The Nation Newspaper

Tag: rejects

  • Activist Shehu Sani rejects appointment

    Activist Shehu Sani rejects appointment

    Rights activist and President of Civil Rights Congress Comrade Shehu Sani last night rejected his nomination by President Goodluck Jonathan as a member of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North.

    He said he was not consulted by the Federal Government before the appointment.

    Sani, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “I have formally declined to be a member of the committee.

    “The earlier suggestion that I had given that there must be consultation before dialogue still stands.”

    Sani, who facilitated initial talks with Boko Haram, also gave a hint that the sect would not listen to the committee. He said: “I do not think the insurgents would accept a committee which they were never consulted on.”

    A former Director-General of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Prof. Nur Alkali, also reacted to his nomination as a member of the committee. He said: “Well, I have not received any formal communication rather than the announcement in the media and it is not proper to say anything at this stage.

    “So far, there is no communication with me, it is what the people have read about in the media and what I have also got to know from the media. The Professor, however, said he will no hesitate to heed the call.

    Alkali said: “Certainly if it is a national duty, I will accept.”

    Former Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, who was named a a member of the panel, declined to comment on his appointment.

    He told The Nation that the time was not ripe for comment, though he was aware that President Jonathan announced the constitution of the committee.

    He said: “I have not been briefed and have not seen the list. We have not been inaugurated, therefore, I cannot say anything about it now but I know about it.”

  • Fear in Presidency as Boko Haram rejects amnesty

    Fear in Presidency as Boko Haram rejects amnesty

    The Presidency has launched a desperate mission to salvage its shattered amnesty-for-Boko Haram programme.

    The fundamentalist sect rejected yesterday the planned clemency for its members, saying it should be the one to pardon the government.

    Some prominent Northern elders believed to be close to Boko Haram have been enlisted to prevail on the sect to embrace peace.

    But a rights activist, Comrade Shehu Sani, who once facilitated talks with Boko Haram, said the rejection of amnesty by the sect should be expected because the Federal Government failed to do its homework well.

    Also, a former military governor of Kaduna State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, said dialogue with the sect ought to come first before amnesty.

    To him, the rejection is not surprising.

    After a parley with all service chiefs last week, President Goodluck Jonathan raised a committee to harness the various requests for amnesty for the sect.

    The committee was given two weeks to come up with recommendations on the possibility of granting the militants pardon.

    But Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said the group has not committed any crime to deserve clemency.

    In an audio statement, Shekau said his group had “not committed any wrong to deserve amnesty”.

    “Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should grant you pardon,” Shekau was quoted as saying by AFP.

    The rejection was made in an audio recording in Hausa language, which was distributed by email in a manner consistent with the previous messages released by Boko Haram.

    The voice was said to be similar to that of previous Shekau statements.

    The group says its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in the North where churches and many public places have been bombed. More than 1000 people have been killed.

    According to the statement, Shekau said it was the government that was committing atrocities against muslims.

    At the forefront of the clamour for pardon for the sect are the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, the Alhaji Maitama Sule-led Northern Elders’s Forum (NEF) and eminent Nigerians.

    They include Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) National Learder Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who backed the idea with a condition that those with blood on their hands should face justice and the candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 presidential election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Gen. Buhari urged Nigerians to support amnesty if it will bring peace.

    The violence continued yesterday; with unknown gunmen killing four policemen in Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe State.

    The killings, which took place near the slain officers’ station, was confirmed by the State Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai.

    He said the gang also lost five of their members in the gun duel that ensued.

    Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policemen were attacked as they took guard behind the sand-bags which provided barriers at the entrance of the station.

    The gunmen, who failed in their plan to raze the station, carted away some rifles, Rufai said.

    He said: “The gunmen came around midnight, trying to enter the police station with intent to burn it down, but were resisted by the police.

    “We lost four policemen and their rifles were carted away but the station was protected,” Rufai said.

    According to sources, there has been anxiety in the Presidency and security circles since the position of the sect was made known.

    It was gathered that the government got to know of Boko Haram stand on Wednesday night.

    A source said: “No one is happy in the Presidency and in the security agencies because the decision of Boko Haram leaders is a setback.

    “That is why everyone is wearing somber look because President Goodluck Jonathan and his security chiefs have been working round the clock to make the amnesty work.

    “The government is already exploring options to salvage the situation, including liaison with Northern elders who could help persuade Boko Haram leaders to open up talks with the government.”

    Asked why the Boko Haram leaders rejected amnesty, the source added: “I think they have reservations about the process. There was a lot of celebration in the media before the thing took off.”

    In Sani’s view, the rejection should have been expected because the Federal Government failed to do its homework well.

    He also accused the government of focusing on a monetised amnesty instead of a genuine type.

    Sani said: “Well, I am not surprised. In fact, it should be expected that they (Boko Haram leaders) should reject it because the government has put the horse before the cart.

    “First and foremost, the whole idea of amnesty is a charade. The concept brought by Northern elders is an amnesty modelled along the line of Niger Delta and it is attached to financial commitment from the side of the state. They wanted to buy peace at a heavy amount of money just the way it is being brought about in the Niger Delta

    “The committee being set up by the government would naturally be rejected by Boko Haram because it was not constituted after a consultation with the leaders of the sect.

    “The whole idea is about extracting billions of naira to be shared to insurgents and also giving out contracts, using the names of Boko Haram leaders.

    “They simply rejected being used by some persons who want to profit from the amnesty deal.

    “The way forward is for the government to go back to Dr. Ahmed Datti Ahmed peace talk which was facilitated by a journalist, Ahmad Salkida of which the group acknowledged and endorsed at that very time.

    “The outcome of that talk should then be preceded by a committee, which will have the input of the sect and also be recognised by the government.

    “The next stage will then be a six to eight or nine-month ceasefire, which will ensure justice for all the victims of Boko Haram.

    “So, any thought of using tax payers’ money to back up a fraudulent amnesty is an exercise in futility.”

    Col. Umar said dialogue ought to have come first before the Federal Government rushed into the amnesty offer.

    He said through dialogue, the  government ought to have allowed the people to identify themselves, present their demands, consider the demands and  open talks with the victims of Boko Haram insurgency whether they are ready to forgive or not.

    Col. Umar said: “Well, I have all been skeptical about this amnesty issue. I align myself with the fact that there should be dialogue between the government and Boko Haram so that we will know what the insurgents want before we jump into amnesty.

    “Without dialogue, we will not know whether they are ready for ceasefire or not. So, we need to create room for them to identify themselves, what their demands are and discuss with the Federal Government whether the government can meet these demands or not.

    “Also, in considering amnesty, the Federal Government must take into account that there are victims that have been killed, maimed and those that lost their property. We need to know whether the families of those killed and other victims are ready to forgive or not. President Goodluck Jonathan does not have the power to forgive, which is the whole essence of amnesty. There are victims who must be ready to forgive before we can talk of amnesty.

    “To be honest, I am not surprised that they (Boko Haram leaders) have come out to reject amnesty. This is the first time the nation must come together or be united to address this insurgency.”

  • AFRICA ATHLETICS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Ogba rejects wrong jerseys for Team Nigeria

    AFRICA ATHLETICS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Ogba rejects wrong jerseys for Team Nigeria

    NIGERIAN athletes were forced to use over-sized jerseys at the ongoing Africa Athletics Junior Championships holding in Warri, Delta State because the colour of the jerseys supplied by the contractor in charge were not the country’s official colour.

    SportingLife gathered that on the eve of the opening ceremony of the championship, the contractor had supplied a wrong shade of green (lemon) as opposed to the olive green colour approved by the Africa Athletics body.

    The Camp Commandant of the Team Nigeria, Jide Josiah told the SportingLife that it took the timely intervention of the President of the Athletics Federation (AFN) of Nigeria, Solomon Ogba who gave out the unused jerseys of the country’s senior team at the 2012 Olympics.

    He said: “Last night when they brought the officially designated kit for Nigeria, he (Solomon Ogba) rejected the jerseys because they were not Nigeria’s official colour, Ogba brought a giant bag to replace the jerseys from the contractor. This was unlike previous events when unused kits would have disappeared into thin air. Ogba brought out the remaining kits given to us at Olympics. I recall that in Melbourne we had kits, but at the end of the day the unused ones were not brought back to Nigeria.

    “So for this championship, the junior athletes are going to run in the oversized jerseys. The tracksuit we are using are meant for men and women and not kids of U-17. When you look at the Ethiopians, you can see that the track suit fits them. They have equipments for junior athletes.we don’t have; it is too big.We need companies to supply for our developmental programmes. You can see how smart other nations are. Because of our dwindling performances many of these kitting firms don’t provide for us as they used to, it is when you are doing well, this kitting firm will coming running, may be if we do well in this championship, they will come running to us.”

    Josiah added: “We were told that the contract to supply the jerseys was giving to an indigenous company that has to do with athletics but in a scenario where we are getting lemon for olive green, we had to reject the jerseys.”

  • CAN rejects amnesty for Boko Haram

    CAN rejects amnesty for Boko Haram

    The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, was criticised yesterday for urging the Federal Government to grant amnesty to repentant Boko Haram sect members.

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) vowed to oppose the request.

    CAN expressed shock over the Sultan’s statement on injustice to the sect. It said the word “injustice” should have been used for those Christians killed by the Boko Haram sect, adding: “We, therefore, say categorically that we reject any offer of amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect. We ask government to do same. One group of people cannot continue to pay the price for one Nigeria . We must sit together as brothers and discuss issues.”

    President Goodluck Jonathan, CAN said, should reject the call for amnesty and insist that the Boko Haram sect members be unveiled after which they should lay down their arms for peace.

    CAN National Secretary General Rev. Musa Asake, in a statement in Abuja, said: “The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, is surprised and puzzled by the statement credited to the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar 111, that the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, should be granted “total amnesty” for the sake of peace in Nigeria and that “the bottom line of the problem facing us has been injustice meted out to people who are not supposed to.”

    “We wonder what the Sultan meant by injustice in relation to the activities of the Boko Haram sect when members of the group are a bunch of fundamentalists who have killed, maimed, deformed Christians and made orphans and widows of otherwise peaceful and lovely families and who have also displaced people, destroyed businesses and livelihoods in their thousands. Would the Sultan sincerely attribute the perpetration of the injustice to Christians?

    “If it is injustice, is it not government that should be held accountable? Why would the sect not hold their representatives at the various tiers of government responsible? The Sultan should be told that we have since found out that the attacks are primarily targeted at Christians and their churches. Who then is suffering injustice? Who needs justice? Christians or those killing and bombing churches?

    “The injustice to Christians killed, maimed and rendered helpless by the sect is underscored by the payment of the sum of N100 million to the late sect leader’s family by the Borno State government without any assistance to any of the Christian victims of Boko Haram. Who is going to compensate the families of the victims of the sect? Where is the justice to these Christian victims?

    “It is worth reminding the Sultan at this juncture that a few days ago, Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, appeared in a video, claiming responsibility for all the violence, including the ones allegedly committed by suspected criminals and denying any relationship with Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez, the man who has repeatedly claimed to be his second in-command who announced a ceasefire bid? Shekau had said: ‘….we have seen how our members who were out on holy mission are being attacked and killed…what we are doing now is what is prescribed for us by Allah and his holy prophets. We are workers in the vineyard of Allah.’

    “Clearly, Shekau, the Boko Haram leader, has never talked of injustice. He has been unremorsefully insistent on the fact that they will not relent until Nigeria is made an Islamic nation. We need to also remind the Sultan and others on the same page with him that terrorism is not about justice. It is about ideology. In this case, Boko Haram is founded on the premise of extreme Islamic ideology. It is, therefore, mischievous for those who understand this to hoodwink the President into actions that would be futile in the end.

    “We believe that for the talk about amnesty to hold water, the Islamist militant group must first of all renounce their extreme ideology and embrace the ceasefire plan. What President Goodluck Jonathan should do is to give the sect members a deadline within which they should organise a ceasefire, failing which the sect members should be confronted vigorously, in line with what was done to the Niger Delta Militants who refused the amnesty offered by the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua. Otherwise, how can government grant amnesty to faceless people?

    “We wonder the kind of amnesty contemplated by the Sultan. This is why we are puzzled. God bless Nigeria.”

     

  • Keshi rejects Angola’s N720m

    Keshi rejects Angola’s N720m

    Agency reports in Angola on Friday stated that Nigeria’s senior team coach Stephen Keshi rejected a four- year deal to handle the Angolan national team through its 2014 World Cup qualifiers among other future competitions.

    SportingLife scooped further that Keshi was offered N15 million per month for the four-year deal which would have fetched the Big Boss N720 million. But Keshi politley turned down the offer even when sources in Angola suggested that the country’s President, Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, intervened to convince the Big Boss to accept the mouth-watering deal.

    It was gathered further that Keshi opted to keep his Nigeria job because of his love for the country and its president, Goodluck Jonathan.

    This development has left Angolans disappointed as they had hoped that Keshi would dump his country, following the furore that trailed his return to Abuja on February 12, having resigned his appointment on issues that have since been resolved by the government.

  • Lokomotiv Moscow rejects West Ham’s bid for Nsofor

    Lokomotiv Moscow rejects West Ham’s bid for Nsofor

    Nigeria international Victor Obinna Nsofor has revealed that he could have had a second chance to play for English Premier League club West Ham in the outgoing transfer window.

    A proposal from the Hammers hierarchy to have the striker on loan was rejected by Lokomotiv Moscow despite Obinna wanting a return to England, according to championat.com.

    The 25 – year – old, who has netted 2 goals in 17 matches in the current season, has a contract with the Railway Men until the summer of 2015.

    Obinna’s last international appearance for the Nigeria selection was against Guinea in October, 2011.

  • Unspent budgets: Court rejects Energy Commission’s objection

    A Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday rejected the bid by the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) to frustrate a suit demanding account of the unspent budgets of 2010 and 2011.

    Ruling in a suit brought under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act by a public interest lawyer, Bob Olukoya, Justice Adeniyi Ademola dismissed the preliminary objection of the commission and its Chairman, Dr. Franklin Osaisai.

    The judge said the plaintiff/applicant’s leave as granted was in substantial compliance with the rules of the court.

    He also rejected the defendants’ argument that the refusal of the applicant to particularize the facts contained in his statement was fatal to his case.

    Justice Ademola held that the plaintiff’s “motion on notice is clear and unambiguous” and therefore “competent”.

    “I’m yet to see where they (defendants) can be prejudiced. Secondly, they have not be taken by surprise.

    “The era of using technicalities as against to substantial justice is gone. The issue of technicalities like this will not be entertained by the court. From the foregoing, the motion filed by the two defendant is frivolous and is hereby dismissed. The court shall bear the cost”.

    The matter was adjourned till February 22 for hearing of motion on notice.

    In the suit, the plaintiff is seeking an order of mandamus compelling the defendants to disclose the total amount returned to the treasury as unspent budgets for 2010 and 2011.

    The motion was filed by his counsel, Yetunde Atanda, pursuant to Section 7 and 20 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and Order 34 Rules 1, 3 (1), (2) and 6(b) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.

    The plaintiff is demanding the total amount allocated to the Centre for Nuclear Energy Research and Training (CNERT), University of Maiduguri and Centre for Nuclear Energy Studies (CNES), University of Port-Harcourt for 2010 and 2011; copies of its annual report and amount payable to a named contractor for the provision of services in 2011.

    He is also demanding details of the recruitment of additional staff upon which interview was conducted on September 25, 2012 and details of the competitive bids from companies interested in the provision of security services to the commission.

    According to the plaintiff, by virtue of Section 4(a) of the FOI Act, when a person requests for information from a public official, institution or agency, they are “under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for except as otherwise provided by the Act, within seven days after the application is received”.

    •The information requested for, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FOI Act, bothers on issues of national interest, public concern, social justice, good governance, transparency and accountability”.

    In an affidavit, Karik-Antyak Cynthia averred that since November 6, 2012 that Olukoya requested for the information through a letter, the defendants have “failed, refused and or neglected to provide the details”.

    •By virtue of Section 1(1) of the FOI Act 2011, the plaintiff/applicant is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution.

  • High Court rejects Goje’s plea to transfer trial

    The Federal High Court, sitting in Gombe, has struck out the application of former Governor Danjuma Goje, seeking to transfer his trial to Abuja or any other part of the country outside the Northeast.

    Chris Uche (SAN), counsel to Goje, had applied to the court to transfer the continued trial of the former governor outside Gombe State and the Northeast for security reasons.

    He argued that the security challenge in Gombe State and the Northeast necessitated the application, adding that Abuja or elsewhere outside the Northeast is better.

    Prosecution counsel Wahab Shittu agreed to the insecurity claim but said the government was working hard to improve the situation.

    He submitted that seeking the transfer of the case was tantamount to delaying the course of justice.

    The lawyer prayed the court to throw out the application.

    Justice Babatunde Qadri averred that after carefully studying the argument of the prosecution and defence counsel, he observed that they shared common grounds.

    He acknowledged that there had been a series of attacks in Gombe and other parts of the North.

    The judge said the rights of the accused to fair hearing had not been infringed upon.

    Justice Qadri said none of the accused or their counsel had been attacked or subjected to any threat since the case began.

    He noted that relocating the case would give a different impression to the common man.

    Besides, the judge said no session of the court had been interrupted by a security threat since the hearing started.

    He, therefore, rejected the application for change of venue, adding: “This application is hereby rejected for now. However, if any of the accused, counsel or witnesses is harassed – no matter how little – even if it is by a phone call, please inform the court.”

    Justice Qadri advised the prosecution and defence counsel to cooperate with the court to ensure the speedy continuation and conclusion of the matter.

    He described Gombe as the most peaceful state in the Northeast.

    The judge adjourned hearing on the matter till March 7 and 8 to continue the trial on corruption charges against the former governor and three others.

    Addressing reporters after the sitting, Uche said his clients would appeal the verdict since they believe there are security threats in Gombe.

    He said: “There is the Court of Appeal and there is the Supreme Court. We will use them to test the might of this ruling.”

    Shittu said: “The judge did not only expand but expound the law by stating the jurisprudence the way it should be. We are ready to go on with the case till justice is done.”

  • Buhari rejects Boko Haram’s offer

    Former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has rejected his nomination by fundamentalist group Boko Haram to moderate the proposed talks between it and the Federal Government.

    The sect, whose attacks have left hundreds of people dead, last month held out an olive branch to the government.

    It, however, gave some conditions, one of which is that some eminent Northerners, including Gen. Buhari, should moderate talks, which it is proposing to take place in Saudi Arabia.

    Yesterday, Gen. Buhari said he would not have anything to do with the talks.

    “How can I represent the people I don’t know? That I didn’t believe in their cause and struggle. How can I work for government of Boko Haram?,” he said. The General spoke yesterday in Abuja after a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the political party on whose platform he contested the 2011 Presidential election.

    “I do not know any member of the Boko Haram sect. I do not believe and I do not know of any religion that will go and kill people, burn schools”, Buhari said.

    In his view, the Federal Government has lost control of the country’s security.

    Said Gen. Buhari: “There was a stage when I mentioned that I agreed with one fellow, who said there are three Boko Haram groups – one of Muhammed Yusuf whom we know of. A leader of the military then in Maiduguri did what we know in the military about internal security. They looked for Yusuf and handed him over to the police.

    “A healthy young man who died under a very dubious manner in the police custody. Again, his in-law was murdered, their houses razed down.

    I understand that Borno State government had to pay compensation. The second Boko Haram are the criminals attacking banks and market places stealing money and issuing statements that they are Boko Haram and I have no regret saying that the biggest Boko Haram is the Federal Government itself, because it has all the powers to stop anarchy in the country. Now, the social part of the country has been paralyzed, economic activities have stopped. People are no longer thinking of employment, they are thinking of what to eat and how to go about the following day.

    “Why is it that government could not do it with all the military, police and other security agencies and with all the resources available?, he asked.

    Gen. Buhari also spoke on the CPC BOT meeting and the re-election of United States President Barack Obama.

    Gen. Buhari said: “Today, we met and reviewed what transpired in our party from the time of the elections through the tribunals to the Supreme Court and the elections in Kogi, Adamawa, Sokoto and the by-elections across the country.

    “We are done with all these problems and we have discussed how to move forward. Among the things discussed is the matter of merger, which has occupied the minds of most Nigerians as the only realistic way of consolidating the multi-party democracy system for the opposition parties to come together and fight the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I challenge the elite to go and do some research, from 1999 till date, how much Nigeria earns and where the money is.”

    On Obama’s re-election and lessons to learn, he said: “The second coming of Obama is another big achievement for the US and we congratulate them as a country and as a people. He worked for it, he deserves it and he got it. His fundamental belief that the government is to look after the weak, in terms of the heath policies saved him. All are behind him and the system is working.”

    At the BOT meeting were Buhari’s former running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, CPC National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh, Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura and former Minister of Works Hassan Lawal. among other.

  • Constitution review: National Assembly rejects NBA’s offer

    Constitution review: National Assembly rejects NBA’s offer

    The National Assembly defended yesterday its process for amending the Constitution, condemning the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) for suggesting a referendum.

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba and House of Representatives spokesman Zakari Mohammed described NBA’s demand as unrealistic.

    Ndoma-Egba told reporters in Abuja that the 1999 Constitution did not prescribe referendum for its amendment.

    He said he was surprised that the NBA should suggest an extra-constitutional method to amend the Constitution when the way to do so is spelt out in the Constitution itself.

    If adopted, the NBA’s suggestion would throw the country into crisis, he said, adding: “I’m a bit surprised that the NBA would suggest an extra-constitutional method for amending the constitution.

    “The Constitution that we have which is a live document, which is the fundamental law of the land, which we refer to as the grand norm specifies how it is to be amended.

    “To go outside it would be creating a bit of a problem.

    “Which law will guide the referendum and on which law are we going to establish that referendum?

    “How will the referendum be regulated and who will conduct the referendum?

    “How do you determine the outcome, which law will guide that?

    “Right from 1999, the NBA has always responded to Constitution amendment by setting up its own committee for Constitution amendment.

    “So, the NBA has responded to this process by submitting memoranda at every point including this one.

    “To turn round now to say that the process is rudderless or disorganised, I really can’t understand.

    “When we held a public hearing on Constitution amendment recently in Abuja , we called them to come and defend their submission, even though they ended up not coming, we still have their memoranda and input which we are going to consider.

    “We have always seen the NBA as a partner in the process of Constitution review.

    “The process is going on. We have different levels of engagement.”

    Ndoma-Egba said the Presidency had not submitted the report of the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee on Constitution Review to the National Assembly.

    Ndoma-Egba said there was no law mandating the National Assembly to await the panel’s report before doing its job.

    He described the Belgore report as an executive initiative and an input into the process of Constitution amendment.

    On the row between the National Assembly and the Presidency on budget implementation, he urged presidential aides to realise that abusing one arm of government is not loyalty.

    “The job of the president is to persuade people to his point of view.

    “If the job of the president is to persuade people to his point of view, I don’t know whether those who make comments (cause disagreement) are helping the president to persuade people to their point of view in a system that is designed for conflict.

    “What is in the book may be totally different from what is in our blood.

    “After many years of military dictatorship we are yet to purge ourselves of that military mentality of “yes sir” and the more you abuse your opponent the more loyal you appear to be.

    “It is a totally different environment and they ought to know that.

    “They should do a lot more reading so that they can understand the system.

    “Abusing an arm of government is not a sign of loyalty.

    “In fact, as far as I’m concerned, it is a mark of disloyalty because the work of a president in a presidential system of government structured with conflict in mind is to persuade people to his side.”

    On NBA’s position on Constitution amendment, House spokesman Mohammed said: “Looking at the 1999 Constitution back to back, the suggestion of the president of the NBA, Mr. Okay Wali, of a referendum is not obtainable.

    According to him, the option of referendum is not supported by the Constitution and hence the House will not adopt it.

    His words: “We will not do anything that is outside the Constitution. We swore to protect the Constitution and we must keep to that.

    “So, for us we’re still going ahead because this broad-based method of Constitution amendment which of course the Sixth Assembly did, and which we’re even building upon, is a style that has been winning and we need to get it right.

    “After the 360-constituency tour for the Constitution amendment process has been done, all members will come back and public hearings on that will be held. Don’t forget that the House Chairman on Constitution Review, the Deputy Speaker, has called stakeholders and the NBA was ably represented, where the House told them the approach”.