kaduna church hit on Sunday during communion

FURTHER facts emerged on Tuesday about the factors that informed the attack on St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Malali, Kaduna on Sunday as investigations have revealed that the attackers picked on the church because it was seen as a “soft target.”
According to sources, the church is located in a rural area where the presence of the military and the mobile police was scanty.
Investigators working for federal authorities over the Kaduna church attack were said to have informed government sources that the perpetrators had engaged in surveillance around the area and picked the church because it was seen as a “soft target.”
It was discovered that other areas were well-fortified and had serious military presence and that entering such locations could pose challenges to the suicide bomber.
According to investigations, the suicide bomber also chose to strike at the period when the church was having Holy Communion as a strategy to get as many worshippers as possible.
It was gathered that one of the factors that also informed the strike was the fact that besides being a soft target, the church also harbours a slightly big congregation of 1,200, which  can guarantee the suicide bomber a number of casualties.
Sources close to the authorities confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that a preliminary investigation report from the security agencies confirmed that the attackers had planned to ensure enormous casualty figure from the 1,200 worshippers.
“The suicide bomber decided to strike at the period when the church was having Holy Communion and the plan was to attain maximum effect, because most of the worshippers would be kneeling down. That is why the bomber chose to hit from the side of the fence and not through the main barricaded entrance,” a source noted.
A report put together on the issue said: “The area(where the church is located)  is a local area and the military/MOPOL presence was not heavy, hence BH (Boko Haram) people on surveillance chose the place for attack because it is what they call 'soft target' in security parlance. Other areas are well-fortified with heavy security patrol and they could not penetrate.
“They (the attackers) needed the attack to give the impression that they are still in force because many of their high profile leaders are being arrested.”
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TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK HITS ETI OSA

Eti-Osa Local Government area is known to be a busy area, as it host top shot business empires in Lagos state. It is a business haven whereby people from all walks of life pitch there tent, in carving a niche for themselves and also make ends.

Business moguls and tycoons in the state find solace in this area due to its serenity and as a host to  their  business partners, hereby making it a meeting point for  business transactions.
Apart from  it been a business haven, it also host relaxations centers, whereby fun seekers can unwind and catch fun with families, friends etc.

The area is a cynosure of all eyes, but one challenging thing its facing is the traffic congestion, which have however become a menace to the residents of the area and the companies within the area.
The traffic congestion has crippled business activities in the area, and the problem associated with this menace is not far fetched, this is due to the toll gates constructed by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), in collaboration with the Lagos state Government in a bid to generate funds, at the detriment of the residents of the area.

When the toll gate was constructed by the LCC at Oniru bus stop beside Oriental hotel, at the entrance of Lekki, the residents of the area complained about this, which led to a dispute between the residents of the area and the Lagos state government, and this led to a fracas between the youths and the armed police deployed to the area by the Fashola Government, but the people had to succumb to the government. 
 The complains of the people fell into deaf ears, which led to the genesis of traffic menace in the area.

At Ikota, also in the Local government, a toll gate is however constructed, which further worsened the traffic situation in the area. The state government is also planning to build another toll gate in that area making it three toll gates in Eti-Osa, with the government not making an alternative route to curb traffic congestion in the area.

According to SadiqAbubakar, an accountant with a bank in the area, complained about the lackadaisical  attitude of the state government towards the people  the area. " I am disappointed with the Fashola administration over the way and manner he has neglected the people of this area, the traffic gridlock in these area is worrisome, the toll gates are too much, and there is no alternative route put in place by the government".
In the same vein, Michael Inyama, who also works with a company in the area, complains bitterly about the traffic, explaining that he leaves home 5:30am in the morning, just to beat the traffic in the area, and he makes sure that he leaves work late at night just to beat traffic.

JideFayemi, told ETI-OSA news that the government is just been unfair to the area, explaining that the Federal government gave a performance bond for the construction of the road at Oniru bye-pass as an alternative measure, but the state government is not ready to yield to that. "The Oniru bye-pass is an alternative route, but its small, the road needs to be expanded so that the traffic congestion will reduce",he said.

The state has four toll gates, with Eti-Osa having three, which further heightens the traffic congestion in the area.
SanyaLarimoye, a resident, said the traffic gridlock is always in a sorry state. "From Law school to Lekki is always a stalemate, as there will be no movement of vehicles, is so sad".

There is a urgent need for the government to come to aid of the residents of this area, has the traffic gridlock have crippled commercial activities.
Femi Lagelu, however send a save our soul appeal (SOS) to the Governor of the state to look into the issue, and find measures in combating the traffic menace in the area which has worsen commercial activities in the area.

How opposition parties helped Mimiko win Ondo poll

Mimiko, Akeredolu and Oke
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The just-concluded governorship election in Ondo State has added another dimension to the democratic dispensation in Nigeria. The election has been widely acclaimed to be credible, free and fair by both the election monitors, electorate and Nigerians generally.

The election was mainly a contest among three principal personalities namely Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Labour Party; Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of the Action Congress of Nigeria; and Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party, even though there were 12 contestants from different political parties.

A lot of electoral predictions before the election had warned that it was going to be a big war among the three principal contestants and that any of the three could win the election.

But those who know the Ondo State people and some flaws from the camps of the two main opposition parties, namely the PDP and ACN, had argued that it was going to be an easy-ride for Governor Mimiko.

Who are the Ondo State people? They are people who are morally principled, who hate it when others are being cheated and badly criticised. They also appreciate the good that anybody has done. They hate lies and they can pitch their tents with honest strangers against their dubious kinsmen. They also hate slavery, dictatorship and godfatherism.

How did these characters of Ondo State people play out in the election? The weapons that the oppositions used before and during the election were outright lies; half-truths; character assassinations; display of money; false propaganda; imposition of candidate(s); personality-based campaigns rather than issue-based ones among others.

The PDP was a little fair in its campaign. Though, it sometimes attacked the personality of Mimiko, most of the campaigns were based on denying the good works of Mimiko which were his qualification certificates before the people. Since the people of Ondo State hate lies, the party could not win the hearts of a majority of the people.

The flaws of the ACN were more. The first mistake was the imposition of Akeredolu as its candidate by the party’s leadership. This, to indigenes of Ondo State meant that there was no internally democratic mechanisms that were fair to all in the party; the people also saw the party as cheating against those candidates who were not given equal treatments. Akeredolu could be a very good candidate but the way he was selected was annoying and those who know the people of the state would not be surprised if a kinsman of Akeredolu opposed him for cheating others in the race.

Second, it was obvious that the ACN did not take its time to study the people. Since they had been succeeding in the other South-West states, the leaders of the party concluded that the same tactics, strategies and weapons used in those states were enough to “capture” Ondo State.

At the time the ACN was campaigning, Mimiko was the governor of the state and the people would have wanted him to be treated as such. The people did not like some of the languages used and the arrogance and pride displayed against their incumbent Governor. It was therefore true that some of those who had vowed to vote for the ACN actually changed their minds when they heard those derogatory words used against him by the party leaders. Even if money and materials were distributed, the people’s hearts had been fixed against the party.

Another thing that worked against the ACN was the perception of Bola Tinubu by the people of the state who saw him as the “only voice” of the party and godfather of all the party’s appointed and elected men and women including the six state governors in the zone. An average indigene of Ondo State abhors godfatherism and dictatorship. The people will rather like a governor whose administration cannot be hijacked by external interests.