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By OduduAbasi Nicolas Edet
“My suggestion to you guys is to go back into elimination and kidnapping I think that’s more effective creating fear’ – Eno Effiong
Umana Okon Umana, SSG

Umana Okon Umana, SSG

The above quoted suggestions would suggest that you know the facts – insecurity, kidnappings and murders are caused by praise-singers to the corrupt!
The trio below have spent their time singing the praise of Umana Okon Umana, a man whose source of wealth and notoriety are tied to the looting of our treasury, and is known to be so tied by every right thinking and honest person in Akwa Ibom State and beyond. The problem is this – you cannot address such hoodlums – master and cultist foot soldiers – as “gentlemen”. Haba, what will you call law abiding citizens if you address cultist hoodlums as “gentlemen”?
As you have rightly pointed out,  cultist hoodlums are the ones causing insecurity,  deaths and disappearances in Akwa Ibom State. Has there ever been any cultist hoodlum who has identified himself as one?  You can spot them through their actions – incessant praise-singing for the corrupt is one of their hallmarks. They feed off the corruption of their masters and mistresses by running errands for their corrupt bosses,  causing stress for the rest of the population.
What is the visible means of livelihood for the wide-mouths and/or the  so-called PAs to the corrupt? All so-called Personal Assistants, all wide-mouths, all sycophants, and all tin-god worshippers for every tin-god corrupt Nigerian politician in Akwa Ibom state, are cultist hoodlums - all of them; they are the foot soldiers for the roguish, criminal, thieving and corrupt criminals in high places. Their duties are praise singing; and their pastime the elimination of political opponents and critics, who oppose their hoodlum masters.
 Have you not noticed that the tide is changing? Aloysius Etok was once  proud and happy to be a member of the hoodlum gang – an Akpabio supporter; just as the trio below are happy today to be the choir-boys for Umana Okon Umana. Aloysius Etok supported Godswill Obot Akpabio and his criminality to the hilt;  today, he is backing out with loud noises about the criminality which he joined and practiced. Hence the issue of fear is wearing thin with many in the State. Time is near at hand when these cultist hoodlums will flee;  or be eliminated by their masters.  Did Aloysius Etok not sing Godswill Obot Akpabio’s praises  with reckless abandon?  - He is reported to have donned army fatigues at one time to physically engage Akpabio’s political opponents!!
 If Aloysius Etok can turn against his master, with all the money he has earned because of the crimes he and his master participated in; what makes anyone think that those who earn pittances,  in comparison,  will not flee from their corrupt masters when the going begins to get rough for them, as it got for Aloysius Etok?  Do we yet know how many who served  criminally-minded elements like Godswill Obot Akpabio and Umana Okon Umana – cooks, drivers, and gardeners – have disappeared?  Have some of the so-called PAs  to the corrupt not fled the state? Have some, now residing in Europe, Canada, and the USA not recounted  and recanted their deeds? These trio may not be as lucky.
Come-on now – give honor only to whom honor is due. If you address such people as “gentlemen”, what will you call law-abiding citizens?
“Even our uncles J.J. AkpanUdoehe was the first campaign manager for my Governor Godswill Akpabio.-Da Nicholas,
That I know. If I remember correctly  Senator Akpanudoedhe had apologized for  his role in helping institute a cultist government in our State;  and he had implored us to remember that Saul once persecuted Christians before he became Paul. Remember? I am willing to give him the chance he has asked for, while watching his moves. If all the others – Commissioners, and what-have-you in Akpabio’s government confess the crimes which they have committed collectively and individually against the people of the State,  give up their evil ways today,  resign from the cultist-selected government, give up their memberships in the cults, and withdraw their support for murders, kidnapping,  intimidation and stealing, they too will get the same  chance  which we have accorded the Senator.  Relax – I am an equal-opportunity-critic, honest to a fault as far as criticizing the men and the women who have made life hell for the common man and woman in Akwa Ibom state.
Those who have denied their roles in the insecurity in our state and their thieving,  are the ones I will continue to go after, expose, and condemn; and Umana Okon Umana is one of them – until he explains the source of his wealth as a civil servant and the source of the insecurity in our State, and until such an explanation is believable.  He and all others who have teamed up with Godswill Obot Akpabio to maim, kidnap, and murder innocent citizens stand condemned before God; BUT man should ensure that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,  whenever a patriotic government is installed in Nigeria and in our State. Meanwhile they must be castigated, disgraced, and denied any good name reserved for honest and patriotic citizens. Their foot-soldiers of corruption, insecurity, mayhem, and murder must be told who they are – people unfit to walk our streets free!
OduduAbasi Nicolas Edet
DFW TX

 

Minister of State for Education Nyesom Wike Dares Amaechi - If You Tell, I will Tell Oh

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Reblogged from FAMOUS PEOPLE NEWS.COM:

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There's no end in sight to the crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the Minister of State for Education, Barrister Nyesom Wike warned thursday that he would open up if Governor Amaechi  that is threatening to expose him dare talk.

This is now a case of oga if you tell I will tell oh.

Read more… 154 more words

Lessons Learned from UC Health Network Epic Go-Live

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286ede1  Electronic Health Record (EHR) software implementation may be the single hardest thing your hospital endures this year, provided it hasn’t already. It’s expensive. It’s stressful. It will consume months. The staffing component of the project is enormous as it is versatile – there is no guarantee your consultants make it from implementation to Go-Live. An early departure can set your project back in both time and money.

At least it used to.

Partner Healthcare IT has had its hands full the past year performing the aforementioned colossal projects. Its list of clients include University of Cincinnati (UC) Health Network, which encompasses the region’s lone Level One Adult Trauma Center, Louisville Kentucky’s own Norton Healthcare, Parkview Health (Fort Wayne, IN) and even Johns Hopkins University. While Partner has gained invaluable experience by merely facilitating these projects, it’s the company’s implementation of postmortem interviews that has allowed Partner to become a staple in the EHR niche.

Partner Project Director Josh Kitchen wanted to share the lessons learned from Partner’s vantage point, in hopes that someone in his position getting ready to embark on a similar project can gain valuable insight. Mr. Kitchen has now completed 14 Go-lives. He’s gone from ambitious to seasoned veteran in an abbreviated time due to the amount of assignments he’s been retained for. Over time, he’s perfected his approach.

“We learned to hybrid module our consultants so they can cover more departments and become more of a utility player,” said Mr. Kitchen as he considered the ways he streamlined processes to increase efficiency. “It helps if they know more than one model. So even if the EHR isn’t Epic, they’ll still be incredibly serviceable.”

Because Partner has developed a very seasoned staff of utility players, it has enabled the firm to have one of the highest ratio of At-the-Elbow (ATE) support to end-users. Partner’s ATE analysts will typically support 8-10 end-users. The industry standard is one-to-five. That mean’s more consultants, which means more money. Partner has surpassed the dated model. The company enforces a “more with less” approach. Mr. Kitchen felt this has been one of the most valuable lessons learned.

“These projects are so huge, they have so many moving parts and people,” he said, with a look of mild duress. “The better the people, the smaller the team, the more effective they are, the less they cost. It’s like having an HIT Seal Team Six – precision ops.”

Clients have repeatedly acknowledged Partner’s “more with less” approach on support ratios because it makes the activation more effective and helps them realize significant cost reductions.

Still, how do you honestly prepare hundreds of users and choreograph a project with so many variables?

“Once the Go-Live Support has been selected and are brought onsite to the client, two full days of orientation for an inpatient activation are key,” responded Kitchen as he thought back to the month leading up to his previous project.  “It’s critical to focus on workflow for the site.”

Too often, we train a general workflow; however, that general workflow does not work for the 100+ departments going live as they are all unique, and there are specific details. Break out these specifics and show the Go-Live support so they are more adequately prepared to support the end users.”

He elaborated further.

Other than workflow being the big part of orientation, it is also imperative Go-Live support understands the discrepancies of what has been trained, and what has been changed on the build side before one goes live.  These discrepancies, if caught early enough, will allow for the departments to experience a more problem-free Go-Live and keep your trouble ticket queues lower those first few crucial days.”

Partner Healthcare IT has routinely been acknowledged for its exemplary communication. Mr. Kitchen addressed this and explained why. “Open communication with key stakeholders at the client level is crucial to mitigate and manage any risks or concerns.” With so many moving parts and users, communication isn’t just imperative, it’s vital for the success of your project. Something as simple as good communication can save your project time and money.”

EHR implementations can keep you up at night. But Partner Healthcare IT has meticulously crafted a very strategic approach that has proven to result in successful Go-Lives, at rates unheard of in this industry. Mr. Kitchen even created the Go-live Calculator, a useful method employed that accurately determines the amount of trainers you’ll need based on end-users. And after dealing with enough early-departures, Partner implemented the Reserved Credentialed Training Program, a program that offers free trained consultants, at zero cost to clients, should consultants exit early. All of this has helped Partner Healthcare IT become a niche in the EHR implementation arena.

If you can’t tell, we love this stuff, so if you’re looking for something that didn’t come up in this article, don’t hesitate to reach out. Contact Josh Kitchen at JKitchen@PartnerPS.com for any specific questions you might have, he’s always willing to talk about a project or to offer any advice he may have for your own project.

New Pew Research Study Examines Social and Political Attitudes of Muslims Worldwide

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Washington, D.C. — A new Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the globe finds that most adherents of the world’s second-largest religion are deeply committed to their faith and want its teachings to shape not only their personal lives but also their societies and politics. In all but a handful of the 39 countries surveyed, a majority of Muslims say that Islam is the one true faith leading to eternal life in heaven and that belief in God is necessary to be a moral person. Many also think that their religious leaders should have at least some influence over political matters, and many express a desire for sharia – traditional Islamic law – to be recognized as the official law of their country. But the percentage of Muslims who say they want sharia to be “the official law of the land” varies widely, from fewer than one-in-ten in Azerbaijan (8%) to near unanimity in Afghanistan (99%).

 

At the same time, the survey finds that even in many countries where there is strong backing for sharia, most Muslims favor religious freedom for people of other faiths. In Pakistan, for example, three-quarters of Muslims say that non-Muslims are very free to practice their religion, and fully 96% of those who share this assessment say it is “a good thing.” Yet 84% of Pakistani Muslims favor enshrining sharia as official law. These seemingly divergent views are possible partly because most supporters of sharia in Pakistan – as in many other countries – think Islamic law should apply only to Muslims. Moreover, Muslims around the globe have differing understandings of what sharia means in practice.

 

The new survey report also allows some comparisons with prior Pew Research Center surveys of Muslims in the United States. Like most Muslims worldwide, U.S. Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society. But American Muslims are much more likely than Muslims in other countries to have close friends who do not share their faith, and they are much more open to the idea that many religions – not only Islam – can lead to eternal life in heaven. At the same time, U.S. Muslims are less inclined than their co-religionists around the globe to believe in evolution; on this subject, they are closer to U.S. Christians.

 

These are among the key findings of “The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics and Society,” which is based on more than 38,000 face-to-face interviews conducted in 80-plus languages with self-identified Muslims in 39 countries and territories. The survey was conducted in two waves. Fifteen sub-Saharan African countries with substantial Muslim populations were surveyed in 2008-2009, and some of those results were previously analyzed in the Pew Research Center’s 2010 report “Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.” An additional 24 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe were surveyed in 2011-2012; results regarding religious beliefs and practices were first published in the Pew Research Center’s 2012 report “The World’s Muslims: Unity and Diversity.”

 

The new report, focusing on Muslims’ social and political attitudes, incorporates findings from both waves of the survey. It is part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project, an effort funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation to analyze religious change and its impact on societies around the world.

 

Additional findings include:

 

  • ·         In most countries surveyed, majorities of Muslim women as well as men agree that a wife is always obliged to obey her husband. At the same time, majorities in many countries surveyed say a woman should be able to decide for herself whether to wear a veil.

 

  • ·         At least half of Muslims in most countries surveyed say they are concerned about religious extremist groups in their country, including two-thirds or more of Muslims in Egypt (67%), Tunisia (67%), Iraq (68%) and Indonesia (78%). On balance, more are worried about Islamic extremists than about Christian extremists.
  • ·         In most countries where a question about so-called “honor” killings was asked, majorities of Muslims say such killings are never justified. Only in two countries – Afghanistan and Iraq – do majorities condone extra-judicial executions of women who allegedly have shamed their families by engaging in premarital sex or adultery.

 

  • ·         Relatively few Muslims say that tensions between more religiously observant and less observant Muslims are a very big problem in their country. In most countries where the question was asked, Muslims also see little tension between members of Islam’s two major sects, Sunnis and Shias – though a third or more of Muslims in Pakistan (34%) and Lebanon (38%) consider Sunni-Shia conflict to be a very big problem.

 

  • ·         Support for making sharia the official law of the land tends to be higher in countries like Pakistan (84%) and Morocco (83%) where the constitution or basic laws favor Islam over other religions.

 

This study is being released in conjunction with a new website for the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures project. The site allows users to explore demographic data and survey results collected by the Pew Research Center in many countries around the world. It includes data on: (1) characteristics of the populations of 232 countries and territories; (2) research questions related to government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion in 198 countries and territories; and (3) select questions from two extensive public opinion surveys that cover more than 40 countries. The website will grow to include survey data from more countries and projected population figures for all 232 countries and territories covered by the project.

 

The full report, including a link to the new Global Religious Futures website, is available at pewforum.org.

 

 

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social science research on important aspects of religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world. As part of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, non-advocacy organization, the Pew Forum does not take positions on policy debates or any of the issues it covers.

 

Twitter: @pewforum

Facebook: facebook.com/pewforum

Zimmerman to argue self-defense, will not seek ‘stand your ground’ hearing

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George Zimmerman, shown in October 2012, has maintained he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense.
George Zimmerman, shown in October 2012, has maintained he shot Trayvon Martin in self-defense.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • George Zimmerman waives his right to a “stand your ground” pretrial immunity hearing
  • Zimmerman’s attorneys have instead decided to argue self-defense
  • Zimmerman is set to stand trial for the February 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin

(CNN) — George Zimmerman, set to stand trial in the 2012 shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, on Tuesday waived his right to a “stand your ground” pretrial immunity hearing. Zimmerman’s attorneys have decided they will try this as a self-defense case.

Florida’s deadly force law, also called “stand your ground”, was passed in 2005. It allows people to meet “force with force” if they believe they or someone else is in danger of being seriously harmed by an assailant. Under the law, a person can use deadly force anywhere as long as he is not engaged in an unlawful activity, is being attacked in a place he has a right to be, and reasonably believes that his life and safety are in danger as a result of an overt act or perceived threat committed by someone else.

In a pretrial immunity hearing, a judge would have ruled whether Zimmerman’s actions were protected under the “stand your ground” law; a ruling in favor of the defendant would have meant that no criminal or civil trial could proceed.

Martin was shot and killed on February 26, 2012, while returning from a nearby convenience store to his father’s fiancée’s house in a gated community in Sanford, Florida.

Watch this video

The fight over ‘stand your ground’ law

Watch this video

Zimmerman’s brother slammed for tweets

Watch this video

One year since Trayvon Martin’s death

Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, acknowledged that he shot the unarmed 17-year-old, but said Martin physically attacked him and he fired in self-defense. Initially, no charges were pursued, and the case soon became the center of a national controversy.

Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder on April 11, 2012.

During Tuesday’s motions hearing, Zimmerman defense attorney Mark O’Mara told Judge Debra Nelson there was nothing in the law that required the immunity hearing to take place before Zimmerman’s trial. O’Mara said the hearing could be requested after the defense has presented its case, but “we’d much rather have the jury address the issue of criminal liability or lack thereof.”

Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Martin family, said Zimmerman’s decision to “merge” the hearing and the trial “is very telling of his defense, or lack thereof.”

“We believe the defense’s decision to waive a pretrial hearing and to merge the ‘stand your ground’ hearing into the trial is to prevent putting George Zimmerman on the stand,” Crump said in a press release, “and to preclude the public and the potential jury pool from previewing the many inconsistencies in George Zimmerman’s story.”

Crump said a pretrial hearing was clearly the intent of state law because the statute “grants immunity from civil lawsuits, arrests and trials, if a defendant prevails.”

Crump continued: “… the decision made by the defense to waive a pretrial hearing and to solely continue on to trial vindicates the many thousands of protesters who demanded George Zimmerman be arrested for the killing of Trayvon Martin. After all, to have a felony criminal trial an arrest must first be made.”

After the motions hearing ended, prosecutors and defense attorneys were to meet in private with the judge to discuss jury issues for the June 10 trial.

GOOD NEWS FROM AKWA IBOM SOUTH [EKET] SENATORIAL DISTRICT

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By Denis Udo

Political stake-holders in Akwa Ibom South [Eket] Senatorial District gathered today at Eket to reaffirmed their commitment to produce the next governor of the state in 2015 after the tenure of the subsisting Governor Godswill O.Akpabio.

They warned that, no indigent politician from the area should accept the Deputy-Governor slot from anybody or group, and called on the people from other Senatorial Districts of the state to throw their weight behind this aspiration for peace, fairness, justice and fair play.

Eket Senatorial District according to the resolution, has more than enough human potentials for the office of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Denudo,
Uyo.

Akpabio seeks N80bn additional loan

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  By Etim Ekpimah
Gov Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State

Gov Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State

The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio ,  is seeking an additional loan of N80bn after the N50bn he collected in February when he paid a courtesy visit to the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.

A reliable source in the AKHA, who was not happy with the development, said the House was appalled by the letter seeking approval for an additional loan.
He stated that the state government collects over N30bn a month from the Federation Account, yet the ministries are starved of funds.
 He said, “The former loan of N50bn the governor collected in February when he paid a courtesy visit to the House of Assembly had been wasted unjustifiably.
“We have over N30bn a month from the Federation Account; yet he collected N50bn and spent it lavishly outside the state.”
Against the assertion by the governor that the House had provided N10bn for wastage, the source retorted that the House has never provided any money to be wasted on frivolity.
“That was wrong information. The House has never appropriated any money for him to waste, not to talk about N10bn as he said.

“Every ministry is complaining of starvation; Akpabio is not giving them money to run the affairs of the ministries.

“The money he refused to release to the ministries is the one he is using to lavish on people outside the state,” he said.
He averred that it was too early for the governor to start seeking loans from the first quarter of the year. He noted that the development portrays the state as not doing well.
In January 14, 2013 the governor assented to an appropriation bill of N470.08bn as passed by the state House of Assembly for the year.

EFCC Press Release – N134m Scam: EFCC Arraigns Three Fraudsters

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By Wilson Uwujaren

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on April 10, 2013 arraigned three suspected fraudsters- Sani Abubakar, Ahmad Mohammed and Kabir Sani- before  Justice Rilwanu Aikawa of the Federal High Court Sokoto on 6-count charge that borders on forgery and obtaining under false pretence.

 

The charge reads in part ; “that you Sani Abubakar being the Managing Director/CEO of Arugungu Microfinance Bank Limited, Ahmad Mohammed, being Director of Personnel Management at the State Basic Education Board, Augie Local Government Education Authority, Kebbi State and Kabir Sani, being Assistant Technical Officer Augie Local Government Education Authority, Kebbi State sometimes in 2008 at Kebbi State within the Judicial Division of this Honorable Court with intent to defraud made a forged document titled “State Universal Basic Education Board” Letter headed paper cosigned by the Education Authority dated the 13th day of September, 2008, in respect of Management Letter of Guarantee/undertaking in favour of Access Bank Plc on behalf of Nigerian Union of Teachers Chairman, LGEA Augie, Kebbi State which you  knew to be false and was acted upon as genuine by the Access Bank Plc to grant a loan facility of N60,250,000 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 (2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria , 2004 and punishable under the same section.

“That you Sani Abubakar being the Managing Director/CEO of Arugungu Microfinance Bank Limited; Ahmad Mohammed being Director of Personnel Management at the State Basic Education Board, Augie Local Government Education Authority, Kebbi State and Kabir Sani being Assistant Technical Officer Augie Local Government Education Authority, Kebbi State sometimes in 2008 at Kebbi State within the Judicial Division of this Honorable Court conspired among yourselves to do an illegal act to wit: obtaining 850 motorcycles worth N74,750,000 (Seventy Four Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) by false pretence from the Manager, EL-JAVA International Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act”.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge prompting the prosecution counsel, Sa’ad Hanafi Sa’ad  to request for a date for trial. However, counsel to the first accused, Sunday Olowomoran presented a formal bail application for his client while counsel to the 2nd and 3rd accused persons, E.C Eguelina tabled an oral bail application for his clients. But the prosecution counsel argued that he needed time to respond.

The presiding judge adjourned the case to 23rd April 2013 for hearing of bail applications and ordered that the 2nd and 3rd accused persons be remanded in prison custody while the 1st accused was remanded in EFCC custody.

Wilson Uwujaren

Ag. Head, Media & Publicity

Why Jonathan is victimizing me – Gov. Amaechi

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Rotimi Amaechi, Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum

Mr. Amaechi accused the presidency of scheming to remove him as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

For maintaining strongly and publicly that the corruption in the petrol subsidy payments by the federal government must stop, President Goodluck Jonathanhas decided to ostracize the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, from some official programs, Mr. Amaechi has claimed.

Mr. Amaechi, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, stated that not only is there a crisis between himself and the presidency over petrol subsidy and other issues, the presidency’s reaction has been not only to blacklist him from some functions, but also scheming to remove him as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.

The Rivers Governor stated this on Saturday in Ikogosi Ekiti at a seminar organised by The Future Project.

Subsidy is criminal

Mr. Amaechi said the presidency was dissatisfied with his insistence as NGF chairman that complete transparency and accountability be brought to the payment of petrol subsidy.

He explained that the state governors were not opposed to fuel subsidy, but were frustrated “about the corruption in it.”

He also accused federal officials who supervise the payment of the subsidy regime of fraud, saying “they balloon the figures.”

The Rivers Governor said it was for this reason that the Governors Forum was in court to challenge the legality of the federal government’s action of using money meant for the three tiers of government (federal, state, and local government) to pay for petrol subsidy.

He questioned the sincerity in the federal government’s payment of the petrol subsidy saying “oil subsidy is criminal,” and alleged that the presidency was displeased with him for his stance.

“It is one reason they (the presidency) don’t want me as governor’s chairman,” Mr. Amaechi stated.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported on how the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party and the presidency tried to engineer Mr. Amaechi’s exit as chairman of the governors’ forum; eventually leading to the formation of the PDP Governors Forum headed by another PDP governor, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom.

Mr. Amaechi’s tenure as NGF chairman comes to an end in May, although he is eligible for re-election.

The Rivers Governor is also said to be among the PDP governors opposed to Mr. Jonathan’s re-election plan in 2015.

Jonathan ostracizes me

The Rivers Governor continued with his criticisms of the presidency accusing it of deliberately sidelining him from functions.

Mr. Amaechi alleged that the presidency had stopped inviting him to join Mr. Jonathan’s entourage on official visits.

It is the norm in Nigeria that when the president is travelling for official functions outside the country, some governors, ministers, and top businessmen accompany him in order to use the opportunity to attract foreign investors to their domains.

Mr. Amaechi said the last time he was invited for such was a trip to Turkey before his recent disagreement  with President Goodluck Jonathan.

“That (the Turkey trip) is about the last trip. They don’t like taking me again to come with them,” he said.

The governor said many senior PDP and government officials had approached him to stop making public statements about the federal government’s (in)actions.

“Amaechi, don’t talk again now,” the governor quoted some advisers as telling him in order to return to Mr. Jonathan’s good books.

The Rivers Governor however said he was not disturbed by the president’s actions despite the fact that “when the president talks, everybody catches cold.”

-PrimeTimes

UN chief Ban: Korea crisis could become ‘uncontrollable’

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South Korean military vehicles travel during a drill as it snows in Hwacheon, about 20 km (12 miles) south of the demilitarized zone separating the two KoreasThe crisis has prompted military precautions among North Korea’s neighbours

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned the crisis on the Korean peninsula may become “uncontrollable”.

He once again urged North Korea to tone down its “provocative rhetoric” and to keep open a joint North-South Korean industrial complex.

Also on Tuesday, North Korea warned foreigners in South Korea to take evacuation measures in case of war.

Pyongyang has been making bellicose threats against South Korea, Japan and US bases in the region.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Mr Ban said: “If any small incident is caused by miscalculation or misjudgement, it may create an uncontrollable situation.”

He also called for the Kaesong Industrial Complex to be kept open, calling it “one of the most successful cooperative projects between the South and North”.

“This should not be affected by political considerations. This is a purely economic place,” he went on.

Continue reading the main story

Timeline: Korean tensions

  • 12 Dec: North launches a rocket, claiming to have put a satellite into orbit
  • 12 Feb: North conducts underground nuclear test
  • 11 Mar: US-South Korea annual military drills begin
  • 30 Mar: North says it is entering a “state of war” with South
  • 2 Apr: North says it is restarting Yongbyon reactor
  • 3 Apr: North blocks South workers from Kaesong industrial zone
  • 4 Apr: South deploys warships to attack possible missiles from North
  • 5 Apr: North says it cannot guarantee safety of foreign embassies
  • 8 Apr: South says North could be preparing another nuclear test

North Korean employees did not report for work at the complex on Tuesday, suspending one of the few points of co-operation between North and South Korea.

Warning to foreigners

Meanwhile, a statement attributed to Pyongyang’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee on Tuesday said: “The situation on the Korean peninsula is heading for a thermo-nuclear war.

“In the event of war, we don’t want foreigners living in South Korea to get hurt.”

The statement urged “all foreign organisations, companies and tourists to work out measures for evacuation”.

Last Friday, Pyongyang warned it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassy staff in the event of a war.

No foreign embassies immediately announced plans to evacuate, and the UK and Russian embassies have said they have no plans to shut their embassies.

The United States, which has also been threatened by Pyongyang, has said there were no imminent signs of threats to American citizens.

Fiery rhetoric

Tuesday’s warning from Pyongyang to foreigners in South Korea came amid growing concern that the North may be about to launch a missile test.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

image of Jonathan MarcusJonathan MarcusBBC Defence & Diplomatic Correspondent

North Korea fired a Taepodong-1 ballistic missile over Japanese territory in August 1998, an event that prompted the Tokyo government’s growing interest in missile defences.

Japan has a number of Aegis-radar equipped ships that can engage ballistic missiles and two land-based Patriot batteries have been deployed to protect Tokyo itself.

The hope must be that any North Korean missile test lands harmlessly in the sea but Japan is clearly ready to try to shoot down any missile if necessary.

The US also has a number of Aegis-equipped warships in the region. Their radar coverage can be enhanced by similarly-equipped south Korean vessels.

But mindful of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon’s warning that the current level of tension is so dangerous, that “a small incident may create an uncontrollable situation”, their preference may be not to engage any North Korean missile unless it is heading for South Korea or Japan.

Japan has deployed defensive anti-missile batteries at three locations in Tokyo, to protect the capital’s 30 million residents.

US-made Patriot anti-missile systems have been deployed at the defence ministry and at two other military bases.

At the end of last week Japan sent two of its most modern warships to the Sea of Japan with orders to shoot down any missiles fired by North Korea towards the Japanese islands.

BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes say no-one in Japan thinks Pyongyang is really preparing to attack.

But it may try to fire a missile over the top of Japan in to the Pacific Ocean. If it does Tokyo has made it clear it will shoot the missile down.

This is not the first time that Japan has taken such measures.

Also on Tuesday, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that North Korea has completed preparations for a mid-range missile launch from its east coast.

The United Nations imposed tough sanctions on North Korea last month following its third nuclear test.

Pyongyang has responded to this, and to joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, with escalating rhetoric. It has threatened to use nuclear weapons and said it would restart a nuclear reactor.

The North has also shut down an emergency military hotline between Seoul and Pyongyang.