Peter Obi in his New Year message reminded Nigerians of the obvious:  the worsening political, economic and security situation of our country. Food insecurity that has become our new national norm; our nation and its fortunes are in clear reverse, while Nigeria remains one of the poverty capitals of the world, with over 100 million people living in extreme poverty and more than 150 million in multidimensional poverty.

To change the narrative, Obi wants President Tinubu to cut down what he considers as his “wasteful foreign trips; travel around Nigeria by road to observe the condition of most of our collapsed highways; visit our national hospital, make both impromptu and planned visits to our tertiary institutions, visit various IDP camps and assure these Nigerians that they will soon return to their communities.

Finally, he wants the president to ensure “future elections are credible and truly reflect the will of the people”.

The president has already acknowledged some of these problems and the harsh effect of his economic policies. What he said was that to avoid mortgaging the future of our children the way PDP did by selling or sharing properties kept in their care for our children, we needed to make some sacrifices today.

In fact, the expectation of most Nigerians was that the president’s first act in office was going to be resettlement of those driven from their land to IDP camps back to their land. That is distributive justice.

Nigerians did not only expect the president to visit the hospitals, they had expected him to sponsor a bill stopping all political appointees and lawmakers from embarking on medical tourism. This is the only way to equip our teaching hospitals.

Obi is also allowed to make few exaggerations including his claim that Tinubu’s less than two years administration should be held responsible for the current figure of 100,000 Nigerians living in extreme poverty despite ARISE Television’s admission during the interview that the figure as at the time Buhari took over power 10 years ago (2015) stood at 70%. After all, government is a continuum.

Obi who claimed victory despite coming a distant third in the 2023 election and who is yet to congratulate the winner of the contest despite INEC’s verdict and the Supreme Court’s celebrated judgment also has the right to call on the president to guarantee the sanctity of the 2027 contest. 

I think what Felix Morka decries is Obi “crossing the line of truth and peddling false narratives, arrogant unwillingness to acknowledge obvious markers of progress, mobilizing outrage and stoking tension against the government’ which he thinks  are not exactly the most admirable hallmarks of leadership.”

He also frowns at the fact that Obi led a restless band of online mobs, who continue to attack, intimidate, bully and issue death threats to other citizens who dare disagree or criticize Obi or his opinions or position on any subject or matter of national conversation.

Even here Obi has not crossed any red line. The beauty of democracy is that no one has the last say especially in a world where the media is a captive of the dominant ruling class and where no newspaper or news platform can be said to be truly free. We have seen selective coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza by CNN and presentation of alternative reality by the Fox News which aided Trump’s triumph in his re-election bid despite his election denials and sponsoring of an insurrection against his own government.

This is why I also think ARISE television cannot be accused of crossing any red line for  its decision to play the devil’s advocate following attempt by APC and its spokesman, to discredit Obi and  his message. It was obvious whose battle was being waged when Felix Morka, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was confronted during an interview on its THIS WEEK program on Saturday, January 4, with a question such as –  “You have actually hit back with a volley of attacks, calling Peter Obi a prophet of doom. Some of you have said he is always embarking on voodoo economics that are not in line with current realities. Don’t you think that is a slingshot that has gone beyond normal politicking?

Morka’s: “No, he is the one throwing darts. Mr. Obi is shooting from the hip… Obi has crossed the line so many times. And, I think that, at this point, he has coming to him whatever he gets. He should manage it” would have been sufficient answer for those not engaged in politics of mischief and subterfuge. But for ARISE reporters   “it is a threat to free speech”; for Obi  it is an indication of impending crackdown by an intolerant federal government  while for former VP Atiku Abubakar, “an alarming disdain for democratic principles.”

I sympathize with Morka who, as a result of “Peter Obi’s allegations has received  about 400 documented threats, about 200 of which are explicit death threats messages, individuals have detailed how they plan to harm me—threatening to shoot me, behead me, and carry out other gruesome acts”. But even in spite of the above, I still don’t think anyone has crossed the red line. Free speech is another name for democracy.  

The beauty of democracy is that it is not without its democratic ethos which for instance celebrates character. In this regard, the messenger is often the message. Probing the character of purveyors of messages is as important as free speech.

Unfortunately, the common denominator between Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar is opportunism. Atiku Abubakar has moved from PDP, through ACN to PDP, back to APC from where he went back to PDP where he first served as vice president in 1999. Upon his return, he waged war against those who kept the party together while he was shopping for presidential tickets from other parties. And tragically his breach of PDP’s constitution was to put the party in disarray in the run up to the 2023 election.

Peter Obi is tarred with the same brush.  He first rode on the back of Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s APGA party to power. After publicly declaring he would never abandon APGA, he jumped boat after his second term to join PDP. He rose rapidly and became Atiku’s running mate in the 2015 but following Atiku Abubakar’s breach of PDP constitution which would have allowed Obi to emerge as PDP candidate in the 2023 election, Obi decided to pull down the edifice on the heads of everyone.

Obi decided to play identity and religion politics by exploiting the sentiments of his Igbo people that had since 1999 supported PDP to victory. Close to 70% of his six million votes in the 2023 election came from Southeast and South-south populated by his Igbo brethren,

For Atiku and Obi’s infidelity and opportunism, Tinubu’s eight million votes would have been no match for PDP and Labour’s close to 14m votes.  Their loss was Tinubu’s gain.  Sadly despite being deficit in character, both men still pretend to be part of solution to Nigerian crisis of nation building.

Peter Obi, the Obidients’ best candidate to govern Nigeria, displayed no special skill as governor of Anambra, a state he left as a jungle. As a business man once described as ‘a container economist’ by President Tinubu, all he has told us publicly is that he was a wine importer. And for Atiku Abubakar, Obasanjo’s testimonial on him was damning.

I think we must start to interrogate how we got to this sorry path while remembering with nostalgia, the role of Nigerian youths in the evolution of the Nigerian state. While the nation is today being haunted by a mob ready to fight and kill for a man who believes in nothing, we easily recollect how it was that 20 Nigerian law students who in 1920 first proposed the idea of a Nigerian federation patterned after Switzerland to the colonial masters.

While we today have in Lagos some youths who do not behave much differently from the Almajiris of the north, visiting violence and destruction on government and private properties, what we had in the forties in Lagos were youths who organized debates and strategized on how to get rid of the colonial masters.

It is on record that Chief Anthony Enahoro who went on to become one of the  best parliamentarians Nigeria has ever produced was an editor  of a national newspaper at 22, and that Bode Thomas, the deputy chairman of Action Group who died at 33, was the author of ‘regionalism’ despite his principals’ preference for federalism. Even military boys who did not have advantage of education but joined the military to be able to climb the social lather ended up ruling our country in their twenties and thirties.

In a move to strengthen bilateral relations and economic cooperation, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has accepted an invitation from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to visit Nigeria later this year.

According to a statement on Thursday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the invitation was extended during bilateral talks on Wednesday night at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2025.

Tinubu, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Sunday as a guest of the UAE President, actively participated in the forum, which focuses on global sustainable development and climate action. 

On Wednesday, he delivered Nigeria’s position on key issues, including climate change, water security, and energy transition, while commending the UAE for hosting a successful event.

During their discussions, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed gratitude for President Tinubu’s visit and reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to enhancing economic ties with Nigeria. 

Both leaders explored avenues for increased investment in Nigeria, with the Nigerian leader highlighting the progress of his administration’s economic reforms.

“Our economic reforms are stabilizing and growing the economy. We have seen renewed confidence from foreign investors and international oil companies, who are announcing billion-dollar investments. Nigeria is open and ready for more partnerships with the UAE”, President Tinubu stated. 

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the UAE’s determination to strengthen cooperation across various sectors.

Accompanying President Tinubu were key Nigerian officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; and National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. 

The UAE delegation included Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; and  H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

Other UAE officials at the meeting were:  Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and  Salem Saeed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria.

President Tinubu also took the opportunity to thank the UAE leader for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their stay.

[TheNation]

Underlying the definitions of bullying in dictionaries is power imbalance. To bully someone is to direct aggressive behaviour at them, to intimidate or threaten them, to act cruelly towards someone, or to coerce them. For one to do these, there must be a power dynamic that makes the person at the receiving end vulnerable. Such a tilt of strength can either be embodied by an individual with a disproportionate physical or social power or a group of individuals converging on a weaker party to diminish them. Since the word “cyber-” got appended to bullying in Nigeria, it has acquired a new meaning that has virtually subverted the logic of power that underlies it.

Now, and no thanks to the police’s tendency to meddle in every matter in which a “big man” cries about being inconvenienced with public embarrassment activated by a previously unknown entity, a supposed victim of bullying these days is frequently someone who can commandeer the resources of the state. If you have enough clout to send the police on your errands, can you really claim to be a victim of cyberbullying?

Let us begin with the now infamous case of the singer Burna Boy (Damini Ogulu) at whose behest a singer cum comedian Darlington Okoye (Speed Darlington) has been reportedly incarcerated for months. As the story is told—and which Burna Boy has not denied—Speed Darlington is in jail because he taunted Burna Boy about his association with disgraced artiste Sean Combs (aka P Diddy). In December, the court ruled that his arrest and detention constituted “a gross violation” of his constitutional rights to dignity, liberty, expression, and movement. Despite a direct court order, the police have refused to release him. That makes you wonder, is Burna Boy really a “victim” if the police can sacrifice institutional integrity for his sake?

Meanwhile, the same insinuation Speed Darlington made about Burna Boy has been hurled at several US celebrities who as much as took a photograph with P Diddy. None has asked a man to be incarcerated indefinitely because they got butthurt. Please note that these are people whose reputation far outpaces that of an arriviste like Burna Boy. Yet, they will not take that track because they are self-assured enough to understand the price of celebrity. Unlike the quintessential African “big man”, they are also sensible enough to realise that power should have a more productive function than to abuse others cheaply.

Then, there is the case of Olamide Thomas, who was arrested and incarcerated for cursing the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu. This was another case of the police torturing logic just to satisfy a big man with small feelings. They claimed the curse “placed Seyi in fear of death, violence or bodily harm”. That would be hilarious if were not tragic. How does the law assess the effectiveness of a curse? If curses worked the way people who watch too many Nollywood films think they do, something should have happened to Seyi long ago, given that people have been cursing his father (and their family) since 1999! I am genuinely curious as to why Seyi would be so unsettled by curses that it would compel the police (and the court) to overreact to superstition.

Add to that the ongoing case of bloggers, Precious Eze, Olawale Olurotimi, Rowland Olonishuwa and Seun Odunlami, hauled before the Federal High Court in Lagos for “acts of cyberbullying” (some reports describe the allegation as “cyberstalking”) against the CEO of Guaranty Trust Holdings, Segun Agbaje, when they published uncomplimentary remarks about him. I am by no means defending those bloggers (who have long pulled down the publications anyway), but accusations of nepotism, power play, and self-enrichment are so commonplace in Nigeria that accusing a CEO will not elicit as much as a gasp. They certainly do not warrant holding people in custody for upward of three months. The police cannot fight cyberbullying with judicial bullying, sorry.

Even more laughable is the amended charge against them that states their alleged offence can potentially cause “a breakdown of law and order in the Nigerian banking system”? How can anyone cause a breakdown in law and order within the banking system when that sphere is not an extricable part of regular life? The officers who came up with that idea will surely have a profitable gig doing comedies in their police uniform. If they must know, the operational deficiencies and the decline of the high standards for which GTB used to be known (and renowned) will result in “a breakdown of law and order in the Nigerian banking system” faster than the opinion of a blogger no one would have otherwise read.

Add to the growing list of police overreach the case of Abraham Daniel, a former minister at Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Abuja. He was recently summoned for questioning regarding an “investigation” into “cyberbullying”’ following his accusations against his former principal, Pastor Paul Enenche, for reneging their “gentleman’s agreement.” While the police summons appeared civil enough, it is still intimidating, especially given that the issue at stake is a matter of personal differences between two individuals who should resolve their matter privately. If one party can get the police to act on his behalf even in a petty issue, can he still be “cyberbullied”?

These cases are worrisome because they show a growing pattern of judicial abuse that began under the previous administration and is becoming gradually routinised. Do not forget that under alleged civilian President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), the DSS arraigned a man for treason in the courts for, among other spurious offences, insulting the President. Buhari’s wife also had a young man stalked, arrested, detained, and later charged to court for basically calling her “fat”. What astounded me most was that the police spent six months tracking the guy before they apprehended him. If they demonstrate a similar diligence toward their responsibilities to Nigeria, the country will not be so insecure.

Look at all the spheres all the supposed victims of cyberbullying represent—popular culture, politics, industry, and religion—and understand why this pattern is worrisome. Figures representative of virtually every sphere of our socio-political life are one-trick ponies whose only recourse is to use their clout with the police to perpetrate abuse. That is not good for society by any measure. Even worse, at the rate the police are going with their trivialisation of the law by filing sensational charges over minor issues, they will turn every rabble-rouser into an anti-establishment hero. We should properly delineate what constitutes “cyberbullying” (or “cyberstalking”) so that it stops being exploited by anyone who has some money in their pocket and can purchase justice.

No matter what you think or how you feel about any of those people standing trial for cyberbullying, we should not be so numb that we fail to ask if the issue is about legal protections against malevolent speech or just an increasing pattern of intolerance for human rights. When people who have commensurate power say nasty things against each other on social media, the police never swoop in to “investigate”. Regardless of how vicious the exchange by the warring parties gets, the police never take sides to lament “injurious speech” that therefore warrants filing charges of cyberbullying, cyberstalking or even criminal defamation. It is when the matter becomes a case of the top dog vs an underdog that they become animated. Their conduct calls into question the whole idea of “bullying” as an act of aggression and intimidation. If bullying (cyber- or wherever else it takes place) is about a powerful person preying on a weaker party, what constitutes it when the supposed victim is the one who can afford to hire the police?

The Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has attributed current economic hardship to poor decisions made during the 2023 elections.

Suleman made this assertion during Tuesday and Wednesday’s two-day “Recovery Conference 2025” in Bauchi State, the Daily Post reports Thursday.

Ahead of the event, he paid a courtesy visit to the Government House, where he met with Governor Bala Mohammed.

While commending Mohammed for his leadership and hospitality, Suleman described him as “a man of honour” and pledged his continued prayers for the state’s progress. Senior pastors, including Dr. Kingsley Aigbe, accompanied him.

However, speaking with journalists at the Government House, Suleman didn’t mince words about the nation’s state, blaming Nigerians for their electoral choices.

“What Nigerians are going through is partly what they deserve. Before the election, we cried out, we screamed, we yelled. The man (President Bola Tinubu) who came into leadership had no manifesto—just a sense of entitlement with his ‘it’s my turn’ mantra,” Suleman declared.

He criticised Tinubu’s administration for poor policy decisions and the mismanagement of the country’s oil sector.

“The oil sector has been plundered. In the next 10 to 15 years, I don’t think Nigerians will recover from the damage. Now, all we can do is pray,” he lamented.

Suleman urged Nigerians to reflect on their voting decisions ahead of the 2027 elections, cautioning, “If they’ve suffered enough by then, perhaps they’ll make better decisions.”

Echoing Suleman’s concerns, Mohammed, also took a swipe at Tinubu’s policies, warning of their potential to harm the nation irreparably.

“Tinubu’s policies don’t have a clear vision and are taking us to the road to perdition and destruction. That is why when I talk about tax reforms, it is not because I don’t want reform, but because I want reform that will have a national impact. I don’t have anything against the president but respect,” Mohammed said.

The governor vowed to continue criticising Federal Government policies as long as they “shortchange Nigerians.”

“Nigerians deserve better, and I will not shy away from pointing out these shortcomings,” the governor maintained.

[Punch]

In the three weeks before January 11, 2025 when I returned, I was away from Lagos back in Mbaise, my ancestral home, to bury my mother-in-law, Ezinne Eunice Egowure Okahia. During that period, a lot happened, the most consequential being the election of Senator John Azuta-Mbata as the President-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, despite the vile machinations of some wet blankets. We will come back to that shortly.

Contrary to the fears of many that the Southeast would typify the Hobbesian state of nature where “man’s life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short,” Alaigbo was bubbly. Getting there was the problem. Those who chose to travel by air, paying exorbitant airfares that seemed to have been reservedly exclusively for Ndigbo, still endured flight delays and sometimes outright cancellations.

But it was even worse for those who travelled by road as I did. The journey on the approximately 543 km stretch from Lagos to Owerri was nightmarish, much of the highway, especially the Benin City Bypass in Edo State, having become a death trap. If nothing is done to rehabilitate the Bypass before the rains return, it will be impossible to drive on it. Am I optimistic that something will be done? Not at all as long as the Federal Government remains distracted with its ?15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

Then the humiliation by policemen and soldiers. Most of the checkpoints on the roads are nothing other than extortion centres.  The soldiers in particular act with impunity, whimsically blocking major roads and orchestrating needless traffic gridlock just for the fun. There is the particular case of the military checkpoint at Eziama-Obiato on the ever-busy Onitsha-Owerri Road where soldiers act with reckless abandon without regard for consequences. They block the road at night until about 6.30am. It does not matter to them that there could be emergencies. In the daytime, motorists are not allowed to drive past the barricade with passengers on board. They disembark and trek to meet the driver. It is all an attempt to humiliate the people. Definitely, there are more civilized ways of securing lives and properties.

But the Second Niger Bridge was a beauty to behold, a testament to the positive impact quality infrastructure could have on the lives and economy of a people. Much of the homeland was peaceful, a pleasant reminder of what was before the storm started. There was record homecoming particularly those living in the Diaspora and a palpable resurgence of the well-known Igbo values of hospitality, family, community, life, and respect for elders. The fabled Igbo communalism spirit (onye aghala nwanne ya) was in full display. The few that had shared with the many that didn’t have, no matter how little.

In all, except for the unfortunate and condemnable incidents of violence in Anambra and Imo, particularly the tragic killing of no fewer than 18 people in several communities in Orsu LGA, Imo State, on January 5; the murder of Father Tobias Okonkwo, a Catholic priest, at lhiala on December 26; abduction of Vincentia Maria Nwankwo and Grace Mariette Okoli, reverend sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ, in Orumba North LGA, Anambra State, on January 7, there seemed to have been a consciousness among the people that the indiscriminate violence and sundry acts of criminality were counter-productive and inimical to the economy of the region.

It behoves the entire Igbo elite – political, economic and socio-cultural – not only to denounce these atrocious acts of violence but also ensure that going forward, the Southeast does not relapse to the Hobbesian state of nature. While there may be some forces from outside involved in these heinous crimes, the truth is that majority of the culprits are Igbo youths, a reality that calls for introspection.

And that takes me back to the historic election of Senator Azuta-Mbata, who represented Rivers East in the Senate between 1999 and 2007, a bonafide Igbo of Ikwerre extraction as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide on January 10. Ndigbo will continue confounding those who claim to know them and their disunity heterodoxy. Azuta-Mbata’s election, once again, punctures that hackneyed stereotyping of a people they deliberately chose to misrepresent because his election is a measure of the unity of purpose and clarity of vision of the Igbo elite.

When the plot of those who thought money could buy them the Ohanaeze presidency failed as it should, they resorted to puerile blackmail and name-calling, sponsoring protests on the harebrained ground that Ikwerres are not Igbo. But how can a man whose name is Chibuike, Nwaike, Uchendu, Chukwuemeka, etc. claim he is not Igbo? Going by the etymology meaning of language, which is the study of the origin of words, the Ikwerre dialect is even more relatable to what some people refer to as Central Igbo, also known as Standard Igbo or Izugbe, which is the most widely understood dialect of the Igbo language, than the Nsukka, Ohafia or Izza dialects, for instance.

In a video, one Eze Godspower Onuekwa, who claims to be the President-General of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation, threatened fire and brimstone. “It is now rumoured that Ohanaeze Ndigbo intends to make an Ikwerre man the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo… Any person, no matter how highly placed, who may decide to accept this offer eventually becomes an enemy to the Ikwerre people,” he declared.

Who says? Onuekwa cannot claim to be a more accomplished Ikwerre than Azuta-Mbata. So, on what basis will he declare him or anyone else who proclaims his Igbo heritage a quisling and pronounce a fatwa? In any case, if Onuekwa and his co-travellers think it is their right to claim a phantom Bini Heritage, why deny others who think otherwise the same right?  When that childish gambit failed, they came up with the claim that zoning the Ohanaeze presidency to Rivers State is a territorial expansionist ploy by Ndigbo.

How? Ohanaeze is an umbrella organisation of all Igbos worldwide. While it is true that majority of them live in the five Southeast states, a significant number also live in other states outside the Southeast. So, does an Igbo man from Rivers being in the leadership of Ohanaeze translate to “annexation” of the State by Southeast? Will Rivers become the sixth Southeast State?

If there is nothing wrong with a Yoruba from Kogi or Kwara identifying with Afenifere or his kith and kin in the Southwest, why will that of Ndigbo be different? Are there no Ijaw people that are bonafide residents of Lagos and Ondo? Does the fact of state of origin make them less Ijaw? Are Ijaws from Delta, Edo, Rivers not bonafide members of the Ijaw National Congress (INC)?

The irony is that all the losers who are making noise because they lost out were waiting in the wings to see if the Southeast Igbos would breach the Ohanaeze Constitution on rotational presidency by denying Rivers its turn to produce the President-General. They would have used it as one more evidence in their war of attrition against Ndigbo, their bête noire. They failed.

Now, the job of Senator Azuta-Mbata is clearly cut out. Article 2:3 of the Ohanaeze constitution, says the organization is to to serve as a focal point of reference, of direction and of collective leadership in matters affecting the interest, solidarity and general welfare of the Igbo; to promote, develop and advance Igbo language and culture, to promote honour, dignity and self-respect among Ndigbo and encourage their achievement orientation in various aspects of life, to assist and encourage the formation of Igbo self-help, mutual assistance and improvement organizations wherever Ndigbo may reside and to promote peaceful coexistence with other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

With what I witnessed in the Southeast during and the election of a bridge-builder as Ohanaeze president, 2025 may well be the beginning of Igbo renaissance after the years the locusts ate.

Mikel Arteta warned Liverpool that “sensational” Arsenal are back in the Premier League title race after beating Tottenham 2-1 in the north London derby on Wednesday.

Desperately needing a win to close the gap on leaders Liverpool, Arteta’s side staged a stirring fightback after Son Heung-min’s early opener for Tottenham.

Dominic Solanke’s own goal hauled Arsenal level before Leandro Trossard’s strike put them ahead late in the first half at the raucous Emirates Stadium.

Second-placed Arsenal’s first win in four games in all competitions moved them within four points of Liverpool.

Although Arne Slot’s team have a game in hand and remain title favourites, Arteta is convinced Arsenal have what it takes to track down the Anfield club.

Asked if Arsenal are title contenders, Arteta said: “Yeah we are. There is so much to play for. We can see how difficult it is for every team.”

It was a cathartic victory for Arsenal, who had been knocked out of the FA Cup third round by 10-man Manchester United on penalties on Sunday, just days after losing 2-0 at home to Newcastle in the League Cup semi-final first leg.

A draw at Brighton in the league prior to those disappointments had left injury-hit Arsenal looking like outsiders in their hunt for a first title since 2004.

But Arteta, whose side face another test against Aston Villa on Saturday, was relieved to see his players show the hunger they will need to overhaul Liverpool in the second half of the season.

“We were sensational. It was a big test after two games and not getting rewarded,” he said.

“We were incredibly good in the last game against United and we ended up losing somehow.

“It’s how you respond to a situation. These boys want more, They want to be tested and questioned, then they want to go on the pitch. We have big examples of that today, playing 72 hours after 120 minutes on Sunday.

“To play the biggest game of the season for our people, it was a test of attitude, what we are made of, the courage we have. From minute one, we fully deserved to win the game.”

– ‘Unlucky we didn’t score 10’ –

Pressed on whether the north London derby success had restored confidence in Arteta and his team, the Spaniard added: “We can’t control that. We lost in the most incredible way against Manchester United.

“My confidence comes from seeing the players and how they perform every day. If my confidence comes and goes with each result then we should not be doing this.”

Showing the confidence that Arteta prizes so highly, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice insisted they should have dispatched Tottenham by a far greater margin.

“You can tell that tonight meant more than anything. From the first minute, the first half was pure domination,” he said.

“We showed the intent, the pressure, the desire, you could tell it was a derby. I think we were probably unlucky that we didn’t score 10. That is the feeling.”

England midfielder Rice was in boisterous mood after playing through injury to anchor Arsenal’s midfield.

Hitting back at his critics, Rice said: “As I’ve got older I don’t get the recognition I deserve.

“I was bought for a big fee and I play for Arsenal. Not a lot of people like Arsenal. I keep my head down and I know my qualities.”

Like Arteta, the former West Ham star is confident Liverpool can be reeled in, as long as Arsenal take advantage of any further slips from their rivals.

“Every time Liverpool have drawn we have not capitalised on it and that’s been a kick in the teeth,” he said.

“To close the gap is important, a big night for us.”

 [Vanguard]

We, the undersigned civil society organizations are seriously concerned about the ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International in Nigeria by the Nigeria police force and call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to end the escalating crackdown on activists, human rights, journalists and other Nigerians simply for peacefully exercising their human rights.

 We note that the Nigeria police force in a letter dated 6th January 2025 threatened Amnesty International with a purported legal action over the organization’s recent report titled: “Nigeria: Bloody August: Nigerian government’s violent crackdown on #EndBadGovernance protests.”

We also note that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) reported that 27 protesters were killed by the police while about 800 people were arrested during the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country in August 2024. Several protesters were reportedly detained without charges or trial. Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN also reported that some 22 protesters were killed while over 2,000 protesters were arrested during the protests in several states.

We are seriously concerned that rather than promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigating these grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses, bringing suspected perpetrators to justice and ensuring effective remedies and adequate compensation for victims and their families, the police is deliberately intimidating, threatening and targeting Amnesty International.

The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International coming after the recent reports of intimidation and harassment of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and in the context of the ongoing repression of civic space and attacks against activists, human rights defenders, and journalists demonstrates an alarming crackdown on civic space and human rights in Nigeria. We are concerned that the intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International have seriously undermined the space for activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians to carry out their legitimate human rights activities and work, and to freely associate and express themselves.

We are concerned that Nigerian authorities continue to disregard their obligations under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the human rights treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which the country is a state party.

We stand in solidarity with Amnesty International. The intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and escalating crackdown on the human rights movement in the country must end. We call on the government of President Bola Tinubu to direct the Nigeria police force to immediately end its ongoing intimidation, harassment and threat against Amnesty International and to allow the organization to freely carry out its human rights work in the country without any fear of reprisals.

 We call on the Tinubu administration to thoroughly, impartially, independently and effectively investigate the grave allegations of human rights violations and abuses in the context of the #EndBadGovernance protests. The administration must ensure that those suspected to be responsible are brought to justice promptly and that victims and their families are provided with access to justice and effective remedies. We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately take measures to ensure a conducive environment where civil society organizations, activists, human rights defenders, journalists and other Nigerians will feel safe to carry out their work and exercise their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

We call on the Tinubu administration to immediately halt all acts of repression, judicial harassment and intimidation against activists, human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations. We call on the Tinubu administration to end its ongoing crackdown on human rights including the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and to respect the human rights of everyone and rule of law in Nigeria. Signatories

Signed:

1. 21st Century Community Empowerment for Youth Initiative
2. Accountability Lab, Nigeria
3. Abuja School of Social and Political Thought
4. Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
5. African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD)
6. African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL)
7. Amnesty International Nigeria
8. Borno Coalition for Democracy and Progress (BOCODEP)
9. BudgIT Foundation
10. Center for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity
11. Centre Democracy and Development (CDD)
12. Centre for Community Empowerment in Conflict and Peacebuilding - Kaduna
13. Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT)
14. Centre for Global Tolerance and Human Rights
15. Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD)
16. Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)
17. Centre for Social Centre for Justice Reform
18. Centre for Transparency Watch
19. Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)
20. CLEEN Foundation
21. Community Life Project (CLP)
22. Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR)
23. Connected Development (CODE)
24. Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)
25. Elixir Trust Foundation
26. Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability
27. Environmental Rights Action
28. Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA)
29. Falana and Falana’s Chambers
30. Global Rights
31. Good Governance Team
32. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF)
33. Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre)
34. Human Rights Social Development and Environmental Foundation
35. INVICTUS AFRICA
36. Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre
37. Lawyers Alert
38. Media Initiative for Transparency in Extractive Industries (MITEI)
39. Media Rights Agenda
40. Mothers and Marginalized Advocacy Centre (MAMA Centre)
41. Nigeria Network of NGOs
42. Open Society on Justice Reform Project
43. Order Paper
44. Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN)
45. Partners West Africa
46. Policy Alert
47. Praxis
48. Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA)
49. Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative
50. Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED)
51. RULAAC - Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre
52. Say NO Campaign – Nigeria
53. Say No Campaign
54. Sesor Empowerment Foundation
55. Social Action

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has ordered the revocation of plots of land belonging to 568 individuals in the Maitama II area of Abuja.

Among those affected are state governors and chieftains of political parties.

In a notice of withdrawal issued by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the affected persons were said to have failed to pay their certificate of occupancy (C-of-O) bills following the expiration of the “grace period” given by the minister.

The FCTA said those who paid their C-of-O bills on or before January 15, 2025 are not affected by the notice.

“The Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA wishes to inform the allottee(s)/title holder(s) of plot(s) of land in Maitama II, Cadastral Zone A10, Abuja who have failed to make payment for their Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) bills after the expiration of grace period granted by the Honourable Minister, Federal Capital Territory that their Right of Occupancy to the land/property have been withdrawn, pursuant to the provisions of Section 28 of the Land Use Act of 1978 for contravention of the terms of grant which obligated the title/interest holders to settle all bills,” the notice reads.

“The general public is, however, invited to note that allottees/title holders who have completed their payments on or before 15/01/2025 are not affected by this publication.”

Some of the individuals affected are Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo; Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa; Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader; Samuel Anyanwu, national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Chimaroke Nnamani, former governor of Enugu; Abba Moro, senate minority leader; Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM); and Oluwole Oke, lawmaker representing Obokon/Oriade federal constituency in the house of representatives.

On October 5, 2024, the FCTA published a list of 3,273 title holders who were yet to pay their C-of-O bills.

After the publication, 2,511 title holders paid their bills, while 762 defaulted.

In December 2024, Wike issued another two-week ultimatum to owners of the 762 plots of land in Maitama to pay for their C-of-O or risk final revocation.

[TheCable]