It is always lovely the old school and the new school generation of Nigerian musicians unite! Here is the video for Mr Johnson’s (Adewale Ayuba) Happy People Remix which features Vector and Tm9ja. The song was released last year and now we have got the video. You will definitely love the marriage between Fuji and hip-hop on this one
Nice jam!!!
Finally, one of the missing Mavins has arrived in London to join in the ongoing Mavin UK concert. The Mavins performed in Manchester on Tuesday but D’Prince and Korede Bello were missing in action. Well, the latter has arrived in the UK as he shared photos of himself at the Heathrow International Airport in London with the caption: #Mavins #MavinConcertUK #BelloversUk .
D’Prince whose birthday was today is still not in the UK and fans are beginning to wonder what the problem is. Hopefully he will join after turning up for his birthday.
Relief came for a blind teacher, Mary Ihekanacho on Wednesday October 22, 2014 as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, presented her with a draft of N550, 000 which the anti- graft agency recovered from a gang of fraudsters that swindled her of N 830,000 in a job scam.
The syndicate conned the woman by promising to facilitate her son’s employment with one of the oil majors.
Mr. David Iloyanomo who made the presentation on behalf of the Executive Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, said that “the EFCC stands for justice for all and called on the general public to ensure that they assist the Commission in carrying out its duties by coming forward to give evidence in court when it is required”. He also praised the passion with which officers of the Commission handled the matter which made it possible to get justice for Mrs. Ihekanacho.
An overwhelmed Mrs. Ihekanacho commended the EFCC for coming to her rescue. “I had lost hope. I prayed and asked God to take control and was surprised when Richard called me and told me that the young man has been arrested”. She called on Nigerians to support the EFCC in its effort to rid the nation of fraudulent activities. “If someone can scam a blind woman, what else won’t that person do?” she asked.
It would be recalled that Ihekanacho, sometime in July 2012, fell into the hands of some fraudsters led by Gift Onyegam who defrauded her of the sum of eight hundred and thirty thousand naira (N830, 000.00).
Following her petition, Onyegam was arrested and arraigned on a 4-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence before Justice M. L. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Enugu.
On February 24, 2014, Justice Shuiabu convicted and sentenced Onyegam to ten years imprisonment without option of fine. The court also ordered the convict to pay the victim, the sum of N711, 000 (seven hundred and eleven thousand naira) in restitution.
The Abia state chapter of the All Progressives Congress has lost over 1,000 officials and members to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Some of the defectors were actually returnees to the PDP.
A former Administrative Secretary of APC in the state, Chief Erondu Erondu, former Youth Leader, Vin Ume, former council chairman, women leaders among other chieftains joined the party.
Speaking on behalf on the defectors, a former APC leader Egwuatu Egbulefu, said that “the in-fighting, deceit, and undemocratic manner in which APC is run leaves much to be desired”, hence their decision to return to PDP.
“We unfortunately allowed ourselves to believe that we were working with progressives who had good plans and provisions for the people, but little did we know that we had joined a bandwagon of aggrieved politicians looking for a common platform to unburden their grief and self over-estimation.”
He also said that the APC is “a party of sad, aggrieved and selfish persons who competed to outdo and undo each other”, adding that “going by the level of mischief appropriated by the leadership of APC it will be sinful for progressives to stay back with them in order to always lie against government to gain self recognition and pride”.
President Goodluck Jonathan has declared his interest to vie for the 2015 Presidential elections on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)
Jonathan made this declaration to PDP leaders at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday. He said he would procure the nomination form of the party before the October 30 deadline.
The PDP had given Jonathan a one week ultimatum to declare his intention and pick up the nomination ticket.
He also said that he has set up a presidential declaration committee saddled with the responsibility of coming up with a formal programme for his declaration.
The committee is headed by a former Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Bello and the declaration is set to hold between November 7-15
The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), has released its time table and schedule of fees for the interested aspirants for the 2015 general elections..
The party’s inaugural National Convention will hold on October 31st and November 1st 2014 at International Conference Centre, Abuja to elect National Officers of the Party. The Zonal Congresses are scheduled for Friday, October 31st at the same venue at which delegates are expected to elect a National Vice Chairman from each of the six geo-political zones.
The PDM has fixed November 3-10 for collection of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms while all collected forms must be returned to the National Secretariat by 5.00 p.m. on November 13th 2014.
Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for State House of Assembly are to cost N50,000 and N200,000 respectively; House of Representatives N150,000 and N350,000; Senate 500,000 and N2 Million; Governor N1 Million and N4 Million; while Presidential aspirants are to pay N5 Million and N20 Million respectively. All fees are to be paid for into the Party’s designated bank accounts at First Bank and Zenith Bank while all forms are to be collected at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on presentation of evidence of payment obtained from the banks.
Primary election for State House of Assembly will hold at designated places across the states of the federation on November 25th; House of Representatives on November 30th; Senate on December 2nd; while Governorship will hold on December 6th. The Special National Convention to elect the Party’s presidential flag-bearer will hold in Abuja on December 9th, 2014.
PDM is believed to have been the brain child of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar but he joined the All Progressives Congress. Insinuations are rife that Atiku will run on the PDM platform if he does fails to obtain the APC ticket.
President Goodluck Jonathan will depart Lagos on Friday to undertake a brief pilgrimage to Israel. The President, who will be accompanied by the Chaplain of the Presidential Villa, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba, and his principal aides will, in addition to visiting Christian Holy sites, join other Nigerian pilgrims in a prayer session for the well-being and progress of the country at an Inter-Denominational Service in Jerusalem on Sunday.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, and made available to NewsWireNGR, the President is expected back in Abuja on Monday.
Before leaving for Israel, President Jonathan would participate in the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the Seme-Krake Joint Border Control Post on Friday morning.
The President would be joined at the event by President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic and officials of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The Seme-Krake Joint Border Control Post is being constructed under the ECOWAS Transport Facilitation Programme which has the objective of boosting trade and economic relations among member countries.
President Goodluck Jonathan has said that proper investigation is needed to verify the various human rights abuse allegations leveled against Nigerian military and security agencies, which he said is being exaggerated.
Jonathan stated this at a three-day International Workshop on Civil Military Cooperation organized by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the European Union (EU).
He said: “We have taken very serious reports from some international organisations about perceived human rights abuses by our security force during military operations.
“Findings have generally shown that these reports are indeed exaggerated, we know that there are issues but the report sometimes exaggerate the issues.”
President Jonathan explained that the current state of insurgency throws up threat and distinct challenges to our security forces.
He assured that the Federal Government will do its best to ensure that soldiers or troops involved in internal and external operations do that in line with the country’s law.
The President also appealed to the Human Rights Communities for broader cooperation and deeper understanding of the circumstances that the country faces and for greater appreciation of the efforts put in place for improved civil-military relations as identified by this workshop.
“Our commitment to continue to investigate and bring to a just and fair closure any suspected or reported case of human right abuse shall go on unhindered.
“This workshop will no doubt serve as a veritable platform for the Nigerian armed forces and relevant security agencies to key into international best practices in this very requirement for the conduct of successful counter-terrorism and other emergent military operations”, he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the ceremony and former Head of State Gen. Abudulsalam Abubarkar (rtd) said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies face the issue of human right hence the training curriculum in all the country’s military training establishments include a component of human rights.
Abubakar said that it was therefore imperative that the deliberations at this workshop should proffer some modalities for integrating human rights and best practices across the globe for institutionalizing respect for the rule of law via internal security operations.
In the same vein, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki said that the workshop was intended to support the Armed Forces, the Police Force and the department of State Services in the internal security operations .
Dasuki said that the workshop will also raise the security agencies level of compliance with provision of international humanitarian and human rights law in accordance with international best practices
“It will also provide a medium to develop synergy among these agencies. This considered timely especially now that there are various allegations leveled against security agencies in the on-going counter terrorism operations”, he said.
Also speaking, the Head of EU Delegation Mr. Michel Arrion said that the workshop should be considered as a landmark in particularly the support of EU to Nigeria on soft approach to counter-terrorism.
Arrion who was represented by the First Secretary and Head of Section National Regional Development, Mr Alen Monday, said that the project is one of the projects the EU is implementing in Africa.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has recorded about 743, 062 persons that were internally displaced by conflicts and natural disasters in various parts of the country, Director General of the agency Muhammad Sani Sidi has said.
He disclosed this in Calabar at the opening of the annual consultative meeting of the National Emergency Management Agency with the heads of all the States Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs), explaining that 676, 975 of the persons were displaced by conflicts and 66, 087 by natural disasters as at September 2014.
The Director General NEMA also said that “disaster occurrences and the number of affected people have risen significantly in recent years as a result of the impacts of climate change, insurgency, communal conflicts and skirmishes between farmers and pastoralists amongst others. This has no doubt impacted negatively in the area of our development as a nation aside the humanitarian crisis attendant thereto.”
These, he said require urgent collective action of the stakeholders to complement the steps taken by the Federal Government which has been providing necessary assistance to the affected persons through the National Emergency Management Agency. “The challenges faced by displaced persons call for serious commitment ” he said, adding that NEMA would continue to collaborate with the stakeholders to ensure that the distressed persons are properly taken cared of. He assured that “we will continue to do this as it constitute our primary responsibility to our citizens.”
On the consultative meeting, the Director General of NEMA Muhammad Sani Sidi said it was designed to appraise the available structures, facilities, challenges and prospects for efficient and effective disaster management in the country.
The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Mr Effiok Cobham who represented the Governor Mr Liyel Imoke, while declaring open the meeting appreciated the role of NEMA in the improvement of disaster management in the country. He urged the participants to identify and advised government on measures that focus on disaster prediction and prevention.
Fire engulfed the second floor of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) terminal at about 11:45am today, Thursday, November 23, 2014. but was put off quickly before major damage was done.
The fire according to eyewitness acoounts started at the second floor of the terminal in the commercial department of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Passengers and other airport users at the departure hall started running helter-skelter when they saw smoke wafting from the floor above in the building but it was quickly put off.
The smoke was quickly traced to the electric panel room on the second floor of the terminal by a combined team of FAAN’s electrical engineers and fire officers, according to Mr Yakubu Dati General Manager, Corporate Communications.
Dati in a statement made available to NewsWireNGR explains that a Preliminary investigation reveals that the incident was caused by a short circuit at the panel room which was quickly arrested by the engineers on duty.
“The Authority wishes to assure the traveling public and other airport users that there was no immediate danger to anyone as a result of the incident neither did it affect flight operations at the terminal.” The statement reads.
The Authority has directed the Directorate of Engineering and Maintenance to commence immediate investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the said short-circuiting of the cables.
At the last count, no fewer than 13 governors whose second term in office expires next year are believed to be eyeing the Senate. For some of these governors, it is not that they are interested in making laws for the good governance of the country, it is just that they must have official titles in Abuja to continue their wheeling-dealing. And to achieve their objectives, some of the current senators must give way for them.
Ordinarily, it is not wrong for governors to aspire to be senators but at a time we are trying to build institutions for the advancement of our democracy, turning our Senate to a retirement home for governors, including those who have abysmal records of service in their states, cannot be the right way to go. How can we develop expertise and knowledge on legislative matters when institutional memories are easily dispensed with on the altar of unbridled ambition, essentially in promotion of self?
It is noteworthy that what is fast becoming a tradition actually started in 2007 when after their second term in office, many of the outgoing governors decided to run for Senate. Six of them succeeded. They are: Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), George Akume (Benue), Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau). Adamu Aliero who won in Kebbi moved to the Federal Executive Council as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister while the current Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu was defeated in Bauchi State. More governors would later join their colleagues in 2011 and today we are looking at a situation in which another batch of 13 could end up in the red chambers by next year.
For instance, the “uncommon transformer” (Godswill Akpabio) has told Senator Aloysius Akpan Etok, currently representing Akwa Ibom North-West, to pack his bags and be ready to leave the Senate seat for him. In Benue State, Gabriel Suswan (who incidentally was in the House of Representatives for eight years before becoming governor) is determined to send former PDP National chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade to his political grave. With Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan declaring his ambition for Delta South, it is unlikely that Senator James Manager will be sleeping easy and Theodore Orji probably probably believes Senator Nkechi Nwogu should simply be making laws in her husband’s kitchen. Even Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State (who many Nigerians hardly hear about) wants to go to the senate! In the case of Cross River State, Governor Liyel Imoke (himself a former Senator) has publicly declared that he would not run but he may also have “zoned out” Majority leader, Senator Ndoma Egba, SAN.
However, the most sinister in all the plots is perhaps brewing in Enugu State where Governor Sullivan Chime is taking no prisoners in his bid to wrest the Enugu West senatorial seat from Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Already, the governor has conscripted the traditional rulers in the senatorial district to become his canvassers while he has the party structure firmly under his grip.
What is particularly distressing is that some of these governors have spent the last seven and a half years in office without making any significant pronouncements on even the state of their states let alone national issues. To therefore expect them to make any serious contributions to the work of the senate is mere daydreaming. But beyond that, we all ought to be worried about the tyranny of governors. They lord it over their state legislators, determine who represents their states at the National Assembly and literally dictate who succeeds them while stifling all opposition to their own ambition.
For sure, we cannot legislate against the governors aspiring to the Senate or to any office for that matter. But the cynical manner in which the legislature is being treated in our country will have long-term consequences on our democracy. According to available records, once they get to the Senate, many of these former governors are hardly ever around for any serious legislative work aside the fact that there is even a moral/ethical issue that is being ignored.
It is common knowledge that virtually all the governors are on scandalous life-long financial packages from their states. Yet they are still entitled (and the current ones are collecting) their remunerations from the Senate. Since it is only in our country that you can literally eat your cake and have it, it is no surprise therefore that these executive distinguished senators can be collecting pension and still be earning salaries from public treasuries! Where in the world does such a thing happen but Nigeria?
While that is an issue we must address, my current concern is that we are degrading what is without any doubt the most critical institution in a representative democracy which is the legislature. It is not an accident that lawmakers do not have term limits. It is because experience and institutional memories are vital qualities needed for such assignment. In the case of the Senate that has onerous responsibilities, it is important we look at what obtains in the United States from where we borrowed the idea of presidential system of government.
There is an interesting article on the website of the Dirksen Congressional Centre written by Betty K. Koed, an associate historian at the United States Senate Historical Office, which highlights why the Senate is a critical legislative institution. The point was driven home by a story of an interesting encounter between Thomas Jefferson and George Washington as captured by the writer:
It is said that on his return from France after the framers had completed the U.S. Constitution, creating two houses of Congress, Thomas Jefferson called (George) Washington to account for having agreed to a second chamber, the Senate, in the U.S. Congress. “Of what use is the Senate?” he asked Washington, as he stood before the fire with a cup of tea in his hand. As he asked the question, Jefferson poured some of the tea into his saucer, swirled it around a bit, and then poured it back into the teacup.
“You have answered your own question,” Washington replied.
“What do you mean?” Jefferson asked.
“Why did you pour the tea into your saucer?”
“To cool it,” said Jefferson.
“Just so,” said Washington, “that is why we created the Senate. The Senate is the saucer into which we pour legislation to cool.”
The Senate, according to Koed, serves as the “cooling factor”. To that extent you need maturity as well as experience that comes from years of service in the legislature and that explains why the term for a US Senator is six years as opposed to two for House members. That also explains why much premium is placed on seniority determined by the length of continuous service. For instance, Patrick Leahy will be 40 years in the Senate by the 3rd of January next year on a day that would mark Senator Orrin Hatch’s 38th. No fewer than five of the senators have spent more than 30 years while ten have spent 20 years and above and I am not counting the years that many of them had spent in the House of Representatives before reaching the Senate.
In contrast, only two Senators from the class of 1999 in our country are still in the senate. They are Senator David Mark, current Senate President and Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, Senate Majority Whip. Of the class of 2003, only six are still in the Senate. Yet as I said earlier, the biggest culprits for this state of affair are the governors, many of who have scant regards for democratic principles. First, they lord themselves over the legislative arm in their states by emasculating assembly members who in most cases are treated like errand boys. And then, they ensure that those who go to the National Assembly are “loyalists” since whatever the governors want, the governors get.
That point was underscored most eloquently by President Goodluck Jonathan in Dutse, Jigawa State on Tuesday week when he said: “I always tell our party that until we change our delegates pattern, the governors must dictate what happens. Under the present delegates we have for national elections, any governor, who is fit to be a governor, has control of about 70 percent—whether we like it not.”
It is therefore no surprise that at every election cycle since 1999, many senators, including the exceptional ones like Udoma Udoma and Olorunnibe Mamora have been played out. The immediate consequence of this high turn-over of senators is its toll on the quality of debate and legislation for good governance in our country while the ultimate victims of this unfortunate state of affairs remain the people who are denied quality and effective representation at virtually all levels.
It is perhaps appropriate to say that President Olusegun Obasanjo should also take part of the blame. Due to his meddlesomeness (and their own internal contradictions), the Senate for the first five years became a revolving door, producing in its wake a total of five presidents at an average of one per year. But since 2007, there has been a measure of stability which is now threatened by the antics of governors who evidently do not care much about whether or not our democracy survives and thrives.
The Ceasefire with Boko Haram
In the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency, if there is anybody that the Presidency should build cordial relationships with, it is the Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima. However, having mismanaged the kidnapping of the Chibok girls a time immediate response could have probably helped, it would seem that some people needed to find a scapegoat for their own ineptitude. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong man.
I have in recent weeks had several interactions with Governor Shettima on the situation in Borno vis-a-vis Boko Haram and our military and never has he had one negative word to say about the efforts of the Federal Government. Even when there are speculations that he is not taken into confidence in the ongoing negotiations, when I called him on phone last weekend to know about the current ceasefire deal that many Nigerians are quick to dismiss as a phantom, he confirmed that he is aware of efforts being made with some moderates within the organisation who are ready to settle for peace. He also told me that the federal government should be supported while arguing that the current cynicism in the media is unhelpful.
It is a shame that the Federal Government cannot learn from the management of Ebola crisis in the course of which Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu collaborated with both Lagos and Rivers State Governors Babatunde Fashola and Chibuike Amaechi respectively to achieve results despite that fact that they are in opposition. What is even more unfortunate is that there are insinuations that the presidency’s disposition is being influenced by former Governor Ali Modu Sherrif who is now a regular visitor to Aso Rock. Yet, whatever anybody might be telling them, there is no way the Boko Haram crisis can be effectively contained without the critical inputs of the governors of the three affected states and the last time I checked, Sheriff is no longer the Borno State governor.
However, while I have issues with the political pettiness that is driving some of the decisions as to who to involve and those to ignore in the counter-insurgency operations as well as the tardy manner in which information concerning the ceasefire has been handled so far, the fact we should also not ignore is that negotiations like this are always tricky and there is never a guarantee that it could not at any point unravel. So what we can only do is work towards making it work bearing in mind the saying that nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I believe the Jonathan administration deserves our support in the efforts to find a lasting solution to the Boko Haram menace either by force of arms or through negotiations or a combination of both. However, as I stated earlier, it is also important for the administration to carry along the governors of the affected three states. We need such unity of purpose to defeat the entrepreneurs of violence and their sponsors/sympathisers in our country. With all the critical stakeholders working on the same page, it is possible to put an end to the Boko Haram menace in our country.
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The Verdict Written By Olusegun Adeniyi and Culled from Thisday; olus…@thisdaylive.com
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President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has said that some politicians are trading in human heads ahead of the 2015 general elections. He however said such men will not succeed in their desperate attempt to win elections.
The CAN president said this on Wednesday, at the Thanksgiving Service for Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s 60 birthday, held at the First Baptist Church, Warri, Delta State.
While exhorting on the topic “Thanksgiving,” taken from 2Cor. 9:11-12, he warned politicians, who were already engaging themselves in burying cows and human heads in order to win the coming 2015 elections to desist from the act, saying they have already lost in the elections.
“People are burying cows, human heads because of election. You wey go school? Wetin dey do you sef? Dem take white chalk, red chalk rub you? You don lose already. You are troubling Nigeria,” he said in pidgin.
He said that a Nigeria’s problems are foundational and caused by diabolism and that many Nigerians are suffering for sins they did not commit.
The fiery Pastor has been in the eye of the storm recently over his alleged involvement in the botched $9.3m Arms deal.
