Nigeria Content Online

Islamist
charities, some with suspected ties to militants, stepped in on Monday
to provide aid for Pakistanis hit by the worst flooding in memory,
piling pressure on a government criticized for its response to the
disaster that has so far killed more than 1,000 people.

The floods that
ravaged the northwest and displaced more than a million people are
testing an administration heavily dependent on foreign aid and which
has a poor record in crisis management — whether fighting Taliban
insurgents or easing chronic power cuts.

Islamist charities
believed to have ties with militants may gain support if their relief
efforts pay off, as they did after a 2005 earthquake in Kashmir killed
75,000 people.

“We have lost
everything. We only managed to save our lives. Nobody has come to us,”
said Mihrajuddin Khan, a school teacher in Swat Valley. “We are being
treated like orphans, animals.”

Rescuers are
struggling to distribute relief to tens of thousands of people trapped
in submerged areas where destroyed roads and bridges make access
difficult.

Many in the path
of the floods scrambled to save their livestock. One man swam across
heavy currents with his chicken tied around his neck. In one town,
there were more than 100 bloated buffalo carcasses, raising the spectre
of disease.

Islamabad may look
to Western countries, who want it to do more to tackle Pakistan-based
militants who attack NATO forces in Afghanistan, for financial support
to ease the crisis.

The U.S. embassy
announced $10 million in immediate humanitarian aid, with more to be
earmarked as necessary. The European Union will donate 30 million euros.

Salman Shahid,
spokesman for the Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (Foundation for the
Welfare of Humanity), said the Islamist group had set up 13 relief and
six medical camps, and a dozen ambulances were providing emergency
treatment. Several other Islamist groups are also helping out with the
relief effort.

Falah-i-Insaniat
is believed to have ties to Jamaat-ud-Dawa charity, which the U.N.
Security Council banned last December for its alleged links with
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the group blamed for the 2008 attack on the
Indian city of Mumbai.

“We’re very much
there. We’re the only group that is providing cooked food to trapped
people and those laying on the roadside,” Shahid told Reuters from the
group’s headquarters in Lahore.

“Our volunteers
are evacuating people.” Some analysts expressed doubts that Islamist
groups and their militant wings could capitalize on the disaster
because army offensives have weakened them.

Others said the Islamists’ camps had set a dangerous precedent.

“It is very likely
that they will exploit the governance vacuum, in the wake of this
tragedy, to fuel their own recruitment,” said columnist Huma Yusuf.

A similar dynamic
happened after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, she said, when extremist
groups gained immense popularity from their relief efforts. Pakistan is
fighting insurgents from al Qaeda and homegrown Taliban in the
northwest.

Military in charge

Authorities are
expecting the death toll to rise, as more of the heavy monsoon rains
lashing the area for the past week are forecast. Pakistan’s National
Disaster Management Authority said more than 29,500 houses were damaged
and a key trade highway to China was blocked by flooding.

“Our main
challenge of getting a clearer picture is access,” said Nicki Bennett,
senior humanitarian officer at United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Officials said it
was too early to estimate the damage the floods had caused to the
economy, but the rains had so far spared the main agricultural
heartland in the Punjab.

“The entire
infrastructure we built in the last 50 years has been destroyed,” said
Adnan Khan, spokesman for the provincial Disaster Management Authority
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The disaster management authority said tents and hygiene kits had been delivered. Helicopters and boats have been dispatched.

But analysts say the government really lacks the resources to take on a disaster of this scale, leaving the military in charge.

More than 30,000
Pakistani troops have rescued some 19,000 people from marooned areas so
far. Some army bases used to strike at militants in Nowshera, some 100
km (60 miles) northwest of the capital Islamabad, have been flooded.

The government’s
failure to help victims reinforced the long-held view that Pakistan’s
civilian authorities are ineffective, leaving the military to act at
troubled times.

The government of
President Asif Ali Zardari has limited control over the military. It
has also been relatively ineffective in tackling corruption and
reforming the economy.

“What we have seen
is their almost total paralysis and they have not been able to mobilize
the resources,” said Riffat Hussein, a defense expert at Quaid-e-Azam
University.

Highlighting
growing frustrations, farmer Ghulam Hussain said: “You can imagine how
much they’re concerned about us when the president leaves for London
(for a state visit), even though people are dying and hundreds of
thousands are homeless.”

The former
vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Bashir Gwandu,
yesterday denied that he played any part in last week’s events which
led to the disbanding of the Senate Committee on Communications. Online
reports had alleged that Mr. Gwandu paid members of the committee,
including its chair, Sylvester Anyanwu, up to N230 million in bribes.
It alleged that he paid the monies in an effort to delay the
confirmation of the new NCC boss, Eugene Juwah. The committee was
dissolved last week Thursday following allegations of failing to adhere
to due process.

No award of contracts

In an interview
with NEXT, Mr. Gwandu however stated that he had never given money to
Mr. Anyanwu or any other member of the committee.

“I know Sylvester
very well, of course, and I have cooperated with the committee whenever
required,” he said. “But I have never given money to him or anybody to
influence anything. Where would I even get that kind of money from? The
biggest contract I have given is for my complimentary cards.”

The communications
commission has been at the centre of a huge power struggle since Ernest
Ndukwe retired some months ago. Following Mr. Ndukwe’s departure in
April, Stephen Bello was brought in as the acting executive vice
chairman but his tenure lasted only two months. It was alleged that Mr.
Gwandu blackmailed Mr. Bello over age clarifications effectively
forcing the government to appoint him as the acting NCC boss.

“I had no problems
with Mr. Ndukwe or Mr. Bello,” he said. “There are new public service
rules at the commission and these are quite clear especially in respect
to non-political appointees. Under these rules, Bello turned 60 last
year and therefore had to retire. I did not force anybody out.” In
spite of the delays to last week’s screenings, Mr. Juwah, a systems
engineer, was named as the new substantive head of the communications commission and is expected to resume work immediately.

Mr. Gwandu added that he is looking forward to working the new executive vice-chairman and welcoming him to the commission.

“We will need to work closely together to move the commission
forward. My main priority is helping us to achieve our targets and
there remains a lot of work to be done.”

The Lagos State Police Command on Monday allayed fears of residents over widespread rumour upheavals in the metropolis.

This followed
messages which are being received by resident via SMS that armed
robbers are operating in different locations aroud the state. The
latest text message said that armed robbers were at Obanikoro bus stop.
The text advised people not to ply the area. As a result of the
message, there was panic as those who received the message passed the
word around to their loved ones warning them to stay away from Ikorodu
road.

All is calm

When NEXT visited
Obanikoro and its environs, people were going about their normal
activities without fear. Some residents expressed surprise at the
message when asked by about the reported clashes or armed robbery that
was reported to have taken place there.

“I am very
surprised at what you are saying, this is news to me and nothing has
happened here since morning. I have been working here since and I have
not seen any armed robber or trouble in this area,” said Mariam John a
LAWMA cleaner in Obanikoro.

Dismissing the
report, the Lagos State Police Command, through its spokesman Frank Mba
said the rumour was being spread by mischievous people.

He said in a
statement, “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been
drawn to an emerging but highly disturbing trend, whereby some unknown
persons using modern communication devices such as GSM voice calls,
text messages (SMS), e-mails, instant messaging on Blackberrys, etc,
originate and circulate messages presumably alerting members of the
public of ongoing crimes (usually the violent ones) within specific
locations in Lagos.” He said the news was clearly false and unfounded.
Speaking with our reporter he said, the suspicion of the command was
that the rumour was being spread to overstretch the command. According
to him, some people at the weekend alleged that a robbery was being
carried out by heavily armed robbers on Lagos-Epe expressway.

“The text message
read ‘Lagos-Epe expressway completely blocked by a gang of heavily
armed robbers. If you are heading towards Epe or you know anyone that
is, please stop for now. The dangers of allowing this dangerous trend
to continue unchecked are unquantifiable. The fear of crime — whether
real or imaginary — can be as damaging as the actual crime itself” Mr.
Mba advised Lagosians to call the attention of the police to any crime
in the state instead of spreading false information that will cause
fear and panic.

“The Command
therefore wishes to appeal to members of the public to discontinue
forthwith with this unpatriotic attitude. Citizens are advised to take
advantage of the toll-free emergency lines in Lagos State (767 and 112)
to pass useful information to the police and other law enforcement
agencies rather than resort to the spread of false messages capable of
heating up the polity, distracting law enforcement agencies, spreading
fears and restiveness in the state and negatively impacting on our
general well-being,’’ He further stressed that the command was up to
the task of maintaining law and order in the state.

We enjoin members of the public to go about their lawful businesses
without fear as the State Police Command is determined and ever-ready
at all times and by the grace of God, to continue to improve on our
modest achievements in crime-fighting and peace-keeping within the
state,” Mr. Mba said.

Suspected abductors
of the elder sister of the traditional ruler of Efire town, in
Ogun-Waterside, Adetokunbo Adeniyi yesterday called the king to
announce a reduction in their ransom from N600m to N55m.

The victim, 70-year
old Sikiratu Lamina, who was also allowed to speak to her family on
telephone, said she could not identify where she is being kept.

The woman was
abducted last Wednesday at gun point from her home in Efire, in the
presence of her two children, by four men riding motorbikes. The
kidnappers, numbering about four, arrived at the house pretending to be
officials of the State Security Services {SSS}.

She was later
ferried away in speed boat, while they left her wrapper at the shore
for her family to locate the route of where she was taken to, believed
to be somewhere within the creek between Ondo and Ogun States.

NEXT further learnt
that the kidnappers got in touch with the traditional ruler of the
town, who is the junior brother of the victim, asking him to raise the
ransom demanded before she could be let off the hook.

The monarch said
the kidnappers had earlier requested for N600m, which they later
reduced to N150m. By the time they called him yesterday, they had again
reduced it to N55 Millon.

Seven suspects arrested

The man, however,
expressed shock over the incident and the amount demanded for, saying:
“where do they expect us to get the money and I wonder what they want
from a 70 year old innocent woman?” The royal father, who said he could
not believe his eyes, said this would be the first time, such incident
of kidnapping will be happening in the state and appealed to security
operatives to rise up to the challenge.

When contacted, the
Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi
confirmed the stories, adding the command had arrested seven suspects,
with further assurance that the authority is on top of the situation.

“We have so far arrested seven suspects, and our men are
investigating further. I want to assure you that we are on top of the
situation,” said the police spokesperson.

Some northern
leaders have cashed in on the issue of zoning to plot the
disintegration of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and such
individuals should steer clear of the affairs of the party, the
National Vice Chairman of the PDP North West Zone, Danladi Sankara has
said.

Mr Sankara, who was
speaking over the weekend in Kano, said the issue of rotational
presidency is purely a PDP affair and promised that the PDP will
resolve the issue without undue external interference.

He said it was
unfortunate that some ‘so-called leaders’ were threatening to pull the
north out of the PDP if the presidential ticket of the party was not
zoned to the region.

“First of all,
those you refer to as Northern leaders threatening the PDP were
speaking for themselves,” he said. “It is an empty threat. The people
making all the noise are not even members of a political party other
than the PDP, then how come they have taken it upon themselves to
indulge in trouble shooting over an issue that is purely and squarely a
PDP affairs? Let me tell the truth. All those who claim to be speaking
for the North over the issues of rotation and zoning have, all along
since 1998, been working tirelessly against the interest of the PDP.”
Mr Sankara said these people are very well known enemies of the party
whom he said are probably nursing ‘a false belief’ that they could
overheat the system to achieve their sinister motive; of crippling the
party.

“But it is a tall order that cannot be achieved,” he said.

The PDP is in full
control of 16 Northern states, with only three states in the hands of
opposition. With all sense of modesty and responsibility, I declare
categorically that the whole 19 states will be won by PDP in 2011
general election. Mr Sankara advised those people making inflammatory
statements to exercise caution and resist the temptation of fighting
proxy wars because of the grave danger these constitute to democracy
and peace of the nation.

Equal to the task

“I have said it
several times that the PDP is a credible party that has tested internal
conflict resolution mechanism; we can resolve our issues by ourselves
without external influence,” he said. “It is not late for people of
good conscience to sit down together and discuss the issue with the aim
of removing doubts, suspicion and bad blood generated by the activities
of the political opportunists who attempted to create distrust and
disaffection between the North and the good people of the South over
this contentious matter.

“Secondly, the PDP is a responsible political party and it is equal
to the task of resolving all the issues concerning 2011 presidential
elections.

With the exit of
the former Vice Chancellor, Attahiru Jega, the Congregation of the
Bayero University, Kano (BUK) has graded the four contenders for the
vacant position of the university’s vice chancellorship.

The contenders
include the acting vice chancellor, Abubakar Adamu Rasheed; Auwalu
Hamisu Yayadu; Mansur Malumfashi; and Magaji Garba Azare. Announcing
the result over the weekend after the congregation, which took place at
the Professor Musa Abdullahi Auditorium, the returning officer, Abdul
Yuguda, said Mr Rasheed, a professor of English, assumed a first
position in the ranking with 370 votes, while Mr Yayadu, former Special
Adviser to late Head of State, Sani Abacha, on Legal Matters, of the
faculty of Law came second with 70 votes. The current Librarian of the
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Mr Malumfashi scored 34
votes, while Mr Azare of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, scored 2 votes in absentia.

Congregation is the gathering of all Degree holders working in the
university, both from the academic or non academic units, and their
input is one of the criteria to measure the acceptability of the
various contenders in the vacant position. The position became vacant
following the appointment of the Mr Jega as INEC Chairman. Mr. Yuguda,
however, said the ranking is not a final verdict in the selection
exercise, saying it is one of the processes of electing the vice
chancellor. He said the outcome of the ranking will be submitted to the
Governing Council for deliberation along with other criterion. Former
editor and academic, Mr Rasheed, is presently the acting Vice
Chancellor of the institution.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
yesterday named Kunle Odidi of the Labour Party as the winner of
Saturday’s bye-election into Ilaje state constituency II election in
Ilaje local government area of Ondo State.

Mr. Odidi polled 8,777 votes to beat Otitoju Atikase
of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6907 votes in a
fiercely contested election.

The seat became vacant following the sack of the PDP
candidate by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State. The
Court of Appeal upheld the verdict of the lower tribunal which had
sacked Mr.Atikase.

This will be the third bye-election the ruling party
in the state will win since Olusegun Mimiko took over the mantle of
leadership last year. The party had earlier won bye-elections in Akure
North State Constituency and Akoko South East/West Federal Constituency.

While declaring the result of the election around
early yesterday, INEC returning officer in Ilaje local government,
Stephen Ojo said the Labour candidate was the winner of the keenly
contested election.

Further breakdown of the election showed that PDP scored 829 votes in Aheri ward while Labour polled 1,326.

PDP had 485 in Etikan ward, while LP scored 490, and
in Mahin ward, PDP had 249, LP, 2,425; Mahin ward II, PDP-1717;
LP-2,634; Mahin ward III, PDP-1,203, LP, 1,968 and Mahin ward IV, PDP
scored 183 as against LP,

204.

Elections however did not hold in some wards and units in Mahintedo, as unknown gunmen attacked about 20 staff of the INEC.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party in the state
has called for the cancellation of the election which it described as a
daylight robbery. The party said it was rejecting the outcome of the
election because the result was not the true reflection of peoples’
wishes.

The PDP also said it was ready to challenge the
result at the tribunal, urging the president of the court of Appeal to
urgently constitute the election petition tribunal to entertain the
cases of fraud perpetrated by the LP during the bye election.

Mixed reactions

The party, at a press conference addressed by former
commissioner of information in the state, Eddy Olafeso, accused the
police of colluding with the ruling party to rig the bye-election.

Mr Olafeso lamented that the police that was supposed
to be an unbiased empire suddenly became the accomplice of the Labour
Party in the rigging spree.

“In view of the abnormalities, the PDP rejects the
result in totality as it does not reflect the wishes of the people. We
hereby call on the president of the Court of Appeal to constitute the
election petition tribunal to entertain our petition,” he said. “We
also condemn in strong terms the activities of some policemen during
the election. In fact, the police has turned themselves into a catalyst
for the successful rigging of all re-run elections in Ondo state”.

The party also indicted the Administrative Secretary of INEC for colluding with the ruling party to manipulate the bye-election.

“We condemn the activities of the administrative
Secretary of INEC for perverting justice by showing bias by openly
identifying with the Labour Party in violation of the electoral act by
replacing the returning officer with Assistant Director at INEC right
in the middle of the collation process,” Mr Olafeso said.

The state government has, however, commended the
sense of duty and responsibility shown by some officers of the Nigerian
Police and other law enforcement agents who ensured that the election
was successful.

The State Information Commissioner, Ranti Akerele
said the Labour party won the election because the people of the state,
particularly the people in Ilaje constituency, are focused on the
continuing efforts to receive democratic dividends.

“The Labour Party controlled government of Ondo State has always
known that in any free and fair election held in the state, it would
come out tops, defeating the feeble efforts of the dying PDP in Ondo
State,” he said. “Saturday’s election in more than one way showed the
commitment of the people of Ondo State to the Labour Party and the
government of Olusegun Mimiko and the rejection of the deep purse and
violent ways of the Ondo State PDP.” The PDP had suffered major
setbacks in the state in the last few months with massive decampment of
members of the party to the Labour party.

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, at the weekend, signified his intention to contest the 2011 governorship election.

Mr Fayose, who disclosed this to reporters at a
campaign rally organised by the Labour Party in Emure, however said the
outcome of the Appeal Court will determine whether he is actually going
to contest for the governorship election. “I will contest the poll only
if the incumbent Governor Segun Oni wins the appeal filed to challenge
his election by the Action Congress governorship candidate, Dr Kayode
Fayemi,” he said. “I was wrongly removed from office in 2006 and I
still have the right to re contest. The only reason that I may drop my
intention is if the AC governorship candidate won at the appellate
tribunal.”

Mr Fayose is making his first categorical declaration on his
political ambition since he joined the LP, and kicked of his
electioneering for the first time. He was impeached on Ocotober 6,
2006, by 24 out of 26 lawmakers in the state assembly, along with his
deputy, Biodun Olujimi, on corruption charges. The lawmakers passed a
guilty judgment on Mr Fayose, whom they earlier accused of embezzling
state funds, particularly over the Ekiti State Poultry Project handled
by his childhood friend and contractor, Gbenga James. Mrs Olujimi is
presently is presently serving under Governor Oni as Commissioner for
Works.

A group of former
Peoples Democratic Party members led by the former Speaker of the House
of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, who recently defected to the
Congress for Progressive Change, said they will not return to the PDP
despite pressure on them to do so except serious reforms happen in the
party.

Sadiq Abubakar
Yar’Adua, who spoke for the group, said in an interview on Sunday, that
the 12-year-old PDP has abandoned the vision of its founders, noting
that it would be fruitless to return to the party where their efforts
to restore the vision would not be appreciated.

Those who decamped
to the CPC last month, apart from Mr Masari, include former Senate
Leader, Mohammed Liman; former senator Saidu Yandoma as well as some
serving federal and state legislators.

“We cannot return
because the PDP has lost focus. PDP has abandoned the vision of the
founding fathers and we have tried as much as possible to see it
reformed but this has not been appreciated,” Mr Yar’Adua said.

“Some people have
approached us but it is not about ourselves but about the people. If
PDP is willing to reform then we can think of returning.”

He alleged that governors elected on the platform of the PDP have hijacked the party.

Mr Yar’Adua, a
former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign
Affairs, debunked claims in some quarters that the defectors would not
be comfortable in the CPC due to the alleged dictatorial tendencies of
the party’s leader, Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him,
the new party has internal democracy, which he says is lacking in the
PDP, while its programmes are people-oriented.

“CPC is a good
party with ideological direction and its programmes are people-based,”
he said. “We are not strange bed-fellows. There is compatibility
ideologically and the party respects the right of the people. It is not
so in the PDP.”

The former lawmaker
also said the CPC is taking shape everywhere in the northern part of
the country, stressing “very soon, it will be all over Nigeria.”

Rule by law

Meanwhile, the
national leadership of the CPC has assured that the party will rule in
accordance with the provision of the country’s constitution if Mr
Buhari is voted into power next year, spokesman of the party, Dennis
Aghanya, said in Abuja.

Mr. Aghanya said
the party has embarked on interactions with various groups and
individuals in the last few days, adding that during such interactions
some people pledged to support it in the background.

“At some of the
interactive sessions, some of the groups bared their minds on why they
remained on the fence without coming out openly to back any
presidential candidate. They said the candidature of General Buhari
remains the only available option for the country to get it right, but
that the previous elections he won were denied him,” Mr. Aghanya said.

“They expressed the
fear that their open support for him might spell doom for those of them
who are in corporate businesses as the government might chose to
witch-hunt them.”

“General Buhari made it clear to them that sitting on the fence might spell a greater doom for the entire country.

“The government of Muhammadu Buhari, if our party gives him the
ticket to run under the CPC platform, will concentrate on repositioning
the country rather than witch-hunting people based on their past
atrocities.’’

A new bill advanced
by the House of Representatives seeks to ensure a greater participation
of Nigerians in the telecommunications sector and will mandate
companies to reserve at least 30% of total shares to Nigerians.

The lawmakers said
the bill is designed to foster more local ownership and management of
the telecoms sector, which is currently dominated by foreign groups,
and an actual transfer of technical capacity that will boost indigenous
operations in the sector.

The new, bill
titled, “A bill for an Act to make provisions for Nigerians to acquire
interest in telecommunications companies carrying on GSM in Nigeria and
other matter connected therewith,” and “A bill for an Act to facilitate
electronic transactions in Nigeria and other related matters and” were
presented for public hearings last week.

While declaring the
hearing open, the speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole, said the
Nationa Assembly intend to stimulate local participation in management
and ownership of the GSM sub-sector.

He said the
question of local content, presently obtained in the oil sector after
National Assembly passed its legislation recently, should go beyond the
mere acquisition of operational licenses.

“Without the
acquisition of appropriate technology, managerial know-how, and
enhancing the share of our peoples’ participation in the telecoms
industry, the aim of the overall policy on local content will be a mere
ritual that will not translate into local ownership of the Nigerian
economy,” Mr. Bankole advised.

Culture of efficiency

On the Electronic
Transfer bill, the speaker said the intent is to provide a legal
framework to facilitate electronic financial transactions in the
country in order to institute a culture of “efficiency, transparency
and probity”.

The House chairman
on Communications, Dave Salako, whose committee is in charge of
developing the two bills, said Nigeria’s savings and investments in the
nation’s telecommunication industry will help stimulate economic growth.

The bill when passed would mandate all GSM operators to comply with
the provisions of the law within one year and six months, respectively.