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Tag: Goodluck Jonathan

  • Rivers crisis: Jonathan turned down Rivers’ elders, says Amaechi

    Rivers crisis: Jonathan turned down Rivers’ elders, says Amaechi

    President Goodluck Jonathan turned down the request of Rivers State elders to attend the centenary celebration of Port Harcourt City last November, Governor Chibuike Amaechi alleged yesterday.

    He added that the request of the elders to leave him alone also went unheeded.

    According to the governor, because of the president’s action, he also decided not to be part of the events marking Nigeria’s centenary.

    Amaechi spoke at the 70th birthday celebration of a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Prof. Nimi Dimkpa Briggs. The event was held on the campus of the university.

    The governor said the President disrespected Rivers elders that visited him at the Presidential Villa to invite him for the Port Harcourt celebration, by failing to turn up in spite of the President having grown up in Port Harcourt.

    According to Amaechi, declining the invitation for Nigeria’s centenary was meant to save the faces of the elders whom he said the president should have honoured by attending the Port Harcourt programme.

    “There are some elders who have gone on a delegation to Mr. President to leave this young man (referring to himself/Amaechi), alone but they each time came back disappointed.

    “People are asking why I did not attend the last centenary celebration?, I said, five prominent Rivers men, left here to go and invite the president, when they approached me that they were going to invite the President, I told them, don’t bother your head, the President won’t come, they said no, not after he had seen them.

    “They are Justice (Adolphus) Karibi Whyte, Prof. Tekena Tamuno, Prof. T. K. Alagoa, Prof. Nimi Briggs and Chief Agbaru; they were very well received by our President and when they came back and told me how they went; I was expectant, everybody at the Federal Government told me the President was going to come, but he didn’t come.

    “So I told myself I was not going to attend the Nigerian centenary because Port Harcourt turned 100, the President refused to come even though he grew up here.

    “I did not attend because of you, I wanted to respect your age, I was bothered that Mr. President should have respected you and honoured that invitation.” Amaechi said.

    Speaking of the celebrator, Amaechi noted that he was not a politician but had vested interest in the development of the state.

    He pledged to name one of the new specialist hospitals being built after Briggs for his good will and contributions to the state.

    Briggs was also Chairman, Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission and current Chairman of the state Economic Advisory Council.

    “We will try to immortalise Prof. there is this 100-bed hospital being constructed at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), we are going to name it after him. This is in honour of his 70th birthday and his contributions to the growth and development of the state.

    “We have paid 100 per cent of the cost, it is not a matter of whether it will work or not.

    “We want to name it Prof. Nimi Briggs Hospital,” he said.

     

  • Boko Haram: ‘Govt should consider military, political solution’

    Boko Haram: ‘Govt should consider military, political solution’

    A non-government organisation (NGO), the Governance Watch Initiative, yesterday urged the Federal Government to consider military and political solution to Boko Haram insurgency.

    Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, the National Coordinator, Mr. Rotimi Ogunwuyi, said it appeared unlikely to defeat Boko Haram militarily.

    Said he: “The Federal Government should pursue and align military with political (negotiated solution). Boko Haram is unlikely to be defeated militarily. Most insurgencies are ended through negotiation.

    “The President Goodluck Jonathan administration must emulate the humility of the late President Umarru Yar’Adua (over the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger – MEND insurgency in the Niger Delta), by de-ethnicising and depoliticising the response to Boko Haram and exploring genuine negotiated solution.”

    The group warned the Federal Government not to consider 2015 politics in any policy to end the insurgency.

    Ogunwuyi said: “Federal Government must avoid any action, which seems to suggest, even remotely, that it is trying to politicise the response to the Boko Haram crisis.

    “The calculations for 2015 must not feature in any policy considerations to end the insurgency.”

    The NGO, which cried out over the serial killings in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, sought an end to the inter-agency rivalries, which could weaken the fight against the terrorists.

    Condemning the discordant voices of the governors and Federal Government, the national coordinator advised that Federal Government must see the governors of the frontline states as partners, who are committed to ending the crisis.

    He said the governors’ commitment should not be doubted since they were the direct victims of the insurgency and would be the beneficiaries of a peace restoration.

    Ogunwuyi urged the Federal Government to involve them in every decision, “instead of being threatened with removal and verbally assaulted by overzealous officials.”

    Seeking regionalised responses, the national coordinator enjoined government to solicit the operational involvement and assistance of ECOWAS and the African Union.

    He said government should seek the deployment of multinational security operations across the Sahel, to track and hunt Boko Haram operational chain.

    According to him, “it is clear that Boko Haram is no longer a ‘Nigeria-only’ problem, but a regional security menace, which requires regional responses.”

    The NGO recommended that there should be effective information management and strategic communication.

    Ogunwuyi said government needs to reform the way information is released and managed on Boko Haram.

    He asked the Federal Government to go beyond official information management to include working with print, electronic and online media organisations and local information channels.

    On the marshall plan for Northeast, Ogunwuyi noted that the “proposed N2 billion recovery fund for the Northeast is laughable. Clearly, more financial resources are needed.

    “The economic recovery goes beyond providing substantial funds – it has to be guided by clear objectives, the roles of public and private sectors and civil society groups, and must include social (education, health, religion, culture and traditional institutions), environmental and political aspects, in addition to economic issues.”

    He advised the Federal Government to involve peace-building organisations. “There is a wrong assumption that security forces and agencies will bring peace to the Northeast.”

    The group said: “Uniformed personnel are never peace-builders. Government needs to involve local and internal peace-building organisations, including NGOs, CSOs, etc, to design peace-building initiatives for the Northeast.”

    On the killings, Ogunwuyi said: “Sadly, our country is yet to become a model of good governance, and the insurgency in a part of the country has further limited the ability of the people of the affected areas, who represent a chunk of the population, not only to realise their full potential, but also to enjoy their right to life.

    “We are talking of the Boko Haram insurgency or terrorist attacks that seem to have been on steroids in weeks, with thousands sent to their graves prematurely.

    “Of course, the height of these attacks was last Monday’s cowardly invasion of the Federal Government College in Yobe State, which left at least 29 pupils dead.

    “The ferocity of the attacks, the callousness of it all, the seeming helplessness of the authorities, the quick return to business as usual and the discordant tunes from those we all look forward to, to help end the insurgency, have prompted us to call this conference and offer our own perspective which, we believe, can contribute to ending the insurgency.”

    He traced the history of the sect’s crisis to 2002 or even before.

    Ogunwuyi recalled that the immediate trigger for the insurgency occurred seven years later, in 2009, when the late President Umaru Yar’Adua ordered a joint security operation, following the killing of over a dozen policemen, and the failure of police action to curb the crisis.

    According to him, the operation led to the killing of an estimated 1,000 suspected Boko Haram members, including the extra-judicial murder of Boko Haram leader, Muhammed Yussuf.

    The national coordinator said: “What we are witnessing today are the direct fallouts of the failures of that joint security operation.”

    The group, however, noted that the Federal Government has, in its attempt to tackle the menace, enacted the Anti-Terror Law in 2011 and 2012.

    Other actions, according to Ogunwuyi, were: Declaration of State of Emergency, first in December 2012 covering selected local governments in Plateau, Niger, Yobe and Borno, and then in May last year covering the whole of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

    Formation and deployment of the Joint Task Force and Multi-nation Joint Task Force. Creation of new Army 7th Division specialising in counter-terrorism operations and coordinating counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast. New intelligence gathering infrastructure to coordinate, improve and integrate intelligence gathering and sharing across agencies. Ad hoc establishment and support for civilian JTFs. Rhetoric of dialogue, negotiation and amnesty. Proposed N2billion economic recovery fund for the Northeast. Deportation of foreigners. Trial of arrested Boko Haram members and increased security spending.

    He said : “We are now at a critical juncture, which we will call a strategic stalemate. Simply put, the government, in its response and the Boko Haram, in its continued strikes, have reached some form of parity.

    “Yes, our security forces have achieved some successes, limiting the ability of Boko Haram to carry out the kind of spectacular attacks like those on the Police headquarters and the UN complex in Abuja, but they have been unable to deal a death blow against the sect, which is now focusing on soft targets, such as schools, remote villages and the likes.”

     

     

  • Dangers of docility

    Dangers of docility

    •Nigerians must revive the culture of popular protests to call the government to order

    Ordinarily, Nigerians should need no lectures on the importance of civic action and a demonstration of people’s power in checking the excesses of the state, holding governments to account and promoting responsible governance. Popular struggles involving mass action by citizens played a key role in the country’s liberation from colonial rule. Various civilian and military regimes in post-independence Nigeria were confronted with popular protests and demonstrations against policies and actions perceived to be anti-people. Notably, the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election by the military resulted in a protracted pro-democracy struggle that ultimately saw the military retreating to the barracks, leading ultimately to the current civilian political dispensation.

    It would , however, appear that with the democratic restoration of 1999, Nigerians have retreated behind a veil of docility even when confronted with heinous acts of corruption, ineptness and other acts of impunity by their supposedly democratic governments. Such acts that violate the rule of law and the elementary ethics of effective public administration have become the hallmark of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration. Humongous amounts of public funds (fuel subsidy, kerosene subsidy, pension funds, revenues of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, etc.) are declared missing with little or no reaction from the public. The administration is therefore encouraged to turn a blind eye to even more outrageous acts of corruption that occur right under its nose.

    Nigerians surely have some useful lessons to learn from recent developments in countries like Ukraine or Venezuela. In the former, President Viktor Yanukovych provoked the ire of thousands of his country men and women when in November, last year, he opted for stronger ties with Russia and rejected a much anticipated far-reaching accord with the European Union. In reaction to demonstrations by thousands of aggrieved Ukrainians at the Independence Square in Kiev, the police attacked student protesters; opposition activists were beaten and abducted while parliament passed stringent anti-protest laws. The Ukranian people were not deterred. They intensified their protests until Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his government had to resign and parliament ultimately ousted President Yanukovych from office. Despite the pro-Russia demonstrations in the Eastern part of the country and the military posturing of Russia, it is unlikely that an unpopular government can be imposed on the majority of the people of Ukraine.

    Venezuela offers another example of the deployment of people’s power to check an arrogant and insensitive government. For over a month since February 4, there have been widespread protests against the government of President Nicolas Maduro who succeeded the late President Hugo Chavez, last year. The demonstrations, which have rocked major cities, including San Cristobal, Barquisimento and Puerto Ordaz, have been in reaction to insecurity, government repression and shortages of basic goods. The detention of hundreds of people, including opposition leaders and the arrest of foreign journalists are high handed tactics that have only worsened the crisis. In an obvious attempt to undermine the demonstrations, Maduro declared a six-day holiday to commemorate the country’s yearly carnival; a gesture which majority of Venezuelans shunned. The protests have been sustained.

    In sharp contrast to these examples, Nigerian protesters promptly quit the streets when President Goodluck Jonathan ordered troops out to quell nationwide protests against a clearly untenable fuel price increase in January 2012. It is thus not surprising that the Jonathan presidency has shown ever increasing confidence in perpetrating acts of impunity. Good examples are the illegal suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and the former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami. When a government perceives its people as being docile or vulnerable to being divided along primordial lines, it will not hesitate to take them for granted. Popular docility could be the greatest threat to democratic sustainability in Nigeria.

  • Sanusi: A case of executive recklessness

    Sanusi: A case of executive recklessness

    SIR: There is no better way to describe suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, by President Goodluck Jonathan than to say that it is a crude display of power and an attack on free speech, especially when it is evident that this is coming on the heels of accusations of corruption against the NNPC by the CBN governor. The oil sector is believed to be under the ampits of those highly connected to the president. This shameful action also lends credence to the fact that President Jonathan has continued to live in denial as he has demonstrated in recent time that the powers conferred on him by our extant laws are not enough for him. It is even more sad that these violations keep happening before the very eyes of the nation’s number one legal officer, Attorney General of Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN). Ordinarily, Nigerians expect that the AGF should advise and properly guide the president on a right legal approach to take.

    The Presidency’s action is a paradox. The reason is that its action is completely at variance with what he would want Nigerians to believe informed the suspension of the CBN boss from office. For instance, the purported suspension was anchored on “financial recklessness” levelled against the governor by a so called report of the Financial Reporting Council. The CBN governor was accused of taking actions and financial decisions that ran foul of the law. It is worthy to note that the president has not demonstrated a better respect for existing laws in this regard. If President Goodluck so much cherishes rule of law, one wonders why he had to circumvent the provisons of Section 11 of CBN Act 2007 (as amended) in suspending the governor. The implication of this action is abundantely clear: the Presidency has come to equity with soiled hands! He has no such power to suspend the CBN governor. He only has power to remove the governor subject to 2/3 approval of the Senate.

    Unfortunately, the supporters of this authocratic action have not been able to justify their supports beyond the fact that the CBN boss deserved to be shown the way out for “running aground” the institution. I know as a fact that Nigerians would not be opposed to the removal of the governor if he was found wanting. Our contention is that such removal must and should conform with laid down norms. It should not be done at the whims and caprices of the presidency. The argument that he who hires has the right to fire does not hold any water under the circumstance. Unlike in the normal contract of service, the appointment and removal of the CBN governor is strictly regulated by the Act and until such provisions are altered, the action of the president remains ultra-vires

    In a sanner society, where parliamentarians perform their duty without fear or favour, the action of the president is enough to start an impeachment proceeding against him. The simple reason is that nothing could be more gross in conduct than this flagrant violation of our law. Nigerians must demand from their lawmakers to do the needful on this matter. It would be most miserable of us to allow the president get away with this inpunity.

    •Barrister Okoro Gabriel,

    Lagos

  • A welcome challenge

    A welcome challenge

    •Sanusi’s decision to challenge his suspension in court is good for rule of law

    Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s recourse to seek judicial salvation in his bid to reclaim his post as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor is commendable. He was suspended as Governor of the CBN by President Goodluck Jonathan last month, and he is now in court through his attorney, Kola Awodein, SAN, to challenge the suspension in an Abuja Federal High Court. Such seeming presidential impunity had hitherto gone unchallenged.

    His bid to restrain the President, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector- General of Police from giving effect to his purported suspension from office, pending the determination of the suit, has been, understandably, rejected by the court. This interim setback notwithstanding, the court has in the interest of justice, ordered that the President should be put on notice while the matter was fixed for March 12 so as to avail both sides the opportunity to argue the motion.

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole, the presiding judge’s ruling would definitely allow the defendants to appear before the court to explain why the application should not be granted. Despite this justice-oriented legalese, we must quickly state that what is of more significant interest to us is that the substantive suit will go a long way in determining whether statutory laws guiding the operations of institutions of government can be breached by the President when suspending or removing the heads of such agencies from office.

    We do know that Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 in Section 11 clearly provides instances under which the governor or any of his deputies can be removed from office. None, to the best of our understanding, allows for presidential suspension of the governor. The only mention of the word ‘suspension’ is in section 11(1)(d) and that relates to the removal of the governor whenever he is disqualified or suspended from practicing his profession in Nigeria. And surprisingly, that was not the case in the prevailing circumstance. Furthermore, the only time the President can exercise any disciplinary control or recommend the removal of the CBN Governor is under section 11(1)(f) and that recommendation must be supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate before the CBN governor can be successfully removed. We will always stand by the tenets of the Rule of Law because this is by far preferable to the rule of the jungle – which we are deeply convinced Nigeria is not -but a sovereign country governed by rules and regulations. Her affairs should be devoid of sentiments but anchored on these written rules and regulations.

    We abhor official meddlesomeness, which is why the recourse to judicial solution in the present impasse is well appreciated. Some years back when Professor Maurice Iwu was unilaterally removed by the President, the move was applauded not because of its legality but because the public was already fed up with his leadership style as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Sadly, the seeming public approval given that illegal presidential act must have given the President the impetus to go ahead and suspend Sanusi as CBN governor. Unfortunately, in Sanusi’s case, this act is only tantamount to an indirect termination of his appointment because before the expiration of the period of suspension, his tenure would have expired, thereby making restitutio in integrum impossible.

    We consider this case a testy good one that is capable of extending the frontiers of constitutional governance and causing a reduction in executive impunity, now or in the future. It is even the more imperative that we know the position of the law on such matters, especially with general elections only about a year away. A situation where the fear of the President will be the beginning of wisdom is not good for INEC, for example. This would have been settled long since if Iwu had the courage to challenge his removal by the President.

  • Stand firm on anti-gay law, church urges Jonathan

    Stand firm on anti-gay law, church urges Jonathan

    The President, Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), Rev Samson Ayokunle, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Assembly not to succumb to pressure from the western world on the anti-gay law.

    Rev. Ayokunle spoke with reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday at a news conference on the “Baptist Night of Wonders” slated for March 21.

    He said: “Why of course is gay relationship human rights and polygamy is not? I am not saying this approving the practice of polygamy, but I am pointing out the attention of the west to their double standard on issues and their hypocrisy. Not everything the West is doing is good; we have come of age to know this.

    “Gay relationship is against our culture in Nigeria and is against our religious beliefs. We make bold to say here that whatever God has said ‘NO’ to, human right does not negate it. God is supreme.”

     

  • Tukur resumes at NRC

    Tukur resumes at NRC

    Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday resumed at the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

    He described President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda as one which had awakened the sleeping giant that was the Railway.

    Tukur, who praised the level of funding for the corporation, assured that there would be adequate funding to ensure the success of the corporation.

    He said he was bringing to the saddle a wealth of experience, which saw him leave a legacy at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), where he built 18 ports across the country within five years.

    “There is the will, the wish and the available capacity to bring about the kind of capacity we deserve as Nigerians and this is what we are bringing to this job,” Tukur said.

    He pledged to heal the Railways and leave a legacy of transformation that would surpass his achievements at the NPA.

    Said Tukur: “I have come to see for myself what is on ground. My appointment is to find a healing for the age-old institution and with the support of other members of the board of directors and management of this corporation, we will achieve success.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Nigeria will be liberated, says Jonathan

    President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed confidence that Nigeria will be liberated and will overcome the challenges facing it.

    Speaking during the Centenary Interdenominational Church Service in Abuja on Sunday, he maintained that the strength of the nation lies in its diversity

    He also defended the centenary celebration as he urged Nigerians to turn a new leaf and begin to genuinely love one another.

    Jonathan said: “If that civil war has separated us we won’t have been talking of centenary celebration. We are celebrating the centenary because some people worked together to continue to keep Nigeria one.

    “Our strength as a nation lies in our diversity. Our hope lies in our unity of a greater Nigeria. Our faith remains resolute in a……..that Nigeria will certainly triumph despite these challenges that we are facing. We know that they are rough, the challenges real, but with God on our side, victory is sure and Nigeria will surely be liberated, by God’s grace.” He added

    Quoting Philippians 2:3, he urged Nigerians to begin to love love one another as themselves.

    “As we round up our centenary celebration, I only have one appeal to make with all Nigerians. Few days ago, all our leaders gathered and the nation honoured them with their labour of love, I see a new Nigeria filled with love. I see a new Nigeria with great determination. I see a new Nigeria with passion. This is my faith and hope for a brighter future.”

    “I appeal to all of us to show love more then ever before to one another regardless of tribe, religion or race. Let us show love even when it hurts most. For our lives will be more fulfilling giving love to others.” He said

     

  • ‘Jonathan has abandoned our report on Boko Haram’

    Chairman of the Interim Management Committee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of the Security Challenges in the North, Dr. Hakeen Baba-Ahmed has  attributed the renewed activities of the Boko Haram insurgents to the inaction of the Presidency on the report of the committee.
    Baba-Ahmed said it was sad and unfortunate that several months after the committee submitted its report to the President with far reaching recommendations, the government has considered it necessary to implement any part of the report which include suggestion that a standing committee on continuous dialogue be set up by the government.
    The Kabiru Tanimu Turaki led committee submitted its report to President Goodluck Jonathan on November 13, 2013, but Baba-Ahmed said on a Liberty Radio programme, Guest of the Week monitored in Kaduna on Sunday that before the final report was submitted to the President, the committee met with him and informed him that some of the recommendations would require immediate action.
    He said “I wish I knew why the report is being delayed. Nobody is more worried than me because of the immense amount of work that we put into that report. We put in huge amount of efforts, took personal risks and made excellent recommendations to this President which has just been dumped. Not even a single recommendation of that committee has been implemented.
    “Some of those recommendations are so vital that they were tied to specifics things. We went to the President before we submitted the report and said some of the recommendations we are going to submit to you will require immediate actions.
    “For instance, the recommendation that he should set up a standing committee on continuous dialogue. We said don’t allow the momentum we have gathered to be lost because we have acquired a huge momentum and gained the trust of the Boko Haram leadership.
    “We have engaged them in dialogue, we have established very strong foundation for resolving this problem. But as a committee, we have to wind up. So, Mr. President, set up another committee that will build on the confidence we have gathered because these people are talking to us now.
    “They have told us their grievances, we have told them what can be done and what cannot be done because we were not told to just go there, but to go there and help resolve the problem and we did that. But they took the report and dumped it”.
    Asked whether the inaction of the President on the report may have vindicated Mallam Shehu Sani who opted out of the committee, he said “I am bitterly disappointed like many other Nigerians. Shehu Sani took his decision not to take part in the committee work and I took mine. I know why he did not participate and he knew why I did. I don’t know whether or not he has been vindicated or not.
    “All I know is that my decision was informed by my consideration that it was important to try and see if we can help. But I can tell you that all the 26 members of the committee are very honourable Nigerians.
    “We worked very hard, put ourselves at great risk; we gave the insurgents undertaking and assurances that the government was serious because there was a lot of cynicism and doubt because they did not trust us at first and we eventually gained their trust, giving them assurances.
    “We told them that some of the demands they were making were unreasonable and we negotiated some of those things and put them in the report and gave the President a very good report. I should know what I am talking about because as a Federal Permanent Secretary, I have seen lots of reports and it was part of my job to look at those reports.
    “Speaking frankly, the report of the committee on Dialogue and resolution of Security Challenges in the north was one of the best work I have ever done and yet, till now, there is nothing on ground and Boko Haram is literally recreating itself”.
    Speaking on the President’s comment that the government has succeeded in moving the insurgent to the fringes of the country, Baba-Ahmed said “If you move a problem, has it stopped being a problem? Those lives that are being lost are not fringe lives. The children that are being killed daily are human beings and not fringe problems.
    “If the President is claiming that as victory, then it is unfortunate and sad. Those people are still Nigerians. Even if it is Nigerians going to other peoples country and killing them, it is still a disaster, not to talk of the fact that people are being killed like cattle. These are Nigerians and so, how can it be less of a problem just because they have moved from Borno to the villages.
    “However, I didn’t see the aspect where he talked about the fringes. What I saw was when he said that dialogue was still continuing and I was shocked. The Minister for Special Duties was the Chairman of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful resolution.
    “We did all the work with him and submitted that report and the minister knew we recommended that President should set up a small committee on continuous dialogue. If the President is saying that the same minister is continuing the dialogue, who is he dialoguing with? Again, we should ask, why is Boko Haram becoming more and more vicious?
    “I was shocked because I never knew that the Minister was still involved in dialogue and I am curious to know who he is talking to because it is clear that it is not working. It is possible that it is a one man continuous dialogue committee.
    “But whatever it is, the fact remain that the Boko Haram threat is alive and making more inroad whether on the fringes or not. But this problem must be brought to an end because we can’t continue like this”.
    He lamented the seeming decline in the Nigeria military to the extent that they have not been able to curb the Boko Haram insurgency in the north eastern part of the country.
    He said “if there is a strong political will, you will see it impacting on critical sectors like the security institutions. I can’t at this time, how Boko Haram can defeat our military. There maybe operational reasons and there may be other reasons.
    “As we speak, Boko Haram has not defeated the Nigerian military, they have clearly defiled the Nigerian military and that is a very sad commentary on one of the most professional military in Africa and there is no excuse you can find for that.

    “It is incomprehensible that we lack the political will to push the military to do the right thing to the extent that our professional military has declined either because of poor political will or declining professional level. It is a sad commentary that today; Boko Haram is still wreaking havoc on Nigerians”

  • IYC vows to rescue Jonathan’s uncle

    IYC vows to rescue Jonathan’s uncle

    •Tension mounts in Bayelsa

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) yesterday said it would secure the release of President Goodluck Jonathan’s uncle, Chief Inengite Nitabai, who was kidnapped at gunpoint last week in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    Vowing to work with security agencies to secure the release of the 70-year-old man from his abductors, IYC condemned the kidnap and promised to help unmask those behind the dastardly act.

    IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, said in a statement issued Wednesday that the foremost Ijaw Youth group had already constituted a three-man committee to liaise with the security agencies to rescue the old man.

    “The Ijaw Youth Council, worldwide condemns in the strongest term, the kidnap of the 70-year-old” he said.

    Describing the incident as unfortunate, the group said the incident was coming at a time when President Jonathan needed to be fully concentrated to face the challenges of governing Nigeria.

    He expressed sympathy to the Jonathan/Nitabai family of Otuoke, saying that IYC would work with security agencies to fish out the kidnappers.

    Maintaining that there is no hiding place for kidnappers and criminals in Ijaw land, IYC reiterated that kidnapping and criminality is alien to Ijaw culture.

    The group said it believes that no crime can be committed without the involvement of people within the immediate environment.

    Omara added that this formed the basis why the group had resolved to confront kidnapping and all forms of crimes in Ijawland.

    The group also called on the Bayelsa State Government to ensure that the kidnappers of Nitabai are brought to book and its anti-kidnapping law tested.

    The statement contended that kidnapping and criminality cannot stop without bringing to justice those involved in the act.

    Unknown gunmen seized Nitabai in his family compound and whisked him away in a sports utility vehicle (SUV).

    His wife, in a bid to stop his abduction, had allegedly offered the gunmen about N400,000 to no avail.

    However, the Bayelsa State Police Command said two persons have been arrested in connection with the abduction and are helping security operatives in their investigation.

    Bayelsa State was all fear yesterday as the state government and security agencies struggled to deal with the embarrassment of the abduction of Nitabai.

    Nitabai spent his seventh day in the den of the hoodlums yesterday with the security agencies yet to find a clue to his whereabouts.

    He was seized from his Otuoke home, in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state last Sunday by 10 gunmen who have since established contact with his family, demanding a N500million ransom.

    Following persistent kidnappings in the state, the House of Assembly passed a bill which prescribed the death penalty for convicts.

    Governor Seriake Dickson signed the bill into law but no one has yet been tried under it.

    Nitabai’s abduction is raising questions about the seriousness of the authorities to make the law work.

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) wants the state government to use the Nitabai abduction to test the efficacy of the law.

    IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Eric Omare, asked Governor Dickson to ensure that the abductors are apprehended and brought to book, saying that unless people involved in kidnapping are dealt with the illegal booming business would continue.

    It also described the abduction as a distraction to President Jonathan.

    “Coming at a time when President Jonathan needs to be in the best frame of mind to face the challenges of governing a complex nation such as Nigeria is most unfortunate”, it said and announced the setting up of a three-man team to work with security agencies to find Nitabai.

    “There is no hiding place for kidnappers and criminals in Ijawland. Kidnapping and criminality is alien to Ijaw culture,” it declared.

    “The IYC believes that no crime can be committed without the involvement of people within the immediate environment. Hence, the resolve to confront kidnapping and all forms of crimes in Ijaw land.”

    Some other relations of the President are said to be apprehensive about their own safety following the kidnapping.