LEADER (6)

12166304452?profile=original

Son of the Oba of Benin, and the caretaker chairman of Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Prince Ekpen Erediauwa, was allegedly beaten up at the weekend by the chairman of the Edo State Task Force on Petroleum Monitoring Committee, Osakpanwan Eriyo, following a disagreement over sharing formula for revenue collected in the local government.photos: Royal chiefs allegedly cursing out the perpetrator .Prince Ekpen in uniform.The Prince a lover of animals on stroll .

 

 

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM
IRKED by the assault meted out on his son, Prince Ekpen Erediauwa, by the Chairman of the Edo State Task Force Committee on the Vandalization of Pipeline and also the youth leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Edo State, Mr Osakpanwa Eriyo, the  Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa, yesterday, placed a curse on the alleged culprit after describing the action as a taboo in Benin Kingdom.12166304073?profile=original

PROTEST: Chiefs and elders of Benin placing curses on the Chairman of the Taskforce Committee on the Vandalisation of Pipelines, over his alleged assault on the Oba of Benin's son, at the Oba's Palace, in Benin City, yesterday. Photo by Barnabas Uzosike.
This came as thousands of youths, dressed in red attire, market women and royal family members, protested round Benin City, yesterday, demanding for the banishment of Eriyo from the kingdom, explaining that assaulting a Prince of the kingdom was sacrilegious, and capital punishment should be meted on him.
Meanwhile, the Edo State government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Peter Okhiria, yesterday, announced the suspension of Mr Eriyo as Chairman of the Anti-Pipeline Vandalization Committee, adding “all contracts in respect of revenue collection in Oredo Local Government Area are also hereby suspended.”
See more photos here
It will be recalled that  Eriyo, who also doubles as the Chairman Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN, Edo State chapter, had weekend, assaulted the Transition Committee Chairman of Oredo Local Government Area of the state, Prince Erediauwa during a meeting of the leadership of the ACN in Oredo council. But Osakpanwa had denied that he assaulted the Prince in a statement.
Reacting swiftly, the Oba’s chiefs, led by the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe; the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri; Obasogie of Benin Kingdom, Chief Eduwor Ekhator and the entire palace chiefs, went round the city, with pots of charms and placed curse on Osakpanwa after he was declared an enemy of the Oba.
In a statement by the Chairman, Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Oba’s Palace, Chief Eduwor Ekhator, it said “no one can demystify the monarchical value of the Benin Royal Palace of the Oba. Attempt by any person or persons to destroy the long existing peace and unity of the Benin will be checked with rebuked condemnation.
“The attempt on the Benin Prince was a demonstration of recklessness and lack of respect for a constituted authority. It is highly provocative, sacrilegious and unacceptable and thereby deserves total condemnation by every Edo son and daughter both at home and in the Diaspora. However, the palace of the Oba advises all sympathizers to obey the rule of law,” it added.

 

previously:

12166304279?profile=originalTwo persons were killed yesterday as the rift between the son of the Benin monarch, Prince Ekpen Erediauwa and suspended chairman of Edo State Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalisation Osakpamwan Eriyo worsened.

Two casualties were recorded in a clash between the prince’s and Eriyo’s supporters. 

The clash, which occurred  about 9am on the popular Lagos Street in Benin City, saw motorists and traders scampering for safety when shootings started.

Several vehicles were destroyed;  traders did not open their shops out of fear.

The victims were identified as Raphael Oke, who died on the spot and Osamuyi Obazee, who died at the Central Hospital where he was taken to.

Two others, who were injured, are said to be in the hospital.

Sources said trouble started when Eriyo, who doubles as the State Chairman of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and State Youth Leader of Action Congress of Nigeria, visited his in-law, Chief Arala Osula, to complain that Osula’s children had joined Erediauwa to fight him.

Osula said before he could come out of his house, Eriyo’s supporters had started shooting sporadically and three boys in the locality were shot.

His words: “I know there is a quarrel between Osakpamwan and the Prince. He knew my children were close to Erediauwa so he decided to bring them into the feud. 

“I am married to his elder sister and one of my sons is staying with him.” 

Osula refused to allow policemen to carry Oke’s body to the mortuary, insisting that he will take it to the Oba‘s Palace but he agreed after pleadings from the police officers.

Members of RTEAN went into hiding yesterday for fear of being attacked by aggrieved youths from the area.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday suspended Eriyo.

A statement by the Secretary, Chief Osaro Idah said Eriyo would remain suspended, pending the outcome of ongoing investigation.

Youths in the locality protested, asking for the government to arrest Eriyo.

Police spokesman Peter Ogboi said only one person died and that two others were injured.

Ogboi said those fingered would be arrested after investigation.

Eriyo could not be reached for comments.

The feud started last weekend after Eriyo allegedly beat up Erediauwa, who is the Transition Committee Chairman of Oredo local council, over revenue contract. 

Read more…


Eighty-seven year-old Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) woman leader in the defunct Bendel State and mother of an Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Madam Grace Osaretin, was murdered, Tuesday night in Benin City.

This came just as the Edo State PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih called on the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, to convey a security summit to address what he described as the increasing insecurity in the state.

Nigerian Tribune learnt on Wednesday, at the Benin City residence of Mr. Martin Osakue, the PDP chieftain and proprietor of Benin-City based Paragon Group of Schools that Madam Osaretin, his mother, was killed around 8 p.m on Tuesday.

The gunmen reportedly entered the deceased’s residence at Uwasota, a suburb of Benin City and enquired from the woman if she was the mother of Mr. Osakue.

When the woman answered in the affirmative, the yet-to-be identified gunmen were said to have shot her many times before leaving the house..

Mr. Osakue confirmed the development when the state PDP chairman and some of the state PDP leaders paid him a condolence visit and said even when no conclusions had been drawn yet, he wondered why some armed people would enter his mother’s house and killed her after she responded to their enquiry that she was his mother.

Chief Orbih, who advocated the conveyance of a security summit for all political parties and stakeholders in the state at a rally on Wednesday, in Ekpoma, where Chief Don Ehijiator, former Chief of Staff to Governor Oshiomhole and hundreds of his supporters defected to the PDP from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) challenged security agencies to swing into action with a view to fishing out the killers of Madam Osaretin.

According to Orbih, the killing was a reflection of the level of insecurity in the state, which he claimed had long being compromised, adding that “Apart from total breakdown of law and order, there is breakdown of governance.”

The PDP chairman said this was the time to reject the ACN led government in Edo, pointing out that people were frustrated with the bad state of affairs brought about by the ACN administration.

Read more…

In the last election, his party had 74,059 votes... That is according to them, according to INEC. His plans to ensure the next election is different They rubbished the entire democratic process. They stifled the voice of opposition and eradicated any form of democracy that is a threat to them, as the political party in power. This is a very peculiar country, but one thing is very clear: the hand of the Almighty God has always being on this country. The hand that brought Obasanjo, Yar'Adua and Jonathan, that same hand will position Reverend Okotie and once that is done, you will know that our nationhood has evolved.


Why God would allow the (electoral) crises to persist

Because there is a word in the scripture that is called long suffering and he delays justice because of the poor that will suffer. If we break into hostilities, it is these rich men that will first abscond. So many times, the Lord is merciful because of we, the people; not because he wants to perpetuate those people in power, but because he is careful. The prophecy concerning the PDP has gone forth and they are going to fight each other and destroy each other because that is how evil is terminated. We can't fight them. They are too strong for us. So they most fight each other..

His previous assertions that he would president in 2003 and 2007

That is what I'm saying, that my time will come. I already quoted Abraham Lincoln in the sense that I am so sure that it is a divine mandate. All I have to do is wait for the right time and not compromise my philosophy or compromise my faith and join a conglomerate of men and women who call themselves political parties, whereas they are just a conscription of men and women of anti-theatrical philosophies who have no ideological connectivity and their only common denominator is their desire to annex wealth. Because I believe in a Nigeria where truth reins; a fresh Nigeria which our party symbolises in F-Faith, R-Responsibility, E-Equality, S-Security and H-Hope. This is the philosophy upon which I have erected the citadel of my confidence because I believe only a fresh Nigerian can salvage this nation. All this cosmetic and superficial activity that are going on by the ruling party is a journey in futility. This will also drift us back to square one, which we have always been.

How soon the drift will happen

If we perpetuate a PDP government, which I think Nigeria cannot afford, we will be back to square one and that is a recipe for extinction. The party is incapacitated, ab initio. But the party has been ruling for 12 years I am aware and it was necessary for Nigerians to reach a point of self-examination and re-assessment of this slavery. Our leaders have betrayed us on a large scale and it takes a while to come to that realisation and global events, as seen in the angry youth protest in Abuja as Nigerians are recognising what they have to do without anybody galvanising them. It is an evolution. Mao Tse Tung once said if people no longer fear your power, it is because another power is on its way and that is what we are seeing here. I believe with all my heart that we are seeing the last vestiges of this oppressive leadership of the PDP. I believe our people are coming to a place where they are willing to make the necessary sacrifice to emancipate themselves and that the money politics that the PDP has played for so many years is gradually frittering out and there is going to be an implosion within the party that will totally fragment it to the extent that it will be totally powerless.

His silence when activists were protesting for rule of law

I do not know the kind of newspapers you read, but I made my opinion known and at some point in time, I called for an interim government to be installed so that the entire malady that surrounded the executive could be cleared and we will move on. The nation was inundated by the soap opera that transpired with incapacitation of late President Yar'Adua and even though we had urged the PDP to declare his whereabouts and be transparent, nobody paid attention and we did not want to sound insensitive with the fact that the president is incapacitated and be more interested in politics. So, the sentiment of it all was something that PDP capitalised on. But it was not because we were not quick to articulate our views on the impact.

How he intends to tackle problems such as corruption, unemployment and power

Let me put this in proper context; campaigns have not begun. What I just did was to articulate my desire to run for the office. We are not suppose to engage in any campaign until INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) says so. I can only give you observations that I have made concerning the things that I have seen in the country from a very constructive view-point. I believe the reason why corruption has been able to flourish is because there is an enabling environment. If you want to incapacitate those who participate in corruption, you will have to change the environment, not just engender punitive measures. It has to be juxtaposed with moral instruction for there to be meaningful change. For instance if you take a fish out of water, it cannot function; if you take an evil man into heaven, he cannot function, so there are certain mechanisms in government that make it possible for this charlatans to operate and until we dismantle this mechanism, corruption will (only) at best be tackled on the punitive level which is where you have the EFCC and all of those things. The 10 commandments didn't even save Israel, not to talk about EFCC saving Nigeria. We also need to understand that there is cooperation between these charlatans and those who are in the supervisory role; this is a major characteristic of the PDP as seen in the House of Representatives, where the speaker was indicted some months ago and we are right back at it. That is why I respect the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, because he was bold enough to address that. When I become president, we will change the environment. If you go back a few years when Yar'Adua was installed as head of state, because they had nothing to offer, they came with a nominal seven point agenda with nothing on ground to corroborate the position. The laws of dialectical materialism by Karl Marx, which involve having a concept called the thesis, you find a concept that works against the thesis called the anti-thesis, then both of them synthesize together to form what is called synthesis which can be translated into chaos and this what PDP does. They create chaos, then they get a group within the party to oppose the chaos and then they resolve the problems within the two groups and synthesize the third position, which is where we are headed in the first place. So they create a problem and get a group of people to fight it, like when they created the Yar'Adua problem. They create that chaos and buy time using the diversionary tactics that makes people then think; oh this is an emergencey situation whilst they have nothing to offer. Government is not transparent in this country and they have refused to give room to the fourth estate (journalism) to do what they are mentally meant to do.

God and the presidential system

The whole concept of the presidential system comes from the bible, because God is our law-giver; that is how you get the legislature; God is our judge, so you have the judiciary; God is our King, you have the executive. That is how it was patterned and it was devised as a concept of government. We need a fourth concept that will articulate the plans on the purpose of the government to the people. That is how the press came about. The new Nigeria of our dreams that will soon transpire must be a government of integrity. It must understand that Nigeria is no longer a pariah nation, that we live in a millennium where the quest for innovation knows no frontiers and that we are no longer isolated in some dark continent. So, a Chris Okotie government will re-establish government in its true definition, where the people are a part of it and know what is going on.

His ability to build a structure that could win elections

If you take the government of this nation in tandem, maybe from the civil war, you will discover that there has always being a divine intervention at some point and recent events corroborate my saying. Look at former president, Olusegun Obasanjo who was out of government, incarcerated for a phantom coup, from where he became the president of Nigeria. He was not involved in any politics at that time, in terms of democratic process, but he became the head of state. The late Yar'Adua, relatively unknown with little or no quality pedigree more or less or his vice, Goodluck Jonathan, probably known regionally, not at on the national platform but today he is our President, because there is a divine intervention in the affairs of this country. That is why it imperative for a Chris Okotie to pontificate on the affairs of this country that identifies him as a credible aspirant for that office; so that when the opportunity presents itself, it will be easy to say this is the man.

Possibilities of merger with other political parties

Talks have already commenced and, in due time, we will unveil our strategy. The talks have always been on since as far back as the last two elections that I contested, where some political parties approached me because of my credibility. But I will not compromise my sense of purpose to give Nigerians the right leadership by jumping at people who do not share the same values as FRESH. Adherence to principles invokes respect, as all kind of overtures have come from different political parties with most of them having leaders who do not have the kind of intellectual capacity that is necessary for the kind of government they are trying to put in place. But I have stayed with my principle. I believe, just like Abraham Lincoln said, "I will study and wait."

What happens to his church if he becomes president

It will be bigger. When God was sending Jesus to the world, he wanted to make him the political leader of the world, not the spiritual leader. But for him to be the political leader, he had to take the sins of the world through his death. He will return as the governor, as stated in the bible, that will rule with the rod, as a political leader. By this procedure, God patterned Jesus to be a secular leader like Melchizedek during the time of Abraham, so that Jesus can become both a spiritual leader and a political leader. So, somebody like me, I am already a spiritual leader and I will be a political leader because earth was given to man to rule. Only a righteous government can exalt a nation.

Ethnicity and zoning formula in Nigerian political parties

We have gone beyond that. Zoning is a PDP mechanism and anybody clamouring for these issues cannot adduce evidence to substantiate that position. The best election in this country was won by a Muslim-Muslim ticket, that everyone across the nation voted for. Such clamour is a narrow perspective of politicians who are unable by any sweat of their imagination to acquire political recognition and so they think the only way they can is to polarize the polity along religious and ethnic divide. The process of galvanising ethnicity in political parties is anachronistic, because the experience we have disproves that philosophy. What Nigerians are looking for today is a credible candidate, irrespective of where he/she is from, because both the northerners and southerners will tell you that their leaders have betrayed them. Zoning is the business of the PDP; a gargantuan monstrosity and PDP is not Nigeria. I will run for the office of the president, irrespective of the fact that Mr. Jonathan is also from the South. The experience of his divorce and second marriage Entering the covenant of marriage is the highest possible level of spiritual responsibility anybody can assume, because it authenticates the mystery of the God head. I have found myself in a better place of understanding which gives a conscious of responsibility for this life.

Read more…

A notorious South African white supremacist leader was killed Saturday by his employees, police said, in an apparent dispute over wages.

Eugene Terreblanche, 69, was the leader of the neo-Nazi Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (Afrikaner Resistance Movement, or AWB).

He was bludgeoned and stabbed to death on his farm with clubs and a machete, police said. Two of his farm workers ages 21 and 16 turned themselves in to authorities in connection with the killing.

The suspects will appear in court Tuesday, police said.

The AWB urged its members and supporters to be calm as they mourn their leader.

South African President Jacob Zuma also appealed for calm after news of the killing broke, according to the country’s national news agency, SAPA.

Terreblanche’s death comes amid a time of racial polarization in the country. A South African court last month banned the playing of a political song called “Kill the Boer,” most recently sung by radical youth leader Julius Malema. The apartheid-era song’s lyrics translate to “kill the farmer.”

South African civil rights group AfriForum condemned the killing and also called for calm in a statement on its Web site.

“These events are a call to all South Africans to come to their senses and to be aware of the extremely polarized and violent circumstances presently prevalent in the country,” the statement said.

The group also said that “all communities — white, as well as black — should refrain from reckless statements and from romanticizing violence.”

Terreblanche’s AWB is best known for trying to block South Africa’s effort to end apartheid. The group used terrorist tactics in a bid to stall the country’s first all-race vote in 1994, killing more than 20 people in a wave of bombings on the eve of the elections.

Terreblanche was convicted of the 1996 attempted murder of Paul Motshabi, a black man who worked as a security guard on Terreblanche’s farm. He served about two-thirds of a five-year sentence.

He also was convicted of setting his dog on a black man in an earlier incident..

Read more…
By Felix Onuah ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua will travel to Saudi Arabia on Monday for medical checks, his office said. "President Umaru Yar'Adua will leave Abuja today for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. While there, the president will call on his personal physicians in Jeddah for follow-up medical checks," presidency spokesman Olusegun Adeniyi said in a statement. Yar'Adua has travelled to Saudi Arabia in the past for treatment for a chronic kidney problem, raising questions about whether he will be fit enough to stand for a second term in 2011 elections. Adeniyi said Yar'Adua had forwarded copies of the 2010 budget, which he had been due to present to parliament last week, to the heads of the Senate and House of Representatives. The presentation of the spending plans for sub-Saharan Africa's second-biggest economy was postponed because of a row between the two chambers of parliament over which one should host the event. Government sources have said Yar'Adua will seek approval to breach a 3 percent deficit target for the second year in a row in 2010, due to the cost of development projects in the Niger Delta and rehabilitating the country's ailing power sector. Yar'Adua has had regular medical treatment in Germany and Saudi Arabia and his health was a source of concern even before he assumed the presidency. He has not yet confirmed whether he plans to stand again in presidential election in 2011 but key figures in the ruling party have pledged their support if he decides to do so. FROM Saharareporters It was gathered that sickly Nigerian ruler, Umaru Yar’adua, is due to be flown out today or early tomorrow for what our source described as “urgent medical treatment.” As at the time we were briefed, the source said insiders close to Yar'adua said the sick former governor of Katsina would be taken to a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Our source said that Yar’adua’s father-in-law is also in an Egyptian hospital. “The president’s medical trip is scheduled to last at least one week,” said the source, adding that Yar'adua “may offer the excuse that he would be visiting his father-in-law in Egypt and that his wife would attend this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia as the excuse for the trip.” Mr. Yar’adua suffers from Churg Strauss syndrome, a degenerative disease. Our source said Yar’adua’s health dipped in the last three weeks. Poor health explained his conspicuous absence at the Abuja stadium during the final game of the FIFA Under-17 football game that featured Nigeria and Switzerland. “Vice President” Goodluck Jonathan stood in for him. Saharareporters sources also said Yar’adua had only managed to meet with cabinet members at his official residence in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

“His health took a turn for the worse over the weekend,” said one source. “His doctors have advised that he undertake immediate medical treatment outside Nigeria,” the source added. Yar'adua maintains a retinue of expatriate medical personnel at his residence and office. He travels with two well-equipped ambulances everywhere he goes in Nigeria. 

Another source Yar’adua’s inability to present the annual budget last week at the National Assembly was actually due to his illness. “The so-called ‘crisis’ between the two chambers of the National Assembly was contrived to cover up Yar'adua's illness,” said the source. In an intriguing move, Yar’adua’s People's Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday issued a stunning press release to denounce those campaigning for Yar'adua's second term in office. The party said it has not made such decision. Meanwhile, several sources have told Saharareporters that some PDP crooks, including rogue Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa and former Delta State governor James Ibori, have been assuring Yar’adua’s wife, Turai, that they are capable of arranging for her to serve out the remainder of her husband’s tenure should Mr. Yar’adua die or become permanently incapacitate
Read more…
The General Overseer of a pentecostal church in Port Harcourt, River State narrowly escaped being lynched on Monday night after he and an aide were caught attempting to bury charms in the home of a businessman. advertisement here ask9ja.com classifieds He had intended to deceive the man and the crowd at a crusade that the charm was buried in the businessman’s house by enemies. Unfortunately, the evil plot of the general overseer whose church (name withheld) is located in the Diobu area of the capital city blew up in his face as his aide, also a pastor, was caught bringing out the calabash of charms from his clothes, while the ‘deliverance’ prayer was in progress. Incidentally, it was the businessman who in defiance of an order that all eyes remain closed while the charm was being dug out, caught the pastor in the act. The general overseer’s journey to disgrace began when he attended a three-day crusade of another church, Destiny Blenders Church at the Eagle Island area of the city as the guest preacher. It was gathered that during his ministration, the general overseer announced to the crowded congregation that he had a vision that a charm was buried in the residence of the businessman to destroy his wealth and health with the sole intention of killing him slowly. The senior clergyman who also preaches weekly on one of the local television stations, consequently arranged for his aassistant pastor to unearth the buried charm while the main crusade was in progress. On arrival in the home of the businessman, a deliverance prayer laced with speaking in tongues, commenced with all eyes closed while the assistant pastor started digging a particular spot already identified as where the destructive charm was supposedly buried. Unknown to all who were gathered at the ‘uprooting’ exercise, the businessman did not close his eyes and he saw the assistant pastor bringing out the satanic calabash from his pocket and raised alarm. The assistant pastor was alleged to have confessed that his General Overseer gave him the calabash to bury and pretend that it had been there long before the crusade. He was later led back to the crusade venue where the general overseer apparently oblivious that his dubious plot has been exposed, was still preaching. Both men were later beaten black and blue before they were handed over to some mobile policemen who led them away. When contacted, Police spokesperson in the state, Mrs Rita Inoma-Abbey (DSP), told Daily Sun that she was yet to be briefed on the incident.
Read more…

Blog Topics by Tags

  • in (506)
  • to (479)
  • of (339)
  • ! (213)
  • as (166)
  • is (157)
  • a (156)

Monthly Archives