Senate confirms all 38 ministerial nominees

The Senate on Wednesday at the Committee of the Whole and later at plenary completed the screening and confirmation of the first set of ministerial nominees that are expected to be sworn-in today by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

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).

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.

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

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

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

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

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

World Cup: Lagerback rules out automatic places

NEW Super Eagles coach, Lars Lagerback, has promised to pick the best players for the World Cup in South Africa in June, ruling out automatic place for any player in the squad

Speaking after he was unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday, the former Sweden manager said he would give his best to ensure that the Eagles post a fine performance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“I will give 100 per cent to my new job to ensure that we perform well at the World Cup. My job is to pick the best players for the team, not minding where they play their club football,” Lagerback said.

The Swede, who beat compatriot Sven-Goran Eriksson, Bruno Metsu, Ratomir Djukovic and Glenn Hoddle to the job, however admitted that the time was short for him to prepare the team adequately for the World Cup.

”Time is a big problem for me but you can‘t get everything always. I am overwhelmed by the reception I have received even when I am yet to start work,” he said.

The Director-General National Sports Commission Dr. Patrick Ekeji, who performed the unveiling ceremony, disclosed how Lagerback ended up being picked for the job.

“Before we interviewed Lagerback, Hoddle was picked as the best among the four coaches we had interviewed. But Lagerback swept everybody off their feet with his knowledge of Nigerian football. The selection process for the job will be made public very soon,” the former Green Eagles defender said.

The turnout at the unveiling ceremony was impressive with both the Nigerian Ambassador to Sweden and his Swedish counterpart in attendance. Also on the occasion were board members of the Nigeria Football Federation, Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu and Bolton defender Danny Shittu.

Lagerback managed the Swedish national team from 1998 till 2009, leading Sweden to five consecutive championships, the first time in Swedish history. He resigned as manager in 2009 after Sweden‘s failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Punch

Lagerback wants Beijing Olympic players in Eagles

New Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Lars Lagerback, has demanded for the dossier of the Nigerian Under-23 team that reached the final of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. The Swede, who would be unveiled to Nigerians tomorrow (Wednesday), told the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)’s bigwigs that he would want the entire members of the Olympic team to start his re-building process of the Super Eagles.

According to an NFF source, the former Sweden coach was of the view that a squad that played and lost 1–0 to Argentina in the final of the Olympic Games, must be very good players and should graduate to the senior team.

Lagerback expressed surprise that the Nigerian team is still struggling after reaching the final of the Olympic Games two years earlier, adding that with those players that held the world spell-bound, the Eagles should be among the best in the world.

Our source stated that Lagerback said he would want a compile the dossier of all the players and find out why some of them were dropped from the Super Eagles, stating that he would give preference to the Olympic team players first. Speaking further, our source disclosed that Lagerback is also expected to pick local players from the domestic league and camp them occasionally before picking those who would join the main team for the world cup camping.

Sun News