Buhari approves new appointments in Communications parastatals

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has made
new appointments in parastatals under the Ministry of
Communications and Digital Economy, according to a State House
statement by his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina.

At the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Adeolu Akande
(South West) replaces Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (South West) as
Chairman, Board of Commissioners, subject to Senate
confirmation.

Mr Uche Onwude (South East) replaces Senator Ifeanyi Godwin
Ararume (South East) as Non-Executive Commissioner, subject to
Senate confirmation.

At the National Information Technology Development Agency, Dr
Abubakar Sa’id replaces Prof Adeolu Akande as Board Chairman.

Dr Habibu Ahmed Imam (North West) replaces Dr Lawal Bello Moriki
(North West).

Dr Mohammed Sa’idu Kumo as board member.

At the Nigerian Postal Service, Dr Ismail Adebayo Adewusi (South
West) replaces Mr Bisi Adegbuyi (South West) as
Postmaster-General/CEO.

At the Galaxy Backbone Limited, Prof Muhammed Bello Abubakar
replaces Architect Yusuf Kazaure.

Similarly, at the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited,
Architect Yusuf Kazaure replaces Chief Dr George Nnadubem Moghalu
as board chairman.

Dr Najeem Salam replaces Mr.Samson Osagie as Executive Director,
Marketing and Business Development.

Prof Abdu Ja’afaru Bambale replaces Kazeem Kolawole Raji as
Executive Director, Technical Services.

Hadi Mohammed replaces Mohammed Lema Abubakar as Executive
Director, Administration.

Buhari’s Government, Not Sheikh Zakzaky Deserves
Criminal Trial- Shiite Group

We vehemently and in the most unequivocal terms condemn the
recent purported statement attributed to the Minister of
Information, Mr. Lai Muhammed, that the leader of the Islamic
Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, is being held in
detention for what he termed crimes and not religion. Indeed, if
anyone deserves to be held and tried for crimes, it would be the
top officials of the Buhari government, who killed over a thousand
unarmed citizens extrajudicially and buried in mass graves, and
have used all the might of governance to hide the truth and
obstruct the course of justice.

The Nigerian government’s legendary disregard of the rule of law
and the further acts of continuing persecution of members of the
Islamic Movement, especially the impunity being constantly
exhibited is well known to the International community. It is a
subject of preliminary investigation by the International Criminal
Court (ICC) at The Hague. Furthermore, many local and international
Human Rights organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights
Watch and the Islamic Human Rights Commission have all investigated
and documented the atrocities meted on members of the Islamic
Movement and its leadership, purely based on their religious
beliefs. That the ongoing persecution of the Islamic Movement has
drawn the attention of the world, especially very lately, the
United States government is a reality that no forms of lies by Mr.
Lai can obliterate.

The world is not deceived by the false charges levied against
the Sheikh, even when the about a hundred persons he was alleged to
have aided and abetted were all discharged and acquitted by
competent courts of law. That these charges were brought against
him only after more than two years of incommunicado detention and
also more than a year and half after a Federal High Court had
ordered his unconditional release is enough to show the government
has been looking for an alibi to further keep him in perpetual
detention.

Not so long ago, the same Minister of Information had told
Nigerians that the leader of the Movement was being detained for
his own protection, not that he committed any crime. In an effort
to justify the contemptuous detention, the Minister Lai had told
Nigerians that the Sheikh was being still detained because no one
wants to be his neighbor. Mr. Lai had once told a television
feature program that the courts don’t have the full picture, and so
will not abide by the ruling of the Court with regards to Sheikh
Zakzaky. This same Mr. Lai had also atrociously lied about how much
the government spends to feed Sheikh Zakzaky.

These constant changes in position as to the reason for the
illegal detention of Sheikh Zakzaky betray a government pursuing
some ulterior religious motives, which even Honorable Gabriel
Kolawole, then of the Federal High Court acknowledged while
delivering his judgment when he said: “Invidious unobtrusive acts
of intolerance by majority Muslims who follow the Sunni school of
thought against the minority Muslims who follow the Shiah school of
thought is an important factor escalating the current crisis
leading to the continued detention of the leader of the Islamic
Movement in Nigeria and the continued incessant persecution of its
members.” This is now also the official position of the US
government and no amount of lies, blackmail or intimidation can
change this.

We, the members of the Islamic Movement and our leader, Sheikh
Zakzaky, are entitled to freedom of religion, association and
expression like every Nigerian citizen, all of which the Buhari
regime is denying us and perpetually persecuting us because of our
faith and beliefs. Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky is, undoubtedly, a
prisoner of faith.

We therefore call on the general public not to relent in their
efforts at denouncing the tyrannical trends of the Buhari regime.
The government must be called to order to respect the rule of law
and release Sheikh Zakzaky immediately and unconditionally.

SIGNED BY
IBRAHIM MUSA
PRESIDENT MEDIA FORUM
ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA