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More surprises
emerged from the official list of candidates released by the
Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday when the names of
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and the
Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel were absent from the list.

The state’s
Resident Electoral Commissioner, Martins Okunfolami who confirmed this
also announced that Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, daughter of the former
President, Olusegun Obasanjo has qualified to contest for a seat in the
Senate. Mr Obasanjo has thus confirmed his supremacy in the state’s
politics.

Mr. Bankole lost to
Olusegun Alawode who is now the Peoples Democratic Party candidate to
the lower house of the National Assembly, while Mr. Daniel lost the
slot to contest for Senate to Muhammed Adetunji Toheeb. Lola
Abiola-Edewor, daughter of the late politician, Moshood Abiola lost to
Mrs Obasanjo-Bello.

Bankole’s chance

However, Mr.
Bankole may still be accommodated in the list, as the Olurin camp has
engineered an internal arrangement in which the candidate in Abeokuta
South, where he(Bankole) comes from, can step down for the speaker.
This opportunity is said to be possible under the electoral provision
which states that the name of a candidate can still be substituted
between now and February 15.

Gaffe

A bizarre twist was
added to the drama when it was discovered that the list of Niger State
House of Assembly candidates has been sent to Ogun State by the
electoral commission. This mistake was found when the Ogun State office
of the commission was collating its list. Mr Okunfolami said, ‘‘The
State Assembly candidates for Niger State was sent to me here, I just
connected with my colleague, I was thinking of faxing it to him, when I
told him, he said I should DHL it to him.’’

Later, when the
state’s authentic list was sent, Tunji Olurin was listed as the
governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while his
running mate is Tunde Oladunjoye, a journalist and former local
government chairman in the state. Ibikunle Amosun is the governorship
candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria {CAN}, and his deputy is Segun
Adesegun, a former Commissioner in the state. Also, a former deputy
governor under the administration of Olusegun Osoba, Sefiu Adegbenga
Kaka, was announced as the Senatorial candidate for the ACN in Ogun
East.

Phillip Umeadi, the
commission’s national commissioner in charge of legal affairs, had at
the weekend explained that the current list of candidates is not final
as substitutions may occur due to court orders and other reasons.

He added: “ If you
look at Section 31 of the Electoral Act, it says political parties
would submit to the INEC the particulars of candidate they intend to
sponsor for the election. They are not sponsoring them yet; it is just
an expression of intent.’’

Abacha’s luck

In Kano State,
Mohammed Abacha, son of the late military dictator emerged the
governorship candidate of the Congress for progressive Change. In the
party’s governorship primary election held last month, Mr. Abacha had
led in 21 of the 44 councils of the state with over 144,000 votes as
against 78,000 scored by Lawal Jafaru Isa his opponent who was a former
military administrator of Kaduna State.

However, the
party’s board of trustees in Abuja had submitted Mr. Isa’s name to the
INEC. At the display of Mr. Abacha’s name yesterday hundreds of youth
took to the street of Kano in jubilation. Some of them shouted the
praise of Attahiru Jega saying that he is a man of integrity who has
just proved that by declaring Mr. Abacha the winner of the governorship
primaries.

The Ekiti State
list shows that former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose is to
contest the Ekiti Central Senatorial District under the banner of
Labour Party, while Kayode Alufa is candidate of the PDP. However,
against all expectations, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
presented Kolawole Olagunju as its candidate for Ekiti Central. The two
aspirants on the platform of the party, Babafemi Ojudu and Opeyemi
Bamidele, the two contenders were not listed.

The ACN had
witnessed protracted crisis over who to field among Mr. Ojudu, Dele
Alake former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr
Bamidele and Bode Ola, who holds the post now. Mr. Ojudu in a telephone
interview claimed that Mr. Kolawole will fill a withdrawal form to
allow his (Ojudu) own name to be sent. A son-in-law to Bola Tinubu,
former governor of Lagos State, Mr Oye Ojo was listed as the candidate
for House of Representative in the Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 2.

The executive director of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Muhammad Ali Pate, has disclosed that Nigeria has had not less than 98% reduction in poliomyelitis in the last two years.

Mr. Pate, who made the remark in a recent interview with NEXT in Abuja, also said the country has witnessed a drastic reduction in measles, compared to where it was in the past.

“We have had more than 98% reduction in polio compared to where we were in 2008 when World Health Assembly passed a resolution condemning Nigeria. So you have renowned persons like Bill Gate and the DG of the World Health Organization, commending Nigeria, saying Nigeria has done very well.

“In the case of measles, we have seen drastic reduction compared to where we were in the past, but we need to maintain these gains; otherwise, these are infectious diseases that can come back again. We don’t want that to happen. So we are doing all that we can to ensure that they don’t come back again,” he said.

He maintained that the agency had made tremendous progress in its effort at controlling diseases that affect the children across the country.

“We have just completed the first phase of the campaign against measles, and routine immunisation coverage is going on between 2008 and 2010 based on the national immunisation coverage survey. We have seen the revitalisation of the primary health care system through the midwives service scheme and our effort at engaging the community health workers. So, that is an important beginning and we are very confident that if this country continues in this direction, overtime, we will see basic service becoming more available and people becoming more healthier,” Mr. Pate said.

On the just-concluded immunization programme, he said it was a successful one, pointing out that the End Process Data is being compiled.

He, however, said that more investment needs to be seen in prevention and guaranteeing immunisation, noting that financial support for the agency has always not been enough.

The executive director further said for the country to achieve its 20:20: goals in the health sector, everyone must be involved, as such demands a national effort.

Cases of ghost
workers and delayed salaries will no longer occur after the completion
of the second phase of the Integrated payroll and personnel Information
System (IPPIS), The acting Accountant General of the Federation,
Aderemi Ogunsanya said this on Monday. IPPIS which is an ICT based
system is designed by the federal government to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency in the storage of personal records and
administration of monthly payroll in a way to enhance confidence in
staff emolument costs and budgeting.

Mr Ogunsanya had
said on Monday in Abuja at the flagging off of phase two Sensitisation
programme and Management Workshop of IPPIS that workers on the new
system will receive their salaries on or before 20th of every month
wherever they are located in the Country.

He also said that
out of the 55,000 licenses that were approved at the inception of the
project for the seven Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); only
23,000 licenses were utilised leaving 22,000 licenses unused.

The project first came up in 2007 and was financed by a World Bank facility of 4.9 US million US dollars.

He called on those
MDAs that have not joined to do so as the government will now base its
budgeting on actual employees and not estimation any longer. The Head
of the Civil Service of the Federation, Afolabi Oladapo, also at the
event said that the IPPIS will provide for a better and well paid Civil
Service devoid of plenty paper work. He asked the Permanent Secretaries
to ensure that MDAs join the IPPIS project by driving it.

Former Head of
Service, Steve Oronsaye admitted the new technological means has been a
transformation in the Service and that the project will help ensure
that data is worked out to capture the real strength of the workforce
of the country.

He prays that the project turns successful describing it as a key
force in the reform agenda in the Civil Service. Out of the 426,000
estimated staff excluding the army, police and other paramilitary
organisations, only 14 percent, representing 58,000 are on IPPIS
project.

Indigenous airline operators in Nigeria, yesterday, accused regulatory bodies in the country of charging exorbitant fees.

Describing the charges from the aviation authorities
as “uncoordinated, indiscriminate and illegal,” the airlines, under
their umbrella association, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, argued
that without their operations, there would be no aviation industry in
Nigeria. “If we don’t take active parts in the resolving of this issue,
there will be no NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority), FAAN
(Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria), NAMA (Nigeria Airspace
Management Agency), AIB (Accident Investigation Bureau), and others,”
said Steve Mahonwu, the President of the airline operators.

The airline operators called on the minister of
aviation and the respective agencies in the sector to avoid any
development that will drag the industry backwards, adding that a
meaningful resolution on the issue of charges in aviation should be
reached. “This paper on the many charges in this industry that we are
considering today, which is partly put together by me, should be
treated amicably in order to move this sector of our economy forward,
otherwise we will have ourselves to blame if this industry fails,” said
Mr Mahonwu.

Divergent opinion

Faulting the arguments of the airline operators,
Nnamdi Udoh, a director with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency,
said that the airlines came forward with points which support them as
operators, without considering the service providers in the sector.
“AON has come up with what favours them and not what favours other
stakeholders in the industry,” he said. “How do you expect me to buy
UPS, pay workers’ salaries, and undertake the numerous operational
costs of the agency without collecting stipulated charges from the
airlines?”

Turning to Harold Demuren, the Director General of
the civil aviation authority, Mr Udoh said: “So DG, in my opinion we
should go into the details that will give all parties a level playing
ground to address these issues for the paper presented before us is
totally in favour of AON.”

Some of the concerns raised by the carriers include
terminal navigational charges, landing and parking charges, passenger
service charges, high cost of rent from the Federal Airports Authority
of Nigeria, as well as exorbitant rate of lease.

After hours of deliberations, Mr Demuren said the experts resolved
amicably after hours of deliberations. “We had a very good meeting for
the review of the charges and this is because airlines must survive,”
he said. “We are writing our reports to government and with time we
will come out with it and this is because we are not unaware that there
is a need to reduce the operating cost of running and airline.”

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said on Monday it could pull out of talks with the government if opposition demands were not met, including the immediate exit of President Hosni Mubarak who on Monday chaired a cabinet meeting.

Mubarak, 82, who refused calls to end his 30-year-old rule before September polls, saying his resignation would cause chaos in the Arab world’s most populous nation, has tried to focus on restoring order and his government seems to be buying time. Protesters, barricaded in a tent camp in Tahrir Square in the heart of Cairo, have vowed to stay until Mubarak quits and hope to take their campaign to the streets with more mass demonstrations on Tuesday and Friday. Keen to get traffic moving around Tahrir Square, the army tried early on Monday to squeeze the area the protesters have occupied. Overnight campers rushed out of their tents to surround soldiers attempting to corral them into a smaller area. The powerful army’s role in the next weeks is considered critical to the future of Egypt.

“The army is getting restless and so are the protesters. The army wants to squeeze us into a small circle in the middle of the square to get the traffic moving again,” protester Mohamed Shalaby, 27, told Reuters by telephone.

The uprising, which some activists have called the “Nile Revolution”, may have cost 300 lives so far, according to the United Nations. The opposition has been calling for the constitution to be rewritten to allow free and fair presidential elections, a limit on presidential terms, the dissolution of parliament, the release of political detainees and lifting of emergency law.

“We are assessing the situation. We are going to reconsider the whole question of dialogue,” the Brotherhood’s Essam el-Erian told Reuters on Monday. “We will reconsider according to the results. Some of our demands have been met but there has been no response to our principal demands that Mubarak leave”.

The Muslim Brotherhood movement was among the groups that met Egyptian government officials at the weekend, a sign of how much has already changed in an uprising that has rocked the Arab world and alarmed Western powers.

The presence at the weekend talks of the banned movement,

whose members have for years been repressed by Mubarak’s feared security forces, was a significant development that would have been unthinkable before the uprising.

The Brotherhood is seen as by far the best organised opposition group, whose potential rise to power troubles Egypt’s Western allies.

Opposition figures reported little progress in the talks.

While protesters worry that when Mubarak does leave, he will be replaced not with the democracy they seek but with another authoritarian ruler.

Cabinet meets

The government issued a statement after a first round of talks on Sunday and said there was agreement on a road map for talks, which gave little ground on many opposition demands.

It suggested reforms would be implemented with Mubarak staying in power until September. It also put conditions on lifting emergency law, which the opposition says has been used to stifle dissent and should end immediately.

Mubarak’s new cabinet pledged on Monday to keep subsidies and draw in foreign investment in its first meeting since the uprising against poverty, high prices and an end to Mubarak’s rule.

With a government pledging to reform, an opposition with limited political experience, a constitutional process that mitigates against haste, and a key strategic role, Egypt’s next steps must be considered carefully, U.S. officials say.

The opposition has made big gains in the past two weeks.

Mubarak has said he will not run again for president, his son has been ruled out as next in line, a vice president has been appointed for the first time in 30 years, the ruling party leadership has quit and the old cabinet was sacked.

Perhaps more important, protesters now take to the streets almost with impunity in their hundreds of thousands. Before January 25, a few hundred would have met a crushing police response in this U.S. ally whose army receives $1.3 billon in aid annually.

Over the horizon

Appearing to soften her position for Mubarak to step down, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said her policy on Egypt looks “over the horizon” to its possible democratic future — a future that must be carefully planned. The cautious U.S. approach to the unrest shaking its strategic Middle East partner has come at a cost, putting the Obama administration out of step with the protesters who say Mubarak must quit now for serious political talks to take place. As allies coalesced around the U.S. position, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said it was clear that the Mubarak era was in its final phase and there would be other leaders.

“That is what’s important for us, that this new direction is clear and irreversible,” he said, adding: “It’s not so important that individual people resign or whether there is a competition to have the quickest possible election.” Egypt’s government tried to get the country back to normal when the working week began on Sunday. Banks reopened after a week-long closure with lines of customers accessing accounts but hours, and withdrawals, were limited. Schools remained shut.

Several major Egyptian business concerns resumed business. In another move to restore normality, authorities shortened the curfew, largely ignored by the hard-core protesters, to start at 8 p.m. and end at 6 a.m..

Many Egyptians, including those who took part in nationwide demonstrations last week against Mubarak, are keen to get back to work and are worried about the effects of the crisis on stability, the economy and the important tourism sector.

Egypt’s pound weakened to a six-year low on the second day of trade after a week-long closure. State-controlled banks seemed to be selling dollars to support the pound.

“Things are stable. I can’t say they’re good, but they’re not collapsing,” said a trader at a Cairo-based bank.

There are indications that former two-time governor
of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion will be arraigned at the Federal High
Court, Benin today by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) to face a 26-count charge of alleged unlawful conversion and
criminal diversion of 25 billion naira state government shares in two
banks.

Mr Igbinedion who ruled Edo State between 1999 –
2003, had earlier been convicted and sentenced to three months
imprisonment following charges of corruption brought against him by the
EFCC.

He was however given an option of fine after a plea bargain.

Patriarch of Igbinedion family and father of the
former governor, Gabriel Igbinedion early yesterday morning with
several former associates of Governor Igbinedion who served in his
administration were sighted at the Edo State government house,
allegedly having consultation with the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

It was however not clear what he discussed with the
governor, but his visit to Government House yesterday fuelled strong
speculations making rounds in Benin City that the visit may not be
unconnected with the pending EFCC case against his son.

A Government House source who spoke on condition of anonymity said
“My brother, we are also surprised that the big man is in government
house this early. Mind you his son is due to face EFCC again, I guess
he is doing all he can to prevail on the state government to do all it
can to save him from going to jail, like he did at his first charge in
Enugu.”

President Goodluck Jonathan has asked members of Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) who were defeated in the party’s recent primary elections
to have a spirit of sportsmanship.

He stated this at a dinner in Abuja at the weekend where he
formally dissolved the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, which handled his
campaign for the primaries.

Apparently jolted by the rate at which failed aspirants on the
party’s platform were defecting to other parties as well as the threat by
others to do so, Mr Jonathan said such action does not only portray them as
non-committed members, but amounts to anti-party activities.

“I advise people who did not secure their tickets not to leave
the party even if you were not a candidate today you will be one tomorrow. It
is anti-party to leave PDP and pick ticket from another party only to return to
the PDP. You should rather remain there,” Mr. Jonathan said.

Vice President Namadi Sambo in his remarks called on party
members to join hands to ensure the collective victory of the party at the
general elections while also reaffirming the ‘one man one vote’ assurance of
the government.

Also speaking, Senate President, David Mark urged the losers to
behave like Hillary Clinton by joining the winners to campaign for the victory
of the party.

Scores of PDP members across the federation who lost during the
governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly
primaries have either left the party or are at the verge of leaving.

Former vice president and presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar,
who lost the Presidential primary, has already dragged Mr Jonathan to the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alleging that the exercise was
marred by bribery, coercion and rigging.

Mr Abubakar had previously said he would not leave the ruling
party but stated last week that he was ready for dialogue.

Mr Jonathan assured those at the dinner, including governors,
ministers and party chieftains that if those planning to defect change their
minds they will be accommodated in the party.

He thanked the governors for their tireless efforts,
cooperation, contributions and for assiduously working hard to ensure his
victory in the primary.

The president announced the formal disbandment of the
Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation, saying it was imperative to pave way for
a larger campaign structure to be constituted by the PDP national leadership to
oversee the preparation for the main presidential election, which comes up on
April 9.

Campaign kicks on

Stating that it will be the beginning of the real campaign, Mr
Jonathan said that his nationwide campaign will be flagged off today (Monday)
in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital in the North Central geo-political zone
after which the campaigns train will move to the five other zones.

The campaign will move to Ibadan (South West), Bauchi (North
East), Enugu (South East) and Port Harcourt (South-South).

Also speaking at the dinner, the acting national chairman of the
PDP, Bello Mohammed expressed gratitude to the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign
Organisation headed by the Dalhatu Tafida, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom.

He added, “PDP is the party to beat and Nigerians have realised
this. That is why PDP’s ticket is worth fighting for. So what we are witnessing
within the party is not fighting as a lot of people term it but competition for
tickets because it is the winning party and in President Jonathan we have found
a sellable candidate that will take us to the Promised Land.”

Mr Mohammed said that the party is ready to face the challenges
of the elections, saying “the way to earn respect and confidence of the people
of this country is to reach out to them. I say this because while PDP was going
round campaigning, a lot of our opponents were busy going to court.

“Once we launch the campaigns, we are not going to rest until we
deliver victory come April 2011. This time around, the President has promised
‘one man, one vote.’ We are going to win fair and square. PDP is for all
Nigerians and we are all co-founders and co-joiners.”

The acting chairman pledged to accommodate members of the organisation in
the larger campaign outfit to be constituted by the party.

In a bid to boost the health sector of the country, the federal
government has promised to offer free loans to private medical institution
owners. It also said that it would encourage public/private partnership, and
give support too in the provision of modern facilities for the needs of
Nigerians.

The Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu made this known over the
weekend in Abuja during a free prostate cancer screening exercise organized by
a private clinic, Chivar Clinic and Urology Centre in collaboration with the
Ministry of Health in commemoration of the 2011 World Cancer Day.

Mr. Chukwu urged Nigerian men to test for prostrate cancer,
insisting that early detection can lead to a cure. He also said that the
ministry would embark on free public cancer screenings in all the local
governments in collaboration with the Association of Local Governments of
Nigeria. The minister and his entourage got screened for prostate cancer after
which they went on a tour of the clinic’s facility and equipment.

Earlier in the day, the minister had flagged of the public HPV
vaccination of girls from age 9-15 who received the vaccine freely at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the chief medical director of the Chivar Clinic and
Urology Centre, Uzoma Azodo, said that figures showed that two new prostrate
cancer patients were seen every two weeks at the National Hospital, Abuja.

Nigeria’s largest
helicopter company, Bristow Limited, has said that the federal
government’s amnesty programme for militants has improved the level of
aviation safety in the area. Describing the amnesty initiative as one
that has “positively worked” for the aviation industry, the carrier
whose major operations in the country revolves around the Niger Delta
region explained that prior to the pardon for militants in the region,
its operations and those of other airlines were hampered as the
combative youths occasionally attacked their facilities with arms.

“The amnesty has
worked. Before the amnesty, we were concerned because we needed to fly
at a very high level to avoid arms fire. As long as our clients tell us
that it is a hot area, we don’t go there,” said Akin Oni, managing
director of the helicopter company, during a briefing at the company’s
head office in Lagos over the weekend.

Mr. Oni explained
that before the amnesty, Bristow and other helicopter companies and oil
firms within the region had been working together in the sharing of
intelligence in order not to fall victim to assaults from the
militants, adding that carrier, which has over 90 percent of its
investment in the Niger Delta often stayed away from the area whenever
there was trouble.

“Once again, I will
say that the amnesty has worked. The oil companies have been very
cooperative; we are not a military service. Once there is possible
trouble in the area, we don’t go there, so we work on the intelligence
to avoid losing our facilities,” he said.

Last year, the
federal government of Nigeria through the Niger Delta Development
Commission declared amnesty to militants in the region, who before the
official pardon from the government, engaged in the destruction of
lives and property in a bid to press home their demands.

“You will agree
that the level of unrest in the Niger Delta, which had drastic effects
on the economy of the country, was calmed after the government
intervened in the form of amnesty last year,” said Beggi Fidelis, camp
support staff and an ex-militant during the recent unveiling of 212
transformed ex-militants in Lagos being prepared for vocational
training in Ghana.

Meanwhile, Mr. Oni
disclosed that the airline was working to ensure that safety in the
industry is sustained, as he noted that the forthcoming safety and
security seminar being organized by Bristow would focus on the need to
guarantee an accident-free aviation sector in Nigeria.

“There are
insinuations that it is not possible not to have accidents, we believe
it is possible. Accidents don’t just happen, several things happen
before you get to that terrible situation where you have to go and
clean up blood,” he said. “What we are interested in is zero accident
and that is what we are doing.”

Former governor of Lagos state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday in
Osogbo, Osun state restated his call for true federalism as the only panacea to
the nation’s political and economic problems. Speaking at the official
unveiling of the coat of arms of the government of Osun state and its flag, Mr.
Tinubu stated that the only path to economic growth was for the country to
return to a federal system of government.

“For this country to return to the path of progress, honour and
economic buoyancy; there is need for us to return to true federalism,” he said.
“This will allow every federating unit in the country to develop at its pace.”

The ACN leader urged the people of the state to give the
governor, Rauf Aregbesola, maximum support in his efforts at restoring the
state to the path of honour and economic independence.

“It’s about time for us the progressives in this country to
translate the country’s potentials into reality,” he said. “Let us show that we
can turn around the country for the benefit of all of us.”

The state governor, while unveiling the new coat of arms for
the state tagged “Ipinle Omoluabi” at a programme to commemorate the rebranding
of the state, called on the people to return to the old golden era and put the
interest of the state above theirs. He explained that the rationale behind
rebranding the state was to return the state to the old era of governance where
service was the hallmark of governance.

Mr. Aregbesola who recalled the achievements of the premier of
the defunct Western region, the late Obafemi Awolowo, stressed that the Yorubas
had always been at the forefront of development in the country. He restated the
commitment of his administration to good governance, democracy, due process and
rule of law.

Tinubu’s attack

In his speech, Mr. Tinubu faulted the reported claim by the
speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Adejare Bello, that the former
governor of the state and now the national chairperson of the ACN, Bisi Akande,
lost the 2003 governorship election to the People’s Democratic Party because of
Mr. Akande’s retrenchment of civil servants in the state.

Mr. Tinubu stated that Mr. Akande lost the election to the
PDP’s rigging which was bent on chasing out the progressives out of the
southwest by all means. The event was witnessed by Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka
and the national chairperson of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Bisi Akande.
Others included the son of late human rights activist Gani Fawehinmi, Mohammed
and Akinwumi Ishola.