Nigerian Emmanuel Fagbenle Is Gambia’s New Chief Justice

BANJUL – President Yahya Jammeh has appointed a Nigerian man as Gambia’s top judge after sacking the only woman to have held the post, his office said on Thursday.

Emmanuel Fagbenle takes the role of “acting chief justice”, according to a presidential statement, after Ghanaian-born Mabel Yamoa Agyemang was “relieved of her appointment” without explanation on Monday.

The brief communique gave no biographical details for Fagbenle, although he has been cited by local media as presiding over many high-profile cases in recent years and was sworn in as a Court of Appeal justice five years ago, according to a government release dated from 2009.

Agyemang replaced another Nigerian, Joseph Wowo, who became mired in a bribery scandal in July last year and was jailed on a string of corruption charges in January.

She had been practising law in Gambia since 2004, when she was appointed as an expert appeal court judge after working in her native Ghana.

The president regularly reshuffles his cabinet and judiciary in what many observers say is a sign of insecurity and runs several key ministries himself, including defence and religious affairs.

Jammeh sacked five cabinet ministers in August as part of a ruthless shake-up of the government which saw his justice minister lose her job.

Jammeh, who has ruled mainland Africa’s smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994, vowed ahead of his swearing-in for a fourth term in 2012 to eradicate corruption.

In the same year, former information minister Amadou Scattred Janneh was sentenced to life in prison for treason for distributing T-shirts which featured the slogan “End to Dictatorship Now”.

A sliver of land nestled within Senegal, Gambia has over the years also seen the arrest and jailing of a number of senior military and police officers for crimes relating to treason, drug trafficking and corruption.

Okonjo-Iweala To Lawmakers, I Am Not Responsible For Nigeria’s Rising Recurrent Expenditure Profile

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said the barrage of allegations and assertions against her on the 2014 budget by National Assembly members are not based on facts, stressing that the allegations made by the lawmakers that she is responsible for rising recurrent expenditure are unfounded.

In a statement issued through her Special Adviser, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, the minister debunked several personalised remarks made by some senators during the recent debate on the budget by the senate.

While thanking majority of the senators who understand the issues at stake, she regretted that a few made allegations that were not based on facts.

“Though government is continuous and the minister has no desire to shirk her responsibilities, the effort to personalise these issues on the basis of inaccurate information is unfortunate and must be roundly refuted,” she said.

Okonjo-Iweala also dismissed as untrue, the claim by some lawmakers that the minister was responsible for the rising recurrent expenditure profile, which, according to them, rose “from 69 per cent in the 2013 budget to 76 per cent in the 2014”.

Describing this as inaccurate, she stated that in 2010, the federal government awarded salary increases of 53 per cent across the board to the public service, which increased the wage bill from N856.9 billion in 2009 to N1.36 trillion in 2010.

According to her, at the time, finances were inadequate to back this award, prompting the government to increase domestic borrowing significantly to cover the shortfall.

She added that this rise in government domestic borrowing from N524 billion in 2009 to N1.36 trillion in 2010 was also the singular cause of the country’s rising domestic debt profile, from 14.83 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2009 to 17.98 per cent of GDP in 2010.

The rise in salaries is also reflected by the sharp increase in the recurrent expenditure to 74.4 per cent in 2011, she pointed out.
“The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was not in government when these events took place. Please note that President Goodluck Jonathan has focused on reversing this trend.

“Since 2011, various measures have been introduced, leading to a steady decline in recurrent expenditure from 74.4 per cent in 2011, to 71.47 per cent in 2012, and then to 67.5 per cent in 2013.
“However, it is important to note that under the proposed 2014 budget, recurrent expenditure will rise to 74%, for two reasons,” the statement said, listing them as the decline in the budget base and payment of pensions,” the statement added.

On the decline in the budget base, the minister noted that the total expenditure of N4.64 trillion in the proposed 2014 is about a 7 per cent decline from the 2013 budget level of N4.98 trillion.
“From a mathematical standpoint, this reduction in the budget base will result in a slight increase in the weight of the recurrent expenditure in the budget, which in absolute terms, has increased from 2013 levels,” she said.

On the payment of pensions, the minister observed that it was also important to note that the country was yet to fully absorb the pension implications of the 2010 wage increases.

“Starting in the 2013 budget, this administration commenced tackling the payment of outstanding military pensions, and budget 2014 will further address civilian pensions.

“We have been under pressure from many quarters, including senators, to integrate the civilian component of pensions, and doing so will further increase the recurrent budget. Will the senators blame Okonjo-Iweala for this?” she queried.

On their observation on excessive borrowing, the minister said it was imperative to mention that the flow of domestic borrowing has actually reduced, from N852 billion in 2011 to N588 billion in 2013 and N572 billion proposed in the 2014 budget.

“For the first time in the history of the nation’s domestic debt, Okonjo-Iweala ensured the repayment of N75 billion of domestic bonds as well as set up a sinking fund of N25 billion per annum to support the retirement of maturing bonds, rather than roll them over.

“This is directly contrary to the allegation that she is responsible for excessive borrowing within the economy. To also help the country lower the cost of debt service, DMO (Debt Management Office) has made a minor switch in debt strategy to external borrowing (from multilateral finance
organisations like the African Development Bank, China EXIM Bank, and the World Bank) at zero per cent or very concessionary interest rates.

“While it is important for us to debate the budget, it also behoves us not to misinform Nigerians, demonise individuals based on false information and mis-characterise the nature of budget development in the country.

“A large number of lies are being told against the budget by those who do not care about the impact of their falsehood on the economy and the image of the country.
“While acknowledging that the budget has some imperfections which we are working hard to fix, the large number of positives in terms of policies and resources must not be forgotten,” she added.

The minister further drew attention to the N18.5 billion budgeted for the housing sector, saying: “Budget 2014 will leverage over N100 billion for a new mortgage refinance company that will create millions of jobs and provide affordable homes for millions of Nigerians.

“The budget will leverage considerable resources from internal and external sources to support the agricultural sector.

“The budget will support the ongoing massive repairs and reinvigoration of infrastructure in roads, rail, power and aviation. This is the truth that no amount of contrived allegations can conceal,” she added.

How ‘Mu’azu’s peace talks with Obasanjo collapsed’

There are strong indications that efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party to make former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have a rethink  on his decision to stay away from the party’s activities  have failed.

Investigations on Thursday showed that Obasanjo insisted when the new PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu visited him on January 26, that Jonathan  must  honour his alleged promise in 2011 not to contest the 2015 presidential election.

A very reliable  PDP national officer  confided in  The PUNCH that  Obasanjo also  gave  other conditions that the new leadership of the party must meet before he would have a change of mind.

They include the restructuring of the party as well as   the correction of the  anomalies relating to the removal of Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the national secretary of the PDP  and Bode Mustapha  as  national auditor in early 2013.

Mu’azu was reported to have, during the closed-door meeting  in Abeokuta,    pleaded with the former President to back the President’s alleged 2015 interest  and other activities of the ruling party.

Our source said  that  Obasanjo  told Mu’azu  bluntly  to address  the issues he raised in his December 2, 2013  and January 7, 2014   letters to President Goodluck Jonathan and  a former PDP National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga  Tukur.

In his letter to Tukur dated January 7,   the former President   accused the PDP of negating the  principles of morality by giving prominence to a party chief in  the South-West, Chief Buruji Kasamu.

He also said in the December 2  letter  that Jonathan  told him that he  had not informed anybody that he would contest  the 2015 presidential election.

Obasnjo had in the letter to the President said, “Only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging by what is going on. I must say that is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honourable path.”

The former President   added that  in 2011,  Benue State  Governor, Gabriel Suswan,  informed him that Jonathan had accepted a one-term Presidency.

Part of the letter reads,  “I decided to cross-check with you. You did not hesitate to confirm to me that you are a strong believer in a one-term of six years for the President and that by the time you have used the unexpired term of your predecessor and the four years of your first term, you would have almost used up to six years and you would not need any more term or time.

“I cannot comment much on the constitutional aspect of your second term or what some people call third term. That is for both legal and judicial attention.

“As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour,  both of which are important ingredients of character.”

He had also  said that he would like to see anyone in the office of the Presidency   as a man that could be trusted.

But the President fired back at Obasanjo in his letter dated December 22, 2013.     He faulted the former President’s claim and accused him  of  wanting  to incite Nigerians against him.

On  his purported interest in the  2015 election, Jonathan   said, “I am still of the considered opinion that it would have been best for us to do all that is necessary to refrain from heating up the polity at this time. Accordingly, I have already informed Nigerians that I will only speak on whether or not I will seek a second term when it is time for such declarations.

“Your claims about discussions I had with you, Governor  Suswam and others are wrong; but in keeping with my declared stance, I will reserve further comments until the appropriate time.”

The PDP  source, who confided in The PUNCH,  said although the party had not given up on efforts to ensure total reconciliation of Obasanjo and Jonathan, as of  now,  it (PDP) had not succeeded.

He said, “Baba (Obasanjo) is still insisting on issues he raised in his two letters, particularly the restructuring of the party.  He had said that he would withdraw from the party’s activities, until grievances he mentioned in the letter to Tukur were addressed.

“On Jonathan’s purported second term ambition, Obasanjo   stated  that nothing had changed from what he wrote in the letter to the President because it is a matter of honour.”

It  was gathered that  PDP leaders were divided over  Oyinlola’s return as the national secretary of the party.

Some members of the National Working Committee  are    said  to be uncomfortable with the idea.

Mu’azu  met with Oyinlola  at his residence in Abuja few days ago as part of the reconciliation process going on in the party.

The meeting between  them was a follow- up to the  Obasanjo-Mu’azu parley.

Sources  said  the  Mu’azu-Oyinlola meeting was as a result of the advice  given   by the former President.

Obasanjo  was said to have told Mu’azu that since the Court of Appeal had reinstated Oyinlola, there was no need for the PDP to pursue the case to the Supreme Court.

It will be recalled that few days after the   judgment, the then Tukur-led  NWC announced Oyinlola’s suspension from the party.

Apart from the former Osun State governor,   a former Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar  Baraje; a former National Deputy Chairman, Dr.  Sam Jaja;  and   former National Vice-Chairman, North- West, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, were suspended by the Tukur-led NWC of the PDP.

A member of the  new NWC, who spoke with one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity, said the committee   had  yet to be briefed on  the outcome of the meeting between Mu’azu and Oyinlola.

He said, “We  are aware of the meeting our chairman had with the former secretary. But we are expecting him to brief us soon.”

He, however, said  that not every member of the NWC was favourably disposed to the idea of Oyinlola returning to his position.

The source  said, “First, there are those who are saying that we should allow  the Supreme Court to handle the matter.

“There are also those who are saying that he has gone to the All Progressives Congress and that bringing him back might affect  our cohesion.

“But the majority of us in the NWC,  who worked with him, knew that he was innocent of the allegations   against him and that bringing him back would further heal the wounds among our members.”

None of the former President’s aides could be reached on Thursday to comment on Obasanjo’s stand.

One of his  media aides, Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye, had on January 8, 2014, said that Obasanjo was “not at war with anybody, including President Jonathan.”

A Presidency source, who pleaded anonymity, told one of our correspondents on Thursday, that the President was not losing sleep over Mu’azu’s visit to Obasanjo.

He said, “As far as the meeting between the PDP chairman and the former President is concerned, we are playing politics.

“We know our friends and we know our enemies. In politics, you don’t befriend your friend alone, you also befriend your enemies but the visit was politics.”

When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, said Jonathan was favourably disposed to any move that would restore total reconciliation to the party.

Gulak said the President, like any other well-meaning member of the party, would welcome any step that would bring back aggrieved members of the party who  defected  to the APC.

“Mr. President is a man of peace. He will welcome moves that can bring reconciliation to the party,” he said.

On its part, the PDP said the peace mission embarked upon by its national chairman   was beginning to yield positive results.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abdullahi Jalo,  said this in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Thursday.

Jalo said the new chairman’s vision of leading renewed efforts aimed at rebuilding the party was responsible for the closed-door sessions he held  with prominent Nigerians.

According to him,  recent  interests shown in the party by leading opposition figures are results of the chairman’s efforts.

He cited the defection of a former Sokoto State governor, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, and his Kano State counterpart, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau,  from the APC to the PDP to buttress his claim.

We’ll be embarrassed if Jonathan refuses to contest in 2015 – Ijaw students

THREE Ijaw students’ groups in Niger Delta, yesterday, said that they will not be happy if President Goodluck Jonathan fails to seek a fresh mandate in 2015.

In a statement by the leaders of Izon-Ebe Students, National  Association of Izon-Ebe Law Students, NAILS, and National Associaiton of Izon-Ebe English Students, NAIES, Ebi Wayas and others,  said: ‘’President Jonathan’s concern for building quality and affordable education for Nigerian students cannot be over estimated.

“Students of Ijaw nation and Niger Delta region will always give their support to Jonathan to show gratitude for his rapid transformation of  education and other sectors of the economy. We have confidence in the person of Jonathan for better Nigeria, despite the orchestrated efforts of some unscrupulous elements in the country to make him unpopular and unacceptable.”

Bianca Ojukwu becomes APGA national leader

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, under the leadership of Chief Maxi Okwu, yesterday, adopted Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, wife of its  late National Leader, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, as the party’s National Leader.

Amb. Bianca Ojukwu

This was disclosed in a communiqué signed by the party’s Acting National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Stanley Chira, which was read by the National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu after a National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja.

Okwu said: “The National Executive Committee, NEC, of our great party reconfirms and further resolves the earlier decision taken on  February 16, 2013 and on March 22,  2013, at the one year anniversary of the demise of our late leader and icon, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.

That he remains our symbol and leader the fact of his transit to glory notwithstanding. His wife and next of kin, Iyom Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is hereby adopted as the living embodiment of his ideals. She shall in his stead be acknowledged as Leader.

She is aware of the existing situation and she gave her consent, and we adopted her. We still respect Governor Peter Obi as one of our leaders, and he is also aware of this development.”

Okwu also commended the judgement at the Federal High Court, Abuja, and promised to use it to recover, refocus and rebrand the soul of the party.

Prison warders beat vendors for declining demand for free newspapers

IBADAN —Some prison officials went wild, yesterday, in Ibadan as they allegedly invaded the Forestry Research Institute premises armed with guns.

*

They were reportedly chasing a newspaper vendor, Mr. Adewale Moronkeji, who ran there for cover.

When they caught up with him, they beat the newspaper vendor to a pulp.

The vendors whose names were given as Adewale Moronkeji and Kola Ola were at the Forestry junction, about 1,000 metres from the entrance of the house of the controller of prisons when the warders led by the driver of the controller swooped on them.

After beating them up, they took one of them to the police headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan, claiming he wanted to attack the controller.

Vanguard gathered that some of the guards at the entrance of the Idi‑Ishin residence of the controller had been putting pressure on the newspaper vendors to give them free newspapers to read which the vendors rejected.

The driver of the controller, with bottled anger, allegedly saw the vendors at Idi‑Ishin junction, which is a distance to the entrance of the controller’s residence and ordered them to leave the place.

However, Moronkeji asked him if they were constituting nuisance to him.

This, according to Kola Ola, stirred up the anger of the driver who jumped down from the vehicle and started beating him.

Not satisfied with the assault on Wednesday, the prison officials again stormed the Forestry junction, yesterday, where they saw Moronkeji and his friend, beat them to their satisfaction and drove one of them to Eleiyele police headquarters.

However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Olabisi Clet‑Ilobanafor said she was not aware of any newspaper vendor being detained in their station even though the Chairman of the Newspaper Distribution Association of Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Abimbola and his men saw Moronkeji in one of the dark rooms in the station with swollen eyes and legs.

Pleading for the release of their man, the newspaper agents stormed the Correspondents’ Chapel at Mokola, yesterday, to protest the inhuman treatment meted to their colleagues.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Prison officials were fruitless.

Egypt army chief decides to run for president

Egypt’s top military commander Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in comments published in Kuwait that he has decided to run in the presidential election scheduled for April.

‘Yes, the matter has been decided and I have no choice but to respond to the call of the Egyptian people,’ Sisi told Kuwait’s Al-Seyassah newspaper when asked if he has decided to run for presidency.

‘The call (of the people) has been heard everywhere and I will not reject it. I will seek a renewal of confidence of the people through free voting,’ Sisi said in the interview.

Sisi’s announcement comes a week after the country’s top military council decided that he must run for the presidency which he is assured to win after ousting the democratically elected leader in July.

Sisi, wildly popular for overthrowing Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, is now expected to resign as army chief before he officially becomes a candidate in the election scheduled to be held by mid-April.

The army’s decision came after a weekend in which dozens were killed in street clashes between Morsi’s supporters and police and militant attacks, underscoring the difficulties Sisi will face.

An Egyptian court on Wednesday adjourned Morsi’s murder trial to March 1, to review video evidence against the Islamist.

Morsi and 14 co-defendants, some of them former aides, are charged with inciting the killings of opposition protesters outside the presidential palace in December 2012.

They Mocked And Laughed At Me- Stella Damasus

Seems Stella Damasus has suddenly turned an inspirational speaker. Read her latest inspirational message below… Some have mocked me, laughed at me, and even said I was not worth it. They have said I am not pretty enough, my nose is not straight enough, and my lips are too thick, my eyes are too small; trust me they have laughed at my legs, my round face and huge cheeks. I smile through it all because I know that the one who formed, moulded and created me, is the perfect one who never makes mistakes. I love me and I love the God who created me and called me his child. He says I am beautiful no matter what they say. I encourage to stand up, look at yourself in the mirror and remind yourself that your creator never makes mistakes. Remind yourself that the God we serve is beautiful and so if you were created in his own image, then guess what….. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! 

SSS arrests Dokubo-Asari Dokubo over inciting comments

President of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has been arrested by the men of the Department of State Security, DSS for making inciting comments on the 2015 election.

The former Niger Delta militant was arrested this morning, less than 24 hours after Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, called on security agents to arrest and caution him for repeatedly making inciting comments. He is currently being interrogated by SSS operatives.

Replying to comments made by former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday Feb 4th Asari Dokubo said that he would make Nigeria ungovernable unless Pres. Jonathan wins a second term ticket in the 2015 presidential election. He also asked Northern politicians to stay away 

"If they say the blood of the dogs and the baboon will be soaked in water on the street, in blood on the street, in salt water on the street, we will help them soak them in blood”.

Security operatives believe such a comment is capable of causing chaos in Nigeria.

Anti-gay law: Gay Nigerians flood Netherlands embassy seeking asylum

Choi, some Nigerians like to take advantage sha! Lol. The Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria has confirmed that it has received some applications for asylum by some Nigerians who fear persecution following the recent signing into law the anti-gay bill by President Jonathan, Thisday reports. 

Netherlands is a gay-friendly country. The embassy sent an email to Thisday some days ago saying that despite receiving these applications, it was neither involved in processing any application for asylum seekers nor does it have the power to grant asylum to applicants.

"The embassy has received a small number of applications for asylum by Nigerians. It is not possible to apply for asylum at the embassy. We inform the applicants likewise but we do not register the number of applications made. At this stage, it is not possible to make predictions. That would be speculation. However, when people become increasingly aware that it is not possible to apply for asylum at the embassy, one could expect a decrease. The embassy is not involved in the asylum process, neither in the application nor in the determination of the authenticity of claims.”

Controversial Rivers Police Commissioner Joseph Mbu redeployed

The Police Service Commission has announced the removal of the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Joseph Mbu. The controversial police officer has been posted to the Federal Capital Territory.

He will be replaced by Johnson Ogunsakin, the commissioner in charge of the Special Fraud Investigations Unit in Lagos. 

The PSC also announced the redeployment of several other commissioners, all of them to take effect immediately. See the press release after the cut...


POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE
REDEPLOYMENT OF COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE
The Police Service Commission has approved the recommendations of the Inspector General of Police for the redeployment of thirteen (13) Commissioners of Police to various Commands nationwide:

s/n	Rank	Name	Present Posting	Posted To
1.	CP	AMBROSE AISABO, mni	PAP LAS	CP KWS
2.	CP	FELIX O. UYANYA, mni	COMDT PCO	CP EKS
3.	CP	JOHNSON OGUNSAKI	CP SFU	CP RVS
4.	CP	ABDULMAJID ALI	CP EOD	CP IMS
5.	CP	BENJAMIN U. ONWUKA	D/COMDT STAFFPOL JOS	CP KBS
6.	CP	IBRAHIM MAISHANU	FHQ	CP OSS
7.	CP	ADAMU IBRAHIM	DFS	CP ABS
8.	CP	ADERENLE SHINABA	FHQ	CP KNS
9.	CP	MBU JOSEPH MBU	CP RVS	CP FCT
10.	CP	UMARU U. SHEHU	CP NAS	CP KDS
11.	CP	A.J. ABAKASANGA, mni	CP INFO-TECH	CP ADS
12.	CP	KALAFITE H. ADEYEMI	FHQ ABJ	CP TRS
13.	CP	IBRAHIM IDRIS	FHQ ABJ	CP NAS

The Chairman of the Commission, Sir Mike Mbama Okiro, equally admonished the newly redeployed officers to put in their best in their various Commands’ operations, so as to provide a secure environment for business and life to thrive.

Ferdinand U. Ekpe
AD(Press)
For: Hon. Chairman
6^th February, 2014

2women jailed for trafficking &making children beg with fake wounds

Two women have been arrested and jailed for trafficking children and making them beg on the streets of Lagos with fake wounds.

Asari-Dokubo Should Have Been Jailed If He’s Bigger Than The Law – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as reckless, irresponsible and totally condemnable the alleged threat by Mujahedeen Asari-Dokubo to levy war against Nigeria even if President Goodluck Jonathan is defeated even in a free and fair election in 2015.

It said the SSS must act immediately or be damned.

“There is no better test of the fairness, non-partisanship and professionalism of the SSS than this Asari-Dokubo’s threat to levy war on his own country. If Asari-Dokubo is not above the laws of the land, he must be hauled before the SSS, just like the service did to our Deputy National Secretary, to explain his statement,” APC said.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said despite the attacks by oil militants in the Niger Delta and the ongoing insurgency by Boko Haram in some parts of the north, Nigeria has not witnessed a clearer and louder call to war than Asari-Dokubo’s senseless vituperation since the country’s civil war ended in 1970.

It said Nigerians are waiting to see what the SSS, which recently detained for many hours the APC’s Deputy National Secretary Nasir El-Rufai over his warning against election rigging in 2015, will do now that an ally of President Jonathan has threatened the very existence of Nigeria, by saying he and his fellow militants would cripple the economy of the country not only in the creeks but also in Nigeria’s territorial waters.

“What on earth gave Asari-Dokubo the confidence to issue threats against a whole nation? If he doesn’t care about elections and democracy, how else could his hero, President Jonathan, have come to power? Does he know the meaning of anarchy? Does he think anyone, no matter how big, is more important than his country or bigger than its constitution?

“When he said President Jonathan ‘must complete the mandatory constitutionally-allowable two terms of eight years’ or the militants will make Nigeria ungovernable, was he aware that even the North that has become his favourite whipping boy did not complete its own eight years before his kinsman became President?

“It is not Asari-Dokubo’s fault. When we warned against the handing over of the nation’s maritime security to a company owned by an ex-militant in 2012, many thought we were crying wolf where none existed. But the threat by an ex-militant to ensure that no vessel will be allowed to enter the nation’s territorial waters unless President Jonathan is re-elected has shown the dangers inherent in such actions,” APC said

The party wondered why President Jonathan, who said his ambition is not worth anyone’s blood, has neither condemned nor call to order his out-of-control kinsmen like Asari-Dokubo, who speak either on his behalf or for his benefit.

2015: Jonathan has right to contest for 2nd term – Na’Abba

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mister Ghali Na’Abba has challenged those claiming that President Goodluck Jonathan signed an agreement to restrict himself to a single term to come out with proofs to back up their claims.

Speaking on Channels Television programme, ‘’View From The Top’’, Mr Na’Abba said that although it is important for people to honour agreements they entered into, he was not privy to any document suggesting that there is any agreement.

He said: “Anybody has the right to contest to be the President of Nigeria, wherever he comes from, but when there is an agreement, that agreement must be upheld, no matter the pain. If we don’t learn to honour our agreements, then we are not men of honour.

“In this case, none of us have been briefed after the primary elections of 2011 by anybody about the process these governors followed in giving their votes or asking their delegates to elect Goodluck Jonathan to be the party’s presidential flag bearer.”

Na’Abba was among many top politicians that left the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in a highly publicized defection to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in 2005. He said that unlike the current wave of defections, his was not an easy decision, leaving the PDP back then.

He explained that the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo, in his bid to elongate his tenure in office, “embarked on what they called re-registration exercise in the party”, with the aim of “having total control of the party.”

He further alleged that those of them who were seen not to be in support of the president’s plan “were marked out for total elimination from the party.” So, means had to be devised for them to either leave the party or be dismissed. He said that they were denied the opportunity to be re-registered as members of the party.

Hence, they opted out of the party and fought the scheme. He noted that they did not leave the party just because they wanted to.

He, however, regretted that his expectation that whatever party he joined after PDP would be a truly democratic party with internal democracy was not what he found, so he decided to return to his party, the PDP, in 2007, just after the presidential election.

Speaking from experience as a one-time defector, Na’Abba noted that the possibility of recent PDP defectors returning to the party would depend on their objectives, as there were people in politics for the purpose of acquiring power, while there are also developmental politicians.

“Once power seeking politicians find what they need, they may not come back, because for them all the platforms are the same. There are no differences in ideology; which is why many politicians contesting for positions cannot provide their party manifestos,” he explained.

Mr Na’Abba also commended the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, saying despite the circumstances that he has found himself, he is doing his best.

“The current House of Representatives cannot be compared to that of 1999 to 2003. Because that time, members came almost on their own, so they didn’t need anybody to direct them, and this was why the House was quite independent.

“After 2003, when the potential for the House to do a lot of things was realised by the executive arm, it was silently decided that that degree of independence should never be allowed within the legislature. So the next occupants of the House and the Senate were mostly handpicked by the party or the President.”

He also shared his views on the National Conference and other matters of national importance.

Nigeria, India Our Major Focus For Mxit Progress In Africa says CEO

Mxit has earmarked West African nation Nigeria as a focus area, according to the company’s chief executive officer Francois Swart. But in an emailed response, Swart is tight-lipped about what the nature of a Nigerian launch for Mxit could be. Nigeria has over 100 million mobile connections. “Nigeria is a focus area for us, but that is all I can say at the moment,” Swart told ITWeb Africa.

Nigeria has over 100 million mobile connections. “Nigeria is a focus area for us, but that is all I can say at the moment,” Swart told ITWeb Africa. ‘Nigeria, India could be Mxit’s biggest growth areas’ Mxit Francois Swart Swart’s comments follow Mxit’s expansion plans, which kick-started with last month’s launch of the instant messaging application in India, which has a mobile market size of over 900 million connections according to the GSMA.

Mxit also opened offices in India while its marketing campaign included involvement from former coach and opening batsman of South Africa’s cricket team Gary Kirsten. Meanwhile, at last year’s AfricaCom conference, Mxit’s chief product officer Vincent Maher indicated that Nigeria is also on the social network’s radar. Maher said that both India and Nigeria are in the company’s sights. According to Mxit, it has 7.4 million monthly active users across Africa, of which 6.5 million are in South Africa.

Nigeria Increases Cash Reserve Ratio For Public Funds To 75%

The Central Bank of Nigeria yesterday effected a new monetary policy which saw the country’s Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) on public funds deposits rise to 75 percent, thereby withdrawing close to N1 trillion ($6.1 billion) from the economy.

The CRR, which is the required cash banks are expected to keep with the apex bank, was recently increased from 50 percent to 75 percent for public funds while still maintaining 30 percent and 12 percent on liquidity ratio and CRR respectively.

The policy was effected by the Monetary Policy Committee as a means to curb constant spike in the demand for dollars and reduce excessive cash flows in the system.

The withdrawal of these funds means the amount available to banks for daily transaction reduces. This might in turn have an effect on interest rates in the country.

“We often see lending rates rise in response to the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) set by the CBN in its efforts to tighten money supply to reign in inflation, but a very little corresponding increase in rates banks pay depositors,” Nigerian daily ThisDay quoted CBN Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu, as saying.

The implementation of the policy amongst other reasons is meant to bridge the gap between the rate of lending and deposits by banks.

In a chat with Thisday Live, the Managing Director, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Johnson Chukwu said the increase will have little or no effect, and the Monetary Policy Committee should be prepared to increase the Public Sector deposit CRR to 100 percent and deploy other monetary tools when election expenses increase.

Although the policy will cause banks to adjust their operations, it will also help them to focus on the private sector and can pump funds into other sectors of Nigeria’s economy that have shown signs of growth.

Nigeria Slams N800 Billion Fine On Shell Over Bonga Oil Spill

The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, has imposed a $5 billion dollars (about N800 billion) fine on Shell Petroleum and Development Company, SPDC, for the 2011 Bonga oil spill incident.

The Director-General, Peter Idabor, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.

Mr. Idabor also said that the agency had started studying the Post-Impact Assessment Report on Bonga oil spill.

“Compensation really derives after you have done a post-impact assessment,” he said. “After you have done evaluation of the place and mapped out places affected by the spill, then you can now say this one take three naira; this one take N100; it is different from fine.”

The official added that “So, just last week, they formally announced to us that the post-impact assessment report is ready; which we are studying now.

“The House of Representatives has asked NOSDRA as the lead agency in oil spill, to contact other stakeholders including the communities, to see how we can study the report.

“We will then recommend compensation based on the report of the post-impact assessment.”

He said that NOSDRA faulted SPDC for not providing immediate relief to the affected communities, whose livelihoods were affected by the disaster.

The director-general said that the fine would serve as a deterrent to other firms that would treat activities which deplete the environment with levity.

“The kind of impunity Shell and its allies have demonstrated so far in the Niger Delta area in the past should be addressed if the future and people of Nigeria and the environment are to be protected,” he said.

He said that the oil spill, which occurred in December 2011 and spread over 100 nautical miles from the ocean, deprived fishermen in the affected areas of Bayelsa and Delta of their means of livelihood.

“They could not go there to fish; nets that they normally put in water ways were stained and people lost their means of livelihood.

“Even the fishes themselves, because of the chemical, migrated from the crude oil.

“The overall impact was for that chemical to have entered the Atlantic Ocean; it must have killed millions of fish and other living organisms,” he said.

Mr. Idabor said that the spill which did not result from sabotage or vandalism would take a long time to get cleared.

A separate government agency, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, had also asked Shell to pay $6.5 billion (about N1 trillion) as compensation to the victims of the spill.

It is not yet clear if Shell would pay the levies or would challenged the directives in court.

Meanwhile, Barrisua Deezim, an Ogoni in Rivers, has urged NOSDRA to extend its efforts and to respond to other communities in the Niger Delta region affected by oil exploration activities.

Mr. Deezim also called on security authorities to intensify efforts to check the activities of illegal refineries in the area.

Oil spill in the Niger Delta region is mostly caused by oil bunkering,” he said.

(NAN)

Chevron Rejects $5 billion Nigerian lawsuit

US oil giant Chevron has announced it will “vigorously” op¬pose a $5 billion lawsuit filed in the United States by Nigeri¬ans residing in the vicinity of a deadly offshore natural gas rig exploration in 2012.

Nigerian coastal residents filed the $5 billion lawsuit in January in a federal court in California, two years after the explosion at Chevron’s offshore gas exploration site killed two workers and burned for 46 days, allegedly poisoning the air and water.

In January 2012, Chevron’s KS Endeavor drilling rig exploded approximate¬ly 6 miles of the coast of Nigeria. The company was in the process of drilling a gas exploration well in the Funiwa field off the Niger Delta at the time.

The Nigerian plaintiffs allege that Chevron’s negligence was to blame for the explosion and they are seeking a ruling that would hold the oil giant liable for economic losses and environmental damages.

The lawsuit alleges that Chevron failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent the explosion and failed to adequately control it with available technol¬ogy.

Prior to the lawsuit, Nigeria’s National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), has recommended a fine of $3 billion dollars against Chevron.

Chevron is the third-largest oil producer in Nigeria.

Bill Gates Quits as Microsoft chairman, Nadella emerges CEO

As Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group chief, Nadella oversees the company’s server software and back-end technology for corporate customers. He also is in charge of several consumer cloud products, including Office 365, as well as the Bing search engine, Xbox Live and Skype. Prior to joining Microsoft, Nadella worked at Sun Microsystems, which is now owned by Oracle (ORCL, Fortune 500).

Microsoft has named Satya Nadella as its new CEO and announced that founder Bill Gates will step down as chairman of the company’s board.

Nadella is a 22-year veteran of Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) who has been overseeing various aspects of the company’s corporate software business since 1992. Over the past several years, Nadella’s cloud and enterprise division has been one of Microsoft’s best-performing units.

Nadella has been named CEO amid a major transition at Microsoft. He is replacing Steve Ballmer, who announced in August that he was stepping down as CEO. The company’s famed consumer business is struggling, including sales of Windows. Meanwhile, corporate revenue now makes up two-thirds of Microsoft’s overall sales and is instrumental in driving Microsoft’s growth.

“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Gates in a prepared statement. “His vision for how technology will be used and experienced around the world is exactly what Microsoft needs as the company enters its next chapter of expanded product innovation and growth.”

Microsoft also said that Gates will be working closely with Nadella in a new technology adviser role. Gates will be replaced by current Microsoft board member and former Symantec (SYMC, Fortune 500) CEO John Thompson as new chairman of Microsoft. Gates and Ballmer will remain on the company’s board.

Nadella was Microsoft’s second-highest paid executive last year, earning $7.7 million in salary, bonuses and stock grants. Only chief operating officer Kevin Turner made more. Microsoft has not yet announced Nadella’s new compensation package.