Nigeria: JTF Impounds Vessel, Fishing Trawler and Crew for Alleged Oil Theft

The Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, has arrested a sea going vessel with 12 crew members along the Akassa Water Ways in Bayelsa.

In a statement in Yenagoa on Saturday Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Media Coordinator of Operation Pulo Shield, said the vessel was arrested during its anti-oil theft and pipeline vandalism operations.

Nwachukwu said that the operation took place between March 19 and March 29.

He said that the arrested vessel, MV Buyus with fake clearance documents, was secured at the Nigerian Navy Dock Yard in Brass Local Government of Bayelsa.

The suspects, according to the statement have been handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agencies for further investigation and subsequent prosecution.

It added that a fishing trawler christened Bolajoko with five crew members on board was also impounded by troops of the JTF at the NPA Jetty, Bonny in Rivers.

It said that the fishing trawler was impounded, while trans-loading suspected stolen crude into large plastic tanks and drums with the aid of water pumping machines.

The statement said that the suspects were currently undergoing preliminary investigations at the JTF Sector 2 Headquarters in Port Harcourt.

"Arrested alongside the vessel were 55 assorted boats conveying stolen petroleum product, along Otumara and Araton general area of Warri South Local Government Area of Delta.

"During the operation, five camps, where stolen crude oil was being refined illegally, were discovered and destroyed in Akassa, Sangana, Igbematoru and Ogbia creeks of Bayelsa.

"Also, 59 assorted open boats, 451 drums, 12 illegal oil refinery camps, 88 plastic tanks, six outboard engines and 18 pumping machines were seized.

"They were seized along Elume in Warri North, Escravos , Saghara Creeks in Warri South and Benneth Island in Delta," Nwachukwu said.

He said that the land patrol squads of the JTF had also intercepted four tanker trucks conveying suspected stolen petroleum products along Enugu-Port Harcourt Express Road.

The drivers and tanker trucks were arrested when they failed to produce documents certifying them for lifting of the product.

They have been handed over to the Imo Command of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for prosecution.

The JTF, however, urged oil firms operating in the Niger Delta region to collaborate and evacuate the reservoirs used by the oil thieves to deter the oil thieves from returning to the illicit trade.

"This call was necessitated, following the finding that most of the illegal oil refinery camps discovered during the operation had earlier been scuttled by JTF troops.

"But were later resuscitated as the reservoirs were not evacuated from the crime scene," it said.

NAN recalls that Shell Petroleum Development Company had threatened to shut its Nembe Trunk line because of rising incidents of oil theft through its pipeline network in Bayelsa.

Mr Mutiu Sumonu, the Managing Director of SPDC, on March 4, urged the JTF to step up its activities to reduce oil theft, currently standing at about 60,000 barrels daily.

- NAN

Nigeria: Why Bunkering, Kidnappings Are Back in Niger Delta - Security Agencies

BY SONI DANIEL

Barely four years after Niger Delta militants denounced violence against the state and accepted an unconditional amnesty, the perpetrators of the twin evil of oil bunkering and kidnapping for ransom, are back to work even with greater steam and sophistication, Saturday Vanguard has learnt.

The late President Umaru YarÁdua declared amnesty for repentant militants on June 25, 2009, paving the way for the return of a large cache of weapons by militants and the relocation and reintegration of the former warlords from the vast creeks of the Niger Delta region to the society.

However, indications emerged yesterday that kidnapping and bunkering, which had significantly died down in the wake of the general pardon to militants, had resumed in earnest in most parts of the creeks.

Findings by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the attempt by the government to compensate major warlords in the region with mouth-watering contracts running into billions of Naira for the protection of pipelines was responsible for the renewed level of attacks and oil theft in the Niger Delta.

A top security expert in the Niger Delta told Saturday Vanguard that the award of multi-million contracts by the Federal Government to selected former Niger Delta militant leaders for the protection of oil pipelines was responsible for the resurgence of the new wave of criminality in the area.

The source, who has been working with other security agencies in the Niger Delta for many years, pointed out that most of the Niger Delta warlords who got the oil pipelines surveillance jobs betrayed the government by not taking care of their foot soldiers who were part and parcel of bunkering, kidnapping and destruction of oil facilities before the 'accepted amnesty'.

The Source said, "The real problem is that the militant leaders whose companies were used in getting the lucrative contracts have not taken care of their supporters, a situation that has led to anger and muscle-flexing currently brewing in the Niger Delta.

"Apart from that, the award of the jobs to persons who understand the creeks more than anyone else is like paying an armed robber to protect your house.

"That is why these people who claim to have renounced militancy are picking and choosing where to steal oil and who to abduct because they now have a licence directly from the government.

"Although the Federal Government is aware of the brewing crisis of confidence between the ex-militant leaders and their supporters, there is nothing the administration can do to eliminate the problem, especially as some of the warlords have fled the country after drawing huge sums of money without executing the pipeline contract.

Another competent source told our correspondent that the government did not want any confrontation with the militants so as not to cause any disaffection between them, especially as the crucial election year draws closer.

One of the warlords and a top politician in the region, are reported to have fled the country after withdrawing over N2 billion from an account that was opened for the management of a pipeline contract given to one of them from BayelsaState.

The militant is said to have refused to return home to account for the money even after being informed of his mother's demise.

Security agencies are however more worried that despite their surveillance across the region; militants in the Niger Delta have continued to abduct foreigners from oil and cargo-laden vessels coming to the country via the vast creeks.

The security agencies are currently trying to wrestle an Indonesian, who was seized from a ship off the BonnyIsland in RiversState about a month ago, from unrepentant kidnappers, who are demanding the payment of N20 million ransom.

"Only a few days ago, we succeeded in freeing two Russians and another foreigner but we seem to have hit a brick wall in the case of the Indonesian, but we are on top of the matter," the source said.

The problem of bunkering and kidnapping has become so intractable that the Senate on Wednesday called for death penalty for the offence.

Senate President, David Mark said he would not hesitate to append his signature to any law that could recommend death penalty for oil bunkerers as he regretted that Nigeria had lost so much revenue in recent times due largely to illegal oil bunkering, adding "oil theft deserves capital punishment."

Mark said that the law must have a huge punishment for those who steal our oil to serve as a deterrent to others.

"The Bill must also ensure that the current rate of oil theft in the country is minimised to the barest minimum.

"It seems we are having a bad name internationally because of the rate of oil theft in the country. Oil theft deserves capital punishment.

"If it is the public wish, I will endorse a death penalty for oil thieves, if it will stop oil theft and bunkering. It is an unusual situation so it deserves an unusual remedy and drastic punishment, the Senate President said."

Nigeria Telecommuncations - Nothing to Tell

BY CHIOMA GABRIEL

Since 2002 when the Federal Government began the process of privatising Nigerian Telecommunications, NITEL, things have not remained the same in the organisation. Across the states in the Nigerian federation, NITEL facilities are wasting away.

Before the introduction of Global System of Mobile Communication , NITEL alone was holding sway in the Nigerian telecommunications industry. With the introduction of GSM networks in 2000, NITEL acquired its own GSM code which was 0804 after MTN's 0803 and ECONET's 0802. But as the other GSM lines progressed, netting trillions, NITEL's GSM network along with it's land-lines have become mere historical reference.

This downward trend rubbished the innovation started in 2001 when NITEL management, then under the control of government, made interesting moves in communication in Nigeria.It installed beautiful public phone booths in many public places. It was possible then to just purchase call units and obtain plastic call cards which were used at the subscriber's convenience. But in less than ten years,those booths disappeared and NITEL became moribund.

The ordeal of NITEL began when Investors International London Limited (IILL) wanted to buy the company at the sum of 1.317 billion dollars but couldn't honour the terms of the contract.

Pentascope, a Dutch firm, later took over NITEL in 2003 and the company generated N51.43 billion as revenue in one year from 555,055 connected lines. But after 23 months, the connected lines dropped to 440,000 and the firm incurred a debt of over N40 billion, which eventually led to the revocation of deal with Pentascope.

Orascom, an Egyptian telecoms giant, tried to buy the company in 2005 but failed because its 257 million dollars bid was below the reserved price.

The sale in 2006 of NITEL to Transnational Corporation,TRANSCORP,was successful but the excitement that greeted it was shortlived after the 500 million-dollar deal failed to turn around the fortunes of the company.

A Chinese consortium, Generation Telecommunications Consortium, later bidded for the company at the price of 2.5 billion dollars for 75 per cent stake but the deal was terminated due to failure of the consortium to pay the bid price.

Today, the government is still seeking bidders for NITEL after these failed attempts.

Saturday Vanguard investigations revealed that NITEL facilities nationwide have been vandalised while many others have been taken over by weeds. In almost all the major cities in Nigeria, NITEL offices have been shut down.

In 2008, the Senate Committee on Communications, under the Chairmanship of Senator Sylvester Anyanwu, 'probed' the alleged mismanagement of over N112 billion in the PENTASCOPE/NITEL deal. Although Senator Anyanwu assured then that the probe would reveal many fraudulent deals behind the BPE-led privatization of NITEL,nothing much came out of it.

Visits to major cities across Nigeria to see the condition of NITEL facilities elicited tales of woe.

In RiversState , NITEL facilities there are still being managed by TRANSCORP since the Federal Government has not appointed a competent investor.

In Bayelsa,the exchange in Yenagoa, with an installed capacity of 1,000 lines, was shut down in 2009.

In Benin, the exchange has been taken over by weeds and reptiles while the one in Akpakpava is being occupied by the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST).

In EnuguState, the exchange at Nsukka was reportedly abandoned since 2006 when government retrenched many of the workers.

In Awka, unserviceable NITEL vehicles littered the premises of the once busy complex and the company had reportedly engaged the services of a private firm to protect NITEL facilities in the state.

NITEL has about nine exchanges with installed capacity of 5,000 lines in Uyo and Calabar and both the Digital Telephone Exchange in Calabar, the Aba-Calabar Optical Fibre Transmission Link inaugurated by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar,have since been abandoned.

There are 19 NITEL exchanges in KanoState, two in the municipal, while the remaining 17 are in the local government areas of the state. Most of the facilities in the state have been vandalised. It is the same story in Yobe and many states across the country as most of the cables and poles in the exchanges have also been vandalised.

Nigeria: Impunity, Not Corruption Is Nation's Biggest Problem

Lagos — Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi says culture of impunity, much more than corruption, has hampered Nigeria's development and promoted poverty.

Sanusi, who spoke at the 5th Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos on Thursday, said the unpreparedness of the country to sanction corrupt persons had ensured the emasculation of the system.

Sanusi

He noted that corruption was a universal problem, but added that other countries were able to attain development because they had adequate punitive structures in place.

The theme of the colloquium, organised to mark the 61st birthday of Tinubu was "Beyond Mergers: A National Movement for Change".

According to him, corruption is a big issue in the country today as in other parts of the world like Russia, China and others; but why are they eradicating poverty and Nigeria isn't?

"It is not just corruption. It is the kind of failed interventions that are procured with the proceeds of corruption.

"Everyone agree that corruption is bad. It has economic cost. You take a bribe and pay subsidy to someone who hasn't delivered the required goods. That is corruption," he added.

Sanusi said that in Nigeria people collected money for contracts and they wouldn't fulfil their own parts and nothing was done about it.

"What is destroying this country is that people are corrupt and nothing is done about it," he said.

He said although the country had achieved certain macro-economic improvements, poverty was still high because certain fundamentals such as infrastructure were not still in place.

According to him as soon as those fundamentals are put in place Nigerians will begin to benefit from this macro-economic stability.

He urged the younger generation of Nigerians to begin to position themselves for leadership, saying the youths had a big role to play in the future development of the country.

Tinubu said the problem of pervasive insecurity in the country could be solved if the Federal Government offered the olive branch to extremists in form of amnesty.

He said since it was successfully used to douse tension in the Niger Delta, it could also solve the Boko Haram issue if well implemented.

Gov. Babatunde Fashola of LagosState also said it was time for the youths to begin to initiate and pursue efforts geared at repositioning the country.

Fashola said the destiny of Nigeria was in the hands of the youths, expressing the hope that sooner than later the youths would dominate the leadership of the country.

"Today, I see hope and the hope is perhaps born today. I believe that very soon youths will take over the mantle of leadership in the country," Fashola said.

Governors Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), were among notable Nigerians that attended the colloquium.

Other eminent personalities were Sen. Sani Yerima, Chief Tom Ikimi and ACN National leader, Chief Bisi Akande.

NAN

Nigeria's space race

By Tomi OladipoBBC, Lagos

Satellites are being tested for Nigeria's space programme

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Nigeria is running one of Africa's biggest space programmes. The hope is the satellite-based project will help manage agricultural production, but not everyone is convinced of the benefits.

In 2003 Nigeria announced its space programme and within a few years it had launched its first satellite, which quickly lost power and disappeared from orbit.

Now Nigeria has three satellites in orbit including NigComSat-1R, built in China. It was launched in 2011 and has boosted internet and telecommunications services across the country.

Next, the Nigerians turned to Britain's Surrey Satellite Technology, which has built two earth-observation satellites, including the top-of-the-range NigeriaSat-2, which at the time of its launch was producing the highest resolution images of any UK-built satellite.

The other part of the project involved a trained team of 26 Nigerian engineers putting together the second satellite, NigeriaSat-X.

Both satellites are now providing data to help government agencies with planning.

For example, the satellites are tracking crops and weather around the country in an effort to protect long-term food supply.

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“Start Quote

Eventually we were able to catch up ”

Elijah OyedejiSatellite programme worker

There is also closer monitoring of the oil-rich Niger Delta, where there has been massive crude oil theft and environmental damage from oil spills.

This vantage point could also be useful in the Nigerian government's fight against militants in the north.

"We've just collected images over Mali, which we've handed over to the armed forces because we believe they will be helpful to them in the peacekeeping mission over there," says Seidu Mohammed, director-general of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

Data deluge

All the satellite data is collated and analysed at the NASRDA headquarters in Abuja. The modest buildings show that Nigeria's space capabilities are still a long way away from those of some developed nations.

Elijah Oyedeji is part of the team that worked on NigeriaSatX and found the initial task of building a satellite programme from scratch quite daunting. "Eventually we were able to catch up," he says.

He is now based in the control room and hoping to inspire a new generation of Nigerian scientists.

But not all Nigerians are convinced by these space ambitions. "These projects are always impressive to the ear," says Akintunde Badiru, a Lagos-based banker, "that's why they are commissioned in the first place."

"Let's see whether they are still functioning after four or five years, then we will see if this is worth it," he says.

Although satellite capability should help with effective disaster management, the government was widely criticised last year for its slow response to nationwide floods.

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What If (special report)

So while up-to-date information might be readily available, some say it is no use if the relevant agencies do not have the capacity to deal with it.

But satellite imaging has already shown tangible benefits in some parts of the country.

In the capital, Lagos, and its surrounding area, satellite images are being used for urban planning and tax collection. The plan is to use this to help manage the rapidly growing population of Africa's second largest city.

Nigeria is still plagued by problems of corruption and poor governance, which threaten the success of the programme, and many believe government money would be better spent on bread-and-butter issues such as health and education. The next few years will show to what extent Nigeria's satellites can help with the country's development.

Subsidy scam: EFCC secures order to repatriate funds from UK

By SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

ABUJA— Shrewd Nigerian fuel importers who have hidden stolen money in British banks may soon lick their wounds, as the slush funds may be repatriated to Nigeria on the order of the courts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured a restraining order on the United Kingdom, UK, accounts of fraudsters of fuel subsidy regime and is merely formalizing ways to getting the funds forfeited to Nigeria.

Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde announced the development when the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, paid a visit to the Commission in Abuja.

Lamorde described the restraining order secured by the Commission in the UK as as a result of the “wonderful relationship” the Commission has enjoyed and still enjoying from the UK.

He told the British envoy, “we want to use this opportunity to thank your staff for the wonderful relationship we have enjoyed. Recently, we have had support in respect of the fuel subsidy investigation.

“The UK-sponsored Justice 4 All, J4ALL, paid for forensic accountant that assisted the Commission on the investigation that nailed those accused in the fuel subsidy fraud. The UK authorities helped to restrain some funds belonging to the fuel subsidy suspects in the UK.

“We are formalizing ways to get the funds forfeited and repatriated to Nigeria. We want the support to continue”, Lamorde declared.

Lamorde thanked the UK government for the wonderful support and cooperation that the country had extended to Nigeria since the inception of the commission and said that the EFCC would not disappoint in the fight against graft.

“From the inception of the EFCC, if there is any country that has supported EFCC, it’s the UK. The EFCC has benefited not only in terms of joint tactical and operational activities like collaboration with the Interpol, City of London police, Serious Organised Crime Agency, SOCA, but also in the area of capacity building.

Worried about corruption in Nigeria

Explaining Britain’s special interest in Nigeria, Dr. Pocock, who was accompanied on the visit by Hooman Nouruzi, Steve Foster and Catherine Weiss, said that his country sees a future in Nigeria.

According to Pocock, “this interest in Nigeria is not only because we are friends of Nigeria, partners of Nigeria but we see a future in this country that is extra ordinary; Nigeria is one of those countries with great potentials”.

He, however, described corruption in Nigeria as ‘something that has impacted negatively on the lives of Nigerians, the government and economy of the country on a daily basis.

According to the envoy, with over 30 years of military rule in Nigeria, public infrastructure, tendering, allocation and delivery system have been at its lowest ebb.

Corruption has trippled cost of infrastructure

He said that because of corruption in allocation and delivery process, cost of infrastructure in Nigeria has been three times higher than it ought to be. This he said was responsible for the poor service delivery to the Nigeria people.

“After 30 years, Nigeria has not been able to improve on the 5,000 megawatts generation of electricity supply. You can see the direct consequences of the impact of corruption in the Nigeria economy and the Nigeria state”.

Mr Pocock, however, said that if Nigeria got it right in the power sector privatization programme, “the country is going to be on the verge of an industrial revolution because it is going to boost its productivity and GDP to at least 40 percent”.

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N15bn pension fund: Presidency yet to order retrieval of money

By SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH

ABUJA—Indications emerged yesterday that barely a week to the end of the first quarter of the year, the Presidency is yet to order the retrieval of unspent pension fund amounting to N15.3 billion from eight banks in the country in line with its extant financial rule.

The Federal Government’s hold-up is in spite of a recommendation by the deposed chairman of the Pension Refund Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who incidentally, had earlier pleaded with the Presidency to delay the mop up by a month to enable him pay some paramilitary officers, who were short changed in the payment of their entitlements.

Findings by Vanguard revealed, however, that the delay notwithstanding, the Ministry of Interior, which supervises CIPPO, has not tampered with the amount in the affected banks, as alleged by some interested parties last week.

It will be recalled that some interest groups within the government, which were opposed to the excess amount being taken over by the Interior Ministry, had blown the whistle on the fund and alleged that the ministry was putting pressure on the banks to grant them access to the funds.

Vanguard has reported exclusively that one of the bank managers had raised the alarm that there were pressures on his bank to release the money to the ministry, a development the Interior Minister, Abba Moro, denied.

The minister, who spoke through his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Ubong Udoh, said at no time did the ministry made any effort to access the money in the eight banks.

Moro explained that none of the officials ever approached any of the bank holding the money to release same to the ministry, knowing that since the year had ended the money had to be returned to the government treasury.

“The Ministry of Interior had not at any time or place, approached directly or through a proxy any bank manager to discuss the issue of releasing the unspent fund to anyone.

“The Minister is a law-abiding official of the present administration, which believes in transparency and accountability and will therefore not encourage what is latently at odds with the tenets of the government,” the spokesman said.

We only changed signature —Interior Ministry

Vanguard learnt that what was used as a weapon of attack against the minister and his ministry, was that the permanent secretary, Anastesia Nwabia, who is the accounting officer, merely wrote to the banks to replace Maina’s signature with that of the new CIPPO Director, Olabisi Jaji, who was recently posted from the Ministry of Environment to take over Maina’s duties at CIPPO.

A breakdown of the unspent funds still pending in the eight banks shows that Fidelity Bank has the highest amount with N3.8 billion, followed by Skye Bank with N3.1 billion and Unity Bank with N2.8 billion. Ecobank takes the fourth position with N2.6 billion followed by Zenith Bank with N2.4 billion. Three banks: Access, Diamond and Fin Bank-hold N300 million, N260 million and N90 million respectively.

Maina letter to Presidency

The deposed PRRT chairman had on March 11, dispatched a two-page letter to the Presidency asking for immediate steps to mop up the money because of fear it could be tampered with.

*Abdulrasheed Maina,

In the letter marked PRRT/CHK.ADM/1/16, which Vanguard cited last night, Maina pleaded with the Presidency to direct the Finance Minister to carry out the mopping of the excess funds and return same to the CBN.

Maina said, “before the end of December 2012, CIPPO had liabilities arising from short payment of pensioners’ benefits from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to Customs, Immigration and Prison pensioners.

“These are liabilities involving short payment of severance allowance during the last downsizing exercise between 2005 and 2007. As a result, their pensions were shortchanged. 80 percent of these liability have now been settled. We are in a new budget year and there is enough fund in the budget to pay for the arrears.

Now that funds are released through GIFMIS, the remaining liabilities will be settled and request for more funds may be forwarded, if need be, to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy for consideration.

“When the excess money was to be mopped up from banks and return same to the treasury, that was when my issue with the Senate came up and the purpose could not be achieved.

“In view of this development, I wish to request that the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy be directed to mop up these funds under Customs, Immigration and Prison Pension Office, CIPPO in some commercial banks”.

The letter was promptly copied to the Minister of Finance, the Director of Budget and the Chairman of the ICPC.

But as at yesterday, there was no indication the government was in a hurry to act on the letter. The amount, it was gathered, was also not captured in the 2013 budget, having been deemed to have been returned to the treasury in 2012.

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PRESIDENCY TO NORTHERN ELDERS: Tell Boko Haram to accept dialogue

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE
ABUJA—THE Presidency, yesterday, urged Northern leaders to prevail on the Boko Haram Sect to embrace dialogue.

A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said:  “There is no need for over-politicization of the demand for Amnesty, or to blackmail the President for taking strong, patriotic views that are contrary to those of some of our respected elders.

Such, sometimes is the nature of statecraft and in many parts of the civilized world, situations like this are handled with equanimity and further deepening of consultation, certainly not acrimonious misunderstanding or open hatred.

President Goodluck Jonathan

“The true expectation is that our respected leaders will go back to the drawing board and increase internal consultation and networking with the aim of reaching out to the leadership of the insurgents and convincing them to do the needful and step out to be counted.”

Niger Delta leaders helped Yar’Adua’s Amnesty programme

The president’s aide recalled that prominent leaders of the Niger Delta such as former Information Minister, Edwin Clark; former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; former Minister for Culture, Alabo Graham Douglas and a few others co-operated fully with the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua by visiting militant camps and persuading them to lay down their arms and allow government address their grievances in a civilized manner.

“This was the way and manner a successful amnesty programme was hatched and effected. Many local leaders and stakeholders bought into the government’s amnesty programme. It was carefully planned, properly structured and effectively implemented with co-operation and willing support of elders, stakeholders and well known and nationally acknowledged open leadership of the militants.

These include: Asari Dokubo, Boyloaf, Tompolo, Atake Tom, Tamuno George, and Soboma George to mention a few. They were clearly identified and they negotiated openly and transparently with the government.”

He continued: “It is for these reasons that there is need for a great restraint when we advocate for Amnesty for those amongst us, who have actually, through criminality engaged in wanton destruction of innocent lives, public and private property; especially when their activities are based on ethnic and religious ideologies that actually strike at the foundation of our mutual co-existence. We also need to be mindful that we have other ethnic militias in the country who have remained essentially peaceful, and who may by these calls for amnesty be encouraged to now pursue violence.

”Grandstanding, undue politicization, blackmail and insincerity will not help us as a nation. We are a nation of strong-willed, socio-culturally well-differentiated societies, with long standing historical ties, and we are one people with a clear destiny to lead Africa and the world. We must at times like this show exemplary mutual respect, affinity and cohesion strong enough to lift us together as one strong and united people, out of this quagmire and National misadventure.”

The Road to dialogue

The issue of dialoguing with the sect and granting the members amnesty have been on and off.

At a time, the sect declared its readiness to dialogue with the government provided the parley was held in Saudi Arabia. It named prominent Nigerians such as former Head of State, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to represent it in the talks. Buhari later distanced himself from the dialogue.

Recently, a faction of the group declared cease-fire in Maiduguri, BornoState after series of parley with the state government. The move was recanted by another faction and the violence has continued.

Thereafter, there were calls for the government to grant the sect amnesty as was done in the Niger Delta to militants. During a visit to Yobe and Borno states recently, President Jonathan punctured calls for amnesty for the group saying he could not grant amnesty to ghosts. The president’s stance was flayed in some quarters and recent waves of sustained Boko Haram attacks have been attributed to it.

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