RINGIM’S LAST MOMENTS

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•Ringim’s last moments
From MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Thursday, January 26, 2012

• Ringim

After several weeks of intense lobby and battle to secure his office, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Hafiz Ringim was shown the exit door yesterday, as President Goodluck Jonathan bowed to pressure and announced an Assistant Inspector General of police (AIG), Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, as his replacement. President Jonathan also announced the retirement of all the six Deputy Inspectors Generals of police (DIGs).

They are Mrs. Ivy Okoronkwo who was second-in-command to Ringim, and Mr. Azubuko Udah, who was the DIG ‘A’ Department. Others are Messrs Sarduana Abubakar, Audu Abubakar, Saleh Abubakar, and Mohammed Yesufu.

Out of the six DIGs, two of them, namely, Audu Abubakar and Saleh Abubakar, were due for retirement on March 1, 2012. Others had a period of about one or three years to remain in the service. For instance, while Ringim’s second-in-command, Mrs. Okoronkwo was to retire on August 1, 2013, the DIG ‘A’ Department, Azubuko Udah, was expected to bow out of the force on August 1, 2014, and the DIG ‘E’ Department, June 5, 2013.

The statutory date due for retirement for the DIG ‘F’, Mohammed Yesufu, is April 30, 2014. Ringim’s sack came amid efforts by an influential clique of high ranking officers in the security community to shield him from the sledgehammer, which had dangled over his head for about six months, following the spate of bombings and rising insecurity across the country.

Daily Sun learnt that the ex-IGP, who was expected to retire from service on March 1, was asked by President Jonathan to prepare his handing over notes yesterday at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He had been summoned to the Villa earlier in the morning. Indications that the Jigawa State-born number one cop might have lost the battle to retain his job emerged shortly after he departed the Aso Rock Villa at the end of a closed-door meeting with the President on Tuesday.

Sources hinted that Ringim’s mood was in sharp contrast with his usually boisterous self as he drove out of the presidential villa, where he had earlier shunned the State House correspondents, as he pleaded to be left alone. Checks indicated that after the meeting with President Jonathan on Tuesday, the ex- IGP drove to his official residence located at the Maitama District of Abuja, where he pulled off his uniform and spent some hours before he left for his office under the cover of darkness at about 8:00pm. He rode to his office in an SUV and back-up car, without the usual blare of siren.

His mission to the office at that period could not be ascertained, but it was believed that he might have been there to remove his personal belongings, since he got wind of his replacement on Tuesday. He reportedly told some of his close aides before leaving to see President Jonathan yesterday morning that his time was up.

Speculations on Ringim’s removal were rife as early as 10:00am yesterday, amid conflicting signals in respect of the official quarters from where the pronouncement would be made. Suspense and anxiety mounted as reporters awaited an official statement on his sack from the Presidency, the Ministry of Police Affairs, or Police Service Commission [PSC].

But by 2.30pm, reports indicated that AIG Mohammed Abubakar, who was in charge of the Zone 12 police command with headquarters in Bauchi, had been flown from his base aboard a presidential jet to Abuja. And by 4:00pm, it was confirmed that the new IGP was at the villa where he met with President Jonathan and departed at about 5:10pm. As at press time, the new IGP was being awaited at the police force headquarters.

TERRORIST OUTRAGES: IT’S UNFAIR TO BLAME JONATHAN!

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Terrorist outrages: It’s unfair to blame Jonathan!
From the Other Side By Lindsay Barret
Thursday, January 26, 2012

It has become commonplace for some commentators to accuse Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of everything from negligence to incompetence as a consequence of the outrages perpetrated against innocent Nigerians by the dreaded “Jamatul Ahlil Sunnah lit daawati wal jihad” generally called “Boko Haram”. Since the Kano debacle we have been fed with various forms of “expert advice” from many who claim to have the answer to what is fast becoming Nigeria’s greatest aberration.

Many have of course called for the sacking of the security chiefs, and one can hardly blame them. The disgraceful revelations of what is beginning to look like collusion rather than confusion in the behavior of some security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police, justifies almost any allegation of professional delinquency on the part of these bodies. For example, the presence of Commissioner Zakari Biu in the police force without any apparent qualified scrutiny, given his well-documented record of abuse of office in the past, beats the imagination. But the President could not be expected to personally monitor the deployment of rogue appointees. It was a serious breach of both professional intelligence and ordinary common sense for someone with Biu’s antecedents to have been put in charge of such a sensitive assignment.

The interrogation and investigation of a miscreant with the profile of the individual who is now being described as the mastermind behind the Madalla Christmas Day bombing should have been handled by the State Security Service (SSS) right from the outset. From the moment that he was captured the suspect should have been in the custody of what is assumed to be the most effective arm of state security without any chance of escape. The coincidental timing of his escape and the terrifying outrage in Kano has raised the criminal profile of the terrorist organization, which has warned all commentators to desist of from calling it “Boko Haram”.

This organisation now poses a serious threat to the common good in Nigeria as a whole even though so far its most determined attacks and operations have been concentrated in some Northern states. The provocation of sentiments of resistance and chauvinistic protectionism in some Southern states will certainly follow the outrage in Kano although the victims of this outrage have overwhelmingly been people of Northern origin who in many cases were adherents of the Islamic faith. Those who claim to be the perpetrators have made it clear that they wish to provoke a division of national interests. Their pre-attack warning, which was widely circulated in Kano for days before the actual operation commenced indicated that their targets would be the agents of government enforcement and security that they regarded as having targeted their members.

This same document characterised “Christians” as collaborators with the official agencies. This showed that while the perception of their rationale is widely allied to religious bigotry their true purpose is even more sinister. The perpetrators of this outrage are determined to impose anarchy on the society in pursuit of an improbable objective. Dr. Jonathan cannot by any stretch of the imagination be accused of having created the climate for such an intrinsically destructive agenda. Even though the security apparatus of the government, which he largely inherited rather than created, has been impotent in confronting the rise of terror represented by these outrages it is wrong to attribute the tragic development to the failure of the government that he is presiding over. To do so would be to legitimise terror as an instrument of change. The slaughter of innocents cannot and should not be condoned on any count and those political opportunists who have been quick to point fingers at the President are not helping matters at all.

It is very easy for us to point fingers but we should not forget the old adage that says “When one finger points at others four point back at the pointer (accuser).” The underlying focus of the problem represented by the rise of home-made terrorism keeps changing as the nature of the outrages change. Let us not forget that last year’s UN bombing forced us to consider the extent of international collaboration and what the ultimate objective of the core perpetrators might be. Since then we have heard of territorial and religious motives for continuing outrages but one thing that has been clear is that the main purpose of the perpetrators has been to intimidate ordinary citizens and create chaos. Unfortunately they have achieved what can be described as a qualified success in promoting their agenda.

It is quite clear that the security apparatus of the state has failed either to adjudge the extent and strategic weight of the terrorist organisation or to comprehend the true nature of its organisational form. The success of its tactical initiative of surprise uprisings in increasingly populous and strategically important metropolises has signaled the existence of a formal plan and motives that are quite predictable. In spite of this the security forces have constantly been wrong-footed by the perpetrators of these outrages. They have continually claimed to be making headway against these forces while consistently being taken by surprise. In fact it is becoming quite clear that Dr. Jonathan has been misled by his security advisers to the same extent that he appears to have been misled by some of his economic advisers over the likely consequences of the abrupt removal of the fuel subsidy. It is unfair to accuse a leader of causing problems caused by circumstances that precede his tenure but he must be answerable for the consequences of condoning inefficiency and accepting bad advice.

These are the only grounds on which the outrages in the North could possibly be blamed on Dr. Jonathan but in the present circumstances he is clearly not entirely at fault. Just as his advisers on the economic and social fronts have come equipped with impressive recommendations his security advisers lay claim to impressive professional credentials. What is becoming increasingly obvious is that the level of threat to the overall stability of the nation that is being faced by the Jonathan Administration is unprecedented. Those of us who can remember the period preceding the start of the Nigerian Civil War find the present circumstances frighteningly similar if not even more distressing. The fundamental differences between the form of the nation then and now could easily conspire to aggravate negative sentiments of territorial distrust. In the sixties Nigeria was a flawed federation replete with inequalities among the four regions.

Today Nigeria is an even more flawed federation beset by diverse interests and objectives being manipulated by the political leaders of thirty six unequal states. Dr. Jonathan bears no responsibility either for the foundation on which the nation that he leads is built or for the fundamental processes that have undermined its stability. Nevertheless he cannot totally extricate himself from blame over the failings of the security and other forces under him. He must restore confidence in the ability of government to anticipate and react with courage to a strategy of unprecedented brutality, but he cannot accept blame for the emergence of this strategy. Those who want him to admit culpability are overlooking the true dangers that the new terrorist element poses in Nigeria’s historic evolution. They are suggesting that regional equity is a secondary element in defining leadership in Nigeria. That suggestion spells doom for the nation. Under the present circumstances Dr. Jonathan cannot be accused of setting the stage for this.

MY SOUR TALE OF WAR VICTIMS –ADA AGBASIMALO

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My sour tale of war victims –Ada Agbasimalo
By DAMIETE BRAIDE
Thursday, January 26, 2012

•Ada Agbasimalo

War is never an antidote or the best way to resolve issues. This is because war usually has its negative consequences on society. In her new book, The Forest Dames, Ada Agbasimalo, educates readers on her war experiences that must be told to free the mind and prick the conscience of the agitators.

Agbasimalo has written two books entitled Bow You Must and Waves of Destiny which draws the attention of the reader to male/female relations aside exploring avenues to set it right by creating room and space. The books both paint the picture of the strength of womanhood, oftentimes undermined.

In a recent chat with Daily Sun, Agbasimalo spoke on why she went into self-publishing, how she copes with writer’s block and the kind of words she uses in her works.

My new book
The Forest Dames is a novel based on war experiences that must be told in order to free the mind, disseminate information and prick the conscience of war agitators. It is a true life story that was fictionalized.
The book tells the story of a young girl who lived with her parents in the relatively calm and peaceful British colony of Nigeria, where shortly after independence compatriots went for each other’s throats. This soon exploded into a full blown civil war and from that time onwards, nothing was ever the same again.

The war came with ugly incidences, one of which was the hunt for and abduction of girls and women to be forcibly converted to bed-mates. Families sought hiding places for their ‘eligible’ females but these hide-outs were soon discovered through the power of and intimidation from the gun. Two women however decided that their daughters would never be made victims. They found a ‘safe haven’ for their daughters – the evil forest where the roars of wild animals were continually heard. But this is nothing compared to the brutal termination of lives and wanton destruction of properties through air, land and marine attacks; including starvation that was the order of the day, and which placed the final death mark on the people.

The forest dames, four in number, survived the war and one of them decides to tell the unfortunate story of the elasticity of human suffering. All four dames are still alive and can be reached for further interactions. One of the brave mothers is also still living. The main character is Deze, a young girl with keen mind who lived with her parents in an African setting and observed the Biafran war between the late 60s and early 1970. Upon becoming an adult, the memories remain intact, haunting her.
The Forest Dames is astrident voice detailing and condemning potentially malignant actions that continue to impede the development of African nations and indeed parts of the Third World…

Why I went into self-publishing
My first two books were equally self-published. I think the question should be ‘why did you publish abroad? My first two books were ill-published and as a result received less attention than they deserved. Furthermore the publishing and marketing strategies were faulty.

This time the book is so finely published that it is delightful to hold and read. It is clean and properly aligned and bound; unlike my first book where sometimes page 40 comes before page 19 and some pages are upside down, while others are blank; and the printing blotted. It was very embarrassing. Anyway the book was published in 1999 and I think that by now things must have changed. Let no one get me wrong, I don’t mean that there are no great publishers in Nigeria; I was just not fortunate enough to get their attention. And you know what they say about being once beaten and doubly shy.

My previous books
My first two books are entitled Bow You Must (1999) and Waves of Destiny, (2006). They both draw attention to male/female relations and explore avenues of creating room and space for all because as it is said, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The books paint the picture of the strengths of womanhood, oftentimes undermined. Since I have been told by many that they are very good books, I am republishing them. I have retouched them and will soon get them republished because people are actually calling for those books.

Inspiration
The same drive that inspired me to write my first two books – passion. But there are many interestingly incredible and intriguing things that happened in the past in Nigeria that must not be waved away with the hand. For knowledge sake, it is only fair to allow those who do not know to know. Several stories have been told about the strategies and logistics of the civil war fought in Nigeria before many were born. Several people have read them but not many stories exist in book form about what happened at home while the war raged at the battle grounds. A lot of the stories are based on hearsay but when one emerges from a situation and decides to narrate the experience, it is usually different, and if the narrator happens to be so strong-willed as to promise herself that she would not like to depart mother earth without letting the world have a different dimension of the story, then that becomes the big reason behind writing the book.

Why it took me some years before coming up with a new book
I wanted the book to be well cooked, well brewed, if you like. I really hope I achieved that. Also there was a lot of back and forth movements between me and the publishers. Some of my editors delayed the book and sometimes I needed to confirm some issues before going further while at other times the manuscript had to be retrieved for modification. All these contributed and besides, I was tied down somewhere and had little or no time to attend to my book matters. Thank Goodness I got free and focused on my book, and here it is. It is on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and several other online marketers.

My target audience in the Forest Dames
My work is classified under the adult category, as opposed to children’s books. But my work is so clean that young adults and teenagers can read and understand it. My target audience therefore is every literate adult. The Forest Dames is targeted at everybody who wants to know why war is not an option or alternative and why we must flee from the idea of war. Since everybody is expected to know, the book is targeted at everybody, virtually.

Choice of words in the new book
I said earlier that even young adults can read my books. This is because they are written in a fluid, simple and proper grammatical format. It is standard but if some however find the need to consult their dictionary to understand certain portions, it is all part of the merit of the book and that aids the learning process.

Advice to upcoming writers
Do not be in a hurry. Do not venture into areas you know nothing about. Do not steal other people’s ideas, be original and if you do borrow any one’s ideas, be humble enough to acknowledge them. Even after your book has been reviewed, read it again, in between lines because it is your book, you know what you mean in everything you write. Avoid ambiguity and repetitions. Keep it simple, It is not true that the bigger the grammar, the better for the book. Do not set out writing for money, write for satisfaction first then fame and money can come later. Identify with other writers and ask questions when you don’t understand. Do not procrastinate, start now.

How I cope with writer’s block
Writer’s bock is inevitable, even when you are writing about something you have on your finger tips. When it happens to me, I literarily close shop for a while. In the interim, I watch stupid films to unwind, I read other people’s books, I play and dance to my favorite music, crack jokes and just feel happy all the way. Sometimes I keep away from writing for months and that also causes delay in completing the work. Writer’s block is good because it forces the writer to slow down a bit.

BAFARAWA IS A COMMITTED IDEOLOGUE

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Bafarawa is a committed ideologue
By Kande Ibrahim
Thursday, January 26, 2012

I refer to BROKEN TONGUES of Thursday, December 23, 2011 on Sokoto politics especially as it concerns Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and wish to interject as follows.
Since the return of Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, the former Governor of Sokoto State, to his original party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), many of those who are not familiar with his politics have tended to give a mischievous interpretation to his action. While some feel that Bafarawa is not committed to any political idea, others are of the impression that his main objective is to grab power from whatever political platform.

Those who hold these views have their right to speculate or guess. Unfortunately, their guess or speculation is very much off the mark. As a politician, Bafarawa is driven by the belief that the people are the fulcrum of governance. His interest always is to adopt an approach in governance or in politics that will ensure that the dividends of democracy reach the people, especially those at the grassroots.

As one of the founding fathers of ANPP, Barafawa ensured that those who were elected under the platform of the party respected this guiding principle of the party. That was why as the Governor of Sokoto State, he embarked upon projects and programmes that impacted very positively on the people. It is an indisputable fact that Bafarawa’s record in the area of road construction, for instance, remains unequalled by any Governor, past or present, in Nigeria. Even the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was so impressed by Bafarawa’s stride in this area that he christened him ‘Road Master”. But this is just an example. The fact is that Bafarawa has a political idea which goes beyond the confines of political association.

As someone who made ANPP proud as a performing Governor, Bafarwa left the party not because of any selfish political pursuit. He left because the then leadership of the party was infiltrated by external elements who, with the backing of the Presidency, ensured that the party was weakened and incapacitated for serious electoral contest. When he could not rescue the party from the stranglehold of the quislings within and the scavengers from outside, Bafarawa left to form the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). However, the fact remains that even though the DPP was different in name, it was one and the same thing with ANPP in terms of ideology and focus. What this means is that Bafarawa may have left ANPP because certain circumstances forced him to do so, but he did not leave behind the kernel of the party. He went away with it and nurtured it afresh in DPP.

It is significant to note that the powers-that-be at that time who dictated who would be what from Abuja were very much aware of Bafarawa’s game plan. He wanted to use the DPP to keep Sokoto State intact. They had destabilized the ANPP believing that it was the end of Bafarawa’s political journey. But when he took the soul of ANPP and relaunched it in DPP, the forces after him were afraid. They became jittery. That was why they entered into an emergency coalition with the ANPP they had destroyed. They got the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to acquire the remnants of ANPP with the aim of fighting Bafarawa at the polls. But the alliance could not muster the strength to face up to DPP. But because they were desperate to shove Bafarawa aside, the presidency moved in, using all instruments of coercion and suppression. That was how they manipulated the 2007 elections in the state and awarded victory to PDP which did not have a stronghold in Sokoto.

Regardless of what the Presidency did to decapitate DPP, the fact remains that the party was the people’s choice because its leadership broadly represented by Bafarawa was focused on better life for the people. It did not therefore matter that Bafarawa left ANPP at the time he did. What was important was that he remained committed to the ideology that recognized the primacy of people in politics and governance.
The reason behind Bafarawa’s exit from DPP should also be properly understood. Those who know anything about party politics will appreciate the fact that expediencies play a big role in deciding or determining the direction of politics. In Sokoto State, DPP fought a good fight at that material time. But it was muzzled out of the way by a high level conspiracy that included the judiciary. Of course we all are living witnesses to how the political perfidy visited on DPP by powerful forces destroyed the very fabric of the judiciary in Nigeria. But that is a story for another day.

The point being made is that DPP served its purpose. But the need arose for Bafarawa to join forces with other democrats who want to wrest power from PDP in order to bring about good governance in Nigeria. Thus, the idea of a mega party came up. The arrowheads were General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Unfortunately, the idea of a mega party could not fly. The political actors who were supposed to make it happen, for whatever reason, went their separate ways. Buhari joined the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and was later to become its presidential candidate. Atiku returned to PDP. Bafarawa was left alone with Tinubu. At this point, the idea of a mega party had died.

But one thing was clear-Bafarawa did not lose focus. He still remained committed to his political ideals.
At the time the idea of a mega party fizzled out, the ANPP in Sokoto State had also been milked dry by PDP. The PDP had got what it wanted and did not need ANPP anymore. But what gain did the people of Sokoto State derive from this? The people took a hard look at what PDP was giving them in terms of governance in the state and decided that they will bring back their man, Bafarawa. Thus began the move to get him to return to ANPP and reinvigorate it.

Since Bafarawa’s political philosophy and ideas are still embedded in those of ANPP, he had no difficulty making up his mind. The decision to return to ANPP was not borne out of selfish motive. It was done in the interest of the people of Sokoto State.
If Bafarawa were a political prostitute as some uninformed people would have us believe, he would have joined the PDP. After all, there was much pressure on him to join PDP in 2007 so that he would retain power in the state. Bafarawa rebuffed such overtures because he does not believe in PDP’s philosophy and ideals. It is only a committed ideologue like Bafarawa that will remain true to his political convictions. If he were not, he would have joined the PDP where anything goes.

Bafarawa therefore needs to be commended for his decision to return to ANPP. He is on a rescue mission. He has come to bring back the lost glory of the party. The party used to be strong when the likes of Bafarawa held sway. It lost steam following its decapitation by the Presidency. Today, some of the founding fathers of the party like Bafarawa are poised to reclaim has soul.

Ibrahim writes from Abuja.

BOKO HARAM: KANO CAN URGES CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS TO PRAY FOR DIVINE INTERVENTION

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Boko Haram: Kano CAN urges Christians and Muslims to pray for divine intervention
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kano State chapter, has called on both Christians and Muslims in the country to pray for divine intervention over the incessant attacks by members of Boko Haram.

The Islamist sect’s many attacks had claimed hundreds of lives. The Kano blast killed 166 people last Friday. The body also appealed to the non-indigenes, fleeing from the state, to stay, noting that God is in charge. Making the call on Wednesday, the CAN state chairman, Bishop Ransome Bello, said the exodus is not a solution to the present predicament facing the country, while insisting that with prayers, all things are possible.

He observed that there is no place where both good and bad human beings do not co-exist, insisting that the Almighty God would one day touch their hearts to retrace their steps for good. He noted that they have received a tremendous support from the Muslim community in the state who have continued to assure them that they too condemned the killings.

He appealed to both the religious and traditional rulers in the state to use their positions to dialogue with Boko Haram beacuse they are human beings who are given to reason.
Bishop Bello called on the state government to consider the advice given by members of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) on the need to establish the state and local government chapters.

Secretary of CAN, Apostle Isaac Bello, urged all to embrace peace, saying no tangible development can take place in any society characterized by chaos and anarchy.

ONIGBINDE WARNS NIGERIA AGAINST FIFA’S HAMMER

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Onigbinde warns Nigeria against FIFA’s hammer
By MERCY JACOB
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Onigbinde

FIFA and CAF instructor, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has warned against FIFA’s hammer against the country, saying that NFF doesn’t need to inform the House of Representatives before changing its name.

“It is better that both parties come together and discuss, to avoid FIFA’s hammer. I want to advise those who are already in jubilation mood to hold their peace because this problem will degenerate to what will not favour Nigerian football, even though, I believe that Nigerian football needs re-organisation but that is not the way to do it, from the FIFA Statutes, NFF doesn’t owe House of Representatives any obligation to inform it before changing its name.

Meanwhile, Onigbinde said that Nigeria was not missed at the on-going Africa Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Before the present edition, many almost believed that Nigeria had a God-given right to participate at the biennial African showpiece, stressing that the competition without the country would lose its shine.

But having watched proceedings a few days after the start of the African football premier championship, Chief Onigbinde said he had come out with the verdict that the football fiesta had its glamour fully intact without Nigeria.

“For me, the Nations Cup is bubbling without anybody missing the so called big names in African football, who is conspicuously absent as result of her inability to qualify for the African World Cup. The insinuations of not having a high competitive game at the event are all false. In fact, with the way football is growing in Africa, time would come when all these countries who are not known in football would take over the African football fiesta. In football, names don’t play football, neither do names achieve result, if you fail to plan well, you should not expect to achieve good result.

As far as I’m a concerned, the 16-team currently jostling for the prestige African trophy are the best we have in the continent for now. The only thing all the teams missing in this tournament should do is to fight hard to be in the next competition coming up next year in South Africa.

PDP IS FINISHED IN ZAMFARA—LIMAN, GOV’S AIDE

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PDP is finished in Zamfara—Liman, gov’s aide
From ATTAHIRU AHMED, Gusau
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Kabiru Sahabi Liman is Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planing, Zamfara State, and a former member of the state House of Assembly. In this interview, he said with the recent court verdict that upheld the election of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, the era of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state is over. Excerpts:

Governor Abdulaziz Yari
Abdulaziz Yari is a gentleman with vision and mission of transformations. Something keeps telling me that he has people in mind. One interesting thing about him is when he speaks, you can quote him. He does not double speak. When God gave him the mantle of leadership, his desire to transform the state was too glaringly. He has the zeal and love for the state to progress. He wants to see that the state meets with other states in terms of rapid transformation. The first 100 days of his administration was remarkable. The people are begining to marvel about his achievements.

ANPP in the eyes of the people
I do not think anybody that has the love of the party and the state at heart would say the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) is not strong. It was true during our campaign there was intense struggle and high politicking in the party. ANPP has been the ruling party for eight years. The defection of former governor Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi to PDP did not shake us even for one day. ANPP members passed through vigorous test before the last April general elections that saw Yari as governor.

PDP has no chance in Zamfara State
The era of PDP in Zamfara politics is over. More than 90 per cent of the electorate in the state are members of ANPP. We knew how the election was won and we would build on that and evolve strategies to better the lives of our teeming supporters. Apart from that, the governor has promised to transform the state. People have started seen development. There is no vacancy in Zamfara Government House. Yari is the people’s choice and our choice for the betterment of the state. God has choosen him for us.

Court verdict upholding Yari’s election
With the recent verdict, it has vindicated the judiciary. It also proved that there is rule of law in this country. Before the ruling, some thought the governor was going to lose his seat. But we were confident that victory would be ours. We have capable and competent lawyers, we trusted them and they gave us the assurance that victory would be ours. We beat them in this round, Insha Allah, we will beat them again.

Appeal Court
No shaking at all, nothing will change. It would remain by the power of God whom we trust and believe. The mistake of the PDP is that they are looking at the whole thing from political point of view. I am appealing to them to accept the wish of Allah. Allah gives power to who ever He likes at the time He wants it. Let them understand that this is the governors time and no person on earth can change the wish of God.

The governor and his party are both for the winners and the losers. To build the state is a collective responsibility. Nobody from outside will do it for us. I want to appeal to aggrieved members to join hands with us in building the state. We want to make the state strong both socially and economically. We can only suceed if we are united and support one another.

Here’s how ECOWAS ended up with a War Chest of $US252million (3)…

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Accidental ECOWAS & AU Citizen: Here’s how ECOWAS ended up with a War Chest of $US252million (3), and How the African Integration narrative is far from over!

By E.K.Bensah Jr

Last week, I touched on proposals for innovative financing paths; the case of ECCAS and its levy on imports; the case of UEMOA/CEMAC; and the case of ECOWAS.

On the proposals, you may re-call that a study by the AU commission had proposed no less than eight scenarios, which included (a) tax on imports; (b)tax on revenue from hydrocarbon exports; (c)tax on insurance premiums; (d)levy on airline tickets, but that the AU had proposed three, which are: : (i) levy on imports from the rest of the world; (ii)levy on airline tickets; and (iii)levy on insurance policies.

ECCAS has a levy, which it calls community contribution for integration (CCI), which is calculated as 0.4%. UEMOA’s levy rate is 1%, whereas ECOWAS’s is 0.5% of the value of goods imported from third countries. So far, so straightforward. The real story and one I hope has left one salivating long enough is how on earth ECOWAS ended up with a so-called ?war-chest? of 252million. If you know your figures for how much ECOWAS made between 2007 and 2009 from imports, it is not difficult at all to understand how between that period, it managed to bag that amount.

In ECOWAS, during 2007 and 2009, revenue from the Community levy amounted to US$230, 314 and 360 million respectively. In that same period, the approved budgets of ECOWAS institutions run to US$160, 220 and 274 million, respectively. This left a positive balance of US$72, 94 and 86 million, respectively.

It is clear that in the three years, ECOWAS achieved ?a cumulative positive balance of US$252million? and recorded in its books as carried forward earnings. This balance is what the AU’s ?Bulletin of Fridays of the Commission? considers a veritable ?war chest?, offering ECOWAS ?considerable leeway in implementing its mandate?. There are two significant things about this development. First, that while the world was going through the financial crisis in 2008, here was West Africa, through its innovative fund-raising mechanisms raising revenue and secondly, getting a surplus for good measure.

Levy on Insurance Policies and airline tickets: Africa Solidarity tax

Even after all this good news on financing African integration, the story is not quite over ? as exemplified by discussions on more levies. In this specific proposal, which is also known as ?a citizen tax?, the idea is to get this levy to involve ?all African citizens? through insurance subscriptions: automobile and real estate. Heath insurance is exempted.

The so-called ?solidarity tax? is so-named because most of the tax is supposed to come from G8 and G20, and can be applied to flights leaving Africa and with destinations in Africa; flights departing from Africa with destinations outside Africa, with the Commission of the African Union proposing US$2 for short distances, and US$5 for ling distances.

How Senegal innovatively-finances (integration)?and way forward?

Truth be told, ECOWAS member state Senegal has been doing this for a while. In the country, the tax applies only to flights departing from airports in the country. Collection of the levy is done through IATA for all airlines associated with it. At its monthly payment operations, IATA pays the share due Senegal into a bank account (escrow account) held with the BNP Paribas.

If we stop and reflect on this for a nano-second, can we really say we need to continue depending on donors, or is it perhaps not time to re-consider that fallacy of needing an ?aid-exit? plan to woo investors and so-called FDI? If we can get past this mindset ? and I believe the sub-region has the capacity to do so, as exemplified by my post last year where I expatiated on how instrumental the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development has been ? then the sky will certainly offer itself as the proverbial limit on seed funding for continuing the narrative of African integration which continues to be written summit after summit.

AU summit: 23?30 January, 2012
Speaking of which, this week of 23 January is a great week for African integration as between 23 and 30 January, the AU hosts its 18th summit in the home of the AU, with the theme ?Boosting Intra-African Trade?.

Reports online indicate that although the main theme is intra-African trade, it will be a significant summit for the manner in which it will cover the following topics: Election of the Chairperson; the Deputy Chairperson and the other commissioners; the state of peace and security in Africa in relation to the North Africa Revolution; the issues of ?shared values?: good governance; elections and human rights; the humanitarian situation in Africa; the review protocol of the African Court of Justice and human rights; the future of the Pan-African Parliament; the way forward on the political transformation of the AU.

It goes without saying that this will be the first AU summit without Gaddafi, and also the first that will include the full participation of the new Libyan and Egyptian authorities. It remains an exciting time for the AU on account of the fact that the AU is no less than 10 years this September. No less than the Chinese President Hu Jintao will be in Addis to officially hand over the new gargantuan AU Headquarters to the African Heads of State.

In 2009, in his capacity as a ?Do More Talk Less Ambassador? of the 42nd Generation?an NGO that promotes and discusses Pan-Africanism–Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel owns “Critiquing Regionalism” (http://critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on [email protected] / Mobile: +233-268.687.653.

Articles by Emmanuel K. Bensah Jr.

I Address The Root Of Nigeria And All Who Water Its Evil.

News Ghana
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I come to you, Nigeria and Nigerians, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. I stand here today as a slave, made from nothing, and then created by God through His Word, Jesus the Christ. I’ve gone through my own faults, Oh Lord, as your servant in search of your best. I’m a child of the Creator of the best things; this I know better. I come to you today, my people, because we are all one in God. But we must never forget from whence our light comes; it is from God. Darkness is the nature of the earth because the enemy was thrown down to earth before we came here, even when we have always been in the Father through His Word and by His Spirit. God, in his humble awesomeness, has purposed that, no matter how satan tries, he will never alter the Word of our great King, Jesus. He is the Son and The Father; He is Equal and One with Godhead. Yet He is The Son. I have come, no more as a servant, but as a son and an heir with Christ. I live, everyday, in the consciousness of my love for Him and His immeasurable love for me, His own. I remember The Blood – this blood that speaks better things than that of innocent Abel. Jesus Christ is a free gift to all men; have Him and have life, refuse him and keep on kicking against the goad. The Word of God stands eternally sure. This Blood he shared on the cross of Calvary and His resurrection made all things new. So is anyone in Christ ? new and free. He’s become my all round shield, provision and keeping. Yes, I come to you all today with the full authority of a Prince who has come of age in the house of his eternally loving father, and has understood that great responsibility is great honor. When my Lord Jesus will put on me the golden crown with beautiful decorations and a name which shall be peculiar to me, my only prayer now is that His children will be numbered before the evil one comes. I shall work the work of my father now that is day, for my own time of glory is coming in a glorious way. Every pain and price has found its cleansing and payment in the blood of Jesus Christ. No man, therefore, is excusable.

In heaven, the pain of losing someone is absent because, there, we have come to know the abundant love and justice of our great King. The people of the earth must know that Jesus Christ has paid for all, and is, he, being a man, yet the father of all, gave himself in love to bring us, as lost sheep, back to our great father through the sacrifice of his blood?dripping blood of man, yet God of all. He has paid every price for me and no other forces shall stand in opposition to His dominion of love in me. He is God over me ? God and Father, yet we can only become one when we have accepted the lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. My life is a life of beauty and glory because my eyes are gazed on the truth. I love the light that gave me ordination and the authority we have in Jesus Christ. I address the very root of Nigeria and the powers and peoples holding others bound under the pretext of unity in a name and abomination called Nigeria. I address specifically everything and everyone who has stood and is still standing against the realization of sovereign state of Biafra by any means and in any way – hidden or open. Your hour of judgment has come. And so I declare these to you:

1. Let every faulty foundation holding my people in Nigeria fall, and let men who have made themselves gods over others become things of shame before the eyes of the world and those in it.

2. For over fifty (50) years, my people have been in the wilderness in their own land. The Lord is judging satan over Nigeria; and he stands forever rebuked in the presence of our Lord. We escaped slavering in the hands of our taskmasters but jumped into having our neighbors and brothers as the very people who oppose us. The God of justice is opposing them. For decades my people have been turned into vagabonds; the best of bests became a sore sight?yet living. We have endured insults, shame, abuse, killing, injustice and hatred; we have endured everything. God has remembered His Word. And He is watching it to see a manifestation. It’s only by His grace that Ndigbo are alive today. Nigeria has used pogrom, murder, hunger, genocide, denial, marginalization, false-witnessing and provocations on us. They could not get us to renounce our God; now, they have started pogrom against us again? both in the North and in our land. God is speaking now for us ? for those who have been ignored by those who claim to champion peace, unity, progress and life. God is our all. That voice that speaks to that heart of a child’s keeps His people aware. Nations shall be grateful for the actualized Sovereign State of Biafra. Let the light of God, therefore, beam on and consume every principality, power and people opposing the freedom of Igbo in Nigeria. Everyone deserves the freedom that God, in His great love, has given all – mighty, low, rich, poor, healthy, weak, young or old and alive. There is no barrier in Christ Jesus because every man living in his place will forever live in peace.

3. From this day, every pillar holding Nigeria will begin to break down suddenly and steadily to the last. Igbo in Nigeria, a people set aside for God’s glory, has since the dishonest and wicked colonial Britain came with the pretext of freeing fellow men from the prisons of slavery into compelling them in the way of the antichrist. Now that the light still shines, every created thing must honor God’s Word from my mouth because I am a messenger and an heir. And my end is in Christ in glory, not in any other person or force. It is for the freedom of the people to go to the mountain and worship their God. No man born of a woman and no force from the pit of hell which will ever stop the flow of the Spirit.

4. I declare that every state which has opposed and is still opposing the freedom of Biafra, the people of Zion, begin to opposite itself only to propose and beg us to take Israel and to go to the mountain of God to worship. They shall release our profits to us and we will never doubt. God is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Amen. If He did it before, He can and will do it again. Every state that supports, in every way, the manifestation of the Sovereign state of Biafra will experience mercy, but every thought or tongue that opposes our peace shall writhe under the perpetually consuming fire.

5. This time, our people, the Lord’s flock, shall go, and in peace. The fire and the cloud shall lead the way by the Spirit of God. The people of Biafra are now leaving. And we are leaving with the best of Nigeria; Nigeria and her people will be glad to beg us to take all. We shall be filled. Reasons for songs of joy shall abound also.

6. Those compelled outside of this nation of Biafra shall choose whether to accept their peace in Jesus Christ or remain in the dark. Yet we persuade; we do not force or induce because we know that the hope we have in Christ is eternal and sure. The spirit we have is from God Himself and we know His peace. In the wilderness we knew the comfort of His peace. Now is the hour of salvation and no power will ever be able to diminish the awesome power and glory of our focus, Jesus Christ.

8. In Biafra, the new nation, God’s word shall reign supreme. The fear of God shall be restored and we shall experience the graces in the blood of Jesus while we get ready for the coming day of Christ. No tree from the evil one shall be planted in our land, and no evil leader with the mind of Nigerian leaders at different level of leadership shall lead my people. God, who sent Moses, will also bring Joshua.

9. The purpose of God is to start a new breed that will remind everyone of God’s beauty. What we have been given is something Nigeria will never come into comprehension with. The foundation of Biafra shall be in selflessness; and it was. Now, every block which goes on top of it is already clean because the Word of God will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.

10. Those who have denied others of true justice, justice will be denied them in every area of their lives. And those who have stolen from the people bound under Nigeria, everything shall be stolen from you until you cry and make a release. Until and unless Nigerian political, religious and traditional leaders come together to dissolve, amicably, this abomination called Nigeria, fear shall grip young and old among those who reject the truth. Yet, time has been set.

11. The truth is that Nigeria has filled her cup with obvious charm and willingness. Now, the cup must pour so that the plantation of the Lord will stand out. Ignorance in the midst of knowledge is foolishness, and poverty in the midst of plenty is burden which those ready and willing will be rid of. Those who kill and destroy shall be killed and destroyed; those who go about with the spirit of the antichrist killing and destroying lives ? shall face the swift judgment. They have claimed to bring peace but all they give is war and destruction; therefore, their land shall know no peace. The blood-spilling, marginalization, slavery and shame of Ndigbo carried out to this date by the Nigerian government and Nigerians must stop forthwith. Boko Haram kills my people and kills those who gather to burry the ones they have previously killed. Yet the government says ?do not panic.? Boko Haram, with all the help they have got so far, has eternally destroyed the rights to One-Nigeria where Igbo remain the sacrificial lamb. The Unions and human right groups have condemned subsidy but have never been honest enough to speak up against these blatant marginalization and slavery of Igbo in their land. Those who cry ?One Nigeria!? shall have voices drown them to silence, and those who have illegally stashed Nigeria’s money in different accounts and countries of the world shall vomit them without further delay and in the presence of all.

12. Everyone standing in the way of dissolving Nigeria shall be resisted even by the air man breathes and all who oppose the actualization of Biafra and the freedom of other compelled people of Nigeria shall be oppose by the ground itself. Whoever works for the killing and destruction of Igbo and Christians in what was, until now, called one-Nigeria, will be scared of his/her own sleep as everything has begun to work against him/her in every way. Those who receive billions of Naira as salaries will receive billions of sorrows and must vomit all they have stolen they and their people.

I condole with those affected as these things affect me. The only true loss is that of the soul which left without Jesus Christ; those who died in Christ are in peace. I plead with our leaders in the Southeast ? political, religious, and traditional – to have one voice which concedes with the truth of the now ? the reality, advantage, and inevitability of the realization of the sovereign state of Biafra. I demand that they bring the matter of Igbo in Nigeria to anywhere and everywhere human justice may be found in the world. I do these so that no one will be so blind and stubborn that he casts himself out. Let those who seek to keep others bound be forever bound, and let those whose cases have slept in God’s presence receive their answers. Everyone, from the presidency, through ward councilors, to the common man, who seats on peoples’ rights and freedom, is bound under God to release the peace of the people or perish on that seat. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they find peace who love you. I have decreed and declared these in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and savior – the Lord and savior of all. Amen. Nigeria is kicking against the rock and has utterly broken. Enough is enough!

By Ikechukwu Enyiagu, [email protected]

By: Ikechukwu Enyiagu.

Martin Amidu was wise not to resign

News Ghana
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([email protected]
Following a press release issued by the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Martin Amidu, on 12th January, 2012, some commentators, even outside the NDC Government, felt that he had made his position untenable within the Government and should resign.

Others pressed him to give the name of his fellow Cabinet member who, he said, perceived that his integrity and professionalism as a lawyer ‘was a threat to the concealment of gargantuan crimes against the people of Ghana in which they might be implicated.’

I felt it was improper to put pressure on him to mention the name, as it might be impracticable for him to do so at this time. As it turned out, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice did not resign, but President Atta Mills dismissed him on 19th January 2012. I felt sad about the dismissal.

I was disappointed but not surprised that members of the NDC Government were vocal in calling for Martin Amidu’s resignation. No wonder that in the press release, he had called members of a communication team of the NDC young and inexperienced.

To me, if they were not, they would have considered that a response to the press release required ‘cool heads’, as Martin Amidu had mentioned in the press release, and calm and soul searching by the Government as a team, including the President.

This did not happen, as is shown in the reason given in the dismissal letter. I will return to that later.

I would be surprised if Martin Amidu’s press release had come out of the blue, as far as the NDC Government is concerned. As he was courageous to issue the press release, particularly in the light of threats to his life, as he stated in it, I feel that Ghanaians should commend him and should not press him too hard to give the name.

After all, it was obvious to many people the person he had in mind. He must have raised this matter within the NDC and Government structures but not got anywhere. It is up to the people of Ghana not to miss this lifeline thrown by him to save the sinking ship which is the nation itself.

It is significant that, after Martin Amidu had issued the press release on 12th January 2012, despite the threat to his life, as he had said, he was in court in person on 16th January 2012, amongst other things, to pray the court to place an order of refund of the GH?51m judgement debt paid to Alfred Woyome.

The case was adjourned to 14th February 2012. One other issue is that there is a missing link between the time the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice instituted the court case and the date the President dismissed him for misconduct. It is important to find that missing link as the President claims not to have known about the payment.

As pointed out earlier, members of the NDC Government were naturally vocal in calling for Martin Amidu’s resignation. Surprisingly, similar calls were made from some leading politicians outside the NDC. But I was disappointed when the Ghana Bar Association said the President could not be faulted in any way for terminating his appointment.

?
‘According to the GBA, by the provisions of the constitution, the President reserves the right to fire any member of the government with or without convincing reasons? If the President’s view is that the Minister was rude to him and he wants to fire him, then the President is well within his right to go ahead and terminate his appointment.’ – Ghanaweb 20th January 2012.

When I read this, I asked myself why the GBA took this narrow view of the matter and based its position on the technicality or the process and not the substance. I wondered whether the GBA was politicised. I felt that, in matters of state such as this, the GBA would take a position based on what was lawful and good for the country. Sadly, to me, the GBA has misplaced the national interest in this case.

According to the GBA, the President has the prerogative to fire any member of his government without giving reasons. In the present case, as he has chosen to give a reason for his decision, I feel Ghanaians need to go behind the veil to look for the facts that gave rise to that reason.

The reason was contained in a terse statement from the Castle, which read: ‘The decision is as a result of Mr. Martin Amidu’s misconduct at a meeting last Friday, January 13th, 2012, presided over by His Excellency President J.E.A. Mills. Mr. Amidu’s conduct is incompatible with acceptable standards expected of Ministers and appointees of the President.’

According to reports, the President demanded proof of the allegations Martin Amidu made in the press release or a resignation letter from him without which he would be sacked. The President gave him the opportunity to substantiate the allegations he made against colleague ministers but he failed to do so.

This sounds childish to me. Did the President ask Martin Amidu to substantiate the allegations and give the name of the Minister concerned at the same meeting, that is, in front of his colleagues who attended the meeting, which might have included the Minister he had in mind? If so, it sounds like mob rule.

We all know that, if your subordinate is aggrieved and makes allegations against his colleagues, you do not call the person to substantiate the allegations and give names in front of those colleagues. You call the person on the quiet and have a word with him or her. We do it all the time, as parents, teachers and managers.

The NDC Government has an explanation to give here and tell us all the facts, otherwise I am afraid I would question whether the President genuinely wanted to deal with the matter properly.

We must not lose sight of the fact that in the 2000 election, the then presidential candidate, Professor Atta Mills selected this same Martin Amidu as his running mate. If President Atta Mills now finds him to be a man of misconduct, what would have happened if he had won the election in 2000 with him as his Vice-President?

Ghanaians do not deserve this incompetence. I hope Martin Amidu’s dismissal does not mean that the substance of the matter he raised in the press release and the subject matter of his appearance in court on 16th January 2012 are buried.

Since the Castle issued the dismissal letter last week, many people have said how disappointed they are in the President. One person who posted an article on Ghanaweb said he travelled to Ghana to vote for then candidate Atta Mills in the 2008 elections, thinking that he was the man to be believed, when he said he would work hard to fight bribery and corruption.

Now he is utterly disappointed. In a news item also posted on Ghanaweb on 20th January 2012, Hon. Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, MP for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa in the Central Region, was quoted as having described the dismissal of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as shameful.

He revealed that ‘? his trust in President Mills nearly created a brawl between him and his party (NPP) but has now realised Mills is a man of no integrity. ‘My support for President Mills when he was in opposition created a problem for me. My party pursued me for praising Mills for his genuineness and I expected much sincerity from him, but when he became President, the worst form of corruption has happened. ‘In fact, Mills has disgraced all of us from the central region, his family and Ghanaians because he aids fraud and corruption in the country.’

People are increasingly having doubt on the competence of the President. There have been the big headlines such as the STX housing deal, the judgement debt paid to Alfred Woyome, arrogance and insults by Ministers, and now the dismissal of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

There are also pieces of information that filter through. Recently, a junior member of the Government or an NDC functionary accused some Ministers of dragging the President to launch projects that they well knew would not take off the ground.

Early this year, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Albert Kan Dapaah, complained that action was not taken on reports issued by the PAC and an independent body might have to be set up to oversee implementation of recommendations made by the PAC.

To me, this gives credence to the belief that President Atta Mills is not his own man at the Castle. I ask myself: ‘How long are we going to wait for this incompetence to continue?’ Maybe the election scheduled for 7th December 2012 will come sooner.

By: Ghanaian Chronicle.

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