₦airaland Forum

Yoruba-man:
gej is our savior

fresh hair 2011

FRESH HAIR INDEED.

THE SUITCASES THE REPORT TALKED ABOUT WERE EVEN BASED ON SUSPICION. THEY SHOULD PROVE IT OR OTHER WISE KEEP SILENT AND STOP FEEDING US WITH TRASH. PDP MY ASS

@Slimghost, am not saying am a die-hard fan of Buhari but so far he his still more outstanding among all the aspirants as regards to clean slate when it comes to corruption. no doubt i like Pat Utomi but it will take the administration of Buhari/Bakare to begin to usher visionaries as Utomi to government. With the state of the nation now, we need strong people and Buhari fits into it. Am not saying he is perfect but he is the need of the hour.

slimghost:
Only a kid would think Buhari has anything to offer this country. Ask him how to tackle our power problems, ask him about our education system,ask him about unemployment and see his answer. GEJ is not perfect, but he understands our problems more than Buhari and he has shown fantastic commitments. shikena

What does jonathan understands and what has he done? since he came to power what has he done to end the jos problem? he is even worse if you ask me

BUHARI, RIBADU ARE HYPOCRITES- JONATHAN CAMPAIGN

President will win, says Niboro || In a response to Friday’s presidential debate on NN24, the campaign organisation of President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed the anti-corruption posture of the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, and that of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, as hypocritical and self- serving.

During the debate broadcast live on network television, which was boycotted by Jonathan, both Buhari and Ribadu faulted the approach of the PDP to the fight against corruption. The CPC flag-bearer threatened to probe the multi-billion-dollar power project of the federal government which, he said, has had little or no impact on power supply. The duo accused the PDP government of mal-administration.

But the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which was last month inaugurated by the national secretariat of the PDP, warned both candidates to desist from selling the wrong images of themselves, stating that evidences of their blunders and unwholesome conducts while in positions of authority existed – evidences which, it said, portray them as opposites of what they are now claiming to be.

The campaign council charged Buhari and Ribadu to limit their campaign promises to the manifestoes of their respective political parties and their personal agenda for the country rather than portray themselves as apostles of anti-corruption.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the director of research and strategy, Mr Mike Omeri, the PCC noted that the antecedents of the two “self-acclaimed anti-corruption stars” have proved that they have had their hands soiled with acts of corruption during their different years in government. It threatened to expose them and match them action-for-action in their avowed commitment to dent the image of President Jonathan with lies that they have been peddling against him.

The statement recalled that, in 1984, General Buhari exhibited double standard in public administration by allowing, through his ADC, 52 suitcases suspected to be filled with hard currency into Nigeria, without passing through the customs checkpoint for the mandatory customs clearance. The event, which happened when the administration was changing naira colours, involved a top-class traditional ruler and diplomat, the PCC said, adding that it was a clear case of money laundering. “And we wonder what moral right such a candidate has to talk about anti-corruption.”

Also, the statement picked on Ribadu over his relationship with former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, especially his earlier stance on the ACN financier. The campaign council recalled that, in 2007, while answering questions from the Senate on the alleged acts of corruption by some governors, Ribadu pointedly said that the corruption of the former governor of Lagos State was “of international dimension”. Asked the PCC: “Is it not curious that the same person with such a tag is now the political godfather of Ribadu and sole financier of his political campaigns? To also show Ribadu’s lack of faith in the anti-corruption fight, he recently said, ‘I won’t bother myself with the integrity of politicians that will fund my campaign. I will take corrupt politician’s money for my campaign as far as the money is not put in my pocket.’ What kind of role model is Ribadu and how can Nigerians believe him if he says that he will jail corrupt politicians if he emerges as the country’s president? Ribadu, by such posturing, has given Tinubu a clean bill of health, which is not only hypocritical but evidence that, given the same opportunity, he would not have done better than the governors whom he had indicted.”

Meanwhile, President Jonathan has expressed confidence that he will win a resounding victory in the April 9 election. This is coming after his tour of 36 states of the federation.  In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, spokesman of the president Ima Niboro said: “I am very confident that the president will win a resounding victory at the polls on April 9. Having just completed a campaign tour of the 36 states of the federation with President Jonathan and personally witnessed the overwhelming outpouring of support, love and affection for him from the thousands of Nigerians that welcomed him at every stop, I am very certain that he will get a fresh mandate and continue in office after May 29 this year.

“My confidence is also backed by the results of a countrywide scientific poll recently conducted by IPSOS, one of the world’s leading polling organisations, in collaboration with ThisDay, which showed that 73% of registered Nigerian voters believe that President Jonathan has performed very creditably in the little time he has spent in office. I am very optimistic that this confidence shown in him by almost three quarters of the Nigerian electorate will be reflected in the coming presidential elections.”

Niboro said, however, that they were certainly not going to rest on their oars. “In spite of our confidence, we are not taking anything for granted and we will continue to campaign at different levels to win all the votes we can until the campaign deadline set by INEC. “Apart from the grand finale of the PDP presidential campaign scheduled to hold in Abuja on March 26, the various state chapters of the party and other voluntary support groups working for the renewal of President Jonathan’s mandate will continue with their efforts to convince every Nigerian that the president is indeed the best candidate in the field.”

Reacting to the spate of violence being witnessed in the country, Niboro said the president has an excellent grasp of the problems underlying violence in these areas and he is tackling them frontally to guarantee the safety of life and property in all parts of the country. “You would have noted that the incidence of kidnapping has more or less died out. That was as a result of the president’s direct and unambiguous intervention in the South-East, Aba in particular, which appeared to be the epicentre of that criminal scourge. Also, in spite of incidents few and far in between, the Niger Delta is largely peaceful today, and the amnesty programme proceeds apace. Jos and Borno remain somewhat of a challenge due to the nature of the problems there, but the president is determined to bring all stakeholders on board to fashion out a lasting peace in those areas.”

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27297:bayo-oladeji-and-lilian-agih-abuja&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=101

BUHARI, RIBADU ARE HYPOCRITES- JONATHAN CAMPAIGN

President will win, says Niboro || In a response to Friday’s presidential debate on NN24, the campaign organisation of President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed the anti-corruption posture of the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, and that of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, as hypocritical and self- serving.

During the debate broadcast live on network television, which was boycotted by Jonathan, both Buhari and Ribadu faulted the approach of the PDP to the fight against corruption. The CPC flag-bearer threatened to probe the multi-billion-dollar power project of the federal government which, he said, has had little or no impact on power supply. The duo accused the PDP government of mal-administration.

But the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which was last month inaugurated by the national secretariat of the PDP, warned both candidates to desist from selling the wrong images of themselves, stating that evidences of their blunders and unwholesome conducts while in positions of authority existed – evidences which, it said, portray them as opposites of what they are now claiming to be.

The campaign council charged Buhari and Ribadu to limit their campaign promises to the manifestoes of their respective political parties and their personal agenda for the country rather than portray themselves as apostles of anti-corruption.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the director of research and strategy, Mr Mike Omeri, the PCC noted that the antecedents of the two “self-acclaimed anti-corruption stars” have proved that they have had their hands soiled with acts of corruption during their different years in government. It threatened to expose them and match them action-for-action in their avowed commitment to dent the image of President Jonathan with lies that they have been peddling against him.

The statement recalled that, in 1984, General Buhari exhibited double standard in public administration by allowing, through his ADC, 52 suitcases suspected to be filled with hard currency into Nigeria, without passing through the customs checkpoint for the mandatory customs clearance. The event, which happened when the administration was changing naira colours, involved a top-class traditional ruler and diplomat, the PCC said, adding that it was a clear case of money laundering. “And we wonder what moral right such a candidate has to talk about anti-corruption.”

Also, the statement picked on Ribadu over his relationship with former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, especially his earlier stance on the ACN financier. The campaign council recalled that, in 2007, while answering questions from the Senate on the alleged acts of corruption by some governors, Ribadu pointedly said that the corruption of the former governor of Lagos State was “of international dimension”. Asked the PCC: “Is it not curious that the same person with such a tag is now the political godfather of Ribadu and sole financier of his political campaigns? To also show Ribadu’s lack of faith in the anti-corruption fight, he recently said, ‘I won’t bother myself with the integrity of politicians that will fund my campaign. I will take corrupt politician’s money for my campaign as far as the money is not put in my pocket.’ What kind of role model is Ribadu and how can Nigerians believe him if he says that he will jail corrupt politicians if he emerges as the country’s president? Ribadu, by such posturing, has given Tinubu a clean bill of health, which is not only hypocritical but evidence that, given the same opportunity, he would not have done better than the governors whom he had indicted.”

Meanwhile, President Jonathan has expressed confidence that he will win a resounding victory in the April 9 election. This is coming after his tour of 36 states of the federation. In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP SUNDAY, spokesman of the president Ima Niboro said: “I am very confident that the president will win a resounding victory at the polls on April 9. Having just completed a campaign tour of the 36 states of the federation with President Jonathan and personally witnessed the overwhelming outpouring of support, love and affection for him from the thousands of Nigerians that welcomed him at every stop, I am very certain that he will get a fresh mandate and continue in office after May 29 this year.

“My confidence is also backed by the results of a countrywide scientific poll recently conducted by IPSOS, one of the world’s leading polling organisations, in collaboration with ThisDay, which showed that 73% of registered Nigerian voters believe that President Jonathan has performed very creditably in the little time he has spent in office. I am very optimistic that this confidence shown in him by almost three quarters of the Nigerian electorate will be reflected in the coming presidential elections.”

Niboro said, however, that they were certainly not going to rest on their oars. “In spite of our confidence, we are not taking anything for granted and we will continue to campaign at different levels to win all the votes we can until the campaign deadline set by INEC. “Apart from the grand finale of the PDP presidential campaign scheduled to hold in Abuja on March 26, the various state chapters of the party and other voluntary support groups working for the renewal of President Jonathan’s mandate will continue with their efforts to convince every Nigerian that the president is indeed the best candidate in the field.”

Reacting to the spate of violence being witnessed in the country, Niboro said the president has an excellent grasp of the problems underlying violence in these areas and he is tackling them frontally to guarantee the safety of life and property in all parts of the country. “You would have noted that the incidence of kidnapping has more or less died out. That was as a result of the president’s direct and unambiguous intervention in the South-East, Aba in particular, which appeared to be the epicentre of that criminal scourge. Also, in spite of incidents few and far in between, the Niger Delta is largely peaceful today, and the amnesty programme proceeds apace. Jos and Borno remain somewhat of a challenge due to the nature of the problems there, but the president is determined to bring all stakeholders on board to fashion out a lasting peace in those areas.”

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27297:bayo-oladeji-and-lilian-agih-abuja&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=101

Bomb kills two in central Nigeria: police

JOS, Nigeria — A bomb carried by two men aboard a motorcycle killed them on Sunday when it accidentally exploded in the tense central Nigerian city of Jos, police and witnesses said.
"Two men were riding a motorcycle allegedly carrying explosives. They had not got to their destination whilst still on the bike, the explosives went off and killed the two men," Plateau State police commissioner Abdulrahman Akano told AFP.
He said the incident happened Sunday morning at Nasarawa Gwom, a mainly Christian district of Jos, the capital of Plateau State.
"When Christian youths got wind of what happened they were angry and burnt the two corpses into ashes," he said.
A witness, Baba Nasarawa, also confirmed the incident.
"The two men on a motorcycle were heading towards Angwan Rukuba when the bomb fell off and exploded, killing them on the spot," he told AFP.
He said no other person was hurt in the incident, the latest to hit the violence-wracked city of Jos, scene of deadly Christmas Eve bombings.
Another source told AFP that an alleged bomb that was planted behind the Evangelical Church of West Africa in the city failed to detonate Sunday morning.
Akano however said there were no indications that the explosives that killed the two motorcycle riders were meant for a particular church in the volatile city, notorious for frequent clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups.
He said the military special task force and the police had restored normalcy to the area.
Jos and its environs have been hit by waves of violence involving Christian and Muslim ethnic groups in recent years that have claimed hundreds of lives.
The state is located in the so-called middle belt between the mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with some 150 million inhabitants.
Last week, soldiers intercepted a truckload of explosives heading into Jos ahead of next month's general elections.
Nigeria holds presidential, state and legislative elections in April in a test of whether it can break with a history of deeply flawed and violent polls.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gMETxICoOfQvzKIcLR8JLUeYmb1w?docId=CNG.30929bbed886ca3041584a88b0537905.b71

Buhari is the best candidate, but he ’ll not win - Fred Agbaje

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, in this interview with KUNLE ODEREMI, speaks on the challenges of the April general elections as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Excerpts:

HOW would you assess the prevailing political situation in the country ahead of April elections?

Politically, socially and economically, so much is happening in this country, particularly in the last six months or thereabout. We have gone through a voter registration exercise, but did we get it right? Did all eligible Nigerians register? If all Nigerians who were eligible did not register, what happens to those who did not register? Was it their own fault or the deliberate result of some of the inadequacies arising from the shoddy preparation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)? If ordinary registration exercise was marred by irregularities, then one begins to fear for the election itself. As I keep saying, Professor Attahiru Jega might be a professor of Political Science, but I doubt if he has considered the setbacks or the events that led to the failure of his predecessors, starting from the days of Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) to those of National Electoral Commission (NEC) and INEC. It is still the same problem of registration and that is why most of the elections in this country have failed. They have failed because of so many factors, not just the money factor. Money has been given and nothing has been done to show for it.

What I’m saying in essence is that we need to ask ourselves if the Nigerian government has addressed those factors that have led to successive failure of elections in the past. If they say yes, then, we should be courageous enough to tell the government that they are lying. Where did the government set up electoral reform committee and why is the Federal Government foot-dragging on the implementation of the Muhammed Uwais-led committee report on electoral reform? Why is Professor Jega silent about the committee’s recommendations, knowing full well that those recommendations would have helped the INEC to achieve better results. Has he suddenly joined the bandwagon of those who are in the habit of deceiving Nigerians, pretending to be working for them? Anyway, I don’t want to sound alarmist, but my father used to say that the morning determines the day. If ordinary voter registration could turn out to be a massive failure, those who are expecting Jega to perform miracle in the next election might be deluding themselves.

INEC targeted 70 million voters and it was able to record close to that figure. Don’t you think Jega deserves to be commended?

Why does he deserve to be commended? Why are you commending him? Are you sure of the figure they gave you? Do you have a way of confirming it? Nigerian government officials have a way of brandishing information that will suit them and suppressing information that will not suit their purpose, whereas in a democracy, information should flow freely, unhindered and unfettered. So, if he says he budgeted for 70 million voters, is that the true population of Nigeria in terms of adults; in terms of eligible voters? Are you saying eligible voters in Nigeria are 70 million? Are eligible voters in Lagos not even more than the figure released? With the conduct of the last registration exercise, I have begun to look beyond Jega. I keep saying it that those who are expecting 100 or 50 per cent success in the next election would be very disappointed.

Don’t you agree with Nigerians who believe the April elections present an opportunity for the country to get it right?

We are all interested in the country getting it right, because Nigerians are tired of complaining. It is like we make the same complaints over the same issues and the government is not making any effort at finding solutions to them. People have complained so much about electoral fraud in this country. That was what necessitated Yar’Adua/Goodluck Electoral Reform Committee. The day Umaru Yar’Adua died, (President) Goodluck abandoned that project. Had Nigerians not spoken severally about the need for electoral reforms for the country? Where are electoral reforms today? The so-called constitution amendment and the various amendments to the Electoral Act have not been reflective of the recommendations of the Nweke-led electoral committee.

Is Jega the problem?

Jega is not the problem. The problems confronting INEC are multidimensional but people tend to look at the logistics alone. What of the institution called INEC itself? Doesn’t it need to be readdressed? Doesn’t the present INEC setup need a surgical reorganisation? Were you not in this country when a former governor of a state told us how Resident Electoral Officers (REC) were always wrecking elections; how they were wrecking, instead of helping to ensure sanity in the electoral protocol? REC officers in the state became wreckers.

So, I rarely see change in terms of the portfolio and the organisational organogram in place except for the officers that have been appointed. The same structure they have perfected for the art of looting is still there. The area most Nigerians have not addressed is, who picked Jega; who is responsible for picking INEC’s ‘managing director? That is where the fraud actually starts from because when you talk about an electoral fraud, it is not the ordinary man in Mile 12 or the ordinary woman in Gbagi or Kano market that perpetrate them. As far as I am concerned, the fraud starts with the appointment of INEC chairman. My little knowledge of the English Language tells me that who pays the piper dictates the tune. How did Jega became the chairman of INEC? I am not limiting it to Professor Jega alone. How did Professor Iwu and the late Goubadia became the chairmen of INEC? How did Nwosu get to the position? Though they might tell Nigerians that out of the five names given to them, they appointed the best but what were the criteria used? Do they tell Nigerians the criteria? The person that is appointed may not be the best for the majority of Nigerians, but the president will claim to be acting on behalf of Nigerians.

So, he has appointed somebody said to be the best Nigerians will accept but whatever yardstick he used in appointing that person, we don’t know. No matter how principled you are; no matter how strong-willed you are; no matter the integrity you claim to have; no matter the intellectual background you claim to be, when it comes to political appointments, when the chips are down, you’re a human being. You would not say you won’t be shaken when the chips are down. That is one of the problems of elections in this country.

The president has said nobody should rig elections for him. However, is it the first time we have been hearing that? Do you expect him to openly tell the INEC officials, ‘please, rig in my favour.’ He needed not to have said it; he cannot lose.

Are you disputing the claims by many that Nigeria is lucky to have a president they can trust?

I don’t know about that, but it is the same president whom people say they don’t trust because he did not respect a simple gentleman’s agreement. Is it not in this country that a prominent member of the PDP, who contested against the president, said he could not respect the president because a man who could not respect a simple agreement as zoning could not be entrusted with the votes of Nigerians?

I keep saying it that there is no magic any of the dying or withering opposition parties can perform to make them win the Presidency because the political odds are against them; the electoral odds are never in their favour. What I may call the political equation on the ground does not convince me that the opposition parties are actually interested in taking over the central government. Who are the political aspirants in the opposition parties? Who are the presidential candidates in the opposition parties?

Buhari is an ideal president in a very plain country where electoral rights are respected, where franchise counts, where people’s votes count. I want to be very frank with you, Buhari is the best among the presidential candidates; he is better than all of them, but he is not going to win.

What are the odds against him?

It depends on the party he belongs to, the programmes that party is pursuing and how widely accepted those programmes would be. You could be a very credible and competent presidential candidate, but will the system allow you? How convincing are his programmes? That itself is another major factor.

He has promised to clean the Augean stables. Don’t you think that is enough to sway voters in his favour?
That is if he wins. In an ideal society, it would have been enough to sway voters. Those, who have the political, economic and the social jumble of this country would not allow the likes of Buhari to win or form government. Rather, they would prefer a member of a particular clique to remain in power because they know that if the likes of Buhari come in, it will no longer be business as usual. He will chase them out of this hemisphere.

Ribadu is also a major contender. My good friend, Dele Momodu, is. Ditto Professor Pat Utomi and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau but are they serious candidates? I don’t know; I’m only asking. Shekarau is the governor of Kano State. Does that alone automatically qualify him to seek the Presidency? Don’t forget the party under which he is coming. He might be good but is his party’s programme sellable to the Nigerian electorate?

On Ribadu, where is he coming from? As former EFCC chairman and police officer or what? What are his political antecedent?

It is not for them to decide, let the people decide it is not people. You are not the only voter. Cast your vote for the person of your choice and allow the majority to decide who picks the party ticket. That’s internal democracy. We are talking about democracy; it [democracy] is not only about you as an individual, look at what is happening in the Maghreb countries now. The citizens are clamouring for democracy for a change . Can you imagine! You impose candidates on the people and they are trying to justify the imposition in a democracy. Is that democracy? All of us are very vocal in our condemnation of the PDP, only for the party we expected that would be a shining star to tow the path of PDP. It did something worse than what PDP has done.

Must we shout Haleluyah when internal democracy does not exist in any of the political parties in Nigeria? They are all guilty of that imposition. The consequence of the opposition would soon done on them. Take the case of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, where I am very familiar with. What about Ekiti and Edo states. You will see political vibration that will arise after the elections; some people will only end up messing up themselves because they will just loose the elections. I watched what happened in the last primaries. The essence of conducting primaries is for aspirants to test their popularity. But what did we see?

What do you think was generally responsible for the gale of impositions?

One is greed, two is corruption, they want people they can easily control, they want to promote what is known as political hegemony and it has to do with retaining power in a particular hand at all cost. They don’t want it to go. But the truth of the matter is that those who are averse to change cannot withstand the hurricane when it comes at the appropriate time.Many have ruled out the possibility of the kind of revolution sweeping across North Africa in Nigeria.You cannot to rule out what happened in the Magreb region happening in Nigeria. A typical example was the recent face-off between NLC and the Union Bank. It almost brought down that bank. That is just one organization. I just pray that Nigerians are not misled to think of adopting the Egyptian style of chasing away particularly those leaders that are planning to remain in government for 50 years. We would do worse than the Libyans and Egyptians have done. The Magreb example will be a child’s play if anybody wants to rig the elections.

Politicians have succeeded in using the weapon of poverty to weaken the flesh and soul of the majority, so it might be difficult for them to build a consensus for such renaissance?
They are pursuing political mischiefs, not just political mischief, they have also succeeded in ensuring that the average Nigerian man as at today is even worse than what he was 12years ago before we tested democracy and this has helped in uniting the poor people together towards a common end.

To what extent are issues dominating campaigns for the elections?

As far as I am concerned the quality, how many politicians, political parties have ever addressed issues, since the demise of the likes of chief Obafemi Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Mallam Aminu Kano. Issue based politics has died since those days. That was when I was in the university. I remember that the political parties used to address education, economy, but now the Action Congress of Nigeria, tell me their political manifesto if they had in 1999, what happened to AD 2003? What are you going to put in place so that “eko oni baje?” That should be the question we should be asking. By the grace of God, “eko oni baje” but what are you doing in terms of political re-engineering, economic re-engineering, social re-engineering and ensuring that area boys don’t become a ready-made instruments to rig the elections? What have you put in place to rehabilitate them and give them a sense of belonging in the society so that they don’t remain permanent hewers of goods and fetchers of water? What are your programmes in terms of schools, so many of the schools are without teachers, doctors are on always on strike, what are you doing to address all these issues?

Everybody just seems to be concerned about politics, politics but what about the economy, what about the people, what of the roads, what of the health sector, education, among others. For how long will our universities be the center point for the training of illiterates and half-baked graduates. We are the employers of labour, we know the caliber of people that they send to us. In a situation in which a student is at home for six months, what is left of the year for you to teach him, and at the end of the year you must give him a degree.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/interview/3405-buhari-is-the-best-candidate-but-he-ll-not-win-fred-agbaje

@poster, what is all these rubbish you have been posting about bakare lately? I wonder what manner of person you are. Perhaps you are beginning to have issues mentally.

Thousands displaced by violence in Nigeria’s Bauchi state

Heavily armed Fulani tribesmen have reportedly displaced more than 4,000 people following a series of attacks on villages in Nigeria’s Bauchi.
Attacks on the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area have continued despite the deployment of security personnel to the area, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

Pastor Markus Kele of the Church of Christ in Nigeria was among those killed in Lim village in the most recent attack on Wednesday.

Church sources told CSW that around 463 homes, 11 shops and 13 churches have been set on fire in recent attacks on villages.

Tafawa Balewa is home mainly to non-Muslims belonging to the Tsayawa tribe. The area has been blighted by sectarian attacks since 1991 when a dispute between a Fulani herdsman and a Tsayawa meat seller sparked violent clashes that killed around 400 people and destroyed 1,000 villages and 173 churches.

Locals believe the attacks have been carried out by a group of around 2,000 militants from Niger, Katsina, Kano, Sokoto and other northern Nigerian states.

The attackers reportedly wear army and mobile police uniforms and the Bauchi Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria has received reports that the militants plan to “storm the area for fourteen days”.

Around 4,500 internally displaced people (IDPs) are staying in makeshift camps set up in primary schools in eight localities by Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency.

CSW Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston said: “It is unacceptable that lives are being lost and such large-scale destruction is occurring despite the presence of additional security personnel in Tafawa Balewa.

“Moreover, given the area’s history of sectarian tension and violence, it would be profoundly disappointing if the Governor of Bauchi did indeed make the remarks attributed to him, as they would not only be deeply irresponsible, but are also unworthy of the premier public servant of any state.

“If these allegations prove to be true, then, clearly, the people of Tafawa Balewa can only be protected by urgent and effective security measures taken at federal level.”

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/thousands.displaced.by.violence.in.nigerias.bauchi.state/27701.htm

Ciroma, Babangida, others meet over Jonathan

Top members of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) met in Abuja last night to decide whether to support President Goodluck Jonathan or not during the April 9 presidential election.

But, there was pressure on the leaders from key figures in the North to stick to their position on zoning and leave Jonathan to his fate.

Apart from the convener of the NPLF, some of those in Abuja for the session were former President Ibrahim Babangida, former-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau.

It was learnt that the meeting would considered the report of a seven-man committee raised at a joint session between President Jonathan and the NPLF leaders on February 18 in Ciroma’s home in Abuja.

As at 10pm, there were three options before the NPLF leaders.

The options are: to back Jonathan; mobilise the North to vote en masse against Jonathan; and to remain adamant on zoning and leave Northerners to vote for any presidential candidate of their choice.

Said a source: "These Northern leaders will now consider the report of a seven-man panel they constituted when they had audience with the President.

"So far, we learnt that the joint committee has recommended that the North should back Jonathan for an automatic power shift to the region in 2015. They also want a commitment that the President will spend a term in office as he has promised.

"The snags are if the North will accept the proposal to spend only four years in office from 2015 to 2019 and the readiness of the President to commit himself into a written pact on tenure and zoning.

"The truth is that the committee has laid out issues which could see the NPLF leaders and the President reaching a sustainable deal."

But some key figures in the North are mounting pressure on NPLF leaders to leave Jonathan to his faith.

"Some leaders are still angry over zoning and they are mounting pressure on NPLF leaders not to back Jonathan.

"Some NPLF leaders also insisted that it would be proper to die for a cause than shifting their position on zoning midway into their agitation.

"They are saying that if they back Jonathan, most Northerners will regard them as unprincipled and unreliable.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/31102.html

Radical sect members kill healer in N. Nigeria for giving them ineffective brew, police say

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Nigerian police say members of a radical Muslim sect shot dead a local healer who sold them an ineffective remedy in the country's troubled northeast.
The Borno State police chief said Friday that four men on a motorbike shot Mallam Dahiru at his shrine in the city of Maiduguri on Thursday evening.
Mohammed Abubakar said Dahiru died from gunshot wounds to the head and stomach.
He says Dahiru sold a brew to members a radical Muslim sect known as Boko Haram, claiming it would make them invincible. He says they took revenge when they found they had been deceived.
The police blame the group for a rash of motorcycle-mounted attacks which have left more than a dozen police officers and soldiers dead since July.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gDbfAO_U0fVuyXprCMWRoR476DxA?docId=6290361

How true is this report? if this is the case that means there is trouble even as i hate to acknowledge such. God help Nigeria. If i were Jonathan i would have established strong institutions and then i step down but the thieves around him will not allow him think well. He would have earned more respect with that act because its like the i-must-be president mentality is not helping the nation as a whole. What more can i say? I WISH NIGERIA WELL

Jos crises: Igbo, Yoruba, others demand N670bn compensation

A coalition of people from the South-East , South-South and South-West resident in Jos, Plateau State have demanded N670bn from the Federal Government as compensation for the losses they have incurred in the series of crises in the state since 1994.


The coalition, at a news conference in Jos on Wednesday, said that since the crises started in the state, the Yoruba had lost property worth N450bn; the Igbo, N410bn; and South-South, N110bn.


It added at the news conference addressed by its spokesman , Mr. Smart Irabor, that over 1, 654 people from the three regions had lost their lives in the crises.


According to Irabor , the South-East lost 604 people; the South-West, 630 and the South-South,430.


While condemning the killing of their members, the group expressed dismay “That without any provocation or seeking for political or geographical expansion nor struggling for the ownership of Jos, the three groups from the year 1994 to date lost property estimated at over N970bn.”


The coalition accused the Federal Government of failing in its statutory duty of protecting the lives and property of its citizens.


It also demanded that all those caught during the crises should be made to face the full weight of the law.


While assuring President Goodluck Jonathan of its members support and loyalty in the 2011 presidential election, the coalition asked him to release the White Paper on the Presidential Advisory Committee on the crises.


The group however commended Governor Jonah Jang for recognising the three tribes as major stakeholders in the peace process in the state.


It also threw its weight behind the decision of the state government to float a security outfit to stem the violence in the state.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103172103182

Tinubu’s arrest ‘ll ruin polls’ credibility, ACN warns

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday warned that arresting its leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would break President Goodluck Jonathan’s much-voiced pledge to make next month’s elections free, fair and credible.

‘’If the Asiwaju is arrested, in line with the well-laid out plan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to put him out of circulation ahead of the elections, the government would have only succeeded in shooting itself in the foot and ruining a rare chance to bequeath a legacy of free and fair elections to Nigerians,’’ the ACN warned, in a statement issued in Ilorin by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

‘’We have heard it on good authority that Tinubu’s arrest, over which we have been alerting Nigerians, has finally been ordered and could be effected any time from now, despite assurances from the President that he will not use any unorthodox means to win the polls.

‘’But even the mere fact that the threat to arrest the opposition leader, whom the ruling party sees as the single biggest obstacle to winning next month’s elections by hook or crook, has been consistently put out there as a sychological weapon, qualifies as harassment and intimidation of the opposition, and a crude, unfair and unethical means of stifling the opposition ahead of an important election,’’ it added.

The ACN wondered what offence Tinubu could have committed to warrant such non-stop stalking and a perpetual threat of arrest by the federal government, especially with a few days to a general election in which his party is a leading contender.

‘’How does a single man become a threat to the state? What law has Tinubu broken to warrant his arrest? Under what law will Tinubu be arrested? Is he guilty of treason merely on the strength of words mouthed on the hustings? What has he said that President Jonathan has not matched or surpassed?

‘’Or is the plan to put Tinubu away a sign of desperation resulting from the obviously flagging campaign of the ruling party and its total rejection by the people of Nigeria? Are they not aware that Nigerians are no fools and cannot be hoodwinked by such a desperate act?

Whoever is selling this idea to President Jonathan does not wish him well, and we urge him to reject what will in the end become a poisoned chalice,’’ the party said.

It called on all peace-loving Nigerians and the international community to urgently call Jonathan to order, and save him (President) from those who are bent on ruining what he has considered a legacy - presiding over a free, fair and peaceful election in a nation with an unenviable history of fraudulent and violent polls.

The ACN also warned the government that its persistent threat of arrest of Tinubu - and what action it may take in furtherance of that - could lead to undesirable consequences, the end of which no one can predict.

‘’With the threats to arrest Tinubu, anybody can now abduct him and the government will stand accused. There is no basis for the physical and psychological harassment of an opposition leader in a country that prides itself as Africa’s largest democracy. If he has committed any offence, the federal government should follow the due process and prosecute him. This endless harassment must stop!’’ the party said.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/30997.html

Too bad that after the so much ranting and barking from the JTF and Federal government, they could not do anything to stop this people, Our security system has failed

Nigerian militants claim attack on Agip oil facility

ABUJA - Nigeria's main militant group said on Wednesday it was responsible for an attack on an onshore oil facility operated by Italian firm Agip and pledged further strikes on oil infrastructure in the coming days.

"This attack and similar attacks on pipelines and flow stations which will take place in the coming days are a reminder to the Nigerian government and general public not to take our threats for granted," the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said in a statement emailed to media.

The Nigerian army said earlier local youths were suspected to have been behind the attack on Agip's Clough Creek oil flowstation late on Tuesday.

http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=212478

Explosion heard at Nigeria Agip oil facility: sources

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - An explosion was heard at a Nigerian onshore oil flowstation operated by Agip in the Niger Delta on Wednesday, security sources said, but the cause was not immediately clear.

A joint military task force confirmed there had been an explosion in Bayelsa state in the Niger Delta but did not specify the exact location. Italian oil firm Agip was not immediately available for comment.

The explosion was heard in the early hours at Agip's Clough Creek oil flowstation in Bayelsa, one security source said.

An email, saying it was sent by Nigeria's main militant group, warned on Monday of renewed attacks on Africa's biggest oil and gas industry but most of the recent damage caused to Nigeria's oil infrastructure has been from gangs stealing oil, rather than militant strikes.

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE72F0C720110316

anyone having issues with sharia and OIC should go watch this clip

http://www.?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dacd4f_miAvA%26playnext%3D1%26list%3DPL4CC52153641216A8&h=a868f

Na wa for this kind of useless thread sha, See what boredom and frustration is doing to some people

Beaf is quite idle. He has got nothing to do with his time. Am sure the pay from his OGA Joe is still keeping him going. why are you trying to flog a dead horse? this is no issue as far as Nigeria is concerned. people are not bothered it ok. If you are, you can go ahead and keep barking. Go and ask the common man on the street if OIC is one of their problems. Face Better issues ok. you only bring up issues that will reveal how wrong you judge and evaluate issues, Sorry but its BB all the way

fried-rice:
According to Dame patience, " They died for Democracy"

, abeg try sympathise with them

Pro Anti:
Fashola should leave Asiwaju to do his usual thing- Shout and Cry.

Fashola would get a second term cos Lagosians are satisfied with his performance.

PDP cannot outrig ACN. Not in Lagos. And definitely not the Fashola Lagosians love.

But that does not mean he should relax and not do anything within his power to stop any form rigging.

PDP plans to rig April elections in Lagos –Fashola •As S/East PDP accuses Imo, Enugu RECs

THE Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Monday, raised an alarm, alerting people to the alleged plan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to forment trouble and rig the April elections in the state.

The governor, who urged the people to be vigilant, also enjoined them to vote and protect their votes from marauders.

Fashola, who addressed a zonal rally organised by the leaders and members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kosofe, Ketu-Agboyi and Ikosi-Isheri councils, described the alleged plan as that of the enemies of the country .

The chairman of the party, Chief Dele Ajomale, presented flags to the Lagos East senatorial candidate, Alhaji Gbenga Ashafa; House of Representatives candidate, Honourable Dayo Alebiosu and candidates for the state House of Assembly from the constituency, Bayo Osinnowo and Jibayo Adeyeye.

"I believe you like Lagos as it looks now. We will do more than this,” Fashola said, adding that he had fulfilled all the promises he made to them in 2007, but was seeking a fresh mandate to serve the people of the state better.

“Our opponents know that the game is up. We gave PDP yellow card in 2003 and 2007. This is the time to issue red card to PDP in Lagos. PDP is a virus, a destructive one. PDP wants to destroy my life and your life. Are you going to allow them?” Fashola asked.

The governor described the ACN candidates as dynamic politicians with time-tested record of public service, adding that his running mate, Mrs Joke Adefulitre, had made mark as Commissioner for Women Affairs in the state.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the South-East zone of the PDP has accused the resident electoral commissioners and electoral officers in Enugu and Imo states of plotting to rig the April elections, calling for their immediate redeployment.

However, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Enugu State, Dr Joshua Uwazuruonye, who reacted to the allegation in a telephone chat with reporters, on Monday, dismissed the allegation as unfounded, adding that he was ready to be redeployed to any other duty post other than Enugu.

The allegation was contained in a petition to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Atahiru Jega, but the Enugu REC countered the postulation, saying that such accusations were levelled against him when he conducted the Anambra gubernatorial election, adding that the whole hue and cry came to naught after he discharged his duties diligently.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/18932-pdp-plans-to-rig-april-elections-in-lagos-fashola-as-seast-pdp-accuses-imo-enugu-recs

egift:
My deepest sympathy to the lives lost. May God grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

---------------------------------------------------------
Let vote and elect Buhari (CPC) as President of Nigeria.

Supported

Governor's convoy in north Nigeria rushing to president crashes, killing 4 and injuring 11

KATSINA, Nigeria — A Nigerian state governor survived a Tuesday car crash that left four dead as he travelled to meet the president in the oil-rich country's north, officials said.
It was the second fatal crash in recent weeks involving President Goodluck Jonathan's bid to extend his mandate.
An Associated Press reporter said he counted three dead and 11 injured people at the Federal Medical Center in Katsina, the capital of Katsina state. Most of the victims were passengers on a bus which collided head-on with Gov. Ibrahim Shehu Shema's car.
The governor and his driver were unharmed, but his aide-de-camp, Aminu Ibrahim, died inside the car. Ibrahim was buried immediately after the crash, bringing the number of dead to four.
Shema was going to escort Jonathan to pay tribute to a traditional ruler before the start of his presidential rally.
"We pray for Allah to give the family the fortitude to bear the loss," Jonathan later said at a ruling party rally that started a few hours after the crash.
A Christian from the south, Jonathan is trying to win votes from Nigeria's Muslim north. However, many northerners believe they should have another turn in the nation's highest office.
It isn't the first fatal crash involving Jonathan's campaign. During a Feb. 12 visit to Port Harcourt, a vehicle in Jonathan's large presidential convoy crashed into a civilian automobile just outside the southern city. Local newspapers reported at least two people died instantly in the crash, though authorities would not confirm that.
Car crashes are common on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads. Even main cities are linked by pitted, two-lane roads crammed with passenger buses, trucks laden with goods and rickety private vehicles. Drivers often travel at high speed and overtake slower vehicles, leading to head-on collisions and high death tolls.
Politicians' convoys are also accused of disregarding the country's often-flouted traffic rules, with armed men with machine-guns using threats and force to push traffic out of the way.
Meanwhile, the federal House of Representatives ordered an investigation Tuesday into an airplane crash last week involving the country's main opposition party. A plane carrying the vice-presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria crashed into rams and goats crowding a rural northern Nigerian runway.
The candidate and his entourage were unhurt, but the plane was damaged. A party spokesman later described the ram intrusion as "sabotage."
During a hearing Tuesday, Rep. Olufemi Gbajabiamila of the Action Congress of Nigeria criticized the government for trying to portray the crash as beyond its control.
"This was not an act of God," he said. "It was an act of negligence."
Nigerians head to the polls April 9 to choose a new president. There also will be separate state and federal elections next month.
___
Ibukun reported from Lagos, Nigeria.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gnmv3e_mv7cP_bqSN5bOFNznRYSQ?docId=6253089

Ileke-IdI:
I guess they'd want to say it's the same Northern "Almajiris" that "walked" all the way to Oyo state.

If GEJ wins by a great margin, we'll know that the election has been rigged.

Abeg tell them oooo

Ruling party seeks Buhari's disqualification

The former military head of state and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential flagbearer, Muhammadu Buhari, is undermining the nation's democracy by allegedly inciting his supporters to violence, the presidential campaign council of the People's Democratic Party has alleged. The council has called for the disqualification of Mr. Buhari from the presidential poll. It also asked security agencies in the country to check the excesses of Mr. Buhari and his supporters who it accused of adopting violence as a campaign tool.

Mike Omeri, the director of research and strategy of the PCC, said in Abuja on Sunday that having become aware that they did not possess the needed democratic credentials to win the forthcoming elections, the CPC candidate and his supporters had suddenly resorted to violence. He said that the CPC presidential campaign train had unleashed violence on PDP supporters in Sokoto, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers and Gombe states, describing the development as a ploy capable of truncating the democratic project Nigerians had laboured to build over the years. Mr. Omeri specifically alerted security agencies to what he said was a threat to his life by those he believed were members of the CPC, saying in the last five days, he had been inundated with strange phone calls and text messages warning him not to speak or comment on anything involving General Buhari.

"I think this is not how democracy should be practiced," Mr. Omeri said. "Violence or threat is not part of our democracy. I think those who have no democratic credentials should have no business in this game. By now, Nigerians should know those who are the real enemies of democracy and the people. This is not the era of brute force.

Nigerians must have a choice and right to decide. This resort to violence and intimidation cannot win votes for them."

Man of peace

But responding to the allegation, the spokesperson of the CPC, Rotimi Fashakin, debunked Mr. Omeri's claim, saying that the party standardbearer was a man of peace.

"The easiest way to avoid a defeat is to get Buhari disqualified," he said. "Buhari cannot be involved in violence because he is a man of peace and he is civil. While he was head of state, no assassination that has the trappings of the state could be traced to him. But under the PDP, what did we see and what have we seen?

"What Buhari said, that those who rig should be lynched is not different from what Wole Soyinka said before. If people are denied the right to choose their leaders, it is violence and you can meet violence with violence. If Buhari were violent, he wouldn't have gone to court twice when he was rigged out in 2003 and 2007."

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5683001-146/ruling_party_seeks_buharis_disqualification_.csp

assme:
keyboard 101

typing in all caps means that you r screaming/shouting and; in your write up, you were screaming in desperation.

assme:
the plans of the enemy shall not work and will continue to be averted. evil plotters, we still have them on NL.

Who are the Evil Plotters now? I Laugh in Pidgn English,

U de vex?:
Really? So why typing in capitals like your World is ending? That's desperation to any onlooker.

desperate about what? that if i write in capitals i will convince more people that the story is false? my keyboard was only in caps. and it makes no difference. You guys just got nothing to say.

onye_ngbu*:
Bintus2much,
you sound very desparate.
I tot u were looking for a link.

am not desperate. i only wanted to evaluate any truth in the story. Unfortunately there was none. Even reports from the press can be sponsored. so it makes no difference.