Gov Amaechi spits fire!

Rather than abate, the seeming face-off between the Presidency and Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi may have worsened going by the frustrations being expressed by the latter.
Governor Amaechi spoke his mind in Port Harcourt Tuesday night when he hosted virologist-turned social critic, Prof. Tam David-West, who paid a solidarity visit to the embattled chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). The Professor had earlier sympathised with the governor over his current travails.
The governor said as a result of compromised security, crimes such as kidnapping and armed robery had returned to the state. He accused Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu of not assisting him to secure the state.
Thanking Prof. David-West and his delegation for the solidarity visit, he expressed his desire for sustained peace and progress but expressed reservation on the commitment of Commisioner Mbu, to security in the state.
Amaechi said, “Prof., let me thank you for this solidarity visit. This visit is very important to me because everyone knows that nobody can bring you to this Government House no matter the amount of money, not even if you bring out the entire Rivers State Government budget, Prof. would not come. So, it is important that you have added this your great voice to the numerous Rivers people and Nigerians who are supporting us for standing firm for democracy and for standing firm for the truth.

Reps want absolute powers for NASS to impeach president.

A bill to simplify the process of impeachment of a president and his vice scaled the second reading in the House of Representatives yesterday. National Mirror had three weeks ago exclusively reported that the members would pass the bill for second reading before they adjourned for a long recess.
The piece of legislation, which seeks to remove ambiguities in conditions precedent for the removal of a President and vicepresident was sponsored by Hon. Yakubu Dogara (PDPBauchi), Hon. Emmanuel Jime (PDP-Benue) and others.
The proposed law titled: “An Act to Alter the Provisions of Section 143 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Remove Ambiguities in the Process of Removal of the President from Office on Allegations of Gross Misconduct and to Provide for a more Transparent and Democratic Procedure for Impeachment and other Matters Connected” was passed for second reading after a heated debate.
The bill seeks to copy the American model of impeaching a president by making the process less cumbersome. The lawmakers are seeking powers to initiate the process and investigate it rather than leave it to the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Though it was heavily attacked, the bill scaled second reading when it was put to vote. The key sponsor of the bill, Dogara, who led the debate, said: “The essence of the bill is meant to hold the executive accountable so that checks can be created, and it is not meant to target this term, but rather, make the process less ambiguous on grounds of misconduct. Let’s all look at this and do it in the interest of Nigerians.”
The Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN-Lagos), however, led the opponents to the bill. He argued that the bill, if passed into law, might be subjected to other ambiguities, stressing that gross misconduct could be subjected to redefinition.
Gbajabiamila urged the House to exercise maturity in considering the bill as it might send wrong signals to the public. “I will very quickly go on to shoot the bill down,” Gbajabiamila said, adding that “the timing of the bill is wrong and people will read meanings into to it, we must be mature about it.”

According to him, “The United States of America’s House of Representatives was caught up in something similar when the impeachment of President Clinton was going as regards to his affairs with an intern.”
The bill was gazetted by the House on May 5, also seeks to make the lower chamber the impeaching House, while the Senate would, after the president or his vice’s impeachment, set up a quasi-judicial panel presided over by the CJN with lawmakers as prosecutors before a final verdict either nails or exonerates the president or a Deputy.
The bill states in part: “The President or Vice- President shall be removed from office on allegations gross misconduct in accordance with the provisions of this section”.
The bill seeks to amend sub-section 2 of 143 to read that: “Whenever the Committee of the House of Representatives in charge of Judiciary decides on whether or not to proceed with impeachment proceedings against the holder of the office of the President or Vice-President on allegations of gross misconduct”.
According to the bill: “The Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary of the House of Representatives shall propose a motion to begin an inquiry into such allegation of gross misconduct, and if the motion is passed by a simple majority of the House, the committee shall be mandated to carry out an inquiry into the allegations.
“The Committee on Judiciary upon conclusion of such an inquiry shall present its findings to the Whole House stating that impeachment is warranted as encompassed in Articles of Impeachment, or that impeachment is not called for.”

Jonathan bans Boko Haram, Ansaru !

DETERMINED to wage war against terrorism headlong, the Federal Government, yesterday proscribed two terrorist groups unleashing mayhem on the polity, describing their activities as illegal and acts of terrorism.
The outlawed groups are the Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram and the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan also known as Ansaru.
In proscribing the sects, President Goodluck Jonathan authorized the gazetting of “an order declaring their activities illegal and acts of terrorism.”
This was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.
The statement was entitled, “President Jonathan approves order proscribing Boko Haram and ANSARU; members, supporters, collaborators now face prosecution under terrorism prevention Act.”
Abati said that the order which had already been gazetted as the Terrorism (Prevention, Proscription Order) Notice 2013 was approved by President Jonathan pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (as amended).
According to him, the notice, “officially brings the activities of both groups within the purview of the Terrorism Prevention Act and any persons associated with the two groups can now be legally prosecuted and sentenced to penalties specified in the Act.
“The proscription order warns the general public that any person participating in any form of activities involving or concerning the collective intentions of the said groups will be violating the provisions of the Terrorism Prevention Act.
“Section 5 (1) of the act prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group.
“For the purposes of subsection (1) of the section, “support” include:
(a) incitement to commit a terrorist act through the internet, or any electronic means or through the use of printed materials or through the dissemination of terrorist information;
(b) receipt or provision of material assistance, weapons including biological, chemical or nuclear weapons, explosives, training, transportation, false documentation or identification to terrorists or terrorist groups;
(c) receipt or provision of information or moral assistance, including invitation to adhere to a terrorist or terrorist group;
(d) entering or remaining in a country for the benefit of, or at the direction of or in association with a terrorist group; or
(e) the provision of, or making available, such financial or other related services prohibited under this Act or as may be prescribed by regulations made pursuant to this Act.”
The order, yesterday, elicited mixed reactions in the polity with the Senate backing the decision but lamented that it was coming late.

Jonathan’s Pardon Gambit

The Council of State, based on a request by President Goodluck Jonathan, last week granted pardon to former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha and some other persons who had been convicted for various offences. However, of all the beneficiaries of the state pardon, that of Alamieyeseigha attracted public opprobrium for the president. THISDAY’s Political Desk discusses why the former governor’s pardon stirred so many emotions among people and how it would affect public perception of the Jonathan administration

Unlike most former United States presidents who granted pardons throughout their terms, Mr. Bill Clinton, was strategic in terms of timing. As a tactician, he understood when to move forward or retreat. Clinton, on January 20, 2001- his last day in office- granted pardon to no fewer than 140 persons with varying offences.
But of all the pardons granted by Clinton, the one extended to Marc Rich, a fugitive who had fled the US  to Switzerland  during his prosecution attracted criticism from the American public. Rich owed $48 million in taxes and was charged with 51 counts that majorly bordered on tax fraud. He was required to pay a $100 million fine and waive any use of the pardon as a defence against any future civil charges that were filed against him in the same case.
Critics had alleged that Rich was a beneficiary of the presidential prerogative of mercy because his former wife, Denise,   made substantial donations to both the Clinton library and to Mrs. Hilary Clinton's Senate campaign. According to Paul Volcker's independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Rich was an intermediary for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels of oil.

Obama: Spending cuts not an ‘apocalypse,’ GOP should compromise

President Barack Obama speaks about the sequester after a meeting with congressional leaders. (Kevin Lamarque/ …

Declaring, “I am not a dictator,” President Barack Obama urged Americans on Friday to help him pressure Republicans to help halt painful automatic government spending cuts. Obama acknowledged that the $85 billion "sequestration" would not be the end of the world, but warned that it would slow the tepid recovery and cost jobs.

"This is not going to be an apocalypse, I think, as people have said," the president underlined. "It's just dumb. And it's going to hurt. It's going to hurt individual people, and it's going to hurt the economy overall."

Austrian cardinal: a conservative open to reform

Associated Press/Robert Jaeger, Pool, File - FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2007 file photo Pope Benedict XVI, right, and Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn arrive at the archbishop's palace in downtown Vienna, Austria. Multilingual and respected by Jews, Muslims and Orthodox Christian, Benedict XVI's friend and former pupil was one of the cardinal electors in the 2005 papal conclave that chose the German as head of the Catholic church. A scholar who is at home in the pulpit, Schoenborn also is well connected in the Vatican _ and appears willing to make it his home, if reluctantly. Asked if he would like to succeed Benedict on news of the pontiff's plan to step down, he said: “my heart is in Vienna, my heart is in Austria _ but naturally with the whole Church as well.” (AP Photo/Robert Jaeger, Pool, File) 

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn is a soft-spoken conservative who is ready to listen to those espousing reform. That profile that could appeal to fellow cardinals looking to elect a pontiff with widest-possible appeal to the world's 1 billion Catholics.
His nationality may be his biggest disadvantage: Electors may be reluctant to choose another German speaker as a successor toBenedict XVI.
A man of low tolerance for the child abuse scandals roiling the church, Schoenborn himself was elevated to the its upper echelons of the Catholic hierarchy after his predecessor resigned 18 years ago over accusations that he was a pedophile.

From UNILAG to MAU and back to UNILAG

Nigeria’s President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is known to have dropped his desire to change the name of the University of Lagos to something else. This became known when the newly installed Chancellor of the University, Prof Jerry Gana, a veteran of All Governments in Power in Nigeria, hailed the President for changing his mind.