Atiku: Father of 30 children, accidental VP and dogged politician with eyes on Aso Rock

He was vice-president of Nigeria for eight years, but that was the last thing on his mind: he only wanted to be governor of Adamawa state at the time.

But he could have been vice-presidential candidate much earlier if he had not been “betrayed” after a political horse-trading.

And being the president of Nigeria will not be a big deal to him ─ he has fathered 30 children and knows what that means in management terms.

In his book, “My Life”, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar revealed a lot about his life, much of which many Nigerians may be hearing for the first time.

According to him, he did not have interest in becoming the vice president of Nigeria until Olusegun Obasanjo picked him from the rabble to be his running mate in the 1999 presidential election.

The three-time presidential aspirant wrote that he graciously wanted to serve his people as governor, describing it as his “long-time dream”.

Giving a rendition of how he went from governor to vice-president, he wrote: “After Obasanjo agreed to contest the PDP presidential primary, I went back to Adamawa to realize my long-time dream of governing my state. I was unanimously picked as the PDP governorship candidate for Adamawa state. Boni Haruna was my running mate.

“I won the January 9, 1999 governorship election, defeating my perennial rival, Bala Takaya of the All Nigeria People’s Party. The PDP held its national convention in Jos in January 1999 and Obasanjo defeated former vice president Alex Ekwueme to become the party’s candidate. He chose me as his vice presidential candidate. I was quite surprised as I had not shown any interest in the position. I wanted to govern my state, but that was not God’s will.”

However, the Turaki of Adamawa also said he was to be MKO Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, but was disappointed by him.

Abiola’s choosing of Babagana Kingibe as a running mate broke their agreement, he said.

Describing how Abiola disappointed him under a sub title, “To be president”, Atiku wrote: “Yar’ Adua and 12 other so-called banned politicians were arrested and detained on December 2, 1991 for participating in politics despite having been banned. He was released on December 20, 1991 after 17 days in detention. He was free to participate in politics again, the government said.

“We his associates persuaded him to join the race for presidency. He declared his interest on February 25, 1992 at City Hall, Lagos. He promised to create a united, stable and progressive Nigeria with a common purpose and vision. He was one of the 50 presidential aspirants of the two parties that participated in the six-zone presidential primaries from May 2 to June 20, 1992. I was Yar’ Adua’s campaign coordinator.

“I really wanted to see him become the president of this country. I had no doubt in my mind that he would have made a good president. He had vision and he knew how to bring good people together to achieve his goals.

“A the three-stage party primary was introduced, beginning in September 1992. By the end of the first round, Yar’ Adua had emerged the front-runner, beating prominent politicians in their strongholds. The Babangida administration cashed in on the unfounded allegations of rigging, thuggery and bribery and cancelled the primary results on November 17, 1999.

“All 23 presidential aspirants were also banned. The executives of the two parties were dissolved. A fresh presidential primary was announced. The handover date from military to civilian rule was extended to August 17, 1993.

“With Yar’ Adua banned, the group needed someone that its members could rally round. I was chosen unanimously to contest the presidential primary of our party. My influence, hard work and selfless contributions to the Yar’ Adua group as well as my loyalty to Yar’ Adua and my youthfulness (I was 46 years old) counted in my favour.

“The task before me was daunting. My closeness to Tafida (as I used to call him) also meant that I would inherit both his goodwill and his ill-will. I knew that those who did not want Yar’ Adua to become president could also stop me. But I was not deterred. I decided to run on the same ideas and vision that Yar’ Adua had espoused during his candidacy- a strong, united, democratic and prosperous Nigeria.

“Babagana Kingibe, a former member of the Yar’ Adua group who became SDP chairman because of the groups support, was also vying for the party’s presidential ticket. So was newcomer Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a wealthy businessman and newspaper publisher.

“I contested and won the SDP presidential primary in Adamawa state in March 1993. Moshood Abiola, 55 years old and Babagana Kingibe, 48, had also won in their respective states. Altogether, 27 of us from various states converged in Jos in March 1993 to contest the SDP presidential ticket at the national convention of the party.

“I campaigned on the need for a strong economy with agriculture as a top priority. I promised Nigerians that their collective interest would count first when far-reaching economic decisions were being taken. I said I would run a true federalism if elected president.

“To stop Kingibe, whom we all believed had betrayed our group, the Yar’ Adua group resolved to negotiate with Abiola. We would support Abiola’s candidacy for presidency in return for making me his running mate.

“We met Abiola and his key advisers and agreed to go to the Jos convention to push for an Abiola-Atiku ticket. Thereafter, we would harmonise our campaign structures and finances. At the end of the first ballot, Abiola came first, Kingibe came a close second. I came third.

“We met again with Abiola. We agreed that I should step down for Abiola in the final round of voting. I agreed to subordinate my personal ambition for the sake of democracy. I was ready for any personal sacrifice that could end military rule in Nigeria.

“In the two-way race between Abiola and Kingibe, Abiola triumphed over Kingibe. However, Abiola refused to honour the agreement to make me his running mate. He picked Babagana Kingibe.

“Yar’ Adua was angry over Abiola’s betrayal.”

Atiku declared his intention to run for president in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday.

THE CABLENG

Why I Want to Be President – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar yesterday declared his intention to seek the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest for the presidency for a third time, promising that if elected president, he would tackle insecurity, corruption and work to rebuild the country’s infrastructure in order to return Nigeria to better days.

Atiku’s declaration coincided with the condemnation by his party of President Goodluck Jonathan’s endorsement as the sole candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for next year’s presidential election.

Atiku, who blazed the trail yesterday by becoming the first presidential aspirant in any party in Nigeria to publicly declare his bid for the presidency, told a large audience of party supporters at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, venue of the event, that the country needs a strong, decisive, competent and visionary leadership to turn things around.

“We need a strong, dynamic, decisive, competent and visionary leadership that can halt the current drift of the ship of state, fight corruption, create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure, provide social services and tackle insecurity in a decisive, robust multi-pronged way. This is the change we want and deserve and this is the change the APC is primed to offer,” he said.

Speaking on his tenure as vice-president, Atiku said he and his boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, did their utmost best to reposition the affairs of the country and were able to retrieve Nigeria from the darks days as a pariah state to a country well loved and respected by the international community.

He said the string of achievements recorded during their tenure was made possible because of the vision, commitment and dedication of leadership.

“We re-integrated our country into the international community following years of isolation; we professionalised our armed forces; we embarked on fundamental economic reforms, articulated by an Economic Team, which I had the honour to chair.

“We focused on macroeconomic stability and transforming critical areas such as banking, insurance, oil and gas, telecommunications, pensions and the civil service reforms.

“We created novel institutions that would lay the foundation for good governance and accountability such as the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), SERVICOM, whose golden rule is ‘Serve Others as You Would Like to be Served’. Sadly, most of these institutions are now mere shadows of themselves.

“We also paid off nearly all of our foreign debt, which was crippling the country, we stabilised the exchange rate of the naira, as well as interest rates, and reduced inflation. What needed to follow was for these macroeconomic gains to be further translated into improved welfare for our people,” Atiku said.

He said with the reforms in the telecommunications sector, the administration was able to increase the number of functioning telephone lines from “200,000 at the inception of our administration to over 70 million by the time we left”.

According to him, the reforms they spearheaded also led to an increase in the market capitalisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) from N400 billion to over N8 trillion by 2007 and to nearly N13 trillion by 2008.

“We also handed over well-articulated master plans for the development of a multi-modular transportation system, including a contract for the modernisation of the railways. We also commenced the implementation of the Gas-to-Power master plan, with a target of 26,000mw of electricity expected to be delivered by 2015,” he added.

Atiku also spoke of his days in the public service, saying in his 20-year experience in the Nigerian public service, he was able to build a solid reputation as a diligent, honest, hardworking and innovative staff.
Buoyed by the cheers from the large crowd that spilled out of the Yar’Adua Centre, Atiku said his government would invest in people because people constitute the wealth of any nation.

“I want to lead a government that will invest in its people because people constitute the wealth of any nation. I want to lead a government that will create ‘A Nigeria for All’.  A Nigeria that is not about north or south, Christian or Muslim, but about a better tomorrow where every citizen will feel secure, act with patriotism, having assurance of the fulfillment of his or her aspirations.

“I want to lead a government that will rebuild the institutions of governance with zero tolerance for corruption and nepotism, where hard work and dedication are adequately rewarded.

“I want to assemble the best brains in the land and provide the political will and commitment so that jointly, and with the cooperation of all of you, build a Nigeria of our dreams,” he said.

The former vice-president, who said he would never give up on Nigeria, regretted what he described as a disturbing rise in ethnic nationalism and religious bigotry.

“This is promoting social tensions and mutual distrust amongst the people of Nigeria. All over the country, there are daily breaches of security resulting in the loss of lives and properties. Armed robbery, kidnappings and human trafficking continue to ravage many parts of the country. A bunch of extremist insurgents are hoisting strange flags on large areas of our territory that they claim to have conquered,” he said.

Atiku’s declaration for presidency yesterday was witnessed by some bigwigs of APC, including the party’s National Secretary, National Vice-Chairman (North-east) B.D Lawal, National Youth Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and Senator George Akume. However, none of the serving APC governors were present at the event.
Also various campaign groups, including the Turaki Vanguard, Turaki Network South-east, Save Nigeria Group, as well as various youth and women’s groups were present to witness Atiku’s formal declaration of his intention to contest next year’s presidency.

But as the former vice-president unfolded his bid for the presidency, his party, APC, took on the PDP over the ruling party’s endorsement of Jonathan as its sole candidate, calling the endorsement a mockery of democracy.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the endorsement had come at a great price to Nigerians, considering the obvious deals that were struck to make Jonathan the sole PDP candidate.

It said the parody of democracy that the endorsement represents has exposed the shameless hypocrisy of the PDP, which is ever so eager to accuse other parties of lacking in internal democracy.

“Obviously, those fellows in the PDP have never heard of the saying that those who must come to equity must come with clean hands. PDP, where is your own internal democracy now that you have turned your party into a fiefdom controlled by one and only one person only?

“While endorsements are part and parcel of democracy, they are never done to the exclusion of other candidates. This is simply not democratic. When then candidate Barrack Obama was endorsed by his party’s bigwigs to contest the US presidency, the party never excluded Hillary Clinton from its primaries. That’s how it is done,” APC said.

The party said the price being paid for Jonathan’s endorsement by Nigeria is simply too heavy, considering that the PDP governors, who spearheaded the endorsement have now secured perpetual immunity from prosecution by anti-graft bodies, including the EFCC and ICPC; automatic tickets for all first-term PDP governors, whether or not they have performed; and automatic tickets for all PDP governors running for the Senate, as well as the free ride back to the upper chamber for Senate President David Mark.

“It is now an Open Sesame for the PDP governors, who have no prying anti-corruption agencies watching over their shoulders. They can now simply see the commonwealth as an extension of their deep pockets.

“The endorsement is also a vote of approval for the proceeds of corruption that have been powering the noisy and outrageous Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN),” it said.

APC accused Jonathan of desecrating the country’s democracy because of his desperation for re-election, adding: “It is a cruel irony that a man who has benefited, more than anyone else, from this democracy has been the one who has been doing everything possible to undermine it.”

The party said the president has also abandoned domestic issues while seeking international relevance, in a clear negation of the aphorism that charity begins at home.

“This president has basically abandoned governance. Unprecedented corruption is mounting, insecurity stalks the land and Nigerians grope in darkness as power generation has plummeted. This president has yet to tell Nigerians the full involvement of his government in the $9.3 million that was illegally ferried to South Africa on a private jet.

“This president has yet to tell Nigerians why he has continued to hobnob with an alleged sponsor of Boko Haram, who is supposed to be under probe by his administration. Yet, he is eager to attend meetings with serious-minded leaders who have done well for their own people.
“Mr. President, it is only when you have achieved success domestically that you can parade yourself internationally. You cannot look good abroad if you look ugly at home,” APC said.

THISDAY

2015 elections will follow global practices -Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan late on Wednesday assured the international community that the 2015 general elections in Nigeria will be conducted in accordance with global best practices.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President gave the assurance at separate meetings with the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon and the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron, before leaving New York where he participated in the just-concluded United  Nations General Assembly.

The assurance is coming at a time there are fears in the country over possible postponement of the elections as a result of the insurgency being witnessed in the North East.

Jonathan however said the polls would be conducted in a manner that will further strengthen the country’s democratic institutions.

He said he was personally committed to making elections in Nigeria progressively better, freer and more credible.

“The President said in keeping with his administration’s dedication to openness and transparency in the conduct of public affairs, international observers will be allowed to freely monitor the 2015 elections and affirm that the elections are as free, fair and credible as his administration has promised,” the statement added.

Jonathan was reported to have thanked Mr. Ban Ki Moon and Cameron for their continuing support for Nigeria’s effort to curb terrorism, insurgency and violent extremism within its borders.

He added that the Federal Government will welcome more assistance from Britain, especially in the areas of intelligence sharing, anti-terrorism training and defence logistics.

At a later meeting with the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Margaret Chan, the President also expressed Nigeria’s appreciation of the support it received from the organisation for the successful containment of the Ebola Virus Disease.

Affirming that Nigeria was now Ebola-free, Jonathan called for greater international support to ensure that the virus is also eradicated in other West Africa countries that it continues to ravage.

“Nigeria is free of the virus now but we know that to be permanently free from it, we must remain  vigilant and work with WHO and the international community to eradicate it completely from our sub-region and forestall the possibility of its re-emergence on our shores through migration,” the President was quoted as telling Chan.

He also assured her that in spite of hindrances by insurgents, terrorists and violent extremists, the  Federal Government remained fully committed to eradicating polio from Nigeria in the shortest possible time.

Dr. Chan and Mr. Ban Ki Moon seized the opportunity of their meeting with Jonathan to commend his leadership on Nigeria’s successful effort to stop the spreading of the Ebola Virus.

No Single Case of Ebola in Nigeria, Says Chukwu

After months of battling the scourge of the highly-contagious Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Nigeria has been declared free of the hemorrhagic fever that has killed more than 2,800 people in West Africa.

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, according to an online news medium, TheCable, made the confirmation yesterday while speaking with Forbes ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

“Presently, there is no single case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria – none,” he said, adding: “No cases are under treatment, no suspected cases. There are no contacts in Lagos that are still under surveillance, having completed a minimum of 21 days of observation.”

The first case of the virus in Nigeria was recorded when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, arrived the country from Liberia on July 20. Though seven Nigerians lost their lives to Ebola, almost that number of people equally recovered from it. Similarly, Dan Nwomeh, Special Assistant to the minister on Media and Communication, corroborated the minister’s statement in that regard.
“Remaining 25 Ebola contacts in Nigeria located in Port Harcourt area have been discharged from surveillance.” “Nigeria no longer has any Ebola contacts under surveillance. All contacts have completed 21 days of observation,”he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international organisations have commended the Nigerian government for succeeding in preventing the disease from escalating into an epidemic.
Ever-since the outbreak of the virus in Feburary, an estimated it 5, 864 people have contracted particularly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the worst-hit countries.

Though Nigeria and Senegal have succeeded in containing the virus, the Democratic Republic of Congo presently  has about a dozen cases. The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected that between 550,000 and 1.4 million people stand the risk of contracting the disease in West Africa by January.

No Single Case of Ebola in Nigeria, Says Chukwu

After months of battling the scourge of the highly-contagious Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Nigeria has been declared free of the hemorrhagic fever that has killed more than 2,800 people in West Africa.

The Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, according to an online news medium, TheCable, made the confirmation yesterday while speaking with Forbes ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

“Presently, there is no single case of Ebola virus disease in Nigeria – none,” he said, adding: “No cases are under treatment, no suspected cases. There are no contacts in Lagos that are still under surveillance, having completed a minimum of 21 days of observation.”

The first case of the virus in Nigeria was recorded when Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American, arrived the country from Liberia on July 20. Though seven Nigerians lost their lives to Ebola, almost that number of people equally recovered from it. Similarly, Dan Nwomeh, Special Assistant to the minister on Media and Communication, corroborated the minister’s statement in that regard.
“Remaining 25 Ebola contacts in Nigeria located in Port Harcourt area have been discharged from surveillance.” “Nigeria no longer has any Ebola contacts under surveillance. All contacts have completed 21 days of observation,”he said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other international organisations have commended the Nigerian government for succeeding in preventing the disease from escalating into an epidemic.
Ever-since the outbreak of the virus in Feburary, an estimated it 5, 864 people have contracted particularly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the worst-hit countries.

Though Nigeria and Senegal have succeeded in containing the virus, the Democratic Republic of Congo presently  has about a dozen cases. The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) projected that between 550,000 and 1.4 million people stand the risk of contracting the disease in West Africa by January.

Why We Adopted Doctrine of First Refusal for Jonathan – Gov Dickson

• Akpabio: Sole presidential candidacy rattled opposition

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State yesterday explained why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) adopted the doctrine of “first refusal” in the selection of President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate for 2015 general election instead of resorting to unnecessary primaries.

The governor said the decision was taken to avoid the acrimony that follows such primaries in the past.

Dickson’s explanation came in as the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, described the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party to adopt President Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate as a well calculated exercise in democracy that rattled the opposition.

Akpabio, who made the declaration yesterday in Akwa Ibom State during the PDP performance publicity tour led by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said: “The opposition is rattled  because of the ability of the governors and leaders of the PDP to sacrifice their individual ambitions and rally behind the president who has performed exceedingly well.”

However, according to Dickson, such practices are common places in other democracies like the United States of America, where incumbent presidents are spared the humiliation of unnecessary primaries by the doctrine of first refusal.
He insisted that the action by the PDP governors and party leadership was to institutionalise the right of first refusal for an incumbent president and reduces cases of huge cost and in-fighting within existing political parties.

The governor lamented that this doctrine was misconstrued as “sole candidacy” by the media and the opposition groups, a situation, which he said had generated hiatus within the polity.

“It is not a declaration of sole candidacy. The term sole candidacy connotes a far cry from what we have done. What we have done is to stabilise the political system.

“What we have done is to say that we don’t want to subject our members to the costly and stressful experiences. What we have said is that once you are a president from a political party, you have a right of first refusal. It will reduce in-fighting and cost of lobbying and campaigns.

“What we have said is that if the head (President) has failed, the party looses elections. Whoever comes after Jonathan, will no longer have issues of intra-party conflicts, but will have the right to first refusal.

“In the first term of an administration, there is much in-fighting. If the right of first refusal had been institutionalised in the past, former President Olusegun Obasanjo wouldn’t have been subjected to such issues that came up before his re-election,” he said.

Dickson noted that democracy should not be about conflicts and unnecessary intrigue but by “institutionalising the right of First Refusal. If a candidate does not perform, the party is at risk losing election. It should not be termed a declaration of Sole Candidature.

“If President Jonathan refuses, the elective convention will be conducted. But what we are going to have in PDP now is a non-elective convention due to the acceptance of the right of first refusal by the president. This decision is provided for by the electoral law,” he stressed.

According to Akpabio, “The adoption by PDP’s NEC is democracy in action. In US that we are copying, the incumbent president does not go through primaries. We are not saying that the president will not face the general elections. So the idea of him spending presidential time instead of facing insurgency, food insufficiency and other things that may affect the country and begin to campaign for the party ticket when he is already the incumbent president is what we want to avoid. I think this is a very fantastic model of internal democracy.”

He said: “What we only said and did is, let’s sacrifice our individual ambition so that the president will have a second term. We are not saying that other people should not contest election, but that as PDP governors, we want to join hands and support him to win the second term. It does not mean that any person who wants to contest should not contest. We are indeed deepening democracy by sacrificing our own ambition,” he emphasised

The governor added that the PDP governors, by that decision, also resolved to stabilise the party and avoid the unfortunate situation that leaves the party fractured after primary elections.

“Instead of fracturing the party at the end of the convention, we want to move as one family to elect the presidential candidate at the convention. And that is democracy in action. So I don’t think anybody should criticise it, rather we should be commended for not behaving like past governors who by now, nine or 15 of them would have declared for presidency and then there would be confusion in the party.
“So the people who sacrificed their ambition to support the president should they be castigated or commended?  I must therefore thank the PDP NEC for adopting the position of the PDP governors. It is left for the national convention to ratify.  This is evidence that Nigeria is changing.

“ I think the opposition is rattled. Any time  the PDP makes a move and the opposition is criticising it, then you know that decision is biting them and if they praise you, you should be worried,” Akpabio stated.

THISDAY

Abducted Chibok Girl Found in Mubi

•  Military confirms killing Shekau’s impostor

• More insurgents surrender
By Daji Sani in Yola who travelled more than four hours to Mubi  to cover the story

One of the female students, named Susan, who was abducted by the Boko Haram sect from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State last April, was found by the police in the early hours of wednesday in Mubi, Adamawa State, two days after she was thrown off a truck by her captors, THISDAY has learnt.

This is just as the Defence Headquaters (DHQ) wednesday confirmed the death of an insurgent, who it claimed had been impersonating the leader of the terror sect, Abubakar Shekau, for over a year.

A senior police officer in Mubi confirmed that the girl was dropped off near the Divisional Police Headquarters in Mubi by locals who discovered her after she was thrown off a truck that was being used by insurgents to escape from Nigerian troops.

He said when the girl was found, she was incoherent, and had scars and injuries all over her body because she had been battered by her assailants, and left by the road by locals near the police station.
The police officer said Susan is one of the 219 Chibok girls, whose abduction had attracted the attention of the international community and a global coalition to find and rescue them.

He said the girl had old and fresh wounds and scars all over her body, with swollen legs because she had walked a long distance for two days after being thrown off the truck by her abductors.

“She had old and fresh wounds and her legs were swollen, may be because she trekked a long distance, and you could see marks on her body where she was mercilessly beaten by her abductors, I believe,” the senior police officer volunteered.

Another person, who identified himself as Mallam Musa, also informed THISDAY that the police yesterday morning found a young girl stranded on the road, near the police station.
He said the girl had fresh and old wounds on her body, adding that she had obviously been beaten and maltreated.

Musa said the young girl might have walked from Sambisa Forest, the enclave of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents, which transverses Adamawa and Borno States.

A security source in Mubi, also said he was certain that Susan is one of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
He informed THISDAY that the she had been handed moved by Mubi Police Command to the Yola Police Command in the Adamawa State capital.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Army Public Relations Officer, Captain Nuhu Jefaru of the 23 Amoured Brigade in Yola, were not successful, while the Public Relation Officer of the Police Command in Yola, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Michael Haa, said he was yet to receive any information on Susan.

However, the leader of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, in elated late night tweets, confirmed the discovery of Susan
Tweeting from her twitter handle @obyezeks at 11.17 pm, Ezekwesili announced the news of Susan’s rescue.

This came barely three hours after Ezekwesili had granted an interview to Aljazeera about the missing girls and the struggles of the BBOG group.

She wrote: “After the emotional upheaval of yesterday’s (Tuesday) dashed hopes, today came with the factual return of one of our 219 #ChibokGirls. She’s in trauma.

“One #ChibokGirl, miraculously found in a bush by locals and returned today, is confirmed by Chibok parents with her in Yola. Incredible!

“It is hard to comprehend the return of Susan who is yet incoherent. The locals that found her took her to Mubi Police and now moved to Yola.

“The eternal optimist that I am makes me see the return of Susan as a good sign for the rest of our 219 Chibok daughters. They shall return!!

“One hopes that our security/military would approach Susan’s return in a way that helps us learn more in the next couple of days.”

Giving more insight into Susan’s discovery, another member of the BBOG group, Ms. Hadiza Usman, informed THISDAY that the young girl was traumatised and incoherent when she was found by the police in Mubi.

She revealed that one of the Chibok parents travelled to Mubi and identified her, adding, “She has been moved from the Mubi police station to the Yola Police Command, following which she would be taken to the hospital this morning.”

She said the authorities tried to stabilise her so she could be debriefed, expressing hope that Susan’s release would give the security agencies some insight as to where other Chibok students who were kidnapped with her are held captive.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military yesterday confirmed the killing of Shekau’s imposter after a fierce battle for the control of the key town of Konduga.

Konduga is 35 kilometres from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and was repeatedly attacked by Boko Haram terrorists this month as they tried to take over Maiduguri in their bid to carve out an Islamic Caliphate.

Making this known during a press briefing at the DHQ in Abuja, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-General Chris Olukolade, gave the real identity of the downed terrorist leader, who appeared in the Boko Haram videos as Shekau’s double, as Mohammed Bashir.

He said Bashir (Shekau), who has other nicknames, including Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and Isa Damsaka, among others, was killed alongside other top sect commanders after five days of ruthless fighting in Konduga that lasted over five hours on each occasion.

The DHQ spokesman insisted that the original Shekau was dead but had been turned into a brand name, which any of his doubles such as Bashir could use to continue with their terror activities.

He said: “It is noteworthy that the terrorists made not less than four attempts between September 12 and 17, 2014 to violate the security and enter Konduga to perpetrate their atrocities. Air and land forces were subsequently deployed to handle the situation.

“The convoy of combat vehicles typical of terrorists’ mission that involves their top commanders was fiercely engaged by the land and air forces. Several terrorists including some of their top commanders lost their lives in the encounters, which lasted an average of about five hours each.

“The troops captured some of the terrorists and their equipment. In the course of those encounters, one Mohammed Bashir who has been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group, died.”

Olukolade explained that since “Shekau” had become a brand name for the terrorist leaders, the Nigerian military would remain resolute to serve justice on anyone, who assumes that designation or title as well as on all terrorists who seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria.

He said on restoring normalcy after the encounter that killed the Boko Haram henchman, the people of the community “who were victims of terrorists’ activities, corroborated information on the identity of Shekau’s double”.

Consequent upon the death of the Boko Haram commanders, Olukolade disclosed that an additional 133 terrorists on Tuesday evening surrendered along with their weapons to Nigerian troops around Biu Local Government Area.

“A group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bunu-Yadi, while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi-Michika in Adamawa State. They are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices,” he said.

The Defence Spokesman commended the gallantry of Nigerian troops, who he said, “have remained undaunted and professional in prosecuting this campaign against terror.”

He also commended the contribution of Nigeria’s international allies in the war against terror and assured them of the Nigerian military’s resolve to maintain the momentum in the effort to “decimate and defeat the terrorists”.

He however reminded all citizens of Nigeria and her allies on the need for more vigilance and cooperation with the security forces.

“Everybody is required to remain alert to ensure that we are not taken unawares by terrorist elements who might want to carry out isolated attacks in any part of our country,” he said.

THISDAY

Akpabio Berates Attah over Comments on State Creation

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, yesterday refuted the claim by the former governor of the state, Chief Victor Attah, that the latter (Attah) was responsible for the creation of the state in September 23, 1987.

In a state broadcast to mark the 27th year of the creation of the state, Akpabio argued that the creation of Akwa Ibom State was not an event; but was a process.
Attah had in a reception held in his honour on September 5, spoke extensively on the role he played in the creation of the state.

Attah had at the gathering that attracted more than a million people recalled how he used his closeness to the then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, for the creation of the state.

According to him, at a point he gave up when that didn’t come immediately; saying while in Kaduna in 1987, Babangida sent for him demanding to know if he (Attah) was no longer interested in a state for his people.

“This message therefore came as a bolt from the blue. I was shocked, but ecstatically surprised. I was asked to present yet another request for a state which I did.

“Sometime after that I was invited to the office of the Coordinator of National Security (CONS) at 12 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi and was asked to draw a map of what I thought should constitute the new state.

“After that I waited and then on September 23, 1987 came the announcement that Akwa Ibom and Katsina States had been created. My joy knew no bounds.
But Akpabio in a radio and television broadcast on Tuesday to the people of the state said the creation of the state was the culmination of the efforts which began by the forefathers at Afaha Oku in 1953, when they made the first demand for state creation in Nigeria.

“It was the reward of a relentless campaign by a determined people who stood together and kept tugging at the strings of justice until the walls came tumbling down. So how did it happen?

“Five months after the coup of August 1985 which heralded the General Ibrahim Babangida administration, Babangida set up a seventeen-member Political Bureau with Sylvanus J. Cookey as Chairman, and Abdullahi Augie as Executive Secretary.

“This bureau was set up on January 13, 1986. It was charged with a review of Nigeria’s democratic experience, appraising the socio-economic and political problems facing Nigeria, and developing a blueprint for our future democracy.

“In this context, the Bureau believed that the creation of more states was necessary in the interest of a much more balanced and stable federation.
“The bureau noted that the creation of more states would ease political and social tensions, which had bred instability and
frustrated the country’s march towards national greatness.

“Akwa Ibom people took advantage of this and we intensified our demand for a state of our own. We submitted memoranda upon memoranda to justify our demand,” he stated.

Akpabio said it was the intensified campaign by the people of the state and that of Katsina that made members of the Bureau unanimous in the agreement that Akwa Ibom and Katsina States should be created from Cross River and Kaduna States respectively.

“The people of these two states had waged the most relentless and strident campaign for states to be created for them. The Bureau submitted its report with several recommendations including the creation of these two states on March 26, 1987. The Babangida Administration accepted this recommendation and created Akwa Ibom and Katsina States on September 23, 1987.

“We saw in this gesture an act of God and concluded that it was a fulfilment of God’s promise to us. We named this blessed State the
“Land of Promise” in the faith that the promise of God was for everyone irrespective of ethnic group or tribe.

“Fully conscious of this, in 2007 I proposed that we should not only rest on God’s promise, we should also let His will be done in our State.

“Akwa Ibom people accepted my proposition and we began an experiment in handing over the State to God for direction, guidance and leadership.

“The end result had been the uncommon transformation of our dear State,” Akpabio declared.

Presenting the score card of his two years in office, Akpabio listed his achievement to include promotion of free an compulsory education policy; access to free healthcare services especially for children under five, the aged and pregnant women, completion of the Ibom International Airport with other facility; the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre project; a brand new Olympic-size Stadium and the Ibom Specialist Hospital, with a 308 bed space, at an advanced stage of completion.

Other projects listed include the Ibom Gas Processing Plant, which the President commissioned recently; the 4-Star Four Point hotel in Ikot Ekpene; the Ibom E-Library, the first of its kind in West Africa; the Akwa Ibom State University etc.

He boasted of over 95 per cent rural electricity coverage in the state (the national average is 17 per cent); empowered youths and women in various fields of agro-businesses; built and equipped five brand new General Hospitals, in addition to other cottage and medical centres.

The governor named other projects that are ongoing or nearing completion across the state to include the dualised Uyo-Ikot Ekpene road; dualized Eket – Etinan road; dualised Eket – Ibeno road – all with streetlights, and many other projects.

As his stewardship comes to an end less than 8 months from now, Akpabio charge the people of the state not to allow tribalism and ethnicity and the gods of hatred and bitterness divide them.

“Choose whether you want to follow injustice and divisiveness and deny the good People of Eket senatorial district their right. But as for my house and me, we will serve the Lord and toe the paths of justice, equity and fairness,” he declared.

THISDAY

Military Confirms Killing of Shekau Impostor, As 200 Boko Haram Members Surrender

•As over 200 terrorist surrender

By Senator Iroegbu

The Nigerian military has after several days of speculation officially confirmed the killing of the impostor of the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau after a fierce battle for the control of key town of Kondunga, which 35 kilometer to Maiduguri, Borno State Capital.

This was announced Wednesday at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja during a press briefing by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade.

Olukolade said that the real name of the  terrorist leader whose images appear in the Boko Haram videos as Abubakar Shekau, is Mohammed Bashir.

He said that Bashir (Shekau) who has other nicknames,  including Abacha Geidam and Damasack amongst others were killed alongside other top Sect Commanders after five days of ruthless fighting in Konduga that lasted over five hours on each occasion.

According to the DDI, the original Shekau is dead and turned to a brand, which any of his double such as Bashir could use to continue in their insurgent activities.
Consequent upon the death of the Boko Haram Commanders, Olukolade disclosed that a total of additional 135 terrorists have as at Tuesday evening surrendered along with their equipment to the  Nigerian troops around Biu Local Government Area.

“A group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bun-Yadi while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi-Michika. They are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices”, he said.
Details to follow

THISDAY