Just In: FG Commences Capacity Building Programme For All Workers On GL-06 to GL-17

In a bid to compliment the recent restriction on civil servants to engage in foreign training and International travels, the Federal Government said it would commence a general capacity building programme for all officers on GL 06-GL 17 in the Federal Civil Service in March 2015.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi disclosed this in Abuja at a meeting with all the Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Human Resources Management, Finance and Accounts and Heads of Procurement.

According to the statement released on Monday by Mohammed Manga, the Assistant Director (Media Relations) for the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Kifasi said that "one of his greatest visions in office is to build an effective, efficient and virile workforce through capacity building that is able to deliver better services to Nigerians in line with the Transformation Agenda of Government."

"Work is well underway to conclude the design of a Structured Mandatory Training Programme on general capacity building and that of leadership development", he added.

The general capacity building programme according to him will focus on equipping the civil servants with the knowledge, skills and attitude required to operate a modern civil service, and is further expected to develop their capacity to operate at higher levels of responsibility before they assume enhanced positions in the service and that the programme is for all officers on GL 06 –GL 17. While the leadership development programme he said, is for selected officers on GL 08-GL17 to develop their capacity for leadership at various levels of the service, and the criteria for selection would include leadership potential, innovation, high performance and exemplary conduct.

Mr. Kifasi stated further that government has assembled a team of management development institutes from ASCON, PSIN and CMD to develop a framework for the scheme and assured that government was still very committed to staff welfare, especially in the area of housing. And following the recent flag-off of the National Workers' Housing Estate last December by Mr. President, "a circular containing a list of private housing developers' willing to partner the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board in developing quality, affordable houses to federal public servants has been issued", he said.

On issues pertaining to vacancy declaration and promotion exercises in the Federal Civil Service, the Head of Service advised that all the MDAs should henceforth follow due process as is contained in the Public Service Rules.

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Newsbeat Portal, Abuja

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Just In: President Jonathan Has No Plan To Rig March Polls, Says Dr Abubakar Sulaiman

The Honourable Minister/Deputy National Chairman, National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman has declared that President Goodluck Jonathan has no plan to rig next month's general elections, even as he described the president as a leader with large heart.

The minister made the disclosure during a reception in his honour and other past deans, organised by the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja, held at the university auditorium at its mini campus, Gwagwalada.

In a statement made available to the press by the Head of Information, Salisu B. Haiba, the minister said, "This administration is working and the evidence is there. I will continue to do more for the university and I can do better, and if you truly like me, vote to return Goodluck Jonathan.

"One thing we should all know is that Jonathan does not have the plan to rig himself back. If he had or has that plan, he would not have appointed Jega (INEC),  an activist as the INEC chairman. Even on my appointment, Mr. President demonstrated a large heart.

"I was an active unionist during my days as a university lecturer, I led a protest against the then sitting VC, which we carried up to the government level, yet Mr. President  decided, devoid of any sentiment, to appoint me a minister. It takes one with a large heart to do that."

Reeling out the catalogue of  Jonathan's achievements, the minister stated that under President Goodluck Jonathan, 14 Federal Universities were built across the geo-political spread of the country and this is a great height achieved in educational development ever witnessed in the Nigeria

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Mike Adikwu, commended the minister for putting the university first in the course of discharging his duties as a minister, adding that "Dr Sulaiman, has lived up to his billings as an academic in the federal executive council and has also made the university proud as his constituent."

Adikwu expressed appreciation for the foreign training opportunity given to the university by the NPC under Sulaiman's  leadership,  and expressed confidence that the minister will do more to get the university attain greater height

In his goodwill message, Professor Samuel Asala, Provost, College of Health Sciences, of the university, recalled the historic role in the completion of the College of Health Sciences' building in the university permanent site.

Also speaking, Professor Sarah Anyawu of Economics Department also commended the minister's effort for the numerous economic policy plans initiated by the NPC for the growth and development of Nigeria

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Emir of Mubi Urges IDPs To Return Home, As NEMA Continues To Assess Affected Communities

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Press Release
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Emir of Mubi, Alhaji Abubakar Isa Ahmadu, has appreciated the Federal Government for the restoration of security in his domain and called on his subjects that were displaced by the insurgency to return home. This is even as NEMA continues to assess damaged communities including Mubi.

Speaking in his palace when he received a Federal Government delegation led by the Minister of Youths Development, Mr Boni Haruna, the Emir advised his people to be vigilant and law abiding and assist the government towards the maintenance of security in the area.

He urged returning residents to give all the necessary cooperation to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) assessment team as they go round to conduct assessment.

He thanked the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan  for his concern about the condition of the displaced people and his assurances of support  to assist them return to normal life.

The Youths Development Minister said his visit with the NEMA team was to assess the return of peace in the area and to convey the assurances of President Goodluck Jonathan to support the returnees through the National Emergency  Management Agency (NEMA) to settle back in their homes.

The Minister said the commander of the Army Battalion based in Mubi had assured that the soldiers have cleared the town and made it safe  for law abiding citizens to return to their homes.

Leader of NEMA assessment team, Musa Zakari, said the Director General of the Agency, Muhammad Sani Sidi has directed them to carry out the assessment for immediate deployment of necessary support for the returnees to start  rebuilding their lives.

The assessment team met with a returnee, Mr Bitrus Yohana and his family of ten, who came back after several months of displacement. Mr. Yohanna appreciated the Federal Government and the military for the restoration of security in the area. He as well as other formerly displaced persons now back and trading in Mubi Market, called on other displaced persons still taking refuge elsewhere to return home.

The team has visited Hong, Maiha, Uba, Mubi and Gombi local government areas.

The Minister and NEMA officials also visited Mubi market where business activities have picked up and other places that included the Adamawa State University and State General Hospital.

It would be called that Mubi was at one time renamed by  Boko Haram.

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Sani Datti
Snr. Information Officer

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EkitiGate: APC Renews Call For Probe Of Ekiti Alleged Audio Rigging Tape

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has renewed its call for a comprehensive probe of the alleged Ekiti audio rigging tape released by an army captain who recorded it.

Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, said it was wrong for anyone to label the tape a fake without a forensic investigation.

The party noted that the issues exposed by the tape were too grievous to be swept under the carpet or dismissed on the basis of nothing, but gross partisanship.

The investigation, APC stated, was necessary because of the alleged role the military played in the whole rigging scenario, and against the background of the court ruling against the deployment of troops for elections.

''If the government officials and politicians, whose voices were heard on the tape are not interested in clearing their names, what about the military institution that was dragged into the show of shame? Has the integrity of the military not been compromised by the alleged role of a general and hundreds of his troops in the rigging saga?'' APC queried.

The inconsistency of the Federal Government's response to the whole saga, the party added, has exposed its underbelly and made it more urgent for a forensic investigation of the tape to be carried out.

"First, those whose voices were heard on the tape rushed to deny there was any such meeting. Later, after they were confronted with a preponderance of evidence, they started owning up one by one, starting with Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan, then Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro and then Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose, even though they all denied the meeting was about rigging. Of course, Nigerians know better.

"But these men, on the basis of their initial denial, are no longer credible as far as the rigging tape is concerned, hence it is necessary to have an independent investigation of the whole issue," it said.

APC said while President Goodluck Jonathan had rushed to dismiss the authenticity of the tape, telling the Wall Street Journal "it's all fabrications", his campaign spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode said the exact opposite: "We have listened to the audio clip and we make bold to say that the discussion that took place in it did not make any mention of any form of rigging in the Ekiti State governorship election and neither did it contain any evidence of any conspiracy to rig."

The statement queried: "Can anyone listen to a non-existent audio tape? This confusion in the government circles is the clearest indication yet that they were so panicked by the revelation that they could not fashion out a coherent response to it, hence the discordant notes by the major culprits and their "oga at the top!

''We sympathise with them, but we are more worried about the effect this revelation will have on a respectable national institution as the military, which was dragged into the rigging mess. This is why even the military itself must carry out its own investigation.

"If an Army General could be so bullied into submission by political partisans, to the point where he said he will cry, what will they not do to any other military officer or men? Does this whole rigging saga not call into question the role of the military in elections?"

The party vowed not to allow the issue to be swept under the carpet in the interest of the nation, praising the media and the citizenry for sustaining the discourse on the rigging tape.

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*Reported By The Nation
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INEC Chairman, Jega, To Hold A Stock-Taking Meeting With National Security Adviser Team Today

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, will on monday [today] hold a stock-taking meeting with a team from the Office of the National Security Adviser, the military and para-military organisations on security, for the general elections.

Today's session with the military is the first since the were postponed on February 7.
The elections will now hold on March 28 and April 11.

A top source in INEC, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: "We are holding an Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) session to update ourselves on the state of the nation's security and the electoral commission's preparedness.

"This is the first meeting we are having since the polls shift due to security reasons. All the parties will lay the cards on the table and consider what still ought to be done."

"ICCES is chaired by the National Security Adviser. The INEC chairman is co-chair. Others are representatives of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Army, Air Force, Navy, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Directorate of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Commission (NSCDC), Customs Service, Immigration Service, Fire Service and Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)."

Another source said: "We want to know the status of the security in the Northeast. We do not want to wait till the last minute. All the National Commissioners of INEC are also expected to be in attendance.

"This explains why this session is called in the early part of the second week of the six-week window for the postponement of the elections.

"Nigerians and the international community are eager to know how far we have addressed the security challenges in the affected areas.

"Expectedly, we will also brief the session on the number of Permanent Voters Cards collected, the training of 600,000 ad hoc staff on the use of Card Readers and the feedback from the monitoring of preparations for the poll in all the six geo-political zones."

There were indications last night that INEC might restrict the military and Mobile Police to fringe posts during the general elections.

A National Commissioner said: "Military men have no role in the conduct of the elections; they are only expected to stay at designated checkpoints to make sure people do not traffic arms, ammunition or anything that could tamper with the electoral process.

"They also stay at these checkpoints in readiness for rapid deployment, if there is any security challenge during the elections. No soldiers will be at the Polling Units, Collation Centres or have any direct contact with the conduct of the elections. Even the Mobile Police will only engage in fringe patrols without coming to the Polling Units. This is our position."

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Source: The Nation
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President Goodluck Jonathan: Nearing The End Of The Road? By Frisky Larr [Must Read]

It does not take rocket science to see through the cheerful and confident mask of President Goodluck Jonathan these days. A mask that obviously conceals deep worries and uncertainties with smiles and cheers on the façade! After all, the President and his handlers did not bargain for the tight corner in which they now find themselves. There is no doubt that they did their homework scrupulously and assiduously. They had good four years at their disposal to prepare themselves for the present doomsday scenario.

In other words, four years of President Jonathan's government was spent on the priority issue of securing a second term in the Presidency. For this purpose, no stone was left unturned. No government work was more important. "Good" friends were lost and "hungry" friends were found all along the way. Foot soldiers were employed. Attack dogs too. Nothing was left to chance. "Simlins" were created and friendly voices bought all over the network scene on social media. Readers' comment forums of online newspapers were well manned to prepare grassroots support for 2015.

Yet they missed out on several key and crucial issues. Aside governance and achievements that would have done the trick single-handedly, they counted too strongly on securing a power base with powerbrokers who are masters of the game of treachery and deception. With the regional influence of the "local champion" Mr. Edwin Clark, they sought to secure the home front and seemed to have done that with some degrees of success. Even though I have no evidence to back up this claim, something strongly tells me that they relied too strongly, on former military dictator Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida to secure the national front as a counter weight to General Olusegun Obasanjo, who they had chased out of their camp with jeers and boos against all wisdom.

After unwittingly compelling the realignment of political forces, they needed a military wing in the creeks that must be robustly fed with weapons hoping that the North would decimate and weaken itself with the bloody onslaught of the self-inflicted Boko Haram. The Nigerian military that the traditional establishment would have used against them if things got out of control, was secured in the hands of kinsmen and loyal surrogates in what now looks like a deliberate move to systematically weaken the military. They left nothing to chance. The President declared his candidacy very late and he could not be crucified too brutally in advance. The militants made potent threats in advance and we knew they meant business. Hints were even deliberately made in public, of the type of weapons at the disposal of the militants and we now know that they have warships.

They left no stone unturned. They anticipated the emergence of retired Major-General Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the opposition even though they secretly wished for Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso or Aminu Tambuwal. They were prepared for Buhari. The all-out assault that they skillfully and very effectively launched on Muhammadu Buhari would have ended up a huge success if Nigerians were not simply fed up with Jonathan's regime of aggravated larceny and dishonesty. First, the cloak of the Muslim fundamentalist that would lock his wife in purdah and proceed on the campaign trail with the shine of his masculine charm did not fit Buhari. His wife surfaced and is now known to not only be very good looking but also far beyond the market class of those who know that "there is God".

Then they produced a medical certificate claiming that Muhammadu Buhari was terminally crumbling under the yoke of prostate cancer. The document was finally declared fake. A simple misstep and loss of balance on a campaign podium was suddenly reported in headline news as Muhammadu Buhari crumbling and collapsing before the gaze of the public due to ill health informed by old age. This too was discredited by footages from the campaign scene. Then every other ace up their sleeve was staked on one single issue left: The former Major-General's secondary school leaving certificate and his declarations in this regard. In the end, we realized that President Jonathan did not even complete the doctorate degree program, for which the nation has known and addressed him as "Dr." Goodluck Jonathan since 1999.

They left just nothing to chance. The campaign of mudslinging and dirty tricks was quite masterfully prosecuted. They released another masterpiece. It took the eye of a professional to recognize professionals at work in the making of the documentary "The Real Buhari". But the facts did not fit. The bunch of very obvious lies and smears inherent in the clip simply ended up making mockery of a clip that was ordinarily very professionally compiled with effects and style. They could not but end up in frustration. Rather than killing and burying Buhari's political ambitions, all the aggressive moves of the President's men did not only fuel their own frustration but increasingly betrayed their image of the desperate runaways fighting a mysterious battle for their own survival. It is mysterious because it now makes Buhari look like the incumbent President seeking to be dislodged by a desperate challenger.

Today, we know that President Jonathan is not alone in this ominous struggle to retain the Presidency at all costs. In fact, in his own admission, the campaign dynamics has been let loose on his managers and co-travelers in the journey of theft and brigandage such that Mr. Jonathan himself is not always aware of decisions taken on individual moves each step of the way.

Yet it is unbelievable that the President was not aware of plans to force the postponement of the Presidential election that was slated for February 14, 2015. Everyone heard it from Lagos to London. Even the booze-man elder Edwin Clark openly called for the sack and prosecution of Attahiru Jega and we all know who that is.

It is not so much the trust in the honesty of Muhammadu Buhari and the modesty of his character that drives his acceptance throughout the nation today. After all there are very many serious and credible issues that people also have with the General and he has rightly explained many of such issues as fallouts from governance under the banner of unassailable military formations. It is very much the rejection of Jonathan's inept five years of dishonesty, corruption and unimaginable spookiness that has translated into the massive boost of Buhari's prospects today.

Moreover, the Jonathan's camp wantonly underrated the role of the international community and those internal forces who wield immense influences abroad than at home. This in spite of the immense resources they invested in high-end expertise to configure and knit an effective smear campaign.

Today, the weight of international diplomatic pressure has been brought to bear on Jonathan like he has never before known in his years on the frontline of domestic politics. The first hint was seen in his latest media chat in his answer to the question, if the election will truly hold on March 28, 2015. Even though the questioner did not mention any word about the international community, the President's answer was a clear reflection of his characteristic confusion and the pressure that has been brought to bear on him by international forces. In his answer, he ended up expressing understanding for the international community who is used to African leaders, who are reluctant to give up power. He proudly added that he would be the first African leader to give up power if he loses the election forgetting that Ghana had performed this feat just as recently as 2008. The President may have realized the painful attacks that one may suffer after breaking a promise to an American Secretary of State within 10 days that elections will not be postponed.

Now the President's camp is witnessing its first crack with considerations being insinuated, of the replacement of Mr. Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the ruling party. These are all evidences that the ruling party has been completely taken unaware by several developments that it did not bargain for and these developments are not all happening within the domestic front alone. After all, whoever arms militants in preparation for the eventual partitioning of the country will hardly give a damn about dire consequences and all other impacts in the domestic scene. Such a person is most likely impressed by the foreseeable prospect of outright defeat informed by a chain of events as highlighted in my last article positing that any civil war that is unwittingly provoked by President Jonathan will be decided by international alliances.

There are presently frantic face-saving efforts to buy the day for the hardened desperadoes. They suggest the synchronous replacement of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the opposition APC as a pre-condition for dumping President Jonathan. But I doubt I heard them right! Should this proposal be true and not from the fiery kingdom of Absurd'istan, I will humbly ask the proponents to have their heads re-examined. Which right-thinking heavenly creature will ask Nigerians to rob Muhammadu Buhari of his victory at this obvious moment to pay an invisible "Paul" that is yet to be conjured out of Jenny's bottle? Nigerians from all walks of life, North and South, fought together to install Mr. Goodluck Jonathan as President of Nigeria against the oppressive machinations of the Yar'Adua cabal. Now the Jonathan mafia expects Nigerians to reinstall the same injustice because a Northerner is now at the receiving end? No. That just can't be real. It is a huge joke.

Obviously seeking a humble way to negotiate a clean exit for herself from the murky waters of Jonathanism, our former feminine hope of divine redemption (Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala) also volunteered a word for the word-weary public of pitiable acclaim. We now know how easily she may have feasted on President's Jonathan's characteristic dumbness and cluelessness confirming former President Obasanjo's claims that Nigeria presently has 5 Presidents with Jonathan being the weakest in the midst of his 4 women.

Nigerians and indeed, observers the world over, shook their heads in disbelief, when President Jonathan declared while flagging off his election campaign in Lagos, that his solution to fighting corruption in Nigeria was high-technology. He disavowed the expediency of putting corrupt people in jail and naming and shaming them since that to him, means showcasing corruption. He therefore advanced a fragmentally complementary preventive measure that relies on the use of intelligent computer software as the magic wand in the fight against corruption. He seems to see this as the ultimate solution that will do the final trick.

Now, we know that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the brain behind this "government magic" since she declared in her latest outing that she believes strongly in this magic work of technology. Her declaration however that Nigeria has no system and institutions in place for fighting corruption simply left everyone speechless, who understands that the complementary introduction of preventive measures should not have meant that there have never been systems and institutions in place in Nigeria. After all the EFCC, ICPC, Police Force and the Courts have not been dissolved.

Everyone knows that corruption can never be wiped away completely anywhere in the world but can simply be reduced to the barest minimum possible. Since the machineries of prosecution and imprisonment have been systematically weakened and sabotaged in Nigeria under President Jonathan, it is no wonder that corruption has become a free-for-all act involving top level government functionaries. With her actions and pronouncements, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has now unwittingly fanned the ember of speculations that she too, may have been actively involved in this brazen act of killing the nation softly.

How else can one explain that she of all people would be propping up a President of less intelligent acclaim in the belief that preventing corruption alone and not the punishment and imprisonment of the perpetrators of corruption will be the only system and institution to be put in place in the fight against corruption?
All these weird explanations and views sticking out the neck of individuals who inadvertently dig a hole for themselves simply point to a pattern of desperation and the helpless weakening of their cruising juggernaut. This was further compounded by the dramatic exit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from the seemingly drowning ship of the ruling party.
The former General had missed no opportunity in the wake of his schism with President Jonathan in the past few months, to reassure anyone who cared to listen that his membership of the PDP was sacrosanct. As a card-carrying member of the ruling party however, he had always underscored his desire to live up to his responsibilities as a respected international figure, who also established many useful institutions in the country that are now being helplessly torn apart. What then may have transpired behind closed doors to have angered the former President this badly? I have heard critics declaring in the past few days that his permission to have his membership card of the party torn in public was indecent. Yet, I believe it was an angry move that forestalled humiliating attacks on his person by agents of some internationally wanted drug-traffickers that are now held up high on platters of gold by the ruling party. I can fully imagine the scenario of serving queries on the former President to explain why party disciplinary actions should not be taken against him for anti-party activities, etc.

In the end, President Jonathan would have feigned ignorance of such acts and referred to intra-party processes, in which he would not interfere. Never mind though that late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's anti-party activity of installing Governor Oshiomole in Edo State at the expense of his own party's man in the name of dislodging Obasanjo's people meant that the party was no stranger to anti-party activities by leaders. In his usual pattern of hitting back at President Obasanjo though, incumbent President Jonathan again enlisted a person, who in his heart, is deeply an Obasanjo boy to do a hatchet job. Getting Femi Fani Kayode to read a prepared script condemning President Obasanjo's actions reminded me of Iyabo Obasanjo writing an open letter to abuse her own father – on whose shoulders she shot to fame – in public domain to counter the former's rebuke of the excesses of President Jonathan. It took the discomfort in the voice and body language of Femi Fani Kayode to see that he was doing a hatchet job reading a script drafted by core Obasanjo haters.

By all accounts, the chicken now seems to be coming home to roost. The options open to President Jonathan are quite clear: Rig the election and win and face the pariah status of international ostracism with more to follow. Lose the election and start a civil war and be defeated on the medium term with dire consequences for innocent lives and your personal and regional safety. Unleash a military-led interim arrangement and face serious consequences from international reactions. Lose the election, concede defeat and tell the militants openly that they on their own. Whichever way it goes, there are hard choices to be made and President Jonathan has never been known for making the right choices.
For now, Nigeria will be on record as having seen better days than these. Yet no one will deny that this extreme level of desperation shown by Mr. Goodluck Jonathan and driven basically by all the fearful criminals around him, who feasted on his cluelessness and unintelligence, was never expected in its present ferocity.

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Author: By Frisky Larr

Opinions expressed above are solely those of the author.
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Civil Society Groups Warn Jonathan Against Tenure Extension, Book Feb 28 For National Showdown

A new pro-democracy group, National Union for Democracy (NUD), has warned President Goodluck Jonathan and members of the Nigerian security services to desist from tinkering with the transition program in Nigeria.
During a well attended press conference in Lagos today, the group led by notable civil rights attorney, Femi Falana (SAN) delivered a stern warning while reminding Nigerians about past attempts that tinkered with Nigeria's democratic progress that had brought the nation to the doldrums.

After cataloguing recent attempts by President Jonathan's regime to derail recent elections, the group said the newly announced dates for presidential elections is sacrosanct.

To send a strong warning to the government the group said their will be a national day of action slated for February 28th across the country where Nigerians will stand hand in hand to send a strong message to the government of Jonathan that it won't tolerate any attempt to interfere with elections.


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Source: Sahara Reporters, New York
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Governor Fayose Must Be Held Accountable Should Anything Befalls Buhari, Says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday expressed worry over what it termed the "harassment and death wish" it said the Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has been heaping on the party's presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

The opposition party, through the Director of Media and Publicity of its Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu, has consequently urged President Goodluck Jonathan to call the governor to order.

Fayose had on Friday, through his Special Assistant on New Media and Publicity, Lere Olayinka, alleged that the APC presidential candidate travelled to the United Kingdom for medical attention rather than a working visit and wide consultations as announced by the party.

But, in its reaction on Saturday, the APC said it has it on good authority that Fayose has hired some people to monitor Buhari's movement in London, and as such, the governor should be held accountable in event of any untoward occurrence happening to him, either in London or Nigeria.

APC also maintained that its presidential candidate, Buhari, is hale and hearty and is set to honour his speaking engagement at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, scheduled for Thursday, February 26.

The party said it is getting worried that Fayose may be planning something sinister against its presidential candidate.

"Let it be on record that knowing Governor Fayose's antecedents, we are not leaving anything to chances. The governor who has published death-wish advertorials on Buhari will stop at nothing.

"If anything should happen to General Muhammadu Buhari while in London or anywhere, the authorities over there in the UK and at home should know who to hold responsible," the party said.

Buhari's speaking engagement, the APC said, will be held by Chatam House, which will post the event and send out invites tomorrow [today] (Monday, February 23).

Confirming what Buhari has been doing since arriving in London, the APC said that as part of his engagement in the United Kingdom, he had an interview with a local medium, the All Eyes on Africa TV Show, with Kemi Fajodutimi, and he met with former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on Saturday morning.

Shehu disclosed that Buhari left the London residence of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, at about 1.30 pm (UK time) and returned to his rented apartment in the city.

However, in a quick response to the party's statement, the governor's camp stated that Fayose only tried to expose the lies and hypocrisy of APC so that Nigerians should not throw away their votes.

Fayose's response reads: "Fayose has never wished Buhari dead, rather, it is the APC leaders who are trying to kill Buhari because of their selfish interests.

"Buhari had been sick long ago, attempt had been made by the APC leaders to fly him to US last January, but the trip was cancelled on the pretext that Buhari is hale and hearty.

"Why are the APC leaders deceiving Nigerians by saying Buhari was going to Britain to deliver lecture, when in actual fact, he has gone for medical check up.

"We did our investigation and we are certain that he went for medical check up.

"May I ask: When did Buhari become a lecturer? To further deceive the people of Nigeria, they posted made-up photographs of Buhari in London, supposing Nigerians are fools.

"It is the APC leaders who should be held responsible should Buhari die.

"I don't wish him dead, I'm only trying to rescue him from those pushing him to the grave".

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Source: Daily Independent
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Obasanjo Confers With Five African Presidents On Insecurity, Post-Ebola Economic Recovery

Insecurity and political instability in Africa, especially the crisis in Libya, which has adversely affected other parts of the continent, was the crux of discussions when Nigeria's former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, met with five African presidents in the last three days.

Briefing the media after a 30-minute private meeting with President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, Obasanjo said the parley provided both leaders opportunity to examine peace and security issues in Africa, particularly the situation in North Africa.

According to Obasanjo, "Peace, security and stability, which are fundamental to the development of any nation, must be our preoccupation,"

"We must do everything possible to ensure that all over Africa, and particularly in North Africa, efforts are made to guarantee peace, security and stability no matter where the need arises.

"My brother (President al-Bashir) and I have agreed to work together with other partners to ensure that stability is achieved in the region and across the continent."

The former Nigerian leader, who chairs the Africa Union's Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan, has been a leading advocate of peace and security in Africa.

In the 1990s, he initiated the Conference on Security, Stability Development and Co-operation in Africa (CSSDCA), a policy development process created to function within the framework of the African Union and adopted at the 36th Session of the Assembly in Lome, Togo, in July 2000.

Obasanjo also held crucial talks with President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, on the future of the West African nation, which on December 30 last year, witnessed an attempted coup.

The former Nigerian president, who was one of four African leaders invited to private talks with Jammeh after the 50th Independence anniversary of The Gambia, briefed reporters on his visit, saying discussions centred on the recent coup attempt, security in The Gambia and the future of the nation's economy.

"One of the points that we looked at together is what this country has going for it," Obasanjo said.

"There is relative peace, relative stability, relative continuity and relative security. These are necessary ingredients to fast track development and growth as a democratic country.

"This is why I said to my brother (President Jammeh) that nothing stops The Gambia from being the Switzerland of West Africa.

"Switzerland is a small country, but it is a great country. Gambia is a small country, but it is on the path of being great".

Obasanjo said it is in the interest of all Africans that The Gambia grows to become a great country.

"I, therefore, hold myself ready to be a partner in pursuance of that great objective," he said.

After the meeting with Obasanjo, Jammeh held further talks with the Presidents of Ghana, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea.

Obasanjo's visit also took him to Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in solidarity with the West African nations worst hit by the Ebola Virus Disease.

He arrived in Guinea Conakry on Thursday and was received by President Alpha Conde at the Presidential Palace.

Speaking during a meeting with the Guinean President, Obasanjo said he was in Conakry to commiserate with the people over the losses suffered due to the Ebola outbreak and to congratulate the nation's leadership for its efforts in containing the disease.

"True friendship is tested in times of trials," the former President said.

"I am here because this is a trying time for my brother and the people of Guinea.

"I commiserate with you and also congratulate you for the way and manner you have handled this crisis."

Obasanjo reiterated his commitment to seeking international assistance for countries affected by the Ebola crisis.

"Let me assure you that I am personally involved in mobilising support for the affected countries," he said.

"I have been working closely with the African Union chairperson to raise funds from the private sector in Africa to support efforts to eradicate Ebola."

The former Nigerian President said although Guinea and the other affected countries have reasonably contained the disease, it is important for global partners to provide assistance to victims and find ways to ensure such outbreaks are avoided in the future.

"I will continue to sensitise the international community on the need to support victims of the disease and to assist the affected countries to recover from this epidemic.

"The children who have been orphaned by the virus will require support to make it through childhood."

Responding, President Conde said Obasanjo's visit came as no surprise to him, even though other global leaders are reluctant to visit the Ebola-hit countries.

"You have always been a Pan-Africanist, who takes the issues of Africa very seriously," President Conde said.

"Your visit here, therefore, comes as no surprise to me and it reinforces the friendship we have shared over the years."

"At the moment, there are critical areas in which I would kindly request your urgent intervention.

"First, the affected countries will need debt relief from the international community.

"Second, there is urgent need for a Marshall plan to help the countries recover from the disaster.

"We also need assistance to strengthen our health and education sectors to effectively deal with disasters of this kind.

"I ask these not only as the President of the Republic of Guinea but also as the Chairman of the Mano River Union."

Obasanjo gave his assurances of seeking support for the countries.

"You can count on me and my good offices whenever you need my intervention," he told President Conde.

In Sierra Leone, Obasanjo met with President Ernest Bai Koroma at his Goderich residence in Freetown where he lamented the effect of Ebola on the people of Sierra Leone at a time when the country's rapid development was taking off.

He praised the efforts made by the government of Sierra Leone and development partners in containing the disease and promised to further garner international support for the affected countries as they deal with and recover from the outbreak.

In his remarks, President Koroma thanked Obasanjo for his statesmanship and reassured him of the commitment of the three worst hit countries to eradication of Ebola and economic recovery.

He hailed the role played by Nigeria, which sent medical personnel to help Sierra Leone combat the disease.

President Koroma urged the international community not to isolate the affected countries but instead to show empathy and offer assistance.

Following the meeting with Koroma, Obasanjo paid a surprise visit to the Western Area Emergency Response Centre in Freetown, where he met with the various teams combating the Ebola outbreak.

From Sierra Leone, Obasanjo proceeded to Liberia where he met with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at her offices in Monrovia.

Discussions during the meeting centred on post-Ebola economic recovery for the three worst hit countries.

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Source: Daily Independent
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NUC To Revoke Licences Issued To Five Private Universities In Nigeria

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has resolved to revoke the licences issued to five private universities in the country, which have fallen short of the operational guidelines and procedures.

Sunday Independent authoritatively learnt that NUC has placed some of the universities found wanting under investigation before it takes final decision on suspending their operating licences.

Investigations by Sunday Independent also revealed that one of the first victims of the regulatory agency's action may be the Obong University, which is situated at Obong Ntak in Cross River State.

A source at the NUC, who preferred anonymity, also confided in our reporter that other universities that may be affected by the exercise include Fountain University in Osogbo; Wellspring University, Evbuobanosa, Edo State; Samuel Adegboyega University, Ogwa, Edo State, and McPherson University, Seriki Sotoyo, Ajebo, Ogun State, among others.

A list of approved universities in Nigeria as recently released by the commission reveals that there are a total of 129 universities in Nigeria, 40 federal, 39 states and 50 private ones.

While the NUC authorities had repeatedly hinged the creation of additional private universities on the need to boost access to tertiary education in the country, most of these universities may be axed for low students population and bogus programmes or disciplines they offer which the NUC has found to be non-indigenous to the Nigerian environment.

NUC's Department of Quality Assurance, which recently carried out a forensic audit on some of the affected universities, including Obong University, informed that some of them were operating without internet bandwidth, some lacked visibility (no sign-posts), insufficient safety measures, lack of currency in their library holdings, as well as imbalance in staff mix.

Obong University was also alleged to have contravened the commission's directive by continuing to admit students into its Computer Science Department, which had previously been denied accreditation in the programme.

It was also gathered that following the audit on the university, the Governing Council of the university visited the NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Julius Okojie, who in turn, criticised the institution for recruiting some unqualified personnel, including a fake Professor.

Okojie had also decried the poor governance structure of the university, which he said was attributable to the slow pace of development at the university.

Another factor, which may fuel plans to revoke their licences, according to our source, is that NUC is not pleased with the exorbitant fees charged by some of these proprietors, yet they fail to provide adequate funds to sustain infrastructural development.

Recall that more of these private universities came on stream from 2012, during the administration of former Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa'I, and Nyesom Wike, then Minister of State for Education.

Government had issued out these provisional licenses with the consent of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), hinging it on the need to widen access to tertiary education and boost carrying capacities of other universities in the country.

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Source: Daily Independent
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