₦airaland Forum

The duo of Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, today brazenly disobeyed a Federal High Court order order releasing from prison custody the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Akpanudoedehe.

Niyi Akintola (SAN) told Saharareporters today that his team served the release order on the IGP, the Comptroller of Prisons in Akwa Ibom as well as the Chief Magistrate who had ordered Akpanudoedehe's imprisonment, but that the federal officials have ignored it. Another legal team has also filed contempt proceedings against the IGP but Justice Bello Adamu's court did not sit today due to a bereavement in his family.
Governor Godswill Akpabio is waxing stronger in defiance of the courts of the land because he enjoys the support of Goodluck Jonathan, the president of Nigeria who has remained silent in the face of the persecution of a major opposition candidate by one of his dependable campaign allies.

"Who would have thought that tyranny would return to our national lexicon so quickly?" a political analyst said today. "How in the world can Jonathan preside over this and yet claim be believes in the rule of law?"

SOGBO – A Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, member in the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Joshua Ogunleye, representing Atakumosa West constituency, in whose house a cache of ammunition was uncovered by the Osun State Police is on the run.
The lawmaker had yesterday spoke to Vanguard from his hideout where he admitted that the residence in which the arms and ammunition were found belongs to him.
He, however, denied any knowledge of the arms and ammunition, saying that he knew nothing about it and probably that they might belong to members of the vigilante group staying in the house.
A team of police detectives had on Wednesday stormed the Osu residence of the lawmaker at number AA 4 Ajido street, where 19 brand new Italian pump action riffles, 14 live cartridges, three 7.62 mm expended ammunition, two expended cartridges and one long cutlass were recovered.
Mr. Ogunleye who is currently the chief whip of the Osun State House of Assembly is the PDP candidate for the House of Representatives in tomorrow’s election in Ijesha South federal constituency of the state.
The command spokesman, Mr Oluwagbemileke Taiwo told Vanguard last night that the police were on the trail of the lawmaker.
“We are yet to get the man in whose house the ammunition was found for proper interrogation but we are still on his trail and I want to assure you that we are closing in on him,” the PPRO said.
Already, four persons have been arrested by the police in connection with the arms and ammunition in the house of the politician and are now helping the police in their investigations.
The ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, stated that the party had been vindicated by the recovery of the arms and ammunition in the politician’s house, saying that the PDP was harboring criminals.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/arms-cache-police-after-osun-lawmaker/

Men of the State Security Service on Wednesday evening arrested a printer in Mokola, Ibadan,with about 7,000 copies of ballot papers.


The man, who was arrested in his printing press, was taken to the Mokola Divisional Police Headquarters from where he was later moved to the Criminal Investigation Department of the state police command for interrogation.


He was said to have made useful statements to the police on the illicit act.


The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Saliu Hashimu, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on the telephone on Wednesday.


Hashimu explained that about 7,000 copies of the ballot papers, already printed, were caught with the suspect.


He said he expected his deputy, who was handling the case, to brief him properly on Thursday.

Four officers of the Police Service Commission, Abuja are to appear in court on April 20, 2011 to answer a 14-count charge brought against them by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission. They were arraigned for allegedly inserting pseudo names into the payroll of the commission between May 2009 and March 2010.


According to a statement signed by Head, Public Enlightenment Department of the commission, Mike Sowe, the officers, who are staff of the Accounts Division of the Commission, include Jonathan Abutu Attah, Francis Nwabundu, Imam Yaqub Ishaq and Mrs Ramatu Ibrahim.They are accused of illegally enriching themselves by inserting ghost names into the payroll of the Commission.


ICPC investigators discovered that the suspects allegedly used various bank accounts with the United Bank for Africa, Intercontinental Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, and Zenith Bank to perpetrate the crime. It was gathered during investigation that the scam was initiated by Jonathan Abutu Attah, the shedule officer in charge of Salary Mandate Register at the Central Pay Office of the Police Service Commission Abuja. He was said to be the main beneficiary of the fraud.


Francis Nwabundu, the shedule officer with the internal audit in charge of vetting payment vouchers, is also accused of passing salary payment vouchers to the Central Pay Office while deliberately refusing to detect the pseudo names he knew had been fraudulently inserted into the payroll.


Imam Yaqub Ishaq, the shedule officer with the Salary Unit in charge of entering pay roll into the Vote Book, is charged with deliberately refusing to detect the pseudo names while passing the Personnel Vote Book to the internal audit for checking.


The four accused persons, according to the statement, will appear before Justice Ishaq Bello of the FCT High Court.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110407628846

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue has dragged the state governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prof. Steven Ugbah, to court, claiming that Ugbah lacked the qualification to contest the April 26 governorship election in the state.

In the suit filed by Benue State Chairman of the PDP, Emmanuel Agbo, the party averred that Ugbah should be stopped from participating in the polls because he possesses the dual citizenship of Nigeria and the United States of America, has no valid tax clearance certificate tendered before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and did not serve the nation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme despite not being exempted by the relevant agency.

But in a statement of defence filed by the ACN Legal Adviser, Omale Omale, the party averred that the Constitution does not disqualify anybody from seeking election on the basis of dual citizenship.

However, the ACN, at the hearing of the suit yesterday at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, moved a motion asking Judge Abimbola Obaseki to disqualify herself from entertaining the matter because the party lacked confidence in her ability to deliver justice in it.

But Agbo filed a counter-affidavit asking that the suit be heard by Obaseki and not transferred to another Federal High court.

Judge Obaseki regretted that affidavits and counter-affidavits were being filed on her person even as she was constrained by law to join issues with any of the parties involved.

She adjourned the matter to April 28 for the ACN to respond on points of law to the counter-affidavit filed by the PDP chairman against their motion for the suit to be transferred to another judge.\\

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43961:benue-pdp-sues-acn-guber-candidate-over-dual-citizenship&catid=1:national&Itemid=559\\


i dey laff

THE kidnapped member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Emmanuel Deeyah, who was released on Monday, has denied police claim that he was rescued following a gun battle between his captors and security agents.


Deeyah, who narrated his ordeal to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday stated that the gunmen had earlier invaded his community in Gwara, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.


He said the kidnappers shot indiscriminately into the air and subsequently forced him into a waiting vehicle.


The lawmaker, who spoke through an e-mail to journalists on Tuesday, added that his captors took him to three different locations and from one vehicle to another.


Deeyah disclosed that he was later transferred to a speedboat and finally to a dugout canoe and moved to a place in the creeks.


The lawmaker said, “I, Honourable Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Khana/Gokana constituency, wish to state the facts regarding my abduction and subsequent release from captivity.


“On Saturday, April 2, 2011, at about 4pm, gunmen invaded my country home in Gwara in Khana local government area of Rivers State, firing automatic weapons indiscriminately and subsequently abducted and forced me into a waiting vehicle and then taken away to a location unfamiliar to me.


“I was blind folded and transferred, at different times, from one vehicle to another until I was finally put in a speed boat, and then a dug-out canoe and taken to a location in the creeks.”

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Tuesday urged Lagosians to ignore the negative text messages being sent around about an alleged rift in the Action Congress of Nigeria.


A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, quoted Fashola as saying this at the lobby of the Mainland Hotel, Oyingbo, Lagos, after attending a meeting of the ACN in the Lagos Central Senatorial District.


The governor also urged all the stakeholders to remain vigilant.


The governor said, “This is the destabilisation, the deceit, the corruption that is the trait and character of the Peoples Democratic Party posing as Labour Party; posing as all sorts of things trying to destabilise all other parties. You just saw our meeting; there is no rift in our party.”


He said the PDP had not told Nigerians what it would do about security, roads and housing. He added that there was a need for all Nigerians to be vigilant, wake up and listen to what the ACN was saying based on the track record of its performances in states where it is in control.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201104065282664

Pataki God bless you well well for the pix na work no make me go do paparazzi work for the campaign. i smell change in the air

Emmanuel Adebayor struck twice as Real Madrid put one foot in the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-0 win over ten-man Tottenham at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Peter Crouch's red card after 15 minutes compounded Harry Redknapp's woes after Adebayor had given Madrid an early lead in the Spanish capital. The Spurs striker earned himself an unwelcome Champions League record for the fastest sending off after two bookings after sliding in wildly on Marcelo just seven minutes after being cautioned for a rash challenge on Sergio Ramos.

With winger Aaron Lennon ruled out due to sickness shortly before kick-off, Redknapp was forced to bring in Jermaine Jenas, although Spurs were boosted by the fitness of Gareth Bale.

However, Spurs found themselves on the back foot after just four minutes as Adebayor sent a firm header goalwards, with Luka Modric getting the ball stuck under his feet and failing to clear.

A goal and a man down after 15 minutes, Spurs battled resolutely - and escaped a strong penalty appeal when the ball struck Michael Dawson's arm - and they went into the break just a goal down, but Adebayor's header shortly before the hour mark saw the Champions League debutants' hopes of reaching the semi-finals fade.

Angel Di Maria's sweetly-struck strike from the edge of the penalty area then saw Spurs' hopes recede even further, and Heurelho Gomes' failure to keep out Cristiano Ronaldo's late volley all but killed the tie.

Meanwhile, in the night's other quarter-final, holders Inter Milan left themselves with serious work to do after losing 5-2 at home to Schalke.

Dejan Stankovic needed just 25 seconds to volley his side into the lead with a stunning volley from the centre circle, but Joel Matip levelled, just as Edu did before half-time after Diego Milito restored Inter's lead.

It was all downhill for the Italian champions after the break as Raul netted for Schalke, Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal and Cristian Chivu picked up his second red card in four days, before Edu notched again to round off a miserable night.

Ahead of the rescheduled National Assembly election slated for this Saturday, a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, on Monday, called for a fresh primary to the Kogi West senatorial district of Kogi State as Justice Inyang Ekwo nullified the primary election of Senator Smart Adeyemi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In his ruling, the judge averred that the primary election that gave the senator the candidature of the party did not follow due process of Section 87 of Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

The judge ordered that a fresh primary election be held before the coming National Assembly election coming up on Saturday.

He also enjoined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop recognising the senator as PDP senatorial standard-bearer.

Former Kogi State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and a senatorial aspirant, Chief Joseph Faniyi, and eight others, who on behalf of other party delegates from Yagba West, Yagba East, Mopa Moro and Kogi Local Government Areas of the state, had dragged Senator Adeyemi, PDP and INEC to court over the manner the primary election was conducted on January 28, this year.

The case has Philip Abalaka as counsel for the plaintiffs and W. Manmman as counsel for the defendants.

Reacting to the ruling, the state PDP legal adviser, Umoru Mohammed, said that the party was ready to obey the court order, adding that the state office had already notified the national secretariat of the party over the development.

He further said that the party would take a decision over the development so as to ensure that it field a candidate in the Saturday election.

ASABA – COMMOTION broke out at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters in Asaba, yesterday, when a group of vigilant youths almost lynched a female staff of the Commission for allegedly escaping with thumb-printed ballot papers. She was stripped in the process.
The ugly incident took place at the gate of INEC office.
Since last Saturday, agents of political parties especially that of DPP had been keeping vigil within the vicinity of the office with a view of nipping any form of manipulation and were still there at press time.
However, armed security agents barricaded the road leading to the office, subjecting people to thorough searching.
State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Charles Muka, confirmed the incident, although he denied that the staff was stripped. He said: “Our men rescued her.
In fact I was surprised because the woman told them that she is an INEC staff but they pounced on her and assaulted her. And as I speak no one has come up to press any charge against her.”

THIS reporter was among millions of Nigerians out in the sun on Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 for the National Assembly elections. But unlike the others around him who were out to vote, he was on monitoring duty at the Egbeda area of Alimosho Local Government Council of Lagos State, which recorded the highest number of voters in the state. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials who were supposed to open up the polls at 8.00am did not arrive until 11.45am.
However, accreditation went on smoothly in the three polling stations in the vicinity until about 12.50 when a call came from a friend in far away Abiriba in Abia State, asking if he listened to a broadcast by the INEC’s Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, calling off the elections and postponing same till Monday, April 4th 2011, citing logistical failures.
When the news spread among the patiently waiting prospective electors, many were first incredulous, then furious when the news was confirmed by the INEC staff, who informed the gathered crowd that they had received orders to return to headquarters immediately. Though some had grumbled that it was a hidden ploy to prevent them from voting, the peaceful atmosphere did not encourage any untoward reaction.
The night before the polls, as is the norm with the electoral agency, the INEC Chairman, Jega, had gone on air to assure Nigerians of the readiness of the Commission to conduct the National Assembly elections, the first of the series of elections leading to the democratic transfer of power come May 29th 2011 . When the cancellation came barely eighteen hours later, it beat all logic and reason.
Jega, while cancelling the exercise, informed that the vendors responsible for bringing in some of the most sensitive materials, especially the form on which the results are entered, had promised to be on ground by latest Thursday, March 31st. According to him, the materials did not arrive Lagos until 9.30 am on Saturday, the supposed polling day.
The question that immediately arose was: why did Jega go on air in the evening of Friday, April 1st, 2011 , to tell Nigerians that the Commission was fully ready for election? Why did he call out Nigerians to the polls, an act that some bitterly likened to an “April’s Fool” joke? Why did he not simply postpone the election on that Friday night to save the nation the huge costs in terms of financial wastages and national embarrassment?
With hundreds of international observers in the country out monitoring the election, and the international community keenly watching an election some have warned will be crucial to the nation’s future, Jega’s action helped in rubbing in the notion that Nigeria has not yet found the right formula to conduct democratic elections.
The anger that erupted across the land stemmed from the fact that Jega’s INEC seems unable to have a complete grasp of the assignment before it. It has forced the nation, on many occasions, to shift dates and create new laws in mid-stride after rolling out timetables and timelines. It has forced an acquiescent National Assembly to repeatedly go back to appropriate funds, and all institutions of state have bent themselves backwards to accede to the many inchoate demands of the Commission if only to ensure free, fair and credible election that the country so fervently needs.
Negative effects
The number one negative consequence of the INEC’s sudden shift of the elections is that many indigent candidates for the parliamentary elections who had already spent themselves sore have been forced to start looking for fresh funds to mobilise their supporters and polling agents all over again when then they thought their ordeal was going to end last Saturday. Those who are liable to be affected the most are fresh aspirants from smaller political parties who have been scrounging from their lean pockets to finance the costly electoral process.
Incumbents who are seeking re-election may be less affected since they are ploughing back their savings from their jumbo pay in the past four years into the venture. What it means is that many indigent candidates may find it difficult to mobilise fresh finances for the new exercise. In that case, they are likely to lose the loyalty of many of their supporters and polling agents in this largely cash-and-carry electoral environment.
As at Saturday night, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media Matters, Mr Ima Niboro, disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan had quickly returned to Abuja from his Otuoke, Bayelsa State home town where he had gone to vote, and was involved in emergency meetings with security chiefs and highly-placed stakeholders. Governors were also expected by Sunday to meet with the president for a common front to be forged to tackle this fiasco, which Jega correctly described as a “national emergency”. Without such a common front, there would be chaos on many fronts.
For instance, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who was livid after the announcement, told the press that he would not interfere with the exams which many schools are undergoing to terminate the second term. Unless governors take bold steps to create a conducive atmosphere for the rescheduled elections we are likely to witness very low turnout and security threats in an atmosphere that is not under proper security control.
Salvaging it together
However, many leaders were immediately able to shake off the disaster and look forward with optimism. For instance, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Chief Bola Tinubu, was of the view that the nation is faced with an emergency which is now beyond the person of Jega or the INEC as an institution. It therefore required a joining of hands to make the best of a potential disaster. In the same vein, the Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, was of the opinion that it is better to postpone the election than to conduct a poll that would be marred by irregularities and global condemnation.
Some have even opined that it was a sign of Jega INEC’s genuine intentions towards the conduct of a free and credible polls that it was shifted, as the nation would have gone berserk with tumult if the poll had been allowed to go ahead under the conditions that obtained last Saturday. The fear, though, is whether INEC will be able to perfect its act this week.
The fear, however, is that exposing the sensitive electoral materials to saboteurs, which a long-drawn shift will bring about.
The nation will come out of this challenge with one useful lesson: the self-distancing of the Presidency and the ruling people’s Democratic Party (PDP) from interfering directly or indirectly with the affairs of the INEC has helped in lightening the burden of this fiasco. If these two institutions had, as before, been seen to be manipulating the process in any form, the postponement would be seen as part of a grand ploy to undermine the polls, which would trigger unpleasant consequences.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/jega’s-coup-against-weak-candidates/

UGHELLI – Tension has heigthened in Patani Local Government Area, Delta State, following the suspected assassination of 31-year- old Mr. Sixtus Ganagana, younger brother of the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Basil Ganagana.
The late Sixtus Ganagana, Vanguard gathered was killed in his house, near the Ughelli Township Stadium, Monday night.
It was gathered that the suspected assassins, who tried to escape in a red Mercedes Benze 190 after the killing, were intercepted by the Ughelli vigilante. The driver of the car was said to have been killed in a gun duel between local vigilante and the suspected assassins.
Also killed in the shootout was a member of the local vigilante, while another member of the security outfit sustained bullet injuries and was receiving treatment at press time.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Police Command, Mr Charles Murka, confirmed the incident.
He, however, said it was a team of police officers that intercepted the suspected assassins while they were escaping, adding “we gunned down one of the suspects.”
He denied knowledge of the Ughelli vigilante intercepting the gang. He said; “I am not aware of any member of the local vigilante being shot dead or injured.”
Reacting to the killing, the Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Ganagana, described the death of his younger brother as a rude shock.
Ganagana who spoke through his media aide, Mr Patrick Edema, said the attack on his younger brother was the handiwork of his political opponents.
Urging security agents to swing into action with a view to tracking down the suspected assassins, he charged his supporters to remain calm and allow law enforcement agents to carry out their investigation.
Ganagana said the suspected assassination of his younger brother would not deter him from providing effective representation to his constituents.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/tension-in-patani-over-assassination-of-deputy-speakers-brother/

BENIN – PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari, Tuesday, said that the postponement of the National Assembly election had exposed the rigging strategies of the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP.
Buhari, who addressed newsmen at the Benin Airport on his way to Anambra State, said the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to postpone the election was a blessing in disguise, as it revealed the plot by the PDP to rig the election as they had allegedly done in the past.
He said during the botched National Assembly election, there were instances where the total number of voters was 1,000 but INEC sent only 300 ballot papers there, adding that upon investigation, it was discovered that INEC officials withheld the papers.
He, however, called on eligible voters across the country to insist on INEC conducting the 2011 elections as it was their constitutional rights to help chose those who will govern them in the next four years.
In a related development Col. Paul Ogbebor, a PDP chieftain in Edo State, has described Buhari as the man Nigeria needed to restore her lost glory, because he has all it takes to rid the country of corruption.
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http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/botched-polls-exposed-pdps-rigging-strategies-buhari/

Activities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos were, Tuesday, disrupted as Nigerian returnees from Libya barricaded roads leading to the airport.
The returnees who had been brought home between March 20 and 22 without their luggage had been keeping vigil at the Hajj camp of the airport.
On arrival they were initially given N5, 000 each to enable them travel to their respective destinations, but due to the non arrival of their luggage, the returnees remained at the camp.
The card carrying Protestants blocked the road leading to the departure hall of the international airport terminal building thereby preventing vehicles from coming in.

File Photo: A cross section of the first batch of returness at the Abuja NEMA camp.
The returnees had initially demonstrated last week at the Hajj camp over the non- arrival of their luggage.
A combined team of security personnel were seen battling to put the situation under control as the protesters remained adamant.
While chanting solidarity songs like “Libya is the best, we swear by almighty God that Libya is the best”, they appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid, demanding for the transportation of their luggage from their transit camp in Tunis to Nigeria.
“We are Nigerians now turn refugees in our own country. We want our luggage back or you fly us back to Libya to die,’’ the group said as they continue to chant solidarity songs.
The demonstration would have degenerated further if the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Airport Command, CP Moses Onireti, had not stopped some overzealous officers who wanted to tear gas the demonstrators.
While addressing the demonstrators, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Moses Onireti , advised the group to direct their protest to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)’s office and not at the airport.
“Government is doing everything possible to bring back your luggage. Please be patient,’’ Onireti appealed to the group.
Mr. John Agbi, leader of the evacuees, condemned the ill-treatment meted out to them by officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) over their plight.
“We want our luggage in fact there is nothing that we want more than our luggage. Why we are still here is because of our luggage. I have been in Nigeria since 22nd of March and still I have not been able to get my luggage, we were the second set of Nigerians that came after the first set that came on the 20th of March .
“Apart from the N5,000 that they gave to us when we came back they have not been giving us anything until on Friday that they gave us N2,000 after we had embarked on a protest and they also give us N2,000 on Monday that was yesterday. “
He said if they had not protected earlier that NEMA would have stopped giving them and that the protest made NEMA to give them N2,000 each.
Agbi said “we are protesting now and the protest is not to destroy anything , but we are begging the Nigeria government that they should do something about bringing back our luggage.
“In fact, if they should give us our luggage now nobody will spend the next 10minutes here, let them give us our luggage so that we can go to our people.”
Agbi disclosed that the protest became inevitable after the first demonstration last week as the promised made were not fulfilled.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/libyan-returnees-protest-at-lagos-airport/

The election had been postponed. In many other states, it was the end of the matter. At least for the day. But it was not so in Ekiti. It was the beginning of an inquest.

Polling booth to polling booth and residence to residence in the various localities across the entire 3 senatorial districts and 16 local governments in the state, the analysis of the disappointment wrought by the postponement and possibilities of Monday (today) went on almost till the dusk of Saturday.

Questions like: what actually happened ?; why did the INEC helmsman have to cancel the entire exercise because of far less than 30 percent lapses?; were there no logistics at all or that the logistics were a farce; who is the essential Attahiru Jega who has been very well reputed but has turned out effete?; why this disturbing closeness of Monday (today) again if the entire months of preparations could bring no less a consequence than a national(?), I mean, global embarrassment and award-winning shame;

Is the fixture not brash, rash and slovenly, following well in the shoddy steps of previous preparations? All these kept surfacing from enlightened conversations of tinder charged residents of Ado-Ekiti.

There actually are so many issues around the postponement than could be meaningfully handled by a professorial explanation and far more consequences than could conceivably have been foreshadowed by INEC.

What magic of logistics would replace the wasted election materials and add on them extra consignments to sufficiently go round the nearly 8,900 wards across the 36 states of the federation in less than 24 hours!

They also imagined the cost of election monitoring by local and international observers and the logistics of security. In short, the entire cost of a repeat show of the national assembly elections.

As early as 8 o’clock in Ado-Ekiti, intending voters were seen sitting and discussing at designated polling centres, awaiting the arrival of polling agents for the pre-voting accreditation.

Although the agents came behind appointed time, the intending voters formed a queue and maintained decency all through the accreditation and commencement of voting till the hammer of disgrace fell a little after midday. The reports across the federation confirmed that the Ekiti experience replicates everywhere, proving the point that Nigerians are indeed tired of the present and yearn for a change that will institute a meaningful lease.

Further, there was, once again, on display the infinitely elastic tolerance level of Nigerians. No report of physical protest for an affront on the collective value of the citizens; no report of barricades on the highways, burning of tyres and other destructive shows of outrage.

No report of a hunger strike among any class, clan or group, although a stomach that has been famishing needs no hunger again. If I may ask, what hunger can be worse than the perennial denials we all have got well accustomed.

A sad point of discovery, however, was the strange attitude of the Ekiti state INEC staff who would not offer explanations concerning the announcement early in the day of the election postponement in Ekiti central senatorial district even before the Jega jigsaw. The officials tried and succeeded in blocking access to the REC, perhaps on the insistence of the REC himself. Does this tell of the temperament of the INEC officials in the state and what to expect today?

In all, the citizens hope that the story line will change next Saturday. They hope by evening they would not be licking wounds of bruises sustained in the aftermath of another postponement.

More facts have emerged from the meeting between the embattled national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, and members of the National Security Council presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday night. At the meeting, LEADERSHIP gathered, heads of national security units condemned the INEC boss for “almost throwing the nation into security problems” as a result of his failure to take “simple security advice” from them. In particular, the national security adviser, Lt. General Andrew Oweye Azazi, was said to have tongue–lashed Jega for not doing the right thing at the right time.
“You told everybody that the materials would arrive on Friday midnight and when you failed to take delivery of the materials which you needed for the election, did you inform the president or anybody? INEC chairman my foot”, the NSA was said to have told Jega in an angry tone.

According to a source, the NSA told Jega that while the president, international community and the entire nation were committed to free, fair and credible elections, INEC should do everything within its power not to disappoint the people. Azazi was quoted as telling Jega that the electoral commission is one out of thousands of institutions and other stakeholders that were driving the democratic process and Jega should not see his responsibility as so special that he could not take genuine advice that borders on national security.

Apparently embarrassed by the NSA’s comment, Jega at a point reportedly told the meeting that if the security council no longer had confidence in him, he would elect to resign his appointment.

But the minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, was said to have angrily told him that it would amount to treason if he attempted to resign.

President Jonathan, who was said to have remained calm throughout the meeting, later summed up the meeting by advising Jega to go back to the drawing board and ensure that all the mistakes were corrected.

Meanwhile, the electoral commission said yesterday that it had forwarded the name of the defaulting contractor, which failed to deliver sensitive electoral materials that halted last Saturday’s National Assembly elections, to security agencies and that very soon the name of the contractor would be revealed to Nigerians.

The commission added that it followed the due processes in awarding the contract, and that the capability of the contractor was ascertained.

INEC spoke through its spokesperson, Nick Dazang, on the BBC Hausa Service monitored in Kaduna .

According to him, “We are still waiting and we have submitted the contractor’s name to security agencies. Many people have been asking us to reveal the identity of the contractor. And very soon it will be made known to Nigerians.”

On the allegation that the materials were hoarded, he further added: “It is not true that the sensitive materials arrived since and were hoarded for mischievous reasons; What happened was that the contractor simply failed us, and the materials were not handy, hence we took the action we took. The contractor did not make the supply in time and we cannot circulate materials that did not arrive.”

Meanwhile, the commission has retrieved the electoral materials that were distributed for the botched National Assembly polls in Kaduna.

The INEC administrative secretary in the state, Alhaji Musa Adamu, said in Kaduna on Monday that all the sensitive and non-sensitive materials had been recovered from the local government areas.

Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that INEC was taking stock ``to ascertain what had either been used or lost’’ during the aborted poll and to get them replenished.

He said that the commission and its staff were on top of the situation, and gave the assurance that ``a credible poll will be conducted with the cooperation of the political parties, candidates, supporters and observers’’.

Adamu said that it was untrue that the commission’s office at Anchau in Kubau local government area was burnt down because of the postponed election.

The commissioner said the electoral officer and security agencies in the area confirmed separately that the information was a rumour without any iota of truth.

“INEC holds security meeting every morning and evening before closing for the day to be abreast of developments in the state and this incident was not captured as a real or isolated case,’’ he explained.

Adamu said that the major speculator of the dangerous information was the journalist who reported it and who is now helping security organisations in their investigations.

He advised the people to stop peddling dangerous rumours capable of threatening the country’s peace and democratic process.

Adamu renewed the resolve of the commission to conduct a free, fair, credible and acceptable poll, saying ``we must get it right this time’’.

Meanwhile, the last has not been heard of Saturday’s shocking postponement of the scheduled National Assembly polls. Jega has reportedly approved an in-house investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the national embarrassment.

All resident electoral commissioners (RECs) across the country have been summoned to an emergency meeting with top officials of the commission at its headquarters in Abuja. Today’s meeting is not unconnected with widespread logistic glitches -- especially transport -- that marred the botched National Assembly polls initially scheduled for April 2.

In a meeting that dragged on late into the evening yesterday, Jega met behind closed-doors with all his national commissioners.

According to a source in the commission, the investigation is primarily directed at the logistics department which apparently misled the INEC chairman on its readiness for the postponed ballots.

In the aftermath of the postponed polls, reports of likely sabotage as a reason for the late supply of the election materials are becoming rife.

“The probe is with a view to unravel what led to the late supply of the sensitive election materials despite assurances of timely delivery from both the ‘vendor’ and the logistics department”, the source preferring to be anonymous, disclosed.

The INEC chairman has reported the breach of contract by the vendor to security agencies for action.

Meanwhile, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and President Goodluck Jonathan of exerting undue pressure on Jega to resign or manipulate the forthcoming elections in their favour.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday, Yinka Odumakin, the spokesman of CPC’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), said that emerging pieces of evidence have shown that the National Assembly elections were postponed because of PDP and Jonathan’s ‘vested interests to manipulate the outcome of the elections’.

He said, “We had hitherto believed that the National Assembly elections that had to be aborted and postponed in the middle of voting was because of non availability of critical materials as announced by Prof Jega.

“However, we now have reasons to believe that covert as well as overt pressures are being exerted by President Goodluck Jonathan, the ruling PDP and their agents because of their vested interests in manipulating the outcome of the elections.

“The pressures were so strong that the INEC chairman succumbed and agreed not to combine the National Assembly elections with that of the presidential elections as has since been publicly announced by INEC. He, however, refused to constitute a taskforce and change the accreditation procedure as demanded and offered to resign instead,” the statement added.

However, Odumakin warned that any attempt to force Jega out of INEC as being planned will spell doom for democracy in Nigeria.

“For these and many more reasons we strongly urge President Jonathan and the ruling PDP to cease and desist from any further covert and overt interference in the way and manner in which the elections are conducted by INEC; not only in the interest of free, fair and credible elections that President Jonathan has promised Nigerians and the world at large but also in the interest of peace and stability of our country,” the statement concluded.

http://www.leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28435:you-misled-us-nsa-tells-jega&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=142

As the strong political battle between Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State and his father, the political dictator of Kwara politics, second republic senate leader and waziri of Ilorin, Dr. Olusola Saraki, attain its peak, tension continue to mount on political loyalists in state on who to succeed Governor Bukola Saraki. However, guber candidates are rounding up their campaign tour and going to the poll to determine the outcome of both the strength and wealth displayed in the last few months. It has however come to the notice of FRESHFACTS that the candidates are still battling with the fear of their level of acceptance in the state as regard the exalted seat which is meant to be occupied by the winner come May 29, 2011. FRESHFACTS gathered that the power tussle has turned the ‘State of Hamony’ into a factional entity that can only been brought back together by the outcome of the governorship election. Governor Bukola Saraki has succeeded in ensuring that his younger Sister, Sen Gbemisola Saraki would not become the next governor of the state by campaigning against her candidature and chasing her out of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN. The major candidates jostling for governorship seat are; Barrister Mohammed Dele Belgore, SAN: Action Congress of Nigeria The son of the late jurist and Wali of Ilorin, Justice M.B. Belgore, has been vibrating in Kwara State in the last two years not as a legal practitioner but as a politician who is readily equipped to take over the leadership of the state from the ruling party, PDP, come May 29. The ACN guber candidate has since been striving hard to occupy the prestigious government house located along Ahmadu way, Ilorin. Dele Belgore became the flag bearer of the ACN with the support of the party’s elders from Lagos who single handedly endorsed his candidature without conducting primaries. FRESHFACTS gathered that this singular action of imposition however led to the breakaway of some aggrieved members and defected to the Allied congress party of Nigeria, ACPN while others joined the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. With the defection of the state chairman of ACN, elder Wole Fagbemi, the political warlord of Offa politics and guber aspirant of the party, Arc. Lola Ashiru and a business mogul and son of the first Senior Advocate in the Northern Nigeria, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who was also aspiring to become the governor of the state under the platform ACN, party loyalist felt that the remains of the ACN may not likely see the light of the day. Eventually, Belgore has nurtured the party to the peak of political struggle and has since reached out to the people of the State in his campaign tour to all the local government areas in Kwara State. He enjoyed massive support from the people because of the courage expressed in the quest for change and liberation in the Kwara politics which has been controlled by Dr. Olusola Saraki for the past 48 years. As parts of his campaign projects, Belgore has done so much for the people of the state by providing some basic social amenities in order to make life more meaningful to the less privileged and rural dwellers. FRESHFACTS therefore discovered that, Belgore is fresh in the Kwara politics, but has given the people of Kwara state the impression of transforming and liberating the state through his free education, free health care services, reduction of the huge tuition fees of the State owned University and improved agricultural policies if voted to power. Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed: Peoples Democratic Party Alhaji Abdulfattah has served the present administration in various capacity having served as the Honourable Commissioner for finance for close to seven years and Honourable Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Governor Bukola Saraki has deemed it fit to empower him and transfer the leadership of the State to him so as to ensure continuity of the good legacy set by his administration in the last eight years of governance. With the full support of Governor Bukola Saraki, Abdulfattah flagged-off his campaign at the Metropolitan Square in Ilorin the state capital and has since visited the 16 local government areas of the State on a campaign tour with constant support of the State government and its machineries. FRESHFACTS however observed that the zoning system adopted by leadership of the PDP was to ensure that Abdulfattah emerge as the flag bearer. This was contained in the keynote address by Governor Saraki at the Palace of the Elerin of Erin-Ile, Oba AbdulGaniyu Ajibola Olusookun III and the Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II during a campaign rally to a campaign to Oyun and Offa local government areas in the Kwara Sourth Senatorial District of the state recently. Governor Saraki said ‘we adopted zoning system so as to give a candidate from Kwara South chance to emerge and eventually become the next governor of the state because, Kwara central have been holding power since 1999 and if still allowed to partake in the party’s primaries, would emerge and continue to dominate and dictate the political activities in the state.’ He therefore urged the traditional rulers to mobilise support for Abdulfattah in the forthcoming guber poll. In an interview with FRESHFACTS, a second republic Honourable of the State House of Assembly representing Oke Ogun constituency, Hon. Kayode Adeshina said “Governor Saraki has made a very good choice by making Abdulfattah the candidate of the PDP despite the threat and pressure by his father and this has really showed that there is a very bright future for our country because if you see the calibre of people at the helm of affairs in Nigeria now, you would agree with me that they are vibrant youth who have stuffs on their heads to save Nigerians from the persisting problems that have become the order of the day.” In another development, concerned people of the state have also expressed their fear over Abdulfattah succeeding him following the awareness of the high rate of debt recorded by the present administration which may likely have an adverse effect on the economy of the state in the next administration. They foresee a situation whereby Abdulfattah will become a stooge of Governor Saraki who may likely be controlling him right from the senate where he is vying to continue his political career. FRESHFACTS observed that, his major weakness is the inability to attempt the question relating to the minimum wage posed to him satisfactorily by workers during a live interview programme on the state radio station. But within the continuity of the legacy of the good work of Governor Saraki, people see him as the right choice of the state. Senator Ruqayyah Gbemisola Saraki: Allied Congress Party of Nigeria A one term member of the Federal House of Representative between 1999 and 2003 and also the serving Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District since 2003 under the platform of the PDP, joined the race of governorship struggle when she earlier declared her intention under the same party that gave her support since the last eight years as senator. Her candidature was endorsed by her father, Dr. Olusola Saraki and was rejected by her brother, Gov. Bukola Saraki and has since led to her defection to the ACPN, a new party in the state. Gbemisola, with the support of her father has vowed to become the first elected female governor in Nigeria and turning the political history of the State and the country at large to another direction. As part of her empowerment programme, Sen. Gbemisola recently sponsored one Abdulazeez Mohammed Jamiu aged 21, of Alanamu ward in theIlorin-West local government area of Kwara State, to study Medicine and Surgery at the Sheyang Medical College, China. While speaking with FRESHFACTS, a political loyalist and member of GRS 2011 campaign organisation said, “Dr. Olusola Saraki’s political factor is enough to ensure the emergence of Gbemisola as the next governor of the state even without going to the poll.” Her major weaknesses are seen in the areas of the religious view of the position of women in the society and the moral view of shifting of power from the Saraksi to somewhere else. However, political analysts are of the opinion that it is the outcome of the governorship election that would determine whether Dr.Olusola Saraki

http://www.freshfactsonlinenews.net/_politcsnw.htm

The modified open ballot system where voters are to be accredited and then wait until 12:30 pm before the commencement of voting will still be used in Saturday’s National Assembly as well as subsequent elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.


INEC’s election procedure for the 2011 general elections has come under fire from security agencies and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led federal government but opposition parties welcomed it as they believe it could check fraud.
people will go for accreditation, wait and vote as from 12: 30 pm


At a National Security Council meeting at the weekend, INEC was advised to among other things dump the modified open ballot system in order to allow voters to cast their votes immediately they are accredited and then leave the polling stations.

But the electoral commission has insisted that it will go ahead with the election procedure it has adopted which provides for accreditation, waiting before voting and also allows voters to wait behind after voting to get their ballots counted.

Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman Kayode Idowu told Daily Trust, “The commission has made it clear and the chairman also said yesterday (Sunday) that it is still going to use the modified open ballot system, meaning people will go for accreditation, wait and vote as from 12: 30 pm.”

Police and other security agencies have been giving counter directives to those of INEC on the issue of the electoral procedure, insisting that voters must vote immediately after accreditation and leave the polling stations afterwards.

The Force Headquarters in a statement said voters should not wait after voting and that remaining at the polling stations could lead to breakdown of law and order in some volatile areas.

INEC however pointed out a few days to the aborted polls that the election procedure was used in 1993 where people queued up to be counted and the results were adjudged as the most credible in the history of the country.

During the unveiling of the procedure for voting, PDP and some other political parties opposed the modified open ballot system as well as the directive that voters can wait after voting.

In his explanation, INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega said the commission has “gone too far with preparations on the procedure for elections to make any changes” and that “the commission does not say that people must stay back for their votes to be counted. What we say is that those that want to wait should be allowed to do so as far as they conduct themselves with decorum and they remain law abiding.”

The other major political parties at the meeting including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) applauded the procedure, saying it succeeded in 1993.

Meanwhile, Daily Trust learnt yesterday that the rescheduled National Assembly election may not hold in some constituencies in the country as a result of shortage or errors in ballot papers. Discrepancies were noticed on some of the ballot papers released for some constituencies before the postponement of last Saturday’s parliamentary election.

Speaking on how the commission intends to tackle the situation before the new date for the polls, Chief Press Secretary Kayode Idowu said the commission may defer election in some affected areas.

During last Saturday’s botched parliamentary election, it was gathered that the logo and name of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was missing on the ballot paper for Gombe Central Senatorial district.

It was also noticed that the CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) shared the same logo of the latter on the ballot papers for the senatorial elections in Nasarawa state. The logo and name of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) was also said to be missing on the ballot papers for Kwara state.

In producing the ballot papers there was allowance made for replacement and there is possibility of replacing the used ballot papers
Idowu said the commission is taking an audit of all such issues. He said “INEC will try to amend some of the ballot papers with discrepancies. For those it cannot amend in some areas that are very few, elections will be deferred to a later date.

“You know it involves printing of ballot papers for some areas and that cannot be done before Saturday. In such cases the election has to be deferred. The commission will announce all areas affected before Friday.”

Commenting on how the commission intends to replace some of the ballot papers already used, Idowu said the commission had made room for replacement and had expected incidents where ballot papers may have to be replaced.

“Those things will be audited and that is already ongoing. If there is need for replacement, allowance has been made for that. If it becomes impossible to replace by Saturday, the affected areas may be part of where election is deferred. In producing the ballot papers there was allowance made for replacement and there is possibility of replacing the used ballot papers,” Idowu said.

In several parts of the country, actual voting already commenced before INEC called off the elections, while thousands of ballot papers were already used. The commission had said ballot papers are coded and serialised with unique features tied to constituencies to check rigging.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16082:open-secret-ballot-system-still-stands&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

Yemeni security forces have fired on anti-government protesters, killing at least 15 people and wounding many more, medical sources say.

Witnesses said snipers opened fire from the rooftops when demonstrators reached the governor's offices in Taiz.

Snipers had also reportedly shot at protesters during a march in the fourth-largest city, Hudaida.

The unrest follows weeks of nationwide protests calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stand down.

He has ruled the country for 32 years, but has signalled that he has no plans to leave immediately.

The US has been a key ally of his, but analysts say Washington appears to be losing patience with him.

Countries in the Gulf Co-operation Council regional bloc have offered to host talks between Mr Saleh and opposition groups.

But Mr Saleh has been taking an increasingly hard line with the protesters, and has not publicly responded to offers of mediation.

Live ammunition

On Monday, crowds of protesters in the south-western city of Taiz began marching toward Freedom Square - the focal point of protests, where

demonstrators have been camping out.

When the march passed the governor's headquarters, troops blocked the procession and clashes broke out.

Yemen's leader has been one of Washington's key allies in the war on terror. Yemen is home to one of al-Qaeda's most dangerous franchises. The

inability of the government in Sanaa to control much of its territory gives al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula space to train and grow.

Yemen occupies a piece of strategic real-estate near to the mouth of the Red Sea. Yemen as a totally failed state, dominating a key shipping route to

and from the Suez Canal, is a nightmare for Washington; a kind of Afghanistan-on-sea before the ousting of the Taliban.

The growing violence and President Saleh's refusal to give up power has prompted something of a shift in the US view over the past couple of

weeks. Mr Saleh is now seen by the Obama administration as less of an asset and more of a liability.

Activists described chaotic scenes, with live ammunition being fired and military police taking away the bodies of dead protesters.

"It was heavy gunfire from all directions. Some were firing from the rooftop of the governor's building," a witness told the Associated Press.

Hospital sources said at least 15 people had been killed, and 30 more were wounded.

Tanks and armoured vehicles are now blocking entrances to the city and have surrounded Freedom Square, arresting anyone who tries to leave.

The port city of Hudaida saw demonstrators gather in solidarity with people in Taiz and attempt to march on the city's presidential palace.

But police opened fire on them with live ammunition and tear gas leaving dozens injured, witnesses and doctors said.

"They suddenly gathered around the province's administrative building and headed to the presidential palace, but police stopped them by firing

gunshots in the air and using tear gas. I saw a lot of plain-clothes police attack them too," an unnamed witness told Reuters news agency.

Collapsing economy

A BBC correspondent in the country, who cannot be named for security reasons, says President Saleh is under immense pressure.

He has lost allies, the army is split, the government has lost control of entire areas of the country and the economy is collapsing, says our

correspondent.


The opposition coalition Common Forum, which includes the five biggest opposition groups in Yemen, has offered a five-point plan for Mr Saleh to hand over power:

President Saleh resigns and is replaced by Vice-President Abdu Rabu Hadi

Mr Hadi announces a restructuring of the security forces to make them accountable to the government

An interim government is created based on national reconciliation

A new electoral commission is established

Civil liberties are boosted and an investigation is launched into the killing of protesters

Officials have said they have not yet received a copy of the plan - but speaking at a meeting in Sanaa with representatives from Taiz Province on

Sunday, President Saleh called on Common Forum to "end the crisis through calling off protests and removing roadblocks".

Any transition, he said, would have to be made "through constitutional ways".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12956262

he was caught with election materials that he cannot explain where he got it from so Nairalanders i humbly ask what do you think should be his punishment should we try him for treason, jail him,castrate him or just applaud him and ask him to sin no more?

ECA don enter voicemail as in e don finish capish amigo

Any1 dat is against BB os against me, And if you are against me, You are as good as a Yar Adua, gbam gbam gbam

check out GEJ birthday cake

The District Head of Agii in Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State, Chief Stephen Nduul and his eldest son, George exchanged hot words during the aborted National Assembly polls of April 2, 2011.
It was learnt that the exchange of words was caused by the fact that while George Nduul, a staff of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is of the Action Congress of Nigeria, his father is a supporter of the PDP. A witness told our correspondent that George took two cows to his father’s residence at Ushongo to host ACN members, and the father, who felt embarrassed by that action decided to untie the cows, telling his son to go and build his house so that he can host opposing party members there. It was further gathered that on the election day, Chief Nduul allegedly took electoral officials into a classroom at Igbauke Primary School, Ushongo, for the exercise instead of under the mango tree, where the voters’ registration exercise was held. Angered by the father’s behaviour, George was said to have taken a detachment of armed policemen to the venue, but sensing trouble, the INEC officials relocated under the mango tree, where the accreditation took place before the election was later cancelled.

Chief Nduul, who retired as a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was said to have rained curses on his son, saying, “If I was the one who knelt down to beg my colleague, former Minister of Works Chief Tony Anenih to employ you, you will never succeed in life”.

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][/font]make this guy go rest oh before dem go kill am for ring oh na becos e use goodluck win before abi na mistake e take win e wan cum try e self

This guide was created to help you learn the type of eye disorder you may have and what should be done about it. But these guidelines are only an overview and definitely should not replace a consultation with your own eye doctor.

Typically, common eye disorders can be broken down into major eye symptoms, making it easier to sort them out and come up with specific guidelines. Major categories include:

Redness
Itching
Swelling
Burning
Trauma
Pain
Blur (decrease in vision)
Spots, flashes and floaters
What if Your Eyes Are Red and Irritated?

Eyes can turn red for many reasons, including infection, inflammation, allergy, broken blood vessels and trauma. If the white of your eye (sclera) looks red or pink, you might have one of the following conditions:

Pink Eye. If you have kids, you almost certainly know about an eye infection known as pink eye. Adults can get it, too. If the redness is from a form of pink eye known as conjunctivitis, you will also have other symptoms such as itching, burning or stinging, discharge, swelling, watering — or a combination of the above. Some forms of pinkeye are contagious, and some are not. Allergic conjunctivitis, for example, is not contagious. But viral and bacterial forms of pink eyes are contagious. So it's best to see your eye doctor or family doctor for diagnosis and possible treatment.

Quick Tip: Until you know more about what may be causing your problem, you should avoid rubbing your eyes. Make sure you wash your hands often. For relief, use cool, wet compresses on the outside of your closed eyelids. [Read more about preventing pinkeye.]
Eye Allergies. Allergies can be seasonal (spring and fall), or they can happen when something irritating (allergen) invades your eyes, like cat dander or fumes. You may have an eye allergy if your eyes rapidly become red, watery and puffy. How your eyes are affected may depend on the time of year and type of plants you have in the area where you live. We Minnesotans tend to have lots of seasonal allergy problems in the spring and fall. But many people can also have year-round allergies because of dust mites, molds, etc.

Quick Tip: Try cold, wet compresses on the outside of your closed eyelids. You may also find relief if you take an over-the-counter antihistamine orally. If the allergy continues to annoy you, you may need to see your eye doctor for a prescription to help you deal with symptoms.
Broken Blood Vessel (subconjunctival hemorrhage). Tiny blood vessels in the white of the eye can break from straining, lifting, rubbing or for no reason at all. Called subconjunctival hemorrhages, they are usually harmless and ordinarily aren't considered an emergency.

Quick Tip: To be on the safe side, you should see your eye doctor within a day or two after noticing symptoms to make sure there's no underlying cause for the broken vessel. Otherwise, there really is no treatment other than time for most of these blood leaks. But I always tell my patients to make up a really good story, because everyone will ask them what happened!
Eye Trauma. Getting hit in the eye can certainly cause redness, along with pain and blurred vision. The eye may be scratched or gouged, but there also could be hidden damage inside the eye, such as a detached retina, that can be very serious and must be treated. Unless the hit is very light, an eye doctor should treat eye traumas right away.

Quick Tip: For some immediate relief, put a very cold compress or ice pack on the injured eye. Avoid rubbing it. If you can't reach your eye doctor, go to an emergency room or urgent care center for help.
Itching and Itchy Eyes

Almost all eye itching is caused by some sort of allergy. Very often, mild itching can be helped with over-the-counter lubricating eye drops. I'd avoid the ones that take away redness (decongestants), as they can be addictive. You can also use cold compresses or ice packs to help with itchy eyes.

More severe itching may need extra help, such as oral antihistamines or prescription eye drops. Although itchy eyes are not an emergency, you still may need to consult your eye doctor for advice or a prescription.

If your eyelids are red and inflamed, you could have blepharitis. Make sure you visit your eye doctor to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.

Quick Tip: Try to avoid rubbing your eyes! Rubbing releases chemicals called histamines that actually make the itching worse.

Blurred Vision

If you have blurred vision that happens suddenly and persists, consider this an emergency. See your eye doctor, or visit an emergency room/urgent care center.

If one eye becomes blurry or goes dark suddenly, like a curtain coming down, this is an emergency and should be checked out by your eye doctor or an emergency room/urgent care center. This could indicate a retinal problem, like a detachment, or even a stroke.

If you have some minor blurring that comes and goes, this could mean tiredness, dryness or eye strain. Keep in mind that many eye conditions can cause some vision blur, including pink eye, allergies, dry eyes and even a lot of near vision work. Most of these would not be emergency situations.

Quick Tip: For mild blurry vision, try resting your eyes. If the blurry vision persists, make an appointment for an eye exam.

Puffy Eyes

Unusual puffiness around the eyes often is a sign of an allergy. Of course, trauma such as getting hit in the eye also can cause eyes to swell.

Quick Tip: If puffy eyes are caused by an allergy, you may have to take an over-the-counter decongestant orally to alleviate symptoms.

Eye Burning

Eye burning can be caused by allergy, dryness, tiredness, vision stress (like computer work) or a combination of the above. See your eye doctor if the burning persists, but this symptom is not usually an emergency.

Quick Tip: Usually, burning can be helped with over-the-counter lubricating eye drops and rest. You can also use cool, moist compresses.

Eye Pain

Eye pain can be sharp or dull, internal or external, constant or intermittent, stabbing or throbbing. As a general rule, if you have eye pain along with redness, you should consider this an emergency and either see your eye doctor or go to an emergency room or urgent care center right away.

Constant eye pain, especially when moving your eyes or gently pushing on your eyes, can sometimes indicate an inflammation of some of the inner eye parts. This means you should try and see your eye doctor as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment.

I often help people with rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia (chronic pain throughout the body) who are having related eye pain. Eye pain sometimes is caused by dry eyes, which needs to be treated with over-the-counter or prescription medication. Occasionally, eye pain is caused by something serious, like uveitis. This is an inflammation of the inner eye tissues, like the iris. Again, this type of condition should be treated as soon as possible.

Eye pain with blurred vision should be considered an emergency and should be investigated as soon as possible by your eye doctor or by the emergency room/urgent care center.

Quick Tip: If your eye pain is dull like a headache in your eye, but there is no redness or blurred vision, this could be caused by overuse, eye strain or even sinus problems. I suggest seeing your doctor only if it doesn't clear up with rest or perhaps some Tylenol or Advil.

Spots, Flashes and Floaters

Many spots and floaters are normal. As you age and experience all of life's bumps and movements, bits and pieces of your retinas break loose and float in the inner liquid of the eyes (the vitreous). Most of these floaters are harmless , just annoying. You tend to see them against a lighted background, sky or white wall.

However, some flashes and floaters can let you know something is happening to your retina (the inner back tissue of the eyeball). You can have vitreous detachments and/or detached retinas, which must be diagnosed and treated.

As a general rule, if you have a few little dots, threads or "bugs" that come and go depending on how tired you are or what kind of lighting you're in, these are normal floaters. But if you suddenly see flashes of light, clouds of floaters, swirly mists or a curtain over part of your vision, it's best to see your eye doctor or an emergency room/urgent care center. They'll dilate your pupils to see what's going on inside your eyes and make sure it gets treated if need be.

Most retinal detachments can be helped if treated soon. If retinal detachments are ignored, however, they can lead to a loss of vision or even blindness.

Quick Tip: Most vitreous detachments creating spots and floaters just need to be watched. But you have no way of knowing whether you have a vitreous detachment or a far more serious retinal detachment. So in either case, make sure you see a doctor.


Foreign Object (Something in the Eye)

Getting something in your eye seems like it should be an emergency, and it often is. Whether your eye is invaded by a piece of metal, a thorn or sticker or a sharp object, it's critical that you see an eye doctor or an emergency room/urgent care center right away.

Don't rub your eye or attempt to remove whatever is in there. You could cause more damage. Loosely tape a paper cup (or eye shield if you have one) over your eye and seek help.

Quick Tip: Let's also be practical. Not everything that gets in your eye is serious. We all have little bits of something in our eyes at times. If you know it's just a piece of dust that's irritating your eye, you can try rinsing it with saline solution or using lubricating eye drops. If you are able, try turning your eyelid inside out to see if you can dislodge the particle. If none of these home remedies works, then it's off to the doctor.



Read more: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/eye-disorders.htm#ixzz1IXsgJTNq

SKY NEWS

A Liberal Democrat minister has accused his Cabinet colleague of "poisoning" politics as a public row over the voting reform referendum worsens and descends into personal attacks.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has written to Baroness Warsi, the Conservative party co-chairman and minister without portfolio, calling on her to stop spreading "scares and smears" about supporters of the alternative vote (AV).

The letter, which breaks traditional Cabinet etiquette, is the latest development in a spat that has already included mentions of Nazi propaganda, reports Sky News.

Huhne is a prominent advocate of AV along with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and other Liberal Democrats.

But Tory Baroness Warsi wants the electorate to vote 'No' on May 5 and argues the alternative system would allow more extreme parties, such as the British National Party (BNP), to get elected.

That claim prompted the Energy Secretary to publicly describe her campaign as "increasingly Goebbels-like" - a reference to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's propaganda minister.

Now Huhne has written to the Tory peer to ask: "Are the No camp campaigning in dark glasses because they don't want to show that the bulk of their funds, in cash and in kind, are donations from the Conservative party?"

According to The Observer, he went on: "How many Conservative employees have been seconded to the No campaign?

"Will you declare the full value of their services properly as donations?"

He called on Baroness Warsi to stop using "secret donations to advance scares and smears" and added, "Please stop now before you poison our politics".

The Yes campaign says 95% of its funds come from the Electoral Reform Society and the Joseph Rowntree Trust.

'No' campaigners have yet to declare their donors but say they plan to do so. It is within the rules to keep the details secret for another six months.

A spokesman for the No camp told the paper: "Would Chris Huhne like to tell us if he believes there is a conflict of interest in the largest donor to the Yes to AV campaign, the Electoral Reform Society, running elections in London and in Scotland providing the electronic vote-counting machine and using public money to do so?"

The governing parties are on different sides of the voting reform debate with the Lib Dems putting calls for a more proportional system at the heart of their General Election campaign.

In contrast, Conservatives including Prime Minister David Cameron want the existing system to stay.

A referendum on the issue was a key plank of the coalition agreement signed by the two parties.

Opposition leader Ed Miliband supports the Yes To AV campaign but many of his Labour MPs take the opposite view.

In contrast to the diplomacy they normally display when they disagree, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have both delivered thinly-veiled attacks on the other's position.

On Friday, Cameron called Alternative Vote "crazy" and said "they" - the 'Yes' camp - used to consider AV a "miserable little compromise", a phrase once used by Clegg.

Under the current system of first-past-the-post, voters put a cross next to one candidate's name and the person with the most votes wins the seat.

But under AV, voters would rank the candidates in order of preference.

If no candidate gets 50% of the vote on the first round, the least popular candidate is eliminated and their "second preferences" are redistributed among the remaining candidates.

Sunday Trust correspondent spent two days at the Obubra Presidential Amnesty Camp in Cross River State, during which he spent time in the midst of over 700 female ex-militants. He captured the mood, the ‘crazy’ and interesting nature of the ladies, their experiences, fears. The story is revealing
Obubra Town: Obubra is a border community in Cross River State. The community recently became home and a training ground to several ex-militants from the Niger-Delta region who accepted the Federal Government’s amnesty, surrendered theirs arms and submitted themselves to be trained in different skills with the view to become useful human beings.

From June 28, 2010 till date, the Obubra ex-militants rehabilitation camp, which was formerly the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) orientation camp, has trained 11 batches of 13,000 ex-militants out of over 20,000 on attitudinal change from violent disposition to non-violent disposition. About 8,000 trainees have been sent abroad for further training on vocational education, the Camp Administrator, Mr Ekpein Appah, told Sunday Trust.

The recent Batch 11, Sunday Trust learnt, is the most unique, controversial and interesting of all the previous batches. This is the batch that constitutes a large number of over 700 female ex-militants who stormed the camp with surprises and revelations.

With the arrival in camp of about 85 pregnant ex-militants, 35 nursing mothers, the batch was thrown into a glare of publicity, exposing what observers belief, is the vulnerability of women and children in time of armed conflicts and highlighting the beauty of reconciliation and reintegration.


Arrival at the Gate: Upon arriving the Obubra Amnesty Camp at about 6:15pm, Saturday, December 18, this reporter observed the tight security within and around the camp. A combined team of armed-to-teeth soldiers, policemen, men of the anti-bomb unit, members of the State Security Service (SSS), Civil Defense and fire fighters were seen patrolling the camp.

“Can you identify yourself, young man?” this reporter was asked one of the security personnel at the entrance to the camp. Sunday Trust correspondent informed the security personnel of his earlier appointment with the camp administrator. Soon, one of them went into the camp and invited the camp administrator for proper identification.

This reporter, alongside other consultants, was frisked to ensure that the security of those who embraced peace as well as their trainers and consultants is not compromised. Every screened visitor to the camp was given a tag that he or she must always carry along.


In the Camp: When Sunday Trust reporter finally gained entry into the camp, accompanied by the administrator, the environment was spectacular. Virtually everyone was dressed in a white T-shirt, white short knickers, white baseball cap with a bold inscription of “AMNESTY: I am 4 Peace” on the T-shirts, which summarizes the business of everyone in the camp. The scenario could be mistaken for a police training college.

Hundreds of female and male ex-militants were seen lined up in a parade supervised by the same military men who had, over the years, tackled them in the creeks. Others were sighted clapping, dancing and singing a traditional song which tells an old story of the Lemon Grass River, according to one of them who attempted to translated the song to this reporter.


Interaction with the ladies: Kezia Eric is from Bayelsa State. She is 36. She was a messenger to the ex-militants. “I never had a boyfriend among them. I was raped many times.” When asked to give details of what actually happened, Kezia simply said “forget, forget. I do not want to talk about it. It makes me sick when I think of it”. On what informed her joining the insurgency, she said, “I was told that all the good things that come from my state were being taken to the Hausa states.” Kezia’s hope in the amnesty was high. She believes that at the end of the training, the federal government will provide her with money to start her own business. She promised never to go back to the creeks no matter what.

Inkwegdbe Appiah is 26. She revealed to this reporter that she had been in the militancy for four and a half years. According to her, she was the women leader in the creeks and her major responsibility was to supply food and coordinate the women on what to do so that when the men return from action, they will have something to eat. “I also ensured that women do not sleep around with the men so that what they use in fighting will not be spoilt.” On what the male ex-militants used to fight, she revealed that they used charms which are believed can be spoiled by rampant sexual relations with women.

“One day, we went out and we were attacked by some military men who shot and killed some of us. I ran into the bush, slept flat on my belly as bullets flew over me. Some of the soldiers stepped over me as they thought I was already dead. When they left, I stood up and was helped by one of us.” This is the most awful experience that Inkwegdbe Appiah will live to remember.

Inkwegbe is now married. She met her husband in the creeks during the insurgency. She told this reporter that, “Some of the ex-militants have attempted to rape me. Then, I was still single. Because they smoke “egwa” and drink alcohol. I shouted at them when I suspect something. Then, they will calm down. But when I see that their morale is higher than my own, I have to back down and stay away. “When you are cool and you see action, you may not do a particular thing. But when you are high in the head and you see action, you can do it without mercy,” she pointed out.

Helen (not real name) is 22. She is one of the over 75 pregnant ex-militants in the camp. She narrated her ugly story in between tears to Sunday Trust reporter. One day as she was returning from school, two ex-militants approached her and requested that she joined them in the creeks as militants. “I rejected the invitation but I was kidnapped into the creeks by the same ex-militants the following week. They attempted to rape me. Fortunately, one among them happened to be from my home town and recognized me and asked them not to touch me.” Helen was warned that any disappointment from her would cost her her life. “I remained loyal and served as their cook and washed their clothes. One day, I sneaked away under the pretext of going to buy something.” She is now discovered pregnant for her supposed protector.

Gift Uso is 25. She is from Akwa Ibom State. She completed her secondary school before joining the militants. She could not further her education because of financial difficulties. Her experience in the creeks is that of killing, bloodshed, stubbornness and suffering, she told this reporter. “I used my sense to calm those (male ex-militants) down when they attempted having sex with me,” she added.


Linda Kerem is 21 from Akwa Ibom State: She was in the militancy for six years. According to her, she was the informant for their camp in the creeks. “I joined the militancy because of the maltreatment of my parents by the Cameroonians who beat them up and sent them over to Nigeria. They suffered neglect and rejection from our country. Some of our uncles are rich but they look down on us because we are poor. So, I had to find a way to survive.” Living in the creeks was not easy for Linda. “At times, we do starve, no drinking water but we had to struggle to survive, we slept in thatch houses.”

My responsibility was to keep my ear to the ground. I visited drinking joints, bough drinks or pretend to be sick so as to gather information on the movement of soldiers and alert our men on their moves. “Sometimes, I went to the beach and paid attention to those who were doing petrol business from Nigerian and Cameroon and listened to what people were saying,” she told Sunday Trust.

However, Linda regrets her past actions. Now, she is looking forward to being a good administrator. She thanked the government for accepting them and forgetting the past.


Interaction with mothers in the camp: Beauty Ruben is 28. She was the first ex-militant to deliver in the amnesty camp. She was cheerfully playing with her new lyborn baby when Sunday Trust reporter visited her in the special hall for nursing mothers in the camp. “I have been in militancy for three years. I was their cook,” she confidently told Sunday Trust. On how she felt, having a baby in such a situation, Beauty said, “I am very happy. I never thought I will give birth to my baby in this camp. As I came into this camp, I have seen many pregnant ladies here, but I happened to be the first to deliver. So I have decided to name my child “Goodluck Amnesty.” On why she could not prevent the pregnancy, Beauty said, “this is the will of and a marvelous gift from God and my baby is a child of the federal government. I believe the government will take care of him.” Beauty thanked the government and the officials of the camp for providing her with what a mother needs to take care of her baby. She said the father of her baby was somewhere far away.


Harmony is 26: She was the second ex-militant who delivered in the Obubra amnesty camp. According to her, she served as a cook for the male ex-militants in the creeks in their days of insurgency. She got engaged with one of them and now has his baby. She is proud of the kid. “I feel good. I’m like every other woman now,” she told Sunday Trust.


Interaction with the male ex- Militants: Sunday Trust reporter met Alhaji Umaru Wasuru while saying his morning prayer. He is 42, a final year student of the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt. He is from Rivers State. He told Sunday Trust that he had been in the creeks for over six years. He said life in the creeks was restless, tiring and difficult. “We were always on the alert, sleepless nights, coupled with mosquitoes and moving from one place to another to ensure that we achieve our aims,” he said. As regards their activities in the creeks, Umaru says “we isolated ourselves from the communities and went into the creeks where we cannot be easily located. We fell out with the military and we exchanged fire. Generally, life in the creeks was horrible and very unpleasant”

Umaru further told this reporter that they were like wounded lions in the creeks. They were angry all the time and ready for confrontations to achieve their aims.” Sometimes, we go out with our colleagues, but we come back without them. That, to me, was a horrible experience I will never forget.” Umaru noted that he lesson they received in the camp was enough to keep them away from violence.


Religion in the camp: Sunday Trust observed that religion plays a very significant role in the rehabilitation of the ex-militants in the Obubra amnesty camp. The day starts as early as 5:30 am with the sound of a trumpet, reminding the trainees that it is time for morning prayers. Everyone assembled in the prayer hall for the morning sermon and prayers.

Alhaji Umaru Wasuru is a Muslim, who was seen saying his morning prayer. He told Sunday Trust that he did not miss his prayer even in the midst of a violent confrontation in the creeks.

On the 20th of December, life in the camp took a new dimension as every ex-militant was excited over their passing out parade and final journey to their various destinations the next day. The camp was thrown into a festive mood and high ranking military officers were visiting the camp to witness the passing our event. .

The special adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs and chairman, Presidential Committee on Amnesty, Mr Timi Alaibe, represented by the camp coordinator, Dr Ferdinand Ikwang, told the ex-militants that the days of fighting for the Niger-Delta was over, pointing out that it was time to fight to improve themselves.

Addressing amnesty trainees, the Special Adviser urged the former fighters to be focused on improving themselves and take the future of the Niger-Delta is in their hands. “Do not allow anybody to derail you and do not be like those who had gone ahead of you. The first step in the rest of your lives starts today,” he stressed.

Speaking to Sunday Trust, the national coordinator, Foundation for Ethics and Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), Barrister Allen Onyema, confirmed that “so far, 15,000 ex-militants had been trained in the camp,” pointing out that instead of recording deaths, the camp had rather registered two births and had done everything possible to overcome changes in the camp.

The ex-militants took oath of allegiance to renounce violence and remain loyal to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

[color=#990000]Police headquarters in Abuja weekend said they will not take responsibility for theft or damage to election materials.
The INEC has announced postponement of yesterday’s House of Representatives and senate election to tomorrow , due to the late arrival of sensitive election materials from abroad. The materials which were expected last Friday arrived the Lagos airport yesterday morning ,and were airlifted to different parts of the country by air force planes.

The Force Public Relations Officer DCP Olusola Amore said the police will provide tight security to electoral officers and materials where ever they are. When asked whether police will bear responsibility of missing materials, he said “police will not take responsibility of any material mismanaged or lost by INEC officials ,but will ensure safety of officials and materials in their custody.”

He said the police were assigned to provide security throughout the election period.

Meanwhile, the policemen in the Federal Capital Territory have intensified search and patrols within the territory. The Abuja police spokesman SP Jimoh Moshood said they are keeping their eyes open for any threat to the INEC including election materials. “Patrols within the territory have been enhanced,” he said.

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6477:missing-election[/color]-materials-police-deny-blame&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

A former President of Botswana, Mr Festus Gontebanye Mogae, 72, is the head of the Commonwealth observer team in Nigeria monitoring the April, 2011 polls. In this interview he gave his impression of the polls since the team arrived Nigeria last week and spoke on issues relating to the rest of Africa. Excerpts:
You have been here for a few days now to observe this year’s elections. What have you discovered so far?


We have discovered that efforts are being made to ensure that all votes count in this election.  Already, the new registration of voters was done successfully. But there is also this feeling that people are determined to prevent their votes from being perverted or stolen. People think they are going to vote, they will stand there and have the votes counted, to ensure that the election is in the direction they voted. This gives rise to tension. So everybody wants to ensure that things are done the right way. Under this situation, one is happy that there is determination to do the right thing, but still, there is apprehension.


The issue of whether voters should stay at the polling units after voting has polarized INEC and the security agencies. The INEC says voters should stay to ensure their votes are counted, but the police say it is risky for the people to stay there and monitor the vote counting…?

I think the situation is this; the security people are worried about the security. On the other hand, INEC has been very transparent. It wants to ensure that all the stakeholders see them as being transparent, so if the people say they want to be observing what is being done, they are saying, okay, come and see it. This is good and reassuring. We, as observers, would want things done the right way. We’ve been watching the evolution of democracy in Nigeria since the last decade. There is supposed to be improvements in the elections, but this seems not to be so. The elections have been a disappointment, especially the 2007 elections. The assumption was that you’re consolidating your democracy, to be a great country. We expect that this election will be credible and INEC is doing everything possible to ensure this credibility. So far, the voter registration was transparent, and the INEC chairman is working to ensure that we have credible elections.


You have met with INEC officials. What did they tell you and what advice did you give to them?

The INEC chairman told us some of these things I’ve told you. He said the voters registration was conducted successfully, but it would have been better if there were more time to do the registration, as because of the short time some who should have been voters couldn’t registere. They may have been disenfranchised unintentionally. The other thing was the issue of voters waiting on the queue after accreditation, because if you have been accredited, you can’t go home and return. Well, the idea is to preclude the possibility that those who have been verified through accreditation, those people don’t go to other places to vote and return. You can see that this is out of anxiety to prevent mischief. For instance, I mentioned to the chairman that if one is on the queue and there he hears that some child has fallen off or taken ill, the person cannot go and come back, as he will be prevented from voting.


In the run-up to the elections, we discovered that the ruling party’s jingles and advertisements were on television, radio and newspapers, but state-run media  houses rejected advertisements from the opposition. Are you aware of this and what is your reaction?

I am not aware of that, but that is not what should be done. All the media organizations should give equal opportunity to all those who are contesting elections and equal coverage. If state-owned media organizations are giving more publicity to one party and not doing so to other parties, it is not right. That should not be so. All contestants should be given equal opportunities in the media.


You were quoted as saying earlier in the week that violence may not affect the quality of the results. How do you explain this, because, during the elections if there is violence, the election could be disrupted? How do you think any result from such election could be credible?

Yes, it can, but let me explain what I said. I mentioned that to the extent that violence takes place, that means the elections will not be as free and fair as they should be. If there is violence in one or two places and there is peace everywhere else, the election could be said to be credible, even though incidents of violence took place. But if it is very widespread, then it will affect everything. In that case the quality of the result will be affected.


What is the mode of operation of your team? Are you sending out members to every part of the country?

Members of our team left today for several parts of the country. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth is faced with constraints in resources, so we don’t have a team that will cover the whole of the country. There are about 22 of us.  Two persons have gone to some states. They travelled this morning. About 18 of us are going to the states and the rest of us will remain in Abuja here to receive reports from those on the field.


How often would you be making statements about the elections?

It depends. Our intention is to contribute positively to the outcome of the elections. We can’t make statements that are premature, which may conflict with situations on ground in many places. But whenever we issue any statement, we’ll ensure you receive such statements.


If we’re to move away from Nigeria, there’s this situation in Cote d’Ivoire where African nations are seen not taking any serious action and the situation is getting worse. If you put this viz-a-viz what is happening in Libya where the United Nations is taking action, what is your viewpoint?

The situation in Cote d’Ivoire is not an easy one and it never was. It needed expeditious action. The more it stayed, the more the situation deteriorated, the more opinions in the country are polarized and people will begin to fight and kill each other. That is what has happened. Now, we’re in a civil war in Ivory Coast. It is extremely difficult, though I don’t know the position Gbagbo is now. Whoever becomes president now is going to inherit a bitterly divided country.  A decisive action should have been taken much earlier.


On October 20, 1999 when you were sworn-in as president of your country, you vowed to tackle poverty and unemployment. Did you achieve your objective and how did you do it?

When you become president, you state what you want to do and you try to do as much as you can. Then, when another president takes over, he does what he can. In our own case, we wanted to tackle poverty and unemployment. They were serious problems facing our country. But we had this huge crisis of HIV/AIDS on our hands. Our country was one of those which had a high prevalence of the disease, and we had to manage it. It was unexpected. So we took financial resources away from our original plans. You have to ensure the people are alive before they take up jobs.  However, we were able to reduce the number of unemployed from about 40 per cent to about 23 percent


How did you provide the jobs? Did government employ the youths or how did you do it?

Well, as a government you can’t provide all the jobs. You have to create the enabling environment for the private sector to operate, because it’s the private sector that will do much of the employment. For a developing country, government has to undertake a number of things and provide some jobs, but you can’t provide all the jobs. You have to provide the enabling environment for private investors to operate.


At a point, you had to negotiate with foreign firms which were mining your mineral resources. What happened?

We relied heavily on foreign experts to mine our diamonds. We didn’t have the expertise. First, we set up a team of officials. We wanted to know the total amount of revenue to be generated from the diamond sale of the project and what share of that revenue will be retained. Is it 20 per cent or 25 per cent? What happened in our case was that very poor. They were the ones (the foreign firms) were those who found the diamond and they were going to do the mining. At the location of the diamonds, there were no roads, no water, no schools, there was nothing. We had to find out for how long they would recover what they spent to provide the facilities. They told us it would take seven years. We said, okay. But they recovered their money in 18 months, and we all celebrated. But they said the agreement was based on seven years. We said we wanted the people to know how much was coming in and how the money was being used. Since that time, in our national budget we state how much we earn from the mines and what we earn from taxes and dividends, etc. We ensured transparency. At a point, we had to renegotiate.


How were you able to overcome the sycophants in your country at the point when you wanted to step down in 2008? They would have told you that you were the best person; you should stay on forever; that you can subvert the constitution, whatever.  How did you resist the temptation?

Human nature is human nature. If former President Ibrahim Babangida had not cancelled the 1993 elections, the situation in your country would not have been the same today. If the military had not intervened in 1966, or if there had not been a civil war, there would have been interactions among civilians/politicians and democracy would have improved.


But were you not under pressure to remain?

(Laughs) Being president is hell! It was when I was president that I developed high blood pressure and diabetes. These are stress related problems. So, I couldn’t have remained at the end of my tenure.


You won the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in 2008, but since then, no African president has won that prize. Why is it so?

That I won the Mo Ibrahim prize in 2008 was an accident of history and that no other African president has won it is not because there are no people who can win it. Another African leader can still win it in future.


Do your children speak the Kalanga dialect?

My wife is Kalanga; she speaks the Kalanga dialect, but I speak more of Setswana, but the children speak a little of Setswana. But as a result of urbanization, they speak English and Setswana.  Even now, people are saying the young ones cannot speak correct Setswana and they blame government for this. My first child has Kalanga name but she can’t speak the Kalanga dialect.

The legislature is the arm that confers legitimacy on any democratic government. In the countries of the world where dictatorship thrived or still thrives, the basic difference is the non existence of elected legislative arms. Suffice it to say therefore that the legislature is like the palm oil with which democratic governance is enjoyed. In Nigeria, 12 years of unbroken civilian rule has enabled the legislature to be in place for that long. A gladdening news because it is that arm of government that has suffered most because of the previously, incessant intrusion into our democratic life by soldiers. In these 12 years, the institution has struggled to find its feet, at times bowing to the overbearing influence of the executive branch, especially in the first eight years, when leaders were more or less imposed on it by the executive arm. But the last four years has been different, mainly because the executive branch has refrained from openly interfering in its activities. That paved the way for a fairly Independent legislative arm that seems determined to take its right of place as an equal member of the Nigerian democratic trinity. It is those men and women that will populate the two chambers of the wisened national legislature post May 29, 2011 that are now traversing the length and breath of our country, seeking for the endorsements of their constituents. Of course, Nigerians have since become wiser. In the time past, many had been elected to represent their people in the national assembly but only ended up making money for themselves and their immediate families. Such people were mostly found sleeping away their time while plenary sessions were going on, and those were on those few instances when they considered it necessary to attend plenary sessions. Today, such people are throwing the money they made from the system around, hoping to lure their constituents into, once more, voting them to return to the National Assembly to perhaps, continue their sleeping business. But the equation appears to be changing fast. Nigerians having learnt the usefulness of the national legislature, appears bent on electing their very best as their representatives in the national legislature. This therefore brings us to how the fight for seats in the national assembly will be won and lost. Investigations diligently conducted round the country has clearly shown that unlike in the past when parties majorly determined who went to the national assembly, track records and integrity of the individuals concerned are likely to be the major factors that will determine who gets in and who gets out. For instance, the people of Anambra Central Senatorial district that have got the PDP representing it in the senate since the dawn of our present democratic order, appear set to settle for a candidate that may not necessarily come from the ruling party. The two leading candidates are Professor Dora Akunyili of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA and Dr. Chris Ngige of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. And if any of them goes ahead to win the election, the era of PDP representation for the people of the area may have come to an end. But the people are determined to have their way, party or no party. It is not only in Anambra state that the people have decided to reserve their votes for the best materials, irrespective of their parties. From Sokoto to cross River, from Borno to Bayelsa, the people have become wiser, that the era of anybody representing them because he belonged to a particular party is gone for good. Among this group are those senators like Victor Ndoma Egba, whose people are determined to reward with a third mandate to the senate on the strength of what they believe he has done for them, some of them before he even became a senator. For somebody like Senator Ali Modu Sherif of Borno state, his quest for another stint in the senate after eight years in the government house in Maiduguri, is driven by his belief that he has done enough for the people, both as a senator and governor, to deserve their votes. This is coming as the PDP with Alhaji Mohammed Goni as its gubernatorial candidate, is spreading like wild fire, threatening to take over the state. This however, does not mean that the people have not taken notice of their representatives that have done well. One thing that is very clear is that the results that will come out from the contest for national assembly seats will likely confound bookmakers. Those that base their calculations on the strength of political parties will be disappointed. Having discovered the importance of the national legislature in national development, Nigerians are set to take their destinies into their own hands. And the only way to do that is to elect their very best, irrespective of their political parties. And that desire is further buoyed by the non-stop preachment of free and fair polls by both the President of the country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega.

ONE of Nigeria’s fastest growing mobile operators, Visafone, has strengthened its market position by acquiring the troubled Multi-links Communications Limited’s Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile assets.

However, the amount paid by Visafone for the acquisition was undisclosed as at press time.

This acquisition has put an end to speculations about which company(s) would acquire the troubled Multilinks Telkom.

There were speculations that latest Entrant into the GSM market of Nigeria, Etisalat was making every effort to buy the CDMA arm of Multilinks to increase it subscribers base in the country. It was also reported last week that Starcomms had finally moved to acquire the company with a large sum running into billion of dollars.

According to a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, by Visafone Heads of Brands and Marketing, Kingsley Mordi, the final acquisition by Visafone, was done in South Africa on last Thursday.

At the signing-in ceremony held in Johannesburg, with Jeffrey Hedberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Telkom, the parent company of Multilinks in attendance, Founder and Chairman of Visafone, Jim Ovia, stated that “Visafone recognises that this deal will solidify its position in the Nigerian marketplace and is committed to offering world-class voice and data solutions to existing Multilinks customers. This transaction brings us closer to achieving our target of 10 million subscribers within three years.”

We believe that the superior technology offered by CDMA, combined with a subscriber base of 4.2 million active subscribers will enable Visafone to continue as a game-changing innovator in the Nigerian marketplace. Multilinks customers will be afforded the same high quality of network and customer service as existing Visafone subscribers enjoy.”

Ovia stressed that the new union now amasses a coverage area that cuts across over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s land mass, adding that they are strategically redefining and reshaping the CDMA mobile marketplace in terms of both voice and data.

Multilinks has, however, assured its customers that they will continue to offer a high-level service and support during this transition period.

It will be recalled that in 2010, Telkom South Africa, which controls 100 percent share in Multi-Links Nigeria, had to quit the CDMA business in Nigeria, hitherto operated by Multi-Links Telkom.

According to Chief Executive Officer of Multi-Links Telkom, Mr. Vincent Raseroka, the company faced financial crises shortly after it bought into Multi-Links in 2007, insisting that the CDMA business in Nigeria is currently facing financial challenges.

Blaming the challenges partly on high competitive telecom environment, Raseroka said in 2009, the operating revenue of Multi-Links Telkom declined by 1.7 per cent to about N15 million, while its Earning Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) decreased by N4.45 million, and its subscriptions and connections revenue decreased by 18.2 per cent due to the termination of access fees as a result of increased competition. He added that its traffic revenue also decreased by 24.6 per cent mainly due to decrease in traffic volumes and higher chum rates in the same year.

Raseroka further explained that the company had a small market share while operating in a challenging environment and made little progress on reducing costs on long-term contracts. He concluded that Multi-Links Telkom was not profitable and that it would take time to turnaround profitably.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43591:visafone-acquires-multilinks-telkom-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559