LIVE FROM PDP HEADQUATERS: MAI BASIRA PDP NATIONAL YOUTH LEADER WELCOMES DECAMPING APC YOUTH LEADERS

National Coordinator Comrade Usman Okhai Austin(R) receiving the certificate of affiliation to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) from the HOD, Youth Affairs(M) while the National Youth Leader,PDP,Hon. Abdullahi MaiBasira(L) looks on 


outh leaders from the opposition All Progressive Congress APC this morning decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, At a ceremony presided over by the National Youth Leader of the PDP Hon Abdullahi Husseini Mai Basira at the National headquarters of the PDP in Abuja, the former APC youth leaders declared their loyalty to the PDP describing the APC as anti Youth and anti Democratic , speaking earlier Usman Austin Okai leader of APC Youth Frontier said ''We considered it dangerous and misleading to remain in such a political party, after political consultation, APC youth frontier decided to defect to PDP and chat for the course of Nigerians youth,”

He said that rather than appoint leaders through “due consultation and democratic best practices, various states leadership were handed over to ‘money bag politicians”.

Mr. Okai also said “the inability of APC to conduct free and fair congresses for itself also shows that the party is far from being an alternative to PDP.”

He said Nigerian youth need political parties that will unite citizens rather than divide them along religious, tribal and geopolitical issues.

“We considered it dangerous and misleading to remain in such a political party, after political consultation, APC youth frontier decided to defect to PDP and chat for the course of Nigerians youth,” he said.

Mr. Okai also called on Nigerian youth to work with Mr. Maibasira to demand that the Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, makes youth affirmation a priority as is done for women.

“We believe youth as a constituency is integral part of any Nation and (therefore) the Youth deserves a special attention,” he said.

Speaking during the event the National Youth Leader Hon Husseini Mai Basira called On youths to join hands with PDP in ensuring that the country is protected for Upcoming youths. Stressing the importance of the 2015 general election , the youth leader maintained that the elections should not be used as a platform to divide the country but as an avenue to further sustain democracy and the achievements of successful governments since 1999.

While praising the achievements of the party since 1999 he said ''the PDP is the only true national Party whose name, slogan and logo has remained unchanged since its formation,and as the largest party whose membership cuts across the country it has the capacity to accommodate all youth .We also do not want a break in policies that promotes youth development,because in molding today and tomorrows leaders there is that need for the youths to work harder in sensitizing and reawakening political consciousness he said .


LIST OF DECAMPING APC YOUTH LEADERS

ALHAJI JIBRIN MOHAMMED

USMAN AUSTIN OKAHI

COMRADE OKPE JOSEPH OKPE

COMRADE OMAGA DANIEL

MAL AWALU SALISU MAI KASUWA

HARUNA ABUBAKAR

MR. OGU HARRISON

UBEH SULEIMAN ABDU

ABDULLAHI DAN TANI

YUSUF .B ALIYU

USMAN OJOGBANE VICTOR

BARR OFIYOU DANNIS

BELLO ISIAKA ONIMISI

AMEDU JOSEPH

ALYSE UNEH

BEAUTIFUL : GEJ ALMAJIRI SCHOOL HOSTELS

A hostel in one of 125 Almajiri Schools built by the Jonathan govt to provide education for the poorest Nigerian kids

History will forever remain kind to President Goodluck Jonathan for Introducing the Almajiri  school system. This system of education is the federal government’s way of intervening in the menace of street begging by school-age children,The Universal Basic Education Commission has said the establishment of Tsangaya Model Schools in the northern part of the country by the Federal Government is a deliberate effort to deal with the menace of Almajiri phenomenon in the region.

A statement on Wednesday in Abuja by the Public Relations Officer of UBEC, Mr David Apeh, quoted the Executive Secretary of the commission, Dr. Dikko Suleiman, as saying the establishment of Tsangaya Schools, initially called Almajiri Model Schools, in the North had significantly improved the life style of the children in the North.

According to recent reports, there is over 10.5 million Nigerian school-age children that are out of school, with the large number of these children coming from the North.

A majority of these out-of-school children in the North are the Almajiris, commonly found on the streets and highways, begging for alms and food.

Suleiman, according to Apeh, spoke while inspecting some projects at the Government Girls Junior Secondary School in Shema, Dutsin-ma LGA and Government Girls Junior Secondary School, Dutsin-Safe in Kaita LGA of Katsina State.

The Federal Government, under President Goodluck Jonathan, had established over 125 Almajiri Model Schools in 13 states of the North, constructed by both the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and UBEC.

Suleiman said the Tsangaya Model Schools, among other things, would ensure the integration of the elements of basic education into the Qur’anic school system, where pupils are imparted with knowledge and skills beyond Qur’anic recitation.

He explained further that this would enable them to integrate effectively into the Federal Government’s Universal Basic Education programme.

The UBEC boss commended Jonathan for giving priority to education as encapsulated in his transformation agenda and improved funding for the sector.

The Executive Secretary said the Boy-Child Education was aimed at integrating the out-of-school boys in the South-East and South-South geo- political zone into the UBE programme.

GOOD NEWS

In Sokoto, being the traditional tool of Islam in Nigeria, two Almajiri schools exist, with one built by the governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko-led administration at Denge Shuni local government area and the other built by the federal government at Gagi in Sokoto South local government and named Almajiri Model Boarding School. The school according to its principal, Mallam Ubaidullahi Shehu  has a total of 15 staff members, 216 students, 12 classrooms, six blocks of hostels with 12 rooms, and in all having about 20 to 25 students per room.

Zamfara State, which is said to have one of the  highest population of Almajiri, is evidently  enjoying the educational project, as the state has  4,331 students in the school, according to a 2012 report; with teaching staff members numbering over a hundred. According to the desk officer at the state UBEB, Mallam Lawali Balarabe Gurbi, a total of seven Tsangaya schools are present in the state, and four of them are fully completed. He explained that the schools are spread across some local government areas.

 

My Security Guard Is Hausa, I Am Getting Worried With The Trend In Naija. Advice- By Hopilo

The recent upsurge in insecurity has led many Nigerians into thinking twice about the men and women they hand the security of their lives and property to , unfortunately many the hausa community has become the worst hit for obvious reasons.
An NL user sought help on how to  manage his soon to be returning security guard who left few weeks ago to get married hear him

I have these Hausa guy for the past 6 month as my security guard, he took some days off two weeks
now to go home and get married, don't ask me if he his marrying the Chibok girls b/cos I don't know. he is due to come back this week alone as I refuse to grant permission for him to come back with his wife.
to be honest he is good at his work and he keeps the compound clean. but with the current trend in the
country, I am skeptical, should I send this guy away?   advice please
   
 By Hopilo

OGENYI ONAZI, HENRY OKOROJI AND OUR WORLD CUP DREAMS

OGENYI ONAZI, HENRY OKOROJI AND OUR WORLD CUP    DREAMS

When I read about the match Fixing allegations the British Police was investigating prior to the Nigeria/ Scotland Match, I waived it off as one of those attempts by the British media to paint Nigeria black.

However, events of the last few days has confirmed my worst fears.
Considering the fact that we are still recovering from the Amos Adamu bribery fiasco, the revelation that a Nigerian match-fixing agent, who is also a licensed FIFA agent is offering matches involving Nigeria to the highest bidder has cast a dark cloud over the quality of Nigeria’s participation in this month’s world Cup.
As I write this piece, images of Yakubu Ayegbeni's Goal mouth miss and Sani Keita's unnecessary red card kept flashing though my mind, unfortunately for us  these sad memories which has refused disappear  are about to be re-enacted.

The activities of Mr. Henry Chukwuma Okoroji who was caught telling an undercover reporter that he could fix games and organize certain outcomes during the tournament in Brazil this month is not only despicable but deeply regrettable.

Furthermore, his attempt to lure Ogenyi Onazi one of Nigeria's finest players into this shameful scam is a clear indication of how far these criminals are willing to go to in their quest for sour grapes.

Nevertheless, Onazi must be commended for being a true professional as evidenced by his decision to rebuff Mr. Okoroji's offer, choosing to place the country above financial and material gains. Onazi's experience should be an eye opener to other players, that endorsement could sometimes mean a career ending free ticket to jail.

A critical review of the Nigeria/ Scotland match also tends to suggest that Unlike Ogenyi Onazi some players might already be dancing to Mr. Okoroji's tune.
Finally,  as we match towards the World cup In Brazil, I am not convinced that the present crop of players paraded by Stephen Keshi has what it takes to make us proud, but for the sake of  the over 170 million Nigerians I sincerely pray I am wrong

Oche Otorkpa

 Twitter:@ochejoseph

PROGRESS WORK ON THE OKENE –AUCHI – BENIN EXPRESS WAY

PROGRESS WORK ON THE OKENE –AUCHI – BENIN EXPRESS WAY

WE just passed through, this road a while ago and  decided to stop and capture the progress work on this axis of the transformation sphere.

NB: the Abuja – Lokoja is almost completed with huge concretized flood barriers and raised embankment

HAPPY VIEWING 

Let’s score President Goodluck Jonathan on road infrastructure. To drive economic and social wellbeing of any nation, a good road infrastructure can be likened to arteries, veins and capillaries that comprise the human circulatory system. These blood vessels ensure that digested food, water and oxygen are sent to where they are needed; and thedangerous stuff are shipped out. If, for instance, a blood vessel is blocked so much so that the right amount of oxygen is not sent to the brain on time, the individual could suffer astroke. In the same vein, its social and economic wellbeing could suffer a stroke, if any nation, especially the developing ones like Nigeria, refuses not only to build, but also to expand and maintain its road infrastructure. Raw materials must be moved to manufacturing centres, imports must move from ports to warehouses, exports must be moved to the ports for shipment to target ports, finished goods must go to the market and to individual consumers, workers and others must commute from home to work. Apart from economic reasons, movements also serve social and cultural needs for the people. So, let’s score Jonathan on roads. 

The question is simple: has the present federal governmentunder Goodluck Jonathan delivered good road infrastructureto support the smooth operation of economic activities, big and small, in Nigeria? The answer, however, cannot be a yes or a no. A little overview of the context can help. According to the federal ministry of works, there are 35,000 kilometres of roads belonging to the federal government. As at 1983, that is 32 years ago, 80 per cent of these federalroads were constructed and 150,000 vehicles were plying Nigerian roads. The ministry of works further asserted that by 2000, the number of vehicles on the roads had increased to 1.3 million, further jumping to 9 million in 2012. All this time, the total number of bituminous roads in the country did not witness any appreciable increase. The available road network was therefore put under enormous pressure.Meanwhile, rail system which could have provided an alternative means of transportation, especially for haulage has been in coma, more or less, for years. The rail is talk for another day, less we digress. For many years, therefore, it become a nightmare to travel on Nigerian roads with many of these roads described as death traps. The deplorable condition of these roads exposedtravellers to all sorts of hardships and risks. On Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway, Abuja-Lokoja highway, Kano-Maiduguri expressway, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, Onitsha Head Bridge and many other corridors across the country, you meet the same frustrating scenario. Motorists spent days on the roads, especially during rainy seasons and festive periods. Governments came, government went, and the situation remained the same for many years. At times, motorists had to take detours to alternate routes, meandering through bushes to evade long stretches of bad roads. Robbery gangs took advantage of the deplorable road network, ambushing and robbing travellers of their valuables and sometimes their lives. Take the Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway, for example. Itwas in such a deplorable shape that a journey that should take four hours at times stretched to over twelve hours. OnAugust 6, 2007, the then minister of transport could not hold her tears when she saw what Nigerians go through on that road. “I am very displeased that this road was allowed to degenerate to this level” she said. What was true for Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway was equally true for lots of federal roads in Nigeria. Democratic rule under mostly Olusegun Obasanjo did not do much as far as federal roads are concerned. President Goodluck Jonathan has not rebuilt all federal roads in Nigeria. No. However, it is safe to simply state that his administration has supervised the most massive construction and rehabilitation efforts on federal roads that Nigerians have ever seen. The Jonathan administration is making a concerted effort to develop a sound road network across the country, an infrastructure that would drive economic growth.A few examples may be necessary here: Let’s go back to the Benin-Ore-Shagamu expressway. The contract for the reconstruction of the 262.5 km road project is being executed by Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited and Borini Prono & Company Nigeria Limited. President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the Phase One of the road last September. The second phase, as Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen explained, had not been fully completed because of technical challenges but was commendably over 60 per cent done. Today that road is a traveller’s delight. Travellers and transporters on that road have not had it so good in a very long time. Due to the fact that the road is as good as brand new the days of four hour trips has returned on the road.Such delight was last experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. In a move that is not common in this climes, transport giant, ABC Transport Company reportedly reduced its fare prices in a widely circulated advert carried by newspapers, citing the improved condition of the Benin-Ore road and others in general. Literally, the country is today awash with completed and ongoing construction and rehabilitation of federal roads. The Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja dualization road project, the Kano-Maiduguri Dualization road project, the Onitsha-Enugu road project, the Ibadan-Ilorin Road, the Apapa-OshodiExpressway. Others are: Gombe-Bye-Pass in Gombe State,Katsina-Daura Road, Katsina State, Aba-Owerri road in AbiaState, Eleme Junction Flyover and the Dualisation of Access Road to Onne Port, Phases I & II in Rivers State,Rehabilitation/Construction of Ijebu Igbo-Ajegunle-Araromi-Ife-Sekona Road, Section II in Ogun and Osun States,Emergency Reinstatement of Collapsed Section of Gombe-Potiskum Road [Km.12] in Gombe State, Completion of the construction of Mararaba-Bali road in Taraba State,Rehabilitation of Hadejia-Nguru Road, Phase I [Hadejia-Kirikasama] in Jigawa State, Dualisation of Onitsha-OwerriRoad [Section I] and Onitsha Eastern Bye-Pass Section I in Anambra State, Completion of the Rehabilitation ofObiozara-Uburu-Ishiagu-Awgu Road, Phase I, in Ebonyi and Enugu States, Construction of a bridge at Lafenwa in OgunState. Rehabilitation of 8 Nos. Expansion Joints on 3rd Mainland Bridge [Phase I] in Lagos State, Dualisation of Ibadan-Ilorin road Section I [Ibadan-Oyo] in Oyo State, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and so on. 

The Nigerian economy is better off for it. Goods and services are moved from point to point in reduced time and reduced cost as travelling on new and improved roads becomes easier and safer. Research shows that majority of Nigeria road users found it easier to travel to their different destinations in various parts of the country during the last Christmas holiday, unlike the previous years. These ones feel that the roads are indeed better. The taste of pudding is indeed in the eating. So how do we score President Jonathan? Should we leave it to those road users who heave a sigh of relief anytime the use the newly refurbished federal roads? Should we score Jonathan based on reduced passenger travel times, reduced vehicle operating costs, and reduced traffic related fatalities? Nigerians has witnessed all these indices go up as a result of the effort of the present administration under Goodluck Jonathan. Let everyone score the president on road networks according to facts on the ground and dictates of conscience.

 Ranti, a social commentator, lives in Akure, Ondo State