The National Association of Nigerian Students has advised South African President, Jacob Zuma, to stay away from the inauguration of the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari.

The organisation also threatened to storm the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, should Zuma step into the country’s airport.

According to the association, Zuma should keep off as his visit will be an insult to the sensibility of Nigerians over his alleged poor handling of the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other migrant foreigners in South Africa.

A statement by NANS President, Tijani Usman, noted that Zuma’s inability to “apologise to Nigerians like he did to Mozambique”, despite the sacrifices the country made for South Africa, was unfortunate.

He said, “We wish to advise the South African President (Jacob Zuma) to rather stay at home and address burning issues, rather than embarking on a visit that is the least desirable.

“The South African President’s failure to apologise to Nigeria for the losses the country and our citizens incurred during the xenophobic attacks on foreigners leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. There is therefore, no point felicitating with a people who clearly do not matter much to you. President Zuma’s visit will only amount to pretence.”

NANS further restated its earlier position that it will henceforth not hesitate to clamp down on South African investments in the country should any incident of xenophobic attacks recur.





http://www.punchng.com/education/stay-away-from-nigeria-nans-tells-jacob-zuma/

It is high time they do something to most of the useless post making front page

I read everything and it seems you are writting out my mind, i'm an old member of this great forum and i must confess, i always read as quest because of the things we read nowadays on NL are just not encouraging to comment on. i hope Seun will roger that.

The Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation has asked a Federal High Court in Lagos to place on the “undefended list” a suit it filed to recover an alleged debt of N34m from the Senior Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and two others.

A plaintiff usually applies to put a matter on undefended list when he believes the respondents have no valid defence.

Okupe’s co-respondents in the suit filed by the NDIC before Justice Saliu Saidu are Value Trust Investment Limited and its Director, Mr. Ray Ahazie.

The corporation had instituted the action in 2007 to recover the alleged debt being the outstanding of a loan facility obtained by the respondents from Gulf Bank Plc in October 2000.

The corporation, in a statement of claims by its lawyer, Dr. Abiodun Layonu (SAN), said the respondents obtained the loan from the bank to facilitate a contract to supply the Bayelsa State Government with 10,000 metric tons of imported rice.

It, however, stated that though the said rice was successfully imported on December 28, 2000, the ship was unable to berth at the Apapa Port in Lagos until January 3, 2001 because the port was then congested.

The corporation stated further that when the ship arrived at Port Harcourt on July 26, 2001, an unpaid agency fee in the sum of $155,000 prevented it from berthing.

According to the NDIC, the said delay in the delivery of the bags of rice led to some becoming caked and some becoming stained.

Bayelsa State Government was said to have refused to take delivery of the rice, following which Gulf Bank was forced to commence an open market sale of the goods and in the process discovering that a good number of the bags of rice were spoilt.

The bank said that at the end of the sale it was able to recoup only N454, 574,150 of the loan advanced to the defendants leaving an outstanding sum of N70,425,850.

The outstanding sum was said to have been attracting interest since 2001.

The matter was said to have been referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in September 2005 where the sum of N196,642, 996 of the debt with interest was waived, leaving only an outstanding of N44m.

The NDIC however claimed that following the waiver, the defendants were able to pay only N10m out of the N44m bringing the debt down to N34m.

But since then the defendants were said to have allegedly abandoned the debt or refused to liquidate it.

NDIC in its suit before the Federal High Court is seeking to reclaim the indebted sum with 21 per cent interest per annum till it would be finally liquidated.

The corporation also wants the court to put the cost of instituting the legal action on the defendants.

At the resumed hearing of the case before Justice Saidu, counsel for the NDIC, Mr. Oburume Ayeteno, informed the court that the corporation had filed an application to place the suit on the undefended list, adding that he was ready to argue same.

In response, however, Okupe’s lawyer, Mr. Yemi Gbonegun, said he had already filed a statement of defence to the claims.

The document was however not found in the court’s records following which Gbonegun sought for an adjournment to be able to re-file it.

The court adjourned further proceedings till July 8.

http://www.punchng.com/news/ndic-moves-to-recover-n34m-debt-from-okupe-2/

Point of correction, the less populated, Lagos is the smallest state in Nigeria

More Features
LIVE UPDATE

Kunle and Sam, Ogun:

Presidential results from seven LGs in Ogun

Odeda Local government

Number of registered voters -63,935 Number of accreditted voter -17,463

APC -11,102 PDP -4,456

Total valid votes -16,152 Voided votes -775 Total votes cast -16,927

Imeko Afon Local Government

Number of voters registered -35,311 Number of accreditted voters -23,481

APC -7,657 PDP -12,153

Valid votes cast -20,466 Void votes -1,122

Sagamu Local Government Number of registered voters -77,955 Number of accreditted voters -37,772

APC -15,761 PDP -17,263

Ijebu Ode Local Government

Number of registered voters -55,127 Number of voters accreditted -25,973

APC -14,043 PDP -8,972

Remo North Local Government Number of registered voters -39,180 Number of accreditted voters -16,960

APC -6,164 PDP -9,278

Ewekoro Local Government

Number of registered voters -62,425 Number of accreditted voters -14,193

APC -9,626 PDP -3,227

Obafemi-Owode Local Government

Number of registered voters -74,871 Number of accreditted voters -24,402

APC -15,207 PDP -5,786


source... punch live update

Governor Theodore Orji’s aides at the Umuahia collation centre looking worried.

The Governor, who is contesting the Abia Central Senatorial seat, is said to be having a rough ride in the election.
March 29, 20159:42 am

At the Umuahia North LG headquarters, where results for Abia Central
Senatorial Results will be announced, Godwin Uwanuakwa, an APC party
agent, said the figures have been altered and is different from what was
announced at the collation centers.
March 29, 20159:35 am

Party agents, representing the APC and APGA, are contesting the figures
on election result sheets, saying it did not tally with the duplicates
in their possession.

The agents, who were asked to sign the resheet for Isingwu ward in
Umuahia North LGA, Abia State, protested an alteration of figures in
favour of PDP.



source... punch live update

Buhari thrashes Jonathan inside Aso Rock:

Unit 22: PDP 302, APC 348.

Unit 21: PDP 293, APC 265.

Total: PDP 595, APC 613.


source punch live update

Kindly tune to cnn and watch femi kiti live

kindly take the video also so that we can take the matter up from there... thank you

Segun Fayose, the eldest brother of Ekiti Governor, Ayo Fayose, says the governor is embarrassing their family.

The Nation reports that Segun, a UK-based account, stated the following:

“It is a pity Nigerians are celebrating criminals. I am angry with Nigerians for electing somebody like Ayodele as governor. My children cannot come to Nigeria because of the terrible situation of our country.

I don’t have a relationship with any of our leaders because of their criminality and anybody who says I collected money from the opposition should step forward to challenge me. Ekiti and Nigeria are bigger than Fayose’s name and both names should be protected.

I don’t want anything from anybody, but Ayo should stop insulting and abusing my father’s name. As a result of Fayose’s attitude, many people believe the Fayose family is rude but it is far from the truth.

I have spoken to him many times, but he refused to listen. Buhari and Obasanjo are old enough to be his father and I don’t know why he should be insulting them.

I am always sad with the situation of this country. Ayo’s arrogance is one of the reasons I said people should not vote for him prior to the Ekiti governorship election. If all I am saying is not true, my six children should die and I should end up in shame.

Most of us abroad are not happy with the situation of Nigeria. We are sad. When people call me from Ekiti to complain about Ayo, I tell them to forgive the family. People should not see Ayo as an ambassador of our family.”




Source... http://www.bellanaija.com/2015/03/23/fayoses-brother-says-ekiti-governor-is-embarrassing-their-family/

ok noted

i enjoin him to campaign with his achievements at least he said he has performed in different sectors.

i have the interest of my beloved Nigeria at heart, i will surely decline such offer. Am not FFK

Before the week runs out, its likely GEJ will approach me to head the Interim government he is trying to foster.. out of desperation, he has approached every Tom, Dick and Atiku to head his illegality... The questions are, why is it so difficult to hand over power? does this not suggest there is some sort of secret they need to guide securely? could this have something to do with the atrocities committed in Northeast under the guise of Boko Haram? that they have stolen our money is not a secret... so think about it.. they suddenly decided to annihilate Boko Haram in six weeks after failing in 6 years. Am not interested however.lol

Is this the same police force that someone instructed to kill 20 civilian, i pray that Mbu's family will be part of his brutal instruction during the electioneering by the grace of God.

Kindly make contributions and see how good you are in quoting.

Ayedee or whats his name, this is what happened when you have a bad product and yet still want people who are more wiser than you to patronize you, they will rather laugh out your cluelessness and stupidity. Lesson: good product doesn't need advert.

The APC Presidential Campaign Organization (APCPCO) has condemned the recent and sudden emergence of fuel scarcity and fuel queues in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and some parts of the country, as well as the recent gross reduction in the hours of electricity supply across the country by electricity providers describing it as sad reminders of the failure of the PDP Federal Government.

In statement by Mallam Garba Shehu, Director of Media Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organization, the party wondered how a political party which has been in power for 16 years and which is unable to ensure that its citizens enjoy regular fuel supply being an oil producing and endowed country and electricity having privatized the power sector and given generous financial assistance to operators of the power sector can still feel confident to seek another term in office.

According to APC, the glaring and inexcusable failure of the PDP government in these two important areas is a sign of gross ineptitude, maladministration and corruption which is responsible for the sorry economic state the average citizen of Nigeria has found themselves.

'For the people of Nigeria to be again confronted with the specter of fuel scarcity so soon after the harrowing experience of last Christmas period shows that the Jonathan government can never get anything right as Nigeria will continue to be an embarrassment among the oil producing countries of the world. 'The issue is that being unable to set up even one new refinery in the past five years and unable to get existing refineries to function up to 50 per cent capacity, the people of Nigeria surely need another set of people to be in charge of affairs. Those who man the two critical sectors of fuel and power are cronies of President Jonathan and supporters of the PDP that they have no reason to discharge their mandate in favour of the Nigerian people.

'We all remember the hype and fanfare with which the privatization of the power sector was carried out and yet majority of Nigerians are having less electric power or none at all but are forced to pay outrageous electricity bills to the operators of the power companies who are either card-carrying members of the PDP or are close associates of President Jonathan.

'To add insult to injury, the Jonathan government has also given billions of naira to these operators under the guise of assisting them to improve power supply, without result. And this happened after the sector had been sold and the facilities handed over to these private operators. 'We of the APC demand that the Jonathan government and his party explain to Nigerians the reason why fuel scarcity and blackout should persist making life a hell for Nigerians, despite huge investments and policies put in place to eradicate these problems,' the statement said.








http://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/171665/1/fuel-scarcity-nationwide-blackout-are-ugly-signs-o.html

This is a movie in making, Nigerians are not fools, they simply want to apply a mind game, this is the reason for the postponement of the election, i repeat, this is their plot, they have found someone that looks like shekau and their plan is to make him confess to Nigerians that GMD is their sponsor, Which simply means If you don't have a record to run on, you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.

Just Copy the achievements of GEJ and you will be rate best because most of GEJ's achievements are the ones the Chancellor should be boast of.

A Canadian university is offering fans of Cristiano Ronaldo the opportunity to take a course in the Real Madrid star.

The University of British Columbia Okanagan is enrolling for a fourth-year sociology module on Ronaldo due to his popularity and influence on Portuguese and global society.

Luis LM Aguiar, associate professor of sociology in UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, said: "Sociology is nothing if not the delving into the processes of structuring identities and experiences and exposing the social forces that push these processes.

"In this case, I'm interested in how Ronaldo has been used to construct several discourses about who he is, what makes him distinct as a footballer, what is his relationship to Portugal, Madeira (his hometown) and indeed Portuguese identity."

During the semester-long course, students will examine the stereotypical image of Ronaldo and the Portuguese diaspora.

"Ronaldo is said to embody features and characteristics of speed, strength, competetiveness, dogged work ethic, discipline, and adaptability," added Aguiar.

"These features are also in a sense 'very Portuguese' since the Portuguese outside the homeland are nothing if not constructed as hard workers, disciplined and determined. Even as a global athlete transcending geographical boundaries, Ronaldo cannot escape the stereotypical constructions of 'the Portuguese'.

"My two greatest passions are football and critical sociology. A course on Cristiano Ronaldo gives me the opportunity to combine the two.

"While I’m an admirer of Ronaldo, I’m also a sociologist interested in understanding the social and economic forces driving the various constructions of this athlete and what this says about our contemporary values and culture."

Ronaldo is not the first Madrid name to become the subject of higher education. Staffordshire University offered students the chance to take a module in 'David Beckham studies' prior to the former England captain's move from Manchester United to Spain.


http://www.aitonline.tv/post-canadian_university_offers_chance_to_study_ronaldo

The National Council of States meeting called to discuss issues about the the nation’s security challenges and the forthcoming elections has ended.

At the end of the eight-hour meeting, members insisted the general elections must proceed as scheduled, reporters were told.

Members also agreed that elections could be postponed in troubled zones — areas ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Nigerians, and indeed the international community, had watched out for the outcome of the meeting all day given the alleged plot by government to force INEC to shift the elections.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State told reporters after the meeting that INEC assured the Council it was ready to conduct the elections and that the distribution of the permanent voter cards was going well.

Mr. Okorocha said the nation’s security chiefs also said they were ready for the elections but raised concern about the possibility of elections holding in areas under the control of Boko haram insurgents.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State however later told journalists that the council advised INEC to reflect over the concerns raised by members and the suggestion made by those who spoke in taking a decision that would allow for the conduct of smooth elections.

President Goodluck Jonathan presided over the meeting, where national issues bordering on the nation’s security and the elections were deliberated upon.

All former Presidents and Heads of State — Shehu Shagari, Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Interim National Government President Ernest Shonekan — except Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, attended the meeting.

Other participants were Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, and former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Musdafa Belgore.

Governors of Anambra, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, Osun, Imo, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Niger, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Cross River, Enugu and Delta states were also in attendance.

Also present are Govs. of Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Jigawa, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, acting governor of Taraba while Abia, Oyo and Borno were represented by their deputy governors.

The National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), FCT Minister Bala Muhammed and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Adoke also attended.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, [INEC], Attahiru Jega, and the nation’s security chiefs made presentation to the meeting, which started around 11.56 a.m. and ended after 7.pm.


Source: http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/176317-national-council-of-states-insists-elections-must-go-on-as-scheduled.html

The incident reportedly occurred at the airport on Monday, shortly after President Mugabe’s arrival from Ethiopia (where he was elected as the new African Union chairman).

As Mugabe concluded his address, he missed a step and fell. Witnesses who observed the incident spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

According to reports, the new AU chairman was quickly helped to his feet by his aides who then escorted him to his limousine and sped off.

Security agents ordered press photographers who captured the moment to delete the photos of the dictator’s fall.



http://thisisafrica.me/robert-mugabe-falls-steps-aides-order-photographers-delete-photos/

The Department of State Services (DSS), said on Thursday that it had invited Asari Dokubo, an ex-Niger Delta militant, several times over recent inflammatory statements credited to him.

The spokeswoman of the DSS, Marilyn Ogar, said this on Thursday while responding to a question at a news conference organised by the National Information Centre.

“First of all, whatever is the operational procedures that we take after we have issued out warnings, we do not make them public.

“And I want you to recollect that Asari Dokubo has been brought into the office – DSS, a couple of times.

“It is not in the position of the office to begin to tell you who has been brought in or who has not been brought in.

“We still stand by our words that whoever in any way would want to interfere or interrupt the peace that prevails, he or she would definitely be dealt with,” Ogar said.




http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/02/05/dokubo-invited-severally-over-inflammatory-statements-says-dss/

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, declared on Thursday that no one should vote for the continuation of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, saying that there has been a total failure in leadership. He said he has sixty reasons not to vote for the Jonathan regime. “I will not vote and I will not encourage ‎anyone to vote for the continuation of this government, simply because your colleagues numbering over two hundred were kidnapped, ” Soyinka told students at the 2015 edition of Vision of the Child (VOTC), a yearly programme inaugurated in 2012.

He said the Chibok girls kidnapped on 14 April of last year were sent on a mission to acquire an education, but ended up being kidnapped.

“And the government of this nation failed to show leadership.‎ So anyone who says after that event that I will vote or cast my vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime must be living in Sambisa forest,” Soyinka said, referring to a forest in Borno State where the Chibok girls are believed to be held by Boko Haram.

“There has been a failure of leadership. Our children whom you represent today have been betrayed‎,” Soyinka said, adding that no appropriate action was taken to retrieve them.

Soyinka said it took the Jonathan government ten days to even accept that the Chibok girls were even missing.

“After that dereliction of duty, after that failure of leadership, after that betrayal for our future, for anyone to think or to put words in my mouth suggesting that I will vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime is a travesty of intelligence, ” Soyinka said.

Soyinka laughed off those who had claimed on the social media that he ‎was dead, telling journalists at the event that they should not misquote him. If they do, he added, he will rise from the dead to correct them.

The 2015 edition of Vision of the Child has for theme “The Road to Sambisa”.

This year, a total of 250 student participants from 60 primary and secondary schools within Lagos attended the interview. The age bracket for the participants was 9 to 12 years.

Their entries were assessed by a panel of eminent judges comprising teachers, artists, child carers and social workers.

The finalists will be invited on the 7 March to the National Conversation Foundation Park. Lekki, and provided with brush, paint and easel, and will be required to illustrate their literary presentation in the complementary medium painting.

This year, 60 finalists were drawn from 35 schools within Lagos State, said Foluke George‎, Festival Secretary and Programme Manager for the Vision of the Child.




http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/05/wole-soyinka-no-one-should-vote-jonathan-he-has-shown-total-failure-leadership

A right thinking Nigerian will surely know that this is just the reason they are calling for the postponement of the Feb 14th election so that they can have more time to blackmail the opposition party and make them look like the party that people should run from. They failed, and they will keep on failing because instead of the PDP to campaign with achievements, they keep on wasting the little time they got on criticizing their Rival While the Peoples General keeps gaining more popularity both online and offline.

In what appears a fallout of the controversy triggered by the secondary school result of the presidential candidate of the opposition All progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has been sent to the University of Port Harcourt to provide relevant details of the doctorate qualifications of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Mr Buhari’s secondary school has since provided a copy of the his statement of result and other eminent Nigerians who were his classmates have come out to say that they sat for the examination with him.

A civil society organisation, the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, on behalf of one Omano Edigheji, simply described as a Nigerian citizen, is asking that UNIPORT provides the following documents related to the president’s doctorate qualification as stipulated by section 2 and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011:

1. The title of the president’s doctorate dissertation
2. Year of registration as a doctorate candidate
3. Name of his doctorate supervisor(s)
4. Name of his external examiner(s)
5. Comments/ reports of the external examiners on the dissertation/thesis
6. Photocopy of the dissertation/thesis
7. Date of graduation from the university

The organisation said it is willing to bear any cost the university might incur in making photocopies of the requested documents and for posting them.

The organisation gave the university seven days to provide the documents.

Following dispute over the secondary school qualification of Mr. Buhari, raised by the president’s party, the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and his supporters, some Nigerians have been calling on Mr. Jonathan to make public details of his doctorate dissertation and other research work he did before he was awarded the degree.

President Jonathan has a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology, a Master’s in Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology and a doctorate in Zoology. All degrees were from the University of Port Harcourt.

The president will remain qualified to run even if it is found that he did not complete his doctorate as the minimum qualification to contest for the office is secondary school certificate, and that has not been called to question.

However, he might be disqualified on the ground of perjury if found that he indeed did not finish his doctorate but yet included it as part of his academic qualifications in the forms he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).




http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/04/group-makes-foi-request-details-jonathan%E2%80%99s-doctorate-degree

It is now official. The presidential election will hold on February 14, 2015 as planned as far as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is concerned. On Monday, Attahiru Jega, a professor and chairman of the commission, met his 12 national commissioners “for the first time in a long while” and the subject of whether or not the election should be postponed was discussed. According to a highly-placed source who spoke with TheCable, Jega was of the opinion that postponing the election would give INEC the time to organise a better election. Although he admitted that a postponement would trigger backlash from the public, he told them he was willing to take the risk in order to have a more credible election. “Jega was convinced that postponing the election was the best option in light of the big challenge of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution confronting INEC. He reckoned that there would be backlash from the public, but he was willing to address the media, beg members of the public for the disappointment, and take whatever criticism that comes his way, in the hope that Nigerians would appreciate the commissions efforts when the election is finally conducted,” the insider said. THE PVC PROBLEM INEC has had a torrid time managing the production and distribution of PVCs to eligible voters. In Lagos, just last week, Akin Orebiyi, the Lagos state resident electoral commissioner, lamented that 1.7 million voters had still not received their PVCs and were susceptible to disenfranchisement. Sambo Dasuki, the national security adviser, cited this challenge last month when he said in London during a talk at think-tank Chatham House that he had suggested that the election should be postponed because it made no sense for it to hold three months early when 30 million voter cards were still with INEC. There had been complaints that time allotted to the distribution was not enough, while many intending voters have complained of being told that their PVCs were unavailable. In December, Kano declared a public holiday to allow citizens collect their cards. Back in January, the All Progressives Congress (APC) announced that all states under its control would declare two days of public holiday for members of the public to collect their cards. After initially toying with “a few days of registration” for those with Temporary Voter Card (TVC) and PVC issues, INEC finally extended the deadline for PVC collection on Sunday. Originally scheduled to end on January 31, PVC collection would now run on to February 8. ELECTION AT ALL COSTS But at the Monday meeting, the national commissioners argued against postponing the election. “They were opposed to it, especially based on the implications of postponement on national peace and unity. There is a lot of partisan tension in the air and the national commissioners did not want to risk the consequences of postponing the election. “At the end of the meeting, it was decided – and Jega agreed – that rather than postpone the poll, INEC should intensify efforts (and in fact push itself to the limits) in ensuring that PVCs get to all deserving and intending voters.” INEC IS NOT READY According to the source, Jega’s preparedness to weather the backlash of postponing to election had nothing to do with bias for or against the presidency/PDP or APC. Instead, it was about his personal integrity and the integrity of the electoral process. Only three months ago, Jega had said that he was “absolutely sure” that all validly registered voters would receive their PVCs before the election. “People have been very anxious and many have been disappointed – not just by the change in the timetable for distribution of the cards but also by the logistical challenges and operational delays experienced in the field,” he had said. “But these are minor challenges as far as we are concerned. We are absolutely sure that before the February elections, every validly registered Nigerian will have his/her PVC to be able to exercise their voting right. And we are doing everything possible to ensure that happens.” Seeing that he could no longer guarantee that promise, he attempted to seek another alternative. “You see, INEC is not ready, and Jega knows. It is sad but the truth is that INEC is not ready,” the source concluded. “However, we will have to wait and see how much lost ground the commission can recover between now and February 14.”

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng/insider-inec-national-commissioners-convinced-jega-not-postpone-election | TheCable

The All Progressives Congress and the Nigerian Bar Association have suggested that rather than postpone elections because of the inability of the majority of Nigerians to get their Permanent Voter Cards, the Federal Government should consider declaring a public holiday so that all Nigerians will have enough time to get their cards.

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), had, last week, suggested the postponement of this year’s elections by three months to enable the Independent National Election Commission distribute the PVCs, to about 30 million Nigerians who had yet to obtain the cards.

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said during a press conference in Lagos on Monday that the February 14 presidential election and the February 28 governorship elections were sacrosanct.

He maintained that the suggestion of the NSA was motivated by the Peoples Democratic Party because the party was scared of losing.

He, however, suggested that the Federal Government should declare a three-day public holiday and also decentralise the distribution of the PVCs further by making it available at polling units.

He said, “If indeed the Jonathan administration is genuinely concerned that many Nigerians have not received their PVCs, let it declare a three-day public holiday to give working Nigerians the opportunity to collect their PVCs. Let the government work with INEC to ensure that the PVCs are distributed at the polling units. If these steps are followed, within five days, the distribution would have been completed.”

Meanwhile, the NBA has also urged the Federal Government not to postpone the elections.

The NBA in a statement by its National President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh (SAN), said, “Positive steps could be taken by INEC to ensure the collection of PVCs by voters. The present practice of the collection of PVCs should be replaced with collection of PVCs at the location where the polling units would be on the election day.

“INEC should request the government to declare work-free days to enable voters collect their voter cards. There are several other steps that can be taken by INEC to ease the process of collection of PVCs. The postponement of the elections is not the reasonable solution to resolve the difficulties associated with collection of PVCs.”



Source ..... http://www.punchng.com/politics/apc-nba-want-holiday-for-pvc-collection/

Femi Fani-Kayode, the director of media, Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, has been accused of “forging an email” in a desperate bid to discredit the statement of result released by Muhammadu Buhari’s school last week. On Friday, TheCable had published the confirmation of the University of Cambridge that Hausa was one of the examinations undertaken by students for the West African School Certificate Examinations back in 1961. The subject of whether or not Hausa could have been a subject back in 1961 has been one of the talking points of Buhari’s statement of result available to public, with claims that the subject was not offered in the examination until the 1970s. On Monday, Suraj Oyewale, a chartered accountant and blogger, said Fani-Kayode twisted an email from Cambridge Assessment on the same matter and then sent false information to media houses, in order to mislead the public into believing that Hausa Language was not an examination paper in 1961. “I was on my way to work on the morning of Monday, January 26, 2015, when my friend, Sodiq Alabi, sent me a Facebook message asking me how to contact THISDAY newspapers since I am more familiar with newspaper houses as a regular contributor to issues in national dailies,” Oyewale said. “Sodiq included in the message a web link to an article in THISDAY newspaper with the title, “Cambridge University: Hausa Language Not Offered in 1961 Exams”. I opened the article to see these lines: The controversy over the secondary school results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, continues as the University of Cambridge has said that Hausa Language, which is one of the subjects listed by Buhari, was not offered in its examinations in 1961. The disclosure was contained a statement from the office of the Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation claiming it came though an e-mail dated Thursday, January 22, 2015 from the institution’s Archives Delivery Service Officer, Jacky Emerson, to one SODIQ ALABI who requested for confirmation if the examination body offered Hausa Language in the 1961 West African Certificate Examination it organised. Emerson, in his one-sentence reply, said: “According to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa, WERE NOT included for West African School Certificate.” This development may have further cast doubts on the certificate which is purported to be General Buhari’s. He is yet to react to the assertion by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation that the document (the published certificate) was forged and illegally procured.” (Capitalizations mine) Oyewale said Sodiq was shocked at such falsehood attributed to him by Fani Kayode and he wanted to contact the editor of THISDAY for such wicked misrepresentation. “Sodiq Alabi (sodiqalabi@hotmail.com) had written an email to Cambridge Assessment, the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicates, on January 22, 2015, 13.31 hours, to confirm whether Hausa was truly offered by it in 1961 examinations. “By 4.10pm same day, Jacky Emerson (archives@cambridgeassessment.org.uk), Archive Services Delivery officer of Cambridge Assessment, replied thus: ‘Dear Sodiq Alabi, According to the Regulations of 1961, African Language papers, WERE SET for West Africa School Certificate’. “A screenshot of this email exchange was shared to us on Facebook by Sodiq and it went viral on the Internet. The email triggered other Nigerians to send emails to Cambridge Assessment for independent confirmation and the school came out with a release on its website the next day. “In the release titled, ‘Statement in response to Nigerian Presidential election enquiries’, the school stated: ‘The organisation also confirmed that according to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa WERE SET for the West African School Certificate. Here is the link to the Cambridge Assessment website where this confirmation was published: http://cambridgeassessment.org.uk/news/statement-in-response-to-nigerian-presidential-election-enquiries/. Cambridge Email The email from Cambridge “It is however surprising that Femi Fani-Kayode went ahead to alter the content of Sodiq’s email in his press statement to, ‘According to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa, WERE NOT included for West African School Certificate’ and still quoted the email as the source. “It is very unfortunate that this is the man speaking for the president’s re-election campaign. How do we believe every other “fact” he has quoted has not been altered as well? It is a shame. “It is also very unfortunate that our newspapers have gone to sleep and investigative journalism is at its lowest ebb in Nigeria. How will Femi Fani-Kayode not be feeding newspaper reporters with lies when he knows how lazy some of our journalists have become? This is not an advertorial that does not require independent confirmation; all THISDAY and Daily Post that reported this Fani-Kayode’s glaring lie need to do is to seek out Sodiq or confirm from Cambridge – which had posted a confirmation statement on conduct of Hausa language in 1961 WASC on its website since January 23, two days before Fani-Kayode came up with this lie – and ask for their side of the story. “It is particularly curious that I had, in an earlier article sent to THISDAY which was published in its January 25 edition, attached a screenshot of the email from Sodiq to buttress some other arguments. So THISDAY editors, at least their OP-ED editor, could not have claimed not to have seen the original content of Sodiq’s email before Fani-Kayode’s alteration. “This is not the first time President Jonathan’s men are forging or altering documents to demonize anyone perceived as the president’s ‘enemy’. His new media assistant, Reno Omokri, was also busted in February last year, when he hid under a pseudonym, Wendel Simlin, to send false but damaging reports to newspapers to demonize the then just suspended Governor Lamido Sanusi of Central Bank. A dig into the source of the computer used in typing the document showed it was a certain Reno Omokri that authored it! How lowly can people get? Efforts to get Fani-Kayode’s response to the allegation had yielded no result at the time of going to press, as calls to his phone were neither answered nor returned. He also did not reply a text message to his phone.

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng/fani-kayode-accused-forging-email-disclaim-buharis-statement-result | TheCable

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