Imo State Governor and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Rochas Okorocha, on Wednesday met members of the Arewa Consultative Forum as part of his campaign to clinch the APC ticket for the 2015 presidency.

Okorocha told the Northern body that if elected president of Nigeria in 2015, he was capable of bringing the current insurgency in the North-East in the country to an end.

The presidential aspirant noted that prominent individuals were reaping from the war against terrorism, saying this was the reason the Boko Haram insurgents had continued their menace unabated.

He said he had what it takes to stop the menace of the outlawed sect, which had continued to ravage the country.

The governor added that like he did in Imo State, where he had stopped kidnapping, the menace of Boko Haram would become a thing of the past under his administration as president of Nigeria, come 2015.

“I can stop Boko Haram if I become President of Nigeria, come 2015,” he said.

Okorocha, who said he was at the ACF to intimate the organisation with his bid and solicit the support of the elders of the region, believed that defeating Boko Haram was not difficult.

He said he was in the race to unite the nation and salvage the country from its current sorry state.

Apart from bringing insurgency to a standstill, the Imo chief executive officer, who claimed to be a veteran in the presidential race, having aspired as presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP where he came second to the late Umaru Yar’Adua, also said he would create more employment in the country and improve the education sector as well. . He said, “I have a burning fire to change Nigeria for good. My intention to become president of the country is for the benefit of the masses and not for personal gain because God has blessed me; to salvage the country; for the unity of the country;  to make Nigeria better.

“My main purpose of coming is to reaffirm my relationship with the North. I’m a Northerner by birth, I was born and brought up here. North gave me education and trained me. So I consider myself as part and parcel of ACF. So I feel I’m at home to talk to my parents.

“To relate and make my intention known to the North that I will be running for the post of President in the country come 2015. Though, ACF is apolitical, but I want you to see me as a son. I need your support. I believe with the support and prayers of the elders, I can go far.

“For those that don’t know Imo State. We have transformed Imo State. We gave free education from primary to university and other

“So, I see myself as a bridge but without Arewa, there is no Okorocha.”

But they said GEJ is better than all of these leaders, GEJ transformed Nigeria from 3rd class to 1st class country, his transformation agenda turned this country to Modern Nigeria!

Compared GEJ with them is a greatest mistake, I heard that Mrs. Clinton during her campaign will compare herself with GEJ in order to win Americans heart within very short of time.

Obiagelli:

If Atiku wins the primaries, i will leave nairaland.

I am also leave and many social media forum, then switching off all my phones for days.

Though we never expect that and always pray against it.

What we only want is real change in 2015 not only change of party, if Atiku won the president on APC it's like changing party not changing government.

Obama is nice even in those days, when he was in University.

Culled from https://leadnewsnigeria./2014/11/12/sam-nda-isaiah-loses-father/

APC presidential aspirant Sam Nda Isaiah loses father in the late hours of Tuesday night in Kaduna.

Pa Clement Ndanusa Isaiah died at the age of 80.

Confirming the death of Pa Clement special assistant to Sam Nda Isaiah, Bashir Ahmad said Pa clement died in his home in Kaduna.

He left behind nine children, among them the APC presidential aspirant and chairman of the Leadership newspaper Sam Nda Isaiah.

Speaking for the family, Sam Nda Isaiah said although the the family will always love their late father, they will at the same time miss him.

Pa clement Ndanusa Isaiah was a veteran journalist. In his early days as journalist he have worked with the Nigerian Citizen, Gaskiya Corporation Zaria, the Mail, Northern People’s Congress Newspapers and he was a one time editor at the defunct New Nigerian Newspapers.

Condolence register have since been opened in Kaduna and Minna.

It's time for Big Ideas!

‎
FULL TEXT OF SAM NDA-ISAIaH FORMAL DECLARATION SPEECH

Hello Nigeria!

Protocol

To the Chairman of the APC, and all APC delegates all over the Federation of Nigeria, and all the good people of this great country, I am today declaring my candidacy for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I would like to begin by paying tribute to the star-studded slate of presidential aspirants of our great party: General Muhammadu Buhari, my role model and political boss with whom I have been in the trenches for over a decade since he joined politics; Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who has lived a life of service; Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who has changed the face of Kano; and my friend, Rochas Okorocha, a true and proud Nigerian. Anyone of us who becomes President next year would be infinitely better than the one we currently have. 
President Jonathan has been totally unable to perform the most basic responsibility of any leader, which is provision of security to the people of his country. Nigeria has been degraded to unimaginable levels. We are now the laughing stock of those countries we used to laugh at. 

Nigerians who are old enough know that this is not how it used to be. As a country, we are much better than this. The Nigeria we knew, even though far from being the ideal, was good enough to provide security and the basic necessities of everyday living. And we even had enough to cater for other African nations. That was when we were a regional superpower. But not anymore.

I have seen Nigeria as a child growing up in a neighbourhood not far from where I stand now; as a school pupil in a government primary school in Kaduna where primary education was free; as a secondary school student in Kaduna where secondary education was free; as an undergraduate at the University of Ife, when my Niger State scholarship was more than sufficient for me. I have seen Nigeria as a northern youth corps member serving in Ilawe-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti in today’s Ekiti State where I was treated like a special one. And I have seen Nigeria as a young graduate when I landed a very good job within one month of completion of the NYSC. I have seen Nigeria when our country’s schools and universities were among the best in the world and foreigners from all over the world trooped into this country to acquire world-class education. I have lived in a Nigeria when our hospitals were among the best, at least in Africa, and all drugs and medicines and surgeries were offered free by government. And all these happened when our revenues as a nation were far less than what we have today. That was when Nigeria fought a civil war without taking a loan; even the post-war reconstruction was carried out without a loan. 

But to prosecute the war against insurgents, the Nigerian President has just taken a loan of $1billion, even though oil sold for around $100 per barrel for as long as anyone could remember and the Customs and Excise Department rakes in an average of N1trillion annually.

It is difficult to know the exact point this downward slide started but the misfortune of this country obviously accelerated from the time the PDP came to power in 1999. Many of us have seen Nigeria from different eras. We have seen our country gradually decay into one in which people are now afraid to carry on their lives as ordinary citizens. They are afraid of sending their wards to boarding schools in parts of the country because their kids could be burnt alive in their dormitories; they are afraid to send their daughters to school because hundreds of them could be kidnapped at the same time and turned into sex slaves. And there are many more who are afraid to go to church or mosque because they could be bombed out of existence. Yes, terrorism is globally a contemporary phenomenon but in no other normal country on earth would terrorists strike in the same place every other day like Nigeria and no arrests are made. 
For the first time in the history of this country, Nigerian soldiers who are still among the best in the world have started fleeing from criminals. Many have had cause to flee to neighbouring countries where they were embarrassingly disarmed by those countries’ armed forces. And because the PDP government has incompetently made the military our first line of defence instead of the last, Nigerians are now in disarray, running helter-skelter and in a state of misery. For the first time, Nigerians who are normally happy, confident people have lost confidence in themselves.

Corruption under the PDP government has reached extreme levels, to the extent that the Federal Government is no longer able to pay state governments and other government units their due allocations. As a result, many state governments are now unable to pay salaries. Oil theft has reached such frightening scale that, sometimes, the oil thieves steal more than what is left for the Nigerian state. Yet, not a single oil thief has been arrested by the government. Much of the balance that eventually gets to the government coffers is also promptly stolen. Not long ago, Federal Government officials were publicly arguing among themselves – rather scandalously and in full view of the world – whether it was $48 billion or $20 billion or $10 billion that was stolen from the NNPC. This was money meant to run the Nigerian state.

The North-East of the country may now be the base of insurgents but no part of this country is the safe place we would want to raise our children. Kidnappers, armed robbers and ritual killers all through the 36 states of the federation operate freely without any fear of any consequences.

Our education system has collapsed with public schools now counting for nothing because funds meant to sustain them have been stolen. Nigeria currently has 10.5 million children out of school, the highest in the world. And even those in schools here hardly pass their exams. This year, 70% of students who sat for the WASSCE failed. 

Our hospitals are now where people go to die. Those who can afford it travel abroad for their healthcare needs.

Nigerians no longer talk about electric power supply because, after 15 years of the PDP government and more than $25 billion expropriated on power supply, the country is worse off. Our current power supply fluctuates between 2,000mw and 4,000mw. But $25 billion has provided more than 20,000mw for other countries with more serious governments. By common consent, the President and his party have failed. The PDP has also proved to be totally incapable of presenting its best people to Nigerians. The PDP wants us to meekly accept Jonathan’s incompetence and his failures as our destiny and then continue with him. It is only a party like the PDP that will place the ego of one man above the wellbeing of an entire nation.

Nigerians from everywhere yearn for change. They cry for a new direction because the country cannot continue on this path. That is why I want to be President. I have come to offer that change that will change Nigeria forever. I do not seek to be President simply because Jonathan is not a good President. I want to be that President that will change the course of Nigerian history forever. That is why I come to you waving the scroll of BIG IDEAS – big and bold ideas that will move our beleaguered country into the league of First World nations.

All our programmes shall be powered by big ideas and, today, I will mention only a few. 
The first thing our government will do is to unite the whole of Nigeria as quickly as possible. As I have said in several fora, Nigeria is currently too divided to be called a nation. No country ever makes progress with the kind of divisions we see in our country today. 

Confronting this challenge is the simplest thing a serious leader can do. There is no magic about it. All a leader needs to do is be sincere about it. I will need to unite the whole of Nigeria behind me as quickly as possible in order to be able to work the big ideas that will change this nation forever. Any President who governs his country with fairness, justice and charity to all will have no problem uniting his people, no matter how disparate they may be. 

Under my presidency, all crimes will be punished, no matter how long it will take to apprehend the criminals. We shall send a clear message to criminals that whoever commits a crime will be apprehended and brought to justice according to the law – whoever they are, no matter where they come from and no matter how long it takes. I will not be that President who would say that people are killing themselves because they don’t like me. I will not only be in office, I will also be in power for the good of the majority of the people. All murderers will face the full weight of the law. 

Concurrently with the business of uniting the nation, we shall also quickly secure Nigeria and Nigerians. Security is the most elementary duty of any leader. I will do this by retooling the entire security and intelligence infrastructure of the country and by being that President who takes his duty as Commander-in-Chief seriously. Luckily for us, Nigeria still has some of the best soldiers, policemen and intelligence service personnel anywhere in the world. All they need is competent leadership, training and re-training as well as 21st century equipment to meet the challenges of the modern world. One of our major problems is that we are still using the 1990s and 1970s methods and equipment to fight today’s crimes. 

We are also going to expand the various security services to match the challenges of our current size. We are going to modernise and increase our police strength from the current 370,000 to at least 1,000,000 immediately and then gradually grow it to at least 4,000,000. We shall do most of the recruiting from among the millions of graduates that roam the streets in search of jobs. A serious nation of 178 million people should not have just 370,000 policemen.

As President and Commander-in-Chief of Africa’s largest country and its biggest economy, I will rebuild Nigeria’s military to be the most formidable fighting force in Africa. I shall rebuild the military not only for Nigeria’s security but for Africa’s stability, as I believe that Nigeria has a responsibility to lead Africa. We have a national interest in ensuring stability in other African nations. We shall also build a strong military in order to defend our currency and protect our economy. The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) will also be upgraded to do much more than it is doing today to supply both our needs and export to other countries.

Under my presidency, the military will never be our first line of defence as it is today. We shall create special forces whose members would be drawn from the different services for the most difficult security challenges. The first line of defence for any country that has terrorism challenges should be its borders. Our nation’s borders are probably the most porous in the world: 1,497 illegal entry points into the country have already been identified and the government is doing nothing about it. That will never happen under our presidency.

Nigeria’s unemployment level is a bomb waiting to explode. By conservative estimates, there are 48 million unemployed Nigerians and a troubling 54% of the Nigerian youths are unemployed. Even though the economy has grown, poverty rates have increased, precisely because the sectors driving the growth are not the ones in which the majority of Nigerians are accommodated. We must, therefore, bring more youths into agriculture, online business, manufacturing and housing. Since 48 million jobs are not immediately available, they would have to be created. Only big ideas can solve a challenge this magnitude. Our government will create an army of entrepreneurs all over the country. We shall create five million small businesses in the first instance. A small business creates between two and five new jobs – that means potentially creating 25 million new jobs. That’s a heck of a big idea!
‎
Another one. Our government shall construct one million new housing units yearly, for two reasons: one, to bridge the housing deficit and, two, to create jobs. It has been estimated that building one million housing units can create up to 30 million new jobs as several people including engineers, architects, plumbers, block makers, insurance companies, mortgage banks, estate agents, cement, tile and paint sellers, food vendors, furniture manufacturers, etc would be engaged. We will get the money for this huge project by borrowing from the pension fund which is now in excess of N4trillion; and, since the houses would be sold to the public through mortgage facilities, the borrowed funds would be paid back. We can also get the money from Quantitative Easing since a huge lot of economic activities, including manufacturing operations, will be created in the course of building the one million houses; so the risks usually associated with Quantitative Easing would be attenuated. 

If we must remain the biggest economy in Africa, then, we must have the biggest seaports, the biggest banks, the biggest airports; and we must, by privilege and reason of location, be the aviation hub of Africa.
‎
One of the very big ideas that we intend to work is the creation of a soccer economy. Nigeria has talent and Nigerians have passion for the game. There is no reason we should not profit from this as so many other countries do. We can organise ourselves to achieve this easily. 

Also, we cannot be Africa’s biggest economy and the continent’s most populated nation (178 million people) and still be struggling with 4,000mw of electric power supply after squandering $25billion in the past 15 years. The world’s largest power station in a single location is the Three Gorges Dam in China which has an installed capacity of 22,500mw. It was constructed with $26 billion.

We cannot be Africa’s largest oil producer and still be importing fuel. That will stop under our government. And because oil will soon lose its critical global value due to improvements in fracking technology among the biggest consumers of oil, under our government, the country will invest heavily in non-oil sectors to diversify our economy. We shall do this as a matter of survival. It is no accident that God has endowed our country with so many resources. And we shall do it all over the country.

Our government will also aggressively encourage manufacturing, especially the small-scale manufacturing sub-sector. To do this, we will take bold and drastic steps to strengthen the naira. In the interim, we will strengthen the naira by paying the monthly allocations to all tiers of government in dollars since oil, our main revenue earner, is paid for in dollars. But instead of dishing out dollar cash which could encourage theft and capital flight, our government would issue dollar certificates to all the tiers of government. The different tiers of government would then have to convert these dollar certificates into naira in our local banks. If more dollars start chasing less naira, the value of the naira would improve at once. And when this happens, interest rates would also go down. Nigerian manufacturers would then be able to procure machinery and spare parts more easily, and, at single-digit interest rates, it would be possible for made-in-Nigeria products to compete with imported ones.

I have heard a few people say I have not had any experience in government and that, therefore, is a weakness. My answer to them remains this: Nations are today in a race for the future and nobody has the experience of the future. All experiences people claim to have are experiences of the past. And our uninspiring past cannot be a guide for our future, as we need a clean break from our past. Nigeria should be in a race to the First World and what is needed more than anything else is vision. I find my lack of experience in government a strength instead because I have not been part of the rot of the past. 

In any case, I have the most important experience, which is being a serial entrepreneur. I have created institutions from Ground Zero. That is the most important experience anyone who wants to be President needs at the moment. In fact, a lack of entrepreneurial experience among those who lead us has been one of our problems so far.

And talking about experience, you cannot have more experience than President Jonathan. He has been a Deputy Governor, a Governor, a Vice President, and Acting President before becoming President, and see what this huge experience has done to our dear country. So much for experience.

Most of the greatest leaders the world has had had no government experience before assuming power. South Africa’s presidency was Nelson Mandela’s first job in government. The Prime Minister’s job was Lee Kuan Yew’s first job in government. And by the time Tony Blair became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1997, he had never worked in government. Ditto for David Cameron.

Most importantly, we intend to change how government works. Governments even in the best of countries, but especially in our country, have a problem of inefficiency, bureaucracy and corruption directly impeding well-intended plans. To change our country, we must change the way government works first. Our government will achieve this by the appointment of CEO-style ministers and heads of government agencies with clear targets and commensurate salaries and bonuses.

There are people who would tell you that it is not possible to implement all I have said. Don’t believe them. Those who know me would tell you that I am always unimpressed by what others say is impossible. Those who say certain things are impossible are continually being interrupted by those actually achieving them. All these and many more are possible but none of them will be easy. Nonetheless, we have to make the hard choices. If I am elected, I will take my election as proof that Nigerians want to change their country forever and I will, accordingly, use all the powers at my command as President to bring this about. We have seen how leadership has transformed countries ranging from small countries like Singapore, Rwanda and South Korea to the big countries like Brazil, India and China. I believe that, with faith in God, you and I together can keep this appointment with destiny.

God bless you all and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
‎
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.

You told nothing but sure true, continue we're around you #TeamBuhari

Rad1cal:


He is but the APshit has a supreme agenda of returning power to the core north with buhari leading the charge.






Nda is simply wasting his time.

But we don't know what will happen tomorrow, so encourage him because he has Big Ideas to change the history.

Rad1cal:
Why is he wasting his time and money ?

why would you say that? Is he not competent for the job?

Sure Nigeria need Big Ideas for it to clean the all messes up for PDP's 16years in Govt.

It's matter of change, you have to wake up and go for it.

And you're all invited

It's time for Big Ideas!

Sam4Nigeria Presidential Campaign Organization, cordially invitess you to join Sam Nda-Isaiah, a Presidential Aspirant of the All Progressives Change (APC), as he formally declares his intention to contest for the party's Presidential Ticket.

Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Venue: Minna Polo Ground, Old Airport Road, Niger State
Time: 11am

#TeamBuhari I Believe

Masha Allah! I'm very happy to be here, just found out about it today and I have waste no time to introduce myself, I'm proudly a practicing Muslim, and I'm thanking Allah for choosing me to be one of the believers.

I'm from Kano, but living and work in the capital city, Abuja, I'm very much love my Muslim brothers and sisters, I take every Muslim as my blood, I'm helping them in any capacity, love you all my siblings.

Eid Mubarak

It's the day, the day of Eid el-Kabir again, Barka da Sallah to my fellow Nairalanders, may Allah accept our ibadah and bless our country with huge development in and outside.

Eid Mubarak

Ina taya Nigeria murnar shekaru 54 da samun 'yancin kai. Ina fata da addu'ar ci gabanta anan gaba.

Very happy, now we can be able to buy iPhone 5s. Really it will be better than before.

BEING TEXT OF A STATE-WIDE BROADCAST DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BORNO STATE, HON. KASHIM SHETTIMA; FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014.

Fellow, and dear citizens of Borno State

In recent days and weeks, we have come under renewed and augmented attacks, waged against all of us, by an armed minority that seeks to impose on us, a doctrine that is completely at variance with the religion of Islam which they claim to promote; a doctrine that negates the dignity and existence of humanity on earth, despite Allah’s decree in the glorious Quran, that He has dignified the human creature, prohibited unjust killings and made the religion of Islam that which does not sanction compulsion in a multi-faith society like ours.

Several innocent communities in Gwoza, Damboa, Askira/Uba, Marte, Chibok, Konduga, Dikwa and the most recent, Bama, have had young and old, amongst them children, weak old men and women, killed in cold blood, their homes destroyed and thousands forced to flee, with some trekking over hurtful distances to become refugees within and outside Borno State. Our Capital City of Maiduguri is today facing a heavy influx of refugees from the local government areas in Borno. Borno citizens have been forced to take refuge in parts of Gombe and Adamawa States mainly on account of man’s inhumanity to fellow man in the gratuitous name of religion. These acts are absolutely condemnable in the strongest of terms.

Let me use this opportunity to once again, extend my deepest sympathy to the families of all those who lost their lives in these serial massacres that are designed to send Borno and its people into oblivion, but which will not succeed insha Allah.

I also express my very deep sympathy to all victims who either lost property or are taking refuge. Our heart as Government is fully with each and every one of you and we will do everything humanly possible to support you, reclaim your communities, rebuild them and give all of you a new lease of life insha Allah.

We will be supporting you as a matter obligation to you as good citizens. You have a right to be supported in distress. You have even more fundamental right to be protected from fear and attack in the first place.

The number one duty of Government is to safeguard the lives and property of the citizenry. However laudable policies and programmes of Government could be, no matter the beauty of infrastructures put in place, they would all amount to less than nothing if human lives are not secured. As Government, we are more than mindful of this constitutional, moral and spiritual obligation.

As Governor of Borno State, I am un-forgetfully aware that for every life that is lost in Borno State, I will account before Allah on the Day of Judgment if that life is lost on the basis of deliberate failures on my part, to do what I have the powers, resources and influence to do.

This administration has never and insha Allah will never abdicate from its obligations to citizens. We have done, and still doing everything within the limits of our powers and resources, to complement the duty of the Federal Government to safeguard lives and property.

Immaterial as it may sound, we have through combined efforts with the Military, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Security; our youth volunteers called the civilian JTF and other para-military organizations averted so many planned attacks. However, this assertion will hardly make sense to most citizens, in a situation where many attacks have been successfully carried out with elevated mass killings and destructions in the past and in very recent days and weeks.

Citizens have very legitimate reasons to be aggrieved by the current situation in Borno State. We are pained as your Government. We are in this together. As Governor, I feel a sense of not just responsibility but an even personal loss whenever any attack is recorded no matter what part of the State is affected and who is or are involved. We are in this together.

Borno state has been facing this Boko Haram challenge since July 2009 in Maiduguri when the Boko Haram waged its major war on Borno’s soil. Haven been defeated by our determined armed forces, insurgents resorted to Guerrilla warfare that has been raging on for the last four years. At least one third of our local government areas have been affected by their attacks with different degrees of intensity and periodic occupation.

In the history of Borno since 19th century, this is however not the first threat to our existence as a people. We had faced and survived threats in years past and we shall survive this insha Allah.

We are confident of victory through a reinforcement of our armed forces and the collective will of all of us, citizens, who are committed to defeating the Boko Haram scourge. Collectively as a people, we have exhibited great determination.

Our youth volunteers have made us proud. We are all in this, fellow citizens. We all have roles to play. One of these roles is the devoted offer of prayers and ceaseless appeal to the Almighty to make us victorious.

In the past, our armed forces have proven their mettle even in global warfare where they were in foreign terrain in the Second World War, in the Congo, in Liberia, in Sierra Leon, in the Sudan and elsewhere. Our armed forces have also, during the Civil War, successfully saved our country from dismemberment. Our armed forces that have outstandingly proven their capability in such difficult times can by the grace Allah defeat the Boko Haram insurgency with overwhelming federal reinforcement in all areas of their needs. We strongly appeal to the federal government to redouble its present efforts so that the nation will be a historic witness to speedy containment of the Boko Haram insurgency. The Borno State Government will continue to do whatever it can to compliment the constitutional roles of the Federal Government in this battle of ours.

Let me reassure the good people of Borno State that measures have been taken by the Federal Government based on information available to us as Government. With these steps and our combined efforts as State Government and resilient people, we shall overcome this tribulation.

We must be very forth coming with useful information on what we hear or see because our safety start with what we tell not what we keep or bury. Hiding information that threatens us never helps us or others. We must be very vigilant in all our communities. We must take copious note of anyone or anything strange around us but without raising false alarm or spreading any form of rumour that will cause panic. Let us try to reach out to those in position of authority to verify information concerning public safety or related matters.

The Borno State Radio and Television will be coming up with a Television and Radio programme designed with public telephone lines that can be reached by citizens for enquiries on public issues in relation to security, help in orientation and mobilisation of victims, as well as helping them in locating missing loved ones and friends where there are such matters and keeping citizens regularly updated on matters affecting security, victims support and their comfort. I appeal to other media houses to kindly assist in this effort.

The Ministries concerned with Home Affairs and Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs are also to make available public lines that can be reached by any victim from any affected local government area.

Similarly, the Ministry of Health will also put in place an immediate Mobile Task Force on Insurgency Victims Health that should be moving round Maiduguri and environs to source for and attend to the health needs of victims on both emergency and lesser cases; ensure the existence of clinics in all victims camps and coordinate the efficiency of the clinics to guarantee the availability of health personnel at all times, drugs, ambulances and other required materials. The Ministry has my express permission to commit Government in the event of any critical medical need involving ascertained victim of this unfortunate insurgency from any affected community.

Government is not unaware of the multi-facet effects of insurgent attacks on other spheres of human lives in affected communities in terms of food security, means of livelihood and access to education among others.

Already, the State Government has taken measures to acquire food stuffs for free distribution to affected citizens. Government has purchased thousands of bags of food stuffs and more is being acquired. On the issue of means of livelihood, the Secretary to the State Government is to chair a High level and Enlarged Victims Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Support Team that will soon meet and work with stakeholders in affected communities to assist victims on a permanent measure.

On access to education, Government has observed a high scale requirement of admissions into primary and secondary school especially from guardians who seek slots at orphanage schools in Maiduguri and Biu in particular, for orphans whose parents were killed as a result of the insurgency.

Consequently, a team of respected academics, school administrators and educationists will be inaugurated by me next week, with the mandate of coming up with State Primary and Secondary Schools for Special Citizens to be cited in Maiduguri and Biu for the time being. The schools are to be designed to accommodate high capacity of pupils with modern boarding facilities. Every child admitted into that school is to be on full Government scholarship from basic to University Education.

Members of the public willing to make donations will be entertained to a ‘Adoption of child Education Programme’ though which kind citizens can adopt the education of a child, two or more, through well organised system that can be monitored by every sponsor who must be entitled to all academic and attitudinal record of an adoptee. While the team is to fine tune this idea, the Ministry of Education is directed to identify and enrol affected children into temporary public schools in Maiduguri and Biu or in the alternative, create temporary special school sites for affected children to start having immediate access to education soon as schools open.

Fellow citizens, we shall at all times be responsive to our duties as Government. We are very much committed to doing just everything that we can do. Borno State has been in the eye of the storm; we have suffered deaths, destruction and hardships on scales never witnessed in the annals of our long and glorious history.

We have experienced unprecedented sorrow, tears and blood. We must all work for peace. To work for peace is to covet and protect it. In seeking peace, those of us who mean well for this State, must not only remain united, we must strive to consolidate this unity. Defeating the insurgency is a collective task that must be done, we must not be distracted. We must remain united, focused and vigilant. I will particularly like to direct this appeal to our heroes, the galant and courageous youth volunteers, the Civilian JTF. They must remain united and focused more than ever before.

The Civilian JTF must at all times have at the back of their minds that Allah (SWT) in his infinite wisdom and mercy is using them to support security agencies to rescue our state from the advocates of hate and destruction. The people of Borno are very grateful to them for their undying love and sacrifices. As Government which is holding the sacred mandate of the people, we will remain supportive of the civilian JTF as we have been. Our support for the military, police and other security agencies is that of a shared battle against the forces of darkness.

We shall accelerate our focus on jobs creation to discourage idleness and criminality. We shall speed up ongoing infrastructures to deliver on our promises to make Borno a better place, a remodeled State, a great home we will all be proud of. Borno is our home.

This is why I returned home amidst rumored fears held by some residents on possible attacks on Maiduguri. I cut short my official trip and returned home so we can be together as we have always been in trying to overcome the threat before us. I am confident that together we can overcome this challenge. Our condition cannot be permanent, no condition, ever was. We can overcome this problem with the right attitude from the top to the bottom. Indeed we can.

May Allah give us the fortitude to bear the loss of those killed in this crisis, May He grant us peace and guide those of us in leadership, to work selflessly for Borno to become a better place for all of us, and for our children.

I thank you very profoundly for your tremendous support and for listening to me today as you always did in the past.
Long live Borno State!
Long live Federal Republic of Nigeria!



Why the President and Commader-In-Chief has not deemed it fit to address Nigerians, even after a part of the country he presides over is in turmoil is anybody's guess!

That's great!

"Jealous" Hey! Man do you mean I'm not cute enough to be in your list?

Anyway, congrats to the very cutiest on NL.

Eight out of the fourteen aspirants for the Adamawa State Governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including Nuhu Ribadu, have stepped down.

They stepped down from the race in the early hours of Friday after a marathon closed-door meeting with the Senate President, David Mark, at the Presidential Villa.

Following the impeachment of the former Governor, Murtala Nyako, October 11 was fixed for the election of a substantive governor for the state.

The Senate President, alongside the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja, had intervened to forestall looming crisis ahead of the party’s primary election scheduled to hold on Saturday in the state.

The meeting with the aspirants, which lasted about four hours, started by 9.06 p.m on Thursday and ended around 1.00 a.m on Friday. It was held at the Banquet Hall of the State House.

At the meeting, it was gathered that Mr. Mark, alongside other officials of the party, were able to reach a consensus with the aspirants and succeeded in pruning down the number of those contesting from fourteen to six.

The six aspirants still in the race for the party’s governorship ticket on Saturday are Ahmed Gulak, Buba Marwa, Ahmed Modibbo, Umar Ardo, Acting Governor Umaru Fintiri, and Jerry Kumdisi.

Those who have withdrawn from the race include Nuhu Ribadu; Auwal Tukur; Aliyu Idi Hong, Andrawus Sawa; James Barka; GAliyu Kama; Markus Gundiri and Abubakar Girei.

It was gathered that an agreement was reached at the closed-door meeting that the six aspirants contesting for the party’s ticket on Saturday will not contest for the position in 2015.

The meeting also agreed that only those who agreed to step down now can contest for the party’s governorship election ticket in 2015, with more consideration in 2015 for Adamawa Central that has never produced a governor.

It was also agreed that any aspirant who fails to win the party’s ticket in Saturday’s primary election must support the party’s flag-bearer towards the October 11 election.
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Speaking with journalists at the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the Adamawa State chapter of the party, Joel Madaki said, “Fourteen aspirants contesting for the position earlier has now reduced to six aspirants due to this meeting. It is a very welcome idea. Nobody was forced to step them. Those who stepped down did so voluntarily in order to wait to contest for the position in 2015″.

He added that “The six aspirants contesting this election are Ahmed Gulak, Buba Marwa, Ahmed Modibbo, Dr. Umar Ardo, Acting Governor Umaru Fintiri, and Jerry Kumdisi.”

The former Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, who is also contesting for the ticket on Saturday, said “The outcome of the meeting was fantastic. We met as family members of PDP, even before coming here all the aspirants in Adamawa have unanimously resolved that after the primaries, in a free, fair primaries, anybody that emerges will get our support.”

“Today, in this meeting, the number of the aspirants have been drastically reduced to six, which is manageable. I am contesting, Gen. Marwa is contesting, Ahmed Modibbo is contesting, Dr. Umar Ardo is contesting, Hon. Jerry Kumdisi is contesting, and Acting Governor Fintiri is contesting.

“And we have resolved to go into the primaries without rancour, without acrimony and to come out of it as peaceful co-existing members.”

“And at the end of it all, anybody that emerges, we will all queue behind him. And if I emerge as the candidate, they will all queue behind me. It is going to be a family affair and there will be no losers.”

On his chances of getting the ticket as Mr. Ribadu and others were now out of the race, he said: “Nuhu Ribadu or not, you know, I prepared for this election. Even, if 14 of us are going into this election, I am confident of my ability, of my capability, of my mobilization, of my sensitization that the delegates will select me.”

Aliyu Idi Hong, who is among those who withdrew from the race, said: “Peace-building, negotiation, give-and-take, everything went well. We have been given a caveat and one thing we have succeeded in extracting from this meeting is that the meeting started with a preamble that whoever is going to contest and if he happens to win as a governor, he will not have the right to contest the 2015 election.”

“Some of us think that our aspirations, our ambition, our vision for Adamawa is a long term and more articulate vision and not a stop-gap six”.

Source: https://m.premiumtimesng.com/headlines/167752-adamawa-governorship-race-ribadu-seven-others-step-down.html

If I were a doctor is hardly to risk my life for treating patients with EVD. May souls of those who died from this epidemic rest in perfect peace.

Sixteen Governors of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the country will arrive Owerri, the state capital, to continue their lecture series on Progressive Governance.  The governors are coming on the aegis of the Progressive Governors Forum, which has the Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, as chairman.

A release by the Senior Special Assistant (Media), Sam Onwuemeodo, explained that the governors would arrive Owerri on Sunday (today), while the third lecture series proper would take place on Monday, September 1, at the Government House Owerri.

According to the release, the chairman of the epoch-making event will be the former Vice president of the country and APC Chieftain, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, while Prof. Ijeoma Joy Okoye of the Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria, will be the Guest lecturer.

The Special Guest of Honour would be the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, while the theme of the lecture is “Dealing with the Challenge of Building Physically Healthy Nation through preventive, protective and Innovative medicine.”

The Discussants at the lecture series would include, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola; Prof.Oyewale Tomori, president of the Nigeria Academy of Sciences and Dr. Nasir  Sani Gwarzo, an International Health Consultant.

http://www.nigeriaspirit.com/2014/08/apc-governors-storm-imo-for-lecture-series/

Niger-East Senatorial Election: Nda-Isaiah Wins His Ward, LG

An APC presidential aspirant, Sam Nda-Isaiah wins his ward and local government area with very wide gap against ruling party PDP in today's Niger East senatorial by-election.

APC polled 12,998 against PDP 6,876 in Chanchaga Local Government Area, which is hometown of Nda-Isaiah.

Also APC leads in Bosso LGA, with 14,240 votes and PDP 6,666.

Result from Rafi Local Government shows APC 7789, PDP 7670.