Nigeria soldiers were said to have captured the stronghold of the fighting members of Boko Haram after a fierce battle over the weekend, resulting in the loss of at least six Nigeria soldiers.
According to the Director of the Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade in a statement, the cleared stronghold of Boko Haram is located in Balmo forest which stretches from Bauchi through Jigawa States with links to the fringes of Sambisa forest. This base has been used by the terrorists as hideouts from where they launch attacks on various communities.
General Olukolade said that well-armed terrorists operating in the forests have been completely rooted out while some have been captured during the operation.
Among those captured, according to him, were two foreigners who are suspected to be mercenaries.
Also captured, he added, are several weapons and equipment, including power generating sets, communication equipment, vehicles, motorcycles, foodstuff and kitchen utensils.
The information director said that over 44 members of Boko Haram were killed in another military operation in Kerenoa and adjoining communities.
He said that their attack on the communities was repelled, adding that they were armed with IEDs and other high caliber weapons.
“A large number of terrorists had carried out a predawn attack on the communities but met with stiff resistance of the troops. During the operation, several of them were captured as well as weapons and ammunitions of various calibre.”
General Olukolade said that troops on routine patrol around Banki and Miyanti in Borno State also fought through an ambush laid by terrorists resulting in casualties on both sides.
“Altogether, a total of 6 soldiers were lost in the various encounters with terrorists during the weekend while those wounded are receiving treatment.” [myad]

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III has made it clear that the Boko Haram insurgency and other form of insecurity in the country are just part of the struggle by politicians to gain upper hands against one another in the 2015 elections.

The Sultan who spoke during a chat with journalists at a Ramadan dinner held in his palace in Sokoto, Sunday night, maintained that the rising wave of violence and wanton killing of innocent citizens is being geared towards 2015 elections, adding that the incessant killing of innocent citizens is all politics.

According to him, politicians are behind the myriad of problems ravaging the country.

“Politicians are the main problem of this country. The whole issue of insecurity problem in this country is geared towards 2015 election and nothing more. If there is no election in 2015 and they said till 2030, everything will cool down.

“You see, everybody is trying to take his own position and put himself at a vantage point to gain an extra mile ahead of 2015. The whole thing is all about politics. That is why you see killings but what is paining us is that innocent people are being killed everyday, especially people that don’t even know what is politics.

“We are shedding too much blood of innocent Nigerians and God will not be pleased with us when we keep on shedding innocent blood because their cries mean a lot.”

Sultan Abubakar advised Nigerians to put aside their religion and ethnicity and come together to tackle the myriad of problems bedeviling the country, saying that those who are perpetrating the killings live among the people and as such, there is the need for concerted efforts by all and sundry in order to bring an end to the insurgency.

“The best thing is let us identify these problems, we need to just come together, let us leave religion and ethnicity out of this issue. Let us be sincere and trust ourselves by coming together to solve our problems.

“There are some insurgents killing our people how do we stop them? let us find a way to stop them. These people doing this are not spirits but human beings. So, let us work together to solve our problems.”

The Sultan stressed the need for the Federal Government to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents with a view to securing the freedom of over 200 school girls abducted in Chibok, Borno state. [myad]

The issue of state creation which members of the National Conference dabbled into since last week, is now threatening to tear the confab apart as some members said they have been short changed.

In a heated argument that ensued on the matter today, the former Nigeria Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Josephine Anenih had to advise the delegates to mind the way they speak, just as she advised the Chairman  (Justice Idris Kutigi) “not to allow anyone raise your blood pressure. We don’t have to die because we want to make Nigeria great.”
Trouble started today when Yusuf Abubakar, from Sokoto State, drew the attention of the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi to the letter he said delegates from the northern part of the country sent to him on some of the decisions taken in the past.
Kutigi had called delegates to suggest amendments or move for the adoption of the minutes of the debates and proceedings of Thursday.
“So, Mr.  chairman, it is very important to let us know your reply and we are serious about the issues we raised in the letter. We cannot adopt the minutes without hearing from you,”  Abubakar said.
He reminded the conference that it must abide by its rules that provides for a situation where, when a voice vote is taken and some delegates are not satisfied, he said those delegates have the right to call for a division.
Kutigi however ignored him and called for further amendment to the reports, if there were any even as Abubakar insisted that the issue he raised must be addressed, saying that the conference had taken some decisions in error.
A labour delegate, Mr, Issa Aremu, in his contribution, also faulted the recommendation for the creation of states, saying that it was wrong to create more states when those in existence according to him, were battling to pay salaries.
This comment further emboldened Abubakar who stood up and said: “We are making error because the proceedings are wrong.
“I won’t sit down because these are fundamental issues. It is my privilege under Order 10 Rule One that says all decisions shall be by consensus or be decided by 70 per cent  of delegates present. I called for a division, but we are being ignored. We have to use the law and not convention.”
At this point, Kutigi became angry and said, “I can rule you out of order. I then rule you out of order.”
Another delegate, Aisha Madawaki, wondered how the names of the states were arrive at, and demanded the modalities used, insisting that the delegates were not consulted.
Abdulsalam Olawale, in his submission, said it was wrong for the conference not to have named Ose as one of the states to be created, saying all the people from the area where the proposed state would be created have agreed to its creation.
Mr. Robert Audu told the conference that the compilation of the states to be created was fraudulent, saying the list did not emanate from any of the conference committees.
A traditional ruler from the South-West, Oba Aderemi Adedapo insisted that Oduduwa State was on the list of the states recommended to be created.
“The agitation for the creation of this state, whose capital would be in Ile-Ife, has been on for the past 30 years. We want the state  evaluate every Yoruba believe that he hails from Ile -Ife.”

Senator Ibrahim Idah also queried the allocation of two states to the North-West, when he said, the zone remains the most populated in the country, just as Mrs. Talatu Nasir from Katsna State, wondered why states like Kaduna were omitted.
As delegates were booing many of the speakers, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari appealed to delegates to stop shouting down other delegates even if they did not agree with views being expressed.
He reminded them and the conference leadership that the Northern Delegates Forum had drew the attention of confab leadership on the abuse of the Voice Votes and that they felt very strongly that amendments should not be considered as the final outcome of confab.
He said confab leadership promised to look into the matter and urged the leadership to continue to guide the confab well.
Gambari suggested that Confab must strictly follow the rules of procedure. He urged that the use of voice votes should be minimized.
He went on to recommend that all amendments to issues should be sent to delegates earlier. He said all that he said are contained in the letter they sent to the confab leadership.
A former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, regretted the action of some delegates, which he said was becoming negative when the conference was widening down.
In anger, he said it was wrong for anyone or tribe to assume that Nigeria belongs to them, saying: “this country called Nigeria is made up of equal citizens, and that was the basis of its amalgamation. We are all the same and no one is bigger than the other.
“We have children that went to some of the best schools in the world, so, no one should come to flaunt his professorship here. No one must insist that only his point of view should be reflected.”
He particularly frowned at Prof. Awwalu Yadudu for a letter to another delegate, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi in which he said delegates from the north were withdrawing from a committee of 18 delegates who met earlier to arrive at positions on behalf of all the zones.
He appealed to delegates to be united and avoid sentiments.
Another former Minister, who was also a former Acting National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Haliru Mohammed said though he agreed that consensus had been used in reaching agreements and that the conference should stick to it,
“The report of the committee is not sacrosanct and we should be allowed to meet and talk on issues that are not agreeable,” he said amidst shout of ‘no, no,” by some delegates.
Yadudu sought for permission from Kutigi to respond to the issues raised by Clark and Dokpesi.
He said it should be on record that Dokpesi was wrong to say what was circulated in form of agreement among the six zones was the decisions reached by the committee that Gambari and himself led. “No issue such as term of agreement between the zones were agreed,” he said.
He added that Dokpesi was wrong to say he was not a member of the 18 delegates. He said he was a member alongside Bello Suleiman and Ruqayyat Rufai from the North-West
Yadudu said he was not in the conference to scuttle it as being speculated. “In fact, on the contrary, I am one of those who made it possible for the confab to proceed as one of the 50 wise men”, he added.
He said since he represents a people and express the views of such people who he said sent him to the conference, he had no regret over his actions.
On the document, he insisted that it was nothing “but a set of agreements reached by the South-South, South-East, South-West and some elements of the middle belt.” [myad]

Youth group in the All Progressives Congress (APC) which goes by the name: New Generation Nigeria has called on the former governor of Kwara state and current senate of the federal Republic, Abubakar Bukola Saraki to come out and contest the 2015 Presidential election under the party.

In a statement jointly signed by it President, Alhaji Musa Abdulkadir, Secretary General, Otunba Philip Coker and Publicity Secretary, Chief Victor Anyawu the New Generation Nigeria said that Senator Saraki fitted their vision of dynamic leadership that should Nigeria to the Promised Land.

“Ahead of the 2015 general elections, politicians are at it again. It is a period where people who have failed their constituents would embark on ambiguous adventures to deceive the electorate. But the masses should beware of political hawks and vote out gerontologists by accepting change.

“That is why as a youth movement, we are calling on a former Governor of Kwara State, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to run for the Presidency in 2015 under the platform of our great party, APC for the following reasons:

1. There is need for generational change and there is no doubt that he is close to the youth. Saraki is the bridge between the young and old generation.

2. Having been Governor for eight years and now a serving Senator, he has both legislative and executive experience. He is a quality needed dearly in the attainment of good governance.

3. Saraki is a detribalized Nigerian, nationally known and acceptable; he is a technocrat and great professional, academically sound and politically relevant.

4. He is a cool, calculative and organized Nigerian who is nationalistic in vision and patriotic in nature. Saraki is a digital politician with extraordinary capacity for change.”

The APC youth group noted after 54 of independence, Nigeria has not fulfilled its potential, adding that it was time for a new generation to build a modern Nigeria.

“It is regrettable that 54 years after independence, we have failed to realise the dreams and aspirations of our founding fathers. We are ranked high among other oil oil-producing nations but in the global encyclopedia of economic development, Nigeria still lags behind. We import fuel and have no electricity. We have some of the best brains on earth, yet we cannot make Nigeria work. Saraki is a credible alternative.

“Nigerians are yearning for good governance from their leaders. We need good roads, good hospitals, good schools, adequate protection of lives and property where we will wish to take a stroll in the night without fear of being hacked down. We need constant supply of electricity, water, food to eat and a decent housing. We want sensible policies that create opportunities; to profit from our labour, to use our God-given abilities to improve our lot and to take care of our aged parents and siblings. We can only attain these with effective, capable, caring, courageous and visionary leadership. We require fresh ideas and new thinking. This is the kind of leadership Saraki exemplified even as Governor of Kwara State.

“He has promised to work tirelessly to get our economy moving; to provide security, housing and boost our agricultural production. Through him, we will educate our children, improve infrastructure and power supply, revamp our healthcare delivery system, empower our women, give opportunities to the young and enable the enterprising.” [myad]