We are Nigerians, but we hate Nigeria.  We are Nigerians, but we see nothing good in Nigeria. 

I was fifteen years old when the civil war broke out in Nigeria. Although we were living in Ibadan in the South-west at the time, my sympathies were totally and unequivocally with the Igbos. When a people have been so brutally butchered by their countrymen as happened to the Igbos, I felt they had no choice but to insist on leaving the country. Therefore, I understood why the Biafrans went to war and what they were fighting for. But I could not, for the life of me, understand what those on the federal side were fighting for. Why would anybody fight for Nigeria?

I lost a first-cousin fighting on the federal side during the civil war. I wish I could have found out first-hand from him why he gave his life “to keep Nigeria one.” Did he really believe in Nigeria? I doubt it. Why then did he join the army after the war broke out and die in the war? What about those who fought and did not die? What was in Nigeria for them? How did Nigeria justify their sacrifice of blood and gore after the war?

Fighting for Nigeria

The question is still pertinent today as we mobilize to fight the scourge of the Boko Haram. Why would anybody fight for Nigeria? What is in Nigeria for us? There is a difference between joining an army for career purposes and believing in Nigeria. There is a difference between joining the Nigerian army because you need a job and dying for Nigeria. There is a difference between going to war and getting killed and dying for Nigeria. For a man to die for Nigeria, he has to believe in Nigeria. For a man to believe in Nigeria, Nigeria has to mean something for him. Nigeria must have something to offer him.

John Kennedy said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” That is all well and good; provided we have fulfilled the first requirement which is to identify our country. Most Nigerians have yet to do this. We are Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and every other possible abridgement or classification but not Nigerians. We are Christians and Muslims but not yet Nigerians. Even after 54 years of Nigerian independence, and after 100 years of Nigerian amalgamation, most Nigerians still do not really consider themselves to be Nigerians.

We can acknowledge the assistance of the Americans, the British, the French and others. But the truth of the matter is that only a Nigerian can fight for Nigeria against the Boko Haram. Only a Nigerian can have the necessary commitment to endanger his life in fighting against the insurgents. However, there are few Nigerians in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, most Nigerians are Boko Haram in one fashion or the other.

Nigerian foreigners

I was upset when I read about a Nigerian who died fighting in the U.S. Army in Iraq. He not only became an American, he fought and died for America. Every year, thousands of Nigerians play the American lottery, hoping to relinquish Nigerian nationality. Every week, thousands mass at European, American and other embassies, hoping to travel out of Nigeria for good. I even met a Nigerian barber in poor Gambia and wondered what he was doing there. What was he doing in Gambia when there are better business opportunities for him in Nigeria; unless anywhere else is better than home?

The Lamido of Adamawa threatened that if things don’t work out in Nigeria, he would simply pack his bags and move to Cameroon. It would appear then that the Lamido is actually a Cameroonian living in Nigeria. Most countries go to war to secure more territories for themselves. The Russians recently used the opportunity of a little crisis in Ukraine go annex the Crimea. However, Obasanjo gave away a big chunk of Nigeria’s Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon. It did not matter to him that the people of Bakassi are Nigerians and not Cameroonians. While we are shouting “Bring Back Our Girls” today, we forgot to ask Obasanjo to bring back our Bakassi Nigerians yesterday.

Hatred of Nigeria

So many theories have been adduced as to why the Boko Haram prevail in Nigeria. Some attribute this to the acute poverty in the Nigerian North-east. However, there are countries in the world far poorer than Nigeria, and they don’t have their own versions of the Boko Haram. There are countries with greater income disparities than Nigeria, and they don’t produce the Boko Haram. No matter how poor are the states of the North-east, they are not poorer than the adjoining countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon. And yet, there is no Boko Haram in these poorer countries.

There is also nothing really Muslim about the Boko Haram. Other Muslim countries in Africa and beyond don’t have Boko Haram. When the Boko Haram plant bombs in market-places; the bombs are not programmed to differentiate between Christians and Muslims. Recently, the Boko Haram attacked some Emirs, killing one of them. Surely, the Emirs were not Christians but Muslims.

In effect, the Boko Haram is a wonderfully Nigerian phenomenon. There is something in Nigeria that provides a fertile ground for the Boko Haram. That thing is not limited to the North-east. That thing bedevils the whole of Nigeria. That thing is lack of national identity. That thing is hatred for Nigeria and for other Nigerians. The hatred of Nigeria by Nigerians is so deep and ingrained in us North and South; East and West. We are Nigerians, but we hate Nigeria. We are Nigerians, but we see nothing good in Nigeria. We are Nigerians, but we would rather be something else. If push comes to shove, we would have no qualms picking up a gun and killing another Nigerian in the name of whatever other allegiance we hold dearer.

Battle for independence

Because there are actually very few Nigerians in Nigeria, it is difficult to fight against the Boko Haram. To fight against the Boko Haram is to fight against ourselves. Every Nigerian is either a Boko Haram or a potential Boko Haram. A Boko Haram is a Boko Haram because he does not believe in Nigeria. The rest of us are Boko Haram because we also do not believe in Nigeria. We hate Nigeria with a passion. Murtala Nyako can fight for his citizens of the North. Femi Fani-Kayode will readily call his Oduduwa Republic to arms. MASSOB will easily rally the troops for Biafra. But there is practically no one left to fight for and defend Nigeria.

Only Nigerians can fight the Boko Haram, but there are few Nigerians in Nigeria. That is why it has been difficult for us to close ranks in the face of the Boko Haram onslaught. That is why it is easy for the Boko Haram to get new local recruits in the fight against Nigeria. That is also why it is difficult to identify the Boko Haram among us. The Boko Haram and the potential Boko Haramite is anyone and everyone who hates Nigeria and does not wish Nigeria well. That means the Boko Haram are practically every one of us.

The fight against Boko Haram is a belated fight for Nigeria’s independence. In order to fight the Boko Haram successfully, we have to become Nigerians. Other countries fought for their independence but we never did in Nigeria. Suddenly, we are now saying “Bring back Our Girls.” But these Chibok girls were not “Our Girls” before they were kidnapped. And even if, by the grace of God, we were to secure their release tomorrow; they would immediately cease to be “Our Girls.” This makes us no different from the Boko Haram. The Boko Haram kidnapped these girls because they are not theirs. Neither do we consider them to be ours. They cannot be ours as long as we do not believe we are all Nigerians. Therefore, all our “bring back Our Girls” posturing is just for show.

Nigerian Boko Haram

Nigerians only become Nigerians in the rarefied context of a national football match of short duration. But even while we are united in supporting the Super Eagles, we equally support Arsenal and Chelsea football clubs in England. There was no report of any Spaniard dying as a result of the recent Champion League football match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Nevertheless, two Nigerian supporters of Real Madrid died out of anxiety arising from the match. Because we are Boko Haram, we even kill ourselves over matters that don’t pertain directly to us. I am still waiting for the day that I go to London and find Britons wearing T-shirts with Enugu Rangers or Kano Pillars football clubs emblazoned on them.

Because we are not Nigerians, we readily adopt foreign “nations” that don’t recognize us and call them our own. Because we don’t believe in Nigeria, we are easily seduced to take on other “nationalities.” Because we are don’t believe in Nigeria, we can easily be led to believe in another “nation.” We are easily persuaded to become Boko Haram. Because we hate Nigeria, we become Boko Haram instead of Nigerians. We plant bombs in the market-place. We bring Nigeria down instead of building Nigeria up. Since the children of Chibok are not our children, we steal the money meant for enhancing their education and use it to send our children to school abroad.

The Boko Haram is not only the man who blows up buildings and kills the innocent. The Boko Haram is also that man who ensures that fake drugs are sold in our pharmacies, and that our hospitals are places where people go to die and not to be healed. The Boko Haram is not only that man who says “Western education is a sin.” The Boko Haram is also that public official who sits while our universities are closed down for six months over an industrial dispute. The Chibok incident has brought all these tendencies into sharp relief. We are the Boko Haram and the Boko Haram are us.

ONE of the governors in the All Progressives Congress states confided in our correspondent on Tuesday that the party never trusted a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, hence the ex-minister was kept out of the happenings in the party while he was a member.

The governor, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said the APC leaders were skeptical of dealing with Fani-Kayode with open hands because of “his antecedents.”

He said, “We know him very well. He has been attending some of our meetings. Like the day we went to invite former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, he was there.

“He has also attended some other meetings, but because we didn’t trust him well that he would not betray us, we were dealing with him with caution.

“He went to have a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan without informing anyone about its outcome. So, such a character has to be cleverly avoided.”

Fani-Kayode has said he left the APC and joined the PDP because of the APC’s alleged Islamic agenda and that the leadership of the party was not sincere.

Reacting to the Fani-Kayode’s defection again, the PDP said it had been vindicated and that the former minister had proved that the APC remained a party “of bloodthirsty, religious and ethnic bigots averse to the unity of the country.”

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement also said that the revelation by the former minister that the APC had sympathy for insurgents further confirmed PDP’s earlier position linking APC’s utterances to the spate of insurgency and sectarians violence in the country.

Metuh said, “We have now been vindicated. The truth may be hidden for sometime but it has a way of expressing itself.

“The world can now see that we do not speak for nothing when we describe them in their true nature; a cult, a hypocritical lot, wolves in sheep skin, devils, who, through their utterances, stoke the fires of violence by night only to wear messianic robes in the morning to shed crocodile tears for their victims.’’

“Nigerians are no longer at loss regarding who their real enemies are. They can now see why the APC feels no pain but seeks always to gain political capital out of the bombings and killings in our country.”

The party noted that a lot of reasonable and respectable Nigerians still in the APC would soon join the PDP.

Source: THE PUNCH

VICE Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko and Ondo State delegate to the National Conference, Professor Femi Mimiko, yesterday, canvassed for the removal of fuel subsidy to stem mind-boggling graft in the scheme.

Contributing to the report of the National Conference Committee on Public Finance, he described the subsidy scheme as “a huge infrastructure of corruption in the country.”

He also suggested that ownership and development of sea ports should be put on the Concurrent List to enable both the Federal and state governments develop and own seaports just as he tasked government to resist external borrowing.

But in her contribution, the leader of Women Lawyers in Nigeria under the aegis of International Federation of Women Lawyer, Mrs. Hauwa Shekarau, said “no to oil subsidy removal.” She supported the recommendation for budget mix of 60 per cent for capital expenses and 40 per cent for recurrent expenses.

“This will help to address the huge infrastructural gap that we are experiencing in the country”, the FIDA president stated.

While admitting that the committee did a comprehensive job, Mimiko said there were a number of issues.

“I support removal of fuel subsidy. On this, I find it difficult to understand the argument of those who want subsidy to be sustained. It is evident that fuel subsidy in this country is a huge infrastructure of corruption. I then wonder why those who in one breadth decry corruption would at another, defend or argue for the retention of a clear infrastructure of corruption.

“As things are now, it is evident that the fuel subsidy regime has failed. It does not favour the poor; constraints development of our oil refining capacity; and promotes corruption. It should be removed and the savings put on the proposed social security regime that one of the committees has recommended. Such can also be deployed to support free education at both primary and secondary levels; and a scholarship fund for students of tertiary educational institutions who cannot afford to pay their way through school,” he said.

Source: VANGUARD

Igbo Leaders of Thought, a group of prominent Igbo political leaders, rose from a meeting in Enugu on Wednesday with a warning that President Goodluck Jonathan may become the last president of one united Nigeria, if a politician from the North-East and North-West continue to sponsor the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

The Igbo leaders maintained their belief that the terror campaign of the Boko Haram sect was an ethno/religious war being waged by unnamed northern political leaders, who seek to take control of the presidency.

The group, which is led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze, spoke in a statement signed by its Deputy Secretary, Evang. Elliot Uko, and the Leader of the Igbo Women Assembly, Chief Mariah Okwor.

They noted that the sponsors of the insurgency are inadvertently pushing Nigeria towards disintegration in their bid to make the country ungovernable towards actualising their quest for central power.

However, the Igbo leaders warned that, rather than succeed in their quest, the sponsors of the Boko Haram sect would only succeed in ensuring that Jonathan becomes Nigeria’s last president.

Parts of the statement read, “We wish to draw the attention of the international community, especially the United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS, that the ongoing daily attack on the foundation of the Nigerian state by a ruthless, barbaric and well oiled Islamic jihadist killing machine, is a political war funded and waged by ethno/religious bigots who believe that they are born with divine right to rule others perpetually.

“The fact that they are gradually axing the root that holds this country still standing, while at the same time stubbornly opposing the wishes of the vast majority of other ethnic nationalities for a restructured Nigeria, simply means that they are inadvertently tilting the country towards a dissolution whereafter they can have their “religiously pure” Islamic nation, comprising the north-east and north-west zones of present Nigeria, but certainly without the central zone of Nigeria as their cannon fodder.

“Now that evidence has confirmed through the ongoing military court marshall that disgruntled senior army officers recently retired from the army in cahoots with a large pool of political leaders of a particular section of the country are the ones directing and influencing certain serving senior, medium-level and even junior army officers to subvert, undermine and bring down the government by feeding Boko Haram with intelligence, what more does anybody need to see that this is clearly a religious and political war for the very soul of Nigeria.

“For these evil people, we have only one message: you will never seize central power by making Nigeria ungovernable through senseless insurgency. Rather, if anything, you will only succeed in confirming Jonathan as the last president of one united Nigeria.

The Igbo leaders equally insisted on the restructuring of Nigeria along six regional federating units.

They stressed that the ongoing National Conference would fail if it does not establish the foundation for regionalism.

They described the current 36-state structure as a “contraption for lion share of war booty” imposed on the country by northern generals, an arrangement, which enabled them to exercise absolute control over the country’s resources.

The continued existence of the country cannot be guaranteed if the National Conference fails to adopt regionalism, they added.

It read further, “After wide consultations with broad spectrum of Ndigbo, we hereby reiterate the position of the Igbo nation on the ongoing National Conference.

“If Nigeria is not restructured along the lines of six regions as federating units, with each unit maintaining its powers as democratically provided under the 1963 Constitution, the ongoing conference would have served no useful purpose in the struggle to save Nigeria.”

Culled from:THE PUNCH

By Eddie Onuzuruike

The piece published by Reagan Ufomba in one of the national dailies on Tuesday May 27, 2014 is at best ludicrous. It is very obvious that Ufomba has not discovered himself. He would not, because he had not spared the time to peer into his cosmic realm and so completely unaware of his comical potentials. If he did, Osuofia and Mr. Ibu would have been nonstarters in their comedy field. Ufomba from all his acts and hollow motions make himself a big Joke. If Reagan stopped in his mendacious ways to ponder for a few seconds, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be rapaciously dangled by a wily puppeteer benefactor.

The page that Reagan wrote in DAILY SUN was donated to Reagan as far as it is used in running down Chief T.A. Orji and put his fame to shame but they cannot because the world knows T. A. Orji and has acclaimed him through many sources. Ufomba has sworn not to see any good in Abia as he has embarked on a war of attrition and total annihilation. For that phobic reason and more, any who whispers T. A. Orji becomes an instant buddy and a serious ally, profusely armed to insult the Abia helmsman. They may be adopting the Persian saying that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
We in Abia are not bothered by the types of Reagan because as it was said in Julius Caesar, Act 5 scene 1, ‘the posture of your blows are yet unknown. But for your words, they rob the Hybla bees. And leave them honeyless.

Reagan is a persona non grata in his Umuogelle Village in Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA. It becomes very abhorrent when a man takes falsehood to his home. The Igbos have a saying that ‘you do not sell a crippled fowl at home,’ but that was what Reagan was alleged to have done as you read along. His credentials smirk of crime, calumny, unbridled duplicity and serial mendacity. Take these for samples:

In 1994, it was alleged that Reagan published an obituary of himself to dodge creditors he swindled. Some years later, he persuaded his people to pay a counterpart fund for a non-existent water project and churned out lies in defence until the youths of his community rolled out tanks against him and he made a plea to save his uninspiring life. What about the Health Centre at the express way near Ntigha Junction which Reagan took over from his town’s women and promised heaven on earth? It is now bushy, and a palace for reptiles and rodents. The story of an Owaza man Reagan was alleged to have collected over 4 million Naira from, with the promise to create an autonomous community for the victim while he was special assistant in the previous regime. Do I go on?

I wouldn’t have picked up my pen over Reagan, having profiled his misdeeds previously but for his quote where he refused to credit Edmund Burke, that Irish Man of note. ‘evil thrives where good men do nothing.’
Reagan is a pretender and in his make-believe write up, made so many claims that should not be ignored. As it is said in journalism, ‘Facts are sacred and opinion is free.’

As Reagan wrote, ‘my team and I would not sleep until the great people of Abia State, who had been beaten to slumber as a result of unprecedented mass poverty and backwardness regain their consciousness and pride of place.’

This as you can see is complete falsehood. Ochendo’s governance has breathed life into Abians if we work on available facts. The Agric sector has been given quantum push. The ambitious liberation farms slated for the 17 Local Government Areas have successfully taken off in most Local Government Areas. The donation of improved variety of cassava stems, palm seedling, cocoa and innumerable others are good examples. The one billion Agric loans have put Abians into being managers of their own resources. Have these happened before?

The youths in Abia have never ever been so empowered since the creation of the state. Abia youths have been taken through multiple skills and empowered to thrive. Over two thousand vehicles have been given out free of charge. Bursaries have been paid to all Abians in the tertiary institutions and computers and other resourceful gadgets issued. Free Education at Primary and Secondary has been on since 2007. Civil Servants were enormously promoted and Abia pays the highest minimum wage in the country, so where is the poverty. Based on many of the above, our children at home and abroad have won laurels to unprecedented levels so we can say that Reagan is having a nightmare wishing evil for Abia.

He went to his usual refrain of Igbos who were transferred to their states. Yes! When the governor took that action, he made it clear to all and explained the reasons as the revenue and allocation of Abia were on the decline but Reagan cannot remember now that Abia has reabsorbed 2,700 of these numbers.
Reagan shamelessly wrote ‘As a young man, I had rebelled against societal ills: I left the seminary school as a result of injustice. I left the APGA faction under Victor Umeh as a result of injustice. I refused to “negotiate” with T.A. Orji after the 2011 governorship election because that would amount to injustice to our people.’

For where? Reagan did not leave these places on his own terms. What has he to negotiate with T.A. Orji? Is it as a party man, or statesman? Probably as a populist? How many votes did he get? A poor percentage of Ochendo’s landslide votes. His trademark lie means that Reagan cannot change. I am sure that Chief Victor Umeh has his dossier on Reagan and would release them at the right time. Do we need to bother with late sage Benjamin Franklin who predicted that ‘it is hard for an empty bag to stand erect.’

Let me sound a note of warning to those who may fall prey to Reagan and his antics. Reagan has never done any good deed all his life. His claims are hollow. He boasted some years ago to establish a cement factory that will beat Dangote and he appointed distributors who gullibly registered. Your guess is as good as mine over what happened to the funds. Where do these factories exist? What does Reagan do for a living? Are his businesses registered and functional? Are they quoted in the stock exchange and NAFDAC? Where do these phantom businesses pay taxes?

Reagan after blowing hot air of going to do new things, grabbed the APGA ticket in 2011 but what did he get? A distant second to Ochendo’s first: 641,158 votes as against 49,421 votes.
A ratio rating of 12: 1,7.7 percent of Ochendo’s total votes and 6.6% of total votes cast for the best four contestants in Abia. As you can see, an abysmal mandatory spread of votes in all local governments in Abia.

Going by the above statistics, is Reagan worth all the troubles? What a huge rejection? What a poor showing for a man who pretended to covet the Abia top post? Reagan is bedeviled with so many curses. When the Ukwa na Ngwa publicly forbade their sons from running in 2011, Reagan disobeyed. He impersonated the bible and blasphemed God by his slogan of Isaiah 43 v. 18, ‘behold I will do a new thing!’

Reagan is not a candidate and can never be. An African proverb once said, ‘never insult the crocodile until you cross the river.’ Reagan has bitten the political fingers that fed him. Mind you, he previously desecrated the altar that raised him. APGA cannot give Reagan a ticket except he runs from the numerous nondescript parties that are at the brink of extinction. Even when he tried in 2011, it was only a handful of votes. Now Ochendo in his magnanimity has thrown his weight behind power shift in the governorship race to Ukwa na Ngwa, so by being of Ngwa extraction, Reagan can run for the election in 2015 but who will support him? Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Nkechi Nworgu, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, Barrister Friday Nwosu all have some credible showing. Can Reagan stand with these heavyweights? Would he measure up to their shoulders, waists or the knees? Reagan is a Jehu, recklessly cruising on the back of the tiger, unaware that he is a super component of the tiger’s next menu.

It sounds so unbelievable and an aberration that this infamous Reagan shares nativity with Monsignor Nwachukwu, the popes nuncio, Hon Chinenye Ike, Eze Amara Nwabeke, an impeccable gentleman, Ginger Onwusibe, the twice appointed Transition Chairman of Isiala Ngwa North LGA and many other illustrious sons. Reagan is a huge joke and will continue to be one, quote me.

.Onuzuruike wrote in from Umuahia, Abia State

By Ogaga Ifowodo
YOU have to hand it to the North. Knowing the extent of the Niger Delta’s sense of injustice through the unconscionable expropriation of its nature-given oil and gas wealth, and knowing that just nine years ago the South-South delegates to General Obasanjo’s constitutional conference walked out of proceedings rather than accept a derivation formula of less than 25%, the Northern delegates to President Jonathan’s National Conference insisted on not only reducing the laughable 13% already entrenched in the 1999 military constitution to 5% (that’s right, FIVE percent) but also on wiping out any other grudging concession. Mounted atop the high horse of power they know how to ride so well, they presented their Southern counterparts a choice: accept 5 % or accept a reinstatement of the onshore-offshore dichotomy in the calibration of oil output,give up the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, and the amnesty programme.

It was yet another brazen act of political arrogance writ large. So when I saw the headline: “Why we agreed to retain 13% derivation,” attributed to Obong Victor Attah, a resource control stalwart and co-chairman of the devolution of powers committee at the conference, I read it attentively. Only to be deeply disappointed.

The great capitulationwas done, says Attah,in order “to ensure that certain things were protected within the entity called Nigeria and to guard against what may lead to secession or further inflict wounds against the backdrop that the country was, at the moment, facing security challenges.”Attah tries to make us believe that the South’s delegates won a tremendous victory in the face of the North’s deliberate provocation. All it could do “was more or less . . . to accept 13%.” For, you see, they had to “Look at it from the angle of destabilizing the polity.”

Who knew that a proper derivation formula can lead to insecurity, or inflict wounds of any sort? Let’s face it: What the North did, and has consistently done ever since it discovered that it was easier to wait for federal allocations from the proceeds of oil and gas than develop a local productive economy was to dare the South. It is as if a tenant were to threaten to withhold part of her rent, or to unilaterally reduce the sum payable, unless the landlord gave up the renovations, new building under construction, or even, damn it, his lavish lifestyle.

By a wide margin, only three issues were seen to constitute the agenda of the National Conference: fiscal federalism, devolution of powers, and the geo-political restructuring of Nigeria: their resolution would lead to the proper determination of the myriad of other problems that plague the nation and constitute the so-called “national question.”

They form the blueprint of afederal system of government. And I think the time has come to return the North’s stare and demand a clear answer to the question whether or not it wants one Nigeria, a free and fair federal republic (and we must emphasise the republican character given the Shari’a and Maitatsine-Boko Haram debacle).

The “North,” it must be remembered, was dragged into Nigeria screaming and kicking. Its disdain for Nigeria has been evident right from when Sir Ahmadu Bello would not deign to come down south to Lagos, the capital of the newly independent nation.It seems Bello’s political children now see what he famously called “the mistake of 1914″ as not merelyLugard’s amalgamation but also their failure to stay out of Nigeria.

This is how Bello explains the feeling, just before independence,in his autobiography: “Lord Lugard and his Amalgamation were far from popular amongst us at the time. There were agitations in favour of secession; we should set up on our own; we should cease to have anything more to do with the Southern people; we should take our own way.” If I’m right, then that makes two mistakes for which the North insists on exacting the price of fiscal unitarism.

Through its manipulation and control of political power, its deep understanding of the psychology of power, and mastery of the power game dating back to the Sokoto caliphate, the North will take one Nigeria only on its own terms.

Thus, with every effort at renegotiating Nigeria, we move farther and farther from the goal of fiscal autonomy. In the period of regional government from 1957-1960, there was never a doubt that the regions owned what was produced or “derived” from their land. With independence came the need to cede substantial rights to the centre in a bid to nurture the infant nation, however conceived, into a functional political entity.

Unfortunately, by this time oil had been discovered, leading to the death of fiscal reason. Yet even then the framers of the Independence Constitution had not completely lost their heads and reserved for each region 50% of the proceeds of royalties for any minerals “extracted in that Region” or for any mining rents “derived . . . from within that Region.”

But they betrayed the dubiousness that had crept into our political thinking in the definition subsection: “In this section, ‘minerals’ include mineral oil.” Dubious because no other mineral is mentioned in the entire section, making it odd to define a plural term as including only one thing. But it is to their credit that they made it clear “the continental shelf of aRegion shall be deemed to be part of that Region.”

And we must ask the South what price it is prepared to pay for the perpetuation of a false and manifestly oppressive federation, for its continued emasculation. By present indication, 87% of revenue derived from its region, any region-never mind that wash-water of secession and national security. A hater of hats, I would borrow President Jonathan’s whose National Conference has unveiled yet again the South’s susceptibility to blackmail and doff it to the Northern ruling class!

Vanguard

National Information Centre (NIC) on Wednesday refuted a report suggesting that it turned down Australia’s offer to send its Special Air Services (SAS) to help in finding the abducted Chibok secondary schoolgirls.

Coordinator of NIC, Mr. Mike Omeri who led other members of the Centre during the regular media briefing on efforts to find the girls and combat terrorism said, “as far as I’m concerned, so far, it is still within the realm of newspaper speculations. Maybe, they have another source which is not known to us.”

Agency sources had quoted the Australian Foreign Minister, Ms Julie Bishop had told Sky News that her country made the offer but aside getting a thank you, Nigeria was yet to accept the offer.

Omeri however, said Nigeria would consider any fair offer of help either in locating and rescuing the girls or in combating terrorism in the country.

“At the moment, I’ m aware that the Arch Bishop of Canterbury is in Nigeria, the Pope has spoken about it and some other local and international leaders have been speaking about it. Do not forget, this is Nigeria which is a free country and we are not going to tag this insurgency as religious.

“What we are after is a nationalistic approach to the unfortunate situation. Nigeria is also a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the organisation has a responsibility to this country,” he added.

On whether Government would consider the option of negotiating with Boko Haram over the girls’ release, the Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA) said, “Government is totally committed and focussed towards ensuring that our beloved girls are brought back from captivity safe and sound and therefore, all options along the line of international best practices are open to resolving the impasse.”

The NIC appealed to individuals and organisations to assist Federal Government in providing relief materials to displaced and distressed Nigerians affected by insurgencies both in the North East and North Central parts of the country.

“We appeal to spirited individuals and corporate organisations who wish to donate relief materials to get in contact with this Centre (NIC) and/ or NEMA immediately or reach the following phone numbers: 080022556362; 08032003555.”

Already, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has delivered relief materials to Chibok, Gamboru, parts of Yobe State, Kano and Jos “and is currently mobilising for Mubi, as well as Kalabalge.

Omeri assured Nigerians that efforts were ongoing to rescue the girls, adding that, “it would not be in the interest of operations to disclose every detail, but people must be assured that citizens will be briefed appropriately as developments unfold in this regard.”

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

ABUJA — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, presented a budget proposal of N322.6 billion for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for the 2014 fiscal year to the Senate.

The budget forwarded to the Senate through the Senate President, Senator David Mark, showed a 2.1 per cent increase of about N7 billion over the 2013 budget for the ministry which was N315.85 billion.

President Jonathan in the letter read by the presiding officer, Senator Mark, stated:   “Pursuant to section 18 sub section one of the NDDC establishment Act, I wish to submit the 2014 estimates of expenditure and income of the Commission for the kind consideration and approval of the National Assembly.

“The Commission has submitted a budget proposal of N322 billion for 2014 as against N315 billion in 2013 presenting an increase of about 2.1 per cent over last year’s budget.
“Furthermore, the budget is made up of personal expenditure of N15.80, 73 billion only.”

According to the budget estimate, recurrent expenditure stood at N10.186 billion, capital expenditure, N2.281 billion, while project development expenditure was expected to gulp N295.051 billion.
The President stated that the sources of revenue for the proposed budget included revenue brought forward, which was N23 million, and federal government contribution excess crude arrears of N50 million.

Other areas included oil companies’ contributions and others which was N130 million,  ecological fund of N57 million, other internally realised income of N100,000, million, and unpaid arrears from 2012 approved budget of N12.5 million, which summed up to N322.6 billion

“While hoping that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Senate, please, accept the assurances of my highest regards,” Jonathan stated.

Vanguard

If you think being a governor is very rewarding, wait until you become an ex-governor ─ you instantly become a state liability for doing virtually nothing. You continue to collect salaries called pensions; you get new cars every now and then; your medical bills are taken care of for life; you are entitled to a full complement of domestic staff; and an untold world of goodies.

The Governors and Deputy Governors Pension Law 2014 recently passed by Akwa Ibom State house of assembly has opened the eyes of Nigerians to what ex-governors and ex-deputy governors are enjoying.

The law has generated so much controversy and outrage, forcing Governor Godswill Akpabio to propose an amendment which the state house of assembly has agreed to effect. But what is happening in other states of the federation? In the first part of a special report on ex-governors’ pensions, TheCable dissects the provisions in three states: Akwa Ibom, Lagos and Rivers.  

AKWA IBOM: N100M FOR MEDICAL The law in Akwa Ibom, which was first passed in 1998, provides free medical treatment for ex-governors, their spouses, ex-deputy governors and their spouses. Until the controversial amendment that was done in April, there was no cap for the expenses. The law said “free medical treatment”. In effect, an ex-governor could spend N500 million or more on medical per year. With the amendment, however, a former governor and spouse could not spend more than N100 million a year, and a former deputy and spouse a maximum of N30 million. Widows/widowers of former governors are entitled to N12 million a year, while those of deputy governors would get N6 million.

THE BENEFITS Annual Basic Salary: 100% of annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy. Accommodation: One house not below 5-bed maisonette in either Abuja or Akwa Ibom for the former governor; 500% annual basic for the deputy. Transport: One car and one utility car every four years for ex-governor and deputy. Furniture: 300% of annual basic salary every four years. House maintenance: Nil. Domestic staff: Amount not above N5 million for ex-governor and N2.5 million for ex-deputy to employ cook, chauffeurs and security. Medical: Free treatment and spouse not exceeding N100 million per year for ex-governor; N30 million per deputy (this provision will soon be reverted to “free” without limit following outcry). Security: “Adequate” (not specified). PA: One. Car maintenance: 300% of annual basic salary. Entertainment: 100% of annual basic salary. Utility: 100% of annual basic salary. Drivers: Amount not above N5 million for ex-governor and N2.5 million for ex-deputy to employ cook, chauffeurs and security. Severance gratuity: 300% annual basic salary.   LAGOS: 6 NEW CARS EVERY 3 YEARS, HOUSES IN LAGOS, FCT The Lagos State Governor and Deputy Governor Pensions Law of 2007 provides one of the most lucrative pensions in the federation. The highlight is that the former governor is entitled to six new cars every three years and a house in Lagos and another in Abuja. Conservatively, a house in Lagos will cost N500 million and one in Abuja N700 million. The former governor and family (spouse and children ─ both married and unmarried) are entitled to free medical which is not capped. Another highlight is that the ex-governor is entitled to a cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff who are pensionable. THE BENEFITS Annual Basic Salary: 100% of annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy. Accommodation: One residential house in Lagos and another in FCT for the former governor; one residential house in Lagos for the deputy. Transport: Three cars, two back-up cars and one pilot car for the ex-governor every three years; two cars, two back-up cars and one pilot car for the deputy every three years. Furniture: 300% of annual basic salary every two years. House maintenance: 10% of annual basic salary. Domestic staff: Cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff (no limit) who shall be pensionable. Medical: Free medical treatment for ex-governor and deputy and members of their families (not just spouses). Security: Two SSS operatives, one female officer, eight policemen (four each for house and personal security) for the ex-governor; one SSS operative and two policemen (one each for house and personal security) for the deputy. PA: 25% of annual basic salary. Car maintenance: 30% of annual basic salary. Entertainment: 10% of annual basic salary. Utility: 20% of annual basic salary. Drivers: Pensionable (no limit to number of drivers). Severance gratuity: Not specified.   RIVERS: 3 NEW CARS EVERY 4 YEARS The Rivers State Pensions for Governor and Deputy Governor was passed in 2012. For all the wealth of the state, the conditions are a bit modest. A former governor is entitled to just one house “anywhere in Nigeria” and three new cars every four years. There will be free medical care (no cap) for the former governor and deputy and their families ─ which cover both married and unmarried children. Interestingly, like Lagos, there will be a cook, steward and gardener but unlike Lagos, they are not pensionable. THE BENEFITS Annual Basic Salary: 100% of annual basic salaries of the incumbent governor and deputy. Accommodation: One residential house for former governor “anywhere of his choice in Nigeria”; one residential house anywhere in Rivers for the deputy. Transport: Three cars for the ex-governor every four years; two cars for the deputy every four years. Furniture: 300% of annual basic salary every four years “en bloc”. House maintenance: 10% of annual basic salary. Domestic staff: Cook, steward, gardener and other domestic staff (no limit) who shall be non-pensionable. Medical: Free medical treatment for ex-governor and deputy and members of their families (not just spouses and no cap). Security: Two SSS operatives, four policemen (two each for house and personal security) for the ex-governor; one SSS operative and two policemen (one each for house and personal security). PA: 25% of annual basic salary. Car maintenance: 30% of annual basic salary. Entertainment: 10% of annual basic salary. Utility: 20% of annual basic salary. Drivers: Non-pensionable (no limit to number of drivers). Severance gratuity: Not specified. 

By Sehinde Omoniyi

At last, the Senator Ahmed Markarfi led-Senate Committee on Public Finance has laid to rest the gruesome attempt by the former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to derail the ongoing reform efforts of the ministry of petroleum resources of the oil and gas sector through its various agencies.

For most Nigerians, while Mallam Sanusi embarked on his circus show at both the House of Representative and the Senate committees, it was a period of confusion and doubts for those who are saddled with the daunting task of ensuring that petroleum products are made available for both the domestic and foreign markets.

That the Senate Committee was able to meander through the heap of distorted facts and politically motivated allegations against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries and reach its soothing clarifications, is a pointer that in spite of our seeming shortfalls as a people, we are quite capable of getting it right when we have the right people in the right place.

The Committee’s report among other things clearly exonerated the management and officials of the NNPC and its subsidiaries of the gargantuan and grossly unfounded allegations that the former CBN Governor attempted without success to foist on these honourable Nigerians.

Clearly, where Sanusi unashamedly denied knowledge of any existing subsidy regime since 2011, the Senate Committee admitted that the National Assembly duly appropriated the subsidy of both Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Kerosene (DPK).

Contrary to Mallam Sanusi’s utter denial of subsidy even though the CBN has been represented on the various revenue reconciliation committees of the government since his tenure as CBN Governor; the Senate Committee recommended among other things that:

“The Senate to accept the subsidy deducted by the NNPC from January 2012 to July 2013 of US$5.254 billion (N813,803 billion) since it was certified by PPPRA (Pipeline Product Pricing Regulatory Agency) and Appropriated by the National Assembly”.

This common and infallible truth rang throughout the entire submission of the Senate Committee and it was a clear indication that the Senate of the sixth National Assembly has come of age and therefore has become a veritable tool for the sustenance of democracy in the African continent.

And where the Senate Committee called for refund either by the NNPC or any other agency involved in the oil and gas chain, it did so with a sense of patriotism knowing that the industry is critical to the economy of the Nigerian nation.

Perhaps a subject of much commendation in the Senate Public Finance Committee report is where it recognises the need for amendment where there were omissions as it advised that the President, should prepare for presentation to the National Assembly supplementary budget to cover the over expenditure of N90.7 billion (US$585 million) to cover the subsidy for PMS in 2012 and another sum of N685.9 billion (US$4.430 billion) for Kerosene.

Both figures represent amounts spent without appropriation by the National Assembly for the periods 2012 and 2013.

In another swipe on the misinformation which Mallam Sanusi tried without success to sell to Nigerians, the Senate Committee advised government to discontinue the subsidy regime insisting that this should be done with the involvement of stakeholders as a way of reducing rancour that may arise from this action.

This position clearly shows that the former CBN Governor all the while was determined to deceive Nigerians when he went public to declare that subsidy has been abolished by the same government he served in; an obvious attempt to create chaos for reasons best known to himself.

For a public officer occupying the exalted office of CBN Governor, the former CBN helmsman proved to be an obvious misfit for the position and as this writer and others have pointed out before now, more caution should be taken in appointing people into certain sensitive offices.

Time and again it has been proven that men and women who are good team players make better leaders even if they are not necessarily the best in terms of intelligent quotient.

It does not matter how smart a person may be, his ability to lead and work for the common good is critical just as it has been proven that talent without discipline is simply a disaster waiting to happen.

Over the years, the issue of oil subsidy has proven quite sensitive and no right thinking government will toy with the subject without adequate consultation and making enough provisions to cushion its effect, both in the short and long term.

It remains therefore a careless and reckless adventure to politicise oil and its prevailing subsidy regime since this obviously is the most common singular national wealth that Nigerians enjoy.

It is in this that the former CBN Governor failed woefully to realise that he was treading on one of the most sensitive national issues, coming to the public and announcing that oil subsidy has been abrogated by the late President Yar’Adua must be seen as a wicked attempt to pitch the people against the government.

Ordinarily, a CBN Governor ought to use his office to influence monetary and financial policies that would make the naira a strong currency by so doing empowering the people as a result of a strong spending power.

Appropriate pricing of the products and distribution across the country involves several levels of participation which must be harnessed to make the people feel the impact of the existing subsidy regime.

By putting the blame of scarcity of kerosene and other petroleum products on the NNPC and the ministry of Petroleum Resources; the ex-CBN boss was deliberately setting up management of these agencies against the wrath of Nigerians.

Insisting that the NNPC and its subsidiaries should police the distribution and sales of petroleum products across the country, amounts to creating a monopoly out of the corporation which the new business culture across the world abhors.

The Senate and its various committees must be commended for living up to their calling as stabilising factor in the country’s democracy, it is hoped that the House of Representatives and other arms of government would emulate this new spirit in the Senate for a greater Nigeria.

Sehinde Omoniyi is a Media Practitioner and wrote from Abuja

Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi has urged  Nigerians to wake up and resist tyranny in any form saying dictatorship is creeping into the polity.

Amaechi said although a people deserve the leaders they get, he urged Nigerians to insist on getting better service and governance from their leaders than what is currently obtainable.

The Governor spoke yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, at the third annual lecture of the Ogun State Correspondents’ Chapel, themed: Nigeria and the Leadership Question.

At the event held at the Secretariat of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council, Oke – Ilewo, Abeokuta, Amaechi who was the guest speaker reckoned that unless the citizens rose against bad leadership and enthroned one that is passionate about quality governance, the country would neither make a headway nor witness respite.

Amaechi who was represented by Rivers State Information Commissioner Mrs Ibim Semenitari, deplored the absurd situation playing out in the country where a Commissioner of Police would wake on a morning and make unconstitutional   pronouncement, banning citizens from holding a peaceful assembly.

Amaechi said: “Nigerians must say no to tyranny. Nigerians must say no to dictatorship. The people get the kind of leadership they deserve.

“It appears that Nigerians have been docile. Nigerians should insist that they deserve more than they are getting.

”Leadership is an extremely important factor, if we are going to build a nation. Unless and until we have leaders with ability, integrity, commitment and vision, we cannot succeed as a country. We cannot succeed by leadership that is not functional.

“It is in your hands to choose and to change the leadership. Nigerians must begin to insist that they deserve better than they are getting. We believe that Nigeria of our dream is Nigeria with leaders who are not only consistent, transparent but also passionate about our country.”

He also pricked the nation’s conscience by raising some posers on leadership, asking:

“Can we say that the crop of leadership at various levels is passionate about us as a country? Can we say that the current crop of leadership at the federal level is transparent in their dealings?

“Can we say that the present crop of leadership at the federal is consistent with policies that will build the nation. I think that the answers to that is the reason why some of us left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.”

The Governor lamented that he had continued to bear of tyranny in his Rivers state by having a Chief Judge foisted on him by the National Judicial Council(NJC).

He noted that there are about two other states in the country having similar experience like Rivers State but said the NJC did not impose Chief Judges on those states, adding that because of the “political interest of some people,” a Chief Judge not appointed by the Governor was foisted on Rivers people.

He said: “It is in the Constitution that the governor should be the one to appoint the chief judge, but this was not the case in Rivers. It was the National Judicial Council that appointed the chief judge. This is unconstitutional.”

He challenged the form of federalism being practiced in Nigeria, saying a situation whereby the federal government apportions what allocation should accrue to the federating  units must be looked into.

“We are a proper Republic of Nigeria, therefore the federal government lacks the power to sit as a Prefect. What kind of country that claims to be federalism yet money are deducted from the source in Abuja without recourse to state governors?

“Somebody would sit in Abuja and deduct money at will, spend it at will and chooses to be a Prefect over the states. It is actually a relationship of the equals. Equals come together and chose to be parts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We are not a confederal system, we are not a military government. We are a federal system. With all these observations, ask yourself, how can we be dealing with the leadership question if those who ought to be leaders do not have a clue of what the constitution says of what they can do and what they cannot do?”

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun who was represented by Commissioner for Information and strategy, Yusuph Olaniyonu, urged Nigerians to elect only credible, honest, transparent and corruption – free persons into elective offices in future elections.

Abuja – The Federal Government on Thursday reiterated its call for a media blackout on terrorist and terror attacks in furtherance of the counter-insurgency campaign against Boko Haram.

The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, made the call in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titled `What they don’t teach you in broadcasting`, written by Mr Orji Ogbonaya Orji, a veteran broadcaster.

Maku said terrorists had taken advantage of the existing free media space in the country to propagate their ideology, noting that media reports should seek to protect and unite citizens against the antics of the insurgents.

“I am not saying that you shouldn’t report when there are, say, terrorists’ attacks on innocent citizens but we must report from the point of view of arousing society to reject their message, to unite society against what they are doing.

“I am still calling on all of us to be able define the thin line that exists between the urge to report and the need to protect.

“We need to really come to a definition of what the responsibility of the media should be to organisations and persons whose major objective is to destroy society, to incite hatred among normal people.

“I have said it that if we black out terrorism for a period am sure it will go down.“

The minister said terrorism and related activities could only be tackled effectively if all segments of society particularly the media join forces against it.

Maku urged veteran journalists in the country to articulate their thoughts and experiences in a book form to help educate the younger generation of professionals in a bid to improve professionalism in Nigeria.

According to him, journalism in Nigeria has come under serious threat from trends in the society including innovations in ICT.

He noted that only constant training could insulate the media from such threats.

“We are here to celebrate with a colleague – a trusted colleague, a competent colleague, an experienced colleague – that has made it in this profession.

“And he’s today giving us a fresh book that is a reminder that all of us, who are in this profession need to recollect our views, our thoughts, so that the younger people who are coming on can benefit from our own insights and experiences in the profession.

“Our country is in need of training and retraining on the job. Most of the time, you find that the standards are not as they used to be.

“They are falling because there are issues other than what you learnt in school that are very important to success.“

Maku commended the author for his insight and thoughts reflected in the book and recommended the book for use by both practicing and trainee journalists.

Earlier, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, commended the author for his thoughts and experiences as expressed in the book.

He recommended the book for use by trainee and practicing journalists, media organisations and public libraries in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the directors-general of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Mallam Ladan Salihu and the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Alhaji Abubakar Jijiwa were among dignitaries that graced the event. (NAN)

• House asks NCAA to recover N225m bulletproof cars

By Shola Oyeyipo

The media reports alleging that the Ministry of Aviation under the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, incurred a debt of about N174 billion under the aviation master plan, have been described as false.

The Special Assistant to the former minister, Dr. Daniel Tarka, who noted in a statement yesterday that with such allegation “nothing can be further from the truth,” advised that the current managers of the sector should “exploit these well-laid foundations that were left behind by the former minister and her team” to optimise the revenue generation potential of the sector.

This came as the House of Representatives also directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to recover the controversial N225 million paid from its coffer for the acquisition of the bulletproof cars that were purchased during the tenure of the former Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah.

According to him, the agenda of the aviation master plan pursued by the former minister was for the transformation of the aviation sector such that the industry would be self-sustaining by 2016; and begin to yield additional revenue for government through improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

He said it was in the bid to achieve the goal that the minister, during her tenure ,embarked on the upgrade and rehabilitation of the 22 federal airports across the country under the Airport Remodelling Programme (ARP).

“As part of measures to effectively implement the master plan, several sources of funding were identified. These include, (i) annual budgetary allocations; (ii) IGR, including airport development levy and security surcharge, (iii) Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) funds, (iv) low interest loans, among others.

“Besides the statutory approvals, the ministry designed the projects with in-built capacities to generate funds without having to place any further financial burden on the federal government within the period,” stressing that: “These projects were not designed to start and end in 2013, and so, were not tied to the 2013 budget alone.”

Tarka explained that since the master plan was conceptualised to be implemented as a process and not a destination, its projection of revenue streams within its life span was such that all projects would be adequately financed from budgetary allocations and the identified revenue sources; with the high possibility of surpluses that can subsequently be deployed for the repayment of the loans on maturity after the period of moratorium.
He therefore emphasised that the question of liabilities does  not arise.

Rather, he stated that: “We are convinced that an efficient and effective implementation of the master plan would guarantee the realisation of these revenue projections, facilitate the seamless implementation of the projects and ensure the rapid development of the sector into a net revenue earner for the government within the next three years.”

Meanwhile, the House committee had on Monday embarked on oversight functions of Federal Ministry of Aviation and Nanamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja as well as Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET).

The directive, according to an online news medium,   Emperornewspaper.com, was issued by Nkiruka Onyejeocha, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation during an oversight visit to Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

She said that NCAA had no business  keeping the cars stressing that the contract terms between NCAA and Cosharis Motors should be terminated and recover the paid sum from the supplier.

Onyejeocha said: “What we said about the bullet proof cars is that, that contract should be cancelled that they don’t have any business keeping the cars, it should be returned to the supplier and then recover our money.”

The lawmaker, reiterated the House resolution on the scandal, maintained that due process was not followed before the purchase of the bulletproof armoured cars.
She added that the House “recommended that they should cancel the contract and recover our money, so those cars are not supposed to be parked, therefore, send the cars to the seller.”

Speaking earlier, Benedict Adeliyela, acting NCAA Director General disclosed that the controversial bulletproof cars were parked at the NCAA’s office in Abuja.

BY Tony Edike

ENUGU—Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar last night said members of the Biafra Zionist Federation, BZF, who invaded the Enugu State Broadcasting Service, ESBS, yesterday morning were on a mission to topple the government.

Abubakar spoke while parading the 13 members of the federation including their leader, Benjamin Igwe Onwuka at the state police headquarters.

Apart from Onwuka, Abubakar said other members of the federation arrested included Paulinus Uzoegbu, Michael Oleinya, Ndubuisi Nnamchi, Bethrand Obiekwe, Kelvin Ekeh, Abraham Ugwu, Chukwuma Alogius, Ijaga Sampson, Josephat Nwodo, Nwonu Fidelis and Uduma Uduma.

The commissioner said: “When they went to the ESBS, they gained entrance into the studio and wanted the the workers to give them access to make a live broadcast to the people of Nigeria.
“In the broadcast they had on a CD rom where the details of what they wanted to tell members of the public.

They made a summary of what they had on the CD rom, on a sheet of paper and the highlight of it are; an appeal calling for all boys in Obiagu, (Enugu) to come out, all boys from Ogui (Enugu) to come out, all boys in Enugu State to come out; they also asked students to come out, those people with KekeNapep (tricycles) to come out.

They wanted to order all businesses closed today (yesterday); all schools to be closed, all markets to be closed and all government officials to surrender all property in their possession before mid-day. You can see these people were on a mission of trying to over throw the government and it is something that we will never tolerate.

“Recall that in March this year, they had attacked Government House, Enugu. We had earlier declared their leader (Onwuka) wanted. The same group of  BZF led by their leader, Benjamin  Onwuka invaded the ESBS  with the intention that after the broadcast, they will set the place ablaze.

“They carried with them a lot of arms, machetes, 25 litres of petrol, 46 empty beer bottles and one BZF flag and some CDs. The purpose of going there with petrol and bottles, you know when you put petrol inside a bottle and shake it and throw it into a building, it will inflame. They went there also with guns because when the policemen confronted them, they shot a sergeant and killed him and in the process of trying to prevent them from setting the place ablaze, they also had a casualty, one of them was shot dead. About 13 of them were arrested including the leader, Benjamin Onwuka.”

Abubakar then warned that any group of persons or individuals planning to foment trouble in whatever form that would cause breach of peace to desist from doing so, as it would not be tolerated.
Efforts made to speak with the suspects were rebuffed as the Commissioner insisted that doing so “will mean giving them opportunity to say what they wanted to announce in the live broadcast.”

Vanguard

President Goodluck Jonathan has joined other Nigerians to mourn the passing of Kano monarch, Ado Bayero.

Bayero died in his sleep Friday barely two weeks after he returned from a medical trip overseas.

In statement by Reuben Abati, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Jonathan said he rreceived with immense sadness and a deep feeling of great national loss, news of the passing away of the highly revered Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero earlier today.

“On behalf of himself, his family, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria, President Jonathan commiserates with the Emir’s family and all the people of Kano over whom the departed Emir presided illustriously as traditional ruler for more than half a century.

“The President joins them in mourning the monarch whose uncommon leadership qualities and evident faith in the peace, unity, progress, and prosperity of Nigeria combined to make him one of the most respected traditional rulers in the country during his long and very successful reign,” Abati stated.

He also said “President Jonathan believes that Alhaji  Ado Bayero will always be remembered and honoured by the people of Kano and all Nigerians for his immense wisdom and competence as a traditional ruler, as well as for using his exalted throne to build bridges of unity, friendship and harmony across the nation.

“The President reaffirms his declaration on the occasion of the Emir’s 50th anniversary celebrations last year that the late Alhaji Ado Bayero was one of the most decent and respectable Nigerians he has had the privilege of interacting with, and he will always treasure pleasant memories of their last meeting earlier this year.

“He prays that the Almighty Allah will receive the late Emir’s great soul and grant the good people of Kano a worthy successor who will carry on his good works and wise rule for the well-being and benefit of all Nigerians.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Thursday criticised the
Commissioner of Police for Abuja, Joseph Mbu, for ordering a ban on protests calling for increased government action for the release of abducted schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.
However, the Inspector General of Police, M D Abubakar on Tuesday reversed the ban imposed by Mr. Mbu on Monday,  following widespread condemnation.
The police high command in Abuja denounced Mr. Mbu’s action, stating that protesters were free to hold daily sit-in, provided they remain peaceful.
The protests have held for more than a month since more than 200 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
In a speech marking the end of the third legislative year, Thursday, Mr. Tambuwal said Mr. Mbu’s “audaciousness” in ordering the ban showed Nigeria’s “descent into the pits of reckless disregard for the rights of citizens”.
The speaker said the ban was “unacceptable” and vowed that the House will treat the police commissioner’s order with the “seriousness that it deserves”.
“To buttress our descent into the pits of reckless disregard for the rights of citizens, the nation recently woke up to the sad dawn of a Commissioner of Police acting on his own initiative, without clearance from his superiors and in flagrant contravention of the clear
Constitutional guarantees of the right of citizens audaciously purporting to ban the peaceful
assembly of Nigerians,” Tambuwal said.
“This is an unacceptable abridgement of the rights of Nigerians to freedom of speech,
association and peaceful assembly, and this House must treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves.”
The Commissioner of Police Mr. Mbu, is no stranger to controversies. He was drafted to Abuja as police chief after a turbulent run in Rivers State where he maintained a testy relationship with the governor, Chibuike Amaechi.
While in Rivers State, the police commissioner repeatedly clamped down on protests and meetings defying widespread criticisms of his conduct.
Tambuwal said the “fact that the office of the Inspector-General of Police felt compelled to deny the action of the Police Commissioner only goes to underscore the audaciousness of the conduct of the Police commissioner.”
“As important as all our duties and functions as the legislative arm in a democratic government are, none is more important than our duty to protect and preserve the rights guaranteed to all Nigerians by our Constitution.

Any attempt by anybody to infringe on the rights of Nigerians is a direct affront to this House. This House must therefore take necessary measures to ensurethat such sacrilege does not repeat itself anywhere in Nigeria.
The culture of impunity at the highest levels of governance in Nigeria must be brought to a halt,” he said.

“They arrived our village, Bardari, at about 9 p.m. and ordered us to gather in front of the village mosque for Islamic preaching.”

On Wednesday night, gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram attacked Bardari Village, some 25km southeast of Maiduguri.

The gunmen, dressed in military uniforms, pretended not to want to harm the villagers, but to preach Islam to them.

“They arrived our village, Bardari, at about 9 p.m. and ordered us to gather in front of the village mosque for Islamic preaching,” said Masu Abbari, a local farmer. “We all complied, though they were carrying guns.”

After assuring the villagers of their safety, the unsuspecting farmers and local traders hearkened to the directives of the gunmen.

Rather than preach, the gunmen opened fire on the villagers killing several instantly.

“Suddenly they made signs to one another and then started firing at us.

“They went after most of us that were quick to escape, still shooting and killing them in the bush. Many old men and even women either got killed or were seriously injured”, said Mr. Abbari.

The 45 years old farmer said while he and some others hid at a distance from their attacked village, the gunmen continued to shoot and burn homes.

“Many of us spent the night in the bush; we watched the dark skies alight by the fire used in burning our houses. They did not leave until about midnight. We had to wait till day break before we crept back to our village to see if there are people there whom we can help. But when we got there, I could not stand the sight of corpses that littered the village, some in the bush, some still bleeding.

“I counted over 40 people killed within the village, but those killed in the bush could be more; we tried to bury them all day. But I couldn’t stand the sights of corpses any longer. I had to leave to search for my family whom I understand had fled to Maiduguri. Thank God I was able to find my wife and my four children in one of my relatives home in Maiduguri”, he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Borno, Gideon Jubrin, said on Thursday night that the police was yet to get details of the attack.

“We are still in the office waiting for signals and full details of the said incident; as soon as we lay our hands on something we will not hesitate to get across to the press, no matter how late it comes,” Mr. Jubrin said at about 8:00 p.m.

The spokesperson was yet to provide the details on Friday morning.

Such attacks by the Boko Haram have continued across Borno and neigbouring Yobe and Adamawa despite a state of emergency in the three states. Over 2,000 people have been killed in 2014.

Mr. Jang was accused of corruption by a group called, Plateau Patriotic Front.

The Plateau State House of Assembly on Thursday failed to discuss a 10-page petition sent to the legislature on Governor Jonah Jang’s corruption allegations.

On Wednesday, members of the Assembly resorted to rowdiness over the petition by a group, Plateau Patriotic Front, alleging gross financial misconduct amounting to N20 billion by Mr. Jang.

The petition was dated May 15 and copied to President Goodluck Jonathan; the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Adamu Mua’zu; his Plateau State counterpart, Haruna Dabin; the Manager of the Central Bank, Jos branch, and three other commercial banks in the state.

The petition was also copied to State Auditor General, Commissioner of Police, Director of the SSS and the 17 local council chairmen in the state.

However, the petition was not deliberated upon on Wednesday following a disagreement among members.

“The petitioner called us names and also alleged that we have been bribed by the governor not to check the government.”

“The House must get to the bottom of this petition in the interest of the entire people of the state,” a lawmaker, Wokdung Abbas (Labour Party), had told his colleagues on Wednesday.

Following the rowdiness and opposition by some pro-Jang lawmakers, the Speaker of the Assembly, Titus Alam, said deliberation on the petition would commence only when the 24 members were served the petition.

“It is obvious from the point of other raised that some members have not been served copies of the petition and it will not be fair to talk over it. We have to adjourn the house to discuss the petition on another date,” the speaker said.

The Assembly was subsequently adjourned.

On Thursday when the Assembly resumed, the petition was not part of the “order of the day” on the order paper served members; and no reason was given.

When the Assembly eventually commenced sitting at about 2:00 p.m., three hours behind the usual sitting time, members did not discuss the petition.

The legislature instead invited contractors handling the 5-kilometre road contracts in the 17 council areas of the state to explain the delay in completing the jobs.

The road contract was awarded by the governor in 2012, with a completion time of 24 months. However, 60 per cent of the contract is yet to be done.

Governor Jang, while inspecting road projects in the state, early 2014, gave some of the contractors till May to complete the road and make it ready for commissioning on or before May 29. However, most of the contractors failed to meet the deadline.

A visit to the 5-kilometre road at its various sites, including Jos North Local Government Area, showed that most were haphazardly constructed.

The Assembly members, while interrogating the contractors, frowned at the slow space of the work. The legislators resolved that any contractor who failed to provide good reasons for the delay would face the Assembly’s wrath.

The Commissioner, Ministry of Works and Housing, Chris Hassan, had, during a media tour of the road projects in March, said government did not owe contractors. He said the present administration was prepared to complete and commission all projects initiated by it before 2015.

All the contractors who appeared before the House of Assembly over their alleged non-performance on the contracts declined comments to journalists.

Amaechi says Nigeria and the citizens bear the biggest brunt of a fractured forum.

The Governor of Rivers State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, Rotimi Amaechi, has called for an end to the crack in the forum.

Speaking during the opening of the 4th NGF retreat for Governors at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Port Harcourt, on Friday, Mr. Amaechi said, “To my colleagues, as we prepare to bow out, I want us to reflect on the crack in the body of the NGF.”

The Governor said since it has always been the dream of the NGF to remain intact and grow together as one, “regardless of any disagreements, the time to bring back everyone back together is now”.

He said Nigeria and the citizens bear the biggest brunt of a fractured forum. He said as the country moves towards 2015 and general elections, it is imperative that leaders continue to imbibe and internalise the democratic tenets, “even while allowing the minority to have their say”.

Mr. Amaechi had on March 26, 2013 defeated his Plateau State counterpart, Jonah Jang with 19 votes to 16, but the Plateau Governor alleged irregularity in the election and had since formed a faction of the NGF with all the governors that voted for him.

Speaking on Friday, however, Mr. Amaechi said, “I strongly hope that in the coming elections, democracy will be practiced as it ought to be. In all future elections, winners must be congratulated, while losers must of necessity be commended for taking part.”

The Rivers Governor said the retreat will focus on health and youth unemployment, even as he also recalled that in the last retreat in Lagos on March 13-14, the focus was on Agriculture, Education, and Corruption. He said the retreat came up with strong resolutions, some of which have impacted on policy in various states.

He urged the governors present to double their efforts during the 4th retreat to not only reach resolutions but follow through in applying all the lessons learned in all the retreats.

“Finding solutions to the challenges that plague our nation is our duty as leaders in our country,” he said.
Life after office for governors

As part of the forums topic at Friday’s retreat was also a session on ‘Transitioning out-Life after officer: Perspectives and Challenges.’ The session was chaired by former President of Liberia, Amos Sawyer.

Mr. Sawyer, in his speech, said the strength of Nigeria as a federation lay not only in good governance at the federal level, but also at the level of the state and local governments.

He said a federal government works best when there are strong institutions at all levels and when the interaction among them works smoothly in the delivery of public goods and services to the people.

The former president said there were always challenges in the relationship between federal and state governments.
“Contentions over jurisdictional responsibilities and prerogatives, resource allocation and budgets, among others will always exist and solutions to these challenges might not always satisfy all parties,” he said.

He also said that what was important was that there should always be a spirit of cooperation between all levels of government.

Mr. Sawyer said most public office holders would like to live life after office in dignity and with relevance.

He said he had served as Interim President for Liberia from September, 1990, where he served both as ceremonial and substantive head of government with all the trappings of office to March 1994 when he stepped down.

He however said as a private citizen “with no retinue of state security, assistants and advisors; no bullet-proof limousine. And no crowds attending my every event,” he had no difficulty because he has prepared for his exit from office at the time he was inducted.

He said he saw public service as a privilege. He advised the governors to see public service as a privilege and show appreciation for the opportunity to serve and must be humbled by the opportunity.

Segun Awofadeji

Two soldiers were feared dead yesterday when an armoured tank stationed at the private residence of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State exploded. Two others were seriously injured as a result of the explosion.

THISDAY gathered from Gombe Government House sources that the explosion happened at 6:20 pm, prompting soldiers and other armed security personnel to cordon off the area.
The governor’s media aide, Mansur Lawan, sent a text message stating that there was an accidental discharge from the armoured tank stationed in front of Dankwambo’s private residence.

The discharge, it was gathered, might have set off grenades in the tank, triggering multiple explosions outside the residence.

At the time of filing this report, the police, fire service and military personnel were at the scene evacuating the victims of the incident.
Another source, Suleiman Mohammed Al-Amin, the Radio Deutche Welle correspondent, who was at the scene of the explosion, said he saw the amoured tank on fire and a man’s hand that was chopped off by the explosion.
He said he was at the Pantami stadium watching a football match when he heard of the explosion and immediately ran to the scene to verify the incident.
He also revealed that he was manhandled by the military personnel on duty at the scene of the explosion.

Al-Amin said he was seriously beaten by the soldiers, even after he had identified himself and had shown them his identification card. Instead, the soldiers collected his ID card and beat him mercilessly.
All efforts to confirm the explosion from the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Fwaje Atajiri, proved abortive as his phone lines were switched off.

Thisday