A respected leader of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and delegate to the National Conference, Chief Edwin Clark has called on the Government of Nigeria to revoke pipeline security contracts awarded to ex-militant leaders, including Ekpemukpolo, alias Tompolo, and Asari Dokubo.

Chief Clark said on the floor of the National onference: “I don’t know why it (the contract) was given to Tompolo and Asari Dokubo. Youth can protect our pipelines. Today, Tompolo and Asari Dokubo are having the contracts. They are not the ones doing the jobs. Their principals are there. What has stopped us from refining our petrol is corruption, corruption and corruption.”
He said that the contracts for the protection of oil installations should rather be awarded to youth and communities where such installations are located, observing that oil theft has increased since oil pipeline and maritime protection contracts were awarded to the former militant leaders.
“We are talking about oil theft and I have always said there will be no more illegal bunkering if the youth are involved in the protection of oil installations.
“While oil companies employ contractors to guard pipelines, community leaders insist the job be given to local contractors. I went and said to the President, why not give this job to youths or the communities.
“Every community that fails to do its job will be sanctioned. Nothing was done until recently. I don’t know why it was given to Tompolo and Asari Dokubo. Youth can protect our pipelines.
“If you get to a community where there are pipelines, gather the youth in that place and give them to job to protect the facility. You would have given jobs to the youth of that community and you would have stopped oil theft.
Tompolo is a former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) while Alhaji Dokubo is the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Force NDVF). They are disbanded militants groups from the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
A Wall Street Journal report had disclosed that Nigeria’s contract pays over N3.6 billion to Tompolo, N1.44 billion to Dokubo, N560 million to Tom Ateke, and N560 million to Victor Ben, alias Boyloaf.
In 2011, the government had awarded a pipeline surveillance contract worth $103 million (N15 billion) to Tompolo’s Global West Vessel Specialists Limited in a deal that shocked many Nigerians.
Chief Clark also accused top military brass of involvement in illegal oil bunkering, adding that the trend started in early 70s during the oil boom, adding that the military officers in Niger Delta are involved in oil theft.

“I made this point to President Obasanjo and he asked Danjuma, who was Minister of Defense, to look through and he went and found that it was true. Some top military officers, both serving and retired are involved in illegal oil bunkering.
“I have suggested that the troops in the Niger Delta should be changed from time to time. In doing so, you will find that the stealing of oil will be reduced.”
Clark recalled that as Commissioner of Finance in the defunct Mid-Western State in 1972, he travelled with Shehu Shagari, who was then Federal Commissioner of Finance; to Forcados Terminal, where Nigeria crude oil was being exported.
While there, he said the team discovered that government officials were only interested in what comes to them, rather than protecting the interest of Nigeria.
He continued, “One hardly knew how much oil was being taken away from our shores. It was published in the newspaper, till today; I do believe that if you go to Forcados Terminal, the same story will be told.
“We are talking about oil theft, I have always said that our young men at home do bucket bunkering. They have no facility, they lack the technology, but those who steal our oil are people who come from abroad. Have we forgotten the case where three admirals were fully involved? They were court marshaled.” [myad]

Suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is likely to emerge as the next Emir of Kano, with the demise, yesterday, of Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero, after about 41 years on the throne.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who has been eying the over 1000 year old stool which his late father mounted before he died, has been Dan Majen Kano, a senior emirate position in the Kano emirate.

Information has it that no fewer than 30 candidates, including Sanusi Lamido are in hot contention for the stool. Others are the Ciroman Kano (heir apparent), Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero; Turakin Kano, Nasir Ado Bayero; Sarkin Dawaki Tsakarigida, Aminu Ado Bayero; Wambai Kano, Alhaji Abbass Sanusi; Galadima Kano, Tijjani Hashim; and a member of the board of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Abdullahi Ado Bayero.

Investigation revealed that all the candidates are expected to be screened soon by a four-man team of kingmakers in the Emirate’s Council of State.

The kingmakers are Makama, Madaki, Sarkin Dawaki Mai Tuta and Sarkin Bai.

A top source said: “The race for the vacant stool  started immediately the death of Emir Ado Bayero was announced. We are talking of about 30 candidates.

“The late Emir had up to 70 children, including females. The jostle appears to be a straightforward battle between the Bayeros and Sanusis whose fathers were brothers.”

The source added that although the Emir appointed his son as Ciroman Kano (heir apparent), but that it may not translate into automatic succession.

The fate of the candidates, the source said, lies with the kingmakers, who will make recommendation to the Kano State Government.

“The Emirate seeks a ruler who will consolidate on the unprecedented developments recorded during the reign of Ado Bayero.

“So, beyond being versed in the history and tradition of Kano Emirate, the new Emir is expected to be highly educated, morally upright, cool-headed, well-connected and with a tinge of international influence and a symbol of peace.

“This is why it is likely to be a battle royale between ex-CBN Governor and the children of the late Emir. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has intimidating credentials.

“For the first time, the kingmakers have blue-blooded candidates who are exposed and well-educated abroad.”

It was gathered that those aspiring to the stool had been lobbying influential Kano leaders to prevail on the kingmakers to pick them for the vacant stool. There are indications that the candidates are already playing what the people say “royal politics.”

For instance, some are claiming that one of the candidates has a Yoruba maternal lineage and the Fulani heritage should not be handed to a Yoruba man.

They are believed to be digging up their antecedents to outwit each other before the kingmakers who have to consult within a short time to appoint a new Emir. [myad]

Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has sacked two first class Kings in the state. They are Eze (King) Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya, traditional ruler of Obinugwu Orlu and Chairman of South-East Traditional Rulers Council and Eze (King) Cosmos Onyeneke, the traditional ruler of Lagwa Autonomous community in Aboh Mbaise.

A statement issued last night in Abuja, the Nigerian federal capital, by the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Professor A.G. Anwukah, said the dethronement was with immediate effect. The statement was silent on the sins of the two traditional rulers.

The statement said: “In accordance with Sections 11 and 14 of the Imo State Traditional Rulers Autonomous Communities Law No 6 of 2006, His Excellency, the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has approved the withdrawal of certificates of recognition and Staff of Office of Eze Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya, the traditional ruler of Obinugwu Autonomous community in Orlu Local Government Area and Eze Cosmos Onyeneke, the traditional ruler of Lagwa Autonomous community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State with immediate effect.

“Accordingly, Chief Cletus Ikechukwu Ilomuanya and Chief Cosmos Onyeneke cease to be recognized traditional rulers of Obinugwu and Lagwa Autonomous communities respectively.

“The secretaries of the Community Government Council of the respective autonomous communities will be liaising with the government on behalf of each of the affected autonomous communities pending the selection and presentation of an Eze-elect in accordance with the custom and constitution of each of the affected communities.”

Sources hinted that the sack of the two prominent Kings in Imo state might not be unconnected with the controversial publicized rejection of car gift which the governor offered to the traditional rulers about two weeks ago. [myad]

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the Emir of Kano, late Alhaji Ado Bayero, who died in the early hours of today in Kano as a noble crusader of unity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence, even as Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta state said that the late Emir stood against religious extremism at great risk to his life.
In a personal tribute today, Atiku Abubakar said that the death of Ado Bayero has robbed the nation of a noble crusader of unity, tolerance and peaceful co-existence, adding that he was not only loyal to his people in his immediate domain, but to Nigeria and humanity at large.
According to Atiku, late Ado Bayero was a pious, humble, upright and honest man whose integrity was unparalleled.
The former Vice President recalled that promoting unity and tolerance was one of Ado Bayero’s greatest and unforgettable legacies, adding that the Emir who celebrated his 50
th Anniversary on the throne in June last year, was a rare leader of enviable and vast wisdom.
He recalled the significant contributions of Ado Bayero to sustaining the unity of Nigeria during the January 15, 1966 political crisis, a role that earned him the respect of the late Dim Chukuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu.
Atiku said the respect Ojukwu had for Ado Bayero, a quintessential bridge-builder, was a significant message about the role Bayero played to hold back Nigeria from the brink of disaster.
Apart from Ado Bayero’s commitment to unity, Atiku Abubakar praised the late monarch’s amazing ability to rule over a vast, complex, heterogeneous, and cosmopolitan state like Kano without losing his sanity, a quality he said was rare among average leaders.
The former Vice President extolled the late Ado Bayero’s integrity and his remarkable character, adding that the late Emir had always associated himself with the progress and development of his people.
The former Vice President condoled with the family, the people and the government of Kano State over the death of Emir Ado Bayero
He described the late Emir as his father, saying that his relationship with the late Emir was of a father and his favourite son spanning over three decades.
Atiku said that he knew that death was coming (like it would for every mortal), but not in agony and humiliation because he (Ado Bayero) did not deserve it.
In his tribute, Governor Uduaghan describing the late Emir as an epitome of peace and national unity, saying that the bold sacrifices and courage exhibited by the late monarch to maintain relative peace in Kano even in the face of threats by insurgents and at great risk to his life.
“Even at great risk to his life and threat by insurgents, the late Royal Majesty stood defiantly against religious extremism and helped to maintain peace in Kano which is the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria.
“Our revered royal father was not cowed; neither did he retreat when his convoy was shot at. He also intervened where necessary to ensure that peace and the unity of the country was not in any way compromised.”
Uduaghan recalled with nostalgia and fond memories of how the late Emir received him and the entourage from Delta State in the ancient city of Kano in 2007, noting that the encounter and warm reception accorded him would remain indelible in his mind.
“Because of his personal commitment to peace and unity of Nigeria, the late Alhaji Ado Bayero welcomed us to the ancient city of Kano. He related to me like a son and I accepted him more like a father.”
Governor Uduaghan particularly noted the late monarch’s support for President Goodluck Jonathan and efforts to combat the scourge of Boko Haram and other terrorist activities in the country.
“I am sure President Goodluck Jonathan will greatly miss the wise counsel and intervention of the late Emir. He was a pillar of support to the Federal Government as well as other forms of lawful authority in the country.”
Governor Uduaghan expressed condolences to the government and people of Kano State, the Ado Bayero family, President Jonathan and Nigerians at large and prayed God to grant all the fortitude to bear the loss. [myad]

Emir of Kano, Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero is dead. He died in the early hours of today at the age of 87.
The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, but Ado Bayero had not been fully recovered from the shock of a violent attack on him by suspected members of Boko Haram in Kano a couple of years ago. He spent months in a specialist hospital overseas.
Ado Bayero became the 13^th Emir of Kano in October, 1963

The Emir was born on Sunday June 15, 1930 (17th Muharram 1349) in Gidan Rumfa while his father, Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero, held sway as the Emir of Kano. He was the eleventh and second son of his father and mother respectively. He was named after the first son of his father who had died when he was only five years during the reign of Sarkin Kano Abbas. He grew up in the palace as well as in the house of Maikano Zage as it was the tradition in those days for every prince to be put under the care of one of the leading cucunawa (royal slave) title holders.
Bayero is certainly a man of destiny whose reign has been most exciting and eventful.His parents Abdullahi Bayero, 1926-1953) and Muhammadu Abbas 1903-1919) were both Emirs of Kano. His two great grandfathers were also Emirs beginning with the second emir, Ibrahim Dabo, who reigned between 1819 and 1846 and Abdullahi, the father of Abbas, who reigned between 1855 and 1883.
As the tradition with the royal family, the young Bayero studied Qur’an along with his brothers under the tutelage and guidance of Hajiya Umma, wife of Walin Kano, Sulaiman. At the later stage of his charming and humble life, he attended Kano Middle School and School for Arabic Studies, Kano.
His stint in public service started at the Bank of British West Africa, now First Bank in 1947. In 1949, he left the bank, to join the services of Kano Native Authority. During his service at the NA, he attended courses in Nigeria at the Clerical Training Center, Zaria and a Local Government Course in the United Kingdom. He was also the Chief Clerk of the Kano Town Council.
Bayero also joined partisan politics where he tested his electoral prowess. This, he did successfully , as he contested and won elections into the Northern Region House of the Assembly under the banner of Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) in 1954. He made his inaugural speech in the House of Assembly on March 13, 955.
When the need for him to go back to the traditional authority arose, the young Bayero did not hesitate to resign as a member of the House in 1957 and subsequently took up appointment as Wakilin Doka, Chief of Kano Native Authority Police. Having served the emirate at that capacity for five years up to1962, he was appointed Nigeria’s Ambassador to Senegal.
While in far away Switzerland studying French, the prince was summoned to Nigeria in the second week of October, 1963, to become the 13th Emir of Kano. The ascension of Ado Bayero to the throne was both historic and monumental.
He was reportedly said to have ascended the throne exactly 500 years after Sarki Muhammadu Rumfa, the worthy ancestor to whom he could most appropriately be compared.
The prince was beckoned from far away Europe to fill the vacuum left by his uncle, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa, who became the only alternative to the political crisis that engulfed Kano and the Northern region; after Sarkin Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi abdicated under a serious political storm, threatening the entire Northern establishments and the stability of Kano especially.
In the six months he served as emir, Muhammadu Inuwa, had stood firmly and successfully against regional politics that threatened to balkanise Kano then.
According to Malam Adamu Adamu, a seasoned columnist, Rumfa “was the first avowedly Islamic ruler of the polity credited with improving the defence of the capital city, consolidating the status of Kano as a commercial center and being the polity’s leading patron of learning.”
The Emir, apart from being an agent of change, he also sat at the meeting point between the immediate post -independence period and modern times, which was crucial for laying a solid foundation for modern education.
“In Ado Bayero sarauta found an exponent who was to shape at least its outside features as he himself was to be shaped by it. He has come to symbolise sarauta and become its icon almost without trying to do so; because either by virtue of his charisma, or the pre-eminence of Kano as a metropolis without equal, or his possession of other qualities and a variety of royal attributes, he seemed to have set a standard that would remain unattainable for a very long time,” Malam Adamu said.
Since assuming the position of Emir of Kano, Sarkin Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has served Nigeria in various capacities but most prominently as Chancellor of the Universities including university of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Ibadan and the University of Maiduguri. He has also served in various councils and has played several mediatory roles. He is a patron of several organizations in Nigeria.
In Kano, he has been spearheading the construction of many Mosques and Islamiyya schools across the length and breadth of the emirate, more than any other Emir in the history of Kano. Today, Bayero’s reign is believed to be longer than all of the Sarakuna and Emirs of Kano, with the exception of the famous four: Bagauda, who ruled for 63 years; Yusa, 58 years; Naguji, 53 years; and Muhammadu Kisoki, 56 years. Among the longest rulers of Kano, San Kano’s was the most characterised by abundant prosperity.
As a leader who believes in inclusiveness, he has restored many titles to the original holders and has also co-opted many deserving people into the Emirate’s hierarchy.He has turbaned more district heads (Hakimai) than any other Emir. Several new titles have been introduced to cope with the rising demand because of the creation of more districts and the need for new district heads.
He overcomes his opponents by his perseverance and humility. This humane disposition was evidenced during the administration of Alhaji Abubakar Rimi of the radical Peoples Redemption Party (PDP) in Kano state from 1979 to 1983. When the emir paid a condolence visit to Rimi’s residence when his wife was murdered, many could not understand that “breach” of royal protocol.
The emir also carved a niche for himself as a dynamic sustainer of both tradition and change in Kano emirate.
While advancing modernity and change in all spheres of human endeavour, he equally champions the preservation of the traditions of the royalty, Hausa culture and Islam. His apolitical stance, many belief, has to a greater level, enabled him survive the political intrigues that characterised the military and civilian regimes in the last 45 years.
During his 40th anniversary, Dabon Kano, Magajin Rumfa, as the Emir is fondly called, was celebrated with a firm reflection in his characteristic and dignified manner in form of a national conference on Chieftaincy and Security in Nigeria. This was because the period was more in need of scholarly and professional discourse on security. The proceedings of that conference was later published by the Kano State Government. [myad]

President Jonathan has expressed pride in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) saying that security, like incidence of Boko Haram, has never really been an issue in the states it is controlling across Nigeria.

The President told members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP at their meeting in the federal capital, Abuja today that he is not very worried about the insecurity in some parts of the country.

“Most of our PDP states are doing well. In fact, security challenges are less in the PDP states because of the commitment of the governors.”

He admitted, however, that this is not the best time for him and his party.

“I will just join the chairman to note that this is not a good time for all of us as a country.  Obviously everybody knows the security challenges we have.

“I don’t want to be moaning or complaining but all what I can assure our great party is that we are taking on the challenges.

He gave assurance that his government is handling issues such as equipment, adding: “God willing, these challenges of Boko Haram or other criminal elements will soon come to be history in this country.”

The President took a swipe on the erstwhile PDP governors who defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), making it clear that most of them cannot win even ward elections in the future.  [myad]

Minister of the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed is not happy with an online media organization (Pointblanknews.com) and already preparing to go to court to challenge what he called false and libelous reports it published against him, his children and the FCT Administration.

The media organization was said to have, in recent weeks, alleged that two children of the Minister whose names it gave as Ibrahim and Shamushdeen had stashed away a staggering N35billion in the Unity Bank and UBA Plc as well as an unnamed offshore account.

But, the Minister in a strong-worded petition to the Inspector-General of Police is calling for an investigation of the allegations which he dismissed as nothing but criminal fabrications by the authors.

A statement from his chief spokesman, Nosike Ogbuenyi insisted that the minister has no son called Ibrahim contrary to the claim of the online publication. He also insisted that the minister’s children had no domestic or offshore account with Unity Bank or UBA contrary to the claims of the online newspaper.

He added that even the name of the minister’s first son, Shamsudeen was wrongly spelt as ‘Shamushdeen’ in the hatchet stories, even as he called on the Inspector–General not only to investigate the story but to interrogate the publisher.

“The Minister urged the Police boss to prevail on the media organization to disclose the full identities of the ‘Ibrahim’ and ‘Shamushdeen’ it referred to in its reports so that the people would be better informed.

“They should also be made to provide credible evidence of the bank account numbers to enable you carry out your investigation. I am insisting on these processes to prove my family’s innocence even though I know that the publishers have nothing to buttress their claims because the information upon which their stories were predicated is totally false, malicious and unsubstantiated.”

Odbuenyi quoted Senator Bala Mohammed as saying that his earlier appeal to the online media organizations to desist from publishing further negative reports against him and his children were rudely ignored, and that the publisher has not only failed to heed wise counsel by retracting the malicious story but has continued to do more false reports against him and his children. [myad]