In his latest book titled My Watch scheduled to be launched in Lagos this morning, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has chronicled the genesis of the uneasy relationship between him and his former deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as well as how his aides planted moles within Atiku’s camp to monitor him.



Obasanjo, who denied ever seeking Third Term in office, blamed Atiku for what he described as a campaign of calumny against him on the issue after buying up the media.

Revealing details of their private conversations at different times, Obasanjo also traced the ascension to power of President Goodluck Jonathan and the compromise deal that was struck for him (Jonathan) to spend only one term in office.

He said it would be dishonourable for the president to now go back on that promise by contesting the 2015 presidential election.

Obasanjo also accused the Jonathan administration of promoting corruption. He cited several examples to buttress his claim, including what a Chinese told him about how a presidency member of staff demanded a million dollar bribe just to be granted access to the president, a charge which he said he reported to Jonathan without any action taken.

Divided into three volumes and containing 58 chapters and 1,522 pages in all, the tell-all book reads like Obasanjo’s responses to all the people who have dared to criticise him in the past as well as those he believed wronged him politically, most of whom he described in unflattering terms.

In this category are: his anointed successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, whom he called an incompetent ingrate, who was busy reversing his (Obasanjo’s) decisions; Jonathan for whom he also has some harsh words for what he considers his shoddy leadership and inability to honour solemn commitments; and Atiku whose political ambition he said was fuelled by marabouts.

Writing on how Jonathan became vice-president in 2007, Obasanjo confirmed that it was the former Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, who was initially shortlisted to be running mate to the late Yar’Adua before he was dropped at the last minute, adding that Odili behaved “childishly” thereafter as if it was a matter of life and death to him.

There are also several salacious details in the book about who was sleeping with whose wife among prominent citizens, the military officer, who would be in the arms of a woman and yet be claiming to be fighting rebels at the war front, etc, while revealing names of those whom he claimed told him unflattering things about other people.

He also did character profiles on some prominent Nigerians, including Prof. Wole Soyinka, Senator Uche Chukwumerije as well as the late Dr. Bala Usman and Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

However, rather curiously, Obasanjo dismissed the letter written by his first daughter, Iyabo, in just one paragraph, claiming that she was hired by the current administration to get at him, while he had no response to the claim by his son, Gbenga, that he (Obasanjo) had an affair with his wife.

He also said he would not respond to any of the damaging allegations by his first wife, Oluremi, in her book even though he admitted some things she wrote were true while others were false.

From Obasanjo’s account, it would seem that his relationship with Atiku began on a sour note:

“By the Constitution, I had to inaugurate or prorogue the National Assembly on June 4, 1999. The most important officer in the National Assembly is the senate president and that office had been zoned to the South-east. And here was where Atiku Abubakar, my vice-president, first showed his hand and his character.

“Without seeking my view or approval, he started planning the installation of Chuba Okadigbo as the senate president. I did a background check on Chuba including his past as a student and made enquiries about him in the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) under (President Shehu) Shagari and no one would recommend him for the post of senate president.

“I left Atiku to go on his chase while I carried out a meticulous and detailed investigation and background check on each senator from the South-east. The one that appeared most appointable was Evan Enwerem. I canvassed the senate across the board for his election and he was elected. Atiku did not expect it and he felt sore.

“He began to strategise for Enwerem to be removed and Chuba Okadigbo to be installed. His strategy worked because I was at Abuja airport to receive a visiting head of state when the news reached me that the Senate had impeached Enwerem and elected Okadigbo. I was not perturbed. I came to understand from some senators including Florence Ita-Giwa, who later became my Special Adviser/ Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, that Atiku distributed US$5,000 each to some senators to carry out the ‘coup’.

“That was the beginning of bribing the legislature to carry out a particular line of action to suit or satisfy the purpose or desire of an individual or a group. The National Assembly had tasted blood and they would continue to want more. From the day I nominated Atiku to be my vice, he set his mind not for any good, benefit or service of the country, but on furiously planning to upstage, supplant or remove me at all cost and to take my place.

“That was what I brought him for, but he was impatient and over-ambitious. He was not ready to learn and to wait. His marabout, who predicted that despite being elected as governor, he would not be sworn in as a governor, which happened, also assured him that he would take over from me in a matter of months rather than years.

“All his plans, appointments of people and his actions were towards the actualisation of his marabout’s prediction. Once I realised his intention and programme, I watched him like a hawk without giving any indication of what I knew and letting down my guard. I could not succumb to the distraction, diversion and malevolence of an ambitious but unwise deputy.

“The work in hand was more important than a confrontational relationship with my deputy, a man over whom I knew I had far more experience and outreach in all matters. To alert him of what I knew he was up to, would only lead to lying, denial, more mischievous plans and more duplicity on his part.

“He was better managed that way. What was important was not allowing myself to be surprised or outmanoeuvred by him. I must always seize the initiative and know what was going on if not in his mind, but at least in his camp. That I did very effectively.

“Sometime in the fourth quarter of 2004, an associate of Atiku came to my residence at the Aso Villa from Atiku’s official residence. He felt uncomfortable and I tried to make him feel at ease. Then, he settled to tell me the story of what had just transpired in Atiku’s residence. I listened with rapt attention.

“He went on to say that Atiku told him that for him to become the President of Nigeria, the 2007 elections were only a formality.

“The seven ingredients he needed for his enthronement were already in his hands. He controlled the National Assembly because both the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were in his pocket. He controlled twenty-eight out of thirty-six governors. He had control of the media. His influence over the judiciary was overwhelming.

“What he needed was foreign endorsement and for that he had employed two lobby groups in the US and one in the UK. And finally, the money for the elections was in his purse.

“When the man finished, I thanked him without passing any comment. The man was surprised at my reaction and asked, ‘You have nothing to say to these?’ I said that I had nothing to say and I immediately called my ADC, Chris Jemitola, to play a game of squash with me.

“On our way to the squash court with my ADC, I said, ‘People at times make plans and leave God out of their plans.’ My casual remark struck Chris and he said, ‘Sir, that was a profound statement.’ I said that I made the statement because of what I had just heard of Atiku’s plan. I was not convinced he had put God in his plans.

“Atiku was confident and God was laughing. Most of Atiku’s ingredients soon started to fall out of place one by one. The first was the party, PDP.

“He thought I was powerless and had no clue about the execution of his plan with his group; part of his attack on me was for national chairman of the party to give the first salvo, then other things would follow as his grip on the party would be firm and consolidated.

“That salvo came in the form of a letter to me from the chairman of the party, Audu Ogbeh, who had fully defected with (Iyorchia) Ayu to Atiku.

“The letter, which was not the product of any issue or matter discussed with or at any party meeting, came suddenly. When I received it, I could read the sinister intention behind it.

“I spent that night writing my reply and I sent it in the morning. My reply was clear. I wondered why Atiku and his group did not realise that with my reply, the battle line was clear or maybe they thought that the seven ingredients would remain intact to the end.

“My assistants had moles within the Atiku group. Anything that they planned would be reported. That was the case after Ogbeh’s letter. They decided that Ogbeh should appear remorseful and come with the National Working Committee to apologise to me. It was not from their hearts, but to lure me to a ‘killing ground’.

“All pieces of information that were reported were verified because it would not come from only one informant.

“Timely information is a very important principle of war and also of politics. In politics, just as in war, what matters is not just your plan, but knowledge of your opponent’s plan. Knowing their plan, I had the choice of playing along with them or being firm, I chose the latter.

“I told Ogbeh that my relationship with him as national chairman and me as national leader of the party was based on mutual confidence and trust. But with his letter, my reply and what I knew of him then, I could no longer work with him in confidence and trust.

“There were only two choices left for both of us in our best interest and that of the party – he, leaves as chairman or I leave as leader of the party.

“The following Sunday, I called at his house, which I had done on several occasions in the past when there was an important party matter to discuss. This time, I asked him to give me an undated letter of resignation as the national chairman.

“I waited, he gave me but it was wrongly addressed to me rather than to the national secretary of the party as stipulated in the party’s constitution.

“Ogbeh reported to his group and it was decided by them to play on and to wait for my disgrace whenever I presented a letter of resignation not addressed to the national secretary.

“The informants did their job and I, once again, paid another visit to Ogbeh at his residence. He entertained me to a meal and drink, and changed the addressee on his letter of resignation.

“It would appear he never reported the change to his group. When I considered it opportune and appropriate, the letter was dated and presented to National Executive Committee of the party, which regrettably accepted the resignation.

“With that, whatever control Atiku claimed to have over the party began to crumble. But he did not think so and went on to boast that if I made my daughter the national chairman, it would be a matter of weeks not months before he would put her in his pocket.

“I therefore had to look for a successor chairman, who would be too big, uncompromising and inflexible to be lured and controlled by Atiku. I found such a man in Senator (Dr.) Amadu Ali, whom I had known many years earlier as a medical doctor in the army…”
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/national-news/item/2018-obasanjo-in-new-book-says-he-planted-moles-in-his-vp-s-camp

The United States of America has clarified its position on the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria, saying it has come to work with Nigeria and not for Nigeria.

This was disclosed by Mrs Maria E. Brewer, Deputy Missioner, US. Embassy, Abuja while responding to audience question at the Hubert H.Humphrey 2014 Annual Lecture held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.
In her keynote address, Brewer, speaking under the theme, Managing Down Insurgency:The American Experience, said that Nigeria is the United States’ most important strategic partner in Africa and wants Nigeria to win its war on terrorism.


She said that the United States has learned that defeating terrorism requires more than just military power, saying it requires economic development in impoverished areas where extremism takes root, accessible education opportunities for all and a free and fair press that can report openly and without fear of reprisal.

Brewer said, “Fighting terrorism requires civilian and military leaders to work together to both defeat the enemy on the battle field and address the root causes of conflict.

” Focussing primarily on the population, rather than the enemy, and reinforcing the legitimacy of governments at the local, state and federal levels, reduces the influence of terrorists.

“This can often only be achieved in concert with political reform to improve the quality of governance and address the underlying grievances of the community, many of which maybe legitimate,” she said.
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/national-news/item/1981-boko-haram-us-won-t-for-nigeria-envoy[url][/url][url][/url]

Senator Ben Ayade on Saturday emerged the consensus candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State for the 2015 governorship election.


Following a marathon meeting that lasted into wee hours of Saturday, four other aspirants stood down their governorship ambition and threw their weight behind Ayade.
‎Those who stood down their aspirations include the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Larry Odey, former Executive Secretary, National Planning Commission, Ntufam Fidelis Ugboh,

immediate past Secretary to the State Government, Barr. Mike Aniah and the immediate past Commissioner for Works, Barr. Legor Idagbo. Ayade, a serving Senator representing the Cross River North Senatorial District, is the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology.

He is also member, Senate Committees on Education, Marine Transport, Petroleum Downstream, Drugs/Narcotics/Crime. He is a Professor of Microbiology and also holds a degree in law.
Source: .com.ng

Having been fed up by the older generation's inability to lead the country aright, The National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, (AYCF), Alhaji Shettima Yerima has purchased the presidential nomination form of the Young Democratic Party (YDP), with a resolve to challenge the older candidates seeking for office of the presidency.
[img]http://www..com.ng/media/k2/items/cache/3feb73ff81c97198f4b8a9e3765868ba_M.jpg[/img]


Yerima who spoke to journalists in Abuja after obtaining his nomination form at the cost of N11 million, said both PDP and APC have failed the youth and indeed, Nigeria at large.

He said the tone of politics the world over has always been dictated by younger persons who try to make the difference in governance.

“As a people, from our experiences and background, we have a lot to offer this country. But sometimes, the way the political actors behave, one begins to think whether they have an answer to the Nigerian problem.
“If you look at the government of the day, you will notice that the man who is in charge has no control of the government. It is either he is totally blinded by somebody or his government has been hijacked.”

The presidential aspirant dismissed the insinuations that he is being sponsored by the PDP against the presidential ambition of General Mohammadu Buhari since both of them hail from the same North-west geopolitical zone.

He also stated that 16 years of PDP has brought nothing but abject poverty to the people, stressing that President Goodluck Jonathan has nothing to offer even if he is given another opportunity.

“Already, the system has collapsed. I think the way the system is now, if we continue to rely and keep hoping on the same two parties, I do not think we are being fair to ourselves. This why we feel that this is a revolution,” he said.
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/political-news/item/1959-arewa-youth-leader-picks-presidential-form-for-n11m

I hope Liverpool will win this match






Gerrard celebrates 11years as Liverpool Captain
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/sports-news/item/556-gerrard-celebrates-11years-as-liverpool-captain

Arsenal will lose this match 3-1 will be the score






POLL: Should Arsenal Sack Arsene Wenger?
Source: e reporter.com.ng/index.php/sports-news/item/1623-poll-should-arsenal-sack-arsene-wenger

Mohammed Abacha, son of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has vowed to dislodge the ‘Kwakwansia’ out of the state in 2015.

Abacha expressed confident that he will pick the Peoples Democratic Party governorship ticket in Kano State.

‘Kwakwansia’ is the political machinery of the incumbent Governor, Mallam Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the All Progressives Congress.

The aspirant while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan behind closed doors at the State House on Friday, said he was ready to reclaim the stolen mandate of the PDP.

Ababcha who claimed he played a significant role in bringing Kwankwaso on board as governor, said it would be very easy to defeat him.

His words: “If I was not a good candidate, I wouldn’t give anybody support.

“We are hopeful. I wouldn’t want to say too much. I said it before that it was a PDP state. It was a PDP ticket.

“It was taken or converted or even stolen whatever you want to call it, so be it. The chances of the PDP are still bright”.
Source: .com.ng

Ahead of the National Assembly primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled to hold tomorrow nationwide, Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has withdrawn from the race of the Enugu West Senatorial District.


Chime made his decision known to the PDP stakeholders in the state during a meeting on Wednesday night at the Enugu Government House.
A source at the meeting, who disclosed this to Daily Sun, said Chime told the stakeholders that he was withdrawing in the over all interest and unity of the party.

The source said the governor told the stakeholders that the party was paramount and above any personal ambition and urged the people of the state, particularly PDP members from Enugu West, to ensure Senator Ike Ekweremadu and other party candidates emerged winners at the primary and general elections.

Chime and Ekweremadu had been up in political arms over who would represent the Enugu West in the Senate, which led to the party in the state dividing into two factions. One led by Chief Ikeji Asogwa and the other by Elder David Aja.

However, the PDP at the national level and the Presidency waded into the crisis in Enugu and Chime was said to have been advised to allow Ekweremadu go back to the Senate while the governor would take charge of producing representatives in the two other senatorial zones.

The new agreement, it was gathered, led to the harmonisation of interests by the two gladiators that ushered in a peaceful election last Saturday during the House of Assembly primary where Chief Asogwa and Elder Aja sat side by side to conduct the election for the aspirants.

The source at the stakeholders’ meeting said President Goodluck Jonathan had mounted pressure on Chime to withdraw his senatorial ambition, adding that the president told him to make that huge sacrifice to save the party that had been inundated with crises across the country.

With Chime’s withdrawal, the coast is now clear for Senator Ekweremadu to clinch the party’s ticket to represent Enugu West in the Senate for four consecutive terms.

When contacted yesterday, the Chief Press Secretary to Chime, Mr. Chukwudi Achife, confirmed that the governor had withdrawn from the senatorial race, but refused to give details of his action.
Source: .com.ng

Dr. Christopher Kolade, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Thursday criticized President Goodluck Jonathan for the manner he had been handling national affairs, describing him as an insensitive leader.

He spoke at the sixth Christopher Kolade Symposium organised by the Nigeria Leadership Initiative, an organisation he was a pioneer patron.
He made specific reference to Jonathan’s decision to honour a political rally in Kano shortly after a bombing that killed several people early in the year, saying the best he could have done was “to postpone the political event.”

For choosing to continue with the programme, he said, the President did not demonstrate that he was sensitive to the pains of the people.

While chiding the campaigns of pro-Jonathan non-governmental organisations, the respected statesman said, “Nigeria was, at every other time, better than now.”

He said those who said the country “had never been this good” were lying, and that at over 80 years he could tell that the country had a robust history.

He lamented the drift in leadership quality, a situation that he said should worry Nigerians.

“If we get to a point when we do not care how the country is led, we have lost hope. The country is where it is today because some people sacrificed. Unfortunately, beyond stealing, our leaders are not ready to sacrifice anything,” he said.

Kolade said he took up a responsibility to lead the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme to demonstrate his love for the country. Rejecting the appointment, he said, would have amounted to wishing the initiative failure.

He said he rejected allowance offer because he was financially stable. The second reason, according to him, was to enable him to quit when he noticed it was not going to succeed without the hassle of “waiting till end of the month to collect allowance.”

The former envoy said no Nigerian was happy with the leadership style and the manner the public institutions were operated.

He, however, said many had not made up their minds on what they would accept, tolerate or resist.

The Chief Executive Officer of the initiative, Yinka Oyinlola, charged Nigerians to roll out a template of engagement and action rather than complaining.

He said character deficit was the biggest challenge the country should address to position itself for greatness.

Oyinlola lamented the impunity in the Nigeria political system, saying it was a dangerous trend when the executive sought to supplant the legislature and the judiciary.
Source: .com.ng

National Ijaw leader and elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, has acccused some leaders of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of being capable of killing Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan by poisoning if they had the means due to their desperation to seize power at all costs in 2015.

This is just as the national coordinator of the Ward2Ward Initiative, Shekulomaso Karka, has stated that the group is ready to storm the 774 local governments and 9,572 wards in the country to galvanise support for Jonathan’s re-election bid.
Speaking in Abuja at a conference held at the instance of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Ward2Ward Initiative, Clark said the utterances of some members of the APC in the face of the biting insecurity had become worrisome as it depicted them as carefree.

Clark said, ”This morning, I read one of the newspapers. The national chairman of one of our parties said that Nigeria was moving towards anarchy. I was shocked. Coming here, I want to make a statement about it. Today, you are here on your own because you believe in Nigeria. The future is here.

“Do not be deceived. Nigeria is a great country. Those abroad want to come home. Everywhere in this world, there are problems. Do not deride your country. The fact that you are in the opposition does not mean you should deride the country. I pray that the opposition joins hands with the government to tackle the problems in the north.

“But when we have an apposition whose intention is to take over power, there is a problem. I appeal to the national chairman of APC to tread carefully. If they even have their way, they can kill or poison Jonathan just to take over power. If Nigeria falls, there will no country for the opposition to take over.”
Source: .com.ng

Source: .com.ng


Former Head of State and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), on Tuesday said Nigeria was totally insecure, warning that the country was doomed to fail if Nigerians allowed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain in power for the next four years.

Buhari made the remark on Monday night while addressing APC stakeholders and delegates at the presidential lodge, Sokoto.
He asserted that Nigeria was completely insecure, as citizens were being killed daily by insurgents.

Buhari noted that the recent killing of hundreds of worshippers at the Kano Central Mosque and the wanton killings in the North-east, was an indication that Nigeria was heading to the brinks if PDP was allowed to be in power for the next four years.

“Nigeria is totally insecure. Look at what happened at the Kano Central Mosque last Friday, look at what happened in Damaturu Yobe State and what is happening in the North-east. Soldiers are deployed to fight the insurgents without sophisticated weapons and ammunition.

“If we allow the PDP to continue in power for the next four years, then Nigeria will be at the brinks. It is either the citizens rise up and vote out the PDP or remain in this quagmire.

“So, our first priority in the APC is to secure the country, put the infrastructure back and ensure that people get jobs,” Buhari said.

The presidential aspirant emphasised that no system or institution could last long with injustice.

He pointed out that since the ruling PDP was not ready to be fair and just to all Nigerians, then it behoves on the people to use the constitutional means to vote them out in 2015.

Buhari however, admitted that kicking PDP out of power requires unity of purpose and commitment of all members of the APC in the country.

He berated the PDP for the wanton corruption especially in the oil sector and the embezzlement of pension funds, saying something urgent needs to be done in order to save the nation’s economy from collapse.

The former Head of State averred that his quest to govern the country was not borne out of the desire for pecuniary gains but to salvage Nigeria.

“As you are aware, God has give me all what I want in life. I was a governor, a minister of petroleum for over three years and a Head of State for 20 months.

“In fact, late Gen. Sani Abacha appointed me as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) and at a time, we had N53 billion in the bank and we did not embezzle the funds. Therefore, I am calling on our party members to get their permanent voters’ cards and be ready to vote out PDP in 2015 elections,” Buhari added.

In a remarks, a chieftain of the party in the state, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, said Nigeria was drifting due to bad governance.

He urged Buhari to remain steadfast and resolute in his quest to bring an end to the PDP misrule in the country.

“We know what you can do and we have confidence in your ability to rescue Nigeria from the current state of insecurity and bad governance,” Dingyadi said.

According to the Corruption Perception Index released Tuesday by Transparency International, Nigeria(27 points) was ranked 136th most corrupt nation out of the 175 countries assessed.

Other countries on the same rank with Nigeria, include Russia, Lebanon, Iran and Cameroon.

Denmark (92 points) topped the list as the least corrupt nation while three other Scandinavian nations and New Zealand made top 5 of the world's least corrupt countries whereas North Korea and Somalia are the most corrupt.
Source: .com.ng

One person has been killed in the just concluded primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conducted over the weekend to elect flag-bearers into Benue State’s House of Assembly (BHA). The primaries was reported to have gone smoothly in the entire state except in Kwande Local Government Area of the state where suspected thugs allegedly beat one of their colleagues death in what was described as a mob action.

According Daily Sun reports, trouble started when the former caretaker chairman of the local government, Mr. Terhile Iorchir allegedly offered an undisclosed amount of money to the thugs who were trailing him through the victim, but sensing that the deceased may disappear with the said money, the group mobilized and swooped on Terfa, collected the money from him and allegedly beat him to death.

Unconfirmed results from different constituencies indicate that candidates emerged in almost all constituencies except in Ushongo local government area where the exercise was boycotted by supporters of both the PDP and APC who thronged to the streets in their numbers protesting the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct primaries in their suppressed Mata state constituency in the area.

But in Otukpo, Cousin of the President of the Senate, David Mark, one Honourable Johnson Igli Ahubi is among the 30 persons who emerged as the House of Assembly PDP flag bearers in the primaries.

Mark’s cousin who aspires to represent Otukpo/Apa state constituency polled 35 votes to beat the sitting lawmaker, Honourable Baba Ode while five delegates absented from the primary election.

Daily Sun gathered that Ode had proceeded to court in Okpokwu seeking the postponement of the primary in the state due to an alleged fraud that characterized the ward congress but the court on Friday struck out the case.

According to the piece gathered from sources close to the party secretariat on Sunday, more than two third of the present lawmakers lost the primary election in their state constituencies while new people have emerged to replace them in their various constituencies.
Source: .com.ng

RIP

Last Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s biting remark, which had put Jonathan’s performance at below average. In defence of his government, the President claimed he had run the best government the nation had ever witnessed. BAYO AKINLOYE of THE PUNCH, in this report, considers what others think about the positions taken by the former and current presidents

A week ago, President Goodluck Jonathan had described himself as the best leader to be produced by Nigeria. The President claimed no leader since the country gained independence in 1960 had performed better than he did. That was a reaction to what was regarded as a scathing statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former President had, two weeks ago, during a session with book writers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as part of activities celebrating the Ake festival, lambasted Jonathan and his administration for performing below average.

“His performance is below average. I will not accept responsibility for his performance. There is nobody that gets such a position without being helped,” Obasanjo told his audience when asked by journalists to score Jonathan’s administration.

The former president also debunked the insinuations that he had selected Jonathan as the running mate to the late President Musa Yar’Adua because he knew the latter was sick.

“Yar’Adua told me he was well. He showed me his medical report and I even consulted experts,” he said.

He pointed out that he had only supported the idea of a South-Southerner succeeding Yar’Adua to extend the sense of belonging that the emergence of a Southern President in 1999 represented. The former president had, in a December 2, 2013 18-page letter to Jonathan entitled, “Before it is too late” raised many issues concerning Jonathan’s administration.

His latest comment on the president was however considered by the Presidency as an unwarranted attack, with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, saying such assessment of his principal was “not true and in error.”

“If indeed former President Obasanjo said that, that statement was in error because no government since independence has done close to 50 per cent of what this administration has done in less than four years,” Okupe said.

He recalled that when Obasanjo was leaving office, the total power generation capacity in the country was about 2,600MW, claiming that the present administration had been able to raise the figure to about 4,000MW.

Okupe also said the Jonathan administration inherited 24 airports that were in a state of disrepair across the country at inception.

According to him, all the airports have so far been refurbished by the present administration, thereby increasing the country’s reputation globally.

The presidential aide further cited the restoration of the dilapidated National Integrated Power Projects, eliminating rot in the agricultural sector, repairing 70 per cent of the nation’s road networks and reviving the nation’s manufacturing industries which were hitherto moribund.

“These are just a few among the achievements of the present administration. So if that statement was indeed made, it is most uncharitable and it is not true,” he added.

As part of its disclaimer of Obasanjo’s statement, the Presidency put up a two-page advertorial in the newspaper, on Monday, enumerating Jonathan’s achievements. But a day before that, the president had issued a statement through Okupe stressing that Jonathan was the best President the country ever had.

Okupe’s statement read in part, “Our attention has been drawn to comments made by a former President of this country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, regarding the performance of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“Obasanjo had at an event over the weekend declared that he rated the President Goodluck Jonathan administration ‘below average.’ We aver that Obasanjo’s comments are untrue, misleading and clearly do not tally with the facts on the ground. We therefore wish to assert without equivocation that in terms of performance and achievements, no administration since 1960 when Nigeria gained independence from Britain, has done as much as that of President Jonathan.”

He said that every discerning and unbiased Nigerian would definitely attest to this “as the evidence stare all of us in the face.” The media aide added that contrary to Obasanjo’s position, the Federal Government under Jonathan had performed excellently given the prevailing circumstances and resources available to it.

He argued further that while it was true that Nigeria had been faced with incidents of insurgency and terrorism, especially in the last few years, the Jonathan administration had successfully contained the initial widespread activities of the insurgents, which he said were prevalent in 12 states of the North, including the Federal Capital Territory.

SUNDAY PUNCH sought the views of some prominent Nigerians on the disagreement between Obasanjo and Jonathan over the latter’s performance as president.

One of them is Balarabe Musa, a former governor of Old Kaduna State. The elder statesman described the high performance score the presidency gave itself as a delusion of grandeur. He noted that Obasanjo’s verdict on Jonathan was correct even though he stressed that the former President should not shy away from the blame that he was responsible for the emergence of Jonathan as the country’s president.

“How could he (Jonathan) say he is the best president the country has ever had? He is deceiving himself. It is during his watch that Nigeria has descended so low to a terrible level. He is not doing well at all. It is not that he has not performed well; he has not performed at all given the opportunities he has had.

“It is for the All Progressives Congress to respond to his claim so that we can decide whom to follow in 2015. Such self-assessment is a lie – it’s pretentious. What Olusegun Obasanjo said is the truth – Jonathan has performed below average. But be that as it may, he (Obasanjo) created the phenomenon called Goodluck Jonathan, except that the phenomenon is worse than he could imagine. There is no credibility in what the current government does. Even if the Federal Government took out several pages of the newspaper to advertise what they claim to have achieved, we Nigerians know better,” Musa argued.

But, a former presidential aspirant and national leader of the Social Democratic Party, Oluyemisi Falae, agreed neither with the president’s claim to be the all-time best Nigerian president nor with Obasanjo’s assertion that Jonathan has performed abysmally.

Falae said, “He has the moral and political right to do a self-appraisal of himself; he has the right to score himself either high or low. It is a fundamental human right for every person to freely express his or her mind and give an opinion on issues. If he (Jonathan) feels strongly about his performance as the President of Nigeria and he expresses such conviction, so be it. It is freedom of speech. He is free to assess himself.

“However, one thing people should take note of is the fact that self-assessment is subjective. It is the same thing with being assessed by another party or person – that too is subjective. We have seen a situation where the governor of a particular state scored himself 100 per cent and when election came he still lost.”

Also speaking on the issue was the former personal physician to Moshood Abiola, the alleged winner of the 1993 presidential election, Dr. Ore Falomo.

To Falomo, Jonathan’s assessment of himself and assertion that he is the best president to rule Nigeria is an exercise in vainglory.

Though admitting that the President has done well, given the difficult circumstances in which he leads the country, he said the Jonathan-led administration went too far claiming to be the best administration Nigeria has ever had.

“That is his own view – thinking that he is the best president Nigeria has ever produced. That is not the position of the country. He (Jonathan) should conduct a referendum to know his true position in the scheme of things. He should not self-praise. I will admit that he has done his best so far but adjudging himself as the best president before millions of Nigerians leaves much to be desired.

“I don’t think he can claim to be the best. History will judge him – he can’t judge himself. I however pray that he is not the last president of a united Nigeria. It is self-glory. I think he should have left it to history to judge him.

He shouldn’t have said, ‘I’m the best Nigerian president.’ He should have considered the condition of the country before uttering such a statement,” he stated.

The acting Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Mrs. Janet Omisore, noted that on average, the country had done well.

“There has been a significant improvement, though there are challenges. Nigerians are confronting the challenges and the Federal Government is doing its best too. Nevertheless, there is still much to be done.

“Our industries have yet to fully benefit from the privatisation of electricity generation and distribution. Power supply is very vital to our industries.

“Another area that calls for improvement is that of facilitating credit –in this area too the government is trying. We however look forward to a single-digit credit that will make our industries to be very competitive globally. I will say we are not there yet; a lot still has to be done,” the NACCIMA boss said.

The Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises National President, Garba Gusau, also commended the Jonathan-led administration for all its efforts at promoting small-scale enterprises though admitting that the problem of electricity supply and good road networks still persists.

Gusau stated, “For small and medium enterprises, it’s been a challenging period (referring to between 2011 and 2014). While we are still faced with electricity supply and roads issue, it is very important to commend the government for what they have been able to achieve in this sector.

He lauded Jonathan for the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria initiative, saying that it had helped to grow the economy.

“To be honest with you, the achievements have not been 100 per cent but we are not doing badly. The government has made alot of incentives available. I think over time with proper monitoring and the critical involvement of all concerned parties, this sector will continue to grow. Being a critical sector, it will contribute to the growth of the nation’s general economy,” he added.
Source: .com.ng

Source: .com.ng

Following the actions of security operatives last week at the National Assembly, Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, on Thursday slammed the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), accusing him of serving as President Goodluck Jonathan's hatchet man

Wamakko made the remark at a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Sokoto.

He condemned the invasion of the National Assembly by the police, saying the action exposed the nation to ridicule.

Wamakko noted that if it was in developed countries, the NSA and the Inspector General of Police (IG), Suleiman Abba, would have resigned their appointments.

“It is indeed sad that rather than protect the citizens, the police chose to intimidate lawmakers and this action is an embarrassment to the country.

“In fact, if it is in a developed nation, the NSA and the IG should have resigned their appointments,” Wamakko lamented.

He berated the NSA for doing a hatchet job for the president, reminding him that it is only God that gives power to whoever He wishes.

“I am not afraid of the NSA despite the threatening text message he sent to me recently. I am working for the people and not Jonathan, so I am not afraid of anybody,” Wamakko averred.

The governor stated that the stakeholders’ meeting was meant to intimate party members on the progress made so far by the committee set up to pick consensus candidates for all elective position in the state.

He disclosed that the committee was yet to conclude its assignment on a consensus governorship candidate for the party.

Wamakko however, expressed hope that all issues pertaining to the consensus governorship candidate of the APC and other elective positions would be resolved before the primaries.

He advised party members to work for the interest of the party rather than their personal ambition.

Despite the certification of Nigeria by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) free country, consumers of bush meat have not yet returned to the market to buy their delicacy, bush meat.

Following the lack of patronage of the bush-meat market, those engaged in hunting for the animals and the marketers are lamenting the drop in their economic fortunes.
It would be recalled that with the revelation that some animals were carriers of the Ebola Virus and that the consumers of bush meat were susceptible to be infected, sales of bush meat drastically dropped.

Initially, bush-meat sellers at Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan were still displaying their wares, hoping that the consumers would soon shake off their initial resentment, but as the days rolled by, it has become glaring that they are not in a hurry to change their minds.

Subsequently, the bush-meat sellers retired to their homes, awaiting when the Ebola issue would be cleared. It was with joy that they received the news certifying Nigeria as Ebola free, with the hope that Nigerians would quickly resume consumption of bush meat.

But weeks after the declaration that the country is free of the deadly virus, bush meat sellers are back to the market, still without patronage, a development that has brought frustration to even the hunters, some of whom are said to be considering quitting the age-long job.

Speaking with Saturday Independent, the head of the bush-meat sellers in Aleshinloye Market, Ibadan, Alhaja Rafatu Odeyemi, bemoaned the misfortune the Ebola Virus Disease brought to her trade, said to have been inherited from her grandmother.

She wondered why the educated people, reputed to be knowledgeable, could be so rigid and unbending about the wrongly held belief that EVD could be contacted through bush-meat, despite the various explanations and even practical demonstration by her members eating the bush-meat in the public glare?

Odeyemi, in her 70s, told our reporter that she did not learn any other trade outside bush-meat selling and could not suddenly now go into apprenticeship because of Ebola, saying, “This is my trade and it is the only thing I know about, which is why I’m appealing to the government to help appeal to the people to return to the consumption of bush-meat so as not to drive people like me away from the trade”.

But dealers and consumers of bush meat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, and its environ have restated their resolve to continue to consume what they describe as one of the best “ways of enjoying oneself.”

Those who eke a living from the bush meat business with a combination of palm wine and plantain revealed that even when the issue of EVD was raging in Nigeria, “those who know the value of the meal never stopped its consumption.”

It will be recalled that EVD, which has claimed over 5,000 lives in West Africa, with Liberia being the worst hit, was transported to Nigeria through a Liberian Diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, who later died of the disease in a Lagos hospital.

Bush meat is one of the sources through which one can contact the deadly virus and people have been advised to play down on the consumption of bush meat for a while until the cure for the virus was found.

This warning had scared many people from eating bush meat, thereby causing a near business collapse, as dealers in the business witnessed lack of patronage.

The bush meat business came alive again when it became obvious that the Federal Government was able to contain the spread of the virus until the WHO officially declared the country Ebola-free.

Madam Grace Utan, 42, who does her bush-meat business along the busy Rivers/Akwa Ibom Expressway, said she was not affected in any way by the outbreak of the disease as “customers kept coming around daily to enjoy themselves.

“Every day you will see cars parked here by both travellers and those who come from the city to buy bush meat. Some of them would sit here and enjoy themselves before they buy what they would take home for their family members.

“I have been in this business for eight years now. This is the first time I have heard that bush meat can cause sickness. This is the only business that I do and I used it to train all my children. I have never heard something like that before,” Mrs. Utan said.

For Akpan Ezekiel, the linking of Ebola virus to the consumption of bush meat is “a Western conspiracy against Africans.

“This is one of the best African delicacies that is eaten by both rich and poor. I come here everyday to eat this and I have never had any cause to regret it. Why now?

“Yes, I agree with you that the bush meat business went down tremendously that time. But you can see the number of people waiting to buy the meat now. So the eradication of the virus has increased the sales because this is like certifying someone to do something,” he said.

Chukwuma Eke, who does his business in Port Harcourt, said he buys bush meat from a major dealer in Etche Local Government Area.

“Business is better now than before. The only problem is that this rainy season, it is difficult to get as plenty meat as in the dry season. It is true that at that time of the disease people were afraid to come out as before. They were afraid of contacting the sickness from the meat as they said.

“But I have been selling bush meat and palm wine for a very long time, I have never heard anybody complaining of being infected as a result of eating bush meat. Remember there was a time of bird flu. But people were still eating chicken and nothing happened to them.

“I don’t have any other business apart from this one. If they say we should not sell bush meat, then they have to provide another business for me that will be good enough to take care of my family and train my children in school.”

Eke, however, disclosed that the bush meat business now thrives at weekends than on weekdays.

“People look for where to relax at weekends after a hectic week, especially on Saturdays while others just come and buy as much as possible for home use,” he said.

Investigation by Saturday Independent showed that the sale of bush meat in Benin is yet to pick up. According to Madam Meg, who said she has been in the business for the past 15 years, “Since the rumour that the Ebola disease is found in some animals that are consumed as bush meat, a lot of those who usually eat it stopped. Even the news that the disease is no more in Nigeria has not helped matters much. The price has remained as it was during the news of the outbreak of the disease.

“What government must do is to commence a process of making radio and television announcement. If not, people will not be encouraged to start eating bush meat again.”

A restaurateur in Oba Market, who pleaded anonymity, said the whole issue that the Ebola virus is traceable to animals was done to “spoil business” for those in the bush meat business.

“Only God knows what they feel they’ll gain from the wrong information they were passing around to the public about bush meat,” she said.

The Deputy National Secretary of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Ben Osemwengie Ogbemudia, disagreed with those who are scared of eating bush meat.

“Bush meat has always been a delicacy to me. I cannot do without it. I still eat it any time I feel like, price reduction or not. It is all a thing of the mind,” he said.

Another man, Godwin Odigie, said: “Nothing can stop me from eating bush meat. And as I said in an earlier interview, those carrying the rumour all around town are only being mischievous.”
Source: .com.ng

The Police in Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State on Tuesday arrested two suspected cow rustlers and recovered 14 cows in the area.


Mr Aminu Sadiq, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kafur that the suspects were arrested on Sunday on Kafur market day.
He said that some suspects had robbed one herdsman in Zamfara and raped his wife and daughter anf made away with their cows.

The PRO explained that the victim trailed his cows to the Kafur weekly market.

“After identifying them, the victim reported to the police, who consequently arrested the two suspects.

“The suspects are now in police custody while investigation is in progress,’’ Sadiq said.

He urged the people to always report suspicious movements to the nearest police authorities and cautioned them against taking laws into their hands.

NAN reports that many victims of cattle rustlers are now trooping to Kafur with the hope of recovering their stolen cows.
Source: .com.ng

Source: .com.ng

The factional Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Dele Olugbemi, tuesday insisted that his colleagues under the banner of Forum of Speakers lacked the constitutional powers to pronounce him an illegal occupant of his seat.

Olugbemi, who said he holds his speaker colleagues in high esteem, emphasised that it was a slight on the generality of Ekiti populace for the forum to have issued a statement rejecting him.

However, the assembly remained calm yesterday and activities went on unhindered as the 19 pro-Omirin lawmakers refused to show up at the complex despite threats emanating from them from far away Lagos that they would attend the Monday’s plenary to take their rightful positions.

The factional speaker spoke in Ado Ekiti yesterday in reaction to the statement issued by the Speakers’ Forum last Friday, insisting that it would continue to recognise the embattled speaker, Hon. Adewale Omirin, as the validly elected speaker.

The forum said the anti-Omirin lawmakers went extra-judicial in removing the embattled speaker and that it won’t recognise Olugbemi on account of the alleged shoddy manner by which he emerged.

Meanwhile, Omirin, who spoke with journalists from Lagos on phone, said his members would only return to Ekiti when the coast is clear, saying nobody was ready to risk his life, owing to palpable tension in the state.

The embattled Speaker alleged that the homes of the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Tunji Orisalade, Hons. Yomi Daramola and Sunday Adu, were ransacked by hooded thugs at the weekend, saying they would only come to the state if they get assurances from Governor Fayose and security agencies.

Lending credence to Olugbemi’s submission, the leader of Government Business, Hon. Samuel Ajibola, said the forum has no reason to reject Olugbemi. Ajibola contended that Omirin’s ouster was in consonance with the 1999 Constitution, contrary to what the APC lawmakers had consistently painted.

Olugbemi said: “The Speakers’ Forum is just a collegiate assemblies, which has no right to grant recognition to any speaker. It doesn’t have the power to say it would not recognise any Speaker.

“It is wrong for the Speaker of Edo or Borno or any other state to start dictating to Ekiti who their Speaker should be. It is whoever is presented by Ekiti that they would recognise. Though, I am not bothered by the threat, but if they do that we shall stop the state’s financial subscription to the forum,” he said.

On the number of lawmakers that can remove the Speaker, Olugbemi said: “Section 11 of the Standing Order allows that one-third of the assembly can conduct a sitting of the assembly. The Constitution allows that two-third of those at the plenary can remove any speaker, those that were absent were not envisaged under this context.

“Section 101 of the Constitution even gave us the power to suspend the standing order and conduct the business of the assembly.
“As I talk to you, three of the 19 being claimed to be loyal to Omirin are working with us while three others have opened talks with us.
Soon, we will become 13-13 in the House,” he stated.

Ajibola who spoke in the same vein said: “I want to believe that it is just a mere rumour because many Speakers had been impeached in Ekiti and in other states and the forum did not come out with any categorical statement.

“What we did by removing Omirin was legitimate and that is why they didn’t show up today (Monday). You can see that there is no police deployment in the House and nothing to suggest that there is crisis or that somebody is being prevented from performing his duty.

“So, Omirin and his APC lawmakers just absconded from duty without reasons,” he said.
Lamenting the siege on his members, Omirin said: “Their intention is to kill three of us so that there could be by-elections in those constituencies for the PDP to have more members in the assembly.

“The constitution prescribed that we are to sit for 181 days in a legislative year, but we enjoy the prerogative as well to regulate our own sittings, particularly in view of the precarious situation we find ourselves.

“With the way things are going, it seems as if Governor Ayodele Fayose does not want us to return to Ekiti. As we speak, thugs are still laying siege at the assembly and it will be wrong to sit under this dangerous situation,” he said.

Source: .com.ng


Former Head of State and one of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), tuesday returned his nomination form with a pledge to continue to work for a united Nigeria.

Buhari, who came to the APC national secretariat with just a few of his campaign officials, thanked the party leadership for their efforts at forging a united front ahead of the 2015 elections.

Speaking on the recent fracas at the National Assembly, Buhari slammed the security agents for over-reaching their constitutional powers by locking down the legislative chambers.

“ It is a distressing situation where those who are supposed to protect the constitution are the ones undermining it. That place-House of Representative and Senate-sacred place they shouldn’t go there as members of law enforcement agencies much less fire teargas and harassing them, they are brreaking down and undermining the constitution and if they are doing that who is going to correct it? “ He said.

The National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, described Buhari as one Nigerian who has show great passion to bring about change in the affairs in the country.

“We are glad that you are one of those Nigerians who have offered themselves on the platform of the APC with the vision and passion for change and the time has come when business has to be transacted differently in this country. Genuine concern for the people of this nation should become the number one priority of any government in this nation.

“If the good Lord had chosen you to be the leader of this nation or any other aspirant for that matter, it is my prayer that one of you in the APC win the presidency,” he said.

Meanwhile, APC leadership yesterday inaugurated six zonal screening committees made up of five members each to undertake the screening of the party’s governorship aspirants ahead of the 2015 general election.

The six committees and their chairmen are North-central - Chief Olagunsoye Onyinlola, North-east -Senator Chris Ngige, North-west - Malam Bolaji Abdulahi, South-east Timipre Silva, South-south, Alhaji Tijani Gwazo and South –west, Senator Danjuma Goje.
The screening panels are to resume work by Wednesday..

Speaking while inaugurating the six zonal screening committees, Oyegun said the critical nature of the assignment of the committee had been made even more manifest with the events that have been occurring in the last one week. He said the committees are made up of quality men whose words are taken seriously.

He said the assignment of the committee’s was coming in critical times and as such they should be transparent and above board.
The APC leader said the public was looking up to them to show that APC is the agent of change and whether the party would be truly the agent of change for country.

According to Oyegun, the peoples’s anxiety had become heightened because of the insane things that have been happening recently.
“Why should security agencies invade a National Assembly which was convened at the request of the presidency and in which there is only three days that are critical to the approval of extension of the stage of emergency in the three trouble states?

Oyegun commended the legislators for subjecting themselves to the integrity of climbing the fence, adding that were it not for such courage exhibited by the lawmakers, may be something more biizarre things would have happened.

He said the storming of the APC office in Kagos only disrupted the compilation of membership register of the party.
Oyegun added that the reasons given by the State Security Service (SSS) “cannot just fly. You cannot but begin to wonder what is going on in this country.”

He charged the committees to ensure that aspirants are friendly and accommodating in the campaign and to also ensure that they are all properly documented to avoid disqualification during or after election.

While responding on behalf of other committees, Oyinlola said they would work diligently to deliver a good job, adding that the committee would do a thorough job that would make Nigerians see the difference between APC and other parties.

Also, the Chairman of the committee in charge of the North-east, Senator Chris Ngige, said the party considered the governorship seat as the second highest position in the land and as such, the committees would try to as much as possible to insist on a transparent exercise.

He said the North-east committee which he heads was considering using Abuja as centre to screen the aspirants from the zone.
According to him, there are 21 governorship aspirants for the APC ticket in the six states of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Bauchi and Gombe.

Borno has only the incumbent governor who will be seeking re-election for a second term.

Another great agricultural investment is fruit farming cause currently in Nigeria there are very few fruit farms thereby causing our local fruit juice companies to depend on imported fruits.



Nigeria spends N165 billion annually on fruit juice importation
Source: http://www..com.ng

In preparation for the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, who is contesting for the presidential ticket has donated an estimated N16.4million to the Katsina State chapter of the party.

The amount included the N50,000 he doled out to each of the state’s 208 delegates.
The presidential aspirant made the donation on Saturday when he visited Katsina State to lobby delegates in preparation for the party’s presidential primary election.


While speaking at the APC Secretariat in the state, Atiku said he viewed the APC in Katsina State as an orphan since the party is not in government.

He then announced the donation of N5 million to the state secretariat, N1 million to the elders of the party, and N50,000 each to the 208 delegates.

His words, “APC in Katsina State is an orphan. I said this because it is not in government. I have seen the condition of the secretariat; so in my capacity as one of the elders of the party, I give the party secretariat N5 million, the elders N1 million and the delegates N50,000 each”

The former Vice President, who expressed confidence in winning the primary election, stressed that “the time for consensus has gone, because it is too late for the process of consensus.”


He asserted that the best thing for the party was to go for the primaries.

In his response, the Katsina State APC chairman, Dr Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, extolled the virtues of the former vice president, pointing out that “Nigeria needs the likes of Atiku”.

It will be recalled that the Katsina State chapter of APC endorsed General Muhammadu Buhari in recent past for the party’s presidential ticket.

While it is argued in some quarters that it was wrong for an aspirant to promise money to delegates, Garba Shehu, the media representative of the former Vice President justified the donations made by Atiku in Katsina, stressing that “all party leaders, including Atiku, make contributions to party development and this is more compelling in states where the party does not have control of the government.”


He added that, “donations to party are routine. There is no scandal in that, especially for someone like him, who is not dipping his hands in government treasury to get the money.”

Shehu further revealed that the presidential aspirant “makes donation of a standard sum of N5million for the running of the party in all non-APC-controlled states that he visits. These donations are announced publicly at the meetings which take place at party offices. In some states, they get assistance to buy buses or furniture items for their offices. Some party branches do not even have offices, and they call on party leaders to help, and the Turaki as much as possible pays his dues to the party”.
Source: http://www..com.ng/

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (R) and Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo greet supporters at a ceremony in Abuja on November 11, 2014. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan on November 11 declared his bid for re-election, vowing to finally defeat Boko Haram whose rise in strength during his first term has threatened the country’s sovereignty. The 56-year-old made the announcement to tens of thousands of supporters in the red, white and green of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at a carefully orchestrated ceremony including patriotic music, dancing, prayers and speeches.



In my estimation, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former military President, Ibrahim Babangida and President Goodluck Jonathan are three of the luckiest prominent Nigerians alive today. For one thing, they came from very humble backgrounds and rose to occupy the highest political office in the country, not because they really merited it but because in human affairs the seemingly improbable oftentimes becomes a genuine possibility. Obasanjo, as commander of the Third Marine Division of the Nigerian army, played a decisive role in the closing moments of the civil war by capturing Radio Biafra and broadcasting a message calling on Biafran soldiers to put down their weapons. He succeeded late Murtala Mohammed as military head of state in February 1976. Obasanjo made history by becoming the first military head of state to hand over power to a democratically elected President.

In a very interesting twist of fate, upon release from prison in 1998, he contested and won the presidential elections of February 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to become the first Nigerian to rule the country both as a soldier and civilian. Obasanjo was President from May 29, 1999 to May 28, 2007.

Babangida, like Obasanjo, fought on the federal side during the Biafran war. He came into public consciousness on August 27, 1985 after he took over the reins of power in a military coup that removed Muhammadu Buhari from office. Babangida’s most important economic and political programmes, the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the Transition to Civil Rule Programme, were unsuccessful. Babangida survived a military coup in April 1990 when Major Gideon Orkar and his cohorts unsuccessfully attempted to excise Northern Nigeria from the rest of the country. About three years later, he succumbed to pressure and “stepped aside” after annulling results of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

President Goodluck Jonathan was a trained animal scientist who worked as a lecturer before becoming deputy governor of Bayelsa State under Diepriye Alameyeseigha. Jonathan’s ascendance to the pinnacle of political power was so meteoric that his supporters with the proclivity of seeing divine intervention in everything publicly proclaimed that the name “Goodluck” portends providentially ordained greatness for the bearer of that name. His emergence as substantive President months after the demise of Umar Musa Yar’Adua marked a paradigm-shift with respect to the geo-ethnic balance of power in Nigeria, because he is the first person from the south-south geopolitical zone to become President, although a few hard-core members of the Northern establishment tried unsuccessfully to stop him.

President Jonathan consolidated his hold on political power by winning the 2011 presidential elections. Now, after months of shilly-shallying, he has finally declared his intention to seek a second term of office in 2015. Expectedly, the declaration has elicited mixed reactions from Nigerians. The PDP had already declared Jonathan their sole presidential candidate even before he announced his intention to contest, while the leadership of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in a desperate move for political relevance and survival, stated publicly that the party would support him. But chieftains of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), believe that the ambition of President Jonathan to remain in office beyond the end of May 2015 is a huge mistake. In addition, Ben Nwabueze, a noted constitutional lawyer, on several occasions persuasively argued that Jonathan should not seek re-election.

Now, before deciding whether President Jonathan should or should not seek a second term of office, certain things must be considered thoroughly first. To begin with, the question of eligibility must be addressed, given the objection that Mr. President is ineligible to contest because, if he wins, that would be tantamount to having a third term of office, which would bring the number of years he would serve as President to nine, ending in 2019. This situation apparently conflicts with argument that any elected President shares a joint ticket with the Vice-President, and the constitutional provision that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.

To determine whether President Jonathan is qualified or not to contest next year’s elections, it is necessary to ascertain what precisely the 1999 constitution stipulates concerning the qualification, tenure and disqualification for the office of President. Section 131 of the constitution indentified four criteria a person must meet to qualify to be elected President, namely, citizenship, age (forty and above), membership of a registered political party, and educational qualifications (school certificate or its equivalent), which I consider too low. Clearly, President Jonathan meets all these criteria.

Regarding the issue of tenure, section 135 subsection 2 affirms that, subject to the provisions of subsection 1 of the same section, the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of four years after taking the oaths of allegiance and of office. Of course, as stated in section 137 subsection 1(b), a person who has been elected to the office of President at any two previous elections cannot vie for that position. Now, the fundamental question is, could Jonathan be deemed to have been elected twice, after taking the oaths of office in 2010 to complete late Yar’Adua’s tenure and in 2011 when he contested and won?

I am not a constitutional lawyer, but anyone who searches the 1999 constitution for a straightforward and clear answer to the question above will be disappointed. For instance, sections 141 and 142 that deal with the establishment of the office and nomination and election of the Vice-President, respectively, create the impression that the offices of President and Vice-President are inseparable, in which case Jonathan, by completing the joint ticket he won with his late boss, could be construed as having done his first term of office. However, based on the provisions of sections 143 and 144 stipulating conditions for the removal or incapacity of the President and Vice-President, it is very clear that the two positions are distinct, which implies that the fate that befalls the occupier of one office does not automatically befall the other. Section 148 is more explicit on this point: it avers that “The President may, in his discretion, assign to the Vice-President or any Minister of the Government of the Federation responsibility for any business of the Government of the Federation, including the administration of any department of government.” Therefore, although the constitution stipulates a joint ticket for the President and the Vice-President, it makes it clear that the President is in charge and that the Vice-President serves at his pleasure.
To be concluded.
Source: http://www..com.ng/

According to a Leadership source in the Police Headquarters Abuja, strong indications have emerged that the Inspector General of Police, Abba Sulaiman has issued an order for the immediate arrest of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

The order was given following a showdown between the police and members of the House of Representatives on Thursday, after the police blocked the entrance to the National Assembly and prevented the Speaker from gaining entrance, forcing some of the lawmakers who were with him to scale the locked gate and go into the chambers of the House of Representatives, where they stalled alleged plans to begin impeachment proceedings against the Speaker.
Source: [url=https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=NASS+Crisis%3A+Police%2C+DSS+Order+Tambuwal%E2%80%99s+Arrest&oq=NASS+Crisis%3A+Police%2C+DSS+Order+Tambuwal%E2%80%99s+Arrest&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59j69i60&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8#q=NASS+Crisis:+Police%2C+DSS+Order+Tambuwal%E2%80%99s+Arrest+e+reporter+news]http://www.e reporter.com.ng/index.php/political-news/item/1535-nass-crisis-police-dss-order-tambuwal-s-arrest[/url]

Allow Jonathan Fizzle Slowly Without Nigeria Falling With Him -Sheikh Gumi

Sheik Ahmad Gumi today reacted over the invasion of the National Assembly by policemen on Thursday.

In a statement, the popular Sheikh said Nigerians should allow President Goodluck Jonathan fizzle slowly and not drag Nigeria down to fall with him.

Gumi in the statement titled ‘NASS blockade: Sign of Good Omen’, argued that President Jonathan is already in crisis following internal division within his People Democratic Party (PDP)

See full text of Gumi's statement below:

“The National assembly is the heart of our collective existence. It's the core of the democratic governance and the antidote to political impunity and despotism. For long it has been paralyzed by the executive which capitalizes on their human weakness - greed. Now the hour is come. The NASS can never be the same again. This one and the next elected members by God's leave. Nigerians are learning and very fast indeed.

“As for Goodluck Ebele Jonathan-who didn't listen to the words of wisdom before- has already entered a cul-de-sac with his party. To many analysts he has failed, and all his strategies are flunking one after another. He is going down the drain of the merciless history and falling at acceleration. In fact, you only need to be at the peak to start falling down.

“Please Nigerians allow him to fizzle out slowly and naturally without dragging Nigeria to fall with him. He was told by his mentor that he was divisive. His sycophants said no. Now he is even able to break the honorables. This particular incidence has eroded his political potency if only his advisers will for once tell him the truth. PDP is this what you want to recycle? A divided nation?

“Sorry the Nigerian Military cannot come into the scene to any rescue - if that is in the pipeline. Our democracy has matured enough and thanks to the lopsided composition of the force that has weaken it even in the face of fragile almajiris.

“Any mutiny will be circumscribed and excised neatly. The nation is too big too large too diverse for any few adventurist and power hungry cabal. I don't advice any military man to commit suicide.

“Let us surrender Nigeria under God to Nigerians.NASS and I.N.E.C over to you. May Allah continue to heal the nation for all. Amin.”

[url=https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=Sheikh+Gumi%3A+Jonathan+Is+Going+Down+The+Drain+Of+Merciless+History&oq=Sheikh+Gumi%3A+Jonathan+Is+Going+Down+The+Drain+Of+Merciless+History&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60j69i59l3&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8#q=http:%2F%2Fwww..com.ng%2Findex.php%2Fnational-news%2Fitem%2F1522-sheikh-gumi-jonathan-is-going-down-the-drain-of-merciless-history]http://www.e reporter.com.ng/index.php/national-news/item/1522-sheikh-gumi-jonathan-is-going-down-the-drain-of-merciless-history[/url]

This is the presidencies response:


Presidency slams Amaechi, accuse him of “incitement, treason and gross rascality.”
Source: [url=https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=Presidency+slams+Amaechi%2C+accuse+him+of+%E2%80%9Cincitement%2C+treason+and+gross+rascality.%E2%80%9D&oq=Presidency+slams+Amaechi%2C+accuse+him+of+%E2%80%9Cincitement%2C+treason+and+gross+rascality.%E2%80%9D&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59l2&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8#q=Presidency+slams+Amaechi%2C+accuse+him+of+%E2%80%9Cincitement%2C+treason+and+gross+rascality.%E2%80%9D+e+reporter+news]http://www.e reporter.com.ng/index.php/political-news/item/1507-presidency-slams-amaechi-accuse-him-of-incitement-treason-and-gross-rascality[/url]

Following a seven-year delay in the prosecution of former Enugu State Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani over an alleged N5 billion fraud, The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday described the trial as a 'judicial scandal', which the judiciary must address.

EFCC's lawyer, Kelvin Uzozie, who stated this at the continued hearing of the matter before a Federal High Court in Lagos, lamented that the matter had been stalled severally on account of Nnamani's frequent applications to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Source: [url=https://www.google.com.ng/search?q=Nnamani%27s+N5+Billion+Fraud+Trial%2C+a+Scandal+-+EFCC&oq=Nnamani%27s+N5+Billion+Fraud+Trial%2C+a+Scandal+-+EFCC&aqs=chrome..69i57&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=0&ie=UTF-8#q=Nnamani%27s+N5+Billion+Fraud+Trial%2C+a+Scandal+-+EFCC++e+reporter]e reporter.com.ng/index.php/political-news/item/1497-nnamani-s-n5-billion-fraud-trial-a-scandal-efcc[/url]