₦airaland Forum

There were strong indications that the South-East has lost out in its bid to produce the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the zone has recently be making a strong bid for the position, owing its impressive performance in the just-concluded election. After the South-South, the South-East contributed the largest number of votes to President Goodluck Jonathan in the April 16 presidential election.

A source within the South-East caucus of the PDP confirmed to Daily Sun that the party’s top herieachy would be sticking to the present power sharing formula. The implication being that the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, who hails from the North Central, is likely to retain his position while the South-West would still hold on to the position of Speaker. This is regardless of the fact that the PDP lost almost all the National Assembly seats, including that of the outgoing Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, it is presently occupying in the South-West to the rival Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) during last general elections.

Under the new arrangement, the South-East would now produce the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). The source said the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling PDP would meet tomorrow to ratify the arrangement. Daily Sun reliably gathered that the major thing used to edge out the South-East in its bid to head the lower chamber of the National Assembly was religion. Our source said the argument was that since both the President and Senate President are Christians, it would not be proper to give the position of the House of Representatives to a Christian. Hence, the decision of the party to cede the position to a Muslim from the South-West.

Apparently dis-satisfied with the arrangement, the source wondered why the position of Senate President was not given to a Muslim in the North or the position of Senate President zoned to the South-East, so that a Muslim from the North gets the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

It was also gathered that the South-East PDP has accepted to produce the SGF instead of the Speaker which it had wanted on the condition that the party caucus in the zone would pick anybody of its choice. The zone had earlier rejected the position because of speculations that former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was plotting to impose a former Minister of Foreign Affairs , Chief Ojo Maduekwe as the South-East choice for the position of SGF.

The source also said the South-East caucus accepted to forgo the position of Speaker with the consolation that the zone would produce the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in 2015, who may possibly become the party’s presidential candidate in 2019 or 2023 as the case maybe. However, as at Press time, it was not clear whether the South-East would stil produce the National Chairman of the PDP.

Going by facts that emerged from President Goodluck Jonathan's seven-day retreat in Obudu Ranch, Cross River State, many politicians hoping to make the President's next cabinet are in for the shock of their lives.

An investigation on Friday by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the President, who had begun nationwide consultations, would not limit the ministerial appointments to politicians.

It was gathered that majority of the current ministers and defeated candidates in the just concluded elections, who were very optimistic that the President would compensate them with ministerial appointments, would not make the list, which would be released two weeks after the May 29 inauguration.

SATURDAY PUNCH learnt that Peoples Democratic Party power brokers who are lobbying the President to have their nominees included in the new team might be ignored.

A source said the President was focusing on the private sector and Nigerians in the Diaspora to get technocrats, who could assist him in implementing his programmes.

Top on the President's programmes are the power sector reform, employment generation and agricultural development.

The constitution of the President's new cabinet has been generating a growing interest as it will signal the direction of his government in the next four years.

It was gathered that some members of the Presidential Advisory Council, which was set up by the President on assumption of office, had advised him against retaining non-performing ministers or appointing politicians, who could scuttle his programmes for Nigerians.

Ministers, the Peoples Democratic Party leaders and Senate President David Mark met with the President before he left the ranch on Thursday.

Many defeated candidates in the just concluded elections, particularly in the South-West, it was also learnt, had been making contacts with the Presidency to secure ministerial appointments.

Our correspondents gathered that although Jonathan was not against retaining some of the current cabinet members, the renewal of their appointments would be based on merit.

A source in the Presidency said that many of the ministers, who visited Obudu to lobby for reappointment, would be shocked when the ministerial list was eventually released.

He said, "The next four years will be critical for the country. The President cannot afford to fail as Nigerians will not listen to any excuse. Each minister will be evaluated and those who have not performed in the last one year will not come back.

"If they (the ministers) have not performed in the last one year, is there any guarantee that they will perform in the next four years? The President will take a cue from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who assembled the likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (former finance minister) and Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili (former education minister)."

He said those who would make the ministerial list must be able to assist the President to reduce the inflation rate, generate employment and increase the Gross Domestic Product.

He stated that although the President would set up an all-inclusive government, ministerial appointments would be tools for political rehabilitation.

"Defeated candidates and politicians that are usually described as 'Any Government in Power' will not make the list. The President is looking for those who have names to protect and can deliver," he said.

A PAC member and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Chibudom Nwuche, urged the President to appoint qualified technocrats as ministers in his quest to transform the country.

Nwuche, in an interview with SATURDAY PUNCH in Port Harcourt, said that it would be very difficult for a country to attain substantial development without the contribution of technocrats.

He observed that Nigeria was blessed with human resources that could help to boost the political and economic fortunes of the country.

Nwuche noted that with the huge task ahead, only the best technocrats in the country would be good enough to be appointed into the next Federal Executive Council.

"We need the best for this country. Mr. President should appoint technocrats for the task ahead. This will help in the speedy development of the country," he stressed.

In an interview, the President's Senior Special Assistant on Research and Documentation, Mr. Oronto Douglas, said Jonathan's next government would be "all-inclusive."

He said the President, in all his actions (appointments inclusive), would be God-fearing and pay "attention to fairness, equity and justice." https://gidinoize.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/President_Goodluck_Jonathan.jpg

Hope are fading for 22 African migrants missing after their small boat took on water off the coast of southern Spain.

Spanish rescuers pulled 29 Africans from the water on Thursday. A search is continuing for the others, about 43km (23 nautical miles) from Melicena.

According to some of the rescued sub-Saharan Africans, a woman, two infants and 19 men are missing.

The boat had set off from Morocco. It is unlikely anyone could survive in the water after 10 hours, officials say.

In recent years Spain has seen a decline in the numbers of African migrants reaching its shores by boat, since a peak of 13,425 in 2008.

The migrants, fleeing poverty in West Africa, risk their lives in open, rickety boats threatened by strong currents. In most cases in the past they headed for the Canary Islands. [center][color=#000099][/color][/center]

Hope are fading for 22 African migrants missing after their small boat took on water off the coast of southern Spain.

Spanish rescuers pulled 29 Africans from the water on Thursday. A search is continuing for the others, about 43km (23 nautical miles) from Melicena.

According to some of the rescued sub-Saharan Africans, a woman, two infants and 19 men are missing.

The boat had set off from Morocco. It is unlikely anyone could survive in the water after 10 hours, officials say.

In recent years Spain has seen a decline in the numbers of African migrants reaching its shores by boat, since a peak of 13,425 in 2008.

The migrants, fleeing poverty in West Africa, risk their lives in open, rickety boats threatened by strong currents. In most cases in the past they headed for the Canary Islands.

Sheryl Cwele, the wife of South Africa's intelligence minister, has been sentenced to 12 years in jail for drug trafficking.

Cwele, married to Siyabonga Cwele, was convicted of recruiting women to smuggle drugs into the country.

Her accomplice, Nigerian national Frank Nabolisa, received the same sentence.

Allegations of drug trafficking surfaced in 2009 after the arrest of a South African woman caught in Brazil with cocaine worth $300,000 (£200,000).
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Either the minister knew about his wife's operation to distribute hard drugs and benefited from it, or he did not know about it, casting aspersions on his competency for the role of minister of state security”

Phillip Dexter Opposition Cope party

Tessa Beetge is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence in Sao Paulo.

She was found with 10kg (22lb) of cocaine in her luggage.

There was a solemn atmosphere at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday when the pair arrived for sentencing, South Africa's Times newspaper reports.

Delivering the sentence, Judge Piet Koen described their offences as serious.

"Many families are affected by drugs which are brought here illegally. They suffer as a result of dealers who often initiate addiction by constant supply and thrive on that addiction," he said.

The pair, who had pleaded not guilty, say they will appeal against their drug-trafficking conviction - and can remain at liberty until the appeal hearing.

They could have received up to 15 years in prison.

Opposition parties have called for Mr Cwele to step down, arguing that if he is not aware of his wife's illegal activities, he should no longer be in charge of the country's intelligence-gathering.

"Either the minister knew about his wife's operation to distribute hard drugs and benefited from it," opposition Congress of the People spokesman Phillip Dexter said in a statement posted on the Polity.org.za politics portal.

"Or he did not know about it, casting aspersions on his competency for the role of minister of state security.

"Either way, this entire episode is an embarrassing blow to the reputation of South Africa and its government," he said.

Mr Cwele says he will not comment on the case until after the appeal has been heard.

Calculia We Just Pray That Nigeria Does Not End Up Like Congo (No Offense) With The Rate They Are Going,

[center][center][b]The oil giant Shell has lost its appeal against a ruling that it is not the rightful owner of land where it runs Nigeria's biggest oil export terminal.

Three years ago, a lower court said the oil firm should pay rent to the local community for Bonny Terminal, but Shell says it bought the land outright.

Shell says it will appeal to the Supreme Court against the judgement.

Few residents of the Niger Delta, home to Nigeria's oil industry, have benefited from the area's oil wealth.

"Justice Ekembi Eko upheld that [original] judgement and said that Shell failed to convince the court that they have the certificate of occupancy on the land," Reuters news agency quotes Emmanuel Asido, one of the lawyers representing the community elders, as saying.

Shell spokesman Precious Okolobo said: "We believe the judgement is wrong."

The Niger Delta has few major roads and many villages lack electricity and clean water.

Communities have repeatedly claimed that international oil firms fail to respect their rights and contaminate their land with oil spills, though the companies dispute this.

Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer, but attacks by militants on oil installations led to a sharp fall in output during the last decade.

Last year, a government amnesty led thousands of fighters to lay down their weapons.[/b][/center][/center]