R-L- Christ Life Evangelist Ministry Jos, Bishop Daniel Oboni, Chairman Northern Christian Leaders Eagle Eye Forum, Pastor Aminchi Habu, APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, Vice Presidential Candidate, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Bishop Unlimited Mercy and Glory Church Gombe, Bishop Musa Fomson and Divine Latter Times Gospel Mission, Dr Sunday Garba as Northern Christian Leaders forum give support to General Buhari in Abuja on February 12 2015. [myad]
Nigeria Super Eagles have moved up one place ahead in the monthly FIFA ranking despite not participating in grade A games last month. The Super Eagles are now ranked 42nd in the world and 7th in Africa after accumulating 664 points .
Nigeria missed out on the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, failing to defend their title and also not being able to garner points accrual from the tournament.
However, Nigeria’s homebased Eagles played two friendly matches last month in Dubai, losing 1-0 to Ivory Coast and beating Yemen 2-0, with the matches aimed at making up for the team’s inactivity in January.
Meanwhile, the top three teams in Africa remained unchanged: Algeria, Ivory Coast and Ghana in that order.
Ghana by virtue of reaching the finals of the Nations Cup tournament moved twelve places in the overall world rankings to 25th position. While Ivory Coast who won the 2015 Nations Cup title are now 20th in the world.
Despite crashing out in the quarterfinals, Algeria is still the highest ranked African team in 18th position.
Equatorial Guinea who finished fourth at the 2015 African football showpiece are the highest movers after climbing 69 places up the ladder to the 49th position in the world.
There is no change in the top seven positions, with Germany, Argentina and Colombia still the top three teams in the world. [myad]
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governors have over-ruled the Director of the party’s Presidential Campaign Origination, Femi Fani-Kayode, who only yesterday made serious allegations against the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega. The PDP leadership has today passed a vote of confidence on Professor Jega.
At a press briefing today, the National Chairman of the ruling party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu in Abuja recalled that even President Goodluck Jonathan had expressed confidence in the chairman of the commission and that with that, there was no way the party would defer from the President’s position.
At the briefing, which was held at the national headquarters of the party, were some governors of the party led by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, who is also the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio. The position of the party and its governors was a departure from the position of its campaign directorate which had threatened to pass a vote of no confidence in Jega and his team.
Fani-Kayode, had complained about the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards, which it alleged was being skewed in favour of the opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mu’azu however differed on this, saying that the postponement of the elections would enable the chairman of the commission and his team to distribute the remaining voter cards.
“You asked if the party has confidence in Jega? My answer is not far-fetched.
“The President stated during his media briefing last night (Wednesday) that he has confidence in Jega. We also have confidence in Jega that he and his team will conduct free, fair and transparent elections.” [myad]
After listening to President Goodluck Jonathan on the media chat programme, aired live both on national television and Radio stations on Wednesday, February 11, one was constrained to sympathize with him and at the same time lament over what appears to be a government of isolationism, in which our President is gradually being distanced from the system he is supposed to preside over. Less than 28 hours after the National Council of State which he presided over ended a seven-hour meeting at the Presidential Aso Villa without any concrete decision taken about the postponement of the election or otherwise, President Jonathan, by his account, was left in the dark about the postponement. The major headline in most of the media was: “I was not consulted” before the announcement of the postponement. It was not clear however, at what point he was not consulted: was it immediately before the announced postponement by Professor Attahiru Jega or who were those that did not consult with him and at what point? Even though what the President implied was that he was not privy to the postponement which, of course no one is contesting, but the larger implication is that he is being kept in the dark as regard what is happening in the polity by some vital persons he appointed and who are supposed to keep him in the picture of what is happening 24 hours a day. At least as President. The sympathy for President Jonathan is deepened by his confession that he is aware of public’s outcry of the people around him that have been damaging “the perception” of his government. It is really disturbing that, in a matter as important as the postponement of national elections, which even the National Security Adviser (Colonel Sambo Dasuki) kick-started in far away US a couple of weeks ago, the President, who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian security system, and who is, by virtue of his position, the Chief supervisor of the electoral system, was kept in the dark. There is no doubt that by and by, the President deserves some kind of sympathy also because of his personal nature: of not wanting to hurt anybody in his government or at its periphery. Those who are close to Jonathan would admit to his humility and respect for the feelings of others. In fact, one may not miss the point entirely to say that many people around him are so powerful that they most times try to over-ride him, most times, unconsciously and at other times, as a way of seeking for his pleasure by default. This is the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, that confessed a few months ago that he did not know when his aides were insulting either his political opponents or those who as much as speak against his government. This is the President who, shortly after he signed a Peace Accord with other political stakeholders at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Abuja, many of his aides embarked on directly and indirectly insulting and making hate-speeches about his political rivals. This is the President, whose kinsmen have been trying to reduce to a tribal war-lord and at other time, some religious bigots trying to adorn him with religious toga: the President who obviously is not in the picture of all such happenings around and about him. This is the President, whose political leaders and aides have been quarrelling with the electoral body that is supposed to be independent, framing against its chairman with all sorts of “unprintable” and libelous accusations. This is the President whose security agents (being the Commander-In-Chief) have been harassing and intimidating some leaders of the opposition, including Senator Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rochas Okorocha, Garba Shehu and others, without any justifiable reasons. This is the President that has remained very helpless even when any of his appointees is found to have soiled his or her hands in the nation’s public purse, stealing billions of naira and dollars; our collective patrimony. The point needs to be stressed that President Jonathan is, by human standards, good and means well for this country. In fact, unbiased Nigerians, including yours sincerely, would always give it to the President that his government has made some outstanding achievements in terms of physical infrastructure and others. But, what seems to be happening has a semblance of what happened in the Second Republic where the then President Shehu Shagari was innocently leading the country, thinking about how to leave good legacy after his tenure, whereas the people around him were busy either helping themselves to the spoils of office or busy abusing anybody that dare challenged them or the government. The personal goodness of President Jonathan and his apparent good intention to leave Nigeria a better country than he met it cannot be equated to the behaviours and behavioural pattern of his aides, which of course, is a key factor in the total perception of his government by the people. Indeed, whatever wrong or right things his aides, his appointees, leaders and functionaries of his political party and that of his ethnic and religious persuasion do, the buck, as political scientists would say, stops at his executive table. Saying that he does not know what any of these people is doing, or saying for, and on his behalf at any given time is seen usually as a sign of weakness. And, it is just an excuse that won’t amount to cleaning him up. [myad]
“I and the family members were woken from sleep by the noises from a swarm of strangers and the clattering sounds as they cocked their guns. It was a scary situation. Looking from the window, I saw no less than 15 policemen bearing weapons, some in complete uniform and others not fully dressed. It was not in doubt that our Block S.A. 12, in the NNPC Quarters, Area 11, Garki was under a cordon. Two police cars blocked the incoming lane from the gate just by our block, and two others faced it blocking the exit way. A big white van with heavily tinted glasses was parked between blocks 12 and 14, which faced each other. The armed men did not climb up to my apartment and I did not, for my part open the door to, as it were to hand myself into their hands. This situation persisted for about an hour until two things happened: the twitter and the Facebook began to render accounts of the siege and the call to Muslim prayers came and passed without my family members leaving for the Mosque. At this point, the van and three of the police vehicles drove off. The fourth one moved to the pavement by the playground with about five policemen in it. It remained there until some moments before Seven O’ Clock when that one too, drove off. Since the end of the stand-off, I have been in communication with the Secret Service, the DSS and the Police at the highest levels. Both organizations denied knowledge of this operation at the beginning. The Police Inspector-General returned after making his investigation to say that policemen were there following an emergency call by a neighbour who came under robbery attack. The telephone number of the distressed neighbour was given to me and his address was given as being Block S.A. 13. The Police account would have been plausible and acceptable to me but for the fact that the point of action, meaning the position of the police cars, the van and the armed men were around and between my own block S.A. 12 and 14 and therefore clearly removed from block 13, which the police report indicated. The account of the heavily tinted van, that it brought policemen from NNPC to assist the police operation is neither here nor there because both the police and the oil company denied owning a van like that. For us at the APC presidential campaign, the duty of communication between our party and candidates on the one hand and the voting public on the other is one that is protected by the Constitution. If any armed group of enforcers whether within the police or outside of it as many are suspecting is behind this act of intimidation think they can break our spirit, they are mistaken. We are not going to give up.
Garba Shehu is Director of media and publicity for All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO). [myad]
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation has accused the Nigerian minister of transport, Senator Idris Umar of dishing out lies to Nigerians by his claiming that a high speed Abuja-Lagos rail service will commence running in three years time. In a statement today, the Director of media and publicity of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu said that though the envisaged Lagos-Abuja line as proposed by the Minister of Transport is most desirable, and would provide an alternative means of travel between the federal capital city and Lagos, but that it is the height of irresponsibility for the minister, a senior member of President goodluck Jonathan’s government “to tell such outlandish lies and give false hope for cheap political points.” Garba Shehu said that a PPP agreement to build and operate a rail line would usually take at least two years to negotiate and bring to financial closure, but that the Jonathan government has not even started negotiations with anybody yet on the project. “Before they can start construction, they will need to secure the right of way and pay land compensation along that corridor. This could take years to accomplish. “Then they will have to construct the line. But a look at the government’s record only confirms that this is nothing but a pipe dream. Just 186km Abuja to Kaduna, an ordinary standard gauge line has taken six years to construct and it is not even finished yet regardless of their false claims of completion. “Ajaokuta to Warri has taken the government nearly 30 years. Just the last 27km has taken this government six years and it is not finished yet. “Rehabilitation of existing rail lines which they promised would take 10 months took them four years and they are still not finished yet. “Is it then 600km of electrified rail tracks that they can build in three years? “Then they have to order the rolling stock and operations equipment. These are not off the shelf items. They will need to be manufactured over say another two years. “A high speed rail line means electric trains, so they will need a dedicated IPP with transmission and distribution. When will that come together? What about the gas supply and infrastructure or they will import more expensive diesel? “So how are they going to build a 600km electrified high speed line and put it into operation in just three years? “It is either the Minister does not know what he is talking about or he is deceiving Nigerians. He even had the cheek to say, “It is not a question of story” except it is. It is a hoax and Nigerians need to be worried about a lying government that is incompetent and dishonest. “The government should stop misleading the people. The people deserve a more responsible government.” [myad]
26 year-old set of twin sisters Owami and Olwethu Mzazi from Vosloorus, South Africa have married to the same man, 51 year old Mzukiseni Mzazi. The twin sisters told Journalists that the two of them have always been together doing the same thing, and that they married to the same man as they have shared everything else together since they were born “We have always done everything together. We share everything. That is how our grandmother raised us. So when we decided to marry, we said any man that wants to marry one, will marry the other” Owami said. [myad]
Nigeria’s Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has described the Interim National Government being contemplated by some Nigerians as a way out of the unfolding 2015 election crisis as unconstitutional and alien to Nigeria’s constitution.
In a statement today, Bello Adoke said: “While I recognize and appreciate the inalienable right of Nigerians to freely express themselves and proffer solutions to perceived national challenges, I am deeply concerned that some undiscerning Nigerians are being unwittingly led to believe that a certain prescription, which is totally alien to the Constitution, can be adopted as viable solution to our national challenges.
“It has therefore become necessary to correct this misconception and refocus the citizenry on the path of constitutionalism and democratic tenets consistent with our quest for democratic consolidation in Nigeria. For avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to state that the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 did not envisage the constitution of Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of Government. It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for Interim National Government was made in the Constitution.
“The contraption called “Interim National Government” is therefore alien to Nigeria’s constitutional framework and the arrangement should not be promoted by well–meaning Nigerians under any guise or circumstance. Nigerians are therefore enjoined to continue to rely on the Constitution, which contains adequate provisions on how the democratic process can be activated to elect their leaders from time to time.
A Catering crew leader, Mark Doughty, has been sacked by his employers, the East Coast Trains for explaining to passengers that staff shortage and broken boiler led to the provision of sub-standard food for breakfast. The Train was heading from Edinburgh to London in the early hours of today.
Reports said that the East Coast management accused Mr. Doughty, an employee for nearly 14 years, of bringing the company into disrepute even as the passenger who first complained about the poor service was horrified to learn of the sacking.
This is even also as the entire staff of the company are threatening to embark on strike in protest against the sack, insisting that he st be re-instated to his duty.
David Beaumont, a regular East Coast traveller, praised the train staff for the way they handled protesting passengers, insisting that the ones who were damaging the company’s reputation were those responsible for the problems – and those who fired Mr. Doughty.
Members of the RMT union are being balloted for industrial action to demand his reinstatement. The move comes as a similar ballot is under way in support of a catering worker sacked by CrossCountry for not selling enough tea and coffee from his trolley.
Mr. Doughty, 39, from Gilmerton, said it was known in advance that the 5.48am service on September 29 from Waverley to King’s Cross would be one member of staff short because of a mix-up over holidays, but then the chef phoned in sick, reducing the catering crew to just four.
To add to his problems, he discovered from an e-mail the train had a broken boiler. The lack of hot water for washing meant the crew could not serve cooked breakfasts but had to hand out warmed-up paninis with bacon or scrambled egg and roast tomatoes.
Doughty said: “The passengers were not happy. The passenger who complained said the bacon panini was disgraceful – to put it politely. It tasted and looked disgusting.
“They were annoyed because they were not getting what they were paying for. Some took it out on the staff. One member of staff was in tears as a result.
“I explained it would not have made any difference if the chef had turned up because the broken boiler meant we could not serve them the food they would normally get.”
Doughty said staff shortages were frequent and East Coast had been aware of the broken boiler the week before.
The company told Doughty he had “behaved in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner by engaging in a conversation with customers which undermined the reputation of East Coast and the East Coast management team”.
In an e-mail offering his support, Beaumont said: “I find it hard to believe a member of staff can simply be dismissed for telling the truth to insistent passengers like myself in such circumstances.
“The target of my complaint was the people responsible for the chaos, not the guy placed in the awkward position of breaking it to a train load of annoyed passengers, a job that he did incredibly well. I am a regular user and recently there has been constant problems with the provision of proper First Class food on this route.”
Physical combats took over the election of new executive officers to run the affairs of the Nigeria Labour Congress today. Election of officers is the climax of the 11th National Delegates Conference of the NLC which has been going on since Tuesday at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the venue of the event was thrown into confusion today as emotion rose. It was reported that delegates ran for dear lives as aggrieved contestants and their supports suddenly became violent.
They were said to have hijacked and destroyed ballot boxes even while voting was still underway.
It is not clear yet how the event, which had been peaceful since it began suddenly descended into crisis, but the election for the President of the Union had created tension among delegates and split them along partisan lines.
After the disruption, the police took over the venue and delegates were sent away, ostensibly to protect the facility from being vandalised.
Labour leaders have now reconvened at the NLC headquarters in the Central Business District of Abuja for a meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m., aimed at resolving the logjam.
Three candidates had put themselves forward to be elected as President Waheed Omar’s successor.
They are the General Secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees, Joe Ajaero; the National President of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Igwe Achese; and National President of the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria Ayuba Wabba.
For the three deputy president positions, the Non Academic Staff Union is putting forward its General Secretary, Peter Adeyemi, while the General Secretary, National Union of Textiles, Issa Aremu, is contesting unopposed, along with the National President, Nigeria Civil Service Union, Kiri Mohammed. [myad]
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