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IN DEFENSE OF A GOVT STEEPED IN INEPTITUDE : Presidency replies Atiku, says he contributed to Boko Haram insurgency ... PremiumTimes

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President Goodluck Jonathan
The Presidency Tuesday responded to remarks by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on the security situation in the country, saying some of his past utterances contributed to the escalation of insurgent activities in the North.
But in a swift response, some supporters of Mr. Abubakar, under the aegis of Turaki Vanguard, condemned the Presidency for disparaging the former vice president.
Mr. Abubakar, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had spoken at a press conference on Monday in Abuja during which he lamented the security situation in the north eastern part of Nigeria.
He said the Federal Government had not done enough to tackle the insecurity in the northern part of the country and called for the support of the international community to bring an end to the situation.
He said President Goodluck Jonathan could not possibly want to go down in history as the only Nigerian Commander-in-Chief to have ever lost territory to terrorists and that the president still had a chance to redeem his legacy.
But the Presidency, through the Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, recounted that in the build up to the 2011 general elections, Mr. Abubakar had quoted the famous statement by late US President John Kennedy that “those who make peaceful change inevitable will make violent change inevitable”.
He said that remark contributed to the escalation of insurgency in the country.
The presidential aide spoke in Abuja at the Public Affairs Forum, a programme organised by his office for ministers to give account of their stewardship to members of Civil Society Organisations, Professional groups and artisans.
While lamenting the former vice president’s remarks at the Northern Stakeholders Forum in 2010, Mr. Okupe said it was unfortunate that those who desperately stoked the fire of insurgency now laying the blame on the shoulders of a government already working hard to put out the fire.
He said it was lack of patriotism that made Mr. Abubakar to talk down on the nation’s military which he hopes to lead, if elected President of the Federal Republic.
Mr. Okupe said the former vice president, who is from Adamawa State, one of the states ravaged by insurgent activities, was not known to have taken any hard position on terrorists and terrorism in the past and shouldn’t expect to gain any political mileage from the unfortunate killings and kidnappings in some parts of the North by presenting himself as being on the side of the victims of insurgency.
He advised the presidential aspirant to learn from political leaders in other climes who drop the toga of partisanship in moments of national crisis by supporting their governments to raise the hope of citizens and defeat enemies of civilisation.
The presidential aide said President Goodluck Jonathan would not be distracted by negative comments from Mr. Abubakar and a few others whose only concern is politics rather than nation building.
He said the president would continue to work assiduously with security chiefs and community stakeholders to restore peace to the northern part of the country in the shortest possible time.
In a statement by its National President, Oladimeji Fabiyi, on Tuesday, the Turaki Vanguard said at this critical stage in Nigeria’s history, trading insults was a waste of time “rather we should deploy efforts on how to recover our lost territories unless the people of the Northeast of Nigeria do not matter to the current government.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, Nigeria has so far lost a total of 16 local government areas to Boko Haram: 9 in Bornu, 2 in Yobe and 5 in Adamawa states. The total landmass occupied is the equivalent of three states of the federation.”
The group said at a time like this, when Nigeria was not engaged in any international war, thousands had been internally displaced while thousands more were refugees in neighbouring countries.
It said even many top Federal Government officials could no longer return to their homes.
The group said, “Madagali, hometown of Governors Ngilari and Fintiri of Adamawa has fallen to terrorists. Gulak, the hometown of President Jonathan’s onetime political adviser has also been taken as well as Michika, which is home to the largest number of military generals in Adamawa after Numan.
“Two former Governors of Adamawa also come from this area – Boni Haruna and Saleh Michika. And particularly of interest is Mubi, which is the hometown of Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh. His palatial mansion in Vimtim village was crushed and reduced to rubble.”
The Turaki Vanguard argued that Nigerians should be concerned about these issues instead of disparaging concerned citizens.
“Once again, we reiterate Atiku Abubakar’s call to the international community for support for the people of Northeast Nigeria. Clearly, we cannot depend on the support of a government which is occupied with personal attacks while a section of the country is burning,” it said.
The group also condemned the withdrawal of the security aides to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
It said the action allegedly by the Presidency was a manifestation of gangster politics.
“Such action from the PDP-led federal government at this point of national emergency amounts to a set-back to the country’s democratization process,” it said.
“It is not in doubt that our democracy has grown past the age of arbitrary politics when a sitting president sees the whole country as his fiefdom.
“There is subsisting judicial pronouncement on the matter of defection, but if the Presidency and the security agencies, were in doubt, should have sought judicial interpretation from the court.
“According to the laws of our land, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has committed no infraction for which, he should be denied security protection as the number four citizen of the country.”

WILL WE LET THIS HAPPEN? : Borno govt. raises alarm, says Boko Haram may capture entire three North-East states in days .... PremiumTimes

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Nigeria states high security threat 5-14-2013 10-17-21 PM
The Deputy Governor of Borno state, Zanna Mustapha, said in Yola on Monday that going by the ease with which Boko Haram was capturing territories in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, the three North-Eastern states would soon be history.
“If the Federal Government does not add extra effort, in the next two to three months, the three North-Eastern states will no longer be in existence,” he said. “The Federal Government has tried its best but their best is not enough because rather than going after the insurgents, it is the insurgents that are going after us. It is a big crime that the criminals are better equipped than the military and they are just few kilometres from the Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states capitals.”
The deputy governor was in Adamawa to visit thousands of Borno indigenes that were forced to leave their state and schools following Boko Haram attacks in Mubi.
He said the continuous occupation of more towns by Boko Haram had confirmed the Borno state governor’s statement that the terrorists possessed superior weapons.
He disclosed that 13 local governments in Borno, three in Adamawa and others in Yobe were currently under the control of Boko Haram. He said, going by intelligence reports, if the Federal Government did not step up its security measures the fall of the three states would only be a matter of days or weeks.
Mr. Mustapha expressed his doubts on the purported ceasefire agreement between the Federal Government and the terrorists.
“We are yet to believe that there is a ceasefire because the first day after the announcement was made, over 30 people were killed in Borno State, and (the terrorists) continued with their rampage in Adamawa, Gombe and only this morning there was a bomb blast in Yobe,” he said. “Let us appeal to the international community to come to our rescue otherwise in the next few months the three states may not exist.”
Mr. Mustapha accused the insurgents of committing war crimes, saying they deployed anti-aircraft missiles in killing the people against international rules and conventions.
The Borno deputy governor spoke in Yola shortly before a former Vice President and Presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, lamented, in Abuja, the ease with which towns in the North-East were falling into the hands of the insurgents.
Atiku wondered why the Nigerian government was unable to overwhelm Boko Haram despite the claim by the administration that an increase in the country’s security budget would help relevant agencies and the military tackle the insurgency.
“The situation in which we find ourselves today is grave,” the former vice president said. “Much of Borno, and the north of Adamawa and Yobe states is already at the mercy of the terrorists. It started a few months ago with Bama, which is nearly 400 kilometres from Yola, capital of Adamawa State.
“The next major town to be taken by terrorists was Gwoza, where a terrorist caliphate flag has long been hoisted. Smaller towns near Gwoza such as Pulka and Limankra are equally not free. Next was Madagali. The town is still being occupied. Then fell Gulak. Next was Michika, then Bazza. Next was the twin town of Uba which is half Adamawa and half Bornu. Its neighboring town of Lassa was also overrun. Uba was the latest town captured before the terrorists trampled on Mubi. People from these troubled areas are now pouring into Yola for safety.
“As somebody who hails from Adamawa State, you can appreciate why I feel such emotion at the fate of my people. For whatever reason, our defence forces are unable to cope and unable to defend. My sympathies go out to the soldiers who find themselves in a situation not of their making. This is a crisis of leadership.”
Also speaking in Yola, the Adamawa state governor, Bala Ngilari, who had earlier said the state was not under siege, sympathized with the people of the affected states.
“We are under siege for now, although security agents are doing their best,” he said. “With prayers, very soon, Boko Haram will become a thing of the past.”
He said that certain things in life, like the Boko Haram insurgency, defied logic.
“No matter the situation, one day it will come to an end,” he said.
He noted that the Second World War, in which about 20 million people were killed, was now history.
“The reason why we are facing this insurgency is because we have offended God, and when the rest of the world is going to space it’s unfortunate that we are left behind, plagued by insurgency and other problems,” he said.

WHILE THE NATION GROANS UNDER THE BURDEN OF TERROR : PDP senators vow to commence an impeachment proceedings against Jonathan (FOR VERY STRANGE REASONS)... PunchNews

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Breaking: Abuja Has Been Closed Down
The Senate abruptly adjourned sitting on Tuesday, barely 25 minutes after resuming plenary with indications that the senators had adjourned in protest.
Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, who moved the motion for the adjournment, had shortly before then announced that all the PDP members in the senate would hold an emergency meeting immediately after plenary.
Ndoma-Egba pleaded with all members of the caucus to attend the meeting as crucial decisions would be taken.
The caucus meeting was still being held as of the time of this report but feelers from the meeting indicated that the senators had mandated their leadership to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, on their grievance.
There were indications that the sudden adjournment was due to threats by some senators of the Peoples Democratic Party to commence impeachment proceeding against Jonathan over the President’s alleged unfair treatment.
Jonathan was said to have angered the senators by the presidential permission allegedly granted PDP governors to choose their preferred candidates for elections into the legislature, both at the federal and state levels.
The PDP senators were said to be angry that Jonathan had mortgaged their political future to the governors and the lawmakers had vowed to show the President their relevance and strength.
Some senators who spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday said no activity would take place in the upper chamber again until Jonathan accorded them their due recognition.
The senators spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“We have made up our minds to paralyse activities at the senate for now. Our strategy is that we will resume and adjourn everyday without treating any serious issue,” a senator from the South-East geo-political zone, said.
Another senator from the South-South vowed that the only legislative business that would attract their participation for now would be strictly on issues against President Jonathan’s interest.
The senator said, “Every PDP senator is dissatisfied with the attitude of Mr. President who now believes that the state governors are more superior to the senators. We will continue to shun plenary until he (Jonathan) do the right thing.
“We will be in sympathy with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and if the special grace which the president extended to the governors to choose their successors was not extended to the senators, we will commence an impeachment proceedings against him.
“I can assure you that we will not sit in the chamber again. We won’t touch the 2015 budget whenever it is sent. We will, however, be willing to participate in reviving anything that we had already suppressed in the past to favour Jonathan.
“As I am talking to you all the PDP senators are on their own. None of us is sure of returning to the senate because the President has given the governors the go-ahead to anoint those who would get the tickets for the National and states Houses of Assembly seats.
“We are down already and we won’t mind to go down together with the President. By the time we start impeachment proceedings against him, he will sit up and do the right thing.”
A female senator gave reasons why some governors allegedly wanted to stop senators from their states from returning to the senate.
She said, “There are a couple of governors who want to come to the senate. They don’t want to come here and discover that the current senators from their states are their bosses.
“In senate, ranking senators (those who have been returned twice or more times), are usually considered in the allocation of juicy committee and foreign trips. The governors don’t want to come and queue, that is why they want to frustrate the chances of the current senators”
When contacted, the senate spokesperson, Eyinnaya Abaribe, said, “We merely adjourned to allow our members participate in some of their party activities but we would reconvene tomorrow (today).”

WOW!!! : How Wilson Oruma Battled With Insanity After Being Duped Of N1.2 Billion Naira ... InformationNigeria

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wilson oruma
There are reports which just surfaced online that former Golden Eagles Captain/Super Eagles star player, Wilson Oruma, lost his mind for two years while battling with insanity after he was duped by fraudsters introduced to him by a Lagos-based frontline Pentecostal Pastor, (name withheld) whose church (name withheld) is located in the Surulere area of the state.
In a report by New Telegraph Online,Oruma’s travail started in 2012 when the Pastor in question invited the former victorious Golden Eaglets captain to a private meeting in the church to discuss the possibility of investing heavily into what he described as a lucrative business where he promised to invite the mega bucks investors to the church a week later. A date was fixed for this.
It was at the second meeting, it was gathered that the former Atlanta 96 Olympic gold medallists was introduced to some well-dressed gentlemen who were said to be in possession of some oil blocks they were ready to sell to the rich ex-international. Oruma, who acted alone without consultation with any of his lawyers and his close friend, Mr. Emakpor Dibofun, believed the story of the fraudsters and never suspected any foul play as they were introduced by his Pastor.
He was advised to invest heavily so as to yield heavy profit. The two-time African Nations Cup bronze medallist, withdrew funds from all his investments across Europe in three months and withdrew his life savings to ensure he pumped enough money into the oil business. He did not suspect any foul play as the Pastor kept assuring him that, the people are credible and are God fearing business investors.
In all, Oruma paid a whopping N1.2billion into the dedicated bank account given to him to make payments which he did over six months. The ex-soccer star that played alongside Frank Ribery and Samir Nasri in his days at Olympique Marseille FC of France started suspecting foul play when he did not hear from the people again and they failed to pick their mobile phones on days scheduled for important updates. He ran to his Pastor for possible succour and reassurance that all was well, but instead the Pastor rebuffed Oruma and told him that, he was a full-time minister of God who knew nothing about oil business, but only introduced him to those he believed could help make his business empire larger.
The Pastor asked if he was involved in the business dealings all the while and the answer was a capital no. He thus divorced himself from any blames leaving the soccer star to lick his own wounds but he was not strong enough to withstand the attendant psychological pressure. A few weeks after this ordeal, Oruma started behaving funny. He started talking to himself and had hot altercations with his wife at their Victoria Garden City home in Lagos.
It was gathered that, it was after one of the series of altercations with his wife who blamed him for the family’s misfortune and huge loss of money that Oruma busted out of their home in VGC and stormed a popular supermarket where he destroyed valuables. He was wrestled to the floor, with his legs and hands tied to avoid further destruction.
From this day in 2012, Oruma’s unstable mind became pronounced. His close friend, Emakpor with his hands and legs tied took the soccer star to a church in Warri, Delta state for spiritual healing. After destroying valuables in the church, Oruma escaped to his VGC home in Lagos where he continued to disturb residents. It was also learnt that with his unstable mind, he gave out one of his expensive SUVs worth N14million to a friend who speedily drove away the vehicle.
To avoid further embarrassments of VGC residents, Oru-ma’s family agreed to take him to his Suru-Lere home near Brown Street in Aguda, Lagos where secret treatments continued. He was first taken to the church where he was duped, which was nearby his Aguda home. Here, the culprit pastor after some failed attempts to heal the player advised that he should be taken back home as Oruma had been hit by a strange mental illness which defiled all known treatments.
The ex-international was tied and closely monitored in his Aguda home for over one year as the family sought spiritual healing for him. The player, who started his football career at Tamuno Babes FC of Warri, was not taken to an orthodox mental hospital in his family’s attempt to conceal his ailment from the public.
Oruma suffered untold hardship for two years as his family with the help of his close friend and former teammate, Emakpor Dibofun, took him to number Pentecostal churches in Lagos seeking spiritual healing. The much desired healing eventually came few weeks ago when he was given a clean bill of health as he overcame the mental illness. He has started walking again as the sores on his legs from long period of being tied down in one place are healing fast.
In the words of Oruma’s kid brother, Dominic a former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles goalkeeper; “Wilson is recovering fast, he now recognizes his family members and he has returned to his house in VGC under the care of his wife. We are very happy about this. It was not easy seeing him suffer so much in the last two years after his money was taken away. We give God the glory for the gift of healing.
“He has told us not to press charges against the pastor who brought fraudsters to dupe him heavily as he said the incident is now in the past. Another good thing is that all his properties are intact and most of his major investments are doing fine.” Oruma was captain of the Nigeria Under-17 team that won the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup where he emerged the tournament’s top goal scorer with six goals. He played 19 international matches over 11 years for Nigeria and was part of the team that participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he scored in the only appearance he made in the tournament against Paraguay. He was also a part of the squad that won the Olympic gold medal in 1996, a year after he debuted for Nigeria.
He played for the Eagles at the 2002 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing both competitions at third place. Oruma played most of his club career in France, after arriving at RC Lens in 1994. He was loaned to Nancy a year after. He returned to Lens and played in their 1997-98 Ligue 1 title campaign.
He moved to Turkish side Samsunspor in 1998 and returned to France one year later to play for Nîmes. In 2000, he was transferred to Swiss side Servette, played two seasons before coming back to France again, where he played until 2009 for Sochaux, Marseille and Guingamp, winning the 2003-04 Coupe de la Ligue with Sochaux and the 2008-09 Coupe de France title with Guingamp. The former Nigerian international announced his retirement from football at the age of 33 on November 26, 2010.
He last played his international football for Kavala FC of Greece, before bidding farewell to football

SIGNS OF THINGS TO COME ... 2015 WILL BE FULL OF SURPRISES : BAUCHI PDP CHIEFTAIN CAMPAIGNS FOR BUHARI ... DailyTrust

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A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed Sheri, has openly begun campaigning for General Muhammadu Buhari, calling on his supporters to vote for the former head of state in the forthcoming general elections.
He described Buhari as the most credible among those aspiring to lead the country in the current dispensation.
Mohammed, who is a close political associates of the PDP national chairman, Ahmadu Adamu Mu,azu and  the FCT minister Bala Mohammed stated this yesterday  at a press conference in Bauchi.
He said Buhari is an exemplary leader who maintained his integrity despite the various positions he has held in Nigeria, adding that Buhari’s crave for leadership is for Nigerians and not for himself.
“If it is for money Buhari would have amassed wealth more than any Nigerian because he had held other lucrative positions that many Nigerians were not opportuned to, that could have enriched him,” he stated.
Mohammed called on the political class to ensure General Buhari assumes the mantle of leadership in 2015.
“Let me tell you categorically that I’m 100 percent in support of Buhari presidency come 2015 and therefore appeal to all Nigerians to ensure his victory at the polls,” he stressed and  called on politicians, particularly members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure the emergence of Buhari as the APC flag-bearer in the forthcoming party primaries.
Mohammed, who maintained that he is still with the PDP, said he is speaking as an elder on the need for a credible leader that would move the country forward.

CASTING SPELLS FOR 2015 .. PLEASE CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHAT SURE-P IS DOING ON LAGOS ROADS? : Fashola Tells Lagosians To Disobey Federal Task Force Officials On The Roads ... PunchNews

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The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged motorists across the state not to regard officials of the federal task force who have been deployed in major roads in the state.
The governor said this even as officials of the task force and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority clashed on Monday.
Fashola said the task force officials, who are part of the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme of the Presidency, had no right to control traffic on Lagos roads.
He therefore urged Lagosians to resist them.
The governor said this during the fifth anniversary of Uniformed Voluntary Clubs held at the Ikeja Police College on Tuesday.
He described the task force as an illegal agency set up by the Federal Government few months to the 2015 elections in wanton desperation to win elections.
He said, “The SURE-P task force has no right to manage traffic on Lagos roads. The only agency authorised to manage traffic in Lagos on the federal roads are LASTMA and the Federal Road Safety Corps. Citizens should just resist them and refuse to cooperate with them.”
According to Fashola, money recouped from the removal of subsidy and channelled into SURE-P ought to have been invested on dilapidated federal roads in Lagos especially the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
Fashola added that investment in the task force was a negation of the promise made by President Goodluck Jonathan that the subsidy would be used to improve the lives of Nigerians.
He said, “So you see how it has been improving our lives. The money should have been spent on roads; Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is one of them, that is where SURE-P money should have been invested not to dissipate it into political organisation in a very wanton desperation to win elections.
“This is the method that has been tried before, it was tried in 2006 and it did not produce any result. The result it produced was that they were roundly defeated. So, if you go into what does not work, we will not be provoked, we expect that in time, reasons will prevail.”
Also, the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said it was unfortunate that the Peoples Democratic Party was toying with the lives of the youth through the SURE-P, which he described as fraudulent.
He said the task force official were only doing the bidding of PDP politicians as they were often seen at the homes of PDP officials, doing chores. He, however, noted that they would fail again “as the former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, failed in 2006.”
However, the task force had said they were not political but were only out to provide employment for jobless youths.
The task force coordinator, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Rafiu, said the officials had the right to be on federal roads and accused the state government of politicising the issue.
–The Punch

OF COMMON INTERESTS AND 2015 ELECTIONS : Obasanjo Visits IBB, Hugs Atiku As They Meet At Minna Airport ... VanguardNews

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday visited Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida who just returned from a Germany where he went for medical treatment, after being away for two months.
Obasanjo made the surprise visit to his former political foe and Former Military President Babangida, who is now recuperating from a reported surgical procedure.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was also in Minna, Niger State, after he had remained in town to attend the Presidential declaration of Sam Nda-Isaiah of All Progressives Congress (APC), following his visit to Babangida.
Ibarahim Badamosi Babangida
Ibarahim Badamosi Babangida
In what sends a good signal to younger politicians and speaks well of the two elder statesmen, Obasanjo and Atiku hugged each other when they met at the Minna International Airport despite their differences.
According to reports, Obasanjo was about to be conveyed to Babangida’s house after arriving at the airport in the company of Senator Andy Uba and Chief Ayo Fasawe, his attention was drawn to the presence of Atiku at the airport.
Atiku on the other hand was said to be ready to take off when he noticed the Former President was around. He was said to have stopped his pilot from taking off, as he alighted and walked to meet Obasanjo by his car.
Obasanjo was thereafter rode with Mohammed Babangida, to the uphill residence of IBB, where the former President spent about 30 minutes. Sources told Vanguard the visit was a solidarity visit.

LOOK WHO'S TALKING AND HEAR WHAT HE'S SAYING : Insurgency: Nigeria Not Helpless, Says Badeh ... InformationNigeria

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Alex Badeh-Boko Haram
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, on Tuesday said Nigeria was not helpless despite the escalating level of threat posed by the activities of the Boko Haram sect.
He made this known in a brief chat with State House correspondents when he led service chiefs to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The correspondents had asked the CDS to react to the loss of his hometown in Adamawa State to the insurgents and the reported burning of his house.
Badeh, who had earlier declined comment, however, changed his mind when he was asked if the nation was helpless in the face of the renewed terrorist onslaught.
“How can Nigeria be helpless?” he asked, adding: “That is unfair.  If CDS loses his hometown, it is the same thing as losing Lagos.
“Any part of Nigeria that is lost, the CDS carries the weight.
“It is immaterial whether it is my hometown, whether it is my house that is burnt or it is Emeka’s house that is burnt.
“Whoever’s house is burnt in Nigeria, the CDS is pained”.

AFTER JONATHAN DON FALL MUGUN, LOOK WETIN THIS GOON COME DE TALK : Peace talks with Boko Haram still on track —Chadian president ... TribuneNews

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CHAD’S President, Idriss Deby, said on Tuesday, in N’Djamena, that peace talks between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram are still on track.
Deby said the talk was in progress, in spite of a recently released video, which showed Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, saying the Chibok girls had been married to his fighters.
Deby said the statement contradicted the earlier meeting and announcement of a deal to release them.
He said backing the peace talks between Nigeria’s government and Islamist Boko Haram insurgents had become imperative, because of his country’s security.
Deby said the Boko Haram rebels, whose five-year revolt resulted in killing of thousands and constantly causing mayhem in the North-East of Nigeria, had been threatening Chad’s frontiers and disrupting cross-border trade.
He said: “With jihadist fighters prowling Libya’s deserts to the North, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb active in the West and rebels and janjaweed militia battling in Sudan’s Darfur region to its East, Chad already finds itself in the eye of the storm.”
A senior Chadian diplomat said the country had a huge interest in resolving the talks.
He said Boko Haram’s activities in the porous frontier around Lake Chad were difficult to control.
“We are worried that they will come here next,” he said.
Chief Analyst at Crisis Management Group Red 24, Ryan Cummings, said the reason for the Chadian involvement was as a result of the country’s posturing as a regional hegemony.
Cummings said every opportunity must be used to defuse the threat from the Nigerian militant group, whose centre of activity in Borno State was menacingly less than 100 kilometres from the Chadian capital.
A security source in Chad, working for an international organisation, said a couple of months ago, the agency talked about sleeper cells of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.
He said as at this moment, “we cannot say that any more, because they have started waking.”
He said in recent months, Chad had changed its attitude to the Boko Haram, as the Chadian forces were stepping up surveillance and had made several arrests.
He said government had also pledged 700 troops for a cross-border force in the Lake Chad region to counter the group, due to start operations this month.
The source noted that France, which uses N’Djamena as a base for its Operation Barkhane against jihadists in the Sahel, was also monitoring the Boko Haram activities in Nigeria and assisted the Chadian army.
Traders across the borders said their livelihood had been affected by the drop in commerce with northern Nigeria and Cameroon.
Abdullah Mega, a 30-year-old shopkeeper in N’Djamena, said a seven-vehicle convoy carrying his shipment of appliances was robbed and torched on the road from the North-Eastern Nigerian town of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, last year.

AH ... E DON HAPPEN O! : Woman uses sex to dislodge housewife, takes over home ... PMNews

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court of law
A man who accused his wife of not knowing how to make love have finally sacked her and their three kids and brought in a mistress as wife to satisfy his sexual desire in their matrimonial home in Lagos state, western Nigeria.
The 12-year old marriage between Abosode Ibiniyo and her husband Biniyo crashed after the man chased out the woman and their three kids and brought in his lover in their matrimonial home at Chris Idowu street Ejigbo, Lagos.
The husband has equally filed a suit before a Lagos Customary court sitting in Ejigbo seeking the dissolution of their marriage.
The embattled wife, alleged that since her husband met and started dating a woman from Akwa Ibom state, his behaviour changed and he started accusing her of not knowing how to make love and handle a man.
Abosode told the court that she had lived peacefully with Biyino until he met the strange woman who destroyed their marriage.
She alleged the woman asked her husband to send her and their three children away so that she could move in as his wife if he wanted their relationship to continue.
Consequently, Biyino asked her to move out of their matrimonial home with the children and his mistress have since moved in as his wife.
To further consolidate on the mistress, Biniyo has filed a divorce suit at Customary court, Ejigbo seeking for the dissolution of the marriage from Abosode.
Biyino admitted that he has a mistress and said Abosode contributed to it. He told the court that Abosode was disrespectful to him and his family and was threatening his life as such he was no more longer in love with her.
But Abosede counted. She denied all the allegations by her husband and said he was acting on the influence of his mistress.
Abosode said she was not opposed to her husband’s call for a divorce but stated that she was concerned about the well being and future of their children.
The president of the court Mr A.K. Akanni admonished the couple on the need for peace because of the future of their children.
He adjourned the matter to 8 November 2014 for further hearing.

ALL IN JONATHAN'S NIGERIA : Boko Haram: Gombe orders closure of schools ... NAN

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Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State
Gombe State Government on Wednesday ordered the closure of all public and private schools in the state, a day after attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on two towns in the state.
NAN reports that parents who took their children to school on Wednesday were told to take them back as the schools had been closed on the orders of the government.
Mrs Edith Williams, Headmistress, Bethany International College, Gombe told NAN that said she received a circular on Tuesday evening that all schools should be closed down for security reasons.
Some parents who spoke to NAN commended the state government for the action, saying it was a necessary action to safeguard the students.
One of the parents, Mrs Hannatu Musa said she was happy with the development as it would help to secure the children.
NAN reports that both the Commissioner and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Education were not available for comment, but Alhaji Sani Jauro, Permanent Secretary, Government House, confirmed the development.
He however said that the closure of the schools had nothing to do with security threats to the state but a “normal mid-term break for students”.
NAN recalls that gunmen had on Tuesday attacked Nafada and Ashaka, over 130 kilometres from Gombe, barely a week after suspected terrorists had exploded a bomb at a motor park in the state capital.

THIS UNBRIDLED DESPERATION TO PROPAGATE GROSS INCOMPETENCE MUST STOP : Soyinka Slams Jonathan’s Support Group Over Fabrication ... PMNews

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•Professor Wole Soyinka: wants sanitation in the media
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has slammed the Goodluck Support Network, one of the groups championing the re-election bid of Nigeria’s President Jonathan, for fabricating a statement and crediting it to him.
The statement purportedly written by Soyinka has as its title: ‘The North Must Stop Bombing Nigeria And Blaming Jonathan’. The angry professor described the statement as a desperate tactics by the group to change the impression Nigerians have of President Jonathan by using prominent people in the society.
“This is an unscrupulous, disgusting and cowardly fabrication. The Goodluck Support Network must be truly desperate to resort to such despicable tactics,” Soyinka said.
The statement claimed that Professor Soyinka blamed the failure of government’s inability to curtail insurgency on the people of northern Nigeria and their refusal to co-operate with the government.
In his reaction titled: ‘A Challenge To The Press’, Soyinka further stated that: “I wish to call the attention of the press to the following online publication: http://www.gsmnetwork.com.ng/the-north-must-stop-bombing-nigeria-blaming-jonathan-prof-wole-soyinka/#respond.
“I formally denounce this malevolent falsehood. I must go further, however, and challenge the Nigerian press to rise to the fullness of their responsibility to the public. The time is long overdue for proactive steps to terminate the corruption of the profession by unprincipled interlopers. This particular publication surely sets a
record for sheer brazenness and undermines the credibility of media communication with the public it professes to serve. The tendency is dangerous to one and all, including the press itself, where any neophyte can easily master the skill of cloning utter falsehood into media pages under the authentic masthead of online press.
“It is not sufficient to shrug one’s shoulders in resignation, observing that errand boys can only be expected to adopt the methods of their paymasters. There is desperate need for sanitation in the information arena before our entire public space is overwhelmed by nauseous concoctions, unscrupulous and unprincipled, throwing the public into confusion until it is no longer possible for many to disentangle fact from fiction.”
According to him, “the press must confront this challenge and descend on malefactors with unrelenting viigour. Technology is supposed to serve humanity, enhance creativity, and reinforce the moralities that uphold civilized existence, not subvert them.”

SCOAN TRAGEDY CORONERS INQUEST ... WHEN MEN PLAY GOD : TB Joshua keeps coroner inquest waiting ... PMNews

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TB Joshua, General Overseer, SCOAN
Prophet T.B. Joshua is running late in appearing at the coroner inquest, set up to probe the 12 September collapse of the guesthouse at the Synagogue Church of All Nations, in Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos.
The inquest headed by Oyetade Komolafe was expected to begin proceedings by 9:00 a.m in Ikeja, capital of Lagos State, with Joshua as the star witness. But as at 10:25 a.m, he was yet to appear.
The entire high court venue of the inquest, was overfilled, said our reporters.
Last week, the coroner threatened to arrest Joshua if he failed to testify on the collapsed building, caused the death of 116 people, most of them South Africans.
Komolafe rejected arguments from Joshua’s lawyers that the televangelist should not be summoned because he did not directly witness the September 12 tragedy.
Joshua, known to members of his church as “The Prophet” or “The Man of God”, has indicated that sabotage was to blame and linked the collapse to a low-flying aircraft seen in the area at the time.
“The court has the power to summon whoever it deems necessary to assist it,” Komolafe told the hearing in the city.
“The counsel should advise The Prophet to come. The church is not on trial. It’s not a matter of ego. Nobody is above the law. The court will be fair to all.
“If he is an institution with immunity, the court will not even go there. If the man refuses to come, he can be arrested… He has to appear. We summoned The Prophet. We summoned the contractors.”

AFTER JONATHAN DON FALL MUGUN : Explain your roles in Boko Haram ceasefire – IYC tells Tukur, others ... DailyPost

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ambassador-hassan-tukur
The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC has called on government officials who purportedly participated in negotiating the failed ceasefire deal with representatives of Boko Haram to come out and explain the role they played in what it called a scam.
The IYC in a statement called the ceasefire a rip off, urging the federal government to fish out top government and security officials it claimed were working for Boko Haram as moles.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by IYC’s spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare.
The statement said: “We also call on the government officials, led by Hassan Tukur, who claimed to have entered the truce with Boko Haram to explain the circumstances under which the ceasefire agreement was entered into as we believe that the purported agreement was a scam to swindle government. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide has watched with dismay the coincidence in the Federal Government announcement of ceasefire with the Boko Haram sect and the renewed attacks being carried out by Boko Haram, which has resulted in killing of hundreds of Nigerians and displacement of several communities.
“The IYC strongly believes that the purported ceasefire agreement is a calculated attempt by Boko Haram agents in the Jonathan administration to divert the attention of government and allow the insurgents to prepare to carry out more deadly attacks. This position is strengthened by the fact that the purported ceasefire agreement was announced when the Nigerian troops had chased out the insurgents from nearly all parts of the troubled north east region of Nigeria.”

WETIN PERSON NO GO SEE FOR THIS NIGERIA SEF? : Police arraigns ‘mad man’ for impersonation ... NAN

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police
The Police on Wednesday, arraigned a 22-year-old labourer, Abubakar Abbas in a Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Wuse Abuja, for alleged impersonation.
Abbas, who resides at Gwagwalada, Abuja, was accused of wearing a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) uniform when he was arrested.
He was later identified by his brothers who claimed that the accused was insane.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Francis Tanko, told the court that on Oct. 23, at about 5.50 p.m. a patrol team of policemen arrested and brought Abbas to Wuse Police Station.
He said that Abbas was arrested on Herbert Macaulay Way, Wuse, Abuja wearing NYSC uniform, thereby impersonating as a corps member, contrary to the provision of Section 132 of the Penal Code Law.
When the charge was read to him, the accused kept mute, neither pleading guilty or not guilty.
In spite of that, the prosecutor prayed the court to grant him a date to open his case against the accused.
The Magistrate, Mr Aliyu Shafa granted the accused bail of N50, 000 and a reasonable surety in like sum.
Shafa said the surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court.
He also ordered Abbas’ relatives to provide the medical certificate confirming his mental status on or before the next adjourned date.
The magistrate adjourned the matter till Jan. 12, 2015 for hearing.
NAN

TALES OF SORROW, TEARS AND BLOOD : Mubi: Boko Haram seized our girls, gave us N5,000 —Parents •Gombe orders closure of schools • Lagos court jails sect’s financier for 10 years ... TribuneNews

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AS survivors of the Boko Haram attack on the town of Mubi continued to flee, a family man, who fled to Kano, has told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BB)C Hausa in an interview that parents were forced to collect N5,000 and surrender their daughters to the insurgents.
Similarly, a woman, who also fled to Kano, said some air planes were shot down during the encounter,while some soldiers, who were either dead or injured, were seen on the bush paths they took as escape routes.
In Nafada town of Gombe State, the insurgents caused havoc, killed about 25 security agents and a renowned Islamic cleric, Sheik Adam Nasara, together with six of his students.
The BBC Hausa report said the town of Ashaka was also attacked.
A staff of the Ashaka Cement company said that the insurgents broke into the company and stole about eight trucks, forced their way into the store and took dynamites, which the company use to break rocks in cement production.
The company worker said there were women among the fighters, but they did not touch civilians, though the security agents were yet to confirm the development.
Also, seven young men, all supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Sabon Kasuwa village of Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State were reportedly killed along Gombe road, while traveling to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to meet with some politicians in the state.
According to reports, they left Sabon Kasuwa at about 9.00 a.m. and were said to be caught up in a crossfire at Gombe, when the insurgents who attacked Nafada and took over Ashaka cement factory in Gombe were in operation.
A resident of Sabon Gari, Mallam Audu Chara, told the Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday that the attack of Gombe had now cut off the people of Biu and Hawul in Borno State from their families in Maiduguri, since Gombe is the only route being used since Boko Haram had destroyed the bridge at Mandafuma.
Meanwhile, the state government had directed that schools be shut, while buses were deployed to evacuate the students, especially the girls, so as to prevent a repeat of the Chibok incident.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that parents who took their children to school on Wednesday were told to take them back, as the schools had been closed on the orders of the government.
Mrs Edith Williams, Headmistress, Bethany International College, Gombe, told NAN that she received a circular on Tuesday evening that all schools should be shut for security reasons.
Some parents who spoke to NAN commended the state government for the action, saying it was a necessary action to safeguard the students.
In Mubi, Adamawa State, soldiers fled for allegedly not been able to face the superior fire power of the insurgents.
One of the soldiers told the BBC Hausa that four days ago, while they were between Bazza and Michika in Adamawa State,they were informed to be ready to attack Boko Haram.
“They said they are going to fix the bridge but we told them not to do that, because that was why the fighters cannot enter Mubi. But they fixed the bridge and we were not provided with weapons. After fixing the bridge, they send us to fight, about 150 of us, without arms.
“They did not give us the required arms, we needed about 7 APCs, RPC and artillery bombs to enable us to confront and push them back to where they came from. But wallahi, we had only AK-47 and two magazine, which was inadequate.
“Our adversaries came with anti-aircraft, deployed 4 APCs with other sophisticated weapons. We fought them for about 30 minutes, facing each other from opposite sides. When they realised we were not many, they used that bridge to crush us completely and moved directly to Mubi,” he said.
The soldier, however, said the Nigerian troops were brave and could confront enemies on the battlefront.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of Yobe Hospitals Management Board, Dr Mamman Mohammed, has confirmed that 119 casualties were reported, with 30 deaths in the Monday bomb attack in Potiskum, Yobe State.
Mohammed told Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, who paid a visit to the victims at the Potiskum General Hospital, that some of the victims with severe injuries had been referred to tertiary health institutions in Azare and Nguru.
Gaidam directed that free treatment be given to the victims and condoled with the Shiite group on the death of their members.
The governor also visited some of the victims currently receiving treatment at the general hospital, where he directed the hospital to do everything necessary to ensure the they get the best of treatment, to be paid for by the government.
In another development, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a major financier of Boko Haram to 10 years in prison.
The convict was said to have been the brain behind the international bond that the sect recently established with some foreign terrorist organisations.
The Boko Haram financier was among four suspects – Adamu Mohammed, Mohammed Mustapha, Bura Husseni and Mohammed Ibrahim – secretly tried before Justice Saliu Saidu by the Department of State Security (DSS).
The jailed suspect was not officially named but he is believed to be the third accused person(Bura Husseni).
Efforts by journalists to get details of the allegations against the suspects and other details about the conviction were unsuccessful, as no one was willing to divulge the information.
But it was gathered that one of the suspects was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in jail for sponsoring the sect, while Justice Saidu released the three others.
The suspects were said to have been prosecuted by Mr P. Okerinmodu on behalf of the government.
When the suspects were brought in to the courtroom under heavy security, all other people in court were ordered out, except the lawyers, court registrars and the judge.
Last month, Justice Ibrahim Buba, also of the Federal High Court in Lagos, sentenced three Boko Haram members to 25 years each in prison, after finding them guilty of belonging to the outlawed fundamentalist group.

ARRANGEE MASTERS 2015: Jonathan, Mua’zu, PDP leaders to meet senators •Party asks govs to accommodate two senators per state ... TribuneNews

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THE Presidency and leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, kickstarted moves aimed at dousing the growing tension in the National Assembly, as senators, for the second day running, adjourned sitting without considering government business.
The lawmakers, who commenced what was described as protest sittings on Tuesday, had vowed to continue until further notice.
During the protest sittings, the lawmakers vowed to keep government business at bay, while only opening sittings and adjourning without considering issues on the Order Paper.
But sources close to the Presidency and the leadership of the PDP told the Nigerian Tribune, on Wednesday, that the party had been badly hit with the news of protests in the Senate.
It was learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan had immediately summoned a meeting with the national chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu where the Senate President, David Mark and some leaders of the Senate were also present.
•Party asks govs to accommodate two senators per state
Sources confirmed that the meeting resolved to immediately make concessions to the senators, many of whom had been schemed out by governors in their states.
The source said the meeting resolved to call a large meeting with the Senate caucus of the PDP, where the entire concession would be unveiled.
It was, however, gathered that the president had mandated the national chairman of the party to enter into talks with PDP governors, to ensure that, at least, two senators from their states returned to the Senate in 2015.
The meeting involving the president, party leaders and the Senate caucus of the party, which started at 10.00 p.m. on Wednesday, was underway as of press time.
Sources, however, said the senators had been asked to accept the return of two of their colleagues per state, while the governors, who intend to contest election into the Senate, should also be allowed to get the ticket.
“The concession being offered senators right now is that two senators should return from each of the states and that the governors who intend to come to the Senate should also be offered the ticket.
“The party is of the view that this will help douse the tension and serve as a win-win situation,” a source said, adding, however, that some of the states still remained knotty, as of Wednesday night, as some of the second term governors were moving to unseat serving senators.
Another source said “the PDP is anxious to resolve the problem with the senators. They are the real pillar of support to our president and with a speaker in the hands of the opposition, the situation with government business can only get tougher.”
The source added that the governors had been told that removing all the senators as they planned would only allow the lawmakers defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), which is already offering them free tickets and also ensure that the APC gained control of the two chambers of the National Assembly before the 2015 election.
“The party is of the view that allowing the rancour to escalate will only empower the APC and the conflagration that could result could consume the entire PDP and the governors, even before the general election,” another source said.
•Aggrieved senators force Mark to adjourn sitting again
Meanwhile, senators, on Wednesday, made good their threat to shun legislative business, when they adjourned sitting till next week.
An unwilling Senate President was forced to adjourn the sitting by the PDP lawmakers, who were in the majority, even amidst protests from APC lawmakers.
The PDP senators ensured that the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, did not table any issue for discussion before seeking to adjourn sitting till next week.
Mark, however, explained before ruling on the adjournment that the Senate’s decision was in solidarity with their colleagues in the House of Representatives, over the withdrawal of the security personnel attached to the office of Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal.
“We are not to interfere in the internal affairs of each house. However, as chairman of the National Assembly, I cannot fold my arms or pretend that all is well about the current crisis.
“I am, therefore, going to do all I can to resolve the current impasse. Furthermore, the matter is already in a court of law, we cannot, therefore, discuss the issues here. I want to assure all of you that I will do the needful to protect and defend the legislature at all cost,” he said.
Thereafter, the senators went into closed door meeting in one of the Senate committee rooms.
At the meeting, the senators were said to have been briefed by Mark on the outcome of his meetings with the president and leaders of the PDP on the 2015 issue.
It was also gathered that the meeting was briefed of the concession being offered to the senators by the PDP and that a meeting to finalise the issues would be held late on Wednesday.
Sources at the meeting confirmed that the senators resolved to continue their protest until President Jonathan and the PDP listen to them, by removing what was called the autocracy of the governors through the PDP congresses.
A source at the meeting said: “The meeting was fruitful. We were briefed on the advocacy the Senate President has undertaken all along. We were also told that the president would lead a meeting of the National Working Committee of the PDP to discuss with us today (Wednesday night).”
Another senator said the lawmakers are demanding automatic tickets for their return to the chamber, while there should be level playing field for all aspirants in the 2015 contest.
Senate Leader, Ndoma-Egba, who briefed newsmen on Wednesday, said the Senate was in defence of democracy, adding that “defending democracy is bigger than the Senate.
“I am sure you are aware that PDP caucus met yesterday and today (Tuesday and Wednesday) on fundamental issues affecting democracy in Nigeria, arising from the ward congress of our party last Saturday.
“The issues need to be addressed very urgently by relevant PDP stakeholders in the interest of our democracy. You will all surely be briefed when the issues are addressed.
“Our democracy is bigger than the Senate. The situation in the North-East you talked about requires military attention, which is already being handled by the military.”
But senators of the APC rejected the continued shutdown of the chamber on Wednesday, calling the PDP senators’ squabble with their party an internal political matter.
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who spoke for the caucus, said the action of the PDP lawmakers were of no benefit to the overall well-being of the nation.
He accused PDP senators of not allowing the Senate to sit for two days, adding that the chamber was adjourned as soon as it convened on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said the decision was insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.
“While we are in sympathy with our colleagues for their fate in the hand of President Jonathan and the governors in their respective states, we the APC Senate caucus, however, condemn the habit of prioritising personal interests over national interests at the expense of the people that they swore to protect.
“We had planned today (Tuesday) to raise the issues of insecurity to Nigerians and the trend of insecurity in Nigeria. Mubi, which is the second largest town in Adamawa State, has been overrun by terrorists.
“Nigerians in that area are fleeing their homes, afraid and uncertain of the preservation of their lives. Emirs are being driven from their palaces.
“A foremost cement factory in Gombe, Ashaka Cement Factory, has been taken over by Boko Haram, according to news reports. Many may not believe the alarm raised by the deputy governor of Borno State, Zanna Mustapha, that it is just a matter of weeks before Boko Haram takes over the whole state, but the reality is even scarier than this.
“Unfortunately, our brothers and sisters in the PDP do not see it this way. They rather prefer to bicker over party nomination and return tickets,” he said.

AS JONATHAN AND HIS TRANSFORMATION TEAM GATHER STEAM FOR 2015 : Nigeria sets new record; now has Africa’s highest number of displaced persons ... PremiumTimes

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refugees
With 3.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), Nigeria has the largest population of persons displaced by conflict in Africa, a report released last week has revealed.
The report, “Global Overview 2014: people internally displaced by conflict and violence,” by the Internal Displaced Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) stated that the number of internally displaced persons in Nigeria is approximately a third of the IDPs in Africa and 10 per cent of IDPs in the world.
While the report noted that displacement is caused by a connection of interrelated factors, it highlighted violence, flood and storms as the main cause of displacement in Nigeria.
“Multiple complex causes trigger displacement, providing significant challenges to governments and humanitarians on the ground,” says Alfredo Zamudio, Director of IDMC.
“Violence, abuses, and forced evictions all add to the conflict-mix in many of these situations, while in places such as Nigeria we see how challenging life becomes for those already displaced by conflict when they are struck down again by severe floods and storms.”
According to the report, 470,500 persons were displaced in Nigeria in 2013 alone placing it as the country with the third highest number of displaced persons in the world. Nigeria is only ranked behind Syria with 6.5 million IDPs and Colombia with 5.7 million IDPs.
The report observed an increase in attacks by the extremist Boko sect Haram, heavy-handed counter insurgency operations and ongoing inter-communal violence as reasons for the unprecedented rise in IDPs in Nigeria in 2013.
Attacks on villages
After Boko Haram militants were pushed out of major towns in the North East following the declaration of a State of Emergency a year ago, they focused their attacks with increased brutality on towns and villages close to Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
According to the Nigerian military, Boko Haram killed more than 1,500 people in the first three months of 2014 alone and more than half of those killed were civilians.
The increasing deadly attacks on border communities and the destruction of properties, businesses and farmlands has forced many inhabitants to flee their homes to nearby towns and villages. Some have even fled into neighbouring Cameroon and Niger.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA) said 300,000 people in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states – 70 percent of them women and children – have fled their homes since early 2013.
In March, residents of Mafa, a village in Borno, fled their homes upon receiving letters from Boko Haram warning them of impending attacks. When the attack eventually happened there were only the aged and those too weak to flee left in the village.
Inadequate relief measures by the government meant that many of those requiring support could not get it. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 35 per cent of health facilities in rural area in Borno have either been destroyed by Boko Haram or forced to shut down for safety reasons leaving injured or infirmed displaced people in more precarious conditions.
Reprisal attacks on communities accused of sheltering Boko Haram insurgents by the Nigerian armed forces have also added to the number of displaced people in the north east, the report said.
Soldiers have been accused of sacking whole communities and destroying the homes of Boko Haram suspects or alleged sympathisers. In 2013, soldiers allegedly sacked the town of Bama killing 200 civilians after an attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on an army checkpoint that left one soldier dead.
Communal Clashes
Escalating communal clashes in different parts of the country has also resulted in many people fleeing their homes and properties. Clashes between farmers and herdsmen over grazing lands in states such as Benue, Taraba, Zamfara and parts of Kaduna have left a bloody trail, with its attendant destruction of properties, farmlands and whole communities.   Human Rights Watch (HRW) said more than 1,000 people have been killed in communal clashes since last December.
“The violence has been almost on a daily basis in some places like Benue State and in a few other places you’ve had it almost on a weekly basis,” said HRW Nigerian Researcher, Mausi Segun.
The Zamfara State government recently said more than 300 people in the last 20 months were killed in attacks on villages in the state.
In Benue, NEMA said more than 100 villages were sacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen this year alone. Earlier in April, the agency set up 11 camps for over 100,000 people displaced in eight local governments in the state.
Also, many of the victims of flooding caused by heavy rainfall across the country in 2012 are yet to be provided permanent place of residence. Flooding in that year alone displaced over two million people according to NEMA.

WHEN CHARITY BEGINS ABROAD : Jonathan’s visit to Burkina Faso sparks outrage ... PunchNews

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President Goodluck Jonathan’s one-day visit to Burkina Faso was severely criticised on Wednesday by Nigerians who felt it was misplaced and illogical.
The President, in company with a few other African leaders, had gone to settle the political crisis rocking the West African nation. But many Nigerians kicked against the trip, arguing that he should have put an end to the ongoing carnage in the Northeastern states before accepting to mediate in another country’s domestic problem.
Although the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, had earlier explained that Jonathan’s mission to Burkina Faso was imperative, having been nominated by the Economic Community of West African States, his words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
The outrage became louder when Abati posted on Twitter, pictures of the President’s visit and interactive session with Burkina Faso’s interim Head of State, Lt.-Col. Isaac Zida.
Reacting to the visit, an online commentator, Esther Akin-Martins, lambasted Jonathan for failing to set his priorities right.
Akin-Martins said it was illogical for Jonathan to meddle in the affairs of another nation instead of quenching the fire burning in his home.
“His house is burning, yet he is mediating in another country’s political turmoil. He has failed to even step his feet on Chibok but he believes that the best thing he could do at this critical time is to poke-nose in Burkina Faso’s crisis,” she said, in a statement posted on Twitter.
Also, Abuja-based Eric Mallim urged the President to stop pulling a deceptive front by acting as if all was well at home, despite the fact that things were getting worse.
Mallim challenged Jonathan on Twitter to prove to right thinking Nigerians that his decision to travel to Ouagadougou is a brilliant one.
He argued that the continued killings on daily basis in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe states must not be viewed by the President as mere setbacks in the ongoing war against terrorism.
“Your house is on fire but you chose to abandon it in order to help put out the smoke in your neighbours’ house, while your children perish. Is that a brilliant move?” Mallim asked.
In his reaction, online activist, Sada Abubakar, described Jonathan’s action as insensitive, inhuman and incompetent, while urging him to remove the speck in his eyes before attempting to remove the log in someone else’s.
“Boko Haram is ravaging a whole geo-political zone in the country and our President doesn’t give a damn,” he tweeted.
But, dismissing the outbursts, the Presidency said the business of governance and international relations should not come to a halt just because of the activities of insurgents.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, argued that only 16 out of 774 local government areas were currently affected by the insurgency.
Noting that the figure, by his calculation, amounted to only 0.02 per cent of the country’s territorial space, Okupe asked the President’s critics if anyone of them had refused to eat breakfast because of the insurgency ravaging the north east.
“Terrorists will not dictate to us how to run our lives. Have the pretenders criticising Jonathan not had breakfast in view of the insurgency? Life and government activities must go on in spite of terror. We shall remain unbowed. No matter what, we shall win in Jesus name. Evil will never triumph in our land,” Okupe argued on Twitter.
Insisting that the present government was not prepared for the insurgency, he said that President Jonathan was trying everything within his power to contain the menace posed by Boko Haram.
Okupe went on to place a ‘curse’ on those he claimed were accusing Jonathan of not showing enough commitment to the prosecution of the current war against terrorism in the country.
“How can you prepare for a war of this scale before you enter government? Are you people for real? Now all that is happening is about crass opportunism. Sometimes it appears that many of you defenders of the opposition suffer from ‘cerebral arrest.’
“If you say the government is not fighting at all, may the God of the widows and fatherless children of our fallen heroes judge you,” he wrote on his Twitter page.

CASTING SPELLS FOR 2015 : Resign Now, Tambuwal tells Jonathan ... PremiumTimes

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The embattled Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Wednesday, came down hard on President Goodluck Jonathan, asking him to resign from office for running “a system that does not have the interest of the country at heart”.
Addressing supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ilorin, Kwara State, during the formal declaration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed for a second term, the Speaker warned that should the president failed to do so, Nigerian voters should revolt against him at the February presidential poll.
The Speaker had, at the APC extra-ordinary convention last week, said the party would chase out the “cabal” running the country at the poll next year.
“I call on President Jonathan to resign from office because of all the mis-governance and the untold hardship Nigerians are presently passing through,” he said. If he fails to do that it is therefore incumbent on us as a people to turn out en-masse and vote out Goodluck Ebele Jonathan come 2015. That will bring peace, progress and development of Nigeria.’’
He continued, “I am sure that (Kwara) state will provide such leadership to the extent that we shall deliver this country to the government at the centre to APC,” he said in Ilorin on Wednesday.
‘’By voting APC at the centre you will be voting for prosperity and eradication of poverty. What we are witnessing today in Nigeria is not governance, but mis-governance. We are witnessing a system that does not have the interest of the people of this country at heart.”
The Speaker described Kwara State’s political history as a rich one, saying the foundation of the political struggle and the structure laid by the late Olusola Saraki was being sustained by God.
Stating that the voting pattern known among the people of Kwara State would not be different next year, Mr. Tambuwal noted that with the support of the people, the APC would “form 100 percent of the government in the state from the local council to state Assembly and to the Government House”.
Also speaking at the event, a former governor of Lagos , Bola Tinubu, lambasted Mr. Jonathan for allowing the Boko Haram terrorists to seize parts of the nation’s territory, stating that he ought to have resigned because of the development.
He said, ‘’I saw the sea of refuges and the lies coming from Jonathan’s administration. They have exhibited failure, lack of capacity, vision, creativity; the lie of yesterday is what they repeat today and it is what they will repeat tomorrow. They are lying to you. They are lying about the security, toying about the security of this country. I don’t have time to explain the logic of their lies.’’
‘’If you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armed of the federal republic, why should any part of this country be under occupation?
“And you give us excuses every day. In any civilised country, Jonathan should have resigned. But if he will not resign he should wait for our broom we will sweep them away.’’
The APC leader, who recently returned from a medical trip abroad, asked the party members to be ready for change because the race had begun.
He said the party had endorsed Mr. Ahmed for second term because he performed well in office like his predecessor, Bukola Saraki.
Mr. Tinubu alleged that the PDP administration not only steals the people’s money on daily basis, but also refused to give them jobs.
According to him, “The thieves that daily steal your money, they have not given you any job; they cannot create jobs and they are starving states of funds to pay workers salaries. The best thing to do is to sweep them away through broom revolution. APC is a party of the masses.’’
He said this was the first time he would be on a podium with Mr. Saraki to campaign for the same party, and asked the APC faithful in the state to commence a house-to-house campaign to signal a new beginning.
He added, ‘’Now it is time to apply commonsense revolution and it is about your lives. It is about your education, your jobs and about the security of this country. We stay together since independence and we will remain together. Any affecting any section of this country affects all of us.’’
‘’I will come back. This is just the endorsement of Governor Ahmed; that he will be re-elected by the grace of God with the support of you people here and those outside there. The unemployment situation will be conquered by this administration of APC. We have the vision for the security of lives of our children.’’
On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said he was a foundation member of the current political dispensation in Kwara State.
While wishing that the late Saraki were alive, Mr. Abubakar said, “We should make sure we sustain the legacy Oloye left behind by making sure that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed is returned.”
Justifying his bid for second term, Mr. Ahmed said the state was much better than he met it.
“Today, before all of you, I make bold to say we have essentially fulfilled our covenant and in the process strengthened your faith in governance,’’ he said.
“I humbly and formally declare my intention to run for a second term in office so that I can do more for our state and its people. By the grace of God and with your mandate, we intend to accelerate the development of our state when re-elected for a second term in office.’’
Other APC leaders at the event, held at Metropolitan Square, Ilorin, were presidential hopefuls, Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State.
Governors Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, former Governor Bukola Saraki and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, were also in attendance.
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