Biafra land to defend our people and deal with the terrorists. Biafrans should get in touch with ESN through our contact lines when under threat from the janjaweed terrorists.

    “ESN does not need approval from community leaders, PGs, or vigilante commanders to go after terrorists. ESN operatives are not answerable to any community leader on matters involving the security of our land.

    “The ESN was solely formed to deter and to defeat the terrorists’ attacks and destruction in Biafra land. The Abia State Police Commissioner, be warned! Biafra land is not Yobe State, where Mr. Sunday Jackson was sentenced to death by an ethnic sympathetic judge for defending himself against a Fulani terrorist.

    Such a barbaric and disgusting judgment is one of the reasons Nigeria remains irredeemable. To deter the terrorist plans, the ESN tactical team has been ordered to move into the area and to comb the Nkpa community and its environs.

    “They have the order of DOS and leadership of IPoB to deal with any terrorists found inside the bushes and forests in Biafraland. Biafra land is not where terrorists, irrespective of their ethnic group, can carry out their terrorist attacks without consequences.”

  • Mbah signs executive order relocating Coal Camp spare parts market

    Mbah signs executive order relocating Coal Camp spare parts market

    Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has signed an Executive Order relocating the current spare parts and allied trades markets as well as all other related industrial and commercial activities in the Coal Camp and other neighbourhoods within the Enugu Capital Territory to the site of the new International Spare Parts and Allied Trades Park.

    The new site traverses Udi and Ezeagu Local Government Areas along the Enugu-Onitsha Road of the state.

    The Executive Order is entitled the Designation and Establishment of the Enugu International Motor Spare Parts and Allied Traders Park, Nsude, Udi LGA and Ogwofia Owa in Ezeagu LGA and the Relocation of the Coal Camp Neighborhood and other Neighbourhoods in the Enugu Capital Territory to the New Enugu International Motor Spare Parts and Allied Trades Park Site.

    Speaking at the the brief signing ceremony witnessed by the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, and leaders of Enugu spare parts dealers at the Government House on Friday, Mbah assured that the errors and challenges presented by the Coal Camp Spare Parts Market were being effectively addressed in the new one.

    “This new market is actually a purpose-built vehicle because it is designed for market in the true sense of the word and with all the supporting facilities. We have taken into account all the safety codes that are required to have an international market.

    “As you may already be aware, the construction is ongoing. We are aggressively opening up the roads and also the building itself. That construction has commenced.

    “Our hope is that in the next few months, we are going to see the movement of you all from the current location to an international market where we have provided all the services. There is going to be a clinic and fire service there. There is going to be a truck park.

    “All the errors, all the challenges and the problems we have in the existing market will all be addressed in the new market.

    “We have also made sure that you do not live very far from your market. We have residences around the market. It is an ideal neighborhood concept where you can live comfortably within your neighborhood and still do your trading and businesses comfortably without traveling far to get things done,” the governor said.

    In his remarks, the President of Enugu Motor Spare Parts Dealers Association, Chief Michael Nomeh, hailed the governor for keeping to his campaign promise after decades of disappointments endured by the traders

    “We are so excited about the relocation of the Enugu motor spare parts dealers to the permanent site, which is of international standard.

    “We thank the governor for the campaign promise that he has fulfilled. Since the inception of democracy in 1999 to date, there have been so many promises to our people that they will relocate us to the international market. But none of them has kept to their promises. That is why we appreciate the governor for keeping the campaign promises less than two years in office. He is a governor whom does exactly what he says he would do,” Chief Nomeh stated.

    Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Enugu State Investment Development Authority, Dr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo, described both the move and the location of the new site as strategic, noting that the traders would be able to own shops, unlike the present Coal Camp site where most of them rented shops.

    He explained that Enugu State Government is committed to the establishment of a commercial hub that will be a self-contained community with the full compliments of the various ancillary and supporting land uses that will create a comprehensive multi-functional commercial and industrial ecosystem in the emerging 9th Miles business corridor of the State.

    “This move is a strategic one aimed at boosting our state economy in our drive to a $30bn GDP economy.

    “If you know the location of the new place, it is so strategic. You cannot go from the Middle Belt or South South or Cross River or even from Cameroon to Onitsha without passing through there.

    “The government is not building to make profit, but for the traders to move to a well-organised and safe environment for trading and living.

    “The place is designed to have the commercial sections with shops of different categories, warehouses, workshops, ample parking spaces, water, power, and other utilities facilities.

    “There are also residential areas. There are also going to be smart schools, the primary healthcare centers, the fire service station, Police station, the recreational park, and a football pitch. It is a modern place that everybody will be proud to live in. It is built for modern spare part and allied trade professionals,” he added.

  • PDP, Okpebholo’s detractors are enemies of state – Mayaki

    PDP, Okpebholo’s detractors are enemies of state – Mayaki

    The faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to former Governor Godwin Obaseki has been identified as a group that does not want peace in Edo State and has been classified as the real enemy of the state.

    In a statement, former Chief Press Secretary to Obaseki, Mr. John Mayaki, said those who do not want the state to progress under Governor Monday Okpebholo’s leadership should be publicly declared as enemies of the state. He accused them of celebrating bad news and setbacks rather than supporting development.

    Mayaki, who commended Governor Okpebholo for his resilience and strong efforts in ensuring a smooth transition despite the obstacles left behind by the previous administration said, “The enemies of the state will fail, and the people will triumph.”

    He continued, “Thank God for Senator Monday Okpebholo and all he has been doing for the people of Edo State. I believe that despite every attempt to slow him down, God alone will give him the courage to continue.”

    Mayaki also assured the governor of God’s continuous guidance and protection as he works to deliver democratic dividends to the people of Edo State, despite deliberate distractions meant to impede his administration.

    “We, the good people of Edo state want peace, unity, and continued development. Anyone who thinks otherwise is the real enemy of the state,” he said.

  • MOFI partners Culture Ministry to drive monetization of Nigeria’s cultural assets

    MOFI partners Culture Ministry to drive monetization of Nigeria’s cultural assets

    Nigeria’s Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has partnered with the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, MOFI, to unlock the economic potential of the country’s cultural assets.

    This collaboration aims to generate new income streams for the government, create investment opportunities for Nigerian citizens and preserve cultural heritage by linking it to economic value.

    The partnership will catalog, value, and securitize Nigeria’s tangible and intangible assets, including arts, paintings, heritage sites, festivals, tourism brands, copyrights, digital content, and traditional knowledge. This initiative has the potential to transform Nigeria’s cultural wealth into a significant driver of economic growth.

    According to Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, this partnership will “awaken the nation’s creativity and heritage and activate its dormant cultural assets. These assets will be cataloged, valued, and securitized to generate new income streams for the government and create investment opportunities for Nigerian citizens.

    “Today, we stand on the threshold of a new era in Nigeria, where the nation’s rich cultural wealth, previously admired yet undervalued, steps into the spotlight as a significant driver of economic transformation.

    “For far too long, we have walked past our nation’s artistic treasures without recognizing their true economic value. These cultural assets are not just decorations; they are economic opportunities waiting to be valued and optimized. Consider the profound impact: a single Enwonwu painting, ‘Tutu,’ sold for £1.2 million at a London auction in 2018, while our own National collection remains largely uncatalogued and unvalued,” Takang added.

    The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, emphasized that the project aligns with the ministry’s strategies and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to leave a lasting legacy.

  • Kano Emirate Tussle: Appeal Court halts Emir Sanusi’s reinstatement

    Kano Emirate Tussle: Appeal Court halts Emir Sanusi’s reinstatement

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, suspended the execution of its judgement that reinstated a former Governor of the Central Bank, CBN, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the 16th Emir of Kano.

    The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Okon Abang, halted the implementation of the judgement, to await the outcome of an appeal that is pending before the Supreme Court.
    The court held that it found merit in applications marked: CA/KN/27M/2025 and CA/KN/28M/2025, which were brought before it in respect of the Kano Emirate tussle.

    Specifically, the appellate court held that: “An injunction is hereby granted restraining the respondents (Kano State House of Assembly, Kano State Government, etc.), either by themselves, their agents, privies, servants, or personal representatives, from enforcing the judgment of this Court in Appeal No.

    CA/KN/126/2024 – Kano State House of Assembly & Anor Vs Alhaji Aminu Babba-Dan’Agundi & Others, delivered on 10/1/2025, pending the hearing and determination of the Applicant’s appeal filed on 24/1/2025 before the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”

    The panel further directed the parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, pending the judgement of the apex court, even as it gave the Applicant 48 hours to file an undertaking to indemnify the Respondents in damages, in the event that the orders ought not to have been made.

    It will be recalled that the appellate court had on January 10, voided the June 20, 2024, decision of Justice Abubakar Liman of the Federal High Court, which invalidated the Kano State Emirates Council (Repeal) Law 2024 that facilitated Sanusi’s reappointment.

    According to the appellate court, Justice Liman was bereft of the jurisdiction to nullify the steps the Kano State Government took pursuant to the 2024 Emirates Council Law.

    It held that a fundamental rights enforcement suit that was filed by an aggrieved kingmaker in the state, Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi, which the high court judge relied upon to issue the order, was incompetent.

  • How to lower fuel consumption of your car

    How to lower fuel consumption of your car

    When President Bola Tinubu announced an end to fuel subsidy at the inception of his regime in 2023, many motorists were jolted by the expected impact it would have on the cost of keeping their vehicles on the road.

    Many Nigerians were also concerned about the impact it would have on the cost of living, especially the prices of goods, services and transportation.
    And their fears were genuine; prices of goods went up astronomically and there were complaints of hardship all over the country.

    This led to a swift drop on the sales of big cars, especially Sport Utility Vehicles. Many Nigerians quickly parked these cars in their homes and some immediately put up theirs for sale while others quickly bought smaller cars that they presumed would consume less fuel. They forgot that the rainy season would not be fair to the roads and their new small sedans, especially the bumpers and underneath the cars.

    Those living in flood-prone areas like Lekki and some seasonally flooded areas in Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa states can attest to the advantages of SUVs over sedans from their expenses. With some of these expected challenges, it didn’t take long for the average Nigerian motorist to adjust and live with the negative impacts of the fuel subsidy removal.

    Though the challenge persists, coupled with the poor state of the roads across the country, it has been almost impossible for Nigerians to totally do away with their big cars and SUVs which are renowned for higher fuel consumption. It is the classical case of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea.

    Today, Vanguard offers you some tips on how to ensure maximum fuel economy in your vehicles at a time like this. It is clear that by improving your car’s fuel economy, you’re helping to reduce the drain on your wallet. With some simple driving tips and habits, your fuel can take you further. A combination of good driving habits, and proper vehicle maintenance of your car is essential.

    The Tips

    *When driving, accelerate and brake gently, quick starts and stops waste fuel, but smooth driving boosts your kilometres per litre. Driving at slower speeds leads to better fuel efficiency.

    Reducing speed by 10-20 kph can help. Keep a steady speed, you may use your cruise control on motorways because when you drive at a consistent speed, you save fuel.

    •Watch the traffic ahead, it will help you predict what other drivers will do or intend to do. This helps you to avoid braking and speeding up.

    •Also avoid idling your engine for long periods even when it is stationary as it wastes fuel. Switch off the engine if you need to stop for more than a minute.

    •Also limit short journeys, and be aware that cold starts use more fuel.

    •As a motorist, ensure that your tyres are appropriately gauged. Soft tyres cause drag and waste fuel. Check pressures often and inflate correctly.

    Many drivers don’t know that proper inflation of their car tyres contributes significantly to the fuel economy. Under inflated tyres have a higher rolling resistance on the road. This means that your tyres generate more friction and rolling resistance and will increase fuel consumption.

    If your four tyres are underinflated by 10 psi, this could increase your fuel consumption by 10 per cent. Car manufactures always have the recommended tyre gauge inscribed on the drivers door frame. Gauge your tyre accordingly and reduce your fuel consumption.

    •Correct wheel alignment is vital. It reduces tyre wear and drag. This also saves fuel.

    •Many motorists carry all sorts of things in their boots which they hardly need and this adds to the weight of the car, this should be avoided. Note that every extra 50kg of load in your car increases fuel consumption by about two to three percent.

    Some used cars from abroad come with a heavy bar attached to the rear for pulling boats and other heavy objects from where they have been imported which is hardly needed in this part of the world. It is advised that you remove them to avoid unnecessary weight.

    Some people however believe that this serves as protection when another vehicle hits them from behind, unknown to them that they are paying more to fuel their cars. Lighten your load and remove extra weight from the car. Less weight means better fuel economy.

    •Also, reduce drag by removing roof racks as they increase wind resistance which wastes fuel.

    •Use your air-conditioning system. Driving with an air-conditioner has an advantage to fuel economy but most drivers think otherwise.

    Apart from keeping the interior of your car clear of dust and ensuring the safety of the driver from attacks, it also saves fuel. Driving with windows down at a speed faster than 80km/h causes a lot of wind resistance and more fuel consumption. It is more fuel efficient to drive with your air-conditioner on.

    •Maintain the right speed. Avoid over speeding and going slowly too.

    While both have safety consequences, they also have an impact on your fuel consumption. It has been established that on highways, your engine works hard to overcome wind resistance.

    This means that you will burn up to 15 per cent more fuel at 100km/h and 25 per cent more at 110km/h. On the other way round, if you drive at a speed slower than 50km/h your engine would drop to a lower gear thus using up more fuel. It is advised that driving between 50km/h and 90km/h gives optimal fuel efficiency.

    •Many people accelerate their cars as if they are running at Formula 1 Race thereby wasting their fuel unknowingly. Avoid revving your accelerator to a high revolution per minute (RPM). Your engine uses less fuel when it is revolving slower at a lower RPM.

    •It is also important to note that aggressive braking is not only a disadvantage to the brake pad but increases fuel consumption.

    Slamming on the brakes increases fuel consumption as the car needs to accelerate again. Give a reasonable distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. If you have been driven by a pilot before, you would understand what it means to drive with caution.

    They are very cautious of the vehicles in front of them and avoid them from afar. I am sure that if we take count of professionals who hardly get involved in traffic accidents, the pilot would take the number spot.

    •Avoid hard acceleration when moving your car from complete stop or climbing hills as it increases fuel consumption. Most people who drive vehicles with automatic transmission hardly know the advantage of one special feature in the car called cruise control.

    If you are driving an automatic car, you can make use of cruise control to keep your speed constant. But if you are driving a manual car, maintain a higher gear when appropriate. This ensures that your engine goes through less revolutions per minute, RPM and ensures less fuel consumption.

    •Driving in traffic causes higher fuel consumption. Stop-start traffic puts a lot of pressure on your engine and burns more fuel. Avoid peak traffic if possible. Turn off your engine when it is parked. As long as your engine is on, the fuel is burning. The choice is yours to keep the engine steaming when that car is not moving. It is your fuel that is burning which you can use to cover some kilometers.

    •Regular servicing with quality engine oil is key to the longevity of your engine. If your engine is poorly maintained, it will lead to sludge and corrosion build-up which will prevent the engine from working smoothly. Regular maintenance is key.

    •Follow your vehicle’s schedule, a healthy engine works better. A clean air filter lets the engine breathe freely. Good airflow improves fuel use. Use the right oil type to reduce friction and boost engine performance. When buying a new car, think about fuel efficiency. Pick a model that fits your needs. If your car has a fuel-saving mode, then use it.

  • An Uncommon Letter to Senator Natasha, by Ugoji Egbujo

    An Uncommon Letter to Senator Natasha, by Ugoji Egbujo

    Their desperation is telling. A long queue of senators hanging around TV stations to defend a man against allegations leveled against him by a married female senator.   They said they were not hired. But even hired mouths would have been more circumspect.

    Natasha, if indeed the man sought to know you carnally, you must not relent. You are his friend’s wife. You must stand strong and resist every act of intimidation. Against a court order, they brought forward a senate hearing and suspended you. That haste is not pure. A senate flagrantly flouting a court injunction to effect without a fair hearing a sanction the courts have repeatedly deemed illegal. Good people smell a rat.

    At every turn, they do something laughable. Some market women are arranged to run around the streets in Uyo to vouch that their political deity, despite Joy Nunieh, was incapable of wanton randiness. But often, their actions are cringeworthy. The madam of the house, who should be withdrawn, praying and fasting, files a suit in court to seek redress. She believes that the allegations are false because her husband was well brought up as a child.

    Natasha
    Natasha

    And that good upbringing having been tested in Uyo while he was governor with many buxom women working with him without scandals, makes the recent allegations untenable. So madam feels directly and vicariously injured. Because the allegations may have impinged on her reputation as a dutiful wife infinitely willing and capable of keeping her man in all-around satiety. I must confess at some point in the drama, I had searched the dictionary in the hope of finding a word fittingly descriptive of a ridiculous situation where people attend to grave allegations of misconduct with light-hearted buffoonery.

    Senator Ogunlewe, on his part, agreed that the sanction was unjustified and illegal. But hinted that your problems are borne of your ravishing beauty. It’s possible. After all, the other women in the current senate have confessed that they had never been sexually harassed. And because they had not been harassed, they were probably willing to conclude that you were not harassed. Theirs seemed an envious conclusion.

    Madam Tinubu was a little evasive. In one breath she said the senate was a mature chamber. Perhaps it was a place where people didn’t come looking too pretty. Or perhaps a place where people swallowed sexual advances as good-hearted banter and looked away. During her time at the Senate, Dino Melaye had said he could impregnate her. The public rose to her defense against a bully. They almost exchanged blows. Yet while on your matter, she suggested that women in the senate should know how to ‘shut them down even before they start’. In other words, if the lecherous ones chose to start, it was your duty to stop them quietly, without making a fuss like an irreverent lass. That must be her conception of maturity. But she didn’t say if it was also your job to stop them from victimizing you for refusing to yield.

    Senator Olujimi was also on TV. Her disposition was matronly. She said Akpabio was fond of jokes. So he must not be judged by what he says. Perhaps the jokes could include, ‘If you like my house, we can sneak back here one of these days to have a good time ‘.   The kind of of lewd joke that would be all too benign amongst louts in a motor park. So perhaps you must have mistaken a joke for a sexual advance. She said while she was in the Senate, she saw first-hand the suffering of men. She looked pained as she spoke. So, I guess part of your brief as a woman in the senate is to give some succor to your male colleagues whose feeble hearts are saddled with the weight of the world and the turbulence of male hormones. One after the other, current and former senators queued up to trivialize the sexual misconduct allegations

    A certain senator wrote the public. He used to be a student union activist. Now he leads a rubber stamp senate. His concern was that the public was mistaken in thinking that you were punished for alleging sexual harassment. He said you were pushed for breaking Senate rules. The senate rule you broke to earn six months summary suspension was speaking out of turn, right? And when you told them that your reaction was a result of the frustration you felt from sexual harassment, they didn’t bother to listen. Anyway, you said he had warned you that his fate was, in a sense, tied to Akpabio’s.

    Some said you didn’t provide any evidence. They wanted the evidence but didn’t want to countenance an ethics committee investigation into the allegations. Even the sex-for-marks picture you painted for them didn’t make them sober. So I will paint another. If a female student deemed insolent towards her school principal raises an allegation of sexual harassment to explain her behaviour, how can she be punished before her allegations are investigated? To hurriedly suspend her before listening to her is to take sides with the principal.

    Every day, clownish protesters lay siege to the Senate. It’s become a circus. In a grand obfuscatory operation, protesters protesting against Natasha’s protest arrive in time to muddle the protest waters. The real protesters are denied a voice by the fake protesters. Madam has gone to court. When you eventually get there, assuming you want to file a sexual harassment case, you will meet her waiting. The strategy is crude and comical but effective in a banana republic where the public has a short attention span and fleeting memory.

    They are willing to repeat a hollow vote of confidence ritual every day to keep all senators reined in. They are also willing to perpetuate the absurdity of confirming your sanction every day in total disregard for law and morality. Soon, they might set up a condolence register and start receiving visitors. The loyalty being exhibited is almost cultish. But we all know Nigerian politicians. They are susceptible. They can easily opt to become shoeshiners for any wily fellow in supervisory authority who uses power, privileges, and cash deftly.

    Yet there is something they haven’t tried. Perhaps they will get to it. After all, this is the age of the Cybercrime Act. A law that has been abused by the powerful to throw outspoken people into prisons for months for saying what they didn’t like. Now that you have made the allegations loud outside the Senate, where no immunity covers you, you have to get ready.

    That brings me to the last point. I hope you have a joker. Not necessarily a video recording as demanded by those hired protesters and other jesters. But something that can make a bully step back. If you don’t you might eventually be crucified. However, if you are standing on the truth, then stand still. Fear nothing. The truth is all that ultimately matters. If he made sexual advances to you and has tried to press you into submission, never give up. It doesn’t matter if you have no proof. The truth will set you free even if you go to prison. The best freedom is internal freedom. The peace of mind that truth gives.

  • Plot to impeach Fubara thickens as Ijaw groups respond to Wike’s threat

    Plot to impeach Fubara thickens as Ijaw groups respond to Wike’s threat

    The political camp of the Rivers state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara was again pushed into a deeper trench by the decision of the state House of Assembly to probe the alleged age falsification of the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Simeon Amadi.

    At its 135th legislative sitting, the House resolved to write to the Department of the State Service, DSS, to investigate the CJ following allegations against him by the Leader of the House, Hon Major Jack.

    The House agreed that falsification of age was a “serious offence” but the allegation must be confirmed and doing so, the CJ has to be thoroughly investigated to establish the authenticity of the allegation.

    Responding to this development, the Speaker, Rt. Hon Martins Amaewhule said by section 128 of the constitution, the House is empowered to investigate the allegation but quickly accused Governor Fubara of barring heads of ministries, departments and agencies from appearing before the House.

    Remember that Justice Amadi was screened to become the Chief Judge of the state about three years when Wike was a governor. Unconfirmed report has it that Amadi, who hails from the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality with Wike, turned down alleged N5 billion gratification and tastefully furnished houses in London and America to ditch the governor and clear the grounds for his eventual impeachment.

    Commenting on the CJ’s ordeal, Hon Ogbonna Nwuke, former House of Representatives member in the 7th National Assembly said the action of the Assembly members was just to intimidate the Chief Judge in order to get at the governor.

    “The process of impeaching the governor is not easy. That is why they are intimidating the loyalists of the governor just to create a state of emergency, at most”.

    Giving the quick succession at which events happened in the state in the course of the week barely few hours after the Minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday publicly declared that the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara could be impeached by the House of Assembly and “heaven will not fall”, it shows that there is more in the offing.

    The minister’s audacity came just a day after a crucial meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the delegation of the pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, in Abuja wherein the latter was asked to go back home and prevail on the embattled Governor to “obey the rule of law”, in other words, the Supreme Court judgment.

    Meanwhile, Wike’s impeachment threat to Fubara and his vituperations on the Ijaw ethnic nationality has since attracted the ire of the Supreme Egbesu Assembly, SEA, a religious deity of the Ijaws and other revered topnotch organizations such as the Ijaw national Congress, INC and its youth wing, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC.

    Recall that in the early years of militancy in the Niger Delta with Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states being the hotbed of the crisis, the Egbesu god was said to have been invoked to wade off the incursion of the federal troops into the flashpoints of the crisis.

    Leader of the Supreme Egbesu Assembly, SEA, an ancestral religious institution of the Ijaw people, Sergeant Werinipre Digifa, told Saturday Vanguard on phone that the Ijaw people would “shock” President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the appropriate time in the event that the Governor of Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara is impeached.

    Digifa hit back at the President who he said lacks the capacity to tame Wike. “Tinubu should be held responsible for the recklessness and arrogance Wike is exhibiting against the Ijaw nation.

    “This is why I say that Nigeria is a banana republic. Somebody has turned the judiciary to his personal estate. He manipulates the judiciary the way he wants it just to suit his desire. If they impeach Fubara, we will not go into violence because Ijaw people don’t believe in violence. We will take everything in good faith. But we will shock them”.

    The head of the Egbesu Assembly added that ”we are keenly watching the ongoing political trend which is pure harassment and the intimidation of the Governor of Rivers state. We are listening to the insults, the unguarded utterances and the abuse that is being heaped on the Ijaw ethnic nationality by Hon Wike.

    ”The Niger Delta is a community and when controversies arise in a community, reasonable people don’t jump in to talk. There is an African adage which says ‘two mad people never behave madly at the same time.’
    “We are not sleeping, neither are we cowards. But note that we have always won our just battles and this will be no exception. This crass arrogance being displayed by Wike was avoidable”.

    Digifa expressed disappointment that President Tinubu has allowed the crisis to fester, saying ”I had earlier thought that he had the capacity to rule Nigeria as a president, but from the showings on ground, it is evident that we had a misplaced value on President Tinubu’s leadership capacity.”

    He warned President Tinubu that “by the time Wike finishes with you, the Yoruba nation would have incurred the anger of the Ijaw man. The spirits that have protected the Ijaw Nation over the years will bring the wrath on the Yoruba to teach them a lesson that could be worse than what has happened to those who attempted to humiliate us”.

    INC’s position on Wike’s bluster to oust Fubara from power is that people should look at issues from the broader perspective and not through the prism of sectarian sentiment.

    Professor Benjamin Okaba, President of INC, said Wike’s so called insult on Ijaws smacks off the smart game of giving it an ethnic coloration to get the sympathy of other ethnic groups and distract their attention from the sympathy they have for governor Fubara.

    “When the Ijaws led the struggle for the creation of Rivers state, where were Wike’s ancestors? He quipped. “You don’t flirt after a hyena. Wike will regret, mark my words, and become a political orphan. When an empire rises to its peak, another empire will rise. We are heading towards the Marxian synthesis as the political denouement is already unfolding ahead of 2027.

    “Wike’s bravado is clearly stimulated by nothing else but the tacit support and encouragement from the Presidency. Remove Wike from Power, he will automatically transform into an empty and most vulnerable entity in Nigerian political history”, he said.

    In its declaration after a zonal emergency meeting, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Eastern Zone put the federal government on notice that it will stoutly resist every attempt by the planners to impeach Governor Fubara, “until he has served out his two tenures of eight years as his predecessors did, by any means necessary”.

    The Ijaw youths announced that the planners of the Governor’s impeachment, “if they do not desist from their evil plot, should be ready to bear the consequences of their actions in the event of the breakdown of law and order in the State”.

    Also, a statement from the Ijaw Matters viewpoint said the Ijaw Nation has been patient for too long, saying “our patience is not weakness. Nyesom Wike, in his ……arrogance, has crossed every line of decency and respect. His continued insults against the Ijaw people will not go unanswered”.

    It said it was a disgrace that a man who once begged for the support of Ijaw leaders and communities now dares to spit on the same people who made him. “We will not forget. We will not forgive. And when the time comes, Wike will beg, he will crawl before the Ijaw Nation seeking mercy, but he will find none”.

    The group vowed that “Wike will pay for every insult, every slight, and every word of disrespect. The day of reckoning is closer than he thinks”.

    We’re 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria, INC tells Wike

    The Ijaw National Congress, INC has faulted the comment from minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike that the Ijaws were the minority of the minorities in the Niger Delta.

    INC said given Wike’s eight-year tenure as Governor of Rivers State, “we expected a more informed understanding of the state’s history”.

    The Ijaw group said that Wike’s assertion that the Ijaws were a minority of minorities betrays a lack of “intellectual depth. For the record, the Ijaws are the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, with over 40 million people, and the oldest tribe in Nigeria, as documented in history. They are the largest ethnic group in Rivers State, with eight local government areas, and also not a minority in Delta”.

    A statement signed and released by Engr Ezonebi Oyakemeagbegha, National Publicity Secretary of INC in Port Harcourt on Friday said “we suspect that Wike’s comments were made under the influence of misinformation and otherwise. The Ijaws have consistently advocated for fairness and equity in the Niger Delta region and the South-South, and we will not be swayed by individual attempts to provoke us”.

    It said that Wike’s intention to create divisions between the Ijaws and other ethnic nationalities has failed, noting that the INC was aware of his plan to instigate crisis in the Niger Delta region, but “we will continue to maintain peace and stability”.

    The Ijaw group however called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to caution Wike and redirect his focus to his ministerial duties, assuring that the INC remains committed to preserving the harmony enjoyed by all in the Niger Delta region.

  • Rot In Judiciary: What I told Justice Kekere Ekun in a supermarket — Senator Sola Akinyede

    Rot In Judiciary: What I told Justice Kekere Ekun in a supermarket — Senator Sola Akinyede

    Former member of the Nigerian Constituent Assembly, Sola Akinyede, in this interview, discusses the rot in the judiciary

    Akinyede calls for the National Judicial Council, NJC, to be reconstituted, saying the NJC is abusing its powers. Excerpts:

    You are one of those who have been quite vocal about the absolute need for judicial reforms in Nigeria. Why?

    As a young lawyer, I remember when I finished studying law in England and my father wanted me to do a PhD. I said no. I had done a master’s. I wanted to come back to Nigeria because I knew there were a lot of opportunities. He was a lawyer and I joined him in his practice. By the time my son graduated from the United Kingdom also in 2006, he came here. I had forced him to come to Nigeria for his National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

    He did. But when he got here, he said there was no way he could practice here. He is back in the UK. When I was a student in England, the first time I heard of Justice Udo Udoma, I knew about him because his son was a classmate in King’s College. But the first time I read his judgment was in a British university. His judgment was cited in the British textbooks. So that shows the extent of the international regard that Nigerian jurists had. Today, you can not say that.

    And I remember when Justice Dattijo Muhammad was making his valedictory statement, he alluded to that. The kind of decisions that the courts make, including the Supreme Court’s decision on Imo governorship election 2020, it is a decision that nobody can explain. And there are so many other decisions like that. Some of the decisions in respect of the primaries in 2023. Decisions like the Kano Emirate cases. A person who has been a lawyer for just two years knows that the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction in respect of chieftaincy matters.

    But the case went on. The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court knows that. The judge to whom the case was assigned knows that. The senior advocate of Nigeria filing the case knows that, but the case went on. There is no serious country in the world where that happens. If you file a case meant for the family division in the UK in the chancellery, the judge in the family division will automatically transfer the case to the correct division.

    But in Nigeria, the judiciary has allowed and enabled the elite to abuse the judicial process. A case that has nothing to do with Rivers State, where the events occurred in Lagos or Jos, will be filed in Port Harcourt. And then it will be filed in a court that has no jurisdiction at the Federal High Court. And that is a self-inflicted wound by the judiciary.

    Those are the things that you see. Then the other issue is the case of senior justices, or senior judicial officers setting up their children in the judiciary. 30, 40 years ago, that didn’t happen. For the senior judicial officers putting in their children; if the justices were like them when they were practicing, they would not have become senior justices.

    It is an abuse of the process. The reason this abuse is taking place is because of the structure of the two judicial bodies, the Federal Judicial Service Commission and also the National Judicial Council. Now, the Federal Judicial Service Commission is headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. The duty or function of that body is to shortlist candidates for judicial positions and advise the NJC.

    The NJC is also headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. So you have a situation whereby the Chief Justice of Nigeria goes to the Federal Judicial Service Commission, and then he shortlists candidates for judicial positions, and then after he has shortlisted those candidates, he takes that list himself back to the NJC and decides who to appoint and present to the president.

    That is what is happening. That is why senior judges are strutting with their children. In the FCT Federal High Court, eight out of 12 judges appointed were the children or relatives of senior judicial officers or ex-judicial officers. That is a statistical improbability.

    One of the key reforms that you propose is one that seeks to substantially whittle down the powers of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, powers which you and many other lawyers and key players in the justice sector say are simply too enormous…

    Absolutely. There are 23 members in the National Judicial Council. The Chief Justice of Nigeria appoints 19 out of 23 members. Out of those 23 members, 88 per cent, that is almost 90 per cent, are judicial or ex-judicial officers. So, when the Chief Justice of Nigeria has appointed about 88 per cent of the members, including the non-lawyers, and members of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, who will have the guts, when he brings the name of his son or his daughter, to challenge the CJN? That is why it is important that the NJC should be reconstituted.

    Is that what the bill you proposed contained?

    Yes. I left the Senate in 2011, so I no longer have the bill. I sent it in June. Although, when I was in the Senate, I had made some proposals in 2010, along those lines. I think nobody took them seriously. Obviously, things were not as bad as they were 14 years ago. I hope this time around, people will take these proposals seriously because the judiciary is in a state of decay.

    But some would argue that it is the politicians, the people that you find in places like the National Assembly, who are responsible for the rot and not so much as the powers of the Chief Justice in particular…

    It just shows us to the extent to which things have changed. During the time of the military, the judiciary resisted the military in spite of the fact that they had a barrel of a gun. Now, the judiciary has its hands and gloves with the politicians. I am sorry to say. It is a conspiracy of the judiciary, the high echelons of the judiciary, with the politicians. That is what is happening. And it is very, very sad. I sent it (the bill) to the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review.

    They have been very busy on budget issues, so they haven’t had time for it. But I am following it up, and I hope that sooner or later, there will be a public hearing. I want to urge Nigerians to look at it because I believe that the son of a vulcanizer, the son of a labourer, a farmer, has a right to aspire to the highest judicial offices in Nigeria. It doesn’t have to be the son of a CJN. Nigerians are affected. They should get in touch with their senators and put pressure on them. Once the judiciary has decayed, as far as I am concerned, the country is finished.

    Most Nigerians don’t have any faith in any institution in this country…

    They should not give up. There will be changes and there could be changes. What needs to be done is for the leadership of the judiciary to attempt to give the people some confidence. I met the CJN about two, three years ago in the supermarket.

    You mean the current CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun?

    Yes, I met her. She has a fantastic pedigree from Lagos when she was practising upright and all that. I told her, my lord, I pray you become the next CJN of Nigeria. A lot of Nigerians, including myself, were disappointed with the judiciary including the Supreme Court.

    What was her response?

    She is a judge, so she did not say anything. They are always very reticent. I am sure they are hearing all these things. As I said on Justice Dattijo Muhammad, Nigerians need to go and read his valedictory speech. He pointed out all the issues. He pointed out all the issues around the judiciary, including bribing judges.

    If you have an appeal from the High Court, it takes about 17, 20 years for that appeal to be heard in the Supreme Court. About 17, 20 years. Why is that? As I said before, it is a self-inflicted wound, because of all these adjournments. Not just adjournments, but cases like the Kano Emirate case. The Kano Emirate case has taken 10 months for it to arrive at the Court of Appeal. It might still go to the Supreme Court. Maybe it will take another year.

    All that is going to be a waste of time, because the Supreme Court is going to come to the conclusion that the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction. But a two-year-old lawyer knows that. Why is the leadership of the judiciary not disciplining judges for that behaviour? Why are senior advocates who file these cases not being disciplined or fined? If you file a case like that, the court should say you are fined 25 million. It is an abuse of the process. That is why you have a lot of delays. Just before he retired, Justice Ariwoola complained that they were overwhelmed with cases and I tweeted that it was self-inflicted.

    In the rationale for the amendments that you propose, you allege that court officials and judges are often bribed by litigants to obtain favourable judgments. Can you cite examples?

    If anybody is going to pay a bribe, he is not going to call the media. As a lawyer, I have friends who are senior advocates who have told me that this happens. And Justice Dattijo, in his valedictory speech, mentioned it. It is something that everybody knows that happens. And my question is this. If the justices of the Supreme Court know that it takes 17 to 20 years for cases at the High Court to arrive at their desk, and then the case that was filed last year arrives at their desk, shouldn’t they be suspicious? Because the justices can know from the suit number of the case and the summary of the case when the case started. Everyone knows that millions change hands under the table to obviate the case.

    Do you think that the heads of the judiciary are unwilling or unable to confront this corruption, which is the reason that we continue to see bizarre judgments coming from them?

    Absolutely. Lawyers are conservative. I think that there is some unwillingness, a lack of political will to address the issue. As I said, Justice Dattijo Mohamed, who was second in command to Justice Ariwoola, mentioned it. And we all know. You ask any lawyer, they will tell you.

    You raised an interesting concept in your bill proposal, which you called fabricated immunity. Can you tell us about it?

    There were a couple of judges who were accused of corruption, watertight cases. But the Court of Appeal brought out a technicality and said that you cannot prosecute a judge, a judicial officer, without the concurrence of the NJC. There is nothing like that in the Constitution. There are no precedents on it. There is no law. Global best practice is non-existent. in fact, in the UK and the US, conviction for an offense is usually a reason why you now start those disciplinary proceedings. So the justices, the appellate courts, unfortunately, have invented this technical immunity for themselves. That is one of the amendments I have made, that you don’t need the concurrence of the NJC.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and the police should not need the concurrence of the NJC before justices and judges can be prosecuted. If not, we are going to set a bad precedent, because, if you want to prosecute a police officer, you will need the concurrence of the Police Service Commission. If you want to prosecute a civil servant, you will need the concurrence of the Federal Civil Service Commission. It is a very bad precedent.