Dateline: 17/03/2001 15:30:14

How Igbo are Marginalised, by Nnamani

Odenigbo endorses Senator Nwachukwu for presidency
By Christian Ita

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Enugu State Governor, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani yesterday in Lagos gave
graphic details of how Igbo have been marginalised in the country
saying Igbo marginalisation is due to the polity's defective structure.

Nnamani who was speaking at a luncheon organised by the Odenigbo Forum
at the Eko Hotel stated that the defunct Eastern region can only boast
of five states, whereas the former Western region and the Northern
region now exist as seven and 19 states respectively.

Blaming the marginalisation of the Igbos on the defective structure of
the polity, Nnamani maintained that "by the local government
distribution, the South-east has a mere 85 local council areas as
against 138 of the South-west, 124 of South-south, 112 for the
North-east, 115 for the North-central and 186 for the North-west.

"This is unfair. There is no justice in it. While I do not seek the
obliteration of the state structure, or the existing local government
areas, I think it is better to accord equality to such large
nationalities capable of sustaining the kind of vast political
structure already hinted in the emerging geo-political scheme," he
said.

Nnamani who was speaking on what the future holds for the Igbo argued
further that "in the disbursement of national resources, the Igbo share
pales to insignificance in comparison with the old west and old north."

"This accounts for why the old Hausa/Fulani can produce over 30
appointees if taken two per state, the Yoruba about 18 appointees,
while the Igbo - both from heartland (South-east) and minoritised Igbo
(in Delta, Rivers, etc) can produce maximum of 10 appointees."

He said these indices make it imperative that the present structure be
restructured, adding that the subsisting structure, which was started
by the Yakubu Gowon government, was meant to break the bone of
resistance in the east.

"The confusion in structure and the practice of robbing Peter to pay
Paul, as it is today, started with the dispensation of the Yakubu Gowon
military government to win the war it started. It hurriedly split
Nigeria into 12 states to break the bone of resistance in the east and
has since been imitated by other military governments, which sought
credibility," he said.

He said the consequence of this balkanisation of the country has left
it with 36 states most of which are liabilities to themselves and
burden for the nation.

Nnamani therefore re-echoed the determination of the southern states to
have total control over resources in their areas.

Insisting that winning economic autonomy for states is a task that must
be accomplished, the Enugu State governor said he joined the battle
following a realisation that marginalisation of the Igbo is as a result
of absence of resource control.

He therefore called on the leaders of the region who strongly believed
in charting a new course for the people to channel their energy into
restructuring the polity.

Meanwhile, Senator Ike Nwachukwu was at the event endorsed by the
Odenigbo Forum to contest the presidency come 2003 presidential
election.

Senator Nwachukwu's endorsement was made public by the
President-General of the organisation, Chief Martin Okeke who described
him as the most appropriate from the zone for that office.

He said Nwachukwu, whose father is Igbo, mother Hausa and wife from
both Yoruba and Kalabari is the most qualified for the office.

Nwachukwu in responding, promised the gathering that he will spare a
thought for the endorsement and pledged to continue to score for the
benefit of the people.

The Senator used the opportunity to disagree with President Olusegun
Obasanjo who was quoted to have said that the Nigerian civil war was
fought over resource control.

The former military officer stated with emphasis that the war was
fought for good governance, equity and fairness.

Insisting that Nigeria need to be restructured to make for true
federation he urged Nigerians to join hands together to evolve a
friendlier country.

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Experts Warn on President's N5bn Jet
By Nik Ogbulie

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The N5.4bn proposed expenditure on a new presidential jet could be
money down the drain as experts have raised alarm on the suitability of
the gulfstream five or GV aircraft President Olusegun Obasanjo wants to
buy.

The high performing jet for which Obasanjo sent a supplementary budget
to the National Assembly last week for financial approval to buy, would
become obsolete in two years time when it is set to be replaced by the
manufacturer with a more technically superior model (GV-SP) that
conforms with international safety standard.

In addition, aeronautic experts who spoke to THISDAY last week said the
aircraft does not satisfy three out of the five strategic requirements
needed for a corporate aircraft in modern aviation considerations.

They noted that among the leading choices for a corporate aircraft,
only one possesses all the five major requirements while the remaining
four have only two each that can give any corporate user the desired
value for money. These considerations are said to have been based on
technical proficiency and the much-desired long and short term
financial implications.

They noted that the five aircrafts that are designed for extensive
corporate uses include the Gulfstream GV, Falcon 900Ex, Global Express,
Boeing BBJ and Airbus 319.

Some of the technical reasons which they said the federal government
has not considered in its desire are the fact that such an aircraft
must be JAR-25 certified (European Union Joint Aviation Regulation),
Extended Twin Operations Procedures Standard (ETOPS), 16G interior
satisfied, travel range over 6300 nautical miles with at least 10
passengers and direct climb to over 41,000 feet climb within 20 minutes
take-off and enough fleet category availability.

The experts explained that the EUJAR-25 is the highest global authority
and any aircraft that does not meet the standards is regarded to have a
security short-fall and cannot ply the European Union airspace.
Gulfstream Corpo-ration, makers of the GV are said to have been
battling to reach this demand hence they decided to phase out its GV
models for a new GV-SP which is expected to enter service in 2003.

THISDAY checks reveal that aircraft with ETOPS certification became
much needed for corporate uses because of the fact that their twin
engines capacity have in-built redundancy facilities that even offer
them the advantages of four engines to be used in long demanding trips.
Only three of the five aircraft used for corporate people are said to
be ETOPS certified and G V is not one of them.

It is also believed that the 16G certification, which has to do with
the interior security design of the aircraft, explains the
vulnerability of an occupant to some levels of impact. The experts
noted that the Gulfstream G V has only 9G certification. This,
according to them, implies that the structural integrity and strength
of those that have 16G certification are nearly twice as strong as the
old aircraft by as much as 80 per cent.

The Gulfstream G V, Boeing BJB and Airbus A319 are not 16G certified,
the experts noted.

However, the experts noted that a presidential jet should possess the
capability of ranging over 6300 nautical miles non-stop carrying at
least 10 passengers because of the security implications of stop-overs
which also attracts more money from protocols and other technical
checks. They explained that the current aviation technology has only
come up with two aircraft that can achieve this feat. This, they
believe, is a major consideration so as to manage the time for certain
appointments. With such planes, the presidency can move direct from
Abuja to any part of the globe without any stop over. This puts into
check the issues of friendly nations and antagonistic environments and
forecasts.

Because of the fact that 96 per cent of the air traffic is congested at
25,000 feet altitude across the globe, the experts noted that direct
climbs to 41,000 feet within 20 minutes of take-off must always be
achieved.

They noted that this demand encourages quick and underlayed movements
since only two aircraft can covertly achieve this. They also noted that
only Gulfstream G V and Global express could do this even as Falcon 900
Ex can also achieve it but not within the about 20 minutes take-off
period. They explained that the presidency should not cruise with an
aircraft that would be waiting for traffic to clear or the usually bad
weather that is very much prevalent within the 25,000 feet range.

THISDAY investigations also revealed that among the corporate aircraft
manufacturers, only two have more than one category of aircraft while
others have only one each. While global express has five aircraft
categories and is concluding the sixth design, gulfstream has two while
Falcon, Boeing and Airbus have one each.

The experts told THISDAY that this development is important because of
adequate choice of manufacturers was not considered, the country may
end up having a fleet of different aircraft which means that costs of
maintenance would move up due to the involvement of different
engineering experts to be hired for the different categories. This,
they noted, is the problem which the presidential fleet is facing right
now. They feel that it is wise that the fleet should come from either
one manufacturer or at most two.

They also wondered why the president is seeking approval for only $19
million when the average cost of each of the various categories of
aircraft is put at $45 million. Because the period between the real
order and delivery takes about two years, the experts reason that the
presidency must make requests covering the total cost so that the
country will know how much they are owing if a $19 million demand
payment was to be made.

Meanwhile, the experts believe that such purchase considerations must
take care of aircraft, which has been phased out as against those that
are still being currently manufactured. The advantage, they noted, is
that while some give a five-year warranty, the phased ones do not have
any. The country stands the chance of not incurring additional service
costs by the purchase of aircraft that have warranty for the next five
years. This, they believe, saves a lot of money for the Nigerian
economy.

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Agbakoba Seeks Clarification on INEC Membership
By George Oji

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The 1999 Constitution may be heading for a fresh round of test as human
rights campaigner, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has identified areas of
inconsistency regarding the membership of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).

Agbakoba said that it is curious to observe that the constitution
requires INEC members to also be members of one of the existing
political parties before they could be qualified to hold offices.

"I am very concerned that INEC members are by the provisions of section
65 and 156 (1) of the constitution of Nigeria, 1999, members of
political parties," Agbakoba said.

Already the human rights campaigner has written the chairman of the
electoral body for explanations on the issue.

The point Agbakoba strives to establish is that, section 156 (1) of the
Constitution which specifies the criteria for qualification as a member
of INEC, among other conditions, requires the person to satisfy the
criteria for qualifying as a member of the House of Representatives.

And one of the criteria a person must satisfy before qualifying to be
elected as a member of the House of Representatives as stipulated under
section 65 of the constitution is that the person must belong to one of
the existing political parties.

It is this rather strange constitutional provision that Agbakoba said
he finds "curious".

Section 156 which specifies criteria for appointment of a person as
INEC member states that, "No person shall be qualified for appointment
as a member of any of the bodies aforesaid (ie certain Federal
Executive Bodies, INEC inclusive) if (a) he is not qualified or
disqualified for election as a member of the House of Representatives
and (b) within the preceding ten years he has been removed as a member
of any of the bodies or as the holder of any other office on the ground
of misconduct.

However, section 65 which stipulates the conditions for qualification
of membership to the House of Representatives states as follows:

65 (1) Subject to the provisions of section 66 of this constitution, a
person shall be qualified for election as a member of (a) the senate,
if he is a citizen of Nigeria and has attained the age of 35 years, and
(b) the House of Representatives if he is a citizen of Nigeria and has
attained the age of 35 years.

(2)A person shall be qualified for election under section (1) of this
section if (a) he has been educated up to at least school certificate
level or its equivalent

(b) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by the party.

Against the background, Agbakoba in a letter entitled "Clarification as
to which Political Parties Members of INEC Belong," urged the INEC
chairman to disclose the political platforms under which he and other
members of the electoral body were appointed into office.

"I take it for granted that appointment of members of INEC follow
prescriptions of the constitution. May I respectfully therefore seek
clarification as to which political parties you, as a member of INEC
belong".

He noted that the possible alternative may be that none of the INEC
members belong to any political party, in which case their appointment
is unconstitutional.

"The other possible alternative is that none of you belong to any
political party, in which case you hold office contrary to the
qualification requirements of the constitution".

The reason for the enquiry, Agbakoba said, is to trigger off major
constitutional reforms. "Major reform is at the heart of this matter,
as I do not see how members of INEC could possibly conduct free and
fair elections when the constitution requires that they belong to
political parties".

Only a fortnight ago, Agbakoba wrote the electoral body, expressing his
displeasure with the inability of the commission to include certain
constitutional reforms to the Electoral Reform Bill, INEC and the
International Federation for Electoral Systems (IFES) jointly submitted
to the National Assembly for enactment.

He condemned the bill as being defective in four material ways:


Non regulation of campaign finance

No provision for independent candidates

Unclear voter registration procedures

Strict regulation of the registration process of political parties.

Agbakoba said he is particularly peeved that the constitution in its
present form precludes him as an individual from actualising his
political ambition without having to be subjected to the dictates and
whims of the existing parties.

He urged that the constitution be reformed such that there would be
scope for individuals to contest elections as independents.

The other issue Agbakoba would want the electoral body look into is the
provision that would - be political parties be required to have offices
in at least 25 states of the federation. "This unwholesome provisions",
he said, "means that I would have to set up huge campaign budget which
is obviously not at my disposal".


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Benin Rep. Postpones Presidential Polls

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The electoral authority in Benin Republic yesterday postponed
indefinitely, today's run-off presidential election following the
sudden withdrawal of opposition candidate Nicehpore Soglo from the
race.

The incumbent president, Matthew Kerekou who won 45.4 percent of the
votes in the first round of election on March 4, was to face second
place Soglo in the run-off today.

But Soglo's sudden withdrawal Friday night following the rejection of
his appeal by the Suprime Court against the first round voting left
Kerekou with no opponent.

Third placed Andrien Houngbedji who would have stepped in to challenge
Kerekou was non-committal yesterday, hence the postponement.

Agency report monitored in Lagos quoted Charles Djrekpo, an electoral
official, as saying yesterday that the sudden postponement was due to
the withdrawal of one of the two candidates.

The announcement came one day after opposition leader Nicephore Soglo
withdrew, angry that the constitutional court had refused to cancel the
results of the March 4 first round of elections and hold the voting
again.

Soglo said the first round was invalid because of widespread fraud and
urged his followers to boycott the second round of elections if it went
forward.

In announcing his withdrawal, Soglo said he didn't want "to contribute
in any way to the weakening of democracy."

Charles Djrekpo, president of the national election commission,
announced the postponement but said it wasn't yet clear when the
election would be held.

Report said that President Mathieu Kerekou, the other candidate in the
race, was already meeting with his ministers to decide on a date for
the elections.

The constitutional court had ruled that Parliament leader Adrien
Houngbedji, who came in third place in the first round, would step up
to take Soglo's place after his withdrawal. However, officials of his
party said he was meeting Saturday with party leaders to decide on his
next move and it was unclear if he would run.

Kerekou captured 45.4 percent of the first-round vote, and Soglo took
27 percent. Benin's constitutional calls for the top two finishers to
face each other in a second round if no candidate takes 51 percent
during the first round.

Houngbedji, who won 13.4 percent in the March 4 polling, had thrown his
support behind Soglo for the second round.

Kerekou, a former Marxist dictator, ruled Benin for years until Soglo
was brought to power in 1991 voting. Soglo, a former official with the
World Bank, then lost to Kerekou in the 1996 elections.

Almost three million voters in Benin voted two weeks ago for the
country's third legislative vote since 1990 with a total of almost
3,000 candidates from dozens of political parties standing in the
election.

Seats in the country's 83 parliamentary House are allocated on the
basis of proportional representation.

The vote was said to be a test of the popularity of Kerekou, a former
Marxist who ruled from 1972 until 1990 and regained power in 1996.

Kerekou is popularly known as the first incumbent president in West
Africa ever to be ousted at the polls, when he lost to Soglo in 1990.

However, the former president won his way back to power when he was
re-elected in 1996.

The peaceful transfer of power has contributed to the creation of
Benin's reputation as a beacon of democracy in the sub-region.

The election however ended with no clear winner prompting the high
court in Benin to declare a run-off between these two main contenders.
It was provisionally set for today.

It will be recalled that the two men had earlier faced each other in
run-off elections in 1991 and 1996, winning one each.

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Abacha Asks Oputa To Strike Out Petition Against Him
From Ahamefula Ogbu and Yakubu Musa in Kano

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Mohammed Abacha, son of the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, yesterday
objected to the hearing of a petition against him before the Justice
Chukwudifu Oputa Commission in Kano. According to him, doing so will
subjudice a similar case already pending before a Kano high court.

Counsel to Abacha, Mr Ibrahim Adamu filed the preliminary objection,
which was adjourned to Monday next week because the reply to the
objection was not served on other parties on time.

Adamu said that the subject matter of the petition filed by one
Abubakar Sadiq Umar is the same one already pending before a Kano High
Court. He also argued that the complaint fell outside the terms of
reference of the commission which ought to strike it out.

Responding to the submission before the petition was adjourned, counsel
to the commission, Mr Emmanuel Akaka argued that the petition was ripe
for hearing and was in no way subjudice. He predicated his position on
the fact that partners in the case at the high court were not the same
with that before the commission. Should the case be adjourned, he
added, parties should be asked to submit written addresses.

Justice Oputa then adjourned the objection to Monday when he said
counsel who wished, should submit written brief.

When counsel to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Mr Bala Ibn Na-Allah announced
appearance, the unusually crowded hall erupted with applause, which
drew the warning of registrar to the commission.

In another petition, Dr Alan Venture Idyorough, a senior lecturer with
the University of Jos and Benn Akosu, told the commission how the
police in Jos shot and killed three Anglican Church members who had
quarrels with their Pastor, Reverend Jonathan I. Ijor.

They were alleged to have been tagged armed robbers whereas it was the
police that took N7,000 from Andrew Iyungu Akosu, one of the victims,
his wrist watch and other personal belongings.

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Five-year Term, Receipe for Looting - Rep
From Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

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Against the backdrop of a single five-year term tenure recommended by
the Presidential Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution, a
member of the National Assembly committee on the review of the said
constitution, Honourable Lumumbah Adeh has described the committee's
recommendation as it concerns tenure of office for executive positions
as an avenue for untrammelled looting.

He said that despite the reasons advanced by the committee based on the
present circumstances, the recommendation would encourage looting, as
the candidate so elected will be tempted to tamper with the treasury.

"It has its disadvantages because if you say you are trying to avoid
chaos because of the second term syndrome that is catching like
wildfire how do you solve the problem of single term where people like
in the case of the military know they were going. There was looting,
financial recklessness and all that. It is a recipe for looting", he
said.

Alternatively, he suggested, the current two-term tenure as contained
in the 1999 constitution should be retained, as according to him, it
will be used as a performance index for people in elective positions.
He maintained that the decision as to who should be in certain offices
should be left to the electorate to decide.

"On my part, I will rather the status quo remained that is what is
contained in the constitution at the moment. Let the people decide, if
there is a bad government. There is a limit to which you can intimidate
people or use money and all sorts of crude methods to get themselves
back into positions", he contended arguing that even with state
apparatus a time comes when the people decide who their leader should
be.

On suggestions that the single term tenure should be experimented for
some time the lawmaker who is also the chairman of the house services
committee affirmed that the suggestion was a good way of extending the
doomsday.

On the position of the National Assembly committee on the said
presidential committee recommendation, he asserted that the
constitution review committee of the legislature views it as any of the
memoranda sent to it by different groups as the power to review the
constitution is vested in the National Assembly.

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Yayale Warns Official Against Dangerous Driving
From Goddy Enweremadu in Abuja

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Disturbed by the rising wave of fatal road traffic accidents involving
government functionaries, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation,
HSF, Alhaji Mahmud Ahmed Yayale yesterday cautioned public officers
against dangerous driving habit such as lack of courtesy to other road
users, impatience and disobedience to traffic regulations.

Ahmed spoke yesterday in Abuja when he declared open the Special
Technical Driving Course for Government drivers and recalled that
President Olusegun Obasanjo had recently expressed worry over this
frightening trend.

The government, he stated, appreciates the importance and the role of
its drivers and that it is in recognition of this and as a first step
towards instilling sanity in the system, that his office was organising
the programme in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps.

While hoping that the course would equip the participants effectively,
the HSF, warned that he would not hesitate to deal decisively with any
form of misbehaviour should any bad report against any of the
participants is brought to him.

Said he " I have no doubt that you will take this matter seriously and
strive to achieve maximum benefits thereby justifying government's
investment in your development" just as he vowed to deal with anybody
other than the accredited government drivers caught driving government
vehicles.

In his own remark, the Permanent Secretary, Manpower Development
Office, Alhaji Garba Buwai said that some government drivers believe
that they are above the law noting that this course was one of the
series of actions, perhaps the softest, that the office of the HSF
intends to take to effect a change in the conduct of the drivers.

While also warning the drivers against acts of lawlessness he stated
that the action of the HSF on such drivers, if they fail to improve,
will certainly not be pleasant.

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Resource Control is Inalienable Right, Says MOSOP
From Chuks Akunna and Ibiso Dakoro in Port Harcourt

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The socio-cultural association, Movement for the survival of Ogoni
People (MOSOP), Rivers State has described as unnecessary the
controversial debate on resources control as, according to it, resource
control is not only ratified by the African charter on Human and
Peoples Rights but, also, the United Nations' Declaration on Rights to
Development.

This however comes as indications heightened, with the declaration by
President Olusegun Obasanjo Friday in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa, that
the natural resources predominant to the Niger Delta belongs to all
Nigerians, that the Federal government may not be in the mood to
soft-pedal on the recent legal suit which it instituted against the 36
states on the issue.

MOSOP which described the Ogoni as the vanguard of the clamour for
resource control some 10 years before the idea becomes accepted by some
other Nigerians, in statement issued on Friday, acceded that the issue
has been brought to sharper focus courtesy of the recent Federal
government suit.

The movement however, cautioned that the flood of commentaries on the
issue might have swept off what it described as "the exact status of
the resource control and the mechanism for conflict resolution in a
democratic set up".

MOSOP cautioned against viewing resource control through a political
prison, maintaining that it is "a cry against the violation of an
inalienable right recognised internationally.

The organisation which also described resource control as an integral
part of the Ogoni Bill of Rights, stressed that it was particularly
irked by a situation wherein "resources from our land is taken away and
we are left with nothing to show for this".

In a apparent reference to the recent suit instituted against the 36
states by the Federal government, on the issue, MOSOP which cautioned
that "court actions do not necessarily win peace", enjoined the Federal
Government to borrow a leaf from such countries as the US, Australia
and New Zealand, which have "opted to negotiate with tribal peoples to
restore adequate resources for ethnic populations whose right to land,
culture and development had been systematically stripped.

"A consensus is merging that delaying the settlement of these social
debts is invariably more expensive for the nation concerned... whatever
the outcome of the resource control legal action, it will rather
exacerbate rather than solve the problem.. we can only delay a national
conference of nationalities to dialogue on these and other issues to
our peril", MOSOP declared.

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Obasanjo, Gbagbo Commence Talks in Abuja

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President Olusegun Obasanjo and his counterpart from Cote d' Voire, Mr.
Laurent Gbagbo, who flew into the country yesterday on a two-day
official visit, have begun the first round of their meeting. Nigeria
and Cote'D Voire are both key members of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS).

The two leaders according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), are also
expected to discuss the progress so far achieved by ECOWAS and how
their countries could help to further move the body forward.

Prior to Gbagbo's election, the two countries had series of differences
following the coup that brought former military Head of State, General
Robert Guei to power and the alleged attempt to remove Guei from power
by some military officers.

The meeting between Obasanjo and Gbagbo is expected to look into these
issues and come out with solutions that would ensure peace and
stability in the ECOWAS region. This is a pre-condition Obasanjo had
always cited as imperative for development to take place in the
sub-region.

A communique is being expected at the end of the meeting.

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IG Orders Full Investigations into Bakassi Boys' Operations
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja

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Following allegations that some governors in the South-east have turned
the operations of Bakassi Boys into a political outfit to intimidate
political opponents, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith
has ordered full scale investigations into the activities of the
operations of the vigilante group in the area.

THISDAY gathered that the decision of the Inspector General of Police
to investigate the activities of Bakassi Boys may not be unconnected
with the murder of the chairman of the All Peoples Party (APP) in Nnewi
South, Chief Ezeodimuegwe Okonkwo and the abduction of Mr. Ikechukwu
Nwogbo, an aide to Hon. Chudi Offodile in his constituency office in
Awka.

A letter from the office of the Inspector General made available to
THISDAY asked all persons who have any information on the illegal
activities of the Bakassi Boys that is contrary to the services of such
vigilante groups to appear at the Force headquarters in Abuja as from
Monday March 19, 2001. The letters from the office of the Inspector
General of Police was dated March 14, 2001.

The letters of invitation directed all complainants to see the officer
in charge of force CID in connection with the complaint made against
the Bakassi Boys on March 6 2001 . The letters of invitation stated
that what the police is doing at the moment is just on a fact finding
mission. On arrival the complainants were directed to see the Assistant
Commissioner of Police in the 'D' Department.

Hon. Bertrand Efobi and Hon. Chudi Offodile two weeks ago in Abuja
raised alarm that the Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chinwoke
Mbadinauju is using the Bakassi Boys to intimidate political opponents.
Offodile after the press conference submitted a petition to the
Inspector General of Police on the abduction of his political aide by
the Bakassi Boys.

In the same vein , Hon. Efobi said the killing of Chief Okonkwo by the
Bakassi Boys was politically motivated.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Police affairs, Mr. Steven Akiga has
described Bakassi Boys as a terrorist group.

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Sole Candidacy: Nzeribe's Campaign Ominous, Says Agbakoba
By George Oji

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Despite denials by the presidency that it has nothing to do with the
campaign by Senator Arthur Nzeribe and his group to ensure that
President Olusegun Obasanjo becomes the sole candidate for the 2003
presidential elections, Nigerians have been advised not to
discountenance Nzeribe's strategy.

Describing the moves as ominous, pro - democracy campaigner and human
rights activist, Mr Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), noted that going by the
antecedents of the Imo State born politician, it will be at the
nation's peril to ignore the signals coming from the senator.

"I will advise Nigerians that we take Arthur Nzeribe's challenge
serious. Because each time he said this, people begin with cynical
comments - oh! the president has not accepted, oh how can it be done?
Yet each time he is always right".

Agbakoba said he is not fooled by Obasanjo's denial. "It starts this
way. People take it as a joke. But it ends up in the way that he has
predicted. So I'm not fooled by Obasanjo's denial that he has nothing
to do with the campaign that Arthur Nzeribe is on with. What am looking
at are people around him, and what they are doing", Agbakoba said.

The human rights campaigner was reacting to the formation of Movement
for National Consensus and accommodation to work for Obasanjo's
adoption as the sole presidential candidate of the three political
parties in the 2003 polls. The group, Nzeribe's baby, has as members
some National Assembly legislators drawn from across the three
political parties.

Describing Nzeribe as "Nigeria's most technically gifted politician",
Agbakoba said he wished that the politician could use his gift in more
positive ways.

The human rights campaigner cautioned, however, that the nation watches
Arthur Nzeribe with great care. "So I will caution that we watch
Nzeribe with great care, otherwise the unfolding scenario has repeated
itself since 1990".

Nzeribe, Agbakoba said, has since made it clear that he had a hand in
the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential elections.

Agbakoba noted that if Nzeribe's new campaign is considered along side
the recent remarks by Chief Tony Anenih, that the presidency is not
vacant, then it becomes clearer where Nzeribe is coming from.

"Tony Anenih has already scripted what Arthur Nzeribe is saying. Tony
Anenih has already said it that the presidency is not vacant, and that
Obasanjo will be the sole candidate of 2003. So if you use what Tony
Anenih has said, and what Arthur Nzeribe is saying, you 'll see that
Arthur Nzeribe is the chief campaign manager to Tony Anenih", Agbakoba
said.

According to Agbakoba, despite the president's posturing "Obasanjo is
likely to play out the scenario to fulfil his mandate in fullest
possible way."

The human rights campaigner stated that Nzeribe's activities are
informed by the gullible nature of Nigerians.

"Nzeribe understands how foolish we are here in Nigeria. And so, he is
tapping into the stupidity that Nigerians have been associated with the
idea of not being interested in the political view because they have
been so tired and disempowered".

Nzeribe, Agbakoba further stated, understands that to get a person
elected into office will not be a difficult thing. What is most
important, he noted, is to locate a person who has the likelihood of
success. "And the person who has the likelihood of success in Nigeria
is always the incumbent".

The best way to put Nzeribe's avowed political strength to test,
Agbakoba posited, is to urge him (Nzeribe) to take up the campaign for
the enthronement of non incumbents. "I will like Arthur Nzeribe to come
and say to me, I will like to make you the sole candidate for president
in 2003. That will be the proper challenge".

Following the reported campaign by Nzeribe and his group to make
Obasanjo the sole candidate for the 2003 presidential election, the
presidency through Mr Tunji Oseni, Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity to Obasanjo, chided Nzeribe, while also describing the
politician's move as "undemocratic act".

Vice President Atiku Abubakar also reacted by saying that neither
himself nor Obasanjo would accept any move to foist a sole presidential
candidate on the nation in 2003.

"I can tell you that the president and myself need a vibrant
competition. There is no way the president or myself will like that
kind of thing", Atiku said in an interview with some THISDAY editors.

-----------------------

Obasanjo Dissociates Self from Project
Ends visit to Bayelsa
From John Iwori in Yenagoa

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

President Olusegun Obasanjo rounded off his two-day state visit to
Bayelsa State at the weekend with a visit to Oloibiri in Ogbia local
government area where he turned down the request to lay the foundation
stone of the National Petroleum Research Institute.

The President who arrived Oloibiri by helicopter said he would not be
associated with any project he knows little or nothing about.

Obasanjo demanded that he could only perform the ceremony at a time he
is fully acquainted with the technical details of the project.

Due to the President's refusal to perform the foundation laying
ceremony, the ceremony was put off.

Explaining reasons for his action, Obasanjo said he expected to be
acquainted with the project's objectives and the financial commitments
of the oil prospecting companies who are the project sponsors.

Oloibiri is historical as the first place crude oil was found in
Nigeria in commercial quantity by Shell BP in 1956. Oloibiri also
stands out as the host community of the millennium centre project, as
well as the National Oil Museum.

Lamenting that the plight of the oil bearing communities have not been
alleviated over the years, the President explained that his decision
not to lay the foundation stone of the institute was informed by the
need to prevent abandoning the project mid-way.

"Eighteen years after the foundation stone was laid, nothing meaningful
has been done to alleviate the plight of oil bearing communities," he
fumed.

Obasanjo maintained that the federal government would only identify and
initiate projects it has the firm conviction it would complete for the
benefit of the citizenry.

He directed Shell General Manager, West, Mr Joshua Udofia and the
Minister of State for Environment, Dr Imeh Okopido to repackage the
project and fix a new date for the foundation stone laying ceremony.

Earlier, the state Deputy Governor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan had conducted
Obasanjo and his entourage round some abandoned oil well heads as well
as a photographic exhibition of the foundation stone laid for the
National Oil Museum on May 16, 1983 by former President Shehu Shagari.

Reacting to the postponement of the foundation stone laying ceremony,
the state governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha expressed
dissatisfaction with the manner the Federal Ministry of Environment
hurriedly packaged the project without a clear cut definition of the
philosophy and funding arrangement of the project.

Alamieyeseigha echoed the fears of Obasanjo that if the National
Petroleum Research Institute is not properly packaged, it would go the
way of the National Oil Museum.

Noted for his consistency in calling on oil companies operating in the
state to initiate projects and programmes that would impact positively
on the lives of the oil bearing communities, the governor berated those
at the helm of affairs at the Federal Ministry of Environment for not
pointing out the anomalies before the project was included as part of
the ones Obasanjo was to see during his two-day official visit to the
state.

Obasanjo who was accompanied on the visit to Oloibiri by the Minister
of Information and National Orientation, Professor Jerry Gana, Culture
and Tourism Minister, Ms Boma Jack as well as some senators and special
advisers has since left Bayelsa for Abuja.

-------------------------

Journalists Kick against Deregulation of Petroleum Sector
From Okon Bassey in Calabar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cross River State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)
has rejected Federal Government's plan to deregulate the petroleum
industry.

The council in a communique issued at the end of its congress, also
condemned in totality Federal Government's suit on resource control.

The communique signed by the state chairman of the union, Elder Wiley
Etim Okokon and the vice-chairman, Mr. Sam Egbala argued that the move
is a ploy to raise the prices of petroleum products in the country.

The congress, according to the communique further resolved to
participate fully in the NLC planned protests against deregulation,
while urging federal government to check the current scarcity of fuel
in the country and ensure abundant supply.

On the Federal Government's suit on resource control, the council noted
that the suit was a political issue rather than a legal matter.

The council wondered why Federal Government did not seek legal
interpretation on the sharia issue in which thousands of lives were
lost all over the country "but seek to do so now over resource control
which was not a contentious issue."

The congress accordingly called for immediate withdrawal of the suit
from the Supreme Court and the matter resolved politically.

The council noted with disappointment President Olusegun Obasanjo's
two-hour parley on resource controls and regretted that the President's
comments were not only sub-judice but were most likely to influence the
Supreme Court's judgement.

------------------------

Governor Dariye Reshuffles Cabinet
From Tokunbo Adedoja in Jos

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye has effected a major cabinet
reshuffle which has affected an unspecified number of members of the
state executive council. He immediately sent a list of new nominees to
the State House of Assembly.

According to a statement issued by secretary to the state government,
Mr. Ezekiel Gomos, the state governor, Mr. Joshua Dariye held a
valedictory meeting with his cabinet on Thursday where he expressed
appreciation to cabinet members for offering selfless service to the
government and urged them to make themselves available when needed by
the state in future.

Dariye was also quoted by the statement as saying that his
administration has entered the critical period of its life span, hence
the need to inject "new and fresh ideas into the governance of the
state so as to re-charge the re-engineering team for better
performance."

According to the statement, Dariye also tasked those retained to see
"their retention as a call to be more dedicated to service,"
challenging them to double their efforts in the area of project
executive, management of resources as well as improved on their
relationship with the people of the state.

Though the number and names of the cabinet members dropped were not
specified by the statement, a reliable source told THISDAY that five
names in the twelve-man state executive council were dropped.

The SSG declined comments on the shake up maintaining that he was not
in a position to make further clarifications since the letter forwarded
to the speaker of the State Assembly in which details of the shake-up
and list of new nominees are contained has not been read on the floor
of the House.


----------------------

Odili Seeks Media Partnership with Govt
From Ibiso Dakoru in Port Harcourt

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Media Organisations, in the country have been urged to highlight
programmes of Government positively with the aim of encouraging rapid
and better development in the country.

This call was made by the Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili while
receiving the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Post Express
Newspaper, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe recently in Port Harcourt.

He said as the fourth estate of the realm, the press is expected to
criticise in a manner that would engender growth and positive
developments in the society, adding that "goodness breeds goodness and
negativity breeds negativity."

Odili who observed that the newspaper industry was becoming highly
competitive, pointed out that "only the professional, the honest and
sincerely committed ones will survive and strive."

Similarly, the governor has spoken of the need for the Federal Radio
Corporation of Nigeria to establish a booster station in the state to
enhance the reception of its signals.

Odili told the Executive Director of Federal Radio Corporation of
Nigeria (FRCN) Enugu, Mr. Eddy Agwuegbo in Port Harcourt that the poor
reception of its signals from Lagos and Abuja is not helpful in keeping
the people abreast with events in the country.

He said the business of operating the electronic media has been made
more challenging because of competition in the industry and the demands
of globalisation, stressing that for any electronic media to be
efficient, its personnel must be well trained and its equipment up-
dated.

"It is therefore very expedient to keep pace with contemporary
technology," he said, adding that this was the only way to effectively
cover the activities of government and the rest of the nation.

Earlier, Mr. Eddy Agwuegbo appealed for assistance from the state
government to enable the station prepare for the new challenges of
broadcasting.

He also informed the governor of plans by FRCN Enugu to commence
transmission on its FM band and assured the projection of the
activities of the people and government of the state

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