4 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 17, 2015
We’ve been buying, selling votes since 1960, Jonathan admits By Ben Agande and Peter Okutu, Abakaliki
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RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that there had not been any free and fair elections in the country since Nigeria’s independence in 1960, as what had been happening since then was that people have been “buying and selling votes.” Jonathan, however asked Nigerians especially the youths not to allow anybody to buy their votes during the forth coming elections as this would not be allowed to continue. . He spoke at Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, while addressing a large crowd of party supporters at the Abakaliki Township Stadium in the course of his nationwide wide campaign. Jonathan who is also, the presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, wished that he would live to see a woman emerge as the president and as a governor in the country, pointing out that this was the major reason he had deliberately appointed women into prominent positions to expose and prepare them for greater challenges ahead. However, his chief host and governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi was prevented from speaking during the rally by the restive crowd which booed and heckled at him most of the time. Sources said that Elechi must have been disallowed from speaking by the crowd, due to the bad blooded generated during the gubernatorial primary which saw the emergence of his deputy, Mr Dave Umahi as the candidate of the party instead of his preferred candidate, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, the former minister of health. Elechi pitched his tent with Chukwu while the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim and other political bigwigs in the state supported Umahi. However, Jonathan who was accompanied to Abakaliki by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, his wife, Patience, the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr Ahmadu Ali as well as the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu promised to ensure that Ebonyi always got its share from the
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federal government. Addressing youths whom he said were the leaders of the next generation, Jonathan emphasised that they must not allow themselves to be to be bought over by politicians who do not mean well for them. “Our campaign is for the young people. Our time is almost gone. We must change our circumstance. The young people should join us. Nobody should deceive you; nobody should buy your votes. Since 1960, we have been buying and selling votes and we don’t want to continue like this. If you want development, you have to join PDP to develop” he said. Speaking on the position of women, Jonathan said women would continue to play pivotal roles in his government. “For women, your vote is crucial. We have given identity to Nigerian women. This is not the end. We want Nigerian women to be paraded at the global level. We must expose our women. “This is the only administration that is ready to give every position to women. My aspiration is to see a female president before I die,” he further noted. He also noted that the development challenge facing Ebonyi, was daunting, being one of the last states to be created along with his home state of Bayelsa, by the military administration, adding that the Federal Government would rely on the state to ensure that its policy of stopping the importation of rice into the country in the next four years was achieved. Jonathan, had earlier paid homage to the traditional rulers in Ebonyi State at the International Conference Conference Centre where he told them that he was in the state to solicit the support of the people for the forthcoming elections. In his remarks, the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Ahmadu Ali said he was very proud of Ebonyi State because of their warm reception of the campaign team. The SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim told the crowd that Jonathan deserved their votes because of what he had done for them and the country. He gave 10 reasons why Jonathan should be voted again. Some of the reasons, he said, included his non-violent nature;
absence of political prisoners in the country since he was elected and his non-discriminatory attitude. Anyim further said that Jonathan did not want his presence to become a nuisance to Nigerians adding that he was also not a fanatic even as he had liberated women, as well as empowered youths and above all, appointed an Ebonyi son as SGF. I will provide more jobs, not prisons -Jonathan On job creation, Jonathan said: “That is one of the reasons we are giving such scholarships so that in future, Nigerians will be able to produce some of our basic needs; countries that are at our levels have advanced so much. I remember that Alhaji Maitama Sule had always said that the Defence Industry in Nigeria with that of Brazil were established at the same time but while that of Brazil is now manufacturing aircraft, our own is busy manufacturing chairs. We say we must change that and for you to
L-R: National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun; APC, Vice Presidential Candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; National Leader, Chief Audu Ogbe; and the Party Presidential Candidate, General Muhamadu Buhari, during the Party’s Presidential Campaign Rally in Makurdi, Benue State yesterday. Photo: Joseph Akintola. change that, you must change the manpower to do that. “This government is focused; we know where we are going and we know where we want to take This country to; the young people should join us and nobody should deceive you or buy your votes; from 1960 we gained independence till today, people have been buying and selling votes and the country is drifting backward.
DROP IN OIL PRICE He further said that the current drop in oil price did not take the country by surprise as modalities had been put in place to ensure diversification of the economy pointing out that Ebonyi State would play a key role in achieving the objectives. “It may be a dream, but I am always dreaming that one day, we will not even require prisons in this country; one day working with all the local and
governments and private individuals, we will be able to create lots of opportunities for all Nigerians, so that the crime rate will reduce and Nigerians will not be thinking about prisons but about education. “I have an idea of the challenges facing the newly created states; when I gave the federal university to Ebonyi state, I did not receive any delegation from the people of the state.
Boko Haram: NSA office, EU, Prisons collaborate to counter violent extremism By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
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HE effort by Nigeria to counter violent extremism, manifesting in the raging insurgency in the North East, has received a boost from the European Union, which has begun training of Nigerians on how to deradicalise elements capable of causing harm to the nation’s security. The programme, which is domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser, will also involve officials of the Nigerian Prisons Service, who are to implement certain components of the exercise intended to drastically reduce insurgency in the long run. This was unfolded by the Director in charge of Behavioural Analysis in the Office of the NSA, Dr. Fatima Akilu, at a news briefing in Abuja on Friday. According to Akilu said the de-radicalisation programme was designed to create awareness of the threat of violent extremism, identify and strengthen
credible voices in communities and collate data of religious figures , sects, places of worship and capture the kind of teachings/preaching in schools and worship centres. It will also identify and strengthen the channels of distribution of counternarratives, initiate and conduct training for peace initiatives including inter and intra-faith, identify and start-up small business in flash point states, work with
law enforcement agencies to increase the reach of community policing in Nigeria. Deputy EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Young, said at the ceremony that there was urgent need to check violent extremism since the effect of terrorism was being felt across the world. Young said the programme of deradicalisation in Nigeria would enable the stakeholders to share ideas
and strategies for countering terrorism in the country and save it from further violence that could disrupt its progress as a nation. The Controller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Dr. Peter Ekpendu, said that many officers and men of the agency would be trained in the process of instituting de-radicalisation in the NPS with a view to making it go down the strata of the service.
Air Traffic Controllers threaten strike By Lawani Mikairu
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IGERIAN Air Traffic Controllers’ Association, NATCA, has threatened to embark on indefinite strike with effect from Monday. A statement signed by Mr Eyaru Victor Olawode Banji , the association President and issued yesterday said the Air Traffic controllers decide to toe this path because of refusal of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to address their grievances
Banji said “ The Executive Council and entire members of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) wish to bring to the notice of general public the intention of its members under the employment of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to withdraw their services indefinitely from the 0000 UTC on the Monday 19th January, 2015 as a result of the insensitivity of the NAMA Management to
the professional and welfare matters affecting Air Traffic Controllers.” “We regret to express our grievances on the lack of the recognition of the long-standing sacrifices and display of patriotism by Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers being among the prime professionals in the aviation industry at keeping the Nigerian airspace safe despite various challenges being faced in carrying out the safety critical functions.”