Soyinka Tells Buhari: You Can’t Honour Abiola And Still Admire His Tormentor Abacha

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has told President Muhammadu Buhari that he cannot honour MKO Abiola in one breath and admire his tormentor Sani Abacha in the same breath.

Soyinka, who was speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the national honours investiture for heroes of democracy., said that although he understood Buhari’s official loyalty to Abacha, it shouldn’t take preeminence over the preservation of democracy
“Dear Mr. President, you cannot honour Abiola in one breath and admire his tormentor in the same breath,” he said.
Soyinka added that while the heroes of democracy were being recognized, the anti-democrats deserved some mention too.
“So, as we have the Hall of Heroes in one hand, we also have the Hall of Shame as a lesson to future generations,” he said.
In the latter category, he listed Abacha, whom he described as “one of the most brutal dictators — if not the most brutal, in fact the most brutal dictators — that this nation has ever known”.

Lagos Court Jails 28-Year-Old Man For Repeatedly Raping 12-Year-Old Church Member

A Lagos High Court in Igbosere has sentenced a 28-year-old man, Kingsley Inyang, to life imprisonment for defiling a 12-year-old girl.
The judgement was confirmed by the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) of the Lagos State government in a series of tweets on Monday.
“Justice Ogunsanya convicted and found him guilty of defiling the girl, contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” DSVRT tweeted.
The team also said of the case: “He defiled the girl, his church member, in his home on July 26, 2015.
“She [the victim] told the court that the first time Inyang defiled her was on a Sunday evening after a fellowship service, following which he threatened to assault her if she told anyone.
“Three days later, as she and her younger brother passed his house on their way home from bible study, he beckoned on her again.”
It quoted the girl as saying in court: “He sent my brother outside and forced me to make love to him and said that I should not let anybody know, otherwise he was going to beat me.”

BREAKING: Prison Sentence Looms As Court Declares Dariye, Ex-Plateau Governor, Guilty Of Diverting N1.2bn

 


The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Gudu, Abuja, has found Joshua Dariye, former Governor of Plateau State, guilty of corrupt activities.
Justice Adebukola Banjoko found Dariye guilty of unlawfully transferring state funds to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP);
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the former Governor in a 23-count charge bothering on money laundering and fraud, in 2007.
Dariye was Governor of Plateau State from 1999 to 2007.
The commission alleged that sum of N1.126bn for the ecological needs of the state was allegedly transferred to PDP in the southeast.
 Justice Banjoka found him guilty of Counts 1, 2 and 7 of the charges.
According to the EFCC, Dariye diverted the funds into the account of Ebenezer Ratnen Venture, one of the companies through which he allegedly siphoned the public funds.
Judgement is still being expected in the matter

‘MKO Was The Winner’ — Buhari Apologises To Abiola Family Over Annulment Of June 12 ’93 Election

President Muhammadu Buhari has tendered a national apology to the family of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, for the annulment of the election by Ibrahim Babangida, the then Military President.
Buhari made the apology in Abuja on Tuesday as he conferred a posthumous honour of Grand Commander Of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on Abiola.
“On behalf of the Federal Government, I tender the nation’s apology to the family of late MKO Abiola,” Buhari said while also acknowledging that Chief MKO had majority votes, which made him winner of the ‘94 presidential election.
He also apologized “to those that lost their loved ones in the course of the June 12 struggle”.
President Buhari had earlier declared June 12 Democracy Day, holding that the day is more significant to the country’s democratic odyssey than May 29.
Buhari said: “We cannot rewind the past but we can at least assuage our feelings, recognise that a wrong has been committed and resolve to stand firm now and ease the future for the sanctity of free elections,
“Nigerians will no longer tolerate such perversion of justice. This retrospective and posthumous recognition is only a symbolic token of redress and recompense for the grievous injury done to the peace and unity of our country.
“Our action today is to bury the negative side of June 12 — side of ill-feelings, hate, frustration, and agony. What we are doing today is celebrating the positive side of June 12.
“The decision at this event is not meant to be, and is not, an attempt to open old wounds but to put right a national wrong.
“Nigerians, of their own free will, voted for Chief MKO Abiola, and Babagana Kingibe — the presidential flag bearer and running mate of the Social Democratic Party in the 1993 elections.”

Special Hero For the Month !!

Akinkumi was born some 76 years ago, an indigene of Owu in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, Nigeria.
He attended Baptist Day School, Ibadan for his Primary education, Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan for his Secondary education and after that took up an appointment as a clerk with the old Western Region at Secretariat, Ibadan. His passion for education was so high that he has to quit the civil service, after working for a number of years when the opportunity came for him to travel abroad for further education. He discussed his intention to travel abroad with some of his colleagues who later advised him to have a change of mind because of so many challenges he is going to face as a black student studying in a white’s land. All the advice given to him by his friends did not yield any result as he later decided to face the challenges traveled abroad.

On getting there, Taiwo Akjinkunmi enrolled with Norwich Technical College, London, to study Agric Engineering. It was in this school that the opportunity knocked at his door to register his name with an indelible mark in the history of the most populous black nation of the world called Nigeria. It was a very bright morning that day when young Akinkunmi visited the Library of Norwich College where he was studying, as he used to do. He decided to go to the newspaper stand where dailies were displayed to catch some glimpse about the activities of the colonial government then in Nigeria. He saw an advertorial about the new national flag to be designed for Nigeria. The advert was calling for whoever that is creative to submit an entry on what to be the colour of the flag and the reason why it should be designed that way. Taiwo Akinkunmi quickly rushed back to his hostel with the information about the competition which he had already jotted in a piece of paper. He then quickly prepared his entry and sent it straight away to Lagos, where the colonial masters were using as their base then.
It was indeed a day of joy and surprise for Akinkunmi when he received a letter from Lagos that the entry he sent was picked as the flag for the independent Nigeria. Though, over two thousand (2000) people submitted entries, but his own was picked because of the uniqueness in colour i.e. green-white-green and the interpretation which really reflected the abundant natural resources of Nigeria. This flag, designed by Akinkunmi, in 1958 was used to celebrate Nigeria independence on October 1st, 1960 when the “Union Jack” i.e. British Flag was lowered for the flag of Nigeria to take its place on air.

The British government then, recognized the contribution of Taiwo Akinkunmi to his fatherland and appreciated him with a sum of one hundred pounds (£ 100) which they sent to him when he was still in London. In a bid to further contribute to the development of Nigeria, Taiwo Akinkunmi later returned home after his programme in London and
worked with Ministry of Agriculture, Ibadan, where he used the knowledge and skills acquired while away to contribute to the success of the ministry where he prematurely retired due to a brief illness.

TaiwoAkinkunmi is married with children, among whom we have Akinremi Akinkunmi, Omolola Akinkunmi , Akinwumi Akinkunmi and the rest.
Pa Taiwo Akinkunmi has received numerous awards from well meaning Nigerians ranging from Students Unions, Non Governmental Organizations, Religious bodies, as well as corporate organizations, for his patriotic contribution to his fatherland. Prominent among the awards he has received was the one giving to him by Altima Communication, the organizer of “who wants to be a millionaire”, a T.V. quiz programme sponsored by MTN Telecommunication which won him a duplex around Acedemy area Ibadan.

A new feather was added to the cap of Taiwo Akinkunmi on Thursday, 30th September, 2010, when Federal Government of Nigeria deem it fit to count him worthy among the 50 distinguished Nigerians of history. Member of the Order of Niger (MON), the much awaited national award was bestowed on Taiwo Akinkunmi for designing Nigeria Flag, on the occasion of 50th Independence Celebration of Nigeria. The award was given to him by President Goodluck Jonathan in Government House, Abuja, alongside 49 others who have made Nigeria proud.

Dr. Frederick Fasehun.

Apart from being the founder of OPC, most Nigerians know little or nothing about Dr. Frederick Fasehun.

Most Nigerians do not know Frederick Fasehun the Business Man; Frederick Fasehun, the Acupuncturist; or Frederick Fasehun, the highly sought-after consultant anaesthesiologist. Fewer people know that Dr. Frederick Fasehun was the founding father of the now-rested department of acupuncture at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).