I spent the weekend and most of Monday engaging in back-and-forth with fellow progressive Democrats who were trying to change the subject on the clear black-and-white facts about Hamas’ terrorist war against Israel. I kept reminding them of four indisputable facts.

Fact one: Hamas openly declares it hates Jews. It is an openly bigoted, anti-Semitic organization. Its public charter, which it calls its “Covenant,” states: “Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.” The Covenant actually endorses the notorious fraudulent anti-Semitic rant, used in part by Hitler to justify the Holocaust, the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”

Fact two: Hamas’ invasion is not about supporting an independent Palestinian state. Hamas denies Israel’s right to exist. It rejects a two-state solution. The head of its political bureau, Khaled Meshal, stated this plainly at a 2012 rally in Gaza: “Palestine is ours from the river to the sea and from the south to the north. There will be no concession on any inch of land.”

Some commentators, attempting to explain the Hamas invasion over the weekend, blamed the establishment of the state of Israel as the reason why there is still no independent Palestinian state. That is false and contradicted by undeniable historical facts. For example:

• For 19 years, between 1948-1967, Arab countries controlled East Jerusalem and all the land of the West Bank all the way to the Jordan River. They could have established a Palestinian nation, with Israel left with a fraction of territory compared to today’s Israel. So why didn’t they?
• In 2000, at Camp David, Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to create a Palestinian state in all of Gaza and 97% of the West Bank. The answer was no.
• In 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Ohmert offered to withdraw from almost the entire West Bank and to partition Jerusalem on a demographic basis – in addition to all of Gaza still being without Israeli soldiers or civilians. Still the answer was no.

Fact three: Hamas doesn’t care about an independent, democratic Gaza for the well-being or social justice of Gazans. To the contrary. Since Gaza threw out the official government of the Palestinian Authority, it has not invested in food, education, or jobs. Instead, it has used millions of dollars from Iran to build bombs and rockets to be aimed at Israeli civilians, and has lined its own pockets with 15% of substantial funds from Qatar aimed at the poor. It is simply beyond dispute that Hamas has established a corrupt terrorist dictatorship, with some leaders living in luxury abroad. In the summer of 2023, Gazans defied their overlords and held rallies throughout the area. Some chanted: “Where is the electricity and where is the gas?” – and burned Hamas flags.

Nor is Hamas reacting to Israeli occupation of Gaza.

In 2005, Israel withdrew its citizens (about 8,000) and soliders from Gaza and from four settlements in the West Bank. In 2007, Hamas ousted the Palestinian Authority and took over dictatorial control of Gaza. But it opposed the Authority’s negotiations to establish an independent Palestinian state and does so to this day.

Fact four: Hamas is and continues to be a terrorist organization – which meets the universal definition as dedicated to intentionally murdering civilians for political purposes. Hamas does not deny that. It brags about it. Just this last weekend, Hamas terrorists intentionally killed 260 young civilians attending a music festival in the desert near Gaza during the first moments of its murderous invasion.

No, it is not the same thing when Israel is forced to respond to defend itself from rockets aimed at civilians and, tragically and unintentionally, innocent Gazans civilians are killed – often because Hamas chooses to launch its rockets intentionally aimed at civilians from schools and hospitals (a double war crime). Those who make the false equivalence between intentional murder and self-defense with tragic and unintentional deaths of innocents ignore the facts.

I have always been a supporter of a two-state solution. Since I was very young, I believed in justice for the Palestinians and argued with my father that they deserved their own nation. But I also now remember the famous line of Tevye from “Fiddler on the Roof” when he argued with himself by saying, “On the one hand,” and then countered with, “but on the other hand.” However, on one issue on which he could never compromise, Tevye said: “There is no other hand.”

So regarding the Hamas terroristic attack on Israel in the last several days, I can only say – based on indisputable facts – “There is no other hand.”

#  #  #  #  #

Lanny Davis is the founder of the Washington, DC, law firm, Lanny J. Davis & Associates. He is one of the first to use the concept of legal crisis management to solve client problems – operating at the intersection of law, media, and politics. He is a former special counsel to President Bill Clinton in 1996-98 and served on a privacy and civil liberties panel appointed by President George W. Bush. He has been writing his “Purple Nation” column for more than 13 years.

*Joins Osoba, Momoh, Abati, others as Special Guests

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has formally accepted to honour the invitation to the third anniversary lecture and book presentation of Naija Times, which comes up on October 19, 2023, at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

The acceptance to speak at the event by the professor of comparative literature, civil rights activist, and humanist is viewed as an endorsement of Naija Times which, in three years, has emerged as a prominent and independent online newspaper.

Soyinka will be giving a goodwill message to back the keynote by one of his former students and former presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati – the critically engaging newspaper columnist, public intellectual and lead anchor of the ‘The Morning Show’ on Arise News.

Abati will be speaking on the theme of the event, ‘Journalism in the service of society,’ which is the slogan of Naija Times.

The high-profile occasion will also feature the presentation of Naija Times’ first publication, titled “For a Better Society: A compilation of Editorials published in Naija Times from September 2020 to July 2023.”

The book will be reviewed by Azu Ishiekwene, one of Nigeria’s prolific writers and Editor-in-Chief of Leadership newspaper. In the words of Ehi Braimah, Naija Times Publisher/Editor in Chief, “The book will be a valuable resource for media

practitioners, communications specialists, political leaders, strategists and consultants, CEOs, public policy analysts, civil servants, parliamentarians, legal

practitioners, human rights activists, bankers and financial analysts, researchers, scholars, students, sports administrators, entrepreneurs and captains of industry, diplomats, economists as well as public affairs commentators.”

The event will be chaired by Mr. John Momoh (OON, NPOM), Chairman/CEO of Channels Media Group, while His Excellency, Aremo Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State and the Doyen of Nigerian journalism, will be the Father of the Day.

Naija Times was formally launched on September 15, 2020 with the primary objective of advocating for a better Nigeria with strong institutions, respect for the rule of law and defending the public interest. These ideals are expressed in the vision and mission statements of the newspaper.

UDO PRINCE TOBY

Ag. Editor

Mr Shehu said the suspects were Mr Danjigba’s nephew, Mansur Haruna, and his friend, Ibrahim Garba, who conspired to kidnap the veteran journalist.

The Zamfara Police Command has arrested three suspects concerning the murder of Hamisu Danjibga, a reporter with the Voice of Nigeria (VON) in Zamfara State.

The Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Shehu, disclosed this at a press briefing in Gusau on Tuesday.

Mr Shehu said the suspects were Mr Danjigba’s nephew, Mansur Haruna, and his friend, Ibrahim Garba, who conspired to kidnap the veteran journalist.

Mr Shehu said they stabbed the journalist to death when he resisted their move.

According to him, the two suspects confessed to the crime during the investigation, and some items belonging to the late Danjibga were recovered.

The commissioner also disclosed the arrest of three suspected bandits specialising in kidnapping and raping women.

Mr Shehu maintained that all the suspects will be charged to court for prosecution after the investigation. (NAN)

The Nigerian Senate has revealed that the country has lost N2.3 trillion to the menace of crude oil theft so far in 2023.

Senator Ned Nwoko disclosed this information on October 10, emphasizing that existing statistical data indicates that pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering have led to a significant socio-economic crisis in Nigeria.

He further pointed out that the involvement of certain security agents collaborating with the perpetrators has hindered the endeavours of those dedicated to resolving this issue.

He said:

• “In 2022, it was reported that Nigeria suffered daily losses of approximately 437,000 barrels of crude oil, amounting to a value of $23 million, due to criminal activities.
• “In March 2023, Nigeria incurred a substantial loss of 65.7 million barrels of crude oil, valued at $83 per barrel, translating to a staggering revenue loss of N2.3 trillion because of oil theft. 
• “The current collaborative efforts involving the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military, operations like Operation Delta Safe and Operation Dakartada Barawo, along with the contributions of various security entities, state and local governments, and International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta region have yielded positive results. 
• “These efforts have led to an increase in oil production, reaching 1.51 million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2023. This figure marks an improvement from the 1.49 million barrels per day recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and is notably higher than the production volume of 1.34 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2022. 
• “Despite the efforts of certain military personnel and security agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and Department of State Services (DSS) in combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region, there are individuals within these institutions who engage in illicit activities. 
• “These individuals collaborate with unscrupulous figures within the oil industry to undermine the nation’s economy. It has come to attention that oil theft in Nigeria thrives due to a troubling collaboration between security forces, militia groups, the local population, and certain employees within oil companies. 
• “These parties employ sophisticated methods to carry out theft from oil facilities located within the country. Given Nigeria’s vast oil and gas reserves, one would expect crude oil production to continuously increase, aligning with OPEC’s production quota of 1.74 million barrels per day.” 

On the other hand, Senator Buhari Abdulfatai called for punitive measures to combat oil bunkering. He said:

• “We carry out investigations every year but in the end, nothing has come out of it. We need to review our laws and take punitive measures against oil thieves.” 

In the meantime, Senator Adams Oshiomhole asserted that oil theft constitutes an organized criminal activity involving both bunkers and security personnel.

He went on to explain that this is the reason why many security agents actively sought postings in oil-producing communities.

In response to these statements, Senate President Godswill Akpabio instructed the Senate committees responsible for Petroleum Resources (Upstream, Downstream, and Gas), Host Communities, and Niger Delta Affairs to initiate investigations into the activities of security forces, militia groups, local residents, oil company employees, and any individuals or entities suspected of employing sophisticated methods to pilfer from oil facilities.

He urged these committees to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and present their findings to the Senate within a six-week timeframe.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday delivered the proposed 2024 regular budget of $3.3 billion to the UN General Assembly’s fifth committee.

The fifth Committee of the General Assembly is responsible for administrative and budgetary matters. 

Guterres explained that this budget submission was prompted by the numerous challenges faced by Member States, emphasizing the increasing importance of the United Nations in addressing these challenges.  

He expressed the need for a total of $3.3 billion to fully execute the organization’s mandates, which includes 10,334 positions, with a net increase of 199, mainly for implementing new inter-governmental mandates. 

• In his words, “The role of the United Nations has never been more vital – and we are stepping up our efforts,’’ he said.  

To fully implement our mandates, the UN secretary-general said, “we would require a total of US$3.3 billion.”  

• “This includes a total of 10,334 posts, a net increase of 199, excluding special political missions. Most of the additional posts are required to implement new inter-governmental mandates,’’ he added. 

Guterres expressed concern about the deteriorating financial position of the UN in the current year, noting that collections through the end of the third quarter have been lower.  

To be precise, the organization has collected only 64%  of its dues this year, a decrease from 71.9% in 2022 and 82.7% in 2021.  

• “Specifically, we have collected only 64%  this year compared to 71.9%  in 2022 and 82.7% in 2021,’’ he said.  

He, nevertheless, urged Member States to meet their financial obligations in a timely and complete manner. 

A Nigerian Army Special Court-martial sitting in Abuja has sentenced the former Group Managing Director, Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL), Maj. Gen. Umaru Mohammed to seven years imprisonment.

Umaru was sentenced to jail over an 18-count charges bordering on forgery and misappropriation of funds among others.

The court ordered him to pay back $2,178,900 and N1.65bn to the Army properties and NAPL.

The general who pleaded not guilty to all allegations was also tried on charges of forgery, even as the court found him guilty of 14 counts.

We love drama in this country. According to recent media reports, some American investors who control portfolio worth trillions of dollars are coming to Nigeria for investment talks with top Government officials and the business community. Ordinarily, this should be cheering news. As usual, there is a lot of frenzy in the air and propaganda on the social media. The so-called “influencers” have taken over the media space by engaging in acrobatic dances. It looks as if this is the first time investors are visiting Nigeria since independence in 1960. From all indications, the foreign visitors are already assured of effusive welcome. However, there is a caveat. The nagging issue which continues to beg for answer is whether Nigeria is actually investment ready. Since the return to civil rule in 1999, the record of former President Olusegun Obasanjo (1999 to 2007) as a globe trotter remains unbeatable. He travelled all over the world in search of foreign direct investment. At the tail end of his administration, he confessed that despite all the talks with foreign investors and tonnes of promises, there was nothing to show. He only got warm handshakes and beautiful smiles from his hosts. Obasanjo was very honest and blunt on the outcome of his economic diplomacy and elusive search for foreign direct investment. Despite the poor response of foreign investors, one fact that is undeniable is that Nigeria’s economy was more robust during Obasanjo’s presidency than the situation today.

At present, Nigeria’s economy is facing a lot of challenges due mainly to accumulated years of leadership failure, lack of political will to do the needful, wrong fiscal policies, huge local and foreign debts, endemic graft, malfeasance, pervasive corruption, excessive bureaucracy, multiple taxation, high level of revenue leakage due to massive looting, infrastructure deficit, population explosion, energy crisis and hyperinflation. The ugly situation has led to the closure of several businesses, mass unemployment, economic despair, hopelessness and weaponization of poverty in the country. Poverty walks on four legs as the value of the national currency continues to depreciate. Majority of the citizens are living from hand to mouth as they swim in the ocean of poverty. There is a daily struggle for economic survival.

The energy crisis remains a daunting challenge. Successive administrations have invested billions of dollars on the power sector since 1999, but power supply remains erratic. The power sector reform of 2013 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan has not yielded the much-expected impact. A decade after the reform, we are still talking of megawatts of darkness! The manufacturing sector is groaning due to high cost of power generation. The cost of petroleum products, especially diesel, is prohibitive. This has resulted in high cost of production and relocation of some manufacturing companies to other countries. For the past three decades since the regime of late General Sani Abacha, Nigeria relies totally on imported fuel as the local Government-owned refineries are moribund. Fuel importation alone has become a huge elephant in the room and an albatross on the macro economy. It is a major drain on the treasury. Until the removal of subsidy on May 29, 2023 by President Tinubu in his inaugural address, fuel importation gulped the lion share of annual budget.

For Nigeria to make a headway in its foreign direct investment drive, the power and energy sectors require priority attention. Investment, whether local or foreign, needs a conducive environment to thrive. There is need for a complete overhaul of the power sector value chain- generation, transmission and distribution to change the current narrative. The power sector is the backbone of any economy. In the same vein, the Government must take a definite decision on the moribund refineries. Fuel importation is a major drain on Government resources especially foreign exchange. It is not sustainable. The Federal Government should consider Public Private Partnership (PPP) template to revamp and run the refineries for efficiency and optimal production. As a major oil producing country, Nigeria has no business importing petroleum products. It is a huge embarrassment. There is urgent need for a paradigm shift.

Priority attention should be given to local investors through provision of incentives and enabling environment to boost the economy and create jobs. The opportunities available in the digital technology space should be fully tapped for income generation, poverty reduction and sustainable livelihood. There is a huge demand for digital technology skills globally. This sector alone can provide jobs for millions of youths and reduce youth unemployment.

Agriculture holds the key to food security. However, the cost of local food items is beyond reach. This is partly due to high cost of farm inputs and transportation as well as insecurity. Insurgency and banditry have impacted negatively on agricultural production especially in the North. As the military continues to tackle insecurity, there is need for massive investment in the agricultural sector to feed the teeming population of over 200 million people.

Based on the current situation in the country, the economy requires a stimulus package to reduce economic hardship and high level of poverty. The role of development partners notably the World Bank, International Development Association, African Development Bank, European Union, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations Development Programme, United States Agency for International Development, United Kingdom Department for International Development, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, French Development Bank, German Agency for International Development and several others cannot be overemphasized.

The revenue base of the country has to be expanded to reduce dependence on crude oil receipts. The policy initiatives already mapped out for the solid minerals sector as well as marine and blue economy require accelerated action. The same thing applies to the creative/entertainment industry. We need to walk the talk. Foreign debts have to be rescheduled to give the economy a breathing space. A situation whereby the country is spending about 96 per cent of its total revenue on debt servicing is not desirable. It is counterproductive as it imposes severe limitations on the macro economy and provision of critical infrastructure. We need to take the country back and restore hope for shared prosperity.

The challenges confronting the country are not insurmountable. Visionary leadership and strong political will are crucial. Lee Kuan Yew did it in Singapore and his legacy continues to endure. There must be a total crackdown on graft and zero tolerance for
corruption to move the country forward. What we need to emphasize now is action not mere talks.

There is one thing a country must not have - and must therefore avoid by all means. A country must, by all means, avoid corrupt leadership. In good, normal, and ordinary times, a country with corrupt leadership may still manage to chug along without suffering dire existential consequences. However, such a country must pray - and hope - that it is not hit with a major catastrophe, one that requires a credible and popular leadership that can summon the unquestioned and enthusiastic loyalty of its vast citizenry. When a country confronts major challenge of existential proportions, a credible leadership not only becomes necessary, it becomes imperative.

The beleaguered nation of Israel has been hit with the worst existential catastrophe in its history, comparable only to its 1973 Yom Kippur (Ramadan) war with the Arab nations of Egypt and Syria. One of the major differences between 1973 Israel and 2023 Israel is that the 1973 Israel was in the hands of a credible leadership. For all her jingoistic and xenophobic flaws, Prime Minister Golda Meir, the Iron Lady of the Middle East, was not corrupt. Today's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not just corrupt, he is incredibly corrupt.

Netanyahu is so corrupt that when he has been indicted for corruption, his strategy has been to fight his corruption indictment with even more corruption. Since January, tens of thousands of Israelis from all walks of life have been engaged in large-scale demonstrations and protests across Israel in response to Netanyahu's unprecedented push to weaken the Israeli Supreme Court and reform the judicial system by limiting judicial oversight on official decision-making and legislation. Remarkably, among these protesters have been some members of Israel Defense Force (IDF) who have avowedly withdrawn their loyalty to Netanyahu.

Questions are:

1.     Did Hamas choose this time to attack Israel because it thought, not quite unreasonably, that Israel was vulnerable from growing cracks of insubordination in its security and defense ranks?

2.     Did Hamas choose this time to attack Israel because it believed, not quite unreasonably, that Israel's intelligence agencies were lax and distracted by Netanyahu politics?

3.     How does a nation's army disaggregate patriotism to nation from the filthy lucre of a corrupt commander-in-chief? Should the average Israeli soldier even have to undertake such difficult and profound calculations? How fair is that?

4.     How fair is it to mobilize Israeli soldiers to confront a deadly foe at the command of a corrupt and loathsome commander-in-chief? What are implications for troop morale?

In truth, I do not pretend to know the right answers to these questions. What I do know, however, is that a corrupt leader is an albatross on his nation, both in good, normal, and ordinary times, and even worse so in bad, dangerous, and challenging times. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not the best face of Israel right now. He is the ultimate albatross. If he resigns today, it will be a psychological relief to the average Israeli even as the bloody stench of the horror of Black Saturday still hangs in the air.

But, beyond Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, there is serious lesson for corrupt leaders in other dark corners of the world. Africa must be paying attention to Tel Aviv. A corrupt leader is a national security threat to his nation. A corrupt leader is the single most dangerous security vulnerability for his nation. A corrupt leader is an open invitation to opportunistic foreign enemies, yet a secret bouncer to the loyalty, morale, and patriotism of local national army. Is Abuja listening? Is Yaoundé watching? Is the Nigerian Supreme Court taking notes? I hope so. I hope so. I can only hope so.

Dr. Vitus Ozoke is a lawyer, a civil and human rights activist, and a public commentator based in the United States. 

Whenever I hear of EFCC on the news again for the wrong reasons I always quickly rush to the ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION (ESTABLISHMENT) ACT 2004 which is their establishment act to check especially section 6 of the act that provides for their functions but as expected, all you need to know is that law enforcement agencies and their agents in Nigeria have a thing for acting beyond their power; ie acting ultra vires. 

We woke up yesterday to a famous Nigerian musician, Skales ranting and complaining bitterly about how the agents of the EFCC pulled up with sophisticated weapons to his home, forcefully broke into his apartment at 3 am-midnight, ransacked his home while pointing guns at him and his family members and that got his wife and six months old baby to traumatized. 

Be it as it may, by the provisions of section 148 of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, a search warrant may be issued and executed at any time on any day, including a Sunday or public holiday. This is to say that a search or an arrest warrant can be executed at midnight by a law enforcement agent, so the EFCC agents knocking on people’s doors at midnight and using force to gain entry if the owner of the house fails to open up is still within the bounds of the law so far as they have been issued with a search and arrest warrant on that particular person or on that particular house by a court of competent jurisdiction. This is the condition precedent; they must have obtained a search or arrest warrant for the particular assignment but the bitter pill to swallow is that they always do not approach people’s houses and break into peoples’ apartments with any valid search warrant against that house. 

Knocking on people’s doors or breaking into people’s houses while brandishing sophisticated weapons at midnight without any valid search warrant as a law enforcement agent especially on a mufti makes you an armed robber or a kidnapper and the house owner is legally allowed to use any force necessary to defend himself and to resist you to ensure you do not break into his apartment. This implies that if the house owner has a licensed firearm he can shoot you on the grounds of self-defense and he will be permitted by our laws. 

Interestingly, the men of the EFCC (just to let you know that they know what they are doing) only execute this kind of Gestapo style of midnight arrests in the houses of alleged young boys and petty internet fraudsters. They dare not try it in a house of politicians or someone who knows his rights and is ready to stand for it because they know that the person’s first point of action is to raise a preliminary objection against his mode of arrest and seek proper damages against the agency and the agents that executed it. 

In fact, a friend who is a senior officer at the EFCC told me that the only reason the EFCC agents prefer to go after the petty Yahoo boys and petty financial criminals instead of going after big-time corrupt politicians is because the Yahoo boys are so easy to prosecute. A politician is always ready to fight in court but an alleged Yahoo boy will always chicken out and beg for a plea deal and people do not know that just as bankers or salesmen have sales targets, EFCC agents or EFCC sessions are also given targets of number of prosecutions they must meet at a particular time hence they opt for the easier way of meeting the target by going after petty yahoo boys whom they know are easier to prosecute. 

There is no justification for crime, so this is not me justifying internet fraud or making a case for the internet fraudsters but this is me as a lawyer standing against breaking into people’s homes at midnight without search warrants or court order to that effect. I am talking from experience as a lawyer that 99% of those homes men of the EFCC break into at midnight they do so without a proper search and arrest warrant. Some agents are always quick to tell you when you ask them to show you their warrant that their Identity card is a valid search and arrest warrant but that is not what our law says; there is no law in Nigeria that says that an ID card of an operative of an EFCC is a search or an arrest warrant.

The EFCC totally needs overhauling. Touts are now joining the forces and making a mess of why the force was established in 2004. You don’t have to break the law to execute another law; when you break a law to execute another law you have also become a criminal. You can carry out an arrest and execute a search by going through the proper channels of the law. 

What happened in Skale’s apartment last night is totally uncalled for. Seeing the CCTV footage of operatives of the EFCC heavily armed breaking into his apartment will send chills to the shiver of everyone. You will be forced to think that the residents of the apartment are boko haram bandits hence why the agents are heavily armed like that to flush them out.