Ngige booed for defending Buhari’s appointments

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, was booed while trying to defend President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments at a town hall meeting organised by the Federal Government for the South-East in Enugu on Monday. Shouts of ‘No! No!’ were heard in the hall as he attempted to justify the appointments, which are believed by many to favour North. The South-East is seen as the most marginalised zone in the appointments, so far. Ngige was responding to criticism of Buhari’s failure to appoint an Igbo as one of the service chiefs at the town hall meeting when he was booed. South-East stakeholders at the event included leaders of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, traditional rulers, members of the National Assembly, and some current and former political office holders, among others. Ngige, responding to demands for the implementation recommendations of the last constitutional conference, said new states could not be created without the involvement of the National Assembly. “If you want to amend the Constitution or to create more states you must pass through the National Assembly,” he said. The minister, a former governor of Anambra State, and erstwhile member of the Senate, said the Igbos must strategise on how best to survive and thrive in Nigeria. “We (the Igbo) have to put on our thinking cap – we don’t have to cry and wallow in self-pity,” he said, noting that Nigeria is a federation where all the federating units must relate with each other. “If tomorrow President Muhammadu Buhari says ‘I want to do a constitutional conference’, I can assure you that whatever you lobby and get in the conference will be implemented to the letter,” Ngige added.

Buhari’s parochial appointments

CARRIED to power on a groundswell of goodwill and disgust at the thoroughly corrupt Goodluck Jonathan administration, Muhammadu Buhari appears bent on political self-immolation. While he received massive support from across the country to become President, he is by his appointments, presenting himself as a parochial, sectional leader. For the sake of the country’s corporate survival, he should rise above primordial instincts and become a father to all Nigerians. In his inaugural speech just over a year ago, Buhari promised Nigerians that “having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.” But too often, the pledge has been honoured in the breach. Buhari’s sectionalism is not only unprecedented, it could not have come at a worse time. The reality today is that Nigerians are deeply divided. Seventeen years of dashed hopes of progress under a democratic dispensation have reopened the deep fissures in the polity and polarised the populace into mutually suspicious camps. Sectarianism and ethnicity have been rearing their poisonous heads. The presidential election of 2015 was particularly divisive, with some major actors openly deploying base religious and regional sentiments. Add to this the terrible state of the economy that Buhari inherited, headlined by a collapse in global crude oil prices, our main export earner, and the rapacious emptying of the national treasury by previous governments, and you have a seething, discontented people. It is a sad reality of the Nigerian experience that when crisis − political or economic − hits, segments of the populace retreat into ethnic and sectarian cocoons. It is in this combustible mix that Buhari stubbornly presses ahead with appointments that weigh heavily in favour of his northern regional base. He struck again last month when he removed Ibe Kachikwu as head of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to put a Northerner; named another, Hadiza Bala-Usman, as managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority along with three executive directors, two of whom are also Northerners. Before then, he had ring-fenced himself with appointees from his northern constituency at the Presidency, thereby deepening the long-held fears of many Southerners that he has not overcome his well-known insularity. But the 1999 Constitution explicitly stipulates in Chapter 14 subsection 3 that the “composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall…reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups…” Buhari is breaching this with impunity in his appointments. Apart from this, Nigeria’s plural setting demands that no group or ethnic nationality is seen as too domineering in critical areas of governance. Among his first appointments, even while he dithered on assembling a cabinet: he recalled a retired officer to man the Department of State Services; a former army officer to head the Nigeria Customs Service; a personal acquaintance as Chief of Staff, and loaded the other security and law enforcement agencies heavily in favour of Northerners. While the DSS head is from his hometown, Daura, the others are also almost all Northerners and overwhelmingly Muslims. In spite of public opinion, he replaced the immediate past Inspector-General of Police, a Southerner, with a Northerner, an assistant inspector-general whose ascension induced the retirement in one fell swoop of 21 DIGs and AIGs who were senior to him. This is beyond absurdity. We declare emphatically that this is corruption. It is wrong to view stealing of government funds as the only form of corruption. A former member of the House of Representatives, Junaid Muhammed, alleges that not only is Buhari sectional in his appointments, several appointees are actually his relatives. Nigerians did not vote against the Jonathan administration’s impunity for corruption, only to be assaulted with another pernicious impunity for cronyism. Buhari should be told that sectionalism and nepotism are also acts of corruption. You do not wage war against financial corruption while indulging in sectional and sectarian favouritism. It is self- defeating; a veritable weak link that the formidable ranks of those fighting back furiously to preserve the existing corrupt order are already capitalising on. The President simply does not need this. Many are willing to concede that he is only demonstrating political naiveté; now, however, is the time to radically change tactics. The country is in a bad shape, compelling that all efforts be made to rally all segments of the polity behind measures to reverse economic recession, defeat terrorism in the North-East, renewed militancy and sabotage in the South-South zone, Fulani herdsmen’s terrorism in the North-Central and general insecurity across the country. The government admitted that the country is technically in recession last week, while Bloomberg reported that foreign reserves fell to just over $26 billion in June; oil production also fell to about 1.6 million barrels per day, while over 4,440 megawatts of power were lost last week, both due to sabotage of crude and gas facilities by criminals in the Niger Delta region. Meanwhile, though seriously degraded, Boko Haram terrorists are recovering their ability to ambush and inflict casualties on Nigerian troops. More importantly, the South-East and South-South zones voted massively against Buhari, who is deepening their alienation from his government by his lopsided appointments. But in truly democratic societies, elected leaders go all out to unite their people after elections. Apart from meeting the constitutional requirement that a minister be appointed from each of the 36 states, the two zones are sparsely represented in the Federal Government. If some past presidents indulged in primitive sectionalism, Buhari should not. Olusegun Obasanjo, alone among our last four presidents, significantly sought to rise above such primordial instincts. Buhari, also a former military head of state, and senior citizen, ought to do better, having tried and failed thrice before to win the Presidency exclusively with Northern votes. His party, the All Progressives Congress, the National Assembly and civil society groups should be more vigorous in resisting this trend. It is time to put an end to this provincial inclination. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic nationalities and wide disparities in culture. If, as Buhari wrongly repeats that Nigeria’s unity is inviolable, why then does he alienate many Nigerians with appointments? Until we take the right, inevitable step of restructuring the country, the minimum expected of a Nigerian president is to ensure equity in federal appointments.

Russian military chopper shot down in Syria

All five people on board a Russian military helicopter that was shot down over Syria on Monday are believed to have died, the Kremlin said. “As far as we know from the information we’ve had from the defence ministry, those in the helicopter died, they died heroically, because they were trying to move the aircraft away to minimise victims on the ground,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. The defence ministry had earlier said there were five people on board.

 SOURCE: AFP

APC sweeps Adamawa LG election

Adamawa State Independent Electoral Commission, has announced the results of Local Government Election held in the state on Saturday. The Chairman of the commission, Alhaji Isa Shettima said on Monday in Yola that the All Progressives Congress won the chairmanship seats of 18 local governments where results were announced. Shettima said that the commission had cancelled the elections in Michika, Lamurde and Numan Local Government Areas, and fixed August 6 for fresh polls. “There will also be election in two wards in Guyuk Local government on the same date,” the ADSIEC chairman said. He said that results of Councillors for the 226 wards in the state would be announced at the headquarters of the three senatorial zones. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that shortly after the announcement of the results, the winners were presented with Certificate of Return by the chairman. Speaking to NAN after receiving her certificate, the only female candidate, who was elected Chairman of Demsa Local Government, Mrs Wale Fwa, said that she was prepared for the job and would not disappoint the people. “I am used to that; I was once the only female member in the state House of Assembly, my people have confidence in my ability to deliver and I will do just that,” Wale said.

 SOURCE: NAN

Cultists kill four, shoot two-year-old in Lagos community

There was pandemonium on 24 Road, in the Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, after suspected cult members shot dead four persons. It was learnt that the six-man gang arrived in the community on Friday around 8pm on two motorcycles. PUNCH Metro learnt that a 63-year-old native doctor, identified as Rasheed Yusuf, aka Low Banger, who was walking along the road, was the first to be killed. The attackers were said to have also shot at Rasheed’s wife, Falilat, and a two-year-old girl, Kehinde. The duo, however, survived the attack. The cultists further reportedly waylaid and shot dead two men, identified as Yusuf Cisco and Lukman Apetu, who were returning from work on a motorcycle. A yet-to-be-identified resident was also reportedly killed during the shooting spree which left many residents injured. Policemen from the Ikorodu division and members of a vigilance group in the area were said to have arrived at the area to remove the corpses after the attackers left. When PUNCH Metro got to the area on Saturday, most shops and houses on Tobalase and Olubuse streets, as well as Awotunde Lane, were locked. A crowd of sympathisers was observed at Rasheed’s house. Our correspondent learnt that Cisco, another victim, was buried on Saturday in accordance with Islamic rites. A relation, who did not want his name in print, said the gunmen were on a reprisal, adding that they decided to pass their aggression to residents when they didn’t meet their targets. He said, “Baba (Rasheed), a well known native doctor in this area, was walking to his son’s shop on Tobalase Street when he heard the gunshots. He was about warning his children to lock the doors, when the gunmen shot him. “They also shot at his wife and a little girl. We rushed the woman and the child to a public hospital where they are still receiving treatments. “After leaving that spot, they shot at three young men returning from work. Two of them died that evening, while the third died in a hospital later. People were injured by the sporadic shooting. A man, Baba Ogo, was injured in the stomach.” A resident, who gave his name only as Qudus, said the cultists came in from the Ebute area of Igbogbo. He said, “The cult guys are from Ikorodu town. They came in from the Ebute area. We do not know the gang they belong to. Some Onyabo (vigilance group) members have been patrolling this area, but they are arresting innocent residents. “When we went to bury one of the deceased today (Saturday), the gunmen still shot at someone in the cemetery.” The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the deaths. She added that the police had arrested three suspects. She said, “Three suspects have been arrested. They will soon be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja. The command is on the trail of other suspects.” SOURCE: PUNCH

FG extends online job application

The Federal Government on Monday extended the timeline for the N-Power online jobs and training applications till the end of August. The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists. Akande said the decision to extend the timeline was taken in order to pull in more potentially qualified candidates and expand the opportunity base around and across the country. He said the application process which commenced on June 12 was initially billed to close on July 25. The statement read, “However, being very keen on keeping its promise of empowering and uplifting young Nigerians by improving their livelihood and creating opportunities such as this (in an as inclusive and diverse manner), the Federal Government is providing an additional grace period for more young Nigerians to access the N-Power opportunity. “The new deadline for the receipt of applications is now Wednesday, August 31, 2016. “N-Power is one of the initiatives of the N500bn President Muhammadu Buhari’s Social Investment Programme designed to empower young Nigerians with life-long skills to find or create work. “The N-Power programme is segmented into three: N- Power Teachers Corps Agriculture and Health related jobs; N-Power Knowledge for ICT and N-Power Build for building services and artisanal training “N-Power is targeted at young Nigerians aged between 18 and 35 and is aimed at enlisting a total of 600,000 young Nigerians in phases, and under different sectors, in the largest capacity development and empowerment effort yet in the country.” Akande said the Federal Government would continue to work with state governments through their respective focal persons on Social Investments to ensure that N-Power is diverse and inclusive. He said the extension presented an opportunity for persons who have not had the opportunity to apply to do so now. “This will also allow those yet to complete the application process to ensure they see the process through as incomplete applications will not be processed. “To apply, simply log on to www.npower.gov.ng and register for any one of the three sub-programmes. “Please note that applications may be subject to other criteria which can be found on the N-Power website. Any prospective applicant, who has any challenge with uploading supporting documents unto the Portal because of the size of the files, should attach these documents in a mail transmitted to support@npower.gov.ng “After the Application portal closes, there will be a verification, testing and selection process before successful applicants are enlisted in phases as the specific programme design may necessitate,” he added. Akande also said the Federal Government would publicise the selection criteria before the application process comes to a close. Modalities relating to the enlistment process, according to him, will no longer commence on Monday as earlier envisaged due to the demand for extension by many Nigerians from across several states. SOURCE: Olalekan Adetayo

Clinton leads Trump by seven points in poll

Hillary Clinton got a four-point bounce in support after the Democratic National Convention and now leads Donald Trump by seven points in the race for the White House, says a poll released Monday. Clinton’s lead over the Republican Trump is 46 percent to 39 percent, according to the CBS News poll. After the Republican convention, prior to the Democratic one, Trump got a two-point bump and the race was tied, CBS said. One of Clinton’s biggest problems — Americans’ negative view of her — remains, but it has eased somewhat since the convention last week in Philadelphia, the survey suggested. Fifty percent of registered voters have a negative opinion of Clinton compared to 36 percent who view her positively, the poll said. That positive number is up five points and the negative one is down six, it added. Thirty-one percent of voters have a positive opinion of Trump, which is about the same as before the Republican convention, according to CBS. Fifty-two percent see him negatively. The survey was carried out July 29-31 among 1,393 adults and has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Islam is never terrorism – Pope Francis

Pope Francis has said that Islam can not be equated with terrorism and warned that Europe was pushing its young into the hands of extremists. “It’s not true and it’s not correct (to say) Islam is terrorism,” he told journalists on Sunday aboard the papal plane during the return journey from a trip to Poland. “I don’t think it is right to equate Islam with violence”. Francis defended his decision not to name Islam when condemning the brutal jihadist murder of a Catholic priest in France in the latest of a string of recent attacks in Europe claimed by the Islamic State group. “In almost every religion there is always a small group of fundamentalists. We have them too.” “If I have to talk about Islamic violence I have to talk about Christian violence. Every day in the newspapers I see violence in Italy, someone kills his girlfriend, another kills his mother-in-law, and these are baptised Catholics.” The pontiff was speaking after Muslims attended Catholic mass in churches around France on Sunday in solidarity and sorrow following the murder of the priest, whose throat was slit at the altar of his church. In an echo of remarks made during his five-day trip to Poland for a Catholic youth festival, Francis said religion was not the driving force behind the violence. “You can kill with the tongue as well as the knife,” he said, in an apparent reference to a rise in populist parties fuelling racism and xenophobia. He said Europe should look closer to home, saying “terrorism… grows where the God of money is put first” and “where there are no other options”. “How many of our European young have we left empty of ideals, with no work, so they turn to drugs, to alcohol, and sign up with fundamentalist groups?” he asked.

Pope says Messi is the best player in history

Pope Francis says that he thinks Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time. Pope Francis said this in Krakow, Poland, during lunch while on a trip for the World Youth Day gathering, according to sport-english.com. He was joined by 12 youths and one of them asked him, “Who is better, Maradona or Pele?” and the pope responded, “For me, Messi,” without giving further explanation. A response that the participants at the lunch enjoyed – and none of them were Argentine. Reports say nearly three million pilgrims made it to the mass he was celebrating on the final day of a five-day to Poland, as the 1,050th anniversary of Poland’s adoption of Christianity was celebrated.

Court adjourns Simone Gbagbo’s trial till October

An Ivory Coast court on Monday adjourned Simone Gbagbo’s trial for crimes against humanity until October 10, after the former first lady complained she was too tired to proceed. “When I sent for the defendant this morning, she made it known that she was very tired and she asked us to take account of her counsel’s request to let her rest,” state prosecutor Ali Yeo told the court in Abidjan. Gbagbo, 67, has been on trial since May 31 for alleged crimes against humanity committed during a post- electoral crisis in 2010-11 when her husband Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat at the polls. The hearing will resume on October 10, chief judge Kouadio Bouatchi ruled after the prosecutor called for a break during the country’s judicial vacation. Proceedings were then adjourned. Simone Gbagbo is already serving a 20-year jail term after she was convicted last year of state security offences committed during the five months of conflict that followed the election at a cost of more than 3,000 lives. The winner of the disputed election, Alassane Ouattara, saw Laurent Gbagbo delivered in November 2011 to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where his trial for crimes against humanity began last January. SOURCE: AFP