Nigeria Content Online

Following the
public outcry that trailed the killing of two persons by a riot
policeman in Mpape, a suburb settlement of Abuja on Monday, the
Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, has ordered a full scale
investigation into the incident.

He also directed
that a criminal suit be brought against the police officer that shot
the taxi driver and the lady passenger for parking in front of the bank.

Since after the
incident, soldiers have been drafted to watch over the bank. However,
NEXT’s visit to the area revealed that apart from the Zenith Bank,
other banks in the neighbourhood (AfriBank Plc,Oceanic Bank, Spring
Bank)that summarily closed for bussines after the incident, have all
resumed operations.

The Force public
relations officer, Olusola Amore, in a statement, described the
incident as “unfortunate”, and warned the public against taking the law
into their hands.

“It is regrettable
that miscreants, thugs, and other criminals used the incident to attack
the Zenith Bank in the area and set it ablaze,” Mr. Amore said.

He also said that
eight vehicles and one dispatch motorcycle were burnt down, and that
some arrests have been made in efforts to find the perpetrators.

The incident
started on Monday January 31, following the shooting of a taxi driver
and a lady passenger to death by a policeman attached to the bank.

The incident, which
almost got out of hand, also consumed nine cars belonging to the bank
and its members of staff, while the ATM machine was looted and set on
fire.

The victims were rushed to an undisclosed hospital, but later died, which triggered the riot and attack on the bank.

According to the Federal Capital Territory commissioner of police,
John Haruna, “the policeman at the centre of the crisis has been taken
into custody,” stressing that there were certain conditions that must
be met before firearms could be used, but these conditions were not
satisfied before the policeman fired his weapon.”

Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak has said he is willing to resign forthwith but fears the
country would descend into chaos if he did so.

In his first
interview since anti-government protests across Egypt began 10 days
ago, he told ABC News he was “fed up” with power, warning that the
Islamist Muslim Brotherhood party would fill any power vacuum if he
stepped down.

Speaking to ABC’s Christiane Amanpour, he vowed never to leave, saying:

“I would never run
away from this country. I will die on this soil.” He denied his
supporters were behind the violence of the last two days.

News of the
interview follows another day of violence in central Cairo, between
anti-government protesters with Mr Mubarak’s supporters. Stones were
thrown on both sides, and there has been some gunfire with one person
reported dead. The embattled president noted that it hurt him to him to
see “Egyptian fighting Egyptian”.

Meanwhile US state
department spokesman Philip Crowley has urged Mr Mubarak to move
“farther and faster” with the transition. Earlier Mr Mubarak’s newly
appointed deputy, Omar Suleiman, called for time to carry out political
reforms before presidential elections in September. He also warned
there would be a political vacuum if a proper period of transition was
not allowed.

Pro- and anti-Mubarak groups skirmish

Army tank moved
against supporters of President Hosni Mubarak as they hurled rocks at
anti-Muburak protesters in central Cairo, prompting cheers from
demonstrators battered by overnight fighting that killed six.

“Allahu Akbar, the
army and the people are hand in hand”, chanted protesters barricaded in
Tahrir (Liberation) Square, where 10,000 people on Thursday joined the
hundreds who had camped overnight. The Mubarak loyalists fled when the
tank turned its turret towards them, then regrouped nearby and resumed
throwing stones.

In Egypt’s second
largest city of Alexandria, thousands protested with anti-Mubarak
banners, one reading: “In all languages of the world, we tell you: go
out, Mubarak.”

In north-eastern
Egypt, around 4,000 people marched in Suez calling for Mubarak to step
down, while in Ismailia a crowd of 2,000 held a similar demonstration.
In Cairo protesters lined up small rocks to fight off attacks by
pro-Mubarak groups. “We are using these stones as a means of defence.
Yesterday they attacked us with molotov cocktails (petrol bombs) and
all we have to protect ourselves with is stones,” said Ali Kassem.

A Reuter’s
journalist saw protesters overpower someone they said was an undercover
member of the security services. Over a loudspeaker a voice urged:

“Don’t beat him.
Hand him to us and the organising committee and we will hand him over
to the army. The international media is watching us and saying we are
peaceful people.” Some protesters say the pro-Mubarak supporters have
been paid for by Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP). Mobile
phone operator Vodafone accused the Egyptian authorities of using its
network to send pro-government text messages to subscribers, without
clear attribution. One message sent on February 2 seen by Reuters
announced the location and timing for a pro-Mubarak rally. “If they
don’t want the president to go, okay, but let’s see whose voice is
louder…what I saw last night made me want to stay longer, it
strengthened my resolve,” said Ilham Farouk, a 27-year-old pharmacist
in a full face veil.

On Thursday the new
Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafiq, apologised for the violence and promised
an investigation. “As officials and a state which must protect its
sons, I thought it was necessary for me to apologise and to say that
this matter will not be repeated,” he told reporters. He promised an
investigation to find out “whether this was planned, was it
spontaneous, did someone direct it, (or) did a certain party encourage
it?” Algeria to lift emergency rule soon Algeria’s state of emergency,
in force for the past 19 years, will be lifted in the very near future;
official media quoted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as saying on
Thursday.

Bouteflika also
said, at a meeting with ministers, that the government should adopt new
measures to promote job creation and that Algerian television and
radios, which are controlled by the state, should give airtime to all
political parties, the official APS news agency reported. Bouteflika
said protest marches, banned under the state of emergency, would be
permitted everywhere except in the capital. Political parties must
respect the law to ensure freedom does not degenerate into anarchy, APS
quoted him as saying.

The former Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Aminu Bello Masari, should be
prevented from being fielded as the governorship candidate of the
Congress for Progressive Change [CPC] in Kastina State, Yakubu Garba
Lado, a senator, has said.

Seeking an order
from the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting Mr. Masari, the
senator claimed that he won the primary election and should have been
presented instead of Mr. Masari.

Mr. Lado wants the
court to mandate the submission of no other candidate except him to
INEC as the party’s governorship candidate for the state for the April
2011 election.

Specifically, he
wants the court to mandate the electoral body to accept only him as the
candidate of the party at the 2011 general elections for which they won
their party primaries.

Mr. Lado also asked
the court for an accelerated hearing of the suit by abridging the time
within which the defendants may enter appearance and file their counter
affidavit, and written address to seven days, upon being served with
the originating processes.

However, the
presiding judge, Abdu-Kafarati, in his ruling on the exparte motion,
moved by counsel to the applicants, Rickey Tarfa [SAN], ordered that
the defendants be put on notice and adjourned the matter to February
11, 2011 for hearing.

The court granted
the applicants leave to serve all the originating and other subsequent
processes in the suit to all the defendants. He further granted an
order for substituted service on the defendants by serving same
processes through the office of the director of legal services of the
INEC.

Some of the
aggrieved members of the CPC listed as plaintiffs in the suit with no.
FHC/ABJ/CS/126/2011 included Abdu Umar Yandoma; Ahmed Sani Stores;
Aminu Ashiru; Murtari Isah; Muntari Dandutse; Gambo Musa; and Aminu
Turkur.

Others are Tijani Awalu; Umar Abdu Dankama; Sani Lawal; Shehu Ibrahim; Basiru Musa; Sanusi Ali, amongst others.

The Nigeria
People’s Congress (NPC) yesterday accused the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately shutting out 20 political
parties from submitting list of candidates last Monday.

The party, in a
statement by its chairman, Ngozi Emioma, said the commission refused to
accept duly completed nomination forms of the parties, alleging that
they did not meet the deadline for the submission of the forms.

The party claimed
that the INEC director of political party monitoring had said that only
43 parties beat the deadline for the submission of the list of
candidates last Monday.

“We are appalled
that Professor Attahiru Jega-led INEC would change the electoral goal
post in the middle of a political contest without the consent of the
players. This is an unnecessary distraction and provocation aimed at
discrediting and frustrating the April general election. It is
unacceptable,” Mr. Emioma said.

He urged INEC to
reconsider its position and accept the nomination forms immediately,
saying that the imbroglio would have been averted if the INEC
leadership had communicated its position on the time to submit the
completed nomination forms. He claimed that the timetable released by
the commission clearly stated that the completed forms should be
returned on January 31, 2011.

Mr. Emioma recalled
that in all elections conducted by Mr. Jega’s predecessors, political
parties were at liberty to submit their forms till 12 midnight.

“To complicate
issues, INEC demanded that the forms should be submitted in triplicate.
Again, the commission did not inform political parties of this. NPC
frowns at this indiscriminate policy somersault. This is not an issue
that should heat up the polity. Jega should avoid playing into the
hands of reactionary forces who do not want the success of the April
elections,” he said.

INEC appeal

Meanwhile, a former
national publicity secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC), Dennis Aghanya, has appealed to INEC to enforce Section 87 of
the Electoral Act to ensure that political parties submit list of
candidates who won the primary elections.

He argued that a
situation where parties submit names of candidates who did not win the
primaries is a total deviation from how internal democracies within
political parties are designed.

“The implication of these actions is that there would be series of
after election court actions, which will not go well with our
democracy. Boardroom decisions are undemocratic and meant to serve
personal interest of a few political godfathers whose stock in trade
would always be to make money at every election period,” Mr. Aghanya
said.

The mystery gunmen in Borno struck
again on Tuesday, killing a deputy superintendant of police and a
six-year-old girl in Maiduguri.

The police officer, identified as
Gadzama, was in Maiduguri to condole with the family of one of those
killed last week before he was killed near the NNPC mega station at
Abbaganaram area of the city.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
gathered that the police officer, an indigene of Askira Uba local
government area in the state, was trailed by the gunmen to the fuel
station and shot at close range.

Similarly, a six-year-old girl, believed to be his daughter, was also shot dead by the gunmen.

Lawal Abdullahi, the police public relations officer, confirmed the
incident, saying that the police had commenced investigation into the
issue.

The workers unions
at the College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Ekiti State, yesterday began
an indefinite strike over the state government’s refusal to implement a
new salary scale. The striking workers who carried placards of various
inscriptions locked the main gates of the college as early as 8.00am.
They vowed not to return to the duty post until government implements
the new pay rise, and accused the government of marginalising them.

Addressing workers
in turns, the chairman of Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union
(COEASU), Tope Egunjobi; Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education
(SSUCOED), Charles Egunjobi; and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU),
Femi Ajayi, all contended that Governor Kayode Fayemi had agreed that
they would be paid with the new salary scale beginning from January
2011.

“All the
institutions in the state are being paid with the new salary scale. We
don’t know why the state government has been partial to the workers of
College of Education, Ikere Ekiti. Even the workers of the University
of Education (TUNEDIK), whose licence was revoked by the National
Universities Commission (NUC) are being paid the new salary scale,” the
unions alleged.

The acting provost
of the college, Titilayo Ogunmola, could not be reached for her
reaction as she was said to be in a meeting with officials of the state
government in Ado Ekiti over the issue.

Nigerian former
head of state, Yakubu Gowon said yesterday in Benin that if Nigeria
must truly realize its vision of a great nation, the sacrifices, dreams
and ideas of the nation’s departed heroes must not be allowed to be in
vain. Speaking at the final passage rites of the late nationalist and
political icon, Anthony Enahoro, at the Ogbe Hard Court of Samuel
Ogbemudia Stadium, Mr. Gowon, described the late elder statesman as an
“exceptionally gifted democrat who defended Nigeria’s unity and fought
for her through democracy.”

He however told the
audience that Mr. Enahoro left Nigeria with the regret that he was not
able to see a Nigeria of his dream as enunciated in his NADECO and
PRONACO philosophy. He challenged all Nigerians to continue to give Mr.
Enahoro’s vision a look, and try to arrive at his dream of a
full-fledged Nigerian democracy.

“No tribute, brief
or long; no encomium, expansive or restricted, is enough to acknowledge
his achievement in life and his greatness,” he said.

Mr. Gowon recalled
his school days in the 1940s when Mr. Enahoro was a young political
firebrand and a budding political thorn in the flesh to the colonial
masters of the day.

“We used to look at him in awe,” he said.

Mr. Gowon said that
he never dreamt that he would meet Mr. Enahoro until his government
released him from prison after the late politician was jailed by the
colonial government for a ‘treasonable felony’. Mr. Enahoro served as
federal commissioner of information in Mr. Gowon’s administration.

“His performance as commissioner was exceptional as it was exemplary,” Mr. Gowon said.

In his tribute,
Governor of Edo State Adams Oshiomhole, called on Nigerians to fight
their oppressors as taught by Mr. Enahoro, saying that he was not given
to lamentations.

“He taught us how to engage, not how to beg,” he said. “He believed that if something is wrong, it must be challenged openly.”

According to Mr.
Oshiomhole, the lesson from Mr. Enahoro is that a man who fights on the
side of the people cannot be imprisoned by man.

Governor of Delta
State Emmanuel Uduaghan said ideas propagated by the late activist,
especially fiscal federalism founded on ethnic nationalities were
worthy of consideration, while Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State said the
clarity of the late Enahoro’s vision for Nigeria was infectious.

In his tribute, former governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun
described Mr. Enahoro as a man of undisputed courage and tremendous
vision, pointing out that the democracy Nigerians enjoy today is
traceable to the vision of the late Enahoro. Other dignitaries who paid
tribute to the late sage were Niger State Governor Muazu Babangida
Aliu, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, David Edebiri, Tom Ikimi, Ayo
Adebanjo, Ndubuisi Kanu, Ayo Opadokun, Frank Kokori, and Itse Sagay.

The crisis in Jos,
the Plateau State capital, which has claimed many lives has been blamed
on the inaction of the federal government, a civil rights group,
Intersociety has said.

Speaking through its chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi, yesterday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, he said

“Government’s
action is missing, but inaction is noticeable. It may be correct to say
that over 15,000 Nigerians including women and children had been killed
since 1999 as a result of unabated ethno-religious/political violence
and it may also be safe to submit that the number of politically
related murders in Nigeria since 1999 has risen to between 160 and 200.
And over 90 per cent of these dastardly acts have remained judicially
and socially unresolved.

“With respect to
Jos killings, is it correct to say that the president is theoretically,
the Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s 700,000-strong Armed Forces? If the
answer is yes, then the president must take charge, because it appears
the contrary is the correct answer. It is our total submission that the
killings in Jos are deliberately political. The sponsors of these
killings are the same ethnic nationalities who adorn their plate
numbers with “born-to-rule” insignia,” Mr Umeagbalasi stated.

He said impunity
has continued to rule over the land and the president must address this
issue for democracy to thrive. “What is far more important is the
president’s capacity and competence to govern, especially as regards
the security and welfare of the Nigerian citizens as well as credible
protection of the territorial integrity of the state of Nigeria. It is
very disheartening that most of those who perpetrated these killings
are still on the prowl, no thanks to the president. He added.

The group regretted
that apart from the 17 people who were convicted by the Federal High
Court in December 2010, most of the perpetrators have not been held to
account for heinous atrocities committed, as the white papers that
originated from the two commissions of enquiry set up by the Federal
and the Plateau State governments had equally not been issued or
implemented till this date.

He scored Goodluck
Jonathan low for allowing key security formations in Plateau State to
be controlled by Muslim officers and described it as a dangerous
security and intelligence policy on the part of the president.

“We recall vividly
that during the Niger Delta uprising, the combatants and key senior
security officers posted in the area were drawn from the northern part
of the country.

Consequently, it is our respectful request that the entire security
establishments in Plateau State should be overhauled and officers and
combatants from parts of the country other than south east, middle-belt
and core north posted to the area.

The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday in Abuja
gave out cheques worth over 57 million naira as benefits to the
families of their late officers who were killed in active service.

The family of late
Mauazu Abdullahi, former head forensic unit got over N22 million naira,
while the sum of N22 million and N12 million naira went to the families
of late Tahir Hassan Zakari and Abdul-Aziz Jibrin respectively.

The Chairperson of
EFCC, Farida Waziri while presenting the cheques to the families said
looking at members of the families of slain officers of the Commission
receiving their insurance and other benefits, reminds her that these
officers died not from old age or sickness, but due to the wickedness
of the evil and diabolic ones.

Mrs waziri also
said that her solace however is that they have not died in vain, she
said apart from the fact that they died serving their fatherland, they
have been able to secure cover for all their staff.

Meanwhile, the
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Related Commission
(ICPC) has said that it will partner with the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure free and credible elections in
Nigeria come 2011.

A member of the
Commission, Simeon Oguntimilehin disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja
at the venue of a book launch and presentation titled: “Towards
Credible Elections In Nigeria” written by Timothy Ihemadu. He said that
ICPC will educate and monitor the electorate starting from registration
centres, as well as dealing with people who violate electoral rules.

The national
leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday asked its
members defeated in the party’s primaries to eschew bitterness and
support those who emerged as the party’s flagbearers in the forthcoming
general elections.

It also commended
the effort of the party members who supervised the conduct of the
congresses. In a statement by the PDP spokesman, Ahmed Alkali, the
party noted that now that the list of candidates has been submitted to
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ultimate
consideration is the party and not individuals.

“We appeal to all
our party men and women to realise that no matter who the candidate of
our party is, the ultimate consideration is the People’s Democratic
Party which is the only party in Nigeria that accommodates all the
creeds, cultures and socio-economic tendencies in our country.” He said.

While
congratulating those who won the primaries, the party expressed
happiness that the tortuous process of nomination has gone, adding that
it is time to move on and confront the challenge posed by the party’s
opponents in the coming elections.

It also hailed the
zeal and enthusiasm demonstrated by members during the nomination
exercise and the transparent manner of the January 13 national
convention.

“We are therefore
confident that Nigerians will continue to identify with the great party
which represents every interest in Nigeria.” Mr Alkali stated.

The PDP also
assured Nigerians that it will continue to sustain the trust they have
in it by remaining faithful to the ideals of good governance, the rule
of law, transparency, justice and respect for human dignity.

“We look forward to
renewing our mandate to serve our fatherland in the forthcoming general
elections. This is indeed part of our deep commitment to restoring our
core values.” The statement concluded.

Daniel’s faction reacts

Meanwhile, the
chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Joju
Fadairo said yesterday that the party is in the process of vacating the
court order which empowered the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) to recognise the candidates produced by a faction of
the party led by the Commerce and Industry minister, Jubril
Martins-Kuye.

INEC had on Tuesday
accepted the list of candidates that emanated from the Mr Kuye led
faction of the party, which also has the sympathy of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo, as against the one submitted by the faction led by
the Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel.

By INEC’s action, a
former military governor of Oyo State, Tunji Olurin is now the PDP
governorship candidate of the party in the state while Mr Obasanjo’s
daughter, Iyabo Obasanjo is the party’s senatorial candidate for the
Ogun Central Senatorial District.

But Mr Fadairo told
reporters on phone that the court injunction cannot stand, adding that
it will be vacated in the next few days.

“The purported kangaroo court injunction they claimed to have cannot
stand,” he said. “We are in the process of vacating the court order and
the list we submitted will be the acceptable list.”