Contrary to claims by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on a popular programme on Channels TV that his state was not among those, whose warehouses were looted by indigenes to cart away the allocated CACOVID palliatives, a source within the government circle has revealed that this wasn’t the case.
The source insisted that the incident happened in the state and also that the CACOVID food palliatives were left unattended to in the warehouse.
Recall that the Kogi state governor said his administration did not hoard CACOVID relief packages, and that news reports claiming that the warehouse that stored the items was looted, were completely false.
He also stated that his administration had been distributing palliatives to cushion the effect of the infectious disease, even before CACOVID commenced help to other states.
However, contrary to what the governor said on the national TV, the source insisted that the state government took early delivery of the palliatives and refused to distribute to the people for reasons best known to them. A document, made available to our correspondent, showed that the food items were left unattended to when the looters vandalised the warehouse.
Each household is supposed to receive a bundle containing 10kg bag of rice, 5kg bag of garri/semolina, one carton of pasta, two cartons of noodles, 5kg of sugar and 1kg of salt.
Another document also showed that as at Tuesday, July 21, 2020 CACOVID had completed the delivery of noodles and some other items to the Kogi State government.
It was gathered that 90% of the expected food palliatives totalling 238,000 packages, which include – rice, pasta, noodles, semo/maize, salt, and sugar have all been delivered to the state government, according to the documents. The value of the food palliatives collected by the Kogi State government was put at N531 million.
Though the governor alleged, during the interview that COVID-19 is political, sources within the government however revealed that many isolation centres had been set up in the State as at Friday, May 22 with the full cooperation of the state government.
Commenting on the looted COVID-19 palliatives warehouse in Kogi State, Adeyinka Akagba, a civil servant said: “The Governor was just not fair to the people. He should have distributed the palliatives immediately it was delivered to him, rather than keep them in a very bad warehouse…The most painful part of it was the fact that the palliatives were fed to rodents instead of Kogi people, who were keen on getting the palliatives to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown”
Meanwhile, recent media reports also revealed that
CACOVID had commenced distribution of Palliatives to state Governments in June and that the Coalition has targeted 10 million poor families in 774 LGAs across the country to benefit from the relief support initiative.
Events of the past few weeks have been tumultuous. Unfortunate things have happened. Lives have been lost. Property damaged. Essential institutions such as the police force and army are under justifiable scrutiny. Protests call for needed reform. Taking advantage of the situation, less noble actors have pressed forward, either to steal the hard-earned property of others or to prosecute selfish political objectives not germane to the protests at hand.
Even with many people taking undue license to press cases that would otherwise be tossed from the court of public opinion, one would think certain people would keep their mouths shut and hide their pens even during this period. Bode George is one such person. In commenting on the protests and trying to fault Bola Tinubu for every human imperfection ranging from the original sin in the Garden of Eden to the cost of tomatoes in the local market, George is either one of the world’s most bulbous hypocrites or the victim of the worst bout of amnesia ever recorded in the journals of medical science. In that this gruff, indelicate man well remembers the sound of his own name and responds to the ruffle of fresh naira with the pounce of a hungry jackal, one may fairly assume that his particular diathesis points more to the former moral decrepitude than to any medical infirmity that might affect his memory.
In his recent article published by NEW DAWN entitled “Lagos State THE Anger, The Rage”, Bode George huffs and puffs in contrived indignation at recent events in Lagos. He misrepresents himself as a storm for change and justice. He is nothing of the sort. For all of his blowing and the grand noise he thinks himself to make, he barely manufactures an audible moment. He is but a rickety, broken tea kettle trying futilely with all its waning might to bring a tiny pot of water to boil.
Try as it might, the rickety kettle is unstable and cannot hold itself upright. In the end, the only noteworthy sound it can muster is the sound of its falling to the floor after toppling from the counter top.
Inept as he is loquacious, the former naval commander, once again, has proven that he cannot successfully navigate a toy boat from one end of a bathtub to the other. He would make a wreck of even this simple assignment. Everything he has touched ends up being worse off, if not in complete ruins, than when he first happened upon it. His coming into a room is a cause for sorrow and his exit a cue for celebration. The man is an albatross around his own neck.
Yet, he had the audacity to write that all conscientious men must stand with the righteous at this hour and the he had “chosen to identify with the voiceless…” It seems that George discovered morality a bit late in the game of life and over a decade after the time when even a fiber of morality on his part would have amounted to something. George squeals about the deaths and destruction that have occurred in Lagos and then lays the trouble at the foot of one man who happens to be his political nemesis. Such as assignment of guilt by George is based on political convenience and con games rather than fact. George says Tinubu has questions to answer about the incident at Lekki but he offers no proof as to why Tinubu should be on the spot.
If George were really interested in justice, how come he did not jump at his master Obasanjo when the latter was commander in chief? As commander in chief, Obasanjo presided over the slaughter of several hundreds and perhaps thousands of unarmed innocent men, women and children in separate incidents in Zaki Biam and Odi. In each case, people were burned alive in their homes or dragged away and butchered. George voiced no indignation at these large massacres although they cost a hundred fold more lives than even all the precious lives lost everywhere in Lagos, not just Lekki during this period. Unjust death anywhere is a tragedy and must be condemned. But George’s background tells us that he is not crying because he cares about those who died or were wounded during events in Lagos but because the moment conveniently serves his political interest.
If he had morality, he would have chastised Obasanjo for killing innocent women and children and ransacking whole towns. Instead, George kept publicly quiet while in private endorsing the carnage set down by his boss who would eventually reveal himself to be a turncoat friend and master who would shuffled George off to prison. George talks of people being brought before the ICC in the Hague for what has happened in Lagos. His lawyer should advise him to be circumspect. Should some diligent human rights attorney take a good look at his role in the Obasanjo government and his endorsement of the confirmed large-scale massacres at Zaki Biam and Odi, that lawyer might take a very keen interest in Mr. George. George would surely quake in his boots upon finding on his doorstep one morning a mysterious brochure saying that he just won an all-expenses paid holiday to the Hague.
George is infamous for his meanness of personality and mercenary outlook toward policy – give him an official position and he will do any number of ugly things to keep it. In his writing, he called himself a elder statesman. However, one cannot award that title to oneself. It must be earned not unilaterally expropriated lest it be taken away by those who can rightly bestow it. George is no more a statesman than a mosquito is an eagle.
George claims Lagos to be an awful place yet he still lives here even after vowing to move away forever should the APC win the 2019 election. George will not move because, deep in his heart, he knows Lagos is the best that Nigeria has. It is the best not because of anything George did. It is the best despite George for he tried to thwart every major constructive initiative the state’s progressive governors have attempted since 1999.
George has the nerve to lament about the poor state of infrastructure and blame Tinubu and others. George drips with a double dose of highly toxic hypocrisy here. George well knows he encouraged Obasanjo to illegally withhold Lagos state funds when Tinubu was governor. George did this because he was afraid Tinubu would gain political support if allowed access to those funds to do projects in the state. Thus, George cared nothing that his antics might hurt Lagosians. He is captained by the perverse logic that rules all people who crave public office but are inherently unfit for the roles they seek. He believes the best way for him to gain the support of the people is to make them suffer. This is the way his mind worked then and the manner it malfunctions now. He is more interested in inveigling support than in duly enhancing the public welfare.
As governor, Tinubu brought power generator barges to Lagos to provide 300MW of power to the state and give residents and businesses more, cheaper power. What did George do? He did not applaud the initiative as a boon for Lagosians. He connived with Obasanjo to stop this. Again, he decided that he would rather see Lagosians suffer than Tinubu succeed at doing something new and needed for the people
Like he did in the past, George today is happy about the events that have befallen Lagos. He only feigns concern. He now is possessed of that cruel happiness that specially effects the mean at heart. They are only truly happy when misfortune comes to others. George now gloats the evildoer’s gloat and dances the wicked man’s dance. He is in this deformed way because he knows he cannot gain political traction by outperforming anyone. He cannot win by doing something positive because there is essentially noting positive in him. He is a bundle of negative impulses and actions. Thus, his only avenue of political pleasure and success is to tear down that which others have built. George is a breaker not maker of things.
His career has been monstrous. As military governor in Ondo, he was known to be corrupt to the utmost. He plundered the state’s treasury describing himself, by way of explanation, as a ‘Lagos Boy’ – giving the state a bad name. There was no part of the state treasure his sticky hand did not explore. As NPA chairman, he allowed the port to deteriorate. He is thus partly responsible for the economic bottleneck that is the port and all the harm and higher costs it brings to us. Worse, he was caught artificially segmenting large contracts into smaller ones so as to bypass procurement requirements and oversight. In this manner, he bilked the nation much like he did Ondo state as its governor. If nothing else, one can say that as a thief he has shown remarkable consistency if a coarseness of approach that always seems to get him caught.
As an operative of the PDP in Lagos and the SW, he has been the APC’s best friend for the division and antipathy he foments within his own party makes him one of the APC’s top recruiters.
Last, there is not a truly original thought that ever came from him. Toward the end of his piece, he asserts that the Lekki toll gate should be closed. George is a day late like most plagiarizers are. Tinubu made a similar recommendation the day before. George would not have made his copycat gesture but for having read Tinubu’s earlier statement.
Like the thief he is, George steals someone’s idea then foments hate against the other man for having had the idea first.
George is not a leader, a statesman or a visionary. His is a criminal mind and a cold hearted and an amoral personality. Bode, don’t forget there are still people old enough to remember where you are truly from.
At the end of the statement, George signs off “CON.” For most people that would mean Commander of the Niger. Yet, to get the perfect description of him, one must simply use this word before writing the word “artist” who can’t even identify the grave of his father in Ogun State… WHAT A “LAGOSIAN”.
Adeduntan, a public activist and a true son of Lagos State
It come as no surprise that this woman of substance who married to a God fearing handsome man in Nigeria, Mrs Temitope Alabi, today Tuesday 27th October 2020 pulled all the stops to ensure her 50th birthday was celebrated by her lovely Children with as much fanfare as possible.
Not only that, the indefatigable woman of passion double the joy on this occasion with 50 days undiluted power packed night of praise and worship also cutting the cake together with her lovely Children and well wishers. The philanthropist Tope Alabi Gospel Band who has traveled both International and local in order to contribute her quota to the gospel music industry, a glaring evidence that she is not only a successful woman in Nigeria and Africa at large of business but also a successful home maker, a devout Christian and a cheerful giver.
Asides from her family, many people testified to her wonderful attributes which are worthy of emulation and prayed for her continued success and good health.
The entire family of Temitope Alabi spent time dancing and praising God in the course of the event while the beautiful 50-year-old celebrant was spotted at strategic conners of the room where everywhere was just sparkling with Lemon green and yellow Trust Beth News asked the Children to describe their mum in one words and they have this to say ” Our Mum is a true definition of a virtuous woman, she is a wife and not a knife, she is a mother not a murderer. She has transferred her good virtues into her children and every child that comes close to her. Her life so far is a lesson, a gift and a guide for many to learn, emulate and appreciate”
The suspected leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Stanley Mgbere, who was declared wanted by the Rivers State Government for allegedly perpetrating violence in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area, has denied being a member of the proscribed group.
Governor Nyesom Wike had placed a N50m bounty on Mgbere’s head for anyone who could give any information that would lead to his arrest, saying he led IPOB members to cause violence in Onne.
But speaking from his hideout in a video posted on Facebook, Mgbere said the information given to the governor about him, which necessitated Wike’s action against him, was false.
He said though he was part of the #EndSARS protest in Onne, it was a peaceful one like what happened in other parts of the country, noting that he was a free-born from Onne.
He stated, “What happened in Onne was a peaceful protest and it was not done by only the community; it was done by Nigerians. But at the end, they said I am a member of IPOB. I am not a member of IPOB. I am a full indigene of Onne clan, which everybody knows.
“I am not aware of what they are saying and I am not aware of what they are telling the governor. Please, at this very moment, I am begging the governor not to listen to anything they are telling him because they are all lies.
“I beg on the masses and beg everybody to share this video because my hands are clean. I know what I am facing right now, but I will never give up. Thank you very much and God bless you all.”
Meanwhile, the police in Rivers State have said they arrested 21 suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra for allegedly attacking four police stations, during which three policemen were killed.
The Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt on Monday, said the police, in collaboration with sister security agencies, had restored order in the worst hit Oyigbo Local Government Area and other places.
Mukan said, “It is with a heavy heart that I address you this afternoon on the recent attacks in the state, leading to the loss of lives and destruction of properties.
“They equally extended their attack to the Afam Police Station and burnt it down. In all, they burned down three police stations and vandalised one. Several vehicles were burnt and three policemen were hacked to death.
“On Saturday, October 24, I led other service commanders of sister security agencies for an on-the-spot assessment to the Oyigbo LGA and the adjoining area; consequently, deployments were made to forestall further breakdown of law and order, and as we speak, there is relative peace in the Oyigbo LGA.
“We will continue to closely monitor the area, because that axis has been discovered to be a stronghold of IPOB. Necessary measures have already been taken and by the grace of God, the IPOB stronghold will be finally dislodged.”
Mukan gave the names of the slain officers as Inspector Sunday Dubon, Sergeant Swawale Ornan and Sergeant Umunna Uchechukwu.
However, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, denied the group’s alleged involvement in the attack.
REJECT SUSPECTED LOOTED ITEMS, IT IS CRIMINAL, Lagos CP warns
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has warned parents, community leaders and market women to reject all suspected looted or stolen items from the looters who wrecked havocs during the recent Endsars protest in Lagos State.
The loots from these hoodlums are hard-earned property of innocent Nigerians and such must not be found in anyone’s possession as it is highly criminal.
The Commissioner of Police gave the warning today in his Ikeja office while getting updates and compiling reports on the recent crises orchestrated by some armed and criminally-minded hoodlums within the state.
In as much as the command keeps on receiving complaints against such criminal acts, the police will go after anyone culpable and his or her accomplices, either for conspiracy or receiving stolen items or accessory after the fact accordingly.
He therefore urged the general public, particularly market women and traders, to disown the hoodlums who had looted people’s items by not patronising them or receiving such items from them for sales or keep. The police boss reiterated and reminded them that criminal cases have no statute of limitation and such cases could still be brought up against anyone involved years after the offense has been committed.
While he assured Lagosians that the policemen in the state have braced up to continue discharging their duties undistrated and professionally, despite the recent challenges we experienced. Furthermore, Commissioner of Police seized the Opportunity to appreciate community leaders and various groups for their support to surmount the crises and encouraged them to continue in the same spirit to promote community policing which remains the major pillar for public safety and security.
SP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI(mnipr)
PPRO LAGOS STATE COMMAND
26TH OCTOBER, 2020.
ABDUCTION OF DISTRICT HEAD OF LINGYADO AND FOUR (4) OTHERS IN MARU LGA.
On 25th October 2020 at about 0800 hours suspected bandits attacked Lingyado village of Maru Local government and abducted the district head and 4 others.
Joint Police and Military units stationed at Bindin to avert and respond to any invasion in those areas were informed of the incident. They quickly respond to the distress call and arrived the village to counter the threat. Their arrival averted the ill – intention of the bandits to kidnap as many as possible.
It will be recalled that the Zamfara State government has stationed 80 combined Police Mobile, Soldiers and Civil Defence like many vulnerable areas in the state to counter threat posed by recalcitrant bandits.
Currently, the Police search and rescue team in collaboration with the Military are in the nearby forest of the sarrounding area to rescue the district head and the 4 other kidnapped victims along with him.
It is on this premise, that the command is calling on the good people of the state to report any threat of any kind to the security agencies in any part of the state for early response to any attack by these recalcitrant bandits.
SP Mohammed Shehu
PPRO,
For:- Commissioner of Police,
Zamfara State Command
Gusau.
RE: DISSOLUTION OF SPECIAL ANTI-ROBBERY SQUAD (SARS
In line with the directives of the Inspector – General of Police, IGP Mohammed A. Adamu, NPM, mni, concerning the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, CP Undie J. Adie psc (+), wishes to inform the good people of Osun State that, the IGP’s directives has been complied with and the redeployment of SARS personnel is underway.
It should be noted that, the dissolution of SARS is in response to the yearnings of the people. He assures that a new policing arrangement to address anticipated policing gaps the dissolution of SARS would have caused has been developed and shall be announced in due course.
The Commissioner of Police appeal to the members of the public in the spirit of community policing to collaborate with the police by giving prompt and useful information that will promote security of lives and property in the state.
He appreciates and commends all citizens, particularly those who genuinely express their concerns for a better policing orientation in an organized, patriotic and civil manner.
The CP assures good people of the state to go about their lawful business without fear of molestations from any person(s) as adequate security measures have been emplaced for maximum security of lives and property of the citizens.
Signed
SP OPALOLA YEMISI OLAWOYIN
Police Public Relations Officer
For: Commissioner of Police
Osun State Command, Osogbo
APAPA PRESIDENTIAL TASKFORCE: ALLEGATION OF SHOOTING ACP BASELESS, UNFOUNDED.
The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to the news making waves on the social media and some Nigerian dailies that one ASP Kayode Falade shot at the Area Commnader, Area B, Apapa, Lagos State, ACP Soji Akinbayo, while on routine patrol and traffic control in the area on Friday.
The Command was taken aback by the trending news which is false, unfounded and malicious, as the Area Commmader was never shot or attacked by any police officer.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos state, CP Hakeem Odumosu, personally investigated the matter and discovered that the ASP, who was challenged and cautioned by the ACP for improper dressing, while on duty, was unruly and made some complimentary statements on the superior police officer. The ASP did not fire any shot or attack the Area Commander as wrongly reported in the fake news.
The Commissioner of Police has promised to handle the unruly behaviour of the ASP departmentally, while the Police boss assured the general public that the command, under his watch, will maintain discipline, uphold and respect rule of law, ethics and core values of modern policing according to the international standards.
The Commissioner of Police then appealed to the general public to regard the news as false, malicious and mischievous to heat up the state more so that the #endsars# protests are ongoing.
SIGNED
SP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI(mnipr)
POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
LAGOS STATE COMMAND
IKEJA.
I woke up this morning after my morning devotion; I dabbled into a mind boggling report on my WhatsApp platform.
I told myself: The TRUTH be told, what are the roles of the MEDIA obligated and bestowed with the sole ethical responsibilities of being the watchdog of the society; must have PLAYED in the long aged corruptions that have infested and given birth to loss of lives, heinous carnage, wanton destruction of our personal and national wealth over the years in Nigeria???!!!
After reading through this long revealing poetic but mind boggling report on my WhatsApp platform, calls for concerns.
I was forced to cull the below excerpts of the old historic but recent report and adaptation of the events that pluck up, and pull down many great African countries today.
“…Nigeria is fast ascending to the very path that Freetown took. The path that ruined Congo and Libya. The expressway to Rwanda, that is the path Nigeria is fast speeding into. Yet, this path is not a new path to us. It’s a familiar terrain that we have taken before. In 1966, long before even the Rwandan path was paved. We wasted over 3 million people as hundreds of innocent souls were slaughtered before even the war started.
Long before the Rwandan path was paved, religious differences and ethnic intolerance as being repeated today, led to a civil war that took our best, took our leaders, took innocent souls and took us backward.
The backwardness is still hunting and hurting us till day. And, it’s the wounds of the war that was not treated in a round table talk, talk, that is leading to another war. Yet, the leader of the nation insists that he’s comfortable exactly the way things are.
So, it’s either history is unfair to us or our leaders are blind to it. Indeed, the death meant to kill a dog does not allow her to smell faeces. And, like the saying goes, those who do not understand history are bound to repeat it.
Even if we hadn’t experienced a civil war before, what happened in Free Town, Monrovia, Abidjan in recent history ought to have taught us a lesson. The way Tripoli was turned from a fast developing city into a slave town where war lords reign should serve as a lesson.
But no, we learnt nothing. Just “over” 50 years after, when those that played major role to the last civil war are still alive, here the snowball of war goes rolling down from the snow mountain of stupid arrogance, gathering with it all the ethnic intolerance and religious divide that paved the path of Rwandan.”
Now, the key QUESTIONS:
1. What roles will the Nigerian MEDIA (the Fourth Estate or Fourth Power of the Realm) are known for to have played in the history of NIGERIA OF TODAY & NIGERIA OF THE FUTURE?
2. How can the MEDIA forthwith contribute greatly and use as tools for unbiased dispersion of information to show the dark side of every human lives and distribute truth?
Posterity will surely catch up with every genuine and qualified professional in this world of journalism, hence whilst, there is urgent need and call to create that sense of balance and transparency in our society, in Nigeria.
I can’t say it all here. We all know the role of the Rwandan Media in the historic 1994 genocide amongst the Hutu and Tutsi of the Republic of Rwanda.
Amongst others, #ENDSAR Protest would pass as a litmus test for the Nigerian Media if they truly stand for the TRUTH and want to be identified for SHAPING PUBLIC OPINIONS/REACTIONS for PEACEFUL and PROGRESSIVE NATION.
LET’S CHANGE THE NARRATIVES, AS A FORCE FOR PEACE, BE THE AGENT OF SOCIETAL CHANGE; AS THE WATCHDOG OF OUR SOCIETY, OUR OWN COUNTRY!!!
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has appealed to residents to support the ongoing effort of the government to put life back into state.
Obasa said this when he led other members of the House on a visit to some of the areas destroyed or burnt down by some people who took advantage of the protest against the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The lawmakers visited the ravaged palace of the Oba of Lagos, HRM, Rilwan Akiolu, and the Isokoko Police Station.
Other areas visited by the team of lawmakers are the Pen Cinema Police Station, the Fagba Police unit and Television Continental.
Obasa, while lamenting the level of destruction that took place in the state, noted that Lagos had always maintained a very respected place in the country and in Africa.
He urged aggrieved residents to be conscious of the fact that rebuilding the state is a major task that must be done with unity while noting the effort of the government to see that something is done in relation to those who lost their lives as a result of SARS brutality.
According to him, Lagos is a mini-Nigeria and it habours people irrespective of where they come from and political and religious sentiments.
He pleaded with the residents to abstain from further destruction of properties and the heritage that binds the people together.
To him, unity and love should become the new focus as this would encourage, empower and inspire the government’s direction at this critical time.
He promised residents that as representatives of the people, the members of the House of Assembly would always stand for what would benefit them and develop the state.
Obasa commended the management of the Television Continental for its quick return despite the magnitude of the destruction experienced.
He urged the television station to continue to sustain its tempo as one of the biggest news media in the country.
