Amina Bala Zakari appointed as acting Chairman of INEC.

INEC National Commissioner, Amina Bala Zakari has been chosen to take the place of the Chairman.

Reports say that INEC National Commissioner, Amina Bala Zakari has been appointed to take the place of Professor Attahiru Jega whose tenure in office as INEC Chairman expired today.


Amina Bala Zakari was born on June 23, 1960

2.She is from the Kazaure Local Government Area of Jigawa State

3.She attended the prestigious Queens College in Yaba, Lagos.

4.She earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) degree in Pharmacy from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria in 1980.

5.She was appointed a National Commissioner of INEC in 2010

Only Buhari’s letter, not Oyegun’s, can be read in Senate – Na’Allah

Premium Times

 

Buhari writes Senate, seeks approval to a

The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Bala Ibn-Na’Allah, says only a letter from the president of Nigeria can be read on the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives.
Mr. Na’Allah told journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that it was the reason the purported letter written by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to the National Assembly was not and will not be read at plenary.
“A lot of people do not understand; as a member of the National Assembly, the moment you step into the National Assembly, you either take the Bible or the Quran; and then you subscribe to the oath of allegiance and then take your oath of office.
“The oath of office says that you will uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Law and then the Rules of the Senate.
“Outside these three documents, (a) senator does not have any leverage to do anything; there is no other document outside these three.
“And then if you carefully look at the rules of the Senate, the only letters that can be read on the floor of the House should a letter from Mr. President.
“And that is the convention not only in Nigeria, but in all other parliaments all over the world”.
He stressed the need for Nigerians to understand the workings of democracy before making attributions unknown in democratic circles.
Mr. Na’Allah, however, said that the party could influence its members in the National Assembly and at the state level through the various caucuses, but not by imposition.
“I have not seen any issue here; it is just that people are trying to overheat the polity without knowing what the process is all about”.

EXCLUSIVE: Joda Committee to Buhari: Merge debt-ridden Arik, Aero, others to form national carrier

Bassey Udo

President Muhammadu Buhari on Day One at Presidential Villa

The Buhari administration may be considering merging all debtor airlines in the country into a national carrier, capable of serving the West and Central African regions, with Nigeria as the regional aviation hub.
That is part of the recommendations by the Ahmed Joda transition committee, which submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari about two weeks ago. Volumes of the report were exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.
Six of Nigeria’s leading domestic airlines are currently bogged down by huge debts totalling almost N130 billion, forcing them to turn to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) for a lifeline.
In 2014, the Federal Ministry of Aviation gave the debt portfolio of five of the airlines with AMCON at over N190 billion. The amount excluded sundry debts to aviation agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), suppliers and other institutions.
The ministry said it arrived at the huge figure after a comprehensive audit of the operations of all the domestic airlines.
Details of the audit findings, the Ministry said, showed Aero Contractors’ debt stood at over $200 mn (N308 bn), with 60% of its equity already taken over by AMCON, while Arik Air has been in debt to the tune of over $600 mn (N924 bn); IRS Airlines, $55 mn (N84 bn); Chanchangi Airlines, $55 mn (N84 bn), and the now bankrupt Air Nigeria owing about $225.8 mn (N347.7 bn).
In 2012, Arik, Aero, IRS, Bellview, Chanchangi, Afrijet, Albarka, Caverton, Continental, Air Nigeria and Savannah, were at the verge of going under when AMCON waded in with a N132billion lifeline, saving in the process over 7,000 staff from being thrown into the labour market.
Aviation industry experts told PREMIUM TIMES at the weekend that some of the airlines that were still grappling with working capital challenges recently approached AMCON again with a multi-billion request for a bailout to enable them settle accumulated aviation fuel bills to oil marketers.
The Joda committee advised President Buhari to consider a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement that would involve all airlines currently with AMCON, as part of the Federal Government’s contribution to a national carrier project.
The committee recommended the decision be carried out in six months.
The committee said this will increase government revenue from the sector, reduce capital flight, expand the local aviation industry and create more employment opportunities to the people.
The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the report said, should work with the Ministries of Aviation, Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment to implement an aviation-focused PPP framework that would create the environment for the development of aviation infrastructure, procurement and upgrade.
The committee, which noted poor utilization as one of the key challenges in the sector, said about 75 percent of passenger traffic were generated from three airports – Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, while over 90 percent of the revenue earned came from Lagos and Abuja.
To ensure a realistic capital base for domestic and international airlines for sustainability in accordance with global best practices, the committee said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should in the next three months consider the upward review of capital requirements for airlines to N2.5 bn (domestic) and N 5billion (International).
Within the target period, the government would undertake the immediate repairs and upgrade of passenger facilities, including air-conditioning systems, luggage conveyor belts, passenger tunnels, to improve customer experience, increase revenue, and improve the safety of travelers, it said

EXCLUSIVE: Joda Committee to Buhari: Sack Jonathan's last minutes appointees, review contracts of 18 months.

Ini Ekott

Chairman of Transition Committtee, Dr Ahmed Joda, President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice Chairman Doyin Salami, APC Nartional Chairman Chief John Oyegun during the final presentation of report of Transition committee to the President at the defence house in Abuja

 

The hmed Joda transition committee has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately terminate all dubious appointments made by former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last nine months, and review all contracts awarded by the administration in the last 18 months.
The committee said this is to help the new government sidestep ineptitude and waste, and scale up its revenue base.
The recommendations are part of a portfolio of swift steps Mr. Buhari must take within three months of assumption of power if he must save cost and “enhance liquidity”, the committee said in its 800-page report to the president.
PREMIUM TIMES exclusively obtained volumes of the report, which contain extensive analyses of Nigeria’s key challenges, with suggested responses for the economy and finance, governance and social welfare.
The report details a list of prompt, medium and long term decisions Mr. Buhari must take, or authorise, within 30, 45, 60 and 90 days of taking office, to create immediate impact, reduce government liability, increase revenue and stabilise the polity.
For instance, to deal with crippling fuel crisis, and backlog of unpaid salaries by states and the federal government, the committee advised Mr. Buhari to “borrow immediately or use CBN (Central Bank) advances” for salaries and fuel subsidies to “avoid chaos”.
For contracts, it urged the administration to “review all contracts signed in the last 18 months by FGN”.
“Non-strategic contracts that have not commenced or where no payments have been made can be cancelled,” the committee said, while also urging Mr. Buhari to negotiate exits for projects where mobilisation payments have been made but work not commenced.
That move will “save expenditure on non-strategic projects, and can free up cash flows for other vital initiatives”, the committee said.
The decision on contract is to be taken within 90 days from May 29, and should be handled by the Federal Executive Council and the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP.
At a time Mr. Buhari is facing growing criticism over his delay in making key appointments, and his failure to lay out initiatives to assure a burdened nation of immediate relief, the Joda report provides a fresh perspective on preparations by the new government and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to confront some of Nigeria’s monstrous problems.
The committee said the president should review all appointments made by Mr. Jonathan in the last nine months, and “for strategic agencies requiring professional leadership, the government should terminate all appointments not based on merit”.
The Joda panel said such move will save costs associated with poor decision making by an incompetent management team, and must be delivered within 45 days of the new government.
That recommendation appears to take into consideration the last minute appointments by Mr. Jonathan after he lost the March 28 elections.
In less than two months, Mr. Jonathan, not previously given to readily hiring and firing, sacked dozens of top officials and replaced them before leaving office.
As further measures to check waste and increase efficiency and accountability, the committee urged the government to quickly implement a single bank account, to be called Treasury Single Account, and to commence full implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act within 60 days, and chase up any outstanding funds from all government offices.
This will curtail the “excesses carried forward from previous administration”, it noted.
The committee also advised the government to fully implement the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, and Integrated Government Integrated Financial Management Information System across all MDAs within 60 days.
The two facilities were used by the past government to check thousands of “ghost workers” who drew billions of naira in salaries that ended in the pocket of fraudulent officials.
Despite its claim of saving more than N100 billion from “ghost workers”, the Jonathan administration failed to punish those behind the scam.
Claims by former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the case had been transferred to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) alongside names of indicted officials, were repeatedly refuted by the anti-graft body.
But more than other proposals in that unit of the report, the committee paid greater attention to government contracts and urged President Buhari to be decisive in reviewing the deals.
The committee said the handover notes from the Jonathan administration showed aggregate contractor liabilities of N4 trillion as at April 2015.
Of that amount, the Ministry of Education owed the most at N1.2 trillion, followed by the finance ministry which has N467.7 billion.
The committee warned Mr. Buhari that it would be irrational to rely on the purported huge balances the former government claimed it left behind.
First, it said, the numbers lacked key information to establish the authenticity of the contracts.
It made the following observation regarding the claims by the former government regarding outstanding liabilities:
– The aging of these liabilities was not provided.
– A detailed list of contracts was not provided and therefore, some balances maybe double counted (eg contracts funded through debt maybe captured in both MoF and the contracting Ministry).
– Some balances may be disputed. Therefore, liabilities may change once settlement/judgement is reached.
– No documentation was provided to confirm if the projects were executed to the agreed specifications.
– Some contracts maybe cancelled or terminated”.
As a first step, the Joda-committee advised Mr. Buhari to establish an Inter-Ministerial Task-Force to review all outstanding contracts (and associated liabilities) across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies within three months.
“The mandate of this Task-Force is to confirm the existence of the liability and authenticate the accuracy of information provided in the handover notes,” it said.
“The Government should only recognise the liabilities verified and confirmed by this Task-Force.”

Miracle in Abuja. A largely democratic and peaceful handover of power.

“THEY RIGGED AND rigged right until the very last moment,” says one Western diplomat of Nigeria’s March election. A variety of techniques were employed. First, the police and the army insisted on the election being postponed by six weeks, arguing that they needed extra time to ensure security. But most people believed that the delay was instigated by the ruling party, which feared it was at risk of losing and hoped that this would give it more time to buy votes. More blatantly, states around the Niger Delta saw ballot-box stuffing and submission of false counts, and across the country bags of cash were being handed out to prospective supporters. As a result the local currency, the naira, weakened as politicians converted it into dollars. These came in high denominations, taking up less space in the suitcases used to cart them about on the campaign trail.



To be fair, both sides were guilty of malpractices. Observers in the north say that supporters of the governing PDP were threatened, and many stayed at home. Some also reported seeing large numbers of children voting for the winning APC. All the same, the outcome broadly reflected the will of the electorate in what most observers said was the fairest election in decades—even though some informed sources reckon that a more accurate count of the vote would have delivered about 60% of the total to Mr Buhari, rather than the 54% he was officially credited with. So how did democracy triumph against the odds?









Much of the credit goes to Attahiru Jega, a soft-spoken academic who was put in charge of the independent electoral commission in 2010. His appointment came too late to influence the 2011 election, but he has spent the past five years cleaning up the voters’ roll and introducing electronic ID verification that makes it much more difficult to stuff ballot boxes. He has also proved to be stubbornly non-partisan, to the chagrin of many in the PDP.
Even Mr Jonathan’s sternest critics give him credit for stepping down quickly once it became clear he had lost
A second factor was the PDP’s sheer incompetence. With little leadership or direction emerging from Aso Villa, the presidential compound, the party had become so weak in government that it seemed incapable of defending its position. “They were too incompetent even to rig the election properly,” says one insider.
Third, many voters had become deeply frustrated with Mr Jonathan’s government and were desperate for change. Tempted by the ruling party’s bribes, they may have worked out their own moral compromise. As one observer put it, “people took the money and then voted their conscience.”
Last, across the country independent monitors kept an eye on the polling stations. Many took photos of the results recorded at each station and posted them on social media, making it difficult for officials subsequently to fiddle with the numbers. Others submitted results to a parallel vote count run by the Transition Monitoring Group, a non-government organisation. This flagged up instances of ballot-box stuffing by the PDP in the Niger Delta and helped limit its extent. It also encouraged the police and army to stay largely neutral, even as senior figures within the PDP tried to get them to take sides. Pressure from abroad, mainly America and Britain, played a part too.
Though Mr Jonathan’s presidency was in most respects a failure, even his sternest critics give him credit for stepping down quickly once it became clear he had lost, even before the final tally was in. In doing so he pulled the rug from under senior PDP members who were said to be plotting to try to keep the party in power. One plan was to try to kidnap Mr Jega to disrupt the count, according to Reuters, a news agency.
The democratic outcome, however tenuously achieved, sets an important precedent. Having spent the past 16 years under the rule of a single party, and most of its history before that under military rule, Nigeria has matured into a multi-party democracy that is not ruled along ethnic or religious lines. The PDP, for all its failings, was a largely national party. When it came to power in 1999 under Olusegun Obasanjo, it managed to unite the country’s north behind a president from the south. Mr Obasanjo, a Yoruba-speaker from Ogun state in the south-west of the country who had ruled as military dictator in 1976-79 before handing over to a short-lived civilian government, managed to win the trust of northerners.
North v south
Nigeria’s population is about half Muslim and half Christian, and for some time it was widely argued that the PDP was the only party that could overcome the country’s religious and ethnic divisions, not least thanks to its policy of “zoning” whereby the presidential candidates it nominated would alternate between northerners and southerners. The opposition, by contrast, was seen as dominated by northerners and Muslims, who are concentrated in the north and west of the country, and was divided. That changed in 2013 when the three biggest opposition parties joined to form the APC, offering policies slightly to the left of the PDP’s.
Yet despite the apparent victory for democracy, concerns remain. In his previous terms as a military ruler, Mr Buhari was no democratic pin-up. He banned political meetings and free speech, executed people for crimes that were not capital offences when they were perpetrated and sent whip-wielding soldiers onto the streets in a “war against indiscipline”. Mr Buhari has since said that he is committed to democracy, but many Nigerians fret that he may try to rule by decree. Before his inauguration he threatened to expel critical journalists from press conferences, but his party did a swift about-turn on that.



Even if democracy has now taken root at the centre, it has yet to establish itself in state governments, most of which are little more than the fiefs of their governors. State governors often control the party apparatus in their states and thus dole out seats in the assemblies to loyal followers, and the state assemblies that should hold the executive to account are often vehicles for patronage. Many local governments are still more of a mess. There may be a need for constitutional reform to make all levels of government answerable to the citizens as well as to clarify how powers are to be divided among states and central government.
The election also highlighted the urgent need for political reform, not least in campaign finance. Contesting elections in Nigeria costs a fortune. Rigging them costs even more, leaving presidents and state governors in hock to various “Ogas”, the local slang for big-man or godfather. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a long-standing PDP finance minister, recalled in her memoir, “Reforming the Unreformable”, that in the latter part of Olusegun Obasanjo’s second presidential term, in 2006, businessmen and party patrons asked her to waive a 50% tax on imports of rice. She reckoned such a waiver might be worth $1 billion to the importers and party funders, but would ruin many rice farmers who had been encouraged to plant by an import-substitution policy that included hefty tariffs. So she refused, and was kicked out of the finance ministry soon afterwards.
Keeping the Ogas at bay
The way Nigeria’s main political parties are run, too, needs to be made more democratic. Voters get to vote for one presidential candidate or another, but there is very little transparency over how each party selects its nominee. For the two main parties this is meant to be done at party congresses, yet there is talk of bidding wars as Ogas buy votes for their preferred presidential candidates. Once in office, politicians can dispense patronage to their supporters and influence legislation to benefit their Ogas. One solution might be to move to American-style open primaries in which voters elect their parties’ candidates directly. If overseen by an independent electoral commission, such primaries might make parties more responsive to voters and force them to come up with new ideas and policies. Nigeria’s recent election was fought mainly on perceptions of which candidate would be more effective and less corrupt, rather than on their policies or ideologies. But policies also matter, not least on how the government collects and spends money.

Idada tells Buhari to review Jonathan's last minute appointments.

  “A former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Brig-General Idada Ikpomnwen, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to review the last minute appointments made by his predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan. According to him, the said appointments were contrary to the president’s powers to appoint capable individuals who will drive his reform processes. Idada in a statement issued on Tuesday, noted that the ex-president had ulterior motive for doing that. He said: “It is inherent in the presidential system and by the clear wordings of our constitution, that the president is empowered to appoint aides who share his ideas and philosophy to various executive positions in order to efficiently carry out the all-important but herculean task of running government and in turn deliver the dividend of democracy to the people who elected him into office. “The point has also been made that the powers of any head or member of any national executive body flow from the president and as such all political appointees work for the president and must, therefore, hold office essentially at the president’s pleasure. It has also been posited that since the tenure of the president is four years as provided for under section 135(2) of the constitution, which is same as other political appointees, it is worrisome and indeed unacceptable that political appointees under sections 153(1) and 171 (2) (b),(c),and (d) are clothed with five years tenure which is beyond the tenure of the president who appointed them. “The idea of making political appointments with tenure of over four years should not be countenanced in our system. Consequent upon the above arguments, it will not be inappropriate for the current administration to dissolve all such boards and appointments spilling over from the previous administration,” he added. - See more at: http://citynews.ng/idada-tells-buhari-to-review-jonathans-last-minute-appointments/#sthash.lIHIR5DS.dpuf

Of APC and NASS crisis, Atiku cum Tinubu hullabaloo

Y ALABA YUSUF
“Only a faint-hearted man will choose to be headless rather than cope with the pains of a headache and no man can clap with one hand.”— The Late Bashorun M.K.O Abiola, an exponent of political etoism (Give and take arrangement)
I have chosen to engage the most trendy topic in Nigeria’s political firmament today. The impasse in the All Progressives Congress, (APC), led Na¬tional Assembly, NASS. And my approach to the subject is bi-focal, bi-polar and congruent. For a dream team always needs adequate dosage of steam to succeed. No wonder the invention in hu¬man affairs of such terminologies and coinages as “unity in diversity and the principle of hegemonic ascendancy.”
So, as I venture into this arduous task of mak¬ing sense out of nonsense, I shall be leaning on my diverse global experience as an international jour¬nalist and seasoned publicist, local political analyst and a UK-trained crisis manager’s pedigree. Lest I get misinterpreted.
Moreover, I have been a behind-the-screen stakeholder in our nation’s political architecture since age 21 in 1981, as a Press Officer to Chief Rueben Fashoranti (then Commissioner for Fi¬nance) in Ondo State during the governorship era of Pa Michael Adekunle Ajasin, a staunch ally of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the founder of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Many years later (1998- 2002), I became the Public Relations Officer to the respected body of Nigerians in Diaspora known as Nigerian National Union (NNU) covering United Kingdom and Ireland. It was a precursor to the Nigeria In Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), the exponents of right to vote for Nigerians abroad. Still on politics, we later formed the Alliance for Democracy Europe branch with Yemi Amoo Olowe as Chairman while I was the Publicity Sec¬retary and in turn a member of the National Execu¬tive Council (NEC) of the AD in Nigeria (2003). Today, I am a silent PR-trician in the media team that campaigned for the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. All I do is to create maximum understanding amongst people, through thorough troubleshooting of webbed and entangled cross paths of human ideas and also preventing conflicts or managing crisis situations. PR is it.
Hence, a torchlight on the rancorous and frac¬tured NASS where so-called Honourables and Distinguished elected members wrestle for power, by practically exchanging blows while struggling to seize the staff of office, the Mace, cannot be less than the abyss of legislative misdemeanor and po¬litical indecency. However, to be fair to politics and politicians; politics falls within the orbit of unseri¬ous game rather than the longitude and latitude of well-thought-out morals and commonsense. So, all is fair in politics. After all, power and the spoils of it should belong to everybody and not just to some¬body. At this stage of our democratic age, Nigeria and Nigerians must be guided by the salient princi¬ple of political science which states that there is “no permanent friend or foe in politics or diplomacy but only permanent interests.” Therefore, those whose idea is to shoot down other gladiators or stars be-fore daybreak may be doing themselves outright disservice as politics is a game of wit and wizardry. Like a rubber ball, the veiled evil that men do to mankind has a way of ricocheting – bouncing back with forceful fury to the sender. No imagery here.
Come to think of it, Nigerians and the rest of the civilized body of rational beings are askance as to why our law makers would find it hard to choose amongst themselves helmsmen to run the National Assembly, without recourse to open warfare and physical throwing of brickbats. Pity, what a shad¬ow chasing exercise in the face of socio-economic hiccups. Understandably, the easiest thing to do at times like this is to poke the needle of blame into soft fabrics of flesh of perceived ‘actors and gladi¬ators’ in society. Thus the NASS imbroglio and political intrigues are being addressed to the front doors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose majority stake in the Senate and House of Representatives should have automatically given them an expressway to success.
But, alas, intra party wrangling and fratricidal imbalance have put a huge a wedge between the APC bottle and its inflammable human liquid con¬tent. Such implosion, if not stemmed immediately, through the creation of mutual understanding and the application of a balm of calm on the palm, may take uphill , an all-consuming political conflagra¬tion that could devour men and their grey beards.
Unfortunately, the rising meteor of emotion and political calculus have pitched brothers and sisters of yesterday against one another within the APC. It is really sad to witness the whirlwind of allegations and counter allegations being hurled at the heads of the party’s chieftains; as the brains behind the rattling battle that is making adult legislators look and behave like Jonathanian ‘motor park touts’ or directionless kindergartens.
Lying flat here and barefaced on the canvass of misconception today are names of two great men who for no reason should be rubbished at all – Asi¬waju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) and, of course, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Turakin Adamawa. These men are legendary political ‘dei¬ties’ whose immense contributions to the develop¬ment of democracy in Nigeria cannot, and should not, be under-quantified. The APC was , and still is, gifted to have such didactic, erudite and dynamic duo in its midst. Bridge builders and human uni¬fiers are hard to come by. Thus it is pure insanity for anyone, as being done by hatchet jobbers in the media, to attempt to drive a huge wedge between these two political master strategists, and hope to keep the APC pizza together in one piece. The hul¬labaloo about Tinubu’s love lost with Atiku should not be promoted. Both men are not legislators, and the legislators are no kids. People should answer their fathers’ names and own up to their assigned political responsibilities. Democracy prides itself with the doctrines of separation of powers and the sensible application of the tenets of party suprem¬acy. Enough of impunity borne out of excessive rascality. I recall vividly, over a decade ago, when as NEC member of Alliance for Democracy (AD) how BAT as governor of Lagos State would be the first to pay subventions for the running of the party, being led nationally by a Northerner, Alhaji Abdu Kadri Ahmed, who later became a Senior Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Aside, BAT as he was then known usually surpassed the likes of other AD governors such as Chief Segun Osoba of Ogun State, Chief Lam Adesina of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adefarati of Ondo State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo of EKiti State and Chief Bisi Akande of Osun State. Tinubu’s contributions also never went unnoticed by party stalwarts such as Ambassador Mamman Yusuf, Chief Great Ogboru and other eminent attendees of the Parkview Hotel AD NEC meetings. There, hot arguments would ensue but at the end of the day, reason and logical polemics often prevailed. And some of us who were rookies did look up to these elders for political guidance and baptism.
As per Turaki Atiku, an enigmatic political spec¬tacle with numerous tentacles; he’s arguably one of the most misconceived and misrepresented ele¬ments in the theatre of public opinion in Nigeria. The reasons are legion. That notwithstanding, his inestimable visible attributes are enough to con¬vince any doubter – even his adversaries. He was a humble shepherd boy who later became the leader of men. Nobody can deny the fact that Atiku could be articulated as a zero-to-hero herdsman who rose through the ranks to become a headman. Atiku’s cumulative positive attitude has, over time, extract¬ed him from the multitude of humans and placed him on a high altitude that draws so much envy and bile. Be it business, public service, politics, educa¬tion, job creation, youth empowerment, diplomacy, philanthropy or faith matters, Atiku is head and shoulder above millions of minors.
My advice, therefore, is that the armchair and paid writers who currently throw mud at these two titans who plucked out the political eyes of the failed Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the March 28 and April 11 elections, should burrow into history by reading the achieve¬ments of both Tinubu and Atiku. Their biographies abound everywhere. The mercenary pen pushers should sip the milk of ethics, ethos and etiquette of sane journalism – of facts above fiction and eschew rumours baked in incredulous sensationalism.
Frankly speaking, it jolts one to see the electri¬fying volts being pushed through the un-insulated flesh of the Nigerian society by the crop of war¬mongers who want men of grace to be disgraced. Neither Tinubu nor Atiku has told anyone that there is a conflict of interest between them. I can’t re¬member anytime that the Turaki has shut the gates of his house to Asiwaju or vice versa.
Both men are avowed national leaders of APC and co-travelers in the days of People’s Democratic Movement, founded by the late former number two man in Nigeria, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. Both stars later joined hands with other well mean¬ing Nigerians to build a political warehouse in memory of the Great Tafilda, the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. So, why this war of words by mere by¬standers who have little or nothing at stake? Why ruin a good game with sordid gossip?
Meanwhile, the APC and the rest of us must march ahead in this democratic jungle and avoid pitfalls that may make us all stumble and crumble. The APC owes itself, the Nigerian nation, Africa and the world the patience and emotional intelli¬gence displayed by the outgoing INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega against the PDP attack dog called Elder Godswill Orubebe, on the eve of the election result that brought change and the APC presidential candidate, now President Muham¬madu Buhari, to power.
Undoubtedly, the real owners of the party must meet pronto and dialogue privately and honestly, no blame game or name shame approach at all, but an eloquent admittance of collective responsibility for all that have gone right or wrong. And nobody should be too egoistic to say sorry in order to end the worry; in a mutually nourishing and polishing court of honour where there can never be a victor or vanquished. It must be a win- win for all. His¬tory will never forgive those who have the ample chance to change the world around but failed by succumbing to mere myopia or adherence to ava¬rice or inability to separate personal greed from national need. Thus the pervading political wound in the APC today must not and should not, be al¬lowed to fester to the level of incurable cancer. Let all embrace a court of honour where the ship of truce will cruise to a bay of good hope. Enough of salvos, unsolicited provocations and innuendoes, please. Change is the only constant factor in human affairs, let’s live by its dictates – especially when we have no direct control over its dynamics. Change is unchangeable, let mortals abide for peace to reign.
Or what shall it profit the world of APC, if Ti¬nubu and Atiku are to be at dagger-drawn battle? Enough of this hullabaloo and political chicanery. The NASS guys should rise up and be nice to Ni¬gerian voters. Nation building requires all hands on the deck. Ideal politics lives, thrives and survives on what the late political juggernaut, Bashorun MKO Abiola, would proverbially tag ‘Eto’ (Yoruba for orderly arrangement built on give and take for¬mula). Not Sam Eto, the prolific Cameroun-born world footballer who plies his trade anywhere the price is right. As way forward, APC needs to put in place a formidable and all-encompassing, truly trusted Board of Trustees (BoT) consisting of genuine, selfless and experienced politicians with human faces. Nigeria is bigger than anyone – even a political party!
Hopefully, the state governors and Mr. President as reported would find a way of returning san¬ity back to the humanity of Nigeria’s lawmaking chambers. For our commonality and common¬wealth deserve nothing less than peace to enshrine anticipated development and progress promised to the electorate by the party. Lest the change mantra becomes a fluke. The APC has the cutting edge advantage of a dream team succeeding on popular steam. They should not press a self-destruct button of dynamite that could consume all. All must em¬brace the spirit of unity in diversity, one that breeds equity and fair play. Finally, let’s all jaw jaw and not war war! For the day ‘Warsaw saw war, the war ended.’ APC and Nigerians should learn from his¬tory. We all can still do a mindset reset, by restor¬ing lost credibility, translating adversity into greater prosperity, through a quick lever change from cur¬rent hostility to possible friendliness. This house must not crumble. The nation and the world are watching. Let the ayes have peace!
No one claps with one hand alone, a la MKO Abiola, and no sensible being will choose to be headless as a solution to not having a headache! A party is made of people and conflicts are neces¬sary evils within human affairs. Let’s give peace a chance. APC must, therefore, be a panacea to our national headache.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria, de¬mocracy has come to stay!
■ The writer, Yusuf, is an international journal¬ist and public affairs commentator based in Abuja.

The implication of toying with Mr. President's security - Ejiofor, ex-DSS Director.

By Ben Agande, Abuja
In this interview, a security consultant and former Director of the Department of Security Service, Mike Ejiofor, speaks on the implication of the withdrawal of the DSS personnel from protecting the president.
What do you think is the implication of the withdrawal of the DSS from the Villa?
First of all, I don’t believe the story that the DSS has been withdrawn from protecting the president because his security should not be toyed with. If the president is intent on changing the security architecture, a policy formulation should be made. He should come up with a working document streamlining the different functions of the various agencies. Statutorily and constitutionally, the Department of Security Service is charged with the protection of the president, the vice president, the Senate president, the governors, deputy governors, speaker of the House of Representatives and state lawmakers and their families.
The president’s security should not be toyed with. I believe that what is going on now is people who are trying to settle personal scores. Instead of looking at national security, they want to settle personal scores and, in the process, compromise national security and the security of the president. I don’t believe it, but if it is true, it’s rather unfortunate because the military personnel being drafted are not trained in body guard protection. The DSS men are trained for VIP protection and the president falls under VIP.

•Ejiofor

Let us go down memory lane. How was the National Security Organisation formed? It was established in 1976 after the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed specifically to protect the president and maintain internal security. The NSO continued until 1986 when General Ibrahim Babangida over threw the government of Muhammadu Buhari and clamped down on the NSO because the NSO frustrated various efforts to over throw the government. The president himself can attest to the loyalty and the defense of his government by the NSO. It so provoked Babangida that when he assumed office, he said he was going to overhaul the NSO, which led to the split of the then NSO into three bodies: the National Intelligence Agency, charged with external intelligence, the State Security Service, charged with internal security, and the Defence Intelligence Agency, which is purely a military affair. I don’t want to believe that Mr President gave that directive but silence disturbs. Government should come out to clarify the issues because the life of the president is being toyed with by people who are pursuing personal interest.
The argument is that the DSS was manifestly partisan in the run up to the election and, as such, their loyalty to the new administration cannot be guaranteed.
That argument is neither here nor there. Don’t forget that the SSS personnel are Nigerians. There are many people who have sympathy for the APC in the DSSS. There are people who also have sympathy for the PDP. There are laid down procedures for doing things. If government institutes an investigation and discovers that perhaps the leadership of the DSSS compromised in loyalty to the nation, then appropriate actions should be taken.
In 1999 when Obasanjo came in, he clamped down on the DSSS, accused it of various offences and set up the Oputa panel. Eventually the DSSS was not indicted. So if you are from afar, there are all kinds of allegations people make, but they should be subjected to investigation. What I am saying is that we should not compromise our security architecture on the altar of personal interest. People out there to serve their personal interest are the problem. What ever happened amounts to what the APC said they were coming to fight: impunity. Also recall the directive given even before the president was sworn-in barring AIT from covering the president but it was reversed because the president said he was not aware of it.
Do you think the army has the capacity to provide close body guard protection for the president?
It is a laughable question because, on one hand, the president is directing that the military check points be withdrawn to perform their military duty. How can you now entrust the life of the president to the military when there are people who are statutorily charged with the responsibility? Whether the ADC was given the directive, he doesn’t have the authority and capacity and I stand to be challenged. It cannot come from the ADC. If government has been constituted, such matter should either come from the NSA or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
What do you think is the way forward?
In the present circumstance, government has to issue a statement because the statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity did not deny or confirm that the DSSS has been asked to leave the Villa. There must be a specific statement on whether they have been withdrawn or not. As we speak, we don’t know the true position and it is very dangerous to the security of the president.

Bribe allegation: My story, Oyegun, APC National Chairman

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, is challenging those accusing him of receiving gratification over the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives elections to prove their claim.
“It is my integrity they are trying to smear”, Oyegun fired back yesterday.
The party leader had been accused of being bribed to conduct mock election that produced Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as the APC candidates for the Senate President and House Speaker respectively.
But some APC senators not only defied the party’s choice, but also collaborated with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers to elect Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as House Speaker.
The opposition PDP Senator Ike Ekweremadu equally emerged as Deputy Senate President.
One of those who accused Oyegun of being compromised on the mock election issue and asked for his resignation was the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Timi Frank.
By virtue of his office, many see him as having taken sides, especially with the northern power bloc in the party seemingly being controlled by President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubukar.
Some quarters have also aligned him with the camp of Saraki, accusing him of ditching the camp of the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, which worked assiduously for his enthronement as National Chairman.
But the allegations, according to Oyegun are unfounded.
He maintained his neutrality in the emerging power blocs, saying that his interest was to bring the party back together to deliver on its campaign promises to Nigerians.
The APC leader spoke with Sunday Vanguard, yesterday. Excerpts:
His feelings on the crisis

•Oyegun and Buhari

“It is an unfortunate thing and I think it has arisen because of the clash within major interest groups within the party and that has given rise to gross disloyalty and an unacceptable level of indiscipline and disrespect to the party. But that notwithstanding, we are doing everything we can to stop this civil war and bring the party back again so that we can focus on our essential agenda of delivering service to the people of this nation. What is happening now is very unacceptable and painting us in a very bad light. But thank God we have this period of recess in the National Assembly to bring things back together again. We are doing everything we can to ensure that by the time the national assembly reconvenes, all of these things would have been squarely behind us.
On gratification
“Well, the issue is simple. Gratification to do what and for whom? And what have I done to justify that gratification except to stand as neutral as possible in the circumstance and emphasize adherence to the supremacy of the party. So that is it. Gratification for what? Let anybody who says he brought come out and say that. It is a public thing. It is my integrity they are trying to smear. That comes only through blackmail from some forces that feel that I am standing in the way for whatever their intentions are. But that is neither here nor there. What’s important is that we must put our party back together again and focus on the promises we have made to the Nigerian people.”
Punitive measures for indiscipline
“Well, at this stage, that is something we are still considering. When there is indiscipline, there are penalties. But first, in the process. When you restore peace, there has to be a make for the indiscipline. There is no question about that. One way or the other. But what is important now is putting the party back together.
Buhari’s intervention to end rift
The reality is that we will welcome all hands, all assistance to put things back together again. The president was right. The House has the freedom in consultation with the party which is exactly what has happened. But other interests have prevailed in the matter. The process has derailed but must be put back on the rails.
Smear campaign, call for resignation and reputation
That is going on all the time. People are trying to push me in one direction or the other but one thing I have to my credit is my neutrality. I don’t belong to any of the contending power blocs in the party. And of course, that has its price. And that is why you have heard a lot of it directed personally to smear me. I have built a reputation that has lasted for over 70 years. I don’t have to go and be taking peanuts from some political gladiators. So, whatever they try to do, they cannot smear my character. If anybody has given me gratification to do anything, let him come out and say so, where and when and how much.
The visit of eight governors
“Well, the Governors came to consult with me which is beautiful, legitimate and I valued the views and the ideas that they came with and that was all there was to it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Just consultations?
“There is a situation in the party and people have views to express and they came to express their views. It was very good and I value those views. We voted for change and we cannot start messing around now.”

Who protects the President? Controversy as DSS leaves Presidential Villa.

By Ben Agande, aBUJA
The rivalry between the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army came to a head on Thursday when the aide-de-camp to President Muhammadu Buhari, an army officer, Lt Colonel Lawal Abubakar, through a memo, disengaged the DSS from providing close body protection for the president as they have always done for many years. It was the climax of the distrust of the DSS operatives by the president’s team since he won the election of March 28.
In the memo, seen by Sunday Vanguard, the ADC claimed that ‘recent events’ which he did not name necessitated the change he was effecting in the security architecture of the Villa especially as it concerns the close body protection of the president.
The ADC memo addressed to the chief security officer to the president,said: ‘’Sequel to directives, I am to inform you, with immediate effect, the authorization of the redeployment of some DSS personnel from some duty beats/locations. Personnel of the armed forces of Nigeria and the Nigeria Police who were trained as presidential body guards (PBGs) are to provide close/immediate protection for Mr. President henceforth.
“However, the personnel of the DSS, in conjunction with other security forces, are to man other duties, beats/locations located within the immediate outer perimeter of the Presidential Villa”.
The ADC went ahead to list some of the beats/locations that are off limit to the men of the DSS which effectively mean that the personnel of the DSS would effectively be about two kilometers away from the precincts of the Presidential Villa.
The memo by the ADC to the CSO was the culmination of several weeks of suspicion of the DSS, especially in the run up to the presidential election. It would be recalled that prior to the election, the spokesperson of the DSS, Marilyn Ogar, revealed that in carrying out its operations, the service raided a building which was being used as a centre by agents suspected to be working for the APC to clone the Permanent Voter Card of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Several of such operation, which saw the APC receiving the short end of the stick, created the impression that the DSS had removed its toga of neutrality and was working in the interest of the Peoples Democratic Party whose candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, was the sitting president.

Aso-Villa

With the emergence of Buhari as president, it was learnt that some persons in his inner circle plotted the idea that since the DSS appeared to have been partisan in favour of the Jonathan (which they interpreted to mean the PDP), the DSS would be stripped of its constitutional role of providing close body security for the president and his family. In order to ensure that there was no vacuum, it was gathered that a retired senior security personnel, who worked closely with the Buhari campaign team, wrote to the heads of some security agencies, including the DSS, to nominate a certain number of their personnel for training in close body protection in Jaji, Kaduna State. It could not be ascertained whether heads of other security agencies complied with the directive, but it was learnt that the DSS, which had already trained a new set of operatives to take over from the personnel that provided security for Jonathan, did not honour the request from the aide, who, they argued, was not known to the service because he had no appointment in government as at then.
As it is customary, all the nation’s security agencies deployed some of their men and equipment to provide maximum security for the President as soon as he emerged as president-elect. While there was little or no friction between the private security guards of the then president-elect and members of the Nigeria Police and the army, for instance, the personnel of the DSS were viewed with suspicion. The disdain came to a head at a mosque when an attempt by the DSS operatives to restrict access of the private security guards of the president-elect almost resulted in a fisticuff but for the timely intervention of some senior aides.
Few weeks after the mosque incident, personnel of the Nigerian Army, without coordination with the security operatives on ground in the Presidential Villa, were drafted to join the presidential body guard to understudy how to protect the president. Later, when the new crop of body guards, who had been trained for over three months to take over from those that served under Jonathan, resumed at the Presidential Villa, they were turned back, allegedly on the order of the ADC to the president. A day before the memo officially warning the DSS operatives to stay away from the Presidential Villa, it was learnt that the ADC went to all the beats manned by the PBGs and drove them away.
According to Sunday Vanguard’s findings, apart from being constitutionally empowered to provide close body protection for the president, the vice president, the governors and their deputies, the president of the senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives and their families, the DSS is the only security organization that has the competence to provide protection for the VIPs. That is why when there are visiting heads of state, the department provides not only the security details but also, support staff. To underscore the fact that even the army and the police lack the capacity to train personnel for close body protection, they frequently sends their personnel to the DSS for training as body guards.
Warning about the dangers about personalizing the protection of the president and his family, a security consultant in Abuja who retired from the DSS as Director after serving for 35 years, Mike Ejiofor said personal interests and score settling should not be a yardstick for determining which agency protects the president.
“I don’t believe the story that the DSS has been withdrawn from protecting the president because his security should not be toyed with. If the president is intent on changing the security architecture, a policy formulation should be made. He should come up with a working document streamlining the different functions of the various agencies. Statutorily and constitutionally, the state security service is charged with the protection of the president, the vice president, the senate president, the governors, and the deputy governor, speaker of the House of Representatives and state house of Assembly and their families”, he stated.
“The president’s security should not be toyed with. I believe that what is going on now is people who are trying to settle personal scores. Instead of looking at national security, they want to settle personal score and in the process compromise national security and the security of the president. What I am saying is that I don’t believe it, but if it is true, it’s rather unfortunate because those military that are being drafted are not trained in body guard protection. The DSS are trained for VIP protection and the president falls under VIP”.
According to a Nigerian Army Intelligence officer in the Villa who spoke with Sunday vanguard on the matter, even if there was a need for a change of security personnel around the Villa and especially around the president, the situation could have been better handled than it was done because of the wider security implication both for the president and the country.
The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, noted,”There is a system in place where all the security agencies in the Villa have their defined roles and responsibilities. Even within the army, there are different corps in the Villa and their roles are defined. Statutorily, we have come to know that the role of close body protection is the role of the DSS. Apart from their personnel who are trained both within and outside the country for the role, there are sensitive equipments that they are the only people who have the competence to handle them. Withdrawing them whimsically as it was reported to have been done is not only tardy but exposes the country to ridicule. I am sure that at the end of the day, reason will prevail and the emotional decisions that seem to have been made in the last few days would be reversed”.
It was gathered that the National Security Adviser, who coordinates security matters for the president, has waded in to resolve the crisis. As a man who professes that his administration would be guided by the rule of law, it speaks well of Buhari to abide by the provisions of not just the law but also conventions. And such weighty decision on who provides close body security for the president and his family cannot be taken on the basis of emotions or ego but on sound judgment, what the law provides and convention

Taiwo Awoniyi: The New Bride of European Clubs.

 

 

Taiwo Awoniyi

Most Nigerian that were hoping that 2015 would be the year the Flying Eagles will finally break the FIFA U20 World Cup jinx did not have to wait long to be disappointed as the Nigeria representative lost their first game 4-2 to Brazil but still managed to book a place in the second round of the completion. In their first knockout game against a more organised German side, the Nigerians crashed like pack of cards. The lackluster performance put up by the team did not however deter teams scrambling for the signature of a member of the team-Taiwo Awoniyi. From Europe to Africa clubs have been seeking for the Nigerian prodigy. Kunle Adewale in this report says Awoniyi should look before he leaps so as not to be a victim of greedy agents and managers who are just after their selfish gains than making the best out of the player

Many Nigeria players have had their football career cut short in the past due to the selfishness of agents across the globe. This is something Awoniyi should watch out for as he hopes to make a great leap in his footballing career.

If wishes were horses, beggars too will ride as Awoniyi has revealed his pleasure to play at the Stanford Bridge. Playing for Chelsea football club would be a dream come true for him in his football career.

Swedish club Kalmar have tied up an agreement to sign Awoniyi when he clocks 18 on August 12, 2015 after his scintillating performance for the Golden Eaglets at the 2013 FIFA Under 17 World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates caught the attention of scouts representing several European teams.

To prevent trafficking of underage players from the third world, FIFA transfer rules prevent clubs from signing footballers yet to reach the age of maturity. And it is that watertight regulation that has prevented Awoniyi from signing a professional contract.

Kalmar coaches know they have a jewel in their hands, and the young Nigerian has been training with the first team since his arrival in Scandinavia.

Before the product of Imperial Academy decided to pitch tent at the Guldfageln Arena, he was courted by Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica.

However, Kalmar FF has admitted that the club could lose the Nigerian even before he signs a contract in August. Before the African Youth Championship a lot of European teams sent their scouts to Senegal to run the rule over the 17 -year - old, and in practice he could shred the preliminary agreement he has with Kalmar.

“That you never know. You cannot go around being worried, but somewhere I just had to enjoy the guy that he is making progress and that it goes in the right direction.

And it is also a sign that we are a little right there when we look at the players so it’s only positive that Taiwo is doing well,” sporting director of Kalmar, Thomas Andersson Borstam, told fotbollskanalen.se.

Bosstam added : “Then he has been in Kalmar now three or four times and become acquainted with us and feel comfortable with us and we are happy with him. So I think it may be a good step to begin in Sweden, first developed before taking the next step.”
Awoniyi was one of the top stars at the recent African Youth Championship in Senegal and has been linked with several top clubs in Europe and Africa.

Among the clubs believed to be chasing Awoniyi are FC Porto, Celtic and Red Bull Salzburg as well as Esperance of Tunisia, whose officials stormed the Flying Eagles training camp in Germany to try and convince the 17-year-old striker to sign for them.

“I’m still a free player, but I hope my future will be decided before the World Cup,” Awoniyi disclosed in an interview published by FIFA.com.

Meanwhile, a report by SL.10ng disclosed that Red Bull Salzburg, Olympiakos and RSC Anderlecht are also eyeing Awoniyi and the trio was in contact with his minders while Porto is planning a swoop as well.

Manchester United are also reported to have courted the attacker, with one of their representatives speaking directly with him, but the interest from Old Trafford has waned due to uncertainty surrounding his registration rights.

Regarding the 17-year-old’s ownership rights, there has been series of peace meetings between the Ilorin-based club and Seyi Olofinjana’s Imperial Soccer Academy and all the stakeholders had decided to work in the interest of Awoniyi and the country, with a new ownership-sharing agreement finalized.

Meanwhile, Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi is hoping that the U20 star can bring his eye for goal to the senior team. Keshi has given the U20 striker the green light to lead the Super Eagles attack.

The 18-year-old scored a brace for Samson Siasia’s U23 squad in a recent All African Games qualifier in Lusaka, Zambia, and it would be only a matter of time before he makes his senior team debut.

Keshi told Goal that Awoniyi is ripe enough to lead the Eagles attack but must indicate his readiness to take that responsibility on the field of play.

“If you will recall, I gave Awoniyi his first call up to the Super Eagles sometimes ago because I know that he has the quality of a goal poacher who can deliver the goals when needed,” Keshi told Goal.

“But like I have always explained, playing for the age grade national teams is different from the Super Eagles.
Awoniyi is young and talented and has the quality of a good striker. So who says he can’t lead the Eagles attack? He just needs to be ready for the task and show it on the field of play which I believe the boy is capable of doing.”

However, father of Taiwo, Solomon Awoniyi, has said he used to beat his son to discourage him from playing football, but that he never knew Taiwo would play football to global level.

He said the football career of his son started during his elementary school days, noting that he (Taiwo) would always disappear from the house to play football and the whole family would be looking for him. Awoniyi praised the efforts of Taiwo’s coach, Rasaq Olojo, whom he said discovered and nurtured him.

He said the striker was part of the team that participated in a Coca Cola competition in Ibadan, which later earned him a trip to London in 2010, where former Nigerian football stars Nduka Ugbade and Seyi Olofinjana, spotted him in a competition Awoniyi was voted the most valuable player and came home with the award from London in 2010.

It however remains to be seen which team will eventually woe the Nigerian prodigy. Experts have however warned that he should be careful in his choice of club.

Inside details of how Buhari chased SSS away from inner Aso Rock.

Sani Tukur

PREMIUM TIMES has obtained more details of how President Muhammadu Buhari and his handlers have pushed personnel of Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service, from getting close to the President or mounting guards or patrolling areas inside the presidential villa.
Under the present arrangement, the operatives are only to guard the “outer perimeter” of the presidential palace, a measure that has humiliated the 29-year old agency charged with gathering domestic intelligence for Nigeria and protecting public officials.
The presidency claimed, through Mr. Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina, that there were “routine adjustments” of security personnel at the Aso Rock Villa. He denied that the president ordered the expulsion of the SSS personnel from the premises.
What Mr. Adesina did not however say was that the SSS officials, who were traditionally part of the president’s primary security details, have been banned from being close to Mr. Buhari and virtually reduced to manning the outer gate at the villa.
A presidential memo, seen by PREMIUM TIMES Friday, showed the nature of the directive barring the SSS (also known as DSS) from the villa.
The memo, written by Mr. Buhari’s Aide de Camp, Mohammed Abubakar, on June 24 and distributed to key officials in the Villa stated that from then on, “DSS personnel have been redeployed from some duty beats/locations”.
The memo made it clear that the major security tasks initially being handled by SSS officials are now to be handled by officials of other security agencies.
Mr. Abubakar said personnel of the Armed Forces and the police, who were trained as Presidential Body Guards, PBGs, are to “provide close/immediate protection for Mr. President henceforth”.
Mr. Abubakar subsequently listed some of the areas to be taken care of by the PBGs to include, Admin Reception, Service Chiefs Gate, Residence Reception, Rear Resident, Resident Gate, Office Reception, C-In-C Control Office, ACADE Gate, C-IN-C Control Gate and Panama.
“However, the personnel of the DSS in conjunction with other security forces are to man other duty beats/locations located within the immediate outer perimeter of the Presidential Villa,” he said, without providing reasons for the action.
Mr. Abubakar added that the Admin Officer, AO, shall be submitting a list of all personnel deployed for physical security within the premises of the Villa to the office of the ADC every Thursday for “perusal, observation and approval as the case may be before final publication and dispatch to the office of the CSO”.
The only explanation so far for the “re-organisation” was provided by Mr. Adesina who stated that “the changes being made are routine adjustments which are not unexpected in any dynamic environment from time to time”.
The Spokesperson for the SSS, Marilyn Ogar, did not answer or return calls seeking comments for this story.
She also did not respond to a text message sent to her.

Rivers Inquiry: Witnesses link PDP Chairman, former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to election violence.

 

June 27, 2015Ben Ezeamalu

Rivers' Commission probing killings, destruction during 2015 elections

 

Several  witnesses who testified before the Commission of Inquiry probing politically motivated killings in Rivers State during the 2015 general elections accused the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, of having a hand in the series of violence recorded during the polls.

Out of the 97 allegations of killings received by the Commission, 94 of them occurred between November 15, 2014, and April 11, 2015 – a monthly average of 19 killings in the five months during the election, according to the final report of the Inquiry exclusively obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.

The Commission was instituted in April by the immediate past Rivers State government, to probe politically motivated killings and destruction of properties before and during the elections.

The inquiry opened on May 4, and undertook seven days of public hearings during which it heard over 18 hours of oral testimony, in respect of 43 memoranda concerning incidents of violence from 11 of the 23 local government areas in Rivers State.

On May 22, the Commission submitted its final report to the Rivers State government.

“Evidence presented to the Inquiry included allegations and perceptions that either the first lady in person on persons claiming to represent her interests, including one Evans Bipi, who is a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, exercised undue or negative influence on the security agencies in Rivers State or on other persons or entities involved in the violence reported,” the report stated.

“The Inquiry was unable to put these allegations to the First Lady and could not, therefore, verify or form an independent view of these allegations.

“They are recorded here as proof that they were made not necessarily as confirmation of the allegations made.”

PREMIUM TIMES has been unable to reach Mrs. Jonathan. Those close to her said she is vacationing abroad with her husband.

They also prefer that she responds to the allegations herself.

‘Unwilling’ security agencies

The Inquiry received evidence of 83 incidents of destruction of property, including acts of vandalization or arson during the elections, the report said.

No allegations of political violence was recorded after the elections.

“It is quite possible that the numbers or tallies on similar incidents maintained or produced by the NPF (Nigerian Police Force) or other security agencies could be different,” the report said.

“The Inquiry received ample evidence indicating that security agencies were unwilling or unable to attend to incidents of political violence or that in some locations, they were overwhelmed by the intensity and frequency of reported incidents.

In the course of its sittings, the Commission met in confidence with the Department of State Services in Rivers State, and then arranged to meet with the Rivers State Police Command.

On May 20, the day scheduled for the meeting at the police headquarters, the police instead requested the Commission to submit a questionnaire to be completed and returned at an agreed time.

The Commission’s questionnaire did not receive any response from the police as at the time the report was finalised.

“The attitude of the security agencies that the Inquiry encountered was largely defensive, tending towards avoidance of the subject. This corroborated the perception of institutional indifference, reluctance or avoidance reported by most witnesses and victims.”

Several witnesses testified to killings and destruction of lives and properties across the state.

Vincent Ogbuagu narrated how one Ezekiel Thompson, the security guard of Emmanuel Ogbuagu, was shot and killed; Christopher Adube and his three children and four other relations were murdered; and the APC ward secretariat burnt down.

Austin Ahiamadu, the Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA), spoke about how thugs attacked Godspower Ahiadu, an APC leader, and his family and vandalized their properties. The victim and one Tony Okanu, according to him, went to report the attack at the police station but were detained and later transferred to Force headquarters in Port Harcourt.

Two weeks after the attack on his family, Mr. Ahiadu was murdered.

On March 24, Sampson Oreke was murdered in Okposi town.

The next day, George Eweh and Nwabueze Robinson were murdered in Obizimini community.

On November 28, 2014, Gladys Emeka’s brother, Emenike Obulor, was shot and killed at Ogbakata community.

On the same day, Augustina Wilson’s husband was fatally shot at Omoku.

On January 8, 2015, the APC office in Okrika local government was razed down with dynamites. A police officer was shot and killed during the party’s campaign rally.

A lot of the witnesses who testified mentioned Felix Obuah, the Rivers State PDP Chairman, as a mastermind of the killings.

Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to reach Mr. Obuah were unsuccessful. He would not return phone calls or text messages.

‘Assist the widows’

The Commission recommended that the allegations of murder and illegal possession of firearms be referred to the police for further investigation.

It also recommended a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

The Commission noted that it is necessary to restore credibility and public trust in the role of elected political office holders in protecting the public good.

“Given this problem, the Commission recommends that the National Council of State should play a significant role in restoring public confidence in state security agencies to be able to effectively deal with cases of political violence,” the report stated.

“The Council of State may also offer non-partisan standards or guidance for mediating cultures of internal democracy in political parties.”

The report also stated that the police proved incapable of containing the political violence during the 2015 general election in Rivers State.

“The Inspector-General of Police should develop and issue for the NPF (Nigeria Police Force) a clear doctrine of zero tolerance for and clearly spelling out the kinds of acts or circumstances which the Force would regard as political violence.

“Reflecting the seriousness of crimes of political violence, the Inspector-General of Police should designate an officer of a rank not below that of Commissioner of Police with responsibility at the federal level to lead the operationalization of this Force Order and the development of a new Force disposition on political violence.”

The report also recommended assistance to widows and children of those killed during the political violence.

“For those widows who may be dispossessed because of security issues as a result of the loss of the breadwinner in the family, the Commission recommends that the Government take steps to provide alternative secure accommodation.

“For those of school age, scholarships should be provided to those children up to and including the completion of university education for those who are accepted into university.”

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT HERE

Buhari certificate saga tore the army apart – Gen. Ikpomnwen

Brig. Gen.Don Idada Ikpomnwen (rtd) is a former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army and a lawyer. He represented retired officers of the armed forces at the 2015 National Conference. Last Tuesday, Ikpomnwen defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which he co-founded in Edo State. In this interview, the retired general says he dumped the PDP the very day Gen. Muhammadu Buhari emerged the candidate of the APC ahead of the presidential election. According to him, the fall of PDP was predicted by some of them which was why he withdrew his participation in the party following what he describes as the promotion of mediocrity by the leadership of the PDP.
Ikponmwen
Gen. Ikponmwen
He gives an insight into the mood in the Army when the leadership of the military told the world that they were not in possession of Buhari’s certificate. Excerpts: By Simon Ebegbulem,
Benin City
You were in PDP since 1998 until last Tuesday when you defected to the APC. Was the defection the result of the victory of one of your colleagues, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari, the president-elect?
The truth is that I was not just a member of the PDP, I was one of the founding fathers. I was one of the pillars from Edo that made sure that we went into PDP in 1998-1999. I worked consistently to ensure the success of this party in this state. I was a senatorial candidate.
I was shocked at what happened before and after the primaries. Later the leadership of the party appealed to me to calm down, that they will want me to go to the centre as a party official, I agreed. I got there and started working to ensure that I was elected into the position of the National Deputy Secretary.
The same cabal made sure that another person with less experience emerged. In the circumstance, after the rigged and fraudulent national convention, we went to court but the next thing was that our lawyer started saying things I could not understand and the judge was persuaded to strike out the case.
That led to my disaffection with the PDP and I stayed away for some time. Having experienced all these in politics, I decided to devote my time to the South-South struggle, which succeeded when Jonathan became the President of Nigeria.
Before then, our struggle was almost rubbished when, contrary to our belief that the South-South will not take the vice presidency, some people within the caucus went and arranged with the Northern Forum and they agreed that the South South will take the position if it is given to an Ijaw person.
That angered me and those like me because that was not what we were struggling for. I did not completely stay away from the movement, we continued to pioneer the whole thing from Edo under the South-South Elders and Leaders Forum, it was in this capacity that we operated when the late President Yar’Adua took ill, we kept on pushing that the then Vice President, Jonathan should be sworn as the President. Later the National Assembly agreed with us and went for the Doctrine of Necessity and okayed the Jonathan presidency.
But with all my struggles, the PDP has never treated me like a member and in my presence, they were promoting mediocre. They never gave people like us a chance, all because the powers-that-be felt we are too vocal, too idealistic, too principled and uncontrollable. I am not uncontrollable; the different between me and them is that I believe that in politics it is service to the people first. If there is any over flow, then everybody will benefit because they say sovereignty belongs to the people.
The PDP almost since inception was taken over by a cabal that can do anything, a cabal that wants you to lick its boot, that wants you to be a slave. I am not cut out to be a slave to anybody. I was trained as a soldier, a strategic thinker, a lawyer and I go for what is ideal. That was our point of departure. Just before the elections, they appealed to me to come and play a leadership role in the PDP but I told them that all these years they never allowed me to play any role, so how come now? This happened after the National Conference where I represented retired military officers. But the moment Buhari emerged as candidate of the APC, I knew they knew what they were doing. The convention that threw up Buhari was more democratic and the moment he emerged I spiritually became an APC man because this is a man I had worked with. I have in fact left the PDP since the emergence of Buhari, I have no choice. Nigeria deserves a political revolution and that was why I had to rally all my supporters to work for him during the presidential election. I am exceedingly happy about the development and I want to express my deepest appreciation to all those who helped in his emergence such as Asiwaju Tinubu, Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Amaechi and the APC presidential aspirants who conceded defeat such as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Governor Kwankwaso. It shows that they knew what they were doing. They have put this nation on the path of visible change. I have worked at different times with the general and I knew that all they are saying about him was to run him down but Nigerians are wiser now. There is no way I would have worked against Buhari or my state governor Oshiomhole, who has brought visible change in Edo. That is why I am telling our people in Edo that there is no other wise choice than to join hands with this messiah that God had brought to bring credibility to Nigeria and make Nigeria a leading country in the world.
Why Jonathan lost
Jonathan’s administration has never been able to chart the right course for this country. Jonathan may be a good man on his own, he may have been a lucky man to emerge on the basis of emotions and sentiments, but certainly he does not have the liver to lead a country like Nigeria. Jonathan surrounded himself with people who did not mean well for Nigeria. That Jonathan failed to win the election as sitting President did not come to me as a surprise. You only win election in the world now when you are doing well for the country not this situation where there is no security, no power, no roads, nothing at all. The average Nigerian did not feel the so-called impact of the transformation, therefore, Nigerians have no choice than to embrace change. We needed change and that we got. I don’t care what I will benefit, all I want to see is a society where those who work hard benefit while those who are lazy will have themselves to blame. Let us have a government that will create the favourable environment for every Nigerian to achieve its best. Let us have an environment where we can move around freely and happy.
Boko Haram & Nigerian Army
We are all witnesses to how our soldiers have performed in international operations in the past, be it Congo, Yugoslavia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chad. The puzzle is that this same Army winning laurels all over, all of a sudden became a force that could do nothing in the face of insurgency. The only explanation I have for that is that the military was compromised. The government contributed to rubbishing and destroying the army all because it wanted the military to be loyal to individuals and to those in power rather than to be a country. The Army moved away from its constitutional role and became an Army doing routine police work until Boko Haram began to hold towns and cities and operate as a regular force. I did not see the reason for our armed forces to be on the road, supporting politicians in power and being seen as agents to pull down the opposition.
But talking about the sudden turn, that is another intriguing thing. The military that could not curtail Boko Haram over the years began to record unprecedented success when election was on. It means the capacity to do it was there and you refused to do it and allowed our soldiers to be massacred. Nigerians who said government was supporting Boko Haram cannot be wished away because it looks evident that if government under President Jonathan wanted to stop Boko Haram they would have done so as they are doing now.
Army and Buhari’s certificate
What happened was sordid, shameful. For a professional army, for the military to come out to say that a former Head of State, a former Commander-in-Chief, a general did not have certificate in their record, the issue really is not whether the certificate was with them or had disappeared, the issue is that a professional army would have said, ‘we are not politicians, don’t drag us into this political argument going on. If you are worried about certificate, go to INEC, if you are worried about certificate, go to the school which the man attended’. But for them to say ‘we don’t have his certificate, we have not seen his certificate on record’, it brought the Army to ridicule, it brought down this country to ridicule. I think it points out to the fact that some people have compromised. And I was hearing a few days ago on the internet that the same certificate has been found. I think the Army have given good account of themselves in the past, they can continue to play that role as neutral people, as the last hope of the people.
What were the feelers in the Army when the certificate saga was on?
Officers will always be officers. We are in touch with ourselves when all these were happening. That issue tore the Army apart because we began to wonder whether this was really the Nigerian Army that we all served in. As soldiers, whether serving or retired, we are friends and many of us were discussing what was happening. It was most embarrassing for retired officers to see what they were seeing and to hear what they were hearing. The demystification of the military is demystification and rubbishing of officers who have given all they have in the service of this country. It has always been our wish that the Army remains an honourable profession that we knew it to be when we went there, that we strove to sustain and anything less than that embarrasses any good officer and many of our officers are good. Many good officers that I know watched helplessly as these things were going on, even me there was a limit to what I could say because a good soldier must run away to fight again. I know what I went through, I know the constraints that I had; so for a while I decided to support in a very subtle way those who we want to develop Nigeria.
Message to Buhari
Nigeria is lucky to have Buhari. I recall his days as military Head of State, a few things made people feel he was too rigid. The law that visited drug trafficking with death penalty, that was too harsh and it cannot happen in a democracy. Nobody is perfect but three things are important in a democracy and ensuring good governance, the right to choose your leader, the right to change him when necessary and the right and duty to make inputs into the goings on in government. If we all take interest in what is going on, we have already demonstrated our choice in what is going on now. If any government falls out of grace, that government knows it will go. Even before it gets to that point, if people continue to make their inputs and say what is good that government is doing and encourage government to do it and also voice out what they think is not good that it could be going on, the then government will be challenged. Any government that is not being challenged by way of having clear picture of what the people want is likely to go wrong. So we all have a duty to make sure that this good man that has been chosen stays on course, we should not be afraid to talk. To me, a strategic thinker, I will always say it as it is and, also importantly, I will do whatever is in my power to ensure that we enhance this government that is coming up. I did my best in this Jonathan’s administration to speak out the truth but they never listened to me.
I was called by the Obasanjo regime to look at the environment at that time to see whether we needed an organization that will fight financial and economic crimes. I sat down with my team chosen by Obasanjo and, within four months, we gave them a blue print. It was that blue print that gave birth to the EFCC. I did my best to put forward what I believe in because we knew what was happening. Like when I went to the constitutional conference, I also emphasized the need to improve the armed forces by improving the Act setting them up, the need to improve the policy decentralizing it, the need to have a decentralized police for effective federal system. The important thing is that some of us have done our best even in a hostile environment but I think we will continue to do our best now that we know we have a strong system in place with the emergence of Buhari.

ANOTHER BOMBSHELL! HOW DSS CONSPIRED WITH EX-PRESIDENT JONATHAN TO EXONERATE SENATOR ALI MODU SHERIFF AS BOKO HARAM SPONSOR!

Over the past 5 days, the CUPS organisation has published documents showing the DSS's complicity in detonating deadly bombs, targeted killings, mass hacking into citizen's mobile phones and computers including those of his Excellency the President, elections rigging, vandalism, assault and inflicting grievous bodily harm, abductions, unlawful detentions, and tantrums and rampages at beer parlours, among others.
The CUPS organisation has obtained yet another damning evidence proving the fact that the DSS under its current DG, Ita Ekpeyong, is nothing but a treasonous criminal agency giving comprehensive support to the Boko Haram insurgency and its sponsors.
In early 2013 there was agitation by Nigerians that Ali Modu Sheriff was one of the Boko Haram sponsors, and must therefore be arrested and tried accordingly. This was preceded by a spate of bombings and targeted killings in the North East that were directly linked to him.
To cover up for their partner in crime, the DSS high command embarked on a bogus fact finding mission to establish the “truth”. After several months of wasting tax payers' money traveling across the North East, supposedly interviewing security chiefs, the DSS produced a shambolic report not worth the paper it was written on. In that report, they completely absolved Ali Modu Sheriff of any wrong doing. It was therefore not surprising that when in September 2014, when the Australian peace negotiator, Reverend Canon Dr. Stephen Davis, made his famous allegations identifying Lieutenant General Onyabor Azubuike Ihejirika and Ali Modu Sheriff as Boko Haram sponsors, his serious allegations were swiftly rejected by Marilyn Ogar of the DSS in a press conference.
Below is the “conclusion and findings” of the DSS investigation, which was addressed to President Jonathan, dated April 2013.
“Former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff has never been part of the Boko Haram Terrorist Sect. We found out that all the victim of terrorist violence in Borno and Yobe States, especially the VIP’s are members of the ANPP Party, a party that Modu Shariff belongs to. And all the while, when he was the Governor of the state, he tried his best to control and diffuse the tension. This was corroborated by security chiefs interviewed in the state. And as we submit this report, Your Excellency may wish to know that Ali Modu Sheriff is now a marked man by the BHT. If he were involved with them, they wouldn’t make him a marked man. If they had a chance, they would kill him instantly. The issue of BHT is highly politicized. But on findings on the ground in Borno and Yobe states did not link Ali Modu Sheriff with the Boko Haram sect. Rather he is their no. 1 enemy. Mr. President should disregard those that are politicizing the BH issue. Mr. President should rather engage Alhaji Modu Sheriff to find a lasting peace in Borno and Yobe states, because he is a well-respected figure in the North east. Please accept Sir, the assurances of our esteemed regards.”
CUPS remarks: Going by all the leaked documents we published over the past 5 days including this latest one, which is by no means the last one, it is evidently clear that the DSS has been operating as a dangerous terror organisation using Nigeria's resources to destroy Nigeria and Nigerians. It must therefore be disbanded and reconstituted with immediate effect. His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, must show Nigerians and the rest of the world that he is a strong, visionary, and competent leader, who has the capacity to make though and decisive decisions in the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians when the need arises.
May God save Nigeria and Nigerians. Amen.
Dr. Idris Ahmed.
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19/06/2015