How Jonathan beat Atiku to lawmakers’ endorsement

Details have emerged on how 75 senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were persuaded to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan as the candidate of the party for the 2011 presidential election.

 A member of the Senate, who is in the know of how the endorsement was achieved, told Sunday Vanguard that the decision to get the senators to endorse Jonathan in writing was to pre-empt the main rival to the  president, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was also wooing members of the national assembly to support him.
The 75 PDP senators had, penultimate week, endorsed the candidacy of  the president in what is seen as a major boost to his campaign.
In documents seen by Sunday Vanguard, a breakdown of the senators indicates that sixteen from the south south endorsed him; eleven from south west and fourteen from the south east endorsed the president.
The rest are thirteen from the north central, eleven from the north west and ten from the north east.
One of the senators said that, following the endorsement of Jonathan by  the PDP governors,  the coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign in the Senate, Senator Bariagha Amange appointed coordinators  the Senate to coordinate the collection of signatures to indicate the acceptance of each senator that he would vote for Jonathan in the forthcoming primaries of the PDP.
“For instance, Senator Grace Bent was the coordinator for the north east zone and she was very instrumental to persuading people like Senator Jubril Aminu to append his signature to the endorsement document. Similarly, Senator Joseph Akaagerger was the coordinator for the north central and he worked hard to get the highest number of senators from the zone to endorse Goodluck Jonathan”, the senator said.
Explaining why the endorsement by the senators is important, the senator stated: “we believe that each senator should be able to attract one delegate and if we are able to achieve this, then our candidate is home and dry. We do not want to take chances by feeling too confident about the chances of President Goodlcuk Jonathan”.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that  Amange and other supporters of  Jonathan in the National Assembly are also working on members of the House of Representatives to endorse the president Jonathan for the PDP primaries.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com
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Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) promises free, fair elections

Ilorin—National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Dr.  Abdulkadiri Oniyangi, has said Nigerians were capable of organising free and fair elections in 2011.

He said:  “The much celebrated June 12, 1993, election was conducted by Nigerians.”
Oniyangi, who  said this  in Ilorin, at the  weekend at the 45th annual national conference of Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union, IEDPU, said a review of INEC activities so far indicated that everything  was being done to correct the global electoral deficiencies, which the nation  had incurred on account of her poor electoral outing in 2007.
Represented by Professor Hassan Saliu, Oniyangi, however, admonished Nigerians, saying “all will be well only if we learn  appropriate lessons from especially the 2003 and 2007 general elections that  have, no doubt, produced electoral deceit, judging by the general feelings that  the two elections have fallen of standard expected of credible, free and fair  polls.
He further charged Nigerians to collectively resolve to ensure that the 2011  general elections “are better organised.”
, administered and enjoyed a higher level  of participation by Nigerians.”
INEC commissioner added “I, of course, recognize that INEC alone cannot bring  about the kind of elections desired by Nigerians.
“The citizens have to cooperate  with the electoral umpires in terms of performing their duties to ensure the success of the 2011 elections.”
Also speaking at the event, Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State noted with  satisfaction that the annual event had helped to strengthen peace, understanding  and harmony, not only among the indigenes of Ilorin emirates, but also among the  generality of the people of the state.
Saraki, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG,  Alhaji Saka Isau (SAN), thanked the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu_Gambari,  his chiefs, religious and community leaders in the emirate for their support.
According to him, the support “has made this administration to have moved the state to a greater height.”

SOURCE: http://www.vanguardngr.com
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Minimum wage: N18,000 too small – Nyako

 Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa

Yola — Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa has described the N18,000 minimum wage as too small.
Speaking with newsmen in an interactive session on Christmas day in Yola, Nyako said the amount was to meagre to cater for a family man.
Nyako was, however, quick to point out that in spite of the small amount, many state governments would find it difficult to implement.
He said this was because of the states’ sole dependence on the monthly federation account allocation.
Nyako said there was need for states to source for alternatives to oil money if they were to meet the growing developmental needs of their people.
He said it was the zeal to wean Adamawa from over dependence on oil money that his administration engaged in projects such as transforming agriculture by introducing commercial farming.
Other projects, Nayako said, included the technical skills acquisition centres as well as independent power plants for steady electricity to fast_tract industrialisation that would bring more revenue.
The governor explained that the World Bank would be assisting the state with over N7 billion which he described as “almost free interest loan” payable in 40 years including 10 years moratorium.
The governor also said that Islamic Development Bank would also assist the state in establishing three science schools for the training of personnel
According to Nyako, with steady electricity supply, industries would troop to Adamawa where there would be not only available power, but trained manpower to meet industrial demands.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com
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35,000 youths endorse Bankole for 2nd term

 Dimeji Bankole

NO fewer than 35,000 youths of Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, Ogun state, in what looked like a carnival yesterday met at Centenary Hall, Ake, Abeokuta,  and formally endorsed the Speaker of House of Representatives,  Rt.Hon. Dimeji Bankole for another term as their representative in the House of Representatives.
The event, which drew all youth organizations from Abeokuta South was coordinated by Ibara Youth for Dimeji Bankole Organisation.
Addressing the huge crowd that disrupted traffic along the Ake Palace and Isale Ake area, Mr. Ramoni Olowokere, the president of Ibara Youth for Dimeji Bankole Organisation,  said the youth constituent of Abeokuta South after reviewing the achievements of Bankole as a representative and as Speaker of the House of Representatives  unanimously decided to endorse him for another term of office as their representative.
He said: “Bankole have fully represented the youth and other constituents of Abeokuta South and as they say we have no intention of changing a high scoring player in our constituency.”
Olowokere stated.
The president of the youth organization said that Abeokuta South is noted for producing first class citizen in Nigeria adding that Bankole is the true face of Abeokuta in Nigeria today.
“In terms of constituency projects and empowerment of youth Bankole have attracted multi_ billion Naira projects to Ogun state like the completion of Ota Bridge, Adatan Road as well as on_going bridge across Ogun River and an airport in Abeokuta” Olowokere stated adding that his major achievements for the youth include over 6000 scholarship for indigent students as well as the building of an administrative block, male and female hostel worth N200million at University of Agriculture Abeokuta.
Also speaking at the occasion, Alhaji Dare Gbolahan  a former LGA chairman of Abeokuta South and a member of the board of National Women Commission, stated that so far Bankole is the best candidate available for the position of a representative adding that the constituency will always present its best candidate at the federal level and not any second eleven or reserve player.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com
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House of Reps broke – Investigation

 

Hon. Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole

The House of Representatives may be broke as findings indicated on Sunday that it had become difficult for the House to render services, including the funding of committee operations.

The leadership of the House has, however, described claims that it is battling a financial crisis as “impossible.”

Among the worst-hit by the development are the 11 reinstated members of the House who were suspended on June 22.

Investigations by THE PUNCH on Friday showed that seven of the reinstated lawmakers had not been paid their salaries and allowances, which accrued since June when they were suspended, allegedly owing to lack of funds.

Five of the seven, Mr. Dino Melaye, Mr. Solomon Awhinawhin, Mr. Anas Adamu, Mr. Bitus Kaze and Mr. Independence Ogunewe, had on Thursday, filed contempt charges against the leadership of the House for failing to pay their salaries and allowances.

THE PUNCH, however, learnt that the leadership was warned about how to source funds to offset the salaries and allowances.

Each member of the House officially takes home N28m every three months as “quarterly allowance”, excluding the monthly salary of around N1m.

This implies that each lawmaker receives at least N10m every month (salary and allowances).

Findings indicated that for the two quarters (six months) that the 11 lawmakers were on suspension, their accrued salaries and allowances stand at N660m.

It was gathered that owing to the financial crisis, only four of the 11 lawmakers reportedly received part payment of their salaries and allowances before the House proceeded on Christmas break on December 21.

Sources in the bureaucracy of the National Assembly claimed that Mr. Ehiohie West-Idahosa and Mr. Gbenga Onigbogi were paid about N25m each.

Two others, Mr. Austin Nwachukwu and Mr. Gbenga Oduwaiye, reportedly received about N16m each, leaving huge balances yet to be paid.

The four did not challenge their suspension in court but preferred to seek pardon by apologising to the House over their roles in the event that led to June 22 free-for-all on the floor of the House.

It was learnt that the five lawmakers led by Melaye and two others — Ms. Doris Uboh and Kayode Amusan — were yet to be paid as at Friday.

One of the sources in the National Assembly bureaucracy attributed the financial crisis in the House to the alleged decision of lawmakers to “collapse and share” all the funds budgeted for the running of the House in 2010 across board.

The source, who is a senior management official, confided in our correspondent in Abuja that, “The truth is that there is not enough money in the accounts of the House.”

He said, “They (lawmakers) have drawn and spent nearly all their votes and that is why they are having problems with those members suspended who were reinstated by the court.

“Trouble is brewing there (at the House) because even if they collapsed the accounts, they ought to have known that they must set aside the salaries and allowances of the suspended lawmakers.

“Except if they had concluded that the suspension was indefinite and they did not envisage the lawmakers bouncing back through the court.

“I strongly feel that their inability to honour the court decision is because there is no money to clear the outstanding salaries and allowances.”

But the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Labaran Dambatta, denied that the House was broke

Dambatta, who told our correspondent that he had been paid his December salary, added that it was impossible for anybody to say that there was no money in the accounts of the House.

“How can the accounts be in the red? It is not possible”, he claimed.

When asked why the reinstated lawmakers had not been paid their salaries and allowances, Dambatta replied, “I would not know really. It is an individual thing.”

According to him, that the majority of lawmakers has been paid and some excluded does not mean that the House has no money.

“Even if two of you operate accounts in the same bank, one person may be paid and another one may not be paid; it has to do with the individual”, he added.

The spokesman for the House, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, is out of the country, while several calls to the mobile telephone of the Majority Leader, Mr. Tunde Akogun, were not answered.

When contacted on Sunday, Melaye confirmed that the reinstated lawmakers had not been paid their salaries and allowances.

“That is why we went to court; if we have been paid, why did we go to court?” he asked.

Source:punchng.com

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Home>>Photo >> World At least 32 killed, 74 injured in Nigeria's Jos bomb blasts: police

 

People walk past the wreckage of a burnt truck along a road in Nigeria's central city of Jos December 25, 2010. Explosions in Nigeria's central region killed 32 people on Christmas Eve and six people died in attacks on two churches in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation, officials said on Saturday.

The police in Nigeria's central north Plateau State has confirmed the killing of 32 people after three blasts rocked Nigeria's restive Jos city.

State police commissioner Abdelrahman Akano told reporters in Jos, the state capital, on Saturday that 74 others were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at various hospitals in the state.

The police chief said security agencies in the state have put in place security measures to curtail future attacks.

He told reporters that some of the measures put in place include drafting of military personnel to worship centers with anti bomb unit squad combing such places of worships for any signs of explosive or device that could spark another blast.

Meanwhile, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau on Saturday condemned the Christmas eve bomb blasts that hit some parts of Jos and declared that perpetrators were out for a resurgence of violence.

In a statewide broadcast, the governor said all the attacks were carried out simultaneously; the aim of the masterminds is to spark up another round of violence.

"It is also part of calculated efforts to scuttle the efforts the state and Federal Government to consolidate on the peace achieved," the governor said.

"This sad and ugly development is condemnable, as its masterminds and merchants of violence who trade in human pain, anguish and shedding of blood have remained committed in their quest to reduce Plateau into anarchy," he added.

"The enemies of Plateau in their vicious quest have continued to promote hatred and incite animosity among the people but we must rise in unison as one people and say no to violence," Jang said.

He described this year's Christmas as a black Christmas for Plateau people.

"When we should be celebrating peace, here we are crying," he said.

The governor commiserated with all who lost their loved ones in the attacks, saying it was a collective loss.

He urged the people to remain calm, peaceful and law abiding as security agencies was working hard to apprehend the perpetrators.

The bomb blasts which hit Anguwan Rukuba, the Kabong Satllite Market and the flyover at Gada Biyu, came one week after a Nigerian court sentenced 15 people to 10 years each in prison for involvement of the violent crisis in Jos in March.

Jos was plunged in a pool of blood on March 7, when members of local Muslim and Christian communities fought each other in revenge for previous killings.

Police said 109 people were killed in the March 7 tragedy, mostly women and children, weeks after hundreds died in waves of sectarian violence in the region.

Source:http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

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Criticisms greet proposed tuition fees increase in LAUTECH

Criticisms have trailed the decision by the authority of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, to increase tuition fees by more than 100 per cent.

Against this backdrop, students of the university are poised for a showdown with authorities of the institution over the proposal to increase their tuition fees.

A proposal for the increase, which was signed by the institution’s Acting Registrar and Secretary of Council, Mr. Niyi Fehintola, stated that the move to increase the tuition fees was borne out of the need to meet the rising expenditure of the university.

The proposal obtained exclusively by our correspondent read in part, “The university management, consequent upon increased expenditure, the Federal Government of Nigeria and unions’ salary packages and the need for expansion of facilities in the university, deliberated extensively on the need for a new school fees regime and agreed to make proposal to senate commencing from the 2010-2011acadmic session as follows.”

The proposal sought an increase from N50, 000 to N115, 000 for indigenes offering pre-degree science courses while non-indigenes would pay N125, 000 up from N65, 000 which they were paying before.

100-level indigenous students, who were paying N40, 000 before would pay N100, 000 while non-indigenous students would pay N110, 000 up from N40, 000 they were paying before the proposal.

Some students, who spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday, condemned the proposal to increase the tuition fees of the school, saying education should not be an exclusive preserve of the rich.

A student, who pleaded anonymity, said “LAUTECH is the hope of the common man for good education. Most of our parents cannot afford to pay the exorbitant fees proposed by the institution.We beg the management to reconsider its stand on the issue.”

Spokesperson of the university, Mr. Yomi Akintunde, who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview, on Tuesday said the proposed tuition fees would affect only 100-level students and pre-degree students, stressing that 200-level, 300-level, 400-level and 500-level students would be exempted from the new regime of fees.

On why Oyo took the decision to unilaterally increase the fees, Akintunde said Oyo and Osun states would go their separate ways on December 31, 2010, stressing that there was no reason for Oyo to inform Osun of the increase when the university would be solely owned by Oyo in January next year.

Source:www.punch.ng.com






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Ojukwu flown to UK in German air ambulance

 Ojukwu

Ikemba Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is down with Cerebral Vascular Accident (stroke), was on Thursday flown to the United Kingdom on board a German air ambulance for further treatment.

The national leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance was taken to the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu at 11.10 am in one of the three state of the art ambulances provided by the Anambra and Enugu state governments.

The ambulances, which were followed by other vehicles drove into the airport through the Air Force wing , apparently to avoid the prying eyes of anxious passers-by, sympathisers and journalists.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s wife, Bianca; the National Chairman of APGA , Chief Victor Umeh; the Anambra State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Linus Ilika; the leader of the Movement for the Survival of Sovereign State of Biafra, Chief Ralph Uwazurike; Prof. Augustine Nwabueze; Prof. Vincent Ike; Dr. C.C. Amah; and Dr. Paul Ufoegbunam, were in the convoy of vehicles that followed the ambulances.

Others were the children of the elder statesman, some of whom flew into the country from the United States and the UK. The convoy was received by the commander of the Airforce Wing, Air Commodore Jacob Gbamwuaw, and the Commander of the Flying School, A.B. Esuara.

The air ambulance marked D-CSIX arrived at the airport at about 11.30am and departed around 1. 52pm for the UK.

Before the convoy arrived, Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, had visited the airport where he conferred with the air ambulance crew.

Obi, who looked pensive, thanked Nigerians for their concern. He specifically mentioned President Goodluck Jonathan, whom he said called him on a daily basis to find out about the condition of the elder statesman.

Expressing confidence that Odumegwu-Ojukwu would return to Nigeria in good health, the governor enjoined Nigerians to continue to pray for him.

Asked what the ex-Biafran warlord’s ill-health was costing the state, Obi replied, “Who cares what it costs the state than our beloved father getting well?”

Umeh had earlier on Thursday visited UNTH where he coordinated the movement of the Ikemba to the airport .

“Dim (Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s other title) is being moved abroad for further treatment. We do not want interference in the movement,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted him as saying.

Umeh, who appeared agitated while chasing away journalists, officials of UNTH and other people, who trooped out to see what was happening, repeatedly said, “We are flying him abroad.’’

Odumegwu-Ojukwu was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the UNTH on Sunday morning but was later moved to the ICU in the afternoon after he was diagnosed with Cerebral Vascular Accident.

CVA, according to seniorhealth.about.com, is “another name for a stroke. It is damage to the brain caused by a disruption of the blood supply to a part of the brain.

“This disruption of blood supply can be caused by a blood clot, or by a ruptured artery.

The website also states that “symptoms of a CVA depend on which part of the brain is affected. Common symptoms may include paralysis of a part of the body, loss of all or part of the vision, or loss of the ability to speak or to understand speech.”

Odumegwu-Ojukwu was born on November 4, 1933 at Zungeru, Niger State, to Nigeria’s first millionaire businessman and pioneer President of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Sir. Louis Phillippe Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

He began his educational career in Lagos.

At 13, his father sent him to the UK to study at Epsom College, England. He left Epsom at 18 for Lincoln College, Oxford.

At Oxford University, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Modern History. He later earned a Master’s degree in history at Lincoln College, Oxford University, before he returned to the country in 1956.

At 11, Odumegwu-Ojukwu was briefly imprisoned for assaulting a white British colonial teacher, who was humiliating a black woman at King’s College, Lagos. The incident generated widespread coverage in local newspapers.

The ex-Biafran warlord joined the civil service in Eastern Nigeria as an Administrative Officer for Udi District in Enugu State on his return to the country in 1956.

In 1957, within months of working with the colonial civil service, he left and joined the military as one of the first and few university graduates to join the army as a recruit.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu rose to the rank of a Lt.-Col. in the Nigerian Army, before he was appointed the Military Governor of the then Eastern Region by the regime of the late Maj.-Gen. Johnson Aguyi-Ironsi.

He proclaimed the former Eastern Region as the Peoples Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967 and became its Head of State and Commander-in-Chief. His action led to the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war the same year.

Source:www.punchng.com
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Ojukwu wishes to die Jan 13

Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
Ikemba Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, 77, had a wish three weeks before he was admitted into the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital: to die on January 13.

One of his aides, who did not want his name in print, disclosed this on Wednesday as arrangements to fly him overseas were being finetuned by the doctors handling his treatment.

“Three weeks ago, while trying to feed him, he told (Odumegwu-Ojukwu)me that there were signs that his end was near and that he wished it would come in January 13, 2011 to coincide with the 41st anniversary of the end of the Nigerian civil war,” the aide said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Nigerian Army and governor of the old Eastern Region, declared the secession of the region from Nigeria in 1967. His action resulted in a 30-month civil war between Biafra Republic and Nigeria.

Feelers from the UNTH, Enugu, on Wednesday, indicated conflicting signals on the state of health of the elder statesman.

While a doctor in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital told our correspondent that Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s health had deteriorated, one of his sons said he was doing well.

“My father is fine. He is getting better,” he said but refused appeals by our correspondent to give his name.

However, the doctor disclosed that the ex-Biafran warlord’s health condition had deteriorated to the level that the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, out of panic, had to rush down to the UNTH to see him.

Obi was accompanied by government officials; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh, and other party stalwarts.

The doctor added that the governor had to provide funds when the hospital management informed him that it was one of the challenges hindering the moves to fly Odumegwu-Ojukwu abroad for further treatment.

He said, “He will be flown out soon. As at this morning (Wednesday), plans were being made for him to be taken abroad. The money issue that seemed a challenge, I heard, it has been settled by the governor who was in the hospital today (Wednesday).

“So when we notice any sign of improvement in the Ikemba, he will be flown out.”

Another aide of the elder statesman, confirmed that all was set for his boss to be taken abroad.

“Barring any last-minute setback, my oga (boss) should be flown out tonight (Wednesday) or tomorrow (Thursday),” he said.

The aide claimed that Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s son, who spoke earlier with our correspondent, was “only being economical with the truth.”

“He was even lamenting just yesterday (Tuesday) night, but he told me he did not want to take a different stand from that of his father’s wife, Bianca.”

Odumegwu-Ojukwu was rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the UNTH on Sunday morning but was later moved to the ICU in the afternoon after he was diagnosed with Cerebral Vascular Accident.

CVA, according to seniorhealth.about.com, is “another name for a stroke. It is damage to the brain caused by a disruption of the blood supply to a part of the brain.

“This disruption of blood supply can be caused by a blood clot, or by a ruptured artery.

The website also states that “symptoms of a CVA depend on which part of the brain is affected. Common symptoms may include paralysis of a part of the body, loss of all or part of the vision, or loss of the ability to speak or to understand speech.”

The UNTH Chief Medical Director, Dr. Anthony Mbah, had confirmed on Tuesday that the elder statesman would be flown abroad in an air ambulance as soon as his health condition stabilised.


Source:http://www.punchng.com



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Nigeria to head UN executive bureau

NIGERIA has been elected as the inaugural president of the Bureau of the Executive Board of the newly formed United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Empowered Newswire reports.

Nigeria‘s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Joy Ogwu confirmed the election which was done by consensus on Tuesday afternoon at the UN headquarters in New York, the same day Nigeria lost a spirited effort to win a seat on the UN Child Rights Committee.

To oversee the new UN Women, an Executive Board was composed with 41 members who were elected last month including Nigeria. The 41 board members include 10 from Africa, 10 from Asia, 4 from Eastern Europe, 6 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 5 from Western Europe and 6 from contributing countries.

The Bureau is a selection of 5 countries out of the 41 members of the Executive Board, whose duty is to plan the meetings and work of the Board. Members of the Bureau, according to UN diplomats agreed on Tuesday afternoon that Nigeria as Africa‘s representative on the Bureau should be the president.

Starting next month and for the rest of the year, Nigeria‘s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the UN, Prof. Joy Ogwu will resume as the President of the Bureau and therefore president of the Executive Board raising Nigeria‘s profile at the UN, where the country is currently a member of the Security Council, and the chair of the Peacekeeping Committee, as a leading troop contributing UN member state.

The UN Women office which was created earlier this year will bring together at least four existing UN Secretariat offices and units under one new UN Secretariat department expected to be heavily funded and now known as UN Women under the Executive Directorship of the former female president of Chile, Ms. Michelle Bachelet.

The former UN offices and units that are now merging under the UN Women are the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, the Division for the Advancement of Women, DAW, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, UN-INSTRAW.

From Africa, apart from Nigeria, other executive board members are Angola, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Libya, and Tanzania.

Asia‘s representatives on the board are Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste, while from eastern Europe there are Estonia, Hungary, Russian Federation and Ukraine.

From Latin America and the Caribbean are Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada and Peru, while from Western Europe there are Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Sweden. Slots were also reserved for ” financially contributing countries including Mexico, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.

According to the UN releases, the 41-member Executive Board had decided ”that the Bureau of the Executive Board of UN Women shall be elected from among the representatives of its members, taking into consideration the need to ensure equitable geographical representation, and shall consist of a President and four Vice-Presidents, who shall hold office until their successors are elected.”

Source:http://www.punchng.com

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Passage: Mr Fuji Garbage " Alhaji (Dr) Sikiru Ayinde Barister is Late

 The Late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barister

The Late Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barister

The popularly known musician Alhaji Agba passed out this afternoon at St. Mary hospital, London after several illness.

Dr. Sikiru Ayinde Barrister had been sick and in, out of hospital in the past two years now before his been confirmed dead at St. Mary Hospital, London. Read more...

Lagos to become Africa’s largest city says United Nations

Lagos State
In five years’ time, Lagos, the commercial centre of Nigeria, is set to overtake the Egyptian capital, Cairo, as Africa’s biggest city; the United Nations-Habitat report, has said.

According to the report, it is estimated that by 2015, Lagos will have 12.4 million inhabitants.

The reported added that the number of people living in African cities would triple over the next 40 years and by 2050, 60 per cent of Africans would be city dwellers.

UN-Habitat Executive Director, Mr. Joan Clos, told the British Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday that Africa needed to invest urgently in housing.

He told the BBC that sub-Saharan Africa could learn from North Africa as Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia had almost halved slum areas in the past 20 years.

Some 199.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums, the highest number in the world, the UN said earlier this year.

According to UN-Habitat’s State of African Cities 2010 report, urbanisation is happening faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world.

By 2030 the continent will no longer be predominately rural, it says.

Clos said that cities were attractive places for those wanting to relocate.

“People are looking for a better future and they think the city can offer that,” he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.

Source:http://www.punchng.com

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Power ‘ll return to the people when PDP is dismantled, says Rev. Okotie

  

Okotie: PDP has come to its waterloo politically. 

REVEREND Christopher  Oghenebrorie Okotie was born on June 16, 1959 to Francis Idje and Cecilia Okotie, in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.  He earned an LL.B. Hons in 1984, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu campus.

He has since then made a showing in the political terrain as he has contested for the highest office twice on the platform of the Justice Party in 2003 and Fresh Democratic Party, FDP, in 2007. He is currently oiling his political machines to hit the roads again for 2011. In this interview with Vanguard, he x-rayed the happenings in the political terrain, the consensus debate, corruption and the 2011 general elections. Excerpts:

Ahead 2011, Nigerians are already witnessing several anti-social problems. What is your reaction to this?
The responsibility of maintaining law and order rests squarely on the laps of government and when you find a situation like this, where safety is no longer guaranteed, it reflects the inability of the government to carry out its responsibilities. And I think that the PDP has come to its waterloo politically because of the fact that they have demonstrated, consistently, their ineptitude and the society is falling apart as a result of their gross negligence and irresponsibility. These are the symptoms of governmental irresponsibility.

The claims and counter-claims of the origin of the deadly weapons discovered at the Apapa ports continue to baffle Nigerians. Some say the consignment was intended for The Gambia, while they had their origin in Iran or whatever. Are you not scared?

No I am not! If we have that situation where the government is not in touch with reality, these things transpire on a daily basis. It is just because they revealed this that they saw these things. I am almost certain that things like this have been going on. The security mechanism that government has put in place has failed and it shows how porous that network is and how unprofessional they have become.
I think that it’s just indicative of the fact that the PDP has lost its hold in the affairs of this nation and it must do the honorable thing, by bowing out so that a new government that will guarantee the safety of Nigerians can be put in place.

Despite all the threatening situations in the political arena, you still came out recently to declare your intention to contest next year’s elections…

These are the reasons why it is imperative for people like me to step forward because you can not operate in a vacuum. If we say that PDP has become totally irrelevant in the political affairs of this nation by the inconsistent ineptitude that they have demonstrated, then we must provide a viable alternative. That is why people like me come out. The only thing they have now is the machinery of government, the incumbency—a divided house.

And like I have said often they don’t have anything to offer this nation ideologically. My position is further corroborated by their disarray and this very disjointed approach to solving the problems of this nation; not realising what is more important; whether it is the politics of the day, the social contract they have with the Nigerian people. This is a good omen for change.


Do you foresee any positive change in the current chaotic atmosphere?
They have every reason to be that way, but we must look beyond the natural in to the extra-terrestrial. There is a terrestrial atmosphere that is superimposed on the terrestrial and only those who have eyes can see. I belong to the ilk of what, is called the ponderous volume, and we understand these things that when change is imminent, the first sign is really found in the celestial realm.

When Jesus Christ was born, the astrologers were the first to see him, outside the realm of religious. They saw the sign and it was very clear to them that something unusual has happened. We are seeing things that God is showing to us that change is imminent; that PDP has expired. So, it portends good things for the nation.  Like the former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, this will be the third time you’re coming out for the highest office in the land and some Nigerians think you’re really not serious. What is your response?
I don’t know what they mean by that. If a man can risk his life, invest his money in venture that is perilous and can deplete funds so quickly that you wonder if you will ever had any; I think that, to my mind is an indication of seriousness. Maybe what they are expecting me to do is to join PDP or one of the big parties. If we do that then we shut the avenue for change.

When change comes, it must be people who have not been contaminated by the virus of PDP or some other political party that has not really demonstrated any commitment. I think that my constant re-emergence in the political scene is a political attestation to the fact that I am determined that victory is the only solution to our situation. Maybe because your platform which is Fresh Democratic Party has refused to merge with other known and big political parties because some of your admirers would have wanted you, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mr. Femi Falana, Prof. Pat Utomi et al, to go to the Senate and develop your political wings from there…

They are entitled to their opinions. This is a free country and I can accommodate that. But this is the way I see it, each man has a calling. Some might be thinking the way to attain a certain position is to be in a certain place, I agree with that but that is not my calling and the modus operandi that I received.  There was no indication that President Olusegun Obasanjo would come out of prison to become Nigeria’s president.
Same goes for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He did not show any sign that he had the grace to attain to where he is today. I believe there is a divine hand that is arranging things for this nation and when the time comes, He will orchestrate things in such a way that whoever He has exalted will emerge. The most important thing is that I have consistently maintained my position. Adherence to principle evokes respect. If this was not commitment or tenacity I would have joined another political party and moved on to build a political career; but mine is not a career but a calling that is targeted and to that extent I cannot change it.
There are rumours that your closeness with retired General Ibrahim Babangida might develop to a working relationship between you and him towards the 2011 election….

Where did they discover that there is a closeness between me and Babangida?
Perhaps, because the ex-military president endorsed your candidacy in 2007 and Nigerians feel that there may be a merger of some sort or a kind of affiliation…
My philosophy is malice towards none and charity for all. I have often said that people like Gen. Babangida and Gen. Obasanjo are living ancestors of our political genealogy. They are men that have been called upon at critical moments and periods in the history and evolution of our nation. I respect them a great deal. Babangida is probably the greatest political mathematician we have in the nation today; it is just unfortunate for him that he had certain misadventure in the process of articulating his political philosophy in the past and only the Nigerian people that can determine if they think him worthy or not.

I believe that they represent the older generation and for Nigeria to move forward, we must go for a generational shift. We must adopt a paradigm shift and I will be glad to have their support, because it is in combining the past with the present that we can sensitise the future of the greatest possibilities. So, it will be a welcome development if any of them consider Rev. Chris Okotie to be their president. That is the only position for me. I am only seeking to lead this nation because I believe I have the answers to the problems.
Peradventure Babangida gets the PDP ticket and wants Rev. Chris Okotie to be his running mate, will you accept the offer?

My answer will be negative; not because I do not consider him worthy enough; but because he is antithetical to my vision. If my vision was that of penultimate leadership, I will join him or any other party. I would have taken that kind of responsibility a long time ago. I have had overtures made to me at that level.

But this has nothing to do with power; it has nothing to do with a political career, rather it has to do with the salvation of the nation. It is very critical that a man like me should take a position of responsibility for Nigeria to become what it must become in the 21st Century. I will wait. Like Abraham Lincoln said, I will study and wait perhaps my time will come. That is what Lincoln said; but I will modify that to say; ‘I know my time will come.’

Lets us assume, for instance, that on account of IBB’s age, he is unable to run his full tenure which automatically will make Okotie, the next president. Won’t that be acceptable to you?


On what platform?
Any one, because as things are now, he may or may not get the PDP ticket…
That is unpredictable. It’s only the PDP that will determine that, but I am just saying that if he wanted to run under another platform he would go through all the trouble with the PDP. I think that if he ever emerge on the platform of PDP, I would not have been in that political party, not because I think my party is better, or some political xenophobia but because of the fact that the ideology and philosophy of that party is oppressive to the Nigerian cause. So, I cannot be the one, saying that my mission is to save Nigeria and align myself with the very enemy of Nigeria. Very, very unlikely! Although, when you are a servant of God all things are possible.


Will you work with Mallam Nuhu Ribadu?

I will work with anybody if it will set Nigeria free in the spirit of a pan-Nigerian philosophy. The only fear the people have is that he is being traumatised by what happened to him when he became a victim of the law. And when that happens except you re-examine yourself, there is the tendency to come out with a certain level of vengeance but I don’t think Nigerians need that now. What we need is reconciliation and amelioration.




The elections are around the corner and there are attempts to amend the electoral act and part of the proposed amendment states that any political party that does not win, at least, one seat at the local government level would loose its licence. How do you react to that?

It never ceases to amaze me the level of parochialism that people will degenerate to in an attempt to secure political longevity. It is amazing that, we call this a democratic setting and yet we are even tolerating and accommodating laws that are totally antithetical to that philosophy. What right has a body like INEC to decide for the Nigerian people which political party they will belong to. How can you judge a political party by its success at the polls.

It takes years to develop a political philosophy and ideology; particularly in a nation where free and fair election are alien to the political culture. It is this irredentist philosophy of PDP wanting to make Nigeria a one-party state that is causing this kind of medieval approach to democracy. If INEC or whoever that is making such a law, is sincere they would have said they were not willing to financially support any political party that has not shown or demonstrated a certain level of support.

But for you to say that you would deregister a political party just because it has not acquired enough votes at a given period, to my mind, defies any logical reasoning; because most of these parties are young parties. I think that it is biased; because it makes no sense at all. How much has INEC given to us?

In a period of one year, INEC gave probably about N12 million maximum. It cannot be argued that political parties are established because of the money they get from INEC. That cannot be true; because INEC requires that each political party should have an office in Abuja; and the rent alone takes half of that; then think of the staff and all others you have to do. It cannot be motivated by pecuniary motive. I think that is a very presumptuous thinking and it would be challenged in the court. It is an infringement on our fundamental human rights. We will wait and see.


 Do you have confidence in Prof. Attahiru Jega’s INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible election next year?

I think he is capable, given the right circumstance and that if he is not pressured by government. The confusion that we have seen so far, no matter what they say, has come from the PDP. And they definitely will blame the chairman for it, because that is the way they operate—the signs are there already. President Goodluck Jonathan has shown the same commitment to his party than to the nation. It is government of the PDP, by the PDP and for the PDP and not the Nigerian people.

His prevarication when it came to signing the law in the first place…how long it took him and he was just delaying; the usual filibuster when they are not really decided at to which way to go. It is characteristic of PDP and it surprises nobody. The Nigerian people have woken up and we are going to see something new in the coming year, God willing.

How do you see the current hoopla over consensus candidate ahead of the PDP convention?
I think it is a very healthy development because PDP is too strong as a political party to be dismantled by the Nigerian people. It is hydra headed; it is an octopus. It must implode from within, because it is only a divided house that cannot stand. So, when you begin to see these cleavages then we can breathe a sigh of relief that finally this political monolith is being dismantled.

That is what is necessary at this time. If Nigeria will become a great nation in the 21st Century and make an impact—and all the conjecture that I see on how we can become a great nation before 2020—-the beginning of that journey must be the dismantling of the PDP.

Because as long as they are in government, it will be a retrograde journey and Nigeria will be perambulating in the wilderness of retrogression. We cannot take a step forward. I believe it is a good development that there is internal wrangling within it. It is a very good sign for Nigeria and I pray that it will be carried to its logical conclusion, so that they can be fragmented and pluralised become free.

Talk about freedom for Nigerians, won’t you see recent legal decisions that upturned PDP electoral victories in some states as the needed tonic the nation is clamouring for?
No! That is the judiciary. The Nigerians spoke from the beginning that these are the men they voted for, but the PDP, as a political party, ignored them, hijacked and disfranchised the Nigerian people. And it is only because of the judiciary that we are seeing a ray of hope that democracy is intact.

But I am saying that terminologically, democracy by itself deals with the people and I believe that power will go back to the people when PDP is dismantled. It is not a question of personality; it has to be done from within and the entire structure of the party must be pulverized. They are the ones who have held this nation in the place of political transition and they do it with impunity. I believe that judgment has come and it will begin in the house of PDP.

Is it healthy that we have over 60 political parties in the country?
It can be million! What it means is that the democratic space is open to all and sundry. A political party is a gathering of men and women who have a certain ideological posture and when such posture is codified and formally registered by the enabling authorities, it is christened a political party. When people say we have so many political parties, I say why is it a problem?

In a country of 150 million people and the political parties are just 60 why is it a problem? In a proper democracy you can have three political parties ruling in a state like Lagos—when you have one party controlling the south, another central and yet another controlling the north, depending on what is it that appeals to the electorate. But because the current situation is a threat to the octopus that desires to consolidate power in the hand of a few, who have hijacked the entire democratic process. It doesn’t make any sense. If we don’t have money to support them let the parties support themselves. So. It is not an issue.

What is the FDP’s blueprint to tackle the nation’s economic problem?

Each time people ask me that question, I tell them that my father was a polygamist. At the time that I was in the primary school he was earning something about 740 pounds a year and he had several children. We never lacked one day.

He managed to cope even though he was not an accountant. We all went to school and there was food on the table. The problem of our nation is not an economic issue, because there are various concepts and theories in all our universities. It is dependent on our leaders to decide on the one that will soothe the nation. But the greatest motivation for the well being whether it is economic or political is empathy, concern, compassion for the people. Once you are concerned about the people, then you will evolve a concept for the economy that concerns the people.

I have often said that our philosophy is Messiahnicism, meaning sacrifice.
It is a concept of political government that sacrifices for the people. In other words, we will never engage in concepts like austerity measures because then you are asking the people to make further sacrifice; but once you prioritise the people above everything else then your economic policy must target them in their pursuit of affluence.

When I attended a town hall meeting in 2007, I listened to then minister of finance and I was impressed by the presentation but they didn’t have the political will to pursue it. When CBN governor, Charles Soludo indicated that the naira was going to be deregulated, President Yar’Adua took offence, even though it was handed down to him by his predecessor. We are not interested in academic concepts of how to tackle the economy.

To my mind they avail nothing. We are going to show in practical terms that we care for the people; and organise the forces of demand and supply to enhance the living standards of the Nigerian people. That is what we are going to do.  The reason why past economic blueprints have failed is because the Nigerian people have not been given proper priority.

If you ask the initiators of such economic concepts, they will quote some academic dissertations which will explain what they are trying to do. The bottom line is that they are not concerned about the people. If they were they would do otherwise. We are different. We have said from the beginning that human capital development is our priority because that targets the people.

You have to elevate the development and motivation of the people to a level of strategy. It must be cardinal to us and if that is so, you will deal with the things that concern them like education, healthcare, social security as a safety net, revamping the pension scheme, transportation and housing. These are the things that affect the people directly.  The Fresh Democratic Party had had difficulty in aligning itself or getting into any kind of coalition because we feel that there is an ideological discrepancy between us and most of the political parties. When I become president, the difference will be clear.

The PDP has led us and has taken the nation to the precipice, the doldrums. They have failed the nation consistently and so we cannot afford to follow PDP and expect anything different from what we have today. Isn’t that a classical definition of insanity?—doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? The time has come and change is inevitable and I believe that the God who took Obasanjo from the prison to the Aso Rock, who made it possible even for Dr. Jonathan to be where he is today, that same God will orchestrate things so that Okotie can deliver Nigeria permanently. We will certainly declare a state of emergency in the education and health sectors.


 How will you approach the power sector?
That has been a perennial problem. You can’t even take one step without finding out what is wrong in the area. The important thing is that we don’t really know what is going on there. Nobody can tell you exactly what is going on in the sector because the statistics that they give are all fictitious. So, we have to look in there and find out what is going on and tell Nigerians the truth.

In the first six months, I think we will be able to identify the problem because if you don’t investigate a problem you can’t solve it. Towards the end of Obasanjo tenure he awarded contracts and Yar’Adua did not care about these things and till today we don’t know what is happening there. That is why I say it has become so mysterious; why is it so impossible to generate enough power for a nation like this? It is a conundrum. We have to find out why, because it cannot be money. We have enough money and only a thorough investigation can reveal to us the demons that are involved in the power sector.


The Last Outcast

When we find out, we will cast them out. As a reverend gentleman I thought your priority would have been how to deal with corruption or you don’t see it as the monster that has militated against meaningful progress of this country? Definitely, but corruption is not something you can deal with even in the first three years. You cannot eradicate corruption by punition alone. Punitive measures are the last resort.

For you to eradicate corruption, you have to change the entire environment. To take a wicked man or a sinner to heaven; he can’t operate there. You take a fish out of the water, he cannot operate. There is an element that is conducive to this aberration and until you deal with it, ordinary punitive measures would not solve it. For you to see the death of corruption, it must start from the beginning or the bottom and not from the top. First you have to create an enabling environment for Nigerians to pursue their dreams and aspirations and a level playing field for them and there is a mechanism of the law where everybody is equal.

Because when you have double standards you can’t deal with corruption. When a minister can steal and gets away with it but the truck pusher steals and you take him to prison you cannot solve the problem. So, it has to begin at that level where the standard of living has to be enhanced in such a way that it is above subsistent level.

When people are now entitled to a house, food on the table, provided with basic amenities by the government, then they can build on these things themselves and then you started working towards the eradication of corruption. Punitive measures will be the final aspect of the battle.

It is something we have to do gradually, changing the psyche of the Nigerian people. This re-branding thing they are talking about is totally misplaced. You cannot  re-brand something that is already corrupted. To re-brand is not an outward thing, it is an external thing. It begins with the abstract, because as the man thinketh so he is.

Telling Nigerians they are so, so and so, when their reality is contrary to what you’re saying makes the whole thing absolute jocularity. We are going to address corruption from a more practical perspective so that we can actually transform the Nigerian from within and connect him back to his government, so he can trust his leadership. When the connection is there, the resourcefulness of the Nigerian will begin to manifest, because the Nigerian is very resourceful. They just have not been inspired.

Source:www.vanguardngr.com



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Silverbird unveils plans to build Africa’s tallest tower

Model of the Silverbird's Stratosphere

SILVERBIRD is at it again! The outfit owned by entertainment guru, Ben Murray- Bruce during its 30th anniversary, unveiled the model of what would be Africa’s tallest building.

The 64-storey building that would be built in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja will be dedicated to President Goodluck Jonathan who unveiled the model.
The Silverbird boss recalled how as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, President Goodluck Jonathan’s goodluck galvanised the construction of Silverbird mall in Yenagoa, the State capital.
Giving details of the building which he called The Stratosphere, Bruce said it will comprise among other facilities, a  shopping mall, a five star hotel. Designed by the architectural firm of Chaccour Construction, the imposing tower which  will transform the Abuja skyline, will have about 400 luxury apartments, 250 suite five-star hotel, private spa and health club and a sky lounge.
Provision is also being made for a helipad, 80 feet swimming pool, restaurants and riverside boulevards and arcades.
Other facilities include round the clock private electricity generation,  private water supply and Medical Clinic.
Although no date was given for either the commencement or completion of the project, Vanguard Homes, Property & Environment recalls that Silverbird  blazed the trail by building the first family mall with the first  Cineplex in West Africa in Lagos.
Apart from the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos, the group has also built a mall in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State for the State government and a family entertainment centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/silverbird-unveils-plans-to-build-africa%E2%80%99s-tallest-tower/

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Electricity: Nigerians’ll enjoy 20,000MW by 2014 – Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has given an assurance that power generation in the country will rise to 20,000megawatts in the next four years.

This, he explained, would be adequate for the needs of individual users and large manufacturing industries, which currently generate their own electricity at great costs.

Jonathan said this on Wednesday during a meeting with the former British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, and the Chief Executive Officer, JP Morgan Bank of the United States, Mr. Jamie Dimon.

According to him, from April, next year, the country will be generating enough electricity for homes, offices and commercial enterprises.

The President said that the Federal Government was also tackling the challenges in the area of power transmission.

He noted that the government intended to quickly construct a new national power transmission super-grid to replace the existing grid, which could no longer meet the nation’s needs.

The President told Blair and Dimon that Nigeria would welcome support from international financial organisations and global banks.

The support, he said, could be in the form of long-term financing of the super-grid project, which he said was critical to stable power supply in the country.

Jonathan said that his administration’s priority was to boost power supply in the country.

He said that the government believed that adequate and stable power supply would have a beneficial impact on employment generation and economic production.

The President also briefed the visitors on his administration’s efforts to boost agricultural production through large-scale commercial farming.

Blair said that there was a huge amount of goodwill in the international community on the efforts of the President to achieve rapid socio-economic development of the country.

The former prime minister said that the decision by JP Morgan, one of the world’s largest banks to upgrade its office in Nigeria to a full-scale branch, was a vote of confidence in Nigeria and the Jonathan administration.

Also on Wednesday, the President received the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Mr. Sergey Lavrov.

The minister was in Abuja for the implementation of bilateral agreements signed during the Russian President, Mr. Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Nigeria last year.

The President assured the minister that his administration would do all it could to facilitate the implementation of the agreements and the expansion of areas of economic cooperation between Nigeria and the Russian Federation.

Lavrov had earlier told the President that Russia was very keen on “enriching” its relations with Nigeria through large-scale economic projects.

Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011183162356 Read more...

The truck used in picking up the Super Falcons. How disgraceful!

The Nigerian female National Team, the Super Falcons, won the 2010 CAF Women's Championship that held in South Africa and ended last week. The truck you see above is what the NFF, (Nigeria Football Federation) sent to the airport to pick them up. How they think it's OK to carry these girls in this type of plantain/cow truck is beyond me.

*Long hiss* Read more...

Do not vote for a Muslim President - Pastor Paul Adefarasin

“Do not vote for a Muslim President. Muslims have ruled the country for long. Nigerians used to be the most educated people in the world until the likes of Abacha and the Murtala Muhammed came and scattered our educational system to slow down the South so that the North can catch up, instead of speeding up the North.

We are sick and tired of politicians whose only objective is to fleece our public wealth. We have selfish people, selfish parents and selfish leaders who do everything for themselves and nothing for their children and successors. But, success is not success unless there is a successor. May God deliver Nigeria from ‘eldership’ and from a leadership that is overweight, undiscerning and blind. Do you know why Nigeria’s vast resources have not yet been discovered? It is because if they are discovered now, these useless people in power will squander them. But God is waiting for David to deliver us.” - Senior Pastor of House On The Rock, Paul Adefarasin, said two days ago as he called on Christians in the country to be involved in politics, especially the Presidency. Read more...

Policeman killed, 15 injured in Kwara clash

A policeman was on Tuesday killed while 15 civilians were injured during a communal clash at the Ganmo Muslim praying ground in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

About 10 cars were damaged and the palace of the Olu of Ganmo, Atanda Kolawole, was burnt down by suspected hoodlums during the clash.

THE PUNCH learnt that the crisis began at the praying ground during a disagreement over who should lead the Eid prayers.

There has been a long-standing chieftaincy tussle between Kolawole and the Okunoye family from Idi-Ape. The Okunoye lineage is allegedly opposed to the leadership of the Kolawole family, a matter which is said to be currently before the Supreme Court.

Some of the people injured at the praying ground were rushed to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and some private hospitals in the state capital.

The crisis was said to have further escalated when news spread around the city that some suspected hoodlums were planning to burn the home of one of the chiefs in the town, said to be in support of the Kolawole family.

THE PUNCH further learnt that one of the feuding royal families allegedly recruited eight soldiers for the clash, a situation which resulted in a free-for-all.

Riot policemen sent to area to quell the crisis were allegedly resisted by the soldiers.

The spokesman of the state police command, Mr. Ezekiel Dabo, told newsmen that the policeman was killed when a soldier tried to disarm him.

Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20101117243293
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EFCC recovers N2tn property from corrupt politicians

EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida WaziriLanded property and business concerns worth over N2tr have been seized from 46 politicians and influential Nigerians in the last seven years by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission following corruption charges preferred against them, SUNDAY PUNCH investigations have revealed.

The forfeited properties totalling 203 and scattered across the country and overseas were recovered on the orders of the courts.

This revelation is coming as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it would in the next few weeks seal and seize more properties. The planned seizure is a result of court judgments yet to be implemented.

The EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed this to our correspondent on Friday, saying ”there is another 16 on our list that we will be reclaiming in another two weeks.”

He added, ”The EFCC has the mandate to identify, verify and manage all forfeited assets. In the course of the identification and verification exercise, we discovered quite a lot of official orders that were not enforced during the tenure of the former chairman.”

The Commission was formerly under the superintendence of Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who is now a presidential aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria.

Our correspondent gathered that an asset forfeiture unit was set up in 2008 to trace all the houses that the courts had ordered to be claimed by the government in different parts of the country.

Babafemi said, ”That unit became imperative when we realised that their former owners were not ready to let go of the properties willingly. In all, we have 203 houses worth over N2tr from 46 court orders.”

Already, tenants in the 203 houses have received letters from the EFCC that the buildings now belong to the Federal Government.

The letter, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered directed them to pay their rents to the Federal Government Recovery account that is being managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Also, property managers have been hired to manage the estates.

Babafemi said, ”The managers will administer the assets to generate revenue for the government. These properties no longer belong to the individuals that owned them. They now belong to the government and will be treated as such.”

Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, two weeks ago, joined the list of the 46 persons who had their properties confiscated after the commission seized two of his buildings in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Babafemi, said the commission had earlier confiscated the buildings and had court papers which gave it the leave to seize the properties.

Fayose, the EFCC spokesman said, had broken the commission‘s seal on the buildings and regained entry into the buildings, an action that prompted the anti-graft agency‘s reaction.

Babafemi added, ”The order was not obtained today. It is an existing order. There was a subsisting court order for the temporary forfeiture of those buildings. The properties were seized since 2006 but they broke our seal and got into the building. We just got information on that which prompted our agents to move in.”

Apart from Fayose, the former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank International Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, also forfeited N191bn assets comprising 49 properties in Nigeria, United States and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to the FG, after a federal high court sentenced her to 18 months imprisonment last month.

In 2009, the EFCC also seized Cosmo FM radio station, Rainbownet Nigeria Ltd and other companies believed to be owned by former Enugu State governor, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani.

The properties were seized by the commission vide a Lagos Federal High Court order in May 2007 following the indictment of Nnamani over alleged corruption and embezzlement of state funds to the tune of N5.3billion.

Suspected to be on the list also are properties of former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye; controversial businessmen, Fred Ajudua and Emmanuel Nwude; former Bayelsa governor, D.S.P Alamieyeseigha, and the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tafa Balogun.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011142263137
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Policemen in show of shame in Lagos .

POLICEMEN are out in every society to keep the peace, and maintain law and order.

But the story was different in Lagos yesterday, as three policemen engaged in a brawl at Ajegunle, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, endangering the lives of hundreds of road users with their AK 47 rifles held carelessly as they exchanged blows.

People were seen scampering for safety, and nobody could tell what caused the fight, which got so messy that the policemen wrestled and dragged themselves on the ground.

The fight caused a heavy traffic build up that lasted for hours on both sides of the road.

The three fighters are corporals serving in the elite Mobile Police Force.

Some motorists and hawkers, who could have intervened, were afraid of the guns they were wielding while the fight was going on.

One of them said: “We don’t really know the cause of the fight. We just saw them fighting. Some of us tried to move in to know the cause of the fight but because of the way they they were holding their guns while still fighting, we were afraid of a case of accidental discharge.

“It would have been better if they had handled the matter more maturely than to engage in a street fight.”

So what do you think would have cause the fight?


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