₦airaland Forum

Billyonaire: SO Agege is now synonymous with Nigeria, this is the problem with you timid Lagos born kids. I come from Niger Delta, and I often tell people that Lagos is a disorganized location, not even fit to raise kids. That is very understandable, but if you chose to move to Osun State, Ogun State, Ekiti State, and to the SS/SE and Niger Delta, there is sanity in behaviorism. Lagos is Chaos, does not mean all part of the country is.

You are a liar! You can write this Crap to foreigners but not us. Delta state that you are from is the worst place to live in southern Nigeria. Visit warri, you will be amazed with the High level of crimes suchasy young guys in possession of guns and It's ttthe capital of kidnapping in Africa

onatisi: very good ,so u have already counted the votes abi?welldone .we shall see

Let's wait till then, You and ur Oga will be shamed

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said on Wednesday that huge spending on security and use of guns by security forces would not guarantee security of lives and property of Nigerians.

He said this in a lecture paper he delivered at the "Abia Youth Empowerment Summit" in Umuahia.

Sanusi, therefore, called for a more proactive measure to curb insurgency in the country, stressing that government owe it a duty to provide means of livelihood for the citizens.

"No matter how much we spend in security, no matter how many guns we give to security forces, there will not be security until these people have food on their table.

"Addressing security problems without addressing the fundamental economic causes is only a short-term measure.

"Yesterday it was Niger Delta militancy, today it is Boko Haram, tomorrow it will be something else. We have to address the problem of youth and their future across the country."

He also advocated "difficult" structural reforms to grow the nation's economy to scale.

He noted that more than 90 per cent of religious, social, and political crises in the country had their roots in the economy.

"It's about unemployment; it's about poor infrastructure; it's about an economy that is essentially dysfunctional; this is a country that imports what it can produce and exports what it does not produce.

"So the solution is simple. It's about the difficult structural reforms that are required to grow the economy on scale."

The dignitaries at the event included former Senate President, Chief Adolphus Wabara and the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, among others. (NAN)

http://m.naij.com/news/32096.html

May 2, 2013 has been fixed by an Abuja High Court in Jabi district as a date to deliver judgment in a matter of land litigation between the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and her predecessor and the wife of late President Yar'Adua, Hajia Turai Yar'Adua.

The two first ladies were supposed to report out of court settlement to the court yesterday over a disputed 1.84 hectares of land in Abuja, but when the matter came up, the two parties disclosed to the court that it was practically impossible for them to resolve the issue.

Consequently, the presiding judge, Justice Peter Affen, fixed May 2, 2013 to deliver judgment on the matter.

The parties could not reach useful terms after meeting with Justice Affen inside his chambers for over 40 minutes yesterday.

Consequently, when they resumed hearing yesterday, Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (WYEF) opposed an application by the other parties to further adjourn the case hence the court informed parties that the judgment was already and would be delivered if parties failed to settle before the judgment day.

The disputed land, plot no. 1347 Cadastral Zone AOO, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT, was initially allocated to WYEF while Mrs. Yar'adua was First Lady.

The Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed revoked the allocation for what he described as "overriding public interest" and reallocated the same land to Mrs. Jonathan for the building of African First Lady Peace Mission Headquarters on the 2nd of November, 2011.

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Mrs. Yar'Adua complained that the land allocated to WYEF on 19 February 2010 was being trespassed upon by Mrs. Jonathan and got a court order dated 5 March 2012 restraining the defendants from affecting WYEF title and interest over the land.

Those joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Minister of FCT, Federal Capital Administration, the Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

WYEF, through its lawyer, Adamu Ahmed Ibrahim and Company, is asking for N1.5 billion as general damages, N100 Million as exemplary damages, N100 Million as aggravated damages in addition to N261 Million already paid for Certificate of Occupancy as well as N454 Million paid for building designs.

WYEF said that while it appears that the Ministry of Justice may be interested and committed to a settlement, their terms and what they offer says otherwise.

According to WYEF, the land offered by the FCTA was a much smaller parcel of land than the one purportedly acquired from WYEF for the first lady.

As part of the moves to get a negotiated settlement, already, the Federal Capital Territory Adminstration has offered WYEF Plot. 1838 Cadastral Zone AOO Abuja measuring 6119.29 square metres as replacement plot. While another plot 1839 was also proposed to be in favour of the African First Lady Mission, measuring 6100.51.

The said Plot nos 1838 and 1839 are subdivided from plot 700 CBD Cadastral Zone AOO, Abuja.

http://m.naij.com/news/32070.html

In a bid to deepen competition and force mobile phone operators to provide better service to their customers, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, on Monday launched the Nigerian Mobile Number Portability service to guarantee freedom for telecoms subscribers.

Here are 15 things you need to understand how the service can better work for you:

1. MNP allows subscribers to migrate from one mobile service provider to another without changing their mobile phone number. It empowers subscribers to terminate their relationship with their current network service provider if they are dissatisfied with the quality of services provided.

2. The service is provided by all GSM mobile operators in Nigeria- MTN, GLOBACOM, ETISALAT, and AIRTEL- free of charge. This, however, does not apply to Fixed Number Portability, FNP, or any other form of number or service portability.

3. All mobile phone users, no matter the type of your subscription or plan - pre‐paid/pay-as-you-go, post‐paid/contract, simple/single number or complex/multi number - can take advantage of the service. Individual numbers are ported separately as separate transactions using the same procedure as for a single number account except that the numbers may share the same porting request form.

4.Subscribers must visit the customer care office, retail shop or outlet of their chosen new service provider to request to port their number. Porting cannot be done via telephone calls, text messages, online or other electronic means. Deferred or delayed porting is not permitted. Only real-time porting of numbers is allowed.

5.You must present valid identification documents- passport, driver's license or an official identity card that has your picture on it- as for proof of identity. A webcam is used to capture your image in the absence of proper identification documents.

6.Your new network needs to check for credit worthiness to ensure that the request to port a number or numbers is not malicious.

7. To port your number, you would be asked to complete a Port Request Form. You would then be asked to send a text message with the word "PORT" to a short code "3232". Porting is completed within 48 hours.

8. A new SIM card is issued every time you port your number to a new service provider. Your old SIM card ceases to be useful once the porting process has been completed.

9. Subscribers to any network can port at any time and as many times as they like in a given year. However, porting to a third operator or back to your original operator is restricted within 90 days of a previous port. You would need to follow the same procedure each time you decide to port your number or return to your previous service provider.

10. Information on the progress of your porting request is sent via SMS. You can change your mind at any time before you receive confirmation SMS is sent. Cancellation of porting request or porting process is not acceptable once you receive confirmation.

11. Service from the old service network operator may be lost within an hour of notification by SMS of completion of porting request.

12. Your call charges may change to reflect the tariffs of the new network operator.

13. Voicemail, SMS, MMS and ancillary services would need to be reset with the new service provider. Messages sent to you prior to porting may be lost.

14. Pre‐paid subscribers cannot take outstanding credits while switching to the new service providers.

15. Post‐paid subscribers must settle outstanding bills to their previous service provider, including any early termination fees, before the porting process can commence. A final bill for usage up to the time the number is ported would be sent to the new operator.

http://m.naij.com/news/32040.html

victorD3: What is yoruba benefiting from Thiefnibu?

Go and ask your kinsmen, what Yoruba benefits from Tinubu. Maybe u are blind!

anonimi: Can we use the same standard for the dominant party in power for South west i.e. the Association of Conmen in Nigeria, ACN



Shebi what is good for the goose is also good for the gander
Hence the performance measure for the centre/federal should also be used for the state and LGAs!!!

_________________________________
2015 - Next Level Democracy.
Join a political party in your LG ward with folks & friends NOW!

You are omo Igbo! so I can't really blame u for this statement u made. ACN governments have done inner city/feeders roads than your PDP governments of the past and present.
Just last year alone, Fashola built 120 inner roads and this year plans to build 100 roads. What have PDP govts. In ur yiboland done other than to concentrate only on the major roads?

The Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Gbolahan Lawal, said on Friday that the state government would increase food supply to its over 20 million population by 25 per cent.

Mr. Lawal said this on Friday while addressing a Ministerial news briefing to mark the sixth-year anniversary of Governor Babatunde Fashola in Office.

He said that government would continue to give food security and empowerment generation top priority. It is not clear if the state's actions will lead to a reduction in food prices.

The commissioner said that despite the state's high industrial status and pressure on lands for non-agricultural purposes, government has identified productive activities.

"Government had identified farming activities in the areas where it has comparative ecological and socioeconomic advantages.

"Such areas include fisheries, livestock and vegetable production, as well as agro-allied food processing, with emphasis on value addition," he said.

Mr. Lawal said that the state initiative on poultry, fish, vegetable and arable crops, Eko Farmers Mart chain development would ease marketing problems of farmers.

He said that the rehabilitation of coconut belt for tourism and poverty alleviation, and the commercial agriculture development project are set to increase food production in the state.

The commissioner said that the ministry had recorded huge progress in the last one year through various food production programmes.

"Some of these programmes are the Strategic Food Reserve, beginning with a modern high quality cassava factory at Araga in Epe, and the expansion of rice for job initiative with 400 youth.

"Establishment of infrastructure facilities at Songhai, Abia, Badagry under the Agricultural Youth Empowerment Scheme and the establishment of the Cooperative College at Oko-Oba," he said.

Mr. Lawal said that the ministry had also embarked on a series of programmes, including the National Fadama Development Project, Input Subsidy and Organic Farming promotion to increase farmer's income.

"We try to reduce drudgery in agriculture by providing mechanisation, and also Agricultural Land Holdings and Management to give farmers land," he said.

He said that with the support of residents, the state government's undaunted commitment towards the attainment of food security would be achieved.

The commissioner disclosed that the state government would also organise a clean-up and redevelopment of the dilapidated Oko-Oba abattoir.

http://m.naij.com/news/31626.html

Congratulation! Gov. Fashola and his justice team for the Job well done.

Lagos State Government has commenced moves to set guidelines for imposing sentences on offenders by judges and magistrates in the state.

The state's Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Ade Ipaye, said this in Alausa, Ikeja, the state capital, while fielding questions from journalists during the 2013 Ministerial Press Briefing on the activities of the Ministry of Justice in the last one year.

Ipaye said the plan which had now been put as a Bill before the Lagos State House of Assembly, was to set a uniform standard of sentences imposed by judges and magistrates on persons convicted for various offences.

He commended the state's Law Reform Commission formed last year for drafting such law which would stop making imposition of sentences dependent on the "mercy" and "generosity" of judges and magistrates.

He said, "I'm happy to say that the Law Reform Commission has been hard at work and has actually produced bills which are now being processed in the House of Assembly.

"For instance, the commission has developed sentencing guidelines. This will guide magistrates and judges in a way they impose sentences after convicting the defendants that come before them.

"This is to achieve fairly uniformity. The number of years in prison or number of hours of community an offender is sentence to should not depend on the judge that the case happens to be before.

"It shouldn't depend on whether the judge was generous or not generous; kind or not kind. No."

He said documents of internationally-accepted guidelines for imposing sentences had been issued to various judges and magistrates in the state.

http://m.naij.com/news/31630.html

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, on Friday said that his Rivers State counterpart, Rotimi Amaechi, tried to 'reinstall' himself as the chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum.

However, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party countered his assertion, saying that only the 36 governors could decide whether Amaechi was okay to go for a second term.

Akpabio, who spoke during an interview on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise, said Amaechi's bid was stoutly resisted by some governors, whose identities he did not disclose.

He stated that Amaechi's bid was in violation of an agreement drawn up by governors when Vice-President Namadi Sambo was the governor of Kaduna State.

He said, "I must advise that Nigerians must practise responsible journalism. Sometimes you see headlines such as 'Jonathan's group..' or 'Jonathan fails to remove Amaechi.' Nothing like that ever happened.

"The only thing that happened within the (Nigerian) Governors' Forum was that our chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi, attempted to go for a second term and reinstall himself and we said no.

"The agreement we had was that each chairman should go for only one tenure. A constitution was we drafted. The chairman of the constitution drafting committee was (then governor) Namadi Sambo. We entrenched the provision that there it should only be one tenure each so that there would not be acrimony within the rank and file of the forum.

"We agreed that the Southern and Northern parts of the country should do two years each two. We did that because we had a situation where there was a chairman of the governors' forum who had a presidential aspiration and we were no longer having meetings. It was starting to look like the forum was trying to wrest power from the people at the Villa. That was not the truth."

On whether the influence of the forum had turned it into a pressure group, Akpabio explained that the unity it had brought about in the country was more important.

"I don't know about power but we have been able to bring together APGA, ACN and others. I don't think it is has become a pressure group.I think it is because of the events in the country. For instance, when our late President (Umaru Yar'Adua) was sick, there was the need for the governors to come together and provide a little bit of leadership and that was what we did. I think that is what we are elected to do," he added.

Akpabio also said he would run for the Senate in 2015, based on "pressures by my people who are yearning for quality representation based on service. I was compelled to reconsider my decision and yield to the people desire by opting to run for the Senate."

But Rivers State PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ukwuoma-Nwogba, said since Akpabio was only one governor among other state governors, his opinion could not be binding on the tenure of the forum's chairman.

Ukwuoma-Nwogba explained that the NGF had agreed that its constitution be amended for Amaechi to go for a second term and added that any opposition to such a decision was unnecessary.

"The truth is that Akpabio as governor is not the NGF and his position on the tenure of the NGF chairman cannot be binding on other governors.

"If the governors have agreed to amend their constitution for Amaechi to go for a second term as NGF chairman, there is little or nothing he (Akpabio) can do about it," the state PDP spokesman emphasised.

http://m.naij.com/news/30918.html

The Presidency has launched a desperate mission to salvage its shattered amnesty-for-Boko Haram programme.

The fundamentalist sect rejected yesterday the planned clemency for its members, saying it should be the one to pardon the government.

Some prominent Northern elders believed to be close to Boko Haram have been enlisted to prevail on the sect to embrace peace.

But a rights activist, Comrade Shehu Sani, who once facilitated talks with Boko Haram, said the rejection of amnesty by the sect should be expected because the Federal Government failed to do its homework well.

Also, a former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, said dialogue with the sect ought to come first before amnesty.To him, the rejection is not surprising.

After a parley with all service chiefs last week, President Goodluck Jonathan raised a committee to harness the various requests for amnesty for the sect.

The committee was given two weeks to come up with recommendations on the possibility of granting the militants pardon.

But Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the group has not committed any crime to deserve clemency.

In an audio statement, Shekau said his group had "not committed any wrong to deserve amnesty".

"Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should grant you pardon," Shekau was quoted as saying by AFP.

The rejection was made in an audio recording in Hausa language, which was distributed by email in a manner consistent with the previous messages released by Boko Haram.

The voice was said to be similar to that of previous Shekau statements.

The group says its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in the North where churches and many public places have been bombed. More than 1000 people have been killed.

According to the statement, Shekau said it was the government that was committing atrocities against muslims.

At the forefront of the clamour for pardon for the sect are the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar, the Alhaji Maitama Sule-led Northern Elders's Forum (NEF) and eminent Nigerians.

They include Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) National Learder Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who backed the idea with a condition that those with blood on their hands should face justice and the candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 presidential election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Gen. Buhari urged Nigerians to support amnesty if it will bring peace.

The violence continued yesterday; with unknown gunmen killing four policemen in Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.

The killings, which took place near the slain officers' station, was confirmed by the State Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai.

He said the gang also lost five of their members in the gun duel that ensued.

Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policemen were attacked as they took guard behind the sand-bags which provided barriers at the entrance of the station.

The gunmen, who failed in their plan to raze the station, carted away some rifles, Rufai said.

He said: "The gunmen came around midnight, trying to enter the police station with intent to burn it down, but were resisted by the police.

"We lost four policemen and their rifles were carted away but the station was protected," Rufai said.

According to sources, there has been anxiety in the Presidency and security circles since the position of the sect was made known.

It was gathered that the government got to know of Boko Haram stand on Wednesday night.

A source said: "No one is happy in the Presidency and in the security agencies because the decision of Boko Haram leaders is a setback.

"That is why everyone is wearing somber look because President Goodluck Jonathan and his security chiefs have been working round the clock to make the amnesty work.

"The government is already exploring options to salvage the situation, including liaison with Northern elders who could help persuade Boko Haram leaders to open up talks with the government."

Asked why the Boko Haram leaders rejected amnesty, the source added: "I think they have reservations about the process. There was a lot of celebration in the media before the thing took off."

In Sani's view, the rejection should have been expected because the Federal Government failed to do its homework well.

He also accused the government of focusing on a monetised amnesty instead of a genuine type.

Sani said: "Well, I am not surprised. In fact, it should be expected that they (Boko Haram leaders) should reject it because the government has put the horse before the cart.

"First and foremost, the whole idea of amnesty is a charade. The concept brought by Northern elders is an amnesty modelled along the line of Niger Delta and it is attached to financial commitment from the side of the state. They wanted to buy peace at a heavy amount of money just the way it is being brought about in the Niger Delta

"The committee being set up by the government would naturally be rejected by Boko Haram because it was not constituted after a consultation with the leaders of the sect.

"The whole idea is about extracting billions of naira to be shared to insurgents and also giving out contracts, using the names of Boko Haram leaders.

"They simply rejected being used by some persons who want to profit from the amnesty deal.

"The way forward is for the government to go back to Dr. Ahmed Datti Ahmed peace talk which was facilitated by a journalist, Ahmad Salkida of which the group acknowledged and endorsed at that very time.

"The outcome of that talk should then be preceded by a committee, which will have the input of the sect and also be recognised by the government.

"The next stage will then be a six to eight or nine-month ceasefire, which will ensure justice for all the victims of Boko Haram.

"So, any thought of using tax payers' money to back up a fraudulent amnesty is an exercise in futility."

Col. Umar said dialogue ought to have come first before the Federal Government rushed into the amnesty offer.

He said through dialogue, the government ought to have allowed the people to identify themselves, present their demands, consider the demands and open talks with the victims of Boko Haram insurgency whether they are ready to forgive or not.

Col. Umar said: "Well, I have all been skeptical about this amnesty issue. I align myself with the fact that there should be dialogue between the government and Boko Haram so that we will know what the insurgents want before we jump into amnesty.

"Without dialogue, we will not know whether they are ready for ceasefire or not. So, we need to create room for them to identify themselves, what their demands are and discuss with the Federal Government whether the government can meet these demands or not.

"Also, in considering amnesty, the Federal Government must take into account that there are victims that have been killed, maimed and those that lost their property. We need to know whether the families of those killed and other victims are ready to forgive or not. President Goodluck Jonathan does not have the power to forgive, which is the whole essence of amnesty. There are victims who must be ready to forgive before we can talk of amnesty.

"To be honest, I am not surprised that they (Boko Haram leaders) have come out to reject amnesty. This is the first time the nation must come together or be united to address this insurgency."

http://m.naij.com/news/30847.html

Fashola, u are indeed a true, visionary, discipline leader. First, it was the first traffic radio and now first traffic video. God bless u sir!

Lagos State Government has concluded arrangements to unveil the first multi-lingual traffic video in Africa to ensure the safety of citizens on the highway.

The unveiling of the video by Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, is to take place in Lagos, on Wednesday next week.

Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Drivers' Institute, Mr. Peter Oyedokun, said the video was designed to retrain drivers on driving skills, proper usage of the road and traffic signals.

Oyedokun spoke at the preview of the Defensive Driving Video in Lagos on Thursday.

He said, "This video would provide an avenue where drivers can learn driving skills, and how to drive correctly on the road.

"They would be retrained on proper use of the highway and the things expected of them while driving."

Oyedokun said Governor Babatunde Fashola directed that the video be produced as an indigenous tool, which could be translated into the five major languages in Nigeria.

He said, "His Excellency directed that we produce an indigenous video this time, instead of the usual Western type.

"He requested that the video should be translated into Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, English and Pidgin English. It is the first of its kind in Africa.

"It concentrates on preliminaries of driving, traffic, right of way, turning, space cushion, driving on the expressway and adverse conditions. It covers every aspect of driving in Lagos."

Oyedokun said LASDRI was expected to provide training for motorists in Lagos.

He said interactive class sessions, including medical eye tests, would hold yearly.

He said, "We do not train drivers on effect of non-compliance on the road, but on the right way to drive. That is why we have come up with this video."

http://m.naij.com/news/30801.html

It is absolutely unspeakable that the University of Abuja, situated in nation's capital is in dilapidated condition. In fact, the university is one of the worst in the nation as per infrastructure, poor management and instability.

The university has been rocked with several crises over the past years, the issues appear more intensified as those in charge of the administration seem to complicate matters.

Right now, the avalanche of files, recommendation and facts/figures that indict the management that are before the authorities, even the presidency that have been left unattended to raise more worries on whether the government is ready to solve the problems of the school.

There was unrest recently within the campus which led to total shut down of academic activities for about four months, after a prolonged reaction by students over publication of the Council for Regulation of Engineering (COREN), disqualifying the university whose Faculty of Engineering was not accredited. Subsequently, in April, 2012, the Minister for Education, Prof, Rukayyat Rufai officially pronounce the suspension of four new academic programmes; Engineering, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine and Human Medicine.

The action prompted the students to take to the streets of Abuja, expressing anger. This dismay generated series of confusion over University of Abuja, to the extent that people began to seek clarification over the competence of the Vice Chancellor of the institution to manage the affairs of the institution, arguably, the university community accused the VC to have been hinted prior to the demonstration but nothing substantial was arrived at to curb or ameliorate the incidence which later escalated into riots and violent demonstration by the students.

Obviously, for those that are familiar with the university environment, this account is just a piece of a bunch.

http://m.naij.com/news/30617.html

It's called FRESH AIR!

Barely three months after the busy Enugu-Okigwe-Umuahia-Port Harcourt federal road was rehabilitated under the supervision of FERMA, some portions of the road have gone bad again.

When reputable contractors like Julius Berger and Setraco were mobilised to rehabilitate the road, especially the Okigwe-Umuahia axis which was then a real death trap, motorists and commuters jubilated but their joy has turned out a temporary one.

This is because potholes have developed on the road, especially in the middle, endangering the lives of road users.

The potholes are mostly located between Ezinachi in Okigwe and Ofeme in Umuahia, a portion handled by one of the major contractors.

However, the stretch from Umuahia-back to Okigwe is in a better condition.

Even FERMA, which has its name advertised at several points along the road, has not made any effort to patch the new potholes.

Motorists and other road users are wondering what would happen when the rains come in full force.

The pace of rehabilitation work between Umuahia and Aba is abysmally slow, subjecting road users to unnecessary traffic snarls.

"When we saw the big contractors mobilized on this road late last year, we were very happy that we would have a good road that would last for long.

"But even what they did, only repairing the road with mixtures that looked like concrete surprised us.

"The road, especially the lane from Okigwe to Umuahia is not smooth. We had thought that the contractors would asphalt it but they never did and that is why you see some portions already going bad.

"Let the Federal Government do this road once and for all by fully mobilizing the contractors so that the people using this road will for one heave a sigh of relief," lamented a motorist, who gave his name simply as Emmanuel.

http://m.naij.com/news/30640.html

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has raised the alarm over what it described as the politically motivated kidnap of the Chairman of the party in South-East, Chief Chudi Nwike.

This was even as the party inaugurated new executive members in Ebonyi State. The National Chairman of ACN, Chief Bisi Akande represented by the National Welfare Officer of the party, Chief Uche Onyeaguocha said ACN was not happy that a group of detractors had gone to the extent of kidnapping members of the party.

He said the party had already commenced grassroots mobilization in Ebonyi State with the hope of winning the 2015 elections. Onyeaguocha said Ebonyi State was yawning for change which ACN was poised to effect and deliver.

He said the calibre of personnel he saw in Ebonyi gave him confidence that the state would become an ACN-controlled state by the next general elections and charged the elected executive not to disappoint the people. Onyeaguocha alleged that it was the ACN rivals that kidnapped Nwike, and called for his immediate release.

The national welfare officer said ACN had positioned itself to win the Anambra governorship election scheduled for November, adding that the party was transiting from a leading opposition party to a ruling political party, "and that is why we tend to form the All Progressives Congress (APC)."

Responding on behalf of the state working committee, Dr. Sylvester Nwambe promised to unite the members of the party as well as run an open door policy to accommodate strayed and new members.

http://m.naij.com/news/29574.html

No fewer than 500 retired staff of the Delta Steel Company Limited, DSCL, have died since 2005 while awaiting their entitlement, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, NUP.

National President of NUP, Mr Ali Abatcha, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said over 1983 pensioners of DSCL were unilaterally laid off and later retired.

Abatcha added that the death toll does not represent their wives and children.

According to him, on June 4, 2012, the union wrote a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan over the plight of their members and the resultant deaths, while till date, there had been no response from the President.

The union regretted that of the N11.709 billion owed the senior citizens, only 45 per cent of the amount had been paid them.

NUP in the letter copied the Joint Senate Committee on Public Establishment and States and Local Government on Pension Administration and Management, Minister of Iron and Steel, Director General of Bureau for Public Enterprises, BPE, and Secretary NUP Delta Steel Company Limited, noted that 55 per cent of the money was yet to be paid.

Abatcha alleged that the decision to stop pension payment to the existing pensioners and the non-placement of the disengaged staff on monthly pension was taken by the joint Managing Director of DSCL in collaboration with some BPE and government officials to the detriment of the pensioners and disengaged staff.

He described as sad, the way authorities were handling pensioners in Nigeria, saying: "Since June 2012 that we wrote a letter to the President for intervention into the situation of DSCL pensioners, nothing had been done till date, while our members die daily.

"Another pathetic story of DSCL pensioners is that the houses sold to them by Federal Government through BPE as part payment of their entitlements we are constrained to inform you that of about 4500 units of houses that were sold to the pensioners, about 600 units were yet to be accessed by the pensioners as the houses are being occupied by illegal occupants, who have vowed not to quit the houses.

"Ironically, while this injustice to our members is going on unchallenged, our members are dying daily without enjoying the fruits of their labour. Sadly, as at today, the death toll of our members at DSCL had risen to over 500. This figure does not represent their wives, children and dependants they lost while hopelessly waiting for payments of their benefits."

http://m.naij.com/news/29421.html

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra in the South-East and Oodua People's Congress in the South-West have said they are ready to protect the people in their regions from terrorists.

While MASSOB called on the Igbo in the North to "come back home," the OPC said its plans to secure the South-West would remain in secrecy.

Speaking to Punch correspondent on Friday, Director of Information, MASSOB, Mr. Uchenna Madu, described the list of 25 victims of the March 18 bombing of a Lagos-bound luxury bus and several others at Sabon-Gari Park, Kano, released by the state Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as a fallacy.

Suspected terrorists had attacked the ever-busy luxury bus park in the metropolis, with a bomb that left 75 dead and many others injured.

Madu accused the governor of trying to create confusion by giving the impression that the attack was not targeted at the Igbo. He said the group had "75 dead bodies, purely Igbo" on its record.

He said, "When the attack took place, we called the Biafran Intelligent Agency - the MASSOB security arm - and we got first-hand information."

He called on state governors in the South-East to facilitate evacuation of Igbo people from the North, adding that the northern governors had failed to protect non-indigenes.

He further said MASSOB recently sent 18 buses to the North for the evacuation of the Igbo, adding that it would send more.

The National Publicity Secretary of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr. Tony Oganah, also said the group would probe the names of victims of the blast to ascertain the number of the Igbo affected.

He argued that the only way to get the authentic list was from the passengers manifest available to operators of the affected vehicles and not from the governor.

"I smell a rat because it doesn't make sense for the bulk of people going to the South-East from the North to be northerners. It doesn't make any sense," Oganah added.

The founder, OPC, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, who refused to give details of security measures put in place, said, "Any fighter that announces his strategy is a very poor fighter. I am sure Boko Haram has no business in the South-West. I think it (presence of the sect in Lagos) is a speculation."

Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, however called for a thorough investigation of the suspected terrorists arrested in Lagos, saying militants from the South-South might be culpable.

The National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, also said, "The suspected terrorists occupied a house in Lagos and the house belongs to Bayelsa State - Bayelsa has admitted owning the house but denied knowing the suspects. That is why we have called for a thorough investigation because we knew that some elements of the Niger Delta had come to Lagos to attack the Atlas Cove. We want to be sure of what is happening.

"Wherever the enemies are coming from, I want to assure them that Yorubaland will not be defenceless and let nobody try any act of terrorism in the land because the Yoruba don't terrorise anybody."

Shortly after the Kano attack, the state Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Tobias Idika, had said, "This is the worst experience of the Igbo in Kano; we have lost over 60 souls, while five buses were burnt to ashes. These show that we have always been the target of the attacks."

However, Kwankwaso on March 22 released the list that had northerners as the majority, apparently to refute claims that the attack was targeted at the Igbo from the South-Eastern part of the country.

http://m.naij.com/news/29401.html

Crayola1: Its hard to make a case that the rest of the SW is open if everybody goes to a state that is a mix of every group. But yeah you continue to hold that non-existent point you have.

Come to IDIROKO, OTTA, LANFEWA, SAGAMU, AGBARA, IJOKO, and AKUTE all in Ogun state and so many Igbo youths, parents and kids, Hausas and some nigerdeltans leaving there not to mention IBADAN

Billyonaire: I stated Ila Oragun cos I spent 12 months there, but I have also been to Ibadan (Oyo State), Ede (obviously the NYSC camp is there) (Osun State), I have also been to Ondo State, and Ogun State. I have not been to Ekiti State yet, and I am here in Lagos State. So Basically, I have been to roughly 5 Yoruba States and Lagos happens to be the only Yoruba state I can give a pass mark. I need you to travel to 5 States within my protectorate and then you might decide to shift your grounds. I am not biased in my judgement here, but I can call up my little cousin that's 12yrs old and has never traveled out of my state since birth, and he will speak London Queen's English without any mistakes with adept knowledge of world's politics and Economies. But 20yrs old adults in JSS 3 in the school i lectured during NYSC could not understand English Language. I gave up! Anyway, that was over 10yrs ago, a lot may have changed, and I hope it does.

Where is ur protectorate and let's start from there? U can just come here and spewing trash. All ur states in southsouth plus those in southeast put together can't compete with southwest. Ur underaged boys come en masses to southwest to sell gala, toothpick, tablewater, cottonbuds etc during school hours in the traffic jam without the knowledge of English language and u said lives are conducive for them over there. I can also call up any yoruba kid from ILESA PRIMARY SCHOOL and u be convinced the way he/she gonna shame u.

Billyonaire: You are not well-traveled within the country, there are many Yorubas in the SS/SE and Niger Delta, I doubt if those Yorubas there will ever return, cos life there is very much more conducive than it is, in Yoruba lands. I was shocked when NYSC took me to Osun State, Ila Oragun to be precise, those Yoruba hinterland are not organized and civilized as its iobtainable in the ND/SS/SE. In the S.South/East/ND, we live better and more civilized lives than whats obtainable in the West, you need to just go check it out.

You are an Igbo from delta. But always generalize everything involves SE with SS/ND, that's a true igboman for u.
Back to ur assertions, Southeast is more conducive than southwest? U must be high on a strong weed even with the kidnapping palaver. In short, most youths in delta state have guns, can u see that in any yoruba state? There's parental-children training in yoruba which is a form of culture that doesn't allow u to do all forms of atrocities we see in NigerDelta and southeast.

caseless: another blind lunatic!

Not just that but a painful PDP idiot!

I pray so in the name of the most high Jesus. Amen

A Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that no less than 50 per cent of the current members of the ruling party will defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) once the party is registered.

The BoT member, Kashim Imam, made this declaration at a dinner in respect of the 61st birthday of the National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in Lagos yesterday. Imam pointedly told the gathering that the current occupants of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa should prepare to vacate the place because APC will win the 2015 election. Imam, who spoke while paying glowing tributes to the celebrant and former Lagos State governor, said the massive defection from the ruling party to APC would "shake this country." He said: "I am standing here talking as a PDP member, and this is coming from me.

APC is set to shake this nation, and they will win the elections." There had been speculations that many PDP members would defect to the APC, a merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would attract many PDP members, including governors and National Assembly members. Kashim said there is no Nigerian politician who knows his onion as much as Tinubu, noting that the best of the National Leader of the ACN was yet to come. He said: "As a senator, he sacrificed himself for another person to be Senate President.

He sacrificed everything to ensure Abiola was elected President. Regretfully, the election was annulled. "In 2003, he called me and sent me to Abuja to tell President Olusegun Obasanjo to forget Lagos in his quest to capture the South West. I left that night and told Obasanjo that we should leave Lagos alone. "He is an incredible fellow. He is faithful to all his friends to a fault. "As we celebrate you, my Asiwaju, there is no politician like you. People in the Villa should start packing because APC is coming to take over.

I am saying so with all sense of responsibility because 50 per cent of us in the PDP will move and shake this country."

The event, which held at the 10th floor of the Eko Hotel and Suites, had in attendance distinguished personalities from all walks of life, many of whom paid glowing tributes to the national icon. Describing the former governor of Lagos State in superlative terms, the guests noted that Nigeria would be a better place if it had a leader like him. Present at the gathering were Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and his wife, Abimbola; the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji; the Asojuoba of Lagos, Molade Okoya-Thomas; Senators Mudashiru Husain, Mohammed Ndume, Gbenga Obadara, Olorunnimbe Mamora; Babajide Omomurare and Ganiu Solomon; wife of the Osun State Governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbeslola, and Mrs. Remi Agbowu. Others included Oba Saheed Elegushi; former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake; the Managing Director,

The Nation Newspapers, Mr. Victor Ifijeh; the Chairman, Editor Board of The Nation Newspapers, Mr. Sam Omatseye; Mrs. Kemi Nelson; former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Audu; the Chief of Staff to Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola and wife; and the National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Husain, who spoke to The Nation, said Asiwaju Tinubu made a lot of them what they are today. He described him as an icon, a leader and a statesman who has elevated so many people from zero level.

He said: "He (Tinubu) deserves to be celebrated because he made a lot of us what we are today. I pray that the Almighty Allah will grant him wisdom and the strength to exceed his present record. "We are all looking up to him for his guidance, his caution, because he has the lead way to so many things. "With him, I know we can achieve so much more in this country and beyond.

"My wish for him is that Allah should grant him long life and more grace." Ndume, who said he came all the way from Maiduguri to celebrate Tinunbu, disclosed that the Asiwaju was his role model.

He said Tinubu is not just a politician but a nationalist, noting that there is a difference between a politician and a role model. Ndume said if Nigeria has six people like Asiwaju, the country would be a better place, noting that Lagos is the only state where the dividends of democracy are evident. He said: "You see us here because we are celebrating a true nationalist. People like Asiwaju are rare. So, when God blesses him with another year, we are delighted to come and celebrate him.

"He is one of those who make Nigerians feel proud of their nationality. He has taken the politics of Nigeria to the next level. "From his struggle during NADECO to the time he fought to retain Lagos in the opposition, he has been true to his beliefs. Although Lagos was in the opposition, he was able to transform Lagos from a slum city to a mega city. "I am impressed by the state of Lagos today. It is one of the few states in the country that have seen the dividends of democracy, and it is Asiwaju's legacy. I urge the youths to emulate him.

"If other past governors had worked like Asiwaju, Nigeria will be better today. I wish him very long life and pray that Nigeria should have many people like him." For Mrs. Agbowu, Nigeria would have been a better place if it had a leader like Asiwaju. She said Asiwaju has great ideas and is very prepared for leadership unlike some leaders who do not understand the enormity of the weight of leadership. She described the former governor as a sincere, kind and forward-looking man with great ideas to move the society forward.

http://m.naij.com/news/29330.html

Opposition parties in Abia State have come together under a yet-to-be-identified umbrella, to ease Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji out of power. The parties are All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Leadership of the parties met yesterday in Umuahia, the state capital and agreed to form a formidable body that would ensure that PDP was ousted from the state whether the merger agreement at the national worked or not. They came out with a seven-point communiqué which lamented that there was bad governance in Abia and Nigeria, that they would remove bad governance, that all Abia opposition parties were now one, that process of merging would be peaceful and that meeting of the group would be going on at all levels, etc.

The leadership of each of the parties spoke strongly in support of the project as they all agreed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had failed the state. Others who spoke during the meeting were floor members, representatives of the women group and representatives of the youths.

They agreed that the only state in the South East that needed change as a matter of urgency was Abia State and implored the people to be steadfast in what they were doing. ANPP was represented by its state Chairman, Chief Cassidy Agbai, CPC by Mr. Kalu Kalu, DPP by Chief Ikonne Okechukwu, APGA by Chief Ozo Obata while ACN was represented by Chief Egwuatu Egbulefu. Speaking earlier, Egbulefu said that Igbos had come together in a meeting to agree that wherever there was bad governance in the South East, they would ensure the establishment of good governance by sacking the leadership in that state.

"The decision is that whether parties merge or not, Igbos have merged to bring about good governance for our people. We are here because we want our first meeting to be on neutral ground," Egulefu said. They implored everyone to go to their wards and talk to people, stating that they should welcome everybody, including those coming to spy on them because when they come, they would realise that the coming together of the Igbos was for the good of all.

Speaking on the process of merger going on at i national level, Egbulefu said every party involved in the arrangement would hold a convention, return their certificate of registration and fuse into one another to become one entity. According to him, if this worked out, the new party would accommodate all principal people in the various parties that had come together.

http://m.naij.com/news/29132.html

Fresh facts emerged, Monday, on the presence of more illegal aliens suspected to be terrorists in Ijora area of Lagos, as revealed that the suspects, who are Malians and Chadians, were occupying a three-storey building owned by a state government.

Last Thursday's raid by the Department of State Security, DSS, and men of OP Messa, led to the arrest of two suspected terrorists and recovery of arms and explosives in a building on Aromire Street, Ijora.

However, investigations revealed that the three story-building alleged to be used by the suspected terrorists is also located on Aromire Street, Ijora, close to the house that was raided last week.

Monarch raises alarm Lagos monarch, Oba Fatai Oyeyinka Aremu, who spoke when traditional heads of major northern tribes resident in Lagos, led by the Seriki Hausa of Lagos State, Alhaji Sani Kadiri Garuba, visited him in his palace, said it would have been a case of the worse casualties in the history of bombings in the country.

He blamed the government that owns the building for the development. The monarch said: "You see, this problem comes from the state government that owns that property. If you go to the house in Ijora, you will see all these Malians there.

"They are squatters and we have written to the state government concerned several times without any response. Ask the Area Commander and the DPO, they will tell you. On our part, we are trying our best."

Without mincing word, the monarch urged the Seriki Hausa of Lagos to call his people, particularly those in Ijora to order, saying "I am not happy with what happened because your people have been living with us here since. I have been here since 1994 and this kind of thing had never happened.

"We have been taking your people as brothers and sisters. You don't have to turn back and do this kind of thing to us. Do something because I am not happy at all. Since that day (last Thursday), I have not been sleeping. Please, let this stop. I am giving them warning. Ijora is a no-go area for them.

"If they still remain in Ijora, I will flush them out, Insha Allah. They should not use Ijora as a base. Ijora is not a base for criminals. I do not tolerate nonsense. Please, I am giving them warning again, they should leave my domain. My domain is not meant for criminals. I am talking to you (Seriki).

"Please, call your men to order. Lagos is a no go area for bombings. These people referred to as Malians, Nigeriens live with your people. Please, talk to your Serikis."

Seriki Arewa speaks Earlier, the Seriki Hausa and Chairman, council of Arewa chiefs in Lagos, explained that the purpose of the visit was to commiserate with Oba Oyeyinka on what he described as a sad incident, and to pledge the solidarity of northerners under the Arewa councils of chiefs as peace-loving people.

He said: "We will also like to seize this opportunity to emphasise that for intensive security in our nation, we appeal to the Federal Government to do more. Although it is trying its best to check the menace, we urge them to intensify and broaden their security scope, so that this kind of thing will never happen again.

"Lagos is a mini Nigeria and anything that happened to Lagos will affect the whole nation. Finally, I will like to also appeal to other agencies and nationalities with the state to be calm and patient as we continue to live in harmony with each other."

93 suspects handed over to Immigration Meantime, a total of 93 illegal aliens were, yesterday, handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service, Alagbon, Ikoyi, for onward prosecution.

The aliens, whose mission in the country could not be ascertained, were mainly Malians, Nigeriens and Chadians.

Their arrest followed a raid by joint security operatives following the discovery of a suspected terrorists' hideout in Ijora area of Lagos, last Thursday.

Confirming the arrest, spokesman for the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. Muyiwa Odunubi, said the suspects would be paraded tomorrow by the Command.

He said: "I can confirm to you that we received 93 suspected Boko Haram members, who were handed over to us by the Police and other security agencies."

http://m.naij.com/news/28699.html

Negro_Ntns: On Nobel Prize he said this.



Achebe has no grace for a man who posesses such mastery in writing.

If truly he said this, achebe should be buried in USA

Ate these people for real? A public holiday for a big writer because he accomplished in his field. When are they going to declare public holiday for super eagles for winning the nations cup?