Is Northern Nigeria; Safe for Igbos, Christians?

 

              Comrade Christian Akpunonu

By Christian Akpunonu

In retrospect, the sad memories of human carnage in the Northern parts of Nigeria sends rude shock and chills down ones nerves.

The commemoration of ugly incidences like the Maitatsine riots, the Kaduna massacre,Sabo Ngeri Kano massacre and countless others will definitely pose a natural question as to whether the North is actually really safe for soujourners.The chequeerd history of northern Nigeria is replete with ugly incidences of mass killings,arsons, kidnapping,terrorism and all sorts of violent criminality. This is the consequence of typical religious intolerance. The Islamic religion deal with the mandatory acknowledgement of the creator (ie the Godhead), the Lord of lords,God of gods.The issue of religious differences lie on the modus Operandi of exhibiting doctrinal differences . Also, the process of the conversion of faithful equally explains the difference.The Christian and some other religions use persuasive dialogue and preaching. Conversely, the Muslims use coercion and annexation to win converts.In areas of similarities like morality, it is still subjective.In effect, attitudes that constitute moral rectitude differ in several regards.The Christians derive impetus from instilling, inculcating and internalizing morality.But, the Muslims seemingly get engrossed in enforcing, imposing and imbibbing morality.

The insinuations in the foregoing is to reveal obvious dissimilarity.One of the duo honors the sanctity of life,whereas the other cares no too hoots.The way one of the duo sees life is quite a chasmic difference from the other.Yet,both apparently revere the same Godhead as the genuinely convinced and converted faithful.How true is this depends on commitment and fanatism.Religious fanatics are definitely dangerous and detrimental to the Truth. It is a sin.

The commemoration of past sordid history of political and religious killings, arsons, kidnapping,banditry, and terrorism, especially in the northern Nigeria is regrettable.

At the point of little tiff, the violent youths of the north go Gaga. Their indescribable volatility readily unleashed unbearable brutality and man's inhumanity to man on unsuspecting persons of Christian religion, particularly those from the Southeast extraction..The most gruesome ways of decimating human being is witnessed and experienced in the North.Somebody gets stoned,maimed, beheaded and slaughtered at the slightest socio-religious linked provocations or even misunderstanding.What an arrant nonsense.Sokoto is set ablaze, with the Christians and Igbos target victims.Why?

That being the case, it sparks off the growing trepidations and apprehensions as to whether it's even safe to cohabit with crass antagonistic neighborhood, especially in the Northern Answers to this topic will be highly appreciated.

Recently,the incredible news of the martyred young Lagos in Sokoto over what could easily go for a clear frivolity,is so unsettling.They pressed forward charges of blasphemy against the Islamic religion for questioning why Islamic religious post should be sent to a dedicated Whatapp platform. Blasphemy! It's supposed to be the battle of the God,not man.How many times and instances have Moslems blasphemed Jesus Christ? Was anybody stoned or lynched for doing by overzealous angry  Christian mobs. retrospect of the killing of the retired Gen.Zemani Lekwot is quite goose pimping.

And, recent many other unwarranted violent killings, arsons, kidnapping, banditry and terrorism of the Christians and the Igbos in the North provoked this piece.

In as much as one cannot condone these vices, it is not  all out to encourage reprisals. In fact, doing so definitely spells doom for the nation.This is true, because, oftentimes reprisals in whatever guise are found intractable and very disastrous.

So, with what is going on consistently in the North repetitively, and still lingering, disaster looms in this God's about-to-be forsaken country.

In fact, the world perceive Nigeria today, as pure enigma vis-a-viz the prevailing socio-political circumstances.It is probably a mystery to the watching world that we are yet to go up in flames.Enough,is enough.There is no longer any guarantee of the safety and security of citizens anywhere in this country. The Christians and Igbos are no longer safe to sojourn in the North.This is quite alarming, despicable too .These purveyors of violent criminality of the northern extraction should better watch their steps.

Disclaimer

Opinion expressed here is entirely that of the writer and does not reflect the views of Nigerian Academic Excellence Magazine.

Senate: Why Prince Ugochukwu Nwachukwu (Ugosly) is best choice for APC and Owerri Zone (1)

By Ben AHANONU

    Prince Ugochukwu Nwachukwu (Ugosly)

As the date for primary election for the House of Representatives and Senate aspirants wishing to run on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as candidates draws near, it is important to let the people especially the accredited delegates from Owerri Zone know, who to vote for and reasons for such.

Of course, it is glaring that Prince Ugochukwu Nwachukwu (Ugosly) is the front-runner and most favoured given his unique attributes. 

According to the directive of Prince Nwachukwu (Ugosly), who is an apostle of politics without bitterness, " There should be no name-calling, no casting of aspersions, no taking of jabs at opponents, we are still brothers and political associates." 

Therefore, I will only focus on real issues and not persons because Ugosly has a lot of positives going for him.

 In the words of Maya Angelou: "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel," and so it is with Prince Ugochukwu Hilary Nwachukwu (Ugosly).

Across the length and breadth of Nigeria and every corner he is known as a very nice  and generous person, people are testifying about his generosity - that is how he made them feel. They might have forgotten what he said but not what he did and keeps doing - philanthropy.

His philanthropy is neither a spur - of - the election moment (emphasis mine) nor a drop in the ocean. It is in his DNA to be philanthropic. It is congenitally habitual and not conditionally isolated. Like he said: 'I will start representing Owerri Zone in the Senate from day 1. No ceremonies, no procrastination and I am giving total representation. I am going to introduce"Targeted Empowerment," based on the peculiar needs of the people. It is going to be massive and unmatched.'

              

People are also testifying that UGOSLY as he is fondly called, is a gentleman with a very high likeable rate, very accessible, always amiable, humble and down - to - earth as a grassroots man. He grew up here, he knows everywhere and the peculiar needs of every local government area in Owerri Zone.

There are some, who started being accessible to the people lately because of their political ambition and some, who remembered empowering the people lately because they want to win their votes but for Ugosly, his philanthropy is all-season.

Ugosly is a man you can reach at any time. He is a man that will not discard his popular telephone number after winning the election. He is the man you can trust and reach even after the election because he sees himself as just a servant - leader and of the view that the mandate belongs to the people.

Certainly, he is the right man, best suited to represent Imo East Senatorial Zone in the Senate.

On the other hand, Ugosly is clean and descent without any skeleton in the cupboard. He is only an industrious and shrewd businessman, who by dint of hard work, diligence and dedication acquired wealth and fortune through real estate business - clean business.

He has never served under any government in any capacity but has been supportive of government with his hard-earned resources.

He has never chaired any Government board or agency and of course, his name is Honourable and has not appeared in any Government White Paper of indictment.

It must be pointed out that in the Senate, there are no professors, no dancers - as there is no dance floor, no boasters, no orators, no PhD holders - some awarded, some claimed like "Toronto certificate" and If there are academics, they are quite few.  Instead, wheelers and dealers are in the red chamber of the National Assembly. Lobbyists and bold game-changers, men, who have what it takes and know how to attract dividends of democracy to their zone are in the Senate. Prince Ugochukwu is a renowned wheeler-dealer, sound lobbyist with expansive network of connections, which will be deployed massively in the Senate for the good of Owerri Zone and Imo State just like Gov. Uzodimma did as a Senator.

Ugosly is also highly spiritual, God-fearing and never afraid of challenges or competition because he is a man of positivity. He is not going to the Senate to make money - no. He is already rich and famous. He is only going to the Senate to serve like his kinsman - late Distinguished Senator Amah Iwuagwu, who died in active service and did not complete his first term - I will look at that in subsequent pieces.

Wow! I trust it has been elucidating enough and I am sure I did not violate the directive of Prince Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, who no doubt,  has effortlessly touched lives and invested heavily in humanity, hence if given the opportunity to represent Owerri Zone in the red chamber of the National Assembly, he  will only make the common Owerri person’s dream come through.

God bless Owerri Zone.

How hackers can unlock, steal your vehicles wirelessly

 

 By our Abuja correspondent

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has disclosed that hackers have invented means of starting some models of Honda and Acura car engines wirelessly.

NCC Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde said research has exposed a vulnerability used by nearby attackers to unlock these vehicles.

He pointed out that the vulnerability is a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack or a replay attack in which an attacker intercepts the Radio Frequency (RF) signals normally sent from a remote key fob to the car, manipulates the signals, and re-sends them later to unlock the car at will.

“The fact that car remotes are categorized as short-range devices that make use of radio frequency to lock and unlock cars informed the need for the Commission to alert the public on this emergent danger, where hackers take advantage to unlock and start a compromised car. With this latest type of cyber-attack, it is also possible to manipulate the captured commands and re-transmit them to achieve a different outcome altogether,” he said in a statement.

The statement added that the attack consists of a threat actor capturing the radio frequency signals sent from the key fob to the car and resending the signals to take control of the car’s remote keyless entry system.

“When affected, the only mitigation according to cyber-alert unit is to reset the key fob at the dealership. The affected car manufacturer may also provide a security mechanism that generate fresh codes for each authentication request, which makes it difficult for an attacker to ‘replay’ the codes thereafter,” NCC said.

In a related advisory, the NCC, based on another detection by CSIRT, alerted the public about the resurgence of Joker Trojan-Infected Android Apps on Google Play Store.

This arose due to the activities of criminals, who intentionally download legitimate apps from the Play Store, modify them by embedding the Trojan malware and then uploading the app back to the Play Store with a new name.

The statement revealed that the malicious payload is only activated once the apps goes live on the Play Store, which enables the apps to scale through Google’s strict evaluation process.

“Once installed, the apps request for permissions that once granted, enable the apps to have access to critical functions such as text messages and notifications.

As a consequence, a compromised device will subscribe unwitting users to premium services, billing them for services that do not exist. A device like this can also be used to commit Short Messaging Service (SMS) fraud while the owner is unaware. It can click on online ads automatically and even use SMS One-Time Password (OTPs) to secretly approve payments.

“Without checking bank statements, the user will be unaware that he or she has subscribed to an online service. Other actions, such as stealing text messages, contacts, and other device data, are also possible,” the statement reads in part.

The NCC  advised telecom consumers to ensure that apps installed from the Google Play Store are heavily scrutinized by reading reviews, assessing the developers, perusing the terms of use and only granting the necessary permissions. It also recommended that unauthorised transactions be checked against any installed app.

Attack on Eze Okeke: Police neutralize suspected terrorists, recover vehicles

 

By our correspondent

Six hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN), have been eliminated by operatives of Imo State Police Command.

According to a release signed by Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Michael Abbatam: "On 16/5/2022 at about 0800 hours armed men in their numbers were seen in three Hilux vehicles shooting sporadically and fiercely advancing towards the Palace of Imo State Chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Highness Eze Dr E. C. Okeke in Orlu, to unleash terror.  

"Upon receipt of the information, the Command's tactical team joined by the military immediately mobilized and rushed to the palace. The hoodlums on sighting the combined team, engaged them in a fierce gun duel, including throwing of petrol bombs. The gallant security operatives responded swiftly and  professionally. In the ensuing exchange of gun fire, the hoodlums were overwhelmed due to the superior firepower of the combined security team resulting in the death of six hoodlums while others escaped with various degrees of gunshot injuries.  

"The combined team did not relent in their effort, as they chased the hoodlums recovering one pump action gun, three blood stained cutlasses and three Hilux Vehicles suspected to have been snatched from innocent citizens."

The release stated that calm has been restored in the area and the corpses of the dead bandits have been removed and deposited in the mortuary. 

The combined security recorded no casualty as it was only one of the police vehicles that got burnt due to fire sparked off by petrol bomb. 

Meanwhile, efforts are on to arrest other fleeing hoodlums while security in Orlu and its environs has  been beefed up to forestall any further attack.

The release further disclosed that the Commissioner of Police,  Imo Command, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde, psc(+) has commended men of the combined team for their gallantry and urged them not to relent in their efforts until all criminal elements and their cohorts are made to face the full wrath of the law. He also  thanked Imolites for their constant support and advised them to always assist the police and other security agencies with credible and timely information while urging them to report promptly any person seen with bullet wounds to the nearest Police Station or call the Police Emergency Control Room numbers; 080347773600 or 08098880197. 

Equally, the Commissioner of Police advised peace-loving people of Imo State to go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation as all security agencies are working assiduously and in synergy to ensure  safety of lives and property in the state. 

Electoral Act: NASS challenges Buhari, Malami on section 84(12)

                              Lawan

 

The National Assembly has challenged a suit filed by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on the controversial Section 84(12) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2022.

While the President and his minister asked the Supreme Court to interpret the provision of the section of the law, the lawmakers opposed the request to strike it out.

Their position was contained in a counter-affidavit filed by the counsel to the National Assembly, Kayode Ajulo, on Monday at the apex court in Abuja.

The National Assembly asked the Supreme Court to strike out the suit instituted by President Buhari and Malami, saying the court cannot be invoked to amend the provision of any law validity made by lawmakers in the exercise of their legislative powers as granted by the Constitution.

According to them, the 1999 Constitution as amended gives the National Assembly the power to make laws for good governance in Nigeria.

Besides seeking interpretation of the contentious section, the President and the minister, in the suit filed on April 29, sought an order of the apex court to strike out the section of the Electoral Act.

The duo who were plaintiffs in the suit contended that Section 84 (12) of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 was inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 42, 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 147, 151, 177, 182, 192 and 196 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended), as well Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and People and Peoples Rights.

For them, the Constitution already provides qualification and disqualification for the offices of the President and Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor, Senate and House of Representatives, House of Assembly, Ministers, Commissioners, and Special Advisers.

Airlines operators warn of imminent disruptions to flights over fuel

 

The Airlines Operators of Nigeria (AON) has warned that the flight operations of its members may experience disruptions due to a growing scarcity of aviation fuel (Jet-A1).

According to statement signed by AON’s spokesperson Prof. Obiora Okonkwo “The scarcity is impacting negatively on seamless conduct of air transport operations and would lead to flight rescheduling, and, or, cancellations.”

"working very hard, and in alliance with product marketers, government and relevant stakeholders, to ensure availability and proper pricing of aviation fuel in the country.

“While pleading the understanding of the flying public in the face of this reality, we also promise to do all that is necessary, and within our powers, to restore normal flight schedules as soon as possible.”

The AON last week had threatened to shutdown operations over the rising cost of Jet-A1.

The shutdown was called off after the Federal Government intervened.

AON members on May 9 met with the leadership of the House of Representatives and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The NNPC at the meeting pledged to make available six million litres of JetA1 to aviation fuel marketers chosen by the AON as part of efforts to temporarily resolve the crisis.

Onunuju hails Justice Chikeka as impeccable Judge

             Justice Chukwuemeka-Chikeka

Dear Justice Theresa Eberechukwu Chukwuemeka-Chikeka,

I am very pleased to send my warmest congratulations on your recommendation  for appointment  as the Chief Judge of Imo State by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

You have always worn diligence, dedication and professionalism like a toga and your recommendation by the NJC is confirmation of the fact that you are the right choice for the position and a testament to your competence as a sound and seasoned Judge with impeccable character.

Everything you have done and accomplished has led to this point and you truly deserve it.

Accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

Signed:

Barrister Kingsley Ononuju

(Ekwedashike)

               Barrister Kingsley Ononuju