Chinese family of 500 takes rare photo at reunion

The pictures were taken at a Ren family reunion at Shishe village in China's eastern province of Zhejiang.
It was held last week during the Lunar New Year period, which is usually marked by the Chinese with large family gatherings and meals.

Photographer Zhang Liangzong took the pictures with a drone in front of basalt formations near Shishe.
He told the BBC that the Ren family, which originates from the village, can be traced back 851 years, but their family tree had not been updated for more than eight decades.
Village elders recently began updating the family tree records and managed to track down at least 2,000 living descendants spanning seven generations, Mr Zhang said.
They marked the family tree's completion by holding a massive reunion, and managed to gather more than 500 people.
Family members came from Beijing, Shanghai, Xinjiang and Taiwan

Village chief Ren Tuanjie told state news agency Xinhua: "One reason was to understand where our descendants have spread to, where they have ended up and where they live, to account to our ancestors."

"And another reason was also to let descendants all over the country know their roots, so that wherever they go they will not forget where they come from," said Mr Ren, who belongs to the 26th generation of Rens and whose name happens to mean "reunion" in Chinese.

Although large family photos are common, many in China were taken aback by the scale of the Rens' photographs, which were featured widely in national media and prompted headlines such as "Do these family members even know one another?".
There were also jokes aplenty on microblogging network Weibo. "What if they meet someone they like in the group? Can they still get married?" asked one user.
Others made reference to the Chinese tradition of adults giving money in red packets to children during the new year. "When they give out red packets, will they start to cry?" said one Weibo user.
"The youngest family members will be collecting New Year's money until their hands go weak," joked another commenter.

Stop going to night clubs – NYSC DG warns corps members

The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Sulaiman Kazaure has warned corps members against embarking on unnecessary travels and night pleasures due to safety and security risks.

Kazaure also encouraged corps members to respect cultures and traditions of host communities and to initiate projects and programmes that will promote such communities.

The NYSC boss gave the charge during a visit to the Rivers State Orientation Camp in Tai Local Government Area where he addressed members of the 2016 Batch B Stream Two.

He urged the corps members to pay adequate attention to skill acquisition training in the camp, which he said would help them overcome the challenges of searching for job after their service year.

“I congratulate you on your call-up to the NYSC Orientation camp. I want to crave your indulgence to be good citizens of Nigeria, to be good examples to your younger ones.

“You need to understand the terrain you have found yourselves and be very cautious of how you move

As Youth Corps members, you are meant be of good conduct. Stop making unnecessary trips and avoid going to night clubs,” he said.

On his part, the Rivers State Coordinator of NYSC, Omotayo Adewoye commended the government for providing enabling environment and good welfare for corps members.

Germany may deport 12,000 Nigerians next year

More than 12,000 Nigerians may be deported from Germany in 2018.

This was revealed by Ralf Sanftenberg, the country’s global head of programme, migration and development, during his visit to the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diasport, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

Sanftenberg, who is the leader of delegation from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, said: “We have over 37,000 Nigerians in Germany and more than 12,000 of them are asylum seekers.

“There is a little chance for their applications to be moved and they may be forced to come back to Nigeria next year.”

He admitted that 99% of them would likely be denied asylum status, as Nigeria was not listed among war countries.

However, asylum seekers willing to return to Nigeria voluntarily will not be forced back or deported

Why I cried while Monday’s protest was happening without me – 2face Idibia

Hip-pop superstar, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2face, has revealed that he was in tears watching Nigerians protest on Monday against the current administration.

2face was expected to lead the nationwide march, but pulled out one day before the protest.

In a video he posted on Instagram on Tuesday, the African Queen crooner said he would continue speaking for the people, even though he had been labelled as a coward.

“I watched with tears in my eyes as Nigerians came out yesterday to speak up and protest on the streets, on social media, Television and radio,” he said.

“I watched as Nigerians demonstrated that no one voice is louder than another. I also watched as people called me a coward but I am happy I am a coward who spoke out…”, he said.

2face has had to deny that he was picked up by the Department of Security Service (DSS), thereby forcing him to dissociate himself from the protests.

Suarez scores winner then gets himself sent off and banned for Copa del Rey final as Barcelona edge past Atletico Madrid

Barcelona made it to their fourth straight Spanish Cup final thanks to a Luis Suarez goal but he will miss the game after being sent off in the dramatic semi-final.

Luis Enrique’s side finished with nine men after both Suarez and Sergi Roberto walked. Atletico Madrid also had Yannick Carrasco sent off and were lucky not to lose Filipe Luis too after he scythed down Lionel Messi.

There was a missed penalty and confrontations between the two benches as the two old sparring partners did not disappoint in an epic struggle.

After the final whistle, Suarez labelled his sending off on Tuesday night laughable and said he hopes it will be overturned allowing him to play in the Copa del Rey final.

The Uruguayan was shown a second yellow card for what looked like an innocuous challenge on Lucas Hernandez.

‘I just turned and jumped,’ said the forward. ‘I don’t even think it was a foul. I hope we can appeal the decision.

‘I’m laughing at the decision. It seems like it was what he wanted. We know how this goes. You could see it coming.

‘The first card was for my first foul of the game and the second card was for nothing.’

Suarez had scored the first half goal that in effect sends Barcelona into the final. It was his fifth in five games.

He added: ‘I think we deserve to be in the final. We knew we would have to suffer right until the end in this type of game against a team like Atletico.’

Luis Enrique added: ‘I will have to sit down and watch the whole game again at home to really comment on everything that happened.

‘They were dangerous from the start but my team stood up to them and we deserve to be in the final.’

Diego Simeone could not have picked a more attacking side and the plan to get at Barcelona in the first half worked almost perfectly – all that was missing was the most important thing: the goal.

Osinbajo Sends Onnoghen’s Name to Senate for Confirmation as CJN

With just two days left to the expiration of the tenure of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, acting President Yemi Osinbajo tuesday transmitted his name to the Senate for confirmation as the substantive CJN.

Confirming this tuesday, a source close to the Office of the Senate President, said Senate President Bukola Saraki received the letter yesterday, requesting the upper chamber to screen and confirm Justice Onnoghen, a Cross River State indigene, as the substantive CJN.

Also, a ranking senator speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he was aware that the acting president had transmitted Justice Onnoghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation.

However, he cautioned that just because the presidency had transmitted Justice Onnoghen’s name, it should not expect the Senate to rubber stamp his nomination without a thorough investigative and screening process.

He also pointed that the Senate was currently on recess, so it would be left to Saraki to decide whether to reconvene the Senate to kick-start the screening process before Justice Onnoghen’s tenure as acting CJN lapses on Friday.

“The Senate President is in receipt of the letter from the acting president, but it will be left to Senator Saraki to reconvene plenary to start the screening process.

“But even if he does so, the presidency should not expect us to rubber stamp Justice Onnoghen’s nomination, as we would have to carry out our own background checks, investigation and screening before deciding whether to confirm him or not,” the senator said.

Also, another presidency source informed THISDAY that given the lack of sufficient time to conclude Justice Onnoghen’s screening in two days before the expiration of his tenure as the acting CJN, Osinbajo, based on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC), could renew it as an interim measure while the Senate goes about the screening and confirmation exercise.

In this regard, the NJC, THISDAY learnt, will hold an emergency meeting today to recommend the renewal of Justice Onnoghen’s tenure as the acting CJN.

Curiously, Justice Onnoghen, who doubles as the chairman of the NJC, will preside over the meeting.

A source with the NJC said that the council would meet to recommend Justice Onnoghen to the acting president for reappointment in an acting capacity, as this would not require Senate confirmation.

“While serving in an acting capacity for the second time, the Senate will go about its business screening him at its own pace,” the source who was in the know of the likely outcome of the meeting, confided in THISDAY.

Justice Onnoghen’s reappointment as CJN in an acting capacity will be in line with Section 231(4) and (5) of the constitution.

The section states: “If the office of Chief Justice of Nigeria is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until the person holding the office has resumed those functions, the President shall appoint the most Senior Justice of the Supreme Court to perform those functions.

“Except on the recommendation of the NJC, the appointment pursuant to the provisions of sub-section (4) of this section shall cease to have effect after the expiration of three months from the date of such appointment and the President shall not reappoint a person whose appointment has lapsed.”

In recent weeks, pressure has been mount on the presidency to appoint Justice Onnoghen the substantive CJN after northerners had held the post for 30 years.

The transmission of Justice Onnoghen’s name to the Senate follows the clean bill he was given by the Department of State Service (DSS) that has been involved in the probe of some judges of the Supreme Court and other lower courts.

Senate, lawyers split over vacuum in presidency

The inability of President Muhammadu Buhari to resume duties on February 6 as contained in his earlier vacation letter to the Senate has triggered a debate over the legitimacy of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo to continue to act on his behalf.

Also, the debate forecloses the effort to get the appointment of the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen confirmed by the Senate, since there is no one, ‘legally’ speaking, that would forward his name to the upper chamber.

Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution says: “Whenever the president transmits to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such functions shall be discharged by the vice-president as acting president.”

Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, says that since the president did not return on February 6 as he promised and the letter he ‘purportedly’ transmitted to the National Assembly informing of his extended vacation on ground of ill health has not been read on the floor of the Senate to form its votes and proceedings, the legal capacity of Osinbajo ended midnight February 6, 2017.

He said: “That ‘letter’ has not been seen by anyone, in order to determine its authenticity and its real author. When travelling in January, President Buhari personally transmitted a letter to the National Assembly, notifying them of a specific 10-day vacation, which ended on February 6, 2017. This letter was duly read and became part and parcel of the votes and proceedings of the National Assembly.

“The new ‘letter’ has not been read on the floors of either chambers of the National Assembly, to make it part of its votes and proceedings. Somehow, as if acting out a clever script, the Senate had hurriedly adjourned its sitting to February 24, ever before the ‘letter’ for an extended vacation arrived. So legally, the ‘letter’ is cooling somewhere in the National Assembly, just another letter, without any force of law. A letter transmitted to the National Assembly must be read at the plenary session to become binding.”

According to the lawyer, the implication is that there is neither president nor acting president at the moment, and since the acting president did not forward the name of Justice Onnoghen to the Senate before February 6, there is no one to do so anymore, even if the National Judicial Council (NJC) re-nominates him for the office in compliance with section 231(5) of the 1999 constitution.

“The tenure of the acting CJN will lapse on February 10, 2017. As of this night, the NJC has not met to consider recommending Onnoghen for renewal as acting CJN. The NJC cannot do this after February 6, 2017, as there will be no president or acting president, to receive such recommendation,” Adegboruwa insisted.

If this remains the true state of affairs, it means until the president resumes or the Senate breaks off from its vacation on February 24 to read the president’s second letter transmitting power to his deputy, the country shall run without either acting or substantive head of state. Also, at the expiration of the acting tenure of Justice Onnoghen on February 10, the judiciary shall remain without a clear leadership, leaving the legislature as the only legally functional of the three arms of government.

But the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, Awa Kalu (SAN) disagreed. According to him, there is no vacuum because the tenure of the acting president still subsists.

Kalu said: “Only the Senate president or his spokesman duly recognised by the Senate can comment that they don’t have an authentic letter from the president. The Senate is an institution which has an office and secretariat. It is not a house where you can lock and go away. The information we have is that the president has extended his vacation and has informed the Senate accordingly. So, I don’t have a contrary opinion. Section 145 of the 1999 constitution does not say it must be read on the floor of the house.”

Also, former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Austin Alegeh (SAN) agreed with Kalu. He said the president had extended the time he would be out of the country and by implication had extended the time his vice would act.

“What the law requires is a notification that he is not going to be around and that somebody would be acting on his behalf. And once that letter has been transmitted, he has complied with the law,” he stated.

Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in the same vein maintained that the letter doesn’t have to be read to take effect. “It doesn’t need the approval of the Senate. All the law requires is that he transmits a letter to the Senate and once he does that, it is alright,” Keyamo declared.

Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed that the letter through which Buhari extended his leave is in the custody of the Senate President Bukola Saraki.

At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the spokesman of the upper chamber, Aliu Saabi Abdullahi said the letter was in compliance with the dictates of the law and the constitution of Nigeria.

But a question on who signed the letter threw Abdullahi into a fit of anger as he condemned what he called an insinuation that the Senate was not truthful about its declaration that the letter was in its custody.

He said: “With due respect, I found the last comment very uncomplimentary to the president. I have no apology for that. If he’s there, can’t he write a letter and forward it to the Senate by DHL?

“If at this level we cannot trust ourselves to do certain basic things, then why should I trust you? I think it’s important we give ourselves some level of respect and trust. We are telling you a letter has been signed and sent to us. Are you saying that the Senate is not an institution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? I am speaking to you here on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“This is not the first letter Mr. President will be communicating to us. Are you saying that if we received a letter from Mr. President and we say we received a letter from him we don’t know what we are saying?”

When asked about the return date of the president, Abdullahi said: “The letter didn’t say that the leave is indefinite because the word ‘indefinite’ is taking the matter out of context, but then the president said he’s extending the leave beyond the 10 days he had asked for.”

The Senate spokesman said the decision on when President Buhari would return to Nigeria “is not in my hands but in the hands of the doctors. That is why the president is not giving us a date.”

On when the letter was received, Abdullahi said: “The letter was received by Saraki and I was briefed today (Tuesday). It was either yesterday or today they received it.”

Also yesterday, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said there was no basis for comparison between the on-going situation over Buhari’s leave and what took place when the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was ill and flown abroad for treatment. He insisted that Buhari was well.

Mohammed was reacting to a trending report on social media where a comment he made in December 2009 has become the butt of comments and jokes.

“Yes, I issued a statement on the 22nd of December (2009), but the circumstances are vastly different. Mr. President is not ill; Mr. President did not go for treatment; Mr. President went on leave and did the proper thing according to the constitution.”

In a statement issued as National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed had said the situation then where ministers and aides of the president gave out uncoordinated information on his health, was doing more harm than good. He urged that the citizens should be given a daily update on the health of Yar’Adua.

Beyoncé 'being sued by estate of New Orleans rapper Messy Mya for sampling the artist's work without permission in Formation'

Beyonce could be heading to court soon over a copyright dispute.

According to TMZ, the 35-year-old star is being sued by the estate of New Orleans rapper Messy Mya for sampling the artist's work without permission.

The reportedly unauthorized clip appears in the chart-topper's popular 2016 anthem Formation

The 20 time Grammy winner is being sued by the estate of the Louisiana rapper for sampling from his 2010 Youtube video A 27 Piece Huh?.

Barré's estate is asking a whopping $20million in back paid royalties and other damages.

Those representing Mya's interests also claim they reached out to the Formation hit maker before taking legal action, but received no response from Beyoncé or her representatives.

The hit features a cut of the late star saying 'I like that', which appears around the 1:05 mark of the single's music video.

The newly pregnant star was widely applauded for the 2016 song which celebrates Southern black culture and makes poignant commentary about police violence and 2005's Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed large parts of The Big Easy.

The song's message make accusations that the star blatantly ripped off the locally celebrated black artist all the more upsetting.

TMZ reached out to Beyoncé's camp who has yet to comment on the matter..

Trump administration defends travel ban in court

The US Justice Department faced tough questioning Tuesday as it urged a court of appeals to reinstate President Donald Trump’s travel ban targeting citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries — put on hold by the courts last week.

The latest twist in the legal showdown comes four days after a federal judge suspended Trump’s decree, opening US borders back up to the thousands of refugees and travelers it had suddenly barred from the country.

Three judges from an appellate court in San Francisco chaired the hour-long telephone hearing followed online by more than 130,000 people — a record, the court said — and broadcast live to millions more on television.

The high-stakes hearing saw an attorney for the government argue that Trump’s immigration curbs were motivated by national security concerns and that the federal judge had overstepped his authority in suspending them.

“This is a traditional national security judgment that is assigned to the political branches and the president,” argued the Justice Department lawyer, August Flentje.

He said Trump acted perfectly within his constitutional powers and those delegated to him by Congress in issuing the January 27 executive order in the interest of the United States.

Tuesday’s hearing was focused on whether to lift the suspension of the ban, not on the constitutionality of the decree itself — a broader battle which looks likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court. A court spokesman said a ruling was likely later this week.

During the hearing the three-judge panel often appeared skeptical, with Judge Richard Clifton saying at one point that the government’s argument was “pretty abstract.”

The judges questioned Flentje about the evidence connecting the seven countries targeted to terrorism, and pressed him on whether the ban amounts to religious discrimination — as its opponents claim.

– Is it a Muslim ban? –
The White House insists the decree is in the interest of national security, giving the new administration time to beef up vetting procedures to keep potential terrorists out of the country.

Its detractors claim that it violates the US Constitution by targeting people based on their religion.

An attorney representing the states of Washington and Minnesota — which brought the federal lawsuit against Trump’s ban with support from numerous advocacy groups — urged the judges to keep the decree on hold while the case runs its course.

“It has always been the judicial branch’s role to say what the law is and to serve as a check on abuses by the executive branch,” said Solicitor General Noah Purcell.

“That judicial rule has never been more important in recent memory than it is today, but the president is asking… to reinstate the executive order without full judicial review and throw this country back into chaos,” Purcell added.

The states’ counsel also came under sustained questioning, with Judge Clifton, a George W. Bush nominee, appearing unconvinced by his arguments that the ban amounted to religious discrimination.

“I have trouble understanding why we’re supposed to infer religious animus when in fact the vast majority of Muslims would not be affected,” Clifton said, pointing out that less than 15 percent of the world’s Muslims were affected.

Purcell argued that the states were not required to show that all Muslims would be affected but only that the ban was “motivated in part by a desire to harm Muslims.”

Trump’s executive order barred entry to all refugees for 120 days, and to travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, triggering chaos at US airports and worldwide condemnation. Refugees from Syria are barred indefinitely.

– ‘We feel confident’ –
Appearing to lay the groundwork for a setback, the White House earlier Tuesday sought to play down the significance of the upcoming ruling.

“All that’s at issue tonight is the hearing is an interim decision on whether the president’s order is enforced or not until the case is heard on the actual merits of the order,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters.

“That’s why I think we feel confident.”

Hosting a group of American sheriffs at the White House on Tuesday, Trump hammered home the rationale for his decree as “common sense.”

Trump has lashed out at the Seattle judge who suspended his order, James Robart, as a “so-called” judge — a slur that drew criticism from his own Republican camp — and sought to pin blame on him, and courts in general, for potential future attacks on US soil.

“Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!” he tweeted on Sunday.

Seun Egbegbe to appear in court Today for iPhone theft case – Lagos PPRO, Dolapo Badmus confirms

The Lagos Police PPRO has confirmed that Seun Egbegbe would appear in court Today, February 8 for the iPhone theft case he was charged with in November 2016.

Seun – who’s a Lagos big boy – is presently in police custody for the N6m fraud he attempted with his entourage on February 2.

‘That’s a different case from the one he’s going through now, but he will appear in court,’Dolapo Badmus said as she assured us that the present case won’t affect the February 8 court meeting.

‘I don’t determine what happens in court, the police would produce him in court for that and he will be taken back,’ the Lagos Police PPRO added.

Seun was mobbed and arrested in November 2016 when he tried stealing nine iPhones at Computer Village in Ikeja.

He’s expected to appear before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court over the theft case Wednesday, February 8.

The self-acclaimed filmmaker is presently in custody of the police at Area H command in Ogudu, Lagos.

How singer, African China was threatened with a gun in Lagos

A policeman in Lagos threatened singer African China with a gun Yesterday. 

‘Nigeria see the kind of police men this Government put on our police stations to serve dis nation,’ he said.

He’d just left a music video shoot with Sound Sultan in Ajegunle where he persuaded ‘area boys’ with money to allow him leave.

‘After shooting @soundsultan music video in Aj I was about leaving after given money to Area boy’s. Dis stupid police man jump in front of my car and threatened to shoot me. Naija make una see oh.’

Recall that in September 2016, Police in Okota, Lagos, harassed singer Bez who was in the car with his wife, Tito Idakula and their two-month-old daughter.

Then he tweeted: ‘I said I didn’t have cash on me… The guy just vexed..got me out of the car and pushed me under the rain into the station’

‘All this happened simply because they could. They had guns, I didn’t… I still don’t..lol… God bless Nigeria.’

Investigative panel recovers N111m from 23 INEC officials

The panel that investigated the electoral and other offences perpetrated during the December 10 Rivers parliamentary re-run election, has alleged that it recovered N111 million from 23 INEC officials.

The Chairman of the panel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Damian Okoro, made the allegation while presenting the team’s report to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, in Abuja yesterday.

He alleged that three senior electoral officers collected N20 million each out of the N360 million given to them by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, while the remaining officers received N15 million each.

Okoro further alleged that there were some cases of misconduct on the part of some electoral officers, who were compromised in the line of duty. “By this investigation, this panel has diligently unraveled what went wrong with the re-run election in Rivers. We discovered that failure of leadership and followership rather than law enforcement was responsible for the political upheaval in the state,” he said.

The chairman, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that lawless elements targeted political opponents of their sponsors, and law enforcement agents, especially the police.

The Inspector-General of police said that the report and recommendation would be forwarded to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice for his advice.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tams-George has described the allegation that Governor ‎Nyesom Wike bribed officials of INEC as shameful, defamatory, politically motivated and reckless.

He said that never in the annals of infamy has anyone seen a vital state security institution descend to the lowest depths of blackmail and criminality, as the Nigeria police force has done in this case.

He explained that barely a month ago, the state government alerted the world of the dark plot by the Nigeria police to implicate Wike in a phoney bribe scandal. And now, the police appears to be acting with shocking predictability, by making wild and completely groundless allegations against Wike.

“The Rivers State government challenges the Nigeria Police to show proof that Governor Wike financially induced any official of INEC.”

Also, the governor’s media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, said the police high command was trying to divert attention from its loss of credibility, the report is another fictional account by a police force that has lost its moral base as it is intent on reinventing itself through falsehood.

Barack Obama is having the time of his life kitesurfing with British billionaire

What do you do when the weight of the world is no longer on your shoulder?

Do you go Jet skiing, or kitesurfing?

Well, that happens to be the case of former U.S president, Barack Obama..

Obama dove into an aquatic and athletic challenge with his billionaire friend and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, while vacationing on the British Virgin Islands with former first lady Michelle Obama.

In photos, see how much fun the man is having

Asa Asika is not ready to be Davido’s new manager

Asa Asika is not prepared to take the role as Davido’s new manager.

The 26-year-old and his former boss became friends again after four years, and when we called him to know what the fans should expect, he said ‘no comment’.

Last week, I talked about ‘11 things Davido and his new manager must do to save his career’ and one of the points mentioned is to separate business from pleasure.

Seeing that they are originally friends may limit the way Davido listens to Asa – who should have complete control in decision-making, which is why he was employed.

However, Asa Asika does not seem ready for the job. He needs to learn from his predecessor, Kamal Ajiboye, expert talent managers like Efe Omorogbe, and Sunday Are – who presently manages Wizkid.

For example, president Buhari’s aides including Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu and Tolu Ogunlesi have never declined to talk about the state of his health and return to the country, despite many Nigerians that continue to doubt their explanations.

Teachers protest against alleged DSS attack on FGGC in Calabar

Teachers at the Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, yesterday marched to the Governor’s Office and Cross River House of Assembly to protest against alleged assault by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The protesting teachers were joined by the Trade Union Congress (TUC), led by its state chairman, Clarkson Otu and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) led by state chairman, Eyo-Nsa Itam.

Otu said they came to demand for a thorough investigation of the matter and to call for justice. According to the TUC chief, “We are here to register our grievances over the invasion of FGGC Calabar on February 2 by officials of DSS, where they flogged a teacher before his students. And when other teachers demanded to know why, they were beaten thoroughly including a vice principal of the school

He added: “We have come to demand for a thorough investigation of the matter by the authorities and the culprits brought book. We demand that this matter must not be swept under the carpet. That is why we are here,” he said.

The TUC chairman said that the teacher was beaten for disciplining his student, who, thereafter, made a call to her mother and she in turn contacted her sister, who is a DSS official.

Some of the protesters carried placards, which read: “Stop this oppression,” “Enough is enough,’ “No more oppression from DSS,” among others.

The protesters submitted a letter, which was received by the Clerk of the house on behalf of the speaker, who was not available.

The Clerk, Bassey Ekpenyong, commended the TUC for the peaceful protest, describing the DSS action as very unfortunate. He said teachers should be treated with dignity.

“I want to assure you that we will ensure that justice is done in this case. We will ensure that nothing but justice is done,” he said.

At the Governor’s Office, a director in the office of the State Security Adviser, Mr. Etam Eno, received the protesters letter and promised to convey it to the governor, who is out of the country.

Ekiti Assembly issues warrant of arrest on Fayemi over alleged N40b fraud

The Ekiti State House of Assembly has pressed further its running battle against the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi, ordering the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to arrest him for allegedly misappropriating N40 billion of state funds when he held sway as governor.

The chamber also directed the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu and other security agencies, including the International Police (Interpol), to immediately arrest Fayemi.

At a press conference yesterday in Ado Ekiti, the speaker, Kola Oluwawole as well as chairman, House Committee on Information, Samuel Omotoso and Leader, Tunji Akinyele, said the warrant was to afford the minister the opportunity to clarify some of the allegations of profligacy brought against him.

Omotoso alleged that the former governor had continually spurned the assembly’s summons in breach of Section 1(1) of the 1999 Constitution which empowered the House to summon serving or former officers of the state.

However, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the order as a joke taken too far.

In a statement, the party’s state spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, described the lawmakers as a “set of idle certificate forgers who are being pushed into issuing a bench warrant against Fayemi by Governor Ayodele Fayose who has usurped their powers by declaring himself the speaker of the House of Assembly.”

Olatunbosun challenged the lawmakers to move freely in Ado Ekiti or at their constituencies, noting: “Most of them are in hiding in the Government House because security agents are looking for them to answer charges of certificate forgery and so, it is baffling that suspected criminals wanted for certificate forgery would be the ones being lined up by the governor to help him divert attention from alleged serial crimes by issuing arrest warrant on an innocent man over trumped-up charges.

“We wonder when it becomes the lot of fugitives to sit in judgment to persecute an innocent, law-abiding citizen and a responsible leader like Fayemi.”

PDP - Buhari Needs to Tell the Truth About His Health

The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party called on President Muhammadu Buhari to tell Nigerians the true state of his health.

Spokesperson for the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee, Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, stated this in a telephone interview with PUNCH. He said, “The President should know he is not a private citizen.

“He should know that Nigerians are the ones paying his health bills and therefore, he should tell them the true state of his health. He should not treat Nigerians with levity and he should also know what is obtainable in civilised countries. Nigeria is not a jungle.

“Imagine the President talking about a leave extension but not saying when he would resume?”

“Medical tests have dates of collection of results. It can’t be open-ended without dates,” he said.

The Two Faces of Tu Face Idibia' by Reuben Abati

See Tuface’s decision to lead a protest to register the dissatisfaction of Nigerians with the performance of the incumbent administration and to reiterate the value of government’s responsibility to the people was his finest moment as a citizen and artiste. But it is also now, with his Jammeh-like volte-face, his worst moment. His transformation into a champion of democratic values and voice of the masses brought him added stardom and value. His retreat has turned him into a revolutionary manqué. He deserves our understanding and sympathy.

When on 24th January Tuface (Innocent Dibia) announced that he was going to lead, under the umbrella of the Tuface Foundation, a mass protest against the economic policies of the Buhari government, he immediately attracted public interest. A multiple award-winning musician, a naturally talented stage performer and author of at least two evergreen songs: “My African Queen” and “If Love is a Crime”, TuBaba, as he is also known, sounded like he was moving from art to politics, and seemed ready to answer to the true calling of the artist as the conscience of the people.

Artists and creative persons have always led protests and lent their voices to progressive causes. That much is the case in the United States at the moment, where artistes have raised their voices and joined protests to remind the “insurgent in the White House” that America is a land of freedom, democracy and justice and not bigotry and tyranny. Here at home, Fela, and his cousin, the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and others as well, have shown the power of creativity and stardom as a veritable vehicle for social change and justice. Artists and their art, and their movement from stage, or the printed page, to the public arena of action have always saved humanity, by humanising man. This has been the case from Sophocles, all through time and history to Olanrewaju Adepoju, Beyonce and Kanye West.

But activism comes with a price. Tuface obviously didn’t bargain for that. He received enormous support. His announcement of the February 5, later February 6 protest energised the angry, frustrated Nigerian base, and drew our unrelenting “children of anger” back into an overdrive on social media. The international community also became interested, waiting to see the effect of a protest driven by star-power in Nigeria. It was coincidentally a season of protests across the world: in the Gambia, there had been protests against Yahyah Jammeh with a positive outcome, in the US, the UK and elsewhere, Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries and his misogyny led to protests on both counts, and in the case of the former, a Federal judge has given a ruling that has resulted in the suspension of the ban. In Cameroon, concerned citizens are protesting over discrimination against English-speaking Cameroonians. In Romania, a sea of protesting citizens has just had its way. There is all around the world, right now, a resurgence and affirmation of people power, be it Brexit or left-wing activism in Europe. Individuals and groups lead such moments in history- what makes them different is the fire in their bellies and their readiness to command the revolution, at great personal risk.

It looked initially as if Tuface had that burning fire in his belly, but he couldn’t make that leap between self-preservation and the risks of rebellion. He had appeared on television. He spoke confidently about the need for real change in Nigeria. He encouraged Nigerians to come out en masse to support the movement. He even announced the colour and dress code of the protest. His wife stood by him and she, too, talked about her husband’s convictions about national progress and good governance. Each time Tuface appeared in the media, during those five minutes in the sun, he looked bright and determined. But everything changed late Saturday evening. The recorded video of Tuface’s volte-face, announcing the cancellation of the Feb. 6 protest showed him looking dispirited, broken, ashen as if he had been shaken up and chastised. He looked unsettled with his scraggy, uncombed beard. It is not difficult to know when a man’s balls have been squeezed.

Tuface actually deserves our sympathy. He must have gone through a lot of pressures that broke his spirit. His capitulation makes us appreciate even better the heroism of those who always stood up to dictatorships. His example is indeed a great lesson…And I mean that positively for the fact that…Despite the massive support that he received, he also received a lot of discouragement. An old ally of his, some guy appropriately called Blackface was one of the first persons to blacken the idea of the protest. Some Nollywood, belle-forever-face-front-chop-money-money-finish-carry-go characters also opposed Tuface. Some musicians too, although in the long run, Tuface was able to mobilise the support of every section of the Nigerian community at home and in diaspora. By Saturday when he poured cold ice on the whole thing, the protest had even grown beyond him, much larger, with others seizing the initiative and turning what he had thought would be a small show into a nationwide and diaspora event. At that point, Tuface was no longer the singer of sultry songs, but the symbol of a rebellion. The enormity of that potential must have frightened him. He didn’t have the courage to see it through. Leadership is about courage. A coward can never lead a rebellion.

But we should struggle to understand his situation. He was accused of having seven children from three women, which is an absolutely stupid point. An artist does not have to be a saint. We relate to their art and their engagements with society on the basis of the positive value that they bring forth. It is also possible that Tuface received pressures from his multiple in-laws, and even the Baby Mamas defending their stakes in his life. The official wife must have been accused of trying to encourage him to get into trouble so he could get killed and she alone can sit on his estate. The Baby Mamas and all the in-laws must have called to remind him that his children are still very young and he needs to be alive to be their father and so he should think twice before going to use his chest to stop Nigeria Police bullets. Family members, to whom he is obviously a breadwinner, must have advised him to stay with his singing and dancing and not get involved in politics. They would remind him how Fela’s mum got killed and how Fela’s house was razed down, and how every artist who dared the Nigerian government ended up in exile or in prison or with a strange motor accident.

The Nigerian government was, of course, unhappy with the planned protest, and the idea of it created enormous confusion in Abuja and Aso Rock. While the office of the Acting President spoke about the right to protest and the government not having anything against the expression of fundamental human rights, the Office of the President on vacation made it very clear that the would-be protesters are enemies of the government of the day and sore losers. Those two seemingly contradictory impressions from Aso Rock can only point to one thing: high-level intrigue within. That is probably why the Nigeria Police kept shuffling: we don’t approve of the protest, we do, we don’t, we beg. The timing says it all also. With the President out of the country, and the plan of the protesters to welcome him with a Trump-like protest from Abuja, to Lagos, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Akure, and in parts of the Western world, the damage would have been incalculable. And Tuface would have been held responsible for leading the sabotage. No Nigerian government since 1999 has benefitted from any mass protest. The anti-third term protest hobbled the Obasanjo government. The Jonathan government never recovered from the pro-fuel subsidy protests of January 2012. Tuface and his planned protest had set the stage for a similar prospect for the Buhari government.

What Tuface imagined was a clean-hearted civil action would have resulted in absolute panic, with some informal voices in and around government doing dangerous analysis on ethnic and religious grounds. Reckless hypotheses such as the following: (a) “so, as Baba hand over this thing to Osinbajo so, the only thing his Christian brothers think they should do is to organise a protest in Baba’s absence?” (b) “You don hear say Osinbajo’s office say people have right to protest? So, Baba cannot even travel on vacation again. Walahi, these Yoruba people cannot be trusted.” (c) What are these security people doing? If they are loyal to Baba, by now they should have invited that Tuface, and ask him about the two SUVs that Akpabio gave him and his wife when they got married. They should show him strong evidence that the SUVs were bought with Akwa Ibom state government money and he should pay back the money or get ready to be sued for being an accomplice in a case of diversion of public funds. (d) Or you could have some people affirming the narrative that was put out by the APC and friends of the government of the day viz: “this is the PDP at work. Tuface must be an agent of PDP. Why are our own APC people sleeping? Baba no dey around, they want to pull down the country. So, Tuface is now working with Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, to embarrass Baba? This Osinbajo, can we trust him?”

By pulling the trigger at this time, Tuface simply puts a lot of people under pressure and placed their jobs and loyalty at risk -no doubt about it, they must have come after him with a sledgehammer to stop and discourage him. Clear evidence: a counter-revolutionary #IstandwithBuhari protest has already been announced to last for two days. The Tuface revolution that has been abandoned by its main motivator teaches us more lessons about the dynamics of power in Nigeria and the temperament of the resident power elite. Will the protest now take place on February 6, without Tuface? Or will everyone hold fire and down their tools of anger? What is certain, however, is that Tuface is likely to sit at home tomorrow with Anne, his temptingly pretty wife by his side, watching the latest episode of Big Brother Naija on TV, with chicken and salad before him, and a bottle of wine, and one of his hands, innocently setting the stage for the amorous prelude for child number eight. With his wife telling him: “don’t worry yourself, dear, Nigeria is not worth dying for. Who wan die make e go die. You have tried your best, my darling husband!”.

That is how many would-be heroes become anti-heroes, and their dreams die a-borning. If the protests go ahead on February 6 as many are threatening, nonetheless, Tuface would lose a lot. If it doesn’t go ahead, he would still lose. The torch of protest that he has lit may not burn on the streets of Nigeria; it is burning already in the minds of the people. He may have chickened out, but he has already achieved the goal of his initial plan. He has by lending his star power to an anti-Buhari protest, expanded the population of angry Nigerians. He has given voice to their anger and fears. His withdrawal from action will not excuse him. Whatever anyone tells him, in the long run, he would still be punished for his bravery and cowardice on both counts. He should not be surprised if for the next few months, he doesn’t get invited to any concert, or performance contract, or if he gets to perform anywhere, he could be booed off the stage. He should not be surprised if his phones stop ringing, or if it rings at all, he could be told: “call me on what’s app I beg, I don’t know if they are monitoring your calls.”

Let no one blame Tuface. His stage name Tuface is the name of Janus: the two-faced Greek god, who looks in two directions. When it mattered most in his career, Tuface Idibia answered the call of his name!