Atiku Abubakar congratulates Gen. Buhari on his victory

The former Vice President wrote a congratulatory message to Buhari which he shared on Facebook. See it below...

    My hearty congratulations to His Excellency, General Muhammadu Buhari, for being elected the next president of our beloved county, Nigeria. You have led our party, the All Progressives Congress to an unprecedented victory within two years of it’s official formation, and in so doing, written the most important chapter of our democracy.

The great Nnamdi Azikiwe once wrote that “history will continue to vindicate the just”. Your victory in the polls, with votes from across the length and breadth of our country, bears witness to the acceptance of not just our party, the APC, but also your ideology of justice, fair play and zero tolerance for corruption as the bedrock for national rebirth.

At this historic moment, it is most important to say a hearty thank you to every Nigerian who voted for the APC. Your votes have not just elected the first opposition party into federal power, but has also set a precedent which will have positive implications for democracy across Africa.

Dear GMB, the journey has just begun. Millions of Nigerians have put their trust in you, because they were not satisfied with the status quo. You represent the hope of a new generation of Nigerians, and you cannot afford to fail them. Our party has made a promise of change to our young people, to secure and rebuild our country, create jobs and opportunity, and improve citizens’ welfare. We will stand behind you to ensure we keep those promises, just like we did during these elections.

Our country needs a new direction. We have voted for you, and our party won the election, but when you assume our highest office, you must become the president of not just the APC, but all of Nigeria, including the people who did not vote for you. We look up to you to heal the fractures of our country, and truly unite this country like never before.

To President Jonathan, I want to specially thank you for conducting a historic election. Your party may have lost the elections, but you have won the admiration of the world by not interfering with the wishes of Nigerians. History will be kind to you.

It is my sincere hope that we will all come together as one country, to build the Nigeria of our dreams.
God bless Nigeria.

Jonathan congratulates Buhari, Tinubu

It has been reported that President Goodluck Jonathan has called his major challenger and the likely-winner of the 2015 presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC to congratulate him.

According to a source, the president spoke with Muhammadu Buhari on the phone and will address the country after rounding off his meeting with his cabinet.

He also spoke with the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Easter: FG declares April 3, 6 public holidays

Abuja – The Federal Government on Tuesday  declared Friday April 3 , and Monday April 6 as public holidays to mark the Good Friday and Easter Monday celebrations ,respectively.

The Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, made the declaration in a statement issued on his behalf in Abuja by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Abubakar Magaji.

Mr Abba Moro

In the statement, Moro enjoined all Christians and Nigerians in general to manifest the spiritual benefits of the Easter celebrations in their daily living.

He said such benefits include love, peace, justice and kindness

While wishing Nigerians happy celebrations, the minister urged them to use the occasion to pray for peace and unity in the country. (NAN)

Opposition set for Nigeria victory

Taking into the account the partial results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, is set to win the presidential election.

Meanwhile, Buhari failed to secure 25%+ in 9 states so far. This may prevent him from a confident victory in the first round.

To win the election, a candidate needs to secure more than 50% of the total votes nationally – and gain at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of the states.

The outcome of Nigeria’s polls, possibly the closest race since the end of military rule in 1999, trickled in on Monday, March 30, after a weekend election marred by confusion, arguments, card reader’s performance and sporadic violence.

After realising the results from 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, the commission postponed the announcement of results late on Monday night local time – saying that they would start again at 10:00 on Tuesday morning.

Naij.com team, which has collected results from as they were being broadcasted live on the TV and radio, reported on Monday night that Buhari had obtained up to 8,520,436 votes, near 55%, and Jonathan – 6,488,210 million, 41.56%.

Today’s result show that Buhari has a total of  12,008,923 votes, which is 51.33%, while Jonathan has 10,450,901, 44.67%.

The INEC announced that the opposition party took the most votes in Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, Katsina, Kaduna, Osun, Kano, Jigawa and Ondo states. Buhari also won in Niger, Lagos, Gombe, Adamawa, Zamfara and Kebbi.

President Jonathan’s ruling PDP took the most ballots in Nasawara, Ekiti, Enugu, Abia, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Anambra, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers states and the FCT.

The Premium Times collation of results from Nigeria’s 36 states and Abuja supposes that former military ruler Buhari will win with over 14 million votes, representing about 55% of the vote.

The current head of the country can gather over 11 million votes, representing 44% of the votes.

The study also shows that the Buhari will get the highest number of votes in 21 states while President Jonathan will overcome proceedings in 15 states and Abuja.

The APC candidate will also meet the constitutional obligation to be declared president-elect by getting more than one quarter of the votes in 24 states.

Sahara Reporters is also projecting Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of last weekend’s presidential poll based on collated poll results from 95% of Nigeria’s polling units.


According to the analysis the opposition candidate will take Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

While the current head of the country Jonathan will win in Rivers, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Imo, Enugu, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Ebonyi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja).

In Rivers state, the volatile and hotly contested home of Africa’s biggest oil and gas industry, Jonathan won a massive 95% of the vote.

The analysis may have a margin of mistake, and only the electoral commission is constitutionally authorized to announce a candidate winner of the presidential poll.

But if the APC candidate is finally declared the winner, he would be back to power about 30 years after a military coup conceived by Ibrahim Babangida, his then Army chief, dismissed General Buhari as Nigeria’s military head of state.

He would also be making history as the first opposition candidate in Nigeria’s history to remove an incumbent president from governing.

If the trend continues, Jonathan would be the first incumbent to suffer a defeat at the ballot box in the history of Africa’s biggest democracy.

The international community has called for a fair and peaceful election that would send a signal to the rest of the continent.

Accusation of bias: Jega replies PDP

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega has dismissed the accusation of bias leveled against him by the Peoples Democratic Party, stressing that the party did not follow the right channel of communication in submitting its petition.

He argued that the petition was given to his Personal Assistant instead of the Secretary to the Commission.

He also claimed ignorance of the election result alleged paraded by the APC.

The collation of result has resumed.

It will be recalled that the representative of the Peoples Democratic Party at the Presidential Collation Centre, Mr. Godday Orubebe accused the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attaihiru Jega of bias over his failure to investigate the party protest letter on the election in Kano, Katsina, Jigawa.

Ngige, Adeyemi, Adetunbi, Ningi, others lose senate seats

ABUJA – WHAT may be described as election tsunami has hit the senate following the recent declaration of the National Assembly election results which took place last Saturday as some Senators regarded as ‘big boys’ like Senators Chris Ngige, Smart Adeyemi, Olubunmi Adetunbi among others lost their bid to come back to the Red Chamber.

Also on the losing list was the Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi, PDP, Bauchi Central who lost his seat to the All Progressives Congress.

But apart from Senator Ningi, other principal officers like the Senate President, David Mark who is returning to the senate for the fifth times, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, the Minority Leader, George Akume among others retained their seats.

Senator Chris Ngige representing Anambra Central from the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, lost the seat to a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Smart Adeyemi, Kogi West, who is one of the prominent PDP Senators lost his seat to Hon. Dino Melaye, while the PDP candidate from Ekiti North took over Senator Olubunmi Adetunbi of the APC.

Senator Mark scored 99,538 votes to defeat his opponent of the APC, Daniel Onje, who scored a total vote of 50,115, while Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP Abia South scored 1011433 to beat his challenger from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, that had 70,502 votes.

Senator Bassey Otu who was forced out of the PDP won the senate seat for Cross River South, on the platform of the Labour Party defeating governor Liyel Imoke’s candidate and godfather of Calabar politics, Chief Geshorm Bassey of the PDP as well as Senator Banabas  Gemade who also lost the PDP primary ticket to governor Suswan was returned on the APC platform.

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Deputy Senate President, Uche Anichukwu, said that Ekweremadu, PDP, Enugu West was declared winner having polled 120,075 out of the 123,286 valid votes cast in the Saturday, March 28 senatorial election.

According to Anichukwu, the result, which was announced at Awgu Collation Centre by INEC returning  Officer, Professor Fab Onah, showed that 10 candidates contested the election with Ekweremadu’s closest rival, Honourable (Mrs) Luisa Achieze of  APC, who scored 2,314 votes.

Senator Ekweremadu in his acceptance speech said his election was a renewal of a political covenant with his people.

He thanked the electorate of Enugu West, the PDP family, clergies, traditional institutions and his members of staff for standing by him when the going was tough.

He said, “About six months ago, it was rather difficult for many people to believe that we would get to this point but eventually, we are here today. It is another evidence that there is God in heaven and I give Him all the glory.

“My commitment to Enugu people and Enugu West in particular has been renewed today. For me, I have the responsibility to serve them much better. I am conscious of the fact that my primary responsibility as a parliamentarian is to make laws and to oversight the executive.
“Also, I am committed to seeing to it that my people are well catered for by providing infrastructure and attracting projects generally to Enugu State and Enugu West in particular. I am committed to empowering the people to ensure they earn a living.”

He, however, stressed that unity of the people, irrespective of political leanings and disagreements was imperative for accelerated development, assuring that his representation would accommodate everyone.

“As for all those who were not particularly in support of my re-election before now, I bear no grudges. I would like to say that we are indeed one people and we are going to march together to the Promised Land; let everybody come and let us work together in the interest of our people.”

Troop frees women, elderly, children locked up by fleeing terrorists

Following the recapture of Gwoza from Boko Haram terrorists, Nigerian troops in cordon and search operations have rescues scores of elderly persons and women locked up while another bomb making factory has been discovered.

A statement to this effect from defence headquarters reads, “A number of women, the elderly and children who were locked up by fleeing terrorists in Gwoza have been freed by troops as cordon and search along with mopping up operations continue in the town.

“The freed hostages some of whom are so weak are being given medical attention while others are also receiving necessary care pending the arrival and activities of aid agencies.

“Some of them are also providing useful information for the intelligence in aid of troops operations in the area.

“In another development, buildings which have been converted to a bomb making factory have been unearthed by troops in the course of ongoing mopping up operations in Gwoza.

“The facility which is being used for the manufacture of various calibres of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) is still being carefully evacuated of dangerous materials.

“Massive destruction of infrastructure and property including blowing up bridges and burnt houses including Emir’s Palace have also been noticeable.

“Troops are also carefully removing land mines placed in various parts of the town.

“In Bama also in Borno State, troops on routine patrol in the suburbs of the town this morning recovered a large number of rifles and various arms believed to have been abandoned by terrorists who fled the area when troops were advancing to flush them of the town recently.

“Bama was liberated by troops on 16 March 2015 and troops have since been dominating the town with aggressive patrols to defend it against any further terrorists activities.”

Presidential Election: Buhari leads, PDP kicks

ABUJA — Erstwhile Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was last night sustaining his lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in the declared results of the presidential elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last night.

President Jonathan has, however, protested results declared from Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States, alleging malpractices.

Jonathan’s protest articulated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was, however, followed by another statement late last night in which it claimed it was not perturbed by the results from the North-West, stronghold of Buhari.

Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, has also protested the results submitted from Rivers State on the basis that there was no election in the state.
Main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Mohammadu Buhari casts his ballot at a polling station in the "Gidan Niyam Sakin Yara A ward" at Daura in Katsina State on March 28, 2015. Voting began in Nigeria's general election but delays were reported countrywide because of technical problems in accrediting electors.

As at the time the commission suspended announcement of results late last night, Buhari had scored 10,101,497 votes from 21 states and the FCT, to President Jonathan, who has so far polled 6,798,254 votes, to second place.

The results were declared by the returning officers from the states.

Of the 21 states declared, Buhari won the polls in 13 states of Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.

Jonathan won the polls in eight states namely Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Plateau. Jonathan also won the polls in the FCT.

Buhari had so far marshalled more than 25 per cent in 16 states while the president grabbed 25 per cent in 15 of the states so far declared.

The results from Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara were outstanding at press time and would likely be declared today.

The results earlier submitted from Rivers State, however, turned into a matter of investigation after the APC sent a strongly worded petition rejecting the results. The results returned had given Jonathan 1,487,075 votes, representing 95 per cent of the votes.


- See more at http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/buhari-leads-pdp-kicks/#sthash.Kh05Ytcn.dpuf

Jonathan asks court to set aside order barring soldiers from elections

President Goodluck Jonathan, has asked the Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos, to set aside the Federal High Court order, which restrained him from deploying soldiers to assist the police in providing security during the general elections, which is starting tomorrow across the country.

The judge at the lower court, Justice Ibrahim Buba, had in the suit by a House of Representatives member, Femi Gbajabiamil held that the President cannot deploy soldiers without the National Assembly’s approval.

Other respondents in the suit were the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Attorney-General of the Federation. President Jonathan through his counsel, Deacon Dele Adesina, SAN, in the appeal, is praying the appellate court, to dismiss the judgement of the lower court in its entirety for lack of merit.

Jonathan in his six grounds of appeal is contending the lower court’s decision did not represent the state of the law, “particularly his lordship decision regarding the validity of the originating process is not correct.” Adesina faulted the lower court’s reliance on the recent election petition appeal relating to the issue of the deployment of troops, which was yet to be pronounced upon by the apex court.

He is contending that trial judge erred by “dismissing the objection filed by the 1st and 6th defendants and assumed jurisdiction when he held that the plaintiff sought and obtained leave to issue and serve the originating summons outside Lagos State, when indeed the grounds of the objection was non-compliance with the provisions of Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act.”

He argued that by virtue of the “Provisions of Section 97 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act, every writ of summons for service out of the state in which it was issued shall in addition to any other endorsement or notice required by the law of such state have endorsed thereon a notice indicating that the originating process is to be served out of the state and in which state it is to be served. It is settled law that compliance with the provision of Section 97 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Act is mandatory.”

According to him, the trial judge erred in law when he assumed jurisdiction and proceeded to enter judgment when indeed, he lacks the jurisdiction to do so. He argued that the originating process having failed to comply with the mandatory provisions of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act was not issued according to due process and therefore, incompetent and liable to be struck out.

“A competent court cannot sit on an incompetent suit. The law is settled that where a court lacks jurisdiction, its proceedings no matter how well conducted and its judgment or orders are a nullity,” he argued. Another ground of the appeal, it that the trial judge erred when he held that the plaintiff had the plaintiff at the lower court had the requisite locus standi to institute the action, as it was a matter of public litigation.

On the particulars of this ground, he said “The Plaintiff is the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives who had canvassed thse same arguments and reliefs on the floor of the House of Representatives and lost to the majority. The members of the House of Representatives are elected by the citizens to represent their interest and having lost to the majority decision in the House, he has removed this matter from the purview of public interest litigation. The appellant, therefore, wants the court to set aside the judgement of the lower court, or in the alternative, dismiss the entire suit for lack of merit.

Saudi Arabia launches air strikes in Yemen

    A coalition led by Saudi Arabia has launched air strikes against Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying it is "defending the legitimate government" of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Saudi jets targeted Houthi positions in the capital Sanaa overnight, along with missile batteries and warplanes.

Mr Hadi fled to an undisclosed location after rebel forces neared his refuge in the southern city of Aden on Wednesday.

A Houthi official warned the coalition that it risked provoking a wider war.

Shia power Iran, which Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia accuses of backing the rebels, also demanded an immediate halt to the strikes, which it said violated Yemen's sovereignty.

"We will make all efforts to control [the] crisis in Yemen," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, according to the Isna news agency.

A conflict that pulls in regional powers could disrupt global oil supplies, and the price of Brent crude rose almost 6% after the strikes began.
Homes destroyed

The Saudi ambassador to the US announced the start of "Operation Storm of Resolve" at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday night.
The damage caused by the Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Sanaa was clear to see on Thursday morning
Rescue workers said at least 13 civilians were killed when homes near the airport were destroyed

Adel al-Jubair said it would begin with air strikes, but vowed: "We will do whatever it takes in order to protect the legitimate government of Yemen from falling."

Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported that the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan were sending aircraft, while Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Pakistan were ready to take part in any ground offensive. Oman is the only Gulf Arab state not participating.

The US said it was providing "logistical and intelligence support".

As Mr Jubair spoke, huge explosions were heard in Sanaa, as warplanes attacked the al-Dulaimi air base near the international airport and other locations. Rebel fighters responded by firing anti-aircraft guns and missiles.

Security officials told the Associated Press that the targets included a missile base controlled by the Houthis, as well as a nearby fuel depot. A camp for a US-trained special forces unit loyal to ousted former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is backing the rebels, was also hit.

Following the overnight strikes, people rushed to the military sites which had been targeted to check the level of destruction.

Dozens of families meanwhile have fled Sanaa to safe places outside the city, fearing new air strikes.

There are long queues of cars at petrol stations amid fears of fuel shortages, and many shops and firms have shut. School and university classes in Sanaa have been suspended for the time being.

Some Sanaa residents see the air strikes as a way of ending the crisis, which they blame on the Houthis for taking over their city.

However angry Houthi followers and supporters of the former president called for protests against the attacks.

On social media, Houthi supporters have been urging them to keep advancing to the border and storm Saudi Arabia, and to blockade the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea.

A civil defence source told the AFP news agency that 13 civilians were killed when seven homes near the al-Dulaimi air base were destroyed. The Houthis' al-Masirah TV quoted the health ministry as putting the death toll at 18.

There were also reports of strikes in the Houthis' northern heartland of Saada province, which borders Saudi Arabia, as well as in Aden and the third city, Taiz.

An official also told the AFP news agency that 18 people were killed in clashes between rebel fighters and soldiers and militiamen loyal to Mr Hadi in southern Yemen on Thursday.
'Sound of reason'

Yemen's foreign minister, Riad Yassin, told the Saudi TV channel al-Hadath that the air strikes were welcome, adding: "I hope the Houthis listen to the sound of reason. With what is happening, they forced us into this."

President Hadi called on the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and the Arab League to intervene last week after the presidential palace in Aden was twice targeted by unidentified warplanes and rebels and pro-Saleh troops seized Taiz.
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) was briefed by officers on the operation
Militiamen loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi have been unable to stop the Houthi advance

Mr Hadi took refuge in Aden last month after fleeing Sanaa, where he had been under house arrest since the rebels took full control of the capital in January.

The president's appeal for help became more urgent on Wednesday when the rebels overran al-Anad air base, a large military facility that is only 60km (37 miles) north of Aden.

Mr Hadi was subsequently moved to a "secure location" after another air raid on his palace and the capture of Aden's international airport by pro-Saleh police.

Senior aides insisted that he remained in the city and had no plans to leave, but security and port officials later told the Associated Press that he had left by boat.

The Houthis have said their aim is to replace Mr Hadi's government, which they accuse of being corrupt, and to implement the outcomes of the National Dialogue that was convened when Mr Saleh was forced to hand over power in 2011 following mass protests.

Why I’m being attacked over card readers — Jega

ABUJA—Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, Wednesday, said he has no regrets for insisting on deploying Smart Card Reader machines for the conduct of the general election, saying he knew that the decision would attract unwarranted attacks on his integrity as a person.

Would-be riggers the ones crying foul, says INEC boss
Jega, who stated this while unveiling the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja yesterday,, maintained that it is only those that hitherto nurtured plans to fraudulently manipulate the outcome of the elections, that have been crying foul over the introduction of the technology which he said would only add credibility to the electoral process in the country.

He said that INEC had perfected all its strategies and put every apparatus in place with a view to ensuring a hitch free poll that will reflect the summative choice of Nigerians.

“Let me use this opportunity to reassure Nigerians that we believe that we have done everything possible to ensure that the 2015 general election is successful. We are adequately prepared in terms of both logistics and manpower. Likewise, all the security agencies, especially the police which have a lead role to play in terms of providing security during elections, have assured us that they are ready.

“Beginning from today, we are commencing the rolling out of non-sensitive materials. Likewise, from Friday, all the sensitive materials will be retrieved from the vault of the Central Bank Nigeria by our officers, accompanied by security operatives and representatives of the political parties”.

He said that the materials would be distributed to states from where it would be taken to local government areas and subsequently to the ward level.

Jega further highlighted the fact that the commission has provided and reasonably equipped Registration Area Centers, RACs, “to ensure that both our staff in various states and security agents spend few hours of the night on Friday there to enable them to be ready to deploy the sensitive materials on the election morning”.

He assured that there will be remarkable reduction in the delays that were previously experienced in the commencement of elections, as well as retrieval of materials at the end of election.

However, the INEC boss said it was regrettable that the results of the election will not be electronically transmitted to the collation points. He said though INEC initially piloted the procedure at two previous elections in Cross River and Niger States, “we decided that we will not put the electronic transmission of results to use in 2015 in view of the controversies the procedure might likely generate from those who don’t see anything good in what we are doing as a commission.

“We can see the dust that the introduction of card readers raised. So we decided to keep piloting and improving on the system beyond 2015, hopefully, by 2019, the commission will introduce it for the general election”.

‘They know card readers ‘ll stop alteration of figures’
On the issue of the card readers, Jega, who stressed that the process will help address concerns about the alteration of election figures to fraudulently confer advantage on some candidates to the detriment of others, said no such thing would happen this time around.

“This is indeed why they have been attacking me because they know that the card reader machines will help us to address all those irregularities, starting from the accreditation of voters at all the polling units. How can they manipulate the election when all the information with regards to the number of voters that turned out at every polling unit is automatically captured and transmitted by the card reader machines?

‘We have made rigging impossible for them’
He continued; “We have made rigging impossible for them as there is no how the total number of votes cast at the polling unit could exceed the number of accredited persons. Such discrepancy in figures will be immediately spotted. This technology will further make it impossible for any corrupt electoral officer to connive with any politician to pad-up results”, he added.

Besides, Jega noted that in the past, dubious INEC officials usually delayed the entry of number of accredited voters until the end of voting so as to have the leeway to tamper with results, a problem he said would be obviated by the smart card readers.

He said that both the card readers and the result sheets would be taken to the ward levels, “once there is evidence of tampering, the information saved in the card reader will be retrieved.

“To my mind, these are some of the reasons why many of them are opposing the use of the card readers. The crooked ways they used in the past to get away with manipulation of election results have been dealt with. This time, with the card readers, such fraud will be easy to establish.

“We have further made arrangement that all the results coming to local government collection centers will be scanned, transformed to PDF format and uploaded on our website so that anybody can go there and confirm result from his polling unit.

“We believe that this is an added value to our process, it is something that we have not been able to do in the past. Let me also use this opportunity to advise political parties to pay attention to the appointment and accreditation of agents they will deploy at the polling unit level.

They should not appoint people without credibility, who can be bought over by other party agents”, Jega stated.

Police promises adequate security
Earlier at the event, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, who was represented by the force public relations officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, expressed the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force to provide adequate security during and after the elections.

He said that particular attention was being focused on the protection of NYSC members that will work as ad-hoc staff for INEC during the elections.

“Infact, we are already prepared for the 2019 elections. Those who taught the Nigeria will disintegrate by 2015 are in for a disappointment. Our men are well prepared, trained and motivated to carry out their responsibilities during the election. We are also working with other law enforcement agencies to have adequate security manpower”, Ojukwu said.

In a statement that was read by the Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, Mr Clement Nwankwo, the Civil Society Situation Room, urged Nigerians to go out en mass to exercise their franchise and defend their votes.

“It is important for all Nigerians to recognize that beyond the partisan divisions and the outcomes of the electoral contests, the future of Nigeria is the main issue at stake”, it added.

The situation room is a coalition of over 60 Civil Society Organizations that are involved in monitoring elections in Nigeria.

Nigeria election: Jonathan and Buhari sign peace deal

Nigeria's two main presidential candidates have signed an agreement to prevent violence in tightly contested elections due on Saturday.

Ex-military ruler Abdulsalami Abubakar brokered the deal in talks between President Goodluck Jonathan and his main challenger Muhammadu Buhari.

The two promised to respect the outcome of a credible poll and urged their supporters to refrain from violence.

Some 800 people were killed after the 2011 contest between the two rivals.

Mr Jonathan is facing a strong challenge from Gen Buhari, with some analysts predicting a photo-finish.

Thursday is the final day of campaigning and the government has closed its land and sea borders to ensure a peaceful election.
'Embrace peace'

The meeting between the two candidates came after Nigeria's National Peace Committee, chaired by Gen Abubakar, warned on Monday that campaigning had been marred by hate speech that could trigger a crisis in the oil-rich state.

The BBC's Tomi Oladipo reports from the capital, Abuja, that both candidates shook hands and hugged.

They called on their supporters to embrace peace, regardless of who won.

But concern remains in Nigeria over whether the electoral commission is ready for the huge logistical exercise in sub-Saharan Africa's most populous state, our correspondent says.

The polls were due on 14 February, but were postponed to 28 March to give the commission more time to prepare for the polls and for regional forces to regain territory from militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-east.

Campaign group Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram had killed some 1,000 people this year alone.

On Wednesday, army chief Kenneth Minimah said adequate security arrangements had been made for the polls.

Anyone who caused conflict would meet "organised violence" from the security forces, he added.

Meanwhile, Doha-based al-Jazeera reports that two of its journalists, Ahmed Idris and Ali Mustafa, have been detained by government forces in the city of Maiduguri, the former headquarters of Boko Haram.

It quoted the military as saying the journalists, both Nigerian nationals, were operating without "protection, accreditation or due clearance".

Al-Jazeera said both men had been accredited by the electoral commission to report from anywhere in Nigeria and it demanded their unconditional release.

Germanwings plane crash: Leaders visit Alps site

The German, French and Spanish leaders have arrived together in the French Alps to visit the scene where a Germanwings plane crashed on Tuesday, killing all 150 on board.

Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and Mariano Rajoy were briefed on the rescue and thanked the workers.

One of the "black box" recorders has been recovered at the site near Digne.

The Airbus A320 - flight 4U 9525 - from Barcelona to Duesseldorf crashed after an eight-minute rapid descent.

Germanwings chief Thomas Winkelmann said 72 of the 144 passengers were German citizens and 35 were Spanish, although the list was being constantly updated. The German victims included 16 pupils returning from an exchange trip.

UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed that three Britons were on board. Other victims were from Australia, Argentina, Iran, Venezuela, the US, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Denmark and Israel.

The plane's cockpit voice recorder - recovered by a helicopter team on Tuesday - was damaged but could still provide information, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said if voices had been recorded the investigation would proceed "fairly quickly". Investigators are still searching for the second "black box" - the flight data recorder.
Key points

    Weather reportedly good when A320 Airbus came down

    Plane descended rapidly but sent out no distress signal

    White House says no suspicion of terrorism

Analysis by Richard Westcott, BBC Transport Correspondent

The cockpit voice recorder "black box" is pretty battered but the devices are bomb-proof, literally, so investigators should still be able to listen to what happened on board.

The large, orange cylindrical part in the middle holds the memory boards that record the pilots' voices, and that looks intact to me.

The critical question now is, were the pilots speaking during those lost eight minutes when the aircraft dropped from 38,000ft to the ground?

If they're quiet, investigators will know they were unconscious, and that suggests a major decompression took place on board. That's when a hole in the fuselage lets all the air out. It's not necessarily fatal, if the pilots can get their oxygen masks on in time, something they train for, but if they were knocked out, it would explain the lack of a mayday call or any obvious attempt to steer the stricken aircraft to the nearest runway.

A day of mourning is being held at the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium school in Haltern-am-See, north-west Germany, where the 16 German pupils were from.

Pupils at the Giola secondary school in the village of Llinars del Valles, north-east Spain, held a private 15-minute ceremony of remembrance for their foreign exchange student friends.

The BBC's Tom Burridge says they listened to a German song which their friends had played to them and a Catalan poem was read out.

After arriving near the crash site, French President Hollande, German Chancellor Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy thanked the rescue workers for their efforts in difficult circumstances.

Mr Rajoy has declared three days of national mourning in Spain.

Bereaved relatives are also expected to visit the scene on Wednesday. The mayor of Seyne-les-Alpes, the town nearest the crash site, said local families were offering to host them.

Footage shot from a helicopter on Tuesday showed plane parts scattered on the rocky mountainside.

"The site is a picture of horror," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after being flown over the ravine.

"Everything is pulverised. The largest pieces of debris are the size of a small car," Gilbert Sauvan, president of the general council Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, told the Associated Press.
Pupils at the school in Haltern-am-See, Germany, are being offered counselling

Germanwings, a low-cost airline owned by Germany's main carrier Lufthansa, said some crew members were unfit for service on Wednesday "due to emotional distress".

It said one flight was being cancelled but remaining flights would be according to schedule.

Lufthansa and Germanwings staff held a minute's silence on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, the first Germanwings flight on the same route as the crashed plane took off from Barcelona on Wednesday morning but the flight number had been changed to 4U 9441.

The plane began descending one minute after it reached its cruising height and continued to lose altitude for eight minutes, Germanwings managing director Thomas Winkelmann told reporters.

He said the aircraft lost contact with French air traffic controllers at 10:53 (09:53 GMT) at an altitude of about 6,000ft.

The plane, a single-aisle passenger jet popular for short- and medium-haul flights, did not send out a distress signal, officials said.

The White House has said there is no evidence so far of a terror attack. A Lufthansa official said they were assuming for the time being that the crash had been caused by an accident.

Nigeria election: Borders closed

Nigeria has ordered the closure of all its land and sea borders ahead of Saturday's tightly contested elections.

Intelligence reports indicated that foreigners planned to cross into Nigeria to vote, Interior Minister Patrick Abba Moro told the BBC.

The presidential and parliamentary polls are expected to be the most tightly contested since military rule ended in 1999.

Nigeria is also battling an insurgency along its northern-eastern border.

Regional forces have been recapturing territory from the Boko Haram insurgents in the last six weeks.

A government statement said the borders would be shut from midnight on Wednesday to midnight on Saturday, local time, to ensure the vote went off peacefully.


President Goodluck Jonathan is facing a strong challenge from ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.

Thousands of Nigerians who fled the six-year insurgency, and are taking refuge in neighbouring states, would not be able to vote, reports the BBC's Habiba Adamu from the capital, Abuja.

Boko Haram has carried out cross-border raids in Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

It has denounced the elections as un-Islamic.

A state of emergency is in force in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, three Nigerian states where Boko Haram is strongest.

Obasanjo warns against rumoured plan to hand over to military

ABEOKUTA—Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, raised alarm of a rumour that  the Jonathan administration planned to hand over to the military if he loses next Saturday’s presidential election, warning that this would undermine the integrity of Nigeria among the  comity of nations.

The former President raised the alarm while hosting the South West women of the All Progressives Congress led by the wife of the party’s presidential candidate, Hajia Aisha Buhari.

Obasanjo had recently warned against introduction of Interim National Government  which he said could plunge the country into chaos in the same manner the former President of Cote d’l voire , Laurent Gbagbo did when he refused to hand over after he lost the election.

The former President said,  he was happy that Nigeria has gone beyond the rumour of Interim National Government, and expressed hope that the country will also survive the rumour of handing over to the military.

He explained  that the intentional community especially the African Union will neither  accommodate nor recognise any government that emerges  without the constitution of the country.

According to him, Nigeria has all it takes to dictate pace for other countries in Africa adding that Nigerians should blame themselves for where it is today.

His words: “I do hope we will get things more right. A lot of rumours are flying around, I think we have done away from the rumour of Interim Government because that is not in our constitution. I hope we will soon go away from the rumour of handing over to the military because the military is not meant to run affairs of a nation in terms of running government.

“And the intentional community will not condone it, particularly African Union where it is part and parcel of the constituting act of the African Union, that any government that is brought about, not on the basis of the constitution will not be accepted, will not be tolerated and will not be a member of the AU until that government is dismantled.

“It shouldn’t be Nigeria, we are the largest country in Africa, we should be a model, setting examples, we shouldn’t be drawing Africa backward, I hope we will not. I hope at the end of this exercise, we would be where we should be, leading Africa and showing examples for the rest of Africa and indeed the rest of the world.

“We have the goodwill of many people, I watched, last night, President Obama talking about our constitution, I watched our brother from Ghana,  the current Chairman of ECOWAS talked about our constitution, they are all interested, they all wish us well, should we wish ourselves anything less?,”he said.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo who also bemoaned hate campaigns among the political parties said political parties should focus more on what unite the country against what divide the country.

He said that,  issues of insecurity, economy, employment, amongst others should form the focus of the campaigns of political parties.

He however, called on women to take active role to make the country  a better Nigeria adding that they would be the greatest victims should anything go wrong in Nigeria.

Obasanjo said, “I am happy to hear directly from you, Mrs Buhari that the campaign so far, from the assessment has gone very well. May be I should say one or two things about campaign, I do hope that whatever happens at the elections, the one coming this week and the one coming a couple of weeks after that, that we would have learnt the right lessons from what has taken place this time around.

“Unfortunately, issues that should have been the main item of our campaign, are not being addressed. We have serious issues of security, we have serious issue of our economy, we have issue of unemployment particularly youth unemployment, we have serious issues of infrastructure, these are issues amongst others that I believe campaign of those who are interested in the present and the future of this country should be directed at.

“How are we going to get them, what are we going to do, not trivial issues of certificate, no certificate, not trivial issue  about someone being a Nigerian or not.

“I said it, this is what they had in Cote d’Ivore that led them into almost a very serious problem, not issue of religion, not issue of tribe, not issue of section but issues of unity of this country I hope this will be the last time in the history of this country that we will have this type of campaign of hatred or division.

In her earlier remarks,  Mrs Buhari described  Obasanjo as  a true nationalist, adding that Obasanjo acted beyond party level while solving issues affecting the country.

She said, “Baba exercises his prowess as a father, as a former head of state of Nigeria twice, very few Nigerians have the opportunity to rule the country twice, we are here today to show our appreciation the way you handle things as a statesman and also a nationalist.

“We thank you so much for acting beyond party in getting things right, thank you for that, may you live long to continue solving out problems.”

Meanwhile, Mrs Buhari,  while addressing the people at the APC South-West zone Women’s Presidential rally held at MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, lamented that her heart bleeds for the women in the North-East states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno, who have had their husbands slaughtered by the Boko Haram insurgents.

She said “My heart goes to our sisters, daughters, grandmothers, and women in the North-East -Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. They do not have the opportunity of doing the kind of rally and enlightenment that we are doing today toward the elections.

“I am from the North-East, it is terrible for women to watch their husbands being slaughtered.”

Aisha said if her husband is elected President, he would have zero tolerance for violence, most especially domestic violence against women and children.

She noted that her husband might not be rich but he had honesty and integrity.

She said her husband would establish a ministry for women and children if elected.

The wife of APC’s presidential running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Dolapo said a vote for Buhari and her husband “is a vote for a change for better things in the country.”

She later told the women who had gathered at the event to pray for the nation to witness the kind of change they expected on March 28.

Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, commended the women for their participation in politics, and urged those who were yet to collect their Permanent Voter cards to go and get them, and never to sell them.

He noted that the nation was at a critical stage, which required men like Buhari and Osinbajo, with necessary prerequisites for a period like this.

He said, “Where we find our nation at present, the best persons that can fix Nigeria is Gen. Buhari and Prof. Osinbajo

Ahead of Saturday's elections, LASU announces compulsory break for staff and students

Below is a press statement from the management of Lagos state University announcing a compulsory break for all staff and students starting from today March 23rd.

    In view of the forthcoming national and state elections scheduled for March 28th and April 11th respectively, the university management of Lagos State University has declared a recess for both staff and students with effect from Monday March 23rd. Students and staff are therefore advised to vacate the campus immediately. The date of resumption will be announced later. Signed management.

Africa U20 Championship: Nigeria win record seventh title

Nigeria won a record seventh African Under-20 Championship title by beating hosts Senegal 1-0 in the final on Sunday in Dakar.

Midfielder Bernard Bulbwa scored the winner in the first half.

The win cements Nigeria's place as the successful country in the history of the championship, they now have three more titles than closest rivals Egypt.

Nigeria and the other semi-finalists from the tournament - Senegal, Ghana and Mali - have qualified for the Under-20 World Cup .

The Flying Eagles had already been placed in Group E with Brazil, North Korea and Hungary for the 30 May to 20 June event in New Zealand.

Senegal, Ghana and Mali learned their fate after a draw on Monday,

Ghana are in Group B alongside Argentina, Panama and Austria; Senegal will face Qatar, Colombia and Portugal in Group C; Mali will battle it with Mexico, Uruguay and Serbia in Group D.

Davido shares inspiring conversation he had with a homeless man

Singer Davido met a homeless man yesterday who also happens to be a recovering drug addict. In a one hour conversation with him, the man spoke to him about life. Davido took to instagram to share part of the conversation he had with the homeless man. See what he wrote:


    "IT HURTS ME THAT THIS MAN WAS HOMELESS... HE SPOKE TO ME YESTERDAY FOR AN HR ABOUT LIFE AND HOW PPLE COME AROUND WHEN YOUR DOING WELL BUT AS SOON AS YOU LOSE EVERYTHING THEY DISAPPEAR ... FEEL LIKE GOD SENT A MESSAGE TO ME THRU HIM .. HE ALSO REFUSED THE MONEY I GAVE HIM , HE REQUESTED FOR ME TO BUY HIM FOOD INSTEAD OF GIVING HIM THE MONEY BECAUSE HE IS TRYING TO GET OVER DRUG ADDICTION..., THIS IS A GOOD MAN RIGHT HERE HOPE GOD SENDS A MESSAGE THRU HIM AGAIN!!"

Egypt Red Sea Resort shark attack kills German tourist

A German tourist has been killed in a rare shark attack off an Egyptian Red Sea resort, police say.

The shark reportedly bit off the 52-year-old man's leg at the knee.

The attack took place on Sunday off the coastal city al-Qusair, the first such incident in five years.

The species of shark has not been confirmed. A spate of attacks in 2010 that also led to one death was believed to have been carried out by an oceanic whitetip.

Those attacks forced the closure of part of the major resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for a week.

The area that saw Sunday's attack witnessed another in 2009 that killed a Frenchwoman.

The German embassy in Cairo said it had been informed of the latest death but could not comment further.

Egypt is one of the world's leading diving destinations.

Sultan warns Jonathan, Buhari: ‘Presidency not do or die’

Ahead of the general elections, scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 28, 2015, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ ad Abubakar, yesterday, warned the gladiators, especially President Goodluck Jonathan and Major General Muhammadu Buhari against taking the election as do-or-die affair.

Jonathan, the incumbent president, is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Buhari is the presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

The elections, initially slated to hold on February 14 and 28, generated heat in the polity before they were rescheduled for March 28 and April 11.

The Sultan spoke on a day Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State urged politicians to defend the nation’s democracy.

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State also urged elder statesmen and national leaders to speak out against issues that could provoke violence during the general elections.

Abubakar told Jonathan, Buhari and other contestants in the general elections that winners of polls had been pre-destined by God, wondering why some of them view elections as a do-or-die affair.

“While they struggle for electoral success, they should also consider the well-being of the country after elections,” the leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria and also the President, Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), stated.

The Sultan spoke when the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, paid pre-election advocacy visit to his palace in Sokoto.

He called on security agencies to protect corps members and other personnel that will be involved in the conduct of the general elections.

Speaking, yesterday, while delivering the keynote address at a National Integration Roundtable Summit organised by the International Summit Group Nigeria, Uduaghan stressed the need to protect democracy in the country.

The Delta governor enjoined politicians, regardless of their party affiliation to avoid action that could negatively affect the nation’s democratic process.

His words: “Let me also admonish political gladiators on the need to safeguard the nation’s nascent democracy we are currently enjoying and ensure that Nigeria does not disintegrate as predicted by some prophets of doom.

“Let us continue to work together to promote the welfare of our people. Posterity will judge us if we fail in our duties to meet the needs of our people.

“I must point out that the challenges of incessant disagreement between ethnic and religious groups has become quite discouraging.”

Meanwhile, Fashola has asked leaders to speak up against issues that could provoke violence during the coming elections, saying, by keeping quiet, they were inadvertently assisting those bent on perpetrating electoral fraud in disrupting the process altogether.

Speaking at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he hosted members of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development Council of the Wise, led by former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the governor said the time had come when all lovers of the country, but particularly elder statesmen, whose voices could be heard globally, should speak out and condemn statements capable of disrupting the electoral process.

Citing the international community to buttress his point, he explained that the community will not necessarily become conciliators only but would also apportion responsibility where it was fitting and apportion blame where it was fitting.

US troops 'withdraw from Yemen'

The US is withdrawing its military personal from a base in Yemen because of increasing insecurity there, sources say.

About 100 troops, including special forces commandos, are leaving al-Anad air base near the southern city of al-Houta, Yemeni officials said.

The city was stormed by al-Qaeda fighters on Friday, although they were later driven out by the Yemeni army.

The US military has not confirmed the evacuation.

It comes a day after suicide bombers killed at least 137 people in the capital Sanaa. Militants allied to Islamic State (IS) said they carried out the attack.

There are severe tensions between various powerful, armed elements in Yemen, including Houthi rebels, al-Qaeda and IS.
Driven back

US troops at the al-Anad air base have been training Yemeni fighters to launch attacks against al-Qaeda operatives.

On Friday, al-Qaeda fighters took control of the city of al-Houta, near to the airbase. But the militants were later driven back by the army.

The US closed its embassy in Sanaa in February after Houthi rebel forces took over the city.
The al-Hashoosh mosque in Sanaa. 20 March 2015 The al-Hashoosh mosque was badly damaged in an attack on Friday

In other developments, Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi has made his first television address since fleeing Sanaa last month, after Houthi rebels took over the city and put him under house arrest.

He demanded that Houthi rebels withdraw from the capital city but also urged all parties to engage in peace talks.

Yemen is the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a powerful offshoot of the jihadist militant group.

However, IS is also gaining ground in the country, after setting up a base in Yemen in November,

Last minute move: Jonathan woos Ciroma, Northern Elders; visits Kano today

Apparently buoyed up by his political manoeuvrings which had led to a major division between some Yoruba leaders and other stakeholders, President Goodluck Jonathan who is also the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has now moved to the north with the aim of whittling down opposition from some core northerners to his re-election on March 28.

The South West geopolitical zone which had earlier appeared impregnable was split weekend over whether to vote for Jonathan or the presidential candidate of the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, in the March 28 presidential polls after the seeming siege the President laid in the South West. .

Divided into two groups, the leaders held parallel summits in Ibadan and Lagos Thursday and took divergent positions on what the Yoruba should do in forthcoming elections.

While those at the Ibadan gathering were mostly for Buhari, the Lagos group rooted for Jonathan.

In the same vein, Jonathan has begun to woo some of his die-hard critics and other stakeholders from the north in the last couple of days.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that as part of moves to get the support of the leaders ahead the election, Jonathan decided to undertake private visits to plead with some of the aggrieved founding fathers, leaders, stakeholders and members of the PDP, just as he was said to be placating them to put behind them some of the problems of the past.

A source told Saturday Vanguard that Jonathan, in company of the Director- General, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO and former National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali visited one of the four founding members of PDP and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Adamu Ciroma at his Abuja residence.

Although Ciroma had not been politically visible for some time now, he had in the past criticized Jonathan publicly over what he regarded as his political sins.

The last time he was in public glare, was prior to the 2011 Presidential primary election of the PDP where he headed the Northern Political Elders Forum, NPEF to get a consensus candidate for the north who would eventually emerge as the party’s candidate.

From the pool of the group with the likes of General Aliyu Gusau, General Ibrahim Babangida, Senator Bukola Saraki, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Atiku finally emerged as the northern candidate who contested with President Jonathan but lost.

However, Saturday Vanguard gathered that during Jonathan’s visit to Ciroma at his Abuja residence, the former Minister of Finance was said to have told him that it was really bad and unfortunate that he as President and as leader of the party allowed things to go bad, culminating in five Governors dumping the PDP for the APC.

He was also said to have told Jonathan that those who came later to PDP refused to respect the founding fathers and members which explained why he decided to adopt the Sidon look approach.

President Jonathan who was said to have pleaded with him to support his re- election bid, promised him that there would be total reform of the party if re- elected, just as he also promised to address his kitchen cabinet, his aides and ministers on the issues raised.

Jonathan who had earlier, visited the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in Yola, would visit Kano State today as part of his campaign tour. We gathered that he would use the opportunity to resolve some lingering problems with former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and now the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, just as he would meet with former Nigeria’s Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, Dr. Maitama Sule, among other northern elders and stakeholders.

President Jonathan’s wooing of Northern leaders and elders would be a follow up to series of meetings he held with South West leaders and elders.

It was gathered that Jonathan had been pleading with the northern leaders to support him for a second term in office to enable him hand over power to the area instead of allowing Buhari, who would govern the country by proxy through some selfish Yoruba leaders.

Yemen crises: Air raid on president's palace in Aden

Warplanes have targeted the palace used by Yemen's President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi in the southern city of Aden.

Officials said anti-aircraft guns prevented any direct hits on the hilltop compound. But witnesses saw smoke rising from the area afterwards.

It is not clear if Mr Hadi was inside, but aides said he was now safe.

Earlier, there were clashes at Aden's airport between troops and militiamen loyal to Mr Hadi and those backing his predecessor and the Houthi rebels.

At least six people were killed as the president's forces repelled an assault, which forced the airport's temporary closure.

Aden has been the president's base since he fled the Sanaa last month, after being placed under effective house arrest by the rebels when they took full control of the capital in January and declared that a five-member "presidential council" would rule the country.
'Under control'

The deputy editor of the al-Ayam newspaper in Aden, Bashraheel Bashraheel, told the BBC that he heard fighter jets flying over the city at about 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT).

"Then we heard a loud bang and anti-aircraft guns firing from the presidential palace," he added. "Some witnesses who live within a few hundred metres of the palace saw smoke coming out of the buildings."
Militiamen loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi after fighting in Aden (19 March 2015) At least five people were killed in Thursday's clashes at Aden's international airport
A man stranded at the Aden International Airport, waits as heavy gun battles between a unit of police commandos loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and security forces loyal to the current president intensified in Aden Passengers were stranded at the terminal during the fighting, but flights later resumed

Officials said the warplanes fired at the compound but missed the palace, hitting a nearby hillside. No damaged was caused and no-one was believed to have been hurt, they added.

A security source told the Reuters news agency that the situation "was under control and there was nothing to be worried about".

It was not immediately clear if the president was inside the palace at the time of the attack.

One of Mr Hadi's aides told the Associated Press that he had not been there, but another was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying that the president had now been "evacuated to a safe place".

The officials said the planes were flown by pilots allied to the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who handed over power to Mr Hadi in 2011 after mass protests against his rule.

Sky News Arabia reported that the planes had taken off from al-Dulaimi air base in Sanaa.

The fighting at Aden's airport began when troops from the Special Security Forces, a police unit loyal to Mr Saleh, stormed the facility after claiming that they had been fired on from nearby buildings, an army official told the New York Times.

Mr Hadi's forces regained control of the airport after reinforcements arrived with tanks and armoured vehicles several hours later.

The army official said they were now moving to take control of the Special Security Forces' headquarters.

The president tried earlier this month to dismiss the head of the unit, Gen Abdul Hafez al-Saqqaf, in a bid to strengthen his hold on Aden.

Correspondents say the air raid on the compound and the fighting at the airport suggest the Houthis and Mr Saleh's supporters are taking the battle to President Hadi in Aden in order to prevent him from consolidating his new power base in the south.

Why we chose technical schools - Students, parents

Needless to say, technical schools across the nation are not the most popular choice. There are only about 132 technical colleges compared to the thousands of secondary schools across the country. The idea that technical education is inferior to senior secondary education is accepted by many parents and teachers for reasons ranging from the craze for white collar jobs to the reported underfunding of technical colleges.

However, the need for vocational and technical skills all over the world is increasing day by day. Parents and students, who go against the grain, making a case for technical education, say that they are more interested in effectiveness than paper qualification.

For them, the world has gone beyond, ‘what credentials do you have?’ to ‘what can you actually do?’

Kayode Bamidele is a technical student who hopes to start his own electrical engineering workshop after his studies.

He told Saturday School Life, SSL: I choose to attend technical school because of their hand work and quality studies. From my own opinion about technical school, I have been able to make things on my own for example I can do some electrical connections had it been I attended secondary school I wouldn’t have gotten to this level, the school is practically based.

My friends are thinking that attending a technical school is where I will end but that’s not what it really means. The school equipment are of good standard and I am sure that after my training I am sure that I will be able to put what I am being taught into practice.” Raji sheriff chose to attend a technical school’s because of his goal to be an upholsterer. According to him, “in secondary school they don’t teach such practical things but in technical school they teach both theory and practical.

My area of study is furniture design and craft. The reaction of people towards my choice is good because of my ability to do wonderful things. Even now, I can make quality furniture.” A parent, Mr. Akpuluku James told SSL,that he had always planned to send his son to a technical school. He said: “With the current rate of unemployment, the crux is about being creative or skillful. Without that you are alone. My friends have questioned me about this, but I know what will be good for my son.

Looking at the state of technical education in the country at the moment, I would say that there have been a lot of reforms. And I don’t have any doubt that when he is done, he would be able to get admission to any tertiary institution of his choice.” Another parent Mrs. Ayoola Sade, said two of her children are currently in technical colleges. She said: “I choose to send them to the technical school because it is creatively oriented. From my children I observed that there is a very big change in the technical school through the creative innovations of my children.

My plan after their technical education is to send them to the tertiary institution whether it’s a polytechnic or university. When they are done, even if they can’t get jobs, they can empower themselves instead of running about carrying files in a bid to find jobs. The problem with parents is that some are ignorant about this technical education and this has deprived their children the chance of being independent and carving out their own future.”

Francis Ani is yet another parent in support of technical learning. He said: “Technical schools are my passion, I am looking forward to sending my children to technical school as soon as they are of age. I have realized that in this day and age, the emphasis is on technical schools, on what you can do with your hands. All over the world, people don’t really care about paper qualifications anymore, but about skills. I am already grooming my older son to learn vocational skills. It is true that some people say that technical schools are not properly funded but I will find one that is well equipped to send my children there.”

Tunis attack: Gunmen kill tourists in museum rampage

Nineteen people, including 17 foreign tourists, have been killed in a gun attack on the Bardo museum in the Tunisian capital, the PM has said.

Italian, Spanish, Polish and German citizens were among those killed, as well as a Tunisian and a police officer, PM Habib Essid said.

Some media reports suggest the death toll could be as high as 22.

Security forces killed two gunmen and were searching the surrounding area for accomplices, Mr Essid said.

At the time of the attack, deputies in the neighbouring parliamentary building were discussing anti-terrorism legislation. Parliament was evacuated following the attack.

At least 22 tourists and two Tunisians were also injured, Mr Essid said. Other reports suggest up to 50 could have been hurt.

Italian, Polish, Spanish, South African, French and Japanese tourists were among the injured

Wife of Burundi's politician Agathon Rwasa shot

The wife of prominent Burundian opposition politician Agathon Rwasa has been shot and wounded at a hair salon in the capital, Bujumbura.

The gunman fled after opening fire on Annonciate Haberisoni as she was waiting for her hair to be done, witnesses said.

Mr Rwasa accused the government of attempting to assassinate his wife. It has not commented on the allegation.

Tensions have been rising in Burundi ahead of elections in May and June.

Mr Rwasa said at a press conference that his wife was being treated for head injuries at a local hospital, and her condition was not critical.

He would not be intimidated by Sunday's shooting, he added.

Mr Rwasa accused the government of compiling a hit list of people to be targeted in the run-up to parliamentary elections in May and presidential elections in June.

Police said they were investigating the attack.

Witnesses were quoted in the local media as saying that Mrs Haberisoni's life was probably saved by her hair dresser who saw the gunman taking aim and pushed her out of the way.

Mr Rwasa is a former rebel leader and an influential member of the opposition Forces for National Liberation (FNL) party.

He came out of hiding in 2013 and said he would contest this year's election.

President Pierre Nkurunziza has not yet indicated whether he will step down or run for a third term.

He took office in 2005 following the end of a 12-year civil war, which killed more than 300,000 people.

Cyclone Pam: UN confirms 24 dead and 3,300 displaced in Vanuatu

The UN in Vanuatu says 24 people have died and 3,300 are displaced after Cyclone Pam hit the Pacific archipelago early on Saturday.

The UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team in the capital, Port Vila, said 37 evacuation centres had been set up, but communication with outer islands was still down.

President Baldwin Lonsdale said the storm had "wiped out" all development of recent years.

He called again for international aid.

Of those who died, 11 were from Tafea island, eight from the main island, Efate, and five from Tanna.

The evacuation centres were catering for the many people who had lost their homes, the UN said, adding that the response effort was for now focusing on the capital and Efate.

After aerial assessments of the damage caused by the storm, Shefa remained the only province declared an emergency, the UN said.

Aid began arriving in the storm-hit nation - one of the world's poorest - after flights to Port Vila resumed.

Tropical Cyclone Pam is slowly weakening as it travels towards New Zealand and poses no further threat to Vanuatu or the South Pacific, a report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says.

Nollywood stars rock military camouflage to show support for troops

Nollywood actors and actresses wore Military uniforms at the president’s interactive session with entertainers which held in Lagos yesterday, Sunday 15th March 2015. The thespians rocked the military camouflage to show support for Nigerian troops currently battling to take down the infamous militant group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. The Nigerian Defence took to its twitter handle to appreciate the actors for their show of solidarity and called on them to produce a movie to be titled “Never Again”