Day Old Baby Abandoned In Lagos

A day old baby girl abandoned Tuesday morning at Funmilayo Bus Stop, in Orille-Agege Local Council Development Area of Lagos, southwest Nigeria has been rescued.


The baby who was reportedly wrapped with a dirty Ankara wrapper and dumped in front of a shop owned by a foodstuff seller, Mrs. Adeola Adefenwa, at 194, Ipaja Road, Orile, at dawn, was rescued by some human right activists from Committee for the Defence of Human Right, CDHR, and Concerned Human Right, Nigeria.

The baby was taken to Orile-Agege General Hospital, Oke-Odo where she was given adequate medical care and later transferred to Elere Police Station, Agege.
After some documentation at the police station, she was handed over to Sister Josephine Titiloye of the Catholic Archdiocesan Orphanage, St. Monica’s Home at 1, Victor Odunaiya Street, Off Agbado Road, Iju-Ishaga, Lagos.

Before the human right activists came to the rescue of the baby, people thronged the scene of the incident to have a look at the abandoned baby.

Most of them rained curses on the mother of the baby who dumped her to her fate. Some referred to the mother as a heartless woman, who despite the pain of pregnancy and childbirth, could leave her baby to die.

While some were busy taking the pictures of the baby and posting them on the social media, others stood helplessly watching the baby struggle inside the dirty wrapper she was wrapped in.

The residents of the area said that it is common to see babies, sometimes twins, being dumped inside Mulero canal around the area. They added that while some are washed away by flood, some are left to die inside the scorching sun.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS, Mrs Adefenwa,  said: “I was doing the house chores when a call came in from a neighbour who said a new born baby has been dumped in front of my shop. I had to abandon everything I was doing and rushed down there.

“In fact, I was confused when I got to my shop. I didn’t know what to do immediately and people started offering different suggestions. Some said I should call the police while some came up with different ideas.

“We were on this when some human right activists came in and suggested that we should first take her to the hospital and then proceed to a police station to report the case,” she said.

A member of the CDHR, Blessing Igwe, who saw the baby and later called the shop owner, said it was unfortunate that people who were at the scene of the incident did not show concern about the health of  the baby but were busy taking pictures of her and posting them on the social network.

“If I was not around to quickly call my people to come to the rescue of the child, maybe she would have been dead by now. When I saw people gathered at the scene, I moved closer to have a glimpse of what was happening. Immediately I saw the hapless baby, I called the shop owner and other activists in the area to come to her aid,” she said.

Speaking with P.M.NEWS, the human right activist who took the baby to Orile-Agege General Hospital, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, National Coordinator, Concerned Human Right Nigeria, commended the management of the hospital for their quick response in attending to the baby immediately she was taken there for medical attention.

Ihekaire also commended them for the provision of free drugs and clothes for the baby who was left unkempt where she was abandoned.

He, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the way the people at the scene of the incident handled the case, saying that they were more concerned about taking the pictures of the baby rather than keeping her alive.

“Nigerians should understand that in this kind of situation, saving the life of the baby is more important than taking photographs and posting them on the social media,” he said.

Stunning Photo: Toolz covers May issue of My Streetz Magazine

Toolz covers May issue of My Streetz Magazine

I’ve no quarrel with Rivers gov (Wike)

The Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, sounded confounding when in an interview on Tuesday in his office in Abuja he debunked claims that he is at war with Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State. Wike dismissed insinuations that Rivers State is at war over the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and said he had nothing against Amaechi and did not believe the governor had anything against him.
He said, “one thing you people don’t know is that there is no fight in the real sense of it as the media reports. I call what you have described as war in the Rivers State PDP or between the governor and I as media creation. “You people (media) have been busy hyping the whole scenario to create an impression that war is raging in the state. That is not true. I have read so much on the media on how everything has gone to blazes. And I ask, where do these things happen. I have to be frank with you that I am not at any war with Governor Amaechi. He remains the leader of the party in the state, and not I.
“We have a change in the leadership of the party, that is, the executive body of the party and that does not translate to any form of war. Most of the newspapers and TV houses have taken sides and labelled me an antagonist of Amaechi being used by someone somewhere in Abuja to create problems in my state and I laugh. I laugh because I think I am old enough to have a mind of mine. So should I wait until someone uses me before I take a stand on an issue.” On a personal relationship with Amaechi, he said, “he remains the leader of the party in the state and that is the reality of the law of the party and nobody for now can change it.
I dare say here with all sincerity that if Governor Amaechi calls me now and invites me to Port Harcourt for a function, I must be there. If he invites me for any discussion on the good of our party and our state, I won’t hesitate to answer him because he is my leader in the party.” On the possibility of reconciliation in the feud, he dismissed what is going on as just politics. “There is no war anywhere, I say again. We are playing politics and what is happening is part of politics. That is why I advise some media houses to apply some moderation in the way they blow the development out of shape because the day we will resolve it, none of you will be there. “So whenever I read of plans to impeach Amaechi, I laugh and ask who is the one to impeach him.
Where is the number of legislators to do that when he is in charge of the majority? The other people assisting the press to escalate the problem are the House of Assembly members. I have the text message of many of them.” They send text everyday and some mock that they love the war because they are benefiting and would not want it to end. I am ready to confront many of them with their texts and let Nigerians know who is really the one troubling Rivers PDP. They say all manner of things in the press and ask for their compensation for fighting for the governor.
The same people turn around to send me text and call to celebrate their exploits and say it loud and clear that the war is profitable.” He advised the PDP group opposed to the new leadership of the party to think twice and accept the reality of a new leadership. He challenged them that change must always change and since the court had ruled to uphold the new exco, it was left for the opposition group to accept the body and join forces with them to lead the party

Killers of Kwara CP arrested says (IGP)

Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, said in Enugu yesterday that suspects believed to be involved in the killing of former Kwara State Commissioner of Police (CP) Chinwike Asadu, who was shot dead in Enugu on March 2, this year, have been arrested. The IGP who was on a working visit to the state, also commissioned the police clinic at the command’s headquarters which he said is part of efforts to have healthy looking policemen who will be in a better position to discharge their duties.
He said Enugu has the lowest crime rate in the country. Speaking after the commissioning, Abubakar who described the murder of the CP as a very sad incident, recalled that when he paid a condolence visit on the family, he promised that everything humanly possible would be done to get those who killed CP Asadu; “and I am glad to tell Nigerians that seven of those who took part in the killing have been arrested and arraigned. “There are still others we are looking for, but I will not give you their names; I can give you names of those we have arrested with arms and ammunition that they used in committing that illegal act.
They are Ogechukwu, Ogechukwu, Ugwoke, Okwosa, Chikobi, David and Amobi (surnames withheld by us).” He noted that the suspects had confessed to the murder of Asadu as well as the killing of other innocent souls and other forms of criminality, stressing that the police cannot fold their arms to allow lawless elements of the society to kill people freely and go unarrested. Meanwhile, the IGP yesterday declared that Enugu State has the lowest crime rate in the country, saying that this fact was buttressed by statistics and empirical evidence.
Abubakar, said while taking delivery of 100 new vehicles donated to the police by the government that this was largely due to the tremendous support that the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime had been giving to the police and other security agencies. He said: “Today, I can confirm, as the Inspector-General of Police, that Enugu State has the lowest crime rate in Nigeria. I also confirm that Enugu is one the safest places in Nigeria. This is the result of the wonderful partnership among the Enugu State Government, the Police and other security agencies.” He commended Governor Chime for the gesture, saying it was an example that his colleagues should emulate. “I commend you (Chime) for this gesture.
This is a shining example for your colleagues to emulate. This a practical demonstration that you love and care for your people and that you understand what it takes to provide security of lives and property”. The IGP said the latest donation of vehicles by the government was unprecedented in the sense that it included both patrol vans and sedans (saloon cars), adding that it fell in line with the new policy objective of his administration to move away from vans as is the practice in advanced countries. He also praised Governor Chime for the massive road development programme, noting that the provision of streetlights on major roads of Enugu metropolis was of great assistance to the police in their war against crimes.
Abubakar promised that with the vehicles, “a new brand of policing would commence in Enugu State because police officers would be adequately trained in the use of the vehicles.” Stressing that the gesture was a challenge to the police, he charged officers and men of the police command to use the vehicles only for their stated purposes to rid the state of criminals and warned that any abuse or misuse of the vehicles by the officers will be sanctioned. Earlier while presenting the vehicles consisting of 50 patrol vans and 50 cars, Governor Chime remarked that it had been the policy of his administration since inception to partner the police to maintain security. He disclosed that the vehicles were provided in partnership with local government councils and were fully equipped with modern communication gadgets.
The governor said that the cars would be used for patrols within the metropolis while the vans were to cover inter-government routes and the boundaries. The governor said that his government will ensure that the people feel the presence of the police wherever they are and in the event of any incidence of crime, the police will appear within five minutes of receiving any alarm or emergency notice. Recall that Chime administration had over the past six years donated over 100 patrol vans to the police and other security agencies in the state.

Jilted lover rapes, stabs girlfriend to death

LAGOS — Operatives at the Ogun State Criminal Investigation Department, Elewe-Eran, have arrested a 25- year-old man who allegedly raped and stabbed his girlfriend to death in her parents’ apartment in Ogijo area close to Ikorodu.
The suspect, Anuoluwapo Akinloye, a bricklayer,  who admitted to have committed the act, told Vanguard that he did it out of jealousy and fear of losing his girlfriend, Rafiat Akinyemi.
According to him; “when I met her, I told her I would marry her and she agreed. Along the line, she told me she would only marry me if I convert to Islam which I did.
“I started going to the mosque and observing the monthly fast. I even changed my name to Ismail and also applied for a post in the security department of the mosque I was worshiping just to please her.
“In the process I was disowned by my parents for converting to Islam. But I never cared because I loved her.
“Then, all of a sudden, she called to say she was no longer interested in me. When I demanded to know why, she did not give any reason. I begged her but she did not yield. I thought perhaps she  had found someone richer than me.
“But then, I told her she would not have made me go through the pain of conversion which resulted in my being neglected by my parents.
“So, two weeks ago,  at about 8.30 am, I went to her house where I met her sweeping. She told me to leave and I got angry. In the process I stabbed her.”
Asked where he got the weapon used to stab her, he said he took it with him from home.

Suspected cultist

But the rumour making the rounds in Ogijo is that the suspect is a cultist. Vanguard also gathered that the deceased decided to call off the relationship on realizsing that her boyfriend was a cultist.
A resident of Ogijo told Vanguard:  “Anuoluwapo had threatened to kill Rafiat, saying if he could not have her, no other person would.
“Some of his friends who came here after the incident said they had cautioned him to leave her alone since she was not the only lady around.”
“On that day, he came when Rafiat’s mother had gone out. After committing the act, he shut the door, leaving her to bleed to death.
“Had anyone being aware, perhaps, Rafit could have survived the attack. But it wasn’t until 2pm, after her mother came back that she found her in the pool of her blood stone dead,” the resident who simply gave her name as Modinat said.
Although it was gathered that  the assailant visited Rafiat’s home in the company of  two other persons. But when confronted, he told vanguard he went there alone.
The Ogun State Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Akinjobi who confirmed the incident, said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

Dangote invests $600m in sugarcane production

The President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has diclosed that the sugar arm of his company will invest over $600 million in the production of sugarcane in Kebbi, Kwara and Sokoto states. Dangote made this known during a visit to the Governor of Kwara State, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, where he expressed satisfaction with the government’s effort at revolutionising agriculture in the state.
According to him, his company intends to replicate what it did in the cement industry by targeting about 65 million tonnes of sugar, which he said could produce about one million jobs for the people. Dangote emphasized that in the next five years; the company would produce and grow two million tonnes of sugar, as part of efforts to ensure that Nigeria is self-sufficient in consumables instead of depending on importation.
He said Nigeria was wasting quite a lot of money in the importation of about two million tons of sugar, adding that the company has identified Patigi local government area of the state for sugarcane plantation. Dangote further expressed hope that by cooperating with people and Kwara state government, the project would take-off before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed had pledged that his administration was committed to working with investors in bid to transform the economic lives of the people. Ahmed also gave the assurance that his administration would create enabling environment for would-be investors to operate coupled with adequate security for the growth of the economy. He noted that Nigeria would never get it wrong if it invests in agriculture as the northern part of the country was endowed with arable soil which could be utilized for agriculture as a foreign exchange earner for the nation.
It would be recalled that Dangote group recently announced plans to invest about $8 billion to build a 400,000 bpd capacity oil refinery in Nigeria by 2016, saying that sub-Saharan Africa need investments in this area. According to projection, if completed, this will double Nigeria’s current refining capacity. “This will really help not only Nigeria but sub-Saharan Africa.
There has not been a new refinery for a long time in sub-Saharan Africa.” The country currently has the capacity to produce some 445,000 barrels per day among four refineries, but they operate well below that owing to decades of mismanagement and corruption in Africa’s leading energy producer. Nigeria, the continent’s second-biggest economy, relies on subsidised imports for 80 per cent of its fuel needs.

Judicial cleansing: I won’t entertain baseless petition against judges – CJN

ABUJA—The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Aloma Muhktar, yesterday, expressed her determination to flush out corrupt judges from the judiciary, saying judges must be men of probity and impeccable character.
However, the CJN, who stated this while administering oath on 12 newly appointed justices of the National Industrial Court, NIC, said her decision to boot out erring judicial officers should not set-off the panic button among judges, as no baseless or malicious petition against any judge would be entertained.
She said: “The extent to which prevalent societal currents in recent times have engulfed the Judiciary demands great concern. As you are well aware and as I have reiterated on so many occasions, we have a vision of a justice system that is simple, fast and efficient.
“It must be responsive to the needs and yearnings of the citizenry. If the public loses respect for the Bench, the society may gradually be creeping back to the days of jungle justice as less and less persons and institutions will be willing to entrust their disputes to us.
“As judicial officers, series of temptations will surely come but the ability to resist them will definitely stand you out and earn you a lasting reputation. You must be reluctant in condescending from your lofty positions to acquire and hoard wealth by all possible means.
“You must also ensure that you are men of probity and of impeccable character. No aspect of your conduct should give cause for concern. You must all show the highest sense of discipline, honesty, integrity, diligence and dedication to duty as well as good behaviour.
“Except for good reason; Judicial Officers must be punctual and regular in court attendance and maintain official hours of the court by sitting at 9: 00 am. A situation where some of our judges commence the business of the court after 9: 00am is unacceptable.”
Imploring the new judges to guard against disobedience of any court order, in line with the oath they took yesterday, the CJN said they should not shy away from taking a firm position against any member of the public or even the bar that colluded to flout court orders.
“It is hoped that in the discharge of your duties, you will apply the law in all fairness with good conscience without fear of harassment as no baseless or malicious petition against any judge will be entertained.”

Boko Haram detainees ‘ll be released in phases – Presidency

ABUJA — THE Presidency, yesterday, disclosed that the order directing the release from Police, DSS and military detention centres of Boko Haram suspects detained in connection with the security challenge, would be carried out in phases.
According to the Presidency, the first batch would lay emphasis on women and children who have been in detention on suspicion of involvement and/or connection with insurgency in some parts of the country.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, the Presidency explained that the first phase would be followed by other phased releases where cases would be treated on their individual merits by the defence authorities and security agencies.
Okupe said, “It has become necessary to make further clarifications on the directive for the release of some people held in connection with activities of the Boko Haram sect, in view of misrepresentations in some sections of the media.
“The order for the release of the detainees would be in phases. Concerning the first batch, the emphasis is on women and children who have been in detention on suspicion of involvement and/or connection with insurgency in some parts of the country.
“This would be followed by other phased releases where cases would be treated on their individual merits by the defence authorities and security agencies.
“The presidential directive was as a result of the interim report by the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peace in Northern Nigeria which recommended the measure as part of government’s multi-faceted strategy towards solving the security challenges posed by activities of the sect.
“This directive by Mr President further proves that the Federal Government has not foreclosed dialogue as a viable option in its bid to put an end to insurgency and terrorist activities in the Northern part of the country.
“It is expected that this phased release of detainees will encourage those who wish to embrace the peace option to come out and take advantage of the dialogue and peace option provided by the committee put in place by government.”

Abolish al-majiri system, Mark tells Northern Govs

ABUJA—SENATE President, David Mark, yesterday, blamed leaders and politicians from the North for the growing almajiri in the region, saying they must urgently rise up to ban the system.
This is even as he said the Federal Government would no longer condone criminal acts by people in the country on excuse of unemployment.
Mark, who spoke during a debate on a bill, “A Bill for an Act to Repeal and Re-enact the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act 2003”, sponsored by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, PDP, Cross River Central, was reacting to the issue of parental negligence raised by Senator Alkali Abdulkadir Jajere, ANPP, Yobe South.
Jajere had sought a stiff legislation compelling parents, particularly in the North, to take adequate care of their wards, saying it was time for the almajiri system in the region to be done away with.
He also gave a heart-rending picture of how he grew up without knowing his parents because of the system.
He gave a horrific story of the life he went through as an almajiri child.
According to him, it is by the grace of God that he was enrolled in school.
He also recalled that many of such children never had the opportunity he had to be educated.
Moved by Senator Jajere’s graphic story, Mark said: “It is amazing when we tend to make excuses for our failings. If you cannot gain employment you, go and join a terrorist group so that you can be employed.
“You join Boko Haram because you have no employment. If you are poor, then you begin to trade and traffic in human beings so that you can be rich.
“These are all excuses. What about the people who are buying these people outside. Is it because they can’t find employment or because they are poor? I think we should stop making excuses.
“Everything is reduced to the level of unemployment in the country. Nigeria is not the only country where everybody is not employed. That you are not employed does not mean you should go and do something very bizarre.
“You open up a baby factory; you begin to sedate people and remove their organs to sell. It’s just never a good excuse for some of the things that we do.”

Chinua Achebe: 1930 – 2013

THE death of Africa’s foremost writer, critic and cultural pathologist, Chinualumogu Albert Achebe is a great loss to a world where the wisdom of sacred spoken and written words is observed with high reverence.

A way to measure the loss could be the quantum of tributes that have continued to pour in from writers, Presidents across the world, the Senate of State of New York, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the National Assembly.

They eulogised Achebe as a penetrating writer with acute imagination, as a global citizen with outstanding concerns for the world’s problems. Achebe, like Okonkwo, the hero of his famous novel,

Things Fall Apart, at a young age, established his fame with his landscaping, Things Fall Apart, an imaginative narrative, which he wrote at 28. He was admitted to the University of Ibadan to read medicine, but after a year, he opted for English and found his passion in elevating Africa through the African story.

 The iconic novel told the African story with African perspectives.

 By telling the African tale in an English manner, Achebe employed the English language in a way that made it carry the beauty, colour and tradition of African spoken art and weight of experience. His significance as writer  further lent credence with the import which he brought through his peculiar way of writing to the ethnographic and ethno poetical aesthetics of African literature, history and tradition.

Besides creative writing which established Achebe’s fame in the world of letters, he was also an important critic and essayist. One of his most important works was “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” published in Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. It was a response to the stereotypical images bandied about Africa by colonial writers and administrators about the continent as a place of perpetual darkness and underdevelopment.

His political views were built into his artistic visions, which were credibly and beautifully conveyed by his arresting fictional characters. Achebe rejected national honours twice to demonstrate his disapproval of how Nigeria was being managed. He loved Nigeria with great concern.

The publication, last year, of the controversial, There Was A Country, an autobiographical narrative that engaged Nigeria’s history from the colonial times through the different civilian and military regimes down to the civil war was his parting shot.

Achebe was a great mentor. He was the founder of Association of Nigerian Authors, ANA, the popular Okike Journal of Creative Writing at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He was first Editor of African Writers Series of Heinemann Publishers, he helped nurture and published many renowned African writers including Ngugi wa Thiong’o of Kenya, Ayi Kwei Armah of Ghana, Okot p’Bitek of Uganda and Mongo Beti of Cameroon.

Achebe died abroad, an unhappy man at 82. In the Igbo tradition, he should have lived among his people to uphold the ofo, staff of authority of his family. He did not recover from the scars of the civil war. He bore till death, the scars from a car accident that made him wheel-chair bound. He would be interred in his native town Ogidi today.

He would be remembered for his candour, humanism, insight, intellect, traditionalism and as a great family man whose humility translated to respect for humanity.

Akpabio and the future of Akwa Ibom

Except the Nigerian Constitution is amended before April 2015, one thing is certain: all the governors who have served two terms in office will no longer be qualified to re-contest for such offices. This is because our Constitution says a person cannot occupy the office of a governor for more than two consecutive terms. One of the governors who will have to obey this constitutional provision in 2015 is Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State whom, as if to confirm the expiration of his stay in the Government House, his people have already asked to represent them in the Senate come 2015.
Akpabio took office as governor of the State first in 2007 and was re-elected for a second term in 2011. Akpabio’s journey to Akwa Ibom State Government House was a peculiar one. Those who have the benefit of history would recall that he was not one of those that could be considered top contenders for the top job in the oil-rich state even though by experience he appeared eminently qualified.
Before 2007, he was a commissioner during the two terms of his predecessor, Obong Victor Attah. But make no mistake, Akpabio was not known to be Attah’s anointed successor though many see his appointment into Attah’s cabinet as what brought him (Akpabio) into political limelight. Before joining Attah’s cabinet, Akpabio was a lawyer in private practice in Lagos. His appointment into Attah’s cabinet was his debut in secular political scene aside his involvement in student politics and activism in the University of Calabar where he obtained his law degree.
But whichever way one looks at it, the fact that Akpabio served during Attah’s two tenures is an eloquent testimony that he had something valuable on the table, for there were not more than two commissioners who enjoyed such rare privilege. Attah’s cabinet was Akpabio’s preparatory ground. As commissioner in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, a very strategic ministry, Akpabio familiarised himself with the political terrain and structures in the state and became a grassroot politician, little wonder that he remained one of the most relevant and popular amongst his colleagues.
During this time too, it became obvious that Akpabio was a man of wits and charisma. Of course, shortly before the end of Attah’s second term, Akpabio’s body language indicated that he was interested in his boss’ job but he did not appear to be so much of a force to reckon with. Apparently due to the level of political awareness at the time, the number of aspirants within his party alone was so much that Akpabio’s name would simply be drowned in a sea of names.
Secondly, the fact that Attah could not seek another term in office emboldened many political heavyweights who, before then, were not comfortable about challenging an incumbent. So, within the PDP alone, there were well over fifty aspirants for the office of the governor and at least a fifth of this number had clout good enough to unnerve Akpabio. In this category were very experienced, older and better connected politicians such as Chief Don Etiebet, Dr. Ime Umanah, Grp. Cpt. Sam Enwang just to mention a few.
Besides, at the time, there was the speculation that Gov. Attah preferred another aspirant Dr. Udoma Ekarika to succeed him. Ekarika, a medical doctor by profession, was another commissioner who served during Atta’s two tenures. He also became son-in-law to Attah during that period. As if to confirm the speculations concerning Attah’s preference of him, Ekarika served in two sensitive and strategic ministries, first the ministry of health and then the ministry of works which was and is still believed to be the juiciest ministry in the state.
There was also speculation that Ekarika’s campaign was funded by the Government House and one would not have any struggle leaning to this thinking because, again for those with the benefit of history, any of Ekarika’s campaign outings was a carnival of some sort. With all these forces that Akpabio had to contend with, it was mysterious how he emerged the PDP flag bearer in the state because in a state that was predominantly PDP, the PDP primaries could simply pass for the main election.
One could not but come to the conclusion that Akpabio was indeed a man favoured by God and loved by his people whose dogged loyalty and unreserved support delivered to him the keys to the Government House. Good enough, time has a very subtle way of banishing all such intrigues to the faint memories of history and so the journey to the Government House in 2007 may not be of much importance today. What is of more importance now is the race for the same office in 2015.
And for those who think it is not yet time for politicking, they will be shocked by how much work has been done already and the strategies, alignments and realignments going on in Akwa Ibom political circles. As usual, the race will not be free of intrigues. But there are a number of major factors that will determine who occupies Akwa Ibom State Government House come April, 2015. As is typical of a number of states in our country, Akwa Ibom is a multi-ethnic state with the three dominant tribes being Ibibio, Annang and Oron in that order of dominance.
Again, unfortunately though, in a society where ethnic considerations play a critical role in decision making, it would be foolhardy to play down on it in the political calculations that will determine who rules a state such as Akwa Ibom. Worthy of mention at this point is the fact that since inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the Ibibios and Annangs have occupied the Government House in the persons of Governors Victor Attah and Godswill Akpabio respectively. Already, politicians from the Oron ethnic extraction have begun the agitation that the next Governor should come from the area.
Their argument is that since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, no politician from the area has served as Governor. As if to add a touch of seriousness to the agitation, a number of persons mostly from the region have either openly declared interest or been touted as possible successors to Akpabio. On the other hand, there is already the counter argument in some quarters that rotation of governorship in the state is not exactly along the ethnic lines but along the three senatorial districts which are not neatly delineated along ethnic lines.
If this argument is sustained, it means that the next governorship slot will not just fall on the laps of the Oron people as the Eket senatorial district, to which they belong, also has a number of local governments of the Ibibio extraction. Whichever way the argument goes, one thing is sure. This political permutation, which many may consider perfidious, will certainly be a veritable notion that will support and fuel the usual intrigues and manipulations when the time is ripe.
Another factor that will determine who becomes Akpabio’s successor is that AkwaIbomites would want a governor that will, in the least, match the achievements of the man who, in recent times, has been rated by many as best governor in Nigeria. While still savouring the rare achievements of the man whose vision for his people has given birth to an empowered populace and a private sector driven economy, acting as a catalyst to Nigeria’s Industrial revolution, Akwaibomites are watching to see who takes over the governance of the state from Gov. Godswill Akpabio. Adahada writes from Lagos.

Asari-Dokubo, a liability to Jonathan, says varsity don

Kabiru Mato is a professor of Political Science and Director, Institute for Anti-Corruption Studies of the University of Abuja. He is a strong voice in northern politics. In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun in Abuja he came hard on former militant leader, Asari Dokubo over his recent statement that Nigeria will cease to exist if President Goodluck Jonathan is not reelected in 2015. According to him, that statement is a declaration of war on the Nigerian State, warning Jonathan to distance himself from Asari Dokubo as he has become a political liability.
Professor Kabiru further warned against any plans by serving and past political leaders to manipulate the 2015 elections.  “People’s votes must count. Any attempt by people in or out of power to manipulate the will of the people will be met with serious consequences. If those in power want to use that opportunity to do anything wrong with the votes, it will be too bad for this country,” he warned.
Below is the full excerpts of the interview…
Battle against corruption
I think the most important thing to understand here is to know why there’s this high level of corruption in Nigeria. We should also consider the areas where they’re more prevalent. Is it in the public or private sector? My answer to this is that corruption is in both sectors. Corruption will thrive in the private sector if its endemic at the public sector level. What I mean here is that, the level of corruption in government has to do with those who are entrusted with running the affairs of the state. My attitude to corruption is that no government all over the world can completely stamp it out of its political landscape. But what other governments do is to reduce it to its lowest minimum. In our own case, it has become so unfortunate. Institutions that are supposed to fight corruption are being reduced by the same government that put these institutions in place. For instance, in the area of funding, you can’t fight corruption if you are allocated penury.
The people you’re fighting are in the public and private sectors, and they’ve tremendous wealth. This is democracy. If you’re trying to fight these people, they have resources at their disposal to fight back. The legal system is very expensive. For you to convict anybody, you have to convince the court that the individual or group of people are guilty. For you to do that, you need to go through rigorous legal process. The institutions fighting corruption in Nigeria are handicapped because they lack the financial capacity to effectively prosecute those accused of corruption. They don’t even have the funds to get sound lawyers or do proper investigation. This is fundamentally the problem. For instance, the two cases involving former governor of Delta State, James Ibori and former managing director of Intercontinental Bank, Erastus Akingbola are from the private and public sectors. Because of the amount of wealth they’ve acquired, they were able to clear all the charges of corruption against them.
As you can see, outside of Nigeria, they were tried in competent courts. It has been said that the British government spent £5 million in prosecuting James Ibori. If you translate that money into Naira, you realise that it is the budget of both the EFCC and ICPC. And that was what another government spent in prosecuting a case. Resources are scarce here and our own government can’t fund them. With deficit in the provision of infrastructure, the government can’t afford to channel so much resources into fighting corruption. I still believe the current state of funding is largely responsible for the poor successes anti-corruption agencies have been recording in their fight against corruption. I think the effort the government is putting in fighting corruption is below the mark.
Jonathan and Nigerians’ confidence
The truth of the matter is that most of the problems we face today in Nigeria aren’t the creation of President Jonathan or his administration. They’re problems that have accumulated over time. My attitude to this is that politicians must begin to realise that, when they’re aspiring to certain political offices, they should do so with the full consciousness that what they’re asking for are assets and liabilities. It isn’t all about driving in long convoys or enjoying the benefits of the office. It is also about the neglect of education, infrastructure, health sector and so many other things that have piled up over time to produce the kind of general state of insecurity and apathy that we’ve in Nigeria. The president who’s contesting for an election should be able to know the magnitude of these problems. It is not enough for anybody to say that he didn’t create these problems and therefore not the solution to the problem.
The fact of the matter is that Nigerians are at liberty to assess any government and that is the beauty of democracy. Nigerians are at liberty to assess Jonathan either as good or bad. This is what you can’t take away from Nigerians. Leadership must be able to take responsibility for actions. We elected the government and they should be able to create the enabling environment in helping Nigerians fulfill their common goals. What you have in Nigeria is a government that complains too much.
Dokumbo’s war threat
I don’t take people like Asari Dokumbo seriously. I don’t take them seriously because of their antecedents and not because they’re not Nigerians. Whatever people like that say shouldn’t mean anything. A sensible Nigerian will not come out and do what he’s doing. People like Asari are becoming political liabilities to President Jonathan instead of being political assets.

Private jet owners to pay higher charges (New aviation policy)

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday approved a new national civil aviation policy that will see all private jet owners in the country paying higher charges in accordance with international best practices. Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah who briefed State House Correspondents alongside her colleagues, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, Transport, Idris Umar, Minister of State Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, after the weekly FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said the existing aviation policy which was last revised 11 years ago did not provide for strict enforcement of payment of charges by private jet operators.
She said the private jet operators were not paying what they should pay. According to her, “the question is not of taking advantages, it is a question of doing the right thing. Are they paying what they are supposed to pay? The response is no, they are not. But we want to make sure that they do pay what they are supposed to pay. “These are part of the what the policy is addressing. We want to make sure that private jets are private jets and commercial jets are commercial jets and each will operate within the boxes they are meant to operate. So we don’t want to overcharge anyone, we dont to undercharge we want to do what is global standards”.
The policy she noted also addresses issues pertaining to the rights of passengers and owners of aircrafts, while spelling out clear guidelines on general aviation. The new policy has captures enforcement of rules to enhance standards. With the revised policy, the Accident Investigation Bureau AIB, would now ensure that its responsibilities go beyond investigation of accidents but implementation of outcomes and findings. Oduah said, “You must all agree with me that since then several things have taken place.
The security situation has changed and so the challenge has become more paramount that we must be intune with the global standards. We had to also revise the policy to ensure that safety is given optimum importance in the way we do things, definitely technology is involved in using the airports and so you can see its very important that we enhance the technology that we have within our airports and our airports facilities and so several of these was the essence in which we had to quickly review our aviation policy. “In doing that major highlights were general aviation. When we talk about general aviation we are talking about the private jets.
As of today we have about a hundred of them and having them we have no law, no policy no regulation to make sure that they are operating the way they should operate within ICAO laws and our aviation policy. But most importantly to be in tandem with global best policies, we also had to highlight passengers bill of right. What that means is that all passengers rights are being protected and at the same time the rights of the airlines operators should be protected as well so that you do not have conflict between passengers and operators. The policy has to take into cognisance the fact that you must have healthy operators. It is only when you have healthy operators that safety can be given the regards that it should be given. So in doing that you have to create a new directorate that focuses on economic and commercial regulations. For us it is very important.
Again when an airline is unhealthy they will have difficulty in complaince as far as the safety regulations are concerned, but the policy has to address those issues. “We also highlighted the bilateral relations that we have. What has been happening in the past, we had bilateral relations that are supposed to be reciprocal in nature but in practice it is not. We get paid royalties which does not resolve our problems so we had to change it to where we have full benefits of our bilateral relations which regards to airline operations. “Then that of national carrier, to have a policy that really addresses how we accomplish the national carrier that is in tandem with what Mr. President had promised, a private sector driven national carrier that represents who we are, what we are and our aspirations are taken into cognizance.
General safety and security at the airport, how best we can address them and monitor them because it has become a challenge in view of the new security issues that has emerged. “Generally we talked about Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The policy was very elaborate on how AIB should operate. AIB should not just investigate accidents and incidents they should ensure that the outcome of their report is fully implemented. So AIB will police NCAA to ensure that all the outcome of their invesitagion is adequately addressed. Finally it is the cognizance of the need to have a national climate policy, the policy addresses the framework that will drive that issue very well. We have been having climate issues and its not going to stop so we must have policies that will address these issues”.
The Council also approved the sum of N19.4 Billion for the construction of the Karshi Water Supply Scheme under the rural development efforts of the Federal Government, saying that the project would be completed in 30 months. The Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said that the water project would address the issue of water scarcity within Karshi and its environs. The project is to provide potable water and irrigation to that growing suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Akinjide, explained that the project, would involve the construction of two dams to adequately cater for the agriculture and domestic/industrial use of residents of the area.
Transport minister, Idris Umar, made a presentation on the performance of his ministry in 2012, detailing the rehabilitation of rail lines and inland waterways. Aside the resuscitation of the Lagos-Kano rail-line, he said there are plans to collaborate with private sector to increase and improve inland waterway transport. While speaking on the performance of his ministry, the Minister of Transport, Idis Umar said that a total sum of N49.6 billion was approved for the ministry but only 56 per cent of the ministry’s budget has been released According to him, the ministry recorded remarkable achievement in the resuscitation of the rail system for the movement of people and goods as alternative to road transportation.
Umar maintained that the rail transportation from Lagos to Kano has been running smoothly, saying that the ministry would partner with the private sector to ensure further development of the transport sector.

Please Help Save A soul(Adebukola Adeyemi)

Please help save Bukky and also say a word of prayer for her. Read about her below, thanks.
Adebukola Adeyemi is a young woman. An indigene of Lagos State, from the Oluwa Family. She’s a graduate of Mathematics from the UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS and a National Diploma holder in Estate Managment from YABA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY.

She has been diagnosed with Acute Kidney/Renal failure and urgently requires a kidney transplant procedure worth 8 Million Naira. Presently she undergoes dialyses twice every week at LAGOS UNIVERISTY TEACHING HOSPITAL (LUTH) just to survive and the need for the transplant has been regarded as top priority for her chance to survive.
We call on well-meaning Nigerians, NGOs, religious institutions and you LL readers to please come to her aid and help this young African woman with so many dreams to fulfill.
Her account details are;
Adeyemi Adebukola
First Bank Plc
No: 3061412656,
For further details, please contact ADEYEMI ADEMOLA RAZAK (brother), ADEYEMI MOBOLAJI OLAYINKA on any of the followings:
BBM 2600e997 08038511623, 08023591538, 08033440913   http://m.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10151677402116412 Let’s save a soul. God bless you all.

London attack: Britain probes possible Nigerian link

Britain is investigating a possible Nigerian link to attackers suspected of hacking a soldier to death in London while shouting Islamic slogans, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Two suspects have been taken into custody after the attack, which the British government said appeared to be an act of terrorism. Police have not identified the suspects.

The sources, speaking independently, said a Nigerian link was being investigated but gave no further details about the nature of the link.

 Police spokesmen declined to comment.

A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after the killing showed a man with hands covered in blood, brandishing a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” the black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a wool jacket and jeans and speaking with a local accent, shouted in the footage obtained by Britain’s ITV news channel.

“This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

The attack was the first apparent Islamist killing in London since suicide bombers struck transport in July 2005. The capital was shocked by the bizarre scene of a killer covered in gore, declaring his motive to onlookers.

Police shot the two suspects while trying to arrest them, and the wounded men were taken into custody. No information was immediately released about the identity of the suspects, but two sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters authorities were investigating a possible link to Nigeria.

“I apologise that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you,” the videotaped man said before crossing the street and speaking casually to the other attacker.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to France to return to London and chair an emergency national security meeting.

>>>breaking news>>>Man killed in suspected UK terror attack

>>>breaking news

A man has been killed in a machete attack in south-east London. The Met Police said a murder inquiry was being led by its Counter Terrorism Command.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would “never buckle” in the face of terror attacks. Footage has emerged showing a man wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and making political statements. Police confirmed two men had been arrested in connection with the murder.

There are unconfirmed reports that the dead man was a soldier. Both French President Francois Hollande and MP Nick Raynsford said the dead man had been a soldier at Woolwich barracks.

The footage shown on the ITV website shows a man, speaking to the camera, saying: “We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” He added: “I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

They first hit the man, thought to be a British soldier, with a car in broad daylight. Then the two attackers hacked him to death and dumped his body in the middle of a southeastern London road.

“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone,” said a meat-cleaver-wielding man with bloody hands, speaking in what seems to be a London accent.

“The only reasons we killed this man this is because Muslims are dying daily,” he added, in video aired by CNN affiliate ITN. “This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth.”

London Soldier Attack: Britain probes possible Nigerian Islamic link

Britain is investigating a possible Nigerian link to attackers suspected of hacking a soldier to death in London while shouting Islamic slogans, two sources with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Two suspects have been taken into custody after the attack, which the British government said appeared to be an act of terrorism. Police have not identified the suspects.
The sources, speaking independently, said a Nigerian link was being investigated but gave no further details about the nature of the link.
Police spokesmen declined to comment.
A British soldier was hacked to death by two men shouting Islamic slogans in a south London street on Wednesday, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack.
A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after the killing showed a man with hands covered in blood, brandishing a bloodied meat cleaver and a knife.
“We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. The only reason we have done this is because Muslims are dying every day,” the black man in his 20s or 30s, wearing a wool jacket and jeans and speaking with a local accent, shouted in the footage obtained by Britain’s ITV news channel.
“This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
The attack was the first apparent Islamist killing in London since suicide bombers struck transport in July 2005. The capital was shocked by the bizarre scene of a killer covered in gore, declaring his motive to onlookers.
Police shot the two suspects while trying to arrest them, and the wounded men were taken into custody. No information was immediately released about the identity of the suspects, but two sources familiar with the investigation told Reuters authorities were investigating a possible link to Nigeria.
“I apologise that women had to witness that, but in our lands our women have to see the same thing. You people will never be safe. Remove your government. They don’t care about you,” the videotaped man said before crossing the street and speaking casually to the other attacker.
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a visit to France to return to London and chair an emergency national security meeting.

VoxAfrica TV: Mandela’s daughters sue him for control of his money

The battle on who should own the Nelson Mandela brand has intensified as two of the former South African president’s daughters, Zenani and Makaziwe, sue their father for the rights to his artworks and control of his millions.
According to a newspaper report, the two sisters intend to fight an April 2004 Johannesburg High Court order which gave Mandela the right to instruct Ismail Ayob, his then lawyer, to stop managing his financial, personal and legal affairs.
The court order barred Ayob from selling any of Mandela’s artworks.
The legal wrangle has raised concerns and some analysts have called the sisters’ action “unAfrican”.
“It has very negative implications for the name of Nelson Mandela because he’s not only a father to the daughters that are taking him to court, he is a global icon. The message it sends out the world is that the legacy of Nelson Mandela is being rubbished while he is still alive,” said Prince Mashele.

Mandela’s current lawyer, Bally Chuene has filed an affidavit in response to a lawsuit brought by the sisters, who are represented by Ayob. The story headlines have upset many Johannesburg residents who have called the court action selfish and said it’s motivated by greed.
In another court battle the two sisters are trying to push Mandela’s long time friend and advocate, George Bizos and other advisors out of companies connected to Mandela.
Makaziwe Mandela and Zenani Mandela allege amongst other things that Bizos and other associates were not appointed by the former president as major shareholders or directors, and have applied for a legal order to have them removed.
If the application is granted, Makaziwe and Zenani will be the only two directors of the companies set up to manage proceeds from the sale of his image.
Analyst Prince Mashele says the ongoing legal wrangles will worsen when Nelson Mandela dies
“It’s very clear, they have already given out the signal that when he (Nelson Mandela) is gone, they will fight over his estate, that’s the message that comes out of this. I mean, they have the audacity to fight over his estate while he is still alive, what more when he is gone,” asked Mashele.
Nelson Mandela is old and frail and has been admitted to hospital three times in four months. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 is a global symbol of tolerance and the struggle for equality.

Nigeria’s troubling epidemic of rapes

LAST week, the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, an NGO, reported that in 2012, no fewer than 1, 200 girls were raped in Rivers state.
The state Project Officer of the body, (Michael Gbarale) who is also the chairman of the Child Protection Network, added that: “of this figure (of 1,200), gang rapes were more frequent”.
49 cases were reported to the Network, while 800 others, were treated by ‘doctors without border’. Out of the 49 cases taken to the Child Protection Network, 11 were gang rapes; 44 were ordinary rape cases.
In another survey to investigate high HIV prevalence and lower age for sex among adolescents between 10 and 19 years, carried out by the Positive Action for Treatment Access (PATA), it found out that: “forced sex was the third main reason for sexual debut” after love and peer pressure. It said that more than 31.4 percent of girls, many of them living with HIV, reported “forced sex” or rape as the basis of first sexual encounter.
Doctor Morenike Ukpong who presented the study at a national dialogue on adolescents living with HIV in Nigeria, told DAILY TRUST, that “if 31.4 percent of females can report their first sexual debut as rape, I think it is an epidemic…We have an epidemic called rape that we are not addressing. It is something to weep over”.
Dr. Ukpong went on that “for many of those who are HIV positive, their exposure to HIV is because of rape. It is a risk factor for HIV infection and we are not dealing with that”. Some of those in the study were as young as seven: “the man said if I tell my mum or dad he would kill me.
He showed me a knife and I was afraid, I was just seven years old then. He was sleeping with me everyday and I was fearful to talk to anybody. I bled, my sister saw it but I could not tell her what happened…” Stories like these are in the media almost on a daily basis in Nigeria.
There was a report from Auchi, where students at the Polytechnic, kidnapped their classmate, raped her for days and later killed her. There are postings of horrific pictures of young men, somewhere in Rivers state, who raped a girl and then buried her alive, but were discovered by military men.
They were forced to exhume the corpse and the video was posted on the internet! Or the girl that was raped and a huge staff was stuff into her as she laid dead.
A few years ago, I noticed that in WEEKLY TRUST, we were carrying regular stories from around Northern Nigeria, of the rape of minors, between two and eight years.
I put a reporter on the trail to be able to do an investigative piece, while I also did a column. In the period since, there has developed almost a boom industry in rape all over our country.
There are several cases of fathers abusing their children too and in many of the cases, these rapists would blame their act on the devil! Clearly, there is something fundamentally broken in our country. The epidemic of rape has deep sociological and even biological factors.
In a society of deep-seated male chauvinism, reinforced by the erosion of economic power, there is a serious crisis of virility and esteem, which is falsely reclaimed in acts of violence against women. Rape has been studied in many places as part of a package of false consciousness, where a rapist imagines himself as expressing male power in domination of the victim.
There is also the breakdown of the family and the ability to have healthy sexual life in marriages, in societies where it has become difficult to marry, due to economic reasons. This is especially true in Muslim communities in Northern Nigeria, where religious restraint is also breaking down, especially in the urban setting.
People have grown up in a culture of separation of the sexes and rape is one of the avenues for encountering the woman, who might just be a minor as we have seen in many media reports in the North and even beyond.
Even economic hardship has hamstrung individuals’ ability to seek the comfort of commercial sex workers; and a few weeks ago, the press reported a young man, somewhere in Eastern Nigeria, who “specialised” in raping very elderly women! Arrested, he confessed that he couldn’t get young girls, so he targeted the elderly.
We have not by the narrative underplayed the serious criminality that rape represents and as we have seen from the study of adolescent sex and HIV infection, the consequences of the epidemic of rape that we live with today, are very grave!
Nigerian sociologists, other social scientists, religious bodies and social workers, the state and society at large, must become far more conscious of the seriousness of the issue rape. We must not bury our heads in the sand, because even our children, loved ones and neighbours can become victims!
There is no gainsaying the fact that something is broken in the Nigerian society today and the epidemic of rapes merely reflects and reinforces the desperate social situation in contemporary society. The epidemic of rapes damages the humanity of the victims and dehumanises all of our society; we must not let it roll us over completely!
The Anohu-Amazu bill: Amending legislation just for an individual
LAST week, the House of Representatives suspended debate on the Pension Reform Act because of the controversial request embedded in the Act. The request was asking for the REDUCTION of qualification requirements for the post of director-general of the National Pension Commission.
Under the existing law, the MINIMUM requirement for the position is 20 years experience; but the emendation wants that to be reduced to 15 years. The reason for this absurd demand is simple. The acting DG is a certain Chinelo Anohu-Amazu.
She has only 15 years experience in service, but those who rule the roost want to confirm her DESPITE the extant law, so they came up with the absurd decision to amend the Pension Reform Act, to achieve their purpose!
When the bill came up for second reading last Wednesday, it was stepped down following protest by a lawmaker, who frowned at a bill that was being amended just for an individual.
Ali Ahmad (PDP Kwara) who raised the motion that led to the stepping down argued that: “you don’t make laws for individuals at the expense of the larger society. Laws are meant to uplift development and standard of the nation and its people and it is not supposed to be subjected to individual whims and caprices” (Not forgetting that in the Kwara state where Ali Ahmad comes from, the House of Assembly had passed a law “subjected to individual whims and caprices”, when a pension package was approved just for the creature comfort of Bukola Saraki, Ali Ahmad’s principal and mentor!). Similarly, Rep Ibrahim Bawa Kamba (PDP Kebbi), said there was no way members could entertain the bill given that it seeks to lower the PenCom DG bar to favour a certain individual: “…reducing the age experience requirement for the PenCom DG is not in good faith”.
One of the hallmarks of contemporary Nigeria is the lowering of standards and the promotion of mediocrity on the basis of an in-your-face impunity.
The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) became very controversial because in so many ways, it morphed into a law to satisfy the tall ego of Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Maduekwe. Those who promote these individualisation of laws clearly do not care about the fate of Nigeria; the health of the state system and the continuity of tradition.
For them, their act resembles what the Hausa describe as “sha yanzu, magani yanzu” (literally, taking an advantage now without bothering about long term implications!).
Those pushing  Chilnelo Anohu-Amazu’s candidacy as DG of PenCom, know that she is NOT qualified for the position, but a combination of ethnic solidarity and exploitation of their placement within the system today has pushed them to the recklessness of seeking an emendation of the law.
I hope the National Assembly will resist this inordinate, irresponsible and unpatriotic effort to amend a law just to promote the candidacy of an individual, which has become so much part of the notorious baggage of the Jonathan administration.
These ridiculous steps have accumulated to deepen the incompetence which dog the administration and by extension, the country. With due respect, when Pius Anyim was appointed the SGF, it represented a lowering of standards, even when the effort was to satisfy the Igbo constituency.
The truth was that the man was too inexperienced to hold the position. Everybody knew that fact, but out of ethnic solidarity; the opportunistic penchant to hope that an opportunity to “chop” has opened to a kinsman, people would not comment.
Yet, they will hope against hope, that things would carry on and somehow, work well. People conveniently forgot that it was the same Anyim, whom the late Chuba Okadigbo, dismissed wittily, when he asked: “what has he achieved? Nothing!”
He then added that he was a mere level twelve officer in a refugee organisation! The same man was promoted above his station as Senate President and today he is SGF. What effect has his place had on governance?
All Nigerians can offer an answer. But that impunity is still very much with us and the latest expression of that ethnicity-sourced absurdity, is the attempt to amend the Pension Reform Act, to lower the minimum qualification from 20 to 15 years, just to ensure that Chinel Anohu-Amazu is confirmed as DG at PenCom. That is the sorry pass that Nigeria has been pushed into!
The Nigerian Media and the State of Emergency
SECTION 22 of the Nigerian Constitution explicitly obliges the Nigerian media to hold government accountable to the Nigerian people. In the wake of the declaration of a state of emergency in three Northern states, I have been giving myself the pause on the obligations of the media.
Our newspapers are presenting almost the SAME set of stories, written nearly word-for-word on the operations of the security forces. It is very close to having “embedded journalism” writ large on all of us.
But how are we sourcing our stories of what is happening in the theatres of operation? Have we become PR outlets for the security forces and the state? Do we really know what is happening in the different places?
What about the human rights of people in these communities? May we be acquiescing in actions that will not stand scrutiny? Might we eventually regret our gung-ho, uncritical reportage which tell only the side of the security forces?
These questions have crossed my mind as I think about Section 22 and the state of emergency. We will still ask these questions sometime in the near future.

Oshiomhole orders students to pay for vandalised school property

BENIN—EDO State governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has directed that protesting students of Idogbo Secondary School, in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of the state, who destroyed the school’s property while protesting the death in an accident, of one their colleagues, to pay for the vandalised property.
He also directed the Ministry of Lands to demolish, without notice, all illegal structures on the land of public schools in the state.
Speaking during a visit to the school to assess the level of damage to the facilities, Oshiomhole noted that the students had no reason to resort to the destruction of the school’s facilities, no matter the level of provocation, adding that if teachers could be sanctioned for flouting directives, students were not an exeption.
He said: “Let me advise you strongly that on no account should you vandalise government property and in particular, on no account should you vandalise your school. If you are annoyed over something and you tear your shirt, will that make sense?
“Unfortunately, someone was knocked down by a car and he died. We are still trying to find out the role of the teacher who was responsible, to determine whether the death was preventable. I assure you that once the facts are clear, government will take the right decision because as a government, the life of every person living in Edo State is important to us and it is even more so when we are talking of children.”

Nasarawa massacre: Director arrested, accused of leaking information to cultists

Still trying to fish out the masterminds of the massacre of dozens of policemen and security agents in Alakyo in Nasarawa State about two weeks ago, security operatives have arrested a senior director working with the state government in connection with the killings.
The officer was alleged to have passed strategic security information to the cultists thereby enabling them to strike with precision on the fateful day.
Vanguard learnt from a reliable source that the director, whose name was given as Mohammed and works at the office of the Secretary to the State Government, was privy to most security decisions taken by the state on account of his position in the administration.
Findings by Vanguard yesterday revealed that angry security agents, who are still peeved over the killings of their colleagues by the dreaded Ombatse cult group, swooped on Mohammed after tracing some vital information leaked to the group, to his phone.
The suspect, who is believed to be an Eggon native, where the cult has its roots and base, was reportedly picked up from his office to the surprise of his staff, when the security men handcuffed and whisked him away in a commando-like fashion.
Mohammed was initially detained and questioned by men of the Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia before being transferred to Abuja for further interrogation in connection with the heinous crime.
A senior official of the Nasarawa State government, who pleaded anonymity because he had not been authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed the arrest of the director and transfer to Abuja by security men.
The officer said that the man was arrested after security agents established a relationship between him and the deadly cult group in the state.
The Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, had on Monday confirmed the arrest of no fewer than 15 officers and men, who allegedly connived with the cult group to massacre the policemen in the state.
The IG said the men were still being investigated to determine their level of culpability or otherwise in the offence.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 96 police officers and men as well as Department of State Service, DSS, officials, who had gone to Eggon, about 10 kilometres away from the Nasarawa State capital, to arrest the leader of the Ombatse shrine were ambushed and murdered by the cultists on May 9, 2013.
As at yesterday, the security agencies were yet to swoop on the cultists, who are believed to be holed up in the vast forests in the area, roaring to descend on any intruder in the community.
The cult group, which had earlier been outlawed by the Al-Makura administration, was reportedly encouraged by some powerful politicians to continue with its malevolent activities, hoping to use them to outsmart their opponents in the 2015 elections.

Lagos earns N29bn IGR, begs FG to pay N13bn debt

Lagos State Government,yesterday, said it recorded a monthly revenue increase of N29.0 billion in 2012 as against an average of N18.9 billion in 2008, even as it appealed to the Federal Government to urgently pay N13, 373, 919, 675.55 being verified indebtedness it owed pensioners in the state.
Commissioner for Pensions, Establishments and Training, Mrs Florence Oguntuase, at the 2013 ministerial briefing to mark the sixth year anniversary of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration, lamented that the non-payment of the benefits had caused untold hardship to the pensioners and unnecessary burden on the state.
The commissioner explained that the unpaid arrears were Federal Government‘s share of the total benefits of the pensioners, noting that the state had consistently settled its own share.
According to her, “We are appealing to the Federal Government to settle the verified pension indebtedness to the tune of N1, 107,267,537 it owes retired workers of the state government and the N12, 266,652,137 of the workers in the Local Government.
The state government, through the Civil Service Pension Office, has forwarded applications for the arrears to the Federal Government and we hope they will pay the benefits before the pensioners pass on.”
The commissioner said the state had so far paid N18,031,148,931 in pension benefits to no fewer than 3,384 retired workers in the state and that a total of N39,518,948 had so far been remitted to the different Pension Fund Administrators, PFAs, by the government as its contribution to workers‘ pension accounts.
The commissioner put the total number of public service pensioners in the state at 14,934, and said the government had established a Pensioner Welfare Office, PWO, to take care of pensioners’ needs on retirement.
On workers’ training, Oguntunase said the government had in the last one year spent a total of N394,231,622 on the training of 7,457 of its workers.
She noted that a total of 22,622 workers of different categories underwent Performance Evaluation Examination under the same period, adding that the results of the assessment had since been implemented in the form of staff promotion.
On IGRI increase
Similarly, Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Adetokunbo Abiru, said the increase in the monthly generated revenue amounted to an average yearly growth of 10.7 percent over five year period, saying Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, had in the last five years accounted for over 65 per cent of the total revenue of the State.
Abiru said the development further reflected the stable nature of the state’s fiscal revenue which continued to rely more on IGR rather than revenue receipts from the Federal Government.
According to him, the state would eventually focus more on IGR by consolidating on all sources of taxation with a view to ensuring that monies generated through taxes and other sources were judiciously used in providing developmental programmes.
for the entire populace of the state.
He said the state government prioritized funding of capital projects as against overhead expenditure, adding “the budgeting process of maintaining a funding preference for capital expenditure more than overhead expenditure already adopted by this administration will be sustained in the 2013 budget.”

Robbers attack female doctor, snatch LCDA van

LAGOS—Robbers, who posed as stranded visitors, Monday, snatched a Toyota Hilux pick-up van belonging to Iba Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Ojo Lagos.
The four-man armed gang as gathered, stormed a building located in Shogunle area of Lagos at 7a.m. and reportedly accosted occupant of the vehicle, a woman later identified as Dr. Nkiruka Ubani.
While two of them reportedly pointed locally-made cut-to-size guns at her, ordering her to get down from the vehicle, others were said to have kept watch for any intruder.
The visibly shaken Dr. Ubani was said to have pleaded with the robbers to take all she had but the vehicle, which she said was an official car.
However, her plea fell on deaf ears as one of the bandits was said to have dragged her out; threatening to shoot her if she raised any alarm.
The bandits were said to have thereafter, jumped into the van, with number plate BR 167 BBG with the inscription Lagos State health Development Project II and zoomed off.
The incident as gathered had been reported at the Shogunle Police division; where sources said efforts were still on to locate the stolen vehicle.

10,000 megawatts to be generated by Dec (F.G.N)

ABUJA—THE federal government, yesterday, disclosed that plans had been concluded to move from the present position of power generation of 4,500 to 10,000 megawatts by December.
Speaking when she appeared before the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy, led by Senator Phillip Adudua, PDP, FCT, Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi, told the senators that the federal government had completed the process of privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.
Kuchi, who disclosed that N347 billion was required for increase in transmission of megawatts, said the generating and transmission companies could not be handed over yet as the ministry was poised to ensure that they were in good shape before their hand over to the successor companies.
She raised alarm that the handover had been hampered by lack of fund, adding that the ministry had been running on zero allocation.
The minister noted that some six months into the 2013 fiscal year, the Ministry of Power had been running on N5 billion, being the remnant of its 2012 allocation.
Hajia Kuchi assured that there would be no problem paying for labour, adding that government had enough in its coffers to pay by July.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Senator Philip Aduda, who noted that Nigerians were no longer ready to take excuses for non-availability of electricity, said people were running of out of patience.

Kirikiri residents protest neglect by oil firms

LAGOS— FOR second day running, operations of five oil firms in Kirikiri town, Oriade Local Council Development Council Area, LCDA, of Lagos State, were paralysed by residents protesting the deplorable state of roads in the community and lack of employment opportunities for its youths.
The community accused the oil firms of not only refusing to offer jobs to the youths but also destroyed the two major roads in the community (Cardoso and Karimu) by their heavy duty trucks.
Affected oil companies are Bovas Oil, Techno Oil, Swift Oil, Index Petrolube Africa and Fatgbems Oil.
The protesters who displayed several placards with inscriptions such as “repair our roads and provide jobs for our youths”, blamed the sorry state of the major roads in the town on oil companies and vowed to halt their operations by preventing tanker trucks from entering into the community until their demands were met.
President-General of Kirikiri Youth Association, Mr. Udoji Popoola, explained that the protest remained the only option since the companies had reneged on their promises to repair the roads.
He said: “We are not fighting anybody. We are not destroying anything. All we are agitating for is that the roads in this community are in a very bad condition and that it is high time they were repaired.”
Chairman, Oriade LCDA, Mr Ibrahim Sanusi, told Vanguard that he had made efforts to draw the attention of the oil tank farm operators  to the bad state of the roads to no avail, lamenting that the LCDA  had no capacity to do the two major roads.

Igbos will miss Achebe for a long time (Ohanaeze)

ENUGU—THE apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said, Wednesday, that the departed literary giant, Professor Chinua Achebe whose remains would be finally laid to rest at his Ogidi countryhome in Anambra State tomorrow, would be missed for a very long time.
The umbrella Igbo organization said Achebe’s departure has left a yawning gap in the horizon of the Igbo nation.
Secretary General of Ohanaeze, Dr. Joe Nwaorgu, who spoke with Vanguard on the demise of the renowned author, said that the organization viewed Achebe’s exit as “very tragic” and would not be forgotten easily.
He said: “Achebe’s departure is a traumatic blow to Ndigbo and indeed Africans even though 82 is a ripe age, we would have wanted him to live forever.  His demise has left a yawning gap in our horizon.
“We will miss him a lot and for a long long time. He cannot be forgotten too easily because he is the man who put our essence into sharp focus with his magnum work Things Fall Apart.  Therein he reestablished the long damaged self confidence and psyche of the Africans who had been plummeted by colonial powers into seeing themselves as less than human.
“Achebe showed that the African has history, religion, philosophy, government (law and order), art, good music and all fabric of a civilized society. Thereafter no one could see the African from colonial eyes only nor could anyone write about us for us.
“Achebe has started renaissance or rebirth.  Africans could now tell their real story by themselves confidently.  He was a genius and among his peers he was a colossus.
“We are extremely happy and proud that this titan was of Igbo stock. He has done the continent proud and he has lit a light that will beam everywhere. His memory will remain evergreen in our hearts, Ndigbo wish Achebe, the guru, peaceful repose in the bosom of our Lord.”
To the young generation of Ndigbo, Nwaorgu said they should emulate Achebe as role model known for maintaining core Igbo values, justice, equity, courage and enterprise or resourcefulness.

Anamabra stands still for Achebe

AWKA – AWKA, the capital of Anambra State stood still, Wednesday as the body of the literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe arrived the state for its final journey to Ogidi, his home town,  in Idemili North local government area where it will be interred tomorrow.
What happened at the Alexander Ekwueme Arcade, Awka, was simply mind blowing. The remains of the famous writer of Things Fall Apart, who died in Boston, United States of America, USA, was  flown into Enugu from Abuja and was finally brought to  Awka, the Anambra  State capital at exactly 1.07pm Wednesday.
The remains of late Achebe was brought in motorcade to the expansive Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, into the waiting hands of his kinsmen, friends, colleagues, business  and high profile delegates from governments from across the world.
Governor Peter Obi and the Senator representing Anambra Central in the Senate, Achebe’s senatorial zone, Dr. Chris Ngige received Achebe’s body at Amansea border between Enugu and Anambra states to a waiting crowd comprising civil servants, politicians and journalists. The entourage headed straight to Alex Ekwueme square where prayers and tributes were lavishly poured.

*Ekwueme Square Awka

The body lay in state at the middle of the square and was surrounded by Achebe’s kinsmen wearing traditional attire with red caps to match.
On ground to witness the solemn moment of tribute anchored by 5 star actor Bob Manuel Udokwu were Chris Odom, Professor Joneta Cole , Director of Smithsonian Institute , Washington, Prof. Scott  of Penguin Books,  Professor Whelan of the University of Cambridge, who  represented the Arch bishop of Canterbury.
There were also members of the Achebe family comprising his widow, Prof. Mrs. Achebe, and his children, Dr. Ike Achebe, Prof Chinelo Achebe, Dr. Chidi Achebe and Prof Nwando Achebe.
In his glowing tribute to Achebe, the Director of Penguin, Scott described the late writer as a very great man of letters, whose works have had a succession of influence across generations of writers.

From Left; Gov. Obi’s Wife, Margaret; Gov. Peter Obi; Achebe’s widow, Mrs. Christie Achebe;  son, Dr. Ike Achebe and Daughter, Prof. Nwando Achebe at the farewell ceremony in honour of  Chinua Achebe by Anambra State government at the Ekwueme Square, Awka. Photo: Vincent Ujumadu.

He noted particularly the influence of Achebe’s  first three books; Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God and No Longer At Ease, which he described as a “ trilogy of African literature, stressing that “  I have not seen others  books or writer that have been so studied and reprinted like Achebe and his works.

Early morning showers welcome Achebe’s body in Awka

AWKA- EARLY morning rains welcomed the body of the late literary giant, Professor Chinua Achebe to Anambra State as the people prepare to troupe into the famous Alex Ekwueme square in the state capital to attend ceremonies lined up for him by the state government and the burial committees.
 The light rains began at about 6.00am as those involved in final preparations to get the square ready were already out for work. The Ekwueme square has already been decorated and the podium where Achebe’s body would lie in state is also set.
 Loudspeakers are also in place and a large number of security operatives had taken positions as at 7.00 am. Members of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, were already directing traffic to appropriate places.
 The section where the officiating priests for the church service to be held at the square and other dignitaries would sit are also in place as protocol officers of the Anambra State worked round the clock to get the place ready.