Monday

Genesis G90 Goes for Slammed Japanese VIP Treatment, Comes Out Buttery Smooth

CC™ Automotive

Although we have seen rendering experts jump at almost anything created by the automotive world, it’s clear that some of them have their favorites. For one, in particular, very few new cars qualify as real-world darlings.

Abimelec Arellano, the virtual artist behind the abimelecdesign account on social media has gone into a new car appreciation spree recently. Not only did he play with the all-new 2022 Chevy Silverado ZR2 mere hours after its introduction, but also showcased one of his all-time contemporary favorites.


And believe it or not, it’s a simple and sensible (yet utterly luxurious) Genesis G90. The model that paved the way for Hyundai’s new luxury division to develop as a fully-blown premium brand is almost up for a new iteration, but that doesn’t mean the current, facelifted version doesn’t have what it takes to impress.

Besides, the pixel master didn’t leave it alone and in stock form. Explaining that he mostly loves the Genesis G90 for its Buick Roadmaster approach to automotive life (as opposed to the Mercedes-AMG side of things), he also slapped the South Korean limousine with a taste of the Japanese VIP atmosphere. The trend, which apparently was on his radar for quite a while, has to do with modifying luxury cars (traditionally, local ones) to extremes.

Those premium models get much larger and/or wider wheel arches. But that’s not all because they also feature custom suspension setups to get slammed “into the ground, quite literally.” Of course, the pixel master opted for his twists with this one. So, the G90 sits much lower but “is not quite on the ground, and while I enlarged the arches, they’re not wider.”

No worries, these aren’t the only changes. The paintjob features a Candy Dark Purple shade mixed with a little bit of Red Flake, and the interior comes with a fully custom treatment. Among the included changes are tan leather upholstery and lots of wood trim, a flower-stamped headliner, as well as bespoke engraved metal touches. Oh, and did we mention the Japanese VIP crowd-pleasing Weds Kranze LXZ wheels?


Friday

Report: Nigeria experiencing targeted religious genocide under Buhari

CC™ Global News

By Sylvester Ugwuanyi

A newly-launched joint report by the International Committee on Nigeria and the International Organization for Peace Building and Social Justice has asserted that Nigeria is currently experiencing genocide, describing the nation as “a failed state.”

The report, titled, “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter,” stated that no fewer than 43,242 Nigerians have been killed by Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgents while 18,834 others lost their lives in the hands of killer Fulani herdsmen over a 20-year period.

It added that 34,233 other Nigerians met their deaths through extrajudicial killings by other actors, including the police, military and others.

The report lamented what it described as the “breakdown of the rule of law, spiraling violence, atrocities against targeted religious groups and innocent civilians and the apparent impunity of the perpetrators” in Nigeria.

According to the report, the combination of these factors contributed to transform Nigeria into “largely a failed state and regional epicenter for terrorism.”

The authors of the report added that their assertion found support in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1948 United Nations Convention on Genocide.

“There is strong evidence and a compelling legal argument that over the past decade or so, and increasingly under the current Fulani Muslim-dominated Nigerian government of Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria is experiencing what could be seen as targeted religious genocide, or what, at the very least, is widespread and often coordinated religious persecution campaigns being conducted against Christians,” the report stated in its introduction overview signed by the Executive President of ICON, Stephen Enada, and Executive Director, PSI, Dr. Richard Ikiebe.

In its foreword, the report published a November 24, 2019 letter by a member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom, Baroness Caroline Cox, calling on the international community to recognize the crisis in Nigeria as typical genocide, while accusing the Nigerian government of pampering killer Fulani herdsmen.

Cox wrote, “While the underlying causes of violence are complex, the asymmetry and escalation of attacks by well-armed Fulani militia upon predominantly Christian communities is stark and must be acknowledged.

“While the Nigerian administration has taken steps to counter Boko Haram insurgency, it has not demonstrated the same commitment to tackle the escalating violence perpetrated by Fulani militants.

“Finally, given the Nigerian government’s apparent complicity in the persecution of Christians, international aid should be curtailed until they protect and provide for their own citizens of any belief.”

Also in the foreword, a retired American congressman, Frank Wolf, urged the world to pay attention to Nigeria, noting that Boko Haram insurgents, in their decade-long Jihadist campaign, had killed over 27,000 civilians. A figure, he said, was more than the number killed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria combined.”

Wolf expressed the fear that Nigeria could implode with dire consequences for neighboring nations and the world.

“An implosion would destabilise the surrounding countries and send millions of refugees into Europe and beyond.

“Nigeria, with a population of 195 million, is the largest country in Africa. I believe that so goes Nigeria, so goes western Africa,” Wolf said.

Similarly, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Jos, Rev A.B. Kwashi, in the foreword, said the report captured the details of atrocities and abuse in Nigeria, describing it as timely.

Kwashi said, “Incidents of violence towards Christians, many of whom are farmers, by Islamic militants have been allowed to continue for too long.

“It is a common development and an everyday occurrence across Nigeria to kill Christians, meanwhile offenders are not being prosecuted and the leaders are unresponsive.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof Joash Amupitan, who wrote the report’s legal brief, among other recommendations, called for the setting up of a United Nations-backed tribunal in Nigeria to try perpetrators of crimes “as was the case in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone pursuant to the powers of the UN Security Council in Chapter V of the Charter of the UN.”

“The UN Security Council can be pressured by the major powers to refer the case of Nigeria, by virtue of its referral powers under Article 13 of the Rome Statute, to the ICC in respect of which the court could not otherwise exercise jurisdiction,” Amupitan added.

SOURCE

Monday

World’s largest economies are surpassing pre-Covid oil demand


CC™ Global News

Some of the world’s biggest economies are seeing oil consumption turn the corner and even surpass pre-pandemic levels as falling Covid-19 infection rates drive a recovery in activity.

Oil demand in China, the world’s top energy consumer, will be 13% higher next quarter than in the same period in 2019 before the pandemic, according to SIA Energy. Indian fuel sales extended a rebound last month, while American consumption of petroleum products just hit a record high. Europe has also just had its best August for gasoline demand in 10 years, IHS Markit said.

The improvement in consumption across major economies is buoying oil prices that have rallied around 40% this year. Against this backdrop, the OPEC+ alliance decided to keep restoring crude supply earlier this month, citing tighter balances into year-end.

“The worst for Asian fuel demand is over and we see a soft recovery of oil demand in the coming months,” said Sengyick Tee, an analyst at Beijing-based SIA. China’s overall oil consumption will be led by a more than 20% jump in gasoline use next quarter from 2019, he said.

While motor fuel is powering the recovery as people take to the roads after months of lockdown, the situation for other oil products isn’t as positive. Jet fuel consumption is still languishing because of the lack of international air travel. Indian diesel use is down due seasonal factors, although SIA Energy sees demand for the fuel in China rising 4% next quarter from 2019.

Trucking and construction activities typically decline in India from June to September because of the monsoon. That weighs on demand for diesel, the country’s most popular fuel, before it rises again toward the end of the year amid crop harvesting and festivals.

“Sales volume of petrol has already crossed pre-Covid levels, with diesel likely to reach there in the next two to three months” said Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, chairman of Indian Oil Corp., the country’s biggest refiner.

Refining Ramp-Up

Indian processors will have “limited upside potential” for run rate increases this month as they struggle to cope with excess diesel that’s been produced from the process of making gasoline, said Senthil Kumaran, head of South Asia oil at industry consultant FGE. A turning point may come around October, with runs potentially rising above 5 million barrels a day by year-end, he said.

Chinese run rates have inched up with state-owned Sinopec refining the most crude in 11 months in August, data from local consultancy SCI99 show. However, activity at private refiners in Shandong province is only just over 70% amid a government-led clampdown on the sector. 

Still, with some of Asia’s largest economies reporting tens of thousands of virus infections per day, some threats to energy demand remain even as the region races to vaccinate its people.

“Resurgence risk is a concern that we have built into our outlook, particularly for populous countries such as India and Indonesia,” said Qiaoling Chen, an analyst at energy consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd. “For now, the worst for Asia oil demand is over, but the downside risks remain.”

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Friday

Elon Musk Mocks Jeff Bezos After Reports Reveal His Investment In a Startup That Seeks to Reverse Aging


CC™ Business News

And as expected, Elon Musk, his "rival" in some businesses, could not remain silent. The founder of SpaceX responded to a tweet that reported on Bezos' new investment and the possible salary of the scientists, with his usual characteristic tone.

"And if it doesn't work, he's gonna sue death!" the billionaire tweeted.

It is no secret to anyone that since the founder of Blue Origin sued the US Space Agency (NASA) for awarding contracts to Musk's SpaceX instead of his aerospace company, the media relationship between the two billionaires has been somewhat tense. 


Wednesday

Obasanjo: I thought I knew President Buhari


CC™ Politico News

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said he thought he knew Buhari but everything changed after he became the president in 2015.

Obasanjo said he thought Buhari would have done well in securing Nigeria and fighting corruption.

He said it is worrisome that banditry is happening in the north-west region of the country where the President hails from.

Obasanjo, therefore, asked the president to wake up and fight banditry and other sundry crimes especially in the northern part of the country.

The ex-president, who spoke in an interview with academic and historian, Toyin Falola, said Buhari should start thinking of leaving an enduring legacy as president.

He said, "I thought I knew President Buhari because he worked with me. But I used to ask people that is it that I have not read him well or read him adequately or is it that he has changed from the Buhari that I used to know? I am not subscribing to the people who say we have a new Buhari from Sudan and all that nonsense.

"I know what I believed was his limitations and I have written about it -he wasn't strong in economics, not all of us are strong in anything but you need to have sufficient knowledge of it for you to direct the affairs. He wasn't particularly too strong in foreign affairs but I thought he was strong enough in the military.

"From his performance in his first outing as head of state, I thought he would also do well in fighting corruption. I did not know the nepotistic tendencies of President Buhari maybe because he was not exposed to that sort of situation when he worked with me.

"But with what I have seen now, I believe that maybe he will be thinking of a legacy. Maybe he will also learn from what has happened in recent times. If you are the commander-in-chief and banditry is taking place in your backyard, then you have to wake up."

The ex-president also said some governors are now in a state of hopelessness because of the president's way of handling the insecurity in the country.

The security challenges in the country have assumed a more concerning dimension in recent times as rampaging bandits, bloodthirsty insurgents and ransom-demanding kidnappers terrorize Nigerians with daring audacity.


AGENCY

Saturday

Liverpool can't find breakthrough as 10-man Chelsea hold on for shared spoils at Anfield


CC™ Global Sports

By Our Sports Staff

European champions Chelsea, despite playing with 10 men, held on for a 1-1 draw against six-time European champions Liverpool, in a top-of-the-table English Premier League clash at Anfield. 

Chelsea had broken the deadlock earlier on in the 21st minute with a looping backward header from Kai Havertz, off a corner pick that beat Allison in goal for Liverpool.

The tide of the game then changed in stoppage time of the first half when Mohammed Salah converted a penalty kick for the hosts, after Chelsea defender Reece James intentionally handled the ball on the goal-line. James was then sent off and Chelsea was forced to play the second half of the game with 10 men. 

Liverpool could however not find the needed breakthrough as Chelsea defended well and held on to share the points with the Reds at a raucous Anfield.

Chelsea is now second, behind West Ham United, on the EPL table having won seven points in three games, while Liverpool is 3rd, also with seven points in three games.

Friday

Buhari's secret police open fire at recruitment center in effort to stop striking Nigerian doctors from taking jobs in Saudi Arabia


CC™ Global News 

Armed operatives of the State Security Service (DSS) on Thursday opened fire outside Sheraton Hotel in Abuja to disperse Nigerian doctors who were arriving for an interview for medical positions in Saudi Arabia, witnesses told Peoples Gazette. 

At least one person was injured and had been moved to a hospital in Mabushi neighbourhood of the Nigerian capital, The Gazette learnt. 

The secret police officers mounted a barricade outside the hotel to block people seeking to enter through Abacha Estate, according to one of the doctors who identified himself as Mr. Olubanjo in a telephone chat with The Gazette.

“The officers tried to block us from entering Sheraton but some of us insisted that we were on our way for an interview organized by the Saudi government,” Mr. Olubanjo said. “But we were forcibly chased away when the officers started shooting into the air to disperse us with threats that they will kill us and no one would punish them.”

The programme was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. and many of them had been arriving at the venue as of 5:30 a.m., he said.

Mr. Olubanjo said the organizers later told them the interview had been suspended but wondered why that became the case when a similar exercise held last week at a hotel in Lagos.

A spokesman for the SSS did not return a request seeking comments. A telephone line for Sheraton in Abuja did not connect on Friday morning.

Nigerian medical professionals have been on a desperate bid to leave the country following years of incessant strikes over low remuneration and generally poor welfare. They have been moving to Europe, Canada, Saudi Arabia and other countries where they hoped to get better training and practice.

It was not immediately clear why the SSS was sent to truncate yesterday’s interviews, which came barely a week after Nigerian labor minister Chris Ngige insisted that the country was not in short supply of medical doctors. The minister said the widespread claims of brain drain in the country’s medical sector was false and should be disregarded.

GAZETTE NIGERIA

Thursday

Terrorists are trying to sneak on evacuation flights from Afghanistan to Britain to commit attacks


CC™ Global News

U.K. Armed Forces Minister, James Heappey has warned that evil extremists plotting to "cause us harm" were exploiting the chaos in Kabul - where troops are on high alert for an ISIS suicide bomber. 

Security checks means UK officials at the airport are unable to process evacuees at breakneck speed.

Mr. Heappey told BBC Radio 4: "We would love to be able to just open the gates and let people in at an even faster flow but there are people right now trying to get on some British flights that we have identified in our checks as being on the UK's no fly list. 

"So the checks that are being done are entirely necessary, because there are people trying to take advantage of this process to get into the UK to cause us harm."

Soldiers helping with the rescue mission in the Afghan capital are also on constant watch for Islamist threats.

Mr. Heappey said no British squaddies were involved in a gunfight at the airport yesterday - but that it showed the "chaotic" environment there right now.

He said: "There is a very real threat posed by Islamic State and I just think one of the most remarkable things about what our troops are doing is they know that there is a real threat of a suicide bomber, or some other sorts of threats or attack. 

"That means that with one hand they have to have their finger on the trigger. And on the other hand they're holding babies.

"These are 18 and 19-year-old young men and women from across the United Kingdom, who were dealing with the most extraordinary circumstances."

Over the past 24 hours 1,821 people have been evacuated on eight British military jets, with a further nine flights planned for the next 24 hours.

British officials are racing to rescue people before August 31 when the U.S. has agreed to pull back entirely.

About 4,000 British and Afghan nationals are hoped to be airlifted before the cut-off.

Boris Johnson will use a G7 virtual meeting to lobby President Joe Biden for an extension to get more out.

The Government has ruled out continuing the evacuation mission without the Americans.

Mr. Heappey admitted that even if the leaders agree to a longer window they cannot keep boots on the ground without the Taliban's say-so.

He told LBC: "That's why we're continuing to work towards the 31. Because even if the political will in London, Washington, Paris, Berlin is to extend, the Taliban may say no.

"And whilst of course we have the military force that would be required to stay by force if we wanted to.

"I think you can probably imagine that the sort of humanitarian mission we're involved in, is not helped by the international community in fighting the Taliban on the streets."

THE SUN

Sunday

Buhari under fire over directive on grazing sites


CC™ Global News

President Muhammadu Buhari drew flak from across the country on Friday following his approval of the recommendations of a committee to revive 368 grazing sites in 25 states.

The first salvo came from Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State who declared the grazing sites recovery plan unacceptable.

He accused the Presidency of seeking to turn Nigeria into a ‘cow republic’ through its grazing reserves policy.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, all vowed in separate statements not to cede an inch of land in the South-south, Southeast and Southwest for grazing purpose.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also called for caution on the part of the federal government.

Ortom, who is well known for his long standing opposition to open grazing in his state, wondered why the Presidency “is only bordered about animals and their safety and is deploying all machinery and arsenals of government to impose grazing reserves and cattle routes on Nigerians” at this time when “insecurity has reached an all-time high with hundreds being killed by armed herdsmen, bandits and other terrorists.”

The governor, in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media Terver Akase, said the latest move could plunge the country into   crisis.

He said: “The Buhari administration has turned a blind eye to the unimaginable levels of encroachment on lands belonging to Nigerians by cattle. Mr. President has never come out even once to condemn the activities of herdsmen and the attacks they visit on innocent people.

“The only time the President is heard speaking about atrocities of the herders is when he defends them.

“It is now clear that the Presidency wants to plunge the country into avoidable crisis. Otherwise, what is the justification for President Buhari’s insistence that grazing reserves be established across the country when Nigerians have openly kicked against the policy and have embraced ranching in place of open grazing?”

He said “millions of Nigerians have been displaced following attacks by armed herders and are currently suffering in IDP camps” with Benue State alone, according to him, having “over 1.5 million displaced people with thousands living in camps and many more forced to flee their ancestral lands to stay under dehumanizing conditions in open fields.”

He added: “The Buhari administration does not seem to be worried about the food crisis already ravaging the country. Farmers have been chased into IDP camps by herders and children are dying of starvation in addition to being denied education, yet what is more important to their President is the wellbeing of cows.

“We expected the pitiable condition of the displaced people to be the preoccupation of the President whom they voted in 2015 and 2019. It is unfortunate that the people’s genuine show of love, trust and votes for Mr. President are being rewarded with hate, cruelty and dictatorial policies aimed at grabbing their lands to donate to herders and cows.

“We challenge the Presidency to name what it has done to alleviate the plight of those displaced by herdsmen in Benue and other states since 2018.

“What is the difference between the Buhari administration’s approach to insecurity and the Taliban agenda in Afghanistan? It is now evident that the government at the center prioritizes the welfare of cattle over human beings and is bent on taking Nigeria back to the pre-colonial era with some snippets of a society where in the words of Thomas Hobbes, life has become ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’.

“The country has been turned into a cow republic by the present administration and the basic principles of equality, justice, fairness and equity which engender peace and suppress anarchy are non-existent.

“President Buhari has refused to prove wrong those who accuse him of being a Fulani President. He has instead proven that he indeed belongs to somebody.

“But Buhari is not the first Fulani man to be President of this country. Nigeria had Presidents Shehu Shagari and Umaru Yar’Adua who were also of Fulani ethnicity but were Presidents for all Nigerians and treated citizens of this country fairly and equitably.

“Our country has never been more divided on ethnic lines and sentiments as it is under President Buhari who was thought to be the most prepared to lead the country at this time. Under President Shagari and President Yar’Adua, Nigerians were not chided by a horde of presidential spokesmen and social media hirelings for simply expressing their views on government policies.

“Perhaps Mr. President is not aware that most of the northern states, including his home state Katsina and the entire southern states have unanimously rejected open grazing of livestock and approved ranching.

“The Presidency is therefore whipping a dead horse on the issue of grazing reserves. It is hypocritical for the Presidency to support and fund ranching in Katsina State and turn round to impose grazing reserves on other states.”

Ortom also did not spare the President’s advisers.

He said of them: “Those saddled with the duty of advising Mr President have apparently failed in their responsibility. They ought to have told the President that though grazing reserves existed in some parts of the country before independence, there have been several reviews and laws which, in addition to the years of social and infrastructural development as well as population growth, have superseded and rendered the reserves null and void.

“Additionally, the Land Use Act provides that governors are the custodians of all lands in their states. The Federal Government has no constitutional right to appropriate lands for itself or anyone else for that matter without the approval of state governors.

“Nigeria is practicing democracy; not despotism or feudalism. The President is obligated to listen to the yearnings of the people and lead according to the constitution. Leaders are elected to solve problems, not create more problems for the people.

“Nigeria is grappling with numerous security and economic challenges that should ordinarily worry the President. The Federal Government introduced the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP and Nigerians accepted the policy. Why has the Buhari administration dumped the programme and opted for grazing reserves and cattle routes? That is the question agitating the minds of discerning Nigerians who suspect foul play.

“The Federal Government’s posture has emboldened armed Fulani herdsmen who go about maiming and killing innocent Nigerians. That the government has turned deaf ears to calls for the licensing of responsible Nigerians to own sophisticated weapons is another pointer to a hidden motive.

“We also read the President’s comments yesterday at the National Security Council meeting where he threatened to sack Security Chiefs for what he termed failure to tackle insecurity in the country. Why won’t the Security Chiefs fail when the body language of the Commander-in-Chief points to a clan of sacred cows who must be spared and given protection to perpetuate evil?

“How will the Security Chiefs succeed when their formations are not well funded and the troops are left to confront terrorists who have superior weapons? Why will the military commanders be decisive when those who kill their personnel and other Nigerians are given preferential treatment on the pretense of “repentance”?

“We hope that Mr. President was misquoted. But if indeed he made the statement attributed to him, he was not being fair to the security agencies.

“President Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina once asked Nigerians to choose between holding onto their lands or losing their lives. What is happening now is confirmation of that threat from the Presidency. They introduced Cattle Colonies, Ruga and National Water Resources Bill but Nigerians rejected all the policies. The latest push for grazing reserves and cattle routes is surely the final onslaught against majority of Nigerians who must be deprived of their God-given lands to accommodate foreign herdsmen moving into the country for the occupation agenda.

“Governor Samuel Ortom has repeatedly stated that there is no land for grazing reserves or cattle routes in Benue State. Though the Federal Government craftily concealed the names of the states where Mr President has ordered that grazing reserves be foisted on the people, we wish to categorically state that no part of Benue will be allocated for grazing reserves or cattle routes!

“The stand of the Governor is not personal; it is the collective decision of Benue people.  There is no gazetted land or cattle route in Benue State. Our state should be counted out of the proposed grazing reserves programme.

“If President Buhari must actualize his cattle agenda in Benue State, he should be ready to kill all of us! We know that grazing reserves and cattle routes are the only project that the President has for Nigeria, but Benue is not interested in such a project.”

The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, dismissed moves to revive any grazing sites the Southwest.

Leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said no one in the geo-political zone will cede his land for grazing.

“This man (Buhari) is just stubborn, stubborn.  Nobody! We are not going to cede our land for grazing,” he told The Nation on the phone yesterday.

Asked what would happen if the Federal Government insists on seizing such land, Adebanjo retorted: “Which government? The government does not have any right on our land, and the governors would not give our land for grazing.”

In a separate statement on the issue, the Secretary General of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, said President Buhari was just wasting scarce resources on a programme that lacks all conceivable growth capacity.

The Afenifere scribe described the policy on grazing reserves as the implementation of a script by the Fulani intelligentsia.

His words: “We recall and support the Resolutions of the Nigerian governors, particularly from the South of the country, banning all forms of open grazing, and it does not matter to us that some elected governors, in a federation, would condescend so low to functioning as members of a committee presided over by an appointed aide of the President, no matter the name in which his office is painted.

“The concept of Grazing Reserves, otherwise known as Hurumi, which was introduced during the colonial and immediately after independence failed in the north, particularly in the Middle Belt provinces, notwithstanding a monolithic one North government and permissive land use regime.

“For the umpteenth time, let the President be told that the constitution which he reveres relentlessly and the Land Use Act which derives equal force therefrom extol the majesty of the people over their land.

“Even the governor who holds the land in his state in trust for the people cannot dispossess any citizen thereof, except for proven overriding public interest through the due process of law.

“The current exercise is not only a waste of tax payers’ money, it is a sweet pipe dream in a fool’s paradise. Every herder has a state of origin. Let the governments of the respective states make arrangements for settled life for them in the territory where the culture is fully appreciated.” 

It was the same song of no land here for grazing from the South-south and the Southeast.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) representing the South-south and and Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the Southeast vowed that no inch of land in the two regions would be ceded to the Federal Government for the purpose of grazing cattle.

Spokesman of PANDEF, Hon Ken Robinson, in a telephone interview on Friday, said: ”Our simple response to that is that there are no grazing reserves in the South-south.  No grazing reserves at all to be reviewed.

“No inch of South-south land would go for grazing reserve. Cattle rearing is a business. If anybody wants to go into cattle rearing, the person should see it as a business. Do they reserve fishing reserve for us in the north? There is no grazing reserve in the South-south. That is our position.”

Öhanaeze Ndigbo’s spokesperson, Alex Ogbonnia, said: “Ohanaeze’s position is that Igboland does not have land for grazing. Every land in the Southeast is owned by God, people and shrines. I don’t understand what you mean by grazing reserve. Ohanaeze’s position on this is no.

“Nigeria runs a federal system of government. Many houses of assembly have passed bills against open grazing and some of them have been signed into law. I am sure that in some states where the open grazing law has been signed is in operation.

“Even in the northern region there are some states that have banned open grazing. If the Federal Government wants to impose its will on the states, that is where constitutionalism comes in. I am sure some states will resist.”

A faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo interpreted the federal government’s directive as a response to the recent ban on open grazing by Southern governors.

It said it was meant to arm-twist southern governors to reverse the ban.

Secretary of the faction, Okechulwu Isiguzoro, asked the Southeast governors to resist any attempt to make them change their stance on open grazing ban.

He also warned Southeast governors that they would be taking a huge risk if they donated land for grazing.

He said: “Ndigbo will not condone further obnoxious policies from the Federal Government aimed at helping the enemies, especially the murderous herdsmen, to erect a” TALIBAN STATE” in southeastern Nigeria.

“Southeast governors’ forum had in the past given the region’s verdict that there are no available lands for grazing reserves or Ruga in anywhere in the East.”

“So we hope that no Igbo governor will sabotage this verdict, as it won’t go without sanctions.

Another Igbo group,  Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), said it did not believe Buhari was taking the action in the best interest of Nigeria and the majority  of Nigerians.

Its spokesman, Abia Onyike said: “Approving grazing reserves is not the solution to the attacks on farmers by herdsmen. The federal government knows the problem.

“Herders have been grazing their cattle for decades without any confrontation with the farmers. The question is why did they start attacking farmers and villages with guns and machetes?

“As far as we’re concerned, there’s no problem between herders and farmers. Rather, it is hegemonists and their blood-letting herdsmen that are killing innocent people in their farms, raping hapless women and using their cattle to graze in those areas without any form of control.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) called the Federal Government’s move an open invitation to civil war.

The group in a statement accused the federal government of “doing everything outside of the law to arm-twist other ethnic groups just so the President’s kinsmen are awarded the ancestral lands for their private commercial business of grazing cattle.”

It advised the President to avoid actions that are capable of pushing Nigeria into a long drawn civil war.

It added: “For the avoidance of doubt and from the abundance of scholarly submissions, Mr. President should note that the Land Use Act enacted in 1978 was meant to standardise land administration systems across the country.”

Human rights lawyer, Barr. Emperor Ogbonna, described open grazing as obsolete.

He said: “The truth is that open grazing and grazing routes are outdated. No sane country still allows cows to migrate from one place to another grazing on grazing routes.

“The modern trend is for cows to be ranched in ranches.

“Since the President is keen about the security of the country, any directive that may increase the chances of insecurity should be avoided.

“Insisting on the grazing routes when there are other options like encouraging northern governors to give out land to the farmers or herders to ranch is a better option.”

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, announced on Thursday that Buhari had approved  the recommendations of a committee to review “with dispatch, 368 grazing sites across 25 states in the country and to determine the levels of encroachment.”

The committee headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, called for the collection of field data collection on 368 Grazing Reserves across 25 states to assess encroachment and encroachers, stakeholder engagements and sensitization.


THE NATION

Saturday

Obstruction of Justice: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he is hiding a pro-Trump election official to help her dodge an FBI investigation

CC™ Politico News

By Joshua Zitser

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has said he is providing a safe house for a Colorado county clerk amid an FBI investigation into her role in an alleged plot to leak election data to a QAnon leader, according to Vice News.

The official at the center of the probe, Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, is accused of compromising voting machines and allowing someone to share sensitive data with QAnon figurehead, Ron Watkins, Insider previously reported.

Peters, a so-called "Trump Truther," permitted surveillance cameras to be turned off for up to two months, it is alleged.

She is under investigation by the Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, and on Tuesday, the FBI said it was also looking into it. The FBI announced that it was working with Colorado's District Attorney's office "to determine if there was a potential federal criminal violation," FBI Denver office spokeswoman Courtney Bernal told the Denver Post.

Two weeks ago, when Griswold issued an order authorizing her staff to travel to Mesa County to inspect the election system, Peters was on her way to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's "cyber symposium" in South Dakota, Vice News reported.

Lindell told Vice News on Wednesday that, following the symposium, a member of his own security team leaked the secret location she was staying in, the media outlet reported.

Peters is now "holed up" in a new safe house, Lindell said.

"She's worried about her safety. These people are ruthless," he told Vice News.

Read the original article on Business Insider