18042021 - Ex-Gov Aliyu Lied, not all northern govs worked against Jonathan in 2015

PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 18, 2021
Agitators for Yoruba self-determination led by Prof. Banji Akintoye during their
protest in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, yesterday. Photo: Dare Fasube
By Adeola Badru
Hundreds of agitators
under the aegis of ‘Ilana
Omo Oodua,’ yesterday,
occupied the streets of
Ibadan, Oyo State capital,
seeking self-determination
for the Yoruba nation.
The group, in a peaceful
rally against what they described
as the prevailing
injustice and biases in the
country, insisted that there
was no going back on their
demand for the creation of
the Oduduwa Republic.
They gave the “two tiers
of government” 120 days
within which to address
contentious issues in the
country.
The protesters, which
comprised various Yoruba
groups, converged in front
of the ancient Mapo Hall,
under the leadership of
Prof. Banji Akintoye.
Scores of security personnel
were stationed at strategic
points around the venue
to prevent hoodlums from
hijacking the peaceful rally
Ṫhe rally, which was
billed to start around 9am,
could not hold until about
two hours later, due to the
presence of the heavily
armed security personnel
who prevented protesters
from gaining entrance into
the Mapo Hall venue of the
event.
Undeterred, the protesters
later converged in front of
Mapo Hall where they declared
that the Yoruba nation
has had enough of the
burdens of the marriage of
inconvenience in the country.
According to some of the
protesters, the agitation for
sovereignty followed the
From left: (Front Row): North-West Regional Education Officer, Sterling Bank
PLC, Linda Okafor (2nd left); North-West Regional Manager, Sterling Bank
PLC, Ibrahim Salihi; Director Dutse Commercial Secondary School, Malam
Abdulmumini Jibrin; North-West Regional Business Executive, Umar Baba in
a group picture with other members of staff of the bank and staff of Dutse
Commercial Secondary School in Takur during the Global Money Week event
held in Dutse, Jigawa State.
SELF-DETERMINATION: Yoruba agitators storm Ibadan,
warn against 2023 polls
… want issues addressed in 120 days
•We are in support of struggle - YCE
nited Nigeria Airline
Uhas airlifted more than
25,000 passengers within two
months of commencing
flight operations after getting
clearance from the civil aviation
regulator, the Nigeria
Civil Aviation Authority,
NCAA.
The Chairman, United
Nigeria Airline, Dr. Obiora
Okonkwo, who spoke with
Aviation reporters in Lagos,
said: “We are hoping to in-
claims that the Nigerian
Constitution had not been
effective in the smooth running
of the country’s affairs.
Among others, they listed
alleged ethnic imbalance,
lop-sided appointments
into public offices, insensitivity
of the present leadership
of the country to the
increasing waves of banditry,
kidnapping, raping and
killing of the people of the
South-West region, as part
of their grievances.
The protesters also said
that they had lost faith and
confidence in the country’s
leadership and the electoral
process, declaring that
conducting the 2023 elections
would amount to nothing
but an exercise in futility.
Elections
One of the notable leaders
at the rally, Bashorun
Kunle Adesokan, noted that
it was time for the Yoruba
race to have a country of its
own..
He said: “Yoruba have
suffered enough. We are not
in support of the 2023 elections.
We are telling the politicians
not to contest. They
After months of expec
tation, the Bayelsa
State-owned airport, yesterday,
finally got the nod
of the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority (NCAA) to
commence commercial
flight operations.
The NCAA Director General,
Dr. Nuhu Musa, presented
the regulatory
body’s approval letter to
an elated Governor Douye
Diri in Government House,
Yenagoa, after the team
should not contest in order
not to waste their money,
because we will not allow
the Yoruba to participate in
the elections.”
During a press conference
shortly after the rally in his
house at New Bodija,
Ibadan, Akintoye said, having
allotted 120 days to the
two tiers of government in
Nigeria for consultations
and engagements with the
issues raised by the NINAS
Constitutional Force Majeure
Proclamation of December
16,2020, the group
has declared a 120-day period
of consultations commencing
April 17,2021,
with the Peoples of the Alliance
Territories with dedicated
sessions for various
segments of the Nigerian
and the international community.
The Chairman of the Nigerian
Indigenous Nationalities
Alliance for Self-determination
(NNAS), whose
address was read by Otunba
Shade Olukoya, Treasurer,
Ilana Omo Oodua and
Chairman ,Steering Committee
of NINAS, said:
“NINAS offers the framework
for activating this de
facto governance imperative
which begins with providing
clear directions to
our traumatised peoples
and relating to the international
community on their
behalf.
“NINAS knows and hereby
alerts the Peoples of the
Alliance Territories, that
the mad rush of the caliphate
and its agents across
Nigeria, to drag Nigeria to
another round of national
elections under the 1999
Constitution, informed by
the Caliphate ‘s desperation
to somehow resuscitate that
Constitution in the sense
that if, instead of taking
down the 1999 Constitution
forthwith (which is well now
with the Constitutional
force majeure),we (the Alliance)
go for Elections under
that Constitution, we
will invariably give a fresh
lease of life to that Constitution
whereas if we pressing
on as we are already
doing right now, by rejecting
further any national
elections (2023 in particular)
under the 1999 Constitution,
that Constitution will
be dismantled, decommissioned
and jetitioned inside
the first half of 2021, paving
the way immediately
for transitioning, referendums
and emergence of
successor-constitutional arrangements.
“Having allotted a total
of 120 days to the two tiers
of government in Nigeria
for consultations and engagements
with the issues
raised by the NINAS Constitutional
Force Majeure
Proclamation of December
16,2020. .NINAS hereby
declares a 120-day period of
consultations commencing
April 17,2021, with the Peoples
of the Alliance Territories
with dedicated sessions
for various segments of the
Nigerian Society, the diplomatic
community and the
international community..
“Let it be known that upon
the completion of this first
final round of consultations,
mid-August 2021, should
the demands of the Constitutional
force majeure
(CFM) remain unaddressed
, NINAS shall proceed most
expeditiously with the Activation
of Reconsideration
of Allegiance to the repudiated
1999 Constitution
and commence processes of
the orderly interment of that
Constitution within the context
of the self-determination
imperative for the Constituent
Nationalities Components
of Nigeria.”
The group berated a
former presidential spokesperson,
Reuben Abati, for
describing self-determination
campaign as treason.
‘Worthwhile
cause’
In the same vein, the Secretary-General
of the Yoruba
Council of Elders (YCE),
Dr. Kunle Olajide, described
the self-determination
struggle as a worthwhile
cause.
In an interview with Sunday
Vanguard, Olajide said
the struggle is a legitimate
NCAA approves commercial flight operations at Bayelsa Airport
completed the mandatory
inspection of the airport
and its facilities.
Musa said the airport
met all airspace standards
By Marie-Therese
Nanlong
Vice-Chancellor of
Tthe University of Jos,
Professor Sebastian Maim-
United Nigeria Airline airlifts 25,000 passengers s within 2 months
crease our air fleet very
soon. We are looking at the
next couple of months, 2-3
months. A lot of plans are
already on the way. We have
been happy so far with the
responses we have been getting
from the market.”
He also said the medium
term plan of the airline is to
consolidate on the domestic
operations while planning
the expansion into the
West African sub-region.
and is one hundred per
cent ready for daytime
flight operations.
The governor’s Chief
Press Secretary, Mr.
UniJos VC tasks would-be successor on staf
aff f welfare, security
On the choice of aircraft
type, Embraer ERJ145, he
said it was the best for the
airline and convenient to
build routes and give passengers
the quality service
they deserve.
Dr. Okonkwo said: “We
did a thorough and due diligence
before we embraced
Embraer. The fuel saving
capacity is an advantage,
the passenger load which is
50 is an advantage.”
ako, has tasked his wouldbe
successor to brace up to
the challenges of running
the institution transparently,
improve on the security
and welfare of staff and students
as well as improve on
ICT and physical development
in the institution.
The tenure of Maimako
will end in a few weeks and
18 aspirants have shown interest
to succeed him. However,
the list was trimmed to
13 candidates comprising
of 12 males and one female,
from within and outside the
institution.
He gave the charge on
Thursday at an interactive
session with candidates vying
for the position of the
VC organized by the institution’s
chapter of the Academic
Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU in collaboration
with the institution’s
Advancement Office to
hear the plans the candidates
have for the institution,
its workforce and students.
Represented by the Director,
non-NUC programmes,
Professor John Adeyongo, the
outgoing VC urged the successful
candidate to ensure
that “training, the security
and welfare of staff and students,
physical development,
ICT improvement,
among others have to be
looked into.”
He reminded them that
IPPIS does not capture contract
staff hence the need to
generate funds to pay them
because they are very useful
to the system.
one, adding that the Yoruba
have the right to demand
self-determination.
“We have no objection at
all for our people justifiably
asking for self-determination,
as long as they they
promised us as they have
done, that they are going to
get it without bloodshed.
So, YCE has nothing
against them”, he stated.
“In fact, YCE is very unhappy
with the state of the
Nigeria nation, especially
in the last five or six years.
This administration has
done a lot of damage. We
have nothing against selfdetermination
if we can
have it without bloodshed.
It is a legitimate right for
Ilan Omo Oodua to demand
Yoruba nation, so far
they have promised us
there will be no violence
or bloodshed, because the
country has been badly
managed in the last five to
six years. The situation has
been polarised. Nobody
really knows whether the
President himself wants
the country together or
wants it to disintegrate. He
has not addressed us to reassure
us. So people asking
for self - determination have
every right to ask for it.
“As elders, what we are
emphasing is we do not
want any violent dismantling
of this republic. It is
better for all of us to be together,
but if it is going to
be one superior ethnic
group against the other,
then we better go ablaze”.
Daniel Alabrah, quoted the
NCAA DG as saying that the
approval was sequel to the
report of the agency’s inspection
team, which prior
to the visit had certified
that out of 29 gaps, the airport
was able to close 26.
Musa noted that other
requirements were nonsafety
related and that
work was already in
progress to achieve night
flight operations.
He said the agency had
to limit flight operations
to daytime as the runway
lights were being installed,
noting that once completed,
full approval would be
granted.
Responding, Diri, who
was full of joy, expressed
appreciation to God for
making the long-awaited
day possible.
Diri said issuing of the
operational licence was a
winding journey that began
from the administration
of his immediate past
predecessor to when he assumed
duty over a year
ago.