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Monday, March 31, 2014

Breaking news: Court orders 37 defected PDP House of Reps members to resign

  Following the suit instituted In January 2014,against the 37 PDP House of Representatives members who defected to APC in December 2013 by the PDP. The lawmakers have been ordered to vacate their seats and the House.


Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja gave the order today while delivering judgment in a suit filed against the defected lawmakers by the PDP. The judge said the lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally in the Assembly and so should resign.

"Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform. It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP.
“The defendants are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives. An order of perpetual injunction is, hereby, ordered, restraining them from altering or attempting to change the leadership of the House of Reps,” Justice Ademola said.

Breaking news: Fuel Scarcity May last till April.

 The fuel scarcity that has lasted for the past one month in the country may not improve until the middle or end of April as many marketers are currently finding it difficult to finance the import allocations they recently got from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

It was gathered on Sunday that a significant number of the independent marketers, who got import allocations from the PPPRA, were finding it difficult to finance them as banks had refused to raise Letters of Credit for them.

Though the Federal Government still owes the marketers substantial subsidy claims, many of those affected, who are considered small, are said to lack the financial muscle to attract more loans from the banks without paying what they currently owe.

“The marketers are facing financial challenges because they are finding it difficult to finance their import allocations. The supply situation may not improve until the middle of April; and if care is not taken, it may last till the end of April,” an industry source, who asked not to be named, said.

The country’s daily petrol consumption currently stands at 35 million litres, but since fuel scarcity began last month, the market has been under supplied. As such, there has been cyclical shortage as the supply has failed to meet the demand.

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, who spoke with correspondents on Sunday, said it was true that the Federal Government owed the marketers huge subsidy claims.

“For us as majors, it is not totally true that we are facing financial constraints towards importing petroleum products, but for some smaller marketers, this may be true and that is why it is important for the government to pay subsidy claims as and when due,” he said.

Already, fuel depots have increased the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from N87.70k per litre to over N100.

We monitored the situation in Lagos over the weekend, and found out that petrol, which the marketers normally buy for
N87.70k per litre, was being sold for over N100 across different depots.

guess who is back???!!

 I know it was rude of me, to go off air without informing you my beloved readers. And for that, iam deeply sorry for all of that. I'v been so busy planning for my traditional wedding that would be coming up few days after easter(yea,Halleluya somebody??!!!), my dear it isn't easy(LoL)...I pray that everything would go on smoothly and successfully.
Still am so so sorry for abandoning you guys,please accept my apology,I promise By His grace it won't happen again. I really miss you guys.
So.... A lot has been in the news lately,the National conference is still ongoing,the new CBN Chairman has been screened and aproved and the recent,SSS has confirms 21 deaths after jailbreak by Boko Haram Men.

So back to you,how have you been,how's work,business,family,friends and life in general...hope you doing great. Whatever the case maybe, never stop believing and dreaming.
Least I forget,today is the last day of the month,how many of you have received the Almighty Alert????

Friday, March 21, 2014

Boko Haram writes To Nigerian Army, Threatens To Attack Maiduguri Barracks

 Seems we haven't heard the last of this sect despite the military closing in on them,I don't know if this is just a bluff or they actually serious. But then it takes people with gut to challenge/threaten the Military.

The members of the Boko Haram Sect have written to the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army threatening to attack Maimalari Barracks on Friday (today).

Investigations revealed that security had been beefed up in the Maimalari Barracks which has the Headquarters of the 7th Infantry Division of the Artillery Corps, the Ordinance, the Signal and other crucial units of the Army in Maiduguri.

It was gathered that while security agents saw the letter as a ploy to instill fear into security operatives, all efforts were being made to ward off any attack on the foremost military formation in the North-East.

A source said that the insurgents might have compelled one of the drivers to get the letter to the military of their plan to attack the barracks.

The source said that the letter was written in Hausa Language.

“Yesterday, the Boko Haram sect wrote that they would attack the Maimalari Barracks. They wrote the letter in Hausa Language to give the notification of their coming.

“However, security operatives are praying for them to come to the barracks. The barracks is the biggest; it is the cantonment in Maiduguri.

“The barracks accommodates, the 7th Infantry Division, the Artillery, Ordinance, Engineering, Signal and other corps.

“People are even surprised how they got the letter to the barracks; one cannot rule out intimidation of one of the drivers to get the letter to the barracks.

“Soldiers are on the red alert. There are many soldiers there who are waiting for the attack. Soldiers are battle ready,” the source said.

The current threat is coming barely after the Boko Haram sect launched an attack on Giwa Barracks, the Headquarters of the 21 Artillery Brigade on March 15, 2014.

Authoritative military sources said that over 350 insurgents were killed in that attack while some soldiers were injured. A soldier was also said to have lost four children to the attack.

It was also gathered that the Special Forces had taken over the Gwoza Hills believed to be one of the strongest hideouts of the sect in the North-East.

Investigations revealed that the Special Forces stormed the Gwoza Hills and killed several insurgents in a combined operation with the men of the Nigerian Air Force on Wednesday.

The source said that a soldier was killed in the attack while some others were injured.

“Gwoza Hills is one of their strong points. The Boko Haram took over the entire place before the battle but soldiers have taken over the place and have captured some of their arms and ammunition.

“That place is one of their main operational bases; corpses are smelling there. It is a joint operation involving the Air Force and others.

“The insurgents hide under the hills to launch attacks. It takes over three hours to climb to the top of the hills in some cases. The hills are massive,” the source said.


When the Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade was contacted, he asked to be called back as he was in a place where it was not possible for him to give a comment as of the time of filing this story.













Thursday, March 20, 2014

BE THE FIRST TO GET THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 WITH FREE DATA IN NIGERIA

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is coming to Nigeria earlier than we imagined. Everyone one is talking about it, everyone wants to have it, it may perhaps be one of the most anticipated smartphones from device giants Samsung.



Samsung has a history of firsts and the S5 tops more charts. Photographers will salute its excellent camera boasting a 16MP shooter with a super-fast auto focus and support for selective focus and HDR modes. Internet gurus will be in awe over its super-fast internet connectivity that combines the 5th generation WiFi and the 4G LTE to give users an unrivaled download speed. And fitness geeks will better appreciate the upgraded S Health app complete with a pedometer and an in-built heart monitor.



Thanks to Nigeria’s Largest Online Mall, Konga.com, everyone that preorders the Samsung Galaxy S5 Here will get 250mb data courtesy Etisalat!


One thing is certain: the Samsung S5 is a dream phone and thanks to Konga you can be one of the first to use it in Nigeria.



Do you want to be the first to own a Samsung Galaxy S5? Pre-order on Konga.com here---à http://www.konga.com/s5preorder. You can read more about the features of the Samsung Galaxy S5 here, and check out other new smartphones here.

Boko Haram: " Its an insult on Islam to categorise Members of the Boko Haram sect as Muslims" - Gov. Kashim Shettima

 Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has said it is an insult on Islam to categorise members of the Boko Haram sect as Muslims.

He made this known while speaking with a news correspondent in Washington DC , United States yesterday,he also said that the insurgents have degenerated into a cult and resorted into extortions and kidnappings to fund their activities.

In his words : “I am strongly of the opinion that the Boko Haram which has degenerated more into a cult, because I believe it’s an insult, am a Muslim, it is an insult on the religion of Islam to categorise them as Muslims.


Source: NAN

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

APC National Convention Holds May 24

 The All Progressives Congress, APC, has fixed May 24 for its first National Convention. The party also stated that its Ward Congresses will hold on April 5, Local Government Congress on the April 12, and State Congress on April 23.

The dates were announced via a communiqué of the 9th meeting of the party’s Interim National Executive Committee, NEC, which held at its National Secretariat Abuja on Tuesday.

The communiqué also stated that the party’s interim NEC has commiserated with the families of the people who died on Saturday at several venues of the job test by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS.

The party also extended its sympathy and prayers to those who were injured in the stampede, and wished them a speedy recovery.

“The needless deaths of our youth, which resulted from a combination of exploitation, corruption, greed and incompetence of the relevant authorities, represent a needless violation of their right to life and dignity. Out of sheer greed, 1,000 Naira each was collected from the over 770,000 unemployed applicants shortlisted,” it said.

APC National Convention Holds May 24

 The All Progressives Congress, APC, has fixed May 24 for its first National Convention. The party also stated that its Ward Congresses will hold on April 5, Local Government Congress on the April 12, and State Congress on April 23.

The dates were announced via a communiqué of the 9th meeting of the party’s Interim National Executive Committee, NEC, which held at its National Secretariat Abuja on Tuesday.

The communiqué also stated that the party’s interim NEC has commiserated with the families of the people who died on Saturday at several venues of the job test by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS.

The party also extended its sympathy and prayers to those who were injured in the stampede, and wished them a speedy recovery.

“The needless deaths of our youth, which resulted from a combination of exploitation, corruption, greed and incompetence of the relevant authorities, represent a needless violation of their right to life and dignity. Out of sheer greed, 1,000 Naira each was collected from the over 770,000 unemployed applicants shortlisted,” it said.

NIS update

 President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly ordered embattled Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, to refund the N1,000 application fee collected from job seekers .....great news if you  ask me.

In another news, President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that three employment slots be reserved for the families of those who died during the stampede that occurred during the recruitment exercise conducted by the Nigerian Immigration Service on Saturday nationwide.

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Wednesday at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting which was devoted to the incident.

He said one of the three beneficiaries must be a lady.

Jonathan also directed that all those who sustained injuries and are currently hospitalised be given automatic employment in the service.

While ordering that the ill-fated exercise be cancelled, the President set up a committee led by the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, to conduct a fresh exercise.

The committee has the Comptroller-General of NIS as well as representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the heads of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Coprs, Nigerian Prisons Service, State Security Service and the Federal Road Safety Commission as members.

Source:Punch

Plans to Remove Petrol And Kerosene Subsidy underway—Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke

 The Federal Government may have concluded plans to stop subsidising the consumption of petroleum products in the country, especially petrol and kerosene following increasingly dwindling revenue.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, gave the clearest hint yet of the planned removal of subsidies on both products by the Federal Government on Tuesday at the ongoing Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja.

She said that the subsidies being paid to the marketers by the Federal Government on imported Premium Motor Spirit and kerosene were no longer sustainable, prompting analysts to say the days of the petrol and kerosene subsidy regime might soon be over.

Alison-Madueke stated that the reform already being implemented in the power sector should be taken to the downstream oil subsector, stressing that the negative impact of continued regulation of the sector outweighed the positive impact.

She said, “The continued regulation of the downstream sector has its positive and negative impacts on the economy. But the negative effect is more than the positive. The subsidy policy cannot be sustained any longer.

“This is because the subsidy payment is not benefiting the poor it is targeting; rather, it is benefiting the rich. The industry needs to move to next level by increasing revenue and curbing oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

“Without be labouring the point, we are all aware that the government has to deregulate the downstream sector.

Continuing regulation, we all are aware, has negative effects. It is basically unsustainable, it discourages investment, and principally, it benefits the rich, not the masses in the society that we intend to reach in the first place.

“This means that deregulation is the only way in which capital investment can be encouraged. It can give employment opportunities. At the same time, we are all aware that in a democratic polity, there has to be a balance between different policies and directives of government and the needs and desires of the people of Nigeria at all times.”

If the subsidies on both products are removed, the consumers will be paying a minimum of N144.66 for a litre of petrol against the official regulated price of N97. The N144.66 is the landing cost of the product and the distribution margins as contained in the pricing template prepared by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency for the month of March.

For kerosene, consumers will have to pay N154.36 per litre, which comprises the landing cost of N138.87 and distribution margins of N15.49, instead of the official pump price of N50.

This is the first time in recent times that a top official will provide an insight into government’s thinking on the subject of subsidy removal though there have been official denials that nothing like that is in the offing.

BokoHaram: Nigeria and Five Other Countries Sign Deal to Tackle insurgency


In a bid to end the Boko Haram Menace in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Nigeria has entered into agreement with France and four of its neighbours to increase the level of coordination and exchange of intelligence as well as hold regular meetings of experts with a view to containing the menace.

The Republic of Benin, Cameroon, France, Chad and Niger also agreed with Nigeria to ensure effective policing of common borders to avoid the infiltration of terrorists and other criminals as well as the repatriation of suspects in conformity with existing protocols.

These are some of the recommendations made by the Directors-General of External Intelligence Services of the six countries, who met in Abuja on March 5.

Source: NAN

National Confab: Delegates Demand more Money

 Barely a week into the National Conference, some delegates are already coming up with creative ways to demand more money from the Federal government.

According to a report by PUNCH, some of the delegates held an informal meeting shortly after their inauguration by President Goodluck Jonathan where the welfare of their aides was discussed. The delegates wanted the federal government to pay for their aides.

While some delegates at the informal meeting said that the issue of extra allowance for aides be raised during plenary,a few of them were said to have disagreed.

One of the delegate who was interested in pushing for the extra allowance is said to have given an example of the members of the National Assembly whose aides he said, were being paid by the Federal Government.

At the inaugural sitting,Mrs. Valeria Azinge, conference secretary had told delegates that there was no provision for personal aides. She had also told them that the Federal Government had monetised their accommodation, transportation and sitting allowances.

Each of the delegates are to receive N12m for the three months exercise plus a free lunch at the conference venue.

Meanwhile,NBA Chairman Mr Olisa Agbakoba(SAN) and Pastor Tunde Bakare has declined collecting any form of payment from the ongoing National Conference,describing the conference as a call to service and charting new course for our country....now that's what I call true patriotism. Come to think of it, is N12m not too much???? Just asking sha#lipsealed

Credit:NAN

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

National Confab: NANS Calls for Monthly Allowance for Unemployed Graduates

 The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, said on Monday it would push for passage of the bill mandating the Federal Government to pay monthly allowance to unemployed graduates.

The NANS President, Yinka Gbadebo, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday that the allowance would cushion the hardship faced by the graduates, adding that unemployment was largely responsible for the insecurity in the country.
Mr. Gbadebo, who is representing the students at the conference, said crime would reduce in Nigeria once job opportunities became available.
“Tertiary institutions are churning out thousands of graduates every year without the necessary atmosphere to gainfully get them employed.

“We are going to revisit that bill that was unwholesomely thrown out by the National Assembly, the bill that recommends that every (unemployed) graduate of every tertiary institution must be paid a particular stipend every month by government.

“It is very key because the rate of unemployment today is the albatross; for the fact that we are having insurgencies here and there, we are having criminal activities here and there.

“If people are gainfully employed, they won’t be involved in all those things.

“And if as a government you are responsible to your people in making sure that you give them social insurance, the rate of crime will be reduced,” he said.

The unionist said the association would present to the conference issues concerning incessant strikes by university teachers.

According to him, the passage of a Nigerian student union bill to check impunity in tertiary institutions will also be put on the front burner by the students at the conference.
Mr. Gbadebo added that NANS would also demand that Nigerian students in tertiary institutions be given access to interest-free loans for those who cannot afford the exorbitant rate charged by some schools.
He expressed optimism that the conference would help chart a new course for the peace and unity of the country.


Culled from NAN

Meanwhile,I quite agree with the NANS president,what do you think?

National Confab: NANS Calls for Monthly Allowance for Unemployed Graduates

 The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, said on Monday it would push for passage of the bill mandating the Federal Government to pay monthly allowance to unemployed graduates.

The NANS President, Yinka Gbadebo, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday that the allowance would cushion the hardship faced by the graduates, adding that unemployment was largely responsible for the insecurity in the country.
Mr. Gbadebo, who is representing the students at the conference, said crime would reduce in Nigeria once job opportunities became available.
“Tertiary institutions are churning out thousands of graduates every year without the necessary atmosphere to gainfully get them employed.

“We are going to revisit that bill that was unwholesomely thrown out by the National Assembly, the bill that recommends that every (unemployed) graduate of every tertiary institution must be paid a particular stipend every month by government.

“It is very key because the rate of unemployment today is the albatross; for the fact that we are having insurgencies here and there, we are having criminal activities here and there.

“If people are gainfully employed, they won’t be involved in all those things.

“And if as a government you are responsible to your people in making sure that you give them social insurance, the rate of crime will be reduced,” he said.

The unionist said the association would present to the conference issues concerning incessant strikes by university teachers.

According to him, the passage of a Nigerian student union bill to check impunity in tertiary institutions will also be put on the front burner by the students at the conference.
Mr. Gbadebo added that NANS would also demand that Nigerian students in tertiary institutions be given access to interest-free loans for those who cannot afford the exorbitant rate charged by some schools.
He expressed optimism that the conference would help chart a new course for the peace and unity of the country.


Culled from NAN

Meanwhile,I quite agree with the NANS president,what do you think?

Revealed: N7Bn Realised From immigration Applicants Fee plus 4316 Of 4556 Immigration Jobs Shared To Govs, Lawmakers

 While thousands of unemployed Nigerians filed out to the various centres of the Nigeria Immigration Service recruitment with the hope of sitting for the recruitment examination and securing a job at the end, the same job they were out there struggling for that eventually led to the death of at least 19 of them, with several critically injured had already been allocated to well connected politicians, including state governors and federal lawmakers.

According to a finding by Daily Trust, only 240 of the 4,556 slots at the Nigerian Immigration Service remained for the 522,6752 “ordinary” applicants who trooped to the test centres on Saturday.

The Immigration Service had said a total of 522,652 applicants turned up at the venues spread around the country, battling for 4,556 jobs.

A source briefed about the recruitment process, which is being handled by the Board of Immigration, Customs and Prisons, told Daily Trust that among those who were already allocated job slots are governors, senators, House of Representatives members and ministers.


Another source from one of the top anti-corruption agencies said the money collected from all the applicants amounted to about N7 billion.

“Look, each applicant paid N1,000. From the record 7 million applied, so they generated about N7 billion,” he said.

When contacted, spokesman for the Immigration Service Mr. Chukwuemeka Obuah said he was not aware of sharing of the job slots, as the recruitment process was not even handled by the service itself.

In his words ...“I don’t know about that, I don’t know about the issue of slots. The issue of this recruitment exercise was undertaken by the board, the Nigerian Immigration Service did not operate the board,” Obuah said.

“What I know is that Nigerians lost their lives and it is tragic and unfortunate.”

Effort to get Senate’s position on this was not successful as chairman of the Senate Interior Committee Atiku Bagudu did not answer his phone calls.

But the House of Representatives Interior Committee said if National Assembly members were given any allocation of job slots, they were entitled to them.

Committee chairman Rep Umar Bature (PDP, Sokoto) told Daily Trust by telephone yesterday: “People can say whatever they want to say. The National Assembly members are members of the public. So if they are given slots, I think they are entitled to it. But that is the issue that we would look at when we meet with the Senate committee. But I think we should not be looking at the scapegoat,” he said.

He said the committee would investigate to find out causes of the incident.
On the criticism over monies collected from applicants, Bature defended the Immigration Service, saying all agencies routinely collect application form fees from job seekers.



Meanwhile, criticism has continued to trail the deaths of jobseekers on Saturday, with individuals and groups calling for the sack and prosecution of the Interior Minister Abba Moro as well as the Controller General of Immigration David Parradang.

COEASU Strike Continues as ENEC Meeting Ends in Deadlock

  COEASU Strike which has been ongoing for 3 months now seems not to be coming to an end as the lectures in Nigeria’s Colleges of Education are set to continue with the strike as an Expanded National Executive Council, ENEC, meeting held on Saturday ended in deadlock. Meanwhile COEASU is an acronym for College of Education Academic Staff Union.

According to report, the ENEC meeting was held at the Niger State Collage of Education, Minna.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of COEASU at the College of Education, Zuba, Abuja, Ahmed Bazza, told reporters that the lecturers resolved to continue with the strike.

“The union has resolved to continue the strike action due to the failure of government to address the issues in contention as earlier stated,” Mr. Ahmed said.

The COEASU Strike commenced on December 18, 2013 after several failed meetings with government representatives with the aim of achieving proper funding of the colleges and adequate welfare for lecturers.



Source: PREMIUM TIMES



Inbtw: Polytecnic students have been at home for 9 months now,calling on all concerned, to please resolve this issue.

COEASU Strike Continues as ENEC Meeting Ends in Deadlock

  COEASU Strike which has been ongoing for 3 months now seems not to be coming to an end as the lectures in Nigeria’s Colleges of Education are set to continue with the strike as an Expanded National Executive Council, ENEC, meeting held on Saturday ended in deadlock. Meanwhile COEASU is an acronym for College of Education Academic Staff Union.

According to report, the ENEC meeting was held at the Niger State Collage of Education, Minna.

Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of COEASU at the College of Education, Zuba, Abuja, Ahmed Bazza, told reporters that the lecturers resolved to continue with the strike.

“The union has resolved to continue the strike action due to the failure of government to address the issues in contention as earlier stated,” Mr. Ahmed said.

The COEASU Strike commenced on December 18, 2013 after several failed meetings with government representatives with the aim of achieving proper funding of the colleges and adequate welfare for lecturers.



Source: PREMIUM TIMES



Inbtw: Polytecnic students have been at home for 9 months now,calling on all concerned, to please resolve this issue.

Abba Moro,NIS Minister Queried By Jonathan.

 Following the outrage that continued to trail the death of 15 job applicants including a pregnant women at the various centres across the country during the recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday issued a query to the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro to explain within 24 hours the poor handling of the exercise even as he rejected calls for him to resign over the incident saying “I will not resign”.


The Interior Minister, Abba Moro and the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service Davis Parradang were yesterday summoned to the presidential villa by President Goodluck Jonathan

The Interior minister appeared disturbed after emerging from the President’s office in company of the immigration boss.

He had earlier met with the Chief of Staff to the President, Jones Arogbofa, where they spent over an hour before meeting the President.

When the trio emerged from the President’s office, Moro and Parradang refused to be interviewed by State House Correspondents.

Sources at the Villa said President Jonathan who was worried by the Saturday’s incidence had queried the interior minister to explain within 24 hours the poor handling of the exercise as witnessed across the country.

President Jonathan while inaugurating the National Conference which kicked off yesterday in Abuja lamented the death of young applicants and asked for one minutes of silence in honour of those who died.


.......Inbtw: sorry for been AWOL for few days now, had to travel down to my village(South eastern Nigeria) and the network coverage was so poor that internet service was impossible. But am back!!!! Committed to giving you those breaking Nigerian news,events and happening accross the country. I Love u guys

"No one can fight corruption for Nigerians except Nigerians" - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala


Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Nigeria's Minister for Finance and Coordinator of the Economy was a guest on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS programme two days ago(Sunday) where she acknowledged that there was corruption in Nigeria but said that the fight against corruption must involve every Nigerian....

The Minister was also taken up by the presenter on Sanusi's suspension.

Full text of the Interview after the cut.......



ZAKARIA:  Listen in to our conversation.  I began by asking her why the central banker was suspended for blowing the whistle.


NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, NIGERIAN FINANCE MINISTER:  I believe that when you find problems, you should also find solutions.  I think the problem began the first time when he said that the amount that was – he never said it was stolen.  He said it was unaccounted for, was $49.8 billion.
And he wrote a letter to the president; he called me a couple of days after, to say I’ve written this letter.  And my first reaction was, that’s not possible.  We couldn’t be missing $50 billion as finance minister in this country.  We wouldn’t be able to function because that’s too high a hit.  Everybody would know it and feel it in the economy.


ZAKARIA:  There is some substantial gap.


OKONJO-IWEALA:  Oh, yes –


ZAKARIA:  Right?  I mean –


OKONJO-IWEALA:  No, we –


ZAKARIA:  – the World Bank, I think when you were one of the managing directors, issued a report on the Nigerian economy in which it said hundreds of billions of dollars over the past 30 or 40 years have been siphoned off.  And so this would be a perfect example of precisely this kind of siphoning off.


OKONJO-IWEALA:  No.  I think we should hold our horses a little bit.  Sanusi please ask him never said the money had been siphoned off.  He said it was unaccounted for.
And hold on.  There’s a difference, because when he alleged $49.8 billion – and this was looked at, it was found that some of that money had really been remitted to the tax agency directly and his people were not aware of it.
So $16 billion was immediately accounted for that, you know, they didn’t seem to know the accounting mode of the agency, so that’s what I’m saying.
But there has been – there’s no doubt that Nigerians feel suspicious of the oil sector, that it has been regarded as opaque over the years and this is not an issue, you know, whether it’s $10.8 billion, whether it’s $1, you know, we can’t afford to lose any money from the treasury.


ZAKARIA:  But then why fire the central banker, a respected central banker?


OKOJO-IWEALA:  You know, Fareed, what I would like to do is perhaps focus on the economy, because I don’t think I want to get into this issue of firing/not firing.  He’s still governor of the central bank.  He has been suspended.  He hasn’t been fired.
But I think we need to focus on the central issue, which is no one dollar should be lost from the treasury.  Any money that belongs to it must be remitted.  That’s what we’re insisting.
And the president, we pushed for – he has ordered one yesterday, that there should be a forensic audit to determine where these moneys, that what is unaccounted for, is it the $10.8 billion that we are saying from the accounts?
We’ve been working on this for two years.
And you know, is it $50 billion?  Is it $20 billion?  Is it $12 billion?  What is the amount?  We need to know for the sake of the Nigerian people and he has ordered that.  So we want it to be independent; we want it to be well done, so that we can lay it to rest.


ZAKARIA:  So how do we – how do you solve the problem of corruption?

You’ve been in government twice.  You have a reputation for being extremely honest.
What would you do, if you had a magic wand, if you were president, what would you do to get Nigeria to get this cancer out of its system?


OKOJO-IWEALA:  Well, you know, Fareed, you know with that, there are no easy answers.  But there’s one thing I want to say and repeat.  No one can fight corruption for Nigerians except Nigerians.  Everyone has to be committed from the top to the bottom to fight it.
And I think there are two key things that need to be done all along, and it’s not just in Nigeria.  It’s in many developing countries that you need to do this.
But in our country, you need to, coupled with – by all means pursue those who are corrupt, punish them, you know, make sure there’s no impunity.  But that has to be coupled with something which doesn’t get as much attention, which is building institutions.  It’s unglamorous; it’s work that takes time, but we have to do it.  We have to put it in place.



ZAKARIA:  I have to ask you a question that is not part of directly your portfolio, but it is your government.
Nigeria has always had laws banning homosexuality.  But you advanced a further law which criminalized it so that somebody who is gay would have to spend 14 years in prison.
You also have passed – the law says that people who are in some way promoting gay clubs or gay discussion would be imprisoned for 10 years.  This seems an assault on a minority’s rights.  It also seems an assault on free speech.
Why is Nigeria doing this?

OKOJO-IWEALA:  Well, let me say this, Fareed, that, you know, we’re here in the U.S.  And it took 40 to 50 years or more under conversation of, you know, the gay community to get where the U.S. is.
I think that, you know, we need a conversation in the country.  We need evolution.  Ninety-six percent of people support these laws, but I think we need to unpack the laws, for them to see, you know, between being a gay person and between same-sex marriage because the two are compounded in people’s minds and there’s a strong sentiment against same-sex marriage, just as you had here before.
And it’s still evolving.  I think it’s a question of conversation, discussion, evolution, education and engagement over time, just as happened in this country and in Europe.  It’s not something that happened overnight.  So I would say withhold judgment and let us work on this.

ZAKARIA:  Madam Finance Minister, pleasure to have you on.

OKOJO-IWEALA:  Thank you.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

BokoHaram: Military Records Massive Arrest Of Boko Haram Members, 700 Vehicles Recovered......

 It what seems like the end of the Boko Haram era, the Special Forces involved in the ongoing campaign against the Boko Haram insurgents have recorded what security sources have described as one the greatest breakthroughs in the campaign against terrorists in the North-East.

Investigations on Tuesday revealed that the Special Forces, comprising ground troops and the Air Force fighters, had demobilized one of the strongest fortresses of the Boko Haram sect.

It was learnt that the soldiers, who carried out the operation, were shocked by the volume of arms and ammunition and hundreds of operational vehicles that they captured at the camp.

A source put the number of vehicles captured from the insurgents at 700 while several members of the sect were arrested.

 The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, who confirmed the capture of the Boko Haram camp, said that several terrorists who were wounded in the military raids were arrested and had made useful confessions.

The Director of Defence Information said in an electronic mail on Tuesday that some of the wounded terrorists who were captured near Lake Chad were pleading for mercy and were cooperating with interrogators from the Multi-National Joint Task Force.

Olukolade said that some of the insurgents were captured by troops around Dikwa, Cross Kauwa, Kukawa and Alargarmo.

He said that the captives revealed during interrogation that some of the camps were disbanded as the sect could no longer sustain the operation.

“In their confessions, it was revealed that some of the camps have been disbanded following the directive of their clerics who declared that the operation of the sect had come to an end as the mission could no longer be sustained.

“The captured terrorists, who are giving useful information as to the locations of their remnant forces, are full of apologies and pleas for their lives to be spared promising to cooperate,” the statement reads in part.

Olukolade said that the captured insurgents complained of starvation and the frequency of bombardments as some of the major problems which affected them. The Defence spokesman warned members of the public to stay away from the area, saying troops were still continuing with the operation in the three states.

“They confirmed that starvation was a major problem in addition to ceaseless bombardments on the camp locations even when they kept relocating. They also confirm that several members of the group have been wounded and no treatment was forthcoming. Troops have continued their assault on other locations across the states covered by the state of emergency.

“Meanwhile, members of the public who have started visiting to engage in sight-seeing in some dislodged camps and fringes of forests such as Sambisa and others have been warned to desist from doing so as the tendency will no more be condoned where operations are still ongoing.

“The general area still remains a theatre and movement remains restricted as the environment has to be cleared for safety of citizens. The public will be informed when the locations are safe enough.”

It was learnt that the seized vehicles included those that the insurgents used for attacks and other vehicles they snatched from people.

Military sources said that the camp was well planned with boreholes, dispensary and other facilities to aid the operations of the insurgents.

15 Lecturers of Ebonyi State College of Education sacked!!!!

 The Ebonyi College of Education in a bid to promote academic discipline and excellence on Tuesday sacked 15 lecturers for allegedly possessing forged certificates to get into office.

The Public Relations Officer, Mr Bertrand Nkwuda,made this known in a news conference in Ikwo, Ebonyi State.

According to Nkwuda, the school management took the decision after thorough investigation since 2013 by an inaugurated unit.

``This matter was reported in 2013, and the management followed it up by constituting a panel to look into it.

``Because certificate forgery is a very serious crime, thorough investigation was carried out to ascertain the veracity of the allegation.

``After a long and painstaking investigation, the suspects were unable to prove their innocence beyond all reasonable doubt, hence the decision to dismiss them,’’ Nkwuda said.

He expressed that while awaiting the result of the investigation, the lecturers involved took the post of clerical staffs.

The spokesperson expressed the commitment of the institution to the promotion of academic discipline and excellence.


Source: NAN

15 Lecturers of Ebonyi State College of Education sacked!!!!

 The Ebonyi College of Education in a bid to promote academic discipline and excellence on Tuesday sacked 15 lecturers for allegedly possessing forged certificates to get into office.

The Public Relations Officer, Mr Bertrand Nkwuda,made this known in a news conference in Ikwo, Ebonyi State.

According to Nkwuda, the school management took the decision after thorough investigation since 2013 by an inaugurated unit.

``This matter was reported in 2013, and the management followed it up by constituting a panel to look into it.

``Because certificate forgery is a very serious crime, thorough investigation was carried out to ascertain the veracity of the allegation.

``After a long and painstaking investigation, the suspects were unable to prove their innocence beyond all reasonable doubt, hence the decision to dismiss them,’’ Nkwuda said.

He expressed that while awaiting the result of the investigation, the lecturers involved took the post of clerical staffs.

The spokesperson expressed the commitment of the institution to the promotion of academic discipline and excellence.


Source: NAN

Exposed: Nigeria's Female Minister in a N3.1bn private jet scandal

 In what is seen as a reprisal attack, fresh allegations are flying over mounting profligacy by another female minister in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan. One of the remaining two super-female ministers is being alleged to be wasting billions from public purse to maintain a private jet.

A group, Concerned Aviation Professionals (CAP) in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan against the minister whom they described as celebrated but most controversial in the history of Nigeria said she have committed up to N3.120 billion in maintaining the jet devoted to family businesses alone.

Although CAP fell short of mentioning names, researches by Economic Confidential suggest that the group could be referring to Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke.

CAP requested Jonathan to immediately launch a probe into the ownership, maintenance and usage of the Challenger 850 Jet marked OE-ILA which was domiciled at one of the private hangers in a Nigerian airport in the last two years.

Continue...........

About 15 months ago, there were similar reports in the media linking a minister to a private jet impounded by the French government carrying a business associate of top public officers on suspicions that the jet-a Bombardier Global Express XRS- belongs to the public officer.

The jet was discovered to have been purchased by the Bank of Utah Trustee in June 2012 through the same process that was also used in purchasing private jets for the governors of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

The petition signed by Abdul Malik Masaya and John Obande Anihiru, a copy of which was made available to the Economic Confidential said CAP has “impeachable records which confirms that the super minister has been frittering away scarce Nigerian resources in maintaining the Challengers 850 Aircraft at one of the private Hangars in the Nigerian Airports in the last two years.

“The incontrovertible evidence we have is that the Minister has been committing 500,000 Euros (N130 million) monthly to maintaining the aircraft in the last two years. Thus, in two years, the Minister has committed the sum of N3.120 billion to keeping the jet which is used for personal use and that of the Minister’s family alone”, and thus demanded “a thorough probe of this allegation should start from the FAAN, NCAA and NAMA. The agencies have records of all the trips the Challenger 850 jet made on the payroll of one of the nation’s top revenue earning agencies.” Hmmmm...

The group said it “cannot comprehend the sense in keeping a plane solely for the use of a Minister, especially when the plane is not part of the Presidential fleet. We also know that Mr. President will promptly and readily oblige the Minister the use of any of the Presidential jets if it becomes imperative for the minister to embark on official trips on behalf of the government. Details at our possession include the series of flights the Minister had engaged in with the said plane in the last two years. The details include the different locations, time and date of the flights as well as the dates the plane returned to Nigeria at each instance. In fact we can confirm to you that the plane has been in use since July 2012.”

According to Economic Confidential independent findings however, this latest sleaze exposure might be a retaliatory action by a recently fallen super Amazon minister who was also caught in the act of monumental corruption perpetrated in some parastatals of the Ministry. Loyalists of the sacked minister claimed it was a jealous colleague within the administration that leaked the matter to the press.

There have been various speculations that in a bid to eliminate their rivals, some members of the cabinet engage in activities that will discredit such individuals by leaking confidential and sensitive documents to the public.

It would be recalled that Princess Stella Oduah was also accused of monumental corruption and wasteful spending following revelations that she forced parastatals under her supervision to procure armoured cars for her use to the tune of N255 million. There were speculations that she was not the only minister who had acquired armoured official cars in her fleet.

In the current allegation, the petitioners claimed that they have details of the series of flights the minister had engaged in with the said plane in the last two years. The details in their possession also include the different locations, time and date of the flights as well as dates the plane returned to Nigeria at each instance. They confirmed that the plane has been in used since July 2012 and that the waste has continued to gallop even in the wake of dwindling national budget.

In conclusion the petitioners admitted that “last year, there was outcry over the purchase of two bullet proof cars at N255m by the former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah. Right now, the Minister is no longer in the cabinet and the Aviation sector has been reorganised. Incidentally, the bulletproof cars are available for public use. What do we then say of a Minister who lavishes billions of public money to maintain a private jet?”



SOURCE: ECONOMIC CONFIDENTIAL

Exposed: Nigeria's Female Minister in a N3.1bn private jet scandal

 In what is seen as a reprisal attack, fresh allegations are flying over mounting profligacy by another female minister in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan. One of the remaining two super-female ministers is being alleged to be wasting billions from public purse to maintain a private jet.

A group, Concerned Aviation Professionals (CAP) in a petition to President Goodluck Jonathan against the minister whom they described as celebrated but most controversial in the history of Nigeria said she have committed up to N3.120 billion in maintaining the jet devoted to family businesses alone.

Although CAP fell short of mentioning names, researches by Economic Confidential suggest that the group could be referring to Mrs. Dieziani Alison-Madueke.

CAP requested Jonathan to immediately launch a probe into the ownership, maintenance and usage of the Challenger 850 Jet marked OE-ILA which was domiciled at one of the private hangers in a Nigerian airport in the last two years.

Continue...........

About 15 months ago, there were similar reports in the media linking a minister to a private jet impounded by the French government carrying a business associate of top public officers on suspicions that the jet-a Bombardier Global Express XRS- belongs to the public officer.

The jet was discovered to have been purchased by the Bank of Utah Trustee in June 2012 through the same process that was also used in purchasing private jets for the governors of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States.

The petition signed by Abdul Malik Masaya and John Obande Anihiru, a copy of which was made available to the Economic Confidential said CAP has “impeachable records which confirms that the super minister has been frittering away scarce Nigerian resources in maintaining the Challengers 850 Aircraft at one of the private Hangars in the Nigerian Airports in the last two years.

“The incontrovertible evidence we have is that the Minister has been committing 500,000 Euros (N130 million) monthly to maintaining the aircraft in the last two years. Thus, in two years, the Minister has committed the sum of N3.120 billion to keeping the jet which is used for personal use and that of the Minister’s family alone”, and thus demanded “a thorough probe of this allegation should start from the FAAN, NCAA and NAMA. The agencies have records of all the trips the Challenger 850 jet made on the payroll of one of the nation’s top revenue earning agencies.” Hmmmm...

The group said it “cannot comprehend the sense in keeping a plane solely for the use of a Minister, especially when the plane is not part of the Presidential fleet. We also know that Mr. President will promptly and readily oblige the Minister the use of any of the Presidential jets if it becomes imperative for the minister to embark on official trips on behalf of the government. Details at our possession include the series of flights the Minister had engaged in with the said plane in the last two years. The details include the different locations, time and date of the flights as well as the dates the plane returned to Nigeria at each instance. In fact we can confirm to you that the plane has been in use since July 2012.”

According to Economic Confidential independent findings however, this latest sleaze exposure might be a retaliatory action by a recently fallen super Amazon minister who was also caught in the act of monumental corruption perpetrated in some parastatals of the Ministry. Loyalists of the sacked minister claimed it was a jealous colleague within the administration that leaked the matter to the press.

There have been various speculations that in a bid to eliminate their rivals, some members of the cabinet engage in activities that will discredit such individuals by leaking confidential and sensitive documents to the public.

It would be recalled that Princess Stella Oduah was also accused of monumental corruption and wasteful spending following revelations that she forced parastatals under her supervision to procure armoured cars for her use to the tune of N255 million. There were speculations that she was not the only minister who had acquired armoured official cars in her fleet.

In the current allegation, the petitioners claimed that they have details of the series of flights the minister had engaged in with the said plane in the last two years. The details in their possession also include the different locations, time and date of the flights as well as dates the plane returned to Nigeria at each instance. They confirmed that the plane has been in used since July 2012 and that the waste has continued to gallop even in the wake of dwindling national budget.

In conclusion the petitioners admitted that “last year, there was outcry over the purchase of two bullet proof cars at N255m by the former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah. Right now, the Minister is no longer in the cabinet and the Aviation sector has been reorganised. Incidentally, the bulletproof cars are available for public use. What do we then say of a Minister who lavishes billions of public money to maintain a private jet?”



SOURCE: ECONOMIC CONFIDENTIAL

Revealed: How Pension money was Cashed via 400 Cheques In One Day

 A prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of seven persons accused of complicity in the over N20bn police pension fraud, Mustapha Gadanya, has narrated to Justice Hussein Baba of the Federal Capital Territory High Court how 400 cheques were cashed in a day by the accused persons.

Led in evidence by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Gadanya told the court on Tuesday in Abuja that he obtained and analyzed the certified true copy of instruments used in making withdrawals in the name of Veronica Onyegbula and the Directors of Police Pension office, Esai Dangaba, Atiku Abubakar and Inuwa Wada.

A statement by the head, Public Relations unit, EFCC, Wilson Uwajaren, explained that Gadanya told the court that the directors carried out the cheque transactions without any letter of exemption from compliance with the e-payment circular from the office of the Accountant General.

“Over 400 cheques were withdrawn and we got this information from the bank statement furnished us by First Bank Plc.

“We discovered that the three directors are all signatories to the fraudulent cheques. We also discovered that Mrs. Uzoma Attang, John Yusuf, Gabriel Ikpe, Mike Okoro and one Mrs Amu (currently at large), are among those who signed the cheques,” Gadanya said.

Justice Baba who was apparently shocked by the revelation, sought to know from the witness what currency was involved to which the witness responded, “Naira my Lord”.

Gadanya then went on to state that between January 31, 2011 and May 6, 2011, over N1bn was withdrawn and that the sum of N650m was withdrawn on January 31, 2011.


Petroleum Minister, Alison-Madueke Gives 48-hr ultimatum To End Fuel Scarcity

 In Order to meet a 48-hour deadline to end fuel scarcity in Lagos, the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, said it will inject additional 110 million litres of petrol into the market this week.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, had given PPMC and oil marketers 48 hours to clear the long queues at filling stations and end the lingering fuel shortages.

Confirming the development with journalists in Lagos,the PPMC Executive Director (Commercial), Mr Gbenga Komolafe, said PPMC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, had already supplied more than 74 million litres of petrol to Lagos, last week.

He gave the assurance that with the level of petrol in distribution across the country, normalcy would soon return to filling stations.

He also used the opportunity to reiterate that there is no plan by the Federal Government to increase the pump price of petrol, and appealed to marketers to stop hoarding the fuel.

He added, “Members of the public should also not engage in panic buying. We are convinced that in the days ahead, fuel situation will normalise as there is enough petrol to go round.”
Komolafe said further that a number of vessels from the major marketers had berthed to discharge petrol, adding that four vessels with more than 74 million litres were currently discharging to clear the queues.

According to him, “We have discharged a vessel, Alzea with 30 million litres; Ocean Centrum belonging to NIPCO with 22 million litres; and Vinte Enterpriser with 22 million litres.The vessels are currently discharging at Apapa, IBM Jetty, Capital Jetty and SPM Jetty in Lagos.

“While we intensify the on-going direct monitoring of fuel situation across Lagos and its environs, we are providing extra volume of product to eliminate the queues arising from the scarcity.”

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Mr Obafemi Olawore, said that four vessels were expected to berth in Lagos ports next week.

He assured Nigerians of effective petrol distribution to all stations across the country, and warned marketers to desist from hoarding the commodity.

“We are still expecting more vessels from MOMAN, IPMAN, DAPPMA and other marketers to strengthen the existing supply.We implore members of the public to avoid panic buying and storing of fuel in residential areas.

“We will not hesitate to sanction any marketers found hoarding products,” Olawore warned.

Monday, March 10, 2014

'' WORK ON THE SECOND NIGER BRIDGE WILL BE ADEQUATELY FUNDED'' - PRESIDENT JONATHAN

 President Goodluck Jonathan, has just flagged-off work on the second Niger Bridge.

At the ceremony in Onitsha, Anambra State, Dr Jonathan said the bridge aside serving as important link between towns in the region, the second-Niger bridge will further boost commercial activities in the south-east zone and beyond.  

While dispelling any notion that the project was a campaign strategy, President Jonathan said necessary funds have been made for the timely completion of the project.

He implored the governors and people of the area to provide conducive atmosphere for the construction.

Source: Nigerian Info

The Shehu of Borno declares three-days fast

 In a bid to seek for divine intervention over the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn-Garbai, has directed residents of the state to embark on a three-day fasting

The directive is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Maiduguri.

The statement quoted the monarch as asking residents to start the fasting on Tuesday.

In his word, “I am appealing to all residents of the state to observe a three-day fasting to seek Allah’s mercy toward ending the crisis facing us.

“I believe we should continue to seek for Allah’s help toward restoring peace in the state.”

Ibn-Garbai added that the renewed violence by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect had led to massive destruction of lives and property.

The Shehu noted that it was time to seek God’s intervention to the problem and urged residents to start the fasting on Tuesday and end it on Thursday.

He also directed that special prayers be held in Mosques and Churches to seek God’s help and urged residents to remain prayerful even after the fasting.

Culled from The Punch

Breaking News: Nigerian Courts To Be Shut as From Wednesday

 Judiciary workers grouped under their union, JUSUN will begin a warning strike across Nigeria on wednesday, 12 March, effectively shutting all the courts.

The strike is meant to protest government’s disregard of a court order that asked Federal and state governments to guarantee the autonomy of the judiciary as contained in the Nigerian constitution.

The strike appears to have gained the support of the Sharia, Area and Customary Courts Judges Association of Nigeria (SACCJAN), which on Sunday said it would join the nationwide warning strike.

Alhaji Zakariya Adamu, President of the union disclosed this in Dutse, Jigawa, at the opening of the union’s delegates conference.

He directed state offices of the union to join the strike, saying, “the fight is for all judiciary workers and we must support JUSUN to have victory in this our cause”.
Adamu said the strike declared by Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), was in the overall interest of the judiciary, democracy and the country.

“A Federal High Court in Abuja had passed a judgement in favour of JUSUN for the independence of the judiciary; and both states and the federal governments are yet to implement it nor did they appeal the judgment.”

He therefore called on members of his union across the country “to close their courts from Wednesday to Friday, March 12 to 14, 2014”.

Dino Melaye’s Group, Anti-Corruption Network Set To protest Against Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke

 The Anti-Corruption Network (ACN), led by former federal legislator Dino Melaye, is organizing what it described as “the mother of all protests” against the Petroleum Resources Minister, Allison Deziani Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), over the missing $20billion and other issues.

In a statement signed by Mr. Melaye, ACN said it would no longer keep quiet over issues that concern the Nigerian people and may destroy their future.

“Police and other security agencies should be ready to arrest, intimidate, harass, shoot and tear gas and maltreat us,” the statement said. “Nigerians should not be taken for granted. The time for change is now!”


“Through this protest we will prove that power truly belong to the people and will call the attention of the world on Nigeria. We have no other country to call our own but Nigeria. We will not allow bigots and power usurpers to destroy our God given country.”

The group noted that unprecedented mobilization for the protest is ongoing and that a date and time will soon be circulated.

“No one can stop a moving train. We shall and must salvage our fatherland even with our blood. We will prove that though tribe and tongue may differ but in brotherhood we stand,” it said in the language of Nigeria’s original national anthem. “We shall surely overcome the forces of evil.”

It stressed that corruption is the bane of Nigeria’s development and that ACN will fight it, warning that in an unjust society, silence is a crime.

Friday, March 7, 2014

2015 Election: Gov. Ameachi warns of Anarchy in 2015

 The Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, on Thursday came down heavily on the Goodluck Jonathan administration, alleging that it has institutionalised corruption in Nigeria.
Mr. Amaechi also warned that there would be anarchy if the 2015 general elections were not free, fair and credible because Nigerians had made up their mind to embrace change.

In a lecture he delivered at the 2nd Peoples Media Limited Conference in Abuja, the governor lamented that rather than fighting corruption, the Jonathan administration punish those who do.

The lecture titled, The Metaphor of Change and the Politics of 2015, was delivered on behalf of Mr. Amaechi by the Rivers State Information Commissioner, Ibim Semenitari, who said the governor was attending the National Summit of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which also held in Abuja.

The governor, who assessed the various regimes in the country from that of Tafawa Balewa in the First Republic to the current one, said corruption was not a repository of the military alone, stating that the politicians were also experts at it.

He singled out the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo for institutionalising the fight against corruption for the first time in the history of Nigeria through the creation of a state agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Corruption, EFCC.

The governor, however, said the degree of progress that was made might be open for debate especially as it was alleged that Mr. Obasanjo used the same agency to go after his political opponents.

“The progress made in fighting corruption began to erode under President (Umaru) Yar’Adua. His short-lived regime cannot be assessed in this wise. Currently in the present regime of President Goodluck Jonathan corruption appears to have been institutionalised.”

Mr. Amaechi said. “A whopping sum of $20 billion (N3.2 trillion) is alleged to be missing. The stories of both fuel and kerosene subsidy are nothing to behold; it reeks of corruption and rottenness. The aviation bullet-proof saga remains unresolved. The Shell-Malabu story is a macabre dance. The response of the regime to corruption is to imprison those exposing corruption.”

The governor stated that the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi, was unconstitutional.
“Constitution means nothing to the current government,” he said. “What we see is the re-emergence of civilian dictatorship.”

Mr. Amaechi noted that statistics emanating from both the World Bank and National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, indicated that unemployment rate was now 23 per cent in Nigeria, adding that it was far lower before the enthronement of the government of Mr. Jonathan.

He added, “Unemployment rate averaged at 14.6 per cent, reaching an all-time high of 23.9 per cent in 2011. It had an all-time high record low of 5.3 per cent in 2006. Nigerians live in want, hunger and penury. Unemployment and poverty may differ in regions to varying degrees, but it knows no faith or religion, knows no tribe or nation. It brews violence and has led to the annihilation of families in the North East and South-south of Nigeria. Death on the streets of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, and Bauchi are no longer lessons for discussions; they are a daily occurrence.”

He noted that the current violence in the country had overwhelmed the government.
“Kidnapping is an everyday affair in the Niger Delta. It becomes strange, any day it does not occur. Political assassination is also on the rise. Violence is the order of the day,” the governor pointed out.

Mr. Amaechi said under the Jonathan administration, Nigeria had become famous for out of school children, saying, “We top the list with a figure of 8.6 million -10 million out of school children. Education is not affordable and accessible. Education infrastructures are deteriorating or non-existent. Beyond the education infrastructure are the softer issues, insufficient, poorly trained and ill-motivated teachers, a static curriculum, a lack of monitoring and quality control to ensure that education is not only available but is fit for purpose, competitive and qualitative.

The result is that our children leave school, half baked at best and uneducated at worst.”
He recounted that the Jonathan administration had spoken variously about its commitment to infrastructure development on a broader scale. He added that though the administration’s efforts in resuscitating the railways and its sale of the power infrastructure were commendable initiatives that should be followed through, complaints by the different buyers of the generation and distribution companies pointed to debilitating challenges in the roll out that might affect the government’s power delivery promises.

He pointed out that in the roads and maritime sector, much remained to be done while water and sanitation should have received better attention especially with donor agencies anxious to support investments in that sector.

Mr. Amaechi said it was evident that the failure by government to provide the appropriate environment for the people to thrive, and a failure to guarantee the people’s right could lead to a breakdown of society.

He stressed that democracy required more than just the right to vote and that democratic country had to guarantee basic human rights to every person.

“Although these rights are enshrined in the country’s Constitution, it is crucial that the rights are ensured and protected by government as well as the citizens themselves,” he said.
The governor stated that good governance was the responsibility of every democratic government working in the interest of the public, as was the smooth handing over of batons from one administration to another.

According to him, Nigeria was at the threshold of history with yet again another election, stressing that the electorate was already demanding a better deal.

He said, “The Electorate is already demanding a better deal. The poll commissioned by the All Progressive Congress being unveiled today has shown that more than half of those polled insist that they are dissatisfied with the status quo and want change. The message is clear: the people want to be allowed a chance to freely make up their mind about who should lead them.”

He however said in political circles, the drums of war and voices of intolerance was a source of worry because of the determination of the Federal Government controlled People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections in 2015.

“In political circles the drums of war and voices of intolerance gives cause for worry about the determination of the Federal Government controlled People’s Democratic Party to guarantee free, fair and transparent elections in 2015. It is crucial that the elite and those of us in government understand that disallowing free elections would not just be an albatross but could be an invitation to anarchy,” he said.



Source: PremiumTimes

2015 Election: APC Finally Unveils its Manifesto, Code of Ethics….Prioritise Job Creation

 Nigeria’s main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Thursday, unveiled its manifesto and code of ethics. The launch was done at a well-attended national summit of the party held at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

The party’s Code of Ethics, a set of rules it said will govern its activities, has ten principles by which the party commits itself to Nigerians.

A copy of the code of ethics, which was signed by the party’s leaders including its 16 governors stated that APC is committed to working towards a nation that is economically and socially vibrant, peaceful, just and secure.

The first item on the code of ethics said the party considers the Nigerian people as its greatest asset and that it will do everything to protect human life and dignity.
It also pledges to uphold a Nigeria that is bound by the principle of freedom, justice, peace, unity and the rule of law.

The code also said APC respects every person’s choice of faith. The party said, in the code, that it has no tolerance for corruption and would manage the country’s resources responsibly.
Other items in the code of ethics include a commitment to a strong system of government at all levels in order to preserve the unity of the country.

Also, the party’s manifesto, tagged ‘Road map to a new Nigeria’ stated that the APC’s philosophy is the welfare of the common man, and the assurance of a great future for the youth, and a decent and quality life for all.

APC said the test it has adopted for all its policies as contained in the manifesto is “Will this policy create jobs and benefit the youth and ordinary Nigerians?”.

It said the cardinal principle of its manifesto is the commitment to a nation where every citizen has the opportunity to work and earn a decent wage, and where the disadvantaged elderly, the disabled, and the unemployed are assisted by the state.

The APC said it is committed to a nation where the curse of corruption is no longer tolerated in its political, social and civic affairs.

Details of Manifesto

The first item on the APC manifesto is job creation. It said roughly one in four Nigerians and half of young job seekers are unable to find work, adding that the number of people whose jobs do not cover the cost of food and housing is even greater.

To this end, APC said it will create 20,000 jobs in each state of the federation immediately for those with a minimum qualification of Secondary School leaving certificate and who participate in technology and vocational training.

It said it will encourage state governments to focus on employment creation by matching every one job created by the state government with two jobs created by the Federal Government.

The party said it will provide a direct conditional monthly cash transfers of Five Thousand Naira to the twenty five million poorest and most vulnerable citizens upon demonstration of children’s enrolment in school and immunisation, in order, it said, to help promote job empowerment.

APC also said it will establish Technology/Industrial estates which will be fully equipped with ICT, Power and other support across the country to attract and encourage small scale technology businesses and other entrepreneurs.

The opposition party said it will provide allowances to discharged but unemployed Youth Corps members for 12 months while they seek jobs or acquire training and skills for job placement or entrepreneurship.

Other job creation strategies by the APC as contained in its manifesto is the establishment of plants for the assembly and ultimately the manufacture of phones, tablets, computers and other devices.

It also said it will pay a guaranteed indexed-link price to farmers to ensure that there is always a readymade market for their produce.
The party said it will provide one meal a day for all primary school students which will create jobs in Agriculture, including poultry, catering and delivery services.

The second item on the manifesto is the fight against corruption. The APC said it will show zero tolerance for official and /or private sector corruption.

It said it will place the burden of proving innocence in corruption cases on persons with inexplicable wealth, just as it pledges to pursue legislation expanding forfeiture and seizure of asset laws and procedure with respect to inexplicable wealth, regardless of whether there is a conviction for criminal conduct or not.

It also said it will guarantee the independence of anti-corruption and financial crimes agencies by legislation, charging their budgets directly to the consolidated revenue fund.

The party also pledge free, relevant quality education. It said it will make the right of every Nigerian child to receive a free, relevant and quality education a reality, based on free and comprehensive primary and secondary education.

It pledged the provision of free tertiary education to students pursuing science and Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
It said it will provide free tertiary education to Education majors while also paying them stipends prior to their employment as teachers.

Other major items on the APC manifesto include the review and restoration of the country’s agricultural sector, as well as the construction of one million low cost houses within the first four years as part of its Agric and Housing policies.

APC said it will provide free quality comprehensive health care based on national health insurance scheme. It also pledged to stop all foreign travels at government expense for the purpose of medical treatment.

In the area of peace and security, the APC said it will allow states to have their own local police forces that will address special needs of each community. It also said it will establish a serious crime squad with state of the art training and equipment to combat terrorism, militancy and ethno-religious communal clashes.

APC said its government will provide a comprehensive compensation plan for victims of ethno-religious crisis, communal clashes and terrorism.

Prior to the unveiling of the code of ethics and manifesto, the leaders of the party sat on a panel moderated by Kadaria Ahmed where they discussed how the legacy parties merged to form the APC and how they were able to surmount apparent challenges to form the party.

Also, Governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, who delivered the commencement speech, said the summit was coming at a time the country needs a party like the APC to provide the required change necessary to move to a better future.

The Lagos governor stated that the country’s potential is being bastardised by the party in power, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“People are tired of the politicians who turn one group against another for their own political gain. We’ve all seen it. We all know how it works. We all know how demeaning it is to our nation,” the governor said.

Also, House of Representatives minority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, while speaking on behalf of the APC House of Reps said the APC seeks a new Nigeria for the good of all.

“In APC, we speak of a New Nigeria where our God given human and natural resources are fully harnessed for the greater good. Every time I remember the words of the great Bob Marley I wonder if he had Nigeria in mind when he sang “in the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty,” he said.

Mr. Gbajabiamila took his time to describe the new Nigeria that the APC seeks to ensure.
“We speak of a New Nigeria that can truly be called a federal republic practicing a federal system and not a unitary system.

“We speak of a New Nigeria where other arms of government are truly independent and where the rule of law reigns supreme.

“We speak very expectantly of a New Nigeria where no child will be left behind and education will be a right and not a privilege and where being shoeless will no longer mean being clueless.

“A new Nigeria where the word impunity will become a thing of the past and 16 will no longer be greater than 19.

“We propose a New Nigeria where whistleblowers will be protected as is done world over and corrupt officials will be served their just dessert.

“Ladies and gentlemen we speak of a New Nigeria where no one is a second class citizen and where we will all be our brother’s keepers and though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we will stand.

“We must take our country back from rent seekers and extortionists. Apologies to Mallam ElRufai for this seeming surreptitious plagiarism, but we must take our country back from accidental public servants who do not give a damn and hand it over to those who care and are prepared and ready for the job,” Mr. Gbajabiamila said.



Source: PremiumTimes


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Breaking news:FG closes 5 Federal Government Colleges in Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa state

 Following the killing of over 40 students of the Federal Government College in Yobe State by Boko Haram members, the Federal Government has shut five FG colleges in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa

The schools that were shut down are:
*Federal Government Girls College, Munguno
*Federal Science and Technical College, Lassa in Borno
*Federal Government College, Potiskum
*Federal Government College, Buni Yadi in Yobe
*Federal Science and Technical College, Michika, Adamawa.

Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, made this known yesterday Wednesday March 5th. The schools were closed because they were considered to be located 'within the high security risk areas in the North.'. The schools will remain closed until the security situation in the states improves, while the teachers of the affected schools will be sent to new schools.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Ayo Sogunro replies Sadiq Abacha on behalf of Wole Soyinka

 Sadiq Sani Abacha gets the first reply to his open letter to Prof. Wole Soyinka from writer/activist, Ayo Sogunro.

Read below and let's hear your take on this :-

I do not know you personally, but I admire your filial bravery - however misguided - in defending the honour of your father, the late General Sani Abacha. This in itself is not a problem; it is an obligation—in this cultural construct of ours - for children to rise to the defence of their parents, no matter what infamy or perfidy the said parent might have dabbled in.

The problem I have with your letter, however, arises from two issues: (i) your disparaging of Wole Soyinka, who—despite your referral to an anecdotal opinion that calls him as “a common writer”—is a great father figure, and a source of inspiration, to a fair number of us young Nigerians; and (ii) your attempt to revise Nigerian history and substitute our national experience with your personal opinions.

Continue...


Therefore, it is necessary that we who are either Wole Soyinka’s “socio-political” children, or who are ordinary Nigerians who experienced life under your father’s reign speak out urgently against your amnesiac article, lest some future historian stumble across the misguided missive, and confuse the self-aggrandized opinions of your family for the perceptions of Nigerians in general.
Your letter started with logical principles, which is a splendid common ground for us. So let us go with the facts: General Sani Abacha was a dictator. He came into power and wielded it for 5 years in a manner hitherto unprecedented in Nigerian history.

Facts: uncomfortable for your family, but true all the same.

Now, for my personal interpretations: between 1993 and 1998 inclusive, when your dada was in power, I was a boy of 9 to 14 years and quite capable of making observations about my political and cultural environment. Those years have been the worst years of my material life as a Nigerian citizen. Here are a few recollections: I recollect waking up several mornings to scrape sawdust from carpentry mills, lugging the bags a long distance home, just to fuel our “Abacha stoves” because kerosene was not affordable—under your father. I recollect cowering under the cover of darkness, with family and neighbours, listening to radio stations—banned by your father. I recollect my government teacher apologetically and fearfully explaining constitutional government to us—because free speech was a crime under your father’s government. Most of all, I remember how the news of your father’s death drove me—and my colleagues at school—to a wild excitement, and we burst into the street in delirious celebration. Nobody prompted us, but even as 13 and 14 year olds, we understood the link between the death of Abacha and the hope of freedom for the ordinary man.

These are all sorry tales, of course. Such interpretations would not have occured to the wealthy and the privileged under your father’s government, but they were a part of the everyday life of a common teenager under that government. The economics were bad, but the politics were worse. And I am not referring to Alfred Rewane, Kudirat Abiola and the scores killed by the order of your father. Political killings are almost a part of every political system, and most of those were just newspaper stories to us. In fact, I didn’t get to read most of the atrocities until long after your father died. So, these stories did not inform the dread I personally felt under your father’s regime. And this was true for my entire family and our neighbours.

Instead, the worry over our own existence was a more pressing issue. Your father, Sani Abacha was in Aso Rock, but his brutality was felt right in our sitting room. We were not into politics and we didn’t vocally oppose Abacha, yet we just knew we were not safe from him. You see, unlike any dictatorship before or after it—your father’s government personally and directly threatened the life and freedoms of the average Nigerian. Your father threatened me. And if your father had not died, I am confident that I would not be alive or free today.
Think of that for a while.

Now, let’s come to Wole Soyinka. First: you can never eradicate the infamy of your father’s legacy by trying to point out the failings of another Nigerian. Remember what you said: A is A.  Abacha is Abacha. And no length of finger pointing will wash away the odious feeling the name of Abacha strikes up in the mind of the average Nigerian. Second: Don’t—as they musician said—get it twisted: Wole Soyinka did not antagonize your father just because he was a military man—Wole Soyinka was against your father’s inhumanity. Your father was intolerant of criticism beyond belief.

Your father made military men look bad. Your father’s behaviour was so bad it went back in time and soiled the reputation of every military man before him. Your father, finally, made Nigerians swear never—ever—to tolerate the military again. Soyinka may have worked with the military before—but your father ensured that he will never work with the military again. Do you see? Three: Evil comes in many forms: there is no qualification by degree. There is no “good” evil thing. Sani Abacha, Boko Haram, Hitler, slavery—they all fit into the same category of misfortunes. Soyinka is right: Abacha was just as bad as Boko Haram is—deal with it. Four: Soyinka has been kind enough to limit his criticism to the unenviable awards this inept government has given your father. But, you see, in a saner political system, we wouldn’t just ignore your father, we would have gone one step further and expunged the Abacha name from all public records. Wiped without a trace. Abacha would forever be a cautionary tale against the excesses of political power. In a saner political system.

Abacha was brutal—and Soyinka was one of those individuals who gave us inspiration in those dark days. He was part of the team that founded the underground radio station to counter your father’s activities. Let me rephrase in pop culture language: Wole Soyinka was the James Bond to your father’s KGB. Most of the influential people either kept quiet or sang the praises of your father to stave his wrath. But a few like Soyinka spoke, wrote and even went militant against Abacha. But at the end, even Soyinka who never ran from a fight had to run from your father. That was how terrible things were. And now you want Soyinka to join the praise singers of your father? I’m not certain Soyinka has grown old enough to forget how he escaped your father,slipping across the border in disguise. You will have to wait awhile to get that praise from him.

Now, back to you. You have a deluded sense of your father’s role in the progress of Nigeria’s history. Nigeria has managed to be where it is today, not because of leaders like your father—but in spite of leaders like your father. This is a testament to the Nigerian spirit of resilience, and our unwavering optimism in a better future. You owe every Nigerian an apology for daring to attribute this to the leadership of Abacha. Those “achievements” you believe were accomplished under your father were simply all the things he had to do to keep milking the economy, and thereby perpetuate himself in power—they benefited Nigeria only if, by Nigeria, you meant your family and your cronies.

Your tone is that of a white master who justifies his oppression because he clothed and fed his black slaves. That is what your father did. The fact that we choose not to regurgitate, and reflect on that socially traumatic period doesn’t mean we accept it as your entitlement. We have not forgotten, and we will never forget. Sani Abacha raped Nigeria. Your father raped us. Your father raped us and then pressed some change into our hands. And he then tried to marry us forcefully, too. You may think all this is well and good—but then you’ve never been raped before.

But we now live under a democracy—the kind your father denied us—and so you are free to talk. And so you are free to insult the people who ensured that your father had sleepless nights. Had the revolution your father rightly deserved happened, you—and the rest of your family—would have been lined against a wall, before you could pen one article, and shot.
And we would probably have cheered.

But we live under a democracy now—a system of government where even the scions of former oppressors can talk, and write freely, about the benefits of dictatorship. That’s a democracy. A concept your father wouldn’t have understood.

Regards,
Ayo Sogunro

Sports Minister sacked as President Jonathan swears in 11 new Ministers

 The Presidency this morning March 5th announced the sack of the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi who has been replaced by Tamuno Danagogo.

President Jonathan also swore-in 11 new ministers and assigned them ministries. The ministers are:
Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), Minister of State Defence
 Mohammed Wakil (Borno), Minister of State Power
Abduljelili Adesiyan (Osun), Minister of Police Affairs
Aminu Wali (Kano), Minister of Foreign Affairs
Akon Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom), Minister of Land and Housing
Lawrencia Laraba (Kaduna State), Minister of Environment
Tamuno Danagogo (Rivers), Minister of Sports
Asabe Asmau Ahmed (Niger), Minister of State Agriculture
Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara), Minister of Defence
Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Minister of Youth Development
Khaliru Alhassan (Sokoto State), Minister of State, Health

Must Read: An Open letter to Wole Soyinka from Sadiq Abacha

 Welcome to the season 2 of Open letter,and the first person to usher into its first episode is Sadiq Sani Abacha,who is one of the sons of the late military dictator Sani Abacha.

Below is an open letter he wrote to professor Wole Soyinka days after the Nobel Laureate said it was an insult to share an award with his late father, Sani Abacha. Sadiq says Prof Soyinka attacking his dad is an act of cowardice...
If you want to think, speak and act logically then you should know all three.
1. The law of identity
2. The law of excluded middle
3. The law of non contradiction.
Now let's look at each one of these and see what they mean in practice.


1.The law of identity
The law of identity means that things are what they are, which at first doesn't seem very illuminating, but wait; it implies also the following, that things are what they are, whether you like them or not, it implies that things are what they are whether you know them or not, it implies that things are what they are whether you agree with them or not. Continue...
However, if you don't like the facts as they are you are going to have to put up with them, because facts are what they are, if it's raining on your golf day, get used to it! Because the facts are what they are and are often not what you want them to be, like if the traffic lights turn red when you approach, stop complaining! The law of identity means that you must adapt yourself to the facts and start your work from there, it implies that the facts will not bend to meet your expectations. You must first adapt yourself to what life is and then get to work changing and improving things in your life, be brave to meet reality as it really is and not how you would wish it to be.

2. The law of excluded middle.
  The law of excluded middle means that you should give a straight yes or no answer always and there is no middle ground. The law means that there is no kinda yes and kinda no, there is no ‘sort of’ being married because you are either married or you are not, you are either a thief or you are not, you are either on time or not, you are either living in Nigeria or you are not. The law is the idea that you should not try to keep all of your options open by staying in the middle or hedging, when it suits you, like when you accepted an appointment during IBB's regime as chairman of FRSC. I bet that was a military regime you partook in. Please pick one wife and state your claim 100% to her, pick one idea and go for it 100%! Decide and commit Sir! There you might find great power and self satisfaction in the doctrine of decide and commit. No half way measures, no middle ground, exclude the middle! Here! The law of excluded middle Sir.

3. The law of non contradiction.
The law of non contradiction says don't contradict yourself simple. If you say you will be there then be there. If you say you will do it then do it. Don't say or fight for one thing and then do the opposite. Don't say one thing and then later deny that you said it. Don't say one thing and then later contradict it. Be consistent in your thoughts and actions. Observing someone who was a socialist in the morning but then became a capitalist in the evening is a textbook on contradiction, these are two polar opposites, such a person is clearly inconsistent and is therefore considered a flip flop, confused, easily led or misled or at best a lunatic who has no clear understanding of the basis of either doctrine.

Apply these three logics to others with consistency and then you can ask for the same or expect the same from others, and then you can also ask for others to deal with facts not fantasy, which is the law of identity. Ask others to make up their mind to decide and commit. The law of excluded middle.Then ask others to follow through on the things that they say they would do. The law of non contradiction.

Sir, I believe brilliance is not perfection. I have grown and watched you criticize regime after regime and at that young and naive age I was thinking why wouldn't this man just contest to be president so that Nigeria can be saved, I would have defiantly voted for Mr Soyinka if it would have brought an end to Nigeria's woes. To my utter surprise, I heard about your FRSC leadership and how funds were misused and a great deal of it unaccounted for. "Oh my God! In the end he turned out to be just the same as everybody else" were my next thoughts. My hopes for you, all ended up in great disappointment.
Here I find myself defending my father 15 years after his death because some of you have no one else to pounce on, or rather, you have chosen a dead person to keep pouncing on over and over again when you have more than an array of contestants.  A coward's act I believe.  "A common writer" is what I have heard you being referred to lately, and I believe a mature mind would now agree to such referrals. With all due respect, there is a great challenge that faces the country, we have to put our heads together, rather than clashing, our collective ships must sail in the same direction, let us leave the ghosts of past contention and face the future bravely as one, criticizing the past does not help the present or define a path to the future.

You say, with the weight of your sense of history and the authority you possess on national issues that " a vicious usurper under whose authority the lives of an elected president and his wife were snuffed out" referring to my late father, you must be growing old, or you would rightly recall that that president elect you refer to did not die while my father was alive. Did you slyly change your facts to fit a history that would better serve your narrative, or are you just plain forgetful? Either way, it shows you are losing your grasp of reality.

Comparing my father’s leadership to Boko Haram's current reign of terror,  is a rather cheap shot, you are in no position to examine, judge and sentence an entire regime based on the information you think you have, you are privy to almost none of the true facts, what is at your disposal is at best, hearsay, or were you ever minister of defence? did you ever sit in during security meetings, evaluate the facts and subtleties of national security? You remind me of Obama criticizing the Republicans  before he became a sitting president himself, vouching to put an end to all American occupation, this all came to an abrupt end once he had access to the briefs and security issues, economic and political, facing his nation. Surely he did what he could, and history will judge him. To lead is not to be a rock star, and to be a Nobel laureate is not to be a an antagonist of this countries legacy..We are Africa's leaders, whether we like it or not, we cannot trivialize the centenary celebration, it happens only once, let us come together, if only for this one occasion and agree to disagree.

Open rebellion against the current government at this time, on the manner of the centenary celebrations, for whatever reason, is tactless, it is not about you, it is about our nation, our beloved country. There is a time and place for everything. My late father was a Nigerian, lived in Nigeria and died protecting our interests to the best of his ability, critiquing placing him on the honor roll, along with many deserving dignitaries is your right, you have the right to your own opinions, but you do not have the right to your own facts. Facts stand alone, regardless of who espouses them, let posterity judge, but you are clearly politicizing a dead issue, how could you not be? Having an issue with the naming of a hospital after the late General and leader? really ? Now ?

It almost seems as if you want to turn back the hands of time, what else would you like to undo besides the naming of the hospital, would you like to unmake Bayelsa state, Zamfara state or the others?  What about the advances we made in commerce, reducing the inflation rate, what about security and welfare, how many projects, hospitals and schools were created? inflation went from 54% to 8.5%! my father oversaw an increase in our foreign currency reserves from 494 million dollars in 1993 to 9.6 billion dollars by the middle of 1997, that is unprecedented , 15 years after the PTF the benefits are still being reaped today in Nigeria, What of peace keeping and nation building, not just in West Africa but the entire continent, restoring democracy in Liberia and Sierra Leone, all these under my father’s leadership, are all these not laudable? Or would you like to undo them all. All this on 8$ per barrel of oil! You have to be kidding me.

You are a learned man, you would have to undo all your learning to knowingly wish to undo all these achievements! I will be the first to proclaim that my fathers leadership was not pitch perfect or spot free, that does not exist, maybe in utopia but not here on this earth, so let us keep our discourse set in the sphere of reality please, he deserves the award, and he did not campaign for it, let it go, Sir...and allow Nigeria to at least bask in our survival and endurance in our growing prosperity and development in these trying times. I have been accused of being an optimist, hence, I am optimistic that you will come around and accept that we can all come together and face the future together, forgive each other our wrongs while celebrating our rights, I am still an admirer of your works after all, however, I cannot and will not attempt to answer your every charge, this is not the time or place, this is a time for solidarity, if only you were wise enough to grasp this.
 I applaud the patience of President Goodluck Jonathan and his composure and restraint in not having a knee jerk reaction at such a pivotal moment in our nations history, but you would mar the occasion, Sir, in the future, please pick your battles, and do better to safeguard your relevance,  Enough Sir!


Sadiq Abacha.