₦airaland Forum

Kinda worried at the hate towards private schools. Make no mistake, their graduates come prepared for the workplace than most govt. Uni products. If your family can send you to one them, please, take that route. Much better than any govt school.

Mylove55: don't go there,i can show u millions of hungary pple around me,even me,i sleep without food,because no job.things were better than dis pdp 14yrs misrule.

You sleep with no food, but you can recharge your internet service. Hunger neva sama you

No free oil money from South Sudan. I hope my brothers from the North see this kind of reports. This might be their future here.

At least 24 people have been killed in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in clashes sparked by cuts in fuel subsidies, medical sources say.

The director of Omdurman hospital told the BBC his staff had seen 21 bodies. Three others died at another hospital.

Earlier police fired tear gas at protesters. The unrest began on Monday when the government lifted fuel subsidies to raise revenue.

Sudan's economy has been in trouble since South Sudan ceded in 2011.

Osama Mortada of Omdurman hospital told the BBC's Arabic Service that 21 people sent to his hospital had died, and that about 80 were injured.

"All have gunshot wounds, some in the chest," he said.


Sudan has not seen a wave of anti-government unrest on the scale of that experienced in neighbouring Egypt

Protesters have been angered at a jump in fuel prices after the government's decided to lift fuel subsidies

A police check point in Kadro was burnt overnight on Tuesday
Also on Wednesday, sources at Khartoum Bahari hospital told the BBC that the facility had received three bodies "shot by live bullets earlier today".

Groups of anti-government demonstrators set fire to a university building and several petrol stations in Khartoum.

They blocked a main road to the airport and burnt a number of cars, witnesses say.

Correspondents say the Sudanese government's latest austerity measures have almost doubled fuel prices and hit the poor hardest.

Sudan had experienced an oil-fuelled economic boom until South Sudan became independent, taking 75% of its oil reserves.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

We call on all sides... to respect... the right to peaceful assembly”

US Embassy in Khartoum
The government reduced some fuel subsidies in July 2012, prompting several weeks of protests and a security crackdown.

Plea for calm
The demonstrations began south of Khartoum and have now spread to the capital and other cities.

Officials have condemned the protests as acts of sabotage, describing them as "premeditated", according to the Associated Press news agency.

The Sudan Media Centre quoted Al-Zubair Bashir Taha, the governor of Gezira, south of Khartoum, as saying that aside from police stations, riots there targeted power and gas stations, banks, shops and private property.

Politicians, including President Omar al-Bashir, have defended the austerity drive, saying the only alternative would be economic collapse, local media said.

In a statement released in Arabic, the US embassy in Khartoum called for calm.

"We call on all sides not to resort to force and to respect civil liberties and the right to peaceful assembly," the statement said.

The embassy said it had received "regrettable reports of serious injuries and attacks on property during demonstrations which turned violent".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24272835

There is an increase in reported cases of rape in Ibadan
There are over 20 reported cases in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, monthly, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
A survey by a correspondent in Ibadan showed that the menace is fast assuming a dangerous dimension with reported abuse of minors.
James Ajibola, the legal adviser to the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) Oyo state chapter, one of those polled in the survey, said that rape was one of the social vices currently ravaging the society.
He said that aside from the fact that it has become an aberration, under-aged girls are now major targets of rapists, leaving their victims with horrible experiences.
The legal practitioner said that the Nigeria constitution defines rape and spells out penalties for culprits which range from two to 14 years jail term, depending on the severity of the crime or court’s discretion.
He said that it was very difficult to give an accurate statistic of rape cases, because of a number of factors.
According to him, the intervention by various people to settle rape cases out of court had contributed to seeing rapists go unpunished and thus encouraged more rape cases.
“Over 20 new rape cases are recorded on a monthly basis in Ibadan alone, with only one out of 100 per cent rape cases receiving diligent prosecution,” he said.
Intimidation and poverty on the part of the victims, he noted, were other reasons why rapists go free.
In his own submission, Benjamin Olley, a lecturer at the Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan, described rapists as insane.
He wondered why the quest for power and materialism should result into the destruction of innocent and under-aged girls.
“The situation in which men have sexual intercourse with under-aged girls is abnormal,” he said.
He recommended that psychiatric tests be carried out on rapists, wondering why any man, in the name of ritual or power, would defile the opposite sex.
Mr. Olley noted that the act had many negative implications for the victims.
“They are exposed to various sexually transmitted diseases and more often than not, they lose their self-esteem or could even become promiscuous,” he said.
A rape victim who gave her horrible experience in court during a cross examination felt dejected in her account.
The victim, a 25-year old undergraduate student of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said that the rapist threatened to behead her if she refused to allow him.
The two-month pregnant lady narrated that the culprit had other men who collaborated with him to ensure that the illicit act was carried out on her in spite of her plea.
“When I was shouting, some men were there, but did not help me,” she said.
Another Ibadan based legal practitioner, Jelil Rufai, explained that the Nigerian society was in a serious immorality crisis with different degrees of disintegration in social values and norms.
He added that unemployment was one of the root causes of rape, which had conversely led young men to drugs and to their uncontrolled urge for sex.
“I also suggest that men who are of age should get married,” he added.
A human right activist with the Child Protection Network, a non-governemntal organisation, who preferred anonymity, linked the menace to the high divorce rate in the society.
According to him, many couples had abandoned their vulnerable children to be raped by idle men.
`I will also advise our girls to shun provocative dresses,” he said.
He called for the collaboration of all stakeholders, urging them to be vigilant and to report suspected rapists.
He also called on the Police and the courts to urgently tackle the numerous rape cases on ground.
“If we have quick dispensation of rape cases, it would discourage the offenders,” he said.
Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, condemned the crime, saying that men who engaged in the act had fallen below the animal level.
She, however, said that the command would soon begin a police community outreach programme against rape.
“The programme, when it starts, will aim at enlightening girls on how to avoid being raped by men,” she said.
She, however, stressed that it would also include surveying some areas, which may serve as hideouts for rapists.
Grace Akinsehinwa, a prosecutor and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who has prosecuted many rape cases in Ibadan, lamented the increase in the rate of rape, especially of minors.
Ms. Akinsehinwa blamed many parents and guardians, whose children and wards have been defiled or raped, for not pursuing their cases to logical conclusion.
She added that those parents and guardians would rather prefer to keep mute rather than expose those involved, all in the name of protecting the minor’s future.
She noted that the Nigerian Police has been educating parents, guardians and women on the readiness of the police to assist them in the prosecution of cases.
Ms. Akinsehinwa advised all stakeholders to resist all forms of intimidation in the process of getting justice.
An Islamic scholar, Siyanbola Amzat, in his remark said that Almighty Allah forbids anyone from engaging in rape.
“Those who rape would not want to see their love ones raped,’’ he said.
According to him, the Sharia legal system required any unmarried man who rapes to be given 100 whips even if he is dying and any married man to be stoned to death.”
“Since Nigeria is not an Islamic nation, men should engage their minds and bodies in holy activities like fasting,” he said.
In his contribution, Sola Mene, a pastor, said that the issue of rape was contrary to the scripture just like other forms of sexual immoralities.
Mr. Mene encouraged parents to monitor the movement of their children by not allowing them to associate with people who they cannot vouch for.
He advised parents to educate their young ones on the need to have self worth and teach them proper values of life.
(NAN)


http://premiumtimesng.com/news/145462-ibadan-records-20-new-rape-cases-monthly-nan-survey.html

BY DELE SOBOWALE
THE interview with the Professor on Nigerian university education makes very interesting reading for anyone deeply concerned by the growing knowledge gap between Nigerian university graduates and the rest of the advanced world. When asked “What is the difference between education in Nigeria and Canada?” the professor’s answer was hardly surprising. According to him: “Well, there are the obvious differences between the first world environment of Canada and the tenth world environment of Nigeria. These differences have two names: facilities and resources. Obviously, facilities and resources in Canada are vastly superior to what we have in Nigeria. But, be careful, superior resources do not necessarily make for superior students. First world excesses tend to breed indolence and laziness”.
Professor Adesanmi graduated from the University of Ilorin in the late 1980s, with a First Class, and had moved abroad since then. He met a Canadian university system which was, at least, 200 years old, and a nation, built largely on the strength of the ingenuity of its people and some early immigrants.
I also studied in the United States, with the ASPAU Scholarship Programme, from 1964-1968; then went on to undertake post-graduate courses. I left the USA, on my own, in 1974, determined to live in Nigeria and help my country become as great as the USA.
Granted, we have made very little progress in the direction of becoming a great nation which is universally respected; but we must keep trying. I have no intention of going anywhere else in the world – even if an offer is made.
Perhaps if Professor Adesanmi had reflected on the fact that, the first Nigerian university, University College Ibadan, was established in 1948, while the American Ivy League varsities listed below were started centuries ago, he would be less impatient with us while lovingly urging Nigerians to make greater efforts.
Below are selected American Universities and when they started: Harvard University 1636; Columbia University 1745; Princeton University 1746; Cornell University 1865.
Canadian varsities were not far behind the American varsities, as the following will show: University of New Brunswick 1785; King College University 1789; St Mary’s University 1841; St Dustans 1855.
Virtually all the varsities mentioned above, and most of the others, which cannot be accommodated, were established by the private sector – not by governments. Some even preceded the creation of the two countries – America and Canada.
By contrast Nigeria’s venture into varsity education started three hundred and twelve years after Harvard and 163 years after University of New Brunswick.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s adventure into private varsities did not begin until 1999, when three varsities were given permission to operate. Listed in alphabetical order the nation’s first three private universities were: Babcock (Southwest), Igbiniedon (Southsouth) and Madonna (Southeast). That means that this nation is, at least, 363 calendar years behind the USA and 219 years behind Canada.
Casting of aspersions
One needs not remind our readers, as well as those casting aspersions, mostly justified, at our inadequate efforts, that we were not in charge of our own fate – until 1960. Furthermore, we started with the wrong template for varsity education development. We were over-reliant on government.
The private sector, until 14 years ago, had played no role in educating Nigerian youth at the tertiary level. For too long, we left it all to governments. Interestingly, the US government does not own any university; except the military institutions – West Point and Annapolis – which now grant university degrees.
By contrast, the Federal Government of Nigeria is saddled with 40 varsities and the states own 38. Apart from the staff of West Point and Annapolis, Obama is under no obligation to pay a single staff of any of America’s varsities; neither is the Prime Minister of Canada owing the staff of most of the numerous Canadian varsities one dollar.
There is no ASUU, and there can be no general strike, shutting the gates of 77 varsities, at once, in both countries, because each employee signs a contract with the institution employing him/her.
When the point is made about the percentage of national budget or GDP, spent on education, any economist can spot the difference. There is a distinct difference between budget, which is what the federal government proposes to spend and GDP – the latter being a measure of our collective economic productivity and it is usually larger than budget.
Countries like the USA and Canada achieve 25% of budget expenditure on education because their thriving and huge private sector had relieved the governments (federal and states) from the burden of funding varsity education.
By contrast, Nigeria’s private sector, like the rest of us, is largely dependent on government patronage and concessions.
Only a few people generate the sort of surplus to venture into varsity education – which is capital intensive and needs patient capital. It is possible that nobody will make a kobo of profit in his life time.
Obviously, the comparisons being made are, to some extent, unfair to Nigeria. Instead of repeating ourselves, advancing the same arguments, offering the same examples from foreign lands, what is most urgently required are ideas, for Nigeria to consider, in order to help Nigeria bridge the education gap, at the earliest possible time and at affordable costs.
So, let me start with one idea – recognition of efforts being made and encouragement of education entrepreneurs. Varsity education exploded in the US on account of the land grant policy of most states during the 18th century. Once an individual or a group, especially religious organization, embarks on establishing a university, the state was there to grant the land – providing the land was used for the purpose intended.
By contrast, every single private varsity in Nigeria had been forced to purchase its land – usually at Shylock amounts from the “indigenes” whose kids will later benefit from the venture.
Roads and other infrastructure are also provided to the varsity site. My recent visits to two private varsities, and proposed visits to others, was heart-breaking in one respect – the amount of money spent each year providing power 24/7, all year round by ELIZADE and American University.
To be continued
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/university-education-take-your-choice/#sthash.phJawCrq.dpuf

One hypocrite down. So sick of these lagos and Abuja based political deltans. They only remember the state when election is on the horizon. Go back to your charge and bail business.

eGuerrilla: That our educational system could use more private involvement is not in contention, so why continue rehashing this argument in a repetitive fashion?

When you vaulted into the debate earlier, I genuinely thought you were an objective commentator. But having studied your responses thus far, it is clear that you are neither prepared to engage with facts nor an honest arbitrator by any stretch of the imagination.

My objectivity is not an issue. I am not a supporter of ASUU or any Union in this country. Sorry, if you thought i was one of those people that think government, is a cake for all to take their piece. I live in this country, with a N4.6T federal budget. We need roads, health centers, social programs for poor Nigerians, National defense and the list goes on. Why in God's name should I support over N1T allocation to what is primarily a state and local government responsibility We would spend the whole budget, just on roads and our needs will not be met in the next 10yrs. Where will all these monies, all these unions seek come from If you want to earn the same wages as politicians, please join a party and seek elective office. ASUU and its supporters should, provide solution for less dependence on federal allocation to operate, than asking for more. Time as come for ASUU to bring revenue numbers from their different schools to the table. The government CANNOT and will not be able
to do this alone anymore.

eGuerrilla: You are simply nitpicking to deflect attention from our derisory education budget (federal, state, LG...etc), as your comment here does little to counter my earlier point.



Source

I don't need to nitpick with you. Allocating 26% to education is not the answer to our education problem. Nigeria needs more private involvement.

solomon111: 2015 will be a very interesting year.
I expect many of these APC goons to go on exile when GEJ wins.

Solo,
They will not go on exile, they will stay here in Nigeria and die slowly. Just imagine the level of purification their livers and kidney have to perform per second, to keep the vile in their bloods from killing them. You have to feel nothing but sorry for them.

How did that woman get that close to the president Somebody needs to start looking for a new Job.

CAMEROONPRIDE: who cares?

what's your problem with goodluck

Why are afraid the election.

eGuerrilla: As eagle,eye pointed out, you need to do some research of your own.

Start my mulling over this revelation:


Read More

You know what this punch article tells me, we need more private schools in this country. People are travelling around the world looking for admissions slots. Because here in Nigeria, there are none. Do you know what it means for a 20yrs child with 7 credits to sit at home. When his mates are finding their levels in different schools around Nigeria and the world. Parents quickly find the money to send them overseas.The NASS should make it easier for more private universities to expand around the country. States should be able to have more than one university, where the financial backing is solid. Nigerians are spending billions yearly on education, because of limited space.

Saying Nigeria spent less N160B on education is also very misleading. That is the federal BUDGET. The 36 states put together spent almost N700B on education based on their 2012 budget.

[quote author=eagle,eye]You get energy to quote budget figures.
This country cannot advance or progress the way it should if government continues to ignore the education sector.
NO COUNTRY RISES ABOVE THE QUALITY OF ITS TEACHERS.[/quote]The federal government does not manage Primary and secondary schools in Nigeria, Where 99% of us start the education life style. They also do not own most universities in this country. Why assign N1T to, "truth be told ASUU". Why is this all about money at the center.

eGuerrilla: I was referring to the national education budget - N4.987 trillion for 2013; Human Capital Development (i.e­. Education and Health) – N705 billion, according to Overview Of Nigeria 2013 Budget, By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala


Education Budget of Nigeria Needs to be Improved Like Ghana


NUT Wants 26% Budget Allocated To Education

People need to define the federal government's role in education before we assign a percent on the budget. There are states spending 30% of the budget on education. I will like to know, how Ghana's education system is managed.

eGuerrilla: I had half expected you to zero-in on this particular demand, and you did not disappoint me. If you are prepared to explore things further, you will find that, far from being outlandish, it is an arrangement that is quite common in other parts of the world. To be honest with you, while I understand the constraints outlined by the government in relation to granting the request, I actually see in it the scope for all kinds of educational-based PPP initiatives, as is the case in other parts of the world.



This is the same pedestrian argument advanced by those who fail to understand that, without the 51 odd private universities we have in Nigeria today, our education system will be far worse off. Do you know the number of students who fail to secure university places simply because there aren't enough to go round, every year? This is the wider context you choose to ignore.



When I last checked, a number of demands had not been met. But as it's been a while, I will defer on making any further comment on this, for now.



But this is precisely how you compare like for like in saner climes. If in doubt, look up some of the OECD statistics on educational spending.


Source

Different source:
[img]http://1.bp..com/_GHHVJSVGuiE/TIZcN20Bi0I/AAAAAAAACJk/LHfryscFPRg/s1600/OECDgraph.jpg[/img]

When you talk about education spending in this country, are you talking of the federal spending only, or Nigeria as a Nation. Please, I need you to clarify this point.

[quote author=eagle,eye]These UNIONs should understand that they wield so much power and they can use it to bring our politicians back to their senses.[/quote]The Unions have done nothing but destroy this country. That is the simple truth.

ASUU and their Union brothers clearly shows, why the power of the federal government must be limited. Look at their demands, what a pot of crap.
Too much centralization is killing this country. Why should the federal government, be in the university business in the first case The federal government should also take over all the primary and secondary schools in this country and pay the teachers a uniform wage.

jmaine: In as much as i agree with your points . . .Your submission doesn't give or support the notion of ASUU playing politics.

They are just a bunch of fellas who feel they desire better than what they are getting. And feel they have been victims of deceit by the Govt of the day.

Sincere 9gerian . . . .How will you feel been paid an annual stipends of N720:00 which amount to just N60:00/month as HOD allowance .

There are a lot of sad things ASUU is trying to correct and i support them . . .

So you know HODs earning N720,000 per year in Nigeria. What is the pay grade of an entry level lecturer Please help me out.

berem: stop lamenting my friend! If your president does what is right,ASUU wll call off their strike.

After this one is called off, when will the next one begin.

A protracted land dispute between first lady, Patience Jonathan, and her predecessor, Turai Yar’adua, would have been unnecessary if Mrs. Yar’adua had not, with the help of a former FCT minister, Adamu Aliero, cornered a government plot to herself, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report today.
Months after an Abuja High court ruled on the contentious plot, located in the Central Business District of Abuja, in Mrs. Yar’adua’s favour, PREMIUM TIMES has received testimonies from former senior members of the Umaru Yar’adua administration, and has reviewed a document, indicating that the plot was originally allocated for the construction of an office for the African First Lady Peace Mission, AFLM, as Mrs. Jonathan argued in court.
One senior member of that government, well informed about the allocation, said Mrs Yar’adua’s decision to retain the plot for her personal project against the initial plan, triggering months of legal spat with the current first lady, smacked of “greed”.
“It was a well-known fact that the (AFLM) project started under Yar’adua, but when the man died and his wife wanted to leave, she turned the land over to herself,” one former official said.
“How she did that is nothing but greed. It was a government plot that ended up as her personal property like many other things when she realized her husband’s tenure had come to an end,” he said.
The court battle that lasted more than a year began after Mrs. Jonathan became First Lady in 2010, annulled the allocation, and reverted the plot to its original purpose, the AFLM, this time, under her supervision.
In court, while Mrs. Yar’adua portrayed herself as a victim of power play, and prayed the court to return the ownership to her organization, Mrs. Jonathan’s team put up an argument highlighting the land’s original tenure. Regardless, she lost the case in a ruling delivered by the Abuja High Court in June.
But the officials who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, citing the document, back Mrs. Jonathan’s claim.
“For once, the woman has a good case here. But since they think everybody is Jonathan’s enemy, they refused to call up people who should be the real authorities on that case; to give testimonies in court,” one of our sources said.
PREMIUM TIMES has obtained the original architectural design of the building by Julius Berger dating back to 2009 when Mrs Yar’adua was First Lady. Mrs Jonathan’s husband was vice president at the time.
A spokesperson for Julius Berger, Clement Iloba, said he could not immediately confirm whether the construction company was in charge of the actual construction of the secretariat since the company handles designs for other companies as well.
The disputed land was to host the AFLM’s secretariat, an African Union initiative led by Nigeria, which began while Mrs. Yar’adua was first lady. Much of the funding for the project was to be provided by Nigeria.
But the project was speedily converted to host Mrs. Yar’adua’s personal initiative, Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation, WYEF, after it became clear she was leaving office with the death of her husband in early 2010, the officials speaking on the condition of anonymity, said.
For the several months the case lasted, Mrs. Jonathan and her legal team laboured to make that point stick in court, but repeatedly failed, just as administration’s officials, including the current FCT minister, Bala Mohammed, failed to win public opinion over on a case that appears simple and straightforward.
Those efforts appeared to have largely suffered after the Jonathan administration approved a huge N4.2 billion for the construction of the building- a decision that triggered public anger about the project.
“This is a government that builds a house for the vice president for N16 billion but has no money for important things. Approving that amount for the AFLM, which many saw as the First Lady’s personal project, was one suspicious move that made her fail in public opinion first, then court,” one source said. The National Assembly eventually blocked that spending proposal.
Ironically, it was the question of funding that delayed the takeoff of the project under Mr. Yar’adua.
PREMIUM TIMES found that the project was initiated by former FCT minister, Aliyu Modibbo, for the AU project, but was delayed after President Yar’adua insisted on sourcing for its financing outside of government.
Months after, when Mr. Yar’adua finally approved a plan for a fundraiser to finance the project as suggested by aides, his health crisis had crept in, eventually ending his presidency.
Mr. Modibbo declined to comment for this story. He simply directed all questions regarding the matter to his successors.
Mrs. Yar’adua cornered the plot for herself before leaving office by asking Mr Modibbo’s successor, Adamu Aliero, to re-award the plot for her use. A close loyalist of the first family, Mr Aliero promptly obliged.
After Mrs. Jonathan took charge in May 2010, redressing that illegality became one of her first calls. As well, the new minister, Mr Mohammed, heeded her call, setting off months of a bitter legal spat between both sides.
An attempt at a negotiated settlement out of court failed repeatedly after Mrs. Yar’adua rejected offers to exchange the plot for another in the city, saying the alternative plots offered her were either too small, or too remote from the city centre.
One of her lawyers, Innocent Lagi, did not respond to our calls for comment on this new findings on the matter.


http://premiumtimesng.com/news/145188-exclusive-turai-yaraduas-greed-cause-of-abuja-land-dispute-with-patience-jonathan.html

By Henry Umoru
ABUJA—AHEAD of October 7 meeting called by President Goodluck Jonathan with the seven aggrieved governors, the former acting National Chairman and head of the new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje Tukur, the national leadership of the party has concluded plans to drag former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and others before the disciplinary committee if the meeting ends in deadlock.
The governors are Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto state; Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa as well as the chairman of the new PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje.

Govs. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa states,
There are very strong indications that there will be no solution to the problem as both groups may not shift grounds on their demands, just as second Republic Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko as gathered will be removed as the chairman, Disciplinary Committee, with the Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus replacing him in consonance with the PDP’s constitution.
It was gathered yesterday that since Tukur set up the committee, Dikko has since been hospitalized in a London hospital and even if he is out from the hospital, he may not have the required energy needed at this time and this Secondus has the vigour and energy to carry out.
The setting up of the Disciplinary Committee was in line with Section 57 (1) of the PDP Constitution, which states that “Subject to the provision of this Constitution, there shall be a Disciplinary Committee of the party at every level consisting of seven members with proven integrity, one of whom shall have a legal background.
According to a top source at the PDP, the leadership of the Party will not hesitate to wield the big stick if no concrete headway was reached after October 7 2013 meeting between the President and the aggrieved governors. The source added that the party elders were waiting for the October date when a final decision would then be taken against the backdrop that the party can no longer go on with what it termed, acts of indiscipline by the ‘rebel’ governors and the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.
The source said, “Everybody knows that there is no faction within the party. All these so called crisis is nothing than the 2015 contest. Even, when they appear before the President, none of them can pin point one tangible area of grievance and the party cannot go ahead like this. There must be discipline and a bad precedent should be laid. We cannot go on like this, if they want to go, let them go”.
It will also be recalled that the PDP national Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh at his briefing last week had said, “We have seriously taken into account steps taken as well as the gravity of utterances credited to our brothers, especially in the wake of our last reconciliation meeting.
We therefore wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that the fact that our leaders are wisely decided on the path of caution and decorum, does not in any way suggest that we are afraid of the consequences of doing otherwise.“We have only applied wisdom that, yes, we have the strength of a lion but better, when not applied needlessly.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/pdp-to-drag-baraje-g7-govs-atiku-before-disciplinary-cttee/

By Kenneth Ehigiator
LAGOS — Barely weeksafter President Goodluck Jonathan’s official visit to China, the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company, CCECC, has mobilised to site to begin work on an additional and modern terminal to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos.
Government’s plan to build an additional terminal to the airport is with a view to making the airport a hub in West Africa, and it was part of the agreement signed by President Jonathan with his Chinese counterpart to build five ultra-modern international airport terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.
The development did not, however, come without a kick from AIC Limited, which accused the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, of conniving with the Chinese firm to take over the land for its proposed hotel, describing same as impunity.
General Manager, Corporate Communications of FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said yesterday that the Chinese firm had started preliminary work on the project, beginning with soil tests, and site mapping.
He said that the commencement of preliminary work for the construction of ultra-modern international airport terminal at the Lagos Airport was a follow up to the project that started in Enugu on May 18, 2013.
Dati, who noted that completion of the terminal would help position the airport as a hub in West Africa, said: “Work has commenced on the project for the construction of a new international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, with the mobilisation to site today, (yesterday), of the project contractors, CCECC.
“Preliminary works on the project, including soil tests and site mapping, were carried out as soon as the contractors mobilised to site.
“The governments of Nigeria and China signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of five ultra- modern international terminals at the country’s major international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Kano and Port Harcourt , as part of the transformation agenda in the aviation sector.
“The MMA project is the second of the five projects that have started. The Enugu project started first and its foundation laying ceremony was performed by President Jonathan on May 18, 2013, the same day that the remodelled terminal of Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu was also commissioned.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/chinese-firm-mobilises-to-site-for-mmas-additional-terminal/

By Femi Aribisala
There is a lot of irritating noise coming especially from the North-West concerning the need for the presidency to return to the North in 2015. This should be discarded as sound and fury signifying nothing.
To talk of the presidency returning to the North is to presume the presidency belongs to the North. It does not! There should be no Northern president of Nigeria for the next 14 years at the very least. After that, the presidency should not go to the North-West. It should go to the Middle-Belt.

President Goodluck Jonathan
The new PDP: In the last few weeks, we have witnessed a comedy of errors whereby some PDP Governors, mostly Northern, have rebelled from the PDP, formed what they call a new PDP with one central demand: that Goodluck Jonathan should not contest for the presidency in 2015. This makes for good newspaper headlines and little else.
It is preposterous to insist that a sitting president should not go for a second-term when he is entitled to do so. Those who are opposed to him should challenge him at the polls if they can. In my opinion, they don’t stand a chance against him and they know it.
This is a Nigerian thing. If you start a business and are successful, your competition does not strive to match or exceed your services. The favoured option is to try to drive you out of business. They will pay the police to close you down.
They will go to the babalawo and ask him to terminate you with extreme prejudice. You will come to your office and find a dead chicken on the doormat. What all this says eloquently is that your competition cannot compete with you. The same goes for the shenanigans of the so-called new PDP. There is nothing new about these jokers.
All they have to offer is the same bad news. The reality they don’t want to face is that Jonathan is unstoppable as the PDP presidential candidate in 2015. A new PDP candidate does not even have a look-in. Neither does a PDM candidate, which Atiku is apparently reserving as his fall-back position when his shenanigans in the PDP come to nothing.
It sometimes takes Nigerians a long time to face reality and admit defeat. This is the case with Atiku Abubakar. The bitter truth is that, try as he might, Atiku can never be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The 2015 election will be between President Jonathan and the APC presidential candidate. The only opportunity that the North has to produce the next president lies in the APC putting forward a Northerner as its presidential candidate. Even then, President Jonathan must be the odds-on favourite to win. As a rule, sitting African presidents don’t lose elections.
Lame-duck Governors: Politics is a power-game. However, the high jinks of the nPDP are all smoke and mirrors. All but one of these rebel governors is a lame-duck; meaning this is their last term in office. With the sole exception of Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara, they have all served two terms as governors and that is the statutory limit.
Lame-duck governors have greatly diminished power. Their opponents know they will not have to tolerate them much longer. Lame-duck governors run against the clock. They are soon to be dumped into the dustbin of history. That is the predicament of these loud rebels.
What is pathetic about their situation is actually their central demand. President Jonathan is at the height of his powers. He is not a lame-duck. He can run for a second term. That gives him enough time to deal with his opponents. It also tells them that they better make peace with him now, or they will be in the wilderness possibly for the next six years. That is a very long time in politics. By that time, at least six of the rebel PDP governors will be politically dead.

These politicians facing a bleak future are now demanding that the President relinquish his advantage by making himself a lame-duck like them: declaring that he will not contest for the presidency in 2015. President Jonathan is certainly not a fool; so that is not going to happen.
This is my prediction. The rebel lame-duck governors have had their 15 minutes of fame; thanks to the Nigerian news media that hankers after sensational stories. They have made the noise and grabbed the headlines. That is the end of the road for them.
They have to come back to Jonathan cap in hand. I repeat, politics is a game of power and, at the moment, Jonathan is sitting pretty. If these lame-duck governors don’t play ball, they will all be handed over to the EFCC if and when Jonathan is returned as president. I actually believe that is
what all this brouhaha is about.
These governors want assurances that they will be left in peace to enjoy their booty after their retirement. I don’t believe that assurance should be given either. They have gone about it the wrong way. They should have gone to the President to plea-bargain rather than all this bluster. As it is, the PDP machinery in their states will be taken away from them and that will be it.
Who are the people going to follow? Would they join a man who is going to be out of a job as governor within two years, or will they follow a sitting president who is likely to remain president for another six years? It is a no-brainer: Jonathan has all the cards hands down.
Of all the rebel governors, the most pathetic is Rotimi Amaechi. He is from the South-South. Nevertheless, he is demanding that a South-South president should not seek a second-term. Within the framework of Nigeria, that position is not only idiotic, it is politically suicidal. You don’t scuttle a South-South presidency in favour of the North and expect thank you from the people of the South-South. All Amaechi has achieved is to consign himself into future political irrelevance.
Northern political disintegration: There are still more smoke and mirrors. One of these is that the North can determine who will be president of Nigeria. That is all poppycock. If it were true, Buhari would have been elected Nigeria’s president in 2011. He won all the far northern states of Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara. Nevertheless, he still lost woefully by 10 million votes.

Time was when a Northern candidate was certain of victory by sheer weight of numbers. All that is history now. The North is the only region in Nigeria that no longer exists politically. Thanks to Boko Haram, it is now divided between Moslems and Christians. The Middle Belt now considers itself Middle Belt and not as the North. What is the point of including yourself in the North if all it gets you is to play second-fiddle perpetually to Sokoto, Kano and Katsina? The North is now also divided between the elite and the masses. What is the point of insisting on a Northern president when all it produces are Northern billionaires without appreciable development of the North?
In their insistence on being president of Nigeria yet again, the far North is burning its bridges. The most faithful supporters of the North politically have been the South-South and the South-East. The possibility for such continued support in the future is now being scuttled by the seeming Northern determination to truncate the legitimate second-term bid of a South-South president and to deny the Igbos their rightful claim to the presidency. If the politicians of the far North are not careful, they will not get a president from their area for another 50 years.
Federal character: Nigeria is an agglomeration of peoples of different regions and ethnicity. This must be reflected in the polity. Accordingly, the North should take an extended sabbatical from the presidency. Other regions have tolerated a Northern presidency for 37 out of 53 years, to no great effect. There is nothing to recommend another Northern president in the short-term. The last thing Nigeria needs right now is another President Musa Yar’Adua with his highfalutin seven-point programme.
Northerners are rightfully the apostles of federal character. By the same token, the presidency should reflect the federal character of Nigeria. Jonathan is important as the first South-South president. The South-South deserves a second-term according to the principles of federal character.
After eight years of a South-South presidency, it cannot be said to be the turn of the North again, when the Igbos, a major ethnic group, have only had a head of state for six months. Before we can talk of another Northern presidency, we should have had at least eight years of an Igbo presidency. If after that, the presidency then moves to the North, it should not go to the traditional Northern odd-jobbers. It should go to the Middle Belt for another eight years.
Political wilderness

My advice therefore to the people of the North (especially the North-West) is that they should fasten their seat-belts. They may be in for a long journey in the political wilderness. The way out is not through this nPDP nonsense which is likely to antagonise the rest of the country against them. The predicament of the far North requires greater political dexterity. There is a new realpolitik in Nigeria, and it is not to the advantage of the North.

Zero policy debate
Nigerian elections are peculiar in that there is hardly any policy debate as such. It is all about which region gets the presidency, as opposed to which policies get implemented. In 14 years of PDP presidency, I have yet to discover exactly what the party stands for. Nobody seems to care. Immediately a president is elected, the debate begins on where the next president should come from. 2015 is two years away. Nevertheless, we are already in election-mode. Government money is being saved for the next election. Government money is being looted by the lame-ducks. Everyone is shouting “my turn;” “me-first.” Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to go to the dogs.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/why-goodluck-jonathan-must-run-for-a-second-term

Look at Femi, trying to hug the whole space. Blocking the Gombe's gov view. Diezani is fine sha . Fresh till 2019

software man: Please cross check your facts from the Niger delta holding web site. Even they cannot make that kind of wild assertion.

Why not take a weekend trip around this power plants to prove yourself wrong.

I have a copy of the agreement. Please contact me for terms, found it in Wamakko's office.

wirinet: I am full blooded Itsekiri from koko. The way the igbos make decisions and assumptions for others is annoying. They will tell you SS will do this, Middle belt will vote this, Southern Kaduna will support that, but they will not quote one leader from that group to support their assertions.

You are from koko not warri and please you are a Yorubaman, as we say in delta you will be allowed to join your yoruba people in the southwest. We know ourselves in Warri.

The fear of CAN is now the beginning of wisdom. Hate pastor Ayo all you want, he is doing something right. All these attacks proof beyond any reasonable doubt, that CAN has become a thorn in the flesh of Islamist in this country.

smh