Fashola condemns road blockades during First Lady‘s visit

By The Nation: Miriam Ndikanwu

 

 Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State

Governor  Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday condemned Thursday’s traffic jam in Lagos metropolis caused by security operatives who  mounted roadblocks in different areas during the visit of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

The traffic jam, which lasted several hours, grounded business activities across the metropolis, especially on  Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Ahmadu Bello Way  (both in  Victoria Island), Alfred Rewane Road, Awolowo Road (both in Ikoyi), Catholic Mission Street, Igbosere Road and Simpson Street.Thousands of commuters were forced to walk long distances.

Governor Fashola, speaking  at a retreat organised for members of the State Executive Council and Body of Permanent Secretaries in Lagos said: “Lagosians were terribly discomfitured yesterday (Thursday) with the traffic jam, needlessly, if I must say. There is  the need for public officers generally to be more sensitive to the people we serve.

“It is particularly worrisome because this is not an elected person and I think we all, including the security agencies, must know how they pander to our high officers, especially VIP movement, at the risk and expense of citizens and taxpayers whose money was used to fuel all the vehicles  that we used to block the roads against those who pay those money.

“It is an issue that calls for greater sensitivity to the comfort of our citizenry. Yes, I understand the need to protect the VIPs, but it must be done in a way that it doesn’t impoverish.

“It should not get to the level that we shut down the roads in the state because the VIP wants to pass. If they let us know earlier because going through these  roads without shutting them down, traffic can be managed. Nigerians respect their leaders elected or not elected and they will very sensibly and gladly yield to them to go and do their business. But I don’t think they deserve to be kept on the roads, standstill for five hours.”

On the performance of the year 2012 budget, the governor said it recorded 65 per cent performance in the first quarter which was an improvement on the 52 per cent in the corresponding period in 2011.

Buhari to contest 2015 presidential election

By Augustine Avwode, with Agency report

The  presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)  in the 2011 general elections, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has declared his intention to re-contest the seat in the 2015 general elections.  

 The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buhari made his intention known while addressing CPC supporters in Kaduna who visited him.

He told the crowd that he would not quit politics, adding: “I am still in until the polity is sanitised and people enjoy the fruits of democracy at all levels of government.”

The CPC leader also pledged to ensure that the party continued to field credible candidates at the polls. He urged party supporters to close ranks for victory in future elections.

Buhari advised security agencies, the judiciary and INEC to exhibit a high degree of professionalism and patriotism at all times for the progress of the country.

He also urged youths to shun acts of violence, thuggery and money politics to make their future better. Buhari enjoined the people to canvass for their rights by emulating Nasarawa and other areas where CPC triumphed.

Mr Ibrahim Kailani, the leader of the group and Igabi local Government Council Chairmanship aspirant in Kaduna State, had earlier urged Buhari not to abandon the people.

He solicited for Buhari’s support ahead of the upcoming local government polls in the state and subsequent national elections.

Boko Haram’s latest threat: Security agencies placed on red alert

By The Nation: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation 

 

Abubakar

The armed forces and security agencies are not taking lightly the Thursday threat by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram,  against Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.  

The leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, had posted a 14-minute vidoe on You Tube on Thursday boasting that President Jonathan is incapable of stopping the group’s serial attacks.

“You, Jonathan ,cannot stop us like you boasted;instead we will devour you in three months like you are boasting. 

“It is eternal victory to die working for Allah,”Shekau, in a white robe and flanked by two men holding Kalashnikov rifles, said.

The preliminary response from the military and the security agencies yesterday was placing their men and officers on red alert. 

The Nation learnt yesterday that the security agencies have been directed to tighten security nationwide to counter whatever plans the sect may be hatching.

Other measures are being put in place, according to security sources in Abuja yesterday.

 It was also gathered that preliminary investigations into the Easter Day blast in Kaduna  confirmed that a time bomb was actually planted in the car that killed over 40 people most of whom were commercial motor-cyclists.

Fresh facts also emerged yesterday that some senior police officers and other stakeholders are behind the  push for the review of the dismissal of  former police commissioner, Mr. Zakari Biu.

A top security source, speaking on the Boko Haram threat yesterday, said it was no surprise in view of the recent onslaught on the sect by the Federal Government.

Said the  source: “As far as security agencies are concerned, the threat from the sect leader, Shekau,  was predictable going by the recent gains of the Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.

“But we are not taking it lightly at all. Since the video was released, there has been a series of meetings by the military and security agencies on how to secure the country. We cannot ignore the threat at all.

“The government has directed the military and security agencies nationwide to tighten security nationwide in view of the guerilla tactics of the sect.

“The police and security agencies will rise to the challenge like they have  done in the last three months.

“There is no basis for apprehension or disillusionment by Nigerians.”

Another source said preliminary investigations into the Easter Day bomb explosion in Kaduna has shown that a time-bomb was deployed by the perpetrators.

It was also learnt that security agencies stumbled on appreciable clues that the time bomb was targeted at two churches within Sardauna Crescent in Kaduna .

The source said: “So far, from preliminary investigations,  we have strong reasons to suspect that it was a time-bomb targeted at the two churches near the place of the incident.

“Were it a suicide mission, the perpetrator(s) would have defied security barricades by church wardens and policemen to take a plunge or wreak havoc. This theory is based on the analysis of past  strikes by Boko Haram.

“Having been frustrated by the barricades, the bomber(s) moved a few metres away and being a time-bomb, it detonated closer to the tea joint where more than 40 commercial motor-cyclists were having breakfast.”

Fresh facts also emerged yesterday that some senior police officers and other stakeholders are behind the  push for the review of the dismissal of a former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zakari Biu.

They strongly believe   that he was not indicted by either a Special Investigative Panel (SIP) or any Police Committee.

It was learnt that some stakeholders are seeking reprieve for Biu because, in their view, he has contributed immeasurably to put the anti-terrorism unit in the Nigeria Police Force in place.

Said a top source: “Top police officers and other ranks are not happy at  the fate that has befallen Biu. This is a bad precedent. It is like saying any police commissioner will be culpable if armed robbers either escape from custody or through jailbreak.

“Some police officers and stakeholders are demanding the review of the dismissal of Zakari Biu because he was not directly involved in the arrest and escape of a Boko Haram coordinator.

“What happened was that a special team from the office of the former Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, coordinated the arrest of Kabiru Sokoto on January 14 and later took the suspect to Zone 7.

“Even while Kabiru Sokoto was in custody in Zone 7, the instructions were still coming from the IGP’s office.

“If Zakari Biu as a Police Commissioner was fully in charge of the suspect, it would have been a different scenario because he is a counter-terrorism expert.

“There are three circumstances under which Zakari Biu can be dismissed under Police Regulations. These are:  if he had indicted himself, if the other ranks(five policemen) involved in the escape bid indicted him or if Kabiru Sokoto had come out to testify that Biu knew about his escape.

“None of these circumstances subsisted before Biu was dismissed by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

“Nigerian journalists should dig further. Neither the  Special Investigative Panel (Military panel) nor Police Committee indicted Zakari Biu.

“The government should also release the outcome of Biu’s trial to the public.”

Another top police officer, who spoke in confidence, said: “The morale is low over the fate of Biu and police officers are angry. For 10 years, Biu was on suspension and he came back to face this challenge.

“If you look at Zakari Biu, you will pity him because he has had a bad career and he is living from hand to mouth. He gave in his best, he put anti-terrorism on a sound footing but he was consumed by his passion.

The PSC management had, on Wednesday, said  there are two conditions which could lead to the review of Biu’s dismissal.

A source in PSC  said: “We can only reconsider Biu’s case if there are fresh facts or evidence placed before the commission. Also, Biu will have to convince the commission beyond reasonable doubt that he had no hand in how Kabiru Sokoto escaped.

“And until Kabiru Sokoto’s case is eventually determined, it will be difficult to review Biu’s case.

“Well, in any case, we have not received any formal appeal for the review of the dismissal from Biu. There is no record of such.”

The Christmas Day bombings at St.Theresa’s Catholic Church claimed 44 parishioners and others.

The search for the masterminds led to the arrest of Kabiru Sokoto at Borno Governor’s Lodge on January 14, 2012.

But barely 48 hours in custody, Sokoto escaped in Abaji in the midst of the custody of policemen who went to search his home.

The incident led to the querying and retirement of the former Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim.

The National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi, also set up an investigative panel which was made up of senior officials from different arms of the security agencies as well as officials of the Ministry of Police Affairs.

The Senate on February 21 recommended Biu’s trial by a court.

The Police Service Commission also dismissed Biu on February 22. But Sokoto was later re-arrested by the SSS in Taraba State.

The re-arrest has led to a demand for the review of Biu’s dismissal by the PSC.

World Bank race: Colombian candidate Ocampo to withdraw for Okonjo-Iweala

By Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

The chances of Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the race for the World Bank presidential race appeared brighter yesterday following reports that former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo is set to withdraw for her.

Ocampo’s withdrawal is a product of an agreement among emerging and developing countries to coalesce around one nominee, three sources said.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, would remain as the sole candidate from developing nations in a race against U.S. nominee Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American health expert, who is seen as the favourite to win the race.

A straw poll among World Bank directors, representing the Group of 11, which includes emerging countries and Australia, backed Okonjo-Iweala, the sources said.

Emerging market nations are seeking to challenge U.S. leadership at the bank to increase their influence in global economic institutions long controlled by rich nations.

While Kim is still the favourite to win the World Bank presidency because of his backing from the United States and European countries, a rigorous challenge from emerging market countries could put them in a stronger position to extract concessions favourable to their interests and also increase their odds of winning senior jobs in the future.

Earlier, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said that the BRICS group of emerging market countries were to  a joint decision on who to support for the World Bank top post as soon as last night.

Mantega told reporters that the five countries were still discussing which candidate they would support. The BRICS group also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Ocampo, who met with Mantega on Thursday, said developing nations wanted a single candidate to challenge Kim.

Traffic jam chokes Lagos as First Lady visits

By Eric Ikhilae and Tajudeen Adebanjo

 

•Mrs Jonathan ... yesterday

How do you know when the First Lady is in town?
A massive traffic jam, sweating commuters and several manhours wasted. So it was in Lagos yesterday.
Lagos Island was groaning under a crippling traffic jam that paralysed business and sent many trekking.
First Lady Patience Jonathan was visiting – to thank women for voting her husband in last year’s election.
Security operatives closed down some sections of roads in the nation’s business and financial capital. The resultant traffic jam extended beyond the Island to Mainland Lagos. It did not subside until early evening.
Dame Jonathan visited the Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, at his palace on Wednesday.
The traffic situation became more difficult in the afternoon as movement became difficult. 
From Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Ahmadu Bello Way (on Victoria Island) through Alfred Rewane Road (formerly Kingsway Road), Awolowo Road (in Ikoyi); Catholic Mission Street, through Igbosere Road and Simpson Street, the situation was the same.
Similar difficulty was witnessed from Apongbon, through Carter Bridge to Western Avenue and Ikorodu Road.
Passers-by also could not continue their journey as human traffic melted with vehicular movement. 
A bid to outsmart one another in the traffic led to minor accidents at Obalende and CMS areas.
There were shattered windscreen on the roads and commuters engaged in hot arguments over who was at fault. 
Many who could not withstand the delay parked their vehicles and resulted to using the motorcycles.
The commercial motorcyclists seized the opportunity to increase fare.
Even the motorcyclists’ efforts to manouvre their way proved difficult.
In most cases, they rode through the walk ways.
Officials of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), and security agents were helpless as the situation got complex.
LASTMA General-Manager, Mr. Babatunde Edu confirmed that the presence of the First Lady was responsible for the traffic jam. 
He said his officers were working tirelessly to ensure that smooth movement, reduction in travel time and to unlock the congestion.

Nigeria is going broke, says Okonjo-Iweala

By The Nation: Nduka Chiejina, Abuja 

 

Okonjo-Iweala

NIGERIANS got yesterday a rare insight into this country’s financial health.

But the news is not cheery. The country is going broke, with only $3.6 billion left in the excess crude account, Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said. 

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME) spoke when she met with members of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja to discuss the government’s transformation agenda. 

In her view, governors’ insistence on sharing every revenue is unhealthy for the country. 

With just $3.6 billion left in the excess crude account after withdrawals to augment monthly allocations to the three tiers of government, Dr Okonjo-Iweala warned that “should the price of oil drop, we have no cushion”.

“The $3.6 billion in the excess crude account is not enough to sustain Nigeria for any period of time,” she said. 

Following the governors’ determination to share everything that comes into the federation account as stipulated by the Constitution, the minister wondered aloud: “how many governors have saved any money? They should understand the dynamics.” 

While she admitted that some governors have saved some money from their states’ allocations, Dr Okonjo-Iweala noted that “if we don’t have arguments of constitutionality and fiscal federalism, we will progress and we need to address this”.

By this, she meant that there should be less talk about what the Constitution says and the desire for fiscal federalism and concentrate on saving for the future. 

But, advocates of fiscal federalism insists it should be no problem, if the Federal Government agrees to reduce its share of the revenue allocation and allow the states and local governments, which carry bigger loads to have more cash.

The minister recalled that “it was difficult getting governors to agree to $1 billion savings for the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF)”.

“Now that the price of oil is high, we should be happy but because the quantity we produce as a country has dropped, we are not selling expected quantities. So, not much money is coming in. We are selling below budgeted quantities,” she said. 

The Federal Government, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said, “is not dipping hands in anything”. I can tell you how much is in every account. We must save for the future because soon Ghana and Angola will join the league of countries that have savings, whereas Nigeria is fast depleting the little she has.” 

She went on: “Nigeria, because of fiscal federalism, cannot save. The Constitution says the President should manage the economy for the benefit of everybody; the decision to save is also part of the management of the economy for the benefit of the people of Nigeria. Every state can save, but the Federal Government can save for all Nigerians. The governors can insist on accountability in the management of the SWF as a guarantee against their apprehension.” 

To her, the governors are “100 per cent right to demand for transparency and how and what the money saved is spent”. “But, they are on the council of the SWF as well as Civil Society Organisations; there should be no fear. Saving is the right thing to do.” 

Nigeria, she said, is not leaving in isolation and it is a part of a global community that depends on a product sold internationally. The revenue that comes from the sale of this single product (crude oil), she added, comes periodically, stressing that “there is no money stacked up anywhere, which is why I am pushing for savings, in case the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) does not sell crude oil or cannot remit money as it’s being experienced in recent times.” 

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala argued that since “60 per cent of our money and products comes from and goes to Europe and USA, if they are not doing well, we suffer too. “Unemployment in the USA is at a crisis level same as in Europe,” she said. 

“That product determines how the economy grows and the nation’s expenditure fluctuates with revenue. Such volatile pattern of development crashes the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). To make expenditure smooth necessitated budget benchmarking.” 

She noted that the years between 2003 and 2007 were the only steady time in Nigeria’s recent economic life because it was when Nigeria saved and after the period (2008-2009), when the price of oil crashed, the government was drawing from savings to pay bills. 

The minister dropped another bombshell when she disclosed that the ministry does not know how much is spent on subsidy. What the ministry does, according to her, “is to get the accountants to verify what the importers present as their imports and pay them”.

She said there was no way her ministry could accurately determine how much petroleum products are imported and how much are actually sold in Nigeria. 

According to Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, “what we are doing is subsidising other countries”. “We have genuine importers, but must separate them from the smugglers who ferry petroleum products to other countries after claiming to import the products to Nigeria,” she said,  wondering if there is a way of stopping the smugglers.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said in 2006, N256 billion was spent on subsidy, but over the years, this has skyrocketed to the extent that governors became worried that they were being short-changed. 

The heavy deduction for subsidy, she said, was what resulted in the November and December 2011 refusal by governors to collect their allocations, until the subsidy was removed. 

Giving an insight into what to expect from the report of the subsidy removal probe by the National Assembly, the minister said: “when the report comes out, we will know those who are genuine importers and those who are not”.

To her, the government “did not explain itself well and did not wait long enough before removing the subsidy in January” – an admittance that the government acted in a hurry. Despite the protest and the government’s conceding to the wishes of the people, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said, the government is still paying subsidy, but partially. 

She also admitted that the economy that is growing at 7.9 per cent and yet claims to be creating jobs is not inclusive. She attributed this development to “challenges”, stressing that jobs must be inclusive and target rural areas. 

According to her, we are “growing at 7.9 per cent with no power. You can imagine what the growth will be like, if power was stable.” 

On the erratic electric power situation, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said privatising the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) should be fair and transparent and not under the table. She said: “Government has decided to get away from what it has not succeeded in doing in the past. Power that we get is heavily subsidised. Investors have insisted that tariff must match cost of producing power. They will not purchase the companies, unless the government announces the new tariff, but government is scared of the backlash from the masses, if it announces the new tariff.”

Boko Haram boasts in video

By The Nation: Gbade Ogunwale, Assistant Editor, Abuja

A screengrab taken from a video released on YouTube showing Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau (center) sitting flanked by militants ... yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

The Boko Haram sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, has told the Federal Government that it can never destroy the group blamed for hundreds of killings. He spoke on an online video posted yesterday. 

News of the video broke as Boko Haram killed five people in an attack on a Maiduguri market in Borno State. 

The 14-minute video on YouTube showed Shekau in a white robe, with gunmen holding Kalashnikov rifles around him. A heavy machine gun leaned against a wall as he spoke, first in Arabic and later in Hausa. 

Shekau said President Jonathan would be unable to stop the group’s attacks. 

“Jonathan, you the helpless, we heard that you intend and want to destroy us, but this talk is useless when it is said by an infidel because only God can destroy us,” Shekau said in Arabic. “Until now, nobody was able to do that (destroy us), and you too will not be able to do anything, with God’s help.” 

The North has been under increasing attack by Boko Haram, which is blamed for more than 390 killings this year alone, according to an Associated Press count. Boko Haram has killed Christians, Muslims and foreigners in its growing fight against the government over the introduction of strict Shariah law across the country and the release of all imprisoned followers.  

The video included no claims of responsibility for a suicide car bombing on Easter Sunday in Kaduna that killed at least 41 people. Suspicion for the attack immediately fell on the group as witnesses said the suicide bomber had been apparently trying to get close to a church before the explosion. Boko Haram has attacked churches in the past, as well as the United Nations and the Police headquarters in Abuja.  

Yesterday’s video showed a new sophistication for the group. Shekau has issued videos via YouTube in the past, though this one included a Hausa-language song at the beginning about the sect, saying its members were ready to kill non believers. 

The beginning of the video also showed a logo of two crossed Kalashnikov rifles around a Quran and a black Islamist flag. That symbol mirrors one used by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a group that diplomats and officials believe has loose ties with Boko Haram. 

At one point, Shekau even smiles as he describes the ongoing fighting between Boko Haram and the government. 

“One day you kill 1,000, and then we turn back, then after two days we kill your own 100,” Shekau said. “We’re turning it around like the way it is in the Quran.”

The nation’s joint security chiefs yesterday assured that the war being waged by Boko Haram against the Nigerian state would soon end, with the sect as the vanquished.

The assurance came in the face of daunting security challenges posed by the sect.

The Joint Security Information Managers Committee (JSIMC) said the military had checkmated many plots hatched by the sect, regretting however that the media had chosen to give undue attention to the sect’s periodical attacks.  

Air Commodore Yusuf Anas spoke on behalf of other representatives of sister security agencies. He said the Joint Task Forces set up to tackle the menace of the sect had recorded many successful outings which the agencies have kept under wraps for tactical reasons.

Anas said: “We are winning the war against the terrorists and the security agencies are on top of the game. We have recorded so many successes but keep most of them to ourselves since we are not out to blow our own trumpets.

“We only disclose some of them to the media. The war against terrorists would soon be over. The once in a while strikes being recorded have to do with where the people failed to give us vital information to arrest the situation before they performed their nefarious activities” 

The committee members lamented that the media have been blowing the threats or activities of the terrorist group out of proportion, at the same time playing down the successes being recorded against them. They cited the reduction in sect’s bombings in the Miaduguri metropolis as one of the instances.

Spokesperson for the State Security Services (SSS), Ms Marilyn Ogar, said in all parts of the world, it takes collaborative efforts among security agencies and the people to win the war.

Ms Ogar appealed to the media to demonstrate love for the country in the course of their professional duties, citing what she described as recent false alarm by some foreign countries that some hotels in Abuja were targeted for bombing, a claim which she said turned out a hoax.

The committee put the death toll “on the spot” in the Easter Sunday bomb attack in Kaduna at 16, regretting however that there had been an increase in the number of casualties as some of the injured later died in the hospitals. No fewer than 40 persons were killed in the attack.

Present at the briefing were spokespersons of the Army, the Air Force, the Navy and the Police.

Army to fight Boko Haram with dogs

By The Nation: Tony Akowe, Kaduna 

 

 Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika

The Army is set to unleash its trained dogs on members of the Boko Haram sect. The move is part of its anti-terrorism tactics, the Army high command has said. 
A special squad has been trained to use the dogs to battle the insurgents.
The Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika spoke in Kaduna at the maiden edition of the Commanding Officers’ workshop. 
The Army said it would soon inaugurate 14 speed boats to fight militants in the Niger Delta.
Ihejirika said: “On April 19, we will commission about 14 boats that have been recovered and refurbished for the use of troops in the Niger Delta area.”
He said the measures are aimed at ridding the country of terrorism.
The Army chief urged military personnel to be combat ready at all times. 
According to him, a situation where the Boko Haram sect engages the Army at a check point without much resistance is unacceptable.
He said there is need for Commanding Officers to be innovative in tackling the worsening state of insecurity, adding that the theme of the workshop was carefully chosen to remind the officers of the importance of military professionalism in dealing with challenges facing the nation and the world at large, especially terrorism, small arms proliferation and other related crimes. 
He announced that the second batch of special squad trainees on the use of dogs to fight Boko Haram and other terrorism groups in the country had just completed their training and would soon complement the efforts of the existing troops battling terrorism. The Army Chief commended the officers and men of the One Division of the Nigerian Army for their efforts so far in ensuring the security of lives and property of the citizens in the Northwest and Northeast geo-political zones of the country, pointing out that they must not rest on their oars until the war against terrorism is won.
“It is high time for you and your men to be in the war mood to be able to deal with the current challenges. Otherwise, how do you explain that troops on check point duty would be attacked by these decadence? And they sometimes do that and get away with it. This is an area you must work on.
“As you are out in the field at every point in time, make sure you are either conducting an operation or you are gathering intelligence. You must be doing one of the two at any point in time. If your area is too quiet, you have a reason to get worried.
“We believe that how your troops perform is a direct reflection of the qualities of their Commanding Officers. That is why you are assembled here for the next four days to brainstorm on matters of service interest in order to improve and sharpen your professional skills.
“We chose One Division to underscore the importance of the current operation of 1 and 3 Division troops. I am happy to note the numerous achievements of the Divisions since the first bomb attack of this headquarters and the attacks on Kano. But you will all agree with me
that a lot still needs to be done to make our society secure.
“Let me stress that the challenges confronting the nation and indeed the Army are well known to all of us. The constitutional provision and the directive of Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces for the Nigerian Army to work with other civil authorities to secure every part of this country are also well known.”

Benue church victims to be buried April 20

By Agency Reporter

The 22 victims of the collapsed St. Robert's Church in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue will be buried on April 20, a statement from the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has said.
The statement, signed by the Rt. Rev. William Avenya, the Auxiliary Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, said the burial would take place at St. Robert's, Adamgbe, near Vandeikya.
It expressed the hope that the families involved would allow the burial take place at the venue.
``We are hoping that the families involved will allow us to bury the 22 corpses in one location and the vestments shall be white," the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the church as saying in the statement.
The statement also said that those who sustained injuries and in different medical centres around the area were responding to treatment.
The 22 persons were killed, while many others injured when a storm pulled down St. Robert’s Church building in Vandeikya, Benue, on Holy Saturday.

Fresh bomb scare in Kaduna

By The Nation: Tony Akowe 

 

 People gather around the site of Sunday's suicide attack in Kaduna, Nigeria, Tuesday. Photo: AP

Few days after Easter Sunday’s bomb explosion within the Kaduna metropolis, the city recorded another bomb scare on Tuesday.
This incident took place few metres from the scene of last Sunday’s blast which killed several people.
Residents and commuters reportedly noticed a bag placed near a pole on the middle of the road, causing panic and confusion as residents thought the bag contained explosives and the police was immediately alerted on the discovery.
Eye witnesses told The Nation that when the police arrived and cordoned off the place, none of them was willing to move near the object until one young man within the neigbourhood came, move towards it and struck the bag with a long stick while the crowd that was already building up cheered him on.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “The boy, named Abdullahi Olya came from Jemaa Road. He used the stick to touch the bag and nothing happened. The people around started hailing him while the police watched.
“Realizing that the bag does not contain any explosive device, the boy went to the place, picked it up, emptied the content and people around started clapping for him. But the police moved in and arrested the boy.”
“The boy’s arrest further created confusion in the area as many of those present rose in his defense. They threatened a showdown with the police, a situation that caused serious traffic hold up in the area as motorists had to turn towards the Nasarawa Road and came into Kaduna town through the Katsina Road roundabout, “the eyewitness added.

2012/2013 POST UME CUT OFF MARK FOR ALL NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

We have all check our JAMB Scores. What is next, the most important hurdle to climb is Post-Ume. Today, I want to write on the Post Ume Cut off Mark for all the Nigerian Universities.

If your JAMB Score is 200 and above, you can write a post ume for a University. In order for you to know your prefered School Post UME Exam cut off mark, read this

> Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMinna) - 190
> Kwara State Polytechnic, - 180
> University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) - 180 or 200 depending on course
> Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) - 180 UTME
> Kaduna State University (KASU) - 180 UTME (first choice only)
> Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) - 180
> University of Ibadan (UI) - 200 (Only Accept Students who Choose them as First choice only)
> Lagos State University (LASU) - 200
> Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) - 180
> Imo State University (IMSU), now Called EvanEnwerem University (EEU) - 180
> University of Benin (UNIBEN) - 200
> Anambra State University (ANSU) - No official figure probably 180
> Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU/UNIZIK) - 180 first choice only (no official proof yet)
> Enugu State University of Science & Technology - 180
> Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) - 200
> Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) - 200
> Adekunle Ajasin University - 200
> Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) - 180 (first choice only)
> University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) - 200 (minimum UTME cut-off)
> Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) - 180 (1st choice only)
> University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB) - 180 (minimum UTME cut-off)
> Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) - 180 (minimum UTME cut- off)
> Abia State University, Uturu (ABSUU) - 180
> University of Ilorin, UNILORIN - 200 (240 for Medicine)
> University of Lagos (UNILAG) - 200
> Federal University of Technology FUT,Minna - 190
> Kwara State Poly -180
> University of Port Harcourt, UNIPORT - 200/180 depending oncourse
> Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO - 180 UTME cutoff.
> Kaduna State University, KASU - 180 UTME cutoff (first choice only)
> Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH - 180
> University of Ibadan, UI - 200 (First choice only)
> Lagos State University, LASU - 200
> Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, MOUAU - 180
> University of Benin, UNIBEN - 200
> Niger Delta University - 180 Cutoff mark will vary depending on your chosen course.
> Osun State University (Uniosun) - 200 (180 for Agriculture, Education and Arts i.e Humanities and Culture Faculty)
> University of Abuja - 180

You can ask any question relating to your school and post ume here. If you need a past questions. use the comment form to ask for it.

CNPP urges EFCC to probe Obasanjo's Third Term failed plot

By The Nation: Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja 

 

Obasanjo

• 'We want to know how N30 billion was wasted'

The Conference Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday urged  the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate how over N30 billion was ‘wasted’ on former President Olusegun Obasanjo alleged Third Term bid.
 Obasanjo, in an interview with Channels , said he never "toyed with the idea of a third term" and that it was some members of the National Assembly that initiated the move to amend the constitution with a view to accommodating the plan.           
But CNPP, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary Osita Okechukwu,  said: "We want to know who authorised the opening of the Central Bank of Nigeria 's vault where over N30 billion was withdrawn, the foot soldiers who distributed monies to lobby National Assembly members, Chiefs, Emirs, Obas and sundry characters, and who collected."        
The group added: "Now that Senator Ibrahim Mantu, former Deputy Senate President (DSP) and Chairman Joint Constitutional Review Committee (JCRC) during the Third Term saga, has come out publicly to defend ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo's revision of history and his infamous role in the failed bid that cost the nation over N30 billion; Conference Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) calls on the EFCC to probe the failed exercise. The EFCC is in good stead to carry out this probe because the Chairman of EFCC Ibrahim Lamorde was the Operations man in the Commission during this sordid era.
"We dismiss Senator Mantu's statement in its entirety and are of the candid view that the Third Term is much ado about the depletion of our natural resources, the failure of Obasanjo regime to complete any project, especially of the federal roads he awarded since assumption of office, even Ota-Agege-Abeokuta road and total criminal dislocation of our journey to true democracy.
 "The probe of the Third Term is a matter of utmost national importance, not only to recover our looted funds, a bleeding which took place when the Oil price was hovering at its peak of between $140 to $145 per barrel; but also to locate how Chief Obasanjo's failure to extend his tenure led to his adoption of do-or-die tactics hence the 2007 sham elections and the emergence of the incompetent government in our clime today."

Nigeria passes satellite air navigation test

By The Nation: Kelvin Osa-Okunbor
Nigeria has passed a pilot test for migration from terrestrial air navigation to a satellite-based navigation, the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) said yesterday.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Mr Nnamdi Udoh, told journalists on Monday, in Ikeja, that the feat was a great one in view of the country’s quest for advancement.
He explained that the satellite-based navigation — Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) — was also known as Performance-Based Navigation (PBN).
“Nigeria’s bold attempt to migrate from terrestrial air navigation to a satellite-based navigation system received a boost at the weekend when two foreign airlines tested the new procedure with pilots landing successfully at the Lagos and Kano airports respectively.
“The Emirates airline was the first to carry out the approach test on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in Lagos while the KLM recorded same in Kano.
“With the success recorded in our quest for moving from terrestrial to a satellite-based air navigation system, Nigeria has joined the league of big countries that are already operating the ICAO-endorsed air navigation programme,’’ he said.
The NAMA boss said the PBN was cost effective, explaining that it required less fuel during aircraft takeoff and landing.

JTF discovers bomb-laden vehicle in Kano

By The Nation: Kolade Adeyemi, Kano
An explosive-laden vehicle was intercepted in Kano yesterday.
It was parked at the ever-busy Zaria Road bypass in the metropolis before the Joint Task Force (JTF) men intercepted the vehicle and destroyed the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) loaded in it.
It was gathered that passers-by who saw the vehicle became apprehensive as people ran helter-skelter. 
An eyewitness said the vehicle was noticed at about 10:30am.
The Kano JTF was notified and its men quickly rushed to the scene. They discovered that the vehicle was loaded with explosives. The motive for parking the vehicle at that spot is yet to be ascertained. 
JTF spokesman Lt. Ikedichi Iweha said: “This morning, the JTF discovered the vehicle laden with explosives. My men hurriedly rushed to the area and in the process, they were able to detonate the explosives. We thank God that nothing happened. The area has been cordoned off and the vehicle moved for safe keeping.”

5,000 policemen on the alert as Jonathan opens Almajiri school in Sokoto

By Vincent Ikuomola, Abuja

 

 president Jonathan

Security has been tightened in Sokoto as President Goodluck Jonathan visits the state to inaugurate the Federal Government Model Almajiri School.
The Almajiri School project is part of the programmes initiated by the Federal Government to combat the poor education of youths in the North, which is believed to be one of the reasons for the security breach in that part of the country.
The police have mobilised about 5,000 men for today’s presidential visit.
The model boarding school with modern facilities is in Gagi in Sokoto metropolis.
The Federal Executive Council approved  the construction of 400 Almajiri schools across the 19 Northern states.
Government is spending about N5b on the project.
The approval was in fulfillment of the promise by Jonathan  to tackle the Almajiri syndrome in the Northern states by ensuring that millions of the street children  get access to formal education.
The President insisted that the Almajiri syndrome was responsible for the high level of insecurity and other social menace in the North.
Minister of Education Prof. Ruqqayat Rufai, said the schools would be equipped with basic facilities to promote the learning of Islamic religious knowledge and western education.
Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike, who was directly supervising the project said 100 of the schools had been built and would be delivered before June. 
The model school in Sokoto has among other facilities: language Laboratory, recitation hall, classrooms and dormitories.
Other facilities include: a clinic, vocational workshop, dining hall and mallam quarters.
Speaking on the project yesterday in Sokoto, the Director of Media in the Governor’s Office, Alhaji Hassan Maccido, said the people were excited by the inauguration of the school.
He said Sokoto occupied a strategic position in the Northern region and in Islamic education in particular.
Maccido said the Almajiri system of education at its inception was like the western convent where a child is trained with religious ethics.
“The essence of Almajiri schooling is to take your child from you to a school environment where a Mallam takes care of him, gives him education and moulds his character.
“The foundation is for the child to have an independent mind of his own and to be able to fend for himself.
“Unfortunately, the system came to be abused as what we see now is that a father takes child to Almajiri school headed by a Mallam who does not do the job right.
“When a child is in need, the Mallam sends him out to engage in all sorts of things,” he said.
He said the state had earlier taken pro-active approach to reposition the Almajiri system and returned it to its original state of a formal set-up where a child is trained in islamic education before western education school system.
Maccido said the state government had established a school which, at the moment, admitted about 1000 pupils from Sokoto and neighbouring States.
He said the state government is planning to build additional schools in all its senatorial districts to complement the Federal Government efforts. 
Sokoto Police Commissioner, Alhaji Aliyu Musa, said yesterday that about 5,000 police personnel had been mobilised to provide security during President Jonathan’s official visit.
Musa told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Sokoto that measures had been taken to provide adequate security.
He said that all the assistant commissioners of police had been assigned to each of the identified routes Mr President was expected to follow.
He said officers had been briefed on the security modalities they were expected to adopt during and after the visit.
“ All we expect from members of the general public is intelligence reports that will help us strategise our mode of operation in task of building a safe society, “ Musa said.
He called on the officers and men of the command to continue to put in their best as hard working ones would always be rewarded while the indolent ones ways be sanctioned.

Boko Haram strikes again as Kaduna counts losses

By The Nation: Yusuf Alli, Abuja, Tony Akowe, Kaduna and Joseph Abiodun, Maiduguri 

-Seven killed in attacks -Three sect members die in gun duel

Kaduna, the North’s political capital, recovered yesterday from the hangover of the Easter Sunday suicide bombing to start counting its losses.
Scores died and many others are hospitalised.
But the violence that dampened the Easter celebration continued yesterday, with the Islamist sect, Boko Haram launching attacks in Yobe and Borno states.
Seven people were confirmed dead in the attacks. The sect attaked Dikwa, a Borno town, setting ablaze a police station, a bank and a hotel. 
An attempt to raze down the local government secretariat was repelled.
In Potiskum, Yobe State, a seven-year-old girl was shot dead during a failed attempt to kill her policeman father hours after the group’s members killed three in a separate raid, the army and the police said.
They fired shots into the house of a police sergeant in the northeastern town of Potiskum late Sunday, police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said.
“They fired shots at him while sitting in the midst of his family. He managed to avoid the bullets and scaled over the fence,” Gbadegesin said.
“The gunmen shot dead his seven-year-old-daughter and seriously injured another 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old-son who are now in hospital.”
In a separate attack in the northeastern town of Dikwa around 1:30 am, Boko Haram gunmen killed a policeman, a civilian and a local politician in co-ordinated attacks, the army said.
The attackers targeted a police station, a bank and a hotel but were repelled by army troops, according to Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State.
“Three Boko Haram terrorists were killed and many escaped with bullet wounds,” Lt.-Col. Musa said.
Among those killed in the siege on the town that lasted for over an hour, were a former council boss, Alhaji Babagana Ali Karim; a police Sergeant and a civilian whose names were not revealed.
It was also gathered that the military had to be deployed from nearby military facilities before the siege could be smashed and three members of the sect were left dead and many others injured. 
Confirming the attack in a statement in Maiduguri, Lt.-Col. Musa said “between 01:35 and 02:45 hours of Monday, suspected Boko Haran terrorists attacked and burnt Dikwa police station, Unity Bank, Freedom Hotel and attempted to burn Dikwa Local Government Secretariat. The JTF Forward Operating bases in Dikwa and Gamboru, the 202 Battalion and the Nigeria Police personnel in the area were all called to action before the militants could be repelled.”
Lt.-Col. Musa confirmed the killing of the former council boss, a police sergeant and a civilian. He said three sect members were killed by the military with many others escaping with  bullet wounds. 
Musa said items recovered include an unregistered Isuzu pick up van (milk coloured), a pump action gun, an AK47 rifle, a double barrel gun, a box loaded with assorted ammunition, 19 empty magazines of AK47 rifle, a bullet proof jacket, a crash helmet and a DVD player. The JTF spokesman claimed that normalcy had returned to the area.
The Borno State Police Command yesterday gave a cash reward of N500,000 to a man who gave out information that led to the smashing of a planned assassination of a clergyman.
Speaking during the presentation of cash to the man whose name was withheld for security reason, the Borno State Police Commissioner, Bala Hassan, said the informant gave the information that led to the arrest of two hoodlums and recovery of arms.
He urged the other residents of the town to borrow a leaf from the informant.
In another incident, two suspected Boko Haram members in a Peugeot 406 Saloon car with registration number AT 647 GWA shot sporadically into the air at about mid-day, scaring people off the streets of Maiduguri.
The shooting, which took place around Baga road and Hausari, caused pandemonium.
JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa said the vehicle used by the sect members was stolen at  gun point from a mechanic’s workshop.
He said the vehicle was ridden with bullets and that further information would be made available later.
There was confusion over the Kaduna casualty figure.
Commercial motorcyclists claimed they lost 100 members in the blast.
But the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday that only nine people were killed.
This is contrary to the figure of 38 dead given on Sunday by Abubakar Zakari Adamu, spokesman of the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
Commissioner of Police Mohammed Abubakar Jingiri disputed the figures, saying only five persons died while 16 were injured. “The bomb explosion was massive, which resulted from the death of the suicide bomber and five persons with 16 people injured who were passers-by.” 
The suicide bomber struck at the ever-busy Junction Road/ Sardauna Crescent near the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.
NEMA said besides the nine dead, 38 people were injured and taken to hospitals.
It also claimed that eight buildings, including a bank and two hotels, were shattered by the explosion. About 23 motor-cycles were damaged during the incident.
The agency gave the statistics in a stock-taking statement in Abuja  by its Head of Public Relations, Alhaji Yushau A . Shuaib.
The statement said: “For the quick intervention of security personnel and emergency rescuers, more lives were saved from the suspected suicide explosion that occurred on Easter Sunday in Kaduna.
“The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) can authoritatively confirm nine deaths and 38 with varied degrees of injuries receiving treatment at various hospitals in Kaduna and Zaria. 
“The figures were obtained after a joint rapid assessment by officials of the agency and the stakeholders which reveals that some of the injured persons that were initially presumed dead have since regained consciousness following their prompt evacuation and access to medical assistance. 
 “Alerts of the explosion had prompted the agency to immediately rally the stakeholders that deployed ambulances and para-medics in carrying out the quick intervention in the evacuation of the affected persons who were taken to the various medical facilities for necessary assistance. These included the Red Cross, Civil Defence, Kaduna SEMA, Police and the military. The medical facilities are: Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, St Gerald Catholic Hospital, Rakiya Memorial, 44 Army Reference Hospital and ABUTH Zaria.     
 “The Director General NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, in prompt response to the situation has visited some of the hospitals where the victims are receiving treatment and promised adequate assistance for their recovery.
 “Among other immediate impacts caused by the explosion were eight buildings, including a bank, two hotels, an eatery and commercial shops that were affected and about 23 motor cycles which were also damaged.”
The Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association in Kaduna State yesterday claimed that over 100 of its members died in the Easter Sunday suicide bomb explosion. 
The association blamed the government for the seeming unending suicide bombings in the country. It denied that its members were involved in most of the criminal activities and bombings in the country.
Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) Secretary General  Nasir Mamman, told reporters that over 100 members of the association died in the blast. He urged the government to take concrete measures aimed at safeguarding the lives and property of citizens.
Mamman said an emergency meeting of all the officials of the association in the state had been called to take proper statistics of the dead.
He urged the government to look into the proposal submitted to it by the association aimed at sanitising the union, adding that most of the commercial cyclists engaged in crime were not their members.
He said: “Yesterday was a very dark day because we lost our members and other innocent Nigerians. It is, indeed, very unfortunate. We pray that God will give their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loses.
“We urge the government to ensure the security of lives and property of citizens. We are not blaming anybody in particular. 
“We submitted a proposal to sanitise the union. Part of the proposal is the need for screening before becoming a member. We don’t just want anybody to come into the trade just like that. If the government had worked with our proposal, by now, we would have told you authoritatively the number of those members that died in yesterday’s unfortunate incident, but now we can’t. 
“However, we have summoned an emergency meeting of all our chairmen across the five zones in the state and they are here already. On the average, our people are over 100 that lost their lives. We want to authenticate our membership, so we appeal to the state government to do something about our proposal to sanitize the trade.”
Chairman of the Kano Road branch of the association, Danjuma Issa, blamed the government for the incessant bombing in the state, saying the attention of security operatives had been on commercial cyclists while motorists carried explosives around. 
Issa said they had been inundated with calls from families of their dead members over the whereabouts of their loved ones.
“It was an unfortunate incident and more so that it affected our members mostly. You see that we are few here today. We are still mourning as we are still taking stock of the dead among us.  
“Some of our members could not work yesterday because of the unfortunate incident. It’s most unfortunate. Some of our members are not here and we don’t know what must have happened to them.
“Families of some of our members have been trooping to various hospitals in search of their loved ones. Some of the victims, you cannot even identify because they were burnt beyond recognition. 
“I have been bombarded with calls from my family members. They are scared since they learnt of the incident.”