Jackson, a two-time United States of American presidential candidate, also said Nigeria “is divided, not so much by religion, region and tribe but by greed.”

Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on Friday, Jackson, who was a guest speaker at a lecture organised by the state government as part of activities marking the 2013 edition of Isaac Boro memorial anniversary, said if properly handled, the amnesty programme would tackle insecurity in the country.

For the programme to work, he said all its terms and conditions must be honoured.

According to him, the amnesty must involve economic restitution and rebuilding of mosques and churches destroyed by the terrorists. He described such rehabilitation as a goodwill that would sustain coexistence in the country.

He said the state of emergency declared in three northern states should be as temporary as possible, advising Nigerians to abandon the battlefield and return to negotiation.

He said, “The amnesty must involve economic restitution, jobs and training. Within the United States,when there was civil unrest,there was a kind of state of emergency.

“But I hope the country will soon get back away from the battlefield and get to the negotiation table. In the end, it will be the bargaining table, not the battlefield, that wins victory.You cannot battle forever.

“You can bargain and resolve the conflict in the North. That is why l believe so much in non-violence. Non-violence does not mean fear, but courage and thinking, and it means the ability to figure it out and fight it out. You must have the ability to resolve conflict, and not fight aggressively. It must not resort into killing and being killed.”

Jackson insisted that greed had torn the country apart, saying the disunity in Nigeria should not be blamed so much on region, religion or tribe.

“In Nigeria, too few have too much; too many have too little,” he said, adding that great nations “are measured not by how much they have but by how much they share.”

He noted that God had blessed Nigeria with intelligent, ambitious and industrious people, in addition to fertile soil, oil, fish and farmland. However, he said Nigeria should strive to give peace a chance, saying justice was key to peace.

“Peace does not equal quietness or the absence of noise. Often the oppressed are quiet, intimidated; their pains are suppressed but their predicament does not suppress their aspiration. Their thirst for justice and oneness must be quenched,” he said.

Jackson further regretted the economic irony in Nigeria, saying, “It is not right for a people to starve on a farm full of fertile soil, fruits and vegetables.”

-Punch

AS the United States (U.S.) reforms its immigration laws and eliminates the green card lottery, Africans could be the big losers owing to the fact that they are the main beneficiaries of the visa programme, agency report indicated Wednesday.

But around 100,000 people were Wednesday picked from several million hopefuls who applied to get the Green Card, in what could be the last batch of the yearly lottery slated to vanish under the proposed reforms.

The system that will replace it in 2017, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported Wednesday, is merit-based and will also give Africans a chance. On average, they are more educated than people from other continents. And English-speaking Africans would get a boost because of that language skill, the report claimed.

However, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People said the number of African immigrants would go down even with the merit-based system. “In essence, we’re concerned,” said Hilary Shelton, the NAACP Washington bureau director.

Dame Babou, who hosts a radio show that caters to Senegalese people in New York, said the scrapping of the lottery is disheartening for Africans.

“Every year, many people thought this was going to be their year,” Babou said. “Again, what is being eliminated is hope,” she said.

Half of the 50,000 residence permits handed out at random each year are earmarked for Africans. It is a hugely popular programme that has allowed hundreds of thousands of Africans to settle in America since the mid 1990s.

But the ambitious reform project under debate now in Washington, which would provide papers for million undocumented immigrants, contains a clause that would do away with the lottery.

In its place, would be a more selective immigration system based on skills, career and family ties.

Each year, 50,000 permanent residency permits are allocated to people from countries that see relatively few emigrants depart for the U.S.

The lottery system, which was created in 1995, aims to diversify the range of places from which people migrate to the United States.

Because of the wildly popular programme, millions of applicants have joined the train – a figure that has only grown in recent years.

But it has long been in the crosshairs of U.S. Republican lawmakers, who control the House of Representatives and said it adds no value to the economy.

“It’s clear that there are better ways to allocate visas than to randomly give them out through a lottery system,” said Bob Goodlatte, the Republican who leads the House Judiciary Committee. “Our immigration laws shouldn’t be based on the luck of the draw; rather, they should be designed strategically to benefit our country.”

Now, they have included a plan to scrap it in the comprehensive immigration reform plan currently being debated in Congress.

A final vote on the reforms is not expected before this summer, but if it passes, the diversity visas would vanish from next year.

When they applied, this year’s crop of hopefuls did not know that this might be their last chance.

Those who enter the draw for 2014, filed a free online application in October 2012.

And from 1600 GMT yesterday, the candidates will finally be able to check their status on the government website www.dvlottery.state.gov, using their personal confirmation number.

Some 100,000 names were selected in a first round, because not everyone will complete the process for a visa, and a maximum of 50,000 green cards will ultimately be given out.

In the 2013 lottery, 7.9 million people, with 4.6 million spouses and children, submitted applications.

More than 18,000 Africans – more than from any other continent – got Green Cards through the lottery in 2012. Half of the lottery is reserved for applicants from the continent, which could now lose out.

Countries that sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. in the past five years are excluded from the lottery. So, Mexicans, Chinese and Filipinos, for instance, are not eligible. This year, a range of countries, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, mainland-born China, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, and Britain (except Northern Ireland), will be affected.

The 2014 winners will be given interviews from October, where they will have to show proof of a high school diploma or at least two years of work experience, as required under the programme.

All applicants need is a high school diploma or two years of work experience.

Between 2010 and 2012, one in five Africans who came to the United States to stay did so through the lottery. That made it the third most common method, at 21 per cent of the total, after family reunification (43 per cent) and refugee status or asylum seekers (23 per cent).

By comparison and in the same period, only 10 per cent of Europeans who became permanent residents and three per cent of Asians did so through the lottery.

“It has proven to be a way of helping those who come from the continent of Africa, those who come from a number of other areas where it is very difficult to get a visa,” said Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, whose members are all Democrats.

But in an effort to preserve the comprehensive reform being negotiated for months by the two parties, the Democrats and President Barack Obama agreed to ditch the lottery.

Representative Charles Schumer, who authored the programme in 1990, said it was impossible to keep it.

Schumer said the system that will replace it in 2017 is merit-based and will also give Africans a chance. On average, they are more educated than people from other continents. And English-speaking Africans would get a boost because of that language skill.

But Michael Fix of the Migration Policy Institute said: “It really probably won’t admit enough people to offset the effects of the loss of the diversity visa for some years after that. It’s a long time away. It won’t be immediately offset by any means.”

The diversity visas would vanish starting next year under the reform being negotiated.

Only four per cent of African immigrants – compared to 21 per cent of Asians and 22 per cent of Europeans – received a green card for employment reasons in 2012.

-Guardian

…Says With successful convention, we have crossed last hurdle on path to merger
The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has described the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the government it controls at the centre as a cesspool of corruption and asked them to cover their faces in shame.

ACN was reacting reacting to a media report which said that US Congress has confirmed mass corruption at all levels of the Nigerian government.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said ”What Nigerians have always believed has been confirmed from other lands. According to media reports today (Sunday April 21st), a new report submitted to the US Congress by Secretary of State John Kerry has confirmed mass corruption at all levels of the Nigerian government.

Coming at a time that the PDP and Federal Government have been engaging in chest-beating over the fight against corruption, this is a body blow to this unserious and directionless party and the government it controls at the centre.

”They hinge their claim of fighting corruption on the establishment of the EFCC and the ICPC. What they have not told Nigerians is that these two bodies have been stifled by the same PDP and the Federal Government, to such an extent that no other party or government in the history of our nation has been more immersed in corruption.

”The unprecedented and monumental fuel subsidy fraud happened under the PDP and its central government. The mind-boggling pension fraud; the 6-million-dollar Wilbros Scandal and the recurring electoral fraud that is the mother of all corruption, just to mention a few, all happened under this government.

”We are therefore not surprised at the scathing portrayal of Nigeria by the US report, which we will revisit in the days ahead. For now, let the PDP and the Federal Government cover their faces in shame!” it said.

Meanwhile, ACN has said with the huge success of its National Convention in Lagos last Thursday, the party has crossed the Rubicon in its quest to merge with other leading opposition parties in the country.

According to the the statement, the party said it achieved its targets at the convention – which were to pass a resolution approving the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and the conclusion of a pending disciplinary issue with the expulsion from the party of the erring one time Chairman of the party in Kaduna State, Barrister Mohammed Musa Soba.

”Thanks to that convention, our party, the ACN, has irrevocably committed to consummating the merger with other key opposition parties to provide an alternative platform for Nigerians, who are tired of the perpetual misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party.

”The conventions of the CPC and the ANPP slated for next month will clear the last hurdle along the merger path, and signal the dawn of a new day for long-suffering Nigerians, who are eagerly awaiting the merger.

”It will also sound the death knell for the evil forces that have held our country by the jugular in the past 13 years of its return to democratic rule,” it said.

-Vanguard

“This was a heinous and cowardly act,” Obama said at the White House. “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an an act of terror.

Obama said while the impact of the attacks near the finish line of the Boston marathon on Monday, which killed three people and wounded more than 170 others, were clear, the motives and the identify of those responsible was not.

“What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack or why, whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual,” he said.

But the president again vowed to bring whoever was behind the assault to justice, and warned that America would not be cowed by terrorism.

“We also know this — the American people refuse to be terrorized,” he said.
In frank and direct language, Obama vowed to keep Americans up to speed with developments in the investigation and asked them to remain vigilant.

“What I have indicated to you is what we now know. We know it was bombs that were set off. We know that obviously they did some severe damage. We do not know who did them,” he said.

“We don’t have a sense of motive yet. So everything else at this point is speculation.” (AFP)

-Vanguard

“We don’t yet have all the answers,” Obama said. “We still do not know who did this or why,” he added, hinting that he believed the explosions were planned but stopping short of calling them a terrorist attack.

At least two people were killed and three dozen wounded when two explosions struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, sparking scenes of panic.

Police did not immediately say whether the explosions were part of a terrorist attack, but marathon organizers said it was a twin bombing and media outlets reported that other unexploded devices had been found nearby.

The blasts left a street littered with blood and debris, as spectators screamed and fled, paramedics hauled away stretchers and police rushed in, according to witnesses, one of whom saw a man with his lower limbs blown off.

Boston Marathon organizers said on Facebook that “two bombs” exploded near the finish line, without providing a source for the information.

“We are working with law enforcement to understand what exactly has happened,” it said.

NBC News, citing officials, earlier reported that police had found “multiple explosive devices” in Boston, raising the possibility of a coordinated attack.

The twin explosions come more than a decade after nearly 3,000 people were killed in airplane strikes on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

At a hastily convened press conference, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick described a “very fluid situation” as he and other officials implored anyone with information about the incidents to call local tip hotlines.

Boston Police Chief Ed Davis said there was a third explosion at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, but the library later said there was an electrical fire that had been extinguished without causing any injuries.

A video clip posted online appeared to show one of the marathon explosions going off, apparently several feet back from the barricades and the line of national flags separating the race spectators and the street.

One runner is seen staggering and then falling, while others keep going for a few more steps. Volunteers in yellow jackets cover their ears at the sound of the blast.

“We saw people with their legs blown off,” Mark Hagopian, owner of the Charlesmark Hotel, told AFP from the basement of a restaurant where he had sought shelter.

“A person next to me had his legs blown off at the knee — he was still alive.”

“It was bad, it was fast,” he said. “There was a gigantic explosion… we felt wind on our faces… Police were saying: ‘Get out, get out, leave, leave there may be more bombs.’”

Nineteen wounded people were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, including six who required emergency surgery, according to Alasdair Conn, head of emergency services.

He added that several of the injured required “traumatic amputations” at the scene or at the hospital.

Boston Medical Center said it received 20 patients, including two children, from the site of the marathon explosions. “Most of these patients have lower leg injuries,” it said in a brief statement.

The Boston Police Twitter account had earlier said two people were killed and 23 wounded. Officials at the press conference declined to discuss the exact number of casualties.

US President Barack Obama was notified about the incident, and his administration was in contact with state and local authorities, a White House official said.

Obama called Patrick and Boston mayor Tom Menino to express his concern for the injured and to offer support. He was to make a statement at 2210 GMT.

Security was stepped up in New York and Washington, as well as in Los Angeles and San Francisco. In the Big Apple, police said they were boosting security at hotels and “other prominent locations in the city.”

The blasts in Boston rattled US markets, sending the Dow and the S&P 500 down at the close.

“Praying for those at the Boston Marathon today,” said one of the US senators from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren. The Senate observed a moment of silence, and the House of Representatives was to follow suit.

The Boston Marathon is one of the biggest annual athletic events held in the United States, with nearly 27,000 racers who must qualify to compete and tens of thousands of spectators.

The race attracts world-class athletes, most of whom would have likely completed the race a couple hours before the blast went off. The video clip of the blast showed the marathon timeclock at 4:09:44

Via Vanguard

The Political Counsellor at the Embassy of the USA, Gregory Lawless, said in Abuja that the American government would support amnesty for Boko Haram if it was the solution to ending violence in the north and other parts of the country.

“We think it is a positive development. We will work with Nigerian government as it develops its own policy approach as to counter violent extremism,” Lawless said in a response to a question about the US position on the amnesty the Nigerian government was planning to grant the Islamic sect at a teleconference on US-Nigerian Binational Commission.

He added, “Security concerns in Nigeria would be addressed through our regional security cooperation working group as part of the Bi-National Commission.

“We are looking at a holistic approach to address the unmet grievances of the population, especially in the north.

“Through that mechanism, we think by broadening the scope of response to violent extremism, we believe that we will be addressing some of those issues in a more fundamental way.”

However Lawless said the US had not changed its condemnation of the state pardon granted to former Bayelsa Governor, Dipreye Alamieyeseigha, by President Goodluck Jonathan.

“The situation has not changed,” he said.

Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Victoria Nuland, at a daily press briefing in Washington had said, “We see this as a setback for the fight against corruption, and also for our ability to play the strong role we’ve played in supporting rule of law and legal institution-building in Nigeria, which is very important for the future of the country obviously.

“We have made clear to Nigerians that this puts a question mark on the kind of work that we’ve been trying to do with them.

“We haven’t yet taken the kinds of steps that you’re suggesting Matt (the reporter who asked the question), but we’re continuing to look at what’s appropriate.”

But Lawless said that whatever the disappointment was, the US had since moved on with its relationship with Nigeria.

“We have a very mature relationship. So we can recognise our differences and opinions on issues. We are moving on; we have a lot of things to do,” he said.

Counting the successes achieved so far by the bi-national commission, Lawless said the commission had successfully integrated civil society into the electoral process prior to the 2011 elections.

He said the commission had been able to sustain an elevated dialogue with energy sector officials on policy reforms to increase investment.

He said the two countries had also agreed to explore a partnership with the Nigerian Army to build its civil affairs capacity and to build trust between Nigeria’s citizens and the military.

The U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission is a high-level forum for advancing issues of mutual concern.

Inaugurated in April 2010 by the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, the Commission’s five working groups meet regularly to focus and deepen engagement on issues concerning governance, energy, security, agriculture, and the Niger Delta.

The Working Groups include, Good Governance; Transparency and Integrity;

Regional Security Cooperation; Energy and Investment; Food Security and Agriculture, as well as the Niger Delta.

The working groups established benchmarks for transparent and inclusive elections, including registering voters, appointing electoral commission leaders, and allocating independent election funding.

On regional security cooperation, Lawless said, “We provided lessons learned from our post-September 11 experiences in an effort to strengthen Nigeria’s community engagement and strategic communications efforts. We offered to help Nigeria develop an intelligence fusion centre to improve their intelligence, analysis, and dissemination efforts, although Nigerian officials are still deciding their scope and mission requirements for such a centre.”

According to him, the Energy and Investment working group has focused primarily on reform of Nigeria’s power and hydrocarbon sectors.

Lawless explained, “We have been heartened by Nigeria’s ongoing progress on comprehensive power reform incentives and private investment in infrastructure to address massive power shortages.

“The United States is providing policy support to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic agricultural policies. The United States supports efforts to expand agricultural lending and otherwise improve private agriculture sector growth.”

He added, “We agreed to collaborate further to build on Nigeria’s amnesty programme by advancing economic development and environmental protection of the Delta. We also committed to partner with Nigeria to enhance regional maritime security and to reduce the inflow of small arms and light weapons”.

Meanwhile, former Head of State and presidential candidate for the Congress for Progressive Change in 2011, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Wednesday threw his weight behind the Federal Government’s plan to grant amnesty to members of the Islamic sect, the Boko Haram.

Buhari contended that granting amnesty to the fundamentalist sect members would not be out of place because it would not be the first time a militant group would be given such a privilege by the Federal Government.

He recalled the decision by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua to grant amnesty to Niger Delta militants to douse the tension in the oil-rich region.

The CPC presidential flagbearer in company with his running mate, Pastor Tunde Bakare; the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, and the party’s National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh spoke in Abeokuta, shortly after a courtesy visit to Governor Ibikunle Amosun in his Oke-Mosan office.

Buhari, dressed in blue Agbada, was received at the Presidential Lodge, GRA, Abeokuta by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr.Taiwo Adeoluwa, and the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Lanre Tejuoso on behalf of Amosun.

The CPC leader had earlier in the day visited the matriarch of the Awolowo family, Chief Mrs. Hannah Awolowo to condole with her over the death of her son, Chief Oluwole Awolowo.

He however applauded the Federal Government’s decision to set up a committee on the implementation of the amnesty for the Boko Haram sect, describing it as “good.”

“It is good that they have set up a committee, although I have not seen the term of reference. This is not the first time that amnesty is given to a violent group. You’ll remember it happened in the time of Yar Adua when he granted amnesty to the militant groups. Whatever will bring us peace as a society, we should do it,” he said.

-Vanguard

The tweet reads, “Nigeria is such a disgusting country. I couldn’t wait to leave. Lol, Scott said their women look like apes and I agree.”

It should be remembered that the American came to Nigeria for Darey Art-Alade’s Love Like a Movie concert and did not spend up to two hours before she left the country.

While some Nigerians believed the tweet was fake, those who didn’t did not hesitate to dish out insults to Kim K.

The American television host took to her twitter account stating that she did not post such tweets and that is not her opinion about Nigeria.

Kim K wrote, “I see there’s a photo shopped tweet floating around, supposedly something I said about Nigeria. That was NOT me, or my feelings. That fake tweet is very disturbing & I would NEVER EVER tweet something like that.”

Via Punch

David Esan died at Hampton University’s campus pool party on
Wednesday March 20th, 2013

He died March 20th while attending a pool party held by freshman
class. His body was discovered hours at the bottom of the pool.

At yesterday’s memorial service, David’s father demanded that a
criminal investigation be conducted into his son’s death.

The father wanted the investigation to be handled by the city police
even as he asked where the life guards were and why it took so
long to discover his son’s body in the pool.

“We believe there should be criminal investigation of all university
personnel and agencies involved in the pool party. Also we believe
that such criminal investigation should be conducted under the
auspices of the city police.” Esan’s father demanded.

David Esan, 17, graduated from Western Tech High School in
Catonsville, Maryland. He was a pharmacy major, had a 3.8 GPA
and a member of the University choir.

Friends who spoke to FOX45 Baltimore television described David
as “a math tutor, university choir member, basketball player, but
most of all, a friend.”

The presidents of four select countries from Africa, including three from West African were invited to the parley scheduled for the White House next week.

According to a statement signed on Monday by White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, President Obama has invited the presidents of Sierra Leone, Malawi, Senegal and Cape Verde to join him next week Thursday for the summit.

The statement from the White House Press Secretary said, “President Obama looks forward to welcoming President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House on Thursday, March 28.

The statement added: “The U.S. has strong partnerships with these countries based on shared democratic values and shared interests.”

Disclosing the purpose of the multilateral presidential summit, Obama’s spokesman added that “the five leaders will discuss strengthening democratic institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, and building on Africa’s democratic progress to generate increased economic opportunities and expanded trade and investment. “

It concluded that “The visit of these four leaders underscores the strategic importance the President places on building partnerships and substantive engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, and our commitment to working with strong and emerging African democracies.”

Coming soon after the U.S. expressed its reservations over the pardon granted Alamieyeseigha, observers of U.S. government affairs say the exclusion of President Goodluck Jonathan from the meeting is a further display of White House disapproval of the controversial pardon.

Going by Nigeria’s leadership role in the continent, especially in the West African sub-region, the exclusion is believed to be too significant to be mere happen-stance.

Last week the U.S. State Department formally expressed the American government’s concern that the controversial pardon was a major setback for Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.

U.S. sources also indicated over the past weekend that plans to have Obama visit Nigeria in his second term may now be shelved also as a result of the pardon, as the U.S. President is expected to clearly distance himself from such a decision.

Although Obama has only invited four African presidents and Nigeria’s president is not the only one left out, but U.S. sources insist that by the nature of Nigeria’s leadership role in the continent, and especially in West Africa, the exclusion of Jonathan may have been well calculated.

The Guardian yesterday asked U.S. government official sources to explain the criteria for the selection, and Nigeria’s exclusion, but no response was received as at press time.
-Guardian

Among the six charges instituted against him by the US government was also conspiracy to bomb its military personnel in Afghanistanin between 2002 and 2003.

Forty-three years old Harun is to appear before a District Judge, Edward Korman, at a US Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday.

The Saudi Arabia-born citizen of Niger allegedly received al-Qaeda training in Pakistan and traveled to Africa in 2003 with the intent to conduct attacks on United States diplomatic facilities in Nigeria.

While in Nigeria, Harun allegedly conspired with others to bomb such facilities.

He was said to have been extradited from Italy to the US on October 4, 2012, and arraigned in “a sealed proceeding” in federal court in Brooklyn on October 5, 2012.

The case is now said to have been scheduled for “a public status conference” when it comes up before Justice Edward on March 22.

Federal and state government agencies revealed the charges preferred against him on Wednesday.

Earlier, he was said to have also arrived in Afghanistan shortly before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

According to the government agencies, Harun joined al Qaeda, received military-type training at al Qaeda training camps, and ultimately fought against the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan with an al Qaeda fighting group based in Pakistan.

Harun allegedly attempted to kill US military personnel in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2003.

The charges which were first filed on February 21, 2012, accused Harun of “conspiring to murder United States nationals; conspiring to bomb United States government facilities; and conspiring to provide material support to al Qaeda.

He was also accused of “providing material support to al Qaeda; using firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence; and using explosives in furtherance of one or more felonies.”

The charges were announced by Loretta Lynch of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; the Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Carlin.

Others are the Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, George Venizelos, and Commissioner, New York City Police Department, Raymond Kelly.

Via Punch