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PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 4:29pm On Oct 02, 2014
Very good this rubbish was removed from frontpage. Seun, please don't allow this forum to become a play ground for boko haram sympathisers.

The war against Islamic terrorism has only one side, for or against. Nairaland should not be a medium, where boko haram social media crews, propagate their propaganda.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 3:57pm On Oct 02, 2014
AnanseK: They are one and the same thing. TAN and BH using the same purse.
You know something we don't
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 3:56pm On Oct 02, 2014
tbaba1234: Reallyhuh?

That is what it is, shameless and irresponsible.
That's your problem.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 3:43pm On Oct 02, 2014
tbaba1234: This is shameless.

This is a faceless forum so you can accuse someone of being a mass murderer. Just wrong.

Rule 2. Don't abuse, bully, deliberately insult/provoke, fight, or wish harm to any Nairaland member.
Shameless huh? calling people what they are? Those of you trying to use this forum as a medium of your boko haram propaganda, are simply mass murderers.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 3:07pm On Oct 02, 2014
Ibnsultan: Crap from a bloody Tan operatives. What I have don't for my Country
Till you die. You will never do 1/3 of it.
NA will crush BH soon
Even if your corrupt bosses don't want 2
You keep yelling about TAN. Please talk about Shecow, your anti Nigeria Islamic mass murderer, the one you spent your whole time supporting on this forum . Tan are proud Nigerians, you and your boko haram crew are mass murderers, killing Nigerians daily.. Spot the difference.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles:
Ibnsultan: I guess its convenient for You 2 type rubbish using Your TAN supplied tecno phone.
You have NO idea wht the boys in NE go tru daily. Keep hiding under ur mama's bed
Rubbish, once again rubbish. The army will get to your kind, sooner rather than later. Your pretentious posts will not change the fact, that you are a boko haram supporter.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 1:48pm On Oct 02, 2014
Ibnsultan: . Back off. You are verry Stupiid & shameless
Idiiiot. Tell Your pay master to Allow the military deal with BH. Don't forget he should tell his ppl to stop sponsoring BH
Don't quote
You need to pound sand, your gleefulness will be short lived, bloody boko haram supporter angry angry angry angry angry
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 1:36pm On Oct 02, 2014
Ibnsultan: its clear from the video shekau has serious weapon training
Now we Know what happen to our Alpha jet 466. May the soul of the gallant men board rest in peace.
Your sacrifice will not be in vain
Dude, you are shamelessly stupid.
PoliticsRe: Shekau Appears To Be Alive In Newly Released Video by atlwireles: 1:33pm On Oct 02, 2014
The silent boko haram NL media crew suddenly found their voices. It took you people almost 2 weeks to remanufacture your leader shecow. No wahala, Nigerian army has enough bullets to terminate this fecal matter at the appointed time.
PoliticsRe: Jonathan Now The 6th Richest African President......hmmm by atlwireles: 12:26am On Oct 02, 2014
Ryabcool: and i'm supposed to vote for a man who intends to have me begging for food aid? Well thank you for sharing his plans when he gets reelected.
You are hungry already, so, what difference will it make to you. grin grin grin
PoliticsRe: Oritsejafor Breaks Silence On $9.3m Arms Deal Saga. by atlwireles: 12:04am On Oct 02, 2014
Two janjaweedddds are competing amongst themselves on this thread. Pastor Ayo is above your pay grade, get that message into your skulls. Even your Sultan knows Pastor Ayo remains his boss.
PoliticsRe: Jonathan Now The 6th Richest African President......hmmm by atlwireles: 11:36pm On Oct 01, 2014
Just 100M? I hope Jona knows, he must leave the villa with a minimum of $200B. Nigeria must be on food aid after he leaves. grin grin grin grin
PoliticsRe: Boko Haram 'ICT' Expert Arrested by atlwireles: 9:23pm On Sep 30, 2014
The rapid decrease of boko haram propaganda on NL says it all. Their social media crews have been seriously weaken.
Christianity EtcRe: Anglicans Give GEJ 'Award Of Excellence In Christian Stewardship' by atlwireles: 8:48pm On Sep 30, 2014
The enemies of the Church, will keep wandering in darkness. Onward Christian soldiers! marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. God bless our CMS churches.
PoliticsRe: Who Believes The Lie That There Are More People In The North Than In The South? by atlwireles(op): 8:04pm On Sep 30, 2014
SLIDEwaxie: Kano is bigger than lagos, lagos is that very small part under ogun state: check ur map!
Ogun state is like 3 times the size of lagos. Kano is as much as a commercial hub as lagos! Kaduna is also big and populous!

Second: north is more populous, whether u wanted to biliv it or not. I'm sure u haven't really travelled up north!

It is the east that is overrated in population. After Enugu, onitcha, aba, which eastern state really pulls crowd? Bayelsa? Akwa ibom?

Dude, northerners marry nothing less than 3 wives, all given birth like bed bugs! Forget it, they're much!
Imagine the primitive angle you came from. Saudi Arabia is bigger than Nigeria in size but they have 30 million people. Saudi Arabia are polygamous too,they don't migrate,in fact they are so rich they can marry a 100 wives each(if it's possible). So how come your primitive analogy doesn't work elsewhere in the world.
PoliticsRe: Why I May Go Into Politics Soon - Jarus by atlwireles: 6:04pm On Sep 30, 2014
There is no miraculous change coming to your state or town anytime soon, when people with means and knowledge, like yourself sit on the sidelines. As much as I dislike your APC, I have to support your intention of getting involved with your local politics. Politics does not change people, they remain what they were before entering politics. Best of luck, the more people like you get involved, the better this nation will be.
AgricultureRe: Looking 100 Acres Of Land In Ondo State by atlwireles(op): 5:45pm On Sep 30, 2014
TheUnbeatable: Which local govt would you like sir/madam?
Makes no difference, just no swampy land. Land is for a plantation project.
PoliticsShifting Investment Focus Favours Nigeria’s Oil-rich Southern Region by atlwireles(op): 3:52pm On Sep 30, 2014
Away from Lagos, real estate investment focus is gradually shifting to the oil-rich southern part of Nigeria where investors say they see untapped opportunities with high investment yield.

Conventional real estate investors and new market players are in places like Port Harcourt, Delta, and Owerri which have emerged new investment destinations for both residential and commercial developments.

A close look at the axis in recent time reveals intents by developers such as Taf Nigeria Homes Limited, developers of Golf Estate, GTRich Investment, promoters of Lekki Gardens among others to offer the Garden City of Port Harcourt uptown apartments at their respective estates.

At the commercial segment, Resilient Africa, a property development and investment company is set to deliver retail malls in Delta, Owerri and Asaba, all aimed at offering the growing middle class new shopping experience. Simiarly, Anambra State government and African Capital Alliance will, by end of 2015, deliver the 15,000 square metre Onitsha Mall which is still under construction.

Another firm also planning to exploit the huge opportunities in this axis, precisely in Delta state, is Grace Bounty Properties. The firm which is the promoter of Grace Garden Estate, Agbara, says its decision to go to Delta was informed by the tourist attractions and relative peace enjoyed by the town in recent time.

“We see Delta as a safe, serene and tourist town with huge rewarding potential for the real estate sector, Stanley Awaogu, the company’s managing director, told journalists at a media briefing in Lagos.

Awaogu explained that unlike its Agbara project, Macberry Estate, Asaba boasts of three zones which investors or intending homeowners can choose from.

“At Macberry, we have high density areas measuring 80ft by 100ft and this sells for N700,000 per plot; 50ft by 100ft sells for N600,000 while 30ft by 100ft sells for N350,000 per plot.

According to him, the estate which is five minutes away from the Metro city of Asaba, few minutes drive from the Onitsha/Asaba expressway, three minutes drive from the Asaba International Airport, Iron Steel Company Asaba, Worksen Asaba, and in close proximity with Paint Company, Otulu Secondary school and Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-uku has rewarding potential for investors.

The estate which sits on 45 acres is currently being cleared, with perimeter fencing and other infrastructures and amenities set to be built soonest.

As part of security measures, the estate will come with CCTV cameras, security post and an estate office, while 50 units of three bedroom bungalows will be built across the three zones for willing buyers.

On the response from subscribers since it was unveiled, he said that sales have been on the increase as Asaba gradually begins to take shape as the next hub for real estate investment.

He further noted that the company is also eyeing other eastern states such as Anambra state, Awka precisely and would officially make its imprint into the market once the Macberry estate is 70 percent completed.

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/09/shifting-investment-focus-favours-nigerias-oil-rich-southern-region
PoliticsRe: APC To Jonathan: PDP Can’t Win Edo by atlwireles: 3:43pm On Sep 30, 2014
Funny almajiris making their usual noise. Even with Osho as APC presidential candidate, APC will lose Edo.
PoliticsRe: Who Believes The Lie That There Are More People In The North Than In The South? by atlwireles(op): 12:52am On Sep 30, 2014
^^^ where in the north, you mean your open desert?
PoliticsWho Believes The Lie That There Are More People In The North Than In The South? by atlwireles(op): 12:50am On Sep 30, 2014
By Femi Aribisala

In 2011, more votes were cast in Zamfara than the total number of legitimately-registered voters, according to the revelation of INEC’s clean-up exercise.
Everything turns upside down in Nigeria. Logic becomes illogical. Wisdom becomes foolishness. Two plus two becomes seven. Hospitals become mortuaries. Stealing is not corruption. Education is a sin. In Nigeria, so many things fly in the face of simple commonsense.
One major example is the ridiculous idea that, by some inexplicable freak of nature, more people live in the arid less-developed Northern part of Nigeria than in the wet, coastal, more-developed South.

Insult to intelligence

The larger population of the North is an elephant in the Nigerian living-room. According to the last disputed census of 2006, there are 75 million Nigerians living in the North and 65 million in the South. This is balderdash! As long as we continue to accept such blatant lie, there can be no true democracy in Nigeria. Electoral results must continue to be falsified to conform to it. As long as we continue to entertain such outright falsehood, we shall continue to be subjected to a “born to rule” mentality on the part of some mischievous Northern politicians.
The assertion that there are more people in the North than in the South is an insult to intelligence and commonsense. All over West Africa, the coastal states are more densely and highly populated than the arid desert hinterlands. Nobody has been able to come up with a reasonable reason why Nigeria would be the only exception to this rule. Most of the people in Egypt live on a strip along the Nile River. But in Nigeria, we are meant to believe most of the people live in the desert.

Some make the case that Northern polygamy leads to more births. If so, why are there only 30 million people in Saudi Arabia, a country more than twice the size of Nigeria? The Saudis are also polygamous. If there are so many more live-births in the North than in the South, this should be reflected in children immunization programs: but it is not.
Everything we know about demographics contradicts the inflated population of the North relative to the South. The economic opportunities in the South far outweigh those in the North. That means economic migration is bound to be southward and not northward. The states with the highest internally generated revenues all come from the South; while eight of the last ten are from the North. No Northern state features in the top ten.

Mythical Kano

The North regularly trots up Kano as the largest state of the federation, but there is no doubt that this is also pure fiction. There is no way that there can be more people in Kano State than in Lagos State or even Oyo State. Let me be even more categorical. Kano cannot be as populous as Ibadan. Kano cannot even have half the population of Lagos.
We were told Kano State was bigger in population than Lagos State. Then Jigawa State was carved out of Kano in 1991. But lo and behold, the remaining rump of Kano was still bigger than Lagos. In 1991, we were told there were 5.8 million people in Kano State, while 5.7 million were in Lagos. In 2006, Kano was awarded a population of 9.4 million; more than Lagos which was given 9.1 million.
In the meantime, Jigawa was awarded 4.3 million people in 2006. If this were to be believed, it would mean Kano (including Jigawa) had outpaced Lagos by more than four million people by 2006. That is impossible. Moreover, Kano was awarded 44 local government areas; Jigawa 27 and Lagos only 20.

Why any right-thinking person would believe Kano State has more people than Lagos State is beyond me. For years, the total amount of internally generated revenue in Kano was less than 6 billion naira a year. In the last year or so, it is now averaging 20 billion. But get this: the internally generated revenue in Lagos is 219 billion naira. So why would people be moving to Kano instead of Lagos? Where are the jobs in Kano to attract them relative to Lagos?

Why would more people keep moving to Kano where there is insurgency; from Maitasine to Boko Haram, relative to Lagos where there is none? The answer is simple. The large population of Kano relative to Lagos is bogus. It is pure fiction! If there were more people in Kano than in Lagos, it would show up, for example, in waste-generation. How much waste does Kano produce relative to Lagos? The answer is only a fraction.
How many houses and physical structures are there in Kano relative to Lagos? There is no comparison. Google satellite maps show a concentration of people and houses in Kano city centre. Everywhere else is sparsely populated. This is not the case with Lagos. It is not the case with Ibadan. It is not the case with Aba. If there are so many people up North, where are the people? Where do they live? Which vehicles take them from A to B? How many of these vehicles are in Kano relative to Lagos? Only a fraction!

Magical Zamfara

Precisely because we have accepted the lie of Northern population supremacy over the South, Attahiru Jega and his INEC cohorts decided to sneak further falsehood past us. Having discovered far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South, INEC still went ahead to create additional polling units, allocating a disproportionate number of these to the North. However, the very audacity of INEC in the attempted perpetration of this fraud has brought to light certain anomalies in the 2011 elections, especially as it relates to the North-West.
INEC’s recent cleanup exercise of the voters register is a big indictment of the North. INEC discovered that there are far more double-registration of voters in the North than in the South. The greatest fraud in this regard is committed in the North-West, and the most fraudulent state in the country turns out to be Zamfara.

Sokoto and Zamfara states border the Republic of Niger. Niger Republic is 19 times bigger than Sokoto and Zamfara put together in land area. And yet, we are meant to believe that in 2006, Sokoto and Zamfara had a combined total population of 6.9 million; more than half of Niger Republic’s population of 12.9 million.
Zamfara’s fictitious population in the 2006 census was 3.2 million. Nevertheless, INEC registered 2 million voters for Zamfara for the 2011 elections. That means 62.5% of the people in Zamfara registered to vote. (This is roughly equal to the 64% of people who registered to vote in the 2012 elections in the United States; a country of far higher voter-awareness and socialisation). This is fraud of the highest order for the simple reason that 62.5% of the population of Zamfara cannot be eligible to vote.
The voting age in Nigeria is 18 years. According to U.N. demographics, 44% of Nigerians are below the age of 15. This means under no circumstances can 50% of the population anywhere in Nigeria be said to have registered to vote in any election. It is not surprising therefore that although INEC registered 2 million voters for the 2011 elections in Zamfara, the same INEC discovered in its clean-up exercise this year that 1.1 million of those voters (over 50%) were fraudulent; the result of double registration.

Voodoo results

That means only 914,886 of the names on the Zamfara register could be verified as not pertaining to double registration. (This does not tell us how many of the remaining names are fictitious). But then get this: according to INEC records, 927,219 people voted in Zamfara in the 2011 presidential election; mostly for Buhari. That means more votes were cast in Zamfara than the total number of legitimately-registered voters, according to the revelation of INEC’s clean-up exercise.
Let us put this in stark terms. It means, according to INEC, over 100% of the Zamfara electorate voted in 2011. What malarkey! By the time we factor in the fictitious names that must have been in the register, we can see that the figures coming out of Zamfara have nothing whatsoever to do with reality. In Zamfara, there is procedural inflation of figures pertaining to population and elections.
This gives us an idea of how fraudulent the North-West of Nigeria is with regard to population and electoral figures. This is not to say that manipulation and falsification of figures is not standard operational procedure in other states of the federation, but INEC revealed that it is most exaggerated in the North in general and in the North-West in particular.
It is not surprising therefore that, in the 2011 presidential election, there were 10.6 million “voters” from the North-West alone; twice the number of voters from either the South-West (4.6 million) or the South-East (5 million). This is preposterous, and is nothing but one big lie!

Back to Jega

It is on this fictitious super-structure of a larger population in the North relative to the South that Jega’s INEC based its outrageous allocation of 21,000 additional polling booths to the North, relative to 8,000 to the South.
In defense of this regional-chauvinism, Hakeem Baba-Ahmad added insult to injury by saying: “Jega admitted that many states in the south did not even deserve the number of units they got, but for the inclusion of the principle of fairness and equity. In other words, if INEC had been strict in sharing out the units in accordance with voting population and geography, the north would have received even more.” What poppycock!

In what appears to be the triumph of commonsense and logic, the Senate has advised Jega to suspend the allocation of new polling units until after the 2015 general elections. That should be the end of the matter. People who don’t understand how the Nigerian political system works feel Jega can ignore this advice. He cannot! The legislative branch of the government has oversight powers over the executive branch. Such a directive from the legislature to an arm of the government is not subject to debate. It must be obeyed otherwise Jega will be sanctioned.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/believes-lie-people-north-south/#sthash.b4kUAdmL.dpuf
PoliticsRe: How I Nominated Jonathan As Yar’adua’s Running Mate – E.K Clark - by atlwireles(op): 10:18pm On Sep 29, 2014
[s]
size38: Mr clark, if actually u nominated GEJ as claimed, no thanks to u because u nominated a disaster for us. Ur nominee has failed us oooo! So come and take him back. We don't want him again.
[/s]
Christianity EtcRe: Look Who's Embracing Chris Oyakhilome! by atlwireles: 8:46pm On Sep 29, 2014
What kind of Miracle is Zuma seeking?
PoliticsRe: 2015: Will David Mark Return For The Fifth Time? by atlwireles: 8:44pm On Sep 29, 2014
The Senate needs the likes of David Mark. I hope his constituency vote him back.
AgricultureLooking 100 Acres Of Land In Ondo State by atlwireles(op): 8:31pm On Sep 29, 2014
Looking for a minimum of 100 acres of land in Ondo state. Land must be in the same location and continuous. Land must have road access. Remote interior is not a problem. Agent or seller must have direct relationship with owners(family or village).

I will not drop any email here or contact information. If you have anything in Ondo for sale meeting the requirements, please post it here. You will be contacted.
PoliticsHow I Nominated Jonathan As Yar’adua’s Running Mate – E.K Clark - by atlwireles(op): 8:11pm On Sep 29, 2014
Those blind to Jonathan’s good works are living in a different world
By Levinus Nwabughiogu

He is a man with a plethora of prefixes to his name. Former senator, former federal commissioner, former Midwestern Commissioner, former headmaster among others, but consistent social and political commentator, Chief Edwin Clark, in this gives his role in the remaking of Nigeria, his role in the process among other issues.
The National Conference has come and gone. Many say it was five months of robust discussion. Would you say that the conference was a panacea to Nigeria’s major problems?
I think before we talk about that, the first thing we should go about is to congratulate Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for taking the bold step in convoking that conference which many Heads of State in the past reluctantly refused to convoke for one reason or the other. There were those who were asking for sovereign national conference.


There were others who were asking for national conference. Remember people like Gani Fawehinmi, even Tinubu: these were people who were talking about national conference and for a very long time, nobody cared about it. But when we formed the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, we went to Mr. President, appealed to him on several occasions, argued with him. He had his own case.
And he said, yes, there are problems in Nigeria that cannot be solved by amendments to the constitution alone and finally he agreed to convoke a national conference. He did not just only announce it, he set up a committee under Senator Femi Okurounmu who used to shout in the Senate as if that was the only purpose for which he was elected into the Senate. So, the committee went round the country, saw the modalities and everything and how it should be organised.

Then, the doubting Thomases thought it was a very wrong time and that Mr. President wanted to get some benefits from it. All sorts of things were said. Those of them who could not do it now regarded it as a bad thing.
But there were people who were ready at all times to see whether they can scuttle the conference because they never wanted it. There are people who believe that the status quo in this country should remain. The nation should not move forward as long as it benefits them against millions of Nigerians who are suffering and deprived.

For example, the Nigeria that was amalgamated for one hundred years by Lord Lugard had come to an end. Nigerians have been craving for a new place, a forum where they could all meet to debate and discuss the basis for our living together for the next 100 years. So, what the President did was very, very appropriate and timely at the time.

I think at the end of it, we passed about 600 resolutions and decisions which were very, very relevant to developing a new country and I remember one of my colleagues, Professor Jibril Aminu, one of the most intelligent persons in this country came and sat by me and said that we should take a photograph. We took the photograph and at the end, he said a new Nigeria has been born. And I emphasized the same that you are right; a new Nigeria has been born. Why? Because we touched every aspect of living in Nigeria. What aspect did we not touch?
You said that the Nigeria, Lord Lugard amalgamated in 1914 has come to an end. What do you mean by that?

In 1914, Lord Lugard signed an agreement which amalgamated Southern and Northern Nigeria together. I didn’t say it ended as such but at the end of 100 years, there was a need to renew it because when it was made, nobody was consulted. So, it was appropriate that we have lived together for 100 years and therefore there was need to renew our living together for another 100 years.
Now, do you think that the resolutions reached and taken at the conference have brought peace between the north and the south?
I think so. One of the problems we had first was that most of the northerners never wanted the conference. They believe in the status quo. Even when they came in, they wanted to scuttle it. So, we disagreed first of all whether decisions were to be taken by 75% or by two-third majority.

These went on for over ten days. People thought that the conference was going to end abruptly which made Lamido of Adamawa to say that if this country breaks up, some of us have no place to go to, but they will go to Adamawa State in the Cameroons. That’s what he said. He again said that those of you who are close to Mr. President have come here to oppose Mr. President’s decision; that his decision is to go on 75 percent.
We said no. Mr. President is a liberal man. He has set up a body. How we arrive at our decisions is no business of his. So, we knew that some of us were being attacked indirectly by him. But could you believe that at the end of the conference, we embraced ourselves and we said no more going to Cameroon and we took photographs together.
That shows the level of understanding. But unfortunately, some of the most educated northerners, like the Yadudus were ready to scuttle the conference at all cost for reasons best known to them to the extent that some of us had to “attack” him personally; that he was not only the professor around. So, even towards the end of the conference, some of them were still ready to scuttle the conference.
But I believe having spent about 5 months together, we all have realized that the conference was a useful one. With my interviews with a lot of them both men and women from the north, I think we have gained from the conference and the decisions of the conference will go a long way to improve the lots of everybody in Nigeria.

How did you take the unanimous decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to endorse President Jonathan as the sole candidate for the next presidential election?
Oh! Fantastic. In fact, you must have seen our congratulatory message, message of thanks to members of BoT, members of the National Working Committee, NWC, members of NEC, the Governors Forum for thinking it wise enough that a sitting president should be allowed to contest again undisturbed which is the practice in America and all over the world. We did it with Shagari. It is not a novelty. In 1979, Shagari contested. In 1983, there were many men of timber and caliber from all over the country but nobody contested it with him. So, I think this is the right step. So, I congratulate the members of the various organs of the party.
You were recently quoted as saying that you made Dr. Jonathan Vice President in 2007. But one wonders if that is true given counter claims in some other quarters.

Well, I am not very happy going back into all these types of history but for record purposes and those who have to read history again, it may be necessary to say something about it. It will be recalled that on November 4, 2004, the leaders of South-South went to Calabar for a declaration that South-South should produce the next president in 2007. Most of the governors today attended the meeting and we came out and called it Calabar Declaration. So, those who were interested we called them to participate.
It will be recalled that Dr. Peter Odili, governor or Rivers state, Arc. Victor Attah, governor of Akwa Ibom state, Dr. Donald Duke, governor of Cross Rivers state, then we had Admiral Akigbe, now late, and others who were very superior people said they were contesting. So, it was not a matter of fancy but a matter of fact that our people wanted to be president of Nigeria. Later, Dr. Saraki wrote me a letter that he too had an organization known as Northern Union.

They too wanted a northerner to contest and we met for the first time in Warri at Wellington Hotel. His members and our members met. We told him that we wanted presidency. He said he wanted it also. We later held series of meetings in Kaduna, Abuja and other places to decide that. We hadn’t come to a conclusion when Obasanjo decided to impose Umaru Yar’Adua as the candidate. Then, Odili had to withdraw. We didn’t know that Nuhu Ribadu, the then EFCC chairman was specifically asked by Obasanjo to probe Odili. He submitted an interim report which said that Odili embezzled N100b of Rivers State money.

Nobody has proved that anyway. But this was between Obasanjo and Ribadu. Then Attah had his own problem with Mr. President and Donald Duke also had his problem through his wife. So, he used it to blackmail them and the three of them withdrew. But late Admiral Akigbe refused to withdraw. Let me say this, when people talk about zoning, it upsets me. That’s why I have decided to tell you the story.
There was no time at that time the northerners talked about zoning. In fact, they deceived us. Odili went on, spent money and time. Alhaji Shehu Shagari and many others bought his views. After a meeting in Uromi, we sent Ambassador Lawrence Ekpegbu and his team to the Northeast. They were received by the Shehu of Borno and so forth. There was no time the northerners said there was zoning and that, therefore it was their turn. No.

And it was now through the zoning that Obasanjo brought in Yar’Adua. He had his own reasons. One of the reasons was that he was a prudent fellow. He had N6bn in his purse. Another one was that he was a very intelligent fellow. He was a lecturer and was very humble. Those were the reasons he gave and we bought into it. Then, along the line, it was stated that Odili should be running mate to Yar’Adua.
This was agreed upon but we later learnt that some elements in PDP, I can name some of them; el-Rufai, Ribadu and many others met and changed the acceptance speech of Yar’Adua without his knowledge, without Odili knowing. In the acceptance speech, it had been written that Sir, Peter Odili will be my running mate. But they changed it to “I will name my running mate after I have consulted with the elders of the party.” So, the two men went to the podium and when Yar’Adua read his speech, there was nothing like Odili. Odili was very upset. So, they came out.

In the morning on Sunday, I was watching the television. I saw what happened. By 10 O’clock, I had some visitors including Mr. Ayokobe Whisky who is now Dr. Ayokobe Whisky. He used to be Commissioner for Housing in Bayelsa State.
They were with me in the room with one other person, I can’t remember. Then I had an emissary from the Sultan of Sokoto. They were introduced to me, that they came from Yar’Adua, the Governor of Katsina. And the emissary gave me a piece of paper which had about 20 names listed on it including Ibori, Donald Duke and others, saying I should pick a good running mate for him from the list. I looked through the list, there was nobody I thought there could work with Yar’Adua. I said well, let me suggest somebody who would do the job, who had the qualities which Obasanjo told me about Yar’Adua. And I said that Jonathan was a lecturer also.
He had Ph.D, academician, humble, transparent and loyal. I said both of them should be able to work together. So, I wrote Jonathan’s name on the list and they left. Then I didn’t know whether Jonathan would accept. One of them suggested that we call him and I said phone him. Within 20 minutes, Jonathan arrived at my Transcorp Hilton suite and I told him. He was reluctant. He said he doesn’t want to. He said I want to be the governor of Bayelsa State in the next four years.

I do not want to be deputy to anybody. Then I said that the people of South-South went to Calabar at a certain time and said they wanted a president and if we have not got that presidency because of what has been imposed on us, let us have an elected Vice President. He kept quiet for sometime and then said, well, if that’s your choice, so be it but I am not in favour of it. I said it is our choice. He left. Later the name was announced.

And I know very well that Jonathan at that time was a child loved by a father, that is Obasanjo. Jonathan had received a chieftaincy title from Owu, Obasanjo’s home town and Jonathan had taken over from Alamaesigha. So, Jonathan was a pet son of Obasanjo and I knew that if I recommend him, Obasanjo will not disagree. So, Obasanjo as the president of Nigeria must have contributed a long way to making Jonathan running mate to Yar’Adua. In fact, he told me a story when I led some south southerners to his house in Aso Rock that same evening to thank him for taking Jonathan.

He said that was a good choice, that when he sent for Jonathan, he was not ready for it. Then he told him, that I will give you one of the hats you people gave me when I visited Yeneagoa and they all laughed because they had to take photograph together. That shows the role played by Obasanjo in making Jonathan Vice President. Clark could recommend but Obasanjo can reject. But in this particular case we agreed and so that’s how it happened. So, when people talk about what happened here and there, I laugh. Jonathan was not ambitious. He never wanted to be vice to Umaru Yar’Adua.

Many people posit that Jonathan’s presidency has further divided the country. Do you share this view?
Those people with that view are living in a different world. They are not Nigerians. The people who have that view, they are not only mischievous and wicked, but they are living in a different world. How can anybody say that Jonathan’s presidency has divided the country the more? It has rather united this country. We have just discussed. Jonathan was able to assemble 492 Nigerians from different persuasions for five months to debate and discuss the way forward in Nigeria.


And at the end of it all, we succeeded. We have also submitted the report to him waiting for him to take action and I also saw that he has set up a panel to look through the report before appointing a body for the implementation. So, it is not true that Jonathan has come to divide Nigeria rather Jonathan’s presidency has united this country by everybody coming together to discuss problems facing Nigeria and he has been able to pilot it through.

So, I do not know why people are talking about division. If there was going to be any division, it would have come through the National Conference. Even the National Conference at a certain time, people thought it would break but it never broke. We remained till the end and we all agreed that we have succeeded. In my speech I said we came and we have conquered. And not only that, we had a good dinner together a night before the final day. So, it is not true that Jonathan has divided the country.
Most people like you think that the endorsement of Mr. President is an automatic victory. Now, should he contest in 2015 and fail, what will happen?

Nothing will happen. Nothing will happen. I have said so several times. Jonathan is like any other Nigerian politician who wants to contest election or who is contesting election. When you contest election, two results will come up. You either succeed or you fail. Jonathan will not be different.
If he fails, he will pack his things and go home. We will not cause trouble as some people did in 2011 when they caused riot and so on. Jonathan will go home without making any problem. Don’t mind what some people may say, O! There will be trouble.
There is not going to be any trouble. Jonathan’s election will be like any other person’s election. Those who failed in 2011 are still in this country even though they caused riot. Ribadu contested as a presidential candidate, but he has gone to PDP today. He has been hobnobbing with Mr. President. So, I do not think that the president will take it as something of life and death.
He has said that no one should die for him. And in his time as president, his party has lost a number of elections. His party lost in Ondo State, lost in Edo, Osun and Anambra. He was the first to congratulate them. Why would it be that if he fails, he would kill himself or cause trouble in the country? No way. Whoever wins, Jonathan will congratulate him and go back home.
But most people see you as a tribal chauvinist?

They are very stupid. They don’t know what they are talking about. I can never be a tribal chauvinist. I am a Nigerian. I am a senior citizen of this country. A statesman in this country. Everybody belongs to a tribe. If by some of my actions of defending Jonathan, I have done so, it is because I thought he is being oppressed by some people. I defended Yar’Adua when the same Obasanjo was breezing on his neck.
He complained to me and I went to the press, bought pages and fought Obasanjo; that he should remain in his Ota Farm. When Atiku took him to court up to the Supreme Court, I wrote a lengthy letter to Atiku telling him not to worry Yar’Adua; that if it were possible for the dead to come back to life, his brother Shehu would be very unhappy that Atiku whom he brought up is now the one harassing his younger brother.
I reminded Atiku in that letter of his relationship with the Yar’Adua family. That was why he went to Katsina to visit their mother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone. So, he should not worry the man. And Yar’Adua replied me because I copied him and I still have the reply Yar’Adua sent to me till today. So, I am not doing it because Jonathan is an Ijaw man. I will do it for any other president. Jonathan is my president. I voted for him like any other president, so I have a stake. Many people would not like to talk. I will talk.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/nominated-jonathan-yaraduas-running-mate-e-k-clark/#sthash.VwtzDxCh.dpuf
PoliticsRe: I’ve No Hand In $9.3m, Says Oritsejafor by atlwireles: 7:50pm On Sep 29, 2014
Only almajiris and their supporters thought, you had anything to do with $9.3. They know, you are the boss of their sultan.
PoliticsRe: $9.3 Million Arms Deal: Group Replies Okogie by atlwireles: 6:54pm On Sep 29, 2014
The devil is a liar. Nothing do Pastor Ayo, the fear of him, is the beginning of wisdom for the sultan and his agents.
PoliticsAustralian Apex Bank, Firms Face 1.6 Euro Charges Over Currency Deal In Nigeria by atlwireles(op): 4:18pm On Sep 29, 2014
The Reserve Bank of Australia and two other firms, Securency Private Limited and Innovia Films Limited, all based in Australia, may pay damages of 1.6 billion euros (N322.74 billion) to a Nigerian firm for allegedly neglecting part of a partnership deal to establish a polymer currency printing plant in Nigeria.

This follows a judgment by an Abuja High Court granting the order to the Nigerian partners, Global Secure Currency, to serve them writ of summons.

Justice Goodluck, had, in a July 2, 2014 ruling granted Benoy Berry and Global Secure Currency Limited order Nigeriato serve the writ of summons on the three Australian based firms, including Securency Private Limited, Reserve Bank of Australia and Innovia Films Limited, to appear in court and defend allegations pertaining to breach of contract agreement for the transfer of polymer technology and establishing a polymer based mint in Nigeria.

At the resumed hearing of the case, Justice Goodluck dismissed the application of the foreign firms asking the court to set aside court ex-parte order it made on February 2, 2012 against Reserve Bank of Australia based on the grounds that the order was made outside the jurisdiction of the court.

According to the plaintiff, Benoy Berry, in the terms of the agreement, the Australian apex bank had agreed, through its subsidiary, Securency, Australia, to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to facilitate the transfer of polymer technology, including a pacification facility (substrate plant) in Nigeria; and that the marketing of the 1st defendant’s imported polymer products incidental to the general investment in the local market would be undertaken ahead of the establishment of local production.

While blaming the foreign partners of practising unfair business ethics which included “vicious and malicious international campaigns of misrepresentation and harassment,” Berry said the firms have “subjected Nigeria to perpetuity of import dependency and colossal hemorrhage of foreign exchange,” stating that the contract agreement stipulated a step-by-step transfer of technology leading to the establishment of polymer production facilities and polymer notes production plant in the country.”

On the strength of the contract, Berry asserted that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) awarded the first contract for the printing of polymer notes to the firms, but along the line, the Australian companies reneged on the contract terms and insisted on supplying orders and demands from polymer plants abroad, rather than set up a plant in Nigeria.

To this end, Berry and Global Secure Currency Limited approached the High Court to demand that the Austrian firms must keep to their commitment as enclosed in the agreements to produce and print polymer notes in Nigeria.

Having heard the submission on both sides, Justice Gooodluck, upheld that “upon the ex-facie examination of the plaintiff’s pleadings, this court is of the view that it validly made the order for the issuance of the writ of summons outside the jurisdiction of this court in the absence of any fact in support of the defendants contention.”
The judge further stated “that there is nothing in the plaintiff’s pleadings that could have made this court to decide Kanootherwise, than to have allowed the application.” The judge accordingly ruled that the order of the court directing the plaintiffs/applicants to issue and serve the writs of summons on the defendants outside the jurisdiction of the court is valid and subsisting.

Justice O. O. Goodluck upheld the arguments from Gloria Zakka Onen, leadcounsel for the plaintiffs from the firm of Messrs Adewole Adebayo Esq. and ruled that her order directing them to issue and serve the writ of summons on the defendants outside the jurisdiction of the court was still valid and subsists and further disallowed the Australian firms’ motion and accordingly dismissed it.

http://businessdayonline.com/2014/09/australian-apex-bank-firms-face-1-6bn-euro-charges-over-polymer-currency-deal-in-nigeria
PoliticsRe: Playing Politics With Oritsejafor's Name-Bakare by atlwireles:
It is about time, the likes of David Bakare stand up and tell these almajiris to Go and Die.

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