Libya’s Col Muammar Gaddafi was killed in crossfire after being captured in his birthplace of Sirte, officials say. Acting Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said he had been shot in the head in an exchange between Gaddafi loyalists and National Transitional Council fighters. He confirmed that Col Gaddafi, who had been taken alive, had died before reaching hospital. Nato’s governing body, meeting in the coming hours, is expected to declare an end to its Libyan bombing campaign.
Lockerbie Case: Gaddafi’s Death Is A Setback…
But Gaddafi’s death is a setback to campaigners seeking the full truth about the 1988 bombing over Lockerbie in Scotland of Pan Am flight 103 which claimed 270 lives, mainly Americans, and for which one of Gaddafi’s agents was convicted. Jim Swire, the father of one of the Lockerbie victims, said: “There is much still to be resolved and we may now have lost an opportunity for getting nearer the truth.” “That’s for Lockerbie,” said the front-page headline in the Sun, Britain’s best selling daily newspaper. / Gaddafi /
Amnesty International Wants True Facts On Gaddafi’s Death…
On the other hand, Amnesty International, a human rights group, called on the NTC to make public “the full facts” on how Gaddafi died. “It is essential to conduct a full, independent and impartial inquiry to establish” whether Qaddafi was killed during combat or after he was captured, the organization said on its website. The uprising was part of the region’s so-called Arab Spring, which also unseated the leaders of Egyptand Tunisia. While Africa’s largest oil reserves may enable Libyato rebuild its economy faster than Egyptand Tunisia, the challenge facing the interim government is political as it struggles to unite the factions that challenged Qaddafi’s rule since February. The NTC has said that control of Sirte will begin an eight- month countdown to elections for a national council, a first step toward a promised democratic system.
Daunting Challenges Remains… / Gaddafi
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday that the death of Libya’s ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya, while admitting there is still a long road ahead for the country. Expert noted while Gaddafi’s death clears an important hurdle for the country to move forward, daunting challenges remain in its path toward rebuilding the war-ravaged country and establishing a functioning government. However, no one is optimistic enough to say that Libya’s future will be a smooth sailing. As a matter of fact, almost everyone agrees that the country’s road forward will be full of daunting challenges. The lengthy list includes “repairing the extensively damaged infrastructure, replenishing a drained treasury, and reconciling pro-Gaddafi tribes (primarily in the western part of the country) and the largely eastern-led interim government,” said Ted Carpenter, senior fellow with the Cato Institute. / Gaddafi /
Who Will Be The Real Protagonists..? / Gaddafi
globalnewspointer.net: The main point of interest remains on the NTC’s priorities and the role of the West.
Libya without Gaddafi is by itself a new social and political reality both for the country itself and also for the broader North African region.
When NATO decides to stop its air power campaign, a new and most important phase of post-war re-building and social stabilization must be start.Libyacan be easily a newIraqorAfghanistan… The main question is who will be the protagonists of the new era and which role the international community is going to have in that effort?
On the other hand, the current conditions of global economic crisis with serious financial consequences in both the Europe and theU.S.really restrict the availability of developmental resources forLibya, in the part of international community.
Finally, the people of Libya have to prove themselves by taking action and creating a democratic society. But are they ready..? / Gaddafi /
Reacting to the death of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, the Holy See has asked “that the Libyan people might be spared further violence due to a spirit of revenge,” and confirming relations with the governing National Transitional Council in Libya.
The killing of Qaddai “marks the end of a much too long and tragic phase of a brutal struggle to bring down a harsh and oppressive regime,” the Vatican said. The statement said that the bloody conflict in Libya illustrates the “immense toll of human suffering” in any society whose government “is not based on the respect and dignity of the human person, but rather on the prevailing affirmation of power.”
The Vatican voiced its hope that Libya’s new leaders can restore order and rebuild the country under the rule of law, and that international leaders will lend support to that process.
The Vatican noted that the Holy See “recognizes states and not governments,” and therefore has not formally recognized the National Transitional Council (CNT). But the statement notes that “the CNT is now acting effectively as the government in Tripoli,” the Vatican see that body as “the legitimate representative of the Libyan people,” and Vatican representatives have established friendly contacts with the new leaders.
L’Osservatore Romano remarked: “It will certainly not be easy to reconstruct the country after seven month of war–with thousands of victims, hundreds of thousands of refugees and terrible destruction–but Libyans must find the strength to begin again.”
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Aminu Maigari, and eleven of his board members have been dragged before the Police to be investigated over a case of signature forgery by the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF).
In a petition dated 15th October, 2011 to the Inspector General Police
With the dragging issues in court, eleven of the twelve members of the NFF board had sued the Inspector General of Police in suit number FHC/L/CS/962/2010. The NFF pleaded some documents in court which included one dated 14th September, 2010 allegedly written by FIFA. That letter, according to NANF, was forged by the officials of the NFF which they (NANF) wants the Police to investigate and prosecute the offenders.
The two-page letter signed by Harrison Jalla as NANF President provided some other documents signed by the FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter, which did not tally with the one pleaded by the NFF in court.
NANF asserted that “Aminu MAigari and his cohorts also forged other letters enclosed purportedly from FIFA to intimidate the Nigerian government, the courts and the Nigerian people. The NANF is viewing this act as grievous and criminal in nature that must be investigated and if those involved are culpable should be prosecuted. The NANF is ready to provide further information on request.”
A week after the swearing-in of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the 17th Kano governor he converted a seven storey ICT Park (popularly known as Gidan Ado Bayero) into mega secondary school, this was done after heavy investments by interested foreign investors. The last administration of Shekarau has developed a comprehensive ICT policy for the state, the first of its kind in the entire Nigerian Federation, for the benefit of future generation of our beloved country.
This mega building was initially built by former civilian governor Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, towards the end Kwankwaso’s first tenure, he awarded the contract of painting this building at #790 million naira, the only rationale was to get kick-back out of the award, but with no obvious purpose of what to do with the building to bring about meaningful development.
To add salt to injury, a location opposite to former ICT park, which was earmarked as a five star hotel was also converted to another secondary school. For this act alone, Kwankwaso is even going against transformational agenda of his party and president Goodluck Jonathan who has even created new Trade and Investment ministry under Olusegun Aganga, investors have been scared away from Kano, as a result of this Kwankwaso has retrogressed Kano to another ten years backward. This is similar to policy he undertook at his first tenure in 1999-2003 of sacking non- indigene science teachers in educational sector that has continue haunting students’ performance in national examinations.
Take for example, Steve Jobs, one of the foremost technologists of the recent times has been a proud for his innovations in this information age. He was successful. All developed nations that Nigeria is aspiring to be amongst by 2020, have advanced in ICT. However, in Kano, the most populous state of the Nigerian federation and commercial hub of the North, is the contrary, courtesy of Engineer (sic) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The Informatics Institute recently launched by Kwankwaso is nothing but hoax. A visionary leader will build upon a concrete Foundation of ICT laid by his predecessor.
Successful governments were founded on sound footing which is knowledge based, with proper planning, clear vision and focus, not on utopia and abracadabra. Such governments are accountable to the electorate, transparent, and with high degree of respect for the rule of law and constitutionalism, not brigandage.
Since coming to power and even during electioneering, Kwankwaso has been making noise on his pet project, the CRC. The program was suspended by the successive regime for it was ill conceived, poorly executed and so many instances of fraud and corruption were detected. In his inaugural speech at Sani Abacha Stadium Kofar Mata, he announced the return of CRC and gave marching order for its urgent implementation. On the other hand, with connivance of some secondary school head teachers, they introduce new regime of school fees for vulnerable girl students, and threatening parents to put off their wards for early marriage if they could not afford paying. Thus, discouraged the global appeal for girl child education. Whereas, in the previous regime, girl education is free, and even with some motivational incentives.
For six months, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso could not feed a single child as he promised at the inception of his second tenure, one among his many unfulfilled pledges. This is because all his activities are not knowledge based and indeed with no reference to statistical data to inform his policy making on the feasibility or otherwise of the policy goal accomplishment. To demonstrate the case in point, there was tremendous increase of pupils enrolment from 1.2million primary school pupils in 2003 to 1.9 in 2010, an addition of 0.6 million enrolment, this figure may even be higher in 2011. For government to feed this number at a conservative rate of #50 per head, it will spend almost #8billion per annum, this amount is unrealistic for only one unit in one subsector of social development in Kano if at all cognizance of the state’s income would be taken. Balarabe Maikaba of Mass Communication Department of Bayero University Kano, best explains this government as “the government which has no plan and focus.” He went on to shelve the idea (of feeding) and regard it as utter dismay to Kano people.
The relative peace gained during Shekarau regime is being threatened by the haughtiness of Kwankwaso and his co-horts. This has even force some entrepreneur minds from other parts of the country and even abroad to divert their investments.
Interestingly, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s bone of contention, to say the least is, the former governor is unwilling to leave the state as has been the case when he lost the 2003 elections, forgetting that in 1999 when Kwankwaso won, the then APP and its candidate congratulate him, as such what he did in congratulating Shekarau in 2003 is only reciprocating. To say Shekarau lacked goodwill to congratulate Kwankwaso in 2011 is absurd. During 2007 election Shekarau contested with anointed Kwankwaso candidate Ahmed Garba Bichi, neither Kwankwaso nor Bichi congratulated Shekarau, but headed to tribunal to seek redress, the same scenario played itself in 2011. The anointed candidate of Shekarau, Salihu Sagir Takai, contested along with Kwankwaso, both Takai and Shekarau did not congratulate Kwankwaso, instead headed to tribunal as well. Then why is he worried, while the antecedent is clear?
Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has found it uncomfortable to be governing Kano and his arch-rival Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau living in a close vicinity to the state house. This fear and discomfort was revealed first, when he gave an audience to Radio France International (Hausa section) twenty days after assuming the mantle of leadership in Kano. Kwankwaso complained bitterly that the former governor is pulling crowd every Friday to the detriment of peaceful atmosphere in Kano. He suggested that instead of the former governor should relocate elsewhere in the country, a suggestion that has no place in history and as well the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is not the first time in the political history of Kano a defeated governor (in the of case Shekarau, his anointed candidate Salihu Takai) remained in the state after elections. In 1979 Alhaji Aminu Wali of NPN lost to late Abubakar Rimi of PRP, Wali with all his supporters continue to live in Kano without any molestation. In 1983 Late Rimi of NPP lost to Sabo Bakin Zuwo of PRP, with his large followership and even his vulgar language Sabo tolerated him. Also in 1992 Magaji Abdullahi of SDP with backing of Kano people lost to political sagacity of Santsi to Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, Magaji does not moved an inch away from his Sharada home base. Similarly, Magaji Abdullahi of APP contested against Rabiu Kwankwaso in 1999 and lost, up till 2003 Magaji is around and within Kano. Then what is new here that can cause fear?
Up to this present moment, Kwankwaso did not initiate any programme capable of salvaging society from moral decay, and it has been established that no meaningful progress will be made in transforming Nigeria without attitudinal changes. In many states societal re-orientation was institutionalized as part of their ethical revolution. The only visible thing he did was creating an unpopular private army known as Askarawan Kwankwasiyya – as carried in Vanguard newspaper report, – disbanding and curtailing activities of religious guides from hospitals, reformatory centers, markets and other institutions.
The A daidaita Sahu program was folded along with so many of its initiatives and pilot projects. The project has received accolades from organizations and personalities of international repute like UNDP and the Federal Government, through its former information minister Professor Dora Akunyili during the campaign of ‘rebranding Nigeria’. But the fact that Kwankwaso’s speech writer and Commissioner of Information, a student of propaganda, is not there to disseminate information but falsehood, he has been consistently challenging this outfit as a drain pipe of state resources of previous regime. Whereas, the whole of A daidaita Sahu’s release, is a little over #500m, about 1.5% of #497,251,637,301.32 total receipts of state government in eight years. His source of allegation is without any hesitation highly welcome to the public domain.
In terms of developmental and infrastructural projects of Kwankwaso, apart from demolitions of structures in Kano and far away FCT, he has nothing to show. Within 150 days he demolished peoples structures using bulldozers at Kofar Na’isa, Geida, Hajj Camp, Kwanar Dawaki small scale industrial area, farm centre, Zaria and Hospital roads. This was his culture even during his last administration. In one document authored by Muhammad Gwarzo they claimed to have electrify 300 rural towns in four years which cannot be proved as there was no project monitoring and documentation agency to ascertain at that time, as obtained now, against 30 town of previous regime of Shekarau. This is a concocted pathological lie of the unprecedented quantity, for the reason that Kwankwaso has accepted the handing over notes from Shekarau which is available online at www.shekaraufornigeria.org . Therein, 588 were mentioned as no of rural communities that benefitted with electrification projects.
Kwankwaso sacked over 4000 casual sanitary workers, after inheriting four refuse compacting vehicles, 240 skid buckets, 20 skid bucket lifters and over 50 waste disposal tippers. As a result of sacking these low earn allowance cleaners, and drastic slash of overheads, hip of refuse have taken over the busiest road networks in Kano. At his 2003 handing over speech he refers all his achievements in the environmental sector in the following words “expanded refuse disposal programme and construction of drainage in the metropolitan” Notwithstanding, for four years people of Mandawari, Kofar Na’isa, Dorayi and Rimin Kebe, were in perpetual flooding every rainy season, it was Shekarau’s rescue operation that saved the above areas.
Also, over the span of 150 days of Kwankwaso, he was unable to set machineries in motion for effective distribution and maintenance of water supply system, this inability has rendered Kano to be a center for water hawkers, coming even from neighboring countries, despite this situation, Shekarau’s has constructed two giant water treatment plants at Tamburawa and Watari, with 225million liters capacity per day at the cost of less than 13 billion naira, all in an effort to address water problem which now is in ineffective in satisfying the need of Kano people.
In the build up to 2011 elections, while Kwankwaso was campaigning for votes, he has promised rural farmers quick supply of fertilizer Dan KASCO at a highly subsidized rate. When he formed government early this year, he only supplied 10,000 metric tons of fertilizer at #1,900 exorbitant rate and unaffordable to local farmers, an increase of 90% due to the removal of the subsidy by the Shekarau administration. The unfortunate thing is, the fertilizer was given to Kwankwasiyya people at 484 ward levels across the state. Practicing farmers were sidelined. In Kano Municipal local government, leaders of Kwankwasiyya such as Alhaji Nasidi Boka and Alhaji Hasan Na Abba were sacked, for allegedly cornering the fertilizer at the detriment of other Kwankwasiyya faithfuls. The last administration of Shekarau in its eight year was able to procure 300,007.65 metric tons of fertilizer at one thousand naira only per bag. This feet has never been achieved since the creation of Kano, 40 years ago, and it resulted in rising food production and security and stabilizing the prices of commodities, thus things fall apart in the state with the new system of Wuju-wuju.
Sharia programme of the last administration was implemented with the full backing of Kano people. Kwankwaso is claiming that he is the pioneer in the introduction of SHARIA in Kano, but he was forced to do so, when he refused to ensure proper and solid implementation of Sharia, he was booted out from the government House in 2003. Contrary to the impression created by Kwankwaso and his cronies, SHARIA doesn’t negatively affect the political development of Kano state. Shari’a in particular and religion in general has been part and parcel of the way of life of Kano people for centuries and cannot be divorced from politics. Shekarau has achieved a lot in institutionalizing Sharia in Kano. This has immensely brought unprecedented peaceful co-existence in the cosmopolitan Kano and reduction of immorality and prudent management of state resources.
In a similar vein, just recently Speaker of the House of Representative and his deputy were at Onicha-uku town of Aniocha local government in Delta state to formerly declare open Micheal’s Catholic Church built by Hon. Godwin Ndudi Elumelu who is representing Aniocha/Oshimili fedral constituency. This is what Elumelu told the crowd, “the state of the art church for you are seeing here today is a promise I made to God that if he puts me through the challenges of electioneering, I will build a befitting house of worship for his name to be praised.” This is a clear indication of how people of both beliefs attached importance to their religion.
We should not expect any meaningful development of Kwankwaso second coming. He is known widely in promoting political brigandage. He is avowed leader who made it a hobby to go against laid down procedure and rule of law. For four years, he never publishes his budget which is most important aspect of governance talk less of its implementation. He is out to destroy all previous achievements by earlier regimes.
The convocation ceremony held today [October 22, 2011] at the Federal Polytechnic in Oko, Orumba North Local Government Area [LGA] of the south senatorial district of Anambra State saw the outing of the many famous personalities of the community.
The ceremony also saw the award of Fellows of the Federal Polytechic [FFPO] to some select individuals within the country.Among the individuals awarded was the Senator for the Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Andy Uba.
Senator Andy Uba in receiving the award expressed his gratitude to the managers of the institution and to the students of the school. He added that Federal Polytechic Oko has satisfactorily played its role in readying Nigerian youths for a fruitful future in the job market. He added however that some improvement will be sought for the institution to enable it become a frontline Polytechic that can compete favorably in the international arena. He capped his address by promising to work with the administrators of the institution behind the scene to access resources that maybe available through the federal government.
Greeted with applause, Senator Andy Uba rose again to tell the audience that the Nnewi based businessman and cement importer, Ibeto, had asked him to relay to them that he is donating the sum of N2.5million to the institution. Senator Andy Uba added also that he is personally donating N5million.
Enugu State governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime, has at last broken his silence on the rumour that he had an affair with his wife’s younger sister and got her pregnant. He said that nothing like that ever happened.
According to the governor, “no girl is nursing a baby for me.”
Chime spoke on this as well as the contentious minimum wage issue, among other things, in a chat with newsmen in Enugu.
There’s a rumour that you impregnated your wife’s sister. What do you have to say?
Well, you can see I am here; you did not even finish the story; that was not the only thing they wrote. They wrote about the non-existing female Permanent Secretary living behind the Government House. I have tried to find out if there is anybody that fits into that description; no such human being exists. But they have written about it. They wrote how I was beaten up mercilessly. When you hear such stories, you don’t even come here to ask me questions; you go and verify.
The young lady they talked about, if you are interested to know, I am sure you will be seeing her around. I can tell you sitting down here that she is one of the most decent human beings I have ever seen. Why they chose to rubbish her, I do not know; if they had written about, maybe, some other people, it will make sense, but not that particular girl. I am not talking about myself; they can write anything about me; after all, you were there when I came to seek your support to be the governor. So, everything is not siren; they can say all sorts of things about me. But the truth is that no such thing happened; nothing resembling it happened; nobody had any baby boy for me. As a matter of fact, the young girl being talked about is getting married this December; she is getting married to an Onitsha man and was actually staying with the young man when they alleged she was in my home in the village nursing a baby boy for me. So, it is all nonsense.
I also learnt that I bought Piccanto cars for all the girls in Enugu; I don’t see Piccanto in Enugu; the car is not popular in Enugu; and they have not been able to point at least one such beneficiary; I will like to know them. You stay in Enugu and hear such stories; the first thing you should do is to look around; you look for the Piccantos, know if they exist. Some even said it is Piccanto Jeep. I don’t know of any car like that. They are just writing all sorts of nonsense; taking advantage of the Internet to publish nonsense.
It’s unfortunately and regrettably that some local magazines have published those articles. My lawyers are at work on those ones we can reach. You can write anything on the Internet. You are on your own. That is the price we pay for occupying such offices; so whenever you see me, try and make me happy because so many things make us unhappy.
Workers in your state are saying that they were not paid last month. What’s the true position?
First, on the observation that some workers have not been fully paid for September, I don’t know if you also investigated to see if the workers worked fully for September. No responsible government will pay you for work not done; no responsible government, nowhere in the world will do that. In Enugu State, the labour leaders and their workers called for strike for no reason; they were alleging non-payment of minimum wage and we paid minimum wage, not minding that they were even on strike at the time. We used the skeletal services we had at the time and made sure we paid on the 25th of the month, as usual. It’s on record that throughout the South East, and I make bold to say, apart from a few who had been paying that before, maybe throughout the country, Enugu State was the only state that paid minimum wage, as agreed in August; we are not talking for August; we paid for August in August. We did not just stop there; we also agreed with labour that we will have up to October to pay the arrears; but because of what you may call windfall, we felt we had enough to pay the arrears and we felt there was no need waiting for October to pay the arrears. We paid all the arrears in August. What we got in return was for the national leadership of NLC, TUC and whatever names they answer, to come here and take our workers for a ride. Meanwhile, these people come from states that have not paid the minimum wage and they all came here and the workers were hailing them.
So, the workers went on strike for no reason. Thank God they have seen reason to go back. They wasted September; the earnings we ought to have made in September, we did not make; so we had no money to pay them. You work and you get paid; so no sentiments about it and we made it clear before they embarked on the strike; so it did not come to them as a shock. We had precedence. We begged them not to go on strike; we warned them of the likely consequences, but they chose to go on strike. So, if tomorrow the labour leaders ask workers to go on strike, I expect the workers to ask a question, like, why are we going on strike? They have wasted one month; nothing has come out of it. Now, they have gone back to work; if they like, let them continue with their strike. It is the press that encourage them; when they do something you hail them; when they came here we try to prevent them from holding a rally because, one, it’s illegal; secondly, as the chief security officer, I think I have the right and the powers to stop rallies or even any gathering that will cause any kind of breach of the peace. So, we tried to do that; unfortunately they saw themselves as heroes; some television stations were showing how they were being held hostage; so they had their way, they went to address whoever they wanted to address and they went on strike.
When they sneaked out of town, we did not know, until after causing the trouble. So, it is quite unfortunate; you and I must come together to make this country what we desire it should be. Labour, unfortunately, most regrettably went on strike in Enugu for no reason and thank God they have found reason to go back. I hope they continue to work and see Enugu as their state.
You were said not to be interested in paying the minimum wage, but you just said you paid…
The minimum wage Act is straightforward; you don’t need to be a lawyer to understand it. It’s a very short law, you go and read it, and we have implemented what the law says. You ask us to increase using the same percentage for every other person’s salary; the least paid worker in the state before earned about N8, 500; now he or she earns N18, 500; that’s over 100% increase; and you want us to increase every other person’s wage, maybe including mine; we cannot afford it and no state can, not even the Federal Government. So, the minimum wage Act has fully been complied with; I am a lawyer. I can’t do anything that is illegal, I assure you.
Federal roads in the South East are in deplorable condition. What are you doing about it?
We have always complained openly, not just myself as a governor but also my colleagues in the South East. We’ve complained; we’ve complained; we’ve complained. The ones we can do, we are doing with our state funds, with hope that we will get a refund. We’ve done a lot of federal roads, to make sure that our people at least move. We made attempts to see if they can give us concessions to build those big roads and then we will be paid later, but it didn’t work; so what do you do? We have limited resources and we can’t take over those roads, unless you want to waste your money there. So, it’s unfortunate but we are not relenting; we are still talking to the authorities and we hope they will improve on it. The Enugu/Onitsha road is very sad because as they are working, it’s failing and they want to repair it; they just built on the nonsense already built, instead of scrapping the whole thing; so it’s quite sad.
What have you done in the area of housing?
I want to start by reminding us that immediately I took over for the second term and in forming my cabinet, we established a full-fledged ministry of housing, to show how seriously we are taking the issue of housing. It’s no longer housed by the ministry of land; so we are taking housing very seriously; we are currently in the process of acquiring lands for the purposes of building new estates. The Maryland Estate, I don’t know if you have been there; we have been working round the clock to make sure that place is fully developed. From one uncompleted building we met in 2007, about five have been completed and each has about 36 flats; so we are building; I think there are nine of them and in no time we should be able to complete the remaining four; so we are working.
The housing corporation is also acquiring land, while the ministry of land is making land available to the ministry of housing; so we are taking it seriously. We certainly envisaged the influx of people, not because of Boko Haram, but we knew, from the outset, that making Enugu habitable would attract our brothers and sisters; they will want to comeback and stay here.
What of security?
We are taking the issue of security very seriously. This is the ember period and people want to make more money to enjoy Christmas, but I can assure you that no stone is being left unturned; we are doing everything possible and God willing and in no time, we shall be able to restore that peace that Enugu is known for. So, I am assuring you that we will have a very peaceful Christmas.
You have been accused of handpicking chairmanship candidates for the local government election. Why should it be so?
The process that produced our chairmanship candidates was transparent; it was so transparent, to the extent that we didn’t shut out anybody; it was openly done. I personally went to vote for my own candidate. It happened in all the local government areas. There had to be a repeat in the few local government areas we received complaints from. So, these things were done openly. I don’t see what can be more transparent than that. It is not me sitting here in the Government House and telling you that I did not handpick anybody or whatever, but the process was so transparent; we held consultations; we met ourselves; some people, on their own, withdrew from the race; others fought till the end, until they lost. I mean this is democracy; it happens everywhere in the world; it’s democracy; no single candidate was handpicked and if handpicked, I will like to know who handpicked them and these things are very verifiable. It is a bit sad that people you stay with hear story about you and they believe what they hear from outside, rather than what they observe. So, no candidate, chairmanship or councillorship, was handpicked by anyone.
What do you have to say about the rape controversy?
This is very strange, in the sense that if you look at the age bracket of the victims, it’s quite strange. The culprits, to me, should be examined. I don’t think they are well; they should be sick upstairs. It’s not normal; why should teenagers go after 60 to 80-year-old women, except of course we are told that all the young girls have fled the community? If not, you can’t explain this. But we can assure you that government is not taking the issue of rape kindly. Of course, you know the punishment for rape; anybody caught will seriously be dealt with. It’s a life jail offence; so if an 18-year-old boy wants to go to jail for life, for playing with an 80-year-old woman, so be it. It’s unfortunate.
It is not in the tradition of a sitting aristocrat to revolt, more so if he is an Emir in an era when the institution is stripped of all its major functions but saddled with the enormous task of ensuring security of life and property. So when some royal fathers decided to breakaway from the tradition of waiting for the Sultan to announce the sighting of the crescent during the last Ramadan and do it themselves, little did they know that we the masses were watching with keen interest.
The revolt, if we may call it so, is more surprising when it came from emirates that are the closest to the Sultan in history, geography and government, given their long standing mutual associations under the Sokoto Caliphate, the defunct Northern Nigeria, Northwestern State and Sokoto State. In all these, the Sultan served as their Chairman. More importantly, the Sultan is their leader under the national Muslim umbrellas of Jama’atu Nasril Islam and Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. If there would be a revolt, we the masses would expect it to come from quarters more distant to the monarch than from these direct cousins of his.
To be fair to the dissenting Emirs, however, the practice of a Sultan announcing the commencement or ending of Ramadan is a recent one. It was not possible, administratively and logistically, for him to carry out that role in the pre-colonial era. The Sokoto Caliphate was a loose confederation of states. The centre at Sokoto did not have direct administrative influence over the periphery. Its authority was largely moral, as an acknowledgement of the founding role played by Usman Danfodio. Hardly did any Sultan dictated who would become an Emir or what expedition would he carry out. Annually, the Emirs would pay him a tribute, represented by a delegation carrying a number of gifts to Sokoto.
It was the loose link between Sokoto and the Emirates or, say, the lack of a strong federation that made it easier for a handful of soldiers under the command of few British officers to bring the caliphate to its knees in the last quarter of the 19th Century before they capped it with the subordination of Sokoto in 1903. If there were a strong federation, possibly – possibly – the contemporary history of Northern Nigeria would have been different today.
But what could not be done during the pre-colonial era became possible after the British conquest. Roads were opened and communication became enhanced. The entire North came under the authority of the British as a Protectorate. The British, for the purpose of indirect rule, decided to reinforce the authority of the Sultan not only by bringing the Fulani Emirs from Kebbi to Adamawa under his ceremonial leadership but also those in the old Kanem-Borno Caliphate and some hitherto independent Emirates like Yauri and chiefdoms that are not even Muslim. The Sultan thus became the Chairman of the Council of Chiefs in the defunct Northern region.
Regarding religious matters, the Sultan’s authority was further armored through Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the organ that Sardauna created to oversee the interests of Islam separate from the official administrative machinery of the regional government. The Sultan became its President. When the Supreme Council of Islamic affairs was later created as a sort of an expanded Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the domain of Sultan’s influence on religious matters now went beyond the North to include Muslims throughout the federation.
It is from these roots that the Sultan derived his present moral authority on matters of Islam in Nigeria. In all these functions and positions, the Sultan is deputized by the Shehu of Borno, then followed by the Emir of Gwandu, then of Kano and so on.
So the decision of some Emirs to announce the moon sighting independent of the Sultan can be seen as a reincarnation of their jurisdiction during the pre-colonial era, which is supported by the fact that the authority of the Sultan over Nigerian Muslims today is simply moral, not political. When authority is spoken of in terms of rights, one cannot help but conclude that they have the right to do so.
However, a judicious mind will not fail to discern that sometimes exercising a right may not be in the best interest of it’s owner. He lends it to someone, if he is wise, in order to reclaim it with profit in the long run. In my view, this is just one of those times.
It is in the best interest of Islam and the Emirs themselves to be seen to speak with one authority, in this case to follow the ruling of the Sultan. Unity is a fundamental principle of Islam. It does not make any sense, no matter the level of disagreement, for different emirates in the same country to observe Ramadan and the Eid on different days in the 21st Cemtury. It was possible under the Sokoto Caliphate only because of the absence of effective means of communication. In fact the entire idea of the Caliphate being a loose federation was a child of necessity. If Danfodio had cars, planes, tarred roads, emails, and telephones in addition to the military hardware that we have these days, he would have adopted a system that accords the centre of the Caliphate greater power. It was just impossible for the ordinary Fulani man he was to effectively administer a territory so vast as the Sokoto Caliphate directly from the centre. He understood his limitations and abided by them. May God bless him!
Today we live in an environment where not only Nigeria but also the whole world is on the verge of becoming a small village. Muslims all over the country, nay, throughout the world, are increasingly becoming aware of happenings around the globe with great ease that was never contemplated by their ancestors. The communication gaps, geographical challenges and military handicaps that allowed the Emirs their independence in the days of the Caliphate have ceased to exist. In their place, a fused community of Muslims stretching from Sokoto to the Atlantic has emerged with a moral leadership that is no longer flat but hierarchical with the Sultan at the top. Nigerians have become used to that notion. Reverting to the olden pre-colonial order brings some discomfort amongst us – the followers.
The revolt especially is coming at a time when the unity among the traditional rulers in the country is needed most. Security is fast deteriorating; discontent among us – the masses – is at record high; yet, belief that the traditional rulers can fix some of the problems, despite their financial and political limitations, is prevalent. A crack in their ranks at this time would certainly be ominous.
So far we have discussed the political aspect of the problem. The religious one is more contentious. While the Sultan is working hard to see that Nigerian Muslims – from both North and South – unite in matters of their religion, there is a tremendous pressure on him and the Emirs that is coming from some ulama who want the status quo to be maintained. On the other when it comes to moon sighting Such ulama do not give a hoot if Northern Nigerian Muslims always find themselves on one side and the rest of the world. This cannot just be correct. The moon is one, whether in Nigeria or elsewhere. There cannot be one crescent for Northern Nigeria and another for the rest of the world. This defies common sense. Period.
The problem we have been having in this part of the world for decades now is that of false testimonies. Since Islam bases the moon sighting on the testimony of two people, Nigerians being what we are, there has never been a shortage of people that would come over claiming to have sighted the crescent even when it cannot there. The Sultan would thus announce the Ramadan moon always 29 for over 40 years, until some Emirs started to revolt a decade ago against what appears to be clearly irrational. When he was enthroned, the present Sultan started to introduce caution into the matter and some sanity started to prevail. It is an irony that another set of Emirs is now crucifying him for doing exactly what we earlier called for.
Some ulama use the secular nature of the country to undermine the moral authority of the Sultan. This started during the Sardauna era, given the cold war that existed then between him – a Sokoto prince – and the then Sultan. This year some of the ulama said the sultan should not be obeyed because he is violating the rules of God: “nobody should be obeyed in violation to God.” Such ulama and their groups exert pressure on their emirs who then became tempted to abandon the cause of unity and assert their independence from the Sultan.
I have followed the debate on moon sighting that took place this year on an Internet forum called the Nigerian Muslim Network which went on for some weeks after Sallah. There were testimonies from two reliable people that attempted to verify the reports of moon sightings in Zuru for example. One of them said the person he met was not steady in his testimony. The second, upon his failure to get to a specific person that will categorically affirm that he saw the new moon, passed what I regard as indicting statement about the behaviour of some Muslims in this country.
This is with the benefit of hindsight, though. The damage has already been done. People have sworn by Allah before the Emirs that they have seen the crescent and the Emirs announced that the moon is sighted, only for the rest of the universe to report the contrary. Rather than swim in such murky waters, if I were an Emir, I would prefer to enjoy the comfort of riding on the boat of the Sultan.
The issue of announcing the sighting of the crescent in Islamic tradition, like all collective obligations, is the jurisdiction of the authorities, not the ulama. Some scholars of the past insist that even the person who saw the moon must continue fasting until the authorities declare the moon sighted. This has been the practice throughout history and it is reiterated in recent literature – like the scholastic declarations in Fatawa al-Lajnatul Da’imah Lil Buhuthil ‘Ilmiyyah Wal Ifta made by reputable Saudi ulama.
Given the difficulties posed by our widespread dishonesty in the contemporary world, many countries have resorted to supporting human vision in moon sighting with astronomical aids in form of calculations and equipment – like telescopes. The calculations give an idea of the days the moon is most likely to be seen while the telescopes support vision directly.
Despite these attempts there are still controversies in those countries, proving that the issue of moon sighting even in the Information Age is far from simple. The dilemma is that, on the one hand, we lack the honesty to unreservedly implement the prophetic tradition of accepting the testimonies of any two “trustworthy” people. Where people are many, knowing who is reliable becomes difficult. On the other, scientific methods themselves cannot be totally – 100 per cent – faultless.
In Nigeria, the Sultan is trying to draw his conclusions from various sources, including common sense. His task can only be made more difficult when other royal fathers decide to go their own ways.
Lastly, we must not forget that Sallah is not only for the Muslims. It is one of our public holidays and the nation can declare it only once. The need for harmony is therefore more imperative. Supporting the Sultan, from the foregoing, will definitely take us closer to the solution, which we hope to arrive at one day. Dissent can only take us backwards, perhaps centuries ago, when we have the capacity to leave that to our ancestors.
The Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime has called on media practitioners in the country to endeavour to carryout in-depth investigation to balance their news they dish out to the public.
Governor Chime who made the call during a media chat with media executives and correspondents in Enugu also appealed to them to always put the interest of the nation and her leaders first in the discharge of their duties.
The Governor described media practitioners as responsible group of people of noble profession but noted with dismay the prominence they gave to negative reports about their country on the page of their dailies.
The State Chief Executive therefore appealed to them to do more in highlighting those positive issues and values in the country and reduce the negative ones since the country has a good number of positive values and image that could make good headlines.
According to him, “I urge you to try to investigate stories you have. You are responsible people, let us read more about good and positive things about the country and not only negative ones.”
The Governor used the occasion of the interactive session to explain his government policies and programmes on issues boarding on infrastructure, the minimum wage, education, security, agriculture, among others.
On agriculture, Governor Chime told the Press that Enugu State has been chosen as the centre of Songhai farm initiative in Nigeria, adding that already, the Songhai trained graduate farmers in the state have been deployed at the Adarice farm at Adani in Uzo-Uwani Council Area.
He stated that the Enugu Mother farm has been established at Heneke Lake and work on the establishment of three farms in each of the zones of the state and one in each of the seventeen council areas of the state are on-going. He declared that with the investments so far made in Agriuclture, Enugu will be self sufficient in food production by the year 2013
Also on road, the Governor explained that work is ongoing in most of the roads being rehabilitated or under reconstruction in parts of the state including the Akwata road, parts of Ogui New Layout as well as the inter local government roads.
He specifically mentioned the extension of Presidential road – Agric Bank, Umuawulu road to the Enugu/Port Harcourt road, the Ugwogo Nike – Ekwegbe – Opi Nsukka where stone base had been completed, the Nsukka – Ibagwa – Ogrute Aji – Ette road, the old Udi – Nnachi – Oji River road and internal roads at Ogui New Layout.
The State Chief Executive explained that most of the contracts awarded to some indigenous contractors at the inception of his administration for the reconstruction of urban roads within the state capital have been revoked for none-performance.
He however assured the people that now that the dry season is about to set in, a good number of the contract will be re-awarded to tidied up the remaining urban roads within the state capital and Nsukka urban.
The Governor also spoke on the issue of security and the Coal industry in the state and said that government is not relenting on the seriousness it attaches to security, especially during this ember months.
According to the Governor, “the issue of security cannot be toyed with, we are working very hard to ensure that our people have a very peaceful Christmas and that residents of the state go about their lawful business without molestation and also have their two eyes closed while sleeping.
On Coal Industry, Governor Chime noted that although the issue of coal mining is under the exclusive right of the Federal Government, his government is doing her best to encourage potential investors to come to mine the coal deposit in the state.
He also stated that with the proposed one thousand mega watts coal fired plant by the Federal Government to be cited in Enugu, the future of coal industry is still bright, “we have not given up”, he said.
The labor mass action in Enugu State against the pressure to implement the minimum wage act may have robed the Governor of the State in a manner that has got him unrepentently annoyed over the mass action strike instituted by the labor leaders. This is as 247ureports.com gathered that the Governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime has vowed not to release the September salaries to the workers who participated in the said strike in September.
As gathered, the governor made the vow following a ruling by the Industrial labor court instructing both labor leaders and the state government to return to the negotiating table – and to reach a definitive resolution in 28days. The governor’s hard stance over the labor dispute has taken the labor leaders and the civil servants of Enugu aback – particularly since the parties have yet to begin negotiations.
Gov Chime’s refusal to pay striking workers their September salaries will affect the entire civil servants who did not sign-in to work during the strike. And as gathered, the entirety of Enugu civil servants were on strike during the said month.
NEWARK, NJ—The former president and CEO of New Jersey-based international engineering consulting company Louis Berger Group Inc. (LBG) surrendered to the FBI this morning to face a six-count indictment alleging he led a scheme to intentionally overbill the United States in connection with hundreds of millions of dollars in overseas reconstruction contracts over a nearly 20-year period, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman announced.
The indictment, which was returned yesterday and unsealed today, charges Derish Wolff, 76, of Miami and Bernardsville, N.J.—who was president and CEO of LBG from 1982 to 2002 and more recently served as the chairman of LBG’s parent company, Berger Group Holdings Inc.—with one count of conspiring to defraud the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and five counts of making false claims in connection with those billings.
The indictment alleges that while at LBG, Wolff conspired to defraud USAID by billing the agency on so-called “cost plus” contracts—including hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for reconstructive work in Iraq and Afghanistan—for LBG’s overhead and other indirect costs at falsely inflated rates.
Wolff is expected to make his initial appearance this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark, N.J., federal court.
“The indictment alleges that during decades at the helm of a company entrusted with the rebuilding of battle-scarred nations Derish Wolff focused on profits over progress,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “Wolff allegedly used his position to lead others in the scheme, setting targets that could be reached only through fraud. Especially when representing our business practices overseas, there is no excuse for playing fast and loose with the taxpayers’ tab.”
“Today’s arrest of Derish Wolff represents personal accountability for allegedly defrauding the U.S. government out of millions of dollars,” said Michael B. Ward, Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Division of the FBI. “According to the indictment, by instructing his company to pad costs involving foreign reconstruction efforts at falsely inflated rates, he attempted to enrich himself at taxpayer expense. At a time when the U.S. government was attempting to build relationships and trust within the Middle East, Wolff sought profits over patriotism, and commercial gain over corporate duty.”
“This indictment alleges that Derish Wolff conspired to defraud USAID and the Department of Defense through a scheme of intentional overbilling and the filing of false claims,” said Edward T. Bradley, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Criminal Investigative Service. “Such schemes, perpetrated by dishonest contractors and individuals, erode public confidence and deny full support to the mission of our brave men and women serving in the military services. The American taxpayer expects the DoD and Defense Criminal Investigative Service to be champions of fiscal accountability and acquisition integrity and these charges demonstrate the commitment of DCIS and our law enforcement partners to vigorously investigate procurement fraud allegations.”
“Thanks to the diligent efforts of USAID special agents and auditors, as well as the perseverance of our interagency partners, fraud against the U.S. government will not be tolerated,” stated USAID Acting Inspector General Michael G. Carroll.
“This case highlights the importance of imposing accountability upon those who use wartime contracting for their own criminal purposes,” said Stuart W. Bowen Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. “I applaud the hard work of the investigative team, which included agents from my staff, for pursuing this case to its conclusion. Defrauding the U.S. taxpayer must be stopped by bringing to justice those who engage in it.”
According to the indictment and other documents filed and statements made in court in this and related cases:
USAID is an independent federal government agency that advances U.S. foreign policy by supporting economic growth, agriculture, trade, global health, democracy, and humanitarian assistance in developing countries, including countries destabilized by violent conflict. The agency awarded LBG, formerly based in East Orange, N.J., and now in Morristown, N.J., hundreds of millions of dollars in reconstruction contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other nations. LBG calculated certain overhead rates and charged USAID and other federal agencies those rates on what are known as “cost plus contracts,” which enabled LBG to pass on their overhead costs to the agency in general proportion to how much labor LBG devoted to the government contracts.
From at least 1990 through about July 2009, LBG, through Wolff and other former executives, intentionally overbilled USAID in connection with the contracts in a scheme carried out by a number of LBG employees at Wolff’s direction.
Regardless of the actual numbers, Wolff targeted a particular overhead rate and ordered his subordinates to achieve that target rate through a variety of fraudulent means. From at least as early as 1990 through 2000, Wolff ordered LBG’s assistant controller to pad time sheets with hours ostensibly devoted to federal government projects when that employee had not actually worked on such projects. Wolff ordered this subordinate to instruct the accounting division to do the same.
At an LBG annual meeting in September 2001, Salvatore Pepe, 58, of Tuckahoe, N.Y.—who was then the controller and eventually became the chief financial officer—presented a USAID overhead rate that was significantly below Wolff’s target. In response, Wolff denounced Pepe, called him an “assassin” of the overhead rate, and ordered him to target a rate above 140 percent, meaning that for every dollar of labor devoted to a USAID contract, LBG would receive an additional $1.40 in overhead expenses supposedly incurred by LBG.
In response to this instruction to target an overhead rate, Pepe and former Controller Precy Pellettieri 55, of Rahway, N.J., with Wolff’s supervision, hatched a fraudulent scheme to systematically reclassify the work hours of LBG’s corporate employees, such as those in the general accounting division, to make it appear as if those employees worked on federal projects when they did not. Pepe and Pellettieri, at Wolff’s direction, reclassified these hours from approximately 2003 through 2007 without the employees’ knowledge and without investigating whether the employees had correctly accounted for their time, at times over an employee’s objection.
In addition to padding employees’ work hours with fake hours supposedly devoted to USAID work, Wolff instructed his subordinates to charge all commonly shared overhead expenses for LBG’s Washington office, such as rent, to an account created to capture USAID-related expenses, even though that office supported many projects unrelated to USAID or other federal government agencies.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison; each of the false claims counts carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. Each of the six counts also carries a maximum $250,000 fine, or twice the loss from the offense.
On Nov. 5, 2010, Pepe and Pellettieri each pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz to separate informations charging them with conspiring to defraud the government with respect to claims. They await sentencing. Also on that date, LBG resolved criminal and civil fraud charges related to Wolff’s and others’ conduct. The components of the settlement included:
A deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), according to which the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey suspended prosecution of a criminal complaint charging LBG with a violation of the Major Fraud Statute; in exchange, LBG agreed, among other things, to pay $18.7 million in related criminal penalties; make full restitution to USAID; adopt effective standards of conduct, internal controls systems, and ethics training programs for employees; and employ an independent monitor who would evaluate and oversee the company’s compliance with the DPA for a two-year period;
A civil settlement that required the company to pay the government $50.6 million to resolve allegations that LBG violated the False Claims Act by charging inflated overhead rates that were used for invoicing on government contracts; and
An administrative agreement between LBG and USAID, which was the primary victim of the fraudulent scheme.
The settlement took into consideration LBG’s cooperation with the investigation and the fact that those responsible for the wrongdoing are no longer associated with the company.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ward; the DoD Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Bradley; USAID, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Acting Inspector General Carroll; and the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, under the direction of Special Inspector General Bowen, with the investigation leading to today’s Indictment.
U.S. Attorney Fishman also reiterated his thanks to those whose work regarding the civil investigation was critical to the settlement with LBG. The civil investigation was conducted by special agents and auditors within the Office of Inspector General for USAID. Audit support was also provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency. The settlement was negotiated by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott B. McBride of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit, and Joyce M. Malliet of the Office’s National Security Unit.
The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
