How I survived five assassination attempts —Osoba

Tribune Online
How I survived five assassination attempts —Osoba 

You are in the forefront of journalism profession in the country. Can you give an insight into your adventure into it, and why you chose journalism as a career?

I found myself in journalism by accident. I was to study law because my closest teacher in school, the late Chief Adenola Oshuneye, wanted me to study law. He was even furious that I decided to go into journalism because I had admission into the University of Lagos to study law, but Alhaji Babatunde Jose persuaded me to jettison the idea of reading law and take up journalism. In my school days, I was a regular writer in the school magazine called the Magnate at Methodist Boys High School, Abeokuta.

 

What attracted you to the profession because some people of your age category said they ran away from it because they felt the proceeds from it could not take care of their families?

The attraction to journalism is the challenge because a good journalist faces challenge every day. Journalism is adventurous and educative; you learn everyday. Journalism gives exposure and for someone who is streetwise like me, I found journalism a great profession because you have the ability and training to relate with all sectors of the society, including armed robbers, prime ministers, parliamentarians and even petty thieves. For instance, I started my career as a journalist covering little crimes. A journalist must be comfortable with all sectors of the society. It is a great training ground that helped me in my years as a politician. Journalism trains someone to be a leader and to be objective. The profession trains someone to accept other people’s opinions because most of the times we publish articles and stories that we disagree totally with. A journalist’s duty is to report issues so that the public will make their judgment.

 

How did you break the news of the assassination of the late Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa?

The story is in my book. People talk about it as if it is the only feat I achieved as a journalist. I wrote many exclusive stories. For example, when Joseph Tarka ordered a Mercedes-Benz, which became a controversial issue, I exclusively covered the issue. During the civil war, I had many exclusive stories. Even in my later years when I got to Sketch and Herald, I had many exclusive stories. For instance, the assassination of Murtala Mohammed and the capture of Dimka, I did many exclusives on them. I have full details of all that transpired then. When the then the military governor of old Kwara State, the late Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo was assassinated, I was the one who went with the Secretary to the State Government, Obatoyin, to discover the body on the road to Offa.  The case of Abdurrahman Shugaba, who was then Majority Leader of the Borno State House of Assembly, who was taken physically and thrown across the border like a stone, was another landmark. I witnessed the impeachment of the then governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa. There are many others, but there is much emphasis on the Tafawa Balewa case as if it was the only feat. However, it was the major beginning that threw me into the hall of fame.

 

You talked about some assassination attempts on your life. How would you recollect those moments?   

Some of our people, who I would call vicious characters and I will give you examples; they are in my book, but I will give you my piece of mind on it. People like Wale Oshun, who wrote a book entitled Clapping With One Hand, he created the impression as if I was nobody in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) struggle and Dr Femi Okurounmu, who for years because he wanted to be governor of Ogun State, tagged me as the late Gen Sani Abacha’s turncoat. I have had the occasion to challenge them if any one of them suffered as much as I did, then they have the right to insult me otherwise they should keep their mouths shut forever. I want them to reply in details the way I have put documentations in this book, the way I have put the names of witnesses.I was the first to be arrested after the formation of NADECO by Abacha and I was taken to Kam Salem House. I mentioned Oba Rilwanu Akiolu there, who was then the Commissioner of Police that gave me his office to use after the closing hour because I was sleeping in a big hall infested with rats. I was the first to be charged to court along with Bola Tinubu and Commodore Dan Suleiman before Justice Shonowo. We were to go to jail but the judge ruled on the matter. When we were not given bail, the late Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Modibbo Alfa Belgore intervened and gave us bail. I went through that. We were transferred from Kam Salem House to the Alagbon Police station, where we were taking our bath in the open as early as 6am. Tinubu, Suleiman, others and I were there. Subsequently, the attempt on my life started on August 24, 1994 when Chief MKO Abiola had returned and had then been arrested. We were to go and celebrate his (Abiola’s) first birthday in detention when they came to my house on the night of August 23. They had attempted to bomb Dan Suleiman’s house on August 22. They had attempted to set the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s chamber on fire. When all these attempts on Fawehinmi and Suleiman had occurred, I went into hiding. I was lucky to have escaped because they were out to eliminate me, but I was not at home. They gained access into my house without using any key. Unfortunately, the State Security Service (SSS) attached to me as a former governor, Stephen Itokpa, didn’t know that the invaders were security people, he engaged them in a shootout but after exhausting his ammunition, he escaped through the fence. That was the first attempt on my life in 1994, the rest I didn’t know until Sergeant Rogers, the government’s hit man came to give evidence in court and the Tell magazine did an interview, where he revealed all that transpired.

The second attempt was in September 1995 when they wanted to set my house on fire in Abeokuta. Also, I managed to escape because I didn’t sleep early on that day. I just heard a spark and smoke engulfed the entire room. I have all the narratives in my book. The fourth attempt was the evidence given by Sergeant Rogers in court that they were sent out to go and kill me, the late Afenifere leader, Senator Abraham Adesanya; the late publisher of The Guardian, Dr. Alex Ibru; Bola Ige and others. Another time was when they trailed me on the road to Abeokuta; the military boys on the road checkpoint waved me on, but the few minutes that they stopped them gave me the opportunity to escape. Five times I escaped attempted assassination. So when Osun and Okurounmu started talking, I looked at them as small boys in the struggle. If they didn’t go through the kind of things I went through, they should remain silent.

 

How come the late Sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo described you and two others as three musketeers?

I keep saying that the three of us were the youngest people  who were close to Awolowo. Of the living, those closest to Awolowo, who are my elders are Alhaji Lateef Jakande and Chief Ayo Adebanjo. The Awolowo family knew that we dined with Awolowo and got tutelage from him. We did our ‘PhD’ in public life by being mentored by him. He made us part of all organs of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). There was no organ of the party that the three of us did not belong to. I can challenge them to produce the kind of photographs I took with Awolowo in Yola. I was with Papa Awolowo in Ikenne during the last broadcast that he made before the 1983 elections. I have the action photographs of those events. Can any of them produce such photographs? I have the record of all the minutes of the UPN. I want people to react to my book and I want anyone who is going to react to counter the things I said with documents. If I were to use the photographs, it would become a voluminous book. If I were to use all the documents I have, I would have ended up writing an encyclopedia. But I restrained myself from using many documents.

 

How would you describe the impact of your parents and that of others, who added value to your life till this moment?

I give the greatest thanks to my father, who was a disciplinarian. We were trained to wake up at 6 in the morning. Most times, we woke up before 6am and still remained in bed but whenever we heard the sound of his footsteps, we would wake up to avoid being flogged. He taught me how to be frugal. For example, when I was in secondary school, he always told me to go to UTC and Lennards stores to find out prices of shoes before making my choice. He chose the cheapest ones. I learned from him that the best material to use is guinea brocade and aso oke.My mother was a reserved person, who taught me how to respect people. Another great influence on me was my uncle, Prophet Joseph Ayo Babalola. People don’t know that I am related to him. He was one of the founders of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC).  I spent most of my holidays with him. He was the one who named me Oluwasegun, because my mother had some children before me who did not survive. Joseph Babalola named me Oluwasegun, saying I would survive. I am 80 today and I am grateful to God and Prophet Babalola. The religious aspects of my life were learned from Prophet Babalola.

• Internal crises won’t make Nigeria to lead Africa —Kure

The rascality side of my life was learned in Lagos. I was a member of virtually everything. I have a picture of myself which was taken in 1964, when I was a member of the Alakoro Boys and Girls Club in Ebute Ero. We were trained on how to be streetwise. We were trained on how to serve humanity and how to serve the people. My exposure was not limited to academics as I was virtually involved in many societies, including Red Cross, Boy’s Scout, Debating Society, and Yoruba Cultural Group, among others. I had broad education.

 

Alhaji Babatunde Jose was a well-known and celebrated personality in the journalism profession. To what extent did he influence your rise in journalism?

After my childhood days and I decided to go into journalism, Alhaji Jose truncated my ambition of studying law and immediately made me to go to the University of Lagos in 1965. Alhaji Jakande brought the International Press Institute Training in Nairobi to Lagos. We were the pioneer people in the University of Lagos. The course later metamorphosed into the Department of Mass Communication of the University of Lagos. In 1965, expatriates were sent from the International Press Institute in London to the University of Lagos. And at the time I left the university in 1965, Alhaji Jose sent me to the United Kingdom for a course under the Commonwealth Press Union. Within two years of joining Daily Times, I had done two major courses in journalism. As of 1970, I had gone to the Indiana University, Bloomington for another diploma course in journalism. It was as if Alhaji Jose was preparing me early for something big in journalism.  When people say that I didn’t go to the university, I wonder if someone who attended these institutions and attended Harvard University for a postgraduate course, is not educated in their sight. What did they do that I have not done?  To have been qualified as Niemen fellow is one of the greatest honours in America because the fellowship is limited to 15 people annually and I did a year postgraduate course in Harvard University.

 

But Areoye Oyebola has said severally that Jose liked you more than him.

They said I was Alhaji Jose’s lapdog. That was why I decided to go to Herald after the crisis in Daily Times to prove myself. If I was that lapdog or favourite, who didn’t know the job, how come the paper succeeded? Without being immodest, there is no newspaper I managed that I ever collected subvention from the Federal Government. I made profit in Herald and turned around Sketch when I started managing it.  At Sketch, I built a new office complex, and bought new equipment. By the time I came back to Daily Times, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) had destroyed it but I turned it around to the extent that we were paying dividends to shareholders. Would a man, who didn’t know his left from right and who they said became editor by favouritism, have been able to lead Daily Times? I am proud to say that I am one journalist in Nigeria who managed three major newspapers and made them profitable. I paid salaries as and when due and provided housing and car loans. Apart from managing three successful newspapers, I am involved in The Vanguard and The Guardian, which are major newspapers. When people talk, they don’t know that the idea of starting The Guardian was Alex Ibru’s and mine. That was why the managing directorship was reserved for me for years.

 

Your foray into politics, when was it? 

My foray into politics began when I became a member of the Peoples Solidarity Party (PSP), which metamorphosed into the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

 

Would you now say that a two-party system is better than a multi-party arrangement?

A two-party system is the best for Nigeria. That is why I said the mistake Babangida made on June 12 was destroying the political engineering that was put in place by Dr Joseph Cookey. The two-party system placed the progressives on one side and the conservatives on the other.  At that time, nobody defected from SDP to the National Republican Convention (NRC) or from the NRC to the SDP. Nobody did that no matter the problem in the respective parties because the ideological divide was very clear.  For example, Senator Kofo Akerele-Bucknor became a senator with two votes. The primary that was used then was the Open Ballot system, where people queued behind the candidates of their choice to vote. What happened was that the late Wahab Dosumu was in the forefront to win but there was a disagreement, which made them to boycott the primary. Akerele-Bucknor stubbornly said she was not going to boycott and only two people queued behind her and she won because the SDP said they were boycotting. Her two votes were upheld and she became a senator. In spite of that, neither Dosumu nor the other person left the party.  The party still accepted her despite the fact that she was not the first choice. If we had gone with the two-party system, Nigeria would have been a better country today. There was only a little difference between the number of the SDP and the NRC governors. It was also the same in the Senate. Those who became governors at the time were high-calibre people. John Odigie-Oyegun, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Alhaji Saidu Bada from Katsina were all retired federal permanent secretaries. The late Dabo Lere of Kaduna State was a retired General Manager, Essential Commodities. Shaaba Lafiagi of Kwara State was the General Manager of Bacita Sugar Industry. I was the Managing Director of Daily Times.  Michael Otedola was a Personal Assistant to Awolowo. Bamidele Olumilua had a successful foreign aervice career. I can go on to name other governors, who were people of high calibre exposure. It is different from what we have now.

 

You once said that you grew up with top military leaders of old. Since you were close to them when they were in leadership positions as young people, how do you feel hearing their names often mentioned anytime Nigeria’s leadership crisis is discussed?

Of course, the military was in control for many years. Two weeks ago, someone said that I was a security agent during the military era. What they don’t know is that many of those officers were Second Lieutenants when I became famous as a result of the Balewa story in 1966.  I met some of them in 1961 when I went to Cameroon for Man’O War drills. I always tell them that they are Generals in the military while I am a Field Marshal in my profession. These are people who I grew up with. Babangida was one of them. The greatest “terror” in our days was Air Marshal Abass. That was when we used to visit nightclubs all over Lagos. How can I now be an agent of the people I grew up with? Is it not insulting?

For instance Babangida and I had interesting social life in Lagos as young people. For instance, on the war front, Gen T Y Danjuma (retd) was a Major serving under the late Gen Shuwa at the First Division, which was the first military formation to start the war. I met all of them on the war front. Danjuma was then a field Lt Colonel, can the man I met in the war front intimidate me? I had ‘hobnobbed’ with Tafawa Balewa, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Festus Okotie-Eboh and others in the parliament, how could my mates intimidate me? I covered the Sardauna of Sokoto and Awolowo, as well as moved with other high profile people. Those who called me an agent are limited in scope; they lack contacts and they are envious that I had contacts and influence. As of 1964, I had a telephone, which made it possible for me to relate with ministers and other top people. Wikileaks have been releasing names of agents, have they ever found my name on the Wikileaks list? As the officers were growing in the military, I was also growing in my profession. I couldn’t have been an apologist and still ran successful newspaper businesses.

 

With these explanations, are you dismissing the insinuation that you are a military apologist?

If I were a military apologist, would I have been able to run newspapers under the military regimes and made profits? It means that what I was giving out was acceptable to the readers. I replied them in my book. For instance, every newspaper has its editorial policy and all staff in the paper must lean in the direction of that policy otherwise you leave. There is no newspaper that is totally free. The freedom of any reporter stops where the editorial policy of the paper starts. Those saying that we that ran newspaper under the military regime are military apologists don’t know anything. I think I deserve some respect from those tagging me as a military apologist because of the achievements I recorded in all the newspapers I managed under the military without collecting subventions from governments. We walked on a tight rope under the military governments and still made the newspaper profitable.

How I survived five assassination attempts —Osoba 
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

S’Eagles Players Earn $37.5k For Beating Cameroon

The Super Eagles players will pocket $37,500 each for their hard-earned 3-2 win over the Indomitable Lions Cameroon in Saturday’s AFCON 2019 Round of 16 encounter at the Alexandria Stadium.

One of the team’s sponsors, Captain Hosa Okunbo, rewarded the team with $20,000 for the win, while they got $5,000 each from they reportedly Lagos State Government.

They also got a match-winning bonus of $12,500 and $75,000 for the three goals by one of the Nigeria Football Federation major sponsors, Aiteo Group.

The Super Eagles looked destined to exit the competition after the Indomitable Lions turned the game around with Stephane Bahoken cancelling out Odion Ighalo’s 19th-minute goal and Clinton Njie handing them the lead two minutes before the break.

Gernot Rohr’s side, however, rallied back to win the game with two second-half goals by Ighalo and Iwobi.

The Super Eagles will face the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Cairo International Stadium. Kickoff is 8pm Nigerian time.

The post S’Eagles Players Earn $37.5k For Beating Cameroon appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Mali Vs Cote d’Ivoire: Survival Of The Fittest

Lagos – The seventh second round match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) comes up on Monday (today) at Suez Stadium, Suez by 5pm between the Eagles of Mali and the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

Cote d’Ivoire have some brilliant attacking talents in their squad and could be a match for anyone at this ongoing AFCON in Egypt.

They showed some of that against the Brave Warriors of Namibia as they scored four goals to secure their spot in the knockout stages. Wilfried Zaha was finally given a start but with plenty of competition for places in attack, getting the team selection right could be key.

While they enjoyed a more successful group stage, the Elephants can click into gear and progress to the last-eight if they put their acts together.

The Eagles of Mali were the standout team of Group E during the preliminary stage of the tournament as they topped the group with seven points, four points more than second-placed, the Carthage Eagles  of Tunisia after they won their final game against the Palancas Negras of Angola.

With qualification secure, Mali opted to make eight changes to their starting XI and despite all of the upheaval, they were able to claim a 1-0 win thanks to Amadou Haidara’s first half effort.

The Malians will need to improve in this knockout stage match against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire despite their solid group campaign but with the majority of their first-choice side receiving a well-earned rest, they should come back refreshed for this last 16 clash.

The Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire on the other hand secured the win they needed to progress to the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations as they ran out big winners over Namibia but were given a scare in their Group D contest.

The pressure was on the Elephants to get the win but their nerves were eased when Max Gradel sent put his side ahead before the break and despite doubling their lead through an own goal, the Brave Warriors of Namibia clawed a goal back before late goals from Wilfried Zaha and Maxwell Cornet sealed the victory.

That win ensured the Elephants finished second in their group and will need to improve on an inconsistent effort in the group stage but having made his first start of the tournament, Wilfried Zaha will be hoping to retain his place and help lead his team to the latter stages.

There is no doubt this encounter will definitely be the survival of the fittest judging from the performance of the two teams so far in this tournament.

The post Mali Vs Cote d’Ivoire: Survival Of The Fittest appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Mikel Confirms International Retirement After AFCON

Captain John Mikel Obi has vowed to make his last Africa Cup of Nations one to remember for Nigeria and believes his presence in the squad could be a crucial factor in their bid for success.

The midfielder, 32, concedes this will certainly be his last appearance on the continental showpiece event and possibly for his country.

“It’s been an amazing ride for me in the national team,” Mikel told BBC Sport.

Obviously winning the Nations Cup in South Africa was the high point, that’s why I want to help this young team to hopefully achieve their dreams

“Thirteen years I think is enough. I’ve won trophies; I’ve had a lot of amazing time. I think it’s time for these young guys to carry on.

“I’m mostly here in Egypt to support the young guys and make sure they’re on the right track.

“I think my presence is always important for them, hopefully I can finish with the trophy.”

Mikel has won a total of 89 caps for Nigeria, playing for Super Eagles in the past two World Cups and helping the team win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

He also helped Nigeria finish third at the 2006 and 2010 Nations Cups.

He has made two appearances for his country at the ongoing tournament in Egypt, but missed their last-16 tie through injury as Nigeria secured a quarter-final date against South Africa with a 3-2 win over bitter rivals Cameroon.

The post Mikel Confirms International Retirement After AFCON appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you (2)

Tribune Online
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you (2)

Last week, I wrote that whenever our ethics cannot withstand our temptations, we are in greater trouble than we understand, for our character defines who we are—both to ourselves and to those who have chosen to be around us. It is our character that determines who we are, not money and what money can buy. In fact, it is said that character is the prophecy of destiny!

This week, I want to start by saying that it isn’t our fault that society has adopted a lifestyle that embraces a lack of character. It only becomes our fault when we become part of the problem. How, then, do we become part of the answer? It is by celebrating character—not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others.

This is where it begins to get sticky. We are now facing, in our collective societies, those who, through levels of deception and chicanery, have achieved a place of leadership that gives them a platform from which they are able to exploit the innocent. This becomes an almost insurmountable challenge because rather than seeing these positions (in government, business, marriage, parents, or life) as those that are set in place to protect us, we seem to be suspicious of them all. The dishonesty and insincere become the standard from which we gather our information.

After seeing, reading, and hearing of all the exploitations going on in the world, we are almost afraid to trust ancient wisdom. Yet, these established; enduring truths are the qualities that history is written about; they are the reasons why the greats have become great. The current generation of Nigerians hardly churns our great men, because ancient wisdom is being despised by them. To become great in this day and time, ancient wisdom would need to be warmly embraced and walked out in shoe-leather!

Therefore, regardless of our possible reticence in trusting these time-honored precepts, let us begin…Those who will dare to take a step have a great journey ahead. But those who are still afraid can always find a reason not to posture themselves in this manner; many won’t believe the safeguarding power of these truths, even after repeatedly witnessing the undeniable and proven success they bring to the lives of the honorable.

People of character desire to shape and discipline their lives according to time-tested principles. Interestingly, in this day and age, many claim to have an interest in truth, but although the arrival of the Internet has brought an information explosion into every home, few seem to be willing to react for and grasp real truth.

For every truth we discover, we will also face a counterfeit philosophy. We see this demonstrated within the context of the issue of compliance. There are two philosophies of compliance in the world. The following mental picture will give us an idea of these two ways of thinking.

Three men are standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. The sergeant in Arms—who was standing on a platform just above the deck, suddenly cried out, “Take cover! Hit the deck!” Two of the men immediately hit the desk. The third man remained standing, asking, “Why? What’s happening?” In an instant, a missile exploded on the deck. The men who took cover survived the blast, but shrapnel killed the third man, who failed to heed the Sergeant’s warning.

The third man demonstrated an understanding of compliance that is built upon counterfeit philosophy. He remained standing on the deck, asking the question, “Why?” Only when he understood the reason behind the command was he willing to comply.

Modern Western culture bases its understanding of compliance upon this philosophy. In this age of independence and information gathering, a person asks questions first and then decides if he wants to obey. In the past, when greater respect for authority and leadership was demonstrated, people usually didn’t have to be asked a second time to do anything. They complied the first time, without questioning, because they not only believed in the integrity of the person who had given them the instruction, but they also possessed an internal trait of trust.

This is a more ancient and accurate understanding of compliance. It tells us that a person complies first and seeks to understand later. Any questions he then asks are not to test the one who gave the instruction, but to preemptively prepare for wise decision-making in the future. Character proves its respect for virtue through its compliance to moral precepts. If we choose to live according to the counterfeit philosophy of compliance, the day will come when we will wish we had learned to instantly comply. A leader will say, “Take cover!” and while we are standing there, insisting on knowing why, a “missile” will hit us from behind, bringing destruction and loss. This is one of the major reasons why there is much casualty amongst the upcoming generation of Nigerians.

In rounding off this soul-searching piece, I like to zero in on what Dr. Jerry Newcombe penned on the 4th of July, unveiling the ingratitude attitude of an American soccer star, Meghan Rapinoe—toward America: “Rapinoe raised eyebrows in the 2018 season by taking a knee though she is playing for the U.S. Women’s National soccer team. Her taking a knee only came to an end starting in the 2019 season because the team passed a rule requiring players to stand during the anthem. But she right away said that she would never sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ again, nor would she place her hand over her heart because she hates America. Sadly, she is by no means alone. There are millions of ungrateful Americans today.”

No matter what happens, never you bite the hand that once fed you.

Till I come your way next week Monday, see you where rock-solid leaders are found!

Don’t bite the hand that feeds you (2)
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

My Mercedes is bigger than yours (3)

Tribune Online
My Mercedes is bigger than yours (3)

Intelligence is creativity having fun    – Albert Einstein

I thought to rest this series last week. However, in the course of that week, a few ideas crossed my mind that I thought needed to be added. As I mentioned in the first part of the series, the spirit of competition is largely developed from home and through our educational system that evaluates the student and pitches him against others, using certain fixed parameters that simply end up making some appear like superstars while the others feel like dunces.

In 1983, an American developmental psychologist, Howard Gardener published his seminal book, “FRAMES OF MIND” in which he propounded the theory that there are nine intelligences by which you assess intellectual brilliance or genius.

The first of them is the Naturalist Intelligence. People with this type of intelligence are characterized by their sensitivity to nature. Being nature-smart, they are comfortable relating with animals, plants, rocks and other natural phenomena. Their genius comes alive when they are surrounded by flora and fauna. Such people express themselves best through careers in Zoology, Botany and Geology.

Next is the sound-smart category which he calls Musical Intelligence. They derive their ultimate pleasure in rhythm, tone or pitch or any other musical sound. They capture sounds that others may miss. These people naturally create or reproduce music. They excel as singers, composers, music conductors or producers. In school, they remember facts that are set to music better than those expressed merely in words. It is not unusual for them to actually reduce what they are taught into music for ease of recall!

The third intelligence is the Logical-Mathematical. The genius of people in this category is seen in their love for calculations, scientific theories, hypotheses and mathematics. They make their connections using deductive and inductive thinking, sequential reasoning, experiments and statistics. They love graphs, charts and figures. They don’t express themselves in too many words when formulae would do.

People with Existential Intelligence are characterized by an acute sensitivity to life issues. They love to ask questions and seek answers to deep issues of life by interrogating the essence of life, existence and human evolution. They are “big picture” thinkers who, through critical thinking, seek to decode the line between cause and effect in creation and human conduct. Very often, they come across as aloof and withdrawn.

The people-smart ones are the ones who display Interpersonal Intelligence. Their high Emotional Quotient (EQ) makes them very comfortable interacting with others. As natural connectors, they can easily strike up conversations and build relational bridges.

The Bodily-Kinesthetic type have an uncanny capacity to forge an incredible harmony between their mind and their body. As such, they have the ability to manipulate objects and condition their body to do what was hitherto thought unthinkable. Have you seen contortionists who bend their bodies into all kinds of shape as if they had no bones? Or some dancers that keep you on the edge of your seat while doing their art? People with this intelligence are at their best as athletes, dancers, , craftsmen, jugglers etc.

Then you have the word-smart people who display the Linguistic/Literary Intelligence whose forte is words. Their mastery of language makes it easy for them to almost effortlessly express in simple terms otherwise complex meanings. They fully understand the nexus between words and meaning. Brilliant and incredibly graphic story-tellers, these people find their genius as poets, writers (usually of fiction), journalists and excellent public speakers.

Those who belong to the category of Intra-personal Intelligence are those who have, through a voyage of self-discovery become introspective and strongly aware of their own feelings. Through a high degree of self-mastery, they are able to project and plan a direction for their lives. They are not usually swayed by popular opinion once they are convinced about a line of action. Their self-awareness therefore becomes the basis for interpreting and understanding human conditions. They are usually very calculating and will pursue a line of action they have convictions about, sometimes without caring whose ox is gored, a situation that sometimes makes those who don’t understand them see them as snobbish or self-absorbed.

Finally, we have the picture-smart type whose category of genius is described as Spatial Intelligence. These ones are the 3D thinkers who only see and understand things in pictures. They may not absorb too many words but once they see something demonstrated or expressed in images, they never forget. Their operating platform is the space around them and the images therein. They are inherently artistic in nature and become highly successful as graphic artists because they can manipulate images and sceneries through spatial reasoning. They also excel as architects, sculptors. Their spare time is spent visualizing or sketching something. Jigsaw puzzles fascinate them to no end.

• Nigerian music is evolving, Latoya says

Every child, student or employee will come under one or more of these intelligences. The job of teachers, parents and superiors at work is to help the individual under their watch discover and excel in their own genius! When performance is not stereotyped, everyone shines.

Unfortunately, our educational system is skewed almost completely towards only two of these intelligences viz; the logical-mathematical and the linguistic. This is what straitjackets all students into the Sciences and Arts divides that run through all levels of academic pursuit, especially in the developing World. So anyone who goes through school and grows up not finding spectacular expression in the two intelligences is automatically labelled incapable of learning and goes through life believing the stupidity narrative. To become competitive and accepted, he struggles to seek excellence in what he is not suited for. Sometimes, he succeeds even if unhappy. But at other times, it only fuels his sense of frustration with a society that cannot help him discover and nurse his innate genius.

You may have been in this condition. The good news is that your exit key is in your hands. The beauty of a forest is not in the monotonous, even if arresting, shrill of the nightingale’s song. It’s in the melody and the rhythm produced by its combination with the guttural croaking of the bullfrog!

Look within. If you are the fish, stop entering for a tree-climbing competition. Remain the genius in the waters where you need no swimming lessons. The lion does not roar because it wants to command the attention and respect of the jungle. It commands the attention and respect of the jungle because it roars.

The stage is set – for you! The klieg lights are on you. The universe waits anxiously with bated breath on one hand and a generous reward in the other. You are here to perform, not to compete!

Behold your epiphany!

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!

My Mercedes is bigger than yours (3)
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

How organisations adapt to changes

Tribune Online
How organisations adapt to changes

Change comes in two forms; planned or forced. A planned change is that which is initiated by an organisation as a result of an envisioned future. Sometimes, sequel to studying the trend in the industry or out of a desire to increase sales, have a better market share or upgrade technology, an organization embarks on new ways of conducting its affairs. When a change is at the instance of an organization, coping with the fallout is not usually a problem because the organization would have thought through the issues and come up with strategies to handle a substantial part of the consequences of the initiative. Changes that are a product of organisational decisions are usually evolutionary.

At other times, change is forced on organisations as a result of happenings they have no control over. This was the case when Professor Chukwuma Soludo, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), decreed an increase of the minimum paid-up capital of banks from N2billion to N25billion within 18 months in 2004. This was a change that banks neither expected nor had any control over. To say the least, it affected their planning and projections. It even affected the orientation of some of them. The change was revolutionary. Banks that had been controlled by dynasties had to be thrown open to other investors as many banks were forced to resort to raising funds at the stock market to shore up their capital.

Affluence and influence are attracted by distractive trophies which masquerade as trappings. A leader that succumbs to the lure of these distractions may end up being destroyed because doing so is synonymous with yielding to the pull of gravitational force and the result is often catastrophic.

 

Leadership and gravitational pull

Gravitational pull ensures that nothing stays up permanently because the law of gravity says whatever goes up must eventually come down. Gravitational pull does affect leadership as well. It is not every leader that is able to maintain the same standard with which they started. More often than not, leaders dump the attributes and attitudes that made them acceptable at the outset of their leadership, thus forcing them to head south.

Power and position are indubitably intoxicative. Leaders often get to a point that they have a bloated opinion of themselves. They see themselves in the light of the successes recorded or the power associated with the office they occupy. At this point they become conceited and begin to pay more attention to feathering their own nests rather than performing the function for which they occupy the exalted position. When a leader gets to this point, gravitational pull overcomes his force of restraint and compromises become commonplace. He gets complacent and interprets corporate goal as his personal comfort. The organization is no longer important; he is the new Lord whose ego must be massaged endlessly.

 

The three evils

Leaders are usually assailed and felled by one of three evils unless they are able to exercise a very high level of restraint. The evils are arrogance, lucre and coitus.

Arrogance gives leaders a sense of infallibility. It pushes them to do all sorts of things and engage in all kinds of manipulation to maintain a certain public perception and, by extension, their position. Because they have been overtaken by arrogance, operating below a particular level is considered abominable. They, therefore, engage in a series of unimaginable machinations to hold on to their position.

 

The fall of Toshiba’s Tanaka

On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, erstwhile CEO of Toshiba Corporation, Hisao Tanaka, was forced to resign his appointment, having been indicted in the overstatement of Toshiba’s profits by over $1.2billion over a period of seven years.

To look good to shareholders so as to be considered worthy of continuing in office, Tanaka and others devised a means of doctoring the accounts of the company. For seven years, they pumped up the figures and sold a dummy to the shareholders. Consequently, they were lauded by many as outstanding corporate leaders and held on tightly to the reins of the company until the lid of their misdeed was blown open by an independent panel hired by the company to investigate the matter.

Tanaka’s failure to rein in his pride and resist gravitational pull brought him down from his exalted position and rubbished his sterling achievements.

 

Lucre and coitus

Lucre and coitus are two of a kind. While arrogance gives leaders a sense of infallibility, many of them see money and women (men) as their entitlements. Some leaders see the two as the trophies won for attaining their exalted heights. Hence, otherwise successful leaders have been found guilty of raping women or helping themselves to their organisation’s resources because of their warped sense of entitlement. They got into the rut because they believed they could have whatsoever they wanted.

 

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Dominique Strauss-Kahn excelled both in academics, where he rose to become a respected Economics Professor; and in politics, where he served his country both as a member of parliament and a minister. In July 2007, Strauss-Khan emerged the consensus European nominee for the post of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He was eventually selected in September by the 24 Executive Directors of the IMF to replace Rodrigo Rato, whose tenure was about to expire.

As early as 2008, there were allegations that the IMF Managing Director had an affair with a married subordinate, Piroska Nagy, who alleged that she was coerced into the relationship. This forced the IMF board to appoint an investigator to look into the matter. The IMF board later cleared Strauss-Kahn of abuse of power but noted that the affair was “regrettable and reflected a serious error of judgment on the part of the managing director.” Strauss-Kahn issued a public apology for the affair.

But the Managing Director was not done yet. In 2011, when he had become a leading candidate for the 2012 French presidential election, Strauss-Kahn was arrested by the police when he was about to board a plane following the allegation by a New York hotel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, that the IMF boss had assaulted her in a bid to rape her. He was subsequently charged to court. Four days after his arrest, he voluntarily resigned his post at the IMF. Although the charges leveled against him were eventually dismissed, Strauss-Kahn admitted that the relationship between him and the maid was ‘inappropriate’.

Why would the head of the most powerful financial institution in the world and a potential French president descend to having an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a maid? A sense of entitlement!

For the ‘inappropriate’ relationship with the maid, Strauss-Khan lost the headship of IMF and the chance to become his country’s president. What a price to pay for a moment of indiscretion.

 

Values

For a leader the struggle not to yield to the pull of gravitational force is a continuous one. The only power that can fortify him against the pull of gravitation is his values.

Values are of great importance to every leader. They determine his worldview, shape his behaviour and guide his actions. Values set boundaries for the leaders; they are the walls that hedge him against the onslaught of forces determined to steer him off course. They help him tame the monster of his lust and ward off the pressure of others’ greed. They also help him to differentiate between the urgent and the important so as to make decisions that would not be regretted afterwards.

Values represent what the leader values, his beliefs, what he holds dear and what he stands for. It is his values that make his life valuable and his leadership appreciable. Without values, a leader mutates his morals, mortgages his ethics and mortifies his conscience. He becomes controlled by his instincts and justifies the unthinkable. He begins to condone what he heretofore condemned. Values shield the leader from being held hostage by animalistic lust and primitive considerations.

 

How leaders avoid immoral conducts

Leaders cannot wish away pressure to do what is wrong but they can always stave off the pressure. Here is how:

 

Define the true north

Bill George, in the book, True North, says true north “is the internal compass that guides you successfully through life.  It is your orienting point – your fixed point in a spinning world – that helps you stay on track…It’s based on what is most important to you, your most cherished values, your passions and motivations and the sources of satisfaction in your life.”

Finding and defining one’s true north is critical because without it the leader will be at the mercy of situations and circumstances; he will change his positions at the drop of a hat and live only for the moment.

• I doubt if Buhari will give Nigeria ‘true’ federalism –Bamisaye, political scientist

Without clearly defining the true north, a leader will live in the gray; between right and wrong. According to an ethics poster by Boeing, “between right and wrong is a troublesome gray area.” While those with clearly defined true north live in the white and avoid the black, those who fail to define their true north will abide in the gray where anything goes.

What can help a leader find his true north is to ask three questions, “Why do I want to lead?”, “What difference do I want to make through my leadership?” and “What do I have to do to make the difference that I seek?” If the essence of seeking leadership position is not for personal aggrandizement, then the true north will begin to emerge. With that the leader spells out what he stands for and what he must do not to go below the standard he has set for himself.

Defining and identifying the true north will not automatically put the leader above board. What will help him to do what is right all the time is by constantly going back to the identified true north so that he can stay true to it.

Any leader that will go far must decide on his true north early in his career and spend the rest of his days ensuring compliance with it.

 

Work on your vulnerabilities

Leaders are human, so they have their own weaknesses, which may open them to exploitation by others. A leader must know himself and his areas of weakness. It is only when the leader is conscious of his foibles that he can guard against his exploitation by those around him.  For a leader to excel in his role of leading others he must do a good job of leading himself and this includes recognizing his own weaknesses. Once these are identified, he must take steps to fortify himself in those areas by getting people to watch his back in his areas of weakness. Great leaders don’t try to cover up their weaknesses; they ta lk about them and look for those with strength in those areas to make up for their shortcomings.

By connecting with others who watch his back in his areas of weakness, the leader is shielded from those whose aim is to make capital out of his vulnerabilities.

 

Cross the bridge before you get to it

What is generally obtainable is to cross the bridge when one comes to it but that is what boxes a leader into a corner because he has to take a crucial decision in a fleeting moment. A leader who has to take such decision may be prone to making mistakes because he will be deciding on what he has not subjected to adequate thinking. That is why it is better to cross the bridge before getting to it. A leader must be reflective, not reflexive. He must therefore have taken stands on certain issues before they arise so that he is not forced into any awkward position before he knows it.

 

Hold yourself accountable to what you hold others accountable to

A leader should subject himself to the same set of rules he subjects others to. Compromise begins when a leader permits himself to do what he prohibits others from doing. By having the same set of rules for everybody, the leader consciously guards against running afoul of the general rule because he knows that he should be a model to others. But if his conducts are not regulated by what others are subjected to, he will most likely have breached his own rules before it dawns on him.

 

Work with the end in mind

Leadership will end at one point or the other and this will be succeeded by memory. Every leader should work from the end to the moment. Every leader should envision the kind of end he wants to have, travel there and walk back to the present moment and see what he has to do to get the kind of end he envisions. He should ask himself “How do I want to be remembered?” “What kind of legacy do I want to bequeath?” “Do I want to be remembered as a leader who dropped the ball or one who upheld the standards?” “Do I want to be remembered as a leader of sterling qualities or one of questionable character?”

Honest answers to these questions will guide the leader into doing what is right and make him to steer clear of those activities that could dent his leadership.

 

Last line

When leaders rein in their lust, they win the war against gravitational pull.

How organisations adapt to changes
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

The oracles of Lalibela

Tribune Online
The oracles of Lalibela

IT was a big relief to all democratic forces in Africa when the Ethiopian military putsch of Saturday, June 22, was crushed by the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It all began ominously with the assassination of the president of the Amhara region, Ambachew Mekonnen, whilst at a security meeting with key officials in the city of Bahir Dar. Almost simultaneously, in Addis Ababa, the Chief of the General Staff, Se’are Mekonnen, was gunned down by his own orderly. The alleged mastermind, Brigadier-General Asamnew Tsige, had apparently intended to instigate simultaneous attacks on prominent political and military leaders across the country so as to bring down the government.

Coming out in full military combat fatigues, Prime Minister Abiy rallied all Ethiopians to unite “against the forces of evil.” The coup plotters were rounded up and executed. Flags were flown at half mast while internet access was temporarily shut down. More than 250 arrests were made. Monday, June 24, was declared a national day of mourning while the casualties were given a befitting state burial.

These events underline the Carthaginian Peace that has haunted Ethiopia for decades like a dark phantom that would not go away. A few years ago, while attending African Union (AU) Summit, I caught up with old friends at an upmarket café in Addis. In the course of our conversation I asked if it’s ever foreseeable for Ethiopia to have a constitutional monarchy as obtains in England, Belgium, Norway, Spain or the Netherlands. You could hear a pin drop. My friends were from the old Amhara aristocracy. Their silence spoke volumes.

Ethiopia is an old society seemingly trapped in the Middle Ages until recently. It is yet to fully come to terms with the demands of modernity. Emperor Haile Selassie reigned as absolute monarch — Negus Negusa — from 1930 until his ouster in a military coup in 1974. Despite his foibles, he was a moderniser who invested in education and infrastructures; a champion of pan-Africanism who fought for the liberation of our continent and the dignity of black people throughout the world. But he was also a medieval despot who inflexibly believed in the Divine Right of Kings. During his long reign, he left the feudal lords pretty much to their own devices whilst the countryside was ravaged by famine. And that is why, when the revolution came, it was so brutal and so violent.

Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa, with a population of 100 million, comprising some 80 odd tribes. The dominant ones are: the Oromo, 34.4 per cent; Amhara, 27 per cent; Somali, 6.2 per cent; Tigrinya, 6.1 per cent; Sidama, 4.0 per cent; Gurage, 2.5 per cent and Welaita, 2.3 per cent. For centuries, the ruling elites were drawn predominantly from the fair-skinned, Semitic Amhara northern highlanders. The Amhara language remains the national lingua franca. The violent revolution that overthrew the monarchy in 1974 led to massive ethnic cleansing of the Amhara ruling elites.

The overthrow of the Mengistu dictatorship in 1987 ushered in a new era of hope. Meles Zenawi and the Tigrean People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in coalition with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) instituted modernisation programmes that set the country on a new path. But Meles was also an authoritarian leader who brooked no opposition. He also took a hard line against his former comrade Isaias Afeworki in neighbouring Eritrea. His development programmes nonetheless won him enormous respect. The nation mourned profusely when he passed away in 2012. I had the honour of meeting his successor Hailemariam Desalegn; a mild-mannered statesman far from the image of the repressive autocrat that was projected by the international media.

The path of modernisation has expectedly been fraught with challenges. The 1994 constitution abolished the centralised unitary state and replaced it with a confederation of nine regions defined by ethnicity rather than citizenship. The regions reserve a constitutional right to declare independence from the rest of the country should they choose to do so. Ethnic federalism has reinforced the power struggle between the Big Three – Tigrinya, Amhara and Oromo. Although the ruling EPRDF is a coalition of four parties, the minority Tigrinya have always called the shots at the expense of the others. All the regions jealously guard against encroachments on their territories and prerogatives. In 2015, when the federal government wanted to expand some projects outside Addis Ababa in a manner that encroached into neighbouring Oromo territory, there were wild howls among Oromians. This is in addition to strident demands for more human rights, greater freedom and more representation at the federal centre. The reflex response by the central government has been more repression and more brutal force, thereby compounding an already bad situation.

Ethiopia reminds me in many ways of Russia, with which it shares the Orthodox faith and a leadership tradition steeped in what the Marxist political philosopher Perry Anderson terms “the lineages of the absolutist state.” When faced with new pressures, the government has resorted to draconian measures that have only served to harden social and political fissures. Some ethnic leaders have bitterly complained that the hegemony of the relatively small Tigrinya political elites has come at the expense of the bigger groups, notably the Oromo and the Amhara. Over the last few years, ethnic militias have been growing in strength and audacity. In June last year, Prime Minister Abiy narrowly escaped a grenade attack that left two members of his entourage dead. In October, soldiers mutinied over pay and invaded the Prime Minister’s office. It was only his adroit handling of a potentially explosive situation that saved the day.

• Court of law vs court of conscience

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a young statesman, aged 42, dazzled the world with his whirlwind political reforms since coming to power in April 2018. He not only ended the 20-year border conflict with Eritrea; he also relaxed the repressive measures against opposition groups while releasing political prisoners from detention. He has also opened up the economy to foreign investors. The recent turn of events shows perhaps the limits of what reform can achieve in Ethiopia’s path-dependent political economy. Empirical evidence in political science shows that the most dangerous time for a reforming statesman is not when society is at point zero but when, ironically, things are looking up. Implementing reforms when things are getting better is like opening the lid on a pressure cooker.

I have always been fascinated by Ethiopian history and civilisation. I am impressed by medieval thinkers such as Zera Yacob and Walda Heywat; and curious about monarchs such as Menelik II, Tewodros and Janhoy Haile Selassie, all of them claiming descent from King Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba. I am often entranced by the liturgy of the Orthodox Towahedo Church in the mysterious Ge’ez language and the spirituality of its mystical saints. I adore the stone-hewn monasteries of Lalibela and the ancient obelisks of Axum and Gondar. I love the exuberant wildernesses of Wollo and Harar and the island monasteries of Lake Tana, where the monks are praying earnestly for Menelik to return. Ethiopians are quick to remind everyone that they have never ever been colonised. Prophet Mohammed (SAW) enjoined the whole world to “leave Ethiopia alone.” I am always encouraged by how Christians and Muslims have lived together in genuine brotherhood in this ancient country. We in Nigeria are only slightly better than barbarians by comparison.

Ethiopia has made impressive strides in economic development, with a growth rate of 8.5 per cent last year – the highest on the continent. It is not only self-sufficient in electricity generation; it exports some of its 17,000MW capacity to neighbouring countries. The Chinese recently completed the 759km ultra-modern Addis-Djibouti railway that gives the country access to the sea. The US$4 billion project has been a rather heavy burden on state coffers. Each time I revisit Addis Ababa, I am always struck by the spectacle of glistening new skyscrapers, factories and hotels. This is not, of course, to downplay the grim realities of poverty and underdevelopment. Ethiopia remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

The latent tensions that have bedevilled the country of late derive from new forms of ethnic and regional identity politics and what one observer describes as “conflicting perceptions of nationalism and belonging — with multiple utopias, desires, belongings and identifications.”

Ethiopia’s prospects in the coming years will depend on how its leaders confront these challenges. Prime Minister Abiy and his colleagues will need all the wisdom and courage they can muster in the arduous task of rebuilding Ethiopia and reinventing their country as a prosperous democracy in the years ahead. To echo the nineteenth century French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, nothing could be more arduous than freedom’s apprenticeship. While despotism promises easy solutions and quick fixes, “Liberty, on the contrary, is generally established with difficulty in the midst of storms.”

The oracles of Lalibela
Tribune Online

Source: Tribune

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Erdogan reportedly says Turkish central bank chief ousted for refusing rate cut

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan sacked the central bank governor for refusing the government's repeated demands for rate cuts, Hurriyet newspaper on Sunday quoted Erdogan as telling a meeting with his party's lawmakers.
Source: CNBC World News

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Marines Head To Australia To Counter China Influence In Pacific

The Marine Corps is making good on a 2011 promise to send 2,500 Marines annually to Australia as part of a strengthened alliance in the face of Chinese expansionism, with over 1,000 Marines and 17 aircraft from Hawaii in the mix.

Approximately 800 Hawaii Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, who deployed to Okinawa last month will relocate to northern Australia this month to be part of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin and train with Australian counterparts, officials said.

Some 1,700 Marines — including 300 aviation personnel from Hawaii and others from units in California — made up an earlier arriving group.

Gradually ramping up its presence down under, the Corps sent about 200 Marines in 2012 and increased that to nearly 1,600 last year.

The increase to 2,500 Marines for the first time “is a tangible demonstration of the United States’ sustained commitment to the Australia-U.S. alliance and to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” said 1st Lt. Colin Kennard, a spokesman for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.

The United States and Australia, meanwhile, are scrambling to shore up relationships in the Western and South Pacific where China has been making military inroads and investing millions in construction projects, buying influence in the process.

China “seeks to reorder the region to its advantage by leveraging military modernization, influence operations and predatory economics to coerce other nations,” former acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in a new Indo-Pacific Strategy Report.

U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed the Navy is exploring the viability of returning to Subic Bay in the Philippines with the use of bankrupt South Korean Hanjin Shipyard as a ship repair facility.

In 2011, President Barack Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard agreed to the Marine rotational force and an increased U.S. Air Force presence in Australia.

The post Marines Head To Australia To Counter China Influence In Pacific appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Police Arrest Four Rapists, Including Father, 68, Who Allegedly Raped Daughter, Friends

A 68-year-old man, who has been raping his 15- year- old daughter and her friends, has been arrested in Lagos along with three other rapists.

Making this known yesterday was Bala Elkana, DSP,the police spokesperson of the command who said among the three other rapists are a pastor, step father and one other who was caught in the act in an uncompleted building.

The police image maker revealed that the father has owned up to the crime and has been charged to court.

According to him, “on June,27,2019 at about 1400hrs  the 15 –year- old victim (name withheld) reported a case of defilement at Imota Police Station against her father one Yisah Showunmi, 68- years- old.

“The survivor alleged that her father has been having sexual intercourse with her for the past three years. She further alleged that when her two friends (names withheld) ages 15 and 16 came to stay in their house, her father also had sexual intercourse with them. She added that the last incident happened on June, 23,2019. The suspect was arrested and interrogated and he had confessed to the crime and has been charged to court.” Elkana said.

In a related case Elkana, said on June,14,2019 at about 1300hrs, a 19-year-old victim,(name withheld alleged that her step father one Akin Olatilu, of the same address has been sexually abusing her since when she was 14- years.

“She alleged further that she reported the matter to her mother but her mother did not take any action. She further stated that the abuse did not stop until she turned 18 -years old.

“She explained that the suspect also had sexual intercourse with her in the month of march 2019. She added that when she turned down the request of the suspect in the month of June, he lied against her to her mother and she was beaten up by her mother which make her to speak out.”Elkana said.

The police image maker also revealed the case of a pastor who raped and impregnated a fifteen years old girl.

He said: “on July 2,2019 at about 1500hours, the mother of the survivor (name withheld) from Akure Ondo state reported at Igando Police Station against one Pastor  Pope Paul of No 10/11,Aminu street Ishuti Road Egan Igando.

“The complainant alleged that sometime in August, 2017 her daughter (name withheld) was brought to Lagos to live with the suspect and his wife. She stated further that, she discovered that the survivor was pregnant sometime in June, 2018 and that when she interrogated her, she mentioned the name of the suspect.

“The survivor stated in her statement that it all started in January, 2018 when the suspect started having sexual intercourse with her, and got her pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl sometime in April, 2019.The suspect has been charged to court.” Elkana revealed.

The police image maker said the fourth suspect was arrested for allegedly raping a girl in an uncompleted building.

He said, on July 7, 2019 at about 1200 hours, one Harrison Chukwereuke, of Peace Estate reported at Iba Police Station that he caught  one Aliyu Ali Mohammed having sexual intercourse with a fourteen years old girl (name withheld) inside an uncompleted building in the estate adding that the suspect has been charged to court.

The post Police Arrest Four Rapists, Including Father, 68, Who Allegedly Raped Daughter, Friends appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Uber Driver, One Other Arrested For Raising False Alarm On Car Snatching

A 39- year -old Uber Driver one Ademola Quadri, has been arrested by the police for allegedly raising false alarm that his car has been snatched.

Police said the suspect a resident of 24, Oloko Street off College Road, Ogba, Lagos had reported on July 1, 2019 at Igando Police Station that three armed men snatched his Toyata Corrolla Saloon car with registration no: SMK 732 BR, being the property of Pinehill Leasing Ltd.

It was gathered that the Divisional Police Officer, CSP, Taiwo Kasumu suspecting something foul play quickly activated credible intelligence network following up on call details and relevant messages of Ademola Quadri, who was not aware that his transactions were being monitored.

It was gathered that more facts emerged when an alert message of N560,000 entered his phone with a follow up message demanding to take possession of the car having made part payment.

Confirming the story Bala Elkana, DSP, who is the Police image maker, Lagos Police Command told Daily Independent that the suspect was arrested following detail of the transaction.

He said during interrogation the suspect  owned up to the crime and he led detectives to Ijegun area of Ikotun where the purported snatched vehicle was kept pending full payment.

Elkana, said the police arrested two other suspects namely, Uche Sunday, 32 –year- old, the  marketer who claimed to have negotiated the purchase of the car online from Jiji.ng and one other, name withheld suspected to be an innocent buyer.

The police image maker revealed that the said Quadri, has confessed that he cooked up the robbery story to enable him raise money to buy ticket and travel to Canada for a better life.

“The Command advised citizens to be careful, before parting with funds when carrying out online transactions. Suspects were charged to Court.” Elkana said.

The post Uber Driver, One Other Arrested For Raising False Alarm On Car Snatching appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

How We Survived Herders’ Superior Firearms – Ekiti Hunters

ADO-EKITI – Some hunters alleged to have escaped the superior firearms of the rampaging herdsmen in Ekiti have narrated their ordeal while mourning the death of one of theirs, Emmanuel Ilori.

Ilori, 68, was allegedly killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen on the night of June 28 at Orin Farm Settlement at Orin, Ekiti.

One of the hunters, Adeniyi Ajayi, said he and three others would have suffered same fate as late Ilori but for the providence.

The bereaved hunter described the late Ilori as a hero who actually sacrificed his life to save the community of possible more disaster.

Ajayi narrated: “I saw the unusual appearance in the farm while I was hunting that Friday night, and “I promptly put a call through to Baba as a leader. He called others on phone and eight of us, including him, headed to the place.”

Other hunters, Martins Dada, Ogundele Omiata and Biodun Awomayi, who corroborated Ajayi, said the deceased hunter called them to embark on the mission, saying that while others took position at different spots, Ilori and two others went to the spot where the suspected herders were in the abandoned piggery.

According to them, while the slain man attempted to dialogue with the suspected Fulani herdsmen, who according to them numbered about 30, they just opened fire on him while the other hunters scampered to safety because of the superior fireworks of the bandits.

Also speaking the state chairman, Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Kolawole Rotimi, said: “I want to say that losing a brave farmer like Mr Emmanuel Ilori is disheartening and discouraging. You cannot go to Orin Farm Settlement. This is part of what has bedeviled Yorubaland.’ He said.

Rotimi, who alleged that there was fear of Fulani herdsmen everywhere, said: “I’m calling on our traditional rulers in Yorubaland that farmers are no more secured in their farms and all the government efforts is going to be in jeopardy if there are herdsmen everywhere as threats to our lives and farms. We don’t want them anymore. Sambisa Forest can take all the herders in the country,” he said.

The post How We Survived Herders’ Superior Firearms – Ekiti Hunters appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Ministry Staff Charged Over Alleged Falsification Of International Passport

Lagos – A protocol officer in the Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing,Maikudi Haruna has been prosecuted before an Abuja Federal High Court, for  involvement in the Forgery of documents meant for the procurement of Nigerian Passport.

Haruna, was said to have conspired by forging official Identity Card and signature of the Minister of the Ministry Power, Works and Housing on a letter issued to one Abubakar Mustapha Bida to procure “Official Passport”, thereby collecting N250,000:00(Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) as proceeds knowing fully well that the subject is not a government official.

The defendant was however arraigned before Justice Taiwo Taiwo on the offence bordering on conspiracy by making false statement for the purpose of procuring Nigerian passport and engaging in forgery.

The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service Muhammad Babandede, has vowed not to spare individual or groups involved in passport related offences.

The CGI however admonishes prospective applicants seeking Nigerian passport to avoid false declarations, forgery and use of fake breeder documents, but they should follow due process by paying online.

“I urge all applicants to apply online and desist from patronising touts, because both the procurer and the applicant will be prosecuted in accordance with the provision of the law related to Passport Offences,” he said.

The post Ministry Staff Charged Over Alleged Falsification Of International Passport appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Department of Justice shifting 2020 census-related cases to new team of lawyers

A new team of Civil Division lawyers at the Department of Justice will take over handling 2020 census-related cases, Kerri Kupec, a spokeswoman for the agency said on Sunday, without providing a reason for the shake-up.

Source: Reuters Politics

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Syrian President Replaces Security Chiefs

Pro-government Syrian pages on social media are reporting that President Bashar Assad has replaced some heads of influential security agencies, including Maj. Gen. Jamil Hassan, who has headed the powerful Air Force Intelligence Directorate since 2009.

Several pages, including Latakia Eagles and Homs Network Live, reported Sunday that Hassan was replaced by his deputy, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Ismail according to dailymail.co.uk.

There was no immediate confirmation from the government or state media, which rarely report news related to intelligence agencies.

The pages said the General Intelligence Directorate is now headed by Maj. Gen. Hussam Louqa, while Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Ali is now in charge of the Political Security Directorate.

Bahjat Suleiman, a former intelligence chief and former ambassador to Jordan, also listed the names on his Facebook page and Twitter account.

The post Syrian President Replaces Security Chiefs appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

ECB member says stimulus package could come this month if needed

France's central bank governor hasn't ruled out more stimulus for the euro zone coming as early as this summer.
Source: CNBC World News

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Central banks cannot perform miracles and lawmakers need to reduce uncertainty, ECB member says

France's central bank governor told CNBC Saturday that monetary policy cannot compensate for trade tensions, and political leaders need to act in order to fend off today's economic threats.
Source: CNBC World News

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Iran Raises Uranium Enrichment Beyond Nuclear Deal Limits

Iran increased its uranium enrichment Sunday beyond the limit allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, inching its program closer toward weapons-grade levels while calling for a diplomatic solution to a crisis heightening tensions with the U.S.

Iran’s move, coupled with earlier abandoning the deal’s limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile, intensifies pressure on Europe to find any effective way around U.S. sanctions that block Tehran’s oil sales abroad according to AFP.

But the future of the accord that President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the U.S. from a year ago remains in question. While Iran’s recent measures could be easily reversed, Europe has struggled to respond, even after getting a 60-day warning that the increase was coming.

Meanwhile, experts fear a miscalculation in the crisis could explode into open conflict, as Trump already has nearly bombed Iran over Tehran shooting down a U.S. military surveillance drone.

International reaction to Iran’s decision came swiftly, with Britain warning Iran to “immediately stop and reverse all activities” violating the deal, Germany saying it is “extremely concerned,” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime critic of the accord, urging world powers to impose so-called “snapback sanctions” on Tehran.

The European Union says parties to the deal are discussing a possible emergency meeting after Iran’s announcement, with EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic saying the bloc is “extremely concerned” about the move. There was no immediate response from the White House.

The post Iran Raises Uranium Enrichment Beyond Nuclear Deal Limits appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.

Source: Independent

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING

Asia shares slip amid dampened expectations for Fed to slash interest rates

Stocks in Asia were lower in Monday morning trade after a strong jobs report last Friday stateside moderated expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could soon be making a move on interest rates.
Source: CNBC World News

CLICK HERE TO READ FULL CONTENT

Brought to you by: RIDBAY | WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING