Mr President…… I heard in the news today that our Nations external reserves now stands at $40.4 billion. That’s nice, but permit me to ask sir….didn’t your administration relay to us that our reserves were drained out by the past administration¬?.... Was it not said that Nigeria was broke when you arrived?..... I guess that was the story and on that I strongly commend you and your team, but just before I join in on celebrating, permit me to ask…. How did you do it ….or better still, what should we believe?....that it was not as bad as painted or that you happen to be able to store up wealth for a nation while the peoples standard of living degenerates at an alarming rate?.... and how can we celebrate when the same people who forced out an 18 year ruling part, handed you their fractured hopes, dreams and future are the major victims in this ugly equation?.... For daily, people are laid off their poor paying jobs, businesses are shutting down, children are sent home from school for unpaid fees, landlords evicting tenants from their houses for unpaid rents, families going to bed with only hunger for supper, doctors going on strikes leaving desperate patients to the mercy of death and fuel queues daily grow longer…….. so then, what does $40.4 billion really mean to these Nigerians?....... does it really belong to a nation or a selected fortunate group? If we accused the past administrations of lavishly feasting on diverted public funds, what should we call this….. A trust fund for the children of top shot politicians who school at Harvard, Yale and oxford and drive the BMs, Benz and Power bikes when on holiday in Abuja?..........?? We (You and i) pointed accusing fingers to a government that removed subsidy and made us pay N87 for a litter of fuel saying how can we be an oil exporting giant and pay that much for fuel…… may I remind you of a promise made to take fuel back to the N65 region? Well, now we pay in three digits for a litter, but trust me, the joke is on you…. We (You and I) accused the past administration of being incapable of managing the disaster in the Northeast and gave them an F in National security, but today, the four corners of our nation lives in terror. Pregnant women killed in their sleep, children murdered in the streets and our men wasted in cold blood as they farm to feed a nation that can hardly avail them with fertilizer. What do we call that…national Insecurity?. I surly applaud the efforts made in the Northeast but if we take two steps forward and four back what did we really do? where did we arrive if not behind the past???.... You sent your head of domestic security to the scene of a genocide and he called it a communal clash, but then, how can we blame a man who has himself and family always heavily protected of not seeing the blood and terror in the streets? How would a fish in the river know that water board has packed up? As a practical example, Benue suddenly seems too far a journey to show concern for the pain, tears and anger of an endangered people but traveling to 36 states on campaign will somehow seem too easy very soon…. We are watching…… Your team said the past government was corruption and ignorant, yet your Interior Minister, your cabinet and you have no good explanation to how a wanted individual was re-instated, compensated and again vanished when we cried Wolf!....so then, please define Ignorance, corrupt and dishonest to me for I am tempted to say my teacher and my dictionary all lied to me all this time. Mr. President sir, please tell me what a $40.4billion external reserve means to an unemployed man who left his hungry kids at home as he runs up and down looking to lend N1000 to get a gallon of fuel so as to move his car to take his sick wife to a hospital only to find the doctors on strike and soon his phone rings…then he is asked to rush to the village to attend the mass burial which includes his brothers, wife and six kids that were murdered as they worked on their farm earlier today? I clearly hear the words used in a song during your campaign….. it goes….”shea na me na you na us na them na we, no one wants to take the blame, for what we’ve become”…… Truth be told, as bad as things look at the moment, there still exist a population who still believe in you, who trust in your personality and still hang on in hope that you can at least make better impact. However, may i remind you that history forgives not he who refuses to learn from the past….. Remember, these people believed in you, defied the odds for you, took back the power and handed it to you….. These same people need you to know they can and will take it from you if left with no choice come 2019. So Mr. President, push through these walls, make good on your promises and please GIVE US OUR CHANGE, WE DON NEAR BUS STOP. Mr President…… I heard in the news today that our Nations external reserves now stands at $40.4 billion. That’s nice, but permit me to ask sir….didn’t your administration relay to us that our reserves were drained out by the past administration¬?.... Was it not said that Nigeria was broke when you arrived?..... I guess that was the story and on that I strongly commend you and your team, but just before I join in on celebrating, permit me to ask…. How did you do it ….or better still, what should we believe?....that it was not as bad as painted or that you happen to be able to store up wealth for a nation while the peoples standard of living degenerates at an alarming rate?.... and how can we celebrate when the same people who forced out an 18 year ruling part, handed you their fractured hopes, dreams and future are the major victims in this ugly equation?.... For daily, people are laid off their poor paying jobs, businesses are shutting down, children are sent home from school for unpaid fees, landlords evicting tenants from their houses for unpaid rents, families going to bed with only hunger for supper, doctors going on strikes leaving desperate patients to the mercy of death and fuel queues daily grow longer…….. so then, what does $40.4 billion really mean to these Nigerians?....... does it really belong to a nation or a selected fortunate group? If we accused the past administrations of lavishly feasting on diverted public funds, what should we call this….. A trust fund for the children of top shot politicians who school at Harvard, Yale and oxford and drive the BMs, Benz and Power bikes when on holiday in Abuja?..........?? We (You and i) pointed accusing fingers to a government that removed subsidy and made us pay N87 for a litter of fuel saying how can we be an oil exporting giant and pay that much for fuel…… may I remind you of a promise made to take fuel back to the N65 region? Well, now we pay in three digits for a litter, but trust me, the joke is on you…. We (You and I) accused the past administration of being incapable of managing the disaster in the Northeast and gave them an F in National security, but today, the four corners of our nation lives in terror. Pregnant women killed in their sleep, children murdered in the streets and our men wasted in cold blood as they farm to feed a nation that can hardly avail them with fertilizer. What do we call that…national Insecurity?. I surly applaud the efforts made in the Northeast but if we take two steps forward and four back what did we really do? where did we arrive if not behind the past???.... You sent your head of domestic security to the scene of a genocide and he called it a communal clash, but then, how can we blame a man who has himself and family always heavily protected of not seeing the blood and terror in the streets? How would a fish in the river know that water board has packed up? As a practical example, Benue suddenly seems too far a journey to show concern for the pain, tears and anger of an endangered people but traveling to 36 states on campaign will somehow seem too easy very soon…. We are watching…… Your team said the past government was corruption and ignorant, yet your Interior Minister, your cabinet and you have no good explanation to how a wanted individual was re-instated, compensated and again vanished when we cried Wolf!....so then, please define Ignorance, corrupt and dishonest to me for I am tempted to say my teacher and my dictionary all lied to me all this time. Mr. President sir, please tell me what a $40.4billion external reserve means to an unemployed man who left his hungry kids at home as he runs up and down looking to lend N1000 to get a gallon of fuel so as to move his car to take his sick wife to a hospital only to find the doctors on strike and soon his phone rings…then he is asked to rush to the village to attend the mass burial which includes his brothers, wife and six kids that were murdered as they worked on their farm earlier today? I clearly hear the words used in a song during your campaign….. it goes….”shea na me na you na us na them na we, no one wants to take the blame, for what we’ve become”…… Truth be told, as bad as things look at the moment, there still exist a population who still believe in you, who trust in your personality and still hang on in hope that you can at least make better impact. However, may i remind you that history forgives not he who refuses to learn from the past….. Remember, these people believed in you, defied the odds for you, took back the power and handed it to you….. These same people need you to know they can and will take it from you if left with no choice come 2019. So Mr. President, push through these walls, make good on your promises and please GIVE US OUR CHANGE, WE DON NEAR BUS STOP.

Our MUMU don Do...

I heard in the news today that our Nations external reserves now stands at $40.4 billion. That’s nice, but permit me to ask sir….didn’t  your administration relay to us that our reserves were  drained out by the past administration¬?.... Was it not said that Nigeria was broke when you arrived?..... I guess that was the story and on that I strongly commend you and your team, but just before I join in on celebrating, permit me to ask…. How did you do it ….or better still, what should we believe?....that it was not as bad as painted or that you happen to be able to store up wealth for a nation while the peoples standard of living degenerates at an alarming rate?.... and how can we celebrate when the same people who forced out an 18 year ruling part, handed you their fractured hopes, dreams and future are the major victims in this ugly equation?....
For daily, people are laid off their poor paying jobs, businesses are shutting down, children are sent home from school for unpaid fees, landlords evicting tenants from their houses for unpaid rents, families going to bed with only hunger for supper, doctors going on strikes leaving desperate patients to the mercy of death and fuel queues daily grow longer…….. so then, what does $40.4 billion really mean to these Nigerians?....... does it really belong to a nation or a selected fortunate group? If we accused the past administrations of lavishly feasting on diverted public funds, what should we call this…..  A trust fund for the children of top shot politicians who school at Harvard, Yale and oxford and drive the BMs, Benz and Power bikes when on holiday in Abuja?..........??
We (You and i) pointed accusing fingers to a government that removed subsidy and made us pay N87 for a litter of fuel saying how can we be an oil exporting giant and pay that much for fuel…… may I remind you of a promise made to take fuel back to the N65 region? Well, now we pay in three digits for a litter, but trust me, the joke is on you….
We (You and I) accused the past administration of being incapable of managing the disaster in the Northeast  and gave them an F in National security, but today, the four corners of our nation lives in terror. Pregnant women killed in their sleep, children murdered in the streets and our men wasted in cold blood as they farm to feed a nation that can hardly avail them with fertilizer. What do we call that…national Insecurity?.  I surly applaud the efforts made in the Northeast  but if we take two steps forward and four back what did we really do?  where did we arrive if not behind the past???.... You sent your head of domestic security to the scene of a genocide and he called it a communal clash, but then, how can we blame a man who has himself and family always heavily protected of not seeing the blood and terror in the streets? How would a fish in the river know that water board has packed up?
As a practical example, Benue suddenly seems too far a journey to show concern  for the pain, tears and anger of an endangered people but traveling to 36 states on campaign will somehow seem too easy very soon…. We are watching……
Your team said the past government was corruption and ignorant, yet your Interior Minister, your cabinet and you have no good explanation to how a wanted individual was re-instated, compensated and again vanished when we cried Wolf!....so then, please define Ignorance, corrupt and dishonest to me for I am tempted to say my teacher and my dictionary all lied to me all this time.
Mr. President sir,  please tell me what a $40.4billion external reserve means to an unemployed man who left his hungry kids at home as he runs up and down looking to lend N1000 to get a gallon of fuel so as to move his car to take his sick wife to a hospital only to find the doctors on strike and soon  his phone rings…then  he is asked to rush to the village to attend the mass burial which includes his brothers, wife and six kids that were murdered as they worked on their farm earlier today?

I clearly hear the words used in a song during your campaign….. it goes….”shea na me na you na us na them na we, no one wants to take the blame, for what we’ve become”……
Truth be told, as bad as things look at the moment, there still exist a population who still believe in you, who trust in your personality and still hang on in hope that you can at least make better impact. However, may i remind you that history forgives not he who refuses to learn from the past….. Remember, these people believed in you, defied the odds for you, took back the power and handed it to you….. These same people need you to know they can and will take it from you if left with no choice come 2019.
So Mr. President, push through these walls, make good on your promises and please GIVE US OUR CHANGE, WE DON NEAR BUS STOP.

Mr President……
I heard in the news today that our Nations external reserves now stands at $40.4 billion. That’s nice, but permit me to ask sir….didn’t  your administration relay to us that our reserves were  drained out by the past administration¬?.... Was it not said that Nigeria was broke when you arrived?..... I guess that was the story and on that I strongly commend you and your team, but just before I join in on celebrating, permit me to ask…. How did you do it ….or better still, what should we believe?....that it was not as bad as painted or that you happen to be able to store up wealth for a nation while the peoples standard of living degenerates at an alarming rate?.... and how can we celebrate when the same people who forced out an 18 year ruling part, handed you their fractured hopes, dreams and future are the major victims in this ugly equation?....
For daily, people are laid off their poor paying jobs, businesses are shutting down, children are sent home from school for unpaid fees, landlords evicting tenants from their houses for unpaid rents, families going to bed with only hunger for supper, doctors going on strikes leaving desperate patients to the mercy of death and fuel queues daily grow longer…….. so then, what does $40.4 billion really mean to these Nigerians?....... does it really belong to a nation or a selected fortunate group? If we accused the past administrations of lavishly feasting on diverted public funds, what should we call this…..  A trust fund for the children of top shot politicians who school at Harvard, Yale and oxford and drive the BMs, Benz and Power bikes when on holiday in Abuja?..........??
We (You and i) pointed accusing fingers to a government that removed subsidy and made us pay N87 for a litter of fuel saying how can we be an oil exporting giant and pay that much for fuel…… may I remind you of a promise made to take fuel back to the N65 region? Well, now we pay in three digits for a litter, but trust me, the joke is on you….
We (You and I) accused the past administration of being incapable of managing the disaster in the Northeast  and gave them an F in National security, but today, the four corners of our nation lives in terror. Pregnant women killed in their sleep, children murdered in the streets and our men wasted in cold blood as they farm to feed a nation that can hardly avail them with fertilizer. What do we call that…national Insecurity?.  I surly applaud the efforts made in the Northeast  but if we take two steps forward and four back what did we really do?  where did we arrive if not behind the past???.... You sent your head of domestic security to the scene of a genocide and he called it a communal clash, but then, how can we blame a man who has himself and family always heavily protected of not seeing the blood and terror in the streets? How would a fish in the river know that water board has packed up?
As a practical example, Benue suddenly seems too far a journey to show concern  for the pain, tears and anger of an endangered people but traveling to 36 states on campaign will somehow seem too easy very soon…. We are watching……
Your team said the past government was corruption and ignorant, yet your Interior Minister, your cabinet and you have no good explanation to how a wanted individual was re-instated, compensated and again vanished when we cried Wolf!....so then, please define Ignorance, corrupt and dishonest to me for I am tempted to say my teacher and my dictionary all lied to me all this time.
Mr. President sir,  please tell me what a $40.4billion external reserve means to an unemployed man who left his hungry kids at home as he runs up and down looking to lend N1000 to get a gallon of fuel so as to move his car to take his sick wife to a hospital only to find the doctors on strike and soon  his phone rings…then  he is asked to rush to the village to attend the mass burial which includes his brothers, wife and six kids that were murdered as they worked on their farm earlier today?

I clearly hear the words used in a song during your campaign….. it goes….”shea na me na you na us na them na we, no one wants to take the blame, for what we’ve become”……
Truth be told, as bad as things look at the moment, there still exist a population who still believe in you, who trust in your personality and still hang on in hope that you can at least make better impact. However, may i remind you that history forgives not he who refuses to learn from the past….. Remember, these people believed in you, defied the odds for you, took back the power and handed it to you….. These same people need you to know they can and will take it from you if left with no choice come 2019.
So Mr. President, push through these walls, make good on your promises and please GIVE US OUR CHANGE, WE DON NEAR BUS STOP.

THE ARREST AND DETENTION OF IG WALA: THE BEGINNING OF A DEADLY END

Ibrahim Garba Wala, a frontline activist and social crusader has been arrested and detained for 7 whole days now. He is locked up in a police cell in Abuja, the capital of the world largest black nation, a supposedly democratic country, presided over by a man who climes to be an advocate of the rule of law.

Charge him to court. No! Release him on bail. No! For 7 days.

Few months ago IG Wala stirred the hornets’ nest when he started revealing startling information about the humongous corruption going on in the Hajj Commission and he regaled the public on how the Chairman of the Hajj Commission, Abdullah Mukhtar, is neck deep in the rottenness oozing from the Hajj Commission.

Then they came for him.

First, we heard that the Chairman of the Commission filed a suit in court against Wala; and that is well within the Chairman’s rights. If he feels that anyone, including Wala has infringe on his rights or defame his character he reserves the rights to approach the court for redress.

Then all of the sudden the police came in. The coercive apparatuses of our state was unleashed on a fellow citizen in a most brazen manner. He was arrested and detained without a charge. As I write, Wala is still languishing in a police cell. Because he spoke against the powers that be.

The truth is that this is bigger than IG Wala. It is about us, all of us. It is about activists and activism. It is about dissenting voices. They are testing the waters ahead of the coming season. They are checking to see if anything will happen if a frontline activist like Wala is arrested and detained without charges. They are waiting to see, to see what we will do, what will happen, then if nothing truly happens, we are toast: the premier league season of arresting activists and throwing them into detention without charges will come upon us with a bang.

But they should fail. They will fail.

I call on President Buhari to order the Inspector General of Police to release IG Wala immediately. How can an administration who rode to power on the mantra of fighting corruption begin to throw anti-corruption crusaders into detention because they spoke against corruption? On whose side is the Inspector General of Police, on the side of corruption or anti-corruption? Why is the Chairman of the Hajj Commission not under investigation? Is the Inspector General of Police supposed to be investigating the allegations Wala made against the Chairman or detaining Wala for making the allegations?

I call on every activist, I call on every advocate, I call on every intellectual, I call on every man and woman of conscience, I call on every Nigerian, I call on members of the International Community to stand up for the #ReleaseOfWala.

As Wala’s lawyers attempt to activate the justice system via the courts to get him released, let’s speak sense to power. Let’s say No to the Police picking us up randomly and locking us up without charges. This has to stop. Let’s write emails, let’s tweet, let’s make posts, let’s make calls… let’s speak up to power and tyranny. If they don’t listen, we shall walk up to them in their air-conditioned offices and demand for our rights.

RELEASE IBRAHIM GARBA WALA IMMEDIATELY!

F. Baba Isa, Esq.,
FBI LEGAL, Abuja.
07037162029