[size=14pt]IBB, Atiku absent at celebration[/size]
SATURDAY, 02 OCTOBER 2010 06:21 BIODUN DUROJAIYE
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Former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida was the only past Nigerian leader that was conspicuously absent at yesterday’s ceremony climaxing the country’s 50th independence anniversary celebration.
Also absent was former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Both of them are presidential aspirants in the forthcoming 2011 general elections.

Former leaders that graced the historic occasion were former Presidents, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Head of Interim Government, Chief Earnest Shonekan. Others were Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari and Abdulsalami Abubakar, all retired.
President Goodluck Jonathan clad in his native South/South traditional attire with hat to match, arrived the venue around 11.50 am with a loud ovation from the huge crowd that gathered. He was immediately driven in an open roof Nigerian Army vehicle to inspect the parade mounted by a combined team of Army, Navy, Air Force and Police, waiving to and receiving cheers and loud ovation from the crowd.

The programme commenced thereafter with opening prayers said in Christian and Muslim ways and was followed ceremonial parade and colour patrol by the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police. Members of the Nigerian Legion, Customs, Immigration, Prisons, Civil Defence, Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, and school children received resounding applause during the match past that followed.

To further lighten up the ceremony, school children performed colourful callisthenics display to the admiration of those present. The highlights of the celebration was combat match by members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, display of equipments, which saw movement of military war equipments round the Eagles Square and display by the Nigerian Air Force Para-troopers.
The occasion came to a close with the firing of the traditional 21 gun salutes for the President and the visiting Heads of States as well as the release of pigeons which signified peace.

[img]http://thewillnigeria.com/files.php?file=former_presidents_at_Ng_50_853902670.jpg[/img]
"Curiously, checks at the Eagle Square showed that all former living heads of state attended today’s anniversary ceremony except General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.
Those in attendance were General Yakubu Gowon, General Olusegun Obasanjo, President Shehu Shagari, General Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalam Abubakar"

so?

paddy_lo:

. . .u want to rule a nation but u dont attend its independence anniversary. . .something is not right there. . .

The man is guilty and knows the evil he planned

sharrap my friend
You want IBB to attend the independence anniversary but your JE clueless did not invite him for the award.
oh you want him to come so that you guys can kill him ,right?

NO WAY !!!!!!!!
please tell your clueless JE to go and deal with the blood of 15 innocent Nigerians on his hands

based on MEND's five day advance warning which must have been an open secret in the govt, atiku and ibb must have chosen to stay away

unlike friends of gej's govt, they could not be certain that they would be seated out of the anticipated blast radius

my opinion

interesting

This must have rung alarm bells with the security services; militants successfully met with the campaign teams of some presidential candidates. Serious questions need be asked.
Why should members of the public hold meetings with groups of militants? There is no guise under which this is acceptable.

[size=14pt]2011: Militants hold secret meetings with IBB, Buhari[/size]
•Ex-military president given conditions
By Tribune 05/09/2010 17:00:00
Written by Idowu Samuel and Emmanuel Adeniyi Monday, 06 September 2010

THERE are indications that President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to strike a deal with leaders of key militant groups in the Niger Delta to strengthen his chances of winning the South-South zone if he decides to run in the 2011 presidential election.
Indications to this effect emerged in the light of efforts by leaders of the militants, who had given up on the government amnesty initiative to engage presidential aspirants from the North in exploratory talks on how to fit into their presidential programmes.

Two leaders of militant groups which surrendered arms in the wake of the Federal Government’s amnesty had arrived in Abuja last week to hold talks with northern presidential aspirants, including General Ibrahim Babangida and General Muhammadu Buhari.

[size=14pt]Nigerian Tribune learnt through aides of the aspirants that the militants complained that they were not being consulted by President Jonathan.[/size]

The militant heads were said to have canvassed a view that their full participation in the ongoing political process would enhance their resolve to finally discard the toga of militancy, just as they reportedly expressed dismay that their efforts to dissolve into the campaign programme of President Jonathan were not being appreciated.

It is not certain which specific roles the militants desired to play in the presidential campaigns of the aspirants, whom they reportedly met. [size=14pt]However, it was disclosed that tentative agreements were reached by the campaign team of General Buhari that they should make a bold appearance during his inaugural campaign summit scheduled to take place in Abuja any moment from now.

Checks within the IBB campaign organisation revealed that none of the militant leaders was able to meet the Minna general in person, but reportedly met his aides in Abuja and told them about their desire to feature in his campaign programmes.[/size]

When the militants met with the representatives of the ex-president recently, Nigerian Tribune gathered that they vowed to support him if he agreed to a one-term tenure and hand over power to a candidate from the South-South geopolitical zone in 2015.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that Babangida was told to rescind his decision of handing over to a candidate from the South-East, choose a vice-president from South-South, implement the white paper of the Ledun Mittee committee and create additional states in the South-South geopolitical zone.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the militants were working with notable South-South governors, who were said to be working underground for different northern presidential aspirants following their irreconcilable differences with President Jonathan.

http://news.nigeriadailynews.com/news/4943-2011_militants_hold_secret_meetings.html