Michael Jackson's family campaigns for end to Niger Delta crises
Almost one month after the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died, his family has set up a foundation in his name, to press for peace in the Niger Delta.
The late pop star's elder brother, Marlon, who arrived in lagos via Delta Airlines on Wednesday evening, told newsmen that the foundation would explore various options for ending the crisis in the restive region.
Addressing a news conference at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Marlon
said the decision by the family to set up what he called Michael Jackson Peace Foundation stemmed from the fact that the late king of pop was both a preacher and lover of peace.
He said, “We are setting up Michael Jackson Peace Foundation to tackle the crisis in the Niger Delta. We are going to look at the various options available to achieve peace in the region. Michael loved people, he loved peace and we will try everything to achieve that.” According to him, the crisis had been a source of concern to the whole world and it was part of the reasons the family chose to find a solution to the troubled area.
He advised Nigeria and African leaders to embrace peace and love, saying such remained the only way a true global peace can be achieved. He said, “I want leaders and various groups to love one another. We all want a peaceful environment globally. We must spread love and give peace a chance and understand one another. I tell you this will bring solutions to the world.”
On the death of his late brother, Marlon, who expressed gratitude to Nigerians and the entire world for their words of consolation, said the family was still in a mourning mood.
Marlon, who was in Nigeria few months ago on a business and tourism trip to Badagry, disclosed that the surviving Jackson brothers would soon perform in a concert in Nigeria.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Twists in Ogundeji’s murder trial - Punch Editorial Board
At a time when the nation was awaiting the outcome of the Coroner’s inquest set up by the Lagos State Government to determine the circumstances surrounding the controversial killing of Mr. Abayomi Ogundeji, a former member of the Editorial Board of ThisDay Newspaper, unknown gunmen assassinated one Tunmise, the key witness in the case. Tunmise was alleged to be with Ogundeji in the car on the night of the incident and had reportedly witnessed the killing. The counsel to the Ogundeji family, Mr. Bamidele Ogundele, informed the Yaba District Coroner’s Court that Tunmise was killed by unknown gunmen in Sagamu, Ogun State.
According to Ogundele, some police operatives from Lagos had gone to Tunmise’s house in Sagamu to forcefully take her to Lagos for interrogation but the lady and the family rebuffed the suspicious attempt. The matter was later reported at the Sagamu Police Station where it was resolved that the Lagos policemen should leave Tunmise alone. Ogundele said that Tunmise was assassinated two days later.
The attempted forceful arrest of the key witness by the Police and her killing two days later have again raised fresh issues on the possible culpability of the Police in the murder of the journalist.
When Ogundeji was murdered on the night of Sunday, August 17, 2008 under controversial circumstance, the Police had claimed that he was killed by armed robbers. Some days later, they paraded a couple, Alhaji Suraju Folarin and his wife, who, at a press conference arranged by the Police, claimed they witnessed the incident. The couple claimed a gang of six armed robbers snatched their Murano Jeep and held them hostage in it.
They claimed the armed robbers were arguing among themselves whether or not to snatch Ogundeji’s Kia Sportage Jeep that was coming behind. In the process, Ogundeji’s car hit their Murano Jeep from the rear. In their anger, the armed robbers alighted and ordered Ogundeji to come down but he refused. This infuriated the men of the underworld who, according to the couple, shot him in the head.
Reports say when the Police paraded the couple, they censored journalists’ questions and prevented them from recording the session or taking photographs of the couple.
The autopsy report carried out on the deceased indicates that he was shot from the rear. Is it possible for him to have been shot from behind while in a face-to face argument with robbers?
A reported eyewitness account says a man was involved in a hot argument with the Police at a checkpoint in Dopemu and was shot in the process. The Police stuck to their version in spite of this report. Another report says Ogundeji’s remains and car were found in front of Tower Aluminum along Lagos-Abeokuta Road, a different direction from the checkpoint.
The police have been notorious for covering up the killing of innocent citizens and destroying evidence. In 2009, some policemen shot dead a three-year-old Baby, Kausarat, inside her father’s car and hauled the father, Muritala Saliu, who pursued the fleeing policeman, into the cell, for daring to confront a policeman.
The Police shot dead Chief Alade Odunewu’s son-in-law, Mr. Modebayo Awosika, but claimed he was a victim of lone accident. Investigations later revealed a hole in his head, confirming that he was shot at a checkpoint by the Police. When the Police killed six Igbo traders in Abuja in 2005, they initially claimed that they were robbery victims.
All this raises the question of whether the nation has a people’s Police. Can this type of Police be a friend of the people? Who were the police officers who visited Tunmise’s house a few days before she was assassinated? Unfortunately, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, had also jumped to a conclusion that Ogundeji was killed by armed robbers even before any meaningful investigation was carried out.
The killing of Tunmise, if not thoroughly investigated, is capable of stalling other cases before the Coroner’s Court. The authorities must therefore get to the root of her killing while providing security cover for the other witnesses.
The only way the Police can clear their name in the Tunmise killing is to thoroughly investigate her murder and make the findings public. Otherwise it will be concluded that Tunmise was deliberately eliminated in order to cover the tracks of Ogundeji’s killers. The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo, and his Ogun State counterpart, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni, must fish out the officers involved in the Tunmise saga.
According to Ogundele, some police operatives from Lagos had gone to Tunmise’s house in Sagamu to forcefully take her to Lagos for interrogation but the lady and the family rebuffed the suspicious attempt. The matter was later reported at the Sagamu Police Station where it was resolved that the Lagos policemen should leave Tunmise alone. Ogundele said that Tunmise was assassinated two days later.
The attempted forceful arrest of the key witness by the Police and her killing two days later have again raised fresh issues on the possible culpability of the Police in the murder of the journalist.
When Ogundeji was murdered on the night of Sunday, August 17, 2008 under controversial circumstance, the Police had claimed that he was killed by armed robbers. Some days later, they paraded a couple, Alhaji Suraju Folarin and his wife, who, at a press conference arranged by the Police, claimed they witnessed the incident. The couple claimed a gang of six armed robbers snatched their Murano Jeep and held them hostage in it.
They claimed the armed robbers were arguing among themselves whether or not to snatch Ogundeji’s Kia Sportage Jeep that was coming behind. In the process, Ogundeji’s car hit their Murano Jeep from the rear. In their anger, the armed robbers alighted and ordered Ogundeji to come down but he refused. This infuriated the men of the underworld who, according to the couple, shot him in the head.
Reports say when the Police paraded the couple, they censored journalists’ questions and prevented them from recording the session or taking photographs of the couple.
The autopsy report carried out on the deceased indicates that he was shot from the rear. Is it possible for him to have been shot from behind while in a face-to face argument with robbers?
A reported eyewitness account says a man was involved in a hot argument with the Police at a checkpoint in Dopemu and was shot in the process. The Police stuck to their version in spite of this report. Another report says Ogundeji’s remains and car were found in front of Tower Aluminum along Lagos-Abeokuta Road, a different direction from the checkpoint.
The police have been notorious for covering up the killing of innocent citizens and destroying evidence. In 2009, some policemen shot dead a three-year-old Baby, Kausarat, inside her father’s car and hauled the father, Muritala Saliu, who pursued the fleeing policeman, into the cell, for daring to confront a policeman.
The Police shot dead Chief Alade Odunewu’s son-in-law, Mr. Modebayo Awosika, but claimed he was a victim of lone accident. Investigations later revealed a hole in his head, confirming that he was shot at a checkpoint by the Police. When the Police killed six Igbo traders in Abuja in 2005, they initially claimed that they were robbery victims.
All this raises the question of whether the nation has a people’s Police. Can this type of Police be a friend of the people? Who were the police officers who visited Tunmise’s house a few days before she was assassinated? Unfortunately, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, had also jumped to a conclusion that Ogundeji was killed by armed robbers even before any meaningful investigation was carried out.
The killing of Tunmise, if not thoroughly investigated, is capable of stalling other cases before the Coroner’s Court. The authorities must therefore get to the root of her killing while providing security cover for the other witnesses.
The only way the Police can clear their name in the Tunmise killing is to thoroughly investigate her murder and make the findings public. Otherwise it will be concluded that Tunmise was deliberately eliminated in order to cover the tracks of Ogundeji’s killers. The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo, and his Ogun State counterpart, Mr. Emmanuel Ayeni, must fish out the officers involved in the Tunmise saga.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
MEND’s threat to national security - Simon Ekpe
If ever there was a doubt about the capacity of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta to inflict a mortal blow on this country, that doubt must have disappeared with Sunday‘s attack on Atlas Cove Jetty in Lagos. The ease with which the attack was executed also raises a serious national security concern. It has exposed Nigeria as a country with a great deal of vulnerability to external attack.
In June last year, MEND ventured offshore to attack Nigeria‘s biggest offshore facility, the Bonga Oilfield, located at about 120 kilometres off the coast of Bayelsa State. There was no other explanation for that attack than just a demonstration of their ability to outwit the Nigerian security network, in furtherance of their plan to cripple the country‘s oil facilities. Sadly too, it is to the same reason that one can attribute Sunday‘s attack on Atlas Cove, a key port for the offloading and distribution of imported fuel to different parts of the country. The attack claimed six lives, including those of three naval personnel.
Since President Umaru Yar‘Adua‘s declaration of amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta, MEND has become more menacing in its attacks. The militant group has inflicted more harm on the country‘s economic interests than at any other time. The group has blown up oil facilities belonging to Shell, Chevron and other oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region. This has resulted in production shut-ins in the region of a million barrels per day. Only on Monday, it was reported that a newly-repaired Chevron pipeline was blown up again by the militants. In fact, they have formed a habit of issuing threats and carrying out their threats, unhindered.
The latest attack is not just another big blow to the country‘s oil industry but a declaration of war on the country. If the militants could take a trip through the open sea to Lagos from either Bayelsa, Delta or Ondo State without being detected, it means they could also carry out such attacks in any part of the country. If they could go as far as Kaduna to buy arms to the tune of over N100 million from the Nigerian army armoury, then no part of the country is safe from the reach of the militants.
In my column of two weeks ago, I did raise the question of what would happen between the time of the President‘s announcement of amnesty and when the amnesty would eventually start taking effect on August 6. Now, the answer has been provided. To show how daring the militants have become, they have timed their latest attacks to coincide with the release of their leader, Henry Okah, a beneficiary of the President’s amnesty. The message from MEND to the Federal Government is simple - in spite of the amnesty, the end to the Niger Delta crisis is not in sight.
What has been obvious in the battle so far is that MEND has been redefining its tactics and demands; but, as the militants appear to be changing their objectives, the FG must also redefine its tactics. The government can only go by that name if it can defend its citizens. This is the time for Yar‘Adua to defend not only the economic interests of Nigeria but the citizens of the country.
I pity the President who is faced with the unenviable task of confronting a faceless enemy. For all you know, Jomo Gbomo could well be a respectable permanent secretary in one ministry in one of the Niger Delta states, while Cynthia Whyte could be that smartly-dressed businesswoman that one sees everyday in Warri. She could be that woman that is usually described as incapable of hurting a fly. But that is why he is the President and Commander in Chief. Yar’Adua must ensure that the armed forces earn their upkeep.
What happened in Atlas Cove can be likened to a military invasion of Nigeria. If a foreign army were to descend on Nigeria from the sea, does it mean that their task would be made that easy? Nobody says the military should go into villages and start killing defenceless people - children and women. In fact, doing so, as we saw in Odi, Okerenkoko and Gbaramantu, is an act of cowardice. The military must be well equipped enough to detect the approach of an enemy, even from afar. When militants blow up installations within the creeks of the Niger Delta, it is understandable because of the difficulty of the terrain there. But when they venture off shore to attack Bonga Oil Field or move across the open sea to Lagos to bomb Atlas Cove, it is an act of recklessness and exposure of the nation‘s vulnerability to attacks even from a rag-tag band of rebels.
Aside from the weapons that were sold to MEND through Okah‘s brother from the Nigerian military armoury, the source of arms for militant activities has been through ships that come in through the open sea. Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, in a recent interview, accused the military, who are supposed to secure the oil facilities and the Nigerian waters, of complicity in oil bunkering in the Niger Delta. If the supply of arms is to be curtailed, then the military have to be more uncompromising in the policing of our land and sea borders. A government that cannot protect the territorial integrity of its country is not fit to be in power.
Besides securing the oil facilities and the land and sea borders, the government must also find a way of getting into discussions with the true representatives of the people of the Niger Delta region. In fact, all Nigerians must come together to discuss the modalities for the continuous coexistence of all the components of the Nigerian entity. Ultimately, it is dialogue and equitable distribution of resources that will end the problem in the Niger Delta.
In my column yesterday, I said that President Obama visited Venezuela. That is incorrect. He met President Hugo Chavez at the OAS meeting in Trinidad and Tobago. – Azu.
In June last year, MEND ventured offshore to attack Nigeria‘s biggest offshore facility, the Bonga Oilfield, located at about 120 kilometres off the coast of Bayelsa State. There was no other explanation for that attack than just a demonstration of their ability to outwit the Nigerian security network, in furtherance of their plan to cripple the country‘s oil facilities. Sadly too, it is to the same reason that one can attribute Sunday‘s attack on Atlas Cove, a key port for the offloading and distribution of imported fuel to different parts of the country. The attack claimed six lives, including those of three naval personnel.
Since President Umaru Yar‘Adua‘s declaration of amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta, MEND has become more menacing in its attacks. The militant group has inflicted more harm on the country‘s economic interests than at any other time. The group has blown up oil facilities belonging to Shell, Chevron and other oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region. This has resulted in production shut-ins in the region of a million barrels per day. Only on Monday, it was reported that a newly-repaired Chevron pipeline was blown up again by the militants. In fact, they have formed a habit of issuing threats and carrying out their threats, unhindered.
The latest attack is not just another big blow to the country‘s oil industry but a declaration of war on the country. If the militants could take a trip through the open sea to Lagos from either Bayelsa, Delta or Ondo State without being detected, it means they could also carry out such attacks in any part of the country. If they could go as far as Kaduna to buy arms to the tune of over N100 million from the Nigerian army armoury, then no part of the country is safe from the reach of the militants.
In my column of two weeks ago, I did raise the question of what would happen between the time of the President‘s announcement of amnesty and when the amnesty would eventually start taking effect on August 6. Now, the answer has been provided. To show how daring the militants have become, they have timed their latest attacks to coincide with the release of their leader, Henry Okah, a beneficiary of the President’s amnesty. The message from MEND to the Federal Government is simple - in spite of the amnesty, the end to the Niger Delta crisis is not in sight.
What has been obvious in the battle so far is that MEND has been redefining its tactics and demands; but, as the militants appear to be changing their objectives, the FG must also redefine its tactics. The government can only go by that name if it can defend its citizens. This is the time for Yar‘Adua to defend not only the economic interests of Nigeria but the citizens of the country.
I pity the President who is faced with the unenviable task of confronting a faceless enemy. For all you know, Jomo Gbomo could well be a respectable permanent secretary in one ministry in one of the Niger Delta states, while Cynthia Whyte could be that smartly-dressed businesswoman that one sees everyday in Warri. She could be that woman that is usually described as incapable of hurting a fly. But that is why he is the President and Commander in Chief. Yar’Adua must ensure that the armed forces earn their upkeep.
What happened in Atlas Cove can be likened to a military invasion of Nigeria. If a foreign army were to descend on Nigeria from the sea, does it mean that their task would be made that easy? Nobody says the military should go into villages and start killing defenceless people - children and women. In fact, doing so, as we saw in Odi, Okerenkoko and Gbaramantu, is an act of cowardice. The military must be well equipped enough to detect the approach of an enemy, even from afar. When militants blow up installations within the creeks of the Niger Delta, it is understandable because of the difficulty of the terrain there. But when they venture off shore to attack Bonga Oil Field or move across the open sea to Lagos to bomb Atlas Cove, it is an act of recklessness and exposure of the nation‘s vulnerability to attacks even from a rag-tag band of rebels.
Aside from the weapons that were sold to MEND through Okah‘s brother from the Nigerian military armoury, the source of arms for militant activities has been through ships that come in through the open sea. Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, in a recent interview, accused the military, who are supposed to secure the oil facilities and the Nigerian waters, of complicity in oil bunkering in the Niger Delta. If the supply of arms is to be curtailed, then the military have to be more uncompromising in the policing of our land and sea borders. A government that cannot protect the territorial integrity of its country is not fit to be in power.
Besides securing the oil facilities and the land and sea borders, the government must also find a way of getting into discussions with the true representatives of the people of the Niger Delta region. In fact, all Nigerians must come together to discuss the modalities for the continuous coexistence of all the components of the Nigerian entity. Ultimately, it is dialogue and equitable distribution of resources that will end the problem in the Niger Delta.
In my column yesterday, I said that President Obama visited Venezuela. That is incorrect. He met President Hugo Chavez at the OAS meeting in Trinidad and Tobago. – Azu.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
FG to withdraw case against Okah on Monday
FG to withdraw case against Okah today
Emeka Madunagu
The Federal Government is expected to file a nolle prosequi (notice to discontinue) on Monday (today), stopping the secret trial of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, at a Federal High Court in Jos.
Our correspondent gathered that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, would inform the court that government is no longer interested in prosecuting Okah for treason and gun-running.
At the last adjourned date on Friday, neither the prosecution nor the defence lawyers were present in court. On that day, the prosecution was expected to provide the court with government's plan for Okah's treatment for a kidney-related ailment.
The court presided over by Justice M. Liman had ordered government on July 3, 2009 to furnish the court with the information, after the prosecution had said that Egypt, Israel and Germany declined to receive Okah for treatment. The prosecution had informed the court that these countries declined on the grounds that they could not undertake to return him back to Nigeria after the treatment.
However, government is expected to discontinue with the case and fast-track Okah's release. A security source told our correspondent on Sunday night that the MEND leader had been moved to Jos for Monday's case.
After the proceedings, Okah will be returned to Abuja for a briefing on Tuesday with the State Security Service and the presidential committee on amnesty for Niger Delta militants to discuss the way forward.
The source said Okah would be released on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
The latest move came after a successful deliberation between government's negotiating team led by Aondoakaa and Okah's counsel led by Mr. Femi Falana in Abuja on Sunday (yesterday).
However, Punch source said the expected meeting between President Umaru Yar'Adua and Okah would no longer hold, but failed to give any reason for that.
When contacted for comments, one of Okah's lawyers, Mr. Wilson Ajuwa, said the defence counsel would be in court on Monday for the case. He confirmed that Okah's lawyers had heard that government was intent on discontinuing with the case, describing it as a welcome development.
"Yes, we will be in court on Monday," he said, and declined further comments.
Emeka Madunagu
The Federal Government is expected to file a nolle prosequi (notice to discontinue) on Monday (today), stopping the secret trial of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, at a Federal High Court in Jos.
Our correspondent gathered that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, would inform the court that government is no longer interested in prosecuting Okah for treason and gun-running.
At the last adjourned date on Friday, neither the prosecution nor the defence lawyers were present in court. On that day, the prosecution was expected to provide the court with government's plan for Okah's treatment for a kidney-related ailment.
The court presided over by Justice M. Liman had ordered government on July 3, 2009 to furnish the court with the information, after the prosecution had said that Egypt, Israel and Germany declined to receive Okah for treatment. The prosecution had informed the court that these countries declined on the grounds that they could not undertake to return him back to Nigeria after the treatment.
However, government is expected to discontinue with the case and fast-track Okah's release. A security source told our correspondent on Sunday night that the MEND leader had been moved to Jos for Monday's case.
After the proceedings, Okah will be returned to Abuja for a briefing on Tuesday with the State Security Service and the presidential committee on amnesty for Niger Delta militants to discuss the way forward.
The source said Okah would be released on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
The latest move came after a successful deliberation between government's negotiating team led by Aondoakaa and Okah's counsel led by Mr. Femi Falana in Abuja on Sunday (yesterday).
However, Punch source said the expected meeting between President Umaru Yar'Adua and Okah would no longer hold, but failed to give any reason for that.
When contacted for comments, one of Okah's lawyers, Mr. Wilson Ajuwa, said the defence counsel would be in court on Monday for the case. He confirmed that Okah's lawyers had heard that government was intent on discontinuing with the case, describing it as a welcome development.
"Yes, we will be in court on Monday," he said, and declined further comments.
The ‘scam’ called Halliburton scam probe - By Casmir Igbokwe
I READ the story of Nollywood actress, Eucharia Anunobi, with pity. The buxom lady had reportedly sued for the dissolution of her marriage to Mr. Charles Ekwu. And she is asking for a N100m compensation. Her grouse, according to reports, is that she has spent so much to maintain their seven-year-old son, Raymond.
She stressed, ”I have always been responsible financially for the marriage. We have been living in the house that I secured as a spinster, even after we got married.”
The agony of this actress reminds me of the atrocities some Nigerians commit abroad in the name of cross-cultural marriages. As you know, many of us want the Green Card or permanent residency in Europe or America. To achieve this aim, some usually enter into fake marriage contracts with their white partners. Some ladies endorse the contract with full knowledge of what they are going into. Some do not. When the men get what they want and abandon them, some of them fret and sometimes commit suicide.
To read complete article, please subscribe to www.punchng.com
She stressed, ”I have always been responsible financially for the marriage. We have been living in the house that I secured as a spinster, even after we got married.”
The agony of this actress reminds me of the atrocities some Nigerians commit abroad in the name of cross-cultural marriages. As you know, many of us want the Green Card or permanent residency in Europe or America. To achieve this aim, some usually enter into fake marriage contracts with their white partners. Some ladies endorse the contract with full knowledge of what they are going into. Some do not. When the men get what they want and abandon them, some of them fret and sometimes commit suicide.
To read complete article, please subscribe to www.punchng.com
Saturday, July 11, 2009
EVENING UPDATES: FG, Henry Okah’s lawyers to meet on Sunday
A Federal Government team is expected to meet with the lawyers of the detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, on Sunday.
Our correspondent gathered from security sources that the government team will include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa; Minister of Interior, Major-General Godwin Abbe (Rtd) and the Director-General of State Security Service, Mr. Afakriya Gadzama. While Okah’s lawyers will be led by Mr. Femi Falana.
Our correspondent gathered that the meeting will finalise the details of government’s amnesty accepted by Okah some days ago.
It will also set the stage for a possible meeting between President Umaru Yar’Adua and Okah on Sunday or Monday.
Our correspondent learnt that Okah signed a one-page document renouncing militancy and terrorism unconditionally on Thursday, thus paving the way for his likely release on Sunday or Monday.
Our correspondent gathered from security sources that the government team will include the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa; Minister of Interior, Major-General Godwin Abbe (Rtd) and the Director-General of State Security Service, Mr. Afakriya Gadzama. While Okah’s lawyers will be led by Mr. Femi Falana.
Our correspondent gathered that the meeting will finalise the details of government’s amnesty accepted by Okah some days ago.
It will also set the stage for a possible meeting between President Umaru Yar’Adua and Okah on Sunday or Monday.
Our correspondent learnt that Okah signed a one-page document renouncing militancy and terrorism unconditionally on Thursday, thus paving the way for his likely release on Sunday or Monday.
Friday, July 10, 2009
EVENING UPDATES: Yar’Adua to receive Henry Okah in Abuja
Indications emerged on Friday evening that the release of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah, is being delayed because President Umaru Yar’Adua wants to personally receive him at the State House, Abuja.
Our correspondent gathered that arrangements were being made for the conclusion of negotiations for Okah’s release, to enable the president receive him on Sunday or Monday. Government believes that Okah is central to the resolution of the Niger Delta crises, especially since he is the leader of the mainstream militant group.
In fact, MEND has consistently listed Okah’s release as the main condition for it to end a blistering campaign of sabotage against the oil industry.
Our correspondent learnt that Yar’Adua was eager to receive Okah, in fulfilment of the president’s promise some weeks ago to personally welcome militant leaders that agree to surrender. Punch gathered that government’s negotiating team led by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, had been working at fever pitch to clear all legal hurdles to Okah’s release by Sunday or Monday.
Our correspondent reports from Jos that the militant leader’s trial for gun-running and treason did not continue on Friday at a Federal High Court in Jos, Plateau State because Okah had been moved to Abuja.
Presidential spokesman, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, told Reuters in L’Aquila, Italy on Friday that Yar’Adua had ordered Aondoakaa to clear all “unnecessary legal hurdles” in the way, to enable the release take place quickly.
Feelers from Abuja indicated that since Yar’Adua did not state whether Okah should be released to either Aondoakaa or the National Security Adviser, Gen. Sarki Mukthar (rtd) or anyone else, it is definite that the president would receive the militant leader.
Reuters reports that a meeting between government’s team and Okah’s lawyers may hold in Abuja on Sunday or Monday. However, one of his lawyers, Mr. Wilson Ajuwa, told Punch on the telephone that the MEND leader’s counsel were yet to receive any invitation.
Punch gathered that Okah had signed a one-page renunciation form, renouncing all forms of militancy and pledging to abide by the laws of Nigeria.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Britain offers to pay for new prison in Nigeria
Britain has offered to provide millions of pounds to the Federal Government to either build a new prison or refurbish an existing one to house 400 Nigerian inmates currently serving various terms in the United Kingdom.
The Times of London reports that the the chief executive of the UK Border Agency,
Ms Lin Homer, disclosed the plan when she gave evidence to the Home Affairs select committee on Thursday.
Homer said, “We are in negotiations with Nigeria to help them to establish better prison conditions in Nigeria. It is about helping them generate a infrastructure that can cope with the prisoners. We are prepared to invest if that would enable us to send people home. We haven’t yet, we are in talks with Nigeria and it would be well worth the money to do so.”
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Homer said, “We are looking at investing a few millions to improve prison infrastructure to allow us to return prisoners. It will be a new prison.”
The new prison would hold the Nigerian prisoners, who would be transferred home to serve the remainder of their sentences. The report said officials were negotiating with the Nigerian government over the proposal, which would increase the number of jail spaces in Nigeria.
The investment of millions of pounds of British taxpayers’ money is needed because conditions in existing Nigerian jails are so poor that prisoners would oppose their transfer on human rights grounds.
It currently costs an average of £27,700 a year to keep a prisoner in a jail in England and Wales. At the end of March, there were 11,283 foreign nationals in jails in England and Wales, of whom the biggest group were 1,099 Jamaicans followed by 855 Nigerians, comprising 724 men and 131 women.
An estimated 400 Nigerian prisoners are eligible to be returned home without their consent under a prison transfer agreement being negotiated with Nigeria.
It is the second time in the past decade that the UK has considered helping a foreign government to increase its prison capacity so that Britain can reduce the number of foreigners in jail.
A plan to build a jail in Jamaica was under discussion several years ago but the idea was abandoned over the question of who would pay the running costs and because of the precedent it would set for other countries with large numbers of their citizens in jails in England and Wales.
The planned deal would require Nigeria to change the law so that prisoners could be sent back without their consent.
ON Wednesday night, a Home Office source said that the money would be spent on refurbishing a jail in Nigeria and training prison officers and other staff. The source told The Times that Britain believed that any deal would be worthwhile because it would free up spaces in jails in England and Wales and save money on detaining and removing Nigerian prisoners when they had completed their sentences.
An unnamed government spokesperson said, “The United Kingdom and Nigeria are negotiating a prisoner transfer agreement and discussions are ongoing.
“A prisoner transfer agreement will allow Nigerian nationals imprisoned in the UK and British nationals imprisoned in Nigeria to serve their sentences in their own country.
“We believe that prisoners should normally serve their sentences in their own country – freeing up prison spaces and saving the taxpayer money on enforced removals. This also helps prepare prisoners for their release to the community into which they will return at the end of their sentence.”
The Times of London reports that the the chief executive of the UK Border Agency,
Ms Lin Homer, disclosed the plan when she gave evidence to the Home Affairs select committee on Thursday.
Homer said, “We are in negotiations with Nigeria to help them to establish better prison conditions in Nigeria. It is about helping them generate a infrastructure that can cope with the prisoners. We are prepared to invest if that would enable us to send people home. We haven’t yet, we are in talks with Nigeria and it would be well worth the money to do so.”
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Homer said, “We are looking at investing a few millions to improve prison infrastructure to allow us to return prisoners. It will be a new prison.”
The new prison would hold the Nigerian prisoners, who would be transferred home to serve the remainder of their sentences. The report said officials were negotiating with the Nigerian government over the proposal, which would increase the number of jail spaces in Nigeria.
The investment of millions of pounds of British taxpayers’ money is needed because conditions in existing Nigerian jails are so poor that prisoners would oppose their transfer on human rights grounds.
It currently costs an average of £27,700 a year to keep a prisoner in a jail in England and Wales. At the end of March, there were 11,283 foreign nationals in jails in England and Wales, of whom the biggest group were 1,099 Jamaicans followed by 855 Nigerians, comprising 724 men and 131 women.
An estimated 400 Nigerian prisoners are eligible to be returned home without their consent under a prison transfer agreement being negotiated with Nigeria.
It is the second time in the past decade that the UK has considered helping a foreign government to increase its prison capacity so that Britain can reduce the number of foreigners in jail.
A plan to build a jail in Jamaica was under discussion several years ago but the idea was abandoned over the question of who would pay the running costs and because of the precedent it would set for other countries with large numbers of their citizens in jails in England and Wales.
The planned deal would require Nigeria to change the law so that prisoners could be sent back without their consent.
ON Wednesday night, a Home Office source said that the money would be spent on refurbishing a jail in Nigeria and training prison officers and other staff. The source told The Times that Britain believed that any deal would be worthwhile because it would free up spaces in jails in England and Wales and save money on detaining and removing Nigerian prisoners when they had completed their sentences.
An unnamed government spokesperson said, “The United Kingdom and Nigeria are negotiating a prisoner transfer agreement and discussions are ongoing.
“A prisoner transfer agreement will allow Nigerian nationals imprisoned in the UK and British nationals imprisoned in Nigeria to serve their sentences in their own country.
“We believe that prisoners should normally serve their sentences in their own country – freeing up prison spaces and saving the taxpayer money on enforced removals. This also helps prepare prisoners for their release to the community into which they will return at the end of their sentence.”
EVENING UPDATES: Yar’Adua approves release of MEND leader, Henry Okah
President Umaru Yar’Adua on Thursday approved the release of the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Mr. Henry Okah.
Reuters reports that Yar’Adua approved Okah’s release that the MEND leader had accepted government’s offer of an amnesty. Yar’Adua is currently in Aquila, Italy for the meeting of the Grouo of Eight Most Industrialised nations, to which Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Senegal and some other countries have been invited.
Appeal court sacks Anambra Rep
The Court of Appeal, Enugu has sacked Mr. Chuma Nzeribe from the House of Representatives.
Our correspondent reports that the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the federal lawmaker, representing Ihiala Federal Constituency and issue another one to Mr. Vitalis Okafor of the Action Congress, whom it declared as the winner of the April 2007 poll.
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Reuters reports that Yar’Adua approved Okah’s release that the MEND leader had accepted government’s offer of an amnesty. Yar’Adua is currently in Aquila, Italy for the meeting of the Grouo of Eight Most Industrialised nations, to which Nigeria, South Africa, Libya, Senegal and some other countries have been invited.
Appeal court sacks Anambra Rep
The Court of Appeal, Enugu has sacked Mr. Chuma Nzeribe from the House of Representatives.
Our correspondent reports that the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the certificate of return issued to the federal lawmaker, representing Ihiala Federal Constituency and issue another one to Mr. Vitalis Okafor of the Action Congress, whom it declared as the winner of the April 2007 poll.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
MID-DAY UPDATES: Russian police arrest fake Nigerian diplomat at Obama’s hotel
Russian police have detained a fake Nigerian diplomat, Prince Henry Obasy, who allegedly tried to enter the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Moscow, where United States President Barack Obama was staying with his family.
The Moscow Times reports that the fake diplomat was apprehended by police guarding Tverskaya Ulitsa, where the hotel is located. Police said they saw the man loitering around the hotel and stopped him as he tried to mingle with Obama’s security detail.
“The man provided documents saying he was Prince Henry Obasy, a diplomat with Nigeria’s embassy in Moscow, and he said he had received (the documents) from the Foreign Ministry’s state protocol department,” Viktor Paukov, police chief for Moscow’s central district, said in a statement.
The papers turned out to be fake and he was detained. The man refused to elaborate on what he was doing at the hotel, police said. The Foreign Ministry told police that it had not registered anyone named Prince Henry Obasy, and the Nigerian Embassy denied having a diplomat with that name.
Russian police have opened an investigation on the matter. Obama and his wife, Michelle, travelled around Moscow for meetings for most of Tuesday, while their two young daughters stayed at the hotel with their grandmother.
The Moscow Times reports that the fake diplomat was apprehended by police guarding Tverskaya Ulitsa, where the hotel is located. Police said they saw the man loitering around the hotel and stopped him as he tried to mingle with Obama’s security detail.
“The man provided documents saying he was Prince Henry Obasy, a diplomat with Nigeria’s embassy in Moscow, and he said he had received (the documents) from the Foreign Ministry’s state protocol department,” Viktor Paukov, police chief for Moscow’s central district, said in a statement.
The papers turned out to be fake and he was detained. The man refused to elaborate on what he was doing at the hotel, police said. The Foreign Ministry told police that it had not registered anyone named Prince Henry Obasy, and the Nigerian Embassy denied having a diplomat with that name.
Russian police have opened an investigation on the matter. Obama and his wife, Michelle, travelled around Moscow for meetings for most of Tuesday, while their two young daughters stayed at the hotel with their grandmother.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
MID-DAY UPDATES: World bids Michael Jackson farewell
As the world bid farewell to the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson, there are fears that it may create a huge pandemonium across the world.
Already, his family members have gathered for a private service at Forest Lawn, Los Angeles. Celebrity website, TMZ.com, reports that large black SUVs were seen entering and exiting the Jackson family home in Encino in preparation for the service.
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Already, his family members have gathered for a private service at Forest Lawn, Los Angeles. Celebrity website, TMZ.com, reports that large black SUVs were seen entering and exiting the Jackson family home in Encino in preparation for the service.
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Daniel accuses Lagos, ex-gov of fuelling Ogun crisis - By Olayinka Oyebode, Ademola Oni and Mudiaga Affe
Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Monday, tacitly accused the Lagos State Government of fuelling the political crisis in his state.
The allegation by Daniel at the inauguration of the state’s N2.5bn state secretariat by President Umaru Yar’Adua appeared to have finally confirmed the level of the acrimony between the two neighboring states.
He pointedly attributed the political logjam in the state to a number of factors, especially “the current desperation to capture power by any means by our neighbour.”
Turning to Yar’Adua, Daniel, who fingered a former Lagos State Governor as the alleged arrowhead of the “desperation to capture power,” listed “unbridled love for money and a high-level of indiscipline by our party men and women” as the other reasons for the lingering political crisis in the state.
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The allegation by Daniel at the inauguration of the state’s N2.5bn state secretariat by President Umaru Yar’Adua appeared to have finally confirmed the level of the acrimony between the two neighboring states.
He pointedly attributed the political logjam in the state to a number of factors, especially “the current desperation to capture power by any means by our neighbour.”
Turning to Yar’Adua, Daniel, who fingered a former Lagos State Governor as the alleged arrowhead of the “desperation to capture power,” listed “unbridled love for money and a high-level of indiscipline by our party men and women” as the other reasons for the lingering political crisis in the state.
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More sledgehammers for the fly within - By Azubuike Ishiekwene (azubuikeishiekwe@yahoo.com)
Since my last article under a similar headline to the one above appeared on Tuesday, I have received dozens of text messages and e-mails. A few of these mails were published on Sunday.
In the said article, I had argued that even though the Academic Staff Union of Universities had a strong case for calling its members out on a strike, the weapon had not only become ineffective, it was producing a damaging reverse impact. The very school system that ASUU is trying to save has become the worse for it.
The government’s shameful refusal to honour the 2001 agreement notwithstanding, I argued that ASUU must review its strategy or lose public understanding and respect. I offered four suggestions: publishing the names of public officials whose children are schooling abroad and the names of the schools; obtaining a court order compelling the government to honour its agreement; focusing the campaign on the passage of the autonomy bill; and/or picketing those directly in charge of taking action on the agreement.
The responses have been roughly in three categories – students, parents, and lecturers. While those in the first two groups – collateral casualties – seem to agree that the ongoing indefinite strike is one too many, a number of those in the third group think that my suggestions are useless at best, and at worst, very unfair to lecturers. I make no apologies. My conviction that there must be a way out, apart from strikes, was reinforced by the news last week that ASUU had threatened to disrupt the post-UME exam in some states. Of course, serious schools must begin to think of how to use technology to conduct future exams or to outsource them – with or without ASUU’s threat. Yet, I was horrified by the thought of angry ASUU members marching down the hallway to disturb candidates who could be their children from taking entrance exams!
But ASUU didn’t need to do that. By Monday, the non-teaching and senior staff unions had joined the strike, locking out children in primary and secondary schools attached to the universities. ASUU can, of course, argue that the threat to disrupt entrance exams and the ongoing strike are in the best interest of the system. What’s the use of fresh students when those already inside are facing an uncertain future? Good question. But then, if a strike was the best option, then we ought to have seen the result by now.
According to the National Universities Commission, public universities lost 36 months to strikes between 1993 and 2003. Between April and July 2006, ASUU went on strike for 10 days; and in 2007, academic activities were disrupted again by a three-month strike. The strikes have been mainly responsible for the outflow of students, forever changing the destinies of many of them. Student visa records from the British High Commission indicate a rising tide of Nigerian students. The number of students issued visas has grown from roughly 6,600 in 2005/2006 to 8,163 in 2007 and 10,090 in 2008. The flow to Ghana has become an avalanche, reaching about one quarter of the entire student population, according to a recent account by the high commissioner, Musiliu Obanikoro.
Yet, union leaders insist that nothing works better than strikes. Does it make sense for the entire university system, including those owned by states that have not breached any contractual obligations to lecturers, to be brought to a halt by the demands of a central union? I insist that it does not.
President Umaru Yar’Adua’s lethargy and pathetic indifference has contributed to the worsening of the current crisis: no less so have the cavalier attitude of the Education Minister, Sam Egwu; the obfuscation of the Minister of Information and Communications, Dora Akunyili; and the ineptitude of the legislature.
But can ASUU think outside the box? That is the challenge.
Re: Legitimacy, efficacy, and creative solutions
’Lai Olurode
In his weekly column of June 30, 2009, Azubuike Ishiekwene had interpreted the ongoing ASUU strike as an overkill, akin to killing a fly with a sledgehammer. Though, Azu, as he is popularly called, should be an ally of ASUU for several obvious reasons, this time, he has chosen to be detached. The three key words in my headline are from the write-up under reference. These three words are legitimacy, efficacy and creative solutions. Somehow, they should assist in providing a synopsis of his write-up. Azu’s main reservations could be summed up thus: Of course, strike is legitimate under our laws, but its efficacy is doubtful. He then wondered why the ivory tower is so completely devoid of people that could muster creative solutions.
My grouse with Azu’s belligerence over ASUU’s ongoing strike revolves around three main issues. First, tomorrow may not be adequately predicted from yesterday. Yes, strikes may have been used too often, but this ought not to impact negatively on their potency. Methodologically, causes and effects are more problematic in their relationships. There are a number of imponderables, indeed a couple of intervening variables, that can affect and direct the assumed, conventional and taken-for-granted causal relationships. Yet, strikes might not have been effective as a weapon of labour power in a military era, the same need not hold under democratisation. Besides, ASUU’s previous records and engagement with the state and its principal agents had produced outcomes that supported the effectiveness and potency of strike as a weapon through which improvement in tertiary education had been accomplished.
My second critique of Azu’s piece is in connection with the patent and inherent contradictions in the write-up. In one breath, Azu says “why is ASUU engaged in a gutter fight with a government that doesn’t know its own left from its right, and doesn’t even care?” So, to caricature Azu, since government is deaf and dumb, ASUU should just, in the language of Bola Ige of blessed memory, “siddon look” and probably go on vigils and engage prayer warriors. Then, all Nigerians should go on vacation and await God’s intervention. Azu and indeed Punch should stop publishing as previous writings and criticisms have not had any leverage on government businesses. Of course, this cannot be a strategy of dealing with our problems, since heaven helps those who help themselves.
This then leads me to the third and final point. Azu’s solutions in place of strike still imply reaching out to a government that doesn’t care – or one that is even incapable of caring. Azu had proposed three forms of responses from ASUU, which would be more efficacious. First, ASUU should publish names of key officials of government whose children are in foreign universities. Secondly, ASUU should push for the university autonomy bill in place of bread and butter issues. Thirdly, Azu urged ASUU to approach the courts for an order of mandamus and simultaneously picket chairs of education committees in the Senate and the House.
These responses can only be for a government and state actors that have a sense of morality and is perspicacious enough to discern and apprehend danger. In a country where politicians have no sense of shame; where politicians are mere prostitutes without any higher convictions that can dissuade them from jumping from one political party to the other; where political power is the ultimate; and where politicians are ready to strip themselves naked in public, then Azu’s solutions can be no solutions at all. We all owe our society an obligation to force change by whatever means possible.
Olurode is a Professor of Sociology, University of Lagos. He is on sabbatical at the Lagos State University.
The government’s shameful refusal to honour the 2001 agreement notwithstanding, I argued that ASUU must review its strategy or lose public understanding and respect. I offered four suggestions: publishing the names of public officials whose children are schooling abroad and the names of the schools; obtaining a court order compelling the government to honour its agreement; focusing the campaign on the passage of the autonomy bill; and/or picketing those directly in charge of taking action on the agreement.
The responses have been roughly in three categories – students, parents, and lecturers. While those in the first two groups – collateral casualties – seem to agree that the ongoing indefinite strike is one too many, a number of those in the third group think that my suggestions are useless at best, and at worst, very unfair to lecturers. I make no apologies. My conviction that there must be a way out, apart from strikes, was reinforced by the news last week that ASUU had threatened to disrupt the post-UME exam in some states. Of course, serious schools must begin to think of how to use technology to conduct future exams or to outsource them – with or without ASUU’s threat. Yet, I was horrified by the thought of angry ASUU members marching down the hallway to disturb candidates who could be their children from taking entrance exams!
But ASUU didn’t need to do that. By Monday, the non-teaching and senior staff unions had joined the strike, locking out children in primary and secondary schools attached to the universities. ASUU can, of course, argue that the threat to disrupt entrance exams and the ongoing strike are in the best interest of the system. What’s the use of fresh students when those already inside are facing an uncertain future? Good question. But then, if a strike was the best option, then we ought to have seen the result by now.
According to the National Universities Commission, public universities lost 36 months to strikes between 1993 and 2003. Between April and July 2006, ASUU went on strike for 10 days; and in 2007, academic activities were disrupted again by a three-month strike. The strikes have been mainly responsible for the outflow of students, forever changing the destinies of many of them. Student visa records from the British High Commission indicate a rising tide of Nigerian students. The number of students issued visas has grown from roughly 6,600 in 2005/2006 to 8,163 in 2007 and 10,090 in 2008. The flow to Ghana has become an avalanche, reaching about one quarter of the entire student population, according to a recent account by the high commissioner, Musiliu Obanikoro.
Yet, union leaders insist that nothing works better than strikes. Does it make sense for the entire university system, including those owned by states that have not breached any contractual obligations to lecturers, to be brought to a halt by the demands of a central union? I insist that it does not.
President Umaru Yar’Adua’s lethargy and pathetic indifference has contributed to the worsening of the current crisis: no less so have the cavalier attitude of the Education Minister, Sam Egwu; the obfuscation of the Minister of Information and Communications, Dora Akunyili; and the ineptitude of the legislature.
But can ASUU think outside the box? That is the challenge.
Re: Legitimacy, efficacy, and creative solutions
’Lai Olurode
In his weekly column of June 30, 2009, Azubuike Ishiekwene had interpreted the ongoing ASUU strike as an overkill, akin to killing a fly with a sledgehammer. Though, Azu, as he is popularly called, should be an ally of ASUU for several obvious reasons, this time, he has chosen to be detached. The three key words in my headline are from the write-up under reference. These three words are legitimacy, efficacy and creative solutions. Somehow, they should assist in providing a synopsis of his write-up. Azu’s main reservations could be summed up thus: Of course, strike is legitimate under our laws, but its efficacy is doubtful. He then wondered why the ivory tower is so completely devoid of people that could muster creative solutions.
My grouse with Azu’s belligerence over ASUU’s ongoing strike revolves around three main issues. First, tomorrow may not be adequately predicted from yesterday. Yes, strikes may have been used too often, but this ought not to impact negatively on their potency. Methodologically, causes and effects are more problematic in their relationships. There are a number of imponderables, indeed a couple of intervening variables, that can affect and direct the assumed, conventional and taken-for-granted causal relationships. Yet, strikes might not have been effective as a weapon of labour power in a military era, the same need not hold under democratisation. Besides, ASUU’s previous records and engagement with the state and its principal agents had produced outcomes that supported the effectiveness and potency of strike as a weapon through which improvement in tertiary education had been accomplished.
My second critique of Azu’s piece is in connection with the patent and inherent contradictions in the write-up. In one breath, Azu says “why is ASUU engaged in a gutter fight with a government that doesn’t know its own left from its right, and doesn’t even care?” So, to caricature Azu, since government is deaf and dumb, ASUU should just, in the language of Bola Ige of blessed memory, “siddon look” and probably go on vigils and engage prayer warriors. Then, all Nigerians should go on vacation and await God’s intervention. Azu and indeed Punch should stop publishing as previous writings and criticisms have not had any leverage on government businesses. Of course, this cannot be a strategy of dealing with our problems, since heaven helps those who help themselves.
This then leads me to the third and final point. Azu’s solutions in place of strike still imply reaching out to a government that doesn’t care – or one that is even incapable of caring. Azu had proposed three forms of responses from ASUU, which would be more efficacious. First, ASUU should publish names of key officials of government whose children are in foreign universities. Secondly, ASUU should push for the university autonomy bill in place of bread and butter issues. Thirdly, Azu urged ASUU to approach the courts for an order of mandamus and simultaneously picket chairs of education committees in the Senate and the House.
These responses can only be for a government and state actors that have a sense of morality and is perspicacious enough to discern and apprehend danger. In a country where politicians have no sense of shame; where politicians are mere prostitutes without any higher convictions that can dissuade them from jumping from one political party to the other; where political power is the ultimate; and where politicians are ready to strip themselves naked in public, then Azu’s solutions can be no solutions at all. We all owe our society an obligation to force change by whatever means possible.
Olurode is a Professor of Sociology, University of Lagos. He is on sabbatical at the Lagos State University.
Monday, July 6, 2009
EVENING UPDATES: Obama invites questions from Nigerians
Ahead of his trip to Ghana on Saturday, United States President Barack Obama has asked Nigerians to send him questions through SMS.A statement by the US Embassy in Nigeria made available to our correspondent on Monday evening titled, “An Invitation to Africans: Send a message to President Obama and Receive Highlights of his Speech in Ghana,” said the channel opened since Thursday, July 3. The statement said Obama was expecting “questions and comments in advance of his visit to Africa. Those who respond early will receive SMS highlights from his speech in Accra, Ghana on Saturday, July 11, 2009. This service is available in both English and French.”
MID-DAY UPDATES: MEND seizes chemical tanker with three Russians, two Filipinos, one Indian
The search for peace in the Niger Delta region suffered a major setback on Monday with the abduction of six expatriates from a chemical tanker, MV Sichem Peace, by suspected militants.
The vessel, which was conveying chemicals owned by one of the oil companies to the Warri Port, was attacked 20 nautical miles from Escravos, Delta State.
A source said the gunmen, who came in speedboats, opened fire on the vessel and forced the captain to stop before it was ransacked and took the six crewmen onboard.According to him, the attack occurred on the Atlantic Ocean. Already, he said the military authorities had dispatched a naval warship, NNS Obula, to the location where the vessel was attacked but could not say whether the team had stumbled on anything yet.
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The vessel, which was conveying chemicals owned by one of the oil companies to the Warri Port, was attacked 20 nautical miles from Escravos, Delta State.
A source said the gunmen, who came in speedboats, opened fire on the vessel and forced the captain to stop before it was ransacked and took the six crewmen onboard.According to him, the attack occurred on the Atlantic Ocean. Already, he said the military authorities had dispatched a naval warship, NNS Obula, to the location where the vessel was attacked but could not say whether the team had stumbled on anything yet.
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Sunday, July 5, 2009
EVENING UPDATES: 65% of Nigeria’s annual budgets missing -Bankole
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, has said that about 65 per cent of Nigeria’s annual budgets cannot neither be accounted for nor traced.Empowered Newswire reports that Bankole made the revelation in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on Saturday at a question and answer session at the annual reunion of US-based Nigerians. The programme draws several young US-based Nigerians together from all walks of life. Bankole blamed the Nigerian civil service for the phenomenon, saying that the House of Representatives has been unsuccessfully “asking questions about these funds and requesting that unspent funds and funds that cannot be accounted for be returned to the Federal Government.”
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MID-DAY UPDATES: MEND disowns Clark, attacks another Shell facility
MID-Day UPDATES: MEND disowns Clark, attacks another Shell facility
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta on Sunday disowned the leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, and other Niger Delta leaders involved in negotiations with the Federal Government on behalf of the region.MEND, which also announced a change of strategy from an all-out war on the Nigerian military and the oil industry facilities to a combination of dialogue and “phased attacks,” said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that it had upgraded its Hurricane Piper campaign to Hurricane Moses.
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The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta on Sunday disowned the leader of the Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, and other Niger Delta leaders involved in negotiations with the Federal Government on behalf of the region.MEND, which also announced a change of strategy from an all-out war on the Nigerian military and the oil industry facilities to a combination of dialogue and “phased attacks,” said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that it had upgraded its Hurricane Piper campaign to Hurricane Moses.
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Saturday, July 4, 2009
EVENING UPDATES: MEND threatens to attack Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has threatened to attack the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project unless the problems of Niger Delta are solved.
MEND said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that “any money put into the project will go down the drain as we will ensure that it faces the same fate other pipelines are facing today. We want to use this opportunity to warn the remaining companies still operating in the region, namely Agip, Total, Shell and Exxon Mobil to leave while there is still time because within the next 72 Hours Hurricane Piper Alpha will be upgraded to Hurricane Moses.”
G-15 lawmaker weeps as monarch frowns on role in political crisis
A frontline member of the group of 15 members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Mrs. Adijat Oladapo-Adeleye, broke down in tears at the palace of the Olofin of Isheri, Oba Nurudeen Adekanmbi, on Friday as the lawmaker and the monarch differed on the ongoing crisis in the state.
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MEND said in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, that “any money put into the project will go down the drain as we will ensure that it faces the same fate other pipelines are facing today. We want to use this opportunity to warn the remaining companies still operating in the region, namely Agip, Total, Shell and Exxon Mobil to leave while there is still time because within the next 72 Hours Hurricane Piper Alpha will be upgraded to Hurricane Moses.”
G-15 lawmaker weeps as monarch frowns on role in political crisis
A frontline member of the group of 15 members of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Mrs. Adijat Oladapo-Adeleye, broke down in tears at the palace of the Olofin of Isheri, Oba Nurudeen Adekanmbi, on Friday as the lawmaker and the monarch differed on the ongoing crisis in the state.
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Before we go borrowing again - By Adeyeye Joseph
Since I am going to sound off a bit about Jonathan Perkins‘ bestseller, The Confessions of an Economic Hitman, I guess I should be upfront about my ignorance of half of its contents. I haven‘t read Perkins‘ book.
Yet, I wouldn‘t describe the book as unfamiliar. These days, it is quite easy to distil the essence of a popular book without even taking a peek at its insides. With a reliable Internet connection, you can travel halfway through a good book without actually buying one. All you need do is to make the rounds of blogs and websites like Amazon.com and Google Books (books.google.com), and browse their rich offerings of excerpts and reviews.
I do that often. And thanks to this pastime, I can safely suggest that The Confessions of an Economic Hitman is what our present crop of leaders needs to cure them of their growing lust for foreign loans. This lust has found expression in the Federal Government‘s recent move to borrow from the international capital market and financial institutions. Every now and then, it also rears its ugly head in the form of the shameless desperation with which state governments search for all manner of local and foreign loans even when they have little to show for previous ones.
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Yet, I wouldn‘t describe the book as unfamiliar. These days, it is quite easy to distil the essence of a popular book without even taking a peek at its insides. With a reliable Internet connection, you can travel halfway through a good book without actually buying one. All you need do is to make the rounds of blogs and websites like Amazon.com and Google Books (books.google.com), and browse their rich offerings of excerpts and reviews.
I do that often. And thanks to this pastime, I can safely suggest that The Confessions of an Economic Hitman is what our present crop of leaders needs to cure them of their growing lust for foreign loans. This lust has found expression in the Federal Government‘s recent move to borrow from the international capital market and financial institutions. Every now and then, it also rears its ugly head in the form of the shameless desperation with which state governments search for all manner of local and foreign loans even when they have little to show for previous ones.
To read complete article, please subscribe to www.punchng.com
Why I chose Ghana over Nigeria, others – Obama
For the first time since his impending visit to Ghana became public, President Barack Obama of the United States of America has explained why he chose the country ahead of other African countries.
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To read the full article, subscribe to www.punchng.com
Friday, July 3, 2009
The other side of sweet ratings By Yemi Kolapo (yemlakol@yahoo.com)
Before the banking sector consolidation created a level playing ground for operators in terms of capital base, the messy aspect of banking business was shielded from public scrutiny with some sick banks playing the heroes to unsuspecting bank customers. The banking profession was seen as the ultimate in an economy stacked with non-performing sectors that could barely afford to assure those on their payrolls of regular meals, even though oil sector pay packs were more enticing.To read the complete article, subscribe to www.punchng.com
EVENING UPDATES: FG warns South Africa against attacks on Nigerians
The Federal Government has asked the South African Government to do everything within its power to stop xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in the country.
Why I will visit Ghana –Obama
United States President Barack Obama has explained that his visit to Ghana on July 11, 2009 would highlight its leading role in good governance and democratic development.
Obama said in an interview with allafrica.com on Thursday at the White House that his visit would demonstrate his administration’s appreciation of the “effective governance” in Ghana, noting that he would also that good governance is the key to the future for Africa.
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Why I will visit Ghana –Obama
United States President Barack Obama has explained that his visit to Ghana on July 11, 2009 would highlight its leading role in good governance and democratic development.
Obama said in an interview with allafrica.com on Thursday at the White House that his visit would demonstrate his administration’s appreciation of the “effective governance” in Ghana, noting that he would also that good governance is the key to the future for Africa.
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MID-DAY UPDATES: Soyinka, Utomi, others may meet Obama in Ghana
There are indications that Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2007 elections, Prof. Pat Utomi, as well as some leading members of the Nigerian academia and opposition political class may meet with United States President Barack Obama during his visit to Ghana on July 11.
Our correspondent gathered that officials of the State Department had already started accrediting personalities expected at the parley. However, our correspondent could not confirm how many Nigerians would be present at the meeting.
However, the Convener, Nigerian Liberty Forum, Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi, confirmed to our correspondent by email that Soyinka had already been confirmed for the meeting. He stated that the NLF had already sent two representatives but added that he could not confirm if they had been able to get accreditation.
When contacted on the telephone on Friday afternoon, Utomi claimed ignorance of the meeting. Although he said he would like to meet with Obama, Utomi said he was yet to get any information about whether he was included among those to meet with the US president during the state visit.Others expected to meet with Obama include a delegation of Nigerians in the Diaspora and non-governmental organizations.
Our correspondent gathered that officials of the State Department had already started accrediting personalities expected at the parley. However, our correspondent could not confirm how many Nigerians would be present at the meeting.
However, the Convener, Nigerian Liberty Forum, Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi, confirmed to our correspondent by email that Soyinka had already been confirmed for the meeting. He stated that the NLF had already sent two representatives but added that he could not confirm if they had been able to get accreditation.
When contacted on the telephone on Friday afternoon, Utomi claimed ignorance of the meeting. Although he said he would like to meet with Obama, Utomi said he was yet to get any information about whether he was included among those to meet with the US president during the state visit.Others expected to meet with Obama include a delegation of Nigerians in the Diaspora and non-governmental organizations.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
MID-DAY UPDATES: Nigeria-Russia joint venture sparks racism debate
A racism debate is brewing online over Nigeria’s $2.5 billion oil and gas joint with Russia, named NIGAZ.
The joint venture, which is between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Russia’s state-owned Gazprom, was signed last week by Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua and Russian President Dmirty Medvedev, who was on a one-day state visit to Abuja. The word is an amalgam of Nigeria and Gazprom and will build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Nigeria.
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The joint venture, which is between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Russia’s state-owned Gazprom, was signed last week by Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua and Russian President Dmirty Medvedev, who was on a one-day state visit to Abuja. The word is an amalgam of Nigeria and Gazprom and will build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Nigeria.
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Halliburton scam: We didn’t receive $6m from Obasanjo’s ex-aide – Ogbeh, Gemade (www.punchng.com)
Two former chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party — Chief Audu Ogbeh and Chief Barnabas Gemade — have cleared the party of receiving a part of the $180m allegedly given as bribe by Halliburton to some Nigerian ex-officials for a juicy contract.
An ex- Special Assistant on Domestic Matters to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Sunday Adeyanju, had reportedly told the presidential panel investigating the bribery allegation that he channelled $6m in three tranches to the PDP.
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An ex- Special Assistant on Domestic Matters to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Sunday Adeyanju, had reportedly told the presidential panel investigating the bribery allegation that he channelled $6m in three tranches to the PDP.
To read more, subscribe to www.punchng.com
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
'Jackson's Family To Put Body On View'
Michael Jackson's family plan to take his body to his Neverland ranch where it will go on public view before a burial, it has been reported.
Celebrity website TMZ.com claims the Jacksons will transport the body to Neverland, in southern California, on Thursday.
They will then hold a wake on Friday or Saturday ahead of a funeral service on Sunday.
The part owners of Neverland have sent a letter to residents of Santa Barbara warning them of the madness that will occur when Jackson's fans flock to see his body.
Meanwhile, the singer's tour promoter has said his ill-fated show at the O2 Arena in London could be turned into a tribute gig featuring his family.
The president of AEG Live Randy Phillips told Sky's Kay Burley he saw Jackson rehearsing the day before he died and that he seemed fit and "engaged".
In an exclusive interview Mr Phillips denied Jackson was suffering from stage fright, saying AEGwould at "some point" release video of the rehearsals.
He said the show was going to be "beyond anything", adding: "At some point the world needs to see this production.
"I would imagine it could be done as a tribute with the family, with the brothers performing, some sisters, and the stars that were influenced by him.
"It would have been, which is the tragedy here, one of the most amazing shows ever, so at some point we want the world to see that."
Describing rehearsals, Mr Phillips said: "(Michael) was so amazing in the final week.
"He gave me a hug and said 'now I know I can do this'. He was that engaged and that incredible."
Celebrity website TMZ.com claims the Jacksons will transport the body to Neverland, in southern California, on Thursday.
They will then hold a wake on Friday or Saturday ahead of a funeral service on Sunday.
The part owners of Neverland have sent a letter to residents of Santa Barbara warning them of the madness that will occur when Jackson's fans flock to see his body.
Meanwhile, the singer's tour promoter has said his ill-fated show at the O2 Arena in London could be turned into a tribute gig featuring his family.
The president of AEG Live Randy Phillips told Sky's Kay Burley he saw Jackson rehearsing the day before he died and that he seemed fit and "engaged".
In an exclusive interview Mr Phillips denied Jackson was suffering from stage fright, saying AEGwould at "some point" release video of the rehearsals.
He said the show was going to be "beyond anything", adding: "At some point the world needs to see this production.
"I would imagine it could be done as a tribute with the family, with the brothers performing, some sisters, and the stars that were influenced by him.
"It would have been, which is the tragedy here, one of the most amazing shows ever, so at some point we want the world to see that."
Describing rehearsals, Mr Phillips said: "(Michael) was so amazing in the final week.
"He gave me a hug and said 'now I know I can do this'. He was that engaged and that incredible."
Michael Jackson to be buried Sunday
King of pop, Michael Jackson, is to be buried on Sunday. However, the location is not known.
But celebrity website, www.tmz.com, says a shipment of concrete was delivered on Tuesday to the Neverland Ranch.
"We saw the concrete truck drive onto the property. A rep from the construction company told us they got a call today for 32,000 pounds of the hard stuff -- for what, we're not sure ... but it's certainly interesting ..." TMZ reported.
But celebrity website, www.tmz.com, says a shipment of concrete was delivered on Tuesday to the Neverland Ranch.
"We saw the concrete truck drive onto the property. A rep from the construction company told us they got a call today for 32,000 pounds of the hard stuff -- for what, we're not sure ... but it's certainly interesting ..." TMZ reported.
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