The meeting of the Committee for the Goodness of Nigeria (CGN) was held behind closed door in Abuja on Thursday. The CGN is a coalition that included the Interface Initiative for Peace led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; National Peace Committee under the leadership of former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and the Sociocultural Consultative Committee led by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The eminent Nigerians met behind closed doors at the Transcorp Hilton Conference room. Others in attendance at the meeting were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Etsu Nupe, Dr Yahaya Abubakar; former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi; Chief Tunde Fasawe, former Minister of Agriculture and Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum,( ACF) Chief Audu Ogbeh. Also sighted at the meeting were President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba and President of Ohanaeze Ndi’gbo, Professor Ralph Obiozor. The eminent Nigerians declined comments at the end of the closed-door meeting which lasted for over eight hours. No communique was issued at the end of the meeting but the spokesman of the CGN, Ahmed Magaji, told newsmen that a communique would be issued. It was however not released as of press time last night. Checks revealed that the eminent Nigerians have scheduled a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari. Asked to confirm the date for the audience with President Buhari, Chief Ogbeh said, “no time has been fixed yet.”

The Nigerian army has appointed Onyema Nwachukwu as its new director of public relations. In a statement on Thursday, Mohammed Yerima, former army spokesman, announced the posting and appointments of senior officers in the military. According to the statement, Nwachukwu takes over from Yerima, who assumed duty as the spokesperson in February. Also, F.O. Omoigui, a major general, was moved from the headquarters of theatre command of operation Hadin Kai (formerly known as operation Lafiya Dole) and appointed as the director-general of the Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria. “Those affected in the reorganisation include; Brigadier General O. Nwachukwu from Defence Headquarters (Director Defence Information) to Headquarters, Directorate of Army Public Relations, and appointed Director; Brigadier General A.E. Abubakar from Department of Training and Operations (Defunct) to Headquarters 22 Brigade and appointed Commander,” the statement reads in part. “Major General F.O. Omoigui from Headquarters, Theatre Command Operation Hadin Kai, to Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria, and appointed Director-General; Major General C.G. Musa from Nigerian Army Resource Centre to Headquarters, Theatre Command Operation Hadin Kai and appointed Theatre Commander. “The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya, urged all the affected senior officers to justify the confidence reposed on them. All posting and appointments are with immediate effect.” Until his appointment, Nwachukwu was the acting director of defence information at the defence headquarters. He was also the deputy director of public relations at the headquarters of the theatre command operation Hadin Kai The new army spokesperson is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan and holds a Masters degree in international affairs and strategic studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) postgraduate school, Kaduna. He also has a postgraduate diploma in advertising and public relations from the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, and has attended several military and professional courses, as well as seminars within and outside the country. Nwachukwu once served as the media coordinator of the Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield.

Journalists from across the nation’s medium were barred from covering the high-profile meeting on the “state of the nation” convened by a former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The nine-hour marathon meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja started 11.00 am and ended 8.15 pm with two breaks for prayers and meals. Also at the meeting were a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd); Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan; President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Dr. Samson Ayokunle; a former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd) and a former Attorney General of the Federal (AGF), Kanu Agabi (SAN) among others. Journalists who waited to cover the parley were denied access by security agencies who claimed that journalists were not invited to cover the meeting when the personalities were arriving in the morning. They were also not allowed in during the breaks that even led to the ‘eviction’ of some aides of the personalities and some others before the meeting went to another ‘closed-door’ meeting with selected leaders of the various groups invited for the meeting. At the end of the meeting, none of the leaders or other attendees were willing to talk, despite the persistence of the reporters. However, a former minister of agriculture, Audu Ogbe, who said a communique would be released, decline further comments on the expected content or when it would be released. Daily Trust reports that the invitation for the parley was originally not meant for public consumption, as it was planned to be held in secret before the meeting representatives would meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday. The details of the meeting were, however, leaked in an invitation letter addressed to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba by the conveners. According to the letter, issues like national unity, security, peace, integration, economic revitalisation and development would be discussed at the meeting. A dependable leader who was part of the meeting and requested not to be named told Daily Trust that the meeting was stormy and that it took the intervention of Obasanjo who presided over the meeting to calm frayed nerves which occurred more than six times during the meeting.

At least, twenty travellers on their way to Enugu State have reportedly been kidnapped by suspected Fulani herdsmen. DAILY POST gathered that the kidnappers were operating along the Okigwe-Onuimo axis in Okigwe LGA of Imo State. One of the passengers who allegedly witnessed the incident said the herdsmen, disguised as police officers, intercepted the 18 seater bus they were travelling to Enugu in and ordered three passengers into a nearby bush. He said the herdsmen also commandeered a sienna bus fully loaded with passengers, including the driver. Gunmen kidnap Abia Varsity students, other travellers in Imo He said, “Fulani herdsmen were armed and disguised as police officers at a checkpoint along Okigwe road. “They surrendered us and took away three travellers from the 18 seater-bus and all the travellers in a sienna bus also going to Enugu. “The worst is that there was no sign of security agents and no available means of contacting them. “As you can see, passengers who are lucky, are still in a panic mode because nobody knows where the others were taken to,” he narrated. Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, proved abortive as his number was not reachable.