I told Odumegwu- Ojukwu to apologise over civil war, says Obasanjo

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday disclosed that he discussed the possibility of an expression of remorse from the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu “on the Nigerian civil war which in itself was a culmination of actions and reactions.”

Obasanjo said this while paying tributes to the late Ikemba Nnewi. He said: “It is with deep sadness that I received the news of the demise of my friend and colleague. He and I were subalterns in the Army at Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

“In a way, his death marks the end of an era in Nigeria.”

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) from London, Obasanjo said that he condoled “with his family and pray for the repose of his soul.”

Also paying tributes yesterday were Governors Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji and President of the Civil Rights Congress based in the North, Shehu Sani.

Others included Senator Andy Uba; the Prelate, Methodist Church, His Eminence Ola Makinde; former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria and Special Adviser to erstwhile President Obasanjo on Political Affairs, Chief Akin Osuntokun; the Chairman of Nzuko Ora Nnewi, Chief Charles Agu-Onyeka; Eastern Vanguard; and Igbo Leadership Forum.

Sani said that an Igbo president should be encouraged as a way of immortalising the late Biafran leader.

Oshiomhole said that with the death of Chukwuemeka-Ojukwu, Nigeria had lost a major personality and “an advocate for distributive equity” in the governance of the nation.

In a condolence letter to the Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, Oshiomhole said: “Given your personal and political proximity to the Ikemba, I can appreciate how much pain his demise has caused you and several others, who found inspiration in his aversion to the opportunistic politics of the ‘Mainstream.’

“By his death, Nigeria has lost a major personality, who played a unique role in its modern history. We have also lost a well-acknowledged advocate for distributive equity in the governance of our federation.”

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher, said Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a man who loved his country and had immense pride in the tradition, culture and heritage of his people.

Musdapher, who expressed these sentiments in two separate letters to the bereaved family and the people/government of Anambra State, said the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a monumental loss.

He noted that Odumegwu-Ojukwu was “courageous in the Army, consistent in politics and in the long and protracted battle for his life, it must be said that he was as forbearing as he was brave.”

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress described the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu as an irreparable loss, not only to the Igbo but the Nigerian nation that was fast running out of real leaders that would guide the march to national greatness.

In a statement in Lagos by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that the death of Odumegwu-Ojukwu should serve as a reminder to the nation that it still needed to settle yearning questions of true federalism so as to address the many agitations in the minds of Nigerians since independence.

“When it eventually arrives in Nigeria in the next couple of days, the body of the former Biafran leader will be taken to all states and communities in the South-East and South-South zones of the country that supported Biafra.

“This is in line with the wishes of Odumegwu-Ojukwu. A seven-day mourning from December 1 has been declared throughout Igboland in honour of the former Biafran leader.”

Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who disclosed this to The Guardian in an interview shortly on arrival to Nigeria from London yesterday, said moving the body round the communities that supported the Biafran cause would satisfy the aspiration of the late Ikemba.

However, Chief Sam Ubachukwu, Leader of the Eastern Vanguard, described the former Biafran warlord as a phenomenon whose sustenance and legacy would live for generations to come.

He said Odumegwu-Ojukwu, perhaps the most fluid orator in Nigerian history, would certainly be missed.

“Nigerians would certainly miss his unsmiling visage, carriage, charisma and doggedness.”

He regretted the absence of a monument, especially in the South-East to reflect the contributions he made in socio-political development in Nigeria.

Ubachukwu, a pharmacist, said by his death, a vacuum has been created in Igbo leadership and urged all Igbos to close rank and remain united so that Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s struggles and death would not be in vain.

The leader of Igbo Leadership Forum, Dr. Eustace Ejike, also described Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a courageous leader who provided leadership at a time the Igbo nation was in dire need for it.

“No one, not even his ardent critics, will overlook his monumental contributions to Nigerian nationhood, his love for the downtrodden and the passion for the development of his people,” it said.

To the senator representing Odumegwu-Ojukwu zone in the Senate, Dr. Uba, Ojukwu’s death is a big blow to the Igbos and indeed to the nation. He described Odumegwu-Ojukwu as a great man whose indelible mark and contributions to the zone and the country at large would never be forgotten in a hurry.

He recalled the contributions of the late Biafran warlord in the fight against oppression and injustice and stated that he deserves the entire encomium being showered on him.

“Our heart goes to his family, especially Bianca and children at this period of grief of her departed husband, uncle and brother. Our condolences go to the entire Igbo sons and daughters all over the world.”

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LG Boss Evicts Wife, Kids From Abuja House.

After ten years of marriage and your Wife gives birth to three beautiful girls, should you compensate her with a divorce and throw her belongings out in broad day light? Well, this is exactly what a sitting local government chairman in Nigeria did to his Wife and...

Daughters. The caretaker chairman of Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Umar, has evicted his wife, Dr. Hauwa Haruna, and his three children (all girls) from his property in Abuja due to her "inability" to give him a male child.

Narrating her ordeal in tears, Dr. Hauwa said when the union was intact, she and her husband occupied the property, located at 92 Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, for over 10 years where they had their three daughters.

Trouble however started when she gave birth to her second daughter who is currently nine years old. She said Alhaji Umar became angry and queried her why she didn't bear a male child in spite of his earlier 'directive'. But the roof finally caved in when she got pregnant the third time and gave birth to another baby girl.

According to her, no sooner had the baby been delivered than Alhaji Umar absconded from their matrimonial home. Shortly after, she found him and demanded for money to take care of their children but got more than she bargained for. Her husband called for the termination of the 10-year-old union; he sought and secured a divorce, while the three girls were, based on Islamic tenets, left in the wife's custody.

Commenting on how her personal belongings were thrown out of the Wuse II apartment, Dr. Hauwa said she was at work when a friend called her that some men, led by police, had invaded her house and sought to take over the property. The invaders, she said, brought a document indicating that her estranged husband had sold the apartment and had defaulted on the order of the court to transfer the property to the new owner.

While she's not interested in any fight with those who claimed to have bought the property, her anger is

that Alhaji Umar, her estranged husband, never informed her that he has sold the house so she could make alternative arrangement for her children. "I don’t have any problem with him for selling his property but he should have told me about the judgment so that I could look for another accommodation for my children," she lamented.

The mother of three is however appealing to the Governor of Bauchi State, Malam Isa Yuguda, and other well meaning Nigerians to come to her aid as she had nowhere to take her children to.

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El-Rufai's eldest daughter dies In UK

Yasmin El-Rufai, the eldest daughter of former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has passed away.

The 25yr old was found dead in her residence in London yesterday Sunday Nov 26th.

The cause of her death is still unknown but there is no suspicion of foul play. Some say she died in her sleep, others say the death was as a result of domestic accident.

Yasmine held a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Bath, UK and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics (LSE). She also had a law degree from the University of London. May her soul rest in peace...amen.

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Nigerian Samuel Shoyeju, Jailed in UK for Fraudulently Issuing "Stay"

Scores of immigrants who were fraudulently issued with visas by a rogue UK Border Agency official remain at large almost four years later, a court has heard.

Nigerian Samuel Shoyeju, an immigration officer, was today jailed for seven years for falsely granting indefinite leave to remain to 44 non-EU residents who were not entitled to stay in the country.

Only 14 of the false letters that he issued have been recovered, meaning most of the recipients have not been identified.

Judge Christopher Mitchell said the case threatened to undermine the hard-won reputation for "probity and honesty" of British civil servants.

He added: "Actions like yours call into question in the public mind the entire integrity of the immigration system when, at the present time, immigration and immigration decisions are extremely sensitive."

Basildon Crown Court heard the "treasured status" allowed immigrants to live, work and claim benefits as well as applying for full British citizenship.

The recipients, who are all believed to be Nigerian, ranged from asylum seekers to those who had already identified as "overstayers".

Prosecutor Lucy Kennedy said: "Not all of those people have been traced."

She added: "This case has cost the taxpayer a significant amount of money, both in terms of the investigation and in terms of those who remain in the country untraced.

"He abused the system he was employed to protect and he did so for his own selfish reasons, not out of some misguided sense of altruism.

"It was a breach of trust which will no doubt undermine confidence in public servants employed to protect UK borders."

Shoyeju, who worked as a line manager in Croydon, amended and destroyed electronic and paper records to cover his tracks.

He used colleagues' date stamps and accessed secure databases under other people's names to divert attention away from himself.

When his home computer was searched a file called "Nigerian names" was found, relating to those he planned to grant visas to.

He was able to use a generic computer log-in to transfer secure files from Home Office systems without being identified, Ms Kennedy said.

"That system relies on the integrity of immigration officials themselves," Ms Kennedy added.

"He had been employed to uphold immigration rules but, using his intricate inside knowledge of the system, he deliberately did the opposite."

The 53-year-old, of Namur Road, Canvey Island, Essex, admitted misconduct in public office by falsely granting indefinite leave to remain between 2006 and 2007.

Although the prosecution has not been able to prove a financial motive, the court heard thousands of pounds were paid into his bank account during the time of the offence.

Stephen Linehan QC, in mitigation, said that there was not sufficient evidence that Shoyeju had a financial motive and could not be sentenced on that basis.

Judge Christopher Mitchell said: "An immense amount of public time and money has been spent investigating and preparing this case."

Shoyeju arrived in the UK in 1988 and was allowed to remain until 1991 as a student.

The married father-of-three was then granted indefinite leave to remain as the spouse of a British citizen and was granted full citizenship in 1996.

He began working as an immigration officer in 2002.

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Ex-Biafran Warlord, Odimegwu Ojukwu Dies At 78

Ailing leader of the defunct Biafran Republic and leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is dead

Late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu born on 4 November 1933 at Zungeru in northern Nigeria to Sir Louis Phillippe Odumegwu Ojukwu, a businessman from Nnewi in south-eastern Nigeria died in London in the early hours after a long illness at Royal Berkshire Hospital in the UK.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu also known as Ikemba Nnewi was said to have died in the UK after months in hospital for the treatment of a serious stroke he had suffered late last year.

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu born on 4 November 1933 at Zungeru in northern Nigeria was imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher, who was humiliating a black woman, at King’s College in Lagos began his educational career in Lagos.

At 13, his father sent him overseas to study in Britain, first at Epsom College, in Surrey and later earned a Masters degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University and returned to colonial Nigeria in 1956.

In 1957 the Ikemba Nnewi joined the Nigerian Army as one of the first and few university graduates. Ojukwu was among the 15 Nigerians officers out of the 250 officers the Nigerian Military Forces had then.

After serving in the UN peacekeeping force in the then Congo under Maj.-Gen. Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Ojuwkwu was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1964 and was posted to Kano, where he was in charge of the 5 Battalion of the Nigerian Army.

Aguiyi-Ironsi appointed Odumegwu-Ojukwu military governor of the defunct Easter Region on Jan. 17, 1966.

After the first military coup of 1966 and the counter coup that followed, Odumegwu-Ojukwu declared the defunct Eastern Region a sovereign state to be known as Biafra.

In the declaration and during his public address to the people of Biafra, he said: “Having mandated me to proclaim on your behalf, and in your name, that Eastern Nigeria be a sovereign independent republic, now, therefore I, Lt.-Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, by virtue of the authority, and pursuant to the principles recited above, do hereby solemnly proclaim that the territory and region known as and called Eastern Nigeria together with her continental shelf and territorial waters, shall, henceforth, be an independent sovereign state of the name and title of The Republic of Biafra.’’

On July 6, 1967, the then military Head of State, Col. Yakubu Gowon declared war and attacked Biafra in a bid to stop Ojukwu’s secessionist attempt.

The war lasted 30 months and ended on Jan. 15, 1970.

As the war was wearing out, Ojukwu went on exile and stayed away for 13 years. He was granted state pardon by President Shehu Shagari, a decision which was trailed by the deceased’s triumphant return in 1982.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu was married to Miss Intercontinental 1989 Bianca Onoh. They have children.

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Gaddafi's Son 'Saif al-Islam' Captured, Detained In Libya.

Muammar Gaddafi’s son and once heir apparent, Saif al-Islam, was on Saturday captured in the southern Libyan desert by fighters who vowed to hold him in their mountain town of Zintan until there was an administration to hand him over to.

The fighters claimed his capture as gunfire and car horns expressed jubilation across Libya at the seizure of the British-educated 39-year-old, who a year ago seemed set for a dynastic succession to rule the oil-producing African desert state.

Saif al-Islam and three armed companions were taken without fight overnight, officials said, and he was not injured — unlike his father, who was killed a month ago on Sunday after being captured in his home town.

“We have arrested Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in the Obari area,” Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagy told Reuters, adding that the younger Gaddafi, wanted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court at The Hague, was not injured.

A photograph of Saif al-Islam showed him lying on what appeared to be a reclining sofa with his fingers wrapped in bandages and his legs covered with a thick, brown blanket. The wounds were apparently sustained earlier.

The Zintan fighters, who make up one of the powerful militia factions holding ultimate power in a country still without a government, said they planned to keep him in Zintan, until they could hand him over to the authorities.

Prime minister-designate, Abdurrahim El-Keib, is scheduled to form a government by Tuesday, and the fate of Saif al-Islam, whom Libyans want to try at home before, possibly, handing him over to The ICC, will be an early test of its authority.

Muammar Gaddafi’s beating, abuse and ultimate death in the custody of former rebel fighters was an embarrassment to the previous transitional government. Officials in Tripoli said they were determined to handle his son’s case with more order.

A fighter from the anti-Gaddafi force, the Khaled bin al-Waleed Brigade, which said it seized him in the wilderness near the oil town of Obari said, “We got a tip he had been staying there for the last month.”

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Naeto C in a Public Show of fame

Energetic and talented entertainer,Naeto Chukwu Chikwe popularly known as Naeto C, is said to have been one of the principal characters in a public show of shame in Benin City,Edo State.

Information at our disposal has it that the gangling son of former Aviation Minister,Dr. Kema Chikwe,was among the top artistes billed for the Love Concert 3 at Wesley Hotel,Benin City on Saturday,November 5,2011.

After being lodged in his hotel room,he was later called upon for his performance but he requested that the organizers of the show,Ehiglad Entertainment pay his return ticket first.

They promised to pay him immediately after his performance.They argued that at least they have paid his artiste fee which was N500,000.But Naeto C declined saying he has paid for the flight already but needed the refund.Thus,the show went on without his performance.

However,Naeto C was alleged to have told the security operatives that his $6,000 and a Bold 5 Blackberry phone was stolen.

Consequently,the organizers were arrested but released on bail on Monday,November 7,2011.

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Oyo State Gov’s wife rescues accident victims

Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, wife of the Governor of Oyo State, has reportedly come to the aid of 10 victims of a road accident, which occurred near Iperu Junction, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Thursday.



The vehicle conveying the victims collided with a truck at a road diversion.

Mrs. Ajimobi, who was returning to Ibadan from a women’s conference in Lagos, reportedly supervised the rescue operation.

Eight adults and two children were rescued from the scene of the crash and were taken to the General Hospital in Iperu-Remo for first-aid treatment before being moved to the Olabisi Onabanjo Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

However, it was learnt that three of the victims were taken to the Adeoyo Hospital in Ibadan for intensive care.

Ajimobi promised to provide financial assistance to the victims.

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BARRACK OBAMA'S UNCLE FACES DEPORTATION FOR ILLEGALLY ENTERING USA.

President Obama’s uncle was back in court yesterday as his lawyer declared that he intends to challenge the legality of the traffic stop that resulted in his arrest on a drunken driving charge.

P. Scott Bratton, the lawyer representing Onyango Obama, said in an interview that he would file a motion “saying the police had no reason to stop him.’’ A hearing on the motion to suppress was scheduled for Jan. 12 in Framingham District Court.

A somber-faced Obama, a half-brother of the president’s father, sat silently during the brief hearing. Several people in the packed courtroom could be heard whispering excitedly about the presidential relative in their midst. A young man seated behind Obama, 67, quietly chanted, “Free Obama, free Obama.’’


Obama, a Framingham resident, was arrested by Framingham police Aug. 24 on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol, failure to yield, and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. A breathalyzer test taken at the police station showed Obama’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.14 percent, according to a report filed by the Framingham Police Department.


Bratton said that if he can prove that Obama’s arrest was illegal, any evidence police gathered after he was stopped, such as the breathalyzer test or statements made by Obama, would be inadmissible in court.


The Framingham police report said Obama was stopped because he did not fully stop at a stop sign and failed to yield to traffic. Bratton declined to specify why he feels the police did not have grounds to stop him.


Bratton said that if the case goes to court he intends to challenge the breathalyzer findings. He has requested the police department’s maintenance records of the testing equipment as well as the record of Obama’s test result.


Obama, who was born in Kenya, faces other issues in immigration court. For reasons that are unclear, Obama was ordered deported in 1992 but has remained in the country. Bratton said that Obama’s immigration lawyer, also named Scott Bratton, has obtained a temporary stay of deportation and will appear before immigration officials next month to explain why Obama should be allowed to remain in the United States. Immigration officials have declined to comment on the status of his case, citing privacy laws.


Obama has been given a work permit enabling him to remain on his job as a night manager at Conti Liquors in Framingham. Obama, according to P. Scott Bratton, has worked there full time for 10 years.


Obama came to the United States in 1963 and attended private school in Cambridge while living with his older brother, the president’s father, for one year until his brother returned to Kenya.

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"Michael Jackson would still be alive today if I had taken Prophet TB Joshua message more seriously and acted upon it instantly"- Tee Mac

“I'm seeing a great star whom the world is shouting, “Hey, hey, hey!” In his own area, he's famous – he's known everywhere. He is great – too great… I see something will begin to happen to that star and that may likely end in him packing his load and going on the journey of no return.”

Those were the words of Prophet TB Joshua when he predicted the death of the late pop star. Even when he foretold his death, and also acted on it by sending a message across to Tee Mac,Surprisingly, he doubted it to be one of those popular miracle messages of the prophet.


Since the pop star’s death, shock and sympathy are still reverberating around the world, the undisputed 'King Of Pop' who died suddenly after collapsing in his L.A apartment has raved charges on his physician, Conrad Murray for administering a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic, Propofol.

Early January, 2009, T.B Joshua prophesied during one of his famous Sunday services, broadcast live on Emmanuel TV that the person concerned was not from his local environ and was 'too young to leave your midst' – enjoining the congregants and viewers worldwide to pray earnestly for this 'great star'.

Although some may view his words as too generic to be accredited to the legendary entertainer, the revelation of Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli on Sunday 28th June 2009, the famous flautist, business associate of Marlon Jackson and close friend of the Jackson family, put asunder such doubts.

In a sober atmosphere, Tee Mac spoke in front of a live television audience on Emmanuel TV, testifying that Prophet TB Joshua had told him to warn Michael Jackson of an impending health disaster, and invite him to visit Nigeria for healing.

“The man of God (TB Joshua) called me to his office and said to me, 'Please, tell your friend Marlon to bring Michael here to Nigeria. Michael needs healing; he needs deliverance.' I told the man of God that Michael Jackson just went for a medical check up because he is going to have about 50 concerts soon. But the man of God said to me, 'Send Michael here – he needs healing.”

While commenting the charge on Conrad Murray, Tee Mac stressed that, “I have gotten all the details and have also communicated with the Jackson’s family, so I am clear about the matter now. I think he is reaping what he sowed. I would not call this punishment, because he was convicted for negligence. He should have treated him differently; he should have had his interest at heart over his own personal interest”.

Reiterating to questions on why he never took the message that was passed to him by the clergy serious, “On June 12, Prophet TB Joshua told me during his birthday in his office that Michael had a sleep disorderliness, which was very easy to cure, that he should come for deliverance and prayers. Marlon Jackson and I never took it serious enough,” Tee Mac reminisced. Clearly remorseful, he lamented that if he had taken the message more seriously and acted with more insistence, “maybe Michael Jackson would still be alive today.”

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Ex-governor Bola Tinubu First Nation Airways Begins Operations

Ex-governor Bola Tinubu's new airline company - First Nation Airways (formerly Bellview Airline) has commenced operation.

The resuscitated airline, which the former governor and ACN Chieftain allegedly bought for $30 million, started operations on Thursday November 3, 2011, with its first flight plying Lagos/Abuja route.

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