Nigeria Content Online

The battle between
President Goodluck Jonathan and some northern leaders over the October
1 bombings took a new twist yesterday as the Kebbi State coordinator of
the Goodluck Support Group (GSG), Nasir Abubakar, resigned his position.

In a letter dated
October 6, 2010 and addressed to the Director General of the Goodluck/
Namadi Campaign Organisation, Mr. Abubakar said the President’s actions
following the bomb blasts caused his resignation.

“My resignation is
as a result of the stand of Mr. President on the issue of zoning and
lately his position absolving MEND of responsibility despite their
repeated claim of responsibility for the unfortunate incidence of
October 1st, 2010 in which lives of innocent Nigerians were lost and
several others severely injured,” Mr. Abubakar said.

The Kebbi State
politician said his support for Mr Jonathan “was based on the
circumstances of his first emergence first as Acting President and
subsequently as commander in Chief in strict adherence to the letter
and spirit of our constitution.”

Mr. Abubakar’s resignation is, however, believed to be a fallout of
the ongoing struggle between the Kebbi State governor, Saidu Dakingari
and his predecessor, Adamu Aliero who has since joined the Congress for
Progressive Change, the party under whose platform former Nigerian head
of state, Muhammadu Buhari, is contesting for President.

A faction of the Progressive Peoples
Alliance (PPA) said, on Thursday, that former Abia State governor, Orji
Uzor Kalu, will not be given the ticket of the party to contest the
presidential election.

Mr. Kalu had recently declared his intention to vie for the presidency.

The deputy national chairman of PPA,
Benjamin Oburota, said in Abuja that Mr. Kalu has since ceased being a
member of the party. He said that the former governor led some members
of the party to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party some months
ago.

“Is it possible for a non-member of a
political party to fly its presidential flag?” he asked, adding that
Mr. Kalu had long severed his ties with PPA. Mr. Oburota alleged that
the former governor thrived in dictatorship and under-hand deals, and
that the party no longer accommodates him.

He blamed the former governor’s
brazenness in the political scene on the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission(EFCC) and the judicial system which, he said, are slow in
prosecuting him.

“This has created room for Kalu to roam the streets rather than cool his heels in prison,” he said.

Dispute over membership

Referring to the recent invasion of
Thisday newspaper premises by Mr. Kalu, accompanied by court bailiffs
and policemen, Mr. Oburota said that the act further exposed the
desperation of the former governor in seeking to re-establish his
relevance.

But the chairman of the other faction
led by Larry Esin, dismissed Mr. Oburota’s assertion, saying Mr. Kalu
has the right under the country’s constitution to contest the
presidency.

According to Mr. Esin, the leader of
the other faction, Lisu Akerele, is no longer a member of the PPA,
having resigned from the party last year.

He added that Mr. Oburota is neither the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) nor the chief law officer of the
federation to interprete the constitution and the electoral law.

The national
leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has barred delegations
from the state chapters of the party from visiting the Abuja
headquarters to lodge complaints.

The national
working committee of the ruling party, at its meeting on Wednesday
night, resolved not to receive any delegation henceforth except it
receives prior notice and approve the visit. The committee also
directed state chapters and stakeholders who have any complaints, to
channel them to their zonal offices, which will handle them or refer
them to the national headquarters for further attention. “The National
Working Committee directs that henceforth, no state delegation will be
received at the National Secretariat without prior notice and approval
by it,” a statement signed by the party’s spokesman, Rufai Alkali, said.

“All State
Chapters, groups and stakeholders in the States are advised to lodge
all complaints with their respective zonal offices who will resolve the
matter or refer same to the NWC where necessary.” The committee said it
has received news of the order of the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory dissolving the Anambra State Congresses committee and has
filed an appeal. The party said a motion for stay of execution of the
order has also been filed.

It noted that there
was an earlier order by the High Court of Anambra State directing the
PDP to hold congresses in Anambra State, which is still Subsisting.

“Consequently, the NWC has directed the South East zonal Working
Committee to conduct the primaries to select PDP Candidates for the
forthcoming Ward and Local Government Electionsin Anambra State,” it
said.

Nigeria’s security
operatives have expressed doubt about the authenticity of the
celebrated interview with a former leader of the Movement for the
Emancipation of Niger Delta’s (MEND), Henry Okah, by Al Jazeera, during
which he said an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to
implicate Northern politicians over October 1, 2010 bomb blasts, which
left 12 persons dead.

A security source
said investigations within the security services in Nigeria and South
Africa revealed that the interview with Mr. Okah might have been faked
to deceive the Qatar-based news network.

The source said
last night that their South African counterpart confirmed that, “at no
time did we allow Okah to make such telephone contact. Following
suspicion raised about the authenticity of the interview, we contacted
South Africa to confirm its validity, but were shocked to find out that
at no time did such interview take place,” he said.

“In fact, our
contact wondered why it took us so long to cross check this information
because they did not want to interfere, since the issues did not
concern their government directly. They have been waiting for such
security inquiries from their Nigerian counterpart before revealing the
veracity of the interview, since the content does not concern them
directly.”

Al Jazeera confirmation

An Al Jazzera
reporter, however, told NEXT that the interview was conducted with Mr
Okah. The reporter said Okah called from South Africa and he was passed
on to the company’s studios in Doha.

“He called me from
prison on a +27 number,” the Al Jazeera staff said. “We had a long
discussion about the bombs and the situation in general. Clearly, they
are allowed access to fixed phone lines in SA prisons. I asked him
whether he would be prepared to be go live on Al Jazeera that very
instant. He said ‘yes’.

“So I gave him our
newsdesk number in Doha – and alerted them to the fact that Henry Okah
was about to call from prison. He called, and they put him right
through to the studio and live on air,” the reporter said.

The Joint Task
Force (JTF) for the Niger Delta has also debunked the veracity of
another Al Jazeera programme featuring alleged MEND fighters in the
region. The JTF said an aerial surveillance of the region showed there
were no longer any militant camps anywhere, as claimed by Al Jazeera.

“Al Jazeera, it will be recalled, had also during the late President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s health saga, staged a similar interview with the
late president’s cousin, claiming that the sick man was healthy,
playing with his children, and climbing 13-storey building,” a security
source said.

The Imo State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, passed the amended Bill on Bush Burning Prohibition.

The Speaker of the House, Goodluck Opiah said in Owerri that having met the necessary legislative requirements, the bill will now be sent to the Governor, Ikedi Ohakim, for assent.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bill, which seeks to curb environmental degradation through bush burning, was sponsored by Chukwuemeka Egbuchulam, the Majority Leader of the House.

Hajiya Maryam Babangida, a housewife, on Thursday, announced that
she will contest for a seat in the Adamawa State House of Assembly in
the 2011 elections.

Mrs Babangida told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Mubi, Adamawa,
that she would be proactive as a lawmaker, if elected. The aspirant,
who wants to represent Mubi-North State Constituency on the PDP
platform, promised to give special attention to the problems of
maternal mortality and youth unemployment through legislation.
“It
is time to effectively address the nagging problems of family health
and unemployment among the youth through legislation,” she said.

Mrs Babangida also pledged to collaborate with like-minded
colleagues in the House to enact gender-sensitive laws as part of the
process of improving the socio-economic status of women. She said such
laws would go a long way in addressing the problems of domestic
violence, juvenile delinquency, street begging and other forms of
violation against women and children.

“We need to develop a mechanism to ensure proper implementation of
poverty eradication among the youth and women,” she said. “I will
initiate economic empowerment programmes at the grass roots to uplift
the standard of living of women and youths.”

She also urged women to join politics and vie for elective positions
so as to ensure quality and proactive representation at all levels of
government. “It is desirable to evolve mechanisms to deal with issues
militating against effective women’s participation in politics,” she
said. “Nigeria is blessed with abundant talented women, but our
greatest setback is the lack of wisdom to support them and recognise
their contribution to national development.”

Business activities were on Wednesday paralysed for the second day running at the Chevron’s corporate headquarters in Lagos as it workers stayed off duty.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that some women from Ilaje area of Ondo State had on Tuesday besieged the company’s head office protesting alleged neglect. Subsequently, the management of the oil giant directed the workers to stay off duty pending when the issues that led to the women’s protest would be resolved.

The protesting women, who vowed never to vacate the company’s premises, accused management of the company of neglecting the host communities in Ilaje area. NAN gathered that the women also complained that the multi-national company had reneged on its promises to improve the welfare of the people in the host communities. They also demanded for better treatment from the company in the area of employment for the indigenes, good roads and portable water among others.

A staff of the company, who did not wish to be named, confirmed that the workers could not come to work on Wednesday because the management directed them to stay off from duty.

Folorunso Oginni, the Lagos Zonal Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, also confirmed that the workers were directed to stay off from duty. He said that the decision was taken to avoid possible attack of the workers by the protesting women.

Efforts to reach Femi Odumabo, the company’s General Manager, Government and Public Affairs, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to his mobile phone were unanswered.

The Federal
Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), on Wednesday, embarked on
thorough screening of motorists and air travellers at the Murtala
Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The development,
which is a fallout of the October 1, 2010 twin bombings in Abuja, is
aimed at curtailing the influx of people into the nation’s premier
gateway, and to “painstakingly screen” all guests to the international
airport. Akin Olukunle, the General Manager, Public Affairs for the
organisation, said that Aviation Security (AVSEC) operatives have been
ordered and stationed at strategic positions at the airport to enforce
the screening procedures.

“The airport is a
public place where several people engage in different activities and
that is why it is always a target for terrorists,” he said. “The
airport should therefore be properly secured, as this was one of the
prerequisite to the safety of the people that make use of the airport.”
He also added that operatives from the Nigerian Air Force, Police
Anti-Bomb Squad, Immigration, Civil Defence Corps, and the Aviation
Security are all going to be involved in the screening exercise at the
international airport.

All must be screened

Mr Olukunle also noted only the president and his vice are exempted
from the screening processes. “All airport users, whoever is coming to
the airport must have a business to do,” he said. “If you don’t have
anything to do at the airport then you are a tout and such a person
will be arrested by the Aviation Security personnel and handed over to
the police, no matter who you are,” he said. Mr Olukunle, however,
admitted that the road block mounted by the security operatives about
two kilometres away from the international terminal resulted in the
traffic jam at the airport, adding that passengers are therefore
advised to arrive the airport early enough to be able to go through the
screening and catch their flights on time. The authority’s spokesperson
said that commercial vehicles operating into the airport are also
inclusive in the screening exercise and that passengers on the buses
and cabs have to be searched thoroughly before getting to the
international airport.

To forestall
possible attempt to rig the forthcoming general elections, the Edo
State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has urged Nigerians to be prepared to
defend their votes by all available means.

He called on all
Nigerians to embark on civil disobedience if the 2011 general elections
were rigged, saying “it is either we have free and fair election in
2011 and Nigeria survives or they rig it and Nigeria will perish.”
Speaking at a lecture, titled ‘Democracy and the Nigerian Media: The
Challenge of Ensuring One-Man-One-Vote,’ organized by the
Correspondents’ Chapel of the Edo State Chapter of the Nigerian Union
of Journalists, yesterday, the governor said “the country is ready for
change, but the people need to knock the door harder for the change to
come.” He said the cost of challenging the system was not as much as
the cost of allowing the system to continue to degenerate. “The
campaign to entrench one man, one vote should be seen as a struggle for
survival,” he said. “It is either we struggle to survive or we allow
Nigeria to go under.”

Recounting his
experience in 2007 when he contested the state governorship election
and the tortuous court processes he went through to claim his mandate,
he urged Nigerians to resist election riggers right from the electoral
ground because “there must be balance of madness for our people to
recognize that there is no more time.” He said Nigeria cannot lay claim
to be a democratic society if the people cannot freely elect those to
represent them, adding that those who claim to have been elected under
a compromised situation cannot be accountable to the people.

An independent INEC

Mr Oshiomhole
argued that the test of the commitment to one man-one-vote must reflect
the way political parties handle their primaries. “A party that insists
on the return of its elected officers irrespective of their performance
in office was indicative of imposition,” he said, adding that this
defeats one man-one-vote. He also argued that multiplicity of political
parties could create situation for some elements to manipulate
elections, just as he observed that factionalization of the opposition
gives strength to the dominant party.

The governor said the apparent danger signs in 2011 electoral
process include attempts by the PDP dominated National Assembly to
encroach on matters that should be within the jurisdiction of political
parties and INEC. He said fixing the order of election by the National
Assembly was an attempt to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. “So we
must begin to notice and connect the media with some of these actions
that suggest some desperation to manipulate the process,” he said. He
also added that INEC should be the only one to make its rules and that
making such rules through legislation makes INEC to cease to be
independent umpire. “When a governor or a president conflicts with the
interest of the people, it must be resolved in favour of the people
because, governors and presidents come and go but the people and the
country remains.”

Hazeem Gbolarumi, a
governorship candidate and former aide to late strongman of Ibadan
politics, Lamidi Adedibu, has accused the state governor, Adebayo
Alao-Akala, of failing the people of the state by the policies of his
administration.

Mr. Gbolarumi, in a
letter sent to the governor to inform him of his ambition to succeed
him in 2011, said Mr. Alao-Akala has betrayed the trust he had in his
ability to transform the state.

“Permit me to say that a political career is a call to service,” he said.

“It affords one the
opportunity to attend to the needs of a wide range of people that
include the needy and the privileged. This is the cause I have pledged
my life to, and which I hope to devote my years on this earth.

“The dream of Oyo
State that I have will become a reality only when I am positioned to
bring about those changes that will lead to positive transformation.
This, I have at some point in time, thought could be achieved with you,
but the realities of the last four years have proved me wrong,” he
said.

In a bid to put a
lie to the claims of the state’s leadership of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) that only the incumbent governor has indicated interest to
run for the governorship post in the 2011 elections, Mr. Gbolarumi told
journalists in Ibadan on Wednesday that he had picked a form at the
party’s national secretariat and had sought the support of the state
governor on his ambition.

The challenger was
the deputy governor of the state during the 11 months stint of
Alao-Akala as the state governor when former governor, Rashidi Ladoja,
was said by the courts to have been illegally impeached in 2006.

The two were also
among the close associates of the late Adedibu, but since the demise of
their political godfather, they have split into different groups to
further their political interest.

The gulf became
apparent as the presidential race hots up. Alao-Akala has expressed his
support for President Goodluck Jonathan, while Gbolarumi is the Oyo
State coordinator of the Ibrahim Babangida 2011 presidential campaign
organisation.

Opposed to return

By his declaration,
Mr. Gbolarumi seems to have joined the league of the state’s PDP
faction, who are contesting for the gubernatorial seat in 2011.

Mr. Gbolarumi made available to journalists copies of his letter to the governor.

Dated October 5,
the letter read in parts: “The letter, I must say, is an outcome of a
deep reflection on the great moments we shared, the political family we
belonged, and the beautiful Oyo State we both envisioned. Having come
along this far, and by virtue of your position as the leader of our
political party in Oyo State, I then, consider it a duty to notify you
of any decision and step taken in respect of my career goals.”

He went further to
remind the governor of the relationship between them and how they had
worked together to envision a new Oyo State.