₦airaland Forum

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-meets-obasanjo-security-chiefs-over-insurgency/

President Goodluck Jonathan and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday met in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa where the two discussed the nation’s security challenge.
Obasanjo confirmed the meeting to journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State, when he returned from Abuja.

“Yes, I can confirm that I met with Mr.
President on his invitation. In fact, he had wanted to come down to Abeokuta, but as a sign of respect to the Office of the President, I had to go. We had discussion on the country’s security issues and that is all,” the ex-President said.

The visit came few days after the former President commended efforts of the Federal and Lagos State governments in checking the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.

It also followed on the heels of weekend’s slamming of the Jonathan administration by Obasanjo, who likened the economy under the President’s watch to what obtained during the reign of the late military dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Obasanjo, while briefing journalists in Abeokuta on his return from Abuja said the Wednesday’s meeting with the President was purely on security matters.

He said he would continue to make himself available on national issues in the interest of peace and progress of the country.
After the meeting between Jonathan and Obasanjo, the President met behind closed doors with security chiefs.

The service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, met with the President in the early hours of the day before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.

It was however not clear whether the President’s meeting with the security chiefs was fallout of the meeting he had with Obasanjo.
None of those who attended spoke with journalists after the meeting, which ended at about the same time the Federal Executive Council meeting started.

On the recurrent Eggon/Fulani crisis in Nassarawa State, Obasanjo called on Benue and Nassarawa state governments to ensure that peace was restored to the warring communities.

“There is no way such will not happen, but the two state governments should come up with lasting solutions. The farmers would want their crops to be protected, while the cattle men will also want their cattle to feed. So, the government should fashion out peaceful means to end the crisis,” he said.

Copyright PUNCH.All rights reserved.

That is why when people talk of true federalism i don't have any fear, because the north will be able to sustain them self than some southern who run from their state to north for survival, especially the ibos and they like to call northern parasite. Mainwhile they are the real parasite

1United1: I thought this man left immediately after the convention

No he was expecting APC to apologise and persuade him or compensate him with one post or the other, but none of the APC leader care about him, so he was pained for been ignore. Although it is good for him to leave and join PDP, APC need the masses more the likes of Ikimi. PDP shld give him contract or appointment sharp sharp

saintikechi: That is why kogi is fighting for anambra's oil.

Kogi people shld fight for that oil, because that is the only resource that easy to tap and make easy money from. If kogi people get that oil, they will receive federal govt attention than those mineral resource the ops mention above. There no part of with the without sold mineral resources but even FG is not ready not to talk of states, south east has cool and other resource what are they doing about it.

Magicc: Yes Fintiri has the right to contest but he must first resign from the Adamawa house of assembly. If you have been involved in politics in anyway even at school, you should have known this.

Fintiri is contesting for the governorship election, base on the position of acting governor position which he is currently holding and not a house of assembly member.

ngozievergreen: 8000 is too small for the whole of south.
We have more population here, including that of registered voters

Adding additional 8000 polling unit for the south east,they still want to complain. Do they want inec to create polling unit on river niger?

EasternLeopard: Point of correction

8000 For the whole of Southern Nigeria

No it is only south eastern, do the maths from the table below, south east now has 16k+ of PU out 150k PU, nigerians will vote in the next 6 month with this.

whatlyf: I don't care about Jonathan's aspiration. As an APC fan it's Kwankwaso ALL the Way or General Buhari. in fact anyone of APC aspirants including Bukola Saraki, Rochas or Amaechi(If they win the ticket) but NO to a camouflaged Tambawal. Legislators are overrated, they don't possess political clout. Even Senator David Mark will LOSE woefully if he is to slug it out with someone like Okorocha for the Presidency. Legislators are only Newspaper Giants. Incumbent SPeaker Dimeji Bankole lost his reelection bid to a Newbie in 2011, Aminu Bello Mansari as an Incumbent Speaker lost his political relevance in 2007, Patricia Etteh is nowhere to be found. Tambawal's best bet will be trying for the Senate or Governor-that is Sokoto Affair.

as for this... This has giving him the oppurtunity of having more friends in the 360 federal constituency of nigeria

Man, legislators are overrated. It is on record that 70% of them lose their seat in every election. Go figure

No doubt about the 70percent lose in our legislative, but not Tambuwal in any case. Beside what am saying is that this is northern agenda we will rather vote for Danbaba suntai of taraba state than jona, major gen. Buhari may not contest if people like Tambuwal or kwankwoso prevail on him to step down for them. He will surely anoint any one of them who decide to run for presidency and lead their campaign through out the north for them, but tambuwal has good friends in the south morethan any of the aside from Atiku, which is an advantage for Tambuwal. Tambuwal is another obama in making from sokoto caliphate, watch out!

whatlyf: “We have gone far with the Tambuwal Presidential Project (TPP); we have reached virtually all nooks and cranny of this country to seek support of major stakeholders within and outside the APC.


Where and where have they gone? Politicians and lie.....

@Topic: Tambawal hahahahaha, he's a political lightweight in the scheme of things.

Tambuwal is more connected to grassroot politician more than jona, he has been member of house of representave for a long time, This has giving him the oppurtunity of having more friends in the 360 federal constituency of nigeria. Talking about lightweight in politics, tambuwal is more sagacity in politics than jona, who is jona b4 becoming president in nigeria politics? Tambuwal is more courageous and articulate. Tambuwal is loved by most who come across him, he has more friends across nigeria who are ready to help him. Northerns will support him with their vote

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/08/25/obasanjo-refuses-to-support-jonathan-for-reelection/

Former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has refused to back President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election. Obasanjo distanced himself from endorsing Jonathan despite being asked for his direction on the forthcoming general election by traders who paid him a courtesy visit at his Abeokuta home.
While responding to the request of the traders on the way forward ahead of the 2015 political dispensation, the former President said Nigerians have to be alert and vigilant to collectively battle the situation.
“We have to be at alert. To be forewarned is to be forearmed, if we will get ourselves out of the morass we find ourselves in, it has to be done by each and every one of us. We all have contribution to make and should not leave our responsibility for others to do for us. If we fail to participate in things that are meaningfully positive for this country, you will be a victim and we all become victims,” Obasanjo warned.
Obasanjo told the 150 traders from across the 36 States that visited him that, “as far as the next political dispensation is concerned, I cannot decide yet, we should all resort to spiritual guidance for help.”

“As for me, we don’t know where we are going yet, may God show us the way. The way that will take this country and make it a great country and well for me too. I understand and If I see the way, I will tell you. I pray that God will show me the way, may God show you the way,” the former President declared.

In her reaction, the leader of the delegation, National President of the Nigerian Market/Traders Council, Yeye (Mrs) Osho said the traders wanted to get the direction of the former President on the 2015 election.
She said the council had tremendous support of the former President during his eight year-rule. “As such, we deem it necessary and as a mark of respect to come and find out on which direction we are going. He had told us to wait and we shall pass the message to our members throughout the country, that Baba is yet to decide”, the market leader said.
Among the dignitaries that were with the former President to welcome his guests were the Iyalode of Yorubaland, Alaba Lawson and one of the aides to President Olusegun Obasanjo while in office, Dr. Gbolade Osinowo.

http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/08/23/immigration-set-to-recruit-5000-officers/

The Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, on Friday said the Federal Government planned to recruit 5,000 officers into the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over the next five years.

Moro said this in Abuja at the 2014 Comptroller-General’s annual conference and stakeholder’s forum in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the service.
The two-day conference organised by the service is themed: “Effective Border Control Systems and Procedures for National Security”.

He said recruitment was aimed at enabling the service to increase the number of officers manning the country’s 4,400 square kilometer borders.
“The fact that we have fewer than 23,000 immigration officers manning our very long stretch of border means there is need to add more men into the service.
“We owe Nigeria and Nigerians the duty of securing our borders in spite of the security challenges the country is facing now,” he said.

He said due to the extensive responsibilities of the service, the ministry was committed to supporting it towards being a world class migration management organisation in technologically-driven society.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service has been participating actively in the fight against insurgency in the North East and cross border organised crimes and criminality.

“We have lost some officers in the line of duty but I am pleased to note that in spite of all odds and challenges, our officers and men are fighting on,” he said.
Moro urged the officers to be committed in their service delivery and ensure that they delivered on President Goodluck Jonathan’s charge to deliver travel documents to Nigerians within 24 hours.
He said that “business as usual” would no longer be tolerated, adding that corruption and extortion would be appropriately sanctioned.

Earlier, Comptroller-General of the NIS, David Parradang, called for the recruitment of at least 5,000 new officers annually into the service over the next five years.
He expressed concern over the unmanned 1,400 illegal border routes in the country, noting that, while there were only 84 approved land routes across the over 4,000 square-kilometre border, the over 1,400 illegal routes caused serious security implications for the country.
“NIS presently has a total of 22,321 staff and the enormous statutory obligations of the NIS coupled with emerging migration trends and trajectories make this number of personnel grossly inadequate.

“The un-demarcated and poorly marked borders make settlement of people in border communities intertwined and stringent control by the service apparently difficult.
He also called for the construction of border plazas equipped with radars, sensors, cargo and document scanners and modern border patrol aircraft, boats, vehicles and communication gadgets.
“Improved training and re-training of our personnel is also required to enable them cope with the dynamics of modern migration management.

“Given the enabling environment and the necessary support, the service can be placed on a better pedestal to guarantee a more improved performance,” he said.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Sen. Atiku Bagudu, and his House of Representatives counterpart, Rep. Umar Bature, as well as retired officers of the service attended the conference.

The president is on private visit until proving wrong by one and only sahara reporters

http://saharareporters.com/2014/08/21/doctors-ebola-isolation-center-lagos-say-n19bn-promised-fg-was-never-received

"Chukwu is grossly misinforming the public," the source said.

Countering reports from both the Federal Government and the Ministry of Health in Nigeria claiming almost N1.9bn in funding was released to fight the Ebola virus, doctors working at the isolation center at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, Lagos, say that they have yet to receive any financial support, and as conditions there deterioriate, so does staff morale.

Shine1177: What we use to know as the North is not the same again. The Middle-Belters has since rebelled against their taskmaster, the Northerners wanted to stage a walkout on this Confab if not for the Middle Belt guys withdrew at the last minute. The South want change, if we gather few States in North-Central then its a done deal. I just want to be positive of this nation.

Who are the middle belt people, u guys keep talking of? Simply because jerry gana or ibrahim mantu speak from niger and plateau claim to be middle belt mean it is true? Those men are politicians when it come to real issue u will no

Shine1177: Council of State of State, National Assembly and the people my brother. If you notice, the drumbeat of secession has since died when the North was outsmart from disrupting its progress and success. Let be positive.

Any important issue in that conference most go to national assembly. Council of state don't have much to do rather than minor issue like recommending appointment or to cancel things like pilgrimage which fg send people for, but when it comes to state creation, revenue sharing and others that are enshrined in 1999 constitution, u most send it to our senators and rep. Not all those old men that come up with that craps will tell us what to do, the north is not bother again, since the president had decide to send it to NA. Remember u need 2/3 of state house of assembly in 36 state for any constitution to be change, no cause for alarm

And what have they achieve with the conference than to send their resolution to national assembly as usual or is their resolution better than previous conferences outcome.

Shine1177: These recommendations will still be subjected to the people by way of referendum.

Which referendum? After jona has perform the burial rite and funeral service for the conference yesterday, that he will send their resolution to national assembly, you are talking of referendum. National conference is a jamboree

— Aug 21, 2014| 2 Comments
The Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the Health Minister, Dan Nwomeh, has urged the media to disregard all rumours of new cases of the virus.
A statement made available to LEADERSHIP on behalf of the minister, captioned, “No New Confirmed Case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, reads, “The Honourable Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu wishes to reiterate that at present, Nigeria has only two confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease.”
Chukwu said the clarification became necessary following media reports of five new cases in Lagos State, adding that the report should be disregarded.
He said: “However, as at 7 pm today, there is no other confirmed Ebola Virus Disease case in Nigeria outside the two that are currently under treatment at the isolation ward in Lagos.”

Today we have ebola cure, tomorrow we don't have
Today no new case of ebola, tomorrow we record two
Today we discharge Dr Ada, tomorrow Dr Ada-devoh is dead
Clueless leaders all in govt

@op Why would jonathan release Al-mustapha from prison, despite his link to most of cases u rise above

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-confab-reportll-be-sent-to-nassembly-council-of-state/

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the report of the National Conference will be sent to the National Assembly and the Council of State for “incorporation into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The council consists of governors, former presidents or heads of state, former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Jonathan, while receiving the report of the conference from its Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, in Abuja on Thursday, however added that the Executive would implement any aspect of the report that concerned it.
He assured Kutigi that there was no way the report of the conference would be a waste as being speculated in some quarters.
He said, “As I receive the report of your painstaking deliberations, let me assure you that your work is not going be a waste of time and resources.
“We shall do all we can to ensure the implementation of your recommendations which have come out of consensus and not by divisions.
“The discourse reflected our latest challenges. We shall send the relevant aspects of your recommendations to the Council of State and the National Assembly for incorporation into the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. On our part, we shall act on those aspects required of us in the Executive.”
Jonathan stated that it would be wrong to assume that there were people who he said could be credited with having a monopoly of knowledge.
He said those in government needed to feed from the thoughts of those who elected them, adding that as patriots, the delegates had done their duty.
The President said what was left was for the elected ones to do their own job.
He added, “As I receive the report of your painstaking deliberations, let me assure that your work is not going be a waste of time and resources.
“We shall do all we can to ensure the implementation of your recommendations which have come out of consensus and not by divisions.”
The President appealed to all arms of government and Nigerians to be ready to play the different roles that the report would assign to them.
He said with the report of the conference, the country was on the right path to getting the job of nation building done.
Apart from this, he said with the report of the conference coming 100 years after the Amalgamation, there were hopes of a landmark in the country’s history.
As a Nigerian, he said, he had always believed that dialogue was a better way of driving change in a community, adding that he was happy that the conference ended well.
“With the far-reaching recommendations touching on several areas of our national life, I am convinced that this will be a major turning point for Nigeria,” he said.
The President told the gathering, which included his deputy, Namadi Sambo; the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Muktar and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and diplomats, among others, that the success recorded by the conference had proved those who predicted that nothing good would come out of it wrong.
He commended the delegates for controlling their emotions during the period the conference which was inaugurated on March 17, 2014 lasted.
Jonathan said, “The success of this conference has proved the cynics wrong in many respects.
“Those who dismissed the entire conference ab initio as a ‘diversion’ have been proved wrong as what you achieved has contrary to their forecast diverted our country only from the wrong road to the right direction.
“They said the conference would end in a deadlock as Nigeria had reached a point where the constituent parts could no longer agree on any issue.”
He said this was why he suggested that the delegates should arrive at their decisions by consensus or 75 per cent majority.
The President said when his suggestion posed a challenge to the conference, some people advised that he should intervene .
But he said he refused because many members of the conference were old enough to resolve their disagreements.
The President said, “That was the first challenge you had during the conference when it appeared you were going to break up.
“There were suggestions that we should intervene as government to ‘save’ the conference at that dicey moment but I insisted that beyond the inauguration, we were not going to intrude into the affairs of the conference in any manner.
“One of the many reasons for our non-interference is this: we have at the conference, 494 delegates and six conference officials who all in their individual rights are qualified to lead our great country and if they were unable to agree on how to take decisions, we would be in real trouble!
“Acknowledging the quality and patriotic content of the delegates, I was confident, the right thing would be done.”
The President said he was aware that there were a few outstanding issues yet, which the delegates were unable to agree on.
These are derivation and sharing formula among the three tiers of government.
He added that if everybody agreed on every issue, the debate would not only be lacking in quality and passion, it would also be said to have been stage-managed.
President Jonathan said what “we should worry about now is not that there were disagreements in one or two items, but how to manage these disagreements such that nobody walks away feeling short-changed and bitter.”
While submitting the 10,335-page report, Kutigi said that all issues were arrived at by consensus.
Kutigi said the work of the conference remained the most tasking in the history of national conference in the country.
He said, “The 1978 Constituent Assembly had a membership of 230 people and met for nine months. The 1995 National Constitutional Conference had a membership of 371 people and met for 12 months.
“The 2005 National Political Reform Conference was made up of 400 delegates and met for five months.
“We are 494 in membership and you made us do all this work in four and half months.”
The former Chief Justice of Nigeria added that the conference approved over 600 resolutions, some dealing with issues of law, policy and amendment to the 1999 Constitution
He said the resolutions did not deal with frivolous or inconsequential issues and that the delegates showed courage in tackling them.
Council of State has no role to play –Falana
When one of our correspondents asked a conference delegate, Femi Falana (SAN), if it was right for the President to send the report to the National Assembly and the Council of State, he replied that the council had nothing to do with it.
He explained that the recommendations of the conference were in three stages – policy implementation, amendment of some laws and rewriting of the 1999 Constitution.
He said the first stage was meant for the President and his cabinet members to effect while the second and the third stages are bills to be forwarded by the Executive to the National Assembly for incorporation in the Constitution.
After the incorporation, he added, a referendum would be held.
He said, “The first stage has to do with policy implementation and that is for the Executive; the second one involves amending certain laws while the third one pertains to rewriting the Constitution. For the second and the third stages, the President has to present bills to the National Assembly for them to pass them into law after which the Constitution would be presented to Nigerians for a referendum.
“The Council of State has nothing to do with the recommendations of the conference. It is just an advisory body.”
Delegates form pressure group
Meanwhile, some of the delegates have formed a pressure group with the aim of pushing for the implementation of the decisions reached at the conference.

tandj: Who is tambuwal?

How many know him?

Do village folks know him?

These r people that do the voting. Even atiku,buhari and ribadu r more popular.

Unless those from his constituency.

just imagining going to my constituency to tell market women to vote for tambuwal, they will look lost.
And even though I don't fancy buhari, I will vote for him 10times than tambuwal.
Yet to see his impact in d NA, except leading in looting, and he feels he has looted enough to contest as president.
I laugh.

U may not no him since u are frm Abakaliki, but over 2million register voters from his state sokoto knws him,over 4million voters frm kano state knws him, over 3million voters frm kaduna knws him, over 2million voter frm borno state knws him more than Gej and many other northern state knws him wel

Rubbish, he shld continue mocking him self and his party that buhari will decamp, how many jobs has he created for his constituency

LMAyedun: Abubakar Audu - APC Leader, Kogi state.

Frm Governor of Kogi state, Audu was alleged by the EFCC to have fraudulently enriched himself to the tune of over #4Billion while he was Governor of Kogi state between 1999-2003.

U even run out of idea, to the extend u mention Audu who is now PDP allied

highmood: People are asking why the president have not done anything to punish those rogues? We all know what the APC will cry about; the PDP is using the efcc as a watch dog, the pdp is using the police to intimidate them, the pdp is using the security operatives and judges to scuttle and harass them due to the forthcoming election etc. I hope they would wait when the president takes the mantle of leadership come 2015, then they will judge if he is a weakling or wise man.

Sharrraaap dia. when femi fani kayode was charge to court because he was in APC insulting PDP govt, did APC carry of witch hunting in the media, The allow him to face his corruptions charges. Until fani kayode decide to decamp back to PDP and the free him from corruption, all those that ops mention are not in govt, PDP shld prosecute them if they are truly corrupt

LOL, jesus sending moses to deliver the fake jews ibos from abuja, let me just save picture for DP, it is funny. I will remind abians when he become senator that it was jesus that sent him there LOL

atlwireles: Very good, hopefully the fake PDP members will be kept away from the primaries.

Are u now saying Nuhu ribadu, Buba Marwa and Gundiri are APC. Moles in PDP? But u trust the acting Governor

U southern don't knw politics

http://www.punchng.com/news/adamawa-gub-race-ribadu-marwagundiri-suffer-setback/

National Working Committee members of the Peoples Democratic Party met in Abuja on Wednesday, but failed to discuss the issue of waiver for those who want to contest the party’s governorship bye- election in Adamawa State.Those who needed the waiver are the trio of the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa and a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in the state in 2011, Mr. Marcus Gundiri.

Buruji Kashamu - PDP leader south west

Those criminal shld be arrested for fighting, they are the real suspect

Despite assurances that the crisis rocking the home
of Nigerian football has abated, cleavages clearly
exist with Vice President, Chief Mike Umeh storming
out of the Executive Committee meeting, presided
over by President Alhaji Aminu Maigari in Abuja
Tuesday.
It is clear that Chief Umeh, who took over when the
Board ‘sacked’ Aminu last month, still believes that
that decision remains valid.
However, a letter from FIFA forced Sports Minister Dr.
Tammy Danagogo to insist on Maigari’s re-
instatement last Friday, which brought the ‘sacked’
President back.
But despite the Minister’s intervention, Chief Umeh
has steadfastly refused to budge and has even
insisted that Maigari had resigned, which he has
since refuted.
Chief Umeh’s name was conspicuously missing from
the roll call attached to the communique issued after
the meeting presided over by Maigari.
The Board once again indicated that it would be
pushing for a new date for the elections currently
scheduled for next week Tuesday in Warri, Delta
State.
“In view of the prevailing circumstances in Nigeria
football, there is the absolute need to present a new
roadmap leading to elections into the NFF Executive
Committee, for consideration and approval by the
General Assembly, being the supreme body of
Nigeria football, at the Congress slated for Tuesday,
26th August, 2014 in Warri, Delta State,” noted the
communique.
The Board also decided to re-admitted delegates
from Plateau and Yobe State Football Associations,
which had been suspended, at the General Assembly.
The members in ‘

oluseyiforjesus: 1st suspect ;maigari,want to cover his ass with fire incident

U must be a foool. Maigari did not burn down glass house when they are investigating b4 they sack him, it now that he return he will now burn down the office. U better ask umeh

*Maigari, Umeh, who really is NFF Chairman?
There was drama at the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) on Monday in Abuja as two men struggled for the leadership position of the body. Maigari, who was impeached by a two-thirds majority of the NFA board, had returned to office on Monday following a directive by the Sports Minister, Tammy Danagogo. Danagogo […].