Nigerian president replaces military leadership

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan replaced his entire military leadership without explanation on Thursday.

President Goodluck Jonathan.

 

 

This decision comes as he struggles with an Islamist insurgency and political crisis within his ruling party.
The presidency announced the removal of the chiefs of defence, army, navy and air force and named their successors. It gave no reason but the military has suffered a series of setbacks recently in fighting the Boko Haram sect which is trying to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram gunmen stormed the air force base and military barracks around the airport of the northeastern city of Maiduguri on December 2. The group was also suspected of being behind a car bomb in the city this week which killed 29 people and wounded dozens more.
"I think this is performance-related," a security expert in Nigeria said. "The security teams haven't had a glowing record recently. The air force base attack was shocking."
Boko Haram has waged a four-year-long insurgency which has killed thousands in the religiously mixed country of 170 million and is the biggest security threat in Africa's top oil exporter and second largest economy.
The Nigerian army had its own internal shake-up of senior and mid-level positions in December.
Jonathan ordered a state of emergency and an intensified military surge last May in the northeast, where the bulk of Boko Haram attacks take place. He was forced to extend emergency rule in November as troops struggled to contain the insurgents.
A presidency source said Jonathan was keen to score some visible successes against the insurgents before what are expected to be closely contested elections next year.
All the four newly appointed chiefs of staff are experienced military officials in their mid-50s.
Air Marshal Alex Badeh - who is from Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast under emergency rule - takes over from Admiral Ola Sa'ad Ibrahim as Chief of Defence staff, the presidency said in a statement. 
The president is also facing a political crisis in his People's Democratic Party (PDP) and mass defections to an increasingly powerful opposition.
The PDP meets on Thursday to decide the future of its chairman Bamanga Tukur, a presidential ally who has been under pressure to quit from the Jonathan's opponents.
Reshuffles in state institutions have been expected by analysts before the elections in a country where political patronage plays a major role.
"I suspect it's just to assert himself as commander in chief. He's facing a lot of tension at the moment. It's to remind people that I'm the boss," said Lagos-based blogger and political commentator Tolu Ogunlesi.
Nigeria has been ruled by the military for long periods since independence in 1960 but Ogunlesi dismissed any suggestion that democracy was under threat. "The possibility of a coup happening is non-existent ... but it's what you do to assert your authority under pressure," he said.
Nigeria, an OPEC-member, is also blighted by offshore piracy and rampant oil theft in the Niger Delta, where criminal gangs tapping into pipelines can cut out hundreds of thousands of barrels per day of output and cause environmental damage.
Among the other appointments, Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah has replaced Lieutenant-General Azubike Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff. Rear Admiral Usman O. Jibrin is the new Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu has become the Chief of Airforce, a position previously held by newly promoted Badeh, the presidency said.

Nigeria anti-gay law ’ll fuel violence –UN Secretary General

United Nations’ Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed deep concern on Wednesday at a new Nigerian law that criminalises same-sex relationships, which he fears could fuel prejudice and violence and risks obstructing an effective HIV/AIDS response.

The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the National Assembly last May and signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday.

“The Secretary-General fears that the law may fuel prejudice and violence, and notes with alarm reports that police in northern Nigeria have arrested individuals believed by the authorities to be homosexuals, and may even have tortured them,” Ban’s press office said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, so the new legislation is likely to be popular. Many African countries are seeking to tighten laws against homosexuality.

Under existing Nigerian federal law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislates for a much broader crackdown on homosexuals and lesbians, who already live a largely underground existence.

“As UNAIDS and the Global Fund noted in a statement yesterday, the law also risks obstructing effective responses to HIV/AIDS,” Ban said.

Bin Laden's Former Mistress, Kola Boof Gives Advice to Gays in Nigeria: "Kill All Christians!"

Controversial Sudanese-American author of “The Sexiest Part of the Bible” and sworn hater of Christians the world over has come out to speak on the anti-gay law uproar that is ongoing in Nigeria. She, in a nutshell, called on all gay people to form militia groups and seek out the Christians and, in her words, “kill all f**king Christians in Africa.”

The drama queen and former mistress of Osama Bin Laden – who was originally born Naima Bint Harith – is famous (or infamous, as the case may be) for several things, one of which was her scandalous statement a few years ago when she said that Osama had held her against her will and had repeatedly raped her. She claimed that her baby boy was the product of rape but her friends rebutted the testimony, saying that she had slept with Osama willingly and had been his lover.

Former Sudanese diplomat, Nadeen Quttub, defending Osama and disproving Kola Boof to the BBC said “Kola Boof was with Bin Laden willingly and miscarried their child in May 1996…Kola Boof accepted marriage with Bin Laden, re-converted to Islam and was very happy with the terrorist, but is now trying to save her reputation in the west with fantastical stories of rape and imprisonment.”

Kola Boof made her “kill all African Christians” suggestion on Twitter, specifying that gays should kill Christians in Nigeria because of the anti-gay law. Naima Bint Harith, Kola Boof

Tukur quits as PDP chairman

After months of political  horse- trading,  Dr. Bamanga Tukur,  on Wednesday  finally bowed   to pressures on him to resign as the National Chairman of the ruling  Peoples Democratic Party.

Before an  authoritative source in Abuja made this known to The OPINIONVOICES  at about 10.40pm, there had been confusion on   whether he had indeed quit or not.

Tukur himself accentuated the confusion when he told State House correspondents minutes before the PDP  Board of Trustees met in the Presidential Villa, that he had not resigned.

“If I resign, you will know. I am not somebody that will resign and you will not know. I have not resigned.”

But a BoT member, who declined to be named, told one of our correspondents that the PDP had already accepted his resignation.

“Yes, it is true that he has resigned and the party has accepted his resignation ,” he said  after the meeting.

 

 

He explained that the National Executive Committee of the party would announce Tukur’s resignation during its meeting which would  commence at noon  on Thursday.

The source added that the  decision by the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency to  keep  Tukur’s resignation  under wraps was  to  prevent  a leadership vacuum in the party.

“We couldn’t make it public now since we have not appointed his successor. We would announce his resignation after  our  NEC meeting . But I can tell you authoritatively that he has resigned.”

Tukur had amid  speculations that  he had   turned in his resignation letter to the President  before noon on  Wednesday,   arrived the Presidential Villa, Abuja for the BOT  meeting which started  at about 7.55pm.

He wore a flowing  brown  guinea brocade.

Although he was absent from the reconvened national caucus meeting in the Villa, he attended the Armed Forces Remembrance Day’s laying of wreath at the National Arcade, Abuja.

Before  these,  his media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said in a text message to  one of our correspondents,  that his boss had yet to resign.

Okpala said, “Be informed that the national chairman has not resigned. It is all speculation.

“The national chairman will be at the BOT meeting at  Wednesday night and will also attend the NEC of the party tomorrow.”

Tukur  was however absent at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday when the other members of the NWC met.

The  Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih,  had told journalists  after the meeting  that Tukur  attended   as the national chairman  of the PDP and   that he believed he(Tukur) also left in the same capacity.

“He (Tukur) attended the meeting as the national chairman. We all left together. I believe he left as national chairman,” Anenih claimed.

When asked about the major decisions taken at the meeting, he  said they were meant for only BOT members and  not  journalists.

Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State said Tukur’s  fate was a decision the party would take at its own time.

• How Jonathan failed to save him

Jonathan  had on Tuesday night failed to convince the  governors elected on the platform of the PDP  to allow Tukur remain in office till March when the party’s    mid-term convention would hold.

His  suggestion, which was tabled at the national caucus meeting of the party, was aimed at giving the embattled  chairman   a soft landing.

However, the governors protested, saying that they would rather want him to leave office on Thursday not March.

Tukur was said to have compounded his problems with the governors  during  the caucus meeting, which was also attended by Vice-President Namadi Sambo and the principal officers of the National Assembly.

The President, who presided,  was said to have asked Tukur  to explain   the cause(s) of the crises in the PDP.

A highly placed source  at the meeting said that rather than  address issues, Tukur accused the governors of encouraging many  of the    National Working Committee members to   work against him.

The source said, “The chairman started by accusing the governors of being the problems in the party.

“He said they(governors) were encouraging indiscipline with their tactical support for some of the NWC members to undermine him.

“He also said the governors were never happy with his decision to instill  discipline in the party and  to also make sure that the PDP  constitution  was  used as a yardstick in every decision taken by him.”

The source  added that  Tukur  indirectly inferred that those who wanted  him out were actually targeting the President.

It was however gathered that at the meeting, which another source described as unusual, that   Jonathan and not Tukur  presided.

This  action, it was learnt,   was  to ensure that  the national chairman  did not  dictate the pace of the meeting and determine  who was to be recognised to speak.

The  actions  allowed the Deputy National Chairman of the party,   Uche Secondus,  to respond to the allegations   by Tukur against the NWC members.

The constitution of the party only names the deputy chairman, the national secretary, the national legal adviser, the  national treasurer, the national woman leader and the national youth leader as other members of the caucus.

 Secondus was said to have punctured all the allegations  by Tukur,  by  citing several  cases where  Tukur took decisions  without carrying them along.

He  mentioned the dissolution of some state executives of the party by Tukur and the suspension of some members  as examples.

Not only that, the chairman was accused of  always asking the NWC members to come to his house for meetings, an action some of them believed was not in the interest of the party.

The chairman was also alleged to have  employed  many aides, who were  not recognised by the party.

It was also learnt that Secondus, who sat beside  Tukur at the meeting, said it would be difficult for the NWC members to work with the embattled chairman again.

The  PDP governors had   advised  the NWC members   to suspend Tukur  during their  meeting on Wednesday.

It was gathered that when this  information leaked to the President, he warned  them that doing so could heat up the polity and portray Tukur in bad light.

• Tukur  may get ambassadorial position 

It was however gathered that   Tukur had been penciled  in  to serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to China. He is to replace Ambassador. Aminu Wali.

It was gathered that   the decision was  reached at the  caucus  meeting on Tuesday night.

Wali will return to the country to head President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign for 2015 election.

• President’s wife plans to install Tukur’s successor

Meanwhile, the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan is said to be scheming to install the Minister of Transport,   Idris Umar as Tukur’s successor.

Some  of the PDP governors are also said to be pushing for a former Governor of Bauchi State, Mr. Adamu Muazu, as the next  chairman of the party.

• We’ve left PDP for good,  Amaechi, Nyako insist

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and his   Adamawa State counterpart, Murtala Nyako, have insisted that they  would not return to the PDP whether or not Tukur remained its chairman.

Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, Chief Tony Okocha,  said  that it was not possible for an arrow that had already left bow to return.

Amaechi said, “Tukur’s resignation or no resignation will not change our decision to leave the PDP because we have no regret moving to the All Progressives Congress. The arrow has left the bow and will not return to it.”

Nyako, through his  Director Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh,  said the problem he and his colleagues had with the PDP was beyond the person of Tukur.

He said, “We do not have a personal problem with Tukur, it is the impunity that is in the PDP that we said we did not like.

 “We are talking generally about the party’s level of impunity not just Tukur, it doesn’t look like the PDP structure is ready to shed this brigandage which has come to symbolise its operations.”

• Jonathan, PDP govs  in pre-NEC  meeting

How to woo back Amaechi, Nyako and three other   PDP  governors who  defected to the APC  formed part  of the discussion the PDP governors had with  Jonathan on  Wednesday.

The meeting also looked at ways of ensuring  the party’s victory at the forthcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti sates.

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State disclosed these to State House correspondents at the end of  the meeting.

He said, “The concern is that the fortunes of our party are dwindling and so we need to address that. How do we re-position our party to win the forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun?

“How do we win back our colleagues that have stepped aside, we don’t believe that they have left the party, they only stepped aside. These are the issues that were raised.”

Suswam  said issues bordering on Tukur  was not discussed at the parley.

He said, “First, we met with the President as PDP governors to discuss issues of the party and the way forward. And that meeting is continuing,we just touched base with the President to discuss issues that affect the party.

“The issues discussed with the president were basically on how to re-strategise and re-position our party and how to move forward as a party.

“The second meeting is the national caucus and I am not in the position to comment on that. After the BoT meeting, the Vice President will brief you on the outcome.”

President of the Senate, David Mark; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Eweremadu; the Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha;  the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba; and  the House Leader, Mulikat Akande, also   attended the  meeting.

Engineers advocate for e-voting in next election

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has recommended that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) use the Nigeria Communication Satellite’s (NigComSat’s) e-Voting platform to ensure credible elections next year.

The society said it was also willing to offer technical support to INEC on the platform having successfully used it to elect members of its current executives.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new executive members, President of the Society, Engr Mustapha Balarabe Shehu, said the country would save money by employing the platform.

“We have successfully used the NigComSat e-Voting platform to elect our executive members twice and we believe that INEC could also use the platform in the coming election. Government is already tackling the issue of power and broadband penetration. Once that is settled, I believe the next thing is for INEC to key in into the e-voting platform. We have tested it twice and we believe that it is workable," he said.

He explained how the society conducted its election using the NigComSat e-Voting platform.

“Prelude to the e-voting, an e-registration took place a day before where all eligible engineers had their data captured and saved on a database. Biometric details included photographs, finger prints among others for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). In all, 2048 engineers were captured during the registration and 1574 voted eventually. These figures surpassed those of previous year which recorded 1 313 on the register while 1303 voted,” said Shehu.

According to the NSE executive, the NIGCOMSAT platform included 30 networked computers that were connected to a central server and the internet to enable agents of contestants monitor the election online, real time. The platform was fitted with enhanced software developed by the Micro Electronic Centre (MEC) at NIGCOMSAT.

He advised INEC to use the platform on a small-scale for a pilot test and then eventually expand it to cover the entire country.

Obasanjo raised the mountain of corruption -Bakare

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said on Wednesday that despite former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “supposed achievement” in office, his administration was characterised by the raising of the bar of corruption in the country.
Bakare spoke in Lagos as the guest lecturer at the 10th Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture/Symposium organised by the Ikeja Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association.
The event, with the theme, ‘Nigeria at centenary: A nation still in bondage?’, was chaired by former President of the Court of Appeal, retired Justice Ayo Salami, who called for the separation of the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria from that of the Chairman of the National Judicial Council.
The event, which started in 2004, is organised anually  to celebrate the virtues of the late Fawehinmi, who died on September 5, 2009 at 71.
In his lecture, Bakare said Obasanjo raised the bar of corruption to an unimaginable level.
He added that the former President’s administration was known for censorship of the media, targeting outspoken critics and subjecting judicial decisions to executive interpretations.

He said, “Media was censored, outspoken critics were targeted and judicial decisions were subjected to executive interpretations. Meanwhile, Obasanjo himself raised the moutain of corruption to an unimaginable level.
“As apathy set in among the electorate, General Obasanjo, indignant that he could not foist third term agenda on Nigeria, imposed a sick President on the nation through a fraudulent election, I beg your pardon, selection, overseen by Prof. Maurice Iwu.”
He said Obasanjo’s supposed achievements in office had no significant impact on the people’s lives.
Bakare, who expressed support for “a people-driven” national conference,  said the atmosphere of abundance prevailling when Obasanjo assumed office in 1999, provided a breeding ground for personal aggrandisement accross all government levels.
He said, “The atmosphere of abundance provided the breeding ground for personal aggrandisement as politicians,  from the Presidency to the state and local governments, helped themselves to the nation’s resources became the targets of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
“Then, complacency set in as General Obasanjo, satisfied with his supposed achievements, which however did not reflect significantly in the living condition of the average Nigerian, sought to perpetuate himself in power and so unleashed the machinery of state against percieved enemies among the political class.”

CHAN 2014: Eagles beat Mozambique 4-2 to secure first win

Nigeria survived a scare to defeat Mozambique 4-2 at the African Nations Championship(CHAN)securing its first victory at the competition.

A flurry of goals in the first 20 minutes opened the floodgates with both sides sharing two goals apiece in the opening stages of the encounter.

The homebased Eagles struggled to establish their foot-hold in the game lacking the coordination needed to be formidable.

Dario Khan opened the scores in the 10th minute from a wonderful free-kick that found its way into the net.

After getting accusing fingers pointed at him in the first game's defeat to Mali,Chigozie Agbim didn't help his case as he made costly errors that pegged Nigeria behind.

Ifeanyi Ede pulled one back for Nigeria almost immediately,capitalizing on the space afforded him in the far post to nick in the equaliser.

The goal seemed to have swung the momentum in favour of coach Stephen Keshi's team,who were flying then. Rabiu Ali made no mistakes from close range,smashing Nigeria into the lead in the 13th minute.

But Mozambique didn't capitulate rather they regrouped and found the equaliser.

Maninho played in a through ball to Diogo who levelled 2-2 for Mozambique.

However,both teams took their legs off the pedals after the initial frenetic opening 20 minutes to go into the break all squared.

Nigeria got out of jail in the second half,being lucky to have gotten a controversial penalty in their favour after a Mozambican defender was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box.

Rabiu Ali stepped up to dispatch the kick which gave Nigeria the 3-2 lead,his second goal of the game.

Gbolahan Salami came close to scoring a goal but his effort was cleared off the lines,but victory was secured when substitute Barnabas Imenger with a good finish scored the fourth goal,to secure the 4-2 victory.

Earlier on in the group,goals from Bernard Parker and Ibourahima Sidibe ensured that both South Africa and Mali played out a 1-1 draw.

Both Mali and South Africa have four points each,with Nigeria trailing them on three points.

The homebased Eagles will now have to beat South Africa in the final game of the group in order to qualify for the knock-out stages.

CHAN 2014, Homebased Eagles, Chigozie Agbim, Nigeria CHAN 2014 First WIN.

APC Issues 7-day Ultimatum to FG

The All Progressive Congress, APC has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government and to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar. The Party is demanding the immediate redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu.

Speaking to the PUNCH on Monday, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze,Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State APC Chairman, said, "We are compiling the sins of Mbu against Rivers people. We will also compile efforts made by the Rivers State Government in asking for Mbu’s redeployment.

"We are aware of the National Assembly’s resolution that Mbu should be redeployed and we are giving the Federal Government from now till Monday to redeploy the state police commissioner from Rivers.

"The Federal Government is trying to prove that we (Rivers people) are a conquered state. But by Monday, if nothing happens, we are going to write a petition to the United Nations on what Mbu’s mission is in the state. For the police to have shot a serving senator and fired teargas in a place where we had children and other innocent citizens shows that Mbu has done his worst and should be ready to leave", Eze added.


All Progressive Congress, APC, Joseph Mbu, Mohammed Abubakar, rivers state

IPMAN denies plan to commence nationwide strike

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has denied that its members plan to embark on a nationwide strike in February 2013.

 

IPMAN urges government to repair refineries, depots

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on the Federal Government to undertake urgent repairs of the nation's refineries.

The Sokoto State Chairman of the association, Sule Magaji, made the call in Sokoto on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He commended the Federal Government for rescinding its decision to sell the refineries.

Magaji also called on the Federal Government to repair the fuel depots of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) across the country.

The chairman stated that the repairs would make the refineries and depots to be fully functional.

“As it is now most of the refineries and depots are working but not to their full capacities.

 “So, they should be made fully functional to sustain the current tempo of steady supply of petroleum products across the nation,’’ he said.

Magaji further said that the marketers now had to sometimes transport the products from other parts of Nigeria.

 He said that the association was routinely monitoring the activities of its members to ensure that they were operating legally.

"We also make sure that all of them do not sell petroleum products above the government-approved pump prices.



IPMAN recommends energy saving bulbs to conserve power consumption

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Friday recommended the use of energy saving bulbs to conserve energy and stop power wastage in homes and offices.
Chinedu Okoronkwo, the National Vice-Chairman of IPMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that energy saving bulbs would reduce energy consumption.
He said that the bulbs could be used to enhance security by providing street lights on major roads to reduce crime rates.
“Since we do not have enough capacity for power generation and distribution to meet our energy demand, we should imbibe the culture of saving energy.
“This can be achieved through the use of low energy appliances across board in our homes and industrial facilities,’’ Okoronkwo said.
He said that this could also be achieved through provision of incentives like subsidy to specialists in energy conversion.
“The energy saving can be channeled into other meaningful areas and will significantly reduce the pressure on the national grid.
“The financial savings on the part of the operators - federal, state and local governments - can also be used for other development projects.


IPMAN directs members to sell kerosene at N50 per litre

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Wednesday directed its members to sell kerosene at N50 per litre in their filling stations.
Chinedu Okoronkwo, the National Vice-Chairman of IPMAN, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that association would sanction members who flouted the directive.
"We have been mandated to ensure the sale of the product at the regulated price of N50 per litre in all our filling stations and which we are complying.
"The association has been at the vanguard of ensuring that the product that is meant for the local people is sold at approved government price.
“This has also been the focus of IPMAN and the minister of petroleum.
“I want to assure every Nigerian that if the process is sustained, it will go a long way in assisting the general populace," Okoronkwo said.
The IPMAN boss commended the management of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Pipelines Products and Marketing Company (PPMC) for the distribution of kerosene to marketers.
He advised the companies to be consistent in the supply of the product to marketers and ensure effective monitoring.
Okoronkwo also called for increase in the use of cooking gas by Nigerians, stressing that other countries had changed from kerosene to gas.
“I want to assure Nigerians that a lot has been done by government to ensure that the use of gas has come to stay.
“If you go to Benin, we have compressed natural gas and in Lagos, NIPCO has 5 000 metric tonnes of LPG.
“We are trying to create awareness among the people about the essence of gas usage, advantages and prices," he said.

 

APC warns Jonathan over Sanusi dismissal

The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) said the nation’s economy would be adversely affected if Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi resigned as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The party thus warned President Goodluck Jonathan to reverse alleged plans to force him to resign.

In a statement Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued, the party said asking the CBN Governor to step down, on the basis of a “mere allegation” that he leaked the letter he wrote to the President, over the unremitted $49.8 billion oil revenue, did not bode well for an economy that is already “on crutches.”

It warned that any move to suspend Sanusi and use security forces to prevent him from entering his office, as reported by the media, would be worse because it would mean that the President was willing to circumvent the provision of the law that the Governor of the CBN could only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate membership.

“Our worry here is that the President should not destroy our institutions before he leaves office,” the party stated.

It said the party's main reason for commenting on the planned removal of Sanusi, either through forced retirement or via suspension, was the impact that a crisis of confidence between the President and the CBN Governor would have on the nation's economy.

“These include a loss of confidence in the economic management of the country, leading to uncertainty among domestic and foreign investors; as well as pressure on the exchange rate as foreign portfolio investors in government bonds and the stock market make their exit, and the corresponding fall in the value of share prices. 'Overall, a protracted standoff between the President and the CBN Governor will spell bad news for economic growth and employment and increase poverty. This is why we advise President Jonathan against precipitating a crisis in the economy, and we urge all Nigerians to advise him against such,” APC said.

The party saw no wrong in a CBN Governor alerting the President to any discrepancies.

“It stands to reason that if the CBN Governor had wanted to leak the letter, he had no reason waiting for four months to do so. Also, the moment the letter was sent to Mr. President, it has gone beyond the purview of the CBN Governor, and anyone with a reason to do so could as well have leaked the letter. 'Therefore, for the President to have made the extraordinary move to force out the CBN Governor, even though he has a few months to the end of his tenure, smacks of vendetta and is capable of impacting negatively on the economy. Circumventing the law to force out the CBN Governor will amount to brigandage and reinforce the perception of the  Jonathan Administration as one with a propensity for impunity,” APC stated.

Obasanjo threatens to withdraw from Nigerian party

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will "consider withdrawing" from the country's governing party until it gets rid of a top financier wanted in the U.S. for alleged drug trafficking.
The political bombshell in the run up to 2015 presidential elections comes in a letter dated January 7 and leaked to reporters Saturday.

Obasanjo cites the elevation to regional party chief of Buruji Kashamu, "a wanted habitual criminal" whose extradition has been requested by the U.S.
Kashamu has said the 2009 indictment is a case of mistaken identity and refers to his deceased brother.
President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party has fractured over his perceived desire to run for re-election. It recently lost its majority in the House of Representatives when dozens of legislators defected to an opposition coalition.

Ruling party slams media over division reports

The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has denied media reports suggesting divisions among the members of its National Working Committee (NWC).

“Our attention has been drawn to a malicious report in the January 11edition of the Punch Newspapers entitled ‘At last, President Goodluck Jonathan turns against Tukur’ wherein the Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, His Excellency Governor Godswill Akpabio, was falsely reported to have sponsored some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to destabilize the leadership of our great party for alleged political reasons. This report is not only fictitious, but part of the viscous plot by the enemies of the PDP to destroy the hard earned reputation of our officials, divide our ranks and ultimately destroy our unity by compromising certain section of the media to plant fabricated stories and tissues of lies; a project which has already failed,” PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, stated.

He added that the NWC was not divided and members were not in any way influenced by any person whatsoever in presenting their positions at the meeting with the President.

This, Metuh said, was contrary to the “malevolent” report planted in the Punch Newspapers.

“For the avoidance of doubt, all members of the NWC took turns to make their presentations to the President in the meeting which dwelt on the domestic affairs of our party. No member was in anyway represented and none aired his or her view in represented capacity.  It is instructive to note that neither the Punch reporter nor any other journalist for that matter was present at the meeting and as such could not have been privy to what exactly transpired,” he said.

Metuh described the reports as “the height of wickedness for any person to, under any guise and for whatever price, choose to jettison the ethics of the profession by going to press to distort facts, fabricate falsehood and spread same to Nigerians concerning the meeting. “

“Nevertheless, we wish to caution those who trade in falsehood that not only will they continue to fail but they also heap upon themselves divine judgment unless they repent and retrace their steps.”

He thus urged party members and supporters to disregard the report.

“We charge the media to always cross check their information and get clarifications from appropriate quarters before going to the press,” Metuh added.

Unemployment to rise in 2014

Lagos - Nigeria's domestic unemployment rate may rise by 2% in 2014, reports OPINIONVOICES

In a report published by Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC), a Lagos-based financial advisory firm, Nigeria’s jobless rate is likely to approach 32 percent in the coming months as the economy fails to grow quickly enough to employ people rejoining the labor force.

According to the report, the impact of unemployment is expected to manifest in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which stood at 7.9 per cent as at November 2013.  The figure is expected to increase to between 9.5 and 11 per cent by the end of the year.

The country’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is also expected to decline to $4.8 billion in 2014.