₦airaland Forum

THE committee set up by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives to select the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the various committees of the House, to be constituted soon, has been enmeshed in a crisis.

Some members have boycotted the meetings of the committee over what they described as marginalisation and the risk of not becoming committee chairmen, if they continued their membership of the panel.

Sources close to the committee revealed that those who have stepped aside said that they were deceived into being members of the committee, a situation which would deny them the opportunity of chairing any of the yet-to-be constituted committees.

The aggrieved members, mostly of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) from Oyo and Ekiti states, said they discovered that their being in the Selection Committee would make them ordinary members of such committees for the next four years, hence their decision to abandon the meetings of the committee.

The members reportedly claimed that because they are new members who did not know what was obtainable in the House, their leaders submitted their names to the Selection Committee without seeking their consent.

At the front burner during the retreat for the then Reps-elect, held in the six geopolitical zones by the National Assembly management, was the issue of which committees are juicy or not and how to be members of the former.

It was learnt that when Tambuwal was campaigning for the speakership seat, he reportedly promised some of his colleagues the membership of the so-called juicy committees.

But, the Selection Committee is said to be facing some challenges in fulfilling some of the promises.

Indeed, the selection of the various committee chairmen in the past was one of the avenues through which some aggrieved members vent their spleen.

Since the Selection Committee began sitting to pick the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the incoming committees, some members have been expressing bitterness at its inability to meet their expectations.

While the ACN, the largest opposition party in the House, is claiming that its members “put the speaker there”, and is demanding for their selection as chairmen of committees, other political parties are also making similar demands.

Based on this development, the first crisis may hit the House immediately Tambuwal announces the members of each of the committees, when the lawmakers resume sitting on June 28.

A South African court yesterday set a tentative trial date in January next year for Henry Okah, the accused mastermind of Nigeria’s deadly Independence Day bomb blasts. Okah, a Nigerian national with permanent residence in South Africa, has been in custody since he was arrested at his Johannesburg home on October 2, 2010, the day after twin car bombs killed 12 people at celebrations in Abuja to mark the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from Britain.

Okah would appear in court again on August 24 while a preliminary trial date of January 30, 2012 was set, Sapa News Agency reported. Magistrate Hein Louw postponed the case for further investigation so that an indictment with further charges could be served on Okah.

Prosecutors in April said they would bring charges against Okah in connection with two explosions on March 15, 2010, in the southern Nigerian city of Warri, a major hub of the country’s oil-rich Delta region.

Okah’s lawyer, Rudi Krause said his client was scheduled to have a back operation on October 14 but complained his client had not seen a doctor since his arrest. “He has still not received medical attention. The requests have simply been ignored by the Department of Correctional Services,” Krause told the court.

Krause further objected to Okah’s solitary confinement at Johannesburg Prison and claimed Okah was prevented from speaking to anyone and sleeping on a “concrete slab with a little foam mattress and his room has no windows.”
Okah apparently asked Krause to prolong Tuesday’s court proceedings so he could see some sunlight. “He literally doesn’t see sunlight,” Krause said.

Prosecutors say Okah is the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), a militant group in the Niger Delta region that claimed responsibility for both the Independence Day attacks and the twin car bombs in Warri.
Okah said he had never been the leader of MEND and denied any link to the Independence Day blasts. Krause said Okah intended to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal on the rejection of his bail application.

AHEAD of next week’s expected submission of President Goodluck Jonathan’s list of ministerial nominees to the Senate, facts emerged, yesterday, that the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili was said to have been contacted, but she was not too keen about leaving her World Bank job for Nigeria now.

Her former colleague in the cabinet, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala former Minister of Finance has accepted to serve in the yet to be constituted cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan because of her passion for Nigeria.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that Ngozi, a Managing Director of the World Bank bowed to pressure from President Jonathan of the need to come and help him succeed in his drive to reform the economy and the country, even as the President was said to have begged her passionately to accept the job.

While many nominees were working hard to sustain their names on the list, erstwhile finance minister and Managing Director of the World Bank, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was on her part alleged to have set forth conditions for her to serve in the cabinet.

It was learnt that President Jonathan met with Okonjo-Iweala during his recent visit to the United States where he made the offer to her. SSS officials meanwhile have rebuffed claims that a number of nominees were refused screening by the service.

The Ministerial list so far:

Dr (Mrs.)Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Mary Onyali Omagbemi; Ms Jumoke Akinjide, Oyo state

Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, Sokoto Alhaji Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar, Mairago, Kaduna

Alhaji Nuhu Zagbayi, Niger State

Dr.Mohammed Haliru Bello, Kebbi State Professor Rufai Alkali, Gombe

Dr. Tonye Cole, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Adamawa

Dr.Akinwumi Adefila

Alhaji Bukar Tijjani, Borno

Mr. Mohammed Musa

Mr.Bolaji Abdullahi, Kwara

Alhaji Yerima Ngama, Yobe

Mrs. Ada Okwuonu, Imo state

Elder Godsday Orubebe, Delta

Mrs.Diezani Allison-Madueke, Bayelsa

Professor Bath Nnaji, Enugu

Mr. Mohammed Adoke, Kogi

Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu, Ebonyi

Mr. Labaran Maku, Nasarawa

Chief Chukwuemeka Ngozi Wogu, Abia

Mr. Odein Ajumogobia, Rivers SAN, Senator Bala Mohammed, Bauchi

Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, Ondo

Navy Captain Caleb Olubode, Ekiti

Professor Ruqqayatu Rufai, Jigawa

Obadiah Ando, Taraba State

John Madugu, Plateau

Dr. Shamshudeen Usman, Kano State

Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, Osun State

In order not to be caught unawares the second time, government at different levels and sensitive agencies of the Federal Government have mapped out new strategies aimed at curbing the Boko Haram insurgence.

The security alert, which was sequel to last week’s bombing of the Force Headquarter, Abuja, was a fallout of a meeting between the management of the National Assembly and heads of security agencies in the country. It saw the National Assembly complex roll out stringent measures to preserve and protect the complex.

In the same vein, the Lagos State Government had ordered the evacuation of all abandoned vehicles that littered the city even as Nigerian Army modified its training to tackle Boko Haram.

Meanwhile, another measure was the placement of all security staff on red alert and the re-awakening of the National Assembly Joint Task Force on hawking and illegal entry into the complex.

The Joint Task Force, headed by a police officer had resumed regular patrol of the complex, while lawmakers were to wear their names and security tags to access the complex and all legislative aides, journalists, bank operators, food vendors and staff of the National Assembly had been mandated to do same.
As part of the arrange ment, no car is allowed to park at the peoples arcade. Instead, a new car park had been created for lawmakers behind the new building, while cars were directed to park on the sides of the new wing of the two chambers.

In a brief chat, the National Assembly Seargent at Arms, Colonel Emeka Okere (retd), said the management had to be alive to its responsibilities of responding to the situation at hand, after the bomb explosion at the Force Headquarters.
“They use fertilizers and other unconventional objects to prepare the bombs and we have to make sure that all the buildings here are 300 meters away from all car parks with the heavy presence of our men.”
On his part, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen O. A. Ihejirika stated that the army had modified its training to stem the rate of bombings across the country by some groups.

Ihejirika, who disclosed this to newsmen during a tour of units under the 13 Brigade Command in Calabar, said: “I knew from the beginning that the problems confronting Nigeria are more of internal security problems instead of external aggression from neighbouring countries and this is the focus of our training and preparations.
The Chief of Army Staff, who would not disclose the nature of training, however, said there were new training packages to ensure they were fully implemented.

Lagos has commenced the evacuation of all abandoned vehicles within the premises of the Lagos State Government secretariat.
Police sources told Daily Sun that the directive was sequel to the increasing spate of the bomb explosions in some parts of the country, mostly planted in and under abandoned vehicles.

The evacuation witnessed by our correspondent started at 10am in the secretariat and was led by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a security unit of the Lagos State Government.
Reacting to the ugly development, rights activist, Shehu Sani accused the Federal Government of creating Boko Haram by adopting the policy of pleasing every group that took up arms against the government and the people . According to him, it would only be fair if the kind of treatment given to the militants in the Niger Delta was extended to the Boko Haram group, saying what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

Sani, in an interview in Minna, Niger State yesterday said the Federal Government had made militancy and terrorism attractive, considering the large sum of money government had budgeted for the ex-militants of the Niger Delta.
“Definitely you cannot adopt carrot approach for one group and adopt the stick approach for the other.
“Another fundamental mistake made by government was the killing of the leader of the Boko Haram group. When you kill the leader of such group, they will go under ground and become a guerrilla group. By that time, you have lost all the chances of making peace with them,” Sani pointed out.

Also speaking, the Chairman and spiritual father of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church worldwide (Ayo Ni O), Most Reverend Samuel Abidoye described the recent bombing of the Force Headquarters as a security threat to the nation and a wrong signal that all was not well with the country.

He said it is not only embarrassing but saddening to hear that what could be described as the “Engine Room” of security of the nation could be so easily penetrated and bombed with such extent of damages recorded.
In another development, Christian Welfare Initiative (CWI), has commiserated with President Goodluck Jonathan over blasts at the Louis Edet House police headquarters, Abuja last Thursday. The attack claimed two lives where 35 vehicles were completely burnt.
Addressing journalists in Lagos yesterday, to commemorate their first year anniversary, the president of the group, Archbishop Magnus Adeyemi Atilade, described the attack as an affront not only to the Federal Government but the entire citizenry.

MINISTERIAL nominees whose names have been sent for security screening appear to be facing a fresh hurdle as government sources told

the Nigerian Tribune that security clearance would not be enough to make the final list.

It was confirmed on Monday that getting the security clearance was just a leg of the hurdles set by the presidency for the final nomination and confirmation by the Senate.

A source in Abuja told the Nigerian Tribune that though the list already sent to the security agencies provided an insight into the outlook of the new cabinet, it was not the final one and that the presidency could alter it at any point.

A source said that the security clearance was one necessary aspects of any appointment, as it gave the government an insight into the character of persons being appointed.

It was gathered that the presidency would further scrutinise the profiles, the security reports and other information about each of the candidates, even after they had scaled security screening hurdles.

“Passing security screening is not the final hurdle in the bid to select the ministers. It is a major one, but the president reserves the right to withdraw any nominee, if the nomination is found to be politically incorrect at any stage. There is also the issue of whether some nominees would add value to the administration based on antecedents.

“To forestall a delay of the process, the presidency had sent more than enough names for screening in recent weeks. In fact, the 270 names generated by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) were sent to the security agencies for clearance as well. So there is a pool in each of the states that can be easily relied upon,” a source said.

Sources in the security agencies told the Nigerian Tribune that a list of 11 more nominees was being awaited.

It was gathered that the headquarters of the State Security Service and the police were busy with screening activities on Monday, as they had to close very late.

“The operatives at the security agencies concerned are busy all through the day. They all close late to clear the names so far received as they await more names this week. There was an indication that the last batch will come in on Tuesday,” a source said.

A fresh furore, however, erupted on Monday over the nomination of former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, as the nominee from Ekiti State.

It was gathered that petitions against his alleged anti-party activities in Ekiti had been received in Abuja.

Sources said that the former minister failed to utilise his vantage position to assist the party during the last election.

A source said that petitions against Olubolade, which indicated that the PDP could die in Ekiti if he was returned as minister were already.

“The man (former minister) is only concerned about how he would be called leader of the PDP in Ekiti, he is not doing anything to grow the party. The party in Ekiti State is afraid its days would be numbered if he emerges the minister,” a source in possession of copies of the petitions said.

However, a former Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, Chief Festus Odimegwu, was stopped at the last minute from being screened by the SSS on Monday.

It was gathered that a last minute call from the presidency prevented the screening, just as Odimegwu was arriving at the SSS headquarters.

A source said there was no finality to the screening being conducted, adding that “what happened to Odimegwu could happen to any of the nominees because there is no final list until the president puts pen to paper to forward the list to the Senate.”

Meanwhile, the Senate president, Mr David Mark, on Tuesday, said the Senate would not insist that President Jonathan attach portfolios of ministerial nominees to the ministerial list, because of constitutional constraints.

Mark, who spoke in Abuja, said the president would not be breaching any constitutional provision if he failed to attach portfolios of ministerial nominees for screening.

He said President Jonathan would have fulfilled the provisions of the constitution if he sent the names without the nominees’ portfolios, adding that though sending the list with portfolios would be a preferred option.

“That may be the preferred option so that specific questions could be asked, but that is not the constitutional requirement. The constitution wants the president to forward the names of the nominees to us and once he does that, he has fulfilled the constitutional requirement,” he said.

Mark also assured Nigerians who were sceptical about the role of the legislature that the current Assembly would win them over with people-oriented laws.

“We know most Nigerians have a wrong mindset about the National Assembly. I think with time and as we do things more positively in the interest of all Nigerians, they will come to realise that the legislators are not the devils people think they are,” he said.

On his re-election as Senate president, Mark said he worked hard for it and was in touch with all senators, adding that “I campaigned to be re-elected; I spoke to every senator-elect. I spoke to them in their caucuses. Some of them expressed reservations and I explained my position to them and they understood.”

He promised to be just, fair, transparent and “do things he can defend before God, when there would be no witness but only David Mark.”

Thank God

Yes, Ndigbo do not have Monarchs cos we do not bow to any man, but God

Enjoyment1:
I am reversing the question to you! I know you are the type that rush to use the keyboard without reading the content of a post properly. Someone saying he may toe the way of Boko Haram, means what?
Please use your glasses!.

It is worrying if you did not see the sarcasm in his statement, hence i asked that question

^^^Yes the members that carry out the operations could be "hungry" hence angry, but are they the only poor people in the country. There are other poor people in other parts of the country, infact a huge number of them, so how come they have not taken to violence? So poverty is not an excuse, cos if thats the case I will say that the people of Niger Delta have more reasons to fight for their cause.

^^^Shut Up, did you read what the guy said or you have problems with comprehending

While you are still in the room, try and look for a strong rope and a chair. Tie the rope on your ceiling fan, get inspired and place the noose around your kneck and kick the chair away. Trust me your problems will disappear.

Thank God the innocent gal resisted you and your evil plans and ran to her room.

If this was happening in any other part of the country, the soldier boys would have ravaged the whole place. So far GEJ has failed with security issues

ibkaye:
why should the guy be the one complaining?

Because men are always the ones uncomfortable with being with older women, as most think they would not be respected in such union.

She does not have enough reasons to leave the guy now at least not on that basis, the guy should be the one complaining and not your friend. There are so many women out there married to younger men

[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=695178.msg8557574#msg8557574 date=1308606609]His girlfriends confirmed they are PJ's. Who wears checkered pants these days apart from DayoKanu?[/quote]And am sure you are one of them rite

Bro stick to your current babe except she is not all that and leave your ex as your past

Why should a pastor build such an expensive school, what happens to the kids of the poor members of his church

^^^That woman is a no brainer, so you better ignore her

[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=694173.msg8557584#msg8557584 date=1308606787]Potential father?. With that watery Fluid of yours?. Very soon, the Nigerian senate will prohibit tribalists from procreating anyway, so no worry yasef. [/quote]

[quote author=~Bluetooth link=topic=694519.msg8556673#msg8556673 date=1308596757]what's the point in being an adult if you can't behave like kids sometimes ? Don't tell me you don't like such compounding. ibo Haram. . .ekt bear na wicked person sha ![/quote]You can never stop thinking about Igbos while MASTURBAT.ING, whats the obsession for. Anu mpam

Happy fathers day to all the fathers and potential fathers

I have seen some of this gal's video before now and I dont even take her seriously

They all pretty, But Obioma from Enugu will always get my vote

If true, this is a good one. Nigeria sure has so many gifted and intelligent people who are just wasting due to bad system

Show of shame

@OP Why are you telling God that He is not perfect, by sleeping with a married man. Shame!!!

Thank God you pulled through, the Lord is your strength. Ndewo Eze Ndigbo!!!

Its really a sad one

A 40-year-old, Bamigboye Olusegun, was arrested by men of the Nigeria Police in Niger State for operating as a doctor for three years.

Nemesis caught up with the suspect, who performed fake surgery on a 10-year old boy at the Suleja General Hospital last weekend.

According to investigations, the suspect collected N10,000 from the mother of the patient, before performing the fake surgery: He took the boy into the theatre and placed plaster over a part of the body without actually performing any operation.

When the boy’s condition got worse, the mother returned to the hospital where she made a complaint to the chief medical director who removed the plaster only to find that no operation took place on the boy.

The development, according to the findings, aroused suspicion leading to the medical certificate of the ‘doctor’ being questioned.

Unknown to Olusegun, his academic records were sent to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria where it was found out that he (Bamigboye ) had been using the certificate of a director, Malaria Control Centre, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Dr Segun Oyeniyi.

It was learnt that it was the second time that Olusegun would be apprehended for faking as a medical doctor. He was first arrested in Nassarawa State about five years ago when he was unmasked and handed over to the police for prosecution.

Officials of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria who released the crime record of the suspect were at a loss as to how he escaped the long arms of the law after his criminal activity was confirmed.

Bamigboye, a graduate of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology, University of Jos, Plateau State, who confirmed that he is fake, said he bought the certificate at N5,000 from one Baba Abolaji, a messenger at the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara state. He said he had to fake as a medical doctor because “I have passion for the profession.”

The father of 3 was on N160,000 monthly salary before he was arrested.

Niger State police commissioner, Mr Michael Zuokumor, who confirmed the story, said the fake doctor would be charged to court soon.

Preparatory to his returning home, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu has been discharged from Wellington Hospital in London where he had been receiving physiotherapy treatment, Daily Sun can authoritatively report.

The ex-Biafran warlord took ill last December and was flown to a clinic in Central London where he was treated of stroke and later transferred to Wellington Hospital as his health condition improved.

Ojukwu’s amiable wife, Bianca, who revealed this in an exclusive chat with Daily Sun yesterday in Enugu, said “the Ikemba Nnewi has left hospital and can now interact with people who come to visit him.”
According to her, the Eze Igbo Gburugburu would not return home immediately as he is still recuperating and needs to recover fully.

She also said his return would be delayed as many groups in Nigeria, especially the Movement for the Actualisation for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) are gearing towards staging a colourful ceremony for his return. She told Daily Sun that her husband was in high spirit to return home as he is known not to be one who likes staying overseas.

Her words: “Eze Igbo is not the type that wishes to stay abroad when he was well. It is his sincere hope and wish that he is home, he hopes to return home to his people soon.” Bianca disclosed that Ojukwu was excited when recently the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha brought his victory news to him at his bedside in Wellington hospital. This made her to recall when late last year the MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike brought Okorocha to meet Ojukwu in Enugu as the one to fly the flag of APGA in the last governorship election in Imo State.

She disclosed that the Eze Igbo had endorsed the candidature of Okorocha because he was presented to him by Uwazuruike and his antecedent as a philanthropist. She said that before their coming, Chief Martin Agbaso was still nursing the ambition of having another shot at the Imo governorship seat, but Ojukwu believed that Okorocha would do well as governor having as an individual set up projects that are people-oriented.
She, therefore, said it was no surprise to them that Governor Okorocha came to London to share his victory with the ailing war-lord.

Bianca also told Daily Sun that Ikemba is bitter over the attitude of the Abia State governor, Chief T.A. Orji who, she said, had come begging Ojukwu to join APGA when he left PPA. She said that Orji disappointed Ojukwu because after he had come to him, the Igbo leader was committed in the project of seeing him through the election using the APGA platform, but for the governor to defect again to the PDP.

“Eze Igbo is bitter over T.A. Orji disappointment because it was a project he was committed to; the way T.A came to beg and he leaving without a word of goodbye, that he was going back to the PDP made Ojukwu to feel too bad,” she said. She thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for all he did to ensure that Ikemba recovered from his illness, saying that the recognition the president has given to her ailing husband was unequalled.

She said that besides the president coming himself to see Ojukwu before he was flown abroad he had since been sending his envoys to come and see him in his hospital bed in London. Bianca assured Nigerians, particularly Ndigbo that Ojukwu would return soon, saying that it was their prayers that made it possible for him to survive.

“If not for those prayers I do not think even with the best medical treatment in the world he would have survived. I personally saw the work of God in what happened to my husband. Therefore, I cannot thank enough those who had prayed for him,” she said.