Letter of Appreciation

Your Grace;   I am sending this letter of thanks and the article I wrote for The Wanderer on our recent pro-life mission trip to Nigeria.  It is also coming to you by mail, but I am sending it this way just in case the mailed letter gets lost or long delayed. – Brian Clowes   Most Rev. Anthony J.V. Obinna Archbishop of Owerri Villa Assumpta Post Office Box 85 Owerri, Imo State Nigeria June 18, 2013   Your Grace;   I have returned safely to my family and friends and have recovered from jet lag.  Now all I have to do is catch up with all of my assignments! Of all of the many…

Talks between U.S., Taliban on Afghan war expected soon

Peace talks between the United States and the Taliban over the war in Afghanistan will probably be held “in the next few days,” a senior U.S. administration official told CNN on Wednesday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer up a time line for the discussions. But a prisoner exchange is one of the issues the United States intends to discuss with the Taliban. Senior U.S. officials say they want the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier captured by militants in 2009. “We have every reason to believe” Bowe Bergdahl is alive, a Pentagon official told CNN. News that the meeting was moving forward followed a tumultuous day that saw…

Imo Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) must be autonomous

The Imo State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) should be made autonomous if the much needed increase in Internally Generated revenue (IGR) for Imo State is to be realized. It must be realized that the establishment of Task Forces on revenue Generation is usually not the solution to the dwindling Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) situation in any State.  Rather, the only way out is to make the BIR autonomous and free from the day to day Government control, supervision and monitoring.  By this process, BIR should be allowed to utilize about 5% of whatever IGR they generate for personnel and overhead costs including maintenance of office equipments while the balance of 95% is paid into…

Bombs still litter Igboland …43 Years After Civil War

It has been revealed that no fewer than  50,000 latent bombs and landmines could be found in the South East and South-South Nigeria.  They are remnants of explosives deployed during the Biafra/Nigeria war. which lasted from July 1967-January 1970. The disclosure came from the Media Director and Field Administrator of the Nigerian Mines Action Centre Owerri, Dr. Emeka Uhegbu, who spoke with The Leader recently. However he did not explain how they came about the number. The spokesman of the centre explained that more than four decades after the war ended, the region that was the theatre of war then, have remained unsafe as unexploded bombs, landmines and other forms of explosives have continued to…

Terrorism: US paid N19.7b reward to 80 informants in 29 years

Hope appears to haves risen for those who can locate Boko Haram leaders as the United States (US) confirmed the payment of N19.7billion ($125million) reward to 80 informants in 29 years. The payment was made through The Rewards for Justice programme, which is being managed by the U.S. Department f State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Some of the beneficiary informants included those who provided clues for the arrest of Uday Hussein, the eldest son of the former President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. Besides the payment, some of the informants were also relocated to undisclosed safe haven to prevent being hurt by terrorist groups. The US statement followed recent $25 million bounty placed on key leaders…

Reckless comment: Arrest Buhari now - CAN demands

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, has called on security agencies to arrest a former Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change in the 2011 general elections, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) saying he constitutes a security risk. The call, he said, followed comments by Buhari condemning the military operations in the three northern states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, where a state of emergency has been declared by the Federal Government. The association, according to a statement by the Special Assistant to the CAN President on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Kenny Ashaka, on Tuesday, also described as unfortunate Buhari’s decision to throw his weight “behind…

NIGERIAN GOVERNORS FORUM: WHICH WAY NOW?

When the Chief Executives of the 36 states of the federation formed the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) soon after the return to civil rule in 1999, Nigerians welcomed the idea as a laudable development capable of strengthening the then fledging nascent democracy. The Forum, as a coalition of the elected governors is a non-partisan association which seeks to promote unity in governance and better understanding among states to ensure a healthy and beneficial relationship between the states and other tiers of government.  It is on record that the Forum has played useful role at certain critical moments of crisis in the country by trying to wedge the country from drifting down the precipice. The Forum…

Communiqué To Rescue Nigeria From Collapse – CBCN

Statement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, issued at the end of the Retreat to mark the Year of Faith(May 11-17, 2013, at the Daughters of Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre, Abuja. We, Catholic Bishops of Nigeria have spent this last week in prayer to mark the Year of Faith. During this period, we have reflected and prayed for the Church in Nigeria and our dear country. We are confident that prayer remains an indispensable means for restoring our country to normalcy. For the last two years, we have witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and criminality across the country. We must admit that apart from the tragic civil war, our nation has…

War against Boko Haram begins – We’ll crush them – Defence Headquarters

With a massive deployment of troops and equipment, the army, navy, air force and other security agencies have begun operation to “rid the nation’s border territories of terrorists’ bases and operations. President Jonathan had in a nationwide broadcast admitted that the Federal Government no longer controlled the entire territory of Nigeria. Three states where the emergency action was declared share common borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.  These border communities have become bases for training, insurgency and other criminal activities against Nigeria. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) gave indication that the time was up for the Boko Haram sect and other terrorists groups in the country as it announced the deployment of massive troops to take…

CAN backs emergency rule

  President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states has received the blessing of the Christian Association of ngieria (CAN), the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) . But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu rejected the decision. CAN President Ayo Oritsejafor said the decision vindicated its position that only force could end the insurgency. The Christian body called for the immediate scrapping of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue. Pastor Oritsejafor, in a statement in Abuja said: “With the declaration of a state of emergency in the three states, the amnesty committee is no longer relevant…

Jonathan imposes emergency rule on Adamawa, Borno, Yobe

President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.  However, the governors of the affected states are to continue in their constitutional roles.  In a nationwide radio/television broadcast on Tuesday, President Jonathan ordered the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, to deploy more troops to the affected states for more effective internal security operations. The soldiers had been given full orders to take necessary action, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to end the impunity of insurgents and terrorists. Full texts of the President’s broadcast on Tuesday, May 14, 2013 reads. It has become necessary for me to address you on the recent spate…