The Archbishop of Jos Province of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Emmanuel Kana Mani has advised former head of state, retired General Muhammadu Buhari to quit politics.

The clergyman also asked the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in the 2011 general elections to stop making inflammatory statement that could set the nation on fire.

Archbishop Mani accused Buhari of being an harbinger of violence, adding that statements credited to him had has contributed to heating up the polity.

He admonished the retired General: “Let General Muhammadu Buhariretire from active politics and join the highly revered league of former Nigerian leaders, such as General Yakubu Gowon, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Chief ErnestShonekan, General Olusegun Obasanjo and General AbdulsalamiAbubakar. These are highly respected by Nigerians.

These former leaders, the Archbishop said,  are a beacon of hope as they always work for peace and harmony in the country and preach non violence and peaceful coexistence, adding Buhari should join them.

He stated that the former head of state was not indispensable as Nigeria is blessed with people who can equally serve the country at the highest levels of government.

“Let those who had the opportunity of leading this country either as President or Governors or any other political office at any level remember that Nigeria is blessed with capable men and women across the six geo-political zones who can even do better if given the opportunity as no Nigerian is indispensable.”

“It should be the sacred duty of the former leaders to raise, mentor and nurture younger leaders. Nigeria is not in shortage of manpower, or talented charismatic young men and women who can deliver dividends of democracy very efficiently and effectively,” he said further.

Archbishop Mani observed that the CPC presidential candidate had contradicted himself by first saying after the 2011 election that he was no longer interested in the presidency only to declare later that the decision was his party’s.

“I recall that, before the last presidential election, publicly, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari (rtd.) told all Nigerians that after the 2011 elections, he would not vie for any election again. I also heard General Buhari when responding to a question, whether or not he would contest the 2015 general election. He said that, the decision is not his, but that of his own party. This is a contradiction!.”

An Abuja High Court will today decide whether or not to suspend indefinitely a case brought against two Leadership Newspapers journalists by the federal government.

Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzor Ukaibe are standing trial for alleged forgery and felony.

Defence counsel, Femi Falana had with the consent of the court requested the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan to appear as witness in the case.

“I have a subpoena on the president of the republic and the court has graciously signed the subpoena,” he declared.

Falana further argued: “No process of any court requiring or compelling the attendance in court of a government official covered by the immunity clause can proceed until such official ceases to enjoy immunity,” according to section 308 of the 1999 constitution.

He said that since the president could not be compelled to appear in court during his time in office, the case should be suspended indefinitely.

The defence counsel said granting of the application would place the defendants in a proper standing to defend the case, according to section 36, subsection 6 of the constitution.

“Having regards to Section 36 sub-section 6 of the constitution, an accused person shall be entitled to adequate time and resources for the preparation of his defence,” he stated.

However, prosecution counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, opposed Falana’s application on the ground that the motion was not ripe for consideration.

“I was served with the application yesterday at 4.30 p.m. and I am opposing it because it is not yet ripe for hearing,” he countered.

Awomolo said further that the case in hand is a criminal trial between the federal republic of Nigeria and the accused persons and that the president is not a complainant in the matter.

He maintained that in a criminal matter, the accused cannot be on the same pedestal with the prosecution, adding that the defence counsel proposing the president as a defence witness would not affect prosecution of the case.

“The tenure of the application is that the president is required as a proposed witness of the accused persons; his presence is not required for prosecution of the case,” Awomolo argued, adding: “When it is time for them to open defence, they can make this kind of application, but for now the prosecution has a duty to proceed with trial.”

The presiding judge, Justice U. Musale said the matter required adequate care before ruling could be given and adjourned the case till July 17.

The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has accused PresidentGoodluck Jonathan of being privy to the attack on the four governors who paid a visit to governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

The governors are Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, Sule Lamido ofJigawa State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State and MurtalaNyako of Adamawa State.

ACN’s national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, said in a statement on Wednesday that as the country’s chief security officer, he has his ears and eyes all over the country in the persons of security agents.

“We will not accept the usual sophistry that President Jonathan is not in any way involved in the Rivers crisis…If the argument is that he did not know of the attack, then he is not on top of his game,” the party scribe said.

The ACN said further that the situation which played out on Tuesday where a group of “paid hoodlums” invaded a secure environment like the airport and pelted the convoy bearing the governors with all sorts of objects, is nothing short of organized political rascality and a ploy to thwart elections in 2015.

“The politics of 2015 cannot be removed from what is happening in Rivers. We have had cause to warn Nigerians to be vigilant against those who will foment trouble where there is none, just to put in abeyance the 2015 elections, especially where the emerging signals point to the fact that they will be rejected by voters,” the party said.

The party raised a few questions suggesting that the incident was all part of scheming against Amaechi.

“Would the police have allowed tramps to attack the governors if they were visiting the President? Would the police in Rivers have allowed vagrants to act freely if those visiting Port Harcourt had come in solidarity with the five renegade members of the State House of Assembly?

The statement said that the visiting governors were right to have expressed solidarity with their Rivers’ counterpart, in the face of the siege on him.

“We salute the governors as true patriots and the real sustainers of our Constitution, and we demand appropriate sanctions for those whose dereliction of duty put the governors’ lives in danger,” it said.

Meanwhile, the four governors have called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately redeploy and discipline the Rivers State police commissioner, Joseph Mbu.

“His actions smirk of unprofessionalism and political partisanship which is unbecoming of his office…the call for state police as a constitutional provision has become a necessity”, the governors said.

Leaders of Nasarawa and Benue states have come to an agreement to bring lasting solution to the crises involving farmers and Fulaniherdsmen in the two border states.

The Fulani- farmers crises in the two states has over the past years led to the death of scores of people in the two states.

The meeting which had in attendance governor Gabriel Suswam ofBenue State and his Nasarawa counterpart, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, reached a consensus on how to bring to a halt the lingering crises between Fulani nomads and farmers and also improve aerial surveillance to stem the tide of criminalities in both states.

Speaking before the closed door meeting at the Government House,Lafia, governor Al-Makura said the meeting would help to fashion out modalities on ways to tackle the lingering crises rocking the two states that have lived peacefully for over a long period of time.

He also said that there would be a clampdown on the actors perpetrating this heinous act, adding that the route they use would also be blocked.

Al-Makura called on all and sundry to make available any useful information that would help in tracking down the perpetrators.

Also speaking, governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State pointed out that indigenes of Nasarawa state have continued to allow theFulani Herdsmen to use their communities as route to carry out their ungodly activities.

He painted a scenario where over 600 Fulani herdsmen will pass through communities in Nasarawa state and queried the indigenes who claim not to have an idea about their mission.

In a communiqué jointly signed by governors of the two states after the closed door meeting, the two governments agreed to set up a committee of traditional rulers and selected stake holders to properly articulate ways and means of achieving peace within their  borders.

The communiqué also indicated that the two states have agreed to increase support to security agencies so as to enable them perform their constitutional roles of maintaining law and order.

They also called on the indigenes of both states to embrace peace stressing that without it no meaningful development can be achieved.

Also in attendance at the meeting were the speakers of both states houses of assembly, traditional rulers and security chiefs from the two states.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has suspended its special national convention and South west zonal congresses to fix the problems that have erupted within the party in recent months.

In a statement signed by the party`s acting national publicity secretary, Tony Okeke, the party said that the decision was taken to ensure the regularisation of all anomalies and breaches that affected the party’s 2012 convention to forestall a repeat.

The PDP National Working Committee, NWC, after considering the issues surrounding recent developments in the party, announced that all dates previously announced by the planning committee are in the circumstances untenable.

Okeke also said that the NWC had resolved to invite major party stakeholders in Anambra State to an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting on July 18 in other to resolve the protracted problems in the state chapter of the party.

The statement added that the NWC views with concern recent developments in Rivers State and will invite the national vice chairman, South south, for a briefing which would enable the party make an “informed decision that would lead to a prompt resolution of the crisis in that state”.

As the rains take control of the skies, some areas in the country are already experiencing early flood signs.

A heavy down pour in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Sunday, has sacked some residents of Orji village and have also damaged properties worth millions of naira, including farms and buildings.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in the village on Monday, one of the victims, George Eke, blamed the government for what befell the village, as there was no drainage channel in the area, making free flow of the flood difficult.

He said a similar incident occurred in April 2012 where a lot of residents lost their businesses and houses to the flood.

“The government visited us then and promised to construct drainage system to help solve the problem, but till this moment, the administration has not shown any concern,” he said.

Another victim, Chibuzo Opara, who narrowly escaped death by a collapsed building, claimed that since the incident on Sunday, he has not had any shelter for his family as his building was pulled down.

“When the incident happened, I first noticed that part of the building had collapsed. I quickly ran out with my children, few minutes later, the whole house collapsed,” he said.

Also recently, rainstorm in Cross River state killed a thirteen year old girl and rendered thousands of people homeless as it destroyed over one hundred and fifty houses, affecting about 15 communities in Boki Local Government Area.

Some of the communities affected include: Ntamate, Okundi,Panya, Ishiagube and enin.

The rainstorm uprooted trees, electric poles and destroyed schools and hospitals thereby blocking roads and drainages.

Speaking on the development after visiting the affected areas, the member representing Boki Two in the State House of Assembly, Jacob Otu Enyia, appealed for urgent response from relevant agencies to give the people immediate relief.

The 2012 floods cost the country approximately N2.6 trillion, even though many of the victims are yet to be resettled or compensated.

A report contained in the 2013 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) for Nigeria presented by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency,NIHSA, has predicted floods in 31 states of the country this year.

The states include: Zamfara, Yobe, Sokoto, Rivers, Taraba, Plateau, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Niger, Nasarawa, Lagos, Kwara, Kogi, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Gombe, Edo, Ebonyi, Delta, Cross Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, andAdamawa.

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, has called off the strike action which it commenced on April 29.

The decision was reached by the National Executive Council, NEC, of ASUP after an appraisal of the progress made by the government towards meeting their demands.

Before this time, talks had existed among the union and the National Assembly Joint Committee on Education, the minister of education, Ruqayyatu Rufa’i and her labour and productivity counterpart, Emeka Wogu.

During one of such meetings, on July 9, the committee and ministers had begged the union to reconsider its decision and call off the strike action, promising that all pending issues would be resolved.

ASUP president, Chibuzor Asumogba, hinted on Monday that today’s NEC meeting would decide the next line of action, noting that the union had received approval for a consolidated salary structure.

“We have received a green light on the CONTISS 15 (Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure) and we have promises here and there on other demands. The committee on education is proactive in addressing our demands,” he said.

Asumogba added: “The committee is highly placed and with its members’ integrity, we have no doubt that our demands will be addressed.”

The union had cited the failure of the federal and state governments to implement agreements on issues affecting polytechnic education as the reason behind its strike action.

ASUP wants a full implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institution Salary Structure and a stop to discrimination against holders of the Higher National Diploma.

The body is also protesting the absence of a National Polytechnics Commission and the deplorable condition of many polytechnics in the country.

An Ikeja High Court on Monday dismissed an application filed by a former managing director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, ErastusAkingbola, seeking to quash a N47.1 billion theft charge against him.

Akingbola is being prosecuted alongside Bayo Dada, the general manager of Tropics Securities Ltd.

The two men had been charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for allegedly stealing the N47.1 billion belonging to the bank.

Counsel to Akingbola, Wole Olanipekun, had applied for the case against his client to be quashed, arguing that the EFCC had no power to initiate criminal proceedings at the state high court.

He also said that the proof of evidence had not linked Akingbola to any of the charges preferred against him.

EFCC counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, however, opposed the application and urged the court to dismiss it.

Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, in a ruling on the application on Monday held that the EFCC, as a government agency, was qualified to institute criminal proceedings under Section 211 of the 1999 Constitution.

He said that the Court of Appeal had settled the issue in its ruling on an appeal Akingbola had previously filed against the ruling of the former trial judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru.

The judge said he could, therefore, not be swayed by another ruling on a similar issue delivered by Justice Babajide Candide-Johnson of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere.

Onigbanjo said: “There is no decision on this issue yet by the Supreme Court; so, the Court of Appeal’s decision takes precedence over the decision of the lower court.

“I am bound to respect the Court of Appeal’s decision, irrespective of my personal conviction,” he added.

The judge further held that a prima facie case had been established against Akingbola in the proof of evidence attached to the information.

He said Akingbola, in his statements to the EFCC, never denied knowledge of various transactions relating to the sums of money allegedly stolen during his tenure at the bank.

The matter was adjourned till September 19.

“It is disheartening to note that students in 200, even 300 level cannot write simple letter, this has shown how poor our education standard is,” Mohammed Aliyu, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, branch said on Monday.

Aliyu said this while addressing a news conference in Zaria, KadunaState.

The chairman blamed the decay on setbacks caused by the federal and state governments.

He said that the on-going strike embarked upon by the union was not to demand increment in salaries, but to compel the federal government to honour an agreement reached in 2009 with the union.

The agreement, according to Aliyu, is aimed at addressing the rot in the Nigerian university system and enhancing its overall efficiency.

“The agreement focuses on funding requirements for revitalisationof the Nigerian universities, federal government assistance to state universities, progressive increase in annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020 and amendment of the pension/retirement age of academics on the professional cadre from 65-70 years,” he said.

The listed other issues to include, the non injection of N100 billion intervention funds in 2012 as federal government assistance to state universities, payment of earned academic allowances, raising education budget to 26 per cent and setting up research units in companies.

He however, expressed regret that after signing the agreement, both the federal and state government developed cold feet, forcing the union to embark on a warning strike before proceeding on an indefinite action.

READ ALSO:

• Jonathan Receives Sub-regional Award
• PDP Suspends National Convention
• Floods Wreck Havoc In Communities
• ASUP Calls Off Strike Action
• N47. 1 Billion Fraud: Court Dismiss Application To Quash Akingbola Trial

Aliyu said that the union tried to avoid the present situation when it wrote to the Secretary to Government of the Federation and the Minister of Education in February, reminding them of the pending issues.

The letter, he said, highlighted outstanding issues in the 2009 agreement and the subsequent 2012 memorandum of understanding.

However, failure for both parties to reach an understanding led to the announcement of the on-going strike action on July 2, as an option of last resort.