Prior to the 2015 general elections, an unknown radio station hit Nigeria airwave to the surprise and worry of Nigerians, government and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

It was alleged that the radio station has operated for years as an online pirate station by some faceless individuals, before it started operation on a frequency Modulation (FM) band 102.1 with Nnamdi Kanu as its director.  The signals of the station, as claimed by many, were received mainly in the South South and South East states.

The radio station did not only change its mode of operations, it raised the bar in terms of its rhetoric. The proprietor called it “Radio Biafra” and claimed that it is dedicated to the defence of the rights of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and ultimately the actualisation of the Republic of Biafra.


That was how Kanu, who was not known by many Nigerians, became known and hunted for by the security agents on the order of the Federal Government. Before his arrest by personnel of Department of State Services (DSS) in Lagos on October 17, 2015, not much was known about his antecedents, although, members of the Chief Ralph Uwazuruike-led Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), which he actively participated as a staunch member, before traveling abroad knew him very well.
 
After Kanu’s arrest, he was arraigned on October 19, 2015 by the DSS at Abuja Municipal Council Magistrate court, where he was granted bail in the sum of N2 million or with surety of N2 million with a civil servant of grade level 16. Despite meeting the bail conditions, coupled with subsequent court orders for his release, he is still being held by the DSS on government’s order.

Upon Kanu’s arrest and continuous incarceration, it was expected that leaders, politicians, professionals, entrepreneurs of Igbo extraction would join the clarion calls for his release.

Disappointedly, except for few Igbo leaders and the downtrodden youths who spoke, protested, as well as got arrested sometimes reportedly killed for demanding for Kanu’s freedom; majority of prominent Igbo leaders, including the State governors, members of National Assembly, ministers and other federal government appointees of Igbo extraction were for long mute and unperturbed about his ordeal.
 
Reasons for this insouciance are not far-fetched. It is either for political, financial or security reasons, which is more important to them than any other thing. But unfortunately that was not the case with the Northern and Niger-Delta leaders at the peak of the Boko Haram insurgency and militancy. They never cease to speak and fight against perceived injustice or treatments being meted to their people by security agents in the course of fighting the menace.
They have been supportive of their people in speech and action, when it matters most.But this is hardly the case for Kanu. At a time, people from other geo-political zones were more concerned and outspoken against Kanu’s continuous incarceration than Igbo leaders. On several occasion, some members of Kanu’s family have publicly expressed their disappointment and reservations over lack of support and encouragement from Igbo leaders.
 
However, with the emergence of the new Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership led by Chief John Nnia Nwodo (Jnr), it appeared that the consciousness of Igbo leaders, who have been inactive over Kanu and Igbo political problems, have been re-awakened.
 
Nwodo, on assumption of office charted a new course for Igbo leadership in the polity. He did not shy away from speaking on Igbo challenges, including the alleged marginalisation, herdsmen attacks, Kanu’s ordeal, etc.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian recently, Nwodo said: “I am already in the public domain on this. You know there is something in the mindset. Some people regard Igbo as a defeated people who must be handled anyhow.  Leading personalities in this country have been referring to an unwritten agreement to keep the Igbo down on account of their loss in the war against Nigeria. And I keep asking when this will end.

“I don’t agree with everything about Kanu or his methods, but I cannot fault his rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and freedom of association. These are undeniable rights and that is why it is called fundamental human rights.  It is the principle upon which a state is built and as a father, I have to speak up for him. The way we are treated in this country is worse than the way a slave is treated.’

Since Nwodo set the ball rolling, other prominent Igbo leaders have called for Kanu’s unconditional release. They include former governor of Central Bank, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, Prof Pat Utomi, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike and others.

Surprisingly, the South East Governors Forum that went comatose after the 2015 polls has not only staged a comeback, it has expressed its plan to meet Federal Government over Kanu’s release. The governors, who met for the second time in 2017 at the Government House Enugu recently, announced their resolve to engage relevant authorities at the Federal and the regional level to address the issue.
 
Since the Governors’ Forum joined the tussle, tongues have been wagging. While some have questioned its timing and motive, others said it is political, belated and an afterthought.

Former president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife asserted while speaking with The Guardian, said that the Governors Forum’s statement on the IPOB leader is political.
 
“The Governors’ statement on Kanu is political. People know that there is a strong wave about Biafra struggle. So every politician in the South East region will like to tap into it ahead of 2019 elections. I may be wrong, but that is my opinion. Why haven’t the governors said this before now? Even now, are they saying it louder? Many of us don’t understand what is going on,” Ikedife said.
 
But to a prominent Igbo leader, Chief Chekwas Okorie, everything about Biafra and Kanu is very emotive. And Igbos are very sentimental about it.On the South East governors’ stance, Okorie said: “It is a welcome development, because it is better late than never. Let it not be that the governors are grandstanding or seeking cheap popularity. Meeting the President is not a big deal. And as a matter of urgency, the governors should hasten up if they are really serious about it.”
 
In his remarks, a Lagos-based lawyer and an Ohanaeze Ndigbo leader, Chief Guy Ikokwu said that there is nothing wrong with the governors’ move provided Kanu’s release is not conditional.
 
“The governors are doing what they can do. It is better late than never. Kanu deserves unconditional release, because he has not committed any offense.”
Nonetheless, a member of IPOB, Mr. Charles Agbayi, argued that President Muhammadu Buhari has indirectly made their leader, a hero.

Agbayi: “Buhari’s government will not be in power forever. Kanu will not die in prison because the spirit and blood of all those who died in the struggle will continue to protect him anywhere. Their death and struggle can never be in vain.
 
“It is quite unfortunate that our political leaders, especially the state governors are just waking up from the slumber when things have gone wrong. Where have they been since Kanu and many IPOB members were arrested, killed and imprisoned?  What did they do to protect their people?

“They are busy in the comfort of their offices, enjoying our collective patrimony. They should learn from their predecessors. Power is transient and time flies. Whether, they intervene or not, Kanu will secure freedom; Kanu don’t even need their intervention, because it is an afterthought.”
 
While Nigerians especially, Igbos await the outcome of the latest calls and moves to secure Kanu’s release, after being incarcerated for more than one year, a source in the presidency who pleaded anonymity, hinted that the presidency has not been contacted on the issue, due to some unforeseen circumstances, beyond the control of those behind it.

 
According to the source: “The presidency has not been reached by any group or persons from the South East on behalf of Kanu.” On whether presidency will accede to the request if made, the source said: “I can’t say yes or no, until it is made. It is a very delicate issue. Even if the presidency will accede, it will not be without conditions.”

Whether Kanu’s release will be possible through political means like that of Ralph Uwazuruike of MASSOB is a matter of guess, considering the Federal Government’s insistence that it has enough evidence to prove that he committed treasonable felony.
Also, it is not out of place for the APC-led federal government to use Kanu’s release to bargain for political support in South East zone in 2019, especially with the recent influx of politicians from the zone into the party. https://guardian.ng/features/policy-a-politics/south-east-governors-quest-for-nnamdi-kanus-release/

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has said that his administration fought corruption in the country without making noise about it.

Mr. Jonathan said this on Monday while speaking at the Oxford Union of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

The immediate past Nigerian leader spoke on the theme “Promoting Youth Entrepreneurship”.

Responding to inquiries by some of the students regarding his administration’s fight against corruption, Mr. Jonathan said he would not like to “interfere with the legal processes” because “several matters are pending in court”.

Mr. Jonathan however said he did enough to reform anti-corruption agencies to enable them function effectively.

“We reformed the institutions and introduced various mechanisms to stop the corruption problems in our country without publicity,” he said.

Mr. Jonathan lost his bid for a second term in 2015.

Using his Twitter handle, the former president paid glowing tributes to Nigerian youth and said “any Nation that does not spend its wealth and resources to develop the capacity of its youth, will be forced to use them to fight insecurity.
                                             

“As a leader, you can decide through your policies to educate the youth, or face the consequences of failing to do so,” he said.

Mr. Jonathan also said his administration put in place some youth related policies, which, he said, helped grow the Nigerian economy.

“Despite incredible challenges, Nigerian youths are achieving great things and placing Nigeria positively in the world map. They inspire us,” he said.

He also said his administration increased the allowances due to Youth Corps members by more than 100% in 2011.

Mr. Jonathan added that the PDP administration that he led “identified Nollywood as a sector that can employ many young people and provided a grant of $200 million to boost the industry”.

“As a result, Nollywood became a major contributor to our GDP and in 2014, the industry contributed 1.4% to our GDP,” he said.

“We may not have been perfect, but we did our best, and our best yielded an era of unprecedented economic growth for Nigeria. A growth that proved the truism that a Nation’s wealth is not underneath the ground but between the ears of her people.

“Under my watch, Nigeria was projected by CNN Money to be the third fastest growing economy in the world for the year 2015.

“While serving as President of Nigeria, I worked for the next generation and not for the next elections. I have no regrets for what I did,”Mr. Jonathan said.

The former president also called on contemporary African leaders to see youth entrepreneurship as a collective project transcending national boundaries.

THE ILLITERATE.

By: Temple Chima Ubochi.

There's a saying that "I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it". This is a time that is really testing my patience; a time I'm trying very hard to keep my cool, through sheer determination, in order to avoid or rather minimize outright distasteful language, and my targets will be those myopic Nigerians who still don't see the glaring shortcomings of President Buhari. I mean the undiscerning Nigerians, who do not read the hand writing on the wall, all these months President Buhari have been dragging Nigeria through mud, and making the lives of millions of Nigerians worthless.

First of all, the Germans couldn't understand anything from President Buhari, as the Press over there said that the President of Nigeria cannot give any meaningful input to any discussion. Who is surprised, when Buhari's English must be translated in English, first of all, before anybody can then translate it into German?

Then, On Friday, October 14, Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, warned her husband that she may not back him at the next election, unless he shakes up his government. In an interview with BBC, Hausa services, The First lady claimed that her husband's government had been hijacked by a "few people" who are behind presidential appointments. She said that the president "does not know" most of the top officials working for him. Hear her: "The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed and I don't know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years. People who did not share the vision of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were now appointed to top posts because of the influence a "few people" wield. Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position."

First of all, it was surprising that Aisha Buhari had to wait until her husband was out of the country to say these things, and it was also more surprising that she chose to wash her "dirty linen in the public". She's the first lady; many looked up to her as a role model. Her actions are shortcoming of a wife, a mother, and a first lady here.But she said her mind on issues she can no longer bear secretly.

President Buhari then committed one of his biggest blunders by saying, in a foreign soil, on an official visit to a country a woman is leading (in answer to his wife, who openly questioned his work and said she may not support him if he runs again): "I don't know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room." The CNN wrote that "Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari did not take kindly on Friday, October 14, to the reports that his wife may not support his re-election: The first lady's place is in the kitchen, he said. Buhari's blatantly sexist remark came during a Berlin news conference with one of the world's most powerful women, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "I don't know which party my wife belongs to but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room," said the president, whose popularity at home has plummeted amid a deep recession. Buhari was responding to a BBC interview, in which his wife, Aisha, a businesswoman and activist, questioned his leadership and suggested she may not back his re-election bid unless he shakes up his government. Buhari told reporters that he can "claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition" after running for president three times and succeeding on his fourth attempt. There was no immediate reaction from Merkel, who is called a Machtfrau -- a woman of power -- in Germany for managing to reach the top as an outsider in a male-dominated world".

As if I'm a prophet, I chastised Nigerian elder statesmen, including President Buhari, in my penultimate article, when I bemoaned that old age seems to confer dishonesty instead of wisdom or sapience in Nigeria. Sorry for my wrong choice of words here; I can't understand how somebody of Buhari's age and experience should be hollow uptill now. As an old man, the president should have known that women, whether white, black, red, blue etc, are the same, with only few and insignificant different characteristics; the president, as an old man, and a man who has married twice, should have known that many women talk before thinking, and this has nothing to do with color or creed, and they can vomit out their frustration to any ear that is ready to listen, without first of all thinking of the consequences of such action. President Buhari should have known that a saying has it that "A foolish man tells a woman to stop talking, but a wise man tells her that her mouth is extremely beautiful when her lips are closed", he should have been expecting such a question in that Press Conference, since his wife granted the interview while he was in Germany, and he should have avoided it by being evasive. Words like: "we Africans do not discuss about our wives" in public, or that "his wife was misquoted", or that "due to love, that his wife was missing him, and that once he gets home, he will kiss her, and everything would be alright", would have saved him this embarrassment, and the audience would have laughed it away. Then, when he gets home, he can sort things out with his wife. But, President Buhari, with his usual non diplomatic acumen, forgot that the leader of Germany, standing beside him, is the most powerful woman in the world.

What President Buhari said was an insult to the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Although Angela Merkel looked at President Buhari, when he made that silly statement, and laughed, but, just like a typical German, she has registered it, and will never forget about it. The Associated Press reported that President Buhari's "comments to reporters in Germany prompted German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, standing at his side, to give him a short glare and then laugh. Though the president laughed before giving this bombshell, his hosts might have seen this as a bad joke. European countries are sensitive to this kind of comment. (Many have lost their jobs because of such 'harmless' comments, which were later interpreted as being sexist). The president belongs to the 60s, and this comment gave him away. He actually believes his wife should not have an overbearing influence in politics. (At least no one will say he cannot control his wife, just like some former Nigerian presidents were accused of)". The FP, on October 14, wrote: That the comment "earned him (Buhari) a grimace from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is arguably the most powerful woman in the world. Merkel later laughed".
To be honest with you, President Buhari has diminished further since he made that unfortunate statement, and if there was any little respect the Germans had for him, it has dissipated, and I doubt if he might get all the support promised to him again, due to what he said, because, the German government will see him as being unstable, and not worth doing business with. Only a first class stupid man would come to a country where a woman is a king, and insult a woman, even if such is his wife. President Buhari lost it big time in Germany, and has put all Nigerian men in that country in a very precarious and unfortunate situation. I presume things will never be the same again, as from now on.

But don't get me wrong. Just being curious: Tell me… Is being stupid a profession, or is President Buhari just gifted?