Buhari enthroning ethnicism into Nigeria’s polity – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

Chief John Nnia Nwodo (Jnr), the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said that Nigeria under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government is sliding into a status of rejection and lawlessness.

He accused President Muhammadu Buhari of enthroning ethnicism into the nation’s polity, pointing out that the failure of leadership has made the country to become restive.

Speaking in an interview with Sun newspaper, Nwodo said, “Our current leadership has become so ethnicised that it has reminded people of their homes.

“If you are a Fulani and you do wrong you will escape the law. If you are a Fulani and you don’t qualify for a job, you get it. If you are a Fulani you become a herdsman and kill people, you are not arrested.

“You hang an automatic rifle on your neck and you are photographed and show in all the social media, nobody arrests you. You break into a church in Benue State, kill the priests and choirs and turn around, wear the uniform of the choir, danced and it was trending all over the place in the social media, nobody will arrest you. If you go to Nimbo and kill farmers there and you show them in your telephones, nobody prosecutes you.

“There is one law for some people and another law for the others. If you are a Fulani, you can become Chief Justice of Nigeria, whether you went to our normal law school or you went to Sharia school.

“If you are a Fulani and you are a Chief of Army Staff you can be there forever. When your tenure finishes it can be elongated, something that has never happened in the history of our country and does not have any justification in any establishment law that we know.

“Our present government has remained much on where you come from in terms of our ethnic configuration and as long as this situation persists, Nigeria will continue to remain a tribalistic nation.”

- DAILY POST

I idolize my job and do not foresee leaving it – Scrap collector

A scrap collector, Musa Mohammed, who makes about N30,000 monthly, says he idolises his job and does not foresee leaving it any time soon.

Mohammed who collects waste aluminium products stated this in Benin on Saturday.

He said he makes more than N1000 daily on a very good day, while at the lowest, makes about N600 daily.

The scrap collector who said he hails from Sokoto State and has been in the business for over three years stressed that he has no formal education.

Mohammed said through the business, he takes care of himself and also remits as much as he can to his parents back home.

“I am not married and have no children, so through this, I support myself and also support my parents with the little I can.

“The business could have been more profitable if I deal directly with the end user and not going through middlemen.

“But in all, I thank God as I do not spend money on accommodation because I practically live at the place we make sales,” he said.

- PM NEWS

Economic turmoil after Brexit will be UK's fault - European Commission chief

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission chief, has warned that the UK would be "100 per cent" responsible if its decision to leave the EU caused economic turmoil, as he urged MPs to vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal.

In an interview with a German newspaper, Mr Juncker urged the UK not to waste its six month extension to the Article 50 process and added that he did not have hopes of the UK eventually reversing Brexit.

"We need to be prepared for a soft and a hard Brexit. In any event, the UK’s withdrawal will have a negative impact - more for the British than for the EU," he told Funke.

"There will be no single-market-based solution. As far as I am concerned, the British side bears 100 per cent of the responsibility for this."

He added: "We cannot keep on putting off the withdrawal date indefinitely. The best solution would be for the British to adopt the Withdrawal Agreement during the extra time that has been agreed...[Brexit] must one day come to an end."

Economists have warned that Brexit will damage the British economy regardless of whether a "hard" or "soft" approach is adopted as it will create trade barriers with the EU, which makes up 44 per cent of UK trade. 

In the same interview, the European Commission president deflected rumours in the British media of his alleged drinking problem, following several incidents where he appeared unsteady on his feet in public.

"I still have sciatica. This is why I have some mobility problems, which the British press often likes to make a big thing about and attribute to other causes.," he said.

"I often limp because I had a car accident. But I am not complaining."

Mr Juncker, in what may prove to be his last newspaper interview as EU Commission chief, made the appeal to British MPs as the UK prepares to elect members of the European parliament, a legal condition of the six-month Article 50 extension. Brussels fears those elections could lead to a surge in support for far-Right populist parties, such as the Italian Northern League, which are sympathetic towards the causes of Brexit.

In the UK, the vote is also likely to elect swathes of pro-Brexit MPs led by Nigel Farage, whose new Brexit Party could secure nearly a third of the vote according to recent polls. 

Mr Juncker went on to say that the EU should stop campaigning for a "United States of Europe."

Asked if the EU would ever become a United States of Europe, he responded: "I last used this term before puberty at the age of 14 years. We should stop using it. I do not believe that we will ever have a centralised state that is comparable to the U.S. I don’t want it either.

"The European Union should not become a melting pot in which all differences disappear."  One of the biggest criticisms of Mr Juncker's leadership is his response to the refugee crisis, which led to each EU member state being told to accept quotas on migrants to share the burden. 

In his interview with Funke, the 64-year-old stood by the policy but admitted that the EU needed to change its overall approach to migration. 

"We need a better Europe on the issue of migration," he said. "Refugees, migrants and illegal immigrants are a pan-European issue. We need a solidarity-based response and a system of redistribution."

Refugee quotas were abandoned by EU leaders in 2017 after fierce opposition from Poland and Hungary, with European Council president Donald Tusk admitting they were "divisive and ineffective."

The UK, however, was never subject to the quotas as David Cameron chose to opt out from the scheme. - THE TELEGRAPH

5-Year-Old Boy Calls 911, Asks For McDonald's Delivery

A 5-year-old boy surprised dispatchers in Wyoming, Michigan when he placed a 911 call, not because of an emergency but due to a craving. 

According to WZZM-TV, Iziah Hall used a deactivated cell phone last Sunday to dial the only number he could, connecting him to an emergency responder. When Sara Kuberski answered the call, Hall asked for one thing.
"Can you bring me McDonald's?," the boy asked.

Kuberski told Hall she couldn't, but she reported the call to Wyoming police officer Dan Patterson.
"I was laughing to myself... 5-year-old calls dispatch and orders McDonald's," Patterson told WZZM.

Patterson said he was responding to the call as a welfare check and, since he was driving past a McDonald's on the way to Hall's home, stopped and ordered food for the child.
Patterson received no answer when he knocked on the front door, so he moved to knock on a window instead, coming into contact with Hall.

"I think the first thing he said to me was, "My grandma's gonna be so mad, can you please go away?" Patterson told WZZM.
Instead, Patterson stayed at the home until Hall's grandmother came to the door and then used the experience to teach Hall about when it's appropriate to call 911.

Hall's grandmother, whose name was not reported by WZZM, said she was surprised that Hall could make a call on a deactivated phone.
"We get a lot of people who are letting their kids play on their cell phones and a lot of them are deactivated and parents don't realize they can still call 911," Kuberski told WZZM.

The Federal Communications Commission advises individuals to check phone settings on older phones to determine if the 911 dial feature can be turned off.
When asked about his special delivery, Hall said he thought it was "funny," but his grandmother said he now understands what an emergency is and won't make such a call for McDonald's again.


The incident is just one of many where someone has managed to call the cops for non-emergency situations. Last year, a 9-year-old girl in Canada called the police on her parents when they made her clean her room and a woman in Austin, Texas called authorities to help a man dangling from a roof in her neighborhood. She later discovered the man was a mannequin and part of the house's Christmas decorations — a re-enactment of a scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

-NEWSWEEK

First Japan-built airliner in 50 years takes on Boeing and Airbus

A new, long-delayed 88-passenger jet from Japan may finally be the right plane at the right time.

More cities in Asia and Europe are seeking to link up with each other and the global air travel network. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the first airliner built in Japan since the 1960s, began certification flights last month in Moses Lake, Washington, to satisfy that demand. 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.’s new airliner is testing the skies just as rivals are moving to sell off their manufacturing operations for jets with up to 160 seats. Boeing Co. is set to buy 80 percent of the Embraer SA’s commercial operations in a joint venture, while Bombardier Inc. last year sold control of its C Series airliner project to Airbus SE and is exploring “strategic options” for its regional-jet operations. At stake, particularly in the market for jets with fewer seats, is $135 billion in sales in the two decades through 2037, according to industry group Japan Aircraft Development Corp.

“Bombardier’s moves do indeed create opportunities for the MRJ,’’ said Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst at Teal Group. “It’s the biggest single factor in the MRJ’s favor.’’

With few seats and smaller fuselages, regional jets are a different class of aircraft from larger narrow-body planes such as Boeing’s 737 or Airbus’s A320. The MRJ has a range of about 2,000 miles, while a smaller variant can haul up to 76 people for about the same distance.

A longtime supplier of aircraft components to Boeing, Mitsubishi Heavy is developing the MRJ to emerge from its customer’s shadow. After spending at least $2 billion over more than a decade, the manufacturer is looking to get its jet certified and start deliveries to launch partner ANA Holdings Inc.

Mitsubishi initially planned test flights in 2012 but blew past that deadline because of production difficulties. Now the company, which makes ships, nuclear power plants and aerospace components, expects to have the plane ready for customers next year, a timetable that will test the company, said Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. President Hisakazu Mizutani.

“This coming year is extremely important for us,” Mizutani said at a media event on April 16 in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

A lot now hinges on Mitsubishi’s ability to get the jets ready on schedule, said Sho Fukuhara, an analyst at Jefferies Japan Ltd. who said the company’s current 407 MRJ orders aren’t enough to make the program profitable.

“Longer term, there should be an opportunity but right now they have to deliver the very first plane,” Fukuhara said. “Potential buyers are looking at how they proceed with their schedule.”

The company announced in October it was pumping an extra 170 billion yen in capital to its aircraft unit’s existing capital of 100 billion yen; Mitsubishi also canceled 50 billion yen of the debt owed by the aircraft division.

Also adding to Mitsubishi Heavy’s challenges is a lawsuit filed by Bombardier in Seattle last October, accusing the Japanese company of acquiring secret information and causing Bombardier “to suffer irreparable financial loss.” Mitsubishi counter-sued, denying the Montreal-based company’s accusations and saying that it violated antitrust laws through “a multifaceted scheme to expand its power within the regional jet market by impeding the entrance of a new competing aircraft.”

Bombardier denies the allegations and will vigorously defend itself, spokesman Simon Letendre said in an emailed statement.

“Our views are completely different, and so we’re looking to get a clear determination in a public forum,” Mizutani said.

Mitsubishi Heavy isn’t the only Asian manufacturer betting that it can build aircraft cheaper and more efficiently. Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., also known as Comac, has a new regional jet in service, while Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. is studying whether to develop a 100-passenger aircraft.

“The aviation market in Asia is expected to grow further in the coming years and there will be demand for these aircraft,” said Lee Dong-heon, an analyst at Daishin Securities Co. in Seoul. “The shift in the regional aviation segment we have seen over the last year or so has opened opportunities.”

In order to compete, Mitsubishi can’t just rely on its home market. The biggest customers therefore could be in the U.S., where large airlines try to cut costs by outsourcing short flights to smaller carriers that fly regional jets. Trans States Airlines Inc., which operates flights for United Airlines under the name United Express, ordered 50 of the planes, with options for 50 more, in 2010. Trans World didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The weight and capacity of the MRJ now in testing are too large for many regional carriers, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst George Ferguson, although the company plans to introduce the smaller version in 2021.

As part of its preparations to ramp up deliveries and support operations, Mitsubishi’s aircraft unit separated its sales and marketing divisions this month, created a customer support unit and moved its U.S. headquarters to Renton, Washington, the Seattle suburb where Boeing assembles its 737 jets.

“The need for regional jets isn’t going down,” Mizutani said “The MRJ is fully capable of competing in the market.”

- BLOOMBERG

‘Over $351m’ found at al-Bashir’s residence

Millions of dollars have reportedly been found at the residence of former President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan.

Al-Bashir was toppled in a military coup which took place on April 11. He was initially placed under house arrest before being transferred to Kobar prison, where he detained some of his critics while in power.

In a statement, Mutasim Mahmoud, senior public prosecutor in Sudan, announced the seizure of $351 million, €6,7 million, and SDG 5 billion ($105 million) at the residence of Al-Bashir.

Mahmoud confirmed that the cash is secure within the vaults of the Bank of Sudan, and that charges will be filed against the former president under the foreign exchange and money laundering law.

Part of the cash was packed in sacks designed for 50kg of maize meal, according to Dabanga, Netherlands-based media outlet.

Reuters quoted a source in Sudan’s judiciary as saying suitcases loaded with more than $351,000, €6m ($6.7m; £5.2m) and five billion Sudanese pounds ($105m) were found at Bashir’s home.

The agency said the source also confirmed that Bashir was under investigation and that prosecutors would “question the former president in Kobar prison”.

Al Jazeera said as president, al-Bashir often played up his humble beginnings as the child of a poor farming family in Hosh Bannaga, a small village consisting mainly of mud houses on the eastern bank of the Nile some 150km north of Khartoum.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in the country’s Darfur region but the military which is in charge of the country has vowed not to extradite him.

The Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which organised the protests that forced al-Bashir out of power, has expressed dissatisfaction with the military taking control of the country but the military council has resisted calls to hand over power to a civilian body.

The association has vowed to stay on the streets until there is a move to civilian rule.

- THECABLE

Nigerian on trial for bootlegging in Dubai, 2 others at large

The trial of a 25-year-old Nigerian will resume on 29 April in Dubai, after he was arrested for stealing a car’s number plate, resisting arrest and bootlegging, the offence of possessing alcohol without a licence.

Two other Nigerians charged with the offences at the Dubai Court of First Instance, are still at large, the court was told by prosecutors, according to a report by Gulf News.

The unidentified Nigerian, who has been detained, confessed that the vehicle was stolen by one of the other suspects in the car and that he was working for him by selling alcohol for Dh50 a day. Found in the vehicle along with him were 32 bottles of whisky and 30 cans of beer.

According to Gulf News, a stolen number plate prompted Dubai Police to pursue the Nigerian bootlegger.

“On March 6 of this year police were alerted to the theft of number plates from two cars parked in a sandy area belonging to a car rental company in Al Ghusais.

“Police found the plate was being used on a stolen car in Naif, which belonged to a bootlegger.

“The vehicle was being used by a bootlegger in Naif,” a police officer testified. “The car would be parked in the area until midnight and then leave. The defendant was driving the car with two passengers. We followed the car to Al Nahda where we stopped the car near a building and one of them stepped out, looked at us and then escaped.”

“A second man threw alcohol bottles away and fled while the police tried to stop the bootlegger by blocking his way.

“The man tried to drive away but couldn’t as the pavement was too high.

“He tried to close the door and move the car but I kept the door open,” said the officer.

“He resisted arrest and pushed me away despite me yelling in English that we were police. I controlled him and pulled him out of the car and cuffed him with the assistance of my colleagues,” added the officer who suffered minor injuries in the scuffle.

- PM NEWS

Ajayi Crowther’s 179-year old letter: My capture into slavery and rescue

Ajayi Crowther was ordained as the first African bishop of the Anglican Church. However, his background was rough. He was 12 years old when he was captured, along with his mother and toddler brother and other family members, along with his entire village, by Muslim Fulani slave raiders in 1821 and sold to Portuguese slave traders.

In his 1837 letter to Rev. Williams Jowett, then Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, Crowther narrated his capture into slavery and rescue

By Samuel Ajayi Crowther

Letter of Mr. Samuel Crowther to the Rev. Williams Jowett, in 1837, then Secretary of the Church Missionary Society, detailing the circumstances connected with his being sold as a slave. Fourah Bay, Feb. 22, 1837

Rev. and dear Sir,

As I think it will be interesting to you to know something of the conduct of Providence in my being brought to this Colony, where I have the happiness to enjoy the privilege of the Gospel, I give you a short account of it, hoping I may be excused if I should prove rather tedious in some particulars.

I suppose sometimes about the commencement of the year 1821, I was in my native country, enjoying the comforts of father and mother, and affectionate love of brothers and sisters. From this period I must date the unhappy, but which I am now taught, in other respects, to call blessed day, which I shall never forget in my life.

I call it unhappy day, because it was the day in which I was violently turned out of my father’s house, and separated from relations; and I which I was made to experience what is called to be in slavery – with regard to its being called blessed, it being the day which Providence had marked out for me to set out on my journey from the land of heathenism, superstition, and vice, to a place where His Gospel is preached.

For some years, war had been carried on in my Eyo (Oyo) country, which was always attended with much devastation and bloodshed; the women, such men as had surrendered or were caught, with the children, were taken captives. The enemies who carried on these war were principally the Oyo Mahomendans, with whom my country abounds- with the Foulahs (Fulbe), and such foreign slaves as had escaped from their owners. Joined together, making a formidable force of about 20,000, who annoyed the whole country. They had no other employment but selling slaves to the Spaniards and Portuguese on the coast.

The morning in which my town, Ocho-gu (Osogun), shared the same fate which many others had experienced, was fair and delightful; and most of the inhabitants were engaged in their respective occupations. We were preparing breakfast without any apprehension; when, about 9 o’clock a.m. a rumour was spread in the town that the enemies had approached with intentions of hostility. It was not long after when they had almost surrounded the town, to prevent any escape of the inhabitants; the town being rudely fortified with a wooded fence, about four miles in circumference, containing about 12,000 inhabitants, which would produce 3,000 fighting men. The inhabitants not being duly prepared, some not being at home; those who were, having about six gates to defend, as well as many weak places about the fence to guard against, and, to say in a few words, the men being surprised, and therefore confounded – the enemies entered the town after about three or four hours’ resistance.

Here a most sorrowful scene imaginable was to be witnessed! – women, some with three, four, six children clinging to their arms, with the infant on their backs, and such baggage as they could carry on their heads, running as far as they could through prickly shrubs, which, hooking their blies and other loads, drew them down from the heads of the bearers. While they found impossible to go along with their loads, they endeavoured only to save themselves and their children: even this was impracticable with those who had many children to care for.

While they were endeavouring to disentangle themselves from the ropy shrubs, they were overtaken and caught by the enemies with a noose of rope thrown over the neck of every individual, to be led in the manner of goats tied together, under the drove of one man. In many cases a family was violently divided between three or four enemies , who each led his away, to see one another no more.

Click to read the rest here: thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/06/ajayi-crowthers-179-year-old-letter-my-capture-into-slavery-and-rescue/

Gunmen kill expatriate, another, abduct 3 others in Kaduna

Suspected gunmen have killed a female expatriate, a Nigerian and abducted three others in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Kaduna State Police Command’s spokesperson, Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying that the gunmen who were armed with dangerous weapons invaded the Kajuru Castle Resort at about 2pm on Saturday, shooting sporadically and in the process, shot two persons, including a female expatriate to death, and whisked three others away.

Sabo said investigation by the police revealed that the victims along with 12 others came from Lagos on a tourism tour, and they organised a party at the Castle located at the Hill Top during which the incident happened.

According to him, the organisers of the party failed to inform the police to provide security coverage for them as has been the tradition due to the insecurity in the area.

He, however, said efforts are being made by the Command to rescue the kidnapped persons and apprehend the criminals.

- PM NEWS