Shoe thrown at Hillary Clinton at Vegas speech

A woman has been arrested by police in Las Vegas after she threw a shoe at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Thursday during a speaking event. (April 10)

Catalina Camia

(Photo: Isaac Brekken, Getty Images)

Hillary Rodham Clinton was ready with a quip after a woman threw a shoe at her as she took the stage for a Las Vegas speech.
Security at the Mandalay Bay casino resort ushered out the woman, who is now in federal custody after the incident at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries meeting.
"My goodness, I didn't know that solid waste management was so controversial," Clinton said. "Thank goodness she didn't play softball like I did."
Clinton dodged the object, which sailed past her head.
Mark Carpenter, a spokesman for the recycling institute, said the woman was not affiliated with the organization nor credentialed for the event.
"Our staff denied her access before she later rushed past security," Carpenter said in a statement. "An ISRI staffer then stopped her as she approached the stage. She was then handed over to law enforcement."
Jerry Simms, the outgoing chairman of the recycling institute, offered a "deepest apology for that crude interruption."
The organization represents more than 1,700 companies that process, broker and industrially consume metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. Both Clinton and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak spoke at the meeting.
Clinton, who has said she's thinking about running for president in 2016, has been making paid speeches and is finishing a new book about her State Department days that will be released June 10. She's on a three-state swing of the West Coast.
The Clinton incident evokes a 2008 event in which an Iraqi journalist threw shoes at President George W. Bush in Baghdad.
USAToday

N10bn Jet Charter Scam: NNPC Rents Protesters To Stave Off Probe Of Profligate Alison-Madueke

By SaharaReporters, New York

In a desperate bid to steer public sympathy to its side, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)yesterday in Abuja rented a crowd of mostly women to stage a protest in support of the embattled Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke. Ms. Alison-Madueke has been embroiled in a financial controversy over the N10 billion she spent on chartered jets.
Two of the protesters confided in a correspondent of SaharaReporters that their organizers had promised to give each protester N5000 after the event.
The protesters, who called themselves “Concerned Market Women,” gathered in their hundreds at the main gate of the National Assembly. They chanted solidarity songs in support of the embattled minister and held up placards, two of them reading, “Leave Alison Alone” and “Let Minister of Petroleum Alone”.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources is accused of squandering an outrageous sum of N10 billion to charter jets from three jet charter companies, including Swiss-based Vistajet.
Members of the House of Representatives committee investigating the minister’s outlandish expenditure said they have secured the aircraft travel logs to kick off the probe. However, the minister and top management of the NNPC have so far refused to cooperate with the committee.
Details from the logs revealed the minister’s huge expenses on her numerous foreign junkets, including trips to China, South Africa, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Babatunde Adejare, a member of the House of Representatives from Lagos State, who brought the issue before the House, had stated that Ms. Alison-Madueke spent N3.12 billion on the private jet charters in the last two years alone. The matter was referred to the House Committee on Public Accounts for investigation.
The minister of Petroleum Resources is a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan. Though a married woman, she is allegedly romantically involved with the president. An NNPC source told SaharaReporters that the minister has put the corporation under pressure to thwart the investigations.
Another investigation at the Senate relating to the theft of $20 billion in sales of crude oil proceeds has ground to a halt. A senator told our correspondent that it was an open secret that five members of the Senate committee received bribes of millions of dollars to put their probe in the cooler. The senator added that the bribes were packaged by Kola Aluko, a controversial businessman linked to Vistajet.
Meanwhile, a source at the Presidency in Abuja stated that the President Jonathan was likely to sacrifice the General Managing Director of the NNPC if the pressure builds against the Petroleum Minister. “The 2015 election is around the corner and the president needs the Petroleum Minister in order to finance a strong campaign,” said the source, adding that Mr. Jonathan could not afford to lose Ms. Alison-Madueke’s financial power at this critical juncture.
 Saharareporters

APC Ward Congresses Canceled In Edo South

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has canceled its ward congresses held throughout all seven local government areas of Edo South Senatorial District on Tuesday and rescheduled same for Saturday, April 12.

A meeting of Stakeholders of APC in the Senatorial District presided over by Comrade Governor Adams Oshiomhole with National Leaders, Chief Tom Ikimi and Chief John Oyegun resolved to cancel the exercise last night after considering all complaints by the various contending factions.

This painful decision was taken in the interest of peace, fair-play and above all, in the spirit of democracy to which APC is committed.

However, APC is aware of attempt by PDP to infiltrate its ranks through the congress.

APC is particularly monitoring PDP bargain with one of its faction in Edo South whose leader PDP has promised Senatorial ticket for himself, UBTH Chief Medical Director for his wife and lucrative role in Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organization under which some of his supporters have been shortlisted for different assignments, if the outcome of the congress does not favour his governorship ambition in APC.

All the premature press statements by some of the protesters to disparage and blackmail the party even before they complained formally to the authority are part of this plot to bring down APC for PDP.

The allegation that the State Congress Committee from Abuja appointed ward congress committees from supporters of one faction only is equally part of this destabilization agenda because all APC stakeholders including those who are now complaining unanimously mandated the committee to pick names randomly from list of ad-hoc staff who performed APC membership registration exercise in February.

APC shall therefore do all it can to fulfill all righteousness and leave all traitors to expose themselves.

Only a fool will wait to be blinded by a foreseen missile.

 The leadership apologizes to all APC members in Edo South for the inconveniencies caused them by this painful decision and appealed to them to come back with their membership registration slips to their various ward collating centres peacefully on Saturday.

This is a bitter pill we have to swallow to put our detractors to shame.

Comrade Godwin Erhahon

Interim State Publicity Secretary   

THE SPEECH BY ALHAJI NURUDEEN LEMU DELEGATE REPRESENTING THE SUPREME COUNCIL FOR ISLAMIC AFFAIRS AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ABUJA

As a delegate, and as a people representing people of faith in God from the Islamic perspective, one thing we believe is that God will protect the community that stands for justice even if they are not Muslims and God will not protect the community that goes contrary to justice even if they call themselves Muslims.

God is not a religious bigot. He is not a male chauvinist. He is not an ethnocentric tribalist. God is not the oppressor of anyone. God is with those who care; those who want for others those things they want for themselves.

One tendency for people who claim to follow a religion is to slide into the position of believing that we are better than the others. We overestimate our virtues and underestimate the goodness in others. The tendency is for us to become spiritually arrogant; to forget that others are people like us.

There is always a tension between representing our religious communities or our ethnic communities and our loyalty to the virtues and values and teachings of our religion even those lofty ideals of our ethnic groups.

It is our prayer that delegates will try and ensure that the spiritual strength we have in us will keep us from not getting angry and not allowing our bitterness from others to make us sail from justice. It is in this vein and as a delegate from the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, we condemn the murder of all Christians, we condemn the murder of all Muslims. Not because they are Christians or Muslims, but because they are human beings – creatures of God.

There is no compulsion in religion. We all own Nigeria. We all belong here. And we all have the right to self-determination. We should respect that right and do unto others what we will do unto ourselves.

There are many other countries that have ethnic and religious diversity far greater than what we have here in Nigeria. But something that distinguishes us from them, be it Singapore, United States, they have been able to respect the rule of law so that any bigot, any nepotic individual who tramples on the right of anyone especially that of the minority, the rule of law will catch up. Satan will only find a hole if there is a crack in that rule of law.

Ever ethnic group is an oppressed minority somewhere. Every group is a religious and ethnic minority somewhere. Every majority or settler is an indigene somewhere. In one way, we are all settlers; we just don’t remember where we came from or why we came.

But ultimately, we are all visitors to this planet, from God we come and to Him we return. As Muslim delegates, we come in brotherhood, as brothers and friends to solve our common problems and not as adversaries.

We come against the exploitation of religion and religious sentiments. We come against stereotyping, stigmatizing and dehumanizing of each other. We come against the use of religion as a political decoy and as a distraction from the critical things that bedevil our nation.

I pray that at the end of this conference, we will all grow in our humanity and respect for each other.

 

NOTE:-

NURUDEEN LEMU ON THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FLOOR CALMLY DELIVERED THIS SPEECH AND RECEIVED A RESOUNDING APPLAUSE FROM ALL CONFERENCE MEMBERS - CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, NON-CHRISTIANS, NON-MUSLIMS AND PROBABLY ATHEIST AND NON-BELIEVERS!! LEMU DELIVERED THIS SPEECH ABOUT FOUR WEEKS INTO THE CONFERENCE. BEFORE THIS, SUPPOSEDLY MEN OF GOD, RELIGIOUS CLERICS AND LEADERS, POLITICAL, OPINION AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE CONFERENCE HAVE BEEN FANNING THE EMBERS OF RELIGION AND ETHNICITY. LEMU BROUGHT THE TRUTH HOME TO THEM AND REMINDED MOST OUT OF TUNE/SLEEPING MEMBERS THAT IN FACE OF OUR ADVERSITY, WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS AND EQUAL IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!!! NURUDEEN LEMU REMAINS THE HOPE AND LIGHT OF A NEW NIGERIA, THE NIGERIAN DREAM OF OUR FOUNDING HEROES AND HEROINES. HE WILL GET MY VOTE ANYTIME, ANY DAY SHOULD HE RUN FOR AN ELECTIVE OFFICE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEFECT IN OUT SYSTEM WILL NOT ALLOW HIM!! THANK YOU NURUDEEN FOR THIS THOUGHT PROVOKING SPEECH. - EDDY OGUNBOR.

Above the law

by: Sam Omatseye

It has no objection to due process unless it suspends Justice Agumagu before issuing a query. ‘Obey before complain’ is as true with soldiers as with the NJC
Then T.S. Eliot wrote his play, Murder in the Cathedral, quite a few literary neophytes did not grasp his idea. They thought he was writing about murder in the house of God. He was.
But the sort of murder he targeted was not the superficial blood fest of a human killing another in the holy of holies. I have encountered instances of such shallow zeal in Nigerian newspapers. Eliot, like all great artists, was more enthralled with metaphor.
If Eliot were to locate his play in today’s Nigeria, he would have crafted murders in many temples. One of them is the National Judicial Council.
He would have recast how that august body murdered justice in its hallowed place: judiciary. It is a cathedral of justice without safety nets. If it is a safe place, why should justice die in its sanctum? Why should the righteous run into its tower and not be safe?
That happened in the story of retired Justice Ayo Salami, where the chicanery between that body and the presidency tossed a man of such heft and legal carriage into a cesspool of judicial miscarriage.
It is one of the sour regions of Nigeria’s contemporary legal history. We inflict a wound in the image of justice and allow the comely visage to contort into a cadaverous face. It is ugly like Quasimodo in Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, a satiric swipe at elite lack of grace.
Now in Rivers State, where a measure of calm has returned after the inanity of a presidential busybody and blabbermouth, the NJC has insisted on wielding the power of a king in a democracy.
The matter began last year in an apparently routine way, like one of those irritations one expects to peter out with time. But when Peter Agumagu’s nomination met roadblocks, it became the case of the NJC denying justice in the same way Peter the apostle denied Christ.
The issue is simple. A quartet of the governor, state judicial service commission, the NJC and the house of assembly decide who becomes the chief judge of a state. All three decided in favour of Agumagu except the NJC. The law calls for the most senior member of the bench for the post. By all accounts, Agumagu, who had served as chief judge before becoming president of the state customary court, is the methuselah of the court.
The NJC said no. The governor took the matter to court and the court ruled that the wisdom of Solomon picked methuselah in the person of Justice Agumagu.
But it seems the NJC does not understand the path of justice in this matter. It is not interested in age. It is only interested in “under-age”. Hence it chose D.W. Okocha, a junior, to topple Agumagu. It does not subscribe to coups except when the oga at the top is not their man. It believes in the court system but it must be the court it chooses. It will accept any verdict except that of the federal high court.
It has no objection to due process unless it suspends Justice Agumagu before issuing a query. ‘Obey before complain’ is as true with soldiers as with the NJC.
It does not matter when there is a conflict of interest, as some persons have wondered whether a member of the council is a relative of its nominee. The NJC believes in exception as rule, rather than the rule with exception. Is that why it has particularised the case of Rivers State when similar cases have been glossed over in other states? The cathedral body defies persons who have started to perceive the NJC as a presidential poodle. Who does not ape the virtue of loyalty? So, like Ruth in the Bible, we can hear them bellow, “Wherever the presidency goes, there you will find us.”
Is the NJC not an advocate of federalism, and is that not why it has allowed some other states to have their judges? It only treats Rivers State differently because it has to follow the canon. The canon allows for exception to the rule. Goodwill is important to the NJC, but not like strong will. After all, did Shakespeare not say “lawless are they that make wills their law?”
It believes in institutional integrity, hence the law must serve it rather than the people. They are cannibals of law, and what is wrong with that? We must build strong institutions. Did the president not say so?
In spite of uproar about the partiality of the grand body, the NJC kept a venerable silence. I wonder what happened to the venerable silence of old? It is not fighting shy in a public spat with a governor.
The august body decides that it will not follow its own precedent. In the case of Ayo Salami, it recommended suspension to the president, who signed off with a cynical glad hand. Again, if the NJC recommended suspension to a president in the case of a federal judge, why did the NJC not do the same to a governor with regards to a state judge? It could have written its own recommendation to the hard-charging Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
It could be so grandly worded. A sampler: “The National Judicial Council hereby recommends that Your Excellency should suspend Justice Peter Agumagu for allowing himself to be sworn in and even allowing you to recommend him as the chief judge of Rivers State. We also reiterate that the right person for the post is the one you rejected, the honourable D. W. Okocha. Signed.”
The NJC could still pen the letter, and I am sure, Governor Amaechi would lustily enjoy such a love letter and reply with the clinical effusion of a tiger. He might reply, with laconic words such as, “I cannot be expected to go back to my vomit. It is against my fate as a Catholic.” The public may even hear from Governor Amaechi before the NJC thinks of any response.
The NJC lords may not know it. In their lofty gowns and solemn halls and exalted chairs, they already think of themselves as monarchs of the law. Like the law of the Medes and Persia, what they say cannot be changed. “So let it be written, so let it be done,” was their refrain in the ungainly glory of that era.
We often hear of the court of kings. Here we have kings of the court, a misnomer that suits the ego of some judiciary bigwigs enmeshed in the travesty of law and society. Of course, the NJC knows it is above the law; hence it would not respect the decision of a federal court.

TheNation

Iyayi’s Death: FRSC Indicts Wada’s Convoy, Works Ministry

A report by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on the outcome of its investigation has blamed the convoy of Kogi State Governor Idris Wada and the Ministry of Works as being the cause of the fatal accident along Abuja/Lokoja highway that claimed the life of one of Late Prof. Festus Iyayi.
The report was made public following a request by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) to the FRSC that it should make available the outcome of its investigation within seven days
According to the report obtained by LEADERSHIP yesterday, the FRSC investigation team discovered that “the probable cause of the crash was the deliberate failure of V2′s driver ( one Danladi Baba, driving a black Toyota Hilux pick up van in Governor Wada’s convoy carrying seven police details) to return fully or stick to his lane of travel.
“The root cause was failure of the construction company handling the Abuja/Lokoja Highway road project to provide adequate traffic guidance and channelization”, the report signed and endorsed by Assistant Corps Marshal and Corps legal adviser, Mr. Wole Olaniran noted.
The report which was originally compiled by Mr. D.O Oriazonwan simply identified as holding rank of DRC and the position of SCIA, RS8.2 was summarised by C.N. Njoku, in the rank of CC and the position of HOS (AIA), even as it was authorised by EP Osawe, an Acting HOD (SED).
Indicting the governor’s convoy, the FRSC report noted: “The weather and vehicle conditions did not contribute to the occurence of this crash. Major safety issue identified in this investigation was failure of V2′s driver (Baba, driver of the black Toyota Hilux pick up van in Governor Wada’s convoy carrying seven police details) to completely move to his lane of travel despite the fact that the vehicles were confined to a two-lane roadway.”
The report noted that speed also contributed to the severity of injury incurred by the accident victims,  adding that the direction of impact, as well as one of the body reinforcement materials of V1 (the white Toyota Hiace Bus carrying the late Iyayi and other ASUU members which pierced through the heart area of Iyayi contributed to the severity of the accident.
Accordingly, the FRSC investigation team recommended in the report that governors’ convoys in the country must henceforth “maintain adequate lane discipline and desist from running other vehicles off-road, adding that, while the governors’ convoys must liaise with FRSC for convoy drivers’ proper orientation and enlightenment, they must regulate and enforce speed limit for their convoy drivers.”
For road authorities (Ministry of Works and FERMA), the FRSC report recommended that, while they must “instruct and ensure that adequate guidance and channelisation of traffic is provided by the construction firms, they must also “ensure the speedy completion of the construction of Abuja-Lokoja road.”
The report further urged the companies handling the Abuja-Lokoja highway to provide adequate traffic guidance and channelisation, as well as accelerate the completion of the highway.
The report also urged the FRSC to ensure that, while “governors’ convoys operate within the ambit of  traffic laws, it should as well seek for more legal powers to bring convoy drivers to justice when involved in traffic infractions that may lead to crashes.”
The late Iyayi, who was until his death on November 13, 2013, a lecturer at the University of Benin and a member of National Executive Committee of ASUU was on his way in the company of some other members of the union to a meeting in Kano when a vehicle in the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Idris rammed into the bus that was conveying them, killing Iyayi on the spot, while others were injured.
Invoking the provision of the Freedom of Information Act, counsel to ASUU, Chief Femi Falana (SAN) had noted in a letter to the Corp Marshal of the FRSC dated February 12, 2014 that the commission is mandatorily obligated to comply with the request of his client that the report be made available to them.
The letter from the Chamber of Falana signed on his behalf by Barrister Samuel Ogala reads in part: “We act as solicitors for the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) on whose behalf and instructions we write this letter.
“Sequel to the public outrage that greeted the incident the Federal Road Safety Commission immediately ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the tragic incident. Our client is aware that the investigation has since been concluded. Accordingly, we have our client’s firm instructions to request for a certified true copy of the report.
“Take notice that under the Freedom of Information Act, your Commission is mandatory obligated to comply with this request. Furthermore, in ALHAJI SANI DOGOGO v E.F.C.C. & 3 ORDS (2013) 1 N.W.L.R. [Pt. 1336] 468 the Court of Appeal held that any person who makes a complaint to an investigative body is entitled to a copy of the investigation report by virtue of the provisions of Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9.
“In the light of the foregoing we urge your commission to accede to the request of our client not later than seven (7) days from the date of the receipt of this letter.”
Leadership

Edwin Clark’s son, Ebikeme, staged own kidnap, MEND says

Ibanga Isine

The group alleged that a N500 million ransom paid.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, on Monday accused Ebikeme Clark, son of Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, of masterminding his kidnap.
Ebikeme was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen at Kiagbodo, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State on Wednesday.
His father, Mr. Clark, received news of Ebikeme’s kidnap on the floor of the National Conference not long after Mr. Clark made a moving speech that attracted applause from the other delegates.
Mr. Clark is a delegate at the conference from the elder statesmen category.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer in Delta, Celestina Kalu, Ebikeme was freed on Sunday.
Mrs. Kalu confirmed that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the victim. She added that a suspect was arrested in connection with the crime.
Shortly after he regained his freedom, Ebikeme told the News Agency of Nigeria that he could not explain how he was kidnapped.
“I cannot explain how it happened, but it was unpleasant. I was released by the grace of God. I was taken to an unknown destination in the creek,’’ he said.
However, MEND has alleged that Ebikeme colluded with the Delta State Police Command to fool Nigerians. The group also claimed that N500 million ransom was paid by the Delta State Government to fund the cleverly orchestrated kidnap.
MEND said the ransom, which was paid from the security votes of the Delta State Government, was later shared among all those who participated in the scam.
In a statement issued by its spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, MEND said, it has confirmed that “the kidnap of Mr. Ebikeme Clark, the son of Chief E.K Clark, was actually a cleverly orchestrated fraud masterminded by Ebikeme. A ransom of N500Million was paid by the Delta State Government from its security vote and was shared amongst all those involved in this scam.
“Mr. Ebikeme is following in the footsteps of his father where the Senior Clark is amongst those that hatched the fraudulent Niger Delta Amnesty Programme which has only made billionaires of a few thugs and him, at the detriment of millions of impoverished indigenes and the peace and security in the region.”
MEND said it was unfortunate that the Delta State Police Command “colluded with other unscrupulous persons to deceive Nigerians by stage-managing a kidnap.”
It said the ‘phantom’ kidnap was arranged by the victim in a desperate bid for relevance and the need for extra funds to maintain his private jet.
“It is rather unfortunate that in a desperate bid for relevance and extra funds to maintain a private jet, certain unscrupulous persons, including the Delta State Police will conspire to deceive Nigerians with a phantom abduction, release of the so-called hostage, influence over kidnappers and arrest of suspects and denying the payment of a ransom which has already been shared,” MEND stated.

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