Is Nigeria’s President A Terrorist?

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By Dr. Peregrino Brimah

While Goodluck Jonathan was acting as president of Nigeria, in October 2010 shortly before the Presidential elections, there was a large bomb blast during independence celebrations in Abuja. Immediately after the attack, before an investigation was ever conducted by Nigeria’s security services, the President suddenly categorically exonerated MEND terrorists of involvement. This was a SERIOUS and dangerous submission, within hours after a bomb attack and before any evidence could have been fully investigated. This suggested prior knowledge of the attack and prompted questions of why if it was known by the President, the people were not protected and given advanced warning. Jonathan blamed northern elements for this bombing, seeking to utilize it to his advantage for political gains. The bombing appeared to ‘favor’ him.
Nigeria was given its second shock shortly after this terror blast when MEND terrorist, Henry Okah submitted that the then Acting President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan ordered the Abuja bomb blast ‘to lay blame on his political adversaries, in hope of tarnishing them and securing his victory.’ This was a powerful accusation, most especially since the relationships of Goodluck Jonathan with Niger Delta militants who were engaged in similar acts of terrorism had been clearly established. Terror which had been significantly quelled by the Yar’Adua regime, with his NSA Sarki Mukhtar, was returning to Nigeria as a political instrument.
The above were not the first linkages of the President of Nigeria with terrorism. During his rule as governor of Bayelsa, a post that fell on his lap with the arrest and prosecution of the corrupt governor he had served as deputy to, Alamesigha, Goodluck Jonathan was noted to not only be rabidly corrupt, but also to finance militant terrorists as detailed in Wikileaks US intelligence cables among other sources.
From the start to date of the Goodluck Jonathan regime, it has been marked by continuous, unabated terror and deaths. Terror has returned to the creeks, with high sea piracy, kidnapping and episodes of pipe-line vandalism and sabotage. The north east and entire north and middle belt of the nation has been riddled by intractable extremist terrorism. Terrorists have operated with impunity, battles have been bloody, unabated and chronic between Fulani herdsmen and farmers. Nigeria is practically becoming a free war zone where anyone can possess any grade of deadly weaponry. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced and the nation has become torn up in religious and tribal, political inspired fracas.
The question can no longer be avoided. Is the rising state of anarchy and free terrorism in Nigeria an accident or the result of the nation being under terrorist rule; by which terror will be officially endorsed and sired on the nation with government assistance?
On March 9th, 2011, the President of Nigeria announced that he knew the sponsors of terror and he has given the order for them to be apprehended. This never happened. Terrorist sponsors remain to date, protected by the President.
In April of 2012, the then NSA Andrew Owoye Azazi made a compelling submission that internal workings of the President’s political party were responsible for Boko Haram terrorism. He was fired not long after and died of a helicopter explosion under very mysterious conditions December 15th of the same year.
In a publication in the Punch of May 16th, 2012, the chairman of the ruling PDP party, Bamanga Tukur said, “Boko Haram is fighting for justice; Boko Haram is another name for justice.” The president of Nigeria fought to keep him as the chairman of the party for another 2 years, finally letting go, only to immediately re-appoint this terror suspect as the chairman of Nigeria’s railway corp.
As published in PremiumTimes of April 28, 2013, a White paper report chaired by Interior Minister Abba Moro indicted several prominent Borno politicians in the metamorphosis of Boko Haram from its ‘Ecomog’ baby. President Jonathan ‘directed’ his NSA Dasuki to act on this paper. Today, after thousands more deaths, the nation is still terrorized, innocent poor are dying and not a single sponsor of terror has been brought to book, rather they are embraced and funded in evil political desperation.
In July of 2013, to the shock of most Nigerians and in what has been described as political motivated betrayal of the nation, Hamza Al-Mustapha, charged with the murder of Kudirat Abiola among other crimes, was released from prison under the Jonathan regime. This terrorist was embraced by the president and flown around the nation as part of an executive presidential campaign team and think-tank.
Unrepentant terrorists like Mujahid Dokubo Asari and Tompolo are part of the president of Nigeria’s inner circle. Billions of naira is given to these agents to ‘secure’ the Niger Delta that is today in such a state of insecurity, even the President’s adopted father is not safe from the terror reign. Note- By not signing the amnesty agreement, these persons are still active terrorists engaged in terrorism against the state.
Linked to Boko Haram and also to a Hezbollah arms cache discovered in Kano, serial coupist NSA Aliyu Mohammed Gusau was astonishingly appointed by the President of Nigeria to head the nations defense ministry… also for cheap political assistance. Mohammed Gusau is a remnant of Nigeria’s worst regime, the Babangida-Abacha dictatorships. He is also a three-time NSA and the NSA under whose watch MEND terror and Boko Haram comfortably came into being, unchecked and unabated. Gusau has also been described as a foreign spy in Nigeria. All of these security risks were attractive to the President who begged and bowed to private conditions to get this retired soldier into his government.
This February, a sudden attack of Boko Haram at a school in Yobe, killing 59 students and concurrent attacks in Borno, as well as earlier attacks have again been found to coincide with pressing matters of government incompetency that threaten the Jonathan regime. The reports of sudden withdrawal of troops ahead of the attacks raised suspicion of government hand in the attacks. With the Reno Omokri–Wendel Simlin “Sanusi-Boko Haram Saga document,’ a possible motive was suddenly revealed.
If the Presidents circle can cook up such a treacherous plan to take advantage of recent Boko Haram carnage to tarnish the image of their current worst ‘adversary,’ is it too far to ask whether they could have gone as far as setting up/staging the attack to utilize for a diversion and to slander the person of the CBN governor? These are questions Nigerians are asking today. There are several more cases of political terrorism that are coincident with political meanderings of the current regime. Eg, the March 18th bombing of a bus-stop at Sabon Gari, Kano, which coincided with the APC merger and registration battle.
If this government is not responsible for these political attacks, the onus is on them to either apprehend those who are or to resign in the interest of life of the citizens and progress of the nation.
Finally, the case of the missing billions of dollars, which is estimated as between $56.4 billion and $127 billion over the four years of the Jonathan administration is a great global security concern. Where is this money? This money could have been utilized for social and security programs that would have made terrorism a thing of the foregone past. Rather the money is being used to finance terror. Experts say the missing billions of US dollars is being traced to terrorism, not just in Nigeria but across the world. This is a tall sum of money to go missing. This type of money typically sponsors terrorism. Terrorism today is an intercontinental network. Money from the billions ‘missing’ under the Jonathan administration gets into the hands of AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb) through their Boko Haram partners in Nigeria and from there these billions easily travel all the way to al-Qaeda’s headquarters to support terrorism across the world.
Nigeria and the entire free world is at grave risk and urgent, severe action is necessary to protect and secure life and hope. We need to act.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah

NewsRescue

Confab: Northern Elders, ACF Fault Selection Of Delegates

Bode Gbadebo, Ejike Ejike, Oladayo Odunsi

The Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) and the Arewa Consultative Forum have condemned the process of selecting delegates to the forthcoming national conference,  saying it is not a true representation of the views of the masses, but those of the friends of the governors and the president.
At a press conference yesterday in Abuja, addressed by members of the two groups, with the NEF deputy leader and Second Republic minister, Paul Unongo, alongside Prof Ango Abdullahi and Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura in attendance, the groups expressed its support  for the conference and pledged to contribute its opinion to the conference whether or not it was invited.
They also congratulated the federal government and Nigerians on the attainment of 100 years of nationhood, stressing the need for Nigeria to stay united in the face of various challenges facing the country.
They noted that despite the incessant crises the country was witnessing, it is indeed a thing of celebration that the different entities in the country have stayed together for 100 years without breaking up.
In his speeach, Unongo urged President Goodluck Jonathan to apply a holistic approach in tackling the issue of insurgency, as it had been proven over time that military options only cannot address the unrest especially in the northern part of the country.
He, however, condemned the recent killings of students in a unity school in Yobe State, as he advised the president to call for dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents by involving important stakeholders, who would be truthful in handling such case as late President Umaru Yar’Adua did in the case of the Niger Delta militants.
The northern elders also condemned the suspension of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as it maintained that the issue of exposing missing funds that accrued to the nation is the job of the CBN as the custodian of national revenues and Sanusi was only carrying out his statutory duties.
They congratulated the Southern People’s Assembly (SPA) for finding it fit to come together as one body, but warned the group against making any inciting statements against any individual or group in the north that would cause disunity.
Leadership

FG Should Expose Source Of Weapons

Bayo Oladeji, George Okojie, Juliet Alohan, MILLIE IBE, Mohammed Ismail, Okechukwu Obeta, Solomon Ayado

Less than 48 hours after suspected members of Boko Haram killed over 50 students in Yobe State, the sect members on Wednesday night killed 33 people in Madagli and Michika local government areas of Adamawa State.
Adamawa State governor Murtala Nyako has said that there is need for the federal government and military authorities to expose the source of weapons being used by the members of the Boko Haram on the grounds that there is ulterior motives behind the insurgency attacks in the north-east.
Nyako further criticized the federal government for failing to foil an attack on a secondary school in Yobe even though other schools in the state had been attacked previously, leading to the death of many students.
The governor, who was reacting to the latest attacks on two LGAs of the state, said that the rate of insurgent attacks in the state was getting out of hand. He called on the federal government to resolve the situation without further delay, adding that the emergency rule clamped on the state had been totally defeated.
He said that the incessant Boko Haram attacks on innocent civilians has ridiculed President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim of success against the insurgency.
‘’Enough Is Enough,’’ Governor Nyako said, stressing that the Boko Haram crisis is getting out of hand and needs new measures to tackle.
Nyako, who was visibly disturbed by what he called the insincerity of the federal government in its fight against the insurgency, said: “There is no excuse whatsoever. We want to know more from the authorities.
“By now, the authorities should be able to know what is happening. We should be able to know where these arms are manufactured and even the signatures of the weapons. We ought to know who ordered them, who paid for them, how they came into the country. Where were they shipped? Which port in Nigeria did they arrive, who cleared them?
To buttress his point further, Nyako said it still beats his imagination that security checkpoints and roadblocks are manning every nook and cranny of the nation, conducting stop-and-search and wondered how weapons are being transported across the nation.
He stated: ‘’President, vice president, governors and the military are the only groups that pass checkpoints without being checked, and which of the two groups is conveying those arms to the scene of these actions we want to know.
‘’The other aspect is that the army withdrew from the checkpoint before the attack on Yadi-Buni. Who ordered the withdrawal? We also have a case where General Shuwa was killed by so-called Boko Haram. There were army units there but they didn’t respond during the incident. Who told them not to respond when Shuwa was being attacked?
‘’The Air Force base was being raided; there was a unit of army nearby; who gave them order not to respond until all the aircraft were destroyed?
‘’These are questions that need answers. So, either this thing is controlled by unknown fellows or unknown Boko Haram strategic commanders in the defence system, or stage-managed. We have reached a point to come out and tell them our displeasure over the way the situation is escalating.’’
33 killed In Fresh Attack On Adamawa
Madagli and Michika local government areas of Adamawa State yesterday came under fresh attack leading to the death of about 33 people.
Insurgent attacks have escalated within the borders of Adamawa and Borno, resulting in the sacking of over 20 border villages.
The unknown gunmen first struck the border village of Kirchinga in Madagali LGA about 8:30pm where they set houses ablaze before proceeding to Shuwa where they killed scores of people.
The source added that the attackers came into the town in a convoy of 13 Hilux pick-up vans, shooting sporadically as people scampered into different directions for safety.
The source maintained that the military personnel manning different checkpoints staged a retreat as the gunmen laid siege to the border villages for more than five hours.
A resident of Shuwa, Mr Kwaje Bitrus, said the gunmen launched attacks on many places in Shuwa including a bishop’s house, a theological school, a police station as well as houses of prominent people in the town, leading to the death of two people.
The chairman of Madagali LG, Mr Maina Ularamu, confirmed the incident, saying that the gunmen attacked many places including schools, residential houses, banks and a police station.
A pastor who preferred anonymity said the gunmen destroyed three banks and many shops in the town while two lives were lost in the attack which lasted throughout the night.
“When the soldiers at the military checkpoints saw the number of the attackers, they retreated into the nearby bushes and the gunmen operated without challenge during the operation that lasted throughout the night.”
Also, the member representing Michika LGA in Adamawa State House of Assembly, Hon. Adamu Kamale, confirmed the attack on Michika.
We slept in the hills – Michika residents
Some residents of Michika town in Adamawa said they slept in the hills and nearby bushes during Wednesday night attack on the town by suspected insurgents.
Some of the residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on phone, yesterday that the attackers arrived in the town around 9pm to unleash the mayhem for about five hours.
We’re ready to end Boko Haram menace – Defence Hqs
The military yesterday disclosed that the counter-insurgency war aimed at stopping the Boko Haram terrorism in the country has entered into a new phase that is expected to end the menace once and for all.
The Defence Headquarters, through its director of information Major General Chris Olukolade, who briefed defence correspondents in Abuja, also condemned in strong terms the terror unleashed on the Federal Government College in Yobe State that led to the killing of many students.
“The dastardly act has expectedly attracted the reaction of well-meaning individuals who have been condemning the senseless bloodletting. Disturbing as this trend proves, the fact remains that the chilly episodes are simply typical of terrorists’ intention to intimidate the people into subscribing to their false claim to invincibility,” he said.
Olukolade explained that the new approach adopted by the military has started and it is aimed at strengthening efforts being made at apprehending the terrorists before they escape to the neighbouring countries.
“The purpose of this briefing is to intimate you with the elevation of counter-terrorism campaign in the country. The new approach marks another phase in the operations designed to further contain the terrorists and their activities. The specialized campaign which has commenced is being undertaken simultaneously in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states. This operation is also in furtherance of efforts at apprehending the terrorists and ensuring they do not escape out of Nigeria as they are now so desperate to do.”
He also gave a vivid account of another attack on some communities in Adamawa State on Wednesday night that led to the killing of six terrorists, one soldier and three civilians.
Yobe school killings: Jonathan’s broadcast on centenary misplaced – APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has sharply criticised President Goodluck Jonathan for devoting his broadcast to the nation on Wednesday night to the centenary celebrations instead of the national tragedy involving the cold-blooded murder of over 40 schoolchildren in Yobe State.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its interim national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the president’s action sends a wrong signal to the world about the value which the Nigerian government places on the lives of the nation’s children.
It wondered what was so important about the centenary celebrations that it would be elevated over and above what in any nation would be considered a monumental tragedy, describing the president’s broadcast as insensitive, misplaced, and an embarrassment to the nation. ‘’Even as the nation is still counting the death toll from Monday night’s senseless and gruesome murder of our children, and the ceaseless killings of innocent civilians before that, the president has already switched into a celebratory mood, dwelling on themoney-wasting centenary celebrations instead of leading a clearly distraught nation in mourning. “Nothing better illustrates the fact that the president showed more concern about the centenary celebrations than the calamity that befell the nation than the mention, in only about three paragraphs, of the tragedy in a speech that spanned over 40 paragraphs.”
The party said now that the president has goofed again, he should quickly make amends by visiting the scene of the tragedy to empathize with the families of the victims as well as the government and people of the state, which is what any leader worth his salt would do under the circumstance.
It said in case President Jonathan is still in doubt on whether or not to take a trip to Yobe, and indeed Borno where hundreds of innocent citizens have been dispatched to their early graves by rampaging insurgents in the past few weeks, he should take a cue from what other presidents do in times like this.’’In the US, for example, President Barack Obama was his country’s ‘consoler in chief’ as he visited scenes of the tragedies that have occurred in his country since he assumed office, whether it is the school massacre in Connecticut, the mass shooting in Fort Hood,Texas, or the tornado in Joplin, Missouri.
Boko Haram Kingpin Arrested in Makurdi
A man suspected to be a Boko Haram kingpin on a mission to unleash terror in Benue has been arrested by men of the police in Makurdi.
A statement signed yesterday by the special adviser to the governor on media, Dr Cletus Akwaya, said the suspected terrorist was nabbed on Tuesday by policemen.
It stated that “the Boko Haram agent ( name withheld), a Fulani, who hails from Taraba State, was arrested by the police at the Kanshio area of Makurdi following a tip-off.”
“The Police Command disclosed that the Boko Haram suspect was found with six blank cheques with the total value said to be in millions of naira. Also found on him were copies of maps of some parts of Benue State especially Makurdi, the state capital.
The detailed description of the targets were contained in an exercise book which was found on the suspect. Some of the places included a high-profile hotel in the Nyiman area of Makurdi as well as some major infrastructural facilities central to the economic life of the state capital,” the statement said.
It further added that the suspect was whisked away to an unknown location where he is being questioned by
 security operatives.

Leadership

'I couldn't believe my luck!': 17-year-old's boast as married teacher, 35, avoids prison for spending the night with him

• Teacher Bernadette Smith said to be infatuated with student Gary Ralston
• Obsession cost her job and her reputation, Stirling Sheriff Court heard
• He said: 'I was thinking I was quite lucky. A lot of the boys fancied her'
• Smith under supervision for two years as part of community payback order

A woman teacher who spent the night in a pupil’s bed  wearing only her jeans and bra has narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
Bernadette Smith was said to be infatuated with Gary Ralston, who was 16 at the time.
That obsession cost the married 35-year-old her job and reputation, a court heard.

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Abuse of trust: Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told Smith (left), 35, who kissed Gary, then 16, (right) and lay beside him wearing only jeans and a bra, that she had committed a serious abuse of trust. She was spared jail

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Waived anonymity: Gary, now 17, in his bedroom where one of the incidents took place. He said his relationship with Smith, who was his teacher during third, fourth and fifth year, began during secret meetings at school

Gary, who waived his anonymity to speak of their relationship, said Smith had been his favourite teacher before she targeted him for particular attention.
 He said: ‘I was thinking I was quite lucky. A lot of the boys fancied her. I couldn’t believe she was with me. It was the last thing I expected. She said she thought she was going crazy but couldn’t help the way she  was feeling.’
Placing the mother of three under a supervision order yesterday, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told her she had committed a serious abuse of trust.

 

More...

• Married former teacher and cheerleading coach, 39, indicted on rape and sodomy charges for 'year-long sexual affair with student under 16-years-old'
• EXCLUSIVE: Student, 15, who 'raped and murdered math teacher' previously 'tortured and torched CATS'

He said it was only the fact that she had not gone further with the boy that had saved her from a jail sentence.
Gary revealed how his relationship with Smith, who was his teacher during third, fourth and fifth year, began during secret meetings  at school.
‘When I started year six, Bernadette was no longer my teacher, but we’d pass each other in the corridor, say hello and smile,’ he said. He said that Smith later summoned him to her classroom.
‘I walked in and as soon as I sat down she said, “Ever since we’ve been back at school and I’ve seen you around, I’ve been realising I have feelings for you”,’ he said.

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Sexual misconduct: Bernadette Smith, left and right leaving court, drove the boy to a park and kissed him

Describing himself as ‘curious’ and ‘excited’, Gary agreed to meet the history and English teacher on September 13 last year.
The pair drove to a park in Falkirk, Scotland, and went for a walk but when they got back to the car, Smith kissed him passionately.
Gary said he worried for Smith’s job, husband and family but said she ‘didn’t seem too bothered’.
He confided in his father, who warned him to be careful but his grandmother called Bannockburn High School to complain. Smith was suspended immediately.
Despite their relationship being made public, they stayed together the next night at Gary’s home in Cowie.

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The affair started in Smith's classroom at Bannockburn High School, Stirling, where she confessed her feelings to the boy, before the pair went to a park and had their first kiss

Gary said: ‘We got ready for bed and I felt nervous. I got into bed with my boxers on. She took off her top, but kept her bra and jeans on, and slid in beside me.
‘We cuddled and talked – nothing else happened.’

His father Richard Ralston, 42, said: ‘I wasn’t pleased about what happened, but you’re an adult at 16 in Scotland so I didn’t want to interfere too much.
‘I want Gary to make decisions and learn from any mistakes.’
Prosecutor Ann Orr told Stirling Sheriff Court that when interviewed, Smith said ‘she loved the boy and they both wanted to be together’. She admitted kissing Gary and staying the night in  his bedroom.
There was no suggestion that Gary had suffered any long-term harm, the court was told.
Smith, of Denny, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a pupil while in a position of trust, between September 13 and 20 last year.

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Gary, now 17, revealed how his relationship with Smith, who was his teacher during his third, fourth and fifth years, blossomed during secret meetings at Bannockburn high school

She was placed under supervision for two years and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Her solicitor, Andrew Gibb, said she was suspended by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and would be struck off at a hearing in a few weeks’ time. She has also separated from her husband.
Sheriff Robertson told the court Smith’s conduct was towards the lesser end of the offending scale, adding: ‘It is serious enough of course when a teacher admits this kind of conduct towards a pupil.
'We expect teachers to ensure children under their care are safe from abuse and that has not happened.’
He told Smith that it may have been that ‘difficulties within your marriage contributed to this aberration’, but he said many other teachers coped without resorting to such ‘bizarre’ behaviour.
He said it was to her ‘credit’ that she had not blamed her victim and she was assessed as at low risk of re-offending.  He ordered her to return to court on November 12 for a supervision order review.

DailyMail

Nigeria’s National Judicial Council Forces 2 Judges Into Compulsory Retirement, Reprimands 3 Others

Nigeria’s National Judicial Council Forces 2 Judges Into Compulsory Retirement, Reprimands 3 Others

The National Judicial Council of Nigeria today rose from its quarterly meeting in Abuja sanctioning five Nigerian judges for different acts of corruption, gross misconduct and low productivity. First to be axed was a federal high court judge Gladys Olotu, while Mrs. olotu was forced into retirement for delivering a judgement that had lasted for 7 years, Saharareporters learnt that Mrs. loot’s real crime was due to investigative reports by the Economic and financial crimes Commission (EFCC) accusing her of owning several accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, First Bank (United Kingdom), as well as significant stock in various companies. She is also reported to own several properties in Abuja, Lagos and Benin. A source said Ms. Olotu is believed to be worth more than N2 billion in cash, going by findings by EFCC and other investigators.
A statement issued by the the National Judicial Council meeting held under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, at its meeting which held on 26th February, 2014 has recommended the compulsory retirement from office of Justice G.K. Olotu of the Federal High Court and Hon. Justice U. A. Inyang of High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, respectively for gross misconduct.
See the full text of the NJC statement below:
Justice G. K. Olotu was recommended for compulsory retirement from office to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, pursuant to the ‘Findings” by the Council on the following allegations inter-alia, contained in the petitions written against His Lordship:-
· That the Judge failed to deliver Judgment only to deliver same in Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, eighteen months after the final Address by all the Counsel in the suit, contrary to the Constitutional provisions that Judgments should be delivered within a period of 90 days;
· The Hon. Judge admitted before the Fact Finding Committee of the Council that investigated the allegations that she forgot she had a pending Ruling to deliver in an application for Joinder; and
· That the Judge entertained a post Judgment matter in Suit No. FHC/UY/CS/250/2003 in Port Harcourt after delivering Judgment, which made her functus officio.
· That in another case: Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/505/2012, Hon. Justice Olotu failed to deliver judgment twice.
Hon. Justice U. A. Inyang of High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja was also recommended for compulsory retirement from office to President Jonathan, sequel to the “Findings” of the Council on the following allegations leveled against His Lordship:-
· That the Judge included in his Judgment, references to the Garnishee Proceedings, which came after the Judgment had been delivered on 20th December, 2011.
· That His Lordship also included the name of the Counsel to Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru, SAN, who came into the matter after the judgment of 20th December, 2011 was delivered;
· That the Judge recklessly signed a Writ of Execution, a day after delivering his judgment of 20th December, 2011, the same day a Notice of Appeal and Motion on Notice for Stay of Execution were filed.
· That the Judge continued with the Garnishee Proceedings despite application for Stay of Execution; and
· That before delivering his Judgment of 20th December, 2011, Hon. Justice Inyang ignored a properly filed Motion on Notice for leave to file additional witness Statement on Oath.
In the meantime, the National Judicial Council has in the exercise of its disciplinary powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, suspended the two Judges from office with immediate effect.
The Council also issued warning letters to Hon. Justice Dalhatu Adamu, CFR, the Presiding Justice of Court of Appeal Kaduna Division, Hon. Justice A. A. Adeleye of High Court of Justice, Ekiti State and Hon. Justice D. O. Amaechina of High Court of Justice, Anambra State, respectively.
Hon. Justice Dalhatu Adamu, CFR was warned by Council at its Meeting which was held on 26th February, 2014 for deliberately absenting himself from duty, which is an act of gross misconduct contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended and the Code of Conduct of Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It would be recalled that Council at its last Meeting which was held on 4th and 5th December, 2013 considered and deliberated on the Report of its Five-Man Committee who were mandated to invite Judicial Officers with Very Low performance or Non-performance to appear before it. At the end of deliberation on the Report of the Committee, Council found Hon. Justice A. A. Adeleye of High Court of Justice, Ekiti State and Hon. Justice D. O. Amaechina of High Court of Justice, Anambra State, respectively culpable of very low performance. Consequently, Council decided to issue warning letters to them for decline in their productivity.

OsunDefender

EDITORIAL: Boko Haram attacks, an inept government and the survival of the Nigerian state

On Tuesday, in an act of breathtaking savagery, members of the extremist Boko Haram sect murdered more than 40 innocent children in their school in Yobe State. For sheer barbarism, there is nothing to compare it – except of course the killing last year of another set of students in Borno State by the same vicious group.
Over the last five years, Boko Haram has been responsible for the most violent death of Nigerians outside the civil war. It is the worst threat to national security and even national unity.
Yet we continue to prevaricate. We are still not sure whether to woo them with amnesty or mow them with bullets.
Even the presidency which is privy to more facts than the rest of us seemed to think that we exaggerate the menace of the deadly Boko Haram sect. Or perhaps it just likes to play down the threat, in the hope that we will be lulled into a false sense of security.
Last week when the harried governor of Borno State, Kashim Shetima came to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan after another horror attack on a sleepy community, he told the press that what we face was war and that our army was less equipped and less motivated than the enemy.
Anyone who has followed events in that unfortunate part of the country knows that the governor had merely stated the truth. Yet the president and his handlers decided to subject him to very brutal attacks. The Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, accused the governor of peddling hysteria while the president himself used his last presidential media chat to lambast Mr. Shettima .
After Tuesday’s savage attack however, we now know who suffer from hysterics and histrionics. The presidency has made the usual condemnation, issued renewed marching orders and offered condolences. There is even talk of the army chief temporarily relocating to Maiduguri.
The Chief of Army Staff, General, Kenneth Minimah who appeared before a Senate Committee to defend his budget said the army did indeed needed more money, and more arms. In essence, the governor was right: we are not winning this war. Not yet.
But there is no talk of a presidential visit. In not standing by the governor, in never visiting the schools and villages where all the mayhem took place, President Goodluck Jonathan has deepened the people’s sense of abandonment. He has given the impression, unwittingly perhaps, that the lives of those children mean less than they should.
The sorrow of their parents will find no relief in the visit of the nation’s leader. In any civilized democracy, such a massacre would have merited at least one condolence visit by the President to the school. Indeed, the president would have been judged by how well he responded to the crisis, including whether he had shown the right amount of emotion. The quality of his empathy would have been the subject of intense national discourse for a long while. And how his visit was judged would have reflected on the opinion polls, with serious bearing on his presidency.
If we have any sense at all, the next elections will be lost or won solely on this administration’s record on security or the quality of the opposition’s alternative strategy. We cannot continue to condone a situation where a group of terrorists kill at will, cheapening the very essence of our being.
The taking of any human life is a horrible thing. The brutal murder of over 40 students in a boarding school is the height of bestiality. It is also proof that the government has failed in its most important task of protecting the lives of the people. There is no way of sugarcoating this fact, and no public relations gimmick can put a fine face on this matter.
This country cannot long bear the kind of savagery that took place on Tuesday. No government, indeed no system, can survive this sort of impunity.
 

PremiumTimes

What Does Tambuwal Want?

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal

Personality Focus

After several months of publicly siding with the All Progressives Congress, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, remains unable to declare for the opposition. His prevarication has left many wondering what the speaker wants. Ojo M. Maduekwe writes

As political re-alignments continue to take shape in the country ahead the 2015 elections, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, appears to be in dilemma. His political career is at stake here. It’s unclear whether he is for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) or remains with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Many hold the view that although his body is with the PDP; his soul belongs to the APC. Tambuwal has come out to deny claims that his allegiance was with the opposition. Those close to him, like many Nigerians, believe that his remaining in the PDP is just to bid time and watch the turn of events. They believe that he’s resolved to leave the PDP. When and to which party, no one knows.

The leadership of the APC has not stopped wooing the Speaker to defect from the PDP and become one of their members. It was reported last year that former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and a national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, held a private meeting with the Speaker to persuade him to join the party.

As well, it was allegedly reported that when last year the five PDP governors, out of the defunct G-7, who dumped the PDP for the APC, engaged in a private meeting with Buhari, Tinubu and the APC governor’s at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, Tambuwal was at the meeting briefly for about 30 minutes, before leaving.

Presently, Tambuwal is even more pressured being that the governor of his state, Aliyu Wamakko, had since left the PDP and defected to the APC. Normally, like the House of Representatives members and Senators who followed their governors in defecting to the APC, Tambuwal was expected to follow in the footsteps of his governor, Wamakko.

At the time Wamakko was suspended by the national leadership of the PDP, as was then led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the governor had described Tukur as an incompetent party leader who should be sacked immediately, saying, “The people of the state are not fighting PDP but injustice and unfairness.”

Seen by Wamakko during the declaration was Tambuwal, who was reported to have pledged the continuous loyalty of all the National Assembly members from the state to Wamakko and the PDP, maintaining that under the leadership of Wamakko, the state remained a united political family.

“The purported suspension is of no effect to us and there is no retreat or surrender. Wamakko will continue to be our leader even after he finished his term as a governor,” Tambuwal was reported to have said.

Political watchers said his refusal to join Wamakko, after making such a bold appearance, was a deft political calculation. They thought he needed to observe how the defection in the House would unfold before deciding whether it was wise to defect or maintain the status quo for the time being.

But it appears ironic that after years of frolicking with the APC and shunning many events and gathering sponsored by his party, the Speaker himself is alleged to be unsure where to pledge his allegiance; hence his reported recent consultation around the country.

He was in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the weekend, allegedly to consult with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, another PDP stalwart whose membership of the party remains suspect. After the closed-door meeting, Tambuwal briefed journalists that his visit to Obasanjo was to consult on ‘matters of national interest.’ He would even cite the PIB bill as an example.

“Baba Obasanjo is a leader not only in Nigeria but in Africa, and it is only appropriate for us in positions of authority and leadership to occasionally come and consult Baba on matters of national interest.”

Submitting that he was still a member of PDP, Tambuwal, regarding the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi by President Jonathan said “Whether it (the suspension) is lawful, legal or illegal, the personality involved has told everybody that he is going to court and I believe he is already in court on that suspension.”

Afterwards, the Speaker visited the State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, where he described the on-going urban renewal programme in the state as a display of politics of development, noting that the state government, for its successes in terms of infrastructural development, has re-defined the state’s landscape.

“I was even asking myself where the governor has gotten the money for these laudable road projects. This is my first official visit to Abeokuta and I can tell you that I am impressed by what I have seen. Sometime last year, I was in Ijebu-Ode and I saw what the governor is doing there too,” he said. Amosun is APC and Tambuwal’s comment was certainly an endorsement.

It is expected that by now Tambuwal should know which party to pitch tent, but looking at the Speaker’s situation from his standpoint, one gets a clearer picture of his dilemma. Although the PDP has never been home for him, due to the way he emerged as Speaker, APC’s failure to maintain its short-lived majority position in the House is not helping Tambuwal’s case.

With the PDP leading the House, the rumour is that should Tambuwal defect to the APC, with the current House classification, there’s the likelihood that PDP, through its numerical strength, wouldn’t hesitate in taking over control of the House leadership and relegating Tambuwal to an ordinary House member.

Perhaps, the proper question Nigerians should be asking is not what Tambuwal wants but what he’s waiting for. It’s been long established that all things being equal, the Speaker of the House would defect to the APC. But as it looks, with the PDP regaining majority lead in the House, he won’t be defecting soon. Doing so would be suicidal, and could cost him the Speakership, obviously.

Naturally, Tambuwal wouldn’t have had so much challenge if elections into public offices, especially in the complexity called Nigeria, were all about achievements, without regards to political intrigues, calculations and scheming. If that was so, then Tambuwal would not have found himself in this dilemma of trying to adjust to the changing political dynamism in Nigeria.

What does Tambuwal want other than to further his political career and remain relevant, under a political party that shares same ideology as he does? There have been speculations that the APC may want to field him for the presidential election in 2015. Also is the rumour that his state governor, Wamakko, would likely be handing Sokoto over to him in 2015.

However, the speculated presidential kite seems most likely being that as the number four man in the country at the moment, going to become governor of Sokoto State in 2015 might appear more like a demotion. Besides, many believe that with the bridges he’s built as Speaker of the House of Representatives, such achievements would serve him well if he were to lead Nigeria as president.

Former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, was reported earlier in the year 2013 to have said Tambuwal’s conduct “has shown that the upcoming generation has the capacity to sustain the labour of our heroes past.  When leaders like Tambuwal have delivered on their electoral promise, we advise them to try something higher.” A shot at the presidency is higher and more prestigious than vying for Sokoto governorship, many would reckon.

If he decides to observe Babangida’s advice and take a shot at the presidency, many Nigerians believe he has more chances with the APC than the PDP which never liked his outspokenness and public romance with the opposition. Also, whichever party he decides to pitch tent with, it is believed that his credentials speak volumes for him and Nigerians will most likely back him.

Although his failure to decide on time may cause some time-bound damage, it does not really matter what those opposed to the Speaker think, because from his achievements and quality leadership, the fact remains that Tambuwal is a material for the future and poignantly, an asset to Nigeria.

 

ThisDay