Robbers kill six policemen in Kogi

Armed robbers, operating on the highways in Kogi State, killed six policemen

within two days, sources told the News Agency of Nigeria.

NAN learnt that five policemen, including an assistant superintendent of police,

 an inspector and three others, from Zamfara Police Command were attacked

on their way to Lagos on Monday night at Itakpe on the Abuja-Okene highway.

Two policemen, a sergeant and a corporal, were allegedly killed on the spot

while their uniforms and weapons were taken away by the robbers just as

the only constable among them escaped with bullet wounds on the thigh.

The constable, aided on both sides by policemen, was brought to Kogi Police Command

headquarters on Tuesday morning from where he was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Also on Tuesday night, four policemen from Kogi command were attacked and

killed at Adogo in Ajaokuta Local Government Area by armed robbers in police

uniform, sources said.

The sources said the robbers also carried away the uniforms and weapons 

of their victims.

When NAN visited the state Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command,

the Commissioner, Mr John Abakasanga, was said to be too distraught to talk

to the press on the matter.

But the Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi,

confirmed the incidents, saying that, “We are still investigating and we

are sure to hunt them down.”

punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201104012183256

Utomi withdraws from presidential race

Pat Utomi

Thursday, 31 March 2011  Max Amuchie

Pat Utomi, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), has withdrawn from the 2011 election to be held on April 9.
In a telephone interview with BusinessDay yesterday, he said under the current system it was impossible for the opposition to defeat the incumbent, noting that it was impossible for democracy to work in a situation where state capture is complete as is the case in Nigeria at the moment. “It is easy for a group of people, drug barons, armed robbers, etc to do anything necessary to win election. Once they get into office even if they are removed by the court after six months, they use state resources to make it impossible for opponent to defeat them,” he said.
Utomi accused the business elite of having the tendency to avoid even their best friends who are running for election if such friends are not incumbents, adding that the only way the opposition could defeat the incumbent under the present situation is through a revolution.
He said at the outset, the main opposition parties namely the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and SDMP had agreed in principle to harmonise their manifestos, saying that all four parties currently have the same manifesto.
He said the last stage of collaboration was all the four candidates Nuhu Ribadu (ACN), Muhammadu Buhari (CPC), Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) and himself were to agree on a sole candidate, stating however, that, that arrangement had taken longer than necessary in being actualised.
He said he decided to take the first step in that process by withdrawing from the presidential race.
On why he participated in the presidential debate organised by the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) on Tuesday if he had made up his mind to withdraw from the race, he said the process of educating Nigerians is a continuous one.
Utomi, formerly a professor of political economy and director at the Pan African University, first contested for the presidency in 2007 on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In the last few years after the 2003 election, his focus was on building a coalition of civil society groups and raising political consciousness to strengthen the opposition parties. That effort culminated in the formation of the SDMP with him as pioneer chairman and later its presidential candidate.


businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/111-politics/19820-utomi-withdraws-from-presidential-race

Jothanan Goodluck Owes Us Performances After May ...

By JULIANA TAIWO
Monday, March 28, 2011

Princess Stella Odua-Ogiemwonyi, is the initiator of Neighbour to Neighbour (N2N), and Director, Finance Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation., In this interview, she said her organization is not meant to garner what it can while the political campaigns last and disappear into thin air: N2N is one platform of professionals that would remain active after May 29 to remind Jonathan of his promises to people.” Excerpts:

What is Neigbour to Neigbour about?
Neigbour to Neigbour (N2N) is a grassroots mobilization platform. It connotes that power resides within us and the African culture within us says it takes families, neigbours, different groups of people to make a society better. If you take it within that context that with the power we have within us as individual and collectively as neigbours, we can go afar.
We adopted that we did not conceptualise it because neigbour to neigbour has been an African culture, neigbour to neigbour has been used by Obama and different campaigns. What it does is to solicit and provide advocacy on what needs to be done to make our lives better. We believe that if we come together as a community, as neigbour to articulate what is important and know that the only way that they can make what is wrong in their lives right, their community better is by ensuring that they get involved in the process of governance and the selection of who governs, that is what Neigbour to Neigbour is all about.

How successful have you been with that?
At least I am talking to you which means we are making impact, I believe by the time we are done you will go to your community, your neighbourhood and you will put people together and tell them that you can make a difference. That water that you don’t have, that road that you don’t have, that school that is not good, that security that is not there, you can make a change.
You can come together and elect good governance, elect who will provide you the enabling environment so that tomorrow our children will have good schools to go to and when they come out they will have proper and adequate education. And that road that is dead trapped would be repaired, and that electricity that is so epileptic would be constant, all the things that we want to work, that our children will have quality jobs and generally that we will have a better future and that is what we are canvassing.
We have analysed all the issues that really needs to be changed and who can change it for us and what we believe we need is total transformation of our lives from all the wrongs and so Goodluck Jonathan who happens to be the visionary or the initiator if you like of this particular project Neigbour to Neigbour and we are just the apostles trying to ensure that we spread the message is the one. That transformation is the message this particular plateform is spreading at this point in time, the need for total transformation and the fact that we need to commence that transformation now.

These are not different from the normal promises of politicians every four years, what is the guarantee that this one is different?
Because we are not politicians but professionals, our President is not a career politician, he is a professional and we can also judge by his accomplishments, most of the things he said he would accomplish he has accomplished. And so one can from his antecedents of performance say that yes, he is not a typical politician that would tell you things every four years and end up not doing them. And if I and others who are professionals can go on sabbatical to ensure that we acualise the concept of full and total transformation, then it means is not business as usual.

Is N2N talking to people?
We are going from community to community, we going house to house, we are going estate to estate and we are talking to people. We have cells and so we are in every local government, we are in every ward, we are in every cell which consists of 50 to 100 persons and so we are virtually everywhere and like I said earlier, you are going to be one of our ambassador if you believe in transformation, you will go back to your estate or neigbourhood and form your own cell and tell them of the need for transformation.

What has been the reaction from the field?
Every Nigerian know there is need for transformation. Every Nigerian knows that for us to move forward we need to transform. Transformation is a concept that we have all been waiting for and we thank God that finally it has come. We should all spread the message that we should come together and transform our society, is the only one we have.
How many members do you have?
As at two weeks ago, we had about 25 million. We have an average of about two to five million on a weekly basis and so we are increasing daily.

How did you come about that data?
We have field officers, community officers, we have ward officers, we have local government officers, we have state officers if you look behind you, you will see that we upgrade our database every day. We have verifiable figures because we are documenting our findings.

Who funds this project?
We have volunteers. It is a voluntary organization, the funding doesn’t have to come in form of cash, some have contributed their skills. People understand that volunteering means giving whatever you have to offer, it could be your skills, talents, your time, any resources we accept and we have been getting them in abundance for instance the young man beside you has volunteered his skill without charging us for it which is why we are having this interview right now.
That is wonderful people who desire transformation in the real sense of the word will do whatever they can in their little corner to bring it about.


naijan.com/jonathan-owes-us-performance-after-may-29/

Police Invade Court , Re-Arrest ACN Gubernatorial Candidate

Posted: March 31, 2011 - 14:55

Posted by siteadmin

caption: John Akpanudoedehe

By SaharaReporters, New York

John Akpanudoedehe

About  75 mobile policemen today forcefully re-arrested the Akwa Ibom State gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), John Akpanudoedehe, in the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja.  The incident took place moments after he was granted bail by the court in the "treason” charge before Justice Adamu Bello.
Senator Akpanudoedehe was briskly moved from the court to the police headquarters and then flown to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, where the police plan to charge him for murder.
Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that Senator Akpan Udoedehe had been granted bail by Justice Bello. Despite the injunction granted by Justice Bello restraining the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, from re-arresting the ACN candidate, we reported that he was perfecting a plan to re-arrest him and charge him with murder.  
Senator Udoedehe was arrested a day after mass violence broke out in Uyo and Ikot-Ekpene leading to widespread destruction of public property and deaths.
Opposition members in the state and senior members of the ACN have condemned the orchestrated clampdown against Senator Udoedehe and his supporters in the state.
According to reports, the IGP reportedly received N500 million from the state governor, Goodswill Akpabio, to help remove Udoedehe from circulation.

saharareporters.com/news-page/police-invade-court-re-arrest-acn-gubernatorial-candidate

High-level defections, UN sanctions signal possible end for Ivory Coast stalemate

A top Ivorian general has sought refuge with South African embassy, and forces loyal to President-elect Alassane Ouattara have reached outskirts of Abidjan. Will renegade President Gbagbo fight to the bitter end?

Luc Gnago/Reuters

By Scott Baldauf, Staff Writer / March 31, 2011

Johannesburg, South Africa Ivory Coast’s army chief Phillippe Mangou has taken refuge at the residence of the South African ambassador in the country's main city, Abidjan.

 

Soldiers loyal to Laurent Gbagbo patrol a street in Abidjan on March 31. Ivory Coast's Alassane Ouattara said his fighters were 'at the gates' of Abidjan on Thursday after a rapid advance aimed at unseating his rival Gbagbo. Soon after, heavy weapons fire rang out in the center of Abidjan, the West African country's main city, and Gbagbo's elite forces took positions around the presidential palace, Reuters witnesses said.

The move – coupled with the defection of the country's senior general in charge of the police, Gen. Edouard Kassarate – is a crushing blow to renegade President Laurent Gbagbo, whose refusal to relinquish power since the Nov. 28 election has sparked a return to civil war in the West African country.
Together with fresh United Nations sanctions against Mr. Gbagbo's regime, the defections could mean the long and deadly political stalemate between Gbagbo and President-elect Alassane Ouattara may finally be drawing to a close.
Forces loyal to Mr. Ouattara – the recently renamed Republican Forces of Ivory Coast (FRCI) – have taken control of the key port city of San Pedro and the nation’s official capital, Yamoussoukro. They are also pressing into new neighborhoods of the country's main city, Abidjan. Rumors that Mr. Gbagbo himself had taken refuge with the South African embassy are rife, but were denied by South African officials.
“Last night, Gen. Mangou took refuge in the ambassador’s residence in Abidjan, together with his wife and five children,” confirmed Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for the South African government’s department of international relations and cooperation. “At this stage we are consulting with the regional authorities, the [Economic Community of West African States], the African Union, and the United Nations about what the next steps will be.”
Think you know Africa? Take our geography quiz.
The defections of General Mangou and General Kassarate come after months of hard bargaining between Gbagbo and Ouattara, which in the past two weeks have actually tipped the West African country into full-scale civil war.
Ouattara has been accepted as the duly elected president of Ivory Coast by the African Union, the UN and most African leaders, but Gbagbo has refused to step down. The elections were declared free and fair by the Ivory Coast electoral commission, as well as observers from the AU, the UN, ECOWAS, and several international election observer groups.
In the past four months, more than 460 civilians have been killed, mainly by forces and militias loyal to Gbagbo, according to the UN, and more than 500,000 people have been displaced from their homes, many of them fleeing to neighboring countries such as Liberia and Ghana. Casualties from the recent military advances of the pro-Ouattara forces are harder to estimate, but could run into the thousands.
As pro-Ouattara forces ensconced in Abidjan begin to lay siege to pro-Gbagbo areas, there are fears of potential heavy civilian casualties, especially if pro-Gbagbo forces and militias decide to put up a last-stand fight. Street-to-street fighting – similar to the US Army’s 2004 siege of the Iraqi city of Fallujah – is a worst-case scenario for civilian casualties.
A spokesman for the FRCI told the Associated Press Thursday that the FRCI were on the periphery of Abidjan and would enter the city “on multiple fronts, from multiple directions.”
The political space for Gbagbo is being restricted outside of Ivory Coast as well.
In New York, the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday approved economic sanctions on Gbagbo and his inner circle, including freezes on personal financial assets and bans on international travel.

csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2011/0331/High-level-defections-UN-sanctions-signal-possible-end-for-Ivory-Coast-stalemate

The uprisings: Religion is a growing force in the Arab awakening. Westerners should hold their nerve and trust democracy

Islam and the Arab revolutions

Mar 31st 2011 | from the print edition

 

THE sight of corrupt old Arab tyrants being toppled at the behest of a new generation of young idealists, inspired by democracy, united by Facebook and excited by the notion of opening up to a wider world, has thrilled observers everywhere. Those revolutions are still in full swing, albeit at different points in the cycle. In Tunisia and Egypt they are going the right way, with a hopeful new mood prevailing and free elections in the offing. In Libya, Syria and Yemen dictators are clinging on to power, with varying degrees of success. And in the Gulf monarchs are struggling to fend off demands for democracy with oil-funded largesse topped by modest and grudging political concessions.
So far these revolts have appeared to be largely secular in character. Westerners have been quietly relieved by that. Not that they are all against religion. Many—Americans in particular—are devout. But by and large, they prefer their own variety to anybody else’s, and since September 11th 2001, they have been especially nervous about Islam.

Now, however, there are signs that Islam is a growing force in the Arab revolutions (see article). That makes secular-minded and liberal people, both Arabs and Westerners, queasy. They fear that the Arab awakening might be hijacked by the sort of Islamists who reject a pluralist version of democracy, oppress women and fly the flag of jihad against Christians and Jews. They worry that the murderous militancy that has killed 30,000 over the past four years in Pakistan (see article) may emerge in the Arab world too.
In Libya the transitional national council, slowly gaining recognition as a government-in-waiting, is a medley of secular liberals and Islamists. There are Libyan jihadist veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan among the rebels, though not in big numbers. An American general detects “flickers of al-Qaeda” among the colonel’s foes being helped by the West, raising uncomfortable memories of America’s alliance against the Russians with Afghanistan’s mujahideen, before they turned into al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which has branches all over the region, is the best-run opposition movement in Libya and Egypt; and last week’s constitutional referendum in Egypt went the way the Brothers wanted it to. Its members have long suffered at the hands both of Western-backed regimes, such as Hosni Mubarak’s in Egypt, and of anti-Western secular ones, such as Bashar Assad’s, now under extreme pressure in Syria. In Tunisia, too, the Islamists, previously banned, look well-placed. On the whole, these Brothers have gone out of their way to reassure the West that they nowadays disavow violence in pursuit of their aims, believe in multiparty democracy, endorse women’s rights and would refrain from imposing sharia law wholesale, were they to form a government in any of the countries where they are re-emerging as legal parties.
All the same, the Brothers make many people nervous. At one extreme of the wide ideological spectrum that they cover they are not so far from the jihadists, many of whom started off in the Brothers’ ranks. The leading Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, has been delighted by Mr Mubarak’s fall. It has in the past carried out suicide-bombings in the heart of Israel and refuses to recognise the Jewish state. Some liberals say that more extreme Islamist groups are riding on the more moderate Brothers’ coat-tails. In the flush of prisoner releases, hundreds if not thousands of Egyptian jihadists are once again at large.
Don’t despair
Islam is bound to play a larger role in government in the Arab world than elsewhere. Most Muslims do not believe in the separation of religion and state, as America and France do, and have not lost their enthusiasm for religion, as many “Christian Democrats” in Europe have. Muslim democracies such as Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia all have big Islamic parties.
But Islamic does not mean Islamist. Al-Qaeda in the past few years has lost ground in Arab hearts and minds. The jihadists are a small minority, widely hated by their milder co-religionists, not least for giving Islam a bad name across the world. Ideological battles between moderates and extremists within Islam are just as fierce as the animosity pitting Muslim, Christian and Jewish fundamentalists against each other. Younger Arabs, largely responsible for the upheavals, are better connected and attuned to the rest of the modern world than their conservative predecessors were.
Moreover, some Muslim countries are on the road to democracy, or already there. Some are doing well. Among Arab countries, Lebanon, with its profusion of religions and sects, has long had a democracy of a kind, albeit hobbled by sectarian quotas and an armed militia, Hizbullah. Iraq has at least elected a genuine multiparty parliament.
Outside the Arab world, in Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, Islam and democracy are cohabiting fairly comfortably. Many devout Muslims among the Arab protesters, including members of the Brotherhood, cite Turkey as a model. Its mildly Islamist government is showing worrying signs of authoritarianism these days, but it serves its people far better than the generals did. Iran, which once held so much sway, is not talked of as a model: theocracy does not appeal to the youngsters on the Arab street.
Still, Muslim countries may well make choices with which the West is not comfortable. But those inclined to worry should remember that no alternative would serve their interests, let alone the Arabs’, in the long run. The old autocrats deprived their people of freedom and opportunity; and the stability they promised, it is now clear, could not endure. Algeria’s civil war in the 1990s remains a horrible warning against depriving Islamists of power they have rightfully won.

Islam will never find an accommodation with the modern democratic world until Muslims can take responsibility for their own lives. Millions more have a chance of doing just that. It is a reason more for celebration than for worry.

economist.com/node/18486005

EU to spend N17bn on water and sanitation in Nigeria

The European Union has said that it will spend N17bn to support the provision of potable water and sanitation in Nigeria.

The EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. David Macrae, stated this during a courtesy visit to the Minister Of Water Resources, Chief Obadiah Ando, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

He explained that the money would help the Federal Government to strengthen its drive towards meeting the Millennium Development Goal of providing potable water for majority of Nigerians by the year 2015.

He said, “As parts of efforts towards ensuring adequate, safe water and sanitation in Nigeria, the European Union will spend N17bn (£87m) to assist the Federal Government attain the Millennium Development goal on water and sanitation by 2015.

“The money will assist the Ministry of Water Resources in establishing water policy and law both at the federal and state levels. Already, there are EU-funded intervention projects in Anambra, Cross River, Osun, Kano, Yobe, and Jigawa States. The objective is to ensure that there is provision of clean, safe and hygienic water in Nigeria.”

He stated that said there were 74 on- going projects in the six focal states in Nigeria , which according to him, will span five years.

He said,“The European Union is committed to supporting Nigeria in ensuring safe and clean water and sanitation to develop cooperation between the countries. Although, we have started with six focal states, we are committing additional £87m to the project.”

punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110331351480

Nigeria awards $30bn crude oil supply deals

Nigeria has awarded crude oil supply contracts worth around $30bn (N4.5tn),\

with trading companies, Vitol, Trafigura and Glencore, landing some of the biggest contracts.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation awarded term contracts for around

1.5 million barrels per day from its share of the country‘s oil production, Reuters reported.

Based on the current price of Brent crude oil, the total supply deals are worth around

$172m a day or $32bn for the June-December period, when trade sources said the

contracts would be valid.

Given crude supply disruptions from Libya, relatively stable Nigerian oil output

since a 2009 amnesty has increased the appeal of the country’s light, sweet oil

 and competition for contracts was fierce, trade sources said.

Strong demand has pushed cash prices of the benchmark Nigerian grade

Qua Iboe to more than two-year highs this month, making it among the most

expensive oil in the world.

”There were lots of arguments and infighting and trips out to Nigeria to arrange this,”

an unnamed oil trader working for a company appearing on this year‘s list told Reuters.

Trading firms Vitol, Trafigura and Glencore each won the biggest contract awarded for

60,000 bpd of crude oil.

This amounts to two crude oil cargoes a month.

Nigeria‘s production has been steady at around 2.6 million bpd over the past year,

the energy advisor to the President Goodluck Jonathan said this month.

Many African trading companies such as Delaney, Masters E and Elanoil

appeared on the 2011 list that were not previously term buyers, trade sources said.

But larger international trading firms might increase their allocations by buying out contracts

given to smaller African companies, they added.

”It used to be just the bigger firms that got the contracts, but the indigenous list is rising.

The big firms will be going around and trying to buy from the smaller ones,”

a West African crude oil trader told Reuters.

Some thought that the April elections could result in further contract revisions.

”The people in power can do what they want in terms of allocations.

There is room for change,” a second crude oil trader told Reuters.

Italian refiner, ERG, was awarded a contract to sell 30,000 bpd in a move that market

 participants saw as likely driven by the firm‘s need to replace lost Libyan barrels.

The firm was previously only a sporadic buyer of West African oil, a trader told

Reuters.http://punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201103312163815

NEDG debate: Read Jonathan’s responses

Mar 31, 2011

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, participated alone in the presidential debate organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) as the presidential candidates of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari; Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and All Nigeria People Party, ANPP, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau were absent.
 Below are the questions by the NEDG panel and Jonathan’s responses.
 PANEL: What is it that you think you are bringing to the table that is different from every other person and from what we have had in the past that should make Nigerians entrust you with power?    
Jonathan: I want to be the President of Nigeria because I’m totally committed to transform this country. If given the opportunity to continue as the president for the next four years, a good number of things that I started with the former president, now late and we’ve been going on with it, and others we’ve planned, we will have the opportunity to see them through?
The first thing that Nigerians always remind us of is the issue of power. That if you can fix power, you will at least solve the bulk of the problems we have, even in terms of wealthy creation. These are things that we have been working on and we believe that if given the opportunity for the next four years, we will be able to get to a point where we will stabilize power reasonably. But one thing that I stand for which is quite significant is the unity of this country and hope for Nigerians. My presidency will bring hope for this country.
My presidency will encourage Nigerians that irrespective of your background, wherever you you come from, you will have the opportunity to get to the top of your career, if you are hard working and you are committed and you are disciplined. We have been running transparent system and we will continue to run transparent system. A system that will not discriminate. That is what we stand for and that will make me different from quite number of others.
Quite a number of Nigerians are qualified to be president, no doubt about that but most of them have not shown interest but among those that have shown interest from all the political parties, we believe that I will be best material because of my background experience and because of my commitment to use myself as an example and because of the way I do things. I will not discriminate against anybody. I will not come up with policies that will bring development to one part of the country at the expense of other parts. I will make sure that resources are distributed uniformly and that all Nigerians have equal opportunity to participate in governance. These are some of the attributes I have that others probably may not have.
 And the background experience I have as somebody who operated at the state as a deputy governor, somebody who operated at the state as a governor and having served as a vice president and then the president and as somebody who have gone round this country two times and other visits, in fact now confronted and of course the problems are quite vivid and it places me at an important position to address the issues of development.                                                                                        

* President Jonathan

PANEL: The yearly rating of Nigeria by the Transparency International as a corrupt nation has assumed the status of national embarrassment. Also, political appointments, as compensation for political support and as well as propensity for quest for office has been argued as impediment to fight against corruption, especially god fatherism. What criteria will you set aside as basis for key political appointment and what will you do to institutionalize a culture of leadership by example? 
Jonathan: It’s good that you concluded by emphasising on leadership by example. Luckily for me and luckily for Nigerians, they knew me as a deputy governor, they knew me as a governor, I was the vice president and of course I took over as a president and I have made political appointments and from the appointments I have made, you will agree with me that the appointments were not based on who I know. I appointed people to very sensitive offices. People I have never interacted with.
My chief economic adviser, I’ve never interacted with her before but from the questions I asked and she was recommended, then I appointed her. Even for the elections that I was to contest, I never interacted with Professor Jega and I wanted somebody that the level of credibility will transcend Nigeria. Somebody that the International Community will also believe in and from all my investigation, Professor Jega’s name appeared in quite a number of places. Just to tell you, My Finance Minister, I never interacted with him. Most of these Ministers, go and ask them, I don’t know them. I never interacted with them.
 But from the information we gathered, they were competent people. I believe in competence. That does not mean that politicians will not hold a political office. That is a wrong notion. In some countries, a parliamentary systems for example, before you will be appointed a minister, you will first of all be appointed as a member of parliament except some sensitive ministries like ministry of justice and finance where sometime they bring people from outside of parliament to head.
So, there’s absolutely nothing wrong all over the world in appointing a politician into office but the emphasis is that whether the person is a politician or a technocrat, he must be competent, he must be somebody that is above board, he must be somebody that is seen to be less corrupt or should not be involved in anti social atrocities. 
In terms of corruption generally, no Nigerian is happy by our rating. Rightly or wrongly, sometimes people dispute the figures but all of us collectively are fighting against it. One thing we must do is to make sure that we strengthen the institutions that manage corruption.
The PDP government during Obasanjo time came up with ICPC and EFCC, a creation of PDP to dedicate special efforts to fighting corruption and we’ve been going on with it.   
PANEL: You have just spoken about the creation of the ICPC and EFCC as creations of the PDP government. Some people would say that in spite of all those institutions, corruption is still thriving in Nigeria. If you are re-elected president of Nigeria, what would you do differently to curb corruption?  
Jonathan: First and foremost these institutions were established to refocus on corruption but fighting corruption is not limited to EFCC and ICPC aloe. It is the primary responsibility of every citizen to fight corruption like fighting crime by reporting cases of corruption to these establishments. One thing that I will do differently is not to interfere with their operations. I will give them the free hands to investigate anybody that is linked up with corruption. I will obey the rule of law because a country that the leadership don’t obey any law, then you will expect the followership also to resist it.
I will make sure that if it is because of capacity building, they are properly exposed to training and properly financed and encouraged to do what is right. I believe, the weakness, if there are any is probably maybe senior government functionary interfering, but even when I was a governor of Bayelsa state, I always open my doors. I remember when I was in office one day and a local bank manager called that the EFCC are coming to investigate the state, I said okay, go ahead. As long as you don’t limit them and you encourage them to do what is right, definitely, Nigerians will do well and that is what I will do. I don’t believe that it is only Mr. President himself that is going to investigate the votes of any bank or the treasury of any parastatal. No.
And if you look at what we are doing which I will continue to do, the very first thing that I directed that should be done is to audit some very big organizations like the NNPC. Nobody has asked for external auditing of NNPC for all this period because that is where our bulk of monies come from and I feel that we must know exactly what is happening and I directed the Minister of Finance to get external auditors to audit NNPC.
I will make sure that we get external auditors to audit major parastatals of government if the external auditors don’t satisfy us. We must know how much money we have and how the money is spent. Of course most agencies are doing this biometrics and that is what we will do. Corruption itself is something that you need to look at it from different perspectives. In most cases people are limited to financial corruption; maybe a government functionary putting his hands in the thing and taking money but corruption is far beyond that. Even the mere perception, is a form of corruption. We must encourage people to accommodate others, to work with every other Nigerians. Don’t discriminate against other Nigerians irrespective of their backgrounds.  
 PANEL: Globally debates during elections have been used to strengthen the democratic culture in the society. Recently, there is this controversy that you did not accept debate invitations to one or three debates where your political contemporaries were also invited. This evening your three other fellow presidential candidates are not participating with you. As PDP presidential candidate, what is your disposition towards debates in Nigeria?   
Jonathan: The PDP as a party believes that all political office holders at all levels should give account of themselves as people and give account of the government they head. And that is why even in 2003, the PDP presidential candidate even though he was a sitting president participated in the debate. In 2007, I was a vice presidential candidate and I participated in the debate. That is the PDP position. This time around, even in my opening statement, I did mention that I was ready for the debate. Probably you people can organize another debate because some of the stories I read in the papers that Mr. President didn’t come because he wanted questions to be leaked out to him.
Rearrange the debate, let candidates ask themselves questions. So that nobody would come with spurious stories to deceive Nigerians. What happened was maybe a communication gap. More than 12 bodies indicated interest and got to us that they want to host presidential debate and as a sitting president, I don’t have the luxury and even the other presidential candidates; I believe they don’t have the luxury to appear in 12 or more different debates.
And we are told that there is a body, and of course this is a body, the Nigerian Election Debate Group that normally co-ordinates presidential debates. Did I refuse your invitation? I did not refuse your invitation. I was told that the medium, that the reach out was not that big, that very few Nigerians will listen to that and that it’s better for us to use the medium that everybody, even those who have radio alone will listen to this presidential debate and I was waiting because I was told that it was to come up on March 29 and I was waiting for that March 29.
 Some of the journalists that I met with can remember that we met in Lagos with the operators of media houses and later on editors and I told them that I wanted to address international press conference but before that international press conference, I need to meet with them at that level but this debate came up and we now said okay, let us finish with the debate before the international press conference.
So, it’s not as if the PDP government ran away from debate. It’s a communication gap but I would advise that this time around, maybe in 2015, the Nigerian Election Debate Group should take charge from beginning, immediately parties are going on with their primaries, announce this so that all the parties, all the presidential candidates should know that this is the authentic body that should organise debates.  
 PANEL: The role of the media in governance is among others, to educate the public for understanding of the government’s policies and programmes, sharpen political direction and ideological focus but some successive Nigerian administrations, military or civilian have instead always sought to intimidate, harass, muscle and sometimes compromise the media. What will be your attitude and policy direction with Nigeria mass media especially the famous Freedom of Information Bill and broadcast license for community radio because it’s only Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa that are without community radio?    

Jonathan: Thank you. I wouldn’t want to ask you a question but in my own case I’m already a serving president and you know the way I relate with the media, so it’s not a question of futuristic. For those who want to come in, yes, it’s futuristic. You can ask what I am doing with the media. You know I am one of the best friends to the media irrespective of what they write. I have not harassed anybody.
 I have not used any power that I have against any media house or an individual even though some of the write-ups are even libellous in nature but as a president you must absolve some of this excesses because we know that the media a group that I believe are doing a very good job for this country irrespective of the fact that sometimes we may not smile over some of the things they write and it’s a body that I have high respect and regard for.
I always tell media practitioners that there are two professional groups that I admire, the media practitioners and lawyers because of their vast experience, and know little things of almost everything. So, it exposes you so much and probably my first job after leaving school would have been to work in the media because I remember the first application I wrote then was to the Nigerian Tide in those days to be a reporter but that is history. 
 And in terms of the Freedom of Information Bill, it has not come to me, immediately it gets to me, I think I will have no reservation as to endorsing it except there are provisions that we need to touch but definitely it will go through. Sometimes Bills come and probably as a president, you know a little more than others and may notice one or two things that need to be adjusted and I pray that this time around we should not even have that situation. But I can assure you that the media, they are my friends and for the past four years, I have been here as the vice president, then now. In Bayelsa state I served for eight years, so my relationship with the media is well known. So, it’s not a question of what will you do but what are you doing and you know what I have been doing, that I’ve been doing well with the media and I will continue to relate well with the media practitioners.
 PANEL :Every promise to raise the power sector has so far proved difficult. The promise of 4000 megawatts does not seem to have been achieved. How would you specifically ensure adequate power generation and distribution to achieve regular power supply to Nigerians? 
 Jonathan: The power sector is one that all Nigerians know is a major priority of this administration from the time I came in as a vice President and even in the Obasanjo era. If you look at the history of power, you would realise that for many years there was no addition to what we have until 1999 and that first administration headed by Obasanjo came up with the NIPP projects so that the state, local governments jointly made money available from the excess crude account to intervene in the power sector under the arrangement that the three tiers of government would own the infrastructure and when it starts yielding benefits, they would be shared among the tiers of government.
Along the line there was this problem that was not properly handled. The state government never complained because everybody wants power, but the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission took the federal government to court. So when we came on board, it was stalemate. For almost all the first two years, we could not move anywhere until we summoned the Economic Council which I was chairing as a vice president then. We formed a body and all contracts are assess and awarded by the body. From that we started the project again
PANEL: What economic agenda have you fashioned for the nation?
Jonathan: The first skyscraper in this country was not built from oil money but with cocoa money. The first television station was not from oil but from agric. A lot of countries are surviving today without oil and that is why if you look at our manifesto today, you would realise the emphasis on how we would revitalise agriculture.
As a basic guideline the PDP believes every state must specialise in two crops, one for local consumption and the other for export. We are implementing that. For us to revolutionarise agriculture, you must irrigate. In the next four years, we are going to re-visit our dams, irrigation projects, and of course, power. One of the challenges with agriculture is the variety of seeds we use.
The volume of milk produced by one cow in Nigeria is just one over ten of a similar cow of different species. To bring high yielding seeds and cattle is one. One of the problems we have is that we import fertilisers that are not adapted to the characteristics of our soil. That is why the Minister of Petroleum Resources is coming up with five different blending plants to be built in the country to increase yield.
 PANEL : Most of the refineries are shut down. What efforts are you making on this? 
 Jonathan : Until we are in a position to refine petroleum products locally, we cannot as a nation be proud of ourselves. We produce crude oil and there is no reason to import fuel. We have two refineries in port Harcourt, one in Warri and one in Kaduna and they operate at 60 per cent of the installed capacity since we came on board but that gives us only 20 per cent of out consumption which is quite high. So we still need to expand our capacity.
This time around, we also want the private sector to come around. We are also saying for us to move, the economy must be in the hands of the private sector. we also have a new concept on board- community refineries. This is to encourage small companies to refine small quantities of crude.

 PANEL : What measures will you put in place to ensure that budgets are facilitated to meet development?
  Jonathan: Budget implementation has always exceeded 50 per cent. We have the procurement law which give details of what we procure. In most cases the budget are passed late and you cannot advertise for a project which budget has not been approved. So it not is not true we don’t implement up to 50 per cent.

PANEL: About 70 per cent of Nigerians live below poverty line?
 Jonathan :Job creation remains one of the most interest. Everyday, people die and everyday, young babies are born. So the figure is not constant. But out of about 150 million people, we have 70 per cent below the age of 30 while 50 per cent of them are below 15. So a country must prepare for them. That is why we are emphasising three major areas. First is agriculture, we have to commercialise and make it more attractive. They cannot go and get involved with the kind of farming our parents are used to. If we continue to sell only crude oil, we would not create jobs. It is during drilling that the oil companies employ more people. After this, you hardly see people because every other thing is done mechanically. We must encourage commercial and more modern ways of farming.

PANEL:What is your understanding of leadership problem and how would you tackle it?
Jonathan :About two days ago, when I was confronted by this same question while discussing about candidates in some states that were imposed, I told my friend that one of the greatest thing in leadership is the cost of leadership. As an individual, you have close friends and supporters, but as you go taller, everybody becomes your own. If you go to influence, it becomes a problem. I don’t put my personal interest above the interest of the party. I believe that all Nigerians irrespective of their background are the same. So a leader must be ready to make special sacrifice and I have been doing this because my becoming president today is by providence.


www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/jonathans-nesg-debate/

ACPN alleges plot to release Gbemi Saraki’s fake nude pictures

 

 Mar 31, 2011

Anti-female governor rally due tomorrow

 Senator Gbemi Saraki

Ilorin -  Barely 48 hours to the commencement of the 2011 National Assembly elections, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, has alerted of a fresh plot by Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  to publish a fake nude photograph of the ACPN gubernatorial candidate in the state, Senator Gbemisola Saraki.
The plot which included an anti-female governor procession to the metropolis from the mosque after Jumat on Friday was allegedly being coordinated by the wife of a highly placed top shot of the PDP in the state.
These revelations were contained in a statement issued in Ilorin, yesterday, and signed by the publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Abdulahi Oganija.
According to the ACPN, a meeting held at the Kwara State Government House lodge on Tuesday afternoon where strategies to use against the ACPN at next Saturday’s poll was discussed, including details of the publication of a fake nude photograph of Gbemi Saraki and the recruitment of young men who would carry placards from Ilorin Central Mosque after Jumat  with the shout of  “no to a woman governor in a Muslim state”.
The ACPN informed that the PDP had been planning to publish a fake nude photograph of its gubernatorial candidate for some time, but each time it planned to release the publication, the information leaked.

vanguardngr.com/2011/03/acpn-alleges-plot-to-release-gbemi-sarakis-fake-nude-pictures/

Nigeria satisfied with international pressure to oust Gbagbo

 Mar 31, 2011

 

United Nations -  Nigeria says it is satisfied with the international pressure and isolation aimed at removing incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire from power.
Gbagbo’s refusal to cede power to the internationally recognised winner of last November’s election, Alassane Ouattara, had plunged the country into protracted crisis.
Nigeria ambassador to the UN Joy Ogwu, spoke to reporters on Wednesday in New York after the UN Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Gbagbo, his wife and three associates.
“We are satisfied that all member states in one voice and one accord called for specific and targeted sanctions against Gbagbo.
“ For us we believe that the die is cast and this will present sufficient pressure on Gbagbo to step down,’’ she said.
Ogwu said the Council’s resolution also gave UN peacekeepers in the country more authority to protect civilians, as requested by ECOWAS heads of government.
“ECOWAS did not ask for the use of force they just asked for targeted sanctions and a reinforcement of the mandate of UNOCI to deal with the protection of civilian population which also includes citizens from ECOWAS member states and other neighbouring countries.
“What ECOWAS was asking for is a united international voice, a collective international voice that we have received today.”
The Nigeria ambassador however admitted that some of the “elements’’ which ECOWAS wanted into the resolution were “dissected’’ by council members.
“ Especially the use of heavy weapons was tampered to read like this:  UNOCI will prevent rather than seize heavy weapons’’.
“That implies that UNOCI should not go beyond its mandate to protect civilians and defend itself,’’ she said.
Ogwu said the resolution also warned Gbagbo of the possibility of the International Criminal Court (ICC) punishing those who violate international humanitarian law.
Resolution 1975 was adopted five days after its introduction by Nigeria and France.
The resolution was at the behest of ECOWAS member states to the Security Council to provide a tougher mandate for the UN force in Cote d’Ivoire to help oust Gbagbo from power. (NAN)

 vanguardngr.com/2011/03/nigeria-satisfied-with-international-pressure-to-oust-gbagbo/

Polls: Soldiers’ll carry arms, says COAS

Mar 31, 2011
BY  GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN – WITH  less than 48 hours to the National Assembly election in the country, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Thursday, in Benin, warned all persons who may have perfected plans to foment trouble during the April polls to have a rethink, saying that it would be an unnecessary venture.
Answering questions from journalists shortly after he paid a courtesy visit on Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Lt-Gen. Ihejirika said “As I said earlier, we have done enough in terms of preparations and I am also happy to note that we have much more logistics this time around  than we have before even though the level of violence has also increased than we know before”.
“The Army is prepared to do our very best to prevent violence. Like I said in Ibadan, I still appeal to hoodlums to have a re-think because it is an unnecessary venture. It is the desire of all citizens and all good citizens of Nigeria to have peaceful, free and fair elections. The Army in this respect will work in conjunction with the other services”

“Let me say that we will bear arms not to interfere with the electoral process. We will bear arms to ensure that those who want to interfere with the electoral process by use of arms are prevented from doing so”. ..
 The Chief of Army Staff had earlier told Governor Oshiomhole of his readiness to address contemporary challenges facing the Nigeria Army particularly internal problems within the force.
 Lt-Gen. Ihejirika while stressing the need for professionalism in the Army told the governor that his visit to Edo State was in continuation of the tour of 2nd Division area of responsibility, disclosing that the tour has afforded him the opportunity to access the readiness of officers of the Nigerian Army to discharge their constitutional responsibility during the April polls.
Responding, Governor Oshiomhole thanked the Chief of Army Staff for the visit and expressed gratitude to him for the collaboration of the military in the state with the state government in the area of internal security.
He added that the Army was helping the State Government to make a difference in the state security outfit, “Operation Thunderstorm” as its involvement has led to the arrest of several criminals.
The Governor commended the Nigeria Army and the Armed Forces for standing on the side of democracy since 1999, saying that though some people were uncomfortable with the involvement of the Army in the April elections, he was personally comfortable because he believed the Army in the past had shown neutrality and would do so during the elections.
Oshiomhole insisted that the Army’s involvement was necessary because the Police alone had no capacity to provide the required security during the polls.
“In Edo, the people are looking forward to a peaceful election even though there are people who are determined to undermine the process. This is where the role of the Army becomes necessary”, he said

vanguardngr.com/2011/03/polls-soldiersll-carry-arms-says-coas/

We Didn’t Endorse Jonathan – NLC

 

Thursday, 31 March 2011 Moses John, Abuja

Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that the congress did not endorse any of the presidential candidates ahead of the 2011 general elections just as it warned that any state governments that refused to pay the N18,000 minimum wage just signed by the president would be inviting trouble.

Speaking with Labour correspondents in Abuja yesterday, the NLC President Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar said the organized labour would battle any state government that failed to implement the new wage.

Comrade Omar pointed out that the NLC and Nigerian workers would prefer a labour-friendly president. He, however, denied endorsing any candidates for the April polls and advised the electorate to vote for anyone of their choice.

“We were at the Presidential Villa yesterday to meet with Mr. President; at least you did not hear us say that we have endorsed the president or any of the candidates. We cannot endorse any candidate but we will want a labour friendly president. Anyone that is labour friendly, we will identify with at our individual level and vote for such candidate,” Omar said.

Comrade Omar also warned against unnecessary delay in the implementation of the new wage.

“We will encourage employers to immediately commence implementation,” he said. “Any employer that decides to drag the implementation will only be doing that at his own peril because the law is clear and the law takes effect from the day the president assented to the bill and, therefore, if anybody wishes to accumulate arrears,  he is only doing that on its own, but as much as possible we will encourage that payment and implementation commence immediately so as to avoid accumulation of unnecessary arrears.”

leadershipeditors.com/ns/index.phpoption=com_content&view=article&id=28104:we-didnt-endorse-jonathan--nlc&catid=51:cover-stories&Itemid=142