Information available to 247ureports.com indicates that the militant Islamic group, the Boko Haram has reverted to their old ways of doing business only weeks after they had proposed a ceasefire.
Today saw the Islamic militant group strike at a military protestant church inside the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji in Igabi local government area in Kaduna state. The explosion was reported to be the result of a car bomb. This is according to eyewitness account that went on to explain that the explosion injured many people. “There were two blast and bodies were littered everywhere.”
According to the information received, a vehicle carrying on the suicide bomber drove into the church premises and detonated the bomb.
There were six people reported dead on the scene, according to an eyewitness. The eyewitness stated that the bodies were delivered to a military hospital – while scores of others were injured. A joint task force commander pegged the number of injured at 34. The wounded were transferred to the Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna and the ABU Teaching Hospital Zaria.
Majority of the affected included members of the choir who were still at the church – as many of the members were exiting the church. The explosion came near close of service.
The northern state of Kaduna has been the target of militant Islamic terrorists in the recent months. The terrorist had already attacked military bases and Churches including secular events.
Meanwhile, in a related development, s source close to the activities of the terrorist group told 247ureports.com that the latest attack comes on the heels of a renewed moved to hunt after the leadership of Boko Haram – particularly the award of monetary inducement for the capture of the Boko Haram leaders. The Nigerian security agencies had placed a monetary reward for information leading to the capture of Boko Haram leaders. Our source states that the move by the security group angered the group – into action.
Few days to the 2012 edition of National Sports Festival Scheduled to hold in Lagos from 27th November 2012 – 9th December 2012 the Anambra State contingent to the festival is ready to storm Lagos latest on 25th November 2012 with a total of 415 people made up of 214 Athletes, 35 disabled Athletes including coaches, technical advisers and government officials.
Speaking to Ukpaka Reports on the preparation of the state contingent to the festival known as Eko 2012 the Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Hon. Dr. Edozie Aroh informed that Anambra will feature a total of 214 Athletes in various games as track and field, judo, tackwondo, kick boxing, swimming, cricket, gynasism and others noting that Anambra is going to participate in swimming for the first time in Eko 2012.
Hon. Aroh also informed that Anambar will also field a total of 35 disabled Athletes during the disabled games at the festival adding that notable ex-sports men and women in Anambra as Mary Onyeali, Ernest Ufele, Uchenna Emedolu and others are on hand at the festival to aid the Athleses from the light of the nation state to success with their experiences.
He said that the sports living state Governor His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi ensured that the state contingent were well prepared, noting that the Athletes have been in camps where they were engaged in intensive training by experienced coaches for some weeks now.
His words, “The State Governor, ensured that anybody who will put on the colour of Anambra State is well prepared by providing all we need, the camps, allowances jersey and everything. As I speak some of our players are in Enugu and Nsukka where we camped them, and the Governor will also reward medalists with certain amount of money apart from the prices my ministry will provide for medalists”.
The Commissioner added that based on the conducive atmosphere of preparation, the coaches and technical advisers were able to select players capable to make Anambra proud in Lagos, hoping that the state representatives will massively haul medals at the festival.
While thanking His Excellency for his love for sports development, he charged all the Athletes that will feature in all the games to strive hard to win medals to justify the effort of His Excellency in moving sports to the next level in the state.
Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, on Thursday failed to stop a Federal High Court siting in Abuja from varying an interlocutory injunction it earlier granted restraining Capital Oil and Gas Industries limited and it’s managing director, Mr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, from interfering in the company’s assets and funds in 21 banks listed in the order, including Citi Bank Plc.
The court had granted the order upon a motion exparte brought before it by AMCON for the purpose of securing the properties of Mr. Ubah who is owing the corporation a huge amount in debts.
At the resumed hearing into the matter Mr. Uba’s lawyers led by Mr. Lawal Rabana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, told the court that they have an application before the court seeking to set aside or discharge the order made against Ubah and his company, Capital Oil and Gas Industries Limited which was calculated to prevent Amcon from disposing or selling off any or part of Uba’s properties or acting in any manner whatsoever that is contrary to the proprietary rights of his client.
This application however could not be taken as the counsel representing, Mr. Kemi Balogun, opposed the hearing of the application on the ground that he has not been served the application to enable him formally respond.
Mr. Rabana countered Mr. Balogun’s submission by showing the court a proof of service showing that Mr. Balogun’s client, Amcon, had since been served with the application. This forced Balogun to abandon his earlier position and pleaded with the court to allow him time to respond to the application.
Upon this request for time, Mr. Rabana applied to the court to in the meantime, vary some aspect of the order to enable his client, Mr. Uba, to have access to some of his personal and company’s accounts at the United Bank for Africa, UBA, to enable him pay the salaries of his over 5,000 employes who have dependents as well as to enable him fulfil his other obligations and family’s needs.
According to the senior advocate, “looking at the order made by this court, there is an element of it that has a devastating effect on my client. If he can’t access his funds in the banks, he cannot feed his family or pay his employees who also have dependents. Even if my client committed murder, he is still entitled to eat. I urge you to vary your earlier order to enable my client access his accounts at UBA where there is enough fund to cater for the immediate needs of my client to pay his employees and feed his own family, even if it is to access 50% of the funds there”
Amcon’s lawyer, Mr. Balogun, vehemently opposed this application. He contended that granting the variation demanded by Mr. Ubah amounts to endangering the interest of the corporation which is part of Nigerian government with stakeholders whose interests also need to be protected by the court.
He also told the court that the amount claimed by UBA and Ubah as balances in 16 accounts he maintains at the bank were incorrect claiming that his client, Amcon, knows as a matter of fact that the accounts contain amounts in excess of N400 million and that allowing Ubah access to such funds will hurt his client’s interest.
In reaching a decision on the issuean the court presided by Justice Abdu-Kafarati noted that the court is minded to make it possible for Ubah and his company to be able to pay their staff salaries as well as be able to live. He thereafter varied the initial order to allow Ubah and his company have access to 25% of their funds at accounts they maintain at UBA.
Hearing of the Ubah’s application to set aside the entire order was subsequently scheduled for hearing on 30th November to allow Amcon and its lawyers to file in their response.
There was fierce fighting in Alexandria following afternoon prayers, as thousands of opposing protesters hurled rocks and broken masonry at each other outside a mosque.
State television reported that mobs in a number of cities had set fire to the offices of the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of Mr Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
The group’s headquarters in Suez, Port Said and Ismailia were all said to have been targets.
In Cairo, police fired tear gas at protesters after several thousand people joined an anti-Morsi demonstration in Tahrir Square.
Youths had been involved in clashes with police in Mohamed Mahmoud Street – scene of deadly riots a year ago – since Monday. But as enormous crowds filed into Tahrir Square, the violence appeared to be escalating.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the one-time presidential candidate who had previously negotiated a political truce with Mr Morsi, claimed that the President had appointed himself the “new pharaoh” following the constitutional declaration he issued on Wednesday.
“Morsi today usurped all state powers,” he wrote on Twitter shortly after the Egyptian leader’s surprise statement, in which he confirmed that he had granted himself legislative and constitutional powers.
Mr ElBaradei added that the move was a “major blow” which could have “dire consequences”.
Worrying political battle lines were developing in Cairo as huge groups of rival protesters staged separate rallies yesterday. Outside the Presidential Palace in the eastern Heliopolis district, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members arrived to celebrate Mr Morsi’s announcement – a move which grants him immunity from judicial oversight along with vague new powers to protect the “goals of the revolution”.
Giving a speech to his supporters, Mr Morsi said the declaration had been made to safeguard the future of the nation. “We are, God willing, moving forward, and no one stands in our way,” he said.
“Victory does not come without a clear plan and this is what I have.”
In his decree, Mr Morsi also vowed to re-examine criminal cases against officials accused of killing protesters during the Egyptian uprising – an apparent sop to activists who remain outraged that so few police officers have been brought to justice over the past two years.
Yet as bewilderment turned to anger last night, several thousand protesters marched on Tahrir Square in scenes reminiscent of the January 2011 protests that eventually toppled President Mubarak.
Amid a sea of flags hoisted by Egypt’s disparate secular and liberal opposition groups, opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood descended on Downtown Cairo chanting for “bread, freedom and the downfall of the murshid” – the Brotherhood’s Supreme Guide.
“The Muslim Brotherhood wants the country to become like Iran,” said Magda Maamoun, a 30-year-old IT worker, as she marched through the western Dokki district on her way to central Cairo. “It is a dictatorship under the name of religion.”
In addition to the judicial immunity which Mr Morsi has granted himself, the declaration also prevents any court from disbanding Egypt’s constituent assembly, an Islamist-dominated body tasked with drafting a new constitution.
The assembly has been working under the threat of dissolution due to a number of court cases examining its legitimacy.
It has also been crippled as a result of successive walkouts by secular and Christian members, many of whom object to the draft constitution’s perceived Islamic bias and clauses regarding women’s rights and sharia law.
Brotherhood officials have argued that Mr Morsi’s decree was necessary to ensure Egypt’s revolution does not grind to a halt as a result of fractious political infighting and sabotage by elements from the old regime.
It is a view which may find currency among some Egyptians, many of whom are more concerned about the price of bread and fuel than the minutiae of constitutional politics. Writing on Twitter, a Muslim Brotherhood spokesman said that the President’s decisions are “all directed towards achieving justice, ending corruption and fulfilling the goals of the #Jan25 revolution”.
Yet critics say that Mr Morsi’s arbitrary declaration may prove dangerously counter-productive.
“He now has more power than Hosni Mubarak,” said Koert Debeuf, a representative of the EU Parliament based in Cairo. “The way to democracy cannot pass through dictatorship.
“There has been a danger of political chaos in Egypt. So in a certain way maybe he was trying to avoid that by issuing the declaration. But by doing so he has created even more chaos.”
When an individual bears the stamp of shame, he becomes an incredulous moral burden; decorated with the baggage of alienation and ostracism. That is the current status of former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu.
OUK has again, albeit very unfortunately; proven that he did not know one bit what transpired while he was Governor. He has published his mistakes and brought his ineptitude to public glare. While regretting washing his dirty linen outside, he has again proven that he does not even wear any linen. OUK is fast sustaining the stamp of shame. Anybody who wants to know what it means for a former Governor to have the brain of a sponge or the thinking power of a rock should read OUK’s OPEN LETTER TO ABIANS published online 22.11.12 and Frankie James’s reply.
His OPEN LETTER TO ABIANS is shrouded in frustration as Abians; speaking through their Stakeholders foreclosed his readmission into the PDP. They simply described OUK as an embarrassing moral burden whose presence would naturally ignite uncontrollable disaster. I am yet to see a man whose presence excites more negative emotions than Oji Uzor Kalu. His letter is therefore understandable.
He has just written an open letter to ABIANS, the first according to him since he left office in 2007. May be, very few Abians know that OUK actually left government in July 2010. In his honesty, he failed to acknowledge that. The stamp of shame has a way of eroding the inner consciousnesses of the victim; otherwise OUK ought to have remembered that in his greed, selfishness and unabashed gluttony, he refused to give up the paraphernalia of office until he was disgraced by popular will. That will be a story for another day.
1. OUK said he serviced a debt of $600 million incurred by an administration in 1983. It is possible that he was referring to the revered Dee Sam because he was the Governor of then Imo State till Dec. 31 1983. Nothing can be farther from the truth because Imo, Abia and Ebonyi collectively shared the subsisting liabilities incurred by the old Imo State. That debt was still being serviced until lately. Abia State never inherited $600 million dollars of that debt. The records are there and OUK knows he did not leave with a clean bill of health
2. OUK said in his letter that as against the lies, against his person that he left behind a debt of N29B for Abia people, that it was TAO that borrowed N20B in the first two months of his administration. At this point, one can forgive OUK because his mother may have just given him after six years, scanty information about Abia. No sane person, no former Governor who was in – charge, no reasonable adult would make such frivolous claims. OUK’s mother is fast losing it and could be pardoned for persistently misleading her little boy.
3. Which bank would give an administration that was just two months old N20B? If OUK was truly a Governor, he would know that the processes of getting clearance from the Ministry of Finance, concluding the assessment on liquidity confidence and passing the legibility mark would have taken more than two months at least. Abians would now judge the disposition of this hanger on, who in the first material sense; had no business being at the Government House. Abians would know that OUK was an unapologetic stranger and by stander as far as governance was concerned.
4. OUK economically accepted that he borrowed N2B from the bank for the purpose of ‘infrastructural’ development. I have searched the length and breadth of my dictionary to see if the word infrastructure could mean anything different. The best I saw was that OUK is a lesson in misadventure. What infrastructure? It is on record that while that child’s play he called administration lasted, OUK did not invest on a single infrastructure. This clown sold off Golden Guinea, killed National Ambassador, literally sold off Abia Hotels; sold off Modern Ceramics Industry and criminally inserted ‘Dubai Roads’ into the lexicon of Governance.
5. OUK does not know what N2B can do to a State. If he truly used N2B, Osusu would not have collapsed in two months, cemetery road, which he selfishly named after himself would not have gone extinct after three months, he would not have repainted Aba Township Stadium and shamelessly code named it INTERNATIONAL STADIUM
6. OUK should admit that he sunk N2B into the establishment of SUN NEWSPAPERS and CAMP NEYA. N2B, though just a little part of what he borrowed in Abia’s name never found its way into Abia’s coffers.
7. OUK is asking the people to judge him and TAO. I say without fear of any intimidation that, OUK is miles away. Even at the risk of over repeating myself, I challenge this University drop out called OUK to tell us one single capital project he executed while in office.
8. To the best of my knowledge, OUK’s eight years in the saddle were EIGHT WASTED YEARS that never, did not and will never add any value to the collective development of Abia State. Let him prove me wrong in pictures and not words. Pictures don’t lie.
9. The best he could do was to attempt being richer that the State. OUK did not know that one day, he would face the competent court of public opinion.
10. Anybody who wants to know what it means for a former Governor to have the brain of a sponge or thinking power of a rock should read OUK’s OPEN LETTER TO ABIANS.
The People’s Democratic Party on Thursday 22nd November,2012 lost the bid to stop the hearing of the Appeal brought by Jibrin Isah Echocho as the Appeal Court threw out a preliminary objection brought before it by the PDP . The sitting of the Appellate court Abuja division which had Justice Muktar,Justice Nwodo and Justice Akomolafe-Wilson held that, the said objection was filed and served on the appellants in court on Thursday,an action which the court considered a violation of the provisions of Order 10 of the Court of Appeal rules. Though the PDP through its counsel Olusola Oke tried to convince the Appellate court but his argument was dealt a final blow when Counsel to ECHOCHO, Wole Olanipekun reminded the court that,since the fourth respondent,PDP did not move its application for preliminary objection before adopting its written address,it had lost the chance to do so. And the court at that point threw out the preliminary objection,and allowed counsels to adopt their addresses before reserving the matter for judgment at a yet to be announced date.
Echocho had earlier approached the Federal High court to give an order setting aside Wada’s swearing in and order INEC to conduct a fresh election pursuant to the January 27 judgement of the Supreme court.
He also sought a declaration that INEC which is an institution established by the Constitution was under a to duty to obey and comply with decision of the Supreme Court delivered on January 27,2012.
It will be re-called that the apex court had on January 27 sacked five governors,Kogi inclusive.
The plaintiff further wants the court to declare that INEC being the appellant in Appeal No,SC/357/2011 between INEC(as appellant) V Alhaji Ibrahim Idris(as respondent) which prayed the Supreme court to decree and declare that the term of office of the last holder of the office of Governor of Kogi state constitutionally lapsed on 28th May,2011 by virtue of Section 180(2) of the Constitution and which appeal/reliefs the Supreme court allowed cannot rightly and in good conscience be heard and allowed to jettison or misinterprete in any way the said judgement of the Supreme court to again defeat the clear wordings of Section 180(2) and (2A) of the same Constitution.
The court was also urged to declare that purported election to the office of Governor of Kogi state held by the defendant during the pendency of its appeal to the Supreme court in Appeal SC/357/2011 and which purportedly produced the 2nd defendant as Governor-elect of Kogi state was unconsciable,unconstitutional,null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
He also urged the court to declare that the election that brought Wada in was done in violation of the mandatory provisions of Section 178(2) of the Constitution,Section 25(8) and 31(1) of the Electoral Act.
Isah also wants the court to declare that the letter issued by the INEC on January 30,2012 directing Wada to be sworn in based on the December 3,2012 is contemptuous,null and void and of no effect.
Justice Abdul Kafarati in his judgement in the suit dismissed Echocho’s suit on the ground that it was a post election matter and same should have been directed to the state governorship election petition tribunal and the he did not have locus standi to institute such suit.
Not satisfied with the court’s decision, Echocho had through his counsel Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN approached the appeal court praying it to set aside the high court judgement.
Olanipekun hinged his prayer on the ground that the court did not consider any of the fundamental, constitutional and jurisprudential issues submitted to him for adjudication.
He further asked the appellate court to decide whether the lower court did not totally misapprehend Echocho’s case by dismissing same on the reasons given for lack of jurisdiction and that whether the court did not fall into a serious error by holding that Echocho does not have the locus standing to institute the action.
He further sought that, considering the misapprehension of the plaintiff/appelllant’s claims by the lower court, whether same did not result in a very serious error, leading to the breach of the appellant’s right to fair hearing.
In his statement of facts, Echocho had submitted that his case at the lower court was purely for constitutional interpretation adding that it was only Wada,AGF and INEC that were initially joined .
He further stated that the appellant contested and won the primary election of the PDP for the governorship election in the state on January 9,2011 pursuant to which the appellant’s name was forwaded as the governorship candidate for the state.
He also added that “a subsequent litigation ensued by which the primary election which produced the appellant ( Echocho) was challenged by one of his co-contestants , Rasak Kutepa and the PDP stoutly defended his election and victory at the said primary election, stating both on oath and through its counsel that he won the primary election on merit and that his name had been forwaded to INEC as its candidate for the governorship election in Kogi state- that is ,the election to succeed that last holder of the office of governor of Kogi state, whose tenure, by constitutional imperative and judicial pronouncement of the Supreme Court ended on May 28, 2011.
“In the same vein,INEC also confirmed on oath and via a written address before the court that the appellant’s name had been forwaded to INEC as its candidate for the election whereas INEC itself confirmed on oath that the appellant’s name had been forwaded to it by PDP as its candidate for the election.
“To date, the appellant’s name has not been withdrawn by PDP as its candidate for the governorship election in Kogi state”.
The appellant therefore prayed the court to assume jurisdiction under Section 16 of the Court of Appeal Act, to exercise the powers of the trial Court, settle completely and finally the matters in controversy between the parties and give judgement for the appellant, in order to avoid multiplicity of proceedings.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on November 23, 2012, recorded a major victory in the trial of former Kogi State governor, Abubakar Audu, when the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, dismissed the ex-governor’s appeal, thereby clearing the way for his fresh arraignment.
Audu was originally arraigned on December 1, 2006, on an 80 criminal count charge of fraud and embezzlement of public fund, to the tune of over N4 billion, while he was governor of Kogi State between 1999 and 2003.
The Commission had cause the issuance ofnolle prosequi by the former Attorney General of Kogi state, Dr. John Alewo Agbonika and the Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bayo Ojo on February 8, 2007 for the case to be discontinued at the Kogi State High Court as the Commission claimed to have lost faith in the handling of the matter by the State High Court.
“In my capacity as the AG of Kogi state in collaboration with the AG of the Federation and by virtue of the power vested in me by Section 211 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Section 253 of the CPC and all the powers enabling me in that behalf, I Dr. John Alewo Agbonika hereby inform this Hon. Court that I no longer intend to continue the prosecution of this case in collaboration with the AG of the Federation to whom I had given a fiat to prosecute this case”, Agbonika, the former Kogi State Attorney General said.
But rather than discontinue the matter in the spirit of the nolle prosequi, the trial judge, Justice Medupin, went ahead as he further referred two questions to the Court of Appeal for determination.
In a judgement delivered by JusticeBode Rhodes-Vivour, the Supreme Court held that the Court of Appeal was wrong to consider the questions referred to it for determination after being aware from the records of Appeal that a nolle prosequi had been filed.
“This is so because there is/was nothing before the trial court, so there would be nothing for the Court of appeal to send back. It amounted to an academic exercise for the Court of appeal to waste judicial time considering questions from a case that is no longer in existence. There was no longer live issue to be considered by the Court of appeal in view of nolle prosequi filed in the trial court”,the Supreme Court ruled.
Part of the setback suffered by the case was the filling of several applications for stay of proceedings at the high court pending the final determination of the appeal. Audu had on December 12, 2011, through his lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, filed the stay of proceedings motion supported by 11-paragraph Affidavit. This was 26 clear days after the Supreme Court of Nigeria on November 16, 2011, struck out a similar application he filed on January 24, 2011.
It would be recalled that Justice Husseini, in his ruling of June 10, 2011, held that since the matter was startingde novo, since he was newly transferred to the court, “the starting point was the re-arraignment of the accused (ex- governor Abubakar Audu) by taking his plea afresh”, the judge said.
This development also led the accused to proceed on appeal and filed motion for a stay of proceedings. A third stay of proceedings which motion, the accused filed, is in relation to his appeal before the Court of Appeal. “The case at the Court of Appeal is attacking the jurisdiction of the court to re-arraign the accused person; that motion is pending. The appellate courts are obliged to take these cases separately and determine its merit and demerit, no matter how frivolous it is. Like Pontius Pilate, wash your hands off until the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court concludes this case”, Ozekhome told the court.
Five justices, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, sat in chambers and came up with their ruling, a copy of which was presented before Justice Saidu Tanko Husseini of High Court of Kogi State on December 9, 2011 when the case came up. But Ozekhome, SAN, had argued against the presentation of the ruling by prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, as he said that in his about 30 years experience at the bar, he was unaware of such a legal jargon as“sitting in chambers”.
He described the Supreme Court’s ruling as a possible forgery which he must verify. The judge obliged his prayers and adjourned till December 22, 2011. But three days after, (December 12, 2011), he filed another stay of proceedings at the High Court.
Count one of the 80 count charges reads “that you, Prince Abubakar Audu on or about 6th day of Feb 2001 at Kogi State Judicial Div. by false pretence and with intent to fraud obtained from Kogi State Directorate of Rural Development, the sum of N6, 263.000 purporting same to be part payment made to Leo Flinch Nig. Ltd in respect of a contract allegedly awarded by Kogi State Directorate of Rural Development to the said Leo Flinch Nig. Ltd and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee fraud and other related offences Act 13 of 1995 as amended by Act No 62 of 1999”.
Though General Obasanjo is part of our problems as a nation,he has a distinct character of commenting bluntly on issues. This was the case when the former president warned of an imminent revolution in Nigeria,if the business of governance continues as usual. He expressed fears that “Nigeria will witness a revolution soon unless government takes urgent steps to check the growing youth unemployment and poverty.
There is no doubt,that we the Nigerian youth have no confidence in the present crop of rulers in Nigeria. We are under no illusion,that they do not have our interest at heart. We are positive,that if nothing drastic is done we will continue to suffer and wallow in poverty while they continue to indulge themselves and their families at our expense.
Indications and signs pointing to the failure of the rulers of Nigeria are abound. One needs no soothsayers to know that all is not well,if a country as rich as Nigeria has a 72 percent youth unemployment rate.
A Nigerian graduate begins to sense a bleak future ahead while serving the compulsory and irrelevant one year national youth service corps scheme. It is then that he/she will go for months without receiving his/her monthly allowance and without any explanation. I know many corp members that had to rely on the goodwill of their host communities to feed themselves because of the inability of those concerned,to ensure that they receive their allowance as at when due.
Graduation in Nigeria has seized to have it required significance,as far as finding a means of livelihood is concerned. Because its only those considered extremely lucky that find jobs with their qualifications within 2 to 3 years after graduation. Some unfortunate one’s who were unlucky not to have learnt a trade,go for as long as 10 years without jobs.
All these problems regarding job search surprisingly affects the masses only, for the children of the ruling class and their cronies change jobs at will the moment an opening becomes available. Its only after they have sorted out the best and more promising jobs,that the crumbs are then left for the masses to occupy.
The other section of Nigerian youths whom have chosen to learn a trade to better themselves rather than acquiring a certificate that doesn’t guarantee a daily bread,also face challenges and artificial obstacles created by years of corruption and gross selfishness of nigerian rulers.
From Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 to date,Nigeria has had more than 500 youth empowerment programmes created between the federal,states and local governments that have so far yielded no positive results. As a matter of fact,we the Nigerian youths see those empowerment schemes as avenues for local politicians And their cronies to corner the remaining crumbs being passed down from the top in the name of the destitute Nigerian youths. Anyone conversant with the process involved in the shady empowerment programmes knows that,the list of beneficiaries are usually filled with ghost names created by local organisers at the expense of the hard-working Nigerian youths.
These series of challenges and dashed hopes,turned a large amount of Nigerian youths into Okada riders. This trade was at one time the highest employer of Nigeria’s teeming youths. To further demonstrate their lack of sympathy for the plight of the unemployed, some state governments have now banned the Okada trade without offering any tangible alternative to thousands of the grounded Okada riders.
This and other anti youth policies too numerous to mention has demonstrated the government’s lack of genuine interest in the welfare and progress of the Nigerian youths. The fuel subsidy removal protests held all over the country early this year should have served as an eye opener to the government. They should have listened to the voices of the youths that braved intimidation,cold and sunshine to protest a policy we consider anti people. They instead connived with some so called labour leaders to feed us lies and deception. They came up with a bogus SURE programme that they know is not feasible considering their greed and selfishness.
Those who disregarded Obasanjo’s warning are indeed too blind to see,they are too deaf to hear and too dumb to understand the echoes of revolution in the making.
Revolt we shall if things continue the way they are,because we are fed up and tired of unfulfilled promises year after year while our rulers and their cronies feed fat at our expense. Nigeria is our country too,so we deserve to benefit from its riches as everyone else. We are not asking for handouts, nigerian youths are hard-working and industrious. All we need are opportunities and a corrupt free nation to excel.
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Amiru Adamu is an activist,blogger and publisher of Northern wind magazine
Being The Resolutions On The Attacks On Kajju By The Bajju Development Association (Bada), Youth Wing At The End Of Its Central Working Committee Meeting On The 21st November, 2012 At The Bajju Townhall Zonkwa
The incessant attacks in Bajju Chiefdom, Z/Kataf Local Government Area, by people believed to be Hausa /Fulani can be described as “ONE TOOMANY”. Since the post election violence in Kaduna State in May 2011, the Bajju Chiefdom has witnessed a whole lots of attacks that left hundreds of people dead and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
The attacks on Kajju have received a lot of condemnation from different quarters, especially from government. But yet, little or nothing has been done to stop or apprehend the perpetrators. We therefore call on government to prevail on all the security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering.
The presence of the military in Zonkwa has left many in doubt whether they are really there to protect lives and properties. This is so because of the frequent molestation and intimidation of innocent law abiding citizens. Therefore, we call on the military to concentrate on their primary assignment, if they must remain in Zonkwa or any part of southern Kaduna.
The recent attack in Madauchi, a suburb of Zonkwa, that left Six (6) members of the same family dead, including a heavily pregnant woman, with only one survivor (cripple), came at a time we all thought the security agencies are on top on of the situation.
As we condemn in strong terms the attacks on our land, we hereby states categorically as follows:-
As law abiding citizens, we don’t intend to take the laws into our hands.
We call on government, through the security agencies to be more proactive to avert any further attack on our land.
The perpetrators of this evil and ugly act be apprehended and brought to book.
The reconciliatory process embarked upon by government to bring back to Zonkwa and other parts of the chiefdom, Hausa/Fulani who left on their own during and after the May 2011 post election violent in Kaduna State, is been truncated by the same Hausa/Fulani. Therefore, we shall not accept/allow/accommodate a person or group of persons on our land until the attacks have stopped.
The molestation and intimidation of the people by the military must be stopped.
The only survivor, a cripple, of the Madauchi attack has been rendered homeless, therefore, we call on government to urgently rehabilitate and provide accommodation for him.
Failure of government to protect our lives and properties shall warrant us taking all available measures to prevent, protect and safeguard our communities from invaders.
In conclusion, we wish to use this medium to commiserate with the immediate family of the victims of Maudachi attack and the entire good people of Bajju Chiefdom.
The governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan presented the 2013 approipriation bill to the Delta State house of assembly today, November 23, 2012 at the State Assembly Chambers.
The submission by the Governor shown a total budget proposal of N398.31billion [three hundred and ninety eight billion, three hundred and ten million naira] for our State for the 2013 fiscal year. This amount comprises N145.94billion [one hundred and forty five billion, nine hundred and forty million naira] or 36.64% for Recurrent Expenditure and N252.37bn [two hundred and fifty two billion, three hundred and seventy million naira] or 63.36% for capital expenditures.
The new budget for year 2013 shows a decrease of N38.9billion [thirty eight billion, nine hundred million naira] or 8.9% when compared to the year 2012 approved budget of N437.21bn [fourhundred and thirty-seven billion, two hundred and one million naira].
The governor, in presenting the proposed budget told the State Assembly that the “budget reflects the collective determination of Government to address the challenges of creating jobs, ensuring peace and security, reducing poverty, building infrastructure and growing our economy. The budget sets us on a path that will neither be easy nor uncontested- hard work and difficult choices lie ahead. We have embarked on the long walk to economic freedom, we have put our hands on the plough and we would not relent, we must finish strong“.
Adding also that, “the 2013 Budget continues with our tradition of placing the well-being of Deltans as top priority. What is important is the creation of a brighter future for every Delta child, a future full of hope and prosperity, not fear or hatred. Over the last 5 years, Government charted a clear path for our beloved State to achieve the state vision encapsulated in our 3-point agenda. In an environment of global uncertainties, the strong support of all Deltans is mandatory for us to become a developed and prosperous State”.
