Salary arrears: NUJ to picket affected media houses May 1

The National Executive Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists has mandated the leadership of the union to liaise with labour and civil society groups in the country to begin the picketing of media houses owing journalists salaries.
The NEC-in-Session gave the directive during its quarterly three-day meeting held in Umuahia, the Abiia State capital.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the President of the Union, Mallam Mohammed Garba, and the National Secretary, Shauib Usman Leman, the NEC gave April 31 as the deadline for the payment of all outstanding salaries, after which picketing of defaulting media houses will commence from May 1, 2013 in Lagos before it is extended to other states of the federation and Abuja.
Already, all the affected media houses in Lagos and Abuja have been duly notified by the national secretariat of the union.
NEC also re-affirmed its commitment to the welfare of its members.
While decrying the spate of arrests of journalists, especially the four journalists of Leadership newspapers, the union said it views such arrest as a siege on the media, describing it as undemocratic and uncalled-for.
Noting that the union will not shy away from its responsibilities in protecting its members, the NUJ urged members to discharge their responsibilities in line with the ethics of the profession.
The union, while clearing the air on the Good Governance Tour, said the leadership embarked on the tour based on the conviction that it was a genuine assessment of projects executed by different state governments in the country and not as a jamboree as speculated in different quarters.
The meeting-in-session however disclosed the need to review the Code of Ethics for Nigerian journalists in order to be in tandem with global media practices.
The union appealed to the Federal Government to ensure security of lives and property of Nigerians by addressing security challenges in the country.
The NEC-in-Session also congratulated Mohammed for emerging as the first Nigerian to be elected President of the Federation of African Journalists as well as Fatimah Abdulkareem, who emerged as the Vice Chairman, Gender Committee of FAJ.
While appealing to state governments to implement the 22 per cent weigh-in allowance for journalists in their employ, the union urged the Federal Government to also pay arrears of the allowance to members.

FG loses N27b revenue to rice smuggling in three months

Local growers of rice and importers of the commodity have cried out for government’s help against smugglers, whom they allege have overrun the Nigeria Customs Service at the border entry points.
A new group of local growers and importers of the commodity, under the aegis of Patriotic Rice Association of Nigeria, said in Abuja on Monday that “massive and incessant smuggling of rice into Nigeria had thrown the rice industry into a turmoil with severe consequences for government revenues, the economy and future plans for rice self-sufficiency.”
In a statement jointly signed by Alhaji Habibu Maishinkafa, Chairman, and Martins Okereke, Secretary, PRAN said given the free reign enjoyed by rice smugglers, “a bleak future lies ahead of local rice growers and traders legitimately involved in rice trade.”
Tracing the origin of this sorry state of affairs in the country, the association said: “The Nigerian rice industry seems to have been thrown into a turmoil since the import tariffs were increased exponentially effective January 2013.
“Matters got complicated further with the reported inability of Nigerian Customs to control smuggling of rice across the country’s borders with Benin.”
In their view, the higher tariff and consequent high market prices have enthused smugglers to push large volumes of rice into Nigeria with zero duty, thereby unsettling the Federal Government’s efforts to make Nigeria self sufficient in rice production by 2015.
They decried the situation in which “large-scale investments made into the farming and milling industries by private businesses are also in jeopardy, following Customs’ inability to protect the industry from the vagaries of smugglers.”
PRAN quoted reports that suggest that more than 400,000 metric tonnes of rice from various origins have entered into Nigeria since January 2013, “dealing a major financial blow to legitimate importers and rice millers.”
They contended that needless to add, these illegal imports result in substantial loss of revenue for the government, which from January till date is estimated to be in the range of N27 billion by industry observers.
“The Nigerian rice consumers are in the process shortchanged,” they went on, “with inferior brands being smuggled and then re-bagged into quality brands and sold at higher prices.”
They further alleged that several vessels with cargoes totaling more than 220,000 metric tonnes from Indian and Thai origins have flooded the ports of Benin and Cameroun in order to eventually find their way to Nigeria through the borders.
Vessels from India, involving 90,000 metric tonnes to Benin, include MV Lord Curzon, MV Santa Barbara, MV Zeynupkiran, MV Emenates and MV Captain.
The statement added: “Vessels from Thailand with cargoes of more than 130,000 metric tonnes are shipped to Benin on vessels MV White Fin, MV Makra, MV Blanco Zealand and others.
“Several container loads totaling over 150,000 tonnes since the start of 2013 have also started penetrating through the borders through Benin, Niger Republic, borders with Northern Nigeria and in the East with Yaounde.
“More than eight million bags of rice have flooded all markets, including Alaba, Daleko, Ideo, Singer and other prominent nationwide markets.”
They also noted that smugglers have reportedly used sophisticated weapons attacking and killing customs staff, inflicting fears in the ranks across the borders.
PRAN said they were joining the prominent rice associations in the country to urge that the Nigerian Customs, notwithstanding assurances to the contrary, need to act swiftly and totally clamp down on such illegal imports to be able to contain any further damage.

Three-year-old boy kidnapped during service in Redeemed church

Kidnappers are targeting members of one of the supposedly richest churches in Nigeria.
Barely one week after a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Nnenna Edu, was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint at the Good Shepard Pasture Parish on April 14, 2013 at Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos State, another member this time had his baby boy allegedly kidnapped during a church service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God at Market Street, Shomolu area of the state.
The boy, David Asiyeye, 3, was said to have been abducted from the children’s unit on April 21.
The boy’s father is self employed and works as a camera man with the church.
David is the only boy and last child in a family of four children.
His mother is also a worker in the church.
Sadly, more than one week after the abduction, the kidnappers are yet to return the boy.
Narrating what happened that day, a member of the church, identified simply as Tolu, said: “It is the usual practice in the church to keep children in a department different from where the elders worship.
“It was Sunday the 21st when after the morning service at 12noon that we noticed that the boy had disappeared.
“It may be laxity in the security arrangement at the children department.
“When the news of the boy’s disappearance was made public, the church members and people in the community started looking for the boy.
“The case was later reported at the Alade Police Station.”
It was gathered that on April 23, the victim’s parents received phone calls with hidden numbers asking them to bring a ransom of N5 million.
The parents are said to be devastated over the abduction and are making frantic efforts to get their only son back alive.
The members of the church have started a prayer and fasting session for the safe return of the boy.
Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye is the General Overseer of the RCCG.

Stella Damasus, Daniel Ademinokan marry secretly in US

Nollywood actress, Stella Damasus, and Daniel Ademinokan have exchanged their marital vows secretly in the United States of America.
The producer cum director, who some time last year dumped his popular Yoruba actress mistress, Doris Simeon, has since officially sealed his union with Damasus in February this year in New York ,United States of America.
Damasus, the widow of late Jaiye Aboderin, is going into her third marriage while Ademonokan is getting married for the second time after his first union with Simeon crashed over irreconciliable differences.
The new couple, it was learnt, run several businesses together in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
One of the investments is an upscale boutique called Code 55.
Further checks revealed that Ademinokan, few days back, showed his true love to Damasus when he threw a surprise birthday bash for his new lover at a restaurant, 9ja Villa, in Brooklyn, New York.
He also bought Damasus a Range Rover jeep as a gift for her 35th birthday.

US-based socialite, Abiodun Mohammed, dies mysteriously

United States of America-based socialite, Abiodun Mohammed, is dead.
The close buddy of Genesis Promotion boss, Demola Oyefeso, died on April 20 in his New York apartment while sleeping.
Mohammed’s sudden death still remains the subject of discussion among the happening crowd of Nigerians in New York.
Information available to us revealed that Mohammed was hale and hearty the previous night (Friday) before retiring to bed.
It was only in the morning he was discovered dead.
The suspicion is that he must have suffered from from a heart attack.
Arrangements were being made as at press time to bring his corpse to Nigeria for burial.
But his immediate family, it was learnt, wants him buried in America, having spent a better part of his life over there.
Until his death, Mohammed was the Financial Secretary of Egbe Omo Yoruba Community in the United States of America.
He is survived by a wife and kids.

Banky W to speak, ex-US presidents for honour at Oxford University conference

Popular Nigeria R and B singer, Bankole Wellington, otherwise known Banky W, has been selected as one of the distinguished speakers at this year’s edition of Oxford University Pan Africa conference.
Banky W will represent Nigeria once again at the annual pan-African Conference, which will hold on May 4, 2013 at Oxford Union Oxford, London, United Kingdom.
The conference will also feature honour for former presidents of the United States of America and other prominent world figures.
Among them are Reagan, Nixon, Carter, Malcom X, Mother Theresa,The Dalai Lama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Senator John McCain.
The conference, since inception, has been the foremost gathering of African students in the United Kingdom.
The partnership with the Oxford Union brings together hundreds of dynamic scholars, enterpreneurs, activists and political leaders from around the world.
Wellington will be speaking on the importance of current cultural shifts and changes in artistic expression.
He will also discuss the rise of a vibrant media industry and how these changes are shaping the continents.
Commenting on the selection of Banky, as he is fondly called, for this year’s edition,the Chairman of the conference, Temitope Folaranmi, said Wellington is one of the leading African artistes and producers with a strong international presence.
This is in view of his extraordinary effort in developing young African music talents.
Wellington’s participation in this year’s conference will be an invaluable contribution, Folaranmi said.

Five dead, 17 injured in Anambra crash

No fewer than five persons have been confirmed dead and seventeen injured in a crash that occurred in Anambra State on Friday.
According to information provided by the Federal Road Safety Corps, the accident claimed the lives of five males and two females while out of the 17 injured, 10 were men.
The accident occurred at 3:42pm along the Amaku/Enugu Road (University of Zik Junction).
The vehicles involved were a tanker with registration number AE 729 UMA; a Mitsubishi Lancer 300 bus AAH 116 XA; Mitsubishi Lancer 300 XK 927 UMA; Toyota Hiace bus ATN 15 XA; Mitsubishi Lancer 300 XG 962 GGE; and Mitsubishi Lancer 300 XD 323 JJT.
One of the injured victims was taken to the Teaching Hospital, Nnewi while the remaining were taken to Amaku General Hospital, Awka.
The corpses were deposited at Amaku General Hospital Morgue, Awka.

THE PRIDE OF LIFE BY Neil Anderson

1 John 2:16
The boastful pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world

The third channel of temptation is at the heart of the New Age Movement: the temptation to direct our own destiny, to rule our own world, to be our own god. Satan tantalized Eve concerning the forbidden fruit: "The day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). Satan's offer was an exaggerated appeal to our God-instilled propensity to rule. "Don't be satisfied ruling under God," he seemed to say, "when you have the potential to be like God." When Eve was convinced that "the tree was desirable to make one wise" (verse 6), she and Adam ate.

Satan's promise that the couple would become like God was nothing more than a lie. When Adam and Eve yielded to his temptation, they didn't become the gods of this world as he claimed they would. Instead, they fell from their position of rulership with God, and Satan became the god of this world by default--exactly as he had planned.

Satan tried the same ploy with Jesus: "All [the kingdoms of the world and their glory] will I give You, if You fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:9). When you think about it, Satan's offer was pretty ridiculous. Why would Jesus be tempted to worship Satan in exchange for the world when He already owned the universe? So He replied, "Begone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only'" (verse 10).

The temptation of the pride of life is intended to steer us away from the worship of God and destroy our obedience to God by urging us to become our own god. Whenever you feel that you don't need God's help or direction, that you can handle your life without consulting Him, that you don't need to bow the knee to anyone, beware: That's the pride of life. Whenever you stop worshipping and serving God, you are in reality worshipping and serving Satan--which is what he wants more than anything else. Instead, your life should be characterized by worshipful humility and obedience to God (1 Peter 5:5-11; John 15:8-10).

Prayer: Father, help me resist the temptation to be more than You have called me to be when I wrongfully assume Your role as captain of my soul.

Baga: Jonathan summons Borno governor

As the controversy over the actual number of deaths at the recent Baga massacre in Borno State rages, President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday summoned Governor Ibrahim Shettima of Borno to the State House in Abuja.
Recently, men of the Joint Task Force and gunmen suspected to be members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, engaged in a gun duel at Baga, a boarder town in Borno State.
During the clash, no fewer that 187 lives were reported to have been lost and about 2,000 houses razed.
However, military authorities claimed the figure was grossly exaggerated though Red Cross confirmed the figure.
Shettima declined to speak with correspondents after the meeting with the President.
It was however gathered that his mission was to brief President Jonathan on the situation from the angle of the state government.
The President had earlier received briefing from military authorities.
He has also ordered a full-scale investigation into the alleged mass killing of civilians.
“Having received preliminary briefings from the Military High Command on the incident, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a full-scale investigation into reports of high civilian casualties in the confrontation between Nigerian soldiers and insurgents at Baga in Borno State,” presidential media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, had said.
While commiserating with families who lost their loved ones, the President noted that rules of engagement for the military and security agencies were already in place.
He therefore, assured Nigerians that the investigation ordered into the incident would amongst other things, determine whether or not these rules were fully complied with.
Abati stated further that “the President is deeply pained by the continuance of these needless deaths and will continue to do all within his powers to achieve lasting peace, security and stability in all parts of the country.”

Boko Haram 'got $3m ransom' to free French hostages

Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, was paid more than $3 million (£2 million) before releasing a French family of seven, a Nigerian government report says.
The confidential report, seen by Reuters news agency, does not say who paid the money.
Both France and Cameroon deny paying a ransom while Nigeria has not commented on the issue.
The French family, including four children, were captured in Cameroon in February and freed last week.
The were handed over to the Cameroon authorities last Thursday.
The Nigerian report also says that Cameroon freed some Boko Haram detainees as part of the deal, according to Reuters.
If confirmed, transfer of such a significant amount of money given to Boko Haram could serve to strengthen the firepower of the group, the BBC’s Will Ross in Lagos reports.
Over the past week, violence in northern Nigeria has escalated as suspected members of Boko Haram have targeted the army and police.
Reports say more than 200 civilians have died in the violence.
While the army is unable to prevent such attacks, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has appointed a committed to prepare the ground for offering an amnesty to the militants, our correspondent says.

Prisoner demand
The French family, who live in Yaounde, where Tanguy Moulin-Fournier worked for the French gas group, Suez, had been returning from a holiday in the Waza National Park in northern Cameroon when they were kidnapped by gunmen on motorbikes on February 19.
Mr. Moulin-Fournier; his wife, Albane; and four children, aged between five and 12, had been joined on their holiday by his brother, Cyril.
In a YouTube video released about a week after their capture, the militants demanded the release of prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria.
One of them also criticised French President, Francois Hollande, for sending troops to fight Islamist militants in northern Mali in January.
The French-led operation in Mali has ousted the Islamist groups, including al-Qaeda’s North African branch, from cities and towns in the vast desert region they had captured a year ago in the wake of a coup.
Boko Haram, which began its insurgency following a deadly crackdown on its members in 2009, had previously said it was not involved in hostage taking.
It has usually followed a Nigerian agenda, and says it wants to establish an Islamic state.
During its insurgency, at least 2,000 people have been killed in northern and parts of central Nigeria.
BBC.

Two policemen, five Boko Haram members killed in Yoba gun battle

Two police officers and five gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram were killed during a midnight shootout between the insurgents and security officials in Gashua Town of Yobe State, residents and security agency said.
The spokesman of the peacekeeping Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Eli Lazarus, said in a press statement that most of the Boko Haram gunmen fled in the heat of the shooting, abandoning their vehicles and cache of arms.
Fati Umar, a female school teacher and resident of Gashua, sent a text message out at about 1am, saying “please do pray for us! We are in danger.”
Ms. Umar later confirmed on the telephone to journalists that dozens of Boko Haram gunmen invaded their Mobile Base area of Gashua at about midnight shooting and chanting Islamic slogan ‘Allahu Akbar’.
“From the way they were moving, it was like they were going house to house. They shot several gunshots around our house but the gate was firmly locked.
“It was this morning we heard they attacked police station and the prison,” she said.
Mr. Lazarus said in his statement that the attack started at midnight.
“At about 12 midnight Thursday 25 April 2013, unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram Terrorists attacked JTF location in Gashua town, the Police Area Command and Gashua Divisional Police Station. Men of the JTF were able to repel and contain the attack on its location. Reinforcement was however dispatched swiftly and was able to engage the terrorists.
“Two police officers were killed in the attack while five of the suspected terrorists lost their lives during the encounter. Some of the suspected terrorists escaped in two vehicles with injuries while others are believed to still be in the town. The fleeing terrorists took away one police Hilux vehicle fitted with siren at the top, one other vehicle, police uniforms and other items from the Police stations.
“Items recovered include; One Toyota Corolla Car, One Peugeot 406 Saloon Car, One Isuzu Pick Up Van, One AK 47 Rifle, One Police Anti-Riot Gun, One Locally Made Pistol, One Rocket Propelled Grenade Bomb, One Generating Set and Large Quantity of Ammunition.
“The public is enjoined to be mindful of the fact that the terrorists are still around and are bent on wrecking havoc and instilling fear in law abiding citizens in other to make life unbearable for them. Let no one be in doubt however, that JTF would continue to respond appropriately to such attacks.
The Task Force urges all law abiding citizens to remain calm as it is currently on top of the situation. A cordon and search operation is currently on going in Gashua town,” Mr. Lazarus said.

Why we must sweep PDP out in 2015, by Kehinde Bamigbetan

In the last 72 hours, I have discovered that traumatic experiences like this leave a large scar not only on your body but mainly, on your mind. As I stand here, I still carry with me the trauma of being beaten till blood oozed from my nostrils while the hands I could have used to wipe them were tied to the arms of the chair of punishment. I carry the scars of being turned into a reptile, demoted to lying prostrate on the floor like a lizard, while the eyes I ought to use to find my way were blindfolded and all I could see was pitch, black darkness.
Why we must sweep PDP out in 2015, by Kehinde BamigbetanWhy we must sweep PDP out in 2015, by Kehinde Bamigbetan
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These scars are now part of my psyche. They form part of the story that I will carry to old age.
Yet, from this same pot of blackness arose a kindness so rare and outstanding that it could only have come from the grace of the Almighty; from the mercy of the Creator. The result of the prayers that rose from the mouths of men and women like you across all faiths united in the conviction that the Devil will be defeated.
Else, how can we explain the captors who were turned into servants to dote on me and attend to my menial needs? How do I account for the free chef and the free chauffeur services that fed and ferried me to the bosom of my wife, children and family? In the space of five days, God showed that the powers of darkness may reign but the reign will be only for a short time, that the devious rule will be cut short by the forces of goodness.
All of us seated here today, workers, community leaders, politicians are the forces of goodness whose prayers and activism crushed the forces of darkness. All of us here today, who worked individually and collectively to ensure that evil does not occupy our land are the movement and vanguard for the change that we all desire.
From the bottom of our hearts, my wife, children and the entire Bamigbetan family are indebted to you. We thank you for sharing our pains. God will be with you in your trials and triumphs.
A thousand tongues will not be enough to thank God for this mercy he has generously bestowed on us. What we know, right from our childhood, is that in everything, we should give thanks to Him. No leaf falls of the tree without his approval. Nothing happens without his design. We pray that God continues to guide us through the challenges of life.
Permit me to thank a man who has shown so much interest in my development, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his wife, our delectable amazon at the Senate, Chief Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, for their concern. I declare my appreciation to the First Family of Lagos State, His Excellency Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, and wife, Dame Emmanuella Fashola, for the sacrifices they made to make sure that I did not disappear like smoke. I thank the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and the entire House of Assembly for their solidarity. I cannot forget the fatherly role of His Royal Majesty, Oba Adekunle Adisa Ojoola, the Ojon of Ejigbo and Ijanland and the Council of Chiefs. The list is endless.
Finally, let me assure that this spiritual rebirth has recharged my conviction to serve mankind and rescue our country, the most populous and promising black nation from the hands of the renegades and degenerates of the Peoples Democratic Party whose backward, clueless and reactionary government has become so embarrassing that it is now the duty of every Nigerian to sweep it out of power.
While the PDP- led Federal Government continues to demonstrate incompetence in addressing the problem of graduate unemployment that is turning kidnapping and ransom taking into the newest flourishing criminal venture, the governments of the Action Congress of Nigeria have demonstrated the superiority of vision by creating over 100,000 jobs for graduates in the last three years. In the LCDA, since January 2012, we have facilitated the employment of 156 graduates in well paid jobs. It is therefore clear that a vote for the APC in the next federal elections will usher in the over meant that will solve graduate unemployment.
Now is the time to get back to work, to continue to fulfill the promises we made to the people on roads, drainages, education and health. For us, the welfare of the people is the first principle of progressive governance.
Being a speech by the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority, Kehinde Bamigbetan, at a thanksgiving to mark his release by kidnappers who abducted him for five days.

Baga massacre may constitute crimes against humanity – ACN

The Action Congress of Nigeria has said the killing of 185 people, mostly women and children, in Baga, Borno State, may constitute crimes against humanity, which should attract the attention of the International Criminal Court, especially because the Nigerian Government is either unwilling or unable to prosecute those involved, going by precedence.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the ACN said far beyond the justifiable call for a judicial commission of inquiry into the Baga massacre, it is time for leaders under whose watch these killings are being perpetrated, to be held to account.
It said the killings in Baga, like previous ones in the areas where Boko Haram and the military Joint Task Force have been engaged in clashes, are undoubtedly a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population – the definition of crimes against humanity, which is one of the four groups of crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
According to the ACN, those engaged in the killings, including the Boko Haram sect, cannot and must not get away with these heinous crimes.
The party said the only reasons that the killing and maiming of innocent citizens have continued unabated in Nigeria is because such killings in the past, either in Odi in Bayelsa State or in Zaki-Biam in Benue State, under the watch of then President Olusegun Obasanjo, went unpunished.
The party said: “Enough is enough! Even in countries at war, innocent citizens are not being daily mowed to death either by insurgents or state forces, as we are experiencing in Nigeria. It is clear that the Nigerian government is either unwilling or unable to prosecute these crimes, despite the deceptive assurances by those at the helm, hence the ICC must immediately beam its search-light on the situation in Nigeria.
“While we are aware that the killings in Odi and Zaki Biam occurred before 1 July 2002, when the Rome Statute setting up the ICC came into force, the killings in the north, especially at Baga, fall within the temporal jurisdiction of the global court.”
The ACN put the blame for the Baga killings squarely on the shoulders of President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to distinguish between support for security agencies battling the insurgents in the North and the incitement of the same forces against civilians who are caught in the cross fire.
The party added: “When the President issued his tactless vituperations against community leaders, and by extension hapless civilians, during his visit to Borno and Yobe States, we warned that he was further victimising the victims of the insurgents’ attack. That action helped to set the stage for the mindless massacre in Baga.”
Meanwhile, the ACN has urged the National Assembly to investigate how troops from foreign countries became part of the JTF troops now battling the insurgents in the North
The party said this is important to find out who authorized the deployment of foreign troops in Nigeria and what their mandates are.
It said: “We know that international troops deployments are authorized at sub-regional, continental or global levels.
“It is therefore important to find which body authorized the deployment of foreign troops to Nigeria, the same troops that are now said to have participated in killing and maiming of innocent Nigerian citizens.”

Eaglets coach aims for pound of flesh against Cote d’ Ivoire

The Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Manu Garba, has vowed to do everything humanly possible to lead his team this time around to victory when Nigeria confronts Cote d’Ivoire, the only team that defeated the country in the group stage of the ongoing CAF U-17 Championship that would be rounded off in Marrakesh, Morocco on Saturday.
Cote d’Ivoire defeated the Golden Eaglets 1-0 in the Group B encounter.
Garba, who thanked God for his side’s 4-2 victory over resilient Tunisia in the second semi-final match played on Wednesday, however, warned that the final match against the Ivorian team won’t be east at all.
But he promised the Ivorians a tougher game this time around.
“The final match against Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday is going to be a different ball game because we were unlucky when they beat us 1-0 in the group stage,” he said.” We are going to play a better game because we now know them better.”
“We are very happy to qualify for the final because our aim was to come here and win this trophy and make Nigerians happy,” Chidera Ezeh, a member of the team, also said at the post match conference. “We are happy to be in the final and as usual, we would be waiting for instructions from our coaches to play against Cote d’Ivoire in the final.”
Tunisian Coach, Ben Soltane Abdelhay, admitted it was a difficult game for both teams.
Abdelhay, however, admitted that the Nigerians were stronger and deserved their place in the final.
“It was a tough match for us because Nigeria was stronger physically,” he said. “The temperature affected us too but that is not taking anything away from Nigeria.”
Saturday’s final between Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire would be the first at this level but it would be Nigeria’s fourth final appearance.
The Golden Eaglets conquered the continent twice in 2001 and 2007.

HURIWA faults continued suspension of Bauchi Assembly only female member

The suspension by the Bauchi State House of Assembly since February 2012 of the only female member of the House, Hon. Rifkatu Samson Danna, for voicing out her peoples’ opposition to the unconstitutional transfer of the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area from Tafawa Balewa town has been faulted by a democracy inclined non-governmental organization, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria.
HURIWA has therefore asked the Bauchi State House of Assembly to reinstate and recall Danna, representing Bogoro constituency, without any further unjustifiable, unconstitutional and morally indefensible delay.
Besides, HURIWA has also tasked the Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, to use his good offices to plead with the leadership of the Bauchi State House of Assembly to recall the only female member of the legislative House immediately.
Danna, a Christian and the only female member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, was suspended following her opposition to the transfer of the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area from Tafawa Balewa town, enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, to Bununu, in contravention of the law which requires constitutional amendment before any such relocation could be validly effected.
The suspended member had during her contribution on the floor of the Bauchi State legislature on February 7, 2012, opposed the decision to so relocate the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area from Tafawa Balewa town to Bununu and further raised suspicion that the hurried manner the House unanimously approved the relocation without hearing from the majority of her constituents in Bogoro constituency may have been occasioned by a decision from a meeting in which she was not privy to nor present to air her opinion.
HURIWA recalled that the suspicion raised by the only female member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly on the floor of the Assembly during the debate on the proposed bill to relocate the local council headquarters led to her being referred for investigation by the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges.
Specifically on February 8, 2012, the House committee on Ethics and privileges submitted the report of the probe and recommended the indefinite suspension of the only female member for her remarks made during the debate.
Almost two years after she was suspended, Danna has neither been paid her wages nor has she been allowed to represent her Bogoro Constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly just as her constituency is the only one dominated by religious and ethnic minorities in Bauchi State, HURIWA affirmed.
In a statement jointly endorsed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of Media Affairs, Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said the continuous suspension of Danna is completely untenable, illegal, unconstitutional and a total breach of the constitutionally guaranteed inherent fundamental right of her constituents to be so represented in the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
Besides, HURIWA expressed shock that the Federation of women lawyers, the National Assembly committees on Women Affairs and the office of the First Lady of Bauchi State have remained silent and allowed the only female voice in the Bauchi State House of Assembly to be extinguished even when Nigeria’s first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has said a lot about women political empowerment and is credited with influencing the appointment of the appreciative high percentage of women into the federal cabinet of her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan.
HURIWA said it was a breach of Chapter 4 of the constitution on the fundamental freedom of thought and expression for the male-dominated Bauchi State House of Assembly to conspire on a grand scale fashion to eliminate the only female voice from their midst.
HURIWA, which tasked the Bauchi State Governor to intervene in this instance and use it as a litmus test to show his gender equity strategy to the nation, also said: “We use this forum to call on the office of the wife of the President of Nigeria Mrs. Patience Jonathan to appeal to the Bauchi State House of Assembly to recall Mrs. Rifkatu Samson Danna from the indefinite suspension without further delay.”

Executive not in supremacy battle with legislature – Jonathan

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said that the executive and legislative arms of government are neither in competition nor in battle for supremacy.
President Jonathan stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the National Conference on Executive-Legislature Relations, organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, with the theme: “Strengthening Executive-Legislative Collaboration in Governance.”
The President, who was represented by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, said: “We are messengers sent to bring democratic goods. Our roles, duties and responsibilities are well defined and there is no reason whatsoever for us not to work together for the greatness of our country.”
He used the occasion to reiterate his commitment to ensuring cordial relations among all the three arms of government, adding” “I have maintained a policy of non-interference in the affairs of the National Assembly. Today, we have a stable National Assembly and a cordial atmosphere suitable for the conduct of parliamentary business.
The President, who acknowledged that there could be disagreements once in a while and that political parties may differ, however, stressed that it should not be allowed to be a dividing force or blown out of proportion.
He said: “What Nigerians want and deserve is good governance to the highest standards.”
According to the President, the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature is not about the two arms but the governed, observing that “it is about harnessing our constitutional powers and God-given talents, and deploying our positions as public servants to drive our progress as a nation.”
He congratulated the organisers for their foresight, noting that the event was apt and in line with his administration’s Transformation Agenda.
Jonathan said: “This is one conference that I have looked forward to be part of, because of its significance in my governance philosophy.”
In their separate remarks, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, while commending the organisers of the conference, stressed the importance of partnership between the executive and the legislature in the delivery of good governance and dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
Earlier, the convener of the Conference and the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Joy Emodi, said that the conference was aimed at consolidating on the existing cordial relations between the executive and the legislative arms of government, adding that it represents a “high water mark in Nigeria’s search for good governance.”
The two-day conference would have presentations from Ms. Baleka Mbete, former Speaker, National Assembly of South Africa and Chairperson of African National Conference, South Africa, and other top resource persons.
The event, which was witnessed by former Senate President, Dr. Joseph Wayas, and Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, also had in attendance past and present members of the National Assembly and members of the Federal Executive Council.

Grief as Fayemi receives deputy’s body in Ado-Ekiti

A pall of grief descended on the ancient city of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, on Wednesday, as the corpse of the late Deputy Governor of the state, Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka, arrived the town from Lagos via Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The body was received by the Governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the Governor’s Office, where the late Olayinka worked as the state’s number two citizen between October 15, 2010 and April 6, 2013.
Speaking shortly after the he had led other senior government officials to receive the corpse, Fayemi said the people of the state must thank God for giving them the late deputy governor.
He said she gave much in ensuring the transformation of the Land of Honour.
The hearse, which brought the body of the late deputy governor, was marked “Moremi Ekiti,” the nickname the deceased acquired in the political circles where she ran as Fayemi’s running mate in the 2007 governorship election.
The Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District and a kinsman of the deceased, Babafemi Ojudu, led family members of the deceased, who were conveyed in a Coaster bus.
The atmosphere was sombre at the Governor’s Office where politicians, civil servants, students, youths, journalists and other members of the public gathered in groups discussing the burial activities of the late deputy governor.
Many civil servants waited behind to witness the arrival of the corpse even after they had officially closed from work at 4pm.
At about 5.20pm, sound of music, drumming and trumpeting, which signalled the arrival of the funeral train, were heard around Okesa area of Ado-Ekiti, with the train connecting the Governor’s Office through the Government House.
The hearse was ushered into the Governor’s Office by MIC Undertakers and the governor’s security team while the crowd, which had gathered at the complex, struggled to catch a glimpse of the casket that was not brought out throughout the proceedings.
Many people wept profusely as the hearse arrived the Governor’s Office.
Many of them recounted the good deeds of the late Olayinka during her two-and-half years stint as the state’s number two citizen.
Speaking shortly after the corpse arrived, Fayemi, in an emotion-laden voice, thanked God for the safe arrival of the corpse and the funeral train, describing her late deputy as “our princess and Moremi who gave her life as a sacrifice to the people.”
He added: “We thank God for her sacrifices.
“This was her office where she gave her all to the people.
“All of us, adults, young, male, female we cannot thank Funmilayo Adunni Olayinka enough.
“The wise words of the elderly say that the best tree never lasts in the forest.
“She lived an eventful life, life of courage, life of sacrifice.
“We know that heaven is the recompense of the faithful and we thank God for giving her to us.
“The Bible urges us to thank God for everything and we thank God for taking her to a good place, a safe place where there is no room for these challenges.
“We pray God to give her dear husband, her children -Y eside, Lolade, Olamide – the Olayinkas and the Famuaguns the grace to continue with the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.
“She fought a good fight.
“She did her best and we need to keep fighting for those things she believed in – abundant life for our people, transformation and service delivery.”
The train later departed the Governor’s Office around 5.45pm, while thousands of youths embarked on a candle possession from Fajuyi Park round major streets of Ado-Ekiti.
Earlier in Lagos, people in position of authority were urged to emulate the life of selfless service of Olayinka, who used the short time she spent in politics to create indelible positive impression in the lives of many people.
Rev. Peter Awelewa gave the charge in his sermon at the Commendation Service held for the late Ekiti State deputy governor at the Anglican Church of Ascension, Opebi, Lagos on Wednesday.
Awelewa said most of the problems confronting Nigerians have their roots in the selfish leaders who use their position and office to amass wealth instead of using it for the benefit of the people who entrust and empower to them with the authority to manage the resources for the benefit of all.
Awelewa, who decried various degrees of oppression in Nigeria, called on leaders indulging in such act to remember that one day death will come for them and all their ill gotten will be very useless on that day.
The clergy noted that some of the things that made the late Olayinka famous were her glamour, humility and cheerfulness, which never changed, even when she joined politics and became the Ekiti State deputy governor.
Awelewa, who commiserated with the husband of the deceased, Architect Lanre Olayinka, and his daughters, urged them to take solace in the Lord’s comfort and the hope of resurrection when they are going to meet again.

159 road projects to gulp N1.39b, says Works minister

Several ongoing road projects across the country risk being abandoned unless the Federal Government is able to raise N921.4 billion.
Briefing State House correspondents after the weekly Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, disclosed that the total portfolio size of all the 195 ongoing road projects spread nationwide is N1.39 billion.
The minister, who presented his ministry’s report for 2012 to the Council, said it will take about eight years to complete the projects if government would depend on annual budgetary provision.
He said: “As at the turn of the century, that is 2001, the Federal Ministry of Works has grossed up a project portfolio in the six geopolitical zones of the country to the tune of about N1.397 trillion.
“And the break down of that portfolio shows that 31 ongoing projects by the Federal Ministry of Works are in the North Central zone, covering a total length of 1,054 kilometres at the total sum of N262.3 billion.
“The North East has a total of 30 ongoing projects covering a total of about 1,461 kilometres at the contract sum of N332.9 billion.
“The North West has a total of 23 ongoing projects covering a total of about 1,028 kilometres at the contract sum of N255.5 billion.
“The South East has a total of 40 ongoing projects covering a total of about 978 kilometres at the contract sum of N149.6 billion.
“The South South has a total of 34 ongoing projects covering a total of about 876 kilometres at the contract sum of N159.4 billion.
“The South West has a total of 37 ongoing projects covering a total of about 1,230 kilometres at the contract sum of N236.9 billion.
“Out of this total portfolio size of ongoing project that has been put at N1.397 trillion, a total of about N523.6 billion has been certified and only about N475.5 billion has been paid, leaving a balance of about N921.4 billion of that portfolio.
“Which means that cumulatively unto the time that portfolio is completed, we will be requiring about N921.4 billion to complete all the over 195 ongoing projects in the country.”
On the 2012 allocation to the ministry, Onolememen said: “The ministry received a total capital budgetary provision of about N143,592,745,847 for the ministry’s capital projects.
“Out of that, N101 billion was released and cash backed.
“Out of the N101 billion, a total of N110,194,309,674 was expended on capital projects.”
Labaran Maku, the Minister of Information, said Council members were delighted with the report.
Maku said: “This nation can be sure that the Federal Ministry of Works is moving ahead to deliver major roads in the country.”

Igbos are third rate citizens in Nigeria - Kalu

A former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has described the Igbos as third rate citizens in the Nigerian project.
Kalu said rather than being accorded the status other major ethnic groups within the Nigerian project have, the Igbos have been consigned to the background in the scheme of things in Nigeria.
Kalu, who spoke on Thursday at the British House of Commons in the United Kingdom, said that the statistics, which form the very basis of the existence of the country, have glaring evidences that the Igbos, who occupy the South East part of the country, are not as highly valued as the Hausa and Yoruba ethnic stocks.
He said the statistics, ranging from the distribution of the country’s commonwealth to the opportunities to govern at the federal level and the number of states, local government areas and senatorial districts in each of the geopolitical regions of the country point glaringly to the value placed on the Igbos by the Nigerian state.
He said: “The Igbo in Nigeria have become the receptacle of anger, hatred, envy and frustration oozing out of their fellow compatriots.
“But this is on the level of the transaction between private citizens.
“How about the place of the Igbo in respect of the manner in which public affairs are conducted by the Nigerian Federal Government and its agencies?
“The simple answer is that the rain has continued to beat the Igbo.”
To back up his argument, Kalu told the gathering, which included Nigerians in the Diaspora, especially those based in the United Kingdom, that while the South East has just five states, other geopolitical regions have between six and seven states.
Specifically, he said the North West has seven states while others have six.
In terms of local governments, the South East also has the least – 95.
The North West has 186 local government areas, North East 112, North Central 115, South West 138 and South South 123.
For the federal constituencies, which form the basis for election into the House of Representatives, the South East has 43 while the North West has 92, the North East 48, North Central 49, South West 71 and South South 55.
For Senatorial Districts, the North West tops with 21, the North Central, North East, South South and South West all have 18 and the South East with the least, 15.
Kalu said: “The above table does not represent an opinion or a hypothesis. It represents the blatant reality of the third rate status forced upon the Igbo in the political space in Nigeria.
“We, the Igbo, have striven but thus far failed to persuade the Nigerian establishment about the hurt and humiliation and deprivation that come with the idea that we as a people are legally condemned to third rate status in our own country, as amply demonstrated by the above table.
“The implications of this calculated fraud against my people are so massive and go entirely untold: unequal allocation of resources, unequal voice in the Federal Executive Council, unequal representation in the National Assembly (the gravest of all), unequal participation in the administration of justice in the federation, unequal participation in the federal civil service and adjunct bodies, unequal representation in the armed forces and paramilitary organisations, unequal representation in the diplomatic corps ensuring incapacity in showcasing the Igbo culture as part of a pan Nigerian culture in our foreign missions and embassies, fewer primary, secondary and higher education opportunities for our children, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”
Kalu went further to state that these disparities have been taken further to the rulership of the country.
He said that while those from the North Central have ruled for 17 years, 11 months and 20 days as at the time of the address to the House of Commons, the North West has occupied the country’s presidency for 13 years, 11 months and 10 days; the South West for 11 years, 10 months and eight days; the North East for five years, three months and 15 days; and the South South for five years and 23 days.
But for the South East, leading the country has only been for six months and 13 days.
Kalu added: “The structural disparities are constitutionally entrenched (please see the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999), thus their grave implications for Ndigbo are beyond the primary questions of inequity and marginalization.
“The histories of nations are replete with evidence of existential threat to any group whose marginalization is made a subject matter of constitutional enshrinement.
“With unequal voice in the Federal Executive Council, in the National Assembly, on the federal judicial benches and a vast array of other fora in which the Igbo suffer sub-parity representation, the strength of the advocacy of our problems and priorities is thus diminished. Little wonder, then, that the South-East zone, the area inhabited by the Igbo, still manifests the physical characteristics of a conquered and occupied land, 43 years after the civil war.
“Quite apart from the psychological assault it represents for Igbo people, the practical issues of unequal representation and unequal allocation of resources are calculated to retard the development of our region and our people. The massive difference which the resources and human empowerment that we are denied might have made in our society is something that calls not just for a sober reflection but a gritty resolve to bring about their speedy resolution. The Igbo tenacity, drive and relentless optimism to pursue life’s enduring dreams of family, faith and success and to overcome life’s challenges will see them through. But the world must listen to them whenever they cry out. For every for they have long suffered and endured in silence, as the rain continues to beat them.”
Kalu said this was the major reason for the formation of Njiko Igbo, a group with the mandate to push for the election of a president of Igbo extraction for Nigeria in 2015.
He said: “The presidency of the Nigerian nation has not eluded the Igbo by accident or by an act of divinity but by human design; and it is through human pressure that we can attain it.
“Njiko Igbo is the catalyst and conduit for our collective action. We trust that you recognise as we do, that power concedes nothing without a demand….
“Njiko Igbo is an organisation dedicated to the struggle for the ascent of a citizen of Igbo extraction to the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015.
“We are fully committed to the security and peace of our nation, and to the comradeship of a common justice and equality for all Nigerians.
“We are neither supportive of nor opposed to any political party or the aspirations of any individual politician. Our primary mission is to enlighten and mobilise the Igbo population, both home and in the diaspora, to stand firm and united in the pursuit of our collective goal. Our secondary duty is to connect with and persuade the rest of the Nigerian population about the justice of our cause.
“Njiko Igbo is waging this struggle precisely because there is an irrefutable evidence of blatant anti-Igbo bias in the manner in which the political architecture of this federation is constructed.
“Gross injustice is the ultimate outcome of that deliberate discrimination. And every man or woman possessed of conscience has a duty to take a moral stand against injustice whenever and wherever it is manifest. This expression of conscience forms the tradition of the deepest value we share as a people.
“The impulse to demand justice and the instinctive revolt against injustice constitute the most essential ingredients of humanity. If we recognize this philosophical essence of what truly defines our sentient nature, then we must accept that this struggle is not only inevitable but mandatory.
“Our strategic operations are two-pronged: (a) an intensive drive to build and foster a united front at home and, (b) an energetic national mobilization campaign to marshal public opinion and secure the solidarity and support of a majority of Nigerians.
“Our methods will be conciliatory, unaggressive, solicitous and flexible but without being amenable to the old easy compromises and defensiveness that reinforced prejudicial assumptions about us as a people. We shall seek to accomplish our mission in a manner and style deferential to elders, respectful of the sensibilities of other tribal groups and faiths, attentive to criticism and open to disputations.
“We are embarked on a big and noble dream borne out of the necessities of our history and the imperatives of our justice, equity and fair play. While our history is a proud, large, and significant imprint in Nigeria, the reality of our contemporary existence has been rendered small by the politics of the Nigerian republic. This time calls for self-assertion and Igbo people must rise and answer the challenges with one voice.
“We are not pursuing the orthodox argument connected with the zoning of the presidency. This is, instead, a struggle for justice and equality of opportunity through the instrumentalities of persuasion, mobilization, projection of a creative vision for a stronger and a successful federation.
“No one should be in any doubt that the political struggles and strife raging in this country today, and which will rage for at least another generation, represent the struggle to assert group identity and legitimacy, expressed through the mechanics of politics. Igbo people can ill-afford to take a passive stance in the maelstrom.”

Obasanjo commends Aregbesola, eulogises late Ige

The occasion was the visit of the Owu Foundation delegation led by Obasanjo to Governor Aregbesola in the state capital where he unveiled the new statue of the late governor of old Oyo State built at the entrance of the Governor’s Office in Osogbo.

This was just as Aregbesola said that it is not for nothing that people of the South-West (Yoruba) have always advocated for true federalism because by their nature, the Yoruba people flourish on federalism.

Chief Obasanjo came in company with delegate of Owu Development Foundation (ODF) in respect of a rift over the Orile-Owu stool.

Obasanjo said, “Ige was a national leader. Especially in the South west, his impact was highly commendable. It is a representation of the remembrance of a high calibre Yoruba personality whose efforts for the advancement of his people will always remain in the sands of time.”

Governor Aregbesola said that once the powers that be recognises in the Yoruba people a lover of federalism and freedom, they would find the Yoruba the best of people to befriend and be with.

He averred that to subdue a people who want to free would always breed chaos as Yoruba people always stopped at nothing to resist losing their freedom and autonomy.

“Yoruba thrive on federalism. What I want the country to know is the fact that as far as our autonomy and freedom are recognized, we could be the best any people could have as neighbors.

“But every effort to infringe on our freedom and autonomy would breed tragedy and disaster. For as long as people do not recognise this salient fact to the extent that we even fought ourselves to defend our autonomous existence, Yoruba can be best of people.

“We defend our rights, be it political, social or economical or cultural. This is the essence of our initiative on regional integration. And I want to believe that in the innate part of Chief Obasanjo’s mind, he supports our integration agenda.

Aregbesola also extoled the virtues of the former president, saying every Yoruba man must be proud of his (Obasanjo’s) achievements, which explains why the Government of the State of Osun accorded honour which he rightly deserved.

The governor continued: “It is not for nothing that Chief Obasanjo is a Yoruba person. As a Yoruba man, we must be proud of his achievement.

“It is in recognition of your feat as individual as a Yoruba person that we have deemed it necessary and important to accord you the respect.”

The governor noted that it was uncommon for people of President Obasanjo’s status to involve themselves in issues like this, thus the people of the state appreciate his efforts towards proffering amicable solution to the leadership tussle.

He stated that his government considers it a matter of policy to stir clear of process of obaship and other customary matters, saying it is wrong for a government to directly interfere.

He said government has abstained from interference so as for people to conduct their own affairs themselves; saying from all indications, Chief Obasanjo has not expressed any move to impose anybody on the community but to help them settle the feud peaceably.

“He is seeking an amicable resolution to the whole tussle. He has not said that the matter has been finalized. So, I don’t want us to misunderstand him. He said the issue is an unfinished matter.

“He only came to Osun to give the governor a progress report. He has not come to impose anybody on the people of Orile-Owu. He could have called and given me a candidate he wants to be enthroned and no one would question that. But he did not say that,” Aregbesola added.

Aregbesola also used the opportunity to intimate Obasanjo with some of the landmark projects of his administration giving the instance of the road project being constructed to link Osun with Lagos State through Ogun passing through Orile Owu.

Chief Obasanjo, in his remark said the kingship tussle is an unfinished matter, saying his visit was to intimate the governor of progress report on the matter.

The former President disclosed that his mission in the state is for peaceful resolution of the kingship in orile-Owu.

“I was here to visit and intimate you with the progress we have recorded over the leadership tussle in Orile-Owu. When I was called to intervene, I discovered that things were drifting and we needed to arrest the situation before it degenerates.

“I instituted a committee to look into the whole matter and the committee has finished its job. I discovered there were various allegations to be looked into and resolved. There were people who wanted to be recognized; people who are aggrieved and need to be pacified and people to be appealed to, cajoled and begged for peaceful resolution of the feud,” Obasanjo said.

Dignitaries who accompanied Obasanjo included Otunba Johnson Fasawe, Olu of Araromi, Alhaji Yeye Akinfala, Dr. Ezekiel Oyememu, Amzat Adejobi, Prince Morufu Akinfala among others.

Obasanjo had a killer squad as president – Former associate

A former associate of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Richard Odusanya, on Saturday alleged that the former chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees was in charge of a killer squad that was formed under the military regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha.
Odusanya reportedly worked behind the scenes when Obasanjo was in power.
In a live interview, with an online news portal, Sahara Reporters, Odusanya alleged that the former President lodged the killer squad at a State Security Service headquarters, known as ‘Yellow House.’
He appeared on the programme alongside Mr. Segun Seriki, a PDP member in Ogun State and a member of the House of Representatives in the Third Republic, under the Social Democratic Party.
According to Odusanya, the squad was used for political assassinations and was responsible for the unresolved killings of politicians under Obasanjo’s administration.
He further alleged that Obasanjo knew about the murder of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, and a South-South politician, Chief Harry Marshall.
Odusanya said, “I believe that a killer squad created during the Abacha regime was kept by Obasanjo and housed at SSS headquarters, known as Yellow House, and was used for political assassinations.”
Explaining Obasanjo’s alleged link with Ige’s death, Odusanya said, “The night Chief Bola Ige was assassinated, a top PDP member confided in me that Obasanjo told him Bola Ige was down.”
Concerning the murder of Marshall, he said, “I also took a gift to Marshall and he was assassinated just a few weeks later.”
Odusanya also alleged that the ex-president benefitted from an account with the defunct Trans-International Bank and that from the funds in the account, Obasanjo, asked him to deliver a Peugeot 607 and the sum of N500,000 to a woman (name withheld).
When contacted for Obasanjo’s comments, his Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Durodola, said his boss was not available to react to the allegations.
He challenged those who made the allegations to come out with their evidence.
Durodola said: “The former president is not available. Therefore, he is not in a position to respond to the allegations. However, my personal comment is that these are people who indulge in blackmail.
“Why are they using online television? They should come to Channels, AIT, or NTA; these are television stations that are known.
“Definitely, that is not Obasanjo’s character they are describing and everybody knows that. Of all the military rulers, the issue of killer squad cannot be attributed to him. That was not his style. He is not around now but I doubt if he would even give it any attention whatsoever.”
He stressed that the ex-president could not have been responsible for the unresolved killings under his administration.
He further argued that Obasanjo had no reason to be involved in Ige’s assassination.
“We would like to see it (the interview) but these are issues you know cannot be possible. The killings were unresolved, yes, but you know that nobody could have attributed that to him. He would kill his minister for what? So that he (Obasanjo) could be minister?” Durodola said.
Another Obasanjo aide, Vitalis Ortese, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the allegation was a non-issue.
He said: “I don’t know them. Let them prove the allegation. I don’t know any Segun Seriki or Richard Odusanya.”
Also reacting to the allegations, Bola Ige’s eldest child, Mrs. Funsho Adegbola, told SUNDAY PUNCH that her father’s killers are still alive.
Adegbola, a lawyer, called for the reopening of the Bola Ige murder case.
She said, “I can’t put anything past them. I haven’t seen the interview. I don’t know the content of the report but I can’t put anything past them. I believe the people who killed my father – the foot soldiers and the people who sent them – are alive. They are not people from Mars.
“A murder case can go on for 30 years or more. If there is political will and the government wants to show that people should pay for their crimes, this can be done. The family can’t do anything about it because it is the state versus the suspects. The family can’t sue; it is the state that can take action.”
Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was shot dead in his Ibadan home on December 23, 2001.
Following a mass protest over the killing, the Federal Government had deployed troops in the South-Western state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
While security agencies had arrested some suspects allegedly involved in the murder, including the then deputy governor of Osun State – Ige’s home state – Mr. Iyiola Omisore, they were however discharged and acquitted.
Just like Ige, Marshall Harry, who was the National Coordinator, South-South geopolitical zone of the All Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign was murdered by at his No,28 Karaye Close, Garki II, Abuja residence on March 5, 2003, barely a month to the presidential election in which Obasanjo was re-elected.
The ANPP chieftain was said to have been killed in the presence of his daughter and his niece, Loliya Harry.
The only security guard in the house, Mr. Polini Aniya, said the assailants numbering about five forced their way into the ANPP chieftain’s residence around 3am.
The ANPP, and it presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, had insisted that agents of the PDP and Federal Government assassinated Harry.
At Harry’s burial ceremony, Buhari alleged that in its desperation to rig itself into power, the PDP-controlled Federal Government bankrolled assassins to eliminate political opponents.
After the incident, the police arrested four suspects in connection with the murder.
However, after seven years in detention, the accused standing trial for the murder were discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High Court.
The court cited lack of enough evidence to sustain the charge against them.
The Punch.

Late Ekiti deputy governor’s vault to become Heroes Park

The vault where the late Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Funmilayo Olayinka, is to be buried will become a Heroes Park.
It was made known that on Saturday that Olayinka is to be buried at the vault located between the Governor’s Office and Adekunle Fajuyi Park in the state capital, Ado Ekiti.
Work on the vault has already commenced, it was learnt.
A source in the office of Governor Kayode Fayemi told The Press that the intention of the state government is to convert the vault area to a park where the state’s heroes will be buried from now on and turn it into a tourist centre.
The source said that the idea was conceived because of the crucial role Olayinka played in the affairs of the state.
The initial plan was not to bury Olayinka in Ado Ekiti.
But owing to the need to immortalise her, the family was convinced to allow her to be buried in the state capital.
The week-long programme for the burial will commence on Monday in Lagos State.
There will be programmes on Monday and Tuesday in Lagos, with the burial shifting to Ekiti State from Wednesday to Friday.
Olayinka is scheduled to be buried on Friday.
She died of complication from breast cancer.

Dead bombing suspect wanted to compete as US Olympic boxer

The older brother suspected in the Boston Marathon bombing was a boxer and former student at Bunker Hill Community College.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed after a bloody shootout Friday, was profiled in 2010 by The Comment magazine published by Boston University’s College of Communication.
The article includes several pictures of Tsarnaev training as a boxer at the Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts Center in Boston, Mass. The article quoted Tsarnaev saying he wanted to compete in the Olympics, and would “rather compete for the U.S than Russia” if he couldn’t compete as a representative for an independent Chechnya.
The article says Tsarnaev is a Muslim who does not drink or smoke. “God said no alcohol,” he told The Comment. He studied at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and wanted “to become an engineer,” the article said.
Though he flirted with the idea of being an Olympian for the United States, he told The Comment that although he’s lived in the United States for five years, “I don’t have a single American friend. I don’t understand them.”
His family, according to the article, left Chechnya in the 1990s. Tamerlan also lived in Kazakhstan before he came to the United States seeking refuge.
Photographs for the article were also posted on the website of author Johannes Hirn.

As ACN approves merger, Tinubu, Ribadu blast Jonathan

The over 4,000 delegates at the convention of the Action Congress of Nigeria officially approved the merger of the party with three others to form the All Progressives Congress.
The delegates also approved the retention of the broom symbol as the APC symbol at Thursday’s national convention at the Onikan Stadium in Lagos.
“Some alliances in the past only facilitated corruption; they were a rape to democracy. This is the day when we shall witness the first installment of the consummation of the merger started last February,” said Lawal Shuaibu, Chairman of the Convention Committee.

Journey from AD to APC
While recalling the journey of the party from the Alliance for Democracy, AD, to the Action Congress, AC, and to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; Bisi Akande, said that the merger into APC “has come to stay.”
“We must not entertain any weariness or surrender to sentiments or blackmail in this enterprise, mindful that merger is strange, new and unique in Nigeria and that the law did not envisage the ambush presently being placed in our ways. But we shall overcome,” said Mr. Akande, ACN’s National Chairman.
“The leadership of our great party after deep deliberations and consultations and in view of the current political reality is convinced that a merger is the way to go,” Mr. Akande continued.
“We have threaded this path before. We are wiser, smarter and more prepared to make the sacrifices that this process requires for the sake of our country,” he added.
A total of 4,761 delegates drawn from the 36 states and Abuja as well as all the ACN members in the National Assembly, attended the convention.
Two ACN governors were absent at the national convention. While Abiola Ajimobi, the Oyo State Governor travelled outside the country, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State is bereaved, according to Mr. Akande.
One minute silence was observed for Funmilayo Olayinka, late Ekiti State Deputy Governor; and Chudi Nwike, a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State killed by kidnappers.
Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State joined the convention late after hosting President Goodluck Jonathan as he commissioned the WEMPCO steel rolling mill in the state.
“In over 13 years that the PDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) has been in power, not only has it failed to deliver on its promises, it has infected all institutions of state with its moral infirmity, aversion to the rule of law and entrenched monumental corruption never seen in the history of this country,” Mr. Akande said.
Nigeria must change
Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ACN, said that allowing the nation to continue in its current trajectory is “an invitation to doom.”
“The hour is late and our chance for national progress reduces with each idle moment. The way Nigeria is governed must change and change dramatically. This means the shape of politics must change,” Mr. Tinubu said.
“Rich in manpower and material resources, Nigeria should set the agenda for economic development and broadly shared prosperity on the African continent.
“Today, the opposite is the case. Instead of having a wealth of domestically produced goods in our manufacturing basket, we hold a virtually empty basket. As such, we have become a basket case,” Mr. Tinubu added.
The former Lagos State Governor also described the present PDP-led national government as one of “mediocrity.”
“Our people have had enough of having nothing. The current government’s trademark is to throw empty words and hollow actions at our problems as if doing nothing will cause our troubles to leave from sheer boredom. Instead trouble mounts,” he said.
“If this is the government’s idea of transformation, I will have none of it. It seems their notion of change is to go from slow motion to no motion at all,” said Mr. Tinubu.

A mega party
The other parties in the merger – the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC; the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP; the Democratic Peoples Party, DPP; and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; were also present at the convention.
Each of the parties is expected to conduct its respective convention before a ‘joint’ convention to be held in Abuja.
Nuhu Ribadu, the ACN’s candidate at the last presidential election, noted that the merger would bring peace and security as well as fight corruption in the country, contrary to what obtains at present.
“This journey we are starting today is going to take us to Abuja,” Mr. Ribadu said.
“With comrades, with progressives, with people that we have something in common, with those who believe in our country, with those who believe that things must be done properly and correctly; we are coming together and we are on a journey to change Nigeria,” he added.
Mohammadu Buhari, a former Head of State, said that the most topical point politically today in Nigeria is the question of merger.
“For ACN and CPC, it was not an issue; it was a continuation of what we seriously started in 2011. Time was against us and all I can say is the rest is history,” said Mr. Buhari, the CPC’s National Leader.
“This time around we started early to build on the foundation we have laid in 2010,” he added.
Mr. Buhari further stated that one of the objectives of the merger is to make it “near impossible” for the PDP to continue to rig elections in the country.
“We are determined to go down from voting units to wards to local governments to the states and up to Abuja to sensitize our constituencies,” said Mr. Buhari.
“We hope that the other institutions that will stabilize this system, that is the law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, INEC, the civil service will sympathize with Nigerians so that 2015 will be a hitch free year for the transfer of power from PDP to APC.”

Nigerians want president, governors stripped of immunity, reject six years single tenure

The House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on Thursday presented its report at plenary.
The report revealed that Nigerians want the lawmakers to strip the president, state governors and other public office holders of immunity from criminal prosecution.
Rather, they want them to only enjoy immunity on civil matters alone.
With a vote of 225 to 132 and just three undecided, the Federal Constituencies agreed that the president, vice president, governors and deputy governors should cease to enjoy immunity once the reviewed constitution is passed.
Emeka Ihedioha, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who chairs the Constitution Review Committee, said the result was the outcome of the People’s Public Session held across the federal constituencies. According to Ihedioha, it was “the voice of the Nigerian people who have expressed their views on what changes they would like to see in any amendment being made to the national legal grundnorm – the Constitution of Nigeria.”
He added that it was “painstakingly collated, verified and its integrity can be fully assured.”
The voting pattern by the constituencies also showed that Nigerians want more states to be created but are confused on the number of states to be created. Curiously, majority rejected that a state should be created for the South East geopolitical zone to balance up the number of states available to each of the zones.
They also opined that the local government administration should be set free from the clutches of the state governments.
This is just as they agreed that election should hold at the local level as at when due and that the new constitution should take the control of the LGAs away from the governors.
The 43 Voting Template and the results collated across the 360 Federal Constituencies are as follows:
(1) Should Section 8 of the Constitution be amended to remove the ambiguities in the process for creation of more States? 254 Yes, 105 No and 1 undecided.
(2) How many more states should be created in Nigeria? 205 Yes, 133 No and 22 Undecided.
(3) Should a State/States be created in order to bring parity to the number of states among the geopolitical zones? 120 Yes, 181 No and 59 Undecided.
(4) Should the six geopolitical zones be recognised in the Constitution for administrative purposes only? 134 Yes, 212 No and 14 Undecided.
(5) Should the six geopolitical zones be included in the Constitution as another tier of government? 27 Yes, 330 No and 3 undecided.
(6) Should indigeneship of an area be defined to include persons who have resided in an area for a continuous long period, and therefore entitled to accruing rights, duties and privileges? 188 Yes, 167 No and 5 undecided.
(7) Should the aspects of the Constitution related to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter II which deal with political, economic, social, educational and cultural objectives be made justiciable or enforceable like the Fundamental Human Rights in Chapter IV? 279 Yes, 78 No and 3 undecided.
(8) Should the aspects of the Constitution related to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter II which deal with political, economic, social, educational and cultural objectives be made justiciable or enforceable like the Fundamental Human Rights in Chapter IV? 279 Yes, 78 No and 3 Undecided
(9) Should State Houses of Assembly be granted financial autonomy/independence as is the case with the National Assembly? 324 Yes, 26 No and 10 undecided
(10) Should Section 162(6) be amended to abolish ‘State Joint Local Government Account’ so that allocations due to the Local Government Councils would be paid to them directly? 295 Yes, 62 No and 3 undecided.
(11) Should the Constitution be amended so that the power to create local government areas now rest exclusively with the states, such that states assume responsibility for the funding of local governments? 78 Yes, 276 No and 6 Undecided.
(12) Should the Local Government Councils be accorded the status of a third tier of government properly so called with its own Legislative List? 291 Yes, 66 No and 3 undecided.
(13) Should the Constitution be amended to deny revenue allocation to unelected local government councils? 277 Yes, 70 No and 13 undecided
(14) Should there be a defined tenure for Local Government Chairmen/Councillors in the Constitution? 331 Yes, 26 No and 3 undecided.
(15) Should the Second Schedule, Part 1 be amended so that some of the items, including those listed below be moved from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List (a) Fingerprints, identification and criminal records; (b) Insurance; (c) Labour, etc; (d) Prisons; (e) Public holidays; (f) Railways. (g) Bankruptcy and Insolvency (h) Registration of births and deaths, 170 Yes, 181 No and 9 undecided.
(16) Should Section 197(1) (b) be amended to abolish the State Independent Electoral Commission in order that all elections are conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission? 261 Yes, 95 No and 4 undecided.
(17) Should Section 315(5) (a) and (d) be amended to remove the National Youth Service Corps Act, the Land Use Act, Public Complaints Commission Act, NationalSecurity Agencies Act, from the Constitution? 139 Yes, 216 No and 5 undecided.
(18) Should Section 308 be amended to make the immunity provision for the President, Vice President, Governor or Deputy Governor cover only civil proceedings while in office? 225 Yes, 132 No and 3 undecided.
(19) Should Section 214(1) be amended to enable the establishment of a State Police? 53 Yes, 307 No.
(20) Should Nigeria have one police organisation which shall be constituted in such manner as to give State Governors control over the Commissioner of Police in their respective states? 53 Yes, 237 No and 70 undecided.
(21) Should Nigeria maintain the current Police structure and system as in the Constitution? 292 Yes, 62 No and 6 undecided.
(22) Should a provision be inserted in the Constitution for the rotation of the Office of President between the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria? 80 Yes, 275 No and 5 undecided.
(23) Should a provision be inserted in the Constitution to make the Office of President rotate among the six geopolitical zones of the country? 147 Yes, 210 No and 3 undecided.
(24) Should the Office of President or Governor of a State be filled purely on merit, instead of zoning? 224 Yes, 135 No and 1 undecided.
(25) Should Sections 135 and 180(2) be amended to create a single tenure of (a) 5 years; (b) 6 years; (c) 7 years; for the Office of President and Governor respectively? 110 Yes, 245 No and 5 undecided.
(26) Should the two-term tenure provision for the Office of President or Office of Governor be retained in the Constitution? 263 Yes, 95 No and 2 undecided.
(27) Should a provision be inserted in the Constitution to make the Office of Governor of a State rotate among the three Senatorial Districts in the State? 175 Yes, 181 No and 4 undecided.
(28) Should the Constitution be amended to allow for Independent Candidacy in elections? 292 Yes, 66 No and 2 undecided.
(29) Should the Constitution be further amended to address gender issues, including but not limited to reserving certain percentage of elective offices for women? 107 Yes, 251 No and 2 undecided.
(30) Should the Constitution be amended to lower the qualifying age for contesting various elective offices? 50 Yes, 306 No and 4 undecided.
(31) Should there be specific provision in the Constitution to take care of the interests of persons with disability? 311 Yes, 46 No and 3 undecided.
(32) Should Section 77(2) be amended to give Nigerians living outside the country (in the Diaspora)voting rights? 46 Yes, 311 No and 3 undecided.
(33) Should the country abolish the existing bi-cameral legislature and allow for only one chamber National Assembly? 47 Yes, 307 No and 6 undecided.
(34) Should the Constitution be amended to provide for a Parliamentary instead of the present Presidential System of Government? 29 Yes, 326 No and 5 undecided.
(35) Should Nigeria implement the practice of Federalism that allows States to control up to 50% of their resources and pay the remainder to the Federation? 123 Yes, 236 No and 5 undecided.
(36) Should the derivation component of Revenue allocation be increased to at least 20%? 125 Yes, 224 No and 11 undecided.
(37) Should a role be created for Traditional Rulers in the Constitution, such as their having representation in the National Council of States at the national level and roles in the States and local governments? 202 Yes, 155 No and 3 undecided.
(38) Should the Constitution be further amended to address issues of electoral reform, including the time for conducting bye-elections, time limit for the determination of election petitions, etc? 259 Yes, 93 No and 8 undecided.
(39) Should the powers of the President or Governor to modify or amend existing laws under the transitional provisions of S.315(2) and the definition section related thereto be expunged, as such is currently exercised by the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly respectively? 218 Yes, 134 No and 8 undecided.
(40) Should the Constitutional provisions on the judiciary be amended to achieve reforms of judicial institutions and processes in order to ensure quicker dispensation of justice? 295 Yes, 16 No and 49 undecided.
(41) Should the Constitution be amended to separate the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation by the creation of the office of the Accountant General of the States? 277 Yes, 27 No and 56 undecided.
(42) Should the Constitution be amended to separate the office of the Attorney General of the Federation from the position of Minister of Justice of the Federation? 282 Yes, 24 No and 54 undecided.
(43) Should the Constitution be amended to enable the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission send Proposals for Revenue Allocation directly to the National Assembly in order to avoid undue delays in preparation of the Revenue Allocation Formula? 257 Yes, 46 No and 57 undecided.