Jonathan, Politics, and the War on Terror

Salisu Suleiman.
When over 200 secondary school girls, whose parents had been assured of their safety, were brazenly abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno state, the federal government was quick to condemn the act. As usual, it promised to defeat Boko Haram and rescue the girls.
A day later, the military declared that it had freed most of the girls, only to retract the claim two days later. Most of the girls remain missing, forcing understandably desperate parents to join the search.
It didn’t take long for a totally different version of the events leading to the large abduction to emerge. According to one report, the Chairman of Chibok local government area received a message two hours earlier, that a convoy of about 20 vehicles driven by suspected Boko Haram members had been sighted heading to the town. Even with limited communications, he managed to reach contact the state police command which mobilized for the challenge.
Unfortunately, faced with well-armed and well-drilled fighters, it didn’t take long for the police to run out of ammunition and withdraw. But that is not the real story. What is instructive is that the military post right opposite the school was reportedly withdrawn just before the attack.
Not a single member of the Nigerian military remained behind to confront the invaders and protect the students, ostensibly on whose behalf the military post had been located in that position.
Similarly, a few weeks earlier when suspected Boko Haram fighters launched a large scale attack on an army barracks near Maiduguri, the initial reports claimed that the attackers had come in under the cover of the night to wreck the large scale havoc they inflicted, in addition to the high number of causalities. But like the Chibok attack to come, it didn’t take long for contrary reports to emerge.
Eye witness accounts insist that the attacks did not take place at night, but that the terrorists came in the middle of the day and were actually observed prior to the attacks. Again, there are claims that many of the military personnel on posting at the barracks had been ordered to evacuate before the attacks occurred, and that only the uninformed were left behind, fatally exposed to be slaughtered by the hordes of invaders.
Not long afterwards, a brave British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reporter did one of the most informative pieces on the insurgency to date. He traveled to the scenes of the conflict and was able to conduct first hand interviews with some of the victims. A particularly telling interview was with a lady named Comfort who had managed to escape from the den of the terrorists. Comfort claimed that Boko Haram usually had information about any planned military raid and had time to escape to forests and caves before they occurred.
The claim insinuates that not only are the locations of Boko Haram camps known to the military, but the unspoken implication is that either the terrorists had moles within the military, there was some sort of illegal alliance, or both. These are very matters.
The military should not only speedily repudiate such allegations and provide evidence to back their position, but also take additional steps to build public trust and confidence. That failing, few Nigerians now believe what the military says about the war on terror; the rumor mills are in overdrive.
As if it were not bad enough that most Nigerians do not believe the military, even the civil Department of State Security, (SSS) is losing the credibility campaign, not the least because of the approach of its spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar. Just last week, the SSS was accused by a group of not being fair to Muslims. There is grave danger to the state when a section of the population believes that public institutions are biased against one group.
The DSS only has itself to blame to exposing itself to such ridicule, especially in the aftermath of the recent ‘invasion’ of its headquarters. Anyone who has been to the SSS headquarters before, as I have, cannot but chuckle at the claim. Whatever the truth may be, a number of people were killed and their bodies dumped at various morgues across Abuja.
Not even the usually meaningless government probe of the event has been announced. No one knows the identity of the dead, who killed them, and under what circumstances, and evidently, no one cares.
But then, we should not be surprised. These institutions are only following the trend set by President Goodluck Jonathan. How credible are the words of a president who says he feels the pain of terrors victims one day, but immediately proceeds to a political rally to backslide on the yet to dry blood of the dead, and dance on their yet to be dug graves?
NigeriaIntel

Gov Nyako Was Not Grilled By Police Detectives – Official

Mohammed Ismail

The director of press and public affairs to Governor Murtala Nyako,  Mallam Ahmed Sajoh, has  disclosed that at no time was the governor grilled by police detectives contrary to a newspaper report that the governor was grilled by detectives for four hours at the Government House, Yola.
Sajoh made the clarification in a statement he signed and made available to LEADERSHIP in Yola.
He said the story was carefully planted in the paper to achieve the twin aim of stoking embers of discord between the governor and the police force and also to embarrass Governor Nyako.
“Our attention has been drawn to a news story in a national daily to the effect that police detectives from Force Headquarters grilled Governor Murtala Nyako for four hours at the Government House, Yola on Tuesday the 29th of April, 2014”.
Sajoh said the story which was not authored by the Adamawa State correspondent of the national daily was planted by some persons in Abuja with a view to embarrass the state governor and create friction between the government of Adamawa State and police authorities both in Yola and Abuja.
“This is rather unfortunate and dangerous. It has become the stock-in-trade of some persons based in Abuja to continuously stoke the embers of hatred and discord between the governor of Adamawa State and federal government agencies for very unwholesome motives.
“As rightly stated by CSP Frank Mba in the same story, His Excellency Governor Murtala Nyako as a major stakeholder in the security set-up of the state received a team from Force Headquarters on a fact finding visit to the state.
“The team was accompanied by the state commissioner of police, Mr A. J. Abakasanga. They had open and frank discussions on all matters related to their visit which had no connection whatsoever with recent events related to the governor’s memo,” Sajoh said.
Sajoh further observed that in recent times several attempts have been made by some elements within the state and Abuja to destroy the cordial relationship between the government of Adamawa State and the police formation in the state.
“This has been done through the release of a fake letter purportedly written by the police commissioner on a request for the release of a venue to the PDP for a rally.
“That letter was roundly denied by the commissioner of police. Again these same elements attempted to read meanings into a routine police activity by creating stories related to the withdrawal of security details covering the governor.
“We wish to state categorically that the relationship between the state governor and the police commissioner is cordial and excellent.”
He further advised those planting the stories to stop in the interest of peace, security and harmonious working relationships in the state.
Leadership

BMW Recalls Model X6 In Which Sambo's Brother Got Into Fatal Accident

Top German automobile producer BMW announced the recalling of 156,000 cars and sports utility vehicles in the United States because of possible engine problems, which comes soon after Nigeria's Vice President's brother died in the accident involving one of such models.
According to the information provided by NY Daily, 128i, 328i, Z4, 135i, 335i, 528i, 535i and 640i cars, so as many X3, X5, and X6 SUVs, will be recalled starting from May.
The company officials explained that bolts that hold a camshaft housing can loosen and break. It may consequently result in the reduced power or stalling thus increasing accident risk.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that dealers would replace bolts free of charge.
It would be recalled that the younger brother of Nigeria's Vice President Namadi Sambo, Captain Yusuf Sabo Sambo (Retd), was driving a BMW X6 when he got into a fatal accident.
Naij.com

VP Brother’s Death, Abducted Schoolgirls Expose Govt’s Double Standard’

By ISAIAH BENJAMIN

The Kaduna Salvation Movement (KASMO) has lamented the hypocrisy and insensitivity of government in Nigeria, accusing the political class of playing double standard.
The group observed that since Vice President Namadi Sambo brother’s death, most activities at federal and state levels have been paralysed under the guise of paying condolences, while about 230 girls have been abducted for over two weeks now and nothing concrete seems to have been done for their release.
In a press statement issued by the chairman of the group, Mr Mohammed Musa Soba, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Kaduna, it viewed as “disgraceful and despicable the double standard of our political leaders both in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities and moral obligations placed on us by our different cultures and respected religions.
“It is ironic that while the entire country is being traumatised by the abduction of over 230 innocent school girls and the continuous killing of innocent souls across the country, not even a condolence visit was paid to the families of the bereaved and the distressed. But when the brother of Vice President Namadi Sambo, Captain Sabo Sambo died in a motor accident few days ago, the business of government was abruptly brought to an end with the postponement of even the weekly federal executive council meeting.
“While we sympathise with Vice President Sambo over his brother’s demise, we condemn the attitude of turning personal issues into state matters while the real issues that border on the security of lives and property of ordinary Nigerians are treated with levity and criminal contempt.”
Leadership

THE RISE AND FALL OF TV PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

 BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM Leadership (Abuja)


From the late 70s to the 90s, Nigeria was known for her rich and educational TV programmes that informed, educated, enlightened, persuaded, integrated and at the same time entertained viewers. But today, the love for these programmes has been overtaken by the trend of parents not having much time to scrutinise what their children or wards do before and after school. ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM writes on the need for parents to go back to the old days while looking at some important television programmes.

TV was for the elites. There was always this joy to catch up with some of the programmes on air back then. For those who had the opportunity to own or see a TV in the 70's to early 90's when juveniles then who got to know much of TV during the mid 80's and most of the early 90's, the TV experience then was of a nostalgic feeling now.
There is no doubt that the then generations and before confirm that these present generations are getting adulterated TV content and programmes like which are not in any way contributing to the life of the present generation of youths.
A flashback to the early 70's -90's, TV programmes were of entertainment and education value that even parents needed not persuade their children to embrace them.
Though there were no 24hr TV broadcast at that time, but for the period of six hours of TV operations, TV was truly fun for its various viewers. One could remember when by 4pm, viewers were first greeted with music for an hour with the coloured strips adorning the TV and sometimes most residents had to stay tuned while someone tried to turn the antenna to get a clear picture of a favourite programme.
After the national anthem was played to introduce the line-up of the day's programme which might not last up to 12am, the DCA (duty continuity announcer) would read the programme line-up for the day while some interesting cartoons followed. This was almost the tradition during weekdays until the 9pm network news on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), which many parents don't miss for anything no matter what kind of job they do. They prefer to skip meals instead of missing the network news.
By that time, children were expected to have gone to bed or just compulsorily listen to NTA network news.
News line uncovers many happenings around the country from weird spiritual happenings to investigative work. But today many have been taken away by politics and insurgencies.
Taking a drive through the past, there is no doubt that generations then always weep for the present generations for what they have missed; good and educating TV programming.
How would one quickly forget The Village Headmaster, one of Nigerian's longest TV drama series back then? The good acting prowess of Oloja of Oja land played by Dejumo Lewis, Gorimapa, Sisi Clara, Teacher Oghenem, Councillor Balogun and others that made this TV drama one of the best from Nigeria.
Uchokwu was a court drama that involves and Igbo translator who always gives the wrong message to the people.
How would one also forget Things Fall Apart of the Pete Edochie (Okonkwo) fame? Also was The New Masquerade which had the likes of Chief Zebrudaya alias 4:30, Ovloria, Gringori, Clarus, the one and only late Prince Jegede Sokoya and his troublesome Apena (late Christy Essien) wife.
Other great programmes back then were Cock Crow At Dawn, Mirror In The Sun, Ripples, Behind The Cloud, Adio Family, Basi & Company, Second Chance, Samanja, Sura the Tailor, Koko Close, Awada Kerikeri.
What about Ultimate Power, of the Ishawuru fame?
In addition, there were Third Eye, Mind Bending, Pot of life, Magana Jarice, Mind your language, Hammer House of Horror, Soul Train, CI5 (The professionals) which was a British detective TV drama series that featured our own veteran actor, Olu Jacobs, and many others.
While the adults were busy enjoying the above TV programmes, their children at that time also had the cause to be excited staying glued to TV when finally allowed to, as parents then always lock their TV with padlocks because it was a box TV unlike the developed flat-screened TV set that are obtainable today.
At school, children were seen in groups discussing most of these notable TV programmes while some popular social clubs were formed.
Children and even adults were treated on a Sunday with captivating programmes like Tales by Moonlight, which was a reason most children would always want to be at home by 6pm.
Furthermore, Sesame Street, Voltron, Super Ted and Robin Hood were some of the programmes that thrilled viewers.
On Saturday morning, Cadbury breakfast show wakes you up with interesting comedy, cartoons like Pinky and the Brain, whose mission is to take over the world.
Kiddie's Vision 101 helps in upgrading and testing the intellect of children and more of such programmes would really help in the moral development of the youths. Also was Rintinti (the police dog).
How can one forget Dr Who which was also one the best TV programmes for the kids back then before the Superman, Tom and Jerrys of this world took over?
The lists of these good and great programmes are many. Mentioning them only makes one sit and cry for the present generation of kids who have now become something else due to the adulterated TV contents they are now being exposed to.
The new TV content and trend is music and dance based which is filled with lots of degrading moral value fillings. What mostly sell TV content nowadays are X-rated contents. This is eminent in our present music videos, reality programmes and so on.
Though many have asked and wondered where we all got it wrong from, but that still remains a puzzle yet to be unravelled.
The new crop of juveniles has argued that those TV programmes that wowed viewers in the past did so because there was not much competition as we now have. Their point is that back then; it was mainly the NTA and maybe LTV that were providing TV contents to Nigerians.
According to Mr Matthew Thompson, a pundit in the industry, the blame has to be shifted to the NBC who don't scrutinise programmes before they are aired. He said unless they are given much power to ban any programme with erotic content, the decadence would continue.
He said: "I don't know why we are crying over spilt milk. After all, they government has the power to say these are they programmes that would benefit out children. NTA is seen from many quotas as very local but on the contrary, they are the best. They are now competing favourably with other media, their programmes are always better."
"When the only thing people watch in Nigeria is violence, war, sex, erotic scenes and sometimes even porn, what do you expect from a generation with keen interest? Parents now are more interested in the money they would get from politicians, and politicians are more interested in being an American. There is no way things would get better unless we change our attitude and go back to the drawing board. Thank God for the national conference, at least it may also help in fashioning ways of putting these diseases to an end," he frowned.
What is still obtainable in school curriculums today are some of these TV stories which were acted to give viewers more understanding to what the books are saying.
The Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) should see this as a matter of urgency and take the bull by the horn.
Nigeria is a country made of traditions and culture which is also enshrined in its constitution. More values should be placed on education and information.
And most programmes that are not of benefit to the youths of Nigeria should be scraped to bring back sanity for a better tomorrow.

How the seed of Boko Haram was sown when I was a kid — Ex-Minister Nweke

Ibanga Isine

Frank Nweke 

 

The Director-General, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, Frank Nweke, Jnr. has advised the Nigerian Government to properly fund education and healthcare to reduce unemployment and insecurity in the country.
Mr. Nweke, a former Minister of Information, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in an interview, said the high level of insecurity and unemployment in the country are caused by the failure of government to address the core needs of the citizenry.
He noted that the quality of education in Nigeria does not offer the needed skills for young people to function in a technologically-driven world.
Besides, Mr. Nweke argued that only a healthy and educated population can contribute to national growth and development.
In an emotion-laden voice Mr. Nweke said, “As a child, I watched as the seeds of Boko Haram were sown in Maiduguri, where I grew up.  As we were taken to school every day, we saw the kids sitting under trees being indoctrinated.
“As we returned from school in the afternoon, we saw the same children at the roundabouts, begging for alms and as we went to catechism in the evening, we found them back under the trees receiving their own religious studies.
“Majority of them did not attend any formal school. Today, they have become the cause of insurgency to the nation; a nation that failed them.”
He insisted that leaders of Nigeria at all levels failed millions of children and young people by paying lip service  to education, healthcare and social welfare.
Unless the country deliberately creates workable educational, healthcare and welfare policies and implement them consistently, insecurity, ignorance, poverty and disease will continue, he said.
The former minister of information said it was wrong for the government to classify education and healthcare as social issues, noting that they were core to attaining national growth and development.
He argued, “No country can develop by accident. Development philosophy, development strategy, implementation of programmes and policies of government must be deliberate and has to be consistent and sustained.
“Education and health should not be classified as social services, these are not social services. These are core economic issues that drive development.
“Why do you classify them as social? How can we expect to make progress without an educated and skilled populace? How can we make progress without a healthy populace?
“If you have an educated but unhealthy population, you cannot make progress and when you are healthy and uneducated, you cannot make progress.
“Genuine progress is driven by education and effective healthcare. That’s just the truth of the matter. These are the two things that drive economic development and human progress.”
Mr. Nweke therefore called on the government to consciously educate its citizenry, impart skills in them and make them healthy.
He drew attention of the government to its Ghanaian counterpart which has a Ministry of Children’s Affairs, adding that that government understands the concept of sustainable and wholesome development.
He said, “Ghana has a Ministry for Children’s Affairs; it underscores the fact that they understand the concept of sustainable and wholesome development.
“They understand that from the point of conception to nursing and other phases of a child’s life; is when the life of a human being can be nurtured.
“That is when countries begin to prepare their people to be responsible citizens and lay the foundation for their education and health and overall well-being.”
This post is supported by the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme, funded by DFID and managed by a consortium led by the British Council

Exclusive: Nigeria favors local firms in $40 billion oil contract awards

By Emma Farge and Tim Cocks

DAKAR/LAGOS 

(Reuters) - Nigeria has awarded most of its long-term oil contracts worth an estimated $40 billion a year to local companies, according to a confidential list seen by Reuters, meaning global traders need to partner with them to access crude from Africa's top producer.
Global commodity traders, refiners and Nigerian dealers jockey at an annual tender for access to the OPEC member's prized crude oil, which is easy to refine and produces more high-value fuels.
The contracts cover around 340 million barrels of oil, worth close to $40 billion annually based on current Brent prices, and run for a year, though they can be renewed. They were allocated to just 28 companies, versus around 50 in 2012, the last time they were awarded.
In a break with tradition, no contracts were given directly to global trading houses Glencore Xstrata (GLEN.L), Vitol VITOLV.UL, Trafigura TRAFGF.UL or Gunvor, with only Switzerland's Mercuria winning a contract, according to a list that four industry sources verified as accurate.
The trading companies that missed out on direct oil contracts declined to comment.
The list, released by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is preliminary and subject to revision. NNPC officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
"It's incredible to have an OPEC member selling its oil this way. There's one international trading house and barely any refiners on the list," said a senior oil trading source who formerly bought Nigerian crude oil.
Instead, several Nigerian oil companies featured on the annual list for the first time, such as oil trading company Hyde Energy, oil and gas firm Springfield, and Barbedos Group, a conglomerate that also provides luxury aviation services.
Long-established Nigerian oil trading firms Taleveras and Aiteo were also named on the list, which was circulated to winners last week.
Nigeria's policy has been to increase the role played by local firms, both in operating oil blocks and trading, with the official aim of ending decades of control over the business by foreign majors.
However, several industry sources said the allocations favored powerful businessmen close to President Goodluck Jonathan's administration ahead of what are likely to be closely fought presidential elections set for February next year.
SHARING THE PIE
Nigeria is one of a small group of major oil producers that allocates its crude directly to trading houses, offering middlemen an opportunity to make margins through reselling the crude.
Although many large trading houses were absent from the list, they may have other ways of accessing the oil.
As in Nigeria's upstream sector, where Glencore recently submitted a bid as part of a consortium of local companies for $3 billion in energy assets, partnerships with domestic firms can help global traders get a share of the business.
Vitol may have indirectly won a share of the Nigerian exports to market via a Bermuda-based firm called Calson, in which it is a minority shareholder.
"It's not that the Swiss traders are being left out, it's that they're forcing them to share their pie with the indigenous companies," said an industry source in Nigeria.
Another way for traders to access oil is to buy the contract off a winning firm at a premium.
A number of other former winners were also absent from the 2014/2015 list, which will take effect from June. China's Unipec, the trading arm of top Asian refiner Sinopec Corp (600028.SS), as well as Azeri state oil company Socar, were former contract holders and did not feature on the new list.
West African governments such as Ghana, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, which used to refine Nigerian oil in domestic refineries, formerly had contracts that were not renewed, according to the provisional list.
"BRIEFCASE TRADERS"
Non-governmental organizations, such as Switzerland's The Berne Declaration, have criticized Nigeria's sales method, saying it is opaque and offers no guarantee the oil is sold at fair value. The government has repeatedly denied there is any lack of transparency in the process.
London-based think-tank Chatham House estimated in a report on Nigerian oil last year that local traders could score up to 40 cents a barrel, amounting to around $5 million a year on 12 cargoes, just by "flipping" the contract to a bigger trading company.
A 2012 study commissioned by Nigeria's Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and headed up by former head of the anti-corruption agency Nuhu Ribadu criticized the sales system whereby contracts were given to "briefcase traders with little or no commercial or financial capacity".
Diezani Alison-Madueke said at the time that there were no informal contracts and everything was done on official tender, not by any discretionary awards.
A portion of Nigerian oil is also sold via swap deals whereby crude oil is given in exchange for imported fuels.
Producers operating in the West African country such as Italian oil group Eni (ENI.MI) and oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) also sell some oil directly or refine it themselves