Yar'aduanomics And the Poverty Question - Leadership(Abuja)

Posted to the web 21 January 2008

S. K. Mazawaje
Kaduna

One will be right by way of personification, to say that poverty and crime are twin brothers born of a mother whose name is unemployment. Some one once argued that, of all the evils known to mankind, worklessness is the worst. Unemployment is a direct source of poverty the worst affliction that man can suffer. This unemployment situation lowers self esteem and morale, it is indeed dehumanizing.

The level of poverty has since become a major bench mark for gauging the health of any nation's economy. According to Dudley Seers, a world renoun political economist, the questions to ask about a country's development are three, namely; What has been happening to poverty? What has been happening to unemployment? What has been happening to inequality? If all these three have declined from high levels, then beyond doubt, this has been a period of development for the country concerned". When you apply these standards or indices which are intertwined to the Nigerian situation, the answer becomes very obvious and does not need to be repeated, they have all been on the rise. Nigeria is currently facing profound socio-economic challenges, the most worrisome and distressing of them being wide spread poverty and high rates of crime especially armed robbery, corruption, murders, drug-related crimes and youth militant up-risings. Full Story

'Why I Shunned Yar'Adua - Buhari' - Leadership(Abuja)

Posted to the web 21 January 2008

Nasir S. Gwangwazo
Abuja

The presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the last general elections, General Muhammadu

Buhari (rtd), has given the legitimacy question dogging the Yar'Adua administration as a key reason for his rejection the presidency's recent invitation to him to be part of the meeting to discuss the problems facing the nation's electoral problems.

President Yar'Adua had recently called a meeting of all stakeholders in the nation's politics to discuss distortions in the electoral system.

While leaders of some political parties, including those of ANPP, attended the meeting, the AC-led Conference of All Nigerian Political Parties boycotted it.

A Buhari-led faction of ANPP also shunned the meeting, which took place recently in the presidential villa, Abuja.

Giving reasons for not attending the meeting in an interview with the BBC Hausa service monitored in Kano last night, Buhari said he still refused to accept Yar'Adua's victory in the last general election.

"It is better for you to understand and agree that we are in court challenging the credibility of the 2007 election. Therefore, we cannot accept the person who was announced as winner and his entire government. Full Story

Nigerian inmates in Saudi cry for help from Yar’Adua

An appeal has gone to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to intervene in the case of the 13 Nigerians who are rotting away in a Saudi jail despite having completed their jail terms.

The jailed Nigerians, who thanked Yar’Adua for his concern for them, after reading about their plight in the Sunday Tribune of November 11, 2007, urged him to wade into the matter “urgently to prevent the Saudi authorities from executing us because three months after the president’s intervention, nothing has happened.
The 13 Nigerians involved are: Kazeem Afolabi, Abass Mojeed Akanni, Muritala Amoo, Nurudeen Sanni, Amin Gbenga Shobayo, Abass Azeez, Muhammed Abdullah Yusuff, Waheed Elebute, Saliu Amod Suberu, Hammed Abass, Nofiu Obadina and Nurudeen Owode Owoalade.

Source: http://www.uprotocols.com/wp/2008/01/21/nigerian-inmates-in-saudi-cry-for-help/

New British High Commissioner assumes duties - Vanguard

Written by Chinyere Amalu

Monday, 21 January 2008

ABUJA—Mr. Bob Dewar has assumed duties as the new British High Commissioner in Nigeria. Mr. Dewar, presented his credentials to President Yar’Adua on 18 January. He succeeds Sir Richard Gozney. Mr. James McLaughlin, 2nd Secretary (Political) British High Commission, said weekend that Mr. Dewar has been a career diplomat since 1974, and has spent most of his career in Africa. “His last job was as the British Permanent Representative to the African Union and Ambassador to Ethiopia. “Mr Dewar is married to Jenny who is with him in Nigeria and has one daughter, Jenny aged 19, and one son, Bob aged 12”, he said. Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4848&Itemid=43

‘Yar’Adua’s govt is on course’ - Nigerian Tribune

Professor Abdullahi Michael, a former governorship aspirant in Kogi State, speaks with Bode Adewumi on political developments in the state and other national issues. Excerpts:

Many people have criticised President Umaru Yar’Adua regarding recent happenings in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). What is your view about this?
That is a wrong assessment. We all know that what is happening at the EFCC is nothing unusual. We all know that the president has said he is ruling based on the rule of law, therefore, it will be wrong to say what he is doing right now negates the rule of law because they are still in line with the constitution. Us Nigerians are funny people and it makes me wonder at times. Are we saying Malam Nuhu Ribadu should remain permanently in EFCC? In any case, it was the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that appointed him and ordinarily he ought to have left with the former president for obvious reasons. Full Story

Buhari Hails Election Tribunals

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) presidential candidate in the 2007 presidential election, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has hailed the judgments of election tribunals across the country, saying that there may yet be hope for the country’s democracy.
Reacting to last Friday’s annulment of the election of Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, Buhari said the judgments delivered so far had given him and his party the confidence that unlike in 2003, the Judiciary would save Nigeria’s democracy.
The former head of state made the remarks in Birnin Kudu while fielding questions from journalists.
He was in the town to flag off campaigns for the local government elections in Jigawa State.
After comparing the performance of the Judiciary in the aftermath of the 2007 elections with what obtained in the past, he concluded that the Judiciary had done much better than it did after the 2003 elections.
Buhari, who is challenging the election of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the 2007 presidential election, said: “Well, the Judiciary is the last hope and I will give you one or two examples to show why those of us who have been involved in the struggle since 2003 are hopeful. Full Story

Withheld N224bn NDDC fund has expired — Yar'Adua

Written by Emmanuel Aziken Sunday, 20 January 2008
An estimated N224 billion due to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) but held back by the immediate past administration has “expired,” President Umaru Yar'Adua has told Senators from the Niger Delta region.

This drew flak immediately from the South-South Senators who had gone for a meeting with the President last Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, blamimg it on the immediate past administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The all-important talk was also attended by some senior administration officials including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Major-General Abdullahi Mohammed.

President Yar'Adua equally expressed his frustration at the militancy fanned by some youths in the region.

He lamented that continued violence was denying the region needed development, noting the increasing reluctance by many construction companies to take jobs in the region.

The expiration of the funds, the President said, was hinged on the administration’s policy of returning all unspent funds to the treasury. Full Story