THE BOISTEROUS QUIT-NOTICE TO THE SOUTH-EASTERNERS LIVING IN NORTHERN NIGERIA.: by SHABA MAFU.

Just recentLy, there was a boisterous call by some Northern elements of Nigeria to the people of the south-Eastern extraction to vacate the Northern zone within the period of three months, giving the ultimatum to expire exactly on the 1^st of October, 2017, the official date when Nigeria celebrates its independence from the British overlords. Though the consequence of the quit notice if flouted was not clearly spelt out, the implication was that in the event of any flouting, there might be forceful eviction of the tenants. This notice has birthed national outrage even by the Ibos who had had been agitating for secession from the country. There were chafed by the effrontery and brazen ridicule of this confrontational sacking order of the Northerners who themselves had maintained offensive relationships  throughout the nooks and crannies of the nation where they are enjoying unfettered and luscious accommodation by their hosts in spite of their recent characteristic hostility to their host-communities. The Ibos anger was further kindled by the fact that the Northerners had no moral justifications to mock at them since they too are 'secessionists' through the Boko haram devilish escapades.

Historically, the Ibos have been on the vanguard of a divided nation. Shortly after the independence of Nigeria, they possibly and quickly discovered  in their own grand and intelligent calculation, that the contraction called Nigeria was not worth federating with, agreeing with the submission of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo that Nigeria was best described as a notion because it best existed in mental conception. Irked or inspired by the submission of this sage, the Ibos first disrupted the national cohesion of the country by staging a bloody coup in January 15, 1966. They hated with passion a contraction called Nigeria before their so-called theory of marginalization which they now flaunt contemporarily as the basis of their secession. The Ibos do not believe in ONE Nigeria ab initio. This may because they felt that they may not realize their full potentials as a nation if they flocked with what constituted the Nigerian nation as badly constructed by the British enslavers and colonialists.

On the other hand, discontented with the irritating, recycling, and cataclysmic calls for secession coupled with celebrated frustrations of the economic punches from every side of existence and the ravaging customized boko haramists, some of the Northern elements under different Groups issued a frustrating statement asking all the people from the South-East of the country to vacate the Northern geographical zone within a specified period of time. This is clearly to ventilate their all-round saturated frustrations. From the political angle, the North may also have viewed that that the East which did not vote substantially for the Buhari (a Northerner) administration are also the ones calling for the dissolution of Nigeria to further display their hatred for the North.  In the days of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the cry for secession was never heard from the Ibos. This position could be viewed by the North as a clear affront to them and their collective psyche.

Psychologically, the quit notice by the North was to “assist” the Ibos in getting their independence since all the agitations were only been mouthed. So sending them off will expedite the struggle for their long-desired independence. The call could also influence the North-led administration of Buhari to grant the Ibos the rights of a referendum cheaply and easily without the undue strains the Ibos are presently going through. But this ‘assistance’ had been rebuffed by the Easterners describing it as an affront and that the North cannot constitute themselves into the federal government and that their agitation was not directed to them but to the federal government of Nigeria. They therefore unequivocally asked the North to withdraw the quit notice order. The North has not yet done that. This is what is trending in the political space for now

There are certain facts that everyone is missing out here. One, in the Nigerian constitution, Section , 41. 1. “Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to

reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from

Nigeria or refused entry thereby or exit therefrom”.

• Freedom of movement.  Everyone Nigerian is entitled (not privileged) to live in any part of the country, transact any legitimate businesses there and can marry and raise up a family there. By this, no individual, group or section of the country has any right whatsoever to ask another citizen of Nigeria to forcefully stay or leave any part of Nigeria at any point in time. The quit notice given, therefore, to the Easterners living in the North is a gross violation of that section of the Nigerian constitution. Those violators must be arrested and prosecuted as rightly advocated by the Kaduna  State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Though the Police said they were still looking for those who signed the quit notice order, the truth remains that this subterfuge of the Police does not and cannot justify this ill-fated call by the Northerners. I can’t comprehend how the Police are still looking for a popular group, like Arewa Consultative Forum amongst others.

It must be clearly stated here and now that in the history of revolutions of nations, no part of a sovereign nation secedes on a platter of gold or by mere noise-making and toothless agitations as being deployed by the Nnamdi Kalu-led secessionists Group. Though he has been verbalizing war, I pity his ignorance about war especially in an already volatile Nigeria of today. If there is war, there will be no Ibo nation he is canvassing for; there will be no Nigeria to vaunt his dream-victory upon. General Odumegwu Ojukwu, an intelligent Army Officer knew decades ago that the only way, and of the course the REAL way to liberate a people in secession is through war. He engaged the Nigerian state in armed struggle for thirty bloody months. He did not succeed. The Ibos could not secede. It was a war of attrition, a war not to be contemplated for a repeat, a war that had set the Ibos against the Nigerian state to now emphasize their marginalization. A history of war that is now taught in schools that had made Nigerians knew how sacrosanct and indispensable the oneness and indivisibility Nigeria is to everyone. However, the only way for the Ibos to go is through another war that will birth destruction of unimaginable proportions on Nigerians and the entire nation, worse than as ever recorded in the 1967-1970 war.

Nigeria can remain one and insurmountably prosperous entity. Nigeria will not go to war. We have super-abundant resources to cater for our various needs in all the geo-political zones of this great country. The Ibos are great people, very enterprising and industrious. The Northerners are hardworking and committed, friendly and accommodating people on a good day. The Westerners (the Yorubas) are rich in culture. They are people of natural kindness and characteristic hospitality to everyone. They are intelligent and very peaceful people. I have lived with them.

The only problem we need to handle collectively is the grand corruption of the elites of Nigeria. They are the common enemies of all Nigerians. Corruption is the enemy of Nigeria: corruption, not only in the public sector as erroneously believed, but also in the private sector. Yes, the private sector of the economy is stinking corrupt as well! If all these energies for quit notices, secession bids, militancy boko haraming etc, are legitimately deployed to curb the corruption of the political elites no matter their level in the society, whether it is the President, Governors, Judges, Managing Directors, Armed Force, Academia; if there can be coordinated revolution against all these ills as it was in the case of Ghana and Egypt in the recent past, then there will be a new Nigeria for all where everyone has right and access to the commonwealth, then we can build a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria. I call on all committed Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria to champion this ‘revolution’?

Nine killed in suspected Boko Haram attack in Niger

PHOTO: AFP

Nine people were killed and dozens kidnapped after an attack in southeastern Niger by suspected members of Boko Haram, local authorities said Monday. The attack happened Sunday night, between 2100-2200 GMT. “About 30 to 40 women and children were taken by the assailants,” local mayor Abari El Hadj Daouda told AFP, adding that Nigerien authorities were headed to the area to investigate.
The attack took place in Kabalewa, a village near the southeastern Niger city of Diffa, which is close to Nigeria — the second such attack in the village in a week.
On Wednesday, two women bombers blew themselves up in a refugee camp in the town, killing two other people and injuring 11, in an act also blamed on Boko Haram Islamists.
Boko Haram’s insurgency began in northeast Nigeria and has spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger, claiming more than 20,000 lives and displacing 2.6 million people.
The group’s members have since 2015 been staging regular attacks in the Diffa region, where Niger has declared a state of emergency.
There are more than 300,000 refugees and displaced people sheltered in the area, but authorities said they are planning to transfer thousands of refugees and displaced to camps farther from Nigeria’s border.

Culled from AFP in Guardian

Kano mourns Maitama-Sule

— 3rd July 2017

Some residents of Kano have expressed shock and dismay at the news of the death of elder statesman Alhaji Yusuf Maitama-Sule.
Since the news of his death broke, people have continued to troop to his two residences to confirm and share their sorrow with his family.
Some people who spoke to NAN correspondent shared their sorrows towards the loss of the man whom they said spent his entire life for the development of the country.
A resident, Alhaji Balarabe Abdullahi, said Kano has indeed entered a pathetic situation for losing an elder statesman like Maitama-Sule.
He said late Sule mentored and advised the late Emir Ado Bayero.
A relation of the deceased, Hajiya Amina Ahmad, said Kano had lost a father whose advice kept the town alive
She said the elder statesman dedicated his entire life for the service of the nation and had a dream of a better Nigeria.
Kano residents wore gloomy faces on Sunday evening when some of his relations posted the condition of his health on the social media saying he needed prayers.
A family source, Nura Sheriff, confirmed the news of his death Monday morning in a press statement.
Maitama-Sule was a Federal Commissioner for Public Complaints in 1976 and a Presidential candidate under the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) but lost to Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1979.
He was also appointed Nigeria’s envoy to the United Nations and became the Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.  Culled from Sun

The Federal Reserve has done nothing'- Alex Morrell

The Federal Reserve has done nothing': Elizabeth Warren urges the Fed to clean house at Wells Fargo

Alex Morrell

Elizabeth Warren

(Elizabeth Warren says it's time for the Fed to take action.AP) Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants the Federal Reserve to clean house at Wells Fargo, asking for the removal of the 12 members of the board of directors who served while the fake accounts scandal was ongoing. 

In a letter sent to Fed Chair Janet Yellen Monday, Warren argued that the directors present from 2011 to 2015, when Wells Fargo employees opened as many as 2.1 million accounts for customers without their knowledge, need to go — and that the Fed has the authority to remove them under a Congressional statute regarding the governance of insured depository institutions like Wells Fargo. 

"I urge you to exercise your legal authority to remove the holdover Wells Fargo Board members. Federal Reserve regulations and guidance impose clear risk-management obligations on the Board — obligations that are quite demanding for a bank as large and complex as Wells Fargo," Warren wrote. "The Board did nothing to stop rampant misconduct in the Community Bank that resulted in more than 5000 bank employees creating more than two million fake accounts over four years."

Warren cited a statute that empowers the Fed to remove board members who "engaged or participated in any unsafe or unsound practice" that caused depository institution "financial loss or other damage" and that showed "continuing disregard ... for the safety or soundness" of the institution.

She argues in the letter that the directors failed in their risk-management obligations, resulting in "massive financial losses" and "long-lasting reputational damage to the bank that has eroded the bank's customer base."

So far, the accounts scandal has resulted in $185 million in fines, the ouster of CEO John Stumpf and other high-level executives, and a spate of ongoing government investigations. The company has set aside some $1.7 billion to pay for potential costs surrounding the scandal.

Warren criticized the Fed for having "done nothing" with its authority to hold Wells Fargo accountable.  

"While other federal regulators with jurisdiction over this scandal ... have taken steps to hold Wells Fargo accountable and promote the integrity of the banking system, the Federal Reserve has done nothing to date, despite its ample statutory authority," she wrote in the letter.

A Fed spokesman confirmed they had received the letter and plan to respond to Warren. 

Wells Fargo issued a statement Monday highlighting the company's efforts to make amends and changes in the wake of the scandal:

"Wells Fargo’s board and management team have taken many actions in response to its retail sales practices issues, including changes in senior leadership, executive accountability actions and numerous steps to ensure we make things right with any customer affected by unacceptable sales practices. That work continues and remains a core part of our efforts to build a better Wells Fargo for the future." 

Shareholders blasted the company at its annual meeting in April over the scandal. Some board members were reelected by only slim margins. 

The company came under fire last week over a new allegation: That in 2015 the bank was changing the terms of customers' mortgages without telling them, several lawsuits allege.

Culled from Business Insider