₦airaland Forum

This is Your University!


At the last count, there were 124 universities in the country. Of this, the federal and the state governments own 37 apiece, while 50 others are privately owned. These institutions were set up, primarily to provide access to the teeming number of Nigerians seeking higher education with a view to developing themselves mentally and morally.
This desire for higher education also came with an explosion in admission leading to enormous pressure on existing facilities.
For instance, in its report to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on November 1, last year, the Committee On Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities raised the alarm that over 1,000 students now get packed in lecture halls that were meant for less than 150 students in a number of universities in the country while over 400 students barge themselves into a laboratory originally designed for 75 students.
It added that “Students cannot get accommodation, where they get, they are packed like sardines in tiny rooms,” and “No light and no water in hostels, classrooms and laboratories.”

Efforts to reach the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie, proved abortive as questionnaires sent to him through the Public Affairs department of the commission were not returned even after several follow-ups.

In this report, Collins Edomaruse takes you on an excursion of some of the federal universities across the country and submits that more than any sector; the education sub-sector is in dire straits that needs desperate, honest and patriotic action of all stakeholders to address. Additional reports were provided by Uche Nnaike, Yinka Kolawole, John Shiklam, Samuel Seriki, Adibe Emenyonu, Hammed Shittu, Segun Awofadeji, Christopher Isiguzo and Funmi Ogundare. Photographs courtesy: Needs Assessment Committee Report, 2012


ABU…
Beautiful structures, empty labs and workshops
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria was founded by the defunct Northern regional government in 1961 following the recommendation of the Ashby Commission on “Post-School Certificate and Higher Education in Nigeria”.

A Law establishing a Provisional Council for the university was passed by the Legislature of Northern Nigeria in April 1961 to give its establishment a legal backing.

As stated in the law establishing it, the university to, among other things, produce high level manpower, secure the diffusion of knowledge, research and community service in Northern Nigeria and Nigeria in general, and to function as a centre of excellence.

However, today the university, like many others in the country is going through trying moments as a result of the crisis that have continued to bedevil the education sector in Nigeria occasioned by dwindling government funding and increasing population.

At the Samaru main campus of the university, THISDAY noted that although ABU has very solid, beautiful structures all over the place, its greatest challenges are congestion in the classrooms, lack of laboratory equipment, outdated books, and poor hostel accommodation for the about 50,000 students of the institution.
Most of the classrooms were designed to accommodate 30 students, but today between 200 and 250 are squeezed into such classes to receive lectures.

The hostels that were constructed to accommodate one or two students in a room, now accommodate between six and 10 students.
The hostels are in a terrible state of decay, without windows and the ceilings caving in. The toilets are best fit for the use of animals. Most parents will withdraw their children from the hostels if they see the horrible condition in which they live.
Some parts of the hostel are swampy to the extent that when it rains, it becomes difficult to access them.

According to the Student Union President of the university, Mallam Rafindadi Abubakar Aliyu, lack of basic facilities in the university is a great setback to conducive learning activities.

Rafindadi said the main problem facing students in ABU is congestion in classrooms, dilapidated hostels and lack of modern laboratory equipment.

“You see a class that was meant to accommodate only 30 students in those days, today you find out that over 200 students are using the class. These classrooms were built in the 60s and 70s when the university was established. Since then, there had not been any expansion to accommodate the increasing population of students.


“Many of us hang outside by the windows to receive lectures. In my department (political science), we seat on bare floor to receive lectures in the lecture theatre. We are 312 in my class.

“You can imagine one lecturer teaching 312 students, marking 312 scripts and each of the scripts, in an examination, none of them is less than 10 pages.

“Some students seat on the podium where the lecturer is standing. Most of the seats are broken so you put your books on your lap to write. There are no fans in some of the classrooms and when it is hot, you will be using the same book to fan yourself and taking down notes at the same time. During the raining season like this, the classrooms leak.

“The books in the libraries are outdated, the equipment in the laboratories are outdated. You will see a large number of students lining up to use one microscope in the laboratories,” Rafidadi said.

He further disclosed that hostel accommodation is one of the most serious challenges facing the students of the institution. He said there are no beds in the hostels and the students put mattresses to sleep on the floor.


According to him, the hostels are overcrowded with six to eight students in a room that was initially meant for one or two persons.
“The students are exposed to all sorts of health problems because they also use the rooms for cooking and washing in front of their rooms as there is no laundry where they can wash.

“The toilets are bad, they have no doors and students have to queue to take their bath or ease themselves,” he said.

He said the university has a population of about 50,000 students but only about 13,000 of them have hostel accommodation, meaning about 75 per cent of the students stay outside the campus and facing more problems.

Also speaking, the branch Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the university, Prof. Mohammed Kabir Aliyu, said: “During my university days (in ABU), we were nine in my class and the lecturers knew all our names and faces. They knew how all of us were performing and they were able to monitor our performance and how to intervene if we needed help.

“But now I teach 250 students in the same space that nine people were taught. I teach in the Faculty of Arts and since I came here as a student in 1983, no single class has been added and the number of students keeps increasing more than 100 times.

“By the National Universities Commission (NUC) minimum standard, I am supposed to teach 30 students in a class, now I am teaching 250. This means I am doing the work of about seven lecturers. This is where the issue of allowances for excess work load comes in. So, lecturers are also being overstretched.

“Go to our classrooms, you will see how our students will be hanging on the window to receive lectures because the population is too large. Go to the hostels and see how they live. A room that is meant for two or four people, you will see 10 or 15 people. The toilets are overstretched to the extent that you cannot even use them.


“The equipment that were purchased decades ago which have become obsolete are still being used today. If you go to the biological sciences, you will see students queuing to use an outdated microscope for their practicals.

“It is the same scenario in the engineering and other science and technology-based causes. If you go to all universities in Nigeria, the story is the same. Bad hostels, bad laboratories, congested classrooms and so on.”
He argued that those who are criticising ASUU for embarking on strike to address the bad state of things in the universities were doing so out of ignorance and challenge them to visit the universities and see things for themselves.

According to him, what is urgently required in ABU is expansion in terms of construction of classrooms, more hostels and equipping the laboratories with modern equipment.

Although the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, was not available for comments as he was said to have travelled for an official engagement, the university’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr. Isma’ila Shehu, attributed the challenges of the institution to poor funding by the federal government.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/this-is-your-university-/160277/

I am looking at producing a periodic epic film in Nigeria...Its a movie about pre-colonial Nigeria set in 1927-1930. I would like recommendations on the best Epic movies produced so far in Nigeria so I can have a good look at Potential Directors, Set Designer, Costumier and Make up Artists..I haven't been up to date on Nollywood in recent times...Its urgent please!!!

Amule5000us:

You sir are a f00l..lol

nice one

kingschild123: There are 10 questions you should ask before
buying any used car. Some can be asked over
the phone or via email before even seeing the
vehicle in person. Others should be asked while
looking at the used car. Not asking these
questions could lead to problems in your used
car purchase.
1. How many miles are on the odometer?
2. Why are you selling the car?
3. How would you describe your used car’s
condition?
4. Who was this vehicle bought from?
5. Where was this car bought?
6. What kind of oil do you use in the car?
7. What are you willing to sell the car for?
8. How long of a test drive can I take?
9. Are you willing to let me get this inspected
independently?
10. What’s the last used car you sold?

Interesting news. Over to you 40 laptops

My question is does Madam PEJ even understand what has been written on her behalf..end of discussion

ednut1: Guess his God couldn't heal him

If you have kids and you loose any one of them..im gonna walk up to you and say I guess the medicine he was taking coudn't cure him..now you will really know how it feels..IDIOTA!

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Thursday frowned on the silence of the Organised Labour on the controversy surrounding the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election.
He particularly criticised the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress for not summoning the courage to tell Nigerians the truth about the NGF impasse.
The NGF has been in crisis following the leadership tussle between Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and his Plateau State counterpart, Jonah Jang.
Oshiomhole spoke at a conference organised by the TUC in Abuja on Thursday.
In the conference entitled ‘The Labour Movement in Nigeria: a centenary of unity, diversity and nation building’, the outgoing TUC President-General, Mr. Peter Esele, also called on the NGF leadership to put its house in order.
Oshiomhole said, “When the facts are so clear, comrade presidents of TUC and NLC, you cannot be quiet. You must take a position if you believe from all that you have heard and seen that Jang won, say so. And if you know that he did not win, tell him to stop janging.”
Oshiomhole, who urged the leadership of the union to always speak the truth, said there was condemnation for dishonesty.
He added, “These are the values of the truth that I learnt from the late labour leader, Comrade Hassan Summonu, who told me when I was growing up that whether you tell the truth, on the day you shall die, you cannot postpone it. If also you choose to live the life of a liar, you cannot live one minute longer than you have been destined to live. But the difference is that for those who speak the truth, there is a space in heaven and those, who live the life of a rogue, their place in hell is defined.”
Dramatising the NGF election, the governor said, “Thirty five people went into a poll and at the end, the votes were counted and Jang got 16 votes and Amaechi marshalled 19 votes. The winner emerged and the same people started saying ‘no, we are going to walk out’. I said how could you walk out. Even in madness, there are levels of madness.”
Esele said despite the anomalies in the conduct of the NGF election, the crisis surrounding it was needless and unnecessary.
http://www.punchng.com/news/oshiomhole-flays-labour-silence-on-ngf-crisis/

nice thread

texaco1: so what is wrong in him protecting and or trying to secure his political interest

Nothing wrong at all..just don't tell us its abt trust issues..he isn't trustworthy himself

Suswam will do anything for Jonathan because he thinks thats the only way he can remain relevant beyond 2015. This is a dude with a forged GCE certificate talking about trust. he knows he has no political future without the support of the idoma's (David Mark)in benue and since he can't get support from his TIV brothers with Sen Akume and Gemade holding fort, he thinks licking GEJ's arse will make him remain relevant

I honestly can't understand how abati has so fallen from the standards we all thought he had. I make bold to say he's been the worst media aide in the current political dispensation

Nuhu Ribadu has just described Reuben Abati as a desperate personality, a fraud and someone who lacks ‘the simplest level of media literacy.’

Interesting..I can see they are also choosing to ignore a court order. The same crime they accuse amaechi of committing
ermm..sorry for committing the obvious crime..first to comment by the way

He whom the gods want to kill..they first make mad..its happening to PDP

He whom the gods want to kill..they first make mad..its happening to PDP

Video of How the governors voted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lsFbpqgJv4I

Interesting and they say Obasanjo is vindictive...There is nothing worse than promoting a man to a position beyond his capacity

Amazing thread again..Kudos!

Seven years for killing another human being..That is appalling!

RIP PROF

As far as many pastors are concerned, the most important scripture of all is not to be found in the word of Jesus. Neither is it even in the New Testament.

That scripture says: “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’” (Malachi 3:10).

This scripture is drummed repeatedly into Christians on Sundays. However, the only time Jesus mentioned tithing in scripture, he pointed out that it was not a weighty matter of the law. (Matthew 23:23). Hebrews says people only receive tithes “according to the law.” (Hebrews 7:5). It then insists tithing (and everything else under the law) has been annulled: “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless.” (Hebrews 7:18-19). Nevertheless, mercenary pastors continue to insist on the payment of tithes.

Latter-day Pharisees

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for keeping part instead of the whole law. (Matthew 23:23). That is what tithe-collecting pastors do today. If we insist our congregants must pay tithes, we must also insist that they keep the rest of the law. James says: “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10). Therefore, if we insist on tithing, we should also refrain from eating pork. We should stone adulterers, execute homosexuals, kill Sabbath violators and restore blood-sacrifices.

Tithe-collecting pastors counter this by maintaining the payment of tithes pre-dated the law. Here Abraham is cited as the cardinal example of someone who paid tithes before the promulgation of the Law of Moses, as did Jacob, his grandson. However, such arguments are disingenuous.

Before the law, tithing was at best an example but not a commandment. Moreover, pastors fail to mention that Abraham only tithed once in his lifetime. When he did, he did not even tithe his own money: he tithed the spoils of war. He gave ten percent of the plunder he took when he rescued Lot to Melchisedec, king of Salem. But then he did not even keep the rest but returned it (all ninety percent) to the king of Sodom.

femi_aribisalaFor his part, Jacob also tithed only once. He did this in a “let’s make a deal” arrangement he offered to God: “Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you.’” (Genesis 28:20-22). This kind of deal about accepting God only under certain self-serving conditions should certainly not be a term of reference for any serious believer.

Lies upon lies

The first lie pastors tell Christians is what some have referred to as “the eleventh commandment:” “Thou shalt pay thy tithes to thy local church.” But the bible says no such thing. The storehouse of Malachi was not a church. It was a place where food was kept.

Pastors hide from church-members the fact that money was not acceptable as tithe. The tithe was a tenth of the seed and fruit of the land and of the animals which ate of the land. (Leviticus 27:30-32). That is why God says: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be FOOD in my house.” (Malachi 3:10). He does not say “that there may be MONEY in my house.” The food was used to feed the Levites, the poor, widows, orphans and strangers.

Pastors also conveniently fail to teach the biblical tithe. The principles of tithing were not laid down by Malachi. They were laid down by Moses. The study of Moses’ guidelines quickly reveals that the biblical tithe has no application whatsoever to Christians and is mischievously violated by tithe-collecting pastors today.

According to the Law of Moses, the tithe was divided into three allocations. The first year, it was given to the Levite. The second year, it was given to widows, orphans and the poor. The third year, it was eaten in the company of the faithful before the Lord as thanksgiving for his faithfulness. (Deuteronomy 14:22-28). In the seventh year, there was no planting and no reaping and therefore no tithing.

So the next time your pastor asks you to pay tithe, ask him about the seventh-year reprieve. Also ask him if you can give your tithe to the orphanage, or bring it as food items to be eaten in church. Believe me; he will not agree with you because it is your money he is after.

Inapplicability of tithes

Tithing was only applicable to Jews and to the land of Israel. When large populations of Jews lived in Babylon, Ammon, Moab, Egypt, and Syria, these lands became tithe-able lands. However, tithes were not acceptable from strictly Gentile lands. So you need to ask your pastor how come he is collecting tithes in Nigeria.

Servants or slaves who worked on the land did not tithe because the land did not belong to them. Since only agricultural and animal resources were included, a fisherman gave no tithe of his fisheries. Neither did a miner or a carpenter pay tithes, nor anyone from the various professional occupations. So if you are not a farmer or a keeper of livestock, tell your 419 pastor tithing is biblically inapplicable to you.

Moreover, the only people authorised to receive tithes were the Levites. (Hebrews 7:5). So if your Pastor is a “tithe-collector,” ask him if he happens to be a Jew. Remind him that, even though a Jew, Jesus could not receive the tithe because he was not from the tribe of Levi but from that of Judah.

The trick, of course, is for pastors today to claim we are “Levites.” If your pastor is one such dissembler, ask him if he lives as a Levite. Remind him that Levites had no land and did not have private property. Ask him also how he knows he is from the tribe of Levi, which happens to be one of the lost tribes of Israel. Point out to him that even Jewish rabbis don’t claim to be Levites today because all Jewish genealogical records were lost with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, ensuring that it is no longer possible to ascertain the true identity of Levites.

Therefore, if Jews no longer tithe because the Levites are a lost tribe, how can Christian pastors collect tithes when we are not even Jewish, how much more Levites? If Jewish rabbis, whose terms of reference remain the Old Testament no longer collect tithes, then pastors who insist Christians are under a New Testament have no business doing so.

The conclusion then is inescapable. Every pastor who collects tithes is nothing but “a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1)
http://naijamayor.com/every-pastor-who-collects-tithes-is-a-thief-lies-pastors-tell-christians-femi-aribisala/#.UYb7GIqF6Dg.facebook

She's 38 years old and not 55

http://www.peacebenwilliams.com/shellie-bo-talley-is-not-55-years-old-find-out-her-true-age-photos-video/

I really cant understand the pettiness of Nigerian Politicians I can understand desperation and clinging unto power but when they sink to levels beyond reason just to stay in power. Its something I just can't understand.

After weeks of intense debates, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, have finally adopted a manifesto, in which it enunciated plans to tackle corruption in Nigeria.

The parties had, in February, announced their plan to merge into one party to be known as All Progressives Congress, APC.

Consequently, the parties went into series of meetings during which it agreed on the constitution, manifesto, logo, motto and slogan.

Some of the documents are to be submitted alongside the application for registration to the Independent National Electoral Commission at the end of the national conventions of the parties, where the merger is to be approved by members.

According to the manifesto, exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the association spells out an ambitious action plan to aggressively tackle corruption, which a source said generated hot argument before it was finally adopted last week.

Some members of the association reportedly canvassed the need to include specific details, which will endear it to Nigerians above the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which it believes has not done well in that regard since assuming power at the federal level about 13 years ago.

The APC specifically declared in the 29-page document that if it comes to power in 2015, it would not only renegotiate oil deals, but would also remove the secrecy surrounding the ownership of 40% of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, and query the utilisation of the over N50 trillion oil revenue it claimed accrued to the Federation Account in the last 13 years PDP has been in power.

During the period, the PDP produced three Presidents, namely Olusegun Obasanjo (1999-2007), Umaru Yar’Adua (2007-2010) and incumbent Goodluck Jonathan (2010 till date).

The 20-member APC Manifesto (Logo, Slogan and Motto) Committee was headed by Audu Ogbeh, a former National Chairman of the PDP.

“We shall negotiate oil deals, unveil the secrecy surrounding the ownership of 49% of the Nigeria Liquefied, NLNG, query the over N50 trillion Oil Revenue which accrued to the Federation Account between 2000 and 2013 and recover billions of US Dollars which Ministries, Departments and Agencies, failed to remit to the Federation Account,” the association declared on Section 1 Page 5 of the adopted manifesto.

The APC also declared that it would not only strengthen and make independent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and other anti-graft agencies by repealing the laws which inhibit their independent, it would also review public service rules and financial regulations which currently permit outrageous impropriety in public finances.

It also promised to push for the removal of the immunity clause in the constitution which shields the president, vice president, governors and deputy governors from prosecution while in office.

“APC in Government shall muster the political will to wage strident war against corruption; otherwise our post-oil-economy will be disastrous,” the manifesto stated.

“It is our considered view that none of our cardinal programs will succeed if the current level of corruption and looting going on in the land is allowed to continue.

“We shall plug all leakages which accelerate monumental corruption, recover looted funds, cap and trim unwarranted allowances to public office holders.”

With a view to sanitising the electoral process if it comes to power, the APC also adopted for its manifesto some recommendations of the defunct Electoral Reform Committee, otherwise known as Uwais Panel, set up by late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Among the recommendations listed on Page 6 under the same section, are that it will “make the appointment of the chairman and top officials of the National and State Electoral Commissions public” and that the “Burden of Proof shall rest on the Electoral Commissioners.” It did not expatiate on the recommendations.

On power, APC said in Section 4 Page 8 of the document that it will pursue the expansion of electricity generation and distribution of up to 40,000 megawatts in the four to eight years of its administration.

It added, “The party will also work assiduously at making available power from renewable energy sources such as coal solar, wind and biomass for domestic and industrial use, whenever these prove viable.”

The APC also said in Section 23 Page 25 of the manifesto that, upon its assumption of office, it will begin wide consultations to amend the Constitution with a view to decentralizing the police command and expand local content.

It also promised to establish a well-trained, adequately equipped and goals-driven Serious Crime Squad to combat terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, militancy, ethno-religious and communal clashes nationwide.

On politics and governance enunciated in Section 24 Page 26 of the document, APC promised among other things, to initiate action to amend the constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench Federalism and the Federal Spirit; remove immunity from prosecution for elected public officers in criminal cases; ensure full implementation of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act so that government held data set can be requested and used by the media and public at large and then publish at large, and then on regular basis; and restructure government for a leaner, more efficient and less expensive public service.

“APC believes that our politics is broke. Our nation urgently needs fundamental political reform and improvement in governance to make it more transparent and accountable,” the manifesto stressed.

On the social scene, APC also said it would not only invest in massive human capital that would encourage the youth, it promised to “assist Nollywood to fully develop into world-class industry that can compete effectively with Hollywood and Bollywood in due course.
http://premiumtimesng.com/news/130298-apc-manifesto-jonathan-obasanjo-to-face-probe-immunity-for-president-governors-to-go.html

ooman: There is nothing like "hardcore" atheism. Atheism is simply the believe in no God and the use of reasonable explanation for nature. You cant get any deeper in atheism, the deepest you can get is to say that no god exist.
When any atheist stops being reasonable and think that god exist, then he has simply moved from disbelief to belief and has simply rejected logic and became newly insane.

However, there are hardcore worshipers. The deeper you get in god depends on how much you allow your brain to hallucinate. If you meditate long enough to hallucinate visions and become insane enough to speak complete gibberish in the name of speaking in tongues, then you are a hardcore xtian and its becomes wonderful when such people get free from their psychedelia and choose nature-atheism, because they had been healed from their delusions.

Of course, there is hardcore atheism....I have met ''evangelical'' atheist who really believe that anyone who believes in God must be insane and must be educated otherwise. They forget that that you really cant disprove the existence of God cos in science there is nothing like an absolute certainty. you must still leave room for error. I believe in God and the afterlife..If somehow it doesnt exixt after i die..i got nothing to loose..i lived a goodlife..For those who choose not to believe..you had better be sure there isn't a judgement day...You cant be sure..can you?

dempsey and makepeace..thundersub...latenight film like moonlighting..haha

Former military Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Wednesday threw his weight behind the federal government's consideration of clemency for Boko Haram, and lauded President Goodluck Jonathan for the establishment of the amnesty committee.

This is just as the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, said that the federal government was still working on the proposal to grant amnesty to the Islamic sect, and will provide information to Nigerians in a timely fashion as events unfold.

Maku said this Wednesday in response to a question while he was briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Buhari, who was in Abeokuta, Ogun State after condoling with Mrs. HID Awolowo in Ikenne on the death of her son, the late Wole Awolowo, said: “It is good that they have set up a committee on amnesty. I have not seen the terms of reference but it is a right step in the right direction."

He added: "This is not the first time amnesty would be given to a violent group. You remember it happened in the time of Yar’Adua when he gave amnesty to the militant groups (in the Niger Delta)."

Buhari said: "Whatever it takes to bring peace as a society, we should do it."

Buhari was accompanied on the visit by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Masari; National Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Chief Tony Momoh; and Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare.

Buhari’s statement coincided with the declaration by the Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, that the security situation in parts of the north had improved in the recent past.

Despite the governor's declaration, more casualties were recorded in Borno State when seven officials of the state government were on Tuesday evening shot dead in Dikwa and Bama towns by gunmen believed to be members of the notorious Boko Haram sect.

Maku, who was flanked by his counterparts in the Education as well as Women Affairs and Social Development Ministries, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and Hajiya Zainab Maina, however, did not elaborate on the workings of the Amnesty Committee on Boko Haram, but simply said: “You will be briefed as their work progresses.”

Last week, Jonathan had set up the amnesty committee after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting preceded by a parley he had hours earlier with the Northern Elders' Forum (NEF).

The NEF had impressed it on Jonathan the need for the federal government to grant clemency to the insurgents who have killed close to 4,000 people since 2009.

Much of the modalities to be fashioned out by the amnesty committee, which is headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, are still shrouded in secrecy.

Apart from the Sultan, others on the committee are the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ibrahim Ola Sa’ad; National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); representatives of the Directors-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the State Security Service (SSS), the NEF; and a former security chief in former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s regime.

Irrespective of the establishment of the committee, a splinter group of the terror sect rejected the amnesty option, stating that it was not what they bargained for and that it would not deter them from pursuing their course.

Abu Darda, a spokesperson of the group, told the BBC Hausa Service Tuesday: “We don't believe in the democratic form of government being practised and in the constitution, but in Islamic law (Sharia).”

The threat by Boko Haram to continue the attacks, notwithstanding, Aliyu Wednesday stated that the security situation in parts of the northern region had improved in recent times.

The Niger State governor, who called on Nigerians to join hands to bring the insurgency to an end, added: “Things are calming down now in the region, but we are not out of the woods yet; everyone should work towards a permanent solution to the security situation in the north and the country.”

Aliyu, who spoke in Minna, the Niger State capital, when he received two delegations from the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacy and the Arewa Transformation Support Initiative at the Government House, partly blamed the crisis in some parts of the country on ignorance and therefore emphasised the need for parents to pay more attention to the education of their children.

He urged the federal government to make it compulsory for the tenets of both the Islamic and Christian religions to be taught in schools as a way of having permanent peace in the north and other parts of the country.

“If Boko Haram members are vast in the Islamic religion they would not kill anybody because Islam says there is no compulsion in religion,” he said.

He further stated that there is a serious dysfunctional relationship between the government and the governed, adding that Nigerians should pray fervently for the nation to have the “leadership that will move the country to greater heights.”

Also speaking on the clemency being contemplated by the federal government for the Islamic sect, Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, described the amnesty committee as a welcome development, saying granting amnesty to the insurgents was key to restoring peace in the north.

Wamakko made the remark on the Hausa service of Radio France International (RFI) monitored in Sokoto Wednesday and maintained that granting amnesty to the insurgents was the only option available to restoring peace in the beleaguered region.

He pointed out that without granting pardon to the insurgents, it would be difficult for members of the sect to drop their arms and stop the asymmetric warfare.

“How can you fight people that you don't see, how can you fight people that are faceless. It is an exercise in futility and there is no way the federal government will record victory by using force against the insurgents.

“So it is only when the amnesty is granted to the insurgents, that they will be able to cease hostilities, come out and be in position to dialogue with the federal government,” he said.

The governor noted that militants in the Niger Delta were beneficiaries of the federal government's amnesty programme, in spite of the fact that they crippled oil production and sabotaged the Nigerian economy.

He emphasised that as a result of the amnesty programme, peace had been restored in the Niger Delta region.

According to him, the idea of granting pardon to the Boko Haram insurgents had become necessary, as the use of force would not bring an end to the recurring violence in the north.

He noted that the United States of America and Russia adopted the use of force against the Taliban without achieving any success.

However, a group in the South-east, the Biafra Liberation Council (BLC), Wednesday flayed the federal government’s plan to grant clemency to the sect, thereby “shielding its members from being prosecuted despite the numerous crimes they have committed against humanity.”

In a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Amaechi Nwaofia, BLC said: “We are not surprised that the Nigerian state is considering the amnesty package, which may include handsome rewards for the terror group rather than checkmating their nefarious activities given the fact that the primary target of the terrorists in their jihad operations are the Igbos, the people of Biafra.

“We wish to remind the federal government of Nigeria that it is its duty to protect law abiding people within its territory, whether they are foreigners or citizens. It is also the duty of the state to bring those involved in criminal acts, including terrorism, to book rather than protecting and rewarding them.

“It is therefore unimaginable that a group which has killed hundreds of Ndigbo in the north simply because they failed to embrace Islam is being considered for amnesty.
“Interestingly, it is on records that Nigeria’s immigration and other security authorities have said that Boko Haram is peopled by foreigners or foreign mercenaries from Cameroun, Niger, Chad, Mali, etc.

“Is Nigeria granting amnesty to foreign terrorists? Is Nigeria paying compensation to these foreign merchants of violence for attacking the people within the territory of Nigeria?”

It urged the government to drop any plan aimed at granting any form of amnesty to the terrorists as it would amount to treating certified criminals like sacred cows and rewarding them positively for terrorism.

“Rather than the so-called amnesty, if Nigeria truly wants peace, they should form a committee that will handle the peaceful dissolution of Nigeria to enable Boko Haram as well as other sections like Biafran groups to have the country of their dreams,” BLC said.

It noted that the sect had made it abundantly clear through their demands of the desire for a “Sharia country, without which there will never be peace.”

BLC added: “Rather than amnesty, a country should be carved out for them where anybody who finds himself or herself there will know that they are under the rules of Sharia.”

It advised Igbos in Northern Nigeria to leave the north, “as it is very obvious that the Nigerian state is not interested in protecting them against the killers.”

Meanwhile, four officials of the Borno State Government were on Tuesday evening shot dead in Dikwa by gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram.

The four officials, it was gathered, were members of the Borno State Feeding Committee established last year by the state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, to oversee the feeding of boarding students of primary and secondary schools.

Two of the officials killed in Dikwa, a distance of 80 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital, were Alhaji Tijjani Mafi and Alhaji Modu Kura Gubio. Gubio was a former accountant in the state Government House.

It was gathered that the officials were ambushed and killed in Loguma village in Dikwa town when they went to pay a condolence visit to one of their associates.

Another source however said they were ambushed and killed by the gunmen on a trip to the area to inspect schools.

The Toyota Hilux vehicle in which they were travelling was said to have been stolen by the heavily armed men.

Also, three persons, including two teachers, were said to have been killed at their homes in Bama, another town in the state on Tuesday night.

Though details of the incident were still sketchy at the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the gunmen invaded the homes of the teachers and slaughtered them at night despite the curfew imposed on the town.

When the spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col Sagir Musa, was contacted, he could not give details on the two incidents.

He advised that the police authorities should be contacted.
All attempts to get the public relations officer of the police in the state, Gideon Jibrin, to confirm the incidents were also unsuccessful, as he could not be reached on his phone
http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/boko-haram-buhari-commends-jonathan-on-amnesty-committee/144607/

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