₦airaland Forum

…as APC vows to recover mandate in Anambra
The candidate of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the last
governorship election in Anambra
State, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday
alleged that the federal government
gave Anambra State Governor, Mr.
Peter Obi, N8 billion to prosecute the
election.
Ngige further alleged that the money
which was given in the guise of
Ecological Fund by the FG was to
ensure that APC was rigged out in the
election, adding that “the N8biilion is
apart from the N4billion state
resources used by Obi for the
election.”
Speaking in Owerri, the Imo State
capital, during the Southeast APC
leaders meeting, Ngige disclosed that
the FG also allegedly directed security
agents to clamp down on APC
members during the election.
According to him, “Even the Army and
the Police were biased against the
APC. They were arresting every
vehicle with the APC logo. Some of
our members were arrested in Enugu,
Ebonyi and Imo States just to stop
them.”
Also speaking during the meeting, an
APC leader, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu,
congratulated APC members for their
solidarity and support during the
recently held election in Anambra
State, adding, “The PDP-led
government was afraid of the APC
and they ensured that APC came out
third to stop us from going to the
tribunal but we will disappoint them
and fight on until the election is
cancelled.”
He observed further, “In the history of
Nigerian politics, there has never
been an opposition party as strong as
the APC. We have 16 governors
already and many more are joining. I
can tell you that by 2015, the PDP will
be the opposition party.”
Earlier in his speech, the host and
Chairman of Progressives Governors’
Forum, Governor Rochas Okorocha of
Imo State, sued for unity and
harmony among members of the
party.
He said, “In APC, we believe in the
masses; there is nothing like
consensus candidate in APC. Let
nobody claim that because he is
close to the leaders, he is anointed.”
The communiqué issued at the end of
the meeting read, “We have met and
agreed that a contact committee be
set up to reach out to people in the
zone.
“To recover the party’s mandate in
Anambra State through all legal
means and ensure that Senator Ngige
becomes the Governor of Anambra
State.”
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/fg-gave-obi-n8b-prosecute-anambra-election-ngige-alleges/

ceo4eva: YES, I totally Agree with the PDP. With Immediate Effect, Tukur should be made an Ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria.

Seriously? lol

ceo4eva: The name "Mama Peace" delves into a problematical approtuzoa which may not be articulated due to economicated vouldavitation,
propertuated baberically through out the geographical atomicable panderison. In Summary, Madam Jonathan should accoutuate an outrageous theologicolism to be punctuated intermittently and holistically.
Abeg, no ask me the meaning of wetin I write here, cos I don't even know.

.....very funny. lol

silami: He should tell that to Clerk and Dokubo

The Office of the Presidency deserves some level of Respect. Show Respect!

Chief Solomon Lar, the pioneer
National Chairman of the People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) and former
Governor of Plateau, died as a poor
man, his daughter, Dr. Chalya Lar has
said.
She spoke during her testimony at the
service of songs for the late Lar at the
Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN)
headquarters in Jos.
“Baba has only one car at the time he
died; I am not even sure he has up to
N1 million in his account before he
died,” she said.
The daughter said that she had cause
to have a one-on-one discussion
with her father as they travelled
abroad on his medical trip.
She said that she asked the late
politician why he did not amass
wealth and build houses like other
politicians but that the reply she got
from him was on how he was
educated on other people’s sweat.
“They contributed their sweat to send
me to school; I cannot forget that,”
she quoted Lar as saying to her.
She said that rather than telling her
why he remained poor, the deceased
stressed the need for his children to
strive for good name.
According to her testimony, the late
politician said: “A good name will
always open doors for you.”She said
that her father was also a very good
Christian and a lover of the people
even at the point of his demise.
“He never ceased expressing faith in
God and his love for the people while
on his sick bed, even when he knew
his end had come,” she said.
A former Personal Assistant to Lar,
Mr Nanven Nimsel, in his testimony,
described his former boss as a good
Christian and a generous politician.
He said that late Lar practiced self
denial to a fault, adding that “this
robbed his people of Langtang some
good opportunities when he was
governor of the state”.
He said that at a time when Lar
appointed administrators for the then
14 local governments, he left out
Langtang, claiming that as a
governor he had represented them.
Nimsel said that was the reason
Langtang did not have the presence
of any higher institution of learning
till date.
He said that at the time Lar, as
governor, gave other parts of the state
institutions of higher learning,
Langtang had no commissioner to
represent it and so did not benefit
alongside with others.
“He kept telling us to be patient, while
he was pleasing others; he only left
us with a legacy of patience,” he said.
Gov. Jonah Jang, represented by the
Secretary to the State Government
(SSG), Prof. Shedrack Best, described
Lar’s death as a loss to the state.
Lar will be buried this weekend.
http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/12/13/solomon-lar-died-a-pauper-says-daughter/

See Traffic

Marsatto: What makes you a princess?

I'm from a Royal family. Thank You.

ilugunboy: Keep deceiving yourself.....the fact that you stop bolding your fonts with this handle changes nothing.

I guess U're looking for Cheap Attention. Thank You.

ilugunboy: Very weak reply....

If it's a Southerner now...his mouth go sharp to insult that person.

Chino....why are you booking space above me?

Sorry, I'm not Chino. Mistaken Id?

From the statement, It's obvious Abati has nothing meaningful to say. In other words, Jonathan is GUILTY!

Mr. Abati reacted to the speaker’s
statement via twitter.
The presidential spokesperson, Ruben
Abati, has described the criticisms by
the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, of
President Goodluck Jonathan’s anti-
corruption effort as “unfortunate.”
Mr. Abati said this via his twitter
handle, @abati1990, on Tuesday
morning in response to criticisms by
the speaker of Mr. Jonathan’s anti-
corruption effort.
I think it is unfortunate that a
man that is occupying such a
high office is talking about body
language…
— Reuben Abati (@abati1990)
December 10, 2013
Mr. Tambuwal had spoken while
responding to questions on Monday
after he presented a paper titled the
‘role of the legislature in the fight
against corruption in Nigeria’ at a
one day roundtable to mark the
international anti-corruption day
organised by the Nigeria Bar
Association, NBA, in Abuja.
“Take the subsidy probe, the pension,
the SEC probe and recently the bullet
proof car cases. After the House of
Representatives did a diligent job by
probing and exposing the cases, you
now see something else when it
comes to prosecution.
“In some cases, you have the
government setting up new
committees to duplicate the job
already done by the parliament. Take
the bullet proof cars case, the NSA,
with all the security challenges
confronting the country, should not be
burdened with a job that can best be
handled by the anti-corruption
agencies,” the speaker said while
giving examples of the way the
executive, led by Mr. Jonathan,
addresses corruption issues.
In his reaction, Mr. Abati, in a series
of tweets, said, “Tambuwal should
focus more on the efforts of the
administration in fighting corruption,
and comment on what he knows. The
administration is not going to fight
corruption on the basis of mere
speculation, or the bad politics being
played by some people. I think it is
unfortunate that a man that is
occupying such a high office is
talking about body language”
“He is certainly in a position to know
the truth and defend both his party
and the government. He should make
the effort to know that government is
investigating various matters &
working on them in accordance with
due process. President Jonathan will
not condone any act of proven
corruption. The fight against
corruption is ultimately a collective
responsibility,” the president’s
spokesperson added.
http://premiumtimesng.com/news/151226-corruption-tambuwals-criticism-jonathan-unfortunate-abati.html

Akpabio: Losing Wamakko to APC is not an issue

The Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko yesterday explained that he was at the Presidential Villa to formerly inform President Goodluck Jonathan of the defection of himself and the other four governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wamakko, who arrived for the meeting at the First Lady Conference room with his Kano State counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso, stayed for the about
five hours meeting with President Jonathan and other fourteen PDP governors.

Speaking with State House correspondents when the meeting ended around 2.45a.m., he said that the forum provided him the opportunity to say the truth concerning their grievances which led to their defection.

But he did not respond to the question whether he was pressurized to return back to the PDP by the President.

He said: “Well the meeting went on very well because some of us came here as governors … in PDP matter and our position has been known. On
behalf of the five of us, I have already briefed Mr. President our position as G-5 that we are no longer in the PDP mainstream and that we are already in another party.”

“But as a President of this country, if he calls us, we will come and listen to him and respect him as a leader of our country, otherwise what we had there was mostly a PDP affair.”

On why he sat through the about five hours PDP meeting, he said “We had to tell the President and Chairman of the BOT our position. We can’t just be going about talking, we had to come and tell them the truth where the truth must be told and that is why we came here.”

On his part, the Akwa Ibom State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio said that the meeting was part of the on-going dialogue to resore harmony and peace in the party.

He said: “I think the meeting we had was part of the dialogue Mr. President… months back at that time we had the G-7 governors. The
last time we met, we met with the G-2 governors and today we had the G-3 and so it is part of the continuing dialogue to ensure harmony and peace in the party and Mr. President is not relenting.”

“He is very serious about consulting with all strata and all the bigwigs in the party, particularly the governors who are aggrieved
with a view to bringing everybody on board and ensuring harmony and unity of the party and the governors. I don’t think the issue of APC
was discussed.”

On whether all hope is lost with the declaration of Governor Wamakko to journalists at the end of the meeting, he said: “Please, you have
to distinguish the issue state-by-state. You have to take the issues state-by-state. I wasn’t here when the governor of Sokoto was talking
to you and I know that the governor of Sokoto State is just one member of the PDP in Sokoto and if he says he is leaving the PDP, I am sure
there are still thousands of other members of PDP who will say we are staying within the PDP.”

“So you can’t say all hope is lost. How can all hope be lost? The party is very robust, large and as much as possible we are interested in keeping our leaders together. That is why, we as governors are all here. We will continue dialogue, this is not going to be the end.”

“We have narrowed down few issues which we are taking up with Mr. President and the governors are also going to discuss. You saw the
number of governors today, we are more I think 17 or 18 governors and you can be sure that the number will keep increasing.” He added

Asked to mention the issues causing the lingering crisis, Akpabio said: “I think the issues differ from state to state. They are all
family issues. They are mostly issues that linger within the PDP and we believe strongly that the President is very poised and determined to ensure there is harmony.”

On whether he believes that the five governors who decamped to APC are still members of the PDP, he said: “Which five? Do you mean the G-7 or G-4 or G-3?”

He also declared that he was not aware of any media report where some PDP governors were insisting that the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga
Tukur must be relieved of the position.

“I have not read. Which media? I have not read it.” He stated

Among governors who attended the meeting which started on Sunday night include Niger, Abia, Kebbi, Kogi, Katsina, Bauchi, Plateau, Enugu, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, and Taraba states.

Also at the meeting were the Vice President Namadi Sambo, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony
Anenih and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki.

The President left the venue of the meeting about an hour to the end of the meeting.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/came-aso-villa-inform-jonathan-defection-apc-says-wamakko/

LAGOS — A one and a half year old
child with two of his siblings were,
weekend burnt to death in an inferno
that engulfed a building and a church
in Iba Local Council Development
Area, LCDA, Lagos State, leaving
property worth millions of Naira
destroyed.
Also, two unidentified dredgers got
drowned in a 70-feet domestic well in
Ojo Local Government, Lagos.
The deceased siblings identified as
Imoleayo, Ismaila who is eight years
old and Busayo Ganiyu, were said to
have been sleeping when the fire
started.
The cause of the fire was yet to be
ascertained, but sources said it
started at about 9:30p.m., Friday,
from the victims’ one-room
apartment before spreading to other
rooms.
According to reports, efforts by the
sympathisers to put out the fire
proved abortive, as it later spread to
the Cherubim and Seraphim Church of
Zion at 41, Ogunyemi Street, Sabo
Ilaje, Ajangbadi, Iba LCDA.
Sources said that the mother of the
three siblings, a petty trader, was still
in shock over the death of her
children.
Speaking to Vanguard, Adeyemi
Ayinla, a friend to the late Ismaila,
said that his friend would have been
alive if the neighbours who raised the
alarm saw the fire early enough.
According to him: “We couldn’t get
water early. And when we called the
emergency numbers: 767 and 112,
there wasn’t any response. This I
guess, was due to the network. Before
we could get water to extinguish the
fire, they had already died.”
A teacher in Sabo Oniba Primary
School, Ajangbadi, Iba LCDA, who
spoke under condition of anonymity,
said that Ismaila was a primary three
pupil.
He said: “I can’t believe that he
(Ismaila) is dead. He was in school
on Thursday, his mother also
attended the Parents /Teachers
Association, PTA, meeting in the
school that day.”
Meantime, Vanguard gathered that
the two men who died in a well were
in their late 40′s.
An eyewitness told our correspondent
that the younger dredger was the first
to drown. Effort to rescue him by his
colleague proved unsuccessful and he
also drowned.
Confirming this, the Director of the
Lagos State Fire Service, Mr. Rasak
Fadipe who spoke to our
correspondent said that this was part
of the four distress calls they received
from Ojo yesterday.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/three-siblings-burnt-death-lagos/

On a hot, windy Thursday afternoon
in May, three gaunt looking men in
oversized clothes stood in a dock, a
few metres away from a magistrate
inside a tiny court room that serves
as the Special Court in Alausa, Lagos.
Outside the room, crime suspects –
the young and the elderly – and their
lawyers discussed freely as the
former awaited their turn in the dock.
Inside the court, the three men, their
arms folded before then, stared at the
bench as the magistrate carefully
read out her judgment: “…You are
hereby sentenced to 390 days in
prison.”
That day, over 100 persons were
sentenced to various prison terms for
minor environmental offences by the
Lagos State Special Offences Court, a
court established to prosecute
environmental offenders and other
related offences in the state.
But the presence of 12 underage
children among the convicts has
raised concerns about what human
rights lawyers say is a continuous
dispatch of children to prisons where
criminals are kept, by the Lagos State
government, contrary to the dictates
of the Child Rights Act.
The state government had, however,
insisted that no underage person was
convicted.
“If they are not minors, let us see
them. Present them to the press. We
have the facts and we know they are
minors,” said Joshua Olufemi of Light
Behind Bars, a non governmental
organization that fights for the rights
of children.
Section 221 of the Child Rights Act
says that ‘No child shall be ordered to
be imprisoned; subjected to corporal
punishment; or subjected to death
penalty or have the death penalty
recorded against him.”
Underaged Inmates
On June 7, the Prisoners’ Rights
Advocacy Initiative, PRAI, a non
governmental organization,
petitioned the Lagos State Attorney
General over the “shocking incidence”
of under-aged persons serving prison
terms in Kirikiri and Badagry Prisons.
Some of the inmates, imprisoned by
the Special Court in Alausa, were
males and females aged between 13
and 17 years, according to PRAI.
“We were reliably informed that these
children were arrested at Oshodi at
about 10 p.m. on their way home
after the day’s work and sentenced to
390 days imprisonment by
Magistrate Jadesola Adeyemi sitting
in Alausa, Ikeja, on the 2nd of May
2013,” Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem,
Director, PRAI, stated in the petition.
“We were informed that about 162
persons were sentenced on that day,
made up of majorly children and
young persons.
“We were also informed that about 64
were remanded at Badagry prison,
about 64 were remanded at Kirikiri
Medium prison out of which 30 have
been transferred to Kirikiri Maximum
prison, while 36 are presently serving
term at the Kirikiri Female prison,”
Mr. Adetola-Kazeem added.
Prior to their sentencing by the
magistrate, the group said, the
arrested persons were arraigned
without a lawyer, no charge was read
to them in the language they
understood, and they were told to
plead guilty as there are dire
consequences for doing otherwise.
“The magistrate ordered that the kids
be remanded in Kirikiri and Badagry
Prisons,” Mr. Adetola-Kazeem
continued.
“We visited Kirikiri Female and
Maximum Prisons, prisons meant for
the worst offences and to our dismay
we found young boys and girls who
were alleged to have committed
obstruction, breach of peace, and
being disorderly without proof. This
from experience will only breed more
hardened criminals who will engage
in more heinous crimes after release.”
The group called for an inquiry into
the activities of the Lagos State Task
Force on Environmental and Special
Offences, especially in relation to
rights abuses, as well as the
immediate release of all the under-
aged persons to their guardians or
their transfer to a correctional facility
http://premiumtimesng.com/news/151080-investigation-lagos-govt-imprisoning-underaged-children.html

REVEALED: Why US President Obama Can’t Use iPhone
https://www.nairaland.com/1546712/revealed-why-us-president-obama#20058193

REVEALED: Why US President Obama Can’t Use iPhone
https://www.nairaland.com/1546712/revealed-why-us-president-obama#20058193

REVEALED: Why US President Obama Can’t Use iPhone
https://www.nairaland.com/1546712/revealed-why-us-president-obama#20058193

The troubled mobile phone maker
BlackBerry still has at least one very
loyal customer: U.S. President Barack
Obama.
At a meeting with youth on
Wednesday to promote his landmark
healthcare law, Obama said he is not
allowed to have Apple's smart phone,
the iPhone, for "security reasons,"
though he still uses Apple's tablet
computer, the iPad.
Apple was one of several tech
companies that may have allowed the
National Security Agency (NSA)
direct access to servers containing
customer data, according to
revelations by former NSA contractor
Edward Snowden. The companies
deny the allegation.
Obama fought to keep his BlackBerry
after coming to the White House in
2009, though he said only 10 people
have his personal email address.
Neither George W. Bush nor Bill
Clinton used email during their
presidencies.
BlackBerry, a Canadian company
formerly known as Research In
Motion Ltd, virtually invented the idea
of on-the-go email, but lost its
market stranglehold as rivals brought
out more consumer-friendly devices,
like Apple's iPhone and phones using
Google's Android software.
The company recently halted plans to
be sold and is trying to chart a new
course by focusing on large business
and government clients.
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php/business/business-news/140284-why-obama-can-t-use-iphone

The perceived rivalry between the
former Oyo State governor, Chief
Adebayo Alao-Akala and the Alaafin
of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi,
yesterday, appeared to have been
settled, with the former governor
admitting publicly, for the first time
since he lost his re-election bid in
2011, that he and his party, the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
wronged the traditional ruler.
He, therefore, asked for Alaafin’s
forgiveness.
Alao-Akala, who made this
disclosure in Oyo, yesterday, while
addressing party faithful at the
Labamba Hotel, during an interactive
session attended by party members
from the four local governments in
Oyo as well as members of the
party’s state executive led by Alhaji
Yinka Taiwo, expressed regret with
the way his relationship with the
royal father was handled, saying:
“Omode kii mo eko je, ki o ma ra
l’owo,” meaning that a little child
was always bound to err while
dealing with elders, even as he
pleaded with the Kabiyesi to forgive
them.
This development, the Nigerian
Tribune gathered, did not, however,
begin yesterday, as findings revealed
that the former governor had written
to the royal father to intimate him of
the interactive session, with the
Alaafin reportedly acknowledging the
letter and even ready to receive the
former governor in his palace.
Alao-Akala, while speaking at the
meeting, said he would not condemn
the Senator Abiola Ajimobi led-
government but noted that life has
become difficult for people as
opposed to what obtained while he
was in government.
On the crisis in the PDP in Oyo State,
the former governor noted that the
differences in the party would be
settled.
Commending the large turnout at the
meeting, former Secretary to the State
Government, Chief Layiwola Olakojo,
charged party members to sustain
the loyalty and support for Alao-
Akala and the PDP, even as he hinted
that the former governor and Alaafin
had settled their differences.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations
Officer of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), Mr Kehinde Salawu, was
on Wednesday, in Oyo town, attacked
by suspected hoodlums, who were
reportedly wielding guns.
According to Salawu, while speaking
with the Nigerian Tribune on phone,
the hoodlums accosted him after a
meeting held at the GRA Apitipiti area
of Oyo, asking him if he was
Honourable Kehinde Salawu, to
which he answered in the affirmative.
http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/news-headlines/item/27859-please-forgive-us,-alao-akala-begs-alaafin-•hoodlums-attack-oyo-pdp-pro.html

inteli: With a slow network like mine, it wil cost me 1MB #= 100 if I try it.

LOL....

AWKA — ANAMBRA State governor,
Mr. Peter Obi, said yesterday that he
did not sign any agreement with Chief
Willie Obiano, the state’s governor-
elect, noting that his only interest
was to ensure that a credible person
was elected to continue the good
governance which the state has
witnessed during his administration.
Speaking at the Alex Ekwueme
Square, Awka, where he distributed
90 vehicles to directors and officials
in the local government system, Obi
said God had blessed him
abundantly, that attempting to act as
a distraction to a governor he helped
to win, would amount to committing
abominable sin.
Obi said: “I have enough for myself
and my only concern is for the new
governor to be able to meet the
aspirations of our people.”
According to him, the present
administration will continue to work
till the last day and those who feel
that some of the things done by
government are for the election are
missing the point, as he will continue
to do more work for the state.
He observed that the problem with
governance in Nigeria was because
people had refused to change the way
they did things.
Governor Obi insisted that the best
way to meet the yearnings of the
people was to serve the public with
their money, stressing that diverting
public funds to personal pockets
would always bring a curse to those
concerned.
On the vehicles being distributed to
various categories of workers, Obi
argued that if an elected chairman of
a local government or any other
politician could be given a vehicle
immediately he was elected, there
was no reason a civil servant that
had put in 25 years in the service
should not get a car.
On the ongoing recruitment of 7,000
civil servants in the state, Obi said
his government had set aside the
money to pay them for two years,
which he put at about N5 billion.
The money, he explained, was
already secured in the bank in order
not to encumber the incoming
governor.
He also said the recruitment had
been structured in such a way that all
the towns in the state would be given
a sense of belonging by ensuring that
at least 10 persons each were
recruited from all the towns in the
state.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/anambra-sign-pact-obiano-gov-obi/