Innocent Ojefia Blog

The Vice President Yemi Osibanjo and Deputy Senate President, Barrister Ovie Omo-Agege today graced the 10 anniversary of Christian Legislators Fellowship’s National Prayer Breakfast, which held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Speaking at the event, the President of the Fellowship, Sen Emmanuel Bwacha, said the 2019 National Prayer Breakfast is organized by the National Assembly of Nigeria. “The Chief host is the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan, on behalf of the National Assembly. In the absence of the Senate President, the  Deputy Senate President, Barrister Ovie Omo-Agege was the host.  His Excellency, Vice President attended as Special Guest of Honour.” “The event had in attendance leaders of faith in the country being a multi-faith event, diplomats and representatives of other countries.” The theme of this 10th Anniversary event is: “Fullness of Time,” which was coined from the Book of Daniel.   “Prayer changes things. Nigeria ...

Just like in every game where you have winners and losers, the Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi may have become the highest loser in the game of power play to determine who will soon call the shot at the helm of affairs of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.  Our investigation revealed that so far, a whopping sum of US$4m has already gone down the drain as a bribe to President Muhammadu Buhari’s allies, popularly known as the “Villa Cabal” with the Minister of Transport at the center of the said bribe.  The Controversial Minister, according to findings has allegedly so far doled out US$4m to pave way for the emergence of his preferred candidate at the helm of affairs in NDDC. While the amount of bribe allegedly doled out by Amaechi may seem staggering in a country where the greater number are wallowing in abject poverty, the money may just be part of the US$10m “facilitation” money, allegedly demanded by a member of the Cabal if Amaechi must...

Two topics are intertwined in this thread. I like to comment on both. On Sowore, I agree with Justice Ojukwu that it is a pity that nobody is ready to stand as Sowore’s surety. Why is this so? My guess is that the problem is not of Sowore’s making but of the vindictive Nigerian government under Mr. Buhari. The government has terrorized the citizens to the extent that nobody is courageous enough to stand against the government’s position. It is too dangerous. My other guess is that the court system is too pro-government that the goal in any prosecution is to give ruling in favor of the government, that a surety is bound to lose his deposited amount on technical grounds. The lack of a surety for a respected citizen like Sowore speaks volumes to the state of justice in Nigeria. On the special treatment for cattle breeders, I like the position of Mr. Onuorah although his rambling into American support of Israel, and other topics blurred his analysis. The problem with s...

President Muhammadu Buhari on October 17, 2019, ordered a probe of the financial dealings of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from 2001 to 2019. “I have ordered a forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). With the amount of money the Federal Government has allocated to the NDDC, we’d like to see the results on the ground; those that are responsible for that have to explain certain issues,” he tweeted. The decision of the President to probe the intervention agency – NDDC – is laced on the heels of the never-ending petitions and allegations of shoddy contracts and project abandonment which has been linked to it. The NDDC, with an average annual budget of N300 billion is assumed not to have lived up to its billing in executing projects in the Niger Delta region. ‘40% contract sum shared as bribe, full payment for 30% job done’ In January, this year, Forum of Concerned Niger-Delta Stakeholders (FOCONDS) petitioned the Economic and Fi...

One of the slogans during the government of Buhari is “I will or Buhari’s administration will lift 100million of Nigerians out of poverty.” It is one of the major political statements of the ongoing government of open-ended “next-level.” It’s just that the actual time it will happen is not yet known to Baba, Osinbajo, their team of political-folks and those they want to lift out of poverty—as a crane would lift a car out of a pit at a subway construction site. The more they say they want to lift Nigerians out of poverty, the more our people are being plunged further into the crater of poverty. The only way you can kick against this public-stance of mine is if you are living far away from reality. Those who are not interested in swimming in the murky water of politics do know that what I am saying is the truth. The rate at which people now beg for money has increased on the watch of Buhari. It is going to be very sad and disastrous on the condition that baba leaves behind a poo...

But let me attempt here to tease out Dim Ojukwu's prescription: the greatest proof of Igbo survival and aspiration must be to model, wherever Onye-Igbo stands the ethos of innovation, excellence, ingenuity, and ability that marked the Igbo endeavor in Biafra. We must also use Biafra as the stepping stone to a higher vision of the Igbo place in the world. There is no single proof or evidence today that the Igbo of this generation is capable of transforming any nation to which they lay claim. I have looked; I have studied the Igbo situation, and I have listened to my Igbo kinsmen, and I think something is fundamentally wrong: the Igbo are trapped in deadening hate, self-pity, and nostalgia. It is the kind of nostalgia that is both defeatist and deadly because it continues to romanticize the past while the future speeds away. The Igbo cannot wait until they achieve Biafra or a separate nation in order to build and secure Igbo land. Soon after the end of the war, Igbo surv...

"The only thing we've than Rwanda is our politicians drive luxurious cars than theirs. From what I saw, Ghana is an embarrassment of a country and a total abomination to the creator." "If we don't stop worshipping politicians and playing foolish NPP vs NDC politics, we will suffer in the future. I admit that I as a Public sector boss from Ghana, I drive a better car than their finance minister. They've more ambulances than we have. Ambulances even placed in farms" "There's so much serenity in the country. I saw a Methodist Church in a village shut down because the building looked weak. The church was told to put it in good shape before they can get a permit to reopen. They don't want to wait for it to collapse before they blame God"- Kusi Boafo "A minister told me that in 2008, Kagame gave loans to an equal number of men & women to do business. They'd account after 5yrs & the women had increased their profi...

For a peaceful environment that will guarantee uninterrupted oil production in the country, Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa has urged oil companies to be fair and just in their dealings with host communities.  The governor made the call in Asaba on Tuesday at a stakeholders meeting to resolve a petition to the Delta State government by Olomoro community, in Isoko South Local Government Area of the State over oil prospecting issues. The community which is one of the host communities to OML 30 had petitioned the state government over non consideration of indigenes in award of contracts; non renewal of Freedom To Operate (FTO) by contracting firms, employment of indigenes and delay in payment of General Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) funds by Heritage Energy, operators of the marginal field. Governor Okowa represented by the State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Prince Emman Amgbaduba in an intervention meeting with stakeholders ordered Heritage Ener...

The feud between the President’s wife and the Daura family became public following a video leaked online in which Aisha was heard complaining about being locked out of a room and demanding that some people should pack their belongings and leave the apartment. The video was recorded by Mamman Daura’s daughter Fatima, who accused the First Lady of attacking her at the Villa. On return from her two-month holiday in the United Kingdom on October 13, Aisha confirmed in a 25-second voice clip on the BBC Hausa Service website that she was the person in the video in question. She accused Fatima of recording the incident while the security detail did nothing because the culprit was Mamman Daura’s daughter. Although the wife of the President on October 16 apologised to her children, family members and the public for the embarrassment caused by the viral video, some legal practitioners have condemned Fatima’s action while some simply described the issue as a family affair. Lawyer...