David Mark: A Man With A Mark Of Shameless Pleasure And A Man Without Chest By Bayo Oluwasanmi 

Senate President, David Mark

On the eve of the fourth confirmation appearance of Musiliu Obanikoro as Defense Minister before David Mark's Senate, I penned an article titled “A Broken Senate Without Insight And Oversight  Means Musiliu Obanikoro Will Easily Scale Through: Can Any Good Come Out Of David Mark's Senate?”
The article published by SaharaReporters March 10, begins with a prophetic and frighteningly  introduction: “By the time you're reading this, Musiliu Obanikoro could have been confirmed by the Akindanidani senators.”  In the piece, I described Mark as a godless character and self-serving and of no utility value as a senator and president of the senate to the Nigerian people.
I stated that not much is expected of a senate dominated by crooks, looters, and dupers like Mark, that the National Assembly particularly the Senate had abdicated its insight and oversight function. Then, I conclude with a question of some uncertainty and difficulty: “Will these cowards and thieves ruling Nigeria allow this nation to join the society of human beings? Who will breathe new life into this comatose nation?”
Tuesday, March 11, Obanikoro was confirmed by 69 PDP senators while 40 APC senators walked out in protest. Obanikoro was President Goodluck Jonathan's principal negotiator in the video (Ekitigate) involving the rigging of last year's gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State.
Mark is the wrong senate president at the right time. How a leader deals with the circumstances of life tells you many things about his character. The political scam which confirmed  Obanikoro was initiated and led by Mark. It paints a powerful picture of Mark as a man without a vision. Crisis doesn't necessarily make character, but it certainly reveal it. Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two things – character or compromise. Every time he chooses character, he becomes stronger even if that choice brings negative consequences.
Obanikoro's confirmation rail road by Mark shows Mark as a man with eyes that are larger than his stomach. Mark lives completely in the present, depends solely on corruption and other criminal perks hence he repeatedly failed to see the future. All his life – both as a military officer and as a politician – Mark is like the Biblical Esau known for his near nearsightedness. Like Esau, Mark focused solely on here and now, convinced that tomorrow never comes, always ready to give up the ultimate to get the immediate even with a single meal.
Any fool can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders who navigate do even more than control the direction in which they and their people travel. They see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. They have a vision for their destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who they'll need on the team to be successful, and they recognize the obstacles long before they appear on the horizon. Mark can't read the GPS of the Nigerian nation. He doesn't know where he's taking the nation. He doesn't have what it will take to get the nation to its destination. He can't assemble a team that is useful for the trip.  A leader knows when to lead, what to do, and where to go. Mark doesn't know what to do and where to go.  He's lost and so the nation.
Integrity matters. A leader should be able to challenge his friends and subordinates to identify his flaws.  Only a leader with strong character and a strong sense of security can do that. C.S. Lewis called this quality, “Leaders with chests.” Lewis likened the properly ordered soul to the human body: the head (reason) must rule the belly (the sensual appetites) through the chest (character and spirit). The chest, says Lewis, is the indispensable liaison between reason and the appetites. Without  a strong “chest,” Lewis says, men would succumb to excuses, relativism, and compromise. Lewis calls those with no character, or integrity, “men without chests.” Mark is a man without chest.
Mark has proven over and over again throughout his tenure as senate president that he's tormented by self-indulgent motives with no solid character. He's not committed to doing the right thing at the right time. When leaders like Mark become lazy and corrupted and insensitive, they lose their diligence in doing good for their people and for their country. They become sluggards and worthless to the people they're supposed to serve.
Mark forgets his time is limited. He forgets there is no way to retrieve misused time. He forgets leadership must be about something much bigger than him. He forgets if his leadership advances merely his own “kingdom,” only increases the profits of his own benefits to himself, he has failed the higher calling of leadership. A leader must serve and benefit others.
David Mark represents all that is wrong with leadership in Nigeria. Like a pig skittered between trees and sunk into mud, squealing with shameless pleasure, Mark has successfully chaperon a senate with a shameless political culture being nationalized.
Again, can any good come out of David Mark's Senate?
byolu@aol.com

Distractions Must Not Deter Us, Jega Tells RECs

The INEC chairman, who spoke at a meeting with the RECs, held at the Commission’s headquarters, demanded focus and resilience in the face of those distractions. He described the meeting as an opportunity to examine closely whether there were still gaps in the commission’s preparations that needed to be taken care of within the next two weeks to keep on adding value to the elections.“

 

Barely two weeks to the 2015 general elections, scheduled for March 28th and April 11th, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday charged his Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) to be steadfast in the face of distractions as the Commission will settle for nothing but the best elections.

The INEC chairman, who spoke at a meeting with the RECs, held at the Commission’s headquarters, demanded focus and resilience in the face of those distractions. He described the meeting as an opportunity to examine closely whether there were still gaps in the commission’s preparations that needed to be taken care of within the next two weeks to keep on adding value to the elections.“
We need to do everything possible to make sure that the elections scheduled for March 28th and April 11th are indeed substantially much better than those we conducted in 2011 and the subsequent bye-elections in some states”, he declared. Professor Jega called for continued engagement with stakeholders in order to meet the aspirations of Nigerians.
He said: “We need to continue to engage all stakeholders, to inform them, provide information, enlighten them and carry them along, because the contribution and support of everybody is necessary for having the best elections that Nigerians want”. The INEC boss reiterated the need for all hands to be on deck, and again urged contestants and parties to play by the rules and abide by the peace accord, which was signed at different levels.
“Everybody has a role to play in ensuring free, fair, and credible and peaceful elections,” he declared. “In particular, we want to urge candidates and political parties to contribute and engage in the process, within the legal framework and in the context and code of conduct which they have all signed”. He reassured that Nigerians that the members of the commission were all doing their best, and expressed the confidence that will be good enough to meet the aspirations of Nigerians in terms of free fair and credible elections.

Jonathan, The President Who Sings In Dollars by Elias Ozikpu

Last year, the President claimed he needed a loan of one billion US Dollars to acquire the needed weapons with which to fight Boko Haram, but a closer examination at his ongoing activities would reveal that he has spent close to that amount or more as he goes about bribing for votes. The question to ask is considerably simple: how exactly is the President getting this money when the country is so wretched that it could not even raise money to acquire weapons at a time some of its citizens were facing decimation? Nigerians must make our “generous” President to answer some crucial questions that are clearly begging for answers.

Goodluck Jonathan

Anyone who swims would tell you what a drowning man is capable of doing as death takes hasty strides towards him. He sees clearly that Mr Death is armed with a spear, an arrow, a cutlass, a gun, even a dagger. It is these deadly weapons that the dying man struggles hard to avoid so that he grabs the tiniest piece of wood with all his strength until he realizes that the tiny piece of wood is in pieces.
One man who can be linked to the above illustration is President Goodluck Jonathan who is seeking re-election into the same office he has abused with impunity. A true and concerned leader would have stepped down long ago after overseeing Nigeria's worst era as a nation.
President Jonathan, aware that he is a drowning politician, has remained committed to his well-orchestrated scheme of “win at all cost” in which he has spent shedload of money including sponsoring documentaries in the media, using state funds. The President is doing this at a time when poverty and unemployment are prevalent in the country. At a time when the country's economic fortunes are in complete shambles. Yet, Nigerians, in their usual fashion, look on unconcernedly. Even Civil Society Organizations, who ought to have contributed in opposing this waste of resources by the Jonathan led government are surprisingly silent. Well, since the President is buying off every group in sight, it cannot be said that their silence is natural. Their vibrant voices may have been muffled by the “generosity” of a sinking President who must hold on to power at all cost, even when his continuous stay in office is obviously against public opinion.
In other climes, incumbents seek re-election by reminding the people of verifiable achievements and with the real promise of doing more if re-elected. Sadly, the Jonathan administration has dragged Nigeria into a strange political phase where the incumbent, knowing that he has achieved nothing except sucking away the nation's milk and breeding corruption, must now embark on assassinating the reputation of his opponents in order to lure voters who lack critical intelligence. Never have we experienced this flagrant abuse of power by an elected President! It is simply unacceptable and unpresidential.
In mid January of 2015, my colleagues and I interviewed one of the Presidential aspirants in the forthcoming election, and I remember him being particularly critical of the media. He asserted that the media, labeled the watchdog of the society, have unfortunately become slaves in the hands of the government. Upon saying this, I noticed the boundless embarrassment on the countenances of my colleagues, but it cannot be denied that this Presidential aspirant was speaking the truth.
It is inevitable for this to happen when we have a President whose moral conscience has been crushed by the overzealous drive of his ambition. It is therefore not shocking by any measure that a media house facing liquidation would take advantage of a dollar-sharing President to boost its empty coffers.
It is sad, however, that the President is presiding over a country where the sins of any political office holder remain relevant for only a short period of time before the same “sinner” becomes a man of the people. Otherwise, the President would have been made to understand that no amount of hard currency is capable of healing the injurious damage that his ineptitude and gross mismanagement have inflicted upon the Nigerian people after six years of maladministration.
How do you leave an immaculate white shirt in a bucket filled with palm oil for an entire month and think you can make it sparkle thereafter? Even manufacturers of the world's best detergents will not contemplate embarrassing themselves by taking up this challenge.
Last year, the President claimed he needed a loan of one billion US Dollars to acquire the needed weapons with which to fight Boko Haram, but a closer examination at his ongoing activities would reveal that he has spent close to that amount or more as he goes about bribing for votes. The question to ask is considerably simple: how exactly is the President getting this money when the country is so wretched that it could not even raise money to acquire weapons at a time some of its citizens were facing decimation? Nigerians must make our “generous” President to answer some crucial questions that are clearly begging for answers.
In spite of the generous distribution of Dollars across the country, the President remains skeptical about his electoral fortunes as March 28 draws closer.  And so the plan to sacrifice our democracy for his perceived safety clearly remains a viable option to avoid an embarrassing defeat at the polls. One is left to conclude that President Jonathan and his allies tremble as a result of their bold footprints plastered on the sand of evil. So like cockroaches, they prefer to hide under their current pile of rubbish.
So, in this noble struggle for the emancipation of the soul of our country, the objective remains the same as February 14th: to send a highly disastrous and corrupt President back to his village. We must do this or we set our feet on the path of perdition. Certainly, another mistake won't be blamed on ignorance.
Concluding remark: corruption is like a virus to a computer or mobile device; it eats up the soul of the device slowly before silencing it altogether.
- Elias Ozikpu

Jonathan Wanted Me To Be Part Of Interim Govt. – Tinubu

With the election less than three weeks away and the outcome possibly against them, the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency and the hardliners in the PDP have embarked on a new strategy to put brake on the momentum APC presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari seems to be gathering. 

Bola Tinubu Ynaija This strategy is novel and seems to be the outcome of a desperate calculation in that the PDP has shifted its attention from the APC in order to attack on multiple fronts the former governor of Lagos state and APC national leader, Bola Tinubu.
From what can be gathered through informed sources, the PDP and Jonathan Presidency had recently tried to fracture the APC by offering Tinubu the position of vice President in an interim government if he would agree to part company with the popular Buhari.
Once Tinubu rebuffed the offer to participate in the interim scheme, the presidency decided to change tactics. It would no longer try to entice Tinubu with sugar but would now move to silence and if necessary neutralize him.
The APC National leader has caused President Jonathan’s team countless headaches this campaign season, his declining the interim government offer is just the latest. The Jonathan government sees Tinubu as the linchpin of the APC and its successful electoral strategy.
They also consider him one of the government’s most prolific and able critics due to his longstanding and often strident critiques of Jonathan government policies, from economic development to national security.
More to the point, they blame him as the man who is most responsible for placing them in their current electoral quandary.
They believe without Tinubu’s efforts the successful merger of the political parties into the All Progressives Congress, APC, would not have occurred and they would not be facing possible defeat at the hands of this new party.
The PDP faces its stiffest competition ever in 16 years and the person they blame the most is Tinubu, the major actor who is seen as the strategic mind of the new party and one person who must be stopped at all cost. General Buhari has since been penciled down for similar character assassination and vicious insults alongside other leaders of the APC.
The agenda to tackle Bola Tinubu and weaken his political influence nationwide and to undermine his leadership in South Western politics can be said to have gone into overdrive.
The first part of the strategy is to dredge previously discredited claims of illicit wealth in hopes of silencing Tinubu or lessening his public image. However, they fear this public relations attack may be too soft as Tinubu has been taken before the ICPC and the case against him dismissed. If this attack does not deter his party activities, the presidency and PDP are prepared to take more drastic action if they believe it necessary to win the election by throwing the APC into disarray.
This part of the plot has two options, the first of which is to employ trained snipers to attack Tinubu or assassinate him out rightly. This plan is consistent with the warning made by former President Obasanjo in his now famous 2014 letter to President Jonathan. Those within the PDP favouring this approach argue that when Chief Bola Ige, a powerful politician was murdered, heavens did not fall even though the then President was a Yoruba man. The second option more crafty. The PDP will seek to resuscitate the case of the murder of Funso Williams a former Lagos gubernatorial candidate by blaming Tinubu for the killing.
They are already coaching inmates and others. They are offering them the promise of early release and money if they will make statements implicating Tinubu in the Williams murder. The presidency intends to rush through this process with the hope of putting Tinubu out of circulation by trapping him in a contrived criminal process until the elections are over. Tinubu is not taking these revelations lightly knowing well the capacity of this government for devilish acts.
For the party that boasts it will rule Nigeria for 60 years, it has become an unexpected season of political desperation. The PDP is worried that on March 28, they will discover that they have fallen 44 years short of their dynastic goal. By all accounts, this has caused them to consider very drastic plots and schemes.
Nigerians are confronted with a ruling party willing to descend to the lowest in order to win elections. Perceived political enemies are being hunted. Trumped-up allegations are being manufactured daily from the government factory of lies to taint the leading figures in the All Progressives Party, APC.
Tinubu Media Office
Press Statement

Open Heavens 13 March 2015: Friday daily devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye - The Pains of Disobedience

Topic: The Pains of Disobedience [Friday March 13, 2015]

Memorise: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. - 1 Samuel 15:23

Read: (1 Samuel 15:10-11 KJV) 10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 47-48, Revelation 21:9-27

MESSAGE: The sin of disobedience is a terrible sin. Nothing hinders the children of God from fulfilling their purpose in life like disobedience. Disobedience comes in many shades. It can take the form of refusal to keep to specific instructions, functioning in an office God has not called you to, courting a wrong relationship or operating in a place you are not meant to be in at a particular time. No matter what form it takes, the truth remains that disobedience is a terrible sin in the sight of the Almighty God. Disobedience compels God to turn blessings into curse, as we see in the account of Adam and Eve ( Genesis 3:17 ). Every act of disobedience erodes your reservoir of God's blessings. Nothing destroys a man faster than the sin of disobedience. That is the reason why you have to check your life today and take stock of your soul, so that your sky will not be turned into brass (Deuteronomy 28:23). When this happens, instead of favour, you will experience closed doors. In 1 Samuel 15:1-23, King Saul lost his crown because of partial obedience. God expects full obedience form all His children. He prefers total obedience to partial obedience. This is one of the reasons why many of us are yet to access the blessings of God fully. Abraham was called to leave his father's house behind but he suffered the consequences of disobedience by taking Lot along with him. Who are those people the Lord expects you to have dropped but you are still hanging around? What are those things the Lord has warned you about that you are still engaging in? These are the things that will deny you the full blessings of God. Numbers 12:8 says Moses was so close to God that he conversed with God mouth to mouth. But when he was told by God to speak to the Rock and he struck the rock instead, he was severely punished: he never got to the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). Check your life and find out those things that are capable of hindering you from becoming the best that God wants you to be. Drop them now before they make you drop out of the journey to the Promised Land. Check your life today. If you are experiencing perpetual sorrow, suffering, disappointment and unfulfilled desires, check and find out the factors responsible. Don't pretend to be okay when you know all is not well with you. If you confess those hidden sins of disobedience, you will surely find mercy, but if you pretend about it, you will be undoing yourself. Some people keep making effort, yet they never record any success. Several trials and much effort do not guarantee success when disobedience is present.

 Action Point: Examine yourself today and repent from every act of disobedience in your life.

Nigeria Faces Post-Election Gloom: Treasury Emptied, Oil Marketers Owed N450b, Mass Retrenchment Looms

A disaffected insider within President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as well as several banking executives have told SaharaReporters that Nigeria faces a deep economic crisis and massive social gloom after the 2015 general elections. Speaking from different perspectives, the sources said President Jonathan had virtually vacuumed the Nigerian treasury to serve his re-election campaign, leaving Nigerian banks in dire straits and many states on the verge of failing to pay salaries this month. 

President Goodluck Jonathan “The truth is that Mr. President has almost emptied the treasury, and some of us close to him are even beginning to get worried about what will happen after the election,” said the political insider.
The bankers echoed the sentiment. “The reason the naira has taken such a dramatic plunge over the last three or so months is that politicians moped up the hard currency for elections,” said one banker. “I have never seen anything on this scale, where politicians snatch up every hard currency in sight, whether dollar, Euro or pound sterling,” he added. Asked who was primarily responsible for the situation, the banker said he would not engage in partisanship. “All I know is that this country is now in a frightening economic position—and all these politicians running up and down to retain or take power have created the situation,” he asserted.
But another banker was not shy in pointing a finger at Mr. Jonathan. “The president has been indifferent to the economic crisis caused by the ongoing campaigns. And the reason he is indifferent is that he is the major culprit,” said the executive. He added that the distribution of largesse by Mr. Jonathan had now become “one of the few lucrative businesses in Nigeria.”
The bankers said massive layoffs were inevitable in the banking and other sectors of the Nigerian economy. They said numerous companies that depended on imported machinery or other components sourced from abroad were bleeding cash. “Many Nigerian companies are experiencing severe cash flow problems. Many of them are defaulting on long and short-term loan repayments. So the banks are suffering heavily as well,” one banker told SaharaReporters.
Two of the bankers disclosed that the banking industry would have laid off thousands of workers, but that officials of the Jonathan administration pressured them to wait until after the elections. “It will take a long time before banks recover from the current shocks in the system. There’s no bank strong enough not to retrench staff,” one said.
The stress in the banking sector, with the prospective job losses, will be compounded by massive retrenchment in the civil service at the Federal and state levels, one source predicted. Our source inside the Presidency revealed that Mr. Jonathan plans to follow former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s style by removing fuel subsidies as one of his first economic acts. “The truth is that it’s a must that fuel subsidy has to go because the money is not there to continue [paying for] them,” he said.
As part of an arrangement to receive slush funds from oil marketers, Mr. Jonathan and Ms. Alison-Madueke allowed numerous marketers to make fraudulent claims and get paid for importation they never made. That criminal collusion has put Nigeria in a situation where the oil marketers are being owed N450 billion. “Nigeria will have to deal with this and other debts from fraudulently inflated invoices once the elections are over,” one banker said.
The scam also helped create a recent fuel scarcity in the country. As the fuel situation threatened to become a politically costly crisis, Mr. Jonathan asked the oil marketers to offload fuel they had been “round-tripping” in order to collect unearned subsidy payments.
Bankers agreed that the government would find it extremely difficult to pay that debt after the election without rolling back or eliminating subsidies altogether. In recent months, oil marketers as well as operators of the privatized power sector received massive financial handouts from the Jonathan administration. In turn, they donated billions of naira to Mr. Jonathan’s re-election campaign.
President Jonathan has gone on a dollar-spraying spree since the general elections were postponed by six weeks. Our sources disclosed that the president had doled out more than $200 million, using generous cash gifts to entice various traditional rulers, politicians and activists, especially those in the southwest and parts of the north, to endorse him.
Several sources said much of the president’s campaign cash is from shady oil deals brokered by Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. The massive theft of Nigeria’s crude oil remains an open scandal, and one of the richest sources of funds for the campaigns. Last September, Al Jazeera reported that the theft of Nigeria’s crude oil was at its highest rate in years, adding that several hundred thousand barrels of crude are stolen each day.
The continuing crisis of crude oil thefts has persisted despite the Jonathan administration’s security contract to Global West Specialist Agency, a company owned by Government Ekpemukpolo (popularly called Tompolo). The contract to Mr. Tompolo’s company was for the supply of 20 patrol vessels to enable Nigeria’s military authorities to better secure the coastline and stem oil theft. Mr. Tompolo’s firm was also engaged as a consultant to prevent crude oil heists.
The rating firm of Standard & Poors yesterday said that the Nigerian economy faced a clear and present danger. Nigeria’s external reserves have been significantly depleted in the past year, said a banker, adding that many state governments were already looking for loans to pay workers’ salaries.

Documentary Evidence of some of the numerous lies of the Special Adviser On Media and Publicity To President Jonathan, Reuben Abati

 

On the Left is a road that Special Adviser On Media and Publicity To President Jonathan, Reuben Abati published as New Enugu-Porthharcourt Road; he called it part of GEJ's Transformation.
On The Right is the same road. It is actually Doula-Yaounde Road in Cameroun.
The President Needs To Sanction Some of his advisers for misleading and misinforming people. Don't you agree?
'Photo of the Day On the Left is a road that Special Adviser On Media and Publicity To President Jonathan, Reuben Abati published as New Enugu-Porthharcourt Road; he called it part of GEJ's Transformation. On The Right is the same road. It is actually Doula-Yaounde Road in Cameroun. The President Needs To Sanction Some of his advisers for misleading and misinforming people. Don't you agree?'

Governor Fayose Faces Backlash Within PDP For Rabid Rhetoric

SaharaReporters has learned that several governors and top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are beginning to distance themselves from what one of them characterized as rabid vituperation from Governor Ayo Fayose, who has become notorious for predicting the imminent death of Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Several PDP sources told our correspondent that Mr. Fayose’s intemperate statements were now generating negative reactions even among the fold of the party’s governors. 

PDP Governor's Forum in Lagos... Evidence of other governors’ disquiet emerged on Tuesday at the end of a forum convened by the PDP governors in Lagos. Some of Mr. Fayose’s colleagues, including Governors Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, reflected on the outcome of their meeting, but unavoidably commented on Mr. Fayose’s venomous comments and incessant castigation of Mr. Buhari during he (Fayose’s) turn to speak at the event which took place at Eko Hotel in Lagos. Some of the PDP governors remarked that, rather than marketing President Goodluck Jonathan, who is their party’s candidate, Mr. Fayose’s statement at the forum merely attacked Mr. Buhari’s person, eliciting repulsion from their audience. 

Originally, the PDP governors’ forum was convened to woo civil society groups into backing Mr. Jonathan for a second term. But the agenda seemed a tough sell to many groups that participated. 
A source familiar with the organization of the forum told SaharaReporters that the governors aimed to “sell Jonathan” to the civil society while also using the live televised coverage of the event to market the incumbent president to a larger audience. However, some of Mr. Fayose’s colleagues admitted in private and publicly that his incendiary and uncouth remarks became a total gaffe. One governor told our correspondent that the Ekiti governor’s comments unfortunately defined the event and became the highest turn-off factor for their audience.
In his speech, Mr. Fayose disclosed that his own mother uses sanitary diapers due to old age, and said he wished to extend diapers to Mr. Buhari, adding that the APC candidate’s age demanded that he be on diapers as the governor’s own mother. The comment misfired, with members of the chuckling uncomfortably at Mr. Fayose’s disclosure of what should be a private matter concerning his mother.
Although the forum was designed as an opportunity to “interact” with civil society, and later adjusted to include the media, some participants grumbled that there was little or interaction allowed.
“It came out as their own [PDP governors’] talk show where they just asked us to give President Jonathan the benefit of the doubt for a second term,” one social activist who took part said. He added, “They just spoke and spoke, abused Buhari and Tinubu, took about three questions and said we should go for lunch.” Another participant pointed to Mr. Fayose’s statements. “Governor Fayose shocked many of us with his intemperate and childish remarks. He even insulted his own mother without realizing it,” she said.
A former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Ikeja, Monday Ubani, was among a few outside participants allowed to make brief comments before lunch and the closure of the forum. Mr. Ubani praised the initiative to convene a meeting with the civil society to get feedbacks on government programs, but regretted that the meeting seemed to have been narrowly shaped by the forthcoming elections. 
He advocated that the forum be required to happen on a regular basis to keep citizens informed and to generate grassroots responses to government policies.

Obanikoro Blocks SaharaReporters From His Twitter Activity

SaharaReporters made sure that it tagged Senator Obanikoro in every story published and shared on social media. It seems that reports of his illegal acts, misconduct, exaggerations, and embarrassing ministerial confirmation attempts proved too much for his Twitter feed.

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Screenshot of Obanikoro blocking SaharaReporters from his Twitter feed Sahara Reporters Media

SaharaReporters discovered today, March 11, that Senator Musiliu Obanikoro has blocked it from following, viewing Tweets, or commenting on Senator Obanikoro’s Twitter.
This dramatic revelation came after SaharaReporters’ tweets to Obanikoro were denied by the social media platform. SaharaReporters social media policy, in order to engage its readers more directly, is to tag those individuals mentioned in its reporting.
Senator Obanikoro has been making headlines in Nigeria due to his involvement with Ekitigate where he unlawfully manipulated the Ekiti State elections on behalf of President Jonathan, bribed a military officer, and plotted the arrest of APC leaders. Additionally, Senator Obanikoro made several attempts to be confirmed by the Senate as minister—which was only recently authorized.
SaharaReporters made sure that it tagged Senator Obanikoro in every story published and shared on social media. It seems that reports of his illegal acts, misconduct, exaggerations, and embarrassing ministerial confirmation attempts proved too much for his Twitter feed.

Lagos Federal Court Issues Injunction Against AIT, NTA And NBC Over Negative Documentary On Yemi Osinbajo

David Mark Stages Fraudulent Confirmation For Obanikoro As APC Senators Reject Him, Walk Out Of the Senate

There was drama in Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber today as the Senate President, David Mark, carefully orchestrated the confirmation of Musiliu Obanikoro as Nigeria’s minister of state for defence.  The nominee had given up the same position to run in the party primaries for governor of Lagos State

Musiliu Obanikoro Mr. Obanikoro’s confirmation had previously been held up on three occasions as up to 40 Senators rejected his candidacy over his involvement in the rigging of last year’s gubernatorial poll in Ekiti.
A rigging meeting on the eve of the election featured some of the principal characters in the plot, including Obanikoro, and was secretly taped by an army captain and published by SaharaReporters.
Today, a ruthless Mr. Mark, apparently working on a plan to railroad the confirmation process, mobilized People Democratic Party Senators to the chambers of the Senate for Mr. Obanikoro’s confirmation.  Knowing that many of his colleagues, especially members of the All Progressives Congress, wanted to question the nominee, Mark merely asked the assembled Senators to vote on whether they wanted Mr. Obanikoro to “bow and go,” a strategy used as an informal blessing when Senators do not wish to question the president’s nominees.  
The APC Senators staged a walkout in response, and addressed the media denouncing Mr. Obanikoro’s confirmation. They wanted it on record that they objected to Obanikoro’s confirmation because he is a known election-rigger in view of his role in the unfolding Ekiti State governorship story.
“The hilarious thing is that these most of these Senators appear to have the same shelf life as the man they just fraudulently confirmed for a filthy Ministerial chair,” a political analyst said in response.  “None of them may have a job after May 29, but from now on, the Senators carry on their heads the guilt and stench of Obanikoro.”
Asked what he meant, he said, “Can’t you see?  Some people will now be known as ‘Obanikoro Senator.’”

Morocco fires back: Nigeria lied, our king didn’t talk to Jonathan

Morocco fires back: Nigeria lied, our king didn’t talk to Jonathan

The Moroccan authorities have denounced as a lie, the claim by the Federal Government that President Goodluck Jonathan had a telephone conversation with King Mohammed VI.

The North African Kingdom also recalled its ambassador to Nigeria over what it described as the “incredible twist” that Nigeria introduced into the dispute.

Rabat said that it was stating in   the “clearest and strongest terms,” that “there has never been a telephone conversation” between the two leaders.

In two separate   statements issued within 24 hours   on Wednesday, it accused the Goodluck Jonathan administration of using the King   for electioneering.

The two statements were posted on the kingdom’s official website, Maroc.ma.

The first was titled, ‘Morocco Denies False Allegations About Alleged Phone Conversation Between HM The King, and Nigerian President’ while the second statement, is titled ‘Morocco recalls its ambassador in Abuja for consultations.’

Last week, the Moroccan royal palace said the king had declined a request for a telephone conversation with   Jonathan.

But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja on Monday denied the snub, saying     the two leaders had spoken extensively. It also denied that the Federal Government was using Mohammed VI to woo   Muslim voters in Nigeria.

“This information is absolutely not correct as the President did in fact speak to the Moroccan monarch… both leaders spoke extensively over the phone on matters of mutual interest and concern,” the   Foreign Affairs ministry had said.

The ministry added that it was “preposterous to suggest that Mr. President’s telephone call to the Moroccan monarch was intended to confer any electoral advantage.”

However, the North African country , in the statements denounced the claim by Abuja as “unethical practices.”

“The king has actually declined the request of the Nigerian government because it is part of the internal electioneering,” it added.

Before issuing this lengthy press release, Rabat had issued a terse statement to debunk the claim by Abuja that the heads of state had a telephone conversation.

The statement read, ”Morocco is surprised at the incredible twist given by Nigeria to an alleged phone conversation that never took place between HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President, the King’s Office said Tuesday.

The King’s Office categorically denies the false allegations made by Nigerian authorities about an alleged phone conversation between the Sovereign and Nigerian President.”

Nigeria, Algeria and South Africa have long backed the move for     independence by the people of a tract of the Sahara Desert led by the   Polisario Front.

The tract has been at the centre of a long-running dispute between Morocco and fighters of the Polisario Front.

The territory is said to be rich in phosphate   and experts have also said that it is rich in oil.

When contacted, the Director, Public Affairs Communication Division, MFA, Ahmedu Ogbole-Ode, said the ministry has not received an official communication from Morocco on the withdrawal of its envoy.

On the controversy over the telephone conversation between Jonathan and the Moroccan monarch, the director said the ministry would respond once it gets a directive from “higher authorities to do so.”

STATEMENT ONE

Morocco Denies False Allegations About Alleged Phone Conversation Between HM The King, Nigerian President

Morocco is surprised at the incredible twist given by Nigeria to an alleged phone conversation that never took place between HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President, the King’s Office said Tuesday.

The King’s Office categorically denies the false allegations made by Nigerian authorities about an alleged phone conversation between the Sovereign and Nigerian President, the King’s Office said in a statement.

STATEMENT TWO

Contrary to the allegations made by Nigerian authorities to the ambassador of HM the King in Abuja and local media, the Kingdom of Morocco confirms, in the clearest and strongest terms, that there has never been a phone conversation between HM King Mohammed VI and the President of this country”, the ministry pointed out in a statement.

HM the King has actually declined the request of the Nigerian government because it is part of the internal electioneering and this country’s fundamentally hostile positions with regard to the territorial integrity of the Kingdom,” the statement said.

The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its astonishment and denunciation to these unethical practices that are contrary to the spirit of responsibility that must prevail in relations between States”, the ministry added.

Accordingly, the Kingdom of Morocco has decided the immediate recall of the ambassador of HM the King in Abuja for consultation”, the statement concluded.

Open Heavens 12 March 2015: Thursday daily devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye - Get Motivated

Open Heavens 12 March 2015: Thursday daily devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye - Get Motivated

Topic: Get Motivated [Thursday March 12, 2015]

Memorise: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. - Galatians 6:9

Read: (Proverbs 6:6-8 KJV)

6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 45:7-46:24, Revelation 20:7-21:8

MESSAGE:

Many believers read or study Bible but never meditate on it. If only you can find adequate time to ponder on the Word, you will realise that the solution you need for every issue of life is found in it. Find sometime to ponder on the recommendation in our Bible reading for today, because anyone who wants to amount to anything significant in life has a lot to learn from the ants. Are you already giving up or fainting before time? Then, you have a lot to learn from the ants. The reason why some people with great potential will not go far in life is because they are not self-motivated. Motivation has nothing to do with your height but your mind. Whatever is missing in your mind cannot be find in your life. If prosperity is not in your mind, it cannot come into your life. If complaining is always your mindset, possibilities will be far from you. There is no limitation or barrier that can stop you from becoming all what God wants you to become, except the one you place on yourself. You have to make up your mind to lay aside every weight and the sin which easily besets you (Hebrew 12:1). You must run with patience the race that is set before you. You must not be weary in well-doing because in a short while, if you faint not, you will reap that which has been sown.

One big lesson you can draw from the ants is that they are self-motivated. You have to stay motivated to give your best against all odds. In the midst of animals, the ants do not struggle to live; they live comfortably. When a man of God does his work the way it should be done, what he will eat will not be a prayer point. As a minister , you must see God as your employer because that is what He is. With this mindset, you will put your trust in God whenever you are dismayed. If you will ever make it to your goal in life, you have to stay motivated. You have to devise a strategy of staying on top of your game because what you choose as your motivation is central to the achievement of your goals. Hope brings motivation. Hebrews 6:19 says:

'Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;'

If you loose all your earthly possessions but retain your hope of better tommorow, you will be fine. May your anchor of hope remain intact in Jesus'Name. The result you get from your effort on anything is at most a function of the motivating force driving you. Motivation is the forerunner of any tangible achievement in life. There are people who have good and strong expectations in life, but when the winds of adversity, doubts and fear begin to blow, quite a number of them may drift away due to weariness and a fainting spirit. Is your motivation for a glorious tommorow still intact? Do you believe all is well with you despite the reports you are getting today? Keep your hope alive, and it shall be well with you.

Action Point: Encourage yourself in the Lord. Build up your hope by pondering on God's faithfulness.

FACT-CHECK: After 16 Years In Power, Several PDP’s Promises Unfulfilled

Despite declining momentum, its campaign is centred on claims that Nigeria is on the right path and this should not be derailed by a shift in leadership. Has it brought, as its motto states, “justice, unity and progress” to Africa’s biggest economy? In this – the first of two reports ahead of a presidential vote on 28 March – Africa Check investigates the truth behind some of the party’s electoral claims. 

 

 

Nigeria has been ruled by the same political elite since military rule ended in 1999. The current government of Goodluck Jonathan has faced mounting criticism over its record on corruption and security, with billions of dollars of oil revenue unaccounted for and an Islamist insurgency raging in the northeast. More recently, as crude prices drop and the currency depreciates, its economic management has also been called into question.
For the first time, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is facing a major challenge from a cohesive opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was formed in 2013. The PDP has lost its parliamentary majority as a result of a wave of defections over the past 12 months. State governors have also decamped, leaving the ruling party in control of 23 of the country’s 37 states.
Despite declining momentum, its campaign is centred on claims that Nigeria is on the right path and this should not be derailed by a shift in leadership. Has it brought, as its motto states, “justice, unity and progress” to Africa’s biggest economy?
In this – the first of two reports ahead of a presidential vote on 28 March – Africa Check investigates the truth behind some of the party’s electoral claims.
Promises
The claim: “I have fulfilled all my promises.”
Our verdict: This claim, which Punch newspaper reported Jonathan as saying at a campaign rally, is false.
The president was allegedly referring to the promises made in his 2011 inauguration speech, which ranged from tackling corruption and maintaining security to building a stronger fiscal framework.
For the purposes of this report, Africa Check cannot investigate each one. However, Jonathan’s failure to keep just one of those promises disproves his claim to have honoured each. We looked into his vow that “[We] will avoid… boom and bust cycles, and mitigate our exposure to oil price volatility”.
Since June, oil prices have plummeted as low as $50 per barrel, placing huge strain on an economy that is reliant on the commodity for the majority of its export earnings and government revenue. The government has had to recalculate its budget, and the country’s central bank has been forced to depreciate the currency.
There is little indication that Nigeria’s rulers have built better measures to cushion against such shocks. The Excess Crude Account (ECA), a rainy-day savings pot which pre-dates Jonathan’s rule, has been depleted to less than $3-billion. There was $40-billion in the account in 2007. It has been at the centre of several corruption scandals. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation recently promised to remit a missing $1.48-billion, following an audit catalysed by allegations made last year by the central bank governor Lamido Sanusi. Jonathan sacked him after he argued that as much as $20-billion was missing from oil coffers.
A sovereign wealth fund, designed to save and invest oil revenues, has been hamstrung by politicians and failed to grow beyond $1-billion.
Jobs and manufacturing
The claim: “Leading vehicle manufacturers such as Nissan, Hyundai, and Kia, have set up factories in Nigeria and are employing thousands of our people.”
Our verdict: It is true that factories have been established, but Africa Check was unable to verify if “thousands” of jobs have been created.
This claim refers to an automotive policy launched in 2013, which sought to discourage the importation of completed cars. The policy forms one component of a five-year plan to boost manufacturing’s share of GDP from 4% to 10% by 2017.
The National Automotive Council website has an undated list of the 23 new car assembly plants it says the new policy has helped kick-start. Going by the list, only Hyundai Motors and Basco Nigeria Limited have started assembly. The rest are still building their factories.
But local press has also reported that Nissan and Kia have produced cars in the country. Africa Check contacted Nissan to find out if their factory is running full-time, but did not receive a response.
Kia’s response suggests the claim is somewhat misleading. It points out that its factory is not an independent operation. A spokesperson for the company clarified that “we do not have a wholly-owned factory in Nigeria”, adding that it operates partial assembly with a local partner to avoid punitive taxation. He said the company is not employing anyone directly in the country.
The National Automotive Council did not respond to a request for comment on the recent status of those factories, as well as employment figures. It is therefore not possible to verify the claim that “thousands” of jobs have been created.
Food
The claim: “In the past three years… food import cost drop [ped] from N1.1-trillion to N635-billion and three million farming jobs [were] created.”
Our verdict: There are conflicting figures as to how much Nigeria spends annually on importing food. But evidence suggests the food import bill is rising at present, making the claim misleading. We could find no evidence to support the assertions on job creation.
World Bank data of Nigeria’s food imports – expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports – shows a steady decline from 31% in 2011 to 18% in 2013 (which is still higher than the 10% recorded in 2010).
However, in the last year there has been significant pressure on the import bill. The Central Bank in September 2014 highlighted “low agricultural output due to insecurity in the northeast” and expressed concern that the Boko Haram insurgency “was forcing a switching from domestic to imported food to meet domestic shortfall with huge impact on external reserves”.
Rice imports are said to have reduced over the past three years, because of increased local production. However the United States Department of Agriculture suggests that the claims of a significant increase in domestic production (and a consequent decrease in import spending) might be exaggerated. It notes that rice imports have been increasing again, after dropping by 200,000 tonnes between 2011/12 and 2012/13.
John Litwack of the World Bank adds that “due to higher tariffs and levies in recent years, more food is smuggled into the country and not recorded”.
Africa Check could not find data to support the claim that three million farming jobs have been created in three years. It sounds implausible. While Nigerian job statistics are highly unreliable, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) suggest that 2.48-million jobs were created between July 2012 and June 2014. At an average of 1.24-million jobs a year – spread across all sectors of the economy – it is unlikely that agriculture alone can account for an average of one million jobs per annum.
Access to water
The claim: The PDP “improved nationwide access to potable water from 57% in 2010 to 70% at present”.
Our verdict: The claim, made in Goodluck Jonathan’s New Year speech, appears to be inflated. Conflicting statistics from government agencies and NGOs make it impossible to assess if Nigeria has made progress in water supply.
A mid-term review from the water ministry said that “before the inception of this administration [2011] access to water was 58%”. Since then, the minister of water resources, Sarah Ochekpe, has claimed that access to clean water rose from 58% in 2012 to 67% by 2014.
That differs from the estimates made by the National Bureau of Statistics. In a 2014 report, it declared that Nigeria’s potable water supply rose to 62.2% in 2014 from 57% in 2012.
In April 2014, the permanent secretary of Nigeria’s water resources ministry, Baba Faruk, put the figure at much less. “Only 40% of the population have access to safe drinking water”, Faruk said.
Either way, it appears that less than 70% of the population is benefiting from clean water. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) says the lack of accurate data makes it “impossible to determine whether Nigeria is making progress in the WSS (water supply and sanitation) sector”.
Late last year, the country launched a water and sanitation data survey, aimed at improving data collection. “All the efforts made so far in establishing water supply and sanitation data, which have resulted in different figures, need to be harmonised… to enable us have a common platform for reporting the progress of the sector,” Ochekpe said at the time.
Life expectancy
The claim: “Nigerians have……a record increase in life expectancy… Maternal mortality has dropped by more than 50%.”
Our verdict: This claim, made by PDP’s national press secretary Olisa Metuh, is broadly correct.
Nigerian men live on average to 53 years, and women two years longer, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics dated from 2012. The World Bank put life expectancy at 52 years in 2012, up from 51 years in 2010.
Because the data is backdated, it is difficult to establish whether this government, in office since 2011, has presided over a “record” improvement. Dr Ike Anya of the Nigerian Health Watch says an increase from an estimated 47 years in the past decade has been “the largest… since independence”. He adds that this is “part of a global trend and largely accounted for by improvements in maternal and child mortality”.
Yet it appears the government is trying to inflate its achievements. Jonathan has claimed in the past that life expectancy was 47 years in 2010; a statistic that’s belied by the World Bank figures. The organisation’s data shows that Nigerians’ life expectancy in 2012 was 4 years lower than that for sub-Saharan Africa in general.
For maternal mortality, too, most data is backdated, making it hard to ascertain the outcome under this government. Nigeria has seen significant decreases. According to the WHO, the maternal mortality ratio has improved from an estimated 740 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2005, to 560 in 2013. That is a drop of less than 50%, over a longer time period than this government’s tenure.
Nigeria still accounts for 14% of global maternal deaths. The country will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality by three quarters by 2015.
Employment
The claim: “Millions of fresh employment opportunities were created for our people.”
Our verdict: It is hard to reliably quantify this claim, though it appears to be broadly true.
The NBS only started recording job data in 2013, and the figures that circulate publicly are conflicting, casting doubt on their reliability. Available evidence suggests that more than one million jobs have been created. But most have not been generated by the public sector.
In October 2014 Nigeria’s central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, said 1.2-million jobs were created in 2013. About 91% of these were by the private sector, he said. A further 500,000 jobs were created in the first half of 2014, he added, with 40% as a result of business expansion.
But Nigeria’s finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala claims 1.6-million jobs were created in 2013.
Separately, the NBS said 2.48-million new jobs were created between July 2012 and June 2014. Around 1.41-million of those were in the informal sector. The formal sector created 903,804 jobs and public institutions 160,591. But “these statistics raise some methodological questions”, the World Bank’s Litwack said.
Government schemes have seen limited success. In April 2014, the finance minister said that the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria scheme had created only 27,000 jobs. The Subsidy Reinvestments and Empowerment Programme, an internship setup, has reportedly created 120,000 jobs.
The Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa last year called these “grandiose white elephant projects”, adding that they “are not only inadequate in tackling the teeming unemployment but also fail to reach the end user.”
Nigerians seem as unconvinced by the statistics as ever. In a recent letter to the finance minister a forum of unemployed graduates demanded evidence for the existence of the purported new jobs. A central bank official said last year that 70% of Nigeria’s 80-million youths are unemployed.

Edited by Eleanor Whitehead
This fact-check was done by our partner, Africa Check, a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and the media. We have its permission to republish. Follow the organisation on Twitter at @AfricaCheck or visit its website at www.africacheck.org

Let’s Discuss The PVC And The Card Readers By Adetayo Adegbemle

If the general elections go ahead with the use of the card readers, the 2015 Elections would be the pilot run for their use in Nigeria. As a technologist, who has grown through the ranks, and have experienced working in fields ranging from support to system design, to system integration, it is my belief that we should have used them either in the 2014 Ekiti State election, or the Osun State election as test drive—preferably both.

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INEC Ruralreporters.com

One of the major talking points that has generated heated discussions and arguments surrounding the Nigeria’s 2015 General Elections has been the readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the elections, and one that has resulted in the shifting of the polls by 6 weeks from February 14, 2015 to March 28, 2015.
While INEC has declared their readiness for February 14th date, different sides have also presented their arguments, depending on which side of the divide they belong. It was first the National Security Adviser (NSA) that maintained that the elections could not go on because of security concerns. The All Progressives Congress (APC) insinuated that the Federal Government, headed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), orchestrated the shift because the PDP was afraid of losing the elections.
Needless to say that the introduction of the PVC card readers by INEC is a novel idea, and it would go a long way to make the election free of rigging. However, it is also important to critically analyze issues surrounding the use of the technology especially taking into consideration the Nigerian environment and its factors.
This is not the forum to discuss the technology behind card readers, or how they work, but this is to raise the question of “If” it would work as INEC suggests.
If the general elections go ahead with the use of the card readers, the 2015 Elections would be the pilot run for their use in Nigeria. As a technologist, who has grown through the ranks, and have experienced working in fields ranging from support to system design, to system integration, it is my belief that we should have used them either in the 2014 Ekiti State election, or the Osun State election as test drive—preferably both.
Failure of the card reader technology on the election date would be a disaster with a long ripple effect on subsequent elections, not minding the cost incurred on the 2015 general elections.
INEC swore that they were ready, but 5 weeks the February 14th date, they are still battling with the distribution of the Permanent Voters Cards. I was surprised when INEC declared the 7th of March, 2015 as a mock test date for the PVCs and Card Readers, with varying degrees of successes, if we could even call it that.
What I expect from Nigerians, especially those in the opposition, and those who have decided to politicize the Card Reader issue, is for them to sit down and critically think through the issues surrounding the deployment of such technologies.
On the Permanent Voters Card, this should be a year round exercise that should only be suspended few weeks to the elections. We have had reports of people who registered in pre-2011 elections but could not locate their PVCs; simply because their data could not be located, or was affected by virus.
I have advocated on several platforms to establish National Civic Centers in all Local Governments where a National Database will be domiciled, and things like Civic Registrations (Voters Card, Birth Registration Certificates, Death Registrations/Certificates), National ID Cards, Drivers Licensing and the likes) will be issued. The National Civic Center would have eliminated most of the issues we face today with PVC card readers.
We need to be forward thinking, stop all these kneejerk reactions, and stop politicizing all issues to the detriment of Nigerian public. Nigerians are always losers in the end.
As a professional, I strongly recommend that INEC jettison with the introduction of the card reader for these elections. They had 4 years to prepare for this, prepare user manuals, distribute PVCs to the public, and carry out voters education around them.  Why is INEC stampeding Nigeria into a mistake that will carry more grievous consequences than simply fumbling the 2015 elections?
Adetayo Adegbemle is a public opinion commentator/analyst, researcher, and the convener of PowerUpNigeria, a Power Consumer Advocacy Group, based in Lagos. (Twitter: @gbemle, @PowerUpNg)

Federal Government Must Tackle The Plights Of Victims Of Insurgency Authentically By Abba Mohammed Bashir Shuwa And M.A. Aliyu Biu

However going by the prevailing events, it is disheartening to note that even the donations made by the international community and well meaning Nigerians to assist the victims of the insurgency that were channeled through the federal government are yet to be released for the purpose given. 

Displaced residents of Borno, Northern Nigeria

Currently there are over two million people who are displaced from their communities and taking refuge in different locations within and outside the country due to Boko Haram. Most of these are from North Eastern states of Nigeria, and are commonly referred to as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and include adult males, women, and children; most of whom may have lost their one or more members of their family and have been forced to reside in camps at various locations in Nigeria.
It is worth noting that Borno State in particular has been spending significant resources to maintain and look after the welfare of the majority of people residing in IDP camps in and outside the state.
Considering the magnitude of the plight of such people, and the huge resources the state government has been expending to cushion the hardship of such persons, it might be necessary for both the international community and the federal government to lend their support toward addressing the plight of the IDPs.
However going by the prevailing events, it is disheartening to note that even the donations made by the international community and well meaning Nigerians to assist the victims of the insurgency that were channeled through the federal government are yet to be released for the purpose given.
While such donations including the 61 billion Naira collected under the general TY Danjuma Appeal Fund for Displaced Persons, and the 2 million US dollars donated by the governments of the United States and Qatar, were regrettably regarded as a federal grant and expendable at the pleasure of the President leading to their politicization.
Logically donations made by the international community are to be dispersed to ensure the amount given impacts the lives of the affected victims directly. But this is not presently the case. Apart from the donor agencies and the individuals the affected communities benefiting are supposed to be directly involved in the disbursement of the donation so far collected. The failure by the federal government to involve the citizens of the affected communities, and the local government, in any project intended for them has cast doubt to whether the federal government’s intensions are genuine.
While the Borno State government is inundated with a myriad problems, placing significant pressure on its budgetary resources, there is no visible attempt by the federal government to either reimburse or allocate a substantial part of the donated amount to address the plight of the citizens affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
So far the state government’s singular efforts in looking after the welfare of such persons in their various camps including feeding, clothing, providing education; constructing health facilities, portable drinking water stations, improving the sanitation of their environment deserves the highest commendation. Yet the federal government has not made any genuine effort to measure up to the public’s expectations in the northeast, as if the people of Borno State are not citizens of Nigeria because of variance in party leadership in the state and that of the federal government.
Politics shouldn’t have been allowed to permeate into this issue that directly affects the lives and well being of the helpless citizens who are badly in need of assistance.
On the other hand the international community should take keen interest in policing the expenditure of their donations to avoid diversion, as well as ensuring that it reaches the actual victims inline with internationally acceptable best practice.
It should also ensure that all the land mines said to have been planted by Boko haram insurgents in various towns and villages as their defense mechanisms were removed, and the surrounding areas must be certified to be safe before asking people to return to their homes. Thereafter the government must restore all essential services necessary for habitation for the people to pick the bit and pieces of their lives and live in peace without rancor or acrimony.

No Leader Can Islamize Or Christianize Nigeria, Buhari Tells Mbeki

An inside source has told SaharaReporters that religion was one of the key issues touched on in a closed-door meeting between the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, and former South African president, Thabo Mbeki. The two met today in Kaduna, but the subject of their meeting and its outcome were not officially disclosed.  

Former head of state, Abdusalami Abubakar, former South African President, Thabo Mbeki and APC Pres. candidate, Muhammadu Buhari But a source told SaharaReporters that Mr. Buhari assured the visiting South African leader of his commitment to peace and issue-based campaigns, and stated that no Nigerian president can Islamize or Christianize the country. “Buhari told Thabo Mbeki that those playing the religious card were engaged in mischievous propaganda to blind Nigerians from demanding for credible leadership,” said our source.
The source added that the APC presidential candidate told Mr. Mbeki that the manipulation of religion was dangerous, adding that it limited some citizens’ ability to understand the need to salvage Nigeria. “He also told Mbeki that religious manipulation helps corruption to continue to thrive with impunity,” said our source. “Buhari described the issue of corruption and playing propaganda with religion as some of the greatest threats to Nigeria's future and survival as a united country,” the source added. 
Nigeria’s last military Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, attended the Buhari-Mbeki meeting. Our source added that Mr. Abubakar, a retired army general, had facilitated Mr. Mbeki’s visit to Nigeria. The former South African president also held a closed-door meeting yesterday with President Goodluck Jonathan and Mr. Abubakar.
“Buhari made it clear that there is no president that can Islamize or Christianize Nigeria,” our source continued. “He told Mbeki that there was intense manipulation of religion to present him in a bad light, but he declared the plan a failure. He argued that those behind the plan are determined to retard Nigeria’s progress and sense of unity.” 
According to the source, the APC candidate also assured Mr. Mbeki that, as a military officer who fought Nigeria’s civil war to preserve the country, he would dedicate himself to the peace and political stability of the country. 
“He also told Mbeki that his ambition is to ensure that Nigerians, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or state of origin, find a meaningful life and receive maximum protection from government against any kinds of terror bedeviling the country.
The source said that Mr. Buhari told Mr. Mbeki that he would continue to ignore personal attacks on his person and his family, that he would eschew political mudslinging, and focus instead on the issues confronting all Nigerians.
@SR

I'm in APC To Stay - Atiku

buja, Nigeria, 10 March 2015: Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has said that his commitment to the APC and the success of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party in the 2015 general elections is unwavering and never been up for bargaining.

Abubakar Atiku The former Vice President made the assertion against the backdrop of reports in a section of the media of his purported return to the fold of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
"I remain irrevocably committed to the APC, as I promised in my concession speech at the conclusion of our party's presidential primaries, and has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of our great party at the general elections," the former Vice President is quoted to have said. 
A statement by the Atiku Media Office in Abuja on Tuesday said that reports of the Turaki Adamawa's purported return to the PDP or any other party is the handiwork of mischief makers focused on pitching the former Vice President against other leaders of the opposition party.
Atiku Abubakar said that for the avoidance of doubt he is unequivocally committed to the unity of APC and that it will take more than the antics of mischief makers to break that bond.
Atiku Abubakar noted that his return from Adamawa, where he convened a stakeholders' meeting and reconciled disagreeing camps within the party, towards ensuring victory for the APC bears eloquent testimony of this commitment.
The statement reminded that the former Vice President currently supports the financial operations of the APC in many states, in most cases as a sole financier.
"I have backed my words and commitment with my resources to ensure that I bring my influence and support to bear on our party's march to victory at all levels in the general election. That should be enough to shut up mischief makers bent on derailing the APC's success at the March 28 and April elections," he said.
The Atiku Media Office observed that as one of Nigeria's astute politicians and businessmen, there may be overtures from across political divides to the former Vice President, but restated that Atiku Abubakar has publicly stated his commitment to the APC and has privately rebuffed the approaches from all quarters. 
  Signed:
Atiku Media Office
61 Ebitu Ukiwe Street
Jabi
Abuja
Nigeria.