by Oge Okonkwo

Jonathan welcomes Bafarawa into PDP

Former governor and leader of All Progressives Party, APC, in Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, was yesterday, formally received by President Goodluck Jonathan  into the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
At the Shehu Kangiwa Square in the Sokoto State capital.

At the venue of the formal ceremony, Jonathan assured the people of the state that with Bafarawa and Deputy Governor Mukhtari Shehu Shagari in the PDP, the more development was certain for Sokoto.

To the defecting governors and other officers of the PDP, who recently defected to APC, the President wished that Nigeria were to be a parliamentary state saying he would have declared emergency election in their respective constituencies.

Vanguard reports:

Bafarawa, in his address, said his defection to PDP was based on the popular decision and instruction of his supporters.

Sokoto is the only state in Nigeria that is presently administered by a governor/deputy governor leadership operating on different political platforms. Whereas Governor Aliyu Wamakko has defected from PDP to APC, his deputy and former Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Mukhtari Shehu Shagari, refused to move with his boss.

Earlier at the Bafarawa’s welcome event, the deputy governor appreciated the Federal Government presence that Jonathan had made possible in Sokoto especially in the area of the Al-Majiris Education System that, according to him, had now sent almajiris off Sokoto streets into learning engagement.
He concluded by telling the President, “Don’t worry yourself. 2015, we will, by the grace of Allah, send you back to Aso Rock.”

The event was well attended by top government officials and members of the National Working Committee of the PDP. They include Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President David Mark, Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina), Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and former Governors Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano), Abdul Kadir Kure (Niger) and Mahmuda Shinkafi (Zamfara).

Others are the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and a former Minister of Aviation, Kema Chikwe among others.

Police escorts, ex-militant leader survive attack on Bayelsa creeks

A gun battled was said to have ensued between Twenty policemen in three escort gunboats and some unidentified youths on the creeks of Bayelsa on Saturday. Luckily, the  policemen escaped death.

According to reports, the  policemen were said to be escorting an ex-militant leader, Mr Eris Paul, to Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

Paul, popularly called Ogunboss, said the attack was carried out by community youths involved in oil theft and illegal oil bunkering.

Vanguard reports:

“These are boys that I included their names in my amnesty list and prevailed not to go back to crime.

“My continual attempt to stop them from the noticeable acts of oil theft led to the attack,” he said.

Paul denied the allegation that he was involved in the community development committee politics in the community.

Sources in the community had alleged that the ex-militant leader had led three police gunboats in Saturday’s attack that lasted for an hour.

The attack was reportedly resisted by community youths until a naval unit stationed in an oil installation within the community intervened and brought the situation under control.

The naval team and the police gunboats and security officials returned to Yenagoa where the security agencies are now reviewing the incident.

Reacting, Mr Hilary Opara, the Bayelsa Commissioner of Police, told NAN on Sunday that the force was in the community to maintain peace.

“It is untrue that police attacked the community; how can we be attacking the people we are paid to protect?

“We were notified that there was a fight in the community and we deployed men to the area.

“The people may have misunderstood our mission when the team arrived there, we saw them at the water front there and we asked our men to come back to avoid confrontation,’’ he said.

Continue to pray for the peace, stability and unity of Nigeria- Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja on Sunday called on Nigerians not to relent but to continue to pray for the peace, stability and unity of Nigeria.

The call was made at the enthronement of  the Most Rev. Oche Job, as the Methodist Archbishop of Abuja Diocese.

Job succeeded Most Rev. Chimaroke Iweha, who retired in November 2013.

Vanguard reports:

Represented by Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Minister of Power, Jonathan noted that the situation in the country would have gone worse were it not for payers.

“We should continue to serve God in our nation. We need to continue to cry out (pray) to him; if we have not been doing that it will be much worse.

“Even though things don’t seem to be the best, it will have been worse if we are not crying out and telling people not to do the wrong thing,’’ he said.

The Senate President, Sen. David Mark, who read the first lesson at the service, also called on Nigerians to be faithful and continue to pray for the nation.

“All the faiths have stake in this country. Faith can do so much for us; if we have faith and believe in God sincerely, this country will make progress.

“There is no country that can make progress if the people in that country do not have faith irrespective of religion,’’ Mark said.

He urged both Christians and Muslims to live in harmony and work together for the progress and stability of the country.

Earlier, the Prelate of the church, His Eminence, Dr Samuel Uche, called on government at various levels to provide for the welfare of the citizenry.

“In any nation, there is what we called intangibles, honesty, integrity, transparency, high morality that makes a country stable; these are what the church provides.

“The government provides the tangibles like the roads, water supply, energy, employment, ensure there is security and make sure that citizenry are well cared for.

“In other words, the church takes care of the soul and spirit, while the government takes care of the physical needs of the people,’’ he said.

Uche urged Nigerians to do things that would sustain the unity of the nation, adding that remaining together would make the nation stronger and viable.

In a remark, Job advised the people to shun selfishness, negative political ambition, tribalism, among other vices.

“We should pray for good and love one another and things will get better on daily basis,’’ he said.

PDP Commends Jonathan Over Appointment Of Olusi As SURE-P Deputy Chairman

The Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday commended President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing  Tanwa Olusi as the Deputy Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).

Olusi’s  appointment is described as appropriate, strategic and a good omen for the success of the party in the state in a  statement signed by the party’s  Publicity Secretary, Taofik Gani.

It said that Olusi would deliver excellent results being a competent, patriotic and tested administrator.

Leadership reports:

According to the party, the appointee is someone who will discharge her duty without fear or favour.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the resignation of the SURE-P’s former Chairman, Dr Christopher Kolade, Jonathan had appointed its former Deputy Chairman, Gen. Martin- Luther Agwai to replace him.