Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, has asked those who are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign on account of the fight against Boko Haram to shut their mouths up saying such people are unpatriotic
Anenih was emphatic that President Jonathan is doing his best to deal with the situation including focusing on ensuring the safe release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, by the insurgents.
In a statement entitled: ‘Let us unite against Boko Haram’ issued in Abuja, today the PDP BOT chairman said that it is time for all Nigerians, irrespective of regional, religious or political affiliations to unite behind the President in the fight against Boko Haram.
He appealed to opposition politicians to learn from the Westgate shopping mall killings in Kenya, where the opposition leader, Rahila Odinga, stood by President Uhuru Kenyatta while the latter was addressing Kenyans on the dastardly attack.
Anenih also recalled Americans and the British closed ranks and rallied support for their respective governments in the aftermath of al-Qaeda deadly attacks on their nations, pointing out that in none of these cases did the citizens call on their president or prime minister to resign.
The party leader expressed gratitude to the United Nations and the governments of France, United States of America and Great Britain for collaborating with Nigeria in the anti-terror war.
He also said it was heart warming to note that our Francophone neighbours, namely: Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin Republic were on board.
The three-page statement partly read: “At a time that our nation is facing the menace of terrorism, it is of utmost importance that all Nigerians, irrespective of their regional, religious or political affiliations, should be united in supporting the Federal Government and all the security agencies in the fight to end terror in our country.
“As a father, I deeply sympathise with the parents of the abducted Chibok girls and pray for their safe return. No parent should have to experience what the parents of these innocent girls are passing through on account of this outrageous abduction by Boko Haram.
“I also understand the anger that has been expressed through the global #BringBackOurGirls movement and wish to state that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party are fully committed to ensuring the safe return of our daughters.
“I must, however, deplore the situation where some opposition politicians have tried to make political issues out of it by calling for the resignation of President Jonathan over a group that is waging war against the Nigerian state.
“Such behaviour is unbecoming of patriotic citizens of a democratic nation like Nigeria.”
Anenih said it was unfortunate that some Nigerians have forgotten so soon that the President has replaced service chiefs twice since he assumed office in a bid to bolster the operational efficiency of the military.
He also said the war against terrorism was a unique kind of confrontation which was unlike conventional warfare where enemy targets are easy to identify.
However, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the refusal of the President to visit Chibok since the abduction of the girls, was a clear indication that he does not understand the demands of his office. He said the office requires that “in good/bad times, he is to be seen and heard as the lead celebrant/lead consoler for his compatriots. His statement (about why he did not visit) is the most pedestrian justification of a presidential faux pas ever.” The President, he said,
Maiduguri, the Borno state capital is back in confusion again, away from the lingering Boko Haram insurgence, as Police officers were alleged to have opened fire on, and killed a member of the Keke-Napep (commercial Tricycle) rider and a passenger today. The killing of the two civilians has thrown the city into violence with members of the Keke-Napep union taking to the streets in protest.
The youth groups were said to have barricaded most of the roads in parts of the city even as they made bonfire, causing a lot of smokes to filled the air.
Soldiers were said to have continued to shoot into the air to disperse the protesters who mobilized themselves and were headed towards Dandal police station with the aim of attacking it.
An eye witness, Muhammadu Maduba said that the police officer shot the driver after his first shot missed him and killed the passenger sitting at the back of his vehicle.
“There was a road blockage around the West End area and the tricycle rider refused to heed to the order of the police man to turn back and take the other route, so the police man fired his gun while the tricycle rider and his passenger were trying to move on.
“But the bullet missed the driver and hit the passenger. Upon realizing that his passenger had been hit, the tricycle rider stopped and the policeman walked up to him and fire at him; the driver too slumped and died at once”.
Upon seeing what happened to their colleagues, other members of the Keke Napep riders Union rose up in protest and marched on the streets and burning tires.
Some of them headed towards the Dandal Divisional Headquarters of the Police force, making soldiers who were deployed to the area to begin to shoot into the air.
Arsenal this evening, fought back from two early goal deficits to beat Hull City 3-2 this at Wembley Stadium to win the 2014 English FA Cup. The victory, which ended a long wait for silverware at the Emirates, came courtesy of extra time goal buried in the 109th minute by Aaron Ramsey after diverting a back-heel from Olivier Giroud into the top corner.
Hull City had launched an early scare with early goals from James Chester in the 4th minute and Curtis Davies in the 8th.
Santi Cazorla revived Arsenal’s hopes with a 17th minute wonder goal off a free kick, with Laurent Koscielny drawing the Gunners level in the 71st.
After Ramsey’s extra time back breaker, spirited efforts by substitute, Nigerian international Sone Aluko, to equalise for the Tigers proved fruitless, thus ensuring that Arsene Wenger’s nine-year wait for a trophy had finally come to an end
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has appointed additional 1,086 aides.
This is contained in a statement signed by Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Umar Alkali. The statement said that the appointment cuts across the 11 local government areas of the state.
Those appointed included one senior special assistant, 85 special assistants and 1,000 personal assistants (grade I, II and III).
According to the statement, the appointments takeimmediate effect
Port Harcourt based singer, Duncan Mighty has blasted his colleagues in the music industry, who he says are living fake lives and claiming to own more than they actually do.
“A lot of Nigerian artistes lead fake lives. They claim to be what they are not, just because they want to meet up their peers and fellow artistes.”
In an interview, the popular musician said: “I live in my own house, it has a swimming pool, lounge and studio and I make bold to say I didn’t buy it. I built it from the scratch. But a lot of these artistes will claim they bought a house for N300m or N400m.
“But I didn’t spend up to that amount to build my house. If you have that amount, say N500m, you don’t go and buy one property. There are many things to do with money. They claim they have state-of-the-art cars, but that is not my priority. I have choice cars, but it takes a lot of money to maintain such cars.”
Why most artistes who hit the spotlight and achieve fame would seek to move into Lagos, which is believed to be the central city for entertainers and the like, the Ikwerre born singer has chosen to remain in Port Harcourt and explained why.
According to Duncan Mighty, his presence in Rivers state has gotten a lot of entertainment stake holders to notice the state and increase it’s popularity.
“I conquered the Lagos market with my first album and I think Nigerian artistes should be able to maximize fame and victory from any part of the country. The fact that I remain in PH city has attracted more entertainment stakeholders to the state, thereby boosting their popularity. I wish other Nigerian celebrities can do or say same about their states of origin.” He said.
France’s President Francois Hollande and President Goodluck Jonathan
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan and France’s President Francois Hollande have linked the operation of the deadly Nigerian Boko Haram to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda, making it no longer a local problem.
The leaders who spoke today at the Nigeria security summit holding in Paris, said: “Boko Haram has become a major threat for all of west Africa and now for central Africa. Its links to AQMI (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) and other terrorist organizations have been established.”
President Jonathan is joining four other African leaders and representatives of France, Britain and the United States, to iron out details of an international response to the Islamic extremist group, which still holding over 230 schoolgirls captive.
Francois Hollande wanted the security effort in Africa to involve sharing intelligence, protecting borders, and quick action in a crisis, even as he emphasised that Boko Haram had clearly established ties with other terror groups in Africa, making it a problem throughout the continent and beyond.
Top military Officers from the United States taking part in the current search for the abducted female students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state have expressed frustration with the Nigeria’s inability to act on the latest security information and other fresh intelligence about the Boko Haram.
“Images from US surveillance drones and satellites over the last week has shown suspected bands of Boko Haram militants setting up temporary camps and moving through isolated villages and along dirt tracks in northeastern Nigeria,” the report quoted US officials said.
It said the Obama administration has shared the images with President Goodluck Jonathan’s government in Abuja but that “Nigeria’s security forces are hampered by poor equipment and training and have failed to respond quickly.”
US Defence officials, according to the report, believe the insurgents split the girls into several groups after the April 14 abduction from their school even as the US officials made it clear that the girls’ locations are still unknown.
Meanwhile, mounting US frustration with the case spilled into the open on Thursday at a US Senate hearing where US officials complained of lack of decisive actions on what had been harvested so far.
“It is impossible to fathom that we might have actionable intelligence and we would not have the wherewithal — whether by the Nigerians themselves or by other entities helping the Nigerians — to be able to conduct a rescue mission,” said Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“In general, Nigeria has failed to mount an effective campaign against Boko Haram,” Alice Friend, the Pentagon’s principal director for Africa, told committee members. “In the face of a new and more sophisticated threat than it has faced before, its security forces have been slow to adapt with new strategies, new doctrines and new tactics.”
The United States, however, said it will continue to deepen its efforts, Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel, said while traveling to Saudi Arabia.
“However, I have seen no intelligence come back that I am aware of that shows that we’ve located those girls,” he said.
For now, the United States is not sharing raw intelligence from its surveillance aircraft with Nigeria’s armed forces because the countries have still not established the intelligence-sharing protocols and safeguards needed for an intelligence-sharing agreement, Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, said.
That said, the intelligence gathered through the surveillance flights is being fed to an interdisciplinary team on the ground, and that team is analysing it and providing advice to the Nigerian government, he said.
Warren added that the manned and unmanned aircraft being used are unarmed.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, called the kidnapping of hundreds of girls an “unconscionable crime,” vowing to do “everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes and to hold the perpetrators to justice.
“I will tell you, my friends, I have seen this scourge of terror across the planet, and so have you. They don’t offer anything except violence,” he said in a statement. “They just tell people, ‘You have to behave the way we tell you to,’ and they will punish you if you don’t.”
Parents of the abducted girls have complained that they reported the location of the militants and the girls days after the kidnapping but that security forces did not respond. Jonathan cancelled his plan to fly to Chibok on Friday which would have been his first since the girls were seized.
In addition to the US drones and satellite coverage, a manned US surveillance plane has been flying sorties over Nigeria this week. The British government has pledged to send a surveillance aircraft, and France, Israel and China have offered to share intelligence and satellite imagery, officials said.
The US team of about 30 advisers includes military experts in logistics, communications and information sharing. The White House has said it has no plan to send troops to take an active part in search-and-rescue operations.
“Nigeria’s hunt for more than 200 abducted schoolgirls is not all that it seems. In public, an international operation is gathering pace while behind the scenes, officials say it is unlikely to deliver the success that global opinion demands,” a report by Reuters said on Friday.
The report admitted that “But officials have little idea where the girls are, and acknowledge that if they are found, any rescue attempt would be fraught with problems. On top of that, morale is shaky among some of the Nigerian troops involved in the hunt who already have experience of Boko Haram as a formidable foe.
“We commend the effort by the #BringBackOurGirls protesters but it doesn’t fit with the reality of the security situation we are facing,” Reuters quoted a senior Nigerian military source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Foreign experts are also pessimistic that the girls can be easily extricated from the rebels’ clutches and returned to their homes in Nigeria’s remote northeast where Boko Haram operates.
“I think a rescue is currently unlikely and unfeasible,” said Jacob Zenn, a Boko Haram expert at US counter-terrorism institution, CTC Sentinel.
Until Monday, nothing had been seen of the girls since they were snatched from the village of Chibok near Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Then Boko Haram released a video showing more than 100 girls together in a rural location. In it, rebel leader Abubakar Shekau offered to exchange them for captured militants.
The video raised hopes that their location could be found using ground forces, state-of-the-art intelligence and surveillance planes.
Then an operation could be staged, perhaps with forces swooping from the sky like a British raid in Sierra Leone in 2000 to free soldiers held by militiamen, or Israeli commandoes’ rescue of passengers from a jet hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda, in 1976.
However, such a scenario is unlikely this time. One source with knowledge of the search said the footage was probably taken at least 10 days ago, if Boko Harma’s past videos are any guide. By now, the girls could be somewhere else as a group, or dispersed to many places.
Virtually undetectable The Sambisa forest, Boko Haram’s stronghold, is a first target but it is not conducive to aerial search because it covers 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 square miles), more than twice the size of Rwanda. The rebels know this area intimately and could spread the girls among local families, making them virtually undetectable by conventional security forces.
Two US national security sources said initially, the girls were separated into around three large groups but were subsequently scattered in smaller groups. Other experts said they could be in mountains near Gwoza on the Cameroon border.
If this is the case, some girls might be found before others, posing a dilemma for would-be rescuers.
“In the past, Boko Haram has threatened, and maybe actually gone ahead with, killing hostages upon sensing the hint of possible rescue operations,” said a security source. Rescuing some girls could add to danger faced by others still captive.
Another problem is time. Britain’s minister responsible for African affairs, Mark Simmonds, said on Wednesday that it was “early days” in the rescue operation, yet the abduction happened on April 14 so rebels have had ample time to prepare for an international response.
A senior US Defence Department official criticised Nigeria on Thursday for being too slow to adapt to the threat of Boko Haram.
Even coordinating an international effort faces difficulties in Nigeria, which recently overtook South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy. Nigeria has close ties with Western powers but has historically resisted foreign military involvement on its soil.
One possible sign of differing approaches is that Simmonds, rather than the president himself, announced that Jonathan had ruled out any prisoner exchange for the girls’ release. Nigerian officials have since declined to comment.
Ultimately, the girls’ best hope may lie in dialogue but the road to talks remains uncertain because the rebels do not form a unified group.
Boko Haram is faceless and even Shekau heads just one of several loosely coordinated groups with differing objectives, said a senior official with knowledge of the northeast.
A Nigerian presidential committee set up last year for talks with the rebels dealt last year with Boko Haram proxies. But they were later denounced by other Boko Haram militants as impostors, according to Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, who leads the committee.
One security source in Abuja cautioned against raising false hopes. “It is time we removed the thought of a very happy ending to this situation,” the source said.
Pressure to find the girls Wednesday marked one month since the 276 girls were abducted from Chibok by Boko Haram. A worldwide campaign to “bring back our girls” has spread awareness of the incident, and as the days go by, the pressure to find them increases.
US Senator, John McCain, is among those who support American military intervention to find the girls, if needed.
“You know, it’s interesting to me that when a ship is hijacked and taken into custody by these pirates, we have … no reservations about going in and trying to take that ship back and the crew that’s being held,” he said. “We have no compunctions about that.”
When it comes to the hundreds of girls who were kidnapped, the response has dragged, he said.
A US military operation “could be done in a way that is very efficient, but for us not to do that, in my opinion, would be an abrogation of our responsibilities,” McCain said.
Two senior administration officials told CNN that it is premature to talk about a special operations incursion into Nigeria because the girls have not been found yet.
The US military is there to advise and assist, but not to actively participate, the sources said.
If the girls are found, it would be up to the Nigerians to devise a plan and execute it with US assistance, the sources said.
And that raises other complications.
The Nigerian military is capable of carrying out a rescue operation, but there are concerns because it has been heavy-handed in the past and killed many civilians, the sources said.
As it currently stands, US law prohibits the US military from working with Nigerian military units that have been accused of abuses, a senior State Department official said.
“We’ve been very clear about our concerns about the Nigerian reports of and evidence of abuses by the Nigerian military,” the official said.
Even with all of these complications, the United States is committed to doing everything it can to find the girls, the official said.
Boko Haram’s brutal insurgency has created widespread fear in northeast Nigeria,
Boko Haram, meanwhile, has built up an arsenal of weapons and a fleet of trucks stolen from police stations and military barracks.
Robert Jackson, a US State Department specialist on Africa, said at the Senate hearing on Thursday that militants had killed more than 1,000 people this year in attacks on churches, mosques, schools and security outposts. The group drew little international attention until it vowed to sell the abducted girls as slaves.
Boko Haram initially styled itself after the Taliban in Afghanistan, claiming it wanted to create a strict Islamic state in Nigeria.
Boko Haram was added to the US list of foreign terrorist organisations last year.
US officials say some of its fighters received training and weapons from the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a North African offshoot of Al Qaeda. French troops destroyed training camps in Mali early last year, however, Defence officials said. Since then, outside financial and training support for Boko Haram has waned.
Partly as a result, Boko Haram intensified a kidnapping campaign that has generated large ransoms, said a US counter-terrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.
US officials say intelligence on Boko Haram is sketchy. They estimate that 300 trained fighters have joined the group. The total swells to about 3,000 if financial and other supporters are included.
“Coal, oil and gas resources in Europe are running down and we need alternatives.”
This is an announcement from experts in the United Kingdom, one of who is Professor Anderson.
Professor Anderson was particularly referring to the UK which he said is set to run out of its oil, coal and gas supplies in a little over five years.
Research from the Global Sustainability Institute also named other European countries as having been facing similar shortages and that many nations will become entirely dependent on energy imports in the next few years.
The UK has 5.2 years of oil remaining, 4.5 years of coal and three years of gas before completely running out of fossil fuels, says the institute, which is based at Anglia Ruskin University.
France is reportedly even worse off, with less than a year’s worth of fossil fuels in reserve, while Italy has less than a year of gas and coal and a single year of oil.
“The EU is becoming ever more reliant on our resource-rich neighbours such as Russia and Norway, and this trend will only continue unless decisive action is taken,” said Dr. Aled Jones, the director of the institute.
“It is vital that those shaping Europe’s future political agenda understand our existing economic fragility.”
Despite the shortages faced by UK, France and Italy, other EU countries have more reliable supplies. Germany has more than 250 years of coal left (but only a year’s supply of oil and gas) while Bulgaria has 73 years of coal and Poland has 24 years.
Russia is one of the best appointed countries in Europe with its massive land mass offering up more than 500 years of coal, 100 years of gas and 50 years of oil.
Professor Victor Anderson, also from the institute, has urged a “Europe-wide drive to expand renewable energy sources such as wave, wind, tidal, and solar power.”
The Government has recently announced cuts in its subsidies for large-scale solar farms from next April, two years before they were projected to end, and the Conservatives have said they will not subsidise new onshore wind farms if they win the 2015 general election.
Ministers are instead hoping that a combination of shale gas – extracted by fracking – and new oil finds in the North Sea will be able to plug the coming deficit
Nigeria has budgeted about $12 million for the World Cup, with each player guaranteed at least $100,000 if they win the competition even as it draws up what it called code of conduct on the players in a bid to halt the tantrums that saw them crash out of the last two finals in the first round.
According to sources in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the code of conduct will stem Wrangling over win bonuses and team selection which tainted recent campaigns..
The NFF drew up the code of conduct to forestall any major row such as last year, when a pay dispute almost saw Nigeria miss the Confederations Cup.
The authorities have also given assurance that they are fully behind coach Stephen Keshi, despite the frequency with which the coach who guided Nigeria through World Cup qualifying is sacked.
The Brazil tournament in Brazil will be the second time the Super Eagles go into the World Cup as African champions.
The last time was in 1994, when they reached the knock-out round and won admirers for their attacking football.
The only other time they went past the first round was in France in 1998. In 2002 in Japan and South Korea, and in South Africa four years ago, they were eliminated in the group phase.
In Brazil, Keshi’s side have been drawn against Argentina, Iran and Bosnia in Group F.
Nigeria had lost all three of their previous clashes with Argentina but have yet to meet Iran or Bosnia at full international level.
Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who plays for French side Lille, warned that there are “no easy games” at the World Cup finals, adding: “All these teams are serious about getting results.
“But we will see how it goes with the Super Eagles. We will do our best to progress from the group.”
Keshi, who steered the side to their African Cup of Nations triumph in South Africa last year, is keeping secret his own World Cup target.
“My employers, the NFF didn’t set any targets for me to reach at Brazil 2014 but I have set a target for myself which is not meant for public consumption,” he said.
Keshi, who has faced repeated rumours that he will be replaced, is in charge of a much more settled and confident Nigeria team than the one he took over in November 2011.
They will hope to use the experience of playing in Brazil at last year’s Confederations Cup, where they lost to world and European champions Spain, as well as Uruguay.
Joseph Yobo was recalled, as his experience will be vital in a defence that is widely regarded as the team’s weakest link.
The 33-year-old central defender has not played since the African Nations triumph. But he has been a key player for English Premier League side Norwich City and he looks on track to secure a record century of international caps in Brazil.
But a major concern is that key stars like Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi and Victor Moses, who is on loan to Liverpool, have struggled at club level.
“It’s unfortunate that Mikel, (Monaco defender) Elderson and Moses are not playing regularly for their clubs. But they are not kids who I need to teach how to play football,” said Keshi.
“I would have loved them to be playing regularly for their clubs but I can’t control that. I watched Mikel against Arsenal when he came in, he was sharp and played well.
“It’s difficult but they play good for the team when they are here which is more important for our team. We need them in the team and we all know their ability.”
Nigeria plan a warm-up against Scotland in London on May 28 as well as matches against Greece and the United States.
They will set up a training camp in Houston, Texas, at the end of May, and go to Brazil by the second week of June.
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Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, has asked those who are calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign on account of the fight against Boko Haram to shut their mouths up saying such people are unpatriotic
Maiduguri, the Borno state capital is back in confusion again, away from the lingering Boko Haram insurgence, as Police officers were alleged to have opened fire on, and killed a member of the Keke-Napep (commercial Tricycle) rider and a passenger today. The killing of the two civilians has thrown the city into violence with members of the Keke-Napep union taking to the streets in protest.
Arsenal this evening, fought back from two early goal deficits to beat Hull City 3-2 this at Wembley Stadium to win the 2014 English FA Cup. The victory, which ended a long wait for silverware at the Emirates, came courtesy of extra time goal buried in the 109th minute by Aaron Ramsey after diverting a back-heel from Olivier Giroud into the top corner.
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State has appointed additional 1,086 aides.
Port Harcourt based singer, Duncan Mighty has 
“Coal, oil and gas resources in Europe are running down and we need alternatives.”
Nigeria has budgeted about $12 million for the World Cup, with each player guaranteed at least $100,000 if they win the competition even as it draws up what it called code of conduct on the players in a bid to halt the tantrums that saw them crash out of the last two finals in the first round.
