Ooni of Ife and his new wife visit Sultan of Sokoto (photos)

Buhari addresses Biafra issue in a new interview

President Muhammadu Buhari during his last visit to Qatar has given the interview to Al Jazeera. The Nigerian president has been speaking about the challenges the country is facing now, comprising the naira devaluation, the Boko Haram, anti-corruption crusade, the Biafra issue. Buhari is seeking support for his fight against corruption and to promote much-needed investment in his country’s ailing economy. Qatar is the actual president of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer. The low oil prices have a destroying influence on the Nigerian economy, which has long depended on the export of oil.

President Buhari said: “We were unable to diversify our economy, hence we are much more disadvantaged by the lower oil prices.” He tells the journalist that he values the institution of OPEC and that “Nigeria will make the necessary sacrifice to remain in OPEC.” On naira devaluation, the Nigerian leader of the nation said he would not reconsider his insistence on freezing the currency. President Buhari said as Nigeria “virtually imports everything, from rice to toothpicks”, it cannot afford to devalue its currency. “If it is against our national interest, why can’t we go against the IMF advice?” Buhari asks. Two major Buhari’s promises during the election campaign last year were to eradicate corruption and end the Boko Haram insurgency. Speaking on the Boko Haram, the president restated that none of local government areas has been occupied by the insurgents, adding that he hasn’t failed against the insurgents.

However, the Boko Haram remains active in many areas of Nigeria, seemingly able to strike at will. “I have not failed. When we came in Boko Haram was effectively in 14 local governments. Nigeria has 774 local governments. They hoist their flags and they said they had a certain caliphate but today they no longer to hold any local government. They have reverted to improvised explosive devices blowing soft targets, and that will be a kind of terrorism which will be difficult to eliminate because it is technological, but they cannot hold any local government again. They are using technology but they cannot carry out organised attacks, overrun police post, attack military installations, they cannot do that now,” the president stated. President Buhari recalled that over two million lives were lost during the Nigeria civil war between 1967 to 1970 on the demand of a Biafran state. “At least two millions Nigerians were killed in the Biafra war. And for somebody to wake up may be they weren’t born. Looking for Biafra after two millions people were killed, they are joking with the security and Nigeria won’t tolerate Biafra,” he said. Buhari said Nigeria has enlisted in the Saudi Arabia Islamic coalition fighting terrorism, clarifying that such step would help the country tackle extremism. “We are part of the Islamic coalition because we have got terrorists in Nigeria, which everybody knows and the terrorists claim to be Islamic,” he said. “So, if there is an Islamic coalition to fight terrorism, we will be part of it because we are casualties of Islamic terrorism. “Boko Haram has declared loyalty to ISIS and ISIS is based in Islamic countries, and if there is a coalition to fight them why shouldn’t we be part of it, particularly when those fighting the country claim to be Muslims, although what they are doing is against Islam.” When asked if non-Muslims would not feel that he is attempting to change the religious identity of the country, Buhari said: “Why can’t those Christians that complain fight terrorism in Nigeria or fight the militants in the south? It’s Nigeria that matters, not the opinion of the religious bigots.” The declaration of the Independent Republic of Biafra in 1967 caused a civil war that resulted in the death of millions and the re-annexation of the republic to Nigeria in 1970. The administration of President Buhari has always maintained that Nigeria’s unity is a priority for the country and that while peaceful pro-Biafran protests are welcome, demanding the separation of the Biafran territories is against the constitution.

Osinbajo stays home due to conflicting schedules with president

Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s trip to India was cancelled at the last moment
– It was reasoned by the president’s trip to Equatorial Guinea and Senate President Bukola Saraki’s current trial for corruption.

The vice president of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, has cancelled his trip to India due to protocol errors by the Protocol Department of the Presidency and awkward situation it puts the government in, as Senate President Bukola Saraki would have to perform the functions of the president.

A presidency official commented on the situation: “When the President and VP are out of town, the running of the country will fall automatically into the hands of the Senate President. We did not want the awkwardness that would come with that scenario.”

A 27-member delegation, including Yemi Osinbajo and two ministers, were to travel to India for a conference but due to conflicting schedules of vice president and president it was decided to cancel it.
However, by the moment of the trip cancellation $250,000 have been already spent on hotels booking and arrangements for ground transportation. President Buhari is to travel to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, for a two-day visit that starts on Monday, March 14.

If both Osinbajo and Buhari leave Nigeria, the country would stay for more than two days without its first two citizens, meaning Senate President Bukola Saraki would have to act as acting president.

Mr Saraki is currently facing criminal proceedings at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over allegations of corruption and false assets declaration.

P-Square Break Up: Nigerians Not Feeling Peter Okoye’s New

Paul Okoye, one half of the Nigerian RnB act, has lamented the group’s break-up, saying that if their parents were alive, things would not have degenerated to such a point.

Paul expressed the sentiment in a one minute, 45 seconds single he dropped on Tuesday, barely 24 hours after Peter ‘Mr.P’ Okoye, announced a new management for his solo career.

Paul’s song, Call Heaven , is coming about two weeks after Peter released his own single, titled Look Into My Eyes on March 3.

In the song that was rendered entirely in Pidgin English, the reserved half of the duo begged that someone should call the duo’s late parents from ‘heaven’ to report the break-up to them.

“Make I tell my mama say e don happen,” Paul sang tearfully to the rhythm of a piano.
“Oh Papa na that level wey I promised you say e no go happen.
“If to say una dey for everything wey dey happen today, e for be say we no go misbehave… wherever you are, we no be who we were… cos if to say una dey for everything wey dey happen today, e for be say una go intervene..
right now everything na pain, see your children dey misbehave.”

Rice will become very affordable by April – FG

Workers unload 42,494 tonnes of Thai rice at the Tanjung Priok harbour in Jakarta January 25, 2011. Indonesia’s state procurement agency Bulog is looking for at least 170,000 tonnes of Thai rice for delivery from January to March, a trader said early this month. The government has allowed Bulog to import rice this year to shore up falling stocks. REUTERS/Crack Palinggi (INDONESIA – Tags: BUSINESS FOOD)

The Federal Government said on Saturday that it would stabilise the price of rice from April to make it affordable to everybody in the country.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, made this known while declaring open the 2016 National wheat farmers field day in Alkamawa village in Bunkure Local Government of Kano state.
Ogbeh said that the stability of price would be very viable due to its demand and affordability to the people as from April.

He said the boosting of wheat production and other cereals had become necessary to reduce over dependence on importation.
The minister added that over 300, 000 hectares of land in wheat producing states would be dedicated to boost wheat production.

“The government will continue to support farmers to encourage agricultural activity, enhance food security and employment generation in the country,’’ he said.
According to him, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will diversify the economy with greater emphasis on agriculture.

21-year-old man caught

Cemetery attendants at Monchegorsk graveyard in Russia has caught a 21-year-old man who allegedly exhumed the corpse of a newly buried woman and raped her repeatedly.

Mirror.co.uk reports that when police arrived the scene, the remains of the 39-year-old woman had been sexually brutalized and this is the second case of a sexual attack on a dead woman in the north of Russia this year.

Reports also reveal that the first of such incidence happened in the Komi Republic when two men were jailed for raping the dead body of a young woman in February, 2015.
According to the report, police sources in Monchegorsk, Russia, in the far north region of Murmansk, said the man opened the coffin of the deceased and started his ill-sexual escapade.

As the story goes, a criminal case has been opened under an article of the Russian criminal code on desecration of the dead and their burial places and maximum punishment under the law would be 3 months in prison, or a fine of up to £400.

The accused, as at the time of the report, had not been identified but is believed he is from the neighbouring Arkhangelsk region.

16-year-old suspected

A 16-year-old secondary school dropout, Ifechukwu Atunanya, has been arrested by policemen from the Anambra State Police Command while allegedly having sex with over 52 young men inside a bush in what looked like an initiation ceremony.

According to reports, the suspects were all rounded up in the bush in Awka and are reportedly members of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, during the initiation of new members.

Ifechukwu, on her arrest, claimed she was forced to sleep with every male member of the cult during her initiation.
According to the state Commissioner of Police, Hosea Karma, the police acted on an intelligence tip-off that the cult members and their new entrants were in a bush performing some rituals, explaining that some items including guns, machetes and several wraps of Indian hemp, were recovered from them.

On apprehension, the Police said the suspects confirmed that as part of their ritual, every male member of the cult will sleep with every prospective female member.

“This they did in order to secure their oath of secrecy and it was during the raid we arrested ifechukwu,” Hosea stated.
At the police station, Ifechukwu claimed that she had to travel to Anambra from Abuja just to witness the initiation of new members.

In her statement, she said:
“I joined them three months ago and during my initiation; I was forced to have sex with every registered male member of the cult present that night. I was given sedatives so as not to feel what they were doing. It was not easy, but I bore the pain,” she said.

“The day we were initiated, I was the only girl in their midst. I was determined to be a successful member. I was further convinced to stay because I discovered that they were more honorable men than the other cult groups.

“I am sorry for myself and would love to be given the opportunity to go back to school,” she sobbed.
She went further to say she never knew that it was crime to be a cult member.
“I am so sorry,” Ifechukwu begged.

Another member, Ugochukwu Agbazuo, also said they are all undergraduates of various institutions in Anambra.
“Apart from some of our national leaders, we are all students. I was initiated into the cult while I was still in my first year. I had no choice but to join them because of the harassment in school. I discovered that most of the Engineering students in my school were members of different cult groups.”

Speaking further, Ugochukwu added: “If you identify with a known cult in school, the lecturers will respect you. You don’t have to buy handouts. This was why I joined them.”
“We did not steal or harass innocent people. The guns that were found with us were bought in case there was a clash in school. It is our leaders who are all graduates and working across the country that normally assists us to secure the arms. It is strictly for protection and one of the rules of our group is that you must read and pass your exams on merit,” he added.

On the issue of rape, Ugochukwu admitted that it only happened with female members.
“A female intending member cannot undergo the rigorous process during the initiation. So, our leaders suggested that the best way to get them under oath is for every registered member to have sex with her during initiation.

“She would be given sedatives during the process so that she will not physically feel the pain. Ifechukwu’s case was better because we were only 52 registered males present on the day of her initiation. All of our female members were raped,” he noted.
As the story goes, Ifechukuw’s parents, who hail from Anambra State, are still alive. However, she said that they were not aware of her secret cult activities.

“I am from a poor family and I wanted to be the light that will change the situation in my family. I got to know about the cult activity through a friend. She assured me that all the connections that I needed in life will be made if I joined the group,” Ifechukwu stated.