₦airaland Forum

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-675148.0.html

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-674926.0.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw4oXnzjycw&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrLU43dUdhA&feature=related. :

Photos of Adams Oshiomhole in Old and New pictures of Schools

other states

http://www.edostate.gov.ng/imagehttp://website.edostate.gov.ng/new-maria-goretti
http://edostate.gov.ng/public-private-partnership-ppp.
[b]

C/River, Interswitch partner on Calabar ‘smart’ city
On May 24, 2011 · In Business ,
By Amaka Abayomi

The variables on which the performances of a city or an urban centre are examined depend on not only the city’s endowment such as good roads, availability of water and good transport system, but on the availability of social welfare and infrastructure. Based on this, the Cross River State Government has collaborated with Interswitch to develop a statewide identity management and e-payment backbone, which positions Calabar as the first smart city in Nigeria.

The infrastructure is being deployed via Smartgov.CRSG Limited, a joint venture company between Interswitch and Cross River State Government, with a mandate to oversee the design, deployment, management and operations of a statewide identity management and e-payment backbone infrastructure for the state.

The project aims to make Cross River state the first Smart State in Nigeria, which will in turn make the state capital, Calabar, the first Smart City in Nigeria. Generally, a city is defined as ‘Smart’ when investments in human and social capital, traditional and modern communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development.

The project is expected to deliver to the citizens and residents of the state, the benefits of a Smart City, which are Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, Smart Living and Smart Government. The Smartgov project would enable the Cross River State Government provide its citizens and residents with adequate social welfare and infrastructure in order to improve the quality of life of the citizenry even at the lowest level.

Smartgov will enable the state government automated processes such as revenue collections, salary payments of civil servants and contractors thereby making government activities transparent. The project is expected to implement automated fare collection systems for public buses, electronic tolling and an integrated electronic parking system.

Biometric-based identity SmartCity cards would also be issued to citizens and residents under the Smartgov project and will contain cardholders’ information while providing cardholders with access to healthcare, pension, transportation, educational bursaries, social amenities and benefits.

Cross River State Government desires to improve accountability in governance, simplify access to social services, and create a robust social safety net for citizen of the state, which are the [/b] major drivers of the Smartgov project. During the project, signing ceremony with Interswitch at the Government House in Calabar, Governor Liyel Imoke, described the project as a reflection of a new way of doing business in the state.

He stated that, “the Cross River State Government will continue to partner with private sector to improve service delivery, and help make a difference in the lives of the citizen”. Governor Imoke added that the achievement of the project would be a success story for public-private partnership initiative”.

Smartgov will allow the state government leverage on its investments in technology, automate its ministries, department and agencies, identify all citizens and residents, track and monitor usage of social services, enhance internally generated revenue and automated is bursements and payments by government. The project will increase revenue, eliminate wastage, simplify governance, encourage transparency and increase access to government services.

Speaking on the initiative, Special Adviser to the Governor on information communication and technology (ICT), Mr. Odo Effiong explained that, the SmartGov initiative has the potential to increase manifold qualitative and quantitative access to various government socio-economic services and that the programme has been in gestation for over a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPqAnK3vtac&feature=player_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4W3baWIB1E&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvUJKXBRt8g&feature=related :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa7ehlDREYc

http://www.aksgonline.com/about.aspx

[b]South-South Report
Akwa Ibom: Still tackling the problems of child witch
From JOE EFFIONG, Uyo
Tuesday, May 24, 2011


• Some of the abandoned kids in Eket
More Stories on This Section

The year 2008 will ever remain evergreen in the minds of religious and political leaders of Akwa Ibom State. It was the year one self-styled pastor Bishop Sunday William declared the entire state a coven of witches with an estimated 2.3 million witches and wizards, most of them children William even added a serious dimension to the allegation; that he has so far killed 110 of such child witches, a fit he brandished with a glee to international broadcast media. Of course he said he charged fee, sometime as much as N400,000.00 to help parents kill their child witches.

Two million, three hundred witches in state of less then 4 million people? Everyone started looking at each other. Nobody trusted anybody again. Your wife, husband, child, father, mother, sibling, boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancée, pastor, boss, in fact, everybody was a suspect.

It was not long after Evangelist Helen Ukpabio had declared that more than 900 witches had come out to confess in her Liberty Gospel Church in Uyo; and that they had been given time to be coming to church to be totally delivered.
While some clergymen, such as Apostle John Okoriko of the Solid Rock Kingdom Church, Uyo, screamed that there were witches in Uyo; or if at all they existed, it would only one since in the biblical era, there used to be only one witch in a town, like the Witch of En-dor, others silently continued to regard everyone with suspicion.
The suspicion might even have crept into government circles as the executive and legislative arms were finally jolted to dust the nearly forgotten Child Right Act, and hurriedly passed it into law on December 5, 2008.

Before the bill was passed into law, Akpabio had vehemently refuted Bishop William’s 2.3 million witches claim for the state. He had also averred that some of the children ha confessed to being witches and wizard when they were tortured by their parents and church leaders.
“If you put a nail on my head and ask me to agree that I am a wizard, I would do that to save myself from torture. That is how these children are tortured to accept that they are witches and their parents would gladly throw them out of the house.

“We will not only destroy such churches, but also get their pastors prosecuted and jailed to set example for others because some churches are deceiving people.”
The governor who spoke at a ceremony organized by Inoyo Toro Foundation in honour of science, mathematics and English language teachers in Uyo, said he had instructed the state’s attorney general to prepare legal arsenals to deal with such false prophets and their churches.

Such legal arsenals appeared to have been the Child Rights Act, which was supposed to bury stigmatization of children as witches forever in the state. In fact, it was made retroactive to snare people like Bishop William who had committed the alleged offence before the bill was passed into law. That is why is still standing trial till date “for killing 110 witches”, though he later moderated his claims to mean that he only killed the spirit of witchcraft in the kids in order to free the victims. The state was no longer interested moderated version.

At the presentation of the new law to the public, the governor had said by the definition of the law, every person under the age of 16 years is classified as a child and shall be entitled to right considered inalienable rights such as their parents’ responsibility to ensure that they benefit from free education up to secondary school level else such parent shall on conviction be liable to N5000 fine or two months imprisonment or both.
The law prohibits child labour which includes buying, selling, hiring, begging for alms, prostitution, domestic or sexual labour, slave or practices similar to slavery such as trafficking and compulsory labour, et cetera.

“The law prohibits sexual intercourse with children and classifies same as rape and also harmful publication of materials like books, magazines, film, pictures, video and audio tape which contains harmful information and to which children could have access.
“The law makes it punishable with an imprisonment of 10 years to 15 years without any option of fine for a child to be accused of witchcraft.

“For the purpose of speedy trial, the bill establishes a family court for their purpose of hearing and determining matters related to
children,” Akpabio explained while appealing for cooperation of all to make the law an effective protection for the children, “and a shelter for our posterity.”
All this happened in 2008; but checks by The Sun reveal that no one has so far been convicted by the law; rather it seems the number of children stigmatized and sent out of the homes by parents in collaboration with religious leaders are in the increase.
The situation is so bad that state government recently set up a Witchcraft Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice Joseph Abraham to advise it on the child witch syndrome and other incidences of child abuse.

As at last months, more than 60 people, some pastors, had appeared before the panel. One of those summoned was Rev. Moses Ekereobong, a presbyter of the Methodist Church, who appeared on the allegation of his involvement in the stigmatization of a child.
But in his defence, Ekereobong said he was innocent. “I was invited by the Police but I knew nothing about the said stigmatisation about brutalisation of a child by one of my members, when I got to the station, I saw the child and the wounds inflicted on her were still fresh.

“So I asked the father who inflicted the wounds on the chills and who called her a witch because in the Methodist Church of Nigeria, it is not our practice but the man did not give me a reasonable answer up till now, we all frowned at the matter because against our policy” the Pastor said.
The stigmatization continues even with law in place and the commission of inquiry in session. Only last week, 21 children of ages between seven and 20 were found taking refuge in the moribund Qua River Hotel, Eket and in an abandoned truck by Eket Sports Stadium.

A tatement issued by the apparently embarrassed state government on the issue, through the office of the commissioner for information, Mr Aniekan Umanah said; “An inventory of all the children has been taken by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, with a view to immediate evacuation of the said children.
A temporary facility has been put in place by the government for the accommodation of the children while a permanent facility is underway. Only one of the children age 17 was discovered to be an expectant mother and was immediately taken away by the government for prompt medical care.

“Government wishes to reiterate that the safety and well being of all Akwa Ibom children is sacrosanct and as such, government will not fold its hands and watch few misguided elements who take pleasure in trampling upon the rights and privileges of Akwa Ibom Children as enshrined in the Child Right and Protection Act, 2008.
“We again strongly warn parents, guardians and whoever person that engage in the habit of sharp practices against children, especially labeling the children as witches, to desist forthwith or risk incurring the full wrath of the law.
“Government is not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that all those culpable in the neglect and abuse of the children are brought to book in line with the provision of the Child Rights and Protection Law.The Akwa Ibom State government hereby reiterates its determination to do everything in its power to ensure the protection of children, and indeed the safety and wellbeing of all residents in the state.”

The commissioner for women affairs and social welfare, Mrs Eunice Thomas, who personally supervised the evacuation the children, said the state government had concluded plans to rehabilitate them. She said information about the condition of the children did not get to the government early and promised to work expediently to integrate them with the society.

Her ministry has been involved in the rehabilitation and integration of other children who were abandoned by their families for several reasons; the new set of children are currently camped temporarily at the Women Development Centre pending when government will make permanent provision.
As part of the rehabilitation, Thomas said the children would be given immediate medical attention; even as plans to enroll them in schools were being made.
The 17-year old Miss Jane Bassey who confessed that she was four months pregnant, said she was ostracized because of the pregnancy.
Some of the children said they were chased out by their parents and relatives who alleged that they were witches, while some of them said they were forced out on allegations of pilfering and truancy.

Step mothers were fingered as the masterminds of most of the ugly situations. Master Godswill Felix Okon said he was about taking his Common Entrance Examination when her aunt took her to a church where the pastor alleged that he was a witch, culminating in his being sent out of the house by his aunt.
Another girl, Blessing Effiong also said she recently gave birth to a baby that was immediately taken from her by some members of the public.
For now, the stigmatization appears to be concentrating more in Eket, Oron and other riverine areas of the state, though not limited to those areas. Thomas once said her ministry spends over two million naira feeding abandoned children houses in different locations in the state. With the addition of 21 more, she would need more. And there is no guarantee that another set would not be discovered tomorrow.

If with all the threat of the law; luxury of free education, possible economic growth due to current regime acclaimed good governance and the proclamation the ever-increasing worship centres that God is in control, witches and wizards appear to be in the increase, especially among children, then was Bishop William really wrong that 2.3 people in state are witches and wizards? But if he was right, who then is not a witch? What right has a witch parent to send their infant or apprentice witch child out of the house.
But Apostle Okoriko still insists: “There are no witches in Akwa Ibom. Maybe we have only one in Uyo; one in Eket, One in Ikot Ekpene, one in Oron, One in Ikot Abasi and so on. You can’t in a town.” What a relief. Maybe! [/b]

[quote author=Chyz* link=topic=671963.msg8360883#msg8360883 date=1305910151]I'm guessing Imo and Abia aren't in the Niger Delta any more?
[/quote
[/quote]

[b]FG approves N23bn for 10 projects in N-Delta
On May 18, 2011 · In News , 
BY DANIEL       IDONOR

ABUJA — THE weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting Wednesday approved N23 billion for 10 various infrastructural projects in the nine states of the Niger Delta.

Minister of Information and Communication, Mr Labaran Maku and the Minister of National Planning, Samshudeen Usman, while briefing State House correspondents said the FEC, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, after deliberations ratified the President’s anticipatory approval for the award of the 10 contracts.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, according to Maku, brought a memo to seek council’s ratification of the President’s anticipatory approval for the award of contracts in respect of three Land Reclamation and Erosion Control/Shoreline projects in the Niger Delta region.

According to him, “the Nigerian coastline has deteriorated over the years, the cumulative effect of which has undermined the quality of life in the region, threatened livelihood of the people, which has contributed to the restiveness experienced in the region in the recent past.

“The deterioration is attributable mainly to the fragile ecosystem of the region and the series of uncontrolled human activities including depletion of mangrove forests, oil exploration/exploitation, dredging/reclamation for estates developments, unplanned discharge of run-off and effluents into the water bodies.

“In order to achieve the current administration’s goal of transforming the region, council ratified the President’s anticipatory approval for the award of contracts in respect of three Land Reclamation and Erosion Control/Shoreline Projects in the Niger Delta region, in the total sum of N5.8 billion.

“Land Reclamation and Erosion Control Project at Essien Town, Ekorinin Community, Calabar, Cross Rive State, in the contract sum of N1.9 billion with a completion period of 12 months; Land Reclamation and Erosion Protection at Amadi Ama, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in the sum of N1.4 billion with a completion period of 12 months; Land Reclamation and Erosion Protection at Ogbobagbene, Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, in favour of Messrs Snecou Group of Companies Ltd in the total contract sum of N2.4 billion with a completion period of 12 months.

“The Minister of Niger Delta presented another memo to seek Council’s approval for the augmentation of the contract sum in respect of the Dualisation of the 99km East-West Road, Section III (Port Harcourt Eleme Junction – Eket) in Rivers/Akwa Ibom states.

Council approved an augmentation of the contract sum for the ddualisation of 99kmEast_West Road, Section III (Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction?) – Eket) in Rivers/Akwa Ibom states, in favour of Messrs Reynolds Construction Company (Nig.) Ltd., in the sum of N30 billion to a revised contract sum of N66.8 billion with a new completion date of 31st December 2012.

The dualisation of 99km East_West Road, Section III (Port Harcourt (Eleme Junction?) – Eket) is a major federal government intervention infrastructural development programme in the Niger Delta Region awarded at the original contract sum of N35 billion.

The need to revise the contract sum by the contractor arose from the passage of time, high rate of inflation, compensation costs, re_design to accommodate topography in marshy terrain, community relation challenges and advance payment delay.

The contract for the dualisation East_West Road, Section IV: Eket_Oron Road in Akwa Ibom State was originally awarded on 13th September 2006 in the sum of N26 billion.

The need for the augmentation of contract sum was presented to council by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs following the increases in construction materials and labour.

In order to uphold the federal government’s commitment to the development of infrastructure in the Niger Delta Region, council approved an augmentation of the contract sum for the 50km dualisation East_West Road, Section IV (Eket_Oron) in Akwa Ibom State, in the sum of N11.5 billion only to a revised contract sum of N37. 5 billion with a new completion date of 11th June 2012.

Through yet another memo, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs South Council’s ratification of the President’s anticipatory approval for the award of contracts for the construction of Emakalakala_Akipelai Road and Bridges in Bayelsa State and for the Design of Seaport Development at Gelegele in Edo State.

These contracts are part of Post_Amnesty Intervention Programmes of the Federal Government designed to facilitate the rapid economic development of the Niger Delta region.

After deliberations, council ratified the President’s anticipatory approval for the award of: Contract for the construction of Emakalakala_Akipelai Roads and Bridges in Bayelsa State, in the sum of N3.3 billion with a completion period of 15 months; and(b) Contract for the consultancy services for the design Seaport Development at Gelegele in Edo State, in the sum of N224.9 million with a completion period of six months.[/b]

[b]3 feared dead in another Maiduguri Boko Haram attack
On May 19, 2011 · In Headlines ,
A gang of suspected Islamists raided a police station in north-eastern Nigeria and were locked in an hour-long gun battle with police overnight, a regional police chief said on Thursday.

“A large number of gunmen, believed to be members of Boko Haram attacked a police station in [Maidugiuri],” police commissioner for Borno state, Mohamed Jinjiri Abubakar said.

“A gun battle lasted about one hour between the gunmen and the police attached to the station,” the police chief told AFP by phone from Maiduguri.


File photo: Suspected Boko Haram members after their arrest.
Details of casualties were not immediately available.

In a separate attack, a police officer was ambushed and killed on Wednesday while on his way home. Two civilians caught in crossfire, also died, he said.

“A policeman was shot and killed by gunmen still believed to be members of Boko Haram while riding home and two other civilians around were killed, including a woman who was frying akara [bean fritters] by the roadside,” said Abubakar.

Police have blamed the Islamist sect for series of bomb attacks and also shootings especially in Borno’s capital Maiduguri in recent months.[img][/img]

Source: AFP[/b]


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/3-feared-dead-in-boko-haram-attack-in-maiduguri/

;d ;d ;d

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201105172464693
Two people were feared dead on Monday as area boys from Fadeyi area of Ikorodu Road engaged in sin assembly of violence.



Besides, many people were injured, while properties were also destroyed by the hoodlums who freely used various weapons.[img][/img]



A victim, who identified himself simply as Peter, said the violence actually started in February 2010 but it was not frequent.


It was gathered that the Monday crisis was a spillover of last Thursday’s clash between hoodlums from Ereko and Lawani streets over who should should collect toll from traders in the area.



“On each container they (hoodlums) collect N3,500 and if a customer comes to purchase Plaster of Paris, they collect N200. They’ve been doing this for years. If you want to build a duplex for example, they will demand N250,000 from you,” a resident, who preferred to be anonymous, said.



Another resident, who did not want his name mentioned, confirmed that two people were killed, while his red Bajaj motorcycle with number plate QZ157KTU was snatched. “They also attacked motorists and robbed as well,” he added.



A trader in the area, Mr. Emmanuel Chukwudike, said as soon as the police arrived and started shooting, there was pandemonium in the area, adding that some motorists fled and abandoned their vehicles.
http://www


Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, proved abortive as he did not pick his calls.



But a policeman, who spoke to one of our correspondents in confidence, said the police needed to carry out a thorough investigation to avert punishing innocent people.

Hummmm

Lagos na wa!

Igbo kwenu!

Igbo kwenu!

Ijaw kwenu!

Northern leaders ‘ve to check their youths

By Bashir Adefaka
General Yakubu Dan-Yumma Gowon (Jack), GCFR, Nigeria’s former Military Head of State (1966 – 1975) is seldom available. Not in the sense of foreign trips; he is enmeshed in innumerable engagements in the good interest of the nation. At 76, the former ruler is often oblivious of the natural call for the required rest an ageing septuagenarian of his stature should have.

Not a strong fighter for One Nigeria like Jack Gowon would leave fire on the roof-top and then go to bed. He believes that, as a father-figure of Nigeria, it would be too irresponsible to do so. The main reason, at 76, he never leaves any stone unturned in trying to help engender peace situation in the country. The mantle fell on what a commentator described as “his slim shoulders” at the age of 32 (in 1966) to lead Nigeria after the second coup and during his regime,  the monumental structures on which successive governments have struggled to build upon were laid.

Born October19, 1934 in Lur, Plateau State, General Gowon had his first education at St. Bartholomew’s School, Wasasa, Zaria between 1939 and 1949. He moved from there to the Government College, Zaria where he obtained his school certificate in 1953. As Head of State he had to grapple with Civil War considered by the Supreme Military Authority under him as capable of threatening the continuous togetherness of the entity called Nigeria.


Gowon: Mine is to see a peaceful Nigeria
And he fought the war with his sixth sense to bring Nigeria back together as one through his ‘no victor, no vanquished’ approach. He would never agree he won the Civil War. Not even last Wednesday night when he had to respond to questions posed by Vanguard. He maintained, “It was not a fight against enemies; I mean you see brothers fighting to keep the country together. And in the end, that was what happened. Nobody won, nobody lost.” No wonder the exemplary legacy that has cohabited with his name “Go On With One Nigeria (GOWON). Excerpts:

At a time Nigerians detest military and are talking negative about former military leaders, you stand out and your achievements as military Head of State are widely celebrated all over the country. How did you do it?

I give the credit and credence to Nigerian people. They wanted something good and we worked together to get it. They didn’t leave me alone to it; they were quite supportive, they advised me quietly and I was the only one seen in the public doing the job. In most cases, they gave me a lot of advice on the pages of newspapers, which I made use of and which really, I must say, helped me in the many achievements that I made.

Civil servants many a time are accused of sabotaging the effort of government leaders. What was the quality of civil servants like  at your time?

The civil servants at my time rendered quality-based services. They were very cooperative, loyal and committed. And the politicians, everybody was cooperating. And then you know, back to your question about my achievements, I can assure you honestly speaking, to me, I give them back to the people. The fact I took the welfare of the people as one of the priorities of my government was for nothing but for the mere fact of realising it was my duty as a leader.

Because, by then, I tried to the best of my capacity to think much and work more on their welfare instead of the good of my personal self and that was appreciated by them. And it was greatly appreciated by the people and so they were supporting me always. It was because my government was

performing to the satisfaction of the people that the people had confidence in me and supported me without much ado. And it was because they supported me that I was not sabotaged. That was how I was able to achieve what I achieved.

But it was your government that fought the Civil War…

I know we had to fight but it was not a fight of hatred. It was not  a fight against enemies; I mean you see brothers fighting to keep the country together. And in the end, that was what happened. Nobody won, nobody lost.

It became quite clear that your ‘no victor no vanquished’ approach to resolving the Civil War issue was a leadership style of achieving a One Nigeria without feeling of guilt by any side. But the Nigeria’s unity you fought hard to achieve about 41 years ago is being threatened by sectional, political and religious crises here and there. What is your feeling about it and what is the way out?

Quite frankly, one regrets the incidences of violence by man against humanity. I thought frankly since we  went in and had been able to come out of the Civil War, that Nigerians should forget acts of violence against one another and settle down properly to live in peace with one another. It is my sincere thought that after the Civil War, again, that we would begin to love one another and love our country by putting hatred aside. If you do that you would always be thinking of the interest of the country and good of the people.

That all this show of hatred still happens years after the Civil War is highly regrettable. The solution to it is that, Nigerians have to be patriotic and be faithful to their country. Instead of using tribe, politics or religion as tool for violence, they should see it the other way by using it to buttress their loyalty and patriotism to their country, Nigeria.

We’ve got to learn, especially through the two religions that we have, how to be able to live together and do things together in peace loving each other. That I think has worked out really in the West where they have a lot of religious differences and yet, they don’t seem to be a serious issue. They don’t go on fighting each other but they live side by side respecting each other, marrying each other, et-cetera.

Unfortunately in the North that is not the case. I think the leadership in the North, especially the leadership at the lower level should really rein in their young militants to ensure that they do not have the hearts of violence against their brothers whether of the same religion or of other religion.

You know, that leadership, unfortunately, they are the ones that talk to those people and encourage them to do what they are doing. Certainly at very high level, the feeling is against that sort of things. But I’m afraid down the level especially the political, the religious, they seem to encourage that sort of thing. And I appeal to them to really look seriously after the issues and try to calm these excesses and rein in their followers on how they should think of the good of themselves and the good of people of other tribes, religion and whatsoever.

Could you tell us little about your childhood and how you really started out in life?

I was born into a disciplined background of a religious parenthood. I was brought to be righteous, religious and to be a good person. And then I went to school, which was a mission school and then I went to train as a soldier and as an officer in the Army. All I can tell you is that I started out in life with the mindset of trying to be a good citizen, a good officer and a good Nigerian to the nation and to the community where I came from.

My training as a soldier and as an officer really instilled in me that commitment, loyalty and patriotism for my country. And I think that was why really I was able to feel and readily take up that challenge when the country was to break up and I had to do something to check and stop it.

Luckily, that, we were able to do with the cooperation of the good, quality people I was blessed to be able to put together in my cabinet and with the support of the generality of the Nigerian people. That was how I started out in life. Those training projected me to be a good person in the future and,  for this, I will forever be grateful to my parents, my community, my church and of course my school.

At a very young age ever recorded of any Nigerian you rose to the highest office as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Yes. And for that I thank God.

When that leadership reality dawned on you and you took office, what did you have in mind to make of Nigeria as an achievement you could be remembered for?

You would want to achieve the best for your country but I believe you can’t achieve all. You only try your part and leave the rest.

However, I wanted to develop Nigeria and of course I wanted to keep Nigeria together as one and by so doing we were able to get young Nigerians to serve together in areas other than their places of birth so that they could know one another, get used to what ordinarily could have been differences among them and live together with that understanding in peace and tranquility.

That was what I did with my establishment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). It is only sad that recently some youth corps members had to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the country in trying to ensure that the nation moved forward through credible, free and fair electoral process. I must say that the loss of lives of those young people in parts of our country in the service of their nation hasn’t portrayed those responsible for the sad development as loyal and patriotic people.

It is barbaric and I believe, by the pains that followed, we have learnt our lessons, the more reason we should not rage at arms or rage for whatever reason against each other. To me, I think the government should do something about it because, seriously speaking, it is sad. Mine is to see a peaceful Nigeria, a developed Nigeria, a Nigeria that can really and notably be counted in the group of developed countries of the world. Okay?

I’m okay. Except that Your Excellency has not told us why you did not marry until you had got to office as Head of State…

It had to do with my busy schedule, moving round because of the nature of my profession. And again, even at the time I took over as head of state, the crisis (civil war) caught us at a wrong time. I had to face it squarely and so, there was no time for frivolous things.




http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/41-years-enough-to-heal-wounds-of-civil-war-gowon/

[b]Four robbers burnt to death in Ebonyi
On May 16, 2011 · In News , 
BY PETER OKUTU

ABAKALIKI – No fewer than four suspected armed robbers were reportedly burnt to death, weekend, by angry mob in Nwekendiagu Community in Effium Development Centre of Ohaukwu local government area, Ebonyi state for allegedly raping five persons, including an
albino lady.

The robbers were also alleged to have robbed over one million naira from the people of the area .

According to reports, the hoodlums had been terrorizing the people of Nwekendiagu Community for over five months without the prompt intervention of the police in Effium even as some, for fear of being robbed, abandoned thier homes and while others moved thier belongings outside the community.

It was gathered that the activities of these hoodlums climaxed immediately after the April 2011 general elections as records of rape, stealing of motorcycles and snatching of mobile phones increased drastically in the area.

Some of the community members who spoke with Vanguard under condition of anonymity lamented the indiscriminate manner with which the hoodlums had robbed them adding that what salvaged the situation was the constitution of an Internal Security Outfit which according to them led to the arrest of some of the hoodlums.

According to them “what the robbers have done in this community is very despicable and for over five months now they have been terrorizing us.

“They have every day been robbing us from one house to the other and before they will come they will first alert you by writing before their coming. Every night people don’t sleep in their homes because each night they will be shooting sporadically in the air and this made over seventy percent of the community members to desert their homes and prefer to sleep comfortably in the push.

“To tell you the fact, this criminals has committed atrocities. The worst is that if they come to your house and you give them money whether big or small they will first beat you to coma and after which force you to hold a touch light for them and they will be raping your wife one after the other at a gun point”.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the bodies of the four robbery suspects were thrown into the evil forest, thereby leading to relative peace presently being experienced by the people of  wekendiagu Community.

When contacted, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dipo Ayeni noted that he was yet to be briefed by the Police Divisional Officer in charge of Effium Community.[/b]


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/05/four-robbers-burnt-to-death-in-ebonyi/

na wa.

bashr4:
good for lagosians but there nothing there we dont have in the east ,and please nigerian movies are made in the east.

as for eko atlantic its a nice project but we also have the greater portharcourt city and rainbow city undergoin development plus enugu and owerri, mentioning a decaying aba is like mentioning a decayed ibadan or akure so stop being silly .


you need to stop being delusional some igbos prefer living in the west same way some yorubas prefer livin in the east
[/quot

Stop claiming,ph and calabar is in the south south.

hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm