₦airaland Forum

GROUP  mobilisation using ethnic, religious or class sentiments is a strategy which political elites in Nigeria often use to gain the support of the dominated citizens to give them political legitimacy. They often do this to gain the support of their constructed identity group or sub-groups, irrespective of the consequences to others.

Hence, many politicians in Nigeria prefer to project themselves along ethnic, religious, or regional lines which have been reinforced by Nigeria’s colonial and post-colonial history and the failure of the national socio-political developmental strategies to make Nigerians full citizens of any part of the country in which they are resident. The reason why Mallam Sanusi Lamido, the Central Bank Governor, should regress to this strategy in his interview with the Financial Times of London requires further examination.

As the chief official at the apex of the banking industry, the only plausible reason why Mallam Sanusi Lamido may have ventured into this recursive strategy in Nigerian politics may be that, like many other politico-bureaucrats, he is posturing for the 2015 elections.

He has the right to aspire for any higher office, if he so chooses, but what is unacceptable and most undignified, is his desire to denigrate the cry of the Niger-Delta people for true federalism, by ascribing the underdevelopment of the Northern part of Nigeria to the 13 percent oil allocation, distributed from oil and gas revenue to some Niger-Delta states.

In the first place, the injustice of his claim starts with the assumption that the aforesaid allocations was an agreement entered into between the exploited oil producing states and other federating units. His counterfactual premise is a double edge sword into the heart of the cause of oil producing states, because at one point it assumes that the exploited states are awash with funds from federal revenue and thus satisfied with this arrangement, and attempts to stymie any further discussion on the basis of the allocation in the first instance, by implying that for the oil producing states their benefits are superfluous. To further worsen the mortal wound on the oil producing states, he blames this arrangement for the developmental regression of Northern states.

But, the fact is, no-oil producing state or other states of the federation  consulted before an allocation of 13  per cent in section 162 of the constitution for ‘’any natural resorces’’ applicable to all states  was reached. This allocation was the creation of a military dictatorship which also created a constitution and asserted that Nigerians did so. Therefore, the claim of Mallam Lamido that these states are awash with federal revenue is to turn the argument on its head.

In fact, the Nigerian Federal Government treasury is awash with funds from oil producing states, confiscated from them by military fiat and legitimized by an imposed constitution, created without consultation or referendum by Nigerians. But that argument is for another day and should not make it necessary to digress from the main issue; the hot potato of falsehood, dropped by Mallam Lamido to the effect that the 13 per cent allocation causes under-development in the North, a claim that requires historical and factual refutation to obviate its propagation.

So why are most parts of the North underdeveloped in comparison with many Southern states? It is important to make the distinction that not all parts of the North are impoverished for the same reasons that all parts of the South are not developed to the same extent. This distinction brings to the fore the underlying reasons for greater development in some parts of the South of Nigeria. The foundational problem for regression in the development of the North has long been identified by its own elites and lies in its “suspicions of Western education”; these phrase is paraphrased because those were the exact words of Professor Jubril Aminu, although like many other northern elites, Professor Aminu only mentioned this underlying cause in passing, while blaming sectionalism in university admission for the potential regression of the North. What Professor Aminu, however, failed to point out, because of his jaundiced views, was that states in the North like North Central states that are not hostile to Western education, were also far ahead of those which were hostile in terms of human capital development.

What Professor Aminu feared in the ’80s as a dangerous portent for Northern development, was first identified in 1952, as quoted by the learned Professor himself when he cited the alarm of a delegation of the British Inter-university Council for Higher Education in the Colonies, which noted in its visit to the University College Ibadan at that time, that the North had very few students enrolled in the university.

But while Professor Aminu blamed ethnic preferences and favouritism for the higher number of students from the “advanced” states, as he puts it, for the disparities, just as Mallam Lamido blames the 13 per cent allocation in his recent interview, few Northern elites will point to the visionary social policies of Obafemi Awolowo, who introduced universal free education to the Western region, including the current Edo and Delta states, the areas which all currently account for the highest university enrollments and relatively higher human capital development in Nigeria.Fewer still Northern elites will acknowledge the fact that Awolowo built the first regional agricultural settlement in Nigeria, the first groups of industrial estates and the first television media even ahead of Spain, because he was developing the human capital to effectively utilize these projects. Western Nigeria Television taken over by the Federal Goverment of Nigeria, now called NTA, was  established by Chief  Awolowo.



VIRTUALLY all private owned media houses, both print and electronic, with national coverage are owned by Southerners.The Guardian,Vanguard,ThisDay,Independent Daily, Ait, Channels, Silverbird television stations, to mention but a few, are owned by people from Niger Delta, particularly Delta and Edo states that were hitherto part of South West Nigeria under  Awolowo’s exemplary leadership.

These visionary policies did not convert the large population of Muslims in the then Western Nigeria to Christians, yet they benefited from the value addition which these policies introduced to the region.

In contrast, the Northern region did everything it could to keep Western education at bay, an educational system which Professor Aminu acknowledged was introduced by missionaries with their “concomitant proselytising activities” which “rendered them unacceptable in the Muslim North”.

The results are stark and sometimes grim. A recent survey in Lagos found that, eight out of every 10 “Okada” riders in Lagos are from the North; these were the same children or youths who were indoctrinated years ago to believe that Western education is “Haram”. Today they are fighting for their survival in the market-place of Western education, where the outcome for those with limited Western education is Hobbesian.

The Chinese officially are mostly  not keen on religion; the Russians for many years proscribed religion from official matters, yet they were far sighted enough to separate the wheat from the chaff- meaning that taking what is useful out of Western education need not change your religious orientation.

This social dilemma and the cultural disempowerment of women from the working place, amongst other factors, have contributed to the underdevelopment of many parts of the North. Yet, will Mallam Lamido and his ilk accept this? No!

They will rather blame the 13% allocated to states from where 100% of the oil and gas revenue was generated.For the same reason, some Northern elites like Lamido do not see the danger that a religious sect poses to the entire developmental agenda of the North when it embarks on a policy of fighting the same uphill battle against Western education, which is vastly responsible for under development of the human capital of many states in the North.

This needless cultural battle, is self-defeating. For instance, the first teacher-training institute in the North, the nursery of teachers who will teach others was established in 1922, but by 1953,  three decades and one year later, it had only enrolled 1000 students.

Further still, after 38 years at the centre of power in Nigeria, it only took, the government of Goodluck Jonathan to bring Federal universities to some Northern states, and the government of Obasanjo, another Southerner to liberalize  the establishment of private universities.

But even with these expansions, did the Northern elites like Mallam Lamido put their money where their mouth is by investing in education for the benefit of Northern youths and children to expand their future opportunities like Abubakar Atiku and a few others have done? No! They will rather blame the 13% allocation to oil producing states and find other nebulous reasons.

And what will be the outcome? Ogun State, the home of Awolowo who used education to put the spirit of industry and possibility in every Yoruba child without 13% oil allocation, where its people know the value of such foundations, and where most of its prominent citizens have Muslims for several generations in their families, has more universities than the total number of universities in the North West and North East of Nigeria combined.

Fifteen years from now, when the products of these universities will be on the board of global business empires, the Boko Haram graduates may still be making vernacular videos about abating the use of Western education in the North, while the oil producing states will be blamed by Mallam Lamido and his co-travelers for the North’s underdevelopment.

Dr. ANTHONY MUDIAGA, a medical practitionner, wrote from Abuja.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/is-13-to-niger-delta-cause-of-northern-underdevelopment/

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/is-13-to-niger-delta-cause-of-northern-underdevelopment-2/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

A case of thief kill thief.

Seven hospitalised victims of the Christmas Day bombing by Boko Haram have gone blind, the parish priest said yesterday.

The deadly sect bombed St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State on Christmas Day last year during an early morning mass.

Forty-four people died in the blast; 83 were injured.

The suspected mastermind of the blast, Kabiru Sokoto, is in security custody. His suspected accomplice, Habibu Bama, has been declared wanted.

Rev. Father Isaac Achi spoke yesterday while receiving Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who led a team of the apex bank to donate N25million to the church, victims and members of the community affected by the blast.

The priest said: “Of the 127 victims, we lost 44, out of the injured seven lost their sight, four are still at Gwagwalada Specialist, eight at National Hospital, Abuja. Others have been referred to Kano, Zaria, Lagos and Enugu hospitals.”

Sanusi said the donation was in line with the 2006 Corporate Social Responsibility, approved by the Board, permitting the management to show concern to victims of any form of disaster.

“It was in the light of this that the Committee of Governors of the bank met to offer assistance to the victims, their families, widows, orphans and others whose property were damaged by the blast. This is to show that we can all be our brothers’ keepers.

“We wish to announce the donation of N25million to the church and the community for the rehabilitation of our people.”

Sanusi said such a gesture was extended to the United Nations whose building was bombed in Abuja last year. He said the CBN provided accommodation to staff of the global body by renovating a building and donating it to them.

Praying for the repose of the souls of the victim and quick recovery for the injured, Sanusi also prayed that God should frustrate the activities of the enemies of the country.

A donation of N100million was made by the bank to victims of the Kano explosion.

http://thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/mobile/news/37431-seven-xmas-day-bomb-victims-go-blind-says-priest.html

You pr!cks celebrate schools dat re anonymous outside our boarders. Am out. TGIF.

Fresh Air

Billions of naira where stolen as subsidy and none of those involved has lost their sit.

Its up to the sultan and his imams. They know more than they re telling us.

Uniformed armed robbers.

Acute hallucination.

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), the umbrella body for Muslims in the North, alleged Thursday that Christians were disguising as Muslims to burn down churches and indulge in terrorist activities.

But the spokesman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)  in  the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Mr. Sunday Oibe, in a reaction maintained that no right thinking person can insinuate that Christians will disguise as Muslims and go about  bombing churches and killing people.

The JNI in a communiqué issued at the end of its three-day retreat in Kaduna also accused the CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, of making unguarded statements that is heating up the polity.

The communiqué, which was signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, called on the CAN president to tell Christians to stop mischievously disguising as Muslims in perpetrate acts of terrorism, declaring that JNI could no longer tolerate this double face attitude.

The Islamic body also lamented that majority of the media establishment in the country were owned by Christian dominated South, alleging that they are always biased against Islam and Muslims.

Participants at the retreat, according to the communiqué, noted with dismay the current state of insecurity and panic in the country demonstrated by incessant violence and high spate of bombings, which had led to unfathomable loss of innocent lives and property.

The communiqué reads in part: “The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, instead of contributing positively towards achieving National cohesion has rather chosen the path of insinuation and therefore heating the polity.

“Education which is supposed to be the basic locomotive of development has unfortunately been given a secondary importance by all segments of government. Concerned authorities have in many cases failed to give convincing answers to many of the grievances of Muslims in Nigeria.

“There are so many contradictions and confusion in the way the issue of Boko Haram is handled by security agents and the media. Majority of the media establishment in the country, especially the Christian dominated southern media, have always demonstrated bias against Islam and Muslims.

“Participants condemn in totality the on-going spate of bombings and killings of guiltless Nigerians irrespective of their regional, religious or ethnic inclinations. JNI calls on Nigerians to shun violence and embrace peaceful means of settling their legitimate grievances.

“JNI urges the Federal Government to call the president of CAN to order before he causes religious crisis in the country, through his unguided utterances which has started eroding the long built mutual respect between Muslims and Christians.  CAN president must stop his people to stop mischievously disguising as Muslims in perpetrating acts of terrorism.

“The meeting calls on Federal and affected state governments as well as all security agents to, as a matter of urgency, investigate the several reported cases of Christians who disguise as Muslims to burn churches. JNI can no longer tolerate this double face attitude. Thorough investigations must also be made to unveil the sponsors of those Christian terrorists.

“JNI calls on Muslims to be vigilant and always report to the authorities any case of injustice and maltreatment meted on any Muslim either by Christian extremist or bad elements among the security agents. Copies of the complaints should be sent to the state offices of JNI attached with a comprehensive report of the incidents.

“JNI reiterates its commendation to the National Assembly for their outright rejection of same sex marriage. To this end, the meeting specifically applauds some concerned legislators who have so far demonstrated concern for their people.

“JNI calls on government at all levels to pay serious attention to the development of education as no society can progress without giving education its priority. We want to remind all Christian zealots in Nigeria, that our love for peace must not be mistaken as a licence to make us second class citizens in a country where we constitute a majority.

“We condemn in strong terms all acts of terrorism perpetrated by any group in Nigeria. As we remain confused regarding whether the Boko Haram members are known by the government as clearly stated that they are in the government or there are faceless (as claimed by the NSA).

“We also call on the media to always be fair in their reporting of issues as that is the only way we can understand issues as there are and take appropriate measures to address them.

“Worried by the recurrent reported cases of abuse of fundamental human rights of Muslims of various conflict areas, JNI strongly call on all security agents to consciously do their job of protecting the lives, property and integrity of Nigerians as opposed to intimidating, harassing, and harming innocent Muslims.”

However in his reaction, the spokesman of CAN in the 19 Northern states and Abuja, Oibe, described the allegation against Christians as baseless, senseless and  calculated to divert attention from the real issue that is posing serious problem to the nation.

“They are trying to divert attention. Look at what is even happening in the whole of the West African sub-region.

“It is very irrational for any right thinking person to say that a Christian could disguise as a Muslim and go to throw bomb at churches and kill people  in places, like Madalla, Jos, Maiduguri, Adamawa, Damaturu and other places.

“If they don’t know, let them be aware that the President of CAN speaks the mind of Nigerian Christians, particularly Christians in the North and we are solidly behind him.

“The Boko Haram Islamic sect and their sponsors are those who are heating up the polity and not the President of CAN. JNI should be ashamed of this baseless accusation.

“We urge JNI to call the Boko Haram Islamic sect to order rather than trying to divert attention on the real issues. Their allegation that Christians disguise as Muslims to bomb churches is baseless and senseless,” Oibe said.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jni-can-trade-blames-over-attacks-on-churches/109492/?utm_medium=twitter

2 badluck

I guess the cake was not well baked. They will surely prefer cake baked with oil bloc.

Initial Gra Gra

A magistrate court in
Gombe on Tuesday
ordered Tasiu Ahmed, a
resident of Fikayel village in
Bayo Local Government Area
of Borno State, to be
remanded in prison custody.
According to NAN, the
presiding magistrate, Haruna
Inuwa gave the order against
Ahmed for allegedly raping a
14-year-old girl in the bush.
The Police Prosecutor,
Inspector Gayos Lapai, told
the court that the accused
person allegedly committed
the offence on January 21 at 5
p.m in Zambuk village, in
Yamatu/Deba Local
Government Area of Gombe
State.
Lapai said the accused gave
palm fruit to the girl in the
bush and thereafter raped her
while he knew that he was
HIV positive.
The prosecutor said the
offence is contrary to Section
282 of the Penal Code.
The accused person pleaded
not guilty when the charge
was read to him, and
magistrate Inuwa thus
adjourned the case till March
8 for further hearing. NAN

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/man-32-remanded-in-prison-for-raping-girl-14/

Religion of suckers!

E should be made to drink 2buckets of beneline @ a go. 4kin pr!ck.

DETECTIVES have got
“substantial” information from
the re-arrested Christmas Day
bombing suspect, Kabiru
Abubakar Dikko Umar, who is
popularly known as Kabiru
Sokoto.
State Security Service (SSS)
sources have spoken of
“revealing call logs”, among
other information.
Besides, Kabiru Sokoto is said
to have admitted being a
member of the Sura
Committee - the highest
advisory/ decision-making
board of Boko Haram, the
fundamentalist sect which has
claimed responsibility for the
bombings in some parts of the
North.
He was arrested for the
December 25 bombing at the
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church,
Madalla, Niger State in which
44 people died. Kabiru Sokoto
escaped from police custody.
He was rearrested at the
weekend.
Also in custody are over 30
“key” members of the sect.
They have been held since the
arrest of the sect’s spokesman,
Abu Qaqa.
But, contrary to a speculation
that he may have been handed
over to the military, Sokoto is
still in SSS custody, according
to a source.
The source, who pleaded not
to be named because of the
“sensitivity” of the matter, said
last night: “The suspect knows
the game is up and he has
been cooperative with the
panel of interrogators.
“We have retrieved Kabiru
Sokoto’s call logs, which have
provided substantial
information on key co-
ordinators of the sect. The call
logs are many; we are
screening them with the
cooperation of the suspect. He
is giving useful information on
each name on the logs. There
is no doubt we will go after
these sect leaders.
“So far, he has opened up on
the composition of the Sura
Committee, which is the
highest advisory/decision-
making body of Boko Haram,
headed by Imam Abubakar
Shekau.
“The suspect bared it all on
how they take decisions on
when and where to strike. He
said the Sura Committee has
been responsible for the
operation of the sect.”
Other areas of interrogation of
Kabiru are: How Boko Haram
sources its funds; its sponsors/
backers; training grounds; and
how he escaped from police
custody.
Another source said: “Since
the arrest of Qaqa, we have
picked more than 30 key co-
ordinators of Boko Haram for
interrogation.
“One of the strange things we
discovered is that contrary to
their posturing, most of them
are not well-versed in Quranic
memorisation and recitation or
deep knowledge of Quran.
Some have smattering
knowledge of Quran.
“Most of them also could not
give cogent reasons for doing
what they are doing. And they
said the fear of arrest made
them to cause more havoc.”
Responding to a question, the
source added: “Some of the
suspects said they do source
arms and ammunition from
police armoury. We will soon
turn in the evidence to the
appropriate authorities for
probe.”
The trial of a Commissioner of
Police, Zakari Biu, and five
others resume today, it was
learnt that some policemen on
trial have confessed on how
Kabiru Sokoto escaped from
their custody in Abaji.
A police source said: “They
said when they got to Abaji,
some youths overwhelmed the
team, demanding the release
of their Mallam whom they
were surprised to see in
handcuffs. This angry mob
never knew that Kabiru Sokoto
is a member of the Boko
Haram sect.
“They claimed that the crowd
was much, that if they had to
shoot, many people will be
killed. They said the youths
seized the suspect from them,
but they did not call for
reinforcement from the police
station to resist the mob.
“They admitted that it was a
lapse to have allowed the mob
to have its way instead of
living up to their responsibility
as law enforcement agents.
“But they could not justify why
they had to bow to the mob
when they ought to have used
tear-gas canisters or shoot into
the air to scare the youths.”
The Force Disciplinary
Committee is expected to
submit its report this week for
consideration by the Police
Service Commission.
The policemen risk dismissal
for negligence and dereliction
of duty.
Section 30 of Part 1 of the
Third Schedule to the 1999
Constitution says “the Police
Service Commission shall have
power to (a) appoint persons to
offices (other than the Office of
the Inspector-General of
Police) in the Nigeria Police
Force; and (b) dismiss and
exercise disciplinary control
over persons holding any office
referred to in sub-paragraph
(a) of this paragraph.”
The Christmas Day bombing at
St. Theresa’s Catholic Church
killed 44 people.
But barely 48 hours in custody,
Sokoto escaped in Abaji.
The incident led to the
querying and retirement of the
former Inspector-General of
Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.

www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/mobile/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/mobile/news/36643-kabiru-sokoto-gives-sss-clues-on-sects-leaders.html

Al Qeda couldn't withstand CIA, Boko Haram will be finished b4 the battle starts.

Governor Idris
Wada of Kogi State is
seeking the approval of
the State House of
Assembly to appoint
35special advisers and
25senior special
assistants in his cabinet
to facilitate the smooth
take-off of his tenure.
The request was contained in
a letter to the House by the
governor and read by the
speaker during the House
plenary.
While approving the request,
the House described the letter
as straightforward demand
from the governor.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/gov-wada-seeks-house-approval-for-60-aides/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Fu;ck this godless religion.

Only God knows how mush you where paid to retract your initial testimony to save mustapha's as$.

You and your cronies should accept the reality of mustapha not walking freely in the streets of Naija.

Family members of Bilikisu
Abubakar Mohammed, a
54-year-old grandmother,
are regretting why they
ever took her to National
Hospital, Abuja, after she was
involved in a domestic accident
that left her with a fractured
ankle on January 29.
Hajia Jamila Muktari, one of the
relatives, said Bilikisu with
hospital registration number
362625, was wheeled into the
operating room for surgery on
the leg last Friday and later
taken to the female surgical
ward to recuperate.
According to Jamila, during the
surgery in the hospital’s
theatre, the patient’s thigh
region on the left leg was tied
very tight to stop blood from
flowing into the ankle region
that was being operated upon,
but after the operation the
surgeon or theatre nurses
forgot to untie the rope for
blood to flow round the leg.
She said from 1pm on that day
until 10 pm, the patient kept
wailing that her leg was
seriously paining her in the
thigh region but the nurses on
duty ignore her, while the
doctor on night call felt only the
surgeon that performed the
operation could explain the
agony.
“We approached the nurses to
do something about the pains
but they were so
uncompromising and one of
them even said the pain is from
the patient’s mind.
Hajia Jamila said before the
surgeon’s attention was drawn
to the patient’s pain the next
day, the thigh had swollen with
clot blood and she had to be
taken for a second operation to
drain the clot blood from inside
her lap and body region.
The woman died at 3 pm
Monday inside the female
surgical ward of the hospital
and her family were asked to
pay an additional N140,000
before removing her corpse,
which was buried according to
Islamic rites in the evening of
that day in Abuja.
Mr. Tijani, a male relative of the
deceased, wondered how a
minor ankle injury could claim
the patient’s life and accused
the hospital’s medical officials
of negligence, adding that he
bought most of the drugs
prescribed for her outside the
hospital.
Another relative called for a
proper investigation of the
matter by the federal
government and Nigeria
Medical Association in order to
prevent such negligence from
happening to other people. The
relative blamed the nurses at
the ward for ignoring the cry of
the patient.
When our reporters approached
the matron of the female
surgical ward for comments
about the incident Monday
evening, she said nobody died
in the ward.
A doctor who overheard the
chat with the matron asked
whether we were relatives of
the deceased and the matron
quickly informed him that we
were journalists before he told
us to meet the hospital’s chief
medical director for comments
on the issue.
“There is a procedure here and
you need to see the CMD for
such comments,” the doctor
said.
The Spokesman of National
Hospital, Tayo Haastrup, said
yesterday that the hospital is
investigating the matter and
the findings will be made
available to the press.

www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154356:woman-dies-of-alleged-negligence-at-national-hospital&catid=4:city-news&Itemid=4

Some Batch C corps
members posted to serve
in the north have accused
the management of the
National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) of unfairness by not
redeploying them.
A corps member posted to
Katsina State, who pleaded
anonymity, said when they
were posted initially they
protested against it but were
told to resume in the camp for
the orientation programme
before applying for
redeployment.
Another corps member serving
in Kano State, Chioma Obioha,
said she had applied while in
camp but has not been given
her redeployment posting.
Various staff of the scheme that
came out to address the
protesting corps members told
them to go back to the states
where they are serving and
wait for their redeployment
approvals as their applications
must go through some
processes.

www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154264:corps-members-protest-non-redeployment&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

The Federal Government
yesterday said the activities of
the Boko Haram insurgent
group are killing the economy
of the northern geo-political
zone.
Information Minister Labaran
Maku said the region was
further being impoverished.
He spoke after the weekly
Federal Executive Council
(FEC) meeting presided over
by President Goodluck
Jonathan.
Maku said: “Terrorism in
places like Kano is destroying
the North as it hits at the heart
of the development of the
region.”
He said the North was in need
of peace.
The minister said the region is
behind in infrastructure, in
literacy level, in industraliation
and other development
indices.
This, he said, has made it
imperative for northern
leaders, elders and other
stakeholders to rally round the
government and get involved
in bringing insurgency to an
end.
He said: “The attack on Kano is
so significant because Kano
has always been the
commercial centre of western
Sudan for the past 500 years.
Ever before the evolution of
Nigeria, Kano is the economy
of the North and the economy
of Niger Republic and it is the
economy of Chad; it is the
economy of northern
Cameroun. So, when you
destabilise Kano, you threaten
the foundation of economic
and social well being of all
northerners. So what has
happened is violence and this
is what we want all those
involved in it to understand
and all stakeholders in the
North and Nigeria to
understand that if any part of
this country is in need of peace
today, it is northern Nigeria.
“From all the statistics, we are
still behind in infrastructure, in
literacy level, in industraliation;
so, we need peace and this
peace will only be made
possible when all stakeholders
are involved and I have seen a
gradual process. You saw last
week that the Vice-President
had a meeting with all northern
governors and they agreed on
certain things. We also saw the
conference of the Arewa
Consultative Forum with all
traditional rulers and they also
agreed on certain things and
what we expect to evolve in
the months ahead is for those
decisions to be concretised in
terms of structures of
surveillance of community
cooperation and integration in
the search of peace in the
North.”
He added: “If you go and
attack Sokoto for example,
Sokoto is the spiritual
headquarters of all Muslims in
the country. The Sultan of
Sokoto is officially recognised
as the leader of Muslims in
Nigeria. He is the prime leader
and authority of Islam. So, if,
for example, anybody
threatens to attack Sokoto,
what is the benefit? And that is
why we continue to say that
we do not see much of religion
in what is happening, because
if Sokoto is virtually an Islamic
centre and the headquarters of
the Caliphate that spreads
Islam to most parts of Nigeria
and even Southwest, so if you
go and attack Sokoto, in what
way does it affect the cause of
Islam if it is Islam they are
fighting for?”
He said the Federal
Government’s approach to the
crisis has been consistent.
Maku said: “The first approach
that government has taken is
to develop the capacity to
contain it, to defeat it, to fight
it as it unfolds until we are able
to overcome it. You have seen
this in the last one year,
particularly the government
has consistently invested in
security and the results are
paying off. If you look at what
has gone on in the last few
months, you have seen that
gradually our intelligence
services, particularly, have
improved significantly in their
capacity and reach and a lot of
arrests are being made, almost
routinely.
“The whole issue about terror
is intelligence really. The
physical deployment of troops
is important but because we
are not fighting a standing
army, what is required is
intelligence and the Federal
Government has invested on it.
“In spite of all these, it is the
understanding of the Federal
Government that those
involved in terror attacks are
our children. Yes foreigners are
involved but they do so in
partnership or in collaboration
with some Nigerians and
because they are our citizens,
we have continued to call on
them to lay down their arms;
whatever grievances they have
can be better realised by
bringing those grievances in an
orderly way to the government
at all levels.
“Some of those grievances are
not even with the Federal
Government, but whatever
grievances that they have, the
mere fact that they have
grievances and they have
taken to violence pre-supposes
that we should listen to them,
in spite of the fact that as a
government we must defend
innocent citizens, some of
whom have lost their lives in
the course of these terror
attacks.
“But the President said we
must know who we are
dialoguing with because
members of this terror groups
operate underground and
because they operate
underground, talking to them is
a more difficult process.
“But the President has turned
in the olive branch. It is not a
happy thing for Nigeria to
deploy its military forces
against some of its citizens,
therefore it is not something
we are doing out of choice.”
On the Boko Haram tape aired
by the NTA, Maku said: “It
could be true, it could be false.
It takes more than having
names published or broadcast
by a group to establish the
veracity of the claims. We
don’t just take it on the pages
of newspapers because you
report a story; whether it is
NTA, radio or video, it takes
more than that to establish the
veracity of a claim. So, our
doors are open to every formal
channel of communication for
the evolution of a process that
should lead to a dialogue. So,
the government is clear; we
are ready to dialogue.”

www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/mobile/news/36244-boko-haram-is-killing-norths-economy%2C-says-fed-govt.html

Detained Boko Haram
spokesman Abu Qaqa has told
State Security Service (SSS)
officials how suicide bombers
are chosen among members of
the sect.
He also listed those being used
for suicide bombing as
Chadians, Nigeriens,
Camerounians, Hausa, Fulani
and others, The Nation learnt
yesterday.
According to a source, Qaqa
told a team of investigators
that once a member is chosen
for a suicide mission, he has no
option but to carry out the
assignment.
The source added that any
member who refuses to go on
a suicide mission will instead
face the death penalty.
The source said: “Based on the
revelations of Qaqa, we have
been able to invite more
people for interaction for more
clues.
“Our findings so far are
appreciable because the
suspect has been cooperative.
At the appropriate time, the
public will be briefed.”
The source quoted Qaqa as
saying: “No suicide bomber of
the group volunteers. They are
usually handpicked. Once you
are handpicked, it is death
either way; if you refused, you
would be killed on the orders
of the leadership. So, many
prefer the suicide bomb option,
far away from their wives and
children.
“At a point, some of us thought
suicide bombing was
‘cowardice’, but confronting
the leadership with such a
position would’ve come with a
price: death.
“What was bad about those
handpicked for the suicide
mission was that all of them
were non-Kanuri. They were
always Chadians, Nigeriens,
Camerounians, Hausa, Fulani
and others.
“No Kanuri. That was why
some of us had divided opinion
on it.”
Security chiefs are expected to
meet with National Security
Adviser (NSA) Owoye Azazi
today to take stock of the fight
against Boko Haram and plan
how to address the resurgence
of the group, which has been
condemned by leading lights of
Islam.
“One thing is clear, security
agencies are on top of the
situation,” a source said.
Also yesterday, the army
launched a probe into how a
suicide bomber, in military
uniform, beat the heavy
security at the two gates
leading to its Dalet Barracks 1
Division in Kaduna.
It was also learnt that some
soldiers on sentry duty at the
two fortified gates have been
arrested.
The Army is said to be working
on a probable complicity of the
sentry guards at the two gates
for allegedly not checking the
vehicle used by the bomber.
What was not in doubt
yesterday was that the suicide
bomber wore an army uniform
to deceive the guards.
A source, who spoke in
confidence, said: “A full-scale
internal investigation has
started into the aborted suicide
bombing at the 1 Mechanised
Division. Top officers of the
Military Police and other
intelligence units were on
Tuesday night drafted to
Kaduna from Abuja.”
The investigators are said to
have started forensic
examination and investigation
of the other legs of the
incident. The core area of
investigation is how the suicide
bomber passed through the
two gates without detection,
despite the gadgets installed
there.
“The bomber, who was in
uniform, was also allowed to
pass without due security
checks. This was contrary to
the laid down guidelines by the
Army. Even if you are in
uniform, the standing rule is
that you must be frisked or
screened like anyone else.”
Responding to a question, the
source added: “Certainly,
those on sentry duties have
been arrested for questioning.”
But the probe will not be open,
said the source, who added:
“This is a purely military probe;
it is not something we will
throw open. That was why we
were secretive in handling the
incident on Tuesday.”


www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/mobile/news/36248-how-bombers-are-chosen-by-boko-haram-suspect.html

Soon armed robbers will be on twitter.

By Pini Jason
LAST week, the Minister for
Trade and Investment, Mr.
Olusegun Aganga, was
meeting with some
stakeholders in trade and
investment, and I presume,
some investors too. As usual
the issue of cost of doing
business in Nigeria came up.
And as usual, the clichéd
promise Nigerian government
officials make to investors
was generously made. As I
watched this formality go on, I
wondered if the Honourable
Minister himself appreciates
how unfriendly the
investment climate in Nigeria
is.
To put it mildly, it is a crime
to want to invest in Nigeria,
unless you have your eyes on
such soft targets like
petroleum subsidy! But first,
let us consider the arrival of
an investor into Nigeria.
You probably have noticed
that nobody is talking
stridently about the 20:2020
any more. Ask yourself, which
country that wishes to be one
of the 20 biggest economies
in the world in the year 2020
would build itself cubicles for
international airports?
I have said it once here that
Nigeria is a very user
unfriendly country. Thus, our
airports are the most user
unfriendly airports in the
world! At our airports, it is
push- push, shove-shove. This
is a product of our makeshift
and potakabin mentality. We
have a small country, Third
World, we-are-not-ready-for-
it, concept of ourselves.
Processing passengers
through our so-called
international airports is a
torture. It is characterised by
pushing, shoving and
confusion such that, often,
passengers forget their
valuables at the screening
point. I would have thought
that adequate space helps in
thorough screening of
passengers.
Space is itself part of security.
Our Red and Green channels
are actually not channels.
There is no channel behind
which customs officers could
observe the behaviour of
passengers. They are just red
and green markings on the
exits!
You may not like it if I said
that you can put the Murtala
Muhammed International
Airport and the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport
inside Terminal Five of
Heathrow Airport and still
have a space for Aminu Kano
International Airport. But let
us go to the Kotoka
International Airport, Accra.
I used that airport for the first
time in December 1976. I
used it again in November
2008. I can tell you that no
expansion work had taken
place there. This is because it
was a cavernous airport from
day one. It was built with a
sight to the future! Here the
popular excuse is, we will get
there! With the money we
throw around, we should be
arriving at certain
destinations in our
development efforts!
Vision into the future
At the time the so-called
international airports at Ikeja
was constructed, we had
enough money and space to
construct an airport that
mirrored our vision for the
future, but we cheated on
ourselves! Our planners at
that time were people with
stunted vision and could not
see beyond their nose.
The Murtala Mohammed
International airport mistake
was repeated at Abuja. We
took off with a makeshift
Nnamdi Azikiwe International
airport that later became the
local wing while we built yet
another cubicle called
international wing.
I wonder if our planners and
those who accept the stupid
designs their foreign
consultants give them
understand the health need
always imperceptibly
incorporated into airport
designs. In most flights you sit
for a minimum of six hours
with no more exercise than
walking along the cabin isle or
using the toilet.
Most of the frequent fliers are
senior citizens. Thus, in major
international airports in
civilised world, where people
do not cheat on themselves
or steal from themselves,
apart from providing ample
space for airport handlings,
deliberate effort is made to
provide for the health of
travellers.
You walk a long distance from
the plane to the immigration,
within which time you get
circulation back to nearly
swelling legs and get your
heart pumping again.
In some airports like Oliver
Thambo International in
Johannesburg, some portions
of the stretch to the
immigration hall are raised to
task the heart a bit. But here
we have airports where you
are made to jump from the
plane to immigration hall and
hop down to baggage claim
area where you push and
shove and quack at one
another with creaking trolleys
as if in a wheel chair game!
And yet some racketeers
charge you for trolleys and
N1000 for service charge in a
most user unfriendly airport in
the world! The only friendly
thing you get is: “oga we are
loyal o!” Or “oga wetin you
chop remain?”
If you are waiting for or
seeing off a passenger in any
of our airports you have to
stay outside in the sun or rain.
Our local airlines make you
come to the airport two hour
before departure because
checking in a war. There is no
guarantee that the flight will
take off on schedule or that
checking in would begin as
soon as you arrive.
Inside the checking in area,
there are no seats even for an
elderly passenger to rest his
or her legs before checking in.
If she has heavy loads,
relations are not allowed to
help her to the checking in
counter, which is not a
restricted area.
She must pay for airport
porters. If you think that this
has anything to do with
security, then somebody has
to go back to security school.
The clever idea is to keep
people to the barest minimum
in a cubicle that is not enough
for passengers.
The Honourable Minister of
Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua, on
assumption of office,
undertook an inspection tour
of major airports in the
country. I wonder if she
inspected the toilets at the
International airports! Most of
us, including our planners and
leaders, came from the
culture of latrines.
In the villages, latrines are
where you did dirty business.
They were, therefore,
constructed a distant from the
house, hidden from sight. In
the cities, they occupied the
back of the yard so that the
night soil men could carry on
their business unseen.
Then urbanisation turned
latrines into toilets and they
could be incorporated into the
house. It became fashionable
to have toilets in-suite, that is,
inside the bedroom. The
world has since moved from
toilets to restrooms. At
international airports today
you could shower, shave,
change clothes and feed
babies in restrooms.
Restrooms and not latrines
What we have at our
international airports are not
even up to the standards of
toilets. At Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Ikeja,
they are worse than latrines.
They are all shallow
swimming pools. Water is on
the floor instead of inside the
water closets.
The water closets are broken.
They hardly flush. They stink
like latrines. The toilet rolls
are kept by the cleaner who
dispenses them to users for
exchange of tips. At the local
wing, one of the female
cleaners, utterly shameless,
once ran after me: “Oga you
want toilet roll?”
I shouted back at her: “Do
you want to help me unzip
and probably hold my thing
while I urinate?” She scurried
away. That did not stop her
from reminding me as I came
out: “Oga we dey here O!”
At the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, the
toilets cannot accommodate
three people without their
brushing against one another.
At the local arrival, only two
people at a time can manage
the toilet. I try not to take any
liquid in the flight to avoid
having to queue for the use of
the toilet on arrival!
At the Sam Mbakwe
International Cargo Airport,
the word for the toilets is,
disgrace! The questions that
constantly prey my mind are,
why do we shortchange
ourselves? Why do we do this
to ourselves? Why do we love
planning for insufficiency?
What is it in the head of our
leaders that makes them
confine us to backwardness?
Where did we get this kiosk
mentality?
I noticed that there is
reconstruction or
refurbishment going on at
some of these airports,
including the Abuja airport.
The local airlines have been
relocated to the international
wing. This exercise has shown
that the so-called
international wing is even
inadequate for the local
flights.
The international wing is
shared into cubicles for the
local airlines and the agony of
passengers is further
aggravated. But we can
endure it if the understanding
is that at the end of the
exercise we would have user
friendly airports.
I don’t know the scope of
work at the Abuja airport,
whether it involves
expansion. If it does not aim
at the ease and convenience
for processing passengers,
then, the exercise would be
another waste of money.
I do not know if the Federal
Government is undertaking
the reconstruction jobs going
on at some of these airports.
If it is, then the question is
what has become of the talk
about concessioning of the
airports? Has the plan been
abandoned? Why? Politics?
Whether we like it or not, the
only sensible direction for our
economy is privatization.
Most of the things that work
overseas and for which we
drain our foreign exchange to
go and enjoy are in private
hands. The airports should be
concesssioned while the
Federal Government
prescribes and regulates the
minimum standards of
operation without such
regulation amounting to
infliction of nuisance by civil
servants.
What we have today as
International airports at Abuja
and Ikeja should be the
minimum standards for local
airports. And only private
funds can provide that.
Whether an airport or road is
build and operated by
Chinese or Japanese, it will
still be on our soil and
providing jobs!
My friend Otunba Segun
Runsewe at the National
Tourist Development Board is
talking tough about making
Nigeria a tourism hub. I have
heard the talk about Nigeria
being the aviation hub of
West Africa. There is the talk
of financial hub, investment
hub and shipping hub.
All these hubs need
seriousness in providing the
facilities that make our
country user friendly. Last
week, we were rated 135
among 138 countries where it
is very difficult to do business,
that is, counties considered
user unfriendly.
We must remember that
whenever we talk about
investment the operative
word is “attract” investment.
This presupposes that an
investor is not Red Cross. You
have to “attract” him. That is,
you must make the prospect
of investing in your country
more attractive than
competing options like
acquisition and mergers
readily available in his clime.
With so much to do in the
Aviation industry to get it up
to standards acceptable, I am
surprised that the Minister of
Aviation is preoccupying
herself with the distraction of
floating another national
carrier. No matter who is
selling her that idea, she
should perish the thought.
It is a scam. She has said that
the Federal Government
would not invest a kobo in the
project. Then, why is it her
business? Whatever goodwill
the Federal Government will
invest in such a project should
better be extended to any two
of the Nigerian airlines
struggling to keep our flag out
there. Like what she did for
Arik to get it flying Abuja-
Heathrow again.
British Airways planes have
the Union Jack colour at their
tails. British Airways is NOT
owned by British Government.
Virgin Atlantic is owned by
former drummer boy, Sir
Richard Branson, not by the
British Government.
The Honourable Minister
should find out what the
British Government does to
help these airlines to
represent everything British
and do same for our private
airlines. But first, she should
give us airports that represent
what we truly think of
ourselves as a people.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/our-airports-windows-to-our-disgrace/

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Two
explosions struck Tuesday near
army and air force bases on the
outskirts of the central Nigerian
city at the heart of riots last
year that killed hundreds,
officials said.
The explosion near the city of
Kaduna caused an unknown
number of injuries, said Yushau
Shuaib, a spokesman for
Nigeria's National Emergency
Management Agency. Shuaib
said officials were trying to
cordon off the area.
Emergency officials confirmed
the blasts occurred at the base
of the 1st Mechanized Division
near the town of Kawo and at
the air force's training base
near Mando. The officials
declined to be named given the
sensitivity of the matter.
Army and air force spokesmen
could not be immediately
reached for comment.
The blasts come as Nigeria
faces increasingly bloody
attacks from a radical Islamist
sect known as Boko Haram.
Kaduna, on Nigeria's dividing
line between its largely
Christian south and Muslim
north, was at the heart of
postelection violence in April.
Mobs armed with machetes and
poison-tipped arrows took over
streets of Kaduna and the
state's rural countryside after
election officials declared
President Goodluck Jonathan
the winner. Followers of his
main opponent, former military
ruler Muhammadu Buhari, a
Muslim, quickly alleged the
vote had been rigged, though
observers largely declared the
vote fair.
Across the nation, at least 800
people died in the April rioting,
Human Rights Watch said.
In Kaduna alone, more than
2,000 died as the government
moved to enact Islamic Shariah
law in 2000. In 2002, rioting
over a newspaper article
suggesting the prophet
Muhammad would have
married a Miss World pageant
contestant killed dozens.

www.m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/explosions-hit-near-military-bases-nigeria-133650653.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang=en-us

The right-wing Norwegian
extremist who has
admitted killing 77 people used
a court hearing to demand his
freedom and to be given a
military medal for combatting
“Islamic colonisation”.
Anders Behring Breivik smirked
and raised his arm in a right-
wing salute as he was led into
the Oslo district court
yesterday handcuffed and
dressed in a dark suit for the
final hearing before his trial on
April 16.
Breivik read from a prepared
statement as he boasted that
his killing spree, carried out
with a bomb, a rifle and a
handgun last year, was a
“preventive attack against
state traitors” who supported
immigration, The Telegraph, a
daily newspaper in the United
Kingdom, reported.
“I acknowledge the acts but I
plead not guilty. I do not accept
imprisonment. I demand to be
immediately released,” he said.
“We, the Norwegian resistance
movement, will not just stand
by while we are made a
minority in our own country.”
The 32-year-old Norwegian
repeated his admission of
carrying out the worst
peacetime massacre in
Norway’s history but denied
criminal responsibility and
rejected the authority of the
court.
On July 22, 2011, Breivik set off
a car bomb outside the
government headquarters in
Oslo and then travelled,
dressed as a police officer, to
Utoya island, outside the
capital, where he opened fire
on a Labour Party youth camp.
About 100 survivors and
relatives of victims watched in
disbelief during the court
hearing, as the killer demanded
both his freedom and an official
military honour for his attacks.
A psychiatric evaluation last
year found Breivik criminally
insane but a second review was
ordered amid widespread
public fury that he could be
found mentally ill and sent to
psychiatric care. Breivik has
refused to cooperate with court
psychiatrists.
Unless he is found insane,
Breivik faces terror charges,
which carry up to 21 years in
prison.
The right-wing extremist has
claimed he’s a commander of a
militant organisation aiming to
overthrow European
governments and replace them
with “patriotic” regimes that
would deport Muslim
immigrants.
But police have not found any
trace of this supposed network
of “Knights Templar” and say
Breivik carried out the attacks
on his own.

www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=154110:norway-killer-demands-medal-for-combatting-islamic-colonisation&catid=1:news&Itemid=2