₦airaland Forum

We need to hold the National Assembly to account and make sure the Uwais recommendations are 100% implemented.

10/03/2010 13:14 ABUJA, March 10 (AFP)
Nigerian activists seek sack of Yar'Adua's cabinet
Around 5,000 Nigerian activists staged a march Wednesday to demand the sacking of the cabinet and a public appearance by ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua, two weeks after he returned to the country.

The police stopped the protesters -- led by prominent Lagos pastor Tunde Bakare -- near the presidential villa where they had planned to present their demands to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

The secretary to government of the federation, Yayale Ahmed, on behalf of Jonathan, received the demands of the activists which included the dissolution of the cabinet, divided over the health of Yar'Adua.

"The acting president has asked me to assure you that your demands will be looked into with immediate effect. You want to know the status of health of the president,  You will not be denied of it," Ahmed told the protesters.

Yar'Adua, 58, who returned to Nigeria on February 24 after spending 93 days in Jeddah, where he was being treated for acute pericarditis, has not been seen in public since his arrival.

His return threw the country into confusion and revived concerns of a leadership squabble just two weeks after Jonathan was installed as acting president.

Information Minister Dora Akunyili has advised her colleagues to invoke the relevant section of constitution which paves the way for his destitution.

She also accused Yar'Adua's aides of lying about his health.

The protesters, who were blocked from gaining entry into the national assembly, also demanded the implementation of the report of a committee on electoral reforms.

Nigeria has a long history of flawed elections and and activists have called for comprehensive electoral reforms ahead of the 2011 general elections.

"We will continue to mobilise Nigerians,  to engage in public action, including protests and strike action until these demands are fully implemented in the interest of peace, security and genuine democracy," Bakare told reporters.

Ahmed said that government would ensure credible future polls.

[color=#FF5500][size=14pt]"We are aware of your concern regarding credible election in this country, only two weeks ago, the acting president handed over, (the electoral reforms) committee report unedited to the national assembly," he said.

"I would like to assure that the national assembly will do the necessary legislation in term of reviewing the electoral act and the constitution," he said.[/size][/color]

The protesters have staged similar rallies this year in Abuja, Lagos and Benin. The Lagos rally was led by 1986 Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka.

Also on Wednesday in Abuja, a pro-Yar'Adua group staged a parallel march to drum support for the ailing president.

Some 500 people, members of the 'Future Nigeria Group', carried placards reading "We support Yar'Adua/Goodluck" and "Yar'Adua is alive and at home in Nigeria", among others.

http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=100310131452.xhmh76oi.php

The secretary to government of the federation, Yayale Ahmed, on behalf of Jonathan, received the demands of the activists which included the dissolution of the cabinet, divided over the health of Yar'Adua.

"The acting president has asked me to assure you that your demands will be looked into with immediate effect. You want to know the status of health of the president, You will not be denied of it," Ahmed told the protesters.

http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=100310131452.xhmh76oi.php

[size=14pt]Is this not a solid result?
. . .And to think that some clowns were talking down Aisha2 when she brought the campaign to NL. Shame.[/size]

Nigerians are always fearful of acting, yet they want the best miracles.

Can we light a fire to burn them alive?

Opened

It is not impossible that Sanusi could find himself in jail.

[size=14pt]Anxiety over possible cabinet shakeup [/size]
By Ayo Okulaja

The three-point recommendation of the Presidential Advisory Council that Acting President Goodluck Jonathan should fire his service chiefs, dissolve the executive council and call for three ministerial nominees from each state governor has left members of the Federal Executive Council worried about their future in the cabinet as they meet today.

“We are all very anxious and are only waiting for what will happen tomorrow (today). No one is sure of anything” said a minister from a middle belt state who asked not to be named.

A number of ministerial aides who spoke to NEXT said their principals have been showing a mix of anxiety and preparation for a possible exit.

A minister from the SouthWest reportedly told some of his staffers that the possible cabinet shake-up is unlikely to affect him.

Presidency officials said that the anxiety grew from the firing on Monday, of the National Security Adviser as well as the request by Mr. Jonathan that ministers give him a one-on-one update on the programmes of their ministry. This update itself created some bustle of activities in the presidency yesterday.

Security insiders said the total mix of Mr. Jonathan’s appointment and policy direction so far signals the outline of a man emerging from the shadows and quietly defining his own independence, contrary to his presumed status as the hand-maiden of the Obasanjo tradition.

The composition and particular leadership of the Presidential Advisory Council is unmistakenly anti-Obasanjo. Respect is made to the strong anti-Obasanjo character of Theophilus Danjuma and Ben Nwabueze.

According to an analyst, “I will describe the events of this week as a slam dunk for Jonathan and his politicking”.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5538397-146/anxiety_over_possible_cabinet_shakeup_.csp

It was IBB that started curruption as we know it today, that is why the cabals of the sharia North are pushing his name forward.
IBB is a demon.

---sharia North = sharia states---

Fhemmmy:
Was OBJ any better?

How can you even compare OBJ and IBB, on what basis?
Compared to IBB, OBJ is like Jesus.

Fhemmmy:
Dont be surprise to see IBB winning in almost all the states . . . . .

Maybe in Niger Republic. IBB is one of the most hated figures in Nigeria.

Now that the cabals voice has died into a whisper, IBB wants to try his luck at destabilising the country. If there was a fair vote, the criminal wouldn't even win his home state. Rubbish!

. . .Perhaps 5 ministers are to go?

This is an extremely serious accusation coming from the highest authority in Plateau state.
The investigation of this matter must leave no stones unturned.

[size=14pt]Jos killings: Jang accuses army of complicity [/size]
By John Ameh, Ihuoma Chiedozie, John Alechenu and Hameed Shobiye, Published: Wednesday, 10 Mar 2010

Scenes from a mass burial organised for the victims of the sectarian violence in Jos, on Monday.

Plateau State Governor, Mr. Jonah Jang, on Monday alleged that the army was guilty of complicity in the recent attack on three Jos villages which led to the death of about 500 people, mostly women and children.

The governor, a retired military officer, told journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, that he got wind of the movement of armed Fulani into the Berom village on Saturday night and personally called the army commander to inform him of the development, and the need to take immediate actions to forestall any ugly incident.

The army has been in charge of security in Jos and other parts of Plateau State since the January 2010 episode of the crisis, which also resulted in the loss of many lives.

[b]According to Jang, the army commander promised to move soldiers into the village to check the roving band.

Jang, who explained that he lives near the affected village, admitted that some moments after he made the call, he observed a tank, presumably belonging to the army, drive past his residence, moving towards the village.

However, Jang said that when he later received reports that people were being killed in the village, his efforts to contact the army commander were futile as his telephone lines “were unavailable.”

Other commanders of the army could also not be reached at the time the attack was going on, according to Jang.

Narrating his experience on the day of the attacks, Jang said, “I received reports at about 9pm that some movement of people with arms were seen around those villages, and I reported to the commander of the army and he told me he was going to move some troops there.

“And because it is near where I live, I even saw a tank pass through my house and I thought it was going towards that area.

“Three hours or so later, I was woken by a call that they had started burning the villages and people were being hacked to death. I started trying to locate the commanders but I couldn’t get any of them on the telephone.”

The governor said the attacks and the resultant deaths of innocent people could have been prevented if the security report he made available to the army that evening had been acted upon.  [/b]

He said, “You are asking what am I doing; I have said it several times, state governors are highly incapacitated.

“You are the chief security officer of a state; you don’t command even a fly.

“What do you use to stop anything? The security report that I gave, I didn’t even get that security report officially; it was the villagers themselves that saw the movements and reported.

“I didn’t receive any security report about what was going to happen.”

The governor said the army should immediately leave the state if it could not guarantee the safety of lives and property.

He said, “I expect that the army should live up to expectations and stop the carnage in Plateau, if they cannot, then they should as well get out of the place.”

Jang also refuted reports that the attacks were retaliatory.

He said no Fulani was killed in January’s attacks in Kurujenta, a part of Jos.

He said, “We were caught unawares, the present attack I don’t know for what. But what was written in a northern-based national daily newspaper today (Tuesday) tried to justify it as a reprisal attack for what happened in Kurujenta on January 17.

“To the best of my knowledge, I don’t think Fulani were involved in what happened in Kurujenta.

“If you look at the houses that were burnt in Kurujenta (a tin-mining camp), I mean everybody who lived there was involved.

“You could not say it was one-sided because the houses that were burnt cut across, which means the killings cut across.

“But what happened there, some people moved Aljazeera (an international news channel) there, and then covered dead bodies and started labelling them.

“When you cover dead bodies and start labelling them, who knows who you are covering?

“And then today, Daily Trust was saying it was because of what happened in Kurujenta, because Fulani were killed in Kurujenta - Fulani don’t live in Kurujenta.

“And so to say it was a reprisal for what happened in Kurujenta was a distortion of facts.”

Jang also alleged that the attackers were not resident in Plateau State.

He said, “We know that what happened was that some people came across the border of Plateau State and started attacking villages, because nobody within Plateau got to these villages and started attacking them.”

When our correspondent contacted the Director of Army Information, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, he referred him to the Army Public Relations Officer of the 81 Division, Jos, Lt.-Col. Galadima Shekari.

However, repeated calls made to Shekari’s mobile telephone lines last night indicated that they were either switched off or outside network coverages.

Attempts made by our correspondent to speak with the GOC 81 Division, Jos, Maj.-Gen. Faleh Maina, were not successful.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly on Tuesday passed separate resolutions condemning the violence and wanton destruction of lives and property in Jos, Plateau State.

While the Senate commended Acting President Goodluck Jonathan for the actions he had taken so far on the issue, the House of Representatives called for a thorough investigation into the incident and the punishment of culprits.

The Senate came out with an eight-point resolution after a three-hour session behind closed doors.

The eight-point resolution described the crisis in Jos as one too many. The Senate appealed to people of the state to eschew violence and learn to live peacefully with one another.

The Senate’s resolution was read by the Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and Media, Senator Anthony Manzo, on the floor of Senate after the session.

It reads “The Senate condemns the recent crisis in Jos that led to the loss of so many innocent lives. It is, in our opinion, one crisis to many. Our heart goes out to all those that lost loved ones during this recent crisis and indeed all previous crises.

“There can be no place for such barbaric acts in our democracy.

“Senate believes that the crisis is not religious and we must resist any attempt to give it any religious coloration.

“The Senate urges all Nigerians, especially leaders, to be calm and steadfast and should not do or say anything that will aggravate the crisis. The Senate further urges Nigerians to demonstrate greater respect for the sanctity of human life. The issue of internal security especially intelligence gathering must be taken more seriously.”

In its resolution, the House condoled with families that lost their loved ones to the violence, and advised the Federal Government to set up a truth and reconciliation committee to reconcile the various parties to the recurring Jos crises.

Also, the United States has condemned the Jos violence and asked that the perpetrators be brought to book.

A US-based news agency, Empowered Newswire, reported that the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton had to set aside her meeting with a foreign Head of State for a while to condemn what she called the ”tragic loss of lives in Nigeria.”

She said, “We continue to urge all parties to exercise restraint and seek constructive means for addressing the cycle of violence in Plateau State.

“The Nigerian Government should ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice under the rule of law and that human rights are respected as order is restored.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201003103324285

^
Can't you answer a simple question without losing your cool? I'm simply asking, "Are you promoting racist viewpoints here?"
Simples!

ElRazur:
True.

What he is not realising is that eventually, all his threads will be empty or lacking content as people realise his motives etc. Sucks really.

I am guessing he will eventually die off like Doctor Who and then reincarnate as another poster. Sucks really. Gosh, he post these threads and it is not like he's got a proper or solid contribution to make. I really do not understand him/her.

Damn!
How can a single adult willingly morph himself into a stupidity grenade?

[quote author=john_blaze link=topic=410727.msg5660978#msg5660978 date=1268179226]So for the fact that the Japanese politician believes 9/11 was an inside job makes him a crackpot?[/quote]Yes and those that believe him as well. Crackpots have a way of jumping, even when all they see is their own harmless shadow, they have a way of proving "witchcraft" and superstition.
. . .Divining blended with witchhunting is their natural talent.

[quote author=john_blaze link=topic=410746.msg5660209#msg5660209 date=1268170591]Russia Today
March 8, 2010
The legitimacy of Barack Obama’s presidency is being questioned by a group of American activists. They claim he shouldn’t be in the seat of power – alleging he wasn’t born in the U.S. RT talks to one of the leaders of the so-called “birther movement”, who believes Obama’s birth certificate was forged.


http://www.infowars.com/is-obamas-birth-certificate-a-forgery/[/quote]Are you promoting racist viewpoints here?

[quote author=john_blaze link=topic=410727.msg5659881#msg5659881 date=1268167089]Lets assume I was wrong and that two planes hit the twin towers and that fires as a result of the impact lead to the collapse of the twin buildings(official story) but can someone please explain how building 7(WTC 7) which is also part of the world trade center came down at free fall speed despite the fact that it wasnt hit by a plane or fire?[/quote]Do you realise you are single-handedly killing this section with these crazy theories, tales by moonlight and crackpot articles?
You can't be 3 years old, or are you?

nosa2:
Unfortunately A coup, backed by IBB and Ibori, is/was imminent in this country and the presidency or rather Obasanjo could spot the signs. Look at all the rumours going on all at once, from the manufactured/manipulated Robbery incident to the spread of falsehood about the number of northerners in top managerial positions in NNPC, to the fuss about the brigade of guards being deployed to welcome the president even thou the V.P never said he was not aware. Here is a link about the history of coup plotting http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/nigeria_facts/MilitaryRule/Omoigui/CoupPage.html in this country and if you read the prelude to IBB's coup you'll see that this campaign of mis information is very similar to the one run in 1985. I'm just glad the government is taking active steps to reveal all the rumours for what they really are and i hope Nigerians fight for our democracy no matter how imperfect

Ol' boy, stop turning facts upside down jare!
The only reasonable bit in your post is the link to http://www.waado.org. That is one hell of a information trove run and edited strictly by PHD's.

The more I read about Donald Duke, the more I am convinced. The reason I and many more might only have a vague idea of him and Cross River, is because Cross River has for long, been a backwater; it has only emerged as a tourist attraction due to his stewardship. As a result, anybody selling Donald Duke must be aware of how peoples minds might not connect in concrete ways initially. A much more sleek and sophisticated approach will be required from his supporters.

Those curruption allegations are from 2006 and have never been taken up by EFCC, so its a dud.

@mikeansy

Thanks for the detailed writeup. Some quick research shows that what you wrote was accurate (two minor errors, though; he didn't start Obudu ranch, Cross River is among states with the lowest FG allocation - it doesn't have the lowest).
However, everything about Donald Duke seems to be very positive, in fact, one thing you failed to mention (corrected) is that, he was the only gov not to be investigated by EFCC during OBJ's time. Very interesting.

Its funny I don't know that much about Cross River thats in my backyard (I think I know much more about Kano and Adamawa).

I am now very interested in Donald Duke. . .

Top politicians too can be crackpots, like Mr. Yukihisa Fujita clearly is. That class of political crank exists allover the World; there was Reagan and the necromancers in the White House, closer to home, we have had crackpots like Idi Amin Dada.

Being a crackpot is far from having the mark of wisdom.

[size=14pt]NEXT![/size]

vowiski:
@beaf, i am rational human, i don't care about ethics, read my signature,

Right.
Most Rational Sir, please can you explain the rationale of this intrusive thread?

This is not ethical.
Can mod's the delete this thread?

Billygoat:
And people think I'm slow.  . . .

Don't mind the hidiots!

Fhemmmy:
I dont know why, but just love seeing pix of Nigeria

Ha! E be like say you don deh away for like 15 years!

Sky Blue:
Basic research is not hard . From what I know, Cross Rivers was getting one of the lowest ammounts of allocation from oil derivation, yet Calabar is probably the cleanest city in Nigeria. Good roads, investment in tourism as a means of increasing IGR. The TINAPA project was quite ambitious and the first phase was delivered, but the retail section of it was hit by the foot dragging of the federal government even after the president declared his "support" for it. Traders for months (maybe even more than a year) that had paid the rent, could not sell anything because of customs (it was meant to be a free trade zone but the federal government had not yet drafted up the papers or something along those lines). So people could only go there to look which was bad for business and retail. I think you hear Donald Duke a lot because he was probably the only governor in the last administration that took on any mega project of that scale (kind of what Fashola seems to be doing right now). Visit the Tinapa site and do basic research.

Yes, I know about Tinapa, but its shortcomings are as sweeping as the vision that created it. Tinapa cannot provide the sort of anwers I am after (though it satisfies me that he is intelligent and forward looking), neither can basic research (I'll do that anyway ). The sort of stuff I need are things that he has done to better the lot of the common man, what his personality is like, his outlook on life etc.

Can someone sell Donald Duke to me? I am not conversant with Cross River state; I haven't been fed any convincing info, yet I keep hearing the name Donald Duke.
Please sell Donald Duketo me. What are his strengths and where has he used them? What was Cross River like before he came on the scene? Are there clear examples of his vision (societal, technological, educational etc) with provable implementation?

princekevo:
This Man should think of how to keep his backyard at peace b4 thinking of east and ND. Are the east and ND slaughtering themselves in ethnic/religious violence?

Come to think of it this the 2nd time this year Gowon is bringing up the issue of Nigerian Civil war and his role in it. The funny thing is that he was meant to address something different, not related to civil war on these 2 occasions. I think the poor guy must living with a serious guilt and torture within.

Its called heavy consience.

This is a fun, but serious post.

Most Web Developers I know have a passionate hatred for building huge forms (usually the multi-page type). Others just plain hate the thought of having to write repetitive code, personally I need Panadol after creating form fields. Where do you fall? What can be done to alleviate this misery?