Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima has described those calling for the sacking of civilian elected governors and installation of military rule in the Boko Haram troubled states as being sick.
He referred in particular to a statement credited to the Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence (FJHRD), calling for a declaration of full-scale state of emergency in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states and said that there is nothing Human Rights in such a group. In a statement by his spokesman, Isa Gusau, the governor said “I think if any group calls its self a human rights advocate and then drums support for the takeover of government by the military in a democratic institution, that group has lost its identity. “A military system of governance as we all know is that which does not respect the right of citizens, it is that which is based on the philosophy of coercion as the sole means of achieving objectives. Human rights can never be guaranteed under a military government.” Governor Shettima said that combating Boko Haram insurgency, could not be successful without combining both military resources and political elements that could best guarantee community participation.
Information minister, Labaran Maku has launched verbal attack on the governor of Adamawa state, Murtala Nyako, describing the recent memo the governor sent to his colleague governors in the Northern part of the country as grossly irresponsible and divisive.
“When people reach a certain age, they should watch their utterances and the kind of things they are suppose to say. Maybe if it is young people like you, we can say it is lack of experience, but people that have known the difficulty this country is going through and the kind of effort that is being made by the federal government to be coming out to make those statements that divide the country even at a point that we need national unity and national healing is grossly irresponsible.”
Maku was addressing newsmen today shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Maku regretted that someone who has little knowledge on how security services are rendered will just open his mouth and make statements that create panic in the country, adding that this is very unfortunate.
“To hear the kind of things being said by the governor of Adamawa State at this period is very unfortunate. Nyako is the former Chief of Naval Staff. He is someone that has worn uniform before and for him to publicly incite the people against the security forces of this country is the height of irresponsibility. It is more so for someone like him who is old enough to appreciate the kind of crisis this country is going through. We expected that he should have a greater understanding, politics aside.”
He saw Nyako’s memo as grandstanding and playing to the gallery, saying that making such inflammatory statement that divides public opinion and causes confusion shows how the governor has been turning himself into what he called “anti-Nigerian.”
The minister insisted that this is the time Nigerians should speak with one voice, and speak with a voice that give the people hope that the leaders are united in finding solution, adding: “divisive statement must be condemned at this time and I think that we all have a responsibility to this country. And for the media as well, we need to be reporting from the point of arousing public anger to support the government to support security services. One thing we must not allow is to create lack of morale for the security services because we don’t have alternative today to those services. And I know that security services are one of the best services in this continent with a lot of commitment and discipline.”
Maku is hopeful that Nigeria will overcome the current security challenges but that “we can do the job better with some people shutting up their mouths.”
Nigerian minister of information, Labaran Maku has said that President Goodluck Jonathan and top government and security officials have been going through a lot of anguish since over 200 female students were kidnapped in Chibok, Borno state by members of the deadly Boko Haram over a week ago.
The minister, who addressed newsmen today shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja described the abduction of the girls as a national tragedy.
It is a tragedy, he added, “that young girls of school age could be abducted in our country in 2014. It is unimaginable, nobody even in our wildest imagination think that a group of people under whatever guise will take young girls who are just in the school to write exams hostage. This is indeed very painful. From the President and all of us, we have been going through a lot of anguish. It is almost like a story out of this world. It goes to show the level of depravity, share current of lack of human feeling that is going on in this crime of terror in this country.”
He said that security forces are still on the heels of the kidnappers and that every effort is being made to get the girls back safely.
“The work of defeating terror is in being united. And I appeal to citizens who have information that can lead to fishing out these girls and other criminals in the system to give that information. Our prayer is to get them safe and that they will not be abused by those who criminally abducted them. The attention of the world, the president and governors on the search of those girls and a lot of work is going on. It is the number one priority today in terms of synergy and we will continue to call for public cooperation.
This is even as women in Borno state have expressed their willingness to go into the notorious Sambisa Game Reserve Forest, the enclave of Boko Haram to seek the release of the abducted schoolgirls of the Government Secondary School, Chibok. Sambisa Forest, a large expanse of land is where most of the deadly attacks of the Boko Haram insurgency are launched from and it is where the abducted schoolgirls are believed to be held hostage. The coalition of various women association in the troubled state told newsmen today: “We are ready to go into the bush and appeal to the Boko Haram sect to release our children to us.” The coalition is being led by Professor Hauwa Abdu Biu.
According to the women, they are now waiting to be led by the military into the notorious forest.
State of Emergency declared in three North Eastern states of Nigeria: Adamawa, Yobe and Borno will be the major topic on the agenda of a meeting scheduled to hold in the Presidential Villa tomorrow between President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors from the 36 states of the country. The State of Emergency, imposed on the state by the President, via the power confers on him by the constitution elapses this weekend. It would be recalled that governors from the three affected states did not attend the security meeting held Thursday last week between the President and governors on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The three affected governors and others belong to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom state, while answering questions from newsmen shortly after Thursday meeting said: “I believe that the issue of state of emergency in the three states of North East will be taken on when all the governors are around on Wednesday (tomorrow).” He said that the issue of the state of emergency was not discussed last week because, “of course, you know that is a national issue and if you discuss you can’t shave a man’s head behind him. “The governors of the state that are involved in emergency were not here.”
Manchester United Football club has announced the sacking of its Manager, David Moyes and was quickly replaced with Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player. In an online announcement today, Manchester United said: “the club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role.” News of Moyes’s exit comes a day after widespread reports in the British media that he was facing the sack, just 10 months after succeeding Alex Ferguson as manager of the world-famous club. The 50-year-old Scot endured a torrid debut campaign at Old Trafford, with United falling to seventh place in the Premier League and being eliminated from both domestic cup competitions and the Champions League. Moyes’s last game in charge was a 2-0 loss at his former club Everton, which confirmed that United would not compete in the Champions League next season for the first time since 1995. The defeat, United’s 11th of the league campaign, left the defending champions 13 points below the Champions League places and 23 points behind leaders Liverpool. British newspaper reports today said that Moyes had been informed of his fate during an early-morning meeting with chief executive Ed Woodward at the club’s Carrington training ground. Meanwhile, a veteran midfielder, Ryan Giggs has been appointed interim manager of club. Man U announced later today that following the departure of David Moyes as manager, Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player, will assume responsibility for the first team until a permanent appointment can be made. In a statement on the United website, it added: “the club will make no further comment on this process until it is concluded.” Giggs, 40, made his United debut in March 1991 and has made a record 962 appearances for the club, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, four League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. He has no previous managerial experience, but has combined his role as a player with a position on United’s coaching staff since the start of the current campaign. The Welshman, Britain’s most decorated player, was informed of the news after arriving at United’s Carrington training ground on Tuesday morning. His first game at the helm will be a home fixture against Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday, which will be followed by matches against Sunderland, Hull City and Southampton. Louis van Gaal, the current Netherlands coach, has been installed as the favourite to succeed Moyes on a permanent basis by British bookmakers. However, Jurgen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund, another rumoured contender, has already ruled himself out of the running. Klopp told British newspaper The Guardian: “Man United is a great club and I feel very familiar with their wonderful fans. But my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable.”
That David Mark’s Senate has given this country something that is very important: it is a Senate imbued with reassuring maturity that has ensured stability for the country’s young democracy. It is a gift that will not escape the interest of contemporary historians. Their fixation with the legacy of democratic stability and often conciliatory tone in dealing with Jonathan’s executive arm of the government gives, on the other hand, a sense of evasiveness, if not irresponsibility. Mark himself, as said in a previous article, is a true model for this country’s historically restless and ambitious armed forces personnel who resorted to coups-d’ etat to achieve their ambition of power. Senator Mark as I said at that time, has proven by his success in the army and later politics that it is indeed possible for any ambitious military personnel to shred their uniform, fight it out in the political turf and achieve leadership positions through democratic means. While it is no shame to rise from undemocratic origins as he did, this by itself doesn’t guarantee the broad vision needed to run a chaos called Nigeria. The problem most people see with this Senate is that it is mellow and evasive on critical issues affecting the nation. In the name of stability and democratic well-being of the nation, they seem to think that a blind support for the President means the same thing as support for democracy. Based on this wrong notion, they continue to give an uncritical support and, if you like, free pass to government on almost every issue including, but not limited to non-observance of the rule of law, and a chronic inability to implement budget appropriation beyond 30-35 percent. The Senate sits pretty as the civil society, media and political parties speak with one voice day-in-day-out in a trite against an inept government that thinks that doling out national wealth through outright bribes and myriad of waivers and subsidies and entitlement programmes is the way to keep power. We have corruption in a monstrous scale, though it must be said that inefficiency, corruption, chicanery, cheating and venality among other ills have been with the country for a long time. The difference this time is that we are in a boom period. The question on the lips of many is for how long the Senate will continue to cozy itself to the administration, behaving like dynastic Maharajas. Nobody has a divine right to rule us. This is an attitude that cannot be justified even where there is a sense among some of them that they bought their seats and are therefore entitled to reap where they sowed. While the House of Representatives appears ready, at all times to do business with Nigerians on all matters, notably on the issue of national security, the Senate is yet to wake up to its duty as the nation reaps deaths as its daily wages. We need radical defence and national security reforms to stem the slide into permanent insecurity that has put Nigeria in an infamous club that groups Nigeria with Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia. They all know what is needed of them and say it: this beautiful country is heading toward destruction. Is our Senate going to be a catalyst for change? This will require them to hold the government accountable and force its hands to carry out meaningful physical action, not just empty words which mean nothing as life becomes a cheap commodity throughout the land. It is very clear by now that the stand point of government is to hold on to power. Beyond this, nothing matters at all. Senators on their own have one pre-occupation, which is that nothing must upset the apple cart. There is suspicion that they are being paid money to give the government a lee-way. But for how long, and at what cost to humanity? Should we continue to wait on the government to brace itself to challenges of lawlessness and terrorism? There was a recent statement by the Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, that some ministers were more powerful than the federal government that appointed them. The drama playing out between the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Up-stream) and the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke is nothing short of an affirmation of this statement. However, the Senate as a whole seems to be at a loss as to how to deal with a recalcitrant minister who has willfully refused to respond to its summons. The Senate’s response is now in the court of public opinion but by this yardstick alone, the upper chamber of the parliament doesn’t just look pretty. Political maturity does not mean that the Senate, as an important arm of the federal parliament, should continue to play deaf and dumb to the yearnings of Nigerians who wish to have their government sit up. No man has ever earned anyone’s respect by being too courteous. The only way to earn respect is by standing equal or superior to somebody. This is inherent in the concept of separation of powers in the Presidential system we practice. If the Senate does not show the guts needed to call this government to order, there is no way the willingness to do so by the House can fetch us anything. It is a bi-cameral parliament. My view here is more of a call for a paradigm change of Nigeria’s anti-terrorism policy and the need for good governance–which the parliament can force the executive arm to do-rather than a call for outright impeachment which, though warranted, is unattainable, given the fractiousness of parties, factions and of the political space. The Senate as the senior arm of the bi-cameral legislature has a leadership role beyond regime protection, which lies in putting the country in a more stable condition and peace for our people. And to do this, no one should dream of eating omelet without breaking eggs.
National Conference is now enmeshed in both internal and external conflicts over the constitution of the 20 Standing Committees to look into the various burning national issues in conformity with its mandate. While some members of the conference have accused the secretariat of discriminating in the choice of heads of the committees and taking bribe from those who were desperate to head or co-head the committees, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi of religious discrimination. Some members of the conference have been mumbling bitter complaints that even during the plenary session, some members were regarded as sacred cows and given more than enough opportunities to speak on matters being discussed while those regarded as dark horses were denied a single opportunity to contribute. “That was why the Lamido of Adamawa went wild when he was finally given to contribute when he said that if the conference continued to discriminate by denying certain members from contributing to discussions, he would pull Adamawa state from Nigeria,” a member recalled. Another ‘dark horse’ member complained that many names of his type were missing in the first committees that were announced, adding that even when the committees were re-jig, they were grouped in obscure committees. “Some of the so-called high-profile members were said to have bribed the secretariat staff to make them chairmen and co-chairmen of lucrative committees,” another delegate said. Meanwhile, CAN leadership has expressed concern over the composition of the leadership of National Conference Committee on Religion. It accused chairman of carrying out an Islamic agenda. The association accused the ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria of appointing a Muslim from his home state, Niger, as the chairman of the committee but refused to make a CAN delegate a co-chairman. A statement by the Director (National Issues) in CAN, Mr. Sunny Oibe, entitled ‘Justice Idris Kutigi’s Islamic Agenda & Confab Committee on Religion’, said the appointment of Bishop Felix Ajakaiye was laced with mischief as he was representing Ekiti State in the conference and not CAN. Oibe said the mischief became more pronounced when Kutigi decided to include the name of a delegate, Dr. Jonathan Obaje, representing Nigerians in the Diaspora as a member of the Committee on Religion, after granting permission to him to travel abroad. The association therefore demanded equal representation in the confab, adding, “If Muslims are 12, Christians must be 12 in the committee on religion.” The statement reads: “We hereby express our reservations on the composition of the members of the National Conference Committee on Religion and without fear or contradiction state that the Chairman of the Conference, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, has done his wish to ensure that the leadership of the committees favours Muslims in Nigeria. “He is from Niger State and the Committee on Religion should be a sensitive committee. The chairman has decided to scatter the Christians in the confab and now brought Nurudeen Lemu, the son of Sheikh Lemu, who is also from Niger State, to chair the committee and did not pick any delegate representing the Christian Association of Nigeria. “The supposed Christian in the committee, Dr. Jonathan Obaje, representing the Diaspora in the confab, has been given express permission by Kutigi to travel back overseas for holiday; he is not even in Nigeria at present and does not represent CAN. The delegate is not around and Christians will be affected during voting. “Bishop Felix Ajakaiye, who was named co-Chairman in the committee is representing Ekiti State and not CAN. In that case, we have already lost and the ratio will now be 12 members for Muslims and six for Christians. “To us in CAN, Justice Kutigi is working out a script to undermine the interest of the Christians in the confab. Ordinarily, the Christians, who have been at the receiving end from the members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect in the North, should be a co-chairman in the Committee on Religion. But what Kutigi did was to pick a Muslim from the North as chairman and a Christian from the South-West (Ajakaiye), who has little or no knowledge of what is happening in the North as co-chairman. “The interest of Christians in this case, will not be adequately protected. Already, the confab is a stage-managed conference. President Goodluck Jonathan has a good intention; but there is a problem in allowing Kutigi to be chairman. “Justice Kutigi is from Niger State and he decided to pick his Muslim brother from Niger State to head such a sensitive committee. So Christians in Nigeria are not happy and we don’t expect that a man, who is highly placed like Justice Kutigi would allow his religion to override national interest. That is why he decided to keep the issue of religion and the committee to himself closely. “So we are asking the Vice Chairman of that Conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, what he is doing there? It may also interest Nigerians to note that none of the delegates sent by CAN were allowed to head any committee in the confab; this is unfortunate. Where is the transparency? Where is the equity and fairness? “For us, we have no problem with Ajakaiye but we see his choice as a mischief by Kutigi. Ajakaiye is a Christian from the South West but to us, a Christian from the North and CAN delegate, who knows how Christians are being slaughtered on daily basis by Boko Haram should be the co-chairman of the committee. But Kutigi refused because he is carrying out an Islamic agenda. “These are the same people, who claimed that Jonathan skewed the conference to favour the Christians. But the truth has now been revealed that Kutigi is the person who skewed the committee to undermine the Christians.” In his reaction to the allegation, the Assistant Secretary of the Conference on Media and Communications, Mr. Akpandem James, said there was nothing wrong in the composition of the committee on religion. He said, “Is Bishop Ajakaiye not a Christian? Somebody is a Christian and because he is not a CAN delegate, he shouldn’t be co-chairman? Look, CAN is just an association and it is not every Christian that is a member. Not all churches in Nigeria are members of CAN. Must somebody come from Borno or Yobe State before heading a committee on religion? “We had few people representing CAN and is that a group that should dictate what to do? The committee is made up of Christians and Muslims,whether you are a member of CAN or Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria. Are there not other members of SCIAN? People are just looking for trouble where there’s none.”
Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi, special assistant on media to the minister of the Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed has sworn that his boss had no hand in the N76 Billion National Public Security Communications System CCTV scam. Ogbuenyi, today, condemned insinuation by the Executive Chairman of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Comrade Debo Adeniran that the minister was part of the $470m (N76billion) CCTV scam. The minister’s Special Assistant said was emphatic that the CCTV contract was neither awarded nor executed by the FCT Administration. “We regard that unguarded outburst by Comrade Adeniran as a shameful advertisement of ignorance not just on the part of the man himself but also on the part of the organization that he purports to lead. While the FCT Administration has been doing a lot to enhance security of lives and property in the FCT and is ever ready to collaborate with any person, institution, ministry, commission or group committed to the same objective, the fact needs to be stressed that the Abuja CCTV project was never a baby of the FCT Administration by conception, execution or supervision.” Ogbuenyi asked Comrade Adebayo to render an unreserved apology to the Minister for wrongful accusation and defamation, adding: “if those calling for FCT Minister’s prosecution on account of a CCTV contract that he neither originated nor executed are not comprehensive illiterates, they should have been able to at least carry out preliminary internet research on the project to ascertain those that awarded and executed the contract.” The minister’s mouth piece advised CACOL leader to always carry out proper investigation on issues before making public pronouncements on them in order to avoid ridiculing himself and embarrassing innocent persons and institutions. Ogbuenyi described the CCTV project as an important project in the estimation of the FCT Administration and enjoined those responsible for the installation, completion and operation of the vital security devices to do the needful thing to make them fully operational.
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on National Assembly and National Human Rights Commission to probe what it described as the massacre of Fulani people in Kadarko and Rugar Ardo Sodangi settlements in Keana Local Government, Nasarawa State on 2nd April, 2014. In a statement today, the Director of the Muslim Rights Concern, Professor Ishaq Akintola recalled how heavily armed men of the Nigerian Army allegedly drove in a convoy of ten Hilux vans on 2nd April, 2014 to Kadarko and Rugar Ardo Sodangi settlements of Keana Local Government, Nasarawa State and allegedly descended on a small group of mourners of Fulani descent. “They shot all of them. Fifteen (15) people of Fulani extraction lay dead at the end of the operation. Three (3) were badly injured.” Professor Akintola noted that this tragic scenario has constituted the emerging pattern in several parts of Northern Nigeria, particularly in Plateau, Benue and Adamawa states. He strongly condemned what he called “the callous, criminal and barbaric act of those men in army uniform who massacred innocent Fulanis. We affirm that herdsmen have the right to graze their cattle. It is the duty of the state and Federal Governments to ensure that grazing grounds are provided where farmlands will not be in danger of being destroyed. “This has been the practice for decades and we are surprised that it is now becoming an issue. “We call on the defence committees in the National Assembly to investigate the massacre of the innocent Fulani people of Keana Local Government. We remind the Federal Government that it is its duty to provide protection for all Nigerians, including Fulani herdsmen throughout the federation.” He also called on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate “this atrocity and come up with its report. Finally, we remind Nigerians that a nation seeking peace cannot afford to target any ethnic group for profiling. We should be guided by the tragedy in Rwanda.”
National Conference which begins Committee works, with 20 Committees now in place, may submit its final report to its convener, President Goodluck Jonathan between June 16 and 19 this year.
According to the Work Plan, the Conference is expected to receive reports from committees and commence deliberations on May 5 and May 6 before breaking the plenary again for participation in the World Economic Forum which will hold in Abuja.
Deliberation on the various committee reports will resume on May 12 and will last till May 15 when deliberations would be completed.
Between May 19 to 29, the Conference Secretariat, working with the Report Drafting Committee, will put the report together and present such to the Conference in plenary.
Consideration and adoption of the draft reports by the Conference in plenary will start on June 2 and will end on June 12 after which the final report would be produced and signed between June 16 and 19.
The Work Plan indicates that Committee work would begin tomorrow, Tuesday April 22 and would end on Wednesday April 30, even though some of the members are arguing that the time allocated to committee work is too short in view of the exhaustive and thorough job expected to be done.
But, the Confab chairman, Justice Kutigi has advised delegates to first get down to work; and if it becomes necessary to extend the time, the appropriate representation will be made to that effect.
He explained that the Work Plan was drawn based on the time allotted to the Conference by the Federal Government; and that any attempt at arbitrary adjustment could be misunderstood even by the general public who may misconstrue the motive.
He however assured that everything would be done to ensure that lack of time does not hinder the justification of the Conference but urged delegates to properly articulate their points at the committee level and be opened to suggestions from others. Delegates who have useful position papers that can help committees other than their own are also encouraged to forward such documents to the appropriate committees.
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State of Emergency declared in three North Eastern states of Nigeria: Adamawa, Yobe and Borno will be the major topic on the agenda of a meeting scheduled to hold in the Presidential Villa tomorrow between President Goodluck Jonathan and the governors from the 36 states of the country.
Manchester United Football club has announced the sacking of its Manager, David Moyes and was quickly replaced with Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player.
National Conference is now enmeshed in both internal and external conflicts over the constitution of the 20 Standing Committees to look into the various burning national issues in conformity with its mandate. While some members of the conference have accused the secretariat of discriminating in the choice of heads of the committees and taking bribe from those who were desperate to head or co-head the committees, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the conference chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi of religious discrimination.
