To you, Biafra romantic By OLAKUNLE ABIMBOLA

From the communiqué’s chilly symbolism, of date and place of issue, it was clear: history was about repeating itself, but this time as grand farce.

On 15 January 1970, the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) formally ended, though actual fighting did on January 13.  In Port Harcourt, to this day, the vexed issue of Civil War Igbo “abandoned property” remains a sore point.  Yet, from the same Port Harcourt came, on 15 January 2012, the communiqué.

A nationwide Occupy Nigeria protest, over oil subsidy removal, had paralysed the country.   But from Annkio Briggs, a Niger Delta environmental activist who signed in as president, Agape Birthrights and convener, Niger Delta Occupy Niger Delta Resources (NDONDR), came the ringing declaration.

Diezani Alison-Madueke’s plea for mercy By Rotimi Fasan

By Rotimi Fasan
Finally, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s Petroleum Resources minister until six months ago, seeks to be understood by Nigerians. The former highflying minister, one of the most influential in the Goodluck Jonathan administration, seems to be begging Nigerians for forgiveness, or at least for some slack in their criticism (or is it hatred of her guts?). Of course, Madueke did not actually ask Nigerians to forgive her. Those are not her exact words, but the intention is quite clear in the series of conversations she has had in the last couple of weeks with celebrity journalist, Dele Momodu. She seems to have come to a belated realisation of thatAchebean warning to all misguided leaders that nobody wins a war against their own people.

Nigerians have in the last several months been treated to salacious tales of the former minister’s attempt to escape the law, even when there was no pending indictment against her or before her actual arrest in the United Kingdom. But the story out there was that she had been faking ill-health, specifically a life-threatening battle with cancer of the breast. This was after all attempts by her, the rumour mill had it, to have an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari were allegedly rebuffed by the then president-elect. Jonathan was hardly out of office before Madueke bade the government goodbye, leaving for the United Kingdom. She was suddenly away from the public gaze. For a woman who appeared to relish the

Senate Probes: Between Duty and Hysteria by Eniola Bello

ENI-B, Email: eniola.bello@thisdaylive.com. twitter @eniolaseni. Tel: 08055001956

Since Nigeria embarked on the present democratic experiment in 1999, the National Assembly has always been quick to resort to probes of government ministries, departments and agencies at the drop of a hat. Indeed, in the exercise of its oversight functions, the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to direct any of its standing committees to probe any institution or activity of government. The problem, however, is that more often than not, it is

President Buhari’s Speech at The Inauguration Ceremony of Ministers

President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-In-Chief Federal Republic of Nigeria

Your Excellency, The Vice President;
Professor Yemi Osinbajo;
The Senate President, and the Hon. Speaker, House of Representatives;
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Rt. Hon. Justice Mahmoud Mohammed;
The National Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Chief John Oyegun;
National Leader of APC, Chief Bisi Akande;

Message to Obasanjo by Gbogun gboro

I make it a point of duty to be respectful of President Olusegun Obasanjo, whether I happen to mention his name in public or in private. I am sure that is part of my respect for my country. For me, it is not a small thing that a person has once been head of the country of my birth.

Jonathan’s fair-weather friends (I) by Mohammed Harunna

•Dr. Jonathan

DR Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has been expressing great anger at Chief Edwin Clark, his principal’s self-appointed godfather, over the godfather’s apparent denunciation of his godson recently. In a well publicised article last week, Abati said he couldn’t believe it when he first read remarks by Clark that Jonathan was a good man except that he seemed incapable of fighting corruption.
“I have,” he said in the opening sentence of his article, “tried delaying the writing of this piece in the honest expectation that someone probably misquoted Chief E.K. Clark, when he reportedly publicly disowned former President Goodluck Jonathan. I had hoped that our dear father, E.K. Clark, would issue a counter statement and say the usual things politicians say: “they quoted me out of context!” “Jonathan is my son”.

Here are the names of senate committee chairman and vice chairman as constituted by Saraki

SPECIAL COMMITTEES

·        COMMITTEE ON SELECTION

S/N

Committee

CHAIR

VICE

1.	Committee on Rules & Business	Babajide Omoworare	Ali Ndume
2.	Senate Services Committee	Ibrahim Gobir	Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi
3.	Committee on Ethics & Privileges	Samuel Anyanwu	Bala Ibn Na’allah
4.	Committee on Public Accounts	Andy Uba	Gbolahan Dada
5.	Committee on National Security & Intelligence	Shaaba Lafiagi	David Jonah Jang