Okocha Warns Yobo Not to Quit Eagles

Super Eagles legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Thursday admonished Joseph Yobo not to mule retiring from the national team in order to show his frustration with his continued exclusion by the technical crew.
The Yobo saga has dominated the news columns since he fell out with coach, Stephen Keshi, though the latter has told the media that the Fenerbache defender remains the national captain.
But Okocha, who said the Yobo crisis has been blown out of proportion, advised the defender against quitting the national team as he would not have a second chance again if he makes such decision.
According to Okocha, the differences between the player and coach could have been best resolved behind the scene. " If he (Yobo) quits the scene, that would be the end of his international career as he will not have a second chance. I advise that no matter the problem, he should try and speak to the coaches and play for as long as he can. Even some of us still regret that we retired as at the time we did," Okocha said.
While the former Bolton Wanderers midfield pearl refused to question the decisions of Keshi on the saga, he asked the concerned parties to be diplomatic given that "at the end, the objective is to represent our country and give good results".
Yobo has been kept out of the Eagles line up by the pairing of Godfrey Oboaboana and Kenneth Omeruo which was forged at the last Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
He is Nigeria's most capped player of all time but he has not added to his 93 appearances since he got only three minutes as a substitute against Burkina Faso in Nations Cup final in Johannesburg

Eagles Can Be Great Again - - Iroha

Former Super Eagles left back Benedict Iroha has said that with improved performances from Nigerian players in Europe, the country will soon break into the exclusive list of 50 best players in the world.
"I can't say that we do not have players that are doing very well for their clubs. Emenike, Moses, Igiebor, Musa and a host of others are doing well and if they keep up their good work, it is possible that they can break into the top players in the world," said Iroha.
"We must re-work our mentality and also ensure our players sign for the right clubs and for the right offers too. With that we can compete with the very best in the coming years," Iroha said.

Jonathan Commends Amaechi On NFF Complex

President Goodluck Jonathan has commended River State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi for the construction of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)'s Office Complex.
President Jonathan rained praises on the Governor; chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Super Eagles' 2010 world cup qualification and members of the PTF while commissioning the office Complex situated at the National Stadium, on Thursday.
Jonathan who was represented at the official opening of the football house by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, lauded the PTF for conceiving and delivering the project which he said is a significant milestone in football development and administration.
He also commended the PTF for its vision to deploy remnants of funds raised for the Super Eagle's qualification for 2010 World Cup towards construction of a befitting office complex for the NFF.
President Jonathan said the edifice should serve as a catalyst for better administration and general performance of the football sector.
He therefore urged the football federation to take seriously, the development of youths of the country using football, as direct fallout of recent Presidential Retreat on Sports.
Earlier in his address, Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission, Bolaji Abdullahi, also eulogized the PTF for the legacy project considering that the construction of the football house was not part of it's terms of reference.
The Minister, who vouched for the integrity of the committee, pointed out that the funds could as well have disappeared into private pockets.
Abdullahi also commended the construction company, Paul B, for delivering the project on schedule adding that the transformational project is in line with vision of the NSC to make the National stadium the hob of sports development.
Former Director General of NSC and Secretary of PTF, Patrick Ekeji who spoke on behalf of the PTF expressed appreciation of the committee to have served in ensuring the qualification of the super Eagles for the 2010 world cup.

Labour Faults Senate On Minimum Wage

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have faulted the recent vote by the Senate to decentralise the minimum wage regime, describing the move as a charade and travesty on the popular wish of the people.
Labour also questioned what the fate of private sector workers would be if the two regimes (federal and state) of the minimum wage exist.
At a joint press conference in Abuja yesterday, the President of the NLC, Mr. Abdulwahed Omar, said the labour movement was in consultation with all stakeholders on the minimum wage, electricity tariff hike and local government autonomy issue.
"We are in consultations and it is after that we would know the next line of action that will let people know we have been talking. Some people are trying to redefine what the National Minimum wage is. On this issue, we would do the same thing we did during the subsidy struggle," Omar said.
By taking such an anti-worker position while opting to vote for life pension for the leadership of the National Assembly, Omar described the senators as selfish and self-serving.
"Without recourse to history and basic appreciation of global practices, the distinguished members of the upper chambers assumed that a minimum wage is a wage review normally carried out by the federal and state governments oblivious of the historical and global concept of minimum wage being a benchmark to ensure that vulnerable workers, are not unduly exploited by ravenous, selfish and greedy employers and money bags," Omar said.
He added that it was easy for the Senate to go against the wishes of the people due to the electoral processes that brought some of them to office adding that they conducted a one-day public hearing on the issue without inviting labour.
He called on members of the House of Representatives, who he said, have proven to be pro-people not to tow the path of the Senate.
"We call on the House of Representatives as the last bastion of our representative governance to side with the people as they have always done to ensure that the minimum wage remains in the Exclusive list to protect poor working families against the vagaries of thoughtless and rabid neo liberal economic policies," Omar added.
TUC President General, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama, said the labour movement was prepared to mobilise Nigerian workers to ensure that the Senate's will does not truncate the will of the people.

2015 - Lagos PDP Faction Wants Fresh Congresses Conducted

A faction of the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), under the aegis of the Union Group, Thursday urged the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to speed up plans to conduct fresh congresses in the state.
It was gathered that there had been mixed feelings concerning the planned dissolution of State Executive Committees of the PDP in eight states by the NWC of the party.
The states, it was gathered, are Anambra, Kogi, Oyo, Bayelsa, Delta, Plateau, Enugu and Imo.
The group, at its meeting in Lagos, unanimously agreed that fresh congresses should be conducted for Lagos State.
Addressing journalists at the meeting, a chieftain of the party, Oluyomi Finnih, said it was only an inclusive election that could re-unite the party in the state.
"Indeed, the Lagos PDP remains factionalised and the only way forward is for fresh congresses that would be acceptable to all members and groups within the party. We sincerely hope that the NWC will call for quick congresses in Lagos as we do not recognise the existing executive structure in Lagos State," Finnih said.
According to him, the congresses that brought in the existing executives were not conducted in accordance with the PDP constitution.
"A group in the party wants to dominate everyone and we cannot agree to that. The series of congresses held in March 2012 were badly managed and was in fact hijacked by one group," he alleged.
Finnih, who noted that the continued factionalisation of the party in the state had been the bane of its inability to win in major elections in the state, accused the present party machinery in the state of not caring for the feelings of other groups in the party.
"One main issuing bugging the Lagos PDP is the refusal of one group to bend backwards to accommodate others. Some members of the party are holding the party to ransome because of their over bloated connection," he said.
He also said as a result, the Lagos PDP had remained dormant and static. "Members of the party are gradually moving to other parties or just sitting at home and hoping for better days to come," he said.
He pointed out that various attempts at reconciliation following agitations from some groups in the party in the state were boycotted by the group in power in the state.
"However, the South-west Caretaker Committee of the PDP headed by Chief Isola Filani, had set up reconciliation committees all over the six states in the zone. Part of the recommendations of the committee was a harmonisation ratio of offices in Lagos state of 40; 40; 20, between the establishment (existing executive) union and non-aligned group.
"The committee also recommended that patronages in the state be distributed equitable to cover all groups and factions in the party which is yet to be implemented," he said.
Finnih, however, added that the PDP could only win the 2015 elections in Lagos with an all inclusive party.
When contacted on the issue, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, said: "We remain one family in Lagos State. Our intra-family affairs will treated without discomfort to any aggrieved member."

Falana Urges CJN to Review Guidelines for Award of Senior Advocate

A Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has called for the review of the guidelines for the award of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), with a view to democratising the process.

Falana also called for automatic conferment of the rank on all legal practitioners who satisfy the laid down criteria.
In a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and the Chairperson of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC), Justice Aloma Mukhtar, dated July 12, Falana condemned the ongoing exercise in which qualified legal practitioners who had previously been shortlisted, were not invited for interview for an undisclosed reasons.
Falana in the letter, which was a response to the invitation by the LPPC for public comments on the integrity and competence of the 43 legal practitioners shortlisted for the award of the rank of SAN this year, said the secrecy behind the denial of qualified applicants could no longer be justified as the LPPC may be compelled to disclose the reasons which informed its discretion under Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011.
"In the ongoing exercising, some of those who met the criteria but who were not invited for the interview had been shortlisted on three or four previous occasions.
"As usual, the reasons for excluding them from the list of qualified applicants are not going to be disclosed. But such secrecy can no longer be justified as the LPPC may be compelled to disclose the reasons that informed its discretion under FoI Act 2011," he said.
"From the information at my disposal the LPPC pegged the number of those who were invited for interview to 43 on the grounds of federal character and other criteria in contravention of Section 42(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification) and Enforcement Act (Cap A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which provide that no Nigerian citizen shall be subjected to disabilities or restrictions or accorded any privilege or advantage merely by reasons of circumstances of birth, ethnic group, sex, religion or political opinion," he stated.
According to the human rights activist, the guidelines for the rank have not restricted the number of successful applicants for the rank of SAN to 15 per annum, adding that LPPC approved the conferment of the rank on 25 practitioners in 2006.
Falana said 25 practitioners were also honoured with the rank in 2012 and urged the CJN to ensure that all qualified legal practitioners who met the laid down guidelines are conferred with the rank in the interest of justice and fair play.
He said the award process had since been democratised in England where the idea of Queen's Counsel was introduced to Nigeria.

Rivers and the Straying Dog

Opinion

The figurine, a Yoruba adage says, begins to walk the path to perdition the day it craves to be taken to the stream for a refreshing bath. This seems to capture somewhat, the situation in Rivers State today. The degree of obstinacy that characterises the disposition of the nation's leadership to the current madness pervading the turf of Rivers is a clear indication that it truly does not "give a damn" what happens to the country's democratic experience in general, if at all it is nascent.
That Rivers State is now associated with the phrase: new week, new madness, is to say the least, niggling. Sadly, those presumed to be the architect of this unfortunate, yet embarrassing situation, are obviously not done until they see through their plans, which unfortunately is impossible in a 21st century Nigeria.
The alternative, however, is to fritter away the gains of the last 14 years of democratic journey since it does not seem to make any meaning to them and at no personal cost, perhaps. The do-or-die approach to the Rivers crisis is bothersome, given the "I don't care" attitude of the lead characters and their proxies. What this has further underscored is the poor knowledge of history of those stoking the fire of this official terrorism against the state. Tuesday's attack on Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa) Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and their host governor, Rotimi Amaechi, was against the spirit of genuine intervention if there was any, and to say the least, brutish, nasty, crude, unwarranted and overtly undemocratic.
No doubt, a certain dog has decided to ignore the whistle of the hunter and has headed in a different direction other than that of its master. That road leads nowhere but ruin. The attempt to burn down the entire bush in chase of a small animal will surely leave the farmer stranded when eventually the chips are down. The advice is no longer to discontinue this constituted nuisance, but be wary of the implications of their actions because this is certainly not going to end well. The nation is deliberately sliding into anarchy and the time for true patriots and democrats to stand up and be counted is now.

One Year, Eight Months After His Death, Bada's Family Still Expecting His Benefits From Police

While alive, Sunday Bada loved the Nigeria Police Force with a passion. Everywhere he was, Bada was quick to let everyone know that he was a police officer who loved his job.
As a celebrated sports personality, Bada and Atlanta Olympic long jump gold medallist, Chioma Ajunwa, were the face of the police. The two of them were inspirations to other police sports men and women.
At 6ft plus, Bada's image in his police uniform, made the mobile unit of the force very enticing. He was a gentleman and an officer.
But on December 12, 2011, death snatched him away at just 42 years while still in service. Cardiac related problems ended his dream of making it to his retirement from the police. While the sports world was deep in shock, including the world athletics body, IAAF, sending condolences to its Nigerian affiliate, police authorities promised to do everything to keep his memory alive.
Members of his immediate family, his wife (Sumbo) and two sons (Tobi, Timilehin) and daughter (Teniola) took solace in what the police promised to do for their departed bread winner.
However, one year and eight months gone bye, the Badas are yet to hear from the police. Neither his entitlements nor his pensions, (if any), have been paid.
Bada's widow was even asked to pay back N120, 000 to the police treasury as over payment on her late husband's last salary paid to his account before anything can be done to compute his entitlements. Sumbo complied immediately. Since then, it has been one story or the other.
Determined not to allow the death of her husband truncate her children's education, Sumbo who runs a boutique on Toyin Street in Ikeja and also into telecommunications and building, had to relocate to Dublin, Ireland for greener pastures.
Bada's teammates who were to have been honoured last Wednesday by President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, 13 years after doing Nigeria proud, winning the Sydney Olympic gold medal (following the disqualification of Team USA quartet), were all shocked to hear Sumbo's story.
While waiting for the vehicle to take her and the ex athletes namely, Enefiok Udo-Obong, Jude Monye, Clement Chukwu, Nduka Awazie and Fidelis Gadzama to the Villa for the Presidential reception, Sumbo revealed to THISDAY what she has been going through with the police.

Not Every Justice Delayed is Denied!

Opinion

The military authority coming out to dispel some of the trending news, both in the legacy and mystery media, on the rumoured promotion and decoration of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha as Brigadier-General, was probably a smart one even though it did not deny the fact that it had said earlier that Al-Mustapha is still in service after about 14years behind bars without promotional exams, courses or further training to have justified either being in service or qualified for the rumoured elevation.
Whilst it might be condonable to assume that the military had saved face by coming out to clear the air of the "misinformation" deemed capable of denting its image as a revered institution, it has been able to put paid to the news until such a time when the strategy would be reviewed and executed in a better fashion.
The fact that the system desperately desires Al-Mustapha for whatever reasons and seeks to engage him for God knows what is not in doubt. It is only a question of time; the story will come to full manifestation soon. That again is a digression. Have you spared a thought for some minutes and pondered that Al-Mustapha's long incarceration was a blessing in disguise? In fact, his travails may have condemned as "nonsense" the saying that "justice delayed is justice denied". Of course, his now controversial justice is already a subject of debate by those who think otherwise. But what if the death sentence earlier passed on him had been arrived at and upheld even by the Appeal Court, say, within the first four years of his legal battle? Would he not have been history?
With the raged nerves, anger and resentment that were in the air at the time, an acquittal that came 14 years after would have been outright impossible and Al-Mustapha would have been long gone. That he weathered through the years he was incarcerated and came out almost not losing anything (after all he has been confirmed as still being in service), this delayed justice was in no way denied. On the contrary, all things had worked together for his good, his experience in the wilderness notwithstanding. It is hoped that he would have learnt some great and useful lessons of life and come out a better person, functional both to his immediate family and the society at large.

Goods Worth Billions of Naira Gone as Fire Guts Coscharis Warehouse

An early morning fire Thursday gutted the Lagos office and warehouse of automobile giant, Coscharis Nigeria Limited, owned by business mogul, Mr. Cosmas Maduka, at Kirikiri Industrial Estate, Lagos, razing goods worth billions of naira. No life was however lost in the incident.
It was gathered that investigators are currently battling to uncover the likely cause of the fire, which started from an electrical spark that later evolved into balls of fire. They also disclosed that since the gutted warehouse was undergoing renovations after the sachet water division was moved to the Alakija area, the new electrical connection in the building might have caused the inferno.
THISDAY gathered that the fire started at about 4am and went unnoticed until about an hour later. Fire fighters from the Lagos State Fire Service and the Nigerian Navy were later contacted and they battled for over five hours to put out the fire.
However, the flames were exacerbated by the contents of the warehouse, which was fully stocked with goods such as tyres, spare parts, gas cylinders, computers, fuel, grease oil, spray paints, inverter batteries, lubricants, grease and additives, all said to be valued at billions of naira.
THISDAY also gathered that the absence of fire hydrant and enough water also proved a hindrance to rescue operators in battling the flames.
To prevent hoodlums from pilfering and vandalising some of the goods recovered from the fire, armed police officers were deployed from the Kirikiri Police Station to safeguard the property and the premises of the company.
Some of the workers said they could not recover many of the products because some storerooms in the warehouse were locked up and so they had to wait for the fire service.
They lamented the company lost billion naira worth of goods, having just restocked on Wednesday, adding that over four containers of deep cycle inverter batteries were offloaded in the warehouse.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Lagos State, Mr. Paschal Ologungboye, said they received a distress call at 6am and operators from the Sari Iganmu, Ijora and Isolo fire stations were deployed to put out the fire.
He lamented that despite the number of fire trucks from different stations, including their headquarters, the lack of water within the premises hampered efforts to minimise the damage.

PIB, A Killer, Say IOCs

International and local oil companies under the aegis of Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) Thursday stoutly opposed the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) at the opening session of a two-day public hearing in Abuja.
The two-day public hearing was organised by the Senate Joint Committee on the PIB. According to the OPTS, which is a conglomerate of 18 international and indigenous oil companies, though the PIB possesses a unique opportunity to resolve the numerous challenges confronting the oil sector, it only sets out to aggravate it and simultaneously reduce investment potential in the oil sector.
The PIB also got some knocks from Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, and his Kaduna State counterpart, Alhaji Ramalan Yero, who opposed the provision of 10 per cent host community fund as contained in the bill.
Miffed by the sweltering opposition to the PIB, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, in her contribution, urged stakeholders not to personalise or politicise the bill as it was conceived in the overall interest of the oil and gas sector as well as of the Nigerian economy.
In their presentation made by the OPTS representative and Managing Director, Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mr. Mark Ward, the oil companies said the PIB fell short of addressing the challenges in the oil industry.
He said: "The PIB presents a unique opportunity to resolve many of these challenges. However, in our view, the bill does not resolve these challenges but it will in fact reduce the much-needed investments to sustain and grow the oil and gas industry." Ward, who said the OPTS compared fiscal terms spelt out in the PIB with fiscal terms in 20 other countries, argued that the trend in such countries is to provide a platform for the balancing of high royalties with lower taxes and vice versa.
He also submitted that the PIB fails to guarantee this because "it significantly increases royalties and taxes and virtually eliminates all at the same time" and thus imply that Nigeria has the harshest fiscal regimes in the world.
"The result is that Nigeria will have one of the harshest fiscal regimes in the world, so harsh in fact, that not only is Nigeria uncompetitive, but the projects are actually uneconomic, meaning there is no acceptable return on investments," he added.

Boko Haram Has Killed 13 of My District Heads, Two Council Members, Says Shehu of Borno

The Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Ibn Garbai, Thursday lamented that the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, had killed 13 district heads, two council members and many other Muslim adherents in his kingdom.
He said this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri. He, therefore, urged Nigerians to see Boko Haram as a common enemy and not an attempt by Muslims to Islamise or divide the country.
The monarch, who is a member of the Inter Religous Council of Nigeria, noted that: "Boko Haram is not a deliberate attempt by Muslims to attack Christians; if it is, they would not have attacked me.
"If it is a question of targeting only Christians, 13 of my district heads, two council members and many other Muslims would not have been killed. "The Emirs of Fika and Kano are Muslims, yet they were attacked by the sect, who also killed many other Muslims leaders."
He said some Christians worked in his office and some were traditional title holders in his palace, adding that he held regular meetings with the Christian community in the state.
"It is, therefore, clear that from top to bottom, there is nobody who is not affected. Churches, mosques, parents and children were affected, so it is not a question of the group targeting only a particular group of Nigerians.
Garbai said Nigerians had fought in the past to keep the country united, urging them to ensure that anything that could violate the country's constitution was not allowed. He also said Nigerians should try and settle their differences through dialogue and not emphasising those things that would divide them.
The monarch also said the Inter Religious Council of Nigeria, which was made up of equal number of Muslims and Christians, was set up by the government to advise it on how to move the country forward.
"We discuss issues that will promote peace, including the Boko Haram crisis, and advise the government to take necessary action to prevent the crisis from spreading to other parts of the country," he said.
He said with the federal government had taken a decisive step with the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
"Things are now going on smoothly. Nobody is complaining of harassment by soldiers, police or Joint Task Force (JTF)," he said.

Oil Theft - Adoke Heads Ltf to Prosecute Offenders

Worried by the loss of about 400,000 barrels per day, which translates to N7 billion per day, to oil theft, the federal government has approved the establishment of a Legal Task Force (LTF) to be headed by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Bello Adoke, to prosecute cases of oil theft across the country.
The new taskforce is coinciding with the denial of oil workers that they were privy to the huge oil theft going on in the Niger Delta creeks.
Senior Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, had accused the IOCs of complicity in the ongoing crude oil theft in the country.
The LTF initiative was one of the outcomes of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo. Other issues discussed at the meeting were those of grazing reserves and Fulani/farmers clash, update of the report on 2012/2014 federal and state borrowing and almajiri education.
The LTF, according to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, who is also the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Oil Theft Proliferation and Control, has as members the representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, Police, the State Security Service (SSS) and others.
Pointing out that the establishment of the LTF, whose members would be announced on Monday by Adoke and which lifespan would span 12 months, is predicated upon the fact that in the past, arrests of oil thieves were made but many of them were not prosecuted.
He explained that the task force will look at ways of enforcing the extant laws that stipulate 21 years imprisonment without option of fine for oil thieves, adding that: "We need to prosecute offenders otherwise they will continue to steal oil."
Uduaghan, who indicated that the federal government was concerned about oil theft because it had so adversely affected the revenue base of the nation, said President Goodluck Jonathan was so concerned about the problem and had created lots of avenues to deal with it.
He said in order to augment this effort, state governors felt there should be extra effort by them to assist the federal government further, adding that NEC had mandated the governments of Bayelsa and Rivers States to hold meetings with Joint Task Force (JTF), international oil companies (IOCs) and stakeholders to ensure opening of pipelines.

Unnecessary Waste of Agricultural Produce

The recent revelation that the country imports over 70 metric tons of tomatoes at an estimated cost of N11 billion annually should jolt managers of the Nigerian economy into action. Nigeria is the world's largest producer of tomatoes after Egypt. It is basically an agrarian society -- over 60 per cent of its population are engaged in agriculture. Yet, food importation into the country remains high. Rice imports consume half a trillion naira each year. Palm oil is imported from Malaysia, the very country that took its first palm seedlings from Nigeria in the early 1970s.
No doubt, agriculture, which accounts for over 40 per cent of the GDP and two-thirds of employment, has suffered gross mismanagement as well as inconsistent and poor government policies over the years. The sector makes substantive contribution to non-oil growth. That is why challenges facing the sector need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. One sector that is calling for serious attention is that of vegetable production, processing and marketing. The tomatoes sub-sector, for instance, is faced with its own peculiar challenges alongside the general challenges of the Nigerian economic environment. Growers and processors all agree that government policies are not favourable to the growth and development of the crop. Among the many challenges is the lack of serious commitment in terms of trade policies and provision of infrastructure.
Factories have been set up across the country only for them to be abandoned or simply go comatose. Those factories set up by government usually die on arrival for the simple reasons of improperly thought-out business plans, unnecessary political considerations and over-ambitious commitment that cannot, in the long run, be sustained. This is the case with some like the Manto tomatoes and juice factory in Gombe State and the Ikara tomatoes factory in Kaduna state. In addition to all of these are the ever-present threat of unfair international trade policies and the importation of vegetable.
The local produce, though preferred and easily accessible to a majority of the people, has low shelf life and vulnerable to price fluctuations as a result of seasonal availability. However, the imported tomatoes have longer shelf life and more attractive to the eyes for its size and colour. Reason: the availability and applicability of technology, which enhances production and quality of produce. There is also the issue of conducive economic environment, which includes infrastructure like storage facilities, constant power supply and availability of good water flow. All these would sort out the problem of produce waste which occurs during peak season of production, a factor that contributes to unemployment and economic disempowerment among farmers.
These problems are neither insurmountable nor unavoidable. What is required is the will to do what is right for the common interest of the people of this country. It is about time we applied ourselves to the very serious issue of development and economic growth.

Plateau to Sack 9,000 Teachers

Jos — The Plateau State government on Wednesday said plans are underway to sack 9,000 teachers. This is coming shortly after the state sacked over 2,000 primary school teachers, it was gathered.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Abraham Yiljab, said the Jang administration was concerned about the quality of education in public schools.
Yiljap said the governor, had while presenting his mid-term report stated that the state government would sack a total of 11,000 unqualified teachers, and that 2, 000 have already been sacked.
While expressing the need to flush out quacks and certificate forgery among teachers, he disclosed that recent investigation showed that out of the 1,291 teachers who claimed to have graduated from Federal College of Education Gindiri, only eight were on the school's graduation list.

Fayemi, Groups Condemn Senate's Position On Underage Marriage Law

Abeokuta — The wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, Thursday criticised the Senate for voting against the proposed amendments to the Constitution which forbids underage marriage in Nigeria.
The Senate had recently approved the marriage of under-aged children, irrespective of their age in the country. The new law, according to the Senate, would proscribe the 18 year-old rule for any Nigerian child to qualify for marriage.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti at the second annual public lecture organised by Women and Children Development and Health Research Initiative in collaboration with the Ekiti Development Foundation.
While expressing disgust at the action, the governor's wife said such would further cause a decline in female access to education in Nigeria.
Fayemi was reacting to Wednesday's debate at the Senate, where Senators had reversed a vote appeared to outlaw underage marriage in the ongoing constitution amendment , particularly the amendment to Section 29(a) of the 1999 Constitution that pegs the full age to 18.
She urged the women folk to rise up and reject the Senate's action, which she described as inimical to the growth and liberation of female gender in the country.
"I am seriously disappointed that the senators could reverse the vote that would have outlawed underage marriage.
"I want to charge the women to rise up and reject the action by pressing for the criminalisation of early marriage in Nigeria," she said.
The Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN), a coalition of women rights' organisations across the country yesterday rejected Senate's resolution on underage marriage.
Another group, the Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF) also called on the National Assembly to reconsider their resolution to remove age limitation of women in marriage.
However, a statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Ms Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, made available to journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, rejected the argument of Senator Ahmed Yerima, that the proposal for the deletion of section 29 (4)(b), which states that "any woman who is married shall be deemed of full age" is at variance with Islamic law.

Nigeria Withdraws Troops From Mali

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered for the withdrawal of Nigeria troops from the United Nations Multi-dimensional Integ-rated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.
Ivorien President and chairman, Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, Alassane Ouattara confirmed this to journalists at the end of the 43rd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS in Abuja yesterday.
The withdrawal was being attributed to removal of Nigeria by UN as the Force Commander of the Mali mission, which has now been handed over to Rwanda.
But Ouattara denied this. "That is not the true reason," he said. "It is because of the domestic situation in Nigeria. I received a letter from President Goodluck Jonathan that because of domestic situation in Nigeria, Nigeria needs some of its people. They are not withdrawing all, it is just a part."
"We want to focus on economic integration for the welfare of the people. We have over 300 million people in west Africa that is why we want to hold a special summit in Senegal in October to decide on a Common External Tariff so that we have a true custom union like the European Union," he added.

Why Rivers State Is in Crisis, By First Lady

First Lady, Patience Jonathan

Amidst a rash of reactions over the festering political crisis in Rivers State, the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, Wednesday gave an insight into why the state has been on the boil in recent time.
According to her, the crisis in the state, took a turn for the worse following the wresting of the structure of the state chapter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from loyalists of the governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, began four years ago.
However, unlike the first lady who attributed the crisis to a clash of interests among the political elite in Rivers State, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, in another intervention in the worsening situation in the state, said like most Nigerian conflicts, "inordinate greed for public resources" could not be ruled out as the source of the tension in the state.
As the crisis continues to take a different dimension, the state government yesterday raised the alarm over attempts to compromise the security of Amaechi by the indiscriminate posting of security officials to the state government.
And against the backdrop of the attack by anti-Amaechi protesters in Port Harcourt on Tuesday on four northern governors who came on a solidarity visit to their Rivers State colleague, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which decried the incident, warned that it portends danger to democracy in Nigeria.
The first lady, while receiving 16 bishops from the South-south geo-political zone who paid her a visit in Abuja, said the seed of discord in the state was sown in Anyugubiri in Okrika four years ago following moves by the state government to demolish some structures in the town.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mrs. Jonathan reiterated that contrary to the impression created, she had nothing to do with the crisis; rather, she has been working for peace in the state.
She told her guests that she had been praying fervently for God to intervene in the crisis so that peace could return to the state.
She said: "Rivers State issue is one thing I've committed to prayer because I believe there is nothing God cannot do. God restored me and I'll do His work without the fear of man.
"The truth will always remain the truth and what God ordains must come to pass and so Rivers issue is something we've handed over to God."
She said contrary to some reports that she has been fuelling tension in the state, she has always mediated between Amaechi and other parties in the crisis.
"This matter started as far back as four years ago at Anyugubiri in Okrika when I begged him not to demolish a part of Okrika but (that he should) hold dialogue first with the people.
"After that incident, he called the chairman of Okrika (local government) and sacked him for holding a reception in our honour; that boy was the first victim.
"He also put my people under curfew for nine months. I called him and pleaded with him but he refused. Then I began to hear all sorts of propaganda in the media against me; this is not the way.

Teachers' Recruitment - 134 Applicants Tender Fake Certificates

Birnin Kebbi — A total of 134 applicants, who recently applied for teaching appointment with the Kebbi State government, presented fake certificates, an official said, Tuesday.
The state Commissioner for Science and Technical Education, Alhaji Muhammadu Ruwa, who disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi, noted that the applicants were among those denied employment by the government.
Ruwa, also the chairman of the recruitment committee, said 8,266 of a total of 8,600 applicants were successful.
He said the government needed 11,766 teachers for its schools, but only 8,600 turned up for the recruitment interview.
The commissioner also said that 200 applicants failed to meet the requirements for the employment besides the 134 who presented fake certificates.
He said that the report of the exercise would be submitted to Gov. Saidu Dakingari for ratification and issuance of letters of appointment to the successful applicants.
Ruwa said that deployment of the teachers would be determined by the needs of each school adding that the recruitment was to address the dearth of teachers in the state.

BBA 8 - Five Housemates Up for Eviction

Pokello and Dellish

Lagos — With a looming merge and the impending introduction of the fake Emerald housemates, it's set to be a dazzling week on Big Brother: The Chase! The housemates are unaware of the drama that's set to unfold on Friday - but they're doing a good job of creating their own after a tough day of nominations.
With the nominations in and the Heads of House having both influenced proceedings, Angelo, Annabel, Bassey, Dillish and Pokello are the housemates in the eviction firing line this week.
While it was the end of the road for serial nominee Natasha and Selly as they were evicted from Big Brother: The Chase during Sunday night's live eviction show. Natasha failed to survive yet another week in the nomination firing line, while Selly found herself heading home after being swapped with Elikem in Oneal's 'save & replace' decision last Monday.
IK delivered a stunning double blow after receiving the verified voting results from the SizweNtsalubaGobodo auditor, calling out Selly and Natasha from the Diamond house in quick succession.
After joining IK on stage, Natasha told the continent how much she'd enjoyed running 'The Natasha Show', during which she had interviewed her fellow housemates. Selly said that she hadn't struggled with being constantly switched between the Diamond and Ruby houses, as she loves being around people. She told viewers that life in the house is different to the way it seems on TV, while Natasha revealed that her favourite moment from The Chase had been receiving her letter from home this weekend.
IK revealed that the Diamond and Ruby houses will merge this Friday, with six fake Emerald housemates joining The Chase during the Airtel Arena Showdown and staying on for a few days to spice up the game even more.
They are not competing for the USD 300 000 prize and viewers will not be voting for them. Their only objective is to confuse the other housemates and convince them that the Emerald house is real. IK introduced them to the continent during the show - they are: Sophie (Uganda); JJ (Zimbabwe); Jazz (Kenya); Busi (South Africa); Eveva (Zambia) and Alusa (Kenya).
Last week's evictees, Fatima and Hakeem, seem to have been enjoying their time away from The Chase. Fatima told viewers that being in the house had been a life-changing experience for her and that she had learnt things about herself she didn't know she had in her. Hakeem said he'd had an overwhelming response from fans and has been loving the attention so far. He said that despite wanting to be with Cleo, there was no part of him that wanted to see her evicted any time soon.
Nigerian diva, Seyi Shay got the show off to a sizzling start with 'Loving Your Way' - and then closed it with a dazzling rendition of 'Irawo'.
The Diamonds won this week's Airtel Arena Showdown and Head of House Melvin brought Selly & Natsha across from the Ruby house, sending Feza & Cleo in the opposite direction.

Okonjo-Iweala - 2013 Budget On Course

Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tuesday said contrary to the perception in some quarters, the executive had been diligently implementing the 2013 Appropriation Act and was not waiting for the amendment it proposed to the National Assembly.
Okonjo-Iweala stated this when she met with the Joint House Committees on Appropriation and Finance to clarify some of her statements on the state of the economy.
The minister debunked the accusations that she predicted the collapse of the economy, stressing that she only warned of the consequences of the non-passage of the budget amendment bill currently pending before the National Assembly. Okonjo-Iweala also reiterated her earlier position that the federal government may run into difficulties paying salaries by September unless the National Assembly restored the N38 billion removed from the budget during its passage.
On the implementation of the 2013 budget, she added that so far, N600 billion had been released as the capital component of the budget while N585. 7 billion had been cash backed and therefore available to the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Similarly, she disclosed that the capital component of the budget had attained 67 per cent utilisation.
According to her, N400 billion was released in the first quarter while N200 billion was released in the second quarter of the year. However, she said the economy was facing challenges on two fronts, namely: dwindling oil revenue and low receipts from Customs duties.
On the first area of concern, she said the economy was suffering due to the problem of pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and frequent shutdown of oil pipelines by oil firms once the pipes were compromised by the vandals.
Okonjo-Iweala explained that given the outlook of the global economy, particularly with the discovery of shale oil and the cut down on Nigeria's oil exports to the United States, there was need for the country to take seriously the need for the diversification of its economy. The minister hinted that the diversification had started already with the growth recorded in local rice production, adding that it was also this growth that has reduced the importation of food into the country and reduction in revenue from the Nigeria Customs.

CHAN 2014 - Keshi to Eagles- Abidjan Will Be War

Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi

Super Eagles boss, Stephen Keshi has demanded total concentration from his players ahead of the final leg CHAN 2014 qualifier against Cote d'Ivoire in Abdjan on July 27, noting that the match will be like war against the West African neigbhours.
Speaking before training commenced on Tuesday morning at the FIFA Goal Project site in Abuja, Keshi who started his foreign career in Cote d'Ivoire, said the people are passionate about football and they will do anything to defeat Nigeria, hence the need to forget the 4-1 win in Kaduna and concentrate on the return leg.
"The win in Kaduna is history and if you have been following the media you will see that they have been making remarks that they can also beat us well. We must be ready for their antics and forget the past."
The team is training at the Goal Project because the Ivorians had already informed CAF that the return leg will be played on an artificial turf.
Twenty three players trained on Tuesday morning with only Godfrey Oboabona exempted by the coaching crew because he had had a hectic schedule with his club, Sunshine Stars. He will join his teammates on Wednesday morning, as the players battle for the 20 slots that the coach will take to Abidjan for the match.
Also on Monday evening, FC Braga of Portugal defence ace, Elderson Echejile, was at the team's Bolton White Apartment abode to wish his mates and the coaching crew a good outing in Abidjan.
Echejile came in at dinner time and went straight to see Keshi, before spending sometime with his mates.
"It's to encourage them to excel when they play the Ivorians and I believe they can defeat them right there in Abdjan," he said smiling.

Constitution Review - Senate Rejects Autonomy for LGs, Okays Marriage for Underage Women

Women and children.

The much-awaited voting on recommendations of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution took place Tuesday with the parliament throwing out the recommendation of a six-year single term for the president and governors.
It also rejected autonomy for local governments as well as the moves to separate the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) from that of the minister of justice.
On its part, the House of Representatives, which was billed to begin debate on the report of its Constitution Review Committee Tuesday, has shifted it, following disagreement over the procedure to adopt in carrying out the exercise.
The voting in the Senate, which lasted for about five hours, also witnessed the adoption of Section 9 of the draft bill of the amendment, which empowers the National Assembly to make an entirely new constitution for the country.
The senators also adopted Section 3A of the draft, which rejected the president's assent to the amended constitution before taking effect.
The Senate also resolved to alter Section 29 (a) of the constitution that stipulates that a woman shall not be qualified for marriage until she attains the 18 years as they deleted age specification for women being married from the draft constitution and left the marriage age for women open.
While deleting the section from the draft constitution yesterday, the Senate claimed that a woman is deemed to be "full of age" once she is married irrespective of the age she did so.
The parliament, which had earlier retained this section by its voting, opted to alter it in submission to the alarm raised by Senator Ahmad Sani (Zamfara West), who claimed that the provision which stipulates a certain age for women before getting married, was at variance with Islamic law.
After a moment of controversy, Senate President David Mark asked his colleagues to vote afresh on the provision, a situation that eventually went in favour of Sani, who, thereafter, thanked the Senate president and his colleagues for supporting his cause. It is worthy of note that Sani had two years ago married a 13-year-old Egyptian in violation of the constitutional provision.
Also yesterday, the chamber rejected the placement of the AGF's office on a first line charge but passed the recommendations on the State Independent Electoral Commissions, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), judiciary, Human Rights Commission (HRC) and state legislatures to be put first line charge.
It also okayed a recommendation that a bill automatically becomes law if the president fails to assent to it after 30 days of its transmission.
The senators as well rejected a recommendation barring a deputy governor or vice-president, who succeeds his boss on account of death from standing for election, after serving out the tenure of his or her boss.

S.Africa wary of Namibia ahead of Cosafa Cup quarters

This file photo shows South Africa's coach Gordon Igesund, pictured during an African Cup of Nation 2013 match, played in Durban, on February 2, 2013. Igesund is wary of Namibia before their Cosafa Cup quarter-final in Zambia on Saturday. The 'Brave Warriors' have shocked 'Bafana Bafana' (The Boys) twice in previous editions of the annual southern Africa national team championship. - Copyright : AFP/File Francisco Leong

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)South Africa coach Gordon Igesund is wary of Namibia before a Cosafa Cup quarter-final in Zambia on Saturday.
The ‘Brave Warriors’ have shocked ‘Bafana Bafana’ (The Boys) twice in previous editions of the annual southern Africa national team championship.
Boths upsets came in Windhoek with an extra-time goal bringing a 3-2 victory and Namibia winning another showdown on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate.
South Africa received a FIFA rankings-related bye into the quarter-finals this year and withdrawals have robbed Igesund of half his original 20 players.
Namibia secured a date with their neighbours by defeating Indian Ocean challengers Mauritius 2-1 and Seychelles 4-2 to top Group A.
Both wins came at the compact Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka, the setting for a last-eight double-header with title-holders Zimbabwe facing Malawi first.
Tackling Bafana Bafana is a dream come true for Namibia coach Ricardo Mannetti, a South Africa-based professional for many years.
His most successful spell was under Igesund as unfashionable Cape Town outfit Santos defied the odds to be crowned 2002 South African Premiership champions.
“Anything can happen when Namibia face South Africa because it is always an emotional occasion,” recently appointed Mannetti told reporters.
“We have defied the odds to shock Bafana Bafana several times in the Cosafa Cup and I would love to get one over my former boss Gordon.”
Igesund concedes that the 66-place advantage South Africa enjoy over Namibia in the FIFA world rankings will count for little this weekend.
“It would be foolhardy to take Namibia for granted after they achieved good victories over Mauritius and the Seychelles.
“They held Africa Cup of Nations champions Nigeria in a World Cup qualifier last month and that is sufficient warning for us,” he stressed.
While Mannetti watched his team waste many chances when beating the Mauritians and the Seychellois, Igesund battled with a spate of pull-outs.
“My players are not horses,” fumed Kaizer Chiefs official Bobby Motaung after withdrawing four players.
Other clubs preparing for a new Premiership season took similar action, leaving Igesund with a squad including two players from second-tier side Jomo Cosmos.
Anger over a $10,000 (7,600-euro) bonus offer to Malawi caretaker coach Tom Saintfiet has overshadowed the clash with Zimbabwe.
The Belgian says he is working for free and will pocket the cash only if Malawi win in Nigeria during September and reach the play-offs for 2014 World Cup slots.
“Why do officials not make similar offers to the players?,” asked captain and midfielder Joseph Kamwendo before the squad left for Zambia.
“We have been fighting for bonus increases for a long time, but officials just ignore us.”
Kamwendo, once on the books of South African giants Orlando Pirates, says he and his team-mates will get just $85 (65 euros) each for toppling Zimbabwe.
Ex-Namibia and Ethiopia coach Saintfiet has made changes to the list of predecessor Edington Ng’onamo, including axing goalkeeper Charles Swini.
Zimbabwe coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels can draw confidence from a 1-1 friendly draw in Malawi last month as he takes an experimental squad to Lusaka.
Among those called up for the first time are strikers Tendai Ndoro and Lot Chiwunga and goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube.
The other quarter-finals pit Angola against shock Group B winners Lesotho and Mozambique against Zambia Sunday in mining town Kitwe.

Fire on Dreamliner in UK, another forced to fly back

An Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner jet is pictured on April 27, 2013. London's Heathrow airport suspended both of its runways after another parked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner caught fire, but no casualties were reported. - Copyright : AFP/File

LONDON (AFP)A 787 Dreamliner caught fire at London Heathrow while a “technical issue” forced a second to return to a different British airport, sending stocks in the company plummeting.
The fire on the parked Ethiopian Airlines plane forced Heathrow, the world’s busiest international passenger air hub, to shut down for 90 minutes but caused no injuries.
A Boeing spokesman said the US firm had personnel on the ground at the west London airport and was “working to fully understand and address this”.
In a separate incident, engineers were inspecting a Florida-bound Thomson Airways Dreamliner which had to return to Manchester Airport in northwest England after take-off.
Boeing temporarily withdrew the Dreamliner from service earlier this year after concerns that batteries on board could cause fires, but has since rolled out modifications it said would ensure they were safe.
A Heathrow spokeswoman said the Ethiopian Airlines plane, named Queen of Sheba, was empty when the blaze was reported at around 1530 GMT.
Television images showed the Dreamliner surrounded by pools of foam, with three fire engines on the scene.
“Emergency services are currently dealing with the incident,” the Heathrow spokeswoman told AFP. “No one was on board so there were no casualties.”
Heathrow announced at 1700 GMT that services were resuming, but warned passengers to expect delays.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Thomson Airways said its Boeing 787 had landed safely at Manchester after experiencing a “technical issue” after take-off.
“Thomson Airways can confirm that flight TOM126 travelling from Manchester to Sanford, Florida, experienced a technical issue and the aircraft returned to Manchester Airport, as a precautionary measure,” the airline said in a statement.
“Passengers have disembarked and our dedicated team of engineers are now inspecting the aircraft.”
A spokesman for Manchester Airport, Britain’s busiest outside London, confirmed that the plane was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It had landed safely at around 1640 GMT, he added.
Boeing’s shares closed 4.7 percent lower at $101.87 in New York trading, clawing back from a dive of more than seven percent.
The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was aware of the Heathrow fire. “We are in contact with Boeing as they assess the incident,” a spokeswoman said.
A global grounding order on the Dreamliner was issued in January after lithium-ion batteries overheated on two different jets, with one of them catching fire while the aircraft was parked.
Boeing has not been able to identify the root cause of the problems — a source of major embarrassment to the aviation giant — but said its modifications would prevent the problems reoccurring.
In April, an Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner — reported to be the same plane that caught fire at Heathrow — flew from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on the first commercial flight since the grounding.
But the next-generation jet has been dogged by problems, with a string of flights worldwide cancelled or diverted due to mechanical issues.
A United Airlines Dreamliner flight from London to Houston in Texas was cancelled on Tuesday due to an apparent problem with an indicator.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways has begun compensation talks with Boeing over losses stemming from its troubled Dreamliner aircraft, according to a Nikkei business daily report last month.
The carrier told its annual shareholders’ meeting that it lost about 12.5 billion yen ($128 million) in sales after the jet was grounded in January over a series of the battery glitches.
The incidents come after an Asiana Boeing 777 crashed in San Francisco on Saturday. Three people have died and more than 180 were injured when Asiana flight 214 crashed after clipping a sea wall short of the runway, skidding out of control, shredding the tail of the plane and catching fire.

Russia risks US wrath on Snowden asylum

A computer screen displays a picture released by Human Rights Watch of US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden (C) during a meeting with leading Russian rights activists and lawyers at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on July 12, 2013. Snowden said he wanted to claim asylum in Russia until he can travel on to Latin America, as Washington kept up the pressure with a warning to Moscow. - Copyright : Human Rights Watch/AFP

MOSCOW (AFP)Russia on Saturday faced stark warnings from the United States against granting asylum to fugitive US leaker Edward Snowden after he broke three weeks of silence to tell activists he wanted sanctuary in the country.
Snowden on Friday dramatically summoned activists to the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport where he has been marooned without a valid passport for the last three weeks after arriving on a flight from Hong Kong.
The United States wants the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor extradited back home to face justice over his leaking of sensational details about US surveillance activities, a demand Moscow has so far rejected.
In an indication that already tense US-Russia ties could strain further over the affair, the White House warned Russia not to grant Snowden a “propaganda platform” as top allies of President Vladimir Putin argued he should be given sanctuary.
Snowden, 30, making his first publicised appearance since arriving in Moscow, told the activists he wanted to claim asylum in Russia until he could safely travel to win permanent sanctuary in Latin America.
“I ask for your assistance in requesting guarantees of safe passage… in securing my travel to Latin America, as well as requesting asylum in Russia until such time as… my legal travel is permitted,” Snowden said.
He said that the asylum request was being made Friday evening.
The head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) Konstantin Romodanovsky said early Saturday that Moscow had yet to receive the application which, if it arrived, would be examined “according to normal legal procedures”.
Prominent Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who attended the meeting and promised to help Snowden, told Russian television that the asylum request procedure could take up to three weeks.
But hinting that Snowden’s new application may be viewed positively, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament Sergei Naryshkin and the upper house speaker Valentina Matviyenko both swiftly said his request should be accepted.
Naryshkin, a powerful ally of Putin who used to head the Kremlin administration, said that Snowden was a “defender of human rights” who risked facing the death penalty if he was sent back to the United States.
The almost surreal meeting saw the group of less than a dozen activists arrive at the airport to be surrounded by a huge crowd of journalists. They were then ushered away by an airport official clutching a sign labelled “G9″ to a secure area to meet the hitherto invisible fugitive.
Those invited, who received a personal email from Snowden sent Thursday evening, included representatives of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as well as prominent Moscow lawyers.
“He is not a phantom, he is a live human being,” commented Russian lawyer Genri Reznik after meeting Snowden, who had not been sighted once until now since arriving at the airport.
Russian state television late Friday broadcast footage shot from a mobile phone of the meeting, which showed Snowden reading out a statement while flanked by a staffer from the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website, Sarah Harrison, and a woman interpreter.
He appeared well and spoke confidently.
“We walked in and there he was: Mr Snowden waiting for us,” said Tanya Lokshina, senior researcher at HRW in Moscow in a blog on the group’s website. “The first thing I thought was how young he looks — like a school kid.”
Curiously, Snowden had last week withdrawn a request for asylum in Russia after Putin insisted he could stay only if he stopped releasing information that harmed the United States.
At the meeting with activists, Snowden vowed he did not want to harm the United States but it was not clear whether this meant he was prepared to stop leaking in order to stay in Russia.
Although several leftist Latin American states have indicated a readiness to host him, Snowden said at the meeting that Western governments would prevent him from travelling there.
The United States has already rebuked China for allowing Snowden to leave for Russia from Hong Kong and Moscow would risk incurring the wrath of Washington should it dare offer him asylum.
US-Russia ties are already strained over human rights and the conflict in Syria.
“We would urge the Russian government to afford human rights organisations the ability to do their work in Russia throughout Russia, not just at the Moscow transit lounge,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
US President Barack Obama spoke to Putin by telephone Friday on issues including the Snowden affair, the Kremlin and White House both said, but no further details were forthcoming.

lawmakers allegedly impeached Rivers speakers, brawl in House of Assembly

Rivers State House of Assembly embassy sealed by police - Copyright : Iyalla Adaye

Iyalla Adaye, Nigeria – Brawl in Rivers House of Assembly with claims and counter claims of impeachment of speaker… 3 legislators injured.
There was a serious brawl Tuesday at the Rivers state House of Assembly as factions in the on-going war in the control of the Assembly engaged each other in physical combat with three of them reportedly hospitalized.
IT’S UP TO YOU! features texts and photos by the community and for the community. This article was sent to us by Iyalla Adaye and is published here with permission. StarAfrica is YOUR website.
Those said to have been sent to hospital include leader of the house, Chidi Lloyd, Mike Okey Chindah Martins Amaewhule the last two being members of the five anti-Amaechi lawmakers.
The author of this report gathered that the five members of the House, believed to be loyal to the minister of state for Education, Nyesom Wike, had sat in the chambers of the House and announced the impeachment of the Speaker as at 9.00 am in the morning ‘electing’ Evans Bibi, spokesman of the group to take over the seat of the Speaker.
Fight ensued when Bipi and Victor Ihunwo, another member of the anti-Amaechi legislators attacked Chidi Lloyd with video camera stands, and in the process damaged over 30 computer sets in the chambers of the House.
It was also observed that men of the State Police Command, drafted to protect the assembly did nothing to prevent the free-for-all, just as men of the State Fire Service were drafted into the complex, so as to take care of any attempt to burn down the complex.
In the ensuing fracas, the Speaker, Amaechree, the leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Lloyd and the two members representing Obio/Akpor 1 and Obio/Akpor 11 constituencies, Hon. Micheal Okechukwu Chinda and Hon. Martins Amaewhule were seriously injured.
While Amachree, Lloyd, and Amaewhule were rushed to an undisclosed hospital, treated, and discharged, Chinda, as at press time was still responding to treatment at Saint Patrick’s Hospital, located in the Ogbunabali area of Port Harcourt
The House leadership later returned to the house in company of the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the Deputy Tele Ikuru to present a request to the house for some minor amendments on the 2013 budget.

Chidi Lloyd – photo by Iyalla Adaye

The governor later left allowing Ikuru to make the presentation to the assembly which was later granted by a unanimous vote of the 23 members present at the time the presentation was made by Ikuru.
Speaking while presenting the request on the floor of the House, Ikuru said the minor amendment became necessary so as to enable the state government continue to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
He stated that the minor amendment, if approved would not reduce or increase N490,220 million budgeted in the 2013 appropriation act, but will only affect the capital expenditure of the budget.
Reacting to the earlier incident, Otelemaba Dan-Amachree told journalist that there was nothing like an impeachment insisting he was still the Speaker of the House.
“As far as this House is concerned, the leadership of the House has not changed. I’ m the Speaker of Rivers State House of assembly and all the other officers and the clerk are here with me. The leadership of the House is intact and what Evans Bipi told you is pure fallacy, lie”
On the main target of the whole impeachment saga being governor Amaechi, Amachree said “I don’t know where this rumour is coming from, but we just finished our sitting. There was no attempt as far as we are concerned to impeach me or anybody. We are even shocked to hear that in the news. It is not true.
Look at us; can five members sit to impeach the speaker? We are about 27 members here. We don’t know what their aims were but today, in fact, we did not know there would be chaos in the House. So, we went to the House as usual and we were exchanging pleasantries before Evans Bipi attacked me and the leader of the House. Then Hon. Chinda joined him. But we quickly arrested the situation and started our deliberation”.
He denied the allegation that the Governor was at the assembly saying “How? How can. The governor was never in the Assembly. What happened was that the deputy Governor came to the House to present some minor amendments (viament) in 2013 Budget. If you watch our proceedings you will see the deputy governor and not the governor. So, the governor was not there.
The speaker also expressed disappointment with the role of Police at the assembly noting that despite his application for extra security to the Commissioner of police and Brigade Commander there was no security beaf-up at the assembly.
He said “Am so surprised and shocked because yesterday I officially directed the clerk of the House to the Commissioner of Police for security because of what happened on the 6th of May when some hoodlums invaded the Assembly. We didn’t want a repeat of that, so I directed the Clerk to write to the CP and also the Brigade Commander, but to my greatest surprise I did not see one single army there (Assembly).
The police I saw were acting funny. One of my colleagues was even beaten by the police. The computers in the hallowed chambers were all destroyed by the five honourable members (lawmakers). In that hallowed chamber, honourable members can do anything there. It happens in every parliament.
What we are concerned about is for a member to bring in hoodlums to attack his fellow members, but as colleagues we can fight in the chamber. But outside the chamber, it is unfortunate that the police will also be there and watching hoodlums attacking members.
As a House, we would look into it, but we don’t have right over the Police. What we will do is that we will write to the National Assembly. We will do a presentation or we will send a formal complaint to the NASS.
The House will continue to seat, but for now we have adjourned sine die, but we can reconvene anytime. For the House to impeach the speaker, two third of members must agree. Now, count how many members that are with me here. We are 23 members here, you can count us. No mace was brought into the House”.
Also yesterday the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Otelema Dan Amachree directed that the House be reconvened to consider an amendment to the 2013 appropriation law which the Governor had communicated to him via a letter and as if Mr. Speaker saw what was going to happen today, he wrote a letter through the Clerk of the House to the Commissioner of Police to provide security for today’s sitting and he also wrote to the commander of 2 Amphibious Brigade who also doubles as the head of the internal JTF. So when we got to work this morning, we saw the presence of policemen numbering over 50 and we thought that this was in response to Mr. Speaker’s request.
Shortly thereafter, I noticed that the five anti-Amaechi members were discussing in clusters and calling on their boys to come in. Initially, the policemen were searching everybody who would come into the premises. I had to even come down at the gate and trekked into the premises. So after a while, we learnt that there were phone calls and the commissioner of police personally called the unit, the man in charge to allow everybody in.
We went in as members who have not seen ourselves for some time because of the crisis in the state. I was on my seat, without provocation, Hon. Evans Bipi came to me in the full glare of everybody on camera and started raining punches on me. As his leader I did not react because I felt that it is something we could settle, whatever it is, maybe I didn’t greet him also. So he continued when that continued, the speaker intervened and said, ha, what’s happening. Then he reached out for the tripod that stands the camera, used it freely on me, himself and Michael Okechukwu Chinda. They flogged me to their satisfaction, I didn’t just utter a word until Hon. Ihunwo graciously asked me to run for my dear life because they have brought people with guns and of course when I looked at the gallery they were shouting who is the Chidi Lloyd, who is the Chidi Lloyd.
So at that point, I’m sure somebody may have reached out to the governor of the state who came in with his own security because these other policemen were there standing helplessly, watching what was going on. So he came and rescued members out of the place. Then after a while we heard that they had sat, that they were meeting, they were trying to meet, they had procured a fake mace to the House, so we went back and I took the mace where they were sitting, and then I sustained injury as a result of the violence by Michael Chinda and Evans Bipi.
So while I was in the hospital the speaker and other members of the House sat and heard the amendment that the governor sent, was presented on his behalf by the deputy governor. Now these amendments are, the governor said he was just seeking for us to via some sub heads for him to enable him take care of certain unforeseen events such as flood and all that. That is why we went to work for the state only to be dealt with in the manner that they have dealt with us. I want to use this opportunity while in the hospital here, I have received phone calls of threat to life for my family and I.
Incidentally, I’m so helpless; I don’t know who to run to. I can’t go to the commissioner of police because he is already in the arena; he’s already on the other side. I’m appealing to well-meaning Nigerians to pray for me and my family. That is the last hope we have resorted to and that we also urge the National Assembly, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Reps not to turn the other way on the events of Rivers State. This could lead to something that we cannot imagine. It had happened in Anambra State, people were laughing, today is Rivers State nobody knows the next state it would be. If we are practicing a democracy, let us please for crying out loud play by the rules. Nigerians should pray for me and come to our aid. The state is under siege. You can’t even vouch for the safety of the Governor. The people are getting more dashed out on a daily basis.
Also Speaking the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. David Iyofor in an interview said the lawmakers will continue to sit under the Leadership of Rt. Hon. Otelemaba Dan Amachree
David added that members cannot impeach the Speaker through the House saying as the House reconvene stressing that the Deputy Governor Engineer Ikuru Tele who represented the governor, Rotimi Amaechi and presented the amendment bill to the House.
Our guest is an independent journalist from the Niger Delta region in Nigeria. He attended the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) in Lagos and the Empire Journalism Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and has worked with several local and national newspapers. He is a member of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria Rivers State Council, FTAN, Tourism Reporters, and Niger Delta Universal Periodic review and Nigeria Media Network on Human Rights. He plans to practice journalism to its fullest.
Please read his other Niger Delta News articles.

Signature : Iyalla Adaye

Copyright : Iyalla Adaye

US urges army to free Morsi, supporters defiant

Picture made available by the Egyptian presidency shows interim president Adly Mansour (R) meeting with newly-appointed Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, on July 9, 2013 in Cairo. Beblawi said on Thursday he does not rule out posts for the Muslim Brotherhood in a new cabinet, if the candidates were suitably qualified. - Copyright : Egyptian Presidency/AFP/File

CAIRO (AFP)The United States called on Egypt’s military to free deposed president Mohamed Morsi, as tens of thousands of his supporters vowed to keep fighting for his reinstatement.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States agreed with Germany’s earlier appeal for Morsi to be released and was “publicly” making the same request.
The deposed Islamist president has been held in a “safe place,” according to Egypt’s interim leaders, and has not been seen in public since his ouster on July 3.
Psaki said Washington wanted “an end to restrictions on Mr Morsi’s whereabouts”, while Germany suggested a trusted institution such as the International Committee of the Red Cross should be granted access to him.
Rival demonstrators rallied in the capital on Friday, but while there had been fears of fresh violence, the evening passed off peacefully.
As night fell on Cairo, tens of thousands of Islamist protesters prayed and broke their fast together with an iftar meal on the first weekend of the holy month of Ramadan.
In Cairo’s Tahrir Square and outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace meanwhile, hundreds of anti-Morsi protesters sat down for their own iftar meal.
Morsi’s supporters had spent the day protesting outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the Nasr City neighbourhood.
They held Egyptian flags and Korans, and chanted slogans against the military coup that unseated Egypt’s first freely elected president.
“We will continue to resist,” key Islamist leader Safwat Hegazi told Friday’s crowd.
“We will stay one or two months, or even one or two years. We won’t leave here until our president, Mohamed Morsi, comes back,”
Hegazi demanded Morsi’s reinstatement, immediate parliamentary elections and a committee to oversee a plan for national reconciliation.
Mohamed Yousry, a teenager at the rally, said: “I’ll leave as a dead body.
“We will defend Morsi with our blood.”
The Muslim Brotherhood posted online a picture of a leaflet it said a military helicopter had been dropping on protesters. The leaflets assured them they were safe, but warned them not to approach military installations.
Thousands also massed in support of Morsi outside the University of Cairo, watched over by a heavy security presence.
US President Barack Obama discussed Egypt’s crisis during a phone call Friday with Saudi King Abdullah, a White House statement said.
“They agreed that the United States and Saudi Arabia have a shared interest in supporting Egypt’s stability,” the statement said.
Obama also expressed “serious concern” about the violence in Egypt following the military overthrow of Morsi. He underscored the need to return to a democratically elected civilian government.
King Abdullah was the first foreign head of state to congratulate Egypt’s interim president Adly Mansour, hours after he was named to replace Morsi.
In the run-up to Morsi’s overthrow, millions of Egyptians had taken to the streets to demand his resignation.
They accused him of being a puppet of the Muslim Brotherhood and of failing to fulfil the people’s aspirations of freedom and social justice.
The mass anti-Morsi demonstrations prompted the army’s intervention and days of bloody clashes.
But the interim authorities are pressing ahead with forming a new government amid financial help from Gulf states to shore up the faltering economy.
Interim premier Hazem al-Beblawi has decided on 90 percent of his proposed cabinet line-up and will begin talks on Saturday with the nominees, sources told the official MENA news agency.
The full cabinet line-up will be finalised by the middle of next week, MENA reported.
The Muslim Brotherhood has refused to join the new government, but its leadership is in disarray, key figures either detained, on the run or keeping a low profile.
In the worst single incident of the recent violence, clashes at an army building in Cairo on Monday killed 53 people, mostly Morsi supporters.
The Brotherhood accuses the army of “massacring” its supporters, while the army says soldiers were attacked by “terrorists” and armed protesters.
Police are hunting Brotherhood chief Mohammed Badie and other senior leaders suspected of inciting violence, after arrest warrants were issued on Wednesday.
And the public prosecutor has pressed charges against 200 of 650 people detained during Monday’s violence.
Adly Mansour, the military-appointed caretaker president, has set a timetable for elections by early next year.
But Morsi opponents and supporters alike have criticised the interim charter he issued on Monday to replace the Islamist-drafted constitution.
Even the army has acknowledged that the transition period will be “difficult”.

Boko Haram leader ‘supports’ Nigeria school massacre

Picture taken May 29, 2013 from a video obtained by AFP shows the leader of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau. In a ten-minute video delivered to AFP Saturday, Shekau said he supported a July 6 attack on a school that killed 42 people, but did not claim responsibility for the massacre, - Copyright : Boko Haram/AFP/File

KANO, Nigeria (AFP)The head of Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamists said he supported a July 6 attack on a school that killed 42 people, but did not claim responsibility for the massacre, in a video obtained by AFP on Saturday.
“We fully support the attack on this Western education school in Mamudo,” in northern Yobe state, Abubakar Shekau said in the 10-minute video message.
The video was delivered to AFP in a manner consistent with previous statements from the Islamist leader, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United States.
The early morning gun and bomb attack at a boarding school in the Mamudo district of Yobe saw assailants round up students and staff in a dormitory before throwing explosives inside and opening fire, according to witnesses.
Most of those killed were students.
In the video, Shekau described all “Western education schools” as a “plot against Islam”.
He however stopped short of claiming to have ordered the attack.
“We don’t attack students,” he said in the Hausa language message.
Yobe state was one of three areas placed under a state of emergency in May ahead of a sweeping military offensive against Boko Haram.
Roughly translated, Boko Haram means “Western education is sin.”

Driver rapes his two daughters for over two years

Operatives attached to the Ikotun Police Station in Lagos state have apprehended a 35-year-old man, Adewale Adeleke, who has been accused of defiling his two daughters of 10 and 12. Years since the past two years.
According to information gathered by DailyPost, the two daughters (names withheld), who were in tears, confessed that their father had been sleeping with them since 2011 without the knowledge of their mother who left them since last year.
It was learnt that the incident occurred in Ikotun, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos.
The oldest of the two daughters confirmed to our correspondent that the barbaric act has been going on since she was 11 and when her younger sister was eight years old, and that it was her father who deflowered her.
In her words, “Our father sleeps with us frequently. The first time he slept with me, I saw blood coming out of my private part and he used his singlet to clean me up.”
DailyPost also gathered that Adeleke was exposed by the Vice Chairman, Freelance Broadcast Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, Demola Olota, Mrs Esther Ogwu of the Esther Child Rights Foundation and Mrs Mary
Olasupo of the Compassionate Women and handed him over to the police.

It was gathered that the culprit allegedly admitted that he had been defiling his daughters since 2011 and that he should be forgiven.
He was quoted as saying that the devil pushed him to have sex with them and that whenever he is arouse sexually, he goes for his daughters.
Mother of the children, Kemi Adeleke, who left her husband last year to Ibadan, Oyo State was devastated when the news that her estranged husband had been sleeping with their children got to her. She said she could not eat for two days. Kemi said she left her husband because he was an irresponsible man.
She said she is the one that feeds the family and even on top of that, she gets seriously beaten up by her husband.
According to her, when she left for Ibadan, she left the children with her mother but her husband went there to return them to the house.
Executive Director, Esther Child Rights Foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, said the man as wicked for defiling his two girls for two years, saying that her foundation would ensure that justice is done in the matter.
She stated that when she interviewed Adeleke at the police station, he admitted to the act, adding that the foundation was trying to see if the children’s mother could take custody of the children when she arrives from Ibadan.
Lagos State Police Command, Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ngozi Braide confirmed the arrest of the suspect, saying that he would be arraigned in court soon.
Meanwhile, the two girls are now under police protection, while their father will be arraigned at the Ejigbo Magistrate’s Court by the police.

42 killed, 322 injured in fresh Egypt clash

The army arrested over 200 attackers, who were carrying guns, ammunition, and Molotov cocktails, according to the state-run MENA news agency.

At least 42 people were killed in a violent clash between supporters of Egypt's deposed President Mohammed Morsi and soldiers outside the army headquarters here, escalating the standoff between the military-backed new interim government and the Muslim Brotherhood.
"Clashes between the Egyptian army and pro-Morsi protesters at the Republican Guard headquarters have left at least 42 dead and 322 injured," the health ministry said.
The army arrested over 200 attackers, who were carrying guns, ammunition, and Molotov cocktails, according to the state-run MENA news agency.
The clash took place outside the the Republican Guard headquarters, where 61-year-old toppled president is said to have been put "under guard".
The army, in a statement, said "an armed terrorist group tried to storm" the Republican Guard compound and soldiers retaliated by firing.
The statement said one army officer was killed and 40 soldiers were injured during the incident.
However, the Muslim Brotherhood contradicted army's statement, saying military opened fired on its supporters, killing several pro-Morsi protesters.
Meanwhile, prosecution shutdown the Cairo headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party after police recovered weapons from the building, media report said.
Morsi was toppled by the powerful military on Wednesday and kept under detention along with some senior aides of his Muslim Brotherhood party.
Angry over the incident, Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, called for "an uprising by the great people of Egypt against those trying to steal their revolution with tanks", reports said.
It urged "the international community and international groups and all the free people of the world to intervene to stop further massacres ... and prevent a new Syria." At least 36 people were killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the violence during pro-Morsi protests on Friday. The military has deployed troops in Cairo and other locations.
Supporters and opponents of the ousted president are regularly organising rival demonstrations, with the former demanding Morsi's reinstatement and the latter supporting Morsi's overthrow.
Brotherhood-led National Alliance in Support of Electoral Legitimacy has vowed more protests in support of the deposed president.