Nigeria Content Online

The crisis in Jos,
the Plateau State capital, which has claimed many lives has been blamed
on the inaction of the federal government, a civil rights group,
Intersociety has said.

Speaking through its chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, yesterday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, he said

“Government’s
action is missing, but inaction is noticeable. It may be correct to say
that over 15,000 Nigerians including women and children had been killed
since 1999 as a result of unabated ethno-religious/political violence
and it may also be safe to submit that the number of politically
related murders in Nigeria since 1999 has risen to between 160 and 200.
And over 90 per cent of these dastardly acts have remained judicially
and socially unresolved.

“With respect to
Jos killings, is it correct to say that the president is theoretically,
the Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s 700,000-strong Armed Forces? If the
answer is yes, then the president must take charge, because it appears
the contrary is the correct answer. It is our total submission that the
killings in Jos are deliberately political. The sponsors of these
killings are the same ethnic nationalities who adorn their plate
numbers with “born-to-rule” insignia,” Mr Umeagbalasi stated.

He said impunity
has continued to rule over the land and the president must address this
issue for democracy to thrive. “What is far more important is the
president’s capacity and competence to govern, especially as regards
the security and welfare of the Nigerian citizens as well as credible
protection of the territorial integrity of the state of Nigeria. It is
very disheartening that most of those who perpetrated these killings
are still on the prowl, no thanks to the president. He added.

The group regretted
that apart from the 17 people who were convicted by the Federal High
Court in December 2010, most of the perpetrators have not been held to
account for heinous atrocities committed, as the white papers that
originated from the two commissions of enquiry set up by the Federal
and the Plateau State governments had equally not been issued or
implemented till this date.

He scored Goodluck
Jonathan low for allowing key security formations in Plateau State to
be controlled by Muslim officers and described it as a dangerous
security and intelligence policy on the part of the president.

“We recall vividly
that during the Niger Delta uprising, the combatants and key senior
security officers posted in the area were drawn from the northern part
of the country.

Consequently, it is our respectful request that the entire security
establishments in Plateau State should be overhauled and officers and
combatants from parts of the country other than south east, middle-belt
and core north posted to the area.

Nigerian former
head of state, Yakubu Gowon said yesterday in Benin that if Nigeria
must truly realize its vision of a great nation, the sacrifices, dreams
and ideas of the nation’s departed heroes must not be allowed to be in
vain. Speaking at the final passage rites of the late nationalist and
political icon, Anthony Enahoro, at the Ogbe Hard Court of Samuel
Ogbemudia Stadium, Mr. Gowon, described the late elder statesman as an
“exceptionally gifted democrat who defended Nigeria’s unity and fought
for her through democracy.”

He however told the
audience that Mr. Enahoro left Nigeria with the regret that he was not
able to see a Nigeria of his dream as enunciated in his NADECO and
PRONACO philosophy. He challenged all Nigerians to continue to give Mr.
Enahoro’s vision a look, and try to arrive at his dream of a
full-fledged Nigerian democracy.

“No tribute, brief
or long; no encomium, expansive or restricted, is enough to acknowledge
his achievement in life and his greatness,” he said.

Mr. Gowon recalled
his school days in the 1940s when Mr. Enahoro was a young political
firebrand and a budding political thorn in the flesh to the colonial
masters of the day.

“We used to look at him in awe,” he said.

Mr. Gowon said that
he never dreamt that he would meet Mr. Enahoro until his government
released him from prison after the late politician was jailed by the
colonial government for a ‘treasonable felony’. Mr. Enahoro served as
federal commissioner of information in Mr. Gowon’s administration.

“His performance as commissioner was exceptional as it was exemplary,” Mr. Gowon said.

In his tribute,
Governor of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole, called on Nigerians to fight
their oppressors as taught by Mr. Enahoro, saying that he was not given
to lamentations.

“He taught us how to engage, not how to beg,” he said. “He believed that if something is wrong, it must be challenged openly.”

According to Mr.
Oshiomhole, the lesson from Mr. Enahoro is that a man who fights on the
side of the people cannot be imprisoned by man.

Governor of Delta
State Emmanuel Uduaghan said ideas propagated by the late activist,
especially fiscal federalism founded on ethnic nationalities were
worthy of consideration, while Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State said the
clarity of the late Enahoro’s vision for Nigeria was infectious.

In his tribute, former governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun
described Mr. Enahoro as a man of undisputed courage and tremendous
vision, pointing out that the democracy Nigerians enjoy today is
traceable to the vision of the late Enahoro. Other dignitaries who paid
tribute to the late sage were Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida
Aliu, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, David Edebiri, Tom Ikimi, Ayo
Adebanjo, Ndubuisi Kanu, Ayo Opadokun, Frank Kokori, and Itse Sagay.

The workers unions
at the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, yesterday began
an indefinite strike over the state government’s refusal to implement a
new salary scale. The striking workers who carried placards of various
inscriptions locked the main gates of the college as early as 8.00am.
They vowed not to return to the duty post until government implements
the new pay rise, and accused the government of marginalising them.

Addressing workers
in turns, the chairman of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union
(COEASU), Tope Egunjobi; Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education
(SSUCOED), Charles Egunjobi; and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU),
Femi Ajayi, all contended that Governor Kayode Fayemi had agreed that
they would be paid with the new salary scale beginning from January
2011.

“All the
institutions in the state are being paid with the new salary scale. We
don’t know why the state government has been partial to the workers of
College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. Even the workers of the University
of Education (TUNEDIK), whose licence was revoked by the National
Universities Commission (NUC) are being paid the new salary scale,” the
unions alleged.

The acting provost
of the college, Titilayo Ogunmola, could not be reached for her
reaction as she was said to be in a meeting with officials of the state
government in Ado Ekiti over the issue.

The mystery gunmen in Borno struck
again on Tuesday, killing a deputy superintendant of police and a
six-year-old girl in Maiduguri.

The police officer, identified as
Gadzama, was in Maiduguri to condole with the family of one of those
killed last week before he was killed near the NNPC mega station at
Abbaganaram area of the city.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
gathered that the police officer, an indigene of Askira Uba local
government area in the state, was trailed by the gunmen to the fuel
station and shot at close range.

Similarly, a six-year-old girl, believed to be his daughter, was also shot dead by the gunmen.

Lawal Abdullahi, the police public relations officer, confirmed the
incident, saying that the police had commenced investigation into the
issue.

The World Bank yesterday commenced its annual review
of STEP-B projects in the different educational and research institutes
in Nigeria.

Irajen Appaasamy, task team leader of STEP-B project
at the World Bank, who led the delegation on a visit to the Minister of
Science and Technology in Abuja, stated that the bank, having funded
the projects in the country within the last few years, need an
on-the-spot assessment to ascertain the level of impact on the lives of
Nigerians.

Part of the objectives of the review is to know the
challenges the project is facing and how to discuss and agree on a set
action that will lead to the project impact at the end of the day.

“Basic areas we are looking at has to do with
increases in the number of students trained in Science and
technology-related areas; improvements in quality (like more
publications, more collaborations between researchers in the public and
private sectors, and between institutions in education and in research,
and between Nigerian institutions and their partners internationally);
improvements in teaching and learning of Science and technology and
improved relevance of S&T education and relevance to the needs of
Nigeria,” Mr. Appaasamy said.

STEP-B Project is a World Bank sponsored Nigerian
project supporting Science and technology education at the post-basic
evel. The idea is to catalyse the activities of Science and technology
in Nigeria so as to meet the development objectives of Nigerians.

The total value of grant for the project is 180
million dollars and half of this has been disbursed for different
projects in education and Science and technology ministries.

Tunde Adekola, senior education specialist at the
World Bank, Nigeria, said, “once in a year we go round to see the
status of the project; to see what is ground and how much we have been
able to achieve in terms of disbursement, impact and developmental
outcomes. We will be going to the field to visit some of the
educational and research institutes.

“But according to the data we have, 50 per cent of
the project has been executed and the project life has been extended
for another two years. It gives opportunity of better things to be
achieved. ”

Mohammed Abubakar, Minister of Science and
Technology, earlier stated that with the extension of the date of
completion of all STEP-B projects, there is need for more funding.

Mr. Abubakar also commended the STEP-B team for
assistance on some projects of the ministry, insisting that more
collaboration with the ministry would help in the expansion of the
scope of coverage, especially to its research institutes that were yet
to benefit from the assistance.

“You cannot encourage the teaching of Science
without the development of the ministry of science because we are
largely responsible for the development of Science and technology
policies and researches in the country.

“We have been collaborating, but we feel that the scope of
collaboration is not sufficient enough. There is, therefore, the need
to expand the scope and funding of Step-B project with the Ministry of
Science,” Mr. Abubakar said.

The federal
government yesterday announced a projection of over 8 percent national
economic growth in the first quarter of 2011, even as it plans to
resuscitate, the Marketing Boards to help boost agricultural sector in
the country. The Minister of Information and Communication Labaran Maku
disclosed this yesterday while briefing journalists after the weekly
Federal Executive Council meeting, which was presided over by Vice
President Namadi Sambo, in the absence of President Goodluck Jonathan
who is currently in Turkey. Quoting from statistics by the Central Bank
Governor, Sanusi Lamido, which he supplied during his 2010 Fourth
Quarter Report presentation to FEC, Mr. Maku said the national growth
rate for the last quarter of 2010 was 8.29 percent. The growth, he
said, was largely sustained by improved performance in the non-oil
sector, particularly agriculture as well as the increasing availability
of electricity across the country which assisted in improving capacity
utilization from 25 percent to 29.65 percent, during the period.

“The Governor of
Central Bank of Nigeria briefed the Council on the performance of the
economy in the fourth quarter of 2010. The Council was informed that
there had been steady growth in the GDP which continues to be driven
largely by the non-oil sector, particularly agriculture,” he said.

Mr. Maku also noted
that the 2010 fourth quarter growth is an improvement from the 7.86 in
third quarter of 2010 while the CBN also projected a similar growth in
the first quarter of 2011 as capacity utilization in industries has
grown from 25 percent to 29.6 percent.

Agricultural boost

The non-oil sector
contributed 8.87 percent while the agric sector contributed about 40
percent with a positive projection. The minister further explained that
the positive outlook will be improved by the continued implementation
of the amnesty programme, stability in crude oil exports and
electricity supply to economic centers in the country. Still stating
the statistics, Mr. Maku said the CBN gave out N199.6 billion to 539
small and medium scale firms through a network of commercial banks and
which created 7,195 jobs within the period. He said although the
foreign exchange rate stabilized at N153 to the dollar, the CBN is
striving to keep the figure at N150 to the dollar as a step towards
shoring up the naira.

“Though there was
moderation in inflation, the governor cautioned that inflation remained
a major concern in the short to medium term, Interbank rates and other
money market rates, including lending, also moderate.

“The foreign
exchange market was substantially stable, while the steady recovery in
the capital market continued. The growth in monetary and private sector
credit aggregates, however, remained sluggish. The governor commended
the government for the reduction in the proposed level of expenditure
still remained high but that the general thrust of the fiscal policy
pronouncements was in the desired direction.”

The minister said
FEC also accepted in theory the resuscitation of marketing boards for
agricultural produce as proposed by the CBN governor, but with a
directive that the modalities and policy framework be worked out by the
apex bank for a possible approval Council at a later date.

He also said in
making its recommendations for the resuscitation of the marketing
boards, the CBN drew experiences from countries like Ghana and Tanzania
where marketing boards have boosted the economies by helping farmers
buy up excess farm produce which allow them to concentrate in crop
production and avoid losses.

He however
explained that “not all the boards dissolved may make a comeback but it
is expected that farmers will thence incur less losses while
agricultural productivity will be enhanced”, adding that “the idea
sounded well and FEC accepted it and directed that modalities and
proper policy framework for it be worked out”.