Sunday 30 June 2013

Nigeria Senator Pius Ewerhido Dies

Pius Ewerhido
By SaharaReporters, New York
Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Pius Ewherido has died.
The senator reportedly fell down three days ago and collapsed at his Abuja home while making a phone call and had been hospitalized at the National Hospital Abuja in preparation for treatment in Germany when he suddenly collapsed and died in hospital today.

My father was jailed for refusing to let me attend school – Atiku

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar stunned his audience in far away Geneva, Switzerland when he recalled how his late father was jailed for refusing to let him attend school in his hometown of Jada, Adamawa State.
The former Vice President made the startling revelation yesterday in remarks he made on the occasion of the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on him by the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
“When my father was put in jail by local authorities because he needed my assistance with herding the livestock, it seemed like a harsh punishment,” Atiku reminisced.
He, however, noted “were he to be alive to witness this day (yesterday) and the last 30 or so years of my life I am sure that he would exclaim “wow! Education pays after all.”"
The founder of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola recalled that as a young lad growing up in his rustic village of Jada, he had dreams, but that it was education that made his dreams come true.
According to him, “education is what brought me in contact with members of the United States of America’s Peace Corps when I was still a little boy; a contact and interaction that would have profound impact on my life, especially my love for education and service.”
While underscoring the imperative of education to personal growth and development, the former Vice President said it gave him the friends he made across Nigeria as he attended high school and university; gave him a job in the Nigerian civil service; and provided him with opportunities to meet and form more life-long friendships from across the world.
Atiku Abubakar attributed the modest achievements he has made in business and politics and the contributions in improving the lives of others to education.
He stressed that education is what has informed his determination to give back to society, especially through education.
He noted that the centrality of education in the improvement of the human condition is one reason why public policy must seek to always improve the quality of and access to public education everywhere in the world, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.
He advised parents not to choose career options for their children but allow them to discover their innate potentials by charting their own preferred discipline.
“A young friend of mine, who heads the human resources department of an organization in Nigeria, called me up one night about seven months ago and said he came across an application for employment by one of my children and wondered whether I consented to my child applying to work in that organization.
“I asked why he needed to clear that with me first and he said he thought that I would prefer that my child works in one of my establishments. I then told him that I do not choose careers for my children. I owe them good education; I support them to acquire good education. What they do thereafter is up to them as adults,” Atiku said.
Others who received honorary doctorate degrees from the same institution are Oguz Demiralp, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Director General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) and Honorary Dean of the Geneva School of Diplomacy.

Fuel scarcity looms as NUPENG begins warning strike Monday

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The body has threatened an indefinite strike if its demands are not met by Wednesday.
Nigeria’s petroleum and gas workers have issued a notice of a three-day warning strike starting Monday, over longstanding labour dispute, raising the spectre of nationwide fuel crisis as workers have been ordered to stop products at the depots.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, said it will end the warning strike on Wednesday after when it will embark on an “indefinite” industrial action of its demands are not met.
This is contained in a statement signed by NUPENG’s General-Secretary, Isaac Aberare, on Sunday in Lagos.
The statement said that the workers were going on strike over alleged unfair labour practices by some major oil companies in the country.
“The strike is also to protest the refusal of NARTO to implement the signed collective bargaining agreement with the petroleum tanker drivers.
“We are also unhappy over the bad state of roads across the nation, ” the statement said.
The statement said that all efforts by the Federal Ministry of Labour to intervene in the issue three weeks ago had failed.
It said that the oil multinationals had failed to implement the agreement reached for a truce brokered by the Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu.
The statement alleged that the union’s call for a stakeholders meeting in the oil and gas sector to address the situation had also been ignored.
It directed all members of NUPENG at the various depots to stop loading petroleum products for the next three days.
“Members in all the branches in the country must also follow suit,’’ the statement said.
It said that if after the three-day strike, nothing was done to address the situation, NUPENG would be forced to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike.
(NAN)

My ordination is source of hope for sexual minorities, gay Reverend, Jide Macaulay, says

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House of Rainbow Fellowship was forced to go underground in Nigeria.
Five years after he was forced to leave Nigeria for the United Kingdom following threats to his life, Nigeria’s first openly gay preacher and the founder of House of Rainbow Fellowship, a Christian community for sexual minorities and marginalised people, Reverend Jide Macaulay, has been ordained a Deacon of the Anglican Church on Sunday in Chelmsford, United Kingdom. The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Reverend Stephen Cotterel, will hold the ordination service at the Chelmsford Cathedral.
Reverend Macaulay will serve as the Curate in the East Ham Parish, London. He is believed to have inspired many ethnic minority people in the Newham area of London when in 2000 he played Jesus in 2000 Newham Millennium Passion Play.
In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Reverend Macaulay says his ordination is a source of hope for sexual minorities. He also spoke about his experience in Nigeria, the future of House of Rainbow fellowship and the recently passed anti-gay bill by the National Assembly.
PT: Congratulations on your ordination into the Anglican Communion. What does this mean for our readers, especially sexual minorities in Africa?
Rev: Thanks for the well wishes. My ordination into the Anglican Communion is an important continuation of my call to parish ministry, to reach out to all people regardless of who they are. I believe whilst my ordination is not anything new to the church, for me it is both relevant on the state of persecution and righteous living for sexual minorities. My message to all people especially Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender people of faith and none is to hold on to their dreams and hopes in the face of hardship, God is a good God and loves all people.
PT: Tell us about the role you played in the Newham Millennium Passion Play “A light in the Darkness” and how it has helped to change your life?
Rev: I played the character of “Jesus” in the passion play, which was staged outdoor throughout the London Borough of Newham in 2000, this alone did not change my life but nonetheless was a single contribution to enhancing my relationship with the Anglican Church and more so with my Christian faith. The audition and rehearsal started late 1999 to early 2000. Reverend Father Steven Saxby, a Curate at St Bartholomew at the time, immediately became my mentor and friend, who also played a crucial part as my spiritual leader and advisor. Playing Jesus gave me the opportunity to experience the hardship he went through and to understand the love that he has for the world. Jesus even at his death said “Father forgive them”. Often I feel that playing Jesus in such a public way allowed me to connect with my own pains and those inflicted on me and at the same time be able to acknowledge the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Now that you are fully ordained Deacon in the Anglican Church, what happens to the House Of Rainbow Fellowship?
My ordination with the Anglican Communion does not extinguish the passion for inclusive theology and ministry for the marginalized. As an Anglican minister, my duties are carried forward to continue to reach out to people on the margins and that also means an understanding of the aims and objectives of House Of Rainbow and how the universal church may benefit from the extra ordinary work in hostile regions with marginalised people. I am encouraged by those who supported my ministry and efforts towards ordination and have urged me to remain true to the call of God and particularly with a passion to ensure that there is room at the communion table for sexual minorities. House Of Rainbow continues to develop independently as a support group with 10 active groups in six countries, managed by 15 Volunteer Local Leaders. (www.houseofrainbow.org)
What happened to House Of Rainbow in 2008 and what were the core reasons for leaving Nigeria?
2008 was a very busy year for House Of Rainbow and the ministry was at the height of its popularity as we have become a household name in Nigeria, particularly well known for its inclusive welcome of marginalised communities. We stood for change, peace and reconciliation, however, violence was thrust upon us as a community and many people, organisations and the media were simply looking for “dirt” about us. In February, I was ambushed by the media in Abuja at the Africa Sexuality Conference. In March/April the newspapers were filled with sensational headlines, by July we have had many more “undercover reporters” joined us and started to record and take photographs. By August/September, we received unprecedented hostile media coverage, increased violence and numerous death threats. Those who attacked us used this for their own gains. After the second year anniversary celebration of House Of Rainbow in Lagos, I went to Abuja for several meetings and when I returned to Lagos, the environment became extremely hostile and the Board of House Of Rainbow decided it was time we re-strategise. I was advised to return to London for my own safety and we moved the ministry underground to make it safer for those who attend. House Of Rainbow since 2006 has always remained an active ministry in Nigeria with three active groups.
What does your family, especially your father think of your sexual orientation and would he be attending your ordination in the Anglican Church in England?
My family like any family first struggled with the knowledge of me being gay, of course it is not about me that they first worry but the prejudice and potential discrimination that both myself and my family had to endure after coming out as gay. The fear of me being gay was superseded by the unconditional love of my parents that held the family in one love. Unfortunately being in public life and religious ministry has not helped in dealing with this privately. I personally would not have it any other way; I am proud to be gay and of Nigerian descent, with the love of my parents I continue to excel as a son who just happens to be homosexual. For most of my family members I am mostly loved and supported, they are not ashamed of me. My achievements and ordination would be celebrated with my entire family and especially with my dad by my side.
What do you think of the Nigerian anti-same sex marriage bill recently passed in the parliament?
I think that the anti same sex marriage bill in Nigeria has gone too far, many Nigerians are concerned; especially to Human Right defenders and gay activists it makes no sense. Nigeria should look at progressive constitutions around the world that are inclusive of sexual minorities. Homosexuality was never a foreign import and there is nothing to be afraid of, only if they can focus on getting to know the gay people and seeking our opinions. I believe that the Nigerian legislators should focus on laws against discrimination and not laws that punish private sexual relationship between two consenting adults. Unfortunately, the Nigeria systems allows for many institutions to lawfully discriminate against sexual minorities and sadly this bill will and more likely punish innocent people, such as innocent parents and other family members, sexual health providers and proprietors of single gendered institutions. Nigerians should seek to get to know gays and lesbians amongst us; no one wakes up in the morning and chooses to be gay or lesbian knowing the hatred that will follow. It is a shame in my opinion with all the education and educated people in Nigeria, the last bastion the government can produce is an anti same sex marriage bill. I am not convinced this bill is the way forward. God bless Nigeria.

COMMENTS

R-E-V-E-A-L-E-D: ‘How Oyedepo, Onaiyekan, others tried to save Yar’Adua’

Family warned to evacuate ex-president 3 weeks before death – PFN scribe
The late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua may not have died had the family heeded the advice to evacuate him from Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja three weeks before he died.
National Secretary of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Pastor Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, one of the four pastors who visited the Villa to pray for Yar’Adua at the height of his sickness in 2010, disclosed this at the weekend.
The three other pastors were Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith World Outreach, aka Winners Chapel; Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Bishop of Abuja; and erstwhile Aso Rock  Chaplain, Prof. Yusuf Obaje. The pastors visited the seat of power for the prayer session after Yar’Adua was flown back from Saudi Arabia where he had been taken for treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Late President Yar'Adua
Late President Yar’Adua
The PFN National Secretary said he told the Yar’Adua family at the meeting that there was the need to take the president out of Aso Rock within three weeks to keep him alive.
According to him, however, they shunned the advice as they were afraid that President Goodluck Jonathan, then vice president, would take over (power) if they took him out of the Villa immediately.
“Of course, I was not obeyed and exactly three weeks after that visit, he died”, Kure, based in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, but spoke to Sunday Vanguard in Lagos, last week, said.
Narrating what transpired at the prayer session for Yar’Adua, which he claimed lasted about 10 minutes, “sharp and straight to the point”, the PFN leader said: “When we went in there, they pulled me aside and said the reason you are here sir, go beyond that, can God show mercy? Can God change these things? It’s like deep inside of them, they felt he (Yar’Adua) might not survive. And they had the right to ask God for mercy. That was why they called in the Muslims and the Christians”.
He continued: “So I knew my own mission but I sensed things do not happen like that and I told them what would make him escape death. I told them privately. That is, me and them, it had nothing to do with the four (he and the other pastors). My reason for being called was slightly different from the other three. I think Oyedepo was called because of the miracles (he was performing) in the Living Faith Church. We were called in because they believed we have access to God and that we could pray some effective prayers that would help the matter.
‘Not politically convenient’
“I told them the Lord said that within three weeks they should take him out of the Villa to somewhere he’d be without pressure. That was the time the polity was heating up. I told them to take him away from there (Aso Rock) because while  there within those three weeks, even if as much as one mosquito bite him, he would die. I told them I saw only three weeks. So if they had taken him out within those three weeks, maybe God would have shown mercy and given him some rest and added some time to his life.
“I don’t know how much, I’m not God. I’m just an oracle who spoke for that season. And the understanding I got later, I was told they couldn’t take him out because it was not politically convenient. They were afraid that Jonathan would take over if they took him out immediately. He kept him there to ensure that Jonathan did not take over even when it was to the detriment of his health. Maybe it was a tactical move; the wife had no say in the matter”.
Captivity
Exonerating the former president’s wife, Turai, from blame over the failure to move Yar’Adua from Aso Rock as advised, Kure said, “Nigerian politicians are very complicated and sophisticated people when they know their interests are at stake; they will use you to remain relevant. They will keep you there until they get what they want. I think she was also in captivity.
“Of course she would have wanted her husband to live; she would have wanted to remain the first lady naturally. Let’s not pretend about these things. Constitutionally it was not her call; it was the politicians’ call which was what the people in the National Assembly and Nigerians were making that, `let the constitution have its way’. It was a constitutional call, it was not her call”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/06/r-e-v-e-a-l-e-d-how-oyedepo-onaiyekan-others-tried-to-save-yaradua/#sthash.4irgttzP.dpuf

My son keeps crying for his dad — Widow of policeman killed by Ombatse cult 


•Christian’s mother, Mrs. Ibekwe
Evelyn, wife of one of the over 100 law enforcement agents massacred recently by the Ombatse cult group in Nasarawa State, is still inconsolable just as her first son keeps asking for his father’s whereabouts,GBENGA ADENIJI reports
One does not need a soothsayer to know that Evelyn Ibekwe is troubled. Her appearance portrayed it all as she walked to a bus stop located near her residence in Bagadry area of Lagos State to welcome our correspondent. As she feebly offered greetings, she led the way to her home with her two sons-Jehud (three years plus) and Joseph (a year and four months) in tow.
Evelyn’s husband, Christian, a police inspector, was among the over 100 law enforcement officers killed on May 8, 2013 by Ombatse cult group, during an operation in Nasarawa State.
With a face soaked in grief, she said after settling in one of the chairs in her living room, “I really do not know what happened to my husband. All I know is that on May 7, around 4pm, he called me from Lafia, Nasarawa State. He worked there while I work in Abuja as a police corporal. He told me that he was going with some other security operatives for a joint operation. I asked him to tell me the particular place where he was going. He said he did not know that they just called them and said they were going for a joint operation. The team, he said, included State Security Service operatives. He asked me to pray along with him and hung up. After about forty minutes, he called me back and said the location was a thick forest and that he only called me to put my mind at rest in case I called him and his number was not reachable.”
She further said she was worried thereafter especially when he described the place as thick forest, adding that she later tried his number several times that day and the following day to no avail.
According to her, when her husband could not be reached, she started hearing rumours later that day that some security officers were killed in Lafia while on an operation.
“That was when I began to fear for my husband. One of my brothers-in-law went to Lafia to see what happened and when he got there, he told me that I should calm down. He said there was no problem. Though he tried to calm me down, I suspected that my husband was dead. When I eventually heard what happened, I went to Lafia to identify his corpse. It was difficult to recognise him because he and others were burnt beyond recognition. I only used his trousers and boxers to identify him. It was difficult to get his body for burial,” she stated.
She also said a relative of a SSS officer, who was one of the victims, initially claimed that the body of her husband’s mangled body was his brother’s. She explained that because her husband had lost a tooth during an operation, the controversy was resolved because the SSS man had a complete set of teeth.
As she spoke, Jehud playfully struggled to get the recorder from our correspondent. Despite his mother’s mood, he innocently climbed her lap, interrupting the interview. Evelyn said she was at a loss on how to make their first son realise the fate that had befallen his father.
“I do not have a choice than to prepare for the time when our three-year-old son comes of age and tell him what happened to his father. Our first son is too young to understand now. I always say he travelled, each time he asks me about him. He asks me every day when his father will return. There was a time I tried telling him that his father was dead. He only laughed and went back to play. When we buried my husband on May 14, he was asking me whose birthday we were celebrating. People have advised me to wait until he is mature and try to tell him,” she said.
While recounting how she met her late husband in the police, Evelyn wondered why God joined them in marriage since He knew she would become a widow so early in life. She however noted that some people have advised her to take heart and draw consolation from the two kids that the five-year-old union had produced.
She stated, “But I think if I am not married, I could have coped easily because the grief of my husband’s death is too much for me to bear.”
Evelyn, who said she thought of quitting the police but was still holding on because of her love for the country, said she was not comfortable with the operation when her husband called to tell her about it. She also pleaded with SUNDAY PUNCH not to use her photograph because she is still in the police.
With a broken heart, she expressed the hope that since God knew about all that happened to her husband, He would not abandon her and her children. “He was a Christian and a very peaceful man. Before his death, he wanted me to resign so as to have enough time for our children,” she said.
Christian’s mother, Mrs. Celestina Ibekwe, said she was expecting a response from him concerning some money he promised to send to her to effect repair work on a newly-rented apartment when she saw a news flash on the television. According to her, she did not give it a thought until she called his number and realised it was not connecting.
Mrs. Ibekwe said, ‘‘I was still not bothered because I felt it was the usual network problem. I called his wife many times and she did not pick the calls. I was restless and went to church to pray. After the service, some elders came to my house, saying they were only visiting on the order of our Reverend Father. They prayed and read from Ecclesiastes 3 verse 6. They later told me that the priest said I should come with them. When I saw him, he started first by preaching about death before revealing that my son was among those killed in Nasarawa.”
She further said that when he finished talking, she saw the rest of her children standing before her. She reasoned that they were the one who came to break the news.
“I fainted and was revived in the hospital. I have seven children. Christian was the first and his cruel death is a shock to me. My son was a peacemaker and fun to be with. I find it difficult to believe that he was gone,” Mrs. Ibekwe stated.
She also said her late son joined the police when his father asked him to leave the University of Jos because of the religious crisis in Plateau State.
One of the deceased’s brothers, Nicholas, said his late brother would do anything to assist anyone in need. Lamenting that he did not deserve to die in a manner he described as horrible, Nicholas added that he was saddened by the lack of justice regarding the killing.
He said, “The police is yet to make any arrest and the perpetrators still walk freely. The government seems helpless. This is absolutely unacceptable. I’m still coping with the depression. Nothing has affected me this much before. My brother was the most adorable person to be with.”
Though they are making frantic efforts to put the sad event behind them, it is glaring that tears still well up in the eyes of the Ibekwes.

Sultan stresses need for Muslim unity, as NSCIA raises finance, moon sighting committees

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Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar
Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has stressed the need for Muslims in the country to come together and champion the cause of Islam.
The Sultan gave the advice in Abuja on Saturday while inaugurating two ad hoc committees – Finance and Assets and National Moon Sighting – for the apex Islamic body.
“There is need for every Muslims to come together to champion the cause of Islam. Our views cannot be the same on every particular issue but the views of majority should be respected as long as it is in line with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet.
He noted that the most controversial issue among Muslims was the issue of sighting of the moon ahead of Ramadan fast, which has always been done based on guidelines set aside by Allah.
Sultan Abubakar appealed to the two committees to do their best and carry out the assignment with the fear of Allah and and in line with the terms of reference given to them.
He said the NSCIA was grossly in financial needs to undertake many of its projects and urged the Finance committee members to use their contacts and experience to mobilise funds for the Council.
Mr. Abubakar prayed Allah to grant members of the committees’ knowledge, wisdom and guidance for a successful and timely conclusion of the national assignment in the overall interest of Muslims in Nigeria.
Earlier, the NSCIA Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede had listed the terms of reference of the 13-member Finance and Assets committee to include review and evaluation of the Council assets, finances and operations from Jan. 1, 2010 to June 30, 2013.
Prof. Oloyede said the 21-member Moon sighting committee has the responsibility of guiding the council on the sighting of the moon aimed at unifying the commencement and termination of Ramadan fast.
Responding, Rasaki Oladejo, chairman of the Finances and Assets Committee, expressed surprise over the dwindling fortune of the council finances despite its potentials.
Mr. Oladejo, who doubles as the national president of Nawair- ud-deen Society of Nigeria, assured the Council that the committee would not relent in its efforts at meeting the target set for it in the terms of reference.
Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman of National Moon Sighting Committee, Hafiz Wali, represented by Prof. Jimoh Kaura, thanked the Council for the opportunity to serve and promised to discharge the responsibility with the fear of Allah.
Other members of the Finance Committee are Lateef Owoyemi, Gen. Abdullahi Mamman, Falalu Bello, Mukhtari Dangana, Yusuf Ali (SAN), Prof Sheik Abdullahi, Ishaq Sanni, Mustapha Bintube, Bukarti Bulama and Qasim Okikiola.
The Moon Sighting committee members are Shaykhs Tahir Bauchi, Habeebullahi Adam, Abdul Hamid Oyebode, Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, Mustapha Ajisafe, AbdurRasheed Mayaleeke, Dr Kamil Oloso, Prof Muritala Salau, Yusuf Nwoha, Shakir Ettu, Dr Usman El-Nafaty and Prof Oboh Oseni.

Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, threatens to quit PDP

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Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday threatened to quit the ruling People’s Democratic Party(PDP) and declare for any other political party if the PDP makes the reversal of the suspension of Obio/Akpor local council executives as a condition for readmitting him to the party.
Mr. Amaechi issued the threat while responding to questions by the Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Niger Delta Diocese, Rev. Ignatius C. Kattey, at the 60th birthday thanksgiving service of the former president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), O.C.J. Okocha (SAN) in Port Harcourt.
Accoring to the embattled governor, the PDP should not give him impossible conditions over the Obio/Akpor crisis, pointing out that he was never the one who ordered the suspension of the council officials, but the state House of Assembly.
“If they suffocate us in PDP and we need to move, we move,” the governor told the gathering, pointing out that the law that empowered the lawmakers to suspend council officials also empowered him to dissolve the executive.
He continued, “If they (PDP) reverse it tomorrow, there is one more option left to me, I can dissolve the entire executive. The police can remain there as much as they want, it is Obio/Akpor people’s problem; the money is going nowhere. We have saved you too, because the reason they suspended the executives is because they said, ‘let us investigate the place because there was corruption.’
“If they investigate and the chairman and the councillors are not corrupt, they will call them back. But if they go to court to try to stop them, they will do their function. I want to hear the court say they have no right to do their function. Whatever the court says is what the Rivers State Government will do. We will obey the court, but outside that, nobody, not even PDP, can give me condition. Is there only one party in Nigeria? Why would they give me condition? They will not give me condition.
“I lead the people of Rivers State and I will lead you. If they suffocate us in PDP and we need to move, we move! We will continue to struggle for our rights, and that includes our oil wells. You will hear the truth of this fight in December, January. I will address the state and I will tell you the truth of the fight.
“The fight is not between me and these people here, they are not a problem to me. But when election comes, the Rivers people will be given the chance to choose who they want,” he said.
The Bishop had sought to know from Mr. Amaechi if he had been given the re-instatement of the suspended executives of  Obio/Akpor council as a condition for ending the crisis in the state chapter of the PDP, and what the governor was doing about it.
Mr. Kattey also asked the governor to tell the truth concerning whether indeed there was an election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) that returned him as chairman.
In his reponse, Mr. Amaechi said: “I don’t lie. If I will go to hell, lie wouldn’t be one of the reasons for my going to hell. Take it from me, those who lie don’t have courage, I have them in quantum; my children have excess of courage.
“Your Grace, there was an election. Your Grace, they are not denying that there was an election. They said before the election some people have signed documents for them, and they were 19, but in contesting the election, those 19 changed their minds and voted for me, and when the battle was on, it was clear that it was between the ‘Villa’ and me, and I won.
“There was an election and they were properly defeated and they saw the consequences of defeat. It is a Governors’ Forum I have led for two years. Even the 16 that voted for my opponent told me ‘you were wonderful as the chairman, but you know where the pressure is coming from and we can’t avoid the pressure. I won and won well, tomorrow morning, I will win again.”

APC will field Igbo presidential candidate in 2015 –Annie Okonkwo

okonkwoSenator Annie Okonkwo is the Deputy National Chairman (South), All Progressives Congress (APC). He believes that only the party can rescue Nigeria from the clutches of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In his calculation, the party is likely to field an Igbo candidate in 2015. He says this much and more in this interview. Excerpts…
What is your take on the state of affairs in Nigeria today?
Personally, I believe that today, there is a lot of apprehension in the country. One is the issue of insecurity, the crisis in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the controversial election of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) where they could not choose the chairman of their forum, the increasing unemployment in the country and many other issues. I believe we must start doing something about it. I commend the President on his decision to declare emergency in some states in the North. Since he declared state of emergency, there has not been any serious attack by the Boko Haram group. Before now, it was bombing here and there. I am appealing to all Nigerians to embrace peace but the Federal Government must be very careful to be able to arrest the situation. The Federal Government should scout and fish out those causing the problem. I believe that would alleviate or end this insurgence. We have many security agencies; they should investigate properly to fish out the kingpins. It is a worrisome situation which has affected everybody one way or the other. We must all support the government in power irrespective of our political parties because if anything happens to Nigeria, it has happened to all of us. We pray we don’t experience another civil war because there is no country that survives two civil wars in a century. It is necessary that we do everything possible to maintain peace to enable us live together as one Nigeria.
Do you in any way imagine that the tension in Nigeria is associated with the struggle for power in 2015?
I don’t think so because the problem has been there since 2009. In 2011, the group carried out various attacks but unfortunately it became serious this period. The Federal Government has been ignoring it without knowing the magnitude. They were taken for granted not knowing that it will result to this. For me, I believe that the government did not do what they were supposed to do. But now that they have realised that and introduced measures to arrest the situation, I don’t think it will affect the 2015 election.
You are now in the emerging All Progressive Congress (APC). Do you think the APC will provide a better alternative?
Yes. The most important thing is the country and not because I am in APC. If we want this country to survive, we need a party like APC that would compete with PDP, a party that will give people the opportunity to have an option instead of creating doubts in people that after voting for their choice of party, the party will not win. Majority of us that left PDP were not satisfied with their conduct. We would have decamped long ago but there was no alternative platform and when APC was introduced, we decamped immediately. APC was formed in order to rescue the people and the country from PDP’s undemocratic way of leadership. No party can rule forever. We need to try APC since PDP has failed. They don’t think of the welfare of the people, they don’t think about how to provide security for the people; all they are thinking about is themselves.
Are you not worried that the party has not been registered till now?
I am not worried at all because the process is on and it will be registered. We are not a new political party; it is the coalition of political parties. This is the first time that parties are merging in this country. What we had in the past was alliance. We are not worried about the registration because it will soon be registered.
You are among the promoters of APC and the party is seen more as Yoruba/Hausa party, don’t you think that the Igbos would be marginalised in APC?
No. That perception is wrong because APC is not a Hausa/Yoruba party. We, the people of the South-East observed that the only political party where an Igbo man will have a say and ample opportunity to actualize their presidential ambition is in the APC. Don’t forget that I am the President of C21, a socio-political group that is seriously advocating for the emergence of a President of Igbo extraction. With the signatory of the Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha and with the support of C21, APC has become a recognised national party and every position will be shared equally. The focus point of APC is internal democracy and I am very optimistic that an Igbo man will emerge as the presidential candidate of APC in 2015.
What are the things you can identify as the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan in terms of infrastructural development?
As far as we are concerned, we are still looking forward to it. As at now, we have not seen tangible things that we can point at and beat our chest that this is what he has offered the South East starting from the dredging of the Niger; nothing has happened including construction of second Niger bridge, the roads that lead to the East or that are in the East are still in terrible condition etc. The other time they came in to say they have commissioned Airport but nothing is there, and we are now going into the final stage of the race. I do not see anybody that will come and tell me that the promises have been kept. And like they will say in a proverb ‘first fool is not a fool but the second one is proper foolish’. We cannot be fooled twice, we have given the support, South East has suffered for this government and we cannot boast of anything that will give us hope or convince us that the South East will be taken care off. If they have not done anything
before now, the probability of trusting them that they will do something is very slim and dangerous. We cannot be asked to continue with this government; Ndigbo as far as I am concerned will not accept promises that have not been kept. So we are looking for an alternative that we are sure will keep promises.
Let’s come down to your state, Anambra; next year will be the governorship election, as a major stakeholder in that state, how do you see the unfolding political development ahead of the election?
Things have started happening in Anambra because the election is six months down the line. Our concern is to ensure that APC captures the state. Anambra election will be the first test for APC. Presently in Anambra, the two political parties, PDP and APGA that can compete with APC are having serious crises and the election is just six months to go. With the way things are going in the state, it will be very difficult for any party to beat APC. APC will win the election.
Looking at the strength of other potential aspirants, how would you rate your chances?
Forget about the people coming out, at the end of the day, the party will produce only one candidate.
But are you optimistic that you will emerge the candidate of your party?
Yes. APC believe in internal democracy and not where you impose candidate on the people. It is the people that will decide their candidate but if they think I am not the best candidate to carry the flag, anybody the people elect, I will support the person.
What is the uniqueness of your candidacy?
I am not a neophyte in politics. I have been in Anambra politics for over 20 years and the people know me too well. I have been able to positively affect lives in the state. If you look at most of the aspirants in Anambra State, you will see that none of them has done half of what I have put on ground. Because of my achievements, recently, some group of people without my knowledge went and wrote 100 reasons they want me to become the governor.
But the People of Anambra North Senatorial district are seriously agitating for power shift. Does it bother you?
They have been saying it. Since the creation of Anambra, there was never a time that the people of Anambra State sat down and discussed about zoning. In all the elections that took place in Anambra, the North, the South and the Central participated. So I don’t see the reason they will come out now and be saying that it is their turn. If they present a credible candidate, no party will deny them of the mandate but if it is leaving the election open for the people from the North, it is not possible and it has never been done anywhere.
The present governor is from the Central but I don’t see anything special that people of the district have benefited. So the most important thing is to elect somebody that has the people at heart.
The general impression in Anambra is that the state has a lot of ‘money bag’ politicians; do you think you have the financial strength to compete with them?
I don’t believe in money politics. I know that money is needed for publicity, logistics and many other things but it is not how much you throw money around that can make you a governor. Anambra is a very wise state and they know everybody. Anambra is not a state you can buy with money and even if you are able to buy, you cannot buy everybody. You can be rest assured that the people will take your money and will not vote for you.
How would you react to the controversy trailing the NGF election?
I am disappointed. I don’t believe that governors can do what they are doing. There are certain things we are expecting from the governors. If you are defeated in an election, you congratulate your opponent and not make it a do-or-die affair. Even if somebody was endorsed prior to the election, endorsement does not mean you must win. That a group endorses somebody before an election does not mean that the person has won the election. From what the governors said, there was an endorsement and there was an election. For example, during the election of the principal officers of the House of Representatives, PDP endorsed Hon Mulikat Akande before the election but the majority of the House voted for Hon Tambuwal and today he is the Speaker.
Endorsement is not an election. The loser must accept defeat. We are in a democracy. So the governors must accept the outcome of the election. What they are doing is not good for our country. What are we teaching our children?
Source: The Sun

NDLEA probes drug barons for Boko Haram links


NDLEA boss, Ahmadu Giade
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has begun investigating the finances of drug barons for possible links with the Boko Haram sect and other terror groups operating in northern Nigeria.
NDLEA’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the agency was aware of the possibility of terrorist activities in the North being funded through drug deals, hence the ongoing investigation.
He said, “There is usually a link between drug money and terrorism. But for now in Nigeria, we have not had any case of drug money being channelled into terrorism. That is not to say that there is no possibility. There is the possibility and we are trying to track illicit funds that can be diverted into acts of terrorism.
“We are not necessarily investigating the drug trade that the terrorists might be engaged in, we are investigating the illicit movement of finances. When we get a breakthrough, the public will be properly informed. It is definitely one of our areas of interest in the investigation.”
Apart from terrorism being funded with the drug money, indications have also emerged that Boko Haram members, who have killed thousands of Nigerians, act under the influence of illicit drugs.
On Wednesday, while commemorating the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, said recent discoveries had shown that members of the Boko Haram sect act under the influence of hard drugs, adding that there was the need to cut off their drug supply.
Corroborating Shettima, the NDLEA spokesman said the possibility of the terrorists acting under the influence could not be ruled out, noting that the major illicit drug in the North-East was cannabis (Indian hemp), which is produced locally.
Ofoyeju said insurgency and the consequent emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states had made it even more difficult for the NDLEA to track down drug traffickers in the region.
He however noted that last year, 37.5kg of illicit drugs were seized and 35 people arrested in Borno; 175.7kg drugs seized and 36 people arrested in Yobe while 2529kg drugs were seized in Adamawa and 168 people were arrested.
A report published by the Director, Inter-University Centre for Terrorism Studies, USA, Yonah Alexander, in February, stated that Boko Haram and Ansaru, were being funded by drug cartels in Latin America.
The report entitled, “Terrorism in Northern Africa and the Sahel in 2012: Global Reach and Implications,” said the Al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb, had aligned with many other groups, including Boko Haram and Ansaru, in order to expand its sources of funding.
It stated that, “Primary sources of financing of their activities include kidnapping (in some cases, kidnapping is outsourced to criminals), piracy and illicit trafficking of drugs, human, vehicles and other contraband goods.
“Intelligence reports and arrests have confirmed that AQIM has established links with Latin cartels for ‘drugs-for-arms’ smuggling into Europe through terrorist-trafficking networks in the Sahel.”

Jonathan violates Nigerian laws, corners N3billion general hospital for own town, Otuoke – Premium Times

otuoke hospitalThe Federal Government does not build general hospitals. But PREMIUM TIMES can report today that President Goodluck Jonathan has waived two vital rules to establish a princely N2.8 billion new general hospital for his hometown, Otuoke, effectively placing the coastal community as an exclusive beneficiary of a strange largesse not known to federal laws.
It is not clear how and when the federal government first conceived the hospital project, as it was not listed in federal budgets between 2009 and 2011, and even after.
But the Federal Executive Council meeting of August 17, 2011, presided over by Mr. Jonathan, gave approval for the project, and a N2.8billion contract was hurriedly awarded to Messrs Avandale Limited. The job was projected to last only 12 months; and indeed, unlike the usual delay government projects face, it was delivered on time.
As the administration became aware that PREMIUM TIMES was making extensive enquiry about the hospital, President Jonathan hurried to Otuoke on Saturday to purportedly inaugurate the 40-bed hospital, which has now been named Otuoke Comprehensive Cottage Hospital.
At the ceremony, Mr. Jonathan claimed the project began as an initiative of the Bayelsa state government in 2006 before it was taken over by the presidency.
He did not say why he mandated the MDG office, which he personally supervises, to spearhead the project. Mr. Jonathan also did not tell his audience that an estimated N2.8billion federal money was pumped into the project, although a report say the project was eventually completed at a cost of N3.5billion.
Apart from the fact that it was never budgeted for (a violation of the appropriation law), the project breached a longstanding government policy requiring that the federal government provides only tertiary (teaching hospital, federal medical centers, and specialist hospitals); while the states build secondary facilities (general hospitals). Local governments provide primary facilities (health centers).
An exception to that rule, lately, has been the federal government’s direct intervention in local health care, in a spirited campaign against maternal and infant mortality, ahead of the 2015 target date for the actualisation of the Millennium Development Goals.
Otuoke hospital is a general hospital, strictly a secondary health facility, which should have come under the responsibility of the Bayelsa state government. But in 2011, few months after securing his official first term, President Jonathan sidelined that requirement, authorized through the Federal Executive Council, the construction of the N2.8billion hospital in his hometown, and personally supervised its speedy completion within 12 months.
The hospital stands clearly as the only known general hospital nationwide deliberately constructed with federal money by the president since taking office in 2010, a review of government projects, budgets and implementation records show.
Federal health officials also confirmed, in interviews with PREMIUM TIMES, the anomaly of the Otuoke project.
“The federal government is only concerned about tertiary health institutions, anything more than that, we don’t know,” a top official of the ministry of health headquarters said. Many of the officials who spoke insisted on anonymity, for fear they might be victimized.
“We don’t have any responsibility with general hospitals,” the official said.
Mr. Jonathan approved the erection of the hospital in Otuoke even when a Federal Medical Centre, FMC, had already been established in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. Federal Medical Centres were established nationwide in states that do not have Federal University Teaching Hospitals present, for the purpose of providing tertiary level health care, which is within the purview of the Federal Government in the concurrent nature of health care delivery system in Nigeria, explains a government policy document seen by this paper.
Covering up illegality through the MDG
Mr. Jonathan himself knows he has broken the law by taking over the responsibility of the Bayelsa State government to establish a general hospital for his community. Perhaps to address that concern, the Otuoke hospital project was approved and executed not as a ministry of health project, but as part of intervention projects by the Millennium Development Goals office.
Even at that, the project breached the MDG plan. Where it appears minimally in line, its scale far outweighs similar allocations in other states, showing the imbalance that often characterize federal projects; and how the beneficiaries of such indiscretions are always the constituencies of powerful public officials. President Jonathan’s action also underlines the nepotism that usually characterise the siting of federal projects across the country.
The MDG office, headed by Precious Gbeneol, a known loyalist of the president, helps with water projects, renovates schools, builds small health centers and assists in health projects that specifically apply to maternal and infant health.
Two staff of the MDG office said they were not aware of projects such as the building of general hospitals anywhere. “It’s not what we do, we build only health centres, water projects, education and things like that,” one official said.
While affirming that position, a spokesperson for the office, Desmond Utomwen, however said the MDG department occasionally provides specific assistance to existing general hospitals in special circumstances. He cited how the office assisted the Obstetric unit of Kubwa general hospital in Abuja.
A detailed review of budgets and government project records show the nature of assistance the office provides. Besides supplies of drugs, contraceptives, antiretroviral drugs, insecticide-treated nets and the construction of primary health centers, a number of hospitals received minimal interventions in the form of renovation and completion between 2009 and 2013. All did so at far minimal rate, compared to the hospital in Otuoke.
The presidency refused to comment for this story. Telephone calls to presidential spokesperson were neither answered nor returned while an emailed message to the same official is yet to be responded to.
Otuoke: From a quiet hamlet to a controversial city
A low lying coastal settlement with a population of a few thousands, Otuoke, in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa state, has undergone rapid transformation and unprecedented development just for being the birth place of a president, putting behind its poverty, and rapidly emerging into a modern city.
After Mr. Jonathan became president, the town’s poor past dramatically faded with its roads expanded, drained and lit by street lamps.
When the president approved six new universities shortly after taking office, one went to Otuoke, to fill Bayelsa state’s slot.
The transformation of the community has however also brought loads of controversies within the three years of the president’s tenure.
In early 2012, President Jonathan shocked Nigerians when he led his local Anglican Church to receive a curious donation of a 1200-seater auditorium from Italian construction firm, Gitto, a federal contractor that has continued to bid for construction jobs from the administration.
Many Nigerians consider the donation an attempt by the company to curry favour from the president.
When critics raised concerns that by receiving the church gift, the president had violation his office’s code of conduct which bars him from accepting gifts from government contractors while in office, Mr. Jonathan and his supporters hit back, questioning the rationality of turning down a worship centre donated by a private entity to a community.
The Otuoke community managed to stay out of media glare until 2013 when politicians and government allies again gathered for a fund raiser for the same small church.
At the event, controversial businessman, Arthur Eze, donated N1.2 billion while the Akwa Ibom state governor, Godswill Akpabio donated N230 million purportedly on behalf of 23 governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, drawing outrage from Nigerians.
While the community steadied through the controversies, it remained a top destination for high ranking federal government projects, as it effortlessly scooped key road, water, education and health projects, a review of the budgets since 2009 show.
A similar blend of projects is hard to come by in several other poverty-stricken villages across the Niger-Delta.
Between 2010 and date, while other communities struggle to receive road and water projects, from the intervention agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission, Otuoke constantly got allocations. By 2012, its focus went beyond roads, and it was given a N2.08 billion “ultra modern market.” The job was handed to Kari Investment Company Limited on November 4.
This year, the community is listed in the budget for a new School of Midwifery, even though it already hosts a federal university.
Source: Premium Times