Nigeria’s Current Articles & News from Sahara Reporters [May ‘11 Series]

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                 By Baba Aye           It was the great Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, or Abami Eda, for those that used to gyrate to the soul-lifting rhythm of his comprehensive show at the Africa Shrine, many years back, who sang that evergreen song; Teacher. He was of the opinion that government is the teacher of citizens, while "culture and tradition" are the teachers of government, but finally declared to the teacher that; "make you no teach me, I go know. Person you teach finish, yes, abi e don die o".

Source: Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense; The Bretton Woods Chieftains, Corruption & Austerity

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                           By Nigeria2day           A few wealthy Nigerians spent at least $225 million acquiring private jets between March 2010 and March 2011, a Nigerian newspaper reported yesterday. According to the report published by the Punch Newspaper, a couple of the acquisitions were made by billionaires Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga.

Source: Wealthy Nigerians, Pastors Spend $225 Million On Private Jets-Nigeria2Day

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                 By Saharareporters, New York           Northern traditional rulers and Islamic leaders fearing for their safety were bused to Abuja on Monday night to join a series of meetings with Goodluck Jonathan in what was described as a courtesy visit of traditional rulers who are chairmen of the Traditional Rulers Council of the states and the FCT.

Source: Sultan Of Sokoto, Northern Emirs And Ulamas In Secret Meeting With Jonathan

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                 By Saharareporters, New York           The Islamic militant group operating in Borno State in Northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram, escalated its attacks against military personnel in the city of Maiduguri this afternoon, with two security agents reportedly shot dead today in one of their raids.

Source: Fresh Violence In Maiduguri As Boko Haram Escalates War Against Military Task Force

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   By Is'haq Modibbo Kawu           If a word captures the central content of the responses I got to my first piece last week, it would be “vitriol”. Not that I was surprised; but the depth of anger against me, for daring to deconstruct the prevalent perspective about Northern Nigeria, within media, intellectual and even popular levels, in Southern Nigeria, was simply amazing! The space of knowledge has narrowed dangerously. Most of those who read my piece could not accept that there cannot be one view of our society, anymore than there can be one way of being human.

Source: Lessons Of The Historical Process By Is'haq Modibbo Kawu

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   By Osi Okponobi           Enough has been said and many speculations have been made about the votes or the pattern of voting in the South-East and the South-South, the domain of the incumbent President, and the President-elect, Mr Goodluck Jonathan.

Source: Knocking The Truth On Its Head – The Pattern Of Voting In The South-East And South-South

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People sighing.  People muttering.  People hissing.

Some others are doing a combination of these and more under their breaths.  A few, pushed to their limits, are on their seats venting their frustrations out loud - fists in the air, veins jutting out, saliva flying in all directions.

Source: SaharaReporters.

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I wish to use the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Delta State to draw attention to the shameful websites being created by institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. As an alumnus of the PTI, I can vouch for the PTI as being a very prestigious institution of higher learning in Nigeria.

While I was there, the school's facilities were relatively well maintained. The PTI is under the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and was well funded by the Federal Government to train indigenous manpower for the oil and gas and allied industries. The management of the institute had no time for "African time"; appointments were kept pronto.

The admission process was, to a good extent, fair and based on merit. After graduation, alumni did not have to wait for eternity to collect their certificates. Yes, the PTI had quite a few good things that could be said about it.

But now we are in the 21st century and must move on with the times. The old way of doing business and carrying physical files from one office to the other and waiting for months for someone who is on leave to return before certain papers can be signed is no more acceptable. It is no more acceptable that one has to be physically present in an academic institution before any serious inquiries about the institution can be made. It is now taken for granted that any institution of higher learning should have a befitting website that should serve as a virtual office where serious, official business can be carried out. With this said, I turn now to briefly discuss the official website of my alma mater, the Petroleum Training Institute, www.ptinigeria.org.

Via: SaharaReporters.

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Reverend Fr. Matthew  Hassan Kukah surprised guests yesterday at an induction symposium for new governors organized by the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) when he ripped into the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

He accused both men of conspiring to impose late Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua upon the nation via a fraudulent election in 2007. Goodluck Jonathan and Bola Tinubu were presesent in the hall when he made the observation.

The straight-shooting Catholic priest and scholar was a Guest Speaker at the event which had been organized to prepare elected state executives for office.

Jonathan looked a bit uncomfortable on his seat as he listened to the speech. But Fr. Kukah further jolted him when he drew attention to his new book, "Witness to Justice, An Insider's Account of Nigeria's Truth Commission," and urged participants to buy it. In 1999, Kukah was appointed by President Obasanjo to the 'The Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations;' the book is a searing look into his service on the panel and on key issues in Nigerian public life.

Source: SaharaReporters.

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Today, 20/5/2011, at 7am Nigerian time, I paid a visit to the Security Village in Uyo Akwa Ibom state.

My mission there was simple; to confirm the status of the over 100 children picked from CRARN to the facility. I was hoping against all hopes that the children will be fine, and indeed one of them said "I LIKE IT HERE". Now let's follow the event chronologically.

By about 7.02am, I was blaring the horn at the gate of the facility. After a while, it was obvious nobody was getting the gate opened for me. I had to help myself into the compound. There were over 100 kids loitering within the compound, some were brushing their mouth, some queued in front of a building to the extreme end of the compound others engaged in tidying the compound.

I approached the queue and was greeted by some familiar smiling faces on the line. At the head of the line was a lady in her mid thirties, handing out some cards of Cabin biscuits to the children, four cards per child, sometimes five. I approached her, and she beamed a welcoming smile. We got introduced and shared some small talk generally about the facility and the children.

I then observed something was amiss, I asked for her assistants and she said she was alone. I asked her where the children eat their meals and she gestured towards an empty sitting room 'here' she said. Candidly speaking, she saw nothing wrong with the almost empty hall with stacks of brand new six spring mattresses and pillows at one corner.

I then asked her why the kids were having biscuits instead of real food this morning and she replied that there was no firewood yet for her to cook, if there was, she would have had food on fire about then. Who else works with you in this facility, she said NOBODY. Who hired you? She said the Permanent Secretary brought her in from Oron, but she hopes other people will be joining her later. How late that later is, she wouldn't know. Not one staff from the Ministry of Women Affairs was deployed to work with her.

Source: Akwa Ibom Child Witches:  Eunice Thomas's   Blood Money