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  • Gana: Jonathan ’ll campaign in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

    Gana: Jonathan ’ll campaign in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa

    •‘N21b donation for party secretariat, others’

    THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will take President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and other states in the Northeast ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    Chairman of the PDP fundraising dinner and former Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, stated this in Abuja yesterday.

    Gana is also the director, Contact and Mobilisation of the President’s campaign organisation.

    Towns and villages in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states are under Boko Haram’s attacks.

    A number of the towns and villages have been seized by the sect members, with hundreds of innocent citizens killed, maimed and abducted.

    Gana said: “As the director, Contact and Mobilisation, yes, we are going to go to the Northeast. The campaign organisation is going to be inaugurated today (yesterday) and because we are organised, the programme is ready.

    “Northeast is in our programme and in fact, we are going to campaign in Maiduguri, Yobe and everywhere else. And by the grace of God, we shall come back.”

    On the chances of the PDP in next month’s elections, Prof. Gana said the electorate will go for capacity and experience.

    His words: “People will go for experience and capacity and not those that will be experimenting with the new house, because we don’t know whether the new house will last after the election.

    “People, who want to be stable, build on solid rock, which is the PDP. The other one is the sand; and when you build on sand, it may scatter. Please advise Nigerians to vote for the party that is on the rock.

    “This is a critical year for Nigeria, but it will all go well. There won’t be violence; the elections will be free and fair. The winner will be clear and Nigeria will not break up. Anyone who says Nigeria will be divided will be disappointed, because Nigerians have become very mature politicians and democrats.”

    Gana also said the N21 billion donated by individuals and corporate bodies towards the president’s re-election campaign at a fundraiser in December would be used to complete the PDP national secretariat building under construction and other party projects.

    He spoke at a news conference at the construction site of the party’s permanent secretariat building, located at the Central Area of the Federal Capital Territory.

    According to him, N10.5 billion would be used to complete the building while the remaining N10.5 billion would be expended on capacity building for party officials at various levels.

    He added that party projects in the 36 states of the federation would also be financed with part of the money.

    The party was forced to make a detour, apparently as a result of public outrage that greeted the donations, in which the amounts donated by individuals and corporate bodies exceeded what the Electoral Act stipulated.

    Defending the purpose for raising the N21 billion donation, Prof. Gana said:  “The administration of the party resolved that we must complete this project, so that we can move here.

    “So, part of the preparations for this year’s campaign is for us to raise funds and I had the honour of leading a very distinguished team of Nigerians to prepare for the fundraising.

    “We raised about N21 billion on that day. And the purpose of this press conference is to say that right from the start, we were raising money for the PDP and the project of the party.

    “The documents and letters said so, the speeches confirmed it. During the day of the fund-raising, in my own speech and the speech of the vice president – who happens to be an architect – there was a specific focus on this building; that this is one project we want to complete.

    “The vice president, being an architect, gave graphic details of where we were on this project and how we desired to go ahead. Therefore, the central aim of the fund-raising was to empower the party to complete this building and other projects.

    “The second is of course to empower the party to campaign for its candidates. Not for the President alone, but for others. The presidential candidate has the right and he is going to use that right to raise fund for his campaign quietly.

    “So, we want to make it clear that the money raised was for the PDP and a substantial part of it will be for the completion of this building.

    “As already noted, we need over N10 billion to complete it and so, even if we raise and we hope that we are going to raise more, half of the money is already going to be for the building and other projects.

  • Borno PDP stakeholders oppose substitution of Lawan’s name

    Concerned elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State have kicked against the substitution of Alhaji Gambo Lawan as the party’s governorship candidate in the 2015 election.

    Lawan, a former Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) and ex-Chairman of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, won the party’s governorship ticket at a primary in Abuja supervised by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    This followed the President’s intervention to resolve the lingering disagreement over the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

    The former GDM chairman and founding leader of the PDP in the state was affirmed by the party’s delegates and a Certificate of Return was issued to him after the election.

    In attendance during the primary were: Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, PDP’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chief Tony Anenih, Borno State PDP Chairman, Minister of State for Power Muhammed Wakil, BOT members and other stakeholders from the state.

    But on the eve of the submission of all the parties’ governorship flag bearers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Lawan’s name was substituted by the PDP National Chairman with that of Mohammed Imam, a nominee of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

    In an open letter to President Jonathan on December 26, the PDP stakeholders called for a reversal of the substitution in the interest of justice and fair play.

    The petition was signed by Aminu Yakudima, Ibrahim Abatcha and Salisu Aliyu.

    On the process that produced Lawan, they said: “The process and composition of the people present is first of its kind in the history of our great party, which Your Excellency described as the Supreme Court of the party whose decision is final. You may wish to recall further that Lawan, having emerged from the old PDP as the candidate, you directed the new entrants to the party to nominate the candidate for the deputy governor.

    “It is disheartening to note that 14 days after the nomination and affirmation of Lawan as the candidate, he was wrongly and illegally substituted with Imam on the eve of the closure for the submission of the governorship nominees to INEC.

    “We want to believe that Your Excellency is unaware of this ugly and sad development, particularly in a nomination process of this magnitude that was conducted by the highest office of the federation. In this regard and in the best interest of the party, we call for the immediate reversal of the decision to substitute Lawan.

  • Borno Christians defy vehicular ban, trek long distances for Xmas

    Borno Christians defy vehicular ban, trek long distances for Xmas

    In spite of the ban on vehicular movements in Maiduguri metropolis and other parts of Borno State, there was high turnout of Christians at churches in the city to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas day.

    The city has been one of the hotbeds of attacks by the deadly Boko Haram sect, but worshippers trekked long distances to attend the Christmas mass at different locations in the city.

    One of the churches that witnessed the massive turnout was St. Patrick Catholic Church Maiduguri in spite the palpable fear of bomb attacks attack on the worshippers by the Boko Haram sect.

    In his sermon, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri, Most Rev. Dr. Oliver Dashe Doeme, assured the worshippers, many of whom are internally displaced persons from Adamawa part of the diocese (Pulka, Madagali, Gulak, MichiKa, Mubi ) assured that he would “be with them even in the deepest dungeon”.

    He said: “My dear people of God, the priests, religious and the entire lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, I extend my fraternal greetings to all of you, especially at this trying moment in our life as a church.

    “To say that we are experiencing severe test of our faith in this diocese hardly requires an emphasis. We are thoroughly devastated by the Boko Haram attacks. All our parishes in areas such as Monguno, Gamboru Ngala, Bama, Pulka, Madagali, Mataka, Gulak, Kaya, Yaffa, Shuwa, Michika, Bazza and Betso are under Boko Haram control.

    “As a result of this, thousands of our Catholic faithful have been displaced. Many of them are on top of mountains, thousands are in Cameroun and thousands are in Yola as well as in Maiduguri city, among others.

    “There are over 24 of our priests who have been displaced and are managing with their brother priests in the Diocese of Yola; thanks to the kind gesture of Bishop Stephen Mamza. And a few of them are squatting with their friends elsewhere.

    “Since the crisis began, thousands of people have been killed. There are hundreds of our women and children who have been adopted.

    “Some of the men have been forcibly conscripted into the Boko Haram army. In the recent attacks which led to many of our people fleeing, a lot of our aged people have been trapped in these areas. Some of them have been killed by the sect members while others have died of hunger.

    “There are many of you whose family houses, shops and vehicles have been vandalized or burnt down. The animals and crops belonging to some of you have either been looted or destroyed. The destructions done to our church structures both in the cities and villages are enormous”.

    Samuel Amaza, one of the worshippers who spoke with our correspondent, expressed joy that the Lord Jesus saw them through their trying times.

    “We have to thank God that we are alive today. Some of our people have died. Even though we have no homes now, we still hinge our hopes on the almighty the creator of heaven and earth.

    “It is our belief that the problem of Boko Haram would not last forever. Our land will witness peace again. Our peace would be everlasting after these bad times.

    “The scriptures have said it all. It will surely come to pass.”

  • Strong harmattan weather hits Borno, Yobe

    Strong harmattan weather hits Borno, Yobe

    Strong harmattan wind has covered parts of Borno and Yobe States.
    Residents of Maiduguri and Damaturu, the capital cities of the states and some other towns and villages woke up on Saturday to the sudden harsh weather.
    Though the cold was not as scourging as the wind, motorists are having a hard time on the high ways with the ensuing poor visibility by the weather
    Garba Iliya, a commercial driver travelling to Damaturu from Maiduguri told our correspondent that drivers have to be more vigilant on the highway to prevent accidents due the bad weather.
    “We have to pay extra attention on the wheels so that we don’t cause unnecessary accidents,” Iliya stated.
    Our correspondent noticed that most vehicles were driving with their headlights on to avoid any head-on collision.

  • Police avert explosion targeted at worshippers in Borno

    Tragedy was Friday morning averted by  Police Anti Bomb Squad at the popular Custom Market popularly known as Gamboru Market where  Improvised  Explosive Devices(IEDs) were  de-mobilized.
    Apparently, the two IEDs were planted near the market and a Juma’at mosque to kill innocent worshippers and traders a security source told The Nation.

    Witnesses informed that some shops including lock up stalls and other open shops near the market were destroyed but no life was lost in the explosion which triggered a deafening sound that sent panic in the neighbourhood.
    Abubakar Sani Audu, a trader in the market disclosed that the attention of the Civilian JTF was drawn to the discovery of the explosive who latter called the anti bomb squad to de-mobilise the explosives.
    “The civilian JTF immediately called the Anti Bomb Squad and the army. They cordoned off the area and swung into action.

    “They detonated the first blast but the impact suddenly ignited a second one which nobody knew was there. We are happy nobody was affected,”  Audu said.

    Gamboru  market is next to both size and patronage  to Monday Market within the metropolis where over 30 people were killed and several others injured on Monday this week.

  • 30 Boko Haram members killed in Borno

    No fewer than 30 suspected members of Boko Haram were on Thursday killed by civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) when the insurgents planned an attack on Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State..

    Our correspondent gathered that five of the civilian JTF members sustained minor injuries but no casualty was recorded on their side.

    The Nation gathered that some gunmen using Hilux and motorcycles armed with Ak47 rifles, improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs were sighted in large numbers near Kareto by some vigilant people who alerted the youths from Gubio and Kateto.
    The youths it was gathered mobilized immediately and confronted the insurgents.

    Following the attack on the insurgents, 30 of them were killed.

    Unconfirmed sources indicate that Mobbar is presently under the control of Boko Haram after Monday, 24th November, 2014 attack.

    Spokesman of Borno Elders Forum Engr. Bulama Mali Gubio who confirmed the incident to journalist in said: ” there was a huge success as 30 dreaded members of Boko Haram who attempted to overrun Kareto, Gubio and other surrounding communities were killed by our volunteered youth.

    “Already the affected areas are now calm as normal activities have since returned, but I want to call on the security authorities to intensify effort to crush the menace of terrorists that have been ravaging the socio- economic activities in Borno and other parts of the North East subregion, ” Gubio said.

  • Borno urges parents to send children back to school

    The Borno State Government urged parents yesterday to send their children back to schools, following the reopening last week of public primary schools in Maiduguri, the state capital.

    The Chairman of the State Committee on the Resuscitation of Primary School Education, Dr Mohammed Dongel, addressed reporters in Maiduguri on the need for pupils to return to school.

    Dongel said the state government had provided tight security for teachers and pupils.

    The chairman noted that although a large number of parents had sent their children to schools, others were still apprehensive.

    He said: “I want to assure parents that the government has made adequate security provisions in all schools for the protection of teachers and pupils. Parents should endeavour to send their children to school.”

    Dongel said the government would distribute free uniform to pupils in public schools next week.

    He said: “Governor Kashim Shettima is expected to flag off the distribution of free uniform to all pupils in public schools next week.

    “He will also flag off free daily meals in all public primary schools next week.”

    According to him, the government has bought instructional machines for easy teaching and learning in the schools.

    Dongel said: “We are trying to introduce e-learning in primary schools to transform our education system into world class.”

    The chairman added that the government had introduced new security measures in schools to ensure a safe environment for teaching and learning.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that public schools, closed on March 14 due to deadly attacks by suspected Boko Haram insurgents, were reopened on November 17.

    The attacks climaxed with the kidnapping of about 300 school girls in Chibok.

  • Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    Boko Haram: 700 Borno displaced persons flee to Nasarawa

    About 700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Gwoza, Chibok, Bama and its environs in Borno State have fled to Kwubaru village in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    The IDPs, including men, women and children, are in three camps – Kwubaru, Angwar Jama’a and Takwa. They have been relocating to the village since March to escape the insurgency in the Northeast.

    But since they arrived, no government agency acknowledged their presence or sent materials.

    The IDPs, it was learnt, survive on the stipends from well-meaning Nigerians and from other forms of assistance from their host community.

    They alleged that soldiers came in trucks and Hilux vans to harass them and arrest the Chief of Kwubaru for harbouring them.

    In the Kwubaru camp, only women and children sleep in one of the nine mud houses and there could be as many as 12 people or more in one room. The men sleep on sacks and mats outside, whatever the weather.

    These were among the allegations of members of the #BringBackOurGirls when they visited the camp to confirm the existence of IDPs near Abuja and to assist them with materials, including foodstuffs, clothing, blankets, mattresses, among others.

    Leader of the IDPs and former Headmaster of Ghwaa Primary School in Gwoza, Mallam Yohanna Wurawa, explained that he escaped from Gwoza with his family after his house and the school were razed.

    According to him, his family and a few others were assisted by the Stephanus Foundation to Kwabaru.

    Murawa said: “My wife suggested that we relocated to Abuja because my wife had stayed with Maclindo, the director of the Stephanus Foundation, before.

    “I contacted him and explained our problem. He promised to come down with me to Abuja in search of help. We came to the Chief of Karu and asked for help because our people were suffering in Gwoza and other parts of the Northeast.”

  • Borno coalition seeks Sheriff’s probe

    Borno coalition seeks Sheriff’s probe

    A non-governmental organisation, the Borno Coalition for Good Governance, has called for an Independent Investigation into the alleged role by Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff in the sponsorship of Boko Haram.

    The group spokes in a statement yesterday by its Project Manager Modu Wulgo and Secretary John Ndirbula, in reaction to the claim by Australian negotiator Stephen Davis that the ex—Borno State governor was a sponsor of the sect.

    Asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) to intervene, the group raised some posers:

    “Why did Buji  Foi, the late commissioner for religions affair seek to have audience with Governor Sheriff  before was he executed in 2009.The soldiers honoured  of Buji Foi’s wish , but on  hearing that the late commissioner wanted to see him, Sheriff quickly drove out of Government House, Maiduguri on that fateful  day. When the soldiers brought Buji Foi in a Toyota Hilux van in handcuff twenty minutes later, Sheirff was nowhere to be found.

    “Why did late Mohammed Yusuf throughout his preaching in 2009 and after his arrest continue to accuse Sheriff of betraying him. “Why Sheriff did quickly ask the police to execute Mohammed Yusuf?”

    It insisted that the ICC must be involved

  • Boko Haram: Borno is grounded, SSG cries out

    The Secretary to Borno State Government, Amb. Baba Ahmad Jidda(OFR) on Sunday raised an alarm that the state is already dislocated by Boko Haram insurgency.
    He asked all political leaders and stakeholders in Borno State to come together and meet with President Goodluck Jonathan on how to salvage the situation.
    He also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the proposed bye-election for Jere LG House of Assembly Constituency.
    Jidda, who made his views known in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, said there is urgent need for peace in the state.
    He said he issued the statement in his private capacity having been disturbed by the deteriorating situation in the state.
    The statement  said: “A deep appraisal of the condition prevailing in Borno State at the moment shows a disrupted environment that is in desperate need of peace and restoration.
    “As a result of the insurgency caused by Boko Haram, large swathes of the land in the state is currently inaccessible. Normal governmental, economic, social and political activities have been dislocated with huge numbers of displaced persons living in refugee camps in Maiduguri, neighbouring states as well as Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
    “The State of Emergency is still in force with its attendant curfews and restrictions on free movement and assembly.
    “The Maiduguri Airport is also closed limiting access significantly to and out of Borno State. The threat to security of lives and property as a result of the criminal activities of the Boko Haram insurgents is everywhere and indeed the limited peace prevailing in Maiduguri and the few other areas is achieved largely due to alertness and corporation of the Civilian JTF and the security agencies.
    “Moreover the search and rescue efforts for the abducted Chibok School girls remain on the front burner.
    The above scenario presents a troubling condition that affects all and sundry in Borno State and the North-East as a Zone.”
    He gave insights into the biting effects of the insurgency on the citizenry.
    Jidda said: “At this very moment, most parts of Borno State are being occupied by Boko Haram insurgents. Government presence and administration is minimal or non-existent across many parts of the state, with economic, commercial and social services totally subdued. Schools and clinics remain closed.”