₦airaland Forum

Chief Alamieyeseigha reportedly died of cardiac arrest at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, after slipping into coma two days ago and was placed on life support. The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Esueme Dan-Kikili, who confirmed the death to Channels Television, said that the death of the former governor was a great loss to the Ijaw ethnic group. There were reports during the week that the British Government was determined to resurrect an outstanding case of money laundering against the former governor and had requested for his extradition to London. Alamieyeseigha, who was facing money laundering charges, jumped bail and returned to Nigeria and has since then refused to answer summons for trial to continue. According to his Wikipedia page, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born on November 16, 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa State and had his secondary school education at the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, and was enlisted in the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply. Before retiring from the Air Force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader, he had served in Enugu, Markurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja. He became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt and later Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON). Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was Governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria from May 29, 1999 to December 9, 2005. He was impeached on allegations of corruption.

The Defence Authorities have alerted Nigerians of the deployment of cluster bombs by the members of the Boko Haram sect in the country. The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, said in a statement on Thursday that some catches of the cluster bombs were discovered by the troops in Adamawa State. Wikipedia defines a cluster bomb as ” a form of air- dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions.” It was stated that the cluster bombs which ejects smaller explosives are designed to kill and destroy properties. Abubakar said the Boko Haram insurgents had been found to be using cluster bombs in pursuit of their agenda in the North East. He said the small bombs were used against large areas like markets, places of worship, large contraction of troops and others. “The Defence Headquarters wishes to inform Nigerians living in the North East and any other part of the country to lookout for Cluster Bombs sometimes called scatter bombs, as the Nigerian Army Engineers serving in Adamawa State have recovered some catches of these bombs in the contested areas in recent time. “The military high command has discovered that the Boko Haram terrorists in these areas have used such lethal instruments over time to push their callous terrorist cause. For easy identification, it is important to note that cluster bombs are bombs that house submunitions, that is, smaller explosives contained in individual cases. “These bombs are used against large areas containing many targets, such as columns of vehicles, marketplaces, places of worship or large troop concentration as the case may be. “Some cluster bombs carry several hundred of very small explosives wrapped in a metal container like a pot while others carry larger submunitions that can find specific targets such as tanks. Some of these submunitions do not blow up immediately, but remain behind and act as landmines. “This can be an acceptable explanation for the recovery of catches of these bombs by Nigerian Army Engineers in the area.” He urged the members of the public to be conscious of such equipment that could be concealed in places by the terrorists to destroy lives and property in the society. He advised the members of the public to report such deadly materials if sighted to security agencies for immediate action. He said that the terrorists who had become frustrated and desperate could use anything in the pursuit of their mission He appealed to the members of the public to cooperate with the security agencies by volunteering timely information. “The general publics is hereby requested to be wary of such concealed dangerous equipment now being used by the terrorist elements to cause havoc to both innocent lives and property. “The public is also advised to report such objects/ materials if seen to security agencies for prompt action. The terrorists are desperate and frustrated and could use any cruel instrument to actualise their evil intention. “Members of the public are hereby urged to continue to cooperate with the security agencies by giving timely information to secure our great country.”

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to “immediately end the ongoing process aiming to change the constitution to shield the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and others from prosecution for corruption as this is tantamount to breaking the law.” In a statement, Thursday, by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni the organisation, “It is a huge setback for transparency and accountability and the rule of law that the same privileged and powerful leaders of parliament that regularly make laws that consign ordinary, powerless Nigerians to prison for even trivial offences yet again want to establish elite immunity to protect themselves from any consequences for serious crimes of corruption and money laundering: that is the Nigerian justice system in a nutshell. This is called breaking the law.” “SERAP notes that this initiative by the leaders of the National Assembly is coming at a time countries like Guatemala has voted unanimously to strip their president of immunity from prosecution for corruption,” the group said. “The message the leadership of the National Assembly is sending to us is clear: in Nigeria, powerful and influential actors must not be and are not subject to the rule of law. It’s simply not proper for lawmakers to be the chief advocates of immunity for corruption,” the group also said. According to the group, “It’s a clear breach of public trust and a form of political corruption for the parliamentarians to abuse their legislative powers, intended for use in the general public interest but instead for personal advantage. This is an unacceptable proposition as it gives the impression that both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House and others are above the law.” “If the leaders of the National Assembly should have their way, this will shield lawbreaking and corrupt Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives from any legal accountability and rob millions of Nigerians of their rights to accountable government,” the group said. The group said that, “Public officials who are genuinely committed to the well-being of the state and its people, and to the establishment of an effective and functioning system of administration of justice, should have absolutely nothing to fear.” The group also said that it “will work with other members of the civil society to vigorously challenge this gift of immunity against corruption and blatant breach of public trust by the National Assembly.” Posted by PRINCE AMUDA

Happy Independence
By Prince Amuda
this stance
I will say iam only but a singnior
Who just want my deeds upon my head
Shall I lay penjury upon my soul
Who can tell me what is the tenure of democracy if the people are still not in peace
What is democracy if the people are not educated
A democracy without employment
A democracy with war in the mind
A democracy without peace and harmony
Whay then is A democracy when the people are still living in hallow eyed wrinkled brow
So tell me how long shall we Tarry
We have been scanted from our clime
My people brothers sisters mothers fathers and my belove burghers jabs been strained into slavery in their own land
Why lay penjury upon our souls why let us suffer when you can put is in the fashion
Happy democracy

Police intervention is needed in oshodi for security reasons
details soon

By Prince amuda Nigeria artist song writer and a gospel singer has release his new single tittle Hallelujah is a Christian song lovely beat and write up from an extraordinary young talented Nigeria musician During my conversation with I ask him What has he been upto. All this while? He smile and reply me well have been mowhere just here and there all in close doors writing making event and shows in the city Calabar am still a student and music his what makes him who he is. Is a great and lovely hint I can testify after listening to the song This music BAM Kudos TL you infinity the hallelujah master infinity So right now I say hallelujah Amen to all my fans

The Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday said that Boko Haram terrorists would no longer be allowed to move freely to slaughter citizens or capture military units. The Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, gave the assurance in Abuja while delivering his remark at a two-day seminar on Standards and Evaluation, organised by NAF. The theme of the seminar was: “The Imperative of Standards and Evaluation in the Nigerian Air Force’’. He said NAF remains totally committed to global best practices even in the present war against insurgency and will strive to provide the enabling environment for national development. “So far, the air operations in the North-East are creating the enabling environment for the army to move unhindered in the conduct of their operation. “We have substantially degraded the capacity of the terrorists to move freely in Toyota Hilux vehicles ravaging villages and murdering innocent citizens. “God willing, they will never move freely again to slaughter our citizens or capture our military units. “We will continue to do our best to meet our statutory responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of the nation, acting singly or in concert with other security agencies,” he said. Mr. Abubakar said that NAF regarded safety as a core function and as such it would strive to develop, implement, maintain and constantly review its safety strategies to ensure that operations were conducted with acceptable risk level. He said that the Standard and Evaluation Branch was one of the most important branches in the NAF. “Because once you have a sound standard and evaluation branch, people would operate according to standard. “This will prevent us from running into problems of safety, because people will be operating according to the laid down regulations of safety, especially at times such as now when you have scarcity of resources. “We cannot afford to lose anything, whether our pilot or equipment,” he said. The CAS said that the NAF would promote collaboration with Nigerian Universities and research agencies with a view to giving additional boost to its efforts at research and development. “We have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 15 Nigerian universities; right now as I speak to you we are working on an issue with Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. “We are trying to invite these universities for us to see how we can partner with them, especially as regards maintenance of our helicopters and other machines. “We cannot continue to rely on foreign vendors. Within the Nigerian universities, we have people that are competent; all we need to do is to get them, partner with them and solve our problems.” On the recent NAF Helicopter crash in Kaduna, Abubakar said, “I don’t want to pre- empt the report we have set up a board to look at what really happened with regards to the crash in Kaduna. “But what I can tell you is that the standard and evaluation branch is working round the clock to ensure that we operate within those standards and very soon, we will have a clear picture of what really happened,” he said. The CAS, however, urged the standard and evaluation branch to sensitise all those involve, on how to properly maintain the equipment, personnel and assets entrusted to them in order to derive maximum value from them. (NAN)

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks to the press in Paris. AFP Viewd by: 1 AFP/Paris President Muhammadu Buhari told AFP Wednesday that Nigerian authorities were talking to Boko Haram prisoners in their custody and could offer them amnesty if the extremist group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last year. The Nigerian leader added that he was confident "conventional" attacks by the group would be rooted out by November -- but cautioned that deadly suicide attacks, some of them waged by children, were likely to continue. "The few (prisoners) we are holding, we are trying to see whether we can negotiate with them for the release of the Chibok girls," Buhari said in an interview in Paris during a three-day visit to France. "If the Boko Haram leadership eventually agrees to turn over the Chibok girls to us -- the complete number -- then we may decide to give them (the prisoners) amnesty." Boko Haram fighters stormed a school in the remote northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok on April 14 last year, seizing 276 girls who were preparing for end- of-year exams in an abduction that shocked the world. Fifty-seven escaped, but nothing has been heard of the 219 others since May last year, when about 100 of them appeared in a Boko Haram video, dressed in Muslim attire and reciting the Koran. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said they have all converted to Islam and been "married off". 'Occasional bombings' won't stop Buhari, who has promised to stamp out the group's bloody six-year insurgency, said the government would not release any prisoners unless it was convinced it could "get the girls in reasonably healthy condition". But he cautioned that negotiating with Boko Haram militants was fraught with difficulties. "We are trying to establish if they are bona fide, how useful they are in Boko Haram, have they reached a position of leadership where their absence is of relevance to the operation of Boko Haram?" he said. The insurgency, which has claimed more than 15,000 lives and forced 1.5 million others out of their homes, has intensified since Buhari came to power on May 29 on the back of a historic election win. While the extremist group has lost territory it once controlled in northeastern Nigeria, the group has nevertheless stepped up deadly ambushes in its traditional heartland and across the border in Cameroon and Chad. Suicide bombers have blown themselves up in bus stations, markets or at checkpoints, while improvised explosive devices have gone off in places like refugee camps, killing more than 1,100 people since Buhari's inauguration, according to an AFP tally. Children have often been used as bombers. In August, the former military ruler gave a brand new set of military chiefs a three-month deadline to end the insurgency. He said Wednesday he was confident this deadline would be respected -- but only on Boko Haram's "conventional" assaults and not necessarily on the random suicide attacks that have killed hundreds since he took office. "The main conventional attacks, where Boko Haram use armoured cars they took from Nigerian troops, or mounted machine-guns on pick-ups and so on, we believe by the end of the three months, we will see the back of that," he said. "What may not absolutely stop is the occasional bombings by the use of improvised explosive devices," he cautioned. "We do not expect a 100 percent stoppage of the insurgency." Multinational force soon Nigeria is already involved in a military offensive launched earlier this year against Boko Haram alongside neighbours Niger, Chad and Cameroon. But it is due to be replaced by a wider, 8,700-strong force drawing in the four countries plus Benin. This so-called Multinational Joint Task Force had been due to deploy at the end of July, but has yet to materialise. "Movement in that area now is extremely difficult, whether it's on foot or vehicular," Buhari said, pointing to the rainy season in the north which is normally ends around September. "Both Boko Haram and ourselves are trying to see how we can get troops ready on the ground, equipped and so on before the end of the rainy season," he said, adding that by that time, soldiers from the force were expected to be in position.

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
 The Nigerian military engaged in Operation Lafiya Dole has cleared more areas in the North-east, of Boko Haram terrorists presence. The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday, said the troops were advancing to clear all known terrorists camps towards Banki, Kumshe and Bama axis. Usman disclosed that the military have also cleared four more camps earlier on Monday. According to him, the forces “were able to clear the terrorists camp at Bolungu 1 and 2, Bula Doye and Cheehi Dare and secured a very important bridge linking the towns of Miyanti and Banki in Borno State.” The army spokesman said that gallant troops also rescued dozen of kidnapped women and children held captive by Boko Haram terrorists. He assured that the clearance by ground troops and aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) continues till they reach the desired objective of defeating the terrorists.

Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi and his Osun State counterpart, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday renewed their calls for a workable regional integration in the South-west to advance the cause that the founding fathers of Yoruba race stood for. Specifically, the governors clamoured for a development agenda that would be in tune with the ones pursued and vigorously implemented by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. According to them, the development of the six states as presently constituted under a geopolitical zone within Nigeria’s context, remains the solution to the present drop in federal allocation to states because of the dwindling price of oil in the global market. They spoke on the theme: ‘Dwindling Oil Revenue: A Case for Regional Integration,’ during the official unveiling of the regional newspaper, Western Post founded by Alhaji Tunde Rahman, a renowned journalist. The launch was well attended by media executives, including those from THISDAY Newspapers. Ajimobi, who was represented by his deputy, Moses Alake Adeyemo, said it was lack of good governance in the past that made people to advocate regional integration. “The six South-west states of Nigeria, which comprises Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo Osun, and Oyo States have firmly expressed their desire to work and act together under a common set of development strategies leveraging common synergies and economies of scale whereby the region and its people will experience enhanced human and social development outcomes across the spheres of existence. “The economic dangers of extreme dependence on a single product are too obvious to need repetition. I usually lay emphasis on present concentration and dependence on oil and its structural imbalance, which need to be rectified in the interest of Nigeria’s future growth and prosperity. “It was the lack of good governance and transformational leadership at the centre that made people to start looking back into regional integration. Succinctly put, the depression of the last leadership at the centre led to agitation of what Bola Tinubu called common sense revolution. “This was a remarkable step taken by homogeneous people of the south-west Nigeria whose focus, dream, common inheritance and development had been thwarted by the giant father called Nigeria,” he sad. Aregbesola who was represented by his Director of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said Osun State was in full support of regional integration since the inception of his administration. “Aregbesola is fully in support of the regional integration from the onset. He has been advocating for the concept of the regional integration so as to make the South-west region unique in Nigeria. “The first thing we need is to understand the comparative advantage of the concept. Each of the state has what they have in common and they need to utilise it. For instance, if you are talking of agriculture in the South- west, you will go to Ondo and if you are talking about education maybe you talk of Ekiti. So, we are going to build on what each state believe in and make it work. That is what we are saying and it will be helpful if the region could adopt this concept,” he emphasised. In his contribution, the former governor of the old Western Region, Brigadier General Oluwole Rotimi, said the South-west states should embrace the concept regardless of their political affiliations.

A member of Team Nigeria, Yakubu Adesokan, did his country proud yesterday at the on-going African Games in Congo as he set a new world record in the powerlifting event. Adesokan, a physically challenged athlete, who had won many medals for Nigeria in various international events in the past, set the new record in the Men’s 49kg category as he lifted a massive 182.5kg to win another gold medal for Team Nigeria in the early hours of yesterday. Speaking with The Guardian shortly after the event, Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Al- Hassan Yakmut, described Adesokan’s feat as ‘wonderful.’ “It was a great achievement for Team Nigeria and I salute Adesokan for that wonderful performance,” Yakmut said. “We are gradually moving up on the medals table and from the look of things, I have the feeling that Team Nigeria can finish top at the end of the Games. I know that Egypt and South Africa are working hard, but I am very sure of turning the tide against them based on performance of our athletes,” he enthused. 4:06 am

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