Naija News

OWERRI—IMO State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has declared war on kidnappers and other criminals in the state, saying “it is now fire for fire.”
Okorocha, who spoke against the backdrop of continued cases of kidnapping and armed robbery in the state, warned unrepentant kidnappers, “henceforth it will be fire for fire.”
According to him, “I want to state that one of the challenges we have had as a state has been insecurity, especially kidnapping. The time is up for the kidnappers.”
He assured the citizenry that “there will be no more kidnapping anywhere again in the state because we have taken the necessary measures to curb the menace. Now, we have resolved to march fire for fire.”
Okorocha lamented that his appeals to kidnappers and armed robbers to repent from their criminal activities and engage in meaningful activities fell on deaf ears.
It will be recalled that Imo State had been under siege, especially from the beginning of this year and despite the huge monetary reward of N1 million announced by the state government for any person that gives credible information that would lead to the arrest of kidnappers and armed robbers.
Government equally purchased and equipped several Toyota Hilux vans and distributed to security agencies operating in the state.

IKEJA—Key officials in Lagos State’s transport sector, yesterday, gave joint explanation of alternate routes residents will be expected to use during the partial closure of the Third Mainland Bridge.
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa and Mr Aderemi Ibirogba, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, did a joint briefing in Alausa, Ikeja.
Also present were; Mr. Ganiyu Johnson, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola  on Works and Infrastructure and Mr. Gbenga Akintola, Director of the state’s Public Works Corporation.
Hamzat, who stressed that anxiety generated by the planned repairs of the bridge was unnecessary, said the maintenance work was also to ensure its durability and make it serve residents better.
According to him, though, the bridge would be partially closed during the repair period, from July to November, adequate measures had been put in place by the state government to manage traffic.
He said: “Everybody says we don‘t have maintenance culture. This is maintenance culture. The bridge needs to be maintained and this is what is happening.
“When the bridge, which has eight expansion joints, was constructed, it was constructed as two structures hanging on one. One will notice that when vehicles  get to these joints, the bridge vibrates.
“And, as more vehicles pass through these joints, the bridge compresses. So, the repair work that is going to be done is to strengthen the joints  in order for it to function properly.
“The maintenance work is very necessary. It is actually for the safety of  its users  and  the durability of the bridge.“
Hamzat said  the impact  of the repair on traffic would be reduced compared to 2008,when  a similar repair works was done owing to some road infrastructure that had since been put in place.
Diversion routes
According to Hamzat, the road linking Yaba to Oyingbo, down to Funsho Williams Avenue is one of the strategic roads that had been provided by the government in the last five years.
The commissioner assured that more roads would be worked on by the government before the closure to ease traffic during the period.
Also speaking on the arrangement, Opeifa said the government had evolved a comprehensive traffic management plan to ensure that the impact of the repairs on traffic was minimal.
He said a good number of the state‘s traffic officials were deployed to the different routes identified for diversions around the bridge to ensure that the plan worked.
He said: “The traffic management strategy is structured around the current use of the bridge. And, the direction of flow of vehicular traffic determines the diversion strategy.
“We have also examined other roads that would be used during the period and we have structured our strategy towards these roads.
“The road will be closed between 00:00am and 12:00 pm. These are the times of diversion and these are the critical times. During these times, there will be two scenarios.
“In the morning that is between 00:00am and 12:00pm, when coming from the Island to the Mainland, at Adeniji- Adele, one is expected to divert to Carter Bridge.
“When one gets to Carter Bridge, one is expected to proceed to Iddo, where the redistribution will happen.
“From Iddo, one can proceed to Herbert Macaulay Way down to Jibowu and link either Agege Motor Road or Ikorodu Road.
”Also, from Iddo, one may like to link Ijora Olopa, one will need to link Eko Bridge and from that bridge one can get to Funsho Williams Avenue.
“ From Funsho Williams Avenue, between Ojuelegba and Moshalasi, one can decide to use either Ikorodu Road or Agege Motor Road to link other parts  of the mainland. “
Ibirogba said the new Lagos Traffic  Radio would   provide  comprehensive traffic information  during the repair period to  also help manage traffic.
He urged residents not to entertain fears about the repair of the bridge, assuring that the government would do its best to ensure its impact on traffic was minimal.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has said that he would have succeeded if he had wanted a third term as was suggested towards the end of his presidency in 2007.

Obasanjo however insisted that he never wanted to elongate his tenure as the Bill proposing a third term for Nigeria's president was initiated by the National Assembly and not himself.

The ex-president, who spoke during an interview with Channels Television monitored in Lagos, yesterday said "If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it.  And there is nothing I wanted that God has not given me."

He denied ever toying with the idea of a third term.

He said those who spoke about his alleged move to secure a third term, including his then deputy, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have never mentioned that he discussed the issue with anyone.

Rather, he said this has been based on hearsay.

He said the bill was initiated by the National Assembly, adding that the then Chairman of the joint committee of the National Assembly on the review of the constitution, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, never said he initiated or mandated the committee to include the clause in the proposed amendment.

ABUJA- The Nigerian Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, and Africa’s nominee for the Presidency of World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has expressed confidence that she could win the contest to become President of the World Bank if the election process is open and transparent.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is contesting against two other nominees including Jim Yong Kim of the U.S. and former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo.
Expressing confidence at a media briefing yesterday in Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala enunciated her vision for the global financial institution, remarking that she possesses the best credentials to turn the focus of the Bank to the challenges facing developing countries and emerging economies across the world.
Okonjo-Iweala, who has since embarked on a tour of the continent to draw support for her candidacy, stated that she enjoys support from emerging market countries because of her experience with developing nations.
She said: “There are many emerging market countries that are very supportive of my candidacy and many of them feel that the World Bank is ready for someone who understands the challenges of emerging economies and of developing countries, and can totally focus on expanding opportunities for growth and development using practical financial tools to create growth.”
According to Okonjo-Iweala, “my vision for the World Bank is that of an institution that is swifter and nimbler in tackling what I consider the most important challenge of many countries, especially developing economies, which is job creation.


“I will work to create an institution that can work fast to support countries in times of volatility and uncertainty such as many global economies are currently facing. That is what I intend to bring to the World Bank if elected President; both practical experience and unimpeachable credentials required to do the job.”
The Minister expressed confidence in her nomination for the position, adding that shareholders of the World Bank have indicated their interest to see a more open and transparent system for the election of the body’s president.
“This is the first time that it is happening, and if there is an open and transparent process, I stand a good chance. If there is no level playing field, then we will see what happens. Otherwise, I stand a very good chance; I have the credentials for this job, and I can only remain positive,” she stated.
Okonjo-Iweala further disclosed that she had been to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Extra-Ordinary meeting of ECOWAS Heads of Government in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to meet leaders in the continent, adding that, “what is happening is that Africa is excited about this nomination; they see it as something that is very significant for the continent because it has never happened before.
“This is the first time the position of a World Bank president will be contested and Africa is ready to pull together to show its support for my nomination,” she added.
Also speaking at the briefing, a former Minister of Finance and presently Nigeria’s representative at the World Bank, Mr. Mansur Muhtar, said Dr. Okonjo-Iweala possesses “one of the best credentials for the position at the moment.”
According to Muhtar: “Reasons being advanced by most of the people who have approached President Goodluck Jonathan to put up the Minister for the World Bank’s top job, and many others within the continent and outside who have canvassed for Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, is because of her impeccable credentials and her experience in senior management position at the World Bank.”
He added that there has been a lot of interest from other developing and economically emerging countries for the candidacy of Okonjo-Iweala for the position of World Bank presidency, adding that the campaign is focused not so much on the nationality of the candidates but on the qualities and credentials they bring to the table.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance has assured Nigerians that she remains focused on doing her job as Minister of Finance in spite of her interest in seeking the World Bank’s top job.
She stressed that although she was honoured by President Jonathan’s acceptance of her nomination for the position, she was still focused on delivering on the president’s reform agenda for which she was appointed over the past eight months.
She said: “My passion for Nigeria is unquestioned, and my commitment to doing this job (as Minister) is unquestioned and I am very focused on doing my job here as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy.”
She added that, “the reforms that Nigeria is undertaking in the economy for the President’s reform agenda is on-going, and there is a National Economic team headed by Mr President himself that oversees the achievement of the economic goals of the government.”
In the event she had to leave, however, she stated that the president’s economic reform agenda would not suffer any setback because she works with a team of very experienced and patriotic Nigerians who would effortlessly carry on with the agenda.

(Reuters) - Emerging economies must be given a fair shot at leading the institutions at the heart of global finance or they will end up going their own way, a challenger for the top job at the World Bank said.
"The balance of power in the world has shifted and emerging market countries are contributing more and more to global growth - more than 50 percent - and they need to be given a voice in running things," Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters. "If you don't, they will lose interest.


Okonjo-Iweala, 57, was nominated on Friday by African power houses Nigeria, South Africa and Angola to lead the poverty-fighting institution when its current president Robert Zoellick steps down in June.
She is going up against Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American health expert whose name was put forward by U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday, and former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo, who was nominated by Brazil.
It's the first time the post has ever been contested.
Under an informal agreement between the United States and its allies in Europe, Washington has laid claim to the top post at the World Bank since its founding after World War Two, while a European has always led the International Monetary Fund, its sister Bretton Woods institution.
Okonjo-Iweala, a respected economist and diplomat, painted the convention as a vestige of a bygone era.
"We're not asking the U.S. not to compete, we're just asking for a level playing field where candidates can be evaluated on their merits," she said.
A former World Bank managing director known for her colorful African head wraps and dresses, Okonjo-Iweala contrasted her experience with that of Kim, who made his mark battling disease in some of the poorest corners of the world.
She noted that she has hands-on experience running one of Africa's largest economies, as well as a proven track record at the World Bank helping nations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East tap financial markets to fund development.
"I don't have a learning curve because I know how the institution works and I know what needs to be done to make it work better and faster for developing countries," she said.
"I know what its strengths are, its weaknesses and importantly I know what policymakers need. I've actually done it."
ASKING FOR LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Reuters over the weekend that he was confident that Kim, president of Dartmouth College, would win global support for the job. Through his work in fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and getting health care to the poor, Kim had shown an ability to get things done in tough environments, said Geithner.
Okonjo-Iweala admitted that if the United States, the nation with the largest World Bank voting bloc, and Europe held together, her candidacy would be doomed. But she expressed hope the World Bank's 187 member nations would hold true to their pledge for an open, merit-based process.
"We are not just going into this saying to ourselves we are already defeated," she said, speaking by telephone from Abuja. "We are hoping that the Bretton Woods institutions and their shareholders will keep their word."
"My biggest hope is that this will be a fair contest."
Okonjo-Iweala, who was named by Forbes magazine last year as one of the world's 100 most powerful women, said African leaders would be discussing her nomination with other developing and emerging economies including China, the World Bank's third-largest shareholder.
Her political situation in Nigeria is difficult. She left the World Bank last year to become the lead economic architect in Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan's cabinet.
A long-time anti-corruption campaigner, she immediately sought to implement politically tough reforms. One of her first moves was to remove fuel subsidies, a step that sparked widespread protests that forced the government to back down in January
Now, her opponents are attacking her over the World Bank nomination, saying it showed disloyalty to her country and its president. Jonathan backed Okonjo-Iweala's nomination after calls from South African President Jacob Zuma and West African nations led by Ivory Coast's president Alassane Outtara.
"Several African leaders called my president and asked for my name to be put forward because they felt they have someone really qualified to do this job," she said, adding that she remains deeply committed to Nigeria.
FOCUS ON JOBS
Last year, Okonjo-Iweala was behind a World Bank plan to create so-called diaspora bonds to raise money from the estimated 23 million Africans living abroad, who hold more than $30 billion in savings. The money would help African countries fund essential services and fight poverty.
She was also instrumental in launching a fund to provide emergency loans to countries hit by a record jump in global food prices in 2008 and was pivotal in creating an infrastructure fund for roads, railways and power grids in developing countries.
In Nigeria, she is credited with securing a deal with the Paris Club of creditor nations in 2005 that wiped out $30 billion in the country's debt. It was the second-largest Paris Club debt relief deal ever.
Okonjo-Iweala said a critical issue for many developing countries is job creation, especially among unemployed youth. High unemployment, corruption and political oppression sparked the "Arab Spring" protests that toppled leaders in such countries as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, she noted.
"If we do not come to terms with this problem, we're not going to have (just) the Arab Spring, we will have many other Springs," she said. "This is a very important challenge that demands us to go beyond the usual poverty eradication and fighting tools to ask ourselves what is needed."
While the World Bank's main mission is to fight poverty, it has increasingly sought ways to help emerging economies that need policy expertise more than money, and Okonjo-Iweala said it had to become more nimble in this task.
"Emerging market countries ... need the bank to be a provider and intermediator of knowledge from one country to another," she said. "To do that we need to organize the experts from the bank in a much smarter and faster fashion."
"When you are a policymaker and you have a question facing you, you don't have three weeks to wait for a (World Bank) mission to arrive."

LAGOS — Eminent Nigerians under the auspices of National Coalition of Progressive Force led by Professor Ben Nwabueze, yesterday, converged on Lagos, to renew the call for a Sovereign National Conference.
The group maintained that the next stage of the demand will be to march to Abuja and deliver a copy of Referendum bill to Mr President and National Assembly.
The group argued that revolution was imminent if the President and National Assembly refused to co-operate and make themselves part of the process.
Present at the event were Prof.Nwabueze, Prof Itse Sagay, Dr. Tunji Braithwhaite, Prof. Pat Utomi, Mrs Ganiat Fawehinmi, Dr. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, Mrs Fatai- Wiliams, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, Ankio Briggs, Prof. Onasanya, Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Awosika, Yerima Shettima and Dr Lateef Adegbite.
Chairman of the group, Prof Nwabueze, said: “The time for making statements is over, it is time for action and part of our action is to let Nigerians see reasons what a Sovereign National Conference is out to achieve.
“The whole process is to save Nigeria from the brink of collapse and we strongly believe that SNC will save this country from collapse.”
Reacting to a statement by the Senate spokesperson, that the National Assembly will not re-write the constitution and that a body will be employed to do so, Nwabueze said, “Sen Abaribe was re-affirming his position that the National Assembly is the authority with the exclusive power to amend the Constitution or re-write it if necessary or call on an expert body to help do a thorough job and by implication deny the people of Nigeria the opportunity of taking part in whom the sovereignty of the country resides.
“By the virtue thereof, Sen. Abaribe is saying that the constituent power and the ultimate lawmaker,  who are the masses have no role in the review or re-writing of the constitution and by the unshakeable posture he had taken on the matter challenging the sovereign people of Nigeria to a contest of power.
Controversy on SNC is non-issue
“The National Assembly being servant of and subordinate to the Sovereign People has no power or mandate derived from the election of its members by the people, to re-write  the constitution. The mandate conferred on them by their election is to govern according to the system of government and the structure of powers and relationship established by the constitution, making only such amendments not touching on fundamentals as might be necessary.
“The controversy on SNC is thus non-issue, which should not be allowed to undermine the solidarity of the movement, the movement needs to stay together for its effectiveness and success in achieving its objectives.”
Prof. Sagay on his part said, there had been so much power at the centre and it was time Nigeria devolve power to the states.
He said: ‘We are waiting for the government to say no, then we will overrun them through the sovereign power in the people of Nigeria and make a case at the International Law Court at The Hague.
“Government has been in bad hands and my suggestion is that we should devolve power to zones and states because that is the only way majority of problems in Nigeria can be tackled.”

VON Automobile Nigeria Limited has restored the lost glory of Volkswagen of Nigeria, as the once moribund automobile
firm is now a car manufac-turing plant. This revolution in Nigeria’s automobile industry, according to the Managing Director, VON Automobile Nigeria, Mr Tokunbo Aromolaran, started less than a year ago after two decades of closure.
The auto firm’s boss made this known during a  during a recent media tour of the Lagos-based automobile company.
According to him, “the mission was to actualise the vision of the new investors, The Stallion Group of Companies, of developing a state of the art auto plant that would rival the best in its class and serve as a base for realising the dreams of the host country in industrialising its economy.
“The main object of the company is to assemble automobiles, built largely by Nigerians, for the Nigerian and African markets, with significant local value–added.
As a result of this new development, Aromolaran said the first Nigeria made bus has been produced by VON Automobile Nigeria.
He informed that his company commenced its trial run in November 2011 and production which commenced afterwards has since stabilised.
In the first phase, he said the company is producing City buses of the Ashok Leyland brand.
“Three models are in production, the Falcon, a 42-seater, 100 capacity city bus that has been tried and tested on Lagos roads as part of the BRT bus project and The Hawk, a 31-seater 85 capacity bus attracting attention of bus operators on narrow Lagos roads, and The Eagle, a 28-seater bus, popular among institutions and corporate bodies. The company has put up a versatile assembly plant with a current capacity of 2,000 buses per annum, expandable with minimal effort.
Phase 2 of the project will entail the production of commercial trucks and pick-up vans in an ultra-modern plant with an annual capacity of 15,000 vehicles,” Aromolaran said.
Items billed for production in the second phase, according to the MD will include the Volkswagen, Hyundai and Foton brands of commercial vehicles.
He said the plant is scheduled to commence production in the third quarter of 2012, while noting that “the company has experienced favourable comments on the quality of its buses in the short space of time since production commenced.
“The buses were indeed highly sought- after by transport operators during the bus procurement exercise embarked upon by the Federal Government in its effort to cushion the impact of partial removal of petroleum subsidy.
“This was a testimony to the ruggedness and functionality of the vehicles and its compatibility with our road conditions.
“It has proven to be the most successful of the models employed in the successful BRT Mass Transit Scheme introduced by the Lagos State government and continues to be in high demand by other states desirous of introducing a bus transit service,” Aromolaran said.

Britain yesterday pledged to step up its backing for Nigeria in the battle against the Boko Haram insurgency.
Defence Secretary Philip Hammond spoke of the House of Commons while recounting how the raid to rescue a Briton and an Italian held hostage in Sokoto State was carried out.
He spoke of how the British Special Forces that joined Nigerian security personnel killed one of the hostage takers.
Three other captors, he said, were killed by Nigerian forces. One Nigerian soldier was wounded in the operation. 
Hammond said: “This was a difficult operation that it was judged had to be carried out at speed, in view of the risks to the lives of Chris and Franco.
“The deaths of Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara were a terrible tragedy but let us be clear, the responsibility for their deaths lies squarely with the people who kidnapped them, held them, threatened them and then murdered them in cold blood.
“Terrorism and kidnapping can never be justified. Many of the groups responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Chris and Franco, including their senior leaders, are either dead or have been detained - an important achievement in reducing the threat of future kidnapping.
“But violent, extremist Islamist groups remain active in Nigeria and so long as they are, we will work with the Nigerian and other allies to fight the scourge of terrorism wherever it manifests itself.”
Boko Haram has carried on with its bloody mission, killing three policemen, one soldier and four others in Kano and Mubi, Adamawa State.
The Kano attack occurred yesterday. The killings in Adamawa took place on Monday night.
McManus and Limolinara were employees of a construction firm. They were abducted from a construction site in Birni Kebbi in May last year and taken to Sokoto. They were killed last Thursday following the storming of the hideout where they were kept by their captors.
Hammond said the British Government supported Nigerian troops in the attempted rescue of McManus and Lamolinara after receiving credible information of their location and “imminent and escalating” threats to their lives.
Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy endorsed the decision to launch the raid last Thursday.
Hammond said: “The assessment on the ground was there was a significant possibility the kidnappers, if present, were already aware their security had been compromised and if they were not, the level of military activity in the town meant there was a real risk of them developing that awareness.
“The military judgment was that the hostages were facing an imminent and escalating threat and while an immediate rescue attempt would inevitably involve risk, it represented the best chance of securing the release of Chris and Franco alive.”
Hammond said British Prime Minister David Cameron gave the go-ahead for British involvement in the assault after a briefing by military and national security advisers.
He told MPs the operation lasted about 90 minutes but that the bodies of the two hostages were found by the troops in a room at the rear of the compound.
The Defence Secretary added: “The early indications are clear both men were murdered by their captors with automatic gun fire before they could be rescued.”
Hammond told MPs a coroner’s inquest into the death of Mr McManus would be held.
He said it continued to be the policy of the British Government not to pay ransoms to terrorist groups who take hostages.
Hammond said it had become clear following the kidnap that it was being carried out by the terrorist group Boko Haram and clear demands had not been issued.
He said the kidnappers made some direct contacts with Mr McManus’s family.
“But at no time during their captivity did the kidnappers make any coherent demands.”
Hammond said the British and Nigerian Government worked closely together to try and establish where the hostages were being held.
He said on a visit to Nigeria in July 2011, Mr Cameron agreed a package of support from Britain for Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts with President Goodluck Jonathan.
Hammond said: “As part of that package, a sustained operation was conducted to identify members of the group responsible for the kidnapping.
“Earlier last week, a number of them were apprehended and during de-briefing late on March 7, credible intelligence was obtained identifying the probable location of the hostages at a house or compound in Sokoto, northern Nigeria.”
Hammond said Foreign Secretary William Hague then briefed Mr Cameron that evening before chairing a Cobra meeting on the new information the following morning at 8.15am. A further full briefing was then relayed to the Prime Minister.
“The location was confirmed and the Nigerian military took up position on the ground and an assault group, including UK support, was put in place.
“Following a further briefing, the Prime Minister gave authorisation to the rescue attempt, which began at 10.58am London time.
“The UK’s ambassador in Rome informed the Italian government an operation was beginning as soon as possible afterwards,” Hammond said.

ABUJA — In its determination to curb the menace of hoodlums and undesirable members of the society sewing and using fake police uniforms to perpetrate robbery and other societal crimes in the country, the Nigeria Police Force,  yesterday, commenced the test run of a new Police operational uniform (Police camouflage) for its officers and men.

The test-run of the new camouflage, which has got the approval of President Goodluck Jonathan, is also expected to boost the image of Police officers as well as discourage them from developing cold feet any time they came face to face with  robbers.



A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Deputy Commissioner of Police Olusola Amore, said: "The IGP, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar has said his appearance in the new police camouflage is a process of test running the uniform as one of the Force's operational outfits.

"President Goodluck Jonathan has approved a test-run of a camouflage dress for the Nigeria Police Force as one of its operational attires.

"The IGP stated that the new dress is in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government and the long desire of the Police management team to reform and to launder an acceptable image for the police through the turn-out of its officers and men.

the new police uniform on test

"The camouflage which is an admixture of black, white and ash colours, will serve as an operational dress for the police with some inherent advantages when fully integrated and confirmed as one of the official police outfits.

"The advantages of the new police camouflage include cost effectiveness to maintain; operationally durable; highly customized with security features to forestall impersonation and environmentally friendly.

"The Police boss is using this medium to call on the general public to come up with constructive criticisms regarding the new police camouflage,so that public opinion will be given adequate consideration."

The British government yesterday deported about 120 Nigerians from the United Kingdom over alleged immigration offences, including lack of valid papers and stay permit among others.
The deportees were said to have arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos aboard a chartered cargo aircraft in the early hours of yesterday to aviod undue attention.
According to a source whic pleaded anonymity, the deportees were mainly young men and women who were angry for being repatriated to Nigeria unprepared.
News men gathered that most of the deportees wore woe-be-gone looks on arrival made frantic telephone calls, apparently to their friends and relatives with a view to picking them up at the airport, even as they moved their luggage packed in some Ghana Must Go bags from the cargo wing of the airport into the main gate.
Scores of airport workers  stopped by to discuss with the deportees, as some of them narrated their experiences, saying they had nothing to fall back on in a country they left several years ago.
One of the deportees, Mr. Wale, blamed Nigerian government for his predicament as well as his other colleagues, stressing that if the country’s  economic situation were pleasant, Nigerians would not have any business traveling abroad to humiliate themselves in a bid to survive.
Wale said : “ How do I cope now that we have been sent home unprepared?”
Another deportee, a young lady said, “ I am not interested in discussing why we were brought back home, but my problem now is how to get out of this international airport without drawing unusual attention. I must add that it is not a pleasant experience.”
However, some car hire operators tried to make brisk business from the deportees as they lined up at the main entrance of the cargo terminal trying to ferry those willing to their respective destinations amid tight security.

President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned in stong terms the recurrent skirmishes and loss of hundreds of innocent lives in the crisis between native Tiv Communities and Fulani herdsmen in parts of Benue State.
The President urged the feuding parties and all those involved in violence in the country to lay down their arms and toe the part of peace in the interest of the nation.
Speaking yesterday at a grand reception organize for him to climax his two day -working visit to Benue State, the President reiterated the commitment of his administration to tackle all security challenges the nation is currently faced with.
He said, “the Federal Government is working day and night to overcome the security challenges. And I can assure you that  in the shortest possible time, we will overcome the situation”.
”I therefore call on all those involved in violence in the country to lay down their arms so that  we can form a common front against the enemies of the country which include, poverty, hunger, dilapidated infrastructures and lack of social amenities”.
President Jonathan further assured the government and people of the state of the willingness of the Federal Government to assist the Benue state government in some of the developmental challenges confronting the state.
IThe Senate President David Mark who asked for support for the Governor Gabriel Suswam led administration, said that “the Governor has shown that he can be trusted with resources” in view of the successes he has recorded as Governor of the state in the last four and half years.
In his speech, Governor Gabriel Suswam who reeled out the challenges confronting the people of Benue, urged the Federal Government to step in.
to the incessant skirmishes between native Tiv communities and Fulani herdsmen which has degenerated to a dangerous dimension with the use of sophisticated weapons.
Suswam also urged the Federal Government to disarm the feuding parties and also  create grazing reserves for the herdsmen in order to avert further crisis and bloodbath arising from the distruction of farmlands of the farming populace in the state.
While lamenting the dilapidated state of Federal government roads in the state, Suswam called on the Federal Government to dualise the Akwanga-Enugu federal highway to accommodate the heavy traffic that daily ply the road that links the northern and eastern parts of the country.

Several African leaders watching news of the death of Africa ’s longest serving leader are wondering who among them is next and how they will leave office.
Three of the ten longest serving leaders have fallen this year – Ben Ali of Tunisia ruled for 23 years, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt ruled for 30 years and the longest, the Brother Leader of Libya ruled for 42 years – all gone in the last six months.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea (32), Jose Santos of Angola (32), Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (31), Paul Biya of Cameroon (29) and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (25), King Mswati III of Swaziland (24), Blaise Campore of Burkina Fasso (24) and still going strong, and must be wondering whose turn is next.
Teodoro and Jose Santos take the number one spot as the longest serving Presidents with 32 years of ruling Equatorial Guinea and Angola respectively and from what has happened in Africa this year and to Gaddafi this week, it is a post neither of them would be proud off right now.
Although the revolts have so far been limited to North Africa, increasingly there are protests against regimes in other African countries. Whether triggered by economic conditions—food and fuel prices, poor job opportunities or service delivery failures, the mass protests are becoming important and have forced policy changes. Slowly but surely, these revolutions are heading south and, unless Africa ’s long-serving leaders pave the way for inclusive governance and relinquish their power, they are increasingly likely to face the same fate as the North African ones.
Despite the reign of democratic governance in Africa , some leaders have clutched to political power for decades, using state instruments to prolong their regimes against constitution provisions.
Unfortunately, when the leaders manipulate and abuse their positions to stay in power, they still find support from Western governments even though democratic governance is supposed to be the core of their engagement with African nations. This is not only hypocritical but is also sends the wrong signal to Africans across the region.
However, the recent events in Egypt , Tunisia and Libya should show sub-Saharan African leaders that Western government support will not insulate autocratic regimes from the demands of their people. For the long-serving leaders in Africa , clinging to power is no longer wise. They would be well-advised to announce their intention to step down before they are forced out of leadership by their citizens. Likewise, treating leadership as a “right” or as family property is no longer a viable strategy. It will no longer be acceptable to the African people.
Voluntary exit from power is a great contribution to a country and goes a long way to avert the fate that has befallen leaders in North Africa. Rupiah Banda of Zambia is a good example of such a leader who gracefully accepted defeat this year.
Who among the seven will be deposed next and how will they go?

LAGOS – The Federal Government has directed the Petroleum Products Price Regulatory Agency, PPPRA,to from now on, make public  names of companies that draw from the subsidy fund.
This fact was disclosed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in an interview with Vanguard.
She said: “Since we are still under a partial subsidy phase-out regime, that means we still have to maintain some subsidy. It is important for Nigerians to know that things will be done differently; that the Ministry of Petroleum and the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, are looking at a new way of managing subsidy.
“There will be a more limited group of marketers— those who have genuine business in the sector and are known.  They will look at criteria; we fix the number, limit it to a smaller number that can be more easily monitored and I think all these should be published so that Nigerians will see.
“We are looking at PPPRA publishing this, so we are not going to be administering subsidy in the old way where there were so many companies, more than a hundred were involved.  We are going to have a more limited number, we are going to know who they are and the amount of fuel they will be importing will be known. Every Nigerian should be able to follow and this should be published.
On loan burden
“Back to the issue of loan, you asked how we can assure Nigerians that the nation is not yet again brought under a heavy loan burden and that loans are prudently applied.

As someone who was involved in the debt cancellation under the President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government, who actually spear-headed the discussion, there is absolutely no intent. I will be the last person and the President Goodluck Jonathan will also be the last person to subscribe to a situation in which we would pile up debts. We watch those indicators like a hawk.  Mr President is very clear on this issue.  As you well know, we have some ratios that we monitor with regard to GDP.
“The norm internationally is that it should not exceed 60 per cent of GDP. In Nigeria, we have adopted 30 per cent of that because we want to be really careful.  Right now, our debt to GDP ratio is about 20 per cent well below the 30 per cent ratio we have set for ourselves. I may need to also clarify that the $7.9 billion external borrowing that we are talking about is over three years, not one year.
“At end of that period, even with the GDP growth rate we have, we are still going to have a ratio of around 20 per cent or so.   Twenty per cent to 21 per cent is not going to be much because our GDP is growing and our debt is not growing as such.  We are very prudent.
“The only segment that we have monitored even more closely is internal debt.  We don’t want domestic debt to keep growing because interest rate is so high in Nigeria. Right now, what the government is trying to do is to issue bonds at an interest rate of about 16 to 17 per cent and that is a very high rate.
“We want to diminish the amount of borrowing domestically as well and we intend bringing down domestic borrowing from 2011 to 2012.  You saw that we brought it down from N852 billion last year to N794 billion this year and we will continue to do that so that we don’t accumulate too much interest on domestic debt.”

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu go into key talks on the Iranian nuclear stand-off on Monday, with each publicly seeking to stake out some common ground.
While Obama in an address to the powerful pro-Israel lobby on Sunday criticized “loose talk of war” he also gave a strong nod to Israel’s refusal to contemplate a nuclear-armed Iran.
“No Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map, and sponsors terrorist groups committed to Israel’s destruction,” he said, to applause from members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Obama also acknowledged “Israel’s sovereign right to make its own decisions about what is required to meet its security needs,” drawing a swift vote of thanks from Netanyahu.
“I appreciated the fact that he said that Israel must be able to defend itself, by itself, against any threat,” he told reporters in Ottawa on Sunday, during a weekend stopover in Canada on his way to Washington.
“I very much appreciated the fact that President Obama reiterated his position that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons and that all options are on the table,” Netanyahu added.
The Israeli premier arrived in the US capital late on Sunday evening and will meet Obama in the White House on Monday morning, addressing AIPAC himself later in the day.
While Obama does not rule out the use of US military force against the Islamic republic as a last resort if diplomatic and economic pressure fails, Israel fears that the time until Iran reaches a stage where it is too late to take out its nuclear facilities is running out.
Israeli officials reserve the right for their country to stage its own attack on Iran if they see no alternative, although Israeli analysts say a strong assurance of US readiness to act would encourage restraint, at least in the short-term.
Obama on Sunday sought to calm the fears of Israel and its supporters.
“I have a policy to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said. “As I’ve made clear time and again during the course of my presidency, I will not hesitate to use force when it is necessary to defend the United States and its interests.”
Analysts believe that Netanyahu will be seeking more precise guarantees in his private talks with Obama, while the president will want to retain room to maneuver.
“Obama doesn’t want to wake up one morning and to hear that Israeli attack planes are hovering over Iran,” top-selling Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot wrote on Sunday.
“He… will explain that if the day arrives and there is no longer any choice, he will prefer to send the US army to fight against Iran over the options of allowing the Iranians to have nuclear weapons.”
Speaking at the AIPAC conference before Obama, Israeli President Shimon Peres insisted that Israel “shall prevail” if forced to fight Iran, which he called “an evil, cruel and morally corrupt regime” bent on controlling the Middle East.
The stand-off has pushed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict far into the background, although US efforts to revive stalled peace talks are sure to be discussed in the Oval Office.
In January, five rounds of “exploratory talks” between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators ended without a deal to continue discussions or return to direct negotiations.
Obama’s speech to AIPAC acknowledged the hurdles.
“Of course, peace is hard to achieve. There’s a reason why it’s remained elusive for six decades,” he said. “But as hard as it may be, we should not, and cannot, give in to cynicism or despair. The changes taking place in the region make peace more important, not less.”

NNEWI, Nigeria — The late leader of Nigeria's breakaway Republic of Biafra received final honors Friday from a nation he once fought bitterly against in a war that saw 1 million people killed.
The burial of Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu in his hometown of Nnewi highlights the complicated ethnic politics that dominate Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people that maintains an uneasy democracy after years of military dictatorships. The service also honored a man himself known as a complicated figure, who lived in exile for more than a decade before returning and ultimately embracing the country he fought so hard against.
And in death, those gathered at the service hoped the nation may finally bring the war to a close in the hearts of many.
"At this time, you have ended the Nigerian Civil War," Anambra state Gov. Peter Obi told President Goodluck Jonathan during Ojukwu's funeral service, drawing the cheers of a crowd pleased by leader's attendance. "We now feel less excluded from Nigeria."
Ojukwu died in a London hospital on Nov. 26 after a protracted illness following a stroke. He was 78. His funeral, once delayed, saw his golden coffin carried around the country in a farewell tour under a military honor guard - something that would have been unthinkable in Nigeria immediately following the country's civil war.
The roots of Biafra came from a 1966 coup in Nigeria, a former British colony that had gained independence earlier that decade. The coup, led primarily by army officers of Ojukwu's Igbo ethnic group from Nigeria's southeast, saw soldiers shoot and kill Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a northerner, as well as the premier of northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello.
The coup failed, but the country still fell under military control. Northerners, angry about the death of its leaders, attacked Igbos living there. As many as 10,000 people died in resulting riots. Many Igbos fled back to Nigeria's southeast, their traditional home, as trains carried the mutilated bodies of those killed.
Ojukwu, who was 33 in 1976, served as the military governor for the southeast. Slowly, the nation crept toward war as Ojukwu and the federal government adopted increasingly intractable conditions despite a series of peace talks.
He finally declared the largely Igbo region - including part of the oil-rich Niger Delta - as the Republic of Biafra. The new republic used the name of the Atlantic Ocean bay to its south, its flag a rising sun set against a black, green and red background. He hopefully described Biafra as Africa's first true country after colonialism, drawn by Africans for Africans.
However, the announcement sparked 31 months of war. Under Gen. Yakubu "Jack" Gowon, Nigeria adopted the slogan "to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done" and moved to reclaim a region vital to the country's finances. The federal government slowly strangled Biafra into submission, as Igbos continually fled as the front lines fell.
The region, long reliant on other regions of Nigeria for food, saw massive food shortages despite international aid. The enduring images, seen on television and in photographs, showed starving Biafran children with distended stomachs and stick-like arms. Many died as hunger became a weapon wielded by both sides.
Ojukwu ultimately fled to Ivory Coast, but returned more than a decade later after receiving a pardon. He formed his own political party, which has seen success in the country's Igbo states. But he remained a divisive figure to many in the country who still bear the physical and psychological wounds of the war.
As Ojukwu's health began to fail, however, the federal government began to warm to him under President Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan himself described the one-time rebel leader as "our leader, our brother" during remarks at Ojukwu's funeral at St. Michael De Archangel Catholic church, just next to the family's compound.
"Ojukwu is one of those people brought by God to lead the people," Jonathan said.
Jonathan's comments come as Igbo people remain largely marginalized in the country's politics, despite being one of the nation's top ethnic groups. His embrace of Ojukwu now endears a major voting bloc to him as discussion continues about potentially funneling more money to the region, as well as talk continues about the nation's ruling party picking an Igbo as its presidential candidate in a coming election.
"We have gradually worked up the ladder to this moment," said Victor Umeh, the national chairman of Ojukwu's All Progressives Grand Alliance political party.
Emeka Ojukwu, the late Biafran leader's elder son, has been mentioned as a possible political candidate. However, he declined to say who would rise to take his father's place.
"You're talking about someone who looked like a giant to us," his son said Friday. "As his children, he just looked immortal."
Ojukwu remained a complicated man in life. He felt obligated to eclipse the long shadow cast by his knighted father, a self-made millionaire who loaned Queen Elizabeth II his Rolls Royce during her 1956 visit to Nigeria. He cast away a playboy image he gained while studying in England to join Nigeria's military, which has produced much of the nation's leaders since independence. He also had a number of children with different wives before marrying his beauty queen wife Bianca.
But Ojukwu always remained warm with his family, a man who could quote Latin poetry from memory and cared deeply about the Igbo people, his brother Lotanna Ojukwu said.
"He was a passionate man who wanted very much to leave his footprints in the history of his country," his brother said.
A military guard carried his coffin, draped with Nigeria's flag, into a large mausoleum at his family's compound in Nnewi on Friday after the church service. His father's grave, in white marble, sits just around the corner.
Okeke Ngozika Theophilus, a 77-year-old poet who remembered Ojukwu from childhood and fought briefly as a guerrilla during the civil war, compared the late leader to kings of England. However, seeing his late friend's coffin, he acknowledged that the Biafran war would draw to a close regardless as its elderly survivors will face death themselves one day.
"I am watching how I will be buried myself," he said.

IN the last three months since Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Oddumegwu-Ojukwu died in London events leading up to his funeral today have shown an effusive outpouring of emotion and love from Nigerians from different parts of the country and belonging to different strata of society.
As different states of the federation organized funeral rites it for the late hero, it became clear that Ikemba Ojukwu means so many things to so many people.
One theme that runs through all the speeches that have been made since he died and in the cause of the funeral is quest for justice, courage, equality and probity in public service.
Anybody who has followed the life and times of Ojukwu closely will know that these are the qualities that set him apart from his peers, qualities that make up the essential Ojukwu, qualities that are unfortunately lacking among the political class in Nigeria.
What Nigeria needs to reposition herself for the 21st century is to go back to the ideals of Ikemba Ojukwu, ideals that differentiate countries from those that want a place under the sun and those that just want to exist under the sun.
Since independence in `1960, Nigeria has been seen as potentially the leader in Africa, a beacon of hope for the black man anywhere in the world. With one-quarter of the entire black population of the world in Nigeria, no other country is better placed to assume the leadership of the black race and point the way for black renaissance.
But weak institutional structure, bad leadership, historical injustice and corruption have consistently denied Nigeria the opportunity of fulfilling her manifest destiny, making her a laughing stock before the international community, a country that is no longer taken seriously internationally; a country whose citizens are harassed and ridiculed at various airports across the world.
But Nigeria can be a great country. Once the right political mix is put in place, Nigeria will rise like a phoenix. To get the right political mix, Nigeria needs to study Ojukwu’s ideals and principles.
One of his ideals is compassion. Anybody who knew Ikemba would readily admit that he was a very compassionate man, a quality that endeared him to the people. Only a man who is compassionate will sacrifice his inherited comfort and family wealth to fight for his people.  If our leaders imbibe the spirit of compassion, Nigeria will be a great nation. One of the reasons for lack of patriotism among Nigerians is the disconnect between leaders and the led caused by the selfishness and corruption of the political elite. That is why there are 112 million poor people out of a population of about 160 million people. The high rate of poverty and unemployment has caused so much social tension in the country.
If Nigerian leaders imbibe the spirit of compassion and apply it in their relationship with the people of Nigeria, tension will reduce in the land.
Belief in justice and fighting for it is one quality that any Nigerian with a sense of history will readily admit Ikemba Ojukwu had. He was courageous, forthright, fair-minded and he had commitment and character, qualities lacking among the political elite in Nigeria today.
Because many people do not have the courage to speak truth to power, what they say in their bedroom is different from what they say in public, Nigeria is where she is today. The lack of courage being displayed by the political class is at the root of the crisis of governance in Nigeria. Ojukwu was courage personified. It is one quality Nigerians must emulate from Ikemba Ojukwu for the country to make progress.
But by far, the greatest misfortune Nigeria has had is bad leadership. Chinua Achebe, in his celebrated book, ‘The Trouble with Nigeria’ states clearly that the problem with Nigeria has nothing to do with climate or wheather but “simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” As military administrator of the defunct Eastern Region; as head of state of defunct Biafra and in the last few years as founder and leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ikemba displayed exemplary leadership that is unequalled. Anybody who has read the Ahiara Declaration will not fail to appreciate the philosophical foundation of the revolution he led.
The government has a duty to immortalize this icon not for his sake but for the sake of Nigeria, a country he loved so much. One of the many ways to honour him will be to place the construction of the second Niger Bridge on the top priority list of the Federal Government and naming the bridge after him.
In addition, the Federal Government should name a significant monument like the Port Harcourt Airport after Ikemba Ojukwu. Port Harcourt was a major part of the defunct Eastern Region in which Ojukwu was military governor. This will be a true testimony to the ‘no victor, no vanquished’ policy that the Federal Government declared at the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970.
It will be good to institute an annual lecture in honour of Ikemba to afford present and future generations an opportunity to review the events leading to and during the civil war and draw lessons from it and learn how to avoid a reoccurrence.
The annual lecture will also draw attention to issues like justice, resolution of conflicts, peaceful co-existence, inter-governmental relations, etc issues that were dear to Ikemba.
Mr. ONWUKA KALU , guber  candidate in Abia State in 2003 elections,  wrote from London.