News

Okuama Killings: A governor’s sympathy cry

Published

3 weeks ago

April 8, 2024

“It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience” – Julius Caesar

By Felix Ofou

On Friday, April 5, 2024, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, exposed what had been hidden in the deep recesses of his heart since the tragic killing of 17 soldiers and the sacking of the community allegedly by another contingent on reprisal attack in Okuama in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state.

The opportunity came during a visit by the board of enquiry set up by the Military high command in the killing of the 17 soldiers on a fact finding mission to the state. The Governor received members of the panel led by Air Vice Marshal David Ajayi at the Government House in Warri during which he bared his emotions on the unfortunate incident.

Prior to that visit, Oborevwori had been wrongly accused of keeping mum and not doing enough to show sympathy to the victims on either side of the crisis. Not minding that the Governor has roundly condemned the killing and sued for peace, there were some people, albeit in the minority, who felt he should have shown greater sympathy.

This is in spite of several steps taken by the Delta State’s chief executive soon after news broke about what had happened in Okuama. First was the bold and courageous decision to visit the scene to assess what had happened and to determine how best to de-escalate the tension stemming from the killings. Next was the storming of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is the Commander-in-Chief, during which he promised to provide relief for those displaced as well as cooperate with the military high command to get to the bottom of the matter.

On the other hand, another school of thought alleged that the real issue that got the army peace mission involved in Okuama and Okoloba bordered more on the rampant bunkering and stealing of crude oil in the entire area. In the view of proponents of this view, the issue should not be swept under the carpet even as the hunt for the perpetrators of the gruesome killing continues.

But, Friday provided a rare opportunity for Oborevwori to let the world know how he truly felt about the tragedy. It was a no-holds barred moment for the Governor who spoke his mind in an unreserved manner; unrestrained like he has never done. He spoke about his pains as well as that of the state on account of the sad incident.

The Governor narrated how the state has managed the situation, promising that the State would do all it could to assist the Board on its assignment. Oborevwori further revealed that in an effort to honour the deceased officers and soldiers, he led a top level delegation of members of the State Security Council and members of the State Executive Council to attend the funeral of the slain officers and soldiers in Abuja.

While saying that a transparent investigation should be conducted to fish out the real culprits of the heinous crime, he said innocent citizens should not be made to suffer any further. “I am very happy for this meeting taking place here today in Warri. Most people who spoke about the issue did so out of ignorance because they lacked the true knowledge of the facts of what happened. Setting up this Board of Enquiry is a good one.

“In my MORE Agenda, we said we are going to ensure peace and security, and for the first time in a long while, we celebrated Christmas without any hitches and I must thank security agencies in the state for a job well done.

“In Delta State, there are two bodies we don’t play with – the Advisory and Peace Building Council and the Peace Building and Conflict Resolution Committee – because they are doing a lot to ensure enduring peace in the state.

“I told the Secretary to State Government to invite the Okuama/Okoloba people. l made it mandatory that the Chairmen of Ughelli South and Bomadi Local Government Councils should be in attendance. The members of the State House of Assembly representing the constituencies affected should also be in attendance and the Presidents-General of the communities.

“That meeting was held on the 7th of February and they signed a peace accord. So, we were not expecting anything negative when the military went there for a peace mission. In Delta State, we don’t encourage crisis. I want to assure you that whatever information you people want, we will give it to you and we will also come with our position paper to submit to you people before you leave.

“That will also guide you on the role that we have played as a state because if we don’t come with this position paper, you will not know the role that the state has played”, the Governor said.

Earlier, Chairman of the Board of Enquiry, Air Vice Marshal David Ajayi, said the Board was in the state to investigate the unfortunate incident that happened at Okuama.

He said: “We are here as a fact-finding mission and not to apportion blame. We are here to gather facts from security agencies, community leaders and community dwellers.

“This report will also help to ensure healthy communication that will enhance civil-military relationship and ensure that economic activities thrive again in the affected communities.”

He called on the Governor to assist the Board in its enquiry to ensure that relevant stakeholders were invited to the give account of what led to the crisis.

However, the Governor did not disclose his other pain: attempts by irredentists to hijack the process and introduce an ethnic colouration to the crisis by claiming that agents from Okoloba (neighbouring Ijaw community) allegedly recruited the slain soldiers to destroy Okuama (Urhobo community) which resulted in the said killings. The ethnic jingoist tried in vain to drag Oborevwori into their depraved plot.

As it turned out, the warlord, top on the wanted list of the military high command and said to have masterminded the killing of the soldiers in Okuama, is Ijaw with maternal link to the community. Those who tried to accuse the Governor of not defending Urhobo interests enough therefore failed woefully in their bid to input ethnic motive in Oborevwori’s actions.

But, it must be pointed out that a crisis like what happened in Okuama, is bound to affect the relative peace in the zone as well as the economic fortunes of the state. That, undoubtedly, the Governor is bound to be concerned about, the burden of which he bears with equanimity and uncommon humility.

Yet, like Caesar, Oborevwori has borne his pain with patience, never complaining, nor betraying any sign of panic. Instead, he has provided leadership and stability necessary to sustain peace and progress in the state. The days ahead will definitely be kind to him. History is definitely on the side of the Governor.

*Ofou is Executive Assistant on New Media to the Delta State Governor

News

Wizkid slams Don Jazzy, mocks Davido for kneeling down to beg woman

Published

3 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Whirlwindnews

Afrobeat music giant, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, on Monday, set microblogging site, X.com, on fire when he took swipes at Davido and Mavin Records boss, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy.

As a result of the controversial tweet, Wizkid is now trending on X. He is number 4 on Nigeria’s X trends.

During exchanges with his followers, Wizkid dismissed the very successful music producer and label owner, Don Jazzy, as an ‘influencer’, and mocked Davido for his recently leaked viral video where he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone believed to be a female associate.

The Jaiye Jaiye crooner who hardly tweets but has a penchant for posting controversial tweets set X on fire when he tweeted, “Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good”, at exactly 4:28 am on Monday, to which a fan who tweets as @demigadd responded, “Sha release song”, prompting Wizkid to respond with “Na by force.”

This singular tweet set the pace for an avalanche of conversations, resulting in Wizkid eventually taking a sarcastic swipe at Davido and Don Jazzy.

It was like the ‘On Top Your Matter’ hitmaker’s fans had been anticipating his tweet, the comment section came alive with a barrage of comments, retweets, likes and views.

As of the time of this report, his first tweet (Every day I get things to say but my mouth no good), had garnered a whopping 3.5k comments, 8.8k retweets, 36k likes and 1.3m views, and also generated a series of conversations.

At 4:42 am, a fan who tweets as @iretomiwa03 asked if Wizkid could revert to when he used to be very active and interactive on X. The fan wrote, “Can you just go back to old Twitter wiz”, to which the ‘Holla at your Boy’ singer responded by saying “That’s a bully! Let’s leave him for now.”

When another fan who tweets as @patdafenet also pleaded with him to release a new song, Wizkid responded with a viral video of Davido on his knees begging an unseen person, with the caption “Beg me like this. Send video.”

Recall that on April 15, 2024, a leaked video of the ‘Unavailable’ crooner went viral on social media. In the video, he was seen on his knees crying and begging someone.

While speculations went viral that he was probably begging his wife, Chioma, for an offence he might have committed, some Netizens speculated that he might have been begging American model, Bonita Maria for an undisclosed offence.

“With Afrobeats to the world, he simply stopped talking and interacting, leading everyone to ascribe maturity to a mischievous machine on hiatus. The moment he’s started talking again, it’s back to familiar ways. “Una Papa.” “I go do giveaway.” “I make Bollywood.” “…signed to an influencer.” Just like he never left. Same old Wizkid. Same old troll.”

Culled from The PUNCH

News

Fuel scarcity: Sack Kyari now! *Group insists NNPCL boss setting up Tinubu

Published

3 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Whirlwindnews

Nothing outside the immediate sack of Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), would assuage the anger of the Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group (TSMAG), as they are holding him fully responsible for the current fuel scarcity.

The group, which argued that the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at a time Nigerians were still struggling to adjust to the removal of the fuel subsidy, was a plan to set the citizens against the President, said in a statement on Monday, that the NNPCL ought to have preempted the current situation and stocked a large volume of fuel that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period.

The statement, jointly signed by the President and Secretary of the group; Abiodun Abdulrazaq and Aliyu Muhammad respectively, said that, the Kyari led-NNPCL was fully notified of the ongoing turnaround maintenance of the refineries in Europe, which it said is responsible for the scarcity currently experienced.

Part of the statement, read: “The Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group has noted with grave concern the unjustifiable fuel scarcity that is biting hard in most parts of Nigeria, which has continued to generate anti-Tinubu and APC commentaries, thereby putting our party in an extremely bad light.

“The ongoing Scarcity is attributed to the ongoing turnaround maintenance of refineries across Europe. This didn’t come without notice. A serious regulator or business ought to have stocked a large volume of products that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period. This, like other incidents, has proven the administrative weakness of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL.

“We need to remind President Tinubu that Naira confiscation wasn’t the only strategy deployed by his adversaries in the last administration to frustrate his ambition, fuel scarcity was also a veritable tool deployed. For the significant part of 2022 through early 2023, Nigerians lived with the scourge of Scarcity, yet, we were convinced to mobilize our people to vote for you.

“While Emefiele is facing the music of his actions and evil against Nigerians, we are sad that Mr President decided to reward Mele Kyari with an extended appointment. How can one man cause your ambassadors, your compatriots who love, trust and respect you to want to go against you?

“Given these circumstances, one is compelled to ask if Mr President believes Nigerians are second fiddle to Mele Kyari. It is on the strength of the above that we wish to call on Mr President to urgently sack and investigate the activities of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL to build Nigeria’s trust in government.

“If this problem is not resolved in 7 days, we will have no option but to call Nigerians out to peacefully occupy our streets until normalcy and enduring solutions are preferred in the oil and gas sector and continue to call for sack, arrest and investigation of Kyari for subjecting millions of Nigerians to undeserving sufferings.”

News

BREAKING: Finidi is S’Eagles new manager! *NFF snubs Amuneke

Published

4 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Whirlwindnews

The Board of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday settled for Finidi George, former Nigerian international as the new Head Coach for the Super Eagles, replacing José Santos Peseiro the Portuguese who left the job after leading Nigeria to the silver medal in the just concluded African Nations Cup (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.

The choice of the former Super Eagles’ ace winger, who helped Ajax Amsterdam to win its first Champions League trophy, during the 1994-1995 season, was announced in a statement on Monday, following what the NFF Board said was the approval of the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee.

Finidi, 52, who also played for Real Betis, had taken full charge after of the Super Eagles after the voluntary exit of Peseiro with whom he spent 20 months as an assistant before the voluntary exit of the Portuguese, during which he took the team to the two friendly matches in Morocco last month, where he beat Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on 27th July 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe. He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19th June 1994.

George had actually scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on 8th October 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks. The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

Before the football house announced the choice, there had been high speculations that Emmanuel Amuneke, Barcelona FC winger and Finidi’s team-mate was highly speculated as replacement for the Portuguese.