Why Nigeria's restive oil region will only accept Jonathan

The most impressive building in Otuoke, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's home town in the oil producing Niger Delta, is the multistory mansion complex he has built for himself and close family while in office.

    A few hundred metres away, the street where he grew up is a jumble of rusting iron-roofed shacks. Down a dirt side alley, Happiness Ebi smokes fish on a charcoal barbecue, a staple in this swampy southern region.

    "We haven't really seen much benefit since our brother became president, except the university," she says, referring to the shiny Federal University Otuoke, completed in 2011, that has about 1,000 students and nearly a third more staff.

    "But there's no light, no water here. We're disappointed."

    Yet she will vote for him again in a presidential election set for March 28. "Of course," she says, "He's our brother."

    Her answer reveals why the delta, historically one of Nigeria's most marginalised regions although its oil provides three quarters of government revenue, could erupt again if Jonathan leaves office.

    Otuoke, on the banks of a sand-coloured river, does not feel particularly favoured, although the few cars, well-clothed inhabitants and thriving petty trade show it is doing better than many places.

But having one of its own in the top job for the first time has helped pacify a region long incensed by a feeling of being left out of political power despite its oil riches.

   "We have been oppressed, we have been sidelined, and we are the people feeding this country," militant leader 'Ex-General Pastor' Reuben Wilson told Reuters over a whiskey and Coke at his office in Yenagoa, capital of Jonathan's Bayelsa state.

    Militants like Wilson fought for a greater share of the oil riches and fairer representation until an amnesty deal in 2009.

    The deal provides militant leaders with multimillion dollar monthly payouts they are meant to share with their men. They also get lucrative government contracts. The amnesty was due to expire last year but payments were extended for fear of a backlash. Under Buhari both payments and contracts could end.

    "With Goodluck as President we achieved what we are fighting for. It's our right. If they refuse us our right, by rigging the election, I don't think there will be peace," Wilson said, holding an 'appreciation award' from Miss Niger Delta 2010.

   

    "HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER"

    It is not only militants who feel it is the delta's right to field a president for another elected term despite an informal deal that power should rotate between north and south every two terms.

There is a broadly felt sense of entitlement to the oil riches that have fattened up corrupt governments but brought little to the region except environmentally catastrophic oil spills.

    Nigeria's tensions are often seen as between a largely Muslim north and mostly Christian south. This contest between opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim northerner, and Jonathan, a southern Christian, does appear to fit that picture.

    But in a nation the British carved a century ago out of peoples speaking 500 languages, rivalries are more complicated.

    From the Niger Delta perspective, since independence in 1960, Nigeria has been ruled by two Christian Igbo easterners, a Middle Belt minority military ruler, two northern Fulani generals, two southwestern Yoruba rulers, a Hausa northern general, a Kanuri northeastern general and a Fulani civilian.

    The only part of Nigeria that has completely missed out on this merry-go-round is the Niger Delta -- until Jonathan.

    "Someone from the Niger Delta got to be president by accident, and despite it generating all the money, it is, or at least was, about as poor as you will find in any part of the country," said Antony Goldman, head of PM consulting.

    Jonathan's critics say the delta benefits disproportionately from his presidency, but evidence does not stand up the claim.

    The highway Yenagoa connecting to the oil hub of Port Harcourt is now so smooth traffic whizzes along it dangerously fast, but roads in other parts of Nigeria have also been fixed.

    Jonathan's flagship reform policies -- power and farming -- have not hugely benefited the delta. Power privatisation has yet to translate to more kilowatts on the grid anywhere, while reforms to farming, especially cutting corrupt middle men out of a state fertiliser scheme, has disproportionately benefited the north, where the vast majority of agriculture happens.

    Even so, the mere fact the president is from the delta is enough for many to feel historic injustices are being righted.

    The north's parallel discontent at losing political power is in focus because of the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands and destabilised Africa's top oil producer.

    But if Jonathan loses an election that his delta supporters feel was not fair, or if he is pushed out by a faction within his party that opposes him -- Nigeria could well have two insurgencies on its hands.

    "The bigger tribes ... feel they have the divine right to rule others," said Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, head of the Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force which pushed oil prices to record highs in 2004 with attacks and threats on the oil industry.

    "Then one man from a tiny community in Ijaw comes. He's not Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa. They can't bear it," he told Reuters in the opulent Bayelsa state government guest house.

    "He who pays the piper must dictate the tune, and the delta has been paying the piper for so very long. If they make war, we can make war. We have the capacity to take what's ours."

    The extent to which this is bluster will be crucial in determining how easy it will be to pacify the delta, and some analysts assume that a Buhari government would be able to buy off the ex-militants, some of whom, like Asari and Tom Polo, have become multimillionaires off government contracts.   

    About a month ago, the governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, met with the militants in an effort to calm them down.

    "I made it clear that the way forward is peace, and I wanted a commitment from them to keep it," he told Reuters over a lunch of peppered snails, yams and beancakes in the capital Abuja.

    "I know what their fears are, but they agreed to work with me to keep the peace. And I believe they will."

FG approves $403m loans for Lagos, Rivers, Ogun, Osun

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved the request of Lagos, Rivers, Ogun and Osun states to obtain foreign loans totalling about $403m, among other approvals.

It also approved a $1.2bn multi-donor credit for the establishment of the proposed Development Bank of Nigeria.

Other foreign loans totalling $295m were approved for developmental projects across the country.

The different foreign facilities were approved at a meeting of the council presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo.

President Goodluck Jonathan was absent at the meeting because he travelled to Sokoto where he attended the 90th birthday of former President Shehu Shagari.

The Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka; Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda; Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe; and Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

Yuguda said the fact that most of the loans guaranteed by the Federal Government were for states being governed by the All Progressives Congress further confirmed Jonathan’s position that he was the President of all Nigerians.

He said the President had made a distinction between governance and politics, and would not trivialise his office for any reason.

According to the minister, the council approved the request for a $100m credit from the French Development Agency in support of the Lagos Integrated Urban Development Project (Eko-UP).

“The facility is meant to improve living conditions of the most vulnerable urban population of metropolitan Lagos, improve the management and treatment of solid waste, strengthen the capacity of Lagos State and implement urban development projects in Lagos State,” he explained.

Yuguda gave the repayment period of the loan as 20 years, including seven years moratorium as well as commitment fee of 0.25 per cent of the total per annum and an appraisal fee of 0.25 per cent.

The project has three major components: slum upgrading in Ifelodun and Bariga Local Council Development Areas by the Lagos State Urban Renewal Authority; construction of solid waste management facilities by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority; and provision of capacity building and technical assistance for LASURA, LAWMA, the Project Management Unit and the two LCDAs.

For Rivers State, Yuguda said the council gave approval for the $200m African Development Bank’s credit facility for the proposed Port Harcourt water supply and sanitation project as well as an African Development Fund credit of $5m to support the Urban Water Sector Reform Project.

Yuguda said the credit facility would be secured from ADB with a repayment period of 15 years and five years moratorium, adding that the interest was enhanced variable spread loan, with lending spread of 0.60 per cent per annum, translating to 1.56 per cent.

For the ADF, he said the principal would be repaid over a period of 22 years, with eight years grace period and interest rate of one per cent per annum.

According to the minister, the council also approved a $33.174m credit from the French Development Agency in support of the Ogun State Water Supply Project.

He said the facility would be secured from the FDA on blend terms, with an interest rate of six months Libor plus margin; repayment period of 20 years, including seven years moratorium; commitment fee of 0.25 per cent per annum and an appraisal fee of 0.25 per cent.

Yuguda explained that the credit would be on-lend to Ogun State on the same terms and conditions offered by the FDA to the Federal Government.

For Osun State, he said the council approved an Islamic Development Bank’s loan of $65m for financing water supply and sanitation projects in the state, adding that the loan would be repaid over 15 years, gestation period of four years and mark-up Libor + 155bps or to 1.5 per cent per annum.

On the $1.280bn for the establishment of the proposed Development Bank of Nigeria, the minister said the loan would come from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank, Africa Development Bank as well as the Germany and French Development Agencies in the sums of $500m, $450m, $200m and $130m, respectively.

Foreign media eye Nigeria Presidential race.

Earlier in the year, a South-African journalist, Geoffrey York, lashed out at the Federal Government for refusing himself and 40 other foreign journalists visas to cover the presidential elections earlier scheduled for February 14.

York, who reports for The Globe, took to Twitter to vent his spleen on the alleged visa denial, describing it as “the latest Nigerian scandal.”

“Nigeria allowed many foreign ‘journos’ to cover the ‘Bring Back Our Girls’ campaign last year; yet now it’s blocking at least 40 from covering elections,” he had tweeted.

York’s allegations became the subject of a raging online debate, grabbing the headlines in foreign media. York had given the impression that the Federal Government was planning to sideline foreign media because it (FG) had a hidden agenda. According to his tweets, the Federal Government was afraid of foreign media.

York’s allegation, although dismissed by the Nigerian embassy, was one of many reactions from some foreign media who have been closely monitoring preparations for the elections, revealing their perspectives on the credibility of the major presidential candidates and predicting what may be the result of the polls.

Aside repeatedly cautioning the country’s politicians against violence and human rights abuses, the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, President Goodluck Jonathan and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) have received notable mentions from foreign media. The two major candidates continue to grab the headlines in the editorials of these foreign newspapers mostly for bad reasons. The views of these newspapers, as recorded in the past, may be the results of the presidential elections scheduled to hold in the next 31 days.

In its widely read editorial of January 18, 2015, The Observer, which prides itself as the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, did not spare Jonathan the rod over what it termed the lack of the right tactics to contain insurgency in the North-East.

The British newspaper had criticised Jonathan for remaining silent for many days after the Baga killings, but immediately sent his condolences to France following the Charlie Hebdo attacks. According to The Observer, as Africa’s biggest economy and largest standing Army, Nigeria does not lack the means to end the war but effective political and military leadership.

The paper wrote, “Jonathan, making a brief tour of the (Borno) state capital, Maiduguri, congratulated the Army on its work, notwithstanding, its abject failure to prevent the massacre. What Jonathan did not say was how he plans to break Boko Haram’s grip on 20,000sq km of territory spanning three northeastern states or bring an end to the plague of murderous atrocities, suicide bombings, schoolgirl kidnappings and rapes it has unleashed. It sometimes seems he is trying to ignore a problem for which he has no answers.”

But the editorial seems to be soft on Buhari, saying, “Buhari earned a reputation for strong leadership and intolerance of corruption during his brief period in power in 1983-1985.”

Washington Post, an American daily in its January 6 editorial, entitled “Nigeria’s election will be a test of peace and power,” predicted that   Nigeria has “a recipe for an explosive general-election season.”

Although the paper in the seven-paragraph article did not endorse Buhari or Jonathan, it took a swipe at the President by warning him to avoid misusing the military and police before, during and after the election.

The paper exhorted, “The United States and other Western governments ought to press Mr. Jonathan as well as his opponent to respect the rule of law. The government must prioritise peace, not power, if Nigeria is to weather this particularly dangerous stress test.”

However, on Friday, January 16, 2015, The Guardian of London brought a fresh perspective to the campaigns. The United Kingdom paper, obviously trying to be objective, fired a salvo at Buhari and Jonathan, describing them as “flawed leaders.”

“President Goodluck Jonathan stands accused of inertness and procrastination in dealing with Boko Haram, and of ineffective performance in office generally. General Muhammadu Buhari, his rival, has a reputation as one of the more honest and well-intentioned of the country’s military rulers, but not as one of the most astute,” the paper said in the editorial.

The Guardian seemed to be reinforcing concerns raised back home by Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, who had described both Jonathan and Buhari as “problematic” choices for the country.

Soyinka had described the presidential election as a dilemma for Nigerian voters. The renowned playwright had said that while Buhari is haunted by his past, Jonathan is haunted by the present.

The most memorable of the editorials was that of the influential UK-based magazine, The Economist. The magazine surprised Western and Nigerian audiences when it said in its February editorial that Buhari was more competent than Jonathan. The endorsement of Buhari by the magazine lifted the hearts of the APC who took to the social media to promote the auspicious news, causing ripples of reactions at home and abroad.

The highly respected magazine in its editorial entitled, ‘Former dictator is a better choice than a failed president,’ said Nigeria was unfortunate to have both Buhari and Jonathan vying for the Presidency. It, however, said that out of the two, Buhari was a better candidate.

It said, “Start with Mr. Jonathan, whose party has run the country since 1999 and who stumbled into the Presidency on the death of his predecessor in 2010, the PDP’s reign has been a sorry one. Mr. Jonathan has shown little willingness to tackle endemic corruption. When the governor of the central bank reported that $20bn had been stolen, his reward was to be sacked.

“He has shown little enthusiasm for tackling insecurity, and even less competence. Quick to offer condolences to France after the attack on Charlie Hedbo, Mr. Jonathan waited almost two weeks before speaking up about a Boko Haram attack that killed hundreds, perhaps thousands, of his compatriots.”

The magazine, despite its open endorsement of Buhari, maintained that the former military Head of State had “blood on his hands.”

It recalled that Buhari was guilty of human rights abuse and did not manage the economy properly when he ruled Nigeria between December 1983 and August 1985. It added, “Buhari is a sandal-wearing ascetic with a record of fighting corruption. Few nowadays question his commitment to democracy or expect him to turn autocratic: he has repeatedly stood for election and accepted the outcome when he lost. He would probably do a better job of running the country, and in particular of tackling Boko Haram. As a northerner and Muslim, he will have greater legitimacy among villagers whose help he will need to isolate the insurgents. As a military man, he is more likely to win the respect of a demoralised army.

“We are relieved not to have a vote in this election. But were we offered one, we would with a heavy heart choose Buhari. If Buhari can save Nigeria, history might even be kind to him.”

This endorsement did not go down well with the Presidency. It swiftly reacted to the news, faulting The Economist for saying that Buhari was more competent than Jonathan. The President’s spokesperson, Dr. Rueben Abati, had described the magazine’s view of the President as “baseless, jaundiced and rather malicious.”

He said contrary to the magazine’s claims, Jonathan retains the trust and confidence of majority of Nigerians and that the outcome of the presidential election would justify this.

He said, “We are sure that many Nigerians and other readers of the usually urbane, thoughtful and well-reasoned editorial opinions of The Economist will be shocked that the magazine has taken the very ill-considered decision to throw its weight behind a candidate who, as a former military dictator, curtailed freedom of speech, ordered the kidnapping of opponents and jailing of journalists, and is accused of incitement to violence and grave human rights violations in Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation.”

Before the dust raised by The Economist’s endorsement of Buhari settled, the New York Times, launched a scathing criticism of Jonathan and Buhari, describing them as “Nigeria’s miserable choices” in its editorial of February 16.

The 164-year-old newspaper said that Jonathan had become so unpopular that Nigerians were not afraid of the idea of a former military dictator returning as President. The newspaper stated that Jonathan appeared to be afraid of the increasing popularity of Buhari, who “most Nigerians would likely vote for.” It said, “It appears more likely that Mr. Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler, who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram. By dragging out the race, Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own.”

While both candidates have received kudos and knocks from foreign media, not a few analysts have described the voices of the foreign media as a likely reflection of Nigerians’ choice.

Back home, observers are wondering whether the President is strong enough to obtain at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in at least 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states, which is a criterion the winner must fulfill to be declared President. No doubt, Buhari enjoys a massive support in the northern regions and has behind him the majority of the political leadership in the South-West but his acceptability in the South-East is not outstanding. Indeed, analysts are also worried that he may fail to hit 25 per cent of total votes cast in the South-East and may not meet the mark. With the control of Rivers State in the hands of the APC, the opposition party is expected to get reasonable votes in the Governor Rotimi Amaechi-led state.

In less than 32 days, it would be seen whether or not the predictions of foreign media would come to pass.

FG to sell Delta Steel Company

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Mohammed Sada, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government through the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, had perfected the arrangements to sell the Delta Steel Company to an automobile firm.

The minister stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Power, Mines and Steel to defend his ministry’s 2015 budget.

Sada said that though the ministry was not involved in the sale, it was in close partnership with AMCON, the government agency handling the transaction.

The minister recalled that the company had been in the hands of a private investor before it was recovered by AMCON, but was now set to be sold to another investor in the automobile industry.

He said, “Now, AMCON is in the process of selling it and I am aware there are quite a number of people that have written letters of intent that they are interested.

“What interests us in the ministry is that those interested are people that are interested in automobile development. We believe in the system now that someone who has interest in developing a value chain around the company is showing an interest in buying it.

“We have no role to play by the way; they are consulting us as experts in the industry and we have had several meetings with them so as to guide them. The last time I had a meeting with the MD of AMCON, he assured me that in the next couple of weeks, they are going to have somebody they are discussing with, with a view to selling it.”

The minister, while clarifying fears of future claims to the steel company by any other private investor, said that all pending issues had been resolved.

Sada explained that AMCON had given the initial company the opportunity to pay back the loan but it was unable to do so and the grace period had long lapsed.

He said, “There were no previous claims; Delta Steel is a privately-owned company, it took loans from local banks; and by Nigerian law, AMCON was put in place to make sure that banks do not fail. So, AMCON bought over the loans of that company and gave it a payment schedule, which it failed to comply with; so, AMCON has no issue with anybody.

“Our concern is steel protection; Delta Steel Company still has the latest technology, whoever is buying the company can start work immediately.”

The committee also took on the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission as well as the Ministry of Power.

The senators lamented the state of electricity supply in the country summoned the generation and distribution companies to appear before it next Tuesday.

Steven Keshi eager to dump Nigerian Soccer Coaching Job.

Out-of-contract Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has confirmed his willingness to relinquish the Nigeria job in favour of Burkina Faso coaching position.

Keshi, who has yet to agree with the Nigeria Football Federation on a new deal, told a Burkina Faso medium, Sidwaya.bf, that he was willing to help the national team, Stallions, qualify for the World Cup and the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former Nigeria captain tops a three-man shortlist which includes ex-Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac and ex-Gabon and Niger coach Gernot Rohr. Whoever is eventually selected the Burkina Faso Football Federation will replace Paul Put, who was fired at the end of a disappointing 2015 AFCON campaign in Equatorial Guinea.

When asked why he wanted the Burkina Faso job, he replied, “(The team) is a high potential individual team, technical and combative. The team’s (Stallions) path to the final at the 2013 AFCON attests to (these qualities). They regularly participate in the in continental football.

“Burkina Faso is deemed a serious country in terms of project management. The country has a positive image in African football landscape. They are also willing to sit down for a short project, medium and long term.

“I will also help (Burkina Faso) in qualifying for the Olympics. Then I can reveal to the entire continent the potential of Burkinabe football.

“My ambitions remain the same from one national team to another. I don’t want to have the job just to have the job but to bring a real plus.

“If I am chosen, by the grace of God, I first want to qualify Burkina Faso for the 2017 AFCON finals and why not for the next World Cup as I did with Togo.

“And then I want to do what it takes to go as far as possible in those competitions. Everything is possible.”

He added: “There is no success without vision, without hard work and without confidence. If all those things are in place, I insist that the Stallions can compete with the best in Africa.

“If I get the job, my objective is to transmit this desire of giving it all for their country, this winning culture, to follow the local players and instil a healthy competition between them like I did in Nigeria with youngsters like Sunday Mba and other local players who went on to be African champions in 2013.

“As head coach of Nigeria, I played the 2013 AFCON final against these Stallions and I was very pleased with them.”

However, Keshi made it clear Burkina Faso are not the only team he is considering.

FG, firm to build N300bn Of 15,000 highly affordable low-income housing estates

The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an international firm for the construction of housing estates across the country at a cost of about N300bn.

According to the government, the partnership with BASAP Ventures International Limited will ensure the construction of 15,000 units of “highly affordable low-income houses across the country.”

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, who signed on behalf of the Federal Government at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday,

described the firm as a mass housing developer that specialised in the provision of holistic solutions for integrated community development.

She stated that the partnership was part of the government’s resolve to provide affordable and sustainable homes in safe and secured environment for Nigerians, adding that the various projects would be completed in one year.

Eyakenyi said, “Today’s signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the ministry and the BASAP Group for the construction of 15,000 highly affordable low-income houses within a 12-month period across the country is aimed at deepening and fulfilling Mr. President’s promise to positively impact and transform the country in all aspects of life, most especially through the mass production of affordable houses for the citizenry.

“This event is in consolidation of our effort in identifying and partnering with different operators in the housing sector, particularly between real estate developers, building materials’ producers, investors in the real estate business and the different tiers of government, with a view to maximising inputs and outcomes in the delivery of houses.”

In his remarks, the Chairman, BASAP Ventures, Mr. Samson Ayorinde, assured the government that work would commence immediately on the sites allocated to the firm for the projects.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive, BASAP Ventures, Mr. Anthony Adepoju, stated that the firm’s foreign partners were ready to invest $1.5bn in the housing projects.

He noted that the group’s foreign partners were from South Korea and China.

Adepoju said, “Our investors are ready to invest $1.5bn in the transaction. The main reason why we are here is to create jobs by building homes. We are looking at low cost housing and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has given a benchmark price.

“We have started off-taker agreement with some government agencies to build affordable houses for their workers. This ministry is providing land for the projects. We are partnering with investors from South Korea and China.”

Ex-Militants Make U-Turn, Beg Nigerians To Vote For President Jonathan.

In a remarkable twist, ex-militant leaders who had threatened to plunge a war in the country if President Goodluck Jonathan is not re-elected come May 29, have dropped these earlier declared threats.

The ex-militants from the Niger Delta zone instead, have pleaded with Nigerians to vote to re-elect President Jonathan. They suggested that President Jonathan be returned to office based on what they described as the noticeable achievements of his administration, noting that the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) had waged a campaign of hate against the president.

Speaking as members of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiatives (LPCDI), the ex-militant figures stated that, though the media campaign against President Jonathan was filled with hatred and deceit, the Nigerian voters should support the president’s re-election based on the achievements of his administration in the areas of education, power, infrastructural development and security. 

Niger Delta Threatens To Resume Militancy This Year

The ex-militants issued their new stand on President Jonathan at the end of a meeting presided over by the group’s national coordinator, Reuben Wilson, popularly known as General Pastor Reuben. The meeting was held yesterday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State. The group called on voters to focus on President Jonathan’s performance instead of the rhetoric of hate against his administration.

In his words: “we resolved to call on Nigerians, particularly eligible voters, to rate the candidates for the presidential election based on performance and eligibility. President Goodluck Jonathan has done well and he should be voted in by Nigerians for [a] second term. They should assess him based on performance and not the region he comes from.”

Mr. Wilson finally concluded: “Jonathan has done well. Why are people opposing him? Is it because he comes from the Niger Delta? Would they have shown so much hatred and insincerity if he had come from the northern part of the country? The people of the South-South and the Niger Delta are feeling bad over the rising insults and poor rating in spite of the huge achievement of the present administration. We advised the opposition party and General Buhari to come out [openly] and declare that President Goodluck Jonathan has done well.”

“Nigerians should check the achievements in the areas of security, peace and development. The amnesty program under the capable hands of Honorable Kingsley Kuku has ensured that over 3,000 youths are trained on scholarship and skill acquisition. Aside from showing readiness in the battle against insurgency with the proper procurement of arms and ammunition for the military, President Jonathan has ensured the recovery of over N300 billion of stolen funds and blocked any corrupt loopholes in the system. He has done well also in the area of roads and infrastructures with the judicious use of Sure-P funds.”

The ex-militants accused state governors who defected from the PDP to APC of playing to the gallery without differentiating their achievements in office under the PDP and the APC. “These governors are deceitful. They should tell Nigerians what they have been able to achieve under the APC. They should call their people together and tell them why they should vote for their stooges in the next governorship elections under the APC. All they have achieved in the states under their control was achieved under the PDP,” the group stated.

It will be recalled that, during a meeting in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force; Victor Ben Ebikabowei, aka, Boy Loaf; and Government Ekpudomenowei, aka, Tompolo had in January declared there would be war if their kinsman, Jonathan, does not win the election.

AFRICAN UNION SHOULD FOCUS ON FREE TRADE TO ADVANCE ECONOMIC GROWTH

When officials from neighboring countries meet to talk about political collaboration, the discussions inevitably center around where power should be concentrated rather than why that power should be scaled back to make way for freedom, trade, property rights, and real economic growth.

The African Union (AU), comprising all nations in Africa other than Morocco, was ostensibly founded to facilitate continent-wide cooperation, but “African leaders refuse to face up to their own or their neighbours’ failures, whilst preventing ordinary Africans from using their ingenuity to build their own future,” writes Franklin Cudjoe, founding president and CEO of Ghana-based Atlas Network partner IMANI in a recent commentary.

“Above all, there will not be a whisper about property rights, the rule of law and economic freedoms that would allow Africans to emulate the growth of Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea that were as poor as we were at independence in the 1960s,” Cudjoe writes. “Even the growth records of South Africa, Mauritius and Botswana are ignored as being somehow exceptional instead of being acknowledged as the result of sound economic policies.”

Cudjoe points out that trade has historically been a boon to African prosperity, when pre-colonial African nations traded goods and natural resources like gold, copper, salt, ceramics, pottery, glass, and silks freely among themselves. In the intervening years, though, extensive barriers to trade have been erected throughout the continent.

“Today, Africa has lost the ability to trade,” Cudjoe writes. “As a result, many conspiracy theories abound for its backwardness. Regardless, the blame game ignores the devil within: the internal and regional barriers that hobble trade, making tariffs within Africa far higher than any tariff barriers by outside blocs.”

The benefits from sound economic policy can accrue in a short period of time, if only political leaders take the simple step of no longer blocking free exchange.

Mimiko Faults Obasanjo on Election Shift

The Ondo State Governor and South West Coordinator of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, on Monday faulted the comment of the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, that President Goodluck Jonathan influenced the postponement of the election in the interest of himself and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mimiko, who spoke during an interaction with journalists  in Akure, Ondo State capital said the available evidence on ground knocked out the former president’s postulations on the shift of the election.

The governor noted that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had started the election  on February 14 as scheduled, a lot of eligible voters would have been disenfranchised.

Specifically, Mimiko  explained that a greater percentage of voters from the South-west region would have been disenfranchised in the election, noting that only 52 per cent of voters from the region had collected their permanent Voters’ Card (PVCs) while a greater percentage have obtained same in the northern region.

Mimiko said “What is the evidence on ground, it is when you place the evidence on ground, side by side with the postulations, you will see that the postulation cannot hold.

“Talking about the South-west, let’s put the security reason aside, let’s look essentially at the possibility of disenfranchising some voters in the South-west region because as at February 5, the record that Jega gave at the council of states on all the geo-political zones, South-west scored the least in terms of people who have collected the PVCs, whereas the average in the North-east was 77.8 per cent, while South-west was 52 per cent.

“As a matter of facts, in all the zones, it was only the South-west that scored below 60 per cent. So, we are an interested party in the sense that if the election had continued or taken place we would have been disenfranchised.

“When you look at the totality of Nigeria, there were still 34 per cent of the cards yet to be collected which is about 23 million Nigerians, and if it took INEC about four years of preparation to distribute only 60 per cent of the voters’ card and you had one week to election and even by admission of Prof. Jega himself who said if they had more time it would be better for them to perfect the arrangements,” Mimiko said.

The governor noted that some people that were claiming to be protecting the South-west were not truthful about the issue on the ground because with what was on ground at the time of the postponement, the South-west had been short-changed in terms of distribution of PVCs.

“ Look at Lagos State and Ogun State. Lagos State was 38 per cent, Ogun was 36 per cent and some other states in Nigeria, in this same country are higher. Adamawa was 80 per cent, Yobe was 74 per cent, Sokoto was 81 per cent when Lagos was just 38 per cent.

“Yet if anybody claims he can protect the interest of the South-west and would prefer that we go into that election with only 38 per cent of registered voters ready and with the PVC, then I leave the judgement to you, so the postulation falls flat on the face of evidence before us,” Mimiko said.

Mimiko said with what is on ground, the people of the South-west region will not only vote for Jonathan but will vote “handsomely” for President Jonathan in the presidential election based on the achievements recorded by the president during his first term in office.

Mimiko said Jonathan won in the South-west states in 2011 despite the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) had no governor in the region then.

“Now, Jonathan has two governors in the South-west and I keep telling people that the South-west is politically sophisticated and nobody can run away from that fact. If you want to get the support of the South-west , it must be based on substance, it must be based on your political antecedents and records. It must be based on empirical evidences.                      

“I don’t have any doubt in mind that because of the level of sophistication in the South-west and again the people are discerning, they will be able to put the candidate of the APC side by side with Jonathan and they will look at their political antecedent and their records,” he said.

He said he had no doubt in his mind that Jonathan will win handsomely in the South-west.

Huge crowds welcome opposition leader in Maiduguri

A massive crowd of cheering supporters mobbed Nigerian opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari in the embattled northeast city of Maiduguri on Monday, as the candidate vowed tough action against Boko Haram if elected.
People flooded the streets surrounding the airport in the Borno state capital before Buhari's arrival, defying security fears in a city repeatedly attacked by the Islamist militants.
Boko Haram was founded in Maiduguri in 2002 but since the movement turned violent in 2009, the once bustling trading hub has been devastated.
Markets have been bombed regularly and scores of civilians shot dead in their homes.
All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate Buhari, a former military ruler, pledged to reverse the perceived failures of President Goodluck Jonathan in tackling the rebel uprising.
"If we get the people's mandate... Nigerians will begin to see a government that really care(s)," he told the crowd after visiting the area's top Islamic cleric, the Shehu of Borno.
"It is not going to be easy, tackling the insurgency, but we are determined to face it squarely," he said.

Packed streets
Buhari's drive from the airport to the Shehu's palace, which normally takes 10 minutes, lasted more than two hours as people thronged the streets seeking a glimpse of the presidential hopeful.
Jonathan, who visited Maiduguri last month, has come under intense criticism in the region for his perceived lethargy in dealing with the Boko Haram insurgency.

Three years of relentless attacks in Borno prompted a state of emergency and the promise of decisive military action.
But the offensive appeared to achieve nothing, and reports suggested that troops sent to Borno often lacked ammunition and basic communication equipment as the insurgents seized large swathes of territory.
The military has however claimed significant gains in Borno this month following the launch of a joint operation with Nigeria's neighbours.
Buhari has not articulated a detailed plan to crush the uprising but has repeatedly promised to get troops proper equipment to fight an increasingly well-armed extremist movement.

Huge gathering
After meeting the Shehu, Buhari attempted to move to the nearby Ramat square to address a campaign rally but again his movements were slowed by a mass of supporters.
An AFP reporter said the trip, which normally takes five minutes, took more than an hour and that the crowd at Ramat was perhaps the largest ever gathering in Maiduguri.
The boisterous crowd virtually drowned out the candidate's speech, the reporter added.
Buhari, like most in Maiduguri, is a northern-born Muslim, giving him a clear political edge in the city over Jonathan, from Nigeria's mainly Christian south.
But Buhari is also an ethnic Hausa, a group that has a long history of tension with the Kanuri of Borno, the dominant ethnic group in Boko Haram.
Experts say his support in the area likely runs deeper than religion and tribe.
The economic breakdown caused by the unrest, as well as school closures, travel restrictions and widespread bloodshed has left the community clamouring for change, experts say.
Many see Buhari, partly because of his military background, as better placed to stamp out the raging insurgency.
The vote, expected to be the closest ever in Nigeria, had been scheduled for February 14, but security fears forced a six-week delay to March 28.

Haaabaa! Obasanjo tears up his PDP membership card

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reportedly torn into shreds his People's Democratic Party membership card, reports opinionvoices
He said his decision to dump the party was because he had been accused of anti-party activities after critically speaking against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.Two Chieftains of the PDP on Sunday in Lagos described Saturday's statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo's against President Goodluck Jonathan as unsavoury.
Obasanjo had in reaction to the postponement of the February 14 polls, alleged that it was done to further the interest of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP and Prince Buruji Kashamuu, Chairman, Organisation and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP South West, condemned the statement.
Addressing separate press conferences in Lagos, the PDP chieftains expressed dismay over Obasanjo’s verbal attacks on the president.
Bode George, who called for caution, said “it is unsavoury and unjust to compare Jonathan to Laurent Gbagbo.”
“Baba has served his own term, he has played his roles. I don't want to conclude that his life would end up like Saul in the Bible.”
“I will also want to call on our Obas to talk to Baba that he should remain at that pinnacle of respect because it is becoming too personal. No human being is perfect.”
‎On the postponement of the general elections, George faulted the former president’s position.
“If Baba had attended the Council of state meeting in Abuja, he would have understood why the elections were postponed.”
On his part, Kashamu called for the immediate investigation and arrest of Obasanjo for unguarded statements.
Buruji accused the former president of making unguarded utterances capable of heating up the polity.
He said Nigerians should not be deceived by the former president's antics.
“Let us not be deceived. As well-intentioned as Chief Obasanjo's homily may seem, it is all lies. It is an open show of his manipulative skills and his well-known egoistic craving for power and relevance,” he said.
“I urge Nigerians to be wise and conduct their independent investigations on claims by politicians,” he added.

Nigeria inflation rises, food prices stable

 Nigeria's inflation rate rose for the second consecutive month to 8.2 percent in January, up from 8 percent the previous month despite a sharp fall in the naira currency, the statistics bureau said on Monday.
Food inflation was flat at 9.2 percent in January, unchanged from December. Food prices account for bulk of the inflation basket.
The central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent in November, with many analysts fearing the downward pressure on currency in a country that imports almost 80 percent of what it consumes could stoke inflationary pressures.
The latest figures suggest those fears have not yet been realised, although price pressure could still feed through later this year.
"Prices increased at a faster pace in most major non-food divisions such as housing, water, electricity," the NBS said in a report.
A sharp rise in inflation would be an added headache for President Goodluck Jonathan before a closely fought election in which his record on security, corruption and the economy is under scrutiny.
The naira has remained under pressure despite the one-off devaluation trading outside central bank's target band of 160-176 to the dollar, on weak global oil prices and escalating tensions after presidential elections in Africa's biggest economy was delayed.
The NBS has said in its outlook for 2015, that it expected inflation this year to rise to 8.78 percent, up from an estimated 8.0 percent last year, driven by the devaluation of the naira.

Nigerian Military retakes Monguno, other towns from Boko Haram

Troops in a military operation spearheaded by highly coordinated air assaults have completed the mission of clearing terrorists from Monguno and environs this morning.
“A number of terrorists as well as truckloads of rice, beans and other logistics meant for supply to the terrorists operating around Baga have been captured in the course of operation.
“Casualty inflicted and arms recovered as well as other outcome of the operation in Munguno, Marte and other communities already secured, will be determined after the ongoing cordon and search in the environs.
“The air and land operation is continuing with aggressive advance towards other designated communities and locations meant to be cleared in the ongoing offensive against the terrorists,” he said
It was learnt that the military high command was given a presidential directive to ensure that the members of the sect were cleared from communities under their control within a specified period.