The Nation Newspaper

Category: News

  • Unemployed youths protest in Port Harcourt

    •Threaten to boycott election

    Hundreds of unemployed youths under the aegis of Abandoned Youths of Nigeria Initiative (AYE) marched on the streets of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday to protest alleged government’s insensitivity to their plight.

    The protesters from the 36 states and Abuja took off from the School of Basic Studies (SBS) at Rumuola in Obio/Akpor Local Government through the busy Port Harcourt/Aba Road and stopped at the Isaac Boro Park.

    They demanded to be included in the N65, 000 monthly allowances being given to ex-militants.

    A statement by the National President, Eferebo Opakariari, and the National Secretary, Edwin Essien, sought a declaration of state of emergency on unemployment, creation of a ministry of social security and welfare, stipulation of policies and programmes that would address the needs of youths.

    The youths threatened to boycott next year’s elections, if the Federal Government refuses to listen to their demands.

    Eferebo said: “The gap between the government and the youth is very wide, and we are saying that if Nigeria wants to have peace, the Federal Government should extend amnesty benefits to all unemployed youth.

    “This would reduce terrorism, militancy, and other crimes. What we are doing here has a lot of impact on next year’s general election. If President Goodluck Jonathan does not listen to the affairs of this group, we will boycott next year’s elections, we are tired.”

     

  • Imoke hailed on zoning

    Imoke hailed on zoning

    Political leaders from the Northern Senatorial Zone of Cross River State have lauded Governor Liyel Imoke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for zoning the governorship slot to the zone.

    The leaders assured Imoke and the party that they would ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants from the zone.

    Imoke urged the leaders to remain focused and not to be distracted by forces that will cause confusion.

    The governor enjoined aspirants to begin consultation with leaders across the three senatorial zones, even as he reiterated his earlier position not to anoint his successor.

    “Anyone who is waiting for anointment is not prepared to be governor because he is not part of the process.

    “Whoever that will succeed me must have the capacity to surpass me. He must understand the most difficult political situations of our state and that the person should be supported.”

  • North’s situation challenging, says Maitama Sule

    North’s situation challenging, says Maitama Sule

    First Republic Minister Maitama Sule said yesterday in Kano that he has written to President Goodluck Jonathan, intimating him of the security challenges in the North.

    Addressing the Northern Youth Development Foundation (NYDF) delegation in Kano, Sule said he was convinced that the North is suffering from humiliation and discrimination.

    “I wrote to the Chairman Northern Governors Forum and the President telling them about the prevailing situation.

    “ I also pointed out that if President  Goodluck Jonathan doesn’t stop it, we would have disastrous consequences.”

    “The situation in the country is so bad, but I believe what we should do is to get together and tell one another the truth-let us agree to accommodate our differences and put Nigeria above personal interest.”

    Sule urged the leadership class to respond to  constructive criticism where necessary.

    He praised the group for not taking the law into their hands and how they respectfully presented their case to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II.

    The former minister acknowledged that every religion preaches peace and peaceful coexistence as the first doctrine of every religion.

    Sule said the ugly things  the country  is passing through will soon come to pass, pointing out that as the Civil War , among other crises, has come to pass.

    He expressed the belief that dialogue can still solve the problem in the country and is still the best option to any crisis.

  • Daniel, Amosun disagree on Ogun’s economy

    Daniel, Amosun disagree on Ogun’s economy

    Former Governor Gbenga Daniel has again faulted the administration of his successor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, saying its programmes are destroying the state’s economic base.

    Daniel, who addressed a summit of the Labour Party (LP) at Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government area, accused Amosun’s government of steadily  plunging the state into debt through  borrowing unnecessarily when it should be building on the legacies of the past administration.

    According to Daniel, Amosun was frustrating companies he had facilitated by his style of administration.

    He cited Dangote Group of Companies, which ought to have built a refinery in the state but changed the idea because of his successor’s programmes, lamenting that had the refinery been established, it would have absorbed no fewer than 30,000 workforce.

    Daniel said: “Ogun Waterside suppose to be the industrial base of Ogun State of the future, the result is the Free Trade zone in Ogun State. Many people do not understand the meaning of this Free Trade Zone. This is a very big industrial estate. The whole essence of that estate is for us to have the opportunity to have as many industries as possible in this local government.

     

     

     

    “On Olokola LNG, the project which suppose to be in Ode-Omi within this local government, is supposed to be the biggest investment of LNG in the world. But what happened to us in this place? You people made a mistake, you elected a governor who is not interested and because the governor is not doing what he supposed to do, the project has been abandoned since our last administration handed over three years ago.

    “The most painful of all is that before I left government, I have signed a contract with Dangote Group to establish the biggest refinery in Nigeria in Ode Omi and they’ve started the preliminary work. But unfortunately, when you people made the mistake and voted for this current governor, for one reason or the other, Ogun State has now lost the project to Lagos State. The refinery, which is being planned in Ode Omi, has the capacity to employ 30,000 people. We have lost that now because we don’t have a good governor.”

    But reacting, the state government dismissed Daniel’s allegations as “illogical,” saying  the former governor is known for making frivolous claims about Amosun’s programmes.

    Speaking through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, the government said Daniel’s claims are illogical as he had shouted same way during his eight years in office instead of facing the task of governance.

    Olaniyonu  said: “How can he say we are destroying the economy of the state when President Jonathan, who he claimed to be supporting, has been in this state severally to commission industries.

    “The president at one of his visits declared that Ogun is the most industrialised state in country and everyone in the state will soon find job to do. Many industries now throng the state among which is the Procter and Gamble – the biggest American investment in Nigeria outside oil and gas.

    “This is how he shouted for eight years when he was in power, except if he is seeing what the president and other investors are not seeing or people are seeing what he sees not, his argument is illogical.”

  • Gawat disappearance mysterious, says don

    Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) Prof Is-haq Lakin Akintola has described the circumstances that led to the disappearance of front line Television presenter, Alhaji Rasak Aremu Gawat, as mysterious.

    Akintola, a senior lecturer at the Lagos State University (LASU),  spoke a special prayer organised for Alhaji Gawat by the Muslim Media Practitioners in Nigeria (MMPN) Lagos State Chapter, at NTA Mosque, Tejuosho, Lagos.

    The popular Television presenter/Master of ceremonies was declared missing since two years ago and efforts to find him have remained unsuccessful.

    A visibly troubled Akintola, said it is sad that the whereabouts of eloquent TV presenter is still unknown.

    He said: “It is mysterious. Mysterious in the sense that it is very unusual for a human being to just disappear without any trace. This is a minor on the part of the security agency; unfortunately, no information about his whereabouts till date.”

    According to him, those who abducted Gawat did it because of his (Gawat) activities, thereby urging journalists and clerics to be conscious of what they write, say and where they say it.

    The special prayer, which lasted for hours, was graced by Muslim journalists in Lagos state. Friends of Gawat were not left out as they turned out to honour him.

    MMPN Coordinator AbdulWarith Solanke thanked the participants, saying: “We are here because of our brother, Gawat, who was declared missing two years ago. We are here to pray for him, and we believe, with prayers, everything is possible. We are also here because of ourselves. Whatever we do for Gawat today, we do it for ourselves and we will be rewarded for it.”

    Shaykh Sulayman Adangba led the prayers with recitation of selected portions from the Qur’an and supplication.

    Shaykh Sulaiman Adangba, the National Missioner of Al-Fatiu Quareeb Society of Nigeria said: “What happened to Gawat would definitely visit anyone that always says the truth. In as much as we are conscious of what we say, there is need for us to radicalise our lectures for people to understand our message.”

    Gawat’s close friend and partner, Alhaji Tajudeen Uzamot hailed MMPN for the idea, saying, “I am optimistic that my friend is not dead, and I believe that through prayers, Allah will bring him back.”

    Uzamot described Gawat as a pleasant and God fearing person.  “He is also man of the people, who loves his family dearly,” he said.

  • South Sudan rebels break ceasefire – Unmiss

    South Sudan rebels break ceasefire – Unmiss

    The United Nations (UN) has accused South Sudanese rebels of violating a ceasefire by launching an offensive to recapture its former headquarters.

    The attack on Nasir town was the “most serious resumption of hostilities” since May, the UN said.

    The rebels said they had seized the town in an act of “self-defence”. The government denied the town had fallen.

    Fighting between government and rebel forces broke out in December, leaving more than a million homeless.

    President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar met in May and recommitted themselves to a ceasefire negotiated in January by regional leaders.

    Rebel spokesman Lul Kuang said they launched an offensive because of several attempts by government forces to arrest their commander.

    A South Sudanese child displaced by recent fighting cleans utensils at the Bor camp in Jonglei state on 29 April 2014 Hundreds of thousands of people are living in refugee camps

    “The fall of Nasir now paves the way for military resources to be refocused on Poloich Oil Fields, Maban and Malakal,” Mr Kuang said in a statement.

    South Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer denied Nasir had fallen following clashes between the two sides.

    “It is deplorable that this major attack comes at a time when intensive efforts are under way by mediators of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to convince all parties to resume the suspended peace talks in Addis Ababa,” Unmiss acting head Raisedon Zenenga said in the statement.

    “The attack is a clear violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement,” he added.

    South Sudan is the world’s newest state and became independent in 2011.

    Conflict erupted in December after Mr Kiir accused Mr Machar, his sacked deputy, of plotting a coup.

    Mr Machar denied the allegation, but then marshalled a rebel army to fight the government.

    The UN has about 8,500 peacekeepers in South Sudan. They have struggled to contain the conflict.

    Map of South Sudan states affected by conflict Fighting erupted in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in mid-December. It followed a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his ex-deputy Riek Machar. The squabble has taken on an ethnic dimension as politicians’ political bases are often ethnic.

     

  • Dickson declares Bayelsa accounts

    Dickson declares Bayelsa accounts

    The Bayelsa State government has declared N2 billion as the total amount available in its coffers after deduction of recurrent and capital expenditures spanning three months.

    At the monthly transparency initiative briefing for April, May and June, Governor Seriake Dickson, who was represented by Deputy Governor Gboribiogha John Jonah, said the declaration of the state’s monthly income and expenditure was in line with the administration’s policy of transparency and accountability.

    In the breakdown, Dickson said at the end of April, the state posted a balance of N14.87billion, including balance brought forward from March, which stood at N7.263 billion.

    At the end of May, the state had a balance of N14.621 billion, including N8.938 billion brought forward from April.

    At the end of last month, the state posted N2 billion after necessary deductions, which include bank loan re-payment and services, recurrent and capital expenditure.

     

  • Boko Haram holds sway in Damboa as Air force chopper crashes

    Boko Haram holds sway in Damboa as Air force chopper crashes

    The Boko Haram sect is holding sway in Borno State town of Damboa about 80 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, a local vigilante leader told the BBC.

    The vigilante force defending the town fled on Sunday as Boko Haram’s black flag is now flying over Damboa, he said.

    No fewer than 40 people were killed when Boko Haram attacked Damboa on Friday, the vigilante leader added.

    Damboa is one of the biggest towns in Borno state and a busy trading centre.

    During the fighting in Damboa, some electricity installations were damaged. This has left Maiduguri without electricity for three weeks, a local resident told the BBC.

    A Nigerian Air Force Helicopter yesterday crashed in Bama also in Borno State.

    A statement by Director of Defence Information Major General Chris Olukolade, said the helicopter was on a training mission and the crash was due to a technical fault.

    The statement added that the crash was not the action of any enemy but purely accidental.

    “A Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission this afternoon, crashed due to technical fault at a location South of Bama. Investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident. Meanwhile, it is established that the crash is not as a result of any enemy action. Further details on the crash will be made known as soon as the investigation is completed,” the statement said.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also yesterday said 15,204 persons have been displaced by the weekend’s attack on Damboa.

    An epidemic may arise as a result of several bodies left unburied on the streets of the town as the surviving residents were made to flee.

    It was also gathered that thousands of people were seen yesterday morning fleeing towards Uba town from Damboa and other areas bordering it that were attacked by the insurgents.

    A source from the town said: “Thousands of our people are running in all directions and over 1000 people fled in the direction of Uba to seek solace.”

    The Boko Haram sect on Saturday killed over 60 people at Gaidamgari village in Bama local government area of Borno State, following the refusal of residents to allow their young males enlisted as members of the terrorists group.

    The sect, it was learnt had embarked on a recruitment drive to shore up its membership, but villagers resisted allowing their children to join.

    “The refusal of the community to allow their children particularly young boys between the ages of 15 to 20 to be recruited into the Boko Haram group, led to the carnage that befell them as the terrorists mobilised and launched a deadly attack on Gaidamgari village,” security source said.

    He pointed out that during the attack, over 60 residents were killed, while several others sustained gunshot wounds.

    He said, the gunmen that invaded the village were many, using Toyota Hilux vehicles with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

    Another security personnel, however, said only 29 people were killed.

     

  • Why PDP lawmakers are after Al-Makura, by aide

    Why PDP lawmakers are after Al-Makura, by aide

    Some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly are after Governor Tanko Al-Makura for selfish political interest, it was learnt yesterday.

    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor on Public Affairs Abdulhamid Kwarra made the assertion in Abuja.

    He described the lawmakers as “lacking legislative decorum and maturity”.

    The aide said the aim of the PDP is to take over the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He challenged the lawmakers to show to Nigerians what law they relied upon to say that they have purportedly served the impeachment notice on the governor.

    Kwarra said: “The issue of serving the governor  impeachment notice is no longer news, what is instructive is the fact that as I speak to you now,  the Nasarawa State House of Assembly is yet to serve him.

    “That is to say, the so-called notice of impeachment has not yet been formally or officially served on Al-Makura.”

    On why some of the lawmakers are bent on impeaching the governor, Kwarra who is also a former Majority Leader in the House of Assembly, accused the lawmakers of being afraid to lose their seats next year.

    Kwarra said: “I wouldn’t want to speak for the House of Assembly on what may have been its motive, but let me assume what may be the causes of the political impasse, if I may use that language, or what may have triggered or necessitated or that led to initiating an impeachment process in Nasarawa State. It is a combination of factors.

    “One, the Abuja factor: you see the PDP and the Abuja authorities suddenly came to terms with reality that a formidable opposition party, the APC has emerged and its emergence certainly threatens the status quo.

    “Whatever the PDP does to destabilise APC controlled states. It is simply a matter of political strategy because we are heading towards 2015.

    “Two, back home in Nasarawa, it is a conflict of political interests, one, between the executive and the legislature. At a point in time the governor wanted to bring back democratic structures in the local governments,  the lawmakers refused.

    “They preferred a transitional management committee, meaning the governor should propose a transitional management committee where they will approve appointed leadership for the local governments.

    “Then there is another interest, that is what I would call the sentimental aspect which is those who are advancing and promoting religion.

    “You also have the likes of people who have been out of power or out of government for so long and now if you have a new government it is an opportunity to have new appointees coming on board to enjoy government patronage.

    “So all these things like I said internally it is a conflict of interest. Basically, these are what we will attribute to the causes of the crises in Nasarawa.”

    On the security implications, the aide said: “In terms of the security challenges, in fact, everybody knows that the nation’s security challenges are so overwhelming and it is sad that the authorities in Abuja are opening new war fronts simply because they want to satisfy selfish political ambition next year.

    “Let me more emphatic, if there is a threat to our democracy today, blame nobody for it but the same political class because what is a threat to our democracy today is this selfish desire to hang onto power even when you are not popular, even when you do not in one way or the other deliver services that have any impact on the lives of people.

    “Politicians in this country are not thinking of the next generation, they are not thinking of tomorrow, they are not thinking of leaving legacies.

    . From the day you are elected you are thinking of the next election. It is very sad and that is why today, we are gradually moving to a state of anarchy.”

     

     

  • REC collected N44.3m from PDP, Niger APC alleges

    REC collected N44.3m from PDP, Niger APC alleges

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Emmanuel Onucheyo, of collecting N44.37million from the government.

    It said Onucheyo has reduced the commission to a state parastatal.

    The Publicity Secretary, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement in Minna yesterday said the REC lacks the credibility to conduct free and fair elections  due to his romance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government.

    Vatsa said: “Apart from the frequent private visits to political office holders, the REC has continued to make financial request from the government for organising workshop, seminar and embarking on enlightenment campaigns.

    “The unfortunate aspect of some of these workshops, seminars or enlightenment campaigns is that INEC has never included any opposition party.”

    APC alleged that the governor approved N44,375,850 for INEC to organise what it called “National Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voter-Education and Publicity (NICVEP)”.

    According to the statement, the REC in his proposal for the Advisory Committee on Voter Education and Publicity said “The Niger State government under the able leadership of the chief servant is hereby invited to consider and approve as follows; intensive voter education as prelude to INEC’s conduct of continuous voter registration and issuance of permanent voter cards.

    “Approve the above strategies and their implementation in Niger State and the sum of N44,375,850, being the amount required for the implementation of these programmes and activities.

    “Please direct the release of N44,375,850 to the committee for timely execution of the programme and activities enumerated above”.

    The opposition alleged that the committee, which was inaugurated on June 5, following the release of funds, has begun work.

    But Onucheyo denied making any request for funds  from either the commission headquarters or the government.

    He, however, admitted writing a letter to the government for the formation of the committee as directed by the Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.

    “I have never requested or collected any fund from the Commission or Niger State government for the advisory committee.

    “ I only sent a letter to the government dated May 7 as directed by my chairman for the formation of the committee.

    “The letter highlighted the membership of the inter-agency advisory committee, I am not responsible for who represent these agencies,” Onucheyo said.

    When asked for the source of funding the committee, the REC said: “The committee as at now is functional.

    “No money has been released from either INEC or state government.”

    But the Secretary to the State Government, Sheidu Idris Ndako, said the government released N28.7million to the committee and not N44.37 million as alleged by the opposition.

    The SSG said a committee was formed based on the directive from the INEC National Headquarters as conveyed to the government by the REC.