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The Chief of Army
Staff, Azubuike Ihejirika, on Tuesday in Abuja said the Mogadishu Mammy
Market is to be re-opened soon for business.

An explosion rocked the market located at the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja on Dec. 31, 2010.

Speaking to
journalists in Abuja yesterday, Mr Ihejirika said the market would be
opened once the place was cleaned up and data needed for the
investigation compiled and that “the closing time has been nine o clock
and this will be maintained but security will be beefed up.

“Life will continue but security will be beefed up that is all,” he said.

The Army Chief said
the army was prepared to tackle any security challenge, adding that
training was also on-going as there was no amount of preparation that
was enough.

Mr Ihejirika explained that training directives have been issued for the 2011 training programme.

“It also embodies the forecast of events for the year and is a
detailed programme giving directives to commanders in the field on
where to focus their training,” he stated.

Nigeria has become the 53rd country to sign the UN agreement on the International Anti-Corruption Academy.

IACA is an
UN-related body set up as the focal point for international
co-operation and co-ordination in the fight against corruption.

The Europe
correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Attorney
General and the Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, signed the
agreement on behalf of the Federal Government in Vienna.

A statement from
the Nigeria’s permanent mission in Vienna and made available to NAN in
London, quoted Mr. Adoke as saying that the agreement was an evidence
of Nigeria’s commitment to the attainment of zero tolerance for
corruption.

“Although Nigeria
had established an effective institution such as the EFCC in the fight
against corruption, Nigeria will take advantage of the opportunities
presented by the Academy as a centre of training and academic
research,” the minister said.

Also, the chairman
of IACA International Steering Committee, Martin Kreutner, who signed
on behalf of the Academy, said he was delighted with Nigeria’s
membership. He said the Academy would support Nigeria in its fight
against corruption.

NAN reports that
the mandate of IACA includes anti-corruption research, education and
training, and provision of relevant technical assistance in the fight
against corruption.

The IACA has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

The signing is
coming few days after the country witnessed series of bomb blasts in
both Jos and Abuja, its Federal Capital Territory.

On Christmas eve,
December 24, 2010 in Jos, the Plateau State capital, about seven bombs
exploded and killed over 80 people and injured about 150.

On New Year eve, a
bomb exploded in an army barracks in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city,
killing and injuring many, including women and children. The bomb is
reported to have gone off at around 7.00pm in the area of the barracks
locally known as mammy market.

NAN

The first fire outbreak in 2011 in Bayelsa State on Monday night claimed two minors, aged between two and seven years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
reports that the fire, which started at about 8.30 p.m., also destroyed
property worth millions of naira in Amarata, a suburb of Yenagoa.

An eye witness said the fire started when a boy threw fireworks near a kerosene tank in a make-shift building.

The parents of the children who are
indigenes of Delta State, were said to have wept uncontrollably as they
watched their children burnt to death.

The eye witness said extensive damage had already been done before the arrival of men of the state fire service.

It was however noticed that the lack of access roads which usually
prevent fire fighting trucks from getting to the scene of fire
outbreaks is a major challenge to efficient serve delivery by fire
fighters in the state.

A faction of the
ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, under the
leadership of Dayo Soremi, yesterday kicked against the re-scheduled
congress of the State Assembly as ordered by visiting panel from Abuja
led by Obinwa Nnaji.

Mr Soremi, whose
faction is loyal to the Minister for Commerce, Jubril Martins-Kuye,
said Mr Nnaji’s panel does not have the power to cancel the congress.

“The attention of
our party has been drawn to reports in few newspapers to the effect
that the House of Assembly primaries we peacefully conducted in Ogun
State yesterday has been purportedly cancelled on the orders of Obinwa
Nnaji who led the visiting panel from Abuja,” Mr Soremi said.

“For records
purpose and in order to clarify issues to our teeming members, we wish
to state clearly that the said Mr Nnaji cannot give what he does not
have.

“The powers to fix
dates of primaries of our party has been exercised by the National
Working Committee (NWC) and confirmed by the National Executive Council
(NEC) of our great party. No individual, or group, panel or panelists
can excercise such authority, except as a day-dream exercise in
futility.”

He said the House
of Assembly primaries in the state, which was conducted on January 3,
2011, was very peaceful as could be attested to by members of the
press, State Security Services, Police and INEC.

“We wonder why
anybody could then be induced to create chaos, which is the predictable
outcome of a so-called new primaries,” he said.

Hand of Esau

He said it was
clear that the faction loyal to the state governor, Gbenga Daniel lost
out woefully in the primaries, “as the authentic members of the party
whose names are in Abuja voted overwhelmingly for our aspirants who
have now emerged as our party’s candidates.”

“We are aware that OGD has been boasting that he will warehouse any
panel sent to Ogun State as he has the party national chairman in his
pocket with the backing of the Presidency,” he said. “Though we tend
not to believe this, however, if it appears to be real, then, this will
signal a continuous suport for illegality from the highest level and it
would certainly not augur well for our party in Ogun State. We
therefore categorically reject another OGD- induced House of Assembly
primaries in Ogun State. It is illegal, fraudulent, against the PDP
costitution and an invitation to chaos.”

Days to the ruling
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for the Senate and House of
Representatives in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the FCT
Minister, Bala Mohammed, has appealed to contestants to shun violence
and activities that may undermine the city’s security. Addressing the
contestants in a meeting on Tuesday, the minister said that the FCT
administration is committed to the free and credible election of
representatives of the party, adding that he has not anointed any
candidate as has been rumoured.

“We are trying to
bring a new face of leadership in Nigeria,” he said. Mr Mohammed noted
that “in the local government election we had, we provided a level
playing field” and he continued, stating that “we are not going to
anoint any candidate because I believe all contestants represent the
party and we are trying to implement that policy of fairness, justice
and equity so that emerging leadership will be leadership that is
guided as a process where the common people have a pinch of leadership
where they participate in determining who emerges as a leader.” Mr
Mohammed also noted that there is need for maximum security because the
country is overheated.

“We want you to
continue to conduct yourself with this posture of accommodation,
politics without bitterness so that our party will remain together,” he
told the contestants.

Calling the
contenders to collectively support the eventual winner, the minister
said that “we will try as much as possible to provide a level playing
field so that nobody will be excluded or persecuted. Collapse your
interest and support the winners. Live and let live, no acrimony, no
mistrust. Not for opportunism or personal interest. I will supervise.
Let the chairman make everything very transparent.”

A number of contestants

On the large number
of contestants for the three positions available in FCT, the minister
said it is a reflection of democracy in Nigeria.

“This is what we
call representative democracy. Abuja is the centre of the nation; a
pivotal role. Abuja has always been peaceful,” he said, adding that the
primaries will be an eye opener.

The minister of state for the FCT, Caleb Olubolade, also urged the politicians to minimize violence.

“You cannot afford to take a position after taking lives,” he said. “Do not portray Nigeria in a bad light.”

There are over 30 contestants for the two Houses of Representatives
and one senatorial seat in the Federal Capital Territory while 1,400
delegates will participate at the primary election holding on tomorrow
at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja. Also present at the meeting was the
FCT’s police commissioner, John Haruna, and the PDP chairperson in FCT,
Haji Gwagwa.

A presidential
aspirant of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Nuhu Ribadu has blamed
rising insecurity in the nation on the weakness of government and its
security agencies. Mr Ribadu made the comments when he addressed
reporters at a fundraising dinner held at Chelsea Hotel in Abuja for
the Federal Capital Territory’s chapter of the Action Congress of
Nigeria.

Other politicians
at the event were another presidential aspirant of the party, Uba
Malami and some House of Representatives aspirants.

“I want them to
wake up,” he said. “I want them to understand that we rely on them and
that they are the ones who will help keep us in peace. They have failed
us for now; time has come for us to say, yes, give us a chance to come
and manage the country well; to ensure that we have peace and security
in the country,” Mr Ribadu said.

He said as far as
he was concerned, the increasing insecurity in the nation is the
failure of the government, even though the perpetrators of the crime
are being unpatriotic.

“It is a failure of
leadership,” he said. “It is incompetence, mismanagement. It is the
inability to do what you are supposed to do, whether you are in law
enforment or you are in charge of our affairs. We are entitled to
peace, stability and security. Our leaders are supposed to make that
possible. They have failed.”

Party debates

Chris Ngige who was
represented at the event by Yusuf Obaje, a gubernatorial aspirant of
the ACN in Kogi State, said the nation is currently suffering from a
lack of good leadership by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“We need a leader who is unreasonably patriotic, courageous, and proactive,” he said.

The event, also featured a debate session for the party’s
contestants across the board. The contestants took turns to lay their
personal manifestos before party members ahead of the party’s
convention scheduled for next week.

The National
Executive Committee of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) yesterday
in Abuja fixed January 14 for the party’s presidential national
convention. The NEC meeting only ratifies the submissions of the
National Working Committee (NWC) which met in Asokoro, Abuja on Monday.
The media had besieged the Zone 6, Abuja venue of yesterday’s NEC to
the surprise of party executives who did not respond to several
overtures to get an insight into the discussions and resolutions of the
five-hour-plus marathon meeting, including the much-publicised alliance
talks with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The source told our
reporter that all the state governors of ACN attended the expanded NWC
meeting, though only governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and Rauf
Aregesola of Osun attended the NEC. But another party official, who
craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press,
said discussions are still ongoing and that the party has fixed its
national convention for January 14 where its presidential candidate
will be announced. The source refuted reports that the party has
adopted CPC leader, Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential flagbearer in
the talks.

Also at the FCT ACN
stakeholders interactive session, one of the party’s presidential
aspirants, and former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, said the planned alliance will not
affect his ambition of becoming president and called on Nigerians to
see him as a person they can trust.

He said: “I am ready to work with every progressive to salvage this
country from all this mess of insecurity. Give me a chance to bring
what Nigerians are looking for.”

Presidential
aspirant, Atiku Abubakar yesterday criticised President Goodluck
Jonathan for being ashamed to defend the 2011 Budget proposal he
presented to the joint session of the National Assembly last month.

Mr Abubakar had, a
few days ago, written the president warning him that the proposal in
the budget could worsen the state of the nation’s economy. In a
statement by his campaign outfit, Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation
(ACO) in Abuja, the former vice president said the president has become
too ashamed to personally defend the budget, insisting that the budget
of a nation is too serious a matter to defend through anonymous person.

Mr Abubakar was
reacting to media reports that an anonymous presidency source had
questioned the rationale behind his widely-published critique of the
budget proposal.

“It is
inconceivable that a government that presented a budget that will
determine the lives of 150 million cannot rise in defence of such
budget,” Mr Abubakar said. “It is reprehensible that despite the army
of officials in government, there is no single volunteer who can take
the risk of being identified with the wishy-washy collection they call
the Budget 2011 proposal.

“A budget is a very
serious instrument that guides the conduct of government business. Its
formulation is supposed to be guided by the philosophy and the vision
of government. It is the appropriation of this vision with the
expectations and needs of the people that a budget is said to be
well-thought out.

“If the Budget 2011
proposal is well thought-out, everybody in government will not be too
ashamed to put a face to its defence.”

Faulting the budget

The presidential
aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) noted that the conduct
of government by anonymity is becoming the defining character of the
Jonathan administration.

“When the
presidency is accused of working on the 2011 elections with a rigging
manual, the initial response of government is through this now
notorious anonymous presidency sources,” Mr Abubakar said. “How can
anonymous source be the one defending government against serious
allegations of incompetence and malfeasance. Is it that no one is so
persuaded by the conduct of government that it can put his/her face in
its defence.” The former vice president restated his earlier position
that the Budget 2011 proposal, which guiding policy is predicated on
consumption is a recipe for economic disaster.

Jonathan campaign’s response

The spokesperson of
the Goodluck Sambo presidential campaign organisation, Sully Abu
however said it finds little to comment on in what Mr Abubakar said.

“As they stare
defeat in the face in what was once thought would be a contest, but
which is fast turning into a coronation for President Goodluck
Jonathan, the fretfulness of the Atiku Abubakar campaign is reaching
fever pitch,” Mr Abu said.

“Fresh from raising false alarms about their candidate being primed
for arrest following rather unguarded statements which predated the
recent acts of terrorism in Jos and Abuja about violent change, they
are now making a song and dance about being ignored over their comments
on the 2011 budget. Those comments follow a long litany of
prognostications on the economy which have been dismissed by economic
experts and by the facts on the ground. When the Atiku campaign has
something worthwhile to say that deserves a response, we would do so
and at a time of our own choosing.”