₦airaland Forum

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The Code of Conduct Tribunal trying Nuhu Ribadu, former chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for asset declaration-related offences, has once again postponed hearing on the official withdrawal of charges against Mr. Ribadu.

The tribunal had, in its resumed sitting in Abuja last Thursday, postponed to April 15, 2010, the sitting to deliver its verdict on the federal government’s intention to terminate the asset declaration case initiated against Mr. Ribadu.

Federal government’s intention to withdraw the four-count criminal charge against Mr. Ribadu was revealed by the special assistant to the Attorney-General of the Federation on Litigation, J.O. Olatoke, on March 31.

He had argued that the 1999 Constitution gives the attorney general ‘Nolle Prosequi’ - the power to discontinue such criminal prosecution - at any stage of the case. He also told the court that it was within the prerogative of the attorney general to decide the cases he wants to prosecute or terminate.

Yesterday, neither the tribunal judges nor Mr. Ribadu’s lawyers were present at the court. Court officials sighted in the premises could not say why the court did not sit. The siting is part of the conclusion of the processes of documentation needed to get the suit properly terminated.

Minister’s involvement

However, the inability of the court to sit might be connected to the recent shake ups in the justice ministry. Last week, a court official who sought anonymity, said the turn of events last week Thursday may be connected with the recent redeployment of ministers at the Justice Ministry.

Adetokunbo Kayode, the former attorney general of the federation, who suggested that the case be withdrawn, was redeployed to the Ministry of Defence in the recent reformation of the Executive Council of the Federation.

Mr. Kayode reviewed the case against Mr. Ribadu shortly after he replaced Micheal Aondoakaa, and directed that it should be withdrawn immediately.

Mohammed Bello Adoke, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, replaced him as the new attorney general.

Ribadu’s return

When asked for his reaction, counsel to Mr. Ribadu, Femi Falana insisted he had no problem with the postponement, “I have no problem with the adjournment.” He however said the court did not give him any reason for the adjournment.

The federal government had late last month indicated its willingness to drop the charges against Mr. Ribadu, as exclusively reported by NEXT, and he has agreed to accept the position of Special Adviser on anti-corruption and good governance to Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan. His new designation will be to supervise the nation’s anti-corruption agencies, which include his former agency, the EFCC; the Code of Conduct Tribunal; and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

Mr. Ribadu is at present concluding his fellowship at the Centre for Global Development in Washington, USA. During his last visit to America, Acting Goodluck Jonathan had reportedly paid homage to Mr. Ribadu when he sighted him in a crowd.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5555511-146/again_tribunal_postpones_ribadus_case_.csp

A well fitted brassiere boosts your confidence. Bras are the most important item in a woman’s wardrobe, but not knowing the right bra shape can make a mess of your dressing. When choosing a bra, always remember to invest in well-fitting bras as this helps you look slimmer and more proportioned.

Here are tips while shopping for bras: The contour bra is a seamless bra with flexible underwire. It has underwire channels that are fully cushioned which makes it more comfortable.

A push-up bra is designed with molded,slightly arranged cups to lift and enhance cleavage. If you desire it, look out for underwire if you are a B cup or bigger; a wireless, lightly line cup if you are an A. A bra with no underwire is an everyday bra with no padding or wiring: the thick band below your busts supports them. It comes with wider straps to give the
wearer more support with thick or nylon and spandex smooth cups.

The bust minimizer reduces the size of the breasts by about one cup size. It has a full, round cup for even
distribution of the breasts and when buying one, make sure the straps fit securely.
An underwire bra is padded and wired with an iron to help keep the breasts firm. It also comes
in strapless designs and can also be laced for variety purposes.

With these guidelines, you can never be wrong with buying fitted bras. Draw eyes upward to your dress with your perfectly fitted bra and remain confident all the way.

A couple of weeks ago, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced its decision to zone the party’s ticket for the contest of the 2011 governorship election to the Ife/Ijesa axis of the state. The measure, observers noted, was a mere formality, as there appeared to be consensus that the division, which makes up the Osun East Senatorial District should be allowed to produce the state governor, being the only section yet to do so among the three districts since the creation of the state in 1991.

The other two senatorial districts- West and Central, had ruled the state through Bisi Akande and the incumbent Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
The action of the party has technically eliminated two top contenders in the race, who hail from outside of the favoured enclave- Oyinlola’s former Chief of Staff, Peter Babalola, {a.k.a. Peter Power}and secretary to his government, Fatai Akinbade.
Babalola’s camp is said to be in disarray over the new development, but the members and their idol are reportedly not considering suggestion to dump PDP and pursue their ambition on the platform of another political party.

Sources told Daily Sun that the group was shopping for a governorship candidate it could work with from the preferred zone. Such candidate would definitely not be Senator Iyiola Omisore. Babalola had not yet forgiven Omisore for alleged betrayal which cost him {Babalola} the party’s mandate for the governorship in 2003.
Babalola had unofficially obtained the party’s blessing to fly its flag in the 2003 governorship election. He was allegedly persuaded to relinquish it to Omisore by party elders led by the late Chief Sunday M. Afolabi, when Omisore defected from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to the PDP.

The calculation was that, the then AD deputy governor of the state would help PDP win the state with his knowledge of AD’s secrets and strategies. However, when an Omisore candidature became uncertain, the senator reportedly arranged to cede the ticket to Olagunsoye Oyinlola, instead of Peter, apparently for fear that the latter may be a stumbling block to early realisation of his ambition to rule the state. There has since been no love lost between the two men.

The Akinbade camp’s response to the party’s zoning policy forks left and right. While some members of the group want their leader to cross carpet and contest the governorship on the platform of the Labour Party’s (LP) others, whose stand seems to be prevailing, felt he should stay in the PDP and negotiate for the deputy governorship.
They are basking in the euphoria that Akinbade as deputy is as good as being the de facto governor. The aspirant will be quitting Oyinlola’s government next year after doing over six years as SSG.

Before then, he had been commissioner under the military regime and chairman of the state PDP. Akinbade seemed to have wound down the tempo of his campaign. He is said to be searching for a suitable candidate with whom he could be a running mate. He too has ruled out Omisore.

The Ooni factor
As it were, although the governorship appears ready for pick by aspirants from the Ife/Ijesa zone in principle. The major decider of who occupies the Government House in 2011 may, however, be the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II. Sources alleged that Ooni has been given the sole right by Oyinlola to name his successor:
“It is Baba’s show, as the governor’s reward for the huge support he gave him and his government in the last seven years.”

But how potent is the force of the Ife royal court in what will be democratically exercised by, first, politicians in the PDP fold and later the entire state citizenry?
A source insists: “Whoever the Ooni supports is the governor’s candidate. Again, such lucky aspirant will enjoy the support of all traditional rulers in all the towns and villages, because Oyinlola has empowered them as the last political legs in the state. More importantly, Oyinlola’s candidate is not likely to be rejected by the Osun State PDP which will conduct the primaries.”

Emergence of a dark horse
Daily Sun can reveal that none of the remaining 13 aspirants will get Ooni’s royal blessing.
Their loss may be the gain of a relatively dark horse likely to be picked from the two new aspirants, Prof. Adewale Oladipo and Nathaniel Oke. They are from Ife South Local Government. They reported to have obtained late nomination forms at the urging of powerful interests close to the Ife royal court. The forms, it was learnt, were sold to the new aspirants at N3.5 million as against N3 million it attracted for early aspirants.

The development has set tongues wagging. Stakeholders are questioning the fairness of re-opening of the nomination exercise after it had been deemed closed by the party. Many of the aspirants who saw it as a ploy to favour particular interests have been discouraged to such extent that they have eased the pressure on their campaign pedals. For instance, Chief Remi Olowu has not bothered to print any campaign posters. Ditto for Segun Bamigbetan, Fatai Sarumi, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, Akin Jegede and Dosu Fatokun.

“Peter Power”, who had hitherto been parading the streets in a convoy of about 80 campaign vehicles made up of jeeps, buses and limousine has quieted down, especially since the zoning did not go his way. Hon. Gbenga Onigbogi, who was endorsed by Ijesa elders caucus of the party led by Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has not gone beyond the announcement of his aspiration. But Onigbogi’s media aide, Kunle Olatunji, said the aspirant remains visible in the race: “Hon. Onigbogi is committed to his apiration to contest the governorship election in 2011.He is in the hearts of the people.”

Those who, perhaps, have not stopped the tempo of their campaigns are Tunde Odanye, Diran Odeyemi and Lati Bakare as these have remained visible at least in the media. The development has also generated an uneasy calm in Ile-Ife, with fears of a possible clash between Omisore’s supporters and other aspirants from the ancient city. Sources explained the presence of a detachment of anti-riot policemen drafted to the Yoruba cradle recently as being due to such anxiety by government.

Obasanjo intervention
Amidst widespread disaffection in the ranks of aspirants, overtures have been made to former president Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) to intervene. Reports indicate that several meetings were held both at Ota and Abeokuta, Ogun State, to this effect. A source said tOmisore, out of desperation to rule Osun State , may have thrown his weight behind the campaign against the zoning arrangement in so far as the arrangement would not favour him.

He is said to be contemplating supporting Akinbade, in the reasoning that should any candidate other than himself emerge from Ife/Ijesa axis, that would put paid to his life-long ambition to govern the “State of the Living Spring”. He, therefore, wants to wish away the zoning formula and support Akinbade in anticipation that after four or eight years, it would come back to Ife/Ijesa, when all his antagonists and “enemies” would probably have passed on.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/apr/16/national-16-04-2010-004.htm

I will go for KIEFER SUTHERLAND as JACK BAUER.

The High Court in Asaba erred when it granted an injunction preventing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting former Delta State governor, James Ibori, as part of its investigations, the immediate past president of the West African Bar Association, Femi Falana, said yesterday in a telephone interview.

“It is an abuse of the process of the court, because it was a High Court that gave an order for his arrest. So, without setting aside the order of arrest, another court cannot stop his arrest,” Mr. Falana said.

A judge of the Asaba Court, I.N. Buba, had Wednesday granted the injunction restraining the EFCC and any other anti-crime agency “from arresting, harassing, intimidating, or attempting to arrest, harass, and/or intimidate the applicants (Mr. Ibori) in any manner whatsoever and howsoever.”

Mr. Falana, who faulted the order, stated that “no court in Nigeria has the power to grant immunity to any citizen from arrest or prosecution unless he is a president, vice president, governor, or deputy governor. No ex-governor in Nigeria can enjoy immunity even for one second.” The human rights lawyer asked the EFCC to discountenance the Asaba Court judgement, saying “the EFCC can, therefore, proceed to execute the warrant of arrest without any fear or favour.”

Mr. Ibori was declared wanted by the EFCC on Tuesday April 13, based on an investigation into the mismanagement of N44billion belonging to Delta State, while he was the governor between 1999 and 2007. He is yet to present himself to the commission as at the time of this report.


Asaba ruling

The Asaba Court ruling follows on an ex-parte motion filed by Mr. Ibori’s counsel, Augustine Alegeh, a day after the EFCC declared the former governor wanted over allegations of corrupt practices and money laundering during his time in office.

Mr. Alegeh prayed the court to stop his client’s ‘harassment,’ pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Joined in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, the EFCC, Inspector General of Police, and the Director of the State Security Service (SSS).

One Champion Oboh swore the affidavit of urgency, the affidavit in support of the motion ex-parte and the further affidavit in support of the motion ex-parte.

Mr. Buba ordered that the motion on notice be served on all respondents, before ordering that the motion on notice would be taken next Tuesday.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5555472-146/efcc_can_arrest_ibori_says_falana.csp

What amazes me is why would an individual construct or donate a building that houses a federal high court, do you ever think of getting a fair justice there? Please the acting president needs to know all these and the senate chairman on judiciary. Lets stop crying wolf when the obvious is very clear. The federal government should as a matter of urgency return such buildings that houses federal infrastructures to their owners and see what happens. I have never seen such anomalies before. The NBA and the judicial bench needs to investigate this judge in question to maintain the integrity of the justice system.

Welcome back Mr. Ag President

More Pic's, may his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Over 2000 people on Saturday, April 10 in Dublin marched in protest of the racist murder of a Nigerian teen. Dublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. The march was peaceful with a large number of police presence. Toyosi Shittabey, a Muslim 15-year-old boy of Nigerian decent was on Friday, April 2 this year stabbed to death in Dublin, in what many described as racial attack. The teenager was found lying on the street, near his home, at Mount Eustace in Tyrelstown at about 2000 BST on the fateful day. He was rushed to the hospital and died short time later. Many condemned the attack, describing it as racially motivated. A Dublin teenager, Patrick Kabangu, was reported as saying: “Racism is hiding everywhere. It is in the schools. Everywhere in Ireland is racist, it is just being hidden. This country is crazy.” Another resident in a Dublin Sunday Tribune report said: “It was a racist attack. He was a lovely happy-go-lucky boy.” Two men aged 23 and 38 were arrested as suspects. The Garda (Irish Police) in a press statement said an official from its Racial and Intercultural Office was working in the city amid concerns about tensions.

Shittabey, is one of six children who migrated to Ireland with their parents 11 years ago. The 15-year-old, a talented footballer who played for Shelbourne’s youth team, was walking home from the National Aquatic Centre in company of friends when they were subjected to racial name calling by two men in the Mount Eustace estate. Words were exchanged between the two groups with Shittabey’s group walking away from the scene. The duo ran into their nearby home and picked up knives with which they went after Shittabey’s group in a car. The 15-year-old told his friends to ignore the stalkers and as they walked away, Shittabey was stabbed on the chest by one of the men.

A very reliable source identified one of the assailants as Paul Barry, 38, a resident of an undisclosed address on Pearse Street in Dublin. Paul Barry according to the source, was in 2001 when he was 29, charged under Section 2 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, after a stabbing incident on Pearse Street the previous year. Barry who was unemployed at that time was charged along three other men - Paul Fitzpatrick (20), David Colclough (29), and Darren Kenny (31). The four, charged under Section 2 of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act were accused of using the word ‘nigger’ and ‘niggers’ during an attack, June 11, 2000 on David Richardson, 46, and his son Christian, 25, on Pearse Street. ( Continues below…… )



Photo Above: Late Toyosi Shittabey

The march in memory of Toyosi Shittabey was organized against calls for its abandonment by Nigerian Muslim community leaders who argued it may spin out of control. In addition, some of the religious leaders saw it as too political. The march which began at Parnell Square, ending at the Irish Parliament, was led by a sizeable contingent of mainly black teenagers. “Never Again” they chanted as they marched with different worded placards.

The march which mobilized a faction of Dublin black population, and both human rights and anti-racist groups, was unquantifiable display of solidarity. Different speakers drawn mainly from political parties spoke at the end of the march. Ciaran Cuffe, Green Party junior minister spoke condemning the attack in its totality.

Other speakers included Socialist MEP Joe Higgins, trade union representative Jack O’Connor of SIPTU, members of the African community and Shittabey’s cousin Abisoye Shittabey. Toyosi’s cousin after her speech, read a poem she wrote for the commemoration, which read: “God wanted a football player for his team in heaven. He looked down and say Toyosi Shittabey.” The crowd concurred: “So God took him by the hand . . . You are safe where you are . . . in God’s care.” Jack O’Connor spoke of the need for unity and solidarity in the wake of Shittabey’s death. “No one should attempt, on the basis of this tragic event, to promote division or disharmony on the basis of where someone lives or comes from,” he said. ( Continues below…… )



Photo Above: Demonstration in memory of Late Toyosi Shittabey

When the march reached government buildings, it was addressed by Minister of State, Ciaran Cuffe. Cuffe in his speech said that the Minister for Integration should work closely with the Department of Justice to make sure those who murdered Shittabey faced penalties they deserve under the law. He continued: “There is no black Ireland or white Ireland, there is one Ireland. There is no old Ireland and new Ireland, there is one Ireland.” ( Continues below…… )



Photo Above: Demonstration in memory of Late Toyosi Shittabey ( 2nd Photo )

Many have condemned the racist murder of Shittabey, while some disgruntled elements are engaging in cyber ranting. There are several reports of racist blogging on possible backlash from Shittabey’s murder. The bloggers, many using neo-Nazi logos in their identity boxes, discuss the possibility of a backlash from the immigrant community in the death of Toyosi Shittabey. Some of the racist comments included: “If they want trouble they will get it – they had better get on the government/taxpayer-sponsored planes back home cos its gonna get worse for them if they stay. This country is in recession – we don’t need leeches sucking us dry.”

Sub-Saharan Africans were described as “Watermelons” in one blog. One blogger describing himself as “Irish Celt” wrote: “If they start a revenge campaign I will be out on the street looking for more niggers to kill. These welfare-suckers are outbreeding us 6 to 1 and if we don’t sort them out now it will only get harder, just look across the water in England, there are lots of suburbs whites can’t even walk through without being attacked by niggers. We didn’t ask for these niggers to come here to our country, they were not invited and they are sure as hell not welcome. This liberal social experiment on us Irish has been foistered [sic] onto us without question nor debate. Then the liberals wonder why so many of us are raging over the flood of these welfare-sucking scum into our country.” ( Continues below…… )



Photo Above: Demonstration in memory of Late Toyosi Shittabey ( 3rd Photo )

Shittabey was given a Muslim burial Thursday, April 8 after view of his body in a coffin at a Lucan funeral home. Many filed past his body in the funeral home, after the traditional Muslim washing and shrouding ceremony took place. Shittabey’s heartbroken father Segun and his brothers Sodiq, 22, and Tunde, 12, looked on as mourners paid their last respect.

The body was conveyed in a hearse, in a long funeral procession with a Garda escort, to Newcastle Cemetery in Dublin for internment. Mourners wept as the coffin was brought out of the hearse and laid on the ground. The lid was opened and the shrouded body removed amid loud wailing, weeping and calls to Allah. Nigerian Imam Shehu Adetola Adeniji from Dublin’s Sheriff Street Mosque led a short prayer. It was then lowered into the grave to the waiting arms of two imams, thence onto wooden slabs, where the 15-year-old was laid to rest on his right side facing east. Shittabey’s brothers Sodiq and Tunde, were the first to throw clay over their sibling’s grave before it was covered with earth.

As mourners chanted and cried out Shittabey’s name, Imam Adeniji urged them to look at the teen’s death as a lesson. “No matter how or what was the cause of his death it was destined that he was going to live just 15 years and the 15 years of his life were very glorious. It’s a lesson for everybody so we can improve our lives, be law-abiding and follow the way of God,” he said. “No amount of protest, no demonstration will bring back this boy’s soul. Your good mind is what he needs – not fighting, not crying,” Adeniji continued. Referring to the planned protest march, he said: “Demonstration is uncalled for. We do not approve of it. It is creating social unrest . . .”

Assistant Imam at Sheriff Street Mosque, Alhaj Saliu Adewunmi Adeniran speaking against a protest rally said: “It can instigate problems with teenagers and we are worried about where it might lead.”

Important dignitaries at the funeral included the Nigeria Ambassador to Ireland, Kemafo Nonyerem Chikwe and Irish Minister for Integration and Equality, Mary White. Teachers and Shittabey’s schoolmates from Hartstown Community School and representatives from Shelbourne Football Club were also in attendance.


Photo Above: Toyosi Shittabey’s coffin at Newcastle Cemetery in Dublin

*To forward this article to friends and associates, here is the link to send to them:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/13/many_protest_racist_murder_of_nigerian_t

The federal government will take advantage of the goodwill it now has in the international scene to move the country forward.

This was disclosed by the minister of foreign affairs, Odein Ajumogobia, while fielding questions from journalists on the arrival of the acting president and his team.

Acting President Goodlluck Jonathan landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja at about 10:30am with his team and was received by the secretary to federation, Yayale Ahmed, ministers of the FCT, Aviation, Interior and Special duties and some members of the private sector.

Speaking to journalists, Mr. Ajumogobia said the visit was a very successful one and the government will take advantage of the enormous goodwill Nigeria has outside the country .


According to him, "It was a very successful visit and I think it is important that Nigeria engages with the world again and I think we did so in a very open and successful way. The meeting between President Obama and the acting president was very successful and I think it is very important; there is a lot of goodwill, enormous goodwill for Nigeria outside Nigeria and I think that we are back to try and take advantage of that goodwill, for the betterment of Nigeria.

"You could see for yourself the interviews that were given to BBC, CNN; in fact it was a very short trip but in that short trip there was so much excitement and everyone was very keen to meet the acting president."

The acting president and his team left the country on 10 April to be guests of President Barack Obama of the United States of America and to attend the nuclear summit, which held in Washington DC.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5555368-146/goodluck_aides_return_to_abuja_.csp

Family hiding Yar’Adua from us – Jonathan
By Waheed Bakare with agency report, Published: Thursday, 15 Apr 2010

Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said that President Umaru Yar’Adua’s family was hiding him from “key actors in government” Jonathan, who added that he had not had “sustained discussions” with the ailing President in the past five months, however, disclosed that he had spoken thrice with Yar’Adua’s wife, Turai.

He spoke in two separate interviews with the British Broadcasting Corporation Network Africa Programme and Cable News Network on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In the interview with the BBC, the Acting President also said he had also spoken with some of the President’s aides. But he pointed out that Yar’Adua’s physician who could have provided him (Jonathan) with information on the President’s health had not contacted him.

Yar’Adua travelled to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2010 for the treatment of acute pericarditis at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Jeddah. He returned to the country in February and has since not been seen in public.

Jonathan said, “In terms of the last time we (Yar‘Adua and I) really had sustained discussions, that was November 26, 2010 – I think so.”

He, however, explained that he had, “on about three occasions, discussions with his (Yar’Adua) wife.”

But he did not say if the discussions with Turai were during the three months that Yar’Adua was in Saudi Arabia or after he had returned to the country.

Jonathan, who also did not disclose what Turai told him about the state of health of the President, said he had not seen the President’s doctor.

He said, “I‘ve not seen the doctor; but I have had discussions with some of the other aides (of the President).

“He (the doctor) has not come to me. I don‘t want to compel him.”

Jonathan also touched on clashes in Jos, where clashes between Muslims and Christians since the beginning of this year have left many dead.

He promised to prosecute those behind the text messages that incite violence, which he said was ethnic, rather than religious.

The Acting President explained that most of the indigenous population in Jos were Christians, while “some of the settlers – not all” are Muslims.

He said, “So if anything touches a settler who is a Muslim, it will be interpreted as if they are attacking the Muslims.

“And if the settlers that are Muslims now touch the indigenous population that are Christian, it will be interpreted as the Christians are being attacked.

“Anybody that is remotely or directly linked up with the crisis in Jos should be prosecuted.”

The Acting President had in an interview with the CNN on Tuesday said he did not want to insist on a meeting with Yar’Adua.

In the interview which was aired on Wednesday evening, Jonathan said that the Yar’Adua family had decided to “isolate” the President from key government functionaries.

Excerpts of a part of the interview:

Have you seen him (Yar’Adua) since his return from his medical absence in Saudi Arabia?

No, I have not seen him.

Why not?

The thinking of the family is that they should isolate him from most of the key actors in government. I have not seen him. The Senate President has not seen him… and at every single government function, I have not seen him.

Doesn’t that cause anxiety amongst the people?

Yes, it does. It does. Obviously, it does, but we cannot influence his family’s thinking.

Would you prefer that the family allowed you to visit him?

Yes, of course. But I will not want to force it.

What is his actual state of health? This also is a mystery.

I can’t say exactly. Only the medical doctors can.

Have they told you?

No, they haven’t.

Have they made any public statement?

Not quite. Not now. At the beginning, yes, but (someone’s name – unclear) left for Saudi Arabia, I think in the second week or so, within the first week, we were told that he had acute pericarditis. After that, no other statement has been issued.

So if he can receive religious leaders, why can he not receive at least the Acting President who’s acting in his name?

Well, religious leaders are there for (inaudible) blessings. Probably that is why they asked the religious leaders to go and pray for him. We are a very, very religious society.

Do you believe that those around him are trying to undermine you or your new cabinet?

I wouldn’t say they are trying to undermine me, because the laws of the land are very clear. And, of course, that is why in the first place the constitution is designed for two people to be in charge of government at every point in time, one superior and one inferior.

Do you think he will ever come back to government?

I can’t say that. It’s difficult for any of us as mortals to say so.

Link:

http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/?p=44045

The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday said the executive arm is solely responsible for the delay in the passage of the 2010 Budget.

The legislators were reacting to the first quarter appraisal of the 2010 Budget by the state governor last Thursday.

During the appraisal, Babatunde Fashola said budget performance was at 49 per cent, the lowest his administration has ever recorded within the same period.

“If we measure this first quarter performance against the 67 percent in the first quarter of the same period last year, you would see that we are clearly behind,” said Mr. Fashola who blamed the low performance on the late passage of the Budget. “But understandably the budget approval and implementation did not start as quickly as we use to start and as a government we are starting late. I assented to the budget on the first of March, which is the first day of the last month of the first quarter. What you are seeing is a result of barely one month work,” he said.

We must speak out

Oludayo Fafunmi (Ifako Ijaiye I), called the attention of the House to the indirect indictment which suggested that they were responsible for the budget delay.

Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu I) said the executive arm delayed the passage of the budget because “some of the documents we requested for were not provided.”

Many of the lawmakers were angry that the House has always been at the receiving end of public ridicule because it has not been quick to hold the executive accountable. Specifically, the delay in the presentation of the budget review report since 2008 was identified as a failure on the part of the House.

The budget review committee was given four weeks to submit the 2008 and mid-2009 reports but after eight months, the reports have not been presented to the House although, kolawole Taiwo, the chairman of the Budget review committee, said the reports are ready.

“I think it’s high time we let Lagosians know what is really happening. Unfortunately, we approved the 2010 budget without knowing what happened with the 2009 budget and we keep receiving all the blame,” said Moshood Oshun (Lagos Mainland II).

Samuel Adejare (Agege II) said Ben Akabueze, the commissioner for Economic planning and Budget must be invited to the House to defend the “frivolous and damaging allegations” made by the executive arm of government.

Ahmed Omisore (Ifako Ijaye II) and Sikiru Osinowo (Kosofe I), supported the call, but the Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, said “asking the commissioner to come [before the House] and defend his statement will be intimidating.”

Periodic accountability report

“We see the governor here only during budget presentations while we read about his performance every 100 days on the pages of the newspaper. Is it wrong if he comes to this chamber to do same?” asked Mr. Oshun.

Mr. Taiwo proposed that the House enacts a law that will make it mandatory for the governor to address the legislators on the situation of the State periodically.

“In my own opinion as a democrat, it’s more appropriate for the head of government to go to the parliament that approved fund for him because only the parliament knows the resources allocated to the State,” said Mr. Ikuforiji, who however said the demand for such a law is too formal.

“I will talk to the governor about it so we can have a luncheon together,” he said, “we don’t need to be too formal about it.”

However, the budget review report will not be presented until April 29 when the committee is expected to have concluded its work.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/5554419-147/hold_fashola_responsible_for_poor_budget.csp

* ‘I only wanted to be like Pa Imoudu’

Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole of Edo State turns 57 today. In this interview with Sunday Vanguard conducted at his Iyanmu country home, also known as Camp David, he gives an insight into his upbringing and life, first as a labour leader, and now as politician. He also gives his views on the planned electoral reforms, the genesis of his crisis with the former chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, and other national issues. Excerpts:

By Simon Ebegbulem , Benin-City

You don’t look like 57. What is the secret?
I am very young. May be I should go and further reduce the age.

How do you keep fit?
Honestly, I believe health is just a gift from God. Of course we all have to make effort, watch what you eat, the quality of food you eat and how often you eat. There is not much value in eating too much and eating too late to sleep. I also believe that one needs to do exercise for one’s physical and mental health, but on the whole I think that one should just give thanks to God because without him nothing is possible.

What was the transformation from labour activism to politics like? I am sure there are certain things you used to do before your assumption of office as governor but which are now difficult for you to do?
I think actually a lot of people talk about the differences between labour and politics. I think the difference really would be between business and politics. Politics is about mobilizing the people and organizing them around a set of ideals which is called a political party. And then you go through the electioneering campaign process, get elected or get defeated and if elected, you use the mandate to address what you promised the people. In labour, that’s exactly what we do: we organize, we mobilize try to convince people that you are better than the other candidate. You articulate the agenda which you hope to address if you win and if the people are convinced, they choose you in place of others and if you are chosen, you are expected to organize and mobilize to address the promises you have made including the ones that were not foreseen which develop in the cause of your leadership. And I think because we are government, you have resources to deliver on your promises, you have security men, you have police and all of that to protect you and also to secure you against attack. But in labour we do not have those instruments of coercion. So, we rely exclusively, and entirely on persuasion. You have to persuade people. To persuade the people to take that risk it requires a lot of skill. You must have the capacity to mobilize, to inform and above all to inspire them.

To get the whole country to agree to support a protest to queue behind you and to make people to believe you rather than believing the government. For me, nothing can be more political. I think perhaps the only difference is that in Labour, you talk about the worker but in truth the difference between the worker and the rest of the society is basically academic because the worker is part of a larger society. He lives in a community and he shares the aspirations of the people of that community. He earns his wages but however in terms of politics, you are elected by the worker and every other person. And you have responsibility for all.

Looking back now, did it ever strike you that you could ever hold a public office, that of governor, for instance?
I never really thought of a public office in the sense of being in government. I think the closest I ever thought of, growing up, was hearing the names of people like Pa Imoudu. People who listened to radio then used to tell us that there was one man called Pa Imoudu from our area here. People were singing with their names and how he fought the white men. Well, in the villages like ours, I never had radio but I just wished I would be like that man in terms of fighting for the people. The way people were celebrating his courage was something that had a strong appeal to me. I did not even know him at that time. But to ever be in government and as Governor, I never thought of that and if some one ever said that to me I would say no, it is not possible.

What then was your vision while growing up?
My interest was actually to be an architect. I love architecture a lot because people can sit down and design, produce some thing that is original that you will say I created this, not as if you copied from somebody. That was some thing I wanted to be.

Women?
The truth is that while I was growing up, I never thought of women. Growing up in the village, life in the village then, you were not expected to be funny with women. I think my first real contact with a lady was the one I married. I never dated two different women at the same time, no. My first friend ended up as my wife.

You have been rather quiet on the controversy generated by President Yar’Adua’s ailment and absence from public glare, why?
Understandably at the beginning, no one was sure of the state of the President’s health condition and the Vice-President was standing in for him. Later it became clear that after that broadcast to the BBC, he, more or less admitted that he was ill and he was hoping that when he recovered that he would return. It was clear at that point in time that we could not allow a vacuum and I believe every Nigerian of note and patriotism agreed that it was important at that time to fill the vacuum by asking the Vice-President to act.

That has brought in a level of stability to the country. And the Acting President has been doing very well. I think on the whole, when you factor all that happened, you will know that the process has been reasonably well managed and I so believe that the Acting President is doing very well. He is taking it step by step to consolidate and getting the economy working. Talking about the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council, I believe that a man who is presiding over the council is in the best place to understand the workings of that council. As a Governor, nobody can come and tell me about a Commissioner who is working or not. It is only the Governor who presides over, who assesses general contribution, strengths and weaknesses of each Commissioner, that is in a better position to make a decision. And if you check, the Acting President did not rush to make that decision, so he must have genuine reasons for dissolving the cabinet.

How about the planned electoral reforms? What areas are of particular interest to you?
Well I think that the whole idea of President Yar’Adua setting up the Electoral reform committee was an admission that the system needs to be reformed. It is very clear that we need to reform the system, no doubt about that.

But I think what is now important is to talk about which law needs to be amended to achieve what. I think the controversy has been between those who want the Uwais report to be implemented in toto and those who said no, it should not be implemented in toto, they should pick some areas and implement. Those are basically the two forces.

For me the real challenge is in so far as all of us are now talking of reform. We are however not all saying the same thing. For example, the current arrangement says the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall appoint the INEC chairman. Not only the INEC chairman, there are also other commissioners that work with the INEC Chairman.

Uwais report says the President should not exercise these powers, the power should be vested in the National Judicial Council. At least, at the level of perception, the INEC man will not be seen to be appointed by a President who may be a candidate in an election. For me, I think this is straight. I support it in toto, that the President
should not be allowed to exercise those powers. And we are talking of the President, we are not talking of Yar’Adua or Goodluck Jonathan, we are talking of any body. There will always be future Presidents.

The mistake that I see some people try to make, what I call eye service is to say we should trust this President. It is not about this President, it is about the future. But I know that there are people preaching reform who are also saying, let this clause remain. Those people are preaching deform, they are not preaching reform. Uwais also recommended that civil society groups, women group, the Guild of Editors and a number of other civil society organization, that each of them should recommend an INEC Commissioner that will work with the chairman who will be subject to either the approval of the National Assembly or the President. Again, I know that many Governors and Ministers are opposed to this; they insist that rather than the civil society organizations to nominate these people the President should do that. For me, I believe that the INEC chairman and others should be nominate by these people, not because they are perfect but because they will be seen to be neutral. The President has partisan interest.

Again, I know that may be about 80 per cent or more in the legislative and the Executive arm at Federal and state levels, many prefer that the system should remain. And I can easily see why they feel so. As we are speaking, three years out of a four year mandate, there are many Senators, House of Assembly and Representatives cases that are still in court. What manner of justice is that that is making mockery of the entire concept of justice? There can be no justice when a man who stole some body’s mandate will continue stealing even when the man whose mandate was stolen has gone to court. Only a man without conscience will insist that this injustice should remain. And it is completely inconsistent with the criminal law that a man is alleged to have stolen a car and the man whose car was stolen went to court. Now the car that is in dispute is left in the custody of the thief and the thief keeps driving the car while the matter is still in court. What manner of justice is that? So what has happened is that the Nigeria elite is simply trying to perpetrate fraud and encourage electoral dishonesty by crafting the law in a way that now distinguishes our attitude to electoral fraud to other categories of fraud. And it has completely make mockery to the entire idea of judicial intervention.

People are wondering whether you can finance the projects you are executing across the state?
Yes, many people are asking this question, where are you getting the money from. Of course I also know that my opponents, the Dan Orbih faction of the PDP, since they cannot dispute the fact they now say, don’t worry he will not finish the work, where will he get the money to do that. Edo State is, may be, the poorest in the South South., but like I said in the beginning, what we lack in resources, we have in will. I decided to take some time to look at all the leakages in the system. That is why from day one, we brought in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) that will enable us examine how our finances are organized.

So we are able to block the loopholes. Secondly, I found out that over the years in Edo State, Professor Osunbor for example, I think that for every one naira that his government spent, about 80 kobo or 85 kobo went into the current expenditure because the trick is don’t follow what the budget says, look at the actual spending in the end. When you spend so much money on recurrent, you simply will have little or no money for capital projects. I brought in some guys from the private sectors to help me and while I was in court, a lot of these young men contributed financially to support the struggle. These people are not the big time millionaires you know but they have enough for themselves and their families.

We started planning even while we were in court. We decided that we were going to spend the first year to look at all our problems critically and see where we have leakages. If you recall during my campaign, you remember when I went to visit the families who lost their babies through flood and their houses washed off, I said what Edo State needed was not a piece meal approach, you needed to come up with a holistic plan to check flooding. And the few contractors we invited told us that you needed to deal with the question of drainage and to deal with it, you need a master plan. We had to spend some time doing that and while doing that we were saving the money while telling every body that we have no money to spend on frivolities. Even the South South Governor’s Forum, I refused to host them until recently because when you spend two naira here and there before you know it, your money is finished. While we were working on the master plan, that was when our opponents said we were not prepared for leadership. By t
he time we are ready with the master plan, we were ready to go.

During my one year anniversary, I announced that we have saved over N30billion for projects. The other thing we did is looking at the resources base, we are earning N300million, to the best of planning there is not much that you can achieve with that, no body was paying the correct tax in Edo State. We had to revisit it. Some of my friends had the fear that we might lose the goodwill if we enforced the tax law, but I said we are still going to lose it at the end of the day if in the end I did not work. Three days ago, I saw employees of Federal Government agencies, like UBTH saying that they will not pay tax, they will pay 5 per cent. They were doing as if the law is a proposal or a collective agreement. The law is statutory: if you do not pay your tax, you go to jail. And I am proud to the fact that in all my trade union life, none of the strike actions I organized was about taxation. I learnt early in my union training that it is part of the civic responsibility of a good citizen to pay his tax. And there is a lot of hypocrisy, like I spoke to the ASUU chairman in Ambrose Alli University , Ekpoma, he said it is not expected that we should pay taxes, on the other hand we should not increase school fees, education must be free. I said very good, this is where hypocrisy lies. And told him I accept, but if education must be free, some body must pay for it and who pays for it? Is the Governor going to use his blood, even if I sell all the blood in my system, I do not know how many litres I have. How can we provide free education and provide tax free environment, how?

During the early stage of your administration, you were very close o Chief Anenih, at what point did both of you part ways?
I have known Chief Anenih for a long time when I was in the NLC. And that time, a lot of our people came to meet me to take them to Chief Anenih to assist them to become local government chairmen, councilors. I can mention their names, Gani Audu, Stanley Odidi, Lucky James and others. They always told me that if you did not have the blessings of the godfather no way for you. And when I was to come in to this political scene, he told me he would like to support me, that he knew that I would be a good governor but he wanted somebody from Esan, particularly that he wanted Ugbesia and if he could not get Ugbesia it would be Osunbor. I told him that I didn’t understand it that way. That I would go and contest on a different party platform. He actually tried to manipulate me that he would make me a Senator. I said how can you make me a Senator when I am from Edo North and you do not vote in Edo North. So I decided that I was going to fight my battle. Some people came to me that Anenih would still rig me out that there was no need for me to contest. He said by 2015, when I would have completed two terms in the Senate, I would then become Governor. You see, he talks with the finality of God. I now wondered, that who told you that we all would even be alive then. But that arrogance of allocating is always there. He went to Chief Dan Orbih’s residence and said Edo North should wait till 2015 and they were clapping for him. I said I would confront them as usual. And if you remember, while I was campaigning, I made godfatherism subject of my campaign.

So I did not just jump into it. I asked the people to vote that I would defend the votes because I saw it as a very serious problem here in the state because of one man. However, after they rigged me out, you know that I mobilized almost a million people to the streets that day. It is just that as cowards once they finish robbing they will run away. If we had found any of them around that day, they would have gone with that rigging because we were ready. You see, we cannot build a new world if we cannot destroy the old order. But unfortunately they ran away that day. But after I won, I said God has won this battle for me, let me work with every body, that I am going to forgive so as to bring down the political tension. That was how also said I was not going to dissolve the Local Governments so as to carry everybody along. And I asked Chief Anenih to nominate some Commissioners, but I thought he will not accept after doing all the terrible things he did to me. But to my surprise he asked for four Commissioners but I said, Sir, I can only give you three.

And he brought the three, but as I now know, he single handedly nominated those three. He did not consult with any body in the PDP even Dr Ogbemudia or Akhigbe. Then we had the problem of the budget. Chief Anenih invited us to Abuja.

The Speaker, the chairman of the Appropriation Act, the then Majority leader and others, then. I now also went with Philip who is of the Action Congress so that I would have one witness. I was shocked when Chief Anenih at his age and exposure, would not accept that Edo State government should increase the number of schools in the state. If you check my budget, I said I wanted to build 19 model schools. Two in Oredo, one in each of the other 17 Local Governments. But Chief Anenih said no, Adams you cannot do it. I said, Sir; we need to do that because I promised the people during my campaign, that pupils sit on the floor in our schools. He said forget it, you cannot do this one now. I said, Sir, there are so many accident victims in our hospitals today as a result of motorcycles, so I want to bring in some hundred buses just like Lagos is doing. The Chief said, no. Then I said to him, we need a holistic approach to the problem of Benin and that we need to change the face of the city.

Those key projects were eliminated by him. Of course I had no card else to play. He now told Zakawanu and others to go and pass the budget. But what surprised me is that the Deputy Speaker is a Bini man, but he could not even say any thing to support the projects from his area. He was just looking like a baby doll. So we came back to Benin. That was the test of my own maturity. How to deal with a man who is not elected but who is dictating to an elected Governor. I took my time and I knew that majority of them sitting at that meeting (House of Assembly leadership), majority of them, their elections had been nullified by the court. So I knew that it was a matter of time, that many of them would go. They actually discussed the possibility of impeaching me within the first three months of my administration. What was the problem, there were couple of things they wanted me to do, which was very strange to me and I said no. They could not impeach me, but of course I laid low. Some of my friends called me to complain about this father and son relationship, but I told them to be calm, when the time comes, you will know who is my father. My father is Oshiomhole, not Anenih. And I will hate to have a father like Anenih who celebrates imposition; who does not concede that the young shall grow. That cannot be my father. I wanted to survive the oppressive environment to change it. I think West Idahosa summarized it in his interview that, three months ago, he would not have said what he said in his interview because the environment was so suffocating. But today Edo is a free state and it can never be the same again. And the god father according to West is now an expired politician of no value.

Today he is a very lonely man, he now begs councillors not to leave the PDP but of course they have all left him. But in all these, I have personal respect for Chief Anenih as an old man, old enough to be my father. If I were his son, I would advise him, “old man, there is time to start a business, there is time to hand over. After all you are blessed with children, but if you insist that Edo State will die with you, no; Edo State will not die with you”. Edo State will live and grow stronger while he grows weaker. Trace his recent history. He moved in when Ambrose Alli was elected as Governor of Edo State. Ambrose Alli was an Esan man like him. But he was manipulated out of office and subsequently he spent many years in jail. What was his crime, he would not take orders from Anenih. Anenih wants to be the only Iroko tree in Esan forest, so Alli had to be wasted. Anenih’s party, the SDP, produced Oyegun. Anenih fought him because he wanted to control, even when he was not elected. After Oyegun, it was Igbinedion. After the federation account meeting in Abuja , Lucky would come back home to do Edo allocation accounts commission where Anenih would decide who got what. For as long as the state was in his pocket there was no vacancy in Government House. Lucky was the best Governor. But after the second term when Lucky said he could not continue this way, their fight started. He had another Esan man. Osunbor. He supported Osunbor reluctantly when Obasanjo said Ugbesia must not run for the election. Again, he fought Osunbor even though that was a stolen mandate.

Their fight brought about the two factions of the PDP that are still here today. You knew how he appointed the late Ekhabafe as Chairman of the party in the state. After that he single handed appointed Orbih. Chairman of a party is now being appointed like a brigade commander. At the national level, he compromised Abiola’s mandate. He went on with Shehu Yar’Adua. You remember the motion he moved about military disengagement. As soon as it became convenient he revered. When Yar’Adua got jailed, he went abroad justifying the imprisonment and the man died in that prison. In the confusion that followed, Obasanjo came in. OBJ whom he justified his imprisonment, he had no difficulty in reversing himself and became the “leader”. Before Obasanjo got to Otta, he had shifted base. Now he talks as if he was not part of that administration where he had over N300billion to fix roads but he could not even fix one that connects his own state. Now he had to shift to Yar’Adua.

And I remembered I told President Yar’Adua even before he took ill that you do not need characters like Chief Anenih around you, that he will stain your name. And I know that right now, he is doing all he can to walk his way into Goodluck Jonathan because if he does not walk his way into Goodluck Jonathan he will not be able to remain a tyrant at home. Because the Federal powers that he uses to intimidate, blackmail people at home is already working on Goodluck as we speak. But I will be surprised if Goodluck allows that.
This man has never won a councillorship election in his life, yet he oppresses people. When you look at all that, you will see what God has done for me and Edo people. The man is now history in Edo . I cannot be happier. We are waiting for them. I am even more proud that we are doing a lot in the state as a free people under God and not under man.But for us in Edo state, one man one vote is the struggle of our lives. There is no going back. We must deepen it, we must sustain it until our people are completely free of dictatorship by one man.

Link:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/04/03/oshiomhole-57i-never-thought-i-could-be-governor/

Following last week's harassment and failed abduction of the Ibadan bureau chief of The Punch, Akin Oyedele, members of the Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Oyo State have written a letter to the state governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, intimating him of the incident and others before it.

Entitled "Re: Failed Abduction and Threats to lives of Members", the letter chronicled the attempt by some security aides of the governor to ferry Mr. Oyedele to an unknown place for an undisclosed reason.

Phony arrest

Mr. Oyedele was reportedly accosted by three plain-clothed security men at a cyber café at Agbowo area of Ibadan, on Thursday, April 8, 2010, who asked him to follow them to the Crime Investigation Bureau (CIB) office of the state police command, where they claimed to have come from.

But apart from the fact that the police authorities denied sending anybody for Mr. Oyedele's arrest, a call from the governor's Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Abraham Ojo, to stop the arrest also put a lie to the claim of police's involvement.

"Sir, we would like to re-iterate the fact that we are responsible professionals poised to discharge our duties at all times without prejudice. We take exception to the above incident and the likes, and view them as ploy to intimidate and prevent us from discharging our legitimate duties," the letter read, in part.

Recalling similar cases of intimidation and threats to lives of journalists in the state, the correspondents also, through the letter, formally notified the governor of the recent unpleasant experiences of Messrs Tade Oludayo and Ademola Babalola, Silverbird TV and Compass correspondents respectively, in the hands of some of his overzealous aides.

Commonplace harassment

They expressed worries over the unbridled use of violence against journalists in the state, even as tensions mount over the up-coming general elections.

"We would not have written this letter, but for the fact that such incidents are fast becoming a common place in Oyo state," the journalists' union said. "Now that the elections are coming and the tension is already mounting, we would not want to take chance to avoid being the victims of circumstances in the hands of desperate politicians."

To secure the assurance of the governor on their safety, the journalists made a four-point demand on the governor; which included an explanation of last week's incident and re-orientation of politicians and political appointees of the governor to make them know the difference between journalists and their boss' political opponents.

Meanwhile, Mr. Oyedele has formerly reported the failed abduction to the state commissioner of police, Baba Adisa Bolanta.

In a letter dated April 9, 2010, the The Punch correspondent gave a vivid account of the incident and called on the CP to "order investigation into the matter to unravel the identity of the said three plainclothes policemen and their mission."

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5554375-147/journalists_petition_oyo_state_over_harassment.csp

The displaced people of Bakassi have to wait on God for help as they ponder the whereabouts of the ₦600m released early this year by the presidency to kick-start development at the Day-Spring and Qua Islands for their permanent relocation.

This is the second time that funds made available by the federal government for the development of a permanent resettlement site for the displaced people will be missing. The ₦1billion released by the federal government to the former Cross Rivers State government headed by Donald Duke had similarly disappeared without trace.

When the new governor, Liyel Imoke took office in 2007, there was no fund to develop the site meant for the displaced people. Mr Imoke had to lobby President Umaru Yar'Adua for another money to enable him commence the development of the site, given that the handover date of the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon was drawing near.

In late 2007, the federal government released another ₦1 billion to the state for the provision of houses, schools, roads, hospitals at the Ekpri Ikang site in New Bakassi Local Government Area. Experts said the amount was grossly inadequate, and the state government had to augment it with additional ₦1 billion.

By the time the island was finally handed over on August 14, 2008 in a colourful ceremony at Government House, Calabar. Mr Imoke was out of office following the annulment of his election by the Court of Appeal on July 14, 2008.

Our investigations revealed that a presidential team which early January went to inspect the Day-Spring and Qua Island site near Calabar to ascertain their suitability for the displaced people of Bakassi approved the release of ₦600 million for immediate development of the area in lieu of a comprehensive funding to be provided for in the 2010 budget.

More than two months after the fund was said to have been released by the Boundary Development Agency (BDA), work has not commenced at the designated site as expected.

Analysts say the money is either in the coffers of the state government or with the Boundary Development Agency [BDA] of the federal government. But the latter claimed it has not received any of the cash. The state government which has a separate account for the provision of infrastructure for the people of Bakassi also said the account has not yet been credited.

The director-general of the state boundary commission, Leo Aggrey whose agency is charged with attracting development to the border communities of the state, including Bakassi, expressed shock that such a fund could be missing. He explained that,

"Because of the financial situation of the state government, we've been keyed into his excellency's intension to seek alternative or collaborative funding of projects in the state. So, we have taken our cry to the National Boundary Commission (NBC) and the Border Development Agency (BDA) which has just been created out of NBC.

"Our meeting with the two agencies revealed that there was a little fund left over in the 2009 budget, about ₦600 million precisely; it has been transferred to the BDA and we made a presentation to them about Bakassi because of its precarious situation, the refugee situation and the people's agitation to be relocated to the Day-Spring and Qua Island."

Worried officials

Mr Aggrey confirms that federal officials visited the two sites which the state committee had recommended for the relocation of the displaced.

" We had chosen that location because the fishing community preferred there and not Ekpri-Ikang where development has already started," he said. "So,with the fund, we were trying to key into it so that the Border Development Agency could come and invest in Bakassi, precisely, the Day-Spring and Qua Island.

"The BDA Executive Secretary, Mr. Wills, an engineer, assured us that he was going to take our presentation to the Board and management for consideration, so that part of the fund could be used to start developing the Day-Spring and Qua Island while concerted efforts would be made in the 2010 budget to openly develop the Day-Spring and Qua Island. That position is what I know o."

However, he said he was sure that if the fund is diverted, the state government "will unearth that, so that whatever needs to be done must be done for the Bakassi people. I will go on top of that, we will make inquiries", he said.

Following the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroun on October 10, 2002, majority of the Bakassi people demanded that they be relocated to a virgin area, preferably, the Day-Spring Island where their fishing needs would be met and where they would not impose on people, so as to avoid any crisis from claims and counter-claims of land ownership.

But the Cross River State government preferred Ekpri-Ikang , carved out of Akpabuyo local government Area, which is already inhabited, and build over 200 housing units there. This, however, could not meet the needs of thousands of the displaced people.

The pioneer chairman of the displaced people, Bassey Edet, said his people are worried over reports of the missing funds.

"We query the intension of those behind the alleged diversion of the Bakassi development fund and implored both the state and federal governments to step into the matter," he said.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5554984-146/600m_bakassi_fund_missing__.csp

I want GOD to open doors for me that is why i have sent this to you all. It's my prayer that GOD will open all closed doors in our life todayin Jesus Name. Amen.

How will this guy be able to move after this big time lunch he had

Doors that God opens.

Now, That's a Meal.

More

More

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BURP !!!

These pictures were taken by one of the road crew at Cloudbreak, Arizona last week.

It took a total of 5 hours for the DESERT KING SNAKE to finish off the GOANNA (Sand Monitor).

As you can see, they put some signage up so it wouldn't be run over.

"Acting President" Goodluck Jonathan today left the United States at 7 :00PM today after expressing the determination of his government to boost the fight against corruption by reviewing the structure of the EFCC. Jonathan was speaking at a breakfast meeting organized by the Centre for Global Development, a Washington-based independent research centre championing global poverty reduction and equal rights with former EFCC chair Nuhu Ribadu in attendance. He told them his administration’s focus is on building strong institutions that will last beyond the leadership and operators of such institutions.

“I can assure you that we are going to review the EFCC to strengthen the body to make it to perform,” he reportedly said in a press release signed by Mitaire Ikpen, “This will go a long way to deter fraudulent minds and ensure the security of indigenous and investments in the country.’’
The full text of the Press Release is as follows:
We will build strong institutions – Jonathan

Acting President Jonathan said the focus of his administration is to build strong institutions that will last beyond the leadership and operators of such institutions. To this end, he has assured that the Federal Government would review the structure of the EFCC to strengthen its performance in the fight against corruption.

Jonathan stated this at a breakfast meeting organized by the Centre for Global Development, an independent research centre championing global poverty reduction and equal rights.

Answering questions from seasoned American diplomats and businessmen who are interested in investing in Nigeria, Jonathan said the issue of corruption in African countries is a worrisome trend, and that Nigeria will take urgent measures to step up the anti-graft war.

“I can assure you that we are going to review the EFCC to strengthen the body to make it to perform. This will go a long way to deter fraudulent minds and ensure the security of indigenous and investments in the country.’’ he said.

Responding on Nigeria’s trade relations with China and the US, the Acting President assured that though there are more Chinese investors in the country, Nigeria has not abandoned its traditional allies which include America.

He attributed the development to the aggressiveness of the Chinese investors noting that even Americans are going to China to invest.

Jonathan also assured the gathering that Nigeria is committed to the rule of law and the protection of the rights and privileges of local and foreign investors.

He advised foreign investors to ensure they do business within the ambit of the laws to ensure security of their investments. He added that foreign investors should change their perception that Nigeria is a corrupt place where anything goes, as it is such perception that make them cut corners and get duped in the process.

The Acting President also reiterated that Government will stop at nothing to pursue ongoing banking reform to a logical conclusion.

He said the Executive arm of Government has sent the Asset Management Bill to the National Assembly that will statutorily put in place the regulation of the assets of banks and ensure that depositors’ monies are safe.



MITAIRE IKPEN
Another speech at the Atlantic Council

REMARKS BY THE ACTING PRESIDENT, COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA DR. GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN GCON AT THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC TODAY 14TH APRIL 2010.

PROTOCOL

Senator Hagel,
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for the opportunity to interact with you at this time. I am here to share a few thoughts about our current efforts at entrenching accountability in our country and also benefit from your deep insights and experience in this very important matter.

I want to begin by extending my sincere thanks to the Atlantic Council for the warm welcome and very specially add my congratulations to your launch of the Michael S. Ansari Africa Center.


Many of you will know that just last week, Nigeria and the United States agreed to establish a Bi-National Commission. This marks a new and promising chapter in our relationship by recognizing the vital importance of our bilateral relationship and the need to maintain regular, high-level consultation and engagement. We shall work together on good governance, a peaceful and prosperous Niger Delta and stable West Africa, continued growing investment in the energy sector and strengthened food security. At the heart of this joint effort and in my work as Acting President is the need to realise the promise of accountability so as to arrive at our destination of a happier world within the shortest possible time.

Accountability to the poorest Nigerians who yearn to be freed from the shackles of poverty, to the West African region whose peoples yearn for good government and democracy, and to our partners and friends in the struggle for a stable and peaceful international order.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, there is no time to waste. Nigerians are very aware of this. We have the opportunity and indeed the obligation to direct Nigeria on a path that allows it to live up to its considerable promise. A strong, peaceful and prosperous Nigeria would be a voice for good in the world.

We live in a world that has more than its fair share of challenges. Over the years, Nigeria has taken a strong stance in supporting international and regional peacekeeping efforts. We are determined to live up to our responsibilities as a valued member of the International Community in combating all forms of violence that aim to terrorize and harm civilians and property. We will remain a country that has been a strong actor for peace. Precious Nigerian blood and treasure were lost when we moved to intervene to stop the ruinous civil wars in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other countries most recently Darfur. Nigeria has also stood firm in support of democratic elections not just in our region but the entire continent of Africa. This is in addition to our local challenges, which we must resolve for the good of our people.
Events and actions need to be put in perspective so that suggestions for solutions when advanced benefit the whole not a part. The unfortunate and unacceptable violence in Jos led to a widespread misinterpretation that Nigeria is in the grip of a religious war.

May God Almighty forbid the use of His name for unholy purposes!
Our present understanding of the Jos matter is that the feeling of economic exclusion, poverty and citizenship is central to the crisis. Like other parts of the world, the struggle for access to resources and position is taking different forms and in some instances they explode in violence. The tragedy in Jos is a reminder of urgent task in nation building which we have sworn to accomplish. These are national challenges knocking on doors of many African Nations! In Nigeria we are determined to address the issues in a frank, firm and forthright way that will reaffirm our belief in our common humanity. We are responding to this over five decades old conflicts through professional law enforcement and a deliberate increase in the pace and distribution of economic development.

In ordering a comprehensive law enforcement response to the latest incidents, I was recognizing the government’s accountability to the safety of every life regardless of nationality, ethnic identity or religious affiliation. The protection of life, liberty and property is the responsibility of all responsible governments the world over. Ours cannot be different. Yet in so doing all the soldiers and policemen in the world cannot build a culture of peace. That must come from sustained efforts to address the needs of people, to recognize their dignity and humanity and ensure that we are all covered by the indestructible canopy of the Rule of Law.
The challenges are many and we need your support especially in our determination to expand our economy so as to meet our obligation of delivering our promise of good governance. This is particularly important in places like the Niger Delta were poverty and the loss of livelihood through environmental degradation has created a social and political environment that allows the flourishing of a festering culture of discontent.
The United States suffered a terrible tragedy just under a decade ago. We stood with you then and we stand with you today in ensuring that those responsible for that terrible attack do not find any shelter or succor in Nigeria. We have taken strong steps to ensure that our airport security is improved to a world class standard. We will continue to work hard to be a strong partner in the fight against international terrorism.
As friends we need to be honest with one another. We were dismayed a few months ago when our country was put on a watch list due to the actions of a young man flying to Detroit. I am happy that the Obama administration has changed the airport security criteria and that national origin will no longer be used to determine who is screened. It also bodes well for our partnership that we received such a sympathetic hearing when we raised this issue at the highest of levels.

As the United States is discovering in Afghanistan and Iraq, a sustained peace is built in the final analysis on sustainable economic development. This is one of the issues that we are accountable for. A growing Nigerian economy whose fruits are enjoyed by all citizens will be the key to our long-term success. In appointing a new cabinet, I sought to find Ministers who understand how crucial it will be for Nigeria to rebuild its infrastructure, widen its sources of financing and investment for all Nigerians and lead public bodies that are accountable and transparent. These are not minor goals but they have been too long in coming to fruition. This is a time for committed change in building a solid base that will ensure that all Nigerians are well educated, have access to electricity, are productively employed and can trust that government offices are sanctuaries for the delivery of services for the benefit of the people. But all these dreams can go up in flames if we do not focus attention on leadership recruitment and strengthen the institutions that can sustain our young democracy.

In this regard, we will need to improve our system of elections. Without a pool of accountable public officials in position of authority, many of the ambitions we have for our country will come to naught. And there is no way to win this credibility without ensuring that elections are free and fair. Already, during this trip, I have promised to reform the Independent National Electoral Commission and this afternoon I again reiterate that promise. Electoral justice and accountability cannot be put by the way side or delayed for some convenient time in the future.

Nigeria is rising and our rise must be for the good of all our citizens. Our economy is growing at a time when many countries in the world are unfortunately in the grip of recession. Our young people are competing in the sciences and arts at a world-class level. Our film makers make films that are some of the most watched. We have a wind at our back. Our challenges which are considerable offer us the opportunity to solve them and by so doing, be a generation that Nigerians will remember for many years to come. A strong and prosperous Nigeria will be a strong partner to the United States. The time to bring this about is now, not tomorrow.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in thanking the Atlantic Council for the opportunity for this interaction. And very specially I thank you for your attention.
May God bless us all.

Link:

http://www.saharareporters.com/real-news/sr-headlines/5818--jonathan-hints-of-shake-up-of-efcc-.html

Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, has promised to run a clean election next year, that will be acceptable to all citizens and the international community.

Mr. Jonathan disclosed this yesterday in Washington DC as he inched a step further in clarifying his four pet priorities of electoral reform, anti-corruption, Niger Delta development, and power reform, when he spoke to a cross section of policy, business, and diplomatic leaders in the American capital on his vision to rebuild Nigeria.

He was speaking at a breakfast question and answer session, hosted by the Centre for Global Development, CGD, moderated by Todd Moss, the Centre's lead policy anchor on West African Affairs.

Mr. Jonathan said the challenge before Nigeria in 2011 would be how to "deliver substantively on the promise of electoral reform and credible elections," and pledged to an apparently enthusiastic audience that, "I can tell you all here that I have no fears of running a clean election in 2011, an election that we can all say is acceptable to the global community."

Zeroing in on the massive infusion of money in politics and ballot theft, as two key elements that had defeated the aspiration for clean elections in the past, Mr. Jonathan added that the structural size of Nigeria also provided excuses in the past for those who abused the electoral process to perpetrate a regime of political corruption.

"These are areas we will have to look into as we move along, but we will certainly do better this time around, I can see," he declared.

Responding to questions on the rising wave of cyber crime, corruption, and the alleged decline in the current anti-corruption enforcement in the country, Mr. Jonathan admitted that cybercrime is now one of the major hinderances to foreign direct investment in Nigeria, a fact which he said has negatively contributed to "great moments of missed opportunities," but sought international understanding and media cooperation to engage with the difficult and challenging work of turning the country round.

Sighting the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu, in the crowd, the acting president put him on the spotlight by paying homage to and thanking the evidently embarrassed Mr. Ribadu for what he called the "aggressive battle under his tenure at the EFCC to bring the problem to a low level."

Mr. Jonathan said he has received a lot of calls on the problem of corruption in the country, but said it is important to respond to the matter more strategically. "It appears that EFCC is not aggressive enough these days, and people have asked me to look into that organisation, and I shall look into that organisation," he said, generating a warm applause from his audience.

Mr. Jonathan drew laughter from the hall when he said he would not make further promises on the power sector, but he said he will soon put in place a seven-man expert committee working under his direct supervision to confront the power problem in the country. The committee will work for an initial three months period to see if that vision is viable.

Emphasising that the Nigerian power problem required a "rapid and emergency turn around," the acting president whose trip was to attend the just concluded Nuclear Security Summit, also hinted that Nigeria has just signed a nuclear power cooperation agreement with the United States.

On the Niger Delta, Mr. Jonathan said current plans are moving from disarmament to rehabilitation of the 20,921 armed youths of the Delta, saying he looked to the future of reintegrating the youths back into the mainstream of society as major actors in the development of the country. "I hope institutions like the CGD will help work to see that the United Nations come up quickly with a treaty-based solution to the illicit traffic."

Mr. Jonathan exuded a generally optimistic tone about the future of Nigeria, showcasing the sterling strides of the local music industry, the fledging film industry, the nation's robust international roles in military peace missions, and its donor role to African manpower development, as evidences of a nation on the road to greatness.

He also spoke of his administration's commitment to female gender development with regards to female representation in public sector leadership.

Mr. Jonathan was accompanied on his trip by five governors from Edo, Rivers, Zamfara, Akwa Ibom, and Cross Rivers. In his company were also three ministers: Diezani Alison-Madueke [Petroleum]; Olusegun Aganga [Finance]; and Odein Ajumogobia (Foreign Affairs)

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/National/5554998-146/jonathan_insists_on_clean_election_.csp

A Maiduguri High Court, yesterday ordered the federal government, Borno State government and the Inspector General of Police, Ogbonnaya Onovo to pay N100 million as compensation to the family of late Baa Fagu.

Mr Fagu, who was the father in-law of the late leader of Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed on July 31, 2009 while in detention at the headquarters of the Borno Police Command. The applicant, Baba Fagu, the deceased’s son, had filed a suit against the respondents for the unlawful killing of his father. The sect leader, Mr Yusuf, was also killed while in police detention.

The presiding Judge, Mohammed Mustapha, in his judgment held that the detention and subsequent extra judicial murder of the deceased by the respondent (the Nigerian Police) just for being an in-law to the Boko Haram leader violated his right to life.

The murder, he added, also contravened the right of the deceased to fair hearing as stated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Mr Fagu was arrested and detained by the police after a round of violence broke out in Northern Nigeria in July 2009, when the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, called for the imposition of sharia law across the country while attacking security operatives.

According to the judge, the facts before the court prove that the applicant’s late father was detained by the agents of the respondents on the fateful day and was subsequently murdered while in their custody.

“It was illegal, unconstitutional and violated his right to life as protected by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the African Charter as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

``The killing of the applicant’s father did not only offend the Constitution, but also the sensibilities of human beings, decent and right thinking Nigerians. It is against everything that is decent. I don’t think even the Spanish inquisitors would have done worse than this brutal murder,” Mr Mustapha said.

The judge said that the court was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the applicant established without contradiction his entitlement for redress.

Proper burial

The Judge also ordered the respondents to exhume the corpse of the late Fagu wherever it was and release the body to his family for burial.

The respondents were equally ordered to jointly and severally apologise to the applicant for what the judge described as their ``reprehensive and unconstitutional’’ acts.

Mr Mustapha declared that public officials and their agents wherever they might be should be restrained from harassing or intimidating the applicant.

The applicant, Mr Fagu, welcomed the judgement, which he claimed proved that the judiciary was the last hope of the common man.

However, Counsel to the respondents, Usman Tattama, declined comment, saying he would notify his clients who will then decide on the next line of action.

The Spokesperson of the Nigerian Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu avoided reacting to the ruling, saying that “the force is yet to get the judgement and it will decide the next step to take once it get the full details of the ruling.”

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5554385-146/n100m_compensation_granted_in_boko_haram.csp

In comparison with 2009’s registration for the University Matriculation Examination (UME), relatively fewer candidates have registered for the first Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scheduled to hold this Saturday.

In a press conference held in Abuja yesterday, Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) the examination body that organizes the UTME, said a total of 1,375,642 candidates registered for the examination. This is lower than last year’s figure.

“In the last Universal Matriculation Examination (UME) conducted in 2009, a total of 1,182,381 candidates registered for the examination, while 342,957 registered for the Monotechnics, Polytechnics and Colleges Education Matriculation Examination (MPCEME), bringing the total number of candidates to, 1,525,338,” said Mr. Ojerinde. “The figure for the UTME shows a decrease of 149,696 candidates when compared to last year’s figure of 1,523,338.”

Mr. Ojerinde said 152 visually impaired candidates have registered for the examination, while 85 prison inmates from Kaduna and 36 inmates from Ikoyi, Lagos also registered.

He said that the examination will take place in 321 towns in Nigeria and 6 foreign centres: Accra, Ghana; Buea, Cameroon; Cotonou, Benin; Johannesburg, South Africa; Jedda, Saudi Arabia; and London, the United Kingdom.

A new kind of exam

The registrar explained that the UTME is unique because two examinations are combined into one and, at the end, candidates can make their choices for admission into six different institutions; two universities, two polytechnic and two colleges of education. This, he said, will help in breaking the dichotomy between university and polytechnic education.

In the past, one of the major problems in the conduct of the board’s matriculation examination has been the activities of a few of supervisors and invigilators who encouraged malpractice in examinations, Mr. Ojerinde said.

“The board is determined to ensure a credible and successful UTME by ensuring that all officials engaged in the conduct of the board’s examination are held culpable for any lapses during the examination and the full weight of the law is equally brought to bear on any indicted official,” he said.

He warned those who want to cheat that the names of any schools, supervisors, invigilators and JAMB staff found culpable of any unethical behaviour in the examination will be blacklisted and will be subjected to other forms of administrative disciplinary actions.

“The board blacklisted Omoku in Rivers State and Afroc International Secondary School Akwu-Achi,[and] Oji Local Government Area of Enugu State due to widespread cheating and those towns are not being used for this examination,” he said. However, examination towns in Okene, Kogi State, Nsukka, Enugu State, and Ife, Oyo State, that were de-listed for exam malpractice have been included this year following the cooperation of traditional rulers, heads of institution and the communities.

Stricter measures

Mr. Ojerinde also said that stricter security measures have been adopted to nip malpractice in the bud.

“More than 16,000 officers and men of the Nigeria Civil Security and Civil Defence Corps will be deployed to monitor the examination nationwide,” he said. “The board will equally engage the services of about 531 independent watch groups to monitor the examination.”

The groups will comprise school vice chancellors, rectors and provosts, officials of federal and state ministries of education; members of the governing board of JAMB, immediate past directors of the board and stakeholders in education and other observers.

The JAMB boss called for collaboration of all communities to ensure a hitch-free examination. He also appealed to the candidates to conduct themselves properly, while discouraging any political activities on that day which may hamper the smooth conduct of the examination.

Link:

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5554393-146/jamb_records_low_registration_for_utme.csp

The creature named Atiku Babangida is the strangest political animal of all ages. This creature is so strange that one ought to write about it in plural, being Siamese twins joined at the stomach by one of the deadliest sins of all known as gluttony. But the strange creature insists on being addressed in the singular because it is perennially in pursuit of one career: being the president of Nigeria. Not even in the magical realism novels of the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of the epochal One Hundred Years of Solitude, would you ever meet a character like Atiku Babangida, a very weird creature with two heads, two mouths, four eyes, four ears, four buttocks, four legs, two foreheads, but only sharing one stomach made very fat by corruption.

The contradictions issuing from the two mouths of Atiku Babangida over the years would have made for the best farce in the world, slapstick comedy of the most infantile staple, except that the creature wants to be taken dead serious. Like the curious amalgamation known as Nigeria, the creature under discussion is a cranky amalgam of big-for-nothing credentials, encompassing civil pretensions and martial crudity. If you are of the school that believes that one could not eat one’s cake and still have it, then you know-next-to nothing of this monster. In one breath, the beast claimed to be at one and the same time a military general and the country’s president. The creature made some strange noises about not just being in government but in power, whatever that means. The pathetic creature’s boast about being the master of violence hurt many ears, yet the odd fellow insists on now being elected as a democratic president! Come to think of it, this selfsame creature once annulled a free and fair election won by a human being and now hopes that anybody will accept an election that declares this monster the winner! Well, who can stop an evil virus from hoping against hope?


With its other mouth the creature uttered the nonsense that political harlotry is the very essence of democratic demagoguery and best practices. Like in the Nigerian Customs Service where bribery is the chief good, the creature acutely believes that suborning the due process is the only highway to democratic survival. It is not unlike the creature to be shouting “Power to the people” with the goons of the ruling party this moment only to change the very next moment into the toga of the Action Congress (AC). Before you can catch your breath the new song in its mouth is “Mega Party”, only for you to see it suddenly eating the vomit it left behind in the ruling party with a graceless return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)). That is the mark of shamelessness that defines this creature of no known ideology except chopping!

You can shout all you like about speaking with both sides of the mouth, but then our creature does have two mouths, and it is entitled to speak with both of them! And a mouth that eats its own vomit cannot but emit smelly things. The boasts of the past achievements, or lack thereof, of this creature can be spellbinding. The creature takes splendid credit for leading the country into the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in its first incarnation back in 1986. The fact that the surreptitious move nearly led ill-starred Nigeria to a religious war cuts no dice with this slapdash creature. In making its comeback this time around of Boko Haram and the Jos pogrom the creature may yet decree a theocratic state and expect a grandstanding applause. Of course the swashbuckling creature boasts of re-engineering Nigeria in its first jihadist journey, yet the Financial Times of London that it doted on like a sedulous ape dismissed the odd one after it stepped aside for taking a middle-ranking nation to the rock bottom of the world! For the dastardly creature death was the rule rather than the exception: name them, Dele Giwa, Mamman Vatsa, umpteen workers, unarmed students, and so on. It suffices to just celebrate the creature’s fat stomach as one large graveyard where the billions of petro-dollars earned via the Gulf War windfall were buried…

The other mouth, not wanting to be out-talked, instantly spoke up that it delivered the presidency on a platter of gold to ex-President Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, when the then poor fellow could not deliver his ward in Ota, Ogun State. Then the creature, sorry, its mouth, upped the ante by claiming that Nigeria has suffered ten years of wasted democracy but for the first three years in which the creep was a dominant participant. Mum was the word when issues were raised as per why corruption charges hang on to him as coat to tie or vice-versa!

The reality on the ground now is that the ruling PDP is saddled with Siamese-twin presidential candidates in the one strange creature named Atiku Babangida. Two heads may well be better than one, as the well-worn proverb says, but the great fear is that with the two mouths of fearsome corruption eating into one fat stomach of legendary corruption this may in fact turn out to be a clear case of sure kaput for the dear country. Let there be a sharp and sudden surgical operation!

Link:

http://www.saharareporters.com/news/5808-atiku-babangida.html