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President Goodluck Jonathan has announced that the
federal government is determined to re-establish agriculture as the
economic mainstay and put Nigerians back to work on the farm and in
areas of sustainable fisheries and pastoralism.

Mr Jonathan stated this at the third annual National
Consultation on Environment, ‘The Politics of Hunger’ in Abuja. The
president, who was represented by Ken Saro Wiwa (Jnr), his Special
Assistant on International Affairs, said that the government will
resist any attempt to introduce any unproven systems and technologies
that will have negative impacts on the people and the environment. “As
far as the way food is produced, how it is produced, has direct
relationship with the ecosystem and our safety; the task of ensuring
that it is safe, not contaminated, and not unwholesome requires all
hands to be on deck,” he said.

Polluted farms

The president also pledged his government’s continued
support to farmers and research in areas of agro-ecological agriculture
suitable to the nation’s environment and shifting away from toxic
chemicals and technologies that seek to degrade the environment. “I
will be the first to agree that environmental pollution, including
those from the oil sector has grossly impacted our capacity to produce
the foods that we need,” he said. “While oil produces national wealth,
it has paradoxically also caused human misery among our people.”

The two day environmental consultation, which had
experts within and outside Nigeria, dwelt on issues of hunger, food
aids, genetically modified crops, and philanthropic roles of capitalist
organisations.

Puppet governments

In his welcome address, Nnimmo Bassey, the Executive
Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth
Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), noted that African countries have been open to
manipulation by international financial institutions as well as aid and
development agencies. “Such bodies draft policy directions and foist
them on African countries including Nigeria,” he said. The idea of
fighting hunger, according to him, has also become big business for the
corporations involved. “Food aid, with the connotation of philanthropy,
has become nothing short of big business and a tool for crass
manipulation and intimidation of those who are adjudged to be hungry,”
he said. “We are forever domesticating policies that are dubious to our
agriculture or poverty combating needs.”

The conference also featured the presentation of the Comrade Che
Ibeawura award, an initiative of ERA/FoEN to recognise inspiring works
of environmental activism, to 70-year-old Juliana Odey, food campaigner
for the Nigerian Cassava Growers Association. Mrs Odey, while receiving
the award and the accompanying N100,000, said that genetically
engineered cassava, which is currently undergoing a trial in Nigeria,
should be rejected in its entirety. “We are tired of GMO (genetically
modified organism) and nobody should force GMO into our throats,” she
said.

The National
Executive Committee of the National Movement of Progressive Party
(NMPP) has approved the sale of its presidential nomination form for
N1.5 million.

It also fixed the
forms for the governorship election at N1million; Senate N800,000;
House of Representatives, N500,000; and state houses of assembly
N200,000. Lawrence Atuana, the party’s National Chairman, who announced
this in Abuja yesterday, said that female aspirants are exempted from
the fees as a way of encouraging them to vie for elective positions in
the country. He stated that the committee, which met on Tuesday, urged
eligible Nigerians to participate in the January 2011 voters’
registration as “power resides with the people”. “The outcome of the
elections must reflect the wish of the electorate,” he said.

More requests

The committee also
asked the National Assembly to expedite action on the minimum wage bill
to avert further national strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
It, however, expressed dismay that the National Assembly members have
applied delay tactic in handling crucial national issues and bills,
contrary to the lightening speed in which they pass bills affecting
them including their jumbo pay that made them the highest paid
legislators in the world. The committee also called on the federal
government to review and increase the pension being paid to the
nation’s senior citizens who had served the country. “The recent
screening of pensioners in the country showed the extent the government
has neglected these retired civil servants.”

It also frowned at the rate of poverty in the country in the midst
of abundance, and urged various governments to take steps to alleviate
the sufferings of the citizenry in accordance with section 14 (2)b of
the 1999 Constitution as amended which provides; “the security and
welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” It
also condemned the high rate of corruption in the country and urged the
anti-corruption to intensify efforts with the view to “arresting and
prosecuting those who looted our common patrimony and use the
ill-gotten wealth to oppress the masses.”

Nigerians should
insist on credible polls so that they would have the moral right to
call leaders to order once they are elected, Edo State governor, Adams
Oshiomhole said yesterday in Ekpoma.

Mr Oshiomhole, who
spoke during the commissioning of heavy capacity drilling rigs that
could go as far as 1,400 metres, said his administration promised the
people of the area that he will deploy the latest technology that would
give them water since they have suffered from low water level for a
long time.

“We have said in
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that power must return to the people,
the people shall never again be held in captive and no one godfather
shall ever again be permitted to depose the political fortunes of
individuals,” he said. “Politicians who want power must respect their
people. As they say in a democracy; if the people are like dwarfs,
whoever wishes to be a king must go to the level of the dwarfs
otherwise he will not be crowned. The beauty of what we are doing today
is that we recognized that our political future is in the hands of our
people. If our people are happy, we are happy, if they are not happy we
cannot be happy.” He advised the people of the area to be ready to
defend their rights and not be taken for granted. He said his
administration will not just lament the poor state of facilities but
work with the people to find means to correct them.

“We want people to
challenge them on what they achieved in the 10 years of their rule and
we want to tell them what we have achieved in two years of our
administration; the facts must speak for us,” he said. “Wherever they
said there is no water, we have said there must be water. Water is life
and therefore every responsible government, whether of the right or of
the centre or of the left must see water as one of the key things
government must provide for its people. We tried to understand how we
got here. After all here in Esan land, water flowed before.”

Fulfilled promise

He said it was a
tragedy that places like Uromi, which had potable water some years ago,
no longer enjoyed access to clean water as things simply degenerated.
“The only people who now have water are people who are highly placed
who create boreholes for themselves or at the very best extend it to
their hotels but certainly not for the community,” he said. “I did
promise that government will not join the people in lamenting the
impossibilities of getting water to our people, but government will
find the will and the resources to deal with that problem on a
sustainable basis, today I am here to fulfil that promise.”

The national
chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Okwesilieze Nwodo, has
asked Nigerian leaders at all levels to ensure that good ideas aimed at
improving the nation’s economy is not allowed to suffer any setback.

He stated this on
Tuesday while on a visit to an indigenous telecom company, NetVisa GSM
Secured Nigeria Limited, which is licenced by the Nigerian
Communications Commission (NCC) to help improve telecom security.

Mr. Nwodo urged the
NCC to ensure that the good idea is not allowed to die by ensuring that
all necessary impediments are removed.

“It is not good
enough that this type of programme exists, and I am not aware and many
Nigerians are not aware. Whoever is holding this back from Nigerians
should please act in the interest of the public,” he said.

The PDP boss noted
that it is curious that the NCC set up such laudable body to check
phone thefts in the country, yet it is not doing much to bring the
awareness to the populace.

While welcoming Mr.
Nwodo to the company, its chief executive, Prince Uchendu, said it was
an initiative of the NCC to curtail the theft of mobile phones and
ancillary crimes in Nigeria.

He said that to
access the service, any user that falls victim of mobile phone theft
simply has to report to the service providers, namely MTN, Zain, and
Glo and others, adding that they have all received relevant training
from and interfaced with NetVisa through the CEIR technology.

Mr. Uchendu also disclosed that following the operations of the
company, which commenced 1st July 2009, a significant decrease in the
theft of mobile phones, crimes associated with it like assault, has
been recorded.

A House of
Representatives report has cited Anthony Ani, the minister of finance
under the regime of Sani Abacha, for culpability in a multibillion
naira loan which remained unserviced for over a decade, leaving high
interest bill for the government to clear.

Between 1994 and
1998, according to the summary of the report just made public, Mr. Ani,
as the finance minister, approved over N7billion loan for federal
housing projects, but failed to insist on the repayment of the loan.

The major
beneficiary of the funds, the Federal Housing Authority, the report
adds, also made no effort to service the loan. The managing director of
the FHA at the time, Ibrahim Ali, was scolded along with Mr. Ani by the
lawmakers as acting not “in the best interest of the nation.” Efforts
made to speak with Messrs Ani and Ali during the holidays were not
successful.

“Henceforth, public
officials who commit government into any business or agreement that end
up in loss, through their action or inaction, should be prosecuted,”
the report, authored by the House public accounts committee, recommends.

Full details of the
committee’s routine examination of the financial papers of government
establishments, which are yet to be discussed by the whole House, have
remained unclear.

Its summary on the FHA, carrying with it the commitee’s recommendations, has not yet been approved too.

Invite the EFCC

The committee,
headed by Adamu Mohammed, faulted Mr. Ani for his role in the
transaction. The lawmakers said the former minister acted in breach of
the loan agreement.

“Anthony Ani, who
signed the agreement, did not act in the best interest of the nation
for failing to demand the repayment of the loan,” they concluded.

The committee
recommends that a 12-month moratorium be allowed the FHA before a
repayment plan, which would begin at N500 million per annum, is
instituted.

It also goes further to state that the subsequent management of the
FHA has shown “obvious unwillingness and insensitivity” in repaying the
money, suggesting that anti-corruption agencies be invited to help
recover the cash if the agency refused to pay the loan.

The vice president,
Namadi Sambo, yesterday appealed to Nigerian journalists not to
compromise the security of the country while exercising the freedom of
the press, but to concentrate more on factors that would secure and
unite the nation.

He also stated that
the success of the 2011 elections is closely tied to media
practitioners in the country, calling on them to utilise their
profession to educate politicians as well as the electorate on free and
fair elections.

The vice president
made this appeal when he had an interactive session with State House
correspondents in Abuja. He said that the role of the media was very
crucial – especially during the nation’s march towards the 2011
elections.

He, however, thanked the media for the professional manner in which they had reported issues concerning the country so far.

“You must ensure
that you are always very fair, very frank, and that you will tell
Nigerians the truth about what is happening, and the efforts that our
president, Goodluck Jonathan, is making towards ensuring the rapid
development of Nigeria.

“You have the
onerous task of informing Nigerians about what we are doing. That, as
you know, is a very important responsibility. It is a fact that you
have a role to play in the security of this country and this is an
important area really, that needs to be watched at all the time.

“You need to know
also that there are matters of reporting that affects the security of
the nation. Of course, you are all aware that Nigeria operates at the
highest point of press freedom; but that should not mean that you will
go to the extent of exposing our country, especially the security
aspect. I want to assure you of our support at all times. I assure you
of our cooperation in helping you report what we are doing to the
world,” he said.

The vice president
reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring free and fair elections,
as well as the role of the media in educating Nigerians on the
seriousness of Mr. Jonathan’s one-man-one-vote campaign.

“For the
achievement of this objective, you have the biggest role to play
because Nigerians need to know the truth. They need to be educated, and
we cannot achieve this without the co-operation of all the parties.
Politicians and the general citizens need to be sensitised, and it is
only through you that people can be educated to understand the new
democratic spirit and the need for free and fair election, come 2011,”
Mr. Sambo further said.

Building the nation

The vice president
said the federal government was working to ensure growth and
development of the nation, adding that the issue of power is being
addressed, to ensure that Nigeria enjoys uninterrupted power supply.

“We are right now
prepared to match our talks with action. We must also through you
appeal to all Nigerians for support, as we work to ensure that this
country is developed to take its rightful place amongst the community
of nations.

“This is the first
time that Nigeria will have two well-educated people at the helm of
affairs of the nation. President Jonathan, a scientist, a doctorate
degree holder; and myself, an architect; we are designing and building
the economy. We are determined that we must provide jobs and pay
salaries that are above poverty level. This is what we assure
Nigerians,” he said.

Dissident officers
declared a takeover of power in Madagascar on Wednesday, but the
island’s military leadership vowed to crush any rebellion and security
forces dispersed a crowd that had gathered to back the rebels.

Witnesses said
about a thousand people erected a roadblock and set tyres ablaze near a
barracks housing the rebel soldiers, who said they had formed a ruling
committee to take power on Wednesday as Madagascar voted on a new draft
constitution. The security forces stepped in and fired tear gas,
chasing the protesters away. Flanked by the country’s military top
brass, Prime Minister Camille Vital told reporters the security forces
would ensure the rule of law was upheld after what appeared to be an
attempt by the dissident officers to torpedo the referendum. “We will
apply the law to those who flout it,” he said.

Rebel leader,
Charles Andrianasoavina, earlier at the barracks near the airport said
that a “military council for the welfare of the people” had been formed
to run the world’s fourth largest island. Mr Andrianasoavina was one of
the main backers of President Andry Rajoelina’s power-grab in March
last year when he toppled Marc Ravalomanana. Another senior officer
behind Rajoelina then was also in the rebellious group. Mr
Andrianasoavina told France 24 television that the group had not yet
suspended the government, but intended to seize the presidential palace
and ministries. “We are close to the international airport,” he said.
“Depending on the situation tomorrow, the airspace will be closed.
Tomorrow we intend to take the airport and stop anybody leaving
Madagascar,” he said. The country’s military has suffered from rifts
since the 2009 coup. A group of dissident military police briefly
seized control of a military camp in May, before being quashed by the
security forces.”

Young president

Mr Rajoelina
scrapped the old constitution after ousting unpopular leader, Mr
Ravalomanana, with military backing, creating turmoil on the island.
International mediators brokered a series of power sharing agreements
between the duo, and two other former presidents, but they all
collapsed in bickering over the allocation of ministerial posts. Voters
cast their ballots peacefully at more than 18,000 polling stations
which closed later than scheduled at 1500 GMT because of delays caused
by issues with some voter lists. Some opposition supporters said they
had taken to the streets near the barracks to vent their anger at
Rajoelina’s failure to end the political impasse that has hammered the
Indian Ocean island’s economy.

The new
constitution lowers the minimum age for a president by five years to
35, which would regularise 36-year-old Rajoelina’s rule and allow him
to renege on a previous pledge that he will not contest the next vote
slated for May 4,

2011. The proposed law also sets no deadline for presidential
elections, which critics say could allow Rajoelina to remain
indefinitely in power.