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Al-Qaida: Clinton Blasts Pakistan
US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton is suggesting that Pakistan’s government has squandered chances to kill or capture al-Qaida leaders.
She made the remark in an interview yesterday with Pakistani journalists during a trip to the city of Lahore. She later flew to the capital, Islamabad, for talks with army chief and additional meetings.
Clinton said al-Qaida has used Pakistan as a haven since 2002. She said she finds it hard to believe that nobody in Pakistan’s government knows where the leaders of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network are hiding.
She also said she finds it hard to believe that Pakistani authorities couldn’t “get them” if they wanted to.
Clinton said that Pakistan had little choice but to take a more aggressive approach to combating the Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents that threaten to destabilize the country.
With the country reeling from Wednesday’s devastating bombing that killed at least 105 people in Peshawar, Clinton engaged in an intense give-and-take with students at the Government College of Lahore, insisting that inaction by the government would have ceded ground to terrorists.
“If you want to see your territory shrink, that’s your choice,” she said, adding that she believed it would be a bad choice.
Dozens of students rushed to line up for the microphone when the session began. Their questions were not hostile, but showed a strong sense of doubt that the U.S. can be a reliable and trusted partner for Pakistan.
Clinton met with the students on the second day of a three-day visit to Pakistan, her first as secretary of state. The Peshawar bombing, set off in a market crowded with women and children, appeared timed to overshadow her arrival. It was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since 2007.
Clinton likened Pakistan’s situation — with Taliban forces taking over substantial swaths of land in the Swat valley and in areas along the Afghan border — to a theoretical advance of terrorists into the United States from across the Canadian border.
It would be unthinkable, she said, for the U.S. government to decide, “Let them have Washington (state)” first, then Montana, then the sparsely populated Dakotas, because those states are far from the major centers of population and power on the East Coast.
Clinton was responding to a student who suggested that Washington was forcing Pakistan to use military force on its own territory. It was one of several questions from the students that raised doubts about the relationship between the United States and Pakistan.
During her hour-long appearance at the college, Clinton stressed that a key purpose of her three-day visit to Pakistan, which began Wednesday, was to reach out to ordinary Pakistanis and urge a better effort to bridge differences and improve mutual understanding.
“We are now at a point where we can chart a different course,” she said, referring to past differences over an absence of democracy in Pakistan and Pakistani association with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
As a way of repudiating past U.S. policies toward Pakistan, Clinton told the students “there is a huge difference” between the Obama administration’s approach and that of former President George W. Bush.
“I spent my entire eight years in the Senate opposing him,” she said to a burst of applause from the audience of several hundred students. “So, to me, it’s like daylight and dark.”
Although Clinton said she was making a priority of engaging frankly and openly on her visit, she declined to talk about a subject that has stirred some of the strongest feelings of anti-Americanism here — U.S. drone aircraft attacks against extremist targets on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border.
The Obama administration routinely refuses to acknowledge publicly that the attacks are taking place.
“There is a war going on,” she said, and the U.S. wants to help Pakistan be successful.
The drone attacks have killed a number of Pakistani civilians, while also reportedly succeeding in eliminating some high-level Taliban and other extremist group leaders.
At the same time, though, the U.S. has been providing Pakistani commanders with video images and target information from its military drones as Pakistan’s army pushes its ground offensive in Waziristan, U.S. officials said earlier this week.
Also sensitive is the way the U.S. has handled millions of dollars in aid to the Pakistani military. The U.S. in recent months has rushed helicopters and other military equipment to the country as Islamabad has launched its counterinsurgency offensives in Swat Valley and South Waziristan.
The administration sped the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters starting in June, and in July sent 200 night vision goggles, nearly more than 9,000 sets of body armor, several hundred radios and other equipment.
“We’ve put military assistance to Pakistan on a wartime footing,” Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday. “We are doing everything within our power to assist Pakistan in improving its counterinsurgency capability.”
This year the Pentagon plans to spend more than $500 million on arms and equipment for Islamabad as well as training Pakistan’s military in counterinsurgency tactics. Still, Pakistani officials last month complained that Congress attached too many conditions to the surge in aid.
Before flying to Lahore from Islamabad, Clinton visited the Bari Imam shrine, named after Shah Abdul Latif Kazmi, a 17th century Sufi saint who died in 1705 and later came to be known as the patron saint of Islamabad. A suicide bomber struck the shrine in May 2005, killing a number of people.
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Ibas Inaugurates RSIEC, Service Commissions, Healthcare Board In Rivers …Charges Appointees To Embrace Principles Of Service
The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ibas, has charged newly appointed Board members to uphold the highest standards of discipline, competence, integrity, and unwavering dedication in their service to the State.
He emphasized that such commitment is critical to stabilizing governance, restoring democratic institutions, and advancing the principles of good governance in the State.
This was contained in a statement by the Administrator’s Senior Special Adviser on Media, Hector Igbikiowubo on Monday.
Ibas issued the charge on Monday while inaugurating the reconstituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Rivers State Local Government Service Commission, and the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board at Government House, Port Harcourt.
The Administrator urged the new appointees to embrace their roles with diligence, patriotism, and a commitment to transforming Rivers State through excellent service.
Addressing the Chairman and members of RSIEC, Ibas underscored their pivotal role in ensuring credible local government elections that reflect the will of the people.
“Your task is clear but demanding: to conduct free, fair, transparent, and credible elections at the grassroots level. You must resist bias, favoritism, and external interference while restoring public confidence in the electoral process,” he stated.
“The independence of your actions is crucial to sustaining peace, stability, and grassroots governance. I urge you to act with fairness, impartiality, and professionalism—even in the face of difficult choices,” Ibas added.
The Sole Administrator also charged the Rivers State Civil Service Commission on the need to eliminate mediocrity and foster a culture of excellence through merit-based recruitment, training, and promotions.
“The civil service must transition from favoritism to competence, integrity, and accountability. Your commission will lead reforms, including digital transformation and standardized practices across ministries, departments, and agencies,” he said.
He disclosed that extensive training programmes are underway, with a committee set up to overhaul the public service framework for greater efficiency.
Meanwhile, Ibas urged the Rivers State Local Government Service Commission to ensure professionalism and discipline in local government administration.
“As the closest tier of government to the people, you must drive reforms that insulate the system from politics and mediocrity. Your mandate includes merit-based recruitment, training, and enforcing standards for effective service delivery,” he stated.
In the same vein, the Administrator charged the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board with revitalizing healthcare delivery across the state’s 23 local government areas.
“Primary healthcare is the foundation of a sustainable health system. Your board must ensure facilities are adequately staffed, equipped, and operational focusing on maternal health, immunization, malaria control, and community health services,” he said.
He emphasized data-driven operations, incentives for rural health workers, and restoring the referral system to improve healthcare access.
He also assured the Board of sustained government support, including funding, for the effective discharge of their mandates but warned that board members would be held accountable for their performance.
The newly inaugurated members include: RSIEC: Dr. Michael Ekpai Odey (Chairman) with Prof. Arthur Nwafor, Prof. Joyce Akaninwor, and others as members.
Civil Service Commission: Dr. Livinus Bariki (Chairman), Amb. Lot Egopija, Mrs. Maeve Bestman, and others.
Local Govt. Service Commission: Mr. Isreal Amadi (Chairman), Rear Adm. Emmanuel Ofik (Rtd), Dr. Tonye Pepple, and others.
Primary Health Care Board: Dr. Dawari George (Chairman), Dr. Chituru Adiele (Executive Director), Prof. Kaladada Korubo, and representatives from key ministries.
The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Dr. Kenneth Yowika, has debunked claims that the party has commenced sale of forms for chairmanship and councillorship elections across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Yowika made the rebuttal in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday, describing the publication on the social media as baseless and untrue.
He urged members of the PDP to disregard the claim, saying that official communication regarding the sale of forms would be disclosed through the appropriate channels.
“With reference to information trending on social media, it has been falsely claimed that the sale of forms for Chairmanship and Councillorship elections in the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State will begin soon.
“However, the party has firmly denied these rumours, stating that they are baseless and untrue.
“The party has its own established methods of reaching out to its numerous supporters.
“The People’s Democratic Party, a law-abiding organisation, will patiently await the release of guidelines from the recently inaugurated Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) before considering any sale of election forms.
“The PDP is urging its members to remain calm as official communication regarding the sale of forms will be disclosed through appropriate channels,” the statement read.
Enoch Epelle
Prof. Pius Olanrewaju, President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), has stated that the South-South region contributes N34 trillion to country’s economy in 2024.
He made the remark at the South-South Zonal Banking and Finance Conference in Calabar, yesterday.
He spoke on the theme, ‘’Building An Inclusive South-South: Economic Diversification as a Catalyst For Development.’’
Olanrewaju, who quoted the data from the Cable Data Index, said the feat was more than 21 per cent of Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The president described the growth as ‘’ impressive,’’ saying that it was not driven by oil alone but significant expansions in trade, services, and the creative industries.
According to him, to fully harness this potential, coordinated financial, technological, and policy support is essential.
“As we work to reposition the South-South for broad-based prosperity, the financial system must play a central role, not merely as a source of capital, but as a catalyst for innovation, ideas incubation, and inclusive economic growth.
“This conference, therefore, provides a strategic opportunity for stakeholders to reimagine the South-South economy, not merely as a resource belt, but as a region of diverse capabilities and resilient enterprises.”
Olanrewaju added that Nigeria must move beyond old models and chart a new course for the development of the South-South region, where financial institutions and stakeholder collaborate to diversify the economy for shared prosperity.
He, however, commended Gov. Bassey Otu for his pledge of land for CIBN Secretariat in Cross River and being the first sitting governor to willingly undergo and complete the Chartered Bankers Programme.
On his part, Gov. Otu said that the conference discussion on the economic diversification in South-South region was timely against the backdrop of global trade and economic volatility that was affecting the nation’s economy.
Represented by his deputy, Mr Peter Odey, Otu said the South-South region must now act with urgency to diversify its economy while leveraging its shared natural endowment in agriculture and extractive resources.
“This conference must help develop tailored financial solutions that reflect the unique strengths and realities of states like Cross River in the south-south.
“Diversification should be evidence-based and must be backed not just by financial advice but project focused financing and real investment support,” he noted.
He said that Cross River had taken the bold step to invest in its agricultural sector by launching an Agro processing hub.
Otu further said that the state had invested in aviation by acquiring more aircrafts for Cally Air, construction of the Bakassi Deep Seaport and injecting N18 billion in its tourism sector.
Similarly, Mr Tolefe Jibunoh, Cross River Branch Controller of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that the region was blessed with natural resources, cultural diversities and immense human potentials.
Jibunoh, who was represented by Mr Segun Shittu, Head, Currency Control Office, CBN, Calabar, noted that strategic diversification could unlock unprecedented opportunities for growth in the region.
He added that the CBN remained steadfast to maintain monetary possibilities and promote a sound financial system as a catalyst for sustainable economic development for the benefit of all.
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