'My sister just totally didn't deserve this'

By Chelsea J. Carter, CNN

Miriam Carey's sister: This doesn't seem real

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: "We want to know if protocols were followed," family attorney says
• "We are still trying to put the pieces together," Amy Carey-Jones says
• The sisters want to know whether police followed proper protocols
• "Was there some other way" to end the chase, a sister asks

(CNN) -- Amy Carey-Jones heard the news from someone, but she refused to believe it.

It couldn't be her sister who authorities say rammed a barricade at the White House and then led police on a high-velocity chase through the heart of the nation's capital, ending with gunshots that left the woman dead.

No, not her sister, she said. Then she turned on the television to the images of a smashed car and police.

"I just saw the same clip over and over," Carey-Jones said Friday onCNN's AC360. "I did recognize the car. It just didn't seem real."

A day after Miriam Carey led police on the chase with her 1-year-old daughter in the back seat, authorities are searching for clues to explain the bizarre chain of events that led to her death.So, too, is her family.

"We are still trying to put the pieces together," Carey-Jones said.

Neither she nor her other sister, Valarie Carey, know why Miriam Carey was in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

"We will never know what Mariam was thinking in those last hours before she died, and we can only speculate. Our real concern is why (this happened) and were things done properly? Was there some other way she could have been helped so that it didn't end tragically?"

Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said that officers of the U.S. Capitol Police and Secret Service acted within commonly accepted use-of-force policies and practices in reaction to an intentional series of violent acts.

Although Miriam Carey was shot while driving with her baby girl, the child was uninjured. The Carey family told CNN they have been told the girl is safe.

"We don't know exactly where she is," said Valarie Carey.

The girl has been taken into protective custody by the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency. She has been temporarily placed with a foster family, according an agency spokesperson, who declined to be identified.

Miriam Carey's boyfriend reportedly told police last winter that she appeared to be delusional. The boyfriend said she claimed President Barack Obama had placed Stamford, Connecticut, where she lived, under lockdown and that her house was under electronic surveillance, said a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was not authorized to release details to the media.

Reports have surfaced following the deadly incident that Miriam Carey was being treated for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, claims the Carey family vehemently denied.

A few months after her daughter was born, Miriam Carey was diagnosed with postpartum depression with psychosis, the sisters said.

Postpartum psychosis can cause delusions and paranoia, according to medical experts.

READ: What is postpartum depression?

"There wasn't a pattern. It was something that occurred suddenly," Carey-Jones said. "She seemed overwhelmed. There was a lot of stress.

"There was not moments of her walking around with delusions. That was not what was going on."

But her sister was making progress with the help of counseling and medications.

Carey-Jones said her sister recently told her that the doctors told her she didn't need the medication anymore.

"They tapered her off the medications, and she said she felt fine," Carey-Jones said.

The sisters declined to discuss what medication Miriam Carey had taken.

Despite reported claims by Miriam Carey's boyfriend that she had been delusional, the Carey sisters say they saw no signs of any problems. Authorities have not officially linked the incident to mental illness or any other factor.

No clarity on whether shooting was justified

"She has never disclosed anything of that nature, and since my sister is not here to speak for herself that statement in and of itself is very questionable," Valarie Carey said.

To the Careys, their sister was a "vibrant" woman who had everything to live for -- especially her 1-year-old daughter.

Miriam Carey, they said, wanted to teach.

"She always talked about teaching. Her field was dental hygienist, and she wanted to go further and give back in the field," Carey-Jones said.

The sisters are struggling to reconcile the woman they know -- loving sister, mother and friend -- with the one who authorities say was behind the deadly chase.

"When you see the information reported, it doesn't add up," Carey-Jones said.

The family is questioning whether shooting Miriam Carey was the only way to end the chase.

"We want to know if protocols were followed," family attorney Eric Sanders said on AC360.

"We are interested in finding out what happened. ...We are going to conduct our investigation, and we are not going to go with just what the government said."

Authorities have acknowledged no shots were fired from Carey's black Infiniti as it raced through the streets.

"My sister just totally didn't deserve this," said Valarie Carey, who was a New York police officer. "There are going to be a lot of different stories being told by people that claim they may know her. They don't. She was a law-abiding citizen. She had no political agenda."

CNN

EXCLUSIVE: Jonathan’s secret assets deny Nigeria membership of global anti-corruption body

Nicholas Ibekwe

Goodluck Jonathan

The refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan and other public officials to publicly declare their assets as required by law, has been pointed as the chief reason Nigeria has been denied membership of the Open Government Partnership, an influential global anti-corruption initiative backed by major nations.

The partnership was launched by world leaders in 2011 to ensure governments’ commitment to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and use new technologies to strengthen governance.

Its membership has grown from eight countries to 60 countries in just two years, and is now viewed as a mark of a country’s high transparency standard.

While Nigeria was spurned, six African countries have been admitted to the prestigious body. They are Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa.

Jack Mahoney, the partnership’s Program Associate, told PREMIUM TIMES in an email that despite showing an interest, Nigeria has failed to make the cut to be accepted as a member.

“Nigeria is very close to eligibility, but has not yet reached the necessary score.  At last count performed in March 2013, the Nigerian Government scored an 11/16, and is therefore one point away from the 12/16 minimum score required for countries to be eligible to join,” he said.

Top on the list of the reasons given why Nigeria is still falling short is the blatant refusal of President Jonathan, alongside other public officials, to publicly declare their assets.

Last year, during a media chat, Mr Jonathan showed utter disregard for transparency when he declared he was not going to declare his assets publicly.

“The issue of asset declaration is a matter of principle. I don’t give a damn about it, if you want to criticise me from heaven. The issue of public declaration I think is playing to the gallery. You don’t need to publicly declare any assets. If I am somebody who wants to hide it is what I tell you that you will even believe,” the president said.

Mr Mahoney also told PREMIUM TIMES that for country to be accepted as a member, it needs to publish its annual Audit Report measured by the Open Budget Index (OBI).

The OBI measures the state of budget transparency, participation, and oversight in countries around the world.

Last year, Nigeria’s budget scored a woeful 16 point out of 100 leaving the country at the 80th position out of the 100 countries surveyed. With 93 points, New Zealand was rated as the country with the most transparent budget followed by South Africa with 90 points.

Mr Mahoney said Nigeria needs to also improve its score in the Democracy Index (DI) to be considered for membership. The DI is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit and it measures the state of democracy in 167 countries base on 60 indicators grouped in five different categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation, and political culture. In 2012, DI Nigeria was ranked the 7th most terrorised country in the world.

Three Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) have called the federal government to task over the inability of the country to qualify as a member of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) membership.

Media Rights Agenda (MRA), BudgIT Nigeria, and Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) say “Nigeria’s inability to meet OGP’s eligibility requirements constitutes a major slur on the country’s image and reputation, particularly in the light that six other African countries are already members of the OGP.”

The groups therefore advised the government to do the following to be accepted as a member of the OGP:

1.         “Ensure that audit reports of public accounts, particularly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, are proactively disclosed and made available to members of the public.

2.       Ensure that incomes of all categories of public officers are proactively disclosed as required by Section 2(3) (d) (vi) of the Freedom of Information Act and other applicable laws.

3.       The Code of Conduct Bureau should bring itself into compliance with the Freedom of Information Act by acceding to requests from members of the public for it to disclose asset declarations in its custody submitted by elected and senior government officials, which constitute information maintained by it as a public institution within the meaning of the Act.

4.       Improve citizen participation and civic engagement in policy-making and in all aspects of governance, including around the issue of Nigeria’s membership of the OGP.”

PremiumTimes

British Envoy Defends Amalgamation, Caution Against Break-Up.

THE British High Commissioner to Nigeria,
Dr. Andrew Pocock, at the weekend in Lagos,
admonished Nigerians not to contemplate
disintegration as the nation arrives at the
milestone of 100 years of amalgamation,
noting that there are great benefits in
staying together as one united country.
He said Nigeria had grown since its
foundation and nobody should think of
pulling out of the union. “It has grown in
terms of its population, economy, regional,
continental and global impact. So, I think it
is not right to say that Nigeria hasn’t grown,
and it is still growing economically. I think if
Nigeria can pull together and stay as one
united country, which it has every prospect
of doing, the future is good.”
Pocock said whether the British did the right
thing by amalgamating the northern and
southern Nigeria was a decision that
Nigerians should make, looking back at their
own history.
According to him, without amalgamation,
Nigeria would not have been the
international force it is today, “So, it was the
right thing to do then.”
Attempting to enumerate the achievements
that Nigeria should be celebrating within this
period of 100 years of amalgamation, the
British envoy said “it is the giant of the
region and it is the giant of the continent
and I think it is quite enough to celebrate.”
He said he was not aware of the clause in
the instrument that legitimised the
amalgamation, which gives liberty to any
section that is not satisfied with the union to
pull out of the country after 100 years of its
existence.
“I have no idea whether that clause exists
and that is really a decision for Nigerians
and not for the British government. I do not
think that the British government has any
authority on this; it is a matter very much for
Nigerians to decide. But with 100 years to
celebrate, I think, one should look towards
more positive outcome in the future,” Pocock
said.
The envoy was in Lagos to attend the Eagle
Toastmasters Club Speech Contest with the
theme: Nigeria at 100; Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow, at Eko Hotels.

MEND Dismisses National Dialogue, Calls For Focus On Corruption In Jonathan’s Government

The Movement for the
Emancipation of the Niger Delta
(MEND) has dismissed President
Goodluck Jonathan’s inauguration
of an Advisory Committee on the
proposed National Dialogue,
describing it as “another deceit, a
distraction, waste of public funds
and time” which has “absolutely
nothing else to offer.”
In a statement today, it called on
members of the National
Assembly to rise up to their
responsibilities and justify their
huge salaries and fringe benefits.
“Reversing the injustice meted
out especially from the General
Yakubu Gowon and Olusegun
Obasanjo military regimes on the
people of the Niger Delta, is one
of such responsibilities,” the
statement said.
It argued that in Nigeria's return
to democratic governance, the
unjust distortion of the Nigerian
Constitution by military dictators
has been widely acknowledged.
“This mutilation of the pre-
independence constitution laid
the foundation for militancy in
the Niger Delta. Military dictators
on account of oil, stripped the
indigenes of the Niger Delta of
their land and God given mineral
resources which have for 53
years been used to develop other
parts of Nigeria while the people
of the Niger Delta survive in
abject poverty without basic
necessities such as potable
water, electricity, roads, schools,
habitable shelter to mention a
few.”
On the part of civilian
administrations, MEND said that
understanding the illegality of the
constitution mutilation by the
military, they have been quick to
amend convenient sections of the
constitution carefully avoiding
areas to do with the theft of the
land of the people of the Niger
Delta by individuals hiding under
the cloak of the "Federal
Government" in collusion with
Western governments and their
accompanying oil companies,
thus attempting to legitimize an
obvious crime.
“The fact that this crime has
continued unchallenged for more
than four decades does not make
it more palatable to the indigenes
of the Niger Delta who have
endured a terrible crime which
the world has found convenient
to ignore,” the movement said.
“Instead of wasting time to rant
over what can be expressed in
the opinion columns of
newspapers, or radio and
television talk shows at a reduced
cost, our National Dialogue
should focus on Corruption: The
Mother of all terrors which is
tantamount to this government,”
MEND stressed.
In the absence of this
constitutional step, the group
said it agreed with the late Otto
von Bismarck who once
remarked, “The great questions of
the time will be decided, not by
speeches and resolutions, but by
iron and blood”.

APC NOT BOTHERED EVEN IF JONATHAN RUNS IN 2015 - OGBEH

Former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Audu Ogbeh says the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not bothered about whether President Goodluck Jonathan will contest the 2015 election as the party knows it is possible to defeat the President.

Ogbeh, who is chieftain of the APC in a chat with our reporter in Abuja, said those who want contest in the APC will contest whether Jonathan runs or not and that each of them has the capacity to defeat Jonathan.
 “We don’t need to fear about anything as 2015 election will hold, those who want to contest will contest while Jonathan can run if he wants to run and those who feel they can defeat him can run as long as nobody tries to sabotage the wishes of the people,” he said. 
Ogbeh said there is nothing wrong in convening the national dialogue saying it will create room for Nigerians to discuss on pressing issues like the economy, food security and education. 
He stressed the need for state governments to work harder in order for such states to be become a unique economic development points instead of being centers of collecting cheques.
He also berated the federal government for spending 75 percent of its national budgets on salaries of political office holders while leaving behind 30 percent on infrastructures which he said does not augur well for the country.
 ‘The management of our economy is where the bottom line stood, security, job, housing, education and when we meet we should be able to discuss all these issues in the context of united Nigeria even as some people may come in and talk of confederation” he added.  

DailyTrust

Unemployment in Nigeria worsened under Jonathan – Govt. report

President Goodluck Jonathan

The report was released by the National Planning Commission.

The rate of unemployment among Nigerians worsened after President Goodluck Jonathan assumed office, a latest report by the federal government has indicated.

The report, the 2011 Performance Monitoring Report on Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, was announced by the National Planning Commission on Thursday in Abuja.

The report indicated that the unemployment rate in Nigeria in 2010 was 21.1 per cent, a figure that increased to 23.9 per cent in 2011.

“In 2011, Nigeria’s unemployment rose to 23.9 per cent compared with 21.1 per cent in 2010,” the News Agency of Nigeria quotes the report as stating. The report referenced its facts from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Mr. Jonathan assumed office as Nigeria’s substantive president on May 6, 2010, a day after the death of his predecessor and former boss, Umaru Yar’Adua. He continued as president in 2011 after he won the presidential election; and was sworn in for a fresh four-year term on May 29, 2011.

The National Planning Commission report confirms the fears by Nigerians that unemployment has been on the rise in the country with unofficial estimates putting it at above 30 per cent. It is also one of many other reports by national, regional, and global bodies indicating that the efforts being put in place by the Jonathan administration may not be yielding the required results.

In June, the World Bank released a report, Nigeria Economic Report, stating that unemployment rate worsened from “12% of the working population in 2006 to 24% in 2011.”

“Preliminary indications are that this upward trend continued in 2012,” the World Bank stated.

More report details

The Population Commission report also stated that 51.18 million Nigerians were employed in the economy in 2011.

The report stated that figures from the NBS clearly illustrated the deep challenges in Nigeria’s labour market.

“The NBS estimates that Nigeria’s population grew by 3.2 per cent in 2011 from 159.3 million people in 2010 to 164.4 million in 2011, reflecting rapid population growth.

“Unemployment was higher in rural areas at 25.6 per cent than in urban areas, where it was 17 per cent on average,’’ the report added.

The report urged that efforts to create an environment conducive for job creation must be redoubled.

It stated that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity reported resolving 279 of the 328 labour complaints it received in 2011. This represent 85 per cent rate of resolution of complaints.

It stated further that the number of complaints received increased compared with 263 recorded in 2010, adding that the resolution rate of 85 per cent improved from 51 per cent in 2010.

“The Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity also reported a decreased in the percentage of man hours lost to strikes in 2011; and an increase in the number of persons trained and equipped under skills acquisition programmes to establish their own trade,’’ the report said.

It stated that the number of jobs created in 2011 was reported as 209,239 by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

(With Agency report)

PremiumTimes

INEC May Hold 2015 Elections in January

PROF ATTAHIRU JEGA, INEC Chairman

•   Says change of date will help address post-election litigation

By Chuks Okocha 

The Independent National Electoral Commission Friday in Abuja announced that the 2015 general election will take place either in January or February of that year. This is unlike previous general election held in April of the election year.

Chairman of INEC, Prof.  Attahiru Jega, announced the planned change of date for the general election at a two-day international workshop on “Ethics and Elections: Challenges and Institutional Responses.” organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation at the Ibeto Hotels, Abuja.

The INEC boss explained that where elections take place in January or February of an election year, it would help address litigation arising from the elections.

But for the planned change of date for the 2015 elections to take place, the constitution has to be amended. This is because the 1999 constitution stipulates that elections shall be held on a date not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the last holder of that office.

But the power to fix the actual dates of the elections, according to section 132 (1) of the same constitution, belongs to INEC.

Many think the complex nature of constitution amendment could create problems for INEC in actualising the planned new date for the 2015 general elections.

However, the INEC Chairman did not address this fear during the workshop.
However, Jega said the 2011 general election would have been held earlier to allow for litigation to be resolved before the inauguration date of May 29th but for the voter registration exercise which preceded it.

The INEC Chairman regretted that pre-election cases arising from disagreements over nominations and primaries had to drag on for years, eating deep into the tenures of some candidates.

He expressed hope that the judiciary would hence forth not deal with such cases routinely but adopt a business-like approach.

Said Jega, “The key challenge is when these cases go on forever; they are not given priority. Three years after, we’re still dealing with pre-election cases.”

On Independent Candidacy, the INEC Chairman said it was a position he had been canvassing for and which he supported but insisted that given the number of political parties, there was the need to set regulations, thresholds and benchmarks.

The INEC Chairman also used the opportunity of the conference to canvass for Direct Line of Charge for the funding of State Independent Electoral Commissions. He argued that if they were funded like INEC, they would be strengthened and be more independent.

Participants at the workshop were drawn from the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of six countries, namely: Nigeria,    Ghana,    Mali, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Cote D’Ivoire.

ThisDay