PRO work in Nigeria no be small task especially with our own perculiarities because the prying eyes of d public n journalists are always looking for loopholes to puncture ur good works n elaborate on the few shortcomings. At any rate, I give d first place to Maryln Ogar, the SSS PRO, she dey try and she is sound upstairs n she dey represent. D defence spokesperson, Chris olukolade too no bad at all.

It was in the early hours of the morning, when sleep is most pleasurable both for the rich and the poor; both for those who have the privilege of descent accommodation and those squatting in uncompleted buildings, makeshift structure and other detention facilities in the Federal Capital Territory. Yes, we all deserve to rest well because some persons have been paid to keep watch over the night however dark it may be; and no one including the law enforcement agencies have the audacity to disrupt this privilege except on very extreme situations as permitted by the Constitution.

Unfortunately for us in the vicinity of the Apo Legislative Quarters, the early morning of 20th September, 2013 is one of such extreme dawn. In a grand display of dexterity like what we watched in Sylvester Stallone’s movie – The Expendables, about 2am, the guns began to blare in the most unfriendly manner. I held my breath in my bed in frenzy, clasping my wife I reached for my three (3) months old daughter in the cuddle. At this time you could feel the trauma in my two (2) bedroom apartment. Never a time had I felt our world would come to an end like that morning? My wife and I whispered our last prayer and committed our souls into the hands of our creator, confessing our sins and forgiving all those that hate us and those we so passionately dislike as well. Indeed, we were dead spirit soul and body. And as God would have it, when the day eventually broke, my household was still alive, that itself I consider to be a miracle.

As early as 6am, I came out of my house, talking with my neighbors; the details of the horrible incident began to filter in. It was armed robbery we heard; others blamed it on cultists, yet the name of our Achilles Heels – Boko Haram was loudest of them all. At this time tension had began to mount. My immediate response was to relocate my wife and daughter to my Mother-in-law’s House in Wuse II.

On returning to my residence, a mini protest had begun. Officers and men of the Nigerian Police littered my street, trying to calm angry protesters, and as usual under the circumstance, harassing and molesting innocent Nigerians. I was one of such innocent Nigerian who was detained briefly in front of my house and asked some of the silliest questions; one of which was to explain what I know about the shooting and killings on my street – hmm, how insensitive and how inconsiderate.

This group of visibly angry corps led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) acted in the most unprofessional manner almost made me a scapegoat and prime suspect of an incidence that practically “consumed” my whole family. Well, I advised myself to be calm in the face of the irritation and answer their incoherent questions in the best way possible, at least to secure my release before I am posted to one of their detention facilities and charged to court as the prime suspect in the gun attack; wisdom they say is profitable to direct.

It is armed robbers, no cultists, no they were Boko Haram insurgents dressed in army uniforms that attacked – even as at 11am, these were the opinions in my street, the social media and online platforms. The Police continued to act confused, refusing to give any plausible explanation(s) to what had transpired. This was the limbo until the Spokesperson of the SSS; Mrs. Marilyn Ogah led some journalists and other fierce looking security men and women including soldiers to the scene.

My curiosity took me close to where the rowdy crowds were gathered, and I heard Ogah saying that it was a joint security operation involving the army and the SSS launched against members of an emerging cell of the Boko Haram in Abuja. Well, my first reaction was, “….hmm, so me and Boko Haram they share fence”. You may not understand, but I was dead in two seconds. So just a stroll across my fence, and am dead or amputated for life – How close to death we could be some times, and God in his mercies saved us”. I never heard any other statement the Madam made.


The assertion was serious and weighty on me and every other Nigerian who heard her. Although it gave us a clue into what transpired, OGAH’s position has continued to generate severe reactions across the country. One of such reactions of interest is the position of “My Friends” in the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). As is evidenced from the SSS account, the Police were not involved in the operation.
So, could it be that sentiments would have influenced their claim that they would probe the SSS over the incident? Does this posture support a recent statement credited to Mr. President that there is deep-seated rivalry amongst the security services? Why will the SSS choose to collaborate with the army and not the Police whose statutory responsibilities are more civil in nature? Why won’t the Police reach out to a sister agency behind close-doors to iron out grey areas, and give Nigerians a common picture? I find these posers extremely appalling. Please we beg the Police, SSS and Army to synergize more closely, interact more frequently, and address the discordant tones in the media – having another Episode in the similitude of the Oyerinde Saga will not do Nigerians any good.

But while the controversies over the Apo incident raged, news filtered in that Boko Haram had killed 34 motorists in Limanti village along Biu – Maiduguri highway in Borno State. Those killed included innocent Nigerians who were on their way to the Holy Land for the 2013 Hajj exercise. How malicious, how vile, how despicable is the Boko Haram becoming. Indeed the insurgent group has since gotten it most desired international outlook, collaborating with Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab and other terrorist groups to wreck havoc in various parts of the world.

In a recent threat issued by Al-Qaeda Leader, Ayyman Mohammed AL-Zawahiri, America and Jewish interests in Africa have become targets for fresh attacks. He specifically claimed that the various cells of Al-Qaeda in Africa have been notified and directed to this effect. It therefore calls to question if there is a correlation between the hostage-taking incident at the Westgate Mall and the Apo attack? If Westgate was the target for Al-Shabab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, was Shoprite located within Apo also marked for attack by the Boko Haram? The proximity of Shoprite, an international brand to my area where the incidence occurred, makes me believe that the Boko Haram planned to strike in Abuja in a systematic manner as Al-Shabab did in Nairobi Kenya. Why is the SSS, and Army keeping mute on this aspect of the story?
I thought I was the only one with this opinion, until I watched Gbenga Aruleba on Focus Nigeria last Monday, when he strongly related the hostage taking incident in Kenya to the Apo Legislative Quarters’ attack. I completely subscribed to his line of arguments which points to facts that the correlation may be true after all. Imagine the trauma and devastation Nigerians may have gone through over last weekend. Imagine news about Nigeria being littered for the wrong reasons on various media platforms both home and abroad. I think God delivered us from a very horrible plot, and we must come together and give him thanks, rather than politicizing the whole issue.

Talking about politicizing the issue, some of my Northern brothers and their co-travelers should stop making political gains of the Apo incidence. It has nothing to do with the New or Old PDP. They claimed that the incident does not have any connection with the Boko Haram. For me, such misguided statements only support insinuations that some notable elements are sponsors of the Boko Haram, since they know who those disreputable terrorist elements are. After all, one of them stated in 2011 that he will make Nigeria ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan, and obviously through the Boko Haram.

In all, I speak as one with a major experience of that devastating morning; I didn’t read it in the news but had a firsthand experience. As the Kenyan Government in collaboration with Israeli Commandoes struggle to rescue what is left of the hostages, I want us to look closely and thank God that the Federal Capital Territory did not fall into the hands of those agents of evil, called the Boko Haram.

Our beloved Country Nigeria, shall Overcome.

Musa Ibrahim

Apo Legislative Quarters,

Abuja.

musaibrahim2001@gmail.com


http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/09/24/musa-ibrahim-apo-killing-kenya-attacks-and-what-they-did-not-tell-us/

Actions on the resettlement of communities to be affected by the construction of the 700MW Zungeru Dam have commenced by the federal government, minister of state for power, ZainabKuchi has said.

Kuchi disclosed this during the official ground-breaking ceremony of the project by President Goodluck Jonathan, in Niger State.

She informed that the resettlement action plan and social mitigation efforts had commenced in earnest ahead of the official ground-breaking exercise.

Kuchi stated that the ministry has secured funds for the resettlement of affected communities in line with international best practice, while noting that the project underscored government’s efforts at diversifying energy mix which according to her, was in the proportion of 70 per cent thermal and 30 per cent hydro in 2012.

She explained that the host communities of the project consist of 88 wards in Shiroro, Rafi and Wushishi local government areas of Niger State that will be positively impacted by the dam.

According to her, the project during and after completion has the capacity to improve on the socio-economic lives of the people that reside in Zungeru and its adjoining towns and villages.

She listed the gains to be achieved through the creation of the project to include direct jobs such as fishing activities, farming through irrigation and animal husbandry.

“In addition the Zungeru Dam project will be capable of boosting tourism which is another source of foreign earnings to the nation. It will also create project construction job opportunities, including skills acquisition training for members of the host communities,” she said.

She added that “the enterprising individuals both men and women will also be energised by this project because of the positive economic activities. “

She further disclosed that the project will also create an opportunity to host a research centre. The centre, she explained, will focus on the river Kaduna fauna and will ensure it breeds and flourishes.
Actions on the resettlement of communities to be affected by the construction of the 700MW Zungeru Dam have commenced by the federal government, minister of state for power, ZainabKuchi has said.

Kuchi disclosed this during the official ground-breaking ceremony of the project by President Goodluck Jonathan, in Niger State.

She informed that the resettlement action plan and social mitigation efforts had commenced in earnest ahead of the official ground-breaking exercise.

Kuchi stated that the ministry has secured funds for the resettlement of affected communities in line with international best practice, while noting that the project underscored government’s efforts at diversifying energy mix which according to her, was in the proportion of 70 per cent thermal and 30 per cent hydro in 2012.

She explained that the host communities of the project consist of 88 wards in Shiroro, Rafi and Wushishi local government areas of Niger State that will be positively impacted by the dam.

According to her, the project during and after completion has the capacity to improve on the socio-economic lives of the people that reside in Zungeru and its adjoining towns and villages.

She listed the gains to be achieved through the creation of the project to include direct jobs such as fishing activities, farming through irrigation and animal husbandry.

“In addition the Zungeru Dam project will be capable of boosting tourism which is another source of foreign earnings to the nation. It will also create project construction job opportunities, including skills acquisition training for members of the host communities,” she said.

She added that “the enterprising individuals both men and women will also be energised by this project because of the positive economic activities. “

She further disclosed that the project will also create an opportunity to host a research centre. The centre, she explained, will focus on the river Kaduna fauna and will ensure it breeds and flourishes.

http://leadership.ng/news/300513/zungeru-dam-fg-commences-resettlement-host-community

The African Union (AU) has accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of "hunting" Africans because of their race.
It was opposed to the ICC trying Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta on charges of crimes against humanity, said Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
The AU would raise its concerns with the UN, he added.
Mr Kenyatta is due to be tried in July on charges of crimes against humanity.
He denies the charges, which arise from accusations that he fuelled violence after disputed elections in 2007.
He was elected president in March, after defeating then-Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a tightly contested poll.
Speaking at the end of an AU summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Mr Hailemariam said African leaders had expressed that out of those indicted by the ICC "99% are Africans".
"This shows something is flawed within the system if the ICC," he said.
The ICC had been formed to end the culture of impunity, but "now the process has degenerated into some kind of race hunting", Mr Hailemariam said.
It was "chasing" Mr Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, despite the fact that the rival Kalenjin and Kikuyu ethnic groups - who had fought after the 2007 election - had come together to vote for them in the March poll, he added.
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto were on opposite sides in the 2007 election, after which some 1,000 people were killed and 600,000 people fled their homes.
Analysts say the ICC prosecutions bolstered their campaign in the 2013 poll, as they presented it as foreign interference in Kenya's domestic affairs.

http://news.naij.com/35409.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

A double agent who was seriously sabotaging and compromising the efforts of the Boko Haram Amnesty committee was arrested in Borno last week.

Kasim Abubakar Imam, a 35 year old man was arrested May 16th at 231 barracks.

Imam had been contacted by the amnesty committee as a valuable tool to reach the top level Boko Haram leaders, however from his convenient position on the inside of operations, Abubakar Imam, from the barracks supplied vital information to Boko Haram, potentially compromising Military operations.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika had Wednesday at the Nigerian Army Transformation Seminar, Command Officers’ Mess, Asokoro-Abuja, revealed that there was sabotage from within the Military, as officers were providing information to Boko Haram terrorists-insurgents.

Kasim Abubakar Imam is well known to the security services and was arrested in 2009, when he was jailed for 9 months before being released on bail.

The marginal possibility of success of the amnesty committee has been thrown into more doubt considering the dangerous and unreasonable, desperate type of threat Boko Haram is; and the risks of such engagements compromising other methods of stopping the insurgency.

Kassim Abubakar Imam had met personally with top level Nigerian government officials – close to the president and Amnesty’s Stephen Davis; little was it known to them that all the time from his vantage position operating from within the Military barracks, and with a car he was given, he was rather supplying Boko Haram most vital information. Eagle eye intelligence luckily discovered the mole.

Nigeria’s government launched a full scale war against Boko Haram, but is also trying to reach out with an amnesty proposed by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF. But thus far the amnesty has remained in the rocks. Boko Haram does not appear fit and capable to dialogue. The terrorist outfit apparently has tasted power and finance in ways the members and leadership never dreamed of, and backed with the tool of fanaticism, the exegetic sect apparently can only destroy or be destroyed.

Friday it was announced that the security services had found and rescued several women and children kidnapped by Boko Haram, but some are questioning if this “rescue” was not in an agreement with Boko Haram to whom the Goodluck Jonathan administration showed similar “magnanimity,” by releasing the sect members’ wives and children in custody, the demand Boko made in the kidnap video. Whose wives and children were kidnapped is also not known, but it is possibly influential officials’ families.

Unlike foreign governments where arrests are made public and mug shots taken so the general public can know who the criminals are and be safe, in Nigeria things are done in total secrecy. There is no public record or criminal database and terrorists are routinely released back into society after heavy sums are paid in bribe or after kidnaps and other threats are made.

In addition, names and images of suspects and those sought for are never fed to the public, neighboring nations and global security services, which could all increase efficiency of the nations security as well as demonstrating honesty and responsibility.

Media aggressiveness is serving as the only such tool and criminal database to protect public interests and safety.



http://newsrescue.com/nigeria-double-agent-sabotaging-amnesty-committee-arrested/#ixzz2UV0TIcOa

GOD!!!! my heart bleeds, see faces of lively youngmen cut short by a proscribed cult group while on legitimate line of duty for the country....this is seriously worrisome. Anyway RIP Gallant Officers of the Federal Republic.

As part of proactive strategies aimed at tackling graduate unemployment across the country, the Federal Government has flagged off the University Entrepreneurship Development Programme to promote self-employment among the youth, right from institutions of higher learning.

The programme will be implemented by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as the co-ordinating ministry.
Speaking at the unveiling of the programme in Abuja, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, said that the programme would give students the opportunity for practical hands on experience to enable them to successfully manage their own businesses.
In order to address the problem of lack of access to capital, the minister said that the programme would increase access to finance for young entrepreneurs by exposing them to investors that would fund their businesses.
Mr Aganga added that the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would collaborate with other stakeholders to achieve this objective.
The Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufai, said there was a need for the country to promote the culture of entrepreneurship among students in order to reduce unemployment and achieve sustainable economic growth and development.

http://news.naij.com/35030.html

The deployment of additional troops to Katsina, being a border state is highly commendable as it would ensure vigilance, the Katsina governor said.
The Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the deployment of additional troops to the state.
Mr. Shema made the commendation when he received the General Officer Commanding, GOC, Nigerian Army, 1 Div. Kaduna, Garba Wahab, the who visited him at Government House in Katsina on Wednesday.
He said that the deployment of additional troops to Katsina, being a border state, is highly commendable as it would ensure vigilance.
The governor acknowledged the role played by the army in ensuring quick return of normalcy after the recent robbery attack in Daura. He also assured the government’s continued protection of the lives of citizens and their property, noting that government would not rest on its oars in ensuring peace and stability in the state.
Mr. Shema, who thanked the GOC for the visit, also appealed to traditional rulers, the clergy and community leaders in the state to give maximum support to the security agencies in their operations.
He said that the state would continue to partner with security outfits to achieve results.
Earlier, Mr. Wahab said that he was in the state on an assessment visit.
He assured the readiness of the army to cooperate with the State Government for continued protection of lives.
The GOC also expressed appreciation to the State Government for rehabilitating some structures in the Army Barracks, commending the cordial relationship between the army and the civilian populace.

http://premiumtimesng.com/regional/135764-katsina-governor-commends-fg-for-troop-deployment.html

The farmers accused the herdsmen of allowing their cattle to graze on farms.
Some farmers in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, have expressed concern over the activities of Fulani herdsmen ravaging plantations in the area.
Dozens of herdsmen with their cattle had arrived at the Warwade irrigation sites in search of pasture.
A cross section of the farmers said in Dutse on Wednesday that they were apprehensive over the appearance of the herdsmen in the area.
The state had recorded various clashes between farmers and pastoralists leading to loss of lives and property in recent years. The lingering crisis is attributed to the influx of herdsmen from neighbouring countries into the state.
To address the problem, the state government had embarked on the establishment of 50 grazing lands and demarcated cattle routes.
Other measures employed by the state government include the establishment of a special farmers/herdsmen tribunal, as well as conflict resolution committees in the 27 local government areas of the state.
Ubale Nasidi, a farmer, said the herdsmen had ravaged his watermelon plantation in the last three days.
He alleged that the herdsmen, who were armed with swords and sticks, released more than 1,000 cattle to graze on his farmland.
“Some farmers came to my assistance and chased the cattle out of the plantations. It was only a miracle that the situation did not degenerate into confrontation,” he said.
Another farmer, Abdullahi Sabo, said that the high influx of the herdsmen to the area could lead to clashes due to aggressive and violent behaviour of the herdsmen.
Mr. Sabo alleged that the herdsmen used to intimidate farmers with dangerous weapons whenever they tried to stop them from grazing on their farmlands.
He called for the adoption of urgent measures to forestall break down of law and order.
Commenting on the development, the Ward Head of the area, Musa Ado, appealed for calm and urged farmers to exercise caution in dealing with the herdsmen.
Mr. Ado also warned the herdsmen against indiscriminate trespass on farmlands, stressing that farmers and pastoralists should co-exist peacefully for sustainable development in the state.

http://premiumtimesng.com/regional/135546-jigawa-farmers-decry-herdsmens-activities-warn-of-imminent-clashes.html?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=jigawa-farmers-decry-herdsmens-activities-warn-of-imminent-clashes

Two Fulani herdsmen were yesterday evening feared killed by suspected Ombatse militiamen in Wadugo community of Lafia North Development area bringing the total number killed in such sporadic attacks on herdsmen to eleven in less than a month across the state.

The state secretary of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Mallam Husseini Mohammed, who disclosed this to media men in Lafia, said the herdsmen were on their way to Bauchi when they were ambushed by the militiamen who opened fire on them killing one on the spot while the other died shortly on the way to the hospital. As at the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the third person is yet to be ascertained.

Mallam Mohammed said, “our Fulanimen were on the cattle route and did not veer into anybody’s farm but to their amazement they were attacked and the over one thousand cattle they were moving with were dispersed and are still in the bush in different locations”.

He added that this repeated act of provocation is unwarranted especially at a time when the leadership of the Fulani and Eggon communities have struck a truce to lay down their arms and embrace peace saying, “this is a great violation of our peace accord”.

One of the herdsmen who survived the attack, Mohammed Abubakar, told our reporter that the militiamen whisked away one of them but are not sure what would have become of him. The local head of the community, Abubakar Azumgbu, reported hearing gunshots at about 6pm Monday evening but could not say if the herdsmen were the target.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Michael Ada, confirmed the incident but said the identity of the attackers has not yet been established as investigation is still ongoing.

http://leadership.ng/news/220513/again-ombatse-militiamen-attack-herdsmen

•Only 31% of populace have access to improved sanitation facilities

Nigeria has once again been ranked by the United Nations as one of the top five countries in the world with the largest people defecating in the open. According to the latest joint report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), no fewer than 23 percent (37million) of Nigerians still defecate in the open all over the country – an increase from the 34 million people reported last year.

The recently released report titled: “Progress on Sanitation and drinking water 2013 update.” Also showed that Nigeria has not achieved any significant sanitation improvement in the last 11years between 1990 till date. For instance, in 1990, 24 percent of the country’s population indulged in open defecation while this reduced by just one percent in 2000. The report further indicated that the country, since 2000, has not been able to reduce the number of people who defecate in the open as the latest study carried out in 2011 showed that 23 percent of the country’s population still indulge in the dirty habit.

The sad story, the report indicates does not end there as it revealed that only 28 percent of the rural communities in the country have access to improved sanitation. This is just five percent away from that of those in the urban part of the country, hence, implying that no fewer than 75 percent of Nigerians still do not have access to improved sanitation facilities.

Access to any form of sanitation facilities, reports indicate, varies widely in Nigeria, with estimates ranging from as low as 15% in some areas and higher than 80% in others. Nationally, estimates from recent studies show that less than half the Nigeria population has access to improved sanitation facilities, while institutional sanitation rates are also low, particularly in schools. On the average, there is only one toilet for every 500 students in schools, 8 ten times the standard of one for every 50 students.

Consequently, Nigeria like the rest of the world still remains off track in meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation target, which requires halving by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation. In Nigeria, this means 70% must have access by 2015. An estimated additional 62 million Nigerians must gain access to basic sanitation from now until 2015. Unfortunately, with about 75 percent of the country’s population lacking good sanitation facilities, the consequences in various aspects of the lives of the country’s populace have been quite enormous.

According to a joint UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2012 report, more than 1.1 billion people across the world engage in open defecation with no fewer than 34 million from Nigeria. Consequences of this has however been dire as the faeces find their way into water sources when it rains which in turn results in cholera, diarrhea, and other preventable illnesses and deaths. Unfortunately, children, reports so far indicate are often the ones at the receiving end. In short, reports indicate 3.5 million children die every year before their fifth birthday because of diarrhea, while one child every 15 seconds dies unnecessarily from diarrhoearelated diseases which could have been prevented through good use of sanitation facilities.

Again, many families have stories to tell about pains suffered from loss of children, especially those less than five years.

The effect of this poor sanitation situation has also been discovered to have direct impact on the nation’s workforce as many people are said to be affected in diverse ways as they lose thousands of man-hours to communicable diseases.

According to Dr. Ogunnubi Peter, President, Real Visionaries Initiative – a non for profit group which seeks healthier living for Nigerians – lack of access to basic sanitation facilities, coupled with poor hygiene practices, causes diarrhoea. Diarrhoea is the 2nd largest direct cause of childhood mortality in Nigeria and is a major contributing factor to malnutrition and other diseases such as pneumonia.

He further revealed that lack of safe, private toilets and hand-washing facilities in schools affects educational enrolment and performance, adding that “girls in particular are the most affected. Believe me as I state this, our poor sanitary condition in Nigeria is a major contributing factor in the country’s low girl enrolment rates”.

According to Peters, these consequences equally affect the nation’s economic development as much manpower hours are lost as a result of poor sanitation. He however noted that over 10million productive days would be gained if access to both water and sanitation rose to 100 percent. This, he says outweighs the costs, including health care costs and lost productivity presently being incurred in the country.

In 2011, almost two thirds (64%) of the world population relied on improved sanitation facilities, while 15% continued to defecate in the open. Since 1990, almost 1.9 billion people have gained access to an improved sanitation facility. The world, however, remains off track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation target, which requires reducing the proportion of people without access from 51% in 1990, to 25% by 2015.

The greatest progress has been made in Eastern Asia, where sanitation coverage has increased from 27% in 1990 to 67% in 2011. This amounts to more than 626 million people gaining access to improved sanitation facilities over a 21-year period. The exact opposite is the case in Nigeria as sanitation coverage has only increased by six percent since 1995 till date.

With the rains already pouring in several parts of the country, and the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) predicting heavy downpours this year, Malam Adamu Danladi, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Coordinator in Dass LGA in Bauchi state prescribes “Construction and maintenance of toilets as well as maintenance and periodic evacuation of the household excrements” as top priorities.

Also, UNICEF Head of Water and Hygiene Section, Vinod Alkari, advises: “though Nigeria is still faced with a lot of challenges in terms of access to improved sanitation and water, improving the disposal of human excreta, keeping our environment clean by not throwing refuse around and stopping open defecations can drastically reduce disease burden due to sanitation-related diseases and contribute to economic transformation. This way, the country will stop losing N455 billion annually as a result of poor sanitary habits among the populace”.


http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/whounicef-update-on-sanitation-more-nigerians-still-defecate-in-the-open/

Fellow Nigerians, after several years of prevarication, dilly-dallying and apparent confusion about how to tackle the dangerously volatile menace of Boko Haram, as well as other terrorist groups the chickens finally came home to roost last Tuesday, May 14, 2013. The government of President Goodluck Jonathan had been largely seen as a lame duck and criticised for its inability to curtail the spread of violence in the country and by the manner he seemed to have handled the issue of general insecurity with kids’ gloves. He was accused and summarily convicted by most citizens of timidity. They hinged their decision on the fact that the President had announced to the whole world that he knew those who were behind the ferocious spate of bombings and killings but had done nothing to hunt down, arrest and prosecute the culprits. That was not all.

The President had seemingly summoned the courage to visit Borno State, one of the affected States, when criticism became so deafening that he had shied away from visiting the badly stricken areas of terrorist attacks to solidarise with the victims. His visit was considered too little and too late considering the fact that it came shortly after some opposition leaders had found the uncommon bravery to visit the long-suffering States. When asked if he would negotiate a deal with the terrorists to lay down their arms, in the manner former President Umaru Yar’Adua granted amnesty to the militants from the Niger Delta, the President had waved off such a possibility and came up with his now infamous quote, “we can’t negotiate with ghosts.” And to further compound the situation, that statement was perceived by some analysts as a direct attack on the position of His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto, who had canvassed amnesty for the terror groups.


However, in a most classic example of volte-face, our President and Commander-in-Chief suddenly changed his mind and position on the amnesty issue and went on to announce his intention to actually negotiate with the terrorist groups. It instantly caused an expected uproar and many prominent Nigerians protested the ill-conceived attempt to resolve the menace without any thought being given to the fact that it was liable to have the effect of encouraging and legitimising crime and brigandage in the country.


Undaunted, the President wasted no time in constituting a Boko Haram Amnesty Committee, or whatever it is called, and we all thought that was the end of the matter. It is not clear if the committee was now expected to search, find and unveil the “ghosts” from their subterranean or celestial abode, wherever it is they hibernate, or unmask the real hoodlums and their mentors. Indeed, the question on everyone’s lips was “what exactly was the committee seen as Good Samaritans expected to achieve?”


Anyway. The committee had hardly settled down to work when the President threw a monumental bombshell. Days before the Presidential explosion, rumours were already flying that President Jonathan had decided to declare State of Emergency in some Northern states. Some of us started reading meanings into the motives behind such an action. The first conspiratorial theory was that he was trying to reduce the number of Governors that are likely to support the second term bid of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum. The second was that once he got away with declaring State of Emergency in some of the Northern States and removed their democratically elected institutions, it was only a matter of time before he would go for the jugular of his ultimate enemy in River’s State, Mr Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, by declaring a State of Emergency in Rivers State on the back of contrived violence.


There was already an indication that the President’s cronies were working so hard to cause artificial mayhem in Rivers State where none existed. This they hoped would serve as a fait accompli enabling them to move through the backdoor and remove the man they seem so desperate to get rid of. So the paranoia giving rise to such theories was not totally misplaced. At any rate, we’ve seen it all before under the regime of President Olusegun Obasanjo, when such manipulations were employed to get rid of perceived political foes notwithstanding the fact that they were members of the same ruling party.


But mercifully, President Goodluck Jonathan did not go down that route. And I must confess that it was such a pleasant surprise to many people including myself. Nigeria had suffered too much oppression and repression in the past both under the military and civilian administrations and should have had a surfeit of it by now was my attitude. It was therefore cheery news to have a State of Emergency without its prime casualties unlike the Nigerian Gestapo style that was cleverly perfected by former President Obasanjo.


I had spoken to some of my learned and noble friends who assured me that sacking of any Governor by a Nigerian President for any reason, including the much maligned State of Emergency justification, was an unconstitutional act which had almost become normal because of our culture of docility. Why should the Governors be blamed and punished for a matter that is totally beyond their control? Theoretically, they are supposed to be the chief law enforcers of their respective states but that is hardly the case. Sacking them would have transfigured them illegally into lambs of God who must take away the sins of the world.


Armed with that simple fact, I was ready to stand by the President’s decision not to commit an illegality by sacking Constitutionally-elected governments like coup plotters were proud to do. Being in opposition does not grant us the liberty to criticise unreasonably. We must be gracious and civilised enough to applaud the President, the Government and the ruling Party when they do something worthy and notable. It is our cardinal duty to join hands with others to rescue this nation from the throes of mass suicide. It does not matter that those others belong to a different shade of opinion or persuasion from us. Once they act in the general interests of our beloved country as the President has done, we must be equally vocal in our approval as we have been in expressing our dissatisfaction and give our unqualified support for such actions. Furthermore, whether we like to acknowledge it or not, the evil wind is blowing Southwards in various guises, not just in the form of terrorism, and no State is now totally immune from the madness that has engulfed our great country.


My simple advice, once again, is for the President to play less politics and concentrate on the onerous task of nation building. It is such a pity that he has allowed himself to be distracted by soldiers of fortune who always find themselves in every government in Nigeria. For him to succeed where others have failed, he must be courageously prepared to walk the road less travelled. That road is what I love to describe as the dark lonely road. He must sacrifice whatever ambition he is nursing at the moment for the greater interest of the country which has given him so much. Over-ambition and sit-tight syndrome crippled some of his predecessors even when they had laudable policies and programmes initially. If care is not taken, President Jonathan will end up like them. He seems to be embarking on that self-destructive path already and needs to be reined in by persons of goodwill proffering salutary advice to steer him on to the proper path to greatness. It should be obvious to any discerning mind that can recognise most of those who have encircled President Jonathan like vultures that they are the same characters who had always executed dirty jobs for heavy pecuniary gains but with calamitous results. Why would any leader place his destiny in the hands of such supremely selfish characters?


I sincerely doubt if the military offensive envisaged by the present State of Emergency would accomplish its desired effects. I’m mortified to imagine what pains would be inflicted on the innocent citizens of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. Examples abound globally about the futility of using unbridled aggression against those willing, determined and ready to sacrifice their lives for certain beliefs and faith. The collateral damage that will certainly ensue out of the confrontation is likely to far outweigh the anticipated results. The cases of Afghanistan and Pakistan readily come to mind where the United States of America seems to be tacitly encouraging the authorities to dialogue with the Taliban.


The President can use the carrot and stick approach if his security advisers can clearly identify the real grudge of these terrorists against their own country and people. Parleying can work if properly approached. The fatal error in our own form of negotiations is in the sheer stupidity of monetising amnesty so recklessly. It is a warped notion to think money alone can solve all problems. Rather than abate criminal tendencies, it has instead exacerbated the tragedy beyond reason. While we await the monumental revelations that will come from diligently seeking to identify the true grievances of the Boko Haram sects, the President must pursue worthwhile goals. If I were in his shoes, the first item on my priority list would be to work harder at creating an enabling environment for employment creation and job opportunities. Despite the statistics being spewed out by the Government showing that unemployment is low in Nigeria, the present, realistic unemployment rate in has become too colossal and totally unacceptable. This mass unemployment is what has created and promoted the largest army of frustrated, disillusioned and bitterly cantankerous youths who would do anything and everything to avenge their current status. I must add that unemployment is not solved by asking our mass of graduates to seek work as drivers and security guards or waiters and waitresses. Our leaders of yore, who fought for our emancipation, did not make the sacrifices they did so that our youths of today would find themselves in the atrocious conditions that our leaders of today have put them. All that is needed is creative thinking that would engender brilliant policies.


The reason it has been difficult for most Nigerian leaders to perform is their obsession with wanting to over-pamper a tiny cult of politicians at the total expense of the majority. The President must resist the temptation of pandering to the whims and caprices of those who always sell themselves as capable of fixing everything, when in truth they are incapable of fixing anything. God is the only fixer in heaven and on earth.


When we cater to the needs of the majority it would then be possible to snub the greed of a few parasites. But the President would only be able to do that if and when he is ready to give his all to Nigeria. He must try to find the time to read and learn how visionary leaders built great nations out of problematic countries such as ours. There is nothing new under the son. He would discover that those leaders did not possess two heads. Neither did they have much education not to talk of being PhD holders like our own President. However, they had one thing in common, the raw determination to turn mass poverty into giant prosperity and the dare-devil courage to pursue their dreams with total passion and religious fervour. Nigeria has been blessed with such visionary leaders in the past so President Jonathan would not be blazing a new trail but only following in their hallowed footsteps.
That is the way to go and not the crude methods that have kept us in this quagmire.
http://www.naijapundit.com/news/dele-momodu-comes-down-hard-on-unrepentant-opposition-critics

The sect has proven more brazen with each successful operation.
Since 2009 when the Islamic religious sect, Yusufiyya – which later became popular with its ideological identity, Boko Haram – began to blossom, the deadly sect has continued to deploy various tactics to sustain its resolve in undermining the Nigerian state.
From a bunch of radicalised Islamists with versed but seemingly skewed orthodoxy seeking to impose a totalitarian rule of Sharia in a multi-religious Nigeria, the sect began to embark on selective killings and maiming of politicians and security agencies.
Later on, the group acquired the knowledge of making Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, which it used effectively to target mostly security operatives, security formations and churches within and around Borno State.
Boko Haram later became notorious for its attacks and heists on banks and other financial institutions, as well as the robbery of bullion vans in which millions of Naira were at different occasions stolen to “promote the Jihad of God,” as they claim.
Between 2010 and 2012, the group resorted to extorting hapless civilians, especially public office holders and business moguls by either sending text messages with threats on their lives if millions of Naira were not delivered to them at a designated rendezvous or harassing their victims by dropping sealed threat letters with a piece of live bullet asking for money. Many innocent persons have fallen victims and died for either failing to meet their demands or for daring to involve the security operatives.
With the growing presence of the Joint Task Force, JTF, and the continuous development of counter intelligence by the Department of State Security, DSS, the Boko Haram, though still very formidable had to resort to tactics that are less confrontational but very effective.
On January 30, 2012, the erstwhile spokesman of Boko Haram, Abul Qaqa (now deceased) had in a teleconference with journalists threatened that they would soon embark on abduction of spouses and children of security operatives and public office holders, for allegedly detaining their (Boko Haram) family members.
They did not fully commence threat until early this year, when the sect embarked on a ransom-driven kidnap of civilians. Most of their targets often gained their freedom after the payment of huge money by either government or relatives of the captives. Some few others were not very lucky as their whereabouts are still unknown.
The kidnaps
On February 11, an Administrative Manager of Maiduguri Flour Mill, Baba Maisalati, was kidnapped by gunmen who ambushed him as he was leaving the flour mill complex. His abductors took him to an unknown destination where he was kept for about three days until he paid N2 million as ransom.
Barely a week after that, news came from Bauchi State that suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped eight Lebanese construction engineers working with Satraco Construction Firm. How the seven expatriates were released is still shady till date.
Shortly after that seven members of a French family were kidnapped by the Boko Haram who kept them under captivity until their release in April.
A Nigerian government report said the sect was paid half a billion Naira to release the victims- a claim which has not been officially confirmed or denied.
On February 24, a university lecturer, Abba Kagu fell into the hands of the Boko Haram kidnappers, who picked him up in error as he was mistaken for an undisclosed relative of a Borno State top public office holder. The abductors who earlier demanded N50 million had to reduce the ransom to N5 million when they realised they were holding the wrong man. But till date, Mr. Kagu’s whereabouts remains unknown to both the security agencies and the university community.
Also, a renowned grassroots politician and ex-local government chairman in Borno State, Mustapha Gadobe, was on April 7 kidnapped on the outskirts of Maiduguri by gunmen who identified themselves as Boko Haram. The kidnappers who took Mr. Gadobe away in his car to Marte border area demanded N50 million. After a week of negotiation with government, Mr. Gadobe got his freedom after an undisclosed amount was paid.
On April 27, another kidnap occurred. This time, it was the General Manager of Borno State Water Board, Baba Gujbawu. He was picked by two young gunmen as he set out to attend a meeting in his office. Mr. Gujbawu’s abduction was even more dramatic as he was taken away alongside his Tiv neighbour who happened to witness the scenario. The Water Board GM’s friends had to part with N3 million to secure his release. Unfortunately, Mr. Gujbawu came with the sad news that the Tiv man was beheaded in his presence.
JTF’s late warning
After several successful kidnaps for ransom, the JTF, through its spokesman, Sagir Musa, on April 28, issued a caveat warning residents of Maiduguri and environs that the Boko Haram had resort to kidnapping prominent citizen with the aim of getting money from their relatives.
Mr. Musa’s statement read, “Intelligence available to the Task Force has indicated that Boko Haram Terrorists have resolved to concentrate more on kidnappings than robbery. They alleged that kidnapping is more lucrative, less dangerous and requires short time to plan and execute. Similarly, a special kidnapping squad has been earmarked and tasked by the Boko Haram sect to kidnap persons who could be wealthy relations, politicians, business women/ men, traditional rulers, senior civil servants and foreigners alike.”
Shortly after Mr. Musa’s warning, some brazen gunmen whisked away nonagenarian elder statesman, Shettima Ali-Monguno, in broad daylight. Mr. Monguno was abducted amidst hundreds of people that performed the Friday prayer near his old family home. That singular incident underscored the height of the Boko Haram sect members’ daring impunity and their undermining of the security system.
Though government of Borno State has severally denied paying any ransom to secure the release of Mr. Monguno, who spent three days in a remote camp of Boko Haram in Kirenowa border village, it is generally believed that the N50 million demanded by the sect was paid.
Again, on May 3, a gang of Boko Haram stormed Ngamdu Village of Kaga Local Government Area and abducted the father and mother of a House of Representatives member, but failed to get them far before security operatives intercepted them and rescued the victims.
A serving Borno State House of Assembly member, Zakariya Dikwa, currently has his mother in captivity after Boko Haram members abducted her two weeks ago in Dikwa Town. All efforts to get across to the abductors have for now yielded no result.
On May 12 in Bama Town, gunmen defied the 24 hours curfew imposed on the town after the massacre of 55 persons, to kidnap a younger brother of the Shehu of Bama, identified as Abba Zaru. There is no report of Mr. Zaru’s whereabouts or whether he has been released.
The above scenarios feature only prominent personalities in the society. Many other people, private civilians, are believed to have suffered a similar fate and probably even paid heavy ransoms to gain their freedom without anyone knowing. Others who could not afford such heavy ransoms could have been killed.
The belief in security circles in Borno is that the sect increased its kidnap activities to fund its various violent operations across Northern Nigeria.
The declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno and the subsequent massive deployment of troops there; are, however, expected to quell the kidnap and other criminal activities of the sect.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/135082-how-boko-haram-turned-to-kidnapping-to-raise-funds-in-borno.html

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) stated its desire to raise a team that would monitor soldiers and ensure that they abide by the rules of engagement in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
This formed part of the resolution at the National Executive Council (NEC) of the ACF in Kaduna, on Thursday.
In a communique signed by its deputy national publicity secretary, Fati Ibrahim, ACF said after reviewing and discussing recent developments in the country, it took notice of the proclamation of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by the Federal Government on the grounds that attacks and killings by insurgents and other terrorist groups required massive military response.
“The meeting was concerned that the president appears to have more faith in a military solution, even where evidence from our experiences so far bears no such optimism.
“It is the hope of the ACF, therefore, that the Federal Government does not consider the increased military deployment as a superior option or alternative to the slower and more tedious path of dialogue, negotiation and conciliation.


“Given the dismal history of peace-making campaigns by the military all over the world, dispatching battalion after battalion to the field in the hope of combating insurgents or terrorists sound naive,” the forum said.
The Forum called on military personnel to avoid acts capable of increasing civilian casualties and bloodshed under the guise of emergency rule.
“They are well advised to involve the local populace in their operational plans, in order to minimise collateral civilian suffering,” the group added.
The NEC meeting of the ACF was presided over by its chairman, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed and was attended by delegations from all the northern states.

http://www.informationng.com/2013/05/acf-to-monitor-soldiers-in-states-under-emergency-rule.html

ANPP Opposes ACN, CPC; Declares Support For State Of Emergency

The opposition party said the president acted rightly.
Two days after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a State of Emergency in two of its three states, the All Nigeria Peoples Party has declared support for the declaration.
The party’s position was made known by its National Chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.
Mr. Onu said his party and its governors will support the Federal Government to bring peace to Borno and Yobe, currently under emergency rule.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa on Tuesday evening to curb the violence and insurgency in the area. Of the three states, only Adamawa is controlled by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, with the other two controlled by the ANPP.
The ANPP’s reactions contrasts sharply with that of its other two allies, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC; with the other two outrightly condemning the declaration. The three parties, alongside a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, are currently concluding their merger to form the All Progressives Congress.
“We have been working very hard as a party and our governors are mature. They will continue to work hard for peace. That has been the position of our party,” Mr. Onu said. “But we believe that with the declaration of the state of emergency, the rights of the citizens must be respected because we are in democracy,’’ M. Onu said.
He lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for ensuring that the political leadership of the affected states was not taken away from the governors.
“The insecurity was not caused by the governors and they were elected by the people; so the emergency should not and I am happy it has not affected them,” he said. “They have been putting in their best and we know that they will continue to do so until we have peace.”
The ACN, probably sensing the view of one of its allies warned on Thursday that retaining the political leadership during such emergency declaration was inconsequential.
“Truly, leaving the Governors and the state legislatures in place has made it easier for Nigerians to accept the imposition. But the truth is that the state chief executives and the legislatures have no role to play under the new system in place in the states,” the party added,” the ACN spokesman, Lai Mohammed, said.
Premium Times had made repeated efforts to reach the spokesperson of the ANPP on Wednesday and Thursday on the party’s reaction.
“We’re not speaking now,” Emma Eneukwu, the party spokesperson had said.
With the statement of the party’s chairman, it appears the ANPP’s initial silence was not want to antagonize its allies, the ACN and CPC, who would then appear to be crying more than the bereaved.
Mr. Onu expressed optimism that the issue of insecurity in the country would soon be resolved, saying, “Whatever has a beginning must have an end.’’
Climate change
Earlier at a public lecture, organised by the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, Mr. Onu urged government at all levels to embrace research to address the challenges posed by climate change.
Mr. Onu, who chaired the lecture, warned that climate change would have adverse effects on food security.
“Before now Nigeria was self-sufficient in food production but now the country is the largest importer of rice and other commodities, this is not acceptable,’’ he said.
The ANPP Chairman said that “government must continue to carry out research to see how climate change has impacted on us as well as the necessary measures needed to ameliorate its effects on our economy.
“Everybody, not just the government, even the private sector must emphasis research.
“Research is very important because without it, we would not know what will happen,’’ he said.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/134702-anpp-opposes-acn-cpc-declares-support-for-state-of-emergency.html

Enough of playing politics with national issues. The idea of using ethnic, religious and regional sentiment to weep sympathy will not allow for the development of Nigeria.The Northern Elders Forum, Afenifere, Ndi-igbo, Ijaw national congress and other ethnic affiliation should put Nigeria first and be patriotic. The country's sovereignty is being violated by some few sect of terrorists and killings of innocent civilians and security forces everyday, and we are saying the government should take the "sit down and look approach", not possible of course. Govt should shun sentiments and go all out to do needful to restore normalcy and peace in the North and Nigeria by extension.

ACN parrot, Lai Mohammed, has urged the gavels to reject the State of Emergency in two ANPP states and one PDP state. While simultaneously failing to give us an alternative solution to the #BokoHaram menace, Uncle Lai said that the Prez’s decision lacked “original thinking”. On its part, the CPC, has asked us to rally around the Prez in this trying times. A more mature perspective if you ask me…

http://www.ynaija.com/if-you-say-gej-has-no-original-thinking-where-is-your-own-and-more-in-todays-news-roundup-with-cheta-nwanze/

The minister said the policy was put together by the Debt Management Office, Central Bank, Ministry of National Planning, the World Bank, and the National Bureau of Statistics.
The new government strategy is expected to follow the restructuring of the high domestic debt profile, which makes it less expensive to service . The strategy will also through a comprehensive plan exit the corridors of high domestic debts.
Low foreign debt, High domestic debt
The finance minister explained that Nigeria’s current foreign debt was insignificant and could not create problems for the country as it is just 12 per cent, with the remaining 88 per cent as domestic debt.

From the minister's statement, the level of our foreign debt is very insignificant when you compare it to domestic debt of 88% and perhaps in comparism to foreign borrowings by other countries in Africa sub-sahara. Though accumulation of debt itself is burdensome on any economy, so long the purpose for such is justifiable and put in judicious use for the designated purpose.

fellow citizens, I address you today with heavy heart and grief. I join you in mourning your families, friends and other loved ones who may have lost their lives to the security challenges that we face in Borno State; I commiserate with you for the injuries, you or your loved ones may have suffered and for the properties you may have lost as we are confronted with a nightmare that has haunted us for far too long.

I am usually thrown onto emotional torture any time a life is lost in Borno especially by man-made brutality because as your Governor, I am under obligation, constitutional and moral, to ensure your safety. As your leader, I consider myself a father to all orphans, a brother and friend to everyone of you, a son to every parent and a member of every family in Borno State regardless of religion, tribe and geo-political affiliation. I share in your moments of despair more than you can ever imagine because regardless of the intrinsic worth of any programme and projects put in place by any government, however laudable, a citizen has to be alive or safe to enjoy the benefits of such programme or project. Therefore, the most important role of any responsible government is the security of lives and properties.

Fellow citizens, as you may be aware, the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has in exercise of his constitutional powers, declared a State of Emergency in our dear State, following the spate of killings and destructions of properties, that have pervaded us. It is the constitutional responsibility of the President to take such measures. It is also the duty of any responsible State government, to support lawful efforts that would guarantee the security of lives and properties. It can never be the wish of any guarded democratic government to have the military directly involved in the affairs of any federating unit except for unfortunate and painful causes. As the military leaders have said in discourses, the armory of the Nigerian soldiers is not meant to fight fellow Nigerians, the armory is meant to protect fellow Nigerians.



A human life is sacred, more so, the life of every good Nigerian, no matter whose’ it is; and we all have moral, spiritual and social obligations to preserve and respect the lives of one another as we would want ours to be so preserved and respected. Allah has said emphatically in the Holy Quran that he has dignified every human being, He has placed high premium on the sacredness of human lives and as His dignified creatures; we should obediently respect the lives of fellow creatures. Let us be our brothers’ keepers, hold our arms in the true Borno spirit that we were hitherto known for, so that we rise together as one people with shared passion for our collective progress. We are facing a trying time that I believe without blind optimism, that we will overcome in no distant time bi iznillah.

A period of State of emergency is that which comes with rules that are different from those that guide our day to day lives. We must therefore, take personal steps as citizens, to avoid being caught by the strange rules. I have directed the State Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Culture to work out public safety enlightenment programmes that should be regularly featured on the Borno State Television and Radio while I urge our partners and friends in other media organizations resident in the State to help in educating citizens on public conducts at this different time that we face together.

Let me use this opportunity to importantly urge the military who are fellow Nigerians like all of us, to abide by the directive of Mr. President, in operating under the rules of engagement so that innocent lives and their properties are jealously preserved and protected.

As time passes, we shall as a Government, remain focused in our abiding fate and commitment to improve the welfare of all citizens through quality governance.

I will seize this opportunity for the umpteenth time, to call on our brothers in the Jama’atu ahliss Sunnah lil Da’awatu wal Jihad to embrace dialogue so that we can solve this problem on the table through collective bargaining, offers and compromises. I am glad to note that the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution, is still working round the clock as also emphasized by the President. I believe like I have always said since 2011, that by the end of the day, dialogue will be the last and sustainable resort. Let us embrace the spirit of live and let’s live.

May I also add at the risk of sounding repetitive, that the best way to fight crime is to provide jobs through integrated agriculture and other industrial growth. We are very conscious of the fact that there is mass poverty and unemployment and as you may have confirmed from our ongoing programmes across the State, we are creating jobs and we will continue to do.

I urge you to fervently pray for the return of peace in our dear Borno State and in all other parts of Nigeria, to pave the way for rapid recovery and the socio-economic transformation that we so desperately seek to put in place as a Government.

I thank you so much for your support and wish every one of you, Allah’s guidance and protection.

Long live Borno State!

http://abusidiqu.com/?p=12755

A power transmission station based in Ipaja, a Lagos suburb, was gutted yesterday morning by fire which raged on for hours heightening fears of likely power outage in Ikeja and its environs.
Eyewitnesses said the cause of the fire which began around 11: am was unknown. The inferno consumed a massive transmission station belonging to Transisco Power Company.
“We don’t know the cause of the fire but it started shortly before the rains began. The fire was so massive that even the fire services were unable to bring it under control,” an eyewitness said.
It was also gathered that efforts of the Lagos State Fire Service (LSFC) at taming the fire was unsuccessful forcing the team to withdraw after 30 minutes. The heavy downpour also could not stop the inferno which eventually subsided around 3pm.


Meanwhile, a source at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Ikeja District, said the fire incident might likely disrupt distribution of electricity in Ikeja and environs.
“The fire happened at a transmission station; we at the distribution end of it are waiting for proper briefing on the extent of damage and how much it will affect power distribution in Ikeja and environs. But take this from me, it will definitely affect power distribution, but we just don’t know the extent,” the source said.
http://www.informationng.com/2013/05/ipaja-power-transmission-station-gutted-by-fire.html

Hajia Salimot Lawal, the Kwara Ministry of Health Coordinator for HIV/AIDS, said on Thursday that more than 1.8 million Nigerian children had been orphaned by HIV and AIDS- related deaths.

Lawal gave the piece of information at a five-day capacity building workshop in Omu-Aran, organised for primary and basic health workers in the 16 local government areas of the state.

The workshop, being attended by no fewer than 100 persons, is aimed at improving the knowledge of the workers on HIV/AIDS testing and counselling.
According to Lawal, Nigeria has an estimated 4.4 per cent HIV prevalence rate and 3.9 million people living with the virus.

She said that the infection had continued in spite of the concerted efforts aimed at halting and reversing the spread of HIV and AIDS by stakeholders.

`` Nigeria remains among the top five countries of the world in terms of HIV and AIDS burden.

``More than 1.8 million children have been orphaned since the first reported case in the country in 1986,” Lawal said.

She said the workshop was informed by the desire to prepare the workers for the challenge ahead, particularly in the areas of testing and counselling, to encourage people to know their status.

Lawal said that the target was Prevention of Mother- To-Child Transmission (PMTC) through adequate testing and counselling to achieve zero tolerance to HIV and AIDS infections.

She said that Mother-To-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV accounted for three to 10 per cent of HIV infections in Nigeria.

Lawal, however, said, ``with introduction of the core MTCT interventions in the developed countries, the rates has fallen to as low as two per cent.

``The entry point for PMTCT services is through HIV testing of pregnant women attending antenatal care.

``In all settings, HIV testing and counselling should be offered to all pregnant women seeking these services and service providers should also mobilise them to go for testing.”

She listed the benefits of testing and counselling as reinforcement of safer sex practices and empowering HIV-negative pregnant woman to remain negative.

Lawal also highlighted part of the challenges facing HIV and AIDS testing and counselling to include additional workload and stress for healthcare providers carrying out counselling.

Mrs Bosede Alabi, a participant from Oko-Erin Health Centre, Ilorin, said the workshop would afford her the opportunity to allay the fears of people coming for the HIV and AIDS testing. (NAN)

http://www.leadership.ng/nga/articles/52341/2013/04/18/18m_nigerian_children_orphaned_hivaids_related_death_official.html

An international organisation, Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF; French for 'Doctors Without Borders') says that 100 children have again been affected by lead poisoning complications in Anka and Bukkuyum LGAs in Zamfara in the last three months.
The MSF Project Manager, Malam Zakariya Mawattia, revealed this in Anka on Wednesday at a stakeholders' meeting.


He said that the rate at which fresh cases were recorded was alarming in spite of the concerted efforts of the MSF, government and other organisations to control lead poisoning affliction among children.
"Between December 2012 and March 2013, we recorded an average of thirty to forty fresh cases of complicated lead poisoning in children from Bagega and six other affected mining communities every month.
"This has become a source of serious concern to us and other organisations that are involved in the control of lead poisoning effect on children.
"What is giving us more concern is the fact that the officials of the federal and state ministries of health have not demonstrated sufficient commitments to partner with us in the intervention so that by the time MSF winds up, the state health personnel can take over.
"As it is, MSF is afraid that when it finally disengages from the country, there is nobody on ground to manage the lead poisoning disease," the MSF Project Manager said.
According to him, MSF is ready to offer technical services and expertise to government officials so that they can handle cases of lead poisoning.
The Zamfara Commissioner for Environment and Solid Minerals Development, Alhaji Mukhtar Lugga, while speaking, expressed the readiness of government to partner with the MSF.
He commended MSF and other organisations for their support and assistance toward controlling the impact of lead poisoning in the state.
He said that the federal and state governments had embarked on the remediation of the village and were determined to complete it before the commencement of the rainy season.
He said that the action was a response to the MSF's conditions for setting its lead poisoning clinic in Bagega.

http://news.naij.com/31332.html

Dr. Doyin Okupe, senior special adviser for public affairs of Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan (Courtesy of Nigeria government) An advisor to Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has denied reports that he named Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s former leader, as a sponsor of the militant group, Boko Haram.
Doyin Okupe, Jonathan’s senior special assistant on public affairs, said the reports were a calculated attempt to hamper the president’s efforts to deal with the security threat posed by Boko Haram.
“There are people who want to damage my reputation and, through me, damage the president and the government,” said Okupe. “These are just some funny and wicked attempts by those who hate the government trying to discredit [us]. There is no iota of truth in it [and] I never said it.”
Reports circulating on social media platforms in Nigeria also quoted Okupe as saying Boko Haram was an “inevitable consequence of the Islamic religion.” But Okupe said the reports were false and an attempt by opponents to cause disaffection in the country by pitting citizens against each other and against the administration.
Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the militant Islamic sect Boko Haram, rejected the idea of any potential amnesty offered by the government. His comments came after religious, political and traditional leaders in northern Nigeria called for granting some kind of amnesty to Boko Haram, and also after President Jonathan formed a committee to discuss a possible deal.
Okupe says the government will continue its work to resolve the security crisis posed by Boko Haram and other groups.
“The government is still very much interested in anything that would bring peace to the country, especially to the areas affected by Boko Haram,” Okupe said. “The options are open and the dialogue and engagement are still continuing at various levels.
“It is our hope and prayer that people with influence will move into this matter and bring the Boko Haram around, so that we can have some peace in this country,” he said.
Some Nigerians have criticized leaders in the country’s north for not doing enough to help stop the violence blamed on the Boko Haram. But, Okupe said the leaders have been helping the government address the threat posed by the militant group.
“After the government has shown some disposition towards amnesty that is largely requested by leaders from the north, there has been a flurry of activities by the northern leaders,” he said. “One is just hoping and praying that all these activities will produce some results that we can all be very happy and glad about.”
“From what I know from the inside,” continued Okupe, “this government has shown commendable capability and has acquired what is required to curtain most of these nefarious activities. The security agencies are getting better by the day, so one cannot but believe that the government is on top of this situation.”
Boko Haram has been accused of carrying out violent attacks in an attempt to force the country to adopt strict Islamic law.
Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram-related violence has killed an estimated 3,000 people since 2009, a toll that includes killings by security forces.
Source: VOA
http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/advisor-denies-linking-former-nigerian-president-to-boko-haram/

The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, Olufemi Ogunbayo, has stated categorically that there was no assassination attempt on politician and activist, Dino Melaye. Mr. Melaye had claimed – in a story that went viral on social media – that his vehicle was attacked on Monday night in Abuja’s Central Business District.

“The car was said to have parked few meters away from his and the next thing he (Mr. Melaye) heard was a loud sound which he taught was a gunshot. Dino Melaye never said the shot was aimed at him,” the police chief said in an interview with Premium Times today.

According to the report:

The police boss narrated what Mr. Melaye reported to the police. He said the lawmaker said he was on his way home from the National Hospital, Abuja in his air conditioned car, all windows wound up, and was listening to a cool music when he noticed a range rover sport golf car drive past his.

Mr. Ogunbayo said, “The police have gone to the scene of the crime and we could not find any car parked there; no trace of shells on the ground.”

“And there is car dealer store at the area which we went to ask if they heard any gunshot and they said no they never heard any gunshot,” he added.

The police boss said further investigation showed that Mr. Melaye’s car window is not bullet proof; and if there was a gunshot it would have penetrated straight into the car and he would have been shot dead. He said the window has a sign of a crack on it, which could have been a result of the loud sound.

“If they had wanted to kill Dino, they do not need to drive and park meters away from Dino’s car before shooting, they would have just blocked his car and shoot him at the spot, so that cannot be called an attempted assassination. And how then is it possible for you to be in your car wind up enjoying the air condition and a very cool music and then you hear a gunshot?” he said.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/129941-there-was-no-assassination-attempt-on-dino-melaye-abuja-police-commissioner-says.html

The United States government is hopeful that Nigeria will soon come out of its current security challenges, saying that the joint efforts of the government of President Jonathan and Barack Obama would lead to the defeat of terrorist group soon.

The US Bureau for African Affairs, Ms. Hilary Renner, while addressing journalist recently, said that the American government was still concerned about the ongoing attacks against Nigeria’s citizens, civil institutions and infrastructure by Boko Haram sect.



“The United States has already designated a number of Boko Haram’s senior commanders as terrorists, shining a light on their horrific acts and cutting off their access to the US financial system.

“Violent extremism requires more than just a security response. The group known as Boko Haram exploits legitimate northern grievances to attract recruits and public sympathy,” she added.

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/04/10/boko-haram-insurgency-in-nigeria-will-end-soon-renner/

camary:

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Former chief executives, union and group of retirees from the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), on Wednesday, rose against an attempt by former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufa’i, to shift the blame for the collapse of the telecommunications company from himself, urging the Nigerian government to hold him solely responsible for this monumental national loss.
One of the former Managing Directors of MTEL, the GSM arm of NITEL, Mr Kunle Bello, who voluntarily resigned to avoid the touted new managers, Pentascope, said he foresaw the collapse of NITEL/MTEL due to insincere and inconsistent implementation of policies by the el-Rufa’i led Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
He described the Pentascope management brought in by el-Rufa’i as an “irredeemable misfortune” upon the telecommunications industry and an unmitigated disaster on NITEL/MTEL staff.
Bello aaid Pentascope squandered more than N100 billion of NITEL’s hard-earned money, besides the loss of revenue, without adding a single telephone line.
He challenged the nation’s judicial and executive arms of government to rise to the occasion to acquaint themselves of blame by going after the perpetrators of the fraud.
In a statement by the group of retirees, signed and issued in Abuja, on Wednesday, they disagreed with the claim in a widely-circulated statement by el-Rufa’i that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar approved the appointment of Pentascope, the failed management consultant hired to manage NITEL in 2003.
They held el-Rufa’i responsible, not only for the collapse of NITEL, but also the destruction of their careers.
They also accused el-Rufa’i of misleading, not only the National Council on Privatisation, but the government, by presenting Pentascope as a capable management company that could turn around NITEL.
One of the former staffers, who spoke with reporters on this issue, Michael Awos, said Pentascope was brought purposely to “siphon money and kill this organisation (NITEL) they had spent all their lives to build.”
Rather than using Atiku as scapegoat for the collapse of NITEL, the concerned group of former NITEL workers advised el-Rufa’i to be honourable enough to accept the responsibility for railroading and blackmailing the former NITEL board and the privatisation council into approving a contract that had short-changed Nigerians and children yet unborn.
Elias Kazzah, national adviser of Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations (SSACTC) and president of the NITEL unit of the association, called on el-Rufa’i to shut up, on account of his mismanagement of the Pentascope transaction that led to the demise of the company.
He said NITEL was commercially viable that it contributed to NIPOST and provided support to the ECOMOG troops in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
A former Managing Director of NITEL, Professor Buba Bajoga, decried the destruction of NITEL, describing it as “very painful.”
He said by the time he left the organisation as its head in 2000, NITEL was a very viable commercial organisation, adding that “NITEL made more profit than most banks. We paid all our bills and were financing all our projects.”


http://news.naij.com/29855.html

Special Assistant on New Media to President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has revealed why his boss is not active on Twitter as much as he is on Facebook.
In an interview culled from PUNCH, Reno says: “He does not have to be there in person but his symbols are there. Dr. Reuben Abati (Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity) is the President’s voice. He is on Twitter and very successfully, I might add. The President would not just do things because others are doing it. Don’t forget he has a PhD. He is a philosopher king and so he thinks before he acts.
“Now speaking about Twitter, you need to understand that it is a medium for instant communication. Now for such a medium, when you have many competing voices, people will sometimes feel they have to do something different, may be something shocking, in order to stand out. As such, people can lose their sense of proportion in order to get instant notoriety on Twitter. This is a phenomenon that started in the United States.

“On Twitter, if given the choice, people choose to say what will get noticed over what represents their minds. In many cases, the object is not to communicate, it is to be popular. And if you ever went to high school or college in the United States, you know that the personality of the popular kids is a facade that quickly falls apart when they graduate from high school or college and move on to the real world.
“President Jonathan and his party are both loved and hated on social media but their performance in terms of increasing the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria, revamping the railways and making it possible to travel from Lagos to Kano in 30 hours for N1,500; ensuring a modest and continuing increase in electricity generation, has earned them popularity in the real world.”

http://www.informationng.com/2013/04/why-jonathan-is-not-active-on-twitter-aide.html

SaharaReporters has intercepted a controversial document believed to contain a secret plan to extend the tenure of local government councilors and chairmen in Lagos state. The document is a draft bill put together by members of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) and waiting to be passed into law.

A recent scrutiny of the draft bill suggests that members of the LGA in Lagos State are collectively plotting to prolong their tenure of office. A subtle clause in the bill suggests that members can stay on in their positions and serve a fresh term with effect from whenever the law is passed.

The contentious clause, believed to have been unanimously smuggled in by the members with the collaboration of the governor reads: “Not withstanding the provisions of Sections 12(1) and 27(3), Councilors and Chairmen of Local Government and Local Council Development Areas that were sworn in prior to the commencement of this Law may hold office for the term prescribed by this Law”.

This translates as an automatic extension of the tenures of the over 300 councilors and their chairmen and reeks of a dubious and concerted effort to tweak the law to enable them stay in power longer.

Nigeria’s federal system of governance makes room for the Local Government Areas. These LGAs are administered by Local Government Councils consisting of a chairman who is the Chief Executive and other elected Councilors. The existing legislation stipulates that these members have a 3-year term of office but the new bill with the clause would see members starting a fresh 3 year term from the date the bill is passed.

Interestingly, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola who is supposed to superintend over the election process seems to show no interest whatsoever in fulfilling his legitimate obligation and rather seems to endorse the promulgation of the suspicious bill.

Perhaps even more befuddling is the fact that Fashola’s Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which controls Lagos State seems to be trying hard to push this bill despite strongly opposing similar moves by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to extend the presidential tenure from 4 years to 7 years.

It will be recalled that the government of Goodluck Jonathan drew a bill in 2011 proposing that the presidential and gubernatorial tenure be revised citing the rising cases of violence and tension across the country during elections as the reason. The ACN however rallied together to stiffly oppose this proposal.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/lagos-acn%E2%80%99s-double-standards-new-draft-bill-proposes-tenure-elongation-lga-chairmen-and-co