THE DAY GOODLUCK JONATHAN BECAME MY HERO

By Femi Aribisala
I WRITE this as someone who does not know President Jonathan personally. I have never met the man. Neither have I ever spoken to him electronically. All I know about him is what I read in the papers, or what I have seen of him on television. Nevertheless, he has been my president for the last five years.
When you write positively about the president, his opponents insist you must either be a card-carrying member of the PDP or be looking for a job. They act as if it is impossible to like him without having an ulterior motive. I have ignored this cheap blackmail designed to discourage people from expressing freely their liking for the president. But it has already outlived its usefulness. In a matter of days, the president will leave office. From now on, those ostensibly looking for a job are the praise-singers of president-elect Buhari.
Sabotage
For over 20 years, I refused to write anything that was not religious. I took no interest in politics, and did not participate in political debates the way I used to. When that proscription was lifted two years ago, I became interested in President Jonathan because some people were so adamant that he must not succeed. Indeed, they did their level best to sabotage his administration. Boko Haram was one of their many weapons. The press and the social media also became their tools of persecution where the president was maliciously labelled “clueless.”

VIO NOT PERMITTED TO CHECK DRIVERS LICENCE, VEHICLE PARTICULARS---FRSC

The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, on Monday, said that the corps would commence a crackdown on drivers who possess fake drivers license.
He also explained that the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) were not permitted by law to inspect vehicle and drivers licences.
Paying a courtesy visit to the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, Oyeyemi explained that people who work with some elements to procure fake drivers licence would not have a hiding place
He also appealed to the Inspector General for improved collaboration with the corps, especially in the areas of security, sharing intelligence and prosecution of offenders.
He also declared war on some youths who constitute themselves into nuisance on Abuja streets driving vehicles recklessly in the name of "stunting", adding that they constitute danger not only to themselves, but also on the generality of road users.
Oyeyemi equally lamented the abuse of siren and construction of speed breakers indiscriminately by some persons or communities.

PDP RIGGED S-EAST ELECTION MASSIVELY – KALU

Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, says it is unfair to accuse the Igbo of voting en masse for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that PDP massively rigged the election in the region.
Kalu, made the statement said this during an interview session on a Channels TV programme, tagged, “View from the Top,” yesterday..
According to the former governor said who failed to secure the Abia-North senatorial seat, on the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance, believed that he did not lose in the election but was rigged out by the PDP.
He said, “The issue is that what happened in my constituency was a rigged election. Apart from Enugu and Ebonyi states, where the PDP had very good outings, every other state they won in the South-East was rigged.
Kalu said the people of Abia State voted against the PDP because of their feelings towards Governor Theodore Orji and the overbearing nature of the President’s wife, Patience Jonathan.
“So, the Igbo did not make any mistakes, I feel bad when I see people blaming the Igbo. In the presidential election, the result brought out from Abia where I was, did not reflect the voting pattern of the people.

BORNO GOV TO BUHARI: GIVE N/EAST 13% OIL DERIVATION

The Borno State governor, Kassim Ibrahim, yesterday appealed to the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd, to allocate 13 per cent of petroleum revenue to the North East region which has been ravaged by insurgency when he assumes office.
The governor, who made the demand known in a paper which he is expected to deliver today at Day-Two of a conference organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), asserted that the current insurgency was the direct outcome of the inequality in oil revenue distribution.
The governor, at the conference which has the theme, ‘Post-2015 Elections Conference on Security and Governance Challenges in Africa’s Largest Democracy’, urged the incoming All Progressive Congress (APC) government to immediately recommend the allocation of at least 13 % of revenue derived from petroleum resources in addition to the usual monthly location to the states in north eastern Nigeria to ameliorate their plight.
The governor’s position was contained in a paper entitled ‘Holistic Approach for the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of the North East Nigeria Region Ravaged by Terrorism and Insurgency: The National and International Policy Options/Perspectives’, which is to be delivered at the event by his representative and secretary, Borno Elders Forum, Dr Bulama Mala Gubio, expressed regret that the petroleum deposit in the North East had been left untapped.

Obiano Strengthens Cabinet with Five New Commissioners

On the heels of the one year anniversary of his administration and the need to reflect greater diversity and build a broad-based cabinet in furtherance of the policy of inclusive governance and quality representation across the state, the governor of Anambra State Chief Willie Obiano, today strengthened his cabinet with the appointment of five new Commissioners. 

Police debunk cannibal restaurant in Awka

The Anambra State Police Command yesterday debunked media report (BBC) that a certain restaurant in Awka, the state capital has been dishing human flesh to unsuspecting public in its menu.

According to the report, the police had on discovery closed down the place.

But in a phone chat, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Uche Eze, said there was nothing like that and advised people to ignore that report. "It's not true and it did not happen," he concluded.

However, the international radio in its report maintained that there was such restaurant in Awka.

It said "residents told police of rumours that the restaurant was cooking human meat for customers.

" Police then raided the restaurant, where they discovered fresh human heads that were still bleeding. The blood was in the process of being drained into a plastic bag."

The report also noted that "in addition to the human meat menu served by the restaurant, authorities discovered automatic weapons, grenades, and cell phones. Ten persons had already been arrested for the crime.”

Efforts by some newsmen in Awka to get the location or name of the restaurant yielded no results, thereby corroborating police report that the story could be untrue, after all.###

IT'S SHAMEFUL NIGERIA EMPLOYS MERCENARIES TO FIGHT BOKO HARAM —BUHARI

The president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, lamented the inability of the Nigerian military to end the insurgency in the North East.
The president-elect, during a visit of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to his residence, however, said his administration would promote fiscal discipline and tackle the problems of insecurity, unemployment and corruption in the country.
Buhari, who received the leadership of ACF behind closed doors, said “the Nigerian military has never been so incapacitated like now.
“It is a shame that the military cannot secure 14 local government areas out of the 774 local governments in the country.
“What is more worrisome is the fact that the military had to rely on South African merceneries before it could win the war against Boko Haram.
“My administration, on assumption of office, will concentrate on major areas. We will ensure we nip insecurity in the bud.

MEDIA TEAM UNVEILS OFFICIAL PORTRAIT, NOMENCLATURE OF PRESIDENT-ELECT, VICE-PRESIDENT-ELECT

The Directorate of Media and Publicity for the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari Media Team has unveiled the official portrait, nomenclature of President-elect, Vice-President-elect in Lagos

At a brief interaction in Lagos, the Director of the Media Team, Mallam Sheu Garba said, “from May 29, 2015 the President-elect and Vice-President-elect are to be respectively known and addressed as Muhammadu Buhari, President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The official portraits were then unveiled to journalists.

IGP Harps on Professionalism Amongst Members of Police Force

BY ABUCHI IFESINACHI, AWKA

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase has called for professionalism amongst members of Nigeria police noting that any thing short of that would be disastrous.

The IGP who stated this at  Anambra State police headquarters, Amawbia, when he paid a courtesy call to the command.

In his address, he encouraged his colleagues in the police force to acquire knowledge as it was the prime thing that would determine how far and well they fare in their profession.

He said his administration was out to encourage any policeman that shows interest in furthering his education by posting such to a place where they could be studying as well as practicing.

Arase said his administration was set to redress with them those peculiar challenges they are having in the State.

Speaking further, Solomon Arase said his office has discovered that Anambra police was notorious for mercantile policing.

‪#‎BBOG‬ DETERMINES TO RUIN MILITARY OFFICERS’ CAREERS – OLUKOLADE

The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, has said it is the belief in military circles that the Bring-Back-Our-Girls campaigners have concluded plans to destroy the careers and reputation of a select group of military officers in the country.
Olukolade said specifically that the organisation, campaigning for the release of the over 200 girls abducted by the members of the Boko Haram sect in April 2014, has picked him and others as targets for such destructive intentions.
The defence spokesman’s comments were contained in a letter he wrote to the Coordinator of the #BBOG and former Minister of Education, Mrs. Orby Ezekwesili, which was released as an attachment to a PR Nigeria Electronic mail on Sunday.
The letter, which was released without a date, was copied Mrs. Hadiza Bala Usman, Mrs. Bukky Sonibare and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
The Defence spokesman also alleged that some “charlatans”, who are among the #BBOG campaigners, were out to tarnish the image of the military because of envy.