EFCC Says a combined team of Nigerian police and military officers cannot find Tompolo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Friday told a federal judge that the whereabouts of Government Ekpemupolo, a former militant leader, were unknown.Festus Keyamo, counsel to the EFCC, said a combined team of Nigerian police and military officers had been combing the creeks for weeks without success.
The judge had issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Ekpemupolo (also known as Tompolo) on February 8 after he shunned repeated invitations to appear before the EFCC for questioning.Last week, the commission declared the ex-militant wanted.
“We wish to inform the court that the warrant of arrest that this court issued in respect of the first defendant (Mr. Ekpemupolo) has not been ‎executed despite the best efforts of all the security agents in this country,” Mr. Keyamo told the judge on Friday.
“Every security agent in this country is involved in the search for the first defendant. What is unfolding is something that has never been seen before in this country for a very long time.”Mr. Ekpemupolo and Patrick Akpobolokemi, the former Director‎ General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, are accused of a multibillion naira fraud at the agency.
On Friday, no lawyer announced appearance for Mr. Ekpemupolo, a situation the prosecution noted was disrespectful to the court.“Having registered his appearance at the last sitting, the very senior counsel (Mr. Oyetibo) ought to have‎ come to withdraw his appearance,” Mr. Keyamo said.

Ready to die fighting corruption – EFCC boss, Magu brags

Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, says he is prepared to die as he fights corruption in Nigeria. Magu said this while speaking to ‎a group of Senior Lawyers led by Femi Falana, who paid him a solidarity visit at the agency's headquarters in Abuja yesterday February 18th. “I am not afraid of anything. I prefer to die fighting corruption if need be,” Magu said

WARNING : "Dont' put your cellphone under a pillow while sleeping or when charging your device..NYPD

NYPD warns "Dont' put your cellphone under a pillow while sleeping or when charging your device. Please share this tip and be safe" they warned.

US Man serves out a 30-year prison sentence for murder , Goes home kills Mother.

In October of 2014, Steven Pratt was supposed to begin his life anew. He had served out a 30-year prison sentence and gone home to Atlantic City, N.J., where his family held a party to welcome him.

But a violent history would repeat itself all too soon.Pratt was 15 when he got into an argument with his next door neighbor, Michael Anderson. Court records show that Anderson was a father figure of sorts to Pratt. On Oct. 11, 1984, he asked Pratt and his friends to vacate a hallway in their apartment building where they were noisily hanging out and smoking marijuana.Angered by Anderson’s request, Pratt retrieved a lead pipe from his apartment and approached Anderson with it in hand. Anderson wrestled the pipe from Pratt’s grasp, striking him on the face.Then Pratt’s mother entered the room, and Anderson left.Hours later, Pratt knocked on the door of Anderson’s apartment. When the neighbor appeared, Pratt asked him if he recalled their fight earlier that day, then shot him dead.Pratt was tried as an adult for the murder and began serving his sentence at a maximum security prison.Thirty years later, things should have been different. Pratt was 45 when he got out, and he returned to the Atlantic City neighborhood where his 64-year-old mother resided, the Press of Atlantic City reported. It was a quiet part of town, the kind of place where kids carved hearts around their initials in wet cement on the sidewalk.Neighbors told the Press of Atlantic City that Gwendolyn Pratt was “kind and impeccably dressed.” She took a 6 a.m. bus to work every day without fail.No one guessed that she would lose her life less than two days after her son got his freedom.On the Sunday morning after Pratt’s release, police found Gwendolyn dead from blunt injuries to the head. Pratt was charged, and at his initial court appearance, he wept.“I have failed,” Pratt told the judge, his voice barely audible, the Press of Atlantic City reported. “I don’t want a trial. I’m guilty.”He officially pleaded guilty to manslaughter this week. He is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in prison.

EFCC Files For Court's Order To Seize All Tompolo's Properties Until He Appears

Former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, has been ordered To Be Arrested By Federal Court Justice Ibrahim Buba.

Motion exparte:

IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURTIN THE LAGOS JUDICIAL DIVISIONHOLDEN AT LAGOS
CHARGE NO: FHC/L/553C/2015
BETWEEN:
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA               ……COMPLAINANT/APPLICANT
AND
1.    GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO(ALIAS TOMPOLO)                                          2.    PATRICK ZADEKE AKPOBOLOKEMI                 ……DEFENDANTS3.     GLOBAL WEST VESSEL SPECALIST LTD4.    ODIMIRI ELECTRICALS LTD5.    KIME ENGOZU                                                 6.    BOLOBOERE PROPERTY AND ESTATE LTD     7.    REX ELEM8.    DESTRE CONSULT LTD9.    GREGORY MBONU10. CAPTAIN WARREDI ENISUOH                                                                

MOTION EXPARTEBROUGHT UNDER
1.    SECTION 80 AND 81 OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT, 20152.    AND UNDER THE INHERENT JURISDICTION OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT
TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Court shall be moved on the ………. of …………….. 2016 at 9.0’clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as counsel to the Complainant/Applicant will be heard on behalf of the Complainant/Applicant praying the Honourable court for the following:
1.   AN ORDER of this Honourable Court pursuant to Section 80 and 81 of the Administration and Criminal Justice Act, 2015 authorizing the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission to attach the following properties belonging to Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) named as 1^st Accused herein by seizure pending the arrest and/or appearance before this Honourable Court and arraignment of the 1^stAccused:
(i)           Property at No. 1 Chief Agbamu Close DDPA Extension Warri (Effurun), Delta State.(ii)          All properties of Mieka Dive Ltd and Mieka Dive Training Institute Ltd situated at No. 77, Lioth Street, ODPA Ugborikoko, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State.(iii)        All properties of Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd.(iv)        All properties of Muhaabix Global Services Ltd.(v)         A River Crew Change Boat named MUHA – 15(vi)        The property known as “Tompolo Dockyard”, by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun, Warri.(vii)      The property known as “Tompolo Yard”, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri.(viii)     The Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River.(ix)        The property known as “Tompolo House” at Oporaza Town, opposite the Palace.(x)         Any other property discovered by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, moveable and immoveable, belonging to the 1^st Accused person.2.   SUCH FURTHER ORDER OR OTHER ORDERS as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of this case.
Dated this 18^th day of February, 2016

FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.PROSECUTING COUNSEL FOR THEECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISIONC/O FESTUS KEYAMO CHAMBERS1, FESTUS KEYAMO LANE,BEHIND HOTEL NEWCASTLE,OFF ADEBAYO MOKUOLU STREET,OFF GBAGADA EXPRESSWAY,ANTHONY VILLAGE,LAGOS STATE.08033371229, 08055028515festuskeyamochamberslag@yahoo.com
















IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURTIN THE LAGOS JUDICIAL DIVISIONHOLDEN AT LAGOS
CHARGE NO: FHC/L/553C/2015
BETWEEN:
THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA               ……COMPLAINANT/APPLICANT
AND
1.    GOVERNMENT EKPEMUPOLO(ALIAS TOMPOLO)                                         2.    PATRICK ZADEKE AKPOBOLOKEMI                 ……DEFENDANTS3.     GLOBAL WEST VESSEL SPECALIST LTD4.    ODIMIRI ELECTRICALS LTD5.    KIME ENGOZU                                                 6.    BOLOBOERE PROPERTY AND ESTATE LTD     7.    REX ELEM8.    DESTRE CONSULT LTD9.    GREGORY MBONU10. CAPTAIN WARREDI ENISUOH                                                       

AFFIDAVIT IN SUPPORT OF MOTION EXPARTE
I, Adah John Adah, Male, Christian, Nigeria citizen, litigation officer of Festus Keyamo Chambers, 1, Festus Keyamo Lane, off Adebayo Mokuolu Street, off Gbagada Expressway behind Newcastle Hotel Anthony, Village do hereby make oath and state as follows:
1.   That I am a litigation officer in Festus Keyamo Chambers, whose principal is Festus Keyamo, Prosecuting Counsel to the Complainant/Applicant in this suit, by virtue of which I am conversant with the facts of this case.
2.   That I have the consent and authority of the Complainant/Applicant to depose to this affidavit.
3.       That I was informed by Festus Keyamo, Esq. and Idris Adamu,Investigating Officer attached to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in our office on 17^th of February 2016 at about 2.00pm and I verily believe him as follows:
             i.        That the 1^st Accused person was invited by the complainant on several occasions to come and answer to the allegation of fraudulent activities leveled against him which was uncovered during investigation.
            ii.        That the 1^st Accused person was charged before this Honourable court to answer to charges leveled against him when he persistently refused and failed to honour the several invitations extended to him.


           iii.        That this honourable court also made an order dated the 12^th day of January, 2016 for the service of the said Charge and Summons to compel the attendance of the 1^st Accused  person on the 14^th day of January, 2016.

          iv.        That upon becoming aware of the pendency of this proceeding, the 1^st Accused person instructed the law Firms of Messrs. Tayo Oyetibo & Co. and Messrs. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa & Co. to represent him.
           v.        That as a result of paragraph iv above, Messrs. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa & Co. applied for and obtained copies of the processes filed by the Complainant/Applicant which led to the issuance of a Warrant of Arrest.
          vi.        That on the 14^th day of January, 2016 this Honourable Court issued a Warrant of Arrest for the 1^st Accused person.
         vii.        That since the issuance of the warrant of arrest, the 1^st Accused person has absconded and concealed himself from all security forces in the country to frustrate the execution of the Warrant of Arrest.
       viii.        That rather than present himself to the court, the 1^st Accused person engaged the services of Tayo Oyetibo, SAN who filed a Motion dated 27^th day of January, 2016 to set aside the Warrant of Arrest. The said motion was dismissed on the 8^th day of February, 2016.
          ix.        That since the Order for the arrest of the 1^st Accused person, the combined team of the Nigerian police and the military have been combing the creeks and the entire nation for the arrest of the 1^stAccused person, but he continues to abscond and conceal himself.
           x.        That operatives of the Complainant have carried out investigation and received intelligence report to the effect that the following properties belong to the 1^st Accused person:
a.       Property at No. 1 Chief Agbamu Close DDPA Extension Warri (Effurun), Delta State.
b.       All properties of Mieka Dive Ltd and Mieka Dive Training Institute Ltd situated at No. 77, Lioth Street, ODPA Ugborikoko, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State.
c.       All properties of Global West Vessel Specialist Ltd.
d.       All properties of Muhaabix Global Services Ltd
e.       A River Crew Change Boat named MUHA – 15
f.         The property known as “Tompolo Dockyard”, by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun, Warri.
g.       The property known as “Tompolo Yard”, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri.
h.       The Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River.
i.         The property known as “Tompolo House” at Oporaza Town opposite the Palace.
j.         Any other property discovered by the Economic And Financial Crime Commission, moveable and immoveable, belonging to the 1^st Accused person.
4.   That it is in the interest of justice to grant this application.
5.   That I make this affidavit in good faith knowing and believing the facts deposed herein to be true and in accordance with the oath Act of Nigeria.

………………………………DEPONENTSworn to at the Federal High Court Registry, Lagos
This 18^th day of February, 2016
BEFORE ME


COMMISSIONER FOR OATHS


**************************************************************************Nigerian law enforcement agencies have an immediate duty to arrest a former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, and produce him in court, after a judge on Thursday ordered his arrest, a government lawyer charging him for corruption has said.Judge Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court said‎ an arrest warrant had to be issued after Tompolo failed to respond to invitations to appear before the court.‎The judge said the process of compelling a defendant to appear before a court is to first serve him a summons.“When he fails to appear, the other way to compel his compliance is by way of arrest,” said Mr. Buba.

Senator Chris Ngige Denies Collapse Reports

 

Senator Chris Ngige

Senator Chris Ngige, the Minister for Labour and Employment has denied earlier reports that he collapsed during National Assembly budget defence.
Speaking with The Nation correspondent aboard an aircraft from South Africa, on February 18, he described the report as rumour aimed at damaging his strength and personality.
Senator Ngige said the collapse rumour is laughable and a failed attempt by never to do well politicians for their selfish interest. 
“I am not in Nigeria, I attended special morning session function in Zambia and am airborne to South Africa where I will be coming into the country tomorrow". 
“The rumours in social media and other quarters shows how petty people can be, I don’t see it as anything but I wish to tell those who still play this outdated and obsolete politics of bitterness to embrace change and know that it is no longer business as usual,” he said.

It would be recalled that the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare had a similar experience in which he was also rushed to a hospital after he reportedly collapsed, while delivering a lecture in Lagos state.

Liberian president, Ellen Sirleaf, appoints her son as head of Liberian Central Bank

Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 
has appointed her son, Charles Sirleaf, as 
the interim executive governor of the 
Central Bank of Liberia (CBL). Charles, 
who is a highly experienced banker, was
 until his appointment, the deputy governor
 of the bank, having worked for the bank 
since 2004. He takes over from Joseph 
Mills Jones, the immediate Governor 
of the Bank who resigned so he can 
prepare to run for president during 
Liberia's presidential election due to
 take place in 2017.
President Sirleaf suspended her son for a
 while in 2012, following his failure to
 properly declare his asset.

Anita Obhodaghe Gets Well Deserved divorce From "Pastor" Oyakhilome

PRESS RELEASE

 Attwaters Jameson Hill, in a statement on her behalf, said the divorce was finalised on February 8 and hinted that she had dropped Oyahkilome from her name for Obhodaghe, while also severing ties with the church.

The statement, published on the United Kingdom-based law firm’s website, reads,
“We have been requested by Anita Oyakhilome to confirm that on the 8th February 2016 a decree absolute was pronounced in the High Court of Justice Principal Registry of the Family Division dissolving her marriage to Christian Onehirokpeana Oyakhilome.
Anita Oyakhilome would like to confirm that she is no longer involved in or part of Christ Embassy AKA Believers LoveWorld INC.”

Signed,
Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors
+44 20 3393 7265

Lawyers to Anita, the former wife of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, the founder of Christ Embassy, have said that she had finalised her divorce to the preacher, adding that she was no longer a part of, or involved in, the church, also known as Believers LoveWorld Inc. Anita Ebhodaghe, formerly Anita Oyakhilome, a pioneer member of Christ Embassy, where she rose to become a pastor, got married to Oyakhilome in 1991, and have two daughters. A statement by her solicitors, Attwaters Jameson Hill, said the divorce was finalised on February 8 and hinted that she had dropped Oyahkilome from her name, while also severing all ties with the church. The statement, published on the United Kingdom-based law firm’s website reads: “We have been requested by Anita Oyakhilome to confirm that on February 8, 2016 a decree absolute was pronounced in the High Court of Justice Principal Registry of the Family Division dissolving her marriage to Christian Onehirokpeana Oyakhilome. “Anita Oyakhilome would like to confirm that she is no longer involved in or part of Christ Embassy, A.K.A. Believers LoveWorld Inc.” In 2014, it was in the news that Anita had filed for a divorce, accusing her pastor husband of indulging in illicit affairs with female members of the church. This came to the fore after months of rumours suggesting that all was not well with the marriage. In the following months, their marital crisis got messier as both Anita’s lawyers and Oyakhilome issued statements that suggested the damage to the relationship was irreparable. Shortly after, news of a suit for separation broke, images of Anita, which were very prominent on the church’s website, were removed with her name and image also missing from subsequent editions of Rhapsody of Realities, the church’s devotional, which she had co-authored for years with her estranged husband. Oyakhilome, at that time, dismissed reports about the messy divorce including those suggesting that adultery was one of the grounds for the divorce, accusing the media of publishing a lot of “stupid things”.

Source: .vanguardngr

I -Phone Captures Live Events:

PDP Going Extinct As 20 Senators, 50 House of Reps Members May Soon Defect From PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP may soon face massive disintegration as 20 senators, 50 house of representatives members may defect.
Ripples are being generated by the emergence of Ali Modu Sheriff, former governor of Borno State as national chairman of the PDP. Senators of the party from the South-East and South-South zone have resolved not to go with his choice and have threatened to pull out of the party.
A source close to the party who spoke anonymously said, ''The Tsunami that will hit the PDP as a result of this decision will be unimaginable. We have some 20 senators already looking to the door right now. The number of members of the House is around 50. Let’s see how the party can survive that''.
The PDP currently has 47 of the 109 senators and 141 of 360 members of the House of Representatives

President Buhari Meets Service Chiefs Behind Closed Doors

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday met with the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies.
The meeting, which held inside the president’s office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, lasted several hours.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Defence, General Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali (rtd) and the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Babagana Monguno (rtd).
The Service Chiefs emerged from the meeting without speaking to State House correspondents.
Daily Trust, however, reports that the meeting was convened to review the security situation in the country, especially the ongoing war against the Boko Haram insurgency.

Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige collapses in House Of Reps

Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige collapsed while defending the budget of his ministry before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Labour.

He was immediately rushed out of the venue for medical attention.More to follow

Fake Doctor Malachi Love-Robinson, 18, arrested by police in USA

View gallery

Florida Teen Arrested After Allegedly Posing as a Doctor (ABC News)

A Florida teenager who is accused of practicing medicine without a license told ABC News he did not "diagnose" patients and claimed that he had a Ph.D.
Malachi Love-Robinson, 18, was arrested by police Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, after they conducted an undercover operation at the medical office allegedly used by the teen. Authorities say Love-Robinson purportedly fooled his victims with an elaborate website and bio in which he referred to himself as a “well-rounded professional” who uses psychotherapy, electrotherapy and other techniques to treat patients.
In an interview with ABC News Love-Robinson defended himself, saying he thought it was his "job as a good citizen" to help people and denying that he diagnosed patients or misrepresented himself.
"I have been studying this particular field for a while," he said. "It may not have been eight, nine, 10 years. It has been long enough to, I would say, justify what I do."
Love-Robinson, who was previously investigated in January for similar accusations, though he was not charged then, claimed he had a Ph.D., but did not disclose in what area or what school he received the degree from.Teenager Accused of Posing as a DoctorPlay video"For one I have taken quite a bit of final exams and alternative medicine courses," he said, adding that he also shadowed and interned with doctors.
The teen explained that he was "hiring" doctors and other experts to treat patients. Love-Robinson said he "did not perform any form of treatment" and that he "never diagnosed anyone."
When asked why he wore a stethoscope and lab coat in his office, he denied that he tried to appear as a medical doctor.
"The uniform of the office pertains to that particular office," he said. "The attire I had on is not specific to a specific type of MD."View galleryFlorida Teen Accused of Posing as Doctor Denies Diagnosing Patients (ABC News
Love-Robinson was arrested after an undercover sheriff’s office agent posed as a patient Tuesday. The teen allegedly gave her a medical exam and offered her medical advice, according to ABC affiliate WPBF 25 News.
Speaking to ABC News, Love-Robinson said that the officer "merely had her weight taken and herblood pressure taken and her lungs listened to" and was advised to take an allergy pill. He refused to confirm that he was the one who saw her or that what he did constituted "treatment."
Love-Robinson also denied accusations that he treated an 86-year-old woman multiple times and charged her approximately $3,400, as he was accused of doing in court documents obtained by ABC News, but then went on to mention seeing her in a consultation.
"That person never came to my office, they were never seen in the office, they were never given prescriptions in the office," he said. "That patient actually requested a consultation and the things she took were things she requested to take and they were all natural things that you can buy from Whole Foods."
Love-Robinson ended the interview shortly afterwards.
The teen is charged with two counts of practicing medicine without a license, one count of grand theft larceny and four counts of fraud. He was also ordered by the Dept. of Health to cease and desist practicing medicine without a license.
Love-Robinson has not yet entered a plea. The teen claims to have an attorney but would not give ABC News the attorney's name.

A Word for President Buhari By abiodun KOMOLAFE

A Word for President Buhari
By abiodun KOMOLAFE


For those who care to know, I am a passionate supporter of the Muhammadu Buhari cause and that position is not about to change! As a matter of fact, my preference in the March 28, 2015 Presidential Election through which Buhari eventually became Nigeria's first opposition candidate ever to defeat an incumbent president, was a product of my convictions and until I have sufficient reasons to change course, my preference remains on course. Be that as it may, surprise will be the appropriate word should I fail to make the list of the 'Cult of Wailing Wailers' as a result of this piece which I believe is in the overall interest of my country.

Whichever way the pendulum swings, the good news is that, within a very short time in office, Buhari has, to a great extent, succeeded in rescuing Nigeria from the jaws of a predatory elite and a band of merit-devalued interlopers who have for close to two decades deprived Nigeria of her gold and silver. However, this is not to say that I envy the president, not even with the scourge of impunity that has turned Nigeria into a morass of incensed screeches where priorities are misplaced with unimaginable perfidy and, responsibilities, shifted with unrivaled pomposity.

Like the Biblical ten plagues, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, passed through our land and all we could feel were pinches of hypocrisy and pains of stagnation. Its bunch of yo-yos insulted our collective intelligence with unimaginable artificiality and its crop of educated-but-politically-incompetent hands, "celestially" endowed to take care of the downtrodden, only used their "celestial weapons" to mortgage our commonwealth. And, as if the gods were angry, meanness replaced magnificence; and, in place conviction, we had deception.

Buhari's victory at the poll is no doubt a great opportunity to reposition the ruling All Progressives Party, APC, as a party of principle. It is also an opportunity for the progressive class to truly rediscover itself before the next General Elections, especially, if the ruling party must retain its relevance in the consciousness of Nigerians. As things stand, there are folks out there in whose eyes the only difference between the badly-degraded PDP and the victorious APC is Buhari. Well, maybe one or two other genuine hearts here and there. But they are as scarce as hen's teeth! Added to this is the opposition's reported huge investment in a mass of experts in the spread of hate messages against the president but, from the look of things, it is as if the president's strategists and publicists have forgotten that lies, when told too often, have the capacity to carouse the exigencies of truth. In my candid opinion, this is unhealthy for the party that wants to move beyond where it currently holds sway to the upper realm!

Needless to repeat that the president's efforts at recovering part of Nigeria's stolen loots is already yielding fruits. Nonetheless, concerted efforts should be made towards preventing the anti-corruption war from being a temporary reprieve. This is why, apart from building it around structures, not men, Buhari must also endeavour to reform a zigging-zagging judiciary that is at the moment misconstruing the people's tall level of tolerance for short memory. He must strive to put in place workable structures that will prevent our monies from being indescribably stolen and indiscriminately stashed abroad. At least for once in the affairs of this great country, our destiny as a people created by God should stop being in the hands of Pharisees who value passion of power above logic of reason and Princes of Sodom who cry even when they don’t have tears.

Some governors' sojourn in denial with threatening jaunts of antiquated illogicality notwithstanding, except Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape which is currently playing host to the fury of a global meltdown receives anointing for improvement, it stands to be seen how most of the states can survive, post-Buhari's First Term in office. For instance, no fewer than four out of the six states in the Southwest are as we speak in arrears of several months of workers’ salaries and allowances. Other zones, including the Federation, are not faring any better. No thanks to an economic malaise that has taken hold over the national economy.

Without mincing words, it is my hope that Buhari would do well for progressive politics by departing from the old, cruel culture of taking the needs and expectations of its followers as a four yearly-ritual in which, immediately their votes are captured, counted and credited, they become aberrant artefacts whose 'phones will no longer ring' until it is another election year. Yes! In their attitude of pettiness and little traditions, some among them may wish to gloriously access the Promised Land without painstakingly encountering the Red Sea while, like the children of Israel, others may prefer serving the Egyptians to dying in the wilderness! But, like it or not, since politics is a numbers game, the president will be in a better stead with the wisdom of Solomon, not the tact of Jeroboam!

Again, that Buhari has done well for himself and for the country is no longer news! If he maximizes the momentum, the president may become to Nigeria what Abraham Lincoln is to the United States of America. Like Buhari, Lincoln had governed America at her most difficult time. Apart from leading his country through its bloodiest civil war, Abe Lincoln also saw it through its greatest moral, constitutional and political crisis. Not only did he abolish slavery, he also strengthened the government and completely rescued the economy from the bottomless mess into which it had previously been plunged.

Like the Lincoln-era America, Nigeria's current challenges are not only monstrous, they're also hydra-headed. The country is currently contending with its bloodiest non-conventional war ever even as Barrabas and disaster capitalists who masquerade as leaders have reduced dear fatherland to a rustic cave of impiety, stymied development and inverted values. Coincidentally, the 'bureaucracy' which quickened former President Goodluck Jonathan's administration journey to the golgotha is still in Buhari's government, almost a year after, doing new things the old way and it's as if the president is comfortable with their services. On the other hand, those 'Change Agents' who committed so much in terms of human and material resources into making the Buhari dream a reality have for close to a year been waiting in the wings to contribute their quota to the development of the polity or, as the case may be, replenish their barns. Indeed, this is where the president has to proactively rise to the occasion in order to avoid any possible backlash which may be unpleasant to the ruling party and unproductive to the country.

Ernest Benn describes politics as "the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." But what is so special in progressive politics that politicians always find a place of refuge in it? Even in its "comfortable and ill-defined" state, how does a progressive party manage its successes as well as prevent abuse of power in politics and government? And, with the kind of our politics and the attitude of politicians in this clime, is any politician worth dying for? As a matter of fact, is politics worth dying for, let alone politicians?

Like Teddy Roosevelt, Buhari will be writing his name in gold if he is able to champion noble aims that are in agreement with Nigeria's socio-economic and geo-political realities. And who knows? With zealous vigilance, our president may end up as another "ultimate pragmatist" and an "epitome of a president who endured personal loss, political attacks, and the prospect of presiding over the dissolution of the country, yet persevered and triumphed."

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*KOMOLAFE writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria (ijebujesa@yahoo.co.uk)


abiodun KOMOLAFE,
020, Okenisa Street,
PO Box 153,
Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.