NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

*Nigeria: AON To Hold Service Providers Responsible For Negligence

By Lateef Lawal

Members of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) will henceforth hold service providers responsible for any damage to their aircraft as a result of culpable negligence by any of the agencies. According to the Assistant Secretary General of AON, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, the position of the association was predicated on the nonchalant attitude of some service providers in living up to their responsibilities in ensuring adequate security and safety measures at the nation's airports.

He said though members of AON were not shying away from the fact that they were owing some of the agencies appreciable level of old debts, some of the service providers have not been living up to their statutory responsibilities to airlines. Tukur noted that on several occasions, aircraft of member airlines had suffered losses due to bird strikes and intrusion into the sterile areas of airports damaging aircraft on the ramp without any compensation and that the airlines would no longer take it as business as usual. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: An Airborne Plane

He gave as example, the incident last year when a man drove his car into the sterile area of an airport damaging an aircraft on the ramp, the several incidents of bird strikes which affected many of the airlines and the recent incident in which due to lack of perimeter fence, goats rammed into a chartered aircraft carrying some top politicians.

The AON Assistant Scribe said if the government could not assist the airlines with its much touted financial bail-out for the airlines over a year after the announcement and the Minister of Aviation was not even doing anything positive on the bail out, the association would lose confidence in getting any reprieve under the present administration.

Nevertheless, Tukur assured that domestic airlines were ready to continue to service their historical debts as agreed earlier with the Minister of Aviation, but any accident or incident traceable to the fault of any service provider would no longer be treated with kid glove, as indicted service providers would be made to pay for such loss(es) incurred by any of the member airlines. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: An airborne Dana plane

Meanwhile, Alhaji Tukur has enjoined managements of the various domestic carriers to be wry of some unscrupulous who have been making traveling difficult for passengers by creating artificial scarcity of seats onboard aircraft and attendant extortion through illegal hike in air fares.

He said for example there had been complaints by some passengers of purchasing tickets that officially cost N17,000 for between N20,000 and N26,000 only to get onboard to find out that the plane was not full as claimed by the supposed official(s).

He also enjoined passengers to desist from patronising those staff that usually accost and sell tickets to them off the counter and always ensure that all their transactions are made from the officially designated ticket sale counter of airline of their choice.

Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Aon, Service, Providers, Responsible, Negligence, Abuja, Lagos, Airport, Africa, Masterweb

By Ifeatu Agbu

There is no disputing the fact that education is the key to any country’s significant development. In spite of this, however, many developing countries fail to give priority to the sector. Policy makers in these countries know too well that knowledge is the fuel that fires the engine of growth. It is for this reason that UNICEF recommends that developing countries should appropriate 26 per cent of their annual budget to the education sector. Unfortunately, this has been largely ignored by most of these governments, including Nigeria.

The situation in Nigeria is particularly worrisome because one would expect that a nation with vast oil wealth should use a substantial part of its resources to develop its human capital. It is indeed ironic that Nigeria, despite her oil wealth is sharing the dark basement with highly illiterate societies. A recent Global Monitoring Report on education shows that Nigeria is one of only 10 countries that account for 72 per cent of the global total number of 796 million illiterate adults. It is also one of the 15 countries with more than half of the world’s 23.6 million out-of-school children.

Owing to the rot in our educational system, many young Nigerians are now queuing up in foreign embassies to obtain visas to study abroad, even in fellow African countries like Ghana and South Africa, where the learning conditions are better. Unfortunately, the government appears to be nibbling at the problem rather than tackling it holistically. Just recently, the Federal Government approved nine new federal universities to bring the total of universities in the country to 117. Ordinarily, one would say the more the merrier. But that is not the case here, as the problem of funding the universities and education generally is still largely unaddressed. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: Map of Nigeria showing its 36 states and capital (Abuja or FCT)

Logically, there are chances that the new universities would face the same financial predicament as the ones before them. So, increasing the number of universities may not solve any problems for the beleaguered education system. Even those in the system acknowledge this. The Vice-chancellor of Oshun State University, Professor Sola Akinrinade, agrees that new universities would expand access to higher education but reasoned that "the dearth of qualified lecturers and other challenges facing university education ought to have been resolved before the creation of new universities."

The Minister of Education, Ruqqayatu Rufai has a ready explanation. She said that the decision of the Federal Government to establish the universities was informed by the desire to provide access to university education to a larger number of qualified candidates who are annually stranded due to lack of carrying capacity by the existing universities.

As if to buttress this point, the Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof. ‘Dibu Ojerinde, said that only 16 per cent of 1.4 million candidates seeking admission in 2011 can be offered placements because of low carrying capacity of the universities. “We are worried. There are children who want to go to university, but cannot go because the carrying capacity is defined by National Universities Commission (NUC), considering personnel, infrastructure, etc”. He gave a graphic example with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where 7,000 candidates qualified to study medicine but it had only 150 slots.

The need for more universities notwithstanding, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie frowns at the rush to set up new ones. He warned that establishing new universities without commensurate funding would be counter-productive and argued that existing universities could have been expanded to achieve the same objective.

Without exception, all the existing public universities run by the Federal and state governments are in dire financial straits. Mr. Ayo Olowe, the chairman of ASUU, University of Lagos chapter, said that the fund allocated to education is too small for the country to make meaningful progress in the sector. "In a situation whereby they (FG) are spending less than two per cent of the national budget on education, as opposed to UNESCO's standard of 26 per cent; portrays the government as unserious," he said. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Members of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) protesting in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria in September last year (2010). Click For Enlarged Photo

The appalling situation in our universities is all too obvious and it shows in the acute shortage of lecture halls, laboratories, libraries, and hostel accommodation. The quality of teaching in the universities is equally below standard. This is even made worse by the influx of unserious lecturers into the academia. Consequently, not one university in Nigeria is among the top 50 universities in Africa, and none is ranked among the top 3,000 universities in the world.

This is totally unacceptable. The federal and state governments that are owners of most of the universities should demonstrate their commitment to quality education by meeting the UNESCO’s standard of 26 per cent allocation to the sector. The government should also set irreducible minimum international standards for private universities, some of which are really no more than glorified secondary schools were anything goes as long as they collect their unmerited high fees.

Time was, when our universities were ranked among the best in the word. For instance, the University of Ibadan was once the fourth best university in the commonwealth. To regain this past glory, engagement of quality lecturers is key. The universities must therefore reinvent themselves by persuading their best graduating students to come back as was the case in the past, to become graduate assistants. The universities should sponsor them for masters and doctorate programmes in some of the best universities in the world.

Producing quality lecturers should not be left for universities alone. Government and their agencies as well as the private sector should also key into it by offering scholarships for post graduate studies. Some of the oil companies and state governments have done well in this regard. Only recently, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for the first time since it was established over 10 years ago, instituted overseas post graduate scholarship programme. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

The Managing Director of the commission, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha, explained that the scheme was essentially for the people of the region, who wished to pursue Masters and Doctorate degree programmes in science-related courses in foreign universities. Ultimately, the post-graduate training would upgrade the knowledge of the students and make them more marketable.

The commission has also started a Petroleum Engineering/ Drilling Graduate Training Programme for indigenes of the Niger Delta as part of efforts to make the local content policy of the federal government a reality. Mr. Ugwoha said that the trainees would, among others, be equipped with fundamentals of oil and gas exploitation, well site safety, both onshore and offshore, basics of hydrocarbon, well-logging with special emphasis in abnormal pressure evaluation.“The good news about this programme is that all participants are engineering graduates of tertiary institutions and the trainers are experts brought in from the oil fields in the United States and beyond” Ugwoha said.

Another agency of government that is also contributing significantly to producing post graduate students is the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF). It has so far trained 1,800 scholars at the Masters level and 250 at the Doctoral level in top ranked universities specialising in oil and gas courses in the United Kingdom.

The Executive Secretary of the Fund, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma said the Fund has started domesticating its Masters Degree Programmes following significant progress made in upgrading the physical infrastructure and teaching facilities of some Nigerian Universities. This is good news.

The upgrading should also be extended to our primary and secondary schools which have degenerated to disgraceful levels in recent years. Since something cannot be built on nothing, quality university education can only be achieved with quality primary and secondary education.

Mr. Ifeatu Agbu ( ifeatuagbu@yahoo.com ) writes from Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Deserve, Quality, Education, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb

*Never Again Miss Any Nigerian or World News Event

By Masterweb News Desk

To adequately keep abreast of Nigerian and world news events daily, below is a guide to follow so you do not miss any single news event in Nigeria and around the globe. This means that the news guide is important to both Nigerians and everybody irrespective of his or her nationality and country of residence.

STEPS TO FOLLOW NOT TO MISS ANY SINGLE NEWS ITEM

1. STEP ONE - Start-off by subscribing to Masterweb RSS News Feed - This is a one time action. Subscription to Masterweb RSS News Feed allows for the automatic download of our news updates to your computer - that way Masterweb news updates come to you automatically. Click here to subscribe to Masterweb RSS News Feed

_______

2. STEP TWO - Start the day by visiting our Newspapers Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html ) or Newsflash Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/newsflash.html ) and read Nigerian and world news from different sources including Nigerian newspapers.

_______

3. STEP THREE - Check out what our news contributors may have posted for the day at our Daily News Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/ ) and Masterweb Reports Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/Masterweb/ )

_______

4. STEP FOUR - Visit both our Nigeria News Headlines ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/NigeriaNewsHeadlines.html/ ) and World News Headlines ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/ ) several times (up to 12 times) daily as the pages are updated every 45 minutes. During a visit, if the news is not updated, hit the F1 key on your keyboard to refresh the page for the latest news update.

_______

Below are the News Headlines Links (URLs) again:-

1. Nigeria News Headlines:- www.nigeriamasterweb.com/NigeriaNewsHeadlines.html/

2a. World News Headlines (1):- www.nigeriamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/

2b. World News Headlines (2):- www.africamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/

_______

5. STEP FIVE - Revisit our Newspapers Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html ) or Newsflash Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/newsflash.html ) before bedtime for late updates and/or following day's early updates by Masterweb and Nigerian newspapers.

_______

6. YOU ARE NOW FULLY INFORMED FOR THE DAY - If you follow the guide above, you will never miss any news event in the world. This means that you will be fully equipped to engage in any news or current affairs discussion anywhere and any place in the world. Best of luck!

6. ALL NEWS LINKS ABOVE ORGANIZED ON ONE PAGE - Masterweb has put together a unique page that has all the news links above that you need to adequately keep abreast of Nigerian and world news events - Click here to go to the page ( the Link or URL is http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/NeverMissNewsEvents.html ).

Photo Above: Stack of Newspapers

Photo Above: Internet surfers at a cyber cafe in Nairobi, Kenya

*To forward this article to friends and associates, here is the link to send to them:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/23/keeping_abreast_daily_nigeria_aamp_world

_______

[ Click here for CHEAP PHONE CALLS FROM U.S. To NIGERIA & OTHER COUNTRIES ]

[ Click here for AFFORDABLE DOMAIN REGISTRATION, WEB HOSTING & MORE ]

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Keeping, Abreast, Daily, World, News, Domain, Registration, Web, Email, Hosting, Africa, Masterweb

*Nigeria's Coal City, Enugu - Milked & Forgotten?

By Ikechukwu Enyiagu

Enugu State, for some of those born after the 70s, and whose interests in history are nothing of pride, was popularly known as the Coal City. And for those born well ahead of the Nigerian civil war, the Coal City remains a great part of our collective history as a nation. Coal was discovered in Enugu in 1909, almost 50 years ahead of oil discovery. Until the discovery of oil in Nigeria, coal remained our major stay as a country. At that time, when the British were brutish, the workers, amongst whom were some indigenes of the State, couldn’t dare to voice their truest demands even if they had a hint of what their rights were.

Now that oil has force-retired coal in Nigeria, the entire nation, especially the government seems to have little or no use and respect for history. Any nation or person that advertently ignores history is set for an uncertain future. With all the oil and pomp, the Nigeria of today has become more of a must-read for the the schools of the world. It’s even a laughable twist when one remembers that the same coal which the Nigerian government has toyed with and discarded, along with the indigenes where the mines are located, is the very coal which drives China into its super power dreams. China, a country with the largest single population in the world, is being driven by the same coal that the Nigerian government mocks. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Map of Nigeria showing some major cities, including Enugu and Federal capital (Abuja or FCT)

Billions of Naira have been poured into the so-called Niger Delta regions because of the location of the nation’s oil deposits. The indigenes of the Niger Delta are treated with a high level of care and respect in the nation because of the oil. It’s deserving to acknowledge the source of your stay, but my questions in reference to the Coal City are these:

1. If the Niger Deltans now receive greater attention solely because of the large oil deposits in the region, why has Enugu State constantly been treated like it was never carrying the entire nation-single-handedly?

2. Recently, the salaries of former heads of state were reviewed in their favor, why is it difficult for the country to see that the government has marginalized the Coal City decades before that word got across to the Niger Deltans? Why is the Coal City treated as if it never served any purpose worthy of even greater rewards than the ex-presidents who, in their time, ruled and left without results?

3. If the Niger Deltans are compensated, and the heads of states, promoted, even after their retirement form office, why does the federal government think it not robbery to continue to ignore the Coal City indigenes and to ride on their kindness? ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Map of Nigeria's Niger Delta Region showing Port Harcourt

By His grace, oil has also been discovered in Enugu State. What does this entail for the nation and the state, and how is the government planning on defrauding, yet again, the good people of Enugu State? This injustice has overstayed its welcome; I, therefore, request that the federal government visit this matter and treat it in the spirit of urgency.

This has nothing to do with the history of Biafra, nor has it anything to do with the seeds that the British planted in Nigeria; it has everything to do with the way the federal government treats minorities, be they of people, resources, or concerns, and, most especially, the way the federal government views Enugu State and its indigenes as a whole.

In spite of all her worth, the Coal City has no direct outlet to the outside world except for the long-overdue minor renovations going on at the state airport. I ask that the same privileges, treatments, and incentives given to the youths of the Niger Delta and our former heads of state be extended to the Indigenes of Enugu, the great Coal City. A stitch in time saves nine.

Ikechukwu Enyiagu can be reached at ike.enyiagu@gmail.com

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Enugu, State, Coal, City, Milked, Forgotten, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb

By Masterweb News Desk

To adequately keep abreast of Nigerian and world news events daily, below is a guide to follow so you do not miss any single news event in Nigeria and around the globe. This means that the news guide is important to both Nigerians and everybody irrespective of his or her nationality and country of residence.

STEPS TO FOLLOW NOT TO MISS ANY SINGLE NEWS ITEM

1. STEP ONE - Start the day by visiting our Newspapers Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html ) or Newsflash Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/newsflash.html ) and read Nigerian and world news from different sources including Nigerian newspapers.

_______

2. STEP TWO - Check out what our news contributors may have posted for the day at our Daily News Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/ )

_______

3. STEP THREE - Visit both our Nigeria News Headlines ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/NigeriaNewsHeadlines.html/ ) and World News Headlines ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/ ) several times (up to 12 times) daily as the pages are updated every 45 minutes. During a visit, if the news is not updated, hit the F1 key on your keyboard to refresh the page for the latest news update.

_______

Below are the News Headlines Links (URLs) again:-

1. Nigeria News Headlines:- www.nigeriamasterweb.com/NigeriaNewsHeadlines.html/

2a. World News Headlines (1):- www.nigeriamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/

2b. World News Headlines (2):- www.africamasterweb.com/WorldNewsHeadlines.html/

_______

4. STEP Four - Revisit our Newspapers Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html ) or Newsflash Section ( www.nigeriamasterweb.com/newsflash.html ) before bedtime for late updates and/or following day's early updates by Masterweb and Nigerian newspapers.

_______

5. YOU ARE NOW FULLY INFORMED FOR THE DAY - If you follow the guide above, you will never miss any news event in the world. This means that you will be fully equipped to engage in any news or current affairs discussion anywhere and any place in the world. Best of luck!

Photo Above: Stack of Newspapers

Photo Above: Internet surfers at a cyber cafe in Nairobi, Kenya

*To forward this article to friends and associates, here is the link to send to them:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/23/keeping_abreast_daily_nigeria_aamp_world

_______

[ Click here for CHEAP PHONE CALLS FROM U.S. To NIGERIA & OTHER COUNTRIES ]

[ Click here for AFFORDABLE DOMAIN REGISTRATION, WEB HOSTING & MORE ]

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Keeping, Abreast, Daily, World, News, Domain, Registration, Web, Email, Hosting, Africa, Masterweb

By Martins Tokode

A friend of mine sent the first post-coup broadcast of Mohammed Buhari to me recently. Reading through the address, I came to one conclusion that Nigeria has not improved regarding the issues raised in the address. Almost everyone knows that PDP is a rejuvenated NPN that was in power at the time. It seems to me that the same NPN is now doing exactly the same thing done then but under a different nomenclature and at a different time in the history of Nigeria. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Muhammadu Buhari during an interview with Reuters at a private residence in Lagos, Nigeria, February 19, 2011.

Recent report in FRESHFACTS newspaper about the views of the international community regarding our April election, paint a picture of shoddy preparation and systematic corruption of the electoral process. I will like the general public to read the broadcast of the General in 1984. I do not intend to show affection for service men's intervention in politics; my point is that we need a man who is courageous and resolute to clean our country of corruption- our major devastating problem. One good turn deserves another.

HERE IS THE BROADCAST

In pursuance of the primary objective of saving our great nation from total collapse, I, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari of the Nigerian army have, after due consultation amongst the services of the armed forces, been formally invested with the authority of the Head of the Federal Military Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is with humility and a deep sense of responsibility that I accept this challenge and call to national duty.

As you must have heard in the previous announcement, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1979) has been suspended, except those sections of it which are exempted in the constitution.The change became necessary in order to put an end to the serious economic predicament and the crisis of confidence now afflicting our nation.

Consequently, the Nigerian armed forces have constituted themselves into a Federal Military Government comprising of a Supreme Military Council, a National Council of States, a Federal Executive Council at the centre and State Executive Councils to be presided over by military governors in each of the states of the federation. Members of these councils will be announced soon.The last Federal Military Government drew up a programme with the aim of handing over political power to the civilians in 1979. This programme as you all know, was implemented to the letter. The 1979 constitution was promulgated. However, little did the military realise that the political leadership of the second republic will circumvent most of the checks and balances in the constitution and bring the present state of general insecurity. The premium on political power became so exceedingly high that political contestants regarded victory at elections as a matter of life and death struggle and were determined to capture or retain power by all means.

It is true that there is a worldwide economic recession. However, in the case of Nigeria, its impact was aggravated by mismanagement. We believe the appropriate government agencies have good advice but the leadership disregarded their advice. The situation could have been avoided if the legislators were alive to their constitutional responsibilities; Instead, the legislators were preoccupied with determining their salary scales, fringe benefit and unnecessary foreign travels, et al, which took no account of the state of the economy and the welfare of the people they represented. As a result of our inability to cultivate financial discipline and prudent management of the economy, we have come to depend largely on internal and external borrowing to execute government projects with attendant domestic pressure and soaring external debts, thus aggravating the propensity of the outgoing civilian administration to mismanage our financial resources. Nigeria was already condemned perpetually with the twin problem of heavy budget deficits and weak balance of payments position, with the prospect of building a virile and viable economy.

The last general election was anything but free and fair. The only political parties that could complain of election rigging are those parties that lacked the resources to rig. There is ample evidence that rigging and thuggery were relative to the resources available to the parties. This conclusively proved to us that the parties have not developed confidence in the presidential system of government on which the nation invested so much material and human resources.While corruption and indiscipline have been associated with our state of under-development, these two evils in our body politic have attained unprecedented height in the past few years. The corrupt, inept and insensitive leadership in the last four years has been the source of immorality and impropriety in our society. Since what happens in any society is largely a reflection of the leadership of that society, we deplore corruption in all its facets. This government will not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of contracts and over-invoicing of imports etc. Nor will it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement, misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in foreign exchange and smuggling.

Arson has been used to cover up fraudulent acts in public institutions. I am referring to the fire incidents that gutted the P&T buildings in Lagos, the Anambra State Broadcasting Corporation, the Republic Building at Marina, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Capital Development Authority Accounts at Abuja and the NET Building. Most of these fire incidents occurred at a time when Nigerians were being apprehensive of the frequency of fraud scandals and the government incapacity to deal with them. Corruption has become so pervasive and intractable that a whole ministry has been created to stem it. Fellow Nigerians, this indeed is the moment of truth. My colleagues and I ¨C the Supreme Military Council, must be frank enough to acknowledge the fact that at the moment, an accurate picture of the financial position is yet to be determined. We have no doubt that the situation is bad enough. In spite of all this, every effort will be made to ensure that the difficult and degrading conditions under which we are living are eliminated. Let no one however be deceived that workers who have not received their salaries in the past eight or so months will receive such salaries within today or tomorrow or that hospitals which have been without drugs for months will be provided with enough immediately.We are determined that with the help of God we shall do our best to settle genuine payments to which government is committed, including backlog of workers¡¯ salaries after scrutiny. We are confident and we assure you that even in the face of the global recession, and the seemingly gloomy financial future, given prudent management of Nigeria¡¯s existing financial resources and our determination to substantially reduce and eventually nail down rises in budgetary deficits and weak balance of payments position.The Federal Military Government will reappraise policies with a view to paying greater attention to the following areas:

¡öThe economy will be given a new impetus and better sense of direction. ¡öCorrupt officials and their agents will be brought to book. ¡öIn view of the drought that affected most parts of the country, the federal government will, with the available resources, import food stuffs to supplement the shortfalls suffered in the last harvest. Our foreign policy will both be dynamic and realistic. Africa will of course continue to be the centre piece of our foreign policy. The morale and combat readiness of the armed forces will be given high priority. Officers and men with high personal and professional integrity will have nothing to fear.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other holders of judiciary appointments within the federation can continue in their appointments and the judiciary shall continue to function under existing laws subject to such exceptions as may e decreed from time to time by the Federal Military Government. All holders of appointments in the civil service, the police and the National Security Organisation shall continue to exercise their functions in the normal way subject to changes that may be introduced by the Federal Military Government. All those chairmen and members of statutory corporations, parastatals and other executive departments are hereby relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.

The Federal Military Government will maintain and strengthen existing diplomatic relations with other states and with international organisations and institutions such as the Organisation of African Unity, the United Nations and its organs, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth etc. The Federal Military Government will honour and respect all treaties and obligations entered into by the previous government and we hope that such nations and bodies will reciprocate this gesture by respecting our country¡¯s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Fellow Nigerians, finally, we have dutifully intervened to save this nation from imminent collapse. We therefore expect all Nigerians, including those who participated directly or indirectly in bringing the nation to this present predicament, to cooperate with us. This generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together. May God bless us all. Good morning.

___________

I am not a mouth piece for Buhari and I have neither seen him face-to-face or remotely related to him in anyway. I do not even live in Nigeria. But I knew how Nigeria was during his short rule. He is man of his word. He did exactly what he said in the speech above. Unfortunately his mate Tunde Idiagbon is no more with us. Nigeria needs men who will say and do. Nigeria needs strong and courageous leader. May God bless you and may God bless Nigeria.

Martins Tokode can be reached at martins_tokode@rocketmail.com

Photo Above: Muhammadu Buhari

__________

Photo Above: Muhammadu Buhari -Left, Pastor Tunde Bakare -Right

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Constitutional, Democracy, Smooth, Succession, Government, Africa, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb

*Nigeria: NAMA Trains Over 60 ATCs In The U.S.

By Lateef Lawal

Fifteen Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) from Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) sent for retraining in the United States under World Bank sponsored program have completed their course and returned to Nigeria.

This brings to 64, the number of Air Traffic Controllers so far trained under this program in the U.S. In 2009 three batches of ATCs were sent while in 2010 two batches went for the retraining program. Members of the sixth batch that left for the program late January 2011 are expected back in the country before the end of this month. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: An Airborne Plane

Reports reaching NigerianAviationNews over the weekend indicates the ATCs which included two female Controllers were trained at the Pan Am International Flight Academy, Miami, Florida, USA for 7 weeks on Terminal, Approach and Area Radar operations.

Receiving the members of the fifth batch, the Managing Director of NAMA, Alhaji Ibrahim Auyo, enjoined them to brace up for future challenges in the discharge of their duties in the safety critical industry and ensure dilligence. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: A Landing Arik Plane

Speaking on behalf of the team, Mr Esona Ituka described their experience as rewarding and wonderful, adding that it afforded them the opportunity to train-on and see world class facilities.

He pleaded with the management of NAMA to ensure that more of such trainings are embarked upon so as to expose more of his colleagues to such retraining program.

Before now, not less than 12 Air Traffic Controllers of NAMA trained and obtained Private Pilot License (PPL) to further enhance their technical skill.

Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Aon, Transfer, Gat, Arik, Air, Abuja, Lagos, Airport, Africa, Masterweb

By Buhari Campaign Organization

The Buhari/Bakare campaign sends warm greetings to the women of Nigeria as the world marks the International women day today. The Nigerian woman symbolizes the enduring human spirit that stands tall in the face of trials and tribulations over the years. We must celebrate the women of Nigeria either as mothers or wives for their roles as continuation of God’s creation process. In recognition of the importance of our women in National politics, General Buhari is on record as being the first Head of State in Nigeria to promote affirmative action for women by directing all State cabinets to have women commissioners as a military ruler between 1984 – 1985.

In his bid for the presidency in 2011, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) which he leads has placed special emphasis on women in its manifesto with clear commitment:

1) “Ensure the rights of women are protected as enshrined in our constitution”,

2) “Guarantee that women are adequately represented in government appointments and provide greater opportunities in education, job creation and economic empowerment”,

3) “Recognize and protect women empowerment and greater equality with special emphasis on economics activities in development and in rural areas”

4) “Promote the concept of reserving a minimum number of seats in National Assembly for women”

The Buhari/Bakare campaign feels the pains our poor women in particular had and are having to bear in the midst of general deprivations in our Country in the midst of vast recourses being mismanaged by leaders who are not committed to the welfare of the people. We make solemn promise to ease their pains and guarantee better living conditions for all if given the mandate to lead the country from May 29, 2011.

May the next celebrations of the women’s day be under a better clime for our women.

__________

*Read Related Articles:-

(1). Buhari Accorded Distinguished Women's Award In The U.S.:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/28/buhari_accorded_distinguished_women_s_aw

(2). Buhari Deserves AAUW Distinguished Women's Award:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/03/masterweb_commentary_buhari_deserves_aau

(3). Buhari Award: Saharareporters Shamed As AAUW Responds:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/04/buhari_award_saharareporters_shamed_as_a

(4). Buhari Award: SADA Finds It Difficult To Understand Saharareporters:- http://nigeriamasterweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/03/07/buhari_award_sada_finds_it_difficult_to_

(5). Buhari Honored With Award:- http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2011/03/02/buhari-honored-with-award/

(6). Buhari dazzles American women:- http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/7030.html

Photo Above: Muhammadu Buhari

__________

Photo Above: Muhammadu Buhari -Left, Pastor Tunde Bakare -Right

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Buhari, Bakare, Campaign, Salutes, Women, Abuja, Lagos, Airport, Africa, Masterweb

By Lateef Lawal

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, presided over by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar, on Tuesday, March 1st , 2011, ruled that the confession of Mr. T. A. Dairo, Personal Assistant to a former Minister of Aviation, Professor Babalola Borishade, on July 25th, 2008, was made voluntarily; hence admissible in court.

The judge also ruled that all the authorities cited during trial within trial by a counsel to a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency to Rowland Iyayi, are inapplicable and should therefore be discountenanced.

Borishade and Iyayi are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside two others for allegedly taking bribes and forging documents relating to a N6.5 billion aviation contract awarded by them. The other two accused persons are Mr. George Eder, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Avsatel Communications Limited. ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: Aviation Scam Symbol

It would be recalled that the court had on June 9, 2010, ordered a trial within trial to determine vel non the voluntariness and admissibility of the statement of T. A Dairo made on July 25th , 2008 based on the objections of the defence counsel on the admissibility of same.

In a seven-page document dated January 25th, 2011 and titled: “Written address of the prosecution to the court, urging admissibility of the statement made by the 3rd accused person on July 25th, 2008 and in response to written address of counsel to 2nd accused person”, EFCC counsel, Sebastine Hon, had urged the court to "adopt our review of the evidence, preliminary objection and issue for determination in our exhaustive and comprehensive written addresses to counsels to 1st and 3rd accused persons respectively as our submissions in response to the written address of counsel to the 2nd accused person". ( Continues below..... )

Photo Above: An Airborne Plane

Hon added that counsel to Iyayi, Barrister Chidi Ezenwafor, seemed to misconceive the real issue for the trial within trial which is whether or not the statement made by Dairo on July 25, 2008 was voluntarily made.

Ricky Tarfa, SAN, counsel to 4th and 5th accused persons, had also argued that the statements from the accused persons were taken under duress and therefore not admissible in court. The other defence counsel aligned with Tarfa. But in his ruling, the judge said that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the statements were not taken under duress, but voluntarily; hence admissible in court.

The judge, after ruling on the admissibility of the EFCC’s evidence, adjourned the case till March 28th, 2011 for continuation of hearing. The EFCC had filed a 15- count amended charge against the accused on November 19, 2009.

Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Aon, Transfer, Gat, Arik, Air, Abuja, Lagos, Airport, Africa, Masterweb

By Nosa Osula-Aituamen

The Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Ahmadu Giade has amplified his call for intensive regional drug control approach. The NDLEA boss made the call following the release of the International Narcotic Control Board {INCB} 2010 report which was launched in Vienna last week.

The report states that cocaine smuggling through Africa to Europe is on the rise again after a decline in the past two years. While re-echoing an articulated and sustained collective approach in drug control, Giade noted that drug trafficking as an organised crime transcends national frontiers. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: Map of Africa

The NDLEA helmsman stated that illicit drug trade involves a minimum of two countries, a condition that makes inter-country collaboration inevitable. He therefore advocated a pragmatic and comprehensive collaboration. “Drug trafficking usually involves two or more countries. It has to do with production nations, transit countries where the drugs are smuggled through as well as the final destinations where the drugs are ultimately consumed. As a result, the excellent performance of one country cannot guarantee a drug-free world” Giade declared.

“Drug traffickers from experience avoid countries with strict drug law enforcement to those with weak anti-drug legislation. This is in addition to the adoption of new modes of drug concealment to prevent seizures of their drugs. It is therefore compelling that nations of the world must form a formidable force against drug syndicates” the NDLEA boss stressed.

Determined to propel the collective drug control initiative, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is working with counterparts, particularly NDLEA and the European Union on long term cooperation under the 10th European Development Fund. This is expected to advance evidence based drug prevention and control policy. Other areas include improved drug demand reduction programmes and enhanced law enforcement capacity. ( Continues below….. )

Photo Above: Sack of Cocaine Blocks

The {INCB} report equally highlights the tremendous rise in designer drugs and presents recent regional developments. It points out that designer drugs are often produced by modifying the molecular structure of illegal substances, resulting in a new product with similar effects which then circumvents control measures. Another worrisome dimension is the detailed instructions for the manufacture of designer drugs which are often shared via the Internet.

In Europe, 16 new designer drugs are being monitored even as the figure in Japan is believed to be as high as 51. According to the President of INCB, Mr. Hamid Ghodse “given the health risks posed by the abuse of designer drugs, we urge Governments to adopt national control measures to prevent the manufacture, trafficking in and abuse of these substances”.

Nosa Osula-Aituamen (Aviationreport)

____________________________________________________________

MASTERWEB HOME - NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS - NIGERIA NEWS HEADLINES - WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*Tags: Nigerians, Cocaine, Rise, Africa, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb