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Haliburton: US accuses Nigeria of cover-up, releases evidence •Envoy, AGF, Waziri, Sanusi, Seriki in secret meeting
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Written by Lanre Adewole

CONTRARY to the repeated claims of the erstwhile Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Michael Aondoakaa, the United States, on Tuesday, disclosed that it had released information needed by the Nigerian government to prosecute those indicted over the Halliburton scam.

This came as the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders, held a meeting behind closed doors with Aondoakaa’s successor-in-office, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode; Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi and Minister of State for Interior, Chief Demola Seriki, on Tuesday, at the Ministry for Justice.

The agenda of the meeting was kept secret, even as the chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji Ahmadu Giade, was asked to stay at the minister’s outer office along with journalists.

Before the closed-door parley commenced, Sanders and Kayode had met with journalists present, where the envoy waved off the excuse Aondoakaa had clung to, which effectively halted the probe in Nigeria.

America had jailed some top officials of the firm of the scam, while the probe committee set up by Aondoakaa which had the former Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro, as its head, had been marooned in the middle of nowhere.

The ultimatum given to the committee to submit its report had long expired, with the former AGF being accused of deliberately stalling the probe due to his alleged personal interest that borders on gratification.

The disclosure by the envoy, on Tuesday, reinforced the suspicion of deliberate stalling of the probe by the former AGF, who once said the information received by Nigerian government on the scam was mostly in French and interpreters could not be found in Nigeria to translate it to English.

Apart from disclosing that America had not hidden any information from Nigeria on the matter, Sanders also promised that her country would be ready to assist Nigeria with more information in prosecuting those indicted in Nigeria.

She noted that it was surprising that long after America had concluded the international angle to the scam, the Nigerian government was yet to reach any defining point.

When a question was asked on the reason for the delay in prosecuting the local angle to the scam in Nigeria, she asked the reporter to direct his question to the new AGF, while encouraging Nigeria to be more effective in her anti-corruption crusade.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the agenda of the meeting was on how the United States could be of assistance to Nigeria in the fight against corruption, with the repatriation of those wanted for alleged corrupt acts in Nigeria topping the list.

It was learnt that the case of wanted former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Dr Erastus Akingbola, was prominent during the meeting, with a source disclosing that his planned repatriation had reached an advanced stage.

The source said the US would be of help in getting Akingbola repatriated into the country, even if he was not domiciled in America.

The source added that America’s hold on international diplomacy would be of tremendous assistance in bringing the likes of Akingbola back to the country to face trial for alleged corruption.

Other ongoing corruption cases that have international angle to them, which had been tottering during Aondoakaa days, were also said to have been discussed, with the source adding that a new life would be breathed into the cases after the meeting.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/1466-haliburton-us-accuses-nigeria-of-cover-up-releases-evidence-envoy-agf-waziri-sanusi-seriki-in-secret-meeting.html

I disagree with my father’s one Nigeria concept –Zik’s son
From KASSIDY UCHENDU, Nsukka
Wednesday, February 17, 2010


• Zik
Photo: Sun Publishing
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Although Chief Chukwuma Bamidele Azikiwe, the present Owelle of Onitsha and first son of Nigeria’s first President and Governor-general, the late Rt. Hon Dr Nnamadi Azikiwe, shares in the aspiration and ideology of one Nigeria of his late father, he still believes that this ideology has become anachronistic.

Chief Azikiwe, who expressed this opinion in an interview with Daily Sun at Nsukka, said the ideology has out-lived its usefulness, pointing out that the ideology served as a tool to keep Nigeria together for the attainment of independence.
“Every era carries with it peculiar problems and solution and what was necessary at that time might not be needed in our own era”, the Owelle opined.

He, however, re-affirmed his strong faith in one and indivisible Nigeria and the principle of unity in diversity, but said no one tribe should be left alone to face the challenges posed by the unity.
“God knows why he had to bring the various ethnic nationalities together”, he noted and urged Nigerians to learn to tolerate one another in order to achieve enduring unity.

“Colonialism and racism are no longer the menace in Africa”, he observed, pointing out that the pre-independence leaders had to unite to be able to wrest power from Britain.
Repudiating racism, the Owelle re-called that time was when Nigerians were barred from being seen in Ikoyi area of Lagos State after 6p.m.

“My father was a pan-Africanist and a strong advocate of one and indivisible nation. I also preach it myself, but I advise Nigerians to play down on those things that divide us while emphasizing the things that unite us”, Chief Azikiwe stressed.
He frowned at the use of divisive sentiments by some politicians to divide the country to serve their selfish interests, saying this has been the bane of the country.
He described Nigerians as wonderful people, pointing out, however, that there are “good and bad Igbos, good and bad Yorubas and similarly, good and bad Hausas.”

The Owelle speaking generally on the state of the nation emphasized the need for the implementation of the pertinent parts of the Mohammed Uwais electoral reform report, stressing that good governance cannot be attained in the country without true and sustainable democracy.
According to him, only a good electoral process can ensure the emergence of popular candidates in elections even as he regretted that in the present situation of selection instead of election in the country seem to be the order of the day.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/feb/17/national-17-02-2010-16.htm

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

LAGOS — As part of the effort to reduce the high rate of unemployment in Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola has launched a job registration website portal for graduates and undergraduates in the state.

Fashola, while launching the website yesterday at the Lagos State auditorium, Ikeja, said: “The website is another opportunity for youths who are still unemployed to become self-reliant by linking up to the free website for job registration.”

The Governor who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Sarah Sosan, described the website, ‘www.jobcreation.lagosstate.gov.ng’ as a new and fresh opportunity of stimulating provision of jobs by linking job seekers with prospective employers.

He added that this would lead to creating entrepreneurship initiatives as well as skill acquisition and empowerment programmes and stated that the initiative would not only remove the stress of linking job seekers to their employers but also reduce the rate of crime in the country.

The governor also urged all employers of labour to make good use of the portal because the state government could not do it alone it

Speaking earlier, Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Tola Kasali said the opportunity that the portal offered was not only for job seekers, but also as reference point for data collection and demographers in the state.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/02/17/lagos-launches-website-for-unemployed-youths/

Don’t Dissolve Cabinet Now, Saraki Tells Jonathan
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja, 02.17.2010

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Leader of the Northern Union, Dr. Olusola Saraki, yesterday advised Acting Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan not to listen to calls by some Nigerians to dissolve the Executive Council of the Federation (ECOF), stating that it is too early in the day to do so.
Saraki, who spoke in Abuja, after the elders council meeting of the Northern Union, said Jonathan should continue to act in office as long as President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua is alive, because there is no limit to how long he should act.

He said, “there is no need to dissolve the FEC. The changes so far made is enough. In our meeting, we discussed that and concluded that it is too early in the day to dissolve the Federal Executive Council. There is indeed no need for that, because this is still the same government.

He, however, handed down a 10-point agenda of things the Acting President should do for Nigerians. According to him, they include, an immediate conclusion of electoral democracy, which he described as the heart of democracy.

Others are implementation of the post amnesty programme, a decisive action on the power sector, completion of the dredging of the River Niger, accent to the bill for formation of the hydro-electric power producing area commission, strenghtening of the anti-corruption agencies like the ICPC and the EFCC among others.He also commended the National Assembly for passing the resolution making Jonathan the Acting President.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=166670

Jonathan Elected ECOWAS Chair
•Talks tough against undemocratic change of govt
From George Oji and Etim Imisin in Abuja, 02.17.2010

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Nigeria’s leadership of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was extended for another year last night as Acting President Goodluck Jonathan was elected the new chairman of the sub-regional body.

Ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had steered the ship of the association for a year until he fell ill, a development which had twice forced the postponement of the 37th Summit of the body.

Meanwhile, in his address at the summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Gover-nment at the Hilton Hotel Abuja, Jonathan talked tough, condemning what he described as the undemocratic efforts by some elements at carrying out political change in the sub-region.

He warned that henceforth the West African sub-region would no longer tolerate any acts of political mis-adventure.
The re-election of Nigeria to chair the West African sub-region for the next one year, according to a communique read at the end of summit by the out-going President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, was in solidarity with the country and in recognition of her significant contributions to the survival of the organisation.

The Heads of State paid glowing tributes to President Yar’Adua for displaying great qualities of a statesman, particularly his total and ready disposition to the ECOWAS causes and positive contributions to the consolidation of the regional integration process as well as to the entrenchment of democratic culture in West Africa.

The leaders also wished Yar’Adua speedy recovery.
While welcoming Jonathan to the helm of affairs of ECOWAS, the leaders expressed their conviction that under Jonathan’s guidance, Nigeria would continue to demonstrate her interest and leadership in deepening the regional agenda.

In a seeming reference to the unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea in 2008 and the killing of about 300 protesting civilians by the Guinean soldiers in 2009, Jonathan said: “Your Excellencies will recall that we were confronted with a number of most undemocratic efforts at political change. In a few of our countries the will of the people and their genuine aspiration for democracy were trampled upon with impunity.

“Let it be stated again that no place exists in this sub-region for such rape on the rights and indeed dignity of our people. No more will there be comfort zone for such political mis-adventure.”
On the emerging trend of terrorism and drug trafficking in the sub-region, the Acting President appealed to the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to evolve joint strategies to stem the ugly trend.

Jonathan called on the leaders to take advantage of the summit to explore ways and means of harnessing their collective energies in partnership with the international community to put a halt to the ugly tide.
The Acting President in addition expressed concern at the deliberate breaching of the full implementation of the sub-region’s protocol on free movement of persons, goods and services and the right of residence by his colleague presidents in the region.

He warned that ECOWAS might be compelled to sanction any of the countries’ officials found to be deliberately flouting the letter and spirit of the protocol.
On the issue of the proposed ECOWAS common currency, the ECO, Jonathan said he was optimistic that all hands would be on deck to ensure that the project, which he described as long overdue would soon be actualized.

On the Customs Union for the sub-region, the Acting President expressed delight that the Common External Tariff (CETT) had witnessed substantial progress, particularly in the re-classification of products that will fall under the 5th band tariff classification.
He said the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiation with the European Union (EU) offers ECOWAS countries an important platform to re-state the need for a firm financial commitment from the EU on funding the EPA development programmes.

He said it was gratifying that regional and national agricultural investment programmes had been finalized, which culminated in the international donors conference that held in Abuja in November last year.
He expressed confidence that all the stakeholders would fulfill the pledges made at the conference.

Out-going President of ECOWAS Commission who was last year elected Secretary-General of the 79 member countries of African Carribean Pacific (ACP) was replaced by a fellow country man, Ambassador Victor Gbeho as the new President of ECOWAS Commission.

The Heads of States congratulated Chambas for the outstanding achievements recorded in the sub-region during his tenure in office, particularly the impressive and brilliant contributions he made in opening the ECOWAS integration avenues.

Those who attended yesterday’s summit included Dr. Thomas Boni Yayi of the Republic of Benin, Blaise Compare of Bokino Faso, Pedro Pres of Cape Verde, Professor John Evans Atta Mills of Ghana and Malam Bacai Sanha of Guinea Republic.
Others are Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone and Faure Gnassingbe of Togo. Three countries including the Republic of Gambia, Cote d’Voire and Mali were represented.


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=166678

US simplifies visa application process for Nigeria, others
By Simon Utebor, Published: Wednesday, 17 Feb 2010








THE United States has simplified visa application process for Nigerians and other countries with the introduction of new online form.

The Consular Coordinator for the US Mission in Nigeria, Mr. Richard Walsh, at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, stated that the new online form, DS-160, replaced the previous application forms: DS-156 ‘non-immigrant visa application; DS-157 ‘supplemental non-immigrant visa application; and DS-158 ‘contact information and work history for non-immigrant visa applicants‘.

Walsh, who said that the new online form would take effect from March 1, noted that visa applicants in Abuja and Lagos would now access the Consular Electronic Application Centre website to complete the new application form.

He said, ”DS-160 is an interactive online form that replaces all past application forms. The form will eliminate the need for paper application forms because visa applicants will be required to submit the application electronically.”

He said that with the DS-160, applicants would print just a confirmation sheet to bring to their interviews, noting that currently, applicants would complete their forms online but must print them out before their interviews.

He listed the advantages of the new online form to include one form for every one instead of three to choose from; completely online - nothing to fill out by hand; family and group feature - no need to fill in identical data more than once; save feature - applicant does not need to complete all at once; frequent applicants can save application for re-use and printing of only a single confirmation page.

He reminded applicants that providing accurate and complete information on the DS-160 application before submitting it was essential.

He said that incorrect or missing information would cause a delay in completing one‘s interview, explaining that applicants should save an electronic copy of their DS-160 application in case changes were necessary.

He said that that the US government was introducing the new application worldwide as part of a larger effort to use new technologies to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the visa application process.

He said, ”Over the past two years, select US embassies have been using the Ds-160 on a test basis. It is now being deployed at US visa sections worldwide, including both Lagos and Abuja in Nigeria.”

He said the requirement to use the DS-160 applied only to non-immigrant visa applicants, stressing that persons applying for immigrant or fiancé visas should continue to use the existing application process.

Walsh emphasised that only the visa form and the way applicants submit it had changed.

He said that eligibility and documentary requirements for all visas remained unchanged and that applicants must still demonstrate that they are qualified for a visa under the US immigration law.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002172384021

New generation telecoms acquires NITEL



By Camillus Eboh


February 16, 2010 05:03PM
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A consortium involving China Unicom bid $2.5 billion on Tuesday for the former state telecoms monopoly in Nigeria, one of the world's fastest growing markets, the privatization body said.

The National Council on Privatization said New Generation Telecommunications Ltd. had become the preferred bidder for Nitel, which Nigeria has struggled to sell since liberalization in 2001 made it uncompetitive against rivals.

The privatization body said the consortium included China Unicom (Hong Kong) Limited, Minerva Group of Dubai and local company GiCell Wireless Limited. Their precise holdings in the consortium were not immediately available.

China, Africa's biggest trading partner, has invested billions of dollars in the continent in recent years, going far beyond its initial emphasis on mineral extraction.

Nigeria invited expressions of interest in July for a minimum of a 75 percent stake in the Nitel conglomerate or a stake in one or several of its components, including mobile arm MTEL, the South Atlantic Terminal underwater cable (SAT-3) and its domestic fixed line network.

After the bid is approved by the privatization council, the group will have 10 days to pay 30 percent of the purchase price and a further 50 days to pay the rest. The reserve bidder was Omen International Ltd (BVI) with a bid of $956 million.

"We will pay within the stipulated time. We did not make a hypothetical offer," said Abubakar Usman from New Generation.

South Africa's MTN was among the bidders, but only for a stake in the SAT-3 underwater cable.

Nigeria has overtaken South Africa to become the biggest telecoms market in Africa.

But the government has struggled to sell the firm mainly because of the shambolic state of its fixed line infrastructure.

Its fixed lines have fallen to less than 100,000 from five times that number in 2001 and MTEL subscribers have dropped to a few thousand from over 1 million.

Nigeria ended Nitel's monopoly in 2001 and tried to sell it the same year. But preferred bidders failed to pay the $1.3 billion price tag by the deadline, leaving it in state hands.

Local conglomerate Transcorp later bought a majority state in the firm but the government took back control last June, citing a lack of investment and unpaid debts.

Nigeria came close to selling Nitel in late 2005 to Egypt's Orascom Telecom, but the government rejected the $257 million offer as too low.

Reuters


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5527697-146/new_generation_telecoms_acquires_nitel_.csp

Abdul-Mutallab: US embassy denies Ondo legislators visas
By Sunday Aborisade, Akure, Published: Saturday, 13 Feb 2010








Twenty-four members of the Ondo State House of Assembly were denied visas to travel to the United States of America by the country‘s embassy in Nigeria last week.

Our correspondent learnt that the lawmakers, who are currently on working recess, were scheduled to travel to the US for a two-week seminar from the middle of this month.

It was further learnt that the action of the US embassy might not be unconnected with the new regulations released after the attempted suicide bombing of an American airliner on December 25 last year alleged to have involved a Nigerian, Farouk Abdul-Mutallab.

Only the Speaker, Mr. Abdulsalam Taofik, and three principal officers of the Assembly, who had applied for visas before the December incident, were not affected by the action of the US embassy.

”The remaining 22 legislators who applied after the December 25th 2009 incident were turned down,” a source said.

Confirming the development, the member representing Ilaje State Constituency II, Mr. Otito Atikase, said the US government‘s action against them was unpleasant, callous and a slap on Nigeria as a nation.

He noted that what happened on December 25th which allegedly involved Abdul-Mutallab did not make other 150 million Nigerians criminals.

However, the Speaker in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Thursday, said it was not true that the US embassy denied his colleagues visas.

He explained that the Assembly agreed to attend the seminar in three countries including the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

“Why should Atikase be spreading unfounded rumours? He did not apply for the US; he applied for the Canadian visa and we are already processing that for him,” Taofik said.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002133432339

Lagos rated ‘fifth worst city’
By Chux Ohai, Published: Saturday, 13 Feb 2010





Lagos City


The city of Lagos has been listed as the fifth worst city in the world, following a survey carried out recently by the Economist Intelligence Unit. This was made known in a statement published online on Friday by Reuters.

According to the survey, 140 cities were ranked 30 factors, such as healthcare, environment, culture, education, and security, to mention but a few.

The Canadian coastal city of Vancouver tops the list of 10 most liveable cities in the world, closely followed by Vienna, Melbourne and Toronto. The others include Calgary, Helsinki, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland.

African cities dominate the list of less liveable cities with Johannesburg, one of the designated venues of the 2010 World Cup occupying the 92nd position.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002133423215

Dora rejects Aondoakaa's apology

NEXT



February 12, 2010 06:50PM
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The Minister of information and communication, Dora Akunyili has rejected the apology from the minister of Special duties, Michael Aondoakaa, requesting that the latter makes his apology formal and publish same in the media within the next seven days of face legal actions.

After two weeks of grandstanding, Mr. Aondoakaa on Wednesday apologised to Mrs. Akunyili, over his comments about her time at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

In a report by The Nation newspaper on February 8, Mr. Aondokaa allegedly accused Mrs. Akunyili of trying to make herself an angel and a cheap hero who wants to be seen as a populist. "Let her go confront herself with what happened in NAFDAC," the former Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice was quoted to have said.

The development is a fallout of Mrs. Akunyili's position during a meeting by the Executive Council of the Federation.

At the meeting Mrs. Akunyili had presented a memo on the need for the Executive Council to do the right thing as regards the president's health, to the annoyance of some ministers including Mr. Aondokaa, who said she did not follow due process.

Read the full text of the letter Mrs Akunyili's lawyer wrote to Mr. Aondoakaa


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5526017-146/dora_rejects_aondoakaas_apology__.csp

An agenda for Jonathan
NEXT Editorial

February 11, 2010 01:18AM
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The momentum of the history that was made on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, when the two arms of the National Assembly finally agreed to break the political paralysis caused by a president in absentia must not be allowed to ebb. Acting President Mr. Goodluck Jonathan must proceed with full force and determination to break the lethargy that has pervaded the country since November 23, last year.

The good thing about the transition is that Mr. Jonathan is not in any way a stranger in the corridors of power. He has served as governor for a total of six years, and as vice president for the last two. Time enough for him to be familiar with the instruments of power andoffice and to have observed from a vantage point the rights and wrongs of the man he has just succeeded.

This is not a time to be timid in the exercise of power. The new acting president must set his priorities right. As he acknowledged in his maiden broadcast on Tuesday night, ‘‘It is now time for us to move on in a more determined manner to tackle the various challenges which we face as a nation. Our march towards Vision 20-2020 is irreversible. Therefore, we see a need to prioritise a few of the most critical areas, which continue to plague our effort at engendering meaningful economic growth and development. Some of these critical sectors include power, infrastructure, security, generation of employment and business opportunities for our teeming young men and women.’’

Mr. Jonathan must go beyond mouthing the rhetoric that has been the political style of the recent past and focus on action. The march towards 2020 cannot be irreversible until we have started it. Action, not platitudes, please.

One of the first things we at NEXT think he has to do is to retool his cabinet and bring in people who have a broader vision of what it takes to make a nation work and then to make it great. Myopia and self-serving led us into 78 wasted days of paralysis. Mr. Jonathan has to seriously take stock of the cabinet and be able to identify those who may want to sabotage his efforts. By this, we are not in any way asking for the retention of yes men and women, who will be content to remain his lackeys acquiescing to his every whim telling him what they think he wants to hear. No.

The first thought of every member of an effective cabinet should be pan-Nigerian, how do we make the country function effectively, release it from the constraints that have hampered growth, enable its hardworking, innovative and industrious populace to spread their wings, follow their dreams and make their lives better. This is President Jonathan’s chance to return smiles and good luck (if you don’t mind the pun) to the majority of traumatised Nigerians.

In his acceptance speech, he lauded, ‘‘ all the other political actors and national leaders, particularly the former heads of state, elder statesmen, governors of the 36 states and other leaders of political groups, civil society organisations, the media, and indeed all Nigerians, for their invaluable contributions and counsel. Our security services also deserve our special commendation for their loyalty and devotion to duty during this trying period.’’

Mr. Jonathan is at the threshold of history to show that he really meant what he said, especially to ordinary Nigerians. He should accept the restraints of the security forces for what it is: a positive sign of a much-matured nation fully aware of the lessons of the past and ready to make a genuine commitment to democracy.

Votes must count; the voice of the people should be sacrosanct. Mr Jonathan has to urgently call for the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais’ led Electoral Reform Panel and embark on the immediate implementation of the panel’s report. This is a pre-election year and the time to do this is now. One of the pitfalls of not having a clear cut political reform was what led to the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the recently held governorship election in Anambra State. The imposition of Chukwumah Soludo by the party largely led to his fate. So, the electoral reform must begin in earnest.

Finally, the reason why a cabal tried to prevent the true spirit of the constitution, from being followed until on Tuesday must be investigated. Why did the cabal hold the country by the jugular for 78 full days? This must be probed and any one found guilty made to face the full wrath of the law. This is to discourage future wilful violation of our sacred document: the constitution. The only way to achieve that is to punish violators


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Editorial/5525352-146/an_agenda_for_jonathan__.csp

Yar’Adua: Senate may consider impeachment
11 February, 2010 04:08:00 COSMAS EKPUNOBI
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Senate President David Mark
There were strong indications yesterday that the Senate may reopen impeachment plots against President Umaru Yar’Adua, even as some President’s kinsmen in the National Assembly are planning to challenge the resolution of the lawmakers in court.
Daily Champion gathered that the pro impeachment senators who are still in the majority have perfected plans to reopen the plot which was said to be the initial agreement if the courts reverse the resolution of the National Assembly.
Source alleged that impeachment may become a fall back position for the National Assembly in the event of some people succeeding in using the courts to reverse the decision of the lawmakers on the ailing President.
Senate had earlier declared that it had never foreclosed impeachment in the quest to fill the leadership vacuum created by the President’s continued absence from office.
Senate and House of Representatives had on Tuesday passed a resolution recognising Jonathan as Acting President.
Source alleged yesterday that some northern senators may have been discussing with some prominent lawyers in a bid to reverse the resolution of the National Assembly.
Senator Garba Lado, an in-law to the President had on Tuesday insisted that the Senate had no constitutional powers to make an Acting President.
Also, Daily Champion gathered that leading pro impeachment senators met early yesterday to review the option.
The group had before the resolution on Tuesday given the ailing President nine days to transmit his letter of medical vacation or face impeachment.
The ultimatum is expected to expire today, with no sign of the President complying with section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
The source said the Senate resolution on Tuesday was to assuage the group.
But more trouble appears to be coming the way of the President as the lawmakers seeking to impeach him regrouped for fresh attack.
The group is said to be afraid that the Senate resolution may not stand the test of time following the hue and cry trailing it, and is now poised to follow constitutional option to address the leadership vacuum created by the prolonged absence of Yar’Adua from the country.
A senator who spoke to Daily Champion on the condition of anonymity, said the initial agreement was to commence impeachment of the President.
However, the Senate settled for plan B following the intervention of some prominent Nigerians
The source said: “We will go back to impeach him, because we are not here to play.
“I agree that what we did was wrong but we will be forced to end it all if it becomes clear that our resolution can not stand.”


http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=27879

Aondoakaa Sacked!



February 10, 2010 05:36PM
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The minister of Justice Michael Aondokaa has been removed from his position by Goodluck Jonathan. Kayode Tokunboh, Minsister of Labour and productivity, has been named as the new attorney general of the federation. Mr. Aondakaa will remain as a member of the new cabinet and has been handed a new portfolio as minister of
special duties.

GOOD NEWS

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5525311-146/aondoakaa_sacked____.csp

Good news to the nation, jonathan carry go, we need somebody that will move this nation forward

anakonda or what ever u call ur name, i will like first thing j goodluck to do is to sack this evil man that parade himself as san, san ko- he is a big disgrace to the nation

By Tolu Ogunlesi


February 10, 2010 01:54PM
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Nigeria has had its fair share of controversial Attorney Generals. Few, however, appear to have delighted in creating and perpetuating controversy as much as Michael Kaase Aondoakaa.

From the beginning, the 47 year old Senior Advocate of Nigeria did not hide his ambition to severely clip the wings of the Economic and financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and its then Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu.

Barely a month after his appointment in July 2007, he submitted a memo to the President requesting "that all agencies involved in the prosecution of criminal offences such as the EFCC and ICPC should report and initiate criminal proceedings with the consent and approval of the Attorney-General of the Federation as specified in relevant sections of the Constitution." The President initially granted the request, but was forced to make an embarrassing reversal when it was revealed that it contradicted an earlier ruling of the Supreme Court.

Fighting anti-corruption

The fight against Mr. Ribadu intensified with the attempts by the former EFCC Chairman to prosecute the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, reputed to be a close friend of Mr. Aondoakaa, and the person who actually recommended him to President Yar'Adua for the position of Attorney General.

Fighting Mr. Ribadu soon became a full time task for Mr. Aondoakaa. In February 2009, only weeks after Mr. Ribadu was dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Aondoakaa filed charges against him, before the Code of Conduct tribunal, alleging that he did not declare his assets upon assumption of duties as EFCC chief, as required by law.

Following revelations that emerged in the United States that American oil servicing firm Halliburton had paid huge bribes to Nigerian officials, Mr. Aondoakaa promised that the government would "constitute a committee , that will be charged with the responsibility of gathering information. If the quality of information we receive internally is sufficient for us to commence prosecution, we will commence prosecution."

But after assembling a legal team, and announcing that Nigeria had decided to prosecute Halliburton, Mr. Aondoakaa decided to sit on his hands. One year later, none of the Nigerians named and implicated in the scandal has been prosecuted. This applies to the Wilbros and Siemens scandals as well.

A stranger to rectitude

Mr. Aondoakaa's penchant for making unguarded statements to the press is unrivalled. In September 2009, he called a press conference to announce that the EFCC had cleared three former state governors (one of whom was Mr. Ibori) of fraudulent conduct relating to the sale of their states' stake in the telecommunications firm Vmobile. Investigations into the deal commenced when Mr. Ribadu was Chairman of the EFCC.

Mr. Aondoakaa also seized the opportunity of the press conference to lament that Mr. Ribadu was sabotaging the Yar'Adua administration by making false statements to foreign investigators. A day after Aondoakaa's announcement, the EFCC denied that it had cleared the three men.

Passionate presidential defender

Mr. Yar'Adua's trip to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009, for medical attention gave fresh impetus to Mr. Aondoakaa's obsession with courting controversy. He has since then been Mr. Yar'Adua's most passionate defender.

Three weeks after the President disappeared from the country - without a handover letter - Mr. Aondoakaa argued: "There is no evidence that [Mr. Yar'Adua] is not exercising his powers as president. He has his vice-president and his ministers whom he delegates power and functions to. He does not have to be in the country before he can exercise his power. He can do that anywhere. The president can delegate his power to anyone and he can even give instruction anywhere in the world, even on his sick bed."

In early December, he reacted angrily to a call by Rotimi Akeredolu, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association calling on Mr. Yar'Adua to resign from office on health grounds. "The statement of the NBA President is his personal opinion. The FEC is the only body recognised by the constitution to decide on the matter, We should not allow somebody's ill-health to be politicised , We should not play politics with human health. The President's health is improving everyday, "

Since then he has never wasted an opportunity to dismiss all calls on the ailing President to hand over to his deputy. At the end of the January 27 Federal Executive Council meeting, after more than two months of a vacuum in the highest office in the country, Mr. Aondoakaa announced, on behalf of the Council, that "the president is not incapable of discharging the functions of his office, and [the] medical treatment outside the country does not constitute incapacity to warrant or commence the process of the removal of the president from office, under section 144 and 146 of the 1999 constitution."

This was in reaction to a January 22 ruling by Justice Dan Abutu of an Abuja Federal High Court, giving the council two weeks to "consider, pass and publicise a resolution in accordance with the provisions of section 144 of the 1999 constitution declaring whether, having regard to the absence of the president from Nigeria on medical ground since the 23rd of November 2009, the President is incapable of discharging the functions of his office." As before, he insisted that the President's health and the decision to not hand over "is not a matter that ought to be mixed with politics."

Mr. Aondoakaa was reportedly the first person to oppose the move, last Wednesday, by his Federal Executive Council colleague, Dora Akunyili, minister of information and communications to present a memo to the Council urging it to compel the President to hand over to his deputy.

Aondoakaa must go

Calls for Mr. Aondoakaa to be sacked have intensified over the last year. In September 2009, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), The Movement Against Corruption (MAC) and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) called for his dismissal from office for the comments he made regarding the investigations into the Vmobile scandal. Another anti-corruption group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), in November 2009, marched to the National Assembly to demand the sack of Mr. Aondoakaa

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5524754-146/number_one_law_breaker__.csp

Handover crisis: Aondoakaa lied, Soyinka tells CNN
By James Azania and Gbenga Adeniji, Published: Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010





Wole Soyinka


Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, on Tuesday told the world via the Cable News Network that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, lied with his claim that the government was running smoothly, even with President Umaru Yar‘Adua‘s absence.

Soyinka, on a programme anchored by Christiane Amanpour, said, ”Let me begin by saying that as I sit here, I am astonished that somebody in a responsible position like Aondoakaa can talk “from all all four compass points of mouth. He has told so many untruths. He suggests for instance that there is no breakdown in the amnesty procedure. That is a lie everybody knows that.

“He is now blaming the impasse on different causes from what he said before. He said and he said it publicly that there was no need to be excited for the President could rule from anywhere in the world.”

On the programme in which CNN described Nigeria as a country “in trouble,” Soyinka also said that the resolution of the Senate which declared Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan the Acting President posed a big challenge.

Describing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party as corrupt, Soyinka said the party was not ready for change.

Lamenting what he described as the unfortunate situation which prevented Yar‘Adua from transmitting a letter to the National Assembly before he left the country, Soyinka said this was enough indication that Yar’Adua was really incapacitated.

He also said he doubted the authenticity of the President‘s signature which was said to have been obtained from his sick bed in Saudi Arabia.

Soyinka said, ”We were there for instance and we asked them at the rally and other rallies; we demanded that the constitution demands very clearly that when the President is going to be away it is a very smooth temporary transition either on sickly or annual leave, my deputy takes over and when he returns…

“I have met Yar‘Adua, he is not a stupid man. He is a very intelligent man and he knows what he ought to have done. But unfortunately, I think by the time he realised that he was very ill, it was too late for him to do anything. He has become incapacitated. That is why I don‘t believe for instance that he signed the Appropriation bill.”

Speaking on the decision of the Senate which on Tuesday recognised Jonathan as acting President, Soyinka said, ”It‘s a major challenge for Jonathan if indeed he becomes the substantive President. I met with the Aaron team in 2007, and personally with the President, and he outlined a programme and it is left to Jonathan to pick up where Yar‘Adua left off. Too much time has been wasted; the militants are cynical and disgusted.”

Asked on the way forward for the country, Soyinka said Nigerians might need to resort to civil disobedience in order to compel the PDP-led government to do the right thing.

He added, “Let‘s hope it doesn‘t go the way the ruling party wants it to go. It is an illegitimate and corrupt party, which was not elected into office in the first place. It is the civil society now which has to rise and put a stop to the machinations of the PDP.

“Don‘t forget that part of the plans of the PDP is of course to perpetuate itself by making sure that there is no electoral reforms, which incidentally Yar‘Adua has put

“Yar‘Adua himself has put things on hold. It would be left to the civil society to embark on civil disobedience, unless this set of legislators is ready to do what is right.”

On how the United States could assist in solving the political crisis in Nigeria, Soyinka said, ”Putting pressure on the members of the ruling party, Jonathan, whatever title he is given; removing irresponsible ministers like Aondoakaa, and applying more moral pressure. This is a make or mar period, and helping moving the Uwais panel.”

Aondoakaa, who spoke with the CNN first, had declared that the President‘s sickness and his abscence from the country for more than two months had not affected governance.

He said, “We followed the constitution in all that we did and I do not believe that we are in a crisis.

”No, no, we are not in crisis. We followed procedures. The vice-president spoke with the President three weeks ago.”

Asked if the vice-president had set his eyes on Yar‘Adua since he left the country, Aondoakaa admitted that Jonathan had not seen the President.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002100535848

Akunyili threatens to sue Aondoakaa
By Chiawo Nwankwo, Abuja, Published: Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010





Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili


A new twist was added on Tuesday to the debate on President Umaru Yar‘Adua‘s ill-health as the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, threatened to sue the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mike Aondoakaa, for libel.

She has, therefore, given Aondoakaa seven days within which to refute an alleged libellous statement credited to him on her activities as the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control or face prosecution.

A media report on Monday (not THE PUNCH) quoted Aondoakaa as saying, “Let her (Akunyili) go and confront herself with what happened in NAFDAC.”

The report linked the tirade against Akunyili by Benue State-born Senior Advocate of Nigeria to a memo she presented to the Federal Executive Council last week Wednesday on Yar’Adua’s health.

The said memo was rejected by the FEC purported by because it was not circulated in advance to members.

The council meets today (Wednesday) but there were speculations in Abuja that tempers might rise among the members as the memo is believed to have been left out of the agenda of the meeting.

Forty-two ministers and other appointees of the President known as ‘professionals’ in Yar’Adua’s cabinet attend FEC meetings

Presidency sources told our correspondent that Aondoakaa and his counterpart in Agriculture and Water Resources, Dr. Abba Ruma, ensured that the memo was not listed.

Aondoakaa and Ruma are known to be leading pro-Yar’Adua ministers, who reportedly shouted down Akunyili when she first presented the memo last Wednesday.

However, it was gathered that ‘professionals’ in the cabinet had rallied round Akunyili, and assured her that her memo would be tabled under “AOB” (Any Other Matters.)”

The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, prepares memos or agenda for the council’s deliberations.

Pro-Yar’Adua ministers in the cabinet had vehemently opposed consideration of the Akunyili’s memo last week, on the grounds that it was not circulated to members in advance in line with established practice.

Our source said, “The Akunyili’s memo expected to be considered by council on Wednesday is not on the agenda of the meeting.

“Akunyili is very annoyed at this development, but the ‘professionals’ in the cabinet have reached out to her with an assurance that they would support the discussion of the memo under AOB.

“It is clear that that meeting will be hot; and even hotter than that of last week because the minister is no longer alone on the matter.”

Akunyili had in the controversial memo advised the President to comply with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution; whose activation would pave the way for Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to become acting President.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002100511998

Nigerian Senate votes to empower vice president

By BASHIR ADIGUN
Associated Press Writer



ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- The Nigerian Senate voted Tuesday to empower the vice president to take over for the nation's ill and absent president, potentially ending a constitutional crisis that has engulfed Africa's most populous nation.

The Senate voted to authorize Goodluck Jonathan to take over as president and commander in chief while President Umaru Yar'Adua remains hospitalized in Saudi Arabia. A similar motion sat Tuesday before the Nigerian House of Representatives. If the House passes the measure, Jonathan could be immediately sworn in as president.

Yar'Adua, who long has suffered from kidney ailments, traveled out of the country several times for what his advisers said were medical checkups before he left Nigeria for Saudi Arabia on Nov. 23. He was admitted to a hospital the next day.

As questions mounted, his physician released a statement saying Yar'Adua had acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart.

Since Yar'Adua left Nigeria, a major kidnapping and a pipeline attack have occurred in the oil-rich Niger Delta despite an amnesty program for militants led by Yar'Adua. Religious violence between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria also left more than 300 dead and thousands displaced.

And a young Nigerian attempted to bring down a trans-Atlantic flight bound for Detroit, sparking new security regulations for travelers from the West African nation.

While Nigerian law allows for a smooth transition of power from Yar'Adua to the vice president, the 58-year-old president left without following any of those procedures.

While the federal government says Jonathan has been acting in Yar'Adua's place without the constitutional procedures, protesters have taken to the street warning the country will remain rudderless until something changes.

Yar'Adua has given one interview since being out of the country. In January, he told the BBC that he hoped to recover and return to power.

Senate President David Mark said that telephone interview served as all the notification needed to allow Jonathan to take power.

"The BBC interview is as good as the letter envisioned by the constitution," Mark said.

The House was expected to take up the similar motion later Tuesday.

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AF_NIGERIA_PRESIDENT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-02-09-06-18-17

Written by Akin Durodola and Taiwo Adisa

THERE were indications on Monday that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had made a U-turn on their earlier stance and bowed to public opinion, urging the Senate to empower Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan as acting president.

At a meeting held at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, at his instance, members of the council shifted ground to embrace the view of people that power should be transmitted to Vice-President Jonathan as acting president.

There have been calls from different groups and individuals to President Umaru Yar'Adua to trasmit power to his deputy as a result of his ill health and continued absence since November 23, 2009, when he left the country for Saudi Arabia, where he is currently receiving treatment.

At the Monday meeting which lasted more than three hours and had in attendance 20 ministers selected from the zones of the country, the memo of Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, was the subject matter and members were asked for their contributions.

Sources at the meeting disclosed that two ministers from the South-West and two other members of Yar’Adua’s kitchen cabinet were in attendance. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondookaa, was absent at the meeting.

According to sources, most members, while discussing the memo raised by Prof. Akunyili last Wednesday, said that as good as the memo was, what she was asking for was not within the powers of FEC, arguing that it would amount to calling for a coup d’etat.

It was then agreed at the meeting that they should look for another solution to the political problem.

“It was there and then they threw the question to the members of the president's kitchen cabinet, asking them to write to the president to write to the National Assembly to transmit power to his deputy,” the source said.

A member of the Yar’Adua kitchen cabinet was said to have told the meeting that there was no way they could reach the president.

After a long debate, the meeting agreed to the suggestion made by one of them that they should embrace the position of the governors on the matter.

They agreed that once the resolution is passed tomorrow by the Senate, they would ask Prof. Akunyili to present her memo during the Wednesday FEC meeting under Any Other Business (AOB).

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the SGF should brief the vice-president on what was agreed on.

Meanwhile, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are due to meet senators in a closed session today, to conclude on the planned motion that will empower Vice-President Jonathan to assume office as acting president.

The forum had met with the Senate President, MrMark, shortly after they ended their meeting in the early hours of Friday.

At the meeting, held at Senator Mark’s official residence, it was agreed that members of the NGF should visit the Senate, on Tuesday, for a closed door session with the senators on the way forward in the current political logjam.

It was gathered that the meeting with the senators would re-emphasise the position of the governors at the meeting of last week Thursday.

Sources said the decision that the governors should further brief the senators was arrived at as a result of the need to clarify any doubt in the minds of the senators, some of who were already planning to impeach the president.

Members of the National Interest Group (NIG) had been observed to be at the forefront of the impeachment move against President Yar’Adua, for his failure to transmit a vacation letter to the National Assembly, in line with a resolution of the Senate on January 27.

But the Governors’ Forum had, on Thursday, passed a resolution which advised the National Assembly to pass a resolution to empower the vice-president to act as president.

Sources in Abuja on Monday said at least two draft motions had been prepared in the Senate for consideration today.

One of the motions was said to have been prepared by the leadership of the Senate, in line with the resolution of the Governors’ Forum, while the second motion was prepared by the NIG, which was further pushing for impeachment as the last resort.

A source said the leadership of the Senate was meeting at press time, on Monday, to harmonise the two motions and prevent a breakdown of law and order on the floor of the Senate.

“We have perfected two motions to transfer power to the vice-president. The leadership has prepared a motion and the NIG has also prepared another. It is going to be a double attack, as we are doing ours in the Senate, the ministers will be doing their own at the Federal Executive Council (FEC),” a source said.

The two motions in the Senate are being predicated on the interview granted to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by President Yar’Adua, in which he stated that he had been temporarily incapacitated.

The lawmakers are taking the text of the interview as a communication in line with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.

It was gathered that the senators are interpreting the interview to mean that the president is incapacitated from physically transmitting a letter in line with Section 145 and that the interview should be taken as official position on the state of the president’s health.

A source said since the constitution did not envisage a situation where the president would be unable to write, the BBC interview should be seen as an official communication.

It was gathered that members of the NIG had received a boost from FEC members who had sent words to the Senate that about 30 ministers had signed up to back the memo sponsored by the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Akunyili.

It was gathered that the ministers were also working on passing a resolution that would empower the vice-president as acting president.

“The governors are coming to meet with us to say that they support our moves and to emphasise to us that the National Assembly has the powers to pass resolutions on any item to guarantee peace and order in the polity.

“The only alternative is for us to go ahead and embark on impeachment. The intervention of the governors is to ward off the impeachment plans by the NIG,” a source said.

It was further gathered that members of the NIG and members of the House of Representatives who were favourably disposed to the observance of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution were meeting at press time to further take decisions on the Yar’Adua’s situation.

A fresh confusion crept into the proceedings in Abuja, on Monday, as information filtered through the National Assembly that some members of the kitchen cabinet were planning to transfer a vacation letter to the Assembly.

No source, was, however, able to confirm the arrival of the vacation letter in Abuja, on Monday, as conflicting signals pervaded the operations of the kitchen cabinet.

http://www.nigeriannews.com/

Useni Urges Yar’Adua to Respect Constitution
By Omololu Ogunmade, 02.09.2010

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Former Minister of Transport, Lt. General Jeremiah Useni (rtd.), yesterday asked President Umaru Yar’Adua to respect the country’s Constitution and transmit power to his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as stated in Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
Useni who said he had equally expressed this position as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), stated this in Lagos while briefing newsmen on the activities of the Alumni Association of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), where he serves as the president of the association’s mobilization team.

The retired general who was flanked by other leaders of the association including Senator Olabiyi Durojaye and former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, said the position of the constitution is clear on the incapacitation of the President, insisting that the right thing for him to do is to strictly abide by the provision of the Constitution.
“If you are not there, you know what the constitution says - the vice president acts. But the confusion is that the man is sick. Anybody can be sick. Some people said he should resign, others said it is not an offence to be sick.

“If doctors say you are incapacitated, you know what to do. When the president is incapacitated, he should go strictly by the provision of the Constitution,” Useni said.
He commended the courage of the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, to raise a memo asking the president to step aside, saying her action was salutary in a setting where men who dominated the council lack the courage to voice out the truth.

Explaining that the Alumni Association of NIPSS has the commitment to advise the government on issues of national importance, Useni and his team said they would formally meet and issue a statement on the debacle in the country on March 6, 2010.
Speaking on the activities of NIPSS, Useni said the essence of the creation of the institution 31 years ago was, among others, to promote a better society through the training of leaders, disclosing that so far 1,392 persons have been trained by the institution.

was set up to train only high ranking military and police officers as well as directors, permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of ministries and institutions respectively.

He also said as the chairman of the mobilization team of the institution, his mission is to visit the entire zones of the federation to educate the people on the activities of the association.

He also disclosed that whereas, the institution used to admit only 30 students yearly upon its establishment, the number has now been increased to 60.

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=166064

Uba Accepts Defeat, Visits Obi
•Mark, Ekweremadu send congratulatory messages
From Charles Onyekamuo in Onitsha, Sufuyan Ojeifo in Abuja and Emeka Osondu in Awka, 02.09.2010

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In the spirit of sportsmanship, Labour Party (LP) candidate in the just-concluded governorship election in Anambra state, Chief Andy Uba, has paid a visit to Governor Peter Obi to congratulate him for his victory.
Senate President David Mark and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu were also among politicians that have congratulated Obi.

Uba visited the governor in company with his brother, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, and his associates.
He said he was ready to co-operate with the governor in the task of developing the state.
Obi commended Uba for the way and manner he ran his campaign. He noted that it was devoid of name calling, name dropping and the general desperate attitude that has become part of Nigerian politics.

The governor said he planned to invite other politicians to a summit where an evaluation of campaigns in Nigeria would be discussed. The summit would also explore ways of making politicians see campaigns as an avenue to sell their ideas rather than castigating opponents.
He thanked Uba and other candidates for their disposition, adding that all hands must be on deck for Anambra to achieve its objectives.

Uba had earlier addressed his supporters and members of his party at the Marble Arch Hotel in Awka, where he also congratulated them for their support. He urged them not to despair because the future, in his view, remains bright.
The party members must remain steadfast and look for direction from the party, he said.
But the Hope Democratic Party (HDP) yesterday said it was still studying the outcome of the election and would make a categorical statement after collating information from its agents and field officers during the election.
The party’s running mate to Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, its flag bearer, Mr. Mike Okoye, made the party’s views known at the end of a closed door emergency meeting in Awka.

Okoye disclosed that the party would also hold an enlarged meeting of stakeholders later.
Meanwhile, Mark, in a message to Obi, urged him to carry along all stakeholders in the state, irrespective of party affiliation, saying that what was needed to move the state forward was unity of purpose.
He said that it was noteworthy that Obi emerged through an electoral process that was adjudged free and fair.

According to him, “Governor Obi’s election was adjudged free and fair. The people of Anambra State have decided through their votes and it behoves the governor and the citizenry to close ranks for the development of the state.”
His Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh, quoted him to have said that “election was contested by many candidates for Anambra governorship seat. At the end, the people decided. The people won and democracy triumphed.”
In his congratulatory message contained in a letter to Obi, Ekweremadu described his victory as historic.

He said that since “power is a gift from God, it should translate that those who climb the rung of power should count themselves lucky to have been chosen by God for a purpose
“As chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) monitoring team on the election, I join our worthy candidate, Professor Charles Soludo, in accepting the outcome of the election in the spirit of that belief that yet again, God has chosen you to pilot the affairs of governance in Anambra state.”

A statement by his Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Paul Odeniyi, quoted Ekweremadu to have said that the governor should be magnanimous in victory by extending hands of fellowship to the other contestants.
Also, 12 candidates under the aegis of Coalition of Credible Candidates yesterday pledged to work with Obi.

The group led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate in the election, Okey Nwosu, said: “every war has an end,” adding that Anambra state has had its fair share of political crisis and rancour.
The group said they intend to meet with Obi to ensure that the ideals and visions of the coalition are integrated into the programmes of the government.

Nwosu who addressed journalists in Awka yesterday said: “as responsible Anambra sons and daughters, we have resolved not to allow external influences to hold our state to ransom any further.”


http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=166075

Uzoma Okere


Navy appeals judgment on Uzoma Okere

By Odunayo Abiodun


February 9, 2010 01:30AM
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The Nigerian Navy and Harry Arogundade, a rear admiral, have filed an appeal before a court in Lagos over the judgment of a Lagos High Court in the case brought against them by Uzoma Okere and Abdullahi Abdulazeez for assault.

The High Court in Igbosere had on January 27, ruled that the applicants should pay the sum of N100 million, amongst other reliefs, to Ms. Okere and Mr. Abdulazeez.

Justice Opeyemi Oke had on January 27, 2010 delivered a judgment in the matter instituted by Ms. Okere and Mr. Abdulazeez against the respondents – the Navy, Mr. Arogundade and four naval ratings – for violating their fundamental human rights. The applicants had asked the respondents to pay the sum of N100 million as damages.

Appeal

However, not satisfied with the court judgment, the Navy and Mr. Arogundade have filed an appeal through their counsel, Lawrence Imolode.

They also joined the four naval ratings; CI Jeremiah, SA Kenigua, SA Bullem and Lieutenant Okoloagu, who never appeared in the substantive suit as co-respondent.

In the notice of appeal, the applicants contended that the award of general damages in the sum of N100 million jointly and severally in favour of Ms. Okere and Mr. Abdulazeez, alongside other declarative reliefs is “sentimental, excessive, and manifestly unsupportable in law in the face of the evidence available to the court.”

They said the lower court premised the grant of the reliefs sought by the applicants on emotional consideration and not on any judicial authority.

Also in the notice, the appellants held that the trial judge erred when it refused to allow the applicants cross-examine Ms. Okere with regards to the event that happened on November 3, 2009, in which Ms. Uzoma was beaten, stripped naked and detained unlawfully.

They stated that if the court had allowed them to cross-examine Ms. Okere, it would have seen that Mr. Arogundade was not at the scene of the incident and that the four naval ratings were acting in aid of civil authority pursuant to Section 239 Armed Forces Act, CAP20 LFN 2004.

In addition they argued that there was no evidence before the court to show that Mr. Arogundade directed, authorised or ratified the conduct of the naval ratings.

A date is yet to be fixed for the hearing of the appeal.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5524072-146/navy_appeals_judgment_on_uzoma_okere.csp

Police Inspector, 60, to die by hanging
07 February, 2010 05:15:00 PATIENCE AKPURU
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For 60-year old Muslim Folorunsho, a Police Inspector, January 15, 2010 must be an awful day. The days following that date must be very horrifying for that was the day a Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Olushola Williams condemned him to death by hanging.

He will no doubt shudder each time he relives the events of that fateful day, and for the remaining days before his execution. The words of the judge on that fateful day, "the sentence of this court upon you is that you Muslim Folorunsho be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul," will always haunt him.

Folorunsho was held directly responsible and was being punished for causing the untimely death of 26-year old Perry Samuel who he shot through the head on August 2, 2005 at the CMS bus-stop, Lagos. For having the guts to take the life of a fellow human as young as Perry, he certainly does not deserve to live. That is the position of the law. And that position, the court upheld.

His journey to the hangman began on August 2, 2005 when he decided to recklessly use the AK47 given him by the Nigeria Police, an agency of government serviced with tax-payers’ money to which Perry and/or his parents must have contributed. What an irony of situation.

According to the evidence given before the court by one Ifeanyi Umendu which the judge referred to in her judgment, Perry and four of his friends (which included Umendu) were in a Mercedes Benz 230 car which belonged to one of them, one Samuel Ogbuefi.

According to the evidence, "while driving in the traffic around CMS bus stop, a plain commercial bus with four or five policemen in it packed behind them, and they heard several gunshots and the rear windscreen of their car shattered. The accused person was one of the policemen in the bus and after shooting, they ordered him and his friends to get out of the car, which they did, except for Perry who was lying unconscious in the pool of his own blood as he had been shot at the back of his head. They were all injured, they identified themselves to the policemen and told them that they were traders and not armed robbers. The policemen ordered them to enter the bus but passersby and the crowd that gathered urged them to take him and his friends to the hospital. So then they were taken to the General Hospital. Later, a relative of Perry (the deceased) took them to St. Nicholas Hospital where he was admitted.

That began Perry’s two months stay in the hospital from which he was not to return. There, he underwent two surgeries to remove particles of his skull that entered his brain when the bullet struck him in the head twice on that fateful day. After that he was moved to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba where he underwent the third surgery still on his brain.

The doctors battled to save his life and his family no doubt suffered so much pain as they watched the young man suffer and die eventually two months after the shooting on September 24, 2005. Death took Perry away with the help of a police officer who should have been a protector of the young man’s fundamental right to life. But death did not take the medical bill away and the trauma that often follow the loss of a loved one.

However, the course of justice took its turn when the court balanced the scale according to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law Cap C17 Vol. 2 Laws of Lagos State, 2003 which provides "subject to the provisions of this section, any person who commits the offence of murder shall be sentenced to death."

When invited to make his allocutus after reading the judgment, Folorunsho’s counsel, Mr. A Olagoke told the court "the defendant is a man of about 60 years old and have served this country for about 35 years during which he never received a query or any punishment. He is a family man who believes that life is sacred. Ironically, this led to his present situation. Justice is a three-way traffic: for the victim, the society and for the accused.

"The defendant had never shot anyone before the incident in this suit. I believe he has learned his lessons in a very hard way, so also his colleagues who are still in the police force. He has been in detention for over four years. If he is able to go back to the society, he will impart the positive knowledge he has acquired on the society.

"The victim cannot return to life. Taking the life of the defendant will not compensate the family of the deceased. I passionately appeal to the court to temper justice with mercy and minimize the sentence due to the defendant. He should be given the opportunity to educate the police from his experience. The society will benefit more from this than from taking his life," Olagoke reasoned.
Counsel to the state who prosecuted the case, Mrs. E. Alakija in her response enjoined the court to allow the law to take its natural course.

The judge in its sentence said "the law of our country does not prescribe any other punishment for the offence of murder. This court does not have the prerogative of mercy but must allow the law to take its course as submitted by the state. Consequently, I pass the sentence thus: the sentence of this court upon you is that you Muslim Folorunsho be hanged by the neck until you be dead and may the Lord have mercy on your soul."

In the course of her decision, Justice Wiliams condemned efforts by the Nigeria Police Service to frustrate the case saying "the defendant’s colleagues who were also eye witnesses to the crime did not attend court to testify. The defendant sought to unsuccessfully cash in on this syndrome which occurred in this trial when he claimed that failure to bring the defendant’s colleagues to testify was fatal to the case of the prosecution. Fortunately in this case, there were other eye witnesses who testified and the intransigence of the police could not defeat the ends of justice."


http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=27568

Militants destroy Shell facility in Rivers
07 February, 2010 05:23:00 TONY ITA ETIM, Port Harcourt
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A coalition of militant groups in the Niger Delta, the Joint Revolutinary Council said its affiliates have sabotaged a major oil facility in the region.
In an online message signed by Bakabio Walter on behalf of the group, the council boasted “ Tonight will go down in history as the day all genuine and patriotic Niger Delta nationalists decided to act collectively and decisively in waging a battle that will ultimately lead to the establishment of a free and independent Niger Delta.
“At about midnight today, the patriotic force of Niger Delta successfully disabled the Trunk line belonging to Shell in the swamp of Obunoma in today’s Akokutoru Local Government of Rivers State.
“This Trunk Line connect Nembe Creek, Belema, Soku Field, Ekulama 1 and Ekulama 2 Flow Stations to the Bonny Export Terminal. This has dealt a devastating blow on the occupation Nigerian State in the Niger Delta and it is just the beginning.”
Walter explained, “This renewed liberation effort is being effectively coordinated by the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) of the Niger Delta which got reinvigorated as a result of series of consultations with patriotic groups in our territory.”
The statement continued that “The abduction of Chief Ralph Uwazurike by the Nigerian Police at a time when the operators of the Nigerian State should be more serious about resolving the national question helped us in arriving at the conclusion it is only through armed struggle for independence that our people can be freed.
“We believe that it will be a betrayal and disservice to our people if we continue to preach nonviolence in the face of this madness. We therefore resolve to collectively make the following declarations on behalf of the Niger Delta: The Niger Delta struggle is for self determination, nationhood and freedom. ;
The Nigerian State is an occupation force and can only be defeated through armed struggle. The Niger Delta freedom fighters have decided to resume armed struggle; The Joint Revolutionary Council of Niger Delta shall mobilize all patriotic forces in the territory of the Niger Delta to wage a consistent revolutionary war until the last piece of our territory is liberated from the occupation forces.
Walter also declared “This is a call to battle and collective responsibility of all right thinking indigenes of Niger Delta. This is definitely different from all that you have heard about before.”


http://www.champion.com.ng/index.php?news=27569

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Shell attack: Militants demand VP’s Presidency
Written by Muhammad Bello, Port Harcourt & Abdullahi Yahaya Bello, Abuja
Saturday, 06 February 2010 05:11
Millitants
The absence of the father of amnesty, President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, seems to have triggered yet another crisis in the Niger Delta. Before now, the major complaints of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), and other militant groups in the region, was the pace of the implementation of the amnesty package. But the continued absence of President Yar’adua and the constitutional crisis arising from the failure to make Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, whom MEND consider their own, the Acting President has further compounded the problems in the Niger Delta.
Some of the militants believe that it is part of the marginalisation of the Niger Delta for some cabal to refuse to hand over power to Vice President Jonathan pending the return of President Yar’adua. Barely 24 hours after MEND called off its ceasefire, Trans Ramos pipeline facility belonging to Shell was attacked leading to the closure of Forcados stream, which averaged around 150,000 bpd of production in 2009.

The military Joint Task Force (JTF) in collaboration with Shell described the attack on the Trans Ramos pipeline as an act of sabotage, claiming that it was an attempt to steal crude oil, but MEND in a swift reaction said no bunkerer breached pipelines with explosives as in this attack and promised to revisit the Trans Ramos pipeline, which they attacked in June last year after it had been repaired, as well as other oil facilities in the Niger Delta in the coming weeks.

On Wednesday, 50 other militant groups under the aegis of Network of Niger Delta Freedom Fighters (NFF) threatened fresh violence over the refusal to transfer power to Vice President Jonathan. In a communiqué signed by Nengi James and Kelvin Moses, coordinator and secretary respectively, it was stated that, “if government fails to abide by the provision of the constitution, we will join forces and direct strategic units to commence hostilities which will lead to a black day for the country”.

The Minister of Defence and Chairman of Amnesty Implementation Committee, General Godwin Abbe (rtd), told journalists on Wednesday that the incident of non-payment was because of the refusal of some repentant militants to open accounts in some banks which the amnesty committee had listed for such purpose. Abbe said some of them were afraid of being arrested.

“In a democratic system, you just don’t go to the national coffers and pick money like that and start spending because you are carrying out amnesty programme. These are the issues. Besides, most of the militants that you hear are complaining that they have not been paid were asked to go and register in the banks”, Gen. Abbe insisted.

He had assured that the committee is working to actualise the integration and rehabilitation phase of the amnesty. “We want to make sure that the data that would be required for work is completed, and that when the call-up starts, there would be no stop at all. That is on the one hand, but remember that other committees have also been established,” he explained.

“These committees border on infrastructure, environmental sanitation of the area, provision of key facilities like the railway line and are also busy trying to work out all the details and it is the totality of all these that would be put together. When the costing is made, then, of course, the process of funding will also have to be followed.

“And until the proper documentation of the militants has been completed, even the gazette action the government promised will not take place, because we are not ready to include the names of criminals and ex-convicts as repentant militants. We will not”, he stated.

Abbe said it is unpatriotic for anyone to continue to threaten the security of this country with violence, fire and brimstone because they do not have the monopoly of violence.

Jomo Gbomo, the spokesman for MEND in his reaction to statements made by the Defence Minister, told Weekly Trust that General Abbe is a frustrated man. “It is the ranting of a confused and frustrated man,” Gbomo said.

Port Harcourt where most of the militants are harboured is increasingly witnessing robbery involving ex-militants. Residents attributed this to the failure of the amnesty. On Tuesday, Briggs Wilkinson Frank, a renowned militant, was killed in a shootout with police when they attempted to rob a bullion van.

When the police later searched his body, they found an identity card indicating that he was an ex-militant who had benefitted from the Federal Government amnesty a couple of months ago. Also in the possession of Briggs was a bank account number. Further checks by the police, according to the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Suleiman Abba, revealed that Briggs was the owner of the account and he had over N600,000 stashed away in it.

The police said they also recovered one AK47 rifle with three cartridges of round live ammunition. Alhaji Abba told our correspondent that the police also discovered that the black Honda Accord used for the botched robbery attack was the same used a fortnight ago when a branch of Guaranty Trust Bank on Aba Road, Port Harcourt was stormed in broad daylight costing a customer over a million naira loss. Also destroyed during that incident was a patrol van belonging to the air force wing of the Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta.

The spokesperson of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Victor Burubo, asked “If a man is an ex-militant, what business does he have robbing a bullion van? He interjected that the INC does not endorse any form of belligerence despite the fact that it has reservations as to the way and manner the amnesty was handled by the apex government.

“The aggressor and the aggrieved should maintain peace. We in the INC have always posited that there is no military solution to the Niger Delta crises. Not even the marshalling of the greatest global arsenal against the Ijaw people specifically and the entire people of the Niger Delta can solve the age-old problems here. It is time everybody prioritised dialogue in their respective agenda,” Burubo stressed.

On the speculations that MEND and other like-minded groups are revisiting the option of violence in order to force Nigeria to accept Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as acting president, Burubo said such reasoning is wrong and not founded on truth. “The VP”, he argued, “although an Ijaw man, does not need anybody to blow up pipelines on his behalf. He is honest and unassuming. The current problem is a constitutional one and so it is a Nigerian problem and has nothing to do with the problem of this region”.

Although the police in Rivers State deny that Briggs and his men have no connection with the innocuous Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the incident coincided with the recent declaration by the movement that it will resume hostilities in the hitherto troubled region.

In a similar vein, the Network of Freedom Fighters in the Niger Delta coordinated by Nengi James linked the absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’adua to some of the festering crises in the Niger Delta. According to him, “We have declared the President missing. We have placed our natural resources as gift for whosoever gives information on Yar’adua’s whereabouts”.

This statement came after Nengi led hundreds of Bayelsans to protest in Yenagoa last week for the installation of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President. The crowd danced and chanted that if their son is denied the position they covet, they will resort to violence to get what they want.

Commenting on the state of the nation recently, prominent Niger Deltans under the auspices of the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) said adhering to the constitution is the only way to guarantee peace in the country. The group, comprising 150 Niger Deltans, said the void that has been created in the Presidency has now been firmly hijacked by some cliques who wish to upturn the Nigerian Constitution without caring whether the country runs into the abyss of democracy-abortion, disunity and possible disintegration.

Tony Uranta, the Secretary-General of UNDEDSS, told reporters that “I can give notice of one thing; the South-South, as represented by UNDEDSS, will not fall over this precipice. If the rest of the nation decides to be so stupid and so blind and by next week we do not see action as to the right thing being done the right way, we shall approach the United Nations and we shall use every resolution and every charter, including that of self-determination, to force the hands of this cabal of crooked leaders in Nigeria.

“If this cabal and the president will not respect the constitution, how will the president or the ruling class honour the pacts they have reached with the repentant militants as per the post-amnesty situation? he asked.

“You may be aware of the fact that at this point, two very key so-called repentant militant leaders - Ateke Tom and Tompolo - have given a warning that things may go back or even worse than the level of the pre-amnesty days,” Uranta indicated.

The group endorsed the move by the Senate to make President Yar’adua to hand over to his VP. They averred that although the decision of the lawmakers is belated, it should be commended and acted upon. They lambasted the Federal Executive Council (FEC)’s “putative ‘resolution-of-fitness’ that President Yar’adua is capable of discharging his duties while still in a hospital bed in Saudi Arabia.

In the wake of the recent threats by MEND and other affiliate groups in the Niger Delta, Anglo-Dutch Shell is considering selling its equities in some of its onshore facilities vulnerable to security breaches. The oil giant on Thursday agreed to sell three oil leases worth $5 billion to a Nigerian-led multinational consortium. NNPC, which has a stake in all the joint partnerships with Shell, has not made any clarification on this.

The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Simon Henry, said the equity slated for the trade-off “is Shell’s 30 percent share”. Much of these, about 175,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the fourth quarter (Q4) last year, plummeted to about 150,000 bpd “today due primarily to attacks in the last few days on flow lines”.

Persistent attacks by MEND over the past three years have cut oil output in the OPEC member, the world’s eighth biggest oil exporter, to less than two-thirds of its installed capacity of three million barrels per day.

MEND first burst onto the scene in 2006, knocking out more than a quarter of Nigeria’s oil output - then around 2.4 million bpd - in a matter of weeks. It would be recalled that MEND had on October 25, 2009 declared a unilateral ceasefire to encourage the process of dialogue between the government and the Aaron team that the group had selected to negotiate its demands for lasting peace in the region after President Umaru Yar’adua, declared an amnesty for all militants in the region


http://www.nigeriannews.com/

Sharia: 23-yr-old loses arm over theft

Written by Muhammad Sabiu, Gusau

A 23-year-old Hasimu Adamu of Sabon-Birin Village in Sokoto State who broke into a house at Dutse area of Gusau Metropolis in Zamfara State and stole items valued at N71,000 may have his right wrist amputated.

Delivering his judgement, the presiding judge of the Upper Sharia Court II UnguwarYerima, Gusau, Alhaji Mohammad Shinkafi said the suspect confessed to have committed the crime on 7 November 2009 at 10.00 am.

According to the Sharia court judge, the suspect also admitted that he committed the crime because he was jobless.

He told the court that he left his village to Gusau to look for a petty job but life later became so difficult for him.

The suspect maintained that, it was the harsh condition that he was passing through that pushed him to commit the crime.

Alh. Shinkafi disclosed that the suspect had committed an offence which attracts amputation of his arm.

“You know we are practicing Sharia here in Zamfara. And the law says if you steal something whose value is less than N2, 000:00 you will have your hands amputated.

The judge adjourned the case to15th of February, 2010


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Yar’Adua exposed! He was not a reluctant president

Written by Taiwo Adisa, Group Politics Editor

Contrary to the widespread insinuations that President Umaru Yar’Adua was a reluctant President when he assumed office in 2007, indications emerged that the man knew he was being touted for the exalted office one year before he assumed office.

Former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, was said to have gone to Katsina State to deliver a message from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, indicating that the Katsina governor was being considered for presidency.

The man did not turn down the offer, but he kept it to himself as demanded by Obasanjo.

He also did everything possible to convince Obasanjo and the PDP leaders that he was the best man for the job and that he was prepared for the tasks ahead. In order to douse speculations about his failing health, he challenged anyone who is fit to join him in a game of squash.

Besides, he has also imbibed the attitude of not wanting to hand over power to his deputy anytime he embarks on vacation.

A source said that some Northern elders are now angry with Yar’Adua for taking up a job his state of health cannot sustain.

It was gathered that the president had long known that he would be embarking on regular trips abroad for medical attention and that when a group of Northern elders advised him on the three best countries where his health can best be managed, he turned down the advice only to choose Saudi Arabia, where information about his state of health can be best concealed.

Said one of our sources: “The man, apparently knew long ago that he would come to this situation. In the early period of his administration, when his health situation became an issue for concern, a meeting was held at Aliyu Gusau’s house to find the way forward. Those at the meeting included a younger brother of the president, Alhaji Sani Zango Daura and Ben Obi.

“Our conclusion then was that Mr. President’s ailment can only be treated in the United States, Israel or Germany and it was decided that Gen. T.Y Danjuma should assist him. When three people, including his brother later met him to relay the outcome of the meeting, he rejected the idea but came up with the option of Saudi Arabia, which is not known for having any expertise in the field.

“It has now become clear that his main concern is how to conceal the details of the ailment and that is what he is assured of in Saudi, a closed country, information wise. Maybe, he felt that Western countries will not sustain the sort of secrecy guaranteed by Saudi Arabia.”

Turai bars Emirs
First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua had last week banned all visitors from Nigeria from having access to the ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua, who, today, is spending his 76th day outside the country.

Yar’Adua had travelled to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 and has remained in that country ever since. He is being treated for acute pericarditis and cancer related ailments.

Information reaching the Sunday Tribune indicates that the First Lady is worried that most of her activities in Saudi got to the media back in Nigeria.

She was said to have reduced her calls to even her trusted friends in recent weeks, following suspicion that the calls have been leaking.

Though there were plans last week to return the President to the country, it was gathered that the ailing leader suffered a relapse in the early hours of Tuesday last week, prompting the decision to abide by the warnings of the medical experts, who had expressed concerns that the President may be unable to undertake a long-haul trip in his present condition.

Though the kitchen cabinet is yet to totally call off preparations for the President’s expected return, it was gathered that his condition has continue to go bad, prompting the First Lady to place a blanket ban on all callers from Nigeria.

, turns down top Northern monarchs, David Edevbie
Worried by the persistent leakages and the correctness of most publications on her husband’s condition back in Nigeria, the First Lady was said to have placed a blanket ban on all visitors from Nigeria.

The ban has so far claimed some top casualties. Sources said that the First Lady had last week flatly turned down a request from a top traditional ruler from the North, who planned to visit the president in Saudi Arabia to offer prayers.

It was gathered that the monarch had put calls through to the first Lady through his office but was told that the First Lady turned down the offer. When the monarch sought to directly speak with the first Lady and told her that in his position, and by sitting on the throne of his forbears, he has the power of prayers, it was gathered that the First Lady refused to budge.

A source said that the top monarch is the second of such Northern traditional rulers that would be turned down by the First Lady.

Another casualty of the blanket ban by Hajia Turai is the Principal Private Secretary to the President, Mr. David Edevbie, who has been told not to step into Saudi Arabia by the First Lady.

Sources disclosed that Edevbie, who received the Senate resolution on behalf of the President on January 31 had discussions with the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and top members of the kitchen cabinet before proceeding to Amsterdam, Netherlands.

It was gathered that the trip to Amsterdam was a decoy as the original destination is Saudi Arabia. The principal secretary was said to have journeyed to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from where he put a call through to Saudi.

Sources said that an enraged Hajia Turai ordered the private secretary back to Nigeria and insisted that he must not step onto Saudi soil.

“The woman threatened that he(Edevbie) would regret his life if he ever step into Saudi Arabia. The woman said that her ban affects all Nigerians, who may be seeking to see Yar’Adua.”

It was also gathered that Edevbie had planned to show the president the resolution of the Senate, which mandates him to transfer power to Vice president Goodluck Jonathan.

PDP Delegation in Limbo.
A delegation put together by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) which plans to visit Saudi Arabia is also said to have been affected by Hajia Turai’s order.

Sources said that the delegation, which plans to leave the country on Sunday, today, is in limbo on discovery of the information regarding the president’s aide, who has been denied entry to Saudi.

A source said that two options are now left for the delegation; they either leave the country and embark on rigmarole or abandon the trip completely.

We won’t receive communication from VP-Senate.
One critical aspect of the battle to maintain the status quo in the presidency is the bid to dress vice president Goodluck Jonathan in presidential robes, without giving him the powers.

The kitchen cabinet, working in alliance with members of the NWC of the PDP had tried to cajole the Senate to start receiving communications from the vice president, since the courts have recognized him as performing the job of the president.

But notwithstanding the fact that the House of Representatives is playing along in the game, Senate’s opposition is vital, since only the Senate receive communication on appointments and only the upper chamber can confirm presidential appointments.

Last Wednesday, the Senators bluntly rejected the advice that they should start receiving communication from the Vice President, and insisted that the chamber can only do so after he has been decorated as acting president in line with constitutional provisions.

The push, which sailed through due to efforts of the National Interest Group (NIG) has now practically grounded the government as no new appointments can be made in the circumstance

http://www.nigeriannews.com/

Muslims reject Al-Qaeda offer

By Ifedayo Adebayo


February 7, 2010 12:36AM
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Nigerian Muslims reject any attempt by Al-Qaeda or any of its affiliate groups to procreate their cells in Nigeria like it has done in some other countries, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) said in Abuja at the weekend.

The council, through a statement signed by the Secretary-General of the group, Lateef Adegbite, said Nigerian Muslims are not at loggerheads with their Christian counterparts and that “the recent unfortunate bloody Jos disturbances, like others before it, were not caused by religious differences but were rooted in ethnic and political rivalry.

“Neither Al-Qaeda nor the Taliban has a foothold in Nigeria. Nor would Nigerian Muslims welcome any attempts by them to establish their cells here,” the council said.

The council said the Nigerian Muslim leadership had briefed its followers, especially the youth, on the need to be alert and avoid persons and groups who might want to indoctrinate and recruit them into violent groups.

“Nigerian Muslims are irrevocably committed to the unity, peace and stability of our beloved country.” The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) also dissociated the Muslim community in Nigeria from the message from Al-Qaeda, saying that “neighbourliness is one of the core teachings of Islam. We cannot rise against our neighbours simply because we hold different religious views.”


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