President Goodluck Jonathan indicated his agreement on the decision of the London Ministerial Meeting on Security in Nigeria  and West Africa to operationalize a  Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit that will enhance the generation and sharing of information essential to curbing terrorist activities.
President Jonathan similarly agreens with the establishment of a multi-national joint task force by Nigeria, Chad, Benin Republic,  Niger Republic and Cameroon to enforce stricter border controls and prevent terrorists from having unrestricted access to their territories.
A statement from the Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati today said that Jonathan believed that the  implementation of the important decisions taken at the London meeting, supported by necessary technical expertise from Britain, the United States and France will greatly boost his administration’s ongoing efforts to end the scourge of terrorism in Nigeria and make the country a much safer place for its citizens and residents.
“As his Administration continues to vigorously explore options for rescuing the abducted Chibok College girls and enhance security in all partsof Nigeria, President Jonathan reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to working for faster progress on developmental,  governance, education and gender issues in keeping with its multifaceted approach to dealing with the underlying causes of conflict and insecurity in parts of Nigeria. 
“The President also endorses the agreement by all countries represented at the London meeting that their collective response to terrorism must show due regard for human rights.”
Abati said that  President Jonathan showed gratitude to the British Government for the reaffirmation of its
commitment to helping Nigeria and other West African countries to achieve faster development and ensure that social services and infrastructure are provided to those communities most affected by conflict and insecurity.
The President, he said, is also happy with the Britain’s announced intention to expand its ongoing support for Nigeria’s efforts to overcome terrorism and insurgency.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said that the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was destined to be the Emir of Kano and that his choice was an act of God.

The National Publicity Secretary of the body, Alhaji Muhammad Ibrahim in Kaduna, called for the peoples’ support even as he advised Nigerians to seek for a peaceful and acceptable way of resolving disagreements or grievances for the overall benefit of the country.

“The new Emir should therefore bring his wealth of experience, competence and exposure to bear in uniting the royal family members and people of Kano for a peaceful transition and continuation of the good legacies of late Ado Bayero.

“ACF has an unflinching regard and respect to the traditional institutions as peace stabilisers, custodians of our core values, culture and customs.

“We therefore call on HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to uphold the sanctity of the institution and consider his appointment as a rare opportunity to serve his people in this new capacity.” [myad]

“I believe that some of them will never return. We will still be hearing about them many years from now.” These were the words of the former Nigeria’s President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former President who answered questions on the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, monitored in Abuja today added: “Some (of the abducted girls of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state) will give birth, but if they (Boko Haram members) cannot take care of them in the forest, they may be released.”

Obasanjo regretted that since he made move to reach out to Boko Haram leadership on the possible release of the girls, the Federal Government had yet to give him the go ahead, expressing the fears that the more than 200 abducted girls might never return again.

He noted that the girls might have been divided into groups and not likely to be at the same location. [myad]

A Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Abdulkadir Abdulkafarati, has punished a politician in Kogi state, Mohammed Audu ordering him to pay the sum of N1.5 Million fine for seeking to remove Governor Idris Wada, through a suit which constituted a gross abuse of court process.

Justice Abdulkafarati said that the Kogi State Election Petitions Tribunal could have heard the suit as the issues raised were post-election matter, thus ordering the the plaintiff to pay N500,000 each to governor Wada, the Independent National Electoral Commission and another defendant in the suit.

The plaintiff, a chieftain of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), had through his suit, asked the court to remove Wada because the processes leading to the December 3, 2011 Kogi governorship which produced him as governor violated the Electoral Act.

The plaintiff, who said he participated in the ACN’s primary election and emerged as the deputy to the governorship candidate, Professor Yusufu Obaje, argued that he remained a legitimate candidate of the party even when Obaje crossed to another party.

He contented therefore that the choice of reflecting Abubakar Audu as the governorship candidate of the ACN in the December 3, 2011 election had rendered the emergence of Wada in the election invalid.

He had therefore, urged the court to order Wada to vacate the seat and he (the plaintiff) be sworn in as the governor of the state.

Justice Abdulkafarati descended on the plaintiff’s counsel, Mackings Nezianya, describing the lawyer as being among those who refuse to give “honest advice to clients.”

He upheld the contention of Wada’s lawyer, Mr. Chris Uche (SAN), that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter because the dispute was post-election issue which could only have been entertained by the Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal.

The judge added that the plaintiff, not being a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, on whose platform Wada emerged as the candidate of the party, he (the plaintiff) lacked the locus standi to challenge the primary election which produced the governor. [myad]

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan against using heavy military action on Boko Haram as it has its own negative effect of aggravating the already volatile situation in the North Eastern part of the country.

He asked the President to re-consider his position on the use of maximum force to curb insurgency in the country, calling on him to embrace the dialogue option with leaders of the Boko Haram sect through the implementation of the reports of the Committee on negotiations with Boko Haram.
The Sultan who spoke today in Abuja at the 7th Annual National Conference of the Muslims Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria, with the theme, ” Rule of Law & Social Justice: A Panacea for Unity & National Development”remarked: “when people say you don’t dialogue with criminals, who said you don’t dialogue with criminals? You cannot fight criminals because you don’t even know where they are.
“About two weeks ago, the American government exchanged one prisoner who was even a deserter for very senior five al-Qaeda leaders who have been in Guantanamo prison for years.
“They kept dialoguing with them for five years. For them to exchange him they must have been talking.  There is need for dialogue. You cannot win any insurgency by way of force. Nowhere in the world that work.”
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar ruled out the possibility of any group or individuals making Nigeria an Islamic nation and therefore urged non Muslims not to be afraid of the inclusion of Sharia in the country’s constitution.
The monarch maintained that the Muslims in Nigeria are not the problem with the country and that they were not out to force everybody under the Islamic legal code, the sharia, adding: “I have said it one million and one times, as far as in America, when I delivered a lecture at Harvard University. The problems of Nigeria are not caused by Muslims.
“I want to assure you that we have been doing our best to educate people on what Islam and Muslims stand for and want to do in Nigeria.
“I have said it one million times, Muslims in Nigeria are not out to Islamise Nigeria because it is not possible.
“We all know what is said in the Holy Quran. So why should anybody be afraid of the strength of Muslims in this country?
“When we come together and we are doing positive things or rightly it is got the development of that community and when a community is developed Muslims, non-Muslims and whoever within that community will be a beneficiary of that development.
“Why are the non Muslims opposed to the inclusion of the Islamic laws in the constitution?  There is no country in the World where the interests of the citizens especially their religious  views are not protected in the constitution
“At the same time, muslims should not be against the inclusion of certain aspects that will serve the interests of the non muslims in the constitution. Having Shariah in the constitution is purely for the muslims. Non muslims should not entertain any fear about that at all.
“What the muslims in Nigeria are demanding through the inclusion if Shariah is justice. They want justice in accordance with their religious beliefs and faith in the Almighty Allah.
The sultan urged Muslim lawyers to make their presence felt through positive activities, especially by being united for the purpose of getting out innocent Muslims, arrested for being members of Boko Haram and kept in various prisons across the country.
“You have to come out, visit prisons, visit mosques where there are less privileged Muslims, offer free services to them as an organization and I believe a lot of people will start knowing who Muslim lawyers are.
“In Islam you all know why it means to be a leader. So I am challenging you to wake up and do what you are supposed to do. Go found the prisons, there are so many Muslims locked up in prisons as suspects of insurgency.
“People don’t even know what is insurgency in their lives. Thousands of them! Why don’t you take up such issues to the courts?
“If saying the truth now a negative thing in a country that hurts? We must say the truth. When you challenge people and say something is wrong it does not mean you are fighting somebody.
“You are saying it so that the authorities will look at it and mend their ways for the betterment of the society. Not that somebody will be labeled an extremist or a supporter of this and that or somebody who has a small compassion for a criminal.
“Of course, we have compassion for criminals because we believe when you are thrown into prison you come out a better person. Sometimes when we speak as Muslim leaders, somebody will say ‘look, His Eminence should not speak because he is not a politician.
“We are the fathers of the politicians, we are the leaders, so we must tell them what is right and what is wrong.   If they accept our advice, alhamdudilahi! If they don’t accept, alhamdudilahi.”
He asked the federal government to carry out relevant checks and investigation on the people suspected to be Boko Haram members locked up in prisons because some of them could
innocent.
“When somebody tells you that he is not a Boko Haram, please take it that he is not because if he is Boko Haram he will never denounce it.
“So if you have 100 and one of them says I am not Boko Haram please release him. They other 99 will say ‘yes we are, what can you do to us? It is important for us as leaders, especially as Muslims to look at these issues in a broader perspective. Let us not just be opinionated because we must reach out to everybody.”
Sultan urged the federal government and Nigerians to take the issue of insurgence with utmost care and caution to avoid another civil war in the country, saying: “it is interesting to hear an eaglet lawyer saying that when the Civil War took place he was not born. I am happy to hear that and also to make a statement that it behooves on all of us – those who were not there during the Civil War, and those who were there and actually took part directly or indirectly.
“Muslim lawyers should do whatever it takes to ensure no Civil War ever takes place in Nigeria again because we know the adverse effects of civil war in any country.”
“As leaders at all levels, as Muslim leaders, we must keep on telling the government what they are doing rightly or wrongly because we need a society that will meet the challenges of the present day insecurity in our country.
“Somebody who doesn’t want to say I am speaking to Boko Haram, therefore somebody will say I am a sympathiser of Boko Haram. No. If you don’t speak for people that are deranged, wayward, who will do so? How will they ever change?
“Also Muslim lawyers in the Judiciary particularly the judges should refrain from polititics in the discharge of their duties. You are working for the people and not to serve the interest of a politician or a political party.
“As Muslim lawyers, dont be biased. Be very proactive and rise up to defend the truth and the truth shall set you free.” [myad]

The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) was held today specifically to pay tribute to the late Nigerian minister of information and communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, who died in an Indian hospital on June 7 while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Professor Akunyili was also a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),
At today’s solemn meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, council members took turns to pay glowing tributes to the late NAFDAC boss.They condoled with the president, family of the deceased and the entire Nigerian women over the loss.
In his tribute, President Jonathan described Akunyili as “very upright, courageous and a role model per excellence to young Nigerians and the women folk in general.”
He said “the first impression I had of Akunyili was the way she dressed as a typical Nigerian. I first met her when I was Deputy Governor in Bayelsa.

“She was a very upright woman. When she was Minister of Information, she was very courageous. I believe so many young ladies would emulate her exemplary life.”
The President added that Akunyili made a huge impact as director-general of NAFDAC and her re-brand Nigeria programme as Minister of Information remained a national reference point.
Vice-President Namadi Sambo described Akunyili’s death as a great loss to the country, describing her as “a patriotic and dedicated Nigerian. NAFDAC is a sanitised institution because of Akunyili, who developed a system for the re-branding of the the country.”
The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said Akunyili was a woman of strength and conviction who fought hard to ensure drug counterfeiting became a thing of the past.
“NAFDAC was consistently voted as the best agency of government during her time. She was a committed mother and a devoted wife, an excellent Nigerian woman whom many looked up to”.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Musa Sada, in his tribute, described her demise as a great loss to the country, adding: “Akunyili was a patriot from whom one always wanted to learn. Even at the expense of her life, she fought hard to rid Nigeria of fake drugs as NAFDAC director-general.”
The Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, said he first met Akunyili before he became the Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, where she later became a professor.

“The late NAFDAC boss was a woman of courage; she was courageous enough to speak up at a trying moment of our national history. Akunyili was a religious and prayerful woman. She was very conversational. As a country, we have lost a gem and we pray that God gives us such a woman of honour and respect.”
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, the Minister of State for Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro and the Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, who also spoke at the event, described her as a woman with uncommon courage.

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, who worked with Akunyili as Minister of State for Information and Communications, described her as an outstanding public servant.
Maku said “she put her life on the line. She took the war to her home state, Anambra, to battle producers and importers of fake drugs because she wanted the best for her nation.
“She treated me like her brother and we worked together. She permitted me to jointly address the press after FEC meetings and that was a huge honour to me.’’

Maku said the rebrand Nigeria project was still ongoing as the department was still being funded in the ministry with the “Good People, Great Nation” jingle still running in the media.
He urged public servants to emulate the exemplary service rendered by Akunyili to the nation.
He said the late minister used her visibility as a public servant to showcase Nigerian fashion because she always wore traditional dresses.

Maku moved a motion for special condolences to the President, Nigerian women, the country’s fashion industry, the Ibo nation and the Akunyili family.
The motion was seconded by the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochepe, and a minute silence was observed in her honour, followed by special prayers for the repose of her soul. [myad]

Chairman of the national convention committee of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamako has made it clear that the party is being positioned to upstage the ruling Peoples Democratic Party PDP) in the 2015 general elections, especially at the centre.

He said that members of his committee are committed to ensuring that the party gets the kind of convention it truly deserves, adding: “We will not disappoint you.”
wammako who was addressing newsmen today emphasized that the convention will properly position the party to upstage PDP come 2015.

He expressed appreciation to the party’s elders and all other members of the party for their cooperation throughout the committee’s deliberations.
Meanwhile, a joint meeting of the APC’S caucus and the National Convention Committee of the party are said to have agreed on a zoning arrangement.

The meeting which ended in the ealy hours of today was said to have zoned the position of chairman to the South-South. Other positions zoned to the South-South are: Deputy National Secretary, Deputy National Legal Adviser.

The South West is to produce the National Legal Adviser, Deputy National Chairman and National Financial Secretary. For the South East, the positions of National Organising Secretary, National Auditor, Deputy Finance Secretary and Deputy Women Leader were zoned to it.
The positions of National Publicity Secretary, National Women Leader, Deputy Treasurer and Deputy Welfare Secretary were zoned to the North Central. The North East is to produce the National Secretary, National Youth Leader and Deputy National Auditor.

Against earlier projections, the North West was given positions of Welfare Secretary, Deputy National Chairman, National Treasurer and Deputy National Organising Secretary.

Each of the six geo-political zones will also produce the following; One Zonal National Vice Chairman, one zonal Women Leader, one zonal Youth Leader and one Ex-Officio each. [myad]