Lagos, Nigeria - The war in Mali, to which other West African countries have contributed troops to assist Bamako, the bribe-for-job scandal and the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), beginning in South Africa on Saturday, were the major stories in Nigeria this week. 'Nigeria goes to war in Mali', was the screaming headline in the NATION which reported that Nigeria is deploying 1,200 troops in Mali, where a war is raging to flush out insurgents from the north.
The paper said President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday got the Senate’s nod for the deployment, which is to stave off the incursion of terrorists, who are already troubling some northern states in Nigeria through the Boko Haram.
The Nigerian troops so deployed will serve in the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) for “limited combat duties”.
Jonathan’s request for the Senate approval was contained in a nine-paragraph letter entitled “Notification to the Senate on the deployment of members of the Armed Forces on a limited combat duty to
Mali and request for consent”.
The INDEPENDENT, with the headline 'Senate backs Jonathan on Mali', reported that the Senate on Thursday threw its weight behind President Jonathan’s decision to deploy 1,200 Nigerian troops in Mali for limited combat duties.
President of the Senate, David Mark, told his colleagues that the President’s request was in order and then threw the question to the plenary which approved it with a thunderous ‘Yea’ response.
Mark said because of the nature of the crisis in Mali, if Nigeria did not intervene on its own, “the rest of the world will ask us to intervene”.
According to him, Nigeria is not only a big brother in ECOWAS but also a big brother in the African continent.
While the GUARDIAN treated the story under the headline, 'We’re under security threat, says Jonathan', the PUNCH called it 'Mali-trained terrorists in Nigeria – Army chief'.
The PUNCH quoted the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubike Ihejirika, as saying 'In spite of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country, Nigerian security agencies now have a fresh challenge to contend with -- the presence of suspected terrorists, believed to have been trained by Malian rebels, in Nigeria.'
Boko Haram terrorists, like the Malian Islamist rebels, he said, have for years held the northern part of Nigeria by the jugular, killing and maiming people, especially Christians in their quest to Islamize Nigeria.
He said that internal security was being intensified to track them down.
THISDAY newspaper treated the job scandal story under the headline 'Senate Begins Probe into Bribe-for-Job Scandal'. It said that the Senate on Wednesday mandated its Committees on Federal Character and Employment, Labour and Productivity to begin investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption in the employment processes in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) as well as Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government with a view to bringing culprits to book. The committee has eight weeks to conclude its assignment.
This came as Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), while buttressing the allegations of bribe-for-job scams in the public sector, disclosed how one of his constituents was asked to pay 200,000 Naira (about US$ 1,300) to secure a job in an agency.
With the headline 'Senate uncovers Abuja job racket', the SUN reported that some Senators had revealed how a syndicate that specialized in employment racketeering, fleeced Nigerians of amounts ranging between 400,000 Naira (about US$ 2,6000) and 500,000 Naira (about US$ 3,300) to secure jobs in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs).
The Senators alleged that the syndicate, based in Gwagwalada, Karu and other places in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is working for the heads of the MDAs.
The NATION headline on the job scandal story was 'Senate probes sharp practices in MDAs'.
Also during the week, the papers highlighted President Jonathan's assurances that Nigeria will not disintegrate.
The GUARDIAN treated that story under the headline 'Nigeria won’t break up, says Jonathan'. According to the paper, President Jonathan on Sunday gave the assurance that the country would not break up despite the activities of a few selfish individuals or groups, saying that despite inciting remarks from certain politicians about the possibility of Nigeria disintegrating sooner than later, they would be disappointed as the nation would remain a united entity.
The president made the observation during the Inter-Denominational Church Service to mark the 2013 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebrations at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.
The NATION carried a similar headline on the story, saying 'Nigeria won’t disintegrate, says Jonathan' while the SUN called it 'Jonathan rubbishes doomsday prophecies… Says Nigeria won’t break up.'
But the VANGUARD, quoting former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ran the same story with the headline 'Avoid war in Nigeria, Obasanjo tells leaders'.
On the 2013 AFCON, beginning on Saturday in South Africa, the INDEPENDENT and the SUN ran stories predicting failure for the Super Eagles.
'This Eagles won’t fly in South Africa – Akpoborie' says the INDEPENDENT on Sunday. It said former Super Eagles striker, Jonathan Akpoborie, is not considering the Super Eagles as one of the
favourites to win the 29th Africa Cup of Nations.
“Because football is not Mathematics, it is possible for the Super Eagles to win but at the same time they could crash out in the first round,” was his reply to the question, 'Can Nigeria win the cup?'
Akpoborie is of the view that despite being in charge for the past 13 months there has not been much improvement in the Stephen Keshi-led tactical setup.
The SUN also ran the same story under the headline 'Akpoborie’s shocker! Eagles no longer favourites'. But Keshi responded, screaming 'This team, as good as ‘94 squad'.
Earlier in the week, the papers were awash with stories on the return of the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, to hospital abroad. The NATION captioned its story 'First Lady leaves for Germany', reporting that Mrs. Jonathan left the country for Germany on Monday.
The First Lady was away in Germany for about a month last year. She was said to be seriously ill, with many alleging that she was suffering from various ailments.
She returned to the country on 14 October, 2012, to a rousing welcome by her family and aides.
THISDAY published the story under the headline 'First Lady Off to Germany for Medical Check-up'.
'Hike fuel price, prepare for mass protest, SNG dares FG' was the headline of a story in the TRIBUNE in which the 'SAVE Nigeria Group (SNG)' on Monday dared the Federal Government to increase the pump price of petrol like it did a year ago and be prepared to witness the mass anger of Nigerians.
The convener of the group, Pastor Tunde Bakare, made the vow while the group was celebrating its first anniversary with the theme: “Nigeria’s Fiscal and Monetary Crisis: The Way Forward.”
The SNG formation was occasioned by the protests across the country precipitated by the fuel price increase announced in January 2012 by the government of President Jonathan.
Bakare said the protests that followed the fuel hike no doubt had their gains, despite the fact that petrol price was not reverted to its original price.
According to him, part of the gains of the protests was that Nigerians were able to shed the toga of docility and challenge the authorities on policies and pronouncements not in their favour.
Pana 20/01/2013