Former Nigeria Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has made it clear that he would not leave APC for any other political party not even in a dream. He said that he is committed to the success of the party’s Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party in the 2015 general elections. In a statement today reacting to reports in a section of the media of his purported return to the fold of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku said that he would never leave APC for any reason. “I remain irrevocably committed to the APC, as I promised in my concession speech at the conclusion of our party’s presidential primaries, and has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of our great party at the general elections.” Atiku said that his purported return to the PDP or any other party is the handiwork of mischief makers focused on pitching him against other leaders of the opposition APC. Atiku Abubakar said that for the avoidance of doubt, he is unequivocally committed to the unity of APC and that it will take more than the antics of mischief makers to break that bond. He said that his return from Adamawa, where he convened a stakeholders’ meeting and reconciled disagreeing camps within the party, towards ensuring victory for the APC bears eloquent testimony of this commitment. The former Vice President said that he is currently supporting the financial operations of the APC in many states, in most cases as a sole financier. “I have backed my words and commitment with my resources to ensure that I bring my influence and support to bear on our party’s march to victory at all levels in the general election. That should be enough to shut up mischief makers bent on derailing the APC’s success at the March 28 and April elections,” he said. Atiku said however that as one of Nigeria’s astute politicians and businessmen, there may be overtures from across political divides him, but restated that he has publicly made his commitment to the APC clear even as he privately rebuffed the approaches from all quarters. [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State Chapter has accused the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan of descending into what it called the abyss of opprobrious indecency with the words and body language that have been coming from her recently, asking her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan to call her to order. In a statement today signed by the party’s state publicity secretary, Senibo Chris Finebone, APC described the First Lady’s recent campaign address at rallies in Niger Delta region as “extremely shameful,” adding: “ordinarily, the APC would have remained amused at the futile comic relief her court-jestering was providing the serious political space and environment. But that cannot be the case when she has, in the past two weeks, descended into the abyss of opprobrious indecency with her words and body language.” The APC said that it is worried now because, the First Lady has gone from personal insults and unprintable words on the APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and now “foraging into areas where even angels fear to tread. By going beyond insulting General Buhari to taunting the section Buhari hails from as procreating uncontrollably, the APC wants to believe someone should caution Mrs. Patience Jonathan to be aware of the ensuing whirlwind that will result from the wind she is planting. “The APC would like to inform Mrs. Jonathan that the Ivory Coast’s former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, has just been sentenced to 20 years in jail for her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections in that country. This should be instructive to our First Lady that her utterances have far-reaching consequences, good or bad. “And how she ends up in history remains her responsibility, meaning that she should hold herself responsible for whatever her verbal incontinence and indiscretion brings to her, now or in the future.” “It is important to remind our dear First Lady that wars and conflicts have, sometimes, been caused by wrong people finding themselves in the right places as we seem to have now. But when the bell tolls, everyone will answer according his or her deeds but not before the damage is already done and lives lost. “However, it is the hope of the APC that Mr. President will do what any good husband does: call the wife to order. This will avert the fast growing anger building up in our brothers and sisters from the North who perceive her recent demeaning utterances as a collective insult. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine!” [myad]
Director of media and publicity for the Peopels Democratiic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode has asked people in the opposition political parties, especially All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop trivializing any issue he raised as campaigns for the March/April general elections hot up. “The truth is that when we speak out and make these grave and serious allegations, we do not do so lightly. When I say this thing and raise this question, I am not doing so in my personal capacity but as Director of Media and Publicity of the Jonathan-Sambo Presidential Campaign Organisation. “When I raise these questions, I am doing so on behalf of the President, the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), and millions of PDP leaders and supporters from all over the country.” Fani-Kayode, who reacted to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state that dismissed his earlier accusation that the Governor was guilty of the abduction of Chibok girls by Boko Haram said that PDP and each and every one of the people are deeply concerned about the role of Shettima in the Chibok affair said “we would continue to ask those questions on their behalf, whether Shettima likes it or not.” [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.). A three-paragraph statement from the special adviser to President Jonathan on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati did not give reasons for the sack, but said that Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau has been appointed to take over from General Agwai. He said however that the sacking and replacement was part of the efforts of the President to continually re-energize and reposition agencies of the Federal Government for optimal service delivery, The new SURE-P Chairman hails from Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State and holds Bachelors’ Degrees in the Arts and Law. The statement said that Akau has years of experience as a high-level administrator in the nation’s public service, adding that his record of service includes tenures as Chairman of the Kaduna State Universal Education Board and Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission. Meanwhile, President Jonathan thanked the sacked Chairman of SURE-P, General Agwai for his service to the nation and wished him well in his future endeavours. [myad]
National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh has dispelled the rumour of a rift between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, saying that that there is no love lost within the party.
In a statement today, Metuh said that the PDP is resolute as one united family and that no amount of what he termed media fabrications and malicious insinuations would distract the party.
“In the light of various attempts to drag down the National Chairman of our great party, Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu, using spurious publications in a section of the media, the PDP wishes to state clearly that our leaders and members nationwide are impressed with his style of leadership which has in the last one year enhanced our support base and public rating ahead of the 2015 general elections.
” As one of the founding fathers of the PDP, the National Chairman has continued to add immense value with his mature and decent approach to issues in keeping with the tradition and vision of our great party, a disposition that has continued to attract massive support across board for our presidential flag bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan.
“It is incontrovertible that the National Chairman has been at the forefront of our Presidential campaign train and enjoys an excellent working relationship with President Jonathan as exhibited in their bond at rallies, visits and meetings with stakeholders across the country.
“Whereas we recognize the zeal and enthusiasm of some of our supporters who are repaying the opposition in their own stock, our National Chairman, as the face of the PDP, has remained restrained despite numerous unwarranted provocations.”
A group of former Niger Delta militants, Niger-Delta Coalition and Delta Coalition for Change has promised to would support whoever emerges as President after the March 28th election, dispelling rumours making the rounds that they were preparing to take up arms should President Goodluck Jonathan lose in his quest for re-elections.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, Mr. Young Piero and Peters Asuluwa said those threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria over the elections did not represent the majority view of the people of the Niger Delta.
“We are assuring Nigerians that there will be no breach of peace in the Niger-Delta on or before the general elections of March 28 and April 11, as we look forward to free and fair elections.
“The judiciary has clearly stated that the armed forces have no role in the general elections, as such any attempt for military deployment to voting centers is sabotage to our judiciary.
“We are standing on the part of justice for now that no one has the monopoly to carry out such threat against national security if the government of the day has the peace and sustainability of this great nation at heart.
“We are one Nigeria, let no one be troubled, pray for peace and free/fair election, whoever emerges as the next president of the federal republic of Nigeria should be giving the necessary support from the North, South, West and East of this great nation.”
He said that what Nigerians need the most at the moment is a corrupt-free government which will deliver on its promises to the people in order to make society better.
Piero also pointed out that from the group’s experience, it was now clear that there is no easy walk out of corruption but that with concerted efforts and commitment, the goal of reducing corruption to the barest minimum is achievable.
He enjoined Nigerians to play active roles to ensure that democracy works because it would be impossible for democracy to deliver if Nigerians refuse to play their individual and collective roles.
The group urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to corporate with the Independent National Electoral Commission by accepting the final results of the elections.
Two huge issues loom large over Nigeria’s hard-fought presidential election this month: Boko Haram and corruption. Of the two, the breathtaking scale of official corruption is blighting the lives of more Nigerians than even the deadly insurgency.
A former Nigerian government minister has claimed that his civil servants offered him a 20 per cent slice off his department’s multi-billion dollar budget, assuring him they could bury their tracks. Their expectation, he said, was that they too would be rewarded with a generous tranche of the loot.
The senior politician, who cannot be named for his own safety, alleged that he had been approached shortly after his appointment to cabinet, while staying in a hotel on a high-profile foreign trip. He told Channel 4 News that he refused the offer, telling his civil servants that he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
“The scale of corruption by this country’s political elite is breaking people,” he said. “Some see it as the dispensing of patronage, so they can survive. But let’s say it straight: it is theft, theft with a sense of entitlement.”
“Nigeria,” he added, “is a country where you can disappear an elephant into the pocket of a shirt.”
A couple of days later, I was interviewing Nigeria’s flamboyant finance minister. Inevitably, before long, our conversation homed in on the C-word. “Your country has become a byword for corruption,” I said.
“I reject this completely!” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, shouted indignantly at me across the six-foot gap between our two armchairs in her ministerial office, strewn with photographs of herself with world leaders past and present.
“This country has a tendency for people to throw out wild numbers and because of the perception of corruption, people believe a lot of this. Nigeria is not a lawless country where you just lob accusations.”
Dr Ngozi, who earned her doctorate from MIT and who has spent years as a managing director of the World Bank, has a street named after her in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. Half way along it, there’s a slum called Utako, whose residents live hand-to-mouth. Few have jobs; the rat-infested, malarial shanty lacks all basic services.
“The masses are suffering because of the greediness of our leaders,” said Stanley, a man in his late 20s, and one of the millions of Nigerians who do actually believe the “wild numbers” but are powerless in their poverty to hold their leaders to account.
“They are so corrupt don’t care about the masses,” he said. “All they care about is how to embezzle our money. If you look around this place, there is no sanitation, no water, no electricity. They don’t live in this environment.”
Nigeria now ranks as Africa’s largest economy, powered by vast oil reserves. Average incomes have doubled since 2010, yet a third of Nigeria’s people live on less than one pound a day.
For decades, it has been alleged that corrupt politicians were skimming huge sums off the national oil revenues – hundreds of billions of dollars according to the UN. Most of Nigeria’s 500 languages don’t even have words for “million”, let alone “billion”, but people know the score. Power is perceived as the licence to loot.
Until last year, these “wild numbers” were indeed just “thrown around,” as the finance minister put it. Then, finally, a whistle-blower emerged who put some flesh on the bones. The numbers were indeed wild. But he came with some pedigree. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria was no ordinary whistle-blower.
Dr Lamido Sanusi, who had been awarded “Central Banker of the Year 2010″ by the Financial Times Banker magazine (an award which cited his “radical anti-corruption” campaign) discovered what he figured was a US$20-bn black hole in Nigeria’s national finances.
He wrote to President Goodluck Jonathan, detailing the mechanisms by which be believed an astronomical fraud had been committed. He calculated that over the course of a year and a half, a billion dollars a month had been siphoned off national oil revenues. These “leakages” were, Dr Sanusi told the president, “unsustainable”.
Last month, Dr Sanusi, a blue-blooded descendent of the Kano royal line, was reincarnated as the northern kingdom’s new emir. He swapped his pin-striped suit for flowing robes and a turban. Sitting in his throne room the day after his coronation (pictured below), HRH Muhammad Sanusi II told Channel 4 News exactly how he believed the alleged fraud had been perpetrated. He sticks by all his allegations.
“At the heart of the problem, to my mind,” he said, “is that the entire political system is held hostage by a small group of vested interests.”
His was an almost identical assessment to that offered by Stanley in the slum on Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Street, where most people I spoke to knew all about the former central bank governor’s staggering allegations. But Dr Ngozi herself dismisses his claim. “It just so happens that on this that he was not correct,” she said. Last year, she claimed more than US$10bn was “missing”.
The Nigerian government commissioned an independent “forensic audit” to determine the truth, but has chosen only to publish edited highlights of the final report – and many Nigerians still smell a rat.
Nigeria ranks 136th out of 175 countries surveyed for Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index – which measures how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be. Obiageli Ezekwesili is Transparency’s co-founder. She too has served with the World Bank – as its vice-president for Africa – and as a Nigerian government minister.
“There is nothing cultural about corruption in African societies. What has happened is that the is an alienation of the systems and institutions of governance from the people,” she said. “So when you see elite greed manifested in grand corruption, perpetrated over time, it is simply that nobody has made the link to the fact that government owes us something.”
Oby Ezekwesili remains optimistic about Nigeria, despite its politicians’ winner-takes-all approach. “Give this country about a decade and a half, it won’t be the same. You know, when citizens awaken to the power of the office of the citizen, no society remains the same.”
Jonathan Miller, is a Foreign Affairs Correspondent at Channel 4 News
Nigeria has qualified for the 2015 African Beach Soccer Championship finals after Libya announced its withdrawal from the qualifying competition.
The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said in a statement today on its website that Libya’s withdrawal has been communicated to it.
Nigeria, who is the 2007 and 2009 champions, will now play in the finals scheduled for Seychelles April 14 to April 19.
The Supersand Eagles returned to the country today after a third-place finish at the Power Horse Invitational Tournament in Durban, South Africa.
They had planned to continue training in Lagos ahead of the first leg of the qualifying fixture against Libya which was to be played this weekend.
Speaking on the development, the team’s Head Coach, Audu Adamu, said: “We would have loved to use the fixture against Libya as part of our preparation for the African Beach Soccer Championship.
“However, there is nothing we can do other than to now start our final camping for the championship proper.”
Nigeria has pleaded with the government of Indonesian to tamper justice with mercy with three Nigerians who have been convicted in that country and are due for execution by firing squad for drug-related offences.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, who spoke to the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria Ambassador, Mr.Harry Purwato today in his office in Abuja pleaded that the death sentences should be converted to life imprisonment.
He told the envoy to speak with his home government to tamper justice with mercy in order not to allow anything to jeopardise the “very robust and excellent relationship between Indonesia and Nigeria.
“Your Excellency, I have been asked to summon you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to appeal to you to talk to your government about the proposed execution of three Nigerians, who are currently on the death row in your country.
“As you know, your country and Nigeria have a very robust and excellent relationship and we do not intend that anything should happen to our relationship.
“We, in this context, are very aware of the consequences of drug trafficking in your country, but we still want to put it on record and we still want to appeal to you and to your President to tamper justice with mercy.
“We understand that the three condemned Nigerians have gone through the judicial processes and their appeals to the President have been turned down.
“We also understand, particularly, that one of them, Mr Salami, had been moved to an Island and that any moment from now, he may be executed.
“We want to appeal to you and through you to your government that this death sentence that may be carried out on Mr Salami any moment from now should be converted to life imprisonment.“
The permanent secretary also appealed to the Indonesian envoy to fast-track the completion of the ongoing exchange of prisoners’ negotiation between the two countries.
According to him, when completed, Nigerians serving various prison terms in Indonesia will have the opportunity to serve their sentences in Nigeria.
“I am also to use this occasion, your Excellency, to appeal to you on the need to quickly complete the ongoing exchange of prisoners negotiation that we have with your country.
“We wish that this be completed on time so that our nationals, who may be caught up there, would have the opportunity to serve their sentences in Nigeria.
“Some of our nationals are not on death row; they are in there for some other alleged crimes and we would wish that those who are willing and who wish to, would serve their sentences in Nigeria.
“So it is our wish as a country that we should complete this process immediately so that our nationals would avail themselves of that opportunity.
“Ambassador, we want to thank you coming in here but these are the words that my government has asked me to convey to you and through you to your own government.“
Responding, Purwato acknowledged the robust nature of the relationship between his country and Nigeria, and explained that the trial of the Nigerians was done transparently.
He said foreigners travelling to Indonesia were usually informed in advance that trafficking in narcotics attracted the death penalty.
The envoy said that all the legal processes available to the convicts had been exhausted, adding, however, that he would deliver the Federal Government’s message to his home government.
“Indonesians attach great importance to their relations with Nigerians and we also like to further our excellent relations in things that can be felt directly by the people of these two countries.
“As you rightly said, permanent secretary, the death penalty in Indonesia is actually done in transparent, credible and accountable manner.
“We do apply these executions to those who are adults and we do not apply to children, pregnant women or mentally ill persons.
“Executions are done after strict and transparent due process of law by which also we know that it would have already passed the district, appellate and Supreme Courts.“
Purwato explained that the request for clemency by the Nigerians on death row had been rejected.
According to him, the Indonesian government usually allows the embassies of nationals on trial for drug-related offenses to be involved from the beginning to the end of all cases.
The Federal Government had in January, summoned the ambassador following the execution of two Nigerians by firing squad for drug offences.
Preparations are in top gear for the execution by firing squad of one Raheem Agbaje Salami and two other Nigerians convicted of drug smuggling.
Factional leader of the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, Gani Adams
Northern socio-political organization, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has reminded the National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams that Nigeria, like other nations in the world has come of age in the way it should conduct elections, saying that his call for the sacking of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor. Attahiru Jega is of no substance.
The OPC leaderhad called for the sacking of the INEC boss on the basis of the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards, introduction of card reader and the creation of 30,000 polling units, which he claimed favoured the North.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammadu Ibrahim, in Kaduna today, the ACF described Adams utterance as laughable and pedestrian, adding that he lacked the understanding of the Nigerian Constitution and the electoral law.
According to the forum, Adams has clearly shown that he is ignorant of digital age, where transparency is the hallmarks of free, fair and credible elections.
ACF said that the utterances of the OPC leader were not only parochial but one that portrayed him as seeking political relevance, saying: “It is not the tradition of the Arewa Consultative Forum to respond to such unguarded and misinformed statement by leaders of socio-cultural groups or any individual for that matter on national issues.
“However, we find it necessary to respond to Chief Adams false claim that the creation of additional 30,000 polling units was fraudulently done by INEC to favour the North.
“In fact, based on scientific and statistical analysis of the INEC data, the North was actually shortchanged.
“Nigeria with a total registered voter figure of 70,383,427 in 2011 and when divided by the proposed INEC 150,000 polling units across the country, every polling units in any state should have 469 voters per unit to make it easier for voters to cast their votes.”
ACF said that it was as a result of the hue and cry over the additional units from southern leaders that forced INEC to create the 30,000 units, adding that the creation of the units would not change the number of registered voters, calling on leaders at all levels to guard their utterances, especially on issues they were not properly informed.
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Why Corruption Looms Over This Month’s Elections, By Jonathan Miller
Two huge issues loom large over Nigeria’s hard-fought presidential election this month: Boko Haram and corruption. Of the two, the breathtaking scale of official corruption is blighting the lives of more Nigerians than even the deadly insurgency.