₦airaland Forum

Written by Adamu Adamu adamuadamu@dailytrust.com Friday, 01 June 2012 05:00


At the You Win Programme held recently in Abuja, President Goodluck Jonathan praised merit and vowed henceforth to make all public appointments only in accord with it, and he declared the era of godfathers dead. “You don’t need to know Mr President to get the job, as long as you are competent,” he said.

But the nation had heard all that before, and in this case, it was not just waiting for when practice would belie theory, because it already had; it was wondering just what merit the president was talking about. Needless to say, true merit had already been sacrificed at the altar of the so-called Oronsaye reforms, which the Jonathan administration, for want of proper knowledge of service ethic, had been hailing and implementing.

However, since that pronouncement, none of the major appointments by the Jonathan administration had adhered to proper procedure and the issue of merit had become completely out of reckoning. With that so-called reform, the administration perfected a method that was dismissive of merit, hostile to experience, and in a hurry to get rid of those who possessed it and who had, on account of it, reached the top. As feared then and expressed by some at the beginning, and now, with the benefit of hindsight, it has become all too clear that the entirety of the Oronsaye reform was aimed at getting rid of persons of Northern origin or, ominously for those who kept quiet, those of them who have no godfathers.

By the time Oronsaye was through with his reform, nine permanent secretaries and 110 directors were shown their way out of the service. Of the nine directors sacked, all nine were of Northern origin; and of the 110 directors sacked, 90 of them were of Northern origin. To pretend that it was all done for any reason other than getting rid of them would in fact be adding salt and insult to injury. It is all too convenient and couldn’t have been an accident; and even if it were, higher considerations and the constitutional demands for the reflection of Federal character should have called for greater circumspection by temporary power holders. That this hadn’t been done might well have been responsible for today’s impunity in making appointments by political executives at all levels.

As it were, the Oronsaye reform had it all worked out and all future imitators had to do was to work back form solution to a contrived problem. Now, after finishing with the main service, the reform is being extended to parastatals, corporations and banks in which the Federal government has an interest, by way of reorganisations, restructurings, rationalisations and, despite his recent praise of merit, by the president, through acts of omission, most glaringly as in the case of his refusal to reappoint Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS.

By the end of February this year, Dr M. Waziri Dogo-Muhammad, then Executive Secretary of National Health Insurance Scheme had just finished a very successful first tenure and everyone was expecting his confirmation for the second when he was removed. Up to the time of writing, no reason had been given for his removal; but whatever it was it couldn’t have been for want of merit.

Dr Dogo-Muhammad’s appointment was made following an internationally advertised and keenly contested interview. The selection process was handled by Grid Consultants, an internationally-tested private management consulting firm that drew up the criteria for short-listing, did the shortlist, and conducted the interview of the 108 candidates who applied. When the consultant submitted its report to then minister of health, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, Dogo-Muhammad was first by a mile, having scored an unprecedented 100 per cent! The minister made a very strong recommendation to President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Dr Dogo-Muhammad was appointed for a period of 5 years in the first instance with effect from March1, 2007.

A highly qualified British-trained surgeon and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Dr Dogo-Muhammad had had an eventful tenure at the NHIS which as full of awards. The International Social Security Association gave Dogo-Muhammad’s NHIS/MDG Maternal and Child Health Project a Merit Award at an international get-together in Arusha Tanzania on December 6, 2011, and declared it as the best example of best practice worthy of emulation by other African countries. This award has been posted by President Jonathan on his Facebook as one of the achievements of his administration.

After launching Dr Dogo-Muhammad’s Community-Based Social Health Insurance Programme in Isanlu, Kogi State, on December 17, 2011, President Jonathan was so impressed that he posted it on his ‘Neighbour 2 Neighbour’ social forum; and it is today recognised as one of the four notable achievements of the Federal Ministry of Health.

At the end of Dr Dogo-Muhammad’s first tenure, the Minister of Health, Professor C. Onyebuchi Chukwu, assessed his stewardship as Executive Secretary of the NHIS, scored his performance as excellent and recommended the renewal of his second and final tenure of 5 years to President Goodluck Jonathan, in line with the provision of the NHIS Act. But here the president’s commitment to merit seemed to have suddenly vanished into thin air, and he directed that the vacancy be advertised.

Yet, on the very day the president declined to approve Dr Dogo-Muhammad’s reappointment, he approved the reappointment of the Chief Medical Director of Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, and subsequently went on to approve the reappointments to second tenure of the director general of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, ASCON, and the executive secretary of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, without asking that these vacancies be advertised.

If there are no godfathers, there should be no room for impunity and the adoption of different standards for different people. There must be uniformity in official conduct, because the procedure for the exercise of power in a democratic setting is, and should always be, clearly spelt out and transparently applied. At any event, powers for making appointments ought usually to contain the procedure to be followed in implementing them; but where the procedure is not already in the law, this should always be worked out before it is applied. The leadership of the nation should by no means equal ownership of the nation or its resources or the power to distribute these with impunity to some and to the exclusion of others.

There must be a standard, and the public must always be in a position to hold leaders to an acceptable level of official conduct. Ultimately, this is going to prove better even for the government. While it is generally agreed that Nigeria’s main problem is the issue of leadership, it is not often realised how much the rot and decline in the public service has contributed to, or failed to solve, the extent of the mess. It has not been fully appreciated that with an efficient, apolitical, merit-based public service in place, almost all the ill-effects of the inexperience, the incompetence and even the absolute cluelessness of the political leadership will have largely been mitigated. It is therefore in the interest, not just of the people but, of the government itself that appointments be made according to procedure; because the capacity and efficiency of the service—and ultimately the effectiveness of government—depend on getting that right.

For our purposes, the most important issues with regard to making appointments are this restoration of proper procedure of doing things, the enforcement of merit, and the need to reflect Federal character; and these last two are by no means mutually exclusive. And all the three could only be ignored at the government’s ultimate peril.

The nation knew that Dr Dogo-Muhammad emerged through a transparent merit-based due process without the help of a godfather, and he laboured to grow NHIS into an enviable government parastatal at par with its counterparts around the continent and the world; and it will be most unfortunate if this now becomes a disadvantage for him. But it will perhaps be even more unfortunate and sad for the president after what he has told the world about his intention and resolve to put an end to the rule of the godfather and recognize merit in making public appointments. He is clearly failing himself and the nation.

If, as seems the case, the president has been misadvised, or has merely committed an honest mistake, or no godfather pleaded on his behalf, we entreat and urge him to disregard the advice, reverse himself, and be the godfather of all, and do what is right and proper by reappointing Dr Waziri Dogo-Muhammad, who has displayed both merit in the competitive interview and excellence at work, to his richly-deserved second tenure in office as the executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).www.dailytrust.com

By Luka Binniyat
KADUNA — The Jamma’tu Nasril Islam, JNI, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday traded words over the identity of bombers in the country.

JNI said it had heaved a sigh of relief following reports that some Christians were also involved in the various bomb attacks in the country, while CAN accused the Islamic body of playing to the gallary in its claim that it was against bombers in the country, pointing out that Muslims were re-baptising their members involved in bombings with Christian name to hoodwink Nigerians on the true position of things in the country.

The JNI Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, had said in a statement in Kaduna that it was glad that the alleged bomber arrested in Abuja for allegedly carrying three hand grenades and ammunition and another who was said to have confessed to being the brain behind the Bayero University Kano, BUK, bombings all bore Christian names.

“All thanks are due to Allah, the Most High for vindicating the JNI,” on the issue, Dr Aliyu stated.

But, spokesman for the President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oristejiafor, Mr Kenny Ashaka, reacted to the JNI claims, saying the association was too desperate and hasty in covering up their members who are, “unremorseful, proud Islamic terrorists.”

Ashaka asked: “Is the JNI now saying that bombers arrested in Borno, Yobe, Kano, Jos, Kaduna are all Christians? JNI should stop deceiving itself and its followers, because we the Christians of Nigeria know that no Christian would do what Islamic terrorists are doing and posting gleefully on the internet.”

The JNI’s statement had stated: “JNI once again notes with bewilderment the usual ways serious security issues are treated at the expense of the state.

“All thanks are due to Allah, the Most High for vindicating the JNI, because sometimes in February 2012, we issued a statement, demanding explanations from the CAN President on why some Christians are arrested in Muslims attires/dresses, while attempting to bomb or commit act of terrorism.

Few of such were the cases of one Lydia Joseph, the failed bomber of St. John Catholic Cathedral, Bauchi. The man arrested in Bayelsa State was also in turban, like the Gombe case.”

“Again we were astonished to hear of one Augustine Effiong in connection with the BUK bomb attack.”

“Moreso , either Christians were arrested at the COCIN Church of Miyabarkatai, Bauchi State. It here suffixes to state in unequivocal terms that Christians are also involved in sophisticated terrorism in Nigeria.
“Once more, we demand explanation from the CAN President: why are Christians are disguising in Muslim dress as they carry out heinous crimes against the state.

He should stop chasing the shadows over what he calls, “the final call.
’’JNI reiterates that had Mr. John Alako Akpavan, the man arrested at the Radio House yesterday, were to be a Muslim; the story would have been different. But it is evidently manifest that hence, he is a Christian, then he is either insane, incapacitated… but if the suspected or arrested person was to be a Muslim, he is a terrorist, Boko Haram or fundamentalist.
’’Muslim leadership wishes to assure the government and the good people of Nigeria, that it is working seriously and ready to cooperate with whoever wants to work for a harmonious cooperate existence of the Nigerian federation.

’’It is our fervent wish that religious, political and traditional leaders at all levels should come together and salvage our dear nation from the shambles of corruption, greed, and maladministration. ‘’It is also hoped that provocative statements that are capable of overheating the polity will be avoided by all sundry,” the JNI stated.

CAN President reacts

However, the Spokesman to the CAN President, Mr Ashaka accused the JNI of “adding a new dimension to this crime against God and humanity,’’ saying that ‘’they are trying to give every Muslim caught in terrorism a Christian name. The public most be aware of this.said, “It is very sad and unfortunate…
“In the case of the man arrested in Abuja yesterday (Monday), the spo.source:www.vanguardngr.com

Written by Kehinde Akinyemi, Abeokuta Monday,
A renowned hospital administrator, Chief Doja Adewolu, has urged Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, not to allow the sacked doctors to intimidate him to yield to their demands.

Adewolu, who is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Institute of Health Services Administrators of Nigeria, praised Fashola for sacking the doctors who, he insisted, had consistently embarked on strikes against the ethics of their profession.

Adewolu, also a former Chairman of Board of Psychiatric Hospitals in Nigeria, said “the decision to sack the doctors was fair, just and right as at present, 85 percent of budget allocation to the health sector goes into the payment of salaries and allowances of health workers alone and yet the doctors want more”.

To him, health care delivery is a “team work” and therefore, the doctors should not see themselves as special people in the health sector and should therefore be treated specially.www.dailytrust.com

A big controversy is raging in Lagos following the birth of a baby boy said to be clutching a miniature Holy Quran at birth. The baby was born at a white garment church in Mushin, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria.

•The mystery baby. Inset: The miniature Holy Quran

While some dispute the claim, others say it is possible. A large crowd gathered at 1, Sonde Street, Ijeshatedo, Lagos home of the boy’s parents yesterday, as news of the birth spread rapidly.

His mother, Mrs. Kikelomo Ilori, 32, a Cosmetologist, told P.M.NEWS that he was born on Monday after she had carried the pregnancy for about 10 months. The single mother claimed she was abandoned by her husband who denied responsibility for the pregnancy and encouraged her to abort it. The woman told P.M.NEWS yesterday: “When I refused to abort the pregnancy, he deserted me, saying ‘that is your own problem’.” Mrs. Ilori expressed surprise at the birth of the boy. She added that the nurse who delivered her of the baby was physically challenged, but went about it commendably.

“When my baby was delivered holding a Quran in his hand, the nurse said the Quran should be thrown away. But I insisted my mother must see it before any action could be taken,” Kikelomo, who is a Christian, further explained.

Corroborating the story, Senior Rev. Victoria Yetunde Dada said during the pregnancy, Kikelomo was always coming to her for prayers and counselling.

“I advised her not to abort the pregnancy because she might die in the process. Again, I told her the foetus was sent by God and will be great,” Apostle Mother Dada told our correspondent. Controversy has continued to trail the seemingly spurious claim.

Reacting, Medical Director of Bodet Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Dr. Bode Tawak said scientifically, it was not possible for a baby to be born holding a Quran.

“How big is the baby’s hand to hold the Quran? How big is the Quran? How did the Quran get into her mother’s womb? I don’t know how a Quran can get into a womb. But there are things you can’t explain,” Dr. Tawak responded. He said while the incident cannot be explained medically, in Nigeria many mysterious things happen. A Kaduna-based medical practitioner, Dr. Munir Yusuf said from a medical point of view, it was not possible, but added that depending on the size of the Quran, it was possible metaphysically.

He explained that if the Quran is small enough to pass through the diameter of the vagina, with the child, it is possible. In the same vein, a herbal medicine practitioner, Chief Dr. Bola Adegunloye believes nothing is impossible, but said too much importance must not be placed on the incident.www.pmnewsnigeria.com

Senate President David Mark yesterday asked the Federal Government to re-start talks with the Boko Haram sect to end its campaign of violence that has killed more than 200 people in the past year alone.
“(These) misguided groups are our brothers and sisters, government must therefore explore all avenues to discuss with them,” Mark said, apparently referring to the sect which calls itself Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad.

Boko Haram says its aim is to broaden the implementation of Sharia in the North, and had targeted largely the security agencies until in the past months when it began hitting churches, primary schools, universities and newspaper houses.

“On the other hand, those who are aggrieved must find a better way to express their grievances. It is in the national interest that there is peace and security particularly if we want the transformation agenda to succeed,” Mark said at the resumption of the Senate from a week’s recess.

Also yesterday, a senior Katsina traditional title holder urged the government to dialogue with Boko Haram.

Alhaji Sani Lugga, the Wazirin Katsina, in a statement, said “dialogue is the best remedy” for the sect’s violent campaign.

“Whatever are the claims of ‘Boko Haram’, dialogue could bring about a solution. Continued use of force may only worsen the situation leading to more losses of lives and properties,” Lugga said.

He said the sect’s claim of avenging the killing of its founder Mohammed Yusuf was similar to the Niger Delta crisis that heightened after the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa in 1995.

“The hangings (of Wiwa and co) were termed as ‘judicial murders’. That triggered the metamorphosis of MOSOP into MEND,” he said.

Boko Haram “came into limelight as a result of the arrest and ‘extra-judicial murder’ of its head, Mallam Mohammed Yusuf, along with other leaders of the group while in the custody of the Borno State Police Command on 30th July, 2009.

“MEND and BH sprang up in identical fashions and their activities escalated after the ‘murder’ of their leaders and the arrest of their members….While MEND tilts towards the fight against economic injustice, BH tilts towards the fight against social and religious injustice…. MEND introduced the use of sophisticated weapons and bombs in its operations and BH followed suit.”

He added: “Today in Nigeria, bombs are used by armed robbers to blow-up bank vaults. Bombs are used by kidnappers. Both Muslims and Christians have been arrested and are in the custody of the security agencies for using or attempting to use bombs.... So, the crisis transcends Boko Haram as it is multifarious in nature that deserves decisive action by the authorities.”

Lugga said government should consider recommendations of the Sheikh Ahmed Lemu panel that poverty alleviation measures, justice and fairness and eradication of corruption should be the guiding principles of governance.

“Government should listen to the ‘Boko Haram’ and broker peace with them. This type of dialogue has been tested in other countries and has been tested and implemented in Nigeria by the last administration.

“The rest of Nigerians should continue to pray for peace. But peace, stability and progress can only be achieved through working towards their achievement and not by merely praying,” he added.source:www.dailytrust.com

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abuja disclosed that the way out of the insecurity problem in the country is dialogue.

Studies, according to Obasanjo, have shown that a number of factors are responsible for violent conflicts in the country.

He gave the factors as: poverty, unemployment, religious intolerance, ethnic rivalry, growing acculturation and resource control agitation.

Speaking as the Chairman of the opening ceremony of a two-day National conference on culture peace and national security: the role of traditional rulers and local government chairmen organised by the National Institute for Culture Orientation (NICO), Obasanjo said the most critical of the factors is ignorance, which leads to suspicion and mistrust.

He said the issue of national security should be accorded top priority attention as no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of chaos and persistent violence.

Obasanjo, who was represented by the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, advised government that: “the product of this conference should be an addendum to the array of ideas that are pending for utilisation in combating insecurity and ensuring peace in our country.”

His words: “I accepted to honour the invitation to be the chairman of the occasion out of my unquestionable desire and interest in the oneness of this country and ensuring that peace and security is sustained in Nigeria at whatever cost and efforts.

“Your Excellencies, your Royal Highnesses, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, a way forward is dialogue, enlightenment and sensitization programmes such as we are having today. Studies have shown that a number of factors are responsible for violent conflicts in Nigeria which are poverty, unemployment, religious intolerance, ethnic rivalry, growing acculturation and resource control agitation and ignorance. The most critical of these factors for me however is ignorance which leads to suspicion and mistrust.

“It was for these reasons that United Nations, Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation was established shortly after the 2nd World War. It was established based on the understanding that wars or conflicts, in whatever form, arise from ignorance, suspicion and mistrust and therefore the need for defence of peace be constructed in the minds of men and women.

“Another critical factor worthy of consideration is a breakdown of our cherished values. Hitherto, Nigerians are a peace loving people and therefore had an in-built culture of respect for sanctity of human life, elders and constituted authority, appreciation for ethnic differences, hardwork, diligence, cooperation, hospitality for strangers, and encouragement of communal living. In the days of yore, our seeming diversity was our strength. These values accounted for the peace that pervaded our society in the past.

“Unfortunately, the evasion of these values due to increasing acculturation and negative external influence has also contribution largely to the spate of violent crimes and general insecurity we have today.”www.thenationonlineg.com

Written by Yemi Bamidele, Ibadan Wednesday, 02 May 2012 14:16

Former Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has exonerated leaders of the northern region of the country of having conspiratorial links with the activities of the Boko Haram sect, as being generally speculated.

El-Rufai, while delivering the 2012 May Day lecture rganized by the Silver Knights Club, Ibadan at the Lead City University, Ibadan on Tuesday however advocated the restoration of true federalism embedded in the 1963 Republican Constitution saying this is the only way out of the wave of insurgency of terrorism and corruption ravaging the nation.

In his lecture entitled "Between Terrorism and Corruption: Implications for Nigeria", the former minister stated that the present structure in which the states relied on the federal allocation would move the country nowhere.

El-Rufai maintained that even though the identity of the Boko Haram sect could not be determined as they secretly live among the people, "against the popular belief, there is no conspiracy between the northern leaders and the Boko Haram."

"I know this because I relate with all the leaders including General Yakubu Gowon and I have asked them questions. If they are part of the conspiracy, I will say it, you know me", the former minister declared pointedly.

To buttress his argument, he remarked that many people are against the nefarious activities of these faceless people emphasizing that it was people around in Kaduna that apprehended a man that threw bomb and handed him over to the police.

But he said that "many northerners, particularly from Maiduguri and Kano, appeared sympathetic to the acts of the fundamentalists because many of their relations, who knew nothing about the crime had been killed by soldiers."

"I must tell you that military men have killed too many innocent people, particularly in Maiduguri and Kano, that sometimes when the Boko Haram attack anywhere, some youths were seen jubilating. Even, my wife has lost some relations. Many families have lost relations to the wanton killing of many innocent people on the streets," El-Rufai stated in reaction to an observation by a guest.

El-Rufai divided the Boko Haram group into three: the Boko Haram original, Criminal Boko Haram and Security Boko Haram and remarked that the phenomenon of Boko Haram actually evolved from political thuggery, corrupt tendencies of people in power and the greed on the part of a few who have continued to lord it over the helpless majority.

The former minister however expressed concern that the federal government seemed to be lacking the competence and capability to curtail the menace of the Boko Haram as recent events have shown.

He urged the government to desist from rewarding criminals through amnesty programme as, according to him, "by doing so, you are embolding them to further commit crimes"

Speaking further, El-Rufai stated that even though the demands of the Boko Haram sect were not known yet, the federal government should endeavour to "work with community leaders in Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna states to identify interlocutors that would enable honest discussions with Boko Haram to establish what they really want. The arrest and prosecution of those that murdered their leaders would certainly be one demand, but there may be others that the government knows but would not want us to know".

According to the former minister, "there is no where in the world where insurgencies like Boko Haram have been defeated purely through military force and occupation. The government that has the responsibiilty for our security must bend over backwards to deliver it. If they continue to fail in this regard, they will not be in government for too long."www.dailytrust.com

Written by Yemi Bamidele, Ibadan Wednesday, 02 May 2012 14:16

Former Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has exonerated leaders of the northern region of the country of having conspiratorial links with the activities of the Boko Haram sect, as being generally speculated.

El-Rufai, while delivering the 2012 May Day lecture organized by the Silver Knights Club, Ibadan at the Lead City University, Ibadan on Tuesday however advocated the restoration of true federalism embedded in the 1963 Republican Constitution saying this is the only way out of the wave of insurgency of terrorism and corruption ravaging the nation.

In his lecture entitled "Between Terrorism and Corruption: Implications for Nigeria", the former minister stated that the present structure in which the states relied on the federal allocation would move the country nowhere.

El-Rufai maintained that even though the identity of the Boko Haram sect could not be determined as they secretly live among the people, "against the popular belief, there is no conspiracy between the northern leaders and the Boko Haram."

"I know this because I relate with all the leaders including General Yakubu Gowon and I have asked them questions. If they are part of the conspiracy, I will say it, you know me", the former minister declared pointedly.

To buttress his argument, he remarked that many people are against the nefarious activities of these faceless people emphasizing that it was people around in Kaduna that apprehended a man that threw bomb and handed him over to the police.

But he said that "many northerners, particularly from Maiduguri and Kano, appeared sympathetic to the acts of the fundamentalists because many of their relations, who knew nothing about the crime had been killed by soldiers."

"I must tell you that military men have killed too many innocent people, particularly in Maiduguri and Kano, that sometimes when the Boko Haram attack anywhere, some youths were seen jubilating. Even, my wife has lost some relations. Many families have lost relations to the wanton killing of many innocent people on the streets," El-Rufai stated in reaction to an observation by a guest.

El-Rufai divided the Boko Haram group into three: the Boko Haram original, Criminal Boko Haram and Security Boko Haram and remarked that the phenomenon of Boko Haram actually evolved from political thuggery, corrupt tendencies of people in power and the greed on the part of a few who have continued to lord it over the helpless majority.

The former minister however expressed concern that the federal government seemed to be lacking the competence and capability to curtail the menace of the Boko Haram as recent events have shown.

He urged the government to desist from rewarding criminals through amnesty programme as, according to him, "by doing so, you are embolding them to further commit crimes"

Speaking further, El-Rufai stated that even though the demands of the Boko Haram sect were not known yet, the federal government should endeavour to "work with community leaders in Borno, Yobe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna states to identify interlocutors that would enable honest discussions with Boko Haram to establish what they really want. The arrest and prosecution of those that murdered their leaders would certainly be one demand, but there may be others that the government knows but would not want us to know".

According to the former minister, "there is no where in the world where insurgencies like Boko Haram have been defeated purely through military force and occupation. The government that has the responsibility for our security must bend over backwards to deliver it. If they continue to fail in this regard, they will not be in government for too long."www.dailytust.com

by Mahmud Jega

President Goodluck Jonathan and all members of his kitchen cabinet have probably never heard this titillating tale by moonlight, so I am re-telling the story today, with identities suitably coded, for their future strategic benefit.

You see, there was this old, wise former top Nigerian official who was telling his children a story one night. It was about a security case file that was brought to his desk during his days in power. He said he flipped through its pages; it was a sordid case of corruption, but then, some of his own kinsmen were directly implicated in it. “What did you do?” the children eagerly asked. “I sat on the file,” the old man said. The children were stupefied and they asked, “Why? You didn’t punish the crooks?” The old man sighed, then said in a whisper, “You don’t plunge a dagger into your own stomach and then praise yourself.”

Most probably, no version of this dubious African adage is told in Ijaw land because President Jonathan and his Ijaw-heavy inner circle appeared to be blissfully unaware of it earlier this year when they set in motion a chain of events that culminated in the recent unveiling of the Farouk Lawan House of Representatives ad-hoc committee report that probed the fuel subsidy regime. Of the many sometimes angry, sometimes cynical and sometimes comical reactions that I saw in the wake of the report’s adoption, the most puzzling was the claim made by anti-report demonstrators on the streets of Port Harcourt, who said it was all aimed at humiliating officials from the Niger Delta. Damn it; in more ways than one, these top guys from the Niger Delta caused it!

Among the many people and agencies that are reeling from the report’s fall-out are a battery of fuel importers, officials of the NNPC and PPPRA, PDP bigwigs on the boards of these agencies, top bosses of the Petroleum Ministry, and the Presidency itself. The probe found that a sizeable chunk, if not the Lion’s share, of the fabled N1.5 trillion paid to fuel marketers to subsidise imports was paid to companies that did not import fuel at all, or that did import some fuel but not the quantity they claimed, or that round-tripped what they imported and got paid several times for the same consignment.

In the wake of the publication of the Farouk Lawan committee report, many people are gloating. They include the House of Representatives members whose ad hoc committee unearthed the shoddy deals and who had the [Dutch] courage to approve the damning report. Also gloating are civil society types, newsmen and other citizens who always said the subsidy thing was a fraud. But wait a minute. I thought top government officials should have been the ones that are grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. If not because the government tried last January to end the fuel subsidy regime once and for all and the whirlwind that that announcement generated, we probably would never have had the Farouk Lawan committee probe. More than that, it was top government officials who first went public with the sensational charge that a cabal was feeding fat on the subsidy regime as a major argument for trying to end it. Now that the existence of the cabal has been proved beyond reasonable doubt, up to and including the naming of names, I thought the Presidency should be very happy, but apparently it is not.

With the infallible benefit of hindsight, it now looks like the revelation of the cabal’s existence was accidental, not part of a carefully thought out strategy. Maybe it was some overzealous members of the government’s anti-subsidy campaign team that spilled the beans without carefully evaluating the consequences. For, how could financial outrage on such a grand scale involving so many companies, so many agencies, so much money and so much paper work over such a long period of time could have possibly been perpetrated without the collusion of many government officials low and high?

It is not possible for a fuel importer to assemble a whole raft of forged documents and get them stamped and approved without many officials’ collusion. Even if it is lowly officials who do the forgeries, it is more senior officials that approve and effect payments, and it is not possible for them to continue approving forged or recycled documents over many years without discovering their true nature. That they did not stop the racket when they discovered it is enough evidence that they jumped into the action, assuming they didn’t initiate it.

Now, it could be that at first, very senior officials in the Ministry and Presidency did not know the details of what was going on, but by the time hundreds of billions and ultimately trillions of naira were going down the drain like so much sand in a sieve, they must have found out. They apparently jumped into the action as well.

Now that all this messy information is out in the open, what is to be done? The National Assembly, which got a lot of public relations mileage from this report, is likely to push very hard for it to be implemented. On his part, the president has promised to deal with all those found to be involved in the scams, but can he? The marketers who have been ordered to return hundreds of billions to state coffers are smarting because they could not have eaten the money alone. They must have paid billions to officials to get forged documents assembled and approved; how can they retrieve that portion of the money? Receipts are not normally issued for bribes, so they will be hard put to prove it.

Now, the officials in charge of the oil industry are not fools. Appointed to sit on such a goldmine, they most certainly funnelled a good part of the proceeds to the president’s very difficult re-election campaign last year. In Nigeria, the Presidency always has a raft of secret personal, political, regional, religious and international projects and the oilmen are ever ready to fund them with no questions asked. How do you get to punish such people without spilling the whole pail of sour milk?

While all this is unfolding, the government is not getting [I think] well deserved credit for trying to end the fuel subsidy regime. It also does not look as if Nigeria will learn the right lessons from this probe. Given what has happened, the government is now powerless to raise the issue of removing fuel subsidy any time soon. Yet, if we don’t do so, the rip-offs will continue despite a thousand Farouk Lawan reports. I say so because there is evidence in Nigeria’s history that unearthing monumental corruption through probe panels and even punishing culprits does nothing to deter future offenders. As long as there is a trillion naira lying around in some fund to subsidise fuel imports, some people will con and dupe their way to get it no matter the punishment you mete out to some people today.

To be frank, this kind of sleaze is likely to exist wherever there is something like subsidy or government intervention, and in Nigeria there are many such pockets of subsidy in agriculture, educational counterpart funding, anti-poverty programs etc. The way I see things going, the National Assembly is fast acquiring specialist capability in probes and could soon launch many more probes. Mind you, it is not about stopping sleaze in its tracks, but probing it once the sordid deed is done. This is not unlike some sub-editors I once worked with in the newspaper industry who industriously point out errors in the newspaper at the next day’s review meeting. I would be much happier if they stopped the errors from getting into the paper!

Who will start the next eddy in the sea that will culminate in a tsunami? Put another way, who will sink the next dagger into his own stomach and then praise himself.SOURCE:WWW.dailytrust.com

Vice-President Namadi Sambo’s visit to the United States last week for an investors’ drive assumed a comical twist when he subtly turned down a prophecy from a participant Bishop that he would be President. Tokunbo Adedoja, who covered the visit, reports on the drama that dotted a rather serious engagement

For four days last week, Vice President Namadi Sambo, had high-level engagements in Washington DC, United States, where he was visiting for the first time since he assumed office as Vice President. Sambo, who was accompanied by his wife, Amina, arrived the United States on Monday night, and was received at the Andrews Airforce Base Maryland, by Nigeria’s Ambassador to US, Professor Adebowale Adefuye, and other top officials of the Nigerian embassy, before proceeding to the Ritz Calton Georgetown where he lodged.

Barely 20 hours after his arrival, Sambo, had begun some high-level engagement in the US capital. He was at the White House to meet with his US counterpart, Biden, the first meeting between the two leaders. After the customary photo-ops, the two leaders went into a closed-door session to discuss bilateral issues between both countries.

The meeting initially slated to last for 45 minutes, lasted well above one hour as both leaders resolved to further deepen relations by taking the BNC to a higher level. Biden was said to have offered the opening remarks by describing Nigeria as US most strategic partner in Africa and canvassed the need for a sustained high-level engagement.

Sambo's official itinerary in the US ended at a Town Hall meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora held at the Nigerian embassy in Washington DC. The Town Hall which recorded a large turnout of Washington-based Nigerians and those from other parts of the US, was also attended by the wife of the Vice-President, Amina, Ambassador Adefuye, his wife, Catherine, Governor Amaechi, Adesina, and former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Howard Jeter, among other notable dignitaries.

Sambo used the event to inform Nigerians in US of what the Jonathan administration was doing to address the challenges facing the country, and also solicited their support for the reform agenda of the government.

Starting with the 2011 elections, Sambo recalled that President Jonathan assured Nigerians of a free, fair and credible election, and had delivered on that promise. He also said the government had set in motion, the process of making a departure from the past by bringing integrity, honesty and competence into governance, citing the quality of those brought onboard by the administration.

Speaking further on the efforts of government at addressing some of the nation's problems, Sambo listed the various reforms in the power sector and other moves initiated to revive the sector and make it the catalyst for the nation's development. He told the gathering that work was on course to revive the ailing rail transport sector, assuring that by year end, rail transportation would commence from Lagos to Kano, while government was also working on fast rail transportation from Lagos to Ibadan, and from Kaduna to Abuja.
That apart, he disclosed that four international airports - Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano - were being expanded, while remedial work was ongoing in all other airports across the country, just as he assured that government was determined to tackle the problem of corruption which had impeded the development of the country.

During the question and answer session, the Vice-President took time to explain the security situation back home and what was being done to addressing it. He was emphatic on the fact that the violent crises in the North had nothing to do with religion. "The security issue that is happening in the North is not a religious problem. It is an unfortunate problem being created by some hoodlums, people that have terrorist tendencies in their mind."

The Vice-President also disputed the claim that there was religious violence-inspired emigration in various parts of the country. "I will like to correct one impression. This issue that Christians were moving from the North and the Muslims are leaving the South is wrong. I beg to disagree with that notion because it is not happening.”

While noting that President Goodluck Jonathan had been holding series of security meetings aimed at addressing these challenges within the shortest time possible, he called for the support of all Nigerians, particularly the religious leaders, whose cooperation he said was vital to peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians.

[b]An interesting moment during the question and answer session was when a clergyman, who said he came from Nigeria to be at the meeting, told Sambo that he sees him becoming the President.

Apparently not oblivious of the import of such "prophesy", Sambo, while responding to questions said: "I forgot to mention to my lord bishop that I like Vice-President. Thank God for President. I recall when I met with Vice President Biden, we did discuss and he assured me and said he likes meeting with Vice Presidents and he likes Vice President. So, it is the same thing with me. As Vice President, I like being Vice President and I will support our President".[/b]source.wwww.thisdayonline.com

A 24-year-old graduate from Zamfara State, Muhammad Usman, would present a paper at the 2012 session of the World Renewable Energy Forum (WREF) scheduled for May 13 -17, in Denver, Colorado, United States.

Usman’s paper is entiled “Rural Solar Electrification-Renewable Energy Potential and Distribution for Development in Nigeria.” He is a 2010 Economics graduate from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Programme Officer at the Gusau-based Centre for Energy and Environment in Zamfara State.

The objective of Usman’s presentation, according to a statement posted at the WREF’s website, “will highlight the abundance of solar energy in Nigeria and its usage in local areas, especially remote corners of the country,” adding that “in Nigeria, solar energy is one of the most promising of the renewable energy sources, in view of its apparent limitless potentialities.”

The conference is presented by the American Solar Energy Society, World Renewable Energy Network, International Solar Energy Society, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and sponsored by UNESCO and Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory.

The statement explained that, “it has been confirmed that Nigeria receives 5.08 x 1012 kilowatt-hours of energy per day from the sun, and if solar energy appliances with just 5% efficiency are used to cover only 1% of the country’s surface area, then 2.54 x 106 megawatt-hours of energy can be obtained from solar energy . This amount of electrical energy is equivalent to 4.66 million barrels of oil per day.”

Other speakers at the conference include Dan Arvizu, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Cary Kennedy, Deputy Mayor, City and County of Denver; Edward Mazria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Architecture 2030; Dennis Dimick, Executive, Environment Editor, National Geographic; among other energy and environment experts.wwww.dailytrust.com

Afenifere Leader, Dr. Reuben Fasoranti, has cautioned the Northern leaders against their threat that the North is not afraid of the breaking of Nigeria.

A leader of the Arewa Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdulahi, on Wednesday said the North was prepared to go alone if the nation breaks up, adding that the North would not, however, champion the disintegration of the country.

Fasoranti told our correspondent in an interview in Akure that the news came to him as a shock.

He said, “I strongly appeal to the Northern leaders against such move because it would never be in their interest.

“They obviously don’t know the implication of such action and they should better don’t take a hasty decision they would forever live to regret.

“They would definitely benefit better if they remain in the same federation with the south because their own resources are limited.

“Their natural resources cannot possibly sustain them so they should not take any hasty decison because of the prevailing circumstance.”

The Arewa Consultant Forum, the umbralla body for the North, however, remained evasive regarding the position of Abdullahi, preferring to tacitly endorsing a united Nigeria.

ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, said on Thursday. “Professor Ango Abdullahi merely echoed what has been said several times that the North is committed to a united Nigeria in diversity not out of fear that the region cannot exist without oil but because of our deep and wide interdependence among constituent parts that make divorce impossible.

“Moreover, the size of the country is a huge advantage not just now but in future when the economy picks up. As result, the North would not be the cause of any contemplated break up.”

Ohanaeze Ndigbo dismissed Abdullahi’s threat, describing his submission as pointless.

The Deputy President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Chief Gary Igariwey, said, “We cannot react to such threats. Anybody could come from anywhere to make threats of breakup or secession, so it’s pointless reacting to such.”

He added, “There are so many groups now seeking attention, but there are those we recognise, like the Arewa Consultative Forum.

“Even if it comes from the Arewa Consultative Forum, it must come from the right people in the group, not just anybody.”

Coordinator of the Federation of Middle Belt Peoples, Mr. Manasseh Watyil, distanced the zone from the position of the Northern leaders.

Watyil said, “Who are the Northerness? We better distinguish between the owners of the North. If they want Nigeria to break that mean they are going back to where they came from. That will not affect the Middle Belt; they are free to go.

He added, “It is because of these challenges that the Middle Belt is calling for true federalism or Sovereign National Conference if we will stay together.”

A member of the Ulam council in Plateau State, Mallam Sani Muazu, however lamented the penchant for people or group to claim that they were speaking for the North.

He said there was nothing called one monolithic North, adding that there were no issues that could warrant any breakup of the country. Muazu said what united the country was more than what could divide it.

He said, “Who is the voice of the North? What is the criteria used in determining that voice? Is there one monolithic north? What are the issues at stake that warrants a breakup? Who is agitating for that? To achieve what?”source.www.punchng.com

Minister of Steel in the Second Republic, Paul Unongo, said assumption that Boko Haram sect was made up of only Muslims from the North was wrong because Christians, armed robbers and politicians have now crept into the Boko Haram-related violence.

Unongo stated this yesterday on Voice of America, Hausa Service monitored in Abuja.

“Our problem is this issue of Boko Haram, some think it is only Northern Nigeria’s problem but it is not true. Armed robbers, politicians from the North and South have joined Boko Haram in disguise. They think this is a Northern problem but some Southerners were arrested and there are Christians and Muslims in Boko Haram. The Boko Haram we knew were not armed robbers,” he said in Hausa.www.dailytrust.com

some of the responses here are amazing.Southerners are campaigning for SNC through their southern medias,now that north is ready all those voices are silent.North is not benefiting any thing from this fake marriage called 'mistake of 1914'.Let us sit down and iron out our modality for separation.The truth of the matter is we have many things that divide us then unite us.

The Committee of Concerned Northern Professionals, Politicians, Academics and Businessmen (CCNPPAB) has resolved to join in the suit challenging the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2015 Presidency.

Arising from a meeting in Abuja yesterday, the committee in a communiqué jointly signed and issued by Dr Junaid Muhammad and Professor Awwal Yadudu said their decision to join in the suit was necessitated by public interest that is at stake.

The professionals said they would apply to join a suit currently before an Abuja High Court challenging Jonathan’s propriety to contest for the 2015 presidential election.

The suit which was instituted by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Cyriacus Njoku is asking the Court to stop Jonathan from contesting the presidential election in 2015 on the grounds that he was already in his second term in office.

The suit came in the wake of a declaration by President Jonathan in the first week of March 2012 that he is serving his first term in office.

But the president in a preliminary objection to the suit argues that he is serving his first four year term in office as president of Nigeria as provided for in the 1999 constitution.

Against this background, the Northern professionals while expressing their resolve to join in the suit expressed worry at the president’s tactics of canvassing his position on the issue through the media instead of the proper forum which is the courts.

To this end, the professionals said, “the issue of whether the president is into his first or second term in office is a serious and weighty constitutional issue which only the courts can determine.”

They warned the president not to intimidate the courts with preemptive and bombastic pronouncements on the issue. Adding that, “instead, he should allow the due process of the law to prevail.”

The professionals noted that this is not the first attempt by the president to seek elongation of his tenure as previous attempts failed recalling that” In an apparent failure of this effort, it has become clear that the President, who along with his late predecessor, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua served a full four-year term between 2007 – 2011 and currently serving a second term seems now clearly bent on finding a way to serving a third term of office.”

The Committee argued that the current constitution is very clear in the assertion that whichever President serves two terms in office is not eligible for another term of office. Adding, “a first impression one gets from the reading of the constitution is that for the purposes of tenure, qualification and disqualification, the President and the Vice President are considered as one. Based on this President Jonathan will be considered in law to have served his first term between 2007 – 2011.”

The Concerned Northerners advised that based on this, and the fact that there are other arguments on oath-taking, which the constitution did not allow, Nigerians have to come to grips with the fact that they are confronted by serious and weighty constitutional issues which consequences impinge on the overall well-being of the republic.

To this end, the Concerned Northerners said they have taken upon themselves “the duty of arousing civil society groups and the general public to wake up to this relentless attempt to tenure elongation.”www.leadership.ng

This is a bold step from the north,now it is left for the promoters of SNC to be serious not usual Lagos press conference.At least all the regions have agreed that,the entity called 'Nigeria' is a force marriage by British for their selfish interest.

This is bold step from the north,now it is left for the promoters of SNC to be serious not usual Lagos press conference.At least all the regions have agreed that,the entity called 'Nigeria' is a force marriage by British for their selfish interest.

The Arewa Elders Forum yesterday disclosed that the North was prepared to engage other regions of the country in a peaceful dialogue to determine the future of Nigeria.



Receiving the harmonized reports of its committees on the state of insecurity and socio-political issues in Northern Nigeria yesterday in Abuja, the Forum in a veiled reference to the agitation for Sovereign National Conference (SNC), said: “The North shall no longer shy away from any dialogue or conference to negotiate the future of a united Nigeria, or even a divided Nigeria if that is the wish of its various component parts.”

The Forum under the chairmanship of former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mamman Nasir, also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to resume dialogue with the Boko Haram sect even as it raised fears that the bombings and destruction by the sect’s insurgency are beyond the capacities of local militants.

The Forum, in a communiqué read by the former Minister of Power and Steel, Dr. Paul Unongo, condemned in strong terms, the bombings that are becoming regular in the North and have claimed several innocent lives.

The elders argued in the communique, however, that the sophistication of the bombs as well as the selective choice of targets were beyond the expertise of local insurgents, urging the government to come up with a lasting solution to the menace.

“The sophistication in the professional way targets are chosen suggests a deliberate attempt to broaden the insurgency's effects with a view to creating widespread disaffection within and outside Nigeria.

“Mr. President himself suggested in a declaration that Boko Haram elements have infiltrated his government, including the security agencies of the nation. Our country and people deserve to know who these infiltrators are and the appropriate actions taken”, the group demanded.

According to the elders, “it is unfortunate that a mere skirmish that began in Maiduguri has been allowed to escalate to a level that it now threatens the corporate existence of the country. It allowed criminals like armed robbers, kidnappers and assassins to now hide under it to cause more havoc in the country".

The Forum lamented that Nigeria’s democracy remains very shaky because its operators at all levels have failed in its policy implementation due to corruption and indolence, just as it craved for a change from the current trend.

It also posited that the bottom-line of all the skirmishes is the pervasive poverty level in especially Northern Nigeria, as, according to it, the country now ranks among the poorest nations of the world and youths being most affected, have become the fodder being used in stimulating all the crises.

Other prominent leaders from the North at the meeting include Alh. Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano, Alh. Falalu Bello, Sani Zangon Daura, Shehu Malami, Dr Paul Unongo, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, Alh. Bello Kirfi, Amb. Babagana Kingibe, Mrs. Hannatu Chollom, Amb. Yahaya Kwande, Amb. Yerima Abdullahi, Dame Pauline Tallen, among others.

Enlarged meeting of Arewa Elders Forum held on Monday, April 16, 2012. Attendance list

1. Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kere
2. Dr. John Danfulani
3. Sheikh Ahmed Lemu
4. Yusuf Maitama Sule
5. Dr. Umaru Dikko
6. Mohd Kabiru Umar
7. Sen. Ahmed Muktar Aruwa
8. Joseph D. Bagobiri
9. Engr. Al-Ameen Y. Lukman
10. Ibrahim Zakari Isa
11. Dr. Isuwa B. Dogo
12. Shehu Nuhu Tamburawa
13. Sheikh Umar Mika'il
14. Sheikh Mouktar Suleiman
15. Sheikh Hashim Tahir
16. Sen. Ahmed M. Makarfi
17. Moh'd Abdul
18. Sheikh Amir Ahmad Tijjani Ladan
19. Malam Falalu Bello
20. Rev. Emmanuel N. Diggan
21. Dr. Haruna R. Karam
22. Eyam Mathew Owojane
23. Professor Ango Abdullahi
24. Rev. Bitrus Dangiwa
25. Rev. Dauda Ajimu
26. Col. T.K. Zubairu (rtd)
27. Col. Habibu Idris Shuaibu (rtd)
28. Kawu Idris Hansara
29. Dr. Habibu Mun Gwarzo
30. Barr. M.B. Wali
31. Malam Ibrahim Shekarau
32. Sen. U.K. Umar
33. Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau
34. Alfa S. Wali
35. Col M. Aliyu CON
36. M.S.A. Magani
37. Hon. Ghali Umar Na'Abba
38. Bashir Albasu
39. Professor Awwalu H. Yadudu
40. Alhaji Gidado Muktar
41. Qaribullahi Sheikh Nasiru Kabara
42. Bashir Danmusa
43. Sen. Umar I. Tsauri
44. Capt Bashir Sodangi
45. Alhaji Ahmadu Kurfi
46. Hassan Tanko
47. Aliyu Gambo
48. Hon (Dr.) Iliya Dan
49. Mohammed H. Sa'adu
50. Sani Ahmad Daura
51. Alhaji Ismaila Isa Funtua
52. Mustapha Bukar
53. Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura
54. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari
55. Hon. Justice Mamman Nasir
56. Gen. Lawrence B. Onoja
57. Dr. Yima Sen
58. Alh. Mohd Bawa Rijau
59. A.B. Umar
60. Gen. Suleiman Barau Said
61. Dr. Sheikh Ahmad
62. Sen. Nuhu Aliyu
63. Col. Sani Bello
64. Col. Aminu Isah Kontagora
65. Major Gen. Idris Garba
66. Alhaji Mustapha Bello
67. Mrs. Hannatu Chollom
68. Saga Audu
69. Alhaji Sale Hassan
70. Amb. Bagudu Hirse
71. Barr. Solomon Dalung
72. Dame Pauline Tallen
73. Haj. Fatima Abdul Kyari
74. Hon. Paul Ukwenya
75. Hon. Idris Yakubu
76. Gen. Teldi
77. Sheidu Lasisi
78. Mohammed Aliyu Yakubu
79. Rtd. Brig. Bello W. Labaran
80. Shehu Malami
81. Justice Mustapha Akanbi
82. Dr. Amuda Aluko
83. Ambassador J.T. Kolo
84. Bishop D. Bakare
85. Alhaji Musa Gwadabe
86. Bashir Baballe
87. Dr. Ayuba Z. Musa
88. Isa Tijjani
89. Hon. Musa Tanko Abai
90. Amb. Moh'd Ahmad
91. Air Marshal Al-Amin M. Daggash
92. Alh. Moh'd Goni
93. Baba Gana Kingibe (CFR)
94. Malam Kalli Gazali
95. Dr. Shettima Mustapha
96. Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi
97. Nasir Isa Abubakar
98. Col. Jibrin Bala Yakubu, Rtd
99. Dr. Hassan Mohd Lawal
100. Abubakar Hussan
101. Hon Rakiya Haruna K. Idris
102. Dr. Umar Ardo
103. Gen. Paul Tarfa
104. Capt P.M. Thodal
105. Jibril Amir
106. Gen I.B.M. Haruna
107. Gen M.B. Marwa (rtd)
108. Ibrahim Ahmad Barankowa
109. Justice Tijani Abubakar
110. Mustapha Bako
111. Aliyu Maidanma
112. Bashir Mohd Dalhatu
113. M.T. Adamu
114. AVM Abdulrahman Garkuwa
115. Tijjani Inuwa Dutse
116. DIG Uba B. Ringim
117. Shuaibu Maigida
118. Isa Mayana
119. Lawal Abubakar
120. Suleiman Umar
121. Alh. Abdul Kura
122. Tukur Mohd Umalwa
123. Gen. Mohammed Ali Gusau
124. Mohd Aliyu Shinkafi
125. Amin Nahuche
126. Ibrahim A. Kofa
127. Alh. Ahmad Iliyasu
128. Dr. Safiya I. Mohd
129. Prof. Isa B. Mohd
130. Haruna Adamu
131. Dr. Ibrahim Y. Lame
132. Alh. Sanusi Maijama'a
133. Mohd Bello Kirfi
134. Amb. Adamu Aliyu, mni
135. Alh. Ahmadu Shuaibu
136. Abdulrahman Abubakar Tunau
137. Amb. Mohd Adamu Jimba
138. Dr. Mohd Shata
139. Alhaji Moh'd Babangida Wambai
140. Aishatu Mohd (Mrs)
141. Buba Yaro Mafun
142. Col. Musa Mohd (rtd)
143. Prof Idris Mohd
144. A.G. Abubakar AIG (rtd)
145. Hajiya Aisha Aukku
146. Gen. (Amb.) Timothy Shelpidi
147. M.A. Wakili
148. Ahmad Yarima Abdullahi
149. Dr. Aliyu Modibbo Umar
150. Sen. Adamu A. Waziri
151. Prof. B.G. Bajoga
152. Khalifa Hassan Yinu
153. Air Cdre Ibrahim Alkali, OFR
154. Malam Adamu Ciroma
155. Adamu Maina Waziri
156. Engr. Buba Galadima
157. Justice U.A. Kargo
158. M.M. Abdu
159. Murtala Aliyu Usman
160. Sen. Ahmad Baba Zuruq
161. Dr. Hassan Mohd
162. Amb. Yahaya Kwande
163. Sen.John N. Shagaya
164. Rev. Yakubu Pam
165. Col. Lawal Ja'afaru Isa
166. Maj. Gen. Bashir S. Magashi
167. Sheikh Sanusi Gumbi
168. Dr. Paul Unongo
169. Sen. Kanti Bello
170. Alh. Lawal Kaita
171. Yusuf Bello Mai Aduwa
172. Col. U.F. Ahmad
173. A. Rufai Othman
174. M. Bashir Aliyu M/fashi
175. Zanna Hassan Bojuma Fidan
176. Muhammad Rabiu Abubakar
177. Aminu Ibrahim Yusuf
178. Dr. Ibrahim Datti Ahmad
179. Saudatu Usman Albashir
180. Sen. John Wash Pam
181. Pastor Joshua Iosaa
182. Hon. Bulus B. Nyam
183. Sheikh Abubakar
184. Paul Babale
185. Eng Namai M. Musa
186. Alhaji Umar Gana
187. Ibrahim Adam Ibrahim
188. Ahmad Tijjani Ado
189. Halidu Adamu Maishanu
190. Aliyu Usman
191. Mustapha Salihu
192. Sharif Suleiman A.
193. Paschal Bafyau
194. Joel R. Binalli.SOURCE:peoplesdaily-online.com

There was confusion yesterday over the slain Boko Haram spokesman Muhammed Auwal commonly called Abul Qaqa II who was reported to have been killed in Kaduna last week.
Some newspapers reported Sunday that Abul Qaqa II was killed by members of his own sect on suspicion he was trying to dump the struggle.

The report, quoting security sources, said he hailed from Kontagora in Niger State and that he was the son of 91-year old Mallam Lawal Na Alhaji Goma. His killers were said to have called the father and informed him about his son’s death.

Daily Trust investigation in Kontagora led to the house of one Mallam Lawal Na Alhaji Goma who has a son called Muhammed Auwal who resides in Kaduna.

But Mohammed Auwal in an interview with Daily Trust on phone yesterday refuted media reports that he was killed, saying he has never been a member of Boko Haram sect and that he is still alive.

Auwal said all that he knew was that last Saturday as he was coming out from Kasuwan Yan-Gwari in Rigasa area of Kaduna metropolis at about 5:30 pm with one of the persons working in his tailoring shop in the area, mobile policemen whisked him away in their patrol vehicle.

He said he was arrested when he crossed the road to the other side of the road while pointing a hand at his worker to remain where he was till he came back. That action, according to him, made the policemen enforcing the restriction order on motorcycles movement to assume he (Auwal) was talking to some motorcyclists to run away and so he was arrested but after an interrogation for about an hour or so he was asked to go.

He said his name is Abubakar Lawal not Mohammad Auwal, because he had stopped bearing Mohammed Auwal since 1999 when he left school.

Auwal said he was dumb founded when he learnt that he was associated with Boko Haram and not even as an ordinary member but as part of the leadership of the sect, saying he was still wondering how the information came about.

Meanwhile, when his father, who identified himself as Mallam Lawal Na Alhaji Goma, was contacted in Kontagora, said he also bears Mohammad Auwal, adding that when his son Abubakar was enrolled into school he was often addressed with his surname, Mohammad Auwal.

The 91-year old father of Mohammed Auwal told Daily Trust that his son who is now 31 years old had been with him throughout his life until last year when he had relocated to Kaduna to establish a tailoring business under the care of his elder brother, Nasiru, who is a civil servant.

According to him, they got the information that his son was arrested by the police in Kadauna through Nasiru and shortly after 8 pm or thereabout on that fateful Saturday, same Nasiru called back telling them that his younger brother (Mohammad Auwal) was released.

The father also said that when he heard of the arrest of his son, he assumed it was the handiwork of one person with whom his son had stayed briefly with when he first relocated to Kaduna but parted ways following a misunderstanding.

He said he was surprised to also learn from the neighborhood the following morning that his son was killed for attempting to denounce his membership of Boko Haram, noting that his son had never gone outside Kontagora in search of Islamic knowledge let alone be exposed outside.

He said his son would never be a member of any group that would not be accepted by his family, because of the type of training he gave to all his children.

But security officials were not responding to enquiries last night about the reported death of Abul Qaqa.

The true identity of the Boko Haram spokesman has not been settled between security officials and the sect members themselves.

On January 31, security officials announced they arrested the sect’s spokesman Abul Qaqa, but the sect said the next day that the man arrested was Abu Darda.

Since then the man who claimed to be Abu Qaqa continued to hold interviews with newsmen in Maiduguri via phone conference.

However, Abul Qaqa has not been heard of in the last two weeks.source:www.dailytrust.com

Hmmmm! why only NSA what of chief of army staff.

The United States Embassy in Abuja has reported that shots were fired close to its premises in the Central Business District, today.

"We believe there were shots fired in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy. The Nigerian authorities have two individuals in custody. We refer you to the Nigerian police for further information," a statement from the Embassy said.

More details soon source:www.dailytrust.com

Written by Christiana T. Alabi, Kaduna
The Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has dissociated itself from the Northern CAN, saying the body is illegal and against the laid down constitution of the association.

According to a statement signed by the CAN chairman in the state, Reverend Kraakevik Kujiyat, the vice chairman, Bishop George Dodo, the secretary, Canon Joshua and the treasurer, Elder Patrick Lawson, the constitution of CAN recognizes only six zonal components namely, South-South, South-West, North-Central , North-West and North- East.

The group also accused the Secretary General of the Northern CAN, Elder Saidu Dogo, of attempting to sow a seed of discord among Christians in the North.

‘‘The Northern CAN does not represent Kaduna State CAN. There is no constitutional provision for its existence. The spokesman of this unconstitutional body called Northern States CAN, is being sponsored to blackmail some Christian leaders. It is obvious that these apostles of confrontation are not fighting the cause of Jesus Christ,” the group said.

The statement added that the commendation of the leadership of the state’s youth CAN on the peace Initiative by the spokesperson for Northern State CAN is hypocritical.

Kaduna CAN therefore appealed to the entire Christian community in the state and in Nigeria to pursue reconciliation, restoration of peace and peaceful co-existence by forgiving all perceived injustices carried out against one another.

When contacted, the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Elder Saidu Dogo, said the association has been in existence since 1964 during the time of the late Sardauna, and that the Nigerian constitution does not prevent Northern Christians from associating.

“The Nigerian constitution gives everyone the right to associate, and it is on that basis that we came together. The group started here in Kaduna before CAN even came into existence. I am surprised by the ignorance of those making that statement. Can you say the Northern Governors’ Forum is unconstitutional, so just as the northern governors came together as an association, that’s how we also came together. Therefore, it is wrong for anyone to say an association that has been existing as far back as 1964 is illegal,” Dogo said.SOURCE:www.dailytrust.com

Last week, various media reported that the Nigerian government and Boko Haram militants have been engaged in secret, mediated negotiations. Since that news was reported, Salkida told CPJ, he has received several threatening calls from concealed numbers accusing him of being the instigator of the talks. “They said that as far as they are concerned, they will never allow anything like negotiation. They said they have it on authority that I am the link to the negotiation process. That I should desist; otherwise they’ll descend on me,” Salkida told CPJ. Salkida has refuted the accusations on his blog.
The real truth is security agent and top government functionaries are eating fat from Boko Haram saga,hence hate resolution of the crises.The question is out of 1trillion budgeted for security,what amount exactly we go for actual security.80% percent is for corrupt officials to share.

A Nigerian journalist who has extensively covered the conflict between the government and Islamist sect Boko Haram says his life is under threat.

Ahmad Salkida, an independent journalist, told the Comittee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that he noticed a white 4X4 Hilux with a Lagos state registration number following him on Thursday for several hours, including to his house in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

He said he has also received phone threats from anonymous callers in the past few days that he believes are coming from government security agents in connection to his contacts with Boko Haram.

“They said I am a Boko Haram member, that me and them are not supposed to exist. That they know where I live and they will visit me,” Salkida told CPJ.

Last week, various media reported that the Nigerian government and Boko Haram militants have been engaged in secret, mediated negotiations. Since that news was reported, Salkida told CPJ, he has received several threatening calls from concealed numbers accusing him of being the instigator of the talks. “They said that as far as they are concerned, they will never allow anything like negotiation. They said they have it on authority that I am the link to the negotiation process. That I should desist; otherwise they’ll descend on me,” Salkida told CPJ. Salkida has refuted the accusations on his blog.

“We are concerned about the safety of Ahmad Salkida,” said CPJ Africa Advocacy Coordinator Mohamed Keita. “Nigerian authorities must take these threats seriously and we hold the government responsible for Salkida’s well-being.” Doyin Adetuberin, spokesman for the State Security Service, Nigeria’s secret police, declined to comment when asked about the threats to Salkida.

A spokesman for Nigeria’s regular police, Sola Amore, told CPJ he is not aware of the threats and that Salkida should report his case to the nearest police station. Salkida told CPJ he is apprehensive of the police, which arbitrarily detained him over his reportage on the activities of the militant group in 2009 when he was a reporter for Daily Trust.

http://www.cpj.org/2012/03/nigerian-journalist-threatened-over-boko-haram-cov.php

The useless old fool,failed politician are behind boko haram


Jos Church Attack:suicide Bomber,cocin Member -dfence Hq.
From UBONG UKPONG,sun newspaper

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday identified Mr. Adams Joseph Ashaba, as the Boko Haram suicide bomber, who allegedly masterminded the bombing of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Jos, the Plateau State capital on February 26, disclosing that he was actually a member of the church.

The bomber had allegedly attacked COCIN that Sunday morning during service, where he was killed after killing a baby, a worshipper, his accomplice and injuring 38 other persons, including the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hiljah Abraham and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ezekiel Gomos.
Addressing Defence correspondents in Abuja, the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, on behalf of the Joint Security Information Managers Committee, said that the identification of the mastermind would now end the allegation that the man in military uniform, who was lynched by some angry church members for allowing the bomber into the premises of the church to explode the bomb, was a soldier.

“The DHQ wishes to clarify that contrary to the earlier reports that a soldier was lynched by aggrieved members of the church for allowing the bomber to gain access into the church premises, no soldier was anywhere close to the church before the explosion. Investigations revealed that on February 27, one Mr Julius came to the Special Task Force (STF) HQ to complain of his missing brother, one Mr Adams Joseph Ashaba. He claimed that the said person was at the COCIN Church Headquarters on Sunday, 26 February, 2012 to worship when the explosion rocked the area. He later confirmed that he was informed that his brother’s body was picked in a bush by men of Civil Defence corps and deposited at JUTH mortuary. He then went to JUTH where he identified the corpse as his brother, Mr Adams Joseph Ashaba and was directed by hospital staff to STF HQ for clearance.

“During interrogation, it was discovered that the alleged suicide bomber who was lynched by the worshippers and in military uniform was the same Adams Joseph Ashaba. With this development, Reverend John D Harung and two other clergymen from the COCIN Headquarters were invited to HQ STF to ascertain that he was a member of their church and not a soldier as alleged”, Commodore Aliyu stated.
He said that the Defence Headquarters viewed the hasty allegation leveled against the military in the unfortunate incident as a calculated attempt to frustrate the operations of the STF by the same elements who have been unduly calling for the withdrawal of STF from Plateau State.WWW.sunewsonline.com

Former President of the Ijaw Youth Council and Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, on Monday insisted that the Federal Government’s N74bn vote for the rehabilitation and retraining of the Niger Delta ex-militants in the 2012 budget was not enough.

In a statement, Dokubo-Asari demanded that a 10-day oil production proceeds should be allocated to the programme, since the country’s oil production had risen to 2.6 million barrels per day against 680, 000 before the amnesty programme was instituted by ex-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

According to him, the increase is part of the gains of the amnesty programme.

He said, “With all these gains, one expects that the operators of the amnesty project should have been encouraged and applauded. Instead, what we see is rebuke, recrimination and an attempt to scuttle the project by those who contribute next to nothing in the upkeep and maintenance of the Nigerian state but are now calling for a probe into the amnesty project.

“There is nothing wrong with probing a government institution if it is not done out of malice.

“It is important to state that going by the 2012 budget passed by the National Assembly, the amnesty project budget is about N74bn annually. Which means that amnesty project budget for a year is far less than two days oil production.

“I believe that the resources allocated to the amnesty project is inadequate and cannot dig deep to satisfy the aspirations and yearnings of the people of the oil-bearing communities. I hereby suggest that for a new start, 10 days oil production proceeds, after removing cost of product and percentage proceeds due to joint ventures partners, should be allocated to the training and education of the people of the oil-bearing communities through the amnesty project.”

The ex-militant alleged that the company of one of the allies of the late Gen. Sani Abacha offered oil operating licence on July 8, 1996 produces 400, 000 barrels of oil per day, meaning that the company makes N2.3bn annually, despite the death of the owner.

“If a dead individual is raking N2.3bn in 365 days, why should N74bn be allocated to the amnesty project from resources gotten from underneath their soil?,” he said.

“This is how the Nigerian state is been run and managed at the expense of the vast majority of her people. While some people pretend to be blind to these painful realities, some of us will not join the bandwagon of the blind men, these inequity, injustice and blatant insensitivity must be checked now if we are to have a stable polity.”

The NDPVF leader added, “Most people will be wondering why I have chosen to speak in favour of the amnesty project, even though I hate the tag amnesty, I know that the managers of the project have managed it so well to the benefit of the recipients.

“Today, thousands of young men and women are being trained as doctors, engineers and oil work men and I believe that if this project is expanded and the amnesty tag is dropped, the belief by most of us that we are been criminalized for standing up for our right will be removed and more people will benefit from the project.

“at present, most people who hitherto, would have been committing crimes in the creeks are now meaningfully engaged, learning and acquiring skills in various universities, polytechnics and technical institutions all over the world.

“As it is said, an idle mind is a devil’s workshop; the people managing the amnesty project have used the project to rehabilitate and readmit the ex-militants who lived the life of criminality into civil society

http://www.punchng.com/news/n74bn-not-enough-for-amnesty-programme-dokubo-asari/

Blueprint Newspapers reporter, Ahmad Salkida has denied being part of any mediation committee engaging in negotiation of a ceasefire between the Federal Government of Nigeria and Boko Haram sect.

Salkida has extensively covered the rise of the sect more than any practicing journalist in Nigeria. He narrowly missed being killed in 2009 when the sect clashed with Nigerian security forces, leading to the killings of Mohammed Yusuf, the sect's founder. Salkida was also arrested, but on all account, he maintained that he was only doing his professional duty as a journalist/writer.

In a statement today, the Blueprint Newspapers correspondent in Abuja, who was once a journalist in Maiduguri, the flashpoint of the Boko Haram insurgency, Salkida said that though he maintained professional contact with the sect, he has not in any way been involved in any form of communication between the two warring sides.

The full statement reads:

“In the past few days a deluge of phone calls from individuals claiming to be media reporters requesting information “on my involvement with the Federal Government’s negotiation with the Jama’atu Ahl-Sunnati Lil Da’awati Wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram Islamist sect.” More surprisingly, newspaper publication went as far as reporting that I was involved in an imagined negotiation allegedly between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the ‘Boko Haram’ sect. It has become extremely imperative, on account of these developments to make public my position. As a practicing journalist, I had opened and maintained invaluable professional contacts with the leadership of the sect. I have on the basis of this professional position reported, often exclusively, sensitive insights on the operations of the sect. I still maintain valuable professional line of communication with the sect.

“I have keenly followed insinuations in the media about planned or on-going dialogue between the Federal Government and the sect. It is my personal prayer that whatever machinery that that needs to be deployed to end the apparent and depressing war situation in Nigeria accomplishes immediate and effective peace. Nevertheless, at personal or official level I have not been approached neither by the Federal Government, its agents nor the Boko Haram sect respect of any negotiation or dialogue and do not hesitate to declare that I am not part of any imagined at any level.

“As a patriotic, professional and concerned Nigeria, I will not hesitate to consider it should the government seek to benefit from my insight but let it be known that as at now, no such engagement involving me is in place yet.

Thank you.”source:www.saharareporters.com

“Ordinarily, elders like us would take comfort in the belief that God Almighty has rewarded our past endeavours with successors who should worry over matters of national security, the state of the economy and governance generally. It would have been their lot to find solutions to problems that confront our people today; and ours would have been to pray for them, and where necessary, offer some general advise...
But these are not ordinary times…”

-General Abdussalami Abubakar declaring open a Peace Seminar at Minna, 15th March, 2012.

It is arguable if there have ever been ordinary times for the north and Nigeria, but the frenzy of activities around the politics, economy and security of the north in the context of its relations with the rest of the nation will certainly qualify for its being treated as a development worth some attention. Suddenly, this frenzy of meetings and consultations, many involving the same interests or persons is gripping the nation’s attention. Many northerners are even daring to believe that the sleeping giant in the sun is about to wake up, but many more are worried that it will wake up to find that there is very little room for giants who slept badly, and for too long.
It is tempting to interprete this flurry of political activities as a reaction to the contempt and insults daily being thrown at a region and its people who are being blamed for wasting an opportunity to be great, and is now irritating the rest of the nation with its bombs, bullets and begging bowls. These insults and derision, and the seeming resolve in some parts of the country to keep the north permanently where it is today, or expunge it from the nation altogether do hurt. But they hurt even more when they come from its youngest generation who hear of huge opportunities leaders from the north had, but failed to steal the resources of other people and bring them to the north for development; or leaders who did steal, but kept it to themselves; or leaders who governed without vision, patriotism or honesty, and frittered away opportunities to develop the huge potential of the north in its land and people.
But there are more basic reasons behind these activities than the contempt with which the north is held today. Most of the key players in convening these meetings recognize that a loud statement was made by many parts of the north following the general elections in April 2011. No one yet has bothered to understand the nature of that statement, or is taking steps to address its roots, or ensure that the political and electoral process is fixed before 2015. Certainly, there are hints that ordinary folks have lost faith in a democratic process where offices are allocated; mandates bought or stolen, and the population is only useful around election times. The Nigerian electoral process has never been removed from a pronounced influence of violence; but 2011 marked a new high in the linkages between elections and widespread violence.
Then, of course, in the past one year, the escalation of violence under the generic cover of Boko Haram has assumed center stage in setting a political agenda of its own, and since the north has none of its own, this agenda written in blood has become the only game in town. It raises issues about injustice, corruption and impunity, but the solutions it provides are impractical, non-negotiable and do not seek a political process to be actualized.
The Boko Haram insurgency has up-staged the old northern establishment by repudiating it altogether. Its methods and goals are taking many casualties. Political careers are at risk, to the extent that elected persons, influence peddlers and fixers have all retreated in the face of its contempt for the political process. It is destroying what little there is left of the economy of the north, engineering massive capital flight and scaring away any prospects for investment. It is damaging inter-faith and inter-community relations, and re-introducing violence as the only method in resolving disputes.
The collateral damage of the post-election violence and the Boko Haram insurgency is just as disastrous. Most of the north is under virtual siege of military and police personnel, and the basic rights of citizens to decent treatment has been jeffisioned. Northern highways are a study in inept security management, and the vast majority of citizens believe that the countless military and police checkpoints are intended only to humiliate and inconvenience northerners. Night-time economies in many cities have been destroyed because of the banning or restrictions on two wheel transport or imposition of curfews. More people are therefore joining the ranks of the desperately poor and bitter. Religious, community and other leaders have shrunk in size because they cannot influence how the Nigerian state responds to the threat of the insurgency, or how genuine grievances of innocent citizens against security personnel can be processed. The rest of the nation has defined this insurgency as a northern problem, which, at worst, is a self-defeating position and at best, is an additional weapon to use against the north in this historic battle to permanently reverse its political fortunes. A nation which spends one quarter of its annual budget on security, much of it targeted at an insurgency cannot be indifferent to it, or treat it as someone else’s. It is also a bad mistake to assume that Boko Haram will cripple the north permanently, unless this thinking is informed by a plan to keep the insurgency alive for the foreseeable future.
Will all these activities which seek to limit the political and economic damage to the north produce the results they seek? To answer this question, the real interests behind them need to be understood. The Dr. Junaidu Group has a clear idea that the north will have to fight itself out of its corner by trading punches and adopting new techniques for avoiding being pinned against the ropes again. It has many people vastly experienced in the nuances and volatility of northern and Nigerians politics, and they are not shy to look the rest of Nigeria in the eye and say we want more resources because we are entitled to more. This group says the north wants any type of conference to discuss Nigeria, on its own, or on anybody’s terms. It plans to tap into the intellectual resources of the north, its political assets and its diversity to find northern solutions to northern problems. Its biggest liability is the appearance that it is a front for northern governors who do not have the guts or the autonomy to take on their fellow governors over resource allocation; or mobilize the north around political reforms. And northern governors are known for how little credibility they have, and are reminded at every turn that they are largely responsible for the recent misfortunes and setbacks of the north; or being the architects of the present poverty of vision and muscle to tackle its economic and social problems. Many people of goodwill are warning the people in the Junaidu Group that liaison with northern governors is dangerous to the health of their personal integrity, and the fortunes of the north.
The Danmasanin Kano initiative, which a friend jokingly referred to as the geriatric ward is also extremely suspect. It taps into a generation, that has very little say in what happens, and very little influence over those who determine what happens to people in the north: President Jonathan, northern governors and Boko Haram. These elders are a sad reminder of the leadership deficit of the north, and even for an African community which places premium and value on age and experience, and outing by these elders suggests either of two things. One, they are unwilling to yield space for a generation which should be trusted to take over from them. Or, two, they have no generation behind them which can be trusted to take over from them. Either way, it says a lot about the leadership question in the north, and raises serious questions over the wisdom of elders entering the ring, instead of coaching young wrestlers over the secrets of a successful fight.
The General Abubakar initiative falls somewhere between the bring-it-on spirit of the Junaidu initiative, and the lamentation of elderly men who insist on having a say in a different conversation. It has a foot in both initiatives, so it can suffer from the weaknesses of both. Its major asset is General Abubakar himself, although there are people who say you only need to look behind the General every time to see General Babangida. But he has a good record of staying out of the fray, and is trusted by many of the political elite. Its biggest drawback will be if it fails to cash in on the goodwill it enjoys across a wide spectrum of the northern political environment.
All these activities around the heart and soul of the north are evidence of real concerns to improve its capacities and fortunes to deal with its problems. But they avoid asking many awkward questions, which will be their major undoing. Any initiative to deal with security or economy of the north, or to prepare it to engage Nigeria as a strong partner must ask about why the PDP which controls 16 of the 19 State Governments, and northern governors who monopolize the machinery to dispense patronage, facilitate real change and development, and engage the Presidency and the rest of the country are not directly involved in the search for answers to the problems of the north. Unless all these initiatives intend to supplant our Governors and their Party, or push them into meaningful action, they will remain trees looking for a forest.

The Federal Government and the Boko Haram sect have opened peace talks with an indirect contact made between the two sides over the past week through two senior clerics, sources privy to the discussions told Daily Trust last night.

A deal is being worked out for a three-month ceasefire during which there would be no attack by the sect and there would also be no “harassment” from the government, one of the sources said.

“Boko Haram wants the release of arrested members as a condition for ceasefire. Then discussions will follow,” a source told one of our reporters.

Earlier yesterday, Reuters news agency also reported that “mediated” talks have started.

One of the sources who spoke to Daily Trust last night said the two clerics involved in the negotiations have close contacts in the Boko Haram sect, and they have been shuttling between the sect’s self-proclaimed leader Abubakar Shekau and government officials.

The two clerics were in the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria together with the late Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, whose death in police custody in July 2009 triggered a widespread violent uprising by the sect.

But one source said the talks were being threatened by leakages in the media.

“The problem is that Boko Haram has intended for this to be confidential. But the issue has already leaked to the media. So now, Boko Haram is threatening to back out though the mediators are trying to persuade the sect to stay on,” he said.

There was no immediate comment from the Presidency over the story yesterday. Boko Haram, which makes sporadic tele-conferences through Maiduguri-based journalists, also did not react to the report.

The senior cleric mentioned as the leading mediator did not answer calls made to seek his comments on Wednesday and yesterday.

When our reporter called the other cleric in the talks last night, he pleaded not be named because he said they had agreed ab initio to make these talks secret.

A third source spoken to yesterday said one of the mediators had confided in him that the discussions were going on and there were indications of success. He said the major target for now was to agree to a three-month ceasefire, during which Boko Haram will not launch any attack while security forces will not attempt to arrest any sect member.

The source said if the ceasefire is achieved, then discussions on ending the whole campaign of violence will start.

In its own report, Reuters quoted a source saying that “BH (Boko Haram) has mentioned a conditional ceasefire but it wants all its members released from prison. The government sees this as unacceptable but is willing to release foot soldiers.”

It said a traditional leader and a civil rights activist, whose names were not given, were also involved in the talks.

“It is the first time a ceasefire has been mentioned, so it is a massive positive, but given the lack of trust a resolution is still a way off,” the Reuters source added.

National Security Adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, was quoted to have said in January that the government was considering making contact with moderate members of Boko Haram via “back channels.”

President Jonathan has also said in January that the government was open to dialogue but said sect members were hidden and therefore direct talks were unlikely.

The military’s efforts to stem the sect’s insurgency have had mixed results in the past, with human rights groups saying heavy-handed tactics have worsened resentment of authorities.

But more recently there have been arrests of senior figures including Abul Qaqa and Kabiru Sokoto, while some have died in clashes with security forces.

The group has not managed to launch a widescale, coordinated attack since one in Kano that killed 186 people in January, reverting to crude bomb attacks and drive by shootings.source:www.dailytrust.com

From UBONG UKPONG,sun newspaper

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday identified Mr. Adams Joseph Ashaba, as the Boko Haram suicide bomber, who allegedly masterminded the bombing of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Jos, the Plateau State capital on February 26, disclosing that he was actually a member of the church.

The bomber had allegedly attacked COCIN that Sunday morning during service, where he was killed after killing a baby, a worshipper, his accomplice and injuring 38 other persons, including the state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hiljah Abraham and former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Ezekiel Gomos.
Addressing Defence correspondents in Abuja, the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, on behalf of the Joint Security Information Managers Committee, said that the identification of the mastermind would now end the allegation that the man in military uniform, who was lynched by some angry church members for allowing the bomber into the premises of the church to explode the bomb, was a soldier.

“The DHQ wishes to clarify that contrary to the earlier reports that a soldier was lynched by aggrieved members of the church for allowing the bomber to gain access into the church premises, no soldier was anywhere close to the church before the explosion. Investigations revealed that on February 27, one Mr Julius came to the Special Task Force (STF) HQ to complain of his missing brother, one Mr Adams Joseph Ashaba. He claimed that the said person was at the COCIN Church Headquarters on Sunday, 26 February, 2012 to worship when the explosion rocked the area. He later confirmed that he was informed that his brother’s body was picked in a bush by men of Civil Defence corps and deposited at JUTH mortuary. He then went to JUTH where he identified the corpse as his brother, Mr Adams Joseph Ashaba and was directed by hospital staff to STF HQ for clearance.

“During interrogation, it was discovered that the alleged suicide bomber who was lynched by the worshippers and in military uniform was the same Adams Joseph Ashaba. With this development, Reverend John D Harung and two other clergymen from the COCIN Headquarters were invited to HQ STF to ascertain that he was a member of their church and not a soldier as alleged”, Commodore Aliyu stated.
He said that the Defence Headquarters viewed the hasty allegation leveled against the military in the unfortunate incident as a calculated attempt to frustrate the operations of the STF by the same elements who have been unduly calling for the withdrawal of STF from Plateau State.WWW.sunewsonline.com