Hillary Clinton 'claimed Bill was addicted to sex because he was abused by his mother' reported alleges in explosive memoirs

• Pulitzer prize-winner Lucinda Franks has revealed details of 1999 interview with First Lady
• Franks claims Hillary blamed Virginia Kelley for Bill having affairs

By Daily Mail Reporter

In the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Hillary Clinton claimed that her husband was addicted to sex because he was abused by his mother, a journalist said.

The then First Lady allegedly made the claims during a 1999 interview with Lucinda Franks, but the Pulitzer prize-winner declined to use them for the article she was working on.

The revelation is one of a series of sensational claims made in a series of new books being published in anticipation that Clinton will make a presidential run in 2016.

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Family ties: Bill Clinton with his mother Virginia and her husband Dick Kelley. Hillary allegedly claimed her mother-in-law abused Bill as a child

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Power couple: Bill and Hillary Clinton, pictured in May. Remarks the former First Lady allegedly made in an interview have been included in a new book

The latest revelations have been included in Franks' memoir, which includes remarks allegedly made by Hillary Clinton during their interview, the Daily News has reported.

In her book, Timeless: Love, Morgenthau and Me, Franks claims that Clinton blamed her mother-in-law Virginia Kelley for damaging her son.

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Memoir: Lucinda Franks included details about a 1999 interview with Hillary Clinton in her book

Clinton claimed that Kelley, who died in 1994, hurt her son 'in ways you wouldn't believe' and, while not giving details about the alleged abuse, claimed it had been responsible for her husband's affair.

 

More...

• Chelsea Clinton celebrates her pregnancy with a gluten-free baby shower in upscale Westchester, New York
• Bill Clinton 'could sabotage' Hillary's run for President as he is 'deeply conflicted' about being 'trapped and leashed' as America's First Gentleman, bombshell book claims

'When a mother does what she does, it affects you forever,' Clinton allegedly told Franks, 68.

The claims were not included in the article Frank was writing for a magazine called Talk.

But the Daily News has seen a version of the memoir that discussed a fraught relationship between the President's mother and grandmother.

Franks has said she wanted to publish the interview in its entirety at the time but didn't because of the media storm over the Lewinsky affair.

In the 1999 interview, Clinton described her husband's affair as a 'sin of weakness', and said she remained devoted to him despite 'enormous pain, enormous anger' over his infidelities.

She added that the affair had come at a time of upheaval for the President, who was coming to terms with the loss of his mother.

Frank alluded to a difficult upbringing for the President, according to Philly.com, and quoted Clinton as saying: 'He was so young when he was scarred by abuse. There was a terrible conflict between his mother and grandmother.'

Further details about Frank's interview with Clinton is included in her book, due to be released next month.

In another book about the Clintons, due to be published soon, tapes of Bill’s phone sex with  Lewinsky posed a threat to national security.

The tapes also allegedly resulted in a not-so-subtle attempt by the Prime Minister of Israel to try to ‘convince’ the President to secure the release of an American spying for the Israelis.

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Bond: Hillary and Bill Clinton in 1996. The former First Lady was interviewed by Franks just after the Monica Lewinsky affair

The book, Clinton, Inc.: The Audacious Rebuilding of a Political Machine by Weekly Standard editor Daniel Halper, has been described as 'scrupulously researched' and 'juicy'.

Halper reports evidence that not only the Israelis but also the British and Russians had ‘scooped up’ the microwaves off the top of the White House and taped Clinton's phone sex conversations with Monica – and perhaps other women.

That bombshell and scores of others - some amusing, some alarming - are part of hundreds of pages of allegations compiled by a team of lawyers and investigators working for Lewinsky and viewed exclusively by Halper.

But Halper and Franks are not the only ones writing about the Clintons, in anticipation of Hillary making a bid for the White House.

A sensational book by journalist Edward Klein examines the taut relationship between the Obamas and Clintons, claiming the tension could threaten all Democrat chances in 2016.

Despite their much-vaunted public truce, Klein claims in Blood Feud that Bill Clinton despises President Obama and that Michelle refers to Hillary behind closed doors as the 'Hildebeest'.

The animosity between the Democratic Party's two power couples has reached such intensity that Klein says the president is willing to renege on his promise to endorse Hillary for 2016 and has teased the Clintons with suggestions that Michelle would be a strong candidate for the Oval Office.

Read more:

• Hillary Clinton blamed Bill's sex addiction on the abuse he suffered as a child by his mother, new book reveals
• Hillary Clinton Opens Up. Why Now? Lifting Her Burden Or Spinning An Image?

Project Fame 7.0 begins in style

by Agency Reporter

The hosts.

MTN Project Fame West Africa Season 7.0 kicked off in grand style with the opening gala on Saturday. The event, which also served as the audition finals for the 18 contestants, unfolded with Kaffy and her Imagneto Dance Company thrilling the crowd with dance moves.

The 18 contestants who had beaten thousands of other talented contestants to get to this stage, earned an opportunity to perform alongside legendary Congolese singer – Awilo and Tiwa Savage.

The night began on a light note, with funny man, Seyi Law, whose hilarious jokes ushered the guests into the business of the day.

The organisers spiced up the show this season by introducing Bolanle Olukanni (winner of Search for Mo’s Co-host) as the new co-host of the reality show alongside Joseph Benjamin.

The panel of judges for the new season include producer – Tee-Y mix, Kora Award winning artiste, Ade Bantu and singer Bibie Brew. The faculty members, Joke Silva, Ms. Ige, Kaffy, and Benneth Ogbeiwi, are also on board.

While Sola Ekundayo, Flourish Agu, David Olowojoba, Melvin Okolie, Taiwo Okunola and Deborah Ohiri had to sing their way, others simply earned automatic entry. On this note, the race to the grand prize of N5m, a Sport Utility Vehicle, and recording contract worth millions of naira has begun. The 1st runner-up will go home with N3m and a brand new car, 2nd runner up – N2m and a brand new car, while the 3rd runner-up goes home with N2m.

UN sends aid to Syria without regime consent

by Aljazeera

The UN has sent its first humanitarian aid convoy into rebel-held areas of Syria without government consent on Thursday, as UN chief Ban Ki-moon accused warring parties of denying assistance to millions as a tactic of war.

“A convoy of nine trucks crossed into Syria today from the Turkish crossing at Bab al-Salam, carrying UN food, shelter, water purification and sanitation supplies,” said Amanda Pitt, the spokeswoman for UNOCHA, the UN humanitarian office.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution 10 days ago that authorised aid access at four border crossings from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan, even though the Syrian government deems such deliveries as incursions.

No further details were available on whether the trucks had reached the people it was intended for.

In a report to the Security Council, obtained by Reuters on Thursday, Ban said that an estimated 10.8 million people need help, of which 4.7 million are in remote areas of Syria.

Vandalised pipelines spill oil, pollute farmlands in Edo

by nan

Oil spill caused by bunkering has polluted farmlands and the only river in Egonu community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo, according to residents.

The residents told the News Agency of Nigeria oil thieves vandalised pipelines passing through the area, leading the oil spill that polluted the river.

Mr Isah Musa, a resident of the area, said that farmers crops had been destroyed.

“We woke up early this morning to discover that oil is floating on our river and this must have affected the animals in the river.”

Musa said that the spill was caused by a rupture on some pipelines that passed through the community.

Another resident, Mr Ibrahim Mutairu, said that the river was the only source of water for the community.

“Now that the water is polluted, we find it difficult to get water to drink and the situation has been on since two months.”

He called on  the government and other relevant agencies to deploy a surveillance team in the area to curb the menace of the activities of the bunkers.

Mutairu also called for the immediate clean up of the affected farmland and their river, to protect the people from contacting disease.

A source at the NNPC depot in Benin declined to comment on the reported oil spill, saying that he would need clearance from the corporation’s  headquarters to talk to newsmen.

I’ve been managing diabetes since 1996

 by Jayne Augoye

Jide Kosoko

JAYNE AUGOYE captures emotional moments at the inauguration of a health insurance programme for entertainers in Lagos

At the Nigerian Entertainment Industry Health Insurance Lecture Series, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, on Tuesday, some entertainment practitioners spoke about their most intimate struggles health-wise. One of such revelations came from popular actor and a national leader of the Association of Theatre Arts Practitioners, Prince Jide Kosoko.

While commenting on what he described as the nonchalant attitude of actors to healthcare, Kosoko shocked the gathering with a tale about his struggle with diabetes.

He said, “I have been living with diabetes since 1996 and I don’t look ill or take my health for granted. I am very close to my doctors. I keep the relationship sacred because they have really helped me in many ways. I have never fallen ill or had an emergency because I pay special attention to my diet and body.

“Many of these artistes don’t take their health seriously and it is a serious challenge for us. Sometime ago, an insurance company came to institute an insurance cover for the association and because they had dropped a huge amount of money, we simply asked all the members to pay a token of N1,000 each to have access to unlimited healthcare.

But you won’t believe that out of over 12,000 members, less than 800 indicated interest in the scheme and paid the money. Since it was not up to what was invested and required of us, so we had to jettison the idea. The government can also assist by ensuring strict compliance in line with enabling laws.”

On her part, Nollywood actress-turned singer, Jennifer Eloigu, expressed displeasure over what she described as her colleagues’ apathy to healthcare and other ‘serious issues’. She noted that the turnout was poor because it was not all about showing off shoes and bags or popping champagne the turnout is poor.

She said, “It’s unfortunate that artistes are seen as not being interested in serious issues that require intellect. We are not the most hit by the situation or ailment, but because we are in the public domain everything that concerns us is in the open for public scrutiny.

“The next man does not have genuine love or concern for you and you are scared to tell him when you have a headache. If we take insurance as we have been advised to do, artistes can save themselves the embarrassment whenever they need a life line to treat themselves.”

The session – organised in partnership with the National Health Insurance Scheme of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Medical Association – initially witnessed a large turn-out of Nollywood personalities, including Saidi Balogun, Kene Mkparu, Charles Novia, Kenneth Okolie, Yomi Fabiyi, Aishat Abimbol, Jennifer Eliogu and Bayo Alinko Bankole.

Hosted by comedian Julius Agwu, the evnt also had in attendance some music stars and stand-up comedians, such as Nikki Laoye, Gbenga Adeyinka, DJ Jimmy Jatt, OJB Jezerel, Audu Maikori, Cally Ikpe, Omawumi, Sunday Are, Chris Ubosi, Koffi, Adewale Ayuba, Daddy Showkey, Terry G, Lami Phillips, Tee A and Sheyman.

However, no sooner had the event started than some of the guests began to leave, while others simply resorted to granting interviews on the red carpet while the host, Agwu, begged them to return to the hall.

Some of the subjects discussed at the convention include the health implications of celebrity life styles, benefits of health insurance policies, and the role of government in health insurance policies.

In her remarks, the Managing Director of Avon HMO, Adesimbo Ukiri, said, “In recent times, the Nigerian entertainment sector has lost a number of its members due to health complications. The unfortunate thing is that some of these health complications are treatable. In some cases, the entertainers are forced to appeal to the public for funds to treat themselves. I think the entertainment and health insurance industries should work together to proffer solutions to this problem. Collaboration between the industries will surely put a stop to the needless deaths.”

On his part, the initiator of the project, Seun Apara, said, “Many newspapers and journals have written several degrading stories about our entertainers because of the much undignified and demeaning acts of soliciting funds whenever they are down with critical ailments. This act of begging has actually helped keep most of them alive, as it has culminated into generous donations from fans and government alike.

@punchng.com

Ghana protests over high cost of living

by bbc

Thousands of workers across Ghana have taken to the streets to protest about the rise in the cost of living.

The nationwide strike was organised by the country’s largest trade union congress.
It says the government is mismanaging the economy as inflation is running at close to 15%.
The protesters called for President John Dramani Mahama to restore the 23% subsidy that has been removed from petroleum products.
The national currency, the cedi, has depreciated against the US dollar by more than 27% this year.
BBC Africa’s Sammy Darko in the capital, Accra, says the slump in the currency has led to the price of consumer goods such as sugar and fuel.
Taxes have also gone up and utilities by more than 50%, he says.

Angry hooting

In Accra, the protesters, mainly clad in red, chanted, sang, danced and blew vuvuzelas amidst brass band music, for about four hours creating traffic jams in the city centre, he says.
One of the many hand-written placards they held read: “Somalia’s shilling is doing better than Ghana’s cedi”.
Leaders of the demonstration presented a four-page petition to Haruna Iddrisu, the minister of employment and labour relations.
The minister, surrounded by dozens of armed officers, tried to address the crowd which kept shouting and hooting through his address, our correspondent says.
He eventually found a megaphone to tell them that the government would work “fastidiously to invigorate the economy to make life easier not harder for the working people and citizens of Ghana”.
“You have made eloquent pronouncement of concerns through this act of demonstration… the placards you carry reflect a mirror some of your concerns,” he said.
But Mr Iddrisu said all Ghanaians would have to make “some sacrifices for the economy to recover”.

Paris bans pro-Palestinian protest after recent violence

by AFP

French police said Friday that a protest planned for the weekend in Paris against Israel’s Gaza offensive has been banned, following several similar rallies that turned violent.

Organisers of the rally scheduled for Saturday immediately lodged a legal challenge, their lawyer, Hosni Maati, said.

Three pro-Palestinian rallies, two of them which had been banned but took place anyway, degenerated earlier this month, with some protesters looting, hurling anti-Semitic slogans and clashing with police.

Car bomb kills three, wounds 36 in Thailand

by AFP

A car bomb exploded on Friday outside a hotel in insurgency-wracked southern Thailand, killing three people and wounding 36 others, police said.

“A car bomb went off in front of Holiday Hotel at around 4:00 pm (0900 GMT)”, Lieutenant Colonel Sophon Saisuree told AFP by telephone from Betong in Yala province.

Palestinian minister goes to ICC over Israel offensive

by AFP

A French lawyer said Friday he had lodged a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on behalf of the Palestinian justice minister accusing the Israeli army of “war crimes”.

More than 800 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched on July 8 in response to Hamas militants firing rockets into the Jewish state.

The complaint targets “war crimes committed by the Israeli army in June and July 2014 in Palestine” in the context of the operation known as Protective Edge, Gilles Devers told reporters.

“Israel, the occupying power, is carrying out a military operation which in principle and form violates the basis of international law,” he said.

“Every day new crimes are committed and over 80 percent of the victims are civilians. Children, women, hospitals, UN schools… the Israeli soldiers respect nothing.

“This is a military attack against the Palestinian population”

The Israeli offensive has left more than 5,200 Palestinians injured, according to emergency services in Gaza, and 33 Israeli soldiers and two civilians have died, too.

The Palestinian Authority, which has non-member observer state status at the United Nations, has not yet signed up to the Hague-based ICC, due to what Devers said were “political” quarrels over the Palestinians’ status.

But according to Devers, the complaint is still valid.

The UN Human Rights Council is launching a probe into Israel’s offensive in Gaza, with rights chief Navi Pillay saying the Jewish state’s military actions could amount to war crimes.

Afghan conflict: 15 killed in ‘Taliban attack’ on buses

by bbc

Suspected Taliban gunmen have killed 15 people who were travelling by road in the central Afghan province of Ghor.

The attackers stopped two minibuses overnight, ordered the passengers out and shot them dead, according to the province’s police chief.
The victims – including three women and a child – were from the minority Hazara community, which has been targeted by the Taliban in the past.
Growing numbers of civilians have been killed in Afghanistan this year.
According to the UN, nearly 5,000 civilians were killed in the first six months of 2014 – a rise of almost a quarter on the same period in 2013.
Abdul Hai Khatibi, a spokesman for the governor of Ghor province, told the AFP news agency that the attackers had “ordered all passengers to stand in one line, and then they shot them dead one by one”.
The spokesman is quoted as saying that one man managed to flee the attack. A newly married couple were among the dead.
Ghor province has been relatively stable and loyal to the government, says the BBC’s David Loyn in Kabul.
He says people across Afghanistan have been travelling before the festival of Eid, often choosing to move by night to avoid the heat of day.
On Thursday, gunmen in Afghanistan shot dead two Finnish women working for a Christian aid charity in the western city of Herat.
A local governor said the women had been travelling by taxi when gunmen on a motorcycle fired on their vehicle.
The attacks come at a tense time for Afghanistan.
The majority of foreign troops are preparing to leave by the end of the year, and votes are being rechecked in a fiercely disputed presidential election to choose a successor to Hamid Karzai.

West Bank protest against Gaza offensive turns deadly

by AFP

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian protester and wounded about 200 others on Thursday after clashes erupted as several thousand people demonstrated in the occupied West Bank against the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian medics said.

The protest erupted after allies of Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement marched from the West Bank city of Ramallah to the edges of Jerusalem to protest against Israel’s offensive against the Hamas militants that rule Gaza.

Nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Gaza operation, most of them civilians.

Israel Radio said the West Bank protest appeared to be the largest since the end of the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising.

The Israeli military confirmed that its troops had used “riot dispersal” methods against protesters, who threw rocks and firebombs at them and blocked a road with burning tyres.

Hospital officials earlier said three protesters had been killed, but revised that to one killed and three others in critical condition and on life support. Some 200 protesters were injured, a hospital doctor said.

Palestinian factions in the West Bank declared a “Day of Rage” after the Thursday night clashes, which took place around the West Bank and in some sectors of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Israeli troops have killed two other Palestinians this week in smaller confrontations in the West Bank, territory Israel captured along with Gaza in the 1967 war.

Protests were also reported in Jerusalem, where police confronted Palestinian protesters in and near the old walled city, including outside a flashpoint holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said several officers were injured by rocks thrown at them in Jerusalem and that about 20 protesters were arrested.

Ukraine, Middle East crises hit German business confidence

by AFP

The crises in Ukraine and the Middle East are eroding business confidence in Germany, Europe’s top economy, a key indicator showed on Friday.

The Ifo economic institute’s closely watched business climate index fell sharply to 108.0 points in July from 109.7 points in June — the third drop in a row, to the lowest level since October 2013.

Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a smaller dip, to 109.4 points.

“Current business was seen as less good than in June and the outlook for future business was again less optimistic,” the head of the Munich-based institute, Hans-Werner Sinn, said in a statement.

“Geopolitical tensions are putting strain on the German economy.”

Ifo calculates its headline index on the basis of companies’ assessments of current business and the outlook for the next six months.

The sub-index measuring current business slipped to 112.9 points from 114.8 points last month.

At the same time, the outlook sub-index fell to 103.4 points, a low point last seen in August 2013.

Wholesalers and retailers were particularly bearish, while companies in the construction industry were slightly less optimistic than in June.

Analysts said the report was cause for concern in Europe’s powerhouse economy.

“July’s drop in the German Ifo Business Climate Indicator is another worrying sign that the recovery may have passed its peak,” senior European economist Jennifer McKeown at Capital Economics in London said.

But she pointed to a relatively positive report on German consumer confidence Friday as a ray of hope.

“Together with signs of rising wage growth in recent pay negotiations, this could add to hopes of a long-awaited consumer revival,” she said.

Market research company GfK’s monthly survey of consumer sentiment came in at its highest level since December 2006, driven by rising income expectations.

“Despite an escalation in the situation in Israel and Ukraine, German consumers remain optimistic this summer,” GfK said.

Nigeria can defeat B’Haram, says Buhari

by Godwin Isenyo

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)
| credits: nairaland.com

A former military Head of State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), insisted on Thursday that Nigeria had the capacity to defeat the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic sect.

Buhari also noted that the sect’s activities should not be linked to Islam as being done in some quarters, adding that the sect could not have claimed to be fighting a religious cause when, they killed innocent people and destroyed worship places.

He said the earlier the Federal Government realize that the Boko Haram activities were not religious but terrorism, the better.

Buhari, who stated this while receiving the Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Yero, on a sympathy visit to him, said the sect could be crushed with the same zeal the 30-month old civil war that claimed over one million Nigerians was fought.

Buhari said, “When this question of Boko Haram started I’m sure it was on record that the first statement I made about 18 months ago was that no religion advocates what is happening. So basically it is not the case of religion or ethnicity when they kill children in schools in the North-East; they kill teachers; they burn churches , they burn mosques, they burn motor parks , they burn markets.

“Where is religion there? Where is ethnicity there? This is terrorism and I hope the government will come to grip with it. Nigeria is capable of dealing with this. We dealt with the civil war for 30 months we fought and we kept Nigeria one and God’s willing we are going to keep Nigeria one.”

Buhari, while commiserating with the families of those that died in the blast, said, “When I came out of the car there was blood on my dress I did not know how it came about because I did not have a scratch on my body but there were dead bodies all over the place. The security tried to move me to the other side and we just got one of the vehicles passing by and they brought me home.”

“I hope the law enforcement agencies and the chief executives of the states will succeed in securing the country. May God help us.” Meanwhile, Buhari said that he did not know the motive behind the attempt to assassinate him in the Wednesday blast that left scores of people dead.

Buhari noted that those who planned to eliminate him neither called him nor wrote him a letter to threaten his life before the foiled attempt on his life last Wednesday.

The former Nigerian leader, who spoke in an interview with the Hausa Service of the Voice of America monitored in Kaduna on Thursday, regretted the death of innocent people who were at the scenes of the twin blasts.

He said, “We were on our way then a car suddenly started to trail us and was trying to get close to my vehicle but the vehicle following mine did not allow that. When we reached Kawo, near the market, he had to wait for other vehicles coming from the other end. It was the right side of the market on the left side is the road coming into Kaduna before the overhead bridge.

“From the right side, they detonated the bomb but Allah saved us. The three vehicles on my convoy were affected. I came out unhurt but I saw many people on the ground, some were dead while others were seriously injured. My aides were injured but they were treated and discharged.

“Nobody had written me or called to threaten me. The incidence took me by surprise.”

@punchng.com

NFF members impeach Maigari, approve Keshi

by Pius Ayinor

Alhaji Aminu Maigari

The members of the board of the Nigeria Football Federation have impeached the President of the federation Alhaji Aminu Maigari. The former president was accused wrong financial dealings and maladministration.

The decision was taken at an Executive Committee meeting of the federation which was held on Thursday in Abuja. The First Vice-president, Mike Umeh was mandated to act as president pending new elections on August 26, 2014.

The meeting which had all 13 members including Maigari in attendance also agreed to open up negotiation leading to contract renewal for Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi.

The decisions of the members were communicated through two separate communiqués signed by the finance committee chairman Alhaji Muazu Suleyman and media committee chairman Emeka Inyama.

The first statement read in part, “…After thorough and exhaustive deliberations on the uncalled-for secrecy surrounding all financial dealings of the Federation and failure to call meeting of the Executive Committee for the past eight (8) months, during which so many weighty decisions on Nigeria football had been taken by a small cabal within the Board, the Executive Committee passed a vote of no confidence on the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.

“In view of the above, the Committee approved the immediate dismissal of Alhaji Aminu Maigari, from the NFF Executive Committee on grounds of financial misappropriation, misapplication and maladministration.

“The Committee resolved to mandate the First Vice President, Chief Mike Umeh as Acting President, to preside over the affairs of the Federation, pending the composition of the new NFF Executive Committee after the elections of Tuesday, 26th August, 2014.”

The members also agreed to hold an Emergency Congress in Abuja on July 31 to ratify the impeachment of Maigari.

The first move to forcibly remove Maigari through the court failed as the world football governing body FIFA suspended Nigeria from all international programmes. FIFA lifted the ban after the case was withdrawn from a Jos High Court.

The communiqué added that, “Henceforth, all financial issues with players and officials must be thoroughly deliberated upon and agreed ahead of major matches and competitions, to avoid the kind of embarrassment brought upon the nation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.”

The members then mandated the Technical Sub-Committee to open discussion with Super Eagles coach, Keshi, with a view to extending his contract. The Technical Sub-Committee is to report back to the Executive Committee within one week. The contract of Keshi ran out with the 2014 World Cup. The former Eagles captain had expressed his desire to earn double what he earned during the first deal with the federation. The coach earned N5m monthly through the period.

The NFF said that every opportunity would be explored to enable the Eagles play a friendly match on the FIFA window of August 13 as part of preparations for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.

@punchng.com

Explosion rocks Kano, US, Canada flay Kaduna attacks

by John Alechenu, Olusola Fabiyi, Sunday Aborisade, Adelani Adepegba, Godwin Isenyo and Enyioha Opara

Scene of the Kano motor park bombing.
| credits: AFP

As critiscisms continued to greet Wednesday’s twin bombings in Kaduna metropolis, an Improvised Explosive Device went off at the New Road Motor Park in Kano on Thursday.

But unlike the Kaduna blasts, which death toll has risen from 70 to 75, five persons died and eight were injured in the latest Kano incident. Some vehicles in the park were also damaged.

The Kano explosion led to a stampede as people struggled to leave the scene where 70 lives were lost in a similar blast last year.

The PUNCH gathered   the IED was conveyed in a refrigerator which was smuggled into the park by a cart pusher.

Eyewitness accounts indicated that the cart pusher was able to beat security at the motor gate because he packaged the refrigerator like a passenger luggage.

Kano State Commissioner of Police, Adelenre Shinaba, confirmed to   journalists at the scene that   five persons, including a woman, lost their lives to the blast.

Adding that   ‘‘eight others who were injured were taken to hospital for treatment,” he explained that the expolosive “went off at the point of loading the refrigerator to in a stationary vehicle.”

In Kaduna,   the state Commissioner for Information and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ben Bako, told journalists that five injured victims of the Kaduna explosions died on Wednesday night in hospitals where they were admitted.

“We have 37 victims currently receiving treatment in both the 44 Army Reference Hospital and the Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital, Tudun-wada, also in Kaduna. Thirty five victims are at the 44 Army Reference Hospital while two   are at the Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital,” Bako said.

A former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi, were the targets of the attacks carried out by lone bombers.

The incidents forced Governor   Mukhtar Yero   to impose a 24-hour curfew which was lifted on Thursday.

US, Canada condemn Kaduna bombings

US and Canada, in two separate statements on Thursday, called on the Federal Government to investigate the explosions.

They   also extended their sympathies to the injured and the families of the dead.

The US statement was signed by the Deputy Spokesperson,   Department of State, Marie Harf, while that of Canada was by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and   International Human Rights, Deepak Obhrai.

The US statement read, “We are also concerned by reports that these blasts may have also targeted a former Head of State, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

“We extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the dead victims . We call on Nigerian authorities to fully investigate these attacks, and we urge all Nigerians to avoid reprisals and continue to practise the interfaith cooperation that violent extremists seek to undermine.”

The Canadian government described the blasts as cowardly and urged that the perpetrators be brought to justice.

It said, “Canada condemns in the strongest terms the two terrorist attacks in Nigeria’s Kaduna region, which killed   innocent victims.

“These cowardly acts took place on one of the most important nights of Ramadan, and reports are that one of the bombs targeted a former Nigerian leader, Maj.Gen. Buhari.

“They also follow on the heels of Boko Haram’s brutal destruction of Damboa and recent attacks on Chibok, the hometown of the kidnapped schoolgirls.

“On behalf of all Canadians, I call for a swift justice for the perpetrators of this violence and offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims.”

Nigeria sliding into darkness –Northern govs

In Minna, Niger State, the Northern States Governors’ Forum lamented that Nigeria was gradually sliding into a dark period of uncertainty, fear and   mistrust.

The forum, in a statement by its   Chairman, Babangida Aliyu, said   that those who sponsored the series of blasts in the country should be dealt with to serve as a deterrent to others.

It     described the attacks as unfortunate, ungodly and a dastardly show of shame and advised that “the issue of security must therefore not be politicised.”

The group said, “It is indeed very unfortunate the twin blasts targeted at Gen. Buhari and Shiek Bauchi in Kaduna which led to the death of many innocent Nigerians. We must therefore realise that activities of terrorists have no limit and focus.

“Nigerians must therefore understand that there is no single person spared by the deadly terror organisation causing serious security challenge in the country.”

“We must therefore, as a people, come together and fight terrorism. We must not see it as the problem of a section of the country alone. The issue of security must   be given the attention it deserves as no one is spared in the onslaught by insurgents.”

While condoling with the families of the deceased, the NSGF prayed that Allah grants them Aljantu Firdaus.

It also thanked Allah for sparing the life of   Buhari and Bauchi, adding that they should see their escape as an opportunity to serve God and humanity better.

The   forum   also security operatives to investigate the incident and expose those behind the cowardly act.

We’ll hold FG responsible if anything happens to Buhari –APC govs

Fifteen opposition party governors under the aegis of the Progressives Governors’ Forum have said they would hold     the Federal Government   responsible should anything happen to   Buhari.

The governors condemned Wednesday’s twin explosions in Kaduna, the loss of innocent lives, and what they described as a clear assassination attempt on   Buhari.

The forum said this in a statement   issued by its Chairman, Rochas Okorocha, and all its members in Abuja.

According to the PGF, the   attack on the former head of state was coming just two days after he urged President Goodluck Jonathan to stop waging war on Nigerians and to devote more time and energy to the war against terrorism.

The attack on Buhari, according to them,   confirms their belief   that the APC   leaders are   no longer safe.

The statement partly read, “For the avoidance of doubt, we shall hold the Federal Government responsible for any further attempts on the life of Gen. Buhari and other APC leaders.

“The PGF also lends its voice to   Buhari’s statement to President Jonathan that it is unwise and against the spirit of social democracy that so many innocent lives should be lost simply in the quest to demobilise the APC and retain power at all cost.”

They   called on the Federal Government to take urgent steps to investigate the Kaduna attacks and make the   findings public.

The governors also urged the President to manage his obsession with power well by working for the good of all   Nigerians.

The PGF   described as a great shame that Nigeria, under Jonathan, had become the most dangerous place in the world in terms of deadly terrorist attacks.

The governors   said they were also worried by the statement credited to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, that soldiers were deserting the Army for fear of Boko Haram.

They said, “Our question is what happened to the vast sums of money devoted to security and defence in the last four years of the Jonathan presidency and is the desertion of soldiers linked to the theft of monies meant for military equipment?”

FG’s theory on B’Haram up in flames, says APC

The APC on Thursday also   said   the attack on Buhari had changed the theory about Boko Haram   and knocked the bottom off the sinister, irresponsible and partisan colouration given to   insurgency by the Federal Government.

It said while no one had claimed responsibility for the Kaduna attacks, the mere fact that they occurred at all amounted to a lose-lose situation for the Jonathan administration.

The party’s reaction was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It said, “Whether it is Boko Haram or not, one thing remains: This government has failed woefully in its core constitutional duty of protecting the security and welfare of the citizenry. And we mean all the citizens, not just the leaders.

‘‘And contrary to the simplistic and clearly selfish portrayal of the Boko Haram insurgency as a sinister plot to bring down the government of Jonathan, it should now be clear to the government that has engaged in ceaseless finger-pointing instead of tackling the insurgency headlong that Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria and of all of humanity.

‘‘It is a real problem that is capable of consuming this country if immediate and urgent steps are not taken now by the government to move away from its politicisation of the crisis, its decision to use it as a trump card for President Jonathan’s re-election and exploit it as a ticket to international relevance for the President. If anything untoward had happened to Gen. Buhari on Wednesday, the consequences are only better imagined than witnessed.

‘‘If indeed the APC is behind Boko Haram and Gen. Buhari is a sympathiser of the evil group, as the Federal Government wants the world to believe, could it be that the insurgents do not know their leaders or sympathisers, assuming they are behind the attacks? If they are not responsible for the attacks, doesn’t that support the theory in some circles that Boko Haram has become a franchise, hence there is the Boko Haram of Abubakar Shekau and the political Boko Haram?

‘‘Whatever happens now, the satanic and repulsive theory of the PDP-led Federal Government that the opposition APC is using Boko Haram to truncate the administration of Jonathan is up in flames.”

It said that   Jonathan must immediately stop the wasteful contract he signed with the US-based firm Levick to help demonise it (APC) as the sponsor of Boko Haram, and to demonise any Nigerian who is perceived to be an enemy of the government.

The APC however   sent its condolences to the families of the victims of the blasts and prayed that God would give them the much-needed strength to bear the loss of their loved ones.

Also on Thursday, the Peoples Democratic Party described the blasts as dastardly and unfortunate.

It sympathised with Buhari, saying it was now apparent that terrorists were capable of attacking anybody in the country.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement said the ruling party, while mourning the dead, “joins all well-meaning Nigerians in thanking God for saving the lives of Gen. Buhari (retd.) and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi whose convoys were affected in the incident.”

“We sincerely sympathise with Gen. Buhari. Our hearts go out to him and all those affected in these wicked attacks”, Metuh added.

Stating that the PDP was shocked by the development, Metuh   reiterated PDP’s call on all Nigerians to unite against acts of terrorism irrespective of ethnic, political and religious affiliations.

“It has become clear that anybody could be a target,” he said and advised opposition leaders to be careful with their utterances regarding the explosions.

The party also charged security agencies to ensure a thorough investigation of the attacks and to   intensify their efforts in the fight against insurgency in Nigeria.

Mark, Ekweremadu react

The Senate President, David Mark, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, lamented in Abuja that the unabating destruction of lives and property was compounding Nigeria’s woes.

They appealed to terrorists to hearken to the voices of reason and embrace dialogue which the present administration consistently offer.

Mark’s reaction was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Paul Mumeh, while that of Ekweremadu was in another   statement his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Uche Anichukwu.

Mark said, “This recourse to bestiality without human feeling any more is what cannot be contemplated or tolerated in a decent society.

“There are a lot of channels, including the law courts or the National Assembly, for any aggrieved person or group of persons to seek redress.”

Ekweremadu said, “This is another desperation to aggravate and exploit the nation’s fault lines. They have attacked churches to set Christians at war with their Muslim brethren, but without success.

“They unleashed terror on the mosques to set the country aflame, but that too did not work. Thus the unsuccessful attacks on major opposition and religious leaders were yet another heinous plot.”

Kaduna gov visits Buhari

Gov. Yero on Thursdday   visited Buhari, the injured victims and the scenes of the explosions.

Buhari told the governor that the Kawo attack was a targeted assassination at him.

He, however, commended the government, security operatives and rescue team for their prompt response.

The former head of state urged government to expedite action towards addressing the country’s security challenge.

Yero had earlier said the visit was on behalf of the state government and the entire people of the state.

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Confab delegates won’t sign final report unless… –Investigation

by Olusola Fabiyi

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria and chairman of the conference, retired Justice Idris Kutigi
| credits: File copy

Delegates at the National Conference are planning not to sign the final report of the conference unless they are given copies to read before they would append their signatures on it.

Investigations by our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday showed that the delegates felt that they needed to see the details of the reports.

Already, some of the delegates were said to have agreed that this condition must be met before they would append their signature to the conference’s final report.

It was leant that the promoters of this demand might have been influenced by some delegates who were not happy with some of the decisions arrived at during the debates on the reports of the 20 committees of the conference.

Some of the delegates were afraid that some contentious issues that were not agreed on or not favourable to them, could be inserted in the final report.

One of such decisions was the issue of derivation, which spilt the delegates during the plenary, as those from the northern part of the country said they would not support its increment from 13 to 18 per cent.

The northern delegates were asking that five per cent from the Federation Account be also set aside as National Intervention Fund for the reconstruction of the northern part of the country, which they said had been destroyed by the activities of terrorists.

While the northern delegates insisted that the fund must be enjoyed by the three zones in the region, which are North-East, North-West and North-Central, the southern delegates were of the opinion that the fund must be made available to all the zones in the country.

They also said the administration of the fund must start with the North-East, a proposal that was not favourably disposed to by the southern delegates.

This division made the Chairman of the conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, to announce on the day the plenary closed, that the issue of derivation and the intervention fund would be left for the Federal Government to determine.

“Conference therefore recommends that government should set up a technical committee to determine appropriate percentage for the three issues and advised government accordingly,” Kutigi had said.

It was issues like this that made the northern delegates to say that they would insist that the complete report must be made available for them before they would agree to sign it.

The spokesperson for the delegates, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday, said there was no way the delegates would be forced to sign.

He said, “Up till now, they have not told us how the report would be. They just asked us to report, like school children, on August 4. The leadership is so disorganised and may not know what to do.

“There are issues we did not agree on apart from the issue of derivation, and I’m saying that nobody can force us to sign what we have not read or go through or issues we even disagreed on substantially.

“Neither Kutigi nor Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi can force us to do that. We are waiting for them to bring their joker.”

A delegate from the South-South region, Mr. Paul Enebeli, also said that the delegates were yet to be briefed on the way the report would be presented.

But he said the delegates might demand for the records of proceedings at the plenary to enable them to study issues that were discusse and were agreed on or rejected.

“We need sufficient time to go through the reports. But we have requested for verbatim reports of the proceedings during the plenary,” he added.

Another delegate, who is a former President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said it would be wrong for the northern delegates to insist on the five cent intervention fund.

He said the money for the reconstruction of the zone was the one the Federal Government had asked the Gen. Theophilus Danjuma committee on Victims Support Fund to raise.

He also added that the intervention fund been demanded by the delegates from the North could also make their counterparts from other parts of the country to make similar demand.

Arogundade said, “What do they want to do with that again? The N30bn that the Danjuma Committee has been charged to raise is enough. We should not encourage all these kinds of issues to be coming up. Why did you think our brothers from the eastern part of the country are also asking for money to be paid for the victims of civil war?”

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Why we’re slow in rescuing Chibok girls —Presidency

by Eniola Akinkuotu

Dr. Doyin Okupe

The Presidency has explained why it has been slow to rescue the over 200 schoolgirls that were abducted by terrorists in Chibok, Borno State over 100 days ago.

While speaking at Chatham House lecture series held at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said “the need to avoid a repeat of the 2004 experience when 300 children were killed in an attempt by Russians to free hostages held by Chechens in the North Caucasus region of Russia was responsible for the seemingly slow process of freeing the Chibok girls.”

Okupe, who spoke on the topic titled, “Priorities and Progress in Nigeria: Imperatives for stability and Growth,” on Thursday, said the military and other security agencies as well as their international allies are capable of rescuing the kidnapped girls from their abductors but would rather weigh all options to ensure that they were brought back alive.

The presidential aide described tackling the current insecurity in the North-East as the priority of the Federal Government and lamented that the various acts of insurgency were slowing down growth in other equally important sectors of the economy.

He said, “We are taking advantage of the offers from our international military and intelligence allies to get a greater understanding of the landscape and identify key locations. We are working with our neighbours to secure the borders and limit the movements of the Boko Haram fighters, building on the agreements reached at the recent summits in Paris and London.”

He added that government was also working on blocking domestic and international sources of funds for the insurgents group.

Speaking further, Okupe maintained that since Nigeria attained independence, no administration had done as much as the Jonathan administration in guaranteeing food sufficiency, better power output, effective transport and economic stability.

He said, “Consequent upon the faithful implementation of the transformation agenda, by the end of 2013, Nigeria’s non-oil exports had increased tenfold over two years, reaching almost $3bn from $276m in 2011. Nigeria is once again the world’s largest producer of cassava, a major raw material in the European and Asiatic food markets, and also accounted for thirty six per cent of the total global cocoa exports in 2013.”

@punchng.com