OF A PROFESSOR AND A MILITANT ... CAN YOU SPOT ANY DIFFERENCE? : National conference: We’re not afraid of Nigeria’s break-up – Northern elders (Prof Ango Abdullahi) • National Assembly backs Jonathan

The Northern Elders Forum  has said the North is not afraid of the break-up of Nigeria  if its citizens vote for it at the end of any conference.

The spokesman for  the forum, Prof.  Ango Abdullahi, said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

He was commenting on the national dialogue advisory committee set up  on Tuesday by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Abdullahi,who  said he saw nothing wrong with Nigerians sitting down to discuss their problems, explained that contrary to the views held in certain quarters, northerners were not opposed to any form of dialogue in whatever form or shape.

He  said, “There is no problem with Nigerians sitting down to discuss their problems whether in the form of dialogue, whether in a form of conference, whether in the form of a meeting, even in the form of a Sovereign National Conference.

His view on SNC is however not in tandem with that of the foremost Northern socio-cultural organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum, which on Tuesday said it would not support any form of dialogue termed sovereign.

However,   Abdullahi, a former vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said,  “The SNC that people are advocating; people are saying that it is a way for Nigeria to break up. This shouldn’t be a problem. Even in Britain today, Scotland is still agitating to opt out of the United Kingdom;  even the Northern Island problem is still there.

“In Spain, there are separatist groups agitating for independence. Even recently,  we had in the Soviet Union and  it has broken up into 11 different countries.

“India was created in 1948, in one year there was Pakistan, in another year there was Bangladesh. So why shouldn’t it happen in Nigeria if they (advocates of SNC) believe this is the way to go?

“We don’t mind any conference no matter the outcome. I don’t think it should worry any Nigerian.”

The former VC   said the earlier Nigerians accepted that Nigeria’s ethnic nationalities could never dissolve into one, the better.

He stated that  it was left for Nigerians  to make something good out of  the almagamation of Nigeria by   Britain  in 1914.

Abdullahi also noted that it was probably out of the desire to make something out of the situation that led to the several conferences that had been held since 1914.

He, however, expressed fears that the current attempt by the  Jonathan administration to hold another conference when the reports of previous ones had not been implemented was suspicious.

The NEF spokesman said the country had held constitutional conferences in 1976, 1978, 1988, 1994/1995 and 2005.

He stated, “In each of these conferences, there have been voluminous reports on what is the problem with Nigeria. It is not for lack of information on the issues at stake.”

 Abdullahi said that the country could still gain from the reports of past constitutional conferences.

He added, “When you look at it from this point of view, those who believe that Nigeria’s time is being wasted or that these are diversionary tactics have a point.

“Because this is what (President Olusegun) Obasanjo tried to do when  he was looking for a third term and he thought that he wouldn’t get it through another means except through constituting a constitutional conference.”

National Assembly backs conference

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, in an SMS   to one of our correspondents in Abuja,  said,  “The Senate supports the President in his choice of the members of the committee.”

 The House of Representatives also welcomed the committee and its membership, saying that Nigerians were entitled to freedom of expression.

However, it clarified that whenever a constitutional matter cropped up in the course of discussions at the conference, it should be referred to the National Assembly.

The Deputy Leader of the House, Mr. Leo Ogor, who spoke to The PUNCH in Abuja, explained that the National Assembly remained the legally constituted body to resolve any constitutional issues in the country.

Ogor added, “We are the true representatives of the people. That is why constitutional matters must be left to the National Assembly to handle.

“But, the constitution (1999) guarantees freedom of expression and association. On that score, the conference is a welcome development; to give people the opportunity to talk and share ideas.”

 Project Nigeria, two other groups kick

The   Project Nigeria Conscientious Group however  questioned the rationale behind the appointment of Senator Femi Okurounmu as the committee  chairman.

As the group kicked, two others faulted the composition of the  committee, saying it was not representative.

The PNCG, in its reaction on Wednesday, said that appointing  Okurounmu as chairman of the committee, might amount to an embarrassment to Nwabueze.

The  Secretary-General of the group, Mr. Wale Okunniyi, told one of our correspondents on the telephone   that  if the Federal Government had consulted well, Nwabueze ought to been made the head of the committee.

Okunniyi said, “If they had consulted, Prof.  Nwabueze should be the chair of the committee. If he has to play a role in the committee, he has to be the chair.

“Though Okurounmu is emminently qualified and he is our own, he understands the issues. However when both Okurounmu and Nwabueze are under the same roof to discuss the issue of national question, you know what is right.

“So if that is not intended to embarrass Nwabueze, then you know what is right and what is right in this case is that Nwabueze should preside over the discussion.”

He  said despite the development, Nwabueze, would not reject the appointment as a member of the committee.

He added that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria , who is  still abroad, might not return to the country until after the swearing-in of the members of the committee.

“Prof.   Nwabueze is  scheduled to return to the country on the 11 but the swearing-in is to take place on the 7,”  Okunniyi added.

He  stated that the PNCG which is led by Nwabueze  had done “the most profound research” on the national conference, adding that  it already had five models of how it could be conducted.

Okunniyi added, “Project Nigeria Conscientious Group  is the body that has done the most profound research on the national question in the last two years. The group has come up with five models with which you can conduct a national conference within the ambit of the existing law.  We don’t intend to rock the boat. We are not quarelling with Okurounmu, he is our own, he understands the issue;  he is qualified but when you put both of them in one room, Nwabueze must take precedence.

“In the actual conference, he should chair it because he  understands the issues  better.   If it must hold, Nwabueze is the most authoritative person that can chair it.

“This is good because we have to do damage control. If they had consulted us,  we would have told them what to do. We want this thing to  succeed and we are going to make sacrifice for it to succeed. We are not going to criticise them too much; we are going to encourage them.

A member of the committee, Col. Tony Nyiam (retd), however, said they  would  take  the assignment with the highest sense of responsibility.

“This is not the time to talk. It is the time to work. We know that we have a very important responsibility before us. We pray that Nigerians will judge us based on our work,” he said.

Nyiam, who was part of an attempt to overthrow Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s regime, added that he was glad to be a part of those planning the national dialogue under a civilian government.

He said there was the need for Nigerians to determine how they want to co-exist and to encourage the country’s diversity and promote its unity.

The Director, CCM of the University of Jos, Prof. Audu Gambo, and  the Executive Director,  Christian Foundation for Social Justice and Equity, Mr. Joseph Sangosanya, both  faulted the composition of the advisory committee.

Gambo and Sangosanya, in separate interviews with one of our  correspondents on Wednesday,  said  though the idea of a national dialogue was a welcome development, it should be done in such a manner as not  to raise any suspicion about the intention of government.

CAUGHT IN THE ACT ... KIDNAPPERS MEET THEIR WATERLOO : Police arrest kidnappers with N9m exhibit In Ketu ... Days after the victim, Chief Michael Okigbo, was allowed to go, the kidnappers went to the Ketu branch of Sterling bank to cash the money and were promptly surrounded by policemen

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two kidnappers after cashing a N9 million ransom at the Ketu branch of Sterling Bank.
The two suspects, Lucky Momodu and Saheed Adekoya, were said to have allowed the kidnapped victim to go home immediately they received a bank alert that his worried family members had paid the ransom into a designated account given to them by the kidnappers.
Days after the victim, Chief Michael Okigbo, was allowed to go, the kidnappers went to the Ketu branch of Sterling bank to cash the money and were promptly surrounded by policemen.
It was gathered that Okigbo was kidnapped at Asaba, Delta State, while he was driving away from a party he had just attended.
He was taken to the kidnappers’ hideout in Asaba.
The kidnappers were said to have scared the living daylight out of the man, who promptly gave them the contact phone numbers of his family.
Negotiation for Okigbo’s release started and the ransom was finally agreed at N9 million.
It was gathered that immediately Okigbo was released, he alerted the police, which alerted the bank officials.
A red alert was placed the bank account.
As soon as Adekoya came to cash the money, he was arrested.
It was through him that Momodu was arrested, but the police are still hunting for a third kidnapper.
Adekoya however insisted that he was not part of those who kidnapped Okigbo.
According to him, Momodu called him some days ago, saying that he was about to embark on a new business and needed a current account to deposit some millions into.
Adekoya, who claimed that he was in Lagos, when Momodu called him from Delta State, said he had given his bank account details to Momodu, unaware the guy was into nefarious activities.
He further explained that he went to cash the money, on Momodu’s instruction, when policemen arrested him at the bank.
The account number is 27469756910 and the name of the holder is Supreme Aluminium and Steel Company, belonging to Adekoya.
It was also gathered that the arrest of the kidnappers would not have been possible, but for the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer of Ketu Police Station, a Superintendent of Police, Umaro Justine, who strategized with his men, the victim’s family and bank officials on how to nab the suspects.

A TIME FOR SELF DETERMINATION : Gambia Pulls Out of Commonwealth

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - The Gambian government on Wednesday announced it was pulling out of the Commonwealth with immediate effect, without providing further details.
"The general public is hereby informed that the government of the Gambia has left the Commonwealth of Nations with immediate effect," it said in a statement. "(The) government has withdrawn its membership of the British Commonwealth and decided that the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism."

The Commonwealth bloc is a voluntary association of more than 50 countries, many of them former territories of the British empire.

No government officials could be reached for comment late on Wednesday. But a foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the decision came after the government rejected a proposal by the Commonwealth last year to create commissions in Banjul to protect human rights, media rights and fight against corruption.

The proposal followed an April 2012 visit to the Gambia by Commonwealth secretary-general Kamalesh Sharma, during which he met with President Yahya Jammeh and other top government officials. Jammeh, who is regularly accused of rights abuses, has ruled mainland Africa's smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994.

Earlier this year, the Gambia was singled out for its poor rights record in Britain's annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, which cited cases of unlawful detentions, illegal closures of newspapers and radio stations and discrimination against minority groups.

The Gambia is a tiny sliver of land wedged into Senegal. It suffers from widespread poverty but its miles of palm-fringed beaches are a favourite among sun-seeking European tourists.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH WOMEN TODAY? ... WHY IS POSTING NUDITY ONLINE BECOMING A FAD AMONG TGHE MODERN DAY WOMEN? : Photos (18+): Nigerian Prostitute Turned Gospel Singer, Maheeda Shares Completely unclad Photos ... InformationNigeria ... WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR NATIONS INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Controversial gospel singer Maheeda has shared photos she took of herself to celebrate Nigeria’s independence.
The singer shared the raunchy photos on her instagram late last night and tagged them ‘Independence pics’.
Viewers discretion is advised.
P.S: Maheeda is the love of my life!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

TRAGEDY HITS N0OLLYWOOD : Nollywood Actor Shot Dead In Benin 3 Weeks After His Wedding ... MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.

An Edo born Nollywood actor, Flavian Okojie has been reportedly shot dead in Benin city by unknown gunmen, three weeks after his wedding.
Flavian and former EBS but now NTA(Benin) presenter Omo-kivie Adeola got married barely three weeks ago.
He was also a staff of Edo State Board of Internal Revenue.
His wife shared the information via her Facebook page.

Flavian on set of a movie with his colleagues.

 

May his soul R.I.P. Amen
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/48666.html

SURVIVORS ACCOUNT ... THE YOBE SCHOOLS MASSACRE : Yobe Attack: How We Escaped Through The Window ... Survivors

Some of the survivors of last Saturday’s midnight attack on the students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, which about 70 students were killed, have narrated how they escaped death by the whiskers, jumping through the window when the gunmen stormed the hostel.
The survivors, who are now receiving medical treatment at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, following injuries received during the attack told LEADERSHIP yesterday that the gunmen, who were cladded in military camouflage stormed the school in a commando style and opened fire on them.
According to Adamu Mohammed, a final year student of Animal Husbandry department when it dawned on the students that the school was surrounded by the gunmen, all the students were confused and began to seek escape routes.
He said, “We were all sleeping in the hostel when one of our students came into their room in a confused state, saying they will kill us, they will kill us. When we heard this, everybody in the hostel became confused.
“There was no light and we could not go out while we don’t know where to go in the night. Some of my colleagues decided to go into security office to report what they had seem.
“When we were trying to come out from our hostel, we saw many people with army uniforms and immediately, they started shooting us from different directions. They killed many of my friends, but some of us managed to escape through the window of our room, I ran into the bush.”
Another survivor, who gave his name as Sule, said he lost two of his brothers in the attack. He lamented that the attack had left everyone completely devastated.
He said, “Let me tell you that in the recent attack, I lost my two blood brothers. I had to run with them in the bush but no success, we are suffering most in the ongoing Boko Haram crisis. We have lost our brothers and sisters, parents, children and friends. The crisis has impacted negatively on our studies and daily activities were collapsed.”
The Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital where the wounded were taken to for treatment and the remains of the dead were deposited was a beehive of activities as relations and sympathisers thronged the place to see the spectacle left by the attack.
A father of one of the victims, 18-year-old Ahmadu, Alhaji Ado Adamu, described what happened as barbaric and unIslamic.
He said, “Let me tell you that no one in his right senses will destroy the place of learning, destroy houses of the poor and kill innocent people. God is with us, from God we came and to him we shall return. I lost my first son Ahmadu. He is kind, dedicated and very honest. May God Almighty grant my late son Aljanna Firdausi.

US condemns terrorist attacks in Nigeria
Meanwhile, the United States Government has condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Nigeria by the Boko Haram especially the attack that killed over 60 students in the College of Agriculture in Yobe State.
In a statement by the US State Department Spokesperson, Jen Psaki, the world’s sole Superpower said it stands with Nigeria at 53 years of Independence in rejecting the many attacks by Boko Haram and other extremist groups.
The Ombatse cult group in Nasarawa State has also carried out attacks in the area that have led to the deaths of more than 100 persons and displaced many more. Also, Plateau, Zamfara, and Kebbi States have seen gunmen attacking villages and rustling cattle and kidnapping women. Most of these attacks have caught Nigeria’s security agencies napping.
The US said, “These attacks on innocent civilians have no place in a democratic society. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in these senseless acts of violence.”
It encouraged the Nigerian government to protect the lives of civilians, which is the first obligation of any government, and ensure that those who carried out these attacks are apprehended, without compromising the rule of law, and brought to justice.

Yobe students’ killing: Nigerian children observe one-minute silence for victims
Some Nigerian children yesterday in Abuja observed a one-minute silence for the students of College of Agriculture, Gujba in Yobe killed on Sept. 29 by some suspected gunmen.
The children, who were led by First Lady Patience Jonathan, performed the act at the 53rd Independence Anniversary Children’s Party she organised at the Banquet Hall of the State House.
“During the moment of silence, I prayed to God to forgive their (the late students) sins and grant them the best of paradise.
“But I am sad this kind of thing happened and I pray that Nigeria will soon be freed of all these sad killings,’’ 12-year-old Tijani Mustapha, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the party, said.
Yobe killings barbaric, unpardonable- Shehu Sani
Also, the president, Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Malam Shehu Sani has described the killing of students in Yobe by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Sept. 28 as “a barbaric display of lunacy’’.

GONE FOREVER ARE THE DAYS WHEN WE REALLY CELEBRATED OUR INDEPENDENCE : Independence Day Celebration: Nigerian Government Abandons Eagle Square For Fear Of Unknown ... SaharaReporters

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By SaharaReporters, New York

For the third year in a row, President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has failed to hold Independence Day events at Eagle
Square, Abuja.
On October 1, 2010, the site became the scene of multiple car bomb explosions that claimed more than 20 lives and maimed many more during
a ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s Independence from Britain. Since that bloody attack, the Jonathan administration has abandoned the use of Eagle Square. In effect, the government has cancelled any form of formal ceremony to mark the anniversary of a troubled, crises-racked country.
The 2010 bomb explosions took place a few meters away from the venue of the celebration which was attended by several African leaders, foreign diplomats, and other notable people. The guests were startled when two cars rigged with explosives went up in flames, killing passersby and some security agents.
A Nigerian insurgent group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) later claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks. The militant group had been waging a low-level insurgency against the Nigerian government and oil companies for much of the previous five years. The 2010 explosions marked the first time MEND struck at the heart of Nigerian power, aiming a clear blow at Mr. Jonathan who is running for re-election in 2015.
Prior to the bombs going off, the militants had issued warning messages via cell phone texts. “There is nothing worth celebrating after 50 years of failure,” their statement read. It continued, “For 50 years the people of the Niger Delta have had their land and resources stolen from them.”  The group had warned further that some of their operatives working inside the government security services had planted “explosives devices in some cars near the venue of the
events.”
Since then, Eagle Square has remained a ghost of itself. The parade and other activities to mark Independence Day have been permanently shifted to the Presidential Villa by President Jonathan.
A security source within the Presidency told SaharaReporters that the situation has worsened because of the threat posed by the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram. The group, which last week stormed a school in Yobe State and shot dead more than 40 students, has promised to bring Mr. Jonathan’s government to its knees.
Our correspondent reported that the Nigerian capital, Abuja, was unusually quiet today. “The streets have little traffic and few people as most residents seem to have stayed indoors for fear of possible terrorist strikes. Most of the city’s recreational centers have been deserted while business places like shopping malls remain scanty and desolate,” he said.