Worried by the high rate of joblessness among the youths in his community and its environs, a Nigerian who lives in Europe Mr. Timothy Ebelechukwu Chukwukelu has offered to help out youths in the area of skill acquisition involving computer training, cookery, tailoring, bakery and mechanics etc by running a vocational study center with his Charity initiative known as Mr/ Mrs Ebelechukwu Foundation.
Mr. Chukwukelu who is a native of Nkpor in Idemili North Council of Anambra state, has according to reports, empowered a good number of school leavers and jobless graduates through the programs of the vocational study center which is located at his country home in Akuzo Nkpor Agu.
The report which was contained in an address of welcome delivered by Mr. Chukwukelu during the graduation of students of the study center known as Ebelechukwu Vocational Study Center
According to him, the youth empowerment drive and other philanthropic services was a decision he took with his wife to help the youths help themselves through skill acquisition few years back stating that over 30 youths made up 18 boys and 14 girls have benefited from the vocational scholarship
In addition to the empowerment drive the German based Nigerian also informed that the foundation has executed series of development projects in and around Nkpor, explaining that the foundation which came into existence in 2006 have carried out number of projects in the areas of education, health (water) and providing aid of cash and materials for the needy.
“We have helped in paying medical bills for poor people especially women and children, pay school fees for families and other things” he continued.
Parts of the address reads: In chronology, the charitable works/activities of our son and the beloved wife started in 2008. The year 2008 witnessed a gigantic building project at united primary school Nkpor-Agu. This encompassed the re-roofing of the dilapidated school building block, the toilets, provision of two plastic water tanks of 1000gallons each for the preservation of drinkable water for school children. In 2009, couples/ philanthropists directed their attention to the Alma mater primary school of Timothy Ebelechukwu Chukwukelu i.e CMS central school Nkpor –Agu where we carried out another building project. This concerted involvement resulted in the re-roofing of five long dilapidated school building, demarcation of two open schools building into separate class room with cement blocks, the building of six new water system toilets with roof, windows and doors. And the painting of the entire renovated class room blocks.
Towards the second half of 2010, Ebelechukwu foundation moved to C.M.S central school Nkpor-Uno where they dug water bore hole and provided the pupils there with clean and pure drinking water. They complimented the above with an over head plastic tank for the preservations of the pure and clean water for the pupils.
On the completion of the above they also moved to Ifite Primary School Nkpor-Uno where they dug water- bore hole and provided the pupils with clean and pure drinking water. They also provided them with plastic tank of thousand gallons, for the preservation of the clean and water for the pupils.
The foundation finally concluded the first phase of the project they have for Nkpor at St. Peter’s Nursery and primary school Nkpor-Agu where they dug water- bore hole and provided the pupils with clean and pure drinking water. What a marvelous humanitarian work!
The report further explained that in 2011 the St. Alphonsus primary school Nkpor-Uno also benefited from the charitable services of the foundation by having a water borehole dug for them.
“It could be seen that the primary objective of Ebelechukwu foundation is to provide school children in the environment with clean and pure drinking water”.
The year 2012 witnessed the provision of water borehole to two public (primary) Schools namely; United Primary School Nkpor Agu and Community Primary School Azu Ogbunike in Oyi L.G.A.
Currently we are embarking on our primary school, mechanic workshop and primary health care projects all situated at Umusiome Nkpor.
In our efforts towards youth’s empowerment, we have successfully added another tentacle to our body: The Ebelechukwu Foundation Football Club Our passion for youths has led to the adoption of this club hitherto Black Stars. Since the inception of this club into the family of Ebelechukwu foundation, remarkable achievements began to be visible as u can see on their table.
In conclusion the Nkpor born philanthropist observed that the youths required the company and support of the wealthy men in particular to enable them learn how to survive hard times calling on wealthy people in the society to give the youth 5% of their time and if need be resources.
Last week the Ogirisi of Igboland Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka organized a full fledge cultural event at Rojenny Tourist and Games Village Oba to mark the end of 2012. The one night event which involved various dancing groups, masquerades and music concert by youths was witnessed by visiting African Americans who were in Igbo Land to identify with their ancestral home. Prominent personalities also witnessed the Night event during which the host Chief Ezeonwuka fielded questions to journalists on the purpose of the cultural event, the state of Ndigbo, Nigeria and his assessment of year 2012.
The Excerpt
Firstly let us take your reaction on the death of Yakowa, Azazi and others who died in the Helicopter crash in Bayelsa last weekend?
It is most unfortunate that such prominent people had to die on a very short air shuttle. It is another sign of carelessness in some quarters which really have to be probed with utmost seriousness. It is sad and shameful to have such accident at this modern age of highly sophisticated and advanced technology. There is natural feelings that something was wrong somewhere and that is why the incident have to be probed with a serious view to avoid future occurrences. Permit me to use this opportunity to commiserate with the family of Yakowa, Azazi and others who died in the crash and charge those in position to probe the incident to do a good job to unmasked the circumstance behind it .
What is the reason behind the cultural night event?
The reason is to revive and promote the culture of Igboman which is on the thresh hold of being extinguished in the system. Our people have massively turned their back at the culture and tradition of our ancestors and the development is having negative impact on our day to day live. Things are changing for the worse. Other tribes are progressing ahead of Ndigbo because they respect the culture of their lands. People are dying untimely under unacceptable but avoidable circumstances. The crime rate is high. Armed robbers and kidnappers are terrorizing people in Igbo land. As I speak with you Igbo guys in Diaspora, in Abuja, Lagos and elsewhere are afraid of coming home for Christmas and New Year because of fear of being kidnapped or attacked by armed robbers. Worst of all most Igbo businessmen who have enough resources to invest in the land and provide subsistence activities for the youths are running away. They are taking their business to other part of the country or even aboard where they feel their lives and their resources are safe. The situation is very bad and dangerous toward the development and progress of Ndigbo and nobody is doing anything about it. The federal government appears to be incapacitated in check mating kidnappers and Armed Robbers in Igbo land. As matter of fact Ndigbo are doomed if we don’t find lasting solution to the menace of insecurity. I have told them that the solution is not running away they have to come back and let us joins hands to fight the problem. On my own as the Ogirisi Igbo with the mandate for conflict resolution among the people individually, family, community and general level, I have made recommendations in finding lasting solution to the problems facing Ndigbo. My recommendations includes according those who died during Biafra civil war the normal Igbo burial rite, this is one. Secondly I have told Ndigbo to stop depositing dead bodies in mortuary because it unholy and absolute nonsense. Storing dead bodies in mortuary is totally nonsense. Our antecessors in their wisdom and concern for the welfare of the succeeding children established it that when someone dies the person have to be buried immediately with the survivors according him or her the deserved burial rites, but today we have ignored that particular way of burial by storing dead bodies in mortuary. In Igbo land today the number of dead bodies in various mountains are alarming and I can tell you that their spirit are behind some of the problems we have in Igbo land now. Having said all these things I want you people to quote me anywhere that I have observed and said as Ogirisi Igbo that the causes of the problems of Ndigbo especially insecurity are traceable to the failure of the people to follow the cultural path of their ancestors. We have tried boys oyee, bakkassi boys, vigilante group with the Police and Army to no success. Let us go back to the root and appease our ancestors and the gods of the land. Some people mostly Christian would totally disagree with your recommendations on the ground that they are against their interest to involve in some cultural activities because they have negative implications of paganism? Such Christians are more dangerous with their activities than armed robbers and kidnappers. They brain wash the people with fake miracles, false prophesy and extort money from poor widows to build mansions, buy exotic cars and private jets. They are not models for good character and behavior among the people. They are agents of darkness who aid crime in the society. And except we reject them and go back to the way of our ancestors the society would continue to grow from bad to worse.
One of the major highlight of the cultural night you hosted is the presence of the African Americans. how come their visit to Rojenny?
They came to identify with Igbo land as their ancestral home land. There was a research which proved that Igbo land is the ancestral home of the African Americans. It was discovered that their fathers were those who were sold to white people from Igbo land as slaves during the slave trade and those who were convinced by the out come of the research came down from America to perform the ritual of cleansing at the palace of Eze-Eri in Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State. They were taken to a place called Omambala river where the Eze-Eri carried out the cleansing exercise to cleanse them from the abomination and stigma of slave trade. We invited them as part of tourist attraction in their land of origin.
What is your expectation in the on going review of 1999 constitution?
I am expecting noting because we need to review three major things that are far more important than constitution. The three things include our Religion, our education and our diet. I call it review of (RED) Religion, Education and Diet. You see it is high time for Nigerians to look at these three things critically. People commit grievous crime of extortion and get away with it in the name of religious practice. A lot people have lost their sense of reasoning and thinking because of religious practice. We have to look at it; we have to review it with utmost seriousness. Some of the churches have nothing to offer for the welfare of the society yet they are milking the society on a very fat note because the state and all worth not recognize them. Such churches mostly the so called Pentecostals are supposed to be shut down from operation completely. Then we talk about education, our universities are producing empty headed graduates with bogus certificate. No skill acquisition program in Nigeria university system. In other countries student are practically taught about carpentry, motor mechanic, and other things that should help them to be self employed on graduating. So we have to review our education mostly at the university levels. Lastly we have to review our Diet. The kinds of food Nigerians eat are terrible. I have told people around me that it is very bad to eat pounded cassava because pounded cassava which is called fufu or akpu is highly demonic. It is demonic in the sense that it has no nutritious ingredients capable to enhance one’s body or sense of reasoning. Most Nigerians don’t know that bad food contribute a lot to their sense of reasoning on the negative. Have you ever thought about the reason why Nigeria cannot be found in the field science and technology, why our athletes cannot win Olympic medal. It is because of bad food that people consume on daily basis. So my brother we have to look at the diet we take. India, China and other Asian countries did all these things reviewing their diet and other things before finding their way out of darkness to the light. And except we do same we shall ever remain in darkness and suffering.
What is your assessment of 2012?
Very poor. Nothing changed nor improved for the better. Corruption increased, armed robbery and kidnapping increased. Nigeria still remains darkness with out hope for steady power supply. More people died this year than last year. Is that a good sign of a growing country? So 2012 is a colossal failure and except we review RED we are going no where.
An ambitious pledge by the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide, of “massive” recruitment before year ending, has turned out an elaborate deception, with just days away from December 31, 2012.
New slots of about 10,000 jobs were to be provided for Abuja under the federal government subsidy reinvestment programme, the minister had said. But days to the year’s close, the openings are nowhere near reality. Neither the advertisement, registration, pre-selection calls, nor recruitment tests have taken place, PREMIUM TIMES has found.
Weeks of inquiries have proven the idea of preliminary registration for the jobs as Ms. Akinjide announced separately in August and November, to not only be a ruse, but a subject unknown to several officials of the FCT administration. One official said the selection had been concluded since March.
The contradictions come as the intervention programme, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, faces mounting criticisms over its failure to deliver on proposed projects, with critics dismissing the initiative as a drain pipe that squanders badly needed funds, while unemployment, which it was partly meant to address nationwide, escalates.
If anything, the inconsistencies at the Abuja ministry point to the indifference authorities accord a pressing national need as jobs creation, which are often eagerly promised by officials, but hardly delivered. Ms. Akinjide gave her promise as a passing remark while addressing two women groups in August and November.
“There will be massive employment before the end of this year and we have started registration of unemployed women and youth in the FCT,” the minister said in a remark to the National Council for Women Societies, Abuja chapter, who visited her office on November 13.
Applicants were to be “be employed into different fields and also vocation acquisition programmes,” of the SURE-P plan, the minister said.
To demonstrate seriousness, Ms. Akinjide advised interested women and youth to register with the FCT Social Development Secretariat as of November.
No registration
Repeated visits to the office and contacts to other arms of the FCT administration supposedly responsible for the ‘recruitment’ since November have proven no such job drives exist, and officials have consistently denied knowledge of any job-related registration.
At various units of the FCT Secretariat at Area 10, Garki, Abuja, a week after the minister’s promise, all key officials spoken to said they were unaware of the plans. PREMIUM TIMES also observed no registration took place.
“As you can see, there is nothing like that going on, maybe you could get further clarification from the minister’s office,” one official said on anonymity, fearing sanctions if he were identified.
Despite the apparent absence of the existence, a spokesperson for the minister, Oluyinka Akintunde, insisted the plan was afoot. Mr. Akintunde denied the minister had misled the unemployed by announcing a non-existent exercise, possibly as a passing political remark. He said as part of the SURE-P, the programme was being administered by a central presidential task team.
He also said the plan was targeted at the grassroots and the recruitment was meant to done on the basis of electoral Wards.
“There are provisions made for these things, and there are people working on them,” Mr. Akintunde insisted. “The minister did not lie.”
Yet, he provided no verifiable detail about where the listings were actually done, and no explanation was given as to why, if the registration existed elsewhere, Ms. Akinjide had given a different venue.
Again, there were no truly existed plans for the exercise elsewhere, as PREMIUM TIMES found none ongoing within Abuja as the minister claimed.
At one of the FCT units our reporters were referred to for clarification, an official who spoke under anonymity said the so called grassroots registrations had been completed since March, and 15,000-more than the 10,000 required- were captured.
“We even had excess application,” the staff said.
Rosy initiative, fat budget, no delivery
At least 370,000 jobs are to be created under the SURE-P, with each state and Abuja providing 10,000 in partnership with the federal government.
A second component of the programme is tagged the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, designed to enhance the employability of another 100,000 unemployed graduates across the federation. That will involve internship placements with interested companies.
A new website has recently been dedicated for registration into the GIS.
But the 470,000 total slots, a potentially significant figure for an ever-soaring unemployment rate, have barely taken off months even at the state level, months after the SURE-P was created.
The programmer’s dismal performance, despite its huge multibillion budget, recently alarmed federal lawmakers.
At a budget meeting a fortnight ago, the National Assembly joint committee on petroleum downstream, declared the programme a scam that has failed to keep any of its promises of job creation, and accused Christopher Kolade-led SURE-P committee of reckless spending.
The lawmakers accused the subsidy committee of duplicating projects with ministries, and defrauding the nation by making double payments for projects also financed by the ministries.
Most shocking, the committee found out how the committee claimed spending N2.2 billion on “secretariat services” and another N75 million on travels between July and October.
Another N27 billion was also spent on “Public Works for Youths”, and N8.9bn for the purchase of 800 buses. Details of how the monies were allocated were not provided to the lawmakers.
“The SURE-P funds should not be seen as crude oil money which everybody is sharing,” Magnus Abe, the Chairman of the Senate Downstream Petroleum Committee warned as the committee pressed for more information.
For 2013, SURE-P is to spend N273.52 billion.
At a separate meeting, Mr. Kolade claimed the amount involved with office administration was N1 billion and not N2.2 billion as earlier stated. He knocked off criticisms trailing the committee’s failings by declaring he will not quit.
“I will not quit, if you attack me, I will defend myself. The National Assembly and the SURE-P Committee and everybody are supposed to be working for Nigerians not individuals,” he was quoted as saying at a media luncheon in Lagos.
Across the states, the confusion has played out, with barely any state releasing provable data of how much of the 10,000 jobs have been in the months that SURE-P existed.
PREMIUM TIMES’ attention was first drawn to Ms. Akinjide’s bogus job announcement for Abuja, after early responders to her notice of registration alerted that no such exercise was taking place at the designated venue.
Reporters, who visited the secretariat and the FCT head office at Area 11 repeatedly, confirmed same to be true.
Our attention has been drawn to a travel advisory issued by the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the United States Department of State which listed Edo State as unsafe for visitors during this holiday season.
We find it laughable that Edo State is on the list, and this might suggest that the US Department of State is not in tune with events in Nigeria.
While we are unclear on the parameters used by the Department of State, we however make bold to state, and this can be confirmed from the security agencies in the country, that Edo state is the safest in the South-South region of Nigeria and one of the safest in the country.
It beats the imagination of discerning minds that while some states which record violent crimes on a daily basis in the country are excluded from the list, Edo State which has been commended by all, including the World Bank which, through its Country Director, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly said: “Edo state’s social indicators are above the national average” and which had earlier through her predecessor, Mr. Onno Ruhl said: “Edo State is one of the states in Nigeria where the willingness to change is the fastest in Nigeria”, is included in the offensive US list.
Those who come to equity must do so with clean hands. If the US Department of State could include Edo in its advisory list, then it should also issue a travel warning to citizens of the world to avoid Connecticut where 20 innocent Elementary School Students and six of their teachers were cut down in the confines of their classrooms just two weeks ago,
It would do good to also issue a travel advisory to people of the World on New Jersey which, according to the Cable News network (CNN) “has already suffered 65 violent deaths in 2012” and on Philadelphia where the “the year-to-date total of homicides is 322. Last year, 324 were killed.”
While we concede that the security of lives and property is an integral part of development, we make bold to state that no society is eternally perfect.
There is no gainsaying the fact that the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has invested heavily on security more than any government before it and the gains of such investment are there for all to see.
The Government of Edo State therefore rejects the travel warning issued by the US Department of State and wishes to assure Edo State sons and daughters and other visitors to the state of their safety during their stay.
Nigerian authorities must immediately release two journalists who have been detained since Monday and allow a third journalist who has fled into hiding to return to his home and work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
In pre-dawn raids on Monday, about 40 armed security agents arrested Aliyu Saleh, a reporter with Al-Mizan, a weekly Hausa-language newspaper, and Musa Muhammad Awwal, the paper’s editor, at their homes in Rigasa in the northern state of Kaduna, according to news reports. The agents also confiscated the journalists’ phones and money and briefly detained the journalists’ wives, news reports said.
Yusuf Idris, the chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, told CPJ that Saleh and Awwal were being held at the headquarters of the State Security Service in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Idris said the reason for the arrest was still unclear.
Marilyn Ogar, spokesman for the security service, did not immediately respond to CPJ’s inquiries.
Later on Monday, security agents raided the home of Al-Mizan Editor-in-Chief Ibrahim Musa, who was not on the premises at the time, according to the daily Premium Times. Musa has since fled into hiding, news reports said.
Musa told the daily Punch that he believed the journalists were being targeted for the lead story in the latest edition of Al-Mizan called “Atrocities of JTF in Potiskum.” The story said the Nigerian federal government’s Joint Task Force, the special unit combating the insurgency of militant Islamist sect Boko Haram, had allegedly abducted 84 individuals in the northern state of Yobe, he told Punch. The whereabouts of the individuals were still unknown, news reports said. Musa also said the story included pictures of the individuals, who were still missing, and accounts from their family members.
In October, both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International accused the JTF of abusive detention practices, according to news reports. Nigerian security forces denied the allegations, according to news reports
“We condemn the arrests of Aliyu Saleh and Musa Muhammad Awwal, along with the raid at Ibrahim Musa’s home, which appear designed to silence coverage of alleged abuses by Nigeria’s security agencies,” said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita from New York. “We demand the immediate release of these journalists and a halt to the security agencies’ efforts to intimidate the press. National leaders must make it clear that security agents are not above the law.”
As the renewed cult clashes continue in Enugu, no fewer than two persons were allegedly killed in an unknown destination in the capital metropolis, yesterday.
Eye witnesses said that the remains of the two unidentified young men were seen lying at Ogui Junction yesterday.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the two suspected cultists were killed last night by other rival cult group and brought to the junction for people and security agencies to see.
It could be recalled that over seven persons have lost their lives since the renewed cult clash started last week.
Although LEADERSHIP is yet to ascertain the cause of the clashes, it was gathered that the development might have been caused by struggle for supremacy.
One of the victims of the clash was killed in Achara Layout in Uwani area of Enugu State at the weekend while another, who was shot severally near the popular Artisan Market is now responding to treatment.
Eye witnesses said that the assailants used cars to carry out their operations
Scarcity of petrol has hit the inhabitants of Lagos and Abuja despite the assurances by the Federal Government that there would be sufficient supply of the product during the Yuletide.
The Federal Government sought and obtained appropriation for close to a billion dollar in additional spending on fuel subsidy with the expressed intention of forestalling any shortage of petrol during the festive period.
However, the government did not live to its words as the product literarily disappeared from the stations in the two days of festivity.
Most petrol filling stations in Lagos were not dispensing products and the few that were selling had long queues of anxious motorists who were condemned by the development to spend many hours on Christmas and Boxing Day at petrol stations.
The CITIZEN checks around the Lagos metropolis showed that most stations belonging to the independent markers, especially small operators, were closed.
While all of them claimed non-availability of product, it was learnt that they have fuel products in the underbelly of their stations waiting for any possible price hike.
A filling station attendant, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition that he be not named, said that he was aware that the situation had stock of fuel but was not selling because of the anticipated price hike,.
The managers of the station we learnt believed that the Federal Government was about to hike the price despite assurances by the Federal including President Goodluck Jonathan that there would be no such hike in 2013. Government
But according to our findings, they believe it is folly to take officials of government by their words, when they had hiked the prices of the product early in January this year despite similar assurances given earlier.
Just like Lagos, many filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja had no fuel.
The result: long queues in the few that were dispensing the product. Anxious motorists were seen at the Forte Filling Station and NNPC Mega-station in the Central Area of the Federal Capital.
A Civil Servant, Mr. Samuel Ogah, lamented that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get fuel on working days when there was long queues at filling stations.
A lawyer, Mr. Andrew Omoh, expressed his disappointment with the worsening fuel crisis.
In Lagos, many residents lamented the fuel scarcity which they said, had hampered movement of people celebrating during the yuletide.
Some of the residents want urgent government action to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products.
The residents expressed displeasure over the sudden scarcity of fuel which they said, became noticeable on Christmas Eve.
A motorist, John Ibik, told our correspondent that he has been fooled again by believing the words of government officials.
“With assures that there won’t scarcity in this festive period I had not bordered to go way of most Nigerians: store up petrol for the festive period, but I soon discovered. There is scarcity and I have spent more than three hours in the queue,” he said in answer to our correspondent’s questions.
Another motorist James Peter, who claimed to be a lawyer, said angrily, “Jonathan had tried in stabilizing supply of petroleum products but it obvious he has lost grip. What is this nonsense of subsidy crossing N1 trillion. It is a façade feeding the corruption of government officials; I am disappointed in them all.”
However a port by the News Agency of Nigeria citing a source at the NNPC indicated that scarcity was caused by the pipeline explosion that occurred at Ijeododo in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos last week.
The official who pleaded anonymity said that system `2B’, which convey petroleum product to South-West states from the Atlas Cove, was destroyed.
According to the agency report filling stations at Ikorodu, Bariga, Lagos-Badagry Expressway, among others, sold petrol at prices ranging between N100 and N120 per litre, instead of the regulated price of N97 per litre.
At Mallo filling station in Ikorodu, Mr. Andrew Badru, a banker, said that there was no justification for the current fuel scarcity, as the government had assured the citizens of abundant fuel supply during the Yuletide period.
A United States-based financial expert, Dr. Ogbo Edoga, was shot dead by gunmen in his hometown, Aku, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State, yesterday. The deceased was a financial economist, who returned to attend the meeting of Nsukka USA, an organisation of Nsukka professionals in the United States to raise fund for the construction of an ultra-modern medical diagnostic centre in Ede-Oballa.
According to reports, the victim was trailed to the house of a kinsman by a five-man gang on a motorcycle, who accosted him and shot him at a very close range. He died on the way to the hospital. The bandits were reported to have escaped in a car belonging to a senior officer of the State Security Service (SSS), who was with the deceased at the time of the incident. The incident has thrown Aku community into pandemonium, disrupting programmes lined up by the villagers for the yuletide, notably the reception organised for indigenous priest and dedication of a new building by the twin brother of the deceased.
An eyewitness said the gunmen shouted at the deceased, “where is the money?” before opening fire. He reportedly pleaded with them to spare his life but they shot him with an AK47 rifle. Meanwhile, the Police Area Commander, Ros-Amson Halladu, confirmed the incident, describing it as hired killing. He also advised returnees to apply for police protection.
The Police in Lagos have commenced an investigation into an allegation of massive importation of arms to the state. According to a reliable source in the Police headquarters, the Police high command had information that some unscrupulous characters within the political class had contracted arms dealers to bring in a large cache of arms with the sole purpose of causing mayhem within the state.
The report indicated that some of the arms may have gone into circulation as some suspected hirelings have created a pattern of robbing notable political figures as targets of political differences. Two suspects arrested have already given useful information which the police believe implicate a major opposition political party in the state.
The idea is to create a sense of insecurity in the state and label the police as inefficient. The Police maintained that they are appreciative of the massive investment the Lagos State Government has made on the issue of security and would not allow disgruntled characters to reverse the gains that have been made to ensure that the state is safe at all times.
Already, the Police placed top members of the opposition party on their surveillance watch to monitor their activities around the clock. The Police have also appealed to members of the public who could have useful information to assist the Police in their operation to come forward assuring them of maximum protection from exposure.
In a related development, the Police is also on the trail of a particular gang that pick their targets by hitting their cars from behind with the likelihood that the occupants will alight and provide them the opportunity to rob them said the source.
At times like this, we all wish things were different, that we knew more, that we could be a bit more certain, even if tentatively and haltingly. We wish that God would grant us some rare privilege of taking us into confidence, that He would open our ears and whisper some privileged information so that those of us who ought to know, those of us whom the world believes are close to God, might use it as a source of encouragement to our brethren.St Paul echoes the words of Isaiah when he says:Who has known the mind of the Lord and who has been His counselor? (Is 40:13, 1 Cor. 2:16). We must finally surrender to the fact that; God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts (Is 4055:8) Or, as Job says, Can anyone teach knowledge to God? (Job 21:22).
When David’s son by Uriah’s wife died, David decided to dress up and end his fast to the shock of his household. They drew his attention to this irony and David replied: When the child was alive, I fasted and wept, thinking, who knows, perhaps Yahweh will take pity on me and the child will live. But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he cannot come to me (2 Samuel 12: 21-23). Whatever our wishes, whatever we know or do not know, our beloved Sir Patrick Yakowa will not come back to us. We can only look forward to when we shall go to him.
As with Americans and the death of their beloved President, John Kennedy, for years to come, most Nigerians will still remember what they were doing and where they were when they heard of the news of the tragic death of Sir Patrick Yakowa, the erstwhile Governor of Kaduna state. The outpouring of emotions across the entire country is a testimony of what he meant to all of us. The questions will persist, Where was God? Why now? Then we will continue to contemplate what might have been and continue wonder, what if he had not gone to Bayelsa, what if he had waited for his own helicopter, what if they had concluded their chat with General Azazi and so on?Indeed, what if my good friend Oronto Douglas had not lost his father? But these questions are of no use.
Whatever our position, no matter our sadness, indifference or even hidden joy, our God draws straight with crooked lines. We humans can do absolutely nothing to change the plans of God. All that God does, no matter how bitter, is for our own good. Through the mouth of the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord says to us: I know the plans I have for you, they are plans of welfare not evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11). He also assures us that: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13). This is not the time for us to feel despondent. St. Paul has warned us: The time has come for you to stop sleeping and wake up because our salvation is nearer now than when we first began to believe.The night is nearly over, daylight is on the way, so let us throw off everything that belongs to darkness and equip ourselves for the light (Rom 13: 11-12).
Mr. Yakowa’s ascent to the exalted position of Governor of Kaduna State was the climax of a most fascinating and exceptional career. He stood out as God’s favourite son among the entire people of Southern Kaduna State. It is actually tempting to assert that very few if any in Kaduna State can beat his track record of public service nor can anyone in the whole of this State claim to have had a life so full of Firsts. He was the first person from Southern Kaduna to become a Federal Minister, a Federal Permanent Secretary and the first to be Secretary to the Government of Kaduna State. He holds the special record of perhaps being the only Nigerian to have served two Governors as Deputy and to further ascend to the position of Governor all with no break.
I was at his historic swearing in ceremony as the Governor of Kaduna state.
The event was historic because it temporarily closed the door to what has been one of the worst shows of selfishness by an unproductive and selfish cabal who have deployed religion to hide their greed. From the creation of Kaduna State in 1987, the Northern ruling class, by policy seemed to have erected an invisible sign that read: No Christians Need Apply to enter what would later be called Kashim Ibrahim House or represent the State at the highest levels. Despite the fact that all states were opened to Christian military officers, it was only Kaduna and perhaps Sokoto states that were never governed by non-Muslims.
This policy of exclusion against non-Muslims turned Kaduna State into a political mecca and laid the foundation for the unnecessary and sad religious tensions that have continued to dog the state. This is why, a routine change like a Deputy Governor taking over from a Governor would generate such ripples across the country. It also has created the climate for the anxiety, fear and suspicion that destroyed the foundations of Christian-Muslims relations.
Mr. Yakowa’s ascent to power bore a little resemblance to Mr. Nelson Mandela’s ascent to the Presidency of South Africa in 1994. President Jonathan did for us what the great President de Klerk did to end apartheid in South Africa. As with Mandela, Mr. Yakowa went ahead to endear himself to a wide range of people across society, thus, earning him the sobriquet, Yakowa, Na Kowa coined by his Muslims supporters. His death has robbed our country of one of the finest human beings who brought respectability and nobility to politics, a man who has demonstrated how faith could influence politics, a man who has demonstrated that politics can be played by its rules and that indeed,politics can serve as a means of building bridges. He built bridges across the country, he made Muslims respect and appreciate the Christian faith, he showed a human side of life that very few in public life have demonstrated.
Where he died and even why he died was a true reflection of who he was. Some people have asked me, why did the Governor not send a representative to the burial of the father of Oronto Douglas, a young man who was of no immediate political benefit to him? Those of us who know him would testify that this is exactly what the man represented. He was selfless and took friendship rather seriously, perhaps, even too seriously. He never counted the cost of the sacrifice he made for his friends. In befriending Oronto, he saw a chance to place a building block somewhere around the creeks believing that one day in future, others might walk on that bridge. He was a man whose life was marked by simplicity, honesty, rectitude, character, integrity, probity, dedication to duty, solidarity and almost absolute faith and dedication to friendship.
He took my appointment as Bishop of Sokoto beyond the boundaries of ordinary friendship.Before I went to the Vatican in July 2011 for the audience with the Holy Father ahead of my Episcopal installation, Governor Yakowa told me that he and his wife would love to accompany me. I immediately added their names to my guest list for the audience with the Holy Father. As the days drew near, it began to look like he might not make it. I told him not to worry and that we could wait for the installation ceremony in Sokoto. I left for Rome with the understanding that he had inevitably cancelled the trip and I perfectly understood.
My audience had been slated for about midday at the Holy Father’s holiday residence at Castel Gandolfo outside Rome. On the eve of the audience, I received a call from the Governor saying he had arrived Rome and that he wanted to know where to meet me. He showed up with a driver from the Nigerian Embassy in Rome the next morning. My friend, Fr Patrick Alumuku and I traveled to the audience in real style, arrived to a most dignified reception in our diplomatic car especially given that my friend and brother, Msgr. now Archbishop Fortunatus, the Holy Father’s Chief of Protocol had given us some extra mileage in the preparations!
To the family of Mr. Yakowa, the Lord’s words through the prophet Isaiah are still true. He said: Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child that she has borne? Yet, even if she forgets, I will not forget you. I have engraved you on the palm of my hands and your walls are ever before me(Is 49:14-16). The call of the Lord holds true when he says: Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest. My yoke is easy and my burden light(Mt 11: 25ff). Jesus has assured us that He will not lose even one of those the Father has entrusted to His care(Jn 6: 39).
To the people of Southern Kaduna, despite the clouds of fear, anxiety and uncertainty, we must not give in to self-doubt and prejudice. We have lost a dear son, but we have not lost our future. Indeed, the future that lies ahead is far brighter now than at any time. Our confidence as a people has grown. Mr. Yakowa, came, he saw, he conquered. He has left us a legacy that we should all be proud of. A man uncommon dedication to hard work, diligence to duty, sincere, honest to a fault, all trusting in the will of God, a family man, an altruistic citizen, he has shown that the doors are open to all if we imbibe his qualities.
Sadly, today, years and years of corruption and abuse of office have turned the otherwise noble profession and vocation of politics into a dark temple where money and power occupy the pantheons and enlist worshippers. The result is that rather than seeking men and women of honour for public office, our country has lost a sense of a common vision for creating the Good society. Nigerians have now developed a navel gazing and incestuous view of power that feeds on primordial sentiments. We no longer trust the Other, only those who worship with us, speak like us, can be trusted to represent us. Today, Nigerians believe that the only good public office holder is not the one who is most qualified, the most honest, the one with the greatest capacity to do good, but rather, the one who is a member of our circle of greed.
Those who have projected Islam as the basis for power have created the condition that now threatens the foundation of our society today. Those who used religion have left the north and its people poorer than any other part of the country. Mr. Yakowa in just about one year has managed to build up a people who have come to believe in themselves as brothers and sisters. He was relentless in his quest for peace. The result is that he has blunted the cutting edge of religion in our public life. Let me cite just a few examples.
When I called Sultan on Sunday night (16th December), he had already arrived Kaduna for a meeting that we had scheduled to hold with him, Cardinal Onaiyekan and other religious leaders. I was the co-coordinator of the meeting. His voice was deep and solemn. I was the one trying to lift up his spirits as he spoke with heavy emotions about Mr. Yakowa’s demise. When he said he was returning to Sokoto the next day, I asked if I could fly with him in his private jet. Well, he said to me, if you can get your friend’s private jet, I will follow you. You know, he said to me, I have been so shaken, this is the first time I am finding something to make me laugh. His voice said it all. This is the leader of the Muslim community.
When I spoke with General Buhari the same evening, he was similarly distraught and told me he had cancelled his 70th birthday celebration in honour of Mr. Yakowa. It is a sad day for all of us,and we must honour a great man, the General said. I felt relieved because I had accepted to be the Guest speaker at this event. This is the same man that his political enemies call a fanatic and a zealot. But there is even more.
The Daily Trust newspaper reported on the day after his death that Sheikh Yusuf Sambo, the National Leader of the Izala movement,had announced an immediate cancellation of a meeting which thousands of his members had assembled to attend in Kaduna as a mark of honour to Governor Yakowa. Yet, only last week, a rather irresponsible journalist had reported that the Izala members had held a meeting and laid out plans to kill Christians in Nigeria! On Tuesday, as we drove behind the Ambulances from the airport to St. Gerard’s hospital, I personally saw young Muslims genuinely wailing and waving in sorrow on the high way in Tudun Wada. I have received so many text messages from Muslims, high and low. Many ordinary Muslims genuinely full of emotions have hugged me and spoken about the death as our common loss.
These are genuine human beings and they reflect the best of our common humanity. They should be our focus not the riff raffs and scoundrels that are reported to be allegedly rejoicing over the death of Mr. Yakowa.They do not represent Muslims or Islam. They do not represent our common humanity. These scoundrels should be seen as part of the toxic waste of humanity who would still rejoice and dance on the streets at the nakedness of their parents. They should not distract us as we hold hands and stand together in our loss.
Let us not be afraid to ask God why He did this to us. A friend of mine who was on the plane to Kaduna after my installation in Sokoto last year told me of the near mishap they had on their flight back to Kaduna as the plane entered turbulent weather. She told me that while everyone was wailing, she simply asked God: So what do you want to do? If we all die, who will take the glory? What will you gain by this?You want the devil to celebrate and take the glory from you? I was impressed by this attitude because sometimes, God does deserve some tough questioning. And you know, what? He actually rewards this audacity sometimes. Let me offer three examples.
When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham confronted Him head on. The dialogue is in Genesis Ch. 18: 22-33. It is an irritating confrontation, but it is amazing how Abraham remained persistent. Abraham seemed to challenge God’s sense of fair judgment and justice: Are you really prepared to destroy the innocent and the guilty? That is impossible.
The Judge of all the earth has to act justly he said to God (Gen 18: 24, 25). It is as if Abraham is trying to do some PR for God by making him understand that this act will affect God’s reputation as a just, honest and fair judge.
A second example is the story of the one who has come to represent the virtue of honesty, Job. The problem that God faced in the story of Job relates to how His perceived sense of justice and fairness are again called to question. Job’s honesty and fear of God are well known. He loses everything he ever owned, children and property, and he is afflicted so badly by a skin wasting disease. His friends who were convinced of their wisdom and came to condole with him sit for seven days and nights and utter not a word because they had never seen anything of the sort(Job 2: 13). Job says: God knows everything I do. He sees every step I take. I swear I have never acted wickedly and never tried to deceive others. Let God weigh me on honest scales and see how innocent I am (Job 31:4-6).Poor Job. He continues his verbal shadow boxing, struggling to showcase his righteousness. God is patient with him and actually waits for him to exhaust himself before God breaks His silence. He says to Job: Who is this, obscuring my intentions with his ignorant words? Brace yourself like a fighter. I am going to ask the questions and you are to inform me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me since you are well informed (Job 38: 1-4). A penitential Job shocked by the foolishness of his so called wisdom says: Before, I knew you only by hearsay, but now, having seen you with my own eyes, I retract what I have said and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42: 4-6)
Those of us who know more than God and are weaving the conspiracy theories, claiming that Mr. Yakowa was a victim of dark forces, can they answer just three questions? Did God consult them before he brought Mr. Yakowa the rare life he had? Was it Christians, the people of Southern Kaduna, orhis kinsmen and women from Fadan Kagoma that guided his life? He owes his entire meteoric rise in the civil service and his political life to good
men who had the discernment and whom God used when it mattered. Interestingly, good, God fearing and honest men who found themselves in power from Brigadier General Ja’afaru Isa, Governor Makarfi, Architect Namadi Sambo are not Christians. Neither are General Abdusalam Abubakar or Alhaji Gidado Idris who appointed him Federal Minister and Federal Permanent Secretary respectively. They were men of honour.
Finally, our brother, our friend and our beloved Governor is gone. We do not need to mourn because he has left us so much. We thank President Goodluck Jonathan and those who advised him to create the opportunity that enabled Mr. Yakowa to keep this appointment with destiny. Sir, as you can see, he has not disappointed us all. Our project for building a non-discriminatory society is on course and it is irreversible.
I want to appeal to all of us to rise to the challenge of building one united country, a country of love, a country where indeed, we are all God’s children. We must rise up to build a country where we see ourselves as human beings, citizens with inalienable rights and not allow ourselves to be held hostages by religious bigots. What is today Boko Haram is the toxic waste that years of dubious religious manipulation has produced.
Mr. Yakowa has opened a door and it will never shut again. Because Mr. Yakowa passed here, Kaduna politics will now be defined as Before Yakowa or After Yakowa. Indeed, for you the entire people of Southern Kaduna especially the Youth, rise up, fear is dead and it will never rise again. Before Yakowa, you were afraid, you were poor and felt defeated. Now, After Yakowa, the world is yours to conquer. Rise up, get ready to light your candles because we have seen the light of a star in Kaduna. Go forward and meet up with other young men and women like yourselves. Free yourselves from religious prisons, dream big and beautiful dreams. A wonderful, peaceful, just and non-discriminatory, unselfish world lies ahead of you. Conquer fear, take the torch and march forward, whether you are Christopher of Mustapha, march on, whether you are Mary or Maryamu, march ahead. This is why Mr. Yakowa has died for you.
To you, Mrs. Yakowa and the children, the good people of Fadan Kagoma, hold your heads high. You gave the world a most precious gift. Nigeria and its politics will not be the same again because our beloved son passed here. Our redeemer liveth. Yes, we know.
To our new Governor, Archbishop Ndagoso and I listened to all your beautiful testimony. The world looks up to you never to be seduced by the whispers of the wicked whose devilish and selfish hold on power has held our society down. Do not be tempted to think that the Muslims have taken what the wicked have presented as a prize for only Muslims. You have taken over the steering wheel and must obey and respect all road signs so that we can arrive at the destination that we have set out to. Balancing our dreams together can make ours one of the greatest states in Nigeria. Let us reverse the divisive, ugly and pernicious past which was constructed by men who had the hearts for apartheid. By pursuing the politics of exclusion, these men and women merely destroyed both the noble faith of Islam and the North that its founders dreamt of.
I want to assure you that there are millions of Yakowa’s outside the Muslim community and that the monopoly of power by one section or even one gender or generation denies our people a future. This is what South Africa realised. It is what the Americans have now realised. Other nations have achieved greatness by managing diversity. Diversity should generate appreciation and love and when properly managed, it can be a source of beauty and strength. This is why Joseph’s coat of many colours is presented as the best garment in the Bible. We wish you well and as you saw from the way our people have received this tragedy, we are a peaceful, God fearing and trusting community. I can assure you, we shall stand by you. And to you President Jonathan, when it mattered, you allowed God to use you to change history. Those whose selfishness sowed the seeds of exclusion leading to violence have abandoned the state and fled to Abuja where they continue to pursue an unproductive lifestyle of feeding off the state by pretending to represent Islam and the North.
Sir, this state is ours to build now that the members of the nefarious Mafia whose selfishness hindered the development of Kaduna in particular and the north in general have either died or fled the state. Mr. Yakowa’s ascent to power broke this jinx. You cannot attempt to put this genie back without breaking the bottle. Before Yakowa, Kaduna state had been surviving on one lung. Now that political surgery has corrected this anomaly, it is hoped that now, we shall lay a foundation for a successful transition and succession to power in the most honest way. If we fail to do that, we shall be attempting to clap with one hand or flying a plane with only one wing. With youth on your side, we all assure you of our prayers. Despite its troubles and doubts, Nigeria is on the threshold of hope and opportunity.
We shall arrive our destination quicker because we have the likes of our dear Governor Yakowa praying for us. May God bless our dear country. Amen.
