WHY PRESIDENT JONATHAN SACKED MINISTER OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Inuwa Abdulkadir

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir  as Minister of Youth Development.

In a statement signed today by Sam Nwaobasi, Media Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim,it was stated the President’s directive takes immediate effect.

Abdul-kadir was ordered to hand over to the permanent secretary of the ministry.

President Goodluck Jonathan sacked Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir as Minister of Youth Development.

In a statement signed today by Sam Nwaobasi, Media Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim,it was stated the President’s directive takes immediate effect.

Abdul-kadir was ordered to hand over to the permanent secretary of the ministry.

Although, the statement was silent on the reason for Mr. Abdul-Kadir’s sack, anonymous sources in the Presidency have said it might not be unconnected with Mr. Abdul-kadir serving as an interim official of a new political association, Voice of the People, VoP, floated by Mr. Wamakko and five other PDP governors ahead of 2015.

It has been gathered that the former minister may have been functioning as the protem secretary of the new group.

Various reports linked seven PDP governors- Chubuike Amaechi (Rivers), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Mr. Wamakko, all of who belong to the faction of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, chaired by Mr. Amaechi- with the new association.

The governors are believed to be opposed to the undeclared second term aspiration of Mr. Jonathan.

SOLUDO, OBAZE, AND FOUR OTHERS DISQUALIFIED FOR ANAMBRA GOVERNORSHIP RACE

Charles soludo

The gubernatorial screening panel of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) has disqualified the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, immediate past Secretary to Anambra state Government Hon. Henry Oseloka Obaze and four other aspirants on the party’s platform for the November 16th Anambra state governorship elections.

According to a statement signed by the Chairman of the screening panel - Alhaji Tayo Sowunmi, its Secretary, Barrister Ifeanyi Mbaeri and a member, Chief Onwuka Ukwa at the end of the panel’s sitting, the six aspirants’ failed to scale through the Party’s test.

Some of the reasons given for not clearing the aspirants ranged from non-presentation of voters’ card, lack of evidence of financial strength to execute the campaign, incomplete certificate and their inability to submit tax clearance. Sources at the panel sitting said.

The six aspirants that failed the screening include: Emmanuel Nweke, Ogbuefi Tony Nnaechetta, Chinedu Francis Idigo, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, Hon. Henry Oseloka Obaze and Professor Charles Soludo.

The panel also informed reporters that seven aspirants were successful and they are Hon. Chukwuemeka Emmanuel Nwogbo, Paul Odenigbo, Hon. Uche Lillian Ekwunife, Chief Willie Obiano, John Nwosu, John Okechukwu Emeka and Nwachi Patrick Obianwu.

PDP: SOUTH EAST ENDORSES JONATHAN FOR 2015 PRESIDENCY

Ahead of the 2015 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South East zone has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate.

The PDP zonal vice chairman, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd) disclosed this at a PDP rally in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

He stated that President Jonathan has, so far, done well and therefore deserves a second term in office.

 “The PDP in the South East zone has declared its full support for President Jonathan to contest a second term in office; he has done very well and deserves a second term and we, the PDP in the South East zone will work hard to ensure his victory”. Akobundu said.

Also, at the rally, Prince Kenneth Emekayi was presented by Akobundu as the authentic chairman of the PDP in Anambra State, as well as the governorship aspirants of the party for the November 16 election in the state.

The 11 governorship aspirants who attended the rally were: Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, Mrs Josephine Anenih, Chief Sylvester Okonkwo, Dr.Obinna Uzoh, Chief Ugochukwu Okeke, Chief Walter Ubaka Okeke, Comrade Tony Nwoye, Senator Emma Anosike, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Mr. Charles Odunukwe, and Chief Akachukwu Nwankpo.

Meanwhile, both Chief Chris Uba and his elder brother, Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South), were absent at the PDP rally held at Ekwueme Square, Awka.

'AWKA CITY HAS ENJOYED UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY FOR 3 WEEKS' - President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed his delight over the recent three weeks of uninterrupted public power supply supposedly enjoyed by Awka, the capital of Anambra state. 

In a statement released on several social networking platforms, President Jonathan said 'Even in these challenging times we must encourage the good news narrative to thrive so as to drown out the unacceptable negatives in the polity.'

He further stated that an occurrence that is worthy of note is the celebration by City of Awka in Anambra state of three weeks of uninterrupted public power supply and counting.

"I personally wish Nigeria had achieved this milestone decades ago, but nevertheless we are making steady progress. More cities will soon be able to have such celebrations because the Roadmap to Power Sector Reforms is having the desired effects with almost all of Nigeria's electricity Distribution companies (Discos) and Generating companies (Gencos) now in private hands as I promised on the 26th of August 2010 in Lagos when I launched the Power Roadmap." He added.

However, residents of Awka have denied the claim of three weeks uninterrupted power supply.

A receptionist for an Information Technology outfit along Arthur Eze avenue, Awka, who spoke in anonymity, admitted that power supply to her place of work is an average of two hours per day.

"We enjoy public power supply at afternoons, usually for two hours each day. It has been this way for a long while now"  She said.

Other residents do seem to concur with her.  Simply Put, there has not been uninterrupted power supply for three weeks in Awka city. Perhaps not in recent times.

RACISM: SPECTATOR THROWS BANANAS AT ITALY'S FIRST BLACK MINISTER

A spectator at a political rally threw bananas at Italy's first black minister, Cecil Kyenge, who has already suffered several racist onslaughts since taking office in April.

Integration minister - Cecile Kyenge, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was making a speech at the rally on Friday when a member of the audience began to launch the pieces of fruit towards her. The bananas missed the podium where she was speaking but the incident drew a deluge of condemnation in the media, where politicians and commentators lamented the shame brought on the country by that action. 

"Another shameful and disgraceful gesture. Solidarity with the Minister Kyenge. Now let's just isolate the idiots," said Gianni Alemanno, former mayor of Rome.

Shortly before Friday's incident, protesters covered in fake blood the site of the rally in Cervia, central Italy, protesting against Ms Kyenge's proposal to make anyone born on Italian soil a citizen.

Ms Kyenge, who has largely maintained a dignified silence in the face of the abuse, issued a restrained condemnation of the act, calling it "sad" and a waste of food, considering the economic crisis.

"The courage and optimism to change things has to come above all from the bottom up to reach the institutions," she added.

The insults directed at Ms Kyenge since she took office have frequently come from other politicians. Earlier this month a senior parliamentarian in the anti-immigration Northern League party likened her to an orangutan and only apologised after a storm of criticism

'WE WERE BLACKMAILED TO SUPPORT CHILD MARRIAGE' - Senate President

SENATE President, David Mark, has revealed that some of his colleagues were blackmailed to vote against deleting  the controversial Section 29(4)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, as recommended by the Senate committee on the review of the constitution.

He made this disclosure when he received some women organisations and civil societies that visited the Senate leadership to press home the need for the lawmakers to revisit the voting exercise, with a view to deleting the section.

Mark pointed out that because a religious connotation was brought into the matter of child Marriage, which is a very sensitive issue, a lot of misunderstanding and blackmail have trailed the matter in recent times.

“We wanted to remove it but it failed. On that day, we were a total of 101. Eighty five voted and I think about six or so abstained. There was hardly any dissenting votes, but once it got mixed up with so many other issues, it didn’t get the required 73 votes anymore.  So, first of all, I think the castigation outside is done out of misunderstanding.

“Let me also talk to my own brothers and sisters who are senators, who were probably blackmailed. That is the fact, because it is in the open; that I cannot also hide it and nobody can hide it.

“They were simply blackmailed, and on that day, if they didn’t do what they did, nobody knows the outcome or how the consequences will be today, because the people outside can say this man, you are Muslim and didn’t vote for something that is of Islamic interest. If we don’t hit the nail on the head, we may never get it right,” he said.

Mark, however, said the controversial issue might be revisited if there was enough enlightenment, adding that what was good for the country was for everybody and not for a particular religious body or sect.

The women organisations were led by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina; former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwezeli; a former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih; the wife of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mrs Maryam Uwais and the chairperson of the Gender and Constitution Reform Network (GECORN), Mrs Saadatu Mahdi.

2013 MOST CORRUPT COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

More than half of the world’s population believe corruption in government is a very serious problem, and that corruption has only gotten worse in the past two years.

Anti-corruption body, Transparency International, has released its 2013 Global Corruption Measurement, which surveyed residents in 107 countries across the world. The top nine most corrupt nations of the world differ in many ways. Four are located in Africa, three in South America and two in Asia. Here is the list:

1. LIBERIA: Although, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf fired the country’s auditor general for corruption. The vast majority of Liberians believe the country was run either largely or entirely by a few entities acting in their own self interests..
2. MONGOLIA: Mongolia had one of the world’s fastest growing economies in 2012, but corruption has become pervasive in the country. 77% of the people consider civil servants in the country to be corrupt. 
3. VENEZUELA: In Venezuela, 79% of the population say their nation’s political officials were corrupt, and are among the highest percentages in the world.
4. ZIMBABWE: 77% of the people claim that corruption in Zimbabwe had risen in the past two years, More than three-quarters of residents stated that the government was run largely or entirely by a few entities acting in their own selfish interests.
5. MEXICO:  71% as the country’s citizens have become less tolerant of corruption in the last two years. whereas, 72% of the people stated that the Mexican government has been ineffective in fighting corruption,
6. PARAGUAY: In Paraguay, As many as 88% of the country’s residents say personal contacts were important in getting things done within the public sector.
7. RUSSIA: Like Paraguay, it is important to have personal contacts to get anything done in Russia. The hyper-wealthy individuals of Russian birth often have close political ties, which allow many of their friends and relatives to become wealthy.
8. NIGERIA: In Nigeria, corruption had increased in the past two years. 75% of the population also believe the government was, at best, ineffective at fighting corruption. Nigeria is heavily dependent on the oil industry, yet the government refuses to act on accusations that the oil companies are not telling the truth about the value of the oil resources they extract and the tax they owe by billions of dollars. Certain transparency groups also blamed politicians for encouraging corruption.
9. ZAMBIA: An extremely high 85% of residents claim they had been asked to pay a bribe in the past.

Nigeria, having moved from the 2nd to the 8th most corrupt nation in the world within the last 10 years, would you really agree  we are winning the war against corruption?

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