The Federal Government on Monday threatened to sack any contractor found wanting in the execution of the National Integrated Power Projects.
The Vice-President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, gave the warning while presiding over a meeting between contractors handling the projects and government officials in Abuja.
He said since the government had no funding constraint, the contractors had no excuse to delay the execution of the projects that were aimed at boosting power supply in the country.
Sambo said power projects across the country had reached about 85 per cent completion.
He said, “New power plants have reached an advanced stage; all of them are at over 85 per cent stage of completion.
“Other aspects that we must make sure are also ready are the aspects of services that are reposed on you (contractors) - that is the transmission lines that will evacuate the power to go down for distribution.
“So, if I have power plants 85 per cent completed, I expect to have transmission lines at similar stage of work and that is the purpose of this meeting.”
The vice-president assured that he would continue to personally review each contract and monitor the progress being made to facilitate smooth executions of the projects.
He challenged the contractors to ensure the speedy completion of the various transmission projects since the power plants were at an appreciable stage of completion.
The vice-president said, “You have a very important responsibility; I can say with all confidence that funding is not a problem; the money is there in the account of the company to pay for every work.
“So, it is our responsibility to manage your contracts and to ensure you deliver these projects on schedule.
“This is very important to us. We will not accept any company creating delay.
“If we find you wanting, creating problems in delivering the project, we assure you, we will get an alternative source.”
Meanwhile, the Presidential Adviser on power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has promised faster reforms to encourage foreign investors to take part in a planned privatisation of Nigeria’s power sector.
Nnaji, also said at a conference on Nigeria in London on Monday, that government alone could not invest enough to meet the country’s energy needs. He stated that he was determined to put in place, a framework that would not be altered each time there was a change in government.
Nnaji added that he would create a competitive private sector-led power sector within the next five years.
The presidential adviser, who said that ”access to supply in the country is 40 per cent of the population,” stated that supply ought to be “growing at six percent per annum if we want to achieve our objective.”
He said, ”The government of Nigeria alone cannot do it ... We should begin to attract investment form the private sector. This government has decided to reinvigorate it to accelerate reform.”
Nnaji disclosed that the federal and state governments did not plan to maintain executive powers in the joint ventures to be formed after the privatisation of the sector.
“Government will be in only for five years, then it will divest,” he added.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Electricity: FG threatens to sack NIPP contractors
The Federal Government on Monday threatened to sack any contractor found wanting in the execution of the National Integrated Power Projects.
The Vice-President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, gave the warning while presiding over a meeting between contractors handling the projects and government officials in Abuja.
He said since the government had no funding constraint, the contractors had no excuse to delay the execution of the projects that were aimed at boosting power supply in the country.
Sambo said power projects across the country had reached about 85 per cent completion.
He said, “New power plants have reached an advanced stage; all of them are at over 85 per cent stage of completion.
“Other aspects that we must make sure are also ready are the aspects of services that are reposed on you (contractors) - that is the transmission lines that will evacuate the power to go down for distribution.
“So, if I have power plants 85 per cent completed, I expect to have transmission lines at similar stage of work and that is the purpose of this meeting.”
The vice-president assured that he would continue to personally review each contract and monitor the progress being made to facilitate smooth executions of the projects.
He challenged the contractors to ensure the speedy completion of the various transmission projects since the power plants were at an appreciable stage of completion.
The vice-president said, “You have a very important responsibility; I can say with all confidence that funding is not a problem; the money is there in the account of the company to pay for every work.
“So, it is our responsibility to manage your contracts and to ensure you deliver these projects on schedule.
“This is very important to us. We will not accept any company creating delay.
“If we find you wanting, creating problems in delivering the project, we assure you, we will get an alternative source.”
Meanwhile, the Presidential Adviser on power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has promised faster reforms to encourage foreign investors to take part in a planned privatisation of Nigeria’s power sector.
Nnaji, also said at a conference on Nigeria in London on Monday, that government alone could not invest enough to meet the country’s energy needs. He stated that he was determined to put in place, a framework that would not be altered each time there was a change in government.
Nnaji added that he would create a competitive private sector-led power sector within the next five years.
The presidential adviser, who said that ”access to supply in the country is 40 per cent of the population,” stated that supply ought to be “growing at six percent per annum if we want to achieve our objective.”
He said, ”The government of Nigeria alone cannot do it ... We should begin to attract investment form the private sector. This government has decided to reinvigorate it to accelerate reform.”
Nnaji disclosed that the federal and state governments did not plan to maintain executive powers in the joint ventures to be formed after the privatisation of the sector.
“Government will be in only for five years, then it will divest,” he added.
The Vice-President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, gave the warning while presiding over a meeting between contractors handling the projects and government officials in Abuja.
He said since the government had no funding constraint, the contractors had no excuse to delay the execution of the projects that were aimed at boosting power supply in the country.
Sambo said power projects across the country had reached about 85 per cent completion.
He said, “New power plants have reached an advanced stage; all of them are at over 85 per cent stage of completion.
“Other aspects that we must make sure are also ready are the aspects of services that are reposed on you (contractors) - that is the transmission lines that will evacuate the power to go down for distribution.
“So, if I have power plants 85 per cent completed, I expect to have transmission lines at similar stage of work and that is the purpose of this meeting.”
The vice-president assured that he would continue to personally review each contract and monitor the progress being made to facilitate smooth executions of the projects.
He challenged the contractors to ensure the speedy completion of the various transmission projects since the power plants were at an appreciable stage of completion.
The vice-president said, “You have a very important responsibility; I can say with all confidence that funding is not a problem; the money is there in the account of the company to pay for every work.
“So, it is our responsibility to manage your contracts and to ensure you deliver these projects on schedule.
“This is very important to us. We will not accept any company creating delay.
“If we find you wanting, creating problems in delivering the project, we assure you, we will get an alternative source.”
Meanwhile, the Presidential Adviser on power, Prof. Barth Nnaji, has promised faster reforms to encourage foreign investors to take part in a planned privatisation of Nigeria’s power sector.
Nnaji, also said at a conference on Nigeria in London on Monday, that government alone could not invest enough to meet the country’s energy needs. He stated that he was determined to put in place, a framework that would not be altered each time there was a change in government.
Nnaji added that he would create a competitive private sector-led power sector within the next five years.
The presidential adviser, who said that ”access to supply in the country is 40 per cent of the population,” stated that supply ought to be “growing at six percent per annum if we want to achieve our objective.”
He said, ”The government of Nigeria alone cannot do it ... We should begin to attract investment form the private sector. This government has decided to reinvigorate it to accelerate reform.”
Nnaji disclosed that the federal and state governments did not plan to maintain executive powers in the joint ventures to be formed after the privatisation of the sector.
“Government will be in only for five years, then it will divest,” he added.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Reprieve for Ribadu
Daily Sun gathered authoritatively that a top Presidency official invited the PSC Chairman, Parry Osayande to the Villa to direct to him to work out a modality to reabsorb Ribadu into the force with his AIG rank. It was also gathered that, when Osayande pointed it out to the Presidency the damage the action could do to the service and destruction it could do to the psyche of other officers whose irregular promotions were reversed, the Presidency was said to have insisted that it must be done to avoid a rancorous situation in the polity.
A reliable source close to the Presidency confided in Daily Sun that the insistence of the Presidency to get the adjustment done might not be unconnected with the intensive pressure from both the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) in particular, on the Presidency to bring back Ribadu into the system.
The two powerful Western nations were quoted as holding the stance that Ribadu had done well for Nigeria in the war against corruption to their admiration and as such, should be brought back home to contribute more in the anti-graft war.
Acting on the briefs received from the Presidency, Osayande was said to have convened an emergency meeting of his Commission to deliberate on the matter.
The PSC, it was learnt, asked Ribadu to write a formal letter of apology for whatever must have happened and then demand that his dismissal be commuted to retirement while his rank be restored to the former controversial AIG.
A source close to the PSC meeting held on Monday, who spoke with Daily Sun on condition of anonymity said Osayande had a Herculean time convincing his members to do the Presidency’s bidding.
“All the Commission’s members, except Osayande himself, did not support the project as they did not speak well of Ribadu,” the source disclosed, adding that “the members were apprehensive of litigations that others in Ribadu’s shoes might institute.”
The Commission’s members, though admitted that Ribadu truly wrote a letter of apology, they smelt arrogance in the letter as they observed that the letter was more of justifications of Ribadu’s actions in the recent past.
At the end of the deliberations, Daily Sun learnt that the consensus of the members, which was at the instance of Osayande, who they respected so much, was that Ribadu could only be reinstated and be retired immediately with his AIG rank.
Confirming the reinstatement, the Executive Director, Communication, Mrs. Comfort Obi, explained that the Commission, though accepted Ribadu’s appeal by reinstating his rank, had to effect his immediate retirement after considering that his continued stay in the police force could affect the morale of the men in the service.
Ribadu was dismissed from the Force on December 23, 2008, following indictment over acts of insubordination by a panel headed by the current IGP, Onovo, who was then a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, while Mike Okiro was the IG.
Earlier, Ribadu was believed to have gained controversial promotion to the rank of AIG for being a loyal aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but was demoted from the rank to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) after running into troubled water with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who removed him as the boss of EFCC.
Ribadu was then a student at the Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) when his demotion came but he refused to wear police uniform bearing the rank of a DCP during the graduation of the his set in NIPSS and the set’s visit to the late President Yar’Adua as was the customary for graduating students.
Ribadu was transferred to Benin but he refused to report for duty at his new duty post, saying he did not accept his demotion.
The disagreement between him and police authorities led to his trial by a panel constituted by the PSC which found him wanting, indicted him and recommended his dismissal.
Based on this report, the PSC board met and approved the recommendation and ordered his dismissal forthwith.
Ribadu, who went on exile after his dismissal, was later charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for non-declaration of assets, but had the charges dropped last week by the government.
A reliable source close to the Presidency confided in Daily Sun that the insistence of the Presidency to get the adjustment done might not be unconnected with the intensive pressure from both the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) in particular, on the Presidency to bring back Ribadu into the system.
The two powerful Western nations were quoted as holding the stance that Ribadu had done well for Nigeria in the war against corruption to their admiration and as such, should be brought back home to contribute more in the anti-graft war.
Acting on the briefs received from the Presidency, Osayande was said to have convened an emergency meeting of his Commission to deliberate on the matter.
The PSC, it was learnt, asked Ribadu to write a formal letter of apology for whatever must have happened and then demand that his dismissal be commuted to retirement while his rank be restored to the former controversial AIG.
A source close to the PSC meeting held on Monday, who spoke with Daily Sun on condition of anonymity said Osayande had a Herculean time convincing his members to do the Presidency’s bidding.
“All the Commission’s members, except Osayande himself, did not support the project as they did not speak well of Ribadu,” the source disclosed, adding that “the members were apprehensive of litigations that others in Ribadu’s shoes might institute.”
The Commission’s members, though admitted that Ribadu truly wrote a letter of apology, they smelt arrogance in the letter as they observed that the letter was more of justifications of Ribadu’s actions in the recent past.
At the end of the deliberations, Daily Sun learnt that the consensus of the members, which was at the instance of Osayande, who they respected so much, was that Ribadu could only be reinstated and be retired immediately with his AIG rank.
Confirming the reinstatement, the Executive Director, Communication, Mrs. Comfort Obi, explained that the Commission, though accepted Ribadu’s appeal by reinstating his rank, had to effect his immediate retirement after considering that his continued stay in the police force could affect the morale of the men in the service.
Ribadu was dismissed from the Force on December 23, 2008, following indictment over acts of insubordination by a panel headed by the current IGP, Onovo, who was then a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, while Mike Okiro was the IG.
Earlier, Ribadu was believed to have gained controversial promotion to the rank of AIG for being a loyal aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but was demoted from the rank to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) after running into troubled water with the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who removed him as the boss of EFCC.
Ribadu was then a student at the Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) when his demotion came but he refused to wear police uniform bearing the rank of a DCP during the graduation of the his set in NIPSS and the set’s visit to the late President Yar’Adua as was the customary for graduating students.
Ribadu was transferred to Benin but he refused to report for duty at his new duty post, saying he did not accept his demotion.
The disagreement between him and police authorities led to his trial by a panel constituted by the PSC which found him wanting, indicted him and recommended his dismissal.
Based on this report, the PSC board met and approved the recommendation and ordered his dismissal forthwith.
Ribadu, who went on exile after his dismissal, was later charged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal for non-declaration of assets, but had the charges dropped last week by the government.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
INEC chairmanship: Jonathan’s dilemma
Government’s decision on the vacant position of chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) remained shrouded in uncertainty last night as conflicting reports severally fingered former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) chairman, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba , and serving Information and Communication Minister, Prof. Dora Akunyili, as President Goodluck Jonathan’s choices for the job.
There were strong indications last weekend that the presidency had settled for Agbakoba, a Senor Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and leading human rights campaigner in keeping with his recent promise to the international community that his choice for the position would be acceptable to civil society groups.
Daily Sun learnt in Abuja yesterday that Agbakoba’s name had indeed featured during cabinet-level discussions, prompting speculations that the search for Prof. Maurice Iwu’s replacement might have been zeroed-in on him. The sudden re-emergence of Akunyili in the equation was said to be a natural response to “pockets of opposition to Agbakoba in certain quarters.”
Akunyili was said to have been Jonathan’s first choice for the job, precipitating the glaring omission of her name from the first ministerial list submitted to the senate by Jonathan, then an acting president.
Akunyili was known to have confided in her close allies that she had been penciled down for the INEC job, and was indeed preparing for the announcement only for her name to inexplicably surface on the ministerial list, a week later.
Some powerful elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were said to have strongly kicked against the move to draft Akunyili to INEC. They said she was too principled for their liking. They were believed to have insisted on a more flexible person, raising fears that she would be too independent-minded, self-willed and difficult to manage, thus possibly affecting the fortunes of the party in the forthcoming elections.
Besides, those that were worried by what they described as Akunyili’s uncompromising attitude, opposition also came from pro-Yar’Adua elements who were not happy with the role the minister played in the run-up to the emergence of Jonathan as acting president while his boss was confined to his sick bed.
However, there were feleers from Abuja that the presidency might not be very keen on appointing an outsider to head INEC with only a few months remaining before the next general elections. Depending on what the National Assembly eventually comes up with in its on-going amendment of the electoral laws, the elections might commence as early as next January.
The presidency was said to be reluctant in appointing a green horn to man INEC against the backdrop that there were only three serving national commissioners in the commission at present, with one of them completing his tenure, next month. With 10 brand new national commissioners and a rookie chairman at the helms, government was said to be worried that INEC might not be in the position to take full command during the elections.
Last week, the Federal Government reversed its earlier order directing the national commissioner in charge of legal matters, Mr. Victor Chukwuani, to proceed on disengagement leave alongside Iwu to return to complete his tenure. Chukwuani’s tenure was expected to lapse one week after Iwu’s. However, with the glaring dearth of experienced hand among the commissioners presently, government was said to be contemplating reappointing Chukwuani into the commission when his current tenure expires next month.
Jonathan was said to have tinkered with the appointment of Dr. Ishmail Igbani, a former national commissioner in the commission to replace Iwu in a bid to ensure that the in-coming chairman would not have to be a green horn. However, the death of Yar’Adua and the increasing possibility that Jonathan himself might be a candidate in the presidential election meant that, it would not be wise to appoint Igbani who hailedfrom the same geo-political zone with him to be the electoral umpire.
There were strong indications last weekend that the presidency had settled for Agbakoba, a Senor Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and leading human rights campaigner in keeping with his recent promise to the international community that his choice for the position would be acceptable to civil society groups.
Daily Sun learnt in Abuja yesterday that Agbakoba’s name had indeed featured during cabinet-level discussions, prompting speculations that the search for Prof. Maurice Iwu’s replacement might have been zeroed-in on him. The sudden re-emergence of Akunyili in the equation was said to be a natural response to “pockets of opposition to Agbakoba in certain quarters.”
Akunyili was said to have been Jonathan’s first choice for the job, precipitating the glaring omission of her name from the first ministerial list submitted to the senate by Jonathan, then an acting president.
Akunyili was known to have confided in her close allies that she had been penciled down for the INEC job, and was indeed preparing for the announcement only for her name to inexplicably surface on the ministerial list, a week later.
Some powerful elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were said to have strongly kicked against the move to draft Akunyili to INEC. They said she was too principled for their liking. They were believed to have insisted on a more flexible person, raising fears that she would be too independent-minded, self-willed and difficult to manage, thus possibly affecting the fortunes of the party in the forthcoming elections.
Besides, those that were worried by what they described as Akunyili’s uncompromising attitude, opposition also came from pro-Yar’Adua elements who were not happy with the role the minister played in the run-up to the emergence of Jonathan as acting president while his boss was confined to his sick bed.
However, there were feleers from Abuja that the presidency might not be very keen on appointing an outsider to head INEC with only a few months remaining before the next general elections. Depending on what the National Assembly eventually comes up with in its on-going amendment of the electoral laws, the elections might commence as early as next January.
The presidency was said to be reluctant in appointing a green horn to man INEC against the backdrop that there were only three serving national commissioners in the commission at present, with one of them completing his tenure, next month. With 10 brand new national commissioners and a rookie chairman at the helms, government was said to be worried that INEC might not be in the position to take full command during the elections.
Last week, the Federal Government reversed its earlier order directing the national commissioner in charge of legal matters, Mr. Victor Chukwuani, to proceed on disengagement leave alongside Iwu to return to complete his tenure. Chukwuani’s tenure was expected to lapse one week after Iwu’s. However, with the glaring dearth of experienced hand among the commissioners presently, government was said to be contemplating reappointing Chukwuani into the commission when his current tenure expires next month.
Jonathan was said to have tinkered with the appointment of Dr. Ishmail Igbani, a former national commissioner in the commission to replace Iwu in a bid to ensure that the in-coming chairman would not have to be a green horn. However, the death of Yar’Adua and the increasing possibility that Jonathan himself might be a candidate in the presidential election meant that, it would not be wise to appoint Igbani who hailedfrom the same geo-political zone with him to be the electoral umpire.
HOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYSHOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYS
Before going into the real business of the day, I would like to warn that if you are one of those that take pleasure in defrauding people, I don’t think this useful piece of information is for you.
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Lebanese colonel charged with spying
A Lebanese prosecutor has charged an army colonel with spying for Israel and referred him to a military court, security sources said.
Colonel Gazwan Shahin was arrested a few months ago and was the fourth officer arrested on suspicion of espionage since last year, Reuters reported on Friday.
A security source said Shahin provided Israeli intelligence agents pictures, information, and coordinates of civilian sites and military posts during and after Israel's 33-day war against Lebanon in 2006.
An investigation into Israel's espionage activities in Lebanon has led to more than 50 arrests since last year, and over 20 have been formally charged.
The arrests have dealt a major blow to Israel's spy network in Lebanon.
One of the detained suspects confessed to having helped in the assassination of a Hezbollah commander in 2004.
Israel has not commented on the arrests.
Colonel Gazwan Shahin was arrested a few months ago and was the fourth officer arrested on suspicion of espionage since last year, Reuters reported on Friday.
A security source said Shahin provided Israeli intelligence agents pictures, information, and coordinates of civilian sites and military posts during and after Israel's 33-day war against Lebanon in 2006.
An investigation into Israel's espionage activities in Lebanon has led to more than 50 arrests since last year, and over 20 have been formally charged.
The arrests have dealt a major blow to Israel's spy network in Lebanon.
One of the detained suspects confessed to having helped in the assassination of a Hezbollah commander in 2004.
Israel has not commented on the arrests.
HOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYSHOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYS
Before going into the real business of the day, I would like to warn that if you are one of those that take pleasure in defrauding people, I don’t think this useful piece of information is for you.
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
US has 5,113 launch-ready nukes
"Increasing the transparency of global nuclear stockpiles is important to non-proliferation efforts" and more progress on arms control, AFP quoted a Pentagon statement as saying on Monday.
The figure only refers to operational warheads and excludes outdated nuclear missiles and nuclear weapons slated for dismantlement, which are estimated to number around 4,600, Reuters reported, citing the figure from the Federation of American Scientists.
The US government says it has reduced its nuclear weapons stockpile by about 84 percent from its maximum level of 31,225 warheads at the end of fiscal year 1967.
The US government last revealed the size of its nuclear arsenal in 1961.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Van Persie ready to return against Tottenham
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie will return from injury in Wednesday night's north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Van Persie has been on the sidelines since suffering ankle ligament damage following a challenge by Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in an international friendly last November, but will play some part against the Gunners' London rivals from the bench.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is taking a ''gamble'' in bringing the striker back ahead of schedule but insists Arsenal have missed Van Persie's goal power this season.
Wenger, who lost William Gallas for the season when he came back too soon in the Champions League first leg against Barcelona, said: ''There is always a gamble in this kind of decision. But in his (Van Persie's) case we have been a bit more cautious because he has had more time for preparation.
''The biggest gamble I took recently was with Gallas. It didn't work, but he came back from a muscular problem, that is not the case for Robin. It was a joint problem.
''When I pick a player it means he is fit and sharp and has worked very hard. Of course he lacks match-practice but physically he is ready, he is fit.''
Wenger believes Arsenal's title challenge would be several points better off but for Van Persie's injury.
''He is a very important player for this club,'' said Wenger. ''He is important for the confidence. He can make the final ball, he is good on set-pieces, he can score goals, so we are very happy to have him back. The sadness was that we lost him so early in the season.''
The Dutch striker returned to full training last week and although he was expected to make his first-team comeback against Manchester City at the end of the month he is now set to bolster the Gunners' forward line against their arch rivals.
The loss of Van Persie was a huge blow to Arsenal in their challenge for the Premier League title. He had netted seven goals in 11 Premier League starts before the ankle injury.
Arsenal have had to rely on the goals of Francesc Fabregas - he has bagged 15 in the league this term - to fill the void with Nicklas Bendtner only managing five goals over the league campaign. But with captain Fabregas now out for the rest of the season the return of Van Persie will be a timely boost.
Bendtner is delighted that Van Persie is back. "It will be great to have him back," Bendtner told the club's official website. "He had a nasty injury and he has been working really hard in training to get back and if we can have him available for the last games - obviously being out for that long takes a bit of time - but if we can have him available it is a boost for us."
Wenger also confirmed defender Sol Campbell would play from the start against his former club and at a ground where he is bound to receive a hostile reception. He also said he believes Campbell has been one of the keys to Arsenal's continued title surge.
''Sol has been a big support for me and the squad,'' he said. ''He is very important in the dressing room because he is highly focused and highly motivated. Every time he has played he has turned in a very good performance. It is one of the good signings I have made.
''I have no concerns about him. He will play tomorrow. I didn't imagine he would play as many games as he has. I thought he would play in one or two games maybe but he got those extra matches because he played well.''
ESPNSOCCERNET
Robin van Persie returns.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is taking a ''gamble'' in bringing the striker back ahead of schedule but insists Arsenal have missed Van Persie's goal power this season.
Wenger, who lost William Gallas for the season when he came back too soon in the Champions League first leg against Barcelona, said: ''There is always a gamble in this kind of decision. But in his (Van Persie's) case we have been a bit more cautious because he has had more time for preparation.
''The biggest gamble I took recently was with Gallas. It didn't work, but he came back from a muscular problem, that is not the case for Robin. It was a joint problem.
''When I pick a player it means he is fit and sharp and has worked very hard. Of course he lacks match-practice but physically he is ready, he is fit.''
Wenger believes Arsenal's title challenge would be several points better off but for Van Persie's injury.
''He is a very important player for this club,'' said Wenger. ''He is important for the confidence. He can make the final ball, he is good on set-pieces, he can score goals, so we are very happy to have him back. The sadness was that we lost him so early in the season.''
The Dutch striker returned to full training last week and although he was expected to make his first-team comeback against Manchester City at the end of the month he is now set to bolster the Gunners' forward line against their arch rivals.
The loss of Van Persie was a huge blow to Arsenal in their challenge for the Premier League title. He had netted seven goals in 11 Premier League starts before the ankle injury.
Arsenal have had to rely on the goals of Francesc Fabregas - he has bagged 15 in the league this term - to fill the void with Nicklas Bendtner only managing five goals over the league campaign. But with captain Fabregas now out for the rest of the season the return of Van Persie will be a timely boost.
Bendtner is delighted that Van Persie is back. "It will be great to have him back," Bendtner told the club's official website. "He had a nasty injury and he has been working really hard in training to get back and if we can have him available for the last games - obviously being out for that long takes a bit of time - but if we can have him available it is a boost for us."
Wenger also confirmed defender Sol Campbell would play from the start against his former club and at a ground where he is bound to receive a hostile reception. He also said he believes Campbell has been one of the keys to Arsenal's continued title surge.
''Sol has been a big support for me and the squad,'' he said. ''He is very important in the dressing room because he is highly focused and highly motivated. Every time he has played he has turned in a very good performance. It is one of the good signings I have made.
''I have no concerns about him. He will play tomorrow. I didn't imagine he would play as many games as he has. I thought he would play in one or two games maybe but he got those extra matches because he played well.''
ESPNSOCCERNET
Monday, April 12, 2010
Masaba shut out
Alhaji Bello Masaba, remember him? The 87-year-old world renown polygamist, then married to 86 wives, may soon be back in the trenches with the Niger State Government over the refusal of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to register him as a member of the party.
Masaba was for most part of last year engaged in legal battle with the state government which charged him under some curious provisions of the sharia law for marrying more than four wives prescribed by the Quran for Moslems. Government later withdrew from the case for want of evidence.
This time, the battle may have moved from the legal turf to the political battle ground, where Masaba has vowed to engage both the state government and the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, in a battle of political supremacy.
Daily Sun reliably gathered that when the Islamic cleric appeared at the Etsu’s palace where the registration was taking place, he was turned back by the registration officials who claimed to be acting on orders from above.
Masaba was said to have stormed out of the palace in annoyance, vowing to make sure that no single vote from his Masaba ward will go to PDP in next year’s general election. A chieftain of the party in Bida, Alhaji Isah Lakpene, who confirmed Masaba’s denial of registration said the matter has become a source of concern to PDP members in the area, as no constitutionally sustainable reason has so far been adduced for the refusal to admit him into the PDP fold.
“I have to find a way of getting the governor to know about this. If we fail to register Masaba we stand the risk of losing about 1,500 of the 2,000 votes in the ward,” Lakpene lamented, stressing that he was sure Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu may not be aware of the development.
Meanwhile, the Islamic cleric last weekend gave five of his daughters in marriage in Bida. Family sources revealed to our correspondent in Minna that despite the hue and cry over Masaba’s perceived unislamic matrimonial status, two of his sons-in-law are said to be children of highly placed personalities in Bida. One is even said to be the son of a traditional title holder in the ancient city. Daily Sun can also authoritatively reveal that the number of Masaba’s wives has since risen to 100, and he is still counting.
SUNNEWS
Masaba was for most part of last year engaged in legal battle with the state government which charged him under some curious provisions of the sharia law for marrying more than four wives prescribed by the Quran for Moslems. Government later withdrew from the case for want of evidence.
This time, the battle may have moved from the legal turf to the political battle ground, where Masaba has vowed to engage both the state government and the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, in a battle of political supremacy.
Daily Sun reliably gathered that when the Islamic cleric appeared at the Etsu’s palace where the registration was taking place, he was turned back by the registration officials who claimed to be acting on orders from above.
Masaba was said to have stormed out of the palace in annoyance, vowing to make sure that no single vote from his Masaba ward will go to PDP in next year’s general election. A chieftain of the party in Bida, Alhaji Isah Lakpene, who confirmed Masaba’s denial of registration said the matter has become a source of concern to PDP members in the area, as no constitutionally sustainable reason has so far been adduced for the refusal to admit him into the PDP fold.
“I have to find a way of getting the governor to know about this. If we fail to register Masaba we stand the risk of losing about 1,500 of the 2,000 votes in the ward,” Lakpene lamented, stressing that he was sure Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu may not be aware of the development.
Meanwhile, the Islamic cleric last weekend gave five of his daughters in marriage in Bida. Family sources revealed to our correspondent in Minna that despite the hue and cry over Masaba’s perceived unislamic matrimonial status, two of his sons-in-law are said to be children of highly placed personalities in Bida. One is even said to be the son of a traditional title holder in the ancient city. Daily Sun can also authoritatively reveal that the number of Masaba’s wives has since risen to 100, and he is still counting.
SUNNEWS
HOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYSHOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYS
Before going into the real business of the day, I would like to warn that if you are one of those that take pleasure in defrauding people, I don’t think this useful piece of information is for you.
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bellamy "ashamed" to be a professional footballer
Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy has claimed that he is "ashamed" to be a footballer as he launched an outspoken attack against his fellow professionals.
Bellamy, never far from controversy throughout his career, claims he is shocked by the behaviour of some team-mates and admits he gets angry when fellow pros show a lack of commitment on the field.
"I don't feel close to footballers. Sometimes when I see certain things I'm ashamed to be a footballer,'' he told the News of the World. "I don't go to nightclubs, I don't go to lounge bars, I don't spend my days shopping. That doesn't interest me. I spend a lot of time with my children at home. That's where I feel good.
"I don't know how to be on the pitch as a tourist. Some lads do that but I can't. When I play, I play for real. I never pretend.
"I know I get carried away by emotion. I have always been like that. I don't give a toss whether that pleases people or not. I do my thing. What counts for me is the respect of my family, people who know me, my manager and my team-mates.''
Bellamy, 30, also said that his future at City could be bleak as they line up another summer of big-spending.
"New players are coming in a few months and I might be overtaken. I don't see myself playing for City in two or three years, lifting trophies,'' he said. "It's going to stop quickly. My body won't hold up for a long time. I'll soon be 31 and that will quickly become a problem. I won't be able to play at my best any more and I will stop playing.
"I have had seven knee operations in the last nine years. I can't string three games a week together. My body does not allow me to play all the time."
ESPNSOCCERNET
GettyImages
Craig Bellamy: A quiet, family man now apparently.
"I don't feel close to footballers. Sometimes when I see certain things I'm ashamed to be a footballer,'' he told the News of the World. "I don't go to nightclubs, I don't go to lounge bars, I don't spend my days shopping. That doesn't interest me. I spend a lot of time with my children at home. That's where I feel good.
"I don't know how to be on the pitch as a tourist. Some lads do that but I can't. When I play, I play for real. I never pretend.
"I know I get carried away by emotion. I have always been like that. I don't give a toss whether that pleases people or not. I do my thing. What counts for me is the respect of my family, people who know me, my manager and my team-mates.''
Bellamy, 30, also said that his future at City could be bleak as they line up another summer of big-spending.
"New players are coming in a few months and I might be overtaken. I don't see myself playing for City in two or three years, lifting trophies,'' he said. "It's going to stop quickly. My body won't hold up for a long time. I'll soon be 31 and that will quickly become a problem. I won't be able to play at my best any more and I will stop playing.
"I have had seven knee operations in the last nine years. I can't string three games a week together. My body does not allow me to play all the time."
ESPNSOCCERNET
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Resign Now! Senators, Reps give Yar’Adua 3-week ultimatum
Members of the National Interest Group (NIG) in the Senate and the Nigeria First Forum (NFF) in the House of Representatives have resolved to commence impeachment process against President Umaru Yar’Adua if he fails to resign within three weeks. This indication emerged as the lawmakers begin the search for a new Vice President from the North.
The twin moves are reportedly in response to emerging details on the state of health of the President, following the recent visit to the ailing leader by some Muslim and Christian clerics in the country. The two groups, at a meeting that extended from last Thursday night to early Friday, resolved to commence Yar’Adua’s impeachment in the next three weeks except the newly constituted Executive Council of the Federation invokes Section 144 to declare the President incapacitated.
The NIG, whose chairman, Senator Bala Mohammed, has been appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, spearheaded the adoption of the Doctrine of Necessity that paved the way for the Senate to empower Dr Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President.
A source at the meeting informed Sunday Sun that although they deliberated on the state of affairs since Jonathan assumed office as Acting President, they was no agreement on which of the three geo-political zones in the North would produce the Vice President. But our correspondent authoritatively gathered that majority of the Senators were against a candidate emerging from the North East as the zone had already enjoyed two terms that was utilized by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
This position was said to have knocked off the lobby of Senators from the zone who wanted the group to give due consideration to the candidature of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
But lawmakers from the North West zone however insisted that they would support Yar’Adua’s impeachment if the Vice President’s slot is allotted to the zone as a compensation for losing the exalted position of President.
Sunday Sun further gathered that the North West legislators declared at the meeting that since it was clear that the zone had lost the position of head of government, it would be better if the number two position was conceded to the zone and that it would be an advantage to produce an active Vice President than a President that they cannot see to make any demand. Consequently, Senators from both the North Central and North West have penciled some of their preferred candidates to be presented at a meeting with the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was gathered that the legislators noted that while it is constitutionally right for a sitting President to pick his deputy, the NIG Senators said that since they equally have a role to play in the confirmation of such a candidate as well as given the role they played even at the risk of their political career to get the Acting President take over the reins of government, it would not be asking for too much to concede the position of Vice President to one of them.
The meeting was said to have resolved that members of the NIG, which currently controls more than two-thirds majority in the Senate, would only agree to commence the process of Yar’Adua’s removal only if they got a firm commitment from the PDP leadership that a Senator emerges as the next Vice President since the governors have had their share of the number one and two seats in the country.
Accordingly, Senators from the North Central zone short-listed Senate President, David Mark, Smart Adeyemi, Zainab Kure and Gbemi Saraki while the North West went for two serving governors namely, Namadi Sambo of Kaduna and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina.
SUNNEWS
The twin moves are reportedly in response to emerging details on the state of health of the President, following the recent visit to the ailing leader by some Muslim and Christian clerics in the country. The two groups, at a meeting that extended from last Thursday night to early Friday, resolved to commence Yar’Adua’s impeachment in the next three weeks except the newly constituted Executive Council of the Federation invokes Section 144 to declare the President incapacitated.
The NIG, whose chairman, Senator Bala Mohammed, has been appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, spearheaded the adoption of the Doctrine of Necessity that paved the way for the Senate to empower Dr Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President.
A source at the meeting informed Sunday Sun that although they deliberated on the state of affairs since Jonathan assumed office as Acting President, they was no agreement on which of the three geo-political zones in the North would produce the Vice President. But our correspondent authoritatively gathered that majority of the Senators were against a candidate emerging from the North East as the zone had already enjoyed two terms that was utilized by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
This position was said to have knocked off the lobby of Senators from the zone who wanted the group to give due consideration to the candidature of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed.
But lawmakers from the North West zone however insisted that they would support Yar’Adua’s impeachment if the Vice President’s slot is allotted to the zone as a compensation for losing the exalted position of President.
Sunday Sun further gathered that the North West legislators declared at the meeting that since it was clear that the zone had lost the position of head of government, it would be better if the number two position was conceded to the zone and that it would be an advantage to produce an active Vice President than a President that they cannot see to make any demand. Consequently, Senators from both the North Central and North West have penciled some of their preferred candidates to be presented at a meeting with the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
It was gathered that the legislators noted that while it is constitutionally right for a sitting President to pick his deputy, the NIG Senators said that since they equally have a role to play in the confirmation of such a candidate as well as given the role they played even at the risk of their political career to get the Acting President take over the reins of government, it would not be asking for too much to concede the position of Vice President to one of them.
The meeting was said to have resolved that members of the NIG, which currently controls more than two-thirds majority in the Senate, would only agree to commence the process of Yar’Adua’s removal only if they got a firm commitment from the PDP leadership that a Senator emerges as the next Vice President since the governors have had their share of the number one and two seats in the country.
Accordingly, Senators from the North Central zone short-listed Senate President, David Mark, Smart Adeyemi, Zainab Kure and Gbemi Saraki while the North West went for two serving governors namely, Namadi Sambo of Kaduna and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina.
SUNNEWS
HOW TO START MAKING MONEY ONLINE AS A NIGERIAN IN GENUINE WAYS
Before going into the real business of the day, I would like to warn that if you are one of those that take pleasure in defrauding people, I don’t think this useful piece of information is for you.
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
All the above are some of the genuine ways of earning online especially as a Nigerian, but the most important thing is to acquire the necessary skills needed to excel in each of them. For this reason, I have packaged an e- book that will help you to excel in blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, etc, and I am also giving out Forex tutorial manual, a guide on how to make money from the Nigerian Stock Market, Google adsense blueprint and two powerful motivational books as bonuses for purchasing this simple but powerful e-book “THE AFFILIATES GUIDE”
Inside this book, you will learn how to become a better affiliate and make consistent income from affiliate commissions; how you can use a free blog to earn great income; how to earn from publishing articles online, the easiest ways to attract visitors to your webpage, how you can easily sell your own products to greater number of people, etc. Don’t forget that this e- book comes with mouth- watering bonuses that you cannot afford to miss.
This package with all the bonuses will only cost you 2,000 naira(two thousand naira)- the cheapest you can ever get considering the quality of the e-book and the bonuses that come with it.
What you need to start;
• The skills which the e-book will provide.
• A computer with an internet connection.
HURRY AND GRAB A COPY BECAUSE IF YOU DELAY, IT COULD BE DANGEROUS. USE THE PAYMENT DETAILS BELOW TO ORDER FOR YOUR COPY.
Payment details:
Oceanic bank international Plc.
Acct no: 0050001022931.
Acct name: Asiegbu, Tochukwu Ebuka.
After payment, text your name, e mail, teller no to 08064004963 or send a mail to (asiegbutch@yahoo.com) with the subject "Affiliate", and your copy will be forwarded to your e mail address immediately the payment is confirmed.
Have a great online money making experience!!!
Secondly, don’t force yourself into any business that you know too little about, because you will find it difficult to make much progress in that business. It is also important that you have a genuine interest for anything you wish to start both online and offline.
Most importantly, try to gather the necessary skills required to excel in any business you wish to start.
Let nobody deceive you, you must show some commitment and hardwork for you to make great progress online. The major difference between working online and offline is that you decide how and when to work online in most cases.
Working online is great because there is nobody to query you or boss you around, and you have the opportunity of getting involved in many opportunities in the shortest period of time.
As a Nigerian, instead of wasting a lot of time on the internet seeking whom to defraud, you can use less time to achieve great things.
Some of the genuine online opportunities you can start today include Blogging, article publishing, affiliate marketing, commodities trading, forex trading, options trading, or you can also join the revenue sharing system organized by Google known as Google adsense.
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Saturday, April 3, 2010
Fresh tension in Jos
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Pastor Ladi Photo: Sun News Publishing |
Speaking exclusively to Sunday Sun after a tour of the strife-prone city, the international coordinator of Macedonian Initiative, Pastor Ladi Thompson said that: “fear, tension, mutual suspicious and revenge killing in the area will only end when perpetrators of the recent genocide are dealt with in accordance with the law of the land.
“When those ravaging the place with impunity are reined in, peace, sanity and trust will return”. Pastor Ladi further suggested that speedy trial and punishment of those who unleashed mayhem at Dogo Nahauwa will serve as a deterrent for those still arming themselves and planning revenge missions. If nothing is done now, the country will blindly walk into the quick sand of revenge killings and orgy of blood-letting. History is full of such examples. Ireland stands out”, he said with a hint of foreboding.
Meanwhile, the police in Jos says that 164 suspects arrested in the wake of Dogo Nahawa killing will be tried in Jos.
A statement credited to the police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Mohammed Lerama, states that the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Attorney General of the Federation have agreed that 164 suspects arrested at Dogo Nahauwa and other settlements will be charged with terrorism, unlawful possession of firearms and homicide. According to him, the suspects who will be tried in Jos include 41 people who will be prosecuted for terrorism and culpable homicide and 106 for unlawful possession of firearms and rioting.
Smell of blood
A Dogo Nahauwa resident and victim of the recent killing in the place, who wants anonymity described the Solomon Lar-led Presidential Advisory Committee on Jos as a waste of time. “You can’t come and open the heads of my children like water melon and burn down my house and expect me not to do something. The pain is just too much. Their ghosts will not let me sleep or rest unless I revenge. Anybody talking about peace is wasting his time”, the resident said on phone.
In a voice suffused with rage, the resident went on to say: “Each time they kill us, we are told to forget it and bear it as Christians. To fool us, they set up panels. Their reports are never made public and nothing happens until another killing begins”.
Early trouble signs
Sunday Sun learnt there are signs of impending trouble in Jos city. Residents of the city are still sending text messages to one another. Some of the messages were forwarded to our reporter and read in parts: “Enough is enough, don’t buy water from Hausa mai ruwa or drink mai shai’s tea. They plan to poison us”,
“Tell your madam not to buy meat again from their butcher” “open ya eyes and see” and
“Follow fellow Christians only.”
Not taking the matter lightly, Sunday Sun learnt that churches in Jos metropolis have opened their own abattoirs, trained and employed Christian butchers. Following the heels of this, a Christian dominated market has recently been opened at Bukuru.
Tension-soaked
The once time-honoured home of hospitality and tourism is now tension soaked. To attest to this, majority of the corpers posted to the state have been redeployed to other states. The Plateau State NYSC Coordinator, Mr Tunde Baba–Ahmed last week revealed to newsmen that out of 1016 corpers posted to the state, only 351 agreed to serve in Jos. Sunday Sun learnt that the coordinator even received order from NYSC headquarters directing him to grant the wishes of corpers who want redeployment to other states.
Al-Queda outpost
Elaborating on the palpable tension in Jos, Pastor Ladi Thompson who doubles as the General Overseer of Living Waters Unlimited church traced the genesis of Dogo Nahauwa massacre to al-Queda.
“Before then, it was reported that al-Queda wanted to turn Nigeria into its new outpost but no one cared. They even issued a statement before the attack”, he said.
Sunday Sun investigation reveals that an al-Queda group in Islamic Maghreb declared it was ready to train and arm its people in Nigeria to defend themselves against Christians.
A statement attributed to its leader, Abu Mus’Abdel Wadoud clearly stated: “We are ready to train your people in weapon and give you whatever support we can in men, arms and munitions to enable you to defend our people in Nigeria.”
Pastor Ladi told Sunday Sun Islamic militants entered Jos way back in 1978 through Izala group. “They worked with characteristic patience. This slow, deliberate and vicious process has worked its way in from the Middle East through North Africa into West Africa with its eye on Nigeria as a prized conquest. This intelligent and well-funded global trust opens up with its doctrines of immigration, followed by infiltration and then subtle contentions which are then capped by acts of terror.”
Bizarre touch
The fear in Jos is further heightened with the gruesome manner children, old women and men were slaughtered by Hausa Fulani hotheads who besieged Dogo Nahawa.
A photo file made available to Sunday Sun show burnt houses, mutilated bodies of hapless children, bullet-riddled bodies and heads cut with matches. With these images in mind, the people of the crises racked city are obviously scared and perhaps getting ready for the fire next time.
SUNNEWS
Friday, April 2, 2010
Teenage widow 'was Moscow metro bomber' - police
Russian authorities say they are almost certain that one of the suicide bombers who attacked the Moscow Metro on Monday was a 17-year-old girl from Dagestan.
The girl, Dzhennet Abdurakhmanova, is believed to be the widow of a senior Caucasus militant killed by Russian security forces late last year. Dagestan, like nearby Chechnya, is struggling to quell militant violence.
The morning rush-hour bombings killed 40 people and injured more than 80, most of whom are still in hospital.
"One of the female suicide bombers, who blew herself up at the Park Kultury metro station, was Dzhennet Abdurakhmanova," said a statement from Russia's National Anti-Terror Committee (NAK) carried by the RIA Novosti and Interfax news agencies.
"She was born in 1992 and lived in the Khasavyurtsky region of Dagestan."
A police spokesman said earlier that the suspect had been married to a leading Islamist militant, Umalat Magomedov, who was killed by Russian security forces at the end of last year.
A photograph of her published in a leading Russian newspaper, Kommersant, bears a strong resemblance to a picture of the remains of one of the suicide bombers, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.
'Black widows'
The identity of the second bomber has not been confirmed, but Kommersant said she may have been the widow of another Chechen militant killed last year.
Doku Umarov: 'I promise you that the war will come to your streets'
The death toll from their twin bombings rose to 40 on Friday after one man died from his wounds in hospital, officials said.
On Wednesday 12 people, nine of them police officers, were killed in two suicide bombings in Kizlyar.
In Moscow, the news that the attacks were carried out by women had fuelled speculation that they were so-called "black widows" - women married or related to militants killed by Russian forces in areas such as Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya.
Black widows have been involved in several major attacks in the North Caucasus and in Moscow.
Rebel's video warning
Unnamed Federal Security Service (FSB) officials say Magomedov was an associate of Doku Umarov, the Chechen rebel leader who claims he ordered Monday's metro attacks.
In a video message posted on a rebel website, Mr Umarov warned Russians to prepare for more attacks.
On Thursday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev flew to Dagestan's capital Makhachkala to hold emergency talks with the leaders of Russia's troubled North Caucasus republics.
"We must deal sharp dagger blows to the terrorists; destroy them and their lairs," Mr Medvedev said.
"The list of measures to fight terrorism must be widened. They must not only be effective but tough, severe and preventative. We need to punish."
The attacks came almost a year after Mr Medvedev declared an end to Russia's "counter-terrorism operations" in Chechnya, in a bid to "further normalise the situation" after 15 years of conflict that claimed more than 100,000 lives and left it in ruins.
Despite this, the mainly Muslim republic continues to be plagued by violence, and over the past two years Islamist militants have stepped up attacks in neighbouring Ingushetia and Dagestan.
Mr Umarov said the attacks were an act of revenge for the killings of Chechen and Ingush civilians by the Russian security forces near the town of Arshty on 11 February.
The rebel, who styles himself as the Emir of the Caucasus Emirate, said attacks on Russian soil would continue.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
‘Repent!’ the Man Screamed... and then Rammed His Car Under Arik Aircraft
In a puzzling development, a commercial vehicle yesterday rammed into an aircraft at the tarmac at Margaret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar, Cross River State.
The vehicle was said to have sped through two gates of the Air Force Station into the airport, running into an Arik plane waiting to take off.
The vehicle was said to have sped through two gates of the Air Force Station into the airport, running into an Arik plane waiting to take off.
The taxi with registration number Cross River XA 254 KMM was painted with the state’s taxi colour of blue-white-blue. An eyewitness account said the cab went through the gates without any resistance, drove straight to the tarmac and hit the underbelly of the plane.
The incident occurred at about 2.35 pm. There were about 200 passengers on board the aircraft and they were successfully evacuated.
The incident occurred at about 2.35 pm. There were about 200 passengers on board the aircraft and they were successfully evacuated.
It was not certain how the driver of the vehicle passed the gates but the scene of the incident showed that the security men could not stop him. The reason for the driver's behaviour was not known as at press time.
But he was arrested and handcuffed by security agents. Upon his arrest, the driver claimed that his mission was to blow up the plane and the passengers since according to him, Nigerians are unrepentant sinners.
The man, whose name is yet to be made known, spoke in one of the dialects of neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.
“Jesus is the redeemer. Everyone should repent and follow him because I will come back and complete the attack,” he said.
The pilot of the Abuja-bound plane marked 5N-MJJ, Captain Simon Robinson, crew members and passengers who had started boarding, ran for safety while the fire fighters rushed to the scene.
But he was arrested and handcuffed by security agents. Upon his arrest, the driver claimed that his mission was to blow up the plane and the passengers since according to him, Nigerians are unrepentant sinners.
The man, whose name is yet to be made known, spoke in one of the dialects of neighbouring Akwa Ibom State.
“Jesus is the redeemer. Everyone should repent and follow him because I will come back and complete the attack,” he said.
The pilot of the Abuja-bound plane marked 5N-MJJ, Captain Simon Robinson, crew members and passengers who had started boarding, ran for safety while the fire fighters rushed to the scene.
Security agents condoned off the area while an anti-bomb squad from the police combed the taxi and the surroundings. The outcome of the bomb search was not made public but top sources at the airport said “no bomb was found”.
Visibly-shaken passengers said they were just settling into the aircraft when they heard a loud thud. Then they heard the alarm and were asked to disembark. At first, they thought it was a fire only to find out when they stepped out that a car had run into the fuel section of the plane.
Pandemonium ensued and they scrambled towards the departure hall.
A passenger, who did not want his name in print said: “It was just a miracle that he was not successful because he got to our plane quite all right and hit it the way he wanted to. God sure has a hand in this. If he had a bomb on him, by now it would be a different story.”
Visibly-shaken passengers said they were just settling into the aircraft when they heard a loud thud. Then they heard the alarm and were asked to disembark. At first, they thought it was a fire only to find out when they stepped out that a car had run into the fuel section of the plane.
Pandemonium ensued and they scrambled towards the departure hall.
A passenger, who did not want his name in print said: “It was just a miracle that he was not successful because he got to our plane quite all right and hit it the way he wanted to. God sure has a hand in this. If he had a bomb on him, by now it would be a different story.”
One of the passengers, Mr. Odigha Odigha, said: “We were inside the plane about to take off when the alarm came and we were asked to disembark. Initially, we thought it was fire and everybody scrambled down and when we got down, we discovered it was a car right under the belly of the aircraft.”
Odigha, who is the Chairman of the state Forestry Commission, said he was shocked.
“How can a commercial car ram through two gates of the Air Force Station and get to an aircraft about to take off?” she asked.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Manager at the airport, Mr. Mahmud Sani, said everyone was taken unawares. He declined further comment, saying investigation was ongoing and that a team of investigators were expected from Lagos.
The Air Force Intelligence and Security Officer O. G. Akonye and other officers of the Air Force Base, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, and other personnel on ground also declined comment.
Odigha, who is the Chairman of the state Forestry Commission, said he was shocked.
“How can a commercial car ram through two gates of the Air Force Station and get to an aircraft about to take off?” she asked.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Manager at the airport, Mr. Mahmud Sani, said everyone was taken unawares. He declined further comment, saying investigation was ongoing and that a team of investigators were expected from Lagos.
The Air Force Intelligence and Security Officer O. G. Akonye and other officers of the Air Force Base, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tonye Ebitibituwa, and other personnel on ground also declined comment.
Later in the evening, four engineers of Arik Air arrived the airport for an on-the-spot assessment. They jacked up the plane in order to remove the taxi. Passengers were later airlifted to their destination with another Arik plane.
When THISDAY visited the scene, the two gates of the Air Force Station had partially collapsed. Part of the first gate was on the ground, while the poles of the second were badly shattered by the force of the car.
Senior officials of the state government, including the state’s Deputy Governor Mr. Efiok Cobham; the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Edet Asim; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Transportation, Mr. Gabriel Okulaja, also visited the scene of the incident.
When THISDAY visited the scene, the two gates of the Air Force Station had partially collapsed. Part of the first gate was on the ground, while the poles of the second were badly shattered by the force of the car.
Senior officials of the state government, including the state’s Deputy Governor Mr. Efiok Cobham; the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Edet Asim; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Transportation, Mr. Gabriel Okulaja, also visited the scene of the incident.
THISDAYONLINE
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Senate confirms all 38 ministerial nominees
The ministers-designate confirmed were 38 out of the 39 nominees presented by the Acting President. Alhaji Umar Aliyu, a nominee from Taraba State was the only ministerial nominee that did not appear before the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly for screening and thus could not be confirmed.
Accordingly, two states and two geo-political zones Ebonyi and Taraba as well as North-East and South-South zones are yet to be represented in the new Executive Council likely to be inaugurated today.
Former Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman from Kano, whose name was submitted on Monday and listed on the Senate Order paper but skipped on Tuesday during the screening by the Senate staged a comeback on Wednesday to face the Senators after which he was confirmed.
As reported by Daily Sun on Wednesday, Prof. Dora Akunyili and Senator Sanusi Daggash, who initially had some issues with the Senators both secured more than the required majority needed to get confirmation.
Meanwhile, President of the Senate, David Mark, has urged Acting President Jonathan not to hesitate to sack any minister found not to be performing to justify the doctrine of necessity that was adopted by the Senate to empower him.
Senator Mark, who commended Senators for spending several hours to screen and confirm the ministers, said it was the hope of the Senate that once the ministers were allocated portfolios, they would earnestly do what they promised Nigerians through the Senate, adding that the Upper Chamber would “ensure that through our oversight functions, they do precisely what they told us here.”
According to Mark, “I will like to use this opportunity to ask Mr. Acting President, Commander-in-Chief that any minister who does not live to expectation should not be spared. He should immediately be removed from office so that he/she doesn’t become a clog in the wheel of progress.”
The Senate President noted that the Upper Chamber postponed its recess to get the ministers-designate screened and confirmed in the interest of the country and to move the nation forward as quickly as possible in accordance with the doctrine of necessity adopted by the Senate. “Ideally, this would have taken much longer time. In spite of the fact that it has taken a short time I think we have done a thorough job and we hope when these ministers are deployed, they will live to the expectations of Nigerians,” Mark said.
Later at a press conference, Senate spokesman, Ayogu Eze, said the decision by the Upper Chamber to grant time to the screening was to allow government to function effectively. Senator Eze further said stakeholders from Taraba and Ebonyi states were yet to conclude the selection process of their nominees.
List of ministers-designate: Fidelia Akuabata Njeze (Enugu), Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) (Ondo), Prof. Dora Akunyili (Anambra), Sen. Akinlabi Olasunkanmi (Osun), Hon. Isa Bio Ibrahim (Kwara), Elder Godsday Orubebe (Delta), Arc. Nuhu Somo Wya (Kaduna), Henry Odein Ajumogobia (Rivers), Mrs. Dieziani Allison-Madueke (Bayelsa), Shamsudeen Usman (Kano), John Ogar Odey (Cross River), Aderemi Waheed Babalola (Oyo), Mr. Humphrey Enemakwu Abbah (Kogi), Chukwuemeka Ngozichineke Wogu (Abia), Iyom Josephine Anenih (Anambra), Labaran Maku (Nasarawa), Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi (Edo), Alh. Suleiman Bello (Zamfara), Alh. Murtala Yar’Adua (Katsina), Sanusi M. Daggash (Borno), Sen. Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Nduese Essien (Akwa Ibom), Miss Josephine Tapgun (Plateau), Mohammed Bello Adoke (Kogi), retired Navy Capt. Ernest Olubolade (Ekiti), Mr. Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga (Lagos), Prof. Mohammed K. Abubakar (Kebbi), Alh. Adamu Maina Waziri (Yobe), Awodele Najeem Adewale Alao (Ogun), Alh. Abubakar Sadiq Mohammed (Gombe), Yusuf Suleiman (Sokoto), Prof. Ruqaiya Rufai (Jigawa), Arc. Musa Sada (Katsina), Prof. Sheikh Abdallah (Niger), Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho (Imo), Sen. Jibrin Martins-Kuye (Ogun), Aliyu Idi Hong (Adamawa) and Samuel Odeh (Benue).
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Battle for petroleum portfolio gets crunchy
As the screening of ministers continued yesterday in Abuja, high level lobbying and manouvres have intensified over who clinches the strategic petroleum portfolio. The power players in the oil industry particularly the multinationals were said to be involved in the scheming in an attempt to protect their own business interests.
As at last night, the ice was yet to be broken by the Presidency over who mans the juicy ministry among three top prospects. One of the three wholly South-South nominees is sure to be named the next minister of petroleum later this week by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
The nominees are former executive director-in-charge of exploration and production at the National Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Chris Ogiemwonyi from Edo State, the former minister of solid minerals development, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke representing Bayelsa State and the immediate past minister of state for petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia from Rivers State. As Jonathan mulls over who to pick out of the three options, there are indications that Ogiemwonyi is top on the card to succeed Dr. Rilwanu Lukman.
Daily Sun gathered that his greatest hurdle is the oil majors whose stakeholders are concerned that he knows too much about the vital sector.
But placed one on one with others, Ogiemwonyi towers high above them. One of the reasons why the oil majors are uncomfortable with him was his role as one of the leading “local content agitators” which was adjudged good for the country, but which the multi-nationals never really embraced with their whole heart.
Analysts see Ogiemwonyi as the more suitable technocrat, who has the most relevant experience. The Edo nominee, who worked for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) up to April 2009 is the favourite among the junior and intermediate staff at the NNPC because they see in him an insider with the requisite knowledge of the oil sector. Ogiemwonyi, who was also a group executive director, Exploration and Production (E&P), of the NNPC possesses unassailable credentials that cut through both national and international levels as well as the downstream and upstream sectors of the industry.
Therefore, analysts believe his possible emergence as the head of the strategic ministry will be well taken by the stakeholders, apart from the selfish majors, going by his long years of training and international engagement, which has exposed him to the politics of international oil and gas development and as former OPEC Secretary-General, he is well-placed to understand this global dimension to the whole issues of transforming the nation’s oil and gas industry. Presidency sources said his appointment was based strictly on merit and performance. Lukman, the source said, has been on international oil and gas business and administration for more than two decades.
What counts against Ajumogobia is the performance of the petroleum ministry in the last 32 months when he was the minister of state. It was also gathered that the Federal Government was not particularly happy with the way the ministry was being run in the former era when Dr. Lukman held sway with Ajumogobia as his deputy. Apart from the frequent cases of fuel scarcity, there were issues of below par contributions by the critical ministry towards the realization of the set target for power generation and the poor state of the country’s refineries. A lawyer, his knowledge about the oil industry was said to hardly go beyond what he had gleaned since his appointment as Minister of State in 2007. He is banking on continuity as his forte, but it is doubtful if that will be enough to see him through.
On the part of Mrs. Allison-Madueke, the nearest link she has with the petroleum sector is the fact that she once worked with Shell. She is therefore not grounded in the highly technical industry. But interestingly the oil majors are said to favour her or Ajumogobia to head the ministry as persons who may not be in a position to unravel their hidden paths.
But those behind Ogiemwonyi believe that beyond the oil and gas implementation agenda, the new minister must quickly and expertly address the issue of fuel importation in Nigeria and power generation, be a major player among OPEC countries and fine-tune the nation’s strategy to ensure adequate fuel supply for domestic market without over-reliance on import.
As at last night, the ice was yet to be broken by the Presidency over who mans the juicy ministry among three top prospects. One of the three wholly South-South nominees is sure to be named the next minister of petroleum later this week by the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
The nominees are former executive director-in-charge of exploration and production at the National Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS), Mr. Chris Ogiemwonyi from Edo State, the former minister of solid minerals development, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke representing Bayelsa State and the immediate past minister of state for petroleum, Mr. Odein Ajumogobia from Rivers State. As Jonathan mulls over who to pick out of the three options, there are indications that Ogiemwonyi is top on the card to succeed Dr. Rilwanu Lukman.
Daily Sun gathered that his greatest hurdle is the oil majors whose stakeholders are concerned that he knows too much about the vital sector.
But placed one on one with others, Ogiemwonyi towers high above them. One of the reasons why the oil majors are uncomfortable with him was his role as one of the leading “local content agitators” which was adjudged good for the country, but which the multi-nationals never really embraced with their whole heart.
Analysts see Ogiemwonyi as the more suitable technocrat, who has the most relevant experience. The Edo nominee, who worked for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) up to April 2009 is the favourite among the junior and intermediate staff at the NNPC because they see in him an insider with the requisite knowledge of the oil sector. Ogiemwonyi, who was also a group executive director, Exploration and Production (E&P), of the NNPC possesses unassailable credentials that cut through both national and international levels as well as the downstream and upstream sectors of the industry.
Therefore, analysts believe his possible emergence as the head of the strategic ministry will be well taken by the stakeholders, apart from the selfish majors, going by his long years of training and international engagement, which has exposed him to the politics of international oil and gas development and as former OPEC Secretary-General, he is well-placed to understand this global dimension to the whole issues of transforming the nation’s oil and gas industry. Presidency sources said his appointment was based strictly on merit and performance. Lukman, the source said, has been on international oil and gas business and administration for more than two decades.
What counts against Ajumogobia is the performance of the petroleum ministry in the last 32 months when he was the minister of state. It was also gathered that the Federal Government was not particularly happy with the way the ministry was being run in the former era when Dr. Lukman held sway with Ajumogobia as his deputy. Apart from the frequent cases of fuel scarcity, there were issues of below par contributions by the critical ministry towards the realization of the set target for power generation and the poor state of the country’s refineries. A lawyer, his knowledge about the oil industry was said to hardly go beyond what he had gleaned since his appointment as Minister of State in 2007. He is banking on continuity as his forte, but it is doubtful if that will be enough to see him through.
On the part of Mrs. Allison-Madueke, the nearest link she has with the petroleum sector is the fact that she once worked with Shell. She is therefore not grounded in the highly technical industry. But interestingly the oil majors are said to favour her or Ajumogobia to head the ministry as persons who may not be in a position to unravel their hidden paths.
But those behind Ogiemwonyi believe that beyond the oil and gas implementation agenda, the new minister must quickly and expertly address the issue of fuel importation in Nigeria and power generation, be a major player among OPEC countries and fine-tune the nation’s strategy to ensure adequate fuel supply for domestic market without over-reliance on import.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ministerial list: Showdown looms in Senate
A massive showdown is now looming in the Senate as the pro-Jonathan and pro-Yar’Adua Senators fine-tune their strategies as they await the arrival of the list of ministerial nominees from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan at the Upper Chambers.
The pro-Yar’Adua elements in the dissolved Federal Executive Council (FEC), some aides, associates and relations of the sick president in cahoots with their collaborators outside the government, according to Daily Sun sources, have gone far in their mobilization to confront Jonathan and his supporters. Part of their strategies is the mobilization of seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANS) as they prepare to challenge the legality of last week’s dissolution of the cabinet by Jonathan.
The source further revealed that the sum of N500 million had been set aside by the group as the initial sum to use in prosecuting the legal battles as well as inducing senators to block the confirmation of ministerial nominees by the lawmakers. The ministerial list, which is already before the security agencies, is set to be dispatched by the Acting President to the Senate for screening and confirmation any moment from now.
The source hinted that the money is being sourced by the cabal through some major contractors that had been awarded plum contracts by the ministries of Works, FCT, Aviation and Transport in the recent past. The aim of the cabal is to delay if not totally frustrate the efforts to reconstitute the cabinet with the hope that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua would be fit enough in a matter of days to make a public appearance and put Jonathan’s attempt to change the cabinet in abeyance.
However, while the pro-Yar’Adua group is perfecting its gameplan and making manouvres, supporters of Jonathan within and outside the Senate are not resting in their oars. The supporters met under the aegis of National Interest Group (NIG) in the National Assembly on Sunday night at an undisclosed venue in Abuja to brainstorm on how to tackle the new challenges posed by those they perceived as reactionary elements trying to set the hand of the clock back. Their meeting lasted until the early hours of yesterday.
At the end of the meeting, they fine-tuned their strategies to checkmate the pro-Yar’Adua group. One of their approaches is by ensuring that the ministerial nominees are screened speedily so that those confirmed would be sworn in without delay. A member of the NIG who spoke with Daily Sun yesterday on the condition of anonymity expressed displeasure that some desperate immediate past ministers who were members of the kitchen cabinet, were still “ so crazy for power” as to allow themselves to be used to work against the interest of the Nigerian people and the country. “We are watching them in their macabre dance. We want to see how far they could go in this show of shame. But one thing is certain. We, with the support of the vast majority of Nigerians and our colleagues in the Senate, will meet them and whoever is backing them on the floor of the Senate and surely they will be confronted with defeat and disgrace,” the Senator vowed.
SUN NEWS
The pro-Yar’Adua elements in the dissolved Federal Executive Council (FEC), some aides, associates and relations of the sick president in cahoots with their collaborators outside the government, according to Daily Sun sources, have gone far in their mobilization to confront Jonathan and his supporters. Part of their strategies is the mobilization of seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANS) as they prepare to challenge the legality of last week’s dissolution of the cabinet by Jonathan.
The source further revealed that the sum of N500 million had been set aside by the group as the initial sum to use in prosecuting the legal battles as well as inducing senators to block the confirmation of ministerial nominees by the lawmakers. The ministerial list, which is already before the security agencies, is set to be dispatched by the Acting President to the Senate for screening and confirmation any moment from now.
The source hinted that the money is being sourced by the cabal through some major contractors that had been awarded plum contracts by the ministries of Works, FCT, Aviation and Transport in the recent past. The aim of the cabal is to delay if not totally frustrate the efforts to reconstitute the cabinet with the hope that ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua would be fit enough in a matter of days to make a public appearance and put Jonathan’s attempt to change the cabinet in abeyance.
However, while the pro-Yar’Adua group is perfecting its gameplan and making manouvres, supporters of Jonathan within and outside the Senate are not resting in their oars. The supporters met under the aegis of National Interest Group (NIG) in the National Assembly on Sunday night at an undisclosed venue in Abuja to brainstorm on how to tackle the new challenges posed by those they perceived as reactionary elements trying to set the hand of the clock back. Their meeting lasted until the early hours of yesterday.
At the end of the meeting, they fine-tuned their strategies to checkmate the pro-Yar’Adua group. One of their approaches is by ensuring that the ministerial nominees are screened speedily so that those confirmed would be sworn in without delay. A member of the NIG who spoke with Daily Sun yesterday on the condition of anonymity expressed displeasure that some desperate immediate past ministers who were members of the kitchen cabinet, were still “ so crazy for power” as to allow themselves to be used to work against the interest of the Nigerian people and the country. “We are watching them in their macabre dance. We want to see how far they could go in this show of shame. But one thing is certain. We, with the support of the vast majority of Nigerians and our colleagues in the Senate, will meet them and whoever is backing them on the floor of the Senate and surely they will be confronted with defeat and disgrace,” the Senator vowed.
SUN NEWS
Sunday, March 21, 2010
New Cabinet: Jonathan, Govs on collision course
The plan by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to carry out a major surgical operation on the federal cabinet by not reappointing most of the sacked ministers had put him on a collision course with some influential state governors in the country.
Daily Sun gathered from authoritative sources that Jonathan’s efforts to achieve a radical change by injecting go-getters into the new cabinet are being frustrated by the governors largely based on individual political and other pecuniary reasons.
According to a Daily Sun source, majority of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are not favourably disposed to supporting the change of the ministers from their respective states by Jonathan.
“For the simple fact that the next general elections are just by the corner, most of the governors do not feel safe to change the ministers from their states at this stage which they consider critical. They believe that the devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. That is why many of them have been dragging their feet by not sending their lists of fresh ministerial nominees as requested by the acting president. Instead of sending new names, they are busy lobbying for the retention of the non-performing former ministers,” the source revealed.
He added that due to certain calculations, which include loyalty of the ministers to them, the affected governors are shielding their ministers whose performances in their respective federal ministers have fallen below expectation. However, despite such protections by the governors, Jonathan is poised to effect the changes as he has set the final deadline for the governors to supply their nominees or else he would proceed and appoint whoever he pleases from those states.
Due to the governors’ un-cooperative attitude about the planned cabinet changes, Jonathan, for sometime, was in a dilemma as to how to go about the desired exercise without rupturing his administration’s good relationship with the governors, the source hinted further. But he is said to have run out of patience with the governors over their self-centred power play and is now ready to break the ice by going ahead with the reconstitution of the cabinet.
It was also learnt that the opposition of some the governors to change of the ministers was part of their grand design to checkmate Jonathan and prevent him from consolidating and growing in power and influence. “The governors are doing everything they can to keep the acting president under reasonable check and prevent him from carrying out far-reaching changes that would make him become too powerful and independent-minded,” the source added.
He said: “Goodluck is concerned about how to move the nation forward and some reactionary forces are slowing him. I can assure you that he is set to call the bluff of those who think they can frustrate him.”
“It is most disappointing that most of the governors are placing their personal political gains and some 2011 calculations over and above national interest. Such antics will not augur well for the larger interest of the majority of the people and the acting president believes there ought to be a dividing line between personal considerations and public good,” the sourced emphasised.
In normal circumstances, state governors from the ruling party or other parties in alliance with the central government send list of ministerial nominees to the president as a guide to select from. The president is, however, not compelled to restrict his choice to the list, which usually comprises a maximum of three options to choose from per state.
The source stated that the acting president has decided to court the Senate for its support as he prepares to dispatch his list of star-studded ministerial nominees to the upper chamber for screening not minding the wishes of the governors.
SUNNEWS
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Soyinka, Falana want EFCC boss removed –Waku
Senator Joseph Waku has alleged that some individuals behind the SNG are canvassing the removal of EFCC boss, Mrs Farida Waziri.
Some national dailies had carried reports of moves to prevail on the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, to remove Mrs Waziri as the head of the anti-corruption agency.
Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, Senator Waku alleged that Professor Wole Soyinka and Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, were behind the move to remove Farida from the EFCC.
Waku alleged that Soyinka had met with Jonathan and presented the agenda of the SNG. He said part of the agenda presented to the acting president was the removal of Mrs Waziri as the EFCC boss and her replacement with former Kaduna State Governor, Colonel Abubakar Umar [rtd].
Waku advised the acting president to be cautious with ideas coming from some prominent Nigerians and be focused on moving Nigeria forward.
“He should be cautious with ideas coming from certain Nigerians. He should focus on moving Nigeria forward. He shouldn’t allow himself to be dragged into nepotism. They shouldn’t take advantage of his proximity to them and blackmail Nigerians that they don’t have access to,” Waku cautioned.
Speaking further, Senator Waku disclosed that the achievements of the EFCC boss since she mounted the saddle does not warrant the desperation to get her out of the anti corruption agency.
“Is it not heart-warming that she inherited about 10 high profile cases from her predecessor in June 2008 and today, she has filed about 50 additional ones? From the interview I read that in just 18 months she has recovered funds and assets in excess of three billion dollars ($3 billion) within the same period. I also counted 23 cardinal achievements she had recorded within the same period. If this is the record of her performance, which surpasses that of her predecessor, who is then afraid of her? Who wants her distracted? For what purpose?”
Waku, however pleaded that his defence of the EFCC boss should not be taken as informed by primordial sentiment since the EFCC boss is a Tiv from Benue State like Waku.
“I am not defending her because we are from the same state. In fact, all hands must be on deck to check corruption. No Nigerian that stole money should be left untouched no matter who they are. But Nigerians should be ready to produce evidence that can not be faulted, so that these people can be prosecuted. No nation can survive with this magnitude of corruption,” Waku submitted.
Sun News
Friday, March 12, 2010
Mixed metaphor of the Jos massacre
For the second time (last weekend) in three short months the city of Jos, Plateau State capital, had experienced calamitous events around it that its people are far much worse than traumatised; they must be feeling dehumanised; and every other sane Nigerian with them must feel hard done by. We are disgraced, scandalised and made to feel like part of a brutish kingdom dominated by modern day cannibals.
By the share scale and gory nature of the massacre, those sub-humans amongst us involved have put Nigeria on the ignoble map as one of the British countries of the world where human life is regarded with contempt.
To say it as it really is, our status resembles that of terrorist nations notorious for inhuman carnages of monsterous proportion which some of us struggle to justify either in the name of religion or retaliation or both. This is part of our mixed metaphor in the strange circumstance of a country that has been groping for half a century and still cannot build a civilized community of its various peoples.
When one tries as a commentator to rationalise these events of northern killings since 1966, one becomes baffled, perhaps even confused that almost 40 years on, this type of bizzare in humanity has not changed either for political, religious or other excuses; and why not?! I am inclined to reason that there is something strangely wrong about Nigeria; and if in 50 years we cannot figure it out and summon the courage to deal with it, Jos, as metaphor of Nigeria’s evil condition is present everywhere else. It is only a matter of time before this monster begins to consume the country. Violence has become synonymous with political power play; religious differences; bloody retaliation for perceived injustice; and ethnicity of the most uncivilized manifestation.
And in all these, people who are supposed to have control are either players in the orgies of bloody violence or they abandon their watch to allow religious and ethnic lunatics to cause mayhem in the society inflicting horror and death on helpless women and children, who are the most vulnerable in our society. This is the flip side of the Jos story:
* There is a governor who is supposed to be the chief security officer of the state, but he is not in control of any of the security agencies. “I cannot secure a fly”, he said. So when local street intelligence alerted him of the recent crisis at 9pm, on the day of the event, governor Jang could only inform the military chief who was under no obligation WHATSOEVER to listen to the governor even when doing so made a lot of sense to save lives.
* So regardless that the “chief security officer of the state” wanted the army commander in Jos to come to the rescue, the fellow switched off his phone so that those inhuman terrorists who invaded Jos villages could have their way in inflicting cannibalistic massacre on their victims. That is the monstrous nature of the Nigerian political arrangement: The security of the locals are in the hands of “foreigners”. Jos and Plateau people cannot provide their own security because they are a conquered people, under the watch of those “born to rule”, the neo-colonialists in our country.
* The bane of peace in Nigeria continues to be its structural “fault line” that undermines our democracy. It is responsible for the mixed metaphor of our inability to fashion a cohesive polity; to ingrain equity in governance; to operate the philosophy of equality amongst the federating units; and above all, to implant justice in the system.
All our failures resonates from this “structural fault line” in the set up of this tottering country called Nigeria.
With these anomalies, we can only expect many more “Jos massacres” to spread across the country.
Issues which the current incident of the gorey massacres in Jos villages throw up are very fundamental.
We have lived with it from the ‘40’s; and if in half a century we cannot find a solution, that means the problem is beyond our capability to resolve.
However, if we are serious about peace in this country; if the life of our people mean anything to us, it is about time we begin to seek help from the international community to help us out. Except we climb down our high horses to accept our total failure in organising and running a stable, peaceful and progressive country, we will stay another half century bungling, with the prospect of enacting the most catastrophic human disaster ever experienced in the history of mankind. With about 140 million people at risk in this calamitous prospect, it is probable that the spirit beings in charge of planet earth may have to intervene before the worst happens. Maybe, this is a forlorn hope, who knows.
But what is clear is that if justice is delayed or miscarried in this Jos crisis, if impunity is allowed to triumph and set perpetrators of this inhuman crime against the weak and vulnerable scot free, then the worst is not far away – it will consume the whole place.
If you ask me, Jos is only a dress rehersal.
The politics of power and religious supremacy is waxing stronger, and while the country is at risk, some evil, people, whose souls have been sold to the devilish exercise of power, are playing hard at the game. If we as a people don’t stop them, they will make utter slaves of our souls and body. At the moment, in the current arrangement, history and fortune has placed the responsibility of saving the nation on the shoulders of one innocent-looking man – Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He didn’t ask for the job alright, but Providence has thrust it on his shoulders. Now, it remain for him to use his God-given capacity, (which up to the point he got this job was latent), to arrest the drift with a sense of urgency, and set the nation on course to reformation and transformation.
No Nigerian leader has had the opportunity and massive public sympathy that Acting President Jonathan now has to effect reform. He cannot afford to fail, because if he does, the situation is so dangerous, he, himself (with all of us) will be consumed in the inferno that is already boiling beneath.
The Acting President must face the devil, look him hard in the face and say to him, “get behind us, Satan.” If he allows his nerves to fail in this confrontation with evil, he will be the first to be swallowed up. Nigerians have spoken to our Acting President in clear language, we all stand behind him and like David we expect that he will move forward with the proverbial “sling” and bring down Goliath.
The first major test in this battle is how the Acting President deals with the Jos mayhem. His moves thus far are encouraging. He must press on with vigour and determination. God help him.
Vanguardnews
By the share scale and gory nature of the massacre, those sub-humans amongst us involved have put Nigeria on the ignoble map as one of the British countries of the world where human life is regarded with contempt.
To say it as it really is, our status resembles that of terrorist nations notorious for inhuman carnages of monsterous proportion which some of us struggle to justify either in the name of religion or retaliation or both. This is part of our mixed metaphor in the strange circumstance of a country that has been groping for half a century and still cannot build a civilized community of its various peoples.
When one tries as a commentator to rationalise these events of northern killings since 1966, one becomes baffled, perhaps even confused that almost 40 years on, this type of bizzare in humanity has not changed either for political, religious or other excuses; and why not?! I am inclined to reason that there is something strangely wrong about Nigeria; and if in 50 years we cannot figure it out and summon the courage to deal with it, Jos, as metaphor of Nigeria’s evil condition is present everywhere else. It is only a matter of time before this monster begins to consume the country. Violence has become synonymous with political power play; religious differences; bloody retaliation for perceived injustice; and ethnicity of the most uncivilized manifestation.
And in all these, people who are supposed to have control are either players in the orgies of bloody violence or they abandon their watch to allow religious and ethnic lunatics to cause mayhem in the society inflicting horror and death on helpless women and children, who are the most vulnerable in our society. This is the flip side of the Jos story:
* There is a governor who is supposed to be the chief security officer of the state, but he is not in control of any of the security agencies. “I cannot secure a fly”, he said. So when local street intelligence alerted him of the recent crisis at 9pm, on the day of the event, governor Jang could only inform the military chief who was under no obligation WHATSOEVER to listen to the governor even when doing so made a lot of sense to save lives.
* So regardless that the “chief security officer of the state” wanted the army commander in Jos to come to the rescue, the fellow switched off his phone so that those inhuman terrorists who invaded Jos villages could have their way in inflicting cannibalistic massacre on their victims. That is the monstrous nature of the Nigerian political arrangement: The security of the locals are in the hands of “foreigners”. Jos and Plateau people cannot provide their own security because they are a conquered people, under the watch of those “born to rule”, the neo-colonialists in our country.
* The bane of peace in Nigeria continues to be its structural “fault line” that undermines our democracy. It is responsible for the mixed metaphor of our inability to fashion a cohesive polity; to ingrain equity in governance; to operate the philosophy of equality amongst the federating units; and above all, to implant justice in the system.
All our failures resonates from this “structural fault line” in the set up of this tottering country called Nigeria.
With these anomalies, we can only expect many more “Jos massacres” to spread across the country.
Issues which the current incident of the gorey massacres in Jos villages throw up are very fundamental.
We have lived with it from the ‘40’s; and if in half a century we cannot find a solution, that means the problem is beyond our capability to resolve.
However, if we are serious about peace in this country; if the life of our people mean anything to us, it is about time we begin to seek help from the international community to help us out. Except we climb down our high horses to accept our total failure in organising and running a stable, peaceful and progressive country, we will stay another half century bungling, with the prospect of enacting the most catastrophic human disaster ever experienced in the history of mankind. With about 140 million people at risk in this calamitous prospect, it is probable that the spirit beings in charge of planet earth may have to intervene before the worst happens. Maybe, this is a forlorn hope, who knows.
But what is clear is that if justice is delayed or miscarried in this Jos crisis, if impunity is allowed to triumph and set perpetrators of this inhuman crime against the weak and vulnerable scot free, then the worst is not far away – it will consume the whole place.
If you ask me, Jos is only a dress rehersal.
The politics of power and religious supremacy is waxing stronger, and while the country is at risk, some evil, people, whose souls have been sold to the devilish exercise of power, are playing hard at the game. If we as a people don’t stop them, they will make utter slaves of our souls and body. At the moment, in the current arrangement, history and fortune has placed the responsibility of saving the nation on the shoulders of one innocent-looking man – Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He didn’t ask for the job alright, but Providence has thrust it on his shoulders. Now, it remain for him to use his God-given capacity, (which up to the point he got this job was latent), to arrest the drift with a sense of urgency, and set the nation on course to reformation and transformation.
No Nigerian leader has had the opportunity and massive public sympathy that Acting President Jonathan now has to effect reform. He cannot afford to fail, because if he does, the situation is so dangerous, he, himself (with all of us) will be consumed in the inferno that is already boiling beneath.
The Acting President must face the devil, look him hard in the face and say to him, “get behind us, Satan.” If he allows his nerves to fail in this confrontation with evil, he will be the first to be swallowed up. Nigerians have spoken to our Acting President in clear language, we all stand behind him and like David we expect that he will move forward with the proverbial “sling” and bring down Goliath.
The first major test in this battle is how the Acting President deals with the Jos mayhem. His moves thus far are encouraging. He must press on with vigour and determination. God help him.
Vanguardnews
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Protesters seize Abuja, bury cabal in mock coffin
Photo: Sun Publishing
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Agitations over the whereabouts of ailing President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the lingering political impasse in the country intensified yesterday as the Save Nigeria Group [SNG], a coalition of civil society and human rights groups marched through major streets in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city with a mock coffin to signal the death knell of a cabal believed to be holding the country to ransom.
Vehicular traffic grinded to a halt as leaders of the SNG led a mammoth crowd of participants in a procession from the Unity Fountain at the upmarket Maitama district of Abuja to the National Assembly complex where conveners of the group announced that like the cabal, the days of members of the National Assembly in their offices have also been numbered.
However, unlike the previous rally, the procession was denied access into the National Assembly complex, as detachments of regular and anti-riot policemen including men of the Mounted Troops, effectively cordoned off major entry and exit points in an exercise coordinated by the Deputy Inspector General of police in charge of ‘B’ Department [Operations], Mr. Hamza John Ahmadu.
A leader of the SNG and President of the West African Bar Association [WABA], Mr. Femi Falana, however, gave indications that the development was not unexpected going by the trend of events that had unfolded in the past few days up till the commencement of the rally on Wednesday. But he declared that the group cannot be intimidated by whatever oppressive tactics deployed to thwart its resolve to save Nigeria from bad governance and injustice.
“I want to tell you that we’ve not, and cannot be intimidated. Up till this moment [Wednesday] our leaders had been under tremendous pressure not to march on the streets of Abuja .
What our enemies wanted to hear was that we ran away, but we are not intimidated. The information at our disposal is that they have hired thugs to unleash terror on us. I was the one who wrote a letter to the IGP seeking for police protection and not permission to hold the rally. We’ve been denied access to the National Assembly complex on the grounds that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation has received our letter of complaint for onward delivery to the Acting President. Even with what has happened we should end this rally in peace, not on a sad note”, Falana admonished the participants.
In a one-page petition dated March 10, 2010 and addressed to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, the Save Nigeria Group specifically demanded for an end to the invincible presidency of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua by the activation of Section 144 of the Constitution to enable presidential powers to be fully accountable; quick and thorough implementation of the Uwais Report on electoral reform starting with the immediate removal of Professor Maurice Iwu as chairman and the reconstitution of INEC with persons of impeccable integrity and competence, and the dissolution of the present Executive Council of the Federation (EXCOF), which it accused of active collaboration with presidential aides to foist the sustained political and constitutional crises on the nation.
The SNG noted in its letter signed by fiery preacher, Pastor Tunde Bakare, that its demands are aimed at saving the nation from real and imminent dangers which are a threat to democracy and good governance. Part of the letter reads: “We, the Save Nigeria Group, a coalition of pro-democracy and human rights organizations and patriotic Nigerians who desire the entrenchment of a truly democratic and accountable governance hereby petition you on certain developments that can truncate democracy and security in Nigeria. We believe in Nigeria and are determined to fight to save the country from the control of groups and individuals that profit from the failure of the Nigerian system.
“For more than 100 days, Nigerians have not seen or heard from President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua since he was evacuated to Saudi Arabia for treatment. For the three months he reportedly stayed in an intensive care unit of a Saudi hospital, several of his aides continued to claim that the President was getting better. Some claimed he had started intense physical exercises. It is now more than two weeks since he was brought back to Nigeria in the dead of night. We have not still heard from or seen President Yar’Adua.
The refusal of President Yar’Adua to resign from office on account of his deteriorating ill-health and failure to transmit letter of vacation on time as required by the Constitution has resulted in a severe but avoidable constitutional crises. This crisis has compounded other political challenges caused by an electoral system that is designed to aid electoral malpractices. This dysfunctional electoral system threatens democracy and good governance in Nigeria.”
But the Future Nigeria Group [FNG], a relatively unknown body which was apparently sponsored by power brokers including some Area Council chairmen in the Federal Capital Territory , countered the SNG position with a threat of war if President Yar’Adua is not allowed to complete his four-year term of office. “It is Yar’Adua or war; we are ready to die for him. Goodluck (Jonathan) should go back to where he came from. The office he is presently occupying does not belong to him,” said Habibu Sule, a leader of the group while addressing members at the entry gate of the National Assembly complex shortly after the SNG procession had left the scene.
Another group –Yar’Adua for New Nigeria [YNN], questioned the role of the United States (US) Government on political developments in Nigeria, as it questioned the source of funds available to the Save Nigeria Group. Reacting on yesterday’s rallies in Abuja, YNN national secretary, Dr. Aminu Idris, warned the US government and its citizens to keep off Nigeria’s internal affairs.
Said he: “What does the Save Nigeria Group want? They wanted Mr. Vice President as Acting President; that has been done. Now, they are saying enough is enough. Will they prefer the President dead? The statement from the US State Department and the Secretary of State all point to connivance between the SNG and the USA. We plead with America in the name of God to leave Nigeria alone. Yes, we have problems, but we are capable of solving them. So, they should leave Nigeria alone. If they say there are funds meant for developmental projects from the US and other Western nations, those funds should be used for developmental activities that will benefit Nigeria, rather than using them to fund rallies and create problems for the people of Nigeria. The US government and citizens will be better off in a peaceful Nigeria . Their interest will be better served under a peaceful Nigeria.”
Though the rally by the SNG group was peaceful, there was palpable tension in the air as the procession approached the entrance of the National Assembly complex at about 11.36am and was denied access by the police. The situation was further compounded by the presence of a counter group at Eagle Square within the precincts of the Federal Secretariat complex, where they chanted solidarity songs in Hausa and carried placards bearing the photograph of Umaru Yar’Adua, with a declaration of support for the ailing President. This came amidst speculations of the presence of another group made up of members of an Islamic sect, feared to be waiting in the wings to wreak havoc.
Members of the Future Nigeria Group were conveyed to Eagle Square venue of their rally in about nine 14-seater Toyota Hiace buses some of which bore the approved colour for commercial cab and buses in Abuja, even as others have the inscription of some Area Councils of the FCT. While members of the group carried only one placard with Yar’Adua’s photograph embossed, participants at the Save Nigeria Group rally had several placards with various inscriptions. Some of them read: ‘We Must Know Umaru’s Health’, ‘Dissolve Excof Now’, ‘Governors Are Part of the Cabal’, and ‘Turai, Leave Nigeria Alone’. Others are: ‘Jonathan, Get Decisive’, ‘On Uwais Report We Stand’, and ‘Greedy Governors Want To Destroy Nigeria’.
The atmosphere at the National Assembly complex, however, became charged when, after being denied access, Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, called on participants at about 12.04pm to return to the Unity Fountain where the rally kicked off. The visibly angry crowd refused to join Falana as he sang an inspirational song on the hope of moving Nigeria forward. Rather, some of them protested the directive and insisted that the gates of the National Assembly must be flung open. “You people [SNG] leaders must show that you are serious in this cause; as leaders, you should be able to go into that place and let the police arrest you,” one of them declared.
Even as most of the leaders of SNG had left National Assembly complex, some of the participants refused to leave until at about 12.50pm, when an unpainted mock coffin with green inscriptions was brought out from a white Toyota Coaster bus with a Federal Government of Nigeria [FGN] number plate and deposited at the gate. The bus, with the inscription of Students Union from one of the federal universities in the South-West region of the country, had conveyed participants to the venue.
Moments later, some participants at the rally carried the mock coffin and marched through Shehu Shagari Way back to the Unity Fountain in Maitama. The coffin bore the inscription: ‘R.I.P Cabal’, ‘R.I.P Kitchen Cabinet’. Less than 400 metres away from the National Assembly complex, the coffin-bearing procession was halted at about 12.58pm by a detachment of policemen led by the Assistant Commissioner of police in charge of Operations at the FCT police command, Mr. Inalegwu, but the protesters defied his orders and moved ahead. They could not even be stopped by a human barricade which the police attempted to create
Sun News
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