Innocent Ojefia Blog

The founder and Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly [COZA], Biodun Fatoyinbo, is reportedly being detained in police custody on Tuesday pending his perfection of bail conditions. Pastor Fatoyinbo was granted administrative bail around 9pm, but could not immediately meet the conditions for release, it was gathered. The embattled pastor was grilled by police detectives for long hours in connection with the rape allegations levelled against him by celebrity photographer, Busola Dakolo. He was grilled alongside two other witnesses, the pastor of COZA Port Harcourt branch, Mr. Wole Soetan, and pastor of COZA Lagos branch, Mr. Folarin Ogunsola. He was detained at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Garki Area 10, Abuja, by a team of detectives led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adaku Anya.

President Muhammadu Buhari has, on Tuesday, appointed a 16-member new Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Olusegun Adekunle. According to the statement, the appointment was subject to the confirmation of the appointees by the Senate. Meanwhile, the Interim Management headed by Prof. Nelson Brambaifa has been directed to hand over to the most senior director in the commission. The statement reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari, has, subject to Senate confirmation, approved the composition of the board of NDDC made up of the following persons. “Dr Pius Odubu from Edo State, Chairman of the Board, Bernard Okumagba from Delta, Managing Director, Mr Otobong Ndem, Akwa Ibom, Executive Director Projects. “Mr Jones Erue, representative of Delta, Chief Victor Ekhatar, represents Edo State. “...

It is enervating to see our people taking the inglorious front row in ‘’ money crimes’’ – drug peddling and internet fraud – abroad. In August 2016, an Igbo drug dealer was guillotined in Indonesia. But his funeral in Anambra was a rambunctious shin-dig. He was even described as a “hero” by his people. I have skimmed through the list of alleged online fraudsters indicted by the FBI, in what is regarded as the biggest scam bust in history, and I could see familiar names. It is heartbreaking for me. The refrain that criticising your own people for shortcomings is an act of sanctimony is obtuse. Crime has no ethnic face, but does that imply condoning or rationalising a persistent ill?  I have said it before, we have a problem.  All the groups in the South of Nigeria have a problem. Out of the 21 Nigerians on death-row for drug peddling in Indonesia, 20 are Igbo. The 23 Nigerians on death in Saudi Arabia are mainly from the Yoruba. A few months ago, some armed rob...

The naked beating of Senator Ike Ekweremadu in Germany evokes painful lessons, particularly with Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and, of course, the continued detention of the frontline anti-corruption advocate and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore. First, the sympathy generated from the Ekweremadu beating has to do with the fact that the specious victim is a prominent member of the Nigerian political elite. Such type of public flogging is usually reserved for the ordinary Nigerians, especially if they dare go close to their leaders. The German incident also marked the first time a major suspect in looting of Nigerian treasury is manhandled like a petty thief. That explains why the powerful politicians—from both sides of the isle—are united in mourning, while millions of the masses are jubilating as if Nigeria has suddenly won the world cup. Second, the unfortunate incident is a dog whistle that the foreign land is no longer a sa...

A former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the attack on former deputy Senate president,  Ike Ekweremadu  in Nuremberg, Germany. The former minister said that Ekweremadu’s attack by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) should serve as an eye opener to the leaders of Southwest. He noted via a tweet on Saturday that the people are angry, and that Southwest leaders better defend their people or step aside. He tweeted, “What happened to my friend and brother Sen. Ike Ekweremadu in Nuremberg, Germany at the hands of IPOB is an eye-opener and clear signal to every political leader in southern Nigeria! The people of the south are getting angry and you either stand up and defend them or stand aside!” Femi Fani-Kayode ✔ @realFFK What happened to my friend and brother Sen. Ike Ekweremadu in Nuremberg, Germany at the hands of IPOB is an eye-opener and clear signal to every political leader in southern Nigeria!The peopl...

The Governor of Delta, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has attributed his administration’s success in the delivery of people-oriented programmes to his adoption of participatory governance. He stated this on Thursday in Asaba while swearing in Mr Mofe Pirah as a member of the State Executive Council. Okowa said that his administration operated open-door policy, which allowed Deltans from all walks of life to contribute to decision-making process in the state. "I believe in a participatory government in which Deltans, from opinion leaders, youths, traditional rulers and the women, are all represented and partner us as a government to achieve set goals of building a stronger state. "Our administration's goal is to develop the people and develop infrastructure to create an enabling environment for the private sector to grow. ``We are determined to reduce unemployment rate and develop every sector of the state. ``Every political appointee must key into our programmes...

The recent declaration by the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru El Rufai over rotation arrangement for the top seat in the nation may have come under contemptuous circumstances. This is as information available indicates the Governor of Kaduna State finds himself enmeshed in a latent battle with the cabal within the Presidency against the 2023 presidential ticket. Governor El Rufai who was once considered a darling of the cabal within the presidency has fallen out of favour. This is following the supposed success scored by the President’s men at the electoral polls – of which Governor El Rufai played a prominent role with the believe the position of Chief of Staff was reserved for him. El Rufai was promised the position by President Muhammadu Buhari. However, the victory at the polls changed the power play at the presidency. Many within the cabal began to view El Rufai as a potential threat who may not be a team player once bestowed with the power of the President. With...

The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has called for greater collaboration between the Federal and State governments to attract positive development to the people at the grassroots.  Speaking on Thursday when he commissioned the Goldcoast Memorial Market built in memory of Madam Goldcoast Dickson, the late mother of the Governor of Bayelsa State,  Mr. Seriake Dickson, Governor Okowa noted that the people at the grassroots will fare better with good collaborative efforts between the Federal and State Government. The commissioning exercise which took place at Toru-Orua Town, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in the presence of Governor Dickson, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, Maryam Uwais, among other dignitaries coincided with the one year remembrance anniversary of Madam Goldcoast Dickson.  “I want to thank God for this project; it is important that when mothers make requests, it should be granted as o...

Most of us who held our noses to support President Muhammadu Buhari again in the last election had hoped for true change, if he was re-elected. Two months into the second tenure, while it may appear as if though Buhari is indeed incorrigible, it is definitively clear that he has forgotten why and how he became democratic president in the first place. If that were not the case, there is no way Buhari’s regime would be colluding with the courts to detain Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the last election--without bail.   Flash back to how we got here. The 16-year reign of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was an embarrassing failure. Yet, the then ruling party was boasting that it would rule Nigeria for 60 uninterrupted years whether we “like it or not.”  Elections had become mere charade. Though the country was in dire need of change, the change appeared impossible.  Many prominent politicians aspired to wrestle p...