JONATHAN VOWS TO TRIUMPH OVER CRITICS & GOLIATHS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has vowed to triumph over supposed enemies of his administration especially politicians in the oppositions who see nothing good in his performance since assumption of office.

He was at speaking at a special Sunday church service to commemorate Nigeria’s 51st Independence Anniversary at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

The President justified his administration’s approach to the many social, political and economic challenges facing the country and told his critics and some politicians he described as Goliaths, who he accused of doing everything possible to make his presidency fail, that they would be defeated by God that installed him President.

Jonathan said though he possessed not the traits of a ruthless dictator like King Nebuchadnezzar, a Lion, a Tiger or an Army General commanding troops as some Nigerians had wished, he knew that God that installed him President, through prayers would use him to change Nigeria better than he met her.

He told the congregation,:“I thank you for your prayers. It is because of it we are even seeing what we are seeing today. You have been praying for us and my request is for you to continue to pray for the government and together we will conquer the Goliath of our time.

“You have been praying for us, but others will not even want us to move an inch, especially those of us who are politicians. But, one prayer I will continue to request because if you listen to Nigerians or read their statements, some Nigerians still want the President of this country to be a lion or a tiger, somebody that has that kind of strength, force and agility to make things happen the way they think.

“Some others will want the President to operate like an Army General, like my Chief of Army Staff commanding his troops. Incidentally, I am not a lion and I am also not a General. Somebody will want the President to operate like the kings of Syria, Babylon, Egypt and Pharaoh, all powerful people that you read about in the Bible. They want the President to operate that way, the characters of the Goliath. Unfortunately, I am not one of those.”

“But God knows why I am here, even though I don’t have any of those attributes, or these characters I have used as an example. But through your prayers, God placed me here. The only thing I ask you to do for me, and that is the prayer I pray every time is for God to use me to change this country”.

“I don’t need to be a lion. I don’t need to be Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t need to operate like the Pharaoh of Egypt but I can change this country without those traits.

“You know these days for you to be an intellectual and for people to listen to you, you have to abuse government. Somebody was asking, is Nigeria on autopilot? Meaning a plane without a pilot and I say Nigeria is being piloted by God himself. It is not going to be easy, but with God using you and us, we will get to where we want to go.

“I just got back from the United States; the President of America is like the President of the world because it is the most powerful country. In most cases, if you go for UN General Assembly; if you are to speak immediately after the US President, then you are in trouble. Immediately he speaks, about two thirds of the hall will leave because everybody wants to listen to the President of America.

“When Obama spoke during the Security Council meeting outside the General Assembly, he commended Nigeria, but back home, we are being abused. When the President of South Africa and Gabon spoke, they commended Nigeria, but here, we are not being appreciated. But what I can assure you is that Nigeria is on course and with your prayers and the guidance of God, we will surely get to the destination we are going.

“It is not going to be easy because just like Rev. Yusuf Turaki said, there are Goliaths everywhere, very terrible Goliaths; the ones that can even kill their father and mother and even their children in order to stop government are willing to do it. So, we have these terrible Goliaths that are trying to frustrate us; but surely with God, we will conquer them.

“I remember one of the sermons Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor gave here; he said every Goliath has an exposed forehead. All the Goliaths that are stumbling blocks to the development and growth of this country, God will expose their heads for the stone of David.

“Brothers and sisters, we are celebrating Nigeria at 51 after Independence, but as a nation we are 97 years old because Nigeria was amalgamated in 1914. In 2014, we will celebrate the centenary, our 100 years of existence; we will do a big ceremony. Today, we are celebrating 51 years of independence.”

Setback for Sarkozy as French left captures Senate

France's left-wing opposition has won a majority in the Senate for the first time in recent French history in a major blow to conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy seven months before the country's presidential election.

France's left-wing opposition won an historic victory in senatorial elections Sunday, in a blow to centre-right leader President Nicolas Sarkozy seven months before he is to seek re-election.
The Socialist Party said that, with its Communist and Green allies, it had won enough seats to give the left control of the upper house for the first time in French history, a stepping stone towards a presidential win.
"Nicolas Sarkozy will go down in history as the president that lost the right its majority in the Senate," declared Francois Hollande, favourite to win the Socialist Party's nomination to run against Sarkozy next year.
"In a way it's like a premonition of what will happen in 2012," he said.
Sarkozy's prime minister, Francois Fillon, admitted the right had suffered from its divisions and that the left had made a "strong breakthrough".
"The moment of truth will come next spring. The battle begins tonight," Fillon said in a statement, calling on the right to unite behind Sarkozy's government in time to turn the tide before the late April vote.
Right-wing parties have controlled the Senate since the Fifth Republic was founded in 1958, and Sunday's flip to the left could break the already weak momentum of Sarkozy's unannounced re-election drive.
Before the vote, outgoing speaker Gerard Larcher had admitted to AFP that if he was defeated by the left it would be a political "earthquake" and "the preparations for the presidential election would be singularly changed."
The historic Senate victory also opens the door to a possible Socialist hat-trick, given that opinion polls suggest the left will win next year's presidential and parliamentary elections.
"For the first time, the National Assembly, the Senate and the president could be from the left, which would give them serious weight if they decided to modify the constitution," said political scientist Bruno Jeanbert.
The Senate is not chosen by universal suffrage but by a "super-electorate" of elected officials -- around 72,000 mayors, local and regional councillors, voting for figures on the basis of regional lists.
Around half the seats in the 348-strong house were up for grabs in the poll, and the left needed to add only 22 more seats to win a majority.
With many centrists, independents and non-party figures in the upper house, it might be a few days before the exact division of forces becomes clear.
The outgoing speaker, UMP stalwart Gerard Larcher, said before the vote that he was confident of maintaining at least a six- to 12-seat margin to win re-election to his post on October 1 when the new chamber meets.
Bel now expects to garner enough votes to unseat him, with the Socialists and their allies believing that they have a narrow majority.
Larcher did not initially admit defeat, howvever, with results still coming in, and insisted he would remain his party's candidate for speaker, hoping to cobble together enough centrist votes to squeak through.
But the mood in Sarkozy's camp was decidedly more sombre.
Budget Minister Valerie Pecresse said she regretted the result and said she was "sad" for Larcher and his team.
Claude Goasguen, a UMP lawmaker from Paris, admitted his party had had a bad day in the capital. "We have to take on board the consequences quickly," he said, calling for a root-and-branch renewal of the Paris party.
And the mood in the country appeared to have already had direct political consequences, with Pecresse confirming the threshold for top rate income tax might be brought lower.
The Senate vote has no direct bearing on next April's presidential poll, which will be open to all French voters and conducted over two rounds, the second a head-to-head run-off between the best placed candidates.
But defeat is an ill omen for Sarkozy, whose party is already nervous about his low poll ratings and the ongoing economic and financial crisis.
Sarkozy has attempted to play on his foreign policy credentials as the current leader of the G8 and G20 great power blocs and the main foreign champion of the Libyan revolution that toppled Moamer Kadhafi.
But whatever glory he may have picked up on the international stage has been drowned out at home by the implication of his closest allies in a series of high-level corruption and party-funding scandals.
Meanwhile, unemployment remains high and France's financial sector has found itself under attack on the markets, where traders fear its banks are overexposed to risky Greek and Italian debts.

Libyan fighters, NATO strike Gaddafi hometown of Sirt

Fighters for Libya's interim rulers entered Moamer Kadhafi's hometown Sirte on Saturday in a surprise assault that NATO said it backed to halt brutal acts by followers of the ousted regime.

National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said an interim government would be announced next week and that the new authorities had control over Kadhafi's internationally "banned weapons".

Misrata military council spokesman Abdel Ibrahim said seven NTC fighters were killed and 145 injured in what appeared to have been a pincer movement launched from the south and east.

Using tanks and pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, the NTC forces cleared away roadblocks set up by Kadhafi forces and drove toward the city centre before putting up their own defences in advanced positions.

On a beach road surrounded by craters and pock-marked buildings, a 106mm anti-tank cannon repeatedly pounded Kadhafi positions, backed by a barrage of mortars and multiple rocket-launchers.

"We are pushing them back" after a "surprise" order to attack issued by the NTC's military top brass, commander Mohammed al-Aswawi said in a radio truck monitoring units on the front.

"First we get the families out, and then the order is to attack and free Sirte," he told AFP.

"There is also an advance from the south," he added, as the Misrata Military Council said that front was being reinforced by NTC fighters who had taken part in "the liberation of Al-Jafra."

Frontline fighters in Sirte are convinced that one of Kadhafi's sons, Mutassim, is holed up in the city's southern outskirts.

"Mutassim is in there. We hear him on the radio giving orders," NTC operations commander Osama Muttawa Swehly told AFP on Saturday.

As the battle raged into the evening, another commander, Hassan Tarhar Zaluk, said NTC forces would have to resume the fight for Sirte on Sunday.

"We're going to stop for the evening. There's no light in there. We'll start again tomorrow," he said.

NTC fighters also came under heavy fire as they advanced inside Sirte's eastern gates, another AFP correspondent reported.

"Our troops went seven kilometres inside through the eastern gate and there were sporadic to sometimes heavy clashes with Kadhafi's forces," said commander Mohammed al-Marimi of the Fakriddin Sallabi Brigade.

The assault was launched after reports of a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the city of around 75,000 inhabitants.

NATO forces struck at Kadhafi forces after reports they had moved against civilians there, endangering "hundreds of families", a statement from the alliance said.

"Among the reports emerging from Sirte are executions, hostage-taking, and the calculated targeting of individuals, families, and communities within the city," it added.

Heavy fighting also raged in Bani Walid, the only other remaining pro-Kadhafi bastion. Medics reported a total of 30 NTC troops killed so far on that front.

A pro-Kadhafi radio station called for a gathering at one of Bani Walid's squares, after a similar call from Kadhafi's most prominent son, Seif al-Islam, for people to rise up for the town's "liberation".

On the political front, the NTC held talks on forming a new government amid doubts over whether disagreements that prevented a deal last week could be immediately overcome.

"Differences in views" between members of the NTC and the executive council had delayed a deal, Abdel Jalil told reporters, but the composition of the interim government would be announced in the coming week.

That had been due to be set up last Sunday, but was postponed indefinitely because of haggling over portfolios.

Abdel Jalil said the new authorities had control over internationally "banned weapons" from Kadhafi's regime, when asked about the presence of such weapons in the south.

The International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday confirmed the existence of raw uranium stored in drums at the southern city of Sabha.

"These weapons are between Waddan and Sabha," said Abdel Jalil, referring to the other central town.

"We will call for Libyan technicians and the international community to get rid of these weapons safely," he said.

While Libya's new authorities do not know where Kadhafi is, they are focusing on taking Sirte and Bani Walid, two places where some think he might be. Reports have also emerged that he may be in the south.

"General Belgasem al-Abaaj, who we captured on Monday, said that Kadhafi had contacted him by phone about 10 days ago, and that he was moving secretly between (the oases of) Sabha and Ghat," an NTC commander, Mohammed Barka Wardugu, told AFP.

Abaaj had said Kadhafi "is helped by Nigerian and Chadian mercenaries who know the desert routes," added Wardugu, spokesman for the Desert Shield Brigade.

Friday's statement from Kadhafi's daughter Aisha that said her father was well and fighting on the ground -- and denouncing the new administration in Libya as traitors -- got a sharp reaction from the Algerian authorities.

Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Mdeleci described her comments as "unacceptable", the country's APS agency reported. Her telephone message was broadcast by Syria-based Arrai television.

Algeria received Aisha Kadhafi, her mother and other members of their family when they fled Libya in August.

Algeria, which after criticism from the NTC in Libya defended its decision to receive the Kadhafis on humanitarian grounds, on Friday said it was willing to work with the new administration.

In New York, NTC prime minister Mahmoud Jibril told the United Nations General Assembly that a new Libya was coming to life.

But he added: "The asset freeze on our funds must be lifted as urgently as possible."

source:France 24

IKEJA L.G COUNCIL ELECTION

 CHAIRMANSHIP ASPIRANT PROMISES 

WELFARE PACKAGE IF ELECTED

                                      

Posted by Lateef Lawal 

The chairmanship aspirant to the  Ikeja local government council, Olarenwaju Oluwatoyin Osundairo has promised to establish a micro credit scheme for the resident of Ikeja in the metropolis.

Osundairo, who lamented the absence of visible projects in the Ikeja local government area o the state, pledged that if elected chairman of the local government he will make street lights, adequate drainage channels and job creation for youths his priority.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, the People Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant explained that because residents of Ikeja are attuned to business, he will create a platform through the setting up of cooperative societies to enable residents access funds to boost their
business, thereby creating an avenue to improve revenue.
He explained that the quality of representation in Ikeja, has been abysmal, hence the desire for him to throw himself into the race to
seek the office of the chairman of the local government to improve the life of the people. Osundairo blamed the challenge of ‘street urchins’ otherwise known as area boys on lack of access to quality education as well as unemployment, affirming that if voted into office as chairman of Ikeja LGA, he will utilise the council’s resources to empower the people through welfare and empowerment programmes.
He condemn the phenomenon of god fatherism in politics, affirming that one of the wheels in the clog of democratic progress is the
overbearing influence of godfathers, who as rent seekers continues to exploit those they sponsored into elected offices.
Osundairo however advocated for an upward review of the allocation formula, such that local government councils, could get more money to execute people oriented programmes, affirming that the joint state account between local councils and their respective state governments hinders the autonomy of local councils.
He however called on the national assembly to expedite the passage of the local govt council autonomy bill before it to give local councils muscle to carry out their statutory mandate.
He added: “When elected as chairman of the council, the challenges of bad road, streets not fully light, youth unemployment, will be given serious attention that is why l am calling for autonomy for local governments to improve their direct funding. Because local government is about the grassroots, l shall give my best to improve the quality of life of our
people”
He spoke of plans to establish Ikeja local government council transport services, street lighting projects which he affirmed will
improve security in addition to setting up a fire fighting department. Osundaira, however called for generational change in the PDP,
affirming that elders in the party should give room to the younger generation whom he said has the capacity to turn around the leadership of Nigeria

UN offices bombing:

Nigeria wants al-Qaeda-linked militant

Nigerian authorities announced on Wednesday that Mamman Nur, a member of the local Islamist sect Boko Haram, is wanted as the primary suspect behind last week's bomb attack on UN headquarters in Abuja that left 23 people dead.

Nigerian authorities said yesterday that a member of a local Islamist sect who has al-Qaeda links orchestrated the bombing last week on the U.N.  headquarters in Abuja that killed 23 people, and they declared him wanted.

“Investigation has revealed that one Mamman Nur, a notorious Boko Haram element with al Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia, working in concert with two suspects masterminded the attack on the United Nations building in Abuja,” the Department of State Services said in a statement.

It did not give details of how it came to this conclusion, beyond mentioning that the two Boko Haram suspects were in detention and had given “valuable statements”.

“We implore ... the general public to cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of Mamman Nur, who is hereby declared wanted,” it said.

The bomb on Friday gutted a floor, smashed nearly all of the windows and also wounded 76 people, U.N. officials said—one of the worst attacks on the United Nations in its history and deadlier than a 2003 blast on its offices in Baghdad that killed 22 people. 

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is sinful” in the northern Nigerian Hausa language, has become President Goodluck Jonathan’s biggest security headache/ It has carried almost daily shootings or attacks with homemade bombs against security services and civilians in the remote northeast.

Jonathan sought to reassure Nigerians on Tuesday that he was stepping up security to prevent more bomb attacks.

The U.N. bombing marks an increase in the sophistication of Boko Haram’s attacks, apparently with more powerful explosives, and an escalation from local to international targets, analysts say. Some suggest Boko Haram is developing global ambitions and may have connected with al Qaeda’s North African wing.

If Nigerian authorities are correct, it may also have linked up with jihadists in Somalia.

Some Nigerians worry that the oil industry – only just recovering from militancy in the southern Niger Delta region that mostly ceased with an amnesty in 2009 – might be the next target, although moving into the mostly Christian south would prove a huge challenge for Islamist militants.

“This latest attack ... aimed at the U.N. indicates an internationalisation of the struggle and bears hallmarks of an al Qaeda connection,” the Eurasia Group wrote on Tuesday.

“While this is a worrying development for investors, including western oil companies, the oil-rich Niger Delta will be much harder terrain for Boko Haram to operate in.”

Source:France24

Tripoli hit by food,water &fuel shortages

*As Search for Ghaddafi continues

By News Wires

The Libyan capital of Tripoli faced severe water and food shortages Saturday as the country's transitional authorities turned their attention to Sirte, Muammar Gaddafi's hometown, which they vowed to take by force should negotiations fail.

Tripoli struggled with collapsing water and power supplies on Saturday as rebels now in control of most of the Libyan capital vowed to take Muammar Gaddafi’s home town by force if negotiations failed.

More evidence emerged of summary killings during the battle for Tripoli, which erupted a week ago.

A correspondent for Britain’s Sky News said he had counted about 53 bodies left in a burned-out warehouse, where they were apparently executed earlier this week.

“It is a scene of mass murder,” Stuart Ramsay said at the scene, quoting witnesses as saying 150 people were killed there on Aug. 23 and 24 as rebel fighters fought pro-Gaddafi forces.

A local resident told Sky the victims were mostly civilians and had been killed by Gaddafi’s forces.

Reports of cold-blooded killings by both sides have surfaced in the last few days, darkening the atmosphere in a city where many residents had greeted Gaddafi’s fall with joy.

Gaddafi’s own whereabouts remain unknown—rebels hunting him say the war will not end until the 69-year-old colonel who kept Libya in his grip for 42 years is captured or killed.

Mustafa Abdel Jalil, head of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), told reporters in Benghazi: “We have no factual report about the whereabouts of Gaddafi and his sons.”

The NTC, which has told its fighters not to carry out revenge killings, is trying to assert its authority and restore order in Tripoli but its top officials have yet to move there from their Benghazi headquarters in the east.

Rebel commanders are still negotiating with Gaddafi loyalists to try to persuade them to surrender control over the coastal city of Sirte, Gaddafi’s home town, Abdel Jalil said.

Libya is effectively cut in two by pro-Gaddafi forces holding territory stretching southwards from Sirte, 450 km (300 miles) east of the capital, deep into the desert.

A rebel commander said forces advancing from the east had reached the edge of Bin Jawad, a town about 140 km from Sirte.

“We are waiting for the people in Sirte to come out and talk but we’ve got no answer up to now. I’ve been waiting for three days,” the commander, Fawzi Bukatif, told Reuters, adding that Sirte must be taken eventually by force or peaceful means.

With rebel forces approaching from east and west, Gaddafi loyalists in Sirte could retreat into the desert and try to reach Sabha, another Gaddafi stronghold far to the south.

“If they pull south to Sabha, we’ll follow them. We’re determined to clear the whole country,” said Bukatif.

The rebels, still a long way from Sirte, have been using artillery backed by NATO air strikes on the town.

Behind rebel lines, shelling subsided but two small fires burned in the distance, giving off black, oily smoke. An ambulance raced away from the front, and rebels in a few trucks drove through a checkpoint, flashing victory signs.

Far to the west, rebels were in control of the border post of Ras Jdir after clashing with pro-Gaddafi forces on Friday, but there was almost no traffic through what is usually a lifeline for food, fuel and medical supplies for Tripoli.

Rebels there said this was partly due to rearguard attacks by Gaddafi’s soldiers and partly to roadblocks manned by pro-Gaddafi tribesmen on the Tunisian side of the border.

“It’s the Al-Shusha tribe, the Hawamid tribe, they love Gaddafi and are stopping the traffic, smashing cars and beating families,” said Walid Suleiman, 31, a rebel fighter.

NTC spokesman Mahmoud Shammam reported attacks near Zawara, about 160 km west of Tripoli. “The Gaddafi brigades are shelling the road, but we hope to be able to control it today,” he said.

The NTC and the Western powers that backed rebel forces with a five-month bombing campaign are acutely aware of the need to prevent Libya collapsing into the kind of chaos that plagued Iraq for years after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.

Life remains far from normal in Tripoli, whose two million people are grappling with a breakdown in basic services, even as many of them celebrate the overthrow of a hated leader.

In one hospital, wounded patients lay on bare mattresses in bloodsoaked bandages amid a stench of blood and sweat. None was on an intravenous drip, although many had lost blood.

“There are widespread shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies, particularly in the Nafusa Mountains and Tripoli,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in New York.

Tripoli’s supply problems have worsened, even though NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil said on Thursday his forces had discovered huge stockpiles of food and medicine in the capital that would eliminate any shortfalls.

NTC spokesman Shammam said the council wanted staff at the National Oil Corporation, the de facto energy ministry, to get back to work and tackle shortages of petrol, fuel oil and gas.

He said diesel and cooking gas cargoes were on the way and that talks had taken place at the Zawiyah refinery to discuss ways to supply western Libya with gas and restart the refinery.

Mountains of rubbish

In Tripoli, stinking garbage was piled high in the streets. In some districts, people set it on fire to stave off disease.

Electricity and running water were scarce. Residents carried containers to mosques, which often have wells, hoping to fill up. Outside one mosque, a sign read: "No water left."

In Abu Salim, bullet casings littered a square. About 50 charred cars dotted the neighbourhood.

Dozens of decomposing bodies still lay in and around a hospital in Abu Salim that was abandoned by medical staff during the fighting. It was not clear how they had died.

Five bloated bodies lay on trolleys at the entrance to the emergency department, while 25 lay in the garden, wrapped in rugs and sprinkled with lime in a vain attempt to keep down the smell. Surgical masks and gloves were scattered on the ground. Ambulances were still parked in front of the hospital.

The rebel council is pressing foreign powers to release Libyan funds frozen abroad to help it restore security, provide services and revive the economy after six months of conflict.

The United States and South Africa struck a deal on Thursday to allow the release of $1.5 billion in frozen Libya funds for humanitarian aid and other civilian needs.

But Gaddafi’s long-time allies in Africa offered him a grain of comfort on Friday by refusing to follow Arab and Western powers in recognising the NTC as the legal government.

South African President Jacob Zuma, a vocal advocate for Gaddafi, said the African Union could have prevented deaths in Libya if it had been given the chance.

“We still believe that had the AU been allowed space to work, heavy loss of life would have been averted,” he said in a statement a day after chairing an AU meeting in Addis Ababa.

Many Libyans are eager to seal the victory of a popular uprising that was inspired by those in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia by seeing the deposed leader dead or behind bars.

“We hope we can catch Gaddafi and if we do I would like him to be put in a cage in the zoo with the animals, him and his family,” said Wajdi Ramadan, 30, a wounded fighter.


source:France24

EGYPT TO HOST WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATION

The Egyptian city of Aswan will host the official 2011 World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations, which will include a High-Level Think Tank on this year’s theme, “Tourism – Linking Cultures" (September 27, 2011).

“It is most fitting that Egypt, home to some of the world’s most celebrated cultural heritage and a leading tourism destination, be the host country for the official celebrations of World Tourism Day 2011,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, announcing the news.

Egypt is world famous for its rich history and vibrant culture, which draw millions of tourists to the country each year. It is precisely this interaction between the peoples and cultures of the world, driven by tourism, that is at the heart of the WTD 2011 theme, “Tourism – Linking Cultures."

“We are very honored to be hosting the official celebrations of World Tourism Day 2011 in Egypt. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of our society, representing 12% of our GDP in 2010 and responsible for one in every seven jobs. World Tourism Day is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness around the world of this vital economic sector and its contribution to social, economic, and environmental well-being worldwide and in Egypt in particular,” said the Minister of Tourism of Egypt, Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour.

Planned WTD activities in Aswan include a High-Level Think Tank on the 2011 theme, at which leading public and private tourism stakeholders, academia, and the media will address the role of tourism in building understanding, respect, and tolerance worldwide.

WTD activities running throughout the year include the annual WTD Photo Competition, which offers a round-trip to Egypt as first prize. UNWTO has also launched the first ever WTD Twitter Competition, asking people to “tweet" about how they consider tourism to link cultures. Winning entries will appear on the official program handed out during the celebrations in Aswan.

ABOUT WORLD TOURISM DAY

World Tourism Day is celebrated annually on September 27. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

El-Rufai chides Obasanjo over failure of privatisation of public companies by BPE

*Senate issues warrant of arrest against
  Chairman of Transcorp

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterady received thumbs down from one his main acolytes Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, who accused him of being responsible for the seeming failure of the commercialization and privatisation of public companies as implemented by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
El-rufai, who was pioneer Director-General of the BPE made the accusation during his testimony at the public hearing organized by the Senate Adhoc Committee set up to probe the entire privatisation process.
El-Rufai, alleged that the mess in the BPE kicked off with the appointment of his successor from outside the bureau against his recommendation to the presidency. Based on the request of President Olusegun Obasanjo he said he forwarded three names each from the senior and the junior cadre among his directors in order of preference to the President for appointment.
"I was particularly specific that the appointment should come from within the Bureau because of the huge amount of money spent in training many of the staff for the privatization process and its technical nature.
"But the government employed someone that was literarily fired from the BPE. We have never investigated anybody for corruption. The person we investigated ended up being the DG of BPE. I knew everyone that worked with me, their capability and competence. We have people sent to the best school for training but the government of the day went to appoint someone who was literarily fired from the BPE and brought him back and the institution has suffered for it.
"The public hearing will not be complete without speaking with the staff of the BPE. I met with them and knew each one by name; they were only one hundred and eighty staff. I am very proud of the BPE because my years there are my very best. But unfortunately one of the people we investigated ended up being the DG," he said.
The ex-DG further noted that the legal framed work of the BPE can be improved but the key thing is to have the right people in office and prevent them from political interference. 
According to him government was losing N265 billion to support inefficient and corrupt enterprises adding that the objective of the privatization in Nigeria was not to create jobs but to make those companies functional.
Nonetheless, El Rufai disagreed with the Chairman of the committee, Senator Lawan (ANPP) on the illegality of deductions from proceeds that accrue to the BPE from the sale of companies. Lawan had said the proceeds ought to be paid into the CBN account according to section 19 of the BPE Act and section 80 of the 1999 constitution as amended in 2010 instead of doing otherwise.
"Everybody is interested because we ask for the gross earnings since 1999 but up till today, we have not seen any record on it. We should rather look at the possibility of making the BPE work easier within the ambit of law," he said.
But el rufai countered saying there is nothing like proceeds within the BPE because government did not participate in the privatization and should not be expecting revenue from it.
"I do not believe we broke the law and I do not believe we have been breaking the law. When we started we came to the National Assembly to appropriate money for us, but they did not see it that we needed money for our operation. I want you to scrutinize all our transactions and you will see that we did everything transparently. But an incredibly cranky person was made the BPE DG and he turned everything upside down. He started promoting people anyhow without due process. I do not believe the cost of undertaken a transaction is a revenue accruable to the federal government if it has not paid for the transaction. I did not abuse the law but may be those after me abuse it," el-rufai said.
On whether he still believes that the exercise was meant to witch-hunt him, el-rufai said he would reserve his judgment until after the committee report is made public adding that there is no doubt in his mind that privatization has served the country well adding that the BPE is more than just selling companies.
"I can understand why some political leaders do not want privatization but itcan be improved," he said.
Also at the hearing, the Chairman of Folio Communication, Fidelis Anosike confirmed the sale of three assets of Daily Times of  Nigeria Plc in London and Nigeria amounting to £520, 000.00, N600 million and N720 million.
Folio however dismissed the allegations that it has sold most of the DTN assets saying it has only sold the one in London and two others in Nigeria with the assent of the BPE according to the MOU.
BPE Director General, Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa also admitted to the sale of some of DTN assets to settle some liabilities to sort out the balance sheet of the company.
On the use of the company premises as warehouse by a beer company, Anosike said 80 percent of the premises were rented out to get money and there was nothing in the MOU preventing Folio from doing so. He also told the committee that out of 900 staff inherited from the company, only 120 are left operating only the online version of Daily Times.
However, in another twist another claimant of DTN, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora representing DSV Limited in his written submission accused Folio of illegal and fraudulent asset stripping contrary to the expectations of BPE, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and Nigerians.
"It has turned out that Fidelis Anosike and Noel Anosike used their Folio Communications Ltd to gain entry into Daily Times of Nigeria (DTN) with the sole purpose of ridding DTN of its assets and abandoning the company thereafter; it is now obvious that they never intended to see DTN run as a going concern.”
The BPE boss lamented that the bureau has been denied access to the company but Lawan assured her that both the committee and the BPE will go to the Lagos office together. Lawan said the committee will like to establish the real owner of DTN and regretted the downturn of the companies saying it is one of the bad examples  of the privatisation exercise.
Also, yesterday the Senate Ad hoc Committee bared its fangs as its Chairman, Senator Ahmad Lawan directed the committee secretary and the Sergeant at arms to issue a warrant of arrest on the Chairman of Transcorp, Otunba Funso Lawal.
The committee's decision was hinged on the refusal of Transcorp management to honour the letter of invitation sent by the committee to Transcorp inviting them to appear on the 6th day of the public hearing on commercialisation and privatisation of public owned companies.
Hearing continues today.

Sustainable tourism in action in Seychelles

Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino and Constance Ephelia Resort, two of the largest hotel companies in the Seychelles, have come to an agreement this week with the Seychelles Farmers Association and Cooperative to purchase local chicken instead of imported chicken.
To date, it is believed that Berjaya Resort consumes approximately 2 tons of chicken per month and the Ephelia Resort consumes approximately 6 tons of chicken per month.
The initiative for the drive for local tourism establishments to use locally produced products had been spearheaded by the Minister Peter Sinon of the Ministry of Investment, Natural Resources, and Industry.
Both hotel companies have said that they support the initiative as this is part of the sustainable tourism practices, which the Seychelles Tourism Board is developing.

PHOTO (L to R): Mr. Ken Choo, Minister Peter Sinon,
 Mr. Phillip Guitton / Photo from Seychelles Tourism Board

Mr. Ken Choo, General Manager of Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort & Casino, and Mr. Phillip Guitton, the Regional Manager of Constance Ephelia Resort, has met with Seychelles Farmer’s Association Chairman, Mr. Serge Benstrong, and General Manager of Seychelles Farmer’s Marketing Cooperative Mr. Simon Hoareau.
Both the hotels are committed to purchasing chickens from local farms from the next month at the agreed price. This support shall provide ample time for the local farmers to further improve their operations on matters like (a) Hygiene (b) Packing (c) Storage and (d) Halal Certification (which some hotel companies requires).
Mr. Ken Choo, the General Manager of Berjaya Beau Vallon Resort & Casino, said, “Our hotel company has initiated several practices with regards to sustainable tourism in Seychelles in areas such as energy conservation and water conservation.
Today we are looking into another angle in our Sustainable Tourism effort which goes beyond the hotel itself. Supporting the local farm and local industries are important criteria to achieving a successful hotel business.
I see our hotel company integrating itself into the community in which we operate in. The integration is important. No doubt about it. We are not only purchasing local chicken, we are also purchasing local eggs, pork, fruits, vegetables, bread, fish, etc.
Not every consumer is sensitive to price. Not every consumer looks at price alone as the sole factor when deciding on the purchase of local chicken verses imported chicken. We need to look at the bigger picture of sustainability of local farms and farmers in the community in which we are operating in."
"However, having said that, we have informed Mr. Benstrong and Mr. Hoareau that local chicken suppliers have to not only meet the demand requirements of hotels but also hygiene standards and other requirements of hotels to ensure sustainable demand for their product in the long term. We are glad that the Seychelles farmers [are] opening [their] doors to welcome our field visits to the farms. This builds business confidence and transparency in our partnership agreement.”

M.K.O Abiola, Abacha Were Murdered,says Al-Mustapha in Court

Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to deceased General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha Monday told a Lagos High Court that the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, Bashorun MKO Abiola and General Sani Abacha were both murdered following theintrigues that surrounded Nigeria’s power play in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12 Presidential Election.
Al-Mustapha who is standing trial for the alleged assassination of one of the wives of Abiola, Kudirat, said he has both video and audio evidence to prove how both men were killed.
Mustapha blamed former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar for his long incarceration for fear of divulging information about how the men were murdered.
Abacha died in office in June 1998, while Abiola died in detention about 3 weeks later in July 1998. Both deaths were officially declared as resulting from natural causes, but Al-Mustapha who was responsible for Abacha’s security and Abiola’s wellbeing at that time has maintained over the years that they were both killed.
"In the course of this testimony, I wish to say that I will omit any issue that will affect the national security of the country as a serving officer of the Nigerian Army.
“I am an officer who is being persecuted.  After the death of Abacha so much happened within three days and the country was without a President or Vice President. The then Vice President, Lt Gen Diya, was imprisoned for staging a coup. Many senior officers wanted to become Head of State, but God gave me the wisdom and I assisted General Abdulsalami Abubakar to become President. But,this is the price I am paying for my loyalty and for assisting him.
“My incarceration was as a result of a script written and acted out by former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar to further keep me in prison. First were the events that happened after the murder of General Abacha and late Chief MKO Abiola. But for fear that I may divulge information that led to their death, they had to keep me in prison till today,” the former CSO stated while being led in evidence by his counsel.
"Abiola would have been killed the very day Abacha died, but I relocated him within the barracks and used the Strike Force to protect him from those who wanted to balance the equation,” Hamza Al-Mustapha said, adding that when Abiola was eventually killed, General Abubakar ordered the central bank to release various sums of moneys--$200 million, £75 million and N500 million to placate South West leaders to ease the tension in the region at that time.
He denied the allegation that he ordered the assassination of Kudirat Abiola. The court adjourned further hearing till August 03, 2011.

Nigeria partners Sao Tome and Principe on investment

Prospective Nigerian investors are expected at The Investour Sao Tome e Principe Seminar 2011, scheduled to take place in Sao Tome, Sao Tome e Principe from 1-6 September.
Government agencies, policy makers and private sector participants will converge in Sao Tome e Principe to address the gathering.
The islands of São Tomé and Príncipe lie in the Gulf of Guinea, some 500km south of Nigeria. The country is blessed with substantial reserves of hydrocarbons, fertile vegetation and lush sandy beaches making it both a haven for investment and an exotic travel destination. Other neighbouring countries to Sao Tome e Principe include Cameroun, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Angola.
 The Investour Sao Tome e Principe Seminar is a 6 day event which includes a pre-conference day, a conference day, an exhibition/site visit day, two tourism days and a meetings/appointments day.
 The Investour Seminar series combines all the elements of a conference, exhibitions and meetings event with a 5 star holiday package where delegates will enjoy the chance to gain insight on the investment opportunities while also exploring the touristic offerings of Sao Tome e Principe. The theme of the seminar is Go.Discover.Network.
 The event which is jointly organized by National Petroleum Agency of Sao Tome e Principe (ANP-STP), Sao Tome e Principe Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Services (CCIAS) and Emerald Concierge - a Nigerian based travel management company is set to focus on partnership opportunities in various sectors of Sao Tome e Principe’s economy including Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Tourism, Telecommunications, Real Estate, Transport & Logistics, Fisheries and more.
 The country’s Minister of Public Works and Natural Resources, Engr. Carlos Vilanova, the Executive Director of National Petroleum Agency, Mr. Luis dos Prazeres, and the
Director of the Regulatory and Licensing Agency for Water, Power and Telecommunications, Engr. Deolindo Costa are just some of the dignitaries expected to speak at the event.
 Cosme Rita, Secretary General of Sao Tome e Principe’s Chamber of Commerce believes the investour seminar will be a great vehicle to showcase the potential of his country.
“These are exciting times for Sao Tome e Principe. We have recently completed our first oil licensing round in our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and towards the end of the year, we shall invite tenders for a new GSM operator as we are presently installing submarine telecommunications cables,” he said
 Rita goes on to say “construction plans are also underway on a Deep Sea Port due to Sao Tome e Principe’s unique positioning in West Central Africa and this country is poised to be one of the most important hubs for intra-African trade in the next few years.
 “Without a shadow of a doubt, Sao Tome and Principe is one of the most beautiful places on this earth, it is the definition of paradise” says Adaeze Ekwueme, Managing Director, Emerald Concierge. She said, “apart from the obvious which is investing in Oil and Gas, potential, investors should explore opportunities in Agriculture, Fisheries and Tourism as the country is blessed with fertile soil, abundant sea life and uniquely unspoilt exotic beaches.”
 The Investour Sao Tome e Principe Seminar 2011 will give investors all they need to know to be successful in Sao Tome e Principe.