Niger arrests Boko Haram regional mastermind

Niger-  The suspected mastermind of different attacks by Boko Haram sect in Niger’s Diffa region near the Nigerian border has been arrested by Nigerian security forces, Punch reports.
Niger’s Anfani private radio station said the suspect going by the name Kaka Bounou, was a trader based in Diffa. He had a title of a captain in Boko Haram, and was behind all the attacks carried out in Diffa.

The insurgents carried out their first attack inside Chad, killing five people in an early morning assault on a Chadian village and a military camp on the shores of Lake Chad.
A security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the militants had killed at least four villagers and one Chadian soldier before the army was able to push them back.

Read more at Punch

Biu - Political leaders in Borno State condemned the deadly bomb attack on the Biu Main Market.

The suicide bomb resulted to the death of eight people and injured at least 20 others.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Deputy Governor, Zannah Mustapha, said the Islamic militant group had made several attempts to invade Biu without success.

Mustapha said it was disheartening that the sect could wreak such havoc.

He said although the people of Biu and elsewhere in the state had been vigilant, they needed to do more in order to shut out "pockets of success" by the terror group.

“Information at my disposal shows that two little girls were responsible for the attack at the market. I also learnt that eight persons were killed in the attack and 20 persons injured," said Mustapha.

"We on our part as government will give support to the families of those that were killed and help the victims of those lost. But we can only do little as lives lost cannot be brought back,” the deputy governor said.

The official assured the people of the state that the insurgency was running to a close going by the assurances and dedication of the military.

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State, Mohammed Imam, on Friday also condemned the bomb attack at the Biu Main Market.

Imam, in a statement by the Chairman of the Media Committee of his campaign, Inuwa Bwala, condemned the attack in its entirety, insisting it was a crime against Nigeria and its people.

He consoled the families of the deceased and prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

The governorship hopeful called on security agents not to rest on their oars until those behind the Biu blast were found and brought to justice.

"The political contest in Borno is not worth the blood of a single individual," he said.

He also called on the people of Biu to remain calm and focused.

“Change in Borno is inevitable and no amount of violence can delay it.”

Industrialists cry out over high electricity tariff in Aba

Abia - Members of Aba Industrialists Association (AIA) on Thursday called for a reversal of the hike in tariff by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company on industries.
The call is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of AIA meeting. It was signed by Emma Obi and Ehisianya Christin, Chairman and Secretary respectively.
They said the new tariff was capable of throwing them out of business, saying it was therefore unacceptable to them.
The industrialists said that under the new electricity tariff, a company which paid N900 000 in December 2014 would pay N2.4m in February.
They said it was unfortunate that the new tariff had not been matched with improved power supply.

They said they had continued to rely on generators to power their firms in spite of the high tariff.
"This new tariff is outside the N104,000 EEDC referred to as fixed charge which we are to pay every month whether there is power supply or not. We are still contesting that with them", they said.
AIA said that if this new tariff was made to stand, the cost of finished products would not only be very high but all the industries would be forced to close down.
"In a situation where a small or medium scale industry like ours are made to pay N16million as electric bill in one month, there is no way that company will remain afloat", they said.
They, therefore, urged EEDC to disconnect their members without further delay as they would no longer need their services should the new energy tariff remain.

- NAN

21 dead in two Boko Haram attacks near Maiduguri

Maiduguri - At least 21 people were killed in two separate Boko Haram attacks on villages near the key city of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria, a community leader and a witness said on Friday.
"They (Boko Haram) killed 12 people in Akida village and nine others in Mbuta village during a raid," said community leader Mustapha Abbagini.
A witness to the attack in Mbuta gave the same death toll while both said that the insurgents destroyed shops and homes in the raids, which happened on Thursday morning.
The two attacks came before a female suicide bomber blew herself up at a crowded market in the town of Biu, in the south of Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital.
A civilian vigilante helping the Nigerian Army in the counter-insurgency and a source at the town's hospital both said that the death toll had risen from seven to 11 after the blast.
"Four more people, all of them adults, died at the hospital here in Biu while receiving treatment," said the vigilante, Abor Kabiru.

A source at Biu General Hospital added: "Four of the victims brought here with injuries died at night and so far, at least 11 dead bodies have been identified."
The death toll could increase further, as health officials were working to establish the identities of at least two other people who were blown apart by the strength of the blast.
The source asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
"There are still about 13 victims who are receiving treatment while seven others with less severe injuries have been treated and discharged," the source added.
The attack in Akida, which is some 25 kilometres (16 miles) from Maiduguri, happened at about 4:30 am (0330 GMT) when villagers were asleep, said Abbagini.
After setting homes and businesses on fire, the insurgents left and attacked Mbuta at about 7:25 am, he added.
Mbuta resident Hamidu Bukar said: "The attackers destroyed about 25 houses and five shops in our village after killing nine people that attempted to flee from their assault.
"The attackers came from (the) Dikwa area (of Borno state) and they accused us for spying for military authorities... I don't know what they mean by that.
"They threatened that if they fail in their future operations of advancing towards Maiduguri, they would destroy our villages."

- AFP

Kidnapped Dariye's father regains freedom

Plateau - The father of Joshua Dariye, a former governor of Plateau State, who was kidnapped by unknown gunmen, has been released, Premium Times reports.
According to the police spokesperson in Plateau State, Abuh Emmanuel, four persons were arrested in connection with the abduction.

Dariye’s father was abducted last Saturday night at his village in Mushere, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau state.
The abductors allegedly demanded a ransom of $10 million through a letter to the family.
The police refused to confirm whether any ransom was paid before his release.
 Read more at Premium Times

Doctors withdrawn from Niger town after terror attacks

Diffa - The humanitarian situation of the local population in Diffa, where scores of victims of the Boko Haram attacks have sought refuge, is worsening following the withdrawal of medical professionals that had been providing services since the upsurge of terror.

Recent attacks by the armed Islamic militant group in the city of Diffa and increasing insecurity have forced Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières to temporarily withdraw its teams from the area.

“Our intention is to return as soon as possible to know where people have moved, under what conditions they are right now and how best to provide appropriate assistance,” said Mohamed Morchid, Project Manager for MSF in Niger.

The MSF team has been temporarily relocated to other parts of the country but is currently mobilizing added resources to return to the Diffa area to help the populations affected. The organization plans to return in the coming days to provide reinforced medical services to the displaced and refugee populations.


The upsurge of violence following Boko Haram's recent attacks in southeast Niger has caused concern about the humanitarian situation of the local population.

“The population from Diffa started to flee and it is still not clear where they have been displaced. Hundreds of vehicles have left the city since the last attacks,” said Morchid.

“Our concern now is that the worrying humanitarian situation could be moving to other areas of the country as well as the Nigerian refugees in the Diffa area with no resources who have remained because they have been unable to flee to anywhere else.”

More than 150 000 Nigerians have sought refuge in Diffa.

Local consortium to build gas, solar plants

Abuja - The Government and a consortium of businesses are upbeat a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they have signed to build gas fired and solar plants in the country would end the incessant power challenges.
The consortium, led by FirstGate Group has signed the MoU with Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, in Abuja.
Chief Executive, FirstGate Business Intermediaries Ltd, Kelvin Asogwa, said the project will assist in the realization of President Goodluck Jonathan’s initiatives to transform the power sector.
The consortium will build two 1 000MW gas fired and solar plants, with a project life of 4 – 5 years.
The group has acquired 27 000 hectares of land in Kogi State.
Asogwa said the consortium will train thousands of Nigerian youths in various technical trades.
He disclosed that the capacity building platforms overseas will take place in South Korea and Turkey.
“The partnering overseas companies have accepted to train Nigerians after which they would be engaged when the plant must have come on stream,” he said.
Nebo pledged the Government’s resolve to do enable more Nigerians to access power.
He anything that would bring more electricity that could be accessed by Nigerians.
He also pledged assist in the areas of licensing, permits and reports.
“The Ministry will ensure that all these processes are hastened,” Nebo said.
It is estimated only 40 million Nigerians currently have access to electricity with the remaining 120 million of the population living in darkness.

Edo internet swindler jailed for his troubles

Lagos - The Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State has sentenced a man to two years in imprisonment for internet fraud.
Philip Agbodobri (alias Graham Karlsson and Obrien Karlsson) was not given the option of a fine when he faced charges bordering on obtaining money by false pretence and internet scam.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought his prosecution.
EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said officers of the Fourth Brigade/Sector One, Operation Pulo Shield of the Nigerian Army in Benin had arrested the suspect in January 2013 along with 19 other cohorts of his and handing them over to  the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
Agbodobri was subsequently charged with engaging in internet scam,having being caught in possession of a laptop, in which was found scam emails, with the subject, Payment Details, which though he knew were false, but he still sent out to unsuspecting businessmen.
After diligent prosecution, Justice Ajoku convicted him of engaging in internet scam, contrary to Section 6 and 8(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act, Uwujaren said. ­

- CAJ News

UN: Nigeria military needs 'greater resolve' vs. Boko Haram

Abuja - The United Nations special representative for West Africa says Nigeria's military needs to show "greater resolve" in the widening fight against the extremist group Boko Haram.
Mohammed Ibn Chambas told reporters Friday, "I think we all expect more from the Nigerian military."
His comments come after suspected Boko Haram militants staged their first attack in Chad.
Also read: Boko Haram regroups for new Maiduguri Attack
Chambas says he hopes Nigeria will unite around fighting Boko Haram after presidential and legislative elections, delayed until March 28.
A multinational force to fight Boko Haram that also includes Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin is expected to be formally launched in coming weeks with about 8,700 troops. The force is expected to look to the U.N. Security Council for help in financing, but Chambas says he has heard no estimate of the cost.

- AP

Nigeria president vows no further election delays

President Goodluck Jonathan. (File: AFP)

  

Abuja - Nigerian President on Friday on Friday promised there would be no further vote delays, after the electoral agency pushed back the presidential and parliamentary polls by six weeks to May.
"We will surely conduct elections as scheduled. We promise you. Communicate this to your homes that elections will be conducted as scheduled and on 29th of May, there will be an inauguration of a president of this country," he told the foreign envoys.


The electoral agency INEC had on Saturday postponed the presidential and parliamentary elections earlier scheduled for February 14 to March 28, citing insurgency problems especially in northeast of the country.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also shifted state governorship and assembly elections from February 28 to April 11.
The United Nations and the European Union have led a chorus of disapproval over the poll shift.
Jonathan said that the six-week extension would give the security agencies time "to clean up" the three states Borno, Yobe and Adamawa that are mostly affected by an insurgency by Islamist Boko Haram militants.
"If at all they cannot clean up the three states, at least two states will be recovered completely and more local governments recovered even from the remaining state. So that at least elections could be conducted," he stated.
This period (of extension) will give them the opportunity to clean up the three states," said Jonathan.
He boasted that Nigerian forces will recover "completely" territories being occupied by the insurgents in Adamawa and Yobe states.
"And even in Borno state, the headquarters of Boko Haram, even if we don't take over completely, at least 70 percent of that state should be free for elections to be conducted," he said.
Troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon are joining Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram Islamists.
Boko Haram has stepped up attacks since Nigeria's neighbours decided last month to muster a 7,500-strong five-country force to take on the extremists.
The planned contingent was later boosted to 8,700.
Boko Haram rebels carried out their first attack Friday inside neighbouring Chad, targeting a village on the shores of Lake Chad as part of a widening insurgency that has now sucked in four countries.
Boko Haram, which already controls vast swathes of northeast Nigeria, has ramped up its bloody, six-year insurgency in the past few months.
The conflict has killed more than 13,000 since 2009 and become an increasing regional threat.

- AFP

20 killed, 65 injured in Pakistan mosque attack

An attack on a Shia mosque in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar has killed at least 20 people and injured more than 65 others, government officials say.

At least four suicide bombers, wearing security forces uniforms, hit the Imamia mosque during Friday prayers, officials and witnesses said.

Three of the attackers succeeded in exploding their vests, while one was unable to do so, Shafqat Malik, the chief of Peshawar’s police Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU), told Al Jazeera. The unexploded vest was defused by the BDU, he added, while several grenades were also recovered from the site.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in an emailed statement.

Senior police official Rana Umer Hayat said several gunmen threw grenades into the mosque before storming the building.

The attackers appeared to gain access to the mosque, which is under tight security, from an under-construction building next door.

CBN under pressure to devalue naira again

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

DEVELOPMENTS in the foreign exchange market are putting the Central Bank of Nigeria under intense pressure to further devalue the naira.

The currency has been experiencing free fall since November 25, 2014 when the          CBN Monetary Policy Committee devalued it by eight per cent from 155 to 168 against the United States dollar.

Following Saturday’s announcement of the postponement of the general elections by six weeks, the naira on Monday plunged from 188 to 200 against the dollar.

The Bankers’ Committee gave the hint of further devaluation on Thursday just as the nation’s External Reserves dropped by $1bn in 12 days.

The committee which comprises the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, the deputy governors, chief executive officers of Deposit Money Banks and other stakeholders, said the managers of the economy, including the CBN, were currently seeking a new level to devalue the already battered currency.

Members of the committee met for over three hours in Lagos to review developments in the banking sector and the economy, among other issues.

The meeting, which was chaired by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, later appointed the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc,   Segun Agbaje; Managing Director, FCMB,   Ladi Balogun; Managing Director, CitiBank Nigeria,   Omar Hafeez; and Director, Banking Supervision, CBN,   Tokunbo Martins, to brief the press on some of its deliberations.

Agbaje said the currency was going through a period of ‘‘price discovery’’ to determine a new level for the currency.

He said, ‘‘where we are now is that oil prices are down. As a country, we are trying to find what level the currency devalues to. There is no central bank in the world that allows a free flow of its currency. What you do is try to find a price discovery and find a rate at which you can live with. I think we are going through that process in Nigeria. That is why at the last MPC meeting, the CBN devalued and also moved the midpoint of the naira. What you are seeing in the interbank market is again some price discovery.”

The GTBank boss explained that ‘‘devaluation is not a curse’’, adding that some major currencies of the world had gone through the process in recent times.

According to him, no nation   allows free flow of its currency.

Agbaje said, “I think that on the issue of exchange rate, exchange rates are very emotional things. The reality is that devaluation is not a curse. The Norwegian Krone, which is one of the strongest currencies, devalued by 13 per cent last year. I think about half way through last year, the pound to the dollar was about 1.67; today, it is barely 1.52. So, where we are today is that oil prices are down.

“The thing about price discovery is that rates would go up and rates would come down. And so for those who chose to speculate, you run the risk of actually losing money.

“So until we find what that rate is, which I believe in my own opinion we are around there now, and I believe that the CBN is also going through that price discovery, when they get there.

“Any country that has over $30bn in its reserves is able to defend its currency at a realistic rate. So, I don’t think we have a state of chaos around.   I told you about some very strong economies that have gone through some devaluation; so, it is not a curse.”

Agbaje also said that the CBN had no plans to change rules regarding the operation of domiciliary accounts.

He said, “There will be no change in the operation of domiciliary accounts. The CBN remains committed to the foreign exchange market. There will be free flow of funds into and out of the domiciliary accounts’’.

The GTBank boss added that banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector did not pose any challenge to the banking industry because the CBN had already carried out a stress test on all the banks with oil prices at $50 and $55 per barrel.

Balogun also told journalists that despite the fall in oil prices, government revenues last year increased by N75bn.

Balogun, who added   that about N150bn increase was being expected this year, explained that owing to the structural challenges in the economy,   banks would support the government to diversify the economy.

According to the FCMB boss,   banks will ensure that loans are given to   Small and Medium-scale Enteprise operators   and people in the agricultural sector.

Hafeez, said due to the volatility in the foreign exchange market, the CBN had said that it would continue to meet the liquidity needs of the market, adding that Emefiele had said that the market did not need to panic any longer.

Martins said despite the volatility in the foreign exchange market,   the country’s banks were still sound, safe and strong.

She said the capital adequacy levels, liquidity ratios, profitability, asset quality and other ratios of the banks were all above average and the regulatory minimum.

On the banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector in the light of   falling oil prices, Martins said Nigerian banks had one of the highest capital levels in the world, adding that they were safe should the unexpected happen.

Emefiele   told the CNBC Africa on Thursday that there was “no need to panic” about a slide in the currency, after figures showed that the bank had been burning through more than $110m a day in an   attempt to defend the naira.

“We are not in the best of times but there’s no need to panic,” he said, ruling out an emergency Monetary Policy Committee meeting. He   stated that floating the currency was not an option.

Figures on the CBN website on Thursday showed that the foreign exchange reserves fell to $33.4bn as of February 10, a drop of $1bn over the previous 12 days as the CBN sold hard currency to defend   the naira.

The reserves stood at $34.4bn on January 27, 2015.

Meanwhile, reports on Thursday indicated that the naira was likely to continue its fall next week as investors worry over the postponement of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission and its impact on the economy and the country.

The naira hit a record low of 206.60 against the dollar on Thursday at the interbank market, and dealers halted electronic trading for the second consecutive day.

Dealers had halted trading on Wednesday when the naira hit 204 against the dollar.

“Demand remains strong and unless we have large dollar inflows into the market, the local currency will continue to be under pressure,” a dealer said.

The CBN has repeatedly sold dollars to support the local currency. It   has also been relying on the external reserves to defend the naira.

However, other African currencies like the Ghanaian cedi and Kenyan shillings are expected to remain strong next week.

CBN under pressure to devalue naira again

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

DEVELOPMENTS in the foreign exchange market are putting the Central Bank of Nigeria under intense pressure to further devalue the naira.

The currency has been experiencing free fall since November 25, 2014 when the          CBN Monetary Policy Committee devalued it by eight per cent from 155 to 168 against the United States dollar.

Following Saturday’s announcement of the postponement of the general elections by six weeks, the naira on Monday plunged from 188 to 200 against the dollar.

The Bankers’ Committee gave the hint of further devaluation on Thursday just as the nation’s External Reserves dropped by $1bn in 12 days.

The committee which comprises the Central Bank of Nigeria governor, the deputy governors, chief executive officers of Deposit Money Banks and other stakeholders, said the managers of the economy, including the CBN, were currently seeking a new level to devalue the already battered currency.

Members of the committee met for over three hours in Lagos to review developments in the banking sector and the economy, among other issues.

The meeting, which was chaired by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, later appointed the Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc,   Segun Agbaje; Managing Director, FCMB,   Ladi Balogun; Managing Director, CitiBank Nigeria,   Omar Hafeez; and Director, Banking Supervision, CBN,   Tokunbo Martins, to brief the press on some of its deliberations.

Agbaje said the currency was going through a period of ‘‘price discovery’’ to determine a new level for the currency.

He said, ‘‘where we are now is that oil prices are down. As a country, we are trying to find what level the currency devalues to. There is no central bank in the world that allows a free flow of its currency. What you do is try to find a price discovery and find a rate at which you can live with. I think we are going through that process in Nigeria. That is why at the last MPC meeting, the CBN devalued and also moved the midpoint of the naira. What you are seeing in the interbank market is again some price discovery.”

The GTBank boss explained that ‘‘devaluation is not a curse’’, adding that some major currencies of the world had gone through the process in recent times.

According to him, no nation   allows free flow of its currency.

Agbaje said, “I think that on the issue of exchange rate, exchange rates are very emotional things. The reality is that devaluation is not a curse. The Norwegian Krone, which is one of the strongest currencies, devalued by 13 per cent last year. I think about half way through last year, the pound to the dollar was about 1.67; today, it is barely 1.52. So, where we are today is that oil prices are down.

“The thing about price discovery is that rates would go up and rates would come down. And so for those who chose to speculate, you run the risk of actually losing money.

“So until we find what that rate is, which I believe in my own opinion we are around there now, and I believe that the CBN is also going through that price discovery, when they get there.

“Any country that has over $30bn in its reserves is able to defend its currency at a realistic rate. So, I don’t think we have a state of chaos around.   I told you about some very strong economies that have gone through some devaluation; so, it is not a curse.”

Agbaje also said that the CBN had no plans to change rules regarding the operation of domiciliary accounts.

He said, “There will be no change in the operation of domiciliary accounts. The CBN remains committed to the foreign exchange market. There will be free flow of funds into and out of the domiciliary accounts’’.

The GTBank boss added that banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector did not pose any challenge to the banking industry because the CBN had already carried out a stress test on all the banks with oil prices at $50 and $55 per barrel.

Balogun also told journalists that despite the fall in oil prices, government revenues last year increased by N75bn.

Balogun, who added   that about N150bn increase was being expected this year, explained that owing to the structural challenges in the economy,   banks would support the government to diversify the economy.

According to the FCMB boss,   banks will ensure that loans are given to   Small and Medium-scale Enteprise operators   and people in the agricultural sector.

Hafeez, said due to the volatility in the foreign exchange market, the CBN had said that it would continue to meet the liquidity needs of the market, adding that Emefiele had said that the market did not need to panic any longer.

Martins said despite the volatility in the foreign exchange market,   the country’s banks were still sound, safe and strong.

She said the capital adequacy levels, liquidity ratios, profitability, asset quality and other ratios of the banks were all above average and the regulatory minimum.

On the banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector in the light of   falling oil prices, Martins said Nigerian banks had one of the highest capital levels in the world, adding that they were safe should the unexpected happen.

Emefiele   told the CNBC Africa on Thursday that there was “no need to panic” about a slide in the currency, after figures showed that the bank had been burning through more than $110m a day in an   attempt to defend the naira.

“We are not in the best of times but there’s no need to panic,” he said, ruling out an emergency Monetary Policy Committee meeting. He   stated that floating the currency was not an option.

Figures on the CBN website on Thursday showed that the foreign exchange reserves fell to $33.4bn as of February 10, a drop of $1bn over the previous 12 days as the CBN sold hard currency to defend   the naira.

The reserves stood at $34.4bn on January 27, 2015.

Meanwhile, reports on Thursday indicated that the naira was likely to continue its fall next week as investors worry over the postponement of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission and its impact on the economy and the country.

The naira hit a record low of 206.60 against the dollar on Thursday at the interbank market, and dealers halted electronic trading for the second consecutive day.

Dealers had halted trading on Wednesday when the naira hit 204 against the dollar.

“Demand remains strong and unless we have large dollar inflows into the market, the local currency will continue to be under pressure,” a dealer said.

The CBN has repeatedly sold dollars to support the local currency. It   has also been relying on the external reserves to defend the naira.

However, other African currencies like the Ghanaian cedi and Kenyan shillings are expected to remain strong next week.

Oba of Benin is alive -Traditional council

The Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, has dismissed the rumour that he had passed on.

The speculation on the monarch’s demise had gone viral on the Internet on Friday morning.

The rumour also intensified with the claim that the Oba did not personally receive President Goodluck Jonathan, during his February 4 presidential rally in Benin, the Edo State capital‎.

But the Benin Traditional Council, told our correspondent on Friday evening that it was a mere speculation, which had been on for over six months and lacked truth.

The Secretary to the council, Mr. Frank Irabor, explained that it was the responsibility of the council to issue a formal statement, if such a development did occur.

He said, “They have been peddling that rumour for more than a year now, because the Oba has not been coming out.

“If there is anything like that, there is usually a statement from the palace or from the Benin Traditional Council.”

Although the spokesperson did not specify whether or not the Oba was hale and hearty, he said that inability of the President Jonathan to see the monarch, when he visited the palace, did not give credence to his rumoured death.

“The fact that he has not been coming out, even when the President came last week, does not mean that there is anything like that‎.”

“I don’t bother about rumours. I believe in getting information from the authentic source. For more than six months, they have been carrying the rumour,” he added.

AGF: No Room for Interim Government

 Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN),

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja
 
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), has dismissed calls for the establishment of an interim government to conduct the 2015 general election.

In a statement he issued in Abuja on Thursday, Adoke said that the 1999 Constitution does not make any provision for the constitution of an interim government.

He said: “For avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to state that the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 did not envisage the constitution of Interim National Government to superintend over the affairs of government.

“It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for Interim National Government was made in the constitution.”

He stated that the contraption called “Interim National Government” was alien to Nigeria’s constitutional framework and the arrangement should not be promoted by well-meaning Nigerians under any guise or circumstance.
He urged Nigerians to continue to rely on the constitution, which he said contained adequate provisions on how the democratic process could be activated to elect their leaders from time to time.

The statement read: “My attention has been drawn to recent calls in the media by some Nigerians for the constitution of an Interim National Government to ostensibly mid-wife the 2015 general election to usher in a new democratic government.

“While I recognise and appreciate the inalienable rights of Nigerians to freely express themselves and proffer solutions to perceived national challenges, I am deeply concerned that some undiscerning Nigerians are being unwittingly led to believe that a certain prescription, which is totally alien to the constitution, can be adopted as viable solution to our national challenges.

“It has therefore become necessary to correct this misconception and refocus the citizenry on the path of constitutionalism and democratic tenets consistent with our quest for democratic consolidation in Nigeria.”

Jonathan’s camp splits over anti-Buhari suits

There is a split in the camp of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) over the eligibility suit filed against All Progressives Congress(APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

Some PDP stalwarts, especially those from the North, are opposed to the four matters pending in court over Gen. Buhari’s certificate, The Nation learnt yesterday.

It was also learnt that the Presidency is not keen to “support all the applications in court” as it sees the suits as “mere distractions”.

There are three suits at the Federal High Court against Gen. Buhari and a criminal matter at a Magistrate’s Court on APC’s candidate’s eligibility.

Some PDP chiefs, especially those from the North and some retired Generals, are uncomfortable with the legal actions.

It was learnt that the grouse of the PDP stalwarts is on the misinterpretation of Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution by those questioning Gen. Buhari’s certificate.

Some of the aggrieved PDP leaders and some  strategists  of the President were also angry that a case of alleged  forgery / perjury could be raised against Gen. Buhari.

It was learnt that those unhappy with the suits have started reading “ethnic meanings into the whole drama”.

A source said: “Those from the North are shocked that those behind the applications are mostly from the Southeast and a negligible few from the Southsouth. They are seeing everything from the ethnic angle.

“They also said the matters accounted for part of the reasons Jonathan is losing ground in the North because Northerners see it as signs of desperation.”

Another source added: “Some of us believe those behind the suits do not mean well for the President. They should have taken cognizance of past pronouncements by the court on Adams Oshiomhole and Section 131, which says the minimum requirement is the ability to be able to read and write”.

But a few others trying to please the President wanted the suits to be pursued to the logical conclusion.

A member of the NWC said: “If some APC sympathisers can go to court to challenge the President on his right to second term, then we felt we must also place some hurdles before Buhari.

“Some of our leaders do not like these suits but we cannot stop our supporters who have genuine reasons to challenge Buhari’s eligibility.

“This is politics. The onus is on Buhari to provide all necessary evidence.”

A highly-placed source in the Presidency said: “To the best of our knowledge, these suits are mere distractions. This is why the Presidency has nothing to do with it.

“Let me tell you, some of these applicants and their counsel  have been advised by some government officials to drop the suits.”

Responding to a question,  the source added: “When these suits get to advanced stage, they may not get the required support from the government.”

Section 131 says: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth; (b) he has attained the age of forty (40) years; (c )he is a member of a political party; and (d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its  equivalent.

“In  Section 318, School Certificate or equivalent means (a) a Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent, or Grade II Teacher’s Certificate, the City and Guilds Certificate; or (b) education up to Secondary School Certificate level; or

“(c) Primary Six School Leaving Certificate or its equivalent and (i) service in the public or private sector in the Federation in any capacity acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) for a minimum of  10 years; and

“(ii) attendance at courses and training in such institutions as may be acceptable to the Independent National Electoral Commission for periods totaling up to a minimum of one year, and

“(iii) the ability to read, write, understand and communicate in the English Language to the satisfaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC); and “(d) Any other qualification acceptable by INEC.

Emefiele Calls for Calm as Naira, Stocks Sustain Decline

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

Eromosele Abiodun and Obinna Chima
 
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has reiterated that there is no need for panic over the recent depreciation of the naira against the dollar, even as he reassured investors that the central bank will continue to meet legitimate foreign exchange demand.

Emefiele, who said this at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, where he also rang the closing bell, insisted that the nation’s currency was “appropriately priced”.

However, the naira defied the CBN governor’s statement, as it slipped further to close at N206/$1 on Thursday in the interbank market, as against N205.90/$1 from the previous day.

Also, market capitalisation at the stock market dipped for the fourth consecutive trading session, closing at N9.321 trillion yesterday, representing losses of N475 billion in four days, compared to the N9.796 trillion on Monday.

But Emefiele maintained that globally, economies including Nigeria were contending with the drop in commodity market especially oil prices, saying: “The price of crude oil dropped from $115 per barrel to below $50 per barrel which has affected activities on the Nigerian capital market.”
He explained that this had led to the All-Share Index’s decline by 28 basis points, adding that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) might also drop.

He however said the central bank was doing everything within its power to ensure price stability.

He added that the economy would survive the (postponed) elections, as it had done in past elections, assuring investors that the coming elections would be conducted peacefully.

He urged foreign investors to retain confidence in the Nigerian economy and capital market as the country would not disintegrate.

The CBN governor explained: “We are not in the best of times but there’s no need to panic. The Nigerian monetary authorities as well as fiscal authorities are doing everything they can to respond to these vulnerabilities.
“I repeat that there is no need for us to panic because we’ve looked at various scenarios and models where we looked at some of those actions that the monetary and fiscal authorities would kick in as we attain various levels in the price of crude.

“I think it is important for me to at least commend the fiscal authorities. In 2014, for instance, as these unfolding events started, the Minister of Finance invited the McKenzie group to look at our non-oil sources of revenue.

“In 2014, we had an over N75 billion increase in non-oil revenues. We are expecting that in 2015 this will ramp up to as high as $1 billion. Those are some of the activities that have been put in place. There is no need to panic.”

Emefiele added: “We’ve seen people also responding as a result of the political situation in Nigeria and all I can say is that the Nigerian economy remains resilient… And that is why I say there is no need to panic.
“The elections will take place. I am not supposed to respond to (questions on) elections, but it is important for me to say there is no need to panic as a result of the elections.

“The elections will happen, they will go, Nigeria will remain the same and economic activities will improve. That is a statement I thought I should make, not only to Nigerians but also to our foreign investors and partners who are working with us. Retain your confidence in Nigeria.”

The president of the NSE, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, corroborated the views of the CBN governor and called on retail and institutional investors to invest in the capital market and the economy at large, saying: “There is a great fortune to be made in the Nigerian economy.”

Meanwhile, the CBN and bank chief executive officers (CEO), under the aegis of the Bankers’ Committee have also advised investors to remain calm, saying that the fundamentals of the Nigerian economy remain strong.
MD/CEO of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, who spoke to journalists at the end of the Bankers’ Committee meeting in Lagos yesterday, said the exchange rates “are very emotional”.

When asked if the naira was due for a further devaluation in view of the strong volatility in the forex market, Agbaje said: “The reality is that devaluation is not a curse.

“So where we are today, oil prices are down and as a country we are trying to find what level the country devalues to. There is no central bank in the world that allows a free-float of its currency.

“What you do is try to find the price level and find the rate at which you can live with. I think we are going through that process in Nigeria.

“That was why at the last MPC meeting, the CBN devalued and also moved the mid-point. What you are seeing in the interbank market is again some price discovery.”

On her part, the CBN Director, Banking Supervision, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, who joined Agbaje at the briefing, said the committee discussed at length the state of the economy, adding that it was encouraging to note that despite all the headwinds, global and domestic, the banking industry remains safe, sound and resilient.

“We discussed the banks in terms of their capital adequacy, liquidity, profitability and asset quality, and it was concluded that all the ratios remain satisfactory.

“For the industry at large, all the banks were on average, above the regulatory minimum. So, in conclusion, the banking industry is safe, sound and resilient,” she added.

Agbaje also said the CBN and the banks agreed that there would not be any change in the operation of domiciliary accounts “and that there would remain unfettered access towards inflows into domiciliary accounts”.

Also, his counterpart at First City Monument Bank, Mr. Ladi Balogun,
noted that while it had been widely reported that there had been a drop in fiscal revenue from oil sources, the federal government expects non-oil revenue to rise to over N150 billion this year.

“The good news about that is that while there might be some structural challenges, historically, the trend is very positive in terms of diversification of the economy and certainly the banking industry is playing its own role in supporting that diversification with the variety of things going on in the SME space, in agriculture and others,” Balogun said.

‘I met 24 of the Chibok schoolgirls’

The Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram are alive, a woman believed to have seen them has said.

The 24 schoolgirls, who she said she was held with for three days last November, were physically well, she said, and were being coerced to cook for their captors, who numbered in their thousands. The girls were reportedly very tearful and homesick but had not been harmed.

“They were very emotional,” said Monica Sunday, a 20-year-old Christian woman who had been kidnapped by the jihadist group after her village, Kiva, in the far north east of Nigeria, had been twice attacked and then burned to the ground.

She spoke to Jonathan Miller of Channel 4 news, a United Kingdom broadcasting organisation, in a dusty informal camp for displaced people near the capital, Abuja, where she had recently arrived.

“None of the girls really talked very much,” she said. “They just cried and prayed and lamented for their parents. I comforted them and told them to have faith in God and that He would open a way for them so that their nightmare would be over.”

Monica, who was herself deeply traumatised by her own experience and lost her small baby, Abraham John, as she fled through the bush while making her escape, said the Chibok girls had remained true to their Christian faith. They wore simple head-coverings – not full hijabs – she said, but none was practising Islam.

Split up and dispersed

The Boko Haram insurgents have a brutal reputation for raping the women they abduct, but Monica insisted that the Chibok girls had not been sexually abused and that none of them was pregnant.

“The girls I was with were all in their mid-teens, some a bit younger, some older,” she said. “None of them was sick.” She did not know where any of the other girls, among the 219 still missing, were held. She also said that none had been forced into marriage. Monica knew about the kidnap of the Chibok girls before she herself was abducted.

“They divided them up. Some were taken to Gwoza [a town near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, near to where Monica herself had been abducted]. Not all of them are held in one place.”

This is in line with earlier reports that the girls had been split up into smaller groups and dispersed across the region.

Monica says that the “room” in which she was held with the Chibok girls was a shanty-style lean-to, its roof just polythene sheeting.

After three days, she says she was moved to another part of the camp where she was held with more than 40 other women from across northern Nigeria, who, like her, had all been kidnapped.

“Among them was one particular woman who they beat until she was bleeding all over her body because she refused to convert to Islam,” she said. “She eventually succumbed,” she said, her head bowed. Monica said she had refused repeated attempts to force her to convert.

“They were really angry with me and shouted and screamed at me and called me ‘arney’” – an abusive term for “infidel” in the Hausa language. But she said that she had not been physically hurt by her captors. Her experience at their hands in the Sambisa camp, having been marched for two months through the bush, has left Monica shattered. “Every time I hear their name,” she said, “I shake with fear.”

She said that the Boko Haram commander in the Sambisa camp was called Ibrahim Shekau, who she described as “assistant” to Abubakar Shekau, the apparently deranged leader of the group. It is not known whether the two are related.

Impenetrable terrain

The camp, she said, was huge, and sprawled through almost impenetrably thick forest terrain. She said there were at least 1,000 women held captive there and thousands of rebel soldiers. “Most of the soldiers are out in the bush all the time, hunting others,” as she put it. They had guns and uniforms and many military vehicles, and there were access roads.

Monica added that these roads allowed Boko Haram to bring tankers, carrying drinking water, into the camp. She said there was enough food, mostly looted from nearby villages by the rebels. “They even have grinding machines,” she said. “We had rice and we had corn. No meat, but sometimes there was fish.”

It is known that there is military aerial surveillance of the Sambisa forest region, so the existence of many vehicles – including water-tankers – would suggest it would be possible to spot the camp from the air. I asked her whether she thought it would be possible for the Chibok girls to escape from Sambisa. “It would be very hard,” she said.

Monica made her escape when she was driven out of the camp into the bush at night with her baby, for reasons that were not clear to her. She found herself miles from anywhere and started walking east, towards Gwoza. The journey took her several days, without food.

Her baby died somewhere along the way and Monica, now completely alone, said she was unable to bury the child. “I had to just leave his body in the bush,” she said. She spoke quietly and matter-of-factly, but without obvious emotion.

Most of her family is in a refugee camp in neighbouring Cameroon. Her husband is in Lagos, where he has found work as a bicycle taxi-driver.

After reaching Gwoza, she says she kept walking all the way to Cameroon, where she tracked down her parents. She came to Abuja earlier this year with her younger brother, in the hope of meeting her husband, John, again.

Within the past two weeks, Monica says she was interviewed and debriefed by Nigerian military intelligence after her story was made known to the authorities. She says that after hearing her personal account, “the military people asked me many questions about the Chibok girls. They vowed to me they would go to the Sambisa forest as soon as they possibly could.”

PDP Makes U-turn, Passes Confidence Vote on Jega

National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu

•       Says Obasanjo’s endorsement of Buhari a rummour
•       Akpabio: No PDP Governor will campaign for APC
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Reprieve continues to come the way of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has said that the party has great confidence in him as the INEC chairman.

This was  a great departure from the series of allegations made against Jega by the Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani Kayode who Wednesday accused the INEC chairman of holding secret meetings in Dubai and other places with the intention of rigging the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing a press conference in company of all members of the PDP National Working Committee, PDP Governors led by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Godswill Akpabio, the governors of Benue, Kogi, Cross River and Bayelsa state, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, among others, Adamu Muazu said that the party has confidence in the ability of the chairman of INEC to conduct the general elections.

Muazu also defended the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, stating that his endorsement of the APC presidential candidate, General Buhari is a rumour and that the former president cannot commit anti-party activities. He restated that former President Obasanjo remains a committed and loyal member of the PDP.

According to Muazu, “President Jonathan appointed Prof. Attahiru Jega and therefore knows him very well before the appointment. The President has restated his confidence in the INEC Chairman and therefore we have confidence in him to conduct a free and fair general election. We have confidence in him and I don’t act on rumours and therefore we will work with him as the chairman of INEC.”

According to the PDP chairman, “Although we tend to agree with INEC on the security reasons given for the postponement of the elections, we are nevertheless not unmindful of the fact that the commission on its own part was not fully prepared for the February 14 election date.

“Taking the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega on his own words, for the 68.8 million registered voters, the commission had only printed and delivered 66.3 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) with 1.3 million yet to be delivered and 1.1 million stolen cards yet to be replaced.

“Also, according to Jega, 45.09 million voters cards were collected by prospective voters representing 65.8 percent of the registered voters and 23.71 million PVCs, representing 34.2 percent were yet to be collected as at February 7th, which is exactly one week to the February 14th earlier scheduled date. Compare this anomaly with the 2011 elections where not a single eligible voter was disenfranchised.

“By this account, INEC could not sincerely claim to have been fully prepared for a desirable credible, free and fair election at the time when more than 23 million registered voters were going to be disenfranchised.”