Buhari: Bomb or bubble?

 

The newly formed All Progressives Congress, APC , is faced with the difficult predicament of containing the determination of General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to contest the next presidential election.
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
His last military posting before he was proclaimed military head of state in December 1983 was as General Officer Commanding the 3rd Armoured Brigade, Jos. Giving that military backdrop, it is not surprising that he is being accused of confusing the newly registered APC with the Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, one of the military vehicles used to position him in power 30 years ago.
Though General Buhari has renounced the utilization of force in the realization of political goals, many of his new political allies are still apprehensive about him. Their fear is his determination to contest the next presidential elections due in 2015.
Receiving visitors from the Democratic Emancipation Movement, who paid him a courtesy call in his Kaduna home last Tuesday, the former military ruler vowed that he would present himself for nomination to the APC for the 2015 presidential election. He, nevertheless, pledged that he would abide by the result of the primary contest if he loses out.
“My decision will be tied to the constitution of the APC. If the party chooses me as its candidate. I will contest. If the members do not consider me, I will not contest, but I will still support the party,” he said.
Refusal to rule himself out
After contesting and failing in the last three presidential elections, 2011, 2007 and 2003, many of his allies in the APC are bothered by the refusal of the retired general to rule himself out of the next contest.
Their fear is essentially based on their suspicion that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP see him as the easiest candidate of the APC to defeat. It is not for nothing. Apparently filed somewhere in the national headquarters of the PDP, is the election manual: Easy steps to defeat Muhammadu Buhari in an election.

*Buhari

His refusal to rule himself out of the contest was just too irritating for some.
Indeed, once his assertion emerged on Wednesday, a senior member of the new party close to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also close to Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal came out to chastise the former military ruler for attempting to use his personal ambition to derail the collective goal of the new party to oust the ruling party.
“By our calculations, a younger and vibrant politician should run as our candidate so as to give the Peoples Democratic Party a good fight; but from the way things are, we are stocked in between telling Buhari outrightly not to run and allowing him to continue with some ripple effects coming our way later,” the ranking member of the National Assembly told newsmen.
The response of the lawmaker which was on the basis of anonymity because he apparently did not want to further stir crisis in the party that has just been registered. It was nevertheless reflective of the increasing difficulties of party officials in handling the Buhari question. The Buhari question is, remarkably, not suggestive of any moral or integrity deficit in the former military ruler.
While most Nigerians readily would not fault Buhari on the crucial issues of corruption facing the country, most would readily agree that he has been so much painted in the negative by the PDP in the last three elections as an Islamist and one who would put the majority of corrupt elite to jail should he get his hands on the levers of power again.
The National Assembly member told journalists in the off the record session, that Buhari and Tinubu had reached an agreement in the preliminary talks leading to the merger of the three parties that formed the APC for the duo to abstain in the 2015 presidential primary of the party.
He said it was the opinion of party stakeholders for the APC to look for fresh blood to confront the PDP. Such suggestions, however, do not go down well with many in the Buhari fan club, especially in the North who see him as the only one with the moral fiber in the ruling class able to deliver the country from its demons.
Internal democracy
Senator Sulieman Nazif, a one time fervent supporter of Atiku Abubakar but now a vibrant fan of Buhari said as much during a press interaction with newsmen in Zaria, last month.
“What I am trying to point out is that when we talk of internal democracy, General Buhari is a member of APC, he is a Nigerian, he was one of those that fought for the unity of this country, so he has the mandate to contest.
“He is one individual alive today in the history of Nigeria that has more than 12 million votes uninfluenced by money or anything, so if he contests again he will win.”
Claimingthat Buhari’s past failures were because of rigging, he said: “Today in Nigeria, there is nobody that can beat him in a fair and free election. I am a young man, I know what the man can do, I know the kind of overwhelming support he has, and we are talking about democracy, government of the people by the people and for the people.
Another Buhari enthusiast, Osita Okechukwu, who is a chieftain of the APC, responded to what he claimed to be the negative mud being deliberately poured on his man. He said yesterday: “They rigged him out in 2003. They rigged him out in 2007, the outcome was Doctrine of Necessity. They rigged him out in 2011, the outcome was rudderless leadership.”
Buhari who is presently 71, would be 73 at the time of the next presidential election. Though he has not been reported to have suffered any major health challenge, many are of the opinion that at his age he should better give his moral support to any of the younger elements in the party.
Speaker Tambuwal, who is a member of the PDP and has been the focus of many eyes as the most likely candidate of the APC, was endorsed by the National Assembly member.
One possible response of those aiming to resolve the Buhari question is to conduct a presidential primary which they claim Buhari would lose.
In the last three elections he conducted he almost always emerged on the basis of consensus. In 2007 he was nominated as the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP only after Ahmed Yerima was forced to step down on the convention ground.
In 2011, he was easily adopted as the candidate of the Congress for Progressive, CPC without a contest. In the APC, the former military head of state is, however, bound to meet strong opposition especially from those desperate to stop the PDP.
How the new party responds to the issues concerning Buhari would be a major factor in determining its prospects in the 2015 election which is now less than two years away.

 

Vanguard

US: Corruption Is Destroying Nigeria, Completely Undermining Hope of a Bright Economic Future

 

U.S. Consul General Jeffrey Hawkins yesterday had an interactive session with the civil society at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). His speech details America’s commitment to Nigeria, the fight against terrorism, aids and many more. On corruption and development, he said:

It is squarely in the interest of the United States to see that Nigeria becomes an even more attractive place to do business for these companies and for the businesses that are yet to arrive. Nigeria’s population is expected to double within thirty or forty years, meaning tens of millions of young people will be entering the labour market in the coming decades. Nigeria desperately needs the investments that can provide jobs for this burgeoning youth population. Yet the economic growth and investment necessary are hindered by one especially pernicious phenomenon: corruption.

Corruption in Nigeria diverts financial resources from building roads, and bridges, curtailing the development of infrastructure that is needed to make Nigeria more competitive. It drains the federal treasury of funds that could do wonders in expanding and improving the education provided to millions of Nigerian children, which in turn would enhance Nigeria’s economic future. And corruption forestalls additional spending on medical clinics and preventive health care – spending that countless studies have shown reap long-term economic rewards for a country when properly implemented. In short, corruption is a scourge that undermines virtually everything that could move Nigeria towards a brighter economic future.

While we recognise that fighting corruption is primarily a Nigerian problem that requires Nigerians solutions, the U.S. Government is partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to provide technical assistance in anti-corruption efforts. We also regularly hear from civil society leaders regarding their concerns on this issue. As you all know so well, this is a complicated, tremendously difficult issue to solve. Civil society, the media, NGOs, are key watchdogs on this issue. We are open to dialoguing with government and civil society about ways that the United States can be a good partner to Nigeria as it takes on this issue.

Another major long-term challenge to Nigeria has been power generation. My friends in the private sector regularly tell me that solving Nigeria’s electricity woes would unleash enormous levels of economic growth that would benefit both our countries. For this reason, and because of our historic friendship, Nigeria has been named a focus country in President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.

Power Africa aims to double the number of Sub-Saharan African households with access to electricity. The U.S. will put $7 billion of its own money into the initiative, but our contribution alone will not be sufficient to make up the energy deficit in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our resources are designed to incentivize the private sector to get involved. And it’s working. We have recorded over $9 billion in initial commitments from private companies; General Electric plans to invest over $1 billion in Nigeria, and Heirs Holdings, which is based here in Ikoyi, is pledging $2.5 billion. We’re also working to support the Jonathan Administration to ensure that the power sector reform process is a success. Helping to light up Nigeria makes sense for the United States economically, and it’s also the right thing for us to do as a friend to this great nation.

There are not many countries with which the United States shares a relationship as deep and multi-faceted as the one we have with Nigeria. And that brings me back to the one of the primary reasons I am addressing you today: the forthcoming meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission meeting in Abuja on regional security. During the meetings, we plan to reaffirm our joint commitment and partnership to work with the Government of Nigeria toward lasting security in northern Nigeria – with a particular focus on human rights.


NewsRescue

Oprah Winfrey says racism kept pricey bag out of her hands at Zurich, Switzerland shop

 

Oprah Winfrey / Getty

LONDON When Oprah Winfrey goes shopping, she likely prompts intelligent retailers' eyes to bulge with anticipation the moment she walks in the door. But, it seems, only if they recognize the media mogul as the mega-rich potential client she really is.

Oprah told Entertainment Tonight this week that while in Zurich, Switzerland for Tina Turner's wedding in July, she walked into a shop and a handbag behind the counter caught her eye.

While many average shoppers might hesitate to lay hands on a bag with worth close to $40,000, Oprah says she asked to see it, but the shopkeeper said, "No. It's too expensive."

Oprah -- who made $77 million in the last year alone, according to Forbes magazine -- told ET's Nancy O'Dell she asked to see the bag at least two more times, but the shopkeeper refused to take it off the shelf and suggested other, cheaper bags instead.

"One more time, I tried. I said, 'But I really do just want to see that one,' and the shopkeeper said, 'Oh, I don't want to hurt your feelings,' and I said, 'Okay, thank you so much. You're probably right, I can't afford it.' And I walked out of the store," Oprah recounted.

Oprah told O'Dell that her high profile largely shields her from blatant, open racial and sexual discrimination in her daily life, but the self-made billionaire cited the encounter as an example of the ways in which even she is subjected to racism.

"I could've had the whole blow-up thing and thrown down the black card, but why do that? But that clearly is, you know ... it (racism) still exists. Of course it does," Oprah told O'Dell.

While the television personality chose not to make a fuss or name the shop, it quickly came out that the business was high-end boutique "Trois Pomme," on Zurich's exclusive shopping street Bahnhofstrasse. The store's owner, Trudie Goetz, apologized for the "misunderstanding," according to the Swiss newspaper Blick, and blamed it on the assistant's failure to recognize Winfrey.

"We don't have any facial recognition here," Blick quoted Goetz as saying.

Switzerland's national tourism board issued a more direct apology, with spokeswoman Daniela Baer telling The Associated Press on Friday, "we are very sorry for what happened to her."

The head of corporate communications for Zurich Tourism, Christian Trottmann, told CBSNews.com the incident was "obviously very regrettable."

Trottmann said it was too early to know whether the backlash on social networks would have any impact on visits to the city. He said Zurich was the most-visited city in Switzerland, which "shows what kind of image we really have."

The Zurich Tourism representative said he would tell any African American family that might be having second thoughts about visiting his city not to worry, because the Trois Pomme shopkeeper's attitude isn't reflective of Zurich on the whole.

"You'll find here very friendly people," Trottmann told CBSNews.com. "We are, I would say, quite an open-minded city. We are used to having people from all nations and all cultures."

CBSNews

Tourist body 'fuming' over Oprah 'racism’

National

Oprah Winfrey is one of the world's wealthiest women. Photo: BEN GABBE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP

Swiss tourism officials have expressed dismay over an upmarket Zurich store's refusal to sell celebrity US talk-show host Oprah Winfrey a handbag, in what she describes as a racist incident during her visit last month to attend Tina Turner’s wedding.

• Lake Zurich patrolled for Tina Turner's wedding (21 Jul 13)
• Tina Turner celebrates wedding in Zurich (16 Jul 13)

Winfrey told the Entertainment Tonight programme on CBS an assistant in a luxury boutique had refused to show her a black "lizard or alligator skin" handbag she had asked to see.
"We are fuming – this person acted terribly wrong. We are sorry this happened to Oprah," Switzerland Tourism said in a Tweet.
Spokeswoman Daniela Bär told the Blick newspaper the incident was damaging for Switzerland's image but was a one-off that wouldn't have a lasting impact on the country's popularity with tourists.
However, she called on the store owner to make a full apology.
Winfrey said the store assistant had told her the bag would be too expensive for her and offered to show her others instead.
The celebrity is one of the wealthiest women in the world with a fortune estimated at 2.5 billion dollars.
Having been refused the bag, Winfrey says she left the shop without buying anything.
She said she rarely experienced racism – possibly because she was so well known.
Blick said the incident occurred in the chic Trois Pommes store whose owner Trudie Götz was also a guest at Turner’s wedding.
She apologized for her assistant’s behaviour, saying there had been “a misunderstanding between her and Oprah”.
The bag cost 35,000 francs and was placed behind a security panel, the paper said.
“We don’t have any facial recognition here,” Blick quoted Götz as saying.
The assistant's conduct was "completely unacceptable", Markus Hünig, president of the Zurich Bahnhofstrasse Association, told the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
Hünig said he had never heard of anything like it.

TheLocal Switzerland'sNews

Nigeria won’t break up in 2015 –Jonathan

by Olalekan Adetayo

 

 

Jonathan
| credits: File copy

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said that Nigeria would disappoint all those who predicted that the country would break up in 2015 by continuing to remain one indivisible entity.

“For those who are predicting that this country will separate in 2015 based on the fault lines as of the time of amalgamation, they will know that this prediction will not be of any consequence. Nigeria will continue to remain one indivisible entity,” the President said.

Jonathan said this while receiving members of the Muslim community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja who paid him Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of the activities marking this year’s Eid-el-Fitri.

The Muslims were led to the President by his deputy, Namadi Sambo. Also on the entourage were the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Muhammed; and the Minister of State, FCT, Olajumoke Akinjide.

Jonathan said he could not imagine a Nigeria without Muslims and Christians but he observed that the nation had not been able to exploit its diversity because of the myopic views of the elite.

He said, “For us, we cannot imagine a Nigeria without Muslims and Christians; you can call it another name, but not Nigeria.

“So it is a blessing that this is one country that you have a significant population of Muslims and Christians and this religious diversity will enhance our development because we can get across the whole world; wherever we go, we are accepted. That helps us in so many ways.

“We are not even exploiting our diversity because of the myopic views of the elite about our situation. Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters and we must live together.

The President reassured Nigerians that his government would continue to do its best to reposition the country .

He asked the Muslims to continue to pray for peace in Nigeria and the world at large.

The President said although the nation was currently going through some challenges, he was confident that God would see the country through.

“If you watch television these days, more than 60 per cent of the time is spent on showing crises all over the world and for the world to move ahead and for Nigeria to move ahead, for us to develop first and foremost, there must be peace and security, nobody will come and invest in an environment where you are not sure of your workers and investment.

“As a nation, for our children to get where we want them to be, we must create a very peaceful environment for them so they can develop mentally and be focused and use their brains in a manner that will bring economic changes to us,” the President said.

He said sometimes, when one was not involved, one would think fasting is an easy exercise.

He said with the way his trousers were now too big for him, he knows that the exercise is not an easy one.

He congratulated the Muslims for going through the Ramadan fasting. “Sometimes, when you are not involved in fasting, you will think it is an easy thing to go through. For you to have gone through this spiritual exercise is worth congratulations, so I congratulate you,” he added.

Earlier, Sambo had told the President that he led the Muslim community to pay homage and thank him for what he had been doing for Nigeria.

Sambo said, “We appreciate your fatherly nature. You have been a teacher; you have been a father and good leader.

“Today, we have railway in this country after over 40 years. I call on all Nigerians to continue to support Mr. President and this administration.”

 

Punch

3 Reasons Your Friends Won't Speak to You After Your Wedding

True confession. My best friend wouldn't speak to me for 6 months after our wedding. And I deserved it. Here's why your friends probably won't speak to you:

1. You're a slavedriver with all your DIY projects
2. You're a diva witch on your wedding day itself
3. You completely forget about them after the wedding

DIY Hell
I was DIY queen. Seriously. My friend taught me to sew and I made my wedding gown. I had been a cake decorator, so of course I made the cake. Invitations? Why wouldn't I learn to emboss? You get the point. I made life a little difficult for friends and family in my quest to save money for the Jack Daniels budget.
Cue incident one. I got severe carpal tunnel the week of my wedding and couldn't hold a pencil, let alone a decorating bag. So one of my poor bridesmaids was forced to step in and decorate the cake. Needless to say jello shots were involved and the middle of the cake may or may not have been involved in a drunken food fight.
Witchy Woman
That was my gorgeous dress. Note the failure to steam it! Cue incident two (of two thousand on the wedding day). I was 15 minutes late for my own wedding as one of the groomsmen was caught running through the church with a steam iron!
And then there were the table cards. Oh the table cards. One of my bridesmaids was an amateur calligrapher and promised to make the table cards. Only. Not so much. As she told us an hour before the reception. And cue witchy woman. Seriously bitter witchy woman.
Never mind that my gorgeous husband had forgotten to give her the list of names and table numbers. I was ticked. We had to skip the portrait session in our historic venue as we sat in the bar like jerks filling out the table cards with ball point pens.
Yes, at the bar. So, I decided the only way I was going to get out of this emotional funk was to make good friends with Uncle Jack.
My husband stood up at the beginning of the reception. "We won't be going to each table, but we'd love to hang out with you tonight. She's in the white dress. I'm in the tux. We're either on the dance floor or at the bar."
At this point, some of my bridesmaids had had enough. Especially my best friend. Her parents drove 12 hours to get to our wedding, with our shower gifts in tow. And I couldn't be bothered to stop by their table!
Worse yet, by the end of the night, they mentioned they were leaving and I yelled a drunken "BYE!" and ran off to dance.
Post-Wedding Jerk
So my bestie was pissed. But wait, there's more. I was sooooo into my newly found wedded bliss that I didn't notice that she hadn't called me in months! She hadn't returned my calls either. Didn't notice. What a jerk! Me, I mean.
When I finally came out of my post wedding haze and realized that I was getting the silent treatment, I just kept calling til she finally answered. I made her promise to tell me immediately when I was being a jerk from now on. Isn't that what best friends are for?
Point is, don't be that witch! Here's a few things you can do before your friendships go off the rails:

1. Make sure your DIY projects can possibly be complete by you. Only you. Then ask your friends if they'd like to join you for fun.


2. Have fun on your wedding day. Drink, but not in anger.


3. Call your friends and thank them right after the wedding.

Want to see a real witchy woman on her wedding day? I couldn't resist. I got permission from one of our first brides to show just a bit of her wedding video. Check out Bride Wars. No worries, a little booze and air guitar at the end of the evening made it all ok.

HuffingtonPost

WHO, Boko Haram’s doctor arrested

 

By KINGSLEY OMONOBI
ABUJA—The Joint Task Force, JTF, implementing the state of emergency imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, has arrested a medical doctor (names with-held) in Borno State, who is the  medical consultant to the  terrorist group. He is at the same time a consultant with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Vanguard gathered from reliable security sources that the arrest of the medical doctor followed a tip-off  that the terrorists had a well organized mobile medical facility with which wounded insurgents are treated.

Shekau

The international connection of the medical doctor was, however, brought to the fore when suddenly, the international human rights watch dog, Amnesty International, sent its officials to investigate the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the supposedly WHO consultant.
“In fact, what gave him out was his suit case containing sophisticated medical equipment with which he provided diagnostic services to the terrorists”, the source said.
Disclosing how the doctor was arrested, the source said: “A truck suspected to be carrying insurgents and IEDS as well as other dangerous weapons was stopped at a check point but it sped off. Unknown to the truck’s driver and other occupants of the truck, there was another checkpoint which had been alerted of their coming. When the truck got to that checkpoint, the security operatives fired  at it while the occupants ran into the bush.
“When the truck was searched, various types of IEDS, AK 47 rifles and other bomb-making materials were found. Also found was a suit case containing medical equipment. After some time, when the doctor felt the Special Forces had left, he came back to retrieve his suit case but was ambushed and arrested”.
The source added that “immediately the doctor was arrested, Amnesty International was calling the military authorities alleging that an innocent doctor has been arrested by the JTF forces and that he should be released because of his human rights, though the military authorities are not moved by their plea”.
In another development, Vanguard gathered that the recent attack at Government Secondary School, near Potiskum in Yobe State during which 29 students and a teacher were killed, was the fallout of the arrest of a lawyer with alleged links with the sect.
Vanguard gathered that the lawyer (names with-held), was the one who always provided legal services for suspected Boko Haram terrorists each time they were arrested and he was said to be an ideological/ intellectual contributor to their activities in Yobe State.
Following his arrest by JTF forces, the lawyer allegedly said, “So you have arrested me. Let me warn you that this town will know no peace until I am released”.
The source said that two days after, the secondary school near Potiskum was attacked and the children (students) slaughtered”.
After the massacre of the children, neighbours living in the area said they heard the terrorists shouting “Allahu Akbar, yes we have taken revenge for his arrest”.
The source said: “The most horrifying aspect of the students’ killing was that they asked the students, both boys and girls to pull off their dresses, and any student found with pubic hair on  his or her private parts, was not only shot and killed, they also used axes or machetes to cut off their legs from their body”.
Both the medical doctor and the lawyer are however said to be in custody of the JTF forces and would not be released until investigations into their alleged connivance with the terrorists are concluded and they are prosecuted”.

 

Vanguard