FG withdraws Mark, Tambuwal, NASS diplomatic passports

The Federal Government on Saturday ordered the withdrawal of all diplomatic passports of National Assembly (NASS) members, including that of Senate President David Mark and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.
We can confirm that the relevant Federal Government offices responsible for implementing the directive are already in the know. No reason was given for the action, but sources said it was not unconnected with the level of opposition the Presidency is currently facing among the National Assembly members which got to feverish peak last week.
The implication of the Federal Government’s action is that all 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives would no longer enjoy the special travel privileges the blue-coloured passport confers on its holder when they travel abroad.

The withdrawal of the diplomatic passports of the senators and members of the House of Representatives is coming barely 24 hours after the Presidency sacked Senator Joy Emordi as its Special Adviser on National Assembly matters.Sources have said that even though it was the crisis in the ruling party that necessitated the action, members of the opposition party in the Assembly are also being affected.
With the loss of their diplomatic passports, the NASS members no longer have immunity against arrest any time they travel abroad, a script, we gathered last night from our sources, was the motive for the action.
Also, the real reason for Emordi’s sack, was her apparent bluntness to President Goodluck Jonathan in last Thursday’s meeting with the Presidency.
Emordi was called to explain the turn of event in the National Assembly where the opposition against the President appears to be swelling and how to stem the tide by effecting a change of leadership in both the Senate and House of Representatives.The Presidency, it was gathered, reasoned that both Senate President, Mark and House of Representatives Speaker, Tambuwal were tacitly siding with the Abubakar Kawu Baraje faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and that it was urgent to shop for their replacement.
At the Thursday’s meeting in the Villa, Emordi was taken to task on the happenings in the NASS, particularly the leadership as well as her view on the alleged disbursement of cash to NASS members through a Presidency’s point man, Bethel Amadi, a member of the House of Representatives from Imo State at the popular Bolingo Hotel, Abuja.But Emordi, at the meeting, pointedly told the President that the idea of using cash to buy the support of members of NASS was wrong approach, because events of the past in the NASS had shown that it was capable of having a negative effect. A source hss said she told the Presidency that she had been in the Senate and understands how members think. In fact, she reportedly told the President that the idea was dumb.
After the meeting, the source said Presidency concluded that Emordi was sympathetic to the  NASS leadership whose rank it has been finding it difficult to break. Mark, it was also gathered, had out of concern for Emordi before her sack, wondered why she was sticking out her neck that much for the lawmakers.But less than 24 hours, Emordi’s sack was announced by Special Adviser to President Jonathan on media, Reuben Abati. No reason was given for her sack.It also emerged that as its game plan to effect a change of leadership in both House of Representatives and Senate or make them shift ground, the Presidency has started enlisting the support of political opponents of key leaders of the NASS.One of such recruits is Lawrence Onoja, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) senatorial candidate for Benue South in the 2011 election. Onoja contested against Mark. He is now leading a group from the Middle-Belt region which is canvassing support for Jonathan ahead of the 2015 election.The thinking in Aso Rock is that if Mark does not play ball with the Presidency, Onoja, it was gathered, might be the next senator representing Benue South-Senatorial zone.For the Deputy Speaker of the House, Emeka Ihedioha who wants to become governor of Imo State in 2015, it was also gathered that despite his closeness to the Presidency the latter is propping up Amadi, Ihedioha’s political rivalry, to put the Deputy Speaker under check.Sunday Independent gathered last night that what is playing out in NASS currently, particularly the House of Representatives, is still a fall out of the grievance of the PDP top shots over the circumstances that threw up the Tambuwal/Ihedioha leadership.
Regardless, we can confirm that house principal officers have vowed to remain united even in the face of high-wire politicking going on in the PDP.
By Ishaya Ibrahim /  Lagos 

Miss Earth 2013

So very excited about Miss Earth 2013!
Amber Rose,Boris Kodjoe, Karly Redd and their crew landed in Murtala Mohammed International Airport yesterday ahead of the anticipated beauty contest, which will be held today in Lagos at the Oriental Hotel,Lagos
If you still haven't got your tickets you can call 08069757140 or visit www.ariiyatickets.com

U.S. Envoy explains Nigerians’ ban from 2015 visa lottery

Mr Jeffery Hawkins, U.S. Consul-General, on Thursday, gave reasons why Nigeria was banned from participating in its 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme registration.

Hawkins told journalists at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, that Nigeria was among other countries that had in the last five years, sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. through the programme.“As at today, Nigerians have graduated from being under-represented to being a fully well represented group in the U.S.“There is therefore no longer any need to encourage Nigerians to apply to travel to the
U.S. through the Diversity-Visa-Programme.“Already there are too many Nigerians in the U.S. that have benefited from this programme,’’ he said.
The Envoy explained that the diversity visa was created to promote countries with low rates of immigration to the US.Hawkins said that Nigeria and other affected countries had already exceeded their quota in the last five years.
The Envoy, however, stressed that the U.S. authorities would continue to give preference to Nigerians travelling to U.S for visits, business transactions, studies and professional engagements.“All other types of immigration from Nigeria to the US, apart from the diversity visa, would continue unabated.“Also, let me say that the ban has nothing to do with our relations with Nigeria now, and in the years ahead,’’ he said.He also dismissed insinuations making the rounds that the move was to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling to the U.S.The U.S official also said that the development had “nothing to do with insecurity, activities of Boko Haram and other forms of upheaval in Nigeria”.
Other affected countries are: India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, U. K. and Vietnam

Source: Daily Times

U.S. Envoy explains Nigerians’ ban from 2015 visa lottery

Mr Jeffery Hawkins, U.S. Consul-General, on Thursday, gave reasons why Nigeria was banned from participating in its 2015 Diversity-Visa-Programme registration.

Hawkins told journalists at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, that Nigeria was among other countries that had in the last five years, sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the U.S. through the programme.“As at today, Nigerians have graduated from being under-represented to being a fully well represented group in the U.S.“There is therefore no longer any need to encourage Nigerians to apply to travel to the
U.S. through the Diversity-Visa-Programme.“Already there are too many Nigerians in the U.S. that have benefited from this programme,’’ he said.
The Envoy explained that the diversity visa was created to promote countries with low rates of immigration to the US.Hawkins said that Nigeria and other affected countries had already exceeded their quota in the last five years.
The Envoy, however, stressed that the U.S. authorities would continue to give preference to Nigerians travelling to U.S for visits, business transactions, studies and professional engagements.“All other types of immigration from Nigeria to the US, apart from the diversity visa, would continue unabated.“Also, let me say that the ban has nothing to do with our relations with Nigeria now, and in the years ahead,’’ he said.He also dismissed insinuations making the rounds that the move was to reduce the number of Nigerians travelling to the U.S.The U.S official also said that the development had “nothing to do with insecurity, activities of Boko Haram and other forms of upheaval in Nigeria”.
Other affected countries are: India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, U. K. and Vietnam

Source: Daily Times

Gunmen Attack In Legislative Quarters, Abuja

At about 2.30 this morning gunmen  dressed in Nigerian Army uniforms shot at people at the legislative quarters in Abuja.
Witnesses say 4 were killed and many were injured.

Nigerian Wins Muslim Beauty Pagent Rival To Miss World

A Nigerian woman tearfully prayed and recited Koranic verses as she won a beauty pageant exclusively for Muslim women in the Indonesian capital Wednesday, a riposte to the Miss World contest that has sparked hardline anger.The 20 finalists, who were all required to wear headscarves, put on a glittering show for the final of Muslimah World, strolling up and down a catwalk in elaborately embroidered dresses and stilettos.But the contestants from six countries were covered from head to foot, and as well as beauty they were judged on how well they recited Koranic verses and their views on Islam in the modern world.After a show in front of an audience of mainly religious scholars and devout Muslims, a panel of judges picked Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola from Nigeria as the winner.While the event in a Jakarta shopping mall paled in comparison to Miss World on the resort island of Bali, in which scores of contestants are competing, Ajibola was nevertheless overwhelmed.Upon hearing her name, the 21-year-old knelt down and prayed, then wept as she recited a Koranic verse.She said it was "thanks to almighty Allah" that she had won the contest. She received 25 million rupiah ($2,200) and trips to Mecca and India as prizes.Ajibola told AFP before the final that the event "was not really about competition"."We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," she said.Organisers said the pageant challenged the idea of beauty put forward by the British-run Miss World pageant, and also showed that opposition to the event could be expressed non-violently.Eka Shanti, who founded the pageant three years ago after losing her job as a TV news anchor for refusing to remove her headscarf, bills the contest as "Islam's answer to Miss World"."This year we deliberately held our event just before the Miss World final to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women," she told AFP."But it's about more than Miss World. Muslim women are increasingly working in the entertainment industry in a sexually explicit way, and they become role models, which is a concern."Hosted by Dewi Sandra, an Indonesian actress and pop star who recently hung up her racy dresses for a headscarf, the pageant featured both Muslim and pop music performances, including one about modesty, a trait the judges sought in the winner.The pageant, which also featured bright Indonesian Islamic designer wear, is a starkly different way of protesting Miss World than the approach taken by Islamic radicals.Thousands have taken to the streets in Indonesia in recent weeks to protest Miss World, denouncing the contest as "pornography" and burning effigies of the organisers.Despite a pledge by Miss World organisers to drop the famous bikini round, radical anger was not appeased and the protest movement snowballed.The government eventually bowed to pressure and ordered the whole pageant be moved to the Hindu-majority island of Bali, where it opened on September 8.Later rounds and the September 28 final were to be held in and around Jakarta, where there is considerable hardline influence.But there are still fears that extremists may target the event -- the US, British and Australian embassies in Jakarta have warned their nationals in recent days of the potential for radical attacks.More than 500 contestants competed in online rounds to get to the Muslimah World final in Indonesia, one of which involved the contenders comparing stories of how they came to wear the headscarf.The contest was first held in 2011 under a different name and was only open to Indonesians, Shanti said, but after the media began comparing it to Miss World, it was rebranded as a Muslim alternative to the world-famous pageant.Because of its popularity, organisers accepted foreign contestants this year for the first time, with Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Nigeria and Indonesia represented
Source:AFP

Photo gist

'New PDP' Lawmaker Aliyu Sani Madaki from Kano State (wearing red cap) in a shouting match with his colleague Saviour Udoh from Akwa Ibom State, who is loyal to the Bamanga Tukur PDP faction, during the House of Representative session on Tuesday......SMH

Nigeria: Party Discipline - PDP to Adopt Chinese Model

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it would be adopting the model of party discipline used in the Chinese communist party to ensure discipline within the PDP.PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who received leaders of the National Peoples Congress of China yesterday in Abuja, said the two parties have a lot to learn from each other as Nigeria and China have a long history of partnership in the areas of economics, culture and governance.He said the PDP admires the sense of patriotism in the Chinese party noting that such sense of patriotism cannot come without discipline which he said would be imbibed by the PDP.The PDP national chairman also said the party would strive to imbibe the culture of sustainability and party independence saying such a practice would make those entrusted with the affairs of the party to be more committed."The Peoples Democratic Party will strive to cooperate with your party in order to strengthen its leadership control, acquire more power, develop the existing powers it has and ensure its sustainability and independence."The need for the enactment of true party values between both parties and their countries are of paramount importance to us all, as this will help streamline ideologies, modify beliefs, manage conflicts, accelerate functionality of internal party democracy, set new roles and make those entrusted with the leadership of the party acquire more zeal and exposure internally and internationally, " he said.Bamanga said the PDP has equally taken note of the unequalled powers vested on Party leaders in the Chinese Communist party, and would strive to copy it.Chairman of the study committee of the National Peoples Congress of China, Zhang Dejiang in his remark said they were encouraged to come to the PDP national chairman by President Goodluck Jonathan when he visited China in July as a way of strengthening party politics in Nigeria.He expressed hope that the interaction would strengthen understanding between the two parties. He said the National Peoples Congress has been around since 1921 and has grown from membership strength of 50 people to 85 million people.
Source: Daily Trust

President Goodluck Jonathan (r), Rivers State Governor Amaechi and his Deputy, Tele Ikuru, at Port Harcourt international airport on Thursday.