Dbanj Hangs Out With Friends

D’banj spent an engaging evening yesterday with select media executives and influencers ahead of his all star concert coming up on June 23rd, 2013.

The informal gathering, aptly labeled Drinks with D’banj was hosted at BHM Lounge in Lagos and proved an invaluable opportunity for the bestselling act to catch up with friends in the media and rub minds on recent events while chatting about D’banj’s projects especially the forthcoming DKM concert – his first in 2013.
The DKM Concert series one featuring D’Banj, 2Chainz, Fally Ipupa, Olamide, 2face and others will hold at The Eko Hotel Convention Centre on June 23, 2013.

Igbos Will Regain Relevance With APC- Okorocha …Says Amaechi Won NGF Election

Imo state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has assured Nigerians that the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) by the coalition of major opposition parties will fix and return Nigeria in the path of progress.

Governor Okorocha who seized the opportunity of rendering his two year account of stewardship to Imolites to speak on his political future and recent political development in the country, maintained that APC would among other things balance the political equation as well as offer credible alternative so far as leadership is concern in Nigeria.

He said ' let me throw more light on why I have decided to join and promote APC. It is a clear fact that our dear country under the rulership of the PDP for 14 years has not fared well. The formation of APC is not only timely but an intervention that will balance the political equation in Nigeria.

The ruling PDP has no doubt taken all of us for granted for the 14 years it has governed Nigeria and that largely informed the reason why the progressives are presenting APC to Nigerians as an alternative platform that will enthrone good governance. By the time APC is finally elected to lead this great country of African continent, Nigeria will be fixed and ultimately restored on the path of growth, job creation, industralisation and overall good governance in the country'.

Gov. Okorocha further took a swipe on PDP for relegating the people of south east to the background in the power equation of the country.

'it is regrettable that PDP has relegated all of us in the south east to the background. It is true that Igbo man is not occupying any of the five principal positions in the country which includes the President, Vice President, Senate president, Speaker federal House of Representatives and National chairman of the party' he said.

He called on Ndigbo to embrace APC which he insisted is one of the surest steps to regain the political relevance of Ndigbo in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Okorocha has maintained that contrary to the erroneous impression created by some governors opposed to the re-election of Gov.
Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi as chairman Nigeria Governors Forum election which saw the participants of 35 governors actually held and produced the the Rivers state governor as the winner.

Gov. Okorocha who stated this while giving two years account of his stewardship as governor of Imo state, posited that those forces opposing Gov. Amaechi re-election as chairman of NGF should apply other strategies than peddling unfounded falsehood portraying that there was no election. ' I cant imagineit in my lifethat anybody will come and say that we did not conduct an election. There was a free and fair election and the winner of that election was Amaechi' Gov. Okorocha.

He condemned the alleged plot by the presidency against the Rivers state governor maintening that such development portends danger in the nation politics.

Gov. Okorocha further described the forum of governors as one that should not be driven by party sentiments but a rallying point that should promote good governance towards building a better nation

Baby 'Healthy' After China Toilet Pipe Rescue

 

A newborn baby boy lodged in a sewage pipe directly beneath a toilet has been rescued by firefighters in eastern China.

Suggestions that the child had been dumped have been revised after it emerged that the 22-year-old unmarried mother of the baby was the one who raised the alarm.
According to a police source in Jinhua, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the woman gave birth unexpectedly when she went to the lavatory on Saturday, and the newborn fell into the squat toilet.
The mother, who had hidden her pregnancy, telephoned her landlord, claiming she heard "weird noises" in the pipe, and the proprietor called police after spotting the infant.
Firefighters had to remove the pipe, reported to be 10cm (three inches) in diameter, and take it to a nearby hospital, where doctors carefully cut around it to rescue the baby inside.
They spent nearly an hour taking the tube apart piece by piece with pliers and saws and finally recovered the 5lb (2.3kg) boy, whose placenta was still attached.
From the time he was found until when he was taken out, the child - named Baby 59 from the number of his hospital incubator - was stuck in the tube for two to three hours, according to the policeman who declined to be named.

Firefighters work to remove the pipe after a woman heard the newborn baby crying (HAP/ Quirky China News/ Rex  …

Firefighter's feel for the baby after it was flushed down a toilet (HAP/ Quirky China News/ Rex Features)

"The woman was on the scene during the entire rescue process ... and admitted (she was the mother) when we asked her," he said, adding they were still looking for the boy's father. "We need further investigations to find out if she had any malicious intentions" before deciding whether the mother would be charged, he added.
According to the officer: "The baby is very healthy now and can be released from the hospital."
But the mother was in a serious condition due to complications from the delivery, he added.
Video footage of the rescue was broadcast nationally overnight before details of the unexpected birth emerged.
The news triggered hundreds of thousands of comments on China's hugely popular Weibo service, which is similar to Twitter, with users expressing good wishes for the baby.
One user, If-Free, said watching the rescue left her distraught.
"Seeing the little one wriggling and groaning as the pipe was torn apart bit by bit wrings my heart ... You've lived through the hardest moment in your life and your future will definitely be smooth," she said.
There are frequent reports in Chinese media of babies being abandoned, often shortly after birth.
The problem is attributed to factors such as young mothers unaware they were pregnant, the birth of an unwanted girl in a society which puts greater value on boys or China's strict family planning rules.

International Court Stung By Charge Of 'Hunting Africans' Because Of Race

As the African Union summit drew to a close this week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn leveled a stinging blow at the International Criminal Court (ICC) that prosecutes human rights violators, when he accused it of “hunting Africans" as 99% of those indicted by the ICC are from the continent. "This shows something is flawed within the system of the ICC and we object to that," he said.

He continued: “The intention (of the ICC) was to avoid any kind of impunity and ill governance and crime, but now the process has degenerated into some kind of race hunting.”

The Hague-based ICC, set up in 2002 to try the world’s worst crimes, insists it is an impartial body and is determined to continue with its case against Kenyan President Kenyatta and others in Africa.

“The International Criminal Court will not be reacting to African Union resolutions,” ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told the AFP news wire. He pointed out that four out of eight cases under investigation in Africa were referred to the court by the countries themselves.

Also, 43 African countries signed the ICC’s founding Rome Statute, which 34 have ratified, “making Africa the most heavily represented region in the court’s membership.”

Africans currently charged with crimes by the ICC include former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and Sudan President Omar al-Bashir who defied an international arrest warrant to attend the summit in Addis Ababa. The ICC has charged Bashir with genocide over the conflict in Darfur.

AU Peace and Security Council head Ramtane Lamamra echoed those who questioned how the UN Security Council could refer Mr Bashir to the ICC when three of its five permanent members - the United States, Russia and China - had either not signed up to or not ratified the Rome Statute which established the ICC.

"How could you refer the cases of others while you yourself don't feel compelled to abide by the same rule?" he was quoted to say.

African leaders have been reluctant to enforce ICC warrants or support the prosecution of their counterparts, some of whom enjoy broad support by nationals at home. Currently, the AU is opposed to the ICC trying Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta on charges of crimes against humanity and wants the case moved back to Kenya.

Mr Kenyatta, elected in March, is due to be tried in July on claims that he fueled violence after disputed elections in 2007. He denies the charge.

Kenyan lawyer Wilfred Nderitu, who represents some 150 victims of the election violence, told BBC Focus on Africa, he was concerned about the safety of witnesses if Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto were tried in local courts.

He also doubted whether Kenya's judiciary was capable of dealing with such complex cases.

Meanwhile, University of Minnesota professor Abdi Ismail Samatar commented on the concluding AU meeting."Much like the past 50 years, there are a few leaders who are fully aware of what must be done and who have the courage to take charge," he wrote.

"Will current African leaders rise to the challenge of the next 50 years?" he wondered. "There is a fleeting opportunity for the continent ... (but) sleeping on the switch by free-riding the current resource boom will only reproduce Africa's "Dome of Shame."

Gov. Obi, others Escape Death as Pilot asks Passengers to thank God.

 

 
What could have turned to be an air mishap yesterday was avoided by the experience of the Arik Pilot of Flight W 3788 conveying over 100 passengers from Lagos to Asaba.

The flight which was supposed to take off at 8:30 am was delayed in Lagos on account of bad weather. Though travellers had boarded the flight, but after about 2 hours inside the plane, they were asked to go back to the departure lounge as the plane could not take off on account of what the pilot called "terribly bad weather at Asaba." After about 3 hours, the flight was boarded again because weather reports showed improvement within the internationally accepted landing standards. By the time it was boarded again, many people who sensed the situation as warning from Providence had already cancelled their trips.

On getting to Asaba, the weather became bad again. Attempts at landing was difficult. Not wanting to take chances the pilot promptly returned to Lagos. On reaching Lagos, the weather there had already gone very bad by aviation standard. The plane had to circle around for hours amidst dwindling aviation fuel. It finally landed at 4:45 pm amidst signs of relief from traumatized passengers who clapped in jubilation. The pilot, Captain Sandy Miller merely told passengers to thanks their God for His mercies when they got home.

Speaking to aviation correspondents at the Domestic Wing of Murtala Muhammed Airport, Gov. Obi, who travelled to South-Africa on Sunday and came back yesterday to Lagos said he was determined to make the flight to Asaba en route to Awka because he did not like staying outside Awka more days than necessary.

Moreover, he said that he had already planned so many things he would have done at home yesterday. When he was persistently asked those things, he reluctantly said that he had projects to inspect such as the progress of work at Upper-Iweka, the drainage challenge at Ogidi as well as the site for the construction of Agulu Lake Hotel Resort, which, according to him, would take off in a matter of days.

Obi said that following discussion with some investors in South Africa that requested land to build their facility in Anambra and some existing ones that want to expand, that he planned to visit some identified sites for consideration. "Moreso, I have planned to treat many files in the night," Obi said. On whether he was frightened, the Gov. laughed and said that nothing again should be frightening to a person that governs a state like Anambra, moreover, he said, he was always at peace with His God and fellow human beings to worry over the vicissitudes of life.

Speaking on the experience, one of the passengers, Barr. Donald Emeh said that as a frequent flyer, that he was used to such situations. He nevertheless gave glory to God for safe landing at last. He jokingly described how those on board turned into emergency prayer worrriors, casting and binding the spirit of plane crash.

Speaking on the development, the Majority Leader of Delta State of Assembly, Hon. Chief Igbuyo, who along other Government officials said the incident is instructive on why one should be prepared at all times.

Amateur footage has been obtained by Face Of Agulu of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum election

 

The mobile phone video of Nigeria Governors’ Forum election held on May 24 during which Rotimi Amaechi, was reelected chairman after he defeated Jonah Jang  19 votes to 16. 

Using a mobile phone, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun captured most of the proceedings of an election that featured intense maneuvering and fierce disagreement.
The footage shows the 35 governors voting, the counting of votes and the declaration of result by Asishana Okauru, the presiding officer who is also the director general of the forum.

At a point during the recording, Akwa Ibom’s Godswill Akpabio, realising that the election was being taped, charges angrily at Aregbesola. The governor however resumed his secret recording after Akpabio relents.

Plenty of fodder for continued speculation on the actual conduct of the election. See for youself.
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2FACE IDIBIA: RAINBOW REMIX ft. T-PAIN

One of Naija's finest and most loved artist, 2face Idibia treats fans to the remix of hit song Rainbow. This time he features American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor T-pain.
T-pain brings his auto-tune RnB flavor, to analready classic song.

Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) bestowed Good Governance Award:

Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR), Nigeria's immediate past Hon Minister of Information and Communications, is an internationally renowned Pharmacist, Pharmacologist, Erudite Scholar, Seasoned Administrator, and a visionary leader, has again added another award.  

From her daily FB posts, we came across her thank YOU" message:

Thank you, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, for the Amazon of Democracy and Good Governance Award bestowed on me. To God be the glory, Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) said.

Nollywood Actress, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha Loses Mum

Nollywood actress and producer, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha is currently in a state of grief over the loss of her mother, Mrs. Grace Egoyibo Chukwuka. She lost her mother on the 22nd of May, 2013.

The death of the “On Bended Knees” producer’s mum is coming few weeks after actor and colleague, Chinedu Ikedieze, lost his father. It should be noted that another actress, Moyo Lawal lost her mum to the cold pangs of death two weeks ago.
Confirming the news early this morning via her official twitter handle, Chioma said;

Dana Crash: Officials Say 11 families Have Received Full Compensation:

Eleven families of the victims of the June 3, 2012 Dana air crash in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos have received full compensation, the airline management has said.

 
 

Tony Usidiamen, the airline’s spokesman, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos at a news conference to commemorate one year of the crash.
According to Mr Usidiamen, the 11 families have received full compensation of $100,000 (N15 million) each while 95 others received an initial $30,000 (N4.5 million) each.
He said they all received the compensation as at May 25.
A total of 153 passengers, including crew members, and six residents of the area died in the crash. Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in the accident.
Mr Usidiamen, flanked by Sam Ogbogoro, the Media Relations Officer of the airline, and Obialor Mbanuzor, the Head of its Commercial Services Unit, said compensation would be paid to all victims provided they had valid document to back up their claims.
He added that the families of 20 other victims had submitted their letters of administration from the Probate Registry of Lagos State High Court.
“The letters will be verified by the airline’s insurance firm, the Lyodds Insurance Company of London, for payment.
“However, eight families did not submit any claim in respect of their lost family members; they may file their claims later,” he said.
He expressed appreciations to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State who waived the 10 per cent that should have been paid to the state for damages.
On those who lost properties to the crash, Mr Usidiamen said they had been paid the initial $30,000 by Prestige Insurance.
According to him, the claims submitted by them have been sent to estate valuers for evaluation.
“Their claims are being evaluated because the law did not stipulate what should be paid to those who lost their properties on ground,” he said.
Mr Usidiamen added that there were plans to unveil a cenotaph at the site of the crash on June 3.
According to him, other activities for the commemoration include a Jumat service at the Lagos State secretariat mosque on May 31 and a mass at St Leo’s Catholic Church on June 2.
“There will also be a memorial procession from the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal 2 to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Annex on June 3,” he said.
Mr Mbanuzor said 65 families of the victims had gone to court over the claims, adding that compensation would be paid to them after judgment on the matter.
  by: Channels Television

Ants Bridges building : a wonderful example of sacrifice and cooperation

It’s a strange and peculiar world with endless secrets… it’s the ant’s world…Scientists are always discovering a new thing that shows the magnificence of this small creature, that is really worth revealing and to be named ‘’The Ants.

Scientists say the ant’s brain weight is a hundredth gram, whereas the whale’s one is hundred thousand more than the ant’s. However, the ant accomplishes more intelligent tasks and works than this big whale! This reality wonders and confuses the scientists.

Every day, the scientists declare that the insects’ world, especially the ant one is a very complicated thing, it’s cannot be logical to say that the ant has developed itself alone, because its limited brain can’t treat all these information when doing its tasks. In this picture, we see the ant head and its small brain inside, it contains over 300000 neurons. A man brain contains more than trillion cells, i.e. hundreds of thousands times more than the ant one. Although this small brain, it can treat all necessary information that the ant needs to accomplish its tasks showing that this brain has been programmed.

Scientists observed the ant’s world for longtime, in the beginning, they thought that it’s a limited world that can neither think nor understand nor communicate! However, it has finally been shown that the ants are a nation as we are, they have their laws, their life, their intelligence. It has been shown that the ant building architecture is older than the man one, it has been building houses since millions years. Scientists have recently discovered the bridges building in the ant world.

According to a Reuters site study, the way that the ant adopts to cross holes is to build ant bridges! Two British researchers mentioned that the ants group sacrifice themselves when facing holes to save the others. Some lie inside these irregular holes to make more equal route for the others.

These researchers found that a type of ants living in the Central and South America chose some ants from the group that have adequate body sizes to fit the holes. They said in a report published in ‘’Animal Behavior’’ journal that more ants may unite together to fill bigger hole!

See this living bridge, how some ants sacrificed for the others. Scientists say that the ants building the bridge by their bodies suffer a lot when the other ants pass across, but they endure and resist like a real bridge that the other ant can pass by! 

Scott Powell and Nigel Franks from Bristol university studied Eciton burchellii that walk in the Central and South Americ forests in group of 200000 ants! This group is in constant contact with the ants’ nest by a very long line ants. But this long line of living ants can be hardly disturbed when the others pass on the leaves and branches spread on the forests ground.

In this picture, we see how they take each other to build a solid bridge on which the ants can pass to the other side. The scientists that studied this phenomenon confirm that the ant chose with care the appropriate sizes to sacrifice in building this bridge!

A small number of ants fill the holes build to obtain a coherent road. Scientists say: the ants have their own way to redress the roads. Powell said: when the traffic eventually diminishes, the ant that forms this motionless plug will pop out of the hole and run home. Broadly, our research demonstrates that a simple but highly specialised behavior performed by a minority of ant workers can improve the performance of the majority, resulting in a clear benefit for the society as a whole.

From researches about ants’ neurology done in Boston university, the researcher James Traniello says: this complicated ants’ behavior is programmed, so each one can first know what it has to do. The small ant has limited tasks according to its size, but the youth and strong one are defenders and food processors and accomplish other difficult tasks. Whereas, the old ant is retired and the others take care of it!

Franks and Powell did laboratory experiences to show this behavior. Franks said, we put inserted wooden planks, drilled with a variety of different sized holes, into the army ants' trails to see how their sizes can fit the holes’. Indeed, the ants did well, they chose the appropriate way to build the bridge. This way astonished the scientists so they asked; how did the ant learn this technique to build, whereas people have to work hard and do complicated architectural calculations to do so?

Dr. Scott Powell says when the ants face holes and can’t cross; they chose some ants that have the adequate size to fit the hole. The chosen ant sacrifices itself, endures and builds the living bridge by its body so that the other ants pass on! They experience several times before to build the bridge, they must find the size and the strength that can bear the ants on the back! 

Researchers working on this say the ants sacrifice small number of ants to build this bridge, but they win a lot when they guarantee the road to thousands ants. The ants do this social act voluntarily and with pleasure, each one hastens to try its size whether it is appropriate to this living surface or not!

This ant bridge building architecture is a very sophisticated technique and with no expense but little sacrifice and mutual aid. The scientists wonder the big energy that the ant provides when building the living surface, they also wonder its endurance and big programmed effort so they confirm the ant is very intelligent and loves too much the other ants.

We always remember in such context the divine proof that demonstrated that the ants and other creatures are nations as we are.

Nigeria's 'war on terror' wins tentative support: By Joe Brock

                      


 Nuradin Mohammed used to resent and fear the troops who swept past his fish stall in this northeast Nigerian city on the trail of Islamist insurgents Boko Haram. Now, for the first time, he thinks they may be on his side.

"We are pleased the president has finally recognized our peril and we pray his plan works," Mohammed said, frying fish by the roadside as a crowd of young children looked on hungrily and trucks packed with troops rumbled past.

President Goodluck Jonathan took a gamble when he launched a big offensive this month on Boko Haram's four-year-old attempt to establish an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria.

The crackdown risks stoking, rather than quashing the rebellion, but has so far met with a surprising degree of support in a region that has long accused the oil-rich Christian south of neglect.

"We felt let down and ignored. We are afraid soldiers will come bullying the public, which makes people want to join the Boko Haram, but we hope this time is different," Mohammed said.

Only a few months ago, Jonathan was telling foreign leaders that Boko Haram was a small problem that would be over soon.

In declaring an emergency on May 14 in Borno, Yobe and Adawmawa states and ordering thousands of troops and air strikes on suspected Islamist camps, he said they were "terrorists" whose "declaration of war" could not go unanswered.

Civilians like Mohammed appear to have had enough of being caught in the crossfire of a rebellion that has killed thousands in Africa's No. 1 oil producer and provoked fears of a descent into chaos in one of the continent's most dynamic economies.

Even usually critical northern governors and elders have been cautiously supportive of Christian southerner Jonathan's new firm tactics, which include the offer of an amnesty to any militants who willingly surrender.

"I now fully understand the strategy: show strength and be magnanimous at the same time," previously critical northern opposition politician Alhaji Bashir Tofa told Reuters.

But it will take more than just firmness to win against a movement that has proved remarkably resilient under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, a fiery militant who likes to make finger-waving Internet videos holding a Kalashnikov.

Ousted from Nigeria's city centres in an earlier crackdown last year, the Islamists, whose name in the Hausa language means "Western education is sinful" withdrew to the remote semi-desert region of the northeast bordering with Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

In this isolated zone, they scared off local officials and took de facto control of at least 10 out of 27 council areas.

This recalled what happened in 2012 in Mali, where al Qaeda-allied Islamist rebels seized control of the Sahel country's Saharan north before taking several cities and towns. A French military offensive drove them back earlier this year.

In the past two months Boko Haram mounted some of their boldest attacks to date, including one that killed 55 people.

HEARTS AND MINDS

Jonathan's administration knows that just sending in more troops will never totally defeat a foe that can hide among the civilian population, even if that population has been put off by Boko Haram attacks on churches, universities and markets.

"In some ways youths had more in common with Boko Haram than soldiers and wealthy politicians," said Borno public servant Ali Shuwa. Behind him, scrawny goats chew on a rubbish pile.

"But I think people are tired of the fighting."

As with the "surge" of extra U.S. soldiers that former President George Bush ordered into Iraq in 2007 to prevent the country disintegrating into ethnic and sectarian bloodshed, experts say Nigeria's military needs a change of tactics that will motivate the population to actively cooperate with it.

"The major focus should be on securing the local population. It is popular legitimacy that will provide the intelligence necessary to fight insurgents and terrorists," said Kole Shettima, a Nigerian pro-democracy activist.

Recognizing this, Jonathan agreed to free some detained Boko Haram suspects this week, including all women and children, one of Boko Haram's top demands. This is a sign he is willing to take steps towards reconciliation with moderate elements.

It reinforced the message that a panel he set up to try to establish a dialogue with Boko Haram is sincere.

"This is the most concerted effort yet ... They've hit it with a big stick and then dangled a carrot in front of them," said Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria head of security firm Drum Cussac. "They now realize the huge task in front of them."

Maiduguri, the once thriving hub of an ancient Islamic trading route, has been decimated by the conflict. Soldiers hunch behind sandbag bunkers on streets strewn with rubble from bomb blasts.

Traders hang carpets and piles of sandals hopefully outside corrugated-iron roofed shacks, while young boys peddle oranges and watermelons from wooden carts. But there are few buyers.

Boko Haram has infiltrated so deeply here that some parents don't know their children are members. Civilians don't want to turn against insurgents because informants are often killed.

"It could be him or her watching us," said Ali, a teenage boy selling jerry cans of fuel, pointing out onto the street. "People have been killed just on a rumor of informing."

It was in Maiduguri in 2002 that a cleric called Mohammed Yusuf founded a radical Islamist movement initially tagged 'Nigeria's Taliban', but later nicknamed 'Boko Haram' because of its virulent opposition to Western influences.

A military crackdown against an uprising by the group in 2009 killed 800 people. This included Yusuf, who died in police custody, a catalyst for years of reprisals on security forces.

TOUGH MILITARY TASK

Jonathan says he will clamp down on military excesses after reports of human rights abuses by soldiers in the northeast, although rights groups and foreign diplomats think these may continue going unpunished given the secrecy of the operation.

Rights activists say soldiers carry out extra-judicial killings and torture suspects never face trial.

"We welcome that Jonathan has finally recognized publicly the abuses but these words must be turned into actions for his operation to have legitimacy," a western diplomat in Abuja said.

Security sources say Jonathan's army faces a tough task in defeating resilient Islamist fighters, who have shown their ability to re-arm and counter-attack and who know the remote southern fringe of the Sahara better than most soldiers.

A military source in Maiduguri told Reuters they had found the first days of the latest offensive harder than expected against "an enemy willing to hide anywhere and do anything".

Boko Haram is not one cohesive group and new independent splinter-operations are emerging, making negotiations difficult.

The longer this goes one, the costlier it will be, and not only in human terms. Nigeria spent 700 billion naira ($4.4 bln) on security in the four months to April, the central bank said.

Porous borders with Chad and Niger have been used to transport weapons from Libyan and Malian conflict zones and Western governments are concerned about Boko Haram's increasing ties with al Qaeda linked groups in the Sahel - a fact which could draw Nigeria's neighbors further into the conflict.

"Even the U.S. government couldn't contain guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan and Iraq, so do you think we can?" Sakuria Mohammed, a Borno legislator told Reuters in Maiduguri, where his mother was kidnapped by Boko Haram this month.

"The fighting is a symptom and therefore the military will not solve this. We must create jobs, rebuild this once great region and give youths a better option than Boko Haram."