₦airaland Forum

Kandaha: The Law enforcement agencies alsways "Invite" Politicians to answer queries
That's will die down and disappear very soon. It would be swept under the carpert
Like others #Just saying tho.

na true u talk.None of these ex-govs accused of embezzlement and corrupt practices while in office has since been jailed even after found guilty.Instead,they have bcome political godfathers in their various states.May God rescue us from these tyrants whose their only mission is to bleed the nation economy to an anaemic state.

The Special Fraud Unit (SFU) of the Nigeria Police has
invited for questioning a former Governor of Kwara
State and serving Senator, Bukola Saraki. The Senator is to face detectives at the SFU Office at
Milverton Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, one week from today
on October 20. A source said that the invitation was based on facts
emerging from an unresolved fraud the former
Governor allegedly committed during his tenure in
office. He stated that SFU detectives headed by Compol
Tunde Ogunsakin, have already visited Kwara State
and Joy Petroleum Ltd, one of the companies
owned by the Senator. During their visit, the officers obtained new
information on how Saraki embezzled billions of
Naira during his tenure as Governor. Contacted, however, the Public Relations office of
the SFU declined to confirm the invitation sent to Mr Saraki claiming that today is saturday.
saharareporters.com/news-page/again-police-invite-senator-bukola-saraki

PRELIMINARY REPORT ON ACCIDENT INVOLVING ASSOCIATED AIRLINE EMBRAER 120 AIRCRAFT REGISTERED 5N-BJY WHICH OCCURRED AT MMA ON THURSDAY 3RD OCTOBER, 2013. The following information has been
determined from preliminary readout and
analysis of flight 361’s flight recorders. Flight
361 was equipped with both a COCKPIT VOICE
RECORDER and a FLIGHT DATA RECORDER. Both
recorders were replayed at the Accident Investigation Bureau’s recently acquired flight
recorder laboratory located in Abuja.
International flight recorder experts from
Canada who designed the laboratory assisted
the investigation team with the readout and
analysis process along with representatives from the aircraft manufacturer and aircraft
operator, Associated Airlines. We are
conducting the investigation in accordance
with the provisions of International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13, of
which Nigeria is a member State. The flight data recorder or FDR contained
approximately 47 hours of data in solid state
memory. The recorder downloaded without
issue. There were approximately 50
parameters recorded. A few parameters were
not working properly however we do not think, in this particular case, that it will hamper
the overall investigation. The cockpit voice recorder or CVR was an older
generation magnetic tape based device. The
CVR’s magnetic tape recording was removed
from the unit and replayed on an open reel 4
track tape deck specially adapted for replaying
CVR’s of this type. The CVR contained 32 and one half minutes of audio which included the
internal conversation of the two pilots, radio
calls and the overall aural environment in the
cockpit on the cockpit area microphone. The
CVR was of good quality and the team is in the
process of generating a complete transcript of all relevant information. The AIB plans to
release the transcript as part of its final report of
the accident however the actual recording is,
under international protocol, sensitive and
therefore privileged information and will not be
released at any time. The following represents information that has
been determined from our preliminary
assessment of both flight recorders: The crew discussed some concerns about the
aircraft prior to departure but at this time we
are not prepared to elaborate on those
concerns as there remains a lot of work to
complete on the CVR analysis in order to
determine the specific nature of the crew’s concerns. Associated 361 was cleared for take-off on
runway one eight left at Lagos international
airport. The wind was calm and weather is not
considered a factor in this accident.
Approximately 4 seconds after engine power
was advanced to commence the take-off roll, the crew received an automated warning from
the onboard computer voice which consisted
of three chimes followed by “Take-off Flaps…
Take-off Flaps”. This is a configuration
warning that suggests that the flaps were not
in the correct position for take-off and there is some evidence that the crew may have chosen
not to use flaps for the take-off. The warning
did not appear to come as any surprise to the
crew and they continued normally with the
take-off. This warning continues throughout
the take-off roll. As we are in the process of verifying the accuracy of the flight data, we
have not yet been able to confirm the actual
flap setting however we expect to determine
this in the fullness of time. It was determined from the CVR that the pilot
flying was the Captain and the pilot monitoring
and assisting was the First Officer. The ‘set power‘ call was made by the Captain
and the ‘power is set’ call was confirmed by the
First Officer as expected in normal operations.
Approximately 3 seconds after the ‘power is
set’ call, the First Officer noted that the aircraft
was moving slowly. Approximately 7 seconds after the ‘power is set’ call, the internal Aircraft
Voice warning system could be heard stating
‘Take off Flaps, Auto Feather’. Auto feather
refers to the pitch of the propeller blades. In
the feather position, the propeller does not
produce any thrust. The FDR contains several engine related parameters which the AIB is
studying. At this time, we can state that the
Right engine appears to be producing
considerably less thrust than the Left engine.
The left engine appeared to be working
normally. The aircraft automated voice continued to repeat ‘Take-off Flaps, Auto
Feather’. The physical examination of the wreckage
revealed that the right engine propeller was in
the feather position and the engine fire handle
was pulled/activated. The standard ‘eighty knots’ call was made by
the First Officer. The first evidence that the crew
indicated that there was a problem with the
take-off roll was immediately following the
‘eighty knots’ call. The First Officer asked if the
take-off should be abortedapproximately 12 seconds after the ‘eighty knots’ callout. Our
investigation team estimates the airspeed to be
approximately 95 knots. Airspeed was one of
the parameters that, while working in the
cockpit, appeared not to be working on the
Flight Data Recorder. We were able to estimate the speed based on the radar data that we
synchronized to the FDR and CVR but it is very
approximate because of this. In response to
the First Officer’s question to abort, the Captain
indicated that they should continue and they
continued the take-off roll. The crew did not make a ‘V1’ call or a Vr’ call. V1 is the speed at
which a decision to abort or continue a take-off
is made. Vr is the speed at which it is planned to
rotate the aircraft. Normally the non-flying pilot
calls both the V1 and the Vr speeds. When Vr is
called the flying pilot pulls back on the control column and the aircraft is rotated (pitched up)
to climb away from the runway. During the
rotation, the First Officer stated ‘gently’, which
we believe reflects concern that the aircraft is
not performing normally and therefore needs
to be rotated very gently so as not to aerodynamically stall the aircraft. The First Officer indicated that the aircraft was
not climbing and advised the Captain who was
flying not to stall the aircraft. Higher climb
angles can cause an aerodynamic stall. If the
aircraft is not producing enough overall thrust,
it is difficult or impossible to climb without the risk of an aerodynamic stall. Immediately after lift-off, the aircraft slowly
veered off the runway heading to the right and
was not climbing properly. This aircraft
behavior appears to have resulted in the Air
Traffic Controller asking Flight 361 if operation
was normal. Flight 361 never responded. Less than 10 seconds after rotation of the
aircraft to climb away from the runway, the stall
warning sounded in the cockpit and continued
to the end of the recording. The flight data
shows characteristics consistent with an
aerodynamic stall. 31 seconds after the stall warning was heard,
the aircraft impacted the ground in a nose
down near 90 degree right bank. The investigation is focussing on the following: 1) Mechanical and electronic engine control
issues related to the Right engine and Right
engine propeller systems. 2) Aural warnings related to auto-feather and
the flap settings required for takeoff. 3) Take-off configuration issues with respect
to flap settings. 4) Crew decision making and training with
respect to proceeding with the flight despite
concerns regarding the aircraft’s suitability for
flight. 5) When and how the number 2 engine fire
handle was pulled. 6) Standard operating procedures with
respect to continuing the take-off roll despite
continuous automated voice warnings of both
‘take-off flaps’ and ‘auto feather’ when there
was ample time to abort the take-off. 7) The airline management’s safety culture
fostered throughout the airline. We are in the process of developing a
comprehensive computer reconstruction of the
flight which will help our team understand the
sequence of events and will ultimately help us
communicate our findings to the aviation
community and the general public. At this time we have no urgent safety
recommendations. We will not wait for the final
report to issue safety recommendations should any issue arise that we feel needs immediate attention. thenationonlineng.net/new/full-preliminary-report-on-lagos-plane-crash/

South Africa uses cement for their major roads too.I leanrt Dangote wanted to construct cement road btw Lokoja and kabba some years back
The picture shown above does nt look like one,raw cement is spread on the surface followed by granite i think its nt the usual concrete.

And the action begins.Catch ya on dstv SELECTsport tommorrow,1.30pm.

The BETTER news be say SELECT(channel 233) dey show am.Super sport opens by 1.30pm but select na 1:55pm dem go open o!

Popular social network, Facebook is trashing a
privacy feature that enables users regulate who
can find them on the social network.
Facebook Inc. has said that it is removing a
setting that controls users’ visibility when their
names are typed in the website’s search bar. The management of Facebook says only a
single-digit percentage of the nearly 1.2 billion
people on its network were using the setting.
The change comes on the heels of building out
its search feature, which people often use to
find people they know — or want to know — on the site.
Facebook which is based in Menlo Park,
California, however says users can protect their
privacy by limiting the audience for each thing they post about themselves.
thenationonlineng.net/new/facebook-blocks-a-privacy-setting/

Mikel started with 'footstone' in a sandy field,he later progressed to play football in a sandy football field.He later transformed to play soccer in a football pitch.What a wonderful life story!

Beware!!!Boko Haram-trained Pilots mgt have been recruited to take over the local flights(caskets) in Lagos.

Records of Plane Crashes in Nigeria since 2011.

Chelsea star Mikel Obi has said he is unfazed by
reports the Eagles will play on a “bumpy” pitch
in Ethiopia in Sunday’s World Cup playoff. The Nigeria advance party to Ethiopia led by the
Nigeria Football Federation technical committee
chairman Chris Green has already warned the
players that they will play on a bumpy pitch at
the Addis Ababa National Stadium. However, Mikel has assured the Eagles will cope
with the poor pitch. “We have heard about the poor pitch, but that
should not stop us from qualifying for the
World Cup because most of us started on such
pitches,” Mikel told MTNFootball.com “Personally, I started my football on the streets
of Jos, playing with stones and rocks, and I
know the various injuries and problems we
suffered doing that. “I don’t have a problem with such a pitch as
long as it is not an artificial pitch. “Our focus is qualification for the World Cup
and so we hope to win on Sunday.” Fellow Eagles star, Victor Obinna Nsofor, also
told MTNFootball.com they are very much
aware of the difficult local conditions in
Ethiopia. The Lokomotiv Moscow striker, who was part
of the team who played out a 2-2 draw with
Ethiopia two years ago, insisted a sharp change
in weather, bumpy pitch and a partisan home
crowd will not affect them. “We are not taking the Ethiopians for granted,
we are aware of what we are going there to
face on Sunday. I played there in 2011 and I
know how bad the pitch was, we expect same
on Sunday,” Nsofor said. “The weather too wasn’t friendly and the fans
will be there to support their team. But we
know all these and they won’t affect us
because they are not strange to us. “We have prepared well for the game. We
believe in ourselves and God will crown our efforts."
thenationonlineng.net/new/mikel-unfazed-by-ethiopias-bumpy-pitch/

Akiika: I wish the guy the best!
Having said that, what can Nigerian hospitals treat? Reports confirmed that this guy walked out of the accident (i saw the picture), he was never in coma....so what could be that serious that any Nigerian hospital cannot treat?
One wonders what happens to millions of Nigerians that cannot afford oversea medical treatment when they get injured in avoidable accidents that resulted from greed and corruption of our public office holders.

Imagine if Late Agagu had developed the hospitals in Ondo to a good standard with the state money o (not his money)...i bet his son may not need to go abroad for treatment.

Will our present public office holders learn anything from this?

Remember Yar'Adua, upon all our money wasted abroad to treat him....he died.
Stella OBJ........she died.
Maryam IBB.......she died.
Gov' Suntai.....he remained disabled.
Recently Solomon Lar....he died.
e.t.c

It was the Son-in-law that walked out of the accident and not Feyi Agagu.Though,report says they were both flown abroad for further medical treatment.

Kairoseki77: His doctors probably recommended it.

For having been in Nigerian hospital for this while means the Agagus believe in our medical treatment and dat they are humble.Many people in his class wld have flown him out of the country immediately after the crash and the Agagus have the wherewithal to excute this without bleeking an eye.His father was a Billionaire,no controversy abt this.May God grant u a snappy recovery o.

Despite the claims by aero medical
experts last Friday that Feyi Agagu, a
survivor of the October 3, Lagos plane
crash and son of the late governor of
Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, was
responding well to treatment, he was yesterday flown abroad for better
medical attention, Daily Newswatch
has learnt. Besides Feyi, another survivor of the
air crash, simply identified as Akin, has
also been transferred abroad for
medical attention. The two survivors, who were
expected to travel have departed the
country Tuesday night, could not
make the trip because medical experts
could not until yesterday clear Feyi for
the almost five hours trip from Lagos. Sources also revealed that another
reason for the delay was the fact that
the doctors attending to them could
not get clearance from British Airways
for the trip. It was learnt that they were initially
billed to fly through an air ambulance
but the option was said to have been
dropped for a scheduled passenger
flight because of the horrible
experience the family had last Thursday. Daily Newswatch investigations
revealed that the two survivors
departed the country aboard a British
Airway flight yesterday. About five or
six medical experts accompanied the
patients on the flight, while details of the family members on the trip
remained very sketchy as at the press
time. The Director of Aero Medical Standard
at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA), Dr. (Mrs.) Teresa Bassey, in
response to journalists’ enquiries on
the state of health of Feyi and other
survivors of the crash, had told the media on Friday that “Feyi Agagu was
responding very well to treatment
and was doing well and talking with
friends and relations.” But reports later that day had it that
doctors at the Lagos State University
Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), battled to
save his life on Friday morning after a
relapse. He was moved from the surgical
emergency ward in LASUTH to the
more comfortable Bola Ahmed Tinubu
ward for a better chance of survival. Feyi and Akin were said to have
remained in the special intensive care
until yesterday when they were
prepared for the flight. Further investigations by Daily
Newswatch revealed that family
members and associates of the late
Agagu had requested that he and his
brother-in-law, Akin, should be
moved out of the country to where they would have access to better and
more sophisticated medical treatment
at Harvey Street Hospital, London. This, Daily Newswatch was told was
expected to have taken place on
Tuesday but because of the unstable
state of Feyi’s health, the flight was
rescheduled till yesterday when he
was moved to the Lagos airport at about 10 pm for the flight. To avoid suspicion from the members
of the public, family members on the
flight were given VIP clearance and
moved into the terminal at about 30 minutes to the departure time.
www.mydailynewswatchng.com/

Rest in Peace.You seemed to have tried ur best to make the nation better but instead,things get worsened.
The youths are nt employed,the females are into prostitution,the males engage themselves in nefarious activities,Lecturers are on strike,the Doctors have deserted the hospitals.
To our other leaders/rulers who re stil alive,it is high time u borrowed a new leaf and made the country great.As death is in Nigeria,the same death is evrywhr u intend to travel to in order to get better health facilities.

These old men dey use young blood to prolong their life.The monarch go spend hundreds years on earth for dat singular action.

Abuja – The National Association of
Resident Doctors (NARD) on Tuesday
said it would continue its indefinite
strike until its demands were met by
the Federal Government. The President of the association, Dr
Jibril Abdullahi, said this in Abuja
when he briefed newsmen on the
outcome of its National Executive
Council (NEC) meeting on Monday. The meeting reviewed the ongoing
nationwide strike by the association
which commenced on Oct. 1. Abdullahi said that NEC, at the end of
the meeting, demanded the immediate
payment of outstanding salaries and
allowances of its members. He said NEC also demanded the release
and implementation of the
stakeholders’ agreement on residency
training programme. “We are not unmindful of the financial
doldrums the country is facing. If you
bring forth the document, we will sit
down and look at the financial
implication and we discuss. “On the average, we spend
N120billion annually on medical
tourism. This is a colossal drain on the
economy and you cannot reduce this
until you strategise and develop the
health care system. “You can do that when you train the
doctors and other health workers very
well”, he said. He said that the blueprint for residency
training would help to avoid
misunderstanding at different levels of
implementation. According to him, it will also help in
minimising acrimony and industrial
disharmony between resident doctors
and hospitals management. The doctors went on strike over the
non-payment of arrears of salaries of
some doctors for over four months by
the Integrated Personnel and Payroll
Information System (IPPIS). They are also demanding the training
and retraining of resident doctors. Abdullahi said the NEC also gave the
Federal Government a four-week
ultimatum to investigate alleged
victimisation of its members at the
Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. He said the NEC also demanded the
implementation of the Consolidated
Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) at
the Enugu State University Teaching
Hospital www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/going-back-strike-resident-doctors/

Osogbo – Justice Oyejide Falola of the
Osun State High Court sitting in Ikirun
on Tuesday discharged and acquitted
the Alowa of Ilowa-Ijesa, Oba
Adebukola Alli, over a charge of
raping an NYSC member. Delivering judgment, Falola said that
the plaintiff, Miss Helen Okpara, failed
to tender enough exhibits to convince
the court beyond reasonable doubt
that she was raped by the monarch. The judge also held that the plaintiff,
who accused the monarch of raping
her at his private residence in Osogbo,
failed to prove that she was raped. He said a case of rape could only be
established with exhibits such as bed
sheet, the victim’s pant and a medical
report indicating forceful penetration,
adding that the prosecutor failed to
tender all these. Falola said Okpara also failed to show
the bruises on her private part as
evidence that she was raped. He further said the prosecutor failed to
show to the court the plaintiff’s torn
clothes as she had claimed in her
submissions before the court. While stressing that a case of rape
must be proved with injuries sustained
on the private part as well as other
parts of the body, Falola said the court
was not convinced that Okpara
sustained any injury. Falola said the court was able to
establish the fact that Okpara and the
monarch had been having regular
sexual relationship before a
misunderstanding ensued between
them. He, however, condemned such
relationship involving a traditional
ruler, saying his action had brought
his stool into disrepute as well as
disgrace to his family and community. But Mr Femi Adedokun, the counsel to
both Okpara and the state
government, said he would seek
advice from the Attorney-General and
Commissioner for Justice before
considering appealing the judgment. On his part, the defence counsel, Mr
Taofeeq Tewogbade, commended the
judgment, describing it as “God’s
judgment which came at the
appointed time.’’ The case had been ongoing for almost
three years before Tuesday’s
judgment. (NAN) http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/10/rape-nysc-member-court-frees-osun-monarch/

AAA-Ademola Adeniji Adele
LND-Ebute-meta(Lagos mainland)
Ktu-Ikotun(Alimosho)

The topic shd read '3-day fasting' and nt '3-days fasting' as written here.
The first paragraph:it is either 3-day fasting or 3 days of fasting.Op,pls note this or correct me in case i am wrong.Thks!

Jenifer's secret love is allegedly for an
aide to former Ogun State Governor,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Jenifer is said
to be deeply in love with the new
found man. According to the magazine: Funke Akindele went the extra mile
recently by procuring a Honda car for
the lucky Bode, who was though an
aide to former governor, but not as
rich to have procured a car for
himself. The love for Bode has totally overwhelmed Funke as she is so in
fun and proud of the new found love. If Funke is richer than Bode as
reported by our source, definitely, the
star actress must have learnt how to
love and love indeed having suffered
a setback in his first marriage to a
ready-made rich polygamous man. Well, we wish Funke all the best in
whatever she decides. m.naij.com/news/48889.html?short

Doctor,this ur gesture is laudable.Please,what are differences between Dermatitis,Eczema and pityriasis vesicolor.I think they are all skin diseases.Kindly use the terms i can understand.

segzyj: http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/10/03/agagus-burial-will-hold-friday-ondo-pdp/

I learnt the late governor's wife consented to continuing the burial ceremony as planned after she had spoken with her son and confirmed the son is alive.But me thinks those people who have lost their lives in the ill-fated plane shd also be given some respect by witholding the ceremony for now to mourn and honor them.And shd it be the PDP in Ondo state dat wld announce the continuation of the burial the ondo state govt has taken over and has not made any official statement concerning it.Nigerians,i hp u are now witnessing a highest level of self-centredness on one part and politicising on the other.
Anyway,may God console the families of the bereaved.

Jonathan is at the top of the situation.

An Associated Airline jet was carrying
seven crew and 20 passengers
heading to Akure, Ondo state for the
burial of former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Agagu, who passed away September 13, 2013. Agagu's family members and Ondo
state officials were in the plane. Two
of Agagu's children, a son and a
daughter, did not survive. However,
ex-governor's wife was not in the
plane crash; she and Agagu's brother, Femi, arrived Akure earlier in a
separate flight. On board the ill-fated aircraft were
also Agagu's only son, Feyi, the Commissioner for Culture and
Tourism, Mr Deji Falae and a staff in the Protocol Department of the
Governor's office, Mr Layi Daji. Also on board were MrTunji Okusanja Jr and his father, Tunji Okusanja. However, while Okusanja senior is
said to have sustained injuries and
unconscious, his son is believed to
have been among those who died.
The Okusanja family owns the MIC
Caskets, a popular funeral undertakers in Lagos Island. An
employee of MIC Caskets, identified as Chijioke, was also among the perished. The management of
the Lagos State
University Teaching
Hospital (LASUTH) has
released the names of some survivors
and dead persons: 1. Agagu Feyi - Survivor 2. Akintunde Taiwo - Survivor 3. Akintunde Akeem - Survivor 4. Akinsanya Femi - Survivor 5. Unknown male - Survivor 6. Chijioke Duru - Dead 7. Unknown male adult - Dead The jet was also
conveying the corpse
of Agagu. The casket
carrying his corpse was found intact
in the rubble of plane. However, it
failed to open after all efforts by the rescue teams. It has now been moved
to the Air Force Base close to the
airport. While the plane was about to leave
the Lagos airport, Ondo State
government officials, including
Governor Olusegun Mimiko, as well as other members of Agagu's family
gathered at the Akure airport waiting
for the corpse of the former governor.
They have moved to the Ondo
government house after hearing of
the tragedy.

The news reaching us confirmed dat Dr Olusegun Agagu body has been retrieved from the plane crash dat occured this morning in LaGOS.
My condolence message goes to the families of those people who have lost their lives in the ill-fated aircraft.May their souls rest in perfect peace.

And mimiko is 59 today.Sycophants have congratulated him on the pages of newspapers toady.The same day his commisioners and som members of his cabinet got involved in a plane crash.I hp people wil nt accuse him of using the lives of these pple to prolong his life.Black people with fetish thoughts.

This is my own take on the survival story.E be like say agagu de vex.Na de same set of people wey collect power from hin hand wan bury am.Dem com enter plane wit am,the guy com vex,he crashed the plane and saved his son.Dead body dey take revenge o.My people,make u no enter vehicle wit the dead body of the person u don offend before o,maybe u don snatch hin girlfriend,u don collect hin contract etc.Half a word dey enof for the wise o.U offend me,i agagulise u even in dead.

emk4lif: They were always 7 although 5 northern govs were doing the gallivanting, amaechi and the kwara gov were on the sidelines

Ok.It means 7 govs are gallivanting now and other would-be five(5) nPDP Govs are on the sidelines and may eventually come out.I vehemently believe dat everything stil boils down on selfishness/self-centredness on the part of our president and the aggreived governors.Anyway,time wil tell,Nigerians are enjoying the political 'soap opera' as it is being staged in episodes.

emk4lif: For goodness sake even a retard can see this is a shamefaced propanganda gimmick,they've been making this claims for a while without any one supposedly joining them....they are just desperate because of what appears to be the president's lack of interest in further negotiations with them hence why they called off d meeting supposedly due to 'hajj'.....their numbers remain 7 with only prolly kebbi gov who has remained neutral who could join em

The aggrieved govs were known to be 5 before bt the number later rose to seven(7).Now thr cld b an iota of truth from their claim,lets wait and see.

This indicates the party has been divided into two equal halves.12 govs in NewPDP+12 Govs in Tukur/Jonathan PDP=24 PDP Govs.Nigerians are watching as the drama continue to unfold.

The breakaway faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday claimed that its membership has swelled with the decamping of five more governors of the ruling party to the group. Although the splinter PDP did not name the five governors that had joined it, if the claim is correct, it would bring the number of governors in its fold to 12.
The New PDP said the new governors
would join them at their meeting on the next adjourned date slated to hold after the Eid-el-Kabir holiday. Last night, THISDAY was privy to the names of the five governors, but would publish their names when they actually attend the meeting. Currently, the New PDP boasts seven governors. They are Governors Rabiu Musa Kwanakwanso (Kano), Ahmed Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) The seven governors and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, alongside some party stalwarts, had on August 31 stormed out of the special national convention of the PDP in Abuja to form the New PDP. Also, the faction confirmed that the Monday, October 7 meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the seven aggrieved governors would not hold. This is as a result of the Salah holiday, which comes up next week. The president and the governors, had at their last meeting on September 15, agreed to adjourn the next peace meeting to October 7.
But the seven governors are said to be seeking an adjournment on the grounds that some of them will be travelling to Saudi Arabia to observe the Muslim pilgrimage. In a statement, signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction said it had sent an emissary to the president seeking a postponement of the reconciliation meeting billed for October 7. The statement said: “This decision was taken last night during the caucus meeting of the New PDP held at the Adamawa State Government Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, during which it was discovered that the date of the proposed peace meeting clashes with this year’s Hajj, in which several of our key members are billed to participate. “Our National Chairman, Alhaji Baraje,
and most of our other key members, including most of the G7 governors and the five other governors that have indicated interest to join us by next week, as well as members of the National Assembly, former governors, and business moguls, are billed to perform the Hajj, which is already in operation. “Alhaji Baraje, the progressive governors and other stakeholders performing the Hajj have been mandated to use the opportunity offered by the Holy pilgrimage to pray for the restoration of peace and unity in our great party, PDP, as well as in our dear country, Nigeria.” The group also called off its meeting earlier slated for October 5 because of the Hajj.
The faction reassured its supporters and Nigerians of its commitment towards bringing back the glorious days of PDP. It further apologised to the president for the postponement, saying, “We sincerely regret the inconvenience(s) in any form this may cause our beloved president, party faithful and Nigerians, as praying to our God should be the utmost for us, particularly now knowing very well that with God the elusive peace in our party and country can be achieved.” However, the mainstream PDP appeared to be ignorant of the postponement of the October 7 meeting yesterday.
Speaking on the crisis that has polarised the party, the National Publicity Secretary of the mainstream PDP, Olisa Metuh said that the party was already engaged in a reconciliation agenda. “We are already engaged in a reconciliation agenda as espoused by the National Chairman (Bamanga Tukur), when he came to the office and we have been touring the country and doing it. “We discussed the efforts and how we can continue. We mentioned our aggrieved brothers and we have left it for the meeting of October 7 to know how best to handle it. “The National Working Committee (NWC) met and we hope that we will be able to achieve full reconciliation with our aggrieved brothers, but this party is bigger than any person or any group and PDP will survive all interests. “This is a national party, the custodians of the party’s administration are ready and capable to handle all matters that affect this party after the peace meeting,” Metuh
said. Meanwhile, the Niger State governor yesterday accused the presidency of using money to induce people to foment trouble in his state. Aliyu, who made this know in Minna yesterday the launch and distribution
of 50 Toyota Hiace buses to the 25 local government areas under the SURE-P mass transit scheme, said some people from the state have been travelling to Abuja to collect money to make the state ungovernable. “We heard that some disgruntled elements in Niger are running to Abuja to collect money, they should go and collect their share. “Those who are thinking that they can cause problems in Niger because they have collected money from Abuja, we are ready and waiting for them both democratically and security wise,” he said. The governor blamed the prolonged crisis within the party for creating avenues for opportunists to want to make money out of the crisis. “We know that in any struggle or negotiation, when it is prolonged, people begin to capitalise on it and use it as a money making venture.”
Aliyu stressed that the reason the aggrieved governors walked away from the mainstream PDP was because they felt the party should not be run like a personal estate. He added that as long as the PDP was not democratic, Nigeria would not be democratic, stating, “If PDP is thriving, Nigeria will reap the rewards and if PDP is democratic, Nigeria will be democratic.” Aliyu thanked the state PDP for standing by him and believing in the struggle for a better PDP. www.thisdaylive.com/articles/new-pdp-five-more-govs-have-joined-us/160555/