Saturday, 16 July 2016
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Saturday, 11 June 2016
Read how Nigerian first ladies should behave
Editor’s note: In this piece, Nkechi Odoma writes on attributes of the wife of a president of Nigeria, popularly known as Nigeria’s first lady. She also list the achievements of most of the first ladies Nigeria has had since the time of military head of state, Ibrahim Babagandia.
Former first lady of Nigeria, Maryam Babangida Nigeria has had its fair share of first lady drama. Ordinarily the position is more of a ceremonial one that has no constitutional recognition but ever since the late Maryam Babagida stepped in as first lady, there was not going to be a dim in the spotlight on the “office of the first lady” as we call it in Nigeria.
Maryam Babaginda was glamour personified, her ‘Better Life for Rural Women’ pet project won the hearts of many rural and even urban women across the country, it was the first time the pet project of the wife of a president or head of state will be so popular.
From Maryam Babangida to Maryam Abacha’s Family Support Program (FSP) it was clear to Nigerians that the “office of the first lady” was not going to be a quiet push over any longer.
Former first lady, Maryam Abacha I for one appreciate the helping hand that first ladies lend to their spouses while in office as long as it is done within the dictates of the law. Apart from the positive impacts these programs have on the lives of the people, it also helps to create more awareness for women empowerment across the country.
Since the return to civil rule in 1999, Nigeria is under the fourth administration and consequently we have had four spouses of the first citizen namely late Mrs Stella Obasanjo, Hajia Turai Yar’Adua, Dame Patience Jonathan and presently, Hajia Aisha Buhari.
Stella Obasanjo’s time in Aso Rock as first lady was remarkably tame. This was probably due to the fact that her husband, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as some will want to put it, was himself overbearing so there was no space for any first lady to take any stage at all let alone the center stage.
Hajai Turai Yar Adua’s time was not quiet though, and I think this was mainly due to the state of her husband’s health. With the then President Umaru Yar’Adua’s health in bad shape I would imagine his wife’s support was needed more. I guess this was why she was accused of several things including heading a cabal, shielding the president away from people to the point where some even accused her of running the country by proxy.
After the demise of President Yar’Adua came the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, who obviously was unprepared. Dame Patience Jonathan’s reign as first lady opened another chapter in the first lady episode.
She was not one of those that would go unnoticed. She has been accused of a lot, from cutting business deals with businessmen and lobbyists to actually interfering in appointment processes of offices as high as ministerial positions and even dictating who got the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship tickets in a few states.
She was as visible as the visible. The list of her entourage to foreign trips were points of discussion for several weeks sometimes months. Any state she visited went into lock-down and her influence grew to the point where she could “summon” stakeholders in the Chibok girl abduction to come and “state their problems” . Patience had a running battle with the then governor of River state, Rotimi Ameachi, which was to eventually result in her husband’s political misfortune. She was indeed very politically active. Her conduct during the initial stage of the missing Chibok girls saga was heavily condemned in some quarters as insensitive, she addressed a gathering on the issue that produced the now popular phrase “Na only you waka come?”
Former first lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan This has been the experience of Nigerians with first ladies before now and the expectation was that the position will further grow in influence; hence the displeasure of those who think a position without constitutional backing shouldn’t grow to become that powerful.
Then came Mrs Aisha Buhari, she was a fresh introduction into the mix beginning from the campaign trail, her first major appearance during the campaign was at the Ogun state presidential campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Abeokuta, she was an “instant hit” .
The news out was that the general was very reluctant to release his wife to join the campaign perhaps due to cultural beliefs. She was graceful throughout the campaign period.
A clear departure from the growing vanity around spouses of presidents was Mrs Buhari’s decision to shelve the appellation of “first lady” for wife of the President; which to me is quite logical since she is officially Mr President’s wife while the concept of first lady is alien to the laws of the land. The humility in going this route has only boosted her gracefulness in my eyes.
Interestingly, adopting a modest approach as the wife of the president has not in any way affected her ability to touch lives. She has spent her time visiting and donating relief materials to victims of the insurgency and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). She has visited Borno, Nassarawa and Plateau states in pursuit of this objective.
Her program and activities largely revolve around helping out IDPs, women and less privileged. I have not heard that she has travelled on any foreign trip with the president; she has held the position and office with decorum and class.
I am therefore amazed at stories on some online media making spurious allegations against Mrs Aisha Buhari.
They have futilely tried to accuse her of corruption and have added other fables that cannot withstand the slightest interrogation.
More recently there were efforts to make it look like she helped Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello secure positive outcomes from the Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal by giving bribes to judges. Like previous attempts, this allegation too failed to stick for the simple reason that it was false.
But I only wish those peddling these stories would have realized by now that Mrs Aisha Buhari is a league apart from what they have been used to.
Great men marry women that share their vision and our own President Muhammadu Buhari couldn’t have done differently. For a man who constantly strives to do right he would have taken his time to make his wife buy into his vision and the output is what we see Mrs Buhari exhibiting.
Those who are expecting a repeat of the husband losing public trust because of the wife’s excesses in the current government can find a different pastime as the Buharis have convinced me they are above such pettiness.
My advice to them and other Nigerians is that we should leave Mrs Buhari alone as she continues to make the position of the spouse of number one citizen an ordinary affair that connects with the average right thinking citizen. I definitely don’t want to return to the days of imperial first ladies. Odoma is the national coordinator, Africa Arise for Change Network and contributed this piece from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Naij.com or its editors.
MUST READ: Saraki reveals what you never knew about the Senate
Senate president Bukola Saraki in this interview with journalists recently including Naij.com’s Michael Abimboye spoke on various issues including the achievements of the Senate in the last one year, Senate’s plan going forward, his CCT trial amongst others. Senate President Bukola Saraki How would you describe your experience in the last one year?
I give a lot of thanks to our creator, mighty God for giving one the opportunity. Whatever you say, it is an honour, an opportunity. It is not bestowed on many. To have been able to achieve that, one is honoured. Based on that, everyday one is grateful for that opportunity.
It reminds me of when I was governor in Kwara State; I used to say that every day. What was driving me was that I was counting the days when the job would end. The day it ends I want to be able to say that I did this and that. I don’t want to end the job and say hey, I wished I had done this and that.
I am one that is focused on what needs to be done. I believe this is a new challenge. This is so because one played a very key role in bringing about this government. At the beginning a lot of people used to tell me, why are you wasting your time? Have you ever heard of anybody defeating a sitting government? They would advise me not to waste my time.
They would say, ‘you can’t win, you are just going to endanger yourself, you are going nowhere.’ Even a lot of our friends in the media, out of respect they would listen to me. But they would say ‘this Oga, you are so optimistic; you will defeat a sitting government, with what?
But we achieved that with the commitment of Nigerians. I feel one is carrying on his shoulder a lot of responsibility. I know what people sacrificed in making this happen. I believe that motivates one to see that we make a difference and everyday, that is what drives me.
I wouldn’t say I underestimated what is happening, I expected the challenges when you are trying to make a change. This is more on the legislative angle. That is where the change is because Nigerians have been used to the executive and the judiciary.
The youngest of the three arms is the legislature. The one that people don’t understand the most is the legislature. The one people cannot see how it connects to their daily life is the legislature.
An average man or woman in Nigeria knows how the executive affects his or her life. When a minister makes an announcement that we have now raised the duty on car importation or the exchange rate has gone up to this and that , they know what that means. It is so for the judiciary.
They know that this judge can rule for or against if they have a case. They do not understand what the lawmakers are doing. That makes our work more challenging. I am very hopeful that by the time we are done, we will be able to change this perception.
Is this the Senate you had in mind when you vied for the presidency? Can it propel Nigeria to the destination the people are aspiring?
I very much believe so. I was in the 7th Senate for four years; I followed the activities of the National Assembly. I believe that where we are now, the groups of senators we have are focused, patriotic and they are committed to solving Nigeria’s problems. They are patriotic because this is the first time we have a Senate that is much divided, the majority is very slim.
You can’t really compare it to the previous Senate. You have a Senate with this slim majority, everyday should be chaotic, and the senators should be up in arms.
But in the last one year, anytime we discussed national issues, issues that have to do with the economy, senators have jettisoned their political leanings and have presented themselves as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Right from the time we screened ministers, looked at budget, they acted like senators of Federal Republic of Nigeria and not that of APC or PDP.
Legislative arm is belief in processes. Sometimes the substance might be good but once you miss it, you derail. Just like the judiciary, if you miss the process it is out. The senators have shown a lot of maturity, patriotism and support. Nobody would even know that there is a slim majority. Without that support, that unity, majority of the issues we want to discuss especially those that border on reforms of this country cannot take place.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki They think of Nigeria first. I am happy and honoured by the support they have given me. I am confident that as we move ahead we would build on our achievements. We would ensure that major issues that ordinarily should be discussed on party lines because of their controversial nature are looked at from nationalistic point of view.
We have been doing that. Look at the supplementary budget, under a normal circumstance, would not have passed if the senators wanted to go along party lines. But they rose beyond that, they saw themselves first as senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. If you see the work we have done in the last one year despite a lot of distraction, it shows that it is a Senate that has the roadmap.
We are not just coming to the Senate to jump from one issue to another. We are focusing largely on the economy, how we can address things that would make Nigeria a better place, create jobs for our people, improve the economy and make the country investment friendly.
Boko Haram raids another village, kills four women
The local vigilantes supposed that the insurgents came after the men, but unable to find them killed their wifes Local vigilantes, who are helping Nigerian army, have said that the deadly Boko Haram sect stormed a village near Maiduguri, killing at least four women.
AFP reports that 14 Boko Haram fighters on seven motorcycles raided Mairari village, 80 kilometres from the Borno state capital, on June 10, Friday and took four women from their housed and slit their throats.
The victims were aged between 27 and 45. “ They went into four homes while residents were breaking their fast around 7:00 pm, brought out the four women and slaughtered them, ” Babakura Kolo, a vigilante in Maiduguri told reporters.
“ We believe the killings were targeted, the gunmen were from all indications after the husbands of the women ,” he added. “They killed the women when they didn’t find their husbands”.
Musa Ari, another vigilante, also confirmed the development: “ The general feeling is that the women’s husbands either refused to accept Boko Haram’s invitation to join their ranks or the group suspects them of passing information about them to the authorities.”
Boko Haram has been blamed for forcing Nigerians to join its fighters or get killed. The deadly sect has kidnapped thousands of people, comprising women and children who it used as conscripts, suicide bombers and sex slaves.
The insurgents have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced some 2.6 million since 2009
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Stop making a jest of President Buhari’s sickness – Kukah
The cleric stated that a former US President, Ronald Reagan, suffered from Alzheimer’s disease but nobody knew what the former president was going through.
The man of God said: “ I do not think that the health of any Nigerian should be the subject of politics or speculations.
“It is something I find so troubling because nobody does the things we do in Nigeria.
“Reagan was suffering from Alzheimer’s and for the greater part of ten years nobody had the slightest idea, what was happening to Reagan.”
“I think the question we should be asking is: what right do people have to express themselves?’ We are in a democracy and people should be allowed to express themselves because ours is a representative democracy.
“There are representatives and if people want to stop being a part of Nigeria there is a process for achieving that.”
“The second point is that we cannot speculate as to intentions and motives unless you legitimately bring a person to court and say why have you done X Y Z? You can only speculate.
And I don’t think we should be depending on speculations.” Bishop Kukah said the Nigerian problems were partly because its founding fathers tampered with the provincial system government.
The cleric further stated that another key challenge of Nigeria’s democracy was the lack of citizens’ participation in governance.
President Buhari’s health became a subject of allegations last month after his repeated suspension of scheduled official visits as well as denials by his aides.
On June 6, the Nigerian leader proceeded on ten- day vacation to London for rest and medical check-up.
Niger Delta militants announce ceasefire, demand immediate release of Kanu
The new militant group Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), which claimed affiliation with Niger Delta Avengers, has announced ceasefire, TheCable reports.
The militants had earlier vowed to launch six missiles in the region and to also lock down Nigeria’s airspace, but it said it resolved to do otherwise after the federal government proposed talks.
Meanwhile, the group said government would have to follow its demand if it wants the peace to be continued.
READ ALSO: Tompolo writes from hiding, begs Niger Delta Avengers to stop bombings JNDLF listed demands that comprised the immediate release of former national security adviser Sambo Dasuki, setback of the order to freeze the bank accounts of the former militant leader Tompolo, formation of Matitime University in Okerenkoko, Delta stateand others.
The group said in a statement: “ We shall continue to engage in dialogue if our demands are met. Our representatives for the dialogue, especially the governors and others will not betray our demands with the federal government. Any betrayal on their own part shall be viewed as betrayal of the entire region and we shall go after them immediately as they know our mode of operation in which they will not escape from us.
“There is no gainsaying that we made our earlier promise to launch six missiles simultaneously against some targeted areas. But this was waved aside as a result of appeals made to us through email by the federal government and some international nations to open talks with Buhari.
“We saw some genuine aspiration on the part of Buhari, who made several contacts to us to see reason with them over the issue of under- development of the region. And since he (Buhari) had set the ball rolling for a clear negotiation with us, there is no problem without solution.
We have therefore declared ceasefire in order to negotiate with the government if it is a true reflection of what they have in mind to develop the Niger Delta region.”
The demands of the militants also comprise:
– Implementation of the report of the 2014 national conference
– Removal of Paul Boroh, coordinator of the presidential amnesty programme and should be replaced with Dr. Felix Tuodolo who has been in the struggle of non-violence since 1980 and he was the designer of the amnesty programme
– Ready to negotiate with the federal government for the sake of monetary benefit to us but how genuinely the government will develop the region is at the centre of our discussion and anything less than that we will continue our struggle without further warning to the federal government
– Immediate release of IPOB leader and Biafra Radio Director, Nnamdi Kanu.
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Thursday, 19 May 2016
Zika virus could spread in coming months – WHO
Zika virus is expected to spread in Europe within the next few months, the World Health Organisation has disclosed.
First seen in Brazil last year, the mosquito-borne virus has been detected in more than 50 countries and has been linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect marked by unusually small head size.
In an assessment, WHO Europe, which made the assessment, said aalthough it has classified the risk of an outbreak at low to moderate, the risk should not be underestimated.
It is highest on the island of Madeira and the Black Sea coast of Russia and Georgia, where the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that are responsible for most of the infections are indigenous.
But the risk is still considered moderate in 18 countries where a different mosquito, Aedes albopictus, breeds. Although this mosquito is not as efficient at spreading the virus as Aedes aegypti, it has been shown to be a potential transmitter of the virus in Africa, Mexico and in lab experiments.
France is the most likely to have a Zika outbreak among those countries with a moderate risk, because of factors including the density of its urban population, WHO Europe said.
It is followed by Italy, Malta, Croatia, Israel, Spain, Monaco, San Marino, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Georgia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The risk in the UK is low.
The WHO assessment concerns the likelihood of the virus spreading in late spring to summer if nothing is done to stop it. It is based on the presence of Zika virus-transmitting mosquitoes, a suitable climate for establishment of mosquitoes, a history of transmission of dengue or chikungunya, ship and flight connections, population density and urbanisation.
But it also considered the capacity of countries in Europe to respond – and most would do so efficiently and fast. Because of that, it classifies the Europe-wide risk as low to moderate.
“The new evidence published today tells us that there is a risk of spread of Zika virus disease in the European region and that this risk varies from country to country,” Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe.
“With this risk assessment, we at WHO want to inform and target preparedness work in each European country based on its level of risk. We call particularly on countries at higher risk to strengthen their national capacities and prioritise the activities that will prevent a large Zika outbreak.”
WHO based its assessment of how well countries would respond on their answers to a questionnaire. The results suggested that 79% – 41 states out of 51 in the European region plus Lichtenstein – have good or very good capacity although on specific issues there was substantial variation.
Russia and Georgia already deal with mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, said WHO officials. Asked whether they were engaging with WHO on the issue of Zika, Dr Nedret Emiroglu, who heads WHO Europe’s division of communicable diseases and health security, said: “We are in close touch with them.” they and Madeira have been invited to a meeting in Portugal in June to discuss the control of Zika across the region.
Countries with a high or moderate risk are being urged to take stronger measures to stop the spread of mosquitoes and reduce their numbers, including encouraging communities to get rid of pooled water that can form a breeding ground.
Health professionals should be trained and equipped to detect Zika infection and report it within 24 hours. Pregnant women should be enabled to protect themselves from infection, including through sexual transmission.
In February, the WHO declared a global health emergency over the Zika virus.
EgyptAir Flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo disappears
EgyptAir flight MS804 heading from Paris to Cairo has disappeared from radar with 66 people on board, including two babies and one child.
The plane, an Airbus A320, left Paris, France at 11.09pm local time on Wednesday night and was lost from ground radar at 2.30am Cairo time around 16km inside Egyptian airspace.
The plane vanished somewhere over the Mediterranean Sea, around half an hour before it was scheduled to arrive. No distress signal had been sent, according to the airline’s vice-chairman, Ahmed Abdel.
EGYPTAIR A320 was at a height of 37.000ft, and disappeared after entering the Egyptian airspace with 10 miles. 4:41 AM - 19 May 2016 5,363 1,007
4h EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
An informed source at EGYPTAIR reported that EGYPTAIR Flight No MS 804 has lost communication with radar tracking system at 02:45 (CLT)
EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
It was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew: two cockpit crew, five cabin crew and three security personnel.
EgyptAir has published a list of passengers by nationality: 15 French, 30 Egyptian, 1 British, 1 Belgium, 2 Iraqis, 1 Kuwaiti, 1 Saudi, 1 Sudanese, 1 Chadian, 1 Portuguese, 1 Algerian, 1 Canadian.
Special teams from the Egyptian Armed Forces were are at site located for inspection and rescue. 5:48 AM - 19 May 2016 474 139
3h EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
An informed source at EGYPTAIR declared that its flight number MS804 had 56 passengers on board.
EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
The pilot has more than 6,000 hours of flight experience, including more than 2,000 hours flying the same model aircraft, EgyptAir said. The co-pilot has nearly 3,000 flying hours.
An EGYPTAIR official declared that EGYPTAIR A320 aircraft in its flight number MS804 lost contact with radar above the Mediterranean Sea. 6:39 AM - 19 May 2016 1,714 285
EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
An EGYPTAIR official declared that EGYPTAIR A320 aircraft in its flight number MS804 lost contact with radar above the Mediterranean Sea.
EGYPTAIR @EGYPTAIR
French president François Hollande has already spoken to his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The French government will hold an emergency meeting to the circumstances of the aircraft’s disappearance. In March this year, an EgyptAir plane was hijacked and diverted to Cyprus. The attacker later surrendered and all hostages were released.
Last October, a Russian passenger plane flying from Sharm el-Sheikh crashed over the Sinai peninsula killing all 224 people on board . The plane was reportedly brought down by an explosive device.
This is a developing story, check back for updates!