News

El-Rufai Drops Bombshell, Says Nigeria Would’ve Gone If Not Niger Delta

Published

8 months ago

February 24, 2025

Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El_Rufia has raised the alarm that Nigeria was at the moment facing existential threat and that the Niger Delta like the role it played has been the glue holding the country together.

El- Rufai who spoke during a condolence visit to the residence of the late Chief Edwin Clark in Abuja, noted that the nation’s democracy was also in great danger and all people of goodwill must come together to ensure that the it does not implode.

He said that Clark’s leadership role in rallying the people of the Niger Delta together had contributed to the sustainability, growth and development of the country. According to him, if the Midwest region had joined Biafra during the civil war, Nigeria would have gone. According to him, the Mid West could not have played that role but for patriotic individuals like the late General Samuel Ogbemudia, Major David Ejoor, Chief Edwin Clark and others.

He said, “Our nation, our democracy is in great danger, it is facing existential threat and Niger Delta has been the glue that has been holding the country together. All people of goodwill must come together to ensure that we have good leadership,”

El- Rufai who urged the people of the Niger Delta to continue with the good work of Pa Clark, affirming that he really played a fatherly role through out his lifetime, said, “think everyone, no one, can dispute that we, as a country, our democracy, our nation are in great danger. And all people of good will need to come together to ensure that we have a leadership that will make this country better for everyone, not just for the people. I think the legacy of E.K. Clark and the work that he has done should remind us all of the importance of being courageous, standing up for justice and risking everything for nigeria.

“I’ve been working on a project to write about the legacies of our six living former Presidents of Nigeria. Nigeria is very lucky. We are the only country in the world with six former presidents, still alive, still active.
And I thought we are not making the best use of their experiences as well as their mistakes.

“So, from January last year, I started research and I reached all the former Presidents and we are working on publishing this book, by the grace of God, by the middle of next year. Because it requires doing several years of research, but then also interviewing the former Presidents and asking them some difficult questions. One of the questions I was going to ask President Babangida was June 12th, he has answered it yesterday but there are more I want to ask him when the time comes.

“Iam happy to say that all the former Presidents have agreed on the project they think is important because we tend to forget what good things our leaders have done, but only remember one or two of their mistakes.
And taking Babangida as an example, people don’t realize that the three largest banks in Nigeria today did not exist before Babangida. It was Babangida that licenced Guarantee Trust Bank, licenced Access, and Zenith Bank. These are the three largest banks in Nigeria. They didn’t exist before Babangida came, but nobody gives them credit.

“So these books that we want to write are to tease out some of this. Nobody gives Vice President Atiku Abubakar the credit for leading the economic policy making under the Obasanjo administration. Many of the things that we heard under the economic team under his leadership; maybe because we don’t write a lot, and people don’t read history, we tend to forget, we only remember negative things.

“I think it’s part of human nature to remember only negative things, to forget positive things. I’m honoured and humbled to come with Vice President Atiku Abubakar to condone this family and commend the works that E.K. Clark has done. And I call on you, as a family and the other family and them, to please continue this good work. The leagacies of E.K. Clark particularly my brother … and we have worked very closely together.

“Let me begin with condolences to the family. I’ve already called the family to condole them because I was not in the country when this happened. And I was very happy when this opportunity presented itself for us to be here.
Chief E.K. Clark was not just an Ijaw leader or Niger Delta leader; he was a father to all of us. I first met him when I returned from exile. By then President Jonathan was Acting President.

“And all persons of goodwill were looking for solutions to stabilize the country and Chief ….called me, and I came to the house and we had discussions, and by the grace of God, the country was stabilized.

“But today, we can only celebrate the contributions of Chief E.K. Clark. Those of us old enough knew when he was the Federal Commissioner then. Its minister this days but was minister of education, based on what he did at the state level as a commissioner. He was a distinguished Nigerian, who fought for justice for everyone. He spoke for justice, and was very vocal and courageous in his convictions.

“He never keeps quiet whenever he sees injustice anywhere and injustice to one is injustice to all, as far as Chief E.K. Clark was concerned. so I have been a regular visitor here and we have worked together on many issues, under the leadership of Chief and as our oga has said, I think the country has lost an icon. May his soul rest in perfect peace, amen!

“May the Almighty God bless all that he has left behind. May his legacies continue, and may all the seeds that he has planted, grow and blossom through the greatness of Nigeria. Despite touching, we hear that the last words that he said, was, I love Nigeria, our Nigeria. I think that is a message that everyone in Nigeria should hear.
For those that want to see Nigeria break up, or engage in violence, or ethnic or religious violence.

“I worked with Ebi on a committee, trying to improve the electricity supply situation, under the leadership of his Excellency, Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo. I was very impressed with his intellect, with his knowledge. He was representing the CBN government. But he was the brain of everything that you’ve seen the CBN did, as far as power sector intervention was concerned.

“And the CBN did a lot. You know, it’s easy to discredit the CBN particularly when Emefiele did because he did other things that we didn’t like. But I took them to court, because of the currency redesign. So we were not the best of friends at the time. But we should also recognize when someone has done something good. And some of the interventions of the CBN government were good. I must admit, you saved the electricity sector in this country and Ebi, very much at the peak of it. So, even if the only contribution, to end this address is to give us for this critical period, I think Nigeria should be grateful for this.”

News

Brigadier-General, Other Officers Detained Over Alleged Coup Plot To Overthrow President Tinubu

Published

5 hours ago

October 18, 2025

Editor

At least sixteen senior military officers have been detained by the Armed Forces of Nigeria for allegedly planning a coup d’etat to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, top sources have told SaharaReporters.

A coup d’état is an overt attempt by a military organisation or other government elites to unseat an incumbent person or leadership.

While the Nigerian military in a statement few days ago claimed the detention of the officers was linked to “repeated failure in promotion examinations and perceived career stagnation”, top sources revealed that they were actually arrested over a coup plot.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to inform the public that a routine military exercise has resulted in the arrest of sixteen officers over issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau had said in an ambiguous statement.

“Investigations have revealed that their grievances stemmed largely from perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations, among other issues.

“Some of the apprehended officers had been under jurisdiction for various offences, either awaiting or undergoing trial. Their conduct was deemed incompatible with the standards of military service.”

However, a senior official of the Defence Intelligence Agency involved in the arrest told SaharaReporters that the officers led by an Army Brigadier General were planning to stage a coup and take over government from “selfish politicians”.

He said the coup attempt was thwarted after an intelligence gathering by the DIA and sister agencies.

“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson. They have started doing secret meetings on how to overthrow the President and other top government officials,” the source told SaharaReporters.

“They’re all officers within the rank of Captain to Brigadier-General and are still in detention at DIA as we talk. They were picked recently at their various houses around the country. Their main objective was to overthrow President Tinubu and announce a military government.”

Another source added that the October 1 Independence Day parade was cancelled because of the coup attempt.

He said, “Yes, they were arrested for planning to stage a coup and take over government. That was the main reason why the Independence Day parade scheduled to hold on Wednesday, October 1 as part of activities marking the country’s 65th Independence Anniversary was cancelled.

“This was because intelligence reports showed they planned the coup on October 1st during a military parade. So the National Security Adviser and other service chiefs asked the Tinubu-led government to cancel the parade earlier scheduled to mark the day.

“Their plan was to shoot at the President and other top politicians during the event. The move by the military authorities announcing their arrests was to douse tension.”

Since Nigeria became independent in 1960, there have been five successful military coups.

Recently, there have been allegations of corruption in the military which some of the officers and soldiers have blamed for their loss of interest in the country’s military.

News

Clemency: CSOs Carpet Presidency Over Comment On Ken Saro-Wiwa

Published

17 hours ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

The civil society community in Nigeria has taken a swap on the presidency over what it regarded as “insensitive, offensive, sordid and misleading” picture painted by the presidency over the murdered Ogoni 9, and the recent “pardon” granted to them and others by President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, while publicly announcing the justifications for the pardons and clemency, said: “Illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy on Thursday.”

Onanuga further said in the statement: “Also referred to 4 Ogoni leaders who were unfortunately murdered by a mob in 1995, and whose murder the Ogoni 9 were framed for, as ‘victims of the Ogoni 9.”

But a statement issued by Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 13 other civil society organisations, reads: “The statement by the Presidential Adviser is laced with insinuations and references that have no bearing on history, reality and globally acceptable facts about the occurrences that led to the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and his fellow rights activists on November 10, 1995.”

The civil society groups described it as “unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence of the miscarriage of justice against the Ogoni 9, which resulted in their hurried execution, the Nigerian state still considers them guilty and deserving of a pardon.”

The environment-based activist groups, who said the Presidency acknowledged the fact that Sir Herbert Macaulay was unjustly treated by the colonialists, wondered why the same Presidency failed to acknowledge the fact that Ken Saro Wiwa and the other ogonis were unjustly murdered by the military government.

The statement reads: “In the said statement, no mention was made of the abuse of the judicial process nor of the fact that the constitutional right to appeal was not extended to the 9.

“It is particularly interesting to note that in reference to Sir Herbert Macaulay, whom the President considers to have been unjustly treated by the colonialists, the statement had the following additional statement: ‘President Tinubu also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists.’ One wonders why the same clarification was not provided for the Ogoni 9.”

The CSOs, who said “what we continue to demand is the complete exoneration of Ken Saro-
Wiwa and his eight comrades,” expressed worries that the “half-hearted pardon extended by the President may be a strategic ploy to resume the extraction of crude oil in Ogoniland, a move that has so far been condemned and resisted by all well-meaning Nigerians.”

They stressed that “the reference to Ken Saro-Wiwa and his comrades by the Presidency is insensitive and offensive to their memory and that of other victims of environmental injustice.”

They, therefore, called
on President Bola Tinubu to “immediately withdraw the ‘pardon’ to Ken Saro Wiwa and his colleagues, and replace it with an unequivocal apology and condemnation of the faulty judicial process that resulted in their murder, followed by a gazette pronouncement quashing their murder conviction.”

According to them “Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, and Barinem Kiobel were exemplary leaders of the Ogoni nation who responded peacefully to the plight of their people and the destruction of their environment. Their commitment to right historical wrongs against their people and the environment should be recognised and commended.”

News

UK High Commissioner Concludes Anambra Visit, Urges Transparent Election

Published

23 hours ago

October 17, 2025

Editor

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, has completed a two-day visit to Anambra State, meeting with political and security leaders to discuss preparations for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

The visit comes just weeks before the election, scheduled for 8 November.

During his stay, Montgomery held talks with Governor Charles Soludo, gubernatorial candidates, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the state Commissioner of Police, and representatives from civil society organizations.

According to a statement from the British High Commission in Abuja on Thursday, the discussions centered around the technical and logistical preparations needed to ensure a smooth election.

Among the key topics were securing the 5,720 polling units across Anambra, addressing voter turnout concerns, and managing the security situation across the state’s 21 local government areas, the statement noted.

Speaking at the end of his visit, Montgomery emphasized the importance of a transparent and peaceful electoral process.

“Our focus is solely on the electoral process itself – that it should be transparent, peaceful, inclusive, and enjoy the confidence of the Anambra people.

“We do not endorse any particular candidate or political party. I encourage all eligible voters to exercise their democratic rights and to engage peacefully in the election,” he said.

The High Commissioner reaffirmed the UK’s continued support for Nigeria in strengthening its democratic institutions and promoting good governance, stressing that the UK would remain a committed partner in the lead-up to the election and beyond.