Rising from a meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday, the leaders threatened to give a damning verdict and take hard-line postures should President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua fail to heed the call for the reversal of the continued marginalization of the people of the Niger Delta.

When asked in an interview in the Daily Trust of Monday July 27, 2009 why he and his followers would not surrender to the authorities, the late leader of the Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf claimed that his members were simply being massacred and that giving themselves up will tantamount to committing suicide:

AFTER sev eral attempts to meet with the aggrieved Governors of the South-South geo-political zone, President Umaru Yar’Adua yesterday held a crucial meeting which lasted for about four hours with them behind closed doors.

Going by the agreement mutually entered into by the parties, the $35,153,822.15 debt amounts to N4,499,689,235.20 at the rate of N128/$. The value of the draft represents net settlement after taking into consideration AP’s credit balance of N1,554,384,195.51 on its account with the bank.

NATIONAL Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN) has said the recent sectarian crisis in parts of the Northern Nigeria which claimed hundreds of lives including yet-to be identified workers, is evidence of failure of governance.

Receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Special Duties (Boundary Matters) on a courtesy visit yesterday in Asaba, the state Deputy Governor, Professor Amos Utuama (SAN), said “boundary disputes have often turned do-or-die in Nigeria since the oil economy was introduced. Before the oil economy, nobody was talking of boundary disputes.

Expressing their anger, the villagers said it was embarrassing that they had been strangled by government for several months by the non-payment of compensation to them as agreed over the demolition and destruction of the houses and farm crops years after they were persuaded to abandon their homes and business premises to allow government carry on with its projects.

They denied their people education, the basics for sustainable existence, locking them out of the opportunities of modern living, especially in a technology driven, global economy. The leaders are more concerned in keeping them in perpetual servitude as evidenced in the fact that the children of these leaders attend the best schools in the world.
Poverty is not peculiar to the north.

A break down of the recurrent expenditure indicated that internally generated revenue (IGR) will account for N339,400,000.00, statutory allocation (state), NI00,000,000.00, statutory allocation from the federal government N1,000,000.000.00 , VAT N208,000,000.00, special grant N200,000,000.00 and excess crude disbursement N900,000,000.00.

The state legislators also resolved to meet with their counterparts within the State Houses of Assembly in the South-South, with a view to collectively march against what it described as federal government’s snubbish attitude about the region.

In a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary, Comrades Emmanuel Moroh and Gbabo Tarila respecti-vely, the group urged the Federal Government to continually liaise with Niger Delta stakeholders and leaders of thoughts in the region.

ABUJA — FOLLOWING allegations that Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the religious sect, Boko Haram, was hurriedly killed after he was earlier captured alive in order to shield his sponsors who are influential members of the society, President Umaru Yar’Adua yesterday directed the National Security Adviser (NSA) to carry out a full scale investigation into the matter.

By Emma Ujah, Emeka Mamah, Kingsley Omonobi, Chioma Obinna & Daniel Idonor ABUJA — FOLLOW ING allegations that Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the religious sect, Boko Haram, was hurriedly killed after he was earlier captured alive in order to shield his sponsors who are influential members of the society, President Umaru Yar’Adua yesterday directed the […]

Speaking to journalists in Sapele, leader of the group and a renowned educationist in Delta State, Mr. Irikefe Edward, explained that Agoda’s maturity and intellectual contribution to issues at the National Assembly has exposed Nigerians to the fact that every Urhobo person is an intellectual giant, adding that the time has come for Agoda to be honoured in order to encourage him and other illustrious sons of Urhobo Nation doing the nation proud in their respective of endeavours.

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akoko-Edo Local Government Council, Edo State, alleged, yesterday, that the state chapter of Action Congress (AC) had concluded plans to import thugs from neighbouring states of Kogi and Ondo for the House of Assembly by-election scheduled for September 22, 2009.