The United States of America has assured that it will stand with the Nigerian people in support of credible and peaceful elections scheduled for March 28 and April 11.
The US Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden who made this known in a statement today in Abuja emphasized: “the United States stands with the Nigerian people in support of credible and peaceful elections, and will continue to stand with the Nigerian people whatever the outcome.”
The Vice President who had earlier had phone conversations with the Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the APC Presidential candidate in the forthcoming election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari expressed concern over the violence during some recent election-related events and reiterated the need for both candidates to make clear that such violence has no place in democratic elections.
In a statement issued today by the US Embassy in Nigeria, Biden was quoted as expressing his country’s support to Nigeria in making the rescheduled 2015 general election credible and peaceful.
Part of the statement reads, “U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke yesterday with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the Nigerian presidential election, which is scheduled for March 28.
“The Vice President commended President Jonathan and General Buhari for signing the Abuja Accord in mid-January as a show of their commitment to non-violence throughout the election process.
“The Vice President further expressed the United States’ support for the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission and its work to deliver free, fair, and credible elections, in part through its essential efforts to distribute Permanent Voter Cards and help ensure that electronic voter card readers are in place and fully operational.” [myad]
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has organised a two-day media dialogue in Enugu, capital of Enugu state, with Online Publishers to discuss the convention on child rights which came into force through the UN General Assembly’s resolution 44/20 of 20 November, 1989. The dialogue, which began today and ending tomorrow (Friday) has been put together by the child rights information bureau (RIB) of the federal ministry of information, collaborating with UNICEF). There were 15 selected publishers of Online newspapers from different parts of the country and representatives of major conventional newspapers based in Enugu, as well as some university lecturers in attendance. A UNICEF Communication Specialist, Geoffrey Njoku kick-started the discussion by making a run-down of the contents of the convention on the child rights, which he said, countries of the world signed except the United States of America and Somalia. According to Njoku, there are four key principles of the Child Rights Convention, including non-discrimination, best interest of the child, life survival and development as well as respecting the views of the child. He said that the provisions, which are universal, indivisible and accountability, are inter-dependent and inter-related. At the dialogue, Dr. Chikwendu Ogbonnaya, a public policy advocacy also gave a lecture on special responsibility and public interest in Online journalism practice: defining a public policy for online journalism. Also, Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy of the university of Lagos would give a talk on perspectives of children’s rights in current online journalism practice in Nigeria while Akin Jimoh of the UNICEF Nigeria would deliver a lecture on children’s right and online journalism practice in Nigeria: setting an agenda for children. The Publishers are expected to end the dialogue looking collectively at the scoping online opportunities for child rights advocacy as well as presenting group work. The UNICEF Convention describes a child as every human being below the age of eighteen years, unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier even as it ask the stakeholders to respect the rights set forth in the convention This rights, the convention insists, should be conferred in each child without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardians race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other statues. UNICE’s Convention urges state to take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or family members
Nigeria’s Under-20 football team, the Flying Eagles, today, sent its Ghananian counterparts packing with2-0 win and cruised tothe final of the 2015 Africa Under-20 football championship in Senegal.
Ghana started well creating chances at will and denying the Nigerians of spaces. But it was the Flying Eagles who however drew first blood in the 23rd minute through a set piece.
Captain, Musa Muhammed whipped in an excellent corner kick from the left and Obinna Nwobodo did well to connect with a header when backpedalling from the goal, exemplifying pin-point accuracy as the Nigerians took the lead, somewhat against the run of play.
Nigeria came close to scoring a second moments later but last ditch defending saved the day for the Black Satellites.
Ghana were however not going down without a fight and on the half hour, Yaw Yeboah fired in a brilliant free kick which the Nigeria goalkeeper, Joshua Enaholo did well to push away for a corner.
A minute later, Yeboah came even closer to leveling the scores but his passing shot a from cut back which beat Enaholo clattered against the post.
It was a huge let-off for the Flying Eagles but the Ghanaians refused to relent and on 35 minutes, Benjamin Tetteh was freed on the left but the Tufu Mighty Jets man fired over in shocking fashion.
The two sides continued to trade heavy blows with Ghana creating but failing to put away the more clear cut opportunities.
Muhammed almost doubled Nigeria’s lead a minute before the break but his free kick from a tight angle bit his effort clattered against the post.
Nigeria doubled their lead in the second half through a Muhammed penalty to add gloss to the result.
Nigeria are now through to Sunday’s final where they will face the winner of the second semifinal between Mali and Senegal.
Benyamin Netanyahu’s sweeping victory in Israel’s general election is causing ripples across the world as it appears to be another nail in the coffin of fading hopes for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Netanyahu’s eve-of-pledge that he would not agree to the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and scaremongering about Arab citizens voting “in droves” showed him at his most manipulative and implacable.
The coalition government he looks set to form will likely include nationalist extremists such as Naftali Bennett, of the pro-settlement Jewish Home party, as well as ultraorthodox parties that lean to the right. Concessions to centre parties will be on domestic and economic issues rather than the core questions of territory, borders and peace.
Palestinians had low expectations of Israel’s election and always doubted it would lead to a re-launch of substantive peace negotiations, whoever won – though the Labor party’s Isaac Herzog would certainly have held out more promise on paper. The Palestinian Authority will now likely go ahead with plans to take Israel to the international criminal court over its actions in the occupied territories.
Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs Gaza, will be confirmed in its strategy of armed resistance – though it would not have been abandoned had the centre-left won. Egypt and Jordan both have peace treaties with Israel but are preoccupied with the aftermath of the Arab spring and focusing on domestic affairs and the threat from jihadi groups.
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states share Israel’s concerns about Iran: one Gulf official even blamed Iran for Netanyahu’s victory. But a win for Herzog might have brought a revival of the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which offers Israel pan-Arab recognition in return for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. That is unlikely to happen now.
Barack Obama will be deeply disappointed that Netanyahu has won a fourth term, though given the salience of Israel in US domestic politics, he has no choice but to grit his teeth, accept the outcome and work with him. Netanyahu has brought personal relations with the White House to a historic low, culminating in his recent controversial speech to congress on the danger posed by the P5 + 1 nuclear negotiations with Iran and the prospect of a wider rapprochement between Washington and Tehran.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state – in Lausanne for the final stretch of those talks – pointedly refused to take questions on the Israeli election result. The US will be hoping that there is wriggle room behind Netanyahu’s firm “no” to a Palestinian state. If there is not, then then US-Israeli special relationship will face new strains.
Iran
The Islamic Republic, which conducts no formal relations with Israel, said it expected “business as usual” under a new Netanyahu government. “The Israeli parties are the same and they are all accomplices in their crimes against the Palestinians and in their acts of aggression,” said the foreign ministry in Tehran.
But on one argument hardliners in Iran prefer a rightwing government in Israel, whose own undeclared nuclear arsenal is currently the only one in the Middle East. Iran also firmly supports Bashar al-Assad in Syria and the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah is an important ally and proxy in the confrontation with Israel. Tehran may fear that a re-elected Netanyahu might resort to military threats if a nuclear agreement is reached.
David Cameron’s pro forma congratulations to Netanyahu mask unease in the British foreign policy establishment at the demise of the two-state solution. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, has already signalled a tougher line on Israel if he wins May’s general election. The EU wants to give a higher priority to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. But it is hard to see how Netanyahu – openly hostile to meddling European governments and NGOs – fits in with that. Punitive action against illegal settlement activity will increase. Carl Bildt, the former prime minister of Sweden, said Netanyahu’s victory risked a “profound crisis on [the] Palestinian issue.”
A new government in Israel risks profound crisis on Palestinian issue. Difficult to see any credible political path forward.
Supporters of the Palestinians across Europe will renew efforts to pressure Israel, using consumer and cultural boycotts to raise the cost of continued occupation. The strong electoral performance of the United Arab List of Israel’s Palestinian citizens will boost hopes for more effective civil and human rights campaigns in the absence of a viable diplomatic process. Already-toxic arguments about the link between criticism of Israel and antisemitism are likely to intensify.
Gunmen wearing military fatigues, today, opened fire on the tourists from different countries at the Tunisian museum. No fewer than 20 of such tourists were killed, among which included 17 foreign nationals.
Tunisian officials said today that two attackers were also been killed, even as Prime Minister Habib Essid describing the attack as a “cowardly terrorist operation” that targeted tourists.
The tourists were attacked while they were getting off a bus to enter the museum and when the tourists ran toward the museum to avoid the shooting, the attackers pursued them, Essid said.
Among the 17 tourists killed, the nationalities included Polish, German, Italian and Spanish, Essid said. An additional 22 tourists and two Tunisians were injured, he said.
Radek Sikorski, speaker of Polish Parliament, said seven Polish tourists were dead and three were in in critical condition. And the Italian Foreign Ministry told ABC News that three Italians were dead and six were wounded. [myad]
Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has just resolved to cancel all unused ballot papers by crossing them in the forthcoming general elections. This was one of the fine-tuning the Guidelines and Regulations For The Conduct of 2015 General Elections and The Manual For Election Officials 2015. The resolution was taken today after a rigorous meeting of all the INEC stakeholders, including the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC), Political Parties and the inputs of its Legal Services Department as well as the Commission’s Consortium of Lawyers. The guidelines are as follows:
At the close of voting, the Presiding Officer shall: (a.) Cancel all unused ballot papers by crossing them; (b.) Sort the ballots at 2 levels as follows: (i.) Sort all wrongly deposited ballots and transfer them into their appropriate ballot boxes; (ii.) Sort out the ballots by party and thereafter loudly count the votes scored by each party in the presence of the polling agents and observers. 2.8.2 Sorting Procedure There shall be 2 levels of sorting namely: (a.) Sorting for wrongly deposited ballot; and (b.) Sorting by party (A.) Sorting for Wrongly Deposited Ballots The Presiding Official (PO) shall: Step 1. Starting with the House of Representatives, sort out all wrongly deposited ballots; Step 2. Transfer the ballots deposited in the wrong box, to their appropriate ballot boxes; Step 3. Return the other ballots into the ballot box. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 above for the Senatorial and Presidential Elections (B.) Sorting by Party The Presiding Officer (PO) shall: Step 1. Starting with the House of Representatives, sort out the ballots into separate piles for each party and one pile for rejected ballots. Step 2. Sort out the ballot papers by party and thereafter loudly count the votes scored by each party in the presence of the polling agents and observers. Step 3. Write the word “REJECTED” on the front of every rejected ballot. Step 4. Show all rejected ballots to the Polling Agents and Observers present. Step 5. Where any objection against such a rejection is raised by a Candidate or Polling Agent, write the word “Rejected but objected to” on the front of the ballot. Step 6. Count and record the quantity of the rejected ballots and their serial numbers on Form EC 40B. Step 7. Put all rejected ballots in envelop EC 50A. Step 8. Count and Record the quantity of Tendered ballots on Form EC 40F. (Tendered Ballot Statement) Step 9. Put all Tendered Ballots in the envelope provided. Follow steps B(1)-B(9) above in the case of the Senatorial and Presidential Elections. Follow the same procedure above for sorting and counting of ballots for the governorship and house of assembly elections, beginning with the House of Assembly Elections.
President Goodluck Jonathan has kicked out Alhaji Kabiru Mashi as Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Mashi has been acting Executive Chairman of the agency since 2012. A two-paragraph statement today from special adviser on media and publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati did not give reasons for the sack of Mashi. He however said that one Mr. Samuel Ogungbesa has been appointed to occupy the same position which Mashi lost. Until his elevation today, Ogungbesan was the Coordinating Director at FIRS.
President Goodluck Jonathan has told the new ministers whom he swore-in today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that they are coming in at injury time, when his government is winding up. “For the ministers this is an injury time. It is like bringing a player when you have just five minutes to go in a football match. So everyone wants to know what that player will do; the magic the player will perform within that short period. The player himself will be struggling to at least kick the ball beforre the end of the game. “So you are coming in at a quite challenging period and I believe that a number of people will not envy you because government is coming to a close. But sometimes is even good to come at this time because you are now well exposed to Nigerians. “Your dancing steps will be watching by everybody and we believe you will dance well.” The President who also carried out minor cabinet reshuffle as Dr. Alhassan Khaliru was made Minister of Health while Engr. Fidelis Nwankwo, (Ebonyi State) became minister of state for health, swore-in Senator Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa) ss new Minister of Information. Others swore-in were Professor Nicholas Ada (Benue) – Minister of State Foreign Affairs 1, Colonel Augustine Akobundu (rtd) (Abia State), Minister of State Defence, Mrs. Hauwa’u Lawan Bappa, Minister of State Niger Delta Affairs, Kenneth Kobani (Rivers), Minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator Jeol Danlami Ikenya (Taraba), Minister of Labour and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro. (Lagos) – Foreign Affairs I. President Jonathan who also swore in two commissioners for Federal Civil Service Commission, Dr. Jonah Madugo who represents Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa states and National Population Commission, Mrs. Abimbola Ogundeyi said that civil service remain the key engine room of government. “The greatest problem that people complain about is the issue of discipline etc, in the service. I believe that with you coming to join others you will continue to modernise the federal civil service. “Of course, population is key for the National Population Commission, we are thinking of how to go for another head count. “And every country wants to know the exact population for the purpose of planning and all that. I believe it is a good team and listening to your citations all of you are eminently qualified to hold any office in this country. And we believe that you will join us to serve our nation.”
Former governor of a state in Nigeria has been fingered in the spate of embezzlement that is allegedly going on in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation. The former governor who has moved around with President Goodluck Jonathan at political rallies and other functions is said to have an interest in a new generation bank where he was chairman at some point. It was learnt that at a meeting with the President and a few others in January, the President ordered one of the prominent female ministers in his cabinet to release some billions of naira to him to oil the machinery of the campaign team, a source said. It was fathered that the money was “cornered” from some big government contractors, after resorting to the new strategy in the government circle, known as “decoy,” where money to finance rallies, campaigns and advertisements will come from private individuals and not government officials. The former governor is said to have some people working with him to disburse the fund but he and a principal officer in the Presidency are alleged to have cornered a substantial part of the fund which runs into billions of naira. The money was said to have been first lodged in the bank where the former governor has interest, hoping to either enjoy huge interests that would accrue or wait for the end of the elections for him to possess fully. Our source hinted that part of the money was meant to settle some opinion leaders that are critical of President Jonathan in the six geopolitical zones but that the former governor is still sitting on the money. It was gathered that President Jonathan had to personally come to the South West to “settle some people” because he does not trust any of his aides brokering negotiations for him as most of such money allegedly ended in private pockets. The lid on the misappropriation of the fund was blown open by a governorship aspirant in one of the South West states, who was part of the team but felt short-changed. It was learnt that President Jonathan recently summoned a meeting where he scolded an outspoken Presidency official involved as being part of the scam. It was learnt that President Jonathan had wanted to sack the outspoken Presidential official, but was advised against it because the elections are just around the corner. The President was reported to have been angered when the Presidency official began to reel out all sort of names and companies as having benefited from the money. Full page advert money for newspapers was doubled and tripled just to cover their tracks. They were said to have told the President that full page advert for Punch, ThisDay, Guardian is now N2 million ‘political special rate.’ centrespread is N6 million and wrap around N70 million because of the election. The cost of advert for television commercials was also increased. “It is like all of them know that Jonathan may lose the election. So, they are just trying to take whatever they can take before election day.” The embezzlement tale has also affected the media team as millions of naira have allegedly been stolen. The over N150 million said to have been budgeted for online advertisement remains unaccounted for as earlier reported. The source said that the major problem is that nobody can really discipline the affected officers because the sleaze cuts across all the teams in the campaign organisation – procurement, media, logistics, mobilisation, security, etc. “They are all helping themselves.”
Chairman of River state APC, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya
The Rivers State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted the public on the move being made by President Goodluck Jonathan to use a top official of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to rig the forthcoming general elections in the State. The party in a statement today in Port Harcourt alleged that NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Dr. Henry Ogiri, has been directed by President Jonathan to work closely with Rivers REC, Mrs. Gesila Khan, to ensure that he (Jonathan) wins on March 28 while PDP Governorship candidate, Chief Nyesome Wike, wins on April 11. “Acting according to the script, Dr. Ogiri has purchased a brand new Prado Jeep for Mrs. Gesila Khan and the Jeep is currently parked at the village of Mrs. Khan in Ogbia, Bayelsa State. “In addition, Dr. Ogiri has set aside a whopping sum of $100 million to be deposited into the account of Mrs. Khan before the week runs off.” The statement which was signed by the state APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya said: “to perfect the plans of winning Rivers State at all costs, Mrs. Khan, who is from President Jonathan’s village and his very close relation, was deliberately posted to Rivers recently to ensure that PDP wins the State despite having been overwhelmingly rejected by our people. For INEC to post President Jonathan’s kinswoman to supervise the elections in Rivers State, which he has personally confessed neglecting deliberately in his six years in office, simply betrays the Presidency’s desperation to rig the elections as PDP can never win any free and fair polls in Rivers State.” Ikanya said that the strategy of compromising INEC to pave the way for the use of the allegedly missing 14,000 PVCs and PDP’s cloned cards was coming after PDP failed to wear down Rivers APC through the killing and detaining of several of its members. “We will like the security organs to investigate this woman and retrieve this car and expose Dr Ogiri for what he is. This is a man who has failed to pay NDDC staff for months and has also failed to pay contractors for services rendered to the commission, while funds are reserved for use in rigging the 2015 elections for PDP.” Ikanya said appealed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, “who means well for this country with all his innovative ideas designed to stop rigging in our electoral system, to closely monitor the activities of the Rivers REC before she rubbishes all that the electoral umpire has perfected to conduct a free and fair election in the country.” The APC chairman called on President Jonathan and Chief Wike to play the game according to the rules and stop overheating the polity by adopting untoward ploys through their desperation to “capture” Rivers at all cost. “PDP has pocketed the Police in the State who are ready to do her bidding by arresting the APC leaders indiscriminately. To attempt to buy over the INEC simply demonstrates that Rivers State will be in total mess if Chief Wike succeeds in his bid to capture Rivers instead of allowing the people of Rivers State to elect their Governor and leaders in the March 28th and April 11 gubernatorial election.”
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