₦airaland Forum

High_Chief:
Betrayal, Betrayal, Betrayal 

The Tinubu calculations was that Ribadu could be sacrificed to prevent a rampaging PDP from the South West. The Presidency had to part with pocket money to the tune of billions of naira for which each state governor was allegedly given One billions naira as betrayal allowance. The only ACN state where Ribadu won was Osun , where the incumbent governor, Raul Aregbesola, kicked against the sale of Ribadu and against party orders decided to mobilize support for his presidential candidate.

The ACN leadership in response to the pact, refused to campaign for Ribadu Presidency. They refused to mobilize both funds and supporters for the Ribadu project while their counterpart PDP was campaigning for President Goodluck. The sweeping of the South West votes by the PDP was the result of the negligence. President Goodluck garnered 2,718,417 votes while ACN got 1,369,943 and CPC 321,609. The South West votes were the true reflection of how a party sacrificed its presidential candidate on the altar of expediency. This action secured the ACN a rigging free election for the rest of the South West .

The ACN has not been particularly receptive to politicians of northern extraction . The former Vice President under Atiku Abubakar ran to the ACN in the hey days of his battles with Obasanjo and by the time he was tossed around by the party leadership he had no option than to return back to the PDP on another failed presidential project, this time around swallowed by incumbent President Goodluck.

Kilode?!:
^

Well, at that time we had regionalism. That was something we sat down in Nigeria and London to decide before 1960.

Yes. It was not perfect because of British meddling, but it was adequate until Idealistic military brats came and turned it upside down with no clear plan. So here we are today.

Maybe somebody in power one day will take his/her head out of the sand and do the needful. SNC, radical restructuring or something similar, else this house will perish on all of them anyway.

Stop FEC contract awards, Senate tells Jonathan http://dailytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=155970:stop-fec-contract-awards-senate-tells-jonathan-&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8
Written by Isiaka Wakili Thursday, 01 March 2012 05:04

The Senate yesterday told President Jonathan to set up the National Council on Public Procurement to stop what Senator David Mark called “sheer illegality” going on in government contract awards.
A law enacted in 2007 provides for the setting up of a procurement council to be responsible for vetting and endorsing all government contracts, but the council has not been inaugurated and the Federal Executive Council has been discharging this function ever since.

Last week, President Jonathan was quoted in an interview with Tell magazine as saying that he would set up a desk of World Bank officials in his office to scrutinise government contracts so as to reduce corruption in the existing structures.

But civil society groups and lawmakers faulted this move, saying that the President should instead abide by the Public Procurement Act of 2007 to inaugurate the NCPP.

Yesterday, the Senate also waded into the matter when it adopted a motion sponsored by Senator Ahmed Lawal and 16 others, calling on Jonathan to set up the council as provided by law.

Lawal said the Public Procurement Act took effect in June 2007 and provides for the setting up of the National Council on Public Procurement and the Bureau of Public Procurement as regulatory organs for government contracts.

He said provisions of the law have not been fully implemented.

Senators spoke in favour of the motion, urging the President to set up the council and stop circumventing of the law.

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River) said failure to establish the council could be an oversight on the part of the Presidency but that it was an infraction for the BPP to have been operating without the council.

“I think the implication is that all actions taken so far are really questionable”, he said.

Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South) argued that the non-implementation of the procurement law had allowed corruption to thrive in the award of contracts.

“It is very appalling that laws passed by the legislature are not usually implemented,” Manager said.

Senate President David Mark said, “It is not about whether it is questionable or illegal. The point here is that the government has failed to do what it is supposed to do five years ago. That is what this motion is all about.

“But unfortunately, our resolutions are not binding. I recall in the sixth Senate we had a bill to make our resolutions binding and we then said that we would have a two-third majority so that the motions will become binding like in the United States and Brazil. Until we do that, we cannot say our resolutions are binding at the moment.

“This is not just about a resolution being binding. There is much more than that. There is sheer illegality here and the earlier it is corrected, the better for everybody.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Presidency over the Senate resolution yesterday.

But in an interview with the Guardian newspaper published days ago, presidential spokesman Reuben Abati reacted to a similar resolution by the House of Representatives.

He said the procurement council would not be inaugurated because the law subordinates the Federal Executive Council to the National Council on Public Procurement.

“The Office of the President has noted the resolution of the House of Representatives on the imperative of inaugurating the National Council on Procurement. However, the main issue the council has not been inaugurated is not far to seek,” Abati was quoted as saying.

“Government has proposed an amendment to the Public Procurement Act 2007. The reason for this proposed amendment is that there is a contradiction in the law that sets up the council that has a member of the Federal Executive Council, the Minister of Finance, as the chairman.

“But there is a rule in the book that the council cannot approve certain level of contracts, without the Federal Executive Council’s endorsement. But the law now says the council should approve anything.

“How can a council, headed by a member of the FEC, be more powerful than the FEC that produces the minster? There is a contradiction there that the proposed amendment seeks to remove for it to be functional.

“An example is this: Can the procurement council approve one trillion naira worth of contracts? It is the same Minister of Finance that heads the council that will pay. How can that work?”

Abati said even under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who signed the procurement law, the council was not inaugurated for three years.

“The reason was the same; the law could not be implemented. The Federal Executive Council has the final say on certain level of contracts. That is the contradiction in the act that has to be eliminated.

“What is the work of the FEC set up by the Constitution? Can the act be higher than the Constitution? That is the trouble with the council.”

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/36932-bloodbath-in-bayelsa-4-soldiers-4-policemen-killed-by-gunmen-explosives-create-panic-in-yenagoa
-4 soldiers, 4 policemen killed by gunmen
-Explosives create panic in Yenagoa

Written by Oluwole Ige, Yenagoa Friday, 02 March 2012 00:00

THE seeming prevalent peace and security in Bayelsa State, were on Thursday around 10.00 a.m, shattered as unidentified gunmen unleashed attack on security operatives at different locations, on the waterways, killing four soldiers, including a lieutenant-colonel and four policemen.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the suspected gunmen, who operated in three speedboats, swiftly swooped on the military personnel, who were enroute Ogbia from Nembe, in Brass Local Government Area of the state on a patrol duty.

As a result of the development, security formations in the state were thrown into mourning, as some officers were sighted discussing the violent attack in hush tones.

The four soldiers, who were felled by the assailants’ bullets, belonged to the Joint Task Force (JTF) codenamed “Operation Pulo Shield,” saddled with the responsibilities of securing oil installations and waterways along the Niger Delta.

A credible source informed our correspondent that a lieutenant-colonel, whose name could not be confirmed at the time of this report, was among the casualties recorded after the dastardly act.

While palpable fear and pandemonium created by the killing of the soldiers at a place popularly known as ‘Right Hand’ were yet to subside, four marine policemen were also shot dead by bandits, who were suspected to be the same gang that murdered the soldiers.

The policemen were said to have been killed at a police post on the Nembe waterways. A police source, who pleaded anonymity, informed the Nigerian Tribune that the bandits disguised as travellers, but on getting closer to the checkpoint pulled out their guns and opened fire on the officers, who were caught unawares.

According to the source, the four bodies of the slain officers were later retrieved from the water after the gory incident.

Further checks by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that oil installations were not also spared as two pipelines belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company were also attacked by unknown persons at Ogolobiri, in Brass Local Government Area and Tundaba community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

When our correspondent visited the command, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Eguavoen Emokpae confirmed the development and said soldiers and police officers were combing the areas for the culprits.

“We are beefing security and gathering intelligence to apprehend the bandits. Till now, we have not made any arrest.”

Reacting to the attack, the media coordinator of JTF, Lieutenant-Colonel Timothy Antigha, said that “There are unconfirmed reports of an armed attack on military personnel by yet to be identified gunmen. The attack reportedly took place at about 10.00 a.m. while the personnel were enroute Ogbia from Brass. The details are still sketchy for now, but investigation is on.”

In another development, explosives, suspected to be dynamites, were detonated by unknown persons in Yenagoa on Wednesday night, precipitating fear and pandemonium around the Opolo and Customs roads. But no casualty was recorded in the two separate blasts.

Nigerian Tribune was told that the first explosion went off at Opolo at about 12.45 a.m, close to Diete Koki Memorial Hospital and not far from the headquarters of JTF in the state.

When our correspondent visited the area, it was observed that part of the roof of the security building was damaged by the explosion, just as it drilled a hole on the concrete floor. One of the workers in the hospital, who identified himself simply as Ishmaila, said the building was shaken by the explosion, disclosing that security operatives inspected the area on Thursday morning.

The Opolo blast occurred shortly after another explosion rattled the residents of Customs Road at about 9.30 p.m.
Commenting on the explosion, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Olakpe, confirmed the development, insisting that the explosions were handiwork of mischief makers, who were on a mission to seek attention, just as he charged the people to disregard the incident and go about their normal business, assuring that culprits would be unmasked soonest.

Kilode?!:
Let's not kid ourselves. A government that is committed to gradualism, a government without the balls to step on toes or get radical cannot tackle the type of corruption we have in Nigeria.

If you are not ready to jail people or apply punitive measures, you are simply playing a weak defensive game. The corrupt will keep attacking till they find a way to score and they will definitely score.

You have to take the fight to them. I'm yet to see that.

When I see a Nigerian Government taking the fight to corruption, attacking and drawing blood, then I will believe they are serious.

World bank go bow now, especially when your hosts are the same ones passing small notes asking you to excuse their friends. 

Kobojunkie:
Like I said before, I doubt the authenticity of this story. Even if Nigerian Government descends to this level, I don't want to believe that the WorldBank would go to such an extent for any country. This is against much of all we know of how the bank works to date.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/02/28/tasued-ogun-acn-wants-amosun-tread-cautiously/
Published on February 28, 2012 by

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

Leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Ogun East Senatorial District have appealed to Governor Ibikunle Amosun to exercise some caution over his decision to scrap and merge some tertiary schools in the state.

Governor Amosun should exercise patience “in resolving the resultant and ominous probems and dangers government policy and pronouncements seemed to have created in academic communities in the state”, the leaders said in a communiqué after their emergency meeting in Idowa, Ogun state on 26 February.

Representatives of the party in the nine local councils that make up the senatorial district attended the meeting.

Among them were Alhaji Rafiu O.Ogunleye, Senator Sefiu Adegbenga Kaka, Alhaji S. Abimbola Awofeso, Otunba Oluremi Onasanya, Mr F.A. Sabitu, Alhaji F.G.O. Elias, Hon. Samson O. Onademuren, Mr Obafemi Adegboyega, Hon.(Engr.) Afolabi Odusote, Otunba T. Olu Adebanjo and Hon.Bukonla Taofeek Buraimo. All the chairmen of the party in the nine councils attended.

Although the meeting commended Governor Amosun for his efforts in rebuilding the state since last May when he took over, the meeting also commended Senator Kaka for ‘’his timely intervention’’ in giving the Amosun government some time to resolve the logjam in the state’s education sector.

Senator Kaka had taken the government to court, after government announced the scrapping of TASUED. A court in Abeokuta had granted an injunction, asking the Amosun government to maintain the status quo. Another court also restrained government in the suit filed against it by students of the university. The university was created by the administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel about six years ago.

The Idowa meeting said it was opposed to the shrinking of educational institutions in the state. “The meeting believes in expansion of the scope and scale of education and hence does not support the scrapping or merging of the tertiary institutions in the State. Consequently, all tertiary institutions in Ogun State at present should be allowed to exist independently”, the leaders resolved. They called on Governor Amosun to reconsider his decision on TASUED, Olabisi Onabanjo university and other tertiary schools in the state.

The meeting also supported the steps taken by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in taking over the
administration of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) until the issues are resolved.

The meeting also called for the immediate restoration of the party’s CONSULTATIVE FORUM, so as to move forward the functions and activities of the party and government, ensuring lasting confidence of the party members and the generality of the public.

Among other decisions reached at the meeting was the need to constitute a caucus of the party that will draw membership from the party, the government, the house of assembly and the national assembly. The leaders also called for the restoration of the party’s consultative forum, an indication that members felt alienated in the way the ACN government is administering the affairs of the state.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2012/02/29/boko-haram-effect-discordant-tunes-in-jonathans-government/

Published on February 29, 2012 by · 7 Comments
Bayo Onanuga

Who is presenting the true mirror of Nigeria? The Central Bank Governor or the Finance minister?

In one week, Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Central Bank governor gave a contradictory impact assessment report of the bombings and general insecurity in northern Nigeria on the economy as a whole.

At Davos, Okonjo Iweala said increased terror attacks in the country have failed to deter foreign investment as Africa’s largest oil producer presses ahead with plans to sell power companies and keep spending under control.

To buttress the investment good health of Nigeria, Okonjo Iweala reported the visit to Nigeria by Jeffrey Immelt, CEO General Electric Co. (GE) . Visiting for the first time, he reportedly pledged to invest in power, health and rail industries, including a locomotive assembly plant. Okonjo also said the San Francisco-based Del Monte Foods Co. is also considering investing.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Okonjo sounded upbeat: “what CEOs were asking was: Do you have a strategy?” Okonjo-Iweala said. Investors “realize that the terrorism is just focused in one part of the country and as long as they feel we have an approach to deal with it, they are more or less comforted,” she said.

But yesterday, the governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi gave a different picture when he warned that bombings and other violent attacks launched by terrorist groups are major threats to the economy.

Sanusi spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Business Continuity Institute of Nigeria, a body established in 1994 to promote the highest standards of professional competence and commercial ethics in business. As reported by PUNCH, Sanusi said the economy was becoming increasingly vulnerable to the disruptions caused by terrorists attacks.

“The current spate of bombings across the country by terrorist groups alludes to the fact that our business environment is becoming more and more threatened and therefore the need to urgently develop a framework that will enable us to effectively respond to any crisis and thus safeguarding lives and properties and ensuring stability and growth in our economic system,” the CBN governor said.

Sanusi pointed out that only a sound, stable and robust business environment could lead to economic growth, increased per capita income and enhanced quality of the people.

The governor said the threat from terrorism had made it imperative for the bank to urgently develop a framework that would enable it to respond to any crisis.

This, he noted, would not only help to safeguard lives and properties, but also ensure stability and growth in the country’s economic system.
He said, “While we may be lucky not to have been hit by extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, snow and earthquakes, our experience as a nation reveals some vulnerability.

“We are still combating the impact of the global meltdown on our national economy. In our own specific instance in the financial sector, we have had to engage a combination of measures, including injecting millions of naira into some ailing banks to prevent failures, and thereby saving depositors’ funds and restoring confidence in the system.”

So, who is right about the Boko Haram effect on the Nigerian economy? Ngozi Okonjo Iweala or Sanusi?

My view is that Sanusi appears to be more honest about the perspective he has offered.

Only an insane investor will bring his capital to Nigeria at a time of widening terrorist attacks, banditry and kidnapping. While in the past, the Boko Haram militancy could have appeared, insignificant and tolerable, the frequency of the attacks and the expansion of the targets—-schools, police stations, banks, prisons, policemen , army barracks, will create jitters in the minds of a typical investor, looking to put his money in a nation where law and order prevails.

Nigeria no longer enjoys a state of order. Since late last year, the Boko Haram militants have made this impossible, beginning from the attacks in Yobe, where over 60 people died and the Christmas day bombing of St Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, where over 40 people died. Everyday, a Boko Haram strike is recorded somewhere in Northern Nigeria. It’s either some market men and women are being sprayed with bullets, or banks are being bombed, policemen and soldiers attacked at checkpoints and explosive devices being thrown around like Christmas crackers. The most mind-boggling of the Boko Haram attacks was the January 20 co-ordinated attacks on the city of Kano, leading to the death of close 256 people.

And the attacks continue. They definitely cannot spur investments, even by well-heeled Nigerians. They can only deter such investments and worsen the poverty level in our country. According to official statistics, about 70 per cent of Nigerians live on less than a dollar a day, even though our country is the largest oil producer in Africa.

Despite this endowment, Nigeria imports more than 90 per cent of its refined fuel needs, transferring imported costs to the already financially emasculated people. After many shambolic Turn Around Maintenance contracts for the refineries, Nigeria just woke up to the sense in giving the refineries to the original builders to repair. Nigerians are hoping that this new measure will make the refineries work and perhaps lead to vast reductions in the cost of refined products such as kerosene, diesel and petrol.

Electricity supply also remains a major headache of the Nigerian economy, with demands said to double an output of about 4,000 megawatts daily. Nigeria now wants to sell its six power plants and 70 per cent of shares in the 11 power distribution companies.Nigeria and its people can only hope that this move will ensure 24/7 power supply, already taken for granted in all modern nations.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/editorial/38309-contracting-sovereignty.html
By Editorial2 hours 24 minutes ago

The rate at which the Federal Government is delegating responsibilities, (some people call it outsourcing), it would not be long before the entire government machinery is outsourced and we would be wondering why we have to continue to spend huge amounts to oil the inept and corrupt system. Early this year, the government handed over the responsibility of implementing its social safety initiative, the Subsidy Reinvestment (SURE) programme to a committee headed by Dr Christopher Kolade. Our finance ministry is firmly in the hands of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is also the coordinating minister for the economy.

Now, President Goodluck Jonathan has come out with another fanciful idea, which is to bring in World Bank officials into the Presidency to vet Federal Government contracts. The president, who disclosed this in an interview with TELL magazine said the aim is to reduce corruption in the system. “The process of procurement in the MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies) is also another area we have corruption. We have set up various committees to look into it. We have the Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, but that has not completely stopped corruption in procurement. We still hear stories. Not long ago, I had to redeploy some directors. We are doing everything to reduce corruption.

“Very soon we will get people from the World Bank to be at my office. For every contract we want to award, irrespective of the structures we have on the ground, they will assess it, so that if a job is supposed to cost N10,000 and it’s awarded for N10,000, the likelihood of that contractor bribing anybody will be reduced. Even if he wants to do public relations, it will be minimal. It will not be like the scandalous thing we have now,” Jonathan said.

Pray, what has happened to the Nigerian industry, integrity and (especially) honesty which was seen as the best policy in years past? What has happened to our sovereignty? What has befallen our sense of national pride? Have things gone so bad such that we don’t have any sense of shame again?  Perhaps the depth to which the country has sunk is not surprising to those who have been following the progressive deterioration of things. For instance, a president who would not mind being introduced in the comity of nations as the leader of a country which imports a substantial quantity of the fuel his people consume, despite being a major producer of crude oil, is less likely to contemplate anything as absurd.

Again, what the president is doing is merely feigning concern about corruption. Many people have lost hope in the ability of the present government to fight corruption. How on earth can the president feel that by handing the job of contract vetting to some World Bank officials, corruption in the procurement system would be checked? Are World Bank officials angels? The president has apparently forgotten that corruption has assumed a proportion where even angels could be compromised if sent to Nigeria to tame it.

The fact is that the government can only be chasing shadows if this is the way it wants to tackle corruption. In the TELL interview, for instance, the president said he has had to redeploy some directors and that he is “doing everything to reduce corruption”. This does not show seriousness. Do you deploy people found to have engaged in unwholesome practices?

The proposed measure by the Federal Government is unnecessary and diversionary; and it cannot check corruption. What is needed is the political will on the part of the Jonathan administration to face the monster squarely. Perhaps the fear in government circles is that many top shots of the ruling party will have to go with the anti-corruption war because many of them have their hands and necks deep in many iniquitous practices.

kizito96:
I hope Ribadu will deliver, he should be able to know when they want to make a mockery of him

http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2012/02/good_taliban_leader_fazal_saee.php
By Bill RoggioFebruary 17, 2012 7:31 AM

A Taliban commander who left the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan after an internal feud last year claimed credit for a suicide attack today that killed 39 civilians at a market in Parachinar in the Kurram tribal agency. Fazal Saeed Haqqani defected from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan last June after publicly chiding the group for intentionally killing civilians. This is what he said when he defected and joined the Haqqani Network, or what Pakistani officials like to call the "good Taliban" (those who do not attack the Pakistani state):

"I repeatedly told the leadership council of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan that they should stop suicide attacks against mosques, markets and other civilian targets," Saeed told AFP by telephone.
"Islam does not allow killings of innocent civilians in suicide attacks," he said, likening what TTP does in Pakistan to "what US troops are doing in Afghanistan" and vowing to continue the fight alone against the Americans.

"I have therefore decided to quit TTP," Saeed said, claiming to have defected along with "hundreds of supporters." A 10-member consultative council will meet within days to formulate the group's programme, he told AFP.

Here is what he said today, while claiming credit for the suicide attack in a call to Reuters:

"We have targeted the Shia community of Parachinar because they were involved in activities against us," he told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
"We also warn the political administration of Parachinar to stop siding with the Shia community in all our disputes."

So, less than a year after he denounced the Taliban for intentionally killing civilians and defected to the Haqqani Network, Fazal Saeed decides he is justified in murdering civilians.

Last summer, when Fazal Saeed defected, the Pakistani military and government touted the development as a breakthrough in reducing the power of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. The press uncritically repeated this line, held his defection up as yet another sign of the decline of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, and inflated his position within the Taliban (the press called him the overall leader in Kurram when in fact he commanded several hundred fighters).

But at The Long War Journal and Threat Matrix, we warned you that such views were both wrong and dangerous. Here are two points from a post on June 27, 2011. We even predicted that Fazal Saeed may not consider the Shia to be civilians:

•Note that Fazal didn't condemn suicide bombings, but only attacks against civilians, and at markets and mosques. Presumably all other targets are fair game. And one wonders if Fazal considers Shia to be "civilians," given that he's responsible for the butchering of quite a few in Kurram.

•Fazal's defection from the TTP will likely be touted by some observers as a major blow to the terror group, but in all likelihood, little will change in the big picture. Fazal isn't going up against the TTP, he just dropped out of the fight. He still wants to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and is continuing to battle US forces in Afghanistan. In all likelihood, Fazal merely joined the so-called "good Taliban," the groups that are favored by the Pakistani state. The Haqqani Network has expanded its influence greatly in Kurram [see this report at AEI from Reza Jan and Jeffrey Dressler for more information], and Fazal may be positioning himself to ally with them (note that Haqqani Network fighters were killed in his camps during last week's Predator strikes).

And see the conclusion to a July 5, 2011 post that addressed the so-called decline of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan in the context of Fazal Saeed's defection:

What you are witnessing [Kurram with Fazal Saeed's defection] is a very cynical game by the Pakistani military and intelligence establishment to get wayward Taliban groups back into the fold.

In other words, Fazal Saeed's "defection" from the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan means little in the big picture when it comes to the jihadi groups that operate in Pakistan. He still supports jihad in Afghanistan, seeks to impose sharia law in Pakistan, and shelters terrorists, including la Qaeda, in areas under his control. Just like the Haqqanis and Taliban commanders such as Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Mullah Nazir, all of whom are not members of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan. The only difference between them and the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan is that the former do not advocate attacking the Pakistani state.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/china-soften-one-child-policy-slogans-not-law-200726036.html
China to soften its one-child policy slogans, but not the law itself
By Eric Pfeiffer

The Chinese government isn't getting rid of its one-child policy currently in place. It's just making it sound better. China's communist party newspaper, People's Daily, reports that the government will revamp its abrasive-sounding slogans surrounding the policy.

People's Daily cites several examples of "harsh slogans," including those "which sometimes even threaten criminal acts." The newly instituted program, slugged the "face-washing project," will offer more proactive slogans to help enforce the policy, which has been in place since 1979. China claims the policy, which applies to those living in urban areas, affects approximately 35.9 percent of the population and has resulted in an estimated 400 million fewer births since first being implemented.

Some examples of the more offensive slogans currently in use include:

"If you don't receive the tubal ligation surgery by the deadline, your house will be demolished!"

"We would rather scrape your womb than allow you to have a second child!"

"Kill all your family members if you don't follow the rule!"

And…

"Once you get captured, an immediate tubal ligation will be done; Should you escape, we'll hunt you down; If you attempt a suicide, we'll offer you either the rope or a bottle of poison."

The new less offensive slogans replacing the more callous ones will reportedly seek to "avoid offending the public and stoking social tensions."

China's one-child policy has faced criticism from around the world. In addition to more obvious concerns about civil liberties, the policy has reportedly had the unintended effect of many families aborting female babies until a male child is conceived. That trend has resulted in 118 boys being born for every 100 girls, which has contributed to males outnumbering females in China by an estimated 30 to 40 million.

China is also bracing itself for an unprecedented growth in its senior population over the next several decades. As of today, people over the age of 60 make up only 13 percent of China's population. But that percentage is expected to swell to over 30 percent by 2050.

People's Daily offered some examples of the "softer" messages the government will issue, including:

"Caring for the girl means caring for the future of the nation."

"Please get rid of the alcohol and cigarettes before you plan to be a father."

Dudu_Negro:
. . .what is genetic?

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/senate-call-for-snc-s-recipe-for-anarchy/110329/
29 Feb 2012

By  Kunle Akogun     
   
The Senate Tuesday dismissed the recent call by some eminent citizens for the convocation of a sovereign national conference (SNC), describing it as anti-democratic and a recipe for anarchy.

Its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who said this during an interactive session with newsmen, pointed out that only the members of the National Assembly, who were the elected representatives of the people, were constitutionally mandated to deal with the issues raised by the proponents of the Conference.

Some prominent Nigerians, including Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, former Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze, Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, and the wife of the late human rights lawyer, Ganiyat Fawehimi, met in Lagos recently and resolved that the convocation of the SNC was necessary for a proper restructuring of the country.

However, Abaribe told journalists yesterday that going by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, only the members of the National Assembly could affect any amendment to the constitution for the good governance of the country.

He said: “What we say actually is that if you say there are some persons somewhere who will write something else as constitution, then what obtains is that the person has no confidence in the present democratic set up and anybody who said he does not have confidence in the present democracy is nothing but seeking for anarchy and when people make assertion of that nature, we do not have anything to say other than if you are a democrat, then seek democratic ways for effecting change. So if you want to make a change in the constitution you have to go through your representatives in the National Assembly.”

Abaribe said the National Assembly is not afraid of discussing any issue neither is it against any forum where national issues are discussed, adding that when everybody is working under the 1999 Constitution, then it is necessary to follow the stipulation of that constitution and the method of amending the constitution.

He said: “The National Assembly is not against any forum where national issues are discussed and what the Senate feels and the National Assembly feels is that we are all working under the 1999 constitution and when you work under the 1999 constitution, then you must necessarily follow the stipulation of that constitution and the method of amendment to the constitution is also stated there.

“Section 9 of the constitution stated this clearly. So whatever you want to change in terms of amending the constitution to meet whatever reality you want, you have nowhere else to go except to bring it through your representative in the House or your Senator to the constitution review committees that have been set up by both houses.”

Abaribe denied insinuations that the National Assembly is afraid of the national conference, describing such insinuation as “a misnomer.”

The Senate spokesman also spoke on the probe of management of subsidy funds by the Senate, even after the House of Representatives has recently concluded investigation into the same issue.
He said there was nothing wrong if the Senate does the same thing as the House of Representatives, adding that both complement each other at the end of the day.


According to him, the probe by the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) started even before that of the House and they derived their mandate from the Senate resolution.

He said: "When a Senate committee goes out to do a public function it is through the mandate of the whole Senate. The probe on oil subsidy by the senate committee on Petroleum resources downstream arose out of a motion that was sponsored by Senator Saraki and others alleging the mismanagement of subsidy and of course the probe was started first by the senate and it cannot abandon that probe. It has to complete the mandate given it to by the senate.

“The point is what we do as a senate and what the House of Representatives do compliments each other. As for the House I do not know the mandate they have, but for the senate, it is seeking to look at the mismanagement. Recall that it was N1.3trn at that time but now we hear is has risen to N2trn. And so whenever they finish they will bring the report to the senate and we will debate it. So there is no controversy and as far as we are concerned there is no conflict,” he said.

Kobojunkie:
Anuofias . . . .  make them no go bring am back come declare say im suppose serve less than he was sentenced in the UK.

Aigbofa:
"Ibori Will Still Be Tried In Nigeria,’ Efcc Says"

Clowns.

Logic Mind:
Dudu Negro is fighting his cowardice.
Koruji is showing his cowardice.
It is genetic.
Satan himself must be behind the creation of this tribe.

Dudu_Negro:
First, follow this link and read what fulani herdsmen did to this man.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/02/how-fulani-herds-men-attacked-villager-removed-his-eye-teeth/

Fulani menace is not local to anyone state, region or people. They are as cold and murderous in West, as they are in other regions of the country. I am sure you have also read about their menace in Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, as well in every other state in East, South, Middle Belt and North.

They come in two or group of two or more when they plan an attack. We know how to tell a fulani from an ibo or yoruba or delta person. . . . so why do we wait for them to get close at all, knowing that the aftermath is going to be pain and regret? They are not hard to identify. . . .share word with your village, town and people, when they see fulani in two or more than two. . . rally your people together and attack them. It does not matter if they came to attack you or not, assume first that that's what they are going to do rather than assuming they are armless and they end up attacking you. Do not be reactive, take proactive action and draw their blood before they draw yours.

. . . . kill fulani herdsmen wherever you find him in your locality. There should be a cost to their violence and until they learn that for every one person they kill they will loose two lives, then they have no reason to stop their terror. If they kill or harm one person, take two of their own down. If they kill or harm two of yours, kill four of theirs. If they kill three of Yoruba, we kill six of them. This is the cost and we need to teach it. . . . . When we get ready to kill a fulani, bring one or two of them to witness the slaughter and then dispatch him to carry the bodies away and share his witness with other fulanis where and how the slaughter of their kinsmen happened.

There is no human silly enough to keep going back repeatedly to the same spot where time after time his crimes are punished instead of forgiven. Soon they will learn where to go and where not to go. . . they will learn where to be humble and on which land to be arrogant. This is not hard and I dont know why one small tribe is terrorizing the whole fvkng country and they cannot decidedly be dealt with. Why are we calling police and army for? The visitor on the land should be the one seeking police and army protection not the son of the soil. Attack them and dont let off the steam. . . .make their lives unbearable in Yorubaland and let them seek help from your Governor. . . let them go beg your Governor for protection. This is how to bring their fvking as s to reality.

peckhamboi:
It is a matter of WHEN and not IF civil war breaks out in Nigeria - with 24 to 48 months the likely timescale. The OPC, Agbekoya, Yoruba in the Nigeria army and other Yoruba militant groups will form the Yoruba Army, Yoruba in the Nigeria Navy will quickly regrouped as Yoruba Navy, same the Yoruba Airforce, all will have crucial roles if Hausa/Fulani troops triggered hostilities towards the Yorubaland.

Yoruba command will first fly INFANTRY battalion to Igbira/Igala area, our strong ally in the Middle Belt region. The move will be a public show of support, demonstrating that Yoruba is ready to defend its sovereignty if it comes under attack from the Hausa/Fulani and Kanuri.

Further troops will follow to Kwara and Kogi states. Yoruba Navy will also move war ships to the Gulf of Guinea covering from Lagos down to Okitipupa and the entire Itsekiri region.

Minesweepers, quora etc would be procure if not already available. Cruise missiles ship could also be deployed. Yoruba Navy will send fighter jets to reinforce helicopter and transport plane crews already stationed in Yoruba hinterland.

Plans went into overdrive at the start of the Boko Haram war last year. Conflict is seen as inevitable as long as the Hausa/Fulani pursue their intention to gain political power before 2036.

Yoruba would be sucked in whether we like it or not, probably when Boko Haram stage an attack on Yorubaland. We have some very important allies in Togo, Benin Republic and will stand ready to help with troops.

Tensions have been ratcheted with the election of Jonathan. Assassination of GEJ or bombs attack on Yoruba states are seen as the most likely trigger for civil war.

Yoruba have conducted contingency planning for numerous possible scenarios of a possible break out of war in 2015 or 2019. We want a negotiated federalism based on autonomous Yoruba region, not a military one and that explains why we have always called for a Sovereign National Conference.

htajz:
i dont have any problem , if i had i would have opened the thread long ago with my own experience ,  it just struck me after i read the guys comment today on facebook.

htajz:
no we will all put the fire out together , the same way we all discuss about the north , boko harem and poverty, the east  mend and oil politics the west should also be discussed.

AdamuW:
CNN Inside Africa had a feature about the Bino and Fino Nigerian educational cartoon we're producing. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/23/world/africa/nigeria-cartoon-bino-fino/?hpt=wo_bn7 

Thought some of you might be interested here in the TV section. Have a good weekend.

pDude:
Hahahahahahaha!

Which kain yeye camtoom be this one o! Funny shyt!

chino11:
GBAM
You are right on point. Even my town in Anambra is more developed than some state capitals in Yoruba land.

Ikengawo:
I said a long time ago that comparing a yoruba village to an igbo village will shed light on the state of nigeria. My village has factories, polytechs, and hospitals all built by private citizens. I've never spoke to a yoruba that cares about his fathers village. They think lagos is it and its sad because it leaves their villages 110% neglected. This is why I feel igboland has the brightest future as a whole. Every village is treated as somebodies county and nothing is left to rot like in yorubaland. Its only the fed government messing us up now but still we raise. Saying the sw is the most developed is a myth because lagos is barely yoruba the was portharcourt is barely igbo

htajz:
my point every region have their own problems but the yorubas keep denying even when they suffer more in the south, remove lagos and you will see there"s nothing to write home about yorubaland. north have finally accepted theres massive overty theres ,south have accepted polution and high crime rate especially among youth , east have accepted they are being cheated ,state creation, reduction of population ,low alocation but yoruba  no way na only bragging they dey. infact they always try to sabotage threads where people from other regions try to discuss their problems.