10,000 Persons Displaced In kaduna Gunmen Attack

The death toll from the last weekend attack on the two Attakar villages in Kaura Local Government of Kaduna State has
risen to 48 with majority of older women and children worst hit, The National President of Attakar Community
Development Association (ACDA), Ishaya Kunden Samaila has disclosed yesterday.
The Attakar President who made the disclosure in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP WEEKEND said, “Those
killed in the brutal attack include 25 Women, 13 Children, 7 Men and three corpers, which were discovered late on
Thursday.”
According to him, properties worth 500 million naira were destroyed.
“As peace loving people, we demand privileges granted to Fulanis on Attakar land be withdrawn immediately to
forestall any future breach of peace.
“We also demand that the government must rehabilitate and resettled the internally displaced persons so that their lives
can return back to normalcy,” they said.
The group added that “the boundary problem between Plateau and Kaduna States should immediately be addressed so
as to reduce the risk of insecurity suffered by the Attakar people in Riyom local government of Plateau State.
This is because the Attakars in Eten Chiefdom are never treated as real indigenes.”
Meanwhile, the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union (SOKAPU) yesterday, appealed to the general public to come to the aid
of the over 4000 internally displaced persons in the Atakar chiefdom of Kaura local government area of Kaduna State.

Nigerian elected Federation of African Journalists President

Mr Mohamed Garba, the President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has been elected the new president of the Federation
of African Journalists (FAJ) at a Congress in Casablanca, Morocco.
Mohamed Garba replaces Omar Faruk Osman Nur who served as FAJ President for the past six years.
Ms Maria Louisa Carvalho of the Angolan Journalists Union was elected as Vice President of the Federation with Stanis
Nkundiye of the National Syndicate of Media Professionals in the Democratic Republic of Congo retaining his position as
Treasurer of FAJ.
Other members of the Steering Committee are Ibrahima Khalilloulah Ndiaye (Senegal), Alexandre Niyungeko (Burundi) Muheldin
Ahmed Titawi (Sudan) Credo Tetteh (Togo) and the former Vice President of the Federation, Foster Dongozi, from the Zimbabwe
Union of Journalists (ZUJ) and Mouhamed Bchir Chakakou (Tunisia).
Edouard Adzotsa (Congo Brazzaville), Collin Haba (Rwanda) and Rolland Affail Monney (President-elect, Ghana Journalists
Association) were elected as reserve members.
In an inaugural address, Mr Garba, said that the primary concern of the new Steering Committee would be to unite the affiliates
on the continent and ensure unions are strengthened to defend the rights and welfare of their members.
“We will endeavour to confront the major challenges before us and will always do the best to promote respect of the rights of
journalists and to promote quality journalism in Africa.”
Mr Garba paid tribute to the outgoing FAJ President, Osman Nur and the Steering Committee, the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) for their support, dedication.
He pledged to ensure safety and protection of journalists in Africa and the world at large and to continue to work with the IFJ in
the most effective manner.”
Meanwhile, the pan-African Gender Council Committee was officially established making FAJ, the first IFJ continental
Federation that has special structures dedicated to addressing the needs, interests, and issues of female journalists.
Congress elected Mrs Mounia Belafia (Morocco), Fatima Abdulkareem (Nigeria), Carla Lima (Cape Verde), Angele Chisimba
(Zambia) and Kadiatou Diallo (Guinea Conakry) as members of the gender council committee.
Mr Jim Boumelha, President of IFJ, appealed to the new leadership to rebrand its image in order to maintain a high-level profile
with partners and the continental trade union movements.
Source: GNA

Police: Abuja Explosion Not Act of Terrorism

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Mr. Femi Ogunbayode, Tuesday, debunked insinuations doing the
rounds that the Easter Monday explosion that rocked an uncompleted building site within Karu vicinity, an outskirts of the Abuja
metropolis, was an act of terrorism.
He explained that the explosion was caused by an ignorant security guard who mistakenly set a  'commercial explosive' on fire
in the course of making a bonfire at the site.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on the incident, he added: "In the course of our investigation, our  Anti-Bomb Disposal Unit were
brought in, and after combing the entire site, it was revealed that contrary to what we thought, it was disposed canisters of
insecticide that caused the explosion.
But at the end of it all, it was discovered that it was a commercial explosive that was ignited by a security guard while making
bonfire." The CP revealed that after  combing the entire site, five  other commercial undetonated explosives were recovered.
According to him, the explosion was initially thought to have occurred at Mr. Biggs eatery joint, adding that it was when police
responded quickly to the scene that it was discovered that the incident occurred at an uncompleted building site beside the
eatery house.
While investigation had commenced on the incident, Ogunbayode however pointed out, that the use and handling of
commercial explosives by the public are permissible by law.
He said:  "We are investigating the circumstances surrounding these explosives and how they got there.
"As I said, the security man who ignorantly threw these explosives into the bonfire he made was not injured. "There was no
injury to any person, no life was lost in the incident.
"It is not an act of terrorism or whatsoever."
According to the CP, “Investigation is still very much ongoing. But let me use this opportunity to assure Abuja residents of their
safety at all times.
"The FCT Command will continue to provide the desired security within the territory, people should go about their lawful
businesses without fear."
Further to the police investigation, he added that the owner of the site was being interrogated as to how the explosives could
have gotten into the building site.
"But as I said it was not an act of terrorism and there was no injury to anybody." Ogunbayode stated.

Presidency: Nigeria, US Relations Cordial

The Presidency Tuesday said the federal government and the government of the United States of America (USA) have no
disagreement on issues of bilateral relationship.
It stated that the governments of the two countries would continue to work together to strengthen their cooperation especially
on the operations of the Bi-National Commission.
The assurance was given by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, while playing host
to the US Political Counsellor in Nigeria, Mr. Gregory Lawless, who was in his office on a courtesy call.
Okupe explained that the ties between the US and Nigeria have been built around issues of mutual interests and cooperation on
economy, security and good governance and cannot be destroyed by disagreement on one or two issues.
According to a statement signed by the presidential aide, he assured the US official of the commitment of President Goodluck
Jonathan in tackling the problems of insecurity occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents. He stressed that
government would ensure that Nigerians and foreigners in Nigeria live in safety in every part of the country.
Okupe explained that the US government appreciated the role of the federal government in the ongoing military operation in Mali
and that the present administration will continue to partner with the international community on ways of guaranteeing regional
security.
On the fight against corruption, the presidential spokesman said the Jonathan administration had ensured that anti-graft
agencies operate without any form of manipulations from government in order to entrench the principles of separation of powers
as provided in the 1999 Constitution.
He said Nigeria and the US are irrevocably committed to the success of the Bi-National Commission which was initiated by the
two countries in 2010 and which has a mandate to promote issues of security, power and energy, governance and institutional
integrity, food security as well as sustainable peace, security and development in the Niger Delta.

PDP accuses ACN of wasting SURE-P fund

THE ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)-controlled states of frittering away their share of proceeds from the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).The accusation came as the ACN had recently alleged that the PDP had turned the SURE-P funds into a political war crest in preparation for the 2015 general election.But in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Monday, the party challenged the ACN to show Nigerians what programmes they have implemented with their own shares of the saved fuel subsidy funds.The ruling party, which lambasted the ACN for trying to politicize the SURE-P initiative of the PDP-led Federal Government, also accused the opposition states of frittering away their own shares of the funds instead of using such for the benefit of the people. The party said the leaders of the ACN, “who are used to syphoning public funds” were clearly frustrated that the PDP SURE-P initiative is yielding results and that Nigerians across the board were benefitting from it.”It added: “The attention of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to malicious and baseless media reports by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that the Subsidy Re-Investment Programme (SURE-P) fund is being shared to PDP members.“To say the least, we found it nauseating that the opposition would want to play politics  with everything including a programme meant for the benefit of all Nigerians. We are aware that this is part of a grand plot by the ACN to stir up animosity among peace loving Nigerians and prevent them from benefitting from the programme.“The SURE-P initiative is a programme of the PDP-led Federal Government for the benefit all Nigerians. PDP members are Nigerians and we will be happy if they were truly patronized instead of the money going to the pocket of an individual as obtainable in the camp of the ACN where funds meant for the people are diverted to the pocket of a godfather. “We challenge the opposition to come out and tell Nigerians what programmes they have in their respective states from their own shares of the saved fuel subsidy fund. It is clear that by every indication they have none, as the funds would have since been diverted to the pocket of their godfather.“The leaders of the opposition parties are used to frittering away funds meant for the people. They are not happy that Nigerians are benefitting from the SURE-P and are  hell bent on using any means to discredit the programme and deny the people the benefits.”  

My Oga at the top: NSCDC finally removes Shem Obafaiye as Lagos Commandant

The man who postulated the “My Oga at the top” mantra, Mr. Obafaiye Shem has finally been removed as the Commandant of the Lagos state branch of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC. He has been replaced by Mr. Adesuyi Clement from Oyo State Command.The Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr. Olu Abolurin, who was in Lagos over the weekend in respect of the alleged killing of two of his officers by some policemen, introduced the new Commandant to journalists.The Commandant General however did not give reasons for Shem’s removal but sources hinted that Adesuyi took over from the former Commandant Obafaiye on Tuesday, March 29.The source believed that it may not be unconnected with his recent interview on Channels Television live programme.It would be recalled that trouble started for Mr. Shem when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television morning programme ‘Sunrise’ and goofed when asked of the commission website, he said; “Hmmm, the website is, excuse me, it can only be made known by my Oga at the top ”. He again, cleared his throat and said, “I cannot categorically tell you one now, as my Oga at the top is working on the website and I don’t have them”.When the presenters insisted that he gives a functioning website address of the para-military outfit, he dropped the bombshell: “ww.nscdc, that’s all”.Almost immediately, the interview went viral.Authorities of NSCDC had before now refuted claims of taking any disciplinary action against Mr. Shem over the said interview. Their reaction followed the rumour that Shem had been sacked on the orders of the Minister of Interior, who supervises the NSCDC.Source: Daily Post

Gunmen kill 19 in Southern Kaduna

ABOUT 19 people were reported killed when armed bandits at the weekend, unleashed terror on Atakar village in Southern Kaduna state.The Director General , Media and Publicity to the Kaduna state Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki told newsmen Monday night that already, soldiers and other security agents had been  deployed to the village which shared boundary with Plateau state, to prevent further attacks.The Kaduna State Police Command  had confirmed the attack on the village located in Kaura Local Government Area where the Fulani and some indigenes of Plateau  had been fighting since last week.Eye witness account said the attackers invaded the village early in the morning, using dangerous weapons to kill the villagers.The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Aminu Lawal  said  that “there was an attack, and people were actually killed, but we are still contacting  the area commander who right now with other security agencies most especially the military, to get the exact figures  of those who lost their lives”.His words: “I said our area commander  and the zonal commander as well as the military people are already at the place. And they are working hard to get the figures of those either killed or injured. Let us wait and see if  in a short while , they will get the figures.

Why I donated 2 Prado Jeeps to 2Face - Akpabio

THE Governor of Akwa Ibom, Sir Godswill Akpabio has defended his donations and hospitality to individuals, churches and organisations against the backdrop of criticism of such, disclosing that the donations had been captured in Akwa Ibom State’s budget so passed by House of Assembly.Akpabio made this known during a chat with Government House correspondents in Uyo, as he condemned what he termed ‘’bad press’’ by a section of the media.He said,“I have noticed a lot of attacks in the media particularly the social media and some of the newspapers have started writing editorials on the Governor of Akwa Ibom and trying to create impression that because he made a donation of a Jeep to one of his daughters, Mrs Anne Macauley-2face that got married recently, that means he is wasteful. Of course, that kind of allegation is far from the truth”.He dismissed speculations over his donation of Prado Jeep and sponsorship of 20 family members of Annie Macauley- Idibia worth N3 million for their wedding in Dubai, saying that such donations had been captured in the yearly budget usually passed by Akwa Ibom House of Assembly.

Police Briefs President On NSCDC Murder

The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba today (Friday) confirmed that  a comprehensive brief has been given to President Goodluck Jonathan on the alleged killing of two civil defense officials by policemen in Lagos state.In what seemed to be a power show, policemen were said to have shot dead two Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps officers at the NNPC pipelines in Ikorodu, Lagos state on Wednesday.Some Police operatives attached to the Ikorodu Division of the Lagos State Police Command engaged officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in a gun duel; leading to the death of Gabriel Adaji and Innocent Akegbe, who were part of the Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Squad.Other NSCDC operatives were said to have escaped with varying degrees of injuries, including gunshot wounds.Mr. Mba told journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday that the meeting with the president “was part of routine visits to discuss operational issues and also to present the facts of the murder from police perspective”.He appealed to members of the public to stay calm and wait for details of investigations to be made public.

Anambra To Bury Achebe In Carnival Manner

ANAMBRA State Government has promised to play a prominent role in the burial of late Prof. Chinua Achebe.Anambra State’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Mike Udah, who revealed the plan, said Achebe would be buried in a carnival-like manner.The promise is coming at a time when the burial date seems be in doubt as no one from Achebe’s family could confirm or deny the speculated May date to The Guardian.When The Guardian visited the home town of the renowned professor, members of the immediate family, Ogidi community leaders and officials of the state government expressed shock at the May date announcement.While Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Chief Joe-Martins Uzodike, expressed shock at the source and manner of the burial date announcement, some of the professor’s relatives said  ‘Ogidi was yet to properly announce the demise of Achebe in the customary way’.Uzodike said that the state government was yet to make official statement on the burial date and arrangement pending the return of Gov. Peter Obi, who have traveled to US to discuss with Achebe’s family.President General of Ogidi Union Nigeria (OUN), Dr. Eric Obiakor, who said he has opened a condolence register at Ogidi Townhall to complement the one at the family house of Achebe, said no one in Achebe’s family have mentioned the May date to him, even though he has been in regular contact with the family.The National President of Ikenga-Ogidi Union, Chief Amechi Ekume, said the burial date of the renowned author could not be possibly announced without the knowledge of and consultation with the international community, the Federal Government, state governments and Ogidi community.Dame Ngozi, who earlier gave the May date, however, re-affirmed her comment on the burial date.Meanwhile over 170 tributes made it to the condolence register opened at the University of Nigeria Nnsukka (UNN) as staff and students of the university poured out their hearts unto the pages in honour of departed writer. Prince Sam Ezeanyika and Dr. Jonathan Okere, senior lecturers at the Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, Imo State, also paid tributes to the late  literary icon.

Again, Nine Killed, Dozens Injured in Plateau

By Seriki Adinoyi in JosIn what seems to have become a routine in the state, no fewer than nine persons have again been confirmed killed and dozens others injured in a fresh attack in Ratas village of Fan district of Barkin Ladi Local Government Council of Plateau State.Spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF), Lt. Jude Akpa on Jos crisis, who confirmed the incidence to newsmen yesterday said the attackers took advantage of deployment of a large number of their personnel to Bokkos, where there was an earlier attack, and swooped on the villagers killing nine of them.According to him, the STF, on hearing of the attack stormed the area but the attackers had fled. He said the task force then quickly took those injured to hospital for treatment.Chairman of Barkin Ladi local government area, Hon. Emmanuel Loman, also confirmed the killings, shortly after attending the mass burial of the victims. He alleged that the same Fulani, who attacked in Bokkos also attacked the people of Ratas, while escaping.He alleged the same Fulani militia were moving around Gashish area of the local government, adding that if nothing was done as soon as possible they may unleash another mayhem on the people of the area.Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Commissioner Chris Olakpe has said that normalcy has returned to the trouble villages of Mangor and Mantol of Bokkos LGA that were attacked on Thursday.He however said additional troops have been deployed to the area.Olakpe also warned against illegal procession during the Easter celebration, adding that anyone found breaching the peace would be severely dealt with.Also, a member representing Bokkos constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Titus Ayuba Alams confirmed that peace had returned to the area with additional reinforcement from personnel of the STF.He appealed to the people to remain calm as investigations are on to bring the attackers to justice.

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Airlines raise fares with travellers’ upsurge

• Royal Air Maroc in emergency landingOWING to the Easter season and as thousands of travellers are making desperate moves to be with their relations, there are indications that airlines have been forced to raise flight rates to grapple with the upsurge of passengers.Most of the country’s major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano are witnessing influx of passengers.Meanwhile, Air Maroc Thursday suffered damage to one of its engines and was forced to make emergency return to the Lagos airport, 10 minutes after take-off.     One of the engines was hit by birds in what is generally known in aviation as ‘bird strike’.A bird strike - sometimes called avian ingestion (only if in an engine), bird hit, is a collision between an airborne animal (usually a bird or bat and a human-made vehicle, especially aircraft.Bird strikes are a significant threat to flight safety and have caused a number of accidents with human casualties.Most accidents occur when the bird hits the windscreen or flies into the engines. These cause annual damages that have been estimated at $400 million within the United States of America alone and up to $1.2 billion to commercial aircraft worldwide.A typical bird strike could affect the aircraft’s nose; that is the cone where the radar is. This costs about $400,000; it could destroy the engine, where you have the turbine blade, the thrust and the boroscope. It could affect the windscreen, which is $10,000. It can affect the airframe and that could take the aircraft out for about two weeks.“Each time there is a bird strike, the airline loses about $260,000 of revenue and on cost of repairs,” a source said.Overall, Nigerian airline operators estimated their losses to between N200 million and N300 million in the past six years as a result of bird strikes.The Guardian learnt that the Boeing aircraft, which was said to have departed the airport at 7:00 am to Casablanca, Morocco, returned to base barely 10 minutes in the air.The aircraft was said to be carrying over 100 passengers when the incident occurred.Sources said immediately the strike occurred, the pilot was said to have contacted the control tower in Lagos and requested for an emergency landing, which was quickly given by the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) on duty.As at 5 p.m. yesterday, the airplane was still on ground, as the airline would need to take the engines for repairs as some of the blades inside the engine compartment had been damaged.The passengers were, however, lodged in a hotel, pending when another aircraft would be deployed to airlift them to the North African country.Air Morocco operates four flights to Lagos weekly: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.A source close to the airline said that the passengers would eventually depart the country tomorrow to Morocco.At the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, passengers were struggling to get the seats on the few available airlines, just as fares kept rising. However, operators are denying increase in fares, especially as the airlines have earlier announced increased capacity to do more flights during this festive period.Again, touts, in connivance with airlines, are contributing to the fare increase for desperate travellers, who are only interested in getting to their destinations.Aviation watchers, however, warned that doing more flights and over-stretching the limit of an airline, crew, and personnel portend danger for the aviation industry.An hour flight to places like Abuja and Port Harcourt now hit over N40, 000.A visit to the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Lagos airport shows that one of the leading airlines may have capitalised on demand to hike its fares.Passengers were seen milling around at the terminal as they struggled to purchase tickets, as demand far outweighs supply. It was obvious that virtually all the airlines found it very difficult to cope with capacity following the suspension of flights by Aero, one of the biggest players in the industry.  The crisis with Aero over labour disputes has made it tougher for other airlines as Aero offers huge route network across the country, while many others, apart from Arik, operate fewer routes.A passenger, who identified himself as Afolabi Jones, said he had been at the old terminal since 9 a.m. yesterday but could not secure a seat on any airline. He contemplated travelling to Abuja by road to be with his family.He equally decried the attitude of some of the carriers by hiking air fares because of the Easter season and capitalising on the fact that there were fewer airlines.People were seen hanging around the terminal, as the entire vicinity was chaotic with cars full to capacity, and traffic stretching to the access road.At the MMA2, not much activity was seen as Aero Contractor, which controls about 65 per cent operations in the area, remains out of service.But other airlines like IRS, Dana, and Medview are equally smiling to the banks as they offer more services to different destinations.Those who could not afford the high fares have decided to take to road, which fares have also skyrocketed.The roads are no better options, considering the fact that most roads in Nigeria are in a terrible state of disrepair, riddled with potholes that have claimed so many lives.At the different motor parks in Jibowu and Ojota garages, fares, to mostly Eastern parts of the country, have almost doubled from average of N4,000 to between N7,000 and N8,000.

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Nigeria on the brink, says Soyinka

NOBEL laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has cautioned that Nigeria is on the brink and President Goodluck Jonathan must take proactive steps that would prevent the nation from going into another round of civil war.Soyinka, who was the chairman of the Third Bola Ahmed Tinubu Colloquium titled Beyond Mergers: “A National Movement for Change, A New Generation Speaks”, blamed the President for failing to take Nigeria into confidence on the present crisis of the Boko Haram insurgents.Soyinka said Nigerians should not make the mistake of thinking that the Boko Haram crisis was confined to the northern part of the country alone, thereby, “the leadership of the country needs to impact this fact into Nigerians to prevent us from witnessing another round of war.”After taking a cursory look at the situation in the country, which he concluded was sorry and regrettable, Soyinka said: “This is not the Nigeria we envisaged when we struggled for independence, this is not what we envisaged when we struggled to overthrow military dictatorship and restore the rights and dignity of human beings. But whether we like it or not, it has come upon us.“My problem with the government right now, especially the President of this nation, is that he does not seem to realise, he has not taken into consideration and into cognisance that by now, he should be addressing the nation and give detailed explanation why this nation is at war.”He said certain things have to be done to ensure that this nation was pulled back from the second round of what is leading towards a civil war. “By now, we should be tightening our belt, we should not see what is happening in the North as being confined to the North. It is obvious all along that this is not a northern affair. No. We heard recently that some members of the sect have been found in Lagos, that is not new, it started years ago. Everyone should understand that the problem we are facing right now is not regional; it is national and a human problem. It is called Boko Haram. That is the kind of language I believe the leadership of this nation should be imparting to Nigerian citizens.”He continued:  “Let us face it, this nation is on the brinks. Those who do understand it, I feel very sorry for them because they will one day wake up and find out that we have fallen as a nation.”

PDP defends Akpabio over election rigging video

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has come out in strong defence of one its governor’s, Godswill Akpabio, who confessed to rigging the party’s primary election in the northwestern senatorial district of the state in 2007.However, opposition parties and civil society organizations expressed outrage over the governor’s action and confession, saying in sane societies and democracies, Mr. Akpabio should have been kicked out of office.Mr. Akpabio had confessed that he manipulated PDP primary election in the district in favour of Aloysius Etuk in 2007.The governor, who made the open confession during the “Good Governance Tour” led by the Information Minister, Labaran Maku, to the state, said, “The people of Ikono and Ini (LGA) from 1960 have never produced a senator. I used my own hand to strike out the name of the person who has won before, and I said it is important for me to give that region a senator in 2007, and I produced Senator Aloysius Etok for you; that is where he comes from.”Mr. Etuk, who subsequently won the main election that year, is currently in his second term in the Senate. During his first term, the senator served as the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation of the upper legislative chamber.PDP defends its ownThe PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh, told PREMIUM TIMES in a telephone interview that the video clip in which the governor said he manipulated the primary election was doctored; adding that it was an attempt to ridicule the governor who he said is a great and loyal member of the party.“We have already raised the alarm that some people are targeting Gov Akpabio and put him to public ridicule. This video, which from all intent and purpose is doctored evidence, is proof of what we have said before,” Mr. Metuh said.” The video, I must say, however, is a poor attempt at ridiculing one of the giants of the party. We are happy with his performance in Akwa Ibom State and he is a great and loyal member of the PDP.”Opposition parties condemnIn its reaction, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, said it was not surprised by Mr. Akpabio’s confession of manipulating the electoral process, which it described as “the order of the day” in the governor’s party, PDP.“That is the characteristic of PDP. It is the order of the day in the party. The governor made that confession because he doesn’t feel he has done anything wrong. PDP thrives on imposition; it is not practicing democracy; there is no internal democracy in PDP,” spokesman for the party, Emma Eneukwu, told PREMIUM TIMES.Mr. Eneukwu urged the PDP leadership to allow internal democracy prevail in the party, warning that its undemocratic posture could derail the country’s democracy.Rotimi Fashakin, who speaks for the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, observed that the Akwa Ibom governor merely lived up to the expectation of the ruling PDP whose members cannot come to power except by rigging.“If PDP chieftains don’t do that, how will they come to office?” Mr. Fashakin asked. “They only come to office by rigging. PDP has a rigging culture. And that is what they are trying to do with APC. They see it as a conglomerate of parties that will give them a run for their money.”On what should be done to check rigging of elections by party leaders, the CPC spokesman said, “The only way we can curb this is that everybody within the polity should be serious. This is about our nation; it affects the fundamentals of our land. It is the plank on which democracy rest. We must ensure that the sanctity of our electoral process so that we have a better lease of life. There should be one man one vote; there should be transparency in the electoral process because that is where the future of our nation lies.”Mr. Fashakin’s equal in the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Lai Mohammed, said anyone who is familiar with the ruling party would not be surprised by what the Akwa Ibom Governor confessed he did.“I’m not surprised. I don’t know why people are surprised. Anyone who is familiar with the PDP should not be surprised,” the ACN spokesman stated. “Was it not the same PDP in the case of Amaechi that he had to go to Supreme Court to be declared governor?

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Kano bomb blast: Over 900 corps members redeploy

OVER 900 out of the 2,413 members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) posted to Kano State for orientation service have redeployed to other parts of the country, as a result of the recent bomb blast that rocked the New Road park, in Sabongari.This is just as the state governor, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, assured the corps members of adequate protection, urging them to respect the norms and culture of respective places they may be posted to serve.Speaking with newsmen shortly after the passing-out parade of members of “Batch A” of the NYSC scheme at the Karaye camp, the state coordinator, Alhaji Bashir Yakasai,said before the incident of last week Monday, few corps members indicated interest to redeploy after orientation service.He added that immediately after the bomb blast, a lot of them had indicated interest to seek redeployment.Speaking on behalf of the governor, the deputy governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, called on the corps members not to entertain any fear, saying the government would provide adequate security for them.

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Osun govt has no plan to Islamise the state - Speaker

SPEAKER, Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salam, has commented on the recent speculation that the present Osun State government has finalised arrangement to islamise the state.Speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, at the weekend, during the just concluded two-day workshop on constitutional powers of legislature, Salam said  the state government’s plan was to promote peaceful co-existence among religions, which inturn will accelerate socio-economic development of the state. “The rumour being peddled round on the issue was the handiwork of enemy of peace and progress of Osun State,” he said.Salam, who described the allegation as false, said “Christians are more inclusive than Muslims in the administration of Mr Rauf Aregbesola.”He said “look at the state assembly, where 26 members are, Christians are more than Muslims even at the state executive council headed by Mr Aregbesola. So, how come the state will be islamised?”The lawmaker added that apart from this, there was no church activities the governor would not be featured in as a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to secular state.While describing the allegation of the Islamisation of 0sun State as the handiwork of enemies of progress in the state, Salam said the development would not stop the government of Mr  Aregbesola from pursuing people-oriented policies capable of accelerating the socio-economic development.He, therefore, called on Christians and Muslims to ignore the insinuation of Islamisation of Osun, but should continue to work together to bring peace and development to the state.On the country’s insecurity, the Speaker called for more funding to the nation’s security agencies.This, he said, would assist them in tackling the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians in the country.He said “the way and manner innocent Nigerians get killed for no just cause should be of concern to appropriate authorities in the country.”He added that “the government should be up and doing as regards this ugly trend, because many lives have been wasted due to the insurgency of the dreaded Boko Haram in the country.Salam, who described the recent bomb blast in Kano as worrying, said it was high time the government rose to the nation’s security, so as to move the nation forward.He stressed that this ugly situation, if not checked by the government, might hinder investors from coming into the country to invest, noting that “no investor will like to invest where violence is prevalent.”Salam, who called on the tiers of government to address the youth’s unemployment said such step would also help reduce insecurity in the country.

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APC Berates INEC Over Non-registration

The African People’s Congress has accused the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) of complicity in its non-
registration as it has not tendered any cogent reasons for not doing
so .
The party said that despite INEC’s intent to frustrate the APC by not
registering it, the APC will go ahead with its plans to conduct its first
party primaries and also support a candidate for the Anambra State
elections in 2014.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the interim chairman of
the party, Chief Michael Ikeagwuonu accused INEC of truncating the
party’s effort to get registered without giving any reasons for its action.
Chief Ikeagwuonu said the party would not be bullied into submission but will rather fight for its registration even if it means
getting to the Supreme Court in the legal fight.

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Jonathan Tasks New HOS To Curtail Corruption In Public Service

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday in Abuja tasked the new Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF),
Alhaji Goni Aji, to intensify efforts at enhancing discipline and curtailing corruption in the service.
The President made the remark shortly after Aji took his oath of office at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa.
Jonathan said that Aji must work hard to return the service back to its past glory as centre of excellence, efficiency and
hard work.
The President also called on all civil servants particularly the permanent secretaries to cooperate with the new HOCSF in
the restoration of the civil service
``As you set about your duties, I expect that you will intensify your efforts to enhance discipline and curtail corruption
in the service.
``The civil service was historically acknowledged as a citadel of excellence where the best brains, equipment and
strategies are engaged.
``Under your leadership, we must all work hard to bring back that type of civil service in the interest of our nation.
``It is in this regard I want to call on all civil servants to lend you their unalloyed support, especially the permanent
secretaries that will work with you and cooperate in the movement to greater efficiency, dedication and patriotism in
service.’
The President noted that the civil service was very central to the realisation of his administration’s transformation
agenda.
To that extent, he said the new HOCSF should pay special attention to the on-going reforms aimed at the ensuring rapid
economic development of the country.
``The expectation of the government and our peoples is that you will now build on the achievements of your
predecessors so as to complete on-going reforms.
``In particular, you must focus on those sectors that will help the administration to deliver with urgency, reliefs and
benefits which are the core of our survival as a people.
``You must also pursue with vigor the true implementation of the performance management system in the civil service.
``I belief its full implementation will positively improve the ability of civil servants to discharge their responsibilities.’’
Jonathan congratulated Aji on his appointment and expressed the confidence in his ability to deliver on his mandate.
He seized opportunity to express government’s appreciation to the immediate past HOCSF, Alhaji Bello Sali.
In an interview with State House correspondents, Aji said that repositioning the service and address the challenges of job
racketeering would be top on his agenda.
``Our immediate priority, as directed by President, is to reposition the Civil Service for the attainment of the objectives
under the transformation agenda of government.
``And how we intend to do this is that, we will a little bit slightly depart from the way we do things in the past.
``We will emphasise on fast-tracking processes so that we will ensure there are concrete outcomes for our people to see
and that is the immediate priority that I will place my attention to.
``My predecessors have done excellent job on that direction and that for us to continue to gain the confidence of
Nigerians, we have to do that.
``Because, whether civil service or whatever level you find yourself in the service of the nation, what matters most is
what comes to the people at the end of it and this is what I will assure Nigerians that we are ready to do.’’
Aji said he would set up the machinery to track down the syndicates who tapped into the websites of Ministries,
Departments and Agencies of government to offer fake employments.
Born on Jan. 13, 1959, Aji, who hails from Yobe State, attended Government College, Maiduguri, Borno College of Basic
Studies, Maiduguri, and graduated from the University of Maiduguri in 1984.
A career civil servant, Goni Aji was the Chief Administrative Officer, Governor’s Office, Maiduguri (1989-1991) and
Principal Secretary to the Military Administrator of Yobe State (1991-1992).
He was also the Principal Secretary to the First Civilian Governor of Yobe State (1992-1993) and Principal Secretary to
the 2nd Military Administrator of Yobe State (1993-1995).
Aji was appointed Director, Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in 1995 and
moved to the Federal Ministry of Defence in the year 2000 as Director of Personnel  Management.
He headed various departments in the Ministry of Defence until his posting to the Office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation in 2008 as Director, International Organisations.
The new HOCSF was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2009 and posted to the Ministry of Defence.
He later served as Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Police Affairs (August, 2009 – August, 2010) and Permanent
Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works (September, 2011 – November, 2012).

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“Why we are sanctioning telecoms operators” - NCC

Sanctions are to help telecoms
operators in becoming more
productive, former NCC board
chairman Mr Oluwale Ige has
said. He said sanctions and
fines in the industry will help
telecoms operators to be more
responsive and pro-active in
providing service.
Ige who is a former Chairman
of the Nigerian
Communications Commission
(NCC) Board, said in Abuja that
the essence of sanctions was to
put operators on their toes in the area of quality service delivery and also to assure them that the
commission was watching closely their activities.
Ige said the sanctions should not be seen as punishment, but as a tool to tackle low level of productivity
in the telecoms industry. ``It depends on your definition of sanctions. If you look at sanctions as
punishment, you will sit up. Sanction is a stepping stone for telecoms operators to re-examine their
operations. It is not punishment, but something to ginger them up to be pro-active and to be more
positive beyond their environment,’’ he said.
Ige also pointed out that telecoms operators do not operate in isolation, and there was the need for
compliance adding that the reason for introducing Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was to enhance
competition among telecoms operators so as improve on the quality of service.
``The MNP is a system which enables a subscriber to move from one network to another if not satisfied
with the quality of service, without changing his or her SIM number,” he said.

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Boko Haram: Tension grips S/West

WATER-TIGHT security is now being mounted in all the six states of the South-West zone of the country amidst tension following Thursday’s arrest in Lagos of a Chadian and another suspect, believed to be members of the dreaded Islamic set, Boko Haram. The suspects were arrested with bombs, arms and ammunition following a tip-off in a joint operation of the military and the State Security Service (SSS).An impeccable Source told the Saturday Tribune in Abuja on Friday that the security measure became necessary following intelligence reports that the sect planned to launch attacks on some major towns in the zone.The SSS had, last month, arrested a middle-aged man who was charged with the responsibility of recruiting and training would-be members of the Boko Haram sect in the South-West, with emphasis on Lagos and its environs.The suspect, who was said to have connections with Iranian terrorist groups and was also to establish cells for the group in the zone, had succeeded in recruiting some followers before he was apprehended, along with four others, who were later paraded before newsmen.Thursday’s operations at the Ijora Badiya, Lagos Mainland in Lagos, accordingly to the source, was part of efforts being made by the SSS in conjunction with other security agencies to checkmate the activities of the sect from spreading to the South-West because of its political, social and economic implications on the country in general.“We are on top of the situation; there is no cause for any fear. We have been on the trail of the sect since last year. We learnt that they wanted to establish cells in Lagos for coordinated attacks on public places and some very important individuals in the society. We monitored them and we got one suspect arrested and he later confessed. Since then, we have been on our toes,” a very senior security operative told Saturday Tribune on Friday.The source further hinted that all manners of security measures, which he declined to mention, were being put in place by all the security agencies in order to make the South-West zone a no-go area for members of the sect and their foreign collaborators.Meanwhile, the suspected Chadian and one member of the sect nabbed in the Ijora Badiya, Lagos raid are currently undergoing intensive interrogation.As at press time, neither the SSS nor the police was willing to make any official statement yet on the development because of the sensitivity of the matter.In the Thursday raid in Lagos, the SSS and military operatives recovered bomb, AK-47 rifles, arms and ammunition in the Chadian’s apartment, which he reportedly hired a month ago.Security sources told Saturday Tribune on Friday that searchlights were being beamed on key communities particularly Sabo settlements in towns in the zone to “avoid infiltration by undesirable elements.” A reliable State Security Service (SSS) source in one of the South West states told the Saturday Tribune that the service had always put enough measures in place to counter any plot against public peace and security.“What happened in Lagos on Thursday was an eye opener to all of us, including members of the public, to be alert. Landlords and estate agents should scrutinise, carefully, persons who want to rent apartments from them.“What needs to be done now is more sensitization among the people so that they will be more security conscious. We are closely in touch with religious leaders and community heads for close monitoring of their environments for early detection of criminals,” he said.The security source hinted that Security Council meetings in the South West states would dwell more on the new threats, in days to come.The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Ahmed Jubrin could not be reached yesterday as he was said to be on tour of military formations in parts of Kwara State.A military source who declined comments, however, hinted that the armed forces were actively collaborating with other security forces to prevent the spread of terrorism to the South West which had so far enjoyed some measure of peace.Oyo State police commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa told the Saturday Tribune that he would not disclose the measures being put in place to counter any ugly move by terrorists.He, however, counselled that people should be vigilant and report any suspicious movement in their neighbourhood to law enforcement agents.

Explosion Claims Bombers’ Lives In Kano

Two separate bomb attacks targeted at the Joint Task Force checkpoint at Maiduguri road and police check point at eastern bypass, both in Kano metropolis have claimed the lives of two of the suspected bombers.According to the State police commissioner, Musa Daura, the explosive which targeted the JTF checkpoint was remote controlled and buried in the ground very close to the checkpoint.Mr Daura added that the person that targeted the police checkpoint disguised as a water truck seller pushing a truck towards the checkpoint with one other person giving him cover on a motorcycle. However, on throwing the explosive, it hit the motorcycle rider and killed both of them on the spot.The commissioner further disclosed that no police officer was killed or injured from the attacks, adding that four other people were arrested while attempting to attack the police after the explosion.Meanwhile, three police officers and one local security officer attached to a local government secretariat were killed during an attack at Ganye local government area of Adamawa state.Residents told Channels Television that gun men on a motorcycle numbering about ten staged a prison break, and set ablaze the local government police divisional headquarters and the local government secretariat, killing the four people in the two separate locations.