Why Lagos Former Chief Justice Is Worried

The former Chief Justice of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Philips, reportedly shocked the guests at a political symposium at the MUSON Centre, in the metropolis.

The former CJ while speaking as the chairman of the symposium titled:‘People, Credible Polls and Good Governance’ organised by the Fatima Charity Foundation,’ revealed that she was very nervous about what is happening in Nigeria due to the violence ahead of the nation’s general elections in 2015. She revealed that many of her friends were planning to travel out of the country over fears that Nigeria could be torn apart by politicians when the 2015 general elections commence. Philips said there are already signs that the poll may not be free and fair as Nigerians have continued to lament the interfering activities of the country’s security operatives in politics, and lamented the fact that politicians had taken the people for granted for too long. The former chief judge further stated that the tension being created by politicians ahead of the 2015 general elections has brought fear to the mind of the citizens of this country, adding that she would not jet out of the country like her friends but would stay behind to exercise her franchise and vote for the best candidate in the polls. “I’m very worried now about what is going on in this country. Many of my friends have told me they are going to leave the country first week of January and won’t be here for the election because they fear there is going to be mayhem; there would be violence, shooting and bloodshed. We want to vote for people that would rule the country. Enough is enough. I am not going anywhere. I will be here and I’m going to screen people I’m going to vote for. If a person cannot tell me what he is going to do for my state, my local government and this country, I am not going to vote for that person. The only power I have is my vote. Nobody is going to be imposed on me,” she said. Philips also promised to vote for any party that has the proper candidates because Nigeria is no longer a child, adding that many illiterates travel abroad and they see what happens there. She said even many of our leaders also travel abroad, and wondered why they can’t do what they see there, expressing optimism that by now, this country should be better than South Africa because of the amount of money therein if we have the leaders we deserve. While lamenting the crisis rocking Ekiti State, she urged said Nigerians can no longer sit back and be sentimental about it assuring that she is not going to be sentimental and asked about others. She therefore urged all the guests to make sure they get their Permanent Voters Cards so they could vote come 2015 general elections. “My generation has failed, the one before us has failed, and we are teaching the generation after us the wrong things; we have to take care of ourselves, no country would take care of us,” she said. Speaking at the event also, the Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Nation newspaper, Sam Omatseye remarked that Nigerians should educate one and other ahead the 2015 polls, and hinted that there were several challenges facing the country’s attempt at a free and fair elections. READ ALSO: Senate Claims IGP Must Appear In Person Over NASS Crisis Meanwhile, Hajia Bintu-Fatima Tinubu, President of the Foundation asserted that it became imperative to organise the event in order to educate Nigerians about the coming elections. “Do we need to kill ourselves just to gain power? Why do we give and take bribe to vote for a particular candidate without evidence of performance or credibility of the candidate? Are we really ready to make a difference come next year? We must be aware of the serious harm rigged elections can do to the concept of democracy. But above all, the greatest damage remains that bad elections produce bad leadership, bad leadership produces bad governance and bad governance produces bad nation,” she said. It would be recalled that on August 11, 2014, Lagos State House of Assembly confirmed the appointment of Hon. Justice Oluwafunmilayo Olajumoke Atilade as the new Chief Judge of the state.

Buhari’s Jet Barred From Landing In Makurdi

A chartered jet conveying former head of state and a leading candidate of the opposition All progressives Congress (APC), retired General Muhammad Buhari was prevented from landing in Makurdi today around 1pm.

A jet conveying former head of state and a leading candidate of the opposition All progressives Congress (APC), retired General Muhammad Buhari was prevented from landing in Makurdi today around 1pm. A source close to the general told omiswit that some 20 minutes before landing, the pilot was informed that the jet did not have permission to land in Makurdi, citing an order from above. Attempts by General Buhari’s handlers to speak with aviation authorities failed as they claimed persons involved in reversing the order could no longer be reached by phone. omiswit.blogspot.com reached out to Nigeria's minister of aviation, Osita Chidoka, who claimed he was not aware of such developments.

Dieziani Alison-Madueke elected first female president of OPEC

Nigeria's Minister of Petroleum, Dieziani Alison-Madueke has been elected the first female president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). She was elected today at the ongoing 166th General Meeting of the body in Vienna, Austria. She replaces former president of OPEC, Libyan Vice Prime Minister for Corporations, Abdourhman Atahar-Ahirish. She was elected for one year and is expected to immediately resume office.

Some Ministries And Agencies To Leave Abuja City

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed gave the hint yesterday while speaking to news men after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso-villa, Abuja yesterday. He informed them that the council had already approved N60.8 billion for the provision of engineering infrastructure in the district. He said: “The Centenary City is also directly opposite this place and because of the increase in population, we need to do something very quickly. “And the Federal Government is doing this directly as per what we have always done as FCT as a Federal Government project to provide for the development of the city. “Again, in this district, we are moving some of the ministries and departments to that area because we envisage that in tandem with city growth – city growth is always dynamic – and that of course as the population is increasing and the city centre is increasingly moving as per the master plan from the central business district to the centre of the city where you have the city gate and the centenary city, we need to provide for some federal ministries and organisations.” According to Senator Mohammed, the city’s master plan and land usage have been changed to accommodate the movement of the ministries and departments to the new districts. READ ALSO: READ President Jonathan’s Inspiring Centenary Speech He said the FCT administration had set aside N5 billion for advance payments for the provision of the engineering infrastructure at the Kyami district. He further explained that the council’s approval for the provision of the facilities was in line with the statutory responsibility of the FCTA of providing engineering infrastructure to the FCT. “This is one of the residential districts located in Phase V of the city with a land area of 942.56 hectares,” He said.

Governor Aregbesola Sworn In For The Second Term

Aregbesola took oath of office for a second term at Osogbo Township Stadium. From the early morning people had started trooping to the venue of the inauguration ceremony and by 10am, the about 30,000 capacity stadium had been full with people taking over the pitch. Governor of Osun State and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Rauf Aregbesola has won his reelection, August 9. He defeated former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan on November 26th 2010.

Buhari Gives Imo APC Delegates N1m To Get Their Votes At Primaries

The All Progressives Congress, (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), contributed N1 million to the delegates of the party from Imo State to get their votes during its December 10 national convention.

The former head of the state met with the delegates at the Regent Hotels, Owerri, during which he lobbied them to vote for him. Buhari also visited the Imo State House of Assembly to lobby the APC members of the legislature who are legislative delegates to the primaries. The Director General of his Campaign Organisation, Audu Ogbeh; a former President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Rotimi Akeredolu; and a former member of the House of Representatives, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba accompanied the presidential aspirant. Another presidential candidate, ex-Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had at the weekend contributed N8.5 million to the Sokoto State part of the main opposition party. Other aspirants pushing for the opposition party’s presidential ticket are Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State and the founder of the Leadership newspaper, Sam Nda-Isaiah. Mr. Buhari had recently established a crowd sourcing campaign on the social media to raise funds for the primaries.The former head of the state was in the Bayelsa state yesterday to address the delegates of the APC for the party’s forthcoming presidential primaries. While he was travelling from Bayelsa State to Makurdi to pursue delegates of his party ahead of the APC delegates congress scheduled for December his flight barred permit to land in Makurdi airport.

First Human Ebola Vaccine Trial Shows Success

The days of lack of vaccine for the deadly Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, may be finally over as doctors have announced that the first test of an Ebola vaccine in human shows it’s safe and appears to be working as designed. According to the report made public on Wednesday, 26 November, 2014, a check on the first 20 people injected with the vaccine, which has been shown to protect monkeys from Ebola, shows no dangerous side effects. It also added that the vaccine seems to be producing an immune response that would be expected to protect them from infection.

Doctors on Ebola vaccine trial on Humans. “This response is very comparable to the level of the response that actually protected the animals,” said Dr. Tony Fauci, head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, which helped develop and test the vaccine. The Ebola virus is currently raging through Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea and according to the World Health Organisation, WHO, the disease has killed more than 5,000 people and infected 15,000 others. It was disclosed that NIAID is working with vaccine maker GlaxoSmithKline to develop the vaccine, which uses a common cold virus called an adenovirus that normally infects chimpanzees and doesn’t cause any symptoms in humans. It was gathered that the vaccine is genetically engineered with a small piece of Ebola virus and, in theory, should prompt the immune system to recognize and attack Ebola. The report stated that the trial is designed to see if the vaccine is safe and if the immune system responds in a way that would be expected to protect them. The vaccine did, the NIAID researchers report in the New England Journal of Medicine. They especially looked at immune cells called CD8 T-cells. “We know from previous studies in non-human primates that CD8 T-cells played a crucial role in protecting animals that had been vaccinated with this NIAID/GSK vaccine and then exposed to otherwise lethal amounts of Ebola virus,” said Dr. Julie Ledgerwood, an NIAID researcher who led the trial. She added: “The size and quality of the CD8 T-cell response we saw in this trial are similar to that observed in non-human primates vaccinated with the candidate vaccine.” It was disclosed that the real test will come if and when the vaccine is used to protect doctors, nurses and other health care workers who treat actual Ebola patients. The WHO says 588 health care workers have been infected with Ebola and 337 have died of it. Officials of the health agency stated that they hope to be able to use at least one of the vaccines to start immunizing health care workers by January.

Jonathan, Tafawa-Balewa Undergo PDP "Arrangee" Screening

President Goodluck Jonathan and his presumed challenger for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, were put through a mock screening by the party in Abuja on Wednesday.

President Goodluck Jonathan and his presumed challenger for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, were put through a mock screening by the party in Abuja on Wednesday. The PDP has already endorsed Mr. Jonathan for the 2015 election. Today’s exercise was undertaken by a committee is headed by a former National Chairman of the party, Dr. Ahmadu Ali. Three weeks ago, on November 6, Balewa said at a press conference in Abuja he had withdrawn his intention to enter the presidential primary and challenging President Jonathan for the PDP ticket. At the event, which organised by Jonathan applause-leader Chief Edwin Clark, Tafawa-Balewa was quoted as saying he was already supporting the candidacy of Jonathan. On November 14, however, he appeared at the PDP national headquarters following the submission of his Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to contest the primary, and told journalists that he never withdrew from the race. He explained, “I went to Baba Clark’s press briefing, and was asked a question and I responded that I have nothing to say, because it was Clark’s briefing.” Other members of today’s screening committee were a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN); Alhaji Yerima Abdullahi, Bashir Dalhatu, Walin Dutse, Chief Jim Nwobodo and Mrs. Josephine Anenih. Chief Olusola Oke served as Member/Secretary. Mr. Jonathan, who appeared at the event accompanied by a crowd, refused to speak with reporters afterwards. The PDP convention is schedule for Abuja on December 10 and 11. In theory, the delegates will vote to choose between Mr. Jonathan and Tafawa-Balewa. Before then, the screening committee is expected to submit its report, which would establish if there would be need for the appeal committee to sit should either aspirants tabled a complaint before it. Members of the National Working Committee of the party, headed by its troubled chairman, Adamu Mu'azu, are also members of the appeal committee.

An American, Included in the Picked Up from Ghana Cocaine Saga

Nine more people have been picked up by Ghanaian security operatives in connection with the cocaine bust involving a Ghanaian woman, Nayele Ametefe at London’s Heathrow Airport.

The arrest of the nine came after a swoop by a team of security agents. The nine arrested include two ladies who are believed to have travelled with Miss Ametefe but baled out when she was accosted by airport officials. Their names have been given as Nana Akua Amponsah and Sadalia Sandra Nuhu. The others picked by up by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) are Paa Kwesi Acquah, Sandra’s boyfriend; Mustapha Kilba, a cousin of Akua Amponsah and Faisal Khadar, an American. The rest are Abdulla Mustrah, Mouiw Jaafar and Charbel Nasr, all Lebanese, and Mariotto Benard Young, an Indian. Meanwhile, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abiel Ashitey Armah and two others have been dragged to court by the government for allegedly assisting Nayele Ametefe to transport cocaine from Ghana to the UK.

PDP-Backed Speaker Likely To Emerge Against Tambuwal

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is working behind the scenes to plant one of its members as a new Speaker of the House of Representatives as part of an elaborate plan to undermine the incumbent, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who recently left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKNOV 26, 2014 124 34 92 The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is working behind the scenes to plant one of its members as a new Speaker of the House of Representatives as part of an elaborate plan to undermine the incumbent, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who recently left the PDP to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). House of Rep Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal Three sources at the PDP secretariat and the National Assembly told SaharaReporters that officials at the Presidency as well as hawkish elements within the party were collaborating on a plan to prop up an alternative speaker in order to create an effective revolt against Mr. Tambuwal’s continued role as head of the House. “The party’s simple majority will just announce a new Speaker and rubbish Aminu Tambuwal,” said one of the sources. One other source disclosed, however, that many PDP representatives were reluctant to do the bidding of the Presidency, especially after a botched plan hatched by the Presidency to impeach Mr. Tambuwal in a Gestapo-style operation last week. “[The] majority of members are reluctant because of what happened last week, but the Presidency is still insisting that a new Speaker must be installed, no matter the consequences,” said the source. “There is a directive that Tambuwal must be uprooted from being Speaker because the Presidency knows the implications of allowing him to stay. They are insisting that the PDP members should nominate one of them since they have [a] simple majority in the House. And that they should challenge Tambuwal’s stool since APC has no majority in the House,” one source disclosed. He added, “Some members are skeptical in view of their relationship with Tambuwal. And some of them are also not satisfied with President Jonathan’s high-handedness, but the PDP is using that to ascertain their loyalty to the party and may threaten them.” Our sources said there had been a series of meetings between the party and prominent PDP members of the House of Representatives in order to advance the Presidency’s goal of thwarting Mr. Tambuwal’s speakership. E

A mobile policeman was killed in Bayelsa State

A mobile policeman attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command has been killed, and his service rifle taken away by yet to be identified gunmen along Akenpai area, in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.

A mobile policeman attached to the Bayelsa State Police Command has been killed, and his service rifle taken away by yet to be identified gunmen along Akenpai area, in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State. Nigeria Police Confirming the killing, acting Police Public Relations Officer, Lawrence Eboka, said the deceased, who is a corporal, was shot dead at about 7 a.m. on Monday while on his way to resume duty. An eyewitness, simply identified as Preye, said the unidentified gunmen ambushed the deceased policeman and caught him off guard. "He was shot from behind," the witness said. The state police command via the spokesman said it is on top the of the situation and vowed to apprehend the killers and recover the stolen rifle. "We are making all efforts to apprehend the killers and recover the stolen weapon," said Eboka.

Goodluck Jonathan, Destroyer-in-Chief By Toyin Dawodu

Ngeria has been in a continual state of decline for the last 50 years. We could beat around the bush and sugar-coat it, but the cold, hard truth is Nigeria is being destroyed. We have leaders who don’t care about the future of a country overflowing with talent. I suspect under better leadership, Nigeria would emerge as a First World powerhouse, the seat of the entire continent. But our current leaders don’t have the heart to step up and deliver that level of leadership. Our leaders would rather let the hell of the last seven years continue because most Nigerians are living in hellish conditions. Of course, I am not including the elite and the corrupt in this number. Now we have, in office, the man who is putting the final nail in Nigeria’s coffin. This current administration, led by none other than the irrepressible Goodluck Jonathan, has worked tirelessly during his term to further erode the beauty, wealth and potential of Nigeria as a globally-competitive economic force. After running Nigeria's economy into the ground over the last six years, Jonathan is now bent on destroying our nascent democracy. If there is such thing as impunity with audacity, Jonathan is proof positive that the rule of law doesn’t apply to leadership or the elite. Government is above the law.

How else can one explain the kind of boldness to dispatch his security henchmen to the National Assembly to prevent lawfully elected law makers from doing the job for which they were elected? Where else in the world will a government duly elected prevent the other independent arm of the government from discharging its lawful duties? Only in Nigeria. Just for the record, I am not necessarily sympathizing with the plight of the members of the National assembly either. Most of these members have been described as looters by someone who knows them best. Former President Obasanjo refers to the Nigerian National assembly as an “assemblage of looters” and a “den of thieves, who steal the nation blind with impunity. According to the former President, this assemblage of open looters is aided and abetted by none other than the current President Jonathan, who can only be described best as the “commander in thief” Not only do these so called legislators rob the country, they do it in cohorts with and under the watchful eyes of our pretend commander in chief, the chief law enforcement officer, and the very person elected to safeguard our laws. Whenever it suits Mr. President, he uses his bully pulpit to further erode our democracy by resorting to force instead of the courts. As succinctly put by former president Obasanjo, “the greatest indictment against any administration is to be seen trying to destroy opposition of all sorts which invariably mean destroying democracy.” In a country currently being ravaged by wars, poverty, disease and lack, we should expect our pretend “commander-in-chief,” to have his hands full fixing the economy and worrying about the downward spiral in which we find the value of the Nigerian currency. Instead, Jonathan is fixated on the next election so he can hang on to his career and sit at the helm of the most corrupt government in the history of Nigeria. I have used the term “pretend commander-in-chief” a few times. Please permit me the liberty. Let me explain why. President Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of the greatest armed forces in the world. Yet, in his six year rule so far, I have never seen President Obama dressed in a military uniform either in public or privately. He demonstrates a certain amount of respect for the men and women who wear the uniform as proof of their pledge to protect the U.S. These soldiers have been specially and specifically trained to protect their country. Still, the fact that President Obama never wears the uniform does not compromise his position as the head of the nation’s armies. The people who wear the uniform, from privates to generals, must defer to him by law. President Obama has nothing to prove. He doesn’t walk around sporting fatigues to prove he’s the Commander-in-Chief. He just is. He doesn’t have to wear army fatigues and pretend to be a soldier when he’s not a soldier. In most democracies, the armed forces must defer to the elected civilian government. But only in a nation like Nigeria where the pretend commander-in-chief underperforms on a consistent basis must the president walk around in military clothes, despite the fact that he’s never had any military training. I suppose he is thinking what we all are: “Respect you? What have you done to earn my respect?” Jonathan has never seen the barrel of a gun. He has never commanded a ship. He has never piloted a plane. He has never even been enrolled in the defense academy or a boot camp. Yet time and again, we see those pictures of him sporting the military garbs. Charlie Boy Jonathan, the pretender-in-chief. With all his pretenses, one would expect the President to at least live up to the uniform he is now wearing. After all, he pretends to be a “general” in the armed forces. But instead of fighting battles and winning wars, his main focus is destroying our democracy by locking out the very men and women elected to protect our nascent democracy. I say, come off it, Mr. President. These are your last few months in office. At least go out in peace. Start creating solutions to the problems that have plagued Nigerians for years. Give your people electricity. Chase down the terrorists instead of lawmakers. Bring back our girls instead of plotting to impeach or arrest the speaker of the assembly. Your days are numbered and soon we won’t tolerate the sight of you (of all people) wearing the military uniforms in our presence. In these final few weeks and months of your term, do something positive for Nigeria. Don’t go down in history as the man who destroyed our democracy or years from now, when our children are old and gray, they will still refer to you as President Goodluck Jonathan, Destroyer-in-Chief By Toyin Dawodu

PDP Youth Group Reacts to Oba of Lagos support for APC

OBA OF THE APC OR OBAS OF LAGOS? The youth wing of the People's Democratic Party, the PDP National Youth Frontier (PDPNYF) is not happy with comments credited to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu. It described the comment as a direct attack against PDP and a mockery of non-partisanship, saying traditional rulers should be for all. The highly respected Oba was quoted to have remarked thus:“Recently, I told Bode George, [Musiliu] Koko and [Adeseye] Ogunlewe that 'Look at me o! You will never win Lagos. God will give us another APC governor'. Speaking as the chief launcher of the autobiography of the former President of the Court of Appeal, Mustapha Akanbi, at the Sheraton Hotels in Abuja on Wednesday, Oba Akiolu said Lagos would remain an APC state. The PDPNYF hereby condemns the altrances of the Oba who is supposed to remain neutral at all time. But you may wish to know that the Oba of Benin openly endorsed Jonathan in 2011 without any complain.

Obasanjo rubbishes National Assembly, says it’s an assembly of thieves, looters

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, today Nov. 26th rubbished the National Assembly, saying it is an Assembly of looters and thieves. He said this while speaking at the public presentation of the autobiography of Justice Mustapha Akanbi, in Abuja. Some of what he said below... "Apart from shrouding the remunerations of the National Assembly in opaqueness and without transparency, they indulge in extorting money from departments, contractors and ministries in two ways" "They do so during visits to their projects and programmes and in the process of budget approval when they build up budgets for ministries and departments, who agree to give it back to them in contracts that they do not execute. They do similar things during their inquiries.” "Corruption in the National Assembly also includes what they call constituency projects which they give to their agents to execute but invariably, full payment is made with little or no job done. In all this, if the executive is not absolutely above board, the offending members of the National Assembly resort to subtle or open threat, intimidation and blackmail. When the executive pay the huge money, normally in millions of dollars, all is quiet in form of whitewashed reports that fail to deal effectively with the issues investigated.” "When the guard is the thief, only God can keep the house safe and secure. But I am optimistic that sooner than later, we will overcome. God will give us guards of integrity and honesty with the fear of God and genuine love of their people and their country. “Today, there is no institution of government that is not riddled with corruption, not even the military. As the people cry out, where then is the salvation.” Obasanjo said Source: Premium Times

Obasanjo Attacks Jonathan Again

Obasanjo was speaking at a book launch in honour of the pioneer chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, Justice Mustapha Akanbi‎, in Abuja. READ ALSO: Kashamu Lambasts Obsanjo Obasanjo, who was the Chairman of the occasion, advised President Jonathan to stop encouraging “verbal violence which may not physically hurt but has ways of degenerating into physical violence.” He cautioned the present administration not to destroy opposition of all sort‎s because doing so, means destroying democracy. “Management of democracy without resorting to brute force and dictatorial tendencies must be cultivated,” the former president said. “As a leader, you must not deliberately do evil or condone evil. You should know that you will one day give account to God, you may cover up here, but before God, there is no cover up.” Speaking on the insecurity in the North East, Obasanjo said Boko Haram is not out to “frustrate anyone’s political efforts.” He opined that President Jonathan did not fully understand the issues involved.

'I'm married to only one woman & we still share same bed 43 years later" - Alake of Egbaland

Unlike many title holders, the Alake of Egbaland HRH Oba Michael Adedotun Gbadebo is married to only one woman, Olori Tokunbo, and they have been married for 43 years. They say he's the only long serving Oba in this country with only one wife. He became Alake of Egbaland in 2005.

The Oba revealed recently at a wedding where he was the chairman that he still shares the same bed with his wife and mother of his children, this was after he praised her for being an incredible partner. He said they have a strong bond and he never had the need to marry another woman. The Oba who is 71, said his grandfather had 24 wives, while his own father had 3 but he decided one wife was enough and despite the fact that he was an Oba, he and his wife have always shared same room and same bed and that is how it will remain till death do them part. Aww, what a great man!

How my 21-year marriage to pres. Jonathan has survived- Patience Jonathan

Speaking on how they first met while they were at the Rivers state College of Education where she was pursuing her Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) and B.Ed while he was a lecture at the department of Biological science, First Lady Patience Jonathan said what attracted him to her was his religious background, and good looks.. "My first impression of him was of a tall, dark, handsome young man. I also found that he came from a good Christian home just like I did. His humble and gentle disposition caught my attention and most importantly, his intelligence". Dame Jonathan, who married President Jonathan in 1993, said praying together and discussing everything together has been a sustaining force in their 21 year marriage. "Both of us are from Christian homes and our complete trust is in Jesus Christ. We pray together as a family every morning. What keeps us together is that we are each others best friends and soul-mate. We discuss everything that comes up and advice each other accordingly. We depend on each other. We do not let the sun set on our grievances" she said The couple are blessed with 4 children, a son Arewera Adolphus, Daughters Aruabi and Abayola and Faith Sakwe-Edwards, their foster daughter who had a grand wedding in April

Nollywood producer Fidelis Duker tells how his dogs killed 2 Cobras in his compound

Nollywood producer Fidelis Duker shared how three of his dogs killed two Cobras in one month inside his compound. Don't know which part of Lagos he lives in, but if two Cobras visit in just a month, isn't that a dangerous place to live? He explained to his followers that the land next to his house is undeveloped..so that's where the snakes are coming from. He shared photos on his Facebook page. Continue to see them.

Bishop Tom Samson acquires N80million customized stretch limo

According to a report by Encomium mag, the General Overseer of Christ Royal Church just acquired stretch limousine SUV said to be worth about N80million, which was built to his specifications. The limo, a Hummer brand, has the following specifications; Double jet doors, double axe, 6 wheeler, 3 plasma TV, Smart torch control system, 42 inches TVin VIP compartment, three stereo systems, iPod ready stereo, CD/mp3 player, DVD player, specially lighted mirror ceiling, specially lighted floor, laser window, 4 bar compartments, 28 passenger, leather seats, 38 feet long, HXP box available, power divider that separates driver section. Continue..

Premium sound/sub woofer, fiber optic light, strobe light, light-up cooler for soda, dual a/c compressor system, intercom available, two 15 inch LCD TV in the jet doors, dual high velocity a/c blower, extra large a/c condenser and full interior with additional sound proofing. Its safety features includes Air-bag passenger, air-bag driver, air-bag sides and top of the line royalty edition. Confirming the purchase of the wonder wheel, the Pastor said "Yes it's true. I actually ordered for it to be specifically built for me by Toplimony. It's a rare brand of stretch limousine that can't be found in Nigeria. I bought to celebrate the goodness of God and for our forthcoming anniversary. It's quite expensive and soon you would see it and show it to the world" he said

APC To Give Automatic Tickets To Selected Legislators From Kano—Kwankwaso

Kano State’s APC caucus will give automatic tickets to most of its serving State and National Assembly legislators to recontest in order not to disunite the party, state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, has announced.

Kwankwaso then assured that any aspirant who accepts the caucus’ choice would be compensated, revealing that so far, Dawakin Tofa, Rimin Gado, Tofa, Kabo and Gwarzo Local Government Areas of the state have reached consensus on their aspirants for the National Assembly.

Nigerian Man Sentenced To Death For Drug Trafficking In Malaysia

A Nigerian man, Abuchi Ngwoke, 35, was sentenced to death today November 25th, by a Malaysian Hight Court on a drug trafficking conviction . Ngwoke was arrested at a Malaysian airport in 2012 after being found with 251.66 grams of Methamphetamine.

James Ibori's daughter runs for seat in Delta state Assembly

Erhiatake Ibori, one of the daughters of embattled former Governor of Delta state James Ibori, is contesting for a seat at the State House of Assembly, Ethiope West Constituency, in the 2015 general assembly. She recently launched her campaign with the release of her campaign posters...

Yakubu Gowon, Musiliu Obanikoro, others, attend 18th Nnamdi Azikiwe Memorial

In a gathering at the National Institute of International Affairs, several dignitaries including former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, came together to honor the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president. The event was the 18th Nnamdi Azikiwe Remembrance day and it was hosted by the Ndi-Igbo Cultural Society of Nigeria on November 16, Dr. Azikiwe’s birthday. Dr. Azikiwe’s remembrance was a very festive occasion, with groups of women arriving in matching gele (head ties) and wrappers. Dignitaries dressed in official traditional attire as befitting their chieftaincy titles, were greeted at the gate by a troupe of men playing traditional Igbo music. Present at the event were Senator Ben Obi (representing President Goodluck Jonathan), Musiliu Obanikoro, political scientist Henry Ebireri, amongst other dignitaries. General Yakubu Gowon, also the keynote speaker for the occasion, began his speech by stating that he had arrived ten minutes earlier in order for the event to begin on time. He then warned the audience to refrain from observing “African time” lest they miss Jesus and end up in a “very hot place.” His banter was very indicative of the lighthearted spirit with which people had gathered to honor Dr. Azikiwe, also called “Zik” by many of the speakers. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was president of Nigeria from 1963-1966. Born in 1904, in the town of Zungeru, Niger state, he completed his high school education at Methodist Boys’ High School Lagos. He went on to finish his higher education in the United States, earning an undergraduate degree from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, and Masters degrees from Lincoln University and University of Pennsylvania. In his home country, Dr. Azikiwe was instrumental in passing the law to establish a University in Nigeria’s East; to that end, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was founded in 1955. When Biafra attempted secession, he initially campaigned for the country’s recognition, but switched his support to the federal government when he realized that the war was futile. Several guests at the Remembrance day lauded his quest to achieve unity across ethnic lines in the country. In his speech about Dr. Azikiwe, General Gowon acknowledged the political scene in Nigeria today, saying, "We have politicians who have become rebels without cause or creed and who cannot be pinned to any ideology, quite unlike Zik and other political heavyweights of his time." He called for reflection on the values of those who had gone before, asking, "What ideals did they die for? Was their perception of united Nigeria exclusionary or all-inclusive?" Truly, Dr. Azikiwe's attempts at uniting with Northern leaders met with the disapproval of several southern leaders, including Obafemi Awolowo. In current affairs, the echoes of distrust due to ethnicity are still visible. Musiliu Obanikoro, candidate for the Governorship of Lagos State under the People's Democratic Party (PDP), took a lighter tone in his speech, instead discussing Dr. Azikiwe's athletic prowess joking, "that's probably why he lived so long." While the event featured speeches, there was also a martial arts performance by pupils from the Ema Martial Arts Shotokan Karate school, which had the guests applauding and a few of the dignitaries rising to their feet for a better view.

2015: Why Jonathan And PDP Will Lose In Akwa Ibom State By Inibehe Effiong

Residents navigating water ways by canoe, Ibeno, Akwa Ibom Apart from the indisputible fact that there is practically no federal presence in terms of empowerment and projects in the state since Jonathan's emergence, Akwa Ibomites are totally disenchanted with the conspiratorial silence on and obvious acquiescence of Mr. Jonathan with Governor Godswill Akpabio's dictatorial tendencies, especially as it concerns the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state. Those who arrogantly boast that Akwa Ibom State is a "PDP State" should get ready for a shocker come 2015. I am aware that this arrogance stems from the very notorious PDP culture of rigging and violence during elections as witnessed during the 2011 elections in Akwa Ibom State. The truth is that less than five percent (5%) of Akwa Ibom residents and indigenes are registered or card-carrying members of political parties. Our people are not really obsessed with any political party. They are primarily interested in the candidate(s) that represent their collective resolve for good governance, democratic dividends and better welfare. The 2015 elections will be a watershed in the politics of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria. Those whose strength and confidence lies in the power of looted money and guns will be taught bitter lessons of their lives through the tested and potent instrumentality of the 'Peoples' Will'. The days when politicians cite "Abuja's directive" as an authority for political direction in Akwa Ibom State are gone, and gone for good. The 2015 elections in Akwa Ibom will not be determined by political party affiliation. The PDP claim of exclusive ownership of votes from Akwa Ibom State is borne out of sheer ignorance. Indeed, a tsunami kind of revolt is awaiting the PDP in Nigeria's richest but almost poorest state. As I told a colleague recently, if all political parties are bad, then no single bad party has monopoly of ruling over us. If all the political parties are the same, then let us try another party. PDP has shown us her capacity since 1999, it is time we allow another party (whether bad or not) to take charge. There is nothing spiritual about voting for the PDP; the very party that has looted, embarrassed and completely ruined this country for over a decade. I do not know those advising President Jonathan, but I am certain that they are leading him to a shameful and clear defeat in the next election. It is utter naivety to think that the people of South South will unanimously cast their votes for Jonathan in 2015. By giving state governors the leverage to manipulate the PDP structures in the states, the PDP is set to commit political suicide, especially in Akwa Ibom State. Our people are fed-up with the insults, arrogance and provocative insensitivity of President Jonathan and the PDP to the wishes of the people and they will show to the world that there is no gain or pride in slavery and imposition. The last time I visited Edo State was during the burial of one of our comrades, Late Prof. Festus Iyayi, during my almost one week stay in Edo State, I could see clearly the disenchantment of the people of Edo with the Jonathan presidency. Rivers State PDP is deeply polarised with the very courageous governor Amaechi of the APC leading the anti-Jonathan campaign. With the crisis in Cross River, Bayelsa and even Delta State chapters of PDP, it will be a tough fight for Jonathan and the PDP in the South-South come 2015. So tell me, how possible will it be for Jonathan to garner in 2015 the kind of support and votes he had from the South-South in 2011? Yes, ethnic and geo-political lining is a strong factor in our polity, but things have changed radically given the visible governance failings and unpardonable political miscalculations of President Jonathan who thinks that the support of governors ultimately means the support of the people. No matter how one looks at it, President Jonathan and the PDP will not sweep the votes of Akwa Ibom electorates effortlessly in 2015. As things stand today, Jonathan and the PDP should perish the thought of wining the 2015 gubernatorial and presidential elections in Akwa Ibom State. The writer is Inibehe Effiong and can be reached via email: inibehe.effiong@gmail.com

More on the controversial sign on the new 100 Naira note

From a Omiswit Blog reader. (If you don't understand this, read previous posts on this issue here )

Want to bring to your notice that the old Twenty naira note, had cleverly tucked on both sides, half of Arewa logo, such that when both side are aligned it forms a tilted complete Arewa logo. The feature was taken off when the 5, 10, 20 and 50 naira notes were redesigned in 2006. The MURIC should stop heating the polity with the call they made, they could have confirmed the claim before making it public because the said image from my point of view is a security feature on the new 100 naira note. Attached (above) is an image proving the presence of Arewa logo on the Twenty naira note before it was redesigned in 2006.

Atiku Abubakar celebrates as his wife is called to Bar today

Atiku Abubakar, whose birthday it is today, said he will be spending his birthday with family, as they celebrate his wife, Jennifer Jamilah Abubakar, call to bar.

Pres. Jonathan wishes Mrs H.I.D Awolowo happy 99th birthday celebrations

The wife of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Mrs Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo will turn 99 today, November 25th. The president just released a statement wishing her happy celebrations.. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan heartily congratulates Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Dideolu Awolowo on the joyous occasion of her 99th birthday anniversary, today, Tuesday, November 25, 2014.

President Jonathan and his family join millions of admirers of the late nationalist, renowned political leader and sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in wishing his “Jewel of Inestimable Value” very happy birthday celebrations. The President prays that God Almighty will grant Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo many more years of worthy service as the matriarch and moral compass of the great Awolowo political dynasty which continues to play a commendable role in national development and progress. President Jonathan looks forward to personally participating in the celebration of Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo’s landmark 100th birthday next year to honour the highly-revered spouse of one of Nigeria’s famous founding fathers. He prays that God Almighty who has blessed Chief (Mrs.) Awolowo with remarkable longevity will grant her continued good health and very memorable birthday celebrations. Reuben Abati Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) November 24, 2014

Write Boko Haram to stop attacks, CAN President tells Sultan of Sokoto

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, to write a letter to members of Boko Haram to stop their attacks just as he did to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Pastor Oritsejafor made the call today at a 2-day meeting in Abuja with Senior Special Assistants on Religious Affairs to all state governors. “His Eminence said he wrote a letter to ISIS, I have to truly congratulate you for that because that was a very good move. I didn’t know about it until today and I am so glad it happened. But I want to appeal that you also write to Boko Haram because Boko Haram is worst than ISIS. They have killed more people than ISIS, they have caused more atrocities than ISIS; they need to be written to as well, it is very important it will help. I have made an appeal several times that there are some of our leaders who must come together, religious, political and traditional. They must come and discuss.’’ he said

Bomb blast reported at Maiduguri Monday Market..

Two female suicide bombers reportedly blew themselves up this morning at the Maiduguri Monday market in Borno state, killing dozens of people. The bomb explosions happened at about 11.30am. More details later...

Governor Fayose, You Are Misbehaving

Ayo Fayose: There was a governor: Misbehaviour on steroids “Mr Governor, you are misbehaving”. Those were the words that forced Ayo Fayose to sink himself into a sofa. That was in 2004. He was then the governor of Ekiti State. It was an informal meeting in the office of the then Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. There were just four of us – Akin Osuntokun, MD of NAN, Fayose; Segun Adeniyi, then Editor, ThisDay on Sunday; and I. I was the Political Editor of Vanguard at the time. It was meant to be an interactive session and we actually interacted. “Mr. Governor, you are misbehaving”, were my words in response to Fayose’s patronizing comments about the position of Adeniyi on how he writes his column and the principles behind every article... Fayose had tried to package Adeniyi, claiming that, as his friend, the editor would not take him on or be critical of him in his regular Thursday back page column. To this, Adeniyi responded that his true friends know that friendship is just another currency in the realm of altruism; that he writes to uphold the truth and that when his friends misbehave, he writes about them in a very critical manner. Looking a bit surprised by Adeniyi’s retort, Fayose, the usually smart and fast talker, quickly said: “Okay, as your friend, I will not misbehave”. It was this claim by Fayose that he would not misbehave that made me jump at him in a split second: “Mr. Governor, you are misbehaving”. As if cold water had just been poured on him (in all honesty that was really a cold response), Fayose grabbed the arm-rest of the closest sofa to him and sank himself into it. He then attempted to rationalize why he would always remain the essential Fayose, telling of his grass to grace story and the assault on his sensibilities by some leaders in the state who just could not come to terms with the fact that he was their governor. A very touching story though, the reason for my response to him was that just a couple of months earlier, at another session, a few of his friends and some journalists had tried to appeal to him to tone down his seemingly over-charged disposition which was denying him of the necessary applause that should come his way in view of some strides he was making as governor – especially his appeal to the common man. He was having some altercations with traditional rulers and he had been counseled to allow tempers cool. Barely hours after the session, Fayose jumped into another quarrel with yet another traditional ruler, further heightening tension in the state. Prior to that meeting in Abuja that fateful afternoon, even Fayose himself knew that he had needlessly worked himself and his state into a frenzied situation. But all these were in 2004. Mind you, his sojourn ended in his impeachment as governor of Ekiti State. Whether the impeachment followed due process or not is for the courts to decide. But Fayose never challenged his impeachment in court, suggesting that he either agreed that he deserved to be impeached because of his serial acts of misbehavior; that he left everything in the hands of God Almighty; or that, perhaps, he was just fed up with the whole drama and wanted to walk away. Whatever his reasons, he never challenged it. Just 10years after, in a very rare fateful manner, Fayose has gotten a second chance as governor of the same Ekiti State. Even before he was sworn-in, he had boasted severally that whatever he will do is what he will do. Governor-elect speaking! Yes, he has a right to do whatever he decides to do like all mortals – ‘A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do’. When the late great man of letters, Chinua Achebe, wrote his book, THERE WAS A COUNTRY, it was with a view to reflecting on years of waste, broken dreams and the ruins that is the nation Nigeria today. From that title, we dare say, THERE WAS A GOVERNOR. This piece would not concern itself with the enormous powers at his disposal as a state governor. This piece would not also concern itself with all the accusations and counter accusations that are at best partisan and at worst trumped up. What this piece would concern itself with, like all men of good conscience, is the madness – yes madness – that happened last week at the Ekiti State House of Assembly. For a state that touts itself as ‘FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGE’, happenings in the state lately suggest that knowledge has taken flight. And in the absence of knowledge for which people suffer and perish, idiocy becomes the order of the day. A Supreme Court judgment in 2006 had made it clear that the quorum for any legislative gathering refers to the quorum as reflected in the total number of elected members. But because the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leadership in the country had already set a template as was the case during the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, election last year, that 16 was greater than 19, the PDP legislators in Ekiti State took misbehavior a notch higher, albeit, egregiously. In an assembly of 26 members, seven of them, using the instrumentality of the Ekiti State Governor’s Office as alleged by Speaker Adewale Omirin, were escorted to the assembly by IGP Ibrahim Abba’s boys. The seven members voted and impeached the speaker and his deputy and elected their own Speaker. One Samuel Ajibola, who defended the action of the members, explained that the seven members had more than enough to carry out what can best be described as a debauchery. It is established that to impeach the Speaker, you need two third majority. Ajibola said the entire seven members were in support of the impeachment of Omirin and, therefore, had more than the two third majority needed. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court judgment given in the case between Rasheed Ladoja, then impeached governor of Oyo State, and the state House of Assembly and Alao Akala, had established that the quorum and two third majority stipulated by the Constitution referred to the quorum of the entire members of the assembly and the two third majority referred to the two third of the entire elected members and not just those at a sitting. This is information which should constitute knowledge. The Ekiti-7 ignored this and launched their expedition in misbehavior. If it had all started and ended there, with Fayose maintaining a dignified silence, excuses could still be made for him. But on television, when asked to review the events regarding the impeachment, he endorsed it. He welcomed the development and even said he has already recognized the ‘new Speaker’. He then added that he owed nobody any apologies. This was 10 years after the charge, ‘Mr. Governor, you are misbehaving’. Most people don’t get a second chance in life. Fayose had gotten his. More profound was the nature of his victory against all odds. However, psychologists would need to burrow deep into the inner workings of the mind of a man whose actions almost always elicit public opprobrium and yet, he persists. Fayose need not look further to understand that he runs the risk of running himself aground if he persists along this destructive path, if he pauses, and takes a look at the dwindling fortunes of Mario Ballotelli, a footballer. It was Jose Maurinho, the Chelsea coach, who told a story of how delinquent conduct could ruin a footballer’s potentials. His team, Inter Milan, was playing a match and needed to win. He was already suffering the non-availability of some key players, At half time, Maurinho called the very precocious and combustible Ballotelli to a corner and pleaded that he should avoid committing any foul having already received a Yellow Card – mind you, Milan was already a man down. Once the second half commenced, just within five minutes, a rush of blood to the brain caused Ballotelli to commit a silly foul; he was carded and sent off. According to Maurinho, “I could not believe it”. From that point, Ballotelli’s career continued to dip. Therefore, if Fayose’s approach to governance, an approach that is at once rambunctious and sometimes shambolic, can be described as a form of defence mechanism against a real or perceived complex, his friends, associates and family members would need to calm him down and counsel that he should not sacrifice his natural grassroots connectivity potentials on the altar of rascality and a behavioral pattern that appears to be running on steroids. Source: Vanguard

PDP in Panic, Moves to Stop Jonathan’s Impeachment

The heat is on. The PDP may have started offering ‘re-election tickets’ to National Assembly members as a means of dissuading them from supporting the reported drive by majority of All Progressives Congress lawmakers and few PDP members to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan. In the House of Reps in particular, the bait was said to have “toned down” the anger of some PDP members, who ordinarily would have backed the bid to remove Jonathan. An influential National Assembly source said on Sunday that “many of these lawmakers have long fallen apart with their state governors. They have been told before now that they should forget any ambition to return in 2015. “Attempts they made to use the Presidency to intervene in their case also did not turn out in their favour. But, with the impeachment move against Jonathan, the party is now assuring some of the members to keep supporting the President as the tickets can still be theirs.” About 113 lawmakers, largely of the APC fold, began collecting signatures to impeach Jonathan after the police and SSS operatives locked the gates of the National Assembly on Thursday. Many of them, including the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, were held out for hours as a result of the security action. The development led to commotion as angry members resorted to scaling the gates to enter the National Assembly premises. Amidst a rain of tear-gas, the enraged lawmakers also forcibly took Tambuwal into the chambers to preside over the day’s proceedings. Investigations by Punch showed that PDP immediately started reaching out to its members after it turned out that the collection of signatures was real. A senior PDP member, Mr. Bethel Amadi, confirmed to Punch that the caucus would be mobilised to stop any impeachment move against Jonathan. Amadi said, “Jonathan has not committed any offence to the best of our knowledge. There is no reason to drag Mr. President into any crisis happening at the National Assembly." Another source said, “You know that to impeach the President there must be a joint effort of the Senate and the House. While one arm can initiate the process, it cannot get far without two-thirds support of both chambers. “That is why, getting senators and House members to stay out of the APC’s plot is vital.”

Why We Invaded APC Office In Lagos

The State Security Services (SSS) has explained why it invaded the APC office in Lagos, saying that it did it for security reasons. The deputy director, Information, Marilyn Ogar stated this while reacting to the attack on the APC office, she added that the service received a petition that the building was used as a secret place to clone INEC permanent voter cards. She said the agency carried out the operation to investigate the allegation. Ogar also claimed that the SSS retrieved three hard drives, a server, and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags of hard copies of data. She also said that many people in the APC centre were arrested. According to the SSS, “Nobody knew it was an APC office because there was no sign to indicate that it was their office. Based on a petition that some people are cloning INEC permanent voter cards in the building at: "10, Bola Ajibola Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, our personnel carried out an operation there this morning (Saturday) and recovered a server, three hard drives and 31 ‘Ghana must go’ bags filled with hard data, for analysis. “We have commenced investigation and this would show whether the allegations in the petition are true or not. There was no sign that the building belonged to APC or any other party, it was when they got to the office after they recovered the data captured, that they learnt that the building was being used by the APC. "We are being proactive on account of the security situation in the country, you know that the Boko Haram has been targeting Lagos and so, we cannot afford the petition lying low.”

I'm the best Nigerian President ever

So leaders in government now score themselves high, rather than allow the people judge them? That is our country for you. President Goodluck

Jonathan has described himself as Nigeria's best leader ever. The President said no leader since the country gained independence in 1960 had done better than himself for the country. He, therefore, said comments made by President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which the ex-President described Jonathan’s performance as below average, was untrue. “Our attention has been drawn to comments made by a former President of this country, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, regarding the performance of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. “Obasanjo had at an event over the weekend declared that he rated the President Goodluck Jonathan administration ‘below average’. “We aver that Obasanjo’s comments are untrue, misleading and clearly do not tally with the facts on the ground... “We therefore wish to assert without equivocation that in terms of performance and achievements, no administration since 1960 when Nigeria gained independence from Britain, has done as much as that of President Jonathan.” Jonathan said this in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, in Abuja. He said that every discerning and unbiased Nigerian would definitely attest to this “as the evidence stare all of us in the face.” Okupe, who had also worked with the former President while in office, added that contrary to Obasanjo’s position, the Federal Government under Jonathan had performed excellently given the prevailing circumstances and resources available to it. He said while it was true that Nigeria had been faced with incidents of insurgency and terrorism, especially in the last few years, the Jonathan administration had successfully contained the initial widespread activities of the insurgents, which he said were prevalent in 12 states of the North, including the Federal Capital Territory. He added, “While it is true that the present activities of the terrorists in the three north-eastern states have become more deadly in mindless killings, kidnappings and supposed territorial seizures, government has made giant diplomatic strides with our neighbouring countries in order to checkmate the crisscrossing of the insurgents. “The military and other security agents, which have engaged the insurgents since inception, have done a great job in spite of recent challenges. “The truth of the matter which we must know and accept is that we have an internal enemy supported by internal and external resources waging a major warfare against our nation.” Obasanjo had stated that most Nigerians are not feeling the impact of the Jonathan administration.

Rivers APC Congratulates New CJN, Seeks Intervention into Judiciary Crisis

Warns of PDP’s plot to open the courts by force The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, on his appointment, even as it requested his immediate intervention in the crisis that has paralyzed the State Judiciary. “The news of Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed’s appointment as CJN came to us as a big relief as we are aware of his forthrightness and commitment to upholding the rule of law. We are convinced that he will bring to bear his wisdom and professionalism to the dispensation of justice in our land. As we wish him a great success in his new office, he can be assured of our unalloyed support and encouragement to ensure that he becomes one of the most successful Chief Justices of our country,” Rivers APC said in a statement issued Monday in Port Harcourt. The party in the statement signed by its State Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, drew the attention of the new CJN to the Rivers judiciary crisis that has resulted in the closure of all the courts in the State based on the directive of the state’s Judicial Service Commission (SJSC) due to the dispute over the appointment of a new substantive Chief Judge for the State. “We as a political party are saddened by this unfortunate stalemate which resulted from the attempt of immediate past Chief Justice Aloma Mukhtar and the NJC to impose Justice Daisy Okorocha as the Chief Judge of Rivers State without any input from the Governor of Rivers State as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. All this is aimed at foisting an unpopular Chief Judge on Rivers State so as to clear the way for our duly and popularly elected Governor Amaechi to be impeached using some misguided six lawmakers in a House of 28 lawmakers,” Rivers APC said. Continuing, the party said: “To the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its promoters, impunity is a way of life. They have attempted it in the past and they are not relenting to ensure that Governor Amaechi is ousted from office using any undemocratic means possible to achieve this. In this regard, the PDP leadership has concluded a plot to cause unrest in Port Harcourt, to be aided by the police, to force our courts open by this week just to oust the Governor and impose a State of emergency in the State. Look at what is happening at Ekiti State House of Assembly, where seven uninformed lawmakers sat without authorisation to impeach the Speaker and his Deputy in a House of 26 members! “Our Lordship, it is in this regard that we are appealing to you to use your good office as CJN to stop this impasse and act immediately and allow the Rivers State Governor recommend a properly qualified person to the office of the Chief Judge of Rivers State as enshrined in the Constitution to enable the courts to be opened for normal business in the State and save the State from the envisaged state of anarchy by PDP and its agents, and most importantly to save the families relying on the courts for their livelihood from further hardship.” Rivers APC appealed to indigenes of the State and the entire Nation “to prepare to safeguard our collective being and resist any attempt by the ungodly PDP to remove our duly elected Governor and cause unrest in the State”, the statement concluded.

Jonathan supervising a very corrupt government, says Amaechi

Chairman of Nigerian governors forum and Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi has said President Goodluck Jonathan “is supervising a highly corrupt government,” adding that what is playing out in the political space supervised by the Police and the Presidency is not democracy. Amaechi, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday, insisted he had no personal quarrel with President Jonathan but that if only governance could be separated from him, Jonathan remains “a good man.” Reacting to the invasion of the National Assembly by the police last Thursday, Amaechi described the act as uncivilised. He regretted that the President “is supervising a highly corrupt government.” In the words of the governor: “We don’t have democracy in Nigeria yet. What we have is diarchy. We don’t have a democracy. Diarchy is dictatorship. The Federal Government has appropriated the police as its personal property. The FG has taken over the police. See the way the police took over the National Assembly. By law, the police have no power to invade the National Assembly and they have no power to stop the Speaker from going in or out of the National Assembly complex. But they don’t obey law.” He insisted that his party, the All Progressives Congress, would not go to court if the PDP decided to rig the 2015 presidential elections. Instead of going to court, he said the APC would form a parallel government. He said, “What is the essence of going to court when the Federal Government don’t obey the law. That’s why the APC say we won’t go to the court any longer. If you rig us out, we would rig ourselves in; which means if you think you can rig us out in 2015, we will form our own government. We have met on that and we have agreed on that. We will instal our own government and there would be two governments. “The only way to avoid a parallel government is to have a free and fair election. You can’t continue to use the police as if it is a private agency or company of the government.” While saying the Police in South Africa is currently investigating President Jacob Zuma, he wondered if the police in Nigeria would be allowed to play such a role here in Nigeria. Amaechi said, “The Federal Government deliberately allowed the Boko Haram to overrun many villages in the North-East. If it is not a political agenda, why would the military not be able to chase away the rag-tag army of Boko Haram? “They don’t want elections to hold in the zone so that there wouldn’t be election in the zone. If there is no election in the North-East, they believe that the APC would lose. “If they are not afraid of the APC, let them restore law and order. The zone is in the hands of the APC. Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa and Yobe states are all APC states. The only state where it could be 50:50 is maybe Taraba State. Apart from this, other states in the zone have always voted for Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, one of our presidential hopefuls.”

See what a Cameroonian journalist is tweeting about arms and Boko Haram

Cameroonian investigative journalist, Bisong Etahoben, tweeted yesterday that a close confidant of Chadian President IIdriss Derby, Mahamat Gnoti was arrested on Nov. 17th on the Chadian-Sudan border with arms meant for Boko Haram. Gnoti then claimed that he was sent to procure the arms and deliver it to people in Nigeria by Chadian president himself, Idris Derby. Derby is the same person who tried to negotiate the release of Chibok girls with Boko Haram on behalf of the Nigerian government. See more tweets after the cut...

Jihadists kill 28 Christians on Kenyan bus after asking passengers to prove they're muslims

28 Christians were killed yesterday morning Nov. 22nd after Islamic Shebab extremists ambushed a bus in Kenya as it headed for Nairobi from Mandera, a town close to Somalia. According to reports, the heavily armed extremists separated the Muslims from the Christians by asking them to recite verses from the Qu'ran. Then they ordered the Muslims to get off the bus and then shot the Christians point blank in the head before escaping back to Somalia. A Spokesman for Shebab later said the 28 travelers were killed in retaliation for a raid on mosques in Mombasa, Kenya last week.

Mahama Under Pressure As Labor Strike Deepens

12 labour unions fighting for the tier-two pension contributions revealed plans to demonstrate in the capital Accra and the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi on Thursday.

12 labour unions fighting for the tier-two pension contributions revealed plans to demonstrate in the capital Accra and the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi on Thursday. Ghana's Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu modernghana,com John Ankrah, Director of Grievances at Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG), says the leadership of the unions in the two regions arrived at the decision to drive home their point about the tier-two pension issue. “We have to take this path to bring to the attention of the public our infrastructure due to the impediments placed in our way to operate the four public schemes registered and licensed by National Pensions Regulatory Authority to operate the tier two pensions,” he told the press. There was an earlier action against the government from the aggrieved Unions on October 22, 2014. Protestors were asking government to transfer their tier-two pension funds into a privately managed account instead of leaving it in government’s total control. There seemed to have been some resolution to the matter when Government won an ex parte injunction directing the unions to call of the strike. After failing to reach an amicable solution, the unions filed a counter suit, asking the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) and the Bank of Ghana to make certain disclosures on the fund; how it has been invested and what returns that has accrued on the investment. It is unclear why only 2 out of the 10 regions are embarking on Thursday’s strike. Some suspect government manipulation in the ranks of Labor while Employment and Labor Relations Minister has promised an cordial resolution.

UPDATE: Impeachment plot against Jonathan gets Stronger

What started in the House of Representatives as a plot to immediately initiate impeachment proceedings against President Goodluck Jonathan has spread to the Senate, according to indications. More number of Senators are said to be enthusiastic to team up with the Reps to impeach Jonathan. One hundred and thirty Reps were known to have signed up to support the plot on Thursday, but as at mid day on Friday, the figure had risen up to 148, sources close to the bid told The Nation. Senate sources said yesterday that some senators were inclined to get President Jonathan impeached. The arrow heads of the plot in the Senate are from the Northeast where the President proposes to extend the emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States. The arrow heads, one source said, “have been meeting to plan how to convince and win other senators to buy into and support the pro-impeachment lawmakers.” The plot was sparked by impunity by Federal Government, the latest being Thursday’s attack on NASS by policemen who tear-gassed Reps in a bid to deny Speaker Aminu Tambuwal access. The source said “things will get clearer by Tuesday 25 when the Senate will resume plenary. I know of a fact that there have been series of clandestine meetings where the plot was mooted.” The senators say Jonathan must go to “save the country from unbridled impunity.” The source described Thursday’s invasion of the National Assembly as “the height of impunity that must not be condoned by right thinking Nigerians.” A South West Senator who spoke on the plot noted that it is obvious “things will no longer be the same in the National Assembly.” The Senate leadership is said to be labouring to calm frayed nerves. “Since 1999, this is the first time in the history of democracy that such a thing has happened,” a Rep said of the attack. The motion for Jonathan's impeachment may be moved as early as December 3rd.

PDP Reps move against plan to Impeach President Jonathan

The Peoples Democratic Party members of the House of Reps have begun mobilising against moves by the All Progressives Congress lawmakers to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan. This came as Punch got additional information on how 113 lawmakers began signing on Thursday to sack Jonathan. Findings showed that after Thursday’s stormy session, the PDP members immediately started making contacts on how to counter the impeachment moves. Members are pleading that this is not the right time. The message was that any impeachment of the President would only worsen the situation of the country, “with obvious consequences for our democracy and all Nigerians.” One source said, “This is just not the time to talk about impeachment. The PDP caucus will stop them; what we should be talking about is how to address the security situation in the country." Investigations showed that though the APC lawmakers had long threatened that they would initiate impeachment proceedings against Jonathan if he made attempts to remove Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, they did not take the matter seriously until the police locked down the National Assembly on Thursday. Punch gathered that the members considered the lock down an affront on the legislature and the office of the speaker, the number four citizen and a member of the leading opposition party, APC. “It was a clear case of disregard for democratic values and the laws of the land. What did they want to achieve by locking the speaker and all those members out? “The police did not only shut the gates of the assembly, they threw tear gas at the Speaker and members. That act was a total disgrace, taking place when there is a restraining order against any plan to stop the speaker from presiding over the House”, another source added.

Speaker Reacts to Police IG orders Arrest on His Seat (Tambuwal)

Feelers from the Police Headquarters in Abuja indicated that the IG of Police, Abba Sulaiman has ordered the arrest of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. The obnoxious order was given following a showdown between the police and members of the House of Reps on Thursday, after the police blocked the entrance to the National Assembly and prevented the Speaker from gaining entrance, forcing some of the lawmakers who were with him to scale the locked gate and go into the chambers of the House, where they stalled plans to begin impeachment proceedings against the popular Speaker. "I can confirm to you that the order for his arrest has been given today (Friday). The signal from the IG’s office specifically directed the FCT and Sokoto State commissioners of Police to serve Tambuwal with notice of invitation to the force headquarters and if he resists, he should be arrested immediately. "The involvement of the Sokoto commissioner of police is because the Speaker was sighted in Sokoto where he picked the APC’s governorship form for the forthcoming election. It was assumed that he was out of Abuja and as such, other police divisions were involved in the matter." A sources at the police headquarters told LEADERSHIP that a similar arrest order had been issued by the SSS.

Sources privy to details of the meeting in the Villa said both VP Sambo and the NSA Sambo Dasuki berated the IGP for failure of his men to prevent Tambuwal from gaining access into National Assembly. “The NSA was particularly angry and told the IG in clear terms that he doesn’t know his job. He asked how the Speaker and the members broke a cordon put in place by the FCT police commissioner. The NSA then made it clear that the police authorities must rectify the anomalies or they would face the consequences. He promised that Tambuwal would be arrested for questioning,” the source added. Reacting to the news of his planned arrest by the IG, Tambuwal noted that he is a law abiding citizen who has no immunity against arrest and prosecution except privileges as may be provided by the Legislative Powers and Privileges Act. He said he is available, ready and willing to answer any lawful invitation from any of the security agencies on any matter for which they may require his attention. Meanwhile, but for the resoluteness of the Sergeant-at-arms at the National Assembly who insisted that he would only handover the mace of office to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Aminu Tambuwal, the embattled Speaker would have lost his job on Thursday. This was part of strategies by the PDP, working on cohorts with the executive to impeach the Speaker who recently decamped to major opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC). According to a source privy to the development, the acting Sergeant-at-arms at the National Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Ndako was asked to surrender the mace but he had refused, insisting that Tambuwal is still the Speaker of the House and he would not release the mace to any other person but him. “As part of their strategy, the police tried to seize the mace from the sergeant-at-arms but he refused to give it to them. If they got it, it would have made things a lot easier for them. When they failed to compel him to handover the mace to them, they detained him overnight from Wednesday, and only released him on Thursday after crisis erupted at the National Assembly. “What happened at the National Assembly became necessary following the desperation of the PDP and the federal government to remove the Speaker from office by all means," a source revealed.