₦airaland Forum

A Lagos High Court in Ikeja on Monday restrained the Lagos State House of Assembly from going ahead with its investigation of alleged financial impropriety levelled against Governor Babatunde Fashola adminstration by a group, The True Face of Lagos.



In her judgment on the application of an activist, Mr. Richard Akinnola, against the assembly, Justice Opeyemi Oke held that it was unlawful for the lawmakers to proceed with the probe when they were aware of a pending complaint over the matter before the Court of Appeal in Lagos.



Justice Oke further granted an order of perpetual injunction restraining the assembly and their agents from proceeding with any probe of alleged financial impropriety levelled against the executive arm of government.



The judge, however, held that she would not dabbe into the argument on the legality of section 128 (a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution, saying that the development was tantamount to academic exercise.



Akinnola had filed an originating summons dated May 4, 2010, which was supported by a 22-paragraph affidavit deposed to by the claimant with 12 exhibits.



He had urged the court to stop the six-man panel of the assembly from proceeding with the probe on the grounds that there was a pending appeal on the part of the judgment of Justice Habeeb Abiru of a Lagos High Court in Ikorodu.



Justice Abiru had in his judgment, delivered on March 16 in Akinnola‘s suit challenging the propriety of the probe panel, restrained the assembly from continuing with the probe on the ground that the lawmakers did not follow due process.



But Justice Oke had in her judgment further held that Akinnola’s originating summons before her was different from the one handled by Justice Abiru, saying that the activist had gone to the appellate court to contest some gray areas in the judgment of the lower court.



The judge added that once a party was informed of a pending action before the Court of Appeal, such party must refrain from taking any action to prevent a situation where a fait accompli would be foisted on the appellate court.



The judge, who entered judgment in favour of the claimant, said, “With due regards, due honour to the appeal court, I hold that the application of the claimant succeeds, I therefore hold that it is unlawful in the administration of justice for the defendants to continue to proceed on the investigation or purported investigation in spite of an appeal at the appellate court.



“When there is jamlock in legal issues, it is the duty of counsel to educate the clients on the hierarchy of courts. Once a party has the notice of impending action, it has no reason whatsoever to commence any action taken subsequently to foist the notice of appeal and it behoves on parties not to take any step to frustrate the pending action”.



Justice Oke also faulted the argument of the assembly’s lawyer , Mr Sola Oludipe, that the action was an abuse of court process.



According to the judge, the suit is not an abuse of court process as an abuse of court process only arises when a party litigates against a matter that has been settled earlier in a court of law.



She said, “I hold that this action is not an abuse of court process because it is trite law that equity aids the vigilance but not the indolent.



“The claimant has made out a case to prevent parties from foisting the matter before the court of appeal. I therefore hold that the application succeeds.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011024315715

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, over the weekend, advised the federal government to consider meting out appropriate sanction to the country of origin of the arms and ammunitions intercepted recently at the Apapa Port, Lagos.

Mr Fashola, while speaking to journalists at the Tin Can Island Port where he had gone to inspect the impounded consignment, said taking such action will reinforce the successful interception and send a positive message to the international community that Nigerian ports are not for terrorism acts. “This is a huge trading port,” he said. “Our port and the businesses that it brings in terms of export to other countries create international commercial benefit that must never be abused against the safety of citizens. So this is the time we should be finding out where this cargo originated from and summoning their diplomatic representative if we have not done so.

This is where we should be considering whether or not we should suspend import from that country to send the strongest signal to every other countries that ship goods to Nigeria that our port are ports for development of the prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians and not port for being agents of destruction. I want to see the Minister of Foreign Affairs summoning the Ambassador of the country who owns the vessel, the people who are named on the bill of lading, even if they are not in Nigeria. This is not different from what happened to us when one of our citizens was caught in an aircraft. They de-categorised and reclassified our airport. The seaport is not different.”

India, or Iran

According to the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Dikko Abdullahi, the ship came into Nigeria, in transit, from India, but its country of origin is yet to be ascertained. The seized weapons, contained in 13 containers, were intercepted by a combined team of State Security Service and Customs officials.

However, the shipping company that shipped the crates of weapons, CMA CGM, a French company, said the ship was loaded in Iran and its next destination after Nigeria is Gambia. The company, in a statement made available to Reuters, claimed it had been a victim of false declaration. “The shipment in question was booked as a ‘shipper’s owned container’ and supplied loaded and sealed by the shipper, an Iranian trader who does not appear on any ‘forbidden persons’ listing. The containers were loaded in Bandar Abbas and discharged in Lagos in July,” stated the company.

Mr Fashola, who described as unimaginable, what would have happened if the consignment had escaped, commended the Nigerian Customs Service. “I think the message to be sent is: What do we do with the latest success? Do we want to climb a slope or climb a hill? I think we must use this success to climb a slope and progress from here”, he said


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5637096-147/story.csp

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday said he knew the late military ruler, Sani Abacha, would not live to witness his release from prison, just as he added that he was optimistic that he would regain his freedom.

Mr. Obasanjo spoke at the dedication service of Chapel of Christ The Glorious King, Abeokuta, which he built to thank God for sparing his life. He recalled that the bitter experiences as a prisoner turned him to a preacher in the four walls of prison.

Mr. Obasanjo and some other retired military officers and civilians were jailed in 1995 by the military government of Sani Abacha, after he was found guilty by a military tribunal of plotting to overthrow Mr. Abacha’s administration, and were released after Mr. Abacha’s death in 1998.

“Before I left prison, I said if I get out of prison, I would divide my time into four. I would buy a Landrover and trailer and use it for evangelism,” he said.

Unwilling candidate

The former president, who is the chief promoter of the church, said that was part of how he thought he would live the rest of his life outside the prisons. He, however, said this did not work out as, when he came out of jail, pressure mounted on him to join the race to be president of Nigeria.

“Initially, those calling me to contest I cursed. Primate Sunday Mbang also joined me to curse them, but, as time went on, I left the matter in the hand of God, and God eventually had His way.”

Mr. Obasanjo, who spent three years behind bars, recalled that while in Yola prison, he became an unordained pastor and converted many, including a convicted armed robber whose name was Baba Alli.

He said he assured Mr. Alli, then the leader of an armed robbery gang called Arewa Boys, that he would send him to Bible College, which he did after regaining freedom. He said as at today, the ex-convict robber is now an ordained pastor in Abuja.

Dignitaries at the dedication ceremony included Ayo Oritsejafor; Sunday Mbang; Ola Makinde; Samson Ayorinde; Tunji Olurin; Adebayo Alao-Akala; Segun Agagu; Ojo Madueke; Christopher Kolade; Ayoka Adebayo, among others.


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5637085-146/story.csp

The campaign team of President Goodluck Jonathan was startled in Yola, yesterday when the state chapter of the PDP said it will back Mr Jonathan’s aspiration in the forthcoming primaries; but only if the Adamawa state governor, Murtala Nyako, has the backing of the presidency in his bid to return to power.

Nonetheless, Talhatu Sarki Tafida, the Director General of the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign organisation, which has toured 15 out of the 36 states of the federation to canvass support for the president and his vice in the build up to the PDP primaries, was satisfied that the PDP in the state was in support of the presidency.

“They confirmed their support for the Goodluck- Sambo ticket and that is very heart warming,” he said.

Others on the campaign train for the meeting, held at the banquet hall of the government house, were Hassan Adamu, Bamanga Tukur, Silas Jonathan Zwingina, Zainab Maina, Ismaila Sambawa and Ahmed Ali Gulak. Mr Nyako, the leader of the party in the state, was represented by his deputy, Bala James Ngillari.

The feeling among most party supporters in the state was that some of the men on the president’s campaign team, such as Messrs Zwingina, Tukur and Adamu are seen to be against the governor’s return to the government house. The suspicion briefly came to the fore when Mr Zwingina, for some reasons, failed to follow in the precedence set by members of the campaign train introduced by Mr Gulak.

He refused to heed the call of “Adamawa sai, ” with the expected “Adamawa Sai Nyako” and Mr Nyako’s supporters protested with an uproar, halting proceedings for a while before law enforcement agents were quickly drafted into the hall.

Mr Gulak, who is also from the state, appealed for restraint from the supporters.

“Our Governor is here, the speaker of the state is here, the state commissioners are here. Why can’t we respect our leaders,” he said.

Two-way loyalty

The PDP state chairman, Mijinyawa Kugama, pointedly told the president’s men they can take his words to the bank that the state chapter of the party was 100% in support of the Goodluck Sambo presidency. He added that in the whole North East, it was only in Adamawa that the support for Mr Jonathan is overwhelming and warned against the presidency taking any actions that could destroy the party in state.

Mr Tafida, who was in Taraba before visiting Adamawa said,

“Adamawa and Taraba have consistently been PDP states and there’s no killing PDP in these states.”

Another member, Abdulrahman Jimata, said support for Mr Jonathan depends on the presidency’s support for Mr Nyako. “There would be no single vote for Jonathan if Nyako was not returned,” he said.

The statement was received with a loud applause.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5637124-146/adamawa_pdp_promises_support_for_jonathan.csp

I will like to advice His excellency Dr Fayemi to pls stop playing politic on the pages of newspaper and concentrate more on the development of ekiti state. Let his work speak for him, to make a big difference from that of Dr Oni’s tenure TO JUSTIFY the confidence repose in him by the good people of ekiti state. He MUST do everything according to the rule of law, because his is greater beneficiary of the same. He should pls painstakingly lay a solid foundation to build his own ideas upon.

The Peoples Democratic Party members in the Ekiti State House of Assembly on Sunday said the dissolution of the 16 Local Governments by the state government was illegal because the action was not approved by the legislature.



Fayemi had on Friday sacked all the 16 council chairmen and 177 councillors elected on the platform of the PDP in December 2008 for a three-year tenure.



The Leader of the PDP Caucus in the state assembly, Mr. Layi Oke, from Ijero constituency, told journalists in Ado-Ekiti that the caucus condemned the action because it was done without the approval of the House, as required by the law.



Oke said, “We just came back from Germany where we went on a legislative tour only to be informed that the governor had purportedly dissolved the local governments in a military manner, without recourse to the state house of assembly.



“The PDP Caucus in the Ekiti State House of Assembly wants to believe that the dissolution is not true because Governor Kayode Fayemi is a product and an advocate of law and due process.



“Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who became governor of Ekiti State through the judicial process, should and cannot do anything that negate the constitution of Nigeria.



“We still want to believe that the dissolution is a rumour, but if it is true that the governor dissolved the councils without recourse to the house, the PDP caucus says the dissolution is illegal and will not stand the test of time.



“We want to remind the governor that the dissolution of the local governments must be approved by two-thirds members of the state House of Assembly.



“The PDP caucus will use all legal means to correct the illegality being perpetrated by the Action Congress of Nigeria government in Ekiti State, which is barely two weeks in the saddle.



“We have noted that the rule of law only thrives where it favours the ACN.”



Reacting, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Mojeed Jamiu, said, “The governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi dissolved the executives of the councils by the power conferred on him by Section 23 b(1) of the amended Constitution governing the administration of local government in the state which empowered him to dissolve the executives of the councils in the public interest.”



He noted that there were court cases on the election conducted by the Oni administration in the first instance as it was said to have been marred by irregularities.



Jamiu said some council officials, following the Court of Appeal’s verdict that sacked the Oni administration, knew that the time was up for them. “This is a clear case that they knew that the administration on ground, would review their various claims to electoral victory,” Jamiu added.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101101234525

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has debunked media reports that the Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has been elected as new chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. Oshiomhole said the claim by Governor Gabriel Suswan of Benue State in the report that the decision, electing Daniel was unanimous was distasteful and completely embarrassing.

The Edo State governor, who spoke to journalists at Government House in Benin City, said some PDP governors, not more than 16 or 17, met at Governor Daniel’s lodge, and that “it is in that forum they are now claiming that they elected him (Daniel) as chairman.” According to Oshiomhole, “I read a news item about a report to the effect that Governor Gbenga Daniel has been elected as chairman of the Governor’s Forum. In the report, Governor Suswan claimed that the decision was unanimous. The truth of the matter is that I received an invitation from the outgoing chairman of the governor’s forum, Bukola Saraki, which he summoned a meeting of the Governors Forum for this coming Wednesday at 8pm, among other things, to elect a new chairman and discuss other issues.”

“So, when I watched that news item that Gbenga Daniel was said to have been elected, I was confused and I can confirm that as a matter of fact, there was no meeting of the Governor’s Forum. The Governors’ Forum is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. But, however, some PDP governors, not more than 16 or 17 of them, met at a venue that was never a venue of our meeting, at Governor Gbenga Daniel’s lodge, and it is in that forum they are now claiming that they elected him as chairman.”

Oshiomhole added that he had no quarrel with Governor Gbenga Daniel or any governor who wished to be chairman of the forum but that he expected that anyone who nursed such ambition should be able to persuade some other governors to accept him or her as chairman.

According to him, “I thought this is serious because if a club of just 36 persons, you can call it elite club, if we cannot freely, transparently choose a chairman for the forum, then how can we be talking about free and fair election in 2011? Governors who believe in free and fair election cannot attempt to rig in some one as chairman. I found that completely distasteful and quite embarrassing.”

“If Governors will seek to outsmart and manipulate a process that is simple and straight forward, how can we expect that as leaders we are all committed to genuine electoral reform? So, I called you just to tell you that that statement credited to Governor Suswan is not correct. The Governors Forum is yet to meet, I believe it will meet on Wednesday and whoever wishes to contest should declare his intention and appeal to his colleagues for support.”




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/nov/01/national-01-11-2010-002.htmLink:

It is very unfortunate dat we always end up having an insincere govt. and many a times labor is always at the receiving end.it is very easy for our government to increase and implement the salary of d political office holder,it easy for the govt d sign out huge amount to buy presidential jets,it is even easier for govt within one week to get approval for several billions of naira for Jega to buy machine that stil remain unbought despite al noises. But it is very difficult to aprove new pay for workers.

The Federal Government may have commenced moves to prevent the looming nationwide strike over the delay in the payment of the new minimum wage of N18, 000.



Already, the National Council of State has schedule a meeting on the minimum wage issue within the week to set the stage for the fowarding of a bill to the National Assembly on the matter.



The national executive of the Nigeria Labour Congress had last week issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government l to implement the minimum wage or face a three day warning strike, which the NLC said would be followed by an indefinite national strike.



The President and General Secretary of the NLC, Abdulwahed Omar and John Odah who signed the communiqué issued at the end of the NEC meeting, accused the Federal Government of colluding with operators of the private sector to scuttle the payment of the new minimum wage.



But the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, said in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Friday, that the planned strike was not necessary and would not take place.



Wogu said the Federal Government had good trade union relations and would take necessary steps to ensure the resolution of the impasse over the new wage.



Though, Wogu was not specific on whether the government had commenced discussions with the representatives of the labour movement, there were speculations that such a move was not out of place.



He explained that the delay in the implementation of the minimum wage was not deliberate but was attributable to the procedure that had to be followed for it to take effect.



He said that efforts would be made to make the necessary explanation to representatives of labour, stressing that labour needed information on the contentious issue.



He also said that with the recent salary structure approved by President Goodluck Jonathan for workers in the Federal Civil Service, the least paid civil servant would earn N17,000.



The minister said the implementation of the minimum wage was not as easy as the process would affect not only the Federal Government but also the states and local governments.



He said that the issue of the minimum wage, which must pass through the National Assembly, was already at the final stage of being placed before the Council of States.



Nwogu said that the presidential approval of the new salary structure for workers in the civil service portrayed in clear terms that Jonathan was committed to the welfare of the Nigerian worker.



He said, “This thing has its procedure. We have to place it before the National Assembly. In fact, it is at the final stage of being brought before Council of States.



“There is no cause for alarm, the problem with labour is that they need information on the issue and we will handle that.”






http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101101244548

The National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi (retd.), has taken over the investigation into Tuesday’s discovery of 13 containers at the Apapa Wharf in Lagos.



He has also barred security agents from speaking to journalists on the issue. THE PUNCH learnt that the directive from the NSA was handed down to the security agencies on Thursday at a meeting he had with the heads of the different agencies in Abuja.



The NSA met with the heads of security agencies in Abuja shortly after he returned from Lagos where he had gone to inspect the contents of the containers.



Apart from Azazi, others at the meeting included the Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector-General of Police, Director-General of the State Security Service and service chiefs.



Our correspondent gathered that the NSA told the security chiefs that he had decided to take over the co-ordination of security on the matter in order to avoid giving “discordant tunes and information to the public on the matter.”



He was said to have told the security chiefs that he would not want the outfit to be speaking as if they were competing with one another.



The directive, according to the source, was as a result of the rancour that followed the statement credited to President Goodluck Jonathan, which allegedly exonerated members of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta over the October 1 bomb blasts that led to the death of over 12 persons in Abuja.



According to the source, “We have received instructions that we should not speak on the matter for now.



“The NSA met with all the security chiefs in Abuja on Thursday where he handed down the directive. For now, it is his office that is handling the matter.”



Before now, the State Security Service had claimed that two persons were already in its custody over the importation of the arms.



The spokesperson for the SSS, Mrs. Marylin Ogar, who confirmed the arrest, said investigations were ongoing to unravel those behind the importation.



Meanwhile, in order to get to the root of the claim that the arms were meant for the Middle East, our correspondent gathered that the office of the NSA was already planning to get in touch with either the Israeli or Palestine governments.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011012302035

Where is justice Thomas Naro now? Tommorow you will hear he preside over another case again. We can’t continue this way and hope things will get better.

A few hours to the hearing of the petition by the Osun Action Congress of Nigeria governorship candidate, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, mixed feelings of hope and fear have pervaded Osun State.



The appeal court sitting in Ibadan is expected, on Monday (today), to hear the adoption of briefs of both the ACN and the Peoples Democratic Party. Senior lawyers to both parties are expected to make their appearances.



Also, the court is expected to hear the arguments of both parties.



In his 1004-page petition, Aregbesola is challenging the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission that Olagunsoye Oyinlola won the April 14, 2007 governorship election in the state.



The election, which was marked by high-scale violence and alleged killings, was upheld by the Osun INEC, presided over by Mr John Dansu.



A cross-appeal filed by Oyinlola will be heard side by side Aregbesola’s petition.



The initial tribunal headed by Justice Thomas Naron, which heard the appeal, dismissed it as lacking in merit but the appeal court sitting in Ibadan, described the judgment by the Naron-led tribunal as an abuse and miscarriage of justice.



The panel, which ordered the retrial of the petition, ruled that it was wrong for the Naron panel to disregard the evidence provided by Aregbesola in his petition.



In defence of his petition, Aregbesola had provided a truckload of evidence, which included a police report, time analysis of voting, forensic analysis of voting, evidence of violence, ballot snatching and killings during the election, among others.



Parties are expected to adopt their briefs of argument today while the appellate court is expected to reserve its judgment and later communicate the date of its verdict accordingly.






http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2010110132464

When Daniel came 2003, he met good road drinkable water and regular light, all are history today due to bad goverance, wickedness and primitive stealing. It is going to a long time before Ogun State recover from Daniel. May his type never come again

A succession crisis has hit the Nigerian Governors’ Forum as its members are divided on the reported emergence of Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel as its chairman.



Daniel was elected by 20 Peoples Democratic Party governors in Abuja on Friday night to replace Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is now a PDP presidential aspirant.



Apart from the Secretariat of the NGF which explained on Sunday that the process that led to Daniel’s emergence was faulty, Governors Adams Oshiomhole(Edo) and Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano) also kicked against the Ogun governor’s choice as the forum’s leader.



But the Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye, and the factional Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Mr. Yemi Coker, hailed Daniel’s election as the new NGF chairman.



The NGF secretariat, however, moved to douse the tension when it said in a statement by its Director-General, Mr. Bayo Okauru, that the forum was yet to meet and pick a new leader.



THE PUNCH, however, gathered in Abuja on Sunday that the succession crisis was the fallout of the battle for the PDP presidential ticket for the 2011 poll.



Investigations showed that Saraki had favoured a governor, who is sympathetic to his ambition in particular and zoning in general as his successor.



A source close to the PDP told one of our correspondents in Abuja, that those opposed to Saraki’s plans met on Friday and announced Daniel as the new chairman of the NGF.



Our source, who asked not to be named because he was not in a position to speak on the matter, said that the group led by the governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswan, met on Friday and announced Daniel as the next chairman.



According to him, the Suswan group realised that it needed to move fast when it got wind of the Kwara State governor’s alleged plans to install a successor.



Our correspondent learnt that that was why the Suswan group quickly mobilised after the President Goodluck Jonathan campaign fundraiser on Friday and announced Daniel as the new chairman.



Announcing Daniel’s election Suswan said that since Saraki joined the presidential race, the NGF had not been able to respond to national issues such as the October 1 bomb blasts in Abuja.



But in their separate reactions on Sunday, Oshiomhole and Shekarau described Daniel’s election as “distasteful, embarrassing and unacceptable.”



Oshiomhole, at a news conference in Benin, said the reports on Sunday on Daniel’s emergence was embarrassing and unfair.



He said, “There was this news item credited to Governor Suswam of Benue State in which he stated that, Governor Daniel was elected as chairman of the Governors’ Forum. I was taken aback when I heard the story.”



Oshiomhole said that the NGF had planned a meeting for Wednesday, saying that part of the agenda was to elect a new chairman for the forum.



“I have since checked out and I can confirm as a matter of fact that there was no meeting of the governors’ forum. The governors’ forum is going to meet on Wednesday; however some PDP governors met at a venue that was never a venue of our meetings and it was at that forum that they are now claiming to represent the governors’ forum,” Oshiomhole said.



The governor, who explained that any of his colleagues could aspire to the position, however noted that, “anyone who wants such a position should be ready to persuade other governors to accept him.”



Expressing disappointment with the attitude of the governors, Oshiomhole said “if a forum of 36 governors cannot freely choose a chairman, then we cannot be talking about a free and fair election in 2011.”



He, however argued that the NGF had a responsibility to lead by example, adding that their action was “completely distasteful and embarrassing.



“If governors will seek to outsmart each other and manipulate a process that is fairly simple and straight forward, how can we expect that as leaders we are all committed to genuine electoral reforms,” he noted.



Also, his Kano State counterpart, Alhaji Shekarau, said he did not recognise Daniel’s election as chairman of the NGF.



Shekarau, in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Sule Sule, “dissociated himself from the purported appointment of Daniel”.



“There was never a meeting where a decision to appoint a new chairman of the NGF was reached, ” the governor said and pointed out that as a platform for all the 36 governors , the NGF was supposed to be non-partisan.



He also described as “unacceptable” the decision taken by few PDP governors on behalf of all the 36 state governors without their consent.



Oshiomhole is an Action Congress of Nigerian governor while Shekarau was elected under the umbrella of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.



Also, the Director of Media and Publicity of the ABS, Mr. Garba-Deen Mohammed, in a text message to one of our correspondents, said the NGF had dissociated itself from the Suswan announcement.



He said, “ABS 2011 in unaffected by Governor Suswan’s announcement. It is a matter for the secretariat of the Nigerian Governors Forum.



“We are however aware that the Nigerian Governors Forum secretariat has said it is not aware of any changes in the leadership of the NGF.”



But Oyinlola, a PDP governor, and the Ogun House of Assembly factional speaker, Mr. Coker, described Daniel’s election as a wise decision.



Oyinlola, who spoke through his Press Secretary, Mr. Kayode Oladeji, argued that the decision to elect Daniel as chairman was taken collectively by members of the forum.



He explained that the position of the chairman of the forum could not be left in unfilled, hence the need to replace Saraki with Daniel.



Reacting, Coker described the election of Daniel as a testimony of his exemplary leadership qualities.



He added in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Mr. Ayo Giwa, that the election did not come as a surprise going by Daniel’s ``political ingenuity and enviable administrative track records.”



However, the NGF secretariat, said in a statement on Sunday that the forum’s members would meet on Wednesday where they would be briefed by Saraki before a new leader would be elected.



“The attention of the NGF Secretariat has been drawn to the news report on Saturday, October 30, 2010 announcing the election of a new Chairman for the PDP Governors‘ Forum,” Mr Okauru, the Director-General of the NGF said in a statement.



He added in the statement titled “ RE: NGF Leadership,” that the announcement had “ created some confusion in the public on the distinction between the PDP Governors‘ Forum and the Nigeria Governors‘ Forum.”



The statement reads in part, “We wish to inform the public that the NGF is a non-partisan Forum for all elected governors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria regardless of party affiliation.



“Since the reports, Dr. Saraki has received complaints from several state governors who have denied any knowledge of, or involvement in the process that led to the Governor Daniel’s reported appointment.



“They argued that the meeting where the action was taken was not convened in accordance with the laid down procedures that have been followed over the years. They, therefore, see this development as inimical to the internal democratic process, the culture of inclusiveness and consensus on which the NGF was built, and on which it has operated.



“Dr. Saraki wishes to note that due process and strict adherence to laid down procedures are paramount in any democratic institution. He assures all members of the NGF and the Nigerian public that these principles will be followed in this case.



“Therefore, in keeping with the desire of majority of NGF members, he calls on the general public to disregard the said newspaper reports; saying that a meeting has been called for where a decision will be taken on the issue of leadership of the NGF in keeping with the laid down procedures of the Forum.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011013144648

I think, dis shuld b d last time any northener wuld talk about contesting party primaries let alon d main election otherwise dis country b divided so that dey speak either Arabic or Hausa since dey cn’t speak gud English, and also, d southsouth wuld b 2 cntrl their resources. Let us 4 once achieve ideal Nigeria by making philosophers kings not evil genius, non graduates or school dropouts or moslem fanatics or is it lunatics or political imbeciles from d north.

The consensus committee set up by the Northern Political Leaders Forum has ruled out either former head of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.) or Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as the choice aspirant of the North.



Investigations by THE PUNCH on Saturday in Abuja showed that the decision of the committee was one of the outcomes of its consultations with stakeholders in the region in the past few weeks.



The NPLF had last month set up a 17-man committee to pick a consensus aspirant out of the four contenders for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party –Babangida; Saraki; ex-vice- president Atiku Abubakar and former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.).



THE PUNCH gathered that the committee was still considering whether to pick former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar or ex-National Adviser on Security, Gen. Aliyu Gusau.



Besides Babangida and Saraki, it was learnt that the committee also foreclosed the possibility of fielding any Northern minority as the consensus aspirant of the region.



Investigations, however, showed that the committee had stepped up efforts at producing a consensus aspirant early this month.



A member of the committee, who pleaded anonymity, said, “After consultations with emirs and other stakeholders in the North, we discovered that Babangida would be a hard sell.



“He is being haunted by his past, particularly the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election. We were advised by those we met that we should look for an aspirant that would commend nationwide acceptance.”



It was also learnt that the committee was bitter that Babangida, who was adopted by National Democratic Party on Thursday, had demonstrated his lack of faith in the consensus arrangement.



“While we have not concluded the consensus arrangement, the former president has started making moves to contest on the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party,” the committee member said.



Investigations also showed Saraki was not being considered because he was from a minority ethnic group in the North.



“From our consultations with Northern stakeholders, our consensus aspirant must come from the core North. That rules out aspirants from the Middle Belt,” the committee member said.



When contacted, the chairman of the committee, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, told our correspondent on the telephone that the issue was still at the preliminary stage.



Denying that the group had picked an aspirant, he said, “We are at the preliminaries. We are still consulting.”



But as the committee was intensifying efforts to produce a consensus aspirant, President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said he was confident of emerging victorious in the PDP’s presidential primaries.



The Head of Media and Publicity, Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “We are very much prepared and will drub anyone, including any candidate a gang-up throws up.”



Abu stated that the consensus arrangement would not yield any positive result, adding that the President was not intimidated.



Meanwhile, Saraki has given a condition for the sustenance of unity in the PDP. Saraki spoke in an interview with journalists in Ilorin on Saturday, after the local government election in Kwara State.



He noted that the party would remain intact after its presidential primaries “if there is a level playing ground for all the aspirants.”



The governor was reacting to a question on fears that there might be a split in the PDP after the primaries.



He explained that denying any of the contestants a fair chance in the primaries would cause a crisis.



He, however, expressed the hope that the PDP would not experience any division “because the party now appreciates internal democracy and transparent elections.”



Saraki said it was important for the PDP to provide all its presidential aspirants a level playing ground to contest the primaries.



He, however, said, “I have confidence in the ability of the leadership of the party to conduct crisis-free primaries because I believe there are capable hands at the helm of affairs of the party.”



Answering a question on his inability to speak Hausa, in spite of his claim to being a core Northerner, he said, “My candidature is about what I am bringing to the table, not about the language I speak or which one I don’t speak.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011012311275

What Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa said is an open secret. That is the main reason Nigeria refuses to move forward. We should thank him for telling us what every Dick and Tom has known all this while. He should go further by telling us what he is doing to, permanently, dismantle the cabal in NASS and also advice the government, if it cares to listen, how to dislodge such evil in all departments. Posterity will smile on him if he can do his fatherland this service.

The Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, on Sunday, raised the alarm over the existence of a cabal in the National Assembly.



Maikasuwa, 52, was inaugurated as clerk in August, succeeding Mr. Oluyemi Ogunyemi, who exited the service on attaining the retirement age of 60.



The clerk spoke at a reception held in his honour in Keffi, Nasarawa State by the Keffi Youths Progressive Association.



The reception was attended by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Usman Nafada, senators, members of the House of Representatives; former ministers, and a former presidential aspirant, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, among others.



The clerk revealed that the cabal, mostly top civil servants in the National Assembly, could destroy the career of anybody who was not a member.



The head of the National Assembly bureaucracy recalled how he had been a victim of the cabal before ‘God’s intervention’ saved his career.



According to him, his travails started when he “introduced a sense of belonging and team spirit” as the Director, Personnel Management.



He said, “I inspired the confidence of staff and exhibited exemplary leadership which altogether culminated in my rising profile in the NASS bureaucracy.



“Alas, little did I know that some ambitious and mischievous colleagues had started regarding me with contempt and envy due to my modest achievements; and they openly boasted that they were going to clip my wings.



“I never bothered about bureaucratic politics because I never got that orientation from my first working environment, the Federal Capital Development Authority.



“Then, all of a sudden, some of my hostile colleagues and their collaborators got an opportunity to clip my wings.



“This was made possible because there was a cabal that held the NASS bureaucracy under siege, and I was not considered an eligible member.”



Maikasuwa explained how the cabal frustrated his appointment as substantive clerk of the House of Representatives in 2007, preferring to designate him as ‘Clerk, Special Duties,’ a nomenclature that is non-existent in the scheme of service of the National Assembly.



Maikasuwa said that in the bid to frustrate him, the “cabal arranged for the Office of the Vice-President to forward a request for my nomination for the Senior Executive Course 29, at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.



“Since the cabal was still bent on scheming me out not only from the post of the Clerk and House of Representatives, but also out of the entire NASS, I got the nomination, which I accepted in good faith,” Maikawa said.



He revealed that the cabal held his appointment letter from April to November 2007 before releasing it.



“Even when I returned and resumed duty, from 2007 to 2009, the cabal refused to give me an office and strategically and conspiratorially barred me from all management meetings and all official assignments,” Maikasuwa said.



The clerk told his audience that it took the intervention of the President of the Senate, Mr. David Mark, and on unnamed former minister for the cabal to back down on its resolve to stop his progress in the service.



“The Almighty God came to my rescue and by His grace, I subsequently became the Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly and now the Clerk to the National Assembly,” he said.



The clerk added that the lessons he learnt from his travails were trust in God and not to “believe in the theory and practice of godfatherism.”



In its reaction to Maikawa’s claim, the House of Representatives said cabals existed in every system.



The spokesman of the House, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, blamed the existence of cabals on the “level of our underdevelopment.”



According to him, this has led to a situation where “wrong people find themselves in wrong places, stronger than the institutions they represent.”



He added, “People who act God exist in every system; the statement by the Clerk is not out of place, especially when he has used his personal experience to buttress his comments.”



Also speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku, asked public servants to strive to leave good legacies instead of compromising their integrity just to acquire wealth.



Maku said an honest and disciplined public officer would be remembered for his integrity many years after he had left office, and not how much wealth he had acquired through corrupt means.



Maku observed that the inordinate quest for wealth by Nigerians could easily force an otherwise honest public officer to engage in corrupt practices.



Maku added, “If you know that what you are about to do will jeopardise your integrity or compromise the institution which you represent, don’t do it.



“Money is not everything; it is better to leave a good legacy than to be lured into soiling your record of service.”





http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101101391659

hellypelly:
oh wow, thank God she is safe, im surprised my parents didnt mention this,

With two helicopters and 29 luxirious buses owned by the Lagos State Government, and many other public and privately owned vehicles, former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his successor, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and many other Lagosians stormed Ado-Ekiti last Saturday to witness the official inauguration of Governor Kayode Fayemi.

All the 20 local government areas and the 35 local council development areas in Lagos State were fully represented. It was indeed the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN).

The state was so over-populated that Saturday that all the hotels in Ado-Ekiti were hurriedly booked for until none was left. And, at night when people could no longer find a place to sleep they had to endure sleeping on chairs, tables and on the floor inside Lady Jibowu Hall which was meant for Apala music King, Alhaji Musiliu Haruna Ishola to play that night.

The people of Ekiti in deep appreciation joyfully rolled out the drums. The outcome of this development was celebration galore for youths, market women, commercial motor-cycles drivers, students, politicians, civil servants and others.

Governors Adam Oshiomhole of Edo State, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, former governors Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti, Chris Ngige of Anambra State, ACN presidential aspirant and former boss of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuru Ribadu and other dignitaries joined Tinubu and Fashola in making the occasion memorable.

After the swearing-in ceremony conducted by Justice S.B. Oyewole, Fayemi moved to the Government House for a colourful reception. It was overwhelmingly attended by Lagosians, with Ekiti-born Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Opeyemi Bamidele, who was there as a co-host of the reception ceremony.

Ekiti State organising secretary of the ACN, Dr. Femi Ojo said: “This is the first time I have ever seen a swearing-in ceremony of a governor that was attended by so much people. It has never happened in the history of Ekiti State. Everybody is so happy, jubilating.” To him and many others it was a unique and red-letter day which would linger in the memory of Ekiti people for long.




http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/29/national-29-10-2010-004.htm

After two rounds of matches in the on-going 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles and the Black Stars of Ghana are walking a tight rope.

While the Super Eagles in their last game bowed 0-1 away to Guinea, Black Stars, who had a glorious outing at the South Africa 2010 World Cup were held to a goalless draw at home by lowly rated Sudan. X-raying the performance of the two West African soccer giants so far, highly respected Ghanaian soccer buff, Wolanyo Agrah in a chat with Daily Sunsports in New Delhi, India warned that Nigeria and Ghana may end up not qualifying for the 2012 Nations Cup to be co hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Agrah, who was a member of the Ghanaian contingent to the India 2010 Commonwealth Games said Nigeria and Ghana would be humiliated at the end of the Day, if they think qualifying for the African soccer show piece is their birth right and keep taking things for granted.

He noted that Black Stars were only lucky not to have lost at home to Sudan. “What Ghana and Nigeria have failed to realize is that there are no more soccer minnows in Africa. Black Stars were only lucky at home against the Sudanese, who are desperate to make it to Equatorial Guinea/ Gabon in 2012. I must confess to you that I have my fears for Ghana and Nigeria. Guinea is as desperate as Sudan and they are not ready to accord any opponent any undue respect,” Agrah a CAF match commissioner stated.
It would be noted that the Ghanaian soccer authorities are still searching for a new coach for the Stars, after the exit of their Serbian tactician, Miroslav Rajevac.

Rajevac opted not to renew his contract despite taking Ghana as far as the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The Super Eagles on the other hand are without a substantive manager, no thanks to the crisis in Nigerian football.

On the performance of Ghana at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) Agrah said the two bronze won by Ghana was something to celebrate. “We came to India without thinking of a medal, so to have won two bronze is something to celebrate. The CWG is not football, where Ghana is a force. As for Nigeria, I congratulate your country for doing so well,” Agrah said.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/sportsonthehour/2010/oct/29/sportsbreak-29-10-2010-001.htm

Super Eagles assistant coach Benedict Iroha has said the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation to pick either Samson Siasia or Stephen Keshi for the vacant Eagles job is good for the team.



The NFF went back on its decision to advertise the coaching post on Wednesday and shortlisted the former internationals for the job.



Iroha told our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday that both coaches were capable of doing the job and returning the team to winning ways.



”Both of them were my former colleagues in the team and they are both highly disciplined,” Iroha said.



”I believe the NFF may have a problem in making the final choice because they are both good for the job but whoever is eventually appointed will definitely improve the Eagles. I would not mind working with any of them if I‘m called upon.”



The Eagles are scheduled to play a friendly game against Iran in Tehran on November 17 and 20 players have been invited for the encounter. Iroha said the players were carefully selected in order to build a strong squad for future competitions.



The 1994 Nations Cup winner said, ”There is a plan to have three Eagles team so that we can call upon any player at any time for a particular match. All the players in the team were closely monitored in their respective clubs before they were called upon.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010292271162

There is need 4 dis interview on november 8, every nigerians known dat sasia is de man dat is capable 2 take super eagles 2 de greatest level.thanks

A former Super Eagles coach Christian Chukwu says any of the shortlisted coaches by the NFF for the Eagles job will be equal to the task if they are given the required support needed to execute the assignment given to them.



The NFF board on Wednesday said it had shortlisted ex-internationals Stephen Keshi and Samson Siasia for the job.



They will be interviewed on November 8, and the lucky candidate will assume duties on December.



Chukwu says he does not have a favourite between Siasia and Keshi but he is confident that anyone of them given the job will do an excellent work in turning the nation‘s football around.



He said, “Both of them have shown that they have got the experience needed to execute the job and I believe they can transform the Eagles.”



Keshi assisted former coach Shaibu Amodu when the Eagles qualified for the 2002 World Cup. He and his boss were relieved of their jobs after the team failed to win the 2002 Nations Cup. He has since coached the Togo and Mali national teams.



Siasia, on the other hand, led the Flying Eagles to win silver at the 2005 U-20 World Cup. He also won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010292232575

Cheap publicity and unwelcome statement from group of pple who cant find solution to the problems of nigeria. If Gov. Fashola borrowed money for world bank, you pple think world bank will release any loan without due diligence. Did u forget to mention abt the New lagos Train(metro) project that is ongoing, with the procurement stage of the project completed and at construction stage. If you guys have nothing to say just keep quite.This is a coalition of thieves and corrupt pot belly PDP etal

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has disagreed with 26 opposition parties in the state calling for the resignation of Governor Babatunde Fashola over an alleged loan taken by the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority for road and transportation related projects in the state.



The opposition parties under the aegis of Coalition of Lagos State Coalition Parties said its call was based on the fact that while it is true that the roads in the metropolis was bad, it was unnecessary for the state government through LAMAT to resort to borrowing to address roads and transportation challenges.



In a statement issued by the Convener of COLASOPP, Dr. Adegbola Dominic, the opposition parties said, “Can’t Fashola see that the problems of transportation in Lagos State are not shortage of buses? This fact has been appreciated as far back as three decades ago when Alhaji Lateef Jakande as governor of the state began the process of establishing the Metro line.



“Thirty years after Jakande proffered clear and standard solution to the problem, Fashola wants to just buy more buses and borrow from the World Bank to do that. It is clear that Fashola has no clear answer to the problem of Lagos. He should please resign immediately.”



But reacting, the Publicity Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said it is obvious that the so-called coalition is a disoriented bunch of charlatans who are being used by those that are nursing the wild dream of taking over Lagos to distract the Fashola’s regime.



The Lagos ACN said the incoherence in the groups’ statement showed that the coalition was a one-man show who do not understand governance, talk less of governing a state like Lagos.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010293211929

The kidnappers should not go for ordinary citizens,they should go to Abuja where all these thiefs that called themself lawmakers packed themselves,and collect their share of thir booties from them,hence they refused to adress the issue of unemployment in this country.They too shall not sleep,they ve murder sleep.

The wife of a former military administrator of old Ogun and River states, Mrs. Comfort Ewang, late Thursday night regained freedom from her abductors atfer 22 days in kidnappers’ den.



Though the details of her release is still sketchy as at press time, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Walter Rugbere, confirmed the release of the admimistrator’s wife. He said, “My boys are on their way now to pick her in Eket.”



The kidnappers had reportedly demanded for N100m ransom after collecting N25m from Ewang.



Ewang had paid the N25m ransom with the hope that his wife would be freed, but he was disappointed as the gunmen set the car in which the money was conveyed to their hideout ablaze, seized the driver of the vehicle and later fled with the money.



A source at Ewang’s campaign organisation ,on Thursday, told our correspondent that the kidnappers had made a fresh demand of another N100m



The former military administrator had on Monday told our correspondent that he could no longer continue to speak with the kidnappers on the grounds that they had not shown any sign of seriousness in freeing his wife, saying they were also in the habit of increasing the ransom on a daily basis.



“Even the former administrator has stopped communicating with the kidnappers because there was no sign that they wanted to release the woman Ewang’s wife). The latest now is that they are asking for another N100m after Ewang had already paid N25m.” the source, who pleaded anonymity said on Thursday.



Several attempts made by our correspondent to get the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Walter Rugbere, to give an update on the abduction of the former administrator’s wife proved abortive as telephone calls made to his line were not answered.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101029337862

My prayer is that should personally unveil the faces of the culprits who executed this gruesome act. May her soul rest in peace. Amen

A female student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, Ruth Sanusi, was on Thursday, killed after she was reportedly raped by unknown hoodlums in the town.



The late Sanusi, a student in the Department of English Education, who was said to have been raped while alone in a building, was reported to have received several machete cuts from the assailants, whose intention was yet to be uncovered.



Our correspondent learnt that the deceased was raped at a building close to Taxas Chickens, a fast food outfit owned by the Chairman, Governing Council of the university, Chief Alex Onabanjo.



While a source in the school claimed that the unfortunate incident took place in the student’s hostel, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the late student was killed in the house of her boyfriend.



Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday, Adejobi, an assistant superintendent of police, explained that the late Sanusi, whose age could not be immediately ascertained, was scheduled to travel with her unnamed boyfriend out of Ago Iwoye before she was killed.



He said, “She was supposed to travel out of the town with her boyfriend but they ran out of cash.



“The boyfriend left her in the building so that he could go to the bank to withdraw some money from the ATM. Before the boy came back to the house, she had been killed.”



The PPRO said it would be premature to conclude that the late student was raped without any medical examination.



“That will be difficult to say; you can only say she was raped after medical examination. What we know is that the killers inflicted several machete cuts on her. That is the only reason that we can adduce for the death of the student.”



Adejobi added that no one had been arrested in connection with the crime, saying the boyfriend would assist the police in their preliminary investigation.



“We have not arrested anyone but we are on the trail of the hoodlums in continuation of our investigation. That is when we can say who was the target of the killers; whether it was the lady or the boy,” he added.



A resident of the town, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the building, in which the lady was killed, was desolate like many other houses as a result of the drastic cut in the number of students admitted into the university.



The lecturers and the administrative officials of the school were equally reported to be on strike, a development that had forced many of the students to go home compulsorily.



Meanwhile, the driver of an NNPC fuel tanker, which allegedly crushed a man to death on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, in Ibafo, Obafemi Owode Local Government of Ogun State, on Wednesday, surrendered to the Police.



Adejobi said the man, whose name could not be ascertained, turned up at the Ibafo Police Station few hours after he fled the scene of the accident to escape arrest.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010294242045

kings whatever u call ur name, u are a blind man, have forgotten that Nigerians are no longer living in blindness as u are thinking look we all wise now.Remember no past leader will ever ever rule this nation this nation is bigger than one man. 50 years now corruption has been a canckerworm in this nation and is curse by the past millitary ruler who draw us backward, look nothing for them again. if like condem GEJ he is the choosen president ordain and sent by God to set nation free. look jesus

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday denied a report that he was bribing Peoples Democratic Party’s delegates to win the party’s presidential primaries.



In a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Imma Niboro, the President said that Nigerians knew masters of ‘governance by bribery.’



Denying the report, the President said, “The story itself explains its source, in a desperate campaign of calumny to portray the President in bad light and pre-judge the outcome of the forthcoming PDP presidential primaries, in which he is evidently the man to beat.”



The statement added that the President in pursuit of fair play and an impartial contest had urged all his aides and supporters to avoid a campaign of calumny.



“There is hardly any need to ruffle feathers since we would need all the other contestants when, by the grace of God, the President wins the primaries in a fair and square contest,” it said.



The statement advised people behind the report to shun a campaign of calumny.



It said, “The President is confident in the power of discernment of those who will emerge as PDP delegates, and as such does not require paying any one; least of all from the public till, for his or her vote. Nigerians know the masters of governance by settlement and it is not Jonathan.”



An online publication, Saharareporters, had on Thursday reported that Global Information System alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan was corrupting the political process.



In the report, which was published on the website, World Tribune alleged that “major payments were being made to PDP delegates,” who would vote during the presidential primaries.



“Moreover,” the report stated, “the incumbent President is bribing PDP delegates out of Federal Government funds, making most of the party delegates wealthy enough to buy a new home with the bribery funds.”



The report broke down the number of delegates for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, and their cash presents.



“There are some three delegates for each local government council, and some of the 36 states (plus the Federal Territory of Abuja) have, for example, up to 40 or more local government bodies.



“The incumbent President’s own state, Bayelsa, has only a few, but with each delegate being offered multiple cash payments of up to two-million naira (appr. $13,300) for his vote, the total bill runs into billions of naira.”



Speaking to Saharareporters from Alexandria, Viriginia, author Gregory Copley who writes under a variety of corporate identities, admitted that he knew General Gusau for close to 30 years but denied any conflict of interest.



He directed us to reports that had been written in the past which were complimentary of Jonathan in the past. But a Jonathan supporter said those times that GIS wrote favorable reports about Jonathan , it done so, mostly in support of Gusau as the National security adviser.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010293363123