Vol. 3 N0. 622 Thursday, May 16, 2013 N150

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FG scholars stranded in Russia, China

AUGUSTINE MADU-WEST, OMEIZA AJAYI AND INUSA NDAHI

Heavy troop move-ments were yes-terday reported in Borno, Yobe and Ad-amawa states as Armed Forces began combined operations to rout the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

The insurgents have held some parts of the North hostage since 2009.

Residents said army trucks carrying soldiers entered Yola and Maiduguri immediately after the presidential proclamation.

A resident said that he

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Troops begin offensive against Boko Haram

Army, police on red alert in KanoCAN calls for dissolution of amnesty committee

State of emergency:

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P.6

Judges jittery over looming redeployment

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P.12

Subsidy protest: Lagos arraigns dismissed DPO for murder

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P.4

Oteh saga: SEC survives on prayers, says chairman

Senate wants state burial, national monument for Achebe

Relatives of the two Nigerian Airforce pilots who died in an air crash in Niger Republic, Squadron Leader Benjamin Ado and Fly-ing Officer Ayuba Layelmeson at the funeral of the officers in Abuja yesterday. Inset: Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada (left) consoling Ados widow at the military burial ground.

ICPC, NUC begin closure of 67 illegal varsities

Obasanjo exports cassava bread to Tanzania

ISE-OLUWA IGEABUJA

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the National Universities Commission, NUC, yesterday began the closure of all identified il-legal universities nation-

wide.The closure followed an

order of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Sixty-seven of such ille-

P.53JTF arrests 89 suspected oil thievesRotation to commence in July

Rufai Abubakar

L-R: Chief of Staff, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe; Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Goni Aji; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim and President Goodluck Jonathan, at the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

OLUFEMI ADEOSUNN AND JAMES ABRAHAM

The Christian As-sociation Nigeria, CAN, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately disband the Amnesty Committee in view of his proclamation of a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states.

CAN also hailed the

decision of the Federal Government to deploy troops to the states, say-ing the move was in tan-dem with its stand that only the force of the law could bring Boko Haram members to submission.

This is contained in a statement signed by CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and made available to our corre-spondent in Abuja yester-day.

According to Oritse-jafor, the declaration of a state of emergency is a justified action and a vin-dication of CANs posi-tion that negotiation with terrorists will always end up a futile exercise.

He said: We are being vindicated that no reason-able agreement can be reached with terrorists.

Oritsejafor, however, gave the President a pat on the back for his deci-

sion to leave the political structures of the affected states, stressing that he had shown, in a very un-mistakable term, that he is a democrat.

He said: Not dissolv-ing the political struc-tures coupled with the retention of the office of the governors, are sign-posts that President Jon-athan is a democrat and the action of the Presi-dent is also an indication

that he is primarily con-cerned with the issue of human rights abuses and the need to secure the ter-ritorial integrity of Nige-ria.

Also, a member of the National Assembly, Hon. Bitrus Kaze, said the Fed-eral Government must disband the Amnesty Committee.

The lawmaker, who represents Jos East/Jos South Federal Constitu-ency of Plateau State, said with the declaration of emergency rule, the committee was no longer necessary.

He said: Having de-clared emergency rule in the three troubled states of Borno, Yobe and Ad-

amawa, the prospects for achieving peace by grant-ing amnesty to remorse-less and ever-rampaging terrorists has been invari-ably jettisoned.

A band of terrorists, who have categorically declined amnesty plans directed at them and who instead are beginning to overrun some parts of the country ought not to and must not be entertained in any form of dialogue if the purpose of the emergency rule must be achieved.

Its time for govern-ment to call a spade by its name and save millions of taxpayers money from being wasted in fruitless endeavour.

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the bold step he has taken by declaring a state of emergency to stop the needless bloodshed.

Akpabio, who is also the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum, denied knowledge of a purported Nigeria Governors Forum,

NGF, meeting opposing dec-laration of emergency rule in any part of the country by the President.

Speaking with journalists on the emergency rule, the governor thanked the Presi-dent for enabling the elected governors to remain in office and work with the relevant security agencies to restore sanity to the affected states.

He said action would deepen the countrys democ-racy.

AZA MSUEKADUNA

President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, CRCN, Mal-lam Shehu Sani, yesterday said the declaration would not end insurgency.

Sani said security agen-cies had already spent two to three years in the three states without result.

He added that the emer-gency rule was an admis-

sion of failure on the side of the government to fash-ion out ways of addressing the root causes of the in-surgency.

In an online statement, Sani argued that emergen-cy rule was a contradiction for the government that set up a committee to dialogue in one hand and on the oth-er, unleashed a regime of force against those it had accepted to dialogue with.

While not condoning

terrorism, the activist said when a nation was faced with terror; it must device the best possible way of tackling it without shed-ding the blood of innocent people.

Sani, who led former President Olusegun Obasanjo to broker peace with Boko Haram in Mai-duguri two years ago, noted that Nigeria needed peace and stability, but to achieve this Nigeri-

ans must be committed to an honest, sincere and result-oriented process that would carry the peo-ple along in the effort to achieve the set goal.

The statement reads in part: The state of emer-gency is futile and it is not going to achieve any desired result other than alienating the public and subjecting them to all sorts of indignity and humilia-tion.

ROTIMI FADEYIABUJA

Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross Riv-er State, who is also the chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, yesterday said he and his colleagues were in support of the state of emergency.

Speaking with State House Correspondents af-ter meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, Imoke explained that Jonathan must be firm on the issue of security in the North and the entire country.

He said: The South-South Governors Forum endorsed the state of emer-gency by Mr. President and we asked him to be firm on security.

He is enjoying popular support of the security ad-

viser and the National Se-curity Council on the state of emergency.

According to him, the Presidents actions are very positive and in order since the democratic insti-tutions are still in place.

Imoke noted that the decision to ensure that the democratic institutions were still in intact even in the declaration of a state of emergency was very sig-nificant and commendable.

He said: His actions are positive, the democratic in-stitutions are still in place and I think it is very sig-nificant and commendable.

I think it is for us now to throw our support be-hind the President, encour-age him in dealing with this insurgency and ensure those states are returned to normalcy.

EMMA GBEMUDUYENAGOA

The Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, in Bayelsa State, said it endorsed the declaration of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

The state Chairman of the organisation, Chief Nengi James, in an inter-view with our correspon-dent in Yenagoa yesterday,

described the Presidents action as appropriate and constitutional.

James, however, cau-tioned the military men deployed in the three states not to abuse the objectives of the declaration by engag-ing in killing and harassing innocent persons.

He said: In as much as the President has declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe

states, we dont want the Nigerian military to capi-talise on it to kill, victimise and intimidate law-abiding citizens in those states.

In the same vein, a Yena-goa-based lawyer and state Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Osom Macbere, ar-gued that the state of emer-gency declared in the three states was a decision that came at the right time.

Macbere regretted that citizens in parts of the North had not known peace and security owing to the massive slaughtering of innocent lives and destruc-tion of property by Boko Haram members.

He said: It is altruistic that the people of the states where President Jonathan has declared state of emer-gency have not been enjoy-ing peace and security.

CAN seeks dissolution of amnesty committeeEMERGENCY RULE

2 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, May 16, 2013 News

Decision appropriate, constitutional CLO

...wont end insurgency, says Shehu Sani

President enjoys South-South govs support Imoke

Itll stop needless bloodshed, says Akpabio

Soldiers on duty during a parade in Baga village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in Borno State. REUTERS

TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

Rights Monitoring Group, RMG, has lauded President Goodluck Jonathan over the state of emergency de-clared in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

Briefing journalists in Lagos yesterday, the RMG National Coordinator, Comrade Olufemi Aduwo, commended Jonathans wisdom in retaining the political structures in the affected states, while the military and security agen-cies would tackle insur-gency.

He said: We appeal to the political leaders in the country to rally round the military and Mr. President during the period this exer-cise may last.

Those who canvassed amnesty option have seen that they did not carry out detailed study of the opera-tions and needs of the ter-

ror group. From all indications,

Boko Haram is not a reli-gious group but a political-ly-motivated organisation with support from within and outside the country to destabilise the govern-ment and create insecurity across the country.

We commended the po-litical maturity of the af-fected governors for their full support of Mr. Presi-dents initiative to curb the activities of these few criminals in the country, regardless the unguarded statement credited to Gov-ernor Rotimi Amaechi by opposing the state of emer-gency in the states.

During the period the exercise may last, military should close all the borders in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states.

We also appeal to hu-man rights community across the world to be pa-tient with government in the present situation.

SOLA ADEBAYOWARRI

The Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHRD, said President Goodluck Jonathan was not sincere in his intention to deal with the security challeng-es in the North.

The FJHRD National Coordinator, Mr. Ogheneja-bor Ikimi, said yesterday in a statement issued in War-ri, Delta State, in reaction to Tuesdays imposition of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states that the Presidents action was short of expec-tations of Nigerians.

Ikimi said Jonathans action was not likely to re-store peace to the troubled states, adding that the President merely deployed more troops in the states and issued out new rules of engagement.

He said: I listened care-fully to the broadcast de-livered by President Good-luck Jonathan purporting to proclaim a state of emer-gency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, while at the same time retaining all elective positions in the above states, and I make bold to say that the above

pretentious move by Mr. President fall short of all the attributes of a state of emergency in the real sense of its constitutional meaning.

I think Mr. President is either playing to the gal-lery or in fact playing poli-tics with the state of inse-curity in the above states as shown in his address to the nation.

What I deduced from his said address was that as President he merely or-dered the deployment of more soldiers to the affect-ed states.

A state of emergency in the real sense of the word ought to begin with the dismantling of all democratic institutions with at least an adminis-trator to administer the affected states with the en-abling law for a specified period in the proclama-tion establishing the said state of emergency and I make bold to say that un-til the above is done by the Federal Government de-void of politics, the state of insecurity in the above states and other states in northern Nigeria would continue to escalate and peace would continue to elude us as a nation.

FELIX NWANERI

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, rejected the declara-tion of emergency rule and called on the National As-sembly not to ratify it.

In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mo-hammed, the party said if the use of force was ca-pable of ending the Boko Haram crisis; it would have ended a long time ago.

The party added that while the President was right in expressing outrage over the mindless killings and wanton destruction by the insurgents, he was wrong in proposing more of the same measures that have failed to yield results.

It said: If the medicine given to a patient has not cured his or her illness, is it not futile to prescribe more of the same medicine for the patient?

If the declaration of a state of emergency in 15 local government areas in four states in 2011 has not curbed the activities of the insurgents, why extend such measure to other ar-eas?

If the use of force in the affected states has failed to curtail the activities of the insurgents, why send in more troops?

There is nothing new in the Presidents action. It is more of the same: deploy-ment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insur-gents.

In the first instance, this stepped-up militarisa-tion of the states amounts to an asymmetric use of force in an environment where the insurgents oper-ate within a civilian popula-tion, hence it will ultimate-ly be counter-productive as the death toll will continue to mount while the civil-ian population who will be caught in the cross fire - will be alienated.

Muhammed also called on the President to disband the committee he recently inaugurated and saddled with reaching out to the insurgents, because by opt-ing to flood the states with more troops under an ill-advised emergency rule, he had succeeded in pulling the carpet from under the committees feet.

He said: Who negotiates

genuinely with a gun to his head? The committees job is over; the members can as well pack up and go home.

One hopes the Presi-dents action is not linked to the politics of 2015. With the three states milita-rised, there can neither be electioneering campaign nor voting there. We had warned earlier that as 2015 approaches, the Jonathan administration will increas-ingly take measures that will make it impossible to hold election in many states.

The over-militarisation of some states in the North, the plan to destabilise the South-West using slush funds from the so-called oil pipeline protection contract and the infantile threats from some Niger Delta militants seem to be part of this plan.

KEMI OLAITANIBADAN

President of the Ni-geria Labour Con-gress, NLC, Com-rade AbdulWaheed Omar, described the declaration of emergency rule as an act of political maturity.

Omar told journalists in Ibadan, Oyo State yes-terday that the presiden-tial address had given as-surance that it was not in any way a political victi-misation.

He said: I want to com-mend that effort espe-

cially because of the way it is carried out. It would ensure that it is directly meant to ensure peace and security rather than being like a political victimisa-tion.

If you look at the states affected, Yobe and Borno are not in the ruling party. People are likely to misin-terpret this to be political victimisation. But I think the steps taken by Mr. President are so far, com-mendable.

But the National Presi-dent and Convener, Nige-ria Voters Assembly, VO-

TAS, Mashood Erubami, said the Presidents ap-proach was a demonstra-tion of weakness and lack of political will to resolve national problems.

He said: I feel sober about the declaration of state of emergency by President Jonathan. The declaration has demon-strated lack of strength in the President. It shows that he lacks political strength to solve political matters.

The issue of Boko Ha-ram in Nigeria has gone beyond religion to politi-

cal. Therefore, measures to be used in addressing it should be political.

It is unfortunate that there is no political will on the part of the President to address the matter.

In a similar tone, anoth-er activist and an academ-ic, Dr. Femi Aborisade, noted that, the critical is-sue is whether or not such an action is sufficient in bringing an end to the spate of unfortunate mass killings associated with the Boko Haram phenom-enon, which stand con-demned.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 3NewsThursday, May 16, 2013

Dont ratify state of emergency, ACN warns NASS

EMERGENCY RULE

Declaration shows political maturity NLC

Jonathans action pretentious Rights group

Aduwo calls for support

Oil subsidy protest: Lagos arraigns dismissed DPO over alleged murder

Photo News National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, May 16, 20134

TOLA AKINMUTIMIABUJA

Indication emerged yesterday that the zero budgetary allocation to the Securities and Ex-change Commission, SEC, this year, by the National Assembly is taking its toll on the operations of the Commission.

As such, the Commis-sion may be gradually winding down operation-ally, as the lingering face-off between its Director General Ms. Arunma Oteh and the National Assembly remains unresolved.

Indications of the nega-tive implications of the unwholesome saga, which has pitched the Legislature against the Executive in a running political battle over the last six months, emerged yesterday with the Chairman of the SEC Board, Dr. Suleyman Nda-nusa, saying that the Com-mission has been surviving only by prayers.

The chairman, who made these revelations during the inauguration of the SEC Administra-tive Proceedings Commit-

KENNY ODUNUKAN

Dismissed former Divisional Po-lice Officer, DPO, Agege, Segun Fabunmi was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja High Court for the alleged murder of Adedamola Daramola during the January 2012 protests against the re-moval of fuel subsidy.

Fabunmi was arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade on a seven- count charge bordering on mur-der, attempted murder, as-sault and battery.

The former DPO, who looked sober in the dock, wore a shirt and a pair of trousers with a pair of shoes.

The defendant allegedly murdered Daramola, at-tempted to murder and also caused bodily injury on three others by shooting at them with his AK 47 gun.

He was charged with the attempted murder of Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel, Chizorba Odoh by separately shooting them with his gun.

He allegedly shot Abuba-kar and Samuel on their left legs and Odoh on his

right finger (index). Principal Counsel, state

Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, al-leged that Fabunmi com-mitted the offences at about 9.30am on January 9, 2012 at Yaya-Abatan, Ogba, Agege, Lagos.

Part of the charges reads: Segun Fabunmi, on or about January 9, 2012 at about 9.30am, while on security patrol at Yaya Abatan Junction, Ogba Agege, Lagos in Ikeja Ju-dicial Division, murdered one Adedamola Daramola.

Segun Fabunmi, on or about January 9, 2012 at

about 9.30am while on secu-rity patrol at Yaya Abatan Junction, Ogba Agege, La-gos in Ikeja Judicial Divi-sion did attempt to kill one Alimi Abubakar by shoot-ing at him with AK 47 rifle.

The alleged offence of murder was said to con-travene Section 221 of the Criminal Law, No. 11, 2011, while the offences of at-tempted murder and caus-ing grievous bodily harm were said to respectively contravene sections 228 and 243 of the same law.

Fabunmi however plead-ed not guilty to the charges preferred against him.

SEC goes spiritual, as zero budget hampers operations

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Mr. Toyin Ayinde; Managing Director, Adeniyi Coker Consultants Limited, Mr. Fred Coker; Design Director, Str-Edge, Dubai, Mr. Ivar Krasinski and Lecturer, School of Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University, UK, Mr. Kofi Karley, during the 2013 Architects Forum in Lagos yesterday.

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on the Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; President, Federal Government Doctoral Candidates in Russia, Mr. Godwin Ezinkwo and Hon. Aminu Shagari during a meeting with the committee in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

L-R: President, Old Students Association of Gaskiya College, Mr. Raymond Eze; Principal, Mrs. Sobowale Oluwatoyin and Chairman of Trius Computer Institute, Mr. Olu Oduyoye, at the 50th anniversary celebration of the college in Lagos, yesterday.

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed (left) receiving the 2013 Nigeria Arise Award as Best Governor in Good Governance, North Central Zone from his Special Adviser, Special Duties, Mr. Yinka Aje who represented him at the award ceremony yesterday.

National News

tee, APC, in Abuja, said the Board and management had been praying for speedy and amicable resolution of the matter.

Ndanusa, who expressed the hope that the imbroglio would soon be resolved, pointed out that the denial of budgetary allocation to the Commission was not desirable for the current efforts by the government to grow the capital market, adding that all stakehold-ers support would go a long way in amicably resolving the crisis.

Responding to media enquiries on how the Com-mission has been operating with zero budget over the past five months, Ndanusa specifically said prayers had been the surviving weapon.

He said: Honestly the secret is prayer and prayer and prayer. We have been praying. But I tell you, it is nothing that cannot be re-solved by the grace of God. We believe that this insti-tution is very vital to our economy, to our nation.

We believe that it is ob-viously very imperative that the country maintains

a well funded SEC to have a very active, effective and ef-ficient regulator that would ensure transparency and accountability in the mar-ket, because the over N10.5 trillion investments in the capital market cannot be left unregulated. So far, so good, to God be the glory. But please I call on you to join in the prayer so that this matter would be re-solved amicably.

It would be recalled that

the Presidency and the Na-tional Assembly had been at loggerheads over the latters insistence that Ms. Oteh should be relieved of her appointment for rea-sons many analysts believe were politically motivated.

In March 2012, Oteh ap-peared before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Capital Mar-ket and other institutions, which was investigating the remote and immediate

causes of the collapse of the capital market between 2008 and 2012.

The session was tur-bulent as Ms Oteh raised some issues that border on the integrity of some mem-bers of the House, directly responsible for the supervi-sion of the Commission

The House did not only recommended her removal through a resolution of July 19 before it went on recess, but revved up the

agitation which crystal-lised into the final decision not to allocate funds to the Commission in the 2013 budget.

Despite the demand, which had resulted in the Presidents discussions with the leadership of the National Assembly on at least two occasions, the House of Representatives maintained its grounds, in-sisting that Otehs removal is not negotiable.

Thursday, May 16, 2013National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 5

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net6 Thursday, May 16, 2013News

Judges jittery over looming redeployment

Troops begin offensive against Boko Haram CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7>>

L-R: Director, Administration and Human Resources, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Hajia Aishatu Abubakar; Executive Director, Dr. Ado Muhammad and Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Dr. Abdulahi Mohammed, during the National Stakeholders Meeting on Primary Health Care Reviews in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

saw six trucks carrying soldiers coming to Yola, while some residents in Maiduguri also reported an influx of troops.

The mood was tense in the city. Shops were most-ly shut and there were few people on the streets. Schools were closed.

What I saw this morn-ing scared me, said one Ahmed Mari. I have never seen soldiers on the move quite like this be-fore.

Another resident, Kabir Laoye, voiced wide-spread fears that civilians could be caught up in the conflict.

There is a lot of appre-hension about the state of emergency, he said.

Also in Maiduguri, con-voys of military vehicles were seen on Monday night heading North into the rural expanse that borders Niger and Chad.

The operations followed Tuesdays proclamation of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states by President Goodluck Jon-athan due to the escalation of violent attacks by insur-gents in the area.

Director, Defence Infor-mation, Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a statement made available to journal-ists yesterday in Abuja said security operatives had be-gun a clampdown to rid the nations border territories of terrorist bases.

Olukolade added that the operation would focus on tracking criminal elements within the affected areas.

The Defence Headquar-ters, however, assured law abiding citizens that it would ensure safety of civilians and non-combat-ants within the period of the operation.

In furtherance of the Commander-in-Chief s directive, the Nigerian

Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies have commenced operations to rid the na-tions border territories of terrorist bases and activi-ties.

The military operation will focus on tracking down criminal elements within the vicinity of border com-munities prone to terrorist activities, he stated.

The Defence Headquar-ters also added that the move was to protect Nige-rias sovereignty and terri-torial integrity.

It was, however, silent on the specific number of men that would be involved in the operations.

Olukolade said partici-pating troops have been ap-propriately briefed on the modalities for arrests, cor-don and search.

The operations, which will involve massive deploy-ment of men and resources is aimed at asserting the na-

tions territorial integrity and enhancing the security of constituted governmen-tal structures in all territo-ries within Nigerias bor-ders.

The operational plans have also briefed participat-ing troops appropriately on arrests, cordon and search especially directed at ap-prehending those who have been violating sovereignty of Nigeria through terror-ist training for insurgency and related activities. The operation is expected to put an end to insurgent ac-tivities in these parts of the country.

The Defence Headquar-ters assures law abiding citizens that every effort has been put in place to en-sure safety of civilians and non-combatants while the operations last.

All citizens are enjoined to cooperate with troops and supply necessary in-formation on criminal and

terrorist activities or move-ment in their locality as the operation is intended to safeguard the nations interests and citizens in all parts of the Federation, Olukolade said.

The governors of the affected states have also called on their citizens to cooperate with security agencies in the efforts to stamp out terrorism in that part of the country.

In a televised broadcast, Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, solicited for more prayers from the people of the state for the restoration of peace to the state, even as he urged the people to support and coop-erate with all the security agencies who are charged with the sole responsibility of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

In this trying moment I urge everybody to fervently pray for the return of peace in our dear Borno State and

in all other parts of Nige-ria, to pave the way for rap-id recovery and the socio-economic transformation that we so desperately seek to put in place as a Govern-ment, the governor said.

Shettima added that President Jonathan had the constitutional powers to de-clare a state of emergency in any state of the federa-tion.

It is the constitutional responsibility of the Presi-dent to take such measures. It is also the duty of any re-sponsible state government to support lawful efforts that would guarantee the security of lives and prop-erties.

It can never be the wish of any guarded democratic government to have the military directly involved in the affairs of any feder-ating unit except for unfor-tunate and painful causes.

As the military leaders

WALE IGBINTADE

There is palpable ap-prehension among judges in Lagos State as the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips, is set to carry out mass re-deployment of high court judges.

National Mirror learnt that the exercise would in-volve the redeployment of the judges from one division to another and the move-ment from a particular ter-ritorial judicial division to others.

Sources in the Lagos State Judiciary told our cor-respondent that although the chief judge is keeping the details of the new post-ings close to her chest, she had, however, informed the judges of their impending redeployment and urged them to prepare for the ex-ercise.

Our reporter learnt that some of the judges were jit-tery while others had begun to prepare their handing over notes.

It was also gathered that the exercise might affect some supporting staff of the state judiciary working di-rectly with the judges in the four divisions - Ikeja, Ikoro-du, Lagos and Badagry.

Sources told National

Mirror that the redeploy-ment exercise would take effect from July.

Ahead of the exercise, new sets of furniture and other office accessories in-cluding new flat screen TV sets are being brought to the court premises for distribu-tion to the judges chambers.

While some lawyers and litigants are happy with the impending redeployment, others are not particularly comfortable with the de-velopment as their cases may be transferred to new judges.

It will be recalled that the last redeployment was car-ried out by the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Inumidun Akande, three years ago.

Notable among judges af-fected during the last rede-ployment exercise was Jus-tice Joseph Oyewole, who was moved from the Crimi-nal Division and posted to the Family and Probate Di-vision.

National Mirror gath-ered that till date, criticisms were still trailing Oyewoles transfer to the Probate Divi-sion.

Among the cases he han-dled was the trial and con-viction of the PDP chieftain, Chief Olabode George.

The judge also tried and set free the former Chief of

Army Staff, COAS, Gen. Isha-ya Baimaiyi, who was alleged-ly implicated in the attempted murder of The Guardian pub-lisher, Alex Ibru.

During the last rede-ployment exercise, Justice Habeeb Abiru, now at the Court of Appeal was moved from the General Civil Divi-sion to Criminal Division. His competence and hard work on the Bench had also aided his elevation to the higher court.

Examining the impli-cations of the impending transfer, Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, said it was necessary to

transfer judges periodically so that they would not be too familiar in a particular loca-tion.

He said: The rationale behind the transfer is to pre-vent judges falling into non-productivity for being in a particular location beyond a period of four years.

They get used to the liti-gants and the lawyers and then familiarity will breed contempt.

Adegboruwa, however, said in redeploying judges, the interest of the litigants must be taken into consider-ation because in most cases when these transfers are ef-

fected pending cases are af-fected.

The lawyer said: The rule of practice is that where a matter is part-heard and the judge is transferred another judge taking up the matter must start afresh (de novo).

This is one of the rea-sons why we experience delay in the administration of justice. If for instance, a judge is transferred from Ikorodu judicial division to Badagry division; it would be difficult to ask the liti-gants to travel along with the Judge. So, the option is to start the case afresh

by another judge but time and effort would have been wasted.

He stressed the need for the chief judge to carry out appraisal of the volume of work being undertaken by the judges, so that if a transfer is to be effected it would not be to a far distant location that will make it impossible for the judge to take along with him cases that are part-heard.

Another Lagos lawyer, Mr. Wale Adesokan, said there was nothing strange when judges were trans-ferred from one court to an-other periodically.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 7Thursday, May 16, 2013 News

Troops begin offensive against Boko Haram

ICPC, NUC begin closure of 67 illegal varsities

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio and Chairman, Fiscal Responsibility and Efficiency Commission, Chief Ignatus Amodu, during a courtesy call at the Government House, Uyo, yesterday.

gal universities had been identified by the anti-graft body, which has the full addresses of 41 of them.

Policemen, operatives of the State Security Ser-vice, SSS, and officials of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, executed the court order yesterday.

The anti-graft agency is also arresting operators of the illegal universities.

ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, told journalists yesterday in Abuja that

the action was first in the series of implementing the outcome of an ongo-ing ICPC/NUC University System Study and Review, USSR, for which the anti-graft agency sought and obtained a Federal High Court warrant.

The ICPC chairman, who was represented by Prof. Olu Aina, a mem-ber of the commissions board, explained that the crack down on the illegal degree awarding institu-tions, which began simul-taneously in nine differ-

ent zones in the country, would be concluded by the end of this week.

According to the ICPC boss: In keeping with its warning delivered by the chairman last week, ICPC has today (yester-day) commenced a nation-wide operation to seal the premises of identified il-legal universities, seize their properties, make arrests, prosecute and ex-ecute such other actions it deems fit.

An Inter-Agency Team, comprising the ICPC; the

NUC, the police, the SSS and the NSCDC will con-tinue the exercise until all corrupt practices and im-punity associated with the physical existence of such illegal institutions cease completely.

We know it is a world-wide phenomenon which occurs whenever demand for educational or other services far outweigh sup-ply, but we are determined to eliminate it from such a critical sector like educa-tion in Nigeria.

The chairman made it

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 clear that the universities being closed down were established in contraven-tion of the law, which states that any application for the establishment of a university must be done through the National Uni-versities Commission.

According to him: These unaccredited in-stitutions, apart from extorting huge sums of money from unsuspecting Nigerians, are manned by unqualified personnel and operate in makeshift structures and poor en-vironment that cannot qualify our youth both in learning and character for the award of recognised university degrees.

Students of these in-stitutions are not admit-ted through JAMB (Joint Admissions and Matricu-lation Board), neither are they qualified or consid-ered for the NYSC (Nation-al Youth Service Corp).

As a result of all these deficiencies, the so- called students of these illegal outfits are not equipped for employment in the public or private sector. In the end, certificates obtained from such insti-tutions become useless and the period of study

becomes a monumental waste of precious time.

Therefore, the activi-ties of these illegal op-erators have impacted negatively on the mental, psychological and eco-nomic well-being of many young Nigerians and their parents. The institutions constitute an embarrass-ment to the government and remain a monumental corruption of the educa-tion system, he stressed.

The ICPC, however, ruled out any form of compensation for the vic-tims of these illegal uni-versities, stressing that such persons can only be guided as to how they can gain admission into recog-nised universities in the country.

Speaking at the ceremo-ny, the representatives of the NUC and former Vice-Chancellor of the Osun State University, Osogbo, Prof. Sola Akinrinade said that the NUC does not grant temporary approval for universities as being claimed by some of the il-legal universities, stress-ing that there were 14 stages involved before the Commission could grant licence to any university in the country.

have said in discourses that the armoury of Nigerian soldiers is not meant to fight fellow Nigerians, the armoury is meant to pro-tect fellow Nigerians.

A human life is sacred, more so, the life of every good Nigerian, no matter whose it is; and we all have moral, spiritual and social obligations to preserve and respect the lives of one an-other as we would want ours to be so preserved and respected, he added.

The governor regretted the killings and wanton destruction of properties in the state since 2009, not-ing that every human life is sacred.

Allah emphatically said in the Holy Quran that he has dignified every human being. He has placed high premium on the sacred-ness of human lives and as His dignified creatures; we should obediently respect the lives of fellow crea-tures. Let us be our broth-ers keeper, he said.

The governor warned

that emergency rule comes with rules different from those that guide day-to-day lives, and therefore urged the people of the state to take personal steps to avoid being caught by the unfa-miliar rules.

Shettima also urged the military to abide by the di-rective of the President to operate under the rules of engagement so that inno-cent lives and their proper-ties would be jealously pre-served and protected.

I further seize this opportunity for the ump-teenth time, to call on our brothers in the Jamaatu ahliss Sunnah lil Daawatu wal Jihad (Boko Haram) to embrace dialogue so that we can solve this problem on the table through collec-tive bargaining, offers and compromises. I am glad to note that the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution, is still working round the clock as also emphasised by the President, he added.

In Yobe State, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam yesterday

threw his weight behind the

declaration of state of emergency in his state.

This was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and In-formation, Abdullahi Bego.

The statement said: I agree with the President on the imposition of state of emergency in Yobe State, as there is no alternative to peace and security to peo-ples lives and property.

He said there was the need to take more effective measures in addressing the problems of insecurity in the country, as the Boko Ha-ram insurgency had claimed many lives and property in the last four years.

The statement reads: This administration and its citizens have expressed regret that

over the past few years, the problems of insurgency and criminality in Yobe State and other parts of the North have led to many deaths and injuries and caused untold hardship to millions of inno-cent people.

He added, The Yobe State Government will con-tinue to partner with the military Joint Task Force, JTF, and other security agents to ensure normalcy across the state.

The good people of this state should note, however that the proclamation of a state of emergency by Mr. President does not affect the political structure in the state. This administra-tion will remain focused and committed in the on-going task of transforming the state through the provi-sion of much-needed social services. We will continue to work closely with the security agents and will ensure that their conduct reflects the spirit of the emergency declaration by the President; and the rules of engagement specified for that purpose.

I called on the people to go about their normal and legitimate businesses and to report any suspicious movements in their areas to security agents. The people also should not to relent in

praying to the Almighty God for the restoration of peace and security in the state and the country in general.

Meanwhile, the 3 Bri-gade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, yesterday placed its officers on high alert in the aftermath of the state of emergency declared in three states of the North on Tues-day by President Jonathan.

Kano, the economic cen-tre of the North was among northern states threatened by violence fostered alleg-edly by militants of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, following the January 20, 2011 multiple bomb explo-sives that rocked the city.

National Mirror recalls that concerted efforts by the state government and security agents via the Joint Task Force and the police brought the situation under control as the state now witness relative peace.

In an interview with our correspondent yesterday, spokesman for Bukavu Barracks, Kano, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, said the Bri-

gade had placed combatant officers on the alert to take care of any eventuality.

There has been fresh deployment of personnel in the city to fortify the state, especially with the state of emergency declared in some Northern states to avoid any situation that will disrupt the peace Kano people are enjoying now.

He reasoned that with the emergency rule in the affected volatile states, pres-sure may force most of the militants to flee the areas in search of refuge elsewhere, so we have to be on the lookout.

Iweha said the Brigade is not leaving anything to chance. We have to keep the tempo until the desired result is achieved, which is total peace in Kano. So, we are not relaxing because we now have relative peace. Rather, we are still working harder to sustain it.

We have also increased the number of soldiers in the streets, raids on sus-pected hideouts will be car-ried out, he said.

Thursday, May 16, 2013 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net8

Thursday, May 16, 2013National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 9

Thursday, May 16, 2013 National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net10

GEORGE OJIABUJA

The Senate yesterday held a special session in honour of the late literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, during which the lawmakers took turns to eugolise him and called on the Federal Government to grant a state funeral in his honour in order to promote and showcase his excellent and positive contributions to Nigeria and the world.

The lawmakers also asked that a national monu-ment be named after him, in addition to asking that a federal highway or street in Abuja be named after the late literary giant.

This was as the lawmak-ers, in addition, observed

a one minute silence in his honour as well as set up a nine-member delegation led by the leader of Senate, Sen-ator Victor Ndoma-Egba, to visit and condole with the family of the late literary icon.

Contributing to the de-bate on the motion, entitled; Death of Prof. Chinualu-mogu Albert Achebe, and sponsored by Senator Chris Ngige and 107 other sena-tors, the late Achebe was variously described as a true nationalist, a sincere Nigerian, a prophet who saw tomorrow, a master sto-ry-teller, a disciplined, criti-cal and progressive writer, among other descriptions.

Born in Ogidi, Anambra State on November 16, 1930, Achebe died on March 23,

in Boston, Massachusetts, USA after a brief illness at the age of 82. He had his early education at St. Phil-ips Primary School, Ogidi; Government College Umua-hia, Abia State, University College, Ibadan (now Uni-versity of Ibadan), graduat-ing in 1953 with a degree in English. He wrote his first book, the widely read novel, Things Fall Apart in 1958.

Ngige described the late Achebe as a world fig-ure and a personality who brought fame and prestige to Nigeria and all humanity through his literary talents and works, having written several novels and essays, some of which became in-strumental for his dogged and dynamic activism ulti-mately seeking a better life

for Nigerians. The lawmaker described

the loss of Achebe as a monumental loss to his fam-ily, the people of Anambra Central senatorial district in Anambra State, Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, noted that as a literary giant, Achebe wrote several books and de-ployed several time-tested proverbs in those writings. He went ahead to list some of the prominent proverbs for which the literary icon was noted. The lawmaker said it was not for noth-ing that the late sage was bestowed with the title of Ugo Nabo of Ogidi (double eagle).

He stressed that the eagle is a very rare bird, noting

ROTIMI FADEYIABUJA

The Federal Govern-ment yesterday said it was in the best in-terest of the country to bor-row more money consider-ing the various economic activities taking place in the country.

Briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly meeting of the Fed-eral Executive Council, FEC, Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Nga-ma, said the debt profile of the country was still in order contrary to the fears being expressed over the debt profile, stressing that Nigeria was still within the under-borrowing range.

He said; The structure of our debt is not optimal. The bulk of the debt of our

country, in fact 88 percent is domestic and only 20 percent is foreign debt and then the level, we have a to-tal of over N6 trillion worth of debt; however it is not just the level but the cost of servicing that debt. Nigeria has one of the highest in-terest rate in the developing world and if there are high levels of debt, then debt servicing will become very expensive.

We should borrow more, considering our economic activities. There is no prob-lem with the level of our debt. The problem is the do-mestic debt. Interest rate is too high, Ngama said.

The Minister, however, said the major challenge with Nigerias debt was the high rate of servicing it.

Nigerias debt is about 18 per cent of the nations GDP.

The nation is under-borrow-ing. The standard is 40 per cent of the GDP; it is when it is over that there is problem.

We must continue to borrow. It is only poor peo-ple that do not borrow. Dan-gote and others do borrow; you can borrow once you are credit worthy. America is the most indebted coun-try in the world. Borrowing is good. The more money you have, the more money you need. There is nothing like satisfaction.

Ngama, who spoke alongside Minister of Infor-mation, Mr. Labaran Maku; and the Minister of Wa-ter Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe also disclosed that FEC approved a Medium Term Debt Management Strategy, MTDMS, which would run from 2013 to 2015.

He said the strategy was

TERH AGBEDEH

The shortlist for the 2013 Caine Prize for African Writing was announced yesterday and among the five stories cho-sen are an unprecedented four Nigerian entries. The fifth is from Sierra Leone.

The shortlist was select-ed from 96 entries from 16 African countries. They are all outstanding African sto-ries that were drawn from an extraordinary body of high quality submissions, said the Chair of judges, art historian and broadcaster, Gus Casely-Hayford.

Casely-Hayford said the five contrasting titles in-terrogate aspects of things that we might feel we know of Africa - violence, religion, corruption, fam-ily, community - but these are subjects that are decon-structed and beautifully re-made.

These are challeng-ing, arresting, provocative stories of a continent and its descendants captured at a time of burgeoning change.

The winner of the 10, 000 prize is to be announced at a ceremony at the Bodle-ian Library, Oxford, on Monday, July 8.

The Nigerians are: Elna-than John for Bayan Layi from Per Contra, Issue 25 (USA, 2012), Tope Folarin Miracle from Transition, Issue 109 (Bloomington, 2012), Abubakar Adam Ibra-him The Whispering Trees from The Whispering Trees, published by Parrsia Pub-lishers (Lagos, 2012), and Chinelo Okparanta Amer-ica from Granta, Issue 118 (London, 2012).

Pede Hollist (Sierra Le-one) got shortlisted for For-eign Aid from Journal of Progressive Human Servic-es, Vol. 23.3 (Philadelphia, 2012).

Meanwhile, Chika Unig-we, winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature 2012 for her book, On Black Sis-ters Street has emerged the 2013 winner of the Sylt Foundation African Writ-ers Residency Award.

Unigwe said she was very happy with the award. I am very grateful and so very happy, she said on her facebook page.

The Sylt Foundation had earlier announced the five finalists for the residency with Unigwe and Yewande Omotoso, making the list along with South Africans Ufrieda Ho and Zinaid Meeran, and Ethiopian Maaza Mengiste.

EMMANUEL ONANIABUJA

Former Chairman of the disbanded Pen-sion Reform Task Team, PRTT, Mr. Abdulra-sheed Maina, has dragged the Head of Service of the Federation, HoSF, and the Senate before the National Industrial Court, NIC, sit-ting in Abuja.

The embattled former chairman is challenging his removal from office as Assistant Director of Customs, Immigration and Prison Pension Office, CIPPO.

CIPPO is an establish-ment in the Ministry of Interior.

Maina had drawn the ire of the Senate, when he failed to honour several invitations by the upper chambers Joint Commit-tee on Establishment and Public Service as well as state and local govern-ment administration.

The joint committee was saddled with the task of probing the adminis-tration of pension funds to retired federal civil ser-vants.

His battle with the Sen-ate came to a head, when

Senate President, David Mark, personally signed a warrant of arrest on February 2, directing the Inspector-General of Po-lice, IGP, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to effect his ar-rest.

Consequent upon the de-velopment, the police boss declared Maina wanted.

However, the pension boss succeeded in securing an order of a federal high court in Abuja, which not only quashed the arrest warrant, but also granted an order of perpetual in-junction restraining the IGP from arresting him.

Senators want state burial, national monument for Achebe

Nigerias debt profi le in order, says FG

Four Nigerians shortlisted for 2013 Caine Prize

Pension scam: Maina drags HoS, Senate to court

L-R: Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. Abdulmumini Jibrin; Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and Vice-Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Yomi Ogunnusi, during a workshop on the functions of the House Committee on Finance in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

that, Achebe was one. Ekweremadu stated that Achebe was not just a rare eagle, but a rare Iroko tree, noting that you do not trans-plant the Iroko tree anyhow because it is only the gods that plant Iroko trees.

Senate President Da-vid Mark observed that it was difficult to pay tribute

to a man in the caliber of Achebe and described him as, a role model for both the youth and the elderly, a patriotic Nigerian who lived well ahead of his time. He was positively controversial as much as he was also pro-gressively controversial, a great nationalist a sincere Nigerian.

FEC approves 2013-2015 debt management strategybeing put together because of the current situation we find ourselves as far as the structure and level of the nations debt profile is con-cerned.

National Mirrorwww.nationalmirroronline.net 11NewsThursday, May 16, 2013

TORDUE SALEMABUJA

Nigerians studying in Russia, Cuba, China, Egypt, Mo-rocco, Algeria, Turkey, Romania and Serbia on scholarships by the Federal Government are stranded, it was learnt yesterday.

President of the Asso-ciation of Federal Govern-ment Doctoral Candidates in Russia, Mr Godwin Ez-inkwo, disclosed this at an interactive session with the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Af-fairs chaired by Hon. Abike

Dabiri-Erewa. He said: "Nigerian stu-

dents on scholarship in Russia and other countries, namely Morocco, Alge-ria, Cuba, Serbia, Turkey, China and Romania are all stranded. It is the same situation in Russia."

Ezinkwo, who said that the students were con-verted to beggars in those countries, regretted that "Nigeria Government sent its scholars overseas and abandon them there.

"The Nigerian Govern-ment, through the Ministry of Education, brings stu-dents to this hostile coun-

try and abandons them without proper attention to their welfare".

He said their scholar-ship stipends were not paid in the last six months on the excuse that the "budget is yet to be signed." Ezink-wo added that the students were forced to take beg-ging for money from their colleagues from Ghana, Kenya and other African countries".

In a presentation en-titled: "An urgent call for your intervention to the case of starving Nige-rian Federal Government scholarship students in

Russia," he said: "The As-sociation of Nigerian Fed-eral Government Doctoral Candidates in Russia is a union of Nigerian PhD students sent to Russia to pursue their doctoral pro-grammes.

The body is also a su-pervisory body of ANS-SIR, which is the Asso-ciation of the Nigerian Scholarship Students in Russia made up of post-graduate and undergradu-ate students."

In her response, Hon. Dabiri-Erewa promised that the committee would investigate the issue.

FG scholars stranded abroad

CHRIS NJOKUOWERRI

The Imo State Tra-ditional Rulers Council yesterday banished the proprietress of Ahamefule Motherless Babies Home, Lolo Ugo-chinyere Ahamefule, from the state.

Also banished was the 64-year-old retired vice-principal Chief Chimezie Osigweh, who was arrested by the police for allegedly killing his mother for ritual.

Ahamefule was ar-rested for running an il-legal baby factory at Umuaka In Njaba Local Government Area of the state where 23 extant teen-age girls were rescued last week Friday.

Osigwehs mother, Mrs Lucy Osigweh, who was reported missing since 2003, was discovered dead

in a cupboard in his sons room at Ejemekwuru Alaoma community in Oguta Local Government Area on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the Tradition-al Rulers Council secretar-iat in Owerri, the chair-man, Eze Samuel Ohiri said the two suspects had committed abominable acts against the land and therefore should be driven away from their commu-nities which he said they had desecrated.

He said their actions were alien to Ndigbo as the culture and tradition never encourage killing and child trafficking.

Ohiri said: What these people have done are abominable acts which the council has condemned in its entirety.

According to him, Aha-mefule and Osigweh would

not return to their commu-nities after the police are through with them.

He said: Osigweh has committed an abomina-tion for killing his mother that carried his pregnancy for nine months and dried her up like fish. The tradi-tional rulers in Imo State have concluded that the man be driven away from the state as soon as he is done with the police.

PAUL ARHEWEWITH AGENCY REPORTS

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has travelled to Tan-zania with a mission of introducing to the East Af-rican country and others Nigerias innovation in cas-sava bread baking.

Obasanjo, a goodwill am-bassador for the Interna-tional Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), took the bread to Tanzania where he publicly munched it with

GEORGE OPARAABIA

Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State yesterday dissolved the state executive council.

The state Commissioner for Information, Hon. Eze Chikamnayo, told journal-ists that the dissolution was not necessitated by ill-

feeling against the sacked executive, but embarked upon by the governor to pave the way for involving seasoned technocrats in governance.

Meanwhile, all perma-nent secretaries of the min-istries have been directed to take over the machinery of administration from the sacked commissioners.

OMEIZA AJAYIABUJA

President Good-luck Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mr. Benjamin Ezra Dikki as Director General, Bureau of Public En-terprises (BPE).

Dikki replaces Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa, who was recently sacked by the Presi-dent after an alleged altercation with the National Assembly.

A statement signed yesterday in Abuja by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, named Dr Oluwole Oluleye as the Execu-tive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Trust Fund (PTDF).

The statement, which also named Hon. Gbenga Elegbeyele as Director- General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), added that the appoin-tees were expected to resume duties immedi-ately.

HAKEEM GBADAMOSIAKURE

Ondo State Gov-ernor Olusegun Mimiko has sent names of commissioner-nominees to the state House of Assembly for screening.

According to a source, the House would invite the nominees for screen-ing next week.

It was learnt that al-most all the former com-missioners, who served with the governor in his first term, made the list.

The source listed the names of the nominees to include former Com-missioners for Informa-tion, Kayode Akinmade; Works, Gboye Adegbenro; Justice, Eyitayo Jegede; Community Develop-ment, Clement Faboyede and Health, Dr Dayo Ad-eyanju.

Others include former Commissioner for the Environment and Natu-ral Resources, Alhaji Ol-uboyo; Finance, Yele Og-undipe; Education, Remi Olatubora; Deji Falae, and Akin Adaramola

Investigation revealed that Mrs. Yemi Mammud is the new face among the nominees.

L-R: Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Nigeria's Ambassador to Kingdom of Belgium, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and European Union, Mr. Felix Awanbor and Speacial Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Abba Dabo, during a town hall meeting with the Nigerian Community in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday. PHOTO STATE HOUSE

Ondo Assembly gets list of commissioner-nominees

Jonathan approves heads for BPE, PTDF, NSC

Obasanjo exports cassava bread to Tanzania

Orji sacks exco

Traditional council banishes Ahamefule, Osigweh for desecration

the President of the Unit-ed Republic of Tanzania, Mrisho Jakaya Kikwete.

Former Tanzanian Presi-dent Benjamin Mkapa also ate the bread for the first time. The leaders supported the innovation, noting that it would bring several ben-efits to the continent.

The 40 per cent cassava bread was first developed by IITA in Nigeria as part of ef-forts to boost the utilization of cassava and create mar-ket for farmers.

President Kikwete after inaugurating the IITA Sci-ence Building in Dar es Sa-laam commended IITA for the bread technology, saying that the bread had an excel-lent taste.

He said: There is no dif-ference between this bread and the normal bread we are used to.

Obasanjo encouraged the Tanzania President to promote the use of cassava in confectionaries so as to transform agriculture.

He noted that the use of cassava flour in bread would stimulate the demand for the root crop, create jobs and, more importantly, make farmers proud.

Obasanjo, in 2002 initi-ated a policy on 10 per cent inclusion in bread under the Presidential Initiative on Cassava programme. The programme, which was implemented by IITA and na-tional partners, drove the de-mand for cassava, increased productivity by about 10 million tons in six years and made Nigeria the top world producer of cassava.

Last year, President Good-luck Jonathan called on Ni-gerians to join hands with the government to unlock the economic potentials of the nation by embracing locally produced products. He said his administration is irreversibly committed to the development of cas-sava market which he hopes would help in reducing food importation into the country.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net12 News Thursday, May 16, 2013

Emergency rule, plot to remove hostile governors Tinubu

coalition condemned acts of election rigging by impu-nity perpetuated especially by top government officials.

It said: For whatever reason, this is an unjusti-fiable act at that level of governance and injurious to deepening democratic governance in the country. It should therefore be con-demned by all well-meaning democrats not only in Nige-ria, but the world at large.

Against this backdrop we hereby call on Governor Ak-pabio to consider his rigging confession as self-indicting and therefore call for his out-right resignation from the

OLAJIDE OMOJOLOMOJU

A coalition of 17 civil society organisa-tions drawn from within and outside Nigeria under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society on Elector-al Security and Transpar-ency Initiative has called on Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio to resign over his alleged confession of electoral malpractice.

The group also called on President Goodluck Jona-than to set up a judicial pan-el of inquiry to investigate the alleged self confession.

nobody can predict. Experi-ence has shown clearly that actions, such as this one un-der consideration, often give root to radical ideologies and extremist tendencies, a direct opposite of the intended out-come of unwarranted and unintelligent meddlesome-ness. The present scenario playing out in the country reminds one of the classical case of a mediocre craftsman who continually blames the tools of his trade for his serial failure but refuses to look at his pitiable state with a view to adjusting.

Tinubu said it has be-come crystal clear, even to the most incurable optimist, that the country is adrift.

He added: Unfortunate-

than administration leads any keen watcher of events to unmistakable conclusion of the existence of a sur-reptitious but barely dis-guised intention to muzzle elected governments in the affected states for what is clearly a display of unpar-donable mediocrity and di-abolic partisanship geared towards 2015.

He said: Borno and Yobe states have been liter-ally under armies of occu-pation with the attendant excruciating hardship ex-perienced daily by the in-digenes and residents. This government now wants to use the excuse of the secu-rity challenges faced by the governors to remove them from the states considered hostile to the 2015 PDP/Jonathan project.

Let me be quick to say that this administration will be setting in motion a chain of events the end of which

Fasehun said the de-scription of Awolowo as the best president Nigeria never had shortly after his demise in 1987 by the late Biafran warlord, Chukwue-meka Odumegwu Ojukwu, was a testimony that there exist no problem or hatred between Awolowo and the Igbo race.

While urging Nigerians to learn to put the past be-hind them, said: We have become business partners. We stay together as co-ten-ants. We buy and trade in the same markets. We wor-ship together. We live to-gether. And sometimes, our people die together. Instead of allowing the ghost of a dead war to divide us, we must unite to confront to-days common enemies. Ni-gerians as one must tackle unemployment, hunger, homelessness, underdevel-opment, illiteracy, poverty, disease, corruption, in-security, terrorism, Boko Haram, infrastructural deficit, low life expectancy and self-serving politics, among others.

Electoral malpractice: Group calls for Akpabios resignation

Awo didnt hate Igbo Fasehun

exalted office of the Execu-tive Governor of Akwa Ibom State to face prosecution for electoral fraud.

The group also called on the House of Representa-tives to commence investi-gation into the activities of Akpabio, so as to avoid fur-ther disintegration of dem-ocratic ideals in the state.

Akpabio was quoted to have said: I used my own hand to strike out the name of the per-son who has won before, and I said it is important for me to give that region a Senator in 2007, and I produced Senator Aloysius Etok for you; thats where he comes from.

In a press statement signed by Ali Abacha, the National Coordinator Co-alition of Civil Society for Transparency and Good Governance, on behalf of the coalition, the group de-cried what it called elite phenomenon whereby those in positions of authority openly flout laws of the land with utmost disdain yet ar-rogantly admit to this and in most cases, get away with it.

Referring to the alleged admittance of Akpabio to influencing a senatorial election result and personal-ly replacing the winner with his preferred candidate, the

ly, the tenuous and uncoor-dinated approach adopted by this government betrays a grossly incompetent dis-position which stands at variance with current reali-ties in the country, nay the international community where acts of terrorism are engaged and contained. Putting the blame on the governors, who have been effectively emasculated, for the abysmal performance of the government at the centre which controls all security agencies, smacks of ignorance and mischief.

Tinubu said that adopt-ing the use of excessive force against those per-ceived as harbouring ter-rorists does not portray the government as possessing the wherewithal to find

Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson (right) being welcomed by the Deputy Governor, John Jonah (left) at the Government House, Yenagoa, yesterday.

abiding solutions to the lin-gering security challenges.

A state of emergency already exists in the states where JTF operates. Resi-dents of these communities live in constant fear. Their rights are violated with im-punity under the guise of searching for terrorists in their respective domains.

Hiding under some neb-ulous claims which border on the intractability of the security challenges posed by Boko Haram or some ac-claimed traditionalists who have killed some policemen to render ineffective the con-stitutional powers vested on elected governors and other representatives of the peo-ple, perceived as not ame-nable to manipulation for the 2015 project amounts to

reducing serious issues bor-dering on the survival of the country to partisan politics.

Let all those who love this country genuinely ad-vise the Federal Govern-ment not to tinker with the mandates of these gover-nors under any guise. It is a potentially destructive path to take. If security of a so-ciety is about the protection of lives and property of the citizenry, the involvement of the people is a sine qua non to effective intelligence gathering. Any measures put in place which alienate the people, in particular their elected representa-tives, should be considered as fundamentally defective by every right thinking per-son in the country, Tinubu averred.

Warns against subversion of constitutionFELIX NWANERI

National leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Bola Tinubu, yesterday warned against what he described as a dangerous trend in the art of governance and a deliberate ploy to subvert constitutional democracy.

He said that the declara-tion of the emergency rule is a plot to remove hostile governors so as to pave the way for President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 gen-eral elections.

Tinubu gave the warning while reacting to Tuesdays declaration of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Ad-amawa states by President Jonathan.

The former governor of Lagos State, in a statement by his Special Adviser (Me-dia), Sunday Dare, said the body language of the Jona-

AYO ESAN

Founder of the pan Yo-ruba group, the Ood-ua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Chairman of the Committee for the Resusci-tation of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, has said that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was not an enemy of the Igbos.

He also said that the UPN is a moving train that can-not be stopped by any an-tagonist.

Speaking at a press con-ference in Lagos yesterday, Fasehun said that the cam-paign that the late Awolowo hate the Igbo is farther from the truth.

His words: Chief Awolo-wo and the UPN remain interconnected. By virtue of the fact that the UPN was founded by Awolowo in 1984, UPN was Awo and Awo was UPN. And antagonists feel that by rubbishing the memory of Awo, they would be rubbishing the UPN in a certain part of the country.

PoliticsNational Mirror

www.nationalmirroronline.net 13Thursday, May 16, 2013

Anambra guber: Ngige rev up activities

1514

Okorocha is gambling with APC Okwu

soon as I see it, I will react. I will like to see the hard copy of the

letter because in Nigeria, anything is pos-sible. I dont doubt you.

What is your mission in APGA?Honestly, I dont see myself going be-

yond two years in office as APGA chair-man. I want to contest election in my state, Enugu. That was why I am in this business; to make APGA formidable in Enugu State to enable me contest and have a chance of winning. There are so many political of-fices I can vie for like the Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly and even governorship position.

Where exactly do you hail from because there is the rumour that youre from one village in Benue State?

I wont answer that question. It is not worth answering. How can anybody stand up and say that to me? I am from Enugu State. Its so clear, it is not arguable. My father is not a hidden person. He was a Senator, minister and everything. I am from Achi in Enugu State. I found the insinuation laughable.

Umeh has said his tenure has not ex-pired; what informed the sudden conven-tion to kick him out from office?

People have forgotten that Umeh started as acting National Chairman of the party since December 2004. Now we are in 2013. He has been parading himself as APGA Chairman for almost nine years. There was a time he took Chekwas Okorie to court when Okorie said he wont stay be-yond eight years. The basic fact is that Umeh has been APGAs Chairman for nine years uninterrupted and he still wants to continue in that position. If his tenure is four years that is renewable, by January 2007 when the convention the court nulli-fied was held, Umehs tenure has expired. The court said he has no capacity by Janu-ary 2011 to hold convention. The conven-tion he coordinated in 2011 was nothing but illegal. Thats the fact of the whole issue. He has stayed beyond his tenure. Normally before your tenure expires as chairman, you need to conduct fresh elec-tion but he did not do so because he cares to remain as APGA chairman forever. So, it is not a personal thing.

There are rules of engagement in democ-racy. You finish your first four year tenure and go back to the party for a fresh mandate of another four year term. The fact is that Umeh wanted to be APGA chairman forever sim-ply because of the benefits that are accrued to him. Even the PDP that people have con-demned on so many occasions have changed its national chairmen more than once since 2004. Yet, the likes of Umeh have been throw-ing bricks to PDP on many issues whereas he want to be the chairman of APGA forever.

Governor Peter Obi has not conducted local government election in Anambra State for seven years. What is your party doing about this?

I can assure you that local government election will take place in Anambra State this year. The electoral commission has assured me that it will do that. The arrangement had been on ground even before my election. The legal constraints have been removed to en-sure the council election take place this year.

A lot of people are confused that since Victor Umeh won his appeal, you would obey the decision of the court but you are still acting as if nothing has hap-pened. How do you explain this?

Umeh did not win any appeal as people were wrongly made to believe. What he got in the Appeal Court was a stay of one of the four orders by the Court of Appeal. Out of the four orders that Enugu State High Court made, only one was stayed. They stayed that aspect that restrained him from parading himself as the chairman of our party. The Court of Appeal agreed that all issues have been overtaken by events. Number one; that there was no convention. Second, that there should be a convention and that the NEC of the party should have met and ordered a con-vention. I think there are about four issues raised and we have done all that. The court never said there was non-existence conven-tion. It never said that. The court said once a judgement is declaratory, we cannot stay it. Every lawyer knows that you dont stay what has been done. The deed had been done already, judgement had been executed by the NEC of the party; convened a convention in Awka and elected its national officers.

Umehs activity against the party is an exercise in futility.

Why did the party bring forward the convention date as against the earlier chosen date?

That is not true. The notice to INEC from the party was April 8. You should understand that INEC doesnt work on sentiment. A party must put everything on paper before INEC, which we did. The only shift we made was the venue from Enugu to Awka. INEC was given adequate notice by our party. We gave 21 days notice. Thats what electoral guideline says. We gave INEC the date and time. Normally if you want to hold a convention, you should conduct proper accreditation. We did this as we began around 9p.m. And I won at the end of the counting of votes.

How do you see the future of APGA in Imo State with the defection of Governor Rochas Okorocha to All Progressive Congress (APC)?

Our party had issued a statement in this regard and we urged Governor Okorocha to rethink. Actually, we see his challenges and dilemma but we are saying he should take it calmly. The APC is not a registered party; this is a fact as at present. Okorocha is gam-bling on a quantity that may collapse. I wish the APC well but its obvious it is not yet in a bag. It is still in the offing. It has not been reg-istered by INEC. For Okorocha to jettison a party that gave him the platform to become a governor and started to gamble with an as-

sociation that its composition is worrisome, we advise him to rethink. The position of the governor of a state is not a small thing. We would not be talking of sanction or dis-cipline. Well wait and see whether sanity will prevail through diplomacy and behind the scene discussion. But, at the end of the day, he would decide. His issue will become a legal thing if the APC is finally registered and Okorocha collects APC card. For now, by position of law, he is still a card-carrying member of APGA. Politically, APGA is there before Okorocha become a governor and the party will continue to exist after him. He has been with other parties in the country before he used APGA platform. He owed this party a lot. There is a moral bur-den for him to carry at this juncture.

With the division in APGA, dont you see this affecting the fortune of the party in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State?

I have been trying my best to bring every aggrieved member back to the fold of the party. The truth is that there is also enmity in heaven. A political party cannot isolate itself from crises. Today, there are internal crises in the PDP, worse than what we have in APGA. What we suddenly realise in our party is that Umeh is now like a bull in a Chinas shop. From his approach to things and activities, he likes to destroy APGA rather than allow the house to stand. We will not allow that to happen. We are going to ease him out. If a 26-member NEC that he led has left him except two or three of his cronies, he should have seen the hand-writing on the wall and resign. In a much more civilised society, Umeh should have resigned honourably without being asked to quit. Be that as it may, I have extended a hand of fellowship to him thrice. I recalled I did that at the convention venue, later at the Town Hall meeting in Abuja and before the Abuja meeting. I have said it times with-out number that I will give him soft landing but he has refused to accept my hands of fellowship. Instead, he has been fighting harder. There is a limit which you can push a horse to drink, he just want to be the clog in the wheel of progress of the party.

As I am speaking to you, Umeh is the Di-

rector of Publicity of C21 group founded by Rochas Okorocha. All of them are in APC.

Immediately we sort out the main legal issue before us, which we believe should be over latest two weeks from now, well roll out action for the elections like the coun-cil election and governorship election in Anambra State.

In your own view, what do you think is energising him?

I am aware that Umeh has tasted power for long as a chairman of APGA. He was empowered by the partys constitution. I am also aware that a fat pocket is giving him a full backing. So, theres a lot at stake being the chairman of a strong party like APGA. For instance, I was once a chair-man of Citizens Popular Party between 2005 and 2012. Then, nobody reckon with me that time, but now that I am the chair-man of APGA, a party that can boast of having a serving governor and members of National Assembly, everybody is com-ing to me. I received more calls now as Na-tional Chairman APGA unlike when I was the National Chairman CPP. So, you can see why Umeh is fighting tooth and nail to remain the partys national chairman.

INEC has written to Umeh recognising him as the authentic APGAs National Chairman. Whats your reaction to this development?

I have not seen a copy of the letter. As

Okwu

Maxi Okwu is the National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) elected at the April 8 convention. In this interview, he speaks on the crisis of leadership rocking the party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) among other issues. AYODELE OJO reports.

FOR OKOROCHA TO JETTISON A PARTY

THAT GAVE HIM THE PLATFORM HE USED TO BECOME A GOVERNOR

AND STARTED TO GAMBLE WITH AN

ASSOCIATION THAT ITS COMPOSITION IS

WORRISOME, WE ADVISE HIM TO RETHINK

Okorocha is gambling with APC Okwu14 Politics National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.netThursday, May 16, 2013

Former governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige is back to the game he knows best politicking follow-ing his recent declaration to contest the governorship election in the state sched-uled to hold later in the year.

Before now, a sort of lull has been wit-nessed in the build-up to the poll, but the entrance of Ngige into the race is expected to rev up political activities in the state that prides itself as Home for All, given his rich political experience and acceptability by a proportion of the electorate.

Ngige presently represents Anambra Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which has fused into the yet to be registered All Pro-gressive Congress (APC) and it is expected that he will square up against an array of other seasoned politicians and even techno-crats if he gets his partys nod to fly its flag.

Notable personalities who have already indicated interest in taking over from Gover-nor Peter Obi, who is serving a second term, include Andy Uba, Annie Okonkwo; former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Chukwuma Soludo; a member of the House of Representatives, Mrs Uche Ekwunife; businessmen, Nicholas Ukachukwu and Obinna Uzoh and the chairman of Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, Ifeanyi Uba, who is in the race for the first time.

Interestingly, most of the aspirants, if not all, are financial heavyweights, which has prompted some political analysts to ex-press doubt over Ngiges chance.

However, Rainbow Coalition, the group behind the former governors ambition insists that he towers more than his oppo-nents. The coalition comprises members of the ACN, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).

Convener and coordinator of the group, Ben Oranusi, who spoke at Ngiges decla-ration in Awka, the state capital, said his group came to a conclusion that Ngige is better positioned to pilot the states affairs after an assessment of all the candidates in the race.

His words: We are urging Ngige to come and contest this election and continue from where he stopped. We have been holding meeting for months and now is the time to call him up and say go for us and become our governor again.

Responding, Ngige not only declared for the contest but came hard on the Obi admin-istration for misappropriating funds that ac-crued to the state in the last seven years.

He said: While I was there as governor, I worked with about N80 billion as total bud-get and executed projects worth about N69 billion. If we go by this data, you will dis-cover that the four budgets, which I pros-ecuted; I had about N150 billion, including the Internally Generated Revenue.

Yet we delivered services and built roads and lifted the embargo on employ-

ment and promotion, which the then gov-ernor placed while in office. But when you compare my administration with that of the incumbent, Obi, you will see the differ-ence. He had received N1.2 trillion in total as allocation from the Federation Account and about N800 billion as local government allocation which makes it up to roughly N2 trillion in the last seven years, yet we have nothing to show for it.

I wish to ask, what do we have in Anambra State in terms of infrastructure to show for the N2 trillion received by the governor? Even if you allow for inflation by doubling the N150 billion to N300 billion, does the situation in Anambra State justify the huge resources that has come into the state since then?

Expectedly, the assertion has sparked off a row between him and Obi, who in-turn, challenged his predecessor to a public de-bate to set the record straight.

Speaking through his Senior Special As-sistant on Media, Valentine Obienyem, Obi said it was laughable for Ngige to raise the is-sue of infrastructural development when the people of the state have continued to marvel at infrastructural growth in all sectors.

He said: Besides the roads Ngige built in Idemili, he did nothing for other parts of the state and in other sectors. Look at his alma mater, Alor Boys; he is not ashamed that the place is being rebuilt by Governor Obi.

The other day, we met him at Girls Sec-ondary School, Alor, where he thanked the governor for rebuilding the school. All he did was to move the State University Col-lege of Medicine to Alor, his home town, without building a table. Today, Obi has built the teaching hospital from scratch and it has been accredited.

Chief Press Secretary to Obi, Mike Udah, in a statement, said his principal has performed more than any of his pre-

Government Area. This is mendacious in all facets, as roads such as Isuochi- Owerri Ezukala-Ogbunka Umunze, Umunze to Igboukwu, dualisation of Zik Avenue, Mo-debe Avenue in Onitsha, Amawbia-Agulu, Abba-Abagana, Nnewi to Neni and other notable township roads which make up the 77 roads built by the Ngige administration in so short a time and with the little funds gotten by the administration were not in Idemili area.

Also, they claim that they have built more roads, having spent eight years in government, we believe that they should have done more than they claimed. How-ever, what is not a subject for debate is the quality of these roads built by the Obi ad-ministration, which at best can be said to have a lifespan of two years. Does it make any sense to build roads with enormous resources only for successive governments to revisit these roads with resources that would have gone to other areas such as healthcare, education and security? Ask Ndi Anambra to compare the roads done by Senator Ngige with those done by the Obi administration and you will get answers in affirmation of what the senator is saying.

On the issue of Ngige attending Alor Boys, it is on record that Ngige attended St Johns Alor and not Alor Boys as wrongly put out by Obienyem. Also, it is very wrong of the Obi administration to accuse Ngige of neglecting his alma mater, since he has contributed to the renovation of the school buildings, provided solar lighting for the school as well as donated a functional com-puter centre also to the school.

Obi and Ngige could not be said to be best of friends, even before now. It would be recalled that the duo had a running legal battle between 2003 and 2006 as a result of the hijack of the mandate given to the for-mer in the 2003 governorship election by the PDP, which had Ngige as its candidate then.

Obi only became governor in March 2006 after the Court of Appeal sacked Ngige. A second attempt by the medical doctor turned politician to return to the seat in 2010 on the platform of the ACN failed al-though he came second, ahead of top favou-rite, Soludo of the PDP. He was later to win a senatorial seat in the 2011 polls.

While the battle of wits is not expected to subside in the days ahead, as propaganda has become an integral part of the nations politicking, a political school of thought in the state has opined that the crossfire may impair Ngiges chances at the polls given the incumbency factor.

Those in this school are of the view it would be suicidal for the incumbent to handover to one other than his anointed, as an opposition successor is likely to insti-tute a probe that would be used to rubbish him. Ngige, they maintained, would be a last option against this backdrop.

But strong as their postulation may be, those in Ngiges camp insist that they are not losing sleep. According to them, Ngige has fought several political battles in the past including the one in which he liber-ated the state from enslavement of the self-styled political godfather of Anambra poli-tics, Chris Uba in 2003.

Will Ngige re-enact his brand of politics which has redefined Anambra politics of late? Only time will tell, as Anambra poli-tics has over time proved