Senator Ngige’s victory-the facts, the truth – ACN

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Sen Chirs Nwabueze Ngige

Being text of ACN’s Press statement made by Action Congress of Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, in the aftermath of the final victory of Sen Chris Ngige in his senatorial bid and all the reactions.

 

On Monday, March 26, 2012 the Court of Appeal gave the final judgment on the Election Petition filed by the defeated Senatorial candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) Prof Mrs Dora Akunyili seeking to nullify the election of Senator Chris Ngige.

In a unanimous judgement, the appellate Court presided over by  Hon Justice Shodipe agreed  with the Election Tribunal sitting in Awka, which on February 21, 2012 struck out the petition on the grounds that the adjudication period has exceeded 180 days provided for litigation by the 1999 Constitution as amended in 2010.

 

This ruling of the tribunal is a double victory for our party- one instant, and the other retroactive. The instant victory lay in the fact that the senatorial cleanly won twice in the field by our party through our formidable candidate Chris Nwabueze Ngige was confirmed elected.

 

The retroactive victory was that the prime interlocutory appeal which Akunyili claimed to have won was confirmed upturned. On January 26, 2012, 60 days after the filing of  an interlocutory appeal by Sen. Ngige in November  2011,praying the same Appeal Court in Enugu  to strike out the same case on the same grounds, the five-man panel of headed by her lordship ,Hon Justice Justice  Denton –West  struck out the  appeal ‘ for lack of merit’, Yet on February 17, 2012 the Supreme Court  held that 180 days provided by the constitution for hearing and disposing of petitions ‘is like the Rock of Gibraltar or Mount Zion that cannot be moved’ .

 

In effect Ngige succeeded in reversing that temporary relief of Akunyili given her on January 26, 2012. Surprisingly, Mrs Akunyili, who may never accept defeat ,even if she loses 20 times still claims, as contained in her post-judgment press statement  that she won all the interlocutory appeals when what she thought she won has led to her final loss? Should those who seek to lead play on the ignorance of some of the followers?

 

It is either  that she was-to borrow the expression of the Appeal court ,‘in  serious misapprehension of these issues’or she was not done with her ,pre-election,post-election,pre-litigation and ,intra-litigation  duplicity, which  has neither uplifted her image nor her political career.

 

Perhaps as time goes on, the Supreme Court may yet rule on the issue of initiating the petition with a mere letter, without paying statutory fees  and ,leveling allegations against our party (ACN)  and the Nigerian Police Force, without joining both corporate persons as party in the suit being the subject of two other  appeals she made vain issue out of.

 

We therefore urge Mrs Akunyili to come down from her high horse and accept defeat ,rather than to keep insisting that her head has not touched the ground  because she cannot rise above all of Nigeria’s democratic institutions- the electorate, INEC,Election Tribunal, Appeal Court, Supreme Court Media, Observers – put together. All have given victory to Senator Ngige individually and collectively.  And most importantly in her privacy, she knows that Dr Ngige clearly and more convincingly than the official results even suggest.

 

She should not forget that backed by the government of Anambra State, she stole and awarded herself 22,500 toxic votes in Anaocha.  Forensic evidence, and the finding of facts by the same Court of Appeal, Enugu has established –as graphically illustrated in the December 22 judgment in Ferdinand Dozie Nwankwo (ACN) vs. Uche Ekwunife, where the court found that only about 9,000 votes were cast in Anaocha local Government Area. This election was held simultaneously with Sen. Ngige/Dora Akunyili elections. The decision of our brilliant defence lawyers not to move to seek recovery of those votes was a matter of the strategy. But Anambra Central and Anambra State have not forgotten that broad daylight theft.

 

She should also not forget that she  and her lawyers had to go into forgery  of Form TRF 008 in Awka just to cover up a major lapse in the management of her petition, just before the discerning Election Petition Panel struck out the petition for the first time on October 20, 2011, after pronouncing the document –with contradictory dates-so submitted ‘a worthless document’

 

Mrs Akunyili raised  a number of other issues in her press statement not worthy of attention or comment and we shall leave them to the superior judgment of the general public in Anambra Central Senatorial District, Anambra State, Nigeria and the world whose sense of judgment on issues Akunyili underrates. But we shall not ignore that fact that her latest sojourn in the appeal Court is an abuse of Court process, and she knew, because suddenly, she did not discuss the appeal in the media or in public as before.

 

Listen to the court on Monday last week: ‘The appellants are in serious misapprehension of the Supreme Court orders and the principle of Stare Decicis ( Decided cases)’ The appellants on record in this matter are Akunyili and APGA, which curiously was silent and subordinated to Akunyili in public view during the trial.  This underscores that she was sure she was embarking on an abuse of court process and still elected to so do. And this is remarkable and important for assessing the rationale quotient and sense of conformity of those who aspire to higher leadership.

 

Tenacity, we insist cannot be confused with foolhardiness or desperation. If you want to know whether Akunyili understood the gamble she undertook, view her facebook page where she has been giving a daily update on her senatorial elections and post-election litigation, but not one word was written by her on facebook between Wednesday February 22, 2012 when the latest final ‘appeal’ was filed, and Monday March 26, 2012, when this resounding victory came for Sen.Ngige.

 

We shall leave the moral side of Akunyili’s action as well as those of her  visible and invisible backers in Anambra State Government House to the tax-paying people of Anambra State and the decisive voting people of Anambra Central whose firm choice has always been Sen Ngige .

 

If Sen. Ngige was intent on time-wasting like Akunyili alleged, he could have appealed the January 26, 2012 ruling of the Appeal Court on 180 days-now upturned by the Supreme Court. We could only have been chastised for being in ‘serious misapprehension that the Appeal Court is the highest court on National Assembly elections’. Yet, not being new to the sacrifice of leadership and statecraft, he accepted that January 26, 2012 decision of the Appeal Court against the best part of his conscience and went for trial where AKUNYILI ‘S WOBBLY CASE WAS HEARD.

 

On the trial itself please recall that Mrs Akunyili went to court, in summary on these counts:

 

  • ·        That Sen Chris Ngige was given 68 unmerited votes, which should be retrieved;
  • ·        That she was denied 108 lawful votes, which should be added to her;
  • ·        That there were substantial non-compliancce with the Electoral Act 2010 and INEC manual in conduct of elections in 15 wards  to the extent of ‘over voting’ in 15 wards in Idemili North  and South (Ngige’s  home base )and the polls should be cancelled and deducted from the results
  • ·        That there was ‘multiple thumb printing’ in one polling unit in Enugwu-Ukwu and therefore the results should be cancelled and deducted from the results
  • ·        That there was incomplete  no voting in one polling unit in Abba and one Polling unit in Ukpo,both in Njikoka local government Area and based on that the tribunal should order another election for these two polling units out of 1,560 in the constituency.

Yet in her principal prayer she asked to be declared the winner.

 

By February 8, 2012, as she admitted, she had called all her witnesses and closed her case and Ngige was to open his on February 17 (later deferred to February 21, 2012).

Under cross examination Akunyili admitted the discovery of defence lawyers (Counsels to Ngige and INEC) that actually 308 votes were wrongfully awarded to her, wiping out mathematically the first two planks.

 

Punching a calculator in court, she was also made to disprove herself by proving that total valid votes did not exceed number of accredited voters as she alleged. She went ahead to read out at the instance of the cross-examining lawyers what the Electoral Act 2010 defines as over-voting- WHEN VOTES SCORED EXCEEDS THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS, shortly before admitting that she did not tender the voters register in evidence before the court.

 

Akunyili called two police ‘ forensic experts ‘  who live and work in Lagos, but swore to have deposed their affidavits  in Awka on Monday  January 9, 2012, a day  Nigerian Labour Congress and The Trade Union Congress (TUC) shut down the nation  and its courts , to press the reversal of pump price of gasoline to N65 per litre. One police witness later ran way.The remaining  Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Elias Uzoemeka told the court that he did not take the serial number of ballot papers into consideration in his ballot scan, nor did he know the intensity of light required for carrying out forensic scanning operations. Yet he produced a result that showed PDP as committing multiple voting on one (1) ballot paper.

 

Besides, the name of the Police expert witness appeared in the certified true copy of attendance list in a meeting conducted by INEC in June 2011 for candidates and their team under the team of Dora Akunyili. That was long before he knew that he would be drafted to compose a document to pervert justice. Little wonder, the witness, who introduced himself with a scanned subpoena virtually disappeared behind sweat beads when he was confronted with the attendance list.

 

Even then, DSP Uzoemeka was there only to get one polling booth cancelled, the same ward where Akunyili’s female personal assistant, who claimed she was an agent in the rerun elections of April 26, 2011, could not locate her name in the INEC-certified true copy of APGA agents and could not produce a letter of appointment as an agent. Besides, the identification tag she tendered to the court, which understandably did not bear her name was dated April 9, 2011, when she was testifying on the April 26 rerun elections.

 

Again unfortunately for Akunyili and APGA, INEC adduced evidence to show that the elections had been completed in the single units at Abba and Ukpo, before violence threatened, and the electoral officials and the materials were promptly evacuated to safety by the security agents. The tribunal ordered that the ballots should be counted and Dr Chris Ngige won, further increasing the margin.

 

Given this trajectory in her own case Akunyili cannot in all honesty lay claim to any outcome that would have altered the status quo, but by virtue of not having a formal judgment, all has been left in the realm of conjecture for an obviously elated Akunyili to carry on with a disguised celebration, having been snatched from the jaws of political suicide.

 

YET, THE POLITICAL ANAEMIA OF RE-BRANDING VOTE RIGGING MAY NOT GO AWAY IN A HURRY.

 

With these details, it is clear even to ardent Akunyili supporters and APGA faithfuls that she lost technically and substantially, but if she insists it is technical, so be it. Victory is victory. If  FIFA grants Cameroun a walk-over against Ghana in a football match, the implication for the league table is that Cameroun will score three full points and two goals on aggregate. No one asks the name of the goal scorers. By some reversal of logic, if the tribunal had, by any magic under the sun, cancelled 15 wards of Idemili as she prayed and announced her winner, we would not remember that Ngige won about 85 percent of the votes there, which would have failed to count.

 

The primary place to win elections is on the ballot papers in the field, anything thereafter is TECHNICAL. So Akunyili came to win technically, and lost technically. If sore-losing would not let her congratulate the winner, she should purchase golden silence.

 

We therefore hold that Akunyili is celebrating the supreme Courts intervention to save her from herself. The major loser is Governor Peter Obi whose pervasive expenditure of Anambra state funds could not guarantee Anambra Central Senatorial seat, or any senate seat for that matter. The money spent in courts to get what Obi and Akunyili did not get in the ballot boxes can give every community in Anambra State potable drinking water, construct the road from Amansea through Oba Ofe Mmili to Uzo Uwani, Enugu state and still could have saved the lives of about 50 AIDS patients who died because they had no access to drugs from public hospitals, owing to doctors and health workers strikes ,the former lasting 13 months and making mothers take days-old children for BCG injections in Delta, Imo and Enugu neighbouring States.

 

If the sun ever rises again, Ndi Anambra will certainly not, forget what they had to go through and how long it took them to successfully reject evil for good; Untruth for truth and duplicity for forthrightness.

 

For: ACTION CONRESS OF NIGERIA, ANAMBRA CHAPTER

Okelo Madukaife

State Publicity Secretary

Awka.

Chime warns law officers against laxity, indiscipline

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Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has warned legal officers and other staff of the state Ministry of Justice to go about their duties in such a manner as would ensure the highest possible level of productivity and service delivery in their respective offices.

The Governor who gave the warning while declaring a two-day retreat for Law Officers in the State Ministry of Justice at Nike Lake Resort Hotel, Enugu open noted that the establishment and sustenance of a reliable and credible judicial system and the qualitative administration of justice were some of the most important and sensitive responsibilities of government.

He stressed that it was for this reason as well as the impact their duties have on the preservation of law and order in the society that Legal Officers and other staff of the Ministry of Justice must not only be men and women of high intellectual and professional capacity but those who must approach their duties with great sense of commitment and dedication.

The Governor who was represented by his Deputy Sunday Onyebuch,i reminded the workers of the administration’s policy of zero tolerance for laxity and corruption and advised them to view the Ministry of Justice as their own and consequently develop a more sincere and purposeful attitude towards their work

He commended the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Anthony Ani and his staff for their vision and wisdom in organizing the retreat, adding that the positive results to be obtained from it would benefit the entire state.

Governor Chime also affirmed the determination of his administration to support and sustain the continuous training of workers in the state to ensure maximum productivity.

He said that such programmes were normally designed to equip them with the ethical, intellectual and professional tools that would enable them perform their duties with due diligence and unreserved commitment.

Earlier in an address, the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike noted that the functions of legal officers in the Ministry of Justice either at the State or Federal levels were wide and almost uncertain.

He added that legal officers attend to all the legal issues and problems of all Ministries and Departments of government.

According the Chief Judge, the Attorney General is also the Chief Law Officer and the Chief Legal Adviser to all the Ministries of the State and Legislature.

He stressed that with such enormous functions, the Law Officers in the Ministry of Justice cannot afford to be lazy and or negligent in their work. 

The Chief Judge advised that the training programme should be made regular adding that a reward system for dedicated and resourceful law officers in the Ministry of Justice be established.

According to him, this reward may come be way of harmonization of their salaries with those of Magistrates or appointing the law officers who have shown distinction as Judges or Judicial Officers.

In an interview, the Enugu State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Anthony Ani said that the retreat would enable participants look at the general attitude to work of legal practitioners.  He noted that the retreat would also enable participants approach their work with more commitments and dedication.

Okorocha releases N10b for Imo contractors

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Imo State Governor, Rochas Anayo Okorocha yesterday released a
whooping sum of N10b for the payment of contractors handling over 500 kilometers on-going rural road projects towards ensuring their
completion before the raining season.

Governor Okorocha disclosed this during a meeting he held with
Commissioners, House of Assembly members, Permanent Secretaries,
Directors and other top government functionaries yesterday at Sam
Mbakwe Hall, Concorde Hotel, Owerri.

Gov. Okorocha maintained that it is the intention of his administration to complete all road projects it started in order to reduce the sufferings the people of Imo State are passing through in
various areas of the state and enjoined the contractors to reciprocate
the gesture by adhering to the terms of agreement.

While pointing out that the state government will ensure a
maintenance culture on all the on-going road projects across the
state, he stated that Transition Committee Chairmen of local
government areas would be held responsible for roads not well
executed in their areas.

The Imo governor who noted that the state since its inception has
spent the sum of N45b on roads promised to pay completely for any
road project completed in the state; adding that the state
government had spent about N500b on road projects since creation.

He stressed that the secret of his success, especially in executing
projects across the zones of the state was sacrifice and prudence
in handling public funds and expressed gratitude to the elected and
appointed government functionaries and the entire people of Imo
State for their sacrifice and understanding towards moving the state
forward.

Obama’s Great Economic Lie

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On Tuesday, April 10, President Obama spoke in Boca Raton at Florida Atlantic University. He promptly showed that he needs a remedial course in basic economics.

The speech covered all the same ground as the rest of his speeches lately: he’s declaring class warfare on the rich. In this speech, though, he went into particular depth on his vision of economics. Or rather, his blindness with regard to economics.

Obama casts his re-election campaign as a debate between becoming a nation “where a shrinking number of people are doing really, really well, but a growing number are struggling to get by,” and a nation where “everybody gets a fair shot … does a fair share … plays by the same set of rules.”

There’s only one problem with this – Obama isn’t on the side he thinks he’s on. According to Robert Reich, Obama’s interim economic advisor, Obama’s supposed economic recovery has gone almost entirely to the top 1%. So his economy is the economy creating unfairness – greater government interventionism does not translate into greater prosperity for those who are not top earners.

But Obama continued. “This is the defining issue of our time,” he said. He admitted that “Government is not the answer to everything.” And he added that the free market “is the greatest force for economic progress in history.” But, he said – and you knew there would be a but – “through our government,we should do together what we cannot do as well for ourselves.”  What kinds of things can’t we do well? Apparently we’re bad at education – although private education routinely outstrips public education in terms of performance. Apparently, we’re bad on our own at health care – even though the most highly-privatized sectors of our health care economy are also the most efficient. And apparently we’re bad at saving our money for the future – even though Social Security is an enormous Ponzi scheme that has essentially gone bankrupt.

No, said Obama, we need government for all of that. “This is not some socialist dream,” he blathered. “They have been made by Democrats and Republicans for generations, because they benefit all of us and they lead to strong and durable economic growth.”

This is nonsense. Worse, it is ahistoric nonsense. Every major government program undertaken by this country has cramped economic growth. Government has exploded over the last decade, but our living standards are essentially the same as they were ten years ago. The programs Obama is so fond of quoting are in dire need of reform – if they’re not reformed, they will be gone within the next two decades. Obama himself is cutting $500 billion from Medicare in order to fund his greater government.

But we still haven’t gotten to the crux of Obama’s vision. Here it is: “When we guarantee basic security for the elderly or the sick or those who are actively looking for work, that doesn’t make us weak.  What makes us weak is when fewer Americans can afford to buy the products that businesses are selling, when fewer people are willing to take risks and start their new business, because if it doesn’t work out they worry about feeding their families …. In this country, prosperity has never trickled down from the wealthy few.  Prosperity has always come from the bottom up, from a strong and growing middle class.”

This is the smartest man ever to occupy the Oval Office?

Let’s analyze. What makes us weak, he explained, is when we can’t afford to buy products. This is idiotic. We can always afford to buy products unless we are completely impoverished. The question is which products we can afford to buy. If we could not afford to buy products, the prices would drop until they reach the level at which we can afford to buy them. This is why when markets go down, deflation occurs.

As for risk-taking, the real problem with risk-taking is not the risk of failure – risk-takers try and fail and try again. The real problem is unpredictability of regulatory regime. Sure, we are more risk averse when times are bad. But that’s not solved by handing out money to poor people. That’s solved by allowing banks the freedom to loan – which requires people to save their money in banks. The market solves these problems if left to its own devices. Obama won’t leave the market to its own devices.

Obama believes that prosperity comes from the bottom up. Have you ever been hired by someone poor? No? Join the other people who have worked for a living. People who hire are people who are successful financially. Those who are poor can’t afford to hire workers. They are trying to live day to day. Taxing a rich man $10,000 to give $2,000 to a poor man, the rest being eaten up by government bureaucracy, is a rotten deal.

This is basic Marxism. It assumes that because people in the lower economic rungs work hard and work long hours, they produce inordinate wealth. They do not. Specialized skill sets produce wealth. Providing goods and services to a willing market, and finding innovative ways to do so – that produces wealth. Wealth is always trickle-down; wealthy people are wealthy because they are good at making money. If poor people were good at making money, they wouldn’t be poor – and that’s why many poor people become wealthy. No poor man becomes wealthy by simply picking up a government paycheck.

NIGERIA VS IRAN friendly called off

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A FRIENDLY between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Iran planned for later this month has been called off, officials have disclosed.

“The match will no longer be played after the match agent could not pull it through,” a top official informed MTNFootball.com Wednesday.

The Iran friendly was to have been played on April 18 soon after the Eagles friendly against Egypt in Dubai on Thursday.

In November 2010, another friendly between the two countries was called off at the instance of Nigeria.

Iran would later claim a breach of contract and demanded a compensation.

Next month, the Eagles made up of players from the domestic league are scheduled to travel to Lima to take on hosts Peru in another friendly.

The co-hosts of the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Gabon are also set to tackle the Eagles in yet another test game.

Nigeria are getting set for three qualifiers in June.

 

They host Namibia and then fly out to Malawi in two 2014 World Cup qualifiers in the first two weeks of June.

And then on June 17, they host Rwanda in a return leg match for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

The first match in Kigali finished 0-0 in February.

Nothing is New and Nothing is Changing, Part 1

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By Tochukwu Ezukanma

Recently, a minor event took me down memory lane and I felt nostalgic to the point of tears. In that my nostalgic mood, a song from the past came to my mind. It was a song by Candi Staton. I do not remember the title of the song. However, the song sang about, “nothing is new and nothing is changing. All have been the same for memories”. As I snapped out of my nostalgia, I mused. Wow! What an apt summation of the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration?

His administration has not distinguished itself in any way from previous Nigerian governments. As such, it is marked by mediocrity and moral degeneration. On his own, the president does not cut the image of a leader, thoughtless of a transformational leader. He is not known for his brilliance, vision, powerful ego and personal magnetism. He is not an eloquence and versatile public speaker. Therefore, he cannot, like most successful leaders, stir and uplift the public with his speeches.

Interestingly, for his presidential campaign, Goodluck Jonathan cast himself as a transformational figure; he trumpeted his objective to transform Nigeria. Hoping to glean something new or innovative in the style and approach of this self-proclaimed reformer, I scrutinized the candidate and listened closely to his campaign speeches. There was nothing original or trail blazing, in either his message or proposed programs. His speeches were platitudes laced with trite promises on energy, education, health, etc.

Watching his campaigns, you are forced to wonder what is wrong with Nigerian politics and, by extension, the Nigerian society. The campaigns were fanfares – colorful, corybantic fashion shows replete with politicians in party uniforms and swaying to the sound of music. They looked more like socialites decked out in Ashuwebis for an Owambe party than politicians campaigning for the leadership of a country.

A typical People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential campaign involved series of speakers leading up to the presidential candidate. Every speech began with the speaker reeling out the titles of the important party members present at the venue of the event. It generally went: Your Excellency, the President, Your Excellency, the Vice President, Your Excellency, chairman of the party, Your Excellency, the President of the Senate, Your Excellency, and the Speaker of the House, Your Excellency, members of the Working Committee and Board of Trustees, Your Excellency, the State governors, etc.

Each speaker, including the presidential candidate, after recognizing this litany of party and government officials, had little time left for the actual speech. But what could have been expected from the candidate and his political party? After all, they lack both political ideology and explicit political objectives.

Instead of waving his hands as politicians and other celebrities do as they acknowledge cheers from supporters, he clinched his fist and punched the air, as he strode, rhythmically, to the sound of music, to the podium, to deliver his speech. That was different. Punching the air and swaying to the sound of music seemed more like the swagger of a soccer fan, reveling in the victory of his favorite soccer team, or the pre-fight showmanship of a boxer than the deportment of a presidential candidate at a campaign rally.

I wondered what punching the air meant or was to portray. It occurred to me that, may be, it was to indicate youthfulness and vivacity. In that case punching the air was good, even impressive because it was indicative of qualities that are new among the stock of recent Nigerian civilian presidents.

Even, if we accept that Olusegun Obasanjo is only as old as his younger cousin whose date of birth he appropriated, he can not pretend to be either youthful or exceptionally energetic. Umaru Yar’Adua, though not old, was weighed down by illness. He therefore could neither exude youth nor energy. So, a youthful and exuberant presidential candidate punching the air, with his clinched fists, was a refreshing departure from the past. While it seemed comical, it was noteworthy and reassuring. After all, youthfulness and not senility and liveliness and not moribundity are necessary weapons in the arsenal of a transformational leader.

Again, he said that, in the past, he had no shoe. But now, it is obvious that he has many pairs of shoes. That was poignant and encouraging. It encouraged my hope in him and revived my optimism in his promised transformation of Nigeria. I figured that having no shoe, in the past, but now having many pairs of shoes was transformational in itself. It was therefore reasonable to expect that the transformation his own life personified will invariably rub off on Nigeria with him as the president.

Which means that down the road into his presidency or, at the very worst, at the end of his 4 year term, Nigerians, in their glee, will be enthusing that, in the past, power supply was erratic but now it is consistent; we had terribly dangerous roads but now they are fixed up and are in good condition; the academic standards in our school, including the universities were despicable but now they are impeccable; lawlessness reigned supreme but now the rule of law is established; corruption was tearing the social fabric of the country but now, it has been reduced significantly to a manageable level; etc.

But then the characters that propped up his candidacy discouraged me. They are the old guards: Olusegun Obasanjos, Tony Annih and a bunch of terribly corrupt businessmen and financially dishonorable governors. They seemed disconcertingly reminiscent to the cabal that propped up Musa Yar’Adua and made it impossible for him to carry through most of his well intended programs. How can you reform the system whereas your political godfathers and sponsors are those who benefit from the chaos that is rending the country to pieces?

Well, I found solace in the Chris Ngige option. After all, did Chris Ngige not wriggle out of the stranglehold of his unscrupulous and rapacious godfathers? As Goodluck Jonathan has styled himself a transformer, I figured he should be able to, not only break loose of the hold of his godfathers, but also put them in their place as Chris Ngige, an earlier reformer, did.

Tochukwu Ezukanma writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

maciln18@yahoo.com

0803 529 2908

Jonathan Calls For Greater Coopeartion Among The Three Tiers Of Government

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President Goodluck Jonathan has called for greater cooperation among the three tiers of government in the country if they must effectively serve the people.

The wake up call came in a message he sent through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim during the turning of the surd for the construction of the Federal Secretariat complex in Awka, yesterday.

Senator Anyim commended the Government of Anambra State for maintaining excellent relationship with the federal government.

The new secretariat complex is to be located opposite the Anambra State Secretariat complex. It is one of the six new Federal Secretariats approved by the Federal Government nationwide, with one per geopolitical zone.

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Miss Amah Pepple, said the project, which was awarded to an indigenous company, Cosco Investments Nig Ltd, would take 36 months to complete.

She said the ministry will work with other relevant agencies to ensure that the project was completed on schedule.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State pledged to support in the construction and supervision of the project to ensure speedy and quality job. He also promised to build the link road to the complex

The chairman of the contracting firm, Chief Cosmas Agagbo assured of a quality job and timely delivery of the project, according to the terms. He disclosed that the complex which would cost above Two billion naira, would have modern appurtenances, would also have about 402 offices/rooms-14,600 square metres of office space, banking halls, 4 conference halls, 140 toilets and a parking lot for at least 200 cars.

A Word For Mercy Chinwo

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Mercy Chinwo in her brand new SUV

Mercy, good day. Iwhuyiale!

Recall that Mercy Chinwo was the undisputable winner of the just concluded Nigerian Idol 2012 show held in Lagos, Nigeria on the 7th April 2012.

The first time I watched you sing in that show, I knew here was a great talent God had given to mankind to entertain God and us. God had put music in you soul, mouth, voice and lips. Therefore you must think music, write music, eat music, learn music, teach music and God will always love and favour you like He did to King David. Build an institution and the best studio in the World to forever grow and develop music. Please leave the destitute, prostitute, handicapped, motherless babies etc alone: God knows their conditions and He will always take care of them. Society who had forced them to become what they are will be held responsible. Your major concern should be to entertain God and the World through your decent music and appearances. If you succeed in this, you will be a fulfilled woman ready to inherit the Kingdom of God. Worship God with your music always and it surely shall be well with you.

Do not forget where you come from: an Ikwerre woman, be proud of who you are. Sing Ikwerre and swagger it in your songs because God who created you Ikwerre did not make any mistake. You must chop Ikwerre money also.

Remember that it is in this talent that the work God gave to you is domiciled and that work is singing. If you abuse it, God will turn His back against you and you will fall astray. Sex abuse, drugs, unmanageable money, bad relationships etc may come your way. I pray that this will not happen to you so that your Creator and mankind will enjoy your songs even at old age. Save the World from the shock and psychic pains it suffers when it loses young musical talents like Bob Nesta Marley, Boro Egbeda, Jimmy Conter alias Eze Agala 1 of Ikwerre, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Lucky Dube, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, and now my own beloved Whitney Houston. Solution: sing, make money, develop music and live a simply decent life that will always give glory to God who created you.

Mercy, well done. I am very proud of you especially because you are of the same Ikwerre identity with me. You have proved that Ikwerre can rule the World through the talents God had created and deposited in Ikwerre. Mercy, meka.

 

Okachikwu Dibia

Abuja.

52yr Old Nnewi Man Nabbed with 25.4kg of Drugs In Sandals at Lagos Airport

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Philip Anazodo

Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempt by a 52 year old businessman to export powdery substances that tested positive to ephedrine weighing 25.4kg to Mozambique through the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) area of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos had been nipped in the bud by anti-drug officials. The suspect Philip Anazodo, an auto parts dealer at Trade Fair Complex, Lagos allegedly packed the drug in sandals meant for export to Mozambique when it was detected during search.

bag of sandals used in concealing 2.4 kg ephedrine

Airport commander of the NDLEA, Mr. Hamza Umar said that the drug was carefully packed to avoid suspicion but it took the extra efforts of officers to uncover the mode of drug concealment. “The plan was to send the drug as unaccompanied cargo to Mozambique. Good enough, we apprehended the consignor. The drug was hidden inside the soles of 11 pairs of sandals. The case is under investigation and the suspect will soon be charged to court” Hamza stated.

the eleven pairs of sandals and the drug found in them

The suspect is married with 4 children and lives at Ajangbadi, Ojo area of Lagos. Philip hails from Ukpo-Umuorobi in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He attended Central School Ukpo but could not further his education due to lack of money. In his words, “I am an auto parts dealer. I was recently introduced into the business. What they told me is that it is a profitable chemical in high demand in Mozambique. That was how I ventured into it”.

the eleven pairs of sandals and the drug found in them

Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade described the seizure as spectacular and warned that unless drug barons quit the criminal act, they should expect more arrests and seizures. “This seizure is spectacular because ordinarily you will not suspect that the sandals contained drugs. The Agency will continue to expose anyone hiding under the cover of legitimate business in smuggling narcotics. This is a clear signal that more arrests and seizures are in the offing” Giade stressed.

the sandals showing the drug

Investigation had been concluded and the suspect will soon be arraigned.

Boko Haram Vows To Intensify Attacks

247ureports
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Murdered in Jos

Information available to 247ureports.com through sources within the ranks of the Islamic terrorist group, the Boko Haram, indicates that the Islamic group has regrouped to launch new attacks against the federal institutions of the federal republic of Nigeria and her affiliates across the Nation and West Africa throughout the ECOWAS community. This is following the aborted attempt at a peace dialogue between the security operatives of the federal government and the agents of the Islamic terrorist group.

As gathered, he Islamic group has beefed up its arsenal through its sponsors from within the country and within the international community. The aim of the coming attacks is reported to be to expose the weaknesses of the Christian leadership of Nigeria to the international community. According to a source who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone, the group was pleased with its success rate with attacks carried out throughout the period covering from November 2011 till date – and has opted to increase the intensity and capacity of the attacks – to catch the attention of the western communities.

In particular, the leadership of Boko Haram was reported to have been angered by the public statements of the Jonathan administration over the containment of the group and the end of Boko Haram come June 2012. The Federal Minister of Defense had on Easter Day stated that the Islamic group has been contained -and has long been rendered too weak to act. This statement was followed by President Jonathan’s statement in Seoul that the group will be history by June 2012.

Angered, the leadership of the Islamic group has activated its sleeper cells – reportedly scattered around the country. Some of the sleeper cells are said to housed within the Nigerian police force throughout the states of the federation, including the federal capital territory.

One of the leaders categorically told 247ureports.com that the new wave of attacks will begin “next week”.

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