Way To Solve Nigeria’s Problems Is To Vote Out PDP – Amaechi

Rivers State Governor and Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has again stressed that the way to solve the numerous problems facing the country is to vote out the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP in next year’s election. Amaechi spoke at the 2nd International Conference on Democracy and Good Governance with the theme ‘Nigeria’s Democracy: Issues and Challenges’ which held at the new Dr. Obi Wali Convention Centre in Port Harcourt, Wednesday. According to him, something is wrong with the country and posed to participants at the conference the question: “Do you like Nigeria the way it is now? (the audience answered ‘No’.)  “Do you like the way Nigeria is being governed now? (‘No’, the audience again chorused.) Simple, you have one answer. Vote out those who have kept us inside this kind of situation, vote them out whether they are from Niger Delta or from Southern Delta or from whatever Delta. We need to vote them out now and change Nigeria. “We need to change Nigeria now and that is what APC offers, and that is what I stand for. If you are not satisfied the way Nigeria is being governed now, it means that they should not be given another chance.  If you are not satisfied that there is corruption and corruption is called ‘common stealing’, if you are not satisfied with that, vote them out. “It is not about salaries of National Assembly members or salaries of the Executive. In a country where a Minister would buy over 15, 20 cars and invite the President to come because he wants to give out the cars to his supporters and they sent a representative of the President to be there, how else are we supporting corruption?  Why have we not asked the minister, where did you get the money to buy these cars and why was the minister not locked up and sacked from the cabinet? “A country where a minister travels every time with chartered aircraft every weekend, nobody asks where they get the money, there is impunity on stealing, it is no longer corruption. I agree it is not corruption. We need to vote them out now, all of you are responsible for what is happening to Nigeria and you are responsible because you voted them into power. You are responsible because you are condoning what is happening.  Nigerians must rise now,” he said. Amaechi bemoaned the worsening security situation in the country, stressing that it is the duty of the government in power to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians. He said true democracy is not practised in the country because votes do not yet count. “The Federal Government has the responsibility to protect your life, to protect the lives of those girls that are in Sambisa Forest.  If that fails then the government has failed.” “Democracy is the right to choose.  You should be allowed to choose. They should not bring out the military or police to come and fight you and write results.  They should allow the military and the police to stay in their barracks, let us go and vote, let us see who will be our leader, that is democracy, not one that you are compelled to vote or they vote on our behalf.” He lambasted the PDP for embarking on early campaigns ahead of next year’s election, calling the current government a ‘civilian regime’ and not a democratic government. He also appealed to the people to prepare for next year’s election and ensure their votes count. “So, what I enjoin all of you is to prepare for 2015.  All of us must come out en masse and vote out these gentlemen.  We must vote them out.  They know nothing other than how to steal our money.  Those who left us to the other party left us because we refused to share money.  If you allow them to take power, they will spend one year stealing money, so we must stop them”, he said. Amaechi remarked that APC is averse to looting and corrupt practices and wants only to use public funds for people’s benefit. “There are 16 APC Governors and there are 18 PDP Governors, in APC States like Lagos and Rivers, see what we have done.  We are saying to them, we don’t play to the gallery. The problem of Nigeria is beyond road construction. Most governors construct roads so that you will clap for them. We think that you need to address education if you must run away from poverty and that is why just as we are addressing education here, Lagos State is addressing education even our neighbouring Imo State that does not have the kind of money we have. “We also think that you need to address Agriculture as a way to mitigate poverty.  Let PDP come forward and say we are doing the same, let us see.  We are open to a debate.  So, what we are saying here is that the difference between PDP and APC is that we are progressives. A lot of you can approach me, a lot of you see me drive myself on the street, a lot of you see me stop in restaurants and eat food, an emperor does not do that.  PDP is an imperial party.  It is a party that is conservative.  Some of them don’t know what conservative ideas are. They don’t know what capital is.  They don’t know that with capital, they can invest. They think that government can solve all problems.” Corroborating the governor, Dino Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives said from Amaechi’s explanation, it becomes even clearer that APC Governors are more result-oriented than their PDP counterparts. He lampooned the corruption culture in the ruling PDP and said fervent electoral effort should be made to reverse the trend. He said, “In PDP, 16 is more than 19 but in APC, we are saying 19 is more than 16. If you check the performance of the PDP Governors just like His Excellency has said and check the performance of the APC Governors, the difference is like darkness and light. “In APC, we officially launched what we call the road map of the party and I am announcing to you that PDP is yet to even clear their ground not to talk of having a road map but the APC have a national road map to all the problems of this country and it was officially launched in Abuja some months ago. Then while we believe that stealing and corruption is the same, PDP believes that there is a difference between stealing and corruption. “They said the GDP is growing and Nigeria is the fastest-growing economy, forget power-point expression by the Minister of Finance, we in APC believe that our GDP is this:  When this government came in 2010, the price of a bag of rice was N8,000, today it is N12,500. Our GDP is that dollar in 2010 when this government came into power was N140, today it is N165. These will make you realize that APC is completely different from the PDP.” Delivering his lecture, Prof. Pat Utomi said legitimacy for the current PDP-led federal government was waning over its poor performance and slow response to issues. On his part, Mr. Bernard Kouchner, a former French Foreign Minister shedding light on ‘Africa, Nigeria and the issues for the future’ noted that Nigeria and the rest of Africa was playing more important roles in the world compared to times past when the continent was the world’s focus for humanitarian needs. For Guido Westwelle, a former German Foreign Minister, peace and stability, high population growth coupled with unemployment were still high on the list of challenges facing Nigeria and Africa and urged leaders on the continent to make effort to pull back those challenges. He however commended the African values of empathy and brotherliness among others but said government must be empowered to maintain peace and stability. Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, a former head of US State Counter-Terrorism Bureau, Nigeria continues to face terrorism from the Boko Haram sect which is a major obstacle to economic and political growth. He therefore called on the Federal Government to take appropriate action to end the malaise of terrorist attacks in the country adding that peace and stability would be needed in Nigeria and other parts of Africa to promote growth in various sectors and enhance bilateral trade and other relations within Africa and the rest of the world. Attendance at the conference cut across wide segments of society including politicians, industrialists, union leaders, students, market women and general public.

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Military Fingers Atiku In Alleged Plot To Indict Armed Forces For Genocide

The Defence Headquarters has raised the alarm in which it fingered a former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the suspected sponsor of a massive campaign of calumny to discredit and indict the the country's armed forces of committing genocide in North East Nigeria. Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade in a statement today though did not categorically mentioned Atiku's name but in a veiled reference said the military high command has "been alerted of a plot by some interest groups to embark on a renewed campaign aimed at attracting international  condemnation and  indictment of  the Nigerian military and its operations in the Northern part of the country. The campaign which is to rely heavily on doctored and falsified audio visual materials, some of which are already trending in the social media, is to be coordinated and funded by a prominent political leader whose state is presently under the State of  Emergency (a veiled reference to Atiku who bare 24 hours ago cautioned the military against using security matters to do public relations stunt for government)." Other parts of the statement read: "The details of the plan which is already being fine-tuned by a group of media practitioners,  is to be presented for the final ratification and funding by the political figure. The design is expected to forcefully whip up sentiments of genocide allegedly targeted against a particular religious group.  The planners of this multi-media crusade also hope to use it to gain some mileage in the drive to secure international attention as they have not achieved this sufficiently despite previous efforts. The programme which is also meant to reinforce the ongoing media campaign against the military was adopted as an alternative by those who are bent on politicizing the ongoing counter terrorists operations in the northern part of the country. "It will be recalled that a newspaper, apparently testing the waters, last week published some of the doctored pictures which the Defence Headquarters instantly repudiated, pointing out that they do not represent activities or operations of the Nigerian military. "This Headquarters wishes to reiterate its rejection of pictures and video footages from unverifiable sources claiming to reflect activities or so called  atrocities purportedly perpetrated by Nigerian security forces. They do not reflect or depict the true state of affairs or operations of Nigerian military or any of the security forces. The public is advised to watch out and not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by these acts of infamy orchestrated by this desperate group. "Once again, it must be emphasized that the dastardly acts of terrorism are against all Nigerians and all peace loving people all over the world.  No amount of propaganda by apologists of terror group can justify the evil acts of terrorism by attempting to cast the Nigerian military and security forces in bad light."

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Boko Haram Kills Emir Of Gwoza In Deadly Attacks On 3 Borno Monarchs…2 Policemen,Others Shot Dead

 Three first class Emirs today came under heavy bombardment from Boko Haram insurgents while on their way to the burial of the late Emir of Gombe, Shehu Usman Abubakar. While the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta was shot dead on the spot, that of Uba, Alhaji Ismaila Ibn Mamza and Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed Ibn Askirama II, Emir of Askira escaped into nearby bush with bullet wounds. According a reliable source in Maiduguri, the three traditional rulers drove in the official vehicle of the Emir of Gwoza along with their convoy which also include police escort. They however came under attack by armed men who fired bullets sporadically on the convoy, targeting the three traditional rulers. An eyewitness and member of Gwoza Emirate, Alhaji Wali Ibrahim told BBC Hausa Service monitored in Maiduguri that the insurgents fired at the convoy from the bush, forcing the convoy to reverse. "It was when we got to a military checkpoint we realized the emirs were not with us," he explained. He said they later discovered the emir of Gwoza was dead after a search with the military troops. He also disclosed that the driver also died and two policemen were killed on the convoy. A statement by the Borno State Government today announced what it described as unfortunate murder of the Emir Alhaji Idrissa Timta. The statement signed by Secretary to the Borno State Government (SSG), Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda said the emir was killed around 9am local time by suspected Boko Haram insurgents around Tashan Alade on the way to Biu town, in the southern part of the state. "The late Emir was in company of the Emir of Askira, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama and Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza, all of whom drove in the same vehicle as they headed to Biu to pick the Emir of Biu so they could all drive in convoy to Gombe ‎State to attend the funeral of the late Emir of Gombe who is scheduled for burial in Gombe today (Friday). "The late Emir of Gwoza had visited his counterpart, the Emir of Uba ‎yesterday and passed the night in Uba ahead of their planned trip today. The two Emirs were this morning, joined by the Emir of Askira. The three drove in the same vehicle with the intention of going to Biu to be joined by their counterpart in Biu. Unfortunately as they were driving in convoy to Biu, they were ambushed by gun men around Tashan Alade, soon after passing Garkida. The gunmen came after the convoy,specifically targeted the vehicle conveying the three Emirs and opened fire. The Emir of Gwoza was unfortunately killed by the attackers while the Emirs of Askira and Uba escaped unhurt. A policeman in the convoy was shot by the attackers but he survived the attack," the statement said. The government said it was terribly shocked by the incident even as it prayed for the people of the emirate to have the fortitude to bear the trauma. Emir of Gwoza, Uba and Askira were early this year elevated to first class status. The emir of Gwoza had on February 18 during the visit of Gov Kashim Shettima to his palace, appealed to the government to tackle the security challenge, warming that the insurgents would soon overrun the area if urgent action was not taken. Meanwhile, the military has said that troops are currently on aggressive patrols along the entire route with a view to apprehending the perpetrators and keeping the area safe.  The military in a statement by Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade  while confirming the attack also said  23 members of an armed gang terrorizing the northeast Plateau State have also been arrested by troops in the area after raids. "Raids carried out by troops  of the Special Task Force operating in the north-central part of the country have led to the  arrest of 23 members of armed gangs terrorizing the region.  The suspects including a hard drugs supplier were apprehended during raids on camps and criminal hideouts located in Bukuru, Jos South and Barkin Ladi general areas.  All the suspects are currently undergoing preliminary investigation before they will be handed over to appropriate prosecuting agency," Olukolade stated. An official profile of the murdered Emir of Gwoza released today by the Borno state government reveals that he was 72 years old and served 33 years on the throne.  "Alh. Shehu Mustapha Idrisa Timta was born in 1942 to the family of the Late Chief of Gwoza Alh. Idrisa Timta. The Late Emir attended the Muslim Elementary School Gwoza in 1948 and Senior Primary School Bama between 1952 and 1960. He proceeded to the then Provincial Secondary School now Government College Maiduguri between 1960 to 1964. The Late Emir of Gwoza after working briefly as a teacher in Gwoza, he proceeded to the prestigious ABU, Zaria to study Sharia Law in 1968 and later HND in the same discipline in 1972. Alh. Shehu Mustapha Idrisa Timta has worked with the then North – East judiciary in various capacities as an inspector of Area Courts and rose to the rank of Principal Inspector of Area Courts before his appointment as the 3rd chief of Gwoza in October, 1981. The late Emir was elevated to a second class Emir in 1987 and due to his hard work and loyalty to Government, His Excellency the executive Governor of Borno State Hon. Kashim Shettima elevated him to the rank of a 1st class Emir     in January, 2014. The late Emir is survived by four wives, 28 children and many brothers and sisters. Among them are Alh. Haruna Idrisa Timta, the former Head of Service, Borno state Alh. Adamu Idrisa Timta, a Permanent Secretary with the Borno state Government, Alh. Yusuf Timta, Secretary Gwoza Local Govt, and Alh. Umar Timta of the DPR, Maiduguri. Among his children are Muhammad S. Timta, District Head of Hambagda, Isa S. Timta, Secretary of the Emirate Council, Lt. Abdulrazaq S. Timta of the Nigeria Army and Dr. Abubakar S. Timta. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace and an eternal rest in Aljanna Firdaus", the profile read.

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13 Persons Roasted To Death In Sokoto Auto Crash…14 Others Wounded

 

 No fewer than 13 persons were on Thursday night burnt to death in an auto crash involving two passenger vehicles in Sokoto. The accident occurred in Tudun-Dukiya village, near Dogon Karfe, about 10 km to Illela town in Sokoto State. The crash which occurred at about 9.00pm local time also left 14 other persons injured. The deceased persons included women and children passengers. The accident, according to an eye witness, involved a Peugeot J-5 bus travelling from Jos, Plateau State to Illela and a Toyota Starlet car travelling from Illela to Sokoto. Confirming the incident, the Sector Commander of the Federal Roads Safety Commission (FRSC) in Sokoto State, Dr. Umar Gummi, said the two vehicles caught fire after a head-on collision. “Some of the passengers are seriously injured, with some having first degree burns,” he said. Gummi said some of the victims are receiving treatment at the Illela General hospital, while others have been referred to the Uthmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto. “As for the deceased persons, they were burnt to ashes and it is too difficult to recognize them,” the FRSC official explained.

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JAMB Exposes Lagos Guber Aspirant Akinwunmi Ambode As Ondo State Indigene…Document Published

The heaps of lies piled up by a rumoured anointed governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Akinwunmi Ibidapo Ambode over his claim to Lagos as his state of origin have continued to fall apart as a form filled by the aspirant while applying for a Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB's direct entry admission into the University of Lagos in 1981 has further confirmed that he is indeed from Ondo state. A copy of the form mailed to iReports-ng.com today reveals that Ambode had in his application form number JAMB/DE.03 and registration number 646789 filled in his own handwriting that he is an indigene of Ondo state in the portion of the form which asks his state of origin. He indicated his contact address as 101 Lagos street, Ebute Metta and his date of birth as 14th June, 1963. He also filled University of Lagos as his first choice of school, University of Benin as second and Ahmadu Bello University as third choice with Accounting and Business Administration as his first and second choice of course of study respectively. This exposure as a liar is coming on the heels of a revelation by the Edu family of Epe in Lagos east that the aspirant is not a member of the family as he has claimed. The Baale Buraimo Edu family he claims to belong to in Epe had t issue a statement last week to disown him. The family, in a release signed by both Alhaji M. Oladeinde Edu and Alhaji T. A. Edu, also insisted that Ambode hailed from Ilaje in Ese Odo area of Ondo State and not from Epe as he claimed. According to the release, the family stated that the Baale Edu while alive had 22 wives and 38 children and challenged Ambode and his supporters to trace his side of the Edu family tree and name his mother among the 22 wives. According to them “We hereby bring it to the notice of all Lagosians that we have tried but could not trace where the said Akinwumi Ambode belongs in the family tree of Baale Buraimo Edu of Epe. “At this juncture, we can categorically state here that in actual fact, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode was a son of Festus Akinwale Ambode, one of the teachers posted to Epe in the old Western Region; a native of Ilaje Ese Odo in the present day Ondo State. “As a school teacher, the elder Ambode was very familiar and friendly with several Epe indigenes. The older Ambode came to Epe through the waterways. He came with his wife, Christianah Oluleye Ambode (nee Oresanya), who though initially did not stay with him which made the older Ambode marry a second wife, an Epe daughter, popularly called ‘Iya Vice from Poka, Epe. “She was a food seller in Epe Grammar School. This development led to Akinwunmi Ambode’s mother who also hails from Ilaje Ese Odo in Ondo State to eventually relocate to Epe to stay with her husband,” the family said. According to Edu family,  at death, Ambode’s father’s corpse was taken back to Ilaje, Ondo State for burial in line with the dictates of tradition and royalty as he was a prince, adding that, “The royalty from the kingdom came with the full royal insignia and ferried his remains back to Ilaje land for interment. “With these facts stated above, it is a rude shock to the entire clan of the Edus in Epe that the said Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is laying claims to being a clan of the Edus. We reject this linkage, both paternal and maternal, or even marital,” the family said. Below is a copy of the JAMB form filled by Ambode confirming his true state of origin.

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Confab Chairman Idris Kutigi Loses Wife, Maryamu…Adjourns Till Monday

 Proceedings at the plenary session of the National Conference were mournfully adjourned on Wednesday following the news of the death of Maryamu, the wife of the Conference Chairman and retired Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, GCON. Maryamu, aged 70, died at the National Hospital in Abuja at about 2 am on Wednesday and has already been buried in line with Islamic rites. Deputy Chairman of the Conference and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, who presided over a brief session of the conference said it was only proper that the Conference be adjourned to enable delegates participate in the burial. Delegates who readily and unanimously agreed to the proposal for adjournment expressed shock at the death and the fact that Conference Chairman could still preside over proceedings until the last day of sitting while the wife was in the hospital. The Deputy Chairman described the late Maryamu as a pillar of strength to the Conference Chairman and regretted that she had passed on at a time the retired Justice was handling a critical national assignment and needed her closeness and wise counsel. Akinyemi said it was in demonstration of his deep sense of patriotism and commitment to the affairs of the country that Justice Kutigi continued to preside over the Conference throughout the period the wife was lying ill in the hospital. Before the adjournment on Wednesday, delegates had earlier in the week agreed not to have plenary session on Thursday May 29 which has been declared a public holiday by the Federal Government in celebration of Democracy Day. It was agreed that proceedings at the plenary will resume on Monday June 2 with deliberation on more reports of committees and adoption of recommendations contained in the reports. Before the immediate adjournment of sitting on Wednesday, Conference had indicated its readiness to conduct debate on the report of the Committee on Public Finance and Revenue headed by Senator Adamu Aliero with Senator Azu Agboti as deputy chairman. Also slated for resolution on Wednesday were issues arising from previous committee reports that were put in “bracket” by the principal officers of the conference due to objections raised when they came under consideration. Such issues include the recommendation by the Committee on Land Tenure and National Boundaries that the Land Use Act be expunged from the constitution for easy amendment of the Act for the benefit of the people. Some of the delegates were opposed to the recommendation while others applauded it; a situation that forced the presiding officers of the Conference to put the issue in “bracket” and appoint some delegates from every section of the country to meet and resolve the impasse. Another of such issue placed in “bracket” by the presiding officers surfaced on Tuesday during deliberation on the report of the Committee on Religion that recommended the establishment of what it called Religious Equity Commission (RECOM). The committee stated that the commission would have the statutory mandate of advocacy, enforcement of constitutional religious rights such as freedom of religion, freedom to acquire land for religious purposes, among others. While some of the delegates said the National Human Rights Commission should be empowered to handle such issues, others believed the new commission would serve useful purposes. The committee envisaged the RECOM to serve as a platform that would bring individuals of the major religions in Nigeria to interact and crystalise ideas that would foster unity and tolerance; as well as monitor and investigate and expose cases of religious discrimination and violation. The body was also meant to monitor cases of religious extremism - both in ideology and practice - and formulate counter narratives that are balanced and tolerant to neutralise such extremism. It would have equally served as a watch dog and enforcer of religious rights of all persons, thereby creating confidence and trust in every Nigerian no matter their religious affiliations while also monitoring and investigating cases of hate speeches and utterances meant to incite religious tension and prosecute persons responsible. When arguments for and against could not be resolved before close of session on Tuesday, the presiding officers decided to put it in abeyance till the next sitting. Also put in abeyance was the recommendation by the Committee on Religion for the scrapping of the Pilgrims Welfare Board or its movement to the Foreign Affairs Ministry following the adoption of the recommendation for non-sponsorship of pilgrimages by government at any level. Some of the delegates were of the view that scrapping the welfare body would hinder preparation for pilgrimages while others believed retaining the board would be counter-productive since government’s non-involvement in pilgrimages had already been resolved and adopted.

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