Fayemi, reiterates call for restructuring of Nigeria

Ekiti State
Governor
Kayode
Fayemi yesterday revisited the
subsisting national question,
saying that Nigeria should be
restructured to reflect its vast
diversity as a nation-state.
He compared the challenges
of the earlier political
dispensations with the
current problems militating
against effective governance,
pointing out that the
fundamental problems which
confronted the country since
the Second Republic have not
fizzled out.
Fayemi said: "This is
principally because we have
failed as a people to confront
the fundamental structural
challenges of our national
togetherness and collective
political life. And until we do
so in a way that would
reorder the fundamentally
flawed logic on which Nigeria
has operated up till now, we
will not be able to put the
national state in the service of
the diverse people who
constitute it."
The governor spoke in Lagos
at a one-day ‘Conference on
Democracy and Prebendal
Politics in Nigeria’, which he
convened in concert with two
Nigerian scholars; Dr Wale
Adebamwi and Dr Ebenezer
Obadare.
At the brainstorming session,
which held at the Eko Hotels
and Suites, Victoria Island,
statesmen, frontline political
scientists, legal icons and
members of civil society
groups dissected the socio-
economic and political
challenges confronting the
country in its march of
democratic consolidation.
For Nigeria to survive the
challenges, they said the
country should fight
corruption with great vigour,
stem poverty through
equitable distribution of
wealth and foster good
governance and rule of law at
all the tiers of government.
Experts, including Prof.
Richard Joseph, Professor
Jane Guyer, Prof Adigun
Agbaje, Prof Ayo Olukotun and
Dr Abubakar Momoh, also
highlighted the roles of
youths, media and civil society
movement in democratic
growth and stability.
The inspiration for the
conference came from the
thoughtful and insightful
book written by the
Northwestern University,
Illinois, United States of
America don, Joseph, almost
25 years ago.
The book titled: "Democracy
and Prebendal Politics in
Nigeria: The fall of the Second
Republic", detailed the
untoward political behaviour
of the operators of the
presidential system, especially
their penchant for primitive
accumulation, which denied
citizens the benefits of good
governance, democratic
growth and political stability.
Discussants at the sessions
were unanimous that the
book still has relevance in
view of the abysmal conduct
of political office holders, who
apart from failing to find
solutions to the challenges of
social infrastructure, electoral
reforms and security, are
collaborating to cripple the
judiciary, which is the last
hope of the common man.
Governor Fayemi, in a
welcome address titled:
"Knowledge Generation and
Social Progress", lamented
that "the coalition of anti-
democratic forces, which
eventually failed to prevent the
democratisation and
humanisation of the Nigerian
space, have seized the
commanding heights of the
current democratic space".
He said pro-democratic forces
have since 1999 been battling
with the arduous task of
ensuring electoral sovereignty,
rule of law and justice.
The governor said, "while this
struggle for national survival
remains the duty of all
democratic forces, those of us
who have been given this
burden of running specific
components of the Nigerian
federation are called upon to
do our part in rebuilding the
crumbling edifice of public
administration in Nigeria".
Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana,
observed that Prof Joseph
may have to write another
edition of the book he wrote
24 years ago, stressing that
the current dispensation has
not been a wide departure
from the Second Republic
experience, which motivated
him to produce the work.
Lamenting the muscling of the
judiciary, he said the rule of
law, justice and good
governance have taken a
flight from the country as a
result of impunity in high
places.
Governor Babatunde Fashola,
who was represented by the
Special Adviser on Lagos
Central Business District, Mrs
Derin Disu, observed that
"Nigeria needs political
stability for her development
to attract foreign investment",
adding that all Nigerians must
continue to have the freedom
to choose their leaders.
The governor, who also said
that the country needed peace
to guarantee progress,
advised those in government
to find lasting solutions to the
challenges of epileptic power
generation, unemployment,
illiteracy, poverty, growing
discontentment and
insecurity.
The guest of honour, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, who was
represented by the former
Information and Strategy.

STF foils
carnage in
Barkin Ladi
Like in Dante's inferno, the
gory killings in Jos, Plateau
State continued yesterday as a
family of 14 people including
a pregnant mother were
massacred in the early hours
of yesterday.
The crime was carried out by
suspected Fulani herdsmen
who invaded Vwang Kogot
village in Vwang district of Jos
South Local Government Area.
The village, about three
kilometres off the major road
leading to Manchok town in
Kaduna State, was thronged
by a large number of
sympathizers who crying and
wailing, at the gory sight of
the victims made up of
women and children.
These killings is coming a day
after about 12 people were
killed in two separate attacks
on two communities in Barkin
Ladi local government area of
the state.
This brings to about eight of
such attacks within Barkin
Ladi, Jos North, Riyom and Jos
South local government areas
in Plateau North senatorial
district, with no fewer than 90
lives lost in the attacks which
are purported to have been
carried out with the support
of members of the Special
Task Force (STF), drafted to
the state to maintain law and
order.
According to eye witnesses,
the attackers came about
11pm and went to the family
home of Dauda Badung killing
him and his pregnant wife
along with five other children
and two grand children
Also, a 70 year old man, a 60
year old woman and a two
year old Helen Gyang were
also killed while a four year
old survivor with gunshot
wounds is now receiving
treatment at the Vom Christian
Hospital.
The Special Adviser to the
governor on Media, Pam
Ayuba regretted the attacks
and assured that the
perpetrators will be fished out
and brought to book.
Meanwhile the Special Task
Force (STF) on Jos crises code
named ‘Operation safe haven’
has arrested one Muhammed
Abdulahi. He was arrested last
night in Rop village, Barkin
Ladi local government when
the soldiers aborted another
attack on the village.
Spokesman of the STF, Captain
Charles Ekeocha while
parading the suspect at the
STF headquarters said, “This
young man named
Muhammed Abdulahi was
among the over 30 attackers
who came to attack Rop
village of Barkin Ladi last
night”
He added that, “the youths of
the area alerted us of the
impending attack and we
moved in to the village, the
attackers learnt of our
presence and aborted their
plan, unfortunately for this
man we met him on the road
and we suspected him as one
of them.
“We conducted immediate
search on him and found in
his travelling bag some
weapons of attack. The
weapons in his bag included a
pistol, knife and handset. We
are prepared to work if the
youths are ready to cooperate
with us by giving intelligence
information. We are not
spirits, we are also human, we
cannot succeed without
people’s cooperation. We
were able to arrest this man
because the youths are ready
to work with us.”
Meanwhile, Governor Jonah
Jang has commended the
security agencies for their
efforts in curtailing the crises
while he was away on medical
trip abroad. He gave the
commendation at a security
meeting he conveyed shortly
after his arrival.
Jang said, “I have been
briefed on what transpired
and I must commend the
security agencies for their
resilience and efforts to
combat the violence.”
The caucus of House of
Representative members from
Plateau State has condemned
calls from their counterparts
in the north for a declaration
of a state of emergency in the
state over the prolonged
crises.
The House of Representatives
members made their position
known in a press conference
in Jos yesterday.
Bitrus Kaze who led the team
of eight members from the
state to the NUJ secretariat Jos
stated that, “It has come to
our knowledge that certain
elements are hell-bent on
destabilizing democratic
structures on the Plateau in
the name of emergency rule.
“We condemn in strongest
term possible and totally reject
their obnoxious calls for the
declaration of another
emergency in Plateau State. It
is highly suspicious why the
advocate of a state of
emergency singled out the
state for prosecution
notwithstanding the
precarious situation in many
parts of the country including
post-election violence and
bombings.”
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Ajala: 9/11 of Nigerian heroe died for others

Ahead of today’s tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States (September 11,
2001), families, friends,
colleagues and others
worldwide have in various ways been remembering the
victims of the incident.Residents of Dividing Creek in
New Jersey have been placing
flags to represent those who
lost their lives. One of the flags
is for Godwin Ajala, the only
Nigerian officially listed
among the deceased.
Although he is known at
home as Godwin Ajalli, all the
records of tribute referred to
him as Godwin Ajala. He hailed
from Ihenta in Akaeze Local
Government Area of Ebonyi
State.
As part of activities marking
the 10th anniversary, Janice
Laws on September 7 this
year wrote in the guest book
of tributes for the victims on
the website legacy.com: “I am
proud to say that I placed a
flag for Godwin Ajala”
Ajala, who was 33 and a
qualified lawyer before he left
Nigeria was at the time of the
attack an Access Control
Officer working at the
Concourse level of one of the
World Trade Centre buildings.
Apparently exhausted after
helping to guide many out of
the attacked building, Ajala
reportedly first went into a
coma and did not die until the
following Sunday.
But for the economic situation
in Nigeria which has forced
many professionals to seek
greener pastures abroad,
Ajala might not have been
anywhere near the scene of
the attack.
He would have been
practising as a lawyer in
Nigeria.
According to a New York
Times profile on him, he
migrated to the United States
in 1995, hoping to earn more
support for his family.
The New York Times report on
the life and times of the 9/11
victims titled Profiles in Grief
provided some insights into
Ajala’s sojourn in the US and
his unfulfilled dreams.
The paper wrote, “At first he
bounced between jobs, but
ultimately he landed a steady
position as a security guard at
the World Trade Centre. Still,
he was frustrated, and he
began pursuing his dream of
becoming a lawyer in America,
setting his sights on passing
the New York State Bar Exam.
“His roommate, Christopher
Onuoha, said Mr. Ajala worked
from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., went
home for a nap and then
studied for the Bar for six to
eight hours, often late into the
night. Co-workers said he was
last seen helping people
escape from the trade centre.
“When he was living here, he
was suffering in terms of
always working and
studying,” said a close friend,
Christopher Iwuanyanwu.
“Every September, Mr. Ajala
visited Nigeria, and he was
planning to travel there again
this past September to visit his
wife, Victoria, and their three
children, Onyinyechi, 7,
Uchechukwu, 5, and Ugochi,
1. His friends said he was
planning to apply for visas to
bring them to the United
States.
“His dream was that he would
take the law exam, pass it, and
with that bring his family here
and invite them to the
swearing in,” Mr.
Iwuanyanwu said. “He would
have been much happier if his
wife and kids were around.”
In response to the NY Times
profile of Ajala, one Vanessa
during the 2010 anniversary
wrote “rest in peace, Mr. Ajala.
I read your story on a
memorial site and it struck a
chord with me. Your work
ethic reminds me of my
boyfriend, who is also
Nigerian. Thank you for
coming to this country and
helping to guide people out of
WTC. You will not be
forgotten.”
Another reader, Alissian wrote
in September 2003: “He
worked so hard to make a
better life for himself and his
family only to have the dream
destroyed by hatred. I hope
he is at peace now and that
his family can find peace and
happiness in his memory”.
A Nigerian resident in New
York, Austin Obi recalls his
chance meeting with Ajala
and how they became friends.
“It was sometime in early
2000 and I was the Manager
at the Burger King right
across from the Trade Centre,
when Godwin came in for
lunch. He saw my name tag
and introduced himself and
from then on he would stop
by every lunch. He was tall,
imposing yet very warm,
friendly and affable towards
my staff and I. Everybody
knew him. We would often
talk about home, our families
and our goals in America. He
was a good man. May You
Rest in Perfect Peace, my
friend”
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Friendly match: Argentina beats Nigeria 3:1

Super Eagles striker Chinedu
Ogbuke Obasi came on as a
substitute to score Nigeria's
only goal when Argentina
gained revenge for their June
loss to Nigeria by defeating
the Super Eagles 3-1 in
Bangladesh on Tuesday.
Before a sell-out crowd at the
25,000-capacity Bangabandhu
Stadium in Dhaka, Gonzalo
Higuain opened the scoring
for the South Americans after
24 minutes.
Moments later, his Real Madrid
team-mate Angel di Maria
doubled the lead.
Although Chinedu Obuasi
Ogbuke reduced arrears a
minute after the break, an
own goal from Uwa Echiejile
after 65 minutes wrapped up
the win.
Unlike the game in June, when
Argentina fielded a second-
string side preparing for the
Copa America, the South
Americans fielded a strong
team.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi was
the standout star, creating
two of the goals, with Javier
Mascherano and defensive
duo Pablo Zabaleta and
Nicolas Burdisso also in
attendance.

ODEMWIGIE RETURNS TO TRAINING.

NigeriaN striker Osaze Odemwingie has returned to full training with English Premier League side West Brom after recovering from from an ankle injury. He is tipped to return to action next Sunday as the Albion faces Norwich. Boss Roy Hodgson has restricted him to one substitute appearance so far this season. “Peter is OK, I think. He has trained this week and things are looking OK. With Shane it’s too early to say. It’s a calf strain, it’s not a pull or a completely damaged muscle, it’s just the fibres. The medical staff are working on it at the moment but I think his chances are being put at 50-50 by the medical staff and time will tell. “It all depends how quick a healer he is really.” Osaze was ruled out of Albion's last match, against Stoke nine days ago, after suffering a reaction to his previous ankle problem. The injury has forced him to miss Nigeria's games against Madagascar and Argentina - but Hodgson says the striker's rehab is on track.
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Libyan rebels hold 200 Nigerians hostage.

More violence
against migrants
The crackdown on Nigerians
in Libya continued yesterday,
with the arrest of 25 by the
rebel-controlled Transitional
National Council (TNC), which
has slackened Col. Muammar
Gaddafi’s 42-year grip on
power.
The development has brought
the number of Nigerians in
detention to over 200, The
Nation learnt. There are fears
that the detained Nigerians
may be killed by the rebels, if
the Federal Government does
not act on time.
A spokesman for trapped
Nigerians in Tripoli, Mr.
Daramola Siji, who spoke with
our correspondent on the
telephone, said: “About 25
Nigerians were today arrested
in Tripoli and they are being
detained in Salahdin part of
the capital city. We have no
access to them at all.
“So far, we have over 200
Nigerians being detained in
various parts of Libya. We do
not know their fate. We are
praying that they will not be
killed like other black migrant
workers.
“The general pattern is that
the rebels mount roadblocks
and everytime black people
are sighted in a bus, they will
quickly arrest them and
hound them into various cells
in the city.”
Asked how Nigerians fell into
rebels’ hands, Siji said:
“Having been without food,
they decided to venture out of
their homes to look for what
to buy and, in the process,
most of them were arrested.
“I wish to appeal to the
Federal Government to take
action. We could not reach the
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, who
has been sympathetic to our
plight, with the opening up of
talks with the TNC leaders.
“Although the Minister
designated our Ambassador
to Ethiopia to take charge of
the situation in Libya, the
envoy has remained
incommunicado.”
Responding to a question, Siji
said: “The rebels felt the black
migrants were the
mercenaries used by
Muammar Gaddafi to fight
them and that is why they are
embarking on retaliatory
killings.
“But we have made the TNC to
realise that the mercenaries
used by Gaddafi were mostly
Chadians and Nigeriens. No
Nigerian fought on the side of
Gaddafi.”
A top source in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, who spoke in
confidence, said: “The Minister
is away in Sweden for Nordic
Ministers meeting. But he is
on top of the situation, even
from his base abroad.
“We have got assurances from
the TNC, Britain and France
that black migrants will no longer be attacked.”
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SSS, uncovers bomb factory.

•Six suspects
arrested
Six suspects
have been arrested in
connection with the
bombings in Suleja, Niger
State.
The State Security Services
(SSS), which broke the news
yesterday, said it also
uncovered a building in Suleja
where explosives are being
manufactured by members of
the Boko Haram sect.
Also yesterday, the Nigerian
Immigration Service (NIS)
deported 72 Nigeriens
handed over by the Brigade of
Guards, the Army Unit
protecting the President.
The NIS is looking for a man
suspected to be recruiting
and sending Nigeriens into
Nigeria.
The SSS, in a statement in
Abuja signed by its
spokesperson Mrs Marylyn
Ogar, said: “Following the
bombings at the INEC office,
Suleja on 8th April, 2011 and
the All Christians Fellowship
Church, Suleja, Niger State on
10th July, 2011, this Service
commenced investigation to
unravel the perpetrators.
“Consequently, on 4th August,
2011, a suspect, who is a
Nigerien national, was
apprehended in connection
with the bombing in Suleja.
“He confessed to his
involvement in the bombings
as well as his membership of
the Boko Haram sect. His
confession led to the arrest of
a 31-year old indigene of Imo
State who converted to Islam
in 2003.
“The second suspect, who is
born of a Nigeriene mother,
was brought up in Niger
Republic, where he had his
early education. He also
admitted to being a member
of the Boko Haram sect as well
as having worked in concert
with a third suspect from
Kano State to carry out attacks
in Suleja. Their confessions led
to further arrest of two
accomplices from Borno State.
“The five suspects all
confessed that the main
supplier of the explosive
materials used for their
bombing operations is a
miner from Nasarawa State,
who the Service eventually
arrested on 30th August,
2011.
“They also confessed that they
took part in the killing of four
policemen at a check-point at
Dakwa-Deidei in Bwari Area
Council of the FCT on 22nd
May, 2011.
“Investigation has indeed
revealed that the suspects
belong to the Boko Haram cell
operating in the Suleja-Abuja
axis, which is under the
direction and control of a
blood-thirsty Boko Haram
leader who is now at large.
“Meanwhile, a non-descript
building where the
Improvised Explosive Devices
(I.E.Ds) are assembled has
been uncovered at an area
popularly known as Chechnya,
Hayin-Uku village in Tafa Local
Government Area, Niger State.
“Among items recovered in
the merchandise of death are:
i. One (1) gas cylinder; ii. One
battery connected to a
detonator; iii. Two (2)
damaged detonators; iv. One
(1) locally made revolver; v.
One (1) gun butt; vi. Two (2)
knives; and vii. Ten (10) GSM
handsets with SIM cards.”
Other items recovered include
ceiling fan coil, metallic
cylinders, nine volts batteries
ready for use, 200 pieces of
detonators, detonating cables,
battery chargers, and a Honda
Civic car with Borno State
registration number AG 94
MNG, among others.
A bomb expert brought in by
the SSS, Mr. Adegboyega
Adeniyi, told reporters that an
assembled combination of
some of the items could
wreak the kind of devastation
at the bombed Abuja UN
building.
The identity of the owner of
the building is yet to be
established by the SSS, even as
the villagers, including the
village head were not willing
to give information about the
ownership of the house.
Mrs Ogar, who conducted
reporters round the horror
house, said the building had
been under surveillance and
that the suspects, who she did
not name, would be charged
to court “as soon as we find
any court that is willing to try
them”.
The NIS yesterday deported
72 Nigeriens as part of the
ongoing clampdown on Boko
Haram members and illegal
aliens.
NIS spokesman Joachim
Olumba, a chief
superintendent, who spoke
with our correspondents, said
the deported Nigeriens were
taken away from Abuja to the
nearest Nigerien border in
Katsina State at about 3.45pm.
Olumba said: “An Army officer
and some soldiers from the
Brigade of Guards on Monday
brought a truckload of young
men to us and informed us
that they were apprehended
between 5pm and 6pm
somewhere around Dei-Dei
while trying to enter Abuja.
“The nature of their
movement looked suspicious,
but we decided to determine
their nationality and mission
through screening.
“All through the night, we
screened them and conducted
investigation.
“After investigation, 80 are
Nigerians and 72 are from the
Republic of Niger.
“We were able to establish the
fact that these people do not
have any visible means of
livelihood. And given this
situation, we reasoned that it
will be improper to admit
them into Abuja when they
have no fixed addresses and
no contact.”
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