₦airaland Forum

By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA— Zamfara State
governed by the Sharia law is
currently sponsoring 70
students in the Crescent
University, an Islamic
university in Abeokuta owned
by former World Court judge,
Justice Bola Ajibola.
To reflect its intolerance for
any form of truancy, that
northern state government
has threatened to prosecute
students of its origin caught
for engaging in examination
malpractice in higher
institutions across the
country.
The state Director of Higher
and Technical Education,
Mallam Ahmadu Abdulahi
gave the hint while speaking
at this year’s matriculation
of 242 students of Crescent
University, Abeokuta, at the
weekend.
Abdulahi who spoke shortly
after the Vice- Chancellor of
the institution, Prof.Hassan
Okeleye warned the new
entrants of immorality,
admonished them to be good
ambassadors.
Speaking at the ceremony,
the Vice Chancellor thanked
Zamfara State Government
for the gesture, saying that,
the action would foster
unity between the North and
Southern parts of the country.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/zamfara-govt-sponsors-70-students-in-islamic-varsity/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

By SaharaReporters, New York
Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna
Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, also
known as Boko Haram, has
started a manhunt for their
sect members whom they
accuse of conspiring in last
week’s arrest of Abul Qaqa.
The punishment is
beheading.
As fear has spread within the
group, many of its members
have fled from such places
as Kaduna, Kano and
Maiduguri.
SaharaReporters sources
say the manhunt began with
discreet investigations in
Maiduguri, Damaturu, Kano
and Kaduna, where Qaqa
was captured.
It is focusing particularly on
those members who have
pitched tent with the splinter
group, ‘Ansaru,’ which has
empathetically expressed
disgust with the manner of
operations of Boko Haram,
especially the multiple bomb
explosions and killings in
Kano.
Boko Haram leadership, a
source said in Kano, is
indeed convinced that
Qaqa’s movement to Kaduna
was leaked there and
subsequently concluded
there on account of several
disagreements Qaqa
encountered in that city
from the fall out of the
multiple blasts that killed
almost 200 people.
Qaqa, it was learnt, was in
Kaduna for several reasons,
chief of which was to receive
reports from Boko Haram’s
Kaduna cells, as well as re-
strategize and coordinate in
response to the fissures
within the group.
The three women who were
arrested with Qaqa are still
being held and interrogated.
Qaqa was born and bred in
the North-East by Egbira
Muslim parents from Kogi
State.

www.mobile.saharareporters.com/news-page/boko-haram-begins-manhunt-members-betrayed-abul-qaqa

To start with am not a fan of pdp, at the same time I don't sympathize with the opposition. Cos they are homogeneous with the ruling party. They always comprise of frustrated members of ruling party who decided to pitch their tent on non existent platform to win election. It just can't work that way? Elections has always been a serious venture, you can't win when prepare for it at the eleventh hour, this PDP understands very well.

I pity Bayelsans, how can they be this unfortunate with series of bad leaders.

politicians
pressure Jonathan, IG …
want soft-landing for him
FEBRUARY 4, 2012 BY NIYI
ODEBODE, FIDELIS SORIWEI
AND ADELANI ADEPEGBA,
ABUJA 153 COMMENTS
Some traditional rulers and
politicians have started
pressurising President
Goodluck Jonathan and the
acting Inspector-General of
Police, Mohammed Abubakar,
over the case of a
Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Zakari Biu.
SATURDAY PUNCH
investigations showed that the
traditional rulers and
politicians had started making
moves to ensure that Biu got a
soft-landing.
It was, however, learnt that the
President, who had resisted the
pressure, insisted on due
process.
The embattled CP, who was in
charge of investigations, it was
learnt, would retire next year.
He was suspended on Jan 18
over the escape of a Boko
Haram suspect, Kabiru Sokoto,
from police custody.
Sokoto was accused of
masterminding the Christmas
Day bombing of St. Theresa’s
Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger
State, where 43 people died.
The suspect escaped on Jan 15
while he was being taken to his
house at Abaji, Federal Capital
Territory, Abuja, for a search
by five policemen.
The commissioner of police
investigating the suspect’s
case and the five policemen,
who accompanied him to Abaji,
had been suspended and
arrested.
Former IG Hafiz Ringim was
forced to resign following his
failure to meet up with
Jonathan’s ultimatum to
produce the Boko Haram
suspect.
The President had given the
ex-IG a 24-hour ultimatum to
produce the suspect.
An investigation showed that
some members of Biu’s family
had swung into action to locate
the whereabouts of the police
commissioner.
Some newspapers (The PUNCH
not included) had on Tuesday
reported that family and
friends of the CP did not know
his whereabouts.
According to the reports, the
friends and family members
said they had not set eyes on
Biu and had tried in vain to
trace where he was taken to,
as none of the country’s
security agencies seemed to
know his whereabouts.
The Director, Army Public
Relations, Maj.-Gen. Raphael
Isah, was reported to have said
Biu was not with the Army.
Also, the Deputy Force Public
Relations Officer, Oluyemi
Ajayi, said the officer had long
ceased to be in police custody.
It was learnt that the family
had contacted some traditional
rulers and top politicians to
intervene in Biu’s case.
A top security source told one
of our correspondents that
some traditional rulers and
politicians had in fact
contacted Jonathan and the
acting IG.
The source said the traditional
rulers and politicians preferred
that Biu should be allowed to
resign since he would leave
the police next year.
He stated, “They are
considering a situation where
the police commissioner will
silently be given a soft-landing
by easing him out of the police.
Since he is going next year,
some people are saying he
should be allowed to retire
with all his entitlements.
“They don’t want a situation
where he will lose the 35 years
he has spent in the police.
Their argument is that the man
deserves pity because he lost
his son in the Oct 1, 2010
bomb blast in Abuja.”
But it was learnt that the
moves of the traditional rulers
and politicians were being
resisted by people in the
security agencies.
Investigations showed that
security experts had urged the
President and the acting IG to
ensure that the
recommendations of a
committee headed by the were
implemented.
The PUNCH had on Monday
reported that the committee
recommended that Biu and the
five policemen should be
sacked and prosecuted.
It was learnt that those who
were against a soft-landing for
Biu cited his antecedents in the
police.
A source in the Presidency said
that because of public opinion,
there was no way Jonathan,
the acting IG and the Police
Service Commission would
yield to the pressure from Biu’s
sympathisers.
The Presidency source stated,
“You will recall that Biu was
the anti-terrorism chief of the
late maximum ruler, Gen.
Abacha. Biu’s group was used
by Abacha to unleash terror on
government’s perceived
opponents.
“Biu was said to have been
dismissed from the police after
Abacha’s death, but was
controversially reinstated and
promoted commissioner of
police by the PSC, which had
also ratified the demotion and
subsequent dismissal of former
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission chairman, Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu.”
He said any attempt to treat
Biu’s case with levity would
portray Jonathan’s
administration, locally and
internationally, as not being
serious with the war against
terrorism.
He said, “Those who are
resisting the pro-Biu group are
saying if Ringim can be forced
to resign, Biu and the five
policemen should face harsher
punishment.”
The Presidency source said it
was very unlikely that the
President would yield to
pressure from any quarters.
He said that while the
President would not go after
anybody, he would not allow
anybody to interfere with the
process to deal with the
offence committed by Biu and
others in detention with him.
The source said, “All I know is
that Biu and those who
committed the offence of
releasing Kabiru Sokoto would
be made to face the law.
“I’m not saying the President
would go after them; you know
that President Goodluck
Jonathan would not be
vindictive in this matter.
“The President would allow the
stipulated process to be
followed in dealing with the
grave offence or allegation
made against the
commissioner and his cohorts.
“If they are found guilty and
the punishment is dismissal,
they would be dismissed from
the force and tried for the
serious security offence and if
they are innocent, they would
be made to go.”
Efforts to get the reaction of
the Force Public Relations
Officer, Mr. Olusola Amore, on
the issue did not succeed as he
did not pick the five calls put to
his cell-phone between 4 pm
and 8 pm on Thursday.

www.punchng.com/news/biu-emirs-politicians-pressure-jonathan-ig-want-soft-landing-for-him/

There was pandemonium at
the Mile One market Friday
when some persons accused
a Hausa man of turning a little
girl into a goat. Details of
how it happened were not
clear but the alleged incident
caused tension in the market
as everybody ran to the
reported scene of where the
thing allegedly occurred.
Police men from the Mile One
Police station had to rush to
the scene to whisk the Hausa
man away before youths
could mobilize to lynch him.
Effort to speak with the Police
on the incident was futile.
The Police also restricted
movement to the Mile one
Police Station where the
Hausa man was taken to.
Some passersby around the
market who spoke to the
Vanguard said they heard the
alarm and ran to where
people said it happened. “I
could not even see through
the crowd because people
crowded the area. I heard a
Hausa man turned a little girl
here into a goat”, a trader
said.
Meantime, some youths said
they were already spoiling
for war with the Hausa man
before the Police came.
“They can’t be killing us in the
north and they still want to
come turn us to goats for
rituals here. The Hausa man
should thank his God for
sparing him. We would have
roasted him alive if the Police
had not come”, a youth said.

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/traders-accuse-hausa-man-of-turning-girl-into-a-goat/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

@ismhab, the easiest way to solve BH palava is to get rid of the terrorist manual "Koran" from Naija. Chikena!

Water Board the basterd

We don't need the US to tell us that 2015 will be a very decisive year in the life of "British" Nigeria.

The federal government
bankrolled the school fees
of Nigerian diplomats’
children abroad to the tune
of N4.8 billion in 2011, it
emerged yesterdaybas
government officials
scramble to reconcile past
spending, and defend fresh
proposals.
Up till weekend, ministries
and departments and
parastatals are to face
lawmakers for the annual
budget defence ritual,
where frightening details of
government’s bogus
spending usually meet with
lawmakers’ fleeting rebuke.
The House of
Representatives foreign
affairs committee headed
by Nnena Elendu-Ukeje on
Thursday expressed shock
at the huge bill the foreign
affairs ministry spends
annually on school fees.
For 2011, the ministry paid
N4.8 billion for foreign
education of its workers’
wards -an amount that
overshot approved
allocation for the purpose.
The ministry proposes to
spend a relatively lower
N5.2 million for the same
purpose this year, a figure
lawmakers believe will be
raised after appropriation.
The amounts foot the fees
of children of ambassadors
and other diplomatic staff
in the nearly 200 missions
run by Nigeria across the
world.
Lawmakers said ministry
officials have been
presenting such fees and
other expenditures of the
ministry in bulk without
details, names of
beneficiaries, thereby
allowing officials a
freehand to later adjust the
approved figures, and
spend same unilaterally.
“You have put votes for
security in four different
places and that is the issue.
You have four different sub-
heads showing security
votes. That is not
acceptable,” Elendu-Ukeje
told the minister,
Olugbenga Ashiru, at a
defense session.
Yet, the legislators have
not indicated any plan to
block the proposals or to
order a discontinuation of
the hefty government
scholarship.
The ministry’s security
votes for 2012 totals a little
below N2 billion while it
plans to spend N2 billion on
transport and travels,
another subhead the
lawmakers queried.
The minister’s response
was simple: “We travel to
get the best,” he told the
lawmakers”
“You need to get well-
trained diplomats. Without
training, you will not get
good diplomats. Without
training, there will be no
results. We send some of
them to Oxford, some to
Italy as they will be
competing with the best
from the world,” he said.
Nigeria also spent hugely in
funding to the United
Nations, African Union and
the regional body, ECOWAS
in 2011.
The house committee
branded the lavish levies
“ridiculous.”
For 2011, the minister said,
Nigeria paid 3.3 billion
Naira (16 million US dollars)
to the African Union.
Contributions to the United
Nation was N300 million
while N285 million was paid
to the Commonwealth.

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/3653-nigeria-spends-n4_8billion-on-school-fees-ambassadors_-children.html

National Security Adviser Illegally Imprisoned Nigerians Rescued From Libya

Michy Ranny pressed the phone against his ear to hear the news once more as the caller repeated, “We won the case!” He dropped the phone from his ear, grinned and began dialing friends and family to announce his freedom.
Mr. Ranny and 23 others won a case against the Nigerian government, Tuesday. They were prisoners on death row in Libya, rescued during the Libyan uprising but were re-imprisoned by the Nigerian government upon touch down in Abuja in February last year. President Goodluck Jonathan's security adviser, Owoye Azazi, reportedly ordered their imprisonment.

The judge declared that it was illegal for the comptroller general of Nigerian Prisons and the National Security Adviser to imprison the Libya-condemned Nigerians. The judge awarded Mr. Ranny and fellow detainees damages of N100,000.00 each.

Treacherous road to Italy
Mr. Ranny, 32, from Edo state, fleeing poverty and unemployment in Nigeria, was travelling by land to Italy, an illegal and dangerous journey, in December 2007, when he was arrested in the Libyan city of Gath.

He and 19 others, Nigerians, Chadians and Ghanaians, were arrested on December 29, 2007 after the Libyan police raided a holding camp in Gath notorious for holding illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

They were in the camp resting and planning a final journey to another holding camp on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea where they would board a boat to the Island of Lampedusa and, ultimately, Italy.

Mr. Ranny was later grouped with 35 other illegal migrants, dragged to court and charged with murder.

“I was thinking they were going to charge us with emigration offences and deport us to our countries,” he said.

“I was shocked when the charges (read in Arabic) were interpreted to us saying we were murderers.”

In less than four months, Mr. Ranny and four others from the pack of 35 were convicted and sentenced to death.

“The rest were given various degrees of milder sentences. We had no lawyer and did not understand the proceedings, everything was done in Arabic,” he said.

Branded for the hangman’s noose, he was transported to the Abu Salim prisons, Tripoli, notorious for human rights abuses of activists, and infamous for the 1994 Abu Salim Prison massacre.

Before the Libya uprising of 2011, the Abu Salim prison held death row prisoners and activists opposed to the tyrannical rule of Muammar Ghadaffi.

“There, we met over 1000 Nigerians already on death row. Some have been there for over 30 years,” he said.

Mr. Ranny said he witnessed executions of at least ten Nigerian prisoners in Abu Salim. Three others gave up on hope and committed suicide.

“We started grouping and writing letters to government officials in Nigeria, including the president and the National Assembly. We also wrote to the Nigerian embassy in Tripoli and human rights activists like Gani Fawehinmi to complain about our trial and ordeal in prison,” he said.

After three years of letter writing, their words drew sympathy from Abike Dabiri, the chairperson House of Reps Diaspora committee, and a human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

Both bodies led negotiations between the Nigerian government and the ousted Libyan president, Muammar Ghadaffi, who reduced the sentence to life imprisonment.

A greater pardon came with the Libyan revolution. On February 20, the National Transition Council (NTC) soldiers captured the prison, ripped its gates apart, setting all prisoners free.

“Immediately, I called my family in Nigeria and they sent money to me; so I can come back. But there were no commercial flights,” he said.

He joined other mates in the Nigerian embassy and was rescued to Nigeria, alongside other stranded Nigerians, two days later.

No prisoner exchange treaty

On arrival at the Abuja airport, 24 of them were spotted and arrested by a combined squad of soldiers and the police on the orders of the National Security Adviser (NSA). They were transported to the United Nations camp in Abuja and later transferred to Kuje prison.

On April 26, 2011, they were released from Kuje prison after Femi Falana filed a suit against the government on their behalf.

“Their arrest and imprisonment were illegal,” Samuel Ogala, Mr. Ranny’s counsel said.

“Nigeria has no prisoner exchange treaty with the Libyan government. In Nigeria, my clients are free men and it is illegal for any Nigerian government apparatus to imprison them for a sentence passed in Libya.”

The defence counsel argued that the Nigerian Prisons acted on the directives of the NSA who wanted the Libya-convicted Nigerians held for screening before they are allowed back into the Nigerian society.

“The NSA has no such powers in both immigration and prison act,” Mr. Ogala argued.

The judge, Bilikisu Aliyu, ruled that the NSA acted illegally, saying the arrest of the 24 Libya-convicted Nigerians was a breach of their rights.

“I am happy Nigeria realised that what they did to me was wrong,” Mr. Ranny, who now works as a store keeper in Abuja, said, smiling.

“I am most grateful that I am free and out of Ghadaffi’s death prison.”


www.premiumtimesng.com/news/foreign/3637-rescued-from-libya-jailed-in-nigeria.html

Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu yesterday said none of the states in the North has up to 45 per cent qualified teachers.

The governor noted that the development has reduced the quality of education in the region.

He said there is need for quality teacher education to ensure that teachers are well trained and learn the modalities of teachings.

Aliyu spoke at the Government House in Minna during the inauguration of a new Governing Council of the state-owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai.

He said: “In all northern states, no state has more than 45 per cent qualified teachers. We need to place emphasis on teacher education to produce qualified teachers for our schools.”

The governor added that a University of Education is urgently needed, urging the governing council to work out its modalities.

He said: “We should look at the possibility of establishing university of education, even if it involves bringing other people to establish the school in our state here.”

Aliyu lamented the position of the state university in the rating of African universities, saying its management should collaborate with notable universities and institutions outside the country to improve the rating.

The governor noted that though the present rating put IBBU above other state universities, he added that it is the desire of the government to make it compete favorably with the best in Nigeria and outside the country. 

The new governing council is headed by Alhaji Suleiman Ndanusa, who promised to ensure that the university becomes one of the best in Nigeria.


http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/35417-no-north%E2%80%99s-state-has-45%25-qualified-teachers%2C-says-aliyu.html

Arabians re blood tasty.

The now-famous KPMG
report, uncovered by
Premium Times after over a
year in government’s
closet, provides a most
ample insight into the
endemic corruption in
Nigeria’s petroleum sector,
headlining in forensic
details nauseating and
shocking systemic abuses
in all aspects of our oil and
gas industry.
From unauthorized
violation of OPEC oil quota
for Nigeria, to outright
falsification of the
exchange rates used for
defraying government oil
revenue, to barefaced
exploitation of the subsidy
regime, the report is clear
and unequivocal in its
observations conclusions.
It not only highlighted how
rotten the industry is but it
also clearly indicted
officials and departments
found to be involved in
monumental corruption.
Although names were not
mentioned in the report, a
detailed analysis of the
document by Premium
Times has thrown up at
least 20 government
officials and
businesspersons who have
questions to answer as far
as the audit is concerned.
Interrogating these persons
is a good starting point for
the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, which
has been mandated by Mr.
President to probe the
monumental corruption in
the oil industry.
Olusegun Aganga
Mr. Aganga commissioned
the audit of the NNPC and
the PPPRA, which yielded
the KPMG report. He was
finance minister between
April 2010 and June 2011.
Mr. Aganga has explanation
to make regarding why he
failed to act on the report
after it was submitted to
his ministry. He also needs
to explain whether indeed
his ministry failed to
forward the report to the
petroleum minister as
claimed by Mrs Diezani
Alison-Madueke.
Diezani Alison-Madueke
She was in charge of
petroleum ministry at the
time the audit was
completed. Mrs. Madueke
told the House of
Representatives ad hoc
committee on management
of subsidy on Tuesday that
the report had not been
acted upon because a copy
was yet to be officially
served her.
That should be done in the
“next course of days,” she
said, after which all the
mentioned institutions
under the ministry will “sit
and reconcile” the findings.
But most of the corrupt
practices identified by the
audit has festered even
under her leadership of the
ministry. She has a lot of
explanation to make,
especially regarding the
allegation that she ordered
the PPPRA to shake down
marketers shortly before
the 2011 general election,
to purportedly raise funds
for the president’s
campaign.
Femi Otedola
He is owner and chief
executive officer of Zenon
Oil, which was named in
the report amongst the
unlisted off-takers that
illegally got crude oil
allocations in 2008. He has
to explain how his company
bypassed due process and
cornered contracts even
without being on the
approved list of buyers for
that year.
Aminu Dantata & Sayyu
Dantata
They are the principals at
Ovlas Trading and Supply
also named in the report as
one of the unlisted off-
takers in 2008. They need
to explain how they
sneaked into the list and
got allocation without
following laid down
procedure. While billionaire
Aminu Dantata owns the
company, Sayyu Dantata is
the Chief Executive Officer
of the group, named MRS,
which also has Koggi
Shipping, MRS Oil & Gas
and MRS Investments.
Wale Tinubu
The report also listed
Oando as one of the
companies that earned
illicit award of petroleum
product importation
contract even when they
were not part of the
approved prequalification
list used for the fourth
quarter of 2008 importation
tender. The CEO of the
company is Wale Tinubu.
Augustine Olusegun
Oniwon
Mr. Oniwon currently
serves as the group
managing director of the
Nigerian petroleum
corporation(NNPC), the
main focus of the
independent audit. During
the period reviewed by the
audit (2007-2009), he was
the group general
manager, research and
development, a position he
held between 2005 and
2009.
The top-notch position,
though not directly related
to importation of refined
products and subsidy
payments, is a managerial
position with the officials
privileged to key decisions
of the corporation. Still, Mr.
Oniwon’s current position
as the GMD allows him full
access to records and
information of past and
present procedures
including the fuel subsidy
payment, exchange rate,
manipulations in the award
of contracts for importation
and others.
Abubakar Yar’adua
Mr. Yar’adua acted as the
GMD between 2007 and
January 2009, and a
greater part of the tenure
came under the KPMG
investigations. He should
provide responses to the
questions stretching the
many alleged sharp
practices in the industry
during his time in office.
Mohammed Barkindo
As GMD between January
2009 and 2010, he
supervised a corporation
that sustained the same
practices and procedures
according to the report. He
should avail investigators
with answers to multiple
areas of concerns.
Chris Ogiemwoyi
Only a few NNPC portfolios
are explicitly mentioned in
the report as the group
executive director(GED) in
charge of exploration and
production, the GED in
charge of commercial and
investment and the GED in
charge of account and
finance.
The GED for E&P is named
in connection with poor
documentation of
petroleum imports data,
controversial review of
official selling price of
crude, and the dubious
reduction of selling price of
crude for NNPC, different
from that given to other off-
takers. Mr. Ogiemwoyi, a
former minister of state for
power, held that office for
the period under review.
Shehu Ladan
Mr. Ladan, who later
became the GMD of the
corporation, was in charge
of the commercial and
investment directorate
during that time. But for
the fact that he has
transited to the world
beyond, he would have
been at an immensely
vantage position to shed
light on most of the issues
raised by the audit, given
the two key roles he held
while in the NNPC.
Stanley Lawson
Mr. Lawson was the GED
for finance and accounts
from December 2004 to
April 2009, one of the
longest terms ever for that
very crucial portfolio. On
his Linkedin page, Mr.
Lawson is currently profiled
as a Managing partner at
Financial Advisory and
Investment Consultants
Limited.
Besides the GMD, the office
would be most privy to
nearly all operations
reviewed by the audit,
according to the report.
Aminu Babakusa
“Potential conflict of
interest with COMD acting
as agent to government
and being under NNPC who
is also its customer.”
That is the position of the
report on the practice
whereby crude sales to the
NNPC were at lower prices
than the official selling
price, and that given to
other dealers, a practice
that resulted in significant
revenue loss to the
federation.
Between 2007 and 2009,
the period primarily
covered by the KPMG
report, Mr. Babakusa was
the Group General Manager
in charge of Crude Oil
Marketing Division(COMD).
He was also the GED C&I
briefly in 2009, and
currently is the GED in
charge of Business
Development.
Michael Abiodun
Arokodare
Mr. Arokodare is the
current GED for Finance
and Accounts. He took over
from Mr. Lawson in 2009
after serving as a GGM in
the directorate between
2007 and 2009. He should
provide vital information
and answers particularly
with several of the past
messy procedures believed
to be continuing.
Gaius Obaseki
Many of the noted
malpractices held on for
years ahead and after the
report’s review period of
2007 to 2009, it is believed.
Mr. Obaseki is expected to
appear before the ongoing
investigation of the House
of Representatives of the
subsidy management and
should be key to past
investigation based on the
KPMG report. He was the
GMD between 1999 and
2003.
Funso Kupolokun
His was another
controversial era expected
to play a key role in any
major probe. Mr.
Kukpolokun headed the
NNPC since November
2003 to august 2007, partly
covered by the report.
Oluwole Oluleye
Many of the alleged abuses
by the NNPC were carried
out, and still are, with the
understanding of the
Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency(PPPRA).
Key amongst others is the
subsidy payment
management. The report
indicts the NNPC for
deducting the money at
source without the required
approval of the PPPRA, and
at many times the
corporation overpaid the
subsidy charges.
At the helm as the PPPRA
Executive Secretary from
2003 to 2009, was Mr.
Oluleye. A government
investigation into the
disbursement of the
Petroleum Support Fund by
the PPPRA led to his
suspension in 2008, and
eventual removal from
office in 2009.
Abiodun Ibikunle
Mr. Ibikunle took over as
the Executive Secretary
between 2009 and 2011.
His tenure was marked by
allegations by unions, oil
dealers and lawmakers
accusing him of lack of
transparency. He assumed
the position after working
at the Department for
Petroleum Resources(DPR).
Reginald Stanley
Mr. Stanley headed the
Pipelines and Product
Marketing Company (PPMC)
, another major subsidiary
named in the report. The
company is mentioned in
connection with
discrepancies noted in the
volume of products
allocated to marketers in
various parts of the
country, and a sub-optimal
use of government-owned
storage facilities which has
led to an outsourcing of the
demand and resultant loss
of revenues to the nation.
Aliyu Sabon Birni
The Department of
Petroleum Resources is
named amongst others
under the manipulated
subsidy payments, and the
unauthorized violation of
OPEC quota for Nigeria and
the Technical Allowable(TA)
quota for monthly
production.
“Non-adherence to TA has
a potential to negatively
impact on the country’s oil
and gas reserves
projections and plans,” the
report said, citing instances
where the TA was
exceeded by Total and
Chevron, NAE and Esso in
2010. Mr. Birni was the DPR
Director in 2008.
Billy Agha
Mr. Agha was in charge of
the Department of
Petroleum Resources in
2009 and has a deep
insight of the rot and
monumental corruption in
the industry during the
period.

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/3636-kpmg-report-20-nigeriana-efcc-should-interrogate.html

Delayed justice.

THE Presidential
Villa, otherwise known as Aso
Rock, will spend about N18.36
billion this year for fuel and
lubricants.
Also, N237,370,200 will be
spent by the State House
headquarters. Of this figure,
the office of the President will
spend N168.722 million for
fuel and lubricants, while
N68,647,329 will be spent on
lubricants by the Vice
President.
The State House is also
expected to spend N75,
131,589 on plants and
generators for both the
headquarters and that of the
Vice President, with the
headquarters spending
N54,329,366 while the Vice
President will spend
N20,802,589 on fuel for
generators alone.
The Presidency in the budget
for the year would spend
N577.543 million to replace
aged vehicles in the
presidential fleet while N15,
215, 500 has been earmarked
for maintenance of plants and
generators, N137,827,111 for
the maintenance of office/IT
equipment, N382,317,777 for
maintenance of motor
vehicle/transport equipment
and N122,466,733 for other
maintenance services.
For the Vice President,
maintenance of motor
vehicle/transport equipment
will gulp N83, 208,883; N145,
615,546 for maintenance of
office building/residential
quarters; N62,406,663 for the
maintenance of office/IT
equipment, N10,401,110 for
maintenance of plants/
generators and N20,802,221
for other maintenance
services.
Disclosing this yesterday
during the 2012 budget
defence before the Senator
Dahiru Kuta-led Committee on
Federal Character and Inter-
Governmental Affairs,
Permanent Secretary in the
State House, Dr. Tunji Olaopa
said refreshment and meals
for 2012 would gulp N293.695
million. The same item took in
2011 was N312.316 million.
According to the Permanent
Secretary, the State House
would spend N993.02 million
to fuel vehicles and N56. 692
million on telephone, even as
the office of the Vice
President will spend N20,802
million on refreshment and
meals; N35.363 million to fuel
vehicles; N20.802 million to
fuel generators and N6.240
million for cooking gas and
fuel.
For publicity and
advertisement, office of the
Vice President will spend
N124,813,325, among others.
Olaopa also told the
committee that the State
House generated N2.8 billion
with independent revenue
accounting for N126.021
million; VAT, N1.2 billion;
Holding Tax, N1.39 billon and
PAYE, N48.4 million.


www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/aso-rock-to-spend-n18-4bn-on-fuel-lubricants-telephone-this-year/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

The dreaded Islamic Terrorist
group, Boko Haram has
responded to the challenge by
President Jonatjan to it to show
its face if its leaders want to
dialogue. Abu Qaqa, the
spokesman of Boko Haram told
the Guardian of the London
that it will only negotiate with
the government after it has
forced them to do the will of
Allah and brought government
to its knees.
Qaqa told the newspaper that
“We will consider negotiation
only when we have brought
the government to its knees.
Once we see that things are
being done according to the
dictates of Allah, and our
members are released (from
prison), we will only put aside
our arms - but we will not lay
them down. You don’t put
down your arms in Islam, you
only put them aside.”
The Guardian of London
published an exclusive
interview with Boko Haram
spokesman, Abu Qaqa in which
he confirmed that the group’s
leaders met with the Al Qaida
in Saudi Arabia last August
where they cemented the
group’s financial and logistics
base.
Qaqa, whose name is a
pseudonym, said the group’s
members were spiritual
followers of al-Qaida, and
claimed they had met senior
figures in the network founded
by Osama bin Laden during
visits to Saudia Arabia.
Qaqa said the group’s leader,
Shekau and others had
travelled to Saudi Arabia for
training and funding. “Al-Qaida
are our elder brothers. During
the lesser Hajj [last August],
our leader travelled to Saudi
Arabia and met al-Qaida there.
We enjoy financial and
technical support from them.
Anything we want from them
we ask them.”
Qaqa disclosed that recruits
from neighbouring Chad,
Cameroon and Niger had
joined the group. A recent UN
report said weapons from
Libya may have been
smuggled to Boko Haram and
al-Qaida in the Islamic
Maghreb via Chad, Niger and
Nigeria.
He added that his group which
has killed almost 1,000 people
in Nigeria, will continue its
campaign of violence until the
country is ruled by sharia law.
“We will consider negotiation
only when we have brought
the government to their
knees,” Qaqa said in the
group’s first major interview
with a western newspaper.
“Once we see that things are
being done according to the
dictates of Allah, and our
members are released [from
prison], we will only put aside
our arms – but we will not lay
them down. You don’t put
down your arms in Islam, you
only put them aside.”
The interview came a week
after Boko Haram claimed
responsibility for Nigeria’s
single deadliest terrorist
attack, which killed 186 people
in the northern city of Kano.
The Guardian of London said it
was able to contact Abu Qaqa
through an intermediary from
the group’s home state. The
go-between has been in
contact with the group since its
inception, and met with its
founder, Mohammed Yusuf,
several times before he was
killed in 2009. For most of the
interview he used a voice
modulator, but local journalists
confirmed that his undisguised
voice matched recordings of
previous interviews.
Security officials and diplomats
in Abuja said they had no
evidence of a link with al-Qaida
in Saudi Arabia, but an official
confirmed that “elements of
Boko Haram have made
contact with external groups”.
The extent and frequency of
that contact was unknown, the
official said.
In the decade since it first
appeared, Boko Haram has
graduated from crude driveby
attacks on beer parlours to
bombing security buildings in
the northern Muslim heartland.
Its most audacious attack
targeted the United Nations
building in the capital, Abuja,
killing 25 in August. In recent
weeks, Christians institutions
have increasingly come under
fire. A Christmas Day bomb
attack on a packed church just
outside the capital claimed
almost 40 lives.
But Qaqa said the rights of the
country’s 70 million Christians,
who represent half of Nigeria’s
population, “would be
protected” under the group’s
envisioned Islamic state. “Even
the prophet Mohammed lived
with non-Muslims and he gave
them their dues.” But he said
everyone must abide by sharia
law: “There are no exceptions.
Even if you are a Muslim and
you don’t abide by sharia, we
will kill you. Even if you are my
own father, we will kill you.”
Speaking fluent but non-native
Hausa, the lingua franca
across the Sahelian belt on the
cusp of the Sahara desert, he
said: “It’s the secular state that
is responsible for the woes we
are seeing today. People
should understand that we are
not saying we have to rule
Nigeria, but we have been
motivated by the stark
injustice in the land. People
underrate us but we have our
sights set on [bringing sharia
to] the whole world, not just
Nigeria.”
Sharia law is already in place
across 12 states in the Muslim-
majority north. Few believe the
group’s radical ideology has
traction in Nigeria’s mainly
Christian south, which is also
home to millions of Muslims
and has so far been out of the
group’s reach.
Raising his voice for the only
time during the interview,
Qaqa denied reports that some
governors in northern Nigeria
paid the group monthly
allowances in exchange for
immunity from attacks. “May
God punish anyone that said
so,” he said, before adding that
the group has popular support
in the north.
“Poor people are tired of the
injustice, people are crying for
saviours and they know the
messiahs are Boko Haram.
“People were singing songs in
[northern cities] Kano and
Kaduna saying: ‘We want Boko
Haram’,” Qaqa said, describing
how the group can blend into
the communities in which it
operates.
“If the masses don’t like us
they would have exposed us by
now. When Islam comes
everyone would be happy,” he
said.
Diplomats say Nigeria’s
security services are belatedly
attempting to gain control of
the situation, which was
previously dismissed as an
internal, northern squabble
often fuelled by politicians with
personal grievances.
“There is an ongoing review of
all security agencies,” the
presidential aide Ken Wiwa
said.
“This is a relatively new
phenomenon in Nigeria and
the administration is working
hard to improve its capacity to
respond. There are various
other initiatives which will be
implemented but this is as
much a political as a security
issue.”
An official said Nigeria’s
central bank was involved in
measures aimed at strangling
the group’s external funding
sources, including speeding up
a cashless economy.
In an audio message posted on
YouTube on Friday, the group’s
current leader, Abubakar
Shekau, threatened to bomb
schools and kidnap family
members of government
officials.
“If [security forces] are going
to places of worship and
destroying them, like mosques
and Quranic schools, you have
primary schools as well, you
have secondary schools and
universities, and we will start
bombing them.”
Shekau rejected calls for a
negotiated peace from
President Goodluck Jonathan,
who on Thursday called for the
shadowy sect to step out of the
shadows and engage in
dialogue.
Nigerian officials have voiced
hopes for a negotiated
settlement with “moderate
elements” of the group.
“Under the circumstances, if
you look hard enough, you can
find moderate elements you
can communicate with,”
General Andrew Azazi, the
National Security Adviser to
the president, told the Wall
Street Journal on Friday.
Western diplomats say Boko
Haram has splintered and the
hardliners leading the factions
responsible for the wave of
violence that has killed some
250 people this year appear to
have rejected any suggestion
of dialogue.

www.naijapundit.com/news/boko-haram-to-president-jonathan-we-will-negotiate-after-bringing-government-to-its-knees

The Islamic sect,
Boko Haram, has
threatened to adopt a
change of tactics in a
message posted on
YouTube yesterday.
The sect also
restated that it was
behind last week’s
attacks in Kano
saying bombings and
shootings were to
avenge the torture of
its members.
“We were responsible,” a voice
identified as that of suspected
Boko Haram leader Abubakar
Shekau says in audio played
over a picture of him. “I
ordered it and I will give that
order again and again. God
gave us victory.”
A spokesman for the group had
earlier claimed responsibility
for
coordinated bombings and
shootings on January 20 in
Kano which left at least 185
people dead. Police stations
were the main targets.
Shekau said in the message
that “we attacked the security
formations because our
members were arrested and
tortured. Our women and
children have also been
arrested.” He then issued
another threat: “They should
know that they also have wives
and children. We can also
abduct them. It is not beyond
our powers.
“Soldiers raided an Islamic
seminary in Maiduguri and
desecrated the Quran.
They should bear in mind that
they also have primary and
secondary schools and
universities, and we can also
attack them.”
The Boko Haram leader also
accused the authorities of
killing civilians in Friday’s
violence.
“After we finished our war,
policemen stuck around and
started killing civilians and
later blamed us,” he said. “We
are not fighting civilians, but
security forces. We only kill
soldiers, policemen and their
collaborators.”
The Kano attacks were the
worst yet attributed to Boko
Haram and occurred in a city
that serves as the economic
heart of the North. Another
police station was attacked in
Kano on Tuesday night, while
an explosion also went off in
the city on yesterday. A
German engineer was also
kidnapped on the outskirts of
Kano yesterday. A video
posted on YouTube earlier this
month was also said to be of
Shekau.
In the video, the man said to
be Shekau issued a message
to President Goodluck Jonathan
and threatened further
violence.
The appearance of the man in
the video appeared
significantly different than
earlier images said to be of the
Boko Haram chief, but a
Western diplomat said “we
assessed it was Shekau.”

www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2012/jan/27/national-27-01-2011-001.html

Which allah are they going to pray to, is it the same allah boko haram pray to before they carry out their atrocities. Wonders shall never end.

National Youth Service
Corps (NYSC) members
yesterday besieged their
Headquarters in Abuja for
redeployment.
The Batch “B” 2011
members posted to Kano
and some other northern
states sought reposting to
other regions other than
the North.
They urged the NYSC
management to stop
further posting to
Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna,
Bauchi and Niger, in
particular.
The corps members urged
the NYSC management to
stop further posting to the
North until the insecurity in
the region is overcome.
In Adamawa State, of the
4,171 National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC)
members trained for Ad
Hoc electioneering duties
by the Independent
National Electoral
Commission (INEC), about
1,041 of them have fled the
state following increasing
insecurity.
Some of the corps
members, who spoke with
The Nation, said: “Since
residents, most especially
corps members, are no
longer safe in the northern
states, they should
henceforth be posted to
their states of origin or
preferred states in the
interest of peace and
safety.
“Our lives are no longer
safe; we cannot die
because we want to serve
our fatherland. We should
be immediately posted to
safer states.”
The management of the
NYSC urged the corps
members seeking
redeployment to return to
their states of origin after
filling the redeployment
form.
The Special Adviser to the
NYSC Director-General,
Alhaji Musa Abubakar said:
“The NYSC does not have
any right to deprive any
corps member of his or her
right.
“We will continue to respect
their grievances. If a corps
member feels he or she is
no longer safe somewhere,
we will redeploy such a
person. We cannot continue
to jeopardise their safety.”
Abubakar said affected
corps members would be
contacted when the
management completes the
redeployment process.

www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/mobile/news/34618-corps-members-seek-redeployment-from-north.html

Make una leave GEJ o, d man de confused. Naija na nut case.

D guy worked with zakari biu during d abacha days.

Am not surprised, Modi sherrif founded BH, its the responsibility of core northern governors to nurture it in their bid to actualise their northern agenda

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political
Editor, AbdulSalam
Muhammad, Victoria Ojeme &
Ndahi Marama
LAGOS —The Boko Haram
sect has cited the stoppage of
its monthly financial support
for the recent attacks on
northern states, claiming that
the group was until recently
being bankrolled by some
northern governors.
The claim by the group came
as it also alleged that former
President Olusegun Obasanjo
was in its firing range last
September but was spared
because of his tolerance of
the sharia Islamic code during
his presidency.
An unnamed high ranking
official of the group alleged
that the Ibrahim Shekarau
administration in Kano made
a monthly N10 million
donation to the group while
the Bauchi Governor, Alhaji
Isa Yuguda besides financial
commitments was also an
admirer of the military
prowess of the group.
The group has, nevertheless,
dismissed any personal
grouse with President
Goodluck Jonathan, alleging
that the problems with the
administration were
carryovers from what it
claimed to be the callousness
of the Yar‘Adua
administration in waging war
against the group.
The allegations were made by
a high ranking official of the
group to the online
publication 247ureports.com.
Mr. Michael Ishola, Chief Press
Secretary to the Bauchi State
Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda,
however, debunked the claim
as a “very, very strange
allegation.”
The newly appointed Special
Adviser (Media) to the Kano
State Governor, Mallam Halilu
Dantiye on his part, claimed
ignorance of any monthly
payment to the group by the
Ibrahim Shekarau
administration which the
present administration
succeeded as he claimed that
there was no such issue
contained in the handover
note.
Noting that the attacks on
Kano and Bauchi arose from
the stoppage of the financial
support to the group by some
northern governors, the
official in the disclosures to
the publication said that the
entire northern governors
have ongoing relationships
with the group.
“Most of them pay us monthly
to leave their states alone”.
It was alleged that the
Shekarau administration
reached an agreement as far
back as 2004 to be paying a
monthly support of N5 million
to the group which was later
raised to N10 million
sometime in 2009.
The agreement also
reportedly included
infrastructural support. The
support was, however,
allegedly stopped at the
inception of the Kwankwaso
administration in May 2011.
The publication alleged that
the Kwankwaso regime also
turned against the group
dismantling its infrastructure
in the state.
“We warned the Governor of
the consequences. We
concluded on Kano in
December 2011,” the source
said. Shekarau’s spokesman,
Sule Yau did not respond to
the allegations yesterday as
he did not respond to a text
message sent to him. Mallam
Dantiye Special Adviser to
Governor Kwankwaso claimed
ignorance of the alleged
support saying that nothing
like that was contained in the
handover note received from
Shekarau.
On Bauchi, the publication
reported that Governor
Yuguda reached a
similar agreement with the
leadership of the group for
the payment of N10million
monthly to the group
alongside the provision of
training grounds on the many
mountains scattered in Bauchi
State. The governor it was
reported also promised to
give them security against
arrests by the federal
government.  The agreement
was supposedly reached in
June 2008 but mid 2011, the
governor reportedly stopped
the disbursement of the
funds.
Mr. Michael Ishola, Chief Press
Secretary to Governor Yuguda
also refuted the allegation
against Governor Yuguda. “It
is a very, very strange
allegation, because the Isa
Yuguda I know cannot be
involved in such an allegation.
We in Bauchi have been living
in peace. We are not involved
in that,” he told Vanguard
yesterday.
Why we didn’t kill
Obasanjo — Boko Haram
While noting the group’s
reservations on the mediation
initiated by President
Obasanjo with the group
through Babakura Fuggu, in-
law of Mohammed Yusuf, the
slain founder of the group, the
publication disclosed that the
new leader of the group,
Imam Abubakar Shekau, had
considered priming Obasanjo
for assassination as the
September 15, 2011
exchange approached.
According to the publication:
As Obasanjo concluded
his secret meeting the
previous day at the Green
House with three
other religious group [Jamatu
Nasirl Islam, JNI and CAN] in
Jos, the capital of Plateau
State on the Wednesday of
September 14, 2011, and took
off the following day to Borno
State, the terrorist group,
according to the
source, marked the former
President within their ‘firing
range’ from the moment he
landed in Borno State at
minutes after 11am till he
departed the State in the late
afternoon of the same day.
According to the source, “we
were not sure of him”.
“He was going to be a big
catch” said the source who
explained that the leadership
halted the operation as
Obasanjo went inside the
residence of Babakura.
“Obasanjo was good to us.
We had no problem with
Obasanjo. We had him. We
could have taken him out”, as
he recalled that the sharia
movement took off during the
period when Obasanjo was
president. “The problem
started during the late
President Yar’Adua regime.
Goodluck only inherited the
problem. We have no problem
with Goodluck. But his Ijaw
people around him
are deceiving him”.
See detailed report on
Page 41.
JTF kills 4 Boko Haram
members in Maiduguri
In a seeming fight back, the
Joint Task Force (JTF),
“Operation Restore Order” in
Maiduguri, Borno State
claimed success in gunning
down four operatives of the
Boko Haram sect in the town.
The four were reportedly
killed yesterday in Pompomari
ward of Maiduguri , the Borno
State capital.
According to a Press
statement signed by the Field
Operations Commander of the
JTF, Col. Victor Ebhaleme the
quartet was apprehended
along with bomb materials.
He said: “Four members of
the sect involved in the
killings in Maiduguri
metropolis and its environs
and have been under the
surveillance of security
agencies were shot dead”.
The statement further
claimed that, various
Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs) materials prepared for
detonation were equally
recovered from their Golf
Saloon car.
The statement further warned
those still harbouring the sect
members to desist from such
acts, urging them to report all
suspects to security agencies
for prompt action
Nigeria, US join forces
against Boko Haram
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s effort to
combat the activities of the
Boko Haram sect received a
boost yesterday as it resolved
to collaborate with the United
States in the fight against the
group.
The meeting between the two
countries held under the aegis
of the US-Nigeria Bi-national
Commission had US Deputy
Assistant Secretary, Mr.
William Fitzgerald leading the
American side, while the
Nigerian side was led by the
Foreign Affairs Permanent
Secretary, Ambassador
Martins Uhomoibhi in
company of the National
Security Adviser (NSA), Gen.
Andrew Azazi (Rtd.)
Both the Nigerian and US
officials met in Abuja to
formalize a response to the
general insecurity in the
northern part of Nigeria.
Before retreating to a closed
door meeting, Fitzgerald
disclosed that, due to the
intensity of the insurgent
activities in the North, the
security working group was
split into two, with one group
focusing exclusively on
tackling the Boko Haram
menace, while the other
would focus on security of the
Niger Delta region.
He said: “Today marks a new
beginning, security issues in
the North have taken up new
significance, so we have
chosen to split the regional
security cooperation and the
Niger Delta. The regional
security cooperation has its
own working group which will
meet today (yesterday) and
tomorrow (today).”
“I bring on behalf of the US
government, the deepest
condolences on the heinous
attacks that have taken place
during the past few days first
in Kano and then Bauchi
State. We deplore swiftly the
reign of terror that has
existed in the north of the
country for many months. And
we stand with you to work
together to find a way to
bring peace to the north,”  the
US envoy added.
Ambassador Adefuye was
quoted as saying that “the
United States government has
proposed that the Niger-Delta
and regional security
component of the commission
be split into separate entities
and the first meeting on
regional security should hold
immediately on 23 and 24 of
January. We have agreed to
this proposal.
“We are receiving adequate
support and assistance from
our international friends
without compromising our
independence and freedom of
action.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/we-re-on-northern-govspayroll-boko-haram/

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political
Editor, AbdulSalam
Muhammad, Victoria Ojeme &
Ndahi Marama
LAGOS —The Boko Haram
sect has cited the stoppage of
its monthly financial support
for the recent attacks on
northern states, claiming that
the group was until recently
being bankrolled by some
northern governors.
The claim by the group came
as it also alleged that former
President Olusegun Obasanjo
was in its firing range last
September but was spared
because of his tolerance of
the sharia Islamic code during
his presidency.
An unnamed high ranking
official of the group alleged
that the Ibrahim Shekarau
administration in Kano made
a monthly N10 million
donation to the group while
the Bauchi Governor, Alhaji
Isa Yuguda besides financial
commitments was also an
admirer of the military
prowess of the group.
The group has, nevertheless,
dismissed any personal
grouse with President
Goodluck Jonathan, alleging
that the problems with the
administration were
carryovers from what it
claimed to be the callousness
of the Yar‘Adua
administration in waging war
against the group.
The allegations were made by
a high ranking official of the
group to the online
publication 247ureports.com.
Mr. Michael Ishola, Chief Press
Secretary to the Bauchi State
Governor, Alhaji Isa Yuguda,
however, debunked the claim
as a “very, very strange
allegation.”
The newly appointed Special
Adviser (Media) to the Kano
State Governor, Mallam Halilu
Dantiye on his part, claimed
ignorance of any monthly
payment to the group by the
Ibrahim Shekarau
administration which the
present administration
succeeded as he claimed that
there was no such issue
contained in the handover
note.
Noting that the attacks on
Kano and Bauchi arose from
the stoppage of the financial
support to the group by some
northern governors, the
official in the disclosures to
the publication said that the
entire northern governors
have ongoing relationships
with the group.
“Most of them pay us monthly
to leave their states alone”.
It was alleged that the
Shekarau administration
reached an agreement as far
back as 2004 to be paying a
monthly support of N5 million
to the group which was later
raised to N10 million
sometime in 2009.
The agreement also
reportedly included
infrastructural support. The
support was, however,
allegedly stopped at the
inception of the Kwankwaso
administration in May 2011.
The publication alleged that
the Kwankwaso regime also
turned against the group
dismantling its infrastructure
in the state.
“We warned the Governor of
the consequences. We
concluded on Kano in
December 2011,” the source
said. Shekarau’s spokesman,
Sule Yau did not respond to
the allegations yesterday as
he did not respond to a text
message sent to him. Mallam
Dantiye Special Adviser to
Governor Kwankwaso claimed
ignorance of the alleged
support saying that nothing
like that was contained in the
handover note received from
Shekarau.
On Bauchi, the publication
reported that Governor
Yuguda reached a
similar agreement with the
leadership of the group for
the payment of N10million
monthly to the group
alongside the provision of
training grounds on the many
mountains scattered in Bauchi
State. The governor it was
reported also promised to
give them security against
arrests by the federal
government.  The agreement
was supposedly reached in
June 2008 but mid 2011, the
governor reportedly stopped
the disbursement of the
funds.
Mr. Michael Ishola, Chief Press
Secretary to Governor Yuguda
also refuted the allegation
against Governor Yuguda. “It
is a very, very strange
allegation, because the Isa
Yuguda I know cannot be
involved in such an allegation.
We in Bauchi have been living
in peace. We are not involved
in that,” he told Vanguard
yesterday.
Why we didn’t kill
Obasanjo — Boko Haram
While noting the group’s
reservations on the mediation
initiated by President
Obasanjo with the group
through Babakura Fuggu, in-
law of Mohammed Yusuf, the
slain founder of the group, the
publication disclosed that the
new leader of the group,
Imam Abubakar Shekau, had
considered priming Obasanjo
for assassination as the
September 15, 2011
exchange approached.
According to the publication:
As Obasanjo concluded
his secret meeting the
previous day at the Green
House with three
other religious group [Jamatu
Nasirl Islam, JNI and CAN] in
Jos, the capital of Plateau
State on the Wednesday of
September 14, 2011, and took
off the following day to Borno
State, the terrorist group,
according to the
source, marked the former
President within their ‘firing
range’ from the moment he
landed in Borno State at
minutes after 11am till he
departed the State in the late
afternoon of the same day.
According to the source, “we
were not sure of him”.
“He was going to be a big
catch” said the source who
explained that the leadership
halted the operation as
Obasanjo went inside the
residence of Babakura.
“Obasanjo was good to us.
We had no problem with
Obasanjo. We had him. We
could have taken him out”, as
he recalled that the sharia
movement took off during the
period when Obasanjo was
president. “The problem
started during the late
President Yar’Adua regime.
Goodluck only inherited the
problem. We have no problem
with Goodluck. But his Ijaw
people around him
are deceiving him”.
See detailed report on
Page 41.
JTF kills 4 Boko Haram
members in Maiduguri
In a seeming fight back, the
Joint Task Force (JTF),
“Operation Restore Order” in
Maiduguri, Borno State
claimed success in gunning
down four operatives of the
Boko Haram sect in the town.
The four were reportedly
killed yesterday in Pompomari
ward of Maiduguri , the Borno
State capital.
According to a Press
statement signed by the Field
Operations Commander of the
JTF, Col. Victor Ebhaleme the
quartet was apprehended
along with bomb materials.
He said: “Four members of
the sect involved in the
killings in Maiduguri
metropolis and its environs
and have been under the
surveillance of security
agencies were shot dead”.
The statement further
claimed that, various
Improvised Explosive Devices
(IEDs) materials prepared for
detonation were equally
recovered from their Golf
Saloon car.
The statement further warned
those still harbouring the sect
members to desist from such
acts, urging them to report all
suspects to security agencies
for prompt action
Nigeria, US join forces
against Boko Haram
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s effort to
combat the activities of the
Boko Haram sect received a
boost yesterday as it resolved
to collaborate with the United
States in the fight against the
group.
The meeting between the two
countries held under the aegis
of the US-Nigeria Bi-national
Commission had US Deputy
Assistant Secretary, Mr.
William Fitzgerald leading the
American side, while the
Nigerian side was led by the
Foreign Affairs Permanent
Secretary, Ambassador
Martins Uhomoibhi in
company of the National
Security Adviser (NSA), Gen.
Andrew Azazi (Rtd.)
Both the Nigerian and US
officials met in Abuja to
formalize a response to the
general insecurity in the
northern part of Nigeria.
Before retreating to a closed
door meeting, Fitzgerald
disclosed that, due to the
intensity of the insurgent
activities in the North, the
security working group was
split into two, with one group
focusing exclusively on
tackling the Boko Haram
menace, while the other
would focus on security of the
Niger Delta region.
He said: “Today marks a new
beginning, security issues in
the North have taken up new
significance, so we have
chosen to split the regional
security cooperation and the
Niger Delta. The regional
security cooperation has its
own working group which will
meet today (yesterday) and
tomorrow (today).”
“I bring on behalf of the US
government, the deepest
condolences on the heinous
attacks that have taken place
during the past few days first
in Kano and then Bauchi
State. We deplore swiftly the
reign of terror that has
existed in the north of the
country for many months. And
we stand with you to work
together to find a way to
bring peace to the north,”  the
US envoy added.
Ambassador Adefuye was
quoted as saying that “the
United States government has
proposed that the Niger-Delta
and regional security
component of the commission
be split into separate entities
and the first meeting on
regional security should hold
immediately on 23 and 24 of
January. We have agreed to
this proposal.
“We are receiving adequate
support and assistance from
our international friends
without compromising our
independence and freedom of
action.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2012/01/we-re-on-northern-govspayroll-boko-haram/

He is the son of a
canoe-carver, a mild-
mannered academic who
wears a fedora but eschews
the flowing robes and
bombastic brashness that
often characterize Africa's
"Big Man" leaders.
When elected president in
April 2011, he was described
as "Nigeria's Obama," a
leader who would bring
change to the oil-rich but
poverty-ridden nation.
His countrymen believed a
divine hand orchestrated his
success. After all, his name
spoke of his destiny:
Goodluck Jonathan.
Now, just nine months after
his election, Jonathan is an
embattled leader whose
popularity has plummeted. A
Christian from southern
Nigeria, he faces the
challenges of growing
sectarian violence and angry
citizens who took to the
streets in recent weeks,
carrying mock coffins and
placards calling him
"President Badluck."
Protests over his decision to
end fuel subsidies escalated
to include discontent at
corruption, mass
unemployment and lack of
infrastructure.
For many Nigerians, most of
whom are struggling to get
by on less than $2 a day,
change is not coming quickly
enough.
No longer content with
'suffering and smiling'
Humble beginnings
So why the loss of good
will?
Journalist and
commentator Tolu
Ogunlesi suggests that
Nigerians desperately
wanted to believe in
Jonathan's capacity to
bring change, largely
because they liked his
humility and identified with
him.
Goodluck Jonathan, or GEJ as
he is more commonly known,
used his humble beginnings
as political capital during his
election campaign last year.
In an oft-repeated speech, he
said, "In my early days in
school I had no shoes, no
school bags. I carried my
books in my hands but never
despaired, no car to take me
to school, but I never
despaired.
"There were days I had only
one meal, but I never
despaired. I walked miles
and crossed rivers to school
every day, but I never
despaired. [I] didn't have
power, didn't have
generators, studied with
lanterns, but I never
despaired.
"In spite of these, I finished
secondary school, attended
the University of Port
Harcourt, and now hold a
doctorate degree. Fellow
Nigerians, if I could make it,
you too can make it!"
Citizens lapped up this man-
of-the-people rhetoric, says
Ogunlesi, a former recipient
of the CNN African journalist
award. "He came out of
nowhere, and we all love an
underdog."
Even his name seemed
to hold promise.
Nigerians believe one's
name can help shape a
person's destiny. So
they tend to bestow on
their children names
with significant meaning.
It is not uncommon to
meet people named
Fortune, Happiness,
Charity, God's Gift.
Names given in their
native language are also
imbued with symbolic and
often religious meaning.
Jonathan's middle name,
Ebele, means "God's Wish."
His late father, Lawrence,
was quoted as saying in a
biography of the president
that he "called him Goodluck
because although life was
hard for me when he was
born, I had this feeling that
this boy would bring me good
luck."
His meteoric rise -- from
lowly civil servant to
president of Africa's most
populous nation -- seemed to
trade on fortune. His political
career began when he was
elected deputy governor of
Bayelsa, a small state in
Nigeria's oil-producing Niger
Delta region, then quickly
became governor when his
predecessor was impeached
on corruption charges.
From there he rose to
national office -- handpicked
by party leaders to be vice
president, then succeeded
President Umaru Yar'Adua
after the incumbent died in
office. Just over a year later,
he was elected in his own
right.
In a country where would-be
politicians spend millions of
dollars campaigning,
Jonathan never actively
sought or hustled for political
office.
He has simply been at the
right place at the right time,
patiently waiting for events
to unfold in his favor.
The fall from grace
Critics say the loss of trust in
Jonathan's administration did
not happen overnight. They
cite a series of blunders,
beginning with his effort, just
months after his election, to
extend the presidency term
from four to six years.
He is also accused of being
completely inept at handling
the security issues posed by
Boko Haram, a shadowy
militant Islamic group that is
said to favor strict Sharia
law, and which is frequently
blamed for the sectarian
violence that is threatening
the unity of the country.
"Jonathan has come across
as clueless when it comes to
dealing with Boko Haram,"
Ogunlesi said. "No senior
security officers have lost
their jobs, nothing seems to
have been done."
But it is the abrupt removal
of the fuel subsidy, in what
has been described as a
callous New Year's Day "gift"
that proved unacceptable for
many Nigerians. There has
been intense speculation in
the country that the decision
came suddenly because of
pressure from the
International Monetary Fund.
The announcement coincided
with a visit to the country by
IMF head Christine Lagarde
weeks earlier.
"The fuel subsidy removal is
the final straw. I've never
seen such a massive loss of
good will in so little time,"
Ogunlesi said.
What is behind fuel protests?
Jonathan also "outraged"
Nigerians when talking about
Boko Haram recently after
admitting there were
sympathizers of the Islamic
group within his government.
"Nigerians find it outrageous
to hear him say this about his
government, which he had a
major part in putting
together," says Nigerian
political journalist Terfa
Tilley-Gyado. "People would
like to know who they are
and what efforts are being
made to prosecute them."
Perhaps mindful of the
deposed governments in
other countries across the
continent, the president
acted quickly and decisively
to crush the growing
resistance, deploying the
military onto the streets with
a mandate to use force on
protesters.
Nigerians took to the streets
on January 2, prompting him
to meet with union leaders
who demanded a return to
the petrol pump price of 65
naira (40 cents). Negotiations
have gone back and forth,
and the most recent price
concession of 97 naira (60
cents) appears to have
appeased union leaders who
called off nationwide strikes.
A weak -- or deliberate --
leader?
Political opponents argue
that Jonathan, a biologist
with a doctorate in zoology,
does not have the political
mettle to do business in
Nigeria's tough-guy political
arena.
Human rights lawyer
and activist Femi
Falana has known
Jonathan for more than
a decade since he was
a governor of Bayelsa state.
"Jonathan is a good guy who
finds it difficult to offend
people," he says. "A lot of
people around him try to
take advantage of this good
disposition.
"He needs to put his foot
down and make his mind.
He's very slow."
"He has failed to move
against the oil cartel holding
the country ransom," Falana
continued.
"He doesn't get tough on
companies like Shell to clean
up when there are massive
oil spills, like Obama did with
BP in the Gulf of Mexico.
Jonathan is a likable guy, but
it takes more than that to
govern this country."
Last September
Jonathan responded to
his critics during a
speech: "I don't need to
be a lion, I don't need to
operate like the pharaoh
of Egypt, I don't need to
be an army general, but
I can change this
country without those
traits."
Those close to him
describe a measured,
contemplative man who likes
to consult widely before
making decisions.
HRH King A.J. Turner, a close
adviser who has known
Jonathan since their
university days, told CNN,
"The Jonathan I know doesn't
rush into making decisions
and likes to involve a wide
range of people and experts.
That process takes time and
can appear slow, but that is
his style."
Friends say one of the
biggest misconceptions
about Jonathan is that he is
weak. "The same people
calling him weak are the
same ones now saying he's a
dictator. I feel so sad when
people say things about
him," Turner said.
Turner, former managing
director of the Niger Delta
Development Commission,
says Jonathan is a loyal
friend who has competitive
instincts -- at least on the
squash courts, a sport he
plays "religiously."
"He has beaten me a few
times," he adds.
He describes a man who
unwinds from the stresses of
the job by listening to the
music of legendary Afrobeat
musician Fela Kuti.
"He loves Fela's music so
much," Turner says. But
Fela's brash revolutionary
style of music might make
uncomfortable listening for
Jonathan these days.
Before he died, Fela Kuti
frequently clashed with the
authorities, and his youngest
son, Seun Kuti, was among
those leading demonstrations
against GEJ's government
during the uprising against
fuel prices.
Even Jonathan's wife,
Patience, has seemed a
liability for the president. She
has faced unproven
allegations of corruption and
is frequently the butt of jokes
because of what others
describe as her poor grasp of
English.
A U.S. diplomatic cable
released by WikiLeaks and
reported in the Nigerian
media only added to his
image as a weak leader: It
stated that the First Lady
"runs her own show, and the
husband has little or no
control over her."
The Facebook president
and the future
Just as protesters have
successfully used social
media to organize
demonstrations under the
"Occupy Nigeria" moniker,
Jonathan has also been
adept at using Facebook to
engage with Nigerian youth,
who voted overwhelmingly
for him.
Bridging Nigeria's digital
divide
He was the first Nigerian
leader to have a Facebook
page and has been dubbed
"the Facebook president." He
makes frequent updates --
which appear to be written
by him -- but his page is now
a receptacle of the public's
anger against him, with
numerous insults being
posted there.
Turner says Nigerians "don't
like to support their leaders"
but need to give Jonathan
time.
"Nigerians should allow him
time to focus on what he
wants to achieve. He has not
been in power for a long
time. He has not been given
any breathing space to focus
on the issues," he said.
In a January 7 speech,
Jonathan said elimination of
the subsidy was a tough but
necessary choice for the
country's economic future. "I
am determined to leave
behind a better Nigeria that
we all can be proud of. To do
so, I must make sure that we
have the resources and the
means to grow our economy
to be resilient and to sustain
improved livelihood for our
people. We must act in the
public interest, no matter
how tough, for the pains of
today cannot be compared to
the benefits of tomorrow.

http://on.cnn.com/Aqoxpm

The killing of more than 178
people by Islamic militants in
a series of attacks on state
buildings in the northern
Nigerian city of Kano,
underlines how one of Africa’s
most corrupt nations is
reaping the rewards of
decades of misrule with a
sudden and deep descent into
violent chaos. A series of
explosions ripped through
police stations and other
government offices in Kano
on Friday though full details
of the attacks – and the toll of
dead – only started to emerge
a day later. Some reports put
the number of victims at
more than 200. Hospitals are
said to be struggling to cope
with hundreds of injured.
A spokesman for northern
Nigeria’s Islamist rebels said
they carried out the attacks
because the authorities failed
to release captured militants
as they had demanded.
Hence one attack on a Kano
police station in which 50
jailed fighters were able to
escape. Nigeria’s interior
minister described the Kano
assaults as a declaration of
war. President Goodluck
Jonathan said the militants
would “face the full wrath of
the law.” “As a responsible
government, we will not fold
our hands and watch enemies
of democracy, for that is what
these mindless killers are,
perpetrate unprecedented
evil in our land.” But since, in
the past few months, the
attacks have escalated to
become an almost daily
occurrence, ever more
Nigerians are complaining
that is precisely what is
happening.
The Islamists call themselves
Jamaatu Ahlisunnah Lidawati
wal Jihad, Arabic for “People
Committed to the Propagation
of the Prophet’s Teachings
and Jihad.” They are better
known as Boko Haram,
meaning “Western education
is sacrilege,” which was one
of the main contentions of
their former leader, a
preacher called Mohamed
Yusuf who was murdered by
Nigeria’s police in custody in
2009. Yusuf would also rail
about how the government,
under Western influence,
displayed breath-taking
incompetence and self-
serving venality. Last
November in Maiduguri,
where Yusuf founded the
group around a decade ago,
local elders told TIME that
while they did not approve of
Boko Haram’s methods, it
was nevertheless built on
well-founded and widely
shared grievances against an
uncaring, criminal and
predatory state. Though
Nigeria has the largest oil
reserves in Africa, and
abundant land and seas, little
of that wealth has found its
way to the parched, Muslim
north, where levels of
poverty, health and education
are among the worst in the
world. Meanwhile politicians,
bureaucrats, policemen and
soldiers showily enrich
themselves. Last April’s
election of Jonathan, a
southern Christian, only
increased the north’s sense of
marginalization. The
government’s response –
unleashing its army on the
north, where they quickly
became known for a heavy-
handed and indiscriminate
violence against the general
population – has only poured
yet more fuel on the fire.
Today there are several
loosely connected branches
of Boko Haram and at least
one of these has developed
international ambitions. In
August a Boko Haram group
drove a 150kg car bomb into
the ground floor of the U.N.
headquarters in the capital
Abuja and detonated it, killing
24 people and injuring 115.
Boko Haram is also taking
advice and training from
other like-minded groups. The
U.S. says Boko Haram has
well established connections
with another African Islamist
group, al-Qaeda in the
Maghreb (AQIM), which
kidnaps and kills foreigners to
the north in Mali, Mauritania,
Niger and Algeria. Nigeria’s
top security official, General
Andrew Owoeye Azazi, has
also told TIME of links
between Boko Haram and al-
Shabab, the al-Qaeda
franchise to the east in
Somalia.
Jonathan, less than a year
into his presidency, finds
himself embattled in another
front too. Only a week ago he
was battling nationwide
protests after he eliminated
subsidies on petroleum,
causing its price to more than
double overnight. Jonathan
eventually restored part of
the subsidy but the
demonstrations are
continuing. Ironically, though
Jonathan’s axing of the
subsidy had an immediately
impoverishing effect on all
Nigerians, it was actually
intended to address one of
the main founts of corruption
that so infuriates them. Last
year, around a total of $8
billion was paid in fuel
subsidies, most of it going to
members of the country’s
elite who are well enough
politically connected to have
a license to import fuel. At
least in that case, Jonathan
can claim to be on the right
track.


globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/01/22/nigerias-rulers-reap-rewards-of-corruption-with-sudden-descent-into-chaos/

@ gidimonstar so its right in islam to attack some places, no wonder muslims re very violent.

@ekwah the old man wait for press men to be present b4 e begin cry, muslims na pretenders.

Crocodile tears

Padi padi govt