A prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark has described Nuhu Ribadu as not being trustworthy.
In an open letter he addressed to the national chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which Ribadu recently decamped, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, he said the PDP would be making the biggest mistake of its life if it granted a waiver to the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to enable him contest the Adamawa State governorship primaries next week.
He recalled how President Goodluck Jonathan restored Ribadu’s rank of assistant inspector general of police and retired him gracefully after he had been dismissed, an action he said Ribadu refused to be grateful for.
Clark said that Ribadu has on many occasions, embarrassed the President with his actions, adding that bringing Ribadu into the PDP would dent the image of the party and also affect its fortune in Adamawa State, where he said Ribadu has no value, politically.
“In 2011 election, Ribadu ran for President on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, lost at his family home polling booth, and also his ward, scored a mere 32 votes in Yola, and 32,786 total in Adamawa, against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s 344,526 and President Goodluck Jonathan’s 508,314.” [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan is thinking of welfare package for Nigerians that are jobless but that lack of adequate national data has been a stumbling block towards the implementation of the package.
He said that it has always been his idea that government should not wait for people to carry arms to kill others before the government would help them.
“When the issue of the crisis in the north came up, some people came up with the idea of how we could replicate amnesty programme in the Niger Delta in the North. And I said look, we must not wait for people to carry arms against the state before we help them. I said let us, as a government identify those without jobs, I asked those in finance to see our resources and how we can accommodate them.
“Not to wait for youths to carry weapons against the state in the south east, south south, north east before you can think of how to address their needs. I then asked the then Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, to come up with a blueprint because we must know the figures, we must know what we have. We cannot venture into what we cannot conclude, it is difficult because we don’t know ourselves, and upto this time it is still paper work.”
President Jonathan spoke today at the formal launching of the issuance process for the national electronic identity card (e-card) Scheme at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President recalled that during the 2011 elections, there were crisis in some states and properties were burnt but that there was no defined way to address it?
“We set up committee to inventories of things; take data of people but by the time you want to do payment, the duplications will be so much, those who are affected will not get the money.
“I remember when I was in OMPADEC as the Head of Environmental Protection Unit, if there is no oil spillage if you go to any environment in Niger Delta, you can trek across one kilometer you will hardly see goats. But when there is spillage, everyone square meter you go, you will see baby goats everywhere. So the spillage that was suppose to drive everyone away reproduce goats everywhere because every baby goat is entitle to some compensation. So these are the problems we have.”
The prepared speech of the President goes thus:
At the formal launch of the enrolment exercise for the issuance of the National Identification Number (NIN), last October, I did express my desire to see the commencement of the issuance process for the National Electronic Identity Card (e-ID Card) Scheme. I am happy that this important milestone, in the roll out of the National Identity Management System, (NIMS), has been realised today.
I am impressed with the quality of the e-ID Card and the work of the corporate partners that have made it possible. I commend especially the MasterCard World-Wide Corporation and Access Bank Plc, as well as the Commission, who followed all laid down procedures in achieving a World-class product. The combination of intricate security features and other multiple functions in the e-ID Card, improving its functionality and versatility is also significant.
Following successful local and international tests, the e-Card Scheme has now finally taken off. It is important that the Commission’s on-going efforts at ensuring local content capacity in the Card Body production process is sustained with the same zeal as the meticulous rechecks of ensuring payment functionality, in compliance with international best practice. Such high standard will help create economic and employment opportunities, consistent with our commitment to National Transformation.
We must at the onset keep in mind that the journey to capture the populace, by issuing over 100million Cards has just begun. You should therefore ensure that the issuance process is prompt and swift enough to enable many more Nigerians obtain their own e-ID Cards, as soon as possible.
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, will oversee that funding requirements, as budgeted, will be met and matched with appropriate delivery by the commission. It is important to ensure that this e-ID Card issuance process, proceeds smoothly, and that all MDAs, and indeed the private sector, can benefit from its designed functionalities, as soon as possible.
The Commission should immediately complement the efforts of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) and Pension Department by ensuring that Federal Civil Servants and Pensioners are enrolled and issued their Cards promptly, so that the e-ID and the secure payment platform can both facilitate speedy and safe payment of salaries and pensions.
The identity authentication and verification services that are in pilot phase, as demonstrated, should immediately be further extended to other Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). It should also be made available at the Airports and other border posts, for enhanced security checks.
The Commission should also ensure that all registrable persons as provided for in Section 16 of the NIMC Act No. 23, of 2007 are enrolled into the National Identity Database and that all Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) involved in data capture activities, must align their activities, with a view to switching over to the NIMC infrastructure.
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) should also ensure compliance immediately. The regime of duplication of Biometric data bases must now have to give way to harmonization and unification with the e-ID scheme, which shall be the primary data base.
The SGF, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and the Governor of the CBN should, in conjunction with the Commission, reach modalities for the harmonization of their biometric projects, including other ongoing projects in other MDAs, with the e-ID card scheme.
Proliferation and duplication of efforts is neither cost effective, nor security-smart. It is important to remove obstacles that may impede the NIMC from the discharge of its constitutional functions and statutory obligations.
The NIMC must now focus all its energy on ensuring that the remaining two components of the NIMS roll out – Identity Authentication and Verification and the Alignment and in particular, Switching Over by the MDAs through the harmonization and integration framework – are deployed without fail.
The logistics and speed of data collection must have to be improved upon, and this will reduce the justifications given by MDAs, as reasons for duplicated biometric options. Hopefully, the Harmonization programme will help to achieve this, especially, by the Commission ensuring that MDAs switch or at least align their existing infrastructure, as data collection agents to the NIMC System.
This should be the primary reason for expediting the Harmonization programme: more so, in this way scarce Government resources will be better optimized for significant national benefits.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have taken keen interest in this project, primarily because of the pervasive impact it can have on every facet of the socio-economic fabric of our dear nation, which is in sync with the Transformation Agenda of my Government.
The fact that the project helps to establish the identity of the individual in such a way that privacy is assured and updating personal information is made easier. The project will also create effective access to the database in a more secure and user-friendly and reliable manner for the MDAs and even the private sector.
Given also that the National e-ID Cards can be issued and reissued with, ‘proof of identity’ possible, means that amongst other things, there will be more clarity around all forms of transactions and relationships. Significantly, some of the issues around identity- related theft and other such criminal vices and activities that are inimical to our national interests would be better addressed more efficiently.
Last year, I used the occasion of the launch of the enrolment exercise for the National Identity Number (NIN) to call on the private sector to invest promptly in this project. Let me reiterate that call and emphasize that it is good business to do so.
In this regard, the Board of NIMC must act decisively to increase investor confidence, in a very professional way, so that the various opportunities can be rapidly identified and exploited for the good of our economy.
To all Nigerians, I say, remember the National Identification Number (NIN), is your Identity. The Card is not only a means of certifying your identity, but also a personal database repository and payment Card, all in your pocket!
Once again, I commend the Board, Management and Staff of the NIMC; it is now my honour and privilege to formally kick-off the issuance of the National e-ID Card, Scheme for the good of our country.
Little Miss Fridausi Ahuoiza Yusuf marked her second birthday on August 26th with strong determination, amidst all odds, to live on. We wish her many happy returns and happiness along the way.
The management of Nigeria National League club, Kogi United Football Club has suspended its Chief Coach, Abdullahi Biffo and Team Manager, Ameh Henry for a week with effect from today. They were suspended for leaving the club without proper permission from the management while Henry joined him from staying out of club’s activities.
This was in a statement signed by the club secretary, Mallam Tijani Ibrahim.
The statement further directed Yinka Kelvin to act as Chief Coach while the club secretary, Ibrahim Tijani is to move in as acting Team Manager of the Confluence State Club.
Kogi United are currently fourth in the NNL log with 40 points and next travel to Minna to play Niger Tornadoes on Sunday. [myad]
As Nigerians responded with spontaneous celebration of the news that Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is being knocked off the country, minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has cautioned against over-reaction. Professor Onyebuchi made it clear that as long as there is still one patient undergoing medical attention, Nigeria is not yet out of the wood. The minister, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the meeting of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC), at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja today, said that even if eventually Nigeria gets over Ebola, it would still not be time for jubilation. “The only time for us to jubilate is when the disease is cleared from the earth. While Nigeria has successfully contained Ebola, it hasn’t eliminated the disease. As we speak, there is a case we are still managing. And even that case we are still managing must also have had her own third degree contacts, many of whom are part of this number of people that are under surveillance.
“So until we give a clean bill of health to every contact, we cannot even say we have eliminated the disease” professor Onyebuchi said that Nigeria will remain at risk to Ebola and will only stop being at risk when the very last case of Ebola virus disease under this current epidemic has gone.
“It is still possible that Nigeria may record between 1 to 3 new cases because there are people under surveillance. There is still a chance one of the people under surveillance may fall sick and test positive.
“We have done well on containment but by no means have we eliminated the problem in Nigeria.” On the closure of schools across the country, the minister said that it has become necessary because the government would not want to take any chances.
“What will guide when schools will open will be when we issue advice to the rest of the government that we think we have dealt with all the contacts.” [myad]
President Goodluck Jonathan has protested to the United Nations over the stigmatization of Nigerians by some countries over recent cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in the country.
The President spoke today at an audience with the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. David Navarro at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today.
Jonathan particularly denounced discriminatory actions such as that which forced Nigeria’s team to the Youth Olympics in China to abandon its participation, saying that there is no justification for such stigmatization of Nigerians since the Ebola Virus Disease has been effectively contained in the country and never attained epidemic levels.
He called for the cessation of discriminatory actions against Nigerians over the virus even as he asked the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon to support the call.
President Jonathan praised the Federal Ministry of Health, the Lagos State Government and all Nigerians for the success achieved so far in containing the virus and avoiding a national epidemic.
“All hands have been on deck to contain the virus here. I commend my team and the Lagos State Government. We have been able to set politics aside and work in unison to deal with a national threat.
“All other Nigerians have played a part too by complying with the directives and advice we have issued to stop the virus from spreading any further. The success we have had is a testimony to what we can achieve as people if we set aside our differences and work together.”
The President assured the Special Envoy that in spite of the seeming success of its containment measures, the Federal Government and its agencies will remain vigilant to guard against further cases of Ebola in the country.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and we will also support other affected African countries as much as we can because we cannot be completely safe from the virus as long as it continues to ravage some countries in our sub-region and continent. We will continue to work with the international community to curb the outbreak in other countries,” President Jonathan pledged.
Mr. Navarro who had visited Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the countries worst hit by Ebola before coming to Nigeria, told the President that he had come, on the instruction of the UN Secretary-General, to applaud Nigeria’s successful containment of the virus.
“The Secretary-General asked me to come here too, not because you have an Ebola problem, but because you have tackled it in an exemplary fashion.
“Your personal leadership on the matter has been key. There may still be some work to be done before the virus is completely cleared out from here, but other countries can learn from your fine example,” Mr. Navarro told the President. [myad]
Nigeria appears to be getting over the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as the health minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has announced that is only one case now that is on the ground. Onyebuchi Chukwu gladly announced that Nigeria has brought the disease under control.
Two treated patients, a male doctor and a female nurse, were discharged on Monday evening, having satisfied the criteria for discharge, he said in a press statement signed by his spokesman, Dan Nwomeh.
Dr. Chukwu described the lone confirmed case as a secondary contact of Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who brought the disease into Nigeria, and a spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index case.
“She is stable but still on treatment at the Isolation ward in Lagos,” the statement said.
Noting that today is the 38th day since EVD entered Nigeria through Mr. Sawyer, the Minister restated that there have so far been 13 cases of EVD, including the index case.
“Of these thirteen (13), five (5), including the index case unfortunately did not survive the disease and are now late. However, seven (7) of the infected persons were successfully managed at the Isolation ward in Lagos and have been discharged home.”
He observed that all the reported cases of the EVD in Nigeria have their root in Mr. Sawyer the index case, an indication that, thus far, Nigeria has contained the disease outbreak.
“I wish to reassure Nigerians and indeed the global community that the Government shall remain vigilant and will not relent as Government continues to work with her partners to ensure that the disease is kept out of the country,” Professor Chukwu said.
The story of the National Conference is like the parable of the sick fish when it tried to swallow a by far healthier one. The outcome is foreknown. But lessons, by both sides, must be learnt.
There are a dozen-plus reasons why the national will triumphed over sectional, narrow selfish interest and the North saved the Presidential hammer but I am doubtful if the editor will give me enough space to say them all. It suffices to say, for an opening shot that this country has lived true to its living history, which is that no ruler, from independence to date who sets out to change the national will has succeeded, so long as the motive is malicious. The most successful of these conferences, the one by General Murtala Mohammed went so far because the late Military ruler didn’t set out saying “I can change the national will.” He had national interest in mind. It was equally helped by the fact that the timing of his conference was right.
In the case of the present government, they embarked upon the so-called national conference with an open bias, starting with deliberate imbalances in representation in religion, ethnicity and region. There was a manifest ill-motive against the North and moreso the Muslim sections of the region.
As rightly pointed out by many, the North was targeted notably through the outright subversion of its real-time majority.
This notwithstanding, the North resolved an important question early on, which is to attend the conference, and to not walkout under all circumstances in order not to confirm pre-conceived notions of fear on the part of its people against dialogue and negotiation. Without a prepared position and set agenda, the North entered the Conference with a broken leg. Without malice aforethought, its delegates presented themselves wielding neither creed nor script. Unlike the others, they were merely absorptive and defensive as they carried on in the roll-back mode throughout. There was no creative paradigm from Arewa. But this was later to prove to be an advantage because, it meant that delegates were free to reason, use commonsense, logic and fair-dealing as their instruments of engagement.
The South-South, strongly backed by the South-East, the South-West and breakaway factions from the North Central had, on the other hand, come with strong assumptions about themselves, grievances and a sense of entitlement. They came with demands so exaggerated that is astounded even their more reasonable supporters in the other regions. If this was a ploy for negotiation, it was one that backfired and achieved nothing. They forgot decorum and isolated the North for insults, in their belief that the region stood in their way of getting what they wanted. They carried about with a sense that their own was in power and they could afford anything and anybody and not a few from the North caved in to this. The obstacle they had, doing whatever they wanted was that this Conference was different from political party horse-trading and so money exchange could not work, and did not work.
In line with the ill-motive of the convener, procedures were themselves titled against the object of attack and listening to conference delegates speak on this, it is amazing that the Conference Chair displayed a relentless contempt throughout, against people who thought they had everything in common with him. At one meeting called to resolve the knotty issue of rigged procedure and of hidden agenda, the former Chief Justice of the Federation reportedly told Northern delegates to feel free to walkout; “you are a minority”, he reportedly said. His countenance however changed when he met the other half of the country. Without Professor Akinyemi’s diplomacy and intellect, even though he too had a huge blemish of his own for projecting himself as the Jonathanian constitution horse-trader, the Conference will have crashed on Kutigi’s persona, which many delegates believe is much overrated.
But of all the things that worked against the design to rubbish the national will and smash up the North, was the Delta delegates’ lack of diplomacy; their exaggerated sense of entitlement; the discourtesy and sometimes rude remarks, which unexpectedly, garnered sympathy for the North even among many of South’s delegates, many of whom became apprehensive of the South-South’s tackles. Event the government’s hand-picked delegates were reluctant to go as far with the President’s men for the fear of being tagged as lackeys and fifth columnists. In addition, most delegates appeared unprepared to give credence to the assumption that Nigeria was on the brink, and no one, certainly will like to be on record as the precursor of the country’s break up.
I did mention the fact of the wrong timing of the conference earlier. Coming against the backdrop of the imminent election, in 2015, all were conscious of the fear of causing its disruption, much as this was evidently the wish of some of the delegates fronting for the President. The negative effect of this was that every issue raised and discussed was viewed against two things – the interest of the President and the election in which he will stand as a candidate. This underlying reason was why the subterranean effort to turn the National Conference into a Constitutional Conference also failed.
In the end, it was clear that the nation triumphed because of one, the over-riding commitment to national interest by a majority of delegates, as well as for the realization albeit belatedly, on the part of some of the regions that their over-arching business, commercial and other economic interests stood to be derogated upon if the Conference succumbed to the aggregate of issues tendered by oil-bearing (not oil-producing) states, that wanted derivation, not as a cut but the whole beef
One of the founders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said that Malam Nuhu Ribadu, until last week, a strong member of his party, but defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still his friend.
Late last week, Ribadu, who was the founding chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, announced his resignation from the APC and his decision to seek the governorship of Adamawa State on the ticket of the PDP.
In a tweet earlier today, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and the main financier of the APC, said he wished his former political associate luck with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Using his Twitter handle, @asiwajutinubu, Tinubu wrote: “Ribadu remains a friend & brother. He is matured (sic). He remains one who believes in liberty, justice and service. I wish him LUCK with GOODLUCK.”
Ribadu’s defection to the PDP was seen as significant blow to the APC which is regarded as Nigeria’s main opposition party, even though critics accuse the party of doing little to articulate an alternative program for Nigeria or to ideologically distinguish itself from the ruling PDP. Many of the party’s major figures are disaffected former members of the ruling party.
In 2011, Tinubu supported Ribadu as the presidential candidate of the now defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The collaboration of the two men was seen as politically odd, since the former EFCC chairman had once listed then Governor Tinubu as one of Nigeria’s most corrupt public officials.
During Ribadu’s chairmanship of the anti-corruption agency, the EFCC had also indicted President Goodluck Jonathan—then the governor of Bayelsa State—and his wife, Patience Jonathan, for extensive money laundering and looting of public funds.
One of the national chairmanship aspirants in the recent concluded national convention of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tom Ikimi has walked out on the party.
The dumping of the party climaxed weeks of speculation that he would leave and join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) amidst crisis that has been rocking APC since the national convention in June this year.
In a statement today, Ikimi said: “I have made the decision to withdraw my membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC) from today, 27th August 2014.” Chief Ikimi did not say where he would go from here, even as an opening has been made for the PDP to go canvassing for him to join the party.
The APC national convention in June brought John Oyegun in as national chairman.
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President Goodluck Jonathan is thinking of welfare package for Nigerians that are jobless but that lack of adequate national data has been a stumbling block towards the implementation of the package.
As Nigerians responded with spontaneous celebration of the news that Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is being knocked off the country, minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has cautioned against over-reaction.
One of the founders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said that Malam Nuhu Ribadu, until last week, a strong member of his party, but defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still his friend.
