QPR owner Fernandes to stand by Redknapp

London - Loyalty and football are two words that do not often go together, but after watching his side climb off the bottom of the Premier League table with victory over Aston Villa, Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes is standing by manager Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp has come under pressure after his side won just once in their opening eight games but Charlie Austin's double against Villa on Monday helped lift the spirits at 19th-placed QPR.

Fernandes believes stability is key in QPR's battle against the drop and cited the example of West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce, who looked set to lose his job last season but has now guided a new-look team to fourth in the Premier League table.

"I believe stability is the best way," Fernandes told Sky Sports on Tuesday. "If you look at the clubs who have succeeded, they have had consistency in managers.

"This time last season, everyone wanted Sam Allardyce's head. Now, I think they will put a statue of him at the Olympic Park.

"Harry is my man. It is not in vogue to say that, but I stand by my manager."

According to media reports, talks over a new contract with Redknapp have been shelved but Fernandes hopes the 67-year-old remains at Loftus Road, after guiding them back to the Premier League last season.

"It's up to Harry whether he wants to continue as well," he said. "I hope, if he decides management is not for him next year, or the year after, or whenever, then he still has a role.

"Harry is a man who was tipped to be England manager, and he got us promoted.

"You look at how many clubs have gone down and not come (straight) back up. I think QPR are one of the few clubs to have come up."

Jonathan Brushes Off Scandal

Abuja - Not many presidents could survive three
multi-billion dollar government oil corruption
scandals and a wave of cold-blooded killings and
kidnappings of civilians bymilitants still holding
hundreds of schoolgirls after six months.
President Goodluck Jonathan has not only
survived, he will seek re-election in February
stronger than ever, after five years in a job no one
expected him to get.
Jonathan's support base within the ruling party is
now unchallenged, a rare feat for the often
fractious People's Democratic Party (PDP), while
the main opposition APC coalition is split
between two contestants for the presidency.
The government announced a ceasefire with Boko
Haram rebels 10 days ago, ahead of talks in
neighbouring Chad to secure the release of more
than 200 girls seized from Chibok village in April
in an abduction that shocked the world.
If the talks are successful it would help the
president's image. But nothing has come of it yet
and violence has since surged, with dozens more
children kidnapped.
Jonathan has defended his overstretched
military's efforts against a Boko Haram
insurgency that has killed thousands. In the case
of the failure to free the schoolgirls, he has said
any rescue attempt would endanger their lives.
Also Read: Every day Jonathan ceases to fire
Meanwhile, apart from the security challenges, his
government also has been best by corruption
allegations.
A parliamentary report detailed a $6.8bn fuel
subsidy fraud. A government investigation
revealed corrupt cut price crude sales to oil
majors that cost the treasury billions. And a
former central banker has reported that between
$10 an $20bn had been diverted by the state oil
firm over 18 months between 2012 and last year.
The government pledged to investigate the first
two cases and denied the third.
Patronage
Last month, South Africa froze two payments
from the Jonathan administration totalling $15m
that it suspected were for illegal arms deals.
Nigeria said the deals were legal.
Yet it is a testament to Nigeria's complex mix of
ethnic rivalry, patronage and intense competition
for centralised oil wealth in Africa's top producer
that Jonathan can brush off these various
scandals and attract a high level of support.
Jonathan, a Christian southerner, was an
accidental president, taking over in 2009 after
President Umaru Yar'adua, a Muslim from the
north, died from illness.
When Jonathan was elected to his own term in
2011, many in the north resented his decision to
run, believing he had torn up an unwritten rule
that power should rotate between mainly Muslim
north and mainly Christian south every two terms.
Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, who
lost to Jonathan in 2011, and defected PDP ex-
vice president Atiku Abubakar are vying for the
opposition APC ticket. Both launched bids in the
past month, focusing on security and graft.
Roddy Barclay, senior Africa analyst at Control
Risks, a political risk consultancy, sees two
"principle factors for Jonathan's robust position in
spite of the scandals and failings which have
rocked his government".
"Firstly, the primacy of money and patronage in
determining electoral outcomes in Nigeria," means
an incumbent gets a huge advantage, and second,
"the opposition lacks steadfast unity".
That marks a big change from less than a year
ago. In December it was the PDP that was in
crisis. Thirty seven lawmakers defected to the
APC that month, demolishing the PDP's lower
house majority. Rotimi Amaechi, powerful
governor of the oil hub state of Rivers, also
defected.
The same month, Jonathan's mentor and PDP
Godfather, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, wrote
a scathing letter saying it would be "fatally
morally flawed" for Jonathan to seek re-election
in 2015 because of corruption under his rule.
Jonathan called the intervention "unjustifiable and
indecorous".
Nigerian party politics
Ten months on and the APC has failed to
capitalise. It has not agreed on a presidential
candidate and several disillusioned APC figures
have flipped to the PDP, underscoring the fluid
nature of Nigerian party politics.
They include popular two-term ex-governor of
Kano state Ibrahim Shakarau, a Buhari rival, and
former anti-corruption chief Nuhu Ribadu, denying
the APC a strong anti-graft platform, although
Buhari still has strong anti-corruption credentials.
In June, the APC then lost a governorship election
in southwestern Ekiti state to the ruling party.
"The opposition is cannabalising itself. Its top
elites are vying against one another. That's a
glide path for President Jonathan," said Eurasia
Group's Philippe de Pontet.
"Had the APC sustained its momentum from 5-6
months ago ... we'd be in a different world."
On 2 December, the dynamic could shift when the
party picks its candidate. Buhari earned a
reputation for cracking down on corruption during
his time in power in 1983-85, and most Nigerians
agree he did not use the post to enrich himself,
but it is not clear whether he would win votes
from APC supporters in the south.
The emotional conflict felt by Barrister Isaac
Matthew illustrates Jonathan's staying power.
Driven by the plight of the schoolgirls to leave a
court case he was defending to join protesters
demanding more action to rescue them, he says
Jonathan bears ultimate responsibility since
"leaders are supposed to protect their people".
"I'm still probably going to vote for him," he said,
citing Jonathan's concentration of power and
some works Matthew said had greatly improved
the road network.
"The opposition has no credible candidate to
stand against him. Not Atiku [Abubakar] and not
Buhari."
The power sector is also under improvement, but
that may not draw votes since the supply in one
of the world's most electricity-starved countries
has fallen in the short term.
Expectations moderate
Many voters are likely to see the Boko Haram
insurgency, which only affects the remote
northeast apart from occasional bomb attacks in
the capital or other cities, as just one problem in
their large, diverse country.
"Expectations in the electorate are fairly modest
and they are hugely disenfranchised, despite ...
years of civilian rule," said Antony Goldman, head
of Nigeria-focused PM Consulting.
"You don't need to be popular or successful in
conventional terms to win an election in Nigeria,"
he said, although he added that no president had
managed to stay popular after four years in office,
and the APC had yet to present a clear
alternative.
One issue that has not yet played an important
role is Ebola, rampant in some other West African
states. A mixture of luck and impressively
decisive action has meant Africa's most populous
country was able to avoid a potentially
devastating epidemic after a Liberian brought it to
the megacity of Lagos, but the virus could still
come back to plague Nigeria, with unpredictable
political consequences.
Jonathan's assumed decision to run has widened
a divide between elites in Nigeria's south and
north because of a feeling in the north that it is
still their "turn" to rule.
That makes violence likely, especially if the poll is
close. In 2011, more than 800 were killed and 65
000 displaced in three days of violence after
Jonathan beat Buhari in the poll.
If Buhari, now 71, gets the ticket but loses the
election again, his supporters may have less
reason to end the mayhem so quickly if they
sense he has missed his last chance.

Chilex (Inspillex) Is Plus One Today

Today isn't a day I am worth seeing but the lord
has made it a bonus for me in my life despite my
sins, my sinful jokes and lot's more..... Lord God
on this day and my days to come I owe you the
credits Co's not even my mother can do this
neither can the reader do it for me but you did it
without taking permission from anyone..... HBD to
ME, MYSELF and I!!!!!!!!!! HURRAY HURRAY
HURRAY BABA GOD NA YOU SURE PASS.

Cease Fire Collapses As Army Fights Back

The Nigerian troops seem to have abandoned
the ceasefire between the Federal Government
and Boko Haram as they killed 25 insurgents
in Damboa, Borno State on Sunday.
Boko Haram was the first to abandon the
ceasefire when it attacked two communities in
Borno and Adamawa states.
Damboa was for several days in July under the
control of the insurgents who killed some
soldiers, including a Lieutenant Colonel. They
had also hoisted their flag in the community
which is only about 85 kilometres away from
Maiduguri.
The military however succeeded in chasing them
but on Sunday night, the terrorists staged a
comeback but were overpowered by the “military
during an exchange of gunfire.”
Boko Haram had on Friday, the day the Chief of
Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal, Alex Badeh,
announced the ceasefire, attacked Shafa and
Sina in Borno and Adamawa states.
Just as the attacks were viewed as a breach of
the ceasefire, the insurgents struck again in
Borno State where they captured Abadam village
and beheaded six people on the Biu-Garkida
Road on Sunday.
A military source was however quick to dismiss
the belief that attacks by the insurgents
amounted to a collapse of the ceasefire.
He had said, “One cannot say the peace deal has
been violated; it is the nature of most terrorist
organisations to act that way, and it should be
expected because they have several layers of
operation.’’
But findings on Sunday by The PUNCH had
revealed that the Federal Government might have
entered into the deal with a faction of the group
interested in ending the insurgency in the North-
East.
A Federal Government team is to meet on
Tuesday(today) with representatives of the sect
in Ndjamena to conclude the talks being
brokered by Chadian President Idris Deby.
The military source, who spoke with our
correspondent on the Damboa incident, said
there was no way the troops on the ground
would have watched the militants overrun the
community without confronting them.
“Since we just couldn’t watch them overrun the
town again, we engaged them in crossfire,’’ he
said.
The source, who did not want his name in print
because he was not authorised to speak on the
development, added, “We were able to effectively
repel them. Twenty five of them were killed
during the heavy shoot-out. We also recovered
several arms and ammunition as well as a
Buffalo Armoured Personnel Carrier which they
abandoned in the heat of the confrontation that
lasted some hours.”
He was however silent on the casualty figure.
In Maiduguri, a vigilante member, Abba
Mohammed, told The PUNCH that the
insurgents invaded the already deserted Damboa
at about 5pm on Sunday.
He said, “Some of our members in Damboa
informed us early this (Monday) morning that
the attack was repelled and that more than two
dozen insurgents were killed.
“We were told that the insurgents came from the
direction of Sambisa Forest Reserve and drove in
several pickup vans and vehicles that looked like
APC.
“They engaged the military in a massive shoot-
out for some hours but when about 25 of them
were killed, they had to pull back towards the
direction they came from.”
Despite this, the Borno State chapter of the
Christian Association of Nigeria on Monday said
it welcomed the truce talks between the Federal
Government and Boko Haram.
It said in a communiqué issued at the end of
its three-day fasting and prayer for Christians
that the breach of the ceasefire by the
insurgents should not deter the government
from following it to a logical conclusion.
The state CAN Chairman, Rev. Titus Pona, who
read the statement said since the insurgents had
expressed their desire for peace, government
must take advantage of it by playing along.
He said, “We the Christian faithful in Borno State
commend the Federal Government for agreeing
with the Jama’atul Ahalis Sunna Lida’awati
popularly called the Boko Haram for a ceasefire.
‘‘We are happy with the ceasefire, although we
heard some reports suggesting attacks by some
suspected insurgents lately. We believe it is only
a faction that is not interested in the peace
process.
‘‘We assume that the Chibok girls and other
people in their captivity are alive and well.
“We pray that the offer for ceasefire will be stuck
to and come to reality in order to have the
abducted ones released and for an end to the
insurgency ravaging Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
states and other parts of the country.’’

Man Abandons Children In Boarding School For Eight Years

Three children abandoned in a boarding school in
Abule-Iroko in the Ado-Odo Ota Local
Government Area of Ogun State are longing to
meet their parents who have abandoned them for
eight years.
When PUNCH Metro visited Solid Model College,
the children recounted their ordeal, noting that
the absence of their parents was affecting their
studies.
Seun Adepegba, 14,Seyi, 10 and Titilola, 13, had
been severed from parental love and care since
infanthood. After waiting for eight years, they
seemed to have relinquished all hopes of
reuniting with their parents.
It was learnt that their tale of sorrow began in
2007 when their father, Mr Segun Adepegba, who
had been separated from their mother, enrolled
them in the boarding school because he could
not afford to take care of them.
According to the proprietor of the school, Mr
Samuel Ayegbusi, Adepegba came to enroll them
in his school on September 24, 2007 with a
promise to always check on them.
He said, “Mr. Adepegba told me his wife had just
left him and that he could not afford to take care
of them, being a jobless man. The children were
very little. Seyi was two, while Titilola was five.
“Mr Adepegba had pleaded with me to accept
them in the boarding school. Mr Adepegba’s
sister promised to bear the cost of their upkeep.
They paid an initial N150, 000 for the three
children for the first term.”
But according to the proprietor, Adepegba never
kept his promise. He said after the first term, the
school expected him to come and take his
children home for holiday but he never showed
up until four years later. He said the school had
expended over N7m on the upkeep of the
children since 2007.
The proprietor said efforts to reach the parents’
families had proved abortive, adding that calls to
Adepegba’s phones were not always answered.
He said, “Whenever we called him and he
realised who was talking on the phone, he would
switch off his phones and for the next two
weeks, the numbers would not be available.
When the school contacted their father’s sisters,
we were told that they had travelled out of the
country.
“When we called one of them, we were told that
they had sent money to Mr Adepegba to defray
the children’s school fees and upkeep. But Mr.
Adepegba has never come here to make any
payment since the initial deposit he made in
2007.”
According to the proprietor, taking care of the
children had further become cumbersome for him
as one of them, Titilayo, had started
misbehaving. He recounted how Titilayo ran
away from the hostel twice without informing the
school authority on the excuse that she was
going to look for her father.
Ever since she was found, the proprietor said the
school had had to keep her in a room, under
tight surveillance, because she had vowed to run
away to find her father.
He said, “The school is not even bothered by the
cost of their upkeep. But anytime the school
closed for holiday and parents come around to
take their children home, Titilayo would fall into
a sober mood and twice, she had run away from
the hostel without informing anyone. It was a
resident who stopped her and brought her back
to the school.
Some of the teachers, who spoke with PUNCH
Metro during the visit, said the absence of the
children’s parents was seriously affecting their
studies. They said the appearance of their
parents would boost their academic
performance.
While recounting their days with their father, the
children said he celebrated birthdays with them.
They said they had never met their mother.
Titilayo said, “We do not know who our mother
is. We grew up in Yaba, Lagos and all we
remember is that there was a woman that
washed our clothes and took care of us until we
came here. We knew she was not our mother.”
Seyi, the youngest of the trio, however, was an
exception as she kept a cheerful look during the
visit. Seyi, who told our correspondent her
dream was to become a medical doctor said,
“Although I have a faint memory of my father, I
will like to see him. If he comes today, I will ask
him why he left us for so long.”
Seun added, “I don’t care how long he has left
us. I just want to see him. I really need to see
him.” When PUNCH Metro called Adepegba on
Thursday, his phones were switched off.

US Says The Talk To Free Chibok Girls Ongoing

Washington - A US official on Monday confirmed
that a ceasefire deal appeared to have been
reached between Nigeria and Boko Haram
militants, but said talks to release some 200
kidnapped girls were ongoing.
Doubts have been raised since members of the
Nigerian government said on Friday that they had
secured a deal with Boko Haram to free the girls
captured in April and to end hostilities.
In the aftermath of Friday's declaration by
Nigeria's military and presidency, however,
reports of attacks continue to emerge, casting
further doubts on the credibility of the ceasefire
claim.
And a group of Nigerian elders has said only one
faction of Boko Haram had been involved in the
deal.
"We can confirm reports that a ceasefire has been
announced, [and] appears to have been put into
place," State Department deputy spokesperson
Marie Harf said.

"We would welcome that ceasefire, call on all
parties both to implement and maintain such a
ceasefire, and hope that such a ceasefire would
herald the return of peace to the northeast.
"This is a region that has had far too little of
that."
But she said it was Washington's "understanding
that the negotiations about a deal to release the
girls continue."
With 80 US military personnel sent to
neighbouring Chad for intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance, the United States is the
biggest foreign participant in the effort against
the Islamic militants, Boko Haram, who have
terrorised parts of northern Nigeria.
Washington has also deployed surveillance
drones, spy planes and about 30 civilian and
military specialists to support Nigeria's security
forces.