AS the battle to rout out Boko Haram terrorists from communities seized in Adamawa State continues, military source have disclosed that some soldiers and officers are inventing pranks to avoid deployment to the battlefield.
At the weekend, seven soldiers allegedly opened fire on different parts of their bodies and later claimed that Boko Haram terrorists shot them, but when medical examination was carried out on them, it was discovered that the shots were self-inflicted.
The army high command has also discovered that information about its strategies and operational road map in the North East were being passed on to Boko Haram terrorists by orderlies and close aides of commanders on the field.
It was gathered that some of the perpetrators of the crime had been arrested, while a board of inquiry had been set up to carry out further investigation, after which a court martial to try them would be set up.
The source revealed that many of the soldiers had devised means, so as not to be set for battlefield, while others faked strange ailments.
It was reliably gathered that the alleged attack on seven soldiers at the weekend were carefully masterminded by the troops, so as to look as if the Boko Haram, terrorists actually attacked them.
The source disclosed that when the soldiers were brought to the hospital in Adamawa, the injuries were fresh, while the bullets just pierced through the flesh to the other side, with no bone affected.
Nigerian Tribune also gathered that the troops had started pushing out the insurgents from the zone, with the arrival of the new equipment.
54. I appreciate and welcome the spirit of collaboration, unity and partnership with which we confronted the threat of the Ebola Virus Disease. I thank all Nigerians for working together to prevent what could have become a major epidemic. I particularly thank the medical personnel, some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.
That has nothing to do with being the President of the Federal Republic and again i think Governor Raji Fashola was looking younger about eight years again, check him out now, he looks older because of the workload of his office. How much more the President and why compare him to General Buhari who has being drinking Fura de nunu with his legs stretch on a stool with less burdensome challenges.
Ahead of his plan to next week declare his intention to contest the 2015 presidential election, a leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari, has commissioned a study on how he and the opposition in Nigeria could defeat the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its potential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, in the poll.
Barring any hitches, Mr. Buhari, Nigeria’s military head of state between 1983 and 1985, is expected to formally declare his presidential bid on October 8 or 9, some of his associates confirmed to this newspaper at the weekend.
If he does, Mr. Buhari would become the second aspirant to declare presidential intention on the platform of the APC, Nigeria’s main opposition party.
A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had last week announced his plan to contest the presidential election, fixed for February 14, on the platform of the APC.
[b]Mr. Buhari and his associates reportedly asked Femi Olufunmilade, head of department of international relations and strategic studies and sub-dean of the School of Post Graduate Studies and Research of the University, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, to prepare a paper which would be presented at the event holding in Abuja.
The paper, which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, identified factors which former opposition leaders in eight African countries used in defeating the incumbents in the last two decades and which, if adapted by Mr. Buhari and other opposition leaders could send Mr. Jonathan packing next year.
The president is yet to announce his plan to contest though he has been adopted by the PDP as its sole candidate.
The eight opposition leaders the paper focused on are Frederick Chiluba (Zambia, 1991); John Kufour (Ghana 2000); Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal, 2000); Mwai Kibaki (Kenya, 2002); Yayi Boni (Benin Republic, 2006); Ernest Bai Koroma (Sierra Leone, 2007); Alhassan Quattara (Cote d’Ivoire, 2010); and Peter Mutharika (Malawi, 2014).
According to the study, titled “Opposition Victories in Africa: How it can Happen in Nigeria (A Working Paper for the APC), which would be presented at Mr. Buhari’s formal declaration, for four decades post-independence, regime change through democratic means was unheard of in Africa. [/b] It said in some countries, regime change was even impossible constitutionally because one-party rule was legitimized by constitutional instrument while countries whose constitutions had provisions for a multi-party political system were only nominally multi-party in practice, as the incumbent presidents or prime-ministers as the case may be, sat tight, often changing the provisions of the constitution regarding tenure to perpetuate their rule.
It also said elections became a mere ritual aimed at creating a façade of a democratic order when in fact there was no substance to it. The person in power, it further noted, was always the winner in such elections and the results invariably indicated his victory was landslide.
It stressed that this scenario made military coup d’état and warfare the only means of effecting a change in government.
“However, beginning from the 1990s, there have been pockets of democratic regime changes in Africa,” it said.
“By this we do not mean an intra-party transfer of the baton of power such as happened in Nigeria in 2007 when President Olusegun Obasanjo handed power over to his party member, late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
“Rather, we refer to an inter-party change whereby, upon the defeat of a ruling party’s candidate, power is ceded to an opposition candidate, as was the case in Zambia (1991), Ghana (2000), Senegal (2000), Kenya (2002), Benin Republic (2006), Sierra Leone (2007), Ivory Coast (2010), and Malawi (2014).”
Noting that since 1999 the PDP had been in power, not necessarily because it was popular, the study alleged that it was because the ruling party “has perfected the art of rigging on one hand, and on the other, because a weak opposition.”
“All the presidential elections that have legitimized PDP’s hold on power have been seriously flawed. A combination of outright cooking-up of fake results and bribing of voters has been part of the PDP’s staying power as is the case in African countries generally,” it alleged.
To enhance the preparation of the Nigerian opposition for the 2015 presidential election in a manner that can lead to victory, this paper, which is divided into three sections – “Demystification of Power of Incumbency,” “An Appraisal of the All Progressives Congress” and “Conclusion” identified coalition strategy, complementary candidatures, mass discontentment with the PDP and promoting international pressure as means of defeating the ruling party, come 2015.
It said some of the eight leaders, who had contested elections several times like Mr. Buhari, and generally the opposition in those countries, had employed the four methods in defeating the ruling parties and incumbents.
“The objective, in this connection, is to draw vital lessons from the experience of those eight countries’ opposition and signpost how they may be adapted by the Nigerian opposition in the 2015 presidential election,” it said.
On the coalition strategy, it stated that since the four opposition parties in Nigeria had successfully achieved a merger, and if Mr. Buhari is made the candidate of the APC for the 2015 presidential poll and the structures of all the merging partners, especially those of them that are dominant in regions and states where he (Buhari) never had a strong footing, are put at his service in 2015, his victory shall be a fait accompli.
It added, “What should now be added is that APC should actively seek to expand the base of its coalition till 24-hours before the 14 February, 2015 presidential election.
[b]“In this connection, it must explore and exploit schisms within the PDP to firm up its membership base. It should also seek collaboration with organized groups cutting across trade unions to students. If possible, it can set up a team to work on this.
“At the same time, it must guard against further inroads into its membership by way of defection. Primary elections often lead to disaffection and defections. The choice of direct primaries on a level playing ground is a good way of minimizing defections on account of allegations of unfair treatment by contestants.”
The paper also suggested that the APC leadership should immediately constitute a Primary Elections Arbitration Panel composed of respected retired jurists and religious leaders – both Muslim and Christian – to which allegations of electoral infractions can be promptly referred for settlement.
“Its chief task is to resolve issues in a manner that would keep the party together. Ahead of this, the APC leadership should design an Allegiance Form which every contestant must endorse to underscore his/ her readiness to accept the outcome of a primary election and the ruling of the party’s Arbitration Panel as the case may be. [/b]
Stating that the option of direct primaries by the APC would, to a large extent, foster the emergence of popular candidates for elective positions of all kinds such that the popularity of the candidates in their respective constituencies would rub off on the presidential candidate of the party positively, the paper, however, warned that leaving matters solely to a free and fair direct primary would be inadequate.
“Efforts should be made to recruit non-politicians who have excelled in diverse walks of life and are held in high esteem in their constituencies to take a shot at the APC tickets for the Senate, House of Reps, and State Assembly etc.
“This is of strategic importance in the South East and the South-South regions where the APC is weak and the PDP is not only dominant but has a standing strategy of securing 100% of total votes cast through a rigging method Prof Attahiru Jega of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) would call “community connivance”.
The paper noted that mass discontentment had great propaganda value for the opposition as the ruling party is to blame if the citizens are unhappy; not the opposition that is not in power.
It stressed, “There is no doubt that Nigerians, with the possible exception of those enjoying government’s largesse, are generally discontented, disenchanted, and dissatisfied with their condition. Millions are unemployed and insecurity lurks everywhere. Government has become irrelevant. People provide their own water, electricity, and security.
“Nigeria, the sixth largest exporter of crude oil, cannot refine enough of it for its citizens close to six decades after oil was struck in commercial quantities. Nigerians want change no doubt.
“However, the APC has a lot of work to do in terms of public communication to convince them that it will do a lot better than the PDP, that it is indeed a harbinger of national rebirth. Many Nigerians, if the truth must be told, are distrustful of the APC because its rank-and-file is highly swelled by PDP men and, indeed, each PDP stalwart that joins the party is celebrated as a major achievement.”
It also advised APC leaders who from time to time meet with diplomats of various western countries interested in obtaining their views on issues to mount international pressure on them.
It said the party had to be “pro-active in drawing the attention of the international community to flaws in the process leading to the 2015 election so that enough pressure can be mounted on the Nigerian authorities to make necessary amends ahead of E-Day.
“The party should similarly fine-tune its public communication machinery to work closely with influential international media like the CNN, Al-Jazeera, BBC etc. The APC should utilize the media to project itself locally and internationally in a positive light while putting the PDP and its government on the defensive.”
The study said, “Opposition victory is possible in Nigeria in 2015 assuredly. This conclusion is borne of the experience of eight African countries where the opposition has defeated the ruling parties, thereby demystifying the power of incumbency.
“It is further reinforced by the better preparation of the Nigerian opposition more than ever before – under the rallying banner of the APC – to wrestle power from the PDP.
“Yet, the APC must leave nothing to chance in its quest for power by, among other things, fielding the best presidential candidate within its fold, as well as strengthen its machinery of public communication, for the real battleground of the 2015 election is the mind of the electorates.”
Contacted, Mr. Olufunmilade confirmed drawing up a paper for presentation in support of Mr. Buhari’s quest for the APC ticket.
“For those who are just looking for immediate gain, Jonathan may just be the right person,” he told PREMIUM TIMES on phone.
“But for those who have a long view of change, I am telling you the greatest mistake APC will make is to succumb to all the propaganda that he is fanatic or that he has contested before. Etc
“If the party does not make the mistake of giving the ticket to the wrong person then he is the man to beat. Who are the other persons?”
[b]Mr. Buhari had contested for the position on three previous occasions, but lost.
He was the presidential candidate of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in the 2003 election, but lost to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. He got 12,710,022 votes representing 32.17% to Mr. Obasanjo’s 24,456,140 or 61.94%.
He ran again on the platform of the same party, but lost to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007. He polled 6,605,299 or 18.72% to Mr. Yar’Adua’s 26,638,063 or 69.82%
In the 2011 election, the former military leader contested for the presidency on the ticket of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, a party he founded with his associates when they left the ANPP. In that election, while Mr. Jonathan got 22,495,187 votes representing 58.89% of the total votes cast, Mr. Buhari polled 12,214,853 representing 31.90%.
[/b]
The CPC alongside the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, ANPP and a faction of APGA fused into the APC last year and was registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in July of that year.
barcanista: O this is intimidating!!!! This is hurricane APC. Jonathan should hire the Best Medical Team with expertise in Heart Attack...2015 will be shocking!!!
Stop lying, spreading propaganda and maybe people will take you more seriously.
Senator Ibikunle Amosun has done more than Aremo Olusegun Osoba and Otunba Gbenga Daniel in infrastructural development in Ogun State but it will take a miracle for him to return after May 29, 2015.
A leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos, Ademola Adeniji-Adele, has described the Ogun state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, as a lair based on the governor’s claims on a farm in Ogun State.
Mr. Amosun, had while accusing his predecessor, Gbenga Daniel, of corruption, said the latter sold the state’s Apoje Farms Limited to Mr. Adeniji-Adele for peanuts.
“When they came into power, the farmlands were over 60. When we came in, it remained only five. They are rogues, thieves and bastards, God will punish them all,” Mr. Amosun said of Mr. Daniel and his backers. In an open response to the governor via a letter dated September 19, Mr. Adeniji-Adele said his decision to respond was to clarify the governor’s ‘falsehood.’
“I had wished you had left me out of your battle with Governor Daniel but you had to drag me in to lend credence to the falsehood you were peddling,” the Lagos politician said.
Mr. Adeniji-Adele, a former commissioner in Lagos State, said he met with Mr. Amosun “on at least two occasions on the issue of Apoje Farms. “On those occasions I explained to you and your aides that the transactions was a concession not a sale. “The ‘paltry sum’ you mentioned was a signature bonus of N10 million.”
The Lagos politician, who is in the same party with Mr. Amosun, said his firm was “to bring in additional investment into the project. As at the time you illegally and unceremoniously kicked us out of the Farm we had invested well over N200 million in Nursery (15 hectares), a first phase of transplanting (1,500 hectares), and so many supporting infrastructure including irrigation”.
Mr. Adeniji-Adele said he has since gone to court to court to challenge the Ogun governor’s decision to cancel the transaction. “Of course I took the only option left for me and went to court and I will continue to pursue this course of action,” he said. “I reject the curse you vented at the occasion and pray for God to forgive you for the loss of lives your actions have caused the people of Ogun State and the untold hardship you have caused the people of your state.”
He accused Mr. Amosun of vendetta in running Ogun state, a situation which he said has split “our party down the middle and I hope you change your ways and bring the party together in the remaining months of your tenure”
1. Arms surrendered by Boko Haram terrorists in Konduga 2. Assorted arms surrendered by Boko Haram terrorists in Konduga 3. One of the terrorists vehicle captured by troops 4. Some of the terrorists vehicles destroyed in Konduga recently
barcanista:ALHAJI IBRAHIM ADEJOH IDRIS FORMER GOVERNOR CON- He looted Kogi DRY DR. PETER ODILI FORMER GOVERNOR CON- This man looted Rivers state DRY CHIEF TOM IKIMI POLITICIAN/FMR. MINISTER CON--Tinubu Was Right Afterall AHMAD RUFA’I SANI SENATOR /FMR. GOVERNOR CON- This IS YERIMA the Child Molester (LOL They Hid the Yerima ) DAME VIRGY N. ETIABA FORMER DEPUTY / ACTING GOVERNOR/- She was never a ACting Governor according to the Law. Beside she was MOTHER XMAS to PDP SENATOR IYIOLA OMISORE FMR. SENATOR/FMR DEPUTY GOVERNOR CON- #BRING-BACK-BOLA-IGE/All hail Aragbesola CHIEF (DR.) THEODORE AHAMEFULA ORJI- Celebration of Mediocrity ARC. MIKE ONOLEMEMEN HON. MINISTER CON- This Notorious Crook MR. LABARAN MAKU HON. MINISTER CON- JONATHAN brought FB to Nigeria and cure ebola MR. EZENWO NYESOM WIKE HON. MINISTER CON- Long Live the Bulldog of Patience Jonathan
#Jonathan is a DISGRACE to common sense and good governance
Out of over 300 awardees if these are the ones you are not satisfied with then this list is fair.
This is the world longest bridge over sea, it cost $1.5 billion to build this 26 miles (41.8 kilometer) within four (4) years and this bridge has a life span of one hundred (100) years.
Nigeria has this money but we lack thinking leaders. Some of our leaders built a one (1) kilometer road on a good terrain for N1 billion per kilometer and they still made us to sing their praise.
Four years is enough to impact lives for a thinking and sincere leader.
The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is 26.4 miles long, according to Guinness World Records. It links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to Huangdao island.
State-run CCTV said the 110-foot-wide bridge cost more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion). However, the Xinhua news agency put the cost at $2.3 billion and Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported its price tag totalled more than $8.8 billion.
CCTV said it passed construction appraisals on Monday. The bridge and an associated undersea tunnel opened to traffic on Thursday.
The bridge, which is supported by more than 5,000 pillars, took more than four years to build.
According to the Guinness World Records, the previous longest bridge over water was the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. The Chinese bridge is more than 2.5 miles longer.
"The earthquake- and typhoon-proof bridge ... is designed to withstand the impact of a 300,000-ton vessel," Guinness said.
Xinhua said the bridge would shorten the journey between Qingdao and Huangdao by about 18 miles, cutting travel time from 40 minutes to 20 minutes.
According to the Telegraph, the bridge was expected to carry more than 30,000 cars a day.
It reported that at least 10,000 people worked in two teams around the clock on the span's construction.
Some 450,000 tons of steel was used — enough for almost 65 Eiffel Towers — along with 81 million cubic feet of concrete, the Telegraph reported.
"I'm so happy the bridge is finished," one commuter told sina.com, according to the Telegraph. "The old road between Qingdao and Huangdao is so crowded and now my journey will be much easier. We are a tourist city with beautiful beaches, so it is important we have good transport links."
THE Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Monday, sacked the member of the House of Representatives, Mr Ifedayo Sunday Abegunde representing Akure South and North federal constituency from the National Assembly.
The court declared the seat of the only All Progressives Congress (APC) vacant following his defection from Labour Party (LP) on which platform he was elected.
The appellate court ruled that Abegunde did not adhere to the constitutional process of defecting from one party to another.
Abegunde popularly known as Abena had defected from the ruling LP to rival APC because of an alleged division in the party.
However, apparently wanting to prevent his recall from the House of Representatives, Abegunde through his lawyer, Mr Yemi Osinbajo, sought the protection of the Federal High Court.
He asked the court to pronounce that the division within the LP facilitated his defection to the APC.
In his originating summons, Abegunde wanted the court to determine whether or not in view of the provisions of section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, he is not entitled to dump the LP to another party.
However, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, filed a counter-claim among others claiming that he should automatically vacate the seat having left the LP that sponsored him into the National Assembly.
The lower court however ruled that Abegunde was wrong to have defected from LP to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) thereby declared the seat vacant following which the appellant approached the appeal court to upturn the decision of the lower court.
After the exchange of briefs and written addresses by the plaintiff and defendants, the appeal court dismissed the appeal filed by the lawmaker and upheld the verdict of the lower court.
Aside from setting aside the written address of the lawmaker, the presiding judge said the appellant had violated section 68 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution and should therefore vacate his seat.
chemenger: I am about to apply for saqa. The option I have is someone in SA is willing to help do my saqa. My question is do I need to send hard copy of my doc or scan copy to him? If I want to do it myself here, would I still need to send hard copy to saqa? if not I will prefer to do it here myself. please advise what's the minimum cost of sending a 5-page docs to SA through courier coy? how reliable is sending a registered mail in Nipost and approximate delivery date? thanks
The best bet is to allow the person in SA to do it on your behalf. You may need to send your hard copy to him to be on a safer side.
DHL charge me N11k to send my transcript last 2 weeks after my processing was suspended by SAQA though i earlier sent the scanned copy, i got a mail same day that my hard copy was received and result expected on 3rd October.
NIPOST deliver after a week and the minimum cost depending on the mail weight is N9,450 the more reason i opted for DHL and it got delivered same day.
Adufesco: There are job opportunities for those who can work from home....yea and you can be a millionaire in just few weeks if you can work hard and serious about this, All you need is your computer and internet or Even Mobile phone with internet connection can do this......if you're interested contact me on Facebook with kingseyima topson or mail kingseyima@yahoo.co.uk
No be you talk say you win visa lottery say you America? How come this your business?
SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, is set to declare his presidential ambition under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), sources close to the party have said.
It was confirmed in Abuja that having concluded the series of consultations, the speaker had concluded that he could win the primaries of the APC.
Sources said Tambuwal was banking on the fact that bigwigs of the party, including former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwanso, would share votes from northen members, while the speaker has been assured of block votes from the South-West.
A source in the know said the Speaker has “consulted widely and has been persuaded by his contacts to drop his governorship aspiration for a higher office.”
It was gathered that the reception and encouragement he got from leaders, including former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, made him to drop the governorship ambition and choose to pick the nomination form under the APC.
Though it was learnt that Tambuwal was initially afraid that he would be knocked out by one of Buhari, Atiku or Kwakwanso, it was gathered that the assurance he got from Obasanjo and chieftains of the APC in the South-West bolstered the ambition.
“The ambition is currently hoisted on the fact that there are assurances by leaders of the APC, especially a chieftain from the South-West, who insisted that the zone would guarantee him of votes from South-West.
“The permutations are that votes from the North at the party primaries would be split amongst General Buhari, Kwankwaso, Abubakar, and himself.
“The chief promoter of Tambuwal has promised him bulk votes from the South-West and South-South, while the South-East would be scrambled by all the contestants. His running mate, a nominee of the promoter, would come from the South-West,” the source said.
The sources concluded that Tambuwal had serviced his friendship with the South-West, especially leaders of the party in the zone, by ensuring that he hardly missed any event by the opposition in recent years. He was said to be planning the declaration to come immediately after that of Atiku, which had been fixed for September 24.
Hear what an insider in the military circle has to say about these demons called Boko Haram. Where has he been before now? Why is he acknowledging the fact now against what his Party want Nigerians to believe? Since the Haramites set their Emirs on the run and took their wives as concubine I think the Northern politicians now belief they are the next target and our military may not be able to safe them as presently kitted. Only truth will set Nigeria free.
on September 04, 2014 / in News 8:15 pm
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Joseph Erunke
ABUJA - AS the Boko Haram insurgents continue to have upper hand in the North East, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh has revealed that for the country to win the war against terrorism, there was the need for diplomatic lobbying for foreign assistance in areas of equipment.
But the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Senator Mohammed Saleh said it was impossible for the military to win the terrorism war with the present obsolete equipment and the alleged fraud in Ministry of Defence and the Military Service.
Meanwhile, Senator Saleh has said that after the Gideon Okar coup of 1990 during the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, the military was systematically and comprehensively disarmed which now makes it impossible for the army to effectively confront any external aggression.Soldier
Speaking at the National Assembly Joint Committee on Defence Thursday, the Chief of Defence Staff said that since the declaration of state of emergency in the three North East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the Armed Forces had been engaged in a sustained operations against the terrorists.
According to Air Marshal Badeh, “In the last one month, troops have sustained on-going offensive operations both in and outside seven division areas of operation to shape the theatre, establish fighting positions and limiting Boko Haram freedom of movement within the area of operation.
“Significantly, troupes are currently carrying out unlimited offensive operations aimed at denying Boko haram freedom of action and from achieving its aim to isolate and control areas around Maiduguri.
“Additionally, the involvement of the international community which led to the establishment of the joint planning committee on the 12 of May, 2014, the initial mandate of the joint coordination and planning committee which is championed by America and Britain was the fusion of intelligence for the rescue of abducted Chibok girls.
“But this gradually is being extended to other aspects of the operations. I want to state here that the military is highly engaged in operations in view of achieving favourable outcomes.
“Moreover, the continued attacks by the terrorists justify the imposition and extension of state of emergency because there is no alternative. Let me just say that Nigerians need not lose hope in the military but continue to support her in a bid to defeat the terrorists.
“Secondly, all other elements of national power should contribute more in support of military operations. Right now, the element of national power we are using is the military. Other elements of national power are not being engaged sufficiently.
“There is also the need for diplomatic lobbying for our foreign partners to provide more assistance in areas of equipment and whatever they can give us.”
Security situation is deteriorating—Sen. Saleh
But a member of the Senate Joint National Assembly Committee on Defence and an All Progressives Congress Senator from Kaduna Central, Senator Ahmed Saleh appeared to have dashed the hope of the military winning the war against terrorism even as he said that the situation was getting worse on daily basis.
S[b]enators Saleh, a retired army general said, “What I am going to say is based on my experience as an insider. Our duty here as senators of the federal republic transcends the extension of state of emergency. Our duty of oversight should ensure that high standards must be maintained in addition to acquiring all necessary equipment required to maintain a strong force.
“When the Chief of Defense Staff was appointed in January this year, the service chiefs made a categorical statement that within three months they will crush Boko haram. But unfortunately, what we are seeing is a complete deterioration of the situation, so it is incumbent on us to find out why that deterioration. We have heard about our soldiers’ mutiny, it is also our responsibility to find out why that is happening.
“For us to understand why that is happening, we need to go back to the Babangida (Gen. Ibrahim Babangida) era. After the 1990 Okar coup, the Federal Government of Nigeria systematically and comprehensively disarmed the military.
“All the tanks, all the artillery guns were disarmed and locked up. All the aircraft were parked in Ilorin and other places, flying stopped, training stopped to ensure regime security not national security.
“All the good officers of the Nigerian army were hounded out of the military. And there was over concentration of power at the centre which was the army headquarters. Prior to that, General Officers Commanding used to have training and maneuver grants.
“They had the power and responsibility to train their troops and battalions and to ensure an efficient logistics and service support system. All that stopped. Everything was from Army headquarters, everything was from Air Force headquarters, everything was from Naval headquarters.
“The attendant result was decay. Training was no longer going on at the battalion level, soldiers lost their skills and since then, no additional military equipment was purchased for the Nigerian Army. Even things as little as machine guns were in short supply, ammunition was in short supply.
“An individual soldier’s professional skill was to be a matchman, to shoot and hit his target but can he do that if he has no ammunition? We have a duty to rebuild this army, to rebuild this armed forces, and unless we understand these basic facts, we are not going anywhere.
“Also, after some time the fighting doctrine of the Nigerian Army was changed. We were essentially British brought up. That means we knew how much materials we had, the tasks before us and so on. But along the line during the Obasanjo (Chief Olusegun Obasanjo) regime, General Obasanjo brought Americans here and our doctrine approach was change to warfare.
“I make bold to tell you that up till today nobody understands that. I know it is a strategic concept of warfare but in Nigeria we are applying it to the operational and tactical level. It has created a lot of confusion within our army.
“Apart from that, our involvement in foreign operations and the kind of training we give to our soldiers for operations was a kind of defensive posture. You don’t kill until you are killed, you don’t attack until you are attacked.
“That also helped to change the orientation of some of our soldiers. Then again, I must mention here fraud within the ministry of defense, fraud within the military service systems themselves has contributed a lot to diminishing our fighting capability.
“Further to that again, we have the issue of our combat service support. Because of fraudulent activities, we monetized everything. Out supply services, our medical services are completely inefficient and are unable to support the fighting in the North East now. Right now I stand to question how our soldiers are being fed.”[/b]
Speaking earlier, Chairman Senate Committee on Defence, Senator George Thompson Sekibo said that the essence of the meeting was to know why the issue of insurgence persists in the country and the conflicting reports on the fight against Boko Haram in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
Senator Sekibo said, “Nigerians are worried over the security station. Rather than abate its worsening. The spokesperson of the military and the press are contradicting each other. We want to find out the true situation of the attacks.
“You will observe that the joint committee of the National Assembly on Defence met here with the Chief of Defence staff and other security chiefs from 10am to 3pm to get situation reports on insurgency problem in the three affected north eastern states as part of follow up to the approval of state of emergency in the affected state in May this year.
“We have heard several stories from the media on alleged upper hand of the insurgents against the military and the military telling us here that such stories were speculative, making it difficult for us to know which of the stories to believe.
“The military In fact debunked stories of major cities being taken over by the insurgents in the three states , though admitted that the insurgents had one of the towns as stronghold which according to them would be taken over from them in a matter of time from now.
“We have also been informed by them that presidency is doing more for them in terms of procurement of new war ammunition and improve in welfare packages and other things being done to boost the morale of those at the war front.
“But the committee has resolved to reach out to Mr President for direct interaction on the national problem with a view to knowing what and what are being done to fight the war to its logical conclusion which will definitely afford us the opportunity to put in our own pieces of advice.
“We also resolved to submit all our findings at this meeting today to the respective chambers on resumption about 12 days to come”.
Senator Sekibo said the Joint Committee wanted to know, “Who has captured where. We are worried about the contradictions. We want to know, is the military still equipped or not, what is the state of our equipment, are you having difficulties accessing funds, if there are funds to buy the equipment the moral of the soldiers will raise.
“State of emergency is in the third stage and things are worse. Do we evacuate people there and go for full scale war, were the funds released to you? We should know the problem. We at National Assembly will not rest on our oars. Some of our people at the National Assembly can’t go back to our states,” he stated.
HIGH-RANKING members of Boko Haram have acquired wives of Emirs who fled their palaces in the wake of the insurgents’ renewed onslaught on some communities in Borno and Yobe states.
No fewer than seven Emirs are said to have abandoned their Boko Haram infested domains in the two states in the last couple of days.
A key member of the civilian JTF, Ahamdu Umar, who disclosed this to Saturday Tribune in Maiduguri, described the action of the insurgents as a violation of the sanctity of state, tradition and religion.
“They have sacked over seven Emirs from their palaces in Borno and Yobe states. Emirs are a symbol of culture and heads of Islam in this part of the country. If the Boko Haram members were truly Muslims, they would have had reverence for the palaces, they would have had respect for the Emirs and they would not have taken the wives of Emirs for their commanders (to use). This is sacrilege,” Umar said.
He said reports from some local governments areas showed that after taking over their palaces, the Boko Haram commanders, who then constituted themselves as lords in the affected Emirs’ domains, mocked the traditional institution by forcing their wives into “marriages.”
This development, Umar reasoned, showed that Boko Haram was not only against democracy, but it was also against tradition and Islam as a religion.
According to him, Nigerians must understand that this is not a religious problem but a case of some “cultists” trying to use Islam as a platform to perpetrate evil.
“Those who are sympathetic to this group among Muslims are doing so either because they do not know the atrocities these bad elements are committing or they are part of those that have been brainwashed by the sect leader when he was alive and therefore, they are also Boko Haram,” he added.
Umar declined to mention the palaces or Emirs involved, claiming that it would also amount to mockery on his part to do just that
“We wanted to go and die for our people and for the traditional stools in those areas captured by Boko Haram, but we were prevented from doing so by security operatives who said the casualties would be too many.”
Saturday Tribune also gathered that wives and children of soldiers are being relocated from barracks across Maiduguri so that the soldiers could focus on the ongoing preparation to engage the militants in renewed efforts by the military to end insurgency in Borno State and the North-East in general.
Meanwhile, security operatives and members of the civilian JTF have arrested no fewer than 50 terrorists within Maiduguri.
The suspects are believed to be part of the group that attacked Bama town during the week.
One of the suspects arrested on Wednesday, along Circular Road in Maiduguri, confessed to the civilian JTF men to being a Boko Haram member and that he was trying to escape the heat that had been brought on them by security operatives in Bama.
Another suspect, who was arrested at the University of Maiduguri with assorted mobile phones and iPads, told security operatives that he belonged to a team prepping to attack the institution while the larger group attacks Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to members of the civilian JTF, a lot of the sect members joined the residents in fleeing Bama town on Monday during the fierce battle with the military.
Meanwhile, reports from Bama said the airforce has continued to bomb terrorists’ positions in the town and adjoining areas.
The bombardment, military sources said, has resulted in the death of hundreds of terrorists. Indeed, a source claimed that close to 1,200 Boko Haram elements had been killed in the last 48 hours. The claim could not, however, be independently verified.
Recently, concerns in the Seventh Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri over deaths of soldiers had caused wives of soldiers at Giwa Barracks to resist their husbands proceeding to Bama, as directed by the General Officer Commanding, General Mohammed Ibrahim, some time ago.
The enraged women got wind of the fact that their husbands had been directed to proceed to Bama, about 70 kilometres from Maiduguri, when the soldiers started gathering Armoured Personnel Carriers and loading weapons unto them.
On sighting the weapons, the women came out in their numbers, insisting that their husbands would not abandon them in the barracks to be killed by Boko Haram the way some of their friends were killed earlier in the year.
A reliable military source had said that the commander of the barracks had relocated to Bama and was waiting for his boys to join him for a clandestine operation.
“They blocked the road and all our weapons are now locked inside. In case of emergency, we do not have weapons to defend ourselves. The women are equally not armed but are very angry sitting down there with their children.
“They are saying that they will not be left alone without any soldier to protect them during this trying times, considering the fact that almost 2,000 people lost their lives outside and within the barracks the last time the insurgents launched assault this year.
“They are not ignorant of what is going on. They live in the barracks with their husbands and are aware that there are over 40 of the insurgents locked up inside the barracks.
“Leaving them alone is clear suicide and there is no guarantee that they will not be attacked by the insurgents who are always bent on releasing their own, regardless of where they are kept.
“You are aware of the fact that they tried releasing their people from the same Giwa Barracks this year. It is by the grace of God that some of us are alive now and surely not by the force of arms.
“It is the same barracks that they want all the soldiers again to move out from, close to the government house and move towards Bama,” the source said.
He told journalists that the decision to move the soldiers out of the barracks was flawed, which was why the women were protesting.
When this haramites started their evil the emirs (elites) were nowhere to be found as the soul of their society, now the leg of the baby they backed is dragging on the floor.
Philipmems: I am not a member of his denomination but having heard from both parties I will live you to be the judge considering what women and men are capable of doing.. Pastor Chris O. accused his wife of having bad friends who are influencing her wrongly, she no longer respects anyone especially in the church. He even said that at one time he called the wife so they can settle there differences but she refused to take anything short of a Divorce from the pastor. Anita is accusing Chris of adultery and infidelity. At the end of the day my take is that Satan master confusionist has crept into their home either through the man or the woman but wait oh even if its adultery as speculated what happened to our women of steel (1 peter 3:1-3), for better for worse, our mothers stuck to our fathers through thick and thin, never to be distracted by side chicks... Frankly speaking the easiest way for confusion to enter a home na through woman... After all according to the book of Timothy it says a woman was deceive first before Adams. Read 1 peter 3:1-6 and 1 Corinthians 7:1- 12 especially 10 and 11 and understand that the woman has more role to play in keeping her home together and if it fails shes mainly to be blamed.
Pastor Chris and his church don't belief in FOR BETTER FOR WORSE, he teaches FOR BETTER AND BETTER try isten to his message on marriage and relationship. I pray the devil will not have the final say in his marriage. Trying times.
As it was with Ekiti State APC Chapter so it seems to be with Lagos State APC Chapter. Hon. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele rattled Gov. Fayemi and APC in Ekiti State, this Senator Ganiyu Solomon will do the same to Senator Tinubu, his annointed candidate and Lagos APC. PDP should work on this fault line to clinch Lagos come 28/02/2015.
A frontline governorship aspirant in Lagos State and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon, popularly called GOS, has held discussions with top officials of local governments in all the 57 council areas of the state.
The meeting, held to seek the support of the council bosses for his gubernatorial aspiration was closely followed, weekend, by the declaration of total support for GOS by a socio-political organization, Patriots Face. The group, parading thousands of members across the 57 council areas of the state, declared its support for the senator’s aspiration at a ceremony in Mushin.
A statement by Solomon’s campaign team, yesterday, said “the meeting midweek with vice chairmen and secretaries of all the local councils in Lagos was aimed at mobilizing them for the senator’s governorship ambition which has been receiving widespread support across the state’’.
The statement added: ‘’He urged the gathering to buy in and take ownership of the drive to put behind us the culture of imposition and enthrone internal democracy in our party, a move that will ultimately entrench participatory democracy in the state and our nation at large. He also canvassed the support of the senior LG officials for his candidacy at the party’s primaries.”
At a well attended and colourful ceremony in Mushin, the leadership and members of Patriots Face from the 57 council areas in the state endorsed Solomon as the best candidate to fly APC’s flag in the February 2015 governorship election.
Reacting to the two developments, Solomon, the Senate Minority Whip, said he is taking his consultations and mobilization wide and deep to various stakeholders at the grassroots “because they matter and we recognize their importance to our aspiration.”
Congrats pal. Please include your SAQA with your application documents for visa. Sometimes it's necessary, other times, it's not. But you don't know who will attend to you.
Food / Re: Strange Particles Found In Chivita Orange Pineapple Fruit Juice (Rumor) by Shine1177: 2:45pm On Oct 14, 2014 
I'll neva forgive d fool that introduced me to football betting. Ooh God,where ave i gone wrong?
