The emergence of Binta Masi Garba as the first-ever female elected state party chairperson of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state has excited the former Nigeria Vice President and now the chieftain of the party, Atiku Abubakar.
Atiku, who reacted to what he called the peaceful conduct of the just-concluded congress in the state form where he comes, described the emergence of Binta as “historic and exemplary.”
He expressed confidence in the ability of the female chairperson to lead the party to total victory in all future elections in Adamawa state. He also congratulated all those who emerged in the process, adding “the party is assured of my total support until we win all our elections.”
Atiku commended the Adamawa State Governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako and other leaders of the party for the high level of accommodation and the spirit of give-and-take that characterized the horse-trading leading to the emergence of the new state executive.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is believed to have turned down the Super Eagles World Cup provisional list, submitted by head coach, Stephen Keshi because prominent names such as Captain Joseph Yobo, Osaze Odemwingie and Chinedu Obasi are missing, even as the leadership of the football ruling body insisted that the world cup must be handled with care as the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is keenly watching the development.
Besides, the NFF leadership is believed to have considered these players as too experienced to be left out by coach. The leadership has since asked Keshi to make “more consultations” before submitting the final list.
Members of the Technical Committee are said to be unhappy with Keshi’s decision to leave out Odemwingie, Obasi and Yobo, an action that attracted strong reactions.
“We were shocked to discover that despite the fact that Keshi submitted close to a 40-man list, he still left out quality players like Osaze Odemwingie, Chinedu Obasi and captain of the team Joseph Yobo, players we all know are doing very well with their various clubs,” the source told Goal.
“In as much as he defended the list vehemently and gave reasons for leaving them out which include injury claims, technical reasons and fitness issue, we told him that we are not really convinced with these reasons and that in as much as he – as the coach has the final say on this issue – we let him realise the fact that this is a World Cup and Mr President [Goodluck Jonathan] is watching with keen interest our preparations and has great expectation from the team to do well in Brazil.
“So we need to ensure things are properly done most especially as regards the players that are actors that will execute the matches at the World Cup,” the source revealed.
Keshi has however reacted to some names being quoted by media, saying that he is worried about the list he has been reading on the pages of newspapers.
“I did not make that list and I am not happy that you guys are reporting this to mislead people. We looked at the media, most especially the confusing list published, and we are using this opportunity to plead with the media to wait for the authentic list of the players to be released by the Football Federation before it is published.”
Nigeria’s second Republic Deputy Senate President, John Wash Pam, is dead. He died at the age of 73 from complications secondary to prostrate cancer at the National Hospital, Abuja at about 1.30 pm today.
The former senator is survived by two wives and 18 children. Wash Pam, a prominent Berom elder, hailed from Foron district of Barakin Ladi local Government Area of Plateau State.
His death was confirmed by his first son, Mr. Ganan Wash Pam and his Special Assistant, Mr. Williams Chieshe (Jnr).
“Baba died about one and half hours ago,” Chieshe said, adding “he has been battling with prostrate cancer for a while now.
Wash Pam was deputy senate president to senator Joseph Wayas from 1979 to 1983.
Members of the all-powerful Petroleum & Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) boycotted have made it clear that they could not have been part of the May-Day jamboree at the time the nation is supposed to be in mourning mood over the abduction of over 200 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state.
They said that their boycott of the celebration at the Eagle Square today is to identify with the pains and trauma of parents of missing Chibok students. The union took the decision at a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) in Abuja. The President of the union, Comrade Babatunde Ogun in his May Day Message said the failure of the Government and its security agencies to find the over 200 abducted girls should put the nation in a mournful state.
“We demand that all machinery, including collaborating with foreign countries that have sophisticated and hi-technology equipment for surveillance should be put in place to ensure the rescue and restoration of the school girls to their parents and guardians,” he said.
Ogun further called on the government to invest more in unemployment and poverty which have been identified as factors for the breeding of criminality.
Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has given a number of reasons why Nigeria is currently drifting into socio-political abyss, saying social injustice is one of the key factors.
According to him, inability of successive governments to set up Nigeria as a just society has deprived the country from attaining it’s aspiration.
Tambuwal made the remarks today at the Second edition of Sam Nda-Isaiah Annual Lecture Series, held at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Quranic and General Studies, Sokoto.
According to him, Nigeria has become a nation whose moral deficit is bankrupting the economy, thereby robbing the children of their future and threatening the very foundation of the nation’s unity.
He said that over the years, successive governments had failed to prosecute programmes and policies that will deliberately bridge the gap between the haves and the haves not. Details later.
I have been constantly in touch with the security agencies, telling them the developments, the movement of the girls from one place to the other and then the splitting of the girls and eventually the marriage of these girls by the insurgents. What bothered me the most is that whenever I informed the military where these girls were, after two to three days, they were moved from that place to another. Still, I would go back and inform them on new developments. However, I lost hope two days ago when I found out that some of them were moved to Chad and Cameroun. Actually, some of them moved through the Mandara Mountain that is in Gwoza and some of them are just a stone throw from their barracks. Even now, as I am talking to you, some are in Kolofata, which is in Cameroun, about 15 kilometres or even less from the border, because one of the insurgents called somebody in Bama and said: ‘I just got married and I am now settling in Kolofata’; and then, three or four days ago, some Fulani men reported that they saw some girls being taken by boats into the island on Lake Chad and that some of them happened to be between Mate and Mungonu. Maybe, those ones might still be within Nigeria but that is the current and new base of the insurgents. They just took over that place less than a few weeks ago and that village is called Chikungudua. The place is the constituency of Senator Maina Maji. I informed the security agents about the developments. And from that place, they (the insurgents) can just go to either Chad or Cameroun because it is very open; there are no weeds in the lake and so they can go to anywhere. They have snatched all the boats around that area, including the one for NNPC and so they are free to go anywhere without being chased by anybody. There are about 40 islands there and they have ejected most of the occupants of the islands and occupied the islands. What is most disturbing is that hitherto, Sambisa was their base and it was well known to the military and the Nigerian security services. After the abduction of those girls, they started moving out of Sambisa and even before then, I had been discussing with the military and they said they were going to attack that place about 15 or 20 days ago. I don’t know what delayed them. But eventually when they launched the attack, all the insurgents had already gone out of the place. These are the facts. So unless there is seriousness on the part of our military, we have no hope of getting those girls. Even if we are going to get them, we are going to get them in trickles, maybe getting two, three, four and five. They are now scattered, so it is not possible for us to get 50, 60,100 in one particular position. That is the position as at today.
Senator Ahmad Zanna who Represents Borno Central made this statement on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, April 29
Second Republic civilian governor of old Kwara state, Alhaji Adamu Atta is dead. He died in Abuja late yesterday.
It was learnt that a delegate form Kogi state Government, led by the deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi was in Abuja this morning to convey the remains of the deceased to his home town, Okene in Kogi State where he would be buried according to Islamic rites.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Dr. Bukola Saraki has described the death of Atta as very sad.
Saraki, who was a governor of Kwara State for eight years, said that Atta was a statesman of repute, and a stakeholder in the Nigeria project whose records and antecedent are clear in the history of Kwara and Nigerian politics.
“Though gone, the impact of Alhaji Adamu Atta cannot be under estimated in Kwara politics and apparently, his role and contributions in the administration of Kwara State. His departure is painful, but the fact that his wealth of wisdom in the history of Kwara state administration will be missed is more painful.”
The Kaduna State House of Assembly has made operation of commercial motor cycles in the state an offence punishable with tree months imprisonment.
This is contained in a bill prohibiting the use of commercial motorcycles in parts of the state, The executive bill, which was read for the third time at plenary, sought to amend the Commercial Motorcycle Law No. 4 of 1999 and the Road Traffic Law Cap 135 of Kaduna State 1991.
The law bans the use of commercial motorcycles in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan, and provides for a fine not exceeding N10,000 or three months imprisonment or both, on conviction.
It also provided for a fine of N20,000 or six months imprisonment or both for second offenders.
The Deputy Speaker, Peter Adamu, who presided over the sitting, explained that the law shall come into effect two weeks after it was signed into law.
Other areas affected by the ban are Unguwan Bawa in Lere Local Government, Unguwan Nachibi, Kwadaga, Janbirni and Dogon Dawa in Birnin Gwari, and Farin Ruwa, Mararraban Yakawada and Kuyello in Giwa Local Government.
“We therefore request immediate government intervention to forestall the possibility of the hungry man becoming angry.” These are the words contained in a letter which personal aides to the delegates to the ongoing National Conference under the canopy of Forum of Aides and Drivers of National Conference 2014 Delegates, include drivers, Personal Assistants and other domestic staff addressed to the conference Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi today.
The aides are protesting over the refusal of the Conference leadership to pay them any entitlements even as they demanded allowances, food and transport.
They said that they have evidence that payments were made to support personnel of similar appointees in the past, including the National Political Bureau of March 1987 and the National Political Reform Conference of 2005.
They, therefore, asked that they should be paid.
One of them said that they have been forced to eat the crumbs from their masters’ tables after lunch served during break time.
The two-paged protest letter was signed by six of the aides and drivers who did not write their names but merely appended their signatures.
Copies of the letter were sent to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim.
Each of the 492 delegates is placed on about N2.9 million per month.
The letter reads: “We were also aware that some delegates are against the payment of allowances to us in this regard. We must therefore point out that aides and drivers come from far and wide distances in this country. Usually our salaries are meagre and barely sufficient to support our families
“We have also sampled opinions and discovered that some aides and drivers sleep in the vehicles at the car parks of delegates’ hotels at the expense of their health, safety and security while their principals sleep in the comfort of their hotel rooms. Many of our members get little or no stipends in this regard.
“We state clearly here that many of our members depend on their colleagues to survive in the course of the conference. Our welfare is poor and there is no provision for food, transport and boarding. Some of us are sometimes privileged to eat the crumbs that fall off the tables of the delegates at the Justice Aloma Mukhtar Banquet Hall of the Conference venue at the mercy of the Banquet Hall personnel.
“This is not desirable considering the fact that we are all humans and fellow citizens of this great country working together to chart a course for the united existence of our great country. We therefore request immediate government intervention to forestall the possibility of the hungry man becoming angry.”
Talks aimed at resolving the dispute between Ethiope Energy Limited and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) over the bid process for three National Integrated Power Plants (NIPPs) power stations have collapsed. Counsel to Ethiope Energy Limited, Bello Abu told Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court Abuja today that the parties were unable to reach an amicable settlement of the issues in dispute. The matter had been adjourned to today for report of settlement. Abu consequently asked the court for a date to set the suit down for hearing and dispose all pending applications. Professor Taiwo Osipitan, (SAN) who represented BPE and the National Council on Privatization (NCP) confirmed that talks between the parties had indeed collapsed
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