MK Dons 1-5 Chelsea: Oscar hits hat-trick in Blues romp
The midfielder scored three goals before half-time
while Eden Hazard ended his eight-month goal drought as Guus Hiddink's
men made light work of their Championship opponents
Oscar scored a hat-trick and Eden Hazard found the back of the net for
the first time this season as Chelsea thumped MK Dons 5-1 and eased into
the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Blues crashed out to League One Bradford City at the same stage
last season, but a repeat never seemed to be on the cards at the home of
Karl Robinson's Championship strugglers.
Oscar had passed up two gilt-edged chances before Diego Costa was
presented with possession by Dons defender Kyle McFadzean to tee him up
for the opener.
A deflected strike from Mark Potter gave the Dons a scarcely deserved
equaliser, but there were two more crisp finishes from their
tormentor-in-chief to wrap up a treble inside 44 minutes.
Reigning PFA and Football Writers' Player of the Year Hazard had
remarkably failed to find the net in 28 Chelsea appearances this term,
but won and converted a penalty to end his slump after half-time and
laid on substitute Bertrand Traore to complete the scoring.
Costa has scored six times in as many outings for boss Guus Hiddink
and the striker should have prolonged that purple patch in the second
minute when Oscar squared, but David Martin pulled off a stunning
reaction save.
Oscar twice shot tamely wide when picked out by Hazard inside the
area, either side of saving with his boot from Branislav Ivanovic.
But the Brazil international made no mistake in the 15th minute,
sliding home into an empty net after McFadzean's horrible error.
The signs were ominous for the hosts, but they drew level thanks to a large stroke of fortune six minutes later.
Potter's speculative attempt looped wickedly off Nemanja Matic before beating Thibaut Courtois.
Chelsea continued to cut through the home backline at will and a
combination of Martin and the post denied Hazard before Costa slid in to
take a simple finish off Oscar's toe. Both men were left seated and
smirking with embarrassment inside the six-yard box.
Oscar's busy afternoon in front of goal continued in the 32nd minute –
the impressive Ruben Loftus-Cheek flicking a delightful pass into his
path for him to fire across Martin.
A first-half hat-trick was complete when the midfielder cut inside
from the Dons' porous right flank and arrowed a superb strike into the
far corner.
Hazard finally opened his account for the season after 55 minutes,
sending Martin the wrong way from 12 yards after being bundled over by
Potter.
The Belgium international celebrated at length in front of the travelling supporters, kissing the club badge.
Rob Hall had a rising drive tipped over by Courtois as the Dons
looked to ease the severity of their beating, but more pain arrived
after the hour.
Traore's first Chelsea goal was one of unacceptable simplicity from
the hosts' point of view as Hazard collected a long ball unchallenged
and found Costa's replacement to slot into the bottom corner.
There should have been a brace for Traore, but he slipped and put Baba Rahman's 77th-minute cutback wide.
Chelsea are now unbeaten in eight matches under Hiddink and remain on
course to celebrate the Dutchman's mid-season salvage job with FA Cup
glory – as they did in 2009.
The centre-back will not play in England when he
departs Stamford Bridge in the summer and has pledged to do everything
to bow out on a high with cup success
Chelsea icon John Terry
will leave the reigning Premier League champions at the end of the
current season after the club announced that he will not be offered a
fresh deal.
The 35-year-old, the most decorated captain in the
club's history, has only played for the Stamford Bridge outfit during
his professional career and offered a heartfelt statement after the news
was made public. Read it in full below...
"To be honest, I was
in last week before the Arsenal game and it’s not going to be extended.
It’s my last run in the FA Cup so I want to make it a good one," he said
after the 5-1 FA Cup victory over MK Dons.
"It’s a big season
for me and I want to push on - not just in this competition but in the
Premier League as well. I knew before the Arsenal game so mentally I’ve
kind of accepted it. We just have to move on.
"They said that
when the new manager comes in, things might change. It’s a no at the
minute. I needed to know now like I have done every January and
sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done.
"Unfortunately
it was a no. It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to
retire at Chelsea. It’s going to be elsewhere, which it took me a couple
of days to get over.
"But like I say, I knew before the Arsenal
game and my performance isn’t going to change - the way I train, what I
give for the club. I want to give everything and finish on a high, on
100 per cent good terms with the club
"We spoke about my legacy and coming back to the club when I finish. The most important thing now is to get us up the league.
"I
didn’t feel as though I was playing great in the first four or five
games of the season, like everyone in the team, and the performances
showed that. But since then myself and everyone else has picked up back
to where we are. All I can do is keep my head down and plug on because
it’ll be my last year at the club.
"The club will move on. No
player is ever bigger than the club. Ideally I would have loved to stay,
but the club’s moving in a different direction. No doubt they’ll sign
one or two great centre-backs.
"I want to come back as a Chelsea
supporter in years to come with my kids and see the team doing great.
Unfortunately that’s not going to be with me, but I want to see the team
do well. It’s going to be my last year and I want to go out at the top.
"I
couldn’t play for another Premier League club, I couldn’t do that to
the Chelsea fans. It will be elsewhere for sure. I don’t know where and I
leave that to the people in charge. It certainly won’t be in the
Premier League.
"My agent made the call like we do every January.
He got told over the phone and I called to set up a meeting the
following day. The club immediately set that up, which was great of them
to do that. I wanted to hear it face to face. They told me.
"I feel as though I’m in great nick, I’m playing great and I’ve got a couple of years to go. It’ll just be elsewhere."
The former Arsenal striker thinks that Manchester United coach Louis Van
Gaal is failing to infuse his ideas to his players and that he is
struggling so hard to keep up with his job. He says the coach doesn't
know what he is doing anymore so the best thing for Man U to do is let
him go and hire Mourinho.
In his Sunday column of The Sun UK, he wrote:
"I know a lot of United fans and all they talk about is how poorly their
team are playing, "It’s not about results any more. Even when they win,
the issue is still how awful the football is. They don’t enjoy watching
their team any more. They are bored",
"No one can question Van Gaal’s pedigree as a coach. But he has failed
to get his message across at United and the players don’t know what is
expected of them. He doesn’t appear to know his best team or even his
best formation."
"The club are crying out for success and Mourinho guarantees that, in
spite of everything that happened at Chelsea this season," Henry
continued. "He is still an amazing coach and United have got to do
something because it is simply not working for Van Gaal" he said.
United currently sits in fifth position in the Premier League, following a woeful run of results through December
Nollywood actress, producer and Bullet Energy Drink Ambassador ChikaIke
stepped out for the Nigerian boxing league Event Sponsored by Bullet
Energy Drink. The actress who recently renewed her
contract with Bullet Energy Drink stepped out in a Blue Jumpsuit for
the handover held in Lekki yesterday. See more photos after the cut...
The APC has condemned the transfer of popular Enugu cleric, Rev. Fr.
Ejike Mbaka from Christ the King Parish in the Government Reserved Area,
GRA, of the state to Our Lady Parish in Emene, a suburb of the state.
In a statement released today January 31st, the spokesperson of the APC
South-East zone, Osita Okechukwu, condemned Mbaka's transfer and alleged
that the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo influenced Mbaka’s transfer to a
new parish where he will serve under someone else.
“It was wrong to punish the fearless priest for his prophecies which has
proved to be from God. Whereas we accept that the transfer of priests
is a routine exercise of the great Catholic Church, however we do not
wholly accept a situation where the church allows external forces to
influence transfer as the Mbaka’s case suggests. Otherwise, future
liberation clergy who speak truth to power will be hamstrung to the
detriment of the society. Our major concern is the security implications
and the fate of his flocks who are mostly the downtrodden who may find
it difficult to go to Emene for salvation and healing. We frown at
anything which will put Fr. Mbaka in harms way or deny his flocks
healing. As a party, we have watched with concern and trepidation the
criticism, the attack, assault and unpleasant comments hurled against
Fr. Mbaka since he providentially prophesied that President Buhari would
win the 2015 elections. Even the Church did not spare him, he was
called unprintable names, yet his prophecy came true. We are happy that
Fr. Mbaka was vindicated. It must be pointed out that accusing fingers
were pointed at the direction of some anti-Buhari elements like Ohanaeze
Ndigbo, a group that didn’t want to hear the name of Buhari , even
though Ohanaeze denied the allegation, doubts still persists. For we are
still at a loss why a senior priest will be degraded to an assistant
parish priest. We repeat that we are in solidarity with Fr. Mbaka and
our major concern is the security of Fr. Mbaka and the suffering of his
flocks mostly the poor who need his healing powers. We had thought that
His Lordship Bishop Calistus Onaga could have retained him at the
Adoration Ground, as the Bishop Emeritus Gbuji did because of security
of his life and easy access by his flocks” he said
Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal has reportedly
employed a special team of trained security personnel to protect him and
his wife.
According to a report by Mirror Sport, the former
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Holland coach is so scared of being
attacked by angry Manchester United fans that he has employed a 24 hours
security team equipped with the latest security gadgets and dogs to
protect him and his wife Truce in their expensive Cheshire home. The
under fire boss already has guards at games and the training ground.
Fans have been calling for Van Gaal's sack for over a month
now, with some even hurling abuses at the manager in the stadium after a
deadly patch of form throughout the month of December, with out of Work
Jose Mourinho and assistant manager Ryan Giggs being mooted as managers
to succeed the Dutchman.
Louis Van Gaal's men will face Stoke City on Tuesday in the English Premier League.
Marek, the co-founder of Jovago tweeted this evening that the company he co-founded, Jovago, an online
hotel booking platform that focuses on the African market is suing him.
Marek is polish and lives mostly in Nigeria. Will bring details about
this later
President Buhari has reacted to the recent bomb attacks in Chibok
market, Dolari Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) camp in Borno State
and the Gombi market in Adamawa State.
In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity, Shehu Garba and released this evening, President Buhari said
the insurgents had suffered immensely from the sustained bombardments of
their camps and hide outs by the Nigerian military and had resorted to
using desperate measures to gain cheap media attention.
"I urge all citizens wherever they live to own the war against terror
and to be part of the fight because it is the only way we can finish the
remaining work that needs to be done to make our country safe again,"
he said.
President Buhari said the terrorists had been rendered weak, confused
and homeless after repeated bombings and ravaging of their camps and
hide outs by the military, forcing them to find their way back into the
society to wreak havoc, like the case of the Dolari IDP.
"Having lost the war, they are seeking ways and means to gradually find
their way back into society. They are not returning to contribute but to
cause more havoc. They are so desperate to embarrass the government and
the people that they have no qualms attacking isolated communities and
markets," he added.
He noted that the materials for the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
were locally sourced by the insurgents, urging Nigerians to be more
circumspect and report suspicious purchases and movements of unusual
components in any part of the country, especially the North East.
He extended his condolences to all the people of Chibok, Gombi and
Dolari who lost loved ones in the recent attacks and prayed that the
Almighty God will comfort them and grant the injured persons quick
recovery.
Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray in straight sets to win the Australian
open today. The world number beat Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 in two hours and
53 minutes.
With this loss, Murray, who's expecting his first child, becomes the
first player in the post-1968 Open Era to lose 5 finals at the same
Grand Slam since Ivan Lendl at the US Open who eventually won it.
Djokovic who claimed his third straight Slam, equals Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on eleven Major titles.
A downcast-sounding Murray paid an emotional tribute afterwards on the podium to his wife Kim:
'She's going to be watching back home just now. You've been a legend the
last two weeks. Thanks for all your support and I'll be on the next
flight home. I feel like I've been here before. I'd like to congratulate
Novak. Six Australian Opens is an incredible feat and also for what
he's done the last year or so. It's been incredible consistency.
'I'd like to thank my team for getting me into this position and helping
me prepare for this. It's been a tough few weeks for me away from the
court.'
Larry Flynt, the owner of a very popular porn site in the U.S called
Hustler Huncho, sent a letter to Rob and Black Chyna asking them to
consider shooting a video for the company's celebrity sex tape division.
In the letter Flynt says Hustler is looking to be a major player in
celebrity porn and thinks that the popular appeal and fan base of both
celebrities will give it that break through. He also promised that the
sex tape will benefit all involved as both Rob and Black Chyna could be
looking at earnings of a million dollars or more. Read the full
letter...
At least 100 people were reportedly killed during an attack by Boko
Haram members on Dalori, a settlement located on the outskirt of
Maiduguri, the Borno state capital yesterday January 30th.
Sahara Reporters reports that the sect members
dressed in military uniforms, had stormed the village in 10 Hilux buses
and motorcycles and started shooting sporadically and setting houses
ablaze.
The villagers who spoke with Sahara reporters say the sect members
operated unhindered for hours and stole some food items after the
attack.
A resident of the village, Ibrahim Muhammad, while narrating what
happened, said that Boko Haram fighters dressed like military personnel
and started opening fire on everybody:
"All our wives and children were brutally killed while they looted and destroyed our livestock as well as ."
Vice Chairmn of civilians JTF in Dalori village Modu Kaka said that at
least 100 dead bodies were evacuated lastmight and also stated that
hundreds are still missing.
Rescue workers who participated in the evacuation the victims disclosed
to Sahara Reporters that they brought out 45 dead bodies to state
specialist hospital and deposited 23 corpses at the University of
Maiduguri Teaching Hospital but several burnt victims remain without
help in the beleaguered village...
At least 12 people were killed on Sunday in a double bomb blast near
the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, south of the Syrian capital
Damascus, a monitor said.
Dozens more were wounded in the blasts, one of which was caused by a
car bomb, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor
said.
The monitor had initially reported eight deaths in the blasts.
It said the cause of the second blast was not immediately clear.
Syrian state media also reported the explosions.
State television carried a breaking news alert reporting “two
terrorist blasts, one of them a car bomb, followed by a suicide bomber…
in the area of Sayyida Zeinab.”
It said there was “information about deaths and injuries,” but gave no further details.
The Sayyida Zeinab mosque contains the grave of a granddaughter of
the Prophet Mohammed and is particularly revered as a pilgrimage site by
Shiite Muslims.
It has been targeted before, including in February 2015, when two
suicide attacks killed four people and wounded 13 at a checkpoint near
the shrine.
Also that month, a blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese
Shiite pilgrims headed to Sayyida Zeinab, killing at least nine people,
in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.
The Extended Hands Foundation,
an NGO, on Sunday, said it had facilitated free surgical operation on 50
Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients in Kebbi.
The
organisation, established by a Nigerian actress, Mrs Stephenie Linus,
said the surgery was performed at the VVF Centre, Birnin Kebbi.
The Project Manager of the organisation, Chinedu Omorie,
told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi that the
organisation was established to assist women suffering from the disease
and to help the victims to deal with the issue of stigma which they
faced.
The project manager said the Foundation sponsored the surgery to enable the victims to live normal lives.
He
added that ``the founder of the organisation, who is an actress, is
passionate about the issue of VVF and the trauma faced by victims and
she is ready to assist the women by producing a movie titled "DRY'' to further enlighten them on the ailment.
``The organisation will also assist the patients to overcome frustration and stigmatisation,'' he added.
Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, yesterday Jan. 30th bowed out of Christ the King
Parish, GRA, Enugu, which he'd presided over as parish priest for 20
years. On his way to his new presiding parish, Our lady Parish, Emene,
in Enugu, over 30 lorries accompanied by thousands of his faithful
followers escorted him in a motorcade to a new church where he will be
an assistant parish priest.
The transfer of reverend fathers is not an issue in the catholic church
as it is a routine exercise that is done every once in a while but Fr.
Mbaka’s transfer became an issue because the people saw it as a measure
for his recent prophecies especially that of December 31st 2014, when
he predicted that former President Goodluck Jonathan would be defeated
in the 2015 elections. This has however been dismissed by the church.
His transfer as a parish priest to a resident priest, in which he will
serve under another priest, has also caused a stir among people because
he has been with the catholic church for years so it is only normal to
make him the parish priest and not an assistant.
While handing over formally to his successor yesterday, Mbaka said:
“I know we are going to suffer; between now and few months to come, I
am going to suffer; I am going to suffer because I have no place to lay
my head; I am going to suffer because I have no place to keep the
Ministry’s assets; I know I am going to suffer; fortunate going to
suffer because I have no ly it’s going to happen in the month of Lent;
so I am going to use my exit here to observe the Lent. But Jesus said it
to His apostles in John 16:20, ‘You will be sorrowful and the world
will be rejoicing but very soon I will turn your sorrows to joy.’ So I
am waiting for that moment because for now I know we are going to
suffer. The Adoration Ministry is passing through suffering right now;
even though I have accepted it as the will of God; it is the will of God
through suffering; it is a mega suffering. But however, the grace of
God will carry us all; even though some of you may pray that God should
remove this thorn from us, the scripture says ‘His grace is sufficient
for us; for its even in your weakness that the power of God is
demonstrated. So we are moving but don’t forget the scriptures, ‘my
brothers they make me keeper of vineyards, my own vineyard I keepeth
not. All these while we have been keeping vineyards, building for
Christ The King Parish…Bishop Gbuji asked them, how much …but because I
don’t want to disclose my charity, they can’t keep that account. How
many trailer loads of cement came here? All the monies I made from my
cassette and other private crusades all of them were used to build this
church. We cannot quantify it but let God be glorified.”
“It is the will of God, and when the will of God either permissive or
however, happens, nobody should question it. All you have today is Amen;
so to the will of God Fr. Mbaka has said Amen".
He said he's accepting the decision of the church leadership with
absolute obedience, adding that nobody should see him as an obstinate
priest. He also assured them that the parish would not collapse due to
his exit, and urged the members to treat his successor, Rev. Fr.
Theodore Ozoamalu, well, and to assist him in any way he needs help and
not allow him to cry.
“Don’t starve him; don’t allow him to suffer; in my own time I didn’t
need your help because God blessed me in my own unique way and I am
happy. God will keep the parish because we have fought the good fight; I
am not regretting anything and the highest gift God has given here is
his Holy Spirit who assisted me up till now" he said.
Chief
Richard Akinjide was Minister of Education in the First Republic and
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in the Second
Republic. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria talks about Olubadan of
Ibadanland, the Peoples Democratic Party, President Muhammadu Buhari’s
anti-graft campaign and the 1966 coup d’état in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU
As an Ibadan chief, how did you feel when you heard about the demise of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Odulana Odugade?
It was very unfortunate and sad. I am a
member of the Olubadan family. The Olubadan’s parents and my father’s
mother come from the same family. Olubadan was extremely dear to me and I
pray that he rests in peace. I had wished that he would still be there
(on the throne) for a longer period. What has happened (his demise)
affects my family and I have to take part (in his burial) as a member of
his family and not as an outsider. I wish that he rests in peace and
God bless all the members of our family.
Ibadan is known to have a
very strong traditional institution, where the successor of any king is
automatically known. However, the current disagreement between two high
chiefs over who will succeed Oba Odulana seems like an imminent clash.
How do you feel about this?
I don’t see any imminent clash and I
don’t know all the details. If there was any misunderstanding, I assure
you, the elders and the kingmakers in Ibadan will resolve it. I don’t
think that should worry anybody; it does not worry me at all. All sides
in Ibadan are honourable; they are men and women of peace. And we will
settle everything amicably.
How many ruling houses are there in Ibadan?
Normally, there are two and one goes
(becomes king) after the other; that has been the tradition for a very
long time. But if anybody wants to increase it to three, I don’t know
the basis. I have not seen any court judgement over it; I don’t know
what it is and I don’t want to offend anybody. We must obey the rules,
traditions and history of Ibadan. Ibadan is known as a place where we
don’t quarrel over chieftaincy at all and I wish we remain like that.
The recent visit by the new Ooni of Ife to the Alaafin of Oyo surprised many people. How did you feel about visit?
It was excellent and many people in
Yorubaland liked it. The Ooni comes from Osun State and the Alaafin
comes from Oyo State. These are two different states and each state has
its own chieftaincy laws. In any event, if you look into history, there
should be no misunderstanding between the two institutions. We are all
members of the same family and we know that the Alaafin of Oyo is very
ancient. Ooni of Ife too is an ancient institution. There should be no
misunderstanding between them at all. We are all members of the same
system. I respect the Alaafin very much and I respect Ooni very much
too, and I will always continue to respect them.
But during the reign of the
last Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the rivalry was seen in the sense of
the state-governmental structure but Yoruba traditional structure, hence
the formation of the Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee being
chaired by Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan.
All those have been settled and there is 100 per cent peace now; there is no misunderstanding again.
How would you rate the hierarchy of the Alaafin and the Ooni?
I don’t think anybody should talk about
superiority. Ife has got a very long history; the Oyo has also got a
very long history; Ibadan too has got a very long history. Ibadan is the
capital of Yorubaland; there is no doubt about that. These are very
great parts of Yorubaland and the less we raise the issue of
misunderstanding between them, the better. I went to school at the
Oduduwa College in Ile Ife, which I enjoyed very much. I am also part
and parcel of Oyo, and I respect the Alaafin of Oyo very much. He is
very great and we adore him, just as we adore the Ooni of Ife too. All
are members of the same family and there should be no misunderstanding
between them.
As a founding leader of the
Peoples Democratic Party and a member of its Board of Trustees, how do
you feel about the state of the party today after losing the 2015
general elections?
Losing election is not anything new. In
America, sometimes one party loses and one party wins; the same thing in
England, sometimes the Conservatives lose and the Labour wins or vice
versa; the same thing with France and Germany. When you talk of wins and
lose, don’t look at it as something odious; it is something normal and I
am not surprised. The PDP was in power and another one (party) has come
to power. The one in power will lose one day too and the PDP will come
back. Don’t let that worry anybody at all, it does not worry me.
What some people are worried
about is that since the party lost, a lot of people have defected from
the party to another, while those who have remained there have not been
able to revive the party. Is this not enough to be worried about?
Many of the people defecting are people
without principles or for monetary reasons or to hide something. I don’t
want to comment deeper on that. When you see people jumping from party
to party all the time, people don’t respect them. It is not honourable.
If you lose, you have lost; walk back to win again. And for such people,
I have no regards for them.
Why have PDP leaders, who have remained in the party, yet to come to terms with what has happened to the party?
When they reach agreements, they don’t have to publish them in the newspapers.
But they come on the pages of newspapers to make claims and counterclaims.
I assure you that they are working very hard to make sure that the party wins the next election and that is going to happen.
Do you agree with those who
feel the PDP made a mistake by fielding former President Goodluck
Jonathan as its candidate in the 2015 election against the zoning
formula of the party?
I won’t say so. They have lost, we have lost and another one (candidate) will win. I am not worried about it at all.
Do you think the zoning formula of the PDP should be dumped by now?
That is a matter for the internal structure of the party. The party will take the right decision.
A fact-finding committee
chaired by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, which was by set up
by the PDP’s National Working Committee to investigate why the PDP lost
in the election, was reported to have blamed the party’s defeat on the
dumping of its zoning formula and the choice of Jonathan. Can you fault
the committee’s findings?
I won’t like to debate such on the pages
of the newspaper. These are matters for the internal discourse of the
party and I am sure the elders of the party will look at it and take the
right decisions. And I won’t like to comment on it until they take the
decisions.
Now that an APC-led Federal Government is in power, how has the country faired under the new administration?
With the collapse of the naira and the
economy, the country is not better off. The state of the naira now is
the worst in the history of the currency; it has never happened before.
The naira is now one-quarter of what it used to be. I don’t know why
that should be so. Yes, we depend a lot on oil and gas but why should
we, when we have a lot of palm kernel, cocoa, kola nut, rubber and a lot
of other things we should use to develop our economy? There is no
excuse for the state of our roads, which are very bad now. There is no
excuse for the power, which is still bad; and water supply, and many
other things. I think Nigeria should be a great leader in the whole of
Africa. When they talk of Europe or America or Asia, they should be
talking about Nigeria too in Africa. I hope all these things will change
for the better.
Many people believe the PDP
had the 16-year opportunity to turn Nigeria around and put the country
on the global map. Would you blame the party for not making this happen?
I don’t see any blame. If you are in
power for 16 years and you leave office, it is part of democracy. And
the PDP will come back again. Nobody should want to be in power for
ever; that is not democratic.
Are you saying the PDP did all its best without any blame for the woes of the country today?
I won’t say there were no mistakes;
there were some mistakes and it applies to all political parties. There
were times in England when Labour was in power and when it lost. It does
not mean Labour didn’t make mistakes. There were times when the
Conservatives were in power and sometimes they lose election. It is the
same thing in America. One party wins and one party loses. There is
going to be an election in America soon and nobody knows who is going to
be the next president. That is democracy. Winning and losing is part of
democracy. Nobody should look at defeat as a disaster, it is not; it is
part of democratic norms. The economy is bad now all over the world.
The dollar is strong now and the naira is very weak but they will
reverse and things will improve.
The current government has
alleged that the current bad state of the economy is largely caused by
the last administration led by the PDP due to the large-scale corruption
in the system. Do you agree?
That is rubbish! The collapse of oil
(prices) applies globally – to every part of the world. Will anybody say
that is the fault of the last government of the PDP? The strength of
(the) dollar has helped the American economy. Can we say it is the vice
or virtue of America that made it so? Look at the economy of Europe; the
European economy is not very good now. For the British Government, the
economy is not the best; the (pound) sterling is weak. The euro too is
not the best. Although the German economy is very strong, if you look at
the economy of Greece, Spain or Portugal, they are not the best. The
French economy is not good. So, it is a game of wins and losses;
sometime you win, sometime you lose. I am not unhappy with the state of
the economy but what you should do is to spread your economy in the
right direction. And we should not depend on oil alone; that is one of
the biggest lessons we should learn. We should develop our agriculture,
tourism, airline and shipping and other matters. I believe Nigeria has
some of the finest brains in the world. We should develop them.
Do you think Nigeria could
have done better for itself if the revenue generated when the oil prices
were high was utilised judiciously?
The cost (price) of oil affects all the
continents of the world, it is not Nigeria alone. It affects the United
States of America, Europe, China, Russia and even Australia. Don’t limit
oil to Nigeria alone; relate it to the economy of the world as a whole.
But why did the Nigerian
government fail to prepare for a rainy day when the oil prices were high
and the country generated huge revenue as a result?
Does the price of oil apply to Nigeria
alone? It applies to all the continents of the world. If we did not make
the best use of our oil money, we should learn a big lesson from that.
Maybe there are some arguments in that but in some areas we made a very
good use of our oil money, while in some areas we did not.
…In which areas?
I don’t want to go into details now but I
can assure you that some of the people who managed our oil resources
were very good in financial matters and they did their best. I believe
that if Nigeria gives another chance and the PDP comes into power again,
we should have learnt a great lesson from what has happened and we will
do better.
Do you think corruption has any contribution to the current bad state of the economy?
Because there are court cases over that, I won’t like to comment on that.
The question is not about
current corruption cases in court, it is about the level of corruption
in the polity, particularly in government.
I don’t want prejudice court cases,
either potential or those that have already been filed. I have to be
very careful in the way I speak on that.
Without naming names or
mentioning specific cases here, how much do you think corruption has
contributed to the current state of the economy?
Because a lot of those cases are pending with the Police or in court, I won’t like to comment on them.
Some people see the ongoing
anti-corruption campaign of the new government as selective while others
believe it is not. How would you describe it?
It is both. In some areas, it is in
order, in some areas it is not. But, at least, they are doing something
and I praise them for that.
…Praise them for what exactly?
…For fighting corruption. We should back
them for fighting corruption. I back them 100 per cent and we should
back them. But let us wait for the results; those charged to court might
be free and they might not be free. Don’t let us make any judgments in
advance.
You support the anti-graft war…
(Cuts in) I do.
But you also said it is selective in a way…
(Cuts in) I didn’t say it is selective, I said it could. I can’t give final verdict until judgments have been delivered by courts.
Do you think the anti-graft campaign is all against the PDP as some of your party men have claimed?
I believe the new campaign – I won’t use
the word ‘old’ – is against corruption; I don’t think it is against PDP
or parties which are not PDP. I support the fight against corruption
100 per cent and we all should support the government in that respect.
As a very senior legal
practitioner, what do you see to the criticisms against the Federal
Government over alleged disobedient to court orders in the ongoing
trials of a former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.),
and a pro-Biafra leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu?
I don’t know the details of the cases
but I accept that court orders must be respected. It is against the rule
of law for any government to disobey any court order. I will not do it.
If you do that, that is contempt of court.
The anti-graft war seems to
have divided the leadership of the PDP, with some national executives
dissociating the party from their colleagues on trial. Should the party
identify with or dissociate itself from its leaders being tried?
Once a matter is in court, we should
wait for the judgment; the question of supporting who or not supporting
who does not arise. The court is a very great institution and we should
wait for the judgment. Those charged to court might be free or they
might be convicted. Don’t let us start making judgments on cases not
decided yet.
Recently, some protesters
rose up in some parts of the country to call for Biafra. What is your
take on the new call for secession?
Calling for Biafra now is a big joke and
it is senseless. Biafra resulted in a three-year war, which Nigeria
fought and won. Nobody can bring it back. Anybody talking of Biafra now
must be having a big fun; that person is not serious.
Some are alleging
marginalisation and exclusion from government. What do you think could
have made a section of the country to rise up for secession?
If you are excluded or you are
marginalised, you can sort it out in elections. Vote in accordance with
your conscience. That does not mean Biafra, which is dead and buried,
should be brought back. I don’t see Nigeria supporting Biafra again. We
have created states and those who supported and fought for Biafra have
been in government, why do you want it to come back? I have met a lot of
people who supported Biafra and are against Biafra now; they won’t
support it. Overwhelming (number of) Nigerians – 90 per cent, if not 95 –
will not support it, which is nonsense.
Do you think if the 2014 national confab report had been implemented, it would have resolved some of these issues?
You cannot implement it overnight; it
has to be in stages. I moved the final motion adopting that conference.
The Jonathan-led government did that very well and he should be praised
for that – I doff my hat to Jonathan for convoking the conference. I
have reasons to believe that the present government will implement that
report.
With your experience at the
confab, do you think the solution to the country’s problems is majorly
restructuring as several Yoruba leaders often claim?
We should do what we have recommended in the report. Once that is done, we will be better off.
Should there be special courts for corruption trial?
No. I don’t believe that there should be
special courts. If you say there should be special courts, it means you
have passed a vote of no confidence on the present courts we have. I
don’t accept that. The present courts are excellent. What you should do
is to make sure that people there (judges) are doing their duty and they
are not corrupt.
The argument of those
calling for special courts for corruption trial is that cases will be
dispensed more quickly like electoral cases at the tribunals.
They (cases) can be done quickly with
the machinery we have now. What we need is machinery with computers,
verbatim reporting and to appoint more judges where necessary. And make
sure that those (judges) who are there are people with the highest
integrity – honest people.
There is a wide belief that
the Nigerian judiciary must first be purged of corruption before the
anti-graft war can be successful. Do you agree that the judiciary is
also corrupt?
If you think that there is corruption
(in the judiciary), give the evidence to the Police or to the government
and they will deal with it. But don’t make statements about corruption
without providing evidence to support it. They (those found guilty)
could be retired; they could be dismissed and could be dealt with in
other ways. There are so many ways of dealing with them. Nigerian
judiciary has been excellent. We’ve provided the chief justice for
Uganda before, so for Gambia, Botswana and several East African
countries and we had a judge at the International Court of Justice
(World Court) at The Hague. Even in England, we have people who are on
the bench and in the bar. When it comes to the judiciary and the legal
profession, we have one of the best in the world. I will not join those
who are running down the judiciary in this country; they are excellent
and should be respected.
Some people are also blaming
the bar due to the way lawyers allegedly frustrate corruption cases by
seeking injunctions that protect corrupt people or by delaying cases?
I don’t see how a lawyer can delay a
case. The judge controls the proceedings. I believe that the Nigerian
bar is one of the best in the world, and certainly one of the best in
the Commonwealth. That is why other countries come to us to get lawyers
as judges – to get lawyers to argue cases. When it comes to the
judiciary, I doff my hat to Nigeria. It is doing extremely well.
The infamous 1966 military
coup clocked 50 years on January 15. Some people believe that Nigeria’s
problems started with the mass murder of prominent Nigerians by the
soldiers.
The 1966 coup is one of the worst eras
in the history of this country because some of the finest statesmen were
killed; some of the finest military officers were killed; some of the
finest civilians were murdered. It is a history that should never be
repeated in this country. Those who took part in it should know that
they committed a terrible crime against humanity and against history. At
the time the first one (coup) occurred, I was in the cabinet – I was
the Federal Minister of Education. I don’t want to remember it again.
When the second one occurred (in July) too, I was in the cabinet. I hope
people have learnt their lessons and they will never do it again.
What are the lessons to be learnt from the coups?
One, we should obey the rule of law.
Two, we should obey democracy. Three, we should not be tribal in our
politics; we should be nationalistic and that is what I believe in.
After 56 years of independence, we are no more European or American; we
should be African, we should be Nigerian and respect our leaders.
How come the inter-tribal suspicions are still in the polity since then?
What about Switzerland, which consists
of French-speaking, Italian-speaking and German-speaking (people)? And
it is a country that is extremely strong. They keep money for other
people. They manufacture some of the best wristwatches in the world and
some of the best textiles in the world. International conferences are
held in Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich. There is no malady in Switzerland
which is not also in other parts f the world. What are critical are
character and education; those are the things we should learn. We have
very fine Nigerians and very good universities. We should cut our coat
in accordance with our cloth. And when you are in a hole and you
continue digging the hole, you are making your situation worse. We
should stop doing that.
Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra protesting at the Alaba International Market in Lagos...
Opinions are not lacking when it comes to the issue of Biafra and the
Nigerian Civil War. There are fictional and non-fictional books themed
around it. Personal stories have been passed down. Articles written and
papers presented. The Civil War has inspired poetry, produced movies,
and it has led to even more disputes.
What seems lacking, however, are agreed facts. Despite the abundance
of literature on Biafra, the issue is still as divisive in 2016 Nigeria,
as it was in 1967.Yes, we know who shot whom and when. But we are yet
to simplify these accounts into a logical narrative of cause and effect
without expressing justification or blame.
This is, principally, because political decisions in this country
have always been tied to the perspectives and personality of the Ogas at
the top—and rarely to institutions or systems—and so it is very
difficult to reach objective facts about the Civil War (or any other
political issue) without seeming to pass value judgments—positive or
negative—on the actors involved, some of whom still shape aspects of
Nigeria’s politics today.
Consequently, it has been safer for successive federal and state
governments to adopt a deliberate or subconscious policy of ignoring the
causes and effects of the Civil War in official administration. The
Civil War is rarely referenced and almost never discussed by government.
It is treated as like a nightmare whose vestigial memory is best
ignored in view of the sunny day ahead.
The adverse effect of this attitude is that some fifty years later, there is still collective ignorance on the facts of the war.
It is, therefore, not surprising that, to a fair number of my Yoruba
acquaintances, the Civil War was a bad thing, but no more
socio-politically significant than a violent student protest in the
‘70s. To other non-Igbo Nigerians, generally, Biafra was mainly a
nuisance affair that, like Boko Haram today, threatened the sovereignty
of Nigeria and was justifiably dealt with by the Federal Government.
Whereas, to a number of my Igbo acquaintances, the Civil War was simply
the African version of the Holocaust.
These are all perceptions promoted by a wealth of opinions and a
dearth of facts. None of these perceptions is absolutely correct, and
none is absolutely false. Worse, because the direct consequences of the
Civil War have been overtaken by events that have now become historical
in their own right, the need for re-examination is undervalued. More
importantly, since the days of the Civil War, all sections of the
country have been jointly involved—in varying degrees—in a never-ending
stream of almost equally lamentable economic and political misfortunes.
And so, a number of non-Igbo Nigerians are baffled by the current
pro-Biafra agitations. They do not see any socio-economic justifications
for a renewed agitation. Afterall, is Abeokuta any better developed
than Aba? Has Awka been more marginalised by the Federal Government than
Birnin-Kebbi? Are Igbo (and the miscellany of ethnicities of the
South-East and South-South erroneously identified with the Igbo)
generally poorer than the Hausa?
Nigerians measure individual success by material progress, and when
they see the containers in Apapa Port, the shops in Alaba, the
shareholdings of banks and high finance, they are satisfied that the
Igbo have had their fair share of the national cake, and any purported
underdevelopment in “Biafra” is the fault of the Igbo elite.
Nevertheless, the Biafran discontent as expressed today isn’t about
building roads and bridges—at least, not literally—nor about access to
business or finance, but about Nigeria steadfastly dismissing the
humanitarian injustices done to the Igbo (and their neighbouring
ethnicities) from the pre-War pogrom to the post-Civil War nonchalance.
Biafra agitators want the Nigerian government to sit-up, and agree that:
Yes, there was a country and everyone involved bungled it very
stupidly. This may look like a little thing to ask, but the Nigerian
government is notorious for not apologising.
This point may be difficult to grasp for the non-Igbo Nigerian, but
it is a hurt and anger that is real to many people—and directed at the
current concept of the Nigerian nation. They were hurt by Nigeria and
nobody cared afterwards.This hurt, and its accompanying anger, is passed
down with every generation of Nigerian Igbo. The descendants of the
Biafrans—no matter how prosperous they seem now—are still rankled.
Yet, as an older acquaintance recently reminded me, others were hurt
too. Significant individuals (like Wole Soyinka) were imprisoned by the
Gowon administration. A power-high and paranoid Ojukwu ordered the
execution of Emmanuel Ifeajuna (the first African international gold
medallist), Victor Banjo, Phillip Alale and Sam Agbam in unclear
circumstances. Ethnicities like the Efik, the Qua in Calabar were
allegedly massacred by Ojukwu’s soldiers because he suspected they were
saboteurs to the Biafra cause. There were also the Benin people and
others who suffered loss of life or property simply for being ethnic
minorities in a war involving major ethnicities.
The argument for reconsidering Biafra is not about justifying the
reckless, and often criminal, decisions of the Nigerian and Biafran
leaders, but it is about placing a value on Nigerian lives—whether
“Biafran Nigerian” or “Nigerian Nigerian.”
Ojukwu may have been pardoned by President Shagari, but when will the
people pardon the actions of Gowon, Obasanjo, Murtala, and other
actors?
Still, it is no wonder that a lot of people want to forget those days
in a hurry. But the dead refuse to stay dead. And there are people like
Nnamdi Kanu willing to profit from their ghosts.
We should not conflate arguments about reconsidering Biafra with the
antics of folks like Kanu. These ones are hypocritical demagogues,
playing on the sentiments of their audience for personal advancement.
Yet, the sentiments they profit from are serious socio-psychological
ones that a concerned government should create space to address. The
rapidness with which Kanu built an audience, alone, is weighty enough to
make a concerned government pause.
Yes, some people are merely annoyed that these issues have resurfaced
under President Buhari’s administration and consider it to be a
deliberate attempt to “make the country ungovernable” for the current
President. Yes, I agree that Biafran sentiments were subdued under the
former administration and, maybe, a misguided sense of ethnocentrism has
resurfaced it. But, inconvenient timing is not enough justification to
dismiss a social issue.
Human life is sacred, and Biafra requires some reconsideration—some
national remembrance, some educational policy or official catharsis—from
us, today’s citizens of the surviving entity Nigeria. Biafra requires
our reconsideration of the administrative indecisions, malice,
ignorance, vengeance, pride and foolishness on all sides that aggregated
into the Civil War.
Reconsidering Biafra is not just for the protesters in Port Harcourt or the people broadcasting hate-speech on Radio Biafra.
It is for the appreciation of the everyday Igbo women and men, as well
as the other South-East and South-South ethnicities, for the surviving
families of the victims of the Civil War, for all of them who still
contribute to the economic and social success of Nigeria in different
ways.
We keep getting upset that the Nigerian government is generally
careless about the deaths of innocent civilians: the killings in
Southern Kaduna, the ethnic clashes in the Middle-Belt, the victims of
miscellaneous police murders, the Immigration recruitment stampede, Boko
Haram victims, aviation crashes, and so on. But this official
nonchalance was encouraged when we, the people, sanctioned the murders
of the country’s first leaders, the ethnic “cleansing” in the North, and
then—till date—we allowed the deaths of over two million Nigerians to
be swept aside as collateral damage.
We have to start taking our right to life seriously. We have to
recognise that this nonchalance to civilian death is a problem. And
then, we may be healed from the burdensome memories of the Civil War.
I have been reliably informed that there are records of the events
that shaped the Civil War in what is now the Office of the
Secretary-General of the Federation, as well as the E “Special Branch”
Department of the Nigerian Police—now known as the SSS. Hopefully, one
day, the government in Abuja—as part of a healing process—will release
enough of the letters, executive orders and other documents that decided
the fate of millions and thus enable us to accurately document our
history, and reach an objective and settled understanding of the guided
and misguided events of 1966-1970.
But, for now, Abuja is unbothered about Biafra. Abuja is never
bothered by anything. If something gets bothersome, Abuja simply sends
in the Army.
That is Abuja’s M.O. Sogunro is the Senior Adviser at the Initiative for Equal Rights
Nigerian man Aghogho Ajiyen from Delta state,
builds Aircraft with local materials. Even without a
University degree, he assembles these machines and make them to fly. He
assembled his first aircraft in 1999 but didn't succeed at it. He
continued and got better with his next try. He said he
does his research on how to assembly aircraft by himself and decided
to put it to test.
He even installs a camera on them which he uses to
survey his environment and has developed his own special fuel for his
aircraft. What a Talent.
Watch him talk about his aircraft here...
Source: Channels TV
