Tag Archives: Groups

Groups Accused Of Profiteering From #BringBackOurGirls Contradict Selves

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The two associations denounced by the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on Monday made contradictory claims about contacting the #BBOG group before embarking on a controversial fund raising program.

In separate discussions on the matter, one of the groups, Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, said it tried contacting #BBOG leaders to no avail. The other association, Peace Corps of Nigeria, however, said the #BBOG group was never considered a part of the fund raising program.

The two groups on Monday organised a program with the theme: “Official Inauguration and Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Chibok Girls Endowment Project” at the headquarters of Peace Corps in Abuja.

The President of Africa Support and Empowerment Initiative, Hadiza Buhari Bello, daughter of Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly received a N3.5 million cheque from Peace Corps’ National Commandant, Dickson Akor, as part of a Memorandum of Understanding.

At the venue, a banner was placed on the wall explaining the theme of the program.

The banner had the #BringBackOurGirls logo written in red, with people also dressed in red around its premises.

However, no representative of the #BBOG group was present at the event.

The #BringBackOurGirls group in a statement signed by its co-conveners, Aisha Yesufu and Oby Ezekwesili, denounced the groups as well as the said program.

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3 Militant Groups Accept To Dialogue With Buhari

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Three militant groups in the Niger Delta region, Reformed Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta, Egbesu Red Water Lions and Egbesu Mightier Fraternity have capitulated on their earlier decision not to allow the Niger Delta Dialogue and Contact Group, NDDCG, to represent them in the ongoing dialogue with the Federal Government.

A former military governor of old Rivers State, His Royal Majesty Alfred Diette-Spiff is the leader of NDDCG, which is a member of the Aaron Team 2 put in place by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, to dialogue with government. Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, the foremost militant group in the region, had earlier rejected MEND and its Aaron Team 2 initiative, but President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed, last week, that the federal government was discussing with militants through security agencies and multinational oil companies. MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, confirmed the talks, but said groups like Avengers and other internet-based militants were not part of it.

The leadership of Reformed Egbesu Boys of Niger Delta in an electronic mail on behalf of other affiliate groups, said: “A fortnight ago, we responded to this subject matter wherein we stated emphatically that the Niger Delta Dialogue and Contact Group had no mandate to negotiate on our behalf in respect of the renewed hostilities against oil and gas facilities.” “We wish to state that the leadership of the Reformed Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta, including the Egbesu Red Water Lions and the Egbesu Mightier Fraternity have been duly consulted and our mandate secured for the negotiation by the Diette- Spiff- led committee,” it said.

Credit: Vanguard

Renewed Militancy: Ijaw Youth Groups To Meet In Warri

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Ijaw youths and other youth groups in the Niger Delta region are set to meet in Warri, Delta State, next Thursday in response to the renewed militancy in the region.

The meeting, which is at the instance of the foremost Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, will review the renewed militant activities in the region and take a common position.

The IYC in 2009 under the leadership of Dr. Chris Ekiyor midwived the presidential amnesty programme for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region which brought peace to the region.

According to a statement signed by IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, the conference of all Ijaw and other Niger Delta youth groups is expected to be graced by leading Niger Delta activists such as Tony Uranta; Ann-Kio Briggs and Dr. Bello Oboko as  guest speakers.

Also expected to attend the conference, Omare disclosed, are representatives of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and all ethnic nationalities youth groups and organisations in the Niger Delta.

“The conference would mark the conclusion of the month long remembrance activities of late Niger Delta hero, Major Jasper Adaka Boro with the theme: ‘The Ideals of Adaka Boro and Renewed Militancy in the Niger Delta Region: The way forward”, he said.

The conference which is slated for May 26, 2016, at Bay Hotel (former Wellington Hotel), Warri, is expected to come out with a communiqué on the common position of the youths of the Niger Delta region on the renewed insurgency and attack on oil facilities.

Groups, Divisions In APC Slowing Down Buhari– Bode George

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A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former deputy chair­man of the party, Chief Olabode George has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Muham­madu Buhari as he grap­ples with the myriads of problems confronting the country.

George, who said he has refrained from joining is­sues with him because, “it is just a year and person­ally, I don’t believe this is the time to start kicking them”, described Nigeri­ans as “ very impatient.”

He identified the con­gregation of different groups in the party which has defied proper fusion as the major cause of the many problems afflicting the government which has slowed down progress. Describing the President’s All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “congregation of strange bed fellows”, he averred that the instabil­ity in the party has frus­trated the expectations and hopes of Nigerians on the government, adding that, “if you don’t have a solid political foundation, for­get about any economic growth.”

George further advised the APC not to make the mistake of the PDP by al­lowing these crises and di­visions, which he blamed for the latter’s ouster from government in the 2015 presidential elections.

“For me, it is still too early. Understandably, they came from differ­ent groups that make up the party. They are still struggling…politics and political activities are the foundation for economic growth.

“If you don’t have a solid political foundation, forget about any econom­ic growth. It is sine qua non. There is CPC, ACN, APGA, nPDP. It is a con­gregation of strange bed­fellows. It will take time for them to melt together.

“We don’t want to go into that crises and divi­sions, because we know what happened to our party that we got a bloody nose. Thank God it was not a technical knockout”

On the crises rocking the PDP ahead of its Na­tional Convention in May, George blamed it on indi­viduals and groups who have put their ambitions before other consider­ations including the par­ty’s constitution.

He advised the party to stick to the report of the Ike Ekweremadu’s com­mittee report which had been adopted by the Na­tional Executive Commit­tee (NEC) of the party.

According to him, the committee zoned the pres­idential slot for the 2019 elections to the north, the vice president to the south, the Senate president to the North, the Speaker of the House to the south, the Secretary to the Govern­ment of the Federation to the North, and the Nation­al Chairman to the south.

He vowed to challenge any alteration of this ar­rangement which he said was devised in the interest of equity, fairness and the corporate existence of the nation, with every legal means at his disposal.

Credit: Sun

Boko Haram Offering Different Groups Of Chibok Girls For Ransom- Report

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Following the broadcast of the proof of life video showing 15 of the abducted Chibok girls by US cable news network, CNN on Wednesday, it has been confirmed that the 219 girls who were kidnapped from their secondary school in Chibok, Borno State, exactly two years ago have been broken up into groups and are being offered by different Boko Haram cells to federal government negotiators in exchange for huge sums of money.
Their abduction sparked a social media campaign and global outrage which drew attention to the horror of the six-year-old insurgency in the Northeast.

However, the release of the video has added pressure on the federal government to secure their release, with President Muhammadu Buhari promising the parents and relations of the missing girls yesterday that they will be rescued and returned to them.

Sources in the intelligence agencies yesterday said that they were aware of the negotiations with the Islamist terror group, which have been stalled due to the ransoms demanded by different Boko Haram cells for the release of the girls in their possession.

One senior intelligence source said that in the course of negotiations for the girls’ release, one cell asked for $50 million in exchange for the 15 girls shown in the video on Wednesday, prompting the recording last December by the Boko Haram cell to show that the girls were still alive.
“Then yet another group offered another 10 girls for over 1 million euros, reinforcing intelligence reports that they had been broken up and dispersed to different cells,” he said.

He explained that the large ransoms demanded by different cells of Boko Haram further confirmed the federal government’s position that the terror group had been significantly degraded and has its back against the wall, hence the astronomical demands for money in exchange for the girls.

The source added, however, that the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the different cells, insisting that all 219 girls must be released at the same time.

He said the government was also against paying any form of ransom for their release, as the monies could be used by Boko Haram, which has been declared the deadliest extremist sect in the world, to rearm and continue their reign of violence and wanton killings in its bid to carve out a caliphate in the Northeast.

“The group is deadly, cannot be trusted and is led by maniacal leaders. As such, the federal government has refused to yield to the demands of the cells. Their supply channels have more or less been cut off, so paying them such huge amounts for a handful of girls will only be giving them the ammunition to rearm and continue the deadly destruction and mayhem in the north,” he said.

Credit:Thisday

Nigerian Officials Snub US-led Anti-corruption Groups

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Nigerian officials rose from the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) meeting on Wednesday without committing the Buhari administration to a key demand of their American counterparts, membership of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the Partnership on Illicit Finance (PIF), two anti-corruption initiatives promoted by the United States government.

Launched in 2011 and 2014 respectively, OGP and PIF are multilateral initiatives that require policy and technology-backed anti-corruption framework in member countries.

OGP signatory governments are required to develop action plans that elaborate their commitment to defined standards of government integrity, citizen participation, corporate accountability, public safety and effective management of public resources, all of which are to be overseen and verified by a multi-stakeholder international steering committee of governments and leading civil society representatives.

PIF is an outcome of the historic U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit which was attended by Nigeria and 50 other countries.

It requires member nations to develop action plans to stem cross-border corruption-related financial flow which they can execute in conjunction with the United States. Nigeria currently ranks 10 on the global index of countries with high illicit financial flow.

American officials were vocal about their desire to see Nigeria join OGP and PIF preparatory to the BNC meeting.

Speaking on U.S.-Nigeria partnership at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) two days before the meeting, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs, praised President Buhari’s “strong position on fighting corruption”.

She pledged U.S. support for law enforcement and judicial investigation and prosecution of “complex corruption cases” and called on Nigeria to “join the growing global community that is using OGP and PIF to strengthen transparency, accountability, and good governance”.

Credit: PremiumTimes

INEC Approves 50 Observer Groups For Kogi, Bayelsa Polls

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The Independent National Electoral Commission said it has approved 50 groups to observe the forthcoming Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections scheduled for November 21 and December 5 respectively.

This is contained in the commission’s daily bulletin issued on Monday in Abuja.

The bulletin quoted the Director of Elections and Party Monitoring Department, Bala Shittu, giving the breaking down of the figures as 43 local and seven foreign organizations respectively.

It directed that the approved groups should obtain, complete and return Form EPMC 002 for the two elections from the Elections and Party Monitoring Department, INEC national Headquarters, Abuja.

It stated that the office would be opened, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, October 2 to October 23.

“The photographs of members of staff to be deployed by approved groups in the two states along with their names should be submitted in hard and soft copies to the said department latest October. 23.

“Late submission will not be entertained.”

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Groups Express Concern Over ‘Exclusion Of Women’ In Buhari’s Appointments

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Some Nigerian women groups have expressed concern over what they see as the neglect of women in President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent appointment of principal officers. The women raised their concern at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

The President of Women in Politics Forum, Ebere Ifendu, said the non-inclusion of women in the appointments so far made by the present administration would hamper the country’s democracy.

“We warn that this exclusion of women, if not immediately checked, may lead to a situation where the generality of Nigerian women will regard themselves as outsiders in President Buhari’s administration…”

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Saraki, Lawan Groups Disagree On Senate Majority Leader

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Leaders of the All Progressives Congress again on Monday failed to broker truce between its two rival groups in the Senate.

The latest peace effort was at the instance of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee. The meeting held at Odigie-Oyegun’s private residence in Asokoro, Abuja on Monday.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, were among the APC lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Although the meeting was not open to journalists, it was learnt that it provided the first real opportunity for the leaders of the two opposing groups to meet face to face since the June 9 National Assembly leadership elections.

Read More: punchng

Individuals, Groups That Are Yet To Identify With Buhari- Report

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1. Professor Wole Soyinka: Nigeria’s only Nobel laureate is a major critic of the Jonathan administration, especially the handling of the Rivers state crisis that nearly swept off his favoured son, Amaechi, and the handling of the Chibok girls saga. His opinions are highly sought after in Nigeria and beyond and many believe that his disdain for the PDP helped sway the south-west (especially the young and intellectuals) vote against President Jonathan.

2. Ernest Shonekan: The former head of the interim government of Nigeria in 1993. He is believed to be a supporter of the incumbent President Jonathan and has never missed any high government function since Jonathan became president.

3. Mike Adenuga: The chairman of telecommunication outfit Globacom and one of Nigeria’s richest and out-of-public private citizens. He is a friend of the Jonathan government and as such was appointed as co-chairman by Jonathan in 2012 to head the flood committee.

4. South-South PDP Governors: They are governors Liyel Imoke( Cross River), Godswill Akpabio( Akwa Ibom), Seriake Dickson( Bayelsa state), Emmanuel Uduaghan( Delta state) and govenor-elect Nyesom Wike (Rivers state – considered to be a nightmare to incumbent governor, Rotimi Amaechi and the APC). They are major financiers and gave Jonathan a bloc-vote during the 2011 and 2015 presidential elections. Rivers state gave the incumbent president over 1.4million votes to emerge highest from the region.

5. South-East PDP Governors: Abia – Theodore Orji, Ebonyi – Martin Elechi, Enugu – Sullivan Chime; they tried to replicate the 2011 magic but I guess something happened along the way. Nonetheless, Jonathan secured victory convincingly in the zone but could not win nationally in 2015 as he did in 2011. The highest the Otuoke -born president secured from this zone was 500,000+ in Enugu state.

6. Alex Ekwueme: The former Nigerian vice president under Shehu Shagari and a prominent member of those who formed the PDP in 1998. He complained sometime ago of being marginalized in the mainstream PDP by the Jonathan administration before Jonathan visited his state for the PDP presidential campaign.

7. Shehu Shagari: With the waning strength of his 80 plus years, the former president Shagari is an ardent supporter of the PDP from the  OBJ days to Yar’Adua. He benefitted to the extent of making his son a minister and then a deputy governor in 2007-2015. President Jonathan is believed to have so much respect for this revered elder statesman and recently joined former Nigerian leaders to celebrate his birthday in Sokoto.

8. Ibrahim Babangida: Nicknamed the ‘Nigerian Maradona.’ He ousted the president-elect, Buhari and took over power in 1985 and later went on to annul the 1993 presidential election won by the late MKO Abiola. Many believe that Buhari still begrudges IBB for his ouster and not allowing him to bury his late mum. He once sought for the PDP ticket in 2011 with Jonathan alongside former the vice-president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the former national security adviser  and current defence minister, Aliyu Gusau. He is still a PDP card-carrying member and preferred Jonathan to Buhai in the 2015 elections.

10. Innocent Chukwuma: The Anambra-born entrepreneur cum billionaire is a fine protagonist of the Jonathan administration. He is a major beneficiary of the current president’s auto policy on home-made vehicles and manufacturing in Nigeria. Innocent is the first indigenous vehicle manufacturing businessman in the country. He manufactures SUVs, pick-up trucks as well as patrol vans for the Nigerian police force and the Federal Road Safety Corps. His company was said to have donated about 15 SUVs to the 2015 PDP presidential campaign.

11. South-West Obas: These monarchs are seen as very powerful in the region and they were seen to be more amenable to the Jonathan candidature than Buhari’s. On more than one occasion they openly supported President Jonathan ahead of the 2015 elections. Jonathan was said to have held meetings with all the power-broking monarchs in the region before the elections.

12. Northern states PDP governors: These are the governors of Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi, Niger, Benue, Adamawa, Katsina, Plateau, Taraba, Kogi and Gombe states. Of all these governors none was able to win even a local government area for the PDP save for Taraba, Plateau, Kaduna and Adamawa despite all the billions given to them during the presidential elections.

Credit: naij