News
God forbid Nigeria sees another Civil War — Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday warned that many of the factors that triggered Nigeria’s three-year civil war in 1967 are still with the country, stressing that every effort must be made to prevent a recurrence of such a conflict, which resulted in huge losses of lives and property.
Obasanjo made the remark while receiving a book, research materials, videos and interviews of eyewitnesses documenting the Asaba Massacre and related events, compiled by the Chairman of the Asaba Memorial Trust and the Asaba Image Branding and Project Committee, Chief Chuck Nduka-Eze, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.
He described the prospect of another civil war as unthinkable, insisting that the country had already fought “one civil war too many.”
He said, “What went wrong in the past is essential to preventing a repeat. We must do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence.”
He called on Nigerians to collectively adopt a “never again” resolve against civil war.
“Some of the things that led to the Civil War are still with us. How long will this remain so?
“I was with a colleague when Gen Yakubu Gowon said that we would not survive a second civil war as a country.
I believe we have fought one civil war too many already.
“To say that we will have a second civil war, God forbid.
We must understand what happened, condemn what should not have happened, and do everything humanly possible to prevent its recurrence.
“And then, for us to be able to say, ‘never again,’ what are we going to do to make that possible?
“Thank you very much for making people know about it, for people to learn from it, and for people to take a vow that it should never happen again. I will do everything possible to ensure that there is never again a civil war in this country,” he said.
The former President hailed Nduka-Eze for the effort to preserve history, saying the importance of documenting the past lies in helping the nation understand its history, learn from it and ensure such tragedies never happen again.
He added that at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, part of its value is to preserve the past, capture the present and inspire the future, while emphasising that understanding the events surrounding the civil war, including the Asaba massacre, remains critical for national healing.
“We pride ourselves that we preserve the past, we capture the present, and we inspire the future,” he said.
The former president, who acknowledged his role as a soldier during the civil war, said he could not provide detailed accounts of the Asaba incident, noting that operations in that area were under the command of the late former Head of State, Gen Murtala Mohammed.
Obasanjo recalled that towards the end of the war, he was given key responsibilities to ensure that no further massacres occurred, stressing that abuses by soldiers were not condoned.
He also noted that former Head of State, Gen Gowon, had publicly acknowledged and apologised for the excesses of the war, stating that, at the highest level, actions such as the Asaba massacre were neither ordered nor condoned.
The former president, who commended Nduka-Eze for the work, promised to study the transcripts and audiovisual materials.
“At OOPL, we pride ourselves that we preserve the past, we capture the present, and we inspire the future. We capture the past, and this is the past; we want to capture it; we want to know about it.
“I must confess, and you know that I was involved in the civil war. When people talk about the Asaba Massacre, I always confess that I cannot give details of it,” he said.
Obasanjo also narrated how he prevented a soldier from raping a woman in Asaba, saying such an act would have attracted vicarious liability on his part as a commander.
Obasanjo maintained that documenting and teaching the history of the civil war and the Asaba Massacre were vital for national unity, adding that he would do everything within his power to ensure Nigeria never experiences another civil war.
Providing insight into the work on the Asaba Massacre, Nduka-Eze described it as a substantial and carefully cross-referenced body of evidence, including eyewitness testimonies, recorded interviews, archival materials, audio-visual documentation and established historical scholarship.
He said that across independent sources, a clear and consistent account emerges of events following the entry of federal troops into Asaba, then a civilian population centre in the Mid-West Region.
“The evidence establishes a recurring pattern. Civilians were assembled in public places under conditions of fear and uncertainty. During these assemblies, residents were required to proclaim allegiance to the Nigerian state, including being instructed to declare ‘One Nigeria’ and otherwise demonstrate loyalty.
“In a setting where identity and suspicion had become dangerously intertwined, these acts were understood by those present as affirmations of belonging and safety. Men were then separated from women and children. Thereafter, unarmed male civilians were killed in a manner consistently described across multiple independent accounts.
“Compliance with these demands did not secure protection. The sequence, repeated across testimonies, reflects a tragic contradiction in which individuals who openly affirmed their identity and loyalty as Nigerians were nonetheless killed in the most undignified manner by the same Nigerian state to which they had pledged allegiance.
“This sequence is corroborated by testimonies, documentary materials and scholarly works, and remains materially unchallenged. While precise casualty figures cannot be definitively fixed, the convergence of credible evidence points to a substantial loss of civilian life, more than a thousand men, and a profound rupture in the fabric of the Asaba community,” he said.
Nduka-Eze added that deep-seated ethnic suspicion, unresolved grievances arising from Nigeria’s first military coup and the failure to enforce accountability were among the factors that culminated in the Asaba Massacre and the 1967 civil war.
According to him, ethnic mistrust did not begin with the war but had already become entrenched before independence.
He noted that many of the issues that led to the civil war remained unresolved, with ethnic groups still relating to one another with suspicion.
The Abia State University, Uturu, has placed an Economics lecturer, Prof. Nnamdi Nwaeze, on immediate suspension over comments he made about the earnings of university professors.
Nwaeze, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, reportedly made the remarks in posts published on his Facebook account.
In the posts, he alleged that some professors at the university take home less than N400,000 monthly.
He also compared the earnings of the academics with those of commercial tricycle operators, popularly known as Keke riders, claiming that some riders could earn more cumulatively than university professors.
The university authorities described the lecturer’s social media comments as damaging to the interests of the institution.
The suspension was announced in a statement issued by the university’s Public Relations Officer and Deputy Registrar, Chijioke Nwogu.
Management also disclosed that it had constituted a panel to investigate the allegations and examine the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s statements.
The outcome of the investigation is expected to determine the university’s next course of action.
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The crisis over who is the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress( NDC) for Anaocha 1 state Constituency in Anambra state has deepened following confirmation that neither incumbent Lawmaker Hon Nkechi Ogbuefi nor Chief Azubuike Okoye is the candidate of the party .
The party in the state yesterday confirmed that Mr Kevin Alike is the candidate of the party for Anaocha Constituency 1 and his name has already been uploaded at the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Further more, the candidate for Anaocha Constituency 2 is yet undecided as the battle has remained unsettled.
Recall that Hon Nkechi Ogbuefi had accused Chief Azubuike Okoye of parading himself as the candidate of the party contending that as an incumbent Lawmaker, the party had granted all serving lawmakers in the party waver during the conduct of the party primary elections upon which she emerged as candidate.
But Hon Azubuike Okoye had dismissed the allegation adding that it is the duty of INEC to make public who the candidate is and that he would not join issues with the reports on Social Media.
Ogbuefi had told reporters that when she reported the matter to the state Chairman of the party Chief Ikem Uzoezie he told her to ignore the claim that Mr Peter Obi personally submitted her name as candidate.
But in a turn of events, the Chairman Ikem Uzoezie told reporters that the candidate for Anaocha 1 state Constituency is Mr Kevin Alike whose name has been uploaded into the portal of INEC.
Uzuezie further stated that the case of Anaocha Constituency 2 is yet to be decided yet adding that the two aspirants for the ticket is Hon Azubuike Okoye and Eric Maduagwu and they when all arrangements are concluded, the candidate for Anaocha 2 Constituency would be made public.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
About 15 persons have reportedly died, while more than 200 buildings are said to be at risk of collapse as a result of extensive sand mining activities in Uga Community, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The sand mining business has continued to worsen gully erosion in the community, which is already known to be one of the erosion-devastated areas of the state.
More worrisome is the alleged destruction of three newly constructed roads in the area by heavy-duty trucks that frequently visit the mining sites to evacuate sand, a development residents said was threatening road infrastructure in the community.
Recall that the Anambra State Government, through the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi, had banned sand excavation in some parts of the state, particularly in Aguata, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Government Areas.
The government also established a task force to monitor sand mining activities in the affected communities, warning that it would not tolerate activities capable of worsening environmental degradation. The government had also lamented that the landmass of Anambra State was shrinking daily due to the menace of gully erosion.
However, residents of Uga Community alleged that some youths had been engaged by sand miners to create insecurity in parts of the community, thereby causing division within the Town Union Youth Association.
When reporters visited Umudimishi Village in Uga, residents protested and appealed to Governor Charles Soludo to visit the area on a fact-finding mission and take urgent steps to halt the activities of the sand miners.
Speaking, the Chairman of Umudimishi Village, Uga, Nze Jude Ibeabuchukwu Ugochukwu, said the community had battled gully erosion for decades.
He said, “We have been victims of gully erosion. Since I was born, I grew up to see gully erosion in my town.
“We have about five gully erosion sites in my area, including one that came from our neighbouring town, Umueze, another one in our town and others in different locations.
“We have been witnessing gully erosion for over 37 years now, but successive governments and the villagers have been working on the gullies.”
Ugochukwu lamented that the effect of sand mining had also discouraged some youths from engaging in legitimate businesses and trades.
“Every morning, they visit the mining sites because of the pittance they get from there, and they don’t want to be useful to themselves.
“The mining has gotten to residential areas where people are living, such as Umudimishi, Awarasi and Agbakuwa villages.
“So far, about 200 buildings are now at risk of gully erosion, and before the end of this year, or within the next five months, at least 70 houses could be destroyed by gully erosion caused by sand mining activities in our town,” he said.
He maintained that the land belonged to the town and alleged that the community did not authorise anyone to carry out sand mining in the area.
According to him, the initial miners, known as Morning Star, used to excavate sand manually before the introduction of excavators.
“Today, the excavators pay N400 per load and some money to the youths of our community,” he alleged.
The community leader further lamented that the sand mining activities had damaged roads constructed by the Soludo administration, alleging that the heavy trucks conveying sand had weakened the newly constructed roads.
“Roads such as the Obizi Road, Umueze Road, Ugwu-Onyeocha Road to Nkwo-Uga and Awarasi are being destroyed.
“We call on the government to visit these areas with a fact-finding team to assess the level of environmental degradation as well as the destruction of the newly constructed roads,” he said.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Youths in Umudimishi Village, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Agbara, claimed that more than 15 people had died in connection with activities at the mining sites, while some were allegedly killed by gunmen.
He said the youth leadership had been trying to discourage young people from depending on sand mining as a source of livelihood.
“We have been fighting to ensure that our youths get into something meaningful and do not depend on sand mining.
“They don’t want to learn any trade. All they do is go to the beach site to mine sand.
“Some of our youths have formed a parallel youth organisation against the official youth organisation.
“They call themselves Ekwere-Kwesike. They pay them N1,000 for each tipper load, which they share every day,” he alleged.
Agbara said the mining activities had claimed the lives of several youths in the community, particularly when mining pits collapsed.
“This beach-site business has killed a lot of youths in the town because sometimes the sites collapse while the youths are working there.
“We have had about seven youths die on the site. Sometime ago, it killed four other people at the same time.
“Also, there was an incident where some gunmen stormed the site and opened fire on the people working there and killed about three of them.
“The total number of deaths is about 15. That is why we are calling on the government to come and help us. We are ready to take the government to the affected areas,” he lamented.
The residents urged the state government to urgently investigate the allegations, assess the extent of environmental degradation and take steps to protect lives, homes and road infrastructure in the affected parts of Uga Community.
18-Year-Old Drowns in Kano Pond
The Kano State Fire Service has confirmed the death of 18-year-old Abdullahi Aminu, who drowned after falling into a pond at Kofar Gabas in Danbatta Local Government Area of the state.
The Director of the Kano State Fire Service, Sani Anas, disclosed this in a statement signed by the service’s Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi, on Wednesday in Kano.
According to the statement, the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon.
Abdullahi said the service received a distress call from the Danbatta Fire Station at about 3:28 p.m. from Aminu Lawan, the victim’s father, who reported that his son had drowned in the pond.
“Upon receiving the report, we immediately deployed our rescue team to the scene,” he said.
He said the victim was eventually brought out of the pond dead.
The spokesperson said the cause of the incident was still under investigation, adding that the deceased was later handed over to the Secretary to the District Head of Danbatta, Alhaji Baba Ado Sarkin Bai.
Abdullahi sympathised with the family of the deceased and urged residents to exercise caution around ponds and waterways, particularly during the rainy season.
(NAN)
Passengers were left stranded in Abuja and Lagos on Tuesday as aviation unions shut down operations of Air Peace over allegations that the airline was frustrating workers’ unionisation and withholding ticket sales charges owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The disruption affected flights in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, with about 70 flights reportedly grounded.
The situation escalated when an Air Peace driver allegedly drove a large bus onto the airside during the unions’ picketing exercise.
The NCAA confirmed the incident and said the driver could face prosecution for allegedly obstructing movement within the airside. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) subsequently towed the vehicle away.
NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said the authority had ordered that the driver be identified and arrested.
He said, “During the enforcement of the picketing, a driver drove the large bus to the runway, parked and left the place. We have ordered that the driver in question be identified and arrested for onward prosecution. How can somebody block the runway? That is seriously uncalled for. We will investigate, and the necessary portions of the Act will be invoked.”
However, Air Peace spokesperson, Efe Whiskey-Osifo, denied that the bus blocked the runway.
The incident occurred as the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), backed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC), commenced picketing of Air Peace.
The unions accused the airline of frustrating workers’ efforts to unionise and failing to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) allegedly owed to the NCAA.
A NUATE official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that airlines under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) owed about N25bn in TSC, with Air Peace accounting for approximately N15bn.
“There’s a meeting between the airline operators association. You are aware of the cause of the strike: TSC issues amounting to about N25bn. The total accrued to AON is N25bn.
“Air Peace is having the highest amount of N15bn, and secondly, they are denying airline workers of organising and to form unions, which is a fundamental right. Those are the two things that we are fighting for,” the official said.
The unions had earlier issued three warnings to airlines over the alleged non-remittance of the charge before threatening to commence picketing.
The five per cent TSC is collected from passengers on airline tickets and is required to be remitted to the NCAA for distribution among relevant aviation agencies to support their operations.
Air Peace, however, rejected the allegations, insisting that it had remitted the TSC to the NCAA and questioning why its operations were singled out for disruption.
Whiskey-Osifo said the unions targeted Air Peace’s major operational hubs in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu, effectively grounding its network.
“The unions picketed our operations across board. Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, stopping those places, which are our hubs, those places where we do night stops. So they basically grounded all our operations,” he said.
He added that while the unions had threatened to picket all Nigerian airlines, other carriers, including Ibom Air, Enugu Air and Aero, operated flights.
“They stated that they were going to picket all Nigerian airlines. However, the likes of Ibom Air, Enugu Air, even Aero, operated flights today. And you solely picked on only Air Peace, disrupting flights, the first flight out of Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu,” he said.
The Air Peace spokesperson also said the airline’s workers did not want to join the unions.
“The reason why they are singling out Air Peace is that Air Peace staff, number one, don’t want to join the unions. We don’t want to join at all,” he said.
According to him, Air Peace workers had staged a peaceful protest against unionisation but alleged that union members later infiltrated the demonstration and caused a confrontation.
“We came out to protest peacefully, but unfortunately, they hampered our operations,” he said.
The unions, however, maintained that workers’ right to organise was non-negotiable.
Achimugu said the AON had appealed to the unions to suspend the picketing to allow discussions with the affected airlines, particularly Air Peace, whose chairman is also a senior executive of the association.
“The AON pleaded with the unions to suspend it while they schedule a meeting, especially with Air Peace management,” he said, adding that the unions had been informed that a meeting could take place on Wednesday.
The NCAA spokesperson said the industrial action affected several airlines operating from specific terminals in Lagos and Abuja.
“I know that a number of airlines operating from specific terminals in Lagos and Abuja were disrupted. Take, for instance, in Abuja, a terminal that was shut down; it affected airlines like Air Peace, Aero and a host of others,” he said.
By Tuesday evening, Air Peace said it had begun restoring its operations.
“We are operating flights already. Flights will operate today irrespective of the situation,” the airline said.
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