Three die as Boko Haram bombs church

Three persons have been confirmed dead in a bomb attack suspected to have been carried out by the Boko Haram sect at The All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja, Niger State today.

Four persons were also seriously injured and rushed to hospital.

The incident was confirmed by the spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushau Shuaibu.

Saharareporters says the group earlier today also bombed a target near the College of Legal and Islamic studies in the downtown area of the Borno State capital, Maiduguri.

The attack came a day after Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima was saved by soldiers from a Boko Haram plot.

Reports said suspected Boko Haram members gave a bomb to a 10-year-old boy and asked him to get as close to the governor as possible during his condolence visit to victims of recent attacks in the AA Kotoko residential area of Maiduguri.

However, the plot was foiled when soldiers discovered the bomb and defused it.

Also on Saturday, suspected Islamist militants threw a bomb at soldiers on patrol in the state capital and engaged the military in a gunfight at Kaleri in London Chiki area.

Source: http://www.punchng.com

Jealous lover stabbed boyfriend till death in Nigeria

Ifunanya Marcus, 25, claimed she loved her live-in-lover, Princewill Chukwu. But the love she had for him did not deter her from killing him over a suspicion that the slain lover was having an affair with his sales girl.

Marcus, who had since been arrested by the police in Lagos State was in tears and full of regrets on Monday at the police headquarters, in Ikeja, asking the police to take her life and bring back Chukwu‘s.

Incidentally, Marcus, whose first name, Ifunanya, means love, did not know that the knife wound she inflicted on her lover had killed him until she was told by the police on Monday and she promptly fainted.

PUNCH METRO gathered that an argument ensued between the two lovers, who had been cohabiting for seven years, on Tuesday, May 25 and later degenerated into fisticuffs on the suspicion that Chukwu was dating his sales girl, Chikodi Ekemezie.

Marcus, who claimed that she had been enduring Chukwu‘s battering for the past seven years, said the beating she received from her slain lover on the night of May 25 was so intense that she rushed into the kitchen, took a knife and stabbed Chukwu in the ribs.

Police sources said that the knife went deep into Chukwu and ruptured his kidney and intestine. Efforts by doctors at the Badagry General Hospital and later at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, did not yield the expected result as Chukwu died two days later.

Lone witness to the incident Ekemezie, who worked as a sales girl for the deceased at Badagry Market, said that the suspect actually tried to stab her lover twice. ”She first slapped him twice and went into the kitchen to get a knife. I collected the knife the first time and threw it away, but she rushed into the kitchen again and as I was holding my brother not to beat her, she came back with another knife and stabbed him in the ribs,” she said.

Although Ekemezie denied having any relationship with the slain man, Marcus insisted that she saw Chukwu and the sales girl caressing and could not withstand it.

Marcus said, ”We met in 2003 and since then we had been living together like husband and wife. He used to beat me, but I will always go back to him after he begged. Look at my body; all these scar were from him. In fact I moved out of his apartment last year September and came back in March this year after he pleaded. I love him.

“That day he did not know that I was inside the room that Chikodi (Ekemezie) was staying in our house, and I saw him romancing her. I confronted him and he started beating me. I just used the knife to threaten him so that he would not beat me again. I did not realise that I have stabbed him; I just saw him fall down. I have disgraced my family who always wanted me to leave him. I will gladly give my life for him. God knows I love him with my life.”

Ekemezie, the sales girl, said, “He (Chukwu) is my oga. And I don‘t use to stay at home. I go to shop everyday. So, where am I going to get time for romance?”

But the Lagos State police command spokesman, Frank Mba, said the police would soon conclude their investigation, adding that, “and then we will leave the court to decide.”
Source:http://www.naijapals.com

Humanists welcome UN focus on witch hunts in Nigeria

The disgraceful problem of child witch hunts in Nigeria was addressed for the first time this week by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In a May 26 meeting with a large delegation of senior government representatives from Nigeria, the CRC raised a number of child rights issues, including birth registration, children in conflict with the law, adolescent health, adoption, child trafficking, street children, child marriage as well as witchcraft allegations against children.

Leo Igwe, IHEU’s representative in West Africa, whose work in Nigeria includes campaigning against witch hunts, welcomed the UN’s focus on this issue. “It is too easy for government to ignore these problems when they are hidden from view,” said Igwe. “We hope that by shining the international spotlight on these issues the UN will prompt serious government action in support of the work we are doing at the grassroots.”

The meeting at the UN was held to review the combined third and fourth periodic report of Nigeria on how that country is implementing the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Nigerian delegation was headed by Mrs Iyom Josephine Anenih, Minister for Women’s Affairs and Social Development, and also included representatives from the Ministries of Health, Education, Justice and Foreign Affairs, as well as delegates from NAPTIP, the Prison Service and the Police, and the Nigeria Children’s Parliament.
Source:http://www.humanistlife.org.uk

Group gives 90 reasons for Jonathan to quit in 2011

By Ayo Okulaja
 A Kaduna-based civil society organisation, the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, has enumerated 90 reasons why it thinks President Goodluck Jonathan must not run in the 2011 generals elections.

The group, in a statement signed by its president, Shehu Sanni, asked Mr Jonathan to respect and maintain the zoning system of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because his political career has benefited from zoning.

Shehu Sani says zonning is critical to governance.

“Jonathan emerged as acting president and president as a product of zoning,” stated the group. The organisation also stated that key political offices in the country, such as the senate president, speaker of the House of Representative, secretary to the government of the Federation and vice president are not occupied “by merit but by zoning.”

It also noted that professional bodies in the nation, such as the Nigerian Bar Association, Trade Union Congress, Nigerian Medical Association, Academic Staff Union of Universities, amongst many others, “share positions” and “observe zoning.”

Zoning for fair play

When asked if one of reasons on the list, which states that a “Northerner will not accept a Southern Nigerian cancelling zoning” is not inciting, Mr Sanni declared: “The biggest incitement is the cancellation of the zoning arrangement. If a northern president cancels the zoning system, will the people of the south agree?,” adding that his clamour for the respect of zoning, which is a party affair, does not make him partisan.

“Zoning is a party arrangement, but the president the party is producing is going to be the president of Nigeria, and nota president of PDP,” he said, “Those speaking out against zoning today lost their voices when Obasanjo muzzled out Odili in favour of Umaru.”

On the constitutionality of the zoning system, the activist questioned why the new occupant of the office of the vice-president was zoned, and not picked at random or merit.

“The constitution did not approve of zoning the vice-presidency, but why are we zoning the vice presidency and agree to unconstitutionally zone the office?,” he said. “There is nothing like merit in our electoral politics, because corrupt people can also contest and win elections. All the ex-governors and even serving senators undergoing trial in the courts for corruption have contested and won elections.”

The group had warned that without zoning, only the Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo can produce a president because of their numerical strength. Also included in the list to the president are series of warnings on why the zoning structure might sustain the unity of the country.

“Zoning came as a result of the quest for ‘power shift,’ zoning is the answer to sectional domination, zoning ends ethnic hegemony, zoning enables all sections to produce a president, zoning ends the tyranny of the majority,” stated the group.

The group urged Mr Jonathan to conduct “a free, fair and credible election and hand over power to a Nigerian of northern extraction whose tenure will end by 2015. And become an international statesman.”
Source:http://234next.com

Rumble in the Presidency

The nomination and final selection of the former Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, as the Vice President is causing rumbles in the Presidency.

Saturday Punch learnt authoritatively on Friday that some top officials of the presidency who did not support the appointment of Sambo had started thinking about disengaging from service.

Our correspondent was told that among the officials is a top security chief whose name was among those who were mentioned in the media as being in the forefront to clinch the nation‘s number two post before President Goodluck Jonathan surprisingly settled for Sambo. It was gathered on Friday that the top security chief might have resigned his position as the fallout of the intrigues that followed the jostle for the position of vice president.

Alhaji Namadi Sambo

The security chief was said to have resigned because of the refusal of the President to appoint him into the number two office. He was said to have recently accepted to return to the Presidency in the belief that it would boost his chances of realising his ambition to run for the office of the President in the 2011 general election when it became obvious that the late President Umaru Yar‘Adua would not make a second term in office.

It was revealed that the retired military officer had hoped to be appointed as vice president, which would have put him on a better pedestal to vie for the Presidency later.

But with Sambo‘s appointment, the top security officer felt that he had been schemed out of the power calculus for the race. 

However, efforts made on Friday to get official reaction to the speculation that the security chief had resigned or had expressed his dissatisfaction with the turn of events in the Presidency were unsuccessful.

A source said that the security chief was also not happy with the appointment of a deputy for him recently; a development that was said not to have gone down well with him. 

But the source could not state if President Jonathan had taken a position on the disaffection among some presidency officials who felt disappointed with the emergence of Sambo as the vice president. 

Repeated telephone calls made to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ima Niboro, on Thursday and Friday, to react to a report that a top security chief in the Presidency was planning to resign, were not answered.

Source: http://www.punchng.com

UNILAG mourns officials electrocuted on duty

By Ayodele Ale

Sadness fell on the University of Lagos community on Friday last week as two of their members were lowered into the grave after their untimely death from electrocution while they were on official duty. “It is a trying moment for us. The two of them were senior staff. We buried one in his house at Ikotun and took the other to Ibadan for burial. It is the first time a tragedy of this magnitude would befall us. We are praying that such a thing does not happen again in the university,” lamented Mr Olusegun Odusanwo, the chairman of the school’s branch of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities. 

Although the entire university community was devastated by the tragic incident, the Works Department of the school appeared to have been touched most. On the notice board of the department were posters announcing the sudden death of two of their colleagues after four of them suffered electrocution.

Tragedy had hit the university on May 10, 2010, when four of the workers in the maintenance unit of the institution, identified as Samuel Shonuga, Gbenga Kayejo, Amao and Eke, were electrocuted while they were working on the electrical installations at the service area of the school, which is a stone’s throw from the Faculty of Arts building. 

“The four of them were carrying out the regular maintenance. They were not neophytes, because that was the work they had been doing for years. But whatever is bound to happen cannot be prevented, no matter how hard you try,” said an employee of the university who craved anonymity.

Strident cries from passers by had attracted other members of staff when the electrical installations the victims were working on suddenly exploded. The authorities of the university were immediately informed about the tragedy that had befallen the four employees. The four men were immediately rushed to the university’s health centre, where nurses and doctors on duty battled to save their lives. 

Because of the heavy injuries they suffered, Shonuga and Kayejo were transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital for further medical aid, while Eke and Amao remained at the health centre. Amao has since been discharged, while Eke was still on admission at the health centre when our correspondent called. 

Shonuga and Kayejo were not as lucky. In spite of the medical attention they received at LUTH, they still succumbed to the cold hands of death. 

Sorrow was said to have enveloped the university when the news of their deaths filtered into the campus. 

Shonuga, who was 55 years old before his untimely death, had served in the university for 31 years, while Kayejo, a former employee of the University of Ibadan who transferred his service to the University of Lagos about five years ago had just been promoted by the institution when the incident occurred. 

“He was in the maintenance unit of UI for a long time before he transferred his services to UNILAG,” one of his colleagues in the works department told Saturday Punch. 

Eke, one of the two survivors, had only one week left to retire from service when the incident occurred. “But for the accident, he would have left by now. He has spent more than 30 years and has not worked in any other department,” one of his colleagues said. 

Investigations conducted by Saturday Punch revealed that some officials of the maintenance unit had been injured in the past but none of the incidents had resulted in death. “It is the first time we are witnessing an accident of such tragic proportion,” an employee in the department said.

The burial of Shonuga and Kayejo were scheduled for the same day–May 21, 2010– and their colleagues in the university community had a difficult time choosing which one to attend. For obvious reasons, however, the turnout at Shonuga’s burial in Lagos was better than that of Kayejo which took place in Ibadan. 

The Chairman of SSANU in the university told Saturday Punch that the association was impressed by the response of the university authorities to the incident. He said although the association had supported the affected families morally and financially during the burial, they would still mountt pressurise on the authorities of the university to do something to alleviate the suffering their families could experience on account of their deaths, particularly in the area of the children’s education. 

When our correspondent approached him for comment, the Public Affairs Officer of the University, Mr Dare Seth, said the Registrar of the university was in the best position to speak on the issue. However, the registrar was not available when our correspondent called at his office. 

Source:http://www.punchng.com

Declare your interest now

By Vincent Ukpong Kalu and Chioma Igbokwe

The issue in the politics of today is the guess on whether President Goodluck Jonathan should contest the 2011 presidential election or not.
He is already there in power by special circumstances, and the next level is for him to either jump into the arena and slug it out or back out as the North still argues that the PDP zoning favours them to continue from where the late President Umar Yar’Adua left off.

•President Goodluck Jonathan
Photo: Sun News Publishing

But time shall tell whether Jonathan should risk it or stay away. It is an issue Nigerians could not agree on. As some urge him to run in 2011, others say he should not. But on when to declare his intention, most who say he should run, argue that he should rather keep watchers guessing and not make his plans known now as to betray any intentions and cause the scale to tilt against him in the hands of political jobbers. They feel he should instead concentrate on governance and let the issue of his declaration take care of itself as time goes on.

Tom Ikimi, statesman
President Goodluck Jonathan is a member of the PDP and the choice of who should be their presidential candidate rests with that party. I have heard them talk about some North-South zoning arrangement, which has no place in the nation’s constitution.

The PDP is a party of unusual compromises and can produce anything and at anytime. I am not a member of the PDP and would, therefore, refrain from advising them on this or any issue. I am nevertheless aware of tremendous pressures from the Niger Delta as well as the South South geo-political region on Jonathan to claim a full tenure of the presidency for the region. The argument of neglect from the highest level of power over the years is compelling. I believe this development and pressure must be of interest to the president. However, it is my view that it is not time to declare that it is as if he is interested. What is urgent now is for him to lay a solid foundation for electoral reforms, power, national security, then tackle corruption, unemployment, Niger Delta unrest and perhaps deliver good roads.

Dr. Mike Okoro, (Vote for Jesus) politician
As a true Nigerian that wants the good of this nation, I will not advise Jonathan to contest at all. The unity of this nation is paramount. Nigeria has been on power rotation in PDP. After Obasanjo, the party zoned the presidency to the North. The tenure of the North has not expired, it is only proper that next year the zone should produce another president that will continue the tenure in line with the constitution of the ruling party.
Those of us who witnessed the civil war will never subscribe to anything that will bring trouble. Jonathan has done very well for the unity and peace of this nation. So, nobody should convince us that the zoning arrangement doesn’t matter. There is a lot of sentiment in this nation. Tribalism, individual differences and other divisive antics grow everyday. It is most proper to allow the North to complete its tenure. If I were Jonathan, I would rather subscribe to run with any person from the North as running mate.

Dr. Bisi Abiola
He should declare his intention. The earlier the better, so that the issue can be laid to rest once and for all. There should be less distraction so that the country can move forward. It is even good for him to make his intention public, rather than the several speculations making the rounds. Then, again one can say it is his prerogative to choose the appropriate time to speak to the nation about his plan for 2011. Whichever way the people should be informed.

Pastor Daniel Moses
He should declare now because he will win, but he will not complete his tenure, as he will end in December 2012. If Jonathan wants to run for presidency, he will win the 2011 election but before 2012 December, his good luck will turn into bad luck. The choice is his. I have told Obasanjo last week and more than the ordinary man can hear and understand. Mark my word, no man will sit on that seat of power for more than two years again until 2013. Get ready for revolution that will make the rich including Jonathan to swap position with the poor. Before 2013, my vision for this nation will manifest. I am the tender plant from the side of the North of Kogi State to steer Nigeria to her prophetic destiny. I am coming soon. Nigeria should get ready for me because I am coming with the sword of justice. I don’t prophesy without it coming to pass.

Prof. Pat Utomi
Why must he say what he wants to do now? Whenever he evaluates issues and thinks that he should come out and tell Nigerians, then he will. There is no big deal about it. We behave like a group of jobless people, we should be busy with the business of nation building not that Jonathan should come and declare for presidency. Whenever he is ready, then he tells those he wants to inform.

Dr. Austin Epunam, businessman
Well, he belongs to a party and God that made him president. If the party says yes, what can we do? We should also remember his divine powers in modern politics without struggles. However, Nigerians need and expect more of his good luck because we have suffered so much to deserve a good leader. He should not come out yet because of the nature of Nigeria. There could be unrest in the country.

Prof. Chibuzo Nwoke, NIAA
Yes, he should but I am sure he is not politically suicidal. So, I can appreciate his hedgy disposition now, until the time is right. And don’t forget the fact that he is in PDP.

Gloria Egbuji, CRIVFON
What stops him from thinking first? As you know, hasty decisions for such important decision may not be strategic enough. Let him take his time and survey the murky waters of Nigerian politics before doing as he has a right to do so.

ACB Agbazure, lawyer
All Nigerians contesting election have not declared their intentions. He should not be stampeded into that now. He may even say that he does not want to contest but may be urged by Nigerians to do so if he performs well. I urge Nigerians not to distract him, let him focus on major issues.

Barrister Ekeonu, right activist
Let him come openly and declare his position now since the constitution permits it. I think those calling him not to contest, don’t have any reasons for that. The constitution permits him to run, and there is no way the PDP zoning arrangement should be above Nigeria’s constitution. Those talking about zoning should know that the space should be wide.

Ernie Onwumere, advert practitioner
It is his personal decision. It’s not a Nigerian issue whether he wants to contest or not. It is not right to take drugs for another person’s malaria. He is not disturbed, and that does not disturb anybody from doing his or her normal duty. And it is not part of the electoral act that if you are running, you should let the public know about it now. They should stop disturbing him, after all when Yar’Adua came out nobody knew his intentions. He just emerged overnight because PDP said they have a lot of contenders. PDP met 24 hours and Yar’Adua’s posters started flooding everywhere. He should not be bothered. Ambition is of the mind, but if it becomes an electoral issue, the president should let the public know, the decision is entirely his.

Azu Obiekwe, lawyer
The president should not be stampeded into declaring his intention. It is too early for the president to delve into such a project. It is entirely his decision to choose whether to announce it or not. He should concentrate on directing the affairs of the nation. Nigerians should leave him alone and besides, we know that the man is strategic. He will expose himself to other contenders who will jeopardise his ambition. If PDP gives him a go-ahead, nobody should stampede him to contest.

Emeka Enyinnaya, banker
I am sure he is weighing his options and consulting too. He has to put his structures on ground, test them and be sure they are running before he declares. Early announcers are the easiest to shoot down, and then your opponents will perfect their arsenal. I desire him to run and win. So, let him keep them guessing.

Source: http://www.sunnewsonline.com

Lawmakers order stoppage of post-UME

The House of Representatives has mandated the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission, to promptly discontinue the post-University Matriculation Examination conducted annually in Nigerian universities.

In a sweeping decision yesterday, lawmakers voted to support a resolution put forward by a member, Samson Positive, who argued that tertiary schools have abused the post- screening tests, applying it rather as a fund raiser.

“The problems of prospective candidates for university admissions have been further compounded with the introduction of this test and rather than good, our educational system has been worsened by it,” said Mr. Positive, who represents Kogi state.

The lawmakers also faulted the incoherent organization of the examinations which have had candidates placed for tests the same day at separate schools they listed as first and second choices during application.

The decision had been expected after the House Rules Committee, listed the matter for discussion earlier the week but failed short of adopting a position after repeated rescheduling.

In the days building up to Thursday sitting, many lawmakers have spoken in similar vein against the admission test which has run in the institutions for more than five years.

Cash cow

They argued yesterday that institutions in the country have converted the test, earlier introduced as a supplement to the conventional UME, to a quick source of raising funds from students and parents alike.

“This has become a very worrisome issue today- serving as an avenue for extortion and exploitation,” said three-term member Farouk Lawan, who heads the House committee on Education.

After its introduction in 2006, subscriptions for the test in universities and polytechnics across the country have been independently decided by different institutions with some charging prospective students as much as N10, 000 for the one-day aptitude.

The charges continued after the NUC directed in 2009 that such payments not exceed N1000, if they should be made.

The decision, the representatives said is to be enforced immediately, and have mandated the House Legislative Compliance Committee to ensure the education ministry and the NUC, carry out the directives without delay.

Source: http://234next.com

Police arrests Donald Duke

By Modey Peters

The political crisis in Cross Rivers State reached new highs Friday, when police, acting on the instructions from "above" disrupted the ceremony for the inauguration of the Women and Children Hospital built in Calabar by wife of former governor of the state, Donald Duke, Onari, taking him away for interrogation midway into the ceremony.

Mr Duke was driven away in his car, sandwiched between some senior police officers, to the state police headquarters at Diamond Hill where he was interrogated and afterwards released. He returned to the venue of the ceremony just when it was over to the palpable relief of his wife and admirers. He did not witness the cutting of the tape at the reception of the hospital.

A detachment of anti-riot policemen, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police [operations], arrived at the venue and went straight to the master of ceremony and demanded to know who were the organizers and upon being referred to Mrs. Duke, engaged her in a discussion which attracted the husband's attention.

The former governor was told in clear terms that they have orders from above to stop the ceremony and would want him to follow them to the state headquarters of the force to answer some questions. The drama between him and the police took place beside the Murtala Mohammed Highway, where the hospital is located.

There were two version of Duke's arrest. One version has it that the police were acting on a court order stopping the ceremony from taking place while the other said the law enforcement agents swooped on the venue because it was an unauthorized political meeting summoned by Mr Duke.

The hospital complex is the state secretariat of the defunct National Republican Convention [NRC] of the botched Third Republic . It is a government facility which the Dukes used official fiat, while in power, to convert to a private use.

Rehabilitation work on it commenced during the second term of Mr Duke. At that time, Mrs. Duke told the press that the hospital was being constructed under public-private-partnership [PPP]. But today, the ownership of this specialist hospital for women and children resides with Mrs Duke.

This is the second time in a week that the now estranged political allies are having a brush. Penultimate Saturday, state governor, Liyel Imoke stopped the Cross River University of Technology [CRUTECH] from conferring an honorary doctorate degree on his predecessor who founded the university on the excuse that since the institution has not commenced post graduate studies, it cannot award such certificate.

Ever since Mr Duke dumped the PDP for another party to enable him realize his presidential ambition, relations between him and Mr Imoke have been in the freezer.

Recently, the state leadership of the PDP went on air to deride Mr Duke's resignation from the party and warned party members to stay clear of the former governor. Despite this, Mr Duke, who brooked no opposition during his eight years reign, has been holding nocturnal meetings with some of his former aides with a view to making them his foot soldiers in the state ahead of next year's general elections.

Mr Imoke and members of his cabinet shunned the hospital inauguration ceremony. Mrs. Obioma Imoke too was away at Biase Local Government Area for the launch of her pneumonia programme.

Chief consultant of the Women and Children Hospital and former commissioner of Health under Duke, Joseph Ana described as political the attempt to disrupt the ceremony. He said that as a private hospital, the institution does not require the presence of government officials to have it inaugurated.

The former commissioner described the hospital as a referral center that would help to attend to paediatric cases in the country ant the entire West Africa sub region given its state of the art facilities in modern health technology.

Source: http://234next.com

Nigeria's Notes celebrated

By Ben Ezeamalu

The global premiere of Notes to Notes, an animated video that tells the story of Nigeria’s rich history using the naira notes, and illustrates the core values of the country’s naira notes, will hold today at the Genesis Deluxe Cinema, The Palms, Lekki, Lagos.

According to Aneto Okonkwo, an associate of the Nigeria leadership Initiative (NLI), an international non-profit organization and the organizers of the event, the country’s younger generation lack a good knowledge of the history of their nation.

Knowledge of the country

“During the last Future Leaders Class of the NLI (all new NLI Associates must go through a three-day Leadership Training before induction), we were taken through a course on Nigeria’s history,” said Mr Okonkwo.

“Very quickly, it became obvious that quite a few of us (especially the Nigerians in the Diaspora) had a few gaps in our knowledge of our nation’s history. We were concerned that this would be even worse for the younger generation. So we set out to create an animated video that was short and fun, that would remind the youth about Nigeria’s history and values.

“The video was deliberately kept short in view of the short attention span of some youth. Also, we wanted something that was easily distributed on the web and mobile phones.”

The project team was drawn from NLI Associates in the October 2009 Class (Associates are inducted twice a year - in May and October).

A lineup of celebrities including MI, Kate Henshaw-Nuttall, BOUQUI, TY Bello, Sasha, Omawumi, Rooftop MCs, Chioma Omeruah and Aisha Augie-Kuta, will narrate the Aphobos Studios’ Femi Omoluabi-produced video.

Reliving the past

Tunde Olanrewaju, Co-Chair of the NLI Management Board, relived the experiences of the Nigerian youth in the early sixties.

“We had gained independence and Nigerian youth exhibited an insatiable thirst for education and innovation in different spheres of life. During this time, strong values and a sense of community were the fabric of Nigerian society and Nigerians upheld values in their everyday activities. Today, this is just not the case.”

The Notes to Notes video will also be broadcast on TV and radio stations on Children’s Day, May 27, 2010, at 8pm on Silverbird TV and Inspiration FM. It will also be available for free download at www.nli-global.org.

The Notes to Note project is under NLI’s CLEVER initiative, which includes other projects like the Wordslam competition where youth can write the lyrics to a potential award-winning song and international poetry book. There’s also a Clever Club, which gives students an opportunity to take responsibility for transforming the country by developing a sense of civic responsibility.

Source: http://234next.com

Avoid Obasanjo, NLC tells Jonathan

By Ifedayo Adebayo

The Nigeria Labour Congress has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to stop consulting former President Olusegun Obasanjo on issues of national importance, claiming that Mr. Obasanjo has done more harm to the current democratic process than good.

Speaking with journalists at a session held yesterday at the Labour house in Abuja to celebrate Maurice Iwu's removal as the Independent National Electoral Commission chairman, the labour union's chairman, Abdulwahed Omar, also said that the group will mobilise to resist the appointment of any partisan personality as the new chairman of the electoral body.

Abdulwahed Omar, NLC President. Photo: SUNDAY ADEDEJI

"We will not dictate to Mr President whom to relate with or whom to consult on matters of national interest, we wish to also categorically state, like many concerned patriots, that we are very uncomfortable with Mr. President's seeming romance with former President Obasanjo," he said.

"If President Jonathan desires the trust and confidence of Nigerians, he must stop hobnobbing with Obasanjo for he represents the most formidable danger to the future of our democracy."

According to the union, "recent media reports which tend to suggest that Mr President is considering the appointment of personalities that are clearly partisan and known card carrying members of political parties or who had served or are still serving the PDP government is disturbing.

"We will not, and Nigerian people will never accept such characters to head our electoral body. We will mobilise to resist any such appointment."

The group also asked Mr. Jonathan to respect Nigerians view on the kind of personality to bring into the office, stating that though his removal of "Professor Maurice Iwu despite the obvious diabolical backing by former President Obasanjo is commendable, we want to make it clear that Iwu's removal is merely the beginning of the journey to credible elections."

It further called for the implementation of the Uwais panel recommendations to ensure that electoral process in the country is credible, while stating the position of an acting chairman in person of Solomon Soyebi should quickly be addressed to assure a good preparation ahead of 2011 elections.

Source: http://234next.com

Nigeria protests killing in Poland

By Ifedayo Adebayo and Ayodele Okulaja
The permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign Affairs, Martin Uhomoibhi, yesterday met with the charge d'affaires of the Polish Embassy to formally protest the shooting to death of a Nigerian citizen in Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, May 23, 2010, by the Polish Police.

Mr Uhomoibhi expressed Nigeria's displeasure over the incident and the arrest of other 30 Nigerian citizens resident in Poland, which he said is a harassment aftermath of the killing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia. Photo: SUNDAY ADEDEJI

According to him, instructions have been given to the Nigerian Ambassador in Poland to make a formal demarche to the Polish foreign ministry in protest of the killing. He equally called on the polish authorities to set up an inquiry into the incident, to ensure that all those found guilty are held accountable.

A tragedy

The charge d'affaires conveyed the condolences of the Polish government over the tragic incident which she described as unfortunate. She also disclosed that the Polish authorities were already investigating the matter and assured that the details and outcomes of the investigation will be communicated to the Nigerian government as soon it is resolved.

She also observed that the incident was not pre-planned, but a one-off incident that did not reflect the Polish government's policy or attitude towards Nigerian living in Poland. Nigerian-Poland relations have been cordial and built over years of cooperation in various fields of endeavour, she said, urging that this incident should not be allowed to soil the otherwise excellent relations between the two countries.

Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the unnamed citizen died after being shot on Sunday during a police raid on an open-air market in Warsaw.

"The ministry strongly believes that there can be no justification for this wanton killing of a Nigerian citizen," the ministry said in a statement.

"The killing without established culpability demonstrates the high-handedness on the part of the Polish police."

Unprovoked attack

Polish National Police spokesperson, Mariusz Sokolowski, said officers at the market chased after a Nigerian who ran away from them while they were on patrol. One of the officers threw the man to the ground and tried to handcuff him, but a group of foreigners attacked him, Mr Sokolowski said, claiming that the officer's handgun fired during the struggle, with the round striking the Nigerian.

"This man could have been saved and police officers started to resuscitate him, but they were repeatedly attacked with stones by a group of foreigners and were forced to defend themselves, and had to stop the resuscitation," Mr Sokolowski added.

He said six police officers were injured in the fighting and 32 foreigners were arrested.

Source: http://234next.com

Mother beat's daughter to death

By TOYOSI OGUNSEYE
A 28-year-old mother who beat her first daughter to death when she was teaching her tells TOYOSI OGUNSEYE that it was unintentional. A HUNGRY man is an angry man. Hope Odu, a mother of five, has proved that this popular maxim also applies to women.Odu, 28, is being detained at the State Criminal Investigations Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, for allegedly beating her five-year-old daughter, Uchechi, to death in their one-room apartment.

Hope Odu

On the day the incident happened, the family of seven had only beans for breakfast. It was learnt that Uchechi refused to eat because she didn‘t like beans, but there was no other food in their room located in an uncompleted building at No 7, Tolashade Close, Igando, Lagos.


After the other children ate the beans and Odu breastfed her last child, who is eight-months-old, she started teaching them how to write. According to Odu, who has a Senior Secondary School Certificate, even though she was poor, she didn‘t want her children to end up like her.


In fluent English, she says, ”I know the importance of education and I made sure I teach my children how to write every day. I want them to be better than me because after my senior secondary school education, I got pregnant for their father and could not go any further.”


On May 11, 2010, while she was teaching her children, including Uchechi, who had not eaten, she put a cane beside her to let them know that she was not playing with them.


According to the housewife, she started the tutorials by asking her first two children to write numerals, while Uchechi was asked to write the alphabets, A-C. But the little girl did not know it. So her mother brought out her cane and spanked her twice on the buttocks. As Odu was about to strike her daughter the third time, Uchechi fainted.


Odu says, ”I had been teaching her how to write the alphabets for some time. That morning, I asked her to write A to C for me but she did not get it. I brought out the N20 cane I used to spank them and beat her twice on her buttocks.


To my surprise, she fainted when I wanted to beat her the third time. I lifted her hands, but there was no life in it. I dressed her up and rushed her to the General Hospital at Igando. When I got there, the doctor on duty asked me what happened to her and I told him everything that occurred.


”The first thing the doctor said was that Uchechi had no blood in her. He complained that she did not look like a child that was well taken care of. When he finished examining her, he confirmed that she was dead. I started crying and called my husband on the phone. I didn‘t mean to kill her.


She was my first daughter and we were very good friends. How can I murder a child that I carried in my womb for nine months? I bought that cane to instil discipline into them. Uchechi was my pet; I used to plait her hair myself. I loved her very much.”


When Odu‘s husband got to the hospital, he didn‘t have money to discharge his daughter. He told his wife that he needed to go to his office the following day to get some money. The next day, he still didn‘t have the funds, so the deceased was taken to the mortuary by the hospital.


Neighbours who learnt that Uchechi was dead alerted the Igando Police Station and Odu was arrested on May 12. The light-skinned native of Owerri Local Government, Imo State, says that she was not surprised when the doctor told her that her daughter lacked blood. ”Uchechi and her older brother were living with my mother-in-law in Abuja since 2007,” she says.


”I have to let you know that my husband did not tell me that his mother was going to take two of my children away. I came back one day in 2007 and did not meet them at home. When I asked my husband about their whereabouts, he told me that that my mother-in-law came and took them with her. I had to bring them back to live with me in Lagos because I was not happy with their condition.


“I visited Abuja twice and my children did not look like they were well taken care of; they looked unkempt. Before my second son was taken away, he was going to school in Lagos but that stopped when they got to Abuja. Even Uchechi was not enrolled in a school.


”When I brought them back in February this year, I took them to a ‘lesson‘ in our neighbourhood and ensured that I also taught them daily. I was going to register them in schools come September. When they returned from Abuja, I noticed that Uchechi was always vomiting after eating and was always falling down.


I bought worm expeller for her because I initially thought she had too many worms in her stomach but her condition did not improve. I don‘t know Uchechi‘s genotype but I know that her blood group is O. I told my husband to give me money to take her to the hospital because I am a housewife who does not have anything. My husband would tell me that he would give me money tomorrow. His tomorrow never came and now my daughter is dead.”


Our correspondent however learnt that Odu‘s mother-in-law took the children away from her to reduce the burden of the family. A police source said, ”Everything that happened to this family boils down to poverty. The day her husband came to visit her in detention, he was wearing tattered clothes and had no transport money to go back home. They are living in abject poverty.


”How won‘t a five-year-old who had no food in her stomach die? Obviously, those children were not fed balanced diets. The suspect‘s mother-in-law who sells cooked food in Abuja told us that she could not bear to see her first son‘s children go hungry. She took them to Abuja with her to ease the burden of the family. She even told us that she used to give Odu money monthly and had offered to rent a one-room apartment for the suspect in Abuja in addition to giving her money to trade which she turned down.”


Odu, whose husband is yet to pay her bride price, however says that her husband‘s mother was being economical with the truth.


”My mother-in-law lives in a one-room apartment in Abuja,” she counters. ”When my children were with her, there were eight of them sharing that room, including her husband. All that talk of helping get a job and an apartment near her is not true. I went to Abuja and she did not put any of her words into action. It is also not true that she gave me money monthly. It was only once that she sent me N1,000 recharge card and I sold it for N800. She said all that to impress the police.”


The suspect, whose husband is a 29-year-old local government worker, says she has learnt a lot of hard lessons and begs for forgiveness. She says, ”I beg the police not to charge me to court. I want Nigerians to beg the police for me.


“I didn‘t kill my daughter intentionally. If I go to prison, it will not serve any good. Who will take care of my five children including my eight-month-old baby? I‘m very sorry.”


The public relations officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, says that the police will perform their constitutional duty. Mba, a superintendent of police, says, ”The matter was transferred to SCID from Igando Police Station. Our job is to investigate the murder which we are doing to the best of our abilities.”

Source: http://www.punchontheweb.com

EFCC To Quiz PDP Boss, Senators, Others On Monday

Written by Lanre Adewole, Abuja

Barring last minute change, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is reportedly set to quiz the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed, a senator, two former ministers of communications and one other on Monday, over the N440 million Siemens bribery scandal.

Mohammed, also a former minister of communications, was summoned along with others by the commission for allegedly sharing in the 17.5 million euro {about N440 million} given as bribe by the German engineering and electronic giant, to secure contracts in Nigeria.

The two other former ministers are Chief Cornelius Adebayo and General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, while another former minister mentioned in the alleged scam, Haruna Elewi, is now dead.

Also summoned was Dr. Osakwe Oyegun, with Senator Jubril Aminu from Adamawa State also said to have been put on the list of those to be quizzed over the alleged bribery scandal.

Commission’s chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, confirmed the invitation of the former ministers. Sources in the commission said their appearance at the commission had been fixed for Monday.

The immediate past national chairman of the ruling party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, resigned penultimate Thursday over an allegation of N238 million scam brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission {ICPC}, when he was minister of special duties in 2001.

He handed over to Mohammed, who is the party’s deputy national chairman. He is expected to take charge of the party in substantive capacity if the post was eventually zoned to the North, in the event that President Goodluck Jonathan would be contesting for president next year.

The commission had also set up a six-man panel to prepare the case against those indicted over the alleged Siemens bribery scandal.

Waziri put the team in place last week, with a three-week ultimatum to submit its report. About 17.5 million Euros {about N440 million} was said to have been shared as bribe by the firm which has seen two of its former executives convicted and the company fined 38 million Euros {about 51.4 million dollars} by a German court.

Following the conviction of the two Siemens executives, the Federal Government had written the German authorities for court proceedings in the trial.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), confirmed to Saturday Tribune that he authorised the EFCC to write the letter using the instrumentality of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

Speaking through his Special Assistant (Media), Chuks Akuna, the minister said: “I gave them (EFCC) the authority to write the letter,” when our correspondent contacted him.

Waziri was said to have earlier hinted of the letter while featuring on a TV programme.

Source: http://www.tribune.com.ng

Jonathan blames financial crisis on corruption

Friday, May 21, 2010 - Champion News

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said corruption, non-accountability and lack of transparency as well as bad governance were responsible for the global financial crisis which is just abating.

 President Goodluck Jonathan
 The Nigerian leader who spoke at the ongoing 23rd annual conference and general meeting of African Public Relations Association (APRA) in Abuja said it is time for African governments and their economic managers to take positive and sustainable steps to prevent a recurrence of this.

He said that the vast opportunities to grow the economies of the continent should now be harnessed to boost food production, develop social infrastructure, mitigate social conflicts, continue to promote best democratic and management practices, and generally ensure a better living for the people in a secure environment.

According to him, Nigeria in consonance with other nations in Africa will support good governance, transparency, accountability, anti-corruption and genuine democracy in the continent. "This is because of the increasing need for African governments at all levels, to ensure that we deliver dividends of democracy and improved infrastructural development to our various peoples" he added.

President Jonathan was represented by the Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili at the event.

Source:http://ndn.nigeriadailynews.com

Kase Lawal: Not your average oil baron

By Susannah Palk for CNN

May 19, 2010

(CNN) -- Nigerian-born entrepreneur Kase Lawal is the epitome of the American dream. Arriving to the US a young, idealistic student, Lawal has carved a name for himself in one of the most competitive industries in the world: Oil.

Now head of a multi-billion dollar empire, his Houston-based company, CAMAC, is one of the largest black-owned businesses in the U.S., generating over $2 billion dollars a year.

Founded nearly 25 years ago, Lawal built CAMAC (which stands for Cameroon-American) from a small agriculture business into a global oil company. But it's taken a lot of hard work, determination and guts to get him to the top.

Kase Lawal with Wife Eileen

Born and raised in Ibadan, Nigeria in 1954, Lawal became interested in America and its civil rights movement during his teens. After finally persuading his father, a local politician, to send him to university in America, Lawal headed to Georgia and then Houston, where he attended the Texas Southern University.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering in 1976, Lawal, like many of his classmates, started out as a graduate in the energy industry. First as a chemist for Dresser Industries (now Halliburton) and then as a chemical engineer with Shell Oil Refining Co.

During this time he met his wife, Eileen through a mutual friend and had his three children.

Now married and settled, it wasn't long before the innovative young Nigerian started to implement his business ideas.

In 1986 he established CAMAC, a company trading agricultural commodities such as sugar, tobacco and rice. In the early 90s he made the leap into the energy sector after the Nigerian government started to develop its energy market.

With his knowledge of Nigeria and his Houston address, Lawal was ideally positioned to attract major oil companies. In 1991 CAMAC made a deal with the oil giant Conoco, agreeing to jointly operate and share production from any Nigerian discoveries.

This turned out to be Lawal's big break.

With his political contacts, local market knowledge and now with the backing of a major oil firm, Lawal's Houston-based company became an instant player in the energy industry.

As Lawal told CNN: "That partnership I believe was the cornerstone of the CAMAC that you know today. Subsequently with that credibility and the advantage of partnering with Conoco, we were also able to partner with BP and also with Statoil of Norway and currently we have made a partnership with Eni, the largest Italian company, which is one of the top  five oil companies in the world."

Now CAMAC has offices in London, Johannesburg, Lagos and Port Harcourt, Nigeria and is involved in oil exploration, refining and trading.

He was awarded the USAfrica Business Person of the Year in 1997 and in 2002 CAMAC was named the largest African-American owned company on the Black Enterprise 100s list.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com

Nigeria vice-president confirmed

Both houses of Nigeria's parliament have voted to confirm the appointment of Kaduna state governor Namadi Sambo as the country's new vice-president.
Mr Sambo is relatively unknown and his appointment could clear the way for President Goodluck Jonathan to seek election in 2011, analysts say.
There were rowdy scenes during the confirmation, with lawmakers screaming and shouting to delay proceedings.

Namadi Sambo

Mr Sambo is a northerner and he maintains the regional balance.
President Jonathan, a southerner, was sworn in earlier this month after the death of Umaru Yar'Adua.
Mr Jonathan has not said whether he wants to stand for the elections and the governing People's Democratic Party has said its candidate will be a northerner - continuing its practice of alternating power between the mostly Muslim north and the largely Christian south after two four-year terms.
Mr Yar'Adua, who was a northerner, died before his first term ended.
Kaduna anger
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says that although Mr Sambo is not seen as a strong contender in the elections, his appointment is still controversial.
In his home state of Kaduna, Mr Sambo is seen as weak and inexperienced - his administration is criticised as corrupt.
His replacement in Kaduna will be his deputy Patrick Yakowa, who is a Christian.
Our correspondent says that has prompted anger because the state is mostly Muslim. Some local politicians see it as a plot to hand political control locally to Christians.
The confirmation hearing in the House of Representatives was held up for nearly half an hour as lawmakers argued on procedure, some even suggesting it be suspended to allow for consultation with constitutional experts.
At one point, those supporting the Kaduna governor began singing "Give us Sambo", while House speaker Dimeji Bankole repeatedly called for order.
"I am pleading with colleagues to please to take their seats and take this matter with all sense of patriotism," Mr Bankole said at one point.
Eventually, the House confirmed Mr Sambo as vice-president. Senators had earlier approved him unanimously in a vote that lasted three minutes.
Married with six children, Mr Sambo is an architect and an ally of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, who intends to seek the presidency.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Time ticks for Ogbulafor

From TAIWO AMODU,
Palpable tension enveloped the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abuja yesterday as news filtered in that its embattled National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, has tendered his resignation letter.

Ogbulafor, who is facing graft charges in an Abuja High Court, has been under intense pressure to throw in the towel as his trial is viewed as a moral burden on the party.

The PDP governors on Wednesday night allegedly traded Ogbulafor off to have President Goodluck Jonathan choose one of them, Namadi Sambo, the Kaduna State governor, as Vice President.
Ogbulafor was not at Wadata Plaza, the party national secretariat yesterday, but his Special Adviser on Media, Chijioke Adindu, was sighted, but he declined comments.

Both the National Secretary, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and the National Legal Adviser, Chief Olusola Oke, could not confirm the development, as they told journalists they were not aware of the resignation of the embattled National Chairman.

Baraje told newsmen that Ogbulafor was still in consultation with the South-East governors, who had asked him to resign before Wednesday’s enlarged forum of the PDP governors at Asokoro. “He hasn’t resigned. He cannot resign without you [newsmen] hearing. I cannot confirm that to you now. All I can tell you is that he is on consultations with governors from his zone. The outcome will tell us whether he has resigned or not.”

The PDP National Secretary dismissed the stance that Ogbulafor’s trial was a moral burden on the PDP.
“He hasn’t been convicted. The court process is still on. The only snag is that the governors from the zone where the National Chairman comes from, asked him to resign, even when the court process is still on,” Baraje told journalists.

Daily Sun, however, reliably gathered that a group, G-84, is plotting to use the exit of Ogbulafor to alter the PDP zoning arrangement. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had told a foreign news organ, the Voice of America, while in the United States, recently that the ruling party never had an understanding to zone elective offices among the geo-political zones in the country.

The G-84, a Daily Sun source revealed, is canvassing that the elective offices be thrown open to give room to merit. Under the PDP constitution, in the event of the resignation of the National Chairman, he hands over his resignation letter to his deputy, who will then present it to the National Executive Council (NEC).

The incumbent Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Haliru Bello is from Kebbi State in the North-West.
The G-84, a group made up of substantially of the PDP NEC members are banking on the emergence of Bello, as the Chairman in the event of Ogbulafor’s exit to proclaim that the party’s zoning arrangement has not been fundamentally altered, while still maintaining that zoning should be jettisoned.

The group wants an arrangement that would see Dr Bello preside over the party, pending the national convention that would throw up new leaders at Wadata Plaza. Under the eight years of Obasanjo from the South-West, the party had Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh and Ahmadu Ali, all of northern extraction as National Chairman.

Ogbulafor emerged as consensus candidate under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, while the National Secretary went to the incumbent Baraje from Kwara State in the North-Central geo-political zone.
Permutations of the G-84 were, however, punctured by Chief Oke yesterday. Speaking with Daily Sun, Oke declared that it was not automatic that the Deputy National Chairman should take over leadership in the event of the chairman’s resignation.

“It would not arise. We have an election, which produced the National Working Committee (NWC). The party’s constitution is not like Nigerian constitution. If Ogbulafor resigns, the NEC would meet and pick someone from his zone, where Ogbulafor comes from. In PDP his deputy cannot finish his term,” Oke said.
Meanwhile, Daily Sun investigation revealed that those being pencilled for replacement to Ogbulafor are former National Secretary of the party, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo from Enugu State and Ambassador Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigerian ambassador to Togo, who is from Abia State.

The source further revealed that what could count against Nwodo’s emergence is the party’s constitution, which stipulates that a new entrant to the party could not seek elective office, until after two years of membership of PDP. “Nwodo, the former National Secretary of the PDP, defected from the party to the Action Congress (AC), only to return to the party of recent. That could be a snag to his emergence, except it is waived,” the source said.

Source: the sun newspaper nigeria

Nigeria most wanted James Ibori, has been arrested in Dubai.

One of Nigeria's most influential and wealthy politicians, James Ibori, has been arrested in Dubai.
The former governor of oil-rich Delta state is accused of stealing funds worth $290m (£196m) by Nigeria's EFCC anti-corruption agency.
Last month, police were attacked by Mr Ibori's supporters while trying to arrest him in his home town.
For years, he has denied corruption allegations but is also wanted by police in the UK.
He is a senior figure in Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and played a key role in the 2007 presidential election victory of Umaru Yar'Adua, who died last week.
New charges
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) head Farida Waziri told the BBC that Mr Ibori had been arrested on Wednesday following the intervention of the international police agency Interpol.
He is currently in custody but it is not clear whether he will face extradition to Nigeria or the UK.
"We are consulting on the next line of action, whether the Metropolitan Police will want him to stand trial there in London. We also have a case here pending against him," Mrs Waziri said, reports Reuters news agency.
She also said that the EFCC wanted to press new charges against him, without giving any details.
In 2007 a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m (£21m). His annual salary was less than $25,000.
He had already left the UK when his assets were seized.
He was first arrested in Nigeria in December 2007.
Two years later, a court in Asaba cleared him of 170 charges of corruption, saying there was no clear evidence to convict, sparking the anger of the EFCC.
Under Nigeria's federal system, state governors enjoy wide powers.
Those running oil-rich states have budgets larger than those of some African countries.
They enjoy immunity from prosecution while in power, but several have faced corruption charges since leaving office after the last election in 2007.
Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Nigerians, world leaders mourn Yar’Adua

                                                                                

                                                                                     The remain Late President of Umoru Musa Yar'Adua was buried yesterday after Muslim Prayer in Katsina, Katsina State,Pix Shows: Remains of Late President Carried by military men

                                                                          Sympathizers

                                          From right, Chief. Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibon State, Chief. Susan Gebrel, Alh. Namadi Sambo, Kaduna State, and other Governors at the interment,





KATSINA— WORLD leaders, notable Nigerians and the masses, yesterday, bid late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, a final farewell as he was interred in his family compound in Katsina, capital of Katsina State.
While world leaders like President Barak Obama of the United States, United Nations’ Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and President of the European Commission, Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso, UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, among others, paid glowing tributes to the memory of the departed president, several notable Nigerians personally attended the funeral.

The roll call of notable Nigerians and foreigners who witnessed Yar’Adua’s burial include two former Heads of State, Generals Muhammadu Buhari and Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, former Deputy Senate President, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abbah, and former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Murtala Yar’Adua.
Others included the National Chairman of Action Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, National Chairman of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Yayale Ahmed, his predecessor in office, Ambassador Baba Gana Kingibe and the former Governors of Kaduna and Niger States, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and Alhaji Abdulkadir Kure respectively.
Serving governors at the burial
Serving governors at the occasion included those of Kaduna, Rivers, Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Cross River, Kogi, Kwara, Edo, Ogun, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom and Osun states as well as Emirs from Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Bauchi and some other northern states.

Most of the visitors were received by Yar’Adua’s relations including Alhajis Wada and Manir Yar’Adua.
Social and economic activities came to a stand still, yesterday, in Katsina as people from all walks of life paid their last respects to the late President.
As early as 10.00 a.m., armed soldiers and policemen were positioned at strategic locations to ensure that trouble makers did not use the opportunity of the burial to disturb the peace.
The large crowd of eminent personalities waited from about 11.30 a.m under the scorching sun till about 3.05 p.m when the ambulance with the corpse of the late President arrived at the family compound at Yar’Adua Quarters.
The Toyota bus ambulance with number plate K 721 A30 which belonged to the General Hospital, Mani, was led into the family house by another bus carrying most of the governors in the country.
Yar’Adua buried at Danmarna cemetery
The late Umar Yar’Adua was laid to rest at 4.45 p.m., at the Danmarna Cemetery after the funeral prayers led by the Chief Imam of Katsina, Alhaji Mohammed Lawal, at the Katsina Township stadium, a few metres away from the Yar’Adua quarters in the metropolis.

It took the family about two hours to produce the corpse at the stadium for the funeral prayers because, as a Muslim, they wanted to “clean him for the final journey.”
An unruly crowd caused commotion at the stadium when they protested security agencies refusal to grant them access. The security agents formed a ring around Governors Sullivan Chime, Enugu; Adams Oshiohmole, Edo; Chibuike Amaechi, Rivers; Chief Theophilus Orji, Abia; Senator Liyel Imoke, Cross River; and Chief Akpabio, Akwa Ibom, to enable them depart unhurt.

There was water tight security around the Yar’Adua quarters several hours before the arrival of the corpse from Abuja via the Katsina Airport, as major roads and streets in the area were cordoned off by a combined team of military men, police, Road Safety officials, Civil Defence Corps and members of the National Youth Service Corps.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike led top military officers to the funeral.
Vehicular movement was restricted as vehicles were diverted from about two and a half kilometres to the Yar’Adua quarters, while only dignitaries visiting the family house on condolence were allowed to drive into the area.
Former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida arrived the family house at about 12.10 in a black Mercedes Benz S550 with number plate DU 314 ABJ and was received by members of the Yar’Adua family. Babangida who emerged a few minutes later from the building, however, declined comments when approached by reporters, insisting that he had earlier spoken to reporters at the Airport.

Governor of Niger State, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who arrived the family house at 12.29 p.m., left for the airport in a bus with number plate KTHA 66 belonging the Katsina State House of Assembly while Kaduna State Governor, Mohammed Namadi Sambo arrived the family house at about 12.55 pm with his predecessor in office, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and were received by Yar’Adua’s younger brothers.
Minister of State for Defence, Murtala Yar’Adua who attended to some visitors left at 1.05 p.m in a convoy of cars belong to the Katsina State government, while former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, his Deputy, Ibrahim Mantu, former Imo State Governor, Achike Udenwa and FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, arrived in a bus with number plate KT 27 A 44 belonging to the Umaru Yar’Adua University, Katsina.
Speaking with newsmen at the Katsina airport earlier, the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu described the death of Yar’Adua as a rude shock to the country, pointing out that Yar’Adua will be remembered for his policy of trying to uphold the rule of law during his tenure.

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com