Confab Adopts Rotational Presidency, Approves Creation Of Extra State For South East

The National Conference on Thursday resolved that henceforth, the office of the President of Nigeria shall rotate between the North and South and revolve among the geo-political zones. It was also agreed that the office of the state governors shall be rotated among the three senatorial districts of each state while that of the local government chairmen shall also be rotated within the local government areas. Also, local government councils not democratically elected shall not be recognized by all authorities and persons and would not be entitled to any revenue allocation from the Federation Account or the Account of the State Government or exercise any function exercisable by local government councils. These were parts of the resolutions adopted by the Conference while considering the Report of the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government; which attracted intensive debates and lots of amendments. The Committee was mandated to primarily examine the extant structure and forms of governments in the context of the peculiar circumstances of Nigeria’s diverse and multi -ethnic setting. It was also expected to examine Nigeria’s attendant challenges and the need to lay a solid foundation for an all-inclusive and cost-effective system of government which would serve the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. Where the President dies in office, is incapacitated, impeached or where he resigns, Conference agreed that the Vice President shall operate in acting capacity for a period of 90 days during which an election to the same office would be conducted. This decision was taken because each zone is expected to run the full course of the constitutionally allowed tenure without undue disruption; and it was also agreed that based on the adopted zoning formula, when a president leaves under any of the circumstances stated above, another president would be elected from the same zone where the previous one came from. Conference also voted in favour of Modified Presidential system of Government as recommended by the Committee; described as home-made model of government that combines the attributes of Parliamentary and Presidential systems. The concept is believed to have the potentials of entrenching the principle of Separation of Powers as practiced in presidential system and promotion of co-operation and harmony between executive and the legislature as operated under the parliamentary system. The President elected under the new system shall exercise full responsibility for his government and shall select ministers, not more than 18 of them, from the six geo-political zones of the country. It was agreed that henceforth, the Minister of Finance and no longer the President as presently obtained, would present the annual budget to the National Assembly. Under the new arrangement, both the President and the ministers would be expected to appear before the National Assembly to render account of their stewardship on quarterly basis. Conference also voted to retain the bicameral legislative system instead of the unicameral proposed by the Committee in its report. Still on local government administration, delegates approved the scrapping of Joint State and Local Government Accounts; to be replaced with a State Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. The body would be expected to have as members, representatives of local government areas and a chairman nominated by the state governor for confirmation by the state House of Assembly. In addition to the functions conferred on the local government councils as specified in the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended, a State House of Assembly may by law, confer other functions on the local government. Henceforth, and except otherwise overturned, Conference adopted a recommendation to confer financial autonomy on State Houses of Assembly as a way of freeing them from direct control by the executive. Conference agreed that the Constitution shall fix the tenures for local government councils. It was also voted that for functionality, local government should be politically and economically independent. Delegates voted overwhelmingly on the proposal that each state of the federation should have its own constitution which of course would be subservient to the Federal Constitution. While agreeing that the Constitution should be amended to allow for less onerous process for state creation, Conference specifically approved the creation of an additional state for the South East zone, “in the spirit of reconciliation, equity and justice.” As soon as the unanimous decision was taken, the hall erupted in celebration as delegates from the South East went around shaking hands and thanking other delegates for their support. Henceforth, it said state creation should be on the basis of parity between the geo-political zones to ensure equality of zones. On the creation of new states, Conference said such aspiration must be backed by the potential viability of the proposed state in terms of economic potential, human natural and material resources as well as minimum land and water mass. The envisaged state, delegates agreed, must have cultural and historical antecedent, with strong cultural affinity amongst its population while the component should be contiguous. In addition, Conference adopted the recommendation that for any new state to be created such a new state must have a minimum population of one million persons. Conference approved in principle, the eventual creation of 18 additional states across the country as a way of meeting the yearning and aspirations of the people. During consideration of additional recommendations, Conference unanimously adopted a proposal that Nigeria reverts to her old National Anthem, “which is a more credible symbol of unity, peace and prosperity.” Instantly, delegates were up on their feet and in unison sang the first stanza of the old National Anthem which if adopted eventually, would become the new anthem. It was equally resolved that the right to self-determination by the states as federating units should be extended to ethnic nationalities within the states if they so desired. As a policy item, the Federal Government was urged to set up a new commission to address the plight of indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory. At the same time, Conference said the Local Content Act Provision should be extended to the original citizens of the Federal Capital as it relates to procurement within the territory. However, attempts by some delegates to increase the number of senators from the Federal Capital Territory from one to two was opposed to and voted out. As a way of improving the wellbeing of many Nigerians, Conference called for adoption of fiscal federalism. As the Conference winds down on its activities, delegates resolved on the need for modalities for entrenchment of referendum in the Constitution.

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MORIN-TOM SINGLES

OSHINMORIN ADEBAYO CLEMENT (born April 29,1997), known by his stage name MORIN-TOM is a Nigeria hop hop artiste although upcoming.
He grew up with the passion of singing because he started singing when he was in his school choir and encouraged by the school and is friends around him.
Gradually he found out that their is hip hop spirit in him, then he put it into practice.
In 2013, "MORIN-TOM" wrote a song called "sisi eko" which was recorded in Darkies studio, through the support of His brother OSHINMORIN  OLAMILEKAN JULIUS aka LEON. This year 2O14 is gonna be a fantastic one by the grace God 2 MORIN-TOM because he's got two songs to be recorded titled 

1. ORIMABAMISE

1. OLUWADAMILARE

To stay updated please connect with MORIN-TOM ON twitter via clementton214 or/and take His phone contact +234  816 749 5187 
Download His first single titled OROBO [SISI EKO] to feel His uniqueness in the Music industry

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National Conference Wants States Independent Electoral Commissions Scrapped

 The National Conference on Tuesday resolved to have the States Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) scrapped and recommended that its functions be transferred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It was observed that the commission at that level has outlived its usefulness and has become a tool for governors to manipulate elections into local government councils.
 Also on Tuesday, a proposal for the review of the Electoral Act to further strengthen INEC`s capacity to effectively monitor party conventions was accepted by the Conference.
Delegates also set the minimum academic qualification for candidates seeking elective positions. For instance, for the Presidential, Governorship and National Assembly candidates, first degree or its equivalent was set as the mandatory qualification.
 Candidates seeking to contest for States Houses of Assembly and Local Government Chairmanship elections are also expected to posses a first degree certificate or its equivalent while Secondary School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent was set as the minimum academic qualification for candidates seeking election as local government councilors.
These resolutions were part of the recommendations adopted during the debate and consideration of report of the Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters headed by the duo of Senator Iyorchia Ayu and Senator Ken Nnamani, both former Presidents of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Conference also accepted a recommendation for the establishment of a Political Parties Regulation and Electoral Offences Commission to be vested with various responsibilities connected with electoral matters.
Among the responsibilities of the Commission would be to investigate all electoral frauds and related offences; identify, trace and prosecute political thuggery; and other electoral offences as well as monitor the organization and operations of political parties, including their finances.
Conference also resolved that appeals from judgments in pre-election matters to the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court should be filed within 21 days from the date the judgment of the lower court is delivered.
Conference, after an exhaustive debate, also accepted the recommendation that the Evidence Act be amended to shift the burden of proof in election matters to INEC.
Still on election litigation, Conference agreed that relevant provisions be made in the Electoral Act to ensure that no elected official is sworn in until all litigations on the elections are concluded.
In addition, it agreed that any candidate adjudged by the courts to have been fraudulent in the electoral process should not only be barred from subsequent elections but should be disqualified from vying for any elective office or holding any government position for ten years. It was also resolved that in addition any person removed from office, based on the decision of the court on fraudulent election, must lose all privileges attached to that office.
Another resolution was that if a candidate is disqualified by the court for not meeting the required qualification for contesting an election, or in situation where such a person is elected and the court orders him to vacate the office, the candidate with the second highest number of votes should be declared winner.
This recommendation, according to the delegates is to avoid waste of public funds to repeat elections consequent upon removal of disqualified candidate. On the appointment of INEC chairman, Conference accepted the recommendation of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Report regarding the manner of appointing the INEC chairman.
 Conference also accepted the Committee’s recommendation that any elected officials, executive or legislative who engages in cross-carpeting, regardless of the reasons for such, shall automatically forfeit his or her seat.
This provision, it said, shall not relate to cases where political parties merge to become a mega party. In such a case, Conference agreed that elected officials should have a choice to freely choose any political party they want to belong.
 However, it was agreed that elected officers whose political parties, on whose platform they won election, later merge with other political parties after the elections should be allowed to retain their seats.
Conference also accepted the recommendation for the reservation of a defined quota for women and people living with disability in party hierarchy, although it rejected a suggestion a 15 per cent slot should be reserved for persons living with disabilities. It agreed that accessible polling stations be established for persons with disability and that INEC should provide Braille ballot papers for the visually impaired persons.
 The recommendation by the Committee that if the candidate whose name was submitted to INEC dies or withdraws from election or is disqualified by the court of competent jurisdiction, the political party which nominated the candidate shall forward to the commission the name of the aspirant who scored the second highest number of vote at the primaries as the substitute candidate was accepted by the Conference.
 On election matters, Conference accepted the recommendation for the introduction of electronic voting system after the 2015 general elections. It also agreed to the recommendation that government should make efforts to demilitarize elections.
 It was agreed that special mandatory provision should be made to compel INEC to electronically transmit result from all the wards upon conclusion of the counting process and that election results should be pasted at all ward levels.
 The Committee’s recommendation that government houses, cars and other facilities and resources should not be used for the partisan interests of any political party was endorsed by the Conference just as it endorsed another recommendation that it should be made mandatory by law for INEC to limit the numbers of voters in a polling unit to 500 as well as create as many polling units as the number of registered voters in every constituency.
 As part of that, it was also agreed that the criteria for delineation of the units should be clearly spelt out for easy verification so that communities in need of redress and civil society organizations can have verifiable facts to seek redress.
It also accepted the recommendation that makes it mandatory for all candidates seeking election to the office of President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor or such other office as may be deemed appropriate at every general election to participate or attend political debates which shall be hosted prior to the date of general election.
The Conference also agreed that in multi-party systems, parties can only contest local government elections, state elections and federal elections should be allowed to exist. Delegates voted that May 29 should no longer be seen and observed as Democracy Day.

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Scores Killed, Wounded As Bomb Explosion Destroys Maiduguri Market

A car bomb exploded Tuesday in a market in Maiduguri, the northeast Nigerian city that is the birthplace of Boko Haram Islamic extremists, reducing stalls, goods and vehicles to piles of trash. Dozens of people are feared dead, witnesses said.

They blamed Boko Haram extremists who are accused of a series of recent bomb attacks in the West African nation. Tuesday's explosives were hidden under a load of charcoal in a pickup van, according to witnesses who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Trader Daba Musa Yobe, who works near the popular market, said the bomb went off just after the market opened at 8 a.m., before most traders or customers had arrived.

Stalls and goods were reduced to debris as were the burned-out hulks of five cars and some tricycle taxis set ablaze by the explosion. Yobe said security forces cordoned off the area but had a hard time keeping people out, though they warned there could be secondary explosions timed to target rescue efforts.

Witnesses said they saw about 50 bodies. They said the toll may be worse but fewer than normal traders and customers were around because most people stay up late to eat during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting from sunrise to sunset.

A security official at the scene confirmed the blast, saying many casualties are feared. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press.

Explosions last week targeted the biggest shopping mall in Abuja, Nigeria's central capital, killing 24 people; a medical college in northern Kano city, killing at least eight; and a hotel brothel in northeast Bauchi city that killed 10. It was the third bomb blast in as many months in Abuja, and the second in two months in Kano. In May, twin car bombs at a marketplace also left more than 130 dead in central Jos city and killed at least 14 people at a World Cup viewing site in Damaturu, another town in the northeast.

Maiduguri, a city of more than 1 million people, has suffered many attacks. In March, twin car bombs killed more than 50 people at a late-night market where people were watching a football match on a big screen. Boko Haram has attracted international attention and condemnation since its April abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from a northeastern town.

Nigeria's military announced Monday night that it had busted a terrorist intelligence cell and arrested a businessman who "participated actively" in the mass abduction that caused outrage around the world.

It was unclear if the first arrest of a suspect in the kidnappings could help in rescuing at least 219 girls who remain captive. Boko Haram is threatening to sell the girls into marriage and slavery if Nigeria's government does not exchange them for detained insurgents.

Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade said in a statement that businessman Babuji Ya'ari belonged to a vigilante group fighting Boko Haram and used that membership as cover "while remaining an active terrorist." He said information yielded by Ya'ari's detention had led to the arrests of two women — one who worked as a spy and arms procurer and another described as a paymaster.

Boko Haram has adopted a two-pronged strategy this year of bombings in urban areas and scorched-earth attacks in northeastern villages where people are gunned down and their homes burned.

 

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Osun Guber Election Will Be Better Than Ekiti, INEC Chairman Jega Assures

Despite widespread applause for the recent Ekiti State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is working hard to make the upcoming Osun State governorship election better, the Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, has said. He said no effort would be spared to make the Osun election scheduled for August 9, 2014, more qualitative in all aspects than the June 21 Ekiti State election which has been widely acclaimed as the best so far by the Commission. He spoke on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, when the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China, H. E. Gu Xiaojie, paid a courtesy visit to the Commission. The Chairman said the present Commission had since 2010 when it came on board been devoted to improving the electoral process in Nigeria, “to make it more participatory and ensure that it is more transparent, that elections are conducted consistent with international best standards and in accordance with our own electoral laws.” He added: “Since 2011, we have been doing our best to keep on improving the integrity and transparency of the electoral process. We have cleaned up the Register of Voters, and we have been doing our best to address the challenge of logistics of deployment, which has been a major obstacle to our conduct of good elections. I am pleased to say there has been progressive improvement in the series of governorship elections that we have conducted since 2011, culminating in the Ekiti election that we conducted two weeks ago, and which has been generally acknowledged as perhaps the best election that we have conducted so far. On the 9th of August, we have another election in Osun State and we are doing everything possible to ensure that the Osun election is better than Ekiti.” Professor Jega restated INEC readiness to conduct the 2015 general election in all states of the federation, despite security threats in some areas. He said: “We know that both nationally and internationally, there are concerns about the 2015 general election, partly because of the challenges of security in some states. On our part, we have been doing our best to ensure that we are able to conduct elections in those areas; and we have been working very closely with security agencies to ensure that there is adequate security for the conduct of election in those states.” The Commission, according to him, has improved its engagement stakeholders – including political parties, security agencies and civil society organisations, among others – in order to deepen the political process. “We have periodic meetings with these stakeholders where we explain what we are doing and we receive suggestions for improvement; and we take these suggestions on board as we continue to improve the process,” he said. The Chairman also acknowledged the support of the international community for Nigeria’s electoral process. “Our development partners have been very helpful, other friends of Nigeria have generally been helpful; they have encouraged us and shown understanding, and that also has gone a long way to contribute to our continuous improvement of the electoral process.” The Chinese envoy, in his remarks, said there is much that his country and Nigeria could mutually learn from each other’s electoral experience. He added that Nigeria being an important country in Africa, global attention is on the country as it prepares to conduct the 2015 general election.    

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UN Indicts Boko Haram For Child Abuse…As Human Rights Watch Calls A Halt

All parties implicated in a new United Nations’ report about abuses of children during armed conflict should call an immediate halt to these crimes, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN secretary-general’s annual report on children in armed conflict was released on July 1, 2014. The report lists parties to armed conflict that are documented to have committed serious violations of international humanitarian law against children. These include recruiting and using children in their operations, killing and maiming children, sexual violence against children, or attacks on schools or hospitals. Human Rights Watch cited inconsistencies in the UN monitoring and reporting, however, which may reduce the report’s effectiveness. “All groups on the secretary-generals’ list of shame for their serious violations against innocent children deserve the world’s contempt,” said Bede Sheppard, deputy children’s rights director at Human Rights Watch. “All parties named in the UN report need to work with the UN to put a stop to abuses against children and to protect them from harm.” Once a party to an armed conflict is placed on this list, it triggers increased response from the UN, including intensified engagement by UN agencies in the affected country and potential Security Council sanctions. Such sanctions can include arms embargoes, travel bans, asset freezes, and referrals to the International Criminal Court against the officials responsible for violations. For government armed forces or non-state armed groups to be removed from the list, the UN must verify that parties have ended the abuses, primarily with time-bound action plans. This year’s report added eight new parties to the list of abusers, including Boko Haram in Nigeria for systematic attacks on schools and killing and maiming of children. The Chadian Armed Forces was removed from the list after the UN determined that it had fully complied with its action plan, documented no new cases of recruitment of children, and found no children during monitoring of armed forces activities. Although certain groups were mentioned in the text of the report, they were not formally added to the list. The report notes, for example, that Maoist forces in India and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate (BRN-C; National Revolutionary Front) in southern Thailand continue to recruit and use children, yet neither group was added to the list that could trigger UN action against them. Similarly, the report documents attacks on schools by the Tehrik-i-Taliban in Pakistan, by the Maoists in India, and al-Hirak separatists in Yemen without adding them to the list. Taliban forces make the list for their attacks on schools and teachers in Afghanistan, but not for similar attacks in Pakistan. Parties that have been included in the list for five years are labeled “persistent perpetrators,” leading to extra scrutiny and increasingly targeted measures by the UN. Yet the Maoist armed group in India, also known as the Naxalites, which has been featured in the text for the UN reports for five years, has never been added to the list. Although Maoist attacks on schools have decreased in recent years, the secretary-general’s report clearly shows that the attacks persist, and that the group qualifies under Security Council Resolution 1998 (2011) for inclusion in the list, Human Rights Watch said. Although this is the first time that the secretary-general’s report has named the BRN-C for violations in southern Thailand, the secretary-general first reported on the recruitment and use of children by unspecified “armed groups” in 2010, and has referenced attacks on schools in the area by “armed elements” since 2007. Human Rights Watch has documented that the BRN-C was responsible for recruiting children and attacks on schools since 2007. “Child soldiers and schools in India, Pakistan, and Thailand deserve the same protection from the United Nations as children suffering from other conflicts,” Sheppard said. “Unless all groups are rebuked and punished for similar offenses, the credibility and impartiality of the UN process is threatened.” The UN report reflected several improvements in its actions to address abuses of children during conflicts, including increased monitoring of attacks on schools, teachers, and hospitals. There is also more information on the military use of schools, which endangers children and deprives them of their right to education. The UN documented such abuses in 15 conflict situations. The secretary-general encouraged all member countries to make it a priority to adopt concrete measures to deter the military use of schools. These measures should include incorporating into legislation or military doctrines protections proposed by the “Draft Lucens Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict,” Human Rights Watch said. “The secretary-general’s annual report is one of the most effective ways that the UN has to push for real improvements in the behavior of parties to armed conflict toward children,” Sheppard said. “It’s critically important for the UN to be unquestionably impartial as it reports on abuses against children during war and presses all parties to halt their abuses.”

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Over 40 Killed, 70 Wounded In Maiduguri Bomb Blast

Death toll in the bomb explosion that shut down commercial activities in Maiduguri, Borno State capital today has been put at over 40 with more than 70 others critically wounded. The bomb which exploded near the Maiduguri Monday market around 8am local time was said to have been concealed in a Peugeot saloon car killing traders and members of the civilian JTF. Briefing Governor Kashim Shettima at the scene of the incident, the State Commissioner of Police, Lawan Tanko said the car which carried charcoal, was laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), adding that "the blast occurred when the IEDs hidden in the charcoal went off thereby creating crater at the middle of the road and many died." Also narrating what happened to the governor, chairman of Civilian JTF in Sector 3, Illiya Saidu said 17 bodies were recovered from the scene, adding that 15 of the victims were members of the vigilante group who had accosted the suicide bomber. About 70 persons wounded in the attack were moved to various hospitals in the city even as the blast destroyed some parts of the market and about 11 vehicles mostly taxis parked at a mini-motor park opposite the scene. After listening to various accounts of the incident, Gov. Shettima condemned the attack on innocent residents stressing that "We will not be deterred from providing services to our people despite Boko Haram antics." Overall Secretary General of the Civilian JTF, Tijani Abba however told journalists that more than 40 people died, adding that 21 bodies were evacuated from the scene shortly after the attack while another 20 charred bodies were later discovered.

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