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 Just two years ago, Bode George, was a renegade, who had fallen out favour with the top hierarchy of the People`s Democratic Party (PDP). At a time when members of the ruling party could do no wrong, Chief Bode George was thrown to the dogs, and convicted for fraud and abuse of office. He was found guilty of inflating the contract prices contrary to Section 22 (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000. But since his incarceration the PDP has suffered set back in south west, considered to be Bode George strong hold.

In an apparent display of presidential powers, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday locked out the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, some of his aides as well as other commercial passengers from Benin City, where ironically Oshiomhole is chief executive.

The President’s security apparatus, The Sun learnt, simply shut down the Benin airspace over what it called ‘VIP’ movement.

President Jonathan was said to be returning from neighbouring Delta State where he had gone for campaigns for the forthcoming April polls.

So, for over 45minutes, after it got to Benin, the Air Nigeria plane, which left the domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport at 8.30am, hovered in the skies, unable to land. Running dangerously low on fuel, the pilot had to return to Lagos, amid hisses and curses by enraged passengers, many of whom had different engagements to catch up with in Benin, Warri, and neighbouring cities.

Oshiomhole, himself, was returning from Lagos where he had gone to attend The Sun Man of the Year Award as a special guest and was billed to address a campaign rally in Owan local government area of the state.

Oshiomhole, it was gathered, had left his hotel suite at Victoria Island as early as 7.30am in order to beat the traffic and meet the early morning flight. He did not reckon he would be trapped in the air due to the now notorious ‘VIP’ movement.

He and the other stranded passengers eventually took the rescheduled flight at noon.

Even though Oshiomhole refused to speak on the incident, other embarrassed and enraged passengers, who spoke to The Sun condemned the tyrannical practice of shutting down the airspace in the guise of VIP movement.

John, a chattered accountant, who was on the flight said: “This kind of uncivilised behaviour must stop. We are not in the jungle. How can you shut down the airspace because the president, vice-president, senate president or speaker of the House is airborne? What if we had run out of fuel and had a crash? Is the president’s life more precious than that of the ordinary citizen? What kind of oppression by man against his fellow man is this? This nonsense cannot continue.”

Another passenger, who preferred anonymity, said: “It is only in this country you have this kind of behaviour. What if we had had a crash? God forbid. I was terribly scared.

“The president must apologise for this uncivilised conduct. We are tired of government officials behaving as if they are more important than the people who put them there. They just behave like emperors. It is a shame!..

As the saying goes, all’s well that ends well but it really is not when there is so much silence about what did go on.

Exactly two weeks ago, his nanny took ten-month old baby Enioluwa Odegbaike, from his home in Magodo area of Lagos State. The little boy had been left in the care of the nanny, simply identified as Victoria, who apparently absconded with the baby while his mother was in the bathroom.

This last weekend the baby was found in Badagry, a border town in Lagos State. He was immediately united with his parents. The ordeal Mr. and Mrs Odegbaike must have endured in the last two weeks is better imagined than described.

Nanny Victoria’s action raises all kinds of questions. Was the motive kidnapping? Was there a syndicate behind her? Was she stealing the infant for herself? How was the baby recovered? What role did the police play? What has happened to the nanny? Why do we know nothing more about her than her first name? Why in the face of the happy news that Enioluwa has been found are the parents keeping mum?

Kidnapping in Nigeria has assumed the potency of a terrorist threat. The history of this crime that began as a weapon wielded first by Niger Delta militants and grew to become a source of easy money for your common garden criminal has been too often documented to need repetition here. In Baby Enioluwa’s case, there were no reports of any demand for ransom. The most significant aspect of the story was the use of social networks, Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry messaging to alert the populace and circulate the face of this lovely child and Nanny Victoria.

Shortly after the baby went missing, the parents made his picture and that of the nanny available through Facebook and other social media. Before long the news began to circulate among Nigerians both at home and abroad. In fact, the face of baby Enioluwa became so popular that many used his picture as their logo on their Facebook accounts. This helped in no small measure to assist in raising awareness about the poor baby and his parent’s plight. The news about his disappearance, which went viral, was good; it shows the power of communication. But that is about all that can be said about the matter at this point.

It is clear that the information the Odegbaike family had on Victoria, was scanty. Throughout the period of their son’s disappearance they were unable to give the nanny’s family name or it seems provide any background information or documentation on her.

More baffling, or perhaps it is all perfectly understandable given our realities, is the complete absence of any input from the police on this matter. Instead we have social networks and messaging channels filling in the gap and gratitude to God and providence for bringing this child back alive.

Not to put too fine a point on it this is an untenable method of crime detection and law enforcement. If Nigerians avoid the police because they have no faith in the ability of the men and women charged with the duty of protecting them to do the job effectively then we really have some far more basic issues to consider than the current all important one of protecting the sanctity of our vote.

Where are we if we cannot protect our children?

For every Baby Enioluwa there are thousands more, susceptible to the same crime and raising our hands to the sky is not the answer. A well trained professional and functioning police force that has the trust and confidence of the public, the protection of the community and the enforcement of the law as its primary goals is.

Can someone make this a campaign issue, please?

Most Internet users have found them in their e-mail inboxes at one time: those messages giving the news that they've won or inherited millions of dollars from overseas.

Most people delete them. But sometimes, the federal government says, recipients fall victim to an Internet scam.

A man found guilty of authoring those e-mails, a Nigerian national, was sentenced Thursday in a federal court in Charlotte for being part of a two-man team that bilked at least 18 people in the United States, Australia and Europe of more than $9.5 million.

Ugochukwu Enwerem, better known as Joseph Smith to his victims, was sentenced to nine years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department announced. The other member of the team, Kent Okojie, previously was sentenced to six years in prison. The two men also were ordered to pay $9.4 million in restitution to their victims.

Enwerem, 39, and Okojie, 42, operated their scam from Amsterdam, the U.S. government says, and were arrested by Dutch and American officials in June 2007. They were extradited from the Netherlands to the United States and went on trial in Charlotte.

Okojie pleaded guilty in September 2009, and Enwerem was found guilty in a jury trial last March.

Laura Sweeney, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said the case was heard in Charlotte because prosecutors said the two men conducted financial transactions with their victims through a Western Union computer server there. Evidence at the trial laid out the way the two men conducted their scheme: The men were accused of sending e-mails, telling individuals they had won a foreign lottery, inherited a large amount of money from a long-lost relative, or were eligible for money from some other source.

When victims responded to the e-mails, the two men posed as bankers, lawyers and European government officials, asking the respondents to send money for things such as "anti-terrorism certificates," ''EU bank clearances" and "anti-money laundering certificates." The money was transferred through Western Union and other money services, the government said.

In the indictment, prosecutors said Okojie used the name "Paul Hamilton" and Enwerem went by "Joseph Smith" to victims.
 

Federal papers filed in the case spelled out how one victim, who lives in Bensalem, Pa., sent nearly $150,000 to the two men over 18 months from late 2005 to spring 2007. The victim, identified only as EG, wired the money in 10 different increments. According to the government, the victim had been told she had won about $6.2 million in the "National UK Lottery." In one case, the government said, EG was asked to send $30,182.10 to a man in Spain to pay for a police report and an Anti-Terrorism Certificate. On another occasion, the government said, Okojie — posing as Paul Hamilton — convinced the woman to send $35,000 to pay European Union taxes.

"It is not the first case of this type that we have prosecuted," Sweeney said. She noted that it probably will not be the last, noting that the e-mail scams are not that uncommon.

Sweeney said the case was investigated by U.S. Postal inspectors, the U.S. Justice Department and police in Amsterdam and prosecuted by the Justice Department's Fraud Section.
 

Strong indications emerged yesterday that former vice president Atiku Abubakar may be heading for the law court following the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s alleged indifference to his petition to challenge the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary.

Atiku lost the PDP presidential ticket on January 13 to President Goodluck Jonathan. He ruled out heading to court to challenge the outcome of the primaries. Instead he wrote a petition dated January 28, 2011 to INEC, which became a subject of controversy as the electoral body belatedly acknowledged the petition last Monday.
   
It was however gathered that following INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega’s charge to Atiku to go take his case to court, the former vice president may have given the go ahead to his legal team to begin court action on the matter.
Atiku’s bid to return to court received impetus from two recent court decisions by Justices Lawal Gumi and Ishaq Usman Bello, both of the Abuja High Court, who, in separate decisions upheld the sanctity of zoning and ruled that it was justiciable.

In the particular decision by Justice Bello, his opinion was that the suit challenging the President, Goodluck Jonathan’s right to run was premature since, at that time, the Peoples Democratic Party had not yet given him its ticket.
He added that a candidate in the primaries had a right to challenge Jonathan and the Party in court in the event of any such breach of the PDP zoning policy.

Sources said yesterday that the legal team led by a very senior advocate (SAN) of the Nigerian bar may file proceedings in court against President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidature in the coming days. They are of the view that Atiku will have a good day in court.  

It was gathered that the former vice president had up to this point warded off pressures to take legal action over the outcome of the PDP convention, but INEC’S “lack of interest and partisanship” in the handling of the petition he submitted to them, may have pushed the former vice president to the wall.
“How can Jega’s INEC claim to be enforcing internal democracy in Kano CPC on account of its monitoring of the primaries and then turn around to refer to Atiku’s complaints as internal party affairs,” a source close to Atiku’s lawyer queried.

The source said INEC’s dismissal of the Atiku’s petition after weeks of being in denial of the existence of the petition entitled “petition against illegalities of the conduct of the PDP presidential primary election on 13th january, 2011” amounts to double standard...

...how govt. agents swindle many of millions by the day.

There is a massive fraud scheme currently going on within the Lagos state government.
And investigations  revealed that the practice rakes in millions of naira by the day for the perpetrators.
The main victims of the scheme are Drivers.
The agents of extortion are identified as enforcers operating under the emblem of Vehicle Inspection Unit – VIO.
The agency is an arm of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation..
It is a traffic offence monitoring unit.
Strangely, when supposed defaulters are caught, the ‘officers’ in charge appends fines way beyond stipulations on their charge sheets.
Ironically the excessive fines are appended on the same charge sheets that bear the normal fixtures.
The highest fine for any offender apprehended by the V.I.O is pegged at Five Thousand Naira.
The minimum stipulation made on offenders by V.I.O officers is Ten thousand Naira.
The same offence does not attract equal fines- the stipulation is left at the whim of the issuing officer.

most times the high rate is as result of need to meet ‘specified’ target by the officers involved.

Informants divulged the units earn commission on the volume of ‘earnings’ they make for the agency with their work.

And with all their offences bearing added directive of ‘impound vehicle’,  the officers have veritable premise to carry out their illegal acts.

According to a source ‘this development provides good platform for the agency to make good money everyday, many people do not want their car impounded for too long, so they most times prefer to quickly pay the fine than fight the system...’

Among the offences that attract the highest fines on their  duty list are Driving with a forged Drivers License, Driving without a Drivers License, Driving Commercial Vehicle without a certificate of road worthiness, Driving with forged vehicle particulars, Driving a motorcycle without a riders card and others. They all attract five thousand naira.

Unlike that of related law enforcement agency, Federal Road Safety Corp, offenders pay V.I.O fines at only one bank- Fidelity.

And according to informed sources the bank appears far from capable of judiciously executing this task.

Payees are mostly told servers are down-  and refer to other branches where they are mostly told to come back for ‘testament’ of payment the next day.

Most payees end up parading the bank complexes for two to three days before getting the document.

This development adds up another fee for the offender- the car which is immediately seized till the fine is paid is adjudged accruing demurrage the next morning of the incident. The charge sheet originally bears twenty four hours of grace.

The fee for the demurrage which ranges, based on the type of vehicle, is paid directly to individuals’ in charge.

This development was confirmed by an undercover reporter.

Investigations further revealed that the bulk of their victims are ‘arrested’ on the premise of forged Drivers License.

This development was confirmed by one of the V.I.O operatives based on a curious background ‘we know the Drivers License that didn’t come through us and one of the factors to look for it whether it was issued in Lagos or not!’

Aside the alleged tell tale sign of outside of Lagos State issuance, operatives spoken to could not make categorical claim on other factors that help to determine a fake Driver’s license.

The offence which eight out of every ten motorist flag down commits – based on V.I.O statistics- is determined by operatives by merely looking at the License!

On the issue of issuing fines beyond stipulated fee, the operatives all claimed that it is the norms!

Sources claimed that the special attention on Drivers License and issuance outside Lagos State is the fall out of the successful squashing of Lagos State Government’s move to produce Driver’s license by FRSC.

‘During the period of the brouhaha, most of the states agents moved to other states to manufacture their licenses- and some claimed the tagging of Licenses from outside Lagos by the state V.I.O as forged is a coercive measure to get agents to come patronize it’ a source analyzed.

 whether there is a direct link between the Office of the Governor and issuing of target to V.I.O officers on the field we are yet to ascertain 

Following last week’s passage of the Freedom of Information bill (FOI) in the House of Representatives, the senate may soon begin consideration of the bill for passage before the expiration of their term in May.

Ayogu Eze, Senate spokesman and chairman of senate committee on communication on whose desk the senate version of the bill is currently sleeping confirmed to NEXT on Monday that the senate will pass the bill like their counterparts in the lower house “soon”.

Mr Eze however, did not say when the senate intends to start the consideration of the bill which has passed second reading on its floor.

The FOI bill which was introduced in both chambers in 2007 was passed by members of the House of Representatives last week and renamed, the Right of Information Bill 2011. It was initially passed by the past Assembly but former President Olusegun Obasanjo refused to sign it into law before leaving office.

The bill primarily seeks to make public records and information more freely available and accessible. It provides a right of access to public information or record kept by governments or public institutions or private bodies carrying out public functions for Nigerians and non Nigerians in whatever form an applicant wants it, as long as it does not affect the preservation or presentation of the information.

The bill protects both the public records and information, and public officers who disclose information under the law. It compels public offices to keep accurate and up-to-date records of the activities and provides absolute access to public documents to applicants who do not need to demonstrate any specific interest in the information being applied for.

Following the passage of the bill at the House of Representatives, attention and pressure have been shifted to the Senate whose committee on information seems to be laid back on the bill. The House bill needs to be harmonised with the Senate’s version before it can be signed into law as a single document...

According Demeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the House, will send its version of the bill to the Senate, probably this week, for concurrence and harmonisation before it is forwarded to the president for assent.

If passed into law, the bill will establish a (new) right of any person to request information, “whether or not contained in any written form which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution.” Personal information and some classified information that might undermine the international integrity, security and (or) economic interest of Nigeria, and investigations by law enforcement agencies are exempted by the Act as passed by the House of Representatives.

Professionally privileged information such as legal practitioner-client, health worker-client, journalism confidentiality privileges and course or research materials are also exempted by the act.

Alhaji Abdulahi Adamu Usman is a pillar in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), being one of the financiers of the party. He used to be a close associate and die-hard supporter of the presidential candidate of the party, General Mohammadu Buhari (retd). That was then. Today, with the outcome of the primary elections of the party some which ended in controversies, Usman popularly called Dan China said the former Head of State was not the Mr. Integrity that Nigerians had known.

After winning the Bauchi State governorship primary election of the CPC, and his victory given to the person who came third, Dan China concluded that Nigerians have all along been overrating Buhari because “a man of integrity will not substitute a winner with a loser.” He spoke with Daily Sun in Abuja. Excerpts: ...

CPC primaries in Bauchi State.
I don’t know what went wrong. What I was thinking was that the leadership of CPC is a guaranteed leadership of General Muhammadu Buhari, which makes me to feel that there should be no cheating in CPC but I have found myself as a victim.

Results of the primaries
The results? I have them, they are very clear and they were publicised all over. Up till today, nobody has told me anything about it and I just keep quiet. I was thinking that Buhari as a truthful person can do something about it. From the stories I am hearing and from what I have been reading on the pages of newspapers, the victory of the primaries has been given to the person in the third position instead of me. This is against democracy, it is against the law. How do we achieve a free and fair election in this country with this kind of development? INEC also forbids this. The people’s choice must prevail and not just for some cabal either in CPC or anywhere else to pick anybody. It is the same party (CPC) that does not want me even after I have been declared winner of the primaries. The reasons for this I do not know. I went through the screening committee in Bauchi before the primaries without any problem.

What do you want the party to do now?
The party should understand that the person who is aspiring for the presidential position that is, Buhari, is killing the party. What is happening is that the people who are serious in supporting the party and supporting activities that will move the party and nation forward are being witch hunted by Buhari, and he is the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT). He supposed not to have allowed this to happen. If some members of a cabal in the party are given him wrong advice, he should not yield to it. He is supposed to be a man of his words and not to be allowed by some people in the party to manipulate him. I have the papers which he (Buhari) signed approving the election results but later confusion came into the issue which as a leader he should be up to the task. I am disappointed in him and I am still in shock.

What are the steps you are taking to claim your right?
I am still looking at what Buhari will do since he is claiming that he is a straight forward person. As someone who has been tested and trusted before, if now he is changing that calls for concern. May be his age is telling on him or he has brought some people into CPC that are bent on destroying the party. I do not know what is happening. Definitely they will go on destroying his character and credibility. I have seen nowhere he can go to and campaign now, almost in all the states he has popularity has been destroyed by him. You cannot blame the people that committed all these you blame the leader. How can I be substituted by another person who was at the third position meanwhile I won the primaries? It is fraud and it is uncalled for. I will not allow it.

Implication for CPC
You can see what is happening in Kano, Bauchi, Kastina and Kebbi states. Those are the strong states the party should not toy with but the reverse is the case. These areas are the major roots that have been destroyed now. CPC is losing credibility and urgent steps must be taken.

Legal option
I did not join politics on my own. I was called to join politics by my classmates, friends, well wishers and the people of Bauchi State. I cannot determine what to do because they are attacking me left and right, up and down everyday. I do not what decision they may come up with.

Do you sense any conspiracy?
I doubt much because I am a very known person not only in my state but in Nigeria. If anybody is deceiving himself thinking that Abudulahi Adamu is of only Bauchi State he is deceiving himself. I am known in the South, West, Meddle Belt and in the North, nobody can contest that because I have made it. I am a qualified mining engineer. In fact, in West Africa I can say for now nobody has the qualities, the potentials that I have. We are only five in West Africa when I graduated. I only watch and laugh those thinking that I am not educated. I do not care about them. I am a managing director of about five successful companies. I have never taken loan from anybody personally. I have never taken credit from any bank in Nigeria.

I have never borrowed money internationally, I do not owe anybody now. I did not collect any money from anybody. I started these companies personally through hard work. So, how can you explain or say that such a successful person who deals with labourers, expatriates cannot rule Nigeria let alone a small state like Bauchi? What is wrong with our people? I have worked in the Igbo land without any problem, and I am very popular there. I have worked in South West without problems, many can attest to that. I have maintained relative peace with people over there with my popularity. I have worked with the ex-militants in the Niger Delta region without any problem and somebody is saying that I cannot manage a small state like Bauchi. Why don’t they think that I can even rule Nigeria with my potentials? This is a slap and an embarrassment to my person.

CPC’s fortunes and Buhari’s presidential ambition
The truth of it is whether he likes it or not there is a saying that a Good Friday would have been determined by Wednesday. When the Wednesday is not good how do you think that the Friday will be good? Buhari was in the presidential race in 2003 and 2007, all those periods he was going to the tribunal after each election, why was he going to court then? Is it not to challenge the authenticity of the election that there was fraud perpetrated by some people? Now he is in charge in CPC and he is allowing people to be duped in many states where primaries were held, why? My election was free and fair. The CPC gubernatorial primaries were conducted on January 12, 2011 in Bauchi State.

Out of the three contestants, I, Abdullahi Adamu Usman emerged winner with over 336, 924 votes. The person following me, Nuhu Gidado had 109, 987, while the third person, Yusuf Tuggar had 93, 980 votes. After announcing the result it was signed by all the necessary authorities that were involved to affirm that the results were authentic. Few days later when the names were submitted to INEC the person who came third was the one whose name was submitted to the commission thereby denying me as the authentic winner of the primary. I have the papers with me for confirmation. This is fraud. Nobody assisted me with any money when I decided to join politics. If anybody claims that he or she assisted me financially the person should please come out publicly and confront me. Somebody who failed in the primaries, how will he win in the major election? He is the third person not even the second. He was just smuggled in and this I will not allow to happen.

Imposition of candidates
What they are saying is wrong. They have betrayed their rules and regulations because they are not following the constitution of CPC. The primaries were monitored by INEC and the results clearly written out.
 I started politics independently without a party. Later, I went to the CPC to ask if they can take me as a candidate and the party leadership told me to look for support. I was never told that they will hand pick candidates. INEC, State Security Service (SSS), Commissioner of Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence, (NSCDC) supervised this election and they have copies of the results. It was a hitch free and fair election. If the party leadership had informed me that they would pick candidates by themselves, I would have stood as independent candidate. Initially, when my posters were printed, it was without party logo. I would have stood as an independent candidate because INEC gave right to anybody who has the power to pay for independent ticket. If I had done that I would not be arguing with people now.

They have used me and dumped me. If I had known that it would turn out this way I have paid as independent candidate for the election. The party has cheated me. I have been creating job opportunities all over Nigeria. I do not discriminate when I want to help anybody.

Have you met Buhari one on one to find a solution to this problem?
I have met Buhari and the party. I have asked him. He did not give me a reasonable answer. What I want now is that I want to be independent if INEC will give me that opportunity. I want to pay that N100 million and run as an independent candidate. I will like to petition INEC and plead to disassociate myself from the cabal in the party. I am no more interested in any other party. Since Buhari has failed me, I have no more confidence in him and in any other person. Buhari was only person who ruled and I have confidence in. But he (Buhari) has betrayed that confidence and is unfortunate.

Have you been overrating Buhari?
I do not know what is wrong with Buhari, Is it old age? Or what? How can someone with a personality like him allow himself to be pushed around by some cabals in the party? People that have credibility in Nigeria and don’t think I would forget about being governor of Bauchi State. I have made a great mistake by not contesting with Buhari. If I knew this is what would happen, I would have challenged him as a presidential aspirant. I thought I should run for the governorship of Bauchi State to correct the failure of Governor Isa Yuguda.

The authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria has closed down the institution indefinitely following persistent violent demonstration by the students which had paralyzed academic activities.

It was gathered that seven security personnel of the institution were abducted by the students.

The students on Wednesday were directed to vacate the campus and their halls of residence with immediate effect while the matriculation ceremony scheduled for the same day had been postponed indefinitely.

The university officials had in the past three days prevailed on the students to stop the demonstration embarked upon over increase in the university acceptance fees from 2,000 to 20,000 and the alleged imposition of N1,600 Tertiary Health Insurance Scheme on all the students of the institution.

Speaking on the development, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Michael Faborode said, no institution can continue to tolerate criminal excesses of the students which had posed danger to its existence and safety of lives and properties of staff and students of the institution.

Faborode who spoke through the image maker of the institution, Mr. Abiodu Olanrewaju said, the N20,000 acceptance fees paid by fresh students should not be a license for students to embark on massive demonstration, saying that other fees charged by the institution remained what they were for the 2009/2010 session.

He said, even students in the Faculties of Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Dentistry and Pharmacy paid only N12,800 this session while students in other faculties paid amounts ranging from N5,000.00 to 10,000.00 respectively.

The Vice Chancellor noted that the university rules and regulation and the matriculation oats taken by the students did not give room for abduction and hooliganism, saying that no student under any guise had a right to either kidnap or abduct any member of the university community.

Story by Blessing Ogedengbe

SOLDIER RAPES, BATTERS LADY AT GRAVEYARD 

Miss Jane Adams, a 23-year-old student of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) is crying for justice. She is seeking help after a soldier serving at Bonny Camp, Lagos allegedly abducted and raped her at a dreaded cemetery within the Ojo Military Cantonment in Lagos.

The victim, who hails from Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, alleged that Lance Corporal Akparuku Clever, in the night of Saturday, January 22, abducted her in his danfo bus, marked LAGOS XY 230 EKY, and forcefully took her to a graveyard inside the Ojo Military Cantonment. There, she recalled, he allegedly pulled a dagger, threatened to injure or kill her and then raped her. It was during her intense struggle with him that she suffered a serious injury on her left eye, she said.

Aside from the alleged rape, Jane also accused the soldier of other diabolical intentions, saying he attempted to insert a charmed ring inside her private part.

In an interview with Daily Sun, the victim who still nurses the gruesome wounds allegedly inflicted on her by the soldier, described the incident as the worst experience of her life.

Narrating her ordeal, she said some hoodlums at Boundary area of Apapa had snatched her handbag while she was returning from work the previous day. But unknown to her, the loss of her bag was just a harbinger of some evil that was waiting to happen.

The lady worked with Halogen Security firm from where she was deployed to Oando Oil, Apapa terminal 2. It was on her way home after the day’s work that some hoodlums, popularly known as ‘Area Boys’ in Lagos, attacked her and snatched her bag containing her mobile phone and other valuables.

It was on that same ill-fated day that she coincidentally ran into an old friend of her elder brother, Goodnews, who later assisted her with N200.00. They later exchanged phone numbers and she went home.

According to Jane, her family formerly lived in the Ojo Barracks because her father, Mr Anakaun Ujon Adams, was a soldier until his death on January 9, 2009. It was after her father’s death that the bereaved family relocated from the area. Her mother, Eunice, went to live in Benue while she stayed back in Lagos with her elder sister at a private residence opposite the military barracks.

It was from her residence that she went to work in Apapa, and Goodnews, the Good Samaritan, later introduced her to Mr. Akparuku, a soldier serving at the DAOP Unit of the Army Headquarters, Bonny Camp.

Jane said the soldier never asked her for love, but they related only as casual friends until Saturday, January 22, when it dawned on her that friends could be deceitful.

According to her, she was returning from work late in the evening when she saw Goodnews and Akparuku drinking in a bar located opposite the barracks with some of their friends. Jane said she joined them on invitation and was offered a bottle of malt. But, according to her, hardly had she taken a sip of the chilled drink when some boys from their neighbourhood invaded the bar to make trouble.

Goodnews, she recalled, engaged the boys in a fight and efforts made to separate them failed. She said she considered running away from the scene but when she considered it as a betrayal to a friend that invited her for a free drink, she stayed behind. In her words, when the owner of the bar requested for her money, the soldier, Akparuku, pleaded with her to accompany him to a new generation bank located inside the military barracks to collected some money from the ATM machine to offset their bill. The victim said she didn’t suspect anything and entered the bus.

The first year student of Business Administration said the fog of excitement cleared from her eyes when the soldier refused to stop at the bank. And when she confronted him to stop the vehicle, he allegedly persuaded her to follow him to his house to collect his ATM card.

“I told him to stop the vehicle, so that I would get down but he refused. He kept on speeding. But when he got to the School of Music, there was a mound of sand there. I used that opportunity to jump down from the bus. But he came down and pursued me.

I started screaming for help but he caught up with me and started kicking, hitting and dragging me back to the bus. It was at that point that he hit me on my eye and I fell down in severe pains. Some soldiers intervened at that point but he told them that I stole his N10, 000. He didn’t allow me to explain to them because he knew he was lying. He rained blows on my face, slapping me on both sides. Even those that came to help me turned around and abused me for stealing his money and ordered me to follow him,” she said.

While the beating continued, the victim said other vehicles drove past them without bothering to stop. But one man, whom she suspected to be a senior officer, stopped and ordered Mr. Akparuku to immediately take her out of the barracks.

“I told that senior officer that I wouldn’t follow him any more because he might kill me. But the man encouraged me to follow him into the bus. At that point, tears were flowing uncontrollably from my wounded eye which began swelling rapidly. It was getting darker and I could hardly see. When we entered the bus, I didn’t know what happened next until he dragged me down. He told me that we were in a burial ground, a no-go area. He pulled a dagger and threatened to stab me dead if I ever resist him. Everywhere was dark. He tore off my clothes. I refused to open my legs for him, and we started struggling again. But he was much stronger. The dagger slashed my neck. There were wounds all over my body. Then he raped me,” she said.

Jane said the furious soldier throttled her so hard that she could hardly scream. “I lay helplessly on the ground,” she recalled. She said the soldier also threatened to kidnap and keep her out of sight forever, for daring to insult him.

Jane, who said the incident left her thoroughly humiliated and debased, recalled that her alleged rapist used no condom.

“Apart from the fear of HIV/AIDS, I was even more afraid because I was in my ovulation period,” she said. “After raping me, he took me back to the bus and told me he was from the Niger/Delta and that he had kidnapped me. He said my family would never see me again. I was so afraid that I couldn’t utter a word. But when we got to a place in the barracks called Fin Niger, I saw somebody with a torch. I jumped out of the vehicle and started calling on the man to save me. At that time, I was naked but I didn’t mind. Other people came, some of them were soldiers, and they took us to the military police. They locked him up in the guardroom and took me to the military hospital. I spent three days in the hospital before the doctor referred me to a specialist hospital for the treatment of my eye,” she explained.

A medical report issued by the military hospital and made available to Daily Sun, described the incident as an assault occasioning bodily harm. But the victim is accusing the army authorities of trying to water down the rape charge so that the victim would receive light punishment.

“He raped me. He penetrated me and released his semen inside me. How can I lie and expose myself to this shame if it is not true? Even the man confessed that he did it. The doctor that examined me that night knows the truth. All I want is justice,” she said.

Jane said another lady also suffered a similar fate in the same location and was brought to the same military hospital. According to her, the lady, presumably in her early 20s, equally claimed to have been raped by unknown men at the same graveyard. Aside from having several rounds of unprotected sex, the perverts added a gory dimension to their crime by forcing an empty bottle into her private part. She spent the night unconscious in the cemetery until some passers-by took her to the military hospital. She was referred to an undisclosed specialist hospital when doctors at the barracks could do nothing to save her life, she said.

Although Jane said she was certified negative when she went for a pregnancy test, perpetual fear still gnaws at her mind, as she feels she might have contracted the dreaded HIV. She said her HIV status could only be properly diagnosed after six months.

Since the incident happened, Jane said she has been seeking legal aid, but lacks the required financial power and counsel.

Aside her financial constraints, the young lady said she is also facing constant threats from unknown persons who have vowed to deal with her for rejecting conciliatory steps engineered by the accused. According to her, a member of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), warned her recently to be more careful because some people are out to silence her forever.

Daily Sun undercover reporter visited Ojo Barracks on Friday, February 12 to get more details of the sex crime. At the military duty room where the accused was detained, the detainee chart spelt out the offence of assault and rape against Lance Corporal Akparuku Clever, who was the third on the chart. The chart also had seven other soldiers charged and detained for other misdemeanours.

The reporter, in an attempt to get the details of the offence, claimed to be a relation of the victim, who has come to broker a peace deal. Looking suspiciously at the reporter, the officer on duty ordered the visitors to wait outside the office for his colleague that has the keys to the guardroom. It took some couple of minutes before the accused was brought out from his cell.

On seeing Jane, the soldier’s eyes fell as he sat down on the wooden bench in front of the office. The journalist was able to convince him that the family of the victim had finally agreed to settle the case. The bait caught the suspect. He sounded remorseful as he reeled out his confession. He pleaded with the victim to name her price in order to save his career. He argued that his detention in cell had done either party no good, moreso as his commercial bus had been impounded by the authorities. It was while the soldier was pleading with the victim to withdraw the case that the reporter stealthily took his photograph, a Herculean task because of the presence of other soldiers.

Akparuku, with Force Number 03NA/63/197, disclosed that he was a native of Bayelsa State, a married man with five children. His pregnant wife, he said, was almost due and had travelled home with the children shortly after the incident for the burial of her grandmother.

Looking downcast and unkempt, Akparuku said misfortunes had been trailing him from his village since he took his danfo bus home. The army authorities, he noted, had since confiscated the bus which the victim alleged was used to abduct her.

Akparuku claimed it was not in a graveyard that the incident happened and denied any plan to use the victim for rituals. But the victim, who had been playing along to enable the reporter get details of the case, lost her temper and shouted him down for being economical with the truth. To keep the accused in high spirits, the journalist promised to prevail on the victim to withdraw her case entirely from the military police so that he would be released from the guardroom.

At the Ojo Military Police office, the reporter also met the Officer-in-Charge, Lieutenant Colonel, W.F. David, who assured the victim that investigations were on-going. Although he declined giving details of the action the military would take against the accused, one of the investigators said the accused would never go unpunished.

Efforts made to get official comments of the Nigerian Army failed. When the reporter contacted one of the commanding officers at the cantonment, one Captain Sanni, he said he was not aware of the incident since it happened outside his unit. According to him, there were about 14 units in the Army, which makes it difficult for him to know what happened in other units.

Also, the spokesman for Brigade 9 of the Nigerian Army, Lagos, Captain Olaolu Daudu, said he was not aware of the incident but assured that since the accused was still in military custody, the matter would be properly investigated.

However, the victim said her wounds would continue to fester unless the Army authorities heed her cry for justice. She said her tears would continue to flow until the man who subjected her to such physical, psychological and emotional torture earns his deserved punishment.

Will Miss Jane Adams ever receive justice? The whole world waits.

NaturesPlatform- Man, like his fellow primates, has always used the squatting position for elimination. Infants of every culture instinctively adopt this posture to relieve themselves. Although it may seem strange to someone who has spent his entire life deprived of the experience, this is the way the human body was designed to function..

And this is the way our ancestors performed their bodily functions until the middle of the 19th century. Before that time, chair-like toilets had only been used by royalty and the disabled. But with the advent of indoor plumbing in the 1800’s, the throne-like water closet was invented 22 to give ordinary people the same “dignity” previously reserved for kings and queens. The plumber and cabinet maker who designed it had no knowledge of human physiology – and sincerely believed that they were improving people’s lives..

Seven Advantages of Squatting

The new device symbolized the “progress” and “creativity” of western civilization. It showed that Man could “improve” on Nature and transcend the primitive cultural practices followed by the poor “benighted” natives in the colonies. The “White Man’s Burden” typified the condescending Victorian attitude toward other races and cultures.

Squat appendages to home toilets are being reintroduced on recommendation of medical personnel.

The British plumbing industry moved quickly to install indoor plumbing and water closets throughout the country. The great benefits of improved sanitation caused people to overlook a major ergonomic blunder: The sitting position makes elimination difficult and incomplete, and forces one to strain.

Those who could not overlook this drawback had to keep silent, because the subject was considered unmentionable. Furthermore, how could they criticize the “necessary” used by Queen Victoria herself? (Hers was gold-plated, befitting the self-styled “Empress of India.”)

Sitting vs squatting {naturesplatform}

So, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, the water closet was tacitly accepted. It was a grudging acceptance, as evidenced by the popularity of “squatting stools” sold in the famous department store, Harrods of London. As shown below on the left, these footstools merely elevated one’s feet in a crude attempt to imitate squatting.

The rest of Western Europe, as well as Australia and North America, did not want to appear less civilized than Great Britain, whose vast empire at the time made it the most powerful country on Earth. So, within a few decades, most of the industrialized world had adopted “The Emperor’s New Throne.”

150 years ago, no one could have predicted how this change would affect the health of the population. But today, many physicians blame the modern toilet for the high incidence of a number of serious ailments. Westernized countries have much higher rates of colon and pelvic disease, as illustrated by this report in the Israel Journal of Medical Science:

The prevalences of bowel diseases (hemorrhoids, appendicitis, polyps, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease, and colon cancer) are similar in South African whites and in populations of prosperous western countries. Among rural South African blacks with a traditional life style, these diseases are very uncommon or almost unknown.

By Osagie Alonge

As R&B star, Darey gears up to release his double disc album in a matter of days,NET has exclusive news that the popular R&B singer-songwriter has collaborated with Nigerian-American rapper Chamillionaire to record a remix to one of his singles.

Sources say Darey, who’s enjoying massive on-air support for his singles ‘The way you are’, ‘Sisi eko’ and ‘Ba ni kdi’, has recorded a remix of ‘The way you are’, with the Grammy award-winning rapper Chamillionaire who even spiced up his lyrics with Yoruba language.

‘They hooked up on the internet’ an insider tells NET. And it is believed it was Cham that contacted Darey.

Born to a Nigerian father, 31 year-old Chamillionaire (real name Hakeem Seriki) is an American rapper mostly known for his monster hit ‘Ridin’’ (featuring Krayzie Boneof Bone Thugs n Harmony) which earned him the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006, and a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2007.

Critics say the remix with Chamillionaire might very well see Darey who is an ambitious singer, launch his career and presence into the global scene as he has already announced plans for a 2011 UK release, followed by a US project.

‘The Chamillionaire collabo was not planned at all, it came as a surprise. The ones we were really planning are still in the pipeline. Once these come through, and we have a go-ahead, we’ll definitely let you know…’, one of his associates tells us.

The 2011 Liveabililty Ranking and Overview has rated Lagos city as the fourth worst city to live in. Last year, the city ranked fifth after an assessment of living conditions in 140 cities around the world using 30 indicators across five broad categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

This was revealed in the latest summary of the EIU Liveability survey for the year 2010 where the state depreciated further from the fifth worst city it was ranked in 2009. With sub-indicators for each of factors such as the availability and quality of both private and public health care coupled with general health indicators, while prevalence of petty/violent crimes with threat of civil unrest/militancy are evaluated for the stability indicator.

The incessant rush-hour traffic congestion on major roads of the metropolis; insufficient low-cost housing, and its attendant impact on the housing needs of the rapidly growing population are glaring examples of the strained infrastructure needs of the city under the infrastructure indicators.

Lagos was ranked 137 in the list of 140 countries surveyed. The city with a population of 18million people had an overall rating of 39.0. The state also earned the score of 25 in stability, 33.3 in both education and health care and an above average score of 52.3 for culture and environment. The recent huge investments by the state government in infrastructure earned the state a score of 48.2.

However the deputy state governor, Sarah Sosan, who oversees the Ministry of Education disagreed with last year’s ranking stating that, “I don’t think the standard of education is low.” She said this during a press briefing held to mark the third anniversary of the current administration. “We need to improve on factors and we’ve been doing that through the rehabilitation of science laboratories, provision of libraries, putting of furniture in place, and so on. We are also aggressively putting structures in place to reduce congestion in our schools.”

On the first position of the worst city to live in the world is the Zimbabwean capital; Harare which was closely followed by Dhaka-the Bangladeshi capital which is currently hosting the cricket world cup and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. Other cities on the bottom of the table are Algiers, Karachi, Tehran, Dakar and Colombo. The bottom list was populated mainly by African and Asian cities.

Vancouver again

Vancouver in Canada remained at the top of the ranking, as it did last year and according to the EIU; the position was maintained by the “successful hosting of the 2010 winter Olympics and Paralympics, which provided a boost to the infrastructure and culture and environment categories.”

The Australian city of Melbourne rises to become the second highest ranked city with Vienna; the Austrian capital coming third.

Two other Canadian cities; Toronto and Calgary completed the top five cities most suitable to live in the world according to the EIU liveability survey.

NEXT called up the senior special assistant to the Lagos state government on media; Hakeem Bello but he declined comment saying he will have to get across to the Ministry of Economic Planning which will be privy to such statements before the state government can adequately react to it.

Respondents who reacted to the previous ranking of Lagos were unanimous that the city has enjoyed a fairly stable atmosphere despite its peculiar characteristic as a meeting point for diverse ethnic groups. Yoruba residents in the state are particularly known for their goodwill and cheer, which gives rise to the numerous parties that dot the metropolis during weekends, and even, on some cases, work days. “Lagos is like a house of everything; a mix of everything,” said Justyna Kita, a Polish citizen from Krakow who was an intern at the Murtala Muhammed Foundation

“There is the traffic, the generators, and so much noise. But the people are very friendly and open. They shake my hands in the streets, and are always singing and dancing. I have made so many friends here, and I don’t miss my home for now.” A sociologist, Uwadiegwu Otisi, attributed the city’s stability as a factor responsible for its massive population growth. “Despite the aggression displayed by most Lagos residents, the city has won accolades as a peaceful city,” he said. “And I think it has been a major form of attraction to so many people who decided to relocate to Lagos. A lot of southerners have relocated to Lagos due to the incessant religious skirmishes in the north.”..

Ugandan president to release rap album

watch Rap Here  Rap

http://www.9jamovies.com/play.php?vid=1104

"Museveni:You want another Rap ? Crowd: Yes Sevo ! "

President Yoweri Museveni says he might release an album after a rap he performed became a smash hit on Uganda’s radio stations and in its nightclubs. “I was very happy with the reaction of the youth because that means they are very thirsty for the music of their ancestors,” the 67-year-old told a news conference before elections on Friday.

“So after the election you may get quite a big album of the classics.” The leader, nicknamed ‘M7’, performed two children’s folk chants from his birthplace in Western Uganda at several election rallies over the last few months -- ‘Naatema akati’ (I cut a stick) and ‘Mp’enkoni’ (Give me the stick).Record producers then mixed the performances with hip-hop beats.

“Those poems which I gave to the youth are classical poems from the colonial times” Museveni told reporters. “There are quite a number of other songs and recitals which I will make available to them.”

• simply transilated as follows:

  Verse 1: The stick I cut strayed into Igara where Ntambiko reigns. Ntambiko gave me a knife which I gave to millet harvesters, who gave me millet, that I gave to a hen, which gave me an egg, that I gave to children who gave me a monkey that I gave to the king, who gave me a cow that I used to marry my wife.

  She gave me a child I called Mugarura who raided back what belonged to me and my fathers.

  
  

• Verse 2:

  Give me my stick! Invaders from Ngarama have arrived, shaking their bums like Rutendegyere. May thunder strike Rutendegyere from above where there is abundance that helps the rhinoceros to thrive. The rhinoceros feeds but reamins ready for a buffalo attack. The buffalo, whose meat is salty. The salt that comes from Nsharira deep inside the kingdom.

Glo ‘Naija Sings’ Winner out with single

Casey Ed , winner of the Glo sponsored show ‘Naija Sings’ is out with a new single titled ‘Sweetness’. The song produced by Nigerian producer TY-Mix is laced with a lot of moving Hip Hop beats. The 27 year old Warri, Delta state indigene won the coveted $100, 000, a Toyota Rav4 SUV and he’s now a Glo Ambassador after beating other finalists Rasine and Da brodas to the trophy at the grand finale which took place at the MNET Studios in Lagos December last year.

J’odie drops new video

Nigerian Singer, J’odie has released her first video, for her newest single titled ‘Kuchi Kuchi’ (Oh Baby). The video was shot on location in Lagos and directed by Toka McBaror.. Singer and Jewellery designer, J’odie hit the limelight as a contestant on West African Idols in 2007, alongside Timi Dakolo and Omawumi.

J’odie who has worked with the likes of Timi Dakolo and producers, Cobhams and TY Mix has also performed at various events including the House on the Rock carol service 2010, This Present House (The Dome, Lekki), and La Vita Nuova 2010

Ty Bello is back with ‘The Future’

Nigerian singer and photographer Ty Bello is back with two new singles titled ‘The Future’ and ‘The Future remix’ featuring Mr Fischer. Speaking about the inspiration behind the tracks, the singer said, ‘‘I committed myself to writing a jubilee song for Nigeria , what reinforced my passion was the Abuja bomb blast on December 31,2010. The inhumanity of the perpetrators moved me in writing the song , in my view, the bomb blast was a metaphor of the hopelessness and impending tragedy that might be ahead if we do not become more engaged in building the country we desire. I realize that the crisis in the nation is beyond the political. My hope is that as you listen to this song, you will be stirred and realise that the future that we dream of is not way ahead of us’’.

The video for ‘The Future’ was shot on Sunday, February 27 by Kemi Adetiba..

1) We didnt Vote for him, because we didnt know.

2) We didnt know that he supervised and birthed our only existing refineries.

3)We didnt know that what he did in road construction while in the PTF hasnt beenmatched by 12yrs of the PDP, even though we claimed they were lopsided.

4)We didnt know that in his time ashead of state he reduced inflation from 23% to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team (not achieved under any other era, even military).

5)We didnt know that there wasno religious crisis while he led.

6)We didnt know that JJ Rawlings ofGhana took over 2yrs before him, and killed all the corrupt leaders, while GMB merely gave his own, long term jail sentences.

7)We didnt know that the hospitals and universities around the country neverwitnessed as much benefits they got from the PTF from any government after or before his time.

8)We did not know, that this man had been in all the oil sectors in Nigeria, has No Petrol Station, much less a refinery or an oil rig like so many of our leaders..

We never voted him, because we did not know.
Now YOU Know…
Join Us today if you want to know more, thediscussions are getting heated
We didn't know that he supervised and birthed our only existing refineries. 

But now we know,  We know that he has followership in the north that money can't buy. We know that those who follow him are poor, and follow him out of hope and belief in his values. I have met old men who know him, who have said,  "All I need from Buhari is his word, I can take it to the bank". Now we know that here is someone that has been in everything to make him a Dan-Something, but didn't take the road. We feared he was an Islamic fundamentalist, but he challenged us to provide any human being who can point at anything he did to show the same. His Cook and Drivers,  two roles that can be influenced to have your life are Christians. In his passion for discipline, he has pulled down mosques, punished emirs, and followed principles over the respect of people. Then this year, to the utter shock of the world, he picks the most radically outspoken no nonsense Christian Preacher in Nigeria to be his vice. Now we know, that it's about the values, not religion and certainly not the fact that he becomes the first (correct me if I'm wrong) Nigerian president without multiple wives or an array of concubines.

Now We know that what he did in road construction while in the PTF hasn't been matched by 12yrs of the PDP, even though we claimed they were lopsided. 
Now We know that in his time as head of state he reduced inflation from 23% to 4%, by fiscal discipline and a homegrown economic team (not achieved under any other era, even military). 
Now We know that there was no religious crisis while he led. 
Now We know that JJ Rawlings of Ghana took over 2yrs before him, and killed all the corrupt leaders, while GMB merely gave his own, long-term jail sentences. 
Now We know that the hospitals and universities around the country never witnessed as much benefits they got from the PTF from any government after or before his time. Now We know, that this man has been in all the oil sectors in Nigeria, has no petrol station, much less a refinery or an oil rig like so many of our leaders. We never voted him, because we did not know.

What We Know About the Others:

Business mogul Aliko Dangote, telecoms magnate Mike Adenuga and Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki, among others, yesterday made the campaign team of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Former Director-General of the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organisation heads the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), which will be inaugurated by acting National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Bello Haliru Mohammed in Abuja today.

Also on board are loyalists of former presidential aspirants Ibrahim Babangida and Abubakar Atiku. Atiku lost the party’s ticket to Jonathan at the January 13 convention after Babangida, Saraki and Aliyu Gusau stepped down for him following his emergence as North’s consensus candidate.

He was picked by the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) headed by  Mallam Adamu Ciroma.

Babangida’s and Atiku’s loyalists may have been appointed in line with Jonathan’s promise to accommodate his opponents in his campaign.

Former Director-General of the Babangida Campaign organisation, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, is a member of the PCC Publicity Committee. He will also serve as one of the resource persons for the presidential campaign.

Saraki is the chairman of the Reconciliation Committee with pro-Atiku campaigner and former Senate President Ken Nnamani as member.

The wife of the leader of the NPLF and PDP’s National Woman Leader, Hajia Ina Ciroma, is also a member of the Reconciliation Committee. Former Governor of Ondo State Olusegun Agagu and former Minister of Information Prof. Jerry Gana are also members. 

Others in the committee are Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Alabo Graham Douglas, Senator Ladan Shunni and Ambassador Aminu Wali.

The Publicity Committee also has some prominent publishers including Comfort Obi of the Source Magazine and Dennis Sami of Nigeria Pilot as members.  

Names of some aides of the President feature on the list, but former Director of Media of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign organisation, Sully Abu is missing on the list.

Dangote, Adenuga, Femi Otedola, Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, Tony Elumelu, Alhaji Kashim Bukar; Chief Emeka Offor; Alhaji Sayyu Dantata; Jim Ovia; Dahiru Manga and Kola Salako are on the donor’s list.

Former Chairman of PDP’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Chief Tony Anenih will serve as the Campaign Adviser. Former PDP national secretary Chief Ojo Maduekwe is Secretary.

The six geo-political zones will be co-ordinated by governors that did the same job for Jonathan before the January 13 convention.

They are Governors Liyel Imoke of Cross River State (Southsouth), Martin Elechi, Ebonyi (Southeast), Gbenga Daniel, Ogun (Southwest), Gabriel Suswam, Benue (Northcentral), Isa Yuguda, Bauchi (Northeast) and Ibrahim Shema, Katsina (Northwest).

Senate President David Mark, Speaker Dimeji Bankole, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekwerenmadu and the Deputy Speaker Usman Nafada are all expected to co-ordinate the National Assembly for the PCC.

Former Inspector-General of Police Mike Okiro heads the security committee; leading industrialist Oba Otudeko chairs the Finance and Fund Raising Committee.  

The Inter-Party Relations Committee to handle affairs concerning parties that adopted Jonathan as their standard-bearer is headed by Chief Ebenezer Babatope.