By Obadiah Mailafia

WEDNESDAY, January 15, marks 50 years to the day when our tragic civil war was formally ended. That was the day that Colonel Philip Effiong and his men brought the articles of surrender to Yakubu Gowon at Dodan Barracks, Lagos. Gowon famously declared that there were”no victor, no vanquished”. January 15, 1966 was also the date the first military putsch led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu took place, setting a chain of events that culminated in a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970.

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As a child I recall when, in the thick of night, dozens of Igbo families turned up at my parents’ modest home in the parsonage in Murya. One of the women had just put to bed. Daddy did all he could to protect them from a wicked pogrom that consumed the souls of more than a hundred thousand defenceless Igbo people. I have never seen such fear in the eyes of grown men. After barely a week, my parents received death threats. In the thick of midnight, the refugees tearfully disappeared into the bowels of the primeval savannah. Never to be seen again. Their memory still haunts me to this day.

The debate on whether the January coup was an “Igbo coup” or a nationalist uprising is a spurious binary question. The fact is, it was both. The leaders of the January putsch were Igbo: Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna and their friends were genuine patriots. But the thing was also one-sided in execution. The North felt justifiably aggrieved because their leaders were the main victims. Most of the cabinet and advisers of the new Ironsi regime were of Igbo extraction. His Decree No. 34 which created a new unitary system intensified Northern fears.

In July 1966, Northern officers struck in a “revenge coup”. Rumours had been rife that Northern officers were about to be wiped out. The lot fell on a 31-year-old colonel Yakubu (Jack) Danyumma Gowon. He confesses that he accepted the heavy yoke only after long, agonising prayers.

Destiny prepared Yakubu Gowon for the singular role of keeping our country together. The son of Anglican missionary parents born in Wusasa in 1934, he was an outstanding student of the famous Barewa College. He had intended to become an engineer or teacher, but his British teachers persuaded him to join the army. He attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst where he acquitted himself with distinction.

Gowon was engaged to an attractive young Igbo woman, with whom he has a son. Unfortunately, his colleagues told him it was impolitic to marry from the enemy. Contrary to popular misrepresentations, Yakubu Gowon never waged a genocidal war against Biafra. He saw it as a quarrel between brothers. This cannot be said of field commanders such as Murtala Mohammed and Benjamin Adekunle. But he remains remorseful about all the blood that was shed. He and Awolowo have been blamed for the economic blockade that might have cost the lives of a million Biafrans. But consider the counter-factual: what would have happened if the war had lasted for five or more years.

History will absolve Yakubu Gowon. He is the Abraham of modern Nigeria; a man of compassion, justice and restraint. God-fearing and incorruptible. He towers heads and shoulders above all our leaders, past and present. History will one day declare him to be the greatest leader this country has ever produced.

Biafra is dead, but its ghost continues to haunt our country like a phantom that refuses to go away. Ever since 1970, there has been an unwritten conspiracy that no Igbo man can be trusted to assume the high magistracy of our federal republic. It is an affront to the highly gifted Ndigbo, with their ingenuity, sagacity and can-do spirit. Part of the problem is that Ndigbo themselves have been their own worst enemies. Betrayal is common among them.

The people of the Blessed Cyprian Iwene Tansi and the venerable Cardinal Francis Arinze have become a godless people who put money before anything else. There is no guarantee that the people will still be united if they were given Biafra on a platter. Their presumptuous attitudes have also alienated the Ijaw and other South-South minorities who do not want to hear the name of Biafra. I am sorry to be so harsh. I speak as a friend of Ndigbo. Only a genuine friend can tell you unpalatable home truths.

Biafra was a tragic misadventure. Neither Gowon nor Ojukwu expected what they regarded as a skirmish to end up in a war that took the lives of millions. But then it is in the nature of human conflict that it is capable of assuming a dynamic of its own while moving into unforeseen directions. Ojukwu’s ego stood on the way of a genuine settlement. He saw himself as this golden boy from a wealthy family who drove a Rolls Royce as an Oxford undergraduate. He saw Gowon as an ignorant peasant boy from the rustic backwaters of the North. He under-estimated the man to his tragic discomfiture. A man with a lion heart, Gowon spoke little but carried a big stick.

Ojukwu took his people on a tragic misadventure in the single-minded pursuit of personal power. With such great constitutional theorists as Kalu Ezera, Edwin Nwogugu and B. O. Nwabueze, why didn’t Biafra operate a viable constitution? Was Biafra just another African autocracy anchored on personal rule? Was it true that Nzeogwu was set up to be killed at the war front because he was seen as a threat? Were Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Victor Banjo, Philip Alale and Sam executed because they differed with Ikemba on political policy? Why did he abandon his people at their hour of defeat in such a cowardly manner?

Albert Einstein observed that “God does not play dice with the universe”. God did not make mistake in placing the Igbo people among us. There is no one to rival their commercial acumen. My own people always say that wherever you go and you don’t find Igbo people there, leave the place immediately! Nigeria will not be Nigeria without Ndigbo.

I can understand the anger of Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB movement. A jihadist government that operates on the basis of exclusion and virulent discrimination provides a rationale for resistance and rebellion. Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, is right when he says that our government has created the atmosphere that provides fertile ground for the murderous activities of Boko Haram. Ndigbo continue to suffer disproportionately whenever some Northerners resume the madness of their ritual bloodbaths.

This coming Wednesday I will kneel down before every Igbo man and woman I meet and I will ask him or her to forgive us for the horrendous crimes we have committed against them and against God and Humanity. The ghost of Biafra will not go to rest until we treat Ndigbo with fairness and justice.

In the words of the German-Jewish literary theorist and philosopher Walter Benjamin: “His eyes are staring, his mouth is open, and his wings are spread. This is how one pictures the angel of history. His face is turned toward the past. Where we perceive a chain of events, he sees one single catastrophe which keeps piling wreckage upon wreckage and hurls it in front of his feet.

“The angel would like to stay, awaken the dead, and make whole what has been smashed. But a storm is blowing from Paradise; it has got caught in his wings with such violence that the angel can no longer close them. This storm irresistibly propels him into the future to which his back is turned, while the pile of debris before him grows skyward. This storm is what we call progress”.

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Sheikh Mohammed Mutumba, the Imam of Kyampisi Masjid Noor mosque in Kayunga District Uganda, has been suspended from his clerical work after unknowingly wedding a fellow man in Islamic culture (Nikah), Daily Monitor reports.

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By Eric Teniola

THIS House Has Fallen-Nigeria In Crisis is a 327-page book written by Mr. Karl Maier who lived in Nigeria as a foreign correspondent for two years, from 1991-1993, and returned often on reporting assignments.

According to him, he had inputs in writing the book from Chris Alagoa, Richard Dowden, Yomi Edu, Anthony Goldman, Phil Hall, Michael Holman, Nick Ashton-Jones, Peter Cunliffe-Jones, Bill Knight, Abidina Coomasi, Father Matthew Kukah, Dr. Suleiman Kumo, Bashir Kurfi, Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti, Clement Nwankwo, Nduka Obaigbena, Barnaby Phillips, Patrick Smith, Olukayode Sokoya, Mathew Tostevin, Bala Usman, William Wallis and his two angels; Ken Wiwa, Simon Yohanna and Kabiru Yusuf.

Maier quoted, in the book, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Chinua Achebe, Major General Ishola Williams (retd.), Bobo Brown of Shell Petroleum Development Company and the Publisher of City People magazine, Mr. Seye Kehinde. The book was published in 2000 by the Penguin Books.

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Since the publication there have been reactions on the book. Mr. Nicolas Okpe said “the book is typical post-colonial prejudice by Western journalists”. The book x-rays Nigeria’s past and present problems. The major issues missing in the book were kidnapping and Boko Haram; if not one would think the book was written just last week.

No doubt one may not agree with what the Western world is saying about Nigeria judging by their failing leadership and noting that most problems that have affected Nigeria today were created by the colonialists themselves.  It helps if we are to listen to what others are saying about us, either right or wrong. Maier was the Africa correspondent for The Independent from 1986 to 1996, and has contributed as well to the Washington Post and The Economist. In the Preface, Maier declared: “Designed by alien occupiers and abused by army rule for three-quarters of its life span, the Nigerian state is like a battered and bruised elephant staggering toward an abyss with the ground crumbling under its feet. Should it fall the impact will shake the rest of West Africa”.

He then added “very little trickles down”. In the official arenas of international discourse – the United Nations, the World Bank, the media – Nigeria is known as a “developing nation”, a phrase that conjures up images of economic progress of the sort experienced by the West or among the Asian ‘tigers’; Nigeria, like so many countries in Africa, is patently not a developing nation. It is under-developing. Its people are far worse off now than they were 30 years ago. The government spends up to half of its annual budget on salaries of an estimated two million federal, state and local government workers; yet the civil service remains paralysed, with connections and corruption still the fastest way to get anything done. The armed forces are equally in shambles.  Up to 75 per cent of the army’s equipment is broken or missing vital spare parts. The Navy’s 52 admirals and commodores outnumber serviceable ships by ratio of six to one. The air force has 10,000 men but fewer than 20 functioning aircraft.

“Colonial Nigeria was designed in 1914 to serve the British Empire, and the independent state serves as a tool of plunder by the country’s modern rulers. Nigerians spend a good part of their lives trying to get the better of the government for their own benefit or that of their family, their village, or their region.

“Rare is the head of state who acts on behalf of the nation. The people are not so much governed as ruled. It is as if they are armed and barricaded themselves inside the company safe. Nigeria’s leaders, like the colonialists before them, have sucked out billions of dollars and stashed them in Western banks.

“So far the West has done little to help and has often made matters worse. It is hypocritical of the West to blame Nigeria for corruption, fraud, and drug running and to demand that Nigerians own up to their foreign debt, while at the same time allowing the funds garnered from such nefarious dealings to be deposited in Western banks.

“A man who receives stolen goods is called a fence, but what do you call a country that is in the business of collecting stolen goods?” asked Dr. Folarin Gbadebo-Smith, a U.S. educated dentist and businessman, while in his Lagos office one day.

“They lend Nigeria money, somebody here steals the same amount and gives it back to them, and then they leave these poor Nigerians repaying what they never owed. The role of the Western powers has been totally disgraceful.”

Maier went further to state that: “Nigeria could, however, follow another. Its potential is huge. Its tremendous wealth, if properly channelled, holds out the hope that a stable government could unleash the unquestioned energy and talent that pulsates through the rich ethnic mosaic.

“The human capital is there. Thousands of Nigerian professionals are well educated and skilled to drive the country forward. Anyone who has visited Nigeria’s markets and witnessed its people endure the constraints of bad government and the sinking economy can testify to the country’s resilience.

“Among its writers it boasts a Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka; the Booker Prize winner Ben Okri; Chinua Achebe, whose Things Fall Apart is arguably Africa’s best piece of postcolonial literature, and rising young talents such as  the playwright Biyi Bandele Thomas. Nigerian professors grace university campuses across the United States and the world.

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By Emma Amaize, Editor, NDV

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s decision, last month, to reconstitute the Governing Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has thrown up a fresh lobby for Chairman and Managing Director of the Commission with some of the oil-producing states, ethnic groups and influential political leaders in the region at each other’s throats.

Retirement plan should be taken at early stage –Meristem GMD

Though the President indicated that the new Board would be inaugurated after the forensic audit of the Commission, which may take the next three to six months or more, interest groups and lobbyists have intensified their plots and counter-plots to get the Presidency to dance to their respective tunes.

President Buhari has kept everybody in suspense since he announced that the Governing Board of the Commission would be reconstituted.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, is one of the powerful leaders that other cream of the crop want to outmaneuver in the NDDC power scramble, but by virtue of existing power sharing indices among the core four oil states— Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers— his state, Akwa Ibom is not in contention for next Chairman and Managing Director because the last substantive managing director, Nsima Ekere (2016-2019) hails from the state.

Power struggle

However, due to the politicisation of NDDC appointments in recent years, Ondo State government, whose indigene, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, is currently Minister of State (Niger Delta Affairs) is laying claim to the position of managing director, while Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State also maintained that it was its turn to produce the managing director.

Senator Ita Enang from Akwa Ibom State, a top aide of President Buhari, is making a case for his state to clinch any of the two Executive Directors of the Commission.

The latest scramble for NDDC top positions has pitted mostly influential All Progressives Congress, APC, politicians against the other.

In three of the states, three former governors are fighting to protect their interests.

The contention of the four principal oil states is that the position of managing director is exclusive to Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom while the chairman is rotated among the nine states alphabetically and it started with Abia state.

Sizzling fight in Delta

The battle it is more intriguing in Delta State with Urhobo and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities practically fighting dirty. Mr. Bernard Okumagba, Managing Director designate in the disbanded Board is an Urhobo and his people want his appointment upheld because it is the turn of Delta to produce managing director.

While Itsekiri Oil Minerals Producing Communities representing Itsekiri tribe agreed with Urhobo that it was the turn of Delta to produce both Chairman and Managing Director of the Commission, the group maintained that Itsekiri, not Urhobo was the qualified tribe to produce the next managing director, being the current highest oil-producing area in the state.

Chair of the organisation, Mr. Edward Omagbemi, in letter to President Buhari, said his government would be breaching the provisions of NDDC Act by appointing a non-Itsekiri as managing director of the Commission as “Itsekiri alone produce over 40 percent of the total oil production in Delta State.

“The Itsekiri are first in oil production in Delta State, Ijaw are second and Urhobo come a distant third.”

The group also alleged that Itsekiri ethnic nationality was being marginalised in the Buhari administration in which an Urhobo son, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege is Deputy Senate President; Mr. Festus Keyamo(SAN), also Urhobo, Minister of State (Labour); Stella Okotete, Executive Director, Nexim Bank; Austin Enajomo-Ifire, Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund; Frank Ovie Kokori, Nigeria Institute of Labour, and Onoriede Ewubare, Group Executive Director, Upspring Sector, NNPC.

He declared: “The Itsekiri do not occupy any position in this government. The Itsekiri being the highest producers of crude oil in Delta State and are, therefore, entitled to fill the position of managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission.”

Chairmanship since inception

On the Chairmanship of the Board, the Itsekiri group said following the rotatory alphabetical order established among the member states, “Chief Onyema Ugochukwu of Abia State became the first chairman followed by Chief Sam Idem from Akwa Ibom. When he was removed in 2007, Mr. Dan Abia also from Akwa Ibom was appointed chairman to complete the tenure of Akwa Ibom.”

In 2009, Air Commodore Larry Koinyan (retd) of Bayelsa State was appointed chairman and when he was removed after two years, Mr. Tarila Tepepah, another Bayelsa indigene was appointed as chairman to complete the tenure of Bayelsa state.

“In the year 2013, Mr. Bassey Henshaw, an indigene of Cross River State was appointed chair of the board and when he was removed in 2015, another indigene of Cross River State, Senator Ndoma Egba(SAN), was appointed in 2016 and he occupied the seat till 2019.

Managing Directors of NDDC since 2001

The first substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer is Godwin Omene from Delta State (2001-2003) and was succeeded by Emmanuel Agwariavwodo, also from Delta State (2003-2005). Agwariavwodo continued from 2005-2006, when Timi Alaibe from Bayelsa State took over till 2009, while Chibuzor Uguoha from Rivers state reigned from 2009-2011.

Christian Oboh, also from Rivers State was in charge from 2011 to 2013 and Dan Abia (Akwa Ibom) was the managing director from 2013 to 2015. Nsima Ekere from the same state took over as managing director from 2016 to 2019 after the transition interregnum of Ibim Semenitari (Rivers) as managing director (2015-2016).

NDDC had since 2009, when the late P. Z. Aginighan from Delta was appointed as acting Managing Director, been managed by interim managements. For instance, Osato Areyenka-Iyasere from Edo State was acting managing director in 2011, Christy Atako (Rivers) 2013, Nelson Brambaifa (Bayelsa) 2019. The current acting managing director, Dr. Joi Nunieh, is from Rivers State.

Standing

All the four core oil-producing states have held the position of managing director, which is based on oil production quantum, but not all have held the position of chairman, which is rotated alphabetically according the names of the state.

Edo ranks highest on NDDC’s abandoned projects list ― Obaseki

Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Cross River have held the position and the next state alphabetically is Delta, which is why the state protested the appointment of former deputy governor of Edo State, Dr. Pius Odubu, as chair in the disbanded board.

Edo is supposed to take its turn after Delta before it revolves to Imo, Ondo and Rivers states.

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Barcelona have replaced their coach Ernesto Valverde with Quique Setien according to a club statement.

The decision to remove Valverde was taken during a board meeting that lasted more than four hours at Camp Nou on Monday afternoon.

An official statement was issued on Monday night, with a press conference to follow on Tuesday.

Barca are top of La Liga but have won only one of their last five matches. Valverde will be the first coach the club has sacked mid-season since Louis van Gaal in 2003.

Setien’s first game in charge will be at home to Granada on Sunday. Barcelona play Napoli in the last 16 of the Champions League next month and Real Madrid in the league at the start of March.

He will also have to do without Luis Suarez, who will be missing for the next four months after having surgery on his right knee.

Setien has made no secret of his admiration for the stylistic traditions of Barca, with the 61-year-old also renowned for favouring an exciting, attacking mode of football.

A former player of Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander, he was circled as a potential coach of the Catalans during a particularly successful period in charge of Real Betis.

READ ALSO: Reina joins Aston Villa on loan from AC Milan

Setien led Betis to a sixth-place finish in 2018 and qualification for the Europa League but, despite overseeing a thrilling 4-3 victory at Camp Nou early the following season, results tailed off.

Betis finished 10th and the club and coach parted ways in the summer.

– Lingering doubts never went away –
Doubts had surrounded Valverde for several months and were underpinned by two disastrous exits from the Champions League. Barcelona’s shocking collapse against Roma in 2018 was followed by a similar capitulation against Liverpool last year.

Familiar fragility had been evident this season and a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday, in which Barcelona conceded two late goals, prompted the board to act.

Valverde arrived two hours early for his last training session with the squad at Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper on Monday morning before meeting with Bartomeu.

Bartomeu then drove to Camp Nou, where he held a board meeting with several club officials including chief executive Oscar Grau, technical secretary Javier Bordas, vice president Jordi Cardoner and sporting director Eric Abidal.

Grau and Abidal had returned to Barcelona on Sunday after spending the weekend in Qatar, where they had offered the job to Xavi, only for the club’s iconic former midfielder to indicate he was not ready to come immediately.

Xavi will likely get another chance, perhaps even next year, when he could begin work under new leadership. He has long been connected to Victor Font, who will go up against the current regime in the club’s 2021 presidential elections.

In Valverde’s two seasons, his team won two La Liga titles, as well as the Copa del Rey in 2018, and another league crown remained very much in sight this term, despite second-placed Madrid’s impressive form in recent weeks.

Quique Setién will be the new manager of FC Barcelona. Welcome!

INFO https://t.co/EOP9MSFFJ1 pic.twitter.com/IkhzFGyxHf

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 13, 2020

But Barca’s performances have been unconvincing and there were lingering concerns about Valverde’s more functional tactics, which appears to have informed the switch to Setien.

When Valverde arrived in 2017, Barcelona were wounded, hurting after the shock departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and humiliated, as consecutive defeats by Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup hinted at trouble for the season ahead.

Instead, he steadied the ship and galvanised the team.

They lost one league game en route to winning the title and the year after, they were champions again, finishing 11 points ahead of Atletico and 19 clear of Real.

Increasingly, though, Valverde’s achievements faded from view and his failures began to overshadow them. On Monday, Barcelona seemingly decided his time was up.

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Lagos recorded the first rainfall on Monday but some local farmers in the state urged their members to delay planting.

Some farmers and motorists gave their opinion on the early rain in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

They noted that the first rain was not enough to start planting crops.

NAN reports that first rain of the year was witnessed in Ikeja, Igando/Isheri and Iyana-Ipaja axis of the state.

Mr Chukwuemeka Chuba, a vegetable farmer, said it was a good sign that the rain came early this year but warned farmers against early commencement of planting to prevent loss of crops.

“The first rain this year is a good sign for local crop farmers. It means it is time for crop farmers to start clearing their farms and prepare.

ALSO READ: Lagos records first rainfall in 2020

“However, the first rain does not mean they should commence planting immediately.

“They should prepare the ground and start planning ahead for the rainy season.

“Going by last year when the first rains came, a lot of farmers went ahead to start planting and it did not rain again for so long and many people lost their crops.

“Farmers need to be wary of commencing planting simply because of the first rain,’’ Chuba explained.

According to him, we need to watch the way the trend goes and farmers should also be observant of climate change effects.

On his part, Mr Michael Aleagbu, a crop farmer, asked local farmers to be patient and observe the trend of the rain before starting the planting season.

“It is really great to experience the first rain of the year so early.

“I do not want farmers to be so excited about it and begin farming immediately.

READ ALSO: Eko Excel: Lagos SUBEB trains 4,800 teachers from 300 schools

“We should be observant and patient to see if the rain will continue in good succession before beginning planting.

“This is the first rain as crop farmers; we are still studying it but the early rain simply means we should expect more rain this year.

“It is going to be a good year for crop farmers; we should also expect better yields but we are still studying the rain,’’ Aleagbu said.

Mr Solomon Eromosele, a Commercial Motorist plying the Igando/Isheri to Iyana-Ipaja route, said the rain was most welcome and a good start for the year.

“It is a good thing that we witnessed the first rain of the year in Lagos State this afternoon.

“We really welcome the rain; it is a good start for the year.

“The rain today has made the weather quite suitable for us motorists plying the Igando/Isheri to Iyana-Ipaja route.

“Right now I am driving without sweating; the weather is no longer hot.

“I do not think the rain will cause gridlock or traffic on this route because now the government has ensured that the road on this axis is quite free of potholes.

“We are glad that it rained,’’ Eromosele said.

[NAN]

Vanguard News Nigeria.

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Dr Kanelechi Nwangwa, the Commissioner for Education in Abia, says that plans are underway to introduce central promotion examination for schools in the state.

Nwangwa said this on Monday in his office in Umuahia, while briefing newsmen on the plans and programmes of the ministry for 2020.

He said that the ministry had put a system in place to ensure that efforts made to enhance the standard and quality of education in Abia succeeded.

He said that the state government was determined to provide an opportunity for the people to receive wholesome education that would meet cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning needs.

“Our penchant for getting a child’s schoolwork marked good, regardless of his poor academic ability, has caused a serious problem.

“We want to change that orientation. This is because there is a difference between going to school and being educated,” he said.

Nwangwa said that the central promotion examination would be conducted at the end of every school year to ascertain that the right people got promoted to the next class.

He expressed displeasure over the spate of mass promotion of students into new classes, adding that it had made students to take education for granted.

READ ALSO: Why China is in bilateral relationship with Nigeria ― Teng Li

The commissioner said that the new system would encourage students to take their studies seriously and also make teachers not to “rest on their oars”.

He said that a general database on the performance of students in each school would be created to ensure that only students that passed the examination moved to the new class.

He said that the database would be used to ensure that students that failed the examination were made to repeat the class, even if they enrolled in another school.

He said that the ministry had started closing substandard schools and it would continue until sanity was restored in the education sector in the state.

“We went round and discovered that the issue of establishment of schools has become an all-comers affair, and schools in shanties and makeshift are most guilty of providing substandard education.

“There is a minimum standard and requirement for establishing schools in Abia. So everyone must follow due process in setting up a school in the state.

“We will ensure that there is adequate supervision of the operations of schools that have been pronounced as standard schools,” Nwangwa said.

He also said that the ministry had made plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Sports to organise sporting activities for schools at the local, zonal and state levels.

Nwangwa said that this was part of the ministry’s efforts to restore the quality of education in all ramification in the state. (NAN)

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Say war is horrible; Nigerians must never fight each other again

By Dapo Akinrefon, Olayinka Ajayi & Prince Okafor

LAGOS — 50 years after the Nigerian Civil War, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd); Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Professor Anya O. Anya, Professor Pat Utomi and Professor Banji Akintoye, yesterday, warned that another war was imminent if the current political, social, and economic challenges plaguing the country were not addressed.

They were, however, unanimous that Nigeria must avert another Civil War.

READ ALSO:APC, Buhari are threats to national unity – PDP(Opens in a new browser tab)

Also, notable Igbo elders, leaders and traditional rulers gathered at the MUSON Centre in Lagos to discuss the way forward, 50 years after the Nigerian civil war.

The 50th anniversary of the Nigerian Civil War, tagged Never Again, was organized by the Nzuko Umunna and Ndigbo Lagos in collaboration with civil society organisations.

We must revisit the issues — Gowon

Gowon, though absent at the event, spoke via a recorded video.

The former military Head of State said the Civil War remains a reference point in the country’s political odyssey, adding that as a way of moving forward, there exists the need to revisit the challenges bedeviling the country.

His words: “Let me say again, that although the Nigerian Civil War ended in January 1970, yet it has continued to be a veritable reference point in our nation’s political discourse for the past 50 years. It was indeed a welcome way. It ended at the time for it had posed the greatest threat to the territorial integrity and unity of Nigeria, our promising multi-ethnic federation.

“The Civil War left an indelible impression and desire in me to hold dearest, the unity and indivisibility of a democratic Nigeria in line with my response to a question by many passengers on an MV Aureol West African Sea Passage, Liverpool to Lagos in December/January 1965/66, who asked “Can there be a coup in Nigeria? My response during the trip was that it was impossible because we are ‘a political Army’ trained to be loyal to the government of the day, to defend the unity and territorial integrity of Nigeria, from both internal and external attacks until we got to Ghana on January 12, 1966, when as a result of a reported threat near Nigeria, I had to change my stance and said philosophically “nothing is impossible in this world, but if such a thing happens in Nigeria, I hope the few loyal of us will check, deal with it and return the status quo.” And that was what happened, 36 hours after my arrival in Lagos on  January 15, 1966.

We must avert another war

“In conclusion, I sincerely, believe that this speech at the end of the civil war is still relevant today and on this occasion. I, therefore, urge us to always refer to this speech as a reference point for entrenching national reconciliation, peace and unity of the country.

“We must do all in our power as responsible leaders and citizens of this great country and nation to create enabling platforms to dialogue and proffer ideas on how we can live together in peace and harmony for the good of all Nigerians and the black race as a whole, thus ensuring political and economic security and development of the country. I urge all Nigerians to ensure that we avert another civil war in Nigeria.

“Our commitment to Nigeria must be total and patriotic. To me, our Nigeria of today of over 500 ethnic groups of diverse socio-cultural and religious colorations and spread across 774 local government areas and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is worthy of your support and defence.”

We can’t survive another war — Soyinka

In his speech, Professor Soyinka said: “We have been made to understand that no nation has ever survived any two Civil Wars.”

Recalling how Tanzania recognized Biafra as a nation, he frowned at the casualties recorded during the Civil War.

He said: “Let me remind you that Tanzania was one of the nations that recognized the breakaway republic of Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War.

“And so, finding myself in that setting among products of this special historic formation, pre and immediate colonial African order, it was an opportunity to interrogate what could be considered a physiological or ideological extract from that human event that consumed, in its estimation, two million lives within two years.”

He also restated that the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.

He said: “My extract from the Civil War remains what it always was and that is a simple, self interrogatory: Are we being heard with the clarity and the excuseless that does not task the brain? The sovereignty of this nation is non-negotiable.”

Nigerians must eschew violence — Anya

Professor Anya, who was chairman of the occasion, noted that violence cannot provide the solution to the problems facing the nation.

He called on Nigerians to learn from the mistakes of the past, adding that losing a war was not necessarily a badge of failure.

Anya said: “Nigeria’s situation is not unique. Other countries have gone through the same. We, as a country, must learn from other countries that have survived the horror of war.

“Germany fought a war and lost, the same as Japan. But 30 years after, Germany became one of the best economies in the world, the same and Japan, until the advent of China. Losing a war does not make you a failure.

“We as a country must eschew violence, as it will not provide the answer to our current situation. There is a saying which goes like this: “Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” This is a new year and a new opportunity for Nigeria to make things right once again.”

War is horrible — Utomi

While highlighting the collapse of culture as one of the major problems of the country, Professor Utomi called for urgent attention and a joint effort to fix the problem.

Utomi noted that if the Biafran war was fought today, Nigeria may not exist due to the self-determination recognition by the international community.

He said: “War is a horrible experience. I have read about it, I have experienced it and I have watched it in the movies. We must address the issues that led to the Civil War. I can tell you that if the Biafran war is fought today, there will be no Nigeria because the international community now recognizes self-determination.”

He urged the government to create an enabling environment to help businesses.

He said: “Why does it matter to reflect on that experience and 50 years since?

I think this initiative has value because war is horrible and anything that enables people to learn enough from its experience to make them seek not to repeat it, does humanity great favour. Allied to this is that managing the cessation of hostility will determine how people heal and whether it is easy to capitalize on old wounds. Some doubt that the nature of the peace treaty that ended World War I paved the way for Hitler to emerge and made a more terrible World War II happen.

“War creates its psychosis and that can affect culture in a way that people may not become immediately aware of but this may affect fundamentally a peoples’ way. Why, for example, were Ndigbo typically considered modest, even stereotyped as stingy, before the war, and in the post-war era have become more voluble, extravagant and showy, with significant consequences for Emotional Intelligence?

“Nigeria’s inability to have learned and institutionalized lessons from the civil war is perhaps one of the greatest cases of leadership failure in modern human history. Even that is a paradox. The end of the civil war was marked by some great leadership initiatives”.

We must address the fundamentals — Akintoye

Also speaking, eminent historian, Professor Banji Akintoye said there is a need for Nigerians to  find a rational solution to problems affecting the country.

He warned that the country is in a mood similar to the pre-Civil War mood, noting: “We, who are here assembled and the rest of our whole country owe a great debt of gratitude to our men and women who thought that Nigeria must celebrate this important day in our country’s history and who put the arrangements together to enable us to assemble here now.

“This day, 50 years ago, we Nigerians saw the end of a bitter and sanguinary Civil War in which two sides of our country had been pitched against each other for fully 30 months. A war which had directly and indirectly taken the lives of millions of our citizens and had left the lives of more millions shattered.

“I assess that we are assembled to mark this day for two important reasons. First, we have assembled in gratitude to God that our Civil War came to an end when it did and that it did not continue beyond that day to inflict more deaths and more wounds upon us citizens and peoples of Nigeria and upon our country as a corporate entity.

“We elders, leaders, rulers and citizens of Nigeria are assembled here today before the world, and before the ruler of all peoples and nations, to assert that We the people of this country of Nigeria will Never Again manage the affairs of our country in such a way as to lead to war among us.

“It is hugely providential that we are registering this resolve today before the world and before the Creator and Ruler of the World. I say providential because, as an elderly citizen of this country and as a citizen who was already a young university teacher in the time of our Civil War,  I have good reasons to fear today that the character of the affairs of our country these days and the prevailing mood among us Nigerians, are chillingly similar to the character of the affairs of our country in the months leading to our Civil War.

“The government of our country is being managed in ways that make it look like an exclusive preserve of a particular minority. There seems to be an agenda being pursued to establish this minority in all positions of command in the executive, administrative, judicial and security services of our country. The voices of the majority register protests continually and are continually disrespected and ignored. “The state of the law is patently being subsumed to the needs of that agenda with seriously damaging effects on human rights. These situations are inevitably fostering among the peoples of the Middle Belt and South of our country, the feeling that they are being reduced to the status of conquered peoples in Nigeria.

“But in the spirit of today, in the spirit of Never Again plunging our country into Civil War, we can, and we must terminate all this descent towards horrific war. We can and we must speedily move our country into the state of law, the state of mutual respect among our hundreds of nations and the state of order and peace in our country.”

Throwing his weight behind the restructuring of the country, Akintoye said: “To make restructuring produce a full and abiding good for our country, we must now for the first time, correct a serious mistake which we have been making from the beginning especially from the beginning of independent Nigeria. That mistake is that we have been ignoring the fundamental fact that underlies our country. The fundamental fact is that Nigeria is a country of many different nations, of nations that are in some respects radically different in their cultures, their political traditions, their perceptions of acceptable reality, their expectations, and their desires and goals. Ignoring these fundamentals, we have almost continuously let our country wobble and teeter on the brink of violent implosion and we have continually inflicted serious pains upon ourselves. We fought and ended a Civil War but we have never really moved measurably away from the brinks of the Civil War.”

Roll call

Notable personalities present include Prof Wole Soyinka,  Prof Anya O. Anya, Prof Pat Utomi, Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, Professor George Obiozor, Admiral Alison Madueke (retd), former Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Alex Oti; Onyeka Onwenu, former Information Minister, Mr. Frank Nweke, Jnr; Eze Chukwuemeka-Eri, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Political Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Akin Osuntokun; Maj. Gen. Obi Umahi (retd) and Guy Ikokwu.

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THE 2019 general elections took place barely 10 months ago, and those declared winners were installed a little over six months ago. Yet, it seems the politics of the next general election year 2023 is already in play.

One of the founders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is reportedly eyeing the presidency, come 2023, visited Aso Villa last week and told newsmen that it was too early to be talking about the next election because “the time is not now”.

READ ALSO:Declare state of emergency on security, economy- ACF tells Buhari(Opens in a new browser tab)

However, this opinion does not derogate from the fact that some groups have been openly campaigning for him to succeed Buhari come 2023.

There is this notion that in a democracy there should be times for politics and governance. We have just done with intensive politics, it is now time to deliver electoral promises to the people through focused governance. There is no beating this logic.

But several factors are responsible for this seeming early start. Most Nigerian politicians and their supporters do nothing else but politics. That is how they earn their living and make their wealth. Downtime politics means no business, no money. This is why busybodies are campaigning even for putative candidates who are still smarting from the bruises of the 2019 elections.

Secondly, the question of succession to the presidency in 2023 requires some clear answers. It helps very much that Buhari has assured he would no longer be contesting when his tenure ends in 2023. He has said the right thing, but we must all hold him to this.

Also, the issue of power rotation between North and South is not settled in the major parties – the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It is difficult to stop people from wanting to know which way the cat should jump. Talking about it will help in generating broad national consensuses around these relevant political issues.

We see nothing wrong in engaging in robust discussions around succession 2023, both at presidential and gubernatorial levels. But we must not allow the heat of politics to distract those we just elected a few months ago to lose focus in governance. They, in particular, must guard against distraction.

The worst kind of distraction is if clear successors become known this early in the political cycle. It will render those we just elected early lame-ducks.

We advise President Buhari that, having concretely disavowed the tenure extension hoax, he should return our collective attention to efforts to rebuild the economy and our national infrastructure, secure the country and rid the system of corruption.

We expect the President and the Governors to start commissioning the projects they built in the past four years and touch the lives of the people in a meaningful manner.

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By Marie-Therese Nanlong – Jos

Plateau State government has earmarked the sum of six hundred and six million, seven hundred and seventy thousand naira (N606, 770, 000.00) for the payment of scholarship allowances to students studying within and outside the country.

This is even as the government reduced the total amount allocated for the education sector from N12, 214, 36, 930.00 representing 17.94% in 2019 budget to the sum of N7, 712, 076, 677.00 representing 9.81% in the 2020 budget.

However, the government called on citizens of the state to cooperate with revenue authorities for the payment of their taxes and levies so that all expectations in the implementation of the 2020 budget could be achieved.

The State Commissioner, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Sylvester Wallanko, made the allocation known while presenting the 2020 Budget break down at the Cabinet Office in Jos.

ALSO READ: Amotekun: North already neck-deep in community policing ― Plateau Gov, Lalong

Apart from the education ministry, Tourism, Culture and Hospitality which is one of the focal points of government in getting internally generated revenue got the sum of N337, 900, 000.00 representing 0.5% of the total budget which is pegged at N177, 340, 521, 774.00.

Wallangko urged citizens to endeavour to pay their taxes and other levies to enable government meet up with the task of implementing the budget as he said, “A lot of funding is needed. As such, I implore on the good citizens of our dear state to cooperate with revenue authorities in the payment of their taxes and levies.

READ ALSO: 50 years after: Let’s revisit issues that caused Civil War— GOWON, SOYINKA, ANYA, UTOMI, AKINTOYE

“Government is highly determined to continue to maintain zero tolerance for corruption and mismanagement of state resources by ensuring financial discipline in all transactions as we key into the State’s Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Program (SFTAS) of the World Bank and the Federal Government.

“Government will maintain its stand on dealing decisively with any individual or group both in Public and Private Sectors that try to frustrate its efforts on revenue collection as we look inwards in other to be able to finance the budget.”

The 2020 Budget tagged “Budget of Rescue and Infrastructural Consolidation” has N96,743,795.754.00, representing (55.69%) and N78,596,726,020, representing (44.31%). as recurrent and capital expenditures respectively.

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In 2015, Unicaf had just about 12,000 students across Africa who have enrolled through its academic platform for either a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree proframme. By January 2019, this figure has reached 25,000, bringing a whopping 108% growth in barely 4 years. Within the same period, when the pan-African institution gained over 100% growth, it has also expanded its footprint from being in just 3 African countries as of 2015 to 11 African countries by the first quarter of 2019. With Nigeria as its leading country, Unicaf has toppled the market as the leader in international higher-education.

How did Unicaf get here?

Unicaf provides an opportunity for African students to who desire an internationally recognised degree and to earn these degrees from their home countries. The programme is mainly delivered through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), where students take their classes in real-time online. Unicaf also offers on-campus study in its academic delivery model. Students can study online and also attend on-campus classes at Unicaf University campuses. Unicaf on-campus study is already available in a number of African countries like Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

While this may seem interesting for many and an opportunity for Africans to work and study concurrently, it didn’t just stop here. As an icing to the cake, Unicaf offers scholarships which covers a large portion of tuition fees. The goal is to deliver an international degree benchmarked to meet UK standard, for just a fraction of the actual cost. These students will also have the option to spread the remaining payments. This makes it suitable for many African students who desire to work, earn, and study for an internationally recognised degree.

”The structure of Unicaf’s online study has allowed me to obtain a higher level education without being in a classroom. The convenience of studying online creates a balance between working full time and raising a toddler. Additionally, the payment plan is great and with Unicaf’s help, I was able to work hard and achieve my dream of having a Master’s degree because it would not have been possible with my current busy schedule.

Overall, the experience thus far has been very rewarding and I truly recommend studying with Unicaf, especially to those busy persons who may want to further their studies…” says Tiffany Campbell, a Unicaf beneficiary.

What is the future of Digital Higher-Education?

A modern smartphone today has 1,500 times more processing power than the computer on the Apollo 11. The ubiquity of a smartphone device or a personal computer, with a good internet connection, makes it possible for students to study from anywhere in the world. They can receive their lectures online with these devices and participate in class activities through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). All these are possible due to the exponential growth of technologies. Many Africans today are embracing these opportunities to get themselves formally educated.

Digital education is the fastest way out to ensure that more Africans are able to rapidly embrace quality education. Many institutes in the UK, USA and other parts of Europe are already offering online degree programmes. This is to ensure that those who may be constrained by other personal activities such as their jobs, including disability or financial challenges could still access quality higher-education.

Unicaf University offers recognised degrees

Unicaf is the parent organisation which founded Unicaf University, a leading pan-African university. The institution is fully independent and delivers its own degrees. Unicaf University, also known as UU, is licensed in Malawi by the National Council for Higher Education. It is also licensed in Zambia by the Higher Education Authority, among other countries. Accordingly, these are the regulatory bodies overseeing licensing of higher-education in these countries.

Interestingly, while Unicaf may use UK quality of education as its benchmark for the quality of programmes it delivers, the institution still ensures that it meets the necessary regulatory requirements in these African countries. It aims to position itself as a truly pan-African university of high repute. Unicaf University is also a member of several education bodies and projects, such as United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), and also the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA), among many others. Some of the finance and accounting related courses it offers are approved by ACCA for up to 9 exemptions. This has made most of Unicaf programmes popular choice for candidates seeking internationally recognised degrees. 

Unicaf & Unicaf University Academic Partners

While Unicaf University operates fully independently, Unicaf partners with leading institutions in the UK, US and Africa for online distance learning programmes. Some of Unicaf academic partners include the Liverpool John Moores University – UK, University of Suffolk – UK and the University of California, Riverside Extension – USA.

Students in Africa can enrol into these institutions for selected degree programmes ranging from Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degree programmes. The institution the students have studied with will award their degrees upon completion of the programme. For instance, students who enrolled through Unicaf to study Public Health in Liverpool John Moores University, UK, will be awarded the degree from Liverpool John Moores University, UK. The same applies to the University of Suffolk, UK, Unicaf University, among others.

How to benefit from the Unicaf Scholarship

Unicaf offers undergraduate and graduates degree programmes through online and on-campus study system. The programmes are available to African candidates who desire to advance their career, with quality education in mind. There are a number of interesting courses of which candidates can pick from.

Interested candidates can visit the Unicaf application page here, select a programme and apply. Prospective students can simply apply to request a call back from a Unicaf advisor. A student advisor will reach out to the student to advise them on the whole process and guide them further.

More About Unicaf

Unicaf is a leading online platform offering affordable, quality higher-education to underserved markets. It offers this in collaboration with reputable universities in the UK, US and Africa. Unicaf is part of a wider European educational organisation, with more than 30 years of experience in the international education market. It is also the parent organisation of Unicaf University, a pan-African independent institution with presence in about 11 African countries. 

Okeke Vincent Chidozie (Entrepreneur, Writer & Digital Education Consultant)

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Includes 3 new labs in national network

By Sola Ogundipe

Towards the goal of Yellow Fever elimination from Nigeria, the Federal government has announced the inclusion of three new laboratories into national yellow fever, measles, and rubella laboratory network.

The three new laboratories are the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.

Announcing the formal inclusion of the laboratories Tuesday in Abuja, Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the development is in tune with the adoption of in 2017 of the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) strategy –  a global initiative led by WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to support at-risk countries in strengthening their surveillance and laboratory capacity to respond to yellow fever cases and outbreaks.

READ ALSO: NCDC activates 3 laboratories for disease outbreak samples

“To build Nigeria’s capacity in line with global standards, we are officially activating three new laboratories, a necessary addition to our existing laboratory network for yellow fever, measles, and rubella. These laboratories are also part of the global WHO laboratory network. The new laboratories in Edo, Enugu and the FCT will improve our coverage and ensure timely detection and response.

He remarked that the NCDC National Reference Laboratory is also working towards full accreditation to serve as a reference laboratory for yellow fever.

“Towards achieving the goals in the EYE strategy, Nigeria has increased the number of laboratories with the capacity to test for yellow fever from four to six.”

The laboratories located across the geopolitical zone include the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo State to serve the South-South States; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State will serve the South-East States and the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Gaduwa, Federal Capital Territory serves the North-East States.

Others are the Maitama District Hospital, FCT (North-Central States0; Yusuf Dansoho Memorial Hospital, Kaduna (North-West States0 and Central Public Health Laboratory, Lagos (South-West States).

READ ALSO: NCDC, NPHCDA confirm 15 laboratory cases of yellow fever in Bauchi

According to The NCDC boss:  “In 2017, Nigeria recorded an outbreak of yellow fever in Kwara State, 21 years after the last case had been detected in the country. Since then, we have continued to record clusters of cases across the country. Also in 2019, we recorded a high incidence of measles cases across the country, especially in Borno State in the North East

“Prior to 2019, we had only four laboratories in national yellow fever, measles, and rubella laboratory network. These were Maitama District Hospital, FCT; Yusuf Dansoho Memorial Hospital, Kaduna; Central Public Health Laboratory, Lagos and Gombe Specialist Hospital. There was no laboratory in the South East and the South-South with this capacity, putting a strain on other regions.”

Ihekweazu said to build Nigeria’s capacity in line with global standards, NCDC with support from our partners, has included three new laboratories in the national network and as part of the global laboratory network

“The Teaching Hospitals where these laboratories are located will provide leadership, staff, power and water supply as well as other resources for these laboratories to function daily.”

As the National Public Health Institute, NCDC has the mandate to lead the coordination of public health laboratories across the country. This we do by ensuring standardisation of testing methods, quality assurance, supply chain management as well as supporting preventive and corrective maintenance in these laboratories

In a statement. the Officer-In-Charge of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Clement Peter Lasuba reiterated the commitment of WHO and partners to support the strengthening of Nigeria’s public health laboratory.

READ ALSO: NCDC urges state govt. to invest in disease prevention, detection, control

“We are very proud of this milestone and fully recognise NCDC’s leadership in this regard. The inclusion of these three new laboratories will strengthen the national diagnostic capacity; a critical step for Nigeria’s health security. WHO will continue to support the development of public health laboratory services in Nigeria”.

Yellow fever, measles, and rubella are vaccine-preventable diseases. It is important that Nigerians ensure their children are immunised, to prevent the spread of these diseases.

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The former governor of the State and Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has Congratulated Senator Hope Uzodinma over his Victory at the Supreme Court which declared him the new governor of the State.

Owelle Okorocha also Congratulated the APC members in Imo for the Victory.

He called on all hands to be on deck for the support of the new governor.

Owelle Okorocha assured Senator Uzodinma of his unflinching Support.

The apex court, in a unanimous judgement by a seven-man panel of justices that was led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, held that Ihedioha who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes.

ALSO READ: Ihedioha pack up, Uzodinma is coming ― Mbaka speaks again

The Supreme Court, therefore, ordered the immediate withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to Ihedioha by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

It ordered that a fresh Certificate of Return should be issued to Uzodinma forthwith, adding that he should be sworn in immediately as the governor of Imo state The lead judgement was delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while other members of the panel concurred.

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On its part, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has described the Federal Government’s announcement of southwest security outfit, Amotekun, as a joke taken too far.

This is just as it called on the South-West governors to ignore the Attorney General of the Federation.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said: “They are joking. Now they have exposed themselves that they are the ones supporting insecurity in the south-west because if they don’t support insecurity in the south-west, they will not take this action.

ALSO READ: Mbaka’s prophecy: Social media goes wild as Supreme Court replaces Ihedioha for Uzodinma

“All that they are telling us is that they will leave us vulnerable. They have not declared Miyetti Allah illegal or the herdsmen carrying AK 47 around the country. It is the security put together by our governors that they are now declaring illegal. On what basis are they declaring it illegal? So, they are carrying it too far.

“The first question Afenifere wants to ask Malami is that: Is Malami a court of law to declare action taken by federating units illegal? What power is he exercising? We are calling on our governors to ignore him totally. If he has anything against what they have done, let him go to court and they meet him in court.”

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Deloitte has published its 23rd annual Money League table for revenue generated in football, with Barcelona leading the way for the first time.

In addition to topping the Deloitte Money League, Barcelona is the only club to break the €800million mark for revenue.

The Catalan club generated €840.8m during the 2018-19 season, seeing them topple bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of Deloitte’s table.

ALSO READ: Barcelona put faith in purist Setien after sacking Valverde

Barca finished ahead of Madrid by some distance, with Los Blancos bringing in €757.3m across the course of the campaign, though that was enough to keep them second and in front of Manchester United.

The Red Devils may have underwhelmed on the pitch in recent seasons, but they remain a major financial power, with revenues reaching €711.5m.

United are one of eight Premier League clubs in the top 20, with Manchester City (fifth), Liverpool (seventh), Tottenham (eighth), Chelsea (ninth), Arsenal (11th), West Ham (18th) and Everton (19th) joining them.

ALSO READ: Liverpool retain seventh place in Deloitte Football Money League, earn £77m in revenue

However, United could potentially slip next year due to a lack of Champions League action this term, with Bayern Munich (€660.1m) and Paris Saint-Germain (€635.9m) the biggest threats to knocking them out of the top three.

Deloitte also understands United are at risk of losing their status as the Premier League’s highest revenue-generating club for the first time next year, with City and Liverpool very much on the rise.

Napoli and Lyon are the only new entrants to the top 20.

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President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has congratulated Senator Hope Uzodinma on his victory at the Supreme Court which on Tuesday declared him the winner of the March 19, 2019, Imo State governorship election.

Lawan also congratulated the All Progressives Party (APC) in the state for peacefully retrieving its mandate through the constitutionally stipulated judicial process.

The Senate President said the unanimous decision of the seven-member panel of the highest court in the land has cleared any doubt on the victory of the APC in the election.

“This is a victory for democracy, the rule of law, the All Progressives Congress and the good people of Imo State.

ALSO READ: Okorocha congratulates Uzodinma on Supreme Court ruling

“The new Governor-elect should be magnanimous in victory and see his mandate as a call to serve his people conscientiously and to the best of his ability,” Lawan said.

The Senate President wished the governor-elect a successful tenure in office.

He also praised the Nigerian Judiciary for reasserting itself as a sacred chapel for judicious resolution of disputes.

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday dismissed suggestions that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the stoppage of salaries of university lecturers yet to enrol into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

Its President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, in a statement in Abuja, said that rumours to that effect circulated in the social media were fake.

He said that ASUU met with Buhari on Thursday, January 9, 2020, and discussed the IPPIS issue which the union had rejected “with sound reasons”.

READ ALSO: Our position on IPPS stands, says ASUU

“To put the records straight, at no point during the meeting did President Buhari put a closure to the ongoing discussion on ASUU’s preference for the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS).

“He also did not direct that salaries of ASUU members be stopped for failure to enroll in the IPPIS.

“Any report to the contrary is circulated to mislead the public,” he said.

He added that ASUU was committed to its tradition of consultation and dialogue which informed the engagement with Buhari last week.

“We had useful discussions with the President and we are hopeful that our prayers will receive the expected prompt attention,” he said.

(NAN)

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Police officers in Lesotho are appealing for help to trace Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s current wife who they want to question over the 2017 murder of his then-estranged wife.

Maesaiah Thabane has not been charged, but police want to speak to her about Lipolelo Thabane’s killing, a government spokesman told journalists on Tuesday.

The prime minister has also failed to answer police questions, he added.

The couple had not yet commented on a case that has caused much intrigue in the Southern African nation.

Lipolelo Thabane was shot dead two days before Mr. Thabane was sworn in as prime minister of the mountain kingdom.

The women were involved in a legal battle over who should be the first lady.

• READ ALSO: Police arrest suspected killers of Lagos worker, Moradeun Balogun

The courts ruled in favour of Lipolelo Thabane, who was gunned down outside her home near the capital, Maseru.

Mr. Thabane described his estranged wife’s killing as “senseless” in his inaugural speech as prime minister in June 2017.

He was accompanied to the ceremony by Maesaiah Thabane.

A priest married the couple about two months later at a public ceremony at a stadium in the capital, Maseru.

The prime minister and Lipolelo Thabane were involved in a bitter divorce battle at the time of her murder. (BBC)

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Frees kidnap victims unconditionally

By Bashir Bello

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has given unrepentant bandits terrorizing the state 48 hours ultimatum to surrender, lay down their arms as well as free kidnapped victims in their custody unconditionally or face the consequences.

Masari gave the ultimatum on Tuesday evening at the end of an extraordinary security meeting with the bandits and other stakeholders in the state.

The Governor represented by the Secretary to the State Government and Chairman, government’s Security Committee, Mustapha Inuwa said the bandits have exhausted all opportunities given to them to embrace peace hence the decision of the government on no going back.

Recall that the state government led by Governor Masari sometimes last year’s visited the bandits in their hideouts to preach peace, after which the waves of attacks reduced drastically but after some months resurfaced.

ALSO READ: Court sacks Ihedioha, declares Uzodinma winner

According to him, “We appreciate the effort and cooperation of those who have embraced peace and assisting the security agencies in trying to achieve peace especially in the Southern part of the state, Katsina, Safana, Danmusa and part of Batsari.

“And to those who have not embraced peace, we told them enough is enough. They either embrace peace or they face the consequences. And we told them point blank that they must release those kidnapped victims in their custody under no condition otherwise the security agencies particularly the Army will not only rescue the victims but secure the place. Because the government and all the security agencies have given them all the opportunities to repent, accept peace and cooperate with the government so that peace will return to Katsina.

“So in this meeting, we told them this is the last meeting we will convene to discuss dialogue. They either embrace peace or they face the consequences.

“We told them that Kidnap victims from Jibia, Batsari, Bakori and others should be released from now till Thursday or face the full wrath of the law.

“We will mobilise all security apparatus to flush them out. It has come to an end.

“The unrepentant bandits who have refused to cooperate were mostly in parts of Jibia, Batsari, Kurfi, Dutsinma and parts of Matazu and Musawa,” Inuwa said.

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Borussia Dortmund agreed to insert a release clause of €60m in Erling Haaland’s contract to seal his signature during the January window.

Haaland was pursued by Manchester United but made the decision to head to Dortmund instead, where he penned a four-and-a-half-year deal.

According to ​Sky Deutschland, that contract contains a €60m release clause, and ​Dortmund had to go against club policy and agree to that as it was seen as the only way to get the deal over the line.

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In recent years, Dortmund have avoided putting release clauses in the contracts of their players as they have been forced to part ways with some of their most influential names when those fees have been met in the past.

Nuri Şahin’s €10m move to ​Real Madrid in 2011 was the first example, but the most painful was Mario Götze’s €37m switch to arch-rivals ​Bayern Munich in 2013. That was the final straw for Dortmund, who made a point out of steering clear of release clauses going forward.

However, they had to agree to grant Haaland the €60m clause as otherwise, the transfer ‘would not have been possible’, with the player’s representative – the infamous Mino Raiola – clearly adamant that a release clause was necessary.

It is worth noting that one of the ​reasons behind United’s failure to sign Haaland was Raiola’s insistence on inserting a release clause into the contract. The ​Red Devils weren’t happy with the idea of losing him, whereas Dortmund clearly chose to agree to the demands.

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Speaking to the Deutschen Presse-Agentur, sporting director Michael Zorc refused to be drawn on the clause but insisted that Haaland will be a Dortmund player for years to come.

“We never comment on contract details,” he said. “Assume that he will play football with us for a lengthy period of time.”

Haaland has already featured for Dortmund during friendlies in their mid-season training camp, and he might get the chance to make his official debut when Lucien Favre’s side travel to face Augsburg on Saturday.

Source: Footmob

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