Former military Head of state, Gen, Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), says there must be end to the bickering between the federal and state governments over security issues if insecurity in the country must be solved.

“Security agencies of the (federal) government need closer cooperation with civilian security infrastructure which is in place but seldom considered as a part of the security effort,” he said against the backdrop of the effort to rescue the over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno State,” he said.

“The local government structure from ward to district to state level is an excellent starting point for an over-all new security initiative. State-wide effort should be carefully coordinated with federal authorities. It should be a bottom-to-top operation.

“The bickering between Abuja and the states should cease if we are serious in wanting to win the war and end the conflict. All moneys voted must demonstrably be seen to be spent on security.”

The three-time presidential candidate asked all Nigerians to “come together with unequivocal support to the government and security agencies in this fight against mindless violence and mad-cap ideologies.”

He said the country should have “one narrative” about Boko Haram, which he slammed as an abhorrent, anti-Islamic, anti-religion and anti-human sect.

Buhari welcomed the internationalization of the rescue effort but said the command and control of the operation should be led by Nigerians while foreign forces should “respect the country’s sovereignty and be wary of local sensitivities.”

He, however, faulted the recent rebase of the economy which made Nigeria’s the largest in Africa, saying the figures “are at variance with the lived experience of our citizens” with poverty,according to him, “so visible, so general and so extreme.”

“Government must take a serious look at our economic policy priorities and rebalance our policies in favour of agriculture and manufacturing to take people out of poverty and make them consumers for the expansion of the productive private sector and manufacturing.”

Such policies, he said, must create jobs for millions of young unemployed and create opportunities for the millions entering job market every year.

(AFP) – French President Francois Hollande said Saturday that Nigeria’s Boko Haram had “established links” to Al-Qaeda and urged countries in the region to devise a common strategy to combat its threat.

Speaking at a summit meeting in Paris with Nigeria and neighbouring countries, Hollande 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 organisations have been established.”

Children of Farmers Club, a non-governmental organization has joined the call for the release of the abducted Chibok school girls unconditionally.

The group also rejected the demand for a swap deal by the leader of the sect.

Speaking to journalists after a protest walk organized to call for the release of the girls at the weekend, the Executive Director of the Club, Chief (Mrs) Bridget Obi lamented that as the world celebrated the 2014 International Day of Families, the story of insurgency from Nigeria had brought untold hardship to families.

She said many had lost their loved ones, bread winners, businesses and homes to the conflict, while other emerging crime like kidnapping and abduction had become the order of the day.

“The recent abduction of 234 girls also calls for concern and we stand with their families and those who died during the recent bomb blast in Nyanya Abuja.

“It is sad that at a time that the attention of the world is focused on global development, especially the family, the Nigerian story is chilling and nerve breaking, with violent attack, kidnappings for ransom, sexual abuse, sex trade, human trafficking, baby factory, ritual act, economic crimes, political witch hunting and other forms of insurgences, including bombings at UN building in Nigeria and Nyanya Motor Park, as well as the abduction of the 234 Chibok girls on the 15th of April this year.

“We want the girls to be brought back without harm. We are saying that this is not the Nigeria we want. We do not want excuses or blame game. Let all the political parties come together and save the girls. Let the security agencies stand up and be counted. We are saying, ‘Bring back the girls’”, she declared.

Mrs Obi, who said the International Day of Families is celebrated around the world yearly, added that this year’s theme is “Families Matter for the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals”.

She called for a new national policy on families to protect the Nigerian family and improve the quality of life in the families.

Badagry – President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday, urged Nigerian journalists to be factual in their news reporting and not to be sentimental in their judgment.

The President made this call at the Triennial Delegates Conference 2014 of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) held at Badagry, Lagos State.

Jonathan, represented by Registrar of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Garuba Kakarfi, said “it is embarrassing when journalists dish out and celebrate statistics of casualties which turn out to be far from reality.

“Rather than retract and apologise for previous goofs, they carry on in subsequent editions with some other contradictory figures that leave their audience confused.

“Journalists should carry out their duties in the spirit of patriots who have equal stakes in the peaceful development of the country.
“They should be less adversarial and more supportive of the government in seeking and providing succor to our citizens and solutions to the challenges faced by the country.

“I believe the mass media should be a reference point for authentic information and not a speculation mill’’, he said.
Jonathan urged journalists to take renewed interest in the quality of their editorial outputs.

“There is a rising neglect of good English in many mass media organs.
“The function of sub-desk needs to be reinstated in media operations so that reports are subjected to editing before they are published.

“In an era of alleged falling standards of education, the mass media should not be seen to be compounding the situation by publishing poor grammar, wrong use of words and bad spellings’’, he said.

He praised the courage of women journalists in lifting the journalism profession in Nigeria despite the difficult circumstances.
Earlier, the National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noted that nation building cannot be done without the participation of women.

He challenged women to take up more responsibilities in the affairs of the country.
“Journalists are the watchdogs of democracy; so women must be applauded for their commitment to change the country.
“Nation building cannot be done without the participation of women, so nations must use all its resources which include women”, he emphasised.

Mr Ajibade Peters, Director-General of Administrative Staff College if Nigeria, urged women to play their roles in nation building.
“NAWOJ plays a critical role in ensuring that Nigeria’s media has a strong and active female contingent’’, he said.

Mr Garba Mohammed, the National President of Nigerian Union of Journalists, urged the government to always involve the media in its activities.
“The government should not wait till when it encounters problems before involving the media.
“We must work together to ensure that the nation moves forward”, he said.

Mrs Asabe Nahaya, the outgoing National President of NAWOJ, called on women journalists to unite in making the country a better place. (NAN)

Makurdi – The Principal of Government College, Makurdi, Mr Godfrey Ugudu, on Saturday said the school had received letter from Boko Haram sect threatening to attack the school.

Ugudu, who announced this at a news conference in Makurdi on Saturday, added that the school received two letters which had the same content on May 14.

“It is true that we saw two letters informing us of the intention of the sect to invade our school on Friday or Monday by Boko Haram.

“The letters were dated May 14, 2014, stating that they were coming either of the two days to abduct our boys whom they would marry to the secondary school girls abducted in Chibok.

“In the letter, we were asked to inform the Mount Saint Gabriel Secondary School opposite us to also get prepared as they promised to invade the place too.’’

According to him, “we immediately alerted the police and the Commissioner for Education. A report has been made to the Governor on the issue.

“The two letters, which were written in pidgin English, were sighted inside one of the classrooms and the second one was slipped into the staff room’’, he said.

The principal commended the government and security operatives in the state for their prompt response to the issue.

He said that everything had been done to ensure the safety of the school children, adding that he had informed the Principal of Mount Saint Gabriel.

About 500 out of about 700 students of the college are living in the school while Mount Saint Gabriel is purely boarding school.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Dan Ezeala, confirmed the report and assured that police were on top of the situation. (NAN)

By Femi Fani-Kayode

On  May 4,  2014, Abubakar Shekau, the leader Boko Haram, proclaimed: “I am going to marry out any woman who is twelve years old, and if she is younger, I will marry her out at the age of nine. I am the one who captured all those girls and will sell all of them.  Slavery is allowed in my religion and I shall capture people and make them slaves. We are on our way to Abuja and we shall also visit the South.

I am going to kill all the Imams and other Islamic clerics in Nigeria because they are not Muslims since they follow democracy and constitution. It is Allah that instructed us, we  will soak the ground of Nigeria with Christian blood, and so-called Muslims contradicting Islam. We will kill and wonder what to do with their smelling corpses. This is a war against Christians and democracy and their constitution”.

It is self-evident that Mr. Shekau is not only a dangerous, barbaric, sadistic, bestial, delusional, homicidal, misogynistic, paedophilic, psycopathic and sociopathic vampire and cold-blooded murderer all rolled into one but his words adequately reflect the sheer ruthlessness and callousness that has seized the Haramite mind.
There is no doubt in my mind that he is possessed by the most vicious and cruel demons and that he has a bloodlust that is second to none. Even Al Qaeda  condemned the latest atrocity committed by Boko Haram in Chibok.

Yet despite their sheer depravity they appear to have a few friends at home who insist on speaking for them. Permit me to give just one example.
Some  northern elders have said that the Federal Government ‘’should pay billions as ransom to Shekau and release all detained Boko Haram members’’ and that there must be ‘’no foreign forces in Nigeria”. They have also demanded that ‘’force should not be used’’ in securing the freedom of the abducted girls.
These demands are repugnant. It is the same people that did not want troops to be deployed  in  the area in the first place.

It is the same people that did not want  state of emergency to be declared in the North. It is the same people that have been urging the government to negotiate with Boko Haram in  the last three years.
It is the same people that have consistently asked that Boko Haram should be treated lightly and that they should be offered amnesty even though they have slaughtered no less than 10,000 innocent people.

It is the same people that are suggesting that Boko Haram is actually a creation of the CIA, MOSSAD and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
It is one of these northern elders that referred to Boko Haram as ‘’freedom fighters’’ who are simply ‘’fighting for justice” only last year. It is another that said that members of Boko Haram ought to be treated ‘’in the same way as the Niger Delta militants’’ and that they should be rehabilitated, resettled and paid large sums of money only last year.

It is another that said that ‘’Muslims should only vote for those that would protect their interests” and that he would see to it that ‘’Sharia law is implemented and applied throughout the whole country” in 2001.

It is another that said that Nigeria was created by the British and granted independence by them in 1960 on the clear understanding that ‘’a northern Muslim would always lead the country” in 1994. It is another that said that if the North does not have it’s way on the voting formula at the Constitutional Conference he would lead his people ‘’out of Nigeria and into the Camerouns” just over a month ago. It is another that said that they would make our country ‘’ungovernable” if a southerner was elected into power in 2011.

It is another that said, only a few weeks ago, that our country ‘’would burn” if  President Jonathan or any other southerner contests for the presidential election in 2015. It is another that told us last year that ‘’poverty was the root cause of Boko Haram’’ and that the South was receiving too much money whilst the North was not receiving enough. How much more of this can we be expected to take?

Just three weeks after the Haramites have abducted almost 300 young school girls at Chibok, burnt down their school and kept them as sex slaves, just a few days after they abducted eight more at Warabe Village, Borno state, just two weeks after two bombs went off in Nyanya, Abuja killing a total of 150 people between them and just three days after no less than 350 innocent people were slaughtered by the terrorists in Gamborou Ngala, a border town with the Camerouns, these northern elders are saying that force must not be used against them. This is unacceptable and their suggestion must be treated with the contempt that it deserves.

‘Never negotiate with terrorists ‘
I do not know what it will take for the Nigerian people to accept the fact that Boko Haram is the greatest evil that our country has ever had to contend with and that there can be no dialogue with such demons. I do not know what it will take for these northern elders to accept the fact that evil is evil, that you must never negotiate with terrorists and that their ‘’gentle way’’ simply cannot work.

The truth is that until every single one of the Haramites is hunted down, brought to justice and despatched to hell there will be no peace in our country. We must also eliminate those who secretly encourage, fund and protect them.

I have always viewed those that suggest that Boko Haram should be treated with kid gloves with the utmost suspicion. It is either that we live in a secular state where the rule of law prevails, where beasts have no place and where murderous animals are treated like the savages that they are or we shall have no country at all.

All this talk about ‘’not using force’’ must stop because it is nonsensical, it is counter-productive and it presents a very real threat to our desire to continue to live as one nation. Those that abduct, rape, kill and enslave children do not deserve to live.
Those that say that ‘’force should not be used’’ should give up them their own daughters in exchange for our missing girls. After they have done that they can be as gentle as they like with Boko Haram.

In all this, President Goodluck Jonathan has much to learn and I would be the last person to endorse what I consider to be his inexplicable restraint and obvious weakness in the fight against Boko Haram. Mr. President has failed to protect the lives and property of the Nigerian people and no responsible, self-respecting and rational human being, including those that consider themselves to be his friends, should shy away from telling him so.

’Playing into critics hands’
We expect far better from him and if he fails to deliver he would not only have betrayed his mandate, violated his oath of office and let down the Nigerian people but he would also play right into the hands of his critics. These include the American Senator John Mcain, who told the world that ‘’no government exists in Nigeria’’ and Senator Hilary Clinton, who said that the Federal Government of Nigeria had ‘’squandered their oil wealth, allowed corruption to fester and now they are losing control of parts of their country’’.

These are timely admonitions from the Americans but they made their own fair share of blunders as well. For example, one wonders why it took the Obama adminstration up until early this year to formally recognise Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation despite repeated calls to do so earlier by many prominent Nigerians including Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the President of CAN. When Senator Clinton was Secretary of State, the State Department refused to label Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation even though they had butchered thousands of Nigerians. Perhaps if they had done so more lives would have been saved.

There is no doubt that our government has handled this matter in an unacceptable manner but the Americans must carry their own fair share of the blame.  For Jonathan, the words of Mr. Opeyemi Agbaje are instructive. On  May 9, 2014 he wrote:

“We warned Jonathan. We called for action against Boko Haram and we screamed until our voices went hoarse. Now the people who advised him against taking strong action and called for dialogue, the very people that said it was caused by poverty, the very people that promised that traditional rulers would resolve the matter, the very people that encouraged him to vacillate and do nothing or little, are the ones mocking him. Well, that is why leaders must exercise leadership. The buck stops at his table. The credit or the failure goes to him. I hope he learns!’’
A word is enough for the wise.

*Fani-Kayode was a Minister of Aviation

Observing President Jonathan at very close quarters for 2 days in Abuja was quite revealing. It is one thing to listen to him or read his words, it is quite another to hear him in the flesh. What is clear is that his grasp of issues is extremely and painfully limited. There is no evidence of any depth to the things he says at all.

Yet, that need not be a permanent problem – it can be overcome by better preparation as many world leaders have been known to do. This is where the problem is compounded – he clearly does not spend time preparing for his public appearances.

2 examples from his speech at the opening plenary – With the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, sitting right beside him, he said the population of China is ’1.2 billion or 1.3 billion’. Actually, the population of China is now at 1.36bn. The difference he casually uttered is easily more than Nigeria’s population. Yet, a simple search could have prepared him for this if he needed to make reference to it at all. Is this the fault of his aides? Perhaps, but then for a PhD where is the curiosity?

He also said Nigeria is trying to copy Bolsa Familia from Brazil and then bizarrely added ‘I don’t know the correct pronunciation’. Why? This was an interesting revelation because in 2012, his Senior Special Assistant on MDGs, Dr Precious Gbeneol, said they were ‘considering’ adopting this same Bolsa Familia programme after a tour of Brazil. 2 years later we are ‘trying’ to adopt it and the President doesnt even know the correct pronunciation.

All the recent remarks credited to him – Nigerians are not poor because we have private jets and corruption is not corruption but mere stealing – for which he was ridiculed were repeatedat WEF. He also added a new one when he said – in trying to cast doubt on the altruism of the Occupy Nigeria protests – that the protesters were being fed during the protests with food from ‘Kingsway’. One can understand that the President has never lived in Lagos, but Kingsway? Perhaps his aides have found a way to completely shield him from criticism but that then means he actually believes that mere stealing is not corruption etc and needs to be told that makes no sense.

Continue after the cut…

As someone said to me – even if he bypassed all his aides and went to the cleaner in Aso Rock and said ‘You know say dem bomb Abuja yesterday, how you feel say e go be if I go dance for PDP rally today for Kano today?’, the cleaner would have easily told him ‘Oga, I no think say e go pure if you do am like that’. In other words, anyone could have told him it was a bad idea. Does the President not know this?

There is evidence that his aides compound the problem for him – for example Abati picked a spot under a Transcorp Hilton plaque for the president to address the press from. [I overheard people asking who picked that spot and one of the pressmen saying it was Abati]. Of course the pictures then went out with the President looking like a spokesman for the Hilton Hotel. How hard would it have been to scan around to ensure there’s nothing unnecessary in the picture before picking a spot for him? This is anyhowness on steroids.

On Thursday, various leaders and businessmen were heading out of a meeting room and everyone gathered round the entrance to take photos as they came out. The President came out with around 6 security guards around him (in front and behind him as well as beside). The problem with this was that all the guards were taller than him so it was hard to see him. He walked by without waving or smiling to anyone while everyone just watched him in silence. Contrast with Kagame who came out with all his guards behind him and he leading the way – the President was constantly being directed this way or that to the point where one of his security guards put his hand on his back and gave him a gentle push to guide him into a room. This might be understandable if the events were taking place outdoors but it was all indoors and the President was supposed to be the chief host. Instead Tony Elumelu and Aliko Dangote ended up doing the work of schmoozing the guests and smiling for the cameras.

He was on a ‘Partnering for Prosperity’ panel with a number of CEOs and tried to make an argument for protectionism. One of the other panelists then countered him not so subtly as to the dangers of this type of policy (he was touting Dangote’s wealth as something that was a result of government policy and also suggested that the insecurity in the country was an opportunity for investors), the way he responded showed that he had not even considered that this policy has weaknesses. He simply conceded that argument by saying ‘you are the expert’ and smiled.

All of this was painful to watch and people sitting beside me were either laughing or sighing. Yet it will not deter those who are supporters and admirers of the President. You might even say this is all nitpicking which it probably is.

But we really have to ask ourselves how we gave such a demanding and difficult job to a man who by all accounts will be perfectly happy doing something else.

(Excerpts from his article The Word On The Streets XI on aguntasolo.com)

SOURCE: BAYO BLOG

The relative peace in Maiduguri was on Sunday shattered as youths took to the streets to protest the alleged killing of a civilian at the West-End area of the metropolis by a police officer.

The angry youths in their hundreds barricaded major roads in the area and also set bonfires.

Witnesses said that trouble started when a policeman tried to shoot a tricycle operator, popularly known as Keke NAPEP for allegedly violating traffic rule.

DailyPost, however, gathered that the officer missed his target and the bullet hit a road side trader (Maigoro) opposite a military formation.

The trader, who was reportedly hit on the chest, died instantly before help could come his way.

Witnesses said that the officer was not remorseful and this angered the youths who mobilized to the area on hearing the sound of the gunshot.

An eye witness who is also a road side trader, Mallam Mohammed Bukar told DailyPost that the angry youths chased away the policeman and his colleagues from the area.

According to him, “People were angered because after the shooting, the police did not show any sign of regret, so the youths who came to the area started protesting the killing”.

The police officer was nearly lynched by the youths but for the quick intervention of his colleagues who sneaked him out of the area.

However, DailyPost learnt that he sustained some injuries on his head and eyes.

The incident created tension in the area as motorists plying the road were made to take another route.

The road leading to Baga, Post office and Custom areas were closed for several hours by the youths.

Military men, who were drafted with armored vehicles to the area turned back when some of the youths started throwing stones at them.

As at the time of filing this report, smoke bellowing from the bonfire could be noticed from afar.

Meanwhile Police Public Relations Officer, DSP, Gideon Jibril told journalists that the command was not aware of the incident.

However, some youths told DailyPost that a number of the protesters were arrested and detained at Lamisula police station.

Ibadan – The Chief  Imam  of  Lead City University, Ibadan, Abdulrahman Muhammed-Liawal, on Sunday urged the media to stop referring to the Boko Haram sect as an Islamic group.

Muhammed-Liawal made the plea  in Ibadan at a programme organised by the Muslim community of  Radio Nigeria, Ibadan, with the theme: “ Islam and the Media.’’

The cleric, who  noted that  the activities of  the  sect were  completely anti-Islam,   said:

“Islam is not a religion that encourages force  but rather a religion of  peace and  equity.

“The attitude of  Boko Haram contradicts the teachings  of Islam; the judgment in Islam for anybody that kills his fellow being is death.

“ Anybody that understands this principle will not kill his fellow being.’’

He also advised the media to always confirm their information before reportage in order not to mislead the public.

Muhammed-Liawal, who observed that the best means of  informing the people about Islam was through the media, advised well-meaning Muslims to sponsor Islamic programmes during the forthcoming Ramadan. (NAN)

Borno State Government has dispatched fifty of its citizens to India for a course of Irrigation Agriculture, a move Governor Kashim Shettima said is part of his administration’s 3-approaches to fighting the Boko Haram attacks in the State.

The 50 citizens left Nigeria on board an Ethiopian airline in Abuja earlier today (Saturday) soon after Shettima addressed them at a farewell held at ogbeh farms in Kuje area council of the FCT, belonging to former National Chairman of PDP, Chief Audu ogbeh. Ogbeh is a honorary adviser on Agriculture to Governor Shettima and he is also a key member of the Borno State Agricultural Transformation Team.

Shettima said at the farewell that his Government has since discovered that in addition to misguided beliefs, Boko Haram insurgents have over the years been recruiting foot soldiers they pay salaries who accept their offers as a result of joblessness, hopelessness and extreme poverty, a condition, he said, can be addressed with massive investment in Agriculture.

The Governor said he believes that Boko Haram can best be contained through a combination of Military socio-political, and economic solutions, maintaining that none can be effective without the others.

Shettima said the fifty citizens, selected across the 27 local government areas of the State are to undergo a three weeks train-the-trainers course on Irrigation equipment installation, effective utilization and maintenance after which they will train farmers across the State. A world leader, Jain Irrigation of India which is currently installing drip and center pivot irrigation equipment in the State is to conduct the training as part of a contract between the State and the Company. Shettima had noted that in addition to Indian irrigation equipment, an American company from Nebraska State which the world headquarters of irrigation equipment, is installing 50 units of centre pivot and sprinkler irrigation equipment along Maiduguri -Konduga farm areas as a pilot program, revealing that 400 units of such equipment from U.S, India and China are expected for installation across private farms in the State with a view increasing cropping in the State to revolutionize agriculture and create millions of jobs so that Boko Haram wouldn’t find easy recruits as they have been enjoying.
The Governor recalled that the Government has found cases where citizens were paid as little as N5,000 to set schools ablaze or spy on soldiers due to absence of job opportunities.
” besides those driven by spiritual motives, there is also the economically induced Boko Haram. This can be seen where some youths were paid as low as N5,000 to burn schools and spy on our security men. So that goes to show that Boko Haram is not only propelled by evil spiritual motive but also by economic motives”, the governor said.
Shettima maintained that while the State will continue to support the military and volunteers as a coercive unit, focus must also be accorded to social re-orientation to de-radicalise citizens as well as provide jobs for majority of them, without which, he noted, Boko Haram would hardly be addressed in the immediate, medium and long term because so long as people can be recruited, the group can always grow.
Shettima said Borno has so much land resources with 67,000 hectares of irrigation land in just one corner of the northern part of the State which if properly harnessed, can bring an end to Boko Haram insurgency in the State.

The Governor explained that 50 unemployed graduates of Agriculture had undergone a different train-the-trainers course for three months in Thailand, some citizens had been trained in sobore farms in Adamawa and others in Benin Republic. He said the State is currently taking delivery of 400 containers of agricultural machinery and has taken delivery of 500 mobile rice mills and groundnut processing units while the State has established a micro finance bank it will capitalize to provide loans to farmers and finance agricultural activities through policies that will be friendly to farmers. Shettima said all the steps were being taken to wage an economic war on Boko Haram by making the group a small minority so that it can be overcome by majority of employed citizens.

“Land rather than oil is the most precious of all natural resources. Borno is the largest state in Nigeria even though some records say Niger is bigger than Borno. Borno is 20 times bigger than Lagos. Nigeria spends nearly 20 billion dollars annually imported food stuff. We are the greatest food importing nation. Borno has the singular advantage of diverting so much of the funds Nigeria spends on food importation, we are the only State bordering three countries and this makes Agricultural trade easier. We can use that to take people off the streets and fight insurgency” he said.
The Governor advised the trainees to live up to the trust that the government bestowed while realising that they are entrusted to help in addressing a serious crisis through knowledge based Agriculture.
In his remarks at the event, honorary adviser on Agriculture to Shettima, Chief Audu Ogbeh called on the trainees to heed to the lessons they will learn in India, just as he eulogized the Borno governor for his steadfastness in developing knowledge based Agriculture in Borno, noting that the opportunity provided by the governor was one that had become really revolutionary.

A Port Harcourt based lawyer, Osi Olisah has accused politicians in the Northern Nigeria of conspiracy against President Goodluck Jonathan.

Olisah in an interview with DailyPost said the Boko Haram is a cartel used by Northern politicians to destabilize Nigeria.

He further noted that the uncomplimentary remarks from some world leaders and international media, was a well orchestrated plan by the politicians to discredit Jonathan.

According to him, “terrorists have come into Nigeria. They want to make Nigeria their haven. These people are agents of satan and forces of darkness. And the way it is, these are people with high network. They have sponsors.

“That is part of the conspiracy. Let me tell you something, the North itself believe they are the owners of Nigeria. What we have is that these people are willfully and deliberately dividing this country.

“Just imagine a situation where we are Nigerians in Nigeria and some Northerners are saying their agenda is how to develop the North. Is it not strange?”, he quizzed.

Olisah stressed that the people of the Niger-Delta may be forced to react someday.

“We have been following up events and we have discovered that some negative remarks are being made against President Goodluck Jonathan.

“All they are trying to do is lobby countries and instigate them against President Jonathan.

“These are just cheap blackmails, cheap tricks to remove Jonathan but they will not succeed.

“At the end of the day, Niger-Deltans will be compelled to rise. And now, those who were militants before now have seen more money than they saw before and they may be prepared to react. They are calm now because their brother, Goodluck Jonathan is at the helm of affairs”, he said.

Thousands of Arsenal fans flooded the streets of north London to celebrate their side’s dramatic FA Cup victory, that ended a nine-year wait for silverware.

Match winner Aaron Ramsey was pinching himself on Sunday morning as the realisation of ending Arsenal’s trophy drought dawned on him.

The Welsh midfielder tweeted: ‘Woke up and it turns out it really did happen. Thanks for all the tweets, see you later at the parade!!’

Party time! Arsenal players, including Aaron Ramsey (R), lift the trophy in front of their fans

French fancy: Goal scorer Laurent Koscielny lifts the cup during the Victory Parade on Sunday

On the buses: Arsenal’s FA Cup victory parade starts at the Emirates Stadium and travels through north London

To be a Gooner! Thousands of Arsenal fans have flooded the streets of Islington to celebrate their side’s win

Tottenham baiting: Jack Wilshere (C) to the opportunity to goad Arsenal’s north London rivals

Good turn out! Thousands of fans flooded the streets to celebrate with their heroes.

BY DAUD OLATUNJI,ABEOKUTA

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, said the  late business mogul and undeclared winner of the June 12,  1993  presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, deserves to be honoured,   saying he  sacrificed for Nigeria.

Obasanjo, who spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun   State capital, at the   fourth Founder’s Day celebrations and 85th birthday of the founder/patron of the Nobel House College, Chief Olatunde Abudu, lamented  that Abiola was denied being the President of the country due to what he called ‘bad belle’.

The former President, was reacting to a statement by the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun   Aremu   Gbadebo, who said bad ‘belle’ robbed   Ogun of producing three Presidents. Obasanjo acknowledged   the contribution of  Abiola to the development of Nigeria in all areas of human endeavours, saying the late politician  sacrificed a lot  for  the development of the country.
Obasanjo, a  special guest of honour at the event, spoke  in the presence of a  former Head of Interim National Government,   Chief Ernest   Shonekan; a  former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice,   Prince Bola Ajibola;  governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and some traditional rulers.

Others dignitaries at the event include Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Lekan Alli, Major General Oluwole Rotimi (retd) and   Chief (Mrs) Ayora Kuforiji-Olubi. The remarks came days to the 15th anniversary of the annulled June 12, 1993 election, as Obasanjo acknowledged that Ogun has produced  many firsts in  different spheres of life. According to the former President, Abiola contributed to the development of  Nigeria,

“Yes, I agree,   Abeokuta would have produced a third President if not for bad ‘belle’. They did not allow him to be President,” he stated. “He deserved to be honoured   because he sacrificed   for Nigeria. “
Also speaking, Amosun stressed the essence of developing the education sector by all stakeholders, maintaining that government  should provide the enabling environment for its growth.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/abiola-deserves-honoured-obasanjo/#sthash.A1HIWbod.dpuf

The build up to the 2015 general election has no doubt witnessed a number of propaganda and counter-propaganda by both the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC. This is not unexpected with eight months to general elections. Nigerians are in for more juicy news items, both credible and otherwise.

A report on Pointblanknews.com, had chronicled how “agents of the APC and Governor Rotimi Amaechi invited some online praise singers to Port Harcourt for a thank you dinner, and that each got N5 million for the dogged bashing of the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration”.

The news site said the event was put together by one of Amaechi’s “lackeys” Preye Aganaba, who invited from Abuja, Lagos and Owerri, ardent critics of Jonathan.

Continuing, Pointblanknews wrote: “A reliable source close to APC interim publicity secretary, Mr. Lai Mohammed disclosed to Newsday reporters that APC had released the sum of N300 million to be shared among its online “warriors” for the final push against Goodluck Jonathan and a possible fall of the Nigerian government.

“This strategy is coming amidst an excellent result from the Public Relations firm the party hired from the United States in the tune of $1 billion to help the party tarnish the image of the Nigerian government. The PR firm which managed Obama 2008 and 2012 campaign has been instrumental to Nigerian government being featured in the international news media as weak and corrupt”.

It was alleged that some persons who go on Facebook and Twitter “to portray themselves as patriots, were sent air tickets to fly to Rivers State. The governor took them round the state where he showed them only his achievements”, the report further stated.

It continued that although 49 individuals were invited, 34 reportedly attended the event Tweetcasted via #TheAmaechiIKnow.

It said present were Kelechi Jeff Eme, Femi Adeoya, Petra Akinti Onyegbule, Preye Aganaba, Jasper Azuatalam, Japheth J Omojuwa, Soni Akoji, Theresa Ugwuanyi, Danjuma Azemobo Musa, Kelechi Deca.

The list also include Oviebor Okeh Goodluck, Eba Okorodudu White, Mercy Ugo and Uche Igwe, Eze-Basil Chinwendu Oluo D’Oracle, Ross Alabo-George, Mark Olise among others.

Victoria Ohaeri-Ibezim, Bukky Hassan, Tokunbo Aremodua, Susan Henshaw and a few others were said to have missed the event.

Reacting to an enquiry by DailyPost, one of the participants, Japheth Omojuwa, dismissed the allegations.

The political commentator and social media expert said “it was posted by a platform posing as Sahara Reporters. Pointblanknews is linked to Reno Omokri just as NaijaPundit and WarriReporters.

“I was in Port Harcourt. As I speak am being owed N44,509.00 for air fare and taxi fare. I was not paid a dime and I know Rinsola Abiola was not paid either.

“This is nothing but an update on their blackmail. I will address it in my Punch column on Wednesday”.

On his part, Soni Akoji, whose name appeared on the purported cheque spreading online, described the story as totally false and misleading.

He bared his mind through a rebuttal titled ‘Visit To PH, N5 Million Photoshopped Cheque And Matters Arising’.

It reads in parts: “My private visit to Port Harcourt as a part of 49 persons invited for an interactive forum with the Governor as part of activities marking his 49th birthday anniversary has been generating ripples. The high point of it all was the allegation that we were hired as “Attack Dogs” to abuse the Federal Government and each of us was paid N5,000,000.00 as reported in an online magazine.

“Initially I thought this was a joke, but based on the avalanche of calls that I have received within and outside the country, and from private messages from well meaning friends and family, I have been made to understand that some people actually believed the story that we were paid N5 million, after they saw a photoshopped cheque purportedly issued to me by the Rivers State government.

“I have posted a blank picture of the original cheque and the photoshopped cheque purportedly issued to me by the Rivers State government, so that we can put the issues emanating therefrom to rest.

“Firstly, the names on my ID is not Soni, but Sunday. So based on that alone, no teller anywhere in the world will honour that cheque if I present it across the counter in a bank.

“Secondly, the purported cheque issued to me was an open cheque. Government cheques are ALWAYS closed /crossed cheques.

“Thirdly, there was only one signatory. This is not in line with global best practice.

“Fourthly, in line with the CBN banking policy, the maximum withdrawal over the counter from second or third party cheque is N150,000. (Hope I got that right?) So this cheque will have to go through clearing. This means that I will have to pay it into my current account. The name on my current account is not Soni.

“Since we are talking about inducement, permit me to appeal to the sentiment of those who believed that this cheque was symbolic as the real cheque might be somewhere else. Take it from me, I am not aware of the existence of any other cheque off blogosphere. Neither was I enriched by a single kobo for participating in the interactive forum #TheAmaechiIKnow”.

Sunday reiterated that the event was packaged and sponsored by friends of Amaechi as part of activities lined up for his 49th birthday

“It was a privately funded event and I can categorically say that the Rivers State Government’s involvement is in the area of logistics”, he added.

Email enquiries to Mr. Omokri and David Iyofor, Ameachi’s Chief Press secretary were not replied as at the time of filling this report.

By Emmanuel Okolie, Agbor

An explosion from a cooking gas has killed a family of six in Agbor in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The victims were identified as Mr. Favour Akpevweta, his wife, three children and a sister-in-law The fire started after the gas with which Mrs. Akpevweta was cooking exploded.
An eyewitness said that she was washing beans outside the compound in the evening when she noticed that something was burning in the kitchen, and rushed inside to know what it was.
The eyewitness said she entered the kitchen with a burning candle, which she dropped by the door, adding that the candle caused the explosion.

According to the eyewitness, while Mr. Akpevweta, who was in the sitting room with his children managed to walk out of the building, opposite Gbenoba Grammar School, he died some minutes later due to the severe burns he sustained.
Efforts by good Samaritans to rescue other members of the family were unsuccessful, the eyewitness added, saying that those that made it to the hospital alive, including Mrs. Akpevweta, did not survive.

Vanguard

James Sowole

The Senator Representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Robert Ajayi Boroffice at the weekend said safe return of over 200 girls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok,  Borno States is what is paramount to Nigerians and not the tactics employed to ensure their release.

Boroffice made the remark at Oka-Akoko, in Akoko South West Local Government of Ondo State, during an interview with journalists after he distributed empowerment materials worth millions of Naira to people of the senatorial district.

Thisday

Tobi Soniyi
An Igbo group, Igboezue Socio-Cultural Association,  has dragged President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to a Federal High Court in Abuja praying for an order to compel the party to endorse the president for a second term in office.

The group is also seeking a declaration that the party’s failure to endorse the president for a second term in office and Jonathan’s reluctance to declare his interest for a second term in office are unacceptable to well meaning Nigerians.

Thisdays

Report reaching DailyPost indicates that an explosion just off at a popular beer palour in Mubi area of Adamawa State.

However, we are yet to confirm if there are casualties in the incident that occurred on Sunday as details of the attack remains sketchy.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the killing of the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta, by suspected Boko Haram gunmen, saying it confirms the terror group as the enemy of the whole of Nigeria, rather than a group set up by some imaginary opposition political party or elites to bring down the Jonathan Administration.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the atrocious killing of the Emir is the clearest indication yet that the Jonathan administration has misdiagnosed the Boko Haram menace from the onset.

It recalled that when the indiscriminate activities of Boko Haram are placed side by side with others facts: that the group started in 2002 when Obasanjo was President and flared in 2009 when Yar’Adua was President, one would realize how deceitful and diversionary it is for anyone to portray is as an attempt to make Nigeria ungovernable under Jonathan.

”Boko Haram is not a northern response to a southern presidency, as some would have us believe. Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria; whether Christians or Muslims, southerners or northerners, the lowly or the elite, the young or the old, the poor and the rich. They must be seen for what they are: fringe elements who happen to have linked up with other terror groups around the world to acquire training and weapons which they are now using to terrorize a whole nation.

”That Emirs, who are Muslims and symbols of power in the north, can be so dastardly attacked, with deadly consequences, should convince those who would rather engage in blame game than fight the bandits that what the country faces is neither a strictly religious nor elite war, and make them to change their jaundiced mindset

”If indeed Boko Haram was sponsored by the so-called northern elites against Jonathan, how come they are not even sparing the same elites? If indeed Boko Haram is sponsored by the north against Jonathan, why are their deadly attacks concentrated in the north, where they have killed thousands and destroyed facilities and infrastructure worth billions?

”Let us all see Boko Haram for what it is, and come together as a people to fight the insurgents, rather than engage in denial, blame game and finger pointing that can only weaken our resolve as a nation to tackle this fringe group squarely,” APC said.

The party said the insurgency has festered because the government started off by not seeing it for what it is, thus losing valuable time to combat it, adding that when it started dawning on the government that the nation’s faces a serious problem, it responded by seeking to make political gains out of it.

”Those who saw Boko Haram, erroneously, as a political trump card have now suffered a boomerang, and today the Jonathan Administration is seen globally as incompetent, clueless and rudderless largely because of its inept handling of the Boko Haram insurgency, especially the unfortunate abduction of innocent school girls which has lingered. This is what you get when you play politics with a serious national problem,” it said.

APC restated its demand for a national security conference, as different from a gathering of all political parties, to help forge a common front against Boko Haram.

”We also reiterate our offer to join hands with the government in a non-partisan effort to battle the menace of Boko Haram, even though the government has yet to reach out to us since we made that offer,” the party said.

Vanguard

Calvary greetings to your family as we approach the end to the first half of the year and with my necessary ceremonial homage certainly acknowledged and presumably accepted, I want to belief, you haven’t forgotten that like an electronic gadget programmed to reach its destination, your ‘firstladyship’ became a reality being remotely controlled; those whose nuts were cracked for them benevolently should not forget to make humility a watchword. If pretence is kept in abeyance, then, I must confess, your motherly and kindheartedness, oftentimes displayed to the full glare of Nigerians must also receive commendation. Even at this period when Mr. President is facing lots of ‘swords’, as a fitted vessel, you have not failed to provide the necessary ‘shields’, recently, you had reacted: ‘it is bad to abuse your country and the president because God has made him the head…’, these were your words, typical of you. Couple with some paraphrased quotations, you displayed some great devotion to the faith, which corroborated my refined axiom that behind every successive man is God, but beside every successive man is a woman.

Nevertheless, on behalf of a varse majority of Nigerians, there remains some unsettled issues which must be brought to fore. Ma, Role playing is an important feature in the process of impact making; a woman who fails to identify his place in a given process in progress is bound to intermittently commit mistakes worth of public scrutiny and heavy criticism, especially when such person is occupying or is connected to another who is occupying a position of public attraction. Notwithstanding the fact that it appears too abysmal that some Nigerians have failed to understand that errors remain a part of life and whether in consonance or not, they continue to flash light them ironically, you have become a much pronounce victim at recent times, perhaps, special consideration is being made to the reputation or influence of your involvement. WHAT A PITY! This issue is much concern for me and it forms the fulcrum of this piece.

First, i want to believe that before your husband got to where he is now, you ought to have known the nature of Nigerians as extreme critiques, at least, that has taken us to where we are as a nation. Secondly, as much as you recognized your strength in keeping your families together, you ought to have known how to manage your weaknesses. Am poised to reason with you from a right perspective, this may, perhaps, give you some consciousness as to where and how you should conduct yourself in performing the role as the wife of a president in Nigeria and not become an object of mockery or scorn. It surprises me that your person is attracting much recognition in Nigeria, and even ‘celebration’ than your husband, albeit, from negative roots. I am privilege to have followed you for some time now and i must make you understand that, a woman may still give people a valid (though unsound) reason to think of her as foolish. Ma, it has come to a point where you have to talk less or keep silent altogether. One question that remains unanswered to me is; MUST THE FIRST LADY ALWAYS TALK? Considering your vocal and grammatical deficiencies(with all due respect) which invariably results in scorn and mockery from the public, my succinct advice is, having come to the reality of this fact, make your tongue scarce and it will do you (Nigeria) good. Am sure you know, even the Holy book enjoins, that we ‘do’ secretly and our heavenly father, who sees in secret will reward openly. You cant learn to use your left hand at old age, but as alternative, you can do some imperfect management.

Remember, the international community is watching and as much as your place, as firstlady, is unconstitutional (not recognized by the constitution), the nation ‘Nigeria’, i emphasize, is bigger than the firstlady. Where there are multitude of counsellors, there is safety. If your ‘Dame’ is anything to go by, let it reflect in your deeds, much ado about your person been used as an object of scorn, ridicule and mockery, if this nonsense must stop, then, have this conscious disciplined role to play. GOD BLESS YOU!!

By Agwu David Nwaze…contact me at dalaw4god@yahoo.com