President Goodluck Jonathan has reproved the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Bisi Akande, for referring to him as a “kindergarten” leader who treats national issues with levity.

Speaking through his special adviser on media and publicity, ReubenAbati, the President said it was rude for the APC leader to disparage his efforts towards evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems and counselled Akande to have respect for his age.

“Nothing else but gross ignorance and lack of consideration could have led Chief Akande to refer to a President who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president, has far more experience of governance at the highest level than him and his preferred “candidates”, as a kindergarten leader,” Abati said.

He also faulted Akande’s assertion that the President Jonathan is statute-barred from contesting in 2015 as it will amount to a “third term”, noting that the 1999 constitution clearly upholds the President’s eligibility to contest for a rerun in 2015.

Section 137(1) of the constitution states that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections.

Abati averred that “President Goodluck Jonathan has been elected into office on only one previous occasion and is therefore not statute-barred from running.”

Read the republished statement below:

“We have noted with dismay the continuation of efforts by leaders of the opposition to promote themselves and their party through the irresponsible denigration of President Goodluck Jonathan and the exalted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akandesank to a new low in this regard, yesterday, when he rudely and falsely described President Jonathan as a “kindergarten” leader who treats national issues with levity.

“Chief Bisi Akande has every right to embark on a flight of fancy about the APC beating the PDP in the 2015 general elections, but he does no justice to his age and status when he resorts to propagating falsehood, wilfully insulting the President of his country, impugning his integrity and desecrating the very office which his party wishes to take over in 2015 by fair or foul means.  We urge Chief Akande and his fellow-travellers to remember that there are laws against libel and defamation of character in this country even if there are no legal impediments to indecorous, hypocritical and unpatriotic vituperation.

“It is certainly rude, ill-mannered, uncharitable and hypocritical for Chief Akande to falsely and cavalierly allege that a President who toils tirelessly every day of the week, evolving and implementing workable solutions to Nigeria’s problems, is handling national issues with levity.

“Also, nothing else but gross ignorance and lack of consideration could have led Chief Akande to refer to a President who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president, has far more experience of governance at the highest level than him and his preferred “candidates”, as a kindergarten leader.

“By his very unguarded and intemperate outburst yesterday (Sunday), Chief Akande exhibited not only an unbecoming lack of respect for the person and office of the President of his country, but also a complete disregard for the patriotic feelings of the millions of Nigerians who voted for President Jonathan and who continue to appreciate his sincere efforts to positively transform the nation.

“It is very sad and unfortunate that unbridled ambition for the office they constantly impugn and denigrate has blinded ChiefAkande and his ilk to the visible accomplishments of the Jonathan Presidency.

“Certainly, nothing else but a manic and unscrupulous quest for power could have led them to make such accusations against a President who, among other significant achievements, has been praised for his handling of the insurgency in some parts of Northern Nigeria where he has used a combination of diplomacy and targeted military force to contain the security threat.

“Nothing else but the relentless pursuit of narrow personal and sectional interests could lead them to make such claims about a President under whose leadership Nigeria’s economy has been promoted from a low income economy to a middle income economy by the World Bank and whose leadership has seen the Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria increase at an annual rate of over six per cent since he took office.

“Finally, though President Jonathan has not indicated whether or not he is interested in a second term, Chief Akande, who has taken stock of his party and seen that they have no electable presidential material is already trying to be clever by half by claiming the President is statute-barred from contesting in 2015, saying it will amount to a “third term”.

What the Constitution says
“If this is the winning strategy of the APC,  Chief Akande has every reason to panic because the issue of eligibility for election into the office of the President has been settled by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999,  as amended  which provides as follows;
137. (1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if –
(b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections;
“President Goodluck Jonathan has been elected into office on only one previous occasion and is therefore not statute-barred from running.

“It is clear that the APC is seeking to bait the Presidency to respond to it to achieve two purposes. The first purpose is to get their name into the press and gain name recognition for their party. How pathetic. The second and more important reason is to divert the attention of the public from the festering feud betweenMuhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu over the overriding ambition of the two men which is threatening to tear the new contraption which is mistakenly referred to by the gullible as a party.

“To the discerning, it is only a matter of time before ambition sinks the APC boat. It is only 2013 and already the big masquerades in the party are using undemocratic words like “must”, “nobody can stop” and other military terms in discussing their presidential ticket.

“Our advice to the APC is this: treat your party like a democratic association and don’t mistake it for the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) that someone used to force his way to power.”

The Jonah Jang-led faction of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF, would meet with former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo today as part of moves to fix its broken ranks.

On Sunday, 10 governors and five deputy governors graced a factional meeting summoned by Jang, the Plateau State governor.

Governors in attendance include those of Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Katsina, Benue, Ondo, Bayelsa, Abia, Ebonyi and TarabaStates while the deputy governors of Kaduna, Kogi, Gombe,Anambra and Cross River represented their principals.

The main agenda of the meeting was to discuss the amendment of the Nigerian constitution, especially as it regards local government autonomy which the governors reject.

Spokesman for the governors, Godswill Akpabio, of Akwa Ibom State told journalists at the end of the meeting that efforts were in progress to reconcile both factions of the NGF for the strengthening of the forum.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has maintained that PresidentGoodluck Jonathan is practicing “kindergarten governance” and has challenged him to seek redress in court if he felt slighted by the comment.

The spokesman to President Jonathan, Reuben Abati, had reproved the interim national chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande,  for his critical comments, saying it is rude for the politician to disparage the position and person of the presedent.

The interim national chairman of the APC, Bisi Akande on Saturday accused Jonathan of treating national issues with levity, observing that “All he is concerned about is his third term.”

“I did not see President Jonathan as a serious-minded person. Nigeria’s problem today is Jonathan. I  wrote him twice when I was in office as National Chairman of the ACN on issues bordering on the state of the nation and, till date, he did not acknowledge the letters not to talk of replying.”,

Reacting, Abati said that only “gross ignorance and lack of consideration could have led Chief Akande to refer to a President who, having served as deputy governor, governor, vice president and president, has far more experience in governance at the highest level than him …as a kindergarten leader.”

In a swift reaction on Monday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, insists that its national chairman  “merely told the truth”, adding that there was nothing “strange” or “wrong” in criticizing a democratically-elected President.
The APC said nothing confirmed Akande’s assertion that Jonathan is running a kindergarten presidency than the “crude” manner in which it responded to the “frank but constructive criticism”.

Mohammed said the Presidency was yet to respond to the main points of its chairman’s statement, choosing instead to dwell on irrelevancies.
”Where is the presidency’s response to Chief Akande’s assertion that he has written two letters to the President over the serious challenges facing the country, without getting a response? Where is the presidency’s response to Chief Akande’s assertion that President Jonathan is witch-hunting political opponents?” the party queried.
The APC added that Nigerians were yet to feel the impact of the administration that has a record of widespread insecurity, unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure, oil theft and unbridled corruption.

It recalled the latest annual report of the African Development Bank, ADB, which said that the proportion of people (Nigerians) living below the national poverty line has worsened from 65.5 per cent in 1996 to 69.0 per cent in 2010, most of those years under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the last four under President Jonathan.

They party said it is not interested in how many hours the President sleeps in a day or in the fact that he once served as a deputy governor, governor and Vice President, but in the impact his administration has made in the life of the ordinary Nigerian.

It also describes as lies and “a figment of the presidency’s imagination” the claim of a war between its leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Muhammadu Buhari. It said that the PDP only came up with that position because it could not fathom how the leadership of the APC could put national interest above personal considerations.

Leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau, has accused the Nigerian military of misinforming the people about the true situation of the war against terrorism, claiming that it was still active and had launched successful attacks on many cities and killed many soldiers in recent times.

While claiming responsibility for attacks on Bama, Mallam Fatori,Gomboru-Ngala and Biu, all in Borno State and Damaturu in YobeState, Shekau, in a Salah message to members of the sect, said the military had deceived Nigerians by giving the impression that it had routed the insurgents from their strongholds.

‘The military is lying to the world about the battle we had with them; they lied that they have killed our members, but we are the ones that have killed the soldiers,” he said.

He said that rather than the impression given, the sect had killed many soldiers and threatened that it would continue with the killing of innocent Nigerians across cities in the North.

‘You soldiers have claimed that you are powerful, that we have been defeated, that we are mad people; but how can a mad man successfully coordinate recent attacks in Gamboru, in Malumfatori, slaughter people in Biu,  kill in Gwoza and in Bama where soldiers fled under our heavy fire power. We have killed countless soldiers and we are going to kill more”, the sect’s leader threatened.

Claiming that members of Boko Haram were fighting a holy war supported by Allah, Shekau said their current campaign would continue until the whole on northern Nigeria is Islamized.

He called on other Nigerians to join what he called a Jihad and renounce democracy and the Nigerian constitution.

‘We call on you all to repent and come to the ways of Allah. Forget about constitution and accept Shariah. We don’t have socialism, we don’t know communism, we don’t want federalism, but we are Muslims,” he stated.

‘Let the world know that we have been enjoined by Allah to kill the unbelievers just like how we were enjoined to slaughter rams duringEidel Kabir. And we shall continue to kill those who strive to stand against the will of Allah by opposing Sharia. We don’t mind if we die doing this because it is even a blessing for us to die in this cause and gain paradise. So we are winning on either side. So it is never too late for you to repent and join us on the path of righteousness’, he said

The Boko Haram commander said that the sect had succeeded in its campaign in the North, noting that the Nigerian government had not been able to deal with it. He boasted that the sect was ready to go beyond Nigeria and confront foreign powers, particularly America.

Our strength and firepower has surpassed that of Nigeria. Nigeria is no longer a big deal as far as we are concerned. We can now comfortably confront the United States of America.

The Kiri agriculture dam is to be converted to a hydro-power project in a bid to tackle the challenge of power supply in AdamawaState, according to Anthony Reuben, assistant  general manager at the State Water Board.

Kiri dam, built on River Gongola, is located in Kiri village, about 20kms from Numan town in Shelleng local government area of the state.

Reuben said that the Adamawa State government, in collaboration with the federal government and an American company, are working on the project.

He said the project which was originally created to provide water to a sugar company, would now assist in meeting the water needs of some communities in the state.

“The Kiri dam project was originally  created mainly to give water to the Savanna Sugar Company, but it will be converted to a hydro-power facility that will supply about 70 per cent of its water to the state,” he said.

Reuben said the dam was currently utilised for only eight hours a day instead of between 12-15 hours due to high cost of maintenance, while expressing optimism that by the time the hydro-power facility is put in place, it will function maximally.

The assistant director also identified other constraints of the board besides power supply as human capital development and lack of  spare parts.

The director said there was also need to reform and modernize the board’s data collection mechanism by creating sub-units and encouraging workers to imbibe the spirit of data collection.

The United States Institute of Peace, USIP Jennings Randolph JR Senior Fellowship promises scholars, policy analysts, policy makers, journalists and other experts from any country opportunities to spend time at the Institute reflecting and writing on pressing international peace and security challenges with a topic – war and conflict.

The 10-month programme starting in October will attempt to match the recipient’s earned income during the year preceding the fellowships, up to a maximum of US$100,000 for 10 months. There is also provision for shorter-term fellowships.

The Institute in addition pledges coverage of 80 percent of health premiums for the fellow and eligible dependents, with a cap of $500 per month in certain cases.

Priority will be given to proposals deemed likely to make timely and significant contributions to the understanding and resolution of ongoing and emerging conflicts and other challenges to international peace and security.

Projects will also be chosen based on the quality of project design and its ability to be implemented, as well as the candidate’s project track record and potential as a fellow.

Fellows will contribute to the collegial life of the Institute by presenting their work and participating in workshops, conferences and other events. The editorial staff of the Institute will work closely with Fellows to develop manuscripts for consideration by the Institute Press or for publication as Institute reports.

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Applications are invited from all disciplines and professions including journalists whose work addresses international peace and security challenges.

Fellowship housing will not be provided. Each Fellow is given part-time research assistance during the fellowship.

The application deadline is September 6, 2013.

For more information, click here.

The Presidency has reacted to the African Development Bank, ADB’sreport indicating that Nigeria’s poverty rate has increased from 65.5 per cent in 1996 to 69.0 per cent in 2010.

The special adviser to the President on media and publicity, ReubenAbati, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, that the report was “suspicious, devoid of truth and political”

He said it was inconceivable that ADB’s report came barely a month after it was noted by the UN at the 38th session of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, FAO, in Rome, that the country had recorded significant reduction in poverty and hunger.

In its most recent annual report of the bank, titled African Economic Outlook, the AfDB had said that “The proportion of people living below the national poverty line in Nigeria has worsened.”

The bank’s report also doubts that the federal government is able to reduce poverty rate by 2015, as it describes present efforts as seemingly weak.

“Nigeria’s prospect of halving poverty by 2015 seems weak. Poverty is higher in rural areas at 73.2 per cent than in urban area at 61.8 per cent,” it said.

The report also noted that the rate of poverty varied significantly between the urban and rural citizens and among the geographical zones, adding that 66 per cent of the rural population lives below poverty line of one dollar per day.

“Malnutrition is widespread,” it said, “Rural areas and disadvantaged groups are particularly vulnerable to chronic food shortage and unbalanced nutrition,” it added.

The ADB report also mentioned that as at 2011 unemployment rate was at 24 per cent compared to 21 per cent in 2010, adding that the rate was high among the age bracket of between 15 and 24, and 25 to 44, at 38 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively.

It said that according to the National Bureau of Statistics, an average of 1.8 million people join the labour market every year over the past five years, with a projection that that number would grow from three million in 2012 to about 8.5 million in 2015.

The bank recommends that efforts to tackle poverty and unemployment in the country must be doubled to ensure effective engagement of the youth for economic growth and development.