₦airaland Forum

KnowAll:
With the magnititude of problems that have befalling our great nation, misappropiation which cannot be proven or thithing in the house of God which our eloquent Jakumo often refers to House of Dogs is the least social ills any sane man should focus his attention on. Firstly the whole exercise of attending a church is a volunatery one and secondly the funds sloshing around in those places were donated without duress and are not liable to EFCC or any tax authorithies investigation. It is purely a private initiative.

If one can refer to the House of God as the House of Dogs what respect does person have of whether God exist or not. If he is of the view that God exist he would know that nothing coverd in the dark will not be unravelled in the day of Judgement.

How does the existence of God equate with Houses of "God"?

KnowAll:
A foreigner's perspective of our English not pidgin but Nigarian English. Who said Nigerians dont have anything in common 
. . .
More about language. Ok, the first couple of days I thought people were just plain rude. Then my colleague Sebastian explained to me that in the local languages, there are no equivalents for the words “Please” and “Sorry” (and many others, probably, like “excuse me”). Quite the contrary, if you use these words, you will NOT be understood! First, it’s shocking when you hear a mother on the market tell a 6-year old: “Put in the fridge!” – and a couple of weeks later you go to Abache barracks and you hear yourself saying: “Bring beer!” Today, I said to someone “Count the money!”
Maybe it’s just too hot to bother speaking in longer sentences.
. . .

Poor thing has become a true 9ja!
Gimme tori!

KnowAll:
Another one – “I will be right back” is said “I’m coming” (they haven’t even left yet!) – Maybe I am not used to hearing “I’m coming” in public places, is all….

If something is good, it’s “good”. . .

. . .We sort of get the drift. . .
3 big gbosa for bedmatic lingo!!! Das why we are 140 milla
www.nairaland.com/attachments/180447_ROTFLMAO_gif3d0c775232c7f27cf80592785b9635b6

Abeg lef we jare!

KnowAll:
Jakumo is eloquent in bashing Pastor Adeboye-RCCG. Not something I would be particulary proud of or would want to associate myself with. It is ok to take the ovation and glam in this planet but what happens beyond this our temporary abode is anyone's guess. Being a man who is not shy at punting or betting as they say in Naija, I rather put a punt on the existence of God than to do the opposite. I am also a respecter of thy anonoitings.

How does the existence of God equate with Pastor Adeboye?

Until the day we get true federalism and all off Nigeria's non-viable states have been merged into regions, there must be an Urhobo state. No more monkey de work baboon de chop.

Meldrick:
It's possible but where do you think I come from I laugh in Isoko.
You have not been able to inteprete simply what Isoko and Urhobo call salt and soup. My dear friend, the Urhobos and Isokos are two different tribes just like Urhobo and Ijaw.

You must agree with me that Olorogun Ibru is just joking with his request

Comedy.

. . .We should have been gaining from the rise in oil price.

Meldrick:
You are talking bullshit.

You know little or nothing about your area. Perharps you were born and brought up in Lagos. The Uvwie people have their own King [/b]and they refuse to be called Urhobos. Did I hear you say the Isokos go where the Urhobos go? You are dreaming. You just made me realize you can't speak your language when you said Isoko and Urhobo speak the same language.
Urhobo man what is soup and salt called in Urhobo? What is it called in Isoko? Go find out and understand the difference.

I saw the cooked up website you quoted by an Urhobo man (D.A Obiomah). [b]You were sleeping when you said it was designed be whitemen . The Ijaws have a stake in Delta State. Realize that now

My friend, I am mixed Isoko and Urhobo, so forget that side.

"The Uvwie people have their own King". . . Don't make me laugh! The Okpe's have theirs as well (the Orodje), Abraka has an Ovie. . . [b]Every [/b]Urhobo division has a king for crying out load! The Urhobo's (and Isoko's) are very republican live and let live cultures.
Uvwie people having their own King does not stop them being Urhobo (rather, your claim outs your ignorance of Delta state ethnicities). Next?

When and where did I say any website was designed by white people? Damn! This is what I said;

Infact, the Itsekiri capital is called Ode-Itsekiri, so why bad bele for other peoples property na . See history here with oyibo people plotting your "reality" that you are arguing here (in ignorance) http://www.waado.org/CulturalUnits/AgbarhaAme/WarriEthnicProblems/ObiomahOnUrhoboWarri/WARRI_URHOBO_HistoryIdentity.html

De tin wen de deh Na lie? Oyibo plotted your "reality". Now they have gone. . .
By the way, Olorogun D.A Obiomah is a very respected scholar.

[size=14pt]Crude Oil Rises a Second Day After Attacks in Nigeria and Iraq[/size]
By Mark Shenk

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose for a second day after attacks on energy facilities in Nigeria and Iraq, OPEC’s third- and seventh-largest oil producers.

Nigeria’s main militant group claimed its first assault on oil infrastructure in the country in five months, while Iraq shut its northern export pipeline to Turkey after an explosion damaged the link. OPEC, meeting in Angola tomorrow, said it expects to hold production targets.

“Prices are up a bit after rebels attacked facilities in Nigeria and a pipeline in Iraq was attacked,” said Addison Armstrong, director of market research at Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut.

Crude oil for January delivery rose 69 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $74.05 a barrel at 10:30 a.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices are up 66 percent this year.

The January contract expires today. The more-active February futures contract climbed 71 cents, or 1 percent, to $75.13 a barrel.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, said Dec. 19 it attacked a pipeline in the southern oil region used by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp.

The “warning strike” at Abonemma in Nigeria’s southern oil region was to protest the lack of progress in talks with the government since President Umaru Yar’Adua was hospitalized in November, Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for MEND, said in an e-mailed statement over the weekend.

Nigeria’s oil minister said Royal Dutch Shell Plc will need government approval to sell oilfields following a report that it plans to sell as much as $5 billion of assets in the nation. Shell is planning to sell stakes in several onshore Nigerian oilfields, the Sunday Times reported yesterday.

Pipeline Attack

In Iraq, the pipeline supplying the Ceyhan oil export terminal was sabotaged around 8:30 p.m. local time Dec. 19, Asim Jihad, an Oil Ministry spokesman, said yesterday.

Iranian troops withdrew from a disputed Iraqi oil well in the East Maysan field after an armed confrontation, Iraqi government officials said. The Iranian forces left the al-Fakah well late Dec. 19, Iraq’s deputy minister of oil, Abdul Kareem al-Luaibi, told reporters in Baghdad yesterday.

“The Iranian troops have already left Iraq, but the incursion reminded traders about all of the problems in that region,” said Tom Bentz, a senior energy analyst at BNP Paribas Commodity Futures Inc. in New York.

Brent crude oil for February settlement rose 46 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $74.21 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

‘No Change’

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has a consensus on “no change” in oil production quotas for the group’s meeting tomorrow, its secretary-general, Abdalla el- Badri said.

“At the moment we are comfortable with prices,” OPEC President and Angolan Oil Minister Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos said in an interview with state radio. “Everything indicates that we will maintain the present situation,” when OPEC ministers meet.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aIP1GezQcDgc

debosky:
The FG might simply be blustering - they had no input when Addax was sold to the Chinese so they might not have a direct influence on selling.

While the FG can frustrate any new entrant, it will be difficult for them to prvet Shell making business decisions of divestment or investment.

Shell might not wish to contend a court case with a sovereign body. I am quite the FG will be prepared to go that far. Reason? Shell can very decisively tip the balance of power in Nigeria by simply selling their concessions to a party of their choosing. . . Big politics de deh!

Well, FG is holding on to Shell by every means .

[size=14pt]Nigeria Says Shell Will Need Government Approval to Sell Assets[/size]
By Dulue Mbachu

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s Oil Minister said Royal Dutch Shell Plc will need government approval to sell oilfields following a report that it plans to sell as much as $5 billion of assets in the West African nation.

Shell, Europe’s biggest energy company, is planning to sell stakes in several onshore Nigerian oilfields, the Sunday Times reported yesterday. Potential buyers may include China’s Sinopec and Nigeria’s Oando Plc, the newspaper said.

“It’s not theirs to sell,” Minister of Petroleum Rilwanu Lukman said by phone from Abuja today. “They’re holding concessions given them by the government.”

Shell’s onshore facilities bore the brunt of recent attacks by militants seeking a greater share of Nigeria’s oil wealth. Legislation before parliament will impose tougher conditions on international producers active in the country as Shell undertakes a global review of its operations to cut costs.

Shell would require government approval before pressing ahead with a sale, Lukman said. No such request has been made, as far as he’s aware. Wendel Broere, a spokesman at The Hague- based Shell, declined to comment.

Shell’s operations were the worst hit by an upsurge of armed attacks in the oil-producing Niger Delta that took place from 2006. More than 25 percent of Nigeria’s oil output was shut through pipeline bombings and kidnapping of oil workers. The violence has abated since an amnesty was implemented.

Greater Powers

An oil industry reform law presented by President Umaru Yar’Adua to parliament seeks to give the government greater powers over oil concessions while raising taxes paid by energy companies.

Licenses for 16 fields operated by Shell, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. in the past four decades are currently up for renewal. Only Exxon has so far obtained a renewal for three licenses while Shell and Chevron are continuing negotiations with the government.

Shell is reviewing its operations around the world after the recession curbed fuel demand and dragged down prices. It may put a fourth refinery in Europe up for a sale and has already signed a letter of intent to sell its New Zealand downstream assets.

Nigeria, which vies with Angola for Africa’s top oil producer, has hydrocarbon reserves of about 36 billion barrels of crude and 187 trillion cubic feet of gas, according to the Petroleum Ministry. The West African nation is the fifth-biggest source of U.S. oil imports.

Shell is the oldest and largest international energy company in Nigeria, according to the company’s Web site. Its Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Co., is the operator of a joint venture in which state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., or NNPC, holds a 55 percent stake. Shell holds 30 percent, followed by Total with 10 percent and Eni SpA with 5 percent.

The joint venture run by Shell covers 90 oil fields, spanning 30,000 square kilometers, 72 oil-pumping stations, 10 gas plants and two major oil export terminals at Bonny and Forcados, according to a company fact-sheet.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=a3VDvtfLQOSU

[size=14pt]Stop spreading f.ucking rumours![/size]
I usually avoid such threads, but this is getting ridiculous. Common sense says after all this time we either need to hear from an official source or keep shut.

Meldrick:
Very Good talk.

It might interest you to know that within the Urhobo people there is a division. The Uvwie people refuse to be reffered to as Urhobos.
Human beings can be so selfish. If there was no oil in that land, will they request for an Urhobo state. My people in the Niger Delta annoy me with the way they reason. The Ijaw people will always refer to themselves as the Ijaw Nation in all their publications. Rather than fight for the Niger Delta, they fight for the Ijaw Nation and they don't give a danm what happens to the other tribes.

The Urhobos fail to realize that most of those areas they are selfishly claiming belong to the Itsekiris, Isokos e.t.c If the urhobo nation is created based on their recomendation, there will be another war because the other ethnic groups will point out areas that belong to them within the so-called Urhobo rich region. The Itsekiris, Isokos will also demand for their own state. Trust the Ijaws, they claim they are the third most populated so they will soon clamour for their own state.

I'm dissapointed in their President, Olorogun Ibru or what is his name. Is he educated? if he is, he wasted his time in the University.

With due respect, the above is balderdash.
For one, Uvwie have [b]never [/b]refused to be referred to as Urhobos (except in your dreams). That claim is ignorant at best, Urhobo is made up of several distinct clans, Uvwie is a major one.
Secondly, Isoko and Urhobo speak the same language and have the same culture. Wherever Urhobo, Isoko will go, we are inseparable nations.
Bayelsa state is already an Ijaw state so why would the Ijaws clamour for a new one? The Ijaw areas of Delta and Bayelsa can be merged.
Also, the Itsekiris can join Ondo state as they have always wished.

As to bogus claims about lands belonging to Itsekiris. The colonial period is over and lands given to dore numa as punishment to the owners for not taking part in slavery have returned. We will divide Warri by genuine [/b]village boundaries so you guys get the mostly remote out of town areas Ogbuwangwue, Ginuwa and Pesu, while Ogbe Ijaw and ajoining areas go to the Ijaw the rest from Ekpan, Agbassa, Ogberikoko, Ogunu, Enehren, Ovwian-Aladja, Udu, Okere-Urhobo, Edjeba, Igbudu. . . everything else (like 80%) goes to the Urhobo .

Infact, the Itsekiri capital is called [b]Ode-Itsekiri, so why bad bele for other peoples property na . See history here with oyibo people plotting your "reality" that you are arguing here (in ignorance) http://www.waado.org/CulturalUnits/AgbarhaAme/WarriEthnicProblems/ObiomahOnUrhoboWarri/WARRI_URHOBO_HistoryIdentity.html

Meldrick the colonial period is over. Stop living in the past, nobody is a slave anymore, neither can their lands be taken because they refused to take part in the evil trade. Forget about the "gains" of the slave trade.

citizenY:
'Edoyad, onlytruth  and wirinet.

This is where you are derailing.

i will recap if you cannot read between the lines and follow logic.

A senate committee is conducting hearings in the six political zones of Nigeria.
Each zone is making proposals for constitutional ammendments.
All presentations will be harmonised  and presented for debate as recommended by the committee.
Some of these proposals may not even pass the committee stage.
These proposals will go through the legislative process and if my/your reps approve them what will you do?

For the guy Wirinet, I refer you to my comments on Orkars coup speech

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=354162.msg4955842#msg4955842

My dear Onlytruth, whether sharia is politically motivated or not is subject to definition and implementation is
confined to certain locations that are completely outside your zone and in any case it does not have general
application in the northern zones. SOme have said that it is used as a political tool but certainly it will not be
of any relevance in other parts of Nigeria. On this score, the quasi federal system  will  only  that and restrict
it to the areas that want it.

On rigging and manipulation of elections, we know the specialists who outbid themselves and always end up
without a candidate. We know those who sponsor and instal a whole legislature and kidnap governors and they are not in the north
The federal system of government allows each state latitude to decide how it allocates its
resources and over the years we have seen how they have been used either for the community or for the
rulers. Being a federation, all federating are bound by statutes (Constitution).

Do not be deceived, it has been said , times without number, that our elite from all divides have a common interest
and once they agree, we are left in the cold, regardless of where you come from.Instead of finding a solution to this,
you guys have this penchant of using the same divisive methods used by our mutual oppressors to get to the top
and engage us in endless debates, rehashing the same fare, day in day out., nothing new.

To be very honest with you guys, it is depressing to engage in this type of dialogue , all in the negative direction,
dispelling long engraved prejudices and mindsets and phobia/ conspiracy theories. As I said in other places, this
is a platform for all players. You can decide to send your first eleven, your junior team or your veterans team or
even a combination of all. Do you blame anyone for your wrong choice of team and strategy? What happens if your
striker  or defender  scores an own goal? It is the fault of the opposing team, abi?

CitizenY, the fact is the North West uttered the words causing consternation by "canvassing for the supremacy of Sharia legal system over the constitution". Very unusually, you have been expressing sentiment wherever this sharia matter has been mentioned. The fact though, is that sharia is a very emotive and divisive topic, I will outline a few reasons:

[list]
[li]Sharia is evilly equated with Islam by the machiavellian politician in the North and ignorant folk down South[/li]
[li]Down South, ignorant folk wrongly equate with Islam and sharia[/li]
[li]In the South, sharia is seen as very primitive[/li]
[li]Sharia riots have led to several deaths[/li]
[li]Sharia has led to several dangerous religious cults like Boko Haram[/li]
[li]Sharia has actively been used to undermine the secular constitution in dangerous game of brinksmanship[/li]
[/list]

Each one of the above mentioned points can be expanded into articles in their own right. Therefore, any group bringing sharia up as a political game is either mad, dangerous, deaf or blind. So don't be surprised that the responses from Southerners (and I'm sure, quite a few Northerners) are barbed, steely and very determined.

Seun:
Okay, he is disqualified again.

Unu go kill pesin for NL o!

www.nairaland.com/attachments/180447_ROTFLMAO_gif3d0c775232c7f27cf80592785b9635b6

[size=14pt]All hail Jakumo![/size]
We now await your grand entrance to "de-cartographise" the Benonoise man of a thousand identities with your verbal canon of renown.

^
When did Degema join "yoruba, edo, delta and bayelsa"?
Is your territory growing?

Becomrrich:
Eguje don destroy naija

. . .Therefore, we now fly the flag of Benin Republic!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Flag_of_Benin.svg/125px-Flag_of_Benin.svg.png

The Yoruba's, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa are now packing to follow you our dear leader.

bodsibobo:
Was the government expecting otherwise? Do the government think that they (MEND) have become 'BORN AGAIN' after signing the ceasefire?

I laugh!!

MEND never signed a ceasefire, it has always been between various commanders and govt.

The saga continues. . .

[size=14pt]Nigerian Democracy: Government By Email And Fax By An Incommunicado Sick President[/size]
Sun Dec, 20 2009

By Francis Adewale


“The President can exercise his powers through the vice-president and ministers while on his sick bed and that is what he has been doing. For example, the Chief Justice of Nigeria wrote a letter to the President and copied me that he would be retiring on December 31, that the President of the Court of Appeal has just retired and that their replacements have not been screened by the Senate. I sent the letter to the Principal Secretary to the President who transmitted same to the President who approved it and sent it back to me.”

- Nigeria Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa (SAN)

If the above quote beggars believe, be comforted that you are not alone. I bet many observers of Nigeria  "stunted" political growth could not have imagined the latest meme from Aso rock. For the first time we have a sick president, who is purportedly ruling Nigeria vide email and facsimile from a hospital bed in Saudi Arabia . For weeks, President Umaru Yar'Aduahas been hospitalized at King Faisal Intensive Care and Research Centre, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , for what staffers say is a serious heart condition. With no clear successor, Nigeria is roiled by uncertainty and many of Nigeria prominent citizens have called for his resignation.

Curiously, Nigeria primarily law officer, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, came out with the above shocker and then went further to enthused as follows: “The powers of the President are not exercised territorially. Yar’Adua can exercise his powers anywhere in the world, on the plane, at the meeting of the United Nations or even on his sick bed, as long as he is not incapacitated by the sickness.” While this statement may be an accurate restatement of the letters of the laws, at least as it relates to the exercise of the powers of president of Nigeria , this is not the applicable, given the current scenario.

We know for a fact, that when the president of Nigeria travels to the United Nations, or anywhere outside the shores of Nigeria it is for a short duration of time certain and we not only see him exercise the powers of presidency when he represents Nigeria, he manifestly do so vide public appearances when he meets with other head of state and sign binding treaties on behalf of Nigeria. Most of these events are well covered by the press, local and international and Nigerian of all hue could clearly see the president in action.

It is also interesting that Mr. Aondoakaa, clearly left open the answer to the questions most Nigerian wants the presidency to answer and that is: Is the president of Nigeria“incapacitated by the sickness” he is suffering from? How can Nigerian confirm the bare assertions of the president aide that the president is ail and hearty without any proof whatsoever in the form of doctor’s report and photographs of the president working from his hospital bed.

Nigeria ’s current constitution mirrored in large part, the Constitution of the United States of America , and the two constitutions required that the president by a letter addressed to the National Assembly is required to inform the senate president of his intent to proceed on vacation, at which point the vice president shall act on behalf of the president.

What we have going on now in Aso rock is an amorphous arrangement where the president’s physical and health condition is only known to his private secretary and retinue of “hangers on.” The latter in turn tells the country that the president is healthy and that he is exercising his presidential powers on a sick bed in far away Saudi Arabia .

How can anyone prove to Nigerians that the letter transmitted to the president at Saudi Arabia was read by him? How are we sure that the subsequent response by the “president” was not the work of some private secretary at the hospital? How can anyone confirm that the president was of a sound mind when he responded to the said letter, given the very serious ailment the president suffers from?

In an open and transparent democracy the president health or indeed any other government official are never shrouded in secrecy. Everything is done in the open. We know for a fact that this is not the first time the president had had to visit the Emergency Room of Hospital. During the presidential election campaign, I recalled vividly, the efforts by the staff of the then presidential candidate, and now president Yar’Adua to reach the media with the information that he is alive. I know a colleague who was even allowed to place calls directly to Yar’adua at his hospital bed and who talked directly with the president to clear up the issue of his health. It was clear then that they needed the people’s vote to at least claim some legitimacy with the electoral perfidy they later performed on the Nigeria people. And now that they are in Aso rock the Nigerian people do not deserve to know who is ruling them? This to me is the message being sent by the ruling People’s Democratic party to Nigerians of all hue.

To demonstrate the stupidity of the current state of events, even militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta, whom Yar'Adua brought into peace talks only weeks ago, now worry they have no "good faith partner" to negotiate an end to attacks that have cut into Nigeria 's oil-dependent economy. The president health is of a great concern to all Nigerians and should not be micro-managed by “leeches and sycophants” who are hell bent on using a “comatose” president to further their destructive agenda on Nigeria .

Already the rumor mill is bustling with tall tales of the shenanigans going on in the corridors of power. Some of which may or may not be grounded in reality, but as long as the president health remains an issue available only to an exclusive preserve of PDP top echelons, Nigerians should not keep quiet. We should continue to ask for answers and demand that the “junta” in government follows the rule of law and the constitution no matter how abase their conduct may be.

http://www.thetimesofnigeria.com/Article.aspx?id=2349

[size=14pt]A sick country and its sick President (2)[/size]

By Douglas Anele, Published: Sunday, 20 Dec 2009
click to expand image

Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar‘Adua

Keep in mind that under the flawed presidential system we are operating at the moment, the office of the President is very critical in determining the existential conditions of the country and its people. In more advanced democracies, the institutions of state are mature enough to withstand the frequent absences of the President or Prime Minister for whatever reason.

Nigeria‘s democratic system is rudimentary; the functioning of the apparatus of state is heavily dependent on individuals, not on institutions. Of course, institutions are run by people, but mature and effective institutions also depend on certain traditions built over the years, which transcend particular individuals. Our political institutions are yet to evolve such traditions.

It follows that there is nothing wrong if, based on his frequent trips abroad, some Nigerians express their suspicion over the President‘s incapacity to perform his duties due to ill-heath by asking him to resign. A lot is at stake whenever the head of state of any country, particularly an underdeveloped country such as ours, is repeatedly absent from his duty post because he is receiving abroad the kind of top quality medical care he did not provide for his compatriots at home.

Furthermore, Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution contains provisions on when the President (or Vice-President) shall cease to hold office on medical grounds. It vests the responsibility for such declaration on the Federal Executive Council and in a five-member medical panel appointed by the Senate President. However, in sub-section (1a) of that very section, the expression used to describe the FEC‘s resolution concerning the President‘s inability to govern is: ”incapable of discharging the functions of his office.”

But sub-section (2) stipulates that the medical panel has to report that he is ”permanently incapable of discharging the functions of his office.” Clearly, there is some ambiguity here. Anytime the President travels overseas for medical treatment and his condition is serious, one can reasonably assume that the intent of sub-section (1a) has been met.

Yet, that does not imply that the provision of sub-section (2), which stipulates permanent incapacity, has been fulfilled. Section 145 compounds the ambiguity by stating that: ‘Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.‘

The implication of this, with regard to the current situation, is that since Yar‘Adua did not act as stipulated by section 145, Goodluck Jonathan, the Vice-President, cannot assume the role of Acting President. Again, the constitution did not indicate that the President must write to the leaders of the National Assembly anytime he wants to go on vacation or decides that he ‘is incapable of discharging the functions of his office.‘

Therefore, there is nothing in the relevant sections of the constitution, which can be used to oppose President Yar‘Adua‘s penchant for not formally handing over to the Vice-President whenever he travels overseas for medical treatment. However, the President‘s attitude is an act of bad faith, because it suggests lack of trust in his second-in-command.

Apart from the pernicious ethnicity of political power and crippling egoism of the ruling class in Nigeria, there is no good reason why Yar‘Adua has consistently failed to do the right thing by formally relinquishing power to Jonathan temporarily before going to hospital.

This means that right now Nigeria is ruled by an individual, who might be in coma battling for his life or, at the minimum, seriously distracted from his duties by health concerns. If members of the National Assembly were alive to their responsibilities, they ought to have insisted that the President hand over power properly anytime he has to travel for health reasons.

David Mark, the Senate President, and most members of the FEC, in my opinion, are agbata ekee politicians more interested in the perks of office than in the welfare of Nigerians. So, I do not expect them to invoke the powers they have under Section 144 to ease the President out of office. From another perspective, the recent calls by some elements in the North that the VP should resign if Yar‘Adua resigns shows that Nigeria is far from being a united country, that the concept of constitutional democracy is yet to permeate the consciousness of the northern ruling elite.

In spite of its loopholes, the 1999 Constitution is very clear about what should happen in case the President, for whatever reason, cannot perform his duties. Section 146, sub-section(1) clearly states that the Vice-President shall hold the office of the President, in the event that the latter office becomes vacant for reasons listed in the section and in sections 143 and 144.

Thus, it is unconstitutional and irrational for anyone to suggest that Jonathan should resign if Yar‘Adua wisely resigns for health reasons. As the saying goes, those who ignore the lessons of history are condemned to repeat its mistakes. If we ignore the lessons of the Civil War, we do so at our own peril. The hypocrisy of the ruling class stands out in bold relief in the sycophantic, ”eye service,” call on Nigerians to offer prayers on behalf of President Yar‘Adua.

Knowing the deceitful nature of these people, including members of the opposition parties, who have joined the prayer bandwagon, thereby becoming more Catholic than the Pope, I am willing to bet with my meagre salary that in their hearts they really do not care about the President‘s well-being. In fact, a few of them would be happy if Yar‘Adua does not return to office again, so long as his exit ministers to their insatiable greed for money and power.

Consequently, no one should be surprised if some of the big men and thick madams asking us to pray for the President‘s recovery are hoping that the exact opposite would happen instead.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2009122019194890

[size=14pt]How Legal Are FEC Meetings Without the President? [/size]
Written by Dike Onwuamaeze & Anza Philips
Sunday, 20 December 2009

Two Nigerian lawyers raise objection against the decisions of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meetings held in the absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

The controversy trailing the stay of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in a Saudi Arabian hospital since November 23, where he is receiving treatment for acute pericarditis, took a new turn last week. On December 15, Femi Falana, chief counsel of Femi Falana Chambers, sued the attorney general of the federation, AGF, at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the failure or refusal of the president to hand over the exercise of presidential powers to Vic-President Goodluck Jonathan, in accordance with section 145 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Falana is seeking the court’s declaration that the failure or refusal of Yar’Adua “to transmit a written declaration to the president of the Senate and the speaker, House of Representatives, before proceeding abroad for medical vacation on November 23, 2009, is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates section 145 of the constitution. He is also asking the court to pronounce that the “vice-president cannot discharge any of the functions of the president without the written declaration by the president” in accordance with section 145. Moreover, he is asking for a court declaration to the effect that “the meetings of the Federal Executive Council held since November 23, 2009 to date, and the decisions taken thereafter are illegal and unconstitutional as they, violate section 148(2) of the constitution.”

Furthermore, Falana prayed the court to grant an order of mandatory injunction compelling the president to transmit a written declaration to the senate president and the speaker of the House that he is currently on medical vacation to empower Jonathan to discharge the functions of the president as the acting president of Nigeria.

Samuel Ogala, of the Femi Falana Chambers, in an affidavit in support of the suit filed by Falana, said in spite of the assurances of FEC that the absence of the president has not affected the governance of the nation, he is aware that “the 2009 supplementary bill passed by the National Assembly has not been signed into law.” In addition, Ogala said that the administration of justice is also affected by the absence of Yar’Adua. He said that since the retirement of Justice Umaru Abdullahi as the president of the Court of Appeal on November 30, no one has been officially sworn in as the acting president pending the approval of the nomination of Justice Ayo Salami as the president of the Court of Appeal as required by the constitution because the president is not in the country to carry out this duty.

He claimed that if the nominations of Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and Abdullahi were confirmed by the senate as chief justice of Nigeria and president of the Court of Appeal respectively, they may not be able to function in their new offices because Yar’Adua would not be available to swear them in. He averred that unless the reliefs sought by Falana are granted, “Nigeria may be plunged into a serious constitutional crisis which may be exploited by anti-democratic forces.”

Sola Egbeyinka, counsel to Falana, said that notwithstanding the assurance of the FEC that the vice-president is “in charge,” any exercise of the functions or duties of the president by the vice-president would be illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever. “It is trite in law that where a statute mentions specific things or persons, the intention is that those not mentioned are not to be included. Applying this principle to the facts of this case, it is submitted that since it is only the president that is mentioned in section 148(2) of the constitution, the vice-president cannot be included therein. In other words, it is only the president that is empowered to hold regular meetings with the vice president and ministers of the federal government. The vice-president cannot take advantage of the absence of the president to substitute himself for the president by holding meetings with ministers of the government of the Federation,” Egbeyinka said.

He said that the judicial interpretation given by the Supreme Court upheld the view that the constitution envisioned only a single executive in which the president is the head and in whom only the executive powers are vested in. “While the constitution specifically created the office of both the president and the vice-president, it went ahead to vest the executive powers of the federation only on the President. This principle excludes the preclusion of the current vesting of executive powers in two or more persons of equal authority,” the Supreme Court ruled in 2007. Falana gave the attorney general eight days to respond upon receiving the court summons.

Another lawyer who have also pointed out the unconstitutionality of the president’s absence without handing over the executive powers to Jonathan by writing the leadership of the National Assembly was Kayode Ajulo,SAN. He wrote Yayale Ahmed, secretary to the government of the federation, on December 11, on the illegality of convening the FEC meetings by any person other than the president. “I take the liberty of my noble profession to use this medium to inform you that these recent approvals and decisions of the FEC without the presence of either the president or a duly appointed acting president definitely run ultra vires to the provisions of our law and in particular, the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and are therefore null and void,” he said, adding that it is a notorious thing that in going to attend to his ailing health, the president did not transfer his power constitutionally to enable the vice-president to act in his stead and chair the FEC.

According to Kayode, the only FEC meeting authorised by the constitution without the attendance of the president is the meeting to deliberate on the incapability of the president to continue to discharge his functions as specified in section 144 of the 1999 constitution.

Among the recent decisions and approvals made by FEC in the absence of Yar’Adua include, International Development Association policy credit of $500m for the financial sector and public finance management; a credit facility extended to Nigeria under the World Bank Budget Support facility for bridging the shortfall in the 2009 budget and the award of the contract for the supply of one unit of 1G7 generator assembly and spares for Kainji Hydroelectric Power PLC at a cost of €4.352m and N56.1m in favour of Messrs Alstom Hydro of France. Others are award of contract for the integrity assessment and rehabilitation of the Oben-Sapele Gas pipeline and the upgrade/expansion of existing gas metering facilities at the Sapele Power Station in favour of Messrs Kaztec Engineering Limited at a cost of $26.4m, plus N1.1bn. The FEC also awarded the contract for the procurement of three units of rail road inspection vehicles with spare parts in favour of Messrs Gramet Nig Limited for N247.2m; contract for the appointment of a prime consultant for the dredging of lower River Niger from Warri, Delta State, to Baro, Niger State, approved in favour of Messrs Royal Haskoning Engineering Consultant Nigeria Limited in the sum of N402.3m, and a contract for the rehabilitation of the Onitsha River Port Complex approved in favour of Inter Bau Construction Limited in the sum of N4.1bn.

However, Michael Aondoakaa, attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, has dismissed all these allegations with a wave of the hand. He asserted last week that the president can rule the country in absentia and denied the claims that Yar’Adua has not been exercising his presidential powers. To him, the debate on the legality of the decisions of the FEC under the chairmanship of Jonathan was uncalled for and a waste of time. “There is no evidence that he is not exercising his powers as president. He has his vice-president and ministers whom he delegates power and functions to. The powers of the president are not exercised territorially. Yar’Adua can exercise his powers from anywhere in the world, on the plane, at the meeting of the United Nations or even on his sick bed, as long as he is not incapacitated by his sickness,” the attorney general said.

He went on to illustrate his theory that the whole earth is a stage for Yar’Adua to exercise his presidential powers. “For example, the chief justice of Nigeria wrote a letter to the president and copied me that he would be retiring on December 31, that the president of the Court of Appeal has just retired and that their replacements have not been screened by the Senate. I sent the letter to the principal secretary to the president who transmitted to the president who approved it and sent it back to me. The misconception Nigerians are having is that a president can only exercise his powers only if he is on a Nigerian soil. That is the argument that makes me to laugh,” Aondoakaa said.

According to Mohammed Abba-Aji, special adviser to the president on National Assembly matters, the controversy trailing the president’s illness was due to the fact that Nigerians are yet to come to terms with the fact that Yar’Adua will come back hale and hearty. “He has done it before. When he was governor of Katsina State, he was away for six months. He did not only return to continue his job as governor, but went on to have a second term,” Abba-Aji said.

http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1639&Itemid=1

Some of these Ghanaians are getting really annoying. . . .But they are well within their right.

[size=14pt]DI statement on constutional crisis in Nigeria[/size]
20/12/2009

PRESS STATEMENT – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20

Danquah Institute Calls on ECOWAS, AU to Show Concern over Nigeria’s Constitutional Crisis

The Danquah Institute, an Accra-based policy think tank, has called on the collective leadership of the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union to actively show, with urgency, leadership and concern in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Such a priority engagement could boost ongoing domestic efforts at finding a democratic solution to the pending constitutional crisis in the biggest black nation in the world,” the think tank argues, adding that the situation is threatening Nigeria’s democracy and the stability of the region.

After a longer history of instability, coups, military dictatorship and controversial elections, Africa’s most populous nation is struggling to contain the ramifications of a seriously ill, and absent, president.

In a statement released on Sunday, December 20, the Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, says “Nigeria, a nation hosting half of the population of our region and Africa’s biggest energy producer, is facing a period of grave uncertainty. Our fear is that the apparent passive posture of the two transnational bodies (AU and ECOWAS) in the face of such fundamental constitutional crisis in Nigeria, smacks of the kind of irresponsibility that usually leads to fire-fighting after the harm is done.”

The Danquah Institute is particularly calling on the President of the Republic of Ghana, the second most populous nation in the West African region, “to take the initiative and get the AU and ECOWAS to act. This can start by the two bodies agreeing to send a high powered monitoring team to Nigeria.”

DI feels “very little is being done or shown in the spirit and letter of both the AU and ECOWAS by the rest of Africa to show how seriously the continent views the ensuing sense of paralysis and crisis in Nigeria. The Federal government, security forces and civil society in Nigeria must be made to appreciate how crucial the country’s stability is to the rest of the continent. We must begin to show more concern and support.”

The DI statement explains, “The mandate of the delegation must include engaging various local stakeholders to ensure that the democratic institutions in the federal republic are protected and allowed to endure in these trying times and guide the nation through the crisis. They can do so without interfering in the process.”

The AU Constitutive Act declares a commitment “to consolidate democratic institutions and culture, and to ensure good governance and the rule of law.” Mr Otchere-Darko sees this as an opportunity for the AU to demonstrate commitment.

“We believe President John Evans Atta Mills should impress on other African leaders about the urgency and importance of this mission to help ensure that the future of multi-party democracy in Nigeria is secured. If Nigeria fails we all fail,” the statement warns.

On November 24, President Musa Yar’Adua checked into a Saudi Arabian hospital with a serious heart condition and has not been heard or seen since. This has prompted calls for his resignation. Earlier this month, 56 prominent Nigerians called for President Yar'Adua to hand power to his vice president.

But that call has also raised another controversy, bordering on ethno-religious lines and constitutional conventions.

Since Mr Yar-Adua’s hospitalisation, Nigeria has had nobody acting as President. “Unlike Ghana, for instance, where the vice president automatically acts whenever the president leaves the shores of the country, the Nigerian constitution is more stringent on this issue,” says Mr Otchere-Darko.

Section 145 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic stipulates: “Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office,… until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.”

No such letter was written by the president, formally handing power to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, before he left the country for treatment. Also the constitution is almost silent on the exclusive powers of the vice president when a substantive president is in office, Mr Otchere-Darko says, further incapacitating the president’s deputy under the circumstances.

The failure to hand over to the vice-president has created a serious power vacuum. This has led to a constitutional crisis where legislative bills cannot receive presidential assents.



“A typical case in point is the 2009 Supplementary Appropriation Bill. Both the Senate and House of Representative passed the N352.5billion supplementary budget bill in November. It has to receive presidential assent in 30 days. Vice President Goodluck Jonathan admits he cannot sign the budget without being cloaked with Section 145 powers,” Mr Otchere-Darko points out.

“Another constitutional crisis may hit the judiciary in a few days time,” he warns. Last week, the Senate approved the nomination of Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina-Alu as Chief Justice of Nigeria. He is to take over from Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, who retires on December 31. However, the head of the third arm of government must be sworn in on January 1, 2010 by the President of the Federal Republic.

“Thus, Africa is looking at a very likely scenario where the most populous nation on the continent would have a headless executive and a headless judiciary,” Mr Otchere-Darko predicts.

As one Nigerian newspaper puts it, “We are 150 million sheep without a shepherd.”

There are also serious issues in the event that the vice president is made to act under Section 146 (1) of the constitution. The provision reads: “The Vice-President shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason in accordance with section 143 of this Constitution.”

A convention that has supported the stability of the Fourth Republic Constitution dictates that power rotates between the predominantly Muslim north and Christian south and former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure effectively defined that rotational period to be every two presidential terms in office.

The current vice president is a Christian from the south. This has led to loud calls for him to resign if the option of acting president becomes available, for fear that his ascendancy would upset the north-south rotation convention. Mr. Yar’Adua has two years of his first term left.

The Danquah Institute is worried about the prospect of the constitutional crisis being exploited by some military adventurists.

“The Nigerian armed forces have shown tremendous professionalism in recent years. The Nigerian political elite has also shown tact and maturity in resolving peacefully previous crisis. Moreover, the Nigerian people have been patient and resilient. But, we can’t afford the luxury of complacency and rule out anything, especially, when these crisis are coming on top of long held perception by the masses of massive corruption and the tolerance of that anti-development culture in the body politic,” Mr Otchere-Darko cautions.

He recollects that “since the Togolese coup d’état of January 1963, West Africa built a reputation as the military takeover belt of Africa. By the early 1990s, West Africa was leading the continent towards a period of multi-party democracy. We need to maintain our eternal vigilance and build public confidence in the concept that we can indeed develop in freedom here in Africa. It is that which we fear is perilously at stake in Nigeria today.”

The Danquah Institute cites the recent statement by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, describing Nigeria as an example of governments “able but unwilling to make the changes their citizens deserve.” Mr Otchere-Darko throws back a rhetorical question, “So has multi-party democracy brought about the change that citizens of Nigeria deserve?”

This widespread perception of corruption was not helped when on December 17 a federal judge threw out a $60 million corruption case against a former governor which many Nigerians believed was an opportunity to finally bring to book big politicians who allegedly steal millions of dollars from government coffers.

Justice Marcel Awokulehin dismissed the 170-count case against former Delta state governor James Ibori and a close associate of President Yar’Adua for lack of evidence. The case is seen as a big blow against democracy.

Mr. Ibori, who as governor received an official salary of about $25,000, was indicted by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in December 2007, which resulted in a UK court freezing his assets in that country worth $35m. The head of the EFCC at the time, Nuhu Ribadu, was shortly after fired and eventually forced to flee the country.

“Another blow against democracy is the perception that the fight against corruption is only ‘stage-managed’ when the accused person is an ‘enemy’ of the powers that may be,” Mr.Otchere-Darko says.

On December 9, a presidential candidate in 2007, Attahiru Bafaraw, was picked up on corruption charges in the course of a meeting by opposition forces aimed at forming a formidable united front against the ruling party for the 2011 elections.

The country’s security has been further compromised by the president’s absence. Ripples of the vacuum created by President Yar’Adua’s ailment was felt in the troubled Delta State last weekend when Nigerian militants reportedly carried out their first attack on an oil pipeline since an amnesty offer. They said the attack was prompted by the absence of President Yar’Adua, which was delaying peace talks.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main militant group in the region, held formal peace talks with the president only two weeks before he left for treatment in Saudi Arabia. The unconditional cease-fire declared on October 25 appears to have been broken now.

Again, there are reports that the absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua from the country may be sparking off supremacy battle among his cabinet members and close aides.

The Danquah Institute points out that Article 3 of the AU Constitutive Act states its objectives as including the achievement of greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the peoples of Africa; the promotion of peace, security, and stability on the continent; the promotion of democratic principles and institutions, popular participation and good governance.

“When these objectives are juxtaposed to the objective of defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its Member States and the Article 4 principles of non-interference by any Member State in the internal affairs of another, it is our submission that the case for a pro-active diplomatic engagement to help Nigeria resolve the crisis is very strong.”

DI argues further that per its fundamental principles as enshrined in Article 4 of its treaty, ECOWAS has a duty to assist Nigeria promote and consolidate its democratic system of governance, thereby, helping to maintain regional peace, stability and security.

http://www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/news_detail.php?newsid=9264&section=1

@SapeleGuy and @Deep Sight

Una dey worry wit kobojunkie?
kobojunkie is at best, an arrogant white person who doesn't know jack, but is married to a Nigerian (hence presence on NL).

bidemi12:
@Beaf beaf, How far na?   Been gone for a while, i'm back and you still haven't changed. You and this your separatist views. O'l boy you have too much idle time on your hands. 

Do I know you? I'm quite sure I don't (in case you're female, I am married and not interested). Damn!

Becomrrich:
You can see what nairaland did. They want to rig the election even on nairaland. Nigeria  haba, 

I did not even vote in the so call election on nairaland.  Not even once did i vote .

Eguje don kill nigeria

Nonsense! See yeye shakara! After complove, bashali, eguofor, southunity, nigeria1, nigeria11, becomerich, becomrich, BecomRich etc

[size=14pt]Jakumo, please come out and blast this wretched cartographer off NL with your well oiled verbal uppercuts, left hooks and straight rights to the lower ****!!![/size]

[size=21pt]All hail Jakumo![/size]

I am yet to see any cogent reason why Urhobo state should not be created. Everything against it seems to be based either on pure sentiment, fundamental misunderstanding of Nigeria's "federal" structure or just plain misfiring (eg it won't solve the countiries problems, duh! It is meant to solve local problems).

An Urhobo state will be one of the most developed areas of the country, that could spur serious development in sorrounding areas.
It will be immediately economically viable with administrative structures and institutions already in place, unlike most of the "streets and towns" some people have mentioned without much thought and perhaps in comedy.
Why should we have economically unviable states like Ekiti, Kebbi etc and not have an Urhobo state? Is it because Urhobo isn't part of wazobia?

presido1:
Are u sure this news won't send him to the world beyond very early.

What if this attack is an external aggression against Nigeria? Who will be our commander in Thief?

Damn!

brooknam99:
hahahhahaha @beaf; still hoping to win if everyone else gets disqualified your mad pathetic, please stay away from me!!!

Oh sharrrap!
I'm a distant third and not complaining. Rather, I am truely appreciative, flattered and chuffed to have got even a single nomination or vote. I must say, I thank all who voted.

citizenY:
Chai, why did you destroy this straw poll. The Be[b]con[/b]rich Campaign Organisation will definitely sue.
This was our shadow election against 2011. You have messed up our permutations. Map to follow.
Good enough we have another territory. We shall be moving to Benin Republic,since we are not wanted here.

Where we shall perfect a map based economy.

brooknam99:
@KOsovo so, becus i state my displeasure u threathn to ban me. but,earlier, when i praised how u carried out the election why didnt u threathn me then?huh? what kinda mentality is thatoh, yeah, the one that is gotten when some1 is raised in a place where the term "freedom of expression" is neva respected!!!!

hahahahaha @ sunny boy, funny.

You act like a one man plague, dude. Coming from Mexico to cause "tribal" mischief on a Nigerian forum is much worse than any of the following;

- The use of multiple accounts without explicit permission of the forum administrator is prohibited.
- Off-topic posts will also be strictly penalized!  We want our forum to be well-organized.
- You may not bully a fellow Nairalander.  This applies to old members too.  Violation -> ban.
- You must not carry out any 'fights' on the open forum.  'Fights' are not allowed.
- We will also not allow any comments that promote hatred, violence, or murder against any race, ethnic or religion group, gender, sexual orientation, person, et cetera.
- And the most important rule is this: don't do anything that annoys the admin.

Fhemmmy:
Inasmuch as i agreed with you, we need to get to the point of "enuf is enuf" and take our destiny into our hands.

Exactly!
Most of us tend to be so weak willed that, we are defeated by puffs of wind. For the tiniest mosquito bite, we run to the army (they are a higher force) or we pray fervantly (to a higher force). It is shameful.