Father Mbaka Saga: I’ll close Adoration Ground if…. —Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie

Retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, explains why the clergy should not mix religion with politics. He speaks against the backdrop of the statement by the Enugu-based Catholic priest and founder of Adoration Ground, Father Ejike Mbaka, that members of his congregation should reject President Goodluck Jonathan in the general elections.

How do you see the statement credited to Rev. Father Ejike Mbaka?

Any serious priest will not speak the way he spoke. I am not saying that he is not serious. I will not agree with the things he said. According to what I read in the newspapers, a few weeks earlier, the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, visited his Adoration Ground in Enugu and he prayed for her. At that occasion, he was said to have lambasted the opposition party, APC, and now to turn around overnight and start lambasting President Goodluck Jonathan shows that there is something wrong somewhere.

Personally, I felt bad because it is not the place of a priest to go to that extent. He can have his personal opinion, but to go to the extent that he went is abnormal. I want you to know that he wasn’t speaking for the church. He said he was moved by the spirit, and I wonder what kind of spirit was that.

He said he was under the inspiration of the spirit. If he was under the inspiration of the spirit, I wonder if the spirit is that of God. I don’t think the spirit he’s referring to is the spirit of God. He must have been under the influence of another spirit. He must have been listening to a wrong spirit.

Is the statement not embarrassing to the Catholic Church as a whole?

Indeed, it is. But I must say to you that he was not speaking on behalf of the church. No! No!! No!!! Anybody with such opinion is in error. The man cannot hold brief for the church. Pardon me, but how can I say you are bloody fool and anybody takes that to mean that all journalists are bloody fools. It’s very funny.

In a situation such as this, what does the Catholic Church do?

Well, the Catholic Church is structured in such a way that there are dioceses where each priest belongs. This particular priest happens to come from Enugu Diocese, so it is left for the bishop in charge of that diocese to discipline him. If the priest fails to obey the discipline, then the bishop is obligated to report the mother to the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN.

You may have heard the Bishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, who said that if the priest were to be in his diocese, he would discipline him straight. But he is not in his diocese. The best anyone of us can do is just to advise him that he had gone too far and he is free to take our advice and he may not. God gave every one of us a free will and we are at liberty to use the freewill as we choose.

What kind of sanction can be given to such a priest?

It depends on his bishop. You cannot dictate for his bishop. Don’t forget that this same man was at loggerheads with a former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamanni, and it was the same Adoration Ground in Enugu. If I have my way, we should close that place because a lot of things have been happening there that are out of tune. I think Gov. Peter Obi also went there for prayers at one point. If I have my way, I won’t go there for anything….

Your advice for politicians who are currently jostling for votes….

One of them came out publicly recently to say that if you are a politician and you cannot tell a lie…how then that anyone wants to go into politics? If they can openly say such a thing, it means they have been deceiving the people all this while. So, I don’t really know. Any good politician must, first and foremost, must have the fear of God in him. A responsible politician, irrespective of the office you are vying for—because they say whatever has a beginning must have an end—must begin by developing the fear of God in him because by and by your tenure will eventually come to an end.

It’s because of greed that most of them are clamouring for second or more terms. Any politician that has finished his first term and is asking for a second term, there is something wrong with him. If we look at it critically, after four years what is he clamouring for a second term for? I cannot understand Nigerians. Some of us are damn greedy. They don’t have the fear and respect for the down trodden.

Now they are up and about the whole place…they can even lick your boot now because they are canvassing for votes, but as soon as they get the votes they begin to show you pepper. They don’t regard the poor citizens that are out there; forgetting that someday and one day they may return to the status quo.

Whatever has a beginning must have an end. This is the time you get them talking but they won’t look at their manifestoes, but because they want to get to power they are going to everybody. Some of them have come to me here and I told them off: one of the first thing you’ve got to do is get religion off your mind because it is like putting petrol in a fire. You don’t mix politics with religion and some people came to me, saying, ‘Look at the situation in Lagos, what are we going to do?’ What are you going to do? Are they your God? Do they own the nation? The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Any clergyman that mixes religion with politics is finished including their church because they will not be spared.

Politicians are taking their campaigns to churches. Is it a healthy development?

It is not! They should keep religion out of politics. Don’t forget each person has his or her own mind. During harvest, you have the priest and the assistant priest and you go out to invite another priest to preach, that will affect what I am going give, because I have already made up my mind on what I am going to give. They come to church to canvas for votes.

It should not be allowed by anybody. I don’t really know what to do because this election, hmm hmm hmm, I am afraid. Imagine their utterances! Look at what Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) said about Shariah in 2011, that is what they are harping on now in 2015. Why? When did you hear about Shariah last? This kind of thing is annoying. Look at the recent campaign launch that produced over N21 billion. Where did they get the money from when people are hungry? No water. No electricity. No roads. I just wonder what kind of government we have in this country. These are all corrupt persons and they will want me to cast their vote for them.

Hayatou’s regret: Okocha deserved CAF awards

Confederation of African Football president, Issa Hayatou was of the view that Nigerian football legend, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha deserved to have won the highest African football honour for all his masterful displays during his playing days.

In 2003 and 2004 respectively when Okocha was at his best, the African player of the year award eluded him, much to the surprise of most Nigerian soccer enthusiasts conversant with African football. Instead, Samuel Eto’o was crowned back to back for those years, with Didier Drogba as runner’s up, while Okocha was third. Coincidentally, the former Super Eagles midfield maestro was voted back to back as the BBC African player of the year for the same period. This led to conspiracy theories that there was a Francophone gang-up against Okocha, who is from Nigeria, an Anglophone country.

“If I have any regret that will be not winning The African Footballer of the Year. But then, I don’t think I was meant to because I gave my best, but at the end, it wasn’t good enough,” said Okocha in a recent interview.

At the 2014 CAF awards, Hayatou seemed to have felt his pain as he described the awards established in 1992 as a magnificent achievement and deserving to be won by players who have distinguished themselves on the field of play.

“Players like Jay Jay Okocha would have been very worthy to feature in the list of winners. But the technicians decided otherwise, it is the law of the game,” Hayatou said in his opening remarks.

Okocha who was named by Pele in his list of 125 legends, started his career with the Super Eagles in 1993 in a game against Cote’d Ivoire during an African World Cup qualifier. He cemented his place in the Super Eagles in subsequent years and was influential in the squad. His was part of the team that won the African Cup of Nations for the second time in 1994 and also gold medal at the Atlanta 96’ Olympic Games. However, he was unable to inspire the team to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, it was from that moment his weight began to wane.

There hasn’t been another player like Okocha in the continent. And perhaps this way why Yaya Toure has been crowned four years in a row and he seem bored receiving the awards at the Eko Hotels Convention centre last Thursday night as he did not show any emotion in the ceremony filled with quality entertainment.

Nigeria Football Federation president, Mr. Amaju Pinnick congratulated Toure with no hard feelings, but was quick to add that Nigerian players need to raise their game and also take their places in the CAF hall of fame.

“No one can fault the awards given to Toure. He deserves it; my only concern is that Toure is playing for the wrong premiership team.

“But seriously, this is a wake up call for our players. It was only Vincent Enyeama that we have seen this season and for him to make the final list was a plus for him being a goalkeeper,” Amaju said.

It was a thrilling evening, the music was good. Food and wine were in abundant supply and the gathered football family had their fill after three long hours of waiting for the show to begin.

The event was meant to celebrate football and the stars past and present who made the difference. Kalusha Bwalya was the only former African international who was invited to make presentations.

Stampede at Akwa Ibom stadium inauguration, 2 feared dead, 20 others injured.

Two persons were feared dead and 20 others injured in a stampede at the entrance of Akwa Ibom International Stadium on Friday during its inauguration.

The crowd control was a difficult task in spite of the road blocks mounted some kilometres away from the stadium.



Although the spectators got tickets to enable them access the 30, 000 capacity stadium, the crowd started thronging the stadium about five hours ahead of the scheduled time for the match.

Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Emem Bassey, said that two unconscious persons were taken to an undisclosed hospital.

“I was told that two persons have been taken to the hospital; these are perhaps people who were fighting at the gate in their bid to enter the stadium,” Bassey said.

He said that the third unconscious person, a woman, was revived in the stadium and had started talking.

“It should be expected; this is the first time this is happening, everybody is excited, everybody wants to enter the stadium.

“We have 150 medical personnel in this place and eight ambulances. All our medical teams are up and doing and all the clinics are manned,” Bassey said.

NAN reports that the security operatives at some check points were using horse whips and tear-gas to control the crowd.

NYSC boss' son allegedly shot by hired SSS operatives

Preye, who is said to be the son of the Chairman of the Governing Board, National Youth Service Corps, Chief Gordon Bozimo, has been allegedly shot by suspected operatives of the Department of State Security in Bayelsa State.



Preye was said to have been shot in the stomach in Peretimi Hotels located at Imgbi Road, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where he had lodged.

The victim alleged that the manager of the hotel hired operatives of the Department of State Security to shoot him.

He said on Sunday that three suspected DSS operatives were personally led by the manager of the hotel to deal with him and finally shoot him in the stomach.

It was learnt that following the incident, the hotel was shut down for about five days after some of the workers were arrested, detained and later released by the police.

Preye, who hails from Bomadi, Delta State, spoke in his hospital bed at the Surgical Ward of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, where he is lying critically ill.

Preye, a building contractor and founder of Prezimo Global Resources, said he lodged in the hotel on September 30 with his cousin, Mr. Nathaniel Alaweremi.

But he said trouble started when he had an argument in the room with his cousin over some financial miscalculations.

The quarrel, he said, attracted the hotel manager whose office was located directly opposite their room.

Preye said, “Last week, Tuesday, I came into Yenagoa so, I went to Peretimi Hotel on Imgbi road. I got there and paid for a room. I had little argument with my cousin on monetary issues involving our construction.

“Our voices went high due to the little argument. The room I lodged in was opposite the manager’s office. She came and accused us of chasing one of her customers away because of our noise.

“She said we were so noisy and didn’t think we could stay in her hotel. So, we said no problem that she should refund our money to us. I approached her and told her that as a manager, she was not supposed to treat her customers like that. She immediately responded and said she would show me.”

Preye, who was writhing in pains, said the manager left them and shortly came back with three armed persons he identified as SSS operatives.

He added, “She left and came in with three SSS men. They were in suites and they wore glasses with two guns and a big riffle. Immediately, they asked my cousin to leave the room. They locked me inside.

“Everything looked suspicious to me because I know that it is not how to arrest a person. While I was trying to plead with the manager that the matter had not got to the level she took it, the SSS men punched on me.

“The next thing I heard was a shot and I realised it was on my stomach and I fell to the ground inside the room and they started hitting me. The other one said, ‘empty his pocket’ and they took all my money, my ATM cards, my wrist watch, pulled my trousers, took my shoes and my car key.

“It was a clear robbery. They now dragged me outside. I was on t-shirt and on boxer shorts. They dragged me through the pavements; all my ribs were paining me.

“Then they fired two shots into the air. When my cousin came to where I was lying, they threatened to shoot him on the leg.They took me into their bus and went away. When we got to the station, they put me on the ground and I was bleeding.”

When asked the name of the station he was taken to, he said, “I did not really no because I was dizzy but it was an SSS station. On the ground, I was bleeding and shouting everybody refused to attend to me.

“But when they saw the amount of blood coming out of my body they now decided to take me to the hospital. So, I was asking why they shot me like a common criminal. They said that they are security agents and they choose to do whatsoever they wish to do and that there is nothing I can do.”

The 32-year-old man said he lost all his valuables including about N100,000 to his attackers during the incident that happened between 12 and 2pm on the fateful day.

Preye continued, “They shot me in my stomach. One of the bullets went in and came out. The other bullet that went in, they still haven’t seen the bullet and the doctor here said I have to go for further check abroad because they have done their best.

“They said even if they see the bullet, they can’t operate it. So, this is the situation. These men were so confident of themselves because they said I can’t do anything. I think they have been doing this kind of thing.”

His cousin, Alaweremi, who corroborated the story, insisted that men of the DSS were persons hired by the hotel manager to beat and shoot his cousin.

He said, “The manager was laughing at my brother’s ordeal and she said that we got what we were looking for. My brother did nothing wrong. The doctors are saying that they couldn’t handle the case here and that he should be taken abroad. Where will the money come out from to run these expenses?”

Though the state Director, DSS, Mr. Dawa Everest, could not be reached for his comments, the Commissioner of Police, said he had yet to get details of the incident.

Nigeria Military orders arrest of General for running into bush with troops for fear of BH.

The Army High Command has allegedly ordered the arrest and detention of a Brigadier-General attached to the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army (names with-held) over allegations of negligence that gave Boko Haram terrorists an opportunity to overrun some communities in Borno State recently.

It was gathered that the senior officer who hails from one of the states in the South West, was the officer coordinating the military onslaught to dislodge several Boko Haram terrorists from Bama, Gwoza, Madagali, Michika and other communities in Borno and Adamawa states that later fell into the hands of the terrorists.

The General was accused of providing poor leadership and failed to instil confidence in the soldiers, resulting in several soldiers allegedly abandoning the fight against the terrorists while several of them lost their lives.

According to the source, when the Boko Haram insurgents came in full force to attack Bama,some top brass of the unit offered no resistance by running into the bush.

The source disclosed that the insurgents entered the Brigade Headquarters and Armoury freely and carted away vehicles and Tanks.


NE was told that some of the commanders were rescued from the bush by a battalion deployed at Konduga, which was stationed about 15 kilometers behind Bama, the last deployment before Maiduguri.

The Military high command was said to be furious that the insurgents after taking over Bama and killing hundreds of civilians ransacked the armoury with no soldier offering resistance, leaving the insurgents to have a free day.

According to the source; after seizing the equipment at the 21 Brigade Bama, the terrorists used the same weapons to attack the infantry battalion at Konduga but met their waterloo where hundreds of the Boko Haram insurgents were killed.

The source added that the 21 Armoured Brigade which had several armoured tanks could not withstand the battle that was later decided by less than 400 infantry soldiers in Konduga.

It was further gathered that after running away from Bama, some top brass of the brigade and about 800 troops went straight to Maiduguri instead of joining the troops in Konduga to repel the attack.
To face court-martial

It was also gathered that a board of inquiry is investigating the conduct of the officers for acts of negligence among other offences.

Military sources further revealed that Boko Haram terrorists were not really better armed in the terror war but rather leadership of troops on ground has been discovered as a problem that needed to be tackled.

Giving an instance, a source said: “Commanders of troops are supposed to lead soldiers from the frontline but what we discovered is that most of the commanders operate and give orders from the rear.

“If not that our soldiers are rugged and know that the Boko Haram terrorists could not match them professionally, what we are seeing today would have been the opposite. Actually, when terrorists see soldiers coming, they run for their lives, but due to poor leadership, the back-up arrangements are not activated. When soldiers therefore run out of ammunition and the terrorists regroup, soldiers will have no other choice than to retreat”.

The source cited the successes recorded severally in the battles to take over Konduga as the perfect way the Nigeria Army operates, noting that even though there were four different attacks with heavy weaponry, the army was able to defeat them and recovered stolen weapons.

AIG Joseph Mbu detains AIT reporter for calling him a "controversial police officer"

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in Zone 7, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, yesterday ordered the detention of Africa Independent Television (AIT) reporter Amaechi  Anakwue.

Mbu invited Anakwue to his office for allegedly referring to him as a “controversial police officer” during a television programme.

It was learnt that on getting to the office, Mbu ordered that his men to detained Anakwue.

The management of DAAR Communications last night demanded the release of the reporter.

Mbu, who was Rivers State commissioner of Police was redeployed to Abuja, following his hostile relationship with Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

In Rivers State, Mbu was accused of authorising the use of “rubber bullets” to disperse a group preparing to hold a rally, in which Senator Magnus Abe was shot.

On getting to Abuja, he authorised the use of water cannon to disperse protesting lecturers of polytechnics and colleges of education at the Eagle Square.

He described himself as a “lion”, who tamed a leopard in Rivers State, apparently referring to Governor Amaechi.

But Amaechi shot back, saying Mbu “completely lacks the steel and strength of character of a lion, and is rather a shameless, corrupt puppet and toothless attack dog of a woman.”

Ghana plans to export electricity to Nigeria.

Ghana says it is planning to export thousands of megawatts of electricity to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other neighbouring countries that have power deficit.



The Ghanaian President, Mr. John Mahama, who made the disclosure at the Africa Global Business and Economic Forum in Dubai on Wednesday, said his government had made huge investments in power generation that would enable the country to export excess electricity to Nigeria and others.

“We have given priority to electricity generation in our country. We have prioritised energy in such a way that we want to become the hub for power production in West Africa. We want to generate electricity to the point that excess power can be exported to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other countries that have power deficit,” he said.

To achieve this dream, Mahama said his country had secured export-import financing from China as well as special funds from Abu Dhabi to commence series of power generation projects, adding that a third hydropower dam project was already at an advanced stage.

The Ghanaian leader spoke in a panel discussion along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Mulatu Wirtu of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Mahama added, “Where Africa faces some of its challenges lies its biggest opportunities. We are leveraging on public-private sector partnership to build infrastructure. Be it roads, electricity, ports or communication systems; if we create the right environment, investors will come.

“Creating the right environment that will attract foreign direct investment is key.”

In achieving this, the Ghanaian leader joined Kagame and Wirtu to emphasise the need for African governments to strengthen anti-corruption agencies in their various countries.

“Issues of accountability and transparency are very important. There must be mechanism to fight corruption. We all have institutions but the major thing is resourcing them to effectively fight corruption and perform effectively,” he noted.

According to Kagame, African governments must create a system that is not sympathetic to corruption, saying this would help drive the required Foreign Direct Investment into the continent.

He said, “It is one thing to have the institutions; it is another thing to allow them to work. Governance and structure must be in place to make them to work,” he said.

“African governments must fix infrastructure, investment in development of education and skills, and also enhance connectivity among African countries.”