PDP NEC meeting: Automatic ticket for Jonathan may top agenda

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
| credits: File copy

Members of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party loyal to President Goodluck Jonathan will be proposing an amendment to  the party’s constitution at   today’s NEC meeting.

  The amendment  will give the President  and  governors currently serving their first tenure automatic ticket for  the 2015 elections.

 It was gathered that  Jonathan’s loyalists would , through a motion  at the meeting, seek the inclusion of “the right of first refusal” in the party’s constitution.

 A source at the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat of the PDP Abuja, made this known just as the President met with  the Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko, and   PDP leaders from the South-West, including ex-convict, Chief Olabode George.

 The source said that if the motion, which is expected to be the high point of the crucial deliberations at the NEC meeting  was approved, it would be taken to the national convention of the PDP for ratification on August 31, 2013.

 Article 31, sub section (3) of the 2012 PDP Constitution as amended states,  “The decision of the NEC  shall be binding on all organs and members of the party.”

 It was learnt that the strategists of the President  had  arranged that the motion  should be moved by a distinguished politician from the North-West, who would be seconded by  another top politician  from the North- East.

 It was also gathered that  sustained efforts had been made to convince and co-opt state chapters of the PDP to embrace the idea.

 The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih,   had broached the idea of automatic tickets for the President and  other elected  office holders in the country in May.

Anenih, a staunch supporter of Jonathan, argued at a  party’s family dinner   in May  that the fight for  PDP’s  tickets had always generated intra- party bitterness and  tension  even before  main elections.

 A PDP NEC member, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday,  said “over 95 per cent of PDP members are in support of President Goodluck Jonathan vying for second term in office.”

He said, “All I know is that this doctrine of fresh refusal does not apply to President  Jonathan, who will remain the candidate of the PDP in 2015. Ninety-five per cent of PDP members are supporting him  to win the 2015 presidential election.”

When our correspondent contacted the Acting National Publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Tony Okeke, on the telephone,   he picked but declined  to make   any comments on the issue.

 • President meets Wamakko, PDP South- West leaders

 Meanwhile, one  of the five northern state governors, who  visited some   former  Nigerian leaders over the state of the nation,  Wamakko,   on Wednesday met behind closed-doors with   Jonathan.

The agenda of the meeting which the governor described as “routine” was not made public.

The meeting which took place inside the office of the President   lasted about an hour.  It was held shortly before the President  met a delegation of  the PDP  from the South-West led by George,  a former Deputy National Chairman   of the party in the zone.

While the meeting was  going on , Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State was also sighted at the Presidential Villa.

 He however did not meet with the President and it was not clear as of  press time whether he would return to  the Villa or not.

When State House correspondents asked Wamakko what his meeting with the President was about, he  said there was nothing unusual in his visiting the President.

He also claimed that his visit had nothing to do with the PDP  NEC  meeting  today.

He however said the consultations he and his colleagues embarked on were still ongoing.

Wamako; Kwankwaso; Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); and Babangida Aliyu (Niger); had been consulting over the state of the nation and the PDP crises.

They had also met with Jonathan and the party’s National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur.

The   South-West PDP  leaders at the meeting with Jonathan were  Senator Iyiola Omisore,   Babatope, Senator Hosea Agboola, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Senator Lekan Balogun, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, Chief Kayode Adetokunbo,  Elder Wole Oyelese and ministers from the zone.

The Vice-President, Namadi Sambo;    the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak;  and the Chief of Staff to the President,  Chief Mike Oghiadome were also at the meeting.

George, who was granted presidential pardon, told State House correspondents that they decided to meet with Jonathan   on issues bordering on the party’s forthcoming mini-national convention and happenings in the zone, especially as they affected the position of the National Secretary.

He also told journalists that the August 31 special convention of the party would hold “irrespective of speculations.”

• Ex-PDP spokesman petitions CJN

A  former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisah Metuh, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Muktah, over moves by some people to procure court orders to stop him from contesting  the position.

 Metuh told the CJN in the letter dated August 13, 2013, that a particular aspirant for the position was using surrogate plaintiffs to file cases in the courts to disqualify him.

• Oni asks court to stop S’West congress

 A former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Segun Oni, has asked an Ekiti State High Court to restrain the PDP from conducting the South-West congress scheduled for Saturday.

Oni, who was the immediate past National Chairman of the party, in a suit number HAD/67/013, also urged the court to stop the party from processing nomination forms for the post.

Ask RMAFC to slash our wages –Reps

Members during plenary at the floor of the Nigeria House of Representatives

The House of Representatives said on Wednesday that complaints about the jumbo pay of Senators and members of the House should be referred to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, which fixed the salaries and allowances of lawmakers.

The House noted that the lawmakers’ wage was computed by RMAFC after it considered several factors and took a decision on what should be the pay package, based on the powers conferred on it by law.

Deputy House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, who spoke on the controversial huge pay of federal legislators said members were always amazed whenever critics attacked lawmakers over the pay package as if they fixed their own wage.

“We are tired of responding to the same issue every time; our explanations seem to be falling on deaf ears.

“We didn’t fix our salaries and allowances; that is the role of RMAFC. If you think that our salaries and allowances are too much, ask the agency to slash what they recommended,” Ogor said.

The pay of lawmakers generated public discourse again following Monday’s statement by a former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who said that the country had spent over N1.1tn on their upkeep since 2005.

Only recently, an analysis by The Economist rated Nigerian legislators the highest paid in the world, dwarfing countries like Japan, USA, Britain, Kenya and Ghana.

For example, a member of the House takes a monthly salary of between N900, 000 and N1.1m, besides a quarterly allowance of between N27.9m and N33m.

In addition, legislators receive car and furniture replacement loans and allowances every four years.

Ezekwesili had spoken at a one-day dialogue on the “cost of governance in Nigeria.”

As a way of cutting cost, many Nigerians have called for a part-time legislature, as against the current practice whereby the 360 members of the House and 109 senators sit full time.

They are paid on a monthly basis, whether they work or not.

But Ogor said that attacking the legislature “all the time” was an attempt to cripple democracy, adding that a part-time legislature would not work in the presidential system practiced by Nigeria.

According to him, a part-time legislature will promote dictatorship and allow the executive arm of government to operate without “proper checks.”

He said, “It is either we want to practice democracy or we do not. There is no presidential system of government anywhere where you reduce the legislature to part-time and expect to get results.

“The idea of the legislature is to enhance checks and balances, which is not possible when the legislature is not fully functional.

“We are there to act as a check on the excesses of the executive on a regular basis; that is the meaning of oversight as a legislative duty.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, also opposed part-time legislature as a solution to the high cost of governance.

He observed that since 2011, the National Assembly’s budget had remained at N150bn to run the bureaucracy, maintain the lawmakers and service the National Assembly Commission.

Mohammed pointed to the executive where he said the lion’s share of public budget was spent annually but to which “people turn a blind eye.”

He said, “Part-time legislature does not address the cost of governance. People should appreciate what the legislature represents as an institution of democracy, not just salaries and allowances.

“Even in America, where we borrowed our presidential model, they don’t practise part-time legislature there.

“When the legislature is not fully functional, what you are asking for is dictatorship.”

However, the Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, said that he would support part-time legislature if it was the only solution to Nigeria’s problems.

“If part-time legislature is the panacea or antidote and solution to our many problems in this country I am all for it,” he said.

But, he faulted Ezekwesili on her position that government was spending too much money on the legislature.

He said, “I think we should be objective and not being dramatic about this obviously sensitive matter.

“From my simple mathematics, if you divide 1tn over an 8-year period, you get an average of a little over 100bn per year.

“Now, this is for a whole and distinct arm of government and covers salaries, other recurrent and overheads for both Houses, the National Assembly Commission, staff, capital projects and overheads.”

 Gbajabiamila’s comment was contained in an email he sent to our correspondent on Wednesday.

Panic as police, robbers engage in gun duel

Policemen and the robbers’ vehicle

Panic gripped residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Thursday as policemen chased a gang of suspected armed robbers operating in two vehicles round the streets of the metropolis and engaged them in a gun duel.

Our correspondent gathered that the robbery suspects had stormed Abeokuta through the Adigbe-Obada-Oko route from the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in a convoy of two vehicles – an unregistered white Ford bus and another unmarked sports car.

It was learnt that some residents alerted the police command to the presence of the robbers. The command sent its officers to search for them.

Riot policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier stationed at the Ibara area of the metropolis gave the gang of robbers a hot chase and eventually engaged them in a gun battle.

It was learnt that the robbers fled after a few minutes on seeing that a bullet had pierced one of the tyres of the Ford vehicle. The policemen, however, gave them a chase.

As the robbers and the policemen moved round the city exchanging fire, some of the residents fled the main roads, while some shop owners abandoned their wares.

But commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called okada, also joined the policemen and distracted the suspected robbers by throwing stones at the occupants of the vehicles.

The vehicle later stopped moving when it got to a school at the Pepsi Cola/Agbeloba area of the metropolis, which had been cordoned off by another set of policemen.

While some of the robbery suspects escaped in the sport’s car,  the policemen arrested one occupant of the unmarked white Ford bus.

The state command Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, who later arrived at the scene of the arrest, commended the policemen involved in chasing the suspected robbers.

Adejobi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, also attributed the success recorded by the police to the provision of equipment by the state government.

He said, “This is just the tip of the iceberg. The men came here to operate; we got information and our mobile policemen gave them a hot chase. We were able to get two of the suspected armed robbers, while some of them fled.”

He added that the policemen could have shot and killed some of the fleeing robbery suspects, but hesitated because the incident occurred in a school environment, where students were around to collect their report cards.

He said, “We have informed other neighbouring commands to be on the lookout so that they can arrest them.”

The PPRO also told newsmen that a team of police officers in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by their leader, Ahmed Tijani, on Tuesday killed four armed robbers in their hideouts in Odan Abuja village, Igbesa area of the Ado – Odo/Ota Local Government Area.

Adejobi said the robbery suspects were among those who attacked officials of the Vigilance Services of Ogun State at the Onihale area, Ifo Local Government.

He said,  “The armed robbers, on sighting the police, opened fire and the police responded appropriately. Four of them died on the spot while some of them fled the area with bullet wounds. There was no arrest.”

Police quiz man for sexually abusing girl, 10

The victim

A middle-aged man, Ifeanyi Iwuji, has been quizzed by the police in Lagos for an alleged serial sexual harassment of a 10-year-old daughter of his neighbour.

It was learnt that Iwuji, who is a father of  an eight-month old child, lives in a room and parlour apartment on Sule Street, Mangoro, Ikeja.

It was learnt that last Thursday, he sought the permission of the girl’s mother, Comfort, to send her on an errand. It was said that Iwuji did not send the girl anywhere, but locked her up in his bedroom.

It was gathered that Comfort, a teacher, who was having a private lesson with the girl before releasing her to run an errand for Iwuji, felt uneasy when her daughter did not return on time.

The development, it was learnt, made her approach Iwuji in his apartment to inquire about her daughter’s whereabouts.

Comfort told PUNCH Metro that she was shocked when Iwuji replied her from his bedroom that her daughter was not at his place despite that her (daughter) pair of slippers was at the entrance of his apartment.

She said, “When I called my daughter to return and finish up her home work, a voice from Iwuji’s apartment said my daughter was not there.

“I became worried and went to Iwuji’s apartment. I spotted my daughter’s slippers at the entrance, but surprisingly, Iwuji insisted that she was not at his place.

“I kept knocking on the door. Then I overheard him speaking in hushed tone. Later, my daughter walked out of his sitting room. I challenged him for lying to me, but he couldn’t give me a convincing answer, so I raised the alarm.’’

Comfort explained to our correspondent that she queried her daughter to know what transpired between her and Iwuyi only to be told that Iwuyi had been sexually harassing and abusing her.

She added that she promptly reported the matter at the Dopemu Police Division.

The 10-year-old girl told our correspondent that her sexual escapades with Iwuji started in June 2013. She explained that on Thursday, rather than give her money and send her on the errand, Iwuji led her into his bedroom and ordered her to take off her pants.

She said, “He asked me to take off my pants and gave me a cream to put on my private part like he used to do.  Afterwards, he laid me on his bed, brought out his penis and started robbing it in front of my private part.

“He also used his hand to rob me on my laps. Then he wanted to kiss me but I was dodging it. When my mum started calling me, he stopped before he later asked me to go and meet her. He had been doing this thing with me since June.

“The first time he did it with me was one Tuesday in June. He bought me N10 corn flakes and also gave me N50. I don’t know the number of times we did it. Maybe 10 or 11 times and we usually did it when my mummy was not around.’’

Asked why she did not tell her parents about the incidents, the girl said, “I know that it is not a good thing but I was afraid that my mummy and daddy would beat me if I told them.’’

When our correspondent visited Iwuji’s apartment on Tuesday, he was said to have gone to work. However, when contacted on the telephone on Wednesday, he confirmed to our correspondent that he was indeed quizzed by the police over the development.

He said, “I was at the police station but the case had since been resolved and we were all asked to go. I don’t really have anything to say. I am not going to give them (his accusers) credit or discredit myself. Only God, who is in heaven, knows all and sees all.’’

But Comfort is crying foul over the present state of police investigations. She said the way and manner the police handled the case was unsatisfactory.

She said the Investigating Police Officer informed her on Wednesday that the case would be discontinued as she was going on her annual leave.

Comfort said, “The IPO called me and informed me that she had proceeded on her annual leave and that she was on her way to Enugu. She told me the matter wiould be reopened on September 12, when she resumes.

“This is by all standards unsatisfactory to me. I have not even seen the result of the medical examination conducted on my daughter as the officials who attended to me at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, said they were going to forward the report directly to the police.

“This is unfair and the life and future of my daughter is currently at stake here. What if his mission is fetish, the whole world should please help me out in this matter.’’

When our correspondent contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, she said she would get the details from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the station.

Badagry killing: ‘Why policemen couldn’t save victims’

The policemen, who were arrested in connection with the lynching of two youths in Ajara, Badagry area of Lagos State,  have denied participating in the killing.

The six policemen, who were arrested after they were spotted in the video of the sad event, are currently detained at the Lagos State Command Headquarters.

It was learnt that they were being held because they “folded their arms” and watched the two young men being killed, instead of saving them.

The Divisional Police Officer, Mohammed Dankoli, was also transferred from the station after the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, accused him of unprofessional conduct.

Police sources told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the policemen were insisting that they did not rescue the victims because they were ordered not to shoot. They reportedly said they could not have dispersed the angry mob without using lethal force.

One of the policemen, investigating the arrested officer’s conduct, said, “The policemen were not involved in the lynching. We have taken their statements and I can assure you that they were not happy with the lynching of those boys.

“The policemen said on the day of the incident, July 21, 2013, they were led to the scene by the incident officer, ASP Matthew. It was Matthew that told them not to shoot. That was why they did not shoot to disperse the crowd.

“If you watch the video carefully, you will observe that the station officer, Inspector Adefemi Ashogbon, was trying to disperse the crowd but because he was not authorised to shoot, there was little he could do. Even Sergeant John Sonayon, who was also in the video, did not participate in the killing.”

PUNCH Metro had reported that two youths, Ifechukwu  Nwainokpor, a final year student of Delta State University, and his friend, Kazeem Onayemi, an apprentice, were beaten to death by an angry mob on  suspicion of armed robbery.

When asked if the victims were armed robbers, the policemen said, “We don’t know if those boys were robbers, but the vigilance group in the area accused them of killing someone.”

It was learnt that the policemen had sent emissaries to commiserate with the families of the deceased persons and also to plead with the Commissioner of Police in the state, Umaru Manko, to have mercy on them.

A policeman said, “ASP Matthew has been a policeman for 35 years and is due to retire this year. Ashogbon has been a policeman for over 20 years and has a family to look after. We appeal to CP Manko to please temper justice with mercy.”

Two brothers torture, rape housemaid

Lagos State Chief Judge, Ayotunde Philips

A 23-year-old housemaid, Comfort Ashati, has told the Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court how two brothers overpowered, tortured and raped her at their house in Isheri area of Lagos State.

 Ashati said the brothers, Tony and Emmanuel, who are in their 30s, lived in the same building with their father, Mr. Williams Ibiaji, who employed her shortly after the death of their mother.

 She said the men barged into her room, assaulted, and tore her panties before raping her in May 2012.

She said, “I started working for Mr. Williams (Ibiaji) through an agent who took me to their house when I was looking for a job. He needed a housemaid because he had just lost his wife.

 “However, his sons – Tony and Emmanuel- did not like me. They said I should leave the house, but their father told me to ignore them since he was the one that employed me.

 “I had been staying there for almost two years when the incident happened. On that day, the two of them entered my room and began to beat me. They also tore my clothes. I could not fight them off because they were too big. That was how I was beaten up and raped by the two of them.”

  Ashati told the court that she later managed to run into the room of a couple who gave her clothes.

 She said, “They also came into the house. The man begged them to leave me, but because one of them had a knife, they entered and continued beating me. I later escaped by jumping a fence to another building.”

The victim also alleged that the men later went to her room, where they stole her N84,000.

  However, while being cross-examined, the defendant’s lawyer, Mr. Loius Nwaugbala, said the housemaid made up the story.

 Nwagbala said, “I put it to you, that nobody raped, beat, or messed you up. All these are mere fabrications by you.”

  The Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Bakare Murtala, from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, told the court that he was informed that Ashati had been invited to a peace meeting by the Ibiaji family to resolve the matter. She was said to have demanded N500,000 as compensation.

 He said he did not visit the scene of the crime but took the statements of all parties.

 The prosecutor, Mr. Richard Odige, told the court that three more witnesses were still on the standby, including a medical practitioner, who would give evidence on the alleged rape.

The magistrate, Ms S.O Solabo, adjourned the case till September 11

Missing man found dead in bedroom

The house

The Lagos State Police Command has commenced investigations into the mysterious death of a 39-year-old trader, Sylvanus Okoye, who was discovered without his penis in a pool of blood at his house.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the indigene of Abidi, Umu Ochi, Anambra State, was found dead two weeks after he was last seen by neighbours.

His corpse was said to have been discovered after a foul odour engulfed the premises of the house, located at Ezemegbu Drive, Okota.

It was learnt that on Thursday, neighbours forced the door to his apartment open and the corpse was discovered.

The victim’s brother, Paul, also a trader, said neighbours called to inform him that his brother had not been seen for some days.

He said, “I was called by the landlord that they have not seen my brother for some time. They said a stranger dropped his phone and house key with the security guard.

“When I got here, we opened the door to his flat. We saw his bloated body, with a rope tied on his neck. There was a mortar, pestle and a knife on the bed. Obviously he was murdered.

“We are confused now; we have reported the matter at Okota Police Station. They have collected the knife and pestle. What I am craving  now is justice. Police should investigate this matter and prosecute all involved.

“We were told that the security guard at their house was not around on that fateful day, so a certain man dropped the key to my brother’s house and his telephone with a female trader in front of the house. The guard told us that he knew the person who dropped the key.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that the guard and the trader had been arrested by the police.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone.

She said, “On Thursday morning, the landlord of the building, Amaechi Nwosu, reported at the Okota Police Division that his tenant, who was a bachelor, was found dead in his flat. Policemen went to the scene and noticed that he was killed in a mysterious manner as his penis had been cut off.

“Before the corpse was discovered, there had been attempts by the neighbours to force the door open. It was at that point that the security guard opened up that the key was with him. He said someone had given the key and the man’s telephone to a trader and the trader handed it over to him.

“The security guard and the trader have been arrested and are being questioned as they never bothered to inform anybody that they were with the key prior to now.”

Fani-Kayode: The bitter truth about a bitter man by Noel A. Ihebuzor

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode

Mr. Femi Fani Kayode’s sequel, “The bitter truth about the Igbo”, which appeared as a three-series article in The PUNCH earlier this week, did not disappoint in the least. We must remind ourselves that this article is part of Fani-Kayode’s efforts to prove that Lagos is Yoruba and that any claims to it by any other indigenous group is spurious. Part of his method was to trivialise the contributions of any other group to the development of Lagos, preferring to ascribe this development largely to the genius of the Yoruba. In an earlier response, I had sought to show that Fani-Kayode’s efforts in that direction were not successful. I showed that his claims and argument were neither grounded in history nor in economics, and that it was indeed so easy to puncture those claims.

The problem with Fani-Kayode’s concluding article on this issue is that it runs out of ideas and abandons the issue under review after the fourth paragraph and only returns to it in the last four paragraphs of the article. The contents of paragraph 5 (paragraph 5 begins “That single comment, made in that explosive and historic speech…”) up to the end of paragraph 13 are hardly relevant to the issue under discussion. Let us remind us what the main issue is using Fani-Kayode’s own words:

“Permit me to make my second and final contribution to the raging debate about Lagos, who owns it and the seemingly endless tensions that exist between the Igbo and the Yoruba. It is amazing how one or two of the numerous nationalities that make up Nigeria secretly wish that they were Yoruba and consistently lay claim to Lagos as being partly theirs.”

How relevant then is the diversion to the political history of the National Convention for Nigerians and the Cameroons, the 1966 coup, the Ironsi regime, the pogrom, the civil war to this issue of who owns Lagos and who has contributed to its development write-up? How does this advance the debate? How does this elucidate the key issues under discussion? I doubt very much that they do. What they certainly succeed in doing however is to rouse emotions, enflame tempers, to whip up sentiments. Even here, Fani-Kayode’s use of history is suspect, since his historiography is very selective. If anything, however, in the deployment of this elective historiography, he comes across as an apologist for the killings of the Igbo in the north and as an ethnic-driven revanchist historian out to even out scores with an imagined enemy. Revanchist and ethnicity-sodden historiography are poor and demeaning pursuits as the prisms of bitterness, revenge and ethnicity which come with them soon trap the historian, blur his vision, dull his criticality and destroy his objectivity and capacity for detached interpretation. The “history” we are thus presented in paragraphs 5 to 13 is replete with instances of these.

In succumbing to the appeals of this type of historiography, even if he was doing this as part of his ongoing efforts at rehabilitation with a view to regaining entry to his “tribe’s” confidence, Fani-Kayode does himself and his country a great disservice.  He does himself a disservice because he ends up with an article where more than 55 per cent of its contents (55 per cent again!) are of doubtful relevance to his declared purpose. And because he fails to identify what is relevant and what is not, he ends up saddling his article with major problems of cohesion and coherence. He does his country a disservice because he presents a history of a difficult part of her history that is deliberately flawed and skewed by his selective use of sources and by his uncritical interpretation of events and casting of persons – Ironsi is a coup plotter, Igbo indiscretion was responsible for the pogrom unleashed on them in the North, the Igbo provoked the civil war – all of which are examples of a flight from intellectual rigour, mono-causal analysis, faulty attribution and one dimensional thinking, and  all very painful, pernicious and debilitating ailments in persons they afflict. It bears repeating that good historiography is about balanced sources. To rely on sources that only support the case one is pushing pushes one away from doing history on to the slippery slopes of ethnic jingoism, “clan hagiography” and propagandising of the cheapest sort. This is what has happened in this article, and it is indeed a tragedy for Fani-Kayode.  I believe that this tragedy has arisen less from a fundamental lack of intelligence on his part but more from his allowing himself and his mind to be shackled and blinkered by bitterness.

 Fani-Kayode sets out hoping to write “the bitter truth” about one ethnic group and ends up clumsily splaying the reality and truth of his own bitterness in public for an amused world to behold and laugh at. As he navigates this current discomfort he has created for himself, he once again deserves our compassion and not our condemnation.

•Dr. Ihebuzor is a development specialist based in Tanzania

Five-year-old girl abducted at Redemption Camp

Oluwaseun Ogungbemile

The abduction of a five-year-old girl, Oluwaseun Ogungbemile, at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has thrown her parents into panic.

It was learnt that the girl, in company with her parents, had gone to the camp at Kilometre 46 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, to attend the one-week annual convention of the church that ended on Sunday. We learnt that the girl, who is the youngest child of her parents, was last seen playing with two of her cousins on Friday, August 9, 2013.

The victim’s aunt, Omotade Odunowo, told our correspondent that the matter had been reported to the police.

She said, “She (Oluwaseun) was staying at a rented chalet in the camp along with her parents. Around 10am on that day, she was seen with two of her younger cousins, who are between the ages of two and three.

“After sometime, we did not see her again. Due to the young ages of the little children who were with her at the time of her disappearance, we have not been able to know what happened exactly.”

Odunowo said all efforts to trace the victim’s whereabouts proved abortive and the family believed that she had been abducted.

She said the family had searched every nook and cranny of the camp and reported to the relevant authorities in RCCG, all to no avail.

She added that no one had called the family to demand a ransom.

Odunowo said, “We have been traumatised since then and cannot wait for the safe return of our daughter back home. We shall therefore be extremely grateful to receive any information that may lead to our reunion with Oluwaseun. She is adorable, smart and talks a lot.”

She said the girl’s parents had not been alright since the incident. She said the mother had refused to go back to work since her daughter went missing.

She said, “Oluwaseun’s mother has not left the Redemption Camp since the incident occurred. She is still hoping that the person that took her away would bring her back.”

When contacted on the telephone, the state police  command’s Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, adding that the matter was being investigated at the Redemption Camp Police Station.

 “The parents of the victim said they came to the camp with eight children and one of them had gone missing. We have swung into action and we want to assure the family that the little girl will be found,” he said.

 A security official at the church, who refused to identify himself, said the matter had been reported to the police.

He however refused to disclose further information, adding that it was not the wish of the church that the news of the abduction be leaked to members of the public.

B’Haram: FG must win over northerners, says US

Boko Haram members

The United States on Thursday said the Federal Government and the military authorities needed to win the minds of northern Nigerians and to urgently embark on economic recovery strategy if it ever wished to win the war against Boko Haram.

The government, according to the US, must also provide commensurate justice to both the insurgents and the victims of their violence.

“The Nigerian government and military must also win over the hearts and minds of northern populations by protecting them and providing timely and commensurate justice to both insurgents and the victims of this unfortunate conflict. Though no easy task, a comprehensive approach that addresses socio-economic problems, articulates clear rules of engagement, and commits to accountability for those who perpetrate violence, both Boko Haram and security forces, will demonstrate to every Nigerian that their future is brighter in a more secure Nigeria,” US Under Secretary, Wendy Sherman, said in Abuja.

Sherman spoke at the opening session of the Regional Security Cooperation Working Group of the US-Nigeria Binational Commission.

The US official said the violent Islamic sect posed the largest challenge to Nigeria’s stability as it had created “widespread insecurity across Northern Nigeria, increased tensions between various ethnic communities, interrupted development activities, frightened off investors and generated concerns among Nigeria’s northern neighbours.

“Nigeria cannot fully achieve its potential as a stable regional leader until the country successfully overcomes the challenge of Boko Haram and secures peace and protection for all its citizens in all regions,” she stressed.

Sherman therefore canvassed that the leaders of the insurgents must be captured and prosecuted.

The US Under Secretary said, “We know that Boko Haram offers no practical solutions to northern Nigeria’s problems. Instead, it capitalises on popular frustrations, religious differences, and economic and social difficulties, seeking to undermine the government and exploit religious differences in order to create chaos and make Nigeria ungovernable.

“The United States knows from experience the immense difficulty in confronting an enemy that respects no boundaries and kills civilians indiscriminately. Today, I hope that our teams can identify specific areas in the context of regional security where we can deepen our partnership and chart concrete steps forward on those topics on which we are already working together.

“Security efforts are necessary to protect innocent Nigerians, to prevent Boko Haram’s acts of violence, and to capture and prosecute its leaders.”

She said the US prescription to overcome Boko Haram “may require a new social compact with Nigerian citizens that encompasses an economic recovery strategy as a complement to the government’s security strategy. This approach will be successful to the extent that it can garner the support of northern governors and local officials, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, and a generation of young Nigerians who are connected to their government, locally and federally.”

She admitted that success for the Federal Government might not be easy but promised the US support “as one of your strongest and most faithful friends and partners.”

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, who co-chaired the meeting, said the BNC was aimed at sustaining and promoting diplomatic, economic and security cooperation between the two countries based on mutual respect, benefit and equality.

According to him, President Goodluck Jonathan has deployed enormous resources to confront the Boko Haram threats.

Uhomoibhi added that “the country would soon overcome its challenges,” and requested the US to support Nigeria’s security agencies with capacity building and specialised training on intelligence gathering.

The framework establishing the BNC was signed on April 6, 2010 in Washington D.C. Nigeria is the second largest destination for the U.S. private investment estimated at about $5 billion.

According to Sherman, more than 1.5 million Nigerians and Nigerian-Americans live in the U.S while estimated 31,000 U.S. citizens live in Nigeria.

The  communiqué issued at the end of the BNC meeting read, “Both countries acknowledged that terrorism posed a threat to Nigeria’s national development, regional stability, and global security. In this regard, they expressed determination and commitment to further improve and support measures put in place by the Nigerian government to address the security challenges.

“Both countries noted the fundamental responsibility of government to preserve life, protect the population, and fairly administer justice. Both countries agreed on the importance of good governance, accountability, and economic development in building a prosperous and peaceful future for all Nigerians.

“The Executive Governor of Borno State reaffirmed the importance of the state government in building peace and prosperity and his commitment to good governance, accountability, and economic development towards resolving ongoing conflict in northern Nigeria.

“The Nigerian government is committed to ensuring the protection of the fundamental human rights of all citizens, including terrorism suspects. Both countries will seek to collaborate on communications strategies to engage communities in Nigeria on issues of peace and security.

“The Nigerian government affirmed its commitment to further enhance the professional capacity of the security forces to respond to internal conflicts and extremist violence while protecting human rights. As part of this effort, the U.S. Government affirmed its commitment to assist the Nigerian Police Force to identify areas of increased partnership.

“Recognising a joint desire to further strengthen bilateral relations, the U.S. and Nigerian governments resolve to partake in more persistent engagement and cooperation on security matters, working through the United States Embassy in Abuja. The United States committed to supporting Nigeria in pursuing holistic and comprehensive solutions to address security and development needs in northern Nigeria.

“The Nigerian and U.S. governments intend to follow up on these commitments and seek further collaboration to address the challenges identified in the Regional Security Cooperation Working Group.

“Both countries plan to seek participation from the private sector, civil society, local governments, and other democratic partner countries in the next meeting of the Regional Security Cooperation Working Group.”