₦airaland Forum

Chimaroke Nnamani, what you did to our own dear enugu is simply terrible.I saw you last April in Lagos at MMA and you dressed like a motor park tout in the midst of some hungry layabouts who were hailing you and you were happy. DISGUSTING. I was in ESUT same month & vowed never to go there again. You redefined the word looting for enugu indigenes & you must pay one day. You deserve anything they do to you. Shame on you American trained surgeon. Ur a disappointment to the elites of Enugu.

Ozioma Ubabukoh writes that events during the recent visit of the immediate past governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, signal the shape of campaigning for the 2011 elections.



If reports emanating from last Thursday’s event in Enugu State are anything to go by, then the rivalry between incumbent Governor Sullivan Chime and his predecessor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, may be far from over.



The governor and the senator were very close before 2007 as Nnamani was said to be instrumental to the election of Chime. Many had regarded Nnamani as Chime’s godfather. They have, however, parted ways.



Worried by activities of the police on that fateful day, several indigenes of the state have continued to question the rationale behind dispatching 100 policemen to check the movement of the immediate past governor on arrival in his state of origin, Enugu.



Ironically, Nnamani has repeatedly stated in the media that though he welcomed the policemen and felt humbled, he was baffled that the cops would welcome him unsolicited, at the state border and under a democratic dispensation and direct his movement, whether he wanted it or not.



More intriguing in the all matter is that, sources close to the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, acknowledged that indeed the IGP was notified of the homecoming. The senator confirmed that he intimated the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Job Doma, a day before, that he was coming home.



Thus, as being stated in several quarters, if there was to be any of such reception, it should have been at the instance of the Commissioner of Police, who should officially have informed Nnamani, who is also a member of the Senate Police Reform Committee.



But as reported in the media, a superintendent of Police, from the Mobile Command, Enugu, who accosted him, said he had instructions from the same Commissioner of Police to escort him straight to his house in the village.



Nnamani described it as “the ugly incident” and said, “He told me that the instruction from his boss included that I didn’t stop anywhere and I shouldn’t wave to anybody. That the instruction was that all those policemen should escort me straight to my house in Agbani.”



Though reluctant to comment on the issue, he said, “At each point where people who knew I was coming home were to welcome me, the police dispersed them.



“At some points, two or three of the 10 Hilux jeeps they came in would stop and say that they wanted to confirm that there were no other vehicles. These were flagrant excuses to delay my movement and intimidate my people.



“What really pained me was the anxiety and worry on the faces of the policemen, who were carrying out these orders. I went to the University of Nigeria, my alma mater, and the motto is to restore the dignity of man.



“But those policemen lost their dignity. If you saw their faces and concern, you would know they were doing the wrong thing. I can say that the people (policemen) were ashamed. You could see shame and disappointment on their faces and at every point, they would say they were carrying out orders.”



But whose orders could these be? As stated by Mr. Uchenna Okolo, a native of Nsukka, a town bordering Obolloafor, the Enugu-Benue border, “All attempts to find out what probably could be the reason for their actions proved abortive but instincts told us that the state government was probably not happy with the homecoming of Nnamani, who has been away in Abuja for a long while.”



Okolo, a witness to events that transpired that day, presumed that the government probably got wind of his arrival and heavy presence of supporters who had gathered as early as 7am, four hours ahead of time, at the border, to receive him.



“And fearing that if allowed to have his day, Nnamani could further spell doom for the Chime-led administration ahead of the electioneering period for 2011 polls, the best option was to stop him and check his ‘excesses’,” said Okolo.



According to him, the Commissioner of Police was, perhaps, re-instructed by the chief security officer of the state to do his bidding and checkmate the welcome of the University of Nigeria-trained medical doctor.



In a quick reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Enugu State governor, Mr. Dan Nwomeh, said the governor had no hand in whatever happened that day.



“Call the police to find out what may have led to their action” was Nwomeh’s comment.



The Police Public Relations Officer of the Enugu State Command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, would rather not comment on the imbroglio. He chose to be silent on the issue, just as his boss, the commissioner, could not be reached.



A forensic expert, Oluchukwu Nnamuah, who watched the incident, said, “It was unbelievable that these ordinary and harmless people were teargassed at will by the police. The women and children were not spared either.”



Nnamuah, the proprietor of Hakabod Chambers, Abuja, opined, “Since one man has chosen to run an elitist administration, thereby failing to deliver the dividends of democracy to the common man in Enugu State, the only option left for them was to chant the praise of another man who empowered them while he held sway.



Several other political top notches in the state have continued to express their feelings. Though some craved anonymity, their views all tend towards the perceived enmity between the two sons of Enugu State.



While some proffer that it was highly undemocratic for the police to have claimed that Nnamani’s convoy was blocking the express road, some others insisted that there was nothing wrong with the action of the police.



A commissioner in the state said, who pleaded anonymity said, “The police only feared that his (Nnamani) coming was going to affect business and official activities in the state, so they sought to control the perceived gridlock and crisis that may have ensued if the crowd was not dispersed.”



However, with the homecoming of Nnamani, could it be said that the Ebeano clan on which spring Chime rose from to become governor , before ditching it to become his own man, have resurrected?



This may call for an answer, taking into consideration that shortly after he assumed power and ditched the clan, several others followed suit, the latest being Barr. Ray Nnaji.



Nnaji’s about-turn came as a huge surprise, because having been denied chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state by Chime, who chose Vita Abba instead, many political pundits had predicted that being one of the few loyal members left in the Ebeano fold, he would fight on.



But he abandoned the case challenging Abba’s chairmanship of the party at the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu and jumped ship when it mattered most.



All hope was lost, and the calculation then was that if the former Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ogazimorah Igbonekwu, was convinced to join forces against his benefactor, then the man Nnamani would be left to ‘die’.



Political death was no alternative, and as recent events in the state have shown, especially since his homecoming, the arithmetic ahead of 2011 governorship elections in Enugu State may be about to be upturned.



The former Secretary to the State Government during Nnamani’s second term, Dr. Dan Shere, who remains a close confidant of the former governor, has continued to coordinate his campaign activities to challenge Chime.



If the feelers emerging from Ebeano, that Shere would seek to be governor in 2011 elections, are genuine, then Chime may have a hard nut to crack in the PDP primaries slated for September.



Where does this leave Enugu State and its people, now that the National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, has been perceived to have an agenda completely different from Chime’s?



Will the alleged successful rallies carried out on Chime’s behalf in Nnamani’s Agbani home stead count for him? Only time would best answer these gripping questions.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009130344521

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service said it shut 546 companies over tax evasion between August 2009 and August, 2010.



The Head of the enforcement team, Mrs. Afolashade Afolayan, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, on Sunday, that the companies defaulted in the remittance of over N5bn as taxes.



Afolayan said that the taxes included Personal Income Tax and company tax.



She said, “It is the civic responsibility of everybody to pay taxes promptly to the state coffers.



“Government can only be functional and effective if all taxpayers voluntarily remit taxes to the state coffers as at when due without hesitation.”



Afolayan said since the action was carried out on the organisations, 507 had cleared their outstanding liabilities and had been re-opened.



The team leader said that the remaining 39 companies with liabilities of over N930m were still closed.



Afolayan said that while 335 of the companies belonged to the manufacturing and service sectors, 211 were in the hotel and tourism sector.



She said that LIRS action was backed by Section 104 of the Personal Income Tax Law 2004, which empowers the agency to close any defaulting organisation.



Afolayan said, “Several notices and correspondences had been sent to the companies asking them to pay their outstanding taxes but to no avail.



“It is a criminal offence to evade taxes; henceforth anybody found guilty of this will face the law.‘‘



She said that to entrench a strong tax system in the state, the government expected all stakeholders to live up to their responsibilities.



The official said the agency did not arbitrarily close down companies over tax default without prior notices and stressed that closure was the only alternative after necessary correspondences had failed to ensure compliance.



She, however, urged corporate organisations and other tax defaulters having issues with their taxes not to wait till sanctions were enforced on them before coming forward to resolve them.



LIRS had a forthnight ago launched an offensive to recover over N500m owed it by some companies.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009133435945

Directing political parties to conduct primary elections is very good.But will the parties conform to such directivesg, going by previous modus oparandi of parties in selecting canditates?.if parties disobey what can INEC DO?.Be it known that the selection processes of parties without internal democracy is another problem confronting Nigeria’s participatory democracy .INEC,what can you do if parties come up with consensus candidates at the expense and instant of agrieved party members? What tim

The Independent National Electoral Commission has written political parties on the need to abide by the 2010 Electoral Act during their primaries.



Our correspondents learnt on Sunday that the letter dated September 1, 2010, also directed the parties to amend their constitutions to reflect the provisions of the Act on the conduct of primaries.



According to the timetable for the 2011 poll released by INEC on Tuesday, primaries are to hold between September 11 and 30.



Part of the letter signed by the Secretary of the commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaigama, reads, “Due to changes in the Electoral Act 2010 in respect of the ways parties nominate candidates for elections, it becomes necessary for all parties to reflect the requirement of the law in their respective constitutions.”



The commission explained that the primaries “is to enable political parties to democratically nominate candidates for the elections as required by Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010.”



According to Section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act, “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions.



“The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct or indirect primaries.



“A political party that adopts the direct primaries procedure shall ensure that all aspirants are given equal opportunity of being voted for by members of the party.”



The Act mandates parties that adopt indirect primaries for presidential candidates to hold special conventions in each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, “where delegates shall vote for each of the aspirants at designated centres in each state capital on specified dates.”



Investigations showed that INEC wrote the letter as part of efforts to ensure that parties did not pick consensus candidates for the 2011 elections as stipulated in the new electoral Act.



“INEC will not accept consensus candidates from any party. That is why the letter has been written to them,” a senior of officer in the commission, who pleaded anonymity, said.



Explaining why the letter was written, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said that it was aimed at intimating parties with the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act on nomination of candidates.



He said, “With provision of the new Electoral Act, the era of consensus candidates is over. All parties are expected to conduct primaries. That is why parties have been advised to reflect the requirements of the law (Electoral Act) in their constitutions.”



When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, acknowledged the receipt of the letter.



He said that the party would conduct primaries for all its aspirants, adding that the candidates of the ACN would emerge on or before October 30.



Meanwhile, members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party are to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday (tomorrow).



The meeting, described by an NWC member, on Sunday, as a “familiarisation meeting,” was said to be at the instance of the President.



The party chieftain, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak by the party, said the meeting would discuss the date for the party’s National Executive Committee meeting.



It was learnt that the NEC meeting would approve the guidelines for the PDP primaries.



The source also said there was no truth in the rumours that NEC would also meet on Tuesday (tomorrow).



He said, “We are meeting with the President on Tuesday. All the members of the NWC are expected to be at the meeting.



“The meeting is not aimed at discussing the content of the party’s guidelines for the primaries with the president. However, do not forget that he is the leader of the party and we will not deny him if he decides to ask us about our proposition on the matter.”



The NWC is, however, expected to meet on Monday (today) to take a final look at the guidelines and timetable for the nomination of its candidates for the general elections.



It was learnt that whatever decision taken at this meeting would form the basis of the guidelines to be presented to members of NEC when “we meet later in the week.”



Our source said that some PDP governors had been making overtures to the party’s leadership for the governorship primaries to hold first.



He said, “The governors have been meeting with us informally, demanding that the governorship primaries should come first before others.



“But the thinking among my colleagues is that we should adopt INEC timetable by having the National Assembly primaries first to be followed by the presidential before the members of the governorship and states houses of assemblies.”


Link:The Independent National Electoral Commission has written political parties on the need to abide by the 2010 Electoral Act during their primaries.



Our correspondents learnt on Sunday that the letter dated September 1, 2010, also directed the parties to amend their constitutions to reflect the provisions of the Act on the conduct of primaries.



According to the timetable for the 2011 poll released by INEC on Tuesday, primaries are to hold between September 11 and 30.



Part of the letter signed by the Secretary of the commission, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaigama, reads, “Due to changes in the Electoral Act 2010 in respect of the ways parties nominate candidates for elections, it becomes necessary for all parties to reflect the requirement of the law in their respective constitutions.”



The commission explained that the primaries “is to enable political parties to democratically nominate candidates for the elections as required by Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010.”



According to Section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act, “A political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Act shall hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions.



“The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct or indirect primaries.



“A political party that adopts the direct primaries procedure shall ensure that all aspirants are given equal opportunity of being voted for by members of the party.”



The Act mandates parties that adopt indirect primaries for presidential candidates to hold special conventions in each of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, “where delegates shall vote for each of the aspirants at designated centres in each state capital on specified dates.”



Investigations showed that INEC wrote the letter as part of efforts to ensure that parties did not pick consensus candidates for the 2011 elections as stipulated in the new electoral Act.



“INEC will not accept consensus candidates from any party. That is why the letter has been written to them,” a senior of officer in the commission, who pleaded anonymity, said.



Explaining why the letter was written, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said that it was aimed at intimating parties with the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act on nomination of candidates.



He said, “With provision of the new Electoral Act, the era of consensus candidates is over. All parties are expected to conduct primaries. That is why parties have been advised to reflect the requirements of the law (Electoral Act) in their constitutions.”



When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, acknowledged the receipt of the letter.



He said that the party would conduct primaries for all its aspirants, adding that the candidates of the ACN would emerge on or before October 30.



Meanwhile, members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party are to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday (tomorrow).



The meeting, described by an NWC member, on Sunday, as a “familiarisation meeting,” was said to be at the instance of the President.



The party chieftain, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak by the party, said the meeting would discuss the date for the party’s National Executive Committee meeting.



It was learnt that the NEC meeting would approve the guidelines for the PDP primaries.



The source also said there was no truth in the rumours that NEC would also meet on Tuesday (tomorrow).



He said, “We are meeting with the President on Tuesday. All the members of the NWC are expected to be at the meeting.



“The meeting is not aimed at discussing the content of the party’s guidelines for the primaries with the president. However, do not forget that he is the leader of the party and we will not deny him if he decides to ask us about our proposition on the matter.”



The NWC is, however, expected to meet on Monday (today) to take a final look at the guidelines and timetable for the nomination of its candidates for the general elections.



It was learnt that whatever decision taken at this meeting would form the basis of the guidelines to be presented to members of NEC when “we meet later in the week.”



Our source said that some PDP governors had been making overtures to the party’s leadership for the governorship primaries to hold first.



He said, “The governors have been meeting with us informally, demanding that the governorship primaries should come first before others.



“But the thinking among my colleagues is that we should adopt INEC timetable by having the National Assembly primaries first to be followed by the presidential before the members of the governorship and states houses of assemblies.”


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100913382448

The Federal Government will require a minimum of $10 billion (about N1.5trillion) in annual investment in power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure if it is to guarantee stable electricity supply in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Power, Barth Nnaji, who stated this at the weekend as guest in a national television programme monitored in Abuja, said the insistence for private sector partnership in the development of the nation’s power sector is based on the point that government alone cannot handle the responsibility.

“At least $5billion is required every year to take care of infrastructure for power generation, while additional $5billion is needed to deal with distribution and transmission facilities. The government just cannot afford it. It is far beyond what government can invest in all sectors.

“There is need for both foreign and local investors to come in so that the system can become more robust and for the nation to get away from talking about 3,500 mega watts (MW) to the quantum of power that other developing and advanced countries have. That is when the country can begin to talk about stimulation of the economy,” he said.

Mr. Nnaji said, for the first time steps have been taken to remove the bottlenecks that have always frustrated efforts by previous administrations to permanently address the problem, pointing out that apart from the Electricity Sector Reform Act (EPSRA), passed to provide the legal framework for effective operations, government has also established a holistic plan that connects players from wholesale generation and distribution, to how consumers would benefit under the new regime.

“This is the first time that government would march implementation with plans, by way of implementation of the Act, and actually taking steps to begin to actualize most of the plans that have been on the drawing board since the early 1980s”, citing the issue of construction of hydro stations, like the Mambilla power Station, which has been since 1982, adding that for the first time government has moved towards actual implementation.

Too big for government

In spite of the efforts, the presidential adviser, who is also the Chairman, Geometric Power Limited, which is handling the construction of an Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Aba, Abia State, said government has since realized it cannot solve the problem alone.

“The private sector must step in and take responsibility in providing electricity in the country,” he said, adding “that is why the president is saying that from next year generation and distribution will go into private hands as a way of reducing all kinds of issues that are in the system, including the corruption.

Asked if the private sector would not be overwhelmed by the high level of corruption, which has rendered their involvement in other sectors unsuccessful, Mr. Nnaji said: “Private sector cannot corrupt itself. If one invests money, one cannot steal from oneself. It is just the bottom line. It is only when people are looking at government as another establishment that that can happen. Private sector would drive efficiency and sustainability and ensures that there is actual investment, so that the Federal Government does not continue to be the only one to invest.”

“We are beginning to have more stable supply of power, though there are some areas with transformer challenges. This modest improvement will continue until the country reaches adequacy of supply.

Over the coming months, consumers are going to witness this improvement.”

Ready private sector

An Infrastructure Specialist, Oliver Andrew, who also appeared as guest on the programme, said there is a credible government plan in place to address the challenge of infrastructure in the power value chain under the road map launched recently by the government.

He identified the plan to include issues of facilities to take care of fuel supply to the power generation plants; strategy for power evacuation; liberalization of the gas sector under the National Gas Master Plan (NGMP); involvement of independent power distribution companies to handle the distribution of the power generated to the consumers in line with the dictates of the market forces.

According to Mr. Andrew, the private sector is now ready to come in with the infrastructure needed to get the sector running having seen that government has plugged the gaps, pointing out the N500 billion Infrastructure Intervention Fund by the Central bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the provision of more capital for infrastructural development will help attract more foreign direct investment (FID) to facilitate the needed short term impact.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5618238-147/government_requires_n1.5trillion_for_stable_power.csp

Three years after the 2007 elections, the legal battle over who occupies the House of Representatives seat in the Uyo Federal Constituency, Akwa Ibom State still lingers.

On Friday, Dimeji Bankole, the Speaker of the House, is expected to appear at the Federal High Court in Abuja to explain why he swore-in Emmanuel Obot as the Uyo representative, disobeying a court order which restrained him from doing so.

On June 17, Justice Abdullahi Kafarati gave an order restraining the Speaker and the Clerk of the House from swearing in Mr. Obot, who is in a legal battle with Bassey Etim over the seat.

The court said the certificate of return issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Mr. Obot was invalid.

It ordered the House to maintain the status quo until the hearing of the case.

However, on August 12th, Mr. Bankole swore in Mr. Obot.

Mr. Etim called the Speaker’s decision “unacceptable, unfortunate, and fraudulent.” He said, “The matter is a pre-election case, for which the final arbiter is the Supreme Court”.

A cloudy issue

However, the issue is not as clear-cut as it seems. Court records show there are two contradictory letters from the Supreme Court in circulation at the National Assembly about the matter.

One letter confirmed that there was a valid pending appeal before the Supreme Court, which would have restrained Mr. Bankole from his action. Another letter claims that there is no such appeal pending before the court, allowing the House to swear in a new representative.

However, analysts say Mr. Bankole should have been more cautious about taking sides in a legal dispute. Speaking to reporters in Abuja at the weekend, Victor Okangbe, a constitutional lawyer, said the action may have undermined the democratic process in the House of Representatives.

“The position of the law is very clear for citizens who subvert the administration of justice,” he said. “Because the law must take its course, you cannot ignore an order of the court - no matter how small the jurisdiction of such a court.”

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5618193-146/court_summons_bankole_over_contempt_.csp

It is high time the people of Ogun state shine their face and make a right choice during the 2011 general election. It is a pity that they have turned Ogun state to a chess game. What kind of settlements are they going to Abuja for other telling that use cooker Soleye to vacate the assembly seat “Dede omo Ogun, ise ti ya ni 2011” Lets show the PDP the way out.

President Goodluck Jonathan will on Monday (today) meet with leaders of the warring parties in Ogun State to resolve the crises in the state House of Assembly and the Peoples Democratic Party.



The President had in a meeting on Thursday gave leaders of the party 48 hours to resolve the crises and brief him of their efforts.



The meeting on Monday would be attended by Governor Gbenga Daniel and the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Senator Jibril Martins-Kuye.



Since Wednesday, the warring parties had met with the President thrice in as part of efforts to unite the PDP in the state.



Investigations showed that the President, who had first met separately with the warring parties on Wednesday, was worried by that the meeting did not yield the desired result.



A chieftain of the PDP, who has been attending the meetings, said, “The President is disturbed that the warring parties had remained adamant in spite of his intervention. That must have necessitated the 48 hours given to them by the President.”



The chieftain, who pleaded anonymity, added, “The leaders of the party fear that the PDP may lose Ogun State, if the crises are not resolved before the primaries and general elections.”



Our correspondents learnt that a faction of the party led by Daniel had been discussing with the rival group headed by Martins-Kuye.



It was also gathered that besides the need to harmonise the executive of the PDP in the state, their discussions had been centred on the crisis in the state Assembly.



Investigations revealed that both sides would brief former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the outcome of their discussions.



The former president had travelled out of the country, but he was expected back in the country on Sunday.



Our correspondents learnt that both groups should have met the President on Sunday, but the meeting was delayed till Monday to allow the former President to attend it.



The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Dr. Tokunbo Oshin, confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone that parties to the crises had been meeting.



According to Oshin, a member of the one of the two groups in the House, “The meetings are aimed at providing a holistic solution to the problem so that we can go the general elections united. The leaders of the party are expected to give the President feedback.”



Another, member, Mr. Fasiu Bakene, who belongs to a rival group, confirmed that leaders of the party were supposed to brief the President on their efforts to resolve the crises.



The state branch of the PDP had in the last one year been polarised into two with one led by the governor, while the other is headed by Martins-Kuye.



The crisis also spread to the state Assembly with the impeachment of Chief Titi Oseni as the Speaker and the election of Mr. Tunji Egbetokun as her successor.



But the development worsened on September 6 when nine members of the House impeached Egbetokun and suspended 14 of their colleagues. The nine members subsequently appointed Mr. Soyemi Coker as the Speaker.



Meanwhile, Egbetokun has said the 15 members of the Assembly, purportedly suspended by nine of their colleagues last Monday, will on Monday (today) convene in Abeokuta to conduct the Assembly’s “normal” legislative business.



Egbetokun, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone on Sunday, said nothing had changed in the Assembly despite the pronouncements of the nine members, who sat last Monday and announced the impeachment of the Speaker and the suspension of 14 other members.



The Speaker said the 15 members, which he added constituted the majority, had the Mace and had the authority to conduct legislative businesses in the Assembly.



He said, “We are sitting in Abeokuta on Monday (today). Like I have said before, what happened in the Assembly on Monday, was an illegality of the highest dimension but we didn’t want to cause problem before we met the President last week in Abuja.



Having met the President, it is clear to everybody that what happened in the House could not have happened in any sane society.



That was why the President said Nigeria is not a Banana Republic, where the minority could lord it over the majority.” Egbetokun added that he had written to the State Security Service and the Commissioner of Police Ogun State Command to provide security for the lawmakers during the sitting.



“I met with the SSS from Abuja for about three hours on Saturday. They wanted to know if truly I had with the mace with me, which is the authority of the House.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009132585651

They should also come and shine here in Nigeria. Is it only in europe that they shuld shine? when we invite them to play for nigeria, they could not shine, now they are saying that they are shineing in europe. Well, if na me too sha, i will shine o, because the money which they are paying there is difference. I will even turn myself to shineshine bobo.

Super Eagles forward Obafemi Martins scored his first goal for his Russian club Rubin Kazan, helping the champions to a 3-0 win over Amkar Perm at home on Saturday.



Carlos Eduardo had scored twice for Rubin before Martins converted his penalty with four minutes to the end of the game. The victory has placed Rubin on the second spot in the league, six points behind leaders Zenit St. Petersburg.



In England, West Ham went down 3-1 to Chelsea at Upton Park but that did not stop Premier League debutant Obinna Nsofor from getting most of the attention.



The former Inter Milan player was on for the entire duration but his notable performance could not stop the English champions from getting the maximum points. Nsofor was however voted the Man-of-The-Match on Saturday.



Seyi Olofinjana did not spare his former club, Hull City, as he fired Cardiff City to a 2-0 win at home. The midfielder, who was excluded from the Eagles squad that featured at the 2010 World Cup, opened scores in the 20th minute. He‘s on a season-long loan at Cardiff.



In Denmark, former Ebedei FC striker, Jude Nworuh, also hit target but his club, Fredericia, fell 3-2 at home to FC Roskilde in the Danish first division on Sunday.



The 21-year-old fast-paced striker, who is on loan from FC Midtjylland, scored the curtain raiser in the 11th minute.



Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, made his first start with his Turkish side Fenerbahce against Kayserispor on Saturday but the former Everton defender was forced out of the game through injury. His absence weakened the defence line, causing Fenerbahce to concede two goals.



Also, 22-year-old midfielder, Kim Ojo, scored a last-gasp equaliser as NIL-Trysil held Fredrikstad to a 2-2 draw away. The Jos-born player grabbed the crucial goal in the 88th minute to ensure NIL-Trysil earned a point away from home in the Norwegian first division.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009131305992

Everyone is entitle to his/her opinion. Johnathan is still the president. For the sake of the country, let stop this tribal nonsense. we question everything base on tribe. May be the president has bad information on him that can not be disclose to the public.

Prominent Igbo politicians on Sunday, said the appointment of Major-General Oneabo Ihejirika as the new Chief of Army Staff was purely on merit.



The politicians, under the aegies of Igbo Political Forum argued that appointing Ihejirika had no political consideration and that it was not meant to pacify the Igbo.



The Forum, which spoke in Abuja, on Sunday, also condemned the sacking of the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, describing the former IG as “a hardworking, efficient and dedicated police officer.”



The Forum said Ihejirka’s appoinment was not a pacification of the Igbo to get their support for the 2011 presidential ambition of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, but that the new COAS appointment was purely on merit.



The organisation, with membership that include former Senate President, Dr. Ken Nnamani; a former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Senator Ben Obi; the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2010 governorship candidate in Anambra State, Prof. Chukuma Soludo; former governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa; Hon. Dubem Onyia; former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu; Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu; and Prof. Chinwe Obaji, among others, said the appointment was not based on political consideration given Ihejirika’s sound professional and strategic depth and his loyalty, commitment and dedication to the nation’s Armed Forces.



The group, in a statement by its Secretary, Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu, argued that the appointment was not a plus to the Igbo.



It said, “We also want to place it on public record that before the recent changes, the Igbo people had two top military and security positions, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police: Air Marshal Paul Dike and Mr. Ogbonna Onovo respectively. With the changes announced, that number has dropped to one.”



The Forum said they could not understand the rationale behind the removal of Onovo, who, according to them, did not only have a humane deposition but “is also appreciative of the necessity of community policing in Nigeria’s current democratic age.”



The group said, “If, as the media have been disclosing, his removal stems mainly from the state of insecurity in the nation, particularly the South-East, it is surprising that his current replacement, IGP Hafiz Ringim was the AIG in charge of the South-East Zone 9, before his present elevation.



“While we are not imputing any ulterior motive behind Mr. Onovo’s removal and his replacement with the former Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Ringim who was in charge of the Bayelsa State Police Command when DSP Alamieyesigha was impeached from office as the governor, we aver that the recent changes in the police command are unnecessary and un-called for.”

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009132443548

Our military officers are now toothless bulldog politicials have poluted their mind and pocket instead of them to carry gun and fight all our corrupted politicians the military themselves are now uniform politicians we cannot see open coup again instead they planned back yard coup against any of these stupid and wicked politicians why did military not carry guns and deal with these corrupt politicians rather they are busy carrying ghana must go full of hard currencies thief catcher is now thief.

There are strong indications that at least seven generals of the Nigerian Army may retire, following last Wednesday’s appointment of Maj.-Gen. Onyeabo Ihejirika as the new Chief of Army Staff by President Goodluck Jonathan.



Ihejirika, a member of Course 18 of the Nigeria Defence Academy, was the Chief of Logistics in the Defence Headquarters, Abuja before his appointment.



A military source, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, told our correspondent on Sunday that following Ihejirika’s elevation, all members of course 17 of the NDA, who are his seniors in the army, would be retired. An investigation by our correspondent revealed that seven out of about 40 senior army officers of the rank of Maj-Gen. were Ihejirika’s seniors.



According to a source, these high ranking officers may be retired because of a military tradition which forbids a senior officer from giving the traditional military salute to a subordinate.



The source said the tradition would also necessitate the promotion of Ihejirika to the rank of Lt.-Gen. above all other high-ranking army officers, as was the case with his predecessor, Lt-Gen. Abdurrahman Dambazzau.



Those said to be superior to Ihejirika in seniority include the General Officer Commanding, One Division Kaduna, Maj.-Gen. Kamaldeen Role; Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Maj.-Gen. M A. Yerima; as well as the Chief of Army Policy and Plans, Maj. A.A. Atofarati.



Others are Chief of Training and Operations, Defence headquarters, Maj.-Gen. ID Penap; GOC, Training and Doctrine Command, Maj.-Gen. A.O. Ogunedo; Maj.-Gen. M. Said; and Director, Peace-keeping at Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. O. Akinyemi.



Meanwhile, the outgoing Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, will on Monday hand over the leadership of the Nigerian military to his successor, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin.



One of Dike’s aides told our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday that the outgoing CDS would hand over to Petinrin at the Conference Room of Defence Headquarters, Abuja.



Also, a statement from the office of the Chief of Air Staff, entitled ‘Handing-over and Taking-over Ceremony’ and signed by Group Captain Alonge on behalf of the Air Force Director of Information said Petinrin would hand over the affairs of the force to the New Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mohammed Dikko.



However, it is not likely that the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff and his Navy counterpart would take over the outfits on Monday.



The Directors of Information of the Army and the Navy, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade and Commodore David Nabaida, respectively, said on Sunday that the date for the handing over ceremonies in their Army and the Navy would be announced later.





http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100913333415

If truely we are pained by all the rubbish this people are doing and saying, we as Nigerians should weigh our options and take a decision. Our collective decision can change the rots in the land. Atiku has done his bits let him go and sleep. Jonathan is being backed by the Baba Ota farm, he cannot definitely be his own man (out of the way). Lets look beyond parties and find a credible Nigerian. We have options in people like: Ribadu, Muhammadu Buhari and Dele Momodu

A former vice-president of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said that he has no case to answer over the Halliburton bribery scandal.



About $180m was said to have been received between 1996 and 2002 by Nigerian government officials as bribe through a subsidiary of Halliburton, an American company, to facilitate the award of $6bn LNG contracts.



In an interview the Economic Confidential, an online publication, Atiku said he had not received any invitation from authorities in the United States over his purported involvement in the said scandal.



“If anybody has a case let them bring the case. Nobody has even interviewed me (on the bribery scandal). There are no evidences against me. This is just the work of political opponents who will stop at nothing in order to destroy your political career,” the former V.P said.



Asked if the Halliburton scandal influenced his preference for travelling to Dubai, instead of the US where he has a home, Atiku told the Economic Confidential that ”The United States is not Nigeria. They will call you wherever you may be.



”My wife is a citizen of the United States of America. I was going to the United States because my family was there; my wife took up a job in Dubai as an assistant professor at the American University in Dubai. So we moved.



”I therefore visit my family in Dubai. And if the United States was looking for me or my wife, about two or three weeks ago, we were at the United States embassy, here in Abuja, to renew the passports of my children who are American citizens, if I have a case to answer they would have arrested either of us.”



On the political development in the country, the former vice-president also said that 12 hours was enough to change electoral fortunes in any election.



He said, “As diverse as we are, we have the capacity to come together in less than 12 hours. In 2003 convention, it was within few hours that we decided that let us give it to this man. Even at the convention ground, states were calling to ask, ‘should we still vote for this man or that man?’ I would say ‘yes go ahead and vote.’ So do not underestimate the capacity of the north to come together within 12 hours.”



On the erratic power supply, Atiku, who recently declared his intention to contest in the next year’s presidential election under the People Democratic Party recommended “captive electricity plants.”



According to him, a captive power station is the shortest way to get sufficient power and also the shortest way to get foreign investment into the power sector.



He said: ”When you have captive power stations they are either small or medium and private sectors can easily come in and fund them without government getting involved.”






http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009132351581

The political terrain in Nigeria is getting more interesting with the present development. The bible said that there is a time for everything under the sun. So with the present posture of Saraki (jnr) it is high time kwarans had there freedom because the Saraki’s had bitten more than they can chew. A support for past leaders who achieved nothing after more than 8 years is a support for the contineuos oppression of the generality of Nigerians and we (Nigerians) reject it.

There were indications in Abuja on Sunday that some members of the Nigerian Governors Forum were plotting to oust their chairman, Dr. Bukola Saraki.



These members, who are in support of President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition, were no longer comfortable with Saraki’s leadership, a very reliable source said on Sunday.



Some of the governors have had informal meetings where a decision has been taken to unseat Saraki anytime he declares his presidential ambition.



Saraki, who is also Kwara State Governor and the Chairman of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, met on Sunday with two former Heads of State—General Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar — as well as his Niger State counterpart, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.



Babangida, a PDP presidential aspirant, is believed to enjoy the tacit support of Aliyu, who chairs the Northern Governors Forum.



The Northern Governors Forum is divided on zoning and on who to endorse for the 2011 presidential election.



Among governors, Saraki is widely believed to be the arrowhead of the opposition against Jonathan’s presidential ambition.



The campaign posters of Saraki, who has been the chairman of the NGF since 2007, and those of other presidential aspirants are pasted in conspicuous places in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.



A governor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed that Saraki had been trying to “politicise the NGF with his attitude.”



The governor was among some PDP governors that met in Kaduna recently under the aegis of the Northern Governors Forum.



At an enlarged PDP governors meeting in Abuja, the opposition against Saraki boiled over and he was said to have been asked whether he would contest the presidency due to his opposition to the aspiration of Jonathan. He reportedly declined to respond to the question.



His ambition and his opposition to Jonathan are said to have polarised the PDP Governors Forum.



Our source said, “You will recall that it was at one of the forum’s meetings that our chairman said that Jonathan and the two principal officers of the National Assembly had spoken with the late President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua, when he was in hospital in Saudi Arabia. It was not true.



“During the constitutional crisis, he led some of our colleagues, who did not want the President (Jonathan) to take over power, until it became evident that the security situation in the country was not favourable (to that position). It was then that he agreed to align with us.



“Again, while some of us expected him to only moderate events at our meetings without showing preference for any candidate or aspirant, our chairman has not cooperated with us as regards the President’s aspiration.



“Now that his posters are everywhere, let us see if he would tell us that he would be running and then we will see what would follow.”



Continued from Pg. 2







They are Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ikedi Ohakim (Imo), Elechi, Theodore Orji (Abia), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi) and Aliyu. Others are Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Aliyu Shinkafi (Zamfara), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Danbaba Suntai (Taraba), Gabriel Suswan (Benue), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Danguma Goje (Gombe) and Segun Oni (Ekiti).



Efforts by one of our correspondents to speak with the Kwara State Governor failed. But his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Mas-Ud Adebimpe, said he was not aware that the posters of his boss had been pasted in Abuja.



On the likely removal of Saraki as the NGF chairman, Adebimpe said he would have to speak first with his principal before giving a definite response.



Saraki was however in Minna, Niger State, where he visited the Hilltop residences of Babangida and Abubakar and spent hours with the former military rulers on Sunday.



Though the details of his discussions with the ex-military leaders were kept under wraps, our correspondent in Minna learnt that they were in connection with the timetable for the 2011 poll.



The governor, who arrived Minna at about 11am on a chartered aircraft in company with three aides, later headed for the residence of Aliyu at Talba Close, Minna. Aliyu is the head of the Northern Governors’ Forum.



When he emerged from the closed door meeting, he told journalists, who had waited for him, that he had “no comment.”



Also, Aliyu, who referred to the meeting as a “neighbourly talk,” failed to disclose its agenda and why Saraki chose to visit him few days after INEC released the 2011 timetable and three days before IBB‘s declaration of presidential interest.



A source, privy to the goings on at the meeting, said the meeting discussed matters relating to the next meeting, of the Northern Governors‘ Forum, which has been rescheduled to hold on a yet-to-be- announced date. The meeting which was supposed to hold in Kaduna on Tuesday last week, was put off for undisclosed reasons.



The source, who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the disclosures, said the duo also discussed how to leverage their influences in their zones during the PDP primaries, even as they were said to have agreed that the time left for the PDP primaries might not be enough to strategise.



Meanwhile, the six governors appointed as Jonathan’s coordinators are to meet in Abuja on Monday (today).



The governors are Ibrahim Shema (North-West); Isa Yuguda (North-East); Gabriel Suswam (North-Central); Gbenga Daniel (South-West); Elechi (South-East); and Imoke (South-South).


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100913372329

The criminal nine must be under the fetish oath that Daniel and Co.is known for to be able to carry out their selfish act. The deed is only for Daniel and his group alone no more no less. If anyone is in doubt of Daniel’s legacy, let such visit Ota. virtually no access roads within the town, abandoned water project, forceful take over of people’s land at the old GRA etc. Ota bridge saga showed him off as a usurper of people’s rightwe all knew that it was Dimeji not Daniel that did the job.

Efforts by President Goodluck Jonathan to resolve the crisis in the Ogun State House of Assembly have ended in a stalemate, with both side refusing to shift ground.



Investigations on Thursday showed that the President met separately with the two factions in Abuja on Wednesday night, as part of efforts to resolve the crises in the House and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.



Nine members of the House had on Monday impeached the Speaker, Mr. Tunji Egetokun, and suspended 14 of their colleagues. The nine members subsequently appointed Mr. Soyemi Coker as the new speaker.



Our correspondent gathered that members of Egbetokun’s faction, known as Group 15, met with the President on Wednesday after attending a meeting with the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, at the headquarters of the party.



The G-15 meeting, which was attended by Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello; the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Senator Jibril Martins-Kuye, and a member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dave Salako, started at 8pm and ended at midnight.



It was also learnt that the meeting of the rival group was attended by the state governor, Otunba Gbenhga Daniel; the state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Joju Fadairo; and 11 members of the group. The meeting started at 1am and ended at 4:30am on Thursday



A lawmaker, who attended the G-15 meeting, said the division in the state chapter of the PDP and the crisis in the House were among issues discussed.



According to the member, who pleaded anonymity, the President explained why the national leadership of the part had not carried out the harmonisation of the state executive of the party.



The member quoted the President as saying, “The other faction has taken the matter to court and the leaders of the party do not want to disobey a court order.”



He stated that the President condemned the impeachment of Egbetokun and promised that the leaders of the party would ensure that sanity returned to the assembly.



The Chairman of the House Committee on Information under Egetokun, Dr. Tokunbo Oshin, who confirmed the meeting, said, “The attitude of the President is that of a defender of democracy. He said what happened in Ogun State was capable of tarnishing the image of Nigerians in the comity of nations. He directed that the house should return to the status quo before Monday.”



But a member of the rival group said that the President did not direct the House to reverse the removal of Egbetokun and suspension of their 14 colleagues.



The member, who pleaded anonymity, said, “We told the President that we were opposed to the harmonisation of the state executive of the PDP because the other faction was part of the process that led to the emergence of the Fadairo-led executive. The process was witnessed by Senator Ibrahim Mantu from the headquarters of the party. They cannot turn around and reject the process.”



“On the crisis, we explained that what happened on Monday was legal and that it was based on Order 15 of the house’s rules. We added that we formed a quorum, which is nine. The President reasoned with us, because what we did was in the interest of the state.”



One of the pro-Daniel lawmakers, Mr. Fasiu Bakene, who confirmed the meeting, said, “It is not true that the President said the removal of Egbetokun should be reversed. Coker is the authentic speaker. An evening newspaper had on Wednesday afternoon reported that Mr. President berated the governor (Daniel), when our meeting with the President did not start till early Thursday.”



However, a senior member of the PDP told our correspondent on the telephone that the party recognised Egbetokun as the authentic speaker of the assembly.



“The party recognises Egbetokun as the speaker. We are not in support of the actions taken by the Group of 11 lawmakers on Monday.



“We will do our best to reconcile them,” the source, who declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said.



However, Mr. Ike Abonyi, the media aide to the PDP national chairman, declined comments when our correspondent reached him on the telephone.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009103244951

The Minister of Defence, Mr. Adetokunbo Kayode, and the Arewa Consultative Forum on Thursday disagreed on the removal of service chiefs and their replacement by President Goodluck Jonathan.



While Adetokunbo said the action was well-timed, the ACF argued that it was ill-timed.



Jonathan had on Wednesday removed the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Paul Dike; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau; and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Ishaya Ibrahim.



Also removed were the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo; and the Director-General of the State Security Service, Mr. Afarkiya Gadzama.



The President had replaced Dike with the then Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin; Dambazzau was replaced by Onyeabo Ihejirika; Ibrahim by Ibrahim; Onovo by Uba Ringim; and Gadzama by Ita Ekpeyong.



The Defence minister, who is on a working visit to the United States told the News Agency of Nigeria, that the changes did not surprise the affected senior officers because they were aware that their tenures had expired.



Kayode added that the decision to extend or not to extend the tenures of all service chiefs, IG, DG of SSS and CDS was subject to the wishes of the President.



He said, “The timing is perfect. We have elections coming up next year and we have other issues coming up and the country is fairly stable and safe.



“They know that this changes is a normal, regular, statutory and constitutional exercise of power by Mr. President.’’



But Kayode stated that the service chiefs were not removed.



He said, “Under the rules and terms of condition of service they are entitled to two years and their tenure has expired.



“Mr. President, exercising his prerogatives under the Armed Forces Act and under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has every right to make new appointments.’’



The minister, however, said the change of guard in the nation’s security system had “absolutely nothing’’ to do with the jail break in Bauchi, Bauchi State on Tuesday.



“The Armed Forces continue to be committed to the internal security in Nigeria and, on the issue of Boko Haram, we have been on top of it and have been monitoring it overtime,” he said.



“We are already prepared, but we know that it is inevitable that this will happen because there is religion in it and we have to be very careful the way we tackle it,” Kayode added.



NAN reported that Dambazzau, who was in company with Kayode in the US on a week-long duty tour to the United Nations, left the minister’s entourage which also included other senior military officers on hearing the news of his sacking.



In its comment, the ACF argued that but for what it called wrong timing, the removal of the old service chiefs and their replacements would ordinarily not have raised eyebrow.



It argued in a text message to our correspondent by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, that the President’s action at this point in time, could fuel insinuations that it (action) was politically – motivated.



The text message reads in part, “ACF has no qualms about President Jonathan’s removal and appointment of service chiefs, as a routine administrative action, except against the timing which could fuel the views that it is politically-motivated.



“This is more so when regard is paid to the President’s recent statement that he had turned down the pressures to change the service chiefs at his personal risk.”



Also on Thursday, the Pan Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, said that the appointment of Ihejirika as COAS signalled the healing of the wounds that the Igbo nation had been nursing since the end of the Nigerian civil war.



“The appointment of Ihejirika signals the healing of wounds of the Ndigbo. We thank President Jonathan for the appointment and hope others will join us in appreciating him,” Ohanaeze said through its President, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue.



He said, “He (Ihejirika) is the first person to hold the position after Gen. Agunyi Ironsi was Nigeria’s Head of State.



“We hope that he will discharge his duty creditably and we have no doubt that he will. His appointment is psychological. It helps to show that whatever happened after Ironsi has been put behind us. It indicates the integration of the progressives into the Nigerian system.



Uwechue, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, argued that Jonathan had done what was required in the security service, stressing that, “the change of guard is normal.’’



He added that the president had the power to appoint people into positions he believed they could serve the country best.



‘‘Obviously, appointing new people means some will have to go. Before the former occupiers of the positions were picked, some people had to be removed. I see the appointment as a normal routine of presidential exercise of power,’’ Uwechue said.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009103495835

Hafiz, begin from the southeast, please. In fact, begin from Abia. The kidnap saga is embarrassing. Please do something. I feel bad for Ivy, the first woman AIG. I thought she could at least move up the ladder. This whole arrangement in the police force is not very fair. Sudden retirement because your junior is appointed into office. Congrats though, to Ivy. You’re my hero, young ladies should emulate you. All the best. Luv ya.

The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Rigim, on Thursday listed his priorities, barely 24 hours after he was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan to take over from Mr. Ogbonna Onovo.



Ringim, who was until his appointment the Assistant Inspector-General in charge of Zone Nine, with headquarters in Umuahia, Abia State, told our correspondent on the telephone that he would ensure the conduct of free and fair elections in 2011.



He said that his first challenge would be to prepare the force for the elections.



He added that he was aware of the challenges ahead as Nigerians were already clamouring for free and fair elections, promising not to disappoint them.



He said, “I am aware of the enormous responsibilities and challenges ahead. I must also say that I am aware that Nigerians want free and fair election.



“We will not fail them. We will also prepare our men and officers for the elections, which Nigerians and members of the international community are waiting for.



“We will play our part well by making sure that there is security before, during and after the elections.”



He also debunked insinuations in some quarters that his relationship with the President, under whom he served as police commissioner when Jonathan was Bayelsa governor could lead to compromise.



Ringim said if he did not do well as at that time, there was no way he could be remembered for this higher responsibility.



According to him, “Assuming I had soiled my hands and did not do well during that period, who I have been remembered for this higher responsibility?



“I appreciate those who may harbour that fear but I must tell them that there is nothing to fear.”



He also said he would pay attention to the welfare of members of the force, but that he would also not tolerate corruption.



Ringim also promised to instil discipline in the force, adding, “We are going to make sure that every policeman knows the importance of policing and that he needs to be disciplined in order to shun corruption.”



Meanwhile, there was jubilation among senior police officers in Abuja on Thursday, as the removal of Onovo and all the six deputy inspectors general had been seen as good omen that would lead to the promotion of some of them.



Apart from these DIGs, our correspondent gathered that three other AIGs might also leave the Force.



The AIGs are Mrs. Ivy Okoronkwo, Mr. Azubuike Udah and Mr. Ganiyu Dawodu, who became AIGs before Ringim.



A source in the force said these senior officers were expected to retire as soon as the new IG assumes office.



Meanwhile, Ringim is expected to assume duty at the Force Headquarters, Abuja on Monday, as the 15th indigenous police chief in Nigeria.



He is expected to effect a major change in the operational direction of the force, which is widely believed to lack the necessary ability to fight crime effectively.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100910326890

Former Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, is blaming erstwhile President and Chairman of the Council, Aliko Dangote, for the inability of her management to present the audited accounts for 2009.

Mrs Okereke-Onyiuke’s declaration was contained in her response to the memo issued by the Director General, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Arunma Oteh, in the wake of recent allegations of corporate governance lapses levelled against her by Mr Dangote, which were considered detrimental to investors’ interest.

Mr Dangote, in a petition, had alleged that the Exchange under her leadership was not only insolvent, but may face bankruptcy as well as be unable to meet its financial obligations.

But Okereke-Onyiuke, in her response to the SEC memo obtained by NEXT yesterday in Abuja, dismissed the allegations as a confirmation of her suspicion that Dangote was “bent on destroying the Exchange following the ruling of the Federal High Court nullifying his acclamation as the President and Chairman of the Council of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.”

A Federal High Court in Lagos had annulled Mr Dangote’s election as President of the NSE following its ruling in the legal case instituted against him by aggrieved shareholders in the wake of allegations of manipulation of the shares of African Petroleum PLC in the Stock Exchange two years ago.

According to the former Director-General, Mr Dangote was mischievous with his allegations of insolvency of the Exchange, considering that as a member of the NSE Council at the time the accounts were considered and approved, he never brought any of the allegations to the attention of the Council for discussion or investigation.

Blame to Accenture

On why the management of the Exchange was unable to produce, for consideration of the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the Council, the interim financial statement for the first and second quarters of 2010, the former NSE boss said that though the first quarter and half-year accounts were prepared and filed with the SEC by May 13 and July 27 respectively, Mr Dangote should be held responsible for why the Council could not meet to consider them.

“As a member of the Finance and General Purpose Committee, the petitioner (Dangote) should be in a better position to give reasons as to why the Finance and General Purpose Committee of the Council could not meet to consider the accounts. This is obvious, because of the court judgment against him,” she said.

On the outstanding indebtedness of the Exchange to Accenture Consultancy, Mrs Okereke-Oyiuke blamed the company for creating the payment difficulties for themselves, saying they “completely avoided (NSE) management in the drive to generate more business for themselves under questionable and uncompetitive manner by dealing directly with Alhaji Dangote as if he is the Chief Executive Officer of the Exchange.”

Accenture, she pointed out, “was foisted on the Exchange without subjecting them to due process or competitive bidding process”, adding that “no other consultancy firm was invited to submit a proposal to the Exchange for a project valued at N212 million, out of which a total of N166 million was paid, with the last payment of N60 million done on June 15, 2010.”

On insinuations that she planned to perpetuate herself in office, Mrs Okereke Onyiuke denied any such ambition.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/5616349-147/story.csp

The Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday officially released the schedule for next year’s general elections, listing the presidential and gubernatorial polls for January 22 and 29 respectively.

With a new Electoral Act as guide, and a hefty N87.7 billion budget, the timetable represents the commission’s first major move towards the decisive elections, and ends weeks of public concern, which peaked with the worry about government’s inability to finance the election budget.

Attahiru Jega, the commission chairman, however, denied the stories over the weekend, saying,

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5616326-146/electoral_commission_releases_elections_dates_.csp

A Federal High Court judge, David Okorowo, disqualified himself from hearing the $180 million Halliburton bribery scandal on Tuesday, after the federal government failed to produce the accused persons in court.

Three weeks ago, the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice, Bello Adoke, assured that the suspects involved in the case would be arraigned in court. However, when the matter came up yesterday, there were no suspects in court.

The Federal government’s counsel, Olu Fatunde, informed the court that he had yet to serve the suspects with court processes. Mr. Okorowo said the matter could not be mentioned if the suspects were not in court and had not been served yet. He sent the case file to the chief judge for re-assignment to another judge and adjourned the suit, pending when it is assigned.

“I have no jurisdiction to entertain this matter,” declared Mr. Okorowo.

Scrambling for explanations

Several foreign companies, most notably the U.S. oil and gas giant, Halliburton, are accused of paying bribes worth millions of dollars to high-ranking government officials during the process to award the contract for Africa’s first liquefied natural gas plant in 2002 and 2003.

Mr. Adoke, who just returned from a trip to the UK, admitted that the suspects have not been formally served, despite being charged last week.

“The files were returned because the suspects have not been formally charged,” he said.

The attornery general added that the defendants would be served tomorrow and a new trial date would be “formally announced.”

However, in an earlier interview with NEXT, he promised that all those involved in the scam would be charged to court.

The suspects include some of the nation’s most powerful people, but Mr. Adoke assured that the trial would be conducted without bias, as it would boost President Goodluck Jonathan’s anti-corruption credentials as the 2011 elections approached.

Though Mr. Adoke’s counsel refused to release the charges to the press, suspects to be arraigned are George Mark, the former personal assistant to ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo ; Ibrahim Aliyu, a former federal permanent secretary; Hans George Christ; Heinrich J. Stockhausen; Julius Berger Nigeria Plc; Bilfinger Berger GMBH; AVM Abdullahi Dominic Bello; Mohammed Gidado Bakare; Urban Shelter Limited; Intercellular Nigeria Limited; Sheerwood Petroleum Limited; Tri-Star Investment Limited; Maizube Holdings Limited; TSKJ Nigeria Limited - (a) Technip S.A.; (b)Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V.; (c) Kellog Brown and Root Inc.; (d) Japan Gasoline Corporation of Japan.

Already in US courts

A court in the United States has already begun prosecution of the case.

In 2008, one of the suspects, Albert J. Stanley, admitted that he orchestrated more than $180 million in bribes to senior government officials in Nigeria. Mr. Stanley said that the bribes were channelled through a UK-based lawyer, Jeffery Tesler, in four installments of $60 million, $32.5 million, $51 million, and $23 million between 1995 and 2005 in London.

Top government officials and their accomplices stashed the funds in private accounts in France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal, and The Seychelles.

Last week, $130 million worth of funds were uncovered in Mr. Tesler’s account in Switzerland and frozen by the US government.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5616299-146/judge_disqualifies_self_from_180m_halliburton.csp

The Ogun State Police Command yesterday sealed off the state secretariat which houses both the Governor’s Office, and the House of Assembly at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Police said it was necessary to prevent factions embroiled in a tussle over the leadership of the assembly from gaining entrance into the premises.

However, civil servants who saw fully armed policemen cordoning off the area, fled their offices to avoid becoming victims of the fracas.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5616173-146/story.csp

These NFF rogues who stole Billions were in their agbada and jacket sitting in the Court , so relaxed you think they were watching the World Cup on TV . Why were they not in Chains for God sake !! , poor Naija man will steal a cup of Garri out of Poverty and these yeye Police will beat and handcuff man to death . Useless Country , the more you steal from the people , the more Power you get .

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday arraigned a former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Sani Lulu; his first Vice-President , Mr. Amanze Uchegbulam, and two ex-top officials of the NFF before a Federal High Court in Abuja for their alleged involvement in N1.5bn fraud.



The other accused are the former Secretary of the NFF, Dr. Bolaji Ojo-Oba, and the ex-Head of the Technical Committee of the organisation, Chief Taiwo Ogunjobi.



The accused persons were arraigned before Justice Donatus Okorowo on a 10-count charge of felony, abuse of office with intent to gain and misappropriate public funds.



The accused, who arrived the court at about 8.20am, pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charge.



Lulu, Uchegbulam, Ojo-Oba, and Ogunjobi were arrested by EFCC on June 7, 2010 but granted administrative bail. They were, however, rearrested by the commission’s operatives on Monday.



Lawyer to the accused, Mr. Sunday Ameh (SAN), had while moving an application for their bail, urged the court to grant them temporary freedom on the grounds that the alleged offences were bailable.



According to him, the accused have earlier been granted bail by the EFCC, saying that his clients had never violated the terms of the bail.



Ameh said since the EFCC had concluded investigation into the matter, the likelihood of the accused interfering did not arise.



The prosecuting lawyer, Mr. O.F. Abegunde, who stood in for Mr. Titus Ashaolu (SAN), did not oppose the bail application.



Okorowo stood down the matter for about seven hours and in his ruling, admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N100m each with two sureties.



The judge said one of the sureties must not be below grade level 15 in the civil service.



He added that the second surety must be a person of substance in the society, who would provide evidence of three years tax clearance payment.



The judge also directed that the both sureties must be residents of the Federal Capital Territory and must have landed property which title should be deposited with the court.



The sureties, who must be recommended by the defence lawyer would also depose to an affidavit of means.



The judge said the sureties and the accused must tender two new passport photographs and their passports.



Meanwhile, Justice Okorowo had directed that the case involving six suspects in the Halliburton bribery scandal be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Dan Abutu, for reassignment.



His action followed the failure of the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to produce them before the court.



A prosecuting lawyer from the AGF’s office, Mrs. Omotunde Fatunde, had stunned the court when she said that logistics problems hindered the service of notices on the accused persons.



The accused are a former Personal Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Adeyanju Bodunde, Mr. George Mark, Mr. Hans George Christ, Henry Hausen, Julius Berger Plc and Bilfinger Berger GMBH.



No lawyers also rose to signify that they represented the suspects when the court registrar called on them (suspects) to answer the criminal charges leveled against them by the government.



Fatunde said that as at the time the court was sitting on Tuesday, the suspects were yet to be notified of the case against them.



She, therefore, pleaded with the judge for an adjournment to enable the government put its house in order.



But Okorowo, who was not persuaded by the explanation of the government lawyer, refused to grant adjournment in the case.



He ordered that the case be returned to to the CJ for a reassignment when government was ready to prosecute the case.



Besides, the judge said that his court would not assume jurisdiction in the case because it was not properly brought before him.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009083391285

With the release of the 2011 general election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the maddest race against time in the history of Nigerian politics has begun. Various analyses of the extant Nigerian political sphere shows that political parties are yet to get their chicks in a row as far as organisation and tactics are concerned. This INEC timetable release might be what the arena needs to ginger action from all quarters since all strategies, battle plans and devices have been previously hinged on INEC’s release of its timetable.



For now, it is uncertain who those who will be contesting in 2011 are; what platform they will be contesting on; their manifestoes; their ideologies; their blueprint; and what they have in store for the electorate.



With the time table, all parties interested in making a showing in 2011 have between Saturday, September 11 and October 30 (a period of 49 days) to conduct their primaries. Knowing how convoluted these processes can be, it is certain that there will be intense pressure on parties to begin the process of election immediately and still comply with all the provisions of the Electoral Act.



Not only will the parties be rushing the process of primaries, they would also be expected to produce candidates and begin vigorous campaigns within the stipulated time.



Knowing how tumultuous and controversial elections might be, this frenetic pace of activities means that the horse trading, negotiations, betrayals and bargaining will be compressed to within the shortest possible time.



From September 11 to October 30, there is going to be a frenzy of activities, all closely spaced, for the parties that are contesting in 2011.



The month of November is one the electorate will find very challenging. The entire month will have Nigerians registering and cross checking the voter register.



On the part of the electorate, it also means they have a lot of information and mis-information to absorb within the shortest possible time. If campaigns begin mid-October for elections that are to be held in mid-January, that does not give the electorate enough time to absorb all the campaign promises, manifestoes, and ideologies of candidates who will be selling themselves to people. There might not even be enough time to assess their antecedents and other intangibles needed to make decisions as regards who they will be entrusting with their mandate.



With not enough time to gauge the candidates, it translates to the fact that Nigerian electorate might not be able to make informed choices but settle for the nearest choice as election day approaches.



It doesn’t sound easier for the prospective candidates either. Within one month of being issued party tickets, they are expected to face the electorate at the polls. That means that out of two months of campaign, the party gets one month to sell itself while the candidate gets the other. The presidential candidates have 30/31 days to traverse the 36 states. It doesn’t seem to leave much time for candidates to slug it out internally within the party.



One major difference between the 2011 elections and previous ones held in Nigeria is the order of elections. Previously, the order of elections are so conducted that it climaxes with the presidential election. In 2007, the state assembly and governorship elections were held on April 14 while the National Assembly and the presidential held on April 21. This time, the National Assembly will hold first on January 15, the Presidential election will hold on January 22 while the governorship and state Assembly elections will hold on January 29. It is interesting that this time, the elections are more spaced out over three Saturdays as against two, done previously. However, it is unclear whether the results of the first two – January 15 and 22 - will not taint the governorship and state assembly election which is relatively an anti-climax. If the result of the presidential election favours a particular party in the first two, will the bandwagon effect of aligning with the winning party not affect the voting pattern of the January 29 elections?






Link;http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201009083521198

Those of you making jest about the security of the naira should have known that counterfeit traffickers do not waste time in currencies that have little or no value.The issue should not be about the security of the falling and dilapidated national currency but on what measures should be taken to halt the constant sliding of the naira.What level of economic activities can be put in place to resuscitate our currency.Until this question is addressed,the Central Bank of Nigeria will remain a feather.