₦airaland Forum

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said he could not single-handedly surmount the challenges confronting the nation.
Jonathan, at an  interdenominational church service to mark  the 52nd independence anniversary of the nation  at the National Christian Centre, Abuja,  stated  that only the collective efforts of all would take the country forward.
He  expressed the conviction that the problems of the nation would soon become things of the past.

The theme of the service was “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal.”
The President said, “Leadership at all levels of government is a collective thing. One person cannot change a nation. The President, governors, lawmakers, members of the judiciary alone cannot do it.
“The leader matters but he cannot change things alone. All Nigerians, men and women, will change things in the country.

“If God can use Nehemiah to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, in all arms of governments, I believe we have many Nehemiahs. There are many of them among teachers, artisans, and clergy.

“God will use these various Nehemiahs to rebuild this country. I can say again that Nigeria will succeed; with our cooperation we shall succeed!”
Jonathan said if the nation must rise above  diseases, insecurity and other ills, Nigerians must earnestly play their roles  and intercede for the land
He said his administration had succeeded in sanitising the electoral process and assured stakeholders that more efforts were being put into the government’s anti-corruption war.

He said although the works might not be obvious to many now,  his administration had also been doing well in the economic sector.

 Promising  that his administration would continue to work hard on the security challenges in some parts of the country, he added that he and his aides would not sleep until power supply    stabilises in the country.

In his sermon at the service, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, described the fundamentalist  Islamic sect, Boko Haram, as a terrorist organisation.

Oritsejafor said the sect was being funded by some politicians who wanted to create political space for themselves as well as some outsiders who  desired Nigeria’s disintegration
He said, “Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation; you and I know it. The activities of Boko Haram are not fuelled by poverty but by a religious fundamentalist ideology.
“Boko Haram is funded from within by people who desire to use them to create political space for themselves and funded from without by those who want to see Nigeria divided along religious-ethnic lines.

“Boko Haram is also sustained by media apologist who feed the unsuspecting public with politically- incorrect half-truths.”

Oritsejafor said as a nation, if Nigerians were serious about getting answers to national prayers, they must turn from their wicked ways.

 The cleric identified the two conditions necessary for answered prayers as humility and turning from wickedness.

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, in his remarks said the nation’s independence anniversary called for a sober reflection and more prayer and supplication from all.

He said, “Together we can rescue our nation from its present difficulties. Nigeria would have been worst of if not for prayers.

“We have a divine responsibility to pray for the peace of our land, a nation bombarded with multiplicity of challenges. I urge church leadership to put on the armour of prayer to seek divine intervention from God. We must begin the process of mobilisation for prayers.”
Senate President David Mark read the first lesson of the service while Jonathan read the second.
Other dignitaries at the service were former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice- President Alex Ekwueme, members and the  leadership of the National Assembly, ministers, service chiefs, diplomatic corps and captains of industry


http://www.punchng.com/news/i-cant-solve-nigerias-problems-alone-president/

On Point. Carrygo

The idea of having the NASS to Pass a budget 5months into a new year is absolutely wrong. And that's what Gej is trying to correct. Present the budget now, have it passed, and prepare for full implimentation. But these people in the NASS that behave like student unionists will always move for that which favors them. How can Reps expect 100% implimentation of 2012 budget by september when d budget was passed in april/may? They've never gotten their record straight. Mtscheeeew

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed optimism that the acts of terrorism being perpetrated by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which has killed over 1,400 people in the North since 2010, will soon be over.

Jonathan told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the ongoing General Assembly meeting of the United Nations, that the Federal Government’s multifaceted approach in tackling terrorism has started bearing fruit.

He also dropped a hint that he had not given up on the complete withdrawal of fuel subsidy, despite the strong opposition to the policy that forced him to back down last January when he attempted it.

According to him, the “robust” approach to checkmating Boko Haram using military force, holding indirect talks with the group and improving education in the North has led to a reduction in the number of successful attacks carried out by the insurgents.

Security agents in the last few months seemed to have gained the upper hand in their frequent clashes with the terrorists, many of whom have either been killed or arrested.

The security agents made a major breakthrough in their anti-terror campaign last Monday when they killed a suspected top member of the insurgent group and arrested 156 others in Mubi, Adamawa State.

Operatives of the special security squad, Operation Restore Sanity, made the arrest during a raid on the insurgents’ hideout in Mubi, which led to a gun battle with the terrorists in which one of the Boko Haram key commanders, believed to be Abubakar Yola, alias Abu Jihad, was killed.

Four of the 156 persons arrested are also believed to be top unit commanders of the sect involved in the recent bombings of telecommunications facilities in the North-east about three weeks ago.

In addition, over 300 improvised explosive devices already primed for detonation, 25 assorted brands of rifles, mostly brand new AK 47, submachine guns and over 2,000 daggers, swords, bows and poisoned arrows were recovered from the hideout.

Also recovered was a huge quantity of bomb-making devices, which was stored in a large compound, situated at Shagari Low Cost Housing, Mubi.

Security agents also in Yobe killed 35 suspected Boko Haram members in a raid on their hideout in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, between last Sunday and Monday.

The killing of Abu Jihad and others came one week after the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) claimed to have killed a key member of the sect, suspected to be the sect’s spokesman, Abu Qaqa, a nom de guerre used by the spokesmen of the sect, and arrested two others in Kano.

Jonathan, in his interview with Reuters, however, played down the significance of the killing of Abu Qaqa, in a gun battle in Kano on September 16.

“If I look at it, the trend is coming down,” he said about the threat posed by Boko Haram. “It's not because Abu Qaqa is dead. Abu Qaqa is just one person. If one Abu Qaqa dies, it can generate 10 Abu Qaqas.

“The issue is not the death of one person. The issue is that the robust approach that government is taking, exploiting all possible means, is paying off, and we believe it will continue to pay off.”

The president made it clear that the military approach could only be one part of the solution.

Much more important, he said, was a push to improve agriculture, job prospects and access to Western-style education in the North.

“The whole approach, both the security aspects, both the indirect talks, and the job opportunities that we are creating, is achieving results. We are giving hope to the people. The education institutions we are establishing are giving hope to the people.

“One links up with the other to get to the respite we are seeing now; I cannot credit it to only one approach,” Jonathan said.

Last month, presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, had said the Federal Government was reaching out to Boko Haram and talking with some of its members through “backroom channels” as it seeks a peaceful way out of terrorism.

On the crisis of confidence between the Federal Government and states over the establishment of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), the president said both parties would soon resolve their differences.

The governors have proposed fresh terms to the Federal Government as a condition for withdrawing their suit before the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of the operation of the Excess Crude Account (ECA) from where government withdrew the $1 billion seed capital for the take-off of the SWF.

“Yes, we can go to court. But we believe it's not the best to solve certain problems through a court. We are discussing, and I believe at the end of the day we will get to a point where both parties will win.

“They are not arguing because they know that the issue of the Sovereign Wealth Fund is transparent, they trust the Minister of Finance.

“They feel that some of the states have challenges and they want to decide what percentage they can put in. But we feel it is better we do it collectively,” the president said.

Jonathan also talked about his push to abolish fuel subsidy, for which he had to beat a retreat last January in the face of crippling nationwide strikes.

“Besides the issue of corruption, it was being abused. All over the world, people advised that states should no longer subsidise hydrocarbons, because when you subsidise hydrocarbons, those who gain are not the ordinary people.

“Quite a lot of Nigerians agree that subsidies must go," he said, adding that he expected to again try a gradual phase-out to soften the impact of price increases. "This time around, we will properly involve the people and give a robust timeline."

Nigeria's cities are expected to grow to 200 million people by 2050, the UN forecast in April. But Jonathan said he was wary of forecasts based on current trends and suggested that the country's population growth would eventually slow down.

“That (growth forecast) is based on the present statistics in terms of a pattern of reproduction, which may not continue that way,” he said. “As more people become more educated and more aware, they tend to reduce the size of their population.”

http://www.thisdayonline.com/

Members of the House of Representatives have begun another cold war with the executive arm as they unanimously rejected the October 4 already fixed by President Goodluck Jonathan for the presentation of 2013 budget.

The lower chamber said it is impracticable for them to accept the 2013 Appropriation bill, while the 2012 was not properly utilized by the federal government.

Additionally, the lawmakers have suspended plenary session for next week in order to allow members of the House to embark on physical inspection of projects in the country.

It will be recalled that the lawmakers had earlier threatened to impeach President Jonathan by the end of September this year, if he failed to implement the 2012 budget fully.

Though, the lawmakers are yet to commence this process of impeachment even as the month of September is almost over, many people believe that the rejection of the 2013 budget by the House clearly shows that all is not well.

The lawmakers faulted the 2013 budget presentation date, when the Speaker, Alhaji Amimu Tambuwal was reading the letter sent by the Presidency to the House.

Reacting to this during the weekly media interaction, Hon. Zakari Mohammed who is the House of Representatives’ spokesman said that the rejection of the budget will never create another war between the Presidency and the lower chamber.

His words, “The question of Mr. President coming to present the budget on 4th is ruled out because by next week we are not going to be available. Also, the MTEF must definitely be looked into first, by law and convention before the budget for the incoming year is considered.

“These are issues of law; it is not about the House trying to flex muscles. Maybe later, a letter of convenient day would be fixed for Mr. President to come and present the budget.

“We are considering an aspect of the 2012 budget and not yet completed, yet another one is coming. 4th October is just not realistic; we are going on an oversight and will be back on 9th,”


http://dailypost.com.ng/2012/09/28/no-presentation-2013-budget-october-4-house-representatives-embark-one-week-oversight-function/

Nigeria’s foreign policy focus is on how to attract greater foreign direct investment to accelerate domestic growth and create jobs President Goodluck Jonathan has said.
He spoke Wednesday in New York at a dinner organised in his honour by the Corporate Council on Africa.
The President is attending the 67th United Nations General Assembly Session.

Jonathan, according to a statement by his spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati, said his administration is wholly committed to promoting the development of a knowledge-economy that will enhance the security of lives and property, thereby accelerating growth to provide more employment and reduce youth restiveness.

The President told the gathering of leading American businessmen and investors that attracting foreign investment to support the realisation of the Federal Government’s Agenda for National Transformation is the topmost priority of Nigeria’s diplomacy abroad.
“Let me restate here that Nigeria’s foreign policy is now anchored on the realisation of this Transformation Agenda through the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment. Under the new policy thrust, our Diplomatic Missions abroad have been directed to focus more on attracting investment to support the domestic programmes of government with a view to achieving not only our Vision 20: 2020, but to bequeathing an enduring legacy of economic  prosperity,” he said.

President Jonathan assured guests at the dinner that adequate safety nets has been established to protect all foreign investors in Nigeria. Such measures, he said, included the establishment and strengthening of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission and the Bureau of Public Procurement.

The President said his Administration is dealing decisively with Nigeria’s security challenges. “We have some security challenges now, but let me assure you that the Nigerian Government is on top of it. We are dealing with the issue decisively; it will soon be a thing of the past.
“Opportunities abound for would-be investors with capital and technical know-how in key areas of Nigeria’s economy with a high rate of return on investment. I invite our friends in the United States to take advantage of existing incentives and invest more in Nigeria. I am confident that by the year 2015, Nigeria would have witnessed transformation in all sectors to the benefit of not only its citizens, but also those who have an interest in Nigeria,” President Jonathan concluded.

Welcoming President Jonathan to the dinner earlier, the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, pledged that the Obama Administration will continue to support Nigeria’s efforts to attract greater foreign investment.

Noting that Nigeria is already a very important destination for American companies and the second highest recipient of American direct private sector investment in Africa, Mr. Carson said he is optimistic that Nigeria could become  a great economic success over the next decade
The Assistant Secretary of State announced that the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission, which has been established as a primary platform for the promotion of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, will meet again in Nigeria next month.
President Jonathan’s other engagements in New York on Wednesday included meetings with President Sauli Ministo of Finland and the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mrs. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf.

The President also met with President Francois Hollande of France, the Emir of Qatar and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. He also received representatives of the over 200 Nigerians who work for the United Nations and its agencies.

President Jonathan and Prime-Minister Jens Stoltenberg of Norway with whom he serves as Co-Chairperson of the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children also participated at an event to promote its work. Guests at the event included former U.S. President Bill Clinton.


http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/economic-growth-driving-nigerias-foreign-policy-says-jonathan/

“Media behind Jonathan’s impeachment threats” -House of Rep member
Posted about 6 hours ago | 0 comment


The cloudy storm of the Goodluck/Sambo administration has been linked to the media. This came up when the Deputy Minority Whip of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Abdul Rhaman Sumaila, allegedly said that the media was behind the moves to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.

“As far as I know, it is you people (the media) that created the impeachment threat that has hang tenaciously on our political firmament of late, but as the principal officer of the House, I wish to state without fear of contradictions that we never planned to impeach the president,” he stated.

The speaker, who represents Sumaila/Takai Federal constituency, had told journalists in Kano recently that the House owed it a duty to compel the executive arm to sign into law the appropriation bill for the wellbeing of the society .

He further stated, “The House considers it a disservice to the country if it kept mute over the non-implementation of 2021 appropriation bill by the Federal Government”

It would be recalled that the moves by the National Assembly to oust President Goodluck Jonathan over budget implementation recently took a surprise turn when the Upper Chamber also vowed to fire His Excellency if he continues to disregard the actions and counsels of the senate.

Senators gave the declaration when Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP, Abia North disclosed that some senators were already mobilizing signatures to fire Jonathan for disregarding order of the legislature.

“We believe that this is an opportunity for Mr. President to go and look for the resolutions of the Senate regarding the BPE investigation. If there are people sitting on it, I think he should use his executive powers and push them out and get the report and begin to implement them for the overall interest of this country.”

“The Ahmad Lawan report is the highest moral ground of the Seventh Senate. It was that report that convinced everybody, the public that the hope for this country lies with the Senate;


http://dailypost.com.ng/2012/09/27/media-behind-jonathans-impeachment-threats-house-rep-member/?wt=2

Commendable move.

Goood one. Quick relief

GEj is on point

Gej's Transformation Agenda has attracted international admiration. Those who felt d agenda was not realisable now hide their faces in shame. Like Blair advised, all We owe GEj is support

Weldone Gej

This bill should be passed without delay

Only popular leaders who enjoy people's goodwill can embark on electoral reform, conduct free, fair and credible election Without being afaid to lose. Even ACN and other opposition parties have acknowledged that GEJ has settled electoral issues.

Senate seeks life jail for terrorists
Written by Isiaka Wakili  
Thursday, 27 September 2012 05:

The Senate yesterday considered a bill seeking life jail for anyone found guilty of terrorist acts in the country
The bill titled “The Terrorism Prevention (Act)  2011 Amendment Bill 2012”, sponsored by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River), passed a second reading yesterday.
Leading his debate on the bill, the leader of the Senate, said the bill sought to make provisions for extra territorial application of the Act and strengthen the section on terrorist financing offences and other related matters.

According to him, the highlights of the amendment sought is the territorial application of the law because terrorism can be carried out within or outside the country, and to tackle such, the principal Act needs to reflect that whether a person knowingly in or outside Nigeria directly or indirectly commits

He said the bill was essentially aimed at bringing the Terrorism Act 2011 in line with the new dimension which terrorism has assumed so that the nation’s security agencies would be able to tackle acts of terrorism, whether in or outside Nigeria.

The bill also seeks amendment of Section 13 of the principal Act which makes provisions for detention and seizure of terrorists properties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang (PDP, Akwa Ibom North-East) sought to know how far the Terrorism Act  has been implemented, but Senate President David Mark maintained that even if a single word was missing from the principal Act, it was necessary that such missing word is inserted in the Act.

The bill was later referred to the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence for further legislative input.

 http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/index.php/news/177704-senate-seeks-life-jail-for-terrorists

Reprieve came the way of stranded motorists along Lokoja-Abuja road, as the Federal Government directed the opening of an identified bye-pass along the road on Wednesday.

Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolemenen, stated this after the Federal Executive Council  meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

Onolemenen said the bye-pass, which had been created around the flooded area would be opened to motorists from Thursday.

He said government had engaged construction giants in the country to create the bye-pass as a temporary measure to ease the suffering of commuters.

He said, “What we’ve been doing since yesterday morning is that around the flooded area, we identified a bye-pass which we have created.

“As at this morning, we have attained about 60 per cent completion. From the way we are going, by tomorrow, the road should be opened to motorists.

“We have done a diversion at those drainages and vehicles will be able to now drive normally through this bye-pass without having recourse to canoes on our roads as a result of the flooding that happened.

“For us, that was a national priority because we needed to open that particular transport corridor so that movement between the southern states and the northern states will not be impaired.

“We have done that and I want Nigerians to be assured that government is with them in this situation and that government will continue to do all in its power to ensure that the pains are reduced to the barest minimum.”

Also Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, said a Presidential Committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to assess the impact of flooding across the country presented a preliminary report to the Council.

She said the committee visited seven states to ascertain the extent of impact of the flood on life and infrastructure and to identify immediate areas of intervention.

She said, “The most devastating that we have witnessed is that of Kogi State where we have a major road completely made impassable.

“We have also seen a lot of infrastructure submerged and witnessed very traumatising experiences by people that were affected.”

Mailafia said among the consequences of the flooding was huge loss of farmlands which might likely pose a threat to food security.

Meanwhile, Chairman, State Emergency Management Agency of Kogi State, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, has said  about  eight people and over N5bn were lost in the flooding that is ravaging the state.

He stated that six persons lost their lives and two others are still missing.

In an interview with journalists in Lokoja on Wednesday, he said the devastation occasioned by the  flood was enormous.

He stated that many farmlands had been washed away, buildings, roads and bridges submerged and farm produce destroyed.



http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-orders-opening-of-bye-pass-in-lokoja-abuja-road/

Idokojimmy: This corrupt man don admit him crime since, why Him dey hire lawyer again? He admitted to his crime voluntarily, he should plead guilty and face the consequences

https://www.nairaland.com/1014943/el-rufai-allocated-land-family-members

Hehehehehehe. A man who sees nothing good in people's Govt finally admits that he carried out illegal deals as FCT Minister. Is he aware of the pains the 8 people whose plots were revoked passed through? Can a man like this now define what leadership means? Yesterday he called those around him clueless, today he admits that he is a criminal. God don dey catch am. #naijagobeta
My view hasn't changed.

This man should be sent to jail. CCB&TA should be invoked. He once admitted that he arbitrary allocated 8 plots to himself. This is enough for him to be nailed.

The United States Government through the USAID on Tuesday in Abuja signed a $340 million Development Assistance Agreement with Nigeria.
The US government said the fund was for intervention in Nigeria's development programmes.
Mr Terence McCulley, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, signed the agreement on behalf of his country while Dr Shamusudeen Usman, the Minister of the National Planning Commission signed for Nigeria.

Usman said that the fund was part of the N2.3 trillion development assistance agreement signed by the two countries on Sept. 15, 2010.

He said the N2.3 trillion would be expended on development programmes in the country between 2010 and 2013.

The minister said the $340 million which was part of the agreement would be expended in 2012 to support the country’s infrastructure development, agriculture policies and health care programme.

He said the fund was also to support access to basic education, improve good governance and reduce poverty in the country.

Usman called on development partners in the country to ensure that their Official Development Assistance (ODA) is in line with development priorities of the Federal Government.
He said that the development partners and host country needed to have mutual understanding and respect for ODA legal regulations and the country’s development priorities.
The minister said the commission was reviewing ODAs’ to avoid duplication of projects.
McCulley said due to Nigeria’s contribution to global peace keeping and economy, the US government intervened to assist Nigeria to tackle its inadequate infrastructure and improve other social amenities.


http://www.theguardianmobile.com/readNewsItem1.php?nid=7470

A promise fulfilled by the transformer

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja said he would fight corruption to the end , notwithstanding the challenges of doing so.
“My administration will, therefore, continue to fight corruption and associated social vices until they are exterminated from our body polity,” Jonathan said at the opening of the Annual National Management Conference of the Nigerian Institute of Management.
The conference has the theme, “Moving Nigeria forward through strategic transformation.”

The President, who was represented by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Sali Bello Sali, said the realisation of the nation’s vision of being among the first 20 biggest economies in the world depended on Nigerians’ ability to find solutions to the several challenges facing the nation.
He told participants at the conference that, “To set this country on the path of greatness and prosperity, (the) complete elimination of all forms of corrupt practices must be in the front burner and our collective consciousness always. You will agree with me that a great nation is the reward of great leadership. This is our motivation and value proposition.
“My administration will, therefore, continue to fight corruption and associated social vices until they are exterminated from our body polity.

“Our greatness and prosperity as a country is dependent on our vision, hardwork and patriotism. We must build strong pillars of values and develop positive attitudes even as we build a 21st century country for the benefit of generations yet unborn. I am confident that this institute will partner us and other stakeholders in this important task.

“The Nigerian project is faced with several challenges from every facet. We must find solutions to these challenges if our resolve to be counted among the first 20 most modern economies by the year 2020 is to materialise. I urge all Nigerians to see this project as their own so that together we can realise our dream and leave a legacy that is worthy of emulation by our future generations.”

Jonathan also underscored the need for transparency in an address delivered on his behalf by Vice-President Namadi Sambo at the commencement of the Presidential Retreat of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Secretaries to State Governments which held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday.

He described transparency as key to good governance and building of public confidence in the political system.

He said for members of the public to have confidence in the system, public officials must govern with openness.

He said his administration had zero tolerance for corruption and the deepening of the rule of law in the conduct of government business.

“For effective discharge of your responsibilities, there must be effective application of sound governance practices involving the exercise of due diligence, high standards of integrity and transparency in the handling of the affairs of your offices,” Jonathan charged the secretaries to governments.

He said at the federal level, the philosophy of governance was that of consultation, consensus building and cooperation for positive action which are all aimed at transforming the country. The President added ding his administration was prepared to facilitate and participate in programmes aimed at advancing good governance and sound inter-governmental relations.
The SGF, Pius Anyim, said one of the key strategies to realise the present administration’s transformation agenda was the commitment to strengthen governance institutions.
“To achieve a qualitative and holistic development of Nigeria, we must evolve a broad-based strategy that will combine good planning, policy consistency, with a progressive refinement guideline supported by strong framework for its implementation,” he said.

http://www.punchng.com/news/i-will-fight-corruption-despite-challenges-jonathan/

-JTF kills 35 members in Yobe,- Kingpin shot dead in Adamawa,

-156 sect members arrested ,- Arms, ammunition recovered

There was a massive security crackdown on the Boko Haram sect in the Northeast yesterday.
A kingpin of the sect was gunned down in Adamawa State during a gun fight; 35 others were killed in Yobe.
No fewer than 156 members of the sect that has been responsible for unprecedented attacks and the death of close to 1,000 people were arrested in the raids.

Guns and explosives in various forms and shades, ammunition, army and police uniforms, mobile telephone SIM cards, vehicle number plate, and drugs were among the 67 items seized from the sect’s hideout in Yobe, according to the Joint Task Force (JTF).
The Yobe JTF said a house-to-house search, which started at the weekend and lasted till the early hours of yesterday, to flush out the insurgents led to an “unprecedented success in the clampdown on suspected terrorists”.

JTF Spokesman in Yobe Lt. Lazarus Eli, who said the operation was continuous, confirmed that 35 members of the sect had been killed.

In Adamawa, the internal joint army-police security, “Operation Restore Sanity”, said it killed a key commander of the sect, Abubakar Yola, alias Abu Jihad, in a shoot-out early yesterday, in Mubi
Also arrested were 156 persons, including four believed to be unit commanders involved in the recent bombings of MTN, Globacom and Airtel base station masts.

Five women and six children were rescued in a house believed to be an arms and ammunition dump.

The Brigade Commander of 23rd Armoured Brigade, Brig.-Gen. John Nwoaga, in company with police commissioner and the director of State Security Services (SSS), said the kingpin was shot during a gun battle with his men.

He said over 300 improvised explosive devices, 25 assorted brands of rifles, mostly AK 47 submachine guns, were recovered.
There were over 2000 daggers, swords, bows and arrows seized.
The compound at Shagari Low Cost Housing, Mubi was where the items were seized.
But the sect members seem undaunted, in spite of the clampdown.
The home of the Speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly, Mr. Adamu Dala Dogo, was on Sunday night set ablaze.

Also burnt down by assailants suspected to be Boko Haram members was the house of the younger brother to the governor, Alhaji Sheriff Gaidam, and Hon. Goni Bukar, a member of the House of Representatives from Yobe state.
An eyewitness said two beheaded bodies were seen being carried away by security operatives yesterday morning.

The home of the speaker and the two others are located at Shagari Low Cost Housing Estate on Gashua Road, one of the troubled areas of the city.
The onslaught on the houses was said to have been lunched between 2am and 4am on Sunday night. The local security attached to the houses fled when the assailants came in a large number.
“Nobody was killed because the Speaker, the lawmaker and the governor’s brother evacuated their immediate families soon after peace eluded Damaturu.”

“The local guards attached to the houses also fled,” Kabiru Musa, a resident said, adding:
“However, when I peeped through the window this morning, I saw a military pick up van zooming up with two beheaded bodies…it was a gory sight. I also saw smoke billowing in the direction of the house of the speaker.
A source at the Yobe State Police Command confirmed the burning of the three houses and the killing of the two civilians.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/news/crackdown-on-boko-haram/

The people's president is one that listens when his people speaks. GEJ hs shown that he cares. Thumps up Jona

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, has stated that the FCT Administration will facilitate the timely completion of the Abuja Light Rail in order to tackle the transport problems faced by residents and as well create over a million job for Nigerians. He said aside the aftereffect of the project leading to massive job creation, the trains are expected to ferry about two million people daily in the FCT. Mohammed spoke at the commencement of a nationwide project monitoring tour being facilitated by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku and the Special Assistant to the President on Project Monitoring, Prof. Sylvester Monye.
The minister expressed the commitment of the FCT Administration to ensure that the project is completed by 2015, explaining that with the recent procurement of a $500 million loan from the Chinese Exim Bank, the project would succeed against all odds.
According to him, the repayment period of the loan is 20 years at an annual interest rate of 2.5 percent. He also disclosed that the sum of N178 million has been earmarked for the compensation of displaced residents who earlier settled along the rail lines.
The N132bn project was started in 2009 and it is now at 20 percent completion, owing to what the minister described as paucity of funds. He added that the FCT Administration will continue to counter-fund the project according to schedule.
According to him, the objective of the tour by the government is to entrench the principles of accountability and good governance and to show people the practical efforts being made to better the life for Nigerians.

Although, the FCT component of the National Good Governance Tour is scheduled to last four days, the minister lamented that the three days earmarked for FCTA projects’ inspection to showcase its work is inadequate considering the number of projects currently being undertaken by his administration.


http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/52002.html

The people's president is a listening president

The sect’s leader said the protests would go on despite police warnings. Defying a police order on marches against the recent anti-Islam video that sparked violent protests in many Islamic countries, members of the Nigerian Shiite sect, and the Islamic Mission of Nigeria, IMN, say they have concluded plans to hold a major but “peaceful protest,” very reliable Shiite sources told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday in Zaria and Abuja.

The peaceful protest, according to the sources, is expected to start by 9 a.m. on Thursday from the Gellesuwa residence of the Sect leader, who doubles as the president of the Islamic Mission of Nigeria, IMN, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

He will also lead the protest himself across all the streets of Zaria, which is the national headquarters of the sect.

Mr. El-Zakzaky, commenting Wednesday on the website of the IMN, said “our message to the stooges of America is that our protest shall surely take place. So, the blood thirsty stooges who serve American interest shall have the chance to kill. We are ready to die for the Prophet, and we want you to show that you are enemies of Prophet (SAWA) by killing his lovers.

“Our common slogan is Labbayka Rasulallah. This is the symbol of unity, so all Muslims shall express their concern with us. One is either with the Prophet or with the enemies,” he said.

He urged Muslims not to watch the movie which “production and dissemination … was another strategy to institutionalize and commemorate September 11 as a global phenomenon, and portray Islam as a religion of terrorists,” adding that the “clip mocks, insults, ridicules and portrays the Prophet, his wives, Muslims and religion of Islam negatively.”

It is unclear if other cities of the country will also host the protest, but Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mbah, demurred from commenting, merely saying the matter has a peculiar security implication.

Mr. Mbah, however, suggested there was no permit for the march, insisting that the Inspector General of Police has “ordered a red alert against any violent protest.”

Mr. El-Zakzaky took time, in his web commentary, to berate the Jonathan administration which it describes as “an American stooge,” saying popular expectations in the country that Nigerian Muslims would have demonstrated last Friday were baseless because there was nothing mandatory about a Friday protest as was the case in many other Islamic countries.

“People thought that we would also come out to protest on Friday, but we did not. This is because we are in country led by American stooges who promotes its agenda, and even work for it” Mr. Zakzaky said.

In the wake of the violent protests against the film in many countries, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, placed all police formations in the country on red alert, and directed all his zonal assistants [AIGs] and commands to ensure a “24-hour water-tight security in and around all embassies and foreign missions in Nigeria as well as other vulnerable targets.”

Mr. Abubakar also charged the police Intelligence; the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Special Protection Unit (SPU) to ensure that their personnel are “strategically deployed to prevent and nib all potential crisis in the bud.”

PREMIUM TIMES sources insisted on Wednesday afternoon that the sect planned to continue its protest.

“We have concluded plans to hold the protest that will be led by Mallam Zakzaky along all major roads with thousands of Muslims including women and children to join other Muslim brothers all over the world to condemn in strong terms the recent anti-Islam film produced in America,” the source said.

This appears to challenge the IGP message that had warned “potential trouble makers to stay off the streets of Nigeria” because the nation’s “security agencies will bring to bear the full weight of the law on all law breakers.”

The Nigerian Shiite community, believed to have as many as 10 million members, according to Wikipedia, was a very vocal opposition during the military era which led it to frequent serious and bruising confrontations with the government of late General Sani Abacha who orchestrated a massive crackdown on its membership.

Its leader, Mr. El-Zakzaky, a 59-year old cleric and father of six, resides in Zaria where he was educated at the Ahmadu Bello University and earned a first class degree in economics in 1979.

 
http://dailypost.com.ng/2012/09/20/nigeria-shiite-muslims-protest-anti-islam-video-despite-police-order/

Demdem: But the house leadership claim it isn't so as stated in this report. What should we believe now?

They are only devising a ploy to hoodwink people, while furthering their heinous agenda. Thief people

This house is CORRUPTION PERSONIFIED

The Independent National Electoral Commission said on Wednesday it has commenced the printing of 40 million permanent voters' cards.
The commission’s Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, made this known in Abuja, when he met participants at the International training seminar on national security organised by the Defence Intelligence School, Abuja.
He said the cards were part of the 70.5 million cards being planned by the commission, adding that the balance of 30.5 million cards would be ready by 2013.
He said INEC had been working round the clock to ensure the success of the project.
``We have gone very far, we are producing the first batch which is about 40 million of the 73.5 million voters who have been registered,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Prof. Jega as saying at the seminar.
INEC chairman said that by the end of 2013, every registered voter in the country, would have been provided with permanent voter's card to enable them vote in the 2015 general elections.
The permanent cards contained security features such as barcode, hologram, micro text, fingerprints, contactless/embedded chip with printed voter details and photograph.
The Commandant of the school, Wing.Cdr. Idris Hassan, said the visit was to “avail the 30 participants with the understanding, working and the concepts of national security from the INEC perspectives.”
Hassan said the school was responsible for the provision of strategic intelligence and specific training to members of the armed forces and other relevant agencies in the country.
This effort, he added, was being done in collaboration with France, Germany, America and Israel.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/news-update/62022-‘inec-begins-printing-of-40-million-permanent-voters%26%23039%3B-cards’.html

•Jonathan meets Mark, Speaker over N5000 note row •Anxiety as lawmakers get set for projects inspection
House of Representatives leaders summoned an executive session yesterday.
The unusual meeting came 24 hours after their resumption from recess.
It was all to stop a plot to  remove Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from office.
The plot, being co-ordinated by a lawmaker from Niger State, Mohammed Sani Idris Kutigi,  the House leadership believes,  is being sponsored by some forces in government, who allegedly felt embarrassed by the recent budget implementation row with the Executive.
According to sources, most members of the House got yesterday  a text message  inviting them to “Operation Clean” in the chamber.
The text reads in part: “This is inviting all first term members of the House of Representatives to an urgent meeting and launching of the project, “OPERATION CLEAN.  Date, 20 September, 2012. Venue-Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Time: 11am prompt. Hon. Mohammed Sani Idris Kutigi, Coordinator.”
Some first term members alerted the leadership of the House. They planned to boycott the said meeting.
It was learnt that most of the first term members had queried the rationale behind the Kutigi meeting.
It was also gathered that there was tension in the House when old members got wind of the proposed meeting. The leadership then called for an Executive Session.
The uncovering of the plot by the House rattled the coordinator of the “Operation Clean” and his team.
Some sources, who spoke in confidence, confirmed that at the Executive Session, most members condemned attempts to divide them by the new group.
One of the sources said: “We challenged Kutigi and those in the so-called new group to tell us their mission because  we got wind of the fact that those forces trying to use them have been calculating on the numerical strength of first term Representatives to cause a crisis in the House.
“Some of us observed that the slogan of the group, ‘Operation Clean’, is mischievous and pointed to a move to ‘deal’ with the leadership of the House.”
Another source said: “We learnt that some of these forces were not happy about how we raised issues on budget implementation and the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). 
“Virtually everyone stood up to denounce the mission of this group. We thought we were building a new chapter with the Executive arm but some forces are not going along with the reconciliatory agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.”
A high ranking member said: “When we confronted Kutigi at the Executive Session, he said: ‘My intention is not malicious, I am not plotting against the House. I have no plan to destabilise the House.’
“At the end of the day, Kutigi backpedaled on the plan. He said it openly that ‘the meeting has been canceled’.”
The source added: “What we did on Wednesday has overshadowed  what they had initially planned. So far, we have told them that the unity of the House is not negotiable.
“But we have chosen to watch our back because these forces might regroup soon against the House.”
According to a source, the leader of the a group of about five lawmakers, mainly from the North took the floor accusing the Speaker of starving the lawmakers of funds with which to run their constituencies. 
The source said the leader of the group, who chairs a committee and also a major beneficiary of the House leadership’s goodwill, informed the session that they were made to believe that the funding challenge members were facing was the handiwork of the Speaker.
The source said: “He did not mince words that it was the Executive that informed them that the financial crisis was caused by the Speaker. The group leader told the House that some of them (the lawmakers) have been hugely indebted as a result of lack of the fund.
“He added that some of them have to tactically run away from their constituencies just because they didn’t have enough money to service their hangers-on and others that might need financial assistance.
“So, they felt that if not for the Speaker, the situation could not have been that bad. They agitated for an increment of their quarterly allowances from N25m to N35m.
“The Speaker explained that it was a delicate issue, citing previous attempts to cause disharmony in the House and where it ended.
“At this point, the Speaker said it was a deliberate attempt to cause crisis in the ranks of the lawmakers. He reminded them of what happened in the 6th House over a similar increment.”
The source added that rather than take over his own defence, the Speaker asked the Clerk of the House to clarify the issue with the official financial standing of the House.
“The Clerk brought financial documents with which he explained the state of the House’s finances and the aggrieved members apologised for being misguided. What I can only say about this is that the Speaker was able to manage the crisis very well, otherwise this could easily have degenerated into a serious issue. Already, some member were hinting at impeachment.”
Another source however told our correspondents that the crisis might not be over yet as the aggrieved group might  meet again today.
“The group started working on their moves during the recess and with the development of today (yesterday), they have to appraise the result and deliberate on what next to do. 
“You know they were even sending messages to members to garner support for their move, apparently, the Speaker was able to manage it well.
When our correspondent called one of the supposed actors on the telephone, he vehemently denied involvement. “There’s no project like operation clean up project. Is that what you were told? He queried our reporter and promptly cut his line.

The Lord is her strenghth.