Odufa: What manner of love?

A book review

By China Acheru

How do you go from being in love to harbouring distrust, disdain and outright hatred?  

From '....Even if you were diagnosed positive for HIV AIDS, Anthony Mukoro, I will gladly share the disease with you; we can be positive together....' to ....'This Tony, you will suffer! You will beg to die but will never see death. I curse you with my breasts! You will live and die a wretch!?'

You will never know any of these unless you read Othuke Ominiaboh's Odufa.

Odufa is supposed to be a tragic romantic tale, but is it? Was that really romance, or was it a tale of two people, who hid behind their perceived love in a bid to dominate each other? Was it outright deceit or witchcraft?

Set in Lagos, Kano and Delta States, Tony thinks he is about to die and makes one last, bizarre request to the girl of his dreams, who surprisingly accepts but is she truthful in her dealings? Come to think of it, what kind of girl would accept such a proposition?

Othuke Ominiabohs offers a compelling narrative which brings to life this emotional roller coaster of a novel.

Odufa is highly recommended to lovers of a good old love story; lovers of a romantic tragedy and if you simply love to have some thrill in your life, then you need to read this book.

Odufa was a young woman without a past (at least a past not known to Anthony) while Anthony was a man without a future, (A future Odufa knew he didn’t have). A union between both is surely a guaranteed recipe for disaster!

The book, Odufa gets five stars from me (and if you know me well, I do not give out stars easily).

Copies are available at Salamader Café in Abuja, The Hub Stores, Lekki Shoprite, Patabah Books, Surulere, Laterna Books in Victoria Island, The Booksellers in Abuja and Bookville in Port Harcourt.

For Online copies, visit www.ikasuwa.com, www.dookshop.com and www.konga.com amongst others.

I have read mine. Go read yours. You may just be compelled to write a review.

Shooting of bus driver: Banigo Sues For Peace

Following the alleged shooting of a commercial Bus Driver by a Soldier around Rumuokoro axis of Port Harcourt, the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, has called for calm as the Military authorities and other Security Agencies are investigating the incident.

In a statement by her Press Secretary, Paul Damgbor, Dr. Banigo urged Security Agencies to get to the root of the matter as no one has the right to take the life of anyone.

Dr. Banigo who described the death of the Bus Driver as unfortunate, condoled the family of the deceased and appealed to Commercial Bus Drivers in the State to go about their daily activities and avoid acts that would breach the peace of the State.

The Deputy Governor reiterated the determination of the Governor Wike-led  administration to continue to protect lives and property of Rivers people and ensure a conducive working environment for all law abiding citizens and investors to pursue their legitimate businesses in the State.

Amaechi’s government took N53 billion from Rivers reserve fund’

Damilola J 

Former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi indicted by Justice Oremeji's probe report

The administration of former governor of Rivers state, Rotimi Amaechi has been accused of diverting N53 billion from the State Reserve Fund.

This was contained in the report of the Rivers State Judicial Commission, which was submitted to Governor Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday.

Wike had constituted the commission to probe the sale of valued assets belonging to the state by the immediate past administration.

Chairman of the commission, Justice George Omereji, while submitting the report, implored Wike to recover the billions stolen from the state’s reserve fund and to prosecute the perpetrators.

While speaking with journalists after the briefing, Oremeji said Amaechi’s government took out N53 billion from the N55 billion left in the State Reserve Fund between 2014 and May 2015.

“There was the sum of N55 billion in the State Reserve Fund. Between 2014 and May 2015, they (immediate past administration) were able to remove N53 billion and we found out that the money (N53 billion) was not used for the projects in the state. 

The money went to individuals. From the papers submitted to us, we also found out that the money was given to people they like.

“We went to the site of the Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital, we did not see anything at all. When I told the project contractor to come with us (panel) to the place, he said snakes would bite us.

“But I insisted that we should go there. Behold, by the time we went inside, we did not see anything. The whole billions of Naira given to the man cannot be accounted for. We have recommended that those found culpable should refund the money. We even recommended that some people should be prosecuted.

“I don’t want to tell you those that will be prosecuted. It is not good for me to reveal the content of the recommendations now because we have just submitted our report.”

“We hope that the government will act fast and by the time the government looks into this report and act fast, it will be able to recover billions that are still stashed in where they kept them.

“That money belongs to Rivers people and they should be recovered so that we can use it for the people of Rivers State.”

Culled from www.ynaija.com

Rivers election tussle: Nyesom Wike closes case

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Tuesday told the state Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja that he had completed the presentation of all his witnesses.

The governor spoke through his Counsel, Emmanuel Ukala after presenting 24 witnesses to defend his case that he is the right winner of the April 11 governorship election.

Wike also tendered newspapers clippings wherein the former Chairman of the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega declared that the Rivers State governorship election was free and fair.

The governor tendered other documents which also said that the election was peaceful, credible and conducted in line with the Electoral Act.

The governor also tendered his certificate of return, APC agents list, organogram of INEC in Rivers State and the State APC notice of primaries election issued to INEC.

The governor’s Counsel said that documents would assist the tribunal to resolve the matter before it.

Justice Suleiman Ambursa adjourned sitting to Thursday for the state PDP, the third respondent to open its case.

The governor had on Monday called a retired National Commissioner of INEC, Mr Christopher Iyimoga to defend his case.

Iyimoga had told the tribunal that he was one of the three-members of INEC National Commissioner monitoring team who supervised the April 11 election in Rivers.

Iyimoga told the tribunal that the election was peaceful, a position which contradicted the testimony given Charles Okoye, also an INEC staff on Sept. 12.

According to Iyimoga, Okoye invited by the APC to testify on Sept. 12 lied before the tribunal.

He said that Okoye was just a travel guide to the team and that he had no “locus standi ’’ to write a formal report which the said witness tendered before the tribunal on the day he testified.

One Mr Emmanuel Phillips, a retired officer of the Department of State Security (DSS) had earlier testified that the election was devoid of violence.

Phillips said that he was able to lead a team of 200 DSS operatives from Abuja to monitor the election and that it was peaceful.

Among those who also testified before the tribunal for governor Wike include an Assistant Commissioner of Police, a Chief Superintendent of Police, a traditional rulers, clerics, civil servants, among others.

Meanwhile, Counsel to the APC, Mr Akinlolu Olujimi objected to the admissibility of those documents which the tribunal ruled out and admitted the documents in evidence.

Culled from www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng

Rivers Election Tribunal: Wike Insists He Won, Calls In More Witnesses

The dispute over the authentic winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election in Rivers State continues at the election petition tribunal in Abuja as the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, called more witnesses to testify that he won the election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

At the resumed hearing of the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Kenneth Akubue, who testified before the tribunal said that as an Area Commander on election duty, he witnessed the distribution of election materials in Rivers State and the conduct of the elections.

Another Police officer, a Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Uche Chukwuma, who also testified before the tribunal, said that there was no threat to security during and after the elections, neither were there arrests made as a result of hijacking, ballot box snatching and other forms of violence.

Governor Nyesom Wike’s lawyer, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) expressed optimism that the tribunal would weigh the evidence of the witnesses and uphold the election of his client.

Lawyer to the Petitioners, Akin Olujimi (SAN), however, expressed disappointment over the refusal of the witnesses to read reports obtained from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Having presented a total of 13 witnesses in three days, Governor Nyesom Wike now has three more days to present other witnesses.

Culled from www.channelstv.com

Rivers Election Was Peaceful, Wike Tells Election Petition Tribunal

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday insisted that the April 11 governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State was held under a peaceful atmosphere devoid of ballot box snatching, hijacking of election materials and other forms of violence.

At the resumed sitting of the tribunal in Abuja, lawyer to Governor Wike, Mr Okey Wali who called seven witnesses told the tribunal that soldiers were not anywhere near polling booths as voters exercised their civic rights freely.

He argued that the reports making the round that elections never held in rivers state is untrue.

Under cross examination by the counsel to the petitioners, some of the witnesses admitted that card readers failed in some of the polling units but the election was conducted with the use of manual voters register.

Lawyers to the Rivers State Governor and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expressed satisfaction with the testimony of the witnesses as they promised to produce more witnesses.

Although the lawyer to INEC declined speaking on camera on the ground that he is a public servant, lawyer to the petitioners insisted that he is prepared to prove that elections were not conducted by the electoral umpire in Rivers State.

The tribunal adjourned to enable panel members pay a condolence visit to the Court of Appeal over the death of two justices, who lost their lives at the Hajj stampede in Saudi Arabia, the defence team of Governor Wike now has five more days to present their remaining witnesses.

Culled from www.channelstv.com

Book Review: ‘Sector IV’ a war story so vivid and compelling.

By China Acheru

Have you ever been held spellbound by a story, so much so that the thin veil that separates fiction and reality simply melts before your eyes? The plot crystallizes and your subconscious drifts into a melancholic state where you virtually become one of the characters in the story?

That story is Sector IV.

The title may appear insignificant until you have devoured a third of Abigail Anaba’s book, Sector IV.

The setting is Eastern Nigeria between 1967 and 1970 during the Nigeria-Biafra war.

‘Another Biafra war story’ I hear you say? Certainly not! In the past, we have read from the Generals, coup plotters and other major players in the war but Anaba takes us somewhere else.

Many lives were affected by this war and Sector IV captures the chequered emotions of love, hate, jealousy, conspiracy, tragedy, family life and of course the war itself from a completely different angle.

Abigail’s narrative is so compelling and engrossing that as early as page five, you invariably find yourself assuming a character walking the dirt paths of Nchara; at the stream with Onyinyechi taking a bath or watching from a distance; you are gripped with fear as the python slithers through foliage, extends its wide jaws close to 180 degrees and swallows ……! I will not ruin your adventure and choose to stop here.

Sector IV encompasses a wide variety of emotions; tragic love where Onyinyechi falls head over heels for Duke; uncertainty as in Onyinyechi and Okwuduwa not knowing which way to go; hate as the reciprocal emotions between Nigerians and Biafrans; jealousy being what Ogechi felt towards Onyinyechi; conspiracy as personified by Duke; tragedy is Onyinyechi and the chain of deaths surrounding her in the space of just two weeks coupled with all the heartbreak and rejections, and then of course the war itself.  

If you love a good old fictional war story interlaced with romance, history lessons, suspense and tragedy then you should grab this book by visiting www.konga.com, www.eljara.com or for digital copies, www.amazon.com.

And if the allure of paper is too strong to resist or the good old delivery style, you can purchase a copy and get it sent to your doorstep for only N2500 or you can pick it up yourself in any of the following cities - Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Enugu for N2,000.

You can follow Abigail Anaba on twitter @Anabagail.