Northern elders endorse Jonathan for second term

George Agba — Feb 27, 2015 The Northern Elders Council (NEC) has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan and his running mate, Vice President Namadi Sambo for a second term in office. The elders led by their Chairman and elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, made their intention known yesterday when they paid a courtesy visit to Jonathan at the presidential villa, Abuja. Yakasai said the NEC opted for the Jonathan/ Sambo because they offer the best prospects for continuous and sustained development, peace, unity and stability of the country. According to him, despite the numerous social and security challenges, Jonathan through his resilience, steadfastness, and patriotism competed with his focused leadership has held the country together. He noted that the president matched the country to greater heights through the faithful implementation of the administration’s Transformation Agenda. He added that the NEC acknowledges the administration’s remarkable development of the Northern part of the country, particularly in the construction of over 120 Almajiri Schools, Girl Child Schools in 13 states, nine new universities, massive dam and irrigation projects, expansion of railways and numerous projects. He also disclosed that the NEC was particularly delighted with the synergy between Jonathan and Sambo, whom they described as “our distinguished son and leader.” Responding, Sambo told the elders that they took a wise decision by endorsing the re- election bid of Jonathan for a second term in the March 28 presidential election. Sambo expressed delight with the show of love and support by the NEC, under the Chairmanship of Yakasai. Source:Leadership newspaper

Ebonyi house serves Elechi impeachment notice

February 27 The Ebonyi State House of Assembly on Friday served Governor Martins Elechi an impeachment notice. It is alleging misappropriation of state funds by the governor, among other sundry charges. At plenary, Ogbonnaya Francis Nwifruru, acting majority leader of the House, read out a list of offences and complaints against the governor. The House last

US-led strikes on IS after group seizes 220 Christians

By Mohamad Ali Harissi 22 minutes ago A French Navy Hawkeye reconnaissance plane prepares to take off from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Gulf on February 24, 2015 as part of a campaign against the Islamic State group . Beirut (AFP) - The US-led coalition carried out air strikes Thursday against the Islamic State group in northeastern Syria, where the jihadists have launched a new offensive and kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians. The raids struck areas around the town of Tal Tamr in Hasakeh province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving information on possible casualties. They followed the launch Monday of a new offensive by IS, which kidnapped the Assyrians as it seized territory around Tal Tamr. The town remains under the control of Kurdish forces, but at least 10 surrounding villages have been seized by IS, along with the captives. Many of those abducted are said to be women, children or elderly. The Observatory said negotiations were ongoing "through mediators from Arab tribes and a member of the Assyrian community" to secure their release. The IS offensive has killed at least 35 jihadists and 25 members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and of an Assyrian defence force, according to the Observatory. View gallery A Syrian Christan priest performs a mass at the Greek … A Syrian Christan priest performs a mass at the Greek Orthodox church in Aleppo (AFP Photo/Joseph Ei … - Thousands flee IS advance - The fighting and kidnappings prompted around 5,000 people to flee the countryside, with many seeking refuge in Qamishli, a large city in the province that is controlled by Kurdish and regime forces. "We've received around 200 families who are being hosted in local homes," Jean Tolo, of Qamishli's Assyrian Organisation for Relief and Development, told AFP. "The people arriving are desperate. They are coming with nothing, they left everything behind." Others made their way to Hasakeh city, the provincial capital, describing harrowing journeys after fleeing in their pyjamas. The United States and United Nations denounced the mass abduction of Christians -- the first of its kind in the country -- and demanded their release. View gallery Islamic State militants are purportedly seen on a road … Islamic State militants are purportedly seen on a road between Iraq's Nineveh province and the S … "ISIL's latest targeting of a religious minority is only further testament to its brutal and inhumane treatment of all those who disagree with its divisive goals and toxic beliefs," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, using another acronym for IS. Osama Edward, director of the Assyrian Human Rights Network, told AFP Wednesday he believed the abductions were linked to the jihadists' recent loss of ground in the face of US-led air raids. "They took the hostages to use them as human shields," he said. The jihadists, who are battling Kurdish fighters on the ground, may try to exchange the Assyrians for IS prisoners, he said. Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, there were 30,000 Assyrians in the country, among an estimated Christian population of about 1.2 million. - IS militant identified - View gallery 'Jihadi John', named as London man Mohammed … 'Jihadi John', named as London man Mohammed Emwazi was identified to the Washington Post by … IS is accused of multiple abuses against minorities in the areas under its control in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Last week, a video emerged showing its fighters in Libya beheading 21 Christians, most of them Egyptian Copts. Such grisly videos have become a hallmark of the group, with one British-accented militant from the organisation appearing in multiple videos showing killings of foreign hostages. On Thursday, experts and media identified the man dubbed "Jihadi John" by the British tabloids as Kuwaiti-born London computer programmer Mohammed Emwazi. He was first named by the BBC and Washington Post, with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation think tank saying it believed the identity to be "accurate and correct." More than 210,000 people have been killed since Syria's war began in March 2011. The conflict began with peaceful pro-democracy protests against President Bashar al-Assad but escalated into a civil war that brought foreign jihadists flocking to the country. In other developments, UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura is expected in Damascus Friday for talks about a new plan for a six-week freeze of fighting in Aleppo, Syria's Al-Watan newspaper said reported. The envoy said earlier this month that Damascus was willing to suspend aerial bombardment and artillery fire on the city for six weeks. A group of French lawmakers met with Assad on an unofficial trip on Wednesday, drawing criticism from French President Francois Hollande. "I condemn it because French lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to meet with a dictator who is the cause of one of the worst civil wars of recent years," Hollande said. http://news.yahoo.com/us-led-raids-targets-christians-seized-143247132.html

Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone's Augustine Baker dies

Augustine Baker (January 2015) Augustine Baker's role in tackling the Ebola virus has been widely admired Why Ebola is dangerous Year of Ebola Mapping the outbreak The basics A Sierra Leonean who worked with children orphaned by Ebola has died of the disease himself. Augustine Baker had been admitted to an Ebola treatment centre after becoming ill last week. He had worked for an orphanage run by a UK charity on the outskirts of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. Thirty-three children and seven staff at the St George Foundation orphanage have been in quarantine since Mr Baker was diagnosed with the deadly virus. Ebola has killed more than 9,500 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Jump media player Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. The BBC's Tulip Mazumdar reported from St George Foundation orphanage last month But in recent weeks, the crisis has eased and the governments of the three countries have pledged to achieve zero Ebola infections within the next two months. line Umaru Fofana, BBC Africa, Freetown Augustine Baker was an unsung hero. At the height of the Ebola crisis he would go into high-risk communities to help children who had been orphaned by the disease. With his backpack on and his notebook and pen handy, Mr Baker would collect data and go and find the children to take them to the orphanage. His colleagues, who are locked in quarantine at the orphanage, were grieving as news of his death broke. Jestina Conteh was sobbing as she spoke to me on the phone. He said Mr Baker was "a dedicated colleague who never said 'No' in search of Ebola orphans". line When Mr Baker was diagnosed with Ebola, orphanage co-founder Philip Dean said he had "worked tirelessly to help children orphaned by the disease". "He knew that he was at risk but did the job because it needed to be done," Mr Dean added. The orphanage was set up in 2004 and, until the Ebola outbreak, was mainly concerned with rescuing street children. In the last year it has helped care for some 200 children orphaned by Ebola. Ebola deaths Figures up to 22 February 2015 9,604 Deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected (Includes one in the US and six in Mali) 4,037 Liberia 3,461 Sierra Leone 2,091 Guinea 8 Nigeria Source: WHO http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31624149

IS militant 'Jihadi John' named as Mohammed Emwazi from London

The masked militant first appeared in numerous gruesome videos put out by Islamic State, as Lucy Manning reports Continue reading the main story Islamic State The masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John", who has been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has been named. He is Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born British man in his mid-20s from west London, who was previously known to British security services. They chose not to disclose his name earlier for operational reasons. Emwazi first appeared in a video last August, when he apparently killed the American journalist James Foley. He was later thought to have been pictured in the videos of the beheadings of US journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid worker David Haines, British taxi driver Alan Henning, and American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter. (Clockwise from left) James Foley, Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig, Alan Henning, Kenji Goto and Steven Sotloff (Clockwise from left) Islamic State victims James Foley, Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig, Alan Henning, Kenji Goto and Steven Sotloff 'The Beatles' In each of the videos, the militant appeared dressed in a black robe with a black balaclava covering all but his eyes and top of his nose. Speaking with a British accent, he taunted Western powers before holding his knife to the hostages' necks, appearing to start cutting before the film stopped. The victims' decapitated bodies were then shown. Earlier this month, the militant featured in a video in which the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto appeared to be beheaded. Hostages released by IS said he was one of three British jihadists guarding Westerners abducted by the group in Syria. They were known collectively as "the Beatles". line Analysis: Dominic Casciani, BBC News We don't know exactly when the British or the American security services worked out that the masked man in the killing videos was Londoner Mohammed Emwazi - and nobody in official security circles is going to comment on how they got to that conclusion. But we do know that he was, to use the jargon, a "person of interest" to MI5 going back to at least 2010 because he features in semi-secret court cases relating to extremism overseas and back in the UK. UK court documents relating to Mohammed Emwazi A UK court document said Mohammed Emwazi was part of an extremist network linked to al-Shabab Emwazi has been previously described as a member of a network involving at least 13 men from London - and at least two of them were subjected to house arrest control orders or T-Pims. One absconded. Another was killed in a drone strike. The chances of Emwazi ever returning to the UK are vanishingly small. Profile: Mohammed Emwazi Follow Dominic at @BBCDomC line Emwazi is understood to be about 27 years of age. Friends told the Washington Post that he was raised in a middle class area of West London and studied computer programming at the University of Westminster. He would on occasion pray at a mosque in Greenwich, they said. The university confirmed Emwazi had left six years ago, adding: "If these allegations are true, we are shocked and sickened." Emwazi's friends told the Washington Post they believed he started to be radicalised after travelling to Tanzania in May 2009 following his graduation. Journalists gathered outside a home in west London where Mohammed Emwazi is believed to have once lived Journalists gathered outside a home in London where Mohammed Emwazi is believed to have once lived He and two friends had planned to go on a safari, but once they landed in Dar es Salaam, they were detained by police and held overnight, they said. Emwazi then ended up flying to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, where he claimed to be met by British intelligence agents from MI5 who accused him of trying to travel to Somalia, where the jihadist group al-Shabab operates. He denied the accusation and said the agents had tried to recruit him before allowing him to return to the UK. The incident is apparently described in a report published the following year by the Independent. It identified Emwazi as Muhammad ibn Muazzam. 'Live investigation' Emwazi later moved to Kuwait, where he got a job at a computer company. But on a visit to London in 2010, he was detained by British counter-terrorism officials and prevented from flying back to Kuwait, his friends said. It is believed he was known to security services in the UK and the US before leaving for Syria and was linked to a man with connections to al-Shabab, says the BBC's Dominic Casciani. Foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq "I had a job waiting for me and marriage to get started," Emwazi wrote in a June 2010 email. "[But now] I feel like a prisoner, only not in a cage, in London," he added, "a person imprisoned and controlled by security service men, stopping me from living my new life in my birthplace and country, Kuwait." The Washington Post said Emwazi was believed to have travelled to Syria around 2012 and later joined Islamic State, which has declared the creation of a "caliphate" in the large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq it controls. British police declined to comment on the reports, citing the "live counter-terrorism investigation". A spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron would not confirm or deny reports that Emwazi was Jihadi John, adding that the police and security services were working hard to find those responsible for the murder of the British hostages. A White House spokeswoman referred journalists to the UK authorities. The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan in Washington says the FBI went on record last September to confirm it knew who Jihadi John was. However, US officials said this month they would not name him as they believed this would be the best strategy for finding him and bringing him to justice. The London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation said it believed the identification to be accurate. It said that the naming of Emwazi showed that "whatever efforts are made, the ability to mask one's identity is limited or in fact impossible". line Jihadi John sightings August 2014: Video in which US journalist James Foley is apparently beheaded 2 September 2014: Video in which US journalist Steve Sotloff is apparently beheaded 13 September 2014: Video in which British aid worker David Haines is apparently beheaded October 2014: Video in which British aid worker Alan Henning is apparently beheaded November 2014: Video in which Jihadi John is shown killing a Syrian soldier in a mass beheading, which also shows body of US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig 20 January 2015: Video in which Jihadi John is seen standing alongside two Japanese hostages and demanding a ransom in exchange for their release 31 January 2015: Video released appearing to show Jihadi John beheading Japanese hostage Kenji Goto http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31637090

We Created Room for Vibrant Opposition, Says Jonathan

26 Feb 2015 Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim Insists elections cannot be won through propaganda UNIPORT alumni, NANS declare support for Jonathan, students hold endorsement rally next week By Damilola Oyedele and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The current administration is responsible for creating an environment for a vibrant opposition to thrive due to the realisation that democracy can only be expanded and deepened if there is room for all citizens to assert their democratic rights. Despite the enabling environment for the opposition, the upcoming elections cannot be won through propaganda which the opposition parties seemed to have embarked on. This was the position of President Goodluck Jonathan, when he spoke at the presidential dinner held in his honour by the University of Port Harcourt Alumni Association in Abuja Tuesday night. The president is a member of the pioneer class of 81 of the University. Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, the president noted that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not bothered about the rising opposition movement in the country. “…And that is why today, at times, people wonder or bother about the opposition activities and movements. We created it. We simply thought that except the political space is expanded, we are not heading for democracy. That except you allow people to strongly and firmly assert their democratic rights, participate in democratic process and indeed, enjoy it with confidence, that one day, we will pay for it,” he said. “I want to assure you tonight that the opposition movement as it were today, owe their existence and indeed, their activities to President Goodluck Jonathan. The enhanced political environment is what the opposition is enjoying. If they abuse it, do not mind. It does not matter. It does not challenge us. When the opposition try to make so much noise, one thing we know is that you cannot win election in Nigeria through propaganda,” Jonathan added. The president reiterated that he has no plans to perpetually remain in power, but only seeks to ensure wider participation in the political arena. He added that his transformation agenda had introduced and implemented reforms and policies that would secure Nigeria’s future. The president, whose visit was highly anticipated at the dinner could not make it following the bomb blasts that rocked Kano and Potiskum, Yobe State, on Tuesday, and his attendance at the burial of the 11 female politicians who died recently in an auto accident after visiting the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan. Speaking further in his personal capacity, Anyim recalled that he encountered three Presidents: President Olusegun Obasanjo, late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua and now President Jonathan. Of the three, he credited the Jonathan’s administration with properly instituting the fundamentals of democracy. “My tenure as Senate President was greeted by the struggle to guarantee the independence of democracy. Under Jonathan, I played a role in the democratisation process of our polity, which is actually the content that democracy brings to what one asks for. If you do not have the freedom to speak, the basic idea of achieving the fundamentals will be lacking,” he said. The Minister of Education, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who chaired the occasion, called on Nigerians to judge the administration of President Jonathan fairly, as he, Jonathan, not only ensured access to education, he also raised the quality of education obtainable. He added that with the number of academics who have been sponsored to study abroad under various schemes, the target is that all lecturers in the tertiary education sector would have minimum of doctoral degrees, in no distant future. Shekarau listed some of the achievements in the education sector in recent times to include the construction and equiping of 130 Almajiri schools, establishment of 12 new universities to ensure federal presence in every state of the federation, and provision of research grants for lectures. The president of the UniPort Alumni Association, Mr. Sampson Ngerebara, in his welcome address, said President Jonathan’s achievements in various sectors such as aviation, education, agriculture, oil and gas, power and others have touched and improved the lives of Nigerians. He added that the president remained focused in spite of local and international attacks on his person. “It is not advisable to change a winning horse in the battlefield, Nigeria cannot afford to change you now,” Ngerebara said and urged Nigerians to return the President for a second term in the forth coming elections. Meanwhile, as the rescheduled general election draws closer, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) on the same day declared support for President Jonathan’s re-election bid as it plans to hold an endorsement rally next week. At a one-day national students solidarity parley organised by the students’ body in support of President Jonathan with the theme: ‘Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan Administration,’ it said, it was determined to prove that the Nigerian students have the capacity to make or mar who the next president of the country is. Speaking at the event, the National President of NANS, Tijani Usman, said, the country has witnessed different kind of leadership in the country and as such, the country ought to have been more developed than this, but however expressed confidence in the present administration through the transformation agenda of the president. Usman stated that there were various polling units at various campuses and that NANS would do everything humanly possible to ensure that their votes are protected. “Our students will be in school and will man over 2,000 polling units across various campuses. We will make decision to stand firmly on free and fair election, we will stand firmly on one man, one vote.” The president emphasised that past administration inherited the crisis of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), but shifted it further to this present administration before the issue of ASUU was laid to rest. “On that note, Nigerian students say kudos to Mr. President. We are here to tell Mr. President to ‘carry go’. We want to convey a message that the Nigerian students will have a final student endorsement voting mobilisation campaign within the next one week where millions of Nigerian students will converge at Eagle Square to display and prove their capacity that Nigerian students will make a difference in this coming dispensation,” he noted. Usman therefore urged the president to resolve the impending ASUP strike, stressing that the students’ body to would not want to witness another industrial action. He said: “Extend a Needs assessment to our counterpart, the polytechnic students. The federal government should look into the problem with ASUP and the COASUP, at this critical time, we don’t want to embark on a fresh strike, so what is done to the ASUU, should equally be extended to the ASUP and the COASUP, because in this issue, it will cause disaffection among the students because an injury to one Nigerian student is an injury to all.” The president appealed to the federal government to resolve the issue in the next one or two weeks. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/we-created-room-for-vibrant-opposition-says-jonathan/202735/

26 Feb 2015 By Ademola Babalola in Ibadan Prominent Yoruba leaders from across the six states in the South-west geo-political zone of the country will today converge on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to deliberate on the National Conference held last year in Abuja. Notable leaders expected at the second in the series of post-National Conference deliberations called to review the conference’s position as it affects the Yoruba race, include Chief Olu Falae, Chief Reuben Fasonranti, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olanihun Ajayi, Chief Dapo Shonibare, and Chief Korede Duyile. Others expected at the event include Presidential Advisory Committee on the National Conference Senator Femi Okunrounmu, Dr. Kunle Olajide of Yoruba Unity Group, Chairman Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, Coordinator of Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, Afenifere Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, Prof. Dupe Olatubosun and Yoruba delegates to the conference. The summit, which is billed for the Premier Hotel, Mokola, Ibadan, is coming exactly a week after the first edition in Akure last Thursday, where President Goodluck Jonathan was endorsed for a second term in office for the primary reason of implementing the report of the conference. Participants at the summit were unanimous in insisting that the only genuine change the nation craves for now is that of the constitution and not of personality at the helms of the country’s affair. They therefore resolved to work assiduously to ensure that the conference’s recommendations get translated to concrete realities and thus threw their weight behind President Jonathan’s re-election. The convener of the summit and Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun MImiko, said the basis for the summit is basically to call for the implementation of the confab being the only solution to the challenges confronting the nation. Mimiko posited that the confab report when implemented, would create room for each state to have its own constitution, its own police force, its own prison service, can create its own local governments, can build its own airports, seaports and railways. Mimiko said in addition “In the economic domain, solid minerals that had been the exclusive preserve of the federal government since independence, have now been brought to the concurrent list, adding that “States can now create employment and develop at their own pace. With all that, it liberates everybody, it opens up the political space.” For these reasons, he stressed, “in a rational and reasonable society like ours, I don’t expect anything less than the enthusiasm in wanting to implement the report.” He said he believes that the president, who set up the conference, wanted a transformed Nigeria, adding that the summit is only reacting to the call of the National Conference delegates that the people of Nigeria have great roles to play in implementing the report. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nat-l-conference-mimiko-falae-fasoranti-adebanjo-others-storm-ibadan-today/202733/