“In the course of their discussion, the British Prime Minister kindly requested Mr. President for what assistance Nigerian Government would like the British Government to render. Mr. President told him that he would appreciate any support the British Government could give us in the matter of improving the security services of this country.

what a confused President?

when we Nigeria ever do something using their brain?

when we Nigeria ever conduct basic research into their own environment, listen to its people and fashion out a Police that meets Nigerians need.

“We also have instructions to put together a high-powered committee comprising experienced senior Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in the service of this country in the Police Force to come together to look at the past and join us to look at the future.

so who among them is a not thief?

Stupid Police, foolish government:

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200711271422214

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua yesterday at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States (US) stated that Nigeria would partner the US/AFRI-CA Command (AFRICOM) on security on the continent.

Nigeria is in touble. We have an slowpoke as President.

The President did not give details of the discussion on AFRICOM, such as whether Nigeria will be used as the Command’s base, an issue that has emerged contentious in recent times.
But his support at the White House was a clear departure from the leaning of his administration on the issue.
Nigeria’s acceptance of the command is capable of influencing other African countries.

Yaradua blows any direction the wind-blows.

You should've known by now that the man has no plan for Nigeria,He was'nt interested in becoming the President in the first place,I've tried to understudy the man and his achievements when he was governor of katsina state,the only thing he did was to abstain from corruption(not totally proven though).and you can judge a man by his history,i don't see any change during his tenure, is just business as usual,who will save Nigeria?

Babasin,

Clapperclaw certainly can not help Nigeria now. People do contribute to the success of governments - citizens and non-citizens.

You have various media through which you can put forward your blueprint with respect to the growth and development of Nigeria, that is if you are concerned.

It is not heroic to do a research only on how a country is not moving forward. It is hypocrisy to find faults without profering solutions.

Cheers!

@iykrion,

It is not heroic to do a research only on how a country is not moving forward. It is hypocrisy to find faults without profering solutions.

we surely both wants best for Nigeria just process is different.

Who am I to put my proposal on Nigerians?? I can only show the error of what we are doing wrong.

Yaradua will not get us anywhere. This much is clear. Same thing I said about OBJ but nobody listens, his 8yrs was completed mess.

President Yaradua has not said anything new on the AFRICOM issue.

When he declared that Nigeria will not host or support the siting of AFRICOM anywhere within West Africa, he stated categorically that efforts at training is welcomed.

So in saying that Nigeria will partner Africom on security does not suggest anything new as this partnership could be in terms of military training and exchange of intelligence, it does not mean outright support for building of AFRICOM in Nigeria. To buttress this fact, Ojo Maduekwe the Foreign Minister stated categorically that Nigeria will not host Africom only yesterday you can not assume that Nigeria's foreign affairs minister is not aware of Nigeria's stance on this issue.

This is international diplomacy at work, while we need to look after our National interest we do not want to be unnecessary rivals with America because hate it or love it they play important role in global politics. However we should not play fool to them too.

This is international diplomacy at work, while we need to look after our National interest we do not want to be unnecessary rivals with America because hate it or love it they play important role in global politics. However we should not play fool to them too.

agreed with you but why invite yaradua suddenly when yaradua said nigeria will not host this africom.

i am afraid, nigeria will play more than training role.

yaradua needs bush to solidify his presidency. the nigeria-court will also see that US is already supportting yarada, this will influence outcome of election tribunal.

for this opportunity yaradua will make deal to survive while bush makes deal for US to survive.

Pakistan guy already did similar; made deal for his survival while US makes deal for their own country.

McKren:

President Yaradua has not said anything new on the AFRICOM issue.

When he declared that Nigeria will not host or support the siting of AFRICOM anywhere within West Africa, he stated categorically that efforts at training is welcomed.

So in saying that Nigeria will partner Africom on security does not suggest anything new as this partnership could be in terms of military training and exchange of intelligence, it does not mean outright support for building of AFRICOM in Nigeria. To buttress this fact, Ojo Maduekwe the Foreign Minister stated categorically that Nigeria will not host Africom only yesterday you can not assume that Nigeria's foreign affairs minister is not aware of Nigeria's stance on this issue.

This is international diplomacy at work, while we need to look after our National interest we do not want to be unnecessary rivals with America because hate it or love it they play important role in global politics. However we should not play fool to them too.

Well said bro.[/color][color=#990000][color=#990000][/color]

babasin:

agreed with you but why invite yaradua suddenly when yaradua said nigeria will not host this africom.

i am afraid, nigeria will play more than training role.

yaradua needs bush to solidify his presidency. the nigeria-court will also see that US is already supportting yarada, this will influence outcome of election tribunal.

for this opportunity yaradua will make deal to survive while bush makes deal for US to survive.

Pakistan guy already did similar; made deal for his survival while US makes deal for their own country.

My brother you can accuse President Yaradua of anything you like, but suggesting that he is plotting to stay a further day in power against the will of Nigerians is simply overboard. Facts on ground do not suggest that neither does his personality or history suggest he will do that.

The President simply honoured an invitation from a US President protecting their so called strategic interest and yet to come to terms with the fact that the days when Nigeria and Africa as a whole was monpolised by the west and served as their private garden of resources is coming to an end.

I think the President did ok.

This is international diplomacy at work, while we need to look after our National interest we do not want to be unnecessary rivals with America because hate it or love it they play important role in global politics. However we should not play fool to them too.

Absolutely well stated.


@babasin: could you please give your recommendation on how Yar'Adua should have handled this issue?

My brother you can accuse President Yaradua of anything you like, but suggesting that he is plotting to stay a further day in power against the will of Nigerians is simply overboard.

Please don't sell us this crap. This guy already received a stolen mandate. He can do anything. Only a fool will trust him.

Everyone said OBJ has been to prison for 5yrs. He is a changed man. I said NO. People don't change only hide. Nigerians know better now.

could you please give your recommendation on how Yar'Adua should have handled this issue?

He should have waited till his court case is cleared to meet BUSH. Bush only invited him because they knew how badly he needs support from them.

The President simply honoured an invitation from a US President protecting their so called strategic interest and yet to come to terms with the fact that  the days when Nigeria and Africa as a whole was monpolised by the west and served as their private garden of resources is coming to an end.

yeah. yeah. believe that you believe anything! US is protecting it is interest while yaradau is protecting its own person interest not Nigeria's

US don't just invite you if they do not need something from you! But Nigeria is blessed with Dumm-Leaders or rather self-serving thieves.

LOL

Its unfortunate that I have to remind you that Yaradua is Nigeria's President until his election is nullified by the elctoral tribunal and not a case of the electoral tribunal confirming his Presidency. So I honestly dont understand where the talk of he should have waited for Court decision before meeting President Bush is coming from.

He should have waited till his court case is cleared to meet BUSH. Bush only invited him because they knew how badly he needs support from them.

@babasin:
Your reply got me thinking; I think you have a point.
Because I remember Bush stating that he would not acknowledge Yar'Adua till the election issues were resolved.

Good point; but we must be careful dealing with United States.
As McKren has stated earlier, hate it or love it they play important role in global politics
Hence, let's take it easy on Yar'Adua for now.

here is your answer from same US:

In the statement, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Todd J. Moss, said: "There was a pause in our close relationship because the elections of April 2007, which brought Yar'Adua into office, were deeply flawed."

Their conduct, he added, "gave us some serious pause as to how close we could be. We expressed our concerns with the Nigerians , and we set some very clear expectations. [b]I am happy to say that, so far, those expectations have been met."[/[/b]quote]

the expectation: yaradua agreed for nigeria to accept africom. US will ensure that the tribual do not nullify its deeply flawed election.

this is exactly same game they played in Pakistan yet our people are so DUMMY to read between lines.

africa is doomed. this is one sad moments for africa and Nigeria.

McKren:

President Yaradua has not said anything new on the AFRICOM issue.

When he declared that Nigeria will not host or support the siting of AFRICOM anywhere within West Africa, he stated categorically that efforts at training is welcomed.
So in saying that Nigeria will partner Africom on security does not suggest anything new as this partnership could be in terms of military training and exchange of intelligence, it does not mean outright support for building of AFRICOM in Nigeria. To buttress this fact, Ojo Maduekwe the Foreign Minister stated categorically that Nigeria will not host Africom only yesterday you can not assume that Nigeria's foreign affairs minister is not aware of Nigeria's stance on this issue.

This is international diplomacy at work, while we need to look after our National interest we do not want to be unnecessary rivals with America because hate it or love it they play important role in global politics. However we should not play fool to them too.

What have you to say about the statement below?

The Chairman Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Ayogu Eze on Friday said President Umaru Yar’Adua must have weighed his options when he said Nigeria had accepted the establishment of a United States military command in Africa.

Eze said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent, in Abuja on Friday. He said although the details of the president’s action were not available, it was safe to say the president meant well.

He said, “I don’t have all the particulars for me to make a comment, but every assistance we can get to increase our military might, not only to protect our territorial integrity but also to increase our influence on the continent, I think it is a welcome development.

“I am sure the President considered what will best serve the interest of Nigeria and weighed the options before the decision was taken. You know the President cannot just commit Nigeria without weighing the options. I believe this is just the preliminary stages.

Eze noted that the Senate had a role to play in matters that had to do with committing Nigeria, especially militarily. He expressed confidence that the matter which was still at its pleminary stages would eventually get to the Senate at the appropriate time.

He also said it was too early to jump into conclusions over the issue since the President was still abroad and the details were still sketchy.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200712151465810

I can only wait for you to come back and retract your post when you have read wide on today's news

the man has been CONFUSED right from his mother CHILDHOOD AGE.
so its not suprising.

McKren:

I can only wait for you to come back and retract your post when you have read wide on today's news

My intention wasn't to demean your stance on this discourse. I was only asking for your view as regards the double standards that our politicians play.

This minute one issues a statement, the next minute another says another thing on the same topic.

No hard feelings bro!

This is not about double standards, Senator Ayogu Eze is probably like everyone was mislead by the Nigerian media

He Eze stated clearly that details are still sketchy and that he will like to wait for the President to explain his reasons.

Blame the Nigerian media for collectively misrepresenting the President, it looks as if our press corps simply copied each other, it was glaringly obvious that the quotes from the President and the Foreign Minister were different from what News editors were reporting

you can not blame Senator Ayogu Eze for trusting our press corps. But blaim the media for misleading the public

And to be honest a serious Nation would have called for an independed inquiry on what happened and how the Nigerian media operates, this is an indictment on the media.

Alright, let's wait for Yar'Adua's reaction when he returns.

Yar’Adua Restates Resolve to Cleanse NNPC
•Denies Accepting AFRICOM
From Constance Ikoku in Washington and Juliana Taiwo in Abuja, 12.15.2007

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President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has identified the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as one of the main focal points of his administration’s war against corruption.
Making this known in Washington D.C. yesterday, the president said in furtherance of his administration’s war against corruption, Nigeria shall subscribe to the joint United Nations and World Bank Stolen Assets Recovery (STAR) initiative.
Th[b]e president’s accession to the STAR initiative coincided with his clarificaton that the partnership with the US/African Command (AFRICON) does not translate to an acceptance of the command.
Yar’Adua’s sudden volte face is coming on the heels of his meeting with President George Bush of the US at the White House, Thursday, during which he affirmed Nigeria’s commitment to partner with the US on AFRICON for the provision of security in the continent.
But in an interview with the Hausa service of the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington DC , monitored by THISDAY, he said Nigeria plans to establish military bases in Africa to be managed by Africans for the protection of oil reserves.
He stated: "I did not accept AFRICOM in my discussions with Bush. I asked for assistance and told Bush that we have our plans to establish bases for African countries. We asked for training on weapons and training to establish our bases to be managed by our people.”
“Seven countries in the Gulf of Guinea will be involved,” he stated. The president said he asked for training from the US government. The US insisted it can only render help through its AFRICOM base in Stuttgart, Germany, said Yar’Adua.
The President claimed there was a misunderstanding of his comments at the White House on Thursday. It is a partnership, not an acceptance, he stressed.
His acceptance to partner with the US on AFRICOM during his meeting with the US president on Thursday, strayed from the opposition to the establishment of the command by the Council of States of which the president is the chairman.
Also, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Madu-ekwe, who is part of the president’s delegation to the US had himself stated that Nigeria would not support the presence of US troops on African soil under the auspices of AFRICOM.[/b]
Meanhile, while speaking at the US Library of Congress at an event hosted by the American Chambers of Commerce and witnessed by prominent businessmen and US public officials, Yar’Adua said “One of the areas we are going to clean now is the national oil company, NNPC.
“In Nigeria, it has not been transparent, and it is one of the most difficult agencies of government to tackle because of the vested interest of very powerful people in the country.
“But we are determined, knowing that when you break that up, it will help bring other agencies and ministries in line. NNPC will operate like any other company in the private sector and source for funds for its joint venture operations from the capital market.
“With such funds, investors would protect their money and ensure transparency. We will then deploy what we have saved from that to social sectors like education and health,” the President said.
The president disclosed that he had already given directives for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Bank to be formally informed of Nigeria’s accession to the STAR initiative.

www.nigeriamasterweb.com (navigate to thisday)
The initiative was launched in September by the World Bank, in partnership with UNODC to help developing countries recover assets stolen by corrupt leaders and invest them in effective, people-oriented development programs.
Responding to questions from the audience, Yar’Adua reaffirmed his administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, but stressed that its campaign against corruption goes hand in hand with the determination to ensure respect for the rule of law.
“What I have done is to give the anti-corruption agencies like EFCC, ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau, the full support of government and total independence to act on any cases of corruption.
“This is an extremely difficult challenge, but we are following it and we are making sure that the opportunities to be corrupt are checked. We are going to expand the horizon of the war against corruption beyond the activities of agencies like the EFCC and ICPC to the complete reformation of key institutions like the Nigerian Police Force.
“When we reform the police then we can get the judiciary to reform itself because I am insisting that the rule of law must be supreme, and that every judgment of the law court must be respected and obeyed.
“The challenge is that where you have a corrupt system you find that even the judiciary is affected, it is not excluded. The serious challenge that we will have is to get a corruption-free judiciary because the rule of law can best be anchored on a corruption-free judiciary,” the president stated.
Yar’Adua told his audience that the government had given the anti-corruption agencies a free hand to act and that they are being encouraged to appeal corrupt court judgments at higher courts in order to vacate the flawed ruling passed down by the lower court.
“By doing that,” he explained, “they would have set a precedence such that this kind of action can never happen in the lower court again, because if you say you don’t want to obey a court order because you believe it is corruptly procured, you are destroying a system and it doesn’t help your cause.
“So it is a long drawn process and a very hard battle. But the important thing is that when you fight such battles, you succeed when the majority of the citizens are with you. On this fight, we will succeed because Nigerians want corruption stamped out of their system,” the President stressed.
President YarAdua also met with US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, who praised his adherence to the rule of law while pledging the assistance of the US government to Nigeria in the area of electoral reforms, education, providing lasting solutions to the Niger Delta problem and the fight against HIV/AIDS

That's really an interesting piece! I hope it abides. Thanks anyway!

i was glad that for once that we have a grauduate president. but his recent posturing is making me somewhat uncomfortable, his dictum of "rule of law" in as much as it is a relief from successive executive excesses makes mockery of leadership. his 7 point agenda is yet to be kickstarted. i wonder what he wanted from pple like Kingibe. no hard feeling but i think that man has no business being in his govt from day one.
Anyway i hope he learns the rope quickly lest all the few economic gains we had under obj go down the drain.









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imagination rules the world,

pcicero:

i was glad that for once that we have a grauduate president. but his recent posturing is making me somewhat uncomfortable, his dictum of "rule of law" in as much as it is a relief from successive executive excesses makes mockery of leadership. his 7 point agenda is yet to be kickstarted. i wonder what he wanted from people like Kingibe. no hard feeling but i think that man has no business being in his govt from day one.
Anyway i hope he learns the rope quickly lest all the few economic gains we had under obj go down the drain.
imagination rules the world,

Is Ambassador Babagana Kingibe that bad? Pray, tell me what he did that any politician worth his/her onioin wouldn't have done under the same circumstance.

yaradua can parabulate as much as he like.

US dont just issue statements: they choose their words carefull. this is clear below:

In the statement, US. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Todd J. Moss, said: "There was a pause in our close relationship because the elections of April 2007, which brought Yar'Adua into office, were deeply flawed."

Their conduct, he added, "gave us some serious pause as to how close we could be. We expressed our concerns with the Nigerians , and we set some very clear expectations. I am happy to say that, so far, those expectations have been met."

[quote][/quote]

First: The deputy reconfirmed Bush statement in June: Nigeria election was flawed.

To show why their now talking to same guy with flawed election; I am happy to say that, so far, those expectations have been met

He was not talking about Nigerians expectation. But about US expectation; which is Nigeria to accept AFRICOM.

How can you ask for assitance without accepting it??

Please leave Yar'Adua alone, you could not do better

Please leave Yar'Adua alone, you could not do better

here we go again.

leave IBB alone, we know how it ended.

leave abacha alone, we know how it ended

leave OBJ alone, we know how it ended.

I believe that Nigeria could only be better if you could be the change you wish to see in the World. Yes i mean you!!

I believe that Nigeria could only be better if you could be the change you wish to see in the World. Yes i mean you!!

Nigeria is centred around the 'president'; untill system is changed ONLY the president can make any change.

we have seen in OBJ what evil that could be done by president to his people:

1. wipe-out ODI village
2. give away bakassi
3. award himself TV license
4. sell public enterprise to his cronis: AP just as sample.
5. wide-spread rigging of election

Untill we whittle-down power of President, we are wasting our time.

@ Babasin
what is your own and the insults on Yar'adua. U know, i used to enjoy your posts in the past, but all this biased attacks on the president is not called for.
How in a wrong way did he answer the prime minister of England huh what wud have been your own reply Mr smart guy. You believe you would do better as a president, but my dear friend i put it to you that you would do much worse if ever you smelt that seat, i say this with all confidence without even knowing you. In nigeria, we have our problems and we know what they are.
for instance, we know that security is nothing to write home about, and for this reason, we are trying to bring in foreigners to help us and you condemn this. Probably, u want armed robbers to be visiting your home often.that would be great wouldnt it.
Hope you are aware that the man you called foolish is one of the Graduate presidents we are having in a hell of a long time, i no just even get power to dey type too much, but no just dey yap Naija nd its Govt, cuz if we dont wakeup and say GOD BLESS NIGERIA with our own mouth, then no one would say it for us.

@tufe,
I do not enjoy yabing anyone. The truth is that we naija, we like self-deceit.

if Yarada makes good decision(Bakassi revisit), sure I will praise, but if we are heading towards hell, you shout before its too late.

in 1999 everyone said OBJ was changed man because he was in Abacha prison, we know the end today.

because if we don't wakeup and say GOD BLESS NIGERIA with our own mouth, then no one would say it for us.

fully agreed

Yar Adua is very confused, the only person more confused than Yar Adua is Arsene Wenger.