Threats from MEND are not real – Uduaghan

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  Africcon Report: Threats from MEND are not real – Uduaghan
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media – NigeriaDelta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, discusses some challenges facing the Niger Delta, his administration as well as the threats posed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in this interview with JULIET BUMAH
  
  What are the key things you are happy that you have done or you are aspiring to do as governor?
  
  To answer that question means we need to mention all the programmes that we have undertaken in the state. For me, whatever I’m leaving behind will depend on the person that is assessing what I’m leaving behind. I will not say a particular effort is my legacy, neither will I say a new government house is my legacy. A legacy depends on the person who is assessing. A woman who has no access to health care and has not been able to deliver in a hospital before but is given that opportunity will say, we provided that opportunity. For her, that is our legacy. Likewise, a village woman who has never entered a new vehicle before but now has the opportunity to enter a new bus which is highly subsided, would likely say, ‘Yes, I now take a new bus to the market’. That’s my way of looking at legacies.
  
  So, how are you dealing with the problems?
  
  Generally, what we are doing is captured under the strategy of developing Delta State beyond oil. What that means is how to use the funds we are getting now, whether from oil or internally generated revenue. Let’s look at other areas of the economy. Yes, Delta State is an oil-rich state. Most of what we have is because of the oil. This oil is very volatile. It will not last forever. Tomorrow, the price may change or the oil may not be there. Preparing for that tomorrow is what we are doing. We are trying to look at other areas of the economy like agriculture, mineral resources, culture and tourism. In doing that, we have captured our programmes in two areas; a project aimed at attracting investment, like infrastructure. These are long-term projects. The other one is social infrastructure.
  
  For those that attract investors, we have power, transportation like the roads, airports, seaports, railway, health, ICT project and urbanisation. Virtually everybody is depending on the government for employment. There is a limit to which government can employ. I may even say government is over-bloated. The alternative is private investors to come and be able to employ the jobless youth. The challenge of any leader today is unemployment. If we are able to attract investors with the infrastructure that we have and the enabling environment of peace and security, then the possibility of eradicating unemployment is higher.
  
  To provide this infrastructure, in the area of power, we have keyed into the national power programme. We are shareholders in Niger Delta Power Holding Company. We just got our share certificate. We paid about N15.7bn in the company. One of the plants located in Sapele has been completed. We have got shortage of gas in only two of the plants.
  
  We are also constructing our own power plant. We have gone far in the project. Initially, it was supposed to generate 120 megawatts, but since it is a modular plant, it can generate up to 450MW. We have also invested heavily in distribution and transmission. The way it is now, private individuals and states are allowed to generate. But the transmission has only been by the Federal Government which has the responsibility of transmission.
  
  We believe that with adequate power, a lot of our problems in the state and Nigeria at large will be a thing of the past. The small-scale industrialists like the barber and seamstress need power. We are taking the issue seriously.
  
  We are also taking the issue of transportation seriously. Asaba-Orele is a major highway that is being dualised. It is a federal highway but we are working on it. Also, we have the Eku Road dualisation. It’s also a federal highway but we are working on it.
  
  Our economic road policy is that for a road to be constructed, there must be an economic reason. You know there is political road construction. There are some of my political colleagues who would construct a road to a house they may not visit in a whole year. That is not an economic road. I must confess that once in a while we go into it. But if you want me to construct a road to your place, let me know the economic value of constructing the road. In the urban centres we construct roads for its value within the urban centre.
  
  Delta State happens to be state that is not a one-town state. By that, I mean one can count at least 14 urban centres which we have to focus on. Another thing about Delta State is that it has two economic zones; one in Warri with economic activities revolving around oil and the other in Asaba with economic activities revolving around Onitsha market. Onitsha market is the biggest market in Africa. The separation between Asaba and Onitsha and also the separation between Anambra and Delta is just the Niger bridge. So, we have a lot of people from Onitsha living and working in Asaba. We are taking advantage of that to grow our economy and one of the things we will require is an airport.
  
  Apart from the Asaba International Airport, we are siting another one in Warri, being the oil-producing part of the state. There is an airport there but it has a short runway, which is only about two kilometres. We are trying to put up one with a four-kilometre runway. The seaport and railway are mainly Federal Government concerns.
  
  What we have done is to partner the Federal Government to improve the port. Today, Warri port is very active. We have been able to work with the Federal Government to complete the railway line between Ajaokuta and Aladja, which had 21 kilometres of it abandoned. We have all this transportation system across the state.
  
  The third area is urbanisation. We are trying to improve on Warri and Asaba. If you drive round the cities now, you will see the improvements we have made in the areas of lights, roads and beautification. We have also put up this new government. We believe that a state like this should have a befitting government house.
  
  The fourth area we have focused on is the area of ICT. We have tried to improve the capacity of our youths.
  
  What about investors?
  
  Yes, we have been able to achieve something in terms of attracting investors. As at today, we have investment in agriculture. The Obasanjo Farms has opened a branch here, which is one of the biggest poultry farms it has in Nigeria. The biggest investment is a combination of petrochemicals, fertilizer plants and gas facilities. It is a multi-million dollar investment. These are long-term investments. On the short-term, what I call the low-hanging fruits, have to do with our social infrastructures and empowerment activities. They are in the area of health, education, micro-finance and transportation. In the area of education, which is our main focus area, because of the capacity to improve on human capacity, we have the student population, staff and infrastructure.
  
  Our initial focus was to see how our children will have access to education. One of the greatest hindrance to education in the state is finance. There are lots of people who are not in school because they cannot pay their fees. We ensure that we remove all these. Removing them means somebody has to pay for them. The government started paying every form of levy or exam fees. From primary to secondary level, it’s totally free. Even the payment for  WAEC and NECO is free. So, a child would have no reason not to go to school at least up to the secondary level.
  
  Beyond that, we have the university and the post-graduate education. We also have improved on scholarship. We have improved on our bursary scheme and scholarship for law students. We also have post-graduate scholarship. But the most interesting part of the scholarship is that once you have a first class we give them N5m a year to study in any part of the world. This is part of what we are doing to improve on human capital.
  
  In the area of education like I said, we found out that many teachers moving to the urban areas are leaving the rural areas empty. So, we had to do a redistribution of teachers. By the time we finished, we discovered that we have a shortage and we had to employ massively and lay emphasis on their welfare and their capacity to teach. We are also renovating schools massively. We are placing a lot of emphasis on education at all levels.
  
  In the area of health, we want to ensure that they have access to health from the day pregnancy starts to day they deliver. So, we put in place a free maternal health programme. As soon as a woman becomes pregnant, the state government takes care of her till she delivers. We also have a free health programme for under-five children. The maternal-child health care centres are being constructed. Our teaching hospital is the most active in Nigeria. We want to stop the issue of travelling abroad for treatment. People who travel to India for treatment go with at least one person each. The person also spends money. So, there is a lot of medical tourism going on in India. We also want people to come to Delta from outside Nigeria and outside the state.
  
  We have our low-hanging fruits, which is the micro-credit programme. We have the most robust micro-credit programme in Nigeria today. As at today, over 120,000 of our people enjoy it. What we trying to do now is to grow some of the microfinance projects into small and medium scale enterprises. We have started exporting the products of the some of the women we have empowered.
  
  There has always been this complaint that development in Delta State is lopsided.
  
  Well, I try not to go into the ethnic politics of Delta. If you go to Warri, they will tell you that we are not doing enough. If you go to Isoko, they will tell you we are not doing enough. What has happened in Delta State and not even in Delta State alone, but also in the whole of Nigeria, is that there has been a lot of infrastructure decay over the years. Some attribute it to long military rule. Some will say the last time there was really any infrastructural development was during the Murtala/Obasanjo rule, when Murtala Muhammed Airport, Tin Can Island port, and all our refineries were built.
  
  After that, there has been nothing. It’s just like that too. Most of the infrastructure has decayed. It is not possible for any administration to fix everything in that short period, whether within four years or eight. The expectations of our people are quite high. But we have tried to spread infrastructural development evenly.
  
  Last year, many parts of the state witnessed flooding. As it has been predicted that the rain will also be heavy this year, what has been done between last year and this year to improve the situation?
  
  I would not say the floods took us by surprise last year because of the warning that was sent out by NIMET. Nobody expected the massive level it got to. Everybody was surprised at the magnitude. For us in Delta, one of “A states”, A in the sense that we are one of the most affected states, we had about 14 local governments that were totally submerged. It was a sad situation. But we were able to rise to the occasion to some extent by general assessment.
  
  What we did was to first mobilise the internally displaced persons into various towns and emergency camps. In those camps, we were able to provide shelter, beddings, food, water, medical care, education and skill training. It was a very difficult situation to manage, but at least we took care of them. When they were leaving we provided small relief money. Thereafter, we had a committee that went round to see to their welfare.
  
  At the same time, we set up a special committee of the (Delta State) university to go round and do a technical assessment. They are going to come out with a report. No state can deal with the problem of flood alone. I learnt that the rainfall for this year will be worse than last year’s. Now, that’s a cause for worry. But we have begun to put in place something that we believe we can do. We are also working with the Federal Government to ensure that NIMET, NEMA and the Federal Ministry of Environment are proactive this year.
  
  We are dealing with NEMA. Our officials have been attending their programmes. But on our own, we have started meeting to see what we can do.
  
  What strategies are you using?
  
  Our strategies are in three areas. First is to look at what the major causes of flooding are. One is rainfall, two has to do with water from rivers Niger and Benue. You know that of last year was a result of the release of water from the dam in Cameroun. That is beyond our control. Even the heavy rainfall is beyond our control. Some man-made activities also cause flooding like the blockage of natural water channels or drainages. Unfortunately, people build in places they should not build. What we are doing now is to open up natural water channels. We are removing all obstructions on the channels, whether private buildings or commercial.
  
  We are also clearing drains because some people have the bad habit of blocking drains with wastes. It is a comprehensive project we are doing. We are also constructing new drains. We are embarking on those programmes to ensure we have free flow of water when the rain comes. We are constructing permanent camps for the internally displaced persons so that if it does happen we will have a place to take them.
  
  The most important effort is that we are raising an advocacy team. They will go from community to community educating and advising them. They will also educate the people on the kind of crops to farm. A lot of the victims lost their crops last year. We are also in touch with NEMA and United Nations on their national programme.
  
  Talking about economic growth, why has the completion of the East-West Road been a big problem to the Federal Government and what are the Niger Delta governments doing about it?
  
  Well, the road is a Federal Government project. What we have been doing is to show concern. The major problem on the road has been funding. Fortunately, the Minister of Works was there two weeks ago. There is a lot of encouraging news about the project. Thirty-seven out of the 42 bridges on the road have been completed, which is encouraging. About 732 or 755 culverts have also been completed. It is a water-logged road. If they are able to finish the culverts, all they need to do is lay the tar. One other good news he was able to give us was that fund is now available for the completion of the project.
  
  The issue of militancy is returning with the threats of MEND.
  
  Something I keep telling people about the MEND threat is that even Okah himself and Tompolo said the threat is not true. Let me just say this. There are a lot of criminal activities going on  in whatever name. I am a Niger Delta governor who has been involved in the management of militant groups ever before I became governor. So, reasonably, I know some of these people very well. Militancy is not returning. There are criminal activities which are like flashpoints in the management of the issues of the Niger Delta.

Kwara ACN’s divided house and APC merger

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  Africcon Report:
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Success Nwogu writes that a major crack in the ranks of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Kwara State may hinder the birth of the All Progressives Congress in the state
  
  Although the National Working Committee of the Action Congress of Nigeria, through its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hajia Hauwa Galma, had reportedly declared the purported dissolution of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee of the party led by Mr. Kayode Olawepo as a nullity, the recent leadership tussle in Kwara ACN appears to have shown that all is not well with the state chapter of the party.
  
  The situation may also be a signal that the integration or merger process of three opposition parties, who refer to themselves as the ‘progressives’ in the state, is either being shaken or threatened.
  
  The Kwara ACN led by Olawepo; its Congress for Progressive Change counterpart, Mr. Suleiman Buhari; and that of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Mr. Taiwo Eleja, had in a joint press briefing deplored what they called bad governance, lack of accountability and probity and underdevelopment in the state.
  
  They had declared their readiness to wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. They had accused PDP of pursuing an agenda for the ruling oligarchy to the detriment and impoverishment of the masses.
  
  However, while they were giving the public the impression that the merger process was going on well and that all was well in their fold, it later became evident that there was a crack in the ACN.
  
  Sources had indicated that the ACN had been polarised along two major political lines and gladiators. One of the factions is said to be loyal to the ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, an indigene of the state; while another faction is said to be sympathetic to the governorship candidate of the party in the 2011 election, Mr. Dele Belgore.
  
  Although Mohammed and Belgore would hardly admit that the ACN is factionalised, events that later played out gave credence to this fact.
  
  The brewing schism, which had been covered up for some time, blew open when ACN stakeholders in the state, a few weeks ago, gave out the invitation for its summit scheduled to hold at the state ACN secretariat at Asa Dam, Ilorin.
  
  In a swift reaction, Olawepo sent letters to journalists, dissociating himself and the party from the planned meeting and urged invited guests to ignore the summit.
  
  However, the group had an upper hand as the meeting held under the watchful eyes of security agents.
  
  The group, in an address read by its Director, Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Jide Usman, said the state’s resources had been looted.
  
  “The heavy looting of the state’s resources has continued to hinder physical transformation and human growth. For instance, a civil servant on GL 15 in Kwara State earns N53,000 per month, while his counterpart in Osun State, on the same salary grade, earns N120,000. “These infractions have actually permeated all fabrics of our system. For such a government to be scheming to perpetuate itself in power by force is unacceptable,” Usman said.
  
  While he gave the gathering the impression that the group was out to fight what it perceived as ‘lack of good governance’ in the state, a member of the group, Dr. Saad Omoiya, in an interview with journalists, provided further insight into events that may later unfold in the party.
  
  Omoiya said the Olawepo-led executive was of a caretaker status, adding that it had overstayed its tenure.
  
  He accused Olawepo of not providing the party with quality leadership. He stated that the ACN leadership had been notified of the alleged leadership vacuum.
  
  But Olawepo dismissed Omoiya’s allegation of a leadership vacuum as a ‘ruse’.
  
  Olawepo went on to describe the ‘stakeholders forum’ as “a group of desperate politicians seeking relevance and defending the sole governorship interest of a former candidate of the party.”
  
  he said, “There are no factions in the party but the existence of a dissident group that is seeking relevance and working for the sole interest of a former candidate of the party.
  
  “There are a number of other groups within the party like the G 15, Integrity Group, Ifesowapo, among others and none of them has been using the secretariat for any of its meetings.
  
  “The dissidents are equally admonished to accept the party supremacy and its constituted authorities thereby desisting from making frivolous, libellous and unauthorised intra and inter-party criticisms,” Olawepo said.
  
  The CPC and ANPP further gave an insight into the main cause of the squabble in the ACN as they warned that there was no automatic ticket for any aspirant, including Belgore, who was the party governorship candidate in 2011.
  
  Sources alleged that the CPC governorship candidate in 2011, Abdulraham Abdul-Rasaq, had made discreet and strategic discussions with the chieftains of the CPC and ACN to emerge as the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC after its registration. It was said that the power brokers had seen Abdul-Rasaq, who is an oil magnate, as having the financial muscle to effectively contain the ruling PDP in the state.
  
  In their joint response, CPC’s Buhari and ANPP’s Eleja warned that there would be no automatic ticket for anybody. They added that all parties in their proposed APC merger were equal partners.
  
  They stated that the abiding principle for their proposed APC mega platform was that of mutual camaraderie that did not transcend individual party’s independence, adding that they would not meddle in the internal affairs of the respective merging parties.
  
  They stated that since they had mutually resolved to work together as a team without preconditions, any action or suggestion that a particular former aspirant from any of the merging parties had a leverage over others would be unacceptable.
  
  As the altercations were going on, the state ACN Secretary, Alhaji Toyin Ayinla, threw a bombshell.
  
  Through Belgore’s media aide, Rafiu Ajakaiye, the ACN secretary claimed that Olawepo had been suspended and sacked as the chairman of the party.
  
  He also claimed to have been appointed as the acting chairman of the party in the state.
  
  Ayinla said, “Kwara State ACN Caretaker Committee, a body charged by the National Secretariat with the day-to-day running of the party, held a special meeting in Ilorin on Tuesday, where some decisions were taken to smoothen the running and repositioning of the party.
  
  “The caretaker committee, among other things, effected a leadership change by appointing Mr. Toyin Ayinla as chairman in place of Olawepo. Ayinla was until Tuesday secretary of the committee. Olawepo has, by this decision, ceased to be the chairman of the party.”
  
  But Olawepo said Ayinla’s claim was a nullity. He added that the caretaker committee in the state never met on any issue in the last few weeks and did not suspend him. According to him, it is only the ACN NEC that has the right to dissolve his committee and sack him.
  
  “The former candidate had insisted that he must be endorsed or better put, anointed for the 2015 ticket to bear the flag of the party. He had added that a merger was not possible in Kwara, but rather, an alliance where other parties become subordinates. This is our problem with him,” Olawepo said.
  
  But Ajakaiye stated that his boss neither said nor insisted that he would be the sole or anointed governorship candidate for the 2015 election. He also said his boss never stated that the ongoing merger would only be an alliance in the state.
  
  “The allegations are not true. They are contrived and that is unfair. There was never a time Belgore said or indicated that he is the anointed candidate; neither did he say, do or indicate anything capable of distorting the process meant to strengthen the opposition nationwide, including in Kwara.
  
  “He is not desperate for anything, other than his undying zeal to, alongside other like minds across Kwara, bring succour to the people. As a senior lawyer, democrat and politician known for his subtleties even in his reactions to whatever actions or inactions of the government, Belgore believes in and fully identifies with the common yearnings for transparency and true representative democracy in Nigeria,” Ajakaiye said.
  
  Some members of the PDP are said to be involved in the crisis so that the merger could be threatened.
  
  Galma, in announcing the endorsement of Olawepo as the chairman of the party, said only the ACN NEC had the right to dissolve the caretaker committee in the state.
  
  “The so-called Kwara Stakeholders Forum, which announced the dissolution of the Kwara State Caretaker Committee, is not one of the constitutionally-recognised organs of the party and lacks the power to dissolve the structure of the party at any level,” Galma said.
  
  Publicity Secretary, PDP, Kwara State, Alhaji Mas’ud Adebimpe, said the PDP had no hand in the ACN leadership squabble. He added that the crisis in ACN had vindicated his party.
  
  He claimed that ACN members were a bunch of opportunists, who had “nothing to offer than to pursue personal and selfish ambition.”

Producers Dare not Ask me for Sex

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  Africcon Report: Producers dare not ask me for sex –Annie Macaulay-Idibia
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Recently married Annie Macaulay Idibia says being music star, Tuface Idibia’s wife has been no challenge.
  
  Annie, who spoke with an online news portal, Ibaka tv, on location of a movie, Girls in the mood, Annie Macaulay Idibia, says if at all there is any challenge, it will be that 24-hours is no more enough for her to take care of her two babies.
  
  Beaming with smiles, she says,
  
  “It has been nice, everything I thought and much more. There are no challenges; the only thing is shuffling my work, my home and my kid. I have so much to attend to; I almost feel like 24 hours is not enough. Now I have work, I have my daughter and I have my husband -my two babies to take care of. I also have my own personal runs. So, it is always very busy, my days are always extremely busy.”
  
  Her husband, Tuface, actually sprung a surprise on her on her birthday. He showed up with cake on location. Obviously surprised by his visit, Annie describes her husband’s surprise visit as cute.
  
  She says, “I was supposed to film half day but eventually filmed till pretty late, at about 9.30pm. I am sure he got tired of waiting. I don’t know how he did it with the director and he got the cake. I was just filming and he walked in and everybody started singing ‘Happy birthday’. It was nice and I thought that was cute. I was surprised that he came; I wasn’t expecting to see him.”
  
  In the movie, she plays the character of a girl named Tessy who is a drug addict. The producer of the movie, Prince Iyke Olisa, says this about her character. “She was a drug addict raped at the age of 13 by her uncle. The man denied and the wife sent her out of the home. She was introduced, forced into a kind of odd life. She started living wrong and ended up a drug addict and all manner of things.”
  
  The Tessy character however fascinates Annie as she keeps  saying how much she loves the character. According to her, she has never played a role like that and the character is a direct contrast to who she really is.
  
  Annie says, “I play the character called Tessy, I actually really love this character. It is something I have not played before. She is a drug addict; she takes a lot of cocaine, weed, cigarettes, drinks- she is just a very reckless girl. I think what is fascinating about the character is that she is an addict. She is always itchy and when she doesn’t have her fix, she needs to get some. I love the character; it is different from anything that I have played. There was a time she was in jail for about four days and she had had it up to here, she was all itchy and saying she needs her fix. She is a very reckless girl and she is the exact opposite of who I am. I love the fact that I could step out of Annie Macaulay Idibia’s shoes and be somebody else who is totally reckless. I love the character totally.”
  
  She adds that a character she will also love to play is either a blind girl or a hardened criminal.
  
  Annie also states that she has never got advances from marketers or producers.
  
  She says, “I really want to play the role of a blind girl; I want to play a hardened criminal. I have not faced advances from directors or producers. Before when they say it, I don’t get it. I just believe that if you have what it takes, if you have the talent, then eventually you will be called upon. I don’t think there is any field they don’t harass women but if you have it, eventually someone is going to see it and give you a chance. ‘Fear no gree them o’. Nobody tried to hit on me on that level.”
  
  Meanwhile, the couple was spotted last weekend at the MTV Africa All Stars Concert where Tuface flaunted his wedding ring.
  
  “It is official for those who don’t know,” he says, while showing off his  ring.

Boston Marathon Bombs Suspect Has Been Captured

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  Africcon Report: Boston marathon bombs suspect has been captured
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media
  
  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old man suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings with his older brother has been captured by the Police.
  
  According to Reuters, the break in the case sent waves of relief through the Boston suburb of Watertown where armored vehicles roamed the streets and helicopters flew overhead through the day.
  
  Residents and police officers cheered and clapped when the suspect, Dzhokhar, was caught after an exchange of gunfire with police.
  
  A Massachusetts State Police spokesman said Tsarnaev was bleeding and in serious condition in a hospital. He had been hiding in the stern of a boat parked in the backyard of a house in Watertown, police said. A resident called police after seeing blood on the boat.
  
  President Barack Obama told reporters at the White House after the suspect’s capture that questions remained from the bombings, including whether the two suspects received any help.
  
  The Boston Police Department said in a message on Twitter: “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won. Suspect in custody.”
  
  Boston Mayor Tom Menino said, “we got him” on Twitter.
  
  Tsarnaev is one of two brothers believed to have set off bombs made in pressure cookers and packed with ball bearings and nails at the finish line of the world-famous event, killing three people and injuring 176.
  
  The older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed on Thursday night in a shootout with police less than a mile from where Friday night’s capture took place.
  
  “We are so grateful to bring justice and closure to this case,” Massachusetts State Police Chief Colonel Timothy Alben told a news conference. “We are exhausted folks, but we had a victory here tonight.”
  
  Monday’s bombing have been described by Obama as “an act of terrorism.” It was the worst such attack on U.S. soil since the plane hijackings of September 11, 2001, and set nerves on edge across the United States with a series of security scares.
  
  Police cars and armored vehicles surrounded the house on Friday night shortly after police told a news conference that the suspect fled on foot and was still on the loose. After the capture of Tsarnaev, authorities said the investigation was still open.
  
  Police in New Bedford, Massachusetts, 60 miles south of Boston said three other people had been taken into custody for questioning about Monday’s bombings. No other details were provided.
  
  Earlier on Friday, Alben said that officers went door-to-door in Watertown and searched houses. During the search for the men on Friday, two Black Hawk helicopters circled the area. SWAT teams moved through in formation, leaving an officer behind to ensure that searched homes remained secure, a law enforcement official said.
  
  The normally traffic-clogged streets of Boston were empty on Friday as the city went into lockdown during the manhunt. Public transportation had been suspended and air space restricted. Famous universities, including Harvard and MIT, closed after police ordered residents to remain at home.
  
  Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said late on Friday afternoon the “stay-in-place” order for Boston had been lifted and mass transit reopened.
  
  The brothers had not previously been on the radar as possible militants, U.S. government officials said. But the FBI in 2011 interviewed the older of the two brothers, acting at the request of an unidentified foreign government, a U.S. law enforcement source said. The matter was closed when it did not produce any derogatory information, according to the source, who declined to be identified.
  
  ‘PUT A SHAME ON OUR FAMILY’
  
  Some details emerged on Friday about the brothers, including their origins in the predominantly Muslim regions of Russia’s Caucasus, which have experienced two decades of violence since the fall of the Soviet Union.
  
  The younger brother described himself on a social network as a minority from a region that includes Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
  
  A man who told reporters he was an uncle of the brothers said they came to the United States in the early 2000s and settled in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area.
  
  Ruslan Tsarni, who lives in suburban Washington and has not spoken to the brothers since 2009, said the bombings “put a shame on our family. It put a shame on the entire Chechen ethnicity.
  
  In separate interviews, the parents of the Tsarnaev brothers said they believed their sons were incapable of carrying out the bombings. Others remembered the brothers as friendly and respectful youths who never stood out or caused alarm.
  
  “Somebody clearly framed them. I don’t know who exactly framed them, but they did. They framed them. And they were so cowardly that they shot the boy dead,” father Anzor Tsarnaev said in an interview with Reuters in Dagestan’s provincial capital, Makhachkala, clasping his head in despair.
  
  The FBI said the twin blasts were caused by bombs in pressure cookers and carried in backpacks that were left near the marathon finish line as thousands of spectators gathered.
  
  The mother, Zubeidat Tsaraeva, speaking in English, told CNN, “It’s impossible, impossible, for both of them to do such things, so I am really, really, really telling that this is a setup.”
  
  The bombings elicited a response from Moscow condemning terrorism and from the Russian-installed leader of Chechnya, who criticized police in Boston for killing an ethnic Chechen and blamed the violence on his upbringing in the United States.
  
  “They grew up and studied in the United States and their attitudes and beliefs were formed there,” Ramzan Kadyrov said in comments posted online. “Any attempt to make a connection between Chechnya and the Tsarnaevs is in vain.
  
  The Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, the biggest mosque in the area, said in a statement that “after the terrible and sad events of last night, the criminal of the bombings on the loose” it was shutting its doors until further notice.

American School Pupil Sixteen Year old Was Kidnapped in Lagos

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  Africcon Report: American school pupil Sixteen year old was kidnapped in Lagos
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  A 16-year-old pupil of American International School, Lagos, has been confirmed kidnapped. The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that the pupil was last seen in his parents’ Sports Utility Vehicle on his way to school
  
  It had also been reported that the victim was kidnapped on Tuesday morning while going to school while the drivers’ whereabouts remained unknown.
  
  The vehicle was however found abandoned at the Palms shopping Mall, located in Lekki area of the state.
  
  Although the identity of the victim was not initially known, school authorities have identified him as Olufolabi Adeniji, an 11th grade pupil.
  
  It could however not be immediately confirmed if the kidnappers had made contact with the family.
  
  Adeniji’s kidnap is the third case of abduction this week.
  
  The chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Kehinde Bamgbetan was kidnapped on Monday on his way home while a lady, Nnena Edu, was kidnapped in front of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Sabo, Yaba, on Sunday. She was however released three days later.

5,000 Boko Haram Members May Get Amnesty

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  Africcon Report: 5,000 Boko Haram members may get amnesty
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Over  5,000  as well as their wives and children members of the militant Islamic sect,  Boko Haram, may benefit from the proposed Federal Government amnesty for members of the group.
  
  Saturday PUNCH learnt that members of the Federal Government’s amnesty committee would, among other things, recommend a phased release of members of the sect currently in detention.
  
  It was gathered that children and wives of the sect members would be released first before other detainees.
  
  This, it was gathered, would assist the committee and the Federal Government in winning the confidence of the sect.
  
  The committee, which is to be inaugurated on Wednesday next week, is expected to initiate dialogue with leaders of the sect at a yet-to-be determined date, time and venue.
  
  Saturday PUNCH also gathered that members of the group, who earlier rejected government amnesty plans, have  yet to make public their response to the latest development.
  
  A top security source, who pleaded for anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue,  said, “Some wives, children and relatives of members of the sect are among those being detained.
  
  “The government may start with the release of this category of people as a sign of its commitment to peace. I believe members of this committee will be favourably disposed to making this recommendation.”
  
  As for the venue of talks should members of the sect accept dialogue, the source said, “They may opt for Saudi Arabia or any other country they consider a neutral ground, like they did in the past. This is because they still cannot trust that government will not use the venue of the talks to further hunt them down.
  
  “Trust is still a big issue here; the question remains whether the sect will trust that government will be sincere this time around and not resort to behaviours that led to the breakdown of similar attempts in the past.
  
  “Just like those in government, they also have hardliners. This group of members are likely to give near impossible conditions such as the rebuilding of their homes and places of worship destroyed by government forces and the like. ”
  
  The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, had in Kaduna last month urged the Federal Government to give amnesty to the sect members.
  
  The call was echoed by a number of prominent Nigerians.
  
  It has, however, been strongly opposed by the Christian Association of Nigeria.
  
  President Goodluck Jonathan had few weeks ago said his administration would not hold talks with members of the sect, whom he described as ‘ghosts’.
  
  But after some meetings with northern elders and security chiefs, the President promised to set up an amnesty committee for Boko Haram.
  
  The President made good his promise on Wednesday by naming a 26-member amnesty committee headed by the Minister of Special Duties, KabiruTuraki.
  
  Two members of the committee, Shehu Sani and Dr, Datti Ahmed, rejected their nomination on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
  
  A leading member of the Northern Elders’ Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, confirmed that 5,000 Boko Haram fighters were likely to benefit from the amnesty.
  
  He also debunked the notion that Boko Haram members are faceless.
  
  Abdullahi said, “We cannot say these people are absent because about 5,000 of them are in detention. You (journalists) are the ones reporting that (Boko Haram) commanders so, so, and so have been arrested.
  
  “So we agree that there are senior commanders in detention and I think there is this opportunity even for physical contact between the group and some members of the group and government.
  
  “Most reasonable opinions agree that the use of force will not solve this problem. The way forward is to encourage dialogue; it may be difficult at first, but we must try everything possible to encourage interactions between members of the group and the committee.”
  
  Asked whether the Northern Elders Forum would be involved in the talks, he said the committee wouldn’t decide which role groups and individuals would play.
  
  He added that members of the NEF were prepared to help restore peace to the North.
  
  However, a civil rights activist who declined to serve on the committee, Malam Shehu Sani expressed doubts about the possibility of success for the committee.
  
  Sani said, “I have not seen people in that committee whom members of the sect will trust enough to dialogue with.
  
  “A committee headed by a serving minister does not look to me as serious. For this committee to make progress, these three people must be part of it: Ahmed Shilkida (a freelance journalist), Hamza Idris and Mustapha Zanna. If these people are not part of the committee, it is difficult for it to succeed.”

I Didn’t Bomb Madalla Catholic Church–Kabir Sokoto

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: I didn’t bomb Madalla Catholic church–Kabir Sokoto
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  An alleged Boko Haram commander suspected of masterminding the December 25, 2011 bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger State, Kabiru
  
  Sokoto, on Friday pleaded not guilty to an amended two-count terrorism charge brought against him by the Federal Government.
  
  Sokoto, whose real name is Kabiru Umar, was arraigned amid tight security before an Abuja Federal High Court presided by Justice Ademola Adeniyi.
  
  The arraignment was initially slated for March 20, 2013, but the absence of counsel for the accused person stalled the process.
  
  On that day, the suspected Boko Haram chieftain had asked the court to give him time to get a lawyer.
  
  When the matter resumed on Friday, a team of five lawyers, led by H. A. Ibrahim, appeared in court to defend Sokoto.
  
  The other lawyers are Hassan Lukman, Yahaya Saidu, S. Okoh, and a human rights lawyer from Kaduna, Sadau Garba.
  
  Sokoto’s wife and child were also present in court.
  
  Speaking through a court interpreter, the alleged terrorist denied the two-count charge when it was read to him by the court clerk.
  
  Apart from the charge that he had prior knowledge of the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church bombing, Sokoto was also accused of planning to bomb the headquarters
  
  of the Sokoto State Police Command as well as other government organisations in the state.
  
  Count 1 reads, “That you, Kabiru Umar (alias Kabiru Sokoto) member of an illegal terrorist organisation known and called Boko Haram, between 2007 and 2012,
  
  at Masiwa, Sokoto State, did facilitate the commission of terrorist acts to wit: by planting and encouraging your boys (now at large) at Masiwa, Sokoto, in
  
  Sokoto State, with the intention to bomb the police headquarters Sokoto and some other government organisations in the state, and thereby committed an
  
  offence contrary to section 15(2) of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004, and punishable under the same Act.”
  
  In count two, the SSS alleged that on or about December 25, 2011, at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, Sokoto had information about the
  
  bombing of the church and failed to disclose such to law enforcement officers as soon as possible, an offence contrary to section 7(1) of Terrorism and
  
  Prevention Act 2011, and punishable under section 33(1)(c) of the same Act.
  
  After the accused person had taken his plea and denied the charge, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Chioma Onuegbu, asked for a date for trial.
  
  She had earlier informed the court that about eight witnesses have been pencilled down to testify against Sokoto.
  
  The suspect’s lead counsel rose to move an oral application, asking the court to grant Sokoto bail “in the most liberal terms.”
  
  But the judge instructed Ibrahim that the rules of the FHC stipulated that such an application must be formal.
  
  “If you propose to make any application, you must come formally and also serve the prosecution,” Justice Adeniyi said.
  
  Ibrahim thereafter asked the court to transfer Sokoto from the custody of the State Security Service to prison custody.
  
  He claimed that Sokoto’s lawyers were having challenges in getting access to him in the SSS detention facility.
  
  “We need access to the accused person to enable us to prepare his defence,” Ibrahim added.
  
  In a short ruling, Justice Adeniyi fixed May 2, 6 and 9, 2013, for trial.
  
  He also ordered that Sokoto be remanded in prison custody until the trial date.

Fasehun and I Must Share S’West Pipeline Security Contract Equally –Gani Adams

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  Africcon Report: Fasehun and I must share S’West pipeline security contract equally –Gani Adams
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Leader, Oodua Peoples Congress, Otunba Gani Adams, in this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN speaks on the controversial contract for the protection of pipelines in the South-West, his disagreement with OPC founder, Dr. Frederick Fasehun, kidnapping and his family life
  
  Now that kidnapping is taking place in the South-West, which is the home of the Oodua Peoples Congress, what is happening?
  
  It is happening because we don’t have proper backing from the governments of the states in the South-West. For any security organisation to be successful, there must be some backing from the government. The state governments of the South-West, except maybe Osun, don’t think that OPC has anything good to offer. Even where I’m living in Lagos, the governor of the state has not called me as the leader of OPC to ask my opinion about Boko Haram or kidnapping. A very good leader should be able to carry along all stakeholders for a successful administration, especially on the issue of security. But in a situation where they display a nonchalant attitude, what can one do? There was a time I called the governor and told him that I wanted to have a discussion with him, he didn’t give a damn. When the former governor was there, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, within three months, he would call you and ask you what you thought of the goings on in the polity. He was accessible but I don’t understand the present governor, Raji Fashola. I know of a number of important personalities that have called me to ask whether I could help them have access to the governor but I told them that I don’t have such access. So, when you don’t have access to a governor, it is difficult for you to offer any form of assistance on the basis of security. We have played our part without any support from government. The government of Lagos State is not encouraging us at all. If Mr. Kehinde Bamgbetan (Ejigbo Local Council Development Area chairman) had been kidnapped during the administration of Tinubu, he would have called me to ask what I thought about it. If he didn’t call, his works commissioner then, who is now the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, would have called me. But there is nothing like that in the present government of Lagos State; they carry on as if our group does not exist. Even when the issue of Boko Haram happened, the governor consulted with only the RRS, the Neighbourhood Watch, we only watched it on television. You can secure an environment in both modern and traditional ways. For most Lagosians to employ our members to secure their areas shows that we are effective. So if our low cadre can secure streets without incidents, why can’t we the leaders do more at the state level?
  
  There had been reports that OPC warned Boko Haram members to keep off the South-West. The impression has been that you work hand in hand with the state governments.
  
  We are working within the resources at our disposal but we need more to build on our capacity to be able to help the entire South-West. This is not the issue of money; I’m not saying we don’t need money but this is not the issue of money alone. We are talking of encouragement and recognition for what you are doing. It is not that I need any recognition from any government; God has been very kind to me. But in a situation where you think you have money to set up RRS, Security Fund and have your officers as LASTMA, it means you don’t need us. But the only focus we have is that we have vowed to protect the interest of the Yoruba people. We cannot say we are packing out, we need encouragement.
  
  Is that why you applied for pipeline security job from the Federal Government?
  
  The issue of securing the pipelines is a different thing entirely. Securing the pipelines is an empowerment programme for members of an organisation that has been in existence since 1994. There is nothing wrong for leaders of such an organisation to apply for that because they have suffered detention and illegal arrests in the past and have been brutalised. For a group that has been doing a lot of things for the society free of charge, it is not too much to apply for a security job. Protecting pipelines is not a rosy job too because it involves lives. If OPC is offered the job, I don’t think it is asking for too much. Most of the people in government have business connections that cuts across party affiliations. We know some governors in PDP and some governors in ACN that have shares together in the same companies and when they are talking about their business interests, they don’t clash. They know how to resolve their differences when it comes to business issues. The pipeline security job is purely business; it is not as if we are asking for free money. OPC getting involved in pipeline protection is not a bad idea; for any organisation to be accepted, it needs empowerment. Let me tell you something people don’t know; I was expecting Dr. (Frederick) Fasehun to throw more light on it but he didn’t have information regarding that. For a period of eight years, our low cadre officers secured the pipeline from Sagamu to Ore. It was just last year when the police bid for the job that NNPC gave it to them and they began to have vandalism issues. The pipeline that passes through Imota from Ikorodu, it is OPC that is securing it. But when the problem of Arepo happened, we then decided to write a proposal to the NNPC and the minister of petroleum that OPC has the capacity to secure the entire South-West. Dr. Fasehun sent a proposal but I don’t know whether he was aware that I sent mine; you know we have two parallel groups. Since the reconciliation, we still have OPC led by Gani Adams and the other led by Dr. Fasehun. The former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, saw to the reconciliation that made me the national coordinator and Dr Fasehun as founding father and spiritual leader. Nobody made Fasehun founder of OPC, I will give you the document that we jointly signed together.
  
  Are you saying that each of you sent a proposal asking for the security job unknown to each other?
  
  I don’t know whether he was aware about my own but I heard that he sent a proposal to the government. There is no group that can secure the entire states. The job given to Tompolo is just for about two states, some part of Ondo and Delta states for about N8.5bn. The one given to Asari Dokubo was for part of Rivers State for the sum of N1.6bn and the same job was given to self determination leaders in Bayelsa State. So when you are talking of the South-West, I’m not saying you should give me everything. They should share it between us.
  
  Have you got a response to your own proposal?
  
  You know how government bureaucracy works. We have sent the proposal and we have discussed at the level of the presidency. We are still expecting a response.
  
  But Fasehun said if you don’t want the two of you to work together, he could give you 30 per cent of the job.
  
  Maybe he doesn’t have the information that I have sent my own proposal. How can he say he will give me 30 per cent of the job when I have more than 90 per cent of OPC members as my followers? Even if they give the job to Dr. Fasehun, he does not have men to do the job in some areas. From our intelligence report, he is using the pipeline contract job to mobilise some people now. Even those who are not members of OPC are scrambling for membership forms from him now and paying. With due respect to Dr. Fasehun, he blew the issue out of proportion. Did you hear from me that I sent a proposal? When you bid for a contract, you don’t make a noise until the approval is secured. Did you hear it anywhere when Tompolo or Asari Dokubo were applying for the pipeline job? Even the people that got the job in Bayelsa, I can’t tell you their names here, I was informed that they had been given the job.
  
  Maybe Dr. Fasehun was forced to reveal it when he was accused of using the money from the security job to fund a party that would challenge the Action Congress of Nigeria in the South-West.
  
  Well, that is where Dr. Fasehun missed the point, to the extent that those who want to give him the job are confused. Yoruba say you don’t put two irons in the fire at the same time. Although there is nothing wrong with Dr. Fasehun resuscitating the Unity Party of Nigeria, which was one of the best parties that ever ruled in the South-West, but we as OPC led by Gani Adams are not ready to join partisan politics.
  
  So you are not part of that?
  
  No, we are not ready to join partisan politics now. Any member of OPC that is partisan belongs to Dr. Fasehun’s OPC. Let me tell you something, if Dr. Fasehun gets the contract, he will not give even one per cent to anybody.
  
  Are you talking from experience?
  
  Of course, yes. He was my leader from the beginning and he is someone we know very well. Initially, I did not want to join issues with him and Lai Mohammed and the ACN that has now seen OPC as an enemy. So we had to be very careful until Dr. Fasehun raised some wrong issues that he gave me the post of the national coordinator of OPC and I thanked him. That even Governor Gbenga Daniel thanked him also. It is wrong; there was nothing like that. That day, Gbenga Daniel was on seat, so also was Niran Malaolu, Wale Adedayo, Engr. Bayo Banjo and the two of us were there. The governor asked me to say what I wanted and I told him that the only thing I wanted straightened out was the issue of Fasehun calling himself founder. I said nine of us founded OPC together and I suggested that we can call him the founding father because he was the oldest and most prominent among us by then. That was how it was agreed that he would be the founding father and spiritual father while I would be the national coordinator. I told them that I was not bothered about any position they gave me but my name. There is a written document that the two of us signed and I don’t expect someone who is about 80 years to twist history. There is no rancour between us but we have to set the records straight. Another thing he said was that some people want to be using me for some nefarious things; how can anyone use me? I am the most independent person; I have never held any rally for any political party before. But he has done that many times. He held more than two rallies for former President (Olusegun) Obasanjo. Even when Gbenga Daniel was launching PPN (Progressive Peoples Party of Nigeria), I was invited but I turned it down even though I took him as a mentor. Fasehun was there with his boys and then OPC still remained a non-partisan organisation. I have never aligned with any political party and I have never worked for one.
  
  But people have always taken members of OPC as one.
  
  No, we have two parallel organisations. After the reconciliation, Dr. Fasehun did not allow us to merge the two groups. After we left Abeokuta, the venue of the reconciliation, Engr. Banjo called us together at the LTV8 for the merging of the two groups, but his man, Toyin Jomoh, truncated everything. Fasehun did not do anything to stop him. We managed the issue so that it would not turn to a crisis then, at least to respect those who tried to bring us together.
  
  Why are your members so loyal to you?
  
  Sincerity, honesty and being open to everyone. That is why I command unflinching loyalty from my members. I open my doors to all of them and I’m a leader that is easily accessible. I make sure that I reach out to the people and I make the issue of finance open. I have a very robust relationship across the place with market women, the academia and the artisans. If I met the President today, I would tell them. I would not wait until they hear it elsewhere.
  
  How have you been able to develop yourself educationally?
  
  I have a diploma in tourism management from International Relations School in Ghana; I have another diploma in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the Lagos State University. My degree in political science at LASU is in view. By next year, I will round up the programme. I develop myself by reading and learning from leaders and people that are more knowledgeable. Before I leave my room, I would have read about four newspapers at least and I don’t like to be lagging behind in information.
  
  What would you say is your own weakness as a leader?
  
  I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t fornicate. I don’t think you have read anywhere of any scandal involving Gani Adams. My integrity is very important to me and I guard it so jealously. I sometimes take a glass of wine; that is all. I have never smoked in my life and if you are a drunkard or a chain smoker, you can’t be very close to me. I don’t quarrel with those who smoke, I don’t do that.
  
  When you wanted to get married, did you have a problem in choosing someone?
  
  I believe that what happened was what God had ordained for me. It was beyond the issue of beauty or any other considerations. I met her when she was studying accounting at Kwara State Polytechnic and I had the feeling that she would be my wife. I watched and investigated her background and found out that she was from a highly religious background. Her mother is a prophetess and has churches while her father is a lawyer. I met her when I was declared wanted when Okiro was the commissioner of police in Lagos State. She was surprised that I could be declared wanted from the way she met me. When I explained to her why I was declared wanted, she said what I was doing was noble and she gave me her support. In fact, she was always with me in the car when I was mobilising underground during those tough days. Although her mother expressed some fears initially, that passed away after she had prayed about it. Her father did not have any hesitation at all and he gave his blessing straight away.
  
  What religion do you practise?
  
  I practise the three religions. If you go downstairs now, you will see Muslims holding prayers. Every Thursday in my house, both Muslims and Christians hold special prayers and vigil. The traditionalists too come to hold their own too. I have many prominent sheiks and prophets praying for me. Last two years, my wife went on pilgrimage to Mecca. Although people expect me to go, I am careful so that people don’t see me to be partial to one religion. But if I go to Mecca, definitely I will go to Jerusalem. I can pray more than many pastors but because I am not too knowledgeable in the Quran. I can pray in the Islamic way to an extent. For the past three years, I never miss 30 days of fasting. My father was a Muslim while my mother was allowed to take us to church. But all of us would not miss the fasting period.

Manifesto: APC to Probe Obasanjo, Jonathan Over Oil Revenue

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: Manifesto: APC to probe Obasanjo, Jonathan over oil revenue
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  The All Progressives Congress  says it will  probe how various administrations from 2000 to 2013 managed the nation’s oil revenue.
  
  The APC, which was formed by three main opposition parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party,  and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, stated this in its manifesto obtained by our correspondent in Abuja on Friday.
  
  In the manifesto, the party said it would pursue an eight-cardinal programme, including war against corruption, food security, accelerated power supply, integrated  transport network, free education, devolution of power, accelerated economic growth and affordable health care.
  
  On the war against corruption, it said, “We shall negotiate oil deals, unveil the secrecy surrounding the ownership of 49 per cent of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, query the over N50tn oil revenue which accrued to the Federation Account between 2000 and 2013 and recover billions of US dollars which Ministries, Departments and Agencies failed to remit to the Federation Account.”
  
  The Peoples Democratic Party administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, have been ruling the country since 1999.
  
  The APC also promised to strengthen the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and make them independent.
  
  The party said it would review public service rules and financial regulations, which encourage impropriety in public finances.
  
  The APC stated that it would move for the removal of the immunity clause in the constitution, which protects the President, vice-president, governors and deputy governors from prosecution while in office.
  
  It said, “APC in government shall muster the political will to wage strident war against corruption; otherwise, our post-oil economy will be disastrous.
  
  “It is our considered view that none of our cardinal programmes will succeed if the current level of corruption and looting going on in the land is allowed to continue.
  
  “We shall plug all leakages which accelerate monumental corruption, recover looted funds, cap and trim unwarranted allowances to public office holders.”
  
  The APC said it had adopted for its manifesto some recommendations of the defunct Electoral Reform Committee, known as Muhammadu Uwais Panel, set up by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
  
  The recommendations that will be adopted include “making the appointment of the chairman and top officials of the National and State Electoral Commissions public” and that the “Burden of Proof shall rest on the Electoral Commissioners.”
  
  On the power sector, the APC said it would pursue the expansion of electricity generation and distribution of up to 40,000 megawatts in the four to eight years of its administration.
  
  The APC said it would encourage an amendment of the constitution with a view to decentralising the police and expanding local content.

Producers Dare Not Ask me For Sex

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: Producers dare not ask me for sex –Annie Macaulay-Idibia
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media – Nigeria Recently married Annie Macaulay Idibia says being music star, Tuface Idibia’s wife has been no challenge.Annie, who spoke with an online news portal, Ibaka tv, on location of a movie, Girls in the mood, Annie Macaulay Idibia, says if at all there is any challenge, it will be that 24-hours is no more enough for her to take care of her two babies.Beaming with smiles, she says,“It has been nice, everything I thought and much more. There are no challenges; the only thing is shuffling my work, my home and my kid. I have so much to attend to; I almost feel like 24 hours is not enough. Now I have work, I have my daughter and I have my husband -my two babies to take care of. I also have my own personal runs. So, it is always very busy, my days are always extremely busy.”Her husband, Tuface, actually sprung a surprise on her on her birthday. He showed up with cake on location. Obviously surprised by his visit, Annie describes her husband’s surprise visit as cute.She says, “I was supposed to film half day but eventually filmed till pretty late, at about 9.30pm. I am sure he got tired of waiting. I don’t know how he did it with the director and he got the cake. I was just filming and he walked in and everybody started singing ‘Happy birthday’. It was nice and I thought that was cute. I was surprised that he came; I wasn’t expecting to see him.”
  
  In the movie, she plays the character of a girl named Tessy who is a drug addict. The producer of the movie, Prince Iyke Olisa, says this about her character. “She was a drug addict raped at the age of 13 by her uncle. The man denied and the wife sent her out of the home. She was introduced, forced into a kind of odd life. She started living wrong and ended up a drug addict and all manner of things.”
  
  The Tessy character however fascinates Annie as she keeps  saying how much she loves the character. According to her, she has never played a role like that and the character is a direct contrast to who she really is.
  
  Annie says, “I play the character called Tessy, I actually really love this character. It is something I have not played before. She is a drug addict; she takes a lot of cocaine, weed, cigarettes, drinks- she is just a very reckless girl. I think what is fascinating about the character is that she is an addict. She is always itchy and when she doesn’t have her fix, she needs to get some. I love the character; it is different from anything that I have played. There was a time she was in jail for about four days and she had had it up to here, she was all itchy and saying she needs her fix. She is a very reckless girl and she is the exact opposite of who I am. I love the fact that I could step out of Annie Macaulay Idibia’s shoes and be somebody else who is totally reckless. I love the character totally.”
  
  She adds that a character she will also love to play is either a blind girl or a hardened criminal.
  
  Annie also states that she has never got advances from marketers or producers.
  
  She says, “I really want to play the role of a blind girl; I want to play a hardened criminal. I have not faced advances from directors or producers. Before when they say it, I don’t get it. I just believe that if you have what it takes, if you have the talent, then eventually you will be called upon. I don’t think there is any field they don’t harass women but if you have it, eventually someone is going to see it and give you a chance. ‘Fear no gree them o’. Nobody tried to hit on me on that level.”
  
  Meanwhile, the couple was spotted last weekend at the MTV Africa All Stars Concert where Tuface flaunted his wedding ring.
  
  “It is official for those who don’t know,” he says, while showing off his  ring

Bidding Goodbye to Lucrative Venture

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report: Bidding goodbye to lucrative venture
  Africcon New Media – NewsFrom: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Helmet dealers share their experiences with SIMON EJEMBI since the Lagos State Government restricted the operations of commercial motorcycles in the state.
  
  For many years, Mr. Obi Emmanuel made his living by selling motorcycle spare parts in a small shop close to Marine Bridge, Apapa in Lagos. While the profit he made from the business was not much, he says it was enough for him to get by. Things remained that way for him until January 2009.
  
  On January 1, 2009, the Federal Road Safety Corps began the enforcement of directives on the compulsory use of safety helmets by motorcyclists.
  
  The decision presented Emmanuel with an opportunity to transform his fortunes and he seized it.
  
  In addition to his spare parts business, he started selling safety helmets. With FRSC breathing down their necks, it wasn’t long before motorcyclists turned up in their numbers at his shop. They didn’t just show up to buy a helmet, they needed at least two; their passengers were required to wear helmets as well.
  
  “We used to sell more than 2,000 pieces of helmets in a month then,” Emmanuel recalls.
  
  Mr. Abel Ekemoha, a wholesaler at Oyingbo, who supplies helmets to retailers such as Emmanuel, agrees that it was a profitable business.
  
  Ekemoha says, “Back then one can make like N100, 000 and, at time, N50, 000 in a week.” He explains that despite the patronage, like every business, there were days when you could sell ‘enough’ and there were days when you sold little.
  
  Like Emmanuel, Mr. Ejike Ekwenzu, who has a shop in Isheri, Ogun State started out by selling motorcycle spare parts before turning to helmets.
  
  Ekwenzu, however, stresses that he started selling helmets before the government decided to make its usage compulsory for motorcyclists. Consequently, he explains that he was one of the first beneficiaries of the directive.
  
  He says, “When they started disturbing okada (motorcyclists) helmets, we really had increase in sales and we could sell up to 20 or 30 helmets in a day.
  
  “I couldn’t count the number of helmets I sold in a month. I used to fill my vehicle with helmets and finish selling them within a short time. In a week, I could go twice to buy helmets, mostly for up to N50, 000.”
  
  According to him, initially, helmet sellers could make N1, 000 or N2, 000 on a helmet, depending on the type.
  
  “But later, when it became common, we made around N100 and, at times, N200 on each. But even then, before the end of the day I could make up to N5, 000.
  
  “When I bought up to 50 pieces of helmets, I could make up to N30, 000-profit when I sell them,” he said.
  
  Soon, the boom came to an end as more people got into the business of selling helmets.
  
  While the level of profit they made per helmet was already declining, they were unanimous in pointing to 2012 as the year when the business lost its attraction.
  
  Late in 2012, the Lagos State Government banned commercial motorcycles from operating on 475 roads in the state.
  
  These saw security agencies and traffic officials take to the roads to enforce the ban. After a series of arrests and the confiscation of many motorcycles, okada riders grudgingly withdrew from the roads. This was a huge blow to the helmet dealers, who said that in addition to the reduction in the number of motorcycles on the roads, efforts to enforce the use of safety helmets were relaxed.
  
  “We still sell the helmets, but the problem is that the business is not moving (profitable) now. Helmets are sitting in many shops but nobody is buying them because of the okada ban and government is not forcing them to use helmets again
  
  “It is mainly military people that use helmet now. They are the people that buy because they know the law,,” Emmanuel said.
  
  Mr. Godwin Gad, who has a spare parts shop close to Ojodu-Berger, has a similar observation.
  
  He said, “I have stopped (selling helmets) completely. You can’t see them here (in the shop) and I don’t see it anywhere because they no longer enforce (the use of) helmets. Without enforcing their use, they (okada riders) won’t want to wear it. So, we ourselves will not buy.”
  
  Concerning the effect the development has had on their business, Ekemoha said, “Really, it affected us badly. I say badly because over 30 per cent of our customers (retailers) had to change their line of business. Some of those that have their shops in Lagos had to move to other states. Some have moved to Sango-Ota (in Ogun State). Some others had to sell their goods and go back to their states.”
  
  Ekwenzu, while stressing that the business is no longer lucrative, said he and his counterparts had no choice but to move on.
  
  “You know I’m a businessman, so when the business failed I moved to another business, but it seriously affected us. But if you let it hold you back, then you will be out of business. That was why I used the money to start selling tools such as spanners which I didn’t sell before,” he stated.
  
  Moving on may have been easy for Ekwenzu, but for the likes of Emmanuel, who still have many helmets in their stores.
  
  He says in order to move on, he would have to sell off his remaining helmets. He admits that achieving that does not seem likely anytime soon.
  
  “I have not sold even one helmet in a month. If things do not change, we might go to another country, like Benin, and sell. The government of that country is forcing motorcycle riders to use helmets so they are buying,” he laments.
  
  Even that is no small feat, he says, adding, “For me to carry helmets from here to Cotonou to sell, involves a lot of things.”
  
  Even Ekemoha, who says he caught a lucky break, as people from Cotonou came and bought off his remaining helmets, is finding it difficult settling for another line of business.
  
  Having sold helmets for eight years, he says it has been tough coming up with something else.“It is not always easy to change market, especially when one has been into the business for a very long time,” he insists.
  
  While Ekemoha battles to let go of the past, Ekwenzu and Gad are focusing on their spare parts business. Emmanuel, for his part, says he is not just waiting to sell of his remaining helmets.
  
  He is putting some money into the sale of engine oil, which he says is a good business as vehicles and generators require it. If he succeeds in the sale of the helmets he has in stock, he plans to invest the money in engine oil, and car spare parts such as batteries.
  
  He adds that he secretly hopes motorcyclists will be allow to ply all roads once more, so he can face a line of business that made life a bit easier for him.

Anambra/Kogi Border Dispute: 19 Missing, 22 Houses Burnt in Aguleri

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  Africcon Report: Anambra/Kogi border dispute: 19 missing, 22 houses burnt in Aguleri
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  No fewer than 19 persons from Okpeze, Aguleri, in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State have been reported missing and 22 houses razed, following renewed bloody clash between the community and their Echonwa and Odeke neighbours, in Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State.
  
  Saturday Sun gathered that dangerous weapons were freely used during all-night fierce battle on Wednesday and Thursday.   Eyewitnesses and relations of the missing people in Anambra told newsmen yesterday that they were taken unawares on Wednesday and Thursday nights, when gunmen from Kogi State swooped on their homes, shooting and setting them and fire.  The victims alleged that when the gunmen invaded the area, people who ran out of their homes were captured and taken to unknown destinations.
  
  One of the women, Mrs. Martha Nweke told newsmen that her husband was among those missing. She said: “We were asleep when suddenly, we heard sounds of gunfire from many directions. There was pandemonium, as many people ran out of their houses half naked, into the bush. Many children were heard crying, as the invaders dragged their fathers out to unknown places.  “Most of the people slept in the bush and when the day broke, we discovered that many houses were either burnt or looted.
  
  I thought my husband ran into the bush with others, but when he did not appear the following morning, we knew that he was among those kidnapped.  “We are worried because these invaders had boasted, in the past, that they would continue to kill and eat our people. We want government to step into this matter without further delay to save us from this trauma.
  
  “We are just beginning to settle down after last year’s flood that destroyed our homes and crops and here we are again facing this attempt to sack us from our community by Kogi people because oil was discovered in our land.”  Meanwhile, the people of Aguleri have sent a Save-Our-Soul (SOS), to the Federal Government and the governments of Anambra and Kogi states to intervene immediately to avoid further loss of lives.

Nigeria’s N4.93tr Budget Under Threat

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  Africcon Report: Nigeria’s N4.93tr budget under threat
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Nigeria’s ability to finance its N4.93 trillion 2013 budget may run into a hitch as the Federal Government declared that she was losing N160 billion ($1billion) monthly in revenue following the drop in oil production and in the prices of crude oil at the international market. Total losses, which stemmed from shut-in, due to Force Majeure declared  by oil companies, oil theft and illegal bunkering, were put at 300, 000 barrels per day (bpd) by the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the economy, Dr.  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
  
  Addressing a press conference, at the sidelines of the ongoing World Bank/ International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings in Washington D.C, the minister said the briefing was important because of the avowed transparency in the President Jonathan’s administration. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)  had  said last Tuesday  that oil production fell below projections in the first quarter due to crude theft and pipeline sabotage. The current production, according to Finance Minster, ranged from 2.1 million bpd to 2.2 million barrels per day, less than an estimated 2.5 million barrels per day for the 2013 budget.
  
  The N4.93 trillion ($31.35 billion) budget  for 2013 was based on an assumption of a $79-per-barrel budget oil price, higher than the $75-per-barrel proposed by the Executive and up from $72 for last year’s budget. With the persistent drop in  price of oil in the international market ($97 dollar per barrel as at yesterday), coupled with the monthly N160billion revenue loss, in addition to the shortfalls in other revenues from the  Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigerian Customs, the ability to finance the 2013 budget may be tough if  oil production is not restored in good time especially the Shell Nembe, which has shut-in 150,000 barrels of oil per day.
  
  But the Minster has assured that the $7billion left in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was enough to stabilise the shortfall within the next three months pending the time the recoveries would be made. She said this is why the Excess Crude Account (ECA) is very important to the country but pointed out that it was very significant for  the country to move quickly to recover production.
  
  The Federal Government sets a price per barrel when calculating oil revenue in the budget, and saves any money collected above that level in the ECA to meet spending shortfalls. Already, Okonjo-Iweala said President Jonathan has directed the Nigeria Navy to go after the oil thieves and would also be meeting with the oil chiefs next week, with a view to collaborating with them on how to restore the damaged pipelines by the oil thieves as well as finding a lasting solution to the malaise.

Tukur Bows to Pressures

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  Africcon Report: Tukur bows to pressures
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has finally slated its much-awaited meeting for next month. A statement issued yesterday and signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Barrister Olisah Metuh, disclosed: “All is now set for the convening of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
  
  Although he did not state when the meeting would be convened, Saturday Sun source revealed that the meeting “would hold next month when the delegation of the chairman of the party board of trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, was expected to have concluded visits to the governors.” The refusal of the PDP NWC, under the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to convene a meeting of the party was one of the contentious issues that have worsened the relationship between him and the governors.
  
  Saturday Sun checks revealed that the PDP governors, in one of their recent meetings, had passed a resolution demanding the convening of the PDP NEC meeting. They further submitted that Tukur’s failure to convene the meeting contravened the PDP 2009 Constitution, (as amended) which stipulates that the NEC meeting of the party must hold every quarter of the year.
  
  Section 12.74 of the PDP constitution 2009 [as amended] reads: “The National Executive Committee shall meet at least, once in every quarter at the instance of the chairman or at requests of two third of its membership who shall notify the chairman at least seven days to the meeting and an emergency meeting be summoned by the National Chairman having regard to all the circumstances of the agenda.”
  
  Investigation revealed that the meeting of the PDP NEC was conducted last June. Metuh, in his statement, further revealed the agenda of the meeting to include the issue of setting up standing and ad-hoc committees in the party and ratification of corrected version of the PDP Constitution approved at the 2012 Convention. Part of his statement reads: “The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) has decided that one of the items to be presented at the impending NEC meeting would be the issue of setting up standing and ad-hoc committees in the party.
  
  The approval of NEC, in this regard, will assist in widening the scope of participation by party stakeholders in the mobilization and sensitisation efforts and help the national leadership in driving the vision and manifesto of the party to ensure the success of the Transformation Agenda of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP administration. “Also the corrected version of the PDP Constitution approved at the 2012 Convention will be presented to NEC for ratification.”

Orji Uzor Kalu is a Man of the People @ 53

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  Africcon Report: Orji Uzor Kalu is a Man of the People @ 53
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Once every year, somebody must remember his birthday. Some persons celebrate theirs in a majestic style, while others just think over it. Reasons for these vary among individuals. It is the motive of this treatise to memorise a former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, as he clocks 53 on April 21, 2013.
  
  The Igbo would associate a man of Kalu’s standing with  Obu nnukwu mmanwu. (He is a big masquerade). And big masquerades are not watched on the day of festivity from one focal point of view. To get a sizeable view of a big masquerade, one has to be moving from one standing point to another, yet the view of the masquerade will not be complete. This is why it is called nnukwu mmanwu.
  
  While friends and well-wishers of Kalu are preparing to celebrate with him in the 36 states of the federation, in Europe, Asia, other African countries and around the world, it is essential to keep in mind that there is no amount of party – be it grand or ordinary – that will surpass the fact that Kalu is alive today. Any day a person is alive is one biggest quiet celebration on its own, even though that it is not amplified. This is why the Igbo would say that Odi ndu kele Chi. (Any living should thank his God).
  
  Kalu is a friend of the people who has helped numerous people, both financially, emotionally and in anything positive. Some he knew, many he did not know. He has filled a lot of people’s sorrow with happiness, joy and peace. He cannot make a list of the people he has assisted in life. However, one content of the help that he has rendered to mankind that does not vary to suit any person in particular is humility. If Kalu were a kid, due to the tremendous help he has turned to people, on this occasion of his birthday, many would have taken him to the market and buy him balloons, whistle, paper-kite, toys and other children’s fanciful items.
  
  While a host of people around the globe are in the festive mood to celebrate with Kalu, without doubt, he is busy in prayers for his dear life and for providence making him who he is today wealth-wise, but among all, as a man who is loved, admired and adored by many friends than perceived foes. As a token of love to appreciate him, at his Igbere hometown of Abia State, Kalu’s kinsmen and kinswomen have been celebrating his 53rd birthday remembrance since the past one month. At his Neya country home, the atmosphere is an epoch one. What people have not eaten and drunk are not in the market. The significant aspect of this festivity is the cake, which was in the shape of a beautiful house, resembling Kalu’s expensive and expansive compound, that was cut. All these the villagers have done in acknowledging that their son is alive today to witness his 53rd birthday.
  
  It is something to cheer about that Kalu who was born without a golden spoon, but not in the absence of a spoon, has become a personality that is drowned in gifts of thanks-giving from people around the world that cut across creed, culture, tradition and religion. It is worthy of praise that Kalu who was not born into an upper-class family has taken his lower-middle-class family to the upper-class family. The momentous aspect of this year’s birthday tribute to Kalu is that the world is very particular about observing it because of his years of very active thorough service to mankind; though since his birth, Kalu has been regularly celebrated every year. As a central figure that all eyes are set on, on this birthday occasion, Kalu’s joy knows no bounds, and is thoughtful of the passing year and the year to come.
  
  Another exceptional aspect of this year’s birthday is that it comes when Kalu who hates evil has taken to coordinating an anti-corruption war in Africa, which is supposed to be profound in South Africa this May, having stakeholders with part of European Union, the United Nations, some diplomats from the United States and other Western countries. In this bid, Kalu is crying that government agencies in Africa have failed to fight corruption, hence the use of Non-Governmental Organisation to fight corruption ensued. Kalu vehemently frowns at politicians, civil servants who are stunningly rich today, but were paupers before they assumed their different leadership positions.
  
  Kalu is using his birthday to enlighten people that corruption is not only synonymous with those in government, but also there are jokers in all the spheres of human endeavours. He is one politician who has suffered politically motivated cases in the hands of the authorities, losing many of his assets in politics. He lost two banks, offshore companies, building platforms and an airline he came to power with, when he was a former governor. He has been severally molested by the authorities. An example was in 2007 when traducers launched a vilification campaign against him that an anti-graft agency was looking for him. He was in London and called Ibrahim Lamorde, a Czar of the agency that he was coming to Nigeria. He told Lamorde the time that he was going to land in Nigeria – 5a.m – and even specified his place of landing, which was Abuja, instead of Lagos. He also told Lamorde that by 11a.m., he would be in Lamorde’s office.
  
  Kalu would not be celebrating today if his God was and is not always with him. At that time, his voluntary return was made to look like the capture of a suspect after a hard chase. One Nuhu Ribadu of the anti-graft agency came to the airport with an arsenal of journalists and cameramen to arrest Kalu, as he landed in Nigeria. They tried to rubbish him but here is the great son of Ndigbo and a citizen of Nigeria without blemish; a man who has never been afraid of who will lock him up or use rules that are not in line with the constitution to chase him.
  
  Kalu’s birthday today tells the story of a man who was governor at 39 and lost many of his businesses, but is here today stronger at 53, than the political demagogues wanted to feeble him. Kalu’s fears at this year’s birthday are not his. The fears are not that he’s being persecuted by the authorities, but that the country is gradually ebbing to a point where anybody can do anything he or she likes, because the leaders are not able to come together and address this issue, hence law and order are being broken down. He has not been happy that Nigeria has a lot of problems but has always said that if Nigerians are all part of the problem, they should be part of the solution. Without equivocation, Kalu has been part of the solutions to majority of the problems besetting the country.
  
  One time Student Union leader and House of Representative member, Kalu has served as Chairman of the Borno Water Board and of the Cooperative and Commerce Bank Limited, before he was governor of Abia State, from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007. In his capacity, he founded the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA), where he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees, before he was a presidential candidate in the April 2007 general elections. These are not excluding his excelling in business, politics, and philanthropy, and being one of the big employers of labour in Nigeria, which are within banking, oil/telecommunication, import, financing, insurance, publishing, real estate, shipping and manufacturing.
  
  He is also a member of many national and international organisations, with his business offices in Ghana, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, South Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States of America, The Gambia, Liberia, Botswana and Cote d’Ivoire, but not limited to these.
  
  Kalu is not only known as a businessman and politician; he is also a household name in sports. Accounts have proved that he’s the chairman, Nigeria Judo Federation; and Enyimba Football Club of Aba won the trophy for Nigerian League back-to-back for the first time in the more than 38- year history of the African CAF League Cup Competition. These were achieved through Kalu’s benevolent efforts. In 2004, the club defeated Esperance F.C. of Tunisia to win the trophy the second time, which was crowned Super Cup in 2004/2005.
  
  As stated, Kalu did not win in politics only. He has won many local and international awards. The Industrialist of the Year award by the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry was regarded as the prominent. Others were given as Humanitarian Award by the Humanitarian Club of the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Volunteer Award by the International Association of Volunteers; Youngest Bank Chairman Award by the famous Top Magazine when he became the chairman of Cooperative and Commerce Bank in 1987; a special award by the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, and the National Merit Award of the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON); Special Award by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Fellow, Bauchi Polytechnic, Fellow, Institute of Certified Management Accountants, and the prestigious Leon Sullivan Award by the World Bank, Washington; and not limited to being a visitor of Miami Dave County in the State of Florida, United States of America.
  
  This dude with over 450 traditional titles to his honour and several books to his credit, went through his academic career, starting at Christ the King School, Aba for his primary education; Eziama High School, Aba; Government College, Umuahia for secondary education and tertiary education at University of Maiduguri; Abia State University, Uturu, where he obtained B.Sc in Political Science; Harvard University Graduate Business School (AMP 153) Boston, USA., IEA Certificate by USAID; honorary doctorate degrees in Law by the University of Port Harcourt, Abia State University, Uturu and City State University, Los Angeles, USA.
  
  Among all, may Kalu’s God grant him an Igbo presidency in 2015 through his Njiko Igbo, when he would be 55.

Jonathan Woos North With N1.26tr Economic Lifeline

• Africcon News
  Africcon Report:  Jonathan woos North with N1.26tr economic lifeline
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  A document emanating from leaders of the northern region has revealed that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan has extended huge economic goodies to the region.
  
  The Northern Economic Summit, in its “Progress Report on Actions taken by the Federal Government on Economic Development Issues Raised from the Report of the First Northern Economic Summit held in Kaduna in 2011” admitted that since 2011, Jonathan has really taken good care of the region’s economic development. The Northern Economic Summit, which plans its second summit in June, is headed by Prof. Jerry Gana.
  
  A 12-page report itemised 10 areas in which Jonathan has extended economic interventions to the region in two years. With N16 billion, the latest of the lifelines, made available early this week to the North for oil field search and discovery, the region has gained about N1.2 trillion exclusively from the administration.
  
  The last fund goes into the establishment of the “Frontier Basin Exploration Agency that would work in Benue, Sokoto, Adamawa, others.”
  
  The handout is known as an offer to grease the palms of the North and make them support the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) still in the works.
  
  Allocation for the yet-to-be established agency is already captured in the 2013 Appropriation Act signed by President Goodluck Jonathan in February.
  
  A source in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told Saturday Sun: “Although the government has a duty of making such provisions for the development of the nation, when it is essentially targeted at a region, to the exclusion of others, the agenda becomes political.”
  
  The source, a former national executive of the PDP from the South West, also said: “These are incentives from the Federal Government to buy the friendship of the North. I am sure my region can’t say it ever got such carrot from the Federal Government. It is possible only the South South, to some extent, apart from the North, can boast of an incentive this big from President Jonathan. The possibility is high that such staggering fund is extended to the North for political gains concerning his 2015 interest and partly because of the insecurity situation that is worst in the North.” However, at least 50 per cent of the projects involved in this assignment have been completed.
  
  The document of the Gana-led group, at the opening page, indicated that the Federal Government has made “provisions of substantial funds to facilitate exploration for oil and gas in the Chad Basin, Benue Trough, Bida Basin and Sokoto-Rima Basin, among others.
  
  “Upon assumption of office, this administration renewed the commitment of government to systematically and aggressively explore and rapidly assess the hydrocarbon resource potentials of the seven inland basins in Nigeria.
  
  “This is to facilitate the much desired diversification of Nigeria’s oil exploration and production base with resultant increase in the nation’s oil and gas reserves to deliver strategic, security and socio-economic benefits.”
  
  The bottom-line of the projects to the North is that the region admitted it got: “In 2011, US$70m, in 2012, US$70m and in 2013 US$100m for the hydrocarbon exploration in the Lake Chad Basin and other Northern Hydrocarbon basins.”
  
  The figures for the three years represent about N47.4 billion and with the latest largesse this week, the North, since 2011, has got from Jonathan N63.4  billion lifeline in the oil and gas sector only. According to the document, almost the entire subventions are for search for oil not yet found.
  
  Further, the Gana revelation also noted: “In 2011, NNPC had, through the technical consultants, concluded the search, evaluation and identification of capable airborne geophysical survey companies for hydrocarbon exploration of the inland basins of Nigeria.”
  
  The source of the facts is the document of the Summit’s Conference Organising Committee (email:nps_g20@yahoo.com). The acronym, G20, is the alias for the organization, indicating it overseas the economic interest of the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory. The document was made public and given participants on the day the Summit announced its second summit for June in Abuja.
  
  Power sector
  
  The target projects in the region in this sector are the Zungeru and Mambila Plateau power contracts. It noted: “This administration has renewed its commitment to speedily implement the Mambila Hydro Power Project with vigour to generate 3050mw of power.”
  
  The revised schedule for the completion of the project was broken down into seven segments commencing from the second quarter of 2012 with the resolution of the legal breaches in the project and terminates at the first quarter of 2013 with a “bidding process and financing arrangement in progress.”
  
  The segments also include, according to the report: “MOU for construction works signed with two Chinese companies at a construction cost of US$6.4b or N936b.
  
  “It is important to note that government has awarded the 700 megawatts Zungeru hydro power project at a cost of US$1.2 (N170b). Groundbreaking ceremony will be performed in April 2013. The Kashimbila Dam has reached advanced stage of construction, while Gurara Phase 1 has been 100% completed. Detailed design and tender documents for 360 megawatts Gurara phase II and 40 megawatts Itisi Dam have been completed and PPP bidding process in progress.”
  
  Power transmission lines
  
  There have also been expansions of power transmission lines, especially the proposed super grid and “contracts for the expansion of transmission lines have been awarded and works in progress. Ajaokuta-Abuja is progress; Kaduna-Kano, awarded; Kaduna-Saminaka-Jos, awarded. Makurdi-Nasarawa-Jos, awarded; Gombe-Yola-Jalingo, completed; Gombe-Potiskum-Damaturu-Maiduguri, work in progress; Mambila-Jalingo-Makurdi and Mambila-Yola-Maiduguri, design works.”
  
  Roads
  
  Gana’s group admitted unequivocally: “Government has commenced rehabilitation works for all federal roads and appreciable progress has been made in the northern part under FERMA’s zero pothole programme.”
  
  Agriculture
  
  For the North, the report said: “The agricultural value chain is targeted at rice, corn, wheat, tomatoes, onion, pepper and watermelon in the North West, North East and North Central. The rice transformation plan envisages the establishment of 14 integrated rice processing mills under a PPP arrangement. Of these 14 mills, 10 will be located in the northern part of the country. To provide the necessary raw materials for the rice mills, government plans to expand and/or rehabilitate existing projects and construct additional ones with N42.25b representing 63.1% of the N67b allocated to the water sector for the development of irrigation at 33 locations around the northern states.”
  
  It also revealed: “Full implementation of the water sector component of government intervention is expected to boost food production in northern Nigeria by an estimated 1,461,328 metric tons out of a total national estimate of 1,684,408 tons.
  
  “Irrigation revival is already taking place. Lake Chad (6,000Ha) has been redeveloped in conjunction with the Borno State government, Gurara irrigation scheme of 4,000Ha, completed. Rima Basin 5,000 revived; Zobe dam irrigation, revived and several others.”
  
  In addition to the various projects already either executed or in the course of completion, there are “10 mini hydro studies already completed and additional studies for 17 existing dams are ongoing.”
  
  Solid minerals
  
  In this sector, the Federal Government has conducted geochemical mapping in over 40 locations in the North to aid in getting proper knowledge of their diverse minerals availability and concentration and also made remarkable efforts at exploring them.
  
  For instance, the report said: “The Federal Government has equipped and upgraded the Geosciences Research Laboratory in Kaduna to world class, thereby providing means of analyzing mineral samples locally. Monthly mineral clinics are organized to disseminate geo-scientific information/data in all the zones of the North.
  
  “Government has also established the Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences in Jos to provide practical orientation and post graduate training in mining engineering. The combined effect of these deliberate initiatives in the mining sector is targeted at generating and sustaining employment and income generation to our unemployed youths in the North.”