Merger: CPC, ACN seal deal on logo, flag

•Tinubu                          •Buhari                                       •Ogbonnaya

By Oguwike Nwachuku Editor, and Daniel Abia  (P/Harcourt) 
The fresh merger arrangement between the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) appears to be taking shape.
This is because we have it on good authority that the two major opposition political parties have reached a good measure of understanding as regards common name, logo and flag that will now be the identity (face) of the newly merged party.
But Sunday Independent was also told that the architects of the merger plan for the two parties are keeping the logo and the flag close to their chest for now in what one of them said “until the appropriate time.”
Regardless, one of the opposition political parties– the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)–may lose out in its bid to be part of the merger effort except the leaders approach the project with the seriousness that it deserves.
This is because we were told that the leaders of the ANPP are making impossible demands.
Senator Kanti Bello who hails from Katsina State and was in the senate on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 2003 till 2011 until he was edged out told this newspaper in an exclusive interview that the issue of logo and flag for the CPC and ACN has long been done with.
His words: “As far as I am concerned as a member of CPC, the only merger I know that is in existence and to which our party is discussing, based on an earlier discussion, which had already gone a long way, is between the CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
“A long time ago, there was a sort of agreement on the party logo, party flag and things like that. They have all been sorted out between ACN and CPC. As far as I know, as a member of CPC, our party has put a team to negotiate with ACN, not with any other party. I hope this is very clear.
“So, the negotiation or, rather, our crossing of ‘T’s and dotting of ‘I’s is between ACN and CPC, which I hope will work if these two parties should merge. If later ANPP comes on board somehow, fine; there will no problem. But we have gone so far to start going back again to the drawing board trying to discuss how, which type of logo, what is the name of the party? All these things have been concluded. The name and the logo of the party are already agreed upon earlier, and our leader had already stated this.”
However, Bello refused to tell Sunday Independent the new name for the merging party as well as what the logo and flag look like.
Hear him: “I can’t say it. But the truth is that these are some of the early agreements between CPC and ACN that have not been made public. So, I have no right to say anything about that. The only thing I want to assure you is that the merger is between ACN and CPC. That is what I can tell you for now.”
He also sounded indifferent about the participation of the ANPP in the ongoing merger plan, saying that the leadership of the CPC and ACN were not prepared to wait for the ANPP which he said seems to be crawling.
“Who is talking about merging with ANPP anyway? It is just wishful thinking. I think the man (Bukar Abba) is out of touch. He doesn’t know what he is doing. Let Nigerians know that the merger talk is purely between ACN and CPC. So, the issue of whether ANPP is the oldest opposition party is not it at all.
“Why do you have to wait for an old man when you, a vibrant young man, and another vibrant young woman are trying to get a full-fledged marriage? Why should an old man come in and start trying to be a suitor? It is unnecessary.
“I don’t want to take up any issue with ANPP. They have every right to discuss what they want to discuss. They have every right to even put up conditions for anybody who wants to merge with them. But as far as I know, my party, CPC, is discussing merger, which has gotten to an advanced stage, with ACN. And God’s willing, if this materialises, as I believe, this country’s problem is over. “CPC is a major party; it is a very big party in the North. CPC won elections considerably in 14 states of the North. And we have ACN controlling about eight states. If in the process, ANPP wants to join as individual, let them be. But for them to be putting conditions and all these things, I think it is unnecessary. I don’t want to take up any issue with them because we are not even discussing merger with them. So, let them not distract our attention.
“Our attention is simply between ACN and CPC. That is where the merger is. Whether somebody is the oldest is their business. You are running for something that is important, you need energetic people, not elderly people who are already about to quench,” Bello said.
However, the ANPP told Sunday Independent on Saturday that the party is still involved in the talks, noting that Bello may just be airing his personal opinion based on the opinion of a chieftain of the ANPP.
Spokesman of the ANPP, Emma Enukwu said the 20-man merger talk committee headed by former Governor Ibrahim Shakarau of Kano State is still working based on the terms of reference given to the members.
Asked if he was aware the CPC and ACN have come up with a common name, logo and flag for the newly merged party, Enekwu said: “The Shekarau-led committee has not reported to the party and so I could not have known.”
But he maintained that the right thing would be for all the merging parties to lose something original to them at the end of the day.
The spokesman of the ACN, Lai Mohammed, neither picked his call nor responded to a text message sent to him on the “new deal” with the CPC.
Nonetheless, the ACN has finally agreed to merge with other political parties for the possibility of providing a formidable candidate for the 2015 presidential election.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday at a meeting held in Abuja with the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), where the leaders mapped out the modalities that were finally endorsed by the National Executive Council (NEC) on Wednesday.
A reliable source close to the party’s leadership in Abuja told Sunday Independent that the merger would include the CPC, ANPP and any other group or individuals that are interested in the merger arrangement, to salvage Nigeria from the “claws of PDP’s bad government”.
He said a committee had already been set up by the party to liaise with interested parties for the merger. The 22-man committee is headed by Chief Tom Ikimi, with other notable names like former governors of Edo and Ogun States, John Odigie-Oyegun and Segun Osoba, respectively.
Others are Pastor Iyamu; the 2011 governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Chief John Akpanudoedehe and Senator Chris Ngige.
According to him, ACN may prevail on the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and the former Head of State, General Mohammadu Buhari of the CPC, to bury their presidential interest and shift their support to a pair of younger persons who would be accepted to Nigerians.
This permutation, it was learnt, may likely favour Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, who may either run as President on that platform or become a running mate to any northern candidate.
The impeccable source also hinted that some aggrieved members of the PDP have indicated interest in the merger party with the view to fighting President Goodluck Jonathan if he insists on seeking a re-election in 2015.
He said consultations were already on to seek the support of all the ethnic nationalities in the country for the party’s choice of candidate.
DailyIndependent

Nigeria’s problems over with ACN/CPC merger –Bello

Photo : • Bello
Senator Kanti Bello represented Katsina North Senatorial District between 2003 and 2011. The erstwhile chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who recently defected to the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), believes that the time for change in government of the country has come. In this interview with Sunday Independent, the engineer-turned-politician argues, among other issues of national importance, that PDP has no single reason to remain in office beyond 2015 at the national level. Excerpts…
Recently, you announced your defection from the PDP to CPC. Have you been fully admitted into CPC?
My friend, I am already an old member of CPC. And I have been fully integrated into the party. In fact, when I joined the party, I was even given a national assignment from the party. If you could remember, I chaired the screening and reconciliation committee for the Kaduna State Local government elections for CPC. So, given that enormous responsibility, everybody knows that I am really a full-fledged member of the party. And I have started contributing my quota to the best of my ability to the party.
So, it is goodbye to the PDP?
Well, I have packed.
How does it feel like leaving the ruling party?
Very few of us have the guts to do that, because, you see, to leave the ruling party, you must make sure that you have no bad issues, especially with what is happening now. I mean, we all remember some of the circumstances of some people, in even making their personal views known, getting into trouble. For instance, the former national chairman of PDP, when he started saying there is zoning, the next thing we heard was the man being charged with something worth N10 million that he was involved in over 10 years ago. But some of us happen to be reasonably clean enough to say our minds and move for the interest of the country. I am not in politics for personal gains. If I am there for personal gains, perhaps, I am looking for position, or I am looking for some sort of appointment from Jonathan’s government or I am there either to be a chairman of a board or something or I am looking for contract, then I will not leave the party. But thank God I have passed that stage of my life. I have no bad issues to carry. My only interest in politics is to help the people and see that this country becomes greater, and contribute my quota to the best of my ability. Of course, the ultimate success is from Allah. But the truth of the matter is that we need to effect a change in this country. Anybody who is sensible, who is reasonable, who is patriotic, ought to move away from PDP, because as a system, as a party, PDP has totally failed. And you cannot change it.
The merger arrangement is getting to an advanced stage, particularly among the key opposition political parties – the CPC, ACN and perhaps the ANPP. As a matter of fact, each of these parties has constituted a committee to this effect. Are you sure the current effort by the opposition to dismantle PDP in 2015 will work because such previous moves towards merger had failed?
As far as I am concerned as a member of CPC, the only merger I know that is in existence and to which our party is discussing, based on an earlier discussion, which has already gone a long way, is between the CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). A long time ago, there was a sort of agreement on the party logo, party flag and things like that. They have all been sorted out between ACN and CPC. As far as I know, as a member of CPC, our party has put a team to negotiate with ACN, not with any other party. I hope this is very clear. So, the negotiation or, rather, our crossing of ‘T’s and dotting of ‘I’s is between ACN and CPC, which I hope will work if these two parties should merge. If later ANPP comes on board somehow, somehow, fine; there will no problem. But we have gone so far to start going back again to the drawing board trying to discuss how, which type of logo, what is the name of the party? All these things have been concluded. The name and the logo of the party are already agreed upon earlier, and our leader has already stated this.
What is the name agreed upon?
I can’t say it. But the truth is that these are some of the early agreements between CPC and ACN that have not been made public. So, I have no right to say anything about that. The only thing I want to assure you is that the merger is between ACN and CPC. That is what I can tell you for now.
How do you think the merger between the CPC and ACN can work without carrying along the ANPP? A top member of the ANPP, former Governor of Yobe State, Senator Abba Bukar, was reported to have said that if there must be merger, the name ANPP must be retained and the ACN and CPC would have to collapse into the ANPP on the ground that the ANPP has been the oldest party. How would you comment on this?
Who is talking about merging with ANPP anyway? It is just wishful thinking. I think the man is out of touch. Is it not Bukar Abba? I think he is out of touch. He doesn’t know what he is doing. Let Nigerians know that the merger talk is purely between ACN and CPC. So, the issue of whether ANPP is the oldest opposition party is not it at all. Why do you have to wait for an old man when you, a vibrant young man, and another vibrant young woman are trying to get a full-fledged marriage? Why should an old man come in and start trying to be a suitor? It is unnecessary. I don’t want to take up any issue with ANPP. They have every right to discuss what they want to discuss. They have every right to even put up conditions for anybody who wants to merge with them. But as far as I know, my party, CPC, is discussing merger, which has gotten to an advanced stage, with ACN. And God’s willing, if this materialises, as I believe, this country’s problem is over. CPC is a major party; it is a very big party in the North. CPC won elections considerably in 14 states of the North. And we have ACN controlling about eight states. If in the process, ANPP wants to join as individual, let them be. But for them to be putting conditions and all these things, I think it is unnecessary. I don’t want to take up any issue with them because we are not even discussing merger with them. So, let them not distract our attention. Our attention is simply between ACN and CPC. That is where the merger is. Whether somebody is the oldest is their business. You are running for something that is important, you need energetic people, not elderly people who are already about to quench.
The PDP at the moment remains the ruling party and controls the resources of the country. Do you think there is any amount of resources that ACN and CPC, and whichever party that later joins the merger, can put together to withstand the PDP?
You see, this is where people are wrong. Our leader, Muhammadu Buhari, has said it clearly. But people are not listening. He said we haven’t got the police force. We have not got the security agents. Neither have we got the resources. Do you know what we have? We have God. We have Allah with us. We have the people. And you see, it is not a question of resources any more in this country. You are thinking of resources that during election, money will be dished out. That is not the type of resources people have been talking about. Our party has not got that type of money, because it is only controlling one state. It is only the small state of Nasarawa that is under CPC. So, even from that state, we are not even looking at Governor Al Makura to come and give us anything. What we are saying is that this CPC is a party for the people. And you see, normal ideology comes in. I left PDP to join CPC, not because I am looking for money. But I want freedom. I want change in this country. The moment we start thinking every time that it is money, it is money; then, we are finished. Can the money that you will be given during election solve the insecurity problem in the country? Can it solve your power situation? Can it solve the problems in the education system? Can it make your factories to start working? What you need is a leadership change. You need a focused government. You need somebody who has something to offer to the nation. And that is why this merger is very important. It is not just for money. Nobody is talking about resources. We haven’t got resources to squander. Of course, we know they are prepared to further squander the country’s resources. N2.6 trillion went down the drain, whether it was for election or whatever, during fuel subsidy; we don’t know where it is. There are so many businesses of government that have been crippled and nobody knows how it happened. Till now, nobody is being prosecuted for it. So, we need to change this country. Look, I cry for this country. I love this country. And every patriotic Nigerian citizen must join this merger. They must buy the idea, so that we fight together to salvage this country from the clutches of these people, because this country is being choked. We need to give it oxygen. This is the situation.
Currently, there is a kind of internal crisis within the PDP that seems to be causing division in the party, all geared towards 2015. Is this giving the opposition a kind of joy and do you see it as an advantage to your cause?
I wouldn’t call it a joy. But you see, PDP as a party is completely undisciplined. It is dictatorial. Look at me, at my age when I ran the election in 2011, I lost. I went to court. Tribunal ruled that the election should be repeated. And somehow, somewhere, one judge called Amina Augie decided that it was a pre-election, though it was a qualification matter. But despite my loss, I helped Ibrahim Shema, the governor of Katsina State, to win the election, because I was still in the party then. But what happened when he won? From that day, I became his enemy, for no reason. I cannot tell you now what I had done wrong to that man (Shema). He doesn’t like me anymore. He doesn’t want to discuss any party issue with me. He doesn’t call me for meetings. Do you know that I am somebody who won election four times in my senatorial zone? When Shema came to constitute his local government, he couldn’t even give me a councillor out of 106 in that zone because of greed. He appointed everybody for himself because he wanted to take charge of local government and do whatever he likes with their money. Well, I am not bothered. Even if he had given me, I would have still left PDP anyway, because I am a firm believer in the need for change in this country. I am not in politics to make personal profit; I am in politics to add value to the lives of the people. That is very clear. It is not personal. I am not there for personal gain. I am in politics for what I believe in. And it is my belief that PDP as a party has failed. So, all this question about their struggling and fighting, after all, there is no system in the party. Do you remember what happened just about two or three years back? In the constitution of PDP, it was very clear that there is zoning. And the constitution is just a divine law of the party. And if a constitution is not followed in a party, what kind of a party is that. Though, there is that provision, Jonathan came and said he wanted to contest. He refused to honour that provision and there are still sycophantic people enough to follow him. From then on, PDP as a party, for me, lost its integrity. It lost its focus. And I don’t believe in that party anymore from that day. So, all these problems you see, all these infightings will necessarily occur because there is no system in the party.
Still talking about the ACN/CPC merger – the opposition’s struggle to tackle PDP, who is likely to be the candidate that will emerge from the merger that you think will be able to match whoever PDP presents in the 2015 presidential election?
The issue is very simple. We have not yet reached that stage. But commonsense dictates that there is no reason we could not ask Buhari to run again. Do you know why? The critical problem of this country is corruption. Whether you agree with me or not, but that is the fact. Everyday you look into your papers, it is one stealing or another. There is no day of the week you look at the papers that you will not see somebody stealing something. It is only in this country that somebody can just take away billions of naira and even trillions, and nothing will be done to him. What type of country are we running? It is just like when you give your wife two chickens to cook for you, and all of a sudden, you come in and discover that the cook has eaten one of the chickens. You know, it is quite amazing that the country is so corrupt. You need somebody, who people see as completely straightforward and not corrupt. Nigerians believe that Buhari is a straightforward fellow that is not corrupt. And since you know the cancer, then we should try and get the chemotherapy medicine to remove it. And the chemotherapy in this case is Buhari. So, commonsense dictates for now and for what we are trying to do for this country, Buhari should be the appropriate person to field. I think it would be a wise decision if the merger presents Buhari. But I am not saying that it must be Buhari. But I think it should be a wise decision. I am just making my own opinion.
Even if it is true as you said that Buhari is not corrupt, have you forgotten that he is going with people in the running of his government, if he becomes President of the country?
I agree with you. He needs a team around him to make sure that we get the right economic policies that will pave way for the enhancement of our industrial base, to ensure adequate power supply, to overhaul our educational and healthcare systems. But he cannot do it alone. However, you see the critical aspect of Nigeria today, the cancer, what everybody knows; unless, you remove it, Nigeria cannot move forward. And that is corruption. So, you need somebody who can tackle the corruption for at least four years. Look at (Nelson) Mandela when he came in; he is old enough. But South Africa needs somebody as an icon of anti-apartheid. So, they put him forward. Nigeria needs an anti-corruption crusader. So, we have to put Buhari there for at least four years. It is very, very important for this country, because we need to give an antidote to this corrupt practice that is going on in government today. Let me tell you something, if by Allah’s wish, Buhari is sworn in on May 29, 2015, by May 30, all these stealing and the taking away of our money would stop automatically, because of the mere fact that they know that this is a no-nonsense person that is not corrupt. All the uselessness and wastefulness going on are centred on corruption. The local government monies are being abused and stolen. There are so many allegations that the governors are misusing their funds. There is the pension scheme, where money has been stolen. Everywhere, even in printing and minting, money has been stolen. Everywhere, it is stealing, stealing, stealing! Therefore, you need somebody that when you see him as the President, people will know, even without being told, that stealing is over. That is why we need him. This is simply my own advice. I am just advising. Let me make it very clear that the merger did not say it is going to be Buhari. But I am only advising the merger when it comes, in my own opinion.
In the current effort of the National assembly to further review and amend the Constitution, Local Government (LG) autonomy is one of the cardinal items listed for consideration. Many believe that the control of LG finances vested in the hands of the state governors via the state/local government joint account is an aberration that must be corrected. This position was strongly canvassed by majority of participants at the public sessions conducted by the two arms of NASS. What is your own considered view on this matter?
You see, that is the wish of Nigerians. And every right-thinking person will see to it. Katsina State where I come from is the second poorest because we have no industrial base; our economy is a rural economy. And the bulk of the money that comes to the local government is from where people get a little better. But when the governor is not giving enough funds to the local government, then you find that the economy of the local areas has become very much lower and worse. But the issue is this: there has been a lot of clamour for autonomy of the local government; that is natural. Any right-thinking person will think that is the best way. But we should start with two things. If I were in the National Assembly, the first thing I would do is to scrap the state independent electoral commissions (SIECs). Let the national electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), conduct all elections. I am not saying (Prof. Attahiru) Jega is a good man; but I believe he is better. INEC is a little better than SIEC. One of the reasons corruption is going on in the local government is that in every state, because of corruption that is going on in the local governments – there is no exception in all the states of the federation – you find whenever there is election, it is the ruling party in the state that wins every seat. Why don’t we Nigerians sit down and ask why? You can’t tell me that the local people in one little ward cannot see a very good person who is not in the ruling party that they can vote for as councillor. They can do that. But you find that even councillorship, it is the ruling party that is winning. The reason is that election is not taking place. And since election is not taking place, it is simply appointment. That is why the governors could find it easy, even after election, to control the local government chairmen and the councillors. They themselves know that they didn’t win any election, and so, they know that they have no mandate whatsoever, and that is why they too have no option than to dance to the tune of the governors. When I was in the National Assembly, I moved for the scrapping of state electoral body, so that we just have one body conducting all elections in the country. But the unfortunate thing is that the opposition then strongly kicked against it. I can remember my very good friend, (Olorunnimbe) Mamora and co were against it; they argued that if you give it to the federal, the local government will be rigged out in the states where the opposition parties are in control. This, to my mind, is very naïve thinking, because once we start thinking that way, this country can never develop. Out of patriotism, the first thing you do is to make sure you remove the state electoral bodies. Please, remove them because it is important. Then, if you do that, you have made the first step. Do you know why the joint account is not working? It is not because the governors are too powerful. It is because even those that are supposed to question it are not elected. If you fully elect somebody under CPC, for instance in Katsina, and he knows he won his election, and Governor Shema is from PDP, the governor cannot take his money. He will go to court. The joint account is clear. What it says is that the state assemblies should disburse the money. But the state assemblies are not doing their job. If they are doing their job, this joint account thing is not wrong. People are mistaken about this joint account and local government autonomy. It is not a question of local government autonomy – local government has autonomy; it is in the Constitution. We have this problem because the people running local governments are not elected. So, it is not just a question of joint account.
DailyIndependent

El-Rufai reveals Obasanjo wanted Buhari/Okonjo-Iweala ticket in 2011

By Wale Odunsi

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir El-Rufai, has revealed that ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, had resolved in the 2011 election to support General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) as presidential candidate.
El-Rufai, in his upcoming memoir titled “The Accidental Public Servant,” said Obasanjo planned to shove off President Goodluck Jonathan from clinching the presidency, as he believed he was incompetent for the job.
The book, which chronicled El-Rufai’s years in the presidency as head of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and later as minister, divulged several political intrigues during the eight-year presidency of Obasanjo.
El-Rufai recalled that Obasanjo, as part of the grand scheme, offered to resign his chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party and also fund the opposition coalition against Jonathan.
According to the former minister, Obasanjo wanted to hit back at Jonathan over row in the Ogun state chapter of the PDP that saw Obasanjo’s men edged out.
The author said his former boss summoned him on January 25, 2011 in Abuja and briefed him on his intention to support the candidacy of Buhari, if he agreed to pick Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as his running mate.
He also advised the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to merge with the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in order to provide a formidable opposition.
Another condition given by Obasanjo was for the CPC to zone the Senate presidency to the South-West to enable them secure the backing of the then Lagos state Governor, Bola Tinubu.

El-Rufai said: “Obasanjo said that he concurred with my earlier belief that Jonathan would not make a competent president and that the best presidential candidate of the whole lot was Buhari. He expressed willingness to support Buhari and go public with it if CPC and Buhari are willing to consider his suggestions and implement them.
“Obasanjo suggested that I should convince Buhari to pick Ngozi as his running mate, enter immediately into an alliance with the ACN and ANPP, and then offer the Senate president’s position to the South-west to secure Tinubu’s support.”
El-Rufai explained that when he took Obasanjo’s words to Buhari, he and the CPC leader doubted the sincerity of the president and therefore resolved to treat the gesture with a pinch of salt.
However, by February 2011, when “a weird Federal High Court ruling had restored the tickets of Iyabo Obasanjo and other members of their faction in Ogun state,” Obasanjo backed out of his earlier commitment to support Buhari.
The book is scheduled for release in a few weeks.
DailyPost

Boko Haram: Obasanjo is a confused man – Presidency

By Comrade Godwin Ameh

Gulak

The presidency on Saturday reacted to a recent statement made by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo that President Goodluck Jonathan should blame himself for not being able to bring the Boko Haram insurgency under control.
He said, “As far as the President is concerned, he does not take Obasanjo’s statement as something that is serious because the former President has unlimited access to him if he wants to.
“If Obasanjo said what he said, we will just tolerate him because the other time, he said force should be used and he turned back to say dialogue must be used.
“Now, he is saying another thing. He is becoming confused. I think the old man is confused. The fact is that the insecurity issue started even during Obasanjo’s regime. It did not start with Jonathan’s regime.”
According to Gulak, the Goodluck/Sambo administration was focused on confronting insecurity through the use of intelligence.

He added that President Jonathan had resolved not to use brutal force against innocent citizens.
“The security agencies are deploying intelligence. The culprits are being arrested and arraigned in courts of law. Bomb manufacturing outfits are being identified and destroyed. That is the best way to go about it and the government is doing so reasonably,” he said.
Recently in an interview with the pan-African magazine, New African, the former president said Jonathan was mismanaging security issues troubling the nation.
He said, “If the President is the chief security officer of the country and there is a security problem, where do you go for the solution?
“And if that solution is not coming from the chief security officer, who has everybody and can mobilise everybody inside and outside to get a solution, then he has the responsibility to solve the problem. And nobody else should be blamed but him.”
DailyPost

Corruption detrimental to national development – Tambuwal

By Comrade Godwin Ameh

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal had on Saturday, said corruption and poverty were harmful to national development.
The Speaker said this at a lecture on “Religion, Ethnicity and Corruption: Challenges of National Security” held at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The lecture was organised by the Centre for Peace, Conflict and Security Studies, ABU, in collaboration with Students’ Representative Council of the institution.
Tambuwal, who was represented by Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Bashir Adamu, lamented the deteriorating state of the nation.
He said, “Corruption is not only in the public service but it cuts across all segments including schools, businesses and even our homes.
“In the same vein, the unity of Nigeria should be a priority because the idea of separation is not an issue.”

He called on the need for Nigerians to exploit all necessary avenues in order to ensure that peace and unity take a central stage in the country.
“For democracy to succeed, people must learn to accommodate, tolerate and embrace one another,” Tambuwal said.
In his speech, the ABU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, noted that national conflicts come from ward, local and state levels.
Mustapha, who was represented by Prof. Adebayo Joshua, Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, assured the centre of the institution’s support.
The guest speakers, Prof. Aminu Mohammed-Dorayi, of the Institute of Security Studies and Dr. Abubakar Saddiq-Muhammad of the Political Science Department, ABU, advised Nigerians not to use religion and ethnicity as a means of achieving political goals.
The guest speakers also described lack of energy as a threat to national security and called for urgent measures to address the problem.
DailyPost

The Super Bowl Ad That Coke And Pepsi Desperately Don’t Want You To See

By Sy Mukherjee

This Sunday’s Super Bowl will be punctuated by dozens of ads featuring everything from adorable puppies to kids in Star Wars outfits. But one commercial you won’t see is a provocative ad by the carbonated beverage company SodaStream — an Israeli company that is no stranger to controversy — that takes on soda giants Coca Cola and Pepsi.
That’s because the ad has been pulled after pressure from the mammoth corporations led Super Bowl host CBS to take it down from its programming. Reportedly, Coke and Pepsi were upset with the commercials’ implied criticism of the soda industry’s use of plastic bottles and the subsequent harmful effects on the environment:

CBS rejected the ad, reportedly because of its direct assault on the big two carbonated-beverage makers (CBS didn’t return calls for comment). As the music from the movie Deliverance trills, deliverymen from Coke and Pepsi show up at a supermarket and rush to deliver their products. But the bottles pop and disappear, creating a mess. The ad then pans to a shot of a guy using SodaStream. The implication is that SodaStream will make bottled sodas irrelevant. [...]
Like many upstarts, SodaStream has taken an in-your-face, hyperbolic approach to marketing. The company doesn’t just suggest that SodaStream is a money-saving artisanal device. Rather, it suggests that some of the world’s popular brands (and biggest advertisers) are effectively evil forces. Why? They promote the production of polluting bottles and cans.
“SodaStream empowers consumers to make their own fresh soda at home in seconds, without the devastating environmental impact of plastic soda bottles and cans, which litter our parks and oceans,” said Daniel Birnbaum, the chief executive officer of SodaStream International, in a statement. “Our ad confronts the beverage industry and its arguably out-dated business model by showing people that there exists a smarter way to enjoy soft drinks. One day we will look back on plastic soda bottles the way we now view cigarettes; as a dangerous vice, not as an easily-accepted feature of everyday life.”

Americans throw away enough trash every year to cover the state of Texas — twice. And this isn’t the first time that beverage giants have found themselves in hot water over public health issues. Just last month, Coca Cola launched a deceptive new ad campaign attempting to mask the harmful effects of calorie-laden sodas on America’s obesity and diabetes epidemics.
TP

Boko Haram Demands for 26 Billion Compensation For Ceasefire to Hold

•Boko Haram demands N26bn from FG, Borno govt

By ADE ALADE

The Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, has asked the federal and Borno State governments to compensate its leadership, members and families of its dead members, as a major condition to sustain the one-week-old ceasefire it announced last Monday.  Media gathered exclusively that the sect’s demand for monetary compensation, which will cost both the federal and Borno State governments nothing less than N26 billion has already been accepted by the Borno State government, which has been the worst hit by the activities of the sect.

The amount, it was gathered, could be more or less depending on the total number of the sect members that have been killed by the security agencies.  According to a highly placed source, “the money being demanded by the sect leaders, they claim they will use it to compensate themselves, their members for all their losses, especially their houses, cars and businesses that have been destroyed by government.

They also said they need the money to take care of the families of their members that had been killed by soldiers. So, the figure for now can’t be less that N26 billion, but could be far more depending on the number of the sect members the government agreed its security agencies had killed so far. The figure can only be less if some government brings in some negotiation tricks.”

A top security source, who has the details of the meetings between Boko Haram representatives and the Borno State government officials, also told Saturday Sun that the same demand had earlier been made by the sect about six months ago but was not well treated by the Federal Government.  According to the source, “the latest ceasefire by the sect is hinged on the same demand that had been made about six months ago when the people in Abuja, led by the new NSA, I mean Dasuki, went into peace talks with the sect leaders.

I think the peace process crashed then because the Federal Government was not ready to commit a kobo on the sect members, like it did and still doing for militants in the Niger Delta region.  “So, the sect resumed hostilities, which got worse; but in the present case, the Borno government has offered to pay the sect part of the money, encourage other states, like Yobe and the Federal Government to contribute the rest. This is though not the only demand, but the decision of the Borno government to agree to the deal has led to the ceasefire, which came after over four weeks of secret talks with trusted aides of the governor.”

The discussion between the Borno State government and the sect was first made public last Monday by a top leader of the sect, Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, who said his group will maintain his own side of the pact to halt all suicide attacks and await the government to fulfill its own side of the pact.  The sect had declared, in its ceasefire proposal announced on Monday: “I, Sheikh Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, the 2nd Commander in charge of southern and northern Borno after Imam Abubakar Shekau of Jamaatul Ahjlil Sunna lidawati wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram. For sometime now,  we the members of Jamaatul ahlil sunna lidawati wal jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram have recently had a meeting and dialogue with the government of Borno State, where we resolved that giving the prevailing situation, there is the need for us to cease fire.

We, on our own, in the top hierarchy of our movement under the leadership of Imam Abubakar Shekau, as well as some of our notable followers, agreed that our brethren in Islam, both women and children are suffering unnecessarily; hence we resolved that we should bring this crisis to an end. We, therefore, called on all those that identify themselves with us and our cause, to from today lay down their arms. Let every member who hears this announcement relay it to the next member who hasn’t heard.  “We have met with the Borno State government on two occasions and the fallout of the meeting is to cease fire. Presently, we are going to comply with the ceasefire order and by the time we are done with that, government security agencies can go ahead to arrest whoever they find carrying arms or killing under our names.

We are very much aware of the fact that some criminals have infiltrated our movement and continued attacking and killing people using our names.  “We have also told the government to try to live up to our demands that our members in detention should be released. We hope the government will not betray us this time round, because we all know that it was because of the continued detention of our members that this crisis continued for this long. And if government fails to do as it now promised, then this conflict will never have an end.

“Of course, there is a faction within us, but the larger faction of our movement is the one in support of this ceasefire move. Moreover, once top members of our group including Imam Abubakar Shekau are in support of the need for a ceasefire, other smaller factions can be dealt with easily.”  Though the sect, in the ceasefire announcement, stated that it had made some demands, which include the release of its members from various security detention centres in parts of the country, it however, kept silent on its demand for monetary compensation.

Another source very close to the Borno State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, who also confirmed the deal between the state government and the sect, told Saturday Sun: “The governor has to respond to the sect’s demand because the Federal Government seems not sincere or concerned about the security problem the people of the state are facing and has, as a result, bungled previous chances to make peace with the sect, but as the government on ground, which is feeling the heat of the sect activities, he (the governor) has to do something to help himself and his people and that is why we are where we are at this point.”

When asked how much the state government has accepted to pay the sect, the source stated: “I think some money would have been paid but that is still far from the reality because other states with the same problem will need to do something while the bulk of the process rests with the Federal Government.” The source, however, declined to mention a specific amount of what was demanded and how much must have been paid by the state government, giving security concern as an excuse.  Another top presidential aide in Abuja also told Saturday Sun: “The issue of Boko Haram and the Borno State government negotiation is already before Mr. President.

So, only him or the NSA, Sambo Dasuki, who has been on top of the issue before now, can talk on record on it because of the sensitive nature of it and the security implication of whatever one says now.”  The Special Adviser to the Borno State Governor on Communications, Isa Gusau, when contacted earlier in the week, had said he could not comment on what transpired between the state government and the sect. He, however, added that the state governor has always believed in dialogue as the better solution to the lingering crisis.

“I am not competent to speak on national security issues. We have a security council in Borno State. I am not a member of that council and of course, you know as much you will also agree with me that no governor will speak on such critical security issues. But I know since Gov Kashim Shettima became a governor-elect, he was the first to speak on the need for dialogue as the best way out. Governor Shettima has been very firm and consistent in his belief, as he has regularly advocated, that unless we want to engage in an endless war, the best way out  of the crisis is dialogue towards a peaceful resolution and anytime someone is killed, be it a civilian, a security personnel or any member of the sect, the governor is usually and deeply pained, he hates to hear that someone loses his or her life, no matter who that person is.

He believes that the life of every Nigerian is worth preserving. It is the hope and prayers of Governor Shettima that not just peace but indeed, sustainable peace, is reclaimed in Borno and the rest of Nigeria in the quickest time because he knows like he says, that no society can thrive without peace,” Gusau had stated.

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