Let Me Choose, Sunday Mba Pleads With Clubs

Embattled Super Eagles’ midfield player, Sunday Mba has begged the two clubs fighting over him to let him pick the club he wants to play for and continue enjoying his best football form since helping the Super Eagles to win the last Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
Mba who scored the winner against Cote d’ Ivoire in the quarter-finals of the 2013 Afcon as well as the lone goal that fetched Nigeria her third Afcon in South Africa on Sunday, February 10th, 2013, has been involved in a controversial transfer and ownership tussle between the last club he played for which is the Warri Wolves and his former club Rangers International which the Nigeria Federation has set up a 4-Man Committee to look into.
Nationsport spoke to him at the NFF Secretariat and the player confessed that the transfer saga has really affected him and he wished the whole issue is quickly resolved so that he can concentrate on his football.
“I am not happy that this is happening to me at the time I’m supposed to make the maximum use of the Afcon feat and glory in South Africa. By now I’m supposed to be looking forward to a fulfilling career and a fruitful stay in the Super Eagles not this kind of wahala (trouble) my brother”, Mba said with regrets.
His case may take longer than it is expected to be resolved as feelers from both Warri Wolves and Rangers International indicate a fight to the end to get the rights of ownership of the player.
Mba, Nationsport scooped has numerous juicy offers from Europe since his scintillating performances in the colours of Super Eagles in South Africa. So it is understandable that both Warri Wolves and Rangers won’t like to miss the cash his transfer to European clubs would fetch the right club that owns the player.
As at yesterday, the final decision on the matter had not been made by the Dr. Sanusi Mohammed led 4-Man Committee but the NFF top official disclosed that they would present their verdict on the matter to the NFF Executive Board that has the right to make the verdict public.
Naij.com

Mikel, Moses World Class – Ex International, Lawal

Hardworking midfielder, Garba Lawal has said the best is yet to come from Chelsea duo of Mikel Obi and Victor Moses.
The former Nigerian international, who hailed the winning performances of the players at the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, believes they can get on to a higher standing at future competitions.
“Mikel and Moses were outstanding at the Africa Cup of Nations and deserve credit for their contribution to Nigeria’s victory at the tournament,” the Atlanta ’96 gold medallist said.
“Stephen Keshi and the players should be commended for helping the country win the competition for the third time.

“However, we should be patient with the coach and avoid putting the players under pressure.
“Players like Mikel and Moses are world-class, who should be respected in their country as they are  respected abroad.
“If we encourage them, they’ll give their best to the country. We should not dictate to the coach on how to use them in the team.”
InformationNigeria

AMNESTY! – IN SUPPORT OF THE SULTAN

 by Bala Muhammad

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As late as twenty or so years ago, many of us privileged to be among the so-called Nigerian Muslim Intelligentsia (the lump sum of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, MSSN-nurtured students, academics, journalists and other professionals), had no confidence in the foremost traditional Muslim organisation in Nigeria – the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI.

Time and again at meetings of the MSSN or its offshoots such as the Muslim Corpers’ Association of Nigeria (MCAN) and the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations of Nigeria (NACOMYO), we wasted no time in deriding the JNI as “that bunch of self-serving traditional rulers”. The other senior Islamic grouping, the Nigerian Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) got worse shrift – “supreme Ramadan crescent watchers”, we called them. “Away with them!” That was then.
All of a sudden, someone from our immediate older generation, someone who may likely think a bit like us, became Sultan of Sokoto and leader of both the JNI and NSCIA.  Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar could understand us and empathise with our feelings and frustrations. He started to speak in our ‘language’, or at least made us understand some of the goings-on at the top level of Nigerian Islamia. And so we made a U-turn of sorts (though, admittedly, for some it is still not a full ‘U’, it’s rather an L-turn). Many among us have started to ‘understand’ them, as someone from there on top of them had started to understand us.
Is it only the ‘Sultan effect’? Or is it that we are getting older? Or is it the reality of the times? Whatever it is that made many of us come down from our self-created revolutionary level to even listen and discuss with these two groups – and even meet them to search for ways forward – gives lots of meaning to the Hausa adage abin da ya koro bera ya fada wuta a hakika ya fi wutar zafi (literally whatever it is that chased a mouse into the fire must be more fiery than the fire itself).
So here we are, again, supporting the call this week by the Sultan of Sokoto calling on the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad (also known as Boko Haram) in order to restore peace in the North. The Sultan was speaking in Kaduna at the Annual Central Council Meeting of the JNI, attended by senior traditional rulers and Muslim leaders from across the country. News reports say this is the first time the Sultan would publicly canvass amnesty for members of the Jama’a, though he had previously urged for dialogue between government and the sect.
The Sultan said President Jonathan should use the few members of the sect who denounced militancy to reach out to others who have yet to do that, apparently referring to a Boko Haram faction which announced a ceasefire recently but was later disowned by sect leader Abubakar Shekau.
The Sultan said, among other things: “I want to use this opportunity to advise the President…to see how he can declare total amnesty to all combatants without thinking twice. This will make any other person who picks up arms to be termed as a criminal. If the amnesty is declared, it will make all those who have been tired of running and hiding to come out and embrace the amnesty. Some of them have already come out…Even if it is one person that denounces terrorism, it is the duty of the government to accept that person because he can be used to reach others;…the government should accept that person first and then interrogate him to see if he really belongs or not.”
Referring to the bold step taken by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who granted amnesty to the Niger Delta militants, the Sultan said: “The type of amnesty that ended militants’ unrest in the Niger Delta will be suitable for the North. Initiating a restoration and rehabilitation programme that would integrate them into the larger society will pave way for dialogue rather than engaging them in an endless war.” In other words, Yar’adua did well by Jonathan’s people; it is Jonathan’s turn to so treat Yar’adua’s people.
The Sultan added: “Some people think we are not doing anything as leaders in the North. No, we have done enough and I want to commend all of you in what you have been doing. We will continue to do so despite criticisms because we know what we are doing. In sha Allah we will continue to talk with the government to be just in whatever they do…We want to tell our political leaders and religious leaders the truth on the way forward for this country. We will continue to advise the government at all levels. If they do what they ought to do, alhamdulillah. If they don’t, we will continue to tell them to do the right thing because it is our duty to tell them.”
The Sultan was right about ‘not doing anything as leaders in the North’. Many Nigerian Muslims are still very sceptical about the JNI, the NSCIA, the Sultanate (and its counterpart the Shehurate of Borno) and the entire leadership of the Muslim community. These people – the sceptics- need to be convinced and re-convinced. We (us, the new ‘believers’ in the JNI et al enterprise) may be privileged because of reasons of proximity, contact or relationship with some among the leadership, but the millions of others have no such access – and no such conviction.
Later, in a communique issued by the JNI Secretary General Khalid Aliyu (our contemporary and peer and colleague in the MSSN, etc.), the JNI Central Council meeting observed, among other issues, that cases of violent conflicts have unfortunately not only continued to recur unabatedly but have also monumentally grown in terms of magnitude and proportion across the country; that in spite of the serious security and existential challenges facing the Muslim Ummah, the problem of disunity among the Ummah has continued to not only persist but is also taking dangerous dimensions, further wreaking havoc on the Ummah; that the enemies of peace have continued to vilify Islam and Muslims through various campaigns of calumny; and that Muslims are still being denied their constitutional rights to practice their religion unhindered and are even being persecuted in some instances.
Top among the JNI resolutions, in the light of the observations made, was the resolve not to relent in efforts at advising leaders at all levels to be more sincere, proactive and responsive in handling cases of conflicts. Government should be seen to be fair, just and impartial in dealing with such conflicts; and that, as a way of curtailing religious insurgency, the Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency treat the case of insurgents with all sense of magnanimity by declaring amnesty to all of them, especially combatants that have expressed readiness to tread the path of peace.
Further, the JNI called on Islamic scholars to foster the spirit and mechanisms for cooperating mutually and working together in the interest of Islam, in spite of their differences of opinions, rather than further dividing and weakening the Ummah; and that, in the spirit of mutual respect, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, a section of the press and preachers that propagate hate and blasphemy should desist from such unwholesome attitudes and tendencies.
And finally, the JNI called on the nation’s leaders to be upright and more responsible in leadership and to dispense justice and fairness to all.
On Amnesty we all stand! In this, we support the Sultan and the JNI!

DailyTrust

Police To Guard Kano NYSC Lodges

FILE PHOTO

From henceforth, Kano State Police Command will deploy its officers to man corps members’ lodges in the state, the state police commissioner, Alhaji Musa Abdussalam Daura has said.

InformationNigeria

Imo Deputy Gov Denies Resignation, Impeachment Rumours Sir Jude AgbasoContrary to widespread reports that the Deputy Goveror of Imo State, Sir Jude Agbaso, has resigned his position over allegations of fraud against him by the State House of Assembly, the embattled deputy has stated that he is still the “validly elected Deputy Governor”. In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant, SSA, Chief Onyema Opara, in Owerri yesterday entitled “RE:RESIGNATION AND IMPEACHMENT OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR IMO STATE,” Agbaso made his position known on the saga. “The attention of the Office of the Deputy Government of Imo State has been drawn to rumours making the rounds that His Excellency Sir Jude Agbaso, has resigned from office” the statement started. “It is also being said in some quarters and reported in some media houses that Sir Agbaso has also been impeached by the Imo State House of Assembly on allegation of corruption. “I wish to state in clear terms that Sir Agbaso has not resigned as the Imo State Deputy Governor and that there is no cause for him to do so. The Deputy Governor still functions as a validly elected Deputy Governor of Imo State and has been doing all his state assignments diligently. “On the allegation of fraud, Sir Agbaso is innocent of any allegation (either real or imagined) against him and as a law abiding citizen, will be ready to prove his innocence when called upon to do so. The Deputy Governor is still committed to the Rescue Mission of His Excellency the Governor of Imo State and still pledges his loyalty to the Governor and the Government of Imo State. The statement then went further to urge the public to disregard the rumours of his purported resignation which he said is not only “false” but “calculated to tarnish the image of the Deputy Governor.”

Contrary to widespread reports that the Deputy Goveror of Imo State, Sir Jude Agbaso, has resigned his position over allegations of fraud against him by the State House of Assembly, the embattled deputy has stated that he is still the “validly elected Deputy Governor”.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant, SSA, Chief Onyema Opara, in Owerri yesterday entitled “RE:RESIGNATION AND IMPEACHMENT OF DEPUTY GOVERNOR IMO STATE,” Agbaso made his position known on the saga.
“The attention of the Office of the Deputy Government of Imo State has been drawn to rumours making the rounds that His Excellency Sir Jude Agbaso, has resigned from office” the statement started.
“It is also being said in some quarters and reported in some media houses that Sir Agbaso has also been impeached by the Imo State House of Assembly on allegation of corruption.

“I wish to state in clear terms that Sir Agbaso has not resigned as the Imo State Deputy Governor and that there is no cause for him to do so. The Deputy Governor still functions as a validly elected Deputy Governor of Imo State and has been doing all his state assignments diligently.
“On the allegation of fraud, Sir Agbaso is innocent of any allegation (either real or imagined) against him and as a law abiding citizen, will be ready to prove his innocence when called upon to do so. The Deputy Governor is still committed to the Rescue Mission of His Excellency the Governor of Imo State and still pledges his loyalty to the Governor and the Government of Imo State.
The statement then went further to urge the public to disregard the rumours of his purported resignation which he said is not only “false” but “calculated to tarnish the image of the Deputy Governor.”
InformationNigeria

I will collect soul of APGA from Chekwas – Maxi Okwu

By Emmanuel Uzodinma

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, may be heading for reconciliation with its founder, Chief Chekwas Okorie who was forced out of the party’s leadership in controversial circumstances.
DailyPost learnt this on Friday in Enugu through the interim national Chairman of the party, Chief Maxi Okwu.
The APGA chairman who spoke to journalists shortly after a rally organized by the Enugu State Chapter of the party, said it was part of his reconciliation mission in the party.
Okwu said in line with the mandate given to him to restructure the party and reconcile all aggrieved party members,he will go to the extra mile of meeting his brother, Chekwas Okorie and asking him to give him back, the soul of the party.
“You know he said he left APGA with its soul, so I will meet him as a brother and plead with him to give me the soul of APGA, which he claims he left with. I am going to visit him”.
He revealed that the party had kick started the arrangement towards holding ward and local government congresses, which would make it possible for a national convention of the party in April.

“The national convention of the All Progressives Grand Alliance will hold in the middle of April this year at the Nike Lake Hotel Enugu. That was where APGA started in July 2001, so we are going back there.
“The process shall start with ward congress on March 8, after which there will also be local government and state congresses, and finally the national convention”, he stated.
He described the rally as home coming for him, challenging Chief Victor Umeh to pool such crowd if he claimed he was in charge of APGA.
He said: “You saw the number of people here today; this is just party stakeholders in Enugu State; it is a continuation of a process I started in my ward; that’s my own style of politics, it is grassroots based.
“I challenge both Nkolagu and Umeh to repeat what we did here today. This is Enugu State APGA; it is not in Abuja or on pages of newspapers”.
DailyPost

[OPINION] @DeleMomodu: Why I’m Not President Jonathan’s Fan

Fellow Nigerians, the story you're about to read is a true account of the reasons I criticise President Goodluck Jonathan these days. I don't want you to believe all the cheap blackmail that it is because we lost an election or wanted favours and attention. While I may not know why other columnists criticise him, mine is very simple and straight-forward.  The sad thing about men of power and their supporters is no one ever remembers when you praise a leader. You will never receive a simple thank you message. What is worse is that some of your readers would conclude that you've been settled like others with some stupendous gratification.
On the other hand, when you criticise the leader, you instantly become an enemy and persona-non-grata.  You must have been sponsored by some mischievous members of opposition.  These days the agents of government swarm all over the place. The best way government knows how to create employment in our clime is to engage the services of those who are incapable of persuading anyone with superior logic. The only qualification needed is the ability to spit bile and hurl insults at enemies of government. But a columnist who's not venomously attacked is not worth his salt and the ink of his pen.

Now, this is how the story started. Sometime around November 2009, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua completely disappeared from radar. And no one could tell what had happened to the perfect gentleman who despite his grave ill-health was making every strenuous effort to put Nigeria on sound footing. What made matters worse was the fact that his Vice President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan appeared lost in the Aso Rock wilderness. We were daily regaled with salacious tales of how he was being dribbled by some powerful cabal who had cleverly hijacked power in the absence of the President. The only story that was factual was the fact that the President was detained inside the intensive care unit of the King Fahd Hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Jonathan's situation and ignoble treatment had attracted attention and serious opprobrium from far and near. This was why the social activists decided to rescue him from the hands of his tormentors. The first group to rally support for him was the Save Nigeria Group which had as Arrowheads Pastor Tunde Bakare, Professor Wole Soyinka, Lt. General Alani Ipoola Akinrinade, Mr Solomon Asemota (SAN), Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Pastor Sarah Umaku, Dr Yunusa Tanko, Malam Uba Sani, Hon. Wale Osun, Mrs Ayo Obe, Mr Yinka Odumakin, Dr Mrs Joe Okei-Odumakin and Mr Charles Oputa. Their agitation for disclosure on President Yar'Adua's condition had reached a frenetic level that they decided to hold a mass rally on the streets of Abuja. This they achieved on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. But it yielded no response from the almighty cabal, as they were called then.

There was a repeat rally by the same group on Thursday, March 11, 2010 to further put pressure on those holding the President hostage to speak to Nigerians as well as make it possible for the Vice President to take charge of governance in Nigeria. A few days later, on Sunday March 14, 2010, to be precise, Mr Ohimai Godwin-Amaize was at my house in Abuja to solicit my support for a planned Enough-is-Enough Rally by some youths and celebrities come Tuesday, March 16, 2010. He didn't have to preach to a convert, as I was tired of the chicanery that was going on.

I woke up that March 16 to receive my good friend and brother, Mr Charles Oputa, in my house. He did not know I was planning to march with some young Nigerians to the National Assembly after our meeting. He became suspicious when he saw me wearing a red top and jeans and wondered where I was going. I had to tell him my mission and he immediately offered to join us but he had to go home to dress for the rally and also pick his power-bike.

We started the rally at the Eagle Square but Charly Boy joined us at the main road leading to the National Assembly where some special anti-riot security officers in red berets were on ground to break up our rally. Rumour had it that they were Israeli-trained. As I write this I wonder why they can't unleash them on Boko Haram. Charly Boy and I tried all the tricks in the books to persuade the police officers to let us go in to deliver our message but we didn't succeed. I don't know where the courage came from, I approached them finally and announced that I was going to walk through their barricade and they were free to shoot.

I did not know how bad the risk was until I saw the scary shots recorded for posterity by my great friend, the Thisday Photo Editor, Mr Sunday Aghaeze. I was so possessed by raw anger that I did not realise the police had grabbed my neck and were trying to snuff life out of me by throttling my throat. We pushed their iron-curtain and their crude Berlin wall collapsed. We enjoyed our triumphant march but the main gates of the National Assembly were firmly shut against us. I will never forget how Audu Maikori of Chocolate City Entertainment Company defied a policeman who pulled a menacing pistol at him. I was proud to see star actresses Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde and Stella Damasus-Aboderin walk under that scorching heat with other volunteers. We were not fighting for personal gains but a better Nigeria.

We returned to our homes, far and near, satisfied that we had contributed our quota. The good news came the very next day that the Federal Executive Council finally found the courage to approve Dr Goodluck Jonathan as substantive Acting President. And our joy knew no bounds. Some of us had placed our optimism on the foolish belief that the Acting President would appreciate the burden placed on him by Nigerians who fought for the restoration of his relevance in the scheme of things. Only if we could see the future!

A very close friend and confidant of Dr Jonathan had called me shortly after. He's one man I believe had implicit faith in him to be a very good President. We had met in London and drove around the city in one of his fabulous cars to discuss the intractable problems of Nigeria. His ideas sounded lofty, even fantastic. He said he was sure Jonathan will be President but that it was only a matter of when. He said he owed it to his friend to help him to succeed. But not many people reasoned like him.

For example, he dreamt of a star-studded cabinet for Jonathan.  I told him matter-of-factly that the hawks in PDP will never agree. And even if they allow him to pick the best Nigerians that litter everywhere in the world, the hawks will still frustrate them. Brilliant Nigerians hardly know how their country works and those behind the wheel of fortune, the Nigerian Mafia, live far up in the control towers away from the prying eyes of ordinary Nigerians. They hold their nocturnal meetings in the dead of the night and they have their stooges everywhere especially in the civil service. Some of the wealthiest Nigerians don't look the part. You pass them all the time on the corridors of those Ministries but won't smell the crazy wealth on them.

President Jonathan's friend dreamt of a total of nine years in power for him. I told him he would achieve that if he performs. To perform, he would have to square up to the many demons buzzing around Abuja. All the leaders before him failed because they couldn't do that. The only one who had the uncommon sense to quit when the ovation was loudest was General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Jonathan would have to jettison politics and concentrate on rebuilding Nigeria. He should not worry about how many terms he serves but what legacy he bequeaths to future generations.

I started having my doubts when I saw how Jonathan blew money on his campaign like no one before. A source within his Presidential campaign said they burnt about $1.5 billion. That was how much it cost to build the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building in Dubai. There were indications that the fuel subsidy payments went out of the roof as a result of Africa's most expensive presidential campaign. May be the rumour-mongers are right after all because, curiously, we lost all that money and nothing happened.  Not even President Barack Obama would have survived the anger of Americans if such a dastardly act happened under his nose.
I was still slightly hopeful after the 2011 elections that President Jonathan may surprise us. I wrote him an open letter on June 11, 2011 and gave my candid advice:

"The task at hand for you is tantamount to the sacrifice made by Christ for humanity. The problems of Nigeria are manifold and to succeed, you must be prepared to sacrifice everything. You will fail if you are afraid of taking difficult decisions. There is really nothing to fear if you reciprocate God's love for you… Please, look at the faces of most people around you today, many of them must be very familiar people. The reason is simple. You've been seeing the same faces since you were probably in secondary school. .. Please beware of them. You won't need these godfathers because you already have God the father. If you look back in history, you will realise that they really have nothing to offer. They've always spelt doom for your predecessors."

On July 2, 2011, I wrote yet another open letter to Mr President:
"Your choice of Ministers I believe is impressive, minus a few controversial names… I'm particularly impressed about the fact that most of your cabinet members are well educated. They are also young and cosmopolitan… I assure you that if you remind yourself constantly of millions of Nigerians who are suffering as a result of bad leadership, you may be forced to do things differently. If you live by example, you will be able to enforce discipline, combat corruption, and confront criminals… Most of the faces you see hovering around the corridor of power are bad people. Like vampires, they will devour everything in their wake. You must do everything to navigate away from them. Rather than allow the whales to swallow you like Jonah, you must swallow the whales. You may not wake up like like Jonah if you choose to sleep in the belly of a whale."

On July 9, 2011, I wrote an open memo to the new ministers and highlighted the urgent and priority areas they must tackle with all seriousness:
"At the end of your assignments, Nigerians would be waiting to judge how well you have improved the quality of their lives or how much you have contributed to taking us closer to the precipice. The essence of my memo therefore is to assist in reminding you of your responsibilities as well as the expectations of the people…"

I've written several such memos to government offering free and unsolicited advice in the hope that we can all lift our nation up. I lost hope in the Jonathan administration after the lackadaisical way he treated the fuel subsidy crisis. The second reason is the manner the Federal Executive Council comes out every Wednesday to announce fresh billions to be spent on frivolous projects in a country where most of our youths are unemployed. The third is how the President behaves as if he's not supposed to be in charge of the whole of Nigeria but simply a remote part of Nigeria and a few wealthy individuals. He simply abdicated power to terrorists and retreated to the innermost recesses of Aso Rock. I've been greatly alarmed at the dictatorial tendencies of Mr President who now behaves like the Presidency is his personal property and is ready to run all opponents out of town.     
    
The way this government is amassing new debts is absolutely scandalous. I can never understand why a government that is frittering away resources is not ashamed of borrowing money. I'm not impressed that the Niger Delta region has not witnessed any appreciable growth since its own son became President. With all the money being pumped into the Niger Delta projects, there is really nothing on ground to justify such gargantuan investments. The people still live in penury. NDDC is commissioning boreholes in the 21st century. All the promises made to Nigerians by President Jonathan remain in the realm of phantasmagoria.

There is neither the will nor the resolve to create positive change. Like all others who love Nigeria, President Jonathan's friend and confidant must be cringing at the shambles that "Oga" is presiding over. Is this how they hope to spend their nine years in power?
I rest my case on this note.
PSN