₦airaland Forum

Just read it now in Vanguard Newspaper.

Mahmud Tukur (left)
By SaharaReporters, New York
A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has granted permission to two prominent oil marketers, Mahmud Tukur and Alex Ochonogor, who are on trial for a N1.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud, to travel to the United Kingdom for “business purposes.”

Mahmud is the son of the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

The two men are charged along with their company, Eterna Oil Plc, as well as Abdullahi Alao, son of prominent Ibadan businessman, Alhaji Abdullazeez Arisekola-Alao.

Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, ruling on the application filed by counsel to the defendants, Olaniran Obele, directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to release their passports to them to enable them embark on the trip. The men were similarly ordered to return the passports to the commission no later than June 16.

The latest development means the men are being granted a travel window of 12 days, but given the publicity over the subsidy fraud, it is uncertain if they will actually receive UK visas within that time frame. The UK Metropolitan Police is also understood to be watching such travelers very closely when they set foot on British soil.

Justice Onigbanjo adjourned hearing until June 27.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/court-grants-powerful-oil-marketers-leave-trial-travel-uk

The fight for the control of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum between Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and Plateau Governor, Jonah Jang, took a different turn on Friday as pro-Ameachi governors, represented by Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola, went to court to stop Jang from parading himself as the chairman of the NGF.

Fashola, who filed the suit at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in his capacity as a member of the forum, asked the court to declare that Jang is not competent to be called the elected chairman of the NGF.

Apart from Jang, other defendants in the suit are the Director-General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru; the Sole Administrator purportedly appointed by Jang, Osaro Onaiwu, and the Registered Trustees of the NGF vested with the power to administer and manage the trusts of the NGF.

In the writ of summons filed by a former Lagos Attorney General, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and former West African Bar Association President, Femi Falana (SAN), Fashola maintained that 35 governors participated in the election that returned Amaechi as the NGF chairman.

He, therefore, asked the court to stop Jang from parading himself “as the elected chairman of the NGF in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

Fashola is also seeking a declaration that the first defendant (Jang) is not competent to relocate the secretariat of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum from No. 1, Deng Xiaoping Street, Off AIT Junction, Asokoro Extension, Abuja to No. 2, Nana Close, by Ene Crescent, Off Nile Street, Maitama, Abuja or to any other place.

The plaintiff revealed that Okauru had been under pressure from Jang to handover the assets and documents of the NGF to him (Jang).

He therefore asked the court to declare that Okauru “is not competent to handover the assets and documents of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to the first defendant, his agents, privies and servants in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

Apart from these, the Lagos State governor also asked the court to declare that the second defendant (Okauru) is not competent to use the name Nigeria Governors’ Forum in respect of any other organisation which does not have the 36 governors as members and/or in any other manner inconsistent with the constitution of the governors’ forum.

He is also seeking an Order of Perpetual Injunction restraining Okauru from handing over the property and documents of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to Jang, his agents, privies and servants in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.

In addition to these, Fashola asked for, “an Order of Injunction restraining the third defendant from parading himself as the Sole Administrator of the forum in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

In the statement of claim, Fashola stated that he would rely on the NGF’s registered constitution at the trial.

He averred that the election into the post of the chairman of the NGF took place at the Rivers State Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja on Friday, May 25, 2013.

“The governors of Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, and Zamfara states took part in the said election.

“The four candidates who submitted nomination forms for the election were the governors of Bauchi, Katsina, Plateau and Rivers states. The nomination forms will be relied upon at the trial of this suit. Before the said election, the governors of Bauchi and Katsina states withdrew from the election leaving the contest for the governors of Plateau and Rivers states. Thereafter, the 35 governors voted for the candidates of their choice.

“At the end of the voting, the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, scored 19 votes while his rival, the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Jonah Jang, scored 16 votes.

“Consequently, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was declared the winner of the election. At the trial of this suit, the plaintiff will rely on the video recording of the election which has been broadcast by the AIT and Channels Television stations.”

The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that pro-Amaechi governors were fully behind Fashola.

Speaking through his Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Integration, Mr. Ajibola Basiru, Aregbesola said Fashola, as a member of the NGF, had the right to challenge any illegality by the forum.

Aregbesola said, “Any action to further entrench democracy is supported by Osun. This suit is one of such actions. Jang’s action is ridiculous. Recent developments have shown that he didn’t win the election.

“When he wanted to inaugurate the forum’s secretariat in Abuja, he sent invitation cards to governors and only 16 governors, including himself, honoured the invitation. If you truly won an election and you feel you are being denied your mandate, you go to court. You don’t resort to self-help.”

Similarly, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State said he was fully in support of his Lagos State counterpart action’s to stop the pro-Jang governors from operating through the court action.

Fayemi, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Olayinka Oyebode, said Amaechi won the NGF election which was credible and that the opening of another secretariat was illegal.

He said, “Mr. Governor is fully in support of the court action. He is aware of it and he is throwing his weight behind Governor Fashola on this matter.”

Reacting to Fashola’s court action, the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Prof. Shedrack Best, said if pro-Amaechi governors were in the majority, there was no need for a law suit.

“If Governor Fashola claims that his camp has the majority, he does not need to go to court. Let him call them and showcase them.”

Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, who is in Jang’s camp, also said governors were free to stop being members of the forum “because it is a free association.”

He said, “We are not proud of what has happened. We are saying we must sit for what is just. It is an association of equals. It is a voluntary association. Anybody can pull out without any consequences.

“A situation where a chairman of a forum of equals decided to contest election while holding the position is not right.

“Some of us argue that he (Amaechi) was there by consensus and we expected that he should step down. Immediately he indicated his interest, I said he must dissolve the house then elect a pro tem chairman. Yes, it has always been a consensus issue and we know that the PDP endorsed Jang. If somebody planted a camera somewhere because it was his own house or because of lack of respect for others, it is too bad.”

Efforts to speak with the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, on Friday were futile. When one of our correspondents called him on the phone, there was no response from Metuh. Subsequent calls made to his phone were not picked.

Jang who is believed to have the backing of President Goodluck Jonathan had lost the chairmanship election to Amaechi by 19 votes to 16.

He, however, refused to accept defeat and instead proclaimed himself as the authentic chairman of the forum.

Jang also appointed a sole administrator in place of the director-general of the forum.

Few days after Amaechi won the election with the support of opposition governors, the PDP suspended him as its member.

Jang’s faction of the NGF also opened a parallel secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.


http://www.punchng.com/news/governors-shift-battle-to-court/

Sura the Tailor and Koko Close (Oluwalambe Lodge, Hawaii Five 0 and Speed Raiser

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde has finished building the first suspension bridge in
Nigeria. The 1.358km bridge, which will link Ikoyi (Alexander Street) to Lekki (Admiralty Way), cost about N29 billion to build and a toll will be collected to recoup the investment. The


http://sturvs.com.ng/1044866/governor-fashola-builds-first-suspension-bridge-in-nigeria/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook

Adamawa state has a high number of christians if you do not know,boko haram method of operation differs from the way you see it from your own perspectives,,after killing 100 christians,,they will go and look for any prominent northerner and fire on the air so that people will see it as if they are after muslims,they attacked emir of damaturu,,emir of kano,but they never attack any church or christian home and missed their target,Sacking the home town of the governor is just smoke,,

"...but they never attacked any church or Christian home and missed their target..." you have just made the point of the day!

Don't mind all those people shouting that BH are fighting everybody. We all know who their prime target is. If I were in their shoes, of course I would do the same to divide public opinion. It is called propaganda. Attack 4 or 5 mosques, miss 3 targets. Attack 50 churches, hit all targets.


It was a respond to Boko Haram attacking Adamawa governor’s hometown. What do you think?


http://www.punchng.com/news/boko-haram-sacks-adamawa-governors-hometown/

He said nine persons, including Adams, Fasehun and others, sat down in the chambers of Opeyemi Bamidele, a former commissioner in Lagos State and currently a member of the House of Representatives, at 110, Palm Avenue, Mushin Lagos, on August 25, 1994 to form the group.

Akanni said, “The person speaking, Ogunoye Odunayo, is a faceless person and there is no place in OPC record where such a name exists. Those who formed OPC were Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, Gani Adams, late Tony Ngurube, late Olumide Adeniji, Silas Alani, Evangelist Kunle Adesokan, late Ibrahim Abobanawo, late Ibrahim Atanda and Mrs. Idowu Adebowale.


At the bolded.... never knew an Ibo man was amongst the founder.[b][/b]

What do you expect from a committee that parades northerners to sit ove a armnesty for fellow northerners...where is equity in this committee?

Corruption massive under Jonathan – US
April 21, 2013 by OLALEKAN ADETAYO, ALLWELL OKPI AND TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI 87 Comments



President Goodluck Jonathan
The United States government on Friday indicted the President Goodluck Jonathan led Federal Government of massive and widespread corruption.

According to the United States Department of State, government officials and agencies frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity.

This was contained in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which was released on Friday evening.

In the report, the judiciary and security agencies, especially the police, were said be lacking in transparency.

It read in part,“The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces. The constitution provides immunity from civil and criminal prosecution for the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.

“There was a widespread perception judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and alleged requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favourable rulings.

“Police corruption remained rampant. Reports of checkpoint bribery and shooting incidents decreased in February after newly appointed Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar announced the closure of all police checkpoints across the country; however, illegal checkpoints remained common in some regions. Police routinely stopped drivers who did not commit traffic infractions, refusing to allow them to continue until they paid bribes,” it stated.

Highlighting events that occurred in the country in last year that portrayed lack of transparency and probity, the US government listed the escape of the suspected mastermind of the Boko Haram 2011 Christmas Day bombing from custody, noting how the police commissioner, who aided the suspect went unpunished; the conviction of former Delta State governor James Ibori in the Southwark Crown Court in London of charges of money laundering and other financial crimes totaling N12.4bn, after he was acquitted by a Nigerian court; and the N1.067trn fuel subsidy fund lost to “endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency” as examples.

It stated that, “In July, the government released a list of those who had benefited illegally from the subsidy program, which included relatives and colleagues of key government officials. In late July, the EFCC began arraigning suspects, first with a group of 20 indictments, including six oil companies and 11 individuals. By year’s end, the EFCC initiated prosecutions of approximately 50 cases related to the subsidy scam. The majority of these cases involved companies and individuals who had fraudulently received subsidy revenue. Investigations and trials had not produced any convictions by year’s end.”

The US document also faulted the refusal of public officials to declare their assets as stipulated by law.

It stated that in June 2012, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and other groups demanded that President Jonathan should disclose his assets from 2007 to 2012 but that Jonathan refused.

The report also rated the anticorruption efforts of the Independent Corrupt Practises and other related offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as “largely ineffectual,” adding that despite ICPC’s wide mandate, it had only achieved 60 convictions since its inauguration in 2000.

It also listed a number of cases being handled by the EFCC that have remained inconclusive, including the case of alleged misappropriation of one N1bn against former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and N40bn against his deputy Usman Nafada; and the cases against four former governors Gbenga Daniel, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and Muhammed Danjuma Goje, for allegedly misappropriating N58bn, N25bn, N18bn, and N12.8bn, respectively.

Apart from corruption, the US accused the Federal Government of numerous unlawful killings.

It decried frequent abduction of civilians and lack of press freedom, highlighting cases, where journalists were harassed and beaten up.

It also noted widespread discrimination against persons with disability.

The Presidency, however, described the report as an incorrect assessment of the situation in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, warned Nigerians to be wary of such assessments which he described as “parachute researches.”

He said contrary to the picture the report painted, the present administration has remained the most transparent government since the return of democracy to Nigeria.

He said it was in the spirit of transparency that the present administration exposed the scam in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and passed the Freedom of Information Bill.

He said, “In 2012 that the report is talking about, the EFCC alone got more than 200 convictions. This is in public domain.

“This government did an audit to eliminate waste and leakages in the system.

“On the checkpoints they talked about, it is important that they identify the difference between checkpoints and stop-and-search operation which is required especially in tackling security challenges.

“Nigerians should be wary of these external assessors that jump into conclusion. What are the parameters used in arriving at their conclusion? How scientific are the analysis?

“They assess Nigeria based on the instinct of a parachuter who jumps put of an aircraft without a fair knowledge of where he is landing.”




http://www.punchng.com/news/corruption-massive-under-jonathan-us/

quote from Solomon Akiyesi's facebook wall "Every man has a right to take away that which will truncate his life. My marriage was one of the many things limiting and retrogressing me. If i find a better alternative i doubt why i wont take it. So people shld leave me alone pls"


http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.132263690153445.21056.100001094451559&type=3#!/solomon.akiyesi

tintingz: yes something like...

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man
put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your
God. (Deuteromy 22:5)

But she should have put on the khaki trouser since she knew about the khaki trouser in camp. . .atleast not for long, many hijab sisters wear the khaki trouser during camp...

So what exactly is woman's apparel and what is man's garment and btw does it apply to the Eskimos

Akpa ife: Man make u no wear woman garment n woman make u no wear man cloth dats wht d bible said respect d law of God n fear God,human u dey hear?

I just want to disagree with your assertion. Who then designed men and women's clothe; even in the Bible when Adam and Eve were both naked, what did God do? He covered their nakednes not with trouser and skirt..

I rep Methodist Pry School,
Aje Comprehensive High School and
Olabisi Onabanjo University.

President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Shettima Yerima has said that all hands must be on deck to save Nigeria from disintegration. He believes that so many things are going wrong in the country because President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is indifferent to the plight of the citizens. In this interview, he speaks on various issues including the 2015 general election. Excerpts…



From what happened last year, what are your reflections on the New Year?

There was nothing to write home about the year that just ended. Last year, there was no doubt that we had a lot of challenges. There was so much of insecurity in the country. The problem was because of negligence on the part of government. In fact, before now, the government would have known that the insecurity situation would one day come to be in Nigeria. From my intelligence gathering both in the pre and post election period, there were clear indications that the insecurity challenge would come. The situation came principally because the government lacked the political will to address the issues at stake. I foresee disaster in 2015 when Nigeria would conduct her general elections. It would be worse than what we had in 2011 general elections. It is obvious that government lacks the ability to address the insecurity issue in the country. Things are running out of hand. Today, most of those in government are part of the Boko Haram sect. To some extent, some of them are part of the sect because the government is not paying any attention to security issues.

It is really disturbing and very unfortunate that this whole thing is happening in the northern part of the country and by extension Nigeria at large. We are all worried and if you look at the situation of things in Nigeria, you would know that our generation is in trouble. Even the yet unborn generation of Nigeria is going to inherit a lot of trouble. One would have expected that in the 21st century Nigeria that we would have gone further than the security challenge the nation is facing. By now, we ought to have been thinking of things that are more developmental. We should now be thinking of a Nigeria that is free for everybody where things work and people can go about their business without fear. But with the way things are in Nigeria, it is obvious that the doom’s day is ahead. It gives a lot of us sleepless nights and it keeps us thinking.

One can imagine the kind of money going into security. Most of the government officials have taken their own part of the cake. They believe that the more deaths and crisis, the more government votes money to security and the more they would get their own share. Nobody cares about the roots of the issue so that it can be addressed once and for all. To that extent, even President Goodluck Jonathan who happens to be a witness to the whole issue admitted that really, there are Boko Haram members in his government. It is no longer news that he said it himself. And if there are Boko Haram members in your government, what then are you doing as a government and President of the country? Is that a joke when it is threatening the lives of over 150 million Nigerians? Is it funny that people are dying everyday in the country? I feel that the way we are going, if care is not taken, we might wake up one day and the story that Nigeria would disintegrate may come to pass. This is because apart from insecurity in the country, there is also the issue of religion and ethnicity coming into play. This is because the more you have casualty in the southern part of the country, the more you also have casualty in the northern part of the country. It is only God that is helping us, if not, what is happening in the northern part of the country is enough to break the country. If it happens in some other countries in Africa, the whole place would have been ablaze by now.

So, do we continue to fold our hands and think that God would come down to provide solutions to our problems as a country? One day, God too would be tired and say my children, I am tired; you are not the only children I have. If it happens, before you know it, everybody would have been six feet down. Last year was nothing to write home about and I do not want to pre-empt this year but it appears from all indications too, there is more danger ahead. Politicians now make all sorts of utterances and get away with it. Yes, we are in a democracy but democracy is not about madness. If you want to say something, be constructive in what you say. You do not say things to overheat the polity or simply because you want to make a point which in most cases are for selfish interests. Now we have a lot of challenges.

The issue of ethnicity has become so obvious today that people do not see themselves as Nigerians any longer. The issue of religion also has become more challenging despite our efforts for people to play low on it. It is very glaring that the issue of religion is glaringly becoming stronger by the day. This is coupled with the threats we are getting from other countries in Africa. I am afraid that if Nigeria falls into that calamity, we would not survive it. If what is happening in Mali today happens in Nigeria, there would be trouble. It should open our eyes to what could happen because if rebels in Mali are attracting this kind of attention from the whole world, you can imagine what would happen if it were Nigeria. Mali is a very small country but look at how they held the whole world to ransom. Everybody is busy looking for water to put out that fire because if not, even the entire West Africa may be consumed. If that happens, it would become a serious challenge to developed nations because managing the refugees would be too much for them and the economy would begin to crash.

Do you think that some people are making profit from the insecurity situation in the country? I ask this question because you earlier said that some people do not want the insecurity situation particularly in the North to stop.

That is exactly what I am saying. How do you justify the security votes to some state governors? They make so much money from the vote without accounting for it. Some of them want the situation to continue so that they can claim to be spending the money to fight insecurity in their states. I am afraid that some of them can even send their thugs to mastermind insecurity somewhere and they would claim to spend huge sums of money there. Their main allocation is what attracts the attention of the people but in the case of security vote, they spend it any how they like. Even those at the federal level also see the security votes as an avenue to make money. Recently, Boko Haram said they want to have dialogue in Saudi Arabia and they made mention of names but when I heard that, I said it was a fraud and I have been justified. People would just sit down and form a story and tell the government to dish out money in the name of somebody mediating. Between them and Boko Haram, over $400 million was given out last time. At some occasions, even $20,000 to $200,000 was given out simply because somebody wants to mediate and the same time nobody has come out openly at any time to say he is Boko Haram. People would just be talking on the internet and government would just be dishing out money.

Government would be squandering Nigerian taxpayers money. The issue of poverty is no more news even with the resources that we have. People are dying in Nigeria of poverty and hunger daily. Opportunities are not there for people to work. The political class has subjected the people to unimaginable poverty and hardship. And for how long would this continue. Over and over, we keep talking about the past, we do not talk about the present.

I thought the past would have been a lesson to us to forge ahead. Now, we make references to the past as better days. I never supported military administration but I must confess that today I feel that the military is far better than what we are seeing today. After all our struggles including some of us putting our lives on the line to chase the military away, today, some rascals that were never part of the struggle have acquired so much power. The progressives and socialists who fought to entrench democracy were not interested in power then and some rascals just came and hijacked power to oppress the people. The people who are enjoying political power in Nigeria today never knew how democracy came to the nation. They never made any sacrifice and as a result, even with the power they have today, they do not add value to the lives of the people. The life of an ordinary person is nothing to them. If a hundred people die, they say it is only just one hundred people. In other developed countries, they cannot afford to lose one person. They know the value of lives. In Nigeria today, we do not attach value to our human resources and lives of the people. All over the world, human resources are considered paramount but in Nigeria, they look at it as a secondary issue.

As a youth leader in the northern part of the country, what is your take on the recent attack on the Emir of Kano, one of the most revered royal fathers in the country?

The attack on the Emir is a clear indication that we are in danger in the country. It is shocking that such a first class royal father was attacked in broad daylight. For the great Ado Bayero to be attacked just like that, it means all hands must be on deck in this country. Often times, the story has always been that a son of nobody has died but now the threat has gone to our leaders. Going to attack a man like Ado Bayero means that nobody is safe any longer. But the attack was condemnable and one begins to wonder how the emir was attacked. It is confusing. Who is masterminding such an attack or whose interest was such an attack? Was that attack meant to send more chaos in the country? God forbid, if something has happened to the Emir of Kano, perhaps Nigeria would have been burning by now. Everybody would have been consumed in it.

The tension in the northern part of the country would have been very high and what would have happened in the South? Do you think people in the south would just fold their hands? This means that after going to mosques and churches to put bomb to cause religious crises and it did not work, the attack of very prominent people is now the new strategy. If not that God intervened, the Emir was their target. If you look at all the scenario, you would notice that even those who claim to have power and protection of the police and other security agencies are not safe. It is either everybody including the high and mighty comes low for us to find a solution to it or all of us would be consumed by the crisis of insecurity in the country. When we talk, people assume that we are too sentimental or too hard in our positions but the fact is that we feel that Nigeria is home for all.

If Nigeria is the home for all, we cannot keep quiet because there is no better place like Nigeria. There is no place to show our patriotism and say this is the nation called our own. This is why some of us are so passionate about Nigeria. Some people do not think that what is happening to a common man could happen to anybody. The way the country is going, if you think you can steal money and go abroad, you must be joking because the moment they discover that you do not have money again, they would chase you away and if you come home, you would be lynched. Measures must be taken now. Corruption is so high in the country and it is worse now than during the era of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. This is because few people now corner the public’s money and squander it with all impunity. It is only in Nigeria that people do things with all impunity and nobody cares to ask questions.

In President Jonathan’s administration, money has been cornered to few local politicians that do not even know what to do with the money or what the problems of the nation are about. Some of them, if you ask them of their constituencies, they do not even know. And if you bring somebody who do not know anything about a place, you do not expect him to perform. What the political class does now is to support somebody who does not know anything so that he would not know what they are doing. If not, there are genuine people in this country but the political class would not allow them to come up. I am talking about people who can move the country to the next level.

If you bring somebody who does not see beyond his nose, then there is a problem. Look at Jonathan’s cabinet, how many intelligent people have you seen there? Some of them, if you listen to their English or their attitude, one would almost run mad and one begins to wonder what kind of school they went to. I think the National Assembly should rise up to an occasion where if somebody says I went to this and that school, they should be able to go and ascertain the veracity of his claim.

We should not assume that everything a politician in authority says is true. When you sit down with some of them one on one, you would discover they are empty. These are people who did not suffer during the period of dictatorship and they are imposed on the people as leaders whereas some of them are common rascals. They do not have respect for the people. The primary responsibility of any government is the provision of welfare and security of lives and property of the people. But in the case of Nigeria, the reverse is the case. It is not about the welfare of the people but about the interest of those who found themselves in power.

An average Nigerian does not really count to the political class and for how long would this continue? Do we continue to fold our hands and allow the country to be consumed? We rather talk because silence is a crime in an unjust society. Often times I do not talk about where I come from but Nigeria as my primary constituency.

If we see ourselves as Nigerians, then we must be patriotic. About one year ago, there was the issue of fuel subsidy and we thought that it was the end of it but before we knew it, we dabbled into trouble. Nigerians are still paying more than what they were paying in the past for fuel and they are still suffering. Despite the sacrifices of Nigerians during that subsidy crisis, they still did not respect the views of the people. A committee was put in place and it came up with very powerful recommendations but till today, nobody has heard anything about the report of that committee again. All these going about arranging Farouk Lawan on one hand and Femi Otedola on the other is a joke. I understand that Otedola is their agent because it seems government is trying to protect him. The magic was to make sure that they sabotage the report by that committee. It is not about Otedola or Farouk Lawan but simply because they wanted to sabotage that effort, they brought Otedola on board to frame up and do all that magic for Lawan who eventually fall as a victim. But now if you are talking about prosecuting the receiver, what about the giver? All of them committed the same offence. The way they are going, it is obvious that they want to kill the report of that Farouk Lawan committee. The noise about arresting Lawan now is not the issue but implementing the details of the report. We would not allow the government to kill the report. We are ready to mobilize over 10 million Nigerians to ensure that the report is not killed as they are planning. So, we cannot be distracted by the talk about arresting or prosecuting Lawan. The report is the key to us.

What is your take on the increasing tension over the 2015 general election?

I have my fears. I was surprised yesterday going through the internet and I saw a story about El-Rufai, a senior brother and somebody I respect so much. He was quoted as making blasphemous statements by even mentioning Jesus Christ. If the story is true, it is very disappointing of him. Such a statement can cause a big damage to the country. It is only that we have a government that does not care about anything, if not, El-Rufai could have been called to order. If he were a Christian that made that statement, it would have been a different thing but this is a Muslim making such an inflammatory statement. It is disappointing of a man in the caliber of El-Rufai. I am a Muslim but I do not think that anybody has a right to talk about any other person’s religion.

If leaders begin to talk that way and governments keep quiet, then there is a problem. I do not have any sympathy for this government but I differ with El-Rufai on that. Is he trying to create more tension in Nigeria? Before the election, some leaders made such a statement that if they do not come to power, there would be problem and you saw what happened. It is not good for leaders to make such inflammatory statements. Nobody is above the law. I pray that all these kind of statements would not lead to more instability in the country.





http://sunnewsonline.com/new/politics/if-emir-of-kano-had-died-nigeria-would-have-gone-up-in-flames-yerima/

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, yesterday said only a sound economy could guarantee security of life and property of the citizens, adding that the Boko Haram insurgents would persist except the economy is fixed. Sanusi, who spoke in Maiduguri, at the flag off of CBN Financial Inclusion Strategy Pilot Implementation programme, noted that poverty and unemployment fuelled Boko Haram uprising in Borno, which later spread to some states in the North.

He maintained that Nigeria cannot solve the challenges of Boko Haram until she fixes her economy. “I believe that at the heart of Boko Haram crisis in Borno and other parts of the country is unemployment and poverty and we can never fix security until we fix economy,” he stressed. The apex bank boss disclosed that the decision to establish the Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) for the North East, in Borno, was taken at a Bankers Committee conference in Calabar last year, having noted the strategic position of the state to the growth of national economy and the need to improve the economy of the people of the area.

He said he believes the effort would substantially address the security challenge in the area. According to him, the financial inclusion strategy is aimed at increasing access to financial services, such as payments, savings, remittance, pension, insurance and credit facility at affordable cost. “Each time Nigerians discuss Borno, it is always Boko Haram issue but we feel people should not be overwhelmed by the Boko Haram thing and we should not be obsessed by it,’ he warned.

Sanusi disclosed that the CBN would partner with the Borno government by building a centre of excellence at the University of Maiduguri and investing in development of secondary schools as parts of the apex bank’s intervention in the education sector. He explained that the EDC was conceived by the CBN with supports from the Committee of Bankers to train youths on various skills. He said the Financial Inclusion Strategy programme was designed to make banking activities and service closer to the people, even as he charged the people to use the opportunity provided by the information technological especially with mobile telephone.

Also speaking, Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, disclosed that over 200 base stations belonging to two major telecommunication providers have been destroyed in Borno, by suspected Boko Haram. She called on the state government and communities to provide adequate security for the base stations and telecommunication facilities in the state, adding that they “are national facilities though belong to private communication companies.” She also disclosed that more facilities of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) will be established in other local governments in the state “where the services or facilities are currently not available.”

The minister also noted that NIPOST services was vital in getting many Nigerians included in the CBN project and will equally be required to drive the micro-financial banks especially in the rural areas. Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, thanked the CBN governor and the communication minister for their understanding that job creation was a better panacea to tackling youth restiveness and insurgence, like Boko Haram.

He stated that the state government had invested N120.5 million on the establishment of micro-finance banks, stressing that all the processes have been completed and now waiting for the release of the license. While appealing to telecom companies to repair their facilities in the state destroyed by suspected Boko Haram, he assured that government “will ensure maximum security of all the base stations and telecommunications facilities in the state.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/blame-poverty-for-boko-haram-cbn-gov/

OBJ men kicked out of PDP as Tukur consolidates
Our Reporter February 16, 2013 2 Comments »

•Oni, Mustapha to vacate positions

From TAIWO AMODU, Abuja

Afew weeks after former governor of Osun State and national secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was removed from office, two other national officers of the party have lost their positions. The latest victims of the power game in the PDP are the National Vice Chairman, South-West, Engineer Segun Oni and the National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha.

With this development, all loyalists of former president and immediate past chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, have been removed from the national secretariat of the party. Saturday Sun source revealed that Chief Ishola Filani, Special Adviser on Mobilisation and Strategy to the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, will replace Engineer Oni. Filani hails from the same Ekiti State as the displaced Oni.

A Federal High Court in Abuja last month ordered the National Secretary of the party, Prince Oyinlola, to vacate the position. Delivering the judgment, Justice Abdul Kafarati held that the election of Oyinlola to the position was a “flagrant violation of two court orders.’’ Kafarati said that evidence existed before the court that two separate orders from a court in Lagos, dated April 27 and May 2nd 2012, stopped the conduct of the congress that made Oyinlola a South West candidate for the post.

Deputy national secretary of the party, Solomon Onwe, had since replaced Oyinlola as acting national scribe of the party. In a press statement made available to newsmen yesterday, in Abuja and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, the party announced its decision to conduct fresh congresses in South-West to constitute a new executive in line with a court pronouncement, which had pronounced the zonal congress that produced Engineer Oni as national vice chairman and Bode Mustapha as national auditor of the party from the zone as invalid. Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Lagos had, last year, in a ruling, set aside the congress that produced Oni as national vice chairman, South-West on the grounds that it was held in violation of a subsisting order of court, directing parties to maintain status quo pending the determination of a suit instituted by the Dayo Soremi-led faction of the party in Ogun State

. In same vein, a Federal High Court in Lagos had sacked Bode Mustapha as the National Auditor of the party. Mustapha was appointed into the office at the last National Congress of the party held in Abuja on March 24 last year. In a judgment, Justice Charles Archibong, declared that Mustapha “is not a valid nominee nor could he have been validly elected for the office of the National Auditor of the PDP zoned to Ogun State, in accordance with the constitution of the party because he was not qualified as an accountant or nominated at the state congress of the party conducted by the Soremi-led harmonised executive committee.”

In his place, the court ordered the party to appoint Alhaji Fatai Adewole Adeyanju, being a qualified chartered accountant and nominated for the office at the state congress of the party in Ogun State organised by the Soremi-led executive. Metuh, in his statement, further noted that the action of the party’s National Working Committee was in line with its respect for rule of law and due process. Part of the statement by Metuh reads: “The PDP NWC premised its action to conduct a fresh zonal congress on its respect for the rule of law.

The National Working Committee of the party met on 14th February 2013 and gave careful consideration to the issues and decided that, in line with respect to the rule of law, which is a cardinal principle of the present administration, the PDP, as a law abiding party, will immediately comply with the said judgment. This is all the more so that same has not been set aside or reversed by any superior court.’’

The PDP also promised to organise a fresh South West Zonal congress which will have delegates elected at congresses conducted by or under the supervision of the Soremi-led Ogun State Executive. Also, it will accept the candidacy, for offices zoned to Ogun State, only the persons nominated at the said congresses for the said offices.’’ But while Alhaji Tukur insisted that his action was based on court pronouncement, an aide of Oni, who pleaded not to be named, thinks otherwise.

Speaking with Saturday Sun on phone, the aide wondered why the party’s national chairman was hasty in his action, if he was not acting a script, as he claimed that his boss had got a stay of execution on the said judgment. His words:’’ I believe that there are court processes. If they aren’t concluded, I wonder why they are hasty. We have appealed against the judgment and I am not aware that the appeal has been struck out. What we got is a stay of execution and I am not aware that the court has reversed itself; I am not aware that the appeal has been determined.”



http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/obj-men-kicked-out-of-pdp-as-tukur-consolidates/

Former Head of State and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential candidate in the 2011 general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari and the national leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Senator Bola Tinubu, have dropped their ambition to contest for the nation’s number one job on the platform of the newly formed opposition mega party, All Progressive Congress (APC).

Saturday Sun gathered from close associates of the two opposition leaders that barring last minute change of mind, the duo will not contest the next presidential election as already being rumoured, in order to prove that the recent merger is beyond their individual political ambitions.

In place of their personal ambitions, they are now to work with other leaders of the opposition party to present younger and credible presidential candidate that can match and defeat whoever is going to emerge on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 contest.

A very close associate of Tinubu, who had earlier shown signs of contesting the next election either as a presidential or vice presidential candidate, told Saturday Sun that the former Lagos State governor earlier in the week offered to sacrifice his personal ambition and promised to also work with others to persuade Buhari to do same, if he is still nursing any such ambition.

“The good news is that Asiwaju Tinubu has made a commitment to his inner circle caucus not to contest for the presidency in 2015. In that same direction, a team has been set up to work on Gen. Buhari to also drop his own ambition if there is still any. The essence of this is to prove that the whole idea of merger by the opposition parties transcends the personal ambition of the two main leaders.

It is a move informed by national interest, to end PDP misrule, provide Nigerians with a better alternative and also encourage others to join the new party,” the source added. Also speaking in the same vein, a top chieftain of CPC and Buhari’s ally said the former Head of State does not need to be put under any pressure before he knows the honourable thing to do in the present circumstance.

According to him, “Buhari is not going to contest again. The idea of pressures being put on him to drop his presidential ambition is being spread by PDP and its agents who are desperate to create an impression that the General is recalcitrant and over-ambitious. He has certainly dropped his ambition in the interest of the merger arrangement, so that it can work and create an open space for the emergence younger and acceptable candidates.”

When asked about the development, National Publicity Secretary of ACN and Tinubu’s close associate, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, neither deny nor confirm that the duo had dropped their ambition but stressed that the issue of ambition is not part of the focus of the new party at the moment. According to him, “the two leaders and indeed, other leaders of APC are more interested in ensuring the emergence of a strong and virile party that can rescue the nation from the grip of the PDP. So, the talk of Buhari or Tinubu’s ambition is far from our focus now. It’s a discussion coming up to distract us or possibly cause disaffection among us.”

He added that the issue of who runs for what post will come up when the time for elections comes, adding: “The party machinery will then democratically determine who runs for what post but most certainly, now is not the time for all that. “This is the time we are all busy to ward off all evil machinations of the PDP, which is trying to scuttle the smooth take-off and running of the APC.”

Tinubu had, after a peace meeting called to reconcile the CPC leader, General Buhari and a faction of the party led by Senator Rufai Hanga on Monday in Abuja, said every leader of the newly formed party must be ready to make sacrifices and accommodate others. According to him: “The meeting was a very good one, sweet. We met in the interest of our various objectives.

To me, I am working in the interest of Nigeria and APC. I am a committed individual; we are in a committed group, surrounded by people of vision and great commitment. It will succeed; our rivals do everything to scuttle us. But as committed people, we are ready to make sacrifices. Leadership is about carrying people along and resolving conflicts with the right people that are motivated to do those things that are necessary for the progress of a nation. These are the things that we have achieved here today at this meeting.”



http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/2015-buhari-tinubu-drop-presidential-ambition/

Tragedy struck on Wednesday, as senior legislative adviser to Senator Mohammed Saleh and a former staff of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna, Mohammed Ibrahim Matazu, lost his life from severe burns he suffered when his wife set him ablaze. It was further learnt that the deceased had a domestic quarrel with his second wife, who allegedly complained that he was spending too much time with his first wife in Kaduna.

Saturday Sun gathered that Matazu’s second wife, simply called Mummy, had complained bitterly as her husband was preparing to travel to Kaduna, saying that she would no longer bear her husband’s long absence from her in Abuja. Sources revealed that in an attempt to stop her husband from travelling on that day, she allegedly drew some fuel from a generator set, emptied it on her husband and set him on fire at their Gwarinpa residence, Abuja.

Matazu, already aflame, was said to have rushed out of the house, shouting for help. He was rushed to hospital. He died at the Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria, where he was later referred to, where he died on Thursday. According to the deceased’s younger brother, Engineer Magaji Ibrahim, “on Wednesday last week, my elder brother called me that he was coming to Kaduna from Abuja to represent Senator Mohammed Saleh at a meeting with the NNPC in Kaduna, and that the senator was travelling to Imo State for another engagement.

So on Thursday morning, I saw missed call on my phone, and I called the number back, only for the voice at the other end asking me if I was Matazu’s brother, and I said yes. “He now narrated to me what happened to my brother, saying that my brother rushed out of his room with fire all over his body. He said that neigbhours rescued him, adding that my brother’s wife came out of the house and, taunting my brother, she asked: ‘what can you do now?’ That was at about 9 am on Thursday.

“When neighbours asked my brother what happened, he said his wife that poured petrol on his body and set fire on him. It was at this point that the neighbours now grabbed the wife, and called the police to arrest her. They all left for the police station with her. She is simply called Mummy. “My brother too followed them to the police station, even with pains all over his body. It happened in Gwarinpa, Abuja, and the day he was preparing to go to Kaduna for the meeting.

He was later rushed to Zone 3, Wuse hospital. He was briefly treated there as his body was bandaged. But according to the doctor’s report, 77 percent of his body was severely burnt, though he was speaking and discussing with people. “Then the senator came and met us, and advised that we should take him to the National Hospital, Abuja, but by the time we arrived the hospital, they said there was no more bed for admission. Then we went to University of Abuja Teaching hospital, in Gwagwalada, only to be told that they were on strike.

It was at this point that we begged for an ambulance to enable us take him to 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna. When we arrived 44 Hospital at about 10 pm, they started treating him, but we later moved to Giwa Specialist Hospital, and from there we took him to Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria based on the advice on doctors at 44 Hospital. “The doctors at Shika, about seven of them, tried their best and treated him, and my brother was actually responding to treatment.

He was passing stool normal, and he even told me that he will survive, that I should not be disturbed. But at about 4pm on Wednesday this week, one of my younger brothers called me and said, we should take heart and pray to God that Matazu had given up the ghost. So he was buried on Thursday this week at Kudenda burial ground. “The wife said she poured him the petrol because he was over staying with first wife in Kaduna. But my brother was always in Kaduna because of the assignment the senator gave him to do, that is borehole projects. So he used to spend 10 days before going back to Abuja.

He was going round the seven local governments to supervise the boreholes project the senator is embarking on in those areas. “And he was spending almost five days in Abuja before coming to Kaduna again. But the wife continues to complain that he did not spend enough days in Abuja. She was the second wife. He married her about a year ago, but she has no baby yet. The first wife gave birth to six children.

She is currently being detained at Wuse police station. We have nothing to say; we have left everything to law to take its due course.” Reacting to this, Senator Saleh said: “Ibrahim Matazu was a very pleasant and friendly personality. He contributed a lot to the development of our party, that is Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and in my legislative duty he did his best to contribute to the smooth running of my office.

He was actually the pillar of the office. This is a plain murder case; it is a case between the state and the accused. His wife, who committed this heinous crime, is in police detention now and I intend to follow through to ensure that justice is done. I don’t know if this case is a bailable one, but we will ensure that justice is done; we will do it.”

Senator Saleh, a retired Major General, who is representing Kaduna Central Senatorial zone on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), engaged Matazu as his senior aide soon after he won the election. Matazu also worked at Nagarta Radio, a Kaduna based electronic medium, after his short stint at FRCN.


http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/jealous-wife-kills-senators-aide/

cònfirmed!

Just wondering, ever since she came back from Germany trip, she neither said a word nor appeared to us on tv. Oh my dear mama.

It was last month when I visited Sokoto state to pay an unschedule visit to the state governor. He apparently mistook me for a PHCN official.

Amitex: I am surprised at the level of education our people have. I am also surprised that people would write without using their heads. Your brains are like the parachutes. If you refuse to open it, it would not work and like the parachute, you would just be carrying a life-saving devise that is useless to you, just because you refuse to open it and put it to use.

How do you pay a non-registered company "Pinnacle Construction Nigeria Limited" such huge amount? Will it be by cash or cheque or bank draft or bank transfer? If such a company is not registered, how would it be possible to open a corporate bank account?

My people, think before you buy such sensational stories.

I doubt if you have ever visited any of the Nigerian banks, then you will it is possible or ask a banker friend if you have any at all.

Just saw it on AIT news now that Mohammed Sanni, who was arrested alongside Ahmed Sokoto in January has just been reported escaped from police custody, Abuja.

Source : Ait News

Congrats to Dbanj for the award...but wait a minute, what song or album won him the award?

Chelsea a far more better side than ManU

Please pay attention to correct the topic

I was riding on a BRT when the truck made a u-turn on the middle of the road at the portion where the RCCG headquarters is situated causing a lot of gridlock while turning. I thougt it was part of the construction company's vehicle, never knew it was traffic offender. Anyway, cudos to Lagos state gov.

ki ni big deal, its hallmark of a good and charismatic leader. Where are Tinubu haters; let them borrow a leaf.

its painful seeing someone close to you die;we lived on the same street while in school and we were so close. May her soul rest in perfect peace.

www.mobile.909topradio.com

Chelsea no ni.

anitank: Gbam!!!! Just the question I was about to ask before I saw ur post. God bless u

Something is just not right. How come he only took a pics of the deceased standing beside the jeep and not take the pics of him been run over by the molue.