CLO To Military: Review Death Sentence On Soldiers Or Face Coordinated Protest From Civil Society

Bayelsa State chapter of the The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has called on the military authority to review the death sentence passed on 12 soldiers of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Borno State for mutiny or face a coordinated protest from civil society groups and the entire people of the six geo-political zones of the country.

The CLO in a statement by its Chairman, Chief Nengi James, said though the Nigerian Army has once again shown its posture and intolerance for acts of indiscipline by its officers and men, the death sentence pronounced against the 12 soldiers over alleged mutiny and insubordination was a disservice to the nation at this time of security challenges.”

It noted that the controversy trailing the retirement of the former General Officer Commanding, GOC, Major General Abubakar Mohammed was a further provocation to the troops and the purportedly convicted soldiers.

The statement said: “The action of the military authority lacks better judgment and a poor signal to the remaining troops at the war front against the Boko Haram insurgents.”

Drivers, traffic warden, cook make national honours list

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a list of 305 Nigerians, who will receive national honours this year.

According to a statement by the Director (Special Duties), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Tunde Adeyemo, the list includes a traffic warden, Solomon Dauda; a taxi driver, Imeh Usuah, a driver at the Nigerian High Commission in Canada,Engeniusz Howski; and Head of Presidential stewards in the Presidency, Onuh Michael.

Usuah, who is said to have returned about N18m forgotten in his car by a passenger, will receive an MFR medal; Howski,MFR and Michael, MON.

Six military chiefs comprising the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh; the Chief of Army Staff, Kenneth Minimah; the Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Jibrin; the Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu; the the Director of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke; and a former General Officer Commanding the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Sunday Chikwe, are also on the list.

The service chiefs and the NIA DG are to receive CFR medals while Chikwe will get OON.

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki(retd); a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig. Gen.   Raji Rasaki;   an ex-DG, National Youth Service Corps, Brig. Gen. Nnamdi Affia;   the pioneer Force Commander of the African Union and ECOWAS Peace Mission, Usman Abdulkadir;   the Chairman, United Nations Board of Enquiry in Abiyei, Lt. Gen. Chika Dibia- Obiakor; and a former Provost General of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Felix Iorshase, are listed among those to be honoured with CFR, CON,   OFR and OON.

Also in the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) category are Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Justice of the Supreme Court; (Justice Christopher   Chukwuma – Eneh,   Justice Muhammad   Coomassie,   Justice John   Fabiyi,   Justice Olufunlola   Adekeye, a former Head of Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji; and Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi.

Others in the CFR category are Oba   Victor     Kiladejo, Chief Philip   Asiodu, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Chief of Staff Jones   Arogbofa,     Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, and Chief Kolawole   Jamodu.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and a former Foreign Affairs Minister, Tom Ikimi, will be honoured with the CON medal.

Eighteen other Nigerians serving or retired from the Nigeria Police Force, Customs Service, Immigration Service and the Department of State Security also made the list.

They included a police inspector, Adekoya Jamiu (FRM1); the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba; the Comptroller General of the Immigration Service, David Paradang; seven DIGs and two DSS directors.

Abba, like the service chiefs is to be honoured with a CFR medal while Paradang whose organisation organised the recruitment exercise that led to the death of some applicants in March 2014 is to receive OFR.

The DIGs were listed among those to receive OON while a former Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Simon Okeke, will get OFR.

Sportsmen and women, especially members of the victorious   2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, their   officials and   2014 Commonwealth Gold medallists top the list of the would-be honourees.

Prominent among them are members of under-17 national football team including, Kelechi Iheanacho; Success Isaac; Akinjide Idowu and Salihu Baba, who will get Member of Order of Niger.

Members of the Under-20 national football team, including the highest goal scorer in the World Cup, Asisat Oshoala, will also get MON.

2014 Commonwealth gold medalist, Blessing Okagbare as well as former footballers like Nduka Ugbade and Emmanuel Amuneke are also on the list.

Also, eight governors and nine ministers will receive the award of Commander of Order of Niger.

The governors are Chief Theodre Orji (Abia); Mallam Isa Yuguda (Bauchi); Mr. Sullivan Chime (Enugu); Dr. Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Alhaji Sa’idu Dakingari (Kebbi); Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); and Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).

The ministers are Prof. Chinedu Nebo (Power); Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (Education), Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe (Water Resources); Mr. Mike Onolememen (Works); Labaran Maku (Information); Hajia Zanaib Maina (Women Affairs); Mallam Bashir Yuguda (Minister of State for Finance), Mr Nyesom Wike (Minister of State for Education); and Mr. Musa Sada (Mines and Steel).

While the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Dr. Umar Ganduje, made the list by getting OFR, the governor, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso is missing on the list.

A former Minister of Indurstry, Chief Onikepo Akande; Senators Nkechi Nwogu and Babajide Omoworare will get CON.

The entertainment sector produced   popular actresses like Joke Silva and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as well as an actor,   Kenneth Nnebue. They   will get MFR. This year, unlike two previous editions, there will be no conferment of GCON.

Last year, there was delay by the Federal Government in giving the medals and certificates to 355 Nigerians and foreigners who were bestowed with national honours in Abuja on November 14.

According to the statement,the Investiture holds by 9am on   September 29, 2014 at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.

See full list below

Bill to Enable Production of Nigerian Cars, Tyres Passes Second Reading

A bill seeking to enable the production and assembly of cars and tyres in Nigeria as well as the provision of tariff incentives and income tax reliefs on all automobile and automotive components passed through second reading on the floor of the Senate yesterday.

Tagged: ‘Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan (Fiscal Incentives, Assurances and Guarantees) Bill’, the bill which is meant to strengthen the Nigerian automotive industry development plan, will among others, promote a sustainable and competitive automotive industry.

It is also meant to provide an enabling environment for the survival of existing assembly plants, revive the tyre industry, herald Nigeria’s industrial revolution plan using the automotive sector as a key component to diversify the economy and also generate revenues through industry and manufacturing.

Leading the debate on the bill, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said automotive industry played strategic roles in the economic development of many countries especially in the area of job creation, enhancement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), development of small, medium and micro-enterprises, innovation, skills and technology.

According to him, International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers had reported that the auto industry directly employs over nine million people, representing five per cent of the world’s total employment in the area of manufacturing. He added that South Africa’s automotive industry for instance, contributed seven per cent of GDP and 12 per cent of exports to the country’s economy, disclosing that it is the second largest employer of labour in that country.

He recalled that Nigeria’s automotive industry comprising Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN), Volkswagen among others, in their hey days, produced no fewer than 150,000 automobiles at an estimated value of N450 billion and employment capacity of 20,000 adding that Nigeria had the local capacity to meet all needs relating to tyre production in the 1960s.

He regretted that the industry crashed in the mid-80s as a result of uncomplimentary government policies resulting in the collapse of capital utilisation in all assembly plants and consequently opened doors for importation of fairly-used vehicles.

Ndoma-Egba further recalled that vehicles worth whopping N600 billion, three-quarter of which he said were second-hand products, were imported into the country in 2012 only, lamenting that Nigeria’s tyre plants have run out of business, therefore, tyres estimated at the value of over N100 billion are being imported into the country every year.

He added that whereas the current operations of Nigeria’s automotive industry was limited only to assembly of commercial vehicles, the country at the moment, needs car assembly as well as production facilities that would enable it benefit from global potentials of automotive industry.

While some senators who contributed to the bill, noted that it would be difficult for local automobiles to compete with imported products especially in the face of the country’s epileptic power supply, others said it would improve and resuscitate steel industry as well as enhance the training of technologists and engineers which they said would have multiplier effects on other sectors of the economy.

In his remark, Senate President, David Mark, said whereas the bill was a good one, the realisation of the objectives would remain a tall order because power supply in the country has shown no sign of improvement.

“On paper, this is an excellent bill and there is absolutely no doubt about it, but what is more important is that it is not just this bill alone that will solve the problem of the automotive industry. Beyond this bill, practically on ground, we are not just prepared because no investor is going to put his money here if you cannot guarantee him constant power.

“If he is going to run on generator for 24 hours, he will never be able to compete in the international market. It is not a matter of producing rubber for Michelin, it is beyond that. DICON, which is in Kaduna today, was established the same time with the one in Brazil and India. Today, the equivalent in Brazil is building ships, aircraft, armoured cars, while DICON in Nigeria is producing furniture,” Mark lamented.

THISDAY

Jonathan Lauds Airforce over International Helicopter School

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the Nigerian Airforce has achieved an important milestone in its history with the success of the international Helicopter Flying School Enugu.

He said the achievement has not only helped to boost the capacity and capability of the Airforce but that of the Nigerian Armed Forces as whole.

The President who stated this Friday at the graduation ceremony of the first 42 helicopter pilots of the school, said the success of the
project was a clear demonstration that the Airforce was heading in the right direction in its quest to reposition itself among its
contemporaries in other countries.

Represented by the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo, the President lauded the quality of training at the school adding that it was good enough to compete with international standards.
Details to follow

THISDAY

Building Collapse Is Satan’s Work, Says Synagogue

  building collapse

•   Assures God will reveal perpetrators soon

(Reuters) – For supporters of “Prophet” TB Joshua, one of Africa’s best-known Christian preachers, the death of at least 80 of his congregation under the rubble of a Lagos guesthouse that collapsed a week ago was no construction accident.    “The church views this tragedy as part of an attack on The Synagogue Church Of All Nations,” said a statement on his official Facebook page on Thursday.

“In due course, God will reveal the perpetrators.”
Most of the deaths were South Africans, and Joshua said he was cooperating with the investigation.
Initially his members had refused entry to rescue workers, according to Nigeria’s emergency services, who noted that the Sept. 12 collapse occurred during building work, in which extra floors were being added.

Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola was quoted in the media as saying the church had no permit for the extension.
Joshua’s public relations team said the church was adding three floors, but when asked if it had a permit they said Joshua’s existing public statements were all he was willing to say for now.

There are nearly monthly collapses of buildings in Lagos, all blamed on shoddy construction.
But many of his flock and other witnesses around the church were convinced of that “demonic forces” bent on destroying a “man of God” were behind the building’s demise.

In Nigeria, as in many parts of Africa, misfortunes of all kinds are often seen as an attack by an unseen enemy, living or dead. Even some newspaper columnists have come out to support Joshua.

Joshua’s church has for years drawn tens of thousands of followers from all over Africa and the world with claims that he and his “wise men” cure normally incurable ailments, including HIV/AIDS, spinal damage and chronic kidney disease, by casting out demons they say cause them.

A flood of pious church offerings have made Joshua Nigeria’s third-richest pastor, according to Forbes magazine, which in 2011 estimated his net worth at $10 million to $15 million.
His supporters include Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, late South African Springbok rugby player Ruben Kruger and South Africa’s firebrand leftist opposition leader Julius Malema.

“CRAZY THEORIES”
In their account of how the church collapsed, Joshua’s PR team are circulating CCTV footage they say shows a mysterious aircraft circle it four times shortly before the incident, without fully explaining what the connection is.
A Reuters team that visited the site of the accident, where dozens of workers and construction vehicles were clearing up a tangle of steel and concrete dotted with mattresses and chairs, were shown the footage.

It wasn’t clear if the aircraft was the same one each time, and the video comprised four separate clips edited together. The next scene is of the building collapsing, with no aircraft.

“There’s something weird about the way the building collapsed. Everyone who’s seen the footage agrees,” said one British church member. “That clearly wasn’t a structural problem.”

Asked how the plane caused the building to fall, he said the church doesn’t want to draw any conclusions yet.
Reuters interviewed a dozen witnesses, all of them emphatic that they saw a low-flying plane they blamed for the collapse. Almost all of them talked of evil forces at work.

“This was clearly the work of Satan,” said Jonathan Nwankwo, 40, who though not a member of the church owns a flourishing supermarket patronised by its congregation.

South Africa, which said late on Thursday that 84 of its nationals were unaccounted for, with 67 confirmed dead, is taking a different view.

“They’ve come up with all sorts of crazy theories about planes or what have you, but the reality is the building was substandard. No proper engineering work was done on it,” a diplomatic source told Reuters.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has made no statement about the incident, and Lagos governor Fashola, who ordered the congregation to stop blocking access to rescue workers, appears to have been careful not to criticise Joshua personally.

Analysts say Nigeria’s megachurch leaders are so influential that few politicians dare upset them, especially just before a national election. Nigeria is set to hold one in five months, reports Reuters.

Story of my ill health untrue: Bola Tinubu

The former governor of Lagos state, and national leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was reported to have travelled for treatment in a London hospital, has said that story about his health was the mother of all lies.

Tinubu who returned to the country on Thursday said he went for a five-week vacation outside the country.

On his arrival, with smiles on his face, Tinubu said, “I am solid, fit as a fiddle. I never needed Panadol, except when I visited my friend, the dentist.” On September 17, 2014 on his official twitter page @AsiwajuTinubu, the former Lagos state governor dismissed the claim with the wave of a hand, stories about his health status, and even going the length of praying for the “rumour- mongers because they do not know what they are doing”.

The Peoples Democratic Party, however, believes that the Lagos State Government, and the APC are hiding facts about the state of health of Tinubu who is a rallying point of the opposition.

In a statement by PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani, said Lagosians were interested in knowing the true state of health of the former governor “whose medical bill is being paid with their taxes.”

“We wish the former governor, Bola Tinubu, quick recovery as we are made to know from the grapevine that he is ill and in a hospital outside the country. We also feel that the family and the state government should have the obligation to let Lagosians know the actual state of his health.” PDP said, “It will not be a bad thing if the former governor appears on television or speaks on phone for broadcast.

Indeed Lagosians are humanitarian and would readily support him in prayers. Such honest disclosure will also dispel rumours of his death or paralysis that is being spread
around.”

Scotland rejects independence in historic referendum

Scotland rejected independence on Friday in a referendum that left the centuries-old United Kingdom intact but paved the way for a major transfer of powers away from London.

Despite a surge in nationalist support in the final fortnight of the campaign, the “No” secured 55.30 percent of the vote against 44.70 percent for the pro-independence “Yes” camp.

After a campaign that fired up separatist movements around the world, turnout was 84.6 percent, officials said — the highest ever for an election in Britain.

“No” campaigners across Scotland cheered and hugged as the results came in and British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “delighted”, adding: “It would have broken my heart to see our United Kingdom come to an end.”

Many “Yes” activists watched dejected and in tears, although First Minister Alex Salmond urged them take heart from the huge numbers — 1.6 million — who backed independence.

“I don’t think any of us, whenever we entered politics, would have thought such a thing to be either credible or possible,” the Scottish National Party (SNP) leader told cheering supporters in Edinburgh.

The result reassured those worried about the economic risks of a break-up.

The pound rose against the dollar and the euro on the currency markets, and the London stock market rallied sharply in opening trade.

The CBI business lobby group said the result would be greeted by a “collective sigh of relief across the business community”.

The president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, was the first to react abroad, saying he was “relieved” and adding: “I like a United Kingdom in a united Europe.”

A “Yes” vote would have brought to an abrupt end a union with England stretching back to 1707 and has been closely watched around the world, giving heart to independence supporters from Catalonia in Spain to Quebec in Canada.

But while the UK survived, it could soon look very different.

The British government must now deliver on promises made in the heat of the campaign to give more powers over tax, spending and welfare to the devolved government in Edinburgh.

And in a televised address from Downing Street, Cameron said he would go further and offer all parts of the United Kingdom some form of devolved control over their affairs.

“Just as Scotland will vote separately in the Scottish Parliament on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland, should be able to vote on these issues,” he said.

In what would be a radical shake-up of the constitutional order, he said these new powers would be delivered “at the same pace as the settlement for Scotland”, suggesting legislation would be drawn up as soon as January.

– ‘Crushing, devastating result’ –

Some 97 percent of eligible Scots had registered to vote — a sign of how the historic decision gripped the nation.

Charlotte Darroch, one of many 16 and 17-year-olds who were allowed to vote in a British election for the first time, said the result was “just crushing, quite devastating”.

“I genuinely thought the feeling on the ground was different,” said the 16-year-old as she made her way to school in Edinburgh wearing a blue-and-white Scotland flag over her uniform.

But Louise Fleming, 21, who also lives in the Scottish capital, said she was “relieved”.

“It’s been such a divisive referendum, we have seen the outcome, we can’t expect everything to be great tomorrow but the right outcome has occurred,” she said.

There were queues outside polling stations on referendum day and many voters spoke emotionally about the most momentous political choice of their lives.

Crowds later partied through the night in Glasgow and Edinburgh, draped in the Scottish flag and setting off flares.

– ‘Settled for a generation’ –

Scotland’s largest city Glasgow was among some big wins for the “Yes” campaign, but the margin was not enough to mitigate a flood of “No” votes across Scotland.

The indication was that better-off and rural areas had voted “No” while urban centres and poorer parts voted “Yes”.

“Clearly the ‘No’ side has won,” said polling expert John Curtice, a professor of politics at Strathclyde University.

The outcome is good news for Cameron, who many suggested could not have survived if Scotland had voted to break away.

He said the referendum had produced a “clear result”, adding: “Now the debate has been settled for a generation… there can be no disputes, no re-runs.”

However, Salmond left the door open to a vote in the future, saying that Scots had voted “at this stage” to stay but had shown “substantial” support for going it alone.

Bestselling author and pro-union supporter J.K. Rowling, who is English but lives in Scotland, said Scots should be “proud”, whatever their differences.

“Been up all night watching Scotland make history. A huge turnout, a peaceful democratic process: we should be proud.”

Culled from: PM news