Saturday, October 11, 2014
Don joins APC presidential race
october 11, 2014
Vanguard News
Minna – A professor of business education at
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Mr
Mahmood Aliyu, has declared his intention to
contest the 2015 presidential election on the
platform of the All Progressive Congress
(APC).
The presidential aspirant made the declaration
at a press conference on Saturday in Minna.
Aliyu said his decision to vie for the
presidency was informed by the agitation for
the emergence of new crop of leaders “to fight
the malaise in the country.
“There has been agitation for the emergence
of new crop of leaders by well-meaning
Nigerians in order to take this country out of
problems.’’
The aspirant said APC was the only party that
would tackle the current security challenges
bedevilling the country.
He added that “an APC government will tackle
the security issue with all the seriousness it
requires and deserves.’’
Aliyu, however, called on the national
leadership of the APC to review the N27
million fee for picking the party’s presidential
nomination form.
He said “our party should have a rethink
about the fee for presidential nomination
forms, so that ordinary Nigerians can afford it.
“Ordinary people who have something to offer
get scared away by the amount; even the PDP
fee is not up to that of our party.’’
He described as embarrassing, reports that he
was being sponsored by the ruling PDP to run
for president, arguing that he had always been
in the opposition since he joined politics in
1993.
The presidential aspirant was born on Nov. 20,
1951 in Niger and he is an indigene of Offa in
Kwara. (NAN)
John kantiyok sent you an invitation
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600,000 Nigerians will need eye surgery by
2020 — National Eye Centre
october 11, 2014
Vanguard News
By Luka Binniyat
The Chief Medical Director (CMD), National
Eye Centre, Kaduna, Dr. Godwin O. Adejor
has warned that that unless there was a
radical improvement in cataract awareness in
the country, more than 600,000 Nigerians may
have to undergo the operation by the year
2020.
Speaking in Kaduna on the occasion of the
World Sight Day celebration (WSD) which was
organised by the centre, Dr. Adejor noted that
the figure was expected to outnumber the
400,000 Nigerians operated of cataract about
seven years ago.
He however, said that the National Eye Centre
was able to render free cataract surgery for
512 patients during “Goodluck Operation
Restore Sight”, a Presidential initiative to
improve the number of cataract surgeries in
the country.
According to him, in order to usher in
universal eye health, there was the need to
train more eye care professionals such as
ophthalmologists, optometrists, ophthalmic
nurses and optical dispensing technicians
among others.
“ I want to advocate for the provision of
comprehensive eye care services and integrate
them into existing health systems as well as
identify and eliminate social and economic
obstacles especially for the poor and the
marginalised.”, he said.
He said: “In Nigeria, according to the results of
the National Blindness Survey conducted from
2005-2007, the prevalence of blindness in
people who were aged 40 years and older was
42% and 0.78% in all ages. According to this
study, 84% of blindness in Nigeria was due to
avoidable causes of which cataract constitutes
43%. The number of operable cataract in
Nigeria then was estimated at 400,000,
which is expected to increase by 43%
(600,000) in 2020 if cataract surgical coverage
of the country remains unchanged.
“It is heart-warming to learn that the National
Eye Centre was able to render free cataract
surgery for 512 patients during “Goodluck
Operation Restore Sight” which is a
Presidential Initiative to improve the Cataract
Surgical Rate of the number of cataract
surgeries per million per year) of the country.
“A brief statistical data is a necessary panacea
to understanding of burden of blindness /
visual impairment. According to the recent
available data, approximately 285 million
people worldwide live with low vision and
blindness. Of these, 39 million, 37 – 40 people
are blind and 246 million have moderate –
severe impairment. 90% of the blind people
live in low – income countries. It is also known
that 80% of visual impairment is avoidable.
“Although the number of people blind from
infectious causes has greatly reduced in the
past 20 years among the high – income
countries, these causes are still very significant
in the low – income countries of the world. It is
estimated that 19 million children worldwide,
are visually impaired”.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
There are many fifth columnists in armed
forces – CDS
October 08, 2014
Vanguard News
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal
Alex Badeh, said on Wednesday there were
“fifth columnists’’ in the armed forces leading
to conflicting information emanating from the
military.
Badeh made the allegation in Abuja, while
reacting to some presentations at the start of a
three-day workshop on “Security/Media
Relations in Crisis Management’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
that the retreat was organised by the Office of
National Security Adviser in conjunction with
Trim Communications Nig. Ltd.
“If your people are misleading you, what do
you do? There are too many fifth columnists.
“There was a report which says oh, we have
seen some of the Chibok girls, only eight are
missing, it was a very senior officer that gave
that information from Chibok area.
“We are dealing with that situation. That was
when people started saying watch what Maj.-
Gen. Olukolade, the Director, of Defence
Information says. He was misled by one of
us,’’ Badeh said.
Badeh urged journalists to be guided by
national interest while reporting the ongoing
counter-insurgency operations in the North
east.
Badeh advised that although they might know
many things concerning the operations but
they should not report things that would hurt
or create panic in the people.
Asked to assess the performance of the media
so far, he said, “I would not say it has been
what we are looking for.
“Because without pointing accusing fingers,
some newspapers celebrate when anything
bad happens to this country.
“They really celebrate it, maybe because of
politics. President Jonathan cannot be doing
everything.
“When an institution has small problem, you
do not go and say the president has failed,’’
he said, adding that journalists should
endeavour to verify their report before
publishing.
“If you know how many condolence messages
I have received that my house is burnt, that
my whole village has been burnt; but no Boko
Haram has gone to my village.
“I do not know whether it is me they want to
bring down or the president that they want to
bring down, that is the media for you.’’ he
said.
Also, the National Security Adviser (NSA),
retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, urged the media to
be diligent in their reportage of the operations.
He said that the country was facing
“significant security challenge’’.
Represented by Prof. Soji Adelaja of the NSA
Office, he said that terrorism was new to the
nation and cautioned against reports and
pictures that could affect the image of the
country.
The chairman of the occasion, retired Gen.
Martin Luther Agwai, said that there was need
for the media and security agencies to partner
in handling the current situation.
There are many fifth columnists in armed forces– CDS
The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal
Alex Badeh, said on Wednesday there were
“fifth columnists’’ in the armed forces leading
to conflicting information emanating from the
military.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.
com/2014/10/many-fifth-columnists-armed-for
ces-cds-2/#sthash.hYhKLkvW.dpuf
Ngilari sworn in as Adamawa governor,
appoints chief of staff
October 08, 2014
Vanguard News
Former Adamawa Deputy Governor, Mr Bala
Ngilari, was sworn in as the substantive state
governor on Wednesday in Yola.
Ngilari was sworn in at Government House by
the President, Customary Court of Appeal,
Justice Audu Lagre, following an order by a
Federal High Court, Abuja, that the Acting
Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, should vacate
the office.
The court held that Ngilari did not resign from
office as Deputy Governor in line with section
306 (1)) (2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution as
amended.
In his address after taking oath of office,
Ngilari said he would run an open, transparent
and all-inclusive government.
” In this regard, I invite other arms of
government, in particular the legislature and
judiciary, not forgetting the civil service, to join
hands with me to achieve these noble goals.
” As a party man and a team player, I pledge
my unalloyed support and loyalty to our great
party and Mr president, ” Ngilari said.
He described his emergence as an act of
“God who gives power to who ever He
chooses”.
” We acknowledge the divine power of God in
all that happened. The holy books of both
religions subscribe to the fact that power
belongs to God and He gives it in trust to
whosoever he wills,” Ngilari.
NAN reports that many dignitaries, comprising
those of PDP and APC, graced the swearing in
ceremony.
In his first official function, the
governor announced the appointment of Mr
Chubado Tijjani as his Chief of Staff. (NAN)
‘Jonathan, 6th richest African president’
Richest Lifestyle, a US-based website, has
listed President Goodluck Jonathan of
Nigeria as the 6th Richest African
president.
In an article titled, ‘Richest African
Presidents 2014′ , the US website compiled
a list of the nine richest presidents and
kings in Africa. According to the article,
President Jonathan is worth $100million.
Other African presidents and kings on the
list include;
1. Jose Eduardo dos Santos of Angola – Net
Worth: $20 Billion
2. Mohammed VI of Morocco – Net Worth:
$2.5 Billion
3. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of
Equatorial Guinea – $600 Million
4. Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya – Net Worth:
$500 Million
5. Paul Biya of Cameroon – Net Worth:
$200 Million
6. King Mswati III of Swaziland – Net
Worth: $100 Million (The monarch shares
the number 6 spot with President
Jonathan)
7. Idriss Deby of Chad – Net Worth: $50
Million
8. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe – Net
Worth: $10 Million
SourceBShort URL : http://www.osundefender.org/?
p=189979
Why Good people fail in marriage.
Marital failure is not because you are not a
good man or good woman. It is because you
never took decisions good men or good
women take in relationship. Being good is not
always enough in running a relationship or
marriage. There is always a need to cross a
line and that line must always be there in
marriage waiting. Most good people are not
brave people. That makes them weak people.
Only the brave breaks the law to obey
principles. Jesus would say, 'Only the violent
taketh it by force' most times, you have to
confront yourself. Good men don't become
great men until they let one side of their life
down. Its time you wake up and let one side
of your life down to move over to the other
side. The pains in marriage are curable if you
can be brave to face them. Poverty is not an
end. Its a challenge. You can overcome
anything and win. God is advising you now,
'Arise, shine...'
[UPDATE] Adamawa: Court orders
swearing-in of Ngilari as gov
OCTOBER 8, 2014
BY ADE ADESOMOJU
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered
that the former Deputy Governor of Adamawa
State, Mr. Bala Ngilari, be sworn in as the
governor of the state.
The court ruled that the purported resignation
of Ngilari on July 14, 2014 was invalid, null
and void as it breached the provisions of
sections 306(1), (2) and (5) of the 1999
Constitution because it was addressed to the
Speaker and acted upon by the House of
Assembly.
Ngilari, erstwhile deputy to removed Governor
Murtala Nyako had filed a suit before the
Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order
compelling his swearing in as the governor of
the state.
Ngilari had asked the court to declare his
resignation letter dated July 14, 2014 and
addressed to the Speaker of the state House
of Assembly, as illegal, null and void.
In his suit, marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/545/14, the
plaintiff argued that his resignation letter was
in breach of the provisions of sections 306(1),
(2) and (5) of the 1999 Constitution because
it was addressed to the Speaker and acted
upon by the House of Assembly.
Justice Adeniyi Ademola, while delivering his
judgment, ruled that Ngilari’s letter was
written at a time when Nyako had not been
removed, thus implying that the letter ought
to have gone through Nyako, which it did
not, thus rendering the resignation null and
void.
He therefore ruled that Ngilari be sworn in as
the substantive governor of the state.
The judgment implies that the bye-election
slated for Saturday by INEC, has been
stopped.
More details later.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
#Ebolalert
There is NO active case of Ebola in Nigeria. However, in the United States, 1 case has been discovered, imported from West Africa.
Nigeria is still at risk, therefore, we need to remain extremely vigilant, and continue to follow strict hygiene practices.
Keep safe and wash your hands regularly.
Monday, October 6, 2014
21 Ways To Rescue The North, By Shehu Sani
------------------
These, in my opinion, are viable ways
forward for Northern Nigeria.
(1) End insurgency and restore peace
(2) Restore unity, confidence, trust and
solidarity between diverse ethnic and
religious communities.
(3) Firm up internally generated revenue
(4) Reform, revive and recapitalise Northern
Nigeria Development Company and upgrade
it to a multinational company.
(5) Reach-out for...
See more: http://
wp.me/p4Q9sN-H84
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Battle For 2015: Buhari, Atiku, Tinubu on crossroad.
http://dailytrust.com.ng/sunday/index.php/
news/18358-battle-for-2015-presidency-buhari-
tinubu-atiku-at-the-crossroads # 2015elections
# APC
Battle for 2015 presidency:
Buhari, Tinubu, Atiku at the
crossroads
As a result of the deep division in
the country along religious and
geo-political lines, the
opposition...
Saturday, October 4, 2014
learntrade.com - john kantiyok internet marketing blog.
learntrade.com - john kantiyok internet marketing blog.
To Facebook
To Facebook
Amnesty opposes death penalty for
convicted soldiers
OCTOBER 5, 2014
BY TOBI AWORINDE
An international human rights advocacy
group, Amnesty International, has opposed
the death sentence passed on 12 Nigerian
soldiers by a military court in Abuja for
mutiny, among other offences.
The court three weeks ago, convicted the
soldiers for firing shots at the General Officer
Commanding the newly created 7 Division of
the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Ahmed
Mohammmed, in Maiduguri, Borno State.
But in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH ,
AI’s Media Director, Ms. Susanna Flood, said
the organisation was opposed to the death
penalty, regardless of the offence.
“The reason we have not said anything about
(the conviction) was because we weren’t able
to monitor the trial and assess that it was fair,
which is very important for us. We have to
back up our comments with facts.
“We oppose the death penalty in all
instances. So, in the case of these soldiers,
we would be opposed to their death penalty.
We are looking into the trial and trying to
ascertain more facts about all that went on or
the situations that led to these men being,
first of all, charged and then convicted. We
are now investigating,” she said.
She noted that human rights change would
not happen overnight and that one needed to
look at the proverbial big picture.
“If you look at our work on the death penalty,
and you examine the statistics when we
launched our campaign against the death
penalty, which was more than 20 years ago,
compared with the figures now, you will
notice that the number of countries around
the world executing prisoners is decreasing.
“Sadly, Nigeria is still executing. Eliminating
the death penalty is a slow bit of progress.
We can see all the achievements we have
made over the years in getting the death
penalty reduced around the world.
“Recently, we got news from Israel. Israel has
had a particularly harsh form of detention for
African asylum seekers, where they have
been locked up in unacceptable conditions.
We heard that the Israeli Supreme Court had
overturned the ability to do this and this
detention will no longer continue for
Africans,” she said.
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This
material, and other digital content on this
website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole
or in part without prior express written
permission from PUNCH.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
We Shall Overcome (Part 1)
By Femi Fani-Kayode
—
Sep 28, 2014 | Leave a comment
Blessed be the name of the Most High
God, the God whose I am and the God
whom I serve. Blessed be His holy name
forever.
I thank the presiding Bishop of this great
Church for honouring me in this way and
giving me the opportunity to share a few
words with this massive congregation. I
thank the Pastors and the Board of
Trustees of the Church for inviting me.
I look at this massive gathering of
believers and I am humbled. I am also a
little intimidated. I regard it is an honour
and a privilege for me to be here,
speaking to you today from this holy
pulpit, and in this hallowed hall and
chamber.
Unlike most politicians, I shall endeavour
to be very brief and not to keep you
here any longer than necessary. Permit
me to get to the point without much ado.
We are at war in this nation. That is
obvious and self-evident. Yet, despite
our circumstances, we must harbour no
fears, because we are winning that war. I
say this because my Bible tells me that
darkness cannot overcome light, and
that even though it may tarry, the vision
of total victory is for an appointed time.
I have been told that some of you that
are here today lost their loved ones who
were soldiers that were gallantly fighting
at the war front against the terrorists. I
hear that some died in Bama, others in
Konduga and some fell whilst defending
Mubi.
I am touched to the marrow and my
heart bleeds for the pain that you must
be going through, having lost your loved
ones in this way. I want to assure you
that the great sacrifice of these noble,
courageous and gallant heroes shall not
be in vain.
It is my sincere prayer that their souls
rest in peace and that the cause for
which they paid the supreme price is
achieved. May God reward them and
their loved ones for their service to our
nation. No greater a gift can a man give
than to lay down his life for his people
and for his country. The veracity of this
assertion can hardly be disputed.
And neither is there a more honorable or
noble death than that of a soldier who
falls at the war front whilst fighting for his
nation. Your loved ones fought gallantly
for Nigeria and gave their lives for the
future and unity of their country. We
shall never forget them.
More importantly, history and posterity
shall be very kind to them and their
names shall be listed amongst the greats
who stood to defend our people and our
cause when the days were dark and
when the enemy knocked at our gates.
Again, I am told that there are others
here today whose family members were
innocent and defenceless civilians, but
who were murdered in cold blood in the
sanctity of their own homes by the
butchers of Boko Haram.
What a terrible tragedy this is. It is a
tragedy of monumental proportions and
it has engulfed, not just the north-east,
but our whole nation. It is a tragedy that
touches, concerns and affects us all.
Your loss is ours. We share your pains
and we mourn with you.
I assure you that those that were killed in
this cowardly, brutal and barbaric way
will be avenged and those that killed
them will face the judgement of God and
the justice of men both in this world and
in the world to come.
What dark times these are. Yet, despite
the darkness of the night let us not
forget that joy comes in the morning. As
the Bible says, let us count our
tribulations and suffering as nothing but
joy, knowing that our Lord and Master
has already paid the price for our
salvation and deliverance by shedding
His precious blood on the cross at
Calvary.
Let us remember that in the end, we
shall prevail and we shall overcome,
because we serve a mighty God. Let us
remember that evil can never overcome
good and that the Church of Christ and
our Christian faith itself was built on the
blood of the martyrs and the persecution
and suffering of the saints.
Let us hold onto God’s word. Let us be
courageous. Let us exercise our faith
and let us never forget that hope against
all odds and strength, even in the face of
the most trying times, are the hallmarks
of a true believer. Let us remember that
our God is irresistible and unbeatable
and that in the end He makes all things
beautiful.
Let us take heart and let us make no
mistake about it: in the end, as surely as
night follows day, we shall overcome. Let
us remember that no matter what the
media, the opposition, the Haramites and
their secret friends in high places, the
skeptics, the international community or
anyone else tell us, our Armed Forces
remain the best, the most fearless, the
most courageous, the most disciplined,
the most effective and the most
ferocious warriors on the African
continent, and we have every reason to
be very proud of them.
If I were the President of this country, if I
were compelled to do so by the
circumstances, I would go to the four
corners of the earth and to the edges of
hell itself in order to procure the very
best arms that money can buy for our
soldiers so that they could protect our
people and fight a good fight against the
relentless barbarians that torment, afflict
and plague our land.
If I had to I would violate every
convention and norm in the land in order
to bring the terrorists to justice and to
degrade, kill, maim and destroy those
who slaughter our people at will, who
burn our homes, schools and churches,
who violate and defile our women and
who abduct and enslave our children.
People need to understand one thing:
when fighting a war against an inhuman,
barbaric and beastly enemy like Boko
Haram in Nigeria or ISIS in Iraq, or
Hamas in Gaza, or Al Shabab in
Somalia, or Al Qaeda in Libya and Mali,
or FIS in Algeria, or the Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt, or Daesh in
Lebanon, or the Taliban in Pakistan and
Afghanistan, or Al Nusra in Syria, or the
Janjaweed in the Sudan, or the
Chechnyan separatists in Russia, the
gloves must come off.
History tells us that the policy of
appeasement and the willful and naive
display of weakness and procrastination
before wicked and heartless men with
reprobate minds can only lead to a
further display of violence and
aggression against the innocent. There
must be no display of restraint or
weakness exhibited to the enemy in this
war and no quarter must be given to
him. This is because we are fighting
against an adversary that is beastly in all
his ways and that does not consider
himself as being bound by the laws of
war or any known and internationally-
accepted rules of engagement.
In such a war, all is fair and all is
permissible, no matter how extreme and
no matter how frightful and ruthless. No
mercy must be exhibited. Absolutely
anything goes and anything is allowed.
We must wipe them and all that is theirs
out completely because they are the
ultimate expression of evil. We must
wipe them off the face of the earth. We
must crush and eliminate them totally
and wipe out all trace and memory of
them. This is our God-given duty. It is
our divine obligation and we must not fail
or shirk it.
We must win this war and thereby stop
the beasts from taking our land,
enslaving our loved ones, beheading our
children, raping our women, burying alive
our men, burning down our churches,
and wiping out our beautiful Christian
faith.
As long as Jesus sits on the throne and
as long as some of us remain alive, they
shall not pass and neither will they
succeed in their cruel venture, because,
ultimately, we shall prevail. We will not,
we must not, we shall not, and we
cannot lose this war.
It is rather these shameless and
conscienceless cowards, Huns, biblical
Egyptians, Philistines and Amalekites:
these enemies of God and those who
secretly support and encourage them,
that shall fail. This I know, because the
Bible says, “The gates of hell shall not
prevail against the Church”, and neither
shall they prevail against the Lord’s
counsel.
I say this with absolute and supreme
confidence, because our God never fails.
I say it because He is the Alpha and the
Omega: the Man of War, the Ancient of
Days, the Holy One of Israel, the Lion of
the Tribe of Judah, and the Lord God of
Hosts whom none can resist in battle.
I say it because He knows the end even
before the beginning. I say it because He
is high and lifted up and the earth is His
footstool. I say it because our God is an
awesome God, He reigns from heaven
above, with wisdom, power and love:
our God is an awesome God.
(TO BE CONCLUDED)
Chief Fani-Kayode’s speech at the Valley View Church on
September 21, 2014.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Kaduna vows to stop Fulani herdsmen’s
attacks on communities
on september 30, 2014 at 9:25 pm in news
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KADUNA—The Kaduna State government has
said that it was committed to finding lasting
solutions to the incessant attacks on
communities in the southern part of the state
by sauspected Fulani herdsmen, pointing out
out that those linking him with the unprovoked
attacks were political jobbers.
This was contained in a statement yesterday
by the Director General, Media and Publicity
to the governor, Ahmed Maiyaki.
Maiyaki’s statement read in part; ‘’While we
share in the pains of those that are genuinely
concerned about finding a lasting solution to
the situation, we have, however, noticed that
some cynics are bent on escalating the crisis
for selfish motives.
‘’We deem it necessary to address some of
the misinformation or outright mischief
conveyed to the public by some interest
groups on the issue.
‘’We wish to clarify from the onset that the
governor’s hands are clean on the issue of
attacks on innocent people of Southern
Kaduna and that he remains unrelenting in his
determination to bring such barbaric acts to
an end.”
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