Mark Advocates Full Scale War against Boko Haram

The Senate President, David Mark, has called on the Federal Government to declare full scale military operation against insurgents in the North East.

Senator Mark made the call in Abuja yesterday while welcoming senators back from Easter recess. He said he has changed his previous stand on calls for dialogue with Boko Haram, adding that it was time to confront the insurgents with a full scale war.

“There is no doubt that our nation is at war. The enemy has clearly and unequivocally served the nation notice of its vile intentions,” he said. “It is obvious that we are dealing with insurgents and well-funded nihilists who are determined to violently trample upon the secularity of the Nigerian state and destroy the country.”

“Therefore,” he added, “a clear, unambiguous and decisive military response from the government, beyond the imposition of a state of emergency, is urgently required in this circumstance.”

Police Disrupts ASUP, COEASU Protest in Abuja

The police yesterday used teargas and water to disrupt a peaceful protest by members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) who were calling on government to meet their demands in order to end their 10-month strike.

 

The unions had convened at car park of the Federal Secretariat at 9am and marched to the Ministry of Education, carrying placards with various inscriptions, some calling for the sack of the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr Nyesom Wike. Security operatives, especially the police, barricaded the entrance to the ministry to prevent the protesters from entering.

 

ASUP President, Mr Chibuzor Asomugha said the union would push the government to resolve the lingering crisis. “If the government is sensitive and it means its transformation (agenda), then it should start transforming the Education sector,” Mr Asomugha said.

 

The protesters also marched to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity where the minister, Mr Emeka Wogu, assured that President Goodlucl Jonathan had intervened in their case. However, shortly after the minister’s address, police began to teargas the protesters, leading to pandemonium.

Northern Delegates Make Stand Known at National Conference

Northern delegates to the on-going National Conference yesterday revealed what they termed the stand of the North in dialogue.

Their position was contained in a paper made available to members of the conference and the media tagged, “Key Issues before the Northern Delegates to the National Conference; Northern Nigeria the Back Bone and Strength of Nigeria”. The delegates said unless 1999 Constitution is amended to take away the ownership of mineral resources from the federal government, total resource control by any Nigerian state would amount to a breach of the covenants of the federation.

Accordingly, they recommended a reduction of the derivation formula which should be applied to oil produced solely onshore, from 13 per cent to five per cent, as well as the scrapping of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ministry of Niger Delta and the Amnesty Programme for ex-Niger Delta militants.

They also said that the northern delegates said the agitation for resource control by a section of the country was akin to attempts to pull out of the Nigerian federation, explaining that all regions in the country are equal stakeholders and owners of the country’s mineral resources, including its hydrocarbon resources.

Court Denies Stopping Alison-Madueke’s Investigation

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday summoned the House of Representatives to explain where it got information that it stopped the investigation of the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, for allegedly spending about N10billion on hiring aircraft.

 

The House of Representatives reportedly claimed on Monday that the court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mohammed, had restrained it from proceeding with the planned investigation of Mrs Alison-Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

 

Justice Mohammed expressed displeasure about the claim credited to the House of Representatives. “I have seen the press release in the media said to be released by the House of Representatives that this court has ordered the stop of the investigation of the Minister for Petroleum Resources.” He said. “As far as I am concerned, and I am the judge handling this matter, no such order was made.”

 

The judge said he was worried by the confusing reports in the media, which were clear misrepresentation of the proceedings in court.

Jonathan Promises to Eradicate Polio by End of 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan has restated the commitment of his administration towards eradicating polio transmission in the country by the end of this year.

He made the assertion yesterday in Abuja at the Nigeria Polio Summit organized by Rotary International in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health. The president who was represented by the health minister, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, said that the federal government was increasing surveillance and routine immunization in border communities while collaborating with border countries to checkmate and prevent further spread and transmission of the virus from countries like Cameroon which just  suffered an outbreak.

“My administration through the Ministry of Health, the Polio Task Force, and the Emergency Operational Centre of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency shall continue to drive this programme nationwide,” he said. We will continue to do our best to ensure the required funding for the polio eradication programme is provided, and I am sure the coordinating minister for the economy is doing her utmost best, to ensure all our pledges are fulfilled.”

He therefore called on state governors to continue to provide personal leadership in their states for the pogramme by requesting and reviewing monthly reports from the LGA chairpersons, on the progress being made in their respective domain.

4,000 to Lose Jobs over Suspension of Park and Pay Scheme

Operators of the recently suspended Park and Pay scheme in Abuja have said over 4,000 staff of the scheme will soon lose their jobs.

The Chief Executive Officer, Platinum Parking management Services Ltd (PPMS) and President of Association of Parking Operators in Nigeria, Mr Olusegun Olarewaju, who made the disclosure in Abuja recently explained that staff to be affected by the court judgment include various categories of graduates under the pay-rolls of the operators, mechanics and even artisans.

“Over 4,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, are to be lost in Abuja if the court judgement nullifying the activities of the Park and Pay scheme stands,” he said. “For instance, every one of the operators in the scheme has an average of over 800 staff working on his pay-roll. Not to talk of other ancillary workers who patronise the operators every day.”

He added that parking operator and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have concluded plans to appeal against the FCT High Court judgment which led to the suspension of the scheme.

Confab Committee Rejects Agitation for State Police

The National Conference Committee on the Devolution of Power yesterday insisted on the centralisation of Police, saying that Nigeria is not ripe for state police, hence, its continued retention in the federal exclusive list.

The former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, and said decentralising the Nigerian Police at the moment was dangerous because of fear of abuse by various state governments.

Similarly, Mr Bashir Dalhatu from Jigawa State argued that state police might result in interstate wars as criminals could take advantage of moving from state to states committing crimes and claiming membership of the political party in power in the respective states.

Meanwhile, Mr Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) argued that state police is in line with the principles of true federalism, calling on his colleagues to give it the necessary constitutional backing for effective crime control.

However, after series of arguments for and against state police, its advocates failed to convince others in the committee to transfer it to the Concurrent List that would enable States to share power and responsibilities on it with the Federal government.

FG Introduces New Security Measures at Airports

In response to the security situation in the country, the federal government has introduced new measures to restrict the movement of people in sensitive areas of the five international airports in the country.

The Special Adviser to the president on Performance Monitoring and Evaluation, Professor Sylvester Monye, made the disclosure yesterday while addressing journalists at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The new measures, which would take effect on May 1, 2014, he said, require that all visitors to Nigeria, including foreign dignitaries and officials of multilateral institutions, to submit themselves to immigration officers for the requisite scrutiny and clearance at the designated airports which include Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu.

He added that the old practice where government protocol officials, aides of dignitaries, protocol officers of private companies, unauthorised uniformed and un-uniformed military and security officials moved unhindered in restricted areas around the airport terminal would no longer be tolerated.

Park and Pay: FCDA, Soldiers Harass Motorists

Following the suspension of the Park and Pay scheme in Abuja, officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority, backed by a team of military men yesterday brutalised motorists and marked their windshields with red paint for alleged wrong parking, reports Daily Trust.

The report said that the victims and members of the public who witnessed the incidences were surprised as the cars marked were parked at locations provided for the ‘Park and Pay’ scheme.

The notice on the marked vehicles, it said, read, “You are advised to stop parking your vehicle at non-designated location(s) within the Federal Capital City failing which appropriate sanctions will be imposed on any defaulter.

There will be no compensation for defacement or damages to any vehicle in the course of enforcement.” 

It said all efforts to reach the Public relations officer of the Development Control Department, Mr Kalu Emetu, and the Secretary of the FCT Transport Secretariat Mr. Jonathan Ivoke, were futile. 

FCTA to Prosecute Cases of Alleged Infanticide

The Minister of State for the FCT, Ms Olajumoke Akinjide, has said that the FCT Administration would henceforth prosecute cases of alleged of infanticide in the territory.

Mrs Akinjide made this known in Abuja recently during the presentation of reports by the committee on the investigation of the alleged practice of infanticide in the FCT.

She said the FCTA would no longer condone the crime as its core mandate included the delivery of maternal and child care.

“The FCTA will make sure it brings to an end such an evil act,” she said. “We will ensure the practice comes to an end in the FCT and Nigeria.’’

Mrs Akinjide commended the media for exposing such acts and promised that all recommendations by the committee would be implemented immediately.

Nyanya Blast: 2 Unidentified Corpses at Asokoro Hospita

The Chief Medical Director of Asokoro General Hospital, Dr Abubakar Ahmadu has disclosed to newsmen that of the corpses deposited at the hospital mortuary from the Nyanya bomb blast, two were yet to be identified.

He however said that 12 corpses were identified and six have already been claimed by the deceased’s relations. “None among the 26 victims brought alive to the hospital has died,” Dr Ahmadu said.

He further stated among the 26 survivors in the hospital, six were operated upon and were recuperating, while one was transferred to a private hospital, and another, a baby, was reunited with the family. Eight victims who sustained minor injuries were treated and have been discharged.

Dr Ahmadu explained that most of victims of the blast yet to be discharged were those that underwent surgery, adding that their healing processes might take up to two weeks. 

For breaking news out of Abuja, follow us on Twitter: @MetropoleMag

ASUP, NLC, Others to Protest 10 Month-Old Strike in Abuja

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) said that it was planning to stage a peaceful protest in Abuja over the 10 months old strike by ASUP.

ASUP President, Chibuzor Asomugha, who made this known in Abuja yesterday said the protes will be carried out alongside the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Colleges of Education, market women, Civil Society groups among others. He said the protest is to call the attention of government to the lingering strike.

“We could have suspended the strike three weeks ago but up till now government has not even bothered to get back to us with the development from our last meeting,” he said. “With this kind of development there is no sincerity in the way government has been dealing with this union on this strike.”

He advised members of the union across the country no to be intimidated to call off the strike until the national body gives directives, adding that there are penalties for such actions.

Motorists Celebrate Suspension of Abuja Parking Policy

There has been a shared feeling of elation among motorists in Abuja following the announcement on Tuesday, 22 April 2014, of the suspension of the Park and Pay Scheme of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The Park and Pay policy which was introduced in 2012 required motorists in Abuja metropolis to pay fees between N50 to N100 to park their vehicles on designated streets for periods ranging from 30 minutes upwards between the hours of 7am and 6pm. 

The FCTA registered four companies – Automaten Technik Haumann Nigeria (ATB), Safe Parking Limited, (SPL) Integrated Parking Services limited (IPS), and Platinum Parking Management Services, (PPMS) – and assigned to each different areas of Abuja where the companies would implement parking laws and penalise non-compliant drivers.

Initiated to manage traffic situation within the capital city, this policy was however marred by varied allegations of abuse by parking ticket vendors. Whenever the motorists narrate their experiences with one or more operators of the scheme, it is often a story of extortions and harassment.

As a result of these allegations of illegal activities by operators, the House of Representatives earlier in March declared the policy a fraud, following a motion sponsored by Hon. Bitrus Kaze to investigate the concession of the Park-And-Pay Policy. 

Hon. Kaze stated that “the policy is being carried out without a clearly defined law to regulate the concession, management and operation of the electronic ticketing and parking regime, qualification of prospective bidders, the designated areas as well as specific times for ticketing, the percentage of funds to be remitted to government and penalties for defaulters.”

He further noted that the ticket vendors prefer to indiscriminately clamp and tow cars which have to be reclaimed from their premises with huge sums of money ranging from N5, 000 to N20, 000, thereby subjecting many motorists to harrowing experiences often resulting in physical combat and assault contrary to the norms of decency and respect for fundamental human rights and dignity of persons.

Similarly, Daily Trust columnist, Mr Idang Alibi, wrote in the paper on 4 April: “if, for instance, you park in any designated parking lot and if the mud guard of your car as much as encroaches by a centimetre on the next lot, you are 'convicted' by IPS thugs of wrongful parking and slammed with a fine of N15, 000!”

He alleged that the IPS was an agent of the FCT Administration to collect fines or extort money from residents who are deemed to have violated the parking rules.

The situation reached a climax when a private firm, Sun Trust Savings and Loans, filed a suit against the FCT Minister, along with IPS, ATB, and the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), challenging the introduction and implementation of the policy.

In his ruling on the matter, Justice Peter Affen of the High Court in Apo, on 17 April declared the policy illegal and ordered its immediate stoppage. Justice Affen said there was no law made either by the National Assembly or the AMAC supporting the policy.

In reaction to the judgment all motorists who spoke to Metropole without exception, expressed delight over the development.

A civil servant, Mr Aruwa Negedu, described the policy as disorganised and fraudulent. “Abuja is not ready for it yet,” he said. “Some roads are not even yet marked, how do you know where to park or not? Yet these people appear from nowhere to demand money from you claiming you have parked wrongly.”

Similarly, Mr William Chukwunonso who has had his car clamped on two occasions said the scheme was merely an official means of exploiting motorists. “All they were interested in was to make you pay high fees for offences,” he said. “It was obvious they were not after chicken change. They lure you into parking wrongly so that they can charge you N10, 000. Yet when you park sometimes you hardly see these officials. Only for you to come out to find that your tyre has been clamped. I am relieved that this whole sham is over.”

This, though, may not be the end of the Park and Pay policy. The Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister, Mr Nosike Ogbuenyi, in a statement on Tuesday said the administration was in the process of reviewing the FCT Road Transport Regulation, 2005 in order to close all legal gaps and properly capture the on-street park and pay scheme in it, including the incorporation of the extensive review already started by the administration. 

FCTA Suspends Park and Pay Scheme

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced the suspension of its park and pay scheme in Abuja.

This was announced yesterday in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the FCT Minister, Mr. Nosike Ogbuenyi.

The statement explained that the suspension was in compliance with the judgment of an FCT High Court last Thursday, declaring the system illegal.

The statement noted that the court in delivering the judgment rated the scheme as an excellent policy but only faulted it on the grounds that there was no valid legislation backing it.

It further stated that the Secretary of Transportation of the FCTA, Mr. Jonathan Ivoke, had already dispatched a letter to the operators of the scheme informing them of the suspension.

Nigeria Can Meet Power Needs by 2016- NERC Chair

The chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, has said that Nigeria’s quest for regular power supply is attainable before year 2016.

Dr Amadi made the assertion in Minna, Niger State, yesterday at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM Church) town hall meeting on the power sector. He said the nations’s power needs can be met with 12,000 Mw.

“Life has thaught us that nothing is impossible,” he said. “We can make 30,000 Mw within the next one year if we want.”

Dr Amadi disclosed that the Commission has issued licences to independent private power plant operators for generation of over 20,000 megawatts (Mw) of power within the next three years.

He assured that with all the efforts put in place, power generation will surpass the target by 2016.

IGP Wants Alleged Rapist DPO Flown To Abuja

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Abubakar has ordered that the embattled Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Onikan police station, Mr Adekunle Awe, who was accused of raping a woman suspect in his office, to be flown to Abuja  today for thorough discreet investigation, a source told Leadership newspaper.

According to the source, the paper reported, the state command has received a signal ordering the Lagos State commissioner of police, Mr Umar Manko to hand over the case file and suspect to police officers in Abuja.

Mr Awe, who was arrested with two police inspectors, was said to have raped a woman, Idowu Akinwunmi, 31, after detaining her and five others for allowing a man to sleep in a restaurant till dawn.

AMAC Chairman Assures Residents of Security

Following the recent bomb attack in Nyanya, the chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Micah Jiba, has urged residents of the area to go about their lives without fear as the council was putting in place measures to ensure the security of their lives and property, reports Leadership newspaper.

The report disclosed that the chairman and other stakeholders have met with the FCT minister and a strategy had been evolved to ensure that such an incident does not repeat in the territory again.

“I want to use this opportunity to assure residents that such a wicked act will not occur again,” the chairman said, “and I want to advice the residents to also assist us by partnering with our security and local chiefs by giving information that will assist them to unmask the perpetrators of evil acts in our society.”

FCT's Karu Command Beats 369 Other Police Stations to Top NHRC Poll

 

Karu police station in the FCT topped a poll by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to find the best police command, beating 369 stations assessed in 21 states.

 

The results from the research, which was jointly conducted by the NHRC and Altus Global Alliance, and involved the inspection of police stations across the six geopolitical zones of the country between November 18 and 23, 2013, were released yesterday.

 

The Executive Secretary of NHRC, Prof. Bem Angwe, said that out of 369 police stations assessed, only 10 performed credibly under five key areas namely: Community orientation, physical conditions, equal treatment of members of the public, transparency and accountability and detention conditions.

 

Karu Police Command came first with a 100 per cent rating in all five areas, followed by various Lagos stations namely Ilupeju and Ikoyi police stations which emerged second and third respectively.

 

Adatan police station in Ogun, Victoria Island in Lagos and New Heaven police station, Enugu came fourth, fifth and sixth. Badagry police station, Lagos, and Life Camp, Abuja, tied in 7th position, while Ijanikin police station, Lagos, was placed eighth.

 

Airport Command, Uyo, and Trade Fair police station, Lagos, were adjudged as the ninth best stations, while Birnin Kudu police station Jigawa took the 10th position.

Senate Summons FCT Minister, Julius Berger over Airport Road Contract

The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), headed by Senator Smart Adeyemi, has summoned the Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, which is handling the construction of a portion of the Abuja airport road to appear after the Easter holiday over open drainages on the road.

 

Senator Adeyemi, made the disclosure when he led the committee on a tour of the on-going construction of the expressway. He noted that despite the huge sum of the contract, the drainages were left open, thereby causing fatal accidents daily.

 

“There is no city in the world where drainages are left opened,” he said. “Even in many states where you have projects, you are not doing open culverts, so, why in the FCT? This constitutes hazard, it is a death trap and we must sit down and talk on the likely solution.”

 

He said though the quality of work on the road was commendable, the contractor had to device means of covering the open drains.

FCT Senate: Indigenous Tribes Gades and Gbagyis Disagree Over Support for Wowo

 

The National Gade Youth Assembly (NGYA), one of the indigenous tribes of the FCT, have gone public with their support for Usman Jibrin Wowo to contest for the FCT senate seat in next year’s general elections, going against fellow indigene group the Greater Gbagyi Development Initiative (GGDI) who have withdrawn their support for the Senator.

 

But NGYA’s president, Comrade Baba M. Sani, told newsmen in Abuja yesterday to disregard a media publication by the Gbagyi collective titled ‘Indigenes reject Wowo,’ stating that no indigene of FCT has rejected Senator Wowo’s bid.

Comrade Sani said that as far as the Gade Youth Assembly is concerned, the Gbagyi group are on their own, and praised the former senator’s efforts while representing the FCT during his short stay at the senate.

 

“The Gbagyi have no mandate that will make them reject our brother. If they believe that Senator Wowo is not representing them, we the Gades and other original inhabitants tribes believe that Senator Wowo will be representing us in 2015,” he said.

 

 NGYI said that it was a shame that the one the Gbagyis say they recognize is not doing enough for the FCT.

 “When the women of Gosa village were protesting the evil called demolition of their ancestral home, what did the greater Gbagyi do about it?” he asked.

 

Confab: Delegates Complain of Lack of Toilet Paper

Debates over petty issues continue at the on-going National Conference in Abuja when a delegate, the former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba on Wednesday lead the call for more toilet paper to be supplied in the toilets.

 

"I have observed that there are no tissue papers in the toilets. I observed that yesterday. It is not enough to tell the world how much that is being expended on us," she said.

 

Responding, the chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi apologized and promised to perfect the situation. "Honestly, I am very sorry to hear this from delegates. Before I do anything, I must apologise. Definitely, we shall take steps to make sure that we improve. Please, we feel very sorry indeed."

 

However Prof. Eddy Erhagbe, an Edo State delegate, who was embarrassed by the complaints made before television cameras, pleaded that such complaints should be subtly made behind the scenes.

Nigerian Idol: Another Season of Boredom

Last weekend’s episode of Nigerian Idol was so boring but I watched it till the end in the hope that someone would come up and upstage the preceding acts. In the end, my patience was unrewarded.

There are 30 contestants left in the show which began on 1 March. In this episode, 10 contestants making up the third batch sang, and with the exception of Obed and BeeBee, they all shared a lack of talent. They were short of the voice and charisma and any other needed attributes to justify their presence on television.

Even the ‘exceptional’ performances were only brilliant in the context of the night’s show. They were not so much better than the worship songs that streams in from the church behind my window into my room. And to think I used to consider that a nuisance.

In the pre-show interviews, most of the contestants gave excuses for their poor showing in advance, complaining that they didn’t like the songs imposed on them, and that they were yet to master the lyrics. On stage, some were inhibited by self-consciousness while others were unnecessarily confident to the point of arrogance. Such predictable doom, the sort of performances that make judges stutter. There was no redeeming quality on which to begin their critique.

I assume the judges – Dede Mabiaku, Nneka Egbuna, and Darey Art Alade – selected the contestants for the show. If so, good for them. At some point, the judges could not disguise their weariness with the performances.

Nneka in particular looked perpetually confused, and always owned up to that. About Esther’s performance she had nothing to say but compliment her looks, adding the unsolicited opinion about her wish that Nigerian women would emulate Esther’s haircut, in other words, dish the wig and embrace natural hair. Noted.

A few questions arise: can’t Nigerians sing anymore? Are the better singers deferring their ambition till the next season of X Factor, which gives to the winner about double the prize money?

Are the judges so fatigued that they cannot give astute critique for every performance? Are contestants tired from living in crammed rooms with narrow beds that remind them of boarding schools, as briefly shown, probably as a result of an editing error?

Whatever the answers to these questions, the novelty of singing competitions for me has worn off. We have seen Nigerian Idol three times before, and other shows with this format many times over: a singer comes on stage, sings, the audience claps regardless of the quality of the performance, judges give their opinion or repeat a fellow judge’s, the host asks the viewers to vote, and the audience clap again as the contestant goes off stage.

Without new tricks, there may be no incentive to watch the show another time.

Admittedly, with 30 contestants still in the show, it is too early to expect a Mariah Carey clone, too early for me, a viewer, to judge, but IllRymz has given me the authority by asking me to vote for my favourite contestant, asking me to judge.

He makes a point of reminding us after each performance to vote, that the judges’ opinion do not count, only the viewers’ votes do. Now, the contestant with the largest family disguising as fans who vote repeatedly remains in the show at the expense of the more talented.

Why then do they have judges if they are so irrelevant to the process of selecting the winner? Why put Nneka through so much agony if her opinion really doesn’t count?

This batch of contestants may not be epresentative of all the contestants on the show. Hopefully, there is enough talent among the 20 contestants in the first and second batches to produce a worthy idol.

I wish them all well, and may the contestant with the largest, richest, and most enthusiastic family and friends win.