Centenary dinner unites Jonathan, Obasanjo, Buhari

For the first time in recent times, all living former heads of government of Nigeria on Friday gathered under the same roof to join President Goodluck Jonathan in celebrating the 100 years of the nation’s amalgamation.

The venue was the Presidential Villa, Abuja where the centenary anniversary presentation and award night/dinner was held.

100 persons, both living and dead, believed to have contributed meaningfully to national development, were honoured at the colourful event.

The well-attended programme was witnessed by Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), former President Sheu Shagari,  Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Buhari, Babangida, Abdusalami and Obasanjo were on Thursday absent at the international conference tagged “Human Security, Peace and defelopment Agenda for 21st Century Africa” held in Abuja as part of activities marking the centenary anniversary.

The tone for the night was set by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who reviewed a book, “The reforms that have transformed Nigeria 2010-2013.”

According to her, the book contains the various achievements the present administration had made in making the lives of Nigerians more meaningful.

Such feats, she said, included massive road construction and rehabilitation, intervention in the power sector, repositioning of the aviation sector and the reforms in the agriculture sector among others.

Jonathan later presented the book.

The President apologised to Nigerians who he said were eminently qualified to be honoured but were not captured in the list. He said over 500 persons were in that category.

While saying it was not an easy task for his government to arrive at the list of 100 honourees, Jonathan promised that his administration would continue to look for other ways of honouring deserving Nigerians.

The awards were segmented into three major categories: Governance, Politics and Leadership; Entreprenuership and Endeavour; as well as Personal Sacrifices, Patriotism and Activism.

Under the first category, recipients who were recognised included contributors to the making of Nigeria, heroes of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence/pioneer political leaders, promoters of democratic transition in Nigeria, accomplished pioneer public servants and outstanding contemporary public servants.

Under the second category were pioneers in professional callings/careers, pioneers in commerce and industry, heroes in global sports competitions, accomplished contemporary entrepreneurs, distinguished academics and internationally acclaimed artists, literary icons and journalists.

The last category had outstanding bravery and public spiritedness, outstanding promoters of unity, patriotism and national development as well as exemplary service in the promotion of peace and moral values as sub-categories.

Highlight of the presentation was when Jonathan presented the the nation’s former leaders with their awards amidst standing ovation and loud applause from the audience.

All award recipients were presented with medals and certificate.

No representative was available to receive the awards on behalf of Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti; Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Chinua Achebe.

Wole Soyinka was also absent at the event despite the fact that he was nominated under the internationally acclaimed artists, literary icons and journalists category.

Ransome-Kuti was nominated under the heroes of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence/pioneer political leaders category for being a Nigerian teacher, politician and woman activist who pioneered women activism in modern Nigeria.

Anikulapo-Kuti was nominated under the internationally acclaimed artists, literary icons and journalists.

Fawehinmi was nominated under the outstanding bravery and public enterprises.

CSOs nominate 24 persons for National Conference

About 24 persons have been nominated to represent the pro-democracy civil society organisations in the National Conference being convened by the Federal Government.

The “preferred nominees” are Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Chima Amadi, Chido Onumah, Dr. Isaac Osuoka, Ezenwa Nwagwu, Samson Itodo, Ayelabola Babatunde, Faith Nwadishi, Nnimmo Bassey, Jaye Gaskia, Ms. Ayo Obe and Olanrewaju Suraj.

Others are Dr. Uju Agomuo, Steve Aluko, Olisa Agbakoba, Naseer Kura, Y. Z. Yau, Dudu Paloma, Ngozi Obiorah, Dr. Abiola Akiode, Tor Yorapu, Ms. Ene Ede, Ms. Idayat Hassan and Dr. Jibo Ibrahim.

Already, the CSOs are establishing a pro-democracy civil society engagement coordinating secretariat for the National Conference which will be hosted centrally by Social Action in Abuja.

The secretariat will be decentralised with geo-political zonal pro-democracy CSOs coordinating secretariats established in each geo-political zone and hosted by a pro-democracy CSO or network in each zone.

The CSOs said the role of the central and zonal coordinating secretariats is to facilitate continuous aggregation of citizens’ positions on issues being discussed at the conference, while also ensuring a feedback mechanism for pro-democracy CSO delegates.

The mandates of the pro-democracy CSO delegates will be constantly renewed and revalidated through the interactive activities coordinated by the secretariats.

A joint statement by Ezenwa Nwagwu and Jaye Gaskia in Abuja on Friday stated that the selection was sequel to a series of nationwide consultations with respect to the proposed conference.

The CSOs said, “We reiterate our firm commitment to continue and deepen the pace and intensity of our engagement with the conference as a process.

“Our collective program of action for the conference is anchored around our core demands; our duty and task before, during and after the conference is to raise the banner of social justice and equity; and to defend and promote the interests of citizens.”

The CSOs demanded the following:

-A justiceable and enforceable chapter of the constitution including a comprehensive listing of human rights, including civil and political, social and cultural, as well as economic rights of citizens. This indeed is our social program for the engagement with the National Conference, and our minimum irreducible demand.

-We reaffirm our demand that a minimum of two-thirds of delegates to the National Conference should comprise of non state actor delegates.

-The National conference must resolve in unambiguous terms the question of citizenship of Nigeria. All Nigerians must have a uniform citizenship; the only qualification for purposes of representation being determined as minimum residency status.

-Only a national referendum can validate the outcome of the National Conference. We are insistent that sovereignty resides in the people of Nigeria not in any state institution.

-The basic foundations of a road map to participatory political advancement and socio-economic development must be agreed on and in such a manner as to be articulated into a 5-year comprehensive integrated National Development Program, that will address and tackle unemployment, homelessness, and  poverty.

B’Haram: We are dealing with serious enemy, says Presidency

Following the renewed attack on civilians in the North-East, the Presidency has said Nigeria is currently dealing with a serious enemy.

It also likened the activities of the members of the dreaded sect to that of a war situation.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who stated this while speaking on Channels Television in Abuja on Friday, however gave an assurance that the military was on top of the situation.

He said, “We are dealing with a very, very serious enemy. We are engaged in a war that has been internationalised.

“It is very difficult, very costly in terms of lives lost. But we will overcome. We are in the dying phase of this insurgency.”

Okupe said there was no way the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Keneth Minimah will obey last Wednesday’s order by the Senate Committee on Defence to relocate his office to the 7th Division of the Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, Borno State so as to give verve to the war against Boko Haram insurgents.

The Presidential aide said there was no way the army chief would honour the order because, according to him, the Army cannot take orders from civilians.

According to him, “They (military) can only take order from the President who is their Commander in chief. The army does not take order from civilians.”

He said the leadership of the army had been visiting the site of the war against the extremists on their own and that “they don’t need you and I to tell them” before doing that.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient, adding that the military was well trained to handle the challenge.

Okupe said, “We only need to have confidence in the people that are working for our country, unless you don’t have confidence in the process that produces them.

“But by the time a man left the NDA, he became a Major General, he became Chief of Army Staff, you have to defer to his opinion on military things.

“Things may not be working, but that does not mean people are not doing what they are supposed to do.”

FG urges polytechnic teachers to end strike

The Federal Government has urged the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics to prevail on striking lecturers of the institutions to accept the offer made them.

The Federal Government had offered N40 billion for the payment of CONTISS 15 arrears in two instalments.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, made the call on Friday at a meeting with the chairmen of the

Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics in Abuja on Friday. He said the government was determined and remained committed to the payment of CONTISS 15 in two instalments, with the first in March and the second in November.

He said that the Federal Government’s offer also applied to striking members of staff of Federal Colleges of Education.

He said that the two instalments of the payment of the arrears to both polytechnics and colleges of education was put

at N40 billion.

At an exhaustive meeting with the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, we agreed on the two instalment payment

of the CONTISS 15.

We have since raised a memo to the President to this effect. I took the risk of committing government because we are deeply

worried over the prolonged strike.

Thereafter, ASUP wrote to inform us that they have rejected this offer.

“Please, as chairmen of Polytechnic Governing Councils, we ask that you communicate our commitment to adhering to the schedule of payment. All the processes are on and we are committed to resolving the strike action.”

He called on the chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics to prevail on striking Polytechnic staff to accept

the offer to pay outstanding CONTISS 15 arrears in two instalments.

Wike said that their acceptance would lead to the immediate resolution of the ongoing strike and stressed that the Federal Government was unhappy that polytechnic students were at home.

He said that the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation was already concluding work on the release of the

white paper on the report of visitation panels to the institutions.

The minister added that work on the Needs Assessment for polytechnics and colleges of education were about being concluded.

According to him, the Jonathan administration will tackle the rot in the institutions the way it is implementing the Needs Assessment report on universities.

He, however, appealed to unions of polytechnics and colleges of education to focus on the welfare of their members and not on

the appointment of rectors and provosts.

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, Chairman of the Committee of Chairmen of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics, commended the determined efforts of the minister to resolve the strike by polytechnic staff.

Babatope said that with the detailed briefing by the minister, the governing councils would inform staff of their respective

polytechnics on the commitment of the Federal Government to pay CONTISS 15 in two instalments.

He said Nigerian polytechnic staff needed to return to their jobs so that further progress could be made.

Japan launches rain-tracking satellite

A Japanese rocket roared into orbit early Friday carrying what NASA calls its most precise instrument yet for measuring rain and snowfall.

The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite is the first of five earth science launches NASA has planned for 2014. The 4-ton spacecraft is the most sophisticated platform yet for measuring rainfall, capable of recording amounts as small as a hundredth of an inch an hour, said Gail Skofronick Jackson, GPM’s deputy project scientist.

The $900 million satellite is a joint project with the Japanese space agency JAXA, and it lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center at 3:37 a.m. Friday (1:37 p.m. Thursday ET). In a little over a half hour, it had reached orbit, deployed its solar panels and began beaming signals back to its controllers, NASA said.

Also, once fully activated, GPM will use both radar and microwave instruments to detect falling snow for the first time. It will also combine data from other satellites with its own readings, beaming back a snapshot of worldwide precipitation every three hours, Jackson said.

“We can start using the data for all sorts of applications — for floods, for landslide predictions, for tracking hurricanes so we know what part of the coastline to evacuate,” Jackson said.

That data will boost not only immediate storm forecasts, but also aid climate scientists who have been working on long-term models of a changing world.

“We can start validating and verifying what the scientists are saying from the models that say we’re going to have more extreme precipitation,” she said. “Where there’s heavy precipitation now, the climate models are saying there’ll continue to be more intense precipitation there, and where there’s droughts, they think the droughts will be more intense.”

The craft has enough fuel for at least five years and is expected to last longer — so when combined with earlier missions, it will give NASA an unbroken 25- to 30-year rainfall record, Jackson said.

B’Haram: We are dealing with serious enemy, says Presidency

Following the renewed attack on civilians in the North-East, the Presidency has said Nigeria is currently dealing with a serious enemy.

It also likened the activities of the members of the dreaded sect to that of a war situation.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who stated this while speaking on Channels Television in Abuja on Friday, however gave an assurance that the military was on top of the situation.

He said, “We are dealing with a very, very serious enemy. We are engaged in a war that has been internationalised.

“It is very difficult, very costly in terms of lives lost. But we will overcome. We are in the dying phase of this insurgency.”

Okupe said there was no way the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Keneth Minimah will obey last Wednesday’s order by the Senate Committee on Defence to relocate his office to the 7th Division of the Nigeria Army, Maiduguri, Borno State so as to give verve to the war against Boko Haram insurgents.

The Presidential aide said there was no way the army chief would honour the order because, according to him, the Army cannot take orders from civilians.

According to him, “They (military) can only take order from the President who is their Commander in chief. The army does not take order from civilians.”

He said the leadership of the army had been visiting the site of the war against the extremists on their own and that “they don’t need you and I to tell them” before doing that.

He appealed to Nigerians to be patient, adding that the military was well trained to handle the challenge.

Okupe said, “We only need to have confidence in the people that are working for our country, unless you don’t have confidence in the process that produces them.

“But by the time a man left the NDA, he became a Major General, he became Chief of Army Staff, you have to defer to his opinion on military things.

“Things may not be working, but that does not mean people are not doing what they are supposed to do.”

Nigeria, Israel sign bilateral cooperation on agric

The Federal Government on Friday signed a joint declaration for bilateral cooperation on agriculture with the State of Israel.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who signed on behalf of the Nigerian government in Abuja, described the partnership as the beginning of great things to be achieved in the sector.

Adesina, who played host to a delegation from Israel at the headquarters of the ministry, said the collaboration would help boost fish production in Nigeria, improve on micro irrigation and facilitate agricultural mechanisation in the country.

He said, “Nigeria will work closely with the State of Israel to boost fish production so as to cut down on the amount spent yearly importing fish. It will interest you to know that Nigeria spends N125bn annually on fish import alone and this ought not to be considering the abundant water resources in this country.

“The cooperation will also include areas of beef production, horticulture and training. They (Israel) will help also us structure our rural communities in a way that youths in these communities will be able to create wealth through agricultural activities instead of migrating from their local areas.”

The minister explained that the Federal Government had intensified efforts in making sure that private investors were involved in the business of agriculture in Nigeria.

According to him, the President had directed that private investors be wooed to the agricultural sector so as to drive wealth creation for agriculturists, adding that about $4bn private sector investments had been invested in the industry.

Adesina explained that the Israeli-Nigerian bilateral cooperation would foster developments in the sector and “would impact tremendously on private sector businesses, bringing wealth to youths by creating gainful jobs.”

The minister told the Israeli delegation that Nigeria used to be a major player in the global agricultural market, as it was the largest producer of groundnut and palm oil globally in the 1960s.

He noted that the over reliance on oil as the main source of foreign exchange led to the abandonment of agriculture and called on the Israeli team to support the country in revamping the agricultural sector.

In his address, the Israeli Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Yair Shamir, said his country was willing to cooperate with the Nigerian government to develop agriculture in Nigeria.

He said the Israeli government would commence the cooperation by training some employees of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, adding that the partnership was aimed at securing food for both nations.

Shamir said, “We want to supply more advanced products to the Nigerian people and this is because we have a lot of technology and ideas that we will like to share.”

Senator laments B’Haram attacks on Nyako

Senator Mohammed Jibrilla Bindo (APC, Adamawa) on Friday said the attack on Governor Murtala Nyako “has now demonstrated that nobody is safe in Nigeria” and called on the security agencies to change their operational strategies.

He described as instructive, the resolution of the Senate committee on Defence on Wednesday directing the relocation of the army headquarters to the 7th division in Maiduguri in order to tackle the Boko Haram sect.

He said, “I condemn in strongest terms the attack on Governor Murtala Nyako. The governor was on an assessment and condolence visit to areas recently attacked by insurgents when he came under attack.

“This shows that nobody is safe and even after the recent attack, security is still not tight even as there is state of emergency in place.”

Bindo assured the general public that “the National Assembly will continue to do all within its power to help the security agencies defeat the Boko Haram sect”. He urged Nigerians to intensify prayers for the restoration of peace in the country.

Strategies against B’Haram not working – Govs

Nigeria governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum have said the current strategies against the Boko Haram insurgent is not working.

They therefore asked the Federal Government and the security agencies to review their tactics in order to make it achieve maximum result.

The governors also condemned the spate of killings in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States .

They particularly said they were alarmed at the killing of students in Yobe and what they described as unproved attack on the civilians by the attackers.

A statement by the Chairman of the NGF, who is also the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi in Abuja on Friday, also commiserated with the families of the students.

However, he said that time has come for the Federal Government to comprehensively review the strategies with which it is fighting this insurgency.

He said, “The current approach is definitely not working and it is important that all of us are humble and sincere enough to accept this reality and then work out a stronger and more workable strategy.

“Of course the Federal and state governments should not be left alone to fight the terrorists.

“Citizens need to help our security agencies with accurate and timely information. But government itself needs to engage new allies wherever they may be in the world.”

He urged the Federal Government to continue to support affected states in the bid to check violence and that the Federal Government should remain focused and continue to provide leadership until every part of Nigeria is rid of violence and insurgency.

Amaechi added that the governors were alarmed with the killings of students and others during the attacks.

He said, “We in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum hereby condemn the recent spate of killings in some parts of our country – Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states – by the Boko Haram sect. We are alarmed by the slaughter of 29 pupils at the Federal Government College in Yobe and the unprovoked attacks against defenceless people in those states.

“We commiserate with the people and government of those states, the families of the victims, and pray God to give them and indeed every Nigerian the fortitude to bear the loss.

“This is a very difficult period for our country and its people and we must collectively pray and rally round families, friends and fellow citizens affected by these tragedies. We must provide whatever support and save the lives of those still alive.”

Amaechi said that while security agencies should continue to do their jobs as professionally as possible, he appealed to all aggrieved individuals and groups in Nigeria to appreciate the fact that violence can never be a solution to any problem.

He said Nigerians should know that they have no other country to call home and that it was important that “we understand the danger and futility of destroying our land in the pursuit of a selfish agenda.”

He added that it was gratifying that government – Federal and State – were working hard to get to the root of the killings and nip these orgy of violence in the bud.

He also commended the security agencies for the selfless sacrifice he said they were making in the interest of all Nigerians to restore calm to all parts of our country.

13 terrorists killed in military raid -DHQ

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, has said that 13 insurgents were killed in a military raid on makeshift terrorists camp located between Borno and Adamawa states on Friday.

Olukolade said in an electronic mail on Friday that the special forces also arrested some of the insurgents who escaped the raid in Maiduguri and its environs.

He did not give the exact number of insurgents arrested in the raid.

Olukolade said calm had returned to Shuwa community, which was attacked by the insurgents on Thursday after the confusion and panic in the community when the people mistook the convoy of troops in pursuit of the terrorists for the insurgents.

He said the community members became panicky when they saw the column of military trucks because they mistook them for insurgents on a mission for another attack.

Olukolade said the confusion sparked the rumour that the Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, was attacked while visiting the community.

He said, “The troops were deployed to block a discovered entry and exit point of terrorists into the country through the state.”