'Enough Is Enough, GEJ Please Be Serious For Once'

By Chukwuemerie Uduchukwu
“In a sane country, a government will not stand and watch her citizens be slaughtered like festive cows.” We are tired of President Jonathan’s usual condemnation of attacks without any further move to trace and deal with the perpetrators. In a sane country, a government will not stand and watch her citizens be slaughtered like festive cows. This government is not doing anything serious to fight insecurity.

Also, this PDP government is clueless from top to the bottom. How can individuals that call themselves leaders and elders find it safe to advise the government to dialogue with cannibals that have no good intention for the lives of Nigerian people? The comparison of this bunch of enemies of life to that of the Niger-Delta militants is totally illogical. The Niger-Delta militants had a defined and justified aim for their attacks which was the total negligence of the region by the government in spite of the fact that about 90 per cent of Nigerian revenue is derived from the region.
Also, they mainly attacked government facilities that catalysed the pollution of their land and never innocent Nigerians. Boko Haram targets innocent lives. They claim to be fighting Jihad but at the same time they attack and even kill their Muslim brothers by bombing mosques. They also don’t have respect for their spiritual leaders which include the Emirs and the Sultan. The Boko Haram sect claims that they are anti-western education but they use the products of western education like bombs, cars, motorcycles and different kinds of ammunition.
It is now even more worrisome that one can no longer tell which attack has Boko Haram backing as our security agencies lack adequate intelligence. As a result of this, any group may rise up and attack lives and we would end up blaming Boko Haram for it. There are some questions that need to be answered: Is Boko Haram really faceless as the government always claims?
If yes, how were the security agencies able to identify some of the people they have arrested as Boko Haram members and even leaders of the sect? How sure are the security agencies that they haven’t arrested innocent people? What happened to those people who were arrested? One only hears of their arrest but not of their prosecution or conviction? Is the government afraid of prosecuting or convicting them?
The government should fight insecurity with a focused and sincere mind because that is its prime function. Any government that fails to secure the lives of her citizens is nothing but a total failure. If a quarter of funds budgeted for the security of Nigerians is well utilised, these blood suckers will never have a ground to execute their attack. The government should conduct a sincere probe on the security sector and all those found guilty of embezzling our security funds should be punished for crimes against humanity.
Also their sponsors should be traced and charged for crimes against humanity. A small group cannot be bigger than a country. Enough is enough.
Naij.com

We must end petrol subsidy - Jonathan - Court says deregulation illegal

by Kayode Ekundayo (Lagos), Hamisu Muhammad & Atika Balal (Abuja)

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said government is still planning to withdraw petrol subsidies but that consultations will be held first to decide the best way to do it.

Speaking at the Economist Magazine’s Nigeria Summit in Lagos, Jonathan said the subsidy regime is wasteful and corrupt, and that only the “affluent middle class” benefits from it.

“Our investigation into corrupt practices in the fuel subsidy scheme has led to the recovery of large sums of money, and prosecution of suspected culprits,” the President said.

“We cannot continue to waste resources meant for a greater number of Nigerians to subsidise the affluent middle class, who are the main beneficiaries,” he added.

Jonathan’s previous attempt to end petrol subsidies sparked street protests and national strike in January last year, forcing the government to partially reinstate the subsidy.

Civil society groups and labour unions have vowed to resist any fresh attempt to withdraw the support regime, which will mean rise in petrol prices.

When the Federal Government cut subsidies last year, petrol prices rocketed to nearly N200 per litre from N65 per litre. The current official price per litre is N97.

‘Illegal, null and void’

Jonathan yesterday did not specifically say how the public consultations will be held ahead of the planned subsidy removal.

But as he spoke in Lagos, a court in Abuja declared the deregulation of the petroleum industry as illegal. Government has insisted that deregulation will save billions in subsidy funds which would then be funnelled towards infrastructure development.

Delivering a judgement in a case instituted by Lagos-based private lawyer Bamidele Aturu, Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court declared that the deregulation policy is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

Aturu went to court challenging the 2009 decision of the government to deregulate prices of petroleum products in Nigeria. He sought an order restraining the government from deregulating the downstream sector of the petroleum industry or from failing to fix the prices of petroleum products as required by the Petroleum Act and the Price Control Act.

In the judgment, the court said the policy of deregulating the sector by not fixing petrol prices is unlawful.

Justice Bello said government must always fix the prices of petroleum products sold across the country as stipulated in the Petroleum Act and Price Control Act.

The Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, who were joined as defendants in the suit, had argued that Aturu lacked the locus standi to institute the action and asked the court to strike it out.

But the court said on constitutional matters, the law of public litigation allows Aturu to file the suit because the issues raised affect him and other Nigerians.

Justice Bello ruled that the deregulation policy is in conflict with Section 16(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution which provides that the government should control the national economy in such manner as to secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.

“The policy decision of the defendants to deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry by not fixing the prices at which petroleum products may be sold in Nigeria is unlawful, illegal, null, void and of no effect whatsoever being in flagrant violation of the mandatory provision of section 4 of the Price Control Act, cap P28, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004,” Bello said.

He added that the deregulation policy has the effect of making the freedom of movement (which is guaranteed in section 41 of the 1999 Constitution) illusory for the generality of Nigerians and is therefore illegal, unconscionable and unconstitutional.

When contacted for comments yesterday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mr Kingsley Agha, said he was not aware of the judgement but pledged to find out when work resumes today.

Officials of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), which is responsible for regulation of petrol prices, did not answer telephone calls and text messages sent to them seeking for comments on the court decision.

Jonathan: We’re open to dialogue

In Lagos yesterday, President Jonathan also said his administration would continue to fight corruption and recovery of all ill-gotten wealth to ensure the principles of good governance and successful implementation his transformation agenda.

“Corruption and issues of good governance are also being vigorously tackled on all fronts,” said Jonathan, who came under criticism over the past week for granting state pardon to corruption convict, former Bayelsa State governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

“The recent dismissal of three judges found to have compromised their offices is an unmistakable signal of zero tolerance for corruption in the judiciary,” he added.

Jonathan said he was using a three-pronged pronged approach to tackling terrorism, including through strengthening of counter-terrorism cooperation with neighbouring countries.

“Our second approach is openness to political dialogue. We believe, however, that this can only realistically progress when the groups and individuals involved in acts of terror, relinquish their anonymity, and come forward in sincerity to make their objectives known to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The third approach, the president added, focuses on economic inclusion targeting the disadvantaged especially in the North East, with economic opportunities in agriculture, entrepreneurial support, graduate employment and unskilled jobs programmes.

The Economist Magazine Nigeria Summit is being held with the theme: “Enabling and Implementing Change.”

DailyTrust

Elizabeth Colbert Busch Wins Democratic Primary In South Carolina 1st District

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, S.C., March 19 (Reuters) - Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of TV comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert, was the easy winner of the Democratic Party nomination on Tuesday in a special primary election to fill a vacant South Carolina seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, CNN projected.

Former Governor Mark Sanford was comfortably leading the field of 16 Republican candidates, according to preliminary election results posted on the official website of the State Election Commission, but could face a run-off April 2 if he fails to win more than 50 percent of the ballots.

The general election for the vacant 1st Congressional District seat is set for May 7.

Colbert Busch was leading early results in a landslide with more than 95 percent of ballots cast. During the campaign she touted her experience as director of sales for a shipping line and a leader in advocating science and math education in South Carolina.

Her famous brother, host of the late night TV political comedy show, The Colbert Report, actively campaigned on her behalf.

Sanford gained notoriety in 2009 for trying to hide an affair with an Argentine woman.

Sanford says he is seeking redemption after the affair that ended his marriage. Sanford's wife divorced him when the affair became public, after aides said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he was in fact visiting Argentina.

He is now engaged to his former mistress Maria Belen Chapur, an Argentine journalist.

The congressional vacancy was left by Republican Tim Scott, who was appointed to replace Republican Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate after he resigned last December to head the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

The district, which was redrawn after the 2010 Census, takes in the city of Charleston and parts of four nearby rural counties and stretches south along the coast to include wealthy Hilton Head Island. (Editing by Dan Trotta, David Adams and Lisa Shumaker)
HuffingtonPost

10 Ways To Get Used To Being Alone Again After Divorce

Written by Aunt Becky on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
I've never lived alone before.
No, stop staring at me like that -- I swear, I have good reasons. I got pregnant and waddled from an apartment I shared with my ex back to the house I lived in with my parents so that I could go to nursing school and get a job that pays more than "do you want fries with that?"
Then, I met and married my husband shortly after graduation, when we bought a condo together. So in all those years, I was always living with someone.
But in July, we decided to divorce after nearly 10 years of marriage and I moved into my own place. Which means that I'm in the process of learning how to live on my own. I couldn't be happier, but it's hard to get used to sometimes. Here's how I'm learning to live alone after my divorce.
1) Get thee a tool box. One thing everyone needs when they find themselves living alone again is a tool box with all the basics to fix things around the house. Then ask everyone you know if they have any duplicate tools they can donate. Make sure to get a book on simple home repairs, too.
2) Get an AAA membership. I'm a car fiend, but I know very little about fixing them. So instead of finding yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere with no one to call, get an AAA membership and they'll come help you.
3) Reach out to friends and family. Make sure that people know you're learning to live alone again and that you're really feeling it. Divorce is a terribly lonely process and having people around who know you're hurting is never a bad idea.
4) Write it out. When you're feeling blue, write it out. Write about the divorce and what you're going through. Doesn't matter if you do it in a blog or in a journal. Just let it out.
5) Make a list of all of the things you want to do. Start small -- maybe you want to get some wall art of your own. Or maybe it's painting a room or taking a trip. But make a long list, put everything down that you've not done (and want to) and begin to complete it.
6) Use this as an opportunity to purge. Not just your stuff, mind you, but your head and your heart. Dump the friends who make you feel like crap and move forward.
7) Seek help. If you're not coping well with the divorce, don't hesitate to find a therapist who specializes in divorce situations to guide you through this hard time.
8) Set up weekly "dates" with friends and family so you have something to look forward to. Doesn't have to be anything fancier than movie night, but it helps to have something positive to focus on.
9) Remember, above all else, that this is your life and you alone dictate how you spend it.
10) Get involved with all those things you had to put aside during your marriage. Maybe it's something as silly as getting green pepper on your pizza, but do it because now you can. No one will stop you.
What would you tell someone learning to live alone again?
HuffingtonPost

Yaya Toure threatens to quit Manchester City by this weekend

Yaya Toure’s agent, Dmitri Seluk, has said that his client will leave Manchester City, if he is not offered a new contract by the end of the week.
The Ivorian midfield powerhouse, has been negotiating with the club for the past six months and now wants the issue resolved during the international break.
“If he signs a contract in the next three or four days, okay. If not, we will not wait any longer and will start negotiations with different clubs,” Seluk told The Sun.
“Today is Tuesday, so it means by Saturday. We will say ‘Thank you. Okay, Yaya will leave in May.’
“I do not feel he will stay at City. This is not about money. He wants to leave because of many reasons. He is one of the best players at Manchester City but does not feel the respect of the staff. Only Roberto Mancini respects Yaya.”

Toure is City’s best paid player at about £220,000 a week, but his agent brushed aside insinuations that the former Barcelona man is looking for a pay rise, but for “small details” in his contract to be ironed out.
“It’s all strange. It’s not normal to have negotiations for six months about a contract. They have been talking about small details all this time,” Seluk added.
“Maybe if the owner speaks to Yaya, maybe he doesn’t know the details.”
 DailyPost

Obama to Meet four African leaders

US President Barack Obama will welcome four African leaders to Washington this month, the White House said Monday.
Obama on March 28 will meet with the president of Senegal, Macky Sall; of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma; of Malawi, Joyce Banda; and the prime minister of Cape Verde, Jose Maria Pereira Neves.
Spokesman Jay Carney said the leaders will discuss issues that include economic development and reinforcing democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. The multi-party meeting is not unprecedented: in late July 2011 Obama met with the presidents of Benin, Guinea, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
Obama, the son of a Kenyan-born father and a US-born mother, has visited sub-Saharan Africa only once as president — he made a short trip to Ghana in July 2009.
Naij.com

Reps to Jonathan: Give amnesty to Boko Haram

The House of Representatives yesterday called on President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to members of Boko Haram sect without further delay in order to end the  spate of violence in the country. Adopting a motion on matters of urgent national importance sponsored by Rep. Ibrahim Olaifa (AC, Oyo), MPs said the government and the nation have everything to gain when the violence is ended. In his motion, Rep. Olaifa argued that if the same government had given amnesty to Niger Delta militants there was no reason that it won’t extend same to Boko Haram members because they too are Nigerians who deserve to be treated as such. “We have continued to lose lives and property everyday but there is nothing to lose if we engage these people in dialogue and offer them amnesty. They are Nigerians and we know that poverty pushed some of them to engage in violence. We should turn them to peaceful human beings instead of treating them as goats. Nigeria has nothing to lose,” Olaifa said. The motion was not debated further  but passed  unanimously when the question was put to vote by Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal who presided over the session

.DailyTrust