Obama returns to South Side Chicago, when will you return home? By Enyinnaya Appolos

Former American President, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are back to their home town, South Side Chicago where they will build the Centre for Obama Foundation.

After eight years of serving America, its now time to serve and help in developing his area of Chicago. What? Develop South Side Chicago? Is South Side Chicago not developed? Whatever be the case, the bottomline is that the Obamas’ deliberate choice of South Side Chicago as the headquarters of the Obama Foundation buttresses the sayings that “there is no place like home” and “charity begins at home”.

As far as they’re concerned, it is time to be among their people and help in attracting anything their current and former status can attract to their people.

I am reminded of a discussion I had with my former boss, Late Ambassador Raph Uwechue, at his “African House” residence in Okwashi-Ukwu in Delta State sometime in 2011. The then former Ambassador and President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo who I served as media consultant said to me, “Enyi, I don’t know what we can do to encourage our people and leaders to return home after national service to be with our people. It is my wish to see Igbo leaders return to live among our people and open their businesses among our people after their national service. Part of our problem here is that our leaders refuse to come home even at old age.

They prefer to live in Lagos and Abuja even when they’re not needed there and we end up receiving them in beautiful caskets when they die. I built this African House here at Okwashi-Ukwu 30 years ago because I knew that after all said and done, I will return to my people to live with and among them.”
Abia State is blessed with men and women of timber and caliber, but we do not “feel” them, neither do our communities feel them.

Our big names live in Lagos and Abuja and many of them do not have even private homes at either Aba or Umuahia. Yes, some of them have buildings in their villages, where they spend few days every year, usually during Yuletide period and zoom off with their heavily armed convoys after Yuletide season.
Imagine what Aba or Umuahia will look like if we have our big names living among us or owning businesses at home.

Frankly, at times like this, i wish I am not the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as I would have been at liberty to write as I wish. I would have name names, but unfortunately my hands are tied. I can’t do that now before they say “the Governor said” when he never said anything.

For emphasis, this is my opinion as Enyinnaya Appolos, the common man from Isiko. Please take note.
Back to the issue. As I was saying, imagine that we have our big names, former this and former that, living with us after serving at the federal and state levels. All their big name friends and partners will come to visit them in Abia and contribute to the state’s economy one way or another.

If the big men brothers of my friend, John Okiyi Kalu, had built their homes at Umuahia, at least there would have been a GRA in Umuahia today that is not the product of colonial action. Same goes to Aba.
Even when our big men ask for and get land allocations from the state Government they merely wait for the allocating government to expire then sell the land and go to Abuja or Lagos to spend their profit from what is at best ugly land speculation in their home state.

Not long ago an elder statesman from Abia celebrated his 70th birthday at Abuja and invited the “who is who” from the state and beyond, to the event. As if reading my mind, one of the celebrant’s political sons who incidentally is from a neighboring Igbo state publicly confronted him and told him that his contemporaries from the south west and north will never celebrate this milestone at Abuja, and would have retired home at this time to live with their people. He pleaded with his mentor not to celebrate his 71st birthday at Abuja but rather to retire to his village before then.

Unfortunately the elder statesman didn’t make it to his 71st Birthday as he died few days before the date and his body was repatriated to Abia and buried in his palatial village home that he obviously didn’t enjoy post retirement.

I wish other living Abia elders will learn and retire home once they finish national service.
This is one reason I will always appreciate my elder brother, Eziuche Ubani, no matter his real or perceived shortcomings. When he was ready to build a radio station he thought of Aba first. Now you can imagine what Aba would have been today without Magic 102.9fm.

As an erudite journalist who have seen it all, as far as media practice is concerned, having a Magic FM at Abuja or lagos would been more economically lucrative to Hon. Ubani, but he chose to forfeit the ‘huge’ financial gains he would have made at Abuja or Lagos, and brought magic FM to Aba.

Today, because magic Fm is at Aba, we now have “Aba half marathon” which attract athletes from across Africa, and common folks have an outlet to express their views. Even Abians living abroad can get information on what is happening at home because Magic FM is available online from all parts of the globe. Also because of Magic FM at aba, we now have one Idoma man called Bonny Onogwu, aka Big Bonny, with us in Aba. We have Abi-Serah, Pastor Metu, Iyke D-Gee an many others who otherwise wouldn’t have had anything to do with Aba and they all pay income tax to Abia State Government.

Also, Mr. Raymond Nkemdirim, another Abian who retired recently from active service to Nigeria, has also opened a radio station-Flo FM in umuahia…good one I must confess.

What am I saying here? John Okiyi Kalu, tell your fellow big men and your brothers to always return home after national service to live and invest at home. JOK, tell your “money bag” brothers and sisters to come home and invest. I once heard you discussing a man you called Noko whom you praised lavishly for building a hotel at Abiriba and opened filling stations at Aba and Abiriba. (Meanwhile reserves rooms at the Hotel for my Igbiji Aku Mba ceremony coming soon in Abiriba). Abia needs more men like him and as far as I am concerned people like him should be the type we celebrate daily.

According to Valerie Jarrett, Obama’s senior adviser; “The South Side is the President and Mrs. Obama’s home so he intends to not only build the Center there, but also bring opportunities to the area. The President (Obama) was very eager to hear suggestions from the community members and encouraged them to continue the dialogue with his team after he left.”
If you come from Abia think…just think.
Appolos writes from Isiko.

Afenifere, Ohanaeze in historic meet!

The new President General of Ohanaeze Chief Nia John Nwodo led a powerful delegation of the group on a historic visit to the Pan-Yoruba organisation,Afenifere at the weekend in Lagos.
The meeting was significant as being the first outing of Chief Nwodo to any socio-cultural group in the country since his election.

Received by an equally powerful group of Afenifere led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo who stood in for the Leader,Chief R.F Fasoranti,Chief Nwodo said the decision to make Afenifere his first place of touching base arose from the fact that it was the first organisation that openly congratulated him and followed with phone calls from its prominent leaders .
Afenifere on the other hand reiterated it's congratulations to Nwodo for his choice to lead Ndigbo at this crucial period.
The meeting of long associates was full of reminiscences,back-slappings and reflections on issues of common concerns to the Igbo and Yoruba nations within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
At the end of the meeting ,a resolution was taken that the two groups should work together in protecting the interest of the two nations and the progress of Nigeria.
On Chief Nwodo delegation are the Deputy President General of Ohanaeze Rtd DIG Hillary Opara,Vice-president General for Delta State,Dr Sylvanus Ebigwei,Vice-president General for Anambra State,Mr Charles Odunukwe,Chief Guy Ikokwu and Chief Ben Onwugalu.
The Afenifere team led by Chief Adebanjo consisted of the Chairman of its Political Committee,Prof Banji Akintoye,Chairman of Committee on Restructuring,Dr Amos Akingba,National Treasurer ,Chief Supo Sonibare and National Publicity Secretary,Mr Yinka Odumakin.
Yinka Odumakin
National Publicity Secretary.

How Buhari’s ‘Sick Leave’ Is Affecting Nigerian Politics By Hamza Idris & Isiaka Wakili {Must Read}

Nigeria’s political environment has not been the same since President Muhammadu Buhari left for medical vacation in the United Kingdom.
However, attempts at gauging the body language of politicians and Nigerians in the past two weeks unveils an intriguing development on how power politics is being played.
A few hours after President Muhammadu Buhari left Nigeria for the United Kingdom, rumours floated on the social media that the number one citizen had died of an undisclosed ailment.
This was despite the fact that the president walked out of his room at the Presidential Villa by himself and headed to the airport after transmitting a letter to the National Assembly.
In 2015, Buhari rode to power on the pedestal of popular votes from across Nigeria in the midst of increasing great expectations for a new dawn in social, political and economic fortunes.
But recent events, occasioned by “dashed hopes”, have begun to tell on the president’s popularity. While some Nigerians believe that a good foundation has been laid by Buhari, others are of the opinion that the “tea party” is over as indicated by the use of his trip to ventilate their anger, with many drawing his rule to an end with the death rumours.
In the letter, President Buhari told the legislators of his desire to embark on a 10-day vacation and within the period, undergo a routine medical check-up. Ordinarily, the fact that the president had transmitted a letter to the National Assembly effectively ceding executive powers to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, just like what he did in the past, should have calmed frayed nerves.
However, curious analysts, opposition politicians and those who are not in tune with his style of governance picked hole in the “abrupt” manner the journey was announced and executed.
A suspicious gap When the president was departing for the 10- day vacation, Vice President Osinbajo, who was in Davos, Switzerland, attending the 2017 World Economic Forum, returned to Nigeria the following day and resumed duty as acting president.
“This abrupt departure of the president and abrupt return of the VP was the first thing that aroused suspicions that Buhari’s trip was not normal as Nigerians were made to believe,” said opposition politician, Musa Ali Bagi. “Protocol-wise, it was not normal for the president to start a vacation while his deputy was away because a vacuum was created,” he said.
And the suspicion of the president’s weak health state heightened when it was announced that he would not return on the appointed date. Buhari was to return on Sunday, February 5, so that he would be in his office on Monday, but sadly, it was on that Sunday that his aides announced he would not come.
“It was wrong for the president to also send a letter to the National Assembly, extending his leave without telling Nigerians when he would resume,” said PDP’s spokesman, Dayo Adeyeye.
“The President should know he is not a private citizen. He should know that Nigerians are the ones paying his health bills and therefore, he should tell them the true state of his health. He should not treat Nigerians with levity and should also know what is obtainable in civilized countries.
Nigeria is not a jungle,” he added. Considering the anxiety, several pictures of Buhari and his wife, among others, apparently “enjoying his vacation” at the Nigerian House in London, went viral, a public relations strategy that equally drew elaborate commentaries, with some saying the pictures were either old or fake.
But the APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party was overstretching its boundaries. “Does the PDP know more than what we have been told? What we know is what we have been told. This is the president of the country.
The elections are over, he is our president, he is the president of Nigeria, not of the APC or PDP. If the president told us that he needed to stay back to do some other medical things, it behoves on us, as responsible citizens, to pray for him and stop sensing an opportunity to retaliate,” he said.
Engagements at the Villa Since his departure and the return of Osinbajo, President Buhari’s office has since almost been deserted. Politicians, in particular, are no longer visiting the president’s office, and the acting president has been operating from the Vice President’s Wing of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Since Osinbajo became acting president, only five state governors have at the time of filing this report on Friday, visited the Presidential Villa. They include Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara State), Mohammed Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo).
The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, was at the State House for a meeting with the acting president Monday. He was not accompanied by any of the party’s national working committee.
The acting president had met with the leadership of the National Assembly over the economy and budget-related matters. Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara visited Osinbajo twice.
Osinbajo had led the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting three times between January 25 and February 8 where contracts were approved and certain policy decisions were made. Penultimate Wednesday, the council raised a task force to reduce prices of food items.
A N21 billion contract for the construction of the Ilorin-Kabba Road was awarded. Osinbajo also met with the service chiefs. On January 20, he was briefed on the situation in The Gambia, where Nigerian troops were deployed last month.
However, the routine meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), which is headed by the president, has not been convened since President Buhari departed. Since the president left, there has not been any meeting of the Council of State, even though Buhari himself only held such a meeting twice since his assumption of office on May 29, 2015.
On February 1, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated new five national commissioners of the National Population Commission. But after administering the oath of office on them, the acting president made no remarks.
On Tuesday last week, the acting president forwarded the name of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to the Senate for confirmation as substantive CJN.
Osinbajo has also been briefed by several heads of agencies including those of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Department of State Services. Two traditional rulers have visited the acting president at the State House.
They are the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi and the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu. The Presidency has asserted that Osinbajo has done everything he ought to do as acting president.
His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said in a chat with our correspondent on Thursday: “There is absolutely nothing needed to be done that has not been done, the acting president has presided over Federal Executive Council meetings and has met with service chiefs.
In fact, his first meeting with the service chiefs was when we came back from Davos when they briefed him on the situation in The Gambia. President Muhammadu Buhari has done well by transmitting powers to his deputy in line with the constitution,” he said.
Akande said Osinbajo could not have moved to Buhari’s office because the former is only acting as president. ‘Buhari, a victim of diabolical machinations’ Ardent supporters of the president told our correspondent that Buhari had been a victim of “diabolical machinations”, making it difficult for him to concentrate. Nasiru Aminu, a resident of Katsina, said many people were deploying diabolical means to distract Buhari from concentrating on his duties.
“The president was not as frail as he is now when he assumed office in 2015, that time, he was extremely agile and focused but he is no more himself now and we actually see the devil at work,” he said. Aminu said Buhari’s adversaries had deployed “prayer merchants to cause curses” that would make it difficult to concentrate.
“The opposition to the president is not just from southern Nigeria because hundreds of so- called Mallams are being sponsored to Saudi Arabia and other places to pray against the success of the president,” he said. Another supporter, Abba Yakubu, said the president was “tamed” right from the onset.
“We know that his several travels abroad at the inception of his administration were not normal, some unpatriotic elements tagged him through dubious means to be traveling and when he finally settled, they changed tactics, he is now constantly sick,” he said.
Strange stories from the Presidential Villa are not new. Former- first lady, Patience Jonathan, had reportedly said her health status significantly improved after her husband vacated the seat of power. Former presidential spokesmen, Reuben Abati Femi Fani-Kayode had also at different times aired their views on “strange happenings” in the Presidential Villa.
However, in his analogy, the Senator representing Katsina South, Senator Abu Ibrahim, said contrary to insinuations, Buhari is not sick but merely exhausted as a result of the various challenges confronting his government.
A close ally of the president, a Katsina senator who visited Buhari in London recently, said issues that might have taken a toll on the president, including the destruction of oil pipelines that reduced production to almost half, the fall in oil price that affected the economy and led to the current recession and the falling exchange rate that has affected the purchasing power of most Nigerians.
Monday’s demonstrations in Abuja and Lagos by two opposing groups- # I stand with Buhari and # I stand with Nigeria, brought to the fore, how Buhari’s disposition to power is redefining politics in the country. But the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said it was only in Nigeria that citizens would act the way they acted over straight issues.
“I want to assure you, Mr. President is well and is in absolutely no danger. Mr. President, like I said elsewhere, is probably a victim of his own transparency,” he said.

BREAKING!! Robert Mugabe Tells Buhari – You Can’t Cheat Nature, What He Said Will Happen If Buhari Refuse To Resign Now, Will Shock You {Must Read}

Robert Mugabe reacting to President Buhari’s latest refusal to return home until his Doctors satisfy him okay, says no man Can Cheat Nature, what affects Nigeria affects the entire Africa, president. Read his reaction below…
Buhari’s Body Is Too Old & Weak For a country as big as Nigeria is better in his own interest, the interest of the nation and his family to resign now before they force him out of Office or even declare him incapacitated.
His words “honestly no man can cheat nature not even myself, at the moment Buhari’s body became too old and too weak to head a country as big as Nigeria, is better in his own interest, the interest of the nation, Africa and even his family to resign now before they force him out of office or even declare him incapacitated”.
Speaking to locals; he said your government allocated huge sums of money for medical facilities in Aso Rock why always patronize UK hospitals when your medical needs arise, is no longer funny.
Am only adding my voice because whatever affect Nigeria, affects the rest of us as Africans, I was there at his inauguration in 2015 if this matter is none of my business i wouldn’t have honored that invitation.

JUST IN: After Charly Boy Announced Another Mega Protest With NLC And TUC In Lagos, Tag Our #MumuDonDo

Charly Boy not really satisfied with the ealier protest Nigerians carried out, announces another protest with NLC and TUC in Lagos… read his full statement below…

What Buhari Said in San Francisco March 2009, (THE WILL)

A former Head of State, retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari has called on the Executive Council of the Federation to declare Nigeria’s ailing President, Musa Yar’Adua incapacitated and begin the process of his impeachment.

The former military head of state said the refusal of the council to follow constitutional provisions with regards to Yar’Adua’s illness has thrown the oil rich nation into its present crisis, arguing that the 1999 Constitution was clear on the issue of succession when an incumbent president is incapacitated.

Buhari made the declaration when he received members of the National Unity Forum in Kaduna who paid him a solidarity visit. He criticized what he described as "extra-constitutional measures", the measures applied by the National Assembly to empower Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President when the constitution already had a solution to the problem.

"Political expediency won't remedy this kind of problem because if the Executive Council of the Federation had acted in accordance with the constitution, by invoking the necessary sections to declare the President incapacitated, we would not have found ourselves in this present situation.

"As you can see, adopting extra-constitutional measures have not addressed the problem. If it had, we would not have been subjected to the raging debates and controversy going on. So, we must go back to the constitution. The Executive Council of the Federation must do the right thing because once we start moving away from the constitution, then we are inviting anarchy,” Buhari added.

Nigerian President Musa Yar’Adua has not been seen in public since November 23rd 2009 and his true state of health has been a subject of national discourse.

Umahi kicks off N2 billion empowerment scheme for workers * Declares Thursdays and Fridays free for civil servants to engage in Agriculture.

The Ebonyi State government flagged-off N2 billion empowerment programme for over 8,000 civil and public servants in the state under its agricultural programme.

Flagging-off the programme at the Abakaliki Township stadium, Governor Dave Umahi said each worker would be given soft loan of N250, 000 for farming, he declared that workers will only work for three days in a week and use Thursdays and Fridays to engage in agriculture.

He challenged workers to identify areas such as rice, cassava, fishery they are willing to venture into.

He further disclosed that 4,000 youths selected from the 13 local council areas of the state would also be empowered and called on the people to queue into the agricultural programme of the state government for food sufficiency.

He explained that his administration would also empower 1,000 indigenes of the state hawking in some cities in the country.
Earlier, Umahi had announced that many widows from the 13 local council areas of the state would be receiving monthly allowance from the state government.

According to him, the stipend will cost the state government over N2 million monthly.

Umahi spoke in Abakaliki during the inauguration of widows’ empowerment programme of his wife, Mrs Rachel Umahi.
He said the gesture was part of the state government effort to support the family succour and upliftment programme, his wife’s pet project.

Nigerians Need To Know Buhari’s Health Status – Falana

A senior lawyer and rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, has advised the Presidency to do more in telling Nigerians about President Buhari’s health status as it did in 2016.

Mr Falana said on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics that Nigerians need to know the state of the President’s health.

Although he admitted that the law does not mandate the President to disclose his health status, he argued that citizens should not be left speculating about their president’s condition.

“Under the Freedom of Information Act, the right to health is supposed to be shrouded in secrecy but I am saying now that henceforth, this situation calls for a review of the law so that we won’t be left guessing next time.

“We are talking of the President. Many state governors go in and out of the country, some for a month or two, some for three months without anybody asking any question and without any handover to their deputies.

“But I am saying that with what we are going through now, we must come to appreciate that if you are going into public office, you have no secrecy,” he said.

He said that since the Presidency started on a good note by informing the nation of the treatment of an ear infection last time, more information this time around would remove speculations and erase any form of rumour.

“It is our duty and right and the President took cognizance of that last year when he disclosed to Nigerians what he was going abroad for. This year should not be an exception.

“This is what has given room to a lot of rumours and speculation which are totally uncalled for,” he said.

WAEC Endorses Aregbesola’s ‘Opon Imo’

Head of the Nigeria National Office of the WAEC, Mr Olutise Adenipekun with Governor Aregbesola

The West African Examination Council (WAEC), has endorsed Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s policies, especially in the education sector.

Delivering a frame of endorsement to the Governor over the weekend, Head of the Nigeria National Office of the council, Mr Isaac Adenipekun, who led a delegation of the national management of WAEC to the Governor’s office in Osogbo, said Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s interventions in education is “second to none” in Nigeria.

Adenipekun said, “The ongoing revolution in the infrastructural re-engineering of the school complexes in the state of Osun has also caught the attention of all stakeholders in the education sector in Nigeria and beyond.

“The immense contribution of the state government in the development of infrastructural facilities in schools, in particular, the “Mega Schools Project” is remarkable. It is in fact second to none in Nigeria”, he stressed.

Adenipekun said Osun has contributed significantly towards enhancing Information and Communication Technology, ICT required in education sector which according to him remains the prerequisite to development of quality education in the country.

Adenipekun, who recommended the Tablet of Knowledge to other states of the federation said the initiative had contributed towards educational development.

He described the innovation as a tool of educational revolution, breakthrough aimed at enhancing and encouraging the process of teaching and learning through the use of innovative technology.

“We are particularly proud of the landmark achievement and the major breakthrough of the current administration in Osun most significantly in education sector by the introduction of the ground breaking ‘Tablet of Knowledge’ also known as “Opon Imo” to students of the state at secondary level.

“As we commend the efforts of Mr. Governor on the landmark achievement and major breakthrough of his administration in education most importantly on the widely applauded ‘Tablet of Knowledge’ which had improved and encouraged teaching and learning, we equally recommend other states to key into this initiative so as to improve the education sector,” he added.

Governor Aregbesola who described “the Tablet of Knowledge” as a panacea to education revolution, said the state had recorded national and international awards on the initiative.

Commending WAEC for maintaining education standards in the country, Governor Aregbesola said the examination body had contributed tremendously in raising the standards of education in the West African sub-region.

Ibori Arrives In Nigeria From The U.K

Former Delta State governor, James Ibori has arrived in his home town Oghara, Delta State.

Mr Ibori landed in Benin this afternoon  from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, following his arrival from the U.K

The Spokesman to Mr Ibori, Tony Eluemunor, confirmed his arrival to Channels Television.

On Friday, the  confiscation trial of Mr Ibori commenced at the Southwark Crown Court, U.K, where he appeared before Justice David Tomlinson, if found guilty he might have to forfeit his asset estimated to be about 250 million pounds.

Mr Ibori who was released on December 21, 2016, from Bedford Prison, U.K after being jailed since 2012, is facing another charge on the confiscation of his assets.

The judge, Mrs Juliet May ordered his immediate release; a judgement Ibori’s spokesman described as a major victory against the British Home Office, at the Royal Court of Justice, Queens Court 1, London.

Counsels to the Home Office, however wanted him to remain in detention after he had served his jail term.

His case has been adjourned to March 17, 2017.