6 ministers set to quit GEJ's cabinet

Ahead of the February 2015 general elections, 6 serving ministers including Sen. Bala Muhammed (Min. for Federal Capital Territory), Mr. Labaran Maku (Min. of Information), Chief Emeka Wogu (Min. of Labour), Mr. Nyesom Wike ( Min. of State, Education), Dr. Samuel Ortom (Min. of State, Trade, Industry and Investment) and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro ( Min. of State, Defence) are expected to tender their resignations in October to enable them pursue their Governorship aspirations in their various states. 

 

While Mr Wike is bidding to take over from Rivers state Governor Chibuike Amaechi, Sen. Bala Mohammed is said to be gunning for the government house in Bauchi state. Sen. Obanikoro is to contest for Governor of Lagos state while Dr Ortom is to contest for Governor in Benue state. Mr Labaran Maku is gunning for the Nassarawa state governor's seat while Mr Wogu is said to be eyeing the Abia state governor's seat.

A source at the Presidency who confirmed the Ministers impending resignation said;

"Their resignation will come very soon. You know the President will have to fill the vacancies that will be created before the general elections in February 2015. You also know that the Senate must approve nominees. It is therefore important that the list be forwarded to the senators before everybody will be engrossed in election matters in their various constituencies,” the source said.

Senate not Intervening on on the death verdict handed to 12 soldiers

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, Senator Thompson Sekibo has said that members of the Senate will not be intervening on the death verdict handed to 12 soldiers for mutiny by a military court on September 16th.

Senator Sekibo who spoke with journalists after a closed-door meeting between the senate committee on Defence and the Service Chiefs at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday September 23rd, said the verdict of the military court is meant to instill discipline into the military. 

"No we are not, because the Armed Forces are established by an Act of the National Assembly. The Act spelt out categorically the conduct of the soldiers and the way they are to behave wherever they are. If you join the military, that Act is to guide you and your conduct. If you go contrary to any of the prescribed sections of the Act the punishment prescribed for the Act you violated will come on you. So the military did not just wake up one day and say that they are going to kill Mr. A or Mr. B."

They went through the necessary processes and they found them guilty. But I think that those found guilty also have a way out. They can go on appeal and if the appeal finds them not guilty that will be it. But for what the military has done, they have done the best thing; because you must instill discipline in the Armed Forces. If you don’t do so, one day all of us here will be sacked and you will not hear of this place,” he said.

Meanwhile the Nigerian Labor Congress has condemned the death sentence. Speaking through the Acting President of the Union, Promise Adewusi, the NLC described the verdict as unacceptable and advised that the verdict be converted to a more tolerable and acceptable one

"We expect that the Military Council or the appropriate authority, whose responsibility it is to review sentences of this nature, should commute this sentence to a more tolerable or acceptable one.”.

He said the sentence to death verdict handed to the soldiers if carried out could sow the seed of a major security problem in the armed forces.

WOW!! Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) wrote this?? READ UP

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, released a statement yesterday reacting to reports about the seized private jet in South Africa that implicated its National President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. CAN called out El Rufai and APC national spokesperson, Lai Mohammed for attacking Oritsejafor and Sahara Reporters for reporting in their own words 'falsehood'. Find the statement below
Our attention has been drawn to the desperation of some elements working for a particular political party within our society to tarnish the image of the President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. They are working for the All Progressives Congress and they are not unknown to us.
Let Nigerians have this background for them to judge themselves. These shameless characters including a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nasir El-Rufai and National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress, Lai Mohammed, went to UK to embark on an image laundering for their political party, the APC. El-Rufai had once said there are three sets of Boko Haram in Nigeria: Islamic Boko Haram, Politicians’ Boko Haram and Christians’ Boko Haram which he said are being funded by President Goodluck Jonathan and coordinated by CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor.

He went further to claim that the CAN President has been given N50 billion by the President and a Jet. The same characters, went head to sponsor a negative report in Saharareporters. I had expected that by now no sane mind will take any report by Saharareporters serious because it is an online news medium which thrives on falsehood and survives on false propaganda and blackmail. The aircraft in question is owned by Eagle Air Company and the CAN President is an interested party in the company.

Since August 2 2014, this Aircraft has been leased to Green Coast Produce Limited. They lease this aircraft and people rent it from them. Anybody in this country will attest to the fact that Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has been following Chartered Airlines. All investigations about the plane should be directed to the management of Green Coast Produce Limited, a duly registered company. Further enquiries about this should be confirmed from Eagle Air Company which leased this Aircraft. El-Rufai has accused Jesus Christ severally in recent times. El-Rufai and his group met and decided to launch a blackmail against Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor because he is an ardent supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan.

This, he did, to elicit sentiment from the society. We want Nigerians to ponder over this: if Nigeria wants to buy arms, the government knows where to get their weapons. How did Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor come into this? The report is a well-organized orchestrated plan, all because of their desperation for the 2015 general elections. If not for the blindness and intellectual myopia of some Nigerians, people in the calibre of El-Rufai shouldn’t be taken seriously and should not be walking on the streets. This was the same El-Rufai abusing Gen. Muhammad’s Buhari (retd) and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, calling them all sorts of names. El-Rufai is more of a Street Boy whose history and antecedents are very much known.

He has been the person defending Boko Haram and this is an opportunity for him to hide his misdeeds. We are waiting and we can assure you that at the appropriate time, he and his allies will pay dearly for it. The international community sees APC as an Islamic party; instead of El-Rufai to deny that, he was busy orchestrating spurious propaganda against Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor. The public should also not forget that it was Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor who went to the United States’ Congress and suggested that Boko Haram Islamic sect should be domesticated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). It is the same El-Rufai who is accusing the CAN President as the person behind Boko Haram.

A word should be enough for the wise!
Sunny Oibe Director of National Issues (CAN)

Breaking News: Soldiers Sentenced to Death by Firing Squad

13 out of the 18 soldiers standing trial for participating in the mutiny (revolt action) against their General Officer Commanding, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Mohammed at the newly created 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri on May 12th have been sentenced to death by a military court that sat in Abuja yesterday night September 15th.

 

Five others were discharged and acquitted while one was jailed for 28 days with hard labor. Continue

The soldiers had on May 14th revolted against poor remuneration and lack of sophisticated weapons to fight Boko Haram. On that particular day, the soldiers lost their cool after seeing the corpse of some of their colleagues killed by Boko Haram men. They immediately opened fire on their GOC, who luckily escaped unhurt.

The President of the Court Martial (military court), Maj. Gen. C.C. Okonkwo, while delivering his judgement said the 12 soldiers were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, mutiny, attempt to commit murder (shooting at the vehicle of the GOC); insubordination to a particular order; insubordination and false accusation.

Those sentenced are Jasper Braidolor, David Musa, Friday Onuh, Yusuf Shuaibu, Igonmu Emmanuel, Andrew Ugbede, Nurudeen Ahmed, Ifeanyi Alukagba, Alao Samuel, Amadi Chukwuma, Alan Linus, and Stephen Clement.

The legal team of the convicts pleaded with the court martial to be lenient and temper justice with mercy stating that some of the men convicted were the sole providers of their families. One of the convict is said to be the only child of his 80 year old mother while another is said to be the father of a 5-month old baby. The legal team argued that giving them maximum sentence would do more harm than good, adding that it would increase the agony of their dependants.

Other members of the court are: Col. TS Nurseman, Col. TO Olowomeye, Col. IG Lassa, Lt.Col. JK Feboke, Lt. Col. CR Nnebeife, Major I Yusuf, Major TA Yakubu and Major AE Martins.

Lt. Col. AA Audu and Lt. Col. U Ukpe served as prosecutors.

WORDS FROM A FATHER TO A SON ABOUT MARRIAGE

WORDS FROM A FATHER TO A SON ABOUT MARRIAGE

1. My son, if you keep spending on a woman and she never asked you if you’re saving or investing, and she keeps enjoying the attention, don’t marry her.

2. My son, a woman could be a good wife to you, some could be a good mother to your children but if you’ve found a woman like a mother to you, your children and your family, please don’t let her go.

3. My son, don’t confine the position of your wife to the kitchen, where did you get that from? Even in our days, we had farm-lands where they worked every morning . . . that was our office.

ATIKU set to Declare His Presidential Interest on Sept 24

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has finally declared his interest in contesting in the 2015 presidential election on the ticket of the APC. Atiku said he will declare officially on Wednesday, September 24. This was contained in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mallam Garba Shenu, in Abuja this morning.

"The Turaki Adamawa will contest for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, in the 2015 presidential elections. The former Vice President will be making the declaration on Wednesday September 24." the statement read in part

MY OBJECTIVE THOUGHTS ON #30PercentOrNothing

“Thirty per cent or nothing” is the demand Nigerian youth are making ahead of the 2015 elections. As the majority of the population, young Nigerians want 30 percent of elected and appointed government positions to be reserved for youth representatives.

Seeing from the refusal of our Octogenarians to relinquish some space for the younger generation in the political sphere, it has become imperative to seek for ways of making them see reasons why the younger generation should be given the opportunity to govern.

To fully understand the demand for a 30% representation of youths in elective and appointive positions we must have a clear view of how our present elders emerged, Shehu Shagari became a federal legislator at 30 and a Minister at 35, M.T Mbu became a Minister at age 25, and high commissioner to the UK at age 26. Richard Akinjide was Education Minister at age 32, Maitama Sule was oil Minister at 29, Audu Ogbe was Minister at 35, and at 32 Yakubu Gowon became head of state and successfully led Nigeria through one of the most difficult times in her history and prevailed. continue here