Jos: Jonathan Deploys Troops Across the North – Thisday

The Federal Government has moved to prevent total breakdown of law and order following renewed fighting in Jos, Plateau State.

Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday ordered the deployment of troops in the troubled areas, while states in Northern Nigeria have been placed on red alert.

This comes as the Governor of Plateau State, David Jonah Jang, imposed a 24-hour curfew to stop violence from spiralling out of control.

Also, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ogbonna Onovo, has moved to Jos for on-the-spot assessment.
Besides, the Red Cross said some 4,000 people had been displaced, while bodies littered the streets.

The riot, which broke out last Sunday following a misunderstanding between a Muslim and a Christian, was initially contained.
But fresh crisis erupted in other parts including Bukuru in Jos North Local Government Area yesterday leading to the arrest of 168 persons.

Ibrahim Tahir dies in Cairo – Daily Trust

One of the most erudite scholars to come out of Northern Nigeria, the Talban Bauchi Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim, died in an Egyptian hospital in Cairo yesterday after a protracted illness, family sources said in Bauchi.

He was 71. Although the nature of his illness was not disclosed, Daily Trust learnt that Tahir suffered from diabetes for many years and was hospitalised at the National Hospital, Abuja for more than a year in 2006-2007.

His remains are expected to be flown into the country today for a burial in Bauchi, according to Muslim rites.

Beauty queen launches campaign against VVF in North – Daily Trust

Parents have been advised to avoid giving out their underage daughters in marriage to check cases of Vesico Virginal Fistula (VVF) which is common in Northern Nigeria.

The Queen of Aso 2009 Miss Jennifer Uju Igwegbe gave the advice in Abuja yesterday during a visit to the corporate headquarters of Media Trust.  Miss Igwegbe whose office is organizing a national sensitization campaign on VVF in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and NTA International on Friday December 4 2009, said she chose the VVF campaign as a pet project because of her ardent desire to help give better life to the girl-child and sensitise people on the dangers of under age marriage and the effects of VVF.

She said as a result of the prevalence of the disease in the north, the project would first target the 19 northern states with Bauchi, Kano, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara as the initial target states.
“VVF is a very silent disease because of the stigma attached to it, once a young girl is married and gets it, there is always the danger of their husbands leaving them for other wives. We want to sensitize people on the dangers and let victims know that’s not the end of life. Victims should try as much as possible to access medical care to get back their lives, parents should not give out their kids for marriage, it’s like destroying the child”, she said. Jennifer said statistics derived from the campaign in the aforementioned states would be used in inputs to help check the disease across the country. According to her, first lady, Hajia Turai Yar’adua is expected to be the mother of the day with a key note address by Health Minister Prof. Babatunde Oshotimehin, while Commissioners for Health and Women Affairs from various states as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs Hajia Amina Mohammed Zubair are also to attend.  Twenty-one year old Jennifer is a 200 Level Law student in the University of Abuja.  Experts say VVF is an abnormal connection between the bladder and vagina. It is caused by injury to the urinary tract, basically occurring during labour. The disease is known to cripple women both socially and physically.   Jennifer appealed to government and well-meaning organisations to assist her campaign to succeed for the benefit of the girl-child.

Ahmadu Bello was killed by renegade soldiers – Gowon – Daily Trust

Forty- four years after the premier of Northern Nigeria, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was slain in a botched coup, former Head of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon, said yesterday that his killers were renegade soldiers.

Regretting the fact that the legend and one of the founding fathers of Nigeria was felled by the bullets from men of his profession, the former Head of State disclosed that the act denied the country quality leadership, adding that he was killed just before embarking on full implementation of his giant ideas for the region and Nigeria as a whole.

“Unfortunately”, he said, “it was members of my profession that cut down the life of the Sardauna, but those who did it were renegade soldiers and it is worthy of note that the coup was an unfortunate incident in Nigeria’s history. It is time to immortalize Sardauna because the founding father led the country with absolute heart of commitment to make Nigeria a great country in the community of nations”.

Shake-up in Civil Service – North loses top permsecs, directors – Daily Trust

The new tenure system for federal permanent secretaries, directors and deputy directors is leading to a massive retirement of officers from the North and will draw the region 25 years back in the civil service, according to documents obtained by Daily Trust.

Under the new system, which has already been approved by President Umaru Yar’adua at the instance of Head of Service Stephen Oronsaye, permanent secretaries, directors and deputy directors in the federal civil service will have a maximum of eight years in office, irrespective of their ages and years in the service. The system will take off on January 1, according to a circular issued in Abuja yesterday.

Nine of the serving federal permanent secretaries have already been asked to begin retirement preparations under the new arrangement. All the nine are Northerners. Also, 160 of the 223 officers to be affected at director and deputy director level are from the North. This will effectively drag the North 25 years back in the service, a senior government official told Daily Trust.

Nigerian Islamic sect leader killed in detention – Reuters

The leader of a radical Islamic sect in northern Nigeria has been killed in police detention hours after being captured by the security forces, a police spokesman said on Thursday.

Security forces captured militant preacher Mohammed Yusuf, whose Boko Haram sect has been responsible for clashes which have killed more than 180 people in recent days, after a manhunt involving military helicopters and armed police.

A Reuters reporter saw Yusuf at a military barracks in the northern city of Maiduguri after his capture. Yusuf had no visible injuries and was standing up. He was later transferred to the city’s police headquarters where he died.