₦airaland Forum

The judge hearing the case of four men convicted for fatally gang raping a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi last December sentenced them to death on Friday.
Judge Yogesh Khanna said the case fell into the “rarest of rare category”, which justified capital punishment.
“In these times when crimes against women are on the rise, court cannot turn a blind eye to this gruesome act,” he said.
All the four suspects were teary eyed as they entered the cramped room dressed more smartly than on Tuesday when they were convicted of a string of charges including murder and gang rape.
One of the men, Vinay Sharma, broke down in tears and cried loudly as the sentence was announced.
As the news broke, crowds inside the building and outside the courtroom roared with cheers and applauded the judgement.
The prosecution team congratulated each other, with lead lawyer Dayan Krishnan saying: “We did our job. We are happy with this sentence.”
The father of the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the family was also satisfied as he left with his wife and sons.
“We are very happy. Justice has been delivered,” he told reporters inside court flanked by his wife and sons. AFP

The New Peoples Democratic Party, has told President Goodluck Jonathan that he cannot win the 2015 presidential election without them.
The group said the President must not be deceived that they have become inconsequential in the build up to the 2015 elections.
The governors in the New PDP are the Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido; Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko; Governor of Kano State, Mr. Rabiu Kwankwanso; Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida; Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed and the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of theNew PDP, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Abuja.
Eze said, “Mr. President should not be deceived by some party leaders who are making him believe that he can do without us.
“Most of these leaders currently cannot under a properly organised free and fair elections win their wards.
“It is obvious that no presidential election in Nigeria can be won without states like Rivers, Kano, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kwara, Niger States, Jigawa and Kebbi states and these are states we are controlling.
“Check the past general elections and see that some of these media-created PDP leaders have no followers in their states at the moment let alone making any impact come 2015.”
The inclusion of Kebbi State among the states was not clear as the governor, Alhaji Seidu Dakingari had not openly identified with theNew PDP.
Eze also denounced the insinuations in some quarters that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was behind the walkout staged by members of the faction at the Eagles Square, Abuja on the day of the party’s mini convention.
“We view this as creating the impression that we are not matured enough to determine our political future and most importantly it was an attempt to smear the international image of Obasanjo as a distinguished statesman and father of PDP and rubbish his current efforts to restore peace to a party which is being threatened by the undemocratic acts of some of its leaders,” the statement added.
Eze added that his group was aware of attempt to rubbish the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, for saying that those in the group had genuine reasons for their action.
He assured Anenih that members of the faction would not sit and watch some jokers in Tukur’s faction rubbish him or make him look ordinary in the affairs of the party.

Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the Governor of Kaduna State has announced the dissolution of the state Executive Council with immediate effect.
Mr. Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, the Director General, Media and Publicity to the Governor, has read the statement which directed all the commissioners in the state to hand over to their permanent secretaries by Friday.
"Gov. Yero thanked the outgoing members of the council for their valuable contributions to the state and wished them success in their future endeavours", the statement added.
No reason was given for the dissolution.
Governor Yero's decision on changes in personnel added to President GoodluckJonathan's dismissal of nine serving ministers, andGov. Jonah Jang's dissolvingthe caretaker committees of the 17 Local Governments Areas.
So many changes in one day look like a true '9/11'for Nigerian politicians of various levels: from Federal Ministers to Local Administrators…

Contrary to the positions of some people in the northern region, a group from the zone, Transformation Agenda Solidarity Forum, has said that President Goodluck Jonathan is free to contest the 2015 presidential election.
Leader of the forum, who is also a former chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Alhaji Muhammad Gwaska, who spoke with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday, said the constitution still allows the President to contest for another term.
Gwaska said it was erroneous for anyone to claim that because President Jonathan was sworn-in after the death of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and again after he won the 2011 election, he was already into his second term.
He said Jonathan had only contested the presidential election only once and was automatically qualified to run in 2015 if he so desires.
He said, “Let me tell you and let me tell every Nigerian that we have a constitution and we must respect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“What I know is that under the constitution of this country, a person who elected is president will serve the first tenure of four years and at the end of that if members of his political are willing they could still urge him to contest for another four years, and that is the second tenure.
“He will contest general election along with other candidates who are sponsored by other political parties.
“If at the end of the general election he emerges victorious then it means Nigerians have given him opportunity to finish his second tenure making it a period of eight years and that makes it conclusive.”
Gwaska added that “We want everybody to understand that in 2010 President Jonathan had to take over because of the death of his boss and under the constitution once the president dies the vice president takes over.”
He maintained that the debate over the eligibility of President Jonathan was unnecessary and stressed that taking over and completing the tenure of a deceased elected public office holder was not the same as a new mandate.
“The first time he (Jonathan) contested election on his own as Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was on the April 16, 2011 and he won the election. He got sworn in on May 29, 2011. So, from May 29, 2011 President Jonathan started his first tenure as President of Nigeria which means he is now qualified, I repeat, qualified if he wants to contest election in 2015.
“If the good people of Nigeria accept and vote for him, that will wind up his eight years as his own personal mandate from Nigerians,” he said.
On the issue of zoning, Alhaji Gwaska said that was the arrangements of the respective political parties and had nothing to do with the Nigerian constitution.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) may resume its strike which was suspended about two months ago as government is yet to fulfil the demands of the union.
This was disclosed by the chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), Yabatech branch, Mr Austin Okoh, on Tuesday, at the second Regular Meeting of Governing Council Chairmen of Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria in Lagos.
According to him, the strike was suspended based on promises made by the government to implement the union’s demands within a speculated period of time, as well as a consideration of the fact that the students were mostly on the receiving end.
The most contentious issue in the polytechnics, Okoh noted, was the CONTISS 15 salary structure arrears payment to staff, as well as a review of the 2009 agreement which had become due for such.
He said since two months ago when the union suspended its strike, no positive steps had been taken by the government to address the problems.
“If no positive actions are taken by the government in resolving these issues, the polytechnics may resume the suspended strike soon,” he said.
According to him, there were also several discrepancies noticed in the newly introduced scheme of service, which, if not addressed, would pose a lot of problems in the future.
He added that the polytechnics were scheduled to hold a general executive meeting this month during which the next step to take on government’s refusal to implement the contents of the circular it issued to the institutions would be decided upon.
Also speaking, the chairman, Committee of Chairmen of Councils of Federal Polytechnics, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who is also the chairman, Governing Council, Yabatech, emphasised the need for Nigeria to shift emphasis from literary education to technical and vocational education.
“The educational sector must change focus to the direction of addressing the challenges of unemployment, technological development and ultimately, competition for the international market towards economic development,” he said.

Ngozi okonjo-Iweala
By SaharaReporters, New York
A furious Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Saturday calledTHISDAYpublisher, Nduka Obaigbena, to demand the sack of the paper’s Saturday edition, Lawrence Ani.
Sources at the paper told SaharaReporters that Ms. Okonjo-Iweala, who is extremely close to the flamboyant, salary-owing publisher, complained about a report in the Saturday edition of the paper that portrayed the Nigerian economy as not improving. The report, which was filed by James Emejo, cited data that indicated a drop in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
One source said Mr. Obaigbena apologized to the minister over the report and promised to sanction the editor for daring to publish a story that reflected poorly on the minister’s management of the economy. Mr. Obaigbena has a history of using his media outreach to prop up the federal and state governments, raking in significant financial benefits for himself.
After his telephone conversation with the Finance Minister, Mr. Obaigbena on Monday asked the Saturday editor to proceed on an indefinite suspension. The publisher also named the paper’s Abuja capital editor, Tokunbo Adedoja, as the new Saturday editor.
Mr. Adedoja met with the staff of the newspaper in Abuja on Monday and solicited their support as he moves to Lagos, according to a source who attended the meeting.
Recently, Mr. Obaigbena has faced extreme financial difficulties, which has made it impossible for him to pay his staff in Nigeria. Also, his international cable station “Arise TV” has faced similar financial hardship that led to a major blackout some weeks ago.
Below is a copy of the report that angered Ms. Okonjo-Iweala and cost Mr. Ani his job:
By James Emejo
Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from 6.56 percent that it was in the first quarter of the year down to 6.18 per cent in the second quarter, so says the National Bureau of Statistics.
The NBS, in its quarterly GDP estimates released in Abuja yesterday, said nominal GDP dropped to about N9.1 trillion from about N9.4 trillion in the previous quarter. This was also lower than the about N9.8 trillion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2012.
However, GDP growth within the period under review was helped by the non-oil sector which recorded a 7.36 per cent growth in real terms as against 7.89 per cent in the first quarter as well as 7.63 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2012.
The relative decline in the non-oil output was blamed on lower electricity generation during the period which had ripple effects on manufacturing, telecommunications as well as wholesale and retail trade.
On the other hand, the oil sector contributed about 12.9 per cent to real GDP in the second quarter. However, this was lower than the 14.75 per cent recorded in the previous quarter as well as 13.86 per cent in the corresponding period of 2012.
According to the NBS, average daily production of crude oil in the second quarter fell to 2.11 million barrels per day from 2.29 million barrels per day in the first quarter, compared to 2.38 million barrels per day recorded in the second quarter of 2012.
It said: “Supply disruptions as a result of pipeline vandalization still remain a challenge to the Nigerian oil industry. Nevertheless, the sector benefited from the relative stability in international crude oil market price, as well as the naira exchange rate.”
Agriculture continued to drive the economy, contributing 40 per cent to the overall GDP while wholesale and retail trade accounted for 17.3 per cent for the quarter.
“It should be noted that 2012 was particularly a challenging year for agricultural production in Nigeria. During the year, security challenges had a dampening effect on value added output. This was compounded by the flood that occurred largely during the third quarter of 2012 impacting on at least 25 out the 36 states in Nigeria,” the report stated.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has removed Yinka Gbadebo as its leader, replacing him with its Vice-President, Jubril Ahmed.
In a statement, NANS Senate President Emaluyi Sunday Michael said Gbadebo was impeached at a meeting of stakeholders on September 7 under Section 49(1) of the constitution. That provision states: “The president can be impeached on the grounds of incompetence or as therefore by his attitude or action which can be classified/regarded as misconduct”.
It accused Gbadebo of inability to serve the primary purpose of NANSto protect the general interest of all Nigerian students both at home and in Diaspora, “before the institutions, government, parastatals, stakeholders and even other countries policies.”
The statement cited the current impasse between the federal government and university teachers which has seen Nigerian students sitting at home for 65 days, saying Gbadebo was found wanting in the challenge of bringing both parties together.
“Rather he is aligning with a particular party and indulging in “Ghana-must-Go protest,” the statement said, adding that the “dilapidated and maggoty condition of Nigerian universities is of no concern to Ayefele.”
PRESS RELEASE ON THE PASSAGE OF VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE ON COMRADE YINKA GBADEBO a.k.a AYEFELE BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS SENATE ARM
Held on 7th of September, 2013 at Wellington Conference Hall, D.S.C Express Road,Effurun Delta State; at 10:00am prompt.
Distinguished senators, stakeholders, senior cadres, National comrades, invited NGOs, congress-men, contemporaries, Nigeria students present, gentlemen and ladies of the press, Greatest Nigeria Students.
The primary reason for the formation of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) some decades ago was for the purpose of Nigeria students’ welfarism, protecting the general interest of all Nigerian students both at home and in Diaspora, before the institutions, government, parastatals, stakeholders and even other countries policies. This has however been cut – off, abandoned, rejected and marginalized by the “Australopithecus” Gbadebo led administration.
The Nigerian educational system especially that of the tertiary institution has witnessed topsy – turvy because of its hydra headed and centrally maggoty state, and the Comrade Yinka Gbadebo “barren” cabinet has done less than little in its revival.
It is pitiable at this juncture to state that the Ayefele regime has done more harm than good to the Nigerian Students as he does not know his duty as the numero uno Nigerian student, controlling over seventy (70) million Nigerian students at home and in diaspora. Sadly, Nigeria students have been deprive of their fundamental right to higher education for sixty- five (65) days by intentionally remanding them in their various homes over the quagmire between ASSU and the federal government, yet the NANS president has been found wanting in his inability to bring both parties on the same page. Rather he is aligning with a particular party and indulging in “Ghana-must-Go protest”. It is therefore obvious that the dilapidated and maggoty condition of Nigerian universities is of no concern to Ayefele.
Moreso, we have lost Nigerian students in recent insurgent attacks in the northern part of the country and the NANS president had paid deaf ears to the calamity Nigerian students are undergoing during this trial period. However, consequent to the constitution of the National Association of Nigeria Students’ national body, the provision of section 49 pointedly provides for the grounds on which the NANS president can be removed from office or impeached. The aforementioned section 49(1) states that:
“The president can be impeached on the grounds of incompetence or as therefore by his attitude or action which can be classified/regarded as misconduct”.
It is in this regard that I, comrade Emaluyi Sunday Michael, the Senate President of National Association of Nigerian Students; in the interest of Nigerian students and for the purpose of their adequate welfarism hereby subject to the “consensus addendum” reached in the Senate congress meeting earlier this week by Senate leaders: Babale P. Bala, Deputy Senate – President; Sen. Joseph J. Olatunde, Clerk; and other distinguished Senators namely Sen. Morphy Moch, Sen. Comrade Ojamomi Fashola A, Sen. Pam Ayuba, Sen. Daniel Sunday, sen. Emeka Jonathan, Sen. Abdulfatah Sule, Sen. Kehinde Ilori, Sen. Jimoh Raheem. Others include Sen. Mathew Earnet, Sen. Elumelu Tony, Sen. Patrick Nkechi, Sen. Donald Michael, Sen. Taye Sarumi, Sen. Bolaji Akande, Sen. Arome Abu and 94 other senators present, hitherto passed a “Vote of no confidence” on the NANS president Comrade Yinka Gbadebo a.k.a Ayefele on the grounds of incompetence, gross misconduct, sabotage, abuse of office, selfish alliance and also using NANS presidential office as a window of ventilation for the purpose of personal aggrandizement. This decision takes effect from this day 7th of September, 2013
The doctrine of necessity therefore applies as the Vice – President Comrade Jubril Ahmed takes charge of the Presidential Office.
Conclusively, the new Vice – President shall be sworn in on the 11th of September, 2013, venue to be communicated on air.
We also use this medium to call on the FG and ASUU to reach a compromise at the fastest possible means as students who have unnecessarily stayed at home are threatening to embark on actions that may cause nationwide unrest, corrosive aluta awakening and edu – sociological jihad.
Aluta Continua, Victoria Acerta.
Thank you all, God bless you, God bless Nigerian students, God bless Federal republic of Nigeria

At least 23 persons were feared killed in multiple crashes, when their vehicles plunged into a collapsed bridge at Yar’randa village in Charanchi Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The first crash involved a bus conveying 24 passengers which plunged into the bridge few minutes after its collapse on Monday night.
According to the witness, the bridge collapsed at about 9.30p.m. due to heavy downpour and moments after the bus with registration number XA 328 KZR, conveying passengers from Kano to Katsina, fell into the bridge.
The villagers said efforts made to alert the bus driver was to no avail as he was on high speed.
The bus and the passengers were swept by the heavy current and some of the dead bodies were recovered miles away in Ajiwa area, the villagers and officials told NAN.
NAN also gathered that only two of the passengers in the bus, including a student of Federal College of Education, Bichi in Kano state, survived the incident.
The student, Jamilu Aminu-Elder, who was seen at the scene, could not speak to NAN as he was still in shock.
The police said 10 bodies had been recovered and deposited at the mortuary of General Hospital, Kankia while the search for 12 others was ongoing.
Similarly, another person was reported dead when the vehicle he was in, a Mitsubishi truck, fell into the water at about 5.00a.m. on Tuesday.
Two other persons in the vehicle however survived, while a motorcycle rider with a passenger, who also plunged into the collapsed bridge were rescued alive.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Bala Senchi, who visited the scene, confirmed the story, but said the police were not clear on the number of death as the search for the missing passengers was still on.
He said policemen had been deployed to the area to control traffic and prevent further accident at the scene.
Malam Rabi’u Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary, sttae Ministry for Works and Housing and an official of Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) had visited the scene to assess the damage.
Ibrahim said a report would be forwarded to the Katsina State Government for prompt intervention.
He condoled with the families of the deceased persons and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who died. [NAN]

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
AS the crisis in the ruling People’s Democratic Party escalates, a prominent Ijaw leader, Dr. Reuben Mietamuno Jaja, has pleaded with those moving against President Gooluck Jonathan to sheath their sword and give the president and the National Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur, a chance to rebuild Nigeria.
Jaja, who is the former Chairman, Ijaw Foundation, the apex organization for the Ijaw in the Diaspora, noted with concern the current attempt by some aggrieved PDP members to split the party and distract the President from the transformation agenda he has been championing for the good of all Nigerians.
Jaja, who is also a one-time member of the Board of the African Business Roundtable (ABR), headed by Tukur, expressed dismay that despite the phenomenal achievements recorded by the Jonathan administration in the various sectors of the nation’s economy, his detractors within and outside the party were still bent on discrediting him and his administration for selfish political gains.
Stressing that Jonathan was not part of those who created these problems, but was doing his best to tackle them head on, Jaja said, “Critics need to step back, re-evaluate these phenomenal achievements by the administration within so short a time. All that the Jonathan administration needs at this point in time, is the support of well-meaning Nigerians to enable him to steer the course and continue with the transformation agenda and reform processes.
“Worthy of note is the achievements in the power sector. There is no administration in the history of this country that has been so focused on giving the people a stable power supply than the Jonathan administration. President Jonathan is doing his very best. He deserves the support of all Nigerians to continue with his transformation agenda. The circumstances of operation are complex. My candid opinion is that this is one of the most sincere leaders the country has been blessed with in recent history.
“As the first President from the Niger Delta, he should be allowed to exercise peacefully the mandate freely given to him by all Nigerians, in appreciation of the fact that region has always supported leaders from other regions to lead the country at various times in our national political history.”
“As one of the leaders in the Niger Delta, I call on all Nigerians to give Mr. President a chance to stabilize the country. It is a right that must not be taken away from him and the Niger Delta people. He has done exceptionally well, given the complex socio-economic and political challenges he is facing.”
Turning to Tukur, Jaja, who had worked under him during his tenure as the Chairman of the African Business Roundtable, asked PDP members to rally round him as he possessed the required deep knowledge of global politics to take the party to the next level.

Question: What Is the Difference Between a Scientist and an Engineer?
Scientist versus engineer... are they the same? Different? Here's a look at the definitions of scientist and engineer and the difference between a scientist and engineer.
Answer: A scientist is a person who has scientific training or who works in the sciences. An engineer is someone who is trained as an engineer. So, to my way of thinking, the practical difference lies in the educational degree and the description of the task being performed by the scientist or engineer. On a more philosophical level, scientists tend to explore the natural world and discover new knowledge about the universe and how it works. Engineers apply that knowledge to solve practical problems, often with an eye toward optimizing cost, efficiency, or some other parameters.
There is considerable overlap between science and engineering, so you will find scientists who design and construct equipment and engineers who make important scientific discoveries. Information theory was founded by Claude Shannon, a theoretical engineer. Peter Debye won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with a degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in physics.
Do you feel there are important distinctions between scientists and engineers? You're invited to define the difference.

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party may reach a critical point next week as federal legislators belonging to a faction of the ruling party may have concluded plans to initiate a move to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.
SUNDAY PUNCHgathered that the lawmakers loyal to a faction of the party led by a former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, were said to be planning to get more lawmakers into their fold before the National Assembly resumes from its recess.
Since the formation of theNew PDP, the faction loyal to Atiku, 77 lawmakers from the National Assembly have pledged their loyalty to the group.
This is not the first time that an impeachment threat will dangle over President Jonathan. Last year, the House of Representatives threatened to impeach the President over the poor implementation of the 2012 budget.
However, the move by theNew PDPwas said to have leaked to the Presidency early last week and President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have convened a meeting with members of his kitchen cabinet in Abuja to checkmate the move. The meeting which held on Tuesday was widely reported as a move to find a way to halt the party’s crisis. But competent sources told one of our correspondents that it was a move to stave off the impeachment move by the rebellious PDP legislators.
State governors at the meeting included Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta); Ramalan Yero (Kaduna); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Theodore Orji (Abia); Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe); Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Serieke Dickson (Bayelsa); Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Idris Wada (Kogi); and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).
Also at the meeting were Vice-President Namadi Sambo; PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim; Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak; and Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.
A governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the President was angry that the new faction had received support from some members of the National Assembly.
The governor said, “That was why our national chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, was asked to address a press conference, with a mandate that those lawmakers risked their seats being declared vacant if they did not retrace their steps.
“Because we know that as soon as the lawmakers resume from their break, they may start something funny against the President. While they may not remove him, they may use that to further distract him.”
It was further gathered that the meeting examined the import of the action of the faction that moved out of the venue of the party’s mini convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja on Saturday.
TheNew PDPgovernors had stormed out of the Eagle Square and moved to the Yar’Adua Centre, where they announced the formation of the new faction.
The seven governors,who formed the core of the new group, are Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); Abdulfatai Ahmed (Kwara); Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); and Rabiu Kwankwanso (Kano).
The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, however, told one of our correspondents that the President was not afraid of impeachment.
Gulak said Jonathan was not entertaining any fear because there were more serious threats of impeachment during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and yet nothing happened.
Rather than entertaining any fear, the presidential aide said Jonathan was confident that he had the support of the majority of Nigerians across the country.
He said, “The President meets with some of his aides either weekly or monthly. For instance, I met the President purely for my weekly briefing that day and no other aide joined us. President Jonathan is not disturbed by the thing that is happening. It is political and it has political motives. Worst things happened during the tenure of former President Obasanjo with threats of impeachment but nothing happened.”
Curiously the Independent National Electoral Commission, which is charged with ensuring internal democracy within political parties, has kept mum on the PDP crisis.
Its spokesman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, on Friday, said, “I have no response.”
In a related development, there are strong indications that the new faction is working hard to get more PDP governors into its fold.
SUNDAY PUNCHgathered in Abuja, on Friday that the faction, which is preparing to unveil its secretariat next week, had intensified consultations with other governors with a view to winning them over.
Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr. Tony Okocha, the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, said, “If the Tukur-led PDP refuses to change its mode of operation, then the party should be ready for a serious bash. You can see that members of the old PDP are already defecting and moving into thenew PDP. This leaves the old PDP with no option but to begin a genuine reconciliation of aggrieved members of the party.”
He also supported the position of the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankanso, who had earlier on Friday, said more PDP governors would join theNew PDP.
He said, “Kwankwaso is correct. You can see the reign of impunity; you can see the reign of lawlessness in the Tukur-led PDP. We are in a democracy and nobody can pull the wool over anybody’s eyes.”
Kwankwaso had in an interview aired on theBBC Hausa Service, on Friday, said, “If our leaders make corrections, we will reconcile. If we see that there are still problems we have no problem joining the All Progressives Congress because most of the big names in that party were part of us.
“Besides seven of us that have identified with thenew PDP, there are several of our colleagues who cannot come out in the open yet but who fully support our decision to rebel against the leadership of Bamanga Tukur.”
Efforts to get Baraje to comment on the development did not succeed as he neither picked calls to his mobile telephone nor responded to anSMSsent to him.
Commenting on this development, Gulak said, “The President has vast majority support across the country and so, he is not disturbed. The conditions those governors are giving cannot see the light of the day.
“On 2015 elections, the President has the right to contest if he so desires and nobody can abridge his right by asking him not to contest as a condition for peace.
“On the call for the sacking of Bamanga Tukur as the PDP chairman, he emerged as the party boss through a process, so nobody can persuade anybody to sack him.”
Meanwhile, facts have emerged on why the PDP stopped the inauguration of the Finance Committee of the party, which was billed to have taken place on Wednesday.
The party had on August 28 approved the setting up of the 19-member committee, which is headed by Sen. Hope Uzodinma.
A statement issued by the Acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Remi Akintoye,on Tuesday, stated that the committee would be inaugurated on Wednesday.
But a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday, said the inauguration had been suspended.
However, a governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the inauguration was stalled by the governors, who he said, were not happy that they were not carried along in the nomination of the committee members. He said it was wrong for the Tukur-led NWC to have set up such a committee with nine of the governors as members.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday turned down the request by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur seeking to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] from recognizing, dealing and relating with the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led faction of the party as the national officers of the party.
Justice Elvis Chukwu also refused the prayer by the Tukur-led PDP to restrain the Baraje faction from parading themselves as national officers of the party and from operating or opening a parallel national, state, local Government Area and Ward Secretariat of the party pending the determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
In addition, they also failed to stop the Baraje led faction of the party from interfering and continued interference with the duties and functions of the newly elected Executives of the party.
Rather than grant the exparte injunction, Justice Chukwu said the defenadants should be put on notice and adjourned the case to September 12, 2013 for accelerated hearing.
Ruling on the application, Justice Chukwu held, "although I'm not afraid of granting an exparte order especially when it borders on issues capable of creating anarchy, I owe a duty to maintain a balance. In the circumstance, what I want to do is to order that they be put on notice.
"Both parties are to maintain status quo ante bellum pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. The time for hearing all the processes in this suit is to be abridged to four days."
The court, however, granted an order directing that the originating summons and all other processes in the suit be served on the defendants by substituted means by pasting the processes on the entrance gate of their residences.

• Sources Blame Presidency’s Aides For Not Sensing Moves
The refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan to renounce his right to contest the 2015 Presidential election is at the heart of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sources insist in Abuja.
In fact, the walkout staged by the splinter group, which calls itself the “New PDP”, was as much a protest against final confirmation of President Jonathan’s total grip on the party structure as it was anger at his style of deliberately not reaching out to outsiders, unless they are needed to help serve specific purpose.
And the crisis has also brought into focus the disconnect between Jonathan and Nigerians, as well as the lack of rapid response mechanism within his administration.
The walkout, led by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and seven governors, who joined forces with former acting national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, and former national secretary of the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, all loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, underscored the animosity between the former president and Jonathan.
A source told The Guardian: “I wonder why some Nigerians are surprised at what is happening in the PDP. This is all about 2015 and the plan for the presidential candidate of the PDP to emerge from the Northern part of the country. What happened was the final admission after they discovered they could not force the President to abandon their wish that he waives his right to contest the election.
“First, the battle led to the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). And already, former Head of State, Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari is the candidate to beat in the race for the new party’s presidential primaries. And before he wrote his opinion piece selling his candidature, members of the PDP had been working round the clock.
“This led to the trips by the five Northern Governors — Alhaji Sule Lamido, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Admiral Murtala Nyako, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu and Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko — during which consultations on how presidential power could be conceded to one of them or their choice candidate within the PDP were made.
“And when this didn’t dissuade the President to drop his assumed 2015 ambition, they opted to wait for him and greatly embarrass him at the mini-convention. It worked perfectly because of the calibre of the people around the President. They were really caught napping. Really, no President in the history of Nigeria has been this embarrassed, this publicly. It was a master stroke.”
Clearly, the revolt is the final plank of the battle which started within the party in the run up to the 2011 elections when some influential Northerners, under the aegis of the Northern Peoples Leadership Forum (NPLF), tried to stop Jonathan from running for President. It is easily forgotten that, in the run-up to the Presidential primaries to the 2011 elections, the NPLF fought President Jonathan and tried everything in their books to stop him from running. When that didn’t work, they opted for a Northern consensus candidate under the PDP. This later produced former Vice President Abubakar, who was defeated by President Jonathan at the presidential primaries held at the Eagles Square.
With the defeat of its consensus candidate, the NPLF decided to go back to the drawing board, to map out fresh strategies on the way forward. Atiku, members of the body and other top Northern political leaders within the PDP resolved to remain within the party and pursue their plans.
The Guardian gathered that the plan to embarrass the President through a walkout from the ‘old PDP’ began last April when Jonathan met with some of the northern Governors who felt he was going against their 2011 alleged accord to be a one-term President. They reminded him of the alleged agreement with Northern political leaders, including top Emirs and other traditional leaders.
Obasanjo was said to be in the know of the alleged agreement, which explained his cold shoulder to Jonathan over any second term ambition. When Jonathan rejected their assertion, the protagonists of the group, led by Dr Babangida Aliyu went public, asking him to adhere to the alleged one-term agreement.
At this point, the President’s spokesmen denied the existence of any such agreement. Alarmed that the President could be hounded out of the 2015 race, his supporters opted for public warnings and threats. Led by Chief Edwin Clark and Asaro Dokubo, they threatened violence should Jonathan not contest in 2015.
Jonathan, who is always slow to act but is focused and determined, then started the process of taking over the structure of the PDP. With this, the Northern PDP Governors, being Obasanjo loyalists, reached out to the former President to prevail on his “political son” Jonathan not to contest.
The President’s rejection of any such pressure “forced” Chief Obasanjo to switch his allegiance in favour of a PDP presidential candidate from the North. This is the reason why a pro-Jonathan group believes that the former President is the godfather of the “new PDP.”
Sources said that it was the governors, having decided to confront President Jonathan with all the political heavy weights outside the government, who recruited former vice president Abubakar into the splinter group to carry out the convention “coup.” It was in order to help execute this that Atiku denied any link with his political group, the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) when it was registered. The walkout was to prove to President Jonathan that they can dismantle the structures for his planned 2015 ambition.
Sources in Abuja also alleged that Obasanjo was the one who advised the splinter PDP against abandoning the party for another, with the position that it was better to detain the option of joining another party until it becomes impossible to remain in the PDP.
Clearly, President Jonathan was the only one taken unawares when the walkout began at the Eagle Square.
Sources said that the fact that there was no prior clear intelligence on the move and that there were no immediate counter measures against the “rebellious” group is a function of the quality of the political operatives around him.
Some point to this as how precarious his situation is if he ever attempts to get into the second term bid with the same caliber of top aides.
In ‘the city of rumours and intrigues,’ many believe President Obasanjo’s invitation to Sokoto where he was given red carpet reception just days before the mini-convention should have alerted “an active Presidency that something was in the works. Yet, it was the same endless reaction mode that led to their doing nothing to decode what was coming.

ABOUT 1.1 million metric tonnes of rice were produced in the country in 2012 just as the government has established 12 mills to process the staple crop for local market.
Minister of Information Labaran Maku, who disclosed this Thursday, also said the Federal Government is not broke as the country has over $40 billion in its foreign reserve.
Maku told newsmen in Abuja that Nigeria wants to attain self- sufficiency in rice production by 2015 and would ban importationby 2016.
According to him, the government has established strategic grain reserves across thecountry to enhance food security. Maku furtherstated that the government has established cassava processing plants across the country to make Nigeria the largest producer of cassava in the world.
The minister told journalists that plans have been concluded by a Chinese company to build a coal power plant that would generate about 10,000 megawatts of electricity for the country. According to him, the ongoing privatisation in the power sector would remove bureaucracy which has militated against the growth of the sector. He noted thatthe power sector policy is now in tune with international best practices and this has propelled companies like the General Electric to set up a $1 billion Gas Turbine manufacturing firm in Nigeria.
In the transportation sector, Maku noted that government’s investment in the rail system is paying off with the completion of some of the lines, adding that about 16 trains move between Lagos and Abeokuta on daily basis while 32 road projects have been completed.
The minister spoke about government’s plan to ensure that all the arterial roads in the country are in good caondition to speed up economic growth, adding that integrity test is continuously being conducted on the Third Mainland Bridge.
He stated that the fastest growing area in the economy is the air transportation as a new international terminal is being built at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu while a Free Trade Zone would also be established in Enugu.
“Our aviation sector has attained safety standards with the instalment of safety landing equipment at various airports in the country.”
He explained that the delay in the payment of salaries of civil servants was due to the Integrated Payroll System adopted by the government, disclosing that the measure has saved the government a lot of money.

“Except in the eyes of the extremely naive and incurable swindlers in the corridors of power, this country has already collapsed; only that the horror of its probable disintegration would be difficult to face.” – Godwin Onyeacholem.
Nothing proves the assertion that the edifice called Nigeria has effectively collapsed and is in need of an urgent and fundamental renovation than the recent laments of our rulers, past and present. These laments would have been laughable if not that they are tragic. Unfortunately, the laments also show that we can’t rely on these rulers in any attempt to reclaim Nigeria.
In late July, former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, was quoted as saying, “An enduring way to tackle Nigeria’s problems is to reorder the polity”. Gowon spoke during the first session of the 11th Synod of the Anglican Diocese of Owo, held at Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church, Uso in Owo Local Council of Ondo State. “What is happening in our country today calls for sober reflection, as we entreat God on behalf of our nation,” he said.
Since Gowon’s spiritual panacea, we have heard from the usual suspects: Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) and, of course, President Goodluck Jonathan. Obasanjo it was who declared that if Nigerians were yet to find a leader worthy of commendation after 53 years of independence,“We are jinxed and cursed; we should all go to hell.”
IBB in his characteristic bluster promised us, during his 72nd birthday soiree, that there was no way this cracked house would implode. And the reason? Just because Babangida said so. In a chat with the unquestioning horde called journalists who go on pilgrimage every August to his Minna country home,
IBB allayed fears of the dismemberment of the country, noting that such a prediction “will make Nigeria to emerge stronger and more united come 2015”.
The military strategist that he is, IBB assured us that the current security challenge in the country is not even sufficient to cause Nigeria’sdisintegration. “We are only crying wolf when there is no cause for it,” he noted. “Folks, forget about disintegration in 2015. I can’t see it happening. A country that will disintegrate, you will know it. It is not something that happens in one or two months. The disintegration of Nigeria is just out of question”.
“People say all sorts of things to instill fear in others. If the majority of the people believe in the unity of the country, then why do they worry about someone saying it will disintegrate? I know it wouldn’t. People are justcrying wolf.
“Nigeria is one of the amazing countries we have in the world. If you live outside Nigeria and you hear and listen about the happenings in the country, you will think the world is coming to an end, only for you to come to the country and see the people, they are happy, laughing, attending football matches and doing other things. That is Nigeria for you.”
I wish I could share IBB’s optimism. It is either IBB lives in a country different from that which majority of Nigerians inhabit or he is patently mischievous. We would like to hear from IBB why he thinks Nigerians are happy. Is it because of the peace they enjoy, the quality education for their children, the good roads, or the constant power supply?
My take is that majority of Nigerians do not really give a damn about the disintegration debate because to them the country started disintegrating the very moment it became a sovereign nation, when our rulers had the opportunity to build a united and prosperous nation but they were so mired in their clannish and thieving ways to worry about that.
It was the same clannishness and thieving ways that IBB and those who came after him imbibed. That is why more than five decades after independence we are still debating unity rather than how to sustain a functional educational system, manufacture our own cars or feed ourselves.
For many Nigerians who can’t get decent medical care; the millions for whom our hospitals are nothing but mere consulting clinics, the same excuse IBB and his cohorts told us was the reason they seized power manyyears ago, this country has collapsed.
IBB and his ilk should stop terrorizing us about national unity. In the words of Odumegwu Ojukwu, “There is nothing exclusive in the termunity; unity for Nigeria holds out the best chance for progress when that unity is a unity of purpose rather than the present hollow approach to unity for sake of unity. For unity to be meaningful, it has to be creative, not the unity of Jonah in the whale but the unity of holymatrimony. The first can only lead to defecation, the second to procreation”.
Isn’t it ironic that those for whom to keep Nigeria one was a task that must be done looked away or acquiesced to the handing over of a part of Nigeria, Bakassi, to Cameroon. Thatsingular act has changed the geo-political map of Nigeria.
Our rulers, Obasanjo and IBB in particular, remind one of the devils in Ngugi’s Devil on theCross who commit murder then don their robes of pity and go to wipe the tears from the faces of orphans and widows; who steal food from people’s store at midnight, then at dawn, visit the victims wearing robes of charity and offering them calabash filled with the grain they had stolen; who seize men’s wealth, dressin robes of friendship and instruct the people tojoin in the pursuit of the villain who has robbed them.
You can’t build a nation with this calibre of rulers. That 53 years after independence, we donot have a leader worthy of commendation is partly why our country is in the sorry state it is in today. And if there is a place worse than hell,that is where our ruling class – one of the most wicked, bankrupt, conceited, indolent and unproductive elite in the world – belongs.
In this era, when all those who brought us to this sad end are seeking relevance, it is important to situate the crisis in Nigeria. For those who are genuinely concerned about the unity of the country, it is instructive to note that nation building is serious business. The feeling has been that each time the country finds itself on the brink, our crooked ruling class, in order to protect its interest, would come together and pull it back. Unfortunately, the balance of terror currently makes that position untenable.
Today, we have a ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party, whose implosion is imminent because of its insufferable worthlessness. We have a weakened presidency that is gradually losing control, partly due to crass incompetence and partly because of the position of its leading characters in the power equation in Nigeria. Weare confronted with mindless violence and discontent that question the very foundation of the country. These are not issues to be resolved by rhetoric or wishful thinking.
For all the distaste we have for the present government, it must be highlighted that this crisis is not and cannot be about Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; it is also not about 2015 and who occupies Aso Rock.
In the eternal words of Chinua Achebe, “(Nigeria) is an example of a country that has fallen down; it has collapsed. This house has fallen”.
It is left for the inhabitants to rebuild it or erect a new one.

Credit: REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool
US President Barak Obama and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, divided by the crisis in Syria, have met on Thursday, September 5, at the tsarist palace in St. Petersburg at the start of a Group of 20 (G20) summit. No progress towards mutual under studying has been recorded so far.
The leaders of the two countries offered thin smiles, exchanged pleasantries and shook hands for the cameras. US President could be heard pronouncing the weather or the palace or both "beautiful" and then headed inside alone.
What makes this meeting notable is that it is the first one-on-one public appearance of Putin and Obama after US leader called off a separate Moscow summit in response to Russia's granting of asylum to a former US spy agency contractor, Edward Snowden, who exposed secrets of American surveillance programs.
Syria, however, has been the biggest source of strain in St. Petersburg, where Obama's effort to rally world support for a military strike against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over alleged chemical weapons use was pitted against Putin's efforts to prevent such action.
"We've kind of hit a wall"
The two leaders were to talk informally during the summit, but the expectations that they would find a common ground were low.
"We've kind of hit a wall," Obama told a news conference in Stockholm on Wednesday when asked what had gone wrong with the "reset" in relations with Russia. In the broadcast part of the first summit session on Thursday, Obama and Putin milled around talking to other leaders but not to one another.
On Friday, Obama plans to meet Russian human rights activists to highlight US discontent with the new are said to violate gay rights and restrain non-governmental organizations. That is likely to be taken by Putin as a swipe at him and meddling in Russia's domestic affairs.
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The wife of brain-impaired Governor Danbaba Suntai today admitted that her husband was physically unfit to resume official duties as the chief executive of Taraba State.
Mrs. Suntai made the admission when a PDP fact-finding committee led by Senator Hope Uzodinma visited the ailing governor today. The Acting Governor of Taraba, Umar Garba, as well as the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Haruna Tsokwa, accompanied Mr. Uzodinma. Mrs. Suntai as well as Senator Emmanuel Bwatcha were also present at the meeting.
Two sources told SaharaReporters that the meeting with Mr. Suntai lasted only 10 minutes. One source disclosed that the state's Acting Governor had to introduce himself to the ailing governor, as Mr. Suntai failed to recognize him.
After exchanging pleasantries, the team met with Mr. Suntai's wife as photojournalists were briefly ushered in to take photos.
Our sources revealed that Mrs. Suntai then confessed to members of the Uzodinma committee and an enlarged body of stakeholders that her husband was unfit to run the affairs of the state. "She told the group that the governor was only brought back home [from an American hospital where he was being treated] because he was homesick," one of our sources stated. The ailing governor's wife then suggested that Mr. Suntai would be taken out of the country in less than a month in order to undergo additional rehab.
The Uzodinma-led stakeholders' meeting was the culmination of a series of meetings the Acting Governor had held during his recent trip to Abuja.
A stakeholders meeting attended by "political elders," members of the Taraba State Assembly as well as members of the Taraba State contingent at the National Assembly in Abuja had resolved that the acting governor should continue running the affairs of the state. However, the stakeholders asked the acting governor to consult with Mr. Suntai or his close associates on crucial issues.
According to a member of the Taraba legislature, "This was the best political solution we could come up with. Instead of overheating the state, we decided to have a situation where the acting governor shares power with those that represent the interests of Governor Danbaba Suntai."
Mr. Uzodinma and his team have since left Taraba State for Abuja where they are expected to brief members of the old PDP as well as officials at the Nigerian Presidency.

Your Excellency,
Let me begin this piece by joining fellow Nigerians across all divides, in condoling you and the entire members of the family on the death of Pa Ibrahim Adebayo Ademola Fashola. May Allah grant him Aljanar Firdouz. Ameen.
Sir, I have settled for this open communication against my wish because I am a non-partisan stakeholder in the Social Contract between Your Excellency and the people of Lagos State whose popular mandate Your Excellency has been exercising since 2007 election. With allsense of modesty, as a keen watcher of Your Excellency’s brilliant performance and exhibition of your administration’s sense of responsibility and responsiveness, I ought not to have resorted to washing a ‘dirty linen’ in public.
However, I am constrained by the absence of a better opportunity or forum for a non-partisan active electorate like me to have an audiencewith Your Excellency due to the exigencies of your office, tight schedule coupled and in most cases, with bureaucratic bottleneck and protocol arrangement that usually fence off elected state functionaries ofyour status. In the light of this, I wish to be understood in the circumstance I have found myself.
Is LASTMA Above the Law?
Some of the universal principles of the Rule of Law by which democratic governments are measured and distinguished from oligarchies or dictatorships are that:
•Government and its officials, agents, individuals and private organizations are accountable under the law
•The laws are clear, publicized, stable, just and are applied evenly and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property
How compliant is the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) with these principles? Your Excellency, if my personal encounter with the agency on Tuesday, August 6, 2013, along Iyana Oworo axis of Lagos Third Mainland Bridge, is anything to go by, the agency does not operate within the ambit of the Rule of Law butthe Iron Law of Oligarchy, which is anathema to democratic norms and values for which the government of Lagos State enjoys public respectability and accolades.
Should LASTMA be a Judge in its own Cause?
On the fateful day, the traffic was hectic from the Adeniji-Adele end of the Third Mainland Bridge and on getting to the Oworosoki axis, it became a standstill and a bumper-to-pumper situation. As the traffic crawled on, a LASTMA official wearing a name tag Akintomide and staff No. 67634 ordered me to pull out. I complied as a law-abiding citizen, after which I asked him to explain the rationale behind the order. He said I was under arrest because somebody attempted to alight from my car. Almost in a jiffy, a standby towing vehicle had swung into business. In defiance of all entreaties, the car was towed to their Oshodi office.
On Wednesday, August 7 when I reported to LASTMA’s Oshodi office to secure my car, I was served a notification of offences and penalties bill for imaginary offences such as: wilful parking- N50,000; towing vehicleN20,000 which amounted to N70,000. Other expenses incurred were: demurrage charge N8,000 and driving test N5,000. All these amounted to N83,000. Frantic efforts to meet the Chief Executive or any senior officer inthe organization were frustrated in order to make it a fait accompli for meto acquiesce to the fines imposed on me without passing through the due process of the law. Eventually, I had tocough out this much, which is about 75% of my basic salary as a university teacher!
LASTMA and the Political Image of the State
It is not the intention of this piece to give a panorama of the excesses and unethical behaviour of some LASTMA officials that impinge on the fundamental rights of Nigerian road users in Lagos State. To the credit of the administration under Your Excellency, the deviants against who prima facie case were established, have been fumigated from the agency.But it is not yet over, until it is over; asa Yoruba proverb says: ti ina koba tan ni aso, eje ko le tan ni ekanna, meaning: as long as there are lice in the clothing, so long there will be blood in the fingernail. LASTMA as an agency of the state of Lagos needs training, retraining and continuous cleansing of the Augean stable so that bad eggs will be flushed out. Who knows whether the bad eggs are the fifth columnists working against the interest of the State. Moreover, it is perplexing that despite a subsisting order by a court of competent jurisdiction in Lagos, LASTMA continues to pitch Your Excellency against the Judiciary by the continued violation of an order by Justice Okon Abang that declared imposition of fines or penalties by LASTMA on any offender as illegal, null and void.
The Position of the Law on LASTMA Powers
Your Excellency, it is on judicial record that Mr. Jonathan Odutola got a judgment against LASTMA on September 21, 2011 and a fine of N500,000 was imposed on the agency as damages. It is also on record that Hon. Justice Okon refused the application by the Lagos State government for a stay of execution of the order. By implication, the continued arbitrary imposition and collection of fines by the agency of theState of Lagos under the guise of traffic offence amounts to contempt ofCourt. Until a superior judgment vacates the subsisting order, the position of the law is that LASTMA cannot impose or collect fines. Quod Erat Demonstrandum!
The reaction of Your Excellency was widely reported by the media that the State has residual authority to legislate on municipal issues under which the road traffic law falls and thatLASTMA could be a local solution to a unique traffic problem, subject to innovation. Hon. Justice Okon Abang declared that Sections 9, 11, 12 and 13of the law establishing LASTMA are in conflict with Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). My question in this instance is: whose law supersedes in a federation between the central authority and the component units? Section 3 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution is clear andlucid that: “If any other law is inconsistent with the provision of this Constitution, this Constitution shall prevail, and that other law shall to the extent of the inconsistency be void.”
In the light of this, with all sense of humility, I put it to Your Excellency that your agency LASTMA has violated my fundamental right to fair hearing because it constituted itself into an accuser, the prosecutor and the judge in its own cause. Rather than seeking aredress in a law court, I hereby demand an apology and a refund of the money collected from me under false pretences by the agent of Lagos State.
On a final note, the establishment of LASTMA is one of the best things to happen in Lagos State. Not only because of the job opportunities it has provided, but also for reducing social crimes and display of insanities by motorists on Lagos roads. Notwithstanding, it would be right and proper for the agency to conduct its operations with high sense of responsibility, probity, human face andmilk of kindness.
Thank you Your Excellency for reading me.
Mrs. Ogbonna-Nwaogu wrote from the Political Science Unit School of Arts and Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria, Headquarters, Lagos. E-mail:mauify@yahoo.co.uk

The civil war in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is likely to escalate, with aggrieved governors giving four conditions for peace.
They tabled the conditions at a meeting on Sunday night with President Goodluck Jonathan, 16 governors, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of a faction of the party, Chief Tony Anenih.
The conditions are that:
•factional National Chairman Bamanga Tukur should be sacked;
•President Jonathan should do one term only and forget re-election in 2015;
•the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Rivers State crises should be resolved; and
•"harassment" of governors by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should be stopped.
Attempts were made to narrow the conditions to two but no progress was made.
The two factions only succeeded in setting agenda for resumption of talks today.
But the National Secretary of the Atiku-Governors faction of the PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, said yesterday that despite the intervention by Jonathan, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and other party leaders, members of the New PDP would not abandon their struggle.
Oyinlola, who issued a statement in Abuja, said the faction would not disappoint members in the mission to make the PDP work again in the interest of Nigeria and its people.
Sources said that Sunday's meeting was a no-holds-barred type, with Jonathan feeling overwhelmed.
It was gathered that the seven governors, who were represented by four of their colleagues, complained lack of internal democracy in the party and "repression" by the Presidency.
"The governors demanded the removal of the factional National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to have genuine reconciliation in the party, a source said, adding: "They also asked the President to stick to the agreement he purportedly had with party leaders to spend one term in office. They urged Jonathan to come out openly on his rumoured re-election bid in 2015".

The Presidency has explained why the aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors cannot insist on the removal of the party's National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, gave the explanation on Monday in Abuja, in an interview with journalists, following Jonathan's meeting with the PDP governors on the crisis rocking the party.
He said the chairman was elected at a convention of the party, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission had confirmed that his election followed due process.
Gulak also berated former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for his role in the split of the PDP, saying Atiku should be grateful to the ruling party.
When asked whether the seven aggrieved PDP governors asked for the removal of Tukur at the meeting with the President, Gulak said, "You cannot remove the national chairman like that. He was elected and you will remember that of all the offices, INEC observed that only the positions of the national chairman and the financial secretarywere properly done.
"That is why we had to do the special national convention to properly elect the other officers. There are processes. There are provisions in the constitution. There are electoral acts and we should not act outside the laws."
Six governors, Atiku and a former Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje, walked out of the party's convention on Saturday and announced the formation of a faction of the party.
Gulak described the PDP as a law-abiding party, adding that it would continue to ensure internal democracy.
"You cannot come and say, remove Mr. A or Mr. B, and you cannot say, for example, remove governor A. There are processes for removal. The constitution is clear about it."
The presidential aide appealed to the party leaders to continue to dialogue.
He said, "We want to plead with all members of this political party to keep on dialoguing and discussing, because the opposition out there wants the party to split and there are moles, and it sent its moles in the cloak of the PDP.
"We have discovered them and Insha Allah, all PDP stakeholders, especially our field commanders, who are the governors, have discovered this and we are talking."
He said the split of the PDP was not the end of the ruling party.
"It is only the PDP that has consistently maintained its identity and its name so there is no party that can beat PDP," he said.
He also berated Atiku for leading a faction of the PDP.
Gulak said, "I was surprised because Atiku is supposed to know more than any other person that there is no party like the PDP.
"He left the PDP and went to the ACN and he came back to the PDP, because he discovered that outside the PDP, there is no party; so he had to come back and he was even given the waiver to contest the primaries in 2011.
"Atiku should be grateful to the PDP. Atiku is indebted to the PDP and the best way to continue to pay the debt is to protect the PDP."
On the meeting, he said, "The President is the leader of the party. The governors came and the President and other leaders had useful discussions with them, and God willing, these things will be things of the past.
"We are harmonising. We are talking. We are dialoguing, because the PDP as a family will not allow any of its members to go away, and even the members that want to go away,we will make bold to tell them that out there is no party as good as the PDP."
Also, one of the six governors, who pleaded anonymity, responded to Gulak's statement that they could not insist on Tukur's removal.
He said, "I don't know what Gulak means by what he said because if governors on the platform of the party cannot demand for reforms aimed at improving the party, who else can-the opposition?
"There is nothing personal about demanding Tukur's removal. The party has been dragged to a level that its founding fathers, living and dead, never imagined it could degenerate to. Why insist on having such a man remain at the helm of affairs?"
"Should he be allowed to nail the party's coffin and bury it before he is allowed to go? People like Gulak are the ones misleading the President."

The former Chairman, House Committee on Education, Honourable Farouk Lawan, has reportedly made it clear that the Federal Government was forced to sign the 2009 agreement with ASUU and that those terms cannot be implemented.
Speaking with newsmen, he urged the lecturers to call off the strike and return tothe negotiating table, while also calling out to prominent Nigerians to intervene in the matter, as both parties try to find solution to the ongoing strike.
Lawan said: “All of us certainly I believe must be concerned with the current strike that is going on and there is likely possibility that it will be a prolonged one. “Sometime, simply because of the pressure or the determination to get students back to classes, government agrees to certain things they knew then they may not be able to meet as easily as possible.
“This time, the issues were about what were agreed upon in 2009, just as it was with the 2009 strike that had issues of previous strikes embedded in it. “As long as there is no realistic appraisal of what is attainable, then we will always continue toface these problems but we cannot continue this way. “We all know that strikes undermine the quality of educationsystem. “Strikes are equally tied to a situation that is already bad.
“Frequent strikes by academic unions and other unions within the university system and tertiary institutions increasingly add to this pressure.
“That is why I have always maintained that ASUU should be more ingenious in coming up with better ways of getting government to be more committed in improving the education system without necessarily going on strike. “Every societylooks up to the universities for new ideas and Nigeria should not be an exception.
“ASUU, as the reservoir of knowledge, should begin to come up with new ways ofgetting government to do things without necessarily embarking on strikes that add to the problem that our educational system is already facing in this country.” The outspoken lawmaker also opined that ASUU members must go back to the negotiations table so as to come up with more realistic terms that would be implementable.
He added: “I know that the educations committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly have tried to broker understanding and currently there is some kind of negotiation taking place but every Nigerian should encourage ASUU to resume that negotiation so that the mattercan be resolved and the lecturers can go back to classes and our children out there for us to have the opportunity of steady and stable educational system.”

By Sahara Reporters, New York
There was a mild political drama at Nigeria’s Presidential Villa on Sunday night when Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State rejected the request of President Goodluck Jonathan to stand beside him as Tony Anenih, the chairman of the Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party, read a communiqué at the end of their “peace” meeting.
Mr. Kwankwaso was the spokesman of a group of PDP governors who last Saturday walked out of the venue of the party’s mini-convention.
He was at Aso Rock Villa to participate in a meeting called by Mr. Jonathan to iron out differences between the president’s faction of the party and a splinter group of governors and other party members who staged the dramatic walkout.
At the end of the peace meeting, which was attended by 16 governors, Mr. Anenih was mandated to speak with reporters as Mr. Jonathan and his deputy, Namadi Sambo, were reduced to spectators. A presidential source told Sahara Reporters that President Jonathan had beckoned on Kwankwaso to stand beside him, but the Kano State governor refused. “When Mr. President beckoned to Alhaji Kwankwaso to stand by his side as Chief Anenih read out the communiqué, the governor raised his finger and shook it several times. He then headed to the side of Chief Anenih,” said the source. He added that Mr. Jonathan, though clearly miffed, flashed a pained smile.
SaharaReporters learnt that Mr. Jonathan first met behind closed doors with former President Olusegun Obasanjo for close to two hours in the private residence of the president, and thenmet with 16 PDP governors, including four of the group that walked away from the mini-convention. The splinter group, led by former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, subsequently met at the Musa Yar’Adua Convention Center in Abuja and announced the formation of the “New PDP.” The rebellious governors include Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, MurtalaNyako of Adamawa, and Abdulfatai Ahmed of Kwara State.
Mr. Anenih read the communiqué flanked by President Jonathan on the right and Governor Kwankwaso on the left, with other governors behind them. The chairman of the fractious party’s board of trustees stated that “the leadership of the party and the PDP governors met today to discuss the incident that occurred during the PDP special convention on the 31st of August 2013, whereby some state delegations walked out of the convention ground to announce a faction of the party.” He added: “The meeting was smooth and encouraging and the discussions will continue on Tuesday with all the aggrieved governors in attendance.”

With Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid from Tottenham finally completed, the world transfer record has been broken again.
From Alf Common, the first £1,000 player, to Johan Cruyff's £922,000 deal to sign for Barcelona, to Bale's £85.3m move to Spain, huge figures havebeen spent by ambitious clubs looking to land the world's best players.
BBC Sport looks at the biggest moves, how Bale compares to current world stars and some memorable quotes on the mega deals.
The record breakers
Common's move from Sunderland to Middlesbrough in February 1905 was the first time a player had ever been transferred for a £1,000 fee. The forward went on to help Middlesbrough stave off relegation to Division Two that season.
Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has been a big talking point of this summer's transfer window but it was his Spanish name sake who was making headlines in 1961. The midfielder moved from Barcelona to Inter Milan for a fee of £152,000 and helped the Italian side to three league titles and two European Cups.
Barcelona were involved in a record-breaking fee again in 1973, but this time they were the ones doing the spending. The Spanish giants spent £922,000 to bring in Cruyff from Ajax and the Dutch forward spent five years at the Nou Camp - winning one La Liga title and the Copa del Rey.
Two years after Cruyff's move to Barcelona, the record was broken again as football saw its first £1m player when Italian Giuseppe Savoldi moved from Bologna to Napoli for £1.2m.
Only one player has broken the transfer record twice and that honour belongs to Maradona, whoin 1982 moved from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for £3m. The Argentina legend's time at the Nou Camp was short-lived, however, as two years later Napoli paid £5m to bring him to Italy.
An Italian team was behind another record in 1992 when Jean-Pierre Papin moved from Marseille to AC Milan. The France striker helped the Serie A side to two league titles before leaving for Bayern Munich in 1994.
Alan Shearer's move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 caused a stir with the much-coveted striker choosing to return to his hometown club in a £15m deal instead of joining Manchester United. No English club has broken a world transfer record since.
Portuguese star Luis Figo stunned football when he left Barcelona to join Real Madrid in 2000. Real had to pay their bitter rivals £37m to land Figo, who helped them to two La Liga titles and the European Cup in 2002 - the last time the Spanish giants won the competition. The move was also the first of five world transfer records broken by Real.
They would beat their own recorda year later by signing France midfielder Zinedine Zidane for £45.6m from Juventus.The WorldCup winner ended his career in Spain after adding a La Liga title and European Cup to his honours list.
The summer of 2009 saw Real shock world football not once, buttwice. Not happy with landing Kaka from AC Milan for £56m,theSpaniards also brought in Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m from Manchester United.Ronaldo has gone on to be regarded as second only to Lionel Messi as the world's best player.
Bale in numbers
Bale began his career as a promising left-back with Southampton before moving to Tottenham.His hat-trick against Inter Milan in 2010,despite coming in a 4-3 defeat for Spurs, announced the Welshman to the world. Last season in the Premier League, Bale reached a new level.
The new Real Madrid signing scored nine winning goals in the Premier League last term - more than any other player. Bale made 33 league appearances and scored 21 goals from 133 shots.
Bale may have racked up only four assists but he did create 75 chances for his team-mates - more than Messi (47) and Ronaldo (63).
The 24-year-old also had a higherpass completion rate than Ronaldo, with 79% of his 1,131 passes reaching their desired target compared with the Portugal attacker's 77%. Messi led the way among the trio with 85% from 1,759 passes.
Bale attempted 154 dribbles last season with a completion rate of 38%, less than Ronaldo (46%) and Messi (60%).
But the former Tottenham man attempted 272 crosses last season - much more than Messi (41) and Ronaldo (74).
Bale also proved willing to put a foot in, with 73% of his 33 tackles coming off.
Sourced from Opta.
What they said...
"I was compelled to accept the transfer" - Italy forward Roberto Baggioon his £8m move to Juventus in 1990 after Fiorentina fans rioted following the deal.
"We aren't going to start anything but, and I don't want this to sound like a threat, I'm not going to forget this. Someone who does this to me will pay for it" - former Barcelona president Joan Gaspartat the time of Figo's move to Real Madrid.
"I wanted to stay but the world crisis affected my decision. I knew I'd only leave Milan to play for Real" -Kaka reveals financial problems at AC Milan forced him to agree to his £56m move to Real Madrid in 2009.
"Do you think I would get into a contract with that mob? Jesus Christ, no chance. I wouldn't sell them a virus" - former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the possibility of selling Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

It is ridiculous to insist, as some Christians do, that Paul’s word is the word of God when Paul himself contradicts this.
No other person in the bible writes like Paul. Far more than everybody else, Paul talks about himself. He is always drawing attention to himself. His epistles are littered with “I,” “me,” “my” and “mine.”
In Romans, Paul refers to himself 103 times. In 1 Corinthians, he refers to himself 175 times. In 2 Corinthians, he refers to himself 103 times. In Galatians, which is one of his shorter books, he refers to himself 69 times! Clearly, Paul is just as concerned about telling us about himself as he is about telling us about God.
Jesus says: “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” (John 5:31). Virtually all of Paul’s credentials are his witness of himself. This is a tell-tale sign that his word is not the word of God. If God wants to talk about Paul, he would get others to do so.
All about Paul
With Paul, the gospel is not just the gospel: it is Paul’s gospel. (Romans 2:16). God is not our God: he is Paul’s God. (Philippians 4:19). We are not just God’s beloved, we are Paul’s beloved. (1 Corinthians 10:14). We are not just God’s children: we are Paul’s children. (Galatians4:19). It is not just about Christ’s sufferings: it isabout Paul’s sufferings. (Colossians 1:24). It is not just about Christ’s doctrine: it is about Paul’sdoctrine. (2 Timothy 3:10). Here is a man so totally consumed with himself that he even blatantly appropriates the things of God. The words of such a man must not be confused with the word of God.
Paul says: “Those in Asia have turned away fromme.” (2 Timothy 1:15). But the question is: havethey turned away from the Lord? Paul also says:“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9). This can never be the word of God because Jesus, and not Paul, is God’s standard.
It is ridiculous to insist, as some Christians do, that Paul’s word is the word of God when Paul himself contradicts this. Paul says to the Corinthians: “I speak not by commandment … and herein I give my advice.” (2 Corinthians 8:8-10). Paul’s “advice” may or may not be sound, but it certainly is Paul’s and not God’s. Indeed, Paul sometimes makes a distinction between the Lord’s commands and his own commands. He says: “Unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord .., but the rest is from me, not from the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-12). Therefore, Paul’s commands are not commandments of God.
If Paul’s word is the word of God, it would not be necessary for Paul himself to flag us when he claims to be speaking the word of God. For example, Paul says: “We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching…” (1 Thessalonians 4:15). This is not the Lord speaking but somebody speaking about the Lord. If Paul’s word is the word of God, it would be totally ludicrous for him to say: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:31). This is the statement of a man given to speaking his own words, whose words have been questioned.
Self-opinionated Paul
Who is speaking here: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9). Is it Paul or is it God? There really should be no argument about this because Paul himself admits it is his word. This would explain why Christian women ignore it and continue to braid their hair, and wear jewelry and expensive clothes.
Paul is very self-opinionated. For example, he says in his conceit: “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my own opinion.” (1 Corinthians 7:25). If Paul has no commandments from the Lord on a subject, it is best for him to keep quiet. Are we now to conclude that his opinion is also the wordof God? Certainly not! As observed, even Jesus never once offered his own opinion. Neither did he ever speak his own words. (John 12:49-50).
Paul’s pride often gets the better of him, leading him to say things he himself admits he should not say. For example, Paul says: “Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too willboast.” (2 Corinthians 11:18). He then boasts about his pedigree and declares himself the bestof all Christians. Can we then still insist that even Paul’s foolish boasting is the word of God? Certainly not! Elsewhere the same Paul admonishes us: “What, then, can we boast about? Nothing!” (Romans 3:27).
Pagan plagiarism
Paul cannot be speaking the word of God when his word is littered with plagiarised quotations of pagan writers. The man who hardly ever quotes Jesus is in the habit of quoting pagan writers; including Hippolytus, Aratus and Menander; men who extolled the idol god “Zeus.” When Paul says: “We are his offspring,” (Acts 17:28), he is not speaking the word of God. He is quoting the Greek poet Aratus’ “Phaenomena.” When Paul says: “God is not far from each one of us for in him we live and move and have our being,” (Acts 17:27-28); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising the Cretan seer, Epimenides. When Paul says: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons,” (Titus 1:12); he is not speaking the word of God. He is here again quoting Epimenides.
When Paul says: “Bad company corrupts good manners,” (1 Corinthians 15:33); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising theGreek dramatist Menander’s “Thais.” When Paulsays: “The good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not do, that I do” (Romans 7:19); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising Hippolytus. When Paul says: “If any widow has children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home” (1 Timothy 5:4); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising the Roman playwright Terence. When Paul says: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12); he is not speaking the word of God. He is. plagiarising the Mahaparinibbana Suta Buddhist scriptures.
Time-bound words
Jesus says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). This shows that the words of Jesus are the words of God because they are from everlasting to everlasting. But many of thewords of Paul have passed away. Christians don’t subscribe to them anymore.
Paul says: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak.” (1 Corinthians 14:34). If this injunction is the word of God, why is it that virtually no church in the world today obeys it? Women don’t keep silent in the churches. Therefore, this word of Paul has passed away. It was never the word of God. It was, and will always be, the word of Paul.

It is ridiculous to insist, as some Christians do, that Paul’s word is the word of God when Paul himself contradicts this.
No other person in the bible writes like Paul. Far more than everybody else, Paul talks about himself. He is always drawing attention to himself. His epistles are littered with “I,” “me,” “my” and “mine.”
In Romans, Paul refers to himself 103 times. In 1 Corinthians, he refers to himself 175 times. In 2 Corinthians, he refers to himself 103 times. In Galatians, which is one of his shorter books, he refers to himself 69 times! Clearly, Paul is just as concerned about telling us about himself as he is about telling us about God.
Jesus says: “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.” (John 5:31). Virtually all of Paul’s credentials are his witness of himself. This is a tell-tale sign that his word is not the word of God. If God wants to talk about Paul, he would get others to do so.
All about Paul
With Paul, the gospel is not just the gospel: it is Paul’s gospel. (Romans 2:16). God is not our God: he is Paul’s God. (Philippians 4:19). We are not just God’s beloved, we are Paul’s beloved. (1 Corinthians 10:14). We are not just God’s children: we are Paul’s children. (Galatians4:19). It is not just about Christ’s sufferings: it isabout Paul’s sufferings. (Colossians 1:24). It is not just about Christ’s doctrine: it is about Paul’sdoctrine. (2 Timothy 3:10). Here is a man so totally consumed with himself that he even blatantly appropriates the things of God. The words of such a man must not be confused with the word of God.
Paul says: “Those in Asia have turned away fromme.” (2 Timothy 1:15). But the question is: havethey turned away from the Lord? Paul also says:“The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9). This can never be the word of God because Jesus, and not Paul, is God’s standard.
It is ridiculous to insist, as some Christians do, that Paul’s word is the word of God when Paul himself contradicts this. Paul says to the Corinthians: “I speak not by commandment … and herein I give my advice.” (2 Corinthians 8:8-10). Paul’s “advice” may or may not be sound, but it certainly is Paul’s and not God’s. Indeed, Paul sometimes makes a distinction between the Lord’s commands and his own commands. He says: “Unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord .., but the rest is from me, not from the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-12). Therefore, Paul’s commands are not commandments of God.
If Paul’s word is the word of God, it would not be necessary for Paul himself to flag us when he claims to be speaking the word of God. For example, Paul says: “We can tell you this from the Lord’s own teaching…” (1 Thessalonians 4:15). This is not the Lord speaking but somebody speaking about the Lord. If Paul’s word is the word of God, it would be totally ludicrous for him to say: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.” (2 Corinthians 11:31). This is the statement of a man given to speaking his own words, whose words have been questioned.
Self-opinionated Paul
Who is speaking here: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes.” (1 Timothy 2:9). Is it Paul or is it God? There really should be no argument about this because Paul himself admits it is his word. This would explain why Christian women ignore it and continue to braid their hair, and wear jewelry and expensive clothes.
Paul is very self-opinionated. For example, he says in his conceit: “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: but I give my own opinion.” (1 Corinthians 7:25). If Paul has no commandments from the Lord on a subject, it is best for him to keep quiet. Are we now to conclude that his opinion is also the wordof God? Certainly not! As observed, even Jesus never once offered his own opinion. Neither did he ever speak his own words. (John 12:49-50).
Paul’s pride often gets the better of him, leading him to say things he himself admits he should not say. For example, Paul says: “Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too willboast.” (2 Corinthians 11:18). He then boasts about his pedigree and declares himself the bestof all Christians. Can we then still insist that even Paul’s foolish boasting is the word of God? Certainly not! Elsewhere the same Paul admonishes us: “What, then, can we boast about? Nothing!” (Romans 3:27).
Pagan plagiarism
Paul cannot be speaking the word of God when his word is littered with plagiarised quotations ofpagan writers. The man who hardly ever quotes Jesus is in the habit of quoting pagan writers; including Hippolytus, Aratus and Menander; men who extolled the idol god “Zeus.” When Paul says: “We are his offspring,” (Acts 17:28), he is not speaking the word of God. He is quoting the Greek poet Aratus’ “Phaenomena.” When Paul says: “God is not far from each one of us for in him we live and move and have our being,” (Acts 17:27-28); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising the Cretan seer, Epimenides. When Paul says: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons,” (Titus 1:12); he is not speaking the word of God. He is here again quoting Epimenides.
When Paul says: “Bad company corrupts good manners,” (1 Corinthians 15:33); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising the Greek dramatist Menander’s “Thais.” When Paulsays: “The good that I would I do not; but the evil which I would not do, that I do” (Romans 7:19); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising Hippolytus. When Paul says: “If anywidow has children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home” (1 Timothy 5:4); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarising the Roman playwright Terence. When Paul says: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12); he is not speaking the word of God. He is plagiarisingthe Mahaparinibbana Suta Buddhist scriptures.
Time-bound words
Jesus says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). This shows that the words of Jesus are the words of God because they are from everlasting to everlasting. But many of thewords of Paul have passed away. Christians don’t subscribe to them anymore.
Paul says: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak.” (1 Corinthians 14:34). If this injunction is the word of God, why is it that virtually no church in the world today obeys it? Women don’t keep silent in the churches. Therefore, this word of Paul has passed away. It was never the word of God. It was, and will always be, the word of Paul.

Nigeria is a country of contradictions. The system delights in robbing Peter to pay Paul. Here, a large number of people pay for services that are not provided, and most of the time, do so under duress. At the same time, the system allows the minority to enjoy the services they do not pay for.

Take the Power Holding Company of Nigeria for example. While Nigerians pay outrageous bills for services that are not provided, senior officials of the company enjoy free and stable supply of electricity.
Though the telecommunications sector is largely private- sector driven, the same scenario exists there. When as an ordinary Nigerian, you pay for calls that never go through, you pay for SMS that are never delivered due to poor network, or subscribe for a monthly service that you do not enjoy for two weeks, some people, especially members of staff of these companies and their friends, make free calls . It’s like the majority paying to maintain good service delivery for the minority. Expectedly, nobody apologises for rendering poor services and when they do, nobody compensates or refunds your money.

Here government is not obliged to provide social services. But the citizens are expected to pay their taxes. It is not unusual to have classrooms without chairs in some towns and in others chairs without tables for pupils or classrooms without roofs, etc.

If you are driving in a new environment, don’t be surprised if you are arrested for breaking traffic rules even when there are no sign posts to indicate that a particular road is a one way. Unlike the devil that walks about like a roaring lion looking for who to devour, here, government officials hide in corners to see who will fall into their traps. A government that cannot afford to erect sign posts to guide drivers aright does not see anything wrong in arresting so-called traffic offenders.

These are some of the reasons why government is not ashamed to ask people to pay for certificates of road worthiness for their cars when most of the roads in the country are not worthy.

A few weeks ago, I was driving along the Lagos /Abeokuta Expressway [one of the worstroads in the country]. As bad as this road is, some people that claimed to be officials of theFederal Ministry of Transportation saw nothingwrong in arresting people for not having their cars’ certificates of road worthiness.

I was also stopped by these men and I gave them my car’s certificate. To my surprise, I was told the certificate was obtained from Lagos State government and because of that, I needed another one from the Federal Government. Of course, I got the national road-worthiness certificate. And I also paid a fine of N2, 500 for not having it on me as at the time I was stopped. In all, I paid N5, 000 for my worthy car to be driven on government’s unworthy road.

The process of paying the money was tortuous. The road leading to the MOT office was something else. If cars could speak, I’m sure my car would have complained and protested the ordeal it was made to go through.

As at today, there is hardly any major highwayin the country that does not require one form of repair or the other. Just a few days ago, mypastor publicly announced on the pulpit that the church spends millions of naira every year to maintain government roads. And the worst part of it, according to him, is that you have toapply to government for permission to help it in doing its job.

Can someone just tell government to have mercy on our road-worthy cars and do major rehabilitation of its roads? I think we need more car-worthy roads than we have now. Our worthy cars surely deserve something better.

Allah will help us in these country

What’s the point in conducting post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination by universities all over Nigeria particularly private ones when candidates’ good performance in that exam does not really guarantee anything? After all, what universities do with post UTME results is subject to the dictates of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
Why do universities make both parents and admission seekers go through unnecessary hardship when they know that JAMB has the final say on who is admitted to the university at the end of the day?
Parents and guardians of admission seekers spend extra money every year on air and road travels in their bid to take their children and wards to venues of their post UTME. Apart from the huge costs involved, some die in accidents. Some parents and children were reportedly some of the victims of the last plane crash in the country.
This year again parents came from as far as Abuja to Lagos, Iwo and other parts of the country accompanying their children who were writing their post UTME.
I can recall some of the reasons adduced for post UTME by universities a few years back. One of them is to ensure that universities admit quality students. According to them, candidates offered admission by JAMB often ended up being below standard. The idea was to be able to sift candidates selected by JAMB to ensure they are up to standard,
While universities’ decision to sift their candidates might not be a bad idea, the universities were silent on what happens when they adjudge candidates to be good for admission and JAMB thinks otherwise. This has remained the crux of the matter.
As a mother whose daughter sought university admission this year, I had cause to take my child to different universities for her post-UTME. At that time JAMB had not released its cut-off mark for university admission. The question parents kept on asking university authorities at the parents’ forums was what happened if their children did well in the university exams and failed to meet JAMB’s cut off mark. The universities had no answer.
It turned out that many candidates did well in the post UTME but scored below JAMB’s cut-off mark. For instance, Babcock University asked candidates whose names appeared on its admission list but failed to meet JAMB’s requirement not to bother paying the university’s acceptance fee.
If JAMB is still this relevant, why subject admission seekers to unnecessary stress? Why does JAMB have to wait for weeks before releasing its cut-off marks? If JAMB could release UTME results within one week of writing the exam, why should it wait for another six weeks before declaring its cut-off marks? Why allow parents to spend thousands of Naira to obtain admission forms to private universities or pay for different post-UTMEs, wasting money on needless trips before releasing the cut-off marks?
Though I don’t really subscribe to fixing a cut-off for admission, fixing 180 for university admission would have been okay by me if there are no question marks on either the integrity of JAMB as an exam body or on UTMEas a whole. There were reports of cheatings and other forms of exam malpractices in this exam which unfortunately cannot just be swept aside.
Whether JAMB likes it or not, the ministry of education would still have to work something out to resolve the issue of admission into Nigeria’s universities. With public universities over-stretched and multitudes of admission seekers out there, government needs to take amore pragmatic measure to solve the gigantic problem in the education sector. Every year over one million people seek admission to higher institutions in Nigeria. The figure keeps increasing every year. But the entire system could only absorb 500,000 according to the minister of education, Prof. Ruqayyat Rufai. A country in a situation like this needs to work on maximising its capacity to absorb as many students as possible.
But that is not happening now. The situation now is that some universities, especially private universities, have spaces that are yet to be filled. There are candidates that meet such universities’ admission criteria, but universities’ hands are tied by government regulation.
Let’s face it, while public universities usually have more than enough candidates to admit, thus always exceeding their carrying capacity,private universities will continue to have spaces because it costs money to study there. Tuition in private universities range from N650, 000 to N2m per session depending on the course of study. A large number of Nigerians cannot afford this.
Instead of piling up the list of admission seekers every year, I think government shouldallow those that can afford private university education and who are qualified by these universities’ standard to proceed to the university. This will not only decongest the list of admission seekers, it will also reduce capital flight.
There was a report that Nigerians spend N160bn annually in two Ghanaian universities.Ironically, Ghana and other countries admit the same candidates that are rejected in Nigeria because of unnecessary government regulations. Universities in other parts of the world won’t need JAMB’s permission to admit candidates. Instead of allowing parents to keep on taking their money out of the country to receive sometimes half-baked education, government could review its law.
Right now, some parents are in agony. For some of them, their children scored between 170 and 179. They have the money to pay in private universities and would have loved their children to remain in Nigeria for at least their first degree programmes, but they are being denied of that chance. This shouldn’t be.
After all, the autonomy of Nigerian universities is claimed to be backed by law. If that is the case, institutions should be able to establish their own programmes of study recruit their own students and have some levels of control. True autonomy connotes organisations having the freedom or freewill to set their own rules and regulations without interference and control from outside especially from government.
Agreed universities must operate under the law of the land because autonomy doesn’t justgive the right to do anything at any point in time, universities should still have the freedom to set and maintain their own academic standards just like the foreign universities do.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi, was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism. He employed non-violent civil disobedience as a strategy that eventually led India to independence. This strategy inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights, and freedom across the world, including the civil rights movement in the United States led by the late Martin Luther King Jnr. In one of his writings, he outlined what he termed “Seven social sins”: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.
I doubt if anyone will have issues with what he outlined. However, for the purpose of my piece today, I would like to direct attention to “knowledge without character” for very obvious reasons. I got an anonymous call three weeks ago from a student who obviously knew my late wife, Ngozi Agbo – the late pioneer Editor of Campuslife – very well. What he revealed shocked me and opened a can of worm. The caller wanted to seek my advice on the best way to tell his parents that he is gay!
He revealed that as a medical student, he’s about to conclude his housemanship and very soon his parents may start nursing the idea that he needs to get married and settle down. “Yes, I intend getting married someday, but notto a woman as I’ve never been moved sexuallyby any woman all my life”, he said on phone and wanted the best approach to take. I inquired at what point he knew he was gay; he said he couldn’t pinpoint the exact time, but hegot to know when he was with women. “I discovered this when my girlfriend stood nakedin front of me when I was 19 years old and I never felt any sexual urge; we had been going out for two years before then. She dressed up hurriedly and left after calling me a weak man”.
At that point, he thought it had to do with his upbringing since he came from a very disciplined home, but he later discovered that he was attracted to men and actually started having “an affair” with one of his course mates. That has been on for four years now. “We are very happy with our relationship and we intend to be together someday, but how do I break the news to my parents”? I inquired if he knew that his action could earn him a jail sentence if found. “I just want to live a normal,quiet life with my friend” was his reply.
As our discussion progressed, I got angry and had to vent my anger through words I cannot repeat here when he went through intimate details on how being with his partner makes him happy, I asked why couldn’t he simply choose a wife from the array of beautiful girls we have in Nigeria and live a normal life ratherthan be gay. His calm reply rattled me: “Sir, I called you because I knew your late wife and all she stood for and through your writing I know you must share the same values with her. Yes, she may be angry with me, but she will say it in a way that we would be able to reason together”. It was at this moment that I realised that this is a young man who really needs help. I apologised for my outburst and suddenly went soft on him.
His main burden is that his parents gave him the best life can offer and he will be betraying that trust and long term commitment if he revealed that he is gay. At the same time, he said he does not want to live a double life. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what advice to give to him on how to break the newsto his parents because I found it difficult to comprehend. It was then that he dropped the clincher, part of which I used as my headline today: “Nobody will be able to stop the emerging gay revolution that is about to happen in Nigeria”. I asked why he made such a sweeping statement. “Sir, you can go and find out yourself” was his reply. At the point, the phone went dead and since he concealed his number, there was no way I could call back.
I reflected deeply for almost a week after the call: was it a prank call and should we be concerned about the issue in Nigeria? Prior to the call, I had been monitoring issues concerning gay rights with keen interest, especially when Barack Obama, David Cameron and other western leaders openly endorsed it. Their stance is in contrast with thatof Russia. Only recently, the Russian President,Vladimir Putin, signed into law a bill banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors”, on June 30.
Any observer who followed the backlash that accompanied the bill globally would also know that gay rights are some of the most hotly contested issues in the world today. Pope Francis was quoted as saying: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?… these persons must never be marginalised and they must be integrated into society.” I will go into much detail about the religious dimension next week.
Now back to the home front. I took the challenge my anonymous caller threw at me after waiting for him to call back. I called up a couple of our campus correspondents to help me carry out a clandestine investigation to ascertain the veracity of gay lifestyle on campuses – some of them are still in school despite the ASUU strike – About 80 per cent of the verbal reports I got revealed that being gayis nothing strange on some campuses these days; one even described it as a “lifestyle” involving both sexes, but far worse among females. While we – ASUU, SSANU, NASU, ASUP and all of us – are busy fighting the government to improve infrastructure and arrest the decay in the education sector, we somehow left the social flank wide open. Whileincreased funding can make a whole lot of difference, can money change an individual’s sexual orientation? That’s food for thought.
I took the challenge a step further by engaging some lecturers. One of them described it as a clear and present danger that just needs time to mature. Another, a Sociologist, predicted that in the next five to 10 years Nigerians will start discussing it openly. “You have a youth population that is almost 70 per cent, most of them are exposed to the internet, they see the trend of debates elsewhere, and some are evengay while others are aspiring. So why would wenot be discussing it openly in the next five years?”
And only last week I even shocked myself when I went to the Palms shopping mall in Lekki, Lagos. Armed with copies of The Nation for identity, I laid siege to the cinema where I guessed I might see people coming out in groups. The first group of young girls I encountered said: “we don’t trust journalists” to keep their mouths shut. The second group ofyoung men later gave me audience when I said I wasn’t interested in their names or where they came from, but to just ascertain if the gayphenomenon calls for concern in Nigeria.
After buying them drinks I went straight to business. Do they know gay people on campuses or in their neighbourhoods? Of course they know some gay people with one ofthem asking me, “What’s the big deal?” about it as “it is everywhere”. His nonchalant remark almost threw me off balance as I tried to remain unruffled. One of his colleagues took it up from there asserting that it is youthful exuberance that leads some students to try outanything that’s in vogue and in the process they get hooked. Five of the six that sat with me that day said I should be concerned about the gay issue because “it is spreading fast”.
I eventually got audience with a group of young ladies after three trials and they opened another vista to the whole issue. One of them said she was raised in a very strict home and never really had close contact with men – she went to an all-girls’ secondary school and only recently graduated from a religious based university. While in school, she started experimenting with “intimacy gadgets”, such as vibrators, which was quite rampant in the hostels. “We experimented with intimacy gadgets because we feel it is not sinful, after all we do not go out to sleep with men”. Does she still use intimacy gadgets. She just smiled and left the answer hanging in the air. Do they know any lesbian around? They all exchanged glances and said they coud not answer my question.

Barely three days after the 2013 Big Brother Africa reality show came to an end, Nigerian soft porn producer, Afrocandy, is offering Beverly Osu, an opportunity to star in her next movie.
Afrocandy, who is believed to be obsessed with sexually explicit movies, says she felt sorry for Beverly, Nigeria's controversial female representative in the show, after she failed to take home the $300, 000 star prize.
In a Facebook message titled, 'Open call to Beverly Osu', Afrocandy noted that if Beverly had put in as much effort and entertainment in a movie as she freely "gave the whole of Africa" during the MNET- sponsored show, she would have made a lot of money.
Announcing that casting for her next movie isin progress, the US-based actress says that the part played by Beverly while the show lasted has contributed significantly to its overall success.
"Sorry for losing at the BBA. The organisers did theirmago-magoand gave it to Dillish. After all you did for them. They should have made you the winner, if only for providing all that entertainment to the whole of Africa. If you had put all that in a DVD, you would be laughing to the bank now.
"BBA didn't deserve you at all. Anyway, don'tworry, I am still casting for my next movie and I can see that you have what it takes to be involved in my kind of productions. You have guts, the heart and the ability to go naked and have …. in public without giving a crap. So babe, bring your sexy self to me andlet's get to work as soon as possible. My phones will be on and I'll be waiting for your response!" she said.
燞owever, Afrocandy's public invitation to Beverly has attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians on the social media. While many people are torn between asking Beverly to either accept or reject the offer, others have said they cannot wait to see her star on the set of any movie shot by Afrocandy. According to them, it might just be the beginning of a lucrative movie career for the BBA star.
Also, some consider Afrocandy's invitation toBeverly a smart move aimed at raising the profile of her movie production outfit.
Commenting on lindaikeji..com, one Onyinye wrote, "That is a beautiful offer! Just like that. Lady Beverly, grab this offer, please. It might take you to the level you don't expect. Don't bother thinking about it.''
"Congrats Beverly on your new appointment as Afrocandy's assistant,'' an anonymous reader on the blog also stated.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians have asked Beverly to jettison the offer which they describe as a ploy to embarrass and ridicule her. They advised her to focus on an acting career and never to consider taking a role on the production set of any of Afrocandy's soft porn movies.
On NAIRALAND.COM, one Mr. Aboki urged Beverly not to give the offer a second thought, though acting could fetch her a lot ofmoney. "I don't think she should be rolling with the likes of Afrocandy. She should look for classier producers and directors to cast her in solid movie roles. Let her take a cue from Gideon Okeke and his role in Tinsel," hesaid.
燗 visitor to the blog namedIfysaid, "Beverly, dear, don't go there! Say no to that offer. Virtue has its reward in the end. Reward maytake some time, but it will eventually come. Let us believe what you did during your stay at the BBA house was for entertainment. You can rewash your pot and cook better next time!
"There is a second chance. Leave Afrocandy. You don't need to walk through that path to live a good life. Success may mean different things to different people, but please let yourown success be peace, contentment and fulfilment. At the end, it's all vanity! Say no to public intimacy. It is not worth it!"
But a school of thought believes that Beverly may have attracted such an invitation because of her alleged sexual escapades with South African housemate, Angelo Collins, during the BBA show.
"He who brings ant-infested firewood invites lizards to a party. Beverly, you chose this path. Dignity is a virtue that money cannot buy,'' an anonymous reader on lindaikeji..comsaid.
營t could not be immediately confirmed if Beverly, who returned to Nigeria in company with fellow housemate, Melvin Oduah, on Tuesday will accept or reject the offer as her Twitter page has yet to be updated as at the time of filing this report.

Barely three days after the 2013 Big Brother Africa reality show came to an end, Nigerian soft porn producer, Afrocandy, is offering Beverly Osu, an opportunity to star in her next movie.
Afrocandy, who is believed to be obsessed with sexually explicit movies, says she felt sorry for Beverly, Nigeria's controversial female representative in the show, after she failed to take home the $300, 000 star prize.
In a Facebook message titled, 'Open call to Beverly Osu', Afrocandy noted that if Beverly had put in as much effort and entertainment in a movie as she freely "gave the whole of Africa" during the MNET- sponsored show, she would have made a lot of money.
Announcing that casting for her next movie isin progress, the US-based actress says that the part played by Beverly while the show lasted has contributed significantly to its overall success.
"Sorry for losing at the BBA. The organisers did theirmago-magoand gave it to Dillish. After all you did for them. They should have made you the winner, if only for providing all that entertainment to the whole of Africa. If you had put all that in a DVD, you would be laughing to the bank now.
"BBA didn't deserve you at all. Anyway, don'tworry, I am still casting for my next movie and I can see that you have what it takes to be involved in my kind of productions. You have guts, the heart and the ability to go naked and have …. in public without giving a crap. So babe, bring your sexy self to me andlet's get to work as soon as possible. My phones will be on and I'll be waiting for your response!" she said.
燞owever, Afrocandy's public invitation to Beverly has attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians on the social media. While many people are torn between asking Beverly to either accept or reject the offer, others have said they cannot wait to see her star on the set of any movie shot by Afrocandy. According to them, it might just be the beginning of a lucrative movie career for the BBA star.
Also, some consider Afrocandy's invitation toBeverly a smart move aimed at raising the profile of her movie production outfit.
Commenting on lindaikeji..com, one Onyinye wrote, "That is a beautiful offer! Just like that. Lady Beverly, grab this offer, please. It might take you to the level you don't expect. Don't bother thinking about it.''
"Congrats Beverly on your new appointment as Afrocandy's assistant,'' an anonymous reader on the blog also stated.
Meanwhile, some Nigerians have asked Beverly to jettison the offer which they describe as a ploy to embarrass and ridicule her. They advised her to focus on an acting career and never to consider taking a role on the production set of any of Afrocandy's soft porn movies.
On NAIRALAND.COM, one Mr. Aboki urged Beverly not to give the offer a second thought, though acting could fetch her a lot ofmoney. "I don't think she should be rolling with the likes of Afrocandy. She should look for classier producers and directors to cast her in solid movie roles. Let her take a cue from Gideon Okeke and his role in Tinsel," hesaid.
燗 visitor to the blog namedIfysaid, "Beverly, dear, don't go there! Say no to that offer. Virtue has its reward in the end. Reward maytake some time, but it will eventually come. Let us believe what you did during your stay at the BBA house was for entertainment. You can rewash your pot and cook better next time!
"There is a second chance. Leave Afrocandy. You don't need to walk through that path to live a good life. Success may mean different things to different people, but please let yourown success be peace, contentment and fulfilment. At the end, it's all vanity! Say no to public intimacy. It is not worth it!"
But a school of thought believes that Beverly may have attracted such an invitation because of her alleged sexual escapades with South African housemate, Angelo Collins, during the BBA show.
"He who brings ant-infested firewood invites lizards to a party. Beverly, you chose this path. Dignity is a virtue that money cannot buy,'' an anonymous reader on lindaikeji..comsaid.
營t could not be immediately confirmed if Beverly, who returned to Nigeria in company with fellow housemate, Melvin Oduah, on Tuesday will accept or reject the offer as her Twitter page has yet to be updated as at the time of filing this report.