News Trek

I am not PDP Speaker, Tambuwal fires critics over pro-Aregbesola statements.

2013-06-22T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, shocked his audience when he tongue lashed members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) who criticized him for speaking glowingly about the administration of the governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, urging them to see performance in governance beyond partisan politics.

Members of the Osun PDP had, some weeks ago, condemned the Speaker for eulogizing Aregbesola during his visit to the state.

Tambuwal was speaking at Ilawe Ekiti,headquarters ,Ekiti South West Local Government area of Ekiti State, yesterday, during the first year coronation ceremony of Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Ajibade Alabi.

He was installed the Bobagunwa of Ilawe at the occasion. According to him, he was not the Speaker of the PDP but the Speaker of a crucial arm of government of the nation.

Tambuwal said good performance by public officers should be acknowledged by all, irrespective of political leaning.

He equally lauded the administration of Ekiti State governor,Dr Kayode Fayemi, for bringing revolution to the state in terms of governance.

The Speaker urged Fayemi to keep up the good work.

Tambuwal expressed gratitude to the monarch and the community for the title and promised to uphold the honour.

In his own speech at the occasion, Fayemi extolled the virtues of leadership of Tambuwal in the House of Representatives, describing him as a “leader I am very well pleased in.”

Fayemi, who commended the large turnout of the people at the event, noted that the occasion was a demonstration of the love the people had for the king.

Speaking earlier, Oba Alabi observed that the event would have taken place on April 24 but postponed in honour of the late deputy governor of the state, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.

African youths to form quarter of world population by 2025, says Zuma.

2013-06-18T08:51:00.002-07:00

The Chairperson of the AU Commission, Dr Nkosazana Zuma, has said that the population of youths on the continent will be a quarter of the global population by the year 2025.
Zuma said this in an address at the 102nd International Labour Conference on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
She called for more investments to promote job creation, achieve inclusive growth and eradicate poverty on the continent.
``By all estimates, our continent is a continent of young people, and it is getting younger,’’ she said.
Zuma noted that by 2040, half of the world’s youth population would be Africans with women and girls been a majority.
She said that Africa in the next 50 years would be home to 1.1 billion workers.
Zuma also said African leaders believed job creation is among the most important factors for achieving growth and prosperity.
She noted that since Africa is a continent of young people, there is the need for more investment to promote employment and provision of entrepreneurial skills for youths.
“We are determined to step up our efforts to promote job creation, work for the eradication of poverty, achieve growth and allow equitable distribution, particularly for women and the youth.
Mr Guy Ryder, the Director-General of International Labour Organisation (ILO) in his welcome address, said it was encouraging to see African economies grow.
He said the ILO was committed to working hand in hand with the AU and its African social partners to make decent work for all a reality.

FG approves N300m for capacity building for Nollywood .

2013-06-17T22:49:00.001-07:00

The Federal Government has approved N300 million out of the three billion naira intervention fund for capacity building to boost the Nigerian film industry.
This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by Mr Paul Nwabuikwu, Spokesman for the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
“Action on the three billion naira support promised the Nigerian film industry by President Goodluck Jonathan has formally commenced with the roll out of a N300 million capacity building fund.’’
The statement noted that the capacity building fund was the first of a series of initiatives planned under “Project Act Nollywood’’, adding that It was made up of two components.
According to the statement, the first component is a Training Fund of N150 million, dedicated to training and skills acquisition for Nollywood practitioners in all competencies along the entire value chain of the industry.
The statement said it include; scriptwriting, directing, production and production design, special effects, lighting, sound, HD techniques, acting, cinematography, make-up and editing, among others.
It said that the second component was the Capacity Development Fund which was also worth N150 million.
According to the statement, grants will be given to existing Nigerian-owned private institutes that offer training courses, programmes, and technical certification in the movie industry.
The statement said the fund might be used to upgrade existing facilities, procure equipment and develop internal capacity to offer a set of courses and training programmes that would address key skills gaps.
It said that institutes to benefit from the fund must have a prove of registration from Jan. 1, 2013, and be competent enough to train people according to global best practices.
The statement said that the intervention Project ACT Nollywood, would be managed by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and the Minister of Tourism, Chief Edem Duke.
Okonjo-Iweala in the statement said the establishment of the fund underscored government’s commitment to supporting Nollywood in recognition of its contributions to the economy.
“This is the first of the initiatives planned under Project Act Nollywood, and it shows that the president is keeping his word to the industry and to Nigerians.
“Nollywood deserves this support because it has added value to the economy by creating jobs and acting as an ambassador to the country.
“It is also projecting Nigeria to many parts of the world that hitherto, knew little or nothing about the country,” it quoted Okonjo-Iweala as saying.
It said that the overall objective of Project Act Nollywood was to support the industry in a sustainable way that practitioners could leverage on to improve their capacity and output in key areas.
“The fund is open for applications from July to December 2013. Courses commencing after Dec. 31st are eligible provided the application is received before Dec. 31 2013.’’
It said that guidelines for applications indicated that applicants must be Nigerians and industry practitioners among other requirements.

Confederations Cup: We won’t take chances against Tahiti - Ambrose .

2013-06-17T07:01:00.001-07:00

NIGERIA defender Efe Ambrose has warned that the Super Eagles can’t afford to take chances against Tahiti in their opening Group B match of the FIFA Confederations Cup today.

African champions Nigeria face Oceanian champions Tahiti, whose greatest achievement is qualifying for the Brazil 2013 Confederations Cup, at Belo Horizonte but Ambrose says the Eagles must concentrate on the match lest their little known opponents create an upset.

“The most important thing of all for us is to focus on this match. It is a match we know we need to win and, to do that, we need to be fully concentrated. We cannot afford to take any chances. Big shocks have happened before in this kind of tournaments and we don’t want to be the victims this time,” Ambrose told fifa.com
Previewing Nigeria’s group match against world and European champions Spain which comes up at Fortaleza next Sunday, the Celtic player, speaking against his Scottish club’s match experience against Barcelona in last season’s UEFA Champions League at Celtic Park which the Catalans lost 1-2, said the result of the match could be down to teamwork if the Nigerian side play together.

“It proved exactly what I said about football being all about teamwork and playing together as one. No-one gave us a chance against a team with Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and all the rest. Barcelona are special, and so are Spain...If Nigeria can do the same – play as a team, stay united – we have a chance in any match we play.”
We are the best team in Africa and I think there is no reason for us to fear anyone,” Ambrose added.

Impeachment: Absolute power in the hands of the legislature .

2013-06-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

THE House of Representatives is considering a bill that will vest responsibility for impeaching the president exclusively in the National Assembly. The legislators want to replicate the powers available to the United States Congress in this regard by shrinking the role of the Chief Justice of Nigeria in the impeachment process. The proposed bill will abolish the constitutional stipulation that empowers the Chief Justice to pass the impeachment charges from the National Assembly to a seven-person panel whose decision shall be final. In its place, it will require that the Chief Justice would preside at the session of the Senate that will convict the president on the charges that the House of Representatives has impeached him on.

This move, yet another instance of legislative aggrandisement, has little merit. Nigerians have been manifesting a growing demand for accountability, but the current impeachment process is not perceived as a barrier to this demand. Therefore, a review of the impeachment process is not a national priority, especially when it is not broken. To anchor a major change in the law on the need to copy the American impeachment model is to take a fallacy to a ridiculous extent. A more useful act of imitation will be for our legislators to ape the transparency in what American lawmakers earn.

The provisions of the 1999 Constitution recognise that impeachment is a serious process. By making the Chief Justice responsible for selecting a panel to investigate the charges made against a sitting president by the National Assembly, it ensures that those charges are subjected to credible scrutiny, and frees the National Assembly from playing the incongruous and unfair role of accuser and judge. The current process is evidently fairer than the new proposal which, while pretending to retain the involvement of the judiciary in the impeachment process, limits that involvement to tokenism.

We agree with the observation of some honourable members that the proposed bill suffers from poor timing. But that is a relatively puny part of its defects. It should be rejected for exaggerating the maturity of the National Assembly to solely and credibly bear responsibility for impeachment. Should it become law within our current political culture, this new impeachment bill will severely curtail good governance and the separation of powers. It would transform the president and the governors into puppets of the legislature, and subvert the norms of accountability.

And it would doom especially those presidents and governors whose parties don’t control the legislature. Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa’s PRP government in Kaduna State was frustrated at every turn by the NPN-dominated legislature which subsequently impeached him. The transparency of our elections would not be enhanced if it becomes an imperative to survival for every president/governor to deliver a majority legislature.

Experience since 1999 has shown that it is indeed possible to subvert an impeachment process when the chief justice fails to select a disinterested panel. Recall the Fayose impeachment when the panel’s verdict was discarded by the Ekiti State House of Assembly which insisted that the governor stood impeached. Reforming the law to take care of weaknesses such as this is welcome. But the removal of a president is such a monumental affair that it must accord with due process, including the protection availed to all citizens against having the accuser as judge. The House of Representatives should shelve this needless amendment promptly, because it is a solution looking for a problem, and problems aplenty would it create. In the unlikely event that the House passes it, the Senate should simply bin it!

Why Mr. President appointed Emeka Ike ambassador.

2013-06-13T21:54:00.000-07:00

Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike has been appointed a Rhythm ‘N’ Play Ambassador by President Goodluck Jonathan in recognition of his selfless service to humanity.

The ceremony was held last Thursday at the National Sports Stadium, Abuja. He was decorated alongside six other super stars including: Victor Moses, the Chelsea Football Club of England’s player, and Nigeria’s top music rapper M I.

As part of its nationwide grassroots sports development campaign, National Academicals Sports Committee (NASCOM) on June 6 got the Presidency backing for its noble initiative, when Mr. President launched Rhythm N’ Play in Abuja.

Emeka Ike

According to NASCOM Chairman, Yemi Idowu, Rhythm ‘N’ Play is an exciting youth-friendly campaign aimed at enhancing mass youth participation in sporting activities and age-grade competitions.

“There was the need to reposition sports in order to facilitate the mass participation and early discovery of young sporting talents at the grassroots. At the Presidential Retreat held last year, NASCOM was identified as a key component of government’s efforts at developing sports at the grassroots and Rhythm ‘N’ Play is a brand created by NASCOM and will serve as its flagship campaign to drive and revolutionise grassroots sports in Nigeria,” he said.

He added, “Rhythm ‘N’ Play will rely heavily on the use of music, celebrities, volunteers, news media and other elements of pop culture to amplify and realise its objectives. Mr. President launched the campaign on June 6, first in Abuja, and will later on June 14, launch it in London, United Kingdom (UK) targeting the Nigerian youths in Diaspora.

As a popular Nollywood actor, Emeka Ike has been commended from different quarters for fighting for Nigerian people whose rights and voices are trampled upon. Recently, he was also appointed a member of the board of Directors of Institute For Humanitarian Studies And Social Development (IHSD). And not long after that, he was appointed into the Board of Okigwe Zonal Development Authority (OZDA).

His company CIS Movies and Entertainment Limited was recently commissioned by the (IHSD) to organise the first ever Humanitarian Heroes Award.

Meanwhile, only recently, the actor expanded his investment in the education sector by establishing another school in Ghana, which is different from St Nicholas college, his secondary school located in Magodo Estate, Lagos. His school in Ghana which is known as My Academy West Africa, is an affiliate of Ghana’s premier institute National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI), a school he says is founded on the philosophy that “practical learning” combined with best industry practices is more valuable than only theoretical study for filmmakers and actors.

Eagles will qualify – Maigari.

2013-06-13T21:50:00.004-07:00

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari on Wednesday assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles will qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.

“I have no doubt that we will qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals. We expected to win here but things didn’t turn out that way. However, nothing has changed. All we need do is beat Malawi in September and we’ll be through to the final round of the elimination series.

“Not only will we get there, we will also conquer whichever team comes our way and get the ticket to the World Cup finals.”

NFF boss, Aminu Maigari

Maigari spoke at the Nigeria House in Windhoek, hours after the Super Eagles forced the Brave Warriors to a 1-1 draw in a hard-fought 2014 World Cup qualifying clash at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.

Following Malawi’s 2-2 draw with Kenya in Blantyre earlier in the day, the Group F became Nigeria’s to conquer with a win against the Namibians. But after a bright opening spell, during which Sunday Mba and Anthony Ujah missed opportunities, the hosts began to grow in confidence and looked dangerous going forward.

The Brave Warriors combined pace and endeavour with commendable ball sense, but they found the central defensive network of Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona impregnable.

At the other end, Germany-based forward Ujah shot wastefully over the bar with the net gaping.
On the hour mark, the hosts could have taken the lead with a fierce shot, but Enyeama was equal to the task. Their attacking menace continued to cause apprehension among the few Nigerians at the stadium
.In the 74th minute, Ahmed Musa, hero of the qualifier against Kenya in Nairobi a week earlier, fluffed a great chance when clean on goal. And two minutes later, Namibia shot into the lead.
Substitute Deon Hotto Kavendji was unmarked in the area to steer a pull-out from the left past Vincent Enyeama.
As it has happened in all their four previous qualifying matches, Nigeria would not get a goal until after 80 minutes. Defender Godfrey Oboabona lashed a free-kick from the edge of the box, which goalkeeper Virgill Vries could only help into his net in the 83rd minute.

6,000 flee B’Haram crisis to Niger – UN

2013-06-11T22:40:00.001-07:00

No fewer than 6,000 people ,mostly women, children and elderly, displaced following the military onslaught against members of Islamist militant sects, Boko Haram and the al Qaeda-linked Ansaru, have fled to neighbouring Niger Republic.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, made this known in a report it presented in New York, United States on Tuesday by its spokesperson, Mr Adrian Edwards.

Edwards said, “Those who spoke to UNHCR say they escaped for fear of being caught in the government-led crackdown,” Reuters quoted him as saying. He added that the presence of the Nigerians refugees in Niger was “putting a strain on meager local food and water resources” on the country which “struggles with food insecurity due to years of drought.”

According to him, the “refugees are either renting houses or staying with host families, who are themselves living in very precarious conditions.”

Edward stated that UNHCR member of staff, who visited several border villages hosting the refugees met some Nigerian families living out in the open and some under trees.

Disclosing that the agency would help the Nigerien authorities to register the refugees, he said further that there were plans to deliver some relief to the refugees and their host communities.

He said that 240 others, comprising Niger nationals and people of other nationalities, also fled from Nigeria to Niger while some ran to Cameroon and Chad in the past few weeks. The two countries also share common boundaries with Nigeria.

The report also stated that the Nigerian “refugees reported that air strikes by government forces are continuing from time to time, and that planes are regularly flying over the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa where a state of emergency has been in force since May 14.”

It added, “People arriving in Niger also mentioned the increasing presence of roving armed bandits in several states in Nigeria. The people also spoke of rising commodity prices coupled with pre-existing food insecurity which is also becoming a major concern for the populations of the affected states.”

Nigerian forces are engaged in a four- week-old operation to regain territory from fighters loyal to Boko Haram. The soldiers claim that they had destroyed key Boko Haram bases and arrested more than 150 suspected insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

The military was not immediately available for comment, but in a statement on FridayDefence Headquarters Spokesman, Brig -Gen. Chris Olukolade, denied a report that Nigerian refugees were “pouring into” Niger.

This was even as the National Emergency Management Agency said it was responding to the humanitarian needs of the displaced Nigerians in Niger Republic to to alleviate their conditions.

It said the basic needs were identified by a special assessment carried out by its team that was dispatched to the Niger Republic to ascertain the conditions of Nigerians that had crossed over the border into the country.

Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary- General for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, has tasked West African countries to collaborate and tackle terrorism in the sub-region.

Djinnit, who is also the Chairman, Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, observed that the threat of extremism and terrorism is affecting all West African countries and the Africa continent in general.

He said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he paid a visit to the Minister of State for Defence , Mrs. Olusola Obada, in her office.

The Special Representative said the visit was to explore how he could work closely with ECOWAS and its leaders in stabilising the region and creating conditions for peace.

He said, “The threat of extremism or terrorism is affecting all the countries in West Africa and Africa in general. So there is need for a general effort. This should be a national effort, though Nigeria is putting its own effort but we need to mobilise the entire region to work together to address the root cause of the problem, address the concern and challenge in a coordinated manner within the framework of the existing plan of action with ECOWAS, African Union and the UN.”

Djinnt said Nigeria was faced with a big challenge and it was the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of its citizens.

According to him, this should be done by taking into account the issue of human rights, adding that he was sure the government was aware of that.

He commended Nigeria for the role it had been playing in the Gulf of Guinea in the fight against piracy.

The envoy said that he was aware that there were agreements and security arrangements between Nigeria and Cameroon.

“I encourage both countries to work closely in addressing common security threats at their common borders, especially in the context of the growing pressure put by the extremist and terrorist groups in the border Sahel region which has affected Nigeria and other countries,” Djinnt stated.

In her remarks, Obada said the relationship that existed between Nigeria and Cameroon dated back to 1960s and was anchored on affinities and shared destiny.

According to her, presently, there are over four million Nigerians living in Cameroon, which makes it the biggest host of Nigerians in the Diaspora.

Also on Tuesday, the President of the Senate, David Mark, assured that terrorism would soon be history in Nigeria.

He gave the assurance while meeting with the presiding officers of the Czech Republic Parliament on Tuesday.

Mark, who is on a visit to the country, said the operations against insurgents in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states would bring terrorism to an end in Nigeria.

He said, “The operation is being handled well and sooner than later, terrorism will soon become part of our history. We are conscious that fighting terror is difficult because of factors that dwell on human rights and collateral damages. But the operators of emergency that has been introduced in the area will bring terrorism to its end.”

Mark noted that Nigeria had played the role of ensuring stability in Africa and added that it ( Nigeria) had always been a home to all Africans.

He expressed regrets however that the nation came under attacks from misguided extremists.

“This trend became escalated by the situation in Mali, Niger, Libya and Chad but the Federal Government tried to curtail this through appeal and other carrot approaches but this did not quite succeed until the introduction of emergency rule,” Mark said.

He told the Czech parliamentarians that the National Assembly would continue to create legislative instruments that would deepen democracy in Nigeria.

Earlier the President of the Czech Parliament, Mr. Milan. Stech, sympathised with the Nigerian government over the Boko Haram attacks.

Riot police clash with anti-G8 protesters

2013-06-11T22:35:00.001-07:00

Riot police clashed with anti-capitalist protesters in running confrontations through the streets of central London on Tuesday and arrested 32 people as activists targeted some of the world’s biggest companies before next week’s G8 summit.

Reuters reports that about 100 protesters gathered outside oil company BP Plc’s headquarters, while others chanted “war criminals” at the office of U.S. defense company Lockheed Martin Corp.

Police used chainsaws to break into a four-storey block in the Soho district where the StopG8 protest group had been staying before a “Carnival Against Capitalism” to coincide with the G8 meeting in Northern Ireland.

Aerial footage showed a man on the building’s flat roof confront three police officers and charge towards the edge before being wrestled to the ground.

Several more police, some wearing abseiling ropes, rushed over to restrain him, inches from the roof’s unprotected edge. More officers carried away the man, who appeared to have a bloody face.

The roof-top drama came as other protesters – who had threatened to target hedge funds, banks and multinationals – played cat and mouse with riot police through some of London’s most fashionable streets.

“The G8 is just a front for the corporatocracy, for the kleptocrats. It is about making them more money and dividing up the world so they can all get richer,” said a protester at Piccadilly Circus who gave his name only as Silver Fox.

“The G8 should be about ending all the wars – why don’t they give peace a chance for once?”

Police vans chased groups of shouting protesters down Oxford Street, one of London’s main shopping areas, to the visible shock of tourists and shoppers.

Police said they had arrested 32 people for offences including criminal damage, assault on police and possession of an offensive weapon.

Activists, some with their faces covered, waved black, green and red flags as they marched down Oxford Street. They carried banners saying “No borders, no prisons, no capitalism” and “One Common Struggle”.

Isolated scuffles broke out when police moved in to arrest individuals as a group of activists banged on drums and blew whistles beside snarled traffic.

“We are retaking the streets. We want to make a statement that capitalism is screwing the majority of people,” said protester Emma Goldman. “If we were in (Turkey’s) Taksim Square people would say we were anti-government protesters. Here they probably call us a mob.”

Last month, StopG8 issued a map of 100 potential targets for people to “show their anger”, identifying offices of financial organizations such as banks, hedge funds, defense manufacturer BAE Systems and mining and energy companies including ArcelorMittal and BP.

The list includes hedge funds Man Group and Paulson, private equity firm Blackstone, banks such as Citi and Barclays and embassies including those of Saudi Arabia and the United States.

The group, which describes itself as an anti-capitalist network “made up of autonomous groups and individuals”, had refused to cooperate with police.

One banker working for an international firm with offices in central London said the staff had received an email indicating around 500 people would attend the protest.

One hedge fund, which asked not to be identified, said it had advised its staff to be especially alert to the protests.

Recent demonstrations against the British government’s austerity measures have been marred by rioting anarchists. Many Britons angered by bank bailouts and bonuses during tough economic times blame the financial sector.

Britain’s last major riots took place in 2011 when thousands brought chaos to the center of the capital and several cities in a display of looting and anger initially provoked by the shooting by police of a man in north London.

2015: INEC orders arrest of campaigners.

2013-06-09T23:25:00.000-07:00

Following campaign posters pasted in strategic places in Abuja and other states, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, ordered security agents to apprehend any political party or politicians who are seen campaigning and pasting posters towards 2015 general elections.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, the commission said it had observed that electioneering broadcasts were being aired outside the statutory provision for campaigning towards elections into various elective offices in 2015.
He stressed that such trend was unhealthy and constituted a threat to the nation’s democracy.
The statement said: “The Commission, hereby, reminds all players of the provision of Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended), which states as follows: ‘For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day’.”
INEC said that the polity must not be heated up before the elections period, adding that all political parties must note that campaigning outside this provision is a violation of the law.
It warned that the Commission will not hesitate to apply appropriate sanctions against culprits as provided by relevant sections of the law.
The statement added, “INEC has observed that some politicians and registered political parties have begun unbridled campaigns towards the forthcoming general election, thereby heating up the polity.
“It is observed that campaign posters are being indiscriminately displayed, while electioneering broadcasts are being aired outside the statutory provision for campaigning towards elections into various elective offices.”

6-year single tenure: Reps disagree with Senate.

2013-06-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

There were indications, yesterday, that members of the House of Representatives were against the proposition by the Senate for a six-year single tenure for the president and governors in their constitution amendment being fine-tuned for adoption by the National Assembly.
A senior leader of the House of Representatives told Vanguard in an exclusive interview that the members would not support the Senate to replace the two terms of four-year tenure with six-year single tenure.
The lawmaker, who is a Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, member, made it clear that the proposal by the Senate would not serve the best interest of the nation and was capable of causing ripples in the country if not well handled.
The lawmaker said: “We, in the House of Representatives, are not going to support what the Senate has proposed because we know that such a proposal can bring about a serious problem in the polity.
“We are waiting to see how their proposal will sail through given the controversy that is already trailing it.
“We have made our position on the various issues debated upon by Nigerians, during our constituency engagement, very clear and there is no going back on them. But if the Senate insists on going ahead with a single tenure of six years for president and governors, then we can put it to vote and see who will carry the day.
“Our position remains that it is in the best interest of the nation for the provision of two terms of four years to be retained in the constitution.”

President Jonathan; Senate President, David Mark and Speaker, House of Reps, Hon Aminu Tambuwal

Peterside’s opinion
Adding his voice to the issue, a member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, said that the House of Representatives got an overwhelming endorsement from members to retain the two terms of four years and that the members were not in support of anything different from that.
Peterside pointed out that doing the opposite of what their constituents voted for, during the period of the exercise, would amount to short-changing their people and could cause them their mandate.
The lawmaker representing Opopo Federal Constituency said: “Our decision to stick to two terms of four years was arrived at after an exhaustive consultation with our respective constituencies and we cannot come back to change what they did not ask us to change.
“I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that we arrived at that decision based on our constituency engagement. Most of the opinions were in favour of two terms of four years and not six years.”
Ekweremadu speaks
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, while presenting his report on the constitution review, maintained that if adopted, the six-year single tenure for president and governors in Nigeria, would effectively deny those aspiring for second term of their mandate.
Ekweremadu, therefore, appealed to the president and 13 governors likely to be affected by the constitutional change to make sacrifice in the interest of the nation.
The Deputy Senate President said: “For us, it would have been easy to say let’s put it six years and let whoever wants, including those who are available now, let them benefit, so long as it will keep overheating the system away.
“But we don’t want Nigerians to say that we have colluded with the executive to give tenure elongation to the president and certain governors. That means somebody, instead of staying for eight years, will now be staying for 10 years.
“I think it will be easier for someone to deal with the issue of making a sacrifice than for someone to have the period for 10 years. I am not sure what our colleagues will say.
“If they say that those who are there now should benefit, that is fine. Those who are currently serving should be able to excuse themselves and say we make this sacrifice on behalf of the system.”
‘Jonathan misunderstood’
Ekweremadu recalled that the President was one of the persons that called for a single tenure of six or seven years.
He said: “He (Jonathan) was grossly misunderstood. They were saying he wanted to get a third term. That he wanted to elongate his tenure and all kinds of things were said.
“Since we did not provide for any particular date, it means that as soon as the Constitution is passed, it starts. That is the implication.
“Unless you are suggesting that we put the time frame when it will start. But in the last amendment to the Constitution, we did not put any time frame for its take off. We also did not put in this one.”
Fears, affected states
Analysts fear that if passed into law, President Goodluck Jonathan and 13 governors seeking re-election in the 2015 general elections might be technically barred from participation in the next election in 2015.
According to Ekweremadu, the law, once passed, will not require presidential assent to become effective as other legislations.
That position, it was also learnt yesterday, was already agitating the minds of litigants, who fear that the move could stop Jonathan from going for a second term and give his position to a northern candidate.
The plan could also stop the governors of Bayelsa, Nasarawa, Kwara, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo, Zamfara, Gombe, Imo, Borno, Kaduna and Kogi states from going for a second term.

My tribute to Chinua Achebe

2013-05-23T02:56:00.002-07:00

Eulogies and tributes have continued to trail the death and burial of literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe. Eminent personalities, heads of governments, his literary community, the academia, socio-cultural groups, to mention a few, have had glowing things to say about this popular author at different fora and in the media.
Vanguard beliefs that majority of the people who have read Achebe’s book and ifluenced by his writings may not have the opportunity to public space to pay tribute to the Iroko, as he is popularly called.
As the body of Prof. Chinua Achebe is being lowered to mother earth at his hometown Ogigi, we hereby urge our numerous readers and people across the globe who have come in contact with his works to write their tributes on this section titled:
My tribute to Chinua Achebe.

Power: Kaduna, Afam investors get April 4 deadline

2013-03-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

PHCN power station
| credits:

The 49 firms that have expressed interest in buying into two electricity firms carved out of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria Plc, Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Distribution Company Plc, must submit Request for Proposals by April 4, 2013 or they should forget taking over the companies.

The Head, Public Communications, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, confirmed the deadline in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday.

RFPs are forms on which intending privatisation advisers and potential core investors make proposals on an offer announced by BPE. The agency usually calls for RFPs before calling for detailed technical and financial bids.

Afam Power Plc and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc were among the 17 PHCN successor companies that were earlier advertised for sale in December 2010, and both, along with the others, went through a tender process that culminated in the submission of technical and financial proposals in July 2012.

However, none of the bids received for the Afam and Kaduna plants scored the minimum 75 per cent required to progress to the financial bid stage.

This compelled the National Council on Privatisation headed by Vice-President Namadi Sambo to order a re-run of the entire transaction.

When the BPE announced the fresh offer of the two companies, 49 companies submitted their Expressions of Interest to acquire 60 per cent equity in the electricity firms.

Already, 15 of the successor companies have got preferred bidders who beat the March 21 deadline to pay 25 per cent of the bid prices.

The BPE had on March 21, 2013 received $31m from 4Power Consortium; being the mandatory 25 per cent of the bid value for the Port Harcourt Distribution Company; $31.5m from Interstate Electrics Limited for Enugu Distribution Company; and $27,913,633.50 from North-South Power Company for Shiroro Power Plc.

Earlier, Vigeo Consortium, the preferred bidder for Benin Distribution Company, had paid $32.25m; Transcorp/Woodrock Consortium paid $75m for Ughelli Power Plc; and CMEC/EUAFRIC Energy JV paid $50,249,965 for Sapele Power Plc.

Also, Kann Consortium, the preferred bidder for the Abuja Distribution Company paid $41m; Aura Energy paid $20,464,968.15 for Jos Distribution Company; Mainstream Energy Limited paid $59,467,500 for Kainji Power Plc; and Sahelian Power SPV paid $34.25m for Kano Distribution Company,.

Others are Amperion Power Company Limited, the preferred bidder for Geregu Power Plc, which paid $33m; Integrated Energy Distribution & Marketing Company, paid $42.25m and $14.75m for Ibadan and Yola Distribution Companies, respectively.

NEDC/KEPCO, the preferred bidder for the Ikeja Distribution Company, paid $32.75m; and West Power & Gas paid $33.75m for Eko Distribution Company.

FG to sell Omotosho power plant for $82m

2013-03-28T11:26:00.000-07:00

A power plant
| credits: premiumtimesng.com

A subsidiary of the China Machinery Engineering Corporation, CMEC-Pacific, has been offered the Omotosho Power Plant at a price of $217.53m.

A statement issued by Head of Public Communication, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, in Abuja on Wednesday, however, said the company would pay a net value of $82.34m.

Anichebe said BPE had transmitted an offer letter to CMEC-Pacific in respect of a Power Purchase Agreement for the sale of Omotosho power plant, adding that the transaction was through a debt-equity swap process.

He said, “Presenting the offer letter to the Chairman of CMEC-Pacific, Adeleke Adedeji, the acting Director-General of BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said it was in fulfilment of the decision of the National Council on Privatisation, which approved the sale at its last meeting, which held on February 28, 2013.

“NCP had approved that CMEC-Pacific pays $217,531,507.79 for the power plant. However, the net total amount accruable to the Federal Government for the plant would be $82,336,179.42 given that $30,325,386 would be deducted from the capital cost for the construction of a switch yard for the Transmission Company of Nigeria.”

The phase one of the Omotosho Power Plant, which has a capacity to generate 335 Megawatts of electricity, was completed in 2002. The total cost of the turnkey contract was $166,724,578.

The Federal Government funded 35 per cent of the cost, while the balance was funded through vendor financing provided by the China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation at an interest rate of six per cent per annum.

It was initially conceived that the plant would, after completion, operate commercially and the proceeds from the sale of the electricity it would generate would be used for the repayment of the vendor financing and the interest.

However, the delay in the completion period coupled with limitation in gas supply and paucity of funds at the Power Holding Company of Nigeria resulted in a default in the repayment of the debt, leading to the accumulation of unpaid invoices to CMEC.

The responsibility for repayment was taken over by the Debt Management Office, which informed the BPE that it had paid approximately $104.3m to CMEC for the plant as of September 30, 2012, Anichebe said.

He added that based on the approval received by the Ministry of Power from President Goodluck Jonathan on July 18, 2010 to proceed with the proposed divestiture of Federal Government’s investment in the plant, BPE sought and received NCP’s approval for the divestiture of Omotosho Power Plc through debt-equity swap during its meeting of May 12, 2011.

According to him, NCP also approved the transfer of assets to the project company – Omotosho Power Plc – which was incorporated on November 10, 2006 as a vehicle to own the assets of the plant

Awolowo, Tribune publisher, dies at 70

2013-03-28T11:00:00.003-07:00

Publisher, African Newspapers of Nigeria Plc, the publishers of the Tribune newspapers, Chief Oluwole Awolowo, died in a United Kingdom hospital on Wednesday at the age of 70.

A statement from ANN Plc on Wednesday said Oluwole, a son of the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died as a result of the complications he suffered in a car crash about seven years ago.

The statement by the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of the company, Mr. Edward Dickson, said, “Chief Awolowo died 5.40pm Nigerian time at Wellington hospital, St Johnswood, London, following complications arising from a car crash that occurred on September 30, 2006.

“He had been in and out of hospital, home and abroad, since he was involved in the ghastly accident seven years ago on the Lagos- Ibadan Expressway.

“Despite his health challenges following the accident, Chief Awolowo devoted his life to the service of God and was deeply involved in evangelical activities.”

Many will believe that with his passage, another strong pillar has departed the Awolowo Dynasty. Apart from being the only surviving son of the late sage until his death on Wednesday, he was a major force in the running of the late politician’s estate.

He had been running the ANN Plc, as the Publisher/Vice-Chairman since 1984. Family sources said Oluwole Awolowo’s tenacity of purpose, which earned him the nickname Únbreakable, given to him by his late father, guided his path till his final days.

At age 12, his independent mind led him into joining the youth wing of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, the political party led by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, which was opposed to his father’s Action Group. But that was not an act of rebellion, but freedom of expression and association which in fact Papa Awolowo admired in his son.

Oluwole, however, won his first elective office in 1975, as a Councillor representing Apapa in the then Lagos City Council. In 1979, he won a seat into the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Apapa Constituency on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria led by the late Awolowo.

The President should care

2013-03-28T05:10:00.001-07:00

While the so-called “faceless” suicide bombers kill unarmed Nigerians for no just cause, the President’s recent actions and utterances add more insults to the injuries caused by the explosions. The bizarre amnesty granted his political mentor is inexplicable. His latest statement to remove petrol subsidy as reported on page 27 of The PUNCH, March 20, 2013 is a confirmation of the “death sentence” he pronounced in January 2012 on millions of Nigerians through the partial removal of subsidy on fuel. If he does not care now that people who put him there are groaning in poverty pains, he should at least be reminded that power is transient.

Police intercept bomb-laden car in Kano

2013-03-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

Improvised Explosive Devices and other items recovered from a vehicle intercepted by security men in Kano...on Wednesday. INSET: The intercepted Volkswagen Golf car.
| credits:

The police in Kano averted a planned bomb attack as the command intercepted a bomb-laden Golf car and other dangerous weapons.

Other items recovered from the car include an AK 47 Rifle, Assault Rifle, 238 live ammunition of different caliber, Rocket Launcher, AK 47 Magazines, seven Turkey oil—stuffed with remote-control bombs, two cylinder remote-control devices, 14 hand grenades, four rolls of wire connector and 12 power source.

Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, told reporters on Wednesday that the command, acting on intelligence, engaged a group of terrorists in a gun battle on the outskirts of the city, injuring some of them and recovering abomb-laden Golf 3 vehicle, as well as arms and ammunition.

Daura said the occupants of the vehicle instantly opened fire upon sighting a police patrol van and a gun battle ensued,with the militants retreating after receiving bullet wounds.

The CP claimed that no policeman was hurt during the attack.

He said, “On Tuesday, on about 2130 hours, based on a tip-off, our men intercepted a Golf 3 Motor Vehicle with Reg. No. AG 701 KTN at an outskirt village here in Kano.

“The occupants of the vehicle on sighting the Patrol Vehicle opened fire and immediately, our men responded with superior power, which made the occupants to abandon their vehicle and escaped with bullet wounds.

“The intention of these hoodlums was to cause havoc and destabilize peace which will subsequently lead to economic and social sabotage in Kano state.

“However, my men sealed up the whole area with a view to identify and arrest the fleeing suspects

Ribadu faults Jonathan, wants amnesty for Boko Haram

2013-03-25T15:24:00.001-07:00

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has warned that the refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to terror group, Boko Haram, can plunge the country into another civil war.

Ribadu, who was the presidential candidate for the Action Congress of Nigeria in the 2011 presidential election, spoke on Liberty FM in Kaduna on Saturday.

He urged the President to grant amnesty to the violent Islamist sect for peace to return to the country, saying he (Jonathan) should not claim that the sect members were ghosts.

He argued that with the way things were happening in the country, if nothing was done, “Nigerians will lose Nigeria to a civil war.”

Advising Nigerians against voting for a leader they can not trust, he told Jonathan to “hearken to the voice of the people.”

Ribadu said, “Jonathan was wrong to have said he will not grant amnesty to Boko Haram; he should not fail to protect the people and when people call saying we are tired, we are down; even if it means to dialogue and have an solution to the whole process, he should opt for such.

“You cannot say they are faceless because faceless people do not do things like this. Faceless people cannot be responsible and daily you see them on Facebook. Faceless people cannot be in your custody; ghosts cannot be people that are in the community, people who at a point wanted to dialogue.”

The former EFCC chairman added that a war could be averted “if we come together forgetting about sentiments, about differences and working towards unity and saving the resources of this country because it is only through that that we will be able to achieve peace.”

Ribadu added that the presidential pardon granted former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and others showed that Jonathan was insensitive to the plight of the Nigerian masses.

According to him, it was worrisome for a government that knew nothing about the case to pardon the former governor who was convicted for looting public funds. He argued that the action was a big setback for the fight against corruption in the country.

He said, “The pardon granted Alamieyeseigha and Shettima Bulama by the President is a tragic development. A very unfair action against Nigerians because corruption is our biggest problem and any step taken against the direction of reversing it is a negative development in our own country.

“Our leaders are very insensitive to the ordinary people and very unfair to Nigeria. If you take selfish interest before the interest of the people, personally, as a person who did the work of fighting corruption, they were my own cases and they were extremely very important to me.

“They were the first set of convictions that we recorded and they were significant because they were the first set of cases of convictions in Nigeria since independence. We have never had a governor or a Chief Executive Officer of a bank being convicted for a crime.”

Meanwhile, a coalition of Northern civil society groups, led by Mallam Shehu Sani, also faulted the pardon granted Alamieyeseigha, saying it had made nonsense of the anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government.

The coalition argued that the pardon granted the late Gen. Shehu Yar’Adua, former Chief of General Staff , Gen. Oladipo Diya and the late Gen.Abdulkareem Adisa was just to give creditability to the exercise.

It said, “What we know very well is that pardon for Alamieyeseigha is unpopular, and President Jonathan has demonstrated over the years to be rewarding corruption and aiding and abetting it.”

2014 Qualifier: We must not disrespect Kenya – Mba

2013-03-22T21:13:00.002-07:00

AFRICAN Cup of Nations hero, Sunday Mba going into today’s game against the Harambee Stars of Kenya has urged his team-mates not to disrespect their rivals in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Mba, embattled by an ownership tussle between Warri Wolves and Rangers of Enugu, stated that the Eagles should expect a tough game against the Kenyans, adding that they will not be pushovers. The Kenyans are in Calabar hoping to record an upset against the Africa Champions and Mba added that the Eagles must have to keep a level head if they are to prevail. He refused to make any predictions for the game.
“We must respect the Kenyans. They have some excellent players and they just appointed a new coach, so I do expect a difficult game from them but we are capable of containing any threat they would pose,” said Mba in a cafonline interview.
The player who scored the winning gold of the AFCON 2013 and also sealed the fate of highly favoured Ivory Coast in the semi-finals said that the Nations Cup was a different ball game from the match at hand in Calabar and the Eagles needed to be in their best elements even as six players from the winning team in South Africa 2013 will not be in action today.
“We have put the Nations Cup success behind us. It’s a new task now, the World Cup qualifier and it’s busy as usual. “We are confident going into the game but not over confident because we know there are no minnows anymore in African football.”

Can Rita Dominic make history again?

2013-03-22T21:10:00.001-07:00

The stage is set again, and the topic currently dominating discourse in most quarters in the industry is the possibility of Rita Dominic writing her name in gold as the best actress in Africa.
Rita who won last year’s Best Actress award at AMAA for her role in a Kenyan film ‘Shattered’ got nominated again for her role in her movie, ‘The Meeting.” She was pitched against Yvonne Okoro also nominated for role in The Contract’’, Florence Masebe (Elelwani), Mariam Ouedraogo(Moi Zaphira), Mbutung Seikeh(Ninah’s Diary) and Malawian Flora Suya who was nominated for her role in Shem Joya’s ‘Last Fishing Boat.’

Rita

Winning the Best Actress award for the second time, in the forthcoming grand finale of AMAA, scheduled to hold in Bayelsa State, on April 25, 2013, will surely go a long way to boost the status of Rita as the best Africa actress in the continent.
From time immemorial, Rita has proved to be on top of her game, and the chance of her clinching the prestigious prize for the second time is not in doubt Looking back, the gap-toothed actress broke record last year when she won the Actress Of The Year Award in Kenya, at the expense of two Kenyans; Patricia Kihoro and Joan Amara, for her role in Shattered. She also won the best actress in a leading role at the 2012 AMAA awards for her role in the same movie ‘Shattered’ and FAB awards’ most stylish actress of the year.
While Ghana’s Yvonne Okoro may pose a threat to her winning the awards, Rita’s indisputable acting skills undoubtedly gives her an edge over other nominees. In addition to this, her film, “The Meeting” which got six nominations brightens her chances of clinching the coveted prize. But who knows, the battle is not always open for the strong to win.
Like her male colleague, OC Ukeje, who emerged the Best Actor on the continent recently at AMVCA, and got nominated for AMAA 2013 Prize For Best Actor In A Leading Role for his role in the movie, “Alan Poza,” Riat is set for greatness.

Boko Haram: Police arrest 500 foreigners in Lagos

2013-03-22T21:07:00.001-07:00

No fewer than, 500 nationals of some neighbouring countries resident in Lagos, were yesterday arrested by the state police command in connection with Thursday’s arrest of two Boko Haram suspects at Ijora area of the state.
Saturday Vanguard gathered that the arrests which was coordinated by operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau,SIB, and police divisions across the state, were carried out during raids of several locations in the state.

A video grab made on March 21, 2013 from a video distributed to reporters by purported intermediaries of the Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, shows the suspected leader of the Nigerian Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Abubakar Ash Shekawi, also known as Abubakar Shekau, at an undisclosed location in Nigeria. AFP

Some of those arrested, according to eyewitness included women and young children.
But sources at the command said that the raid was reportedly ordered by the state Police Commissioner, Umar Manko, who asked his men to fish out suspected Boko Haram infiltrators into the state.
According to the police sources those arrested were detained at the Police Command’s Headquarters, Ikeja, where they were rigorously interrogated, documented and vetted.
Most of the arrested were later discovered to be Chadians, Nigeriens and Malians who had no proper documentation to stay in the country.
”We are waiting for the CP’s order on what to do with the foreign nationals who do not have any business Lagos” the source stated.
The National Vice Chairman, Arewa Youth Development Association of Nigerian, Shuaibu Dansudu, who was at the command headquarters, to secure the release of some Hausa residents of Oke-Odo Market, Ile-Epo and Oja commended the police for making efforts at ensuring that members of the deadly Boko Haram sect do not infiltrate the state.
Dansudu however, asked the Federal Government to do all it can to ensure that the sect’s insurgency was put to an end.
”Government needs to do all it can to ensure peace in all parts of the country even if it requires granting them amnesty. We can not continue to live like this,” he pleaded
Meanwhile, residents of Oyegbemi Street, at Ijora 7up area of the state where two Boko Haram suspects were arrested have commended the security agencies for apprehending the suspects.
Oluwa Idowu, a resident whose uncompleted building is situated next to the area where one of the suspects was arrested, urged landlords in the state to properly vet their would-be tenants before letting their apartments to them.
”I was shocked when I heard the news but I am not familiar with the man because he just moved in three months ago. But I am grateful to God that he was arrested before he succeed in carrying out his plans. But this issue is an eye opener to landlords and home owners in this state.
We must be wary and properly vet people we rent our apartments to; so we do not fall victims to evil.
By doing so, we will assist the security agents in discharging their jobs,” She stated.

Prof Chinua Achebe: Exit of literary giant

2013-03-22T20:55:00.001-07:00

Turning in a widening gyre, the falcon could not hear the falconer, things fall apart and the center could not hold , mere anarchy is loosed upon the earth, that is the W. B. Yeats lines that announced the title of the famous book written by the Iroko of African and world literature Professor Chnualumogu Achebe, 82, who passed to the land of the spirits yesterday in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sun set for Professor Chinua Achebe and the world is full of tributes and recollections of the poet, the broadcaster, the critic and the progressive politician and above all the master of prose, when shall we have another?
Achebe’s entry into the turf of creative writing was fortitous. It marked a very great tradition by the fact that , that singular effort changed perception about Africa.
Born in Ogidi, Nigeria, the son of Isaiah Okafor Achebe, a teacher in a missionary school, and Janet Ileogbunam. His parents, though they installed in him many of the values of their traditional Igbo culture, were devout evangelical Protestants and christened him Albert after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria.
In 1944 Achebe attended Government College in Umuahia. Like other major Nigerian writers including Wole Soyinka, Elechi Amadi, John Okigbo, John Pepper Clark, and Kole Omotoso, he was also educated at the University College of Ibadan, where he studied English, History and Theology.
At the university Achebe contributed several stories and essays to its magazine, University Herald. Rejecting his British name Achebe took his indigenous name Chinua. In 1953 he graduated with a BA. Before joining the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS), later changed to Nigerian Broadcasting Corporarion, or NBC in Lagos in 1954 he travelled in Africa and America, and worked for a short time as a teacher at a local school in Oba.
For a period in the 1960s he was the director of External Services in charge of the Voice of Nigeria. In 1961 he married Christie Chinwe Okoli, who came from Umuokpu village in Awka. They had four children. Christie Achebe, a psychologist, took her degree in London, and was a visiting professor of psychology at Bard College.

Chinua Achebe (L) and former South African President Nelson Mandela chat on September 12, 2002 prior to Achebe receiving an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature and delivering the third Steve Biko Memorial Lecture at the University of Cape Town. AFP PHOTO

Backing Biafra in the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70) Achebe worked for the government as an ambassador. In 1967 Achebe cofounded the publishing company Citadell Press at Enugu with Christopher Okigbo, a gifted poet and close family friend.
Okigbo joined the army and was killed in action in August 1967 and the operation of the press was terminated. Achebe’s writings from this period reflect his deep personal disappointment with what Nigeria became since independence. His pregnant wife suffered a miscarriage, and Achebe himself narrowly escaped death.
Many of his poems written during the war were collected in Beware, Soul Brother (1971), which won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. In There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra (2012) Achebe returned to the war years and their effect on his work and identity.
Achebe was a celebrated writer but he did not win the Nobel Prize, which many believed he deserved, but in 2007 he did receive the Man Booker International Prize, a $120,000 honor for lifetime achievement. Achebe, paralyzed from the waist down since a 1990 auto accident, lived for years in a cottage built for him on the campus of Bard College, a leading liberal arts school north of New York City where he was a faculty member. He joined Brown University in 2009 as a professor of languages and literature.
Achebe, a native of Ogidi, Nigeria, regarded his life as a bartering between conflicting cultures. He spoke of the “two types of music” running through his mind — Ibo legends and the prose of Dickens. He was also exposed to different faiths. His father worked in a local missionary and was among the first in their village to convert to Christianity.
In Achebe’s memoir “There Was a Country,” he wrote that his “whole artistic career was probably sparked by this tension between the Christian religion” of his parents and the “retreating, older religion” of his ancestors.
He would observe the conflicts between his father and great uncle and ponder “the essence, the meaning, the worldview of both religions.”
For much of his life, he had a sense that he was a person of special gifts who was part of an historic generation. Achebe was so avid a reader as a young man that his nickname was “Dictionary.”
As the world mourns the departure of this great literary icon , late Professor Achebe will be fondly remembered for his hard stance against corruption and elitism in Nigerian politics.
He was the first Nigerian to win a National Merit Award in October 1979. Perhaps his greatest legacy is Things fall Apart, the best read African Novel (over 8 million copies sold and translated to over 50 languages) which not only earned him world wide acclaim as one of the world’s most gifted novelist but a literary scholar who portrayed African tribal life accurately to a western audience.
As a Nigerian, Achebe lived through and helped define revolutionary change in his country, from independence to dictatorship to the disastrous war between Nigeria and the breakaway country of Biafra in the late 1960s. He knew both the prestige of serving on government commissions and the fear of being declared an enemy of the state. He spent much of his adult life in the United States, but never stopped calling for democracy in Nigeria or resisting literary honors from a government he refused to accept.
It is also on record that Achebe was one of the few Nigerians who rejected the National honour (Commander of the Federal Republic)for two good times. First was when he was nominated for the award of National Honor by the Nigerian government in 2004 by the Obasanjo led government and the second seven years after when President Jonathan gave him an offer of a National Honor and again he rejected it.
Professor Achebe, globally recognized as one of the world’s most outstanding novelists and intellectuals in rejecting the honour for the award of National Honor by the Nigerian government in 2004 by the Obasanjo led government wrote a letter which read: “I write this letter with a very heavy heart.
For some time now I have watched events in Nigeria with alarm and dismay. I have watched particularly the chaos in my own state of Anambra where a small clique of renegades, openly boasting its connections in high places, seems determined to turn my homeland into a bankrupt and lawless fiefdom. I am appalled by the brazenness of this clique and the silence, if not connivance, of the Presidency.
“Forty three years ago, at the first anniversary of Nigeria’s independence I was given the first Nigerian National Trophy for Literature. In 1979, I received two further honors – the Nigerian National Order of Merit and the Order of the Federal Republic – and in 1999 the first National Creativity Award.
“I accepted all these honors fully aware that Nigeria was not perfect; but I had a strong belief that we would outgrow our shortcomings under leaders committed to uniting our diverse peoples. Nigeria’s condition today under your watch is, however, too dangerous for silence. I must register my disappointment and protest by declining to accept the high honor awarded me in the 2004 Honors List”.
In 2011, Goodluck Jonathan led government again awarded him the “national honor” of the Commander of the Federal Republic And for the second time, the celebrated novelists rejected it. In a terse statement for the rejection, Achebe said:
“The reasons for rejecting the offer when it was first made have not been addressed let alone solved. It is inappropriate to offer it again to me. I must therefore regretfully decline the offer again.”
Again ,after the Biafran defeat Achebe entered party politics with the leftist People’s Redemption Party(PRP) The People’s Redemption Party was a political party in Nigeria often considered the Second Republic incarnation of the Norther Elements Progressive Union, the party was created by the late Mallam Amino Kano.
The PRP was highly regarded as a progressive left of center political party. Some well known members of the party included Governors Abubakar Rimi, Balarabe Musa, Dr Edward Ikem Okeke and Chinua Achebe who served briefly as Deputy National President in the early 1980s.
But his romance with the party was marked by frustration and disappointment. And in characteristic way of looking for the best, he left them and went into academia, from where he has conducted his career ever since both as a teacher and writer.

Eucharia Anunobi partners Imo Govt.

2013-03-21T22:22:00.001-07:00

In a bid to support the Rescue Mission agenda of Governor Anayo Rochas Okorocha’s led administration, Nollywood actress, Evangelist Eucharia Anunobi has shown interest of joining in partnership with the Imo State government and other well-meaning Imolites to make the State drive developmentally for the general purpose of all.

Eucharia

The Imo born thespian disclosed this shortly after she paid a courtesy visit to the Imo State Liaison office in Lagos State with her team of top Nollywood movie practitioners.
Speaking, the actress turned evangelist stated that the purpose of her visit was based on the dividends of democracy that is on ground in Imo, which she said was visible after her review of the State; she added that the outcome was overwhelming and that it prompted her to support the government through her partnership that will go a long way into impacting the lives of the people of the State.
While receiving the actress and her team, the Special Assistant to the Imo State governor on Lagos Liaison, Hon. Lisa Asugha thanked her for making what she called the best decision every lover of human development could make, stressing that her choice to partner with the State would be acknowledged by both the citizens and government.

Wenger hits back at critics ahead of Bayern clash

2013-02-18T11:32:00.001-08:00

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger rounded angrily on his critics ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Champions League last 16 first leg tie against Bayern Munich.
Wenger was in a tetchy mood on Monday after suffering a barrage of abuse from fans and pundits following his side’s FA Cup exit on Saturday, when the Gunners were beaten 1-0 at home by Championship side Blackburn.
That represented the second humiliation of Arsenal’s lacklustre campaign following their elimination from the League Cup at the hands of fourth-tier Bradford.
After enduring 48 hours of criticism in the court of public opinion, Wenger made it clear he felt it was time for him to have his say, and that he expected his players to back up his words on the pitch against a Bayern side currently top of the Bundesliga thanks to 18 victories from 22 league games.
“We play for Arsenal Football Club, we are in the last 16 of the Champions League, we have qualified for a long, long time,” Wenger said at a pre-match press conference.
“What is important is not what people say but what we produce on the football pitch.
“We live in a democracy of experts and opinions and we have to live and cope with that. We have to show we have the mental strength to deal with any opinion. There are a lot of experts who are not always right.”
Many critics claimed Wenger was wrong to send out a starting line-up against Blackburn that had not included Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere or Santi Cazorla.
But all three came on as substitutes with the game goal-less and Wenger refuted the accusation that he doesn’t take the Cup seriously.
“Look, I have been accused of not taking seriously the FA Cup on Saturday. I won the FA Cup four times,” Wenger said.
“Who has won it more? Give me one name. The second thing is that we have been accused of not putting a strong team out.
“That is an insult to the players who started the game and we didn’t lose the game with the players who started. We lost in the last 20 minutes.
“There is a lot of superficial analysis that you cannot accept. We have to take the blame because we went out but for the rest you have to put it in perspective. One guy says something and everybody goes the same way.”
Despite Wenger’s protests that he is unfairly treated, reports on Monday claimed the Frenchman was set to be given a new two-year contract.
Yet even that story provoked an oddly angry reaction from Wenger.
“That is the wrong information,” he said. “I have worked for 16 years here in England and I deserve a bit more credit than wrong information.
“That report had only one intention and that is to harm. It came from nowhere and is completely wrong.”
Wenger has a selection headache at the back as Laurent Koscielny is not fully fit at a time when Arsenal’s defensive ranks have been depleted by the absence of all three left-backs.
New recruit Nacho Monreal is cup-tied in the Champions League, Kieran Gibbs is injured and Andre Santos has been sent out on loan.
Arsenal have been guilty of poor starts to games in the Premier League against some of the bigger clubs, conceding early goals against Manchester City and Chelsea and Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta is keen to put that right.
“In the last few big games in the first 20 or 25 minutes we gave the opposition too much respect,” he said.
“We want to face a different scenario, If you score first then you have a chance of winning.”
German forward Lukas Podolski is likely to start against his former club but Wenger hasn’t felt the need to quiz him for information.
“Podolski has not played for a long time at Bayern Munich and the team has changed since,” he said.

Wizkid shuns Banky W’s Grand love project

2013-02-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

Since Wizkid tore through the lid and exposed via his tweet the uneasy calm existing between himself and E.M.E music label, die hard fans have found themselves torn between their love for the young super star and the irresistible voice of the king of ballad, Banky W, who co-owns E.M.E’ … It’s still unbelievable, Wizkid at war with Banky W! fans had hoped this was one terrible disagreement that would just go away, but it is not to be.
Banky W has attacked reporters calling them fabricators of stories but the echoes of the crisis now resonates far beyond the walls of the music label.

On Friday, Banky W held his much anticipated Grand love concert at the Civic Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, pulling thousands in attendance, EME acts Shaydee and Skales performed.
Wizkid was nowhere to be found.
This has further strengthened the earlier disheartening conclusions made by fans that Wizkid has ‘left’ E.M.E for good