₦airaland Forum

President Goodluck Jonathan has quietly fired his Coordinator on Counterterrorism, Ambassador Zakari Ibrahim, following the spate of bombings in the country.


In what an insider called “one of the first steps in a major overhaul of the security architecture”, the president has appointed the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Sarkin Yakin Bello, as his new adviser to counter the rising wave of bombings in the country.


In another counterterrorism measure, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched an operation against illegal aliens in the country, leading to the deportation of nationals of six countries, including Somalia, for “security reasons”.


Maj. Gen. Bello was the Commander of the Joint Task Force (Operation Restore Hope) in the Niger Delta in the heyday of militancy.


Before then, Bello, who was promoted to the two-star rank in December 2008 by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was the Commander of Operation Flush Out III in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.


In Kano, the state command of Immigration Service at the weekend deported illegal immigrants from Somalia, Chad, Mali, Sudan, Niger and Senegal.


It is strongly believed in security circle that many of the “suicide bombers” trained by Boko Haram are not Nigerians, and the country’s porous borders as well as the cultural affinity between cross-border towns may have blurred the true identities of the extremists.


A senior Immigration officer at the Kano Command told reporters over the weekend that the deportation was in the national interest and would continue for now.


He confirmed that “hundreds” of foreigners had been sent back to their countries as they had no valid papers to remain in the country.


“They are usually engaged in menial and undignifying jobs in the state, and as such could be ready tools in the hands of mischief makers,” he said.


He also revealed that the service had adopted a “quiet, tactical approach” in purging the country of illegal immigrants so as to deport as many as possible.


THISDAY learnt that all the state commands had been instructed not to make their mode of operation public so as not to jeopardise efforts aimed at ridding the country of illegal immigrants.


The deportees are to be handed over to their home governments, the official said.


Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for the recent spate of bombings including the attack on the United Nations House which claimed 23 lives, said in June that it had trained suicide bombers in Somalia, a country where extremist group al-Shabaab, linked to Al-Qaeda, is in control. Revelations in the last one week have also shown that many of the Boko Haram members had been trained in Algeria and Afghanistan.

The four-week old strike action embarked upon by workers in the Osun State Public Service came to an end at the weekend as the state Head of Service, Mr. Segun Akinwusi ordered them to report for duty today.


This, however, came on a day the Kebbi State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Sadiq Sambo Kaoje, said the union decided to embark on the strike over the N18,000 minimum wage due to government’s indifference to its cause.


In a state-wide Public Service announcement broadcast on the state-owned radio and television services, Akinwusi promised the returning workers of their safety and security as they resumed work.


He said the government had exhausted all avenues at negotiating with the striking workers in a bid to ensure the enthronement of peace, progress and development of the state.


He added that the desire of government was to ensure, “that all workers in the state public service enjoy maximum comfort and good life necessitated our offer to pay a N19001.00 as Minimum Wage to the least paid worker which is far higher than what the Federal Government instructed states to pay it's workers.”


Akinwusi stressed further that the government shifted its position four times to accommodate the position of workers while also taking cognisance of the interest of other sectors of the state.


The Head of Service noted that, “a sizable number of workers controlling the vast majority, who are willing and ready to resume work prefers to hold the state to ransom by insisting on forging ahead with the strike action despite strident appeal and persuasion as it is the norm in democratic setting.”


Furthermore, Akinwusi reiterated the promise of the state government to pay N19001.00 as Minimum Wage to workers, while N7429, N6611, and N5096 are to be paid to workers on Salary Grade Levels 08 to 10, Grade Levels 12 to 14 and Salary Grade Levels 15 to 17 respectively.


In a related development, Kaoje in an interview with THISDAY in Birnin Kebbi, said government had not been responsive enough to their demand when some states have finished negotiation. According to the NLC chairman, the union had given the government two weeks ultimatum before embarking on the strike which started on Friday.


Kaoje said: “We have started our strike over the N18, 000 minimum wages we demanding from the state government. We wrote to government but have at the time I’m talking to you, government has not acknowledge receiving our letter on the issue.”


He said the union would not accept anything less than N18, 000 as minimum wage for its workers and that the union will not call off the strike until l the government is ready to pay.


“This strike is an indefinite strike and we are not going to call off, until the government is ready to implement the bark age,” he added.


Kaoje stated that strike has been total and there will be skeleton services been rendered either in the hospital, water board or any government offices.

Leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have foreclosed any move by the members of the party in the South-west to reclaim the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, currently occupied by Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.


Indication to this effect emerged at the weekend, in Ilorin, Kwara State, when the Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, said the leadership of the party has zoned the position of the Leader of the House to members of the party in the South-west geo-political zone.


Baraje, who disclosed this at a news conference shortly after hosting his secondary school mates of 1971 to 72 set at the 1lorin Teachers College, added that the right candidate for the job would be announced as soon as the National Assembly resumed from vacation.


It would be recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, at the strategic zonal meeting of the party, held in  Abeokuta, Ogun State on Saturday, reiterated that the zone would still reclaim the Speakership position of the House, osaying the loss of the position was distasteful.

https://serving.thisdaylive.com/0bef99d6-acf5-4e2c-9779-8fa02ba3fcd4/assets/Aminu-Tambuwal-0509.jpg?maxwidth=400&maxheight=540
Hon. Aminu Tambuwal

Obasanjo said the: “Speaker of the House of Representatives, which the constitution of the party zoned to the South-west is our legitimate right which must be given back to us.”


However, Baraje said since the election of Tambuwal was the endorsement of the members of the House of Representatives, including the PDP members, the party was not going to punish or sanction any member for the action.


According to him: “There is nothing like compensation for South-west for losing out in the Speakership election and that the PDP is being administered by zoning but the position of Leader of the House had been zoned to South-west now.”


He said the House would actualise the position for the South-west zone immediately members resumed from vacation.


Baraje, who described the events and circumstances, which led to Tambuwal’s emergence on June 6, as an aberration to the instruction and tradition of the party, however, said the party had warned that the party would never entertain such “difference” again.


While stating further that, the party has ruled out the possibility of disciplining or sanctioning any member over the emergence of Tambuwal, stated that the leadership of the party was against the reported recommendation of the six-man committee of the BoT of the party, which recommended punishment for the PDP lawmakers for disobeying the party’s directive to vote against a South-west choice in the House.


The PDP chairman said the BoT of the party was only an advisory body, adding that the party’s executive was only at its liberty to either take or reject the BoT advices.


“I want to say categorically that there's no committee to discipline anybody by the party. There were comments about the behaviour of lawmakers on June 6 in the National Assembly by the BOT members, particularly by the BOT chairman, Olisegun Obasanjo. The party’s constitution says that BOT is an advisory body of the party. The party has the leverage to either take or reject the advice given.


“If the BOT is holding discussion relating to that singular instance and they are reacting in any way, it's strictly within the BOT and has not got to the party,” he said.

werepeLeri:
Aregbesola - we dont need roads, we need food.

This is how they cry against GEJ.

Omo_Tier1:
Oh heaven! what manner of a president is this?

If Nigeria was to be viewed as a business entity, where on earth will you find a CEO/CBD asking the directors to come up with a blue print on how to turn the business entity around? Rather the CEO charts the path, with bold action plans and gets his directors to formulate 'workings' on how to navigate that path!

Jonathan continues to amaze me albeit with disgust! I thought Obasanjo in his second coming was bad, but GEJ is worse! No action plan, pervading indecisiveness and seemingly obvious lack of idea on how to fix up nigeria!

I am begining to suspect that the real reason GEJ never had shoes was not because his parent could not afford one,  maybe He just couldn't figure out how to wear them!

Onlytruth:
Bros Chyz,

It think he is a northerner. He lives in Lagos and has interacted with Igbo people in Lagos (mainly Anambra folks). So he thinks he can pass off as either youruba or Igbo. But i know the typical mentality of a hausa/fulani/kanuri (they all speak Hausa and people think in languages). I was here when he joined NL for the first time. He has also called for yoruba to be wiped out. No yourba would do that.

Chyz*:
Oh ok. Get it now. Just one of them days. How your Awori people dey? You never told us if you are an Awori from Lagos or Ogun. Which one?

Why do you guys worry Ahj Harem?
Isn't it obvious to you that the guy is a bas.tard. Someone who keeps changing his origin/tribe by the day, is most likely a bast.ard who grew up in an orphanage. Not that it is a bad thing to be a bast.ard or to grow-up in an orphanage, but it is increasingly obvious to us that Alh Harem is a complete bast.ard with no trace of the father.
Spare some pity for the fatherless bast.ard, least you turn him to suicide bomber (from being a cyber terrorist)! 

valacious:
I can imagine GEJ saying 'u are lucky u for don pay ransom, u sef try invest part of your allowance in your local town'

kodewrita:
scream all you want madam, It still doesnt change the past or the present. He's not someone I really want to hear from. Good or bad.

I would rather listen to a Durotoye tell me that change starts from where I am. I would pick an axe and follow a Soyinka if it became necessary. I would fund a Falana or Gani(R.I.P) court case if need be.

But I would not listen to a pastor who courts power and keeps alternately flirting with and bitching about men_in_power.

Its that simple.

Donmeca:
Thank PointB for being that classy. Those blaming d govt can go ahead and do so. Nigerian security system has failed and as such must be blamed for what no man on earth can prevent. It's horrible d way we think!

alj_harem:
hey why do u keep bu.tt-licking

i hope u know SS is not with SE so all this bu.tt-licking is all a waste of time

i means how dumb can u get. GEJ would give u SS support. stu.pid really

musiwa.,.:
Is it because they place it in ijawland. wetin be your problem. you people shouting you wanted the second niger , I think it was during obasanjo govt, they built the second niger bridge. But instead of putting it in asaba, they place it in Pategi because it was best to put it in  pategi because it was closer to Imo, abia, river, cross river, akwa ibom states. you keep on shouting, they went ahead and built the third niger bridge again and place it in bomadi. What she is asking for is the fourth niger bridge.