OPRAH WALKS HER FORMER SA SCHOOL STUDENT DOWN THE ISLE

 Oprah Winfrey splurged on a wedding dress for one of her former students from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa last month and it seems like this past weekend was the big day.

Glori Nelson took to her instagram pictures of her wedding day and among the them was her with her mama bears.

"My three mama bears walked me down the aisle. One walked me in spirit. I lost my mum when I was ten and her spirit gained me to them. A praying mum, dead or alive, is so powerful" she wrote.

Oprah was one of the mamas who were right by her side on the big day.

Man United To Complete Multi-Million Pound Transfer

Manchester United have moved a step closer to completing the signing of Swansea winger Daniel James, after agreeing a £15 million fee with the Championship side, as per the Daily Mail.

James, who has made just 39 senior appearances for Swansea, has emerged as a key figure for the Welsh side this season, scoring five league goals and registering seven assists to attract attention from a number of Premier League clubs.

It looks however as if Manchester United have won the race for the 21-year-old, with The Daily Mail reporting that the Old Trafford club have agreed a £15million fee for James.

The report also claims that United’s Premier League rivals Newcastle; Everton and Brighton who have recently appointed James’ former Swansea boss Graham Potter as their manager were also interested in the winger, but The Red Devils offered the best financial deal for both Swansea and James.

As well as breaking into the Swansea side this season, James also made his debut for Wales – who are managed by Manchester United club legend Ryan Giggs  during the recent March international break.

With  a number of Premier League sides circling, it always seemed likely that James would leave the Liberty Stadium this summer, and Manchester United’s financial strength meant they were always going to be the frontrunners for his signature.

£15million however is an excellent return for Swansea on a player who hasn’t even made 50 senior appearances in his career, and they must now look to use it as best they can in order to strengthen their own side in the summer transfer window.

Biafra Heroes Day: South East, South South Governors supports IPOB

The South East, South South Governors Forum has lended their support to the  Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB's call for May 30th sit at home order.

They gave their support during the mid year meeting of South-East, South South Governors Forum recently held in Enugu.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman of South East Governors Forum, Engr. David Umahi of Ebonyi State said that "IPOB is right to call for a sit at home to honour those who died during the war from every side".

He noted that he does not support IPOB but 30th of May is a highly recognised event to honour those who died in their million for a better future which they felt they don't have in their time;'stressing that he has declared 30th of May as public holiday in Ebonyi  State and asked every Nigerian to recognise the day as a day to honour all the heroes.

In collaboration, Governor Wike of River State said "it is normal for everyone to honour those who died in the tragic war and ask Nigeria to join in the sit at home as a sign of unity"

APPRECIATING THE RICH CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES OF THE GREAT MBAISE NATION IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

A SPEECH DELIVERED BY ENGR. COLUMBUS C. AKALONU TO THE FEDERATION OF MBAISE STUDENTS FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY OWERRI (FUTO) ON THE OCCASION OF THEIR 2019 CONGRESS, AT THE SUG RESOURCE CENTRE ON 17TH MAY, 2019


I must say that I am humbled and overwhelmed by this singular honour you have given me to make a contribution on this all important convention.

A gathering of this sort is timely and indispensable. Without belabouring the obvious, our culture is in a serious state of jeopardy and on the brink of extinction. We are now living in an entirely new world our fathers and grand fathers could never have imagined. We live in a virtual world, a world without territorial boundaries and without any specific culture any particular people can lay claim as their own. We live in a world where the new technology draws all nations into close proximity as in a village. In this global village, world cultures are competing and struggling to survive. Of course, in such an arena of competition, cultures of the less advanced nations are usually victimized and obliterated. Needless to say that main concern of the so-called global village is to dissolve all cultures and transform the human race into one virtual people practicing one unreal and virtual culture that thrives on aping and mimicking the most powerful and domineering cultures of the world (Cf. David Asonye Iheanacho.
Mbaise, Who we are as a people).

It goes without gain saying that there is lurking danger to our identities by the magical tools of the new technology. Our generation is suffering from serious ideological inferiority complex and as such have become copicats of other cultures.

This is evidenced by the level moral decay in our society, get-rich quick syndrome among the youths as against hardworking and sincerity of purpose, lack of respect for elders and values, being ashamed of mother tongue. Indeed we are into serious identity crisis. We must realize the fierce urgency of the situation. We must realize that unless we make haste and secure whatever we can from our history and tradition the rampaging global village might cause our history and culture to disappear completely from the face of the earth.

Wise nations and peoples are heading back to the basics of their cultures to preserve whatever they can of the various aspects of their cultures before they could be swept to oblivion by the ravens that are trampling down peoples cultures around the world.

It is in the light of this same realization that I heartily commend the organizers of this congress. Thank you very much. You have contributed your own quota in the efforts to preserve and promote the history, culture and traditions of the great Mbaise nation that is vanishing in a very rapid way. By this convention, you have joined the league of civilized people, who believe that unless some frantic efforts were made to preserve some vital aspects of our culture, we might become cultural orphans in the nearest future.

This is reinforced by the fact that as the global village forces wobbly culture to compete on the table of world cultures, we will definitely come out the big loser. Yes, we will be surprised that in an arena of competition featuring various cultures of the world, even our own children, and our own kith and kin including some here listening to this speech will unashamedly and arrogantly choose other cultures ahead of their own. And you can bet that such free-market of cultures will put a final death nail on the coffin of our own culture. And we know that if our culture dies, we are as good as dead.

What do we do?

For me the conveners of this congress have taken a good step in the right direction and we must key in to the crusade. We must make use of this wonderful forum to campaign and promote vigorously our rich cultural heritage. It’s heartwarming that our youths form major part of this forum. I humbly urge you to keep pressing other youths to be proud of who they are as a people and eschew slavish imitation of other peoples way of life. We must not continue to be carried away by the flashy gadgets of the new technologies at the detriment of what defines us human beings in this world which is our native culture. We must not get wearied in convincing our youths that there’s nothing like a virtual human being even in the global village they claim to be dwelling; that a real human being which everyone of them is, is a being of culture and tradition. Culture gives both the personality and identity.

 Without culture and tradition every human being becomes nothing but a beast on two feet (Cf. Ibid). And unless we do what we can to preserve and promote our rich cultural heritages we will breed a generation of confused people who will never be true foreigners or true natives. This’s my concern! Imagine a time when the inhabitants of the great Mbaise territory will be half- humans and half-beasts. God forbid! But then this’s the reality staring us in the face.

Once again, may I sincerely thank the organizers of this wonderful congress for giving me this privileged opportunity to make a contribution. I consider it a great honour.


Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Long live Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO)!
Long live Federation of Mbaise Students (FUTO)!
Long live Mbaise nation!
 Thanks for listening.

We Will Declare Niger Delta Republic In June, Oil Companies Should Vacate ~ Niger Delta Republic Fighters Warn Oil Companies

Niger Delta Republic Fighters has ordered all oil companies and multi-nationals operating in the Niger Delta to vacate the region from May 29, 2019.

The group said it will declare the Niger Delta Republic on the 1st of June, 2019.

The NDRF revealed what is to to befall the region in a press statement signed by Maj. Gen. Maxwell Dan and seen by SaharaReporters on Monday.

Maxwell Dan said: "After several months of consultations within and outside the shores of Nigeria on the collective wellbeing of the Niger Delta people in the Nigerian state, coupled with cruel persecution and selective maltreatment of the Niger Delta sons and daughters by Nigerian government over the years especially by the present administration of Muhamadu Buhari and his agents despite the huge contribution of the Niger Delta people to the sustenance of Nigeria.

"We therefore take solace in the word of our patriarch – Isaac Boro, which states “…Today is a great day, not only in your lives but also in the history of the Niger Delta. Perhaps, it will be the greatest day for a very long time.

"This is not because we are going to bring the heavens down, but because we are going to demonstrate to the world what and how we feel about oppression. Remember your 70-year-old grandmother who still farms before she eats; remember also your poverty-stricken people; remember, too, your petroleum which is being pumped out daily from your veins; and then fight for your freedom." It is quite unfortunate that the story has not change till today, and we are standing on that declaration, we are standing on the declaration of the sovereign state of Niger Delta and we will declare ‘NIGER DELTA REPUBLIC’ on June 1st, 2019".

"It is a common fact that Nigeria has completely derailed from the path of peace, justice and progress as proclaimed by its founding fathers".

"The selective maltreatment of the Niger Delta people became more clearer when President Buhari ordered police to ransack the house of Chief E. K. Clark in order to have blackmail the aged Niger Delta Leader and force him from agitating for the Niger Delta people".

"As that could not pay off, the scavenger removed a Niger Delta son Mr. Mathew Seiyeifa the most qualified Director of DSS without any due process. Not satisfied with his cruel and selective onslaught against the Niger Delta people, the scavengers plotted again and remove our son – Justice Walter Onoghen from office on frivolous allegations without following due process neither was he given opportunity of fair hearing".

"It is also unfortunate that after four years of this administration, there is no single viable project executed by the federal government in the Niger Delta despite the billions of Naira accrued to the government from the resources of the Niger Delta as a result of the cease fire in the region".

"Most surprising is the unfounded allegations and counter allegations trailing the controversial 2019 Presidential elections, after committing such a day robbery fraud against the people, the central government of Nigeria could not manage the outcome but continue to blackmail decent characters in order to incarcerate them. It so unfortunate that Nigerians have witness the worse government since independence and the criminals derive joy in telling lies and deceiving populace while the streets of the cities and towns are flooded with innocent blood on daily basis".

"The blood of innocent citizens is becoming alarming and it is clear that the government cannot protect the citizens, instead they continue to make unguarded statements without recourse to the safety of the people, it is a common fact the country is in siege and we cannot allow it to consume us".

"In the light of the above injustices, we therefore use this medium to warn and order all the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to shut down their operation and vacate the region from May 29, 2019 to avoid avoidable circumstances as we will declare the Niger Delta Republic on 1st June 2019".

"All operations by Oil Companies in the Niger Delta is hereby ordered to stop from 29 May 2019, anyone we see in the oil platform, both onshore and offshore shall be treated as criminal. We therefore call on International Community to withdraw their citizens from the Niger Delta region on or before 1st June 2019 as their safety cannot be guaranteed neither are we ready to compromise our freedom any longer".

"We have already recruited, trained and equip our freedom fighters for this purpose. Arms and other war materials has been bought and brought to Nigeria, immediately we commence action, Port Harcourt Airport would be shut down only our fighter jets would be permit to use the facility".

"This war would consume them in Abuja and Lagos, there is no going back on this, we therefore call on all the Niger Delta citizens to return home as their safety is guarantee at home than anywhere else".

"We are tired of being second class citizens in our land, the injustice has reach its peak. While we admonish our Elders and Leaders, particularly PANDEF to remain calm as we shall make further declarations and directive soon; however, our position on this issue cannot be compromised as injustice to one is injustice to all. To be forewarned is to be forearmed".

Downgrading Of Enugu Airport, An Affront To The Igbo Nation

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue

News went viral last Friday about a planned shutting down and/or downgrading of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, from its international status which was recently granted during the immediate past administration, to a local airport, by the incumbent government, over issues of concerns bordering on safe taking-off or landing of aircraft.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, hinged Federal Government’s decision to shutdown the only international airport in the South East on some minor challenges which can easily be fixed or amended. For example, he outlined the presence of a state radio mast on the flight path of airlines that threatens the safety of incoming aircraft, the siting of a Free Trade Zone(FTZ) at the end of the runway, as well as incessant bird strikes affecting airlines which according to him, was occasioned by the presence of an abattoir situated close to the runway.

According to the minister, for the interest of airline operators as well as the safety of aircraft and passengers, the Enugu Airport might have to be closed down. “I have told the governor that we have to move the market, FTZ, and take the radio mast away so that we can move in and fix things and clear the runway so that we can improve on safety and save lives,” he added.

However, as plausible as these concerns raised by the honourable minister were, the Igbo habour some troubling fears while sensing some motives behind this move by the Federal government. There had been growing concerns and perception that successive Nigerian governments, particularly under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari that there exist a well thought out plan to strangle and/or frustrate the economic base of the Igbos. The Igbo are not unaware of the possible authors behind this script of “give them no Seaports, no railways, do not rehabilitate their roads, downgrade their only international airport to local or motor park to frustrate Ndigbo economically.” And it seems this is exactly what is playing out in disguise.

The minister claimed that he informed the Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, concerning the deteriorating state of the airport and its runway and how best to tackle the issues but everyone knows that the aviation sector is one of the 65-68 items on the Exclusive List in the fraudulent Nigerian Constitution which makes the Federal government responsible in the renovation and maintenance of airports in Nigeria. If that is the case, why is the minister now telling the governor what to do and why is the governor failing to take responsibility, assuming there was some kind of arrangement between States and FG to take care of projects like that?

The staggering reality is: In their continued blind oppression of the Igbos, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport was intentionally denied a whole lot of facilities and federal support, so that later, it could be downgraded to a local status. Why couldn’t the government upgrade the Airport to meet the standards of Muritala Mohammed and Nnamdi Azikiwe Airports in Lagos and Abuja respectively?

Nearly every airport in the North has been upgraded to international status with no incident. Not one in the entire Eastern Region (South East/South South) is fit for even local operations, let alone international. International Airlines have been taxed out of the Eastern routes, especially Enugu, leaving only Ethiopian Airlines with the burden of integrity to continue still they are about to be kicked out in the guise of so-called temporal shutdown for upgrade with no single guarantee that the international airlines will be allowed to use the airport.

Recently, the Nigerian government launched some kind of partnership with the Chinese government to build a dry port in Ibadan to enable ease the pressure on Lagos seaports. About 75-80 percent of these port users are from the East. Many of them who haven’t been forced to relocate their businesses to Lagos still operate from the East.

In the East – From Imo to Rivers to Akwa Ibom to Delta to Anambra States, there are naturally deep waters, deep enough to take any size of ship, especially the Rivers port. But the channels that lead to these deep waters from the ocean are very narrow. Rather than spend money to dredge them and encourage ships to use those ports, the Federal government has chosen to spend even more money to establish dry ports in places like Kaduna, et al, where easterners who do business in the East and parts of the South will find it extremely difficult to do business from. This is very absurd, subjugating and frustrating.

As at 2016, Lagos ports complex claimed about 97 percent of all containers berthed in Nigeria, whilst Rivers ports had lost nearly 75 percent of the ships that usually patronized it due to heavy taxation and lack of incentives from the Federal Government. In the same 2016, Lagos International Airport accounted for 69.1% of all international passengers and about 90.5% of all cargos. Imagine what the situation is now. The the oppression and marginalization against the Igbos continues unabated.

Now, let’s tackle the issue of incessant bird strikes affecting the airlines as one of the reasons the minister talked about. We understand that safety is key, however, the listed problems are not rocket science for any serious government to fix. Since the problems have been identified, why not solve them rather than opt for an outright downgrade of the airport or are those things rocket science? Why does it appear that anything to subdue the Igbos gives them orgasm? Why will an airport be shutdown because of an abbatoir and bird strikes which can readily be fixed? Do you know that even the most advanced airports still record bird strikes occasionally?

Hardly a week goes by without a plane somewhere in the United States making an emergency landing after hitting birds. As these incidents reach record levels, airports are coming up with increasingly imaginative ways of combating them. Every airport in the US, and many more across the world, use pyrotechnics daily to drive the birds away. Similarly, a population of Canada geese used to live between the two runways at Salt Lake City. “Not any more,” says Gib Rokich, who oversees the airport’s wildlife programme, due to a system of egg addling.
“The goose is scared from the nest and the eggs are addled or oiled pretty much in place by picking each egg up individually and shaking them or submerging them in vegetable oil. The goose continues to sit on them but they never have a successful hatch. If she lays 10 goslings, and five survive into adulthood, then they will want to come back to the same location to nest, so you can see how it can multiply. After four years, we broke the cycle, so we still get the occasional one but they’re not established any more".

Thirdly, eliminating vegetation removes a food source for birds and deters them from settling. That is why instead of downgrading the airport, the market trade zone and the abbatoir should be relocated as the Enugu State government has just directed. The bottom line is: bird strikes occur everywhere and the solution is not to downgrade. When it is downgraded, will it stop bird strike or solve other problems listed?

Finally, the Igbo leaders and well-meaning individuals in Igboland must now jump down from their high horses and get ready for war – it is a different kind of war. It’s called ‘war of economic emasculation.’ We can beat them to it and take back our motherland from the rusting shackles of colonial bondage. All hands must be on deck to confront and tackle this obnoxious affront against the Igbo nation. These bloodsuckers won’t stop until they get a taste of our resolve. Join the movement. The time is now!

Biafra: National women leader, deputy, others in Enugu for IPOB Women Conference

By Chukwuemeka Chimerue
ENUGU— The National Women Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mrs. Uzoamaka Ejezie, alongside others stormed Enugu during the weekend to join other women for the long-awaited Women’s Conference.

Mrs Ejezie, popularly known as ‘Mama Biafra’ was flanked by her deputy, Mrs Chikwendu Otuegbe and former Enugu State IPOB Coordinator and Mobilizer, Mr Chikwendu Agwu, who was present at the event.

Addressing the women at the event, the women leader urged them to remain resolute and steadfast in the pursuit of Biafra restoration, assuring that soon victory shall be theirs.

She outlined a myriad of problems bedevilling the Nigerian state, pointing out that the Biafran people has no connection or willingness to continue to co-exist with the rest of other regions and ethnic groups in Nigeria.

According to her, “Since they called us terrorists when we’re harmless and unarmed, what do we now call killer Fulani herdsmen and those bandits terrorising the north now? Everybody must call evil by its name. They left the real terrorists and began to chase after innocent people who are unarmed.

“During the war, the Nigerian army chased us into the bush but now, the Fulani herdsmen militia have all surrounded our bushes. Boko Haram terrorists are being paid $3,000 per day. This is our opportunity to restore Biafra.

“The Nigerian leaders have refused to build infrastructures and develop the country but they prefer going abroad to enjoy the infrastructures and development politicians in those countries has suffered to build all these years. Our children and young men die in the desert while trying to cross over to foreign countries in search of greener pastures.

“Some are talking about restructuring the country but that has been what they were saying since we were born. They went to Aburi for restructuring; they have went for national conference over the issue of restructuring, Nnia Nwodo of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has been talking about this same restructuring, yet they seems to be no headway.

“It is obvious to everyone, to even a child that Nigeria has expired but they keep on pretending in the name of one Nigeria but we’re here to tell them that oil and water does not mix together. In religion, we’re not the same with Nigeria, in culture and language we’re also not the same, so why are we staying together in the same country with them?”

She added that in Biafra, there would be laws that would be put in place to checkmate religious extremism, guaranteeing freedom of religion and protection to its adherents.

“Whether you’re practicing Judaism, Christianity or a Pentecostal, a law will be guiding us all,” she asserted.

Women who attended the meeting took turns to air their views and to thank the national women leader for honouring the invitation.