It has been brought to our notice that Chief Nyesome Wike, gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has set up a three-man committee to study and clone the well-researched Four-Point Agenda of our governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside. The Four-Point Agenda entitled ‘Road Map To Prosperity’ will serve as an instrument to be used to revolutionise Rivers State under the envisaged Dakuku Peterside administration.
This attempt by Chief Wike to steal our candidate’s ideas is entirely not surprising because he is a man without principles who has been campaigning without any defined agenda for the development and emancipation of Rivers State than the spreading of violence. The truth is that Wike is not prepared for the serious job of governing a complex State like Rivers and was conscripted into the race by his paymasters in Abuja as a ploy by the PDP and the Presidency to deny the Riverine part of Rivers an opportunity to have a shot at the seat of power after 16 years of governorship by the Upland part of the State, out of which Chief Wike’s kinsman, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, would have spent eight years by May 29, 2015 as Governor.
If Wike succeeds it means that the Ikwerre tribe from which both Amaechi and Wike hail from, will govern Rivers State for eight more years and sixteen years all together, to the detriment of other sections of the State. To us in Rivers State AOC, this is injustice and wickedness of the highest order We are happy that the royal fathers of Ikwerre Kingdom have adopted Dr. Dakuku Peterside as sole candidate for the gubernatorial election in the spirit of equity. Unfortunately, Chief Wike is hell-bent on truncating the rotating of power to the Riverine area of the State but he has already failed.
We strongly condemn this brazen attempt by Chief Wike to clone our agenda for his doomed campaign. We wish to appeal to the good people of Rivers State to take note of the emptiness and lack of vision and mission being exhibited by Chief WIke and the Rivers State PDP in the countdown to the February elections.
We once more appeal to the Rivers electorates to vote wisely during the elections as their interests will be best taken care of via the Four-Point Agenda, which serves as our commitment to revolutionise governance and take our State to the next level. The Four-Point Agenda, also known as ‘Road Map to Prosperity’ aimed at taking Rivers State to the next level, include Public Sector Accountability and Security of Lives and Properties; Employment Generation and Wealth Creation; Social and Human Capital Development and Empowerment; as well as Institutional and Physical infrastructure Development and Food Security.
Let us for the avoidance of doubt emphasise that the choice before Rivers State has never been so crystal clear as it is for the 2015 polls. It is a choice between darkness and light, good and evil, justice and injustice; it is clear to all that APC through Dr Dakuku Peterside represents the light, the good and justice.
The ‘Road Map To Prosperity’ is hereby attached for the interest of those who may wish to get the full details.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
I WON’T dwell too much on the unfairness of Muslims permanently being made to feel they must apologise for the erring of a few mad men.
It is what Niger Deltans feel when they must either apologize for, defend or explain to the rest of Nigerians “Goodluck’s Good Work” (or lack thereof). Instead I’ll focus on the parallels between the West’s relationship to Islam, our own dealings with our Muslim community and how one must understand terrorism to fight it.
Some have described Charlie Hebdo’s work as “Muslim Baiting” i.e. going out of one’s way to anger the Muslim community and to portray Islam as backward and intolerant. “France is the land of Voltaire, but too often editorial foolishness has prevailed at Charlie Hebdo”, The Financial Times’ Europe Editor, Mr. Barber says.
Of course, he doesn’t condone the murderers, or suggest that freedom of expression should not extend to religion but advises “common sense” as “such publications purport to strike a blow for freedom when they provoke Muslims, but are actually just being stupid”. Although Mr. Barber has been criticized for his unabashed view, one must see the truth behind it.
Today’s world is by and large returning to old civilizational rivalries present since the crusades, where Europeans, fighting a “holy war” against the ancient caliphates of today’s Middle-East, saw Islam as violent and unprogressive, which is interesting because a large number of inventions we enjoy today were created by Muslim Arabs.
Degree granting institutions
The Muslim Golden Age gave the world algebra without which modern maths and engineering would not be possible. The first degree-granting institutions originated in the Arab/Muslim world and then spread to Europe, which had no culture of granting certificates to universally certify students had mastered a subject.
Modern science and art owe more than is recognized or acknowledged to the Muslim world. Fine, you might say, but what does this have to do with us Nigerians? I’m getting there.
Hatred that poisons:Hatred based on ethnicity, race or religion can “poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy” (Liu Xiaobo, Chinese human rights activist). Sound familiar?
This exemplifies Nigeria where politically motivated fears rule. Over time we began to despise anything Muslim or Northern: whether one is a Buhari supporter or not, one must wonder why he had no issues with his “missing certificates” before this election or how he gained admission to such a prestigious institution as the US Army War College without proving he had attained any level of formal education.
If in Nigeria one can bribe a dean to look the other way at a student’s ineptitude, one cannot do so at the United States Army War College. It is tacitly allowed in today’s international society (so not just in Nigeria), to berate Muslims, to declare them uneducated and uncultured.
As terrorists maim and kill in the name of God, or so they believe, it is easily assumed by fearful observers that their faith is the issue.
One commonly hears: “Hausa people don’t want to go to school, instead, they will join Boko Haram”. Interestingly, no one seems to agree on terrorism’s root causes. What are islamists, jihadists or terrorists (the terminology itself is vast) fighting for?
Anarchists believe violence is the only way to bring about radical social change: the end justifies the means. In many developing countries, the concepts of statehood and ethnic nationalism remain unresolved so economic inequality is juxtaposed with certain political resentment: a group feels it has been kept out of power, another believes it must cling to it whereas the common man of both ethnicities sees no benefit or change to his daily life whether group A or B holds sway.
Arbitrary boundaries
The same prevails in the Arab world where colonization created arbitrary boundaries, division and conflict, which certain leadership, propped up by these same colonizers, preys on.
Divide and rule politics has brought our societies to the point where some citizens kill for God and others are lost in another kind of mysticism and slavery, chained not to the cross they worship but to the pastors of the day.
Enter the oil crash, corruption and the ensuing job-loss: some “strongmen” promote religion as a unifying identity to defend their interests in a complex, unstable world.
In Nigeria, groups are often armed before elections to secure politicians’ bids for power and it seems no one has yet bothered to question what happens to young armed and unemployed men when politicians no longer need them.
In both cases, terrorism seems to be the consequence of disillusioned, lost young men whose misguided and misdirected anger harms innocent citizens. Some “big men” in society see no harm in brainwashing and sacrificing lives while what they truly seek is control.
Political instability
Westerners cannot begin to understand the evil at play in much of Africa and the Middle-East, where some elites knowingly ideologically and physically arm their people to create division, opportunities for corruption and enough political instability for them to do as they please.
Interestingly, the West uses this fear of Islam we inherited from our colonial masters—after all, from a historical perspective Islam was introduced to Africa in the Middle Ages and therefore before Christianity—to create the impression that there is a global anti-Muslim movement which we must adhere to.
Rather than obsess over islamization (Nigerians are too boisterous to be sheep, or to be forcefully converted by anyone), let us work together to fix our economy (and therefore our society) by increasing trade between Northern and Southern Nigeria.
Let us export goods within Africa (the Economist describes inter-african trade as “pitifully weak”). The West has come together, at several defining moments in history and decided to subjugate the rest of the world. It is my fundamental belief that Nigeria can lead the charge that will give the earth’s bottom billion it’s dignity and prosperity back.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Remember the story of ‘worried guy’ who caught his wife with a vibrator on their matrimonial bed? Well, the interesting thing is that the story has not ceased to generate interest and response since it was published mid last year. In fact, the wife’s response did not attract as much attention as the guy’s even though she had valid points too.
To date, I have received over 500 mails from readers wishing to take part in counselling this couple. I intend to keep to my promise as much as possible of giving as many readers the chance to have their say. The letters below is the fourth edition of responses on this story. If you are yet to see yours, just hang in with us as it might be your turn soon. Remember that you may still write to us on some other issues we have discussed on this platform. This is simply a place to share experiences and views on all subjects relating to lifestyle and love life and I am sure that together we can make a difference and touch a life out there. You may reach me via: yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk. Cheers. Do have a wonderful weekend.
Dear Yetunde,
Before I commence my writing, allow me to prove a mathematical formula which states, ANY RELATIONSHP minus (-) TIME = END OF THE RELATIONSHIP. This formula also applies to our relationship with God. If you call yourself a Christian but you don’t spend time with God, that relationship is about to be broken. Same applies to us as humans…
I’m not a marriage counsellor but I know little about marriage. I think both parties (the couples) played a big part in the collapse of the marriage so to say… On the guy’s part, every young marriage needs time together. Time to make plan for the future and the present, which I think they lacked. A counsellor once told me “in the first two years of your marriage, you need to spend at least four hours during the day plus six hours during the night by her side because you have stripped her of her old life and have become her new life which means you have to live in her”.
This guy (husband) always leaves home early and comes back late at night. Not only that, he is also taking a professional class during weekend. I believe most times when he comes back from work he’s already weak and dog-tired, all he can do is eat and sleep off. My question is how often do they have sex, talk about life, fun outside their home, share their pains? For the record, they still don’t have kids, the wife is most times lonely. The guy needs to right these wrongs. Most wives value the love you give them than the money you give them. He needs a job that will spare him time with his family. But they still need to see a marriage counsellor
On the wife’s part, I see her as an introvert, she has secrets from her past and still living with them. She went to a girls only secondary school where she learnt masturbation and different sexual relief methods. Perhaps she left it in the course of life before she got back to it again. She is also a sex monger, which is not a sin if she is having it with the right person (husband). But she kept her sexual desire within herself which was not supposed to be. Instead, she was using dildo or vibrator to have sex by herself. Should couples keep secrets? Especially one of this kind; sex.
A school of thought says sex is love in marriage. If couples are having problem in their sex lives, it’s not a problem for one to solve. They would have to solve it themselves. The wife needs to turn from her way of life and apologise because she has caused him a mental and emotional pain. I don’t want to be spiritual but I must tell you any compulsive behaviour is a bondage and a sin equally. You don’t take this with a kid glove. You and your wife need to agree and pray for this chain to be broken not necessarily by going to the pastor. I know it is hard for the guy to take it off his head but with time, he will. To tell you the truth, its easier said than done but believe me the worried man can call her his wife again
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/wife-cheating-vibrator-2/#sthash.YqeNcpnq.dpuf
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Dr Tunji Abayomi, a constitutional lawyer, on Wednesday in Abuja said that retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Party (APC) presidential candidate, had fulfilled the constitutional requirements to contest for the office of President.
Abayomi, who stated this in an interview with Newsmen said the logic of Section 131(d) of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution focused not on certificates but on educational level.
Recall that the Nigerian Army had on Tuesday said that it was not in possession of Buhari’s original copies of West African School Certificate (WASC) or statement of result.
“All that the constitution plainly requires in section 131(d) is a show that he has been educated up to the school certificate level or its equivalent, not any particular certificate.
“A certificate where available may well prove the education level of the citizen desirous of becoming president, but without it, he can still meet the educational qualification by other modes of proof.
“Buhari’s written profile, with or without the presentation of any certificates, supported by his deposition, puts it beyond doubt that he has been educated beyond School Certificate Level or its equivalent,’’ he said.
Abayomi further argued that it was constitutionally “trivial and definitely unwarranted’’ for anybody to insist that Buhari must produce his certificates.
He contended that the argument by some lawyers that Buhari must produce his School Certificate was based on ignorance of the provisions of the 1999 constitution.
“The 1999 constitution as amended is superior to the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.
“In my considered view and having regard to the unambiguous words of the constitution, it did not even say that to qualify for election to the office of president you have to go to school,’’ he said.
Section 131 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution says that a person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President: If (a) he/she is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty years; (c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party;
(d) and must have also been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.
Abayomi said that it was, therefore, left for INEC to send its officials to the institutions that Buhari indicated in his affidavit that he attended to verify the said certificates
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) has finally challenged Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to stop making an issue out of his school certificate, but to rather campaign on issues of unemployment, insecurity and corruption bedevilling the country.
Buhari, in a briefing Wednesday, said he would have dismissed the certificates issue as sheer mischief but for the concern expressed by many of his supporters and other well-meaning Nigerians.
He said: “Although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate, which I obtained 53 years ago.
“The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.”
According to the former Head of State, he sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination in 1961, with examination number 8280002, and passed in the Second Division.
Buhari said: “I had assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the Military Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file.
“This is why I formally requested my old school, the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, (now Government College, Katsina) to make available the school’s copy of the result of the Cambridge/West African School Certificate. This will be made available to the press the moment it is available.
“However, before we obtain that, let me say for the record that I attended Provincial Secondary School, Katsina. I graduated in 1961 with many prominent Nigerians, including General Shehu Yar’Adua, former Chief of Staff at the Supreme Headquarters, and Justice Umaru Abdullahi, a former President of the Court of Appeal.
“We sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination together in 1961, the year we graduated. My examination number was 8280002, and I passed the examination in the Second Division.
“And although the ruling party may want to wish this away, the issue in this campaign cannot be my certificate, which I obtained 53 years ago. The issues are the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption, which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Education is an investment that pays off any time anywhere. And in a world of crumbling economies and turbulent times, where investors spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how their stocks are doing, investing in education becomes even more paramount. By investing in education, governments, corporations, communities, NGOs and individuals can help prepare the youths for the challenges ahead. If children are really the leaders of tomorrow, then it is time we started investing in them!
Regrettably, Illiteracy has come to stay in many developing countries of the world, including Nigeria, and has continued to pose a threat to many such nations. On this Web site, you will learn more about education in Nigeria and the future of those pupils who are not opportuned to further their education after leaving primary school.
Education in Nigeria is based on a 6-3-3-4 system, which involves three levels of institutional learning processes:
at the primary school level at the secondary school level and at the tertiary level
Actually, nursury education forms the first stage of the learning process in Nigeria. Unfortunately, a lot of families still can’t afford to send their todlers to nursery schools. Since the 6-3-3-4 system of education does not include education at this stage, this write-up will concentrate on the three levels mentioned above.
In Nigeria, children start attending primary schools (elementary schools) when they are 6 years old and spend the next six years there, graduating at the age of 12. However, most children who attended nursery schools prior to primary schools have an edge over those children who didn't have the privilege to do so. Therefore, they usually finish earlier. At graduation, primary school pupils are awarded the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC), which, in combination with the common entrance examination, fulfils the formal requirements for secondary school education.
Primary education in Nigeria is compulsory, but free under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme introduced by President Olusegun Obansanjo on September 30, 1999. However, it may be an exaggeration to speak of free primary education here because in reality parents still have to pay school levies imposed on pupils, buy school uniforms and so on. Admittedly, education at this level is mainly financed by the government. But after the primary school education, parents and guardians are made to bear the full costs of sending their children/wards to secondary schools or tertiary institutions.
At primary school level, pupils have to put on school uniforms throughout the country. Every school has its own uniform as a way of distinguishing its pupils from the other school pupils within the same locality. Some primary schools, expecially those ones in big cities, require their pupils to wear sandals as part of their outfits.
Starting from 1998, those wishing to teach at primary school level are required to possess a National Certificate in Education (NCE), which is awarded by Colleges of Education. Due to lack of teachers, however, holders of the Teacher's Grade 2 Certificates (TC 2) are still allowed to teach in some remote primary schools.
Successful pupils at the primary school level – those in possession of FSLC and who have passed the entrance examination to secondary schools, the Common Entrance Examination, can then proceed with the secondary school education, usually at the age of twelve. Secondary School Education, which used to last for five years, now takes 6 years to complete. The language of instructions at this level of education is English. Like primary and nursury schools pupils, secondary school students have to wear school uniforms. But while at the nursery and primary school levels, pupils, irrespective of their sex, attend mixed schools, boys and girls at the secondary school level are often sent to separate schools (boys' schools or girls' schools). However, mixed secondary schools are no longer a rare sight in Nigeria today.
The first phase of the secondary education, which lasts for three years, is provided at the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). At the end of these three years, students sit for Junior Secondary School Examination (JSSE) and the successful ones are awarded the Junior Secondary School Certificate (JSSC). A successful completion of the JSS is a prerequisite for the second phase – the Senior Secondary School (SSS), which also lasts for three years. At the end of this period, students obtain the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSSC) after writing and passing the final examination, which is the Senior Secondary School Examination. The SSSC is equivalent to the former West African School Certificate (WASC). As is the case at the primary school level, brilliant students who wish to skip a class may be allowed to do so after due consultations with their parents/guardians and their respective school authorities.
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At the secondary school level, there are also the technical secondary schools and commercial secondary schools which also offer courses lasting up to six years. Both academic and specia- lised subjects are taught here. There is also the vocational education offered at technical colleges. Students who want to acquire specialised skills at the end of their studies may choose to attend the technical/commercial schools. Mostly due to financial contraints, however, a lot of poor children are forced to pursue their education at private business centres and commercial schools, which offer low quality education and are far from being government approved.
On the other hand, there are some private schools which can boast of well-qualified teachers and therefore provide qualitative, but expensive education. And of course, there are also the most sought Government Colleges, Federal Colleges and the Uni- sity Secondary Schools, which are the crème de la crème in terms of secondary school education. But to obtain admission into these schools, students must not only come from well-to-do families, their parents/guardians must also have high and powerful connections. The quality of education here is by far higher than what is obtainable in normal secondary schools. In fact, it is a privilege to attend such schools! All animals are equal, but …
Irrespective of which secondary schools they attended, all students who wish to study at a university level must have at least 5 credits (in not more than two exams) out of the subjects they entered for in the SSS exam(s) or West African General Certificate of Education – Ordinary Levels (GCE O/levels). These subjects must be relevant to the courses they want to study and should include credits in English language (especially in Humanities), Mathematics (especially if one wishes to study a science course) and a science subject. In addition, they have to pass the Universities Matriculation Examination (UME), which is conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
However, due to limited number of admissions – the so-called numerus clausus – some applicants who did well in the UME are not offered admissions: their scores are said to be below the cut-off mark set by their prospective departments. The UME includes a compulsory paper for all the candidates – the almighty Use Of English, and three other subjects which are relevant to their proposed courses. All these subjects have to be passed with acceptable results. Although each of the 36 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, now has at least one institution of higher learning, tertiary education has continued to elude many secondary school leavers.
Institutions of higher education, or the tertiary institutions provide the last stage of formal education, which takes a minimum of 4 years, completing the 6-3-3-4 educational system mentioned earlier in this article. Professional courses, however, last longer; Medicine and Dentistry, for instance, last for 6 years. Institutions offering higher education include universities (both Federal and State universities), polytechnics (both Federal and State poly- technics), universities of technology (owned either by the Federal or State governments), universities of agriculture and numerous colleges of education.
Provided that the candidates have fulfilled the formal entrance requirements mentioned above, and depending on whether or not their parents/guardians can afford to sponsor them, they can continue their education at a tertiary level. Direct entry candidates for degree programmes spend three instead of the usual four years for first degree courses in Arts, Social Sciences and Pure Sciences. There are three stages of education at the univeristy level:
First Degree Programme Master's Degree Programme Doctorate Degree Programme
The first degree programme leads to the award of a Bachelor's Degree, which can be a Single Honour or Combined Honours. Students who graduate from the faculty of Humanities are awarded B.A. (Single or Combined Honours) while graduates in science courses are awarded B.Sc. The Master's degree programme takes one or two years after the first degree while the PhD Programme lasts for two or three years after the Master's Degree. Thereafter, Master's respectively Doctorate degrees are conferred on successful students.
Polytechnics and some other institutions of higher education provide education in two phases of two years each. After the first two-year full-time programme, successful candidates are awarded the Ordinary National Diplomas (OND). With these diplomas in their pockets, students can now proceed to the second stage, which leads to the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND). Apart from a successful completion of the OND-programme, students are also required to do at least one year industrial attachment before being admitted to the HND-programme.
Colleges of Education award the Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) at the end of a 3-year programme. Most NCE-holders seek admission into univeristies with a veiw to obtaining bachelor's degrees in education, the BEd, which could increase their chances of teaching at the senior secondary schools or becoming headmistresses/headmasters at primary schools. The higer institutions of education also run sandwich courses to enable the working population further their education or obtain the qualifications necessary for their present jobs.
It has become a well-known phenomenom that young university graduates in Nigeria don't always find life easy, especially when it comes to securing jobs. But having acquired a university education, they are better equipped to take their destiny in their own hands. But what happens to those poor children who have zero opportunity of going beyond primary school level? This section focuses on the ordeals such kids are made to go through after leaving primary schools.
As has been pointed out before, the educational system in Nigeria today allows only a compulsory primary school education of six years for all children under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) scheme. With the introduction of the Universal Free Primary Education (UPE) in 1976, the afore-mentioned UBE and the State Primary Education Board (SPEB) in each state to liaise with the UBE, the Nigerian government has continued to demonstrate its interest in reviving the primary school education in the country. However, while some people laud government's efforts to the skies, others, especially the critics, are still very sceptical about these educational programmes and their set objectives.
Well, be that as it may, the fact still remains that after the primary school education, sending children to secondary schools, and later to institutions of higher learning, becomes the sole responsibility of parents and relatives. For children from poor families and poverty-stricken villages, their hopes and aspirations to attain a reasonable academic standard in life are often dashed. Having thus been forced to abandon the idea of going to school, some of them take to street hawking and other menial jobs while the more desperate ones among them resort to stealing and other misdemeanours as a means to an end. Catering for themselves and their families early in life becomes a way of life.
In most cases, this untold hardship leads to frustration and helplessness, and having no one to turn to, these poor creatures, may end up committing felonies, thus exposing themselves to more dangers. Such Juvenile delinquencies, which are now becoming very rampant in Nigeria due to hopelessness, pose a serious threat to the entire society.
Children with bleak future abound in many Nigerian villages. Better Future Foundation Amodu was set up to help create a better tomorrow, through education, for the poor children from Amodu. BFFA relies on your donations to give these children a better future.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Cameroon said Wednesday its forces have freed a German hostage kidnapped six months ago in Nigeria by Boko Haram, as African leaders appealed to the United Nations for support in fighting the Islamist militants.
“A special operation led by Cameroonian armed forces along with security services of friendly nations succeeded this night (Tuesday) in freeing Nitsch Eberhard Robert, a German citizen abducted in Nigeria in July 2014 by the Boko Haram sect,” the Cameroon presidency said in a statement.
A spokesman for the German foreign ministry confirmed the man’s release, adding that he was now in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.
No further details were immediately available about the hostage or the raid itself, including where it took place.
The release was announced a day after Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau mocked African leaders who were meeting in Niger to try to forge a united front against the Islamists.
“African kings… I challenge you to attack me now. I am ready.”
Boko Haram — which has been waging a brutal insurgency in Nigeria since 2009 — previously abducted foreigners in Nigeria and Cameroon, but all have since been released.
However, more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by the militants in April last year in one of the most shocking acts of their insurgency are still missing.
As news of the German’s rescue emerged, the African Union announced it has asked the Security Council to approve a mandate for a regional force and a fund to help finance it.
“Boko Haram is a threat not only to Nigeria and the region, but also to the continent as a whole,” AU head Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement.
Nigeria’s army has come under fire repeatedly for failing to crush the militants, whose insurgency has left 13,000 people dead and forced 1.5 million from their homes.
Boko Haram has also been stepping up attacks in Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon, where it abducted dozens of people Sunday.
Niger said Wednesday the headquarters of the regional African force set up to fight Boko Haram will now be transferred to Chad after its base in the Nigerian border town of Baga was overrun earlier this month by the Islamist militants.
– Regional efforts hamstrung –
Chad is seen as having the most capable military in the region and at the weekend sent a convoy of troops and 400 military vehicles into neighbouring Cameroon to battle Boko Haram.
Two Cameroonian soldiers were wounded in heavy clashes Tuesday with Boko Haram in the far north of Cameroon, which borders Nigeria.
“We managed to repel the enemy,” a Cameroonian military commander told AFP on condition of anonymity. “We saw signs that made us think Boko Haram lost men.”
Regional efforts to fight Boko Haram have been hampered by Nigeria’s reticence, with Abuja looking suspiciously on any foreign military intervention on its soil.
“Nigeria feels it can take care of the problem itself, but (Boko Haram) is no longer just impacting Nigeria, it’s an issue for the whole region,” said an African diplomat based in Ethiopia’s capital.
Nigeria and its neighbours held talks this week in Niger’s capital Niamey on speeding up the creation of the force to fight the militants.
Anger against the militants is growing in Cameroon, with protesters hitting the capital’s streets Wednesday with signs saying “Beat it Boko Haram,” and “I am Kolofata,” in reference to town that has suffered repeated attacks from Boko Haram.
The group’s leader Shekau claimed responsibility for the assault on Baga in a video posted Tuesday which is thought to have killed hundreds and is considered the militants’ deadliest attack.
In his 35-minute message Shekau said: “We will not stop. This is not much. You’ll see.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA – Leader of Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari Thursday reacted to the attack on the convoy of president Goodluck Jonathan by some irate youths in the state during a campaign rally on Tuesday, saying the Niger Delta would respond in due course.
Asari also warned the Igbo and the members of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC who currently reside in the north to return home as they would have themselves to be blamed should anything happen to them.
The NDPVF leader while addressing a press conference in Abuja faulted the Abuja peace accord entered into by President Jonathan and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, General Mohammadu Buhari with 12 others, saying it was unnecessary.
Going into memory lane, Asari recalled that the north has always had the penchant for causing election violence.
“There is an established pattern of pre and post election violence in the north. In the 50s when late Awolowo was campaigning in the north, he went with helicopters and he was mocked. People said he was flying over the houses and peeping their wives. That has continued and everywhere in the country, people say leave them alone. We don’t want any trouble. But I think the game has changed. The rules of the game have changed.
“For every action, there will be an opposite and equal reaction. I knew that the signing of the accord was useless and that the president subjected himself to sign such an accord. For me, it was out of place for a president and commander in chief of the armed forces of a country. But the president is a humble person. He does things that even marvel some of us and make us sometimes to be very angry.
“To be frank, I was very angry on that day they were signing it. The president has sworn to protect the lives of every Nigerian. So, why would he after taking a constitutional oath subject himself to another oath?
“So what happened in Katsinah is not a surprise. But don’t be surprised. We are putting the world on notice that they have started first. When we reply, let no body talk. Because we are going to reply. We did not sign any accord with them. They did not sign. They are talking about about election violence now because they know that other people will respond.
“Before, they had the monopoly of violence, so nobody cared who died. Our lives were not valuable and they had all the latitude to wreck havoc and did what they liked. But the game has changed. Be bold enough to tell them that game has changed. If they slice our throat, we are going to slice your throat. They stoned the president, you will hear from us. That’s the answer.
“My concern is what happens after the election because we know they will do what they are known to do every time. But this time, they will cry. So all Igbo people who are there, if you don’t come back home and you want to continue to be there and something happens to you, there is nobody to be blamed. If you have a child who is a youth corper and you allow him to be there, you will not hold anybody responsible.”
Asari who was also the former President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, reiterated his stand on victory for president Jonathan, saying he would win the February polls.
“There is no way Goodluck will not win the election. We will win them and we know they are preparing for violence in consonance with some foreign powers. When they do that, we will respond disproportionately. We will respond. That’s what we are going to do. If you hit me with a stick, I am going to hit you with iron. I am not speaking in riddles. I am speaking in plain language. My English may not be very good. I am speaking in my own street language. We are going respond disproportionately and we are apologetic.
“The people who are in Katsinah who did not hold their children should also know that I will not hold my children”, he said.
Reminded that Buhari has repeatedly dissociated himself from violence, Asari said “He is a liar. This is the same man who said that the blood of monkeys and baboons will flow on the street. He sounded a note of warning in clear terms. Who are the monkeys and the baboons? He has not explained to us. So, for him now to say whatever he says, that is his business.They burnt president Jonathan’s campaign vehicles in Jos and they were singing “sai Buhari oyoyo”. Why is it that violence is always initiated by the people shouting his name?”
He however said that there would not be violence unless the north “asks” for one.
“I assure you, nothing will happen anywhere if they do not initiate violence. Did we ask them to stone the president yesterday? Do you want us to fold our arms so that they will kill him? Let them stop the violence. When they do, we will stop. A situation where Shakua will stand and say Niger Delta we are coming for you. Goodluck I am coming for you. You are a man and I am a man. We are going to look at each other eyeball to eyeball. You can shoot and I can shot. You can kill and I can kill. You can destroy and I can destroy.
“The question is not for me. It is for Buhari, el-Rufai, Shakua. They are the people you have to direct this question to. Go and ask Buhari why he allowed his people to stone the president and commander -in-chief in Katsinah. There must be balance of terror. One person does not have the prerogative to kill, main and destroy.
On the preparedness and readiness of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to conduct the polls, Asari said INEC was not ready. He however did not support the idea of postponing the elections
“From what INEC has done so far, it is not because of the violence, so many people have not collected their PVC. Look at the “ojoro”that is going on in INEC. Twenty of the twenty seven local governments in Borno are in the hands of Boko haram but more people have collected PVCs in Borno than in Abia state where there is no crisis.
“For me, let every person be allowed to vote without PVC. If we are going to use the PVC, then INEC is not ready. But I am not calling for the postponement of the election. We will win the election decisively. On the 14th of February, there will be “failbuhari” and will win decisively.”
On the saga trailing the academic qualification of Buhari, the Niger Delta activist challenged the presidential candidate to produce his WAEC certificate.
“A man rose to the rank of a General in the Nigeria army with a note from a principal that this man is in Form six, he will pass English, Mathematics, etcetera, he should be recruited and commissioned into the army. A year after this Mr. Saint deposited an affidavit that he has a WAEC result which has not been found. He said the military board has my result. Where on earth do you give your original certificate to your employers?” He asked.
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/katsina-stoning-niger-delta-ll-retaliate-says-dokubo-asari/#sthash.pROW3fyc.dpuf
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A WASHINGTON, US-based influential think-tank, the Brookings Institution/Africa Growth Initiative has rated President Goodluck Jonathan as the favourite to win the February 14 presidential polls
In a report entitled: “The 2015 presidential elections in Nigeria: The issues and challenges,” Brookings said the article published under the Africa Growth Initiative said Jonathan’s Peoples Domocratic Party, PDP, was more likely to win the February election.
The paper, which dwells on several aspects of the Nigerian election said that “though the election is expected to be very competitive, the odds still favour President Jonathan.”
While highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the two main political parties, the PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, the institution said the APC will be unable to unseat the PDP in the February elections.
The paper said: “After suffering a wave of defections to the APC last year, including five of its governors, the PDP seems to have rebounded strongly. In the battleground South-West, for instance, the party won recent governorship elections in Ekiti State and got the governor of Ondo State to defect from the Labour Party to the PDP.
“The party is especially strong in the South-South (where Jonathan comes from), the South-East and among Christians in the North. Again, while the PDP remains weak in the Muslim North, it has gained new influential members who decamped from the APC including the former governors of Kano and Borno States.
And, of course, the PDP has power of incumbency.
“APC gets much of its strength from tapping into Jonathan sentiments in the Muslim North and grievances among the Yoruba who feel that the Jonathan administration has ignored them in key political appointments
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ABUJA—As controversy continues to trail the academic qualifications of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Major General Mohammadu Buhari, the Army, yesterday, said it was not in possession of Buhari’s credentials.
The APC presidential candidate, Major General Buhari had averred in an affidavit he deposed before an Abuja High Court that all his certificates were with the Secretary, Military Board, while submitting his Form 199A to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. But the Army, yesterday, denied being in possession of the APC candidate’s original certificates or the certified true copies.
The outgoing Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye, who addressed newsmen in Abuja, said: “The Nigerian Army does not have the original copy of his (Buhari) West African Examinations Council, WAEC result or a certified true copy.” But the APC in a swift reaction has warned that those who are bent on destroying Buhari on the basis of his certificates may end up destroying the country’s military.
The army spokesman told newsmen that what the army had and which he displayed were the information contained in the forms Buhari filled at the point of his entry into the military and some letters of recommendation by Principal of Provincial Secondary School, Katsina.
For the record
Olajide said: “Records available indicate that Major General Muhammadu Buhari applied to join the military as a Form Six student of the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina on October 18, 1961. His application was duly endorsed by the Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him suitable for military commission.”
The report which was shown to newsmen, read: “I recommend Muhammadu Buhari fit for military commission.”
On Buhari’s result, the Principal also wrote, “I consider that he will pass Maths, English and three other subjects.” Laleye said the briefing was necessitated by deluge of requests from civil society groups and the media among others, over General Buhari’s eligibility for any political office.
He said: “It is a practice in the Nigerian Army that before candidates are short-listed for commissioning into the officers’ cadre of the service, the selection board verifies the original copies of credentials that are presented.
“However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 60s. Nevertheless, the entry made on the Nigerian Army Form 199A at the point of documentation after commission as an officer indicated that the former head of state obtained the West African School Certificate, WASC, in 1961 with credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography, History, Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature.
“Neither the original copy, Certified True Copy, CTC, nor statement of result of Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s WASC result is in his personal file. What I have said here is what is contained in his service records’ personal file. We have not added or subtracted anything.”
Earlier, Brig-General Laleye, said: “Let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office. Suffice it to state that Major General Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major General before becoming head of state of our dear country in December 1983.”
It’s a dangerous game — APC
The APC in a statement issued in Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned that the PDP and the Jonathan administration are playing a dangerous game by allegedly trying to compromise the military in order to satisfy selfish political objectives, and urged the military, as a symbol of national unity, to beware of those who may be seeking to use it to achieve selfish and divisive ends.
The APC said the statement credited to the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Olajide Olaleye, at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, that the Army is not in possession of Gen. Buhari’s certificates, is in direct conflict with what he said on January 4, 2015 on the same issue.
“In an interview with the Punch on Jan. 4, 2015, Brig.-Gen. Olaleye had said: ‘Every serving and retired Army officer has at least a copy of his certificates and credentials kept in the Nigerian Army while that same serving and retired officer has copies of those same certificates and credentials’.
“Is Brig.-Gen. Olaleye now saying that he did not make that statement? If he did, what has happened between then and now to make him to recant? It will be interesting to know what has transpired between then and now,” APC said.
The party also said that there was no evidence that the certificates of all those who joined the army in the early 1960s were verified by the selection board.
“Is he now saying that all those who were commissioned into the officer cadres in the 1960s did not have their certificates verified? Does this not confirm what we said that in trying to destroy Gen. Buhari, the PDP and the Jonathan administration will end up destroying the army as an institution? Or is it only Gen. Buhari that was commissioned into the army in the 1960s?”
The party also quoted Gen. Buhari as saying in an affidavit on November 24, 2014 that “All my academic qualification documents as filled in my presidential form, President APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary, Military Board as at the time of this affidavit.”
APC said: “Those who are behind the latest controversy should now tell Nigerians what happened to Gen. Buhari’s certificates between the time of his affidavit and now”.
APC said further that even if the Army now says it does not have the certificates of Gen. Buhari, he is still very qualified to run for the country’s highest office, as stipulated by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. What the constitution says— APC
The party quoted Section 131 (d) of the Constitution: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent”.
APC said the meaning and interpretation of “School Certificate level or its equivalent can be found in the Constitution under part IV, Section 318. In that Section, a “School Certificate or its equivalent” is defined quite succinctly thus: (a) A Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or (b) Education up to Secondary School Certificate Level; or a (c) Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent.
The party said since Brig.-Gen. Olaleye has confirmed that Gen. Buhari indeed applied to join the Army from form six, that the principal of the school he attended even attested to his suitability, and that the form he filled contained his Secondary School Certificate results, there is no scintilla of doubt about his qualification to run for president as stipulated by the Constitution.
“However, we know that the PDP and the Jonathan administration have constituted themselves into a court of law and will like nothing more than the disqualification of our candidate so they will face no challenge in next month’s election. This is wishful thinking,” it said.
APC said the PDP and the Jonathan administration should expend their energy on how to revive their floundering campaign instead of seeking the disqualification of its (APC) candidate.
On the contradictions in the statements credited to the Army spokesman, the party said: “It is true that our once globally-respected military has now been made comatose by the PDP-led Federal Government, but we believe things have not reached the level where the same military will be engaging in actions that amount to self destruction, just to satisfy some political interests.
“We believe things have not reached a level where we, as a nation, will now be giving the impression that a man who rose to become a Major-General in the Nigerian Army does not have requisite qualifications?
“What really is happening in our country if some politicians have now decided to engage in an action that will amount to dragging the military into politics, dividing an institution that is a symbol of national unity, trivializing the service of those who fought to keep Nigeria one and ridiculing the same country it is supposed to be ruling?
‘’We have said it before and will like to repeat: Enough is enough about this distraction”.
– See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/army-speaks-buharis-certificates/#sthash.pV6dn17Q.dpuf
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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