by Oge Okonkwo

Kano Assembly speaker resigns

The Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, Gambo Sallau, on Tuesday announced his resignation from the position.

According to reports, his resignation came barely 24 hours after 26 out of the 31 legislators defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress.

Sallau in a radio broadcast on Freedom Radio, Kano, said his decision to resign as speaker was based on political reasons.

The Nation reports:

“I, Gambo Sallau, the Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly, hereby announce my resignation as the speaker.

“Now that the PDP has become an opposition party, I will not continue to be the Speaker of the House,” he said.

He commended members of the house, the state government and the public for the support they had given him in the last two years.

Nigerian prisoners in UK kick against transfer agreement

The recently signed Prisoner Transfer Agreement between Nigeria and British governments have been kicked against by some Nigerians serving various jail terms in the UK.

This was confirmed by Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the UK, Dalhatu Tafida on Tuesday during an interview.

According to reports, Tafida said some prisoners have expressed concern over returning to the country to complete their terms, citing poor prison facilities and stigma as main reasons.

Vanguard reports:

While explaining the framework of the agreement, the envoy said that the prisoner transfer was not an automatic exercise whereby those in jail would return home immediately.

According to him, transfer will not be voluntarily but decided by both governments.

It would be recalled that Nigeria and UK in December 2013 signed the agreement which will make it possible for prisoners to return home and complete their terms.

The agreement is yet to be ratified by parliaments of the two countries.

Also, Tafida said that there had been a decline in the number of Nigerians in jail across the UK.

“In 2008 when I assumed office, there were 800 Nigerians serving various terms; but today, the figure had dropped to about 390.”

He attributed the development to less crime, adding that “those who finished their term were released”.

“Similarly, those without papers are returning home voluntarily as life is tough here,” he stressed.

Tafida further said that as many as 40 people were usually repatriated monthly under the UK-Nigeria repatriation programme.

Edwin Clark says Atiku desperate for Presidency

Former Federal Commissioner for Information and Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark publicly criticized  erstwhile Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to All Progressives Congress, APC, saying he is a politically ambitious wanderer.

According to Chief Clark, there were a numbers of reasons why Atiku left PDP, but he was quick to add that the former Vice President forgot that he was a founding member of PDP and one time  Vice President of Nigeria.

Vanguard reports:

Speaking yesterday at his Asokoro Residence in Abuja when a group of Niger-Delta protesters under the aegis, Coalition of Urhobo Nation Youth Leaders and Stakeholders led by a civil rights activist, Mr. Rex Anigboro, protested to him over what they termed, marginalization of Urhobo people in federal appointments, Chief  Clark who noted that Atiku Abubakar leaving the PDP was uneventful, however described him as a politician who is desperate for the Presidency and “will go to anywhere and will do anything.”

APGA ready to adopt Jonathan as Presidential candidate

The chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in Plateau State, Chris Giwa, has said the party intends to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential flag bearer in the 2015 elections.

Giwa made this statement while speaking to journalists on Sunday at his residence in Kuru, Jos South Local Government Area.

He had earlier had talks with APGA candidates  for the forthcoming local government elections in the state.

Premium Times reports:

Mr. Giwa said President Jonathan has served Nigeria selflessly; and deserves another term of office.

“I am saying this without fear of contradiction, APGA as a party is in full support of President Jonathan to re-contest the forthcoming 2015 general elections. Mr. President has done well; at the moment APGA has no intention to feature any presidential candidate for the 2015 elections to enable him continue,” he said.

Mr. Giwa said those scampering to unseat President Jonathan have nothing positive to offer Nigerians.

“Up till now that I speak with you people, I have not seen any candidate among otherpolitical parties including PDP that will challenge Jonathan; most of the people kicking against him re-contesting election are pursing personal and selfish ambitions,” he said.

The APGA chairman described the president as “peaceable and tolerant.”

The Plateau politician also opposed the zoning of the presidency to any part of the country.

“If democracy must thrive and wax stronger in Nigeria, Nigerians must outgrow regional, ethnic and tribal politics.

“We should support someone who has good intention for this country, not those talking about regional rotation of presidency,” he said.

Mr. Giwa commended the proposed National Conference saying it is good that Nigerians deliberate on the way forward as a nation. He supported that the conference be held before the 2015 general elections.

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the conference will commence in the first quarter of 2014 and has already released modalities for it.

 

Mark Zuckerberg reflects on Facebook at 10

The most popular social media site, Facebook turned 10 on Tuesday and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg marked the occasion .

Nothing huge was done, just a heartfelt message to all the Facebook lovers out there, which was posted shortly after midnight, Pacific time.

His recipe for success? “We just cared more,” the social firm’s CEO says. Pizza also appears to have played a large role.

Read his message below:

Today is Facebook’s 10th anniversary.

It’s been an amazing journey so far, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. It’s rare to be able to touch so many people’s lives, and I try to remind myself to make the most of every day and have the biggest impact I can.

People often ask if I always knew that Facebook would become what it is today. No way.

I remember getting pizza with my friends one night in college shortly after opening Facebook. I told them I was excited to help connect our school community, but one day someone needed to connect the whole world.

I always thought this was important — giving people the power to share and stay connected, empowering people to build their own communities themselves.

When I reflect on the last 10 years, one question I ask myself is: why were we the ones to build this? We were just students. We had way fewer resources than big companies. If they had focused on this problem, they could have done it.

The only answer I can think of is: we just cared more.

While some doubted that connecting the world was actually important, we were building. While others doubted that this would be sustainable, you were forming lasting connections.

We just cared more about connecting the world than anyone else. And we still do today.

That’s why I’m even more excited about the next ten years than the last. The first ten years were about bootstrapping this network. Now we have the resources to help people across the world solve even bigger and more important problems.

Today, only one-third of the world’s population has access to the internet. In the next decade, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to connect the other two-thirds.

Today, social networks are mostly about sharing moments. In the next decade, they’ll also help you answer questions and solve complex problems.

Today, we have only a few ways to share our experiences. In the next decade, technology will enable us to create many more ways to capture and communicate new kinds of experiences.

It’s been amazing to see how all of you have used our tools to build a real community. You’ve shared the happy moments and the painful ones. You’ve started new families, and kept spread out families connected. You’ve created new services and built small businesses. You’ve helped each other in so many ways.

I’m so grateful to be able to help build these tools for you. I feel a deep responsibility to make the most of my time here and serve you the best I can.

Thank you for letting me be a part of this journey.