₦airaland Forum

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php

Saturday, 02 July 2011 00:00 Wole Oladimeji Hits: 38 .

MANY new members of the House of Representatives are currently stranded, and bitter. Reason: They are shocked to find that the N10 million allowance recently given to them by the leadership of the National Assembly is fast running out, no thanks to acute housing crisis. They are kicking against the N40 million allowance for housing and furniture that is on the way for them, arguing that the minimum cost that is required for their status is about N150 million.

Many of them have found it difficult to settle down with their families because the N10 million at hand, and the N40 million being expected are a far cry from the minimum of N100 million that they require to get “befitting” houses in preferred areas of the FCT and the money required for furniture,

Since the House resumed sitting on 28th of June, 2011, many of them have been complaining of lack of accommodation in Abuja and are either squatting with families and friends, or staying in hotels.

Some of them are renewing the clamour for the revocation of the sale of Apo Quarters to the 2003 set of law makers by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, during the ill-fated Third Term saga.

Some of the new members who pleaded anonymity told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that if the situation continued, they might have to start boycotting House sittings.

“Honestly, we never thought that the situation would as bad as this. There is no provision for new members. How do we continue to wait, bearing in mind the peculiar nature of the capital city?,” one of them said.

Even the office complexes for the new members are also in acute shortage. A new one, under construction, is expected to be completed in August, this year.

But for now, many of the legislators are moving from one hotel to another depending on the prices and the security. The argument of the new members is that there is nothing bad in selling the houses in the spirit of housing-for-all. But the proceeds from the sale ought to be in a revolving scheme that would result in the building of more houses for incoming legislators.

A lawmaker told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that a probe might soon be instituted into how the money made from the sale of houses to the Class of 2003 legislators was utilised.

The lawmakers shortlly after their inaugurtation were given N10 million to settle down.

They will soon be given N40 million for furniture allowance and housing, but a large number of the members are kicking against the sum on the ground that it is too small to meet their class in Abuja.

Some od the lawmakers are currently staying at the TRANSCORP Hilton Hotel while some others are at Sheraton Hotel, Chelsea, Nicon Luxury where the least rate is N15,000 per night. A two-bedroom apartment which they regard as unbefitting the status of a federal lawmaker costs N65 million, while the minimum cost of the houses they are loking at is

Although, some of the banks are ready to give as much as N100 million loan for them to secure good accommodations, some of them have been warned against any such course because the interest could be burdensome to them at the end of the four years.

They are also being very careful not take dangerous steps, more importantly because of the problem of financial mismanagement that rocked the immediate past leadership.

ideylaff:
No need to berate @ norrisman for that, he does have a point, over praising leads to complacency, do we all get praised everytime you go about doing your daily job, naaaaa

Igwe-1:
SGF-Pius Ayim
Petroleum-Diezani Alison-Madueke
Health-Onyebuchi Chukwu
Labor-Emeka Wogu
Power-Barth Nnaji
Deputy Senate-Ekweremadu
Deputy House Ihedioha
SSS-odechukwu
Army-Ihejirika
Maybe Financial-Okonjo Iweala ,           and many more to come since the administration is still appointing

These positions are the back bone of a Nation like Nigeria. I must commend GJ for being wise and putting the right people at the right time in charge of these key positions. The days of naive Aboki is over,

djustice:
The great Fashola has given N2 million to each school. Hossannah to the almighty Fashola. The action governor. The man of the moment. Governor of Excellence! Fashola maa jo lo moun wo ehin re!!!

erm, Just out of interest, is this going to be a monthly, annual or one-off exercise?

Because, me I expect that at least it will cost a mnimum of N2 m per month to provide additional services to the pupils, after salaries have been paid.

Gbawe:
Well, Why not lead by example and leave "Fasholaland" never to return? Some of you forget that you don't have to be here. There are many websites that serves your interest online. If you think Fashola is praised too much here , on "Fasholaland" , then find other websites where he is demonized while others , perhaps your kinsmen,  are praised. To real Lagosians, Not fakers and googlers , we know what Fashola has done to warrant folks talking about him non-stop. Fashola is not God and he is certainly not perfect but he is one of the best Governors in Nigeria. That is something all decent and non-tribalistic folks can admit . Those of you not happy with the attention he is getting should simply leave Nairaland or go to the many other forums on the net where Fashola is ignorantly deemed a "flower planter".

Ileke-IdI:
Let's worry about ACN's competence in the SW first. Give them 2-3 years to prove themselve competent before we embark on a conquest mission. Although Kwara needs to be liberated.

bilms:
this is a wonderful piece,   i need the permission to publish this in my upcoming magazine production.

permit me plz

MShittu:
I'm less interested in what Boko Haram will do with this, as there is a silent revolution going on up North where people are forsaking the half-truths Imams sometimes feed the people and are beginning to learn Arabic to understand the true meaning of the Qur'an for themselves. I'll be surprised if Boko Haram is still around by the time my generation are adults.
The people who I hope read this are those on Nairaland who so frequently insult Islam. Those people call islam a ton of names without even trying to go and find out for themselves the religion's true message. I want those people to read this and to understand that the Islam terrorists believe in is anything but the Islam that we Muslims believe God gave us and our Prophet, Muhammad, PBUH, started the spread of. I don't want to convert anyone, simply because religion is an entirely personal thing, but I just want that hostility towards Islam and towards Muslims to lessen. It's really uncalled for and is equally hurtful.

maclatunji:
It has been changed, so will you be able to sleep now?

http://www.cenbank.org/Out/2011/pressrelease/gvd/CBN%20ISSUES%20NEW%20GUIDELINES.pdf
You anti-islamic banking group are just being naughty

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/07/01/fashola-hands-over-n252m-to-126-schools/
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola yesterday presented a cheque of N252 Million to 126 junior and senior secondary schools, who have displayed improved performances over a period of time in the first Governor’s Education Award, saying the Government has brought a system of competitive productivity into education.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the 10 Degrees Event Centre located at Billingsway, Oregun, venue of the event, explained that with the competitiveness that the award will bring into the educational sector, the result would be for the benefit of all stakeholders in Lagos State.

The Governor said he was impressed by the enterprise displayed by the awardees who have shown commitment and determination to turn the huge investment of government in education into an improved learning outcome within a very short period.

He explained that the lucky 126 junior and senior secondary schools who won cash awards of Two Million Naira each were chosen out of 628 schools in the six educational districts in Lagos State.

The Governor also announced to the excitement of all present, additional awards of overseas training for the top two principals in each of the educational districts in the State.

He added that the overseas training will enable the principals to garner knowledge in best practices to improve their capabilities and also come back and share same with their colleagues.

Governor Fashola also announced the approval of guided tours for 20 students from the first 20 schools to two power projects of Akute and the Island Power Projects to get first hand experience on power generation because they would eventually come to take charge of such projects in the future.

The Governor expressed delight that the Eko Education Project enjoyed an unprecedented high rating from the World Bank, which is a partner in the project, adding that the highly satisfactory rating it got from the World body speaks volume.

The Lagos State helmsman who said he recognises the freedom of parents to make a choice between public and private schools for their children was assertive that Government will create an environment for public schools to favourably compete against private schools in terms of the quality of education.

Governor Fashola reiterated that already many public schools are excelling in academic competitions that had participation by private schools across the nation, noting that the spirit behind the Eko Education Project was to improve the quality of education, compel the Government as regulator to monitor the performances of the students, the schools and the teachers and encourage others to challenge themselves for greater heights.

Governor Fashola said in order to broaden the knowledge of the average student beyond school education, which he buttressed with a personal example and experience, students must experience broad based education, stressing that it would form the basis of the next categories of awards.

He reiterated his recognition of the impact of qualitative education as the strongest weapon to fight poverty and a useful pillar for nation building and economic prosperity, adding that if this feat was achieved before, the process can be recreated again with required political will.

The Governor said the administration has continued to give adequate attention to teachers’ welfare through increased salary, training and retraining, while each secondary school gets a direct fund of Three Million Naira annually for equipment, instructional materials and learning aids.

Governor Fashola said today the state has provided 2876 new classrooms in the state while in 2010 alone it provided 216 new classrooms, informing that a total of 308,430 units of furniture were delivered to all schools with the expectation of another 11,200 before the end of this year.

“N390 Million worth of science equipment has been supplied to encourage teaching and learning in the schools just as the Eko Project volunteers teachers scheme which has been widely applauded has injected about 20,520 hours per month into the schools system, which is an equivalent of 183 full time teachers”, he explained.

He also informed that a special intervention programme for 495 trainee- teachers to assist WASCE candidates with extra coaching was also introduced, adding that his attention was recently drawn to a protest by some of the trainees that government has not given them employment letters.

He revealed that he has approved the employment of the trainees, advising that when developments do not move as rapidly as people expect, agitation is the not the best option but rather a channeling of grievances within the system to know what was amiss.

“Our recently concluded report of school audit shows that we have exceeded the target of 50 students per classroom that we set in 2007 on the average because we are seeing an average of 42 students in our classrooms. This does not mean that in some places we do not have overcrowded classrooms; just as in some cases we have severely under-populated classrooms”, Governor Fashola stated.

He said what the report has done is to provide useful data which will now inform the policy for the situation and location of new schools as a methodical strategy to finally eliminate overcrowding now that it can identify and isolate the areas where the problem still persist.

The Governor recalled that at a time the problem was that of access when many young people were unable to get an opportunity to get an education, adding that in the last few years, the problem has been substantially surmounted with Lagos now having a literacy record of over 84percent.

He commended the former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his vision and courage to start the journey while also acknowledging the role of several people including the immediate past Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Sosan, for her commitment to improving education and others like Commissioners, Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries and many who have contributed to the journey.

Earlier in her welcome address, the Project Coordinator, Ms Ronke Azeez, said the Eko Education project is part of the effort aimed at improving the overall quality of education in Lagos State with the objective being improved learning outcomes of students in 629 junior and senior public secondary schools over four years.

She said another innovation by the Lagos Eko Project is the provision of a Report Card for every school, with the card giving detailed account of how a school has performed in relation to other schools, Local Government Areas, Education Districts and statewide, a programme which is unique to the Nigerian assessment system.

She revealed that during a recent discussion with Governor Fashola on the school performance award, he suggested additional criteria for the Governor’s Education Award to include the need for leaders of tomorrow to start early in life to imbibe transformational leadership traits which means students must excel in activities that would develop their team spirit, discipline, personal values, character development and critical thinking.

hercules07:
Koruji

Christians set up banks, Muslims set up banks, heck, if I had money I will set up a sharia bank. As per non muslim non interest banks, are there blueprints out there? If there are let people put pressure on the CBN to allow that as well shikena. As per the schools, some things are not overt, how many christians will allow their children attend hammadiya higher institutions in naija, primary and secondary schools are being built along religious lines especially in lagos and christians will not attend those schools.

ekt_bear:
Is he related to BAT?

Anyway, he is right

On July 1, 2011 · In News
BY DAYO JOHNSON
AKURE— AUTHORITIES of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko in Ondo State yesterday protested the posting of its graduates to states in the North for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

It will be recalled that a graduate of the institution, Mr. Kehinde Jehleel Adeniji, who was serving in Bauchi State, was killed during the April 16 Presidential election violence that erupted in some states.

A statement by the Institution’s Public Relations Officer, PRO, Mr. Sola Imoru, said the “institution is still traumatised by the death of one of its alumni. The University notices with dismay, that some of its graduates were still posted to those violence-prone states, including Bauchi, where Adeniji was mercilessly hacked to death, without sufficient guarantee of their safety by the NYSC.

This smacks of outright insensitivity and total disregard for the sensibility of the AAUA community and stakeholders.”

“The University has received various calls from the parents and guardians of these graduating students, and some of them too, about their apprehension in being posted to those states. Consequently, the university is requesting that its graduates should not be posted to the afore-mentioned states in order to guarantee their safety and assuage the anxiety of these students and their parents and guardians.

While the university believes in the principles underlying the establishment of the NYSC, it is of the opinion that, at least, in the interim, graduating students should serve in their geo-political zones until the NYSC is in a position to guarantee their safety and the Federal Government is able to effectively address the huge security challenges in the country.”

hercules07:
In a sane society, subsidy should be removed, in a country like Nigeria, it will just bring anarchy.

hercules07:
Koruji

The existing commercial and merchant banks are non Islamic interest taking entities, the banks you ask for are already in existence, if Christians feel so bad or even traditional adherents they should ask for their own types of banks too.
A lot of our banks do morning devotion, a lot of those schools make going to church services compulsory, we have not heard much about that from muslims, the Sharia banks will also sink or swim on their own as long as they operate according to the rules.
Fola Adeola has been running an ethical fund for some time, i will rather put my money with such a person than with born again Cecilia Ibru or Erastus Akingbola.
I do not give a rat behind about Boko Haram, I am Christian not a Muslim, the only thing I just like about them is they are exposing the inefficiency of our security forces and that might make GEJ do something about security, on a personal note, my step dad was a Muslim, attended Christian schools with Gani, married Christians and most of his children are christians, yet, the man lived and died as a muslim, we do not need to treat these banks as religious institutions the same way we are expected not to treat Covenant University as a religious institution.

Written by Friday Ekeoba, Lagos Friday, 01 July 2011

Except the Federal Government removes petroleum subsidy, the quest to encourage the establishment of private refineries in the domestic economy will remain a mirage, the Managing Director of Oando Plc, Mr Wale Tinibu, has said.

Tinubu, who said this on Thursday in Lagos, at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), remarked that the nation had so far expended about N8billion on subsidy for petroleum products this year, an amount huge enough to build two refineries.

He noted that the current kerosene scarcity was the direct fallout of government’s refusal to liberalise the downstream sector of the economy.

He explained that, “we will never have refinery development in Nigeria until the Federal Government completely liberalises the oil sector of the economy. Last year, about N4billion was spent on fuel subsidy. This year, the figure has jumped to N8billion. Subsidy will continue to rise as the nation’s population keep rising. And we are going to witness more budget deficit as far as we have petrol subsidy.

The N8billion spent on subsidy this year, is high enough to build two refineries. But we have spent it on fuel subsidy.”

He vowed that Oando would never participate in kerosene importation as far as the subsidy regime remained.

Tracing the reason for the persistent scarcity of the product, he said: “the present shortage of kerosene surfaced because the major marketers were not allowed to import freely due to subsidy. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) imports kerosene and tries to ration it out to everybody.

“Subsidy kills legitimate business. The Federal Government is carrying a lot of burden by trying to subsidise petroleum products for everybody. We are not going to be part of importation until government stops subsidy.”

Tinubu bemoaned the non-passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which he blamed for delaying the commencement of investment by oil and gas practitioners in the country.

Written by Chris Agbambu, Abuja Friday, 01 July 2011

The Nigerian Army has refurbished 80 abandoned armoured tanks in various state of disrepair in readiness for its security operations of maintaining law and order in synergy with other security agencies.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, who disclosed this while answering questions from newsmen on activities lined up for the 148th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Army in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said the army was involved in Operation Mesa, Operation Restore Hope, Operation Flush Out 1 and 2, Operation Safe Haven and, the most recent, Operation Restore Order in Borno State.

According to him, in these operations, the army deployed troops to tackle ethno-religious crises, cross border banditry, kidnapping, illegal oil bunkering, criminal militancy and in recent times, the Boko Haram.

The army chief assured Nigerians that in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s policy of stick and carrot, the Nigerian Army would utilise a more robust and integrated military approach to finding a lasting solution to the Boko Haram menace.

He said the army had identified the importance of logistics support, hence new vehicles were procured to enhance operational and administrative efficiency and for combat efficiency noting that the kitting of troops to ensure standardisation was also addressed.

He stated that the army considered the issue of equipment maintenance as a challenge, had, with the support of the president, refurbished and effected repairs on military hardware, while also partnering with indigenous companies to produce some equipment.

The army boss announced that, in order to assist the children of Nigerian Army personnel who died in active service, the scholarship package offered had been enhanced for beneficiaries in primary school to university level.

This, he said, was in line with the present reality and to ensure that these children whose breadwinners paid the supreme price got quality education.

He disclosed that as part of efforts to win the hearts of Nigerians, there would be free medical services in strategic areas in Uyo from Wednesday (yesterday) to next Wednesday.

General Ihejirika further said that one of the elements of national power is the strength of a nation’s military of which the army is one and reaffirmed its commitment to uphold the nation’s constitution and be subservient to constituted authority in the pursuit to ensure peace, security, economic and social development of the country.

The army chief added that this year’s Nigerian Army celebration was significant because it came in the wake of their transformation, national test on democratic practice and the accompanying challenges.

Friday, 01 July 2011 00:00 From Lawrence Njoku (Enugu), Kelvin Ebiri (Yenagoa), and Bertram Nwannekanma (Lagos) News - National

*Another declines jurisdiction over resource control suit

TWO courts in Lagos and Bayelsa states yesterday have resolved some controversial aspects of the 2010 Electoral Act. One of the courts dismissed a suit asking for 90 per cent resource control for states in the Niger Delta.

In the first case, Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos set aside section 140(2) of the Act as amended by the National Assembly in the heat of the preparations for the 2011 general elections. The legislature had removed from the court or tribunal to declare the winner of any election. The lawmakers limited the power of the court to ordering for a re-run instead an outright declaration of a winner.

But yesterday, Justice Okeke ruled that the court or tribunal has power to declare a candidate a winner in an election.

Ruling in a suit filed by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) against the National Assembly on the amended Act, Okeke declared the action of the legislature as “unconstitutional, null, and void.”

Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has dismissed a suit by Niger Delta indigenes seeking for 90 per cent of the total revenue accruable from oil and gas resources to be paid to oil producing states.

But the plaintiffs on the platform of the Niger Delta Project Group, who filed the suit No. FHC/YNG/CS/7/2010, expressed dismay over the judgment and said they would appeal against it.

The trial judge, Justice R.M. Aikawa, said under the 1999 Constitution, a Federal High Court lacks the jurisdiction to adjudicate on matters of revenue allocation.

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were joined as defendants by applicants Idaye C. Opi, Owupele Philemon, Ilamina Agada, Samuel Effik, Patrick Ederi and Emeka Dite Ojoko for themselves and on behalf of the peoples of the Niger Delta.

Justice Aikawa, who read the objections raised by the parties in course of the trial, said his court lacks power to grant the prayers of the plaintiffs to order the Federal Government to pay not less than 90 per cent of oil and gas revenue to Niger Delta states.

He noted that the plaintiffs filed the suit in  pursuant to Section 1 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act; Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009, as the same affect the wealth and natural resources of the peoples of the Niger Delta.

In section 140(2) as amended by the National Assembly, stopped the court or the tribunal from declaring any candidate as a winner in an election without going through an election.

In fact, under the section as amended, the court or tribunal is only empowered to declare for a re-run of an election and not a straight winner.

The court however left section 141 of the Act as amended earlier conceded by the plaintiff (ACN) and section 87( for being constitutional.

The court in its ruling said section 141 remained valid and should stay in an agreement with the positions of parties because according to him, whoever that does not participate in party primaries or does not take part in an election cannot be declared as the winner.

On section 87( of the Electoral Act, Justice Okeke held that if election must be free and fair, all parties must be in the same level playing ground, as such, the section is relevant.

He said: “It is my humble view that section 87( is a valid provision in the interest of peace so that all contestants will be on equal footing.

The ACN had urged the court to strike out section 87( of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended for being inconsistent with section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and is accordingly “inoperative, null and void.”

The party also urged the court to declare that the enactment of section 140(2) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended is ultra vires the powers of the National Assembly by virtue of sections 1(3), 4(, 6(1)&(2), 6(6)(a)&(b), 239(1), 246 and 285 of the Constitution

The National Assembly through its counsel, Sebastine  Hon (SAN) urged the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the public concern on the two identified issues informed the promulgation of section 87(, 141 and other relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended.

Hon, who questioned the locus standi of the party to institute the suit, argued that while he agrees that any Act of the National Assembly that is in conflict with any provision of the constitution is null and void, he, however, disagreed that the National Assembly has no constitutional competence to enact section 140(2) of the Electoral Act 2010.

According to him, the Constitution has in section 4(1) and (2) and item 2 of the Exclusive Legislative list granted the National Assembly powers to enact sections 141 and 87( of the Electoral Act and that these provisions are in no way in conflict with the Constitution.

He urged the court to reject the claims of the plaintiff that the two sections be struck down as the enactment of section 87( and 141 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended are regular, valid and constitutional.

But Justice Aikawa in the resource control suit declared that reference to “peoples” in the said Charter is not a reference to a particular locality, class of people, or a section of Nigeria. According to him, the word “people” under the charter refers to the citizens of Nigeria.

The government had contented in the suit that the Niger Delta is not a signatory to the treaty that gave rise to the African Charter, but Nigeria as an entity.

Based on these grounds, Justice Aikawa dismissed the suit, which started early last year.

But counsel to the plaintiffs, Idaye Opi told The Guardian that the judgment would be appealed after his clients had studied the judgement.

hercules07:
Why is there so much outcry about Islamic Banking ( started by Christians Joseph Sanusi and Soludo) and none against Christian Higher Institutions, most of the Private Higher Institutions we have are owned by Christians, what muslims did was just to establish their own, infact, it can be said that "higher" indoctrination can occur in these schools than in banks, if christians feel threatened by the Islamic banks, they should start their own Christian banks, lets see how many of them will adhere to Christian principles when it comes to banking .

Friday, 01 July 2011 00:00 From Terhemba Daka, Abuja News - National

Give ultimatum on Edo, Delta communal disputes

TO check the occurrence of violent crises between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the country, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to prepare a policy that makes provisions for specific grazing areas for itinerant herdsmen.

The House, after observing a minute silence in honour of two soldiers killed in the recent crisis in Benue, urged the Federal Government to immediately revisit the report of the committee headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar on a similar crisis set up in 2007.

This is just as it urged members of the security agencies to step up intelligence efforts in the area with a bid to preventing unnecessary loss of lives.

The House’s resolution was sequel to a motion brought by Emmanuel Jime on the incidence of communal crises between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers in parts of Benue and Nasarawa states.

The parliament’s decision which was unanimously adopted through a voice vote also resolved to constitute an ad-hoc  committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis and further proffer solutions, just as it urged the governments of Benue and Nasarawa states to intervene in the crisis and provide security in the affected areas.

The session presided over yesterday by the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, had as an interim measure, also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately send relief materials to the various refugee camps in Benue as well as Nasarawa in order to assist victims and affected families to settle.

Leading the debate on the motion, the sponsor, Emmanuel Jime had decried the spate of conflicts between itinerant herdsmen and Tiv farmers resulting in several killings, and displacement of thousands of Tiv people over the disputes on farmlands and grazing corridors.

Painting a gory picture of the crisis in an emotion-laden voice, the lawmaker disclosed that over 50 Tiv men, women and children had been killed in the crisis and some of the victims had some vital parts of their bodies such as eyes, private parts and hearts removed.

Jime said: “Two soldiers including Lt. Ikenna Anyanwu and his colleague deployed around a Catholic Secondary School in Udei were reportedly ambushed and killed by the invaders.”

He noted that the Tiv and nomadic Fulani people had co-existed peacefully and used the same fields for both farming and grazing for over hundreds of years in the present states of Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau and others in the Middle Belt region with a traditional mechanism for resolving conflicts.

Jime, however, lamented that the crisis had displaced more than 40,000 people including women who were living under difficult conditions and in lack of food, water, clothing materials and medical care in five camps at Daudu, Ortese, Igyungu-adze in Guma and Makurdi Local Councils.

“The pupils of the primary schools at Daudu and Igyungu-adze towns in Guma Local Council Area have been sent on forced holiday by the council Education Authority due to the Fulani-Tiv communal strife”, he said.

In a related development, the House of Representatives has given the Nigerian Boundary Commission   a   two-week ultimatum to submit its report on the resolution of the boundary dispute involving some communities in Edo and Delta states.

The lower house also urged the governors of the states to as a matter of urgency to employ all means to ensure that the disputes between their border lines were resolved immediately.

The Federal Government was also urged to initiate internal security measures involving the mobilization of officers and men of the Nigeria police force to check attacks on rural communities.

The resolution followed a motion moved by Ndudi Elumelu who drew the attention of members to the breach of peace and threat to lives and property as a result of the boundary dispute.

The dispute according to him, is between the Ewohimi and Ohordua communities in Edo and Idumuje-Ugboko, Idumuje-Unor, Anor Aniofu, Ugbodu, Ukwuzu,Ugboba Ubuluhu, Ogodor and Anioma communities of Delta state.

He said the areas had been known to be involved in land disputes for long which necessitated the involvement of the boundary commission in 2002. The former deputy governors of the state were also said to have intervened in the matter.

According to him, because the boundary commission has failed to come out with its report, the crisis has lingered, fighting in the area has continued and farming in the communities has been grossly affected.

iragbijile:
No, do you mind telling me? I never applied there because I think working at Walmart is beneath me.

Anyway, how hard is it to get a job at walmart? Do they hire people with advanced degrees? People with very high IQs ( like 140 and above, because mine is just a lil under 140).

Sir, how hard is it? I 'd like to know.

If they only hire people with 140 and above IQ points, then I can understand how hard it is to get hired at Walmart.

BTW, to put things in perspective, 140 and higher !Q points = people with the ability to win Nobel prizes.

chamber2:
Mr.Jarus

I can understand that you are an ardent supporter of SLS and his policies.Your posts seem not to be in defends of Islamic Banking rather SLS.There is nothing wrong with that anyway.I believe every young man who is desirous of making impact in the society will tend to identify with certain line of thought.I did same during the time of soludo.But do you think SLS, as the CBN governor, should be championing the idea of islamic banking knowing fully well how sensitive religious issues are in this country? 

The CBN governor, as far as my knowledge can carry me, is not expected to dabble into issues capable of aggravating the economy.The idea of islamic banking is capable of leading Nigeria into another civil war.Even in core Islamic states like pakistan, the idea of islamic banking generated a lot of heat in 2004.Please read the abridged article from wiki below:

''In Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 16, 2004: Members of leading Islamist political party in Pakistan, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) party, staged a protest walkout from the National Assembly of Pakistan against what they termed derogatory remarks by a minority member on interest banking:

Taking part in the budget debate, M.P. Bhindara, a minority MNA [Member of the National Assembly], referred to a decree by an Al-Azhar University's scholar that bank interest was not un-Islamic. He said without interest the country could not get foreign loans and could not achieve the desired progress. A pandemonium broke out in the house over his remarks as a number of MMA members, rose from their seats in protest and tried to respond to Mr Bhindara's observations. However, they were not allowed to speak on a point of order that led to their walkout,  Later, the opposition members were persuaded by a team of ministers, to return to the house, the government team accepted the right of the MMA to respond to the minority member's remarks,  Sahibzada Fazal Karim said the Council of Islamic ideology had decreed that interest in all its forms was haram in an Islamic society. Hence, he said, no member had the right to negate this settled issue.[42]
Some Islamic banks charge for the time value of money, the common economic definition of Interest (Riba). These institutions are criticized in some quarters of the Muslim community for their lack of strict adherence to Sharia.'' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_banking

Now tell me how this system will succeed in a secular state like Nigeria?

pleep:
^ what they need is an a$s kickin isnt this a public road?

Aregbesola blames poor roads on FG
On June 30, 2011 · In News
BY GBENGA OLARINOYE
OSOGBO—Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has blamed the Federal Government for the poor state of the federal highways and major cause of road accidents that often lead to loss of lives and property across the country.

Speaking yesterday, when he received the Federal Road Safety Corp, FRSC, Marshall, Osita Chidoka, the governor said his administration would ensure that carnage on the state roads was reduced by the introduction of specific speed limit.

According to him, “it is impossible for only one federal government agency, that is, Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, to be responsible for the maintenance of all the roads in a country as large as Nigeria. Honesty, it is a clear indication to inefficiency, incompetence and corruption. Even if angels who see the heaven and earth come to drive on our roads as it is now, God knows, there will be accidents”.

We must not forget the physical condition of the roads, the roads are terrible not because we are poor, but because the resources that are available is not being properly utilized.

Let there be federal government officials working with the state to ensure that whatever you intend to spend on the maintenance is not only justified, but accurate and once the roads are maintained, claims must be paid. That is how it is done everywhere in the world, where there is commitment, efficiency and accountability.”

Reiterating the commitment of his administration to partner with the FRSC to safety of lives on the roads, the governor said that part of what Osun Youths Empowerment Scheme (OYES) cadets would do was traffic management,  “We will ensure that it is difficult for anybody to die on our roads and before March next year we will reach that stage.

We will put people on our roads to ensure that the road users do not exceed a particular limit to the extent that even if you have accident with than limit, you will not die. Even if you want to die, we will not allow you to die on our roads”.

Earlier, Mr. Chidoka lamented the high rate of road accidents in Nigeria, lamenting that it had subjected several families to different untold grief.

He said for FRSC to achieve its goals, there was the need to increase its capacity at the state and local government levels.

Thursday, 30 June 2011 00:00 From Madu Onuorah (Abuja), Joshua Nse (Lagos) Charles Ogugbuaja (Owerri) and Laolu Akande (New York) News - National

Army plans special units to tackle Boko Haram, others

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has recalled the Inspector- General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, who has been visiting the United States (U.S.), to contend with the alarming insecurity at home.

Confirming the recall, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the U.S., Prof. Ade Adefuye said Ringim’s planned public lectures and meetings in the U.S. had all been cancelled as he was billed to leave for Nigeria later yesterday.

Also, the Nigerian Army is set to respond to the security challenge posed by the violence that has been unleashed on the nation by the Boko Haram group and others.

The response is anchored on a plan to set up some specialised units as part of efforts to contain growing violent activities like those of the Boko Haram.

Adefuye did not disclose the cause of the IG’s recall home, but official sources say the President may hold an urgent meeting today or tomorrow with all his service chiefs on the state of security in the country.

That meeting may be followed by another one where the service chiefs may be meeting with the Senate, which has also asked the top security chiefs to explain the state of security in the nation. But the Senate has not fixed a time for its meting with the chiefs.

There has been concerns about the timing of Ringim’s visit since his arrival in the U.S. on Sunday night considering the persistence of the Boko Haram attacks in parts of the country, especially after the June 16 bombing of the police head office in Abuja. While away, world bodies including the European Union have been calling for an effective response from the Federal Government against the bombings and the perpetrators to avoid a state of impunity.

Although previous media reports had said the Inspector-General’s visit to the U.S. capital was for talks with U.S. officials on the security situation in Nigeria, sources said the President believed that the IG’s attention was more needed at home.

The IG was supposed to complete his trip to the U.S. by weekend as he had planned a five-day working visit, having arrived on Sunday and planned meetings with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and also expected to hold talks with State Department officials.

Besides, the IG was to deliver a keynote address on: “The challenge of police reform in Africa” at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in Washington DC today, while he was also billed to meet with the influential Corporate Council for Africa on this trip.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Onyeabor Azubike Ihejirika, said yesterday that the army was also modifying its training modules, laying more emphasis on mental agility than on physical prowess as a requirement for enlistment and advancement within the system.

Though the army boss did not elaborate on the many specialised units coming, he told journalists in Abuja as part of the activities kicking off this year’s Nigerian Army Day Celebrations (NADCEL) that a dog unit would soon be part of the specialised arms that would assist troops in doing an excellent job while on internal security operations.

The NADCEL, which is used to commemorate the setting up of the Nigerian Army in 1863, holds on July 6 of every year. This year’s event will hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Ihejirika said that the army had modified its training programmes in order to emphasize mental alertness as a major component of its operations.

According to him, “we are going to establish some dog units. Dogs are loyal and have far-reaching effects. It will complement our efforts (especially with internal security operations.) The training of our soldiers today will be a lot modified. Efforts will be more on the mental agility than on physical agility. Towards this, we have even lowered our height requirements so that we will take shorter people who are more mentally alert.”

He noted that for the special units coming into place, “already, some officers will travel abroad while others will be trained locally to man the new units. Briefly, a number of units and new training programmes are lined up and we have started implementing them.”

Gen. Ihejirika, who spoke on the Boko Haram threat during the interaction with the media, said that though the army had deployed in Borno State as part of its assistance to the civil authorities, “the operation in the Borno State operations is not an outright operation. The involvement of the army is because of the sophistication of the type of weapons we use and the special training given to personnel.”

He stated that the tactics of the Boko Haram were new in that “the terrorists live among the people. They need to be exposed in order for them to be arrested. Sometimes, they may not have the weapons in their individual houses. It is possible they have hideouts. Ninety per cent of the job in internal security operations like the one in Borno State require intelligence gathering and patriotism. Nigerians must come out and expose these chaps. And I assure all Nigerians that any information given out will be handled professionally.

“The Boko Haram violence thrives because there are several unpatriotic Nigerians who are aiding and abetting them. No one should be intimidated by the so-called Boko Haram. They are cowards. If they were not, why don’t they operate in the open? For us, the issue is that people are being killed unnecessarily. And people are committing crimes for no just cause. This cannot be left to continue. They have only capitalised on the general complacency of Nigerians to do one or two things they have been able to do. They are perpetrating criminality that should not be given any chance under any guise. Nigerians should be more security conscious. Security could be beaten in various ways. And Nigerians are gift-conscious. You could be made to carry a bomb without your knowing it. Explosives could be in liquid form.”

He said that that part of the solution to the operation of insurgent groups and other criminal elements was “to awaken the security consciousness of Nigerians. That is very important. If a market woman sees a bag dropped in her stall, she should be able to alert security personnel. If there are jobless people riding big cars, people should ask questions.

Author of this article: From Madu Onuorah (Abuja), Joshua Nse (Lagos) Charles Ogugbuaja (Owerri) and Laolu Akande (New York)

•We’re working towards that -COAS
Written by Chris Agbambu, Abuja Thursday, 30 June 2011

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Nigerian Army to play a key role in ensuring that Boko Haram members, who have killed over 1,000 innocent Nigerians, are wiped out once and for all.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika, who disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday while briefing newsmen on the activities lined up for the 2011 Nigerian Army Celebration Day (NADCEL), announced that the Army would be setting up some special units towards this end.

According to him, some of the officers to be involved in the special units had already left for abroad for training, while the rest would be trained locally in various military institutions, adding that the Army had established a robust dog unit that would assist it in investigation and intelligence gathering.

The army chief said that internal security operations everywhere were civil-led and not outright military operations, adding that the Boko Haram tactics were new, as the terrorists lived among people and they needed to be exposed and arrested.

He disclosed that when they were arrested, the arms were not usually found on them, because they had a hiding place for them.

The Chief of Army Staff, said that the army was leading the operation, as it was an intelligence gathering one, and that it would need the cooperation of community leaders .

He said that the involvement of the military in the operation was mainly because of the sophistication and the type of weapons Boko Haram used, adding that amnesty or dialogue with any group was not the concern of the army.

“Our concern is that people are committing crimes and killing people and this must stop.”

General Ihejirika said because Boko Haram had succeeded in detonating one or two bombs did not make them invicinble, that their action was purely criminal that must be contained at all costs.

On how far the joint Army/Police investigation into the killing of the DPO and DCO of Badagry division last month had gone, the army chief said that they were waiting for the report and that once it was submitted, they would take it up from there, as the army did not condone indiscipline, stressing that it was painful for a soldier to display act of indiscipline, because he was wearing uniform that could be removed from him, once he misbehaved outside the barracks.

The army boss lamented that there were several unpatriotic Nigerians that were abetting the Boko Haram sect, and if the army fought the Civil War to keep this country one it was ready to make the same supreme sacrifice to ensure peace in the country.

“Nobody should be indicated or harassed by the Boko Haram sect in any part of the country,” he said, noting that one of the greatest problems Nigerians had was that they were too accommodating to strangers, even with the country’s borders.

He charged the immigration and Customs officials attached to the borders, where the arms and explosives were being brought in, to have a change of attitude to their duties. He stated that criminality would be checked if they effectively policed the borders.

The army chief added that the army had good reasons to celebrate elaborately this year’s NADCEL, having achieved a lot within the past one year as they had continued to build upon the gains recorded over the years.

According to him, “we have fully subordinated ourselves to civil authority and remained apolitical in our professional duties and constitutional roles.”

At the global level, he said that the army had contributed immensely to improving Nigeria’s image through its widely acknowledged roles in bringing peace to troubled areas under the United Nations and African Union peace support operations.

The army, he stated, had set standards in the areas of internal security as it had also reviewed and improved on its training in conventional and internal security operations with the various formations in its training institutions and units.

The army chief added that the Nigerian Army peacekeeping centre in Jaji is now recognised as one of the best training institutions for peace support operations in the world.

The Chief of Army Staff assured Nigerians that in line with President Jonathan’s vision of stick and carrot, the army would, in aid of civil authority, utilise a more robust and integrated military approach to finding a lasting solution to the Boko-Haram canker.

He announced that as part of the larger Nigerian society, the army had identified the need, more than ever before, for a more cordial civil/military relationship in the quest for a developed Nigeria and had consequently created the department of Civil Military Affairs headed by an officer of the rank of a Major General.

nuclearboy:
This lie continues to amaze me especially when it is the bedrock of ALL accusations against Buhari.

For your information, Buhari was NOT a part of the coup that brought him to power. The person who planned and executed it died during the coup - his name was Brigadier Bako. The void created by his death compelled the coupists to fight amongst themselves at which point they decided to invite their "honest" senior, Gen Buhari, to take over. Those old enough will recollect Abacha announced the coup at 6am, Jan 1. At noon, a voice (Idiagbon) again announced the new head of state would address the Nation later that same day. However, Gen Buhari did not speak until the next day - they were trying to convince him.

All this can be checked on the web - MKO's official autobiography is a good start. It was OBJ who first decided to give Buhari a bad name by calling him Jihadist etc. After that (2003), pdp has thrown every name at him and many who consider themselves educated have been lapping it up like puppies.

hercules07:
Thank you nuclear boy.

hercules07:
@noble
The two groups are taking up arms against constituted authority, no matter their motivation, they are the same, they are both killing innocent people and are undermining the country, most of the VAT in Nigeria is generated from Lagos, should Lagosian too take up arms?
Buhari remains a man of integrity and if GEJ had just 10% of this man's integrity, Nigeria will be a better place.