Reports coming in now says the official aid of the Rivers state governor, kidnapped on Sunday last week Mr. Freddy Ndigbara has been set free by the abductors.
The victim was released early early this morning and is said to be in good condition.
Though it's yet unclear if any ransom was paid before the victim was released.
Details later......
What is happening to the Nigerian police? A police corporal has been reported shooting and killing of a commander of a mobile police unit in Bauchi state.
The MOPOL commanding officer- Superintendent Chris Eze of the Police Mobile Formation (MOPOL 10) Bauchi, was shot and killed on Thursday night by a police corporal while on a routine visit to the Stop and Search point along Ahmadu Bello way, Bauchi.
The Police Public Relations Officer of Bauchi Command, Dsp Haruna Mohammed says that the officer,
who was shot at about 11:20pm by an unnamed Corporal, has been certified dead by a medical doctor while the lifeless body has been
deposited at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Bauchi for post mortem examination.
The full statement:
“On the 26/2/2015 at about 23:20hrs, the Commanding officer
Mopol 10 PMF Bauchi, SP Chris L Eza was shot by a Police Corporal while on routine Visit at the Stop and search point along Ahmadu Bello way, Bauchi.
“Victim was rushed to ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi where he was certified dead by a Medical Doctor and Corpse deposited at
the Motuary for postmortem examination.
Scene was visited by the Commissioner of Police Mohammed K Mohammed and his management team.
“Meanwhile, suspect was arrested and detained while the Commissioner of Police has ordered for a full scale investigation into
the matter.”
"Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition" - By General Muhammadu Buhari, Chatham House, London, on 26 February 2015.
Permit me to start by thanking Chatham House for the invitation to talk about this important topic at this crucial time.
The 2015 general election in Nigeria is generating a lot of interests within
and outside the country.
This is understandable.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, is at a
defining moment, a moment that has great implications beyond the
democratic project and beyond the borders of my dear country.
So let me say upfront that the global interest in Nigeria’s landmark
election is not misplaced at all and indeed should be commended, for this is an election that has serious import for the world. I urge the
international community to continue to focus on Nigeria at this very critical moment. Given increasing global linkages, it is in our collective interests that the postponed elections should hold on the
rescheduled dates, that they should be free and fair, that their outcomes
should be respected by all parties, and that any form of extension, under whichever guise, is
unconstitutional and would not be tolerated.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the dissolution of the USSR
in 1991, the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War, democracy became the dominant and most preferred system of
government across the globe. That global transition has been aptly
captured as the triumph of democracy and the ‘most pre-eminent political idea of our
time.’ On a personal note, the phased end of the USSR was a turning point for me. If you will,
that was my own road to Damascus experience. It convinced me that
change can be brought about without firing a single shot.
As you all know, I had been a military head of state in Nigeria for twenty months. We intervened
because we were unhappy with the state of affairs in our country.
We wanted to arrest the drift. Driven by patriotism, influenced by
the prevalence and popularity of such drastic measures all over Africa and elsewhere, we fought
our way to power. But the global triumph of democracy has shown
that another, and a preferable, path to change is possible. It is an important lesson I have carried with me since, and a lesson that is not lost on the African continent.
In the last two decades, democracy has grown strong roots in Africa.
Elections, once so rare, are now so
commonplace. As at the time I was a military head of state between
1983 and 1985, only four African countries held regular multi-party
elections. But the number of electoral democracies in Africa,
according to Freedom House, jumped to 10 in 1992/1993 then to 18 in 1994/1995 and to 24 in
2005/2006.
According to the New York Times, 42 of the 48 countries in Sub-Sahara
Africa conducted multi- party elections between 1990 and 2002. The newspaper also reported that between 2000 and 2002, ruling parties in four African countries
(Senegal, Mauritius, Ghana and Mali)
peacefully handed over power to victorious opposition parties.
In addition, the proportion of African countries categorized as not free
by Freedom House declined from 59% in 1983 to 35% in 2003.
Without doubt, Africa has been part of the current global wave of democratization.
But the growth of democracy on the
continent has been uneven. According to Freedom House, the
number of electoral democracies in Africa slipped from 24 in 2007/2008 to 19 in 2011/2012; while the
percentage of countries categorized as ‘not free’ increased from 35% in
2003 to 41% in 2013.
Also, there have been some reversals at different times in
Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mali,
Madagascar, Mauritania and Togo.
While we can choose to look at the glass of democracy in Africa as
either half full or half empty. While you can’t have representative
democracy without elections, it is equally important to look at the
quality of the elections and to remember that mere elections do not democracy make.
It is globally agreed that democracy is not an event, but a journey.
And that the destination of that journey is democratic consolidation
—that state where democracy has become so rooted and so routine
and widely accepted by all actors.
With this important destination in mind, it is clear that though many
African countries now hold regular elections, very few of them have
consolidated the practice of democracy.
It is important to also state at this point that just as with elections, a
consolidated democracy cannot be an end by itself.
I will argue that it is not enough to hold series of elections or even to peacefully alternate power among
parties.
It is much more important that the
promise of democracy goes beyond just allowing people to freely
choose their leaders. It is much more important that democracy should deliver on the promise of
choice, of freedoms, of security of lives and property, of transparency and accountability, of rule of law, of good governance and of shared
prosperity.
It is very important that the promise embedded in the concept of democracy, the promise of a better
life for the generality of the people, is not delivered in the breach.
Now, let me quickly turn to Nigeria. As you all know, Nigeria’s fourth
republic is in its 16th year and this general election will be the fifth
in a row. This is a major sign of progress for us, given that our first
republic lasted five years and three months, the second republic ended
after four years and two months and the third republic was a still-birth.
However, longevity is not the only reason why everyone is so interested in this election.
The major difference this time around is that for the very first time since transition to civil rule in
1999, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing its stiffest
opposition so far from our party the All Progressives Congress (APC).
We once had about 50 political parties, but with no real competition. Now Nigeria is transiting from a dominant party system to a competitive electoral polity, which is
a major marker on the road to democratic consolidation.
As you know, peaceful alternation of power through competitive elections have happened in Ghana, Senegal,
Malawi and Mauritius in recent times.
The prospects of democratic consolidation in Africa will be further
brightened when that eventually happens in Nigeria.
But there are other reasons why Nigerians and the whole world are
intensely focused on this year’s elections, chief of which is that the
elections are holding in the shadow of huge security, economic and
social uncertainties in Africa’s most populous country and largest
economy.
On insecurity, there is a genuine cause for worry both within and outside Nigeria.
Apart from the civil war era, at no other time in our history has Nigeria been this insecure. Boko Haram
has sadly put Nigeria on the terrorism map, killing more than 13,000 of our nationals, displacing millions internally and externally, and at a time holding on to portions of our territory the size of Belgium.
What has been consistently lacking is the required leadership in our battle against insurgency.
I, as a retired general and a former head of state, have always known
about our soldiers: they are capable, well trained, patriotic, brave and
always ready to do their duty in the service of our country. You all can bear witness to the gallant role of our military in Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur and in many other peacekeeping operations in several parts of the
world.
But in the matter of this insurgency, our soldiers have neither received the necessary support nor the required incentives to tackle this
problem. The government has also
failed in any effort towards a multi-
dimensional response to this problem leading to a situation in which we have now become
dependent on our neighbours coming to our rescue.
Let me assure you that if I am elected president, the world will have no cause to worry about Nigeria as it has had to recently, that Nigeria will return to its stabilizing role in West Africa, and that no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost
to the enemy because we will pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service, we will give them adequate and modern arms and ammunitions to workwith, we will improve intelligence gathering to choke Boko Haram's
financial and equipment channels, we will be tough on terrorism and
tough on its root causes by initiating a comprehensive economic development plan promoting
infrastructural development, job
creation, agriculture and industry in the affected areas.
We will always act on time and not allow problems to irresponsibly fester, and I, General Muhammadu
Buhari, will always lead from the front and return Nigeria to its
leadership role in regional and
international efforts to combat terrorism.
On the economy, the fall in prices of oil has brought our economic and social stress into full relief. After the rebasing exercise in April 2014,
Nigeria overtook South Africa as Africa’s largest economy. Our GDP is now valued at $510 billion and our economy rated 26th in the world.
Also on the bright side, inflation has been kept at single digit for a while
and our economy has grown at an average of 7% for about a decade.
But it is more of paper growth, a growth that, on account of mismanagement, profligacy and
corruption, has not translated to human development or shared
prosperity.
A development economist once said three questions should be asked about a country’s development:
1. what is happening to poverty?
2. what is happening to. unemployment?
3. And what is happening to inequality?
The answers to these questions in Nigeria show that the current
administration has created two economies in one country, a sorry tale of two nations: one economy for a few who have so much in their
tiny island of prosperity; and the other economy for the many who have so little in their vast ocean of misery.
Even by official figures, 33.1% of
Nigerians live in extreme poverty. That’s at almost 60 million, almost the population of the United Kingdom. There is also the unemployment crisis simmering beneath the surface, ready to explode at the slightest stress, with officially 23.9% of our adult population and almost 60% of our youth unemployed. We also have one of the highest rates of inequalities in the world.
With all these, it is not surprising that our performance on most
governance and development indicators (like Mo Ibrahim Index
on African Governance and UNDP’s Human Development Index.) are
unflattering.
With fall in the prices of oil, which
accounts for more than 70% of government revenues, and lack of
savings from more than a decade of oil boom, the poor will be disproportionately impacted.
In the face of dwindling revenues, a good place to start the repositioning of Nigeria's economy is to swiftly tackle two ills that have ballooned under the present administration: waste and corruption.
And in doing this, I will, if elected, lead the way, with the force of
personal example. On corruption, there will be no confusion as to
where I stand.
Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed
into my administration.
First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process.
Revenue producing entities such as NNPC and Customs and Excise
will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly
disclosed and regularly audited.
The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial
authority without political interference.
But I must emphasize that any war waged on corruption should not be
misconstrued as settling old scores or a witch-hunt.
I'm running for President to lead Nigeria to prosperity and not adversity.
In reforming the economy, we will use savings that arise from blocking these leakages and the proceeds
recovered from corruption to fund our party’s social investments programmes in education, health, and safety nets such as free school meals for children, emergency
public works for unemployed youth and pensions for the elderly.
As a progressive party, we must reform our political economy to
unleash the pent-up ingenuity and
productivity of the Nigerian people thus freeing them from the indignities of poverty.
We will run a private sector-led economy but maintain an active role
for government through strong regulatory oversight and deliberate
interventions and incentives to diversify the base of our economy,
strengthen productive sectors, improve the productive capacities of
our people and create jobs for our teeming youths. In short, we will
run a functional economy driven by a worldview that sees growth not as an end by itself, but as a tool to
create a society that works for all, rich and poor alike.
On March 28, Nigeria has a decision to make. To vote for the continuity of failure or to elect progressive
change. I believe the people will choose wisely.
In sum, I think that given its strategic importance, Nigeria can trigger a wave of democratic
consolidation in Africa.
But as a starting point we need to get this critical election right by
ensuring that they go ahead and depriving those who want to scuttle
it the benefit of derailing our fledgling democracy.
That way, we will all see democracy and democratic consolidation
as tools for solving pressing problems in a sustainable way, not as ends in themselves.
Permit me to close this discussion on a personal note. I have heard and
read references to me as a former dictator in many respected British
newspapers including the well regarded Economist.
Let me say without sounding
defensive that dictatorship goes with military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others.
I take responsibility for whatever happened under my watch.
I cannot change the past.
But I can change the present and the future.
So before you is a former military ruler and a converted democrat who
is ready to operate under democratic norms and is subjecting himself to the rigours of democratic elections for the fourth time.
You may ask: why is he doing this? This is a question I ask myself all
the time too.
And here is my humble answer:
Because the work of making Nigeria great is not yet done, because I still believe that change is possible, this time through the ballot, and most importantly, because I still have the
capacity and the passion to dream and work for a Nigeria that will be
respected again in the comity of nations and that all Nigerians will be
proud of.
I thank you for listening.
#Buhari
Below is a photo of a consignment of Boko Haram members captured by Chadian soldiers yesterday in
Gamboru, a border town between Chad and Nigeria.
The authorities reports that about 207 of the militants were killed during a gun battle between the insurgents and the troops.
I think our troops should be commended. Bravo soldiers.
It seems the boko haram insurgents are now targeting major motor parks.
Reports has it that some few minutes ago, a bomb explosion had just occurred at a busy motor park in Kano state.
The explosion, was said to have occurred at the Kano line terminal, in the Naibawa area, of the state.
Though the casualty level has not been ascertained yet.
Detail later......
More than13 people have lost their lives in Potiskum, Yobe State, after a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in an 18-seater bus.
An eye witness recounted his ordeal to BBC Hausa that the suicide bomber had waited until the bus was full before boarding the bus to accomplish the suicide mission.
The eye witness told BBC that he counted about 13 dead bodies.....
Details later....
The AFP news agency has reported that some masked gunmen has kidnapped an American woman doing a missionary work in Kogi state Nigeria.
It reports that the kidnappers could demand for ransom payment as that could also be their primary reason for the kidnap.
According to AFP, a statement from Kogi state police chief spokesperson Sola Collins Adebayo reads.......
"She was whisked away at around 10:00 (09:00 GMT) on Monday,"
The kidnappers were "unknown gunmen...[who] came into the school premises shooting sporadically to scare away people before taking
[the hostage] away into the bush", he added.
The Boko Haram terrorist seems to be employing more ways to lash out their terror following the "heavy damages" and the rain-like bombardments they're suffering from the Nigerian troops in the fight to recapture Baga in the Northeast, and other towns.
The terrorists according to a statement by the Army spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Olukolade, now disguises as women to avoid being captured by the troops who are on codon and search operation.
The statement reads...........
“The cordon and search in Baga has revealed some terrorists disguising as women. The searches are also yielding more discoveries of arms especially bombs hidden in various locations, especially Baga town.
Apart from those captured in the
course of fighting, many arrests of terrorists hiding in the town are being made and troops are still busy interrogating the suspects.
“Meanwhile, in furtherance of the mission to clear terrorists from all their enclaves by the military, the Nigerian Air Force has stepped
up its air bombardment of identified targets in Gwoza, Bama and Sambisa forest, preparatory to other phases of the mission.
The air strikes have been highly successful as they achieved the aims, hitting vital targets with required precision.
Terrorists are now in disarray as they scamper to escape from the impact of air bombardment of their
locations in the forest.
“Having successfully liberated Baga where the terrorists have been marauding, the troops’ attention has now been focused on consolidation of the security of the area to pave way for return of citizens.”
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has disclosed that, contrary to claims in some quarters, any certificate obtained from the Kaduna Satellite Campus of the Ambrose Alli University is fraudulent and a scam.
Deputy Director Press of the NUC, Ibrahim Yakassai disclosed, this to The Nigerian Times when our reporter called to confirm the status of the institution and certificates earned from it.
He said: “It is fraudulent and a scam. There is no such thing like Ambrose Alli University, Kaduna Study Center. The NUC is not aware
of such.” The Nigerian Times recalls that the Sunday Trust Newspaper in the story, ‘Now, Hajiya Aisha Buhari steps out’, published January
18, 2015 had reported that the beautiful wife of General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ambrose Alli University,
Ekpoma (Kaduna satellite campus). She later proceeded, based on the same degree, to obtain a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Strategic Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna.
The NUC in a directive in 2001, under former Executive Secretary Peter Okebukola to all Vice-Chancellors, had directed all university satellite campuses to be shut down. While most Universities complied, few others were adamant, leading to another directive by the
present Executive Secretary Professor Julius Okojie, to re-affirm the initial directive that all universities in the country running external campuses (satellite campuses) be shut
down.
A satellite campus, according to the NUC guidelines on which basis the illegal ones were closed down, “must not be more than 200 kilometres from the main campus,”
“must not be located in a state outside the state in which the main campus is located,” “must have staff of the satellite campus directly or indirectly appointed by the main
campus in line with laid down academic standards.”
According to Sunday Trust, Mrs. Buhari enrolled in the undergraduate programme of the Ambrose Alli University and received lectures at its Leventis Building satellite
campus, Kaduna.
The Newspaper also reported that she holds a National Certificate in Education (NCE) from the National Teachers Institute (NTI) alongside a Diploma in Beauty Therapy at the
Carlton Institute of Beauty Therapy, Windsor, in the United Kingdom and a certificate course from the French Beauty School, Esthetique Academie Dubai. She is a member of the United Kingdom’s Vocational Training and Charitable Trust and the International Health and Beauty Council.
Speaking to The Nigerian Times, a former coordinator of one the satellite campuses of the university who asked to be anonymous,
said while some campuses were able to insert records of some students of the satellite campuses into the general students’ records at the main campus, others were just
issued certificates without recourse to the parent school.
He said while the certificates of those whose records where successfully entered into the
school’s main record could claim some level of validity, the others remain invalid.
He said: “The campuses started in 1998 and were all officially closed in 2002. “Some of the campuses at the earlier stages would get someone from the main campus in Ekpoma to invigilate the examinations and
under some arrangements would then register the students’ particulars in the record of the
university. After this, those certificates got a value of validity.
“However, after sometime some centers started issuing certificates to their students in the name of the parent university without any recourse to record keeping and so when employers or schools of post graduate studies contacted Ekpoma for verification, the records of most of them were not found.
These developments finally led to the NUC’s hammer on those centers.” Every effort to get responses from the Registrar of the University, Mr. Ojo Maliki and
Public Relations Officer of the university, proved abortive. While mails where not responded to, calls from our reporter were treated with rude and evasive responses. A
University officer, who craved anonymity, told this newspaper that Edo being an APC state, the authorities are extremely careful not to get caught in Nigeria’s fractious political party rivalries.
,........Culled from Nigerian Times
General Mohammadu Buhari (GMB) and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, held a
meeting with the former Prime Minister of Britain, Mr. Tony Blair, in London on Saturday.
Gen. Buhari Traveled to Landon to meet Mr. Blair in company with Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and a former Governor of
Kwara, Bukola Saraki, who tweeted to share a group photograph of participants at the meeting on his tweeter page.
This is what he tweeted......
“Just finished a meeting with @Govsia @ThisIsBuhari and @tonyblairoffice,”
This will put to rest some insunuations and rumours on social medias and some quarters that the General went to London for medical attention.
The Comptroller of Prisons in Cross River, Mr Clement Udosen, has confirmed that some inmates at Afokang Prison in Calabar South
Local Government Area, on Friday attempted a jailbreak.
Udosen told newsmen in Calabar that the inmates overpowered some prison guards, seized their rifles, fired shots and injured some of the guards.
He said that the inmates also broke a section of the prison walls in their attempt to escape.
He said the inmates did not succeed in their attempt to escape as soldiers and state security service operatives, the Nigeria Police
and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense personnel contained them.
He said: “By 11 o’clock this morning, I was in my office in the headquarters when the DC in
charge of this prison called me to say that there was a serious problem in the yard I rushed down.
“When I got to the prison, the whole place was filled with security agents with rifles who came to assist us.
“Inmates in two cells with about 70 inmates in each cell overpowered some prison staff and rushed to the armoury, seized rifles and open fire on our staff.
“ They broke other cells and the whole yard was filled with inmates who carried what they could get to break the prison fence.
“Luckily they have all been rounded up and nobody has escaped.
“A lot of people were injured and one staff had been rushed to the hospital.
“Right now doctors with their team are treating those who sustained injuries.’’
Source:.......NAN
About 158 Women and children abducted by Boko Haram militants from Katarko village in Yobe have
been set free and subsequently reunited with loved ones
in Damaturu, the Yobe capital as reported by NAN.
The victims were set free by the group after after pressures from the ongoing bombardments from the military against their strongholds in the Northeast. The captives were held in captivity for three weeks before being released.
Ahmed Goniri, the state Commissioner for Justice and Chairman of the State Committee on Rehabilitation of Victims of Insurgency, said this while addressing journalists in Damaturu on Thursday.
“The victims were screened by security operatives to authenticate their status while government provided them with psychological
therapy to ease their trauma,” Mr. Goniri said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had earlier reported that the victims were released by the insurgents three weeks ago but remained in custody of security agencies to undergo screening to ensure that
they were indeed captives.
Abdurahman Dauda, a displaced person, said his wife and six girls were released by the insurgents.
“Two of my boys are still in their custody but, I am of high spirit that they will soon be rescued,” he said.
One of the victims, who preferred to remain anonymous, said’ “to be fair
to the insurgents, they did not rape or abused us, they simply asked those who were not interested in their religion to leave, and they
eventually released us”. Meanwhile, the state government has provided
N50,000, two bags of rice, sugar, noodles and wrapper to each of the 15 widows among the victims, while 47 other women received N30,000 each and same quantity of rice, sugar, noodles and wrapper.
Presenting the relief materials, Mr.
Goniri said government commiserated with the families of the victims and provided the relief materials to help them to resettle.
He said 20 boys were still in custody of the insurgents and expressed hope that the renewed operation against the insurgents would rescue them from there captivity.
........NAN
President Jonathan today commissions four (4) heavy naval ships in Lagos Navy yard. He said the new war ships will help to strengthen the nation's security and in fight against Boko Haram
Hear him.........
“We will rout Boko Haram. Our capacity has increased sufficiently and officers and men are doing wonderfully well. The ongoing activities to contain the sect will also provide conducive atmosphere for elections to hold in the region.
“We will return the region to a level
where activities of terrorists cannot be carried out.”
The Nigerian military seems to be all out to wipe out the Boko Haram insurgents by any means possible. From available report, it seems the insurgents are receiving it hot from the military as confirmed by the Defence spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Olukolade according to NAN......
"The Defence Headquarters on Thursday said more Boko Haram insurgents have died as the Nigerian Air Force moved to clear Sambisa forest and Gwoza town in Borno, of
the terrorists.
This was contained in a statement issued by Major General Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information.
Olukolade said a concerted air campaign by the Air Force was ongoing in furtherance of clearing the terrorists from all their enclaves.
“The air strikes which on Thursday targeted the training camps and logistics dumps of the terrorists in Sambisa forest and parts of Gwoza have been highly successful as it
achieved the aims with required precision.
“The death of a large number of terrorists has been recorded while many others are also scampering all over the forest and out of the struck bases.
Olukolade said that the details of casualties will be determined in subsequent phases of the operation.
He said that the strikes had continued “in other locations of the theater, heralding the advance of troops and other elements of the
mission’’.
......Culled from NAN.
The Flying Eagles were involved in a minor auto crash while returning from the Tema Sports Stadium to their hotel yesterday.
The boys trashed their Ghanaian mates by 2-0 in an international friendly and were on their way to the M Plaza Hotel, when the VIP Marcopolo bus crashed into the main gate of the stadium.
Usman Hassan Saleh was hit by some debris of the broken glass but no serious casualty was recorded among other team members.
The Nigeria Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade has confirmed to journalist that the army were able to kill over 300 terrorist while many were captured in the ongoing effort to recapture towns seized by the insurgence in the North East part of the country.
His words.........
"Over 300 terrorists were killed while a few were also captured. Several weapons and equipment were also captured and some destroyed",
The Defence spokesman also confirmed that five different types of armoured fighting vehicles, an
anti-aircraft gun, about 50 cases of packed bombs and eight different types of machine guns, five rocket propelled grenades, 49 boxes of
various types and calibres of ammunition as well as 300 motorcycles destroyed in the fighting.
In addition, he said, a total of six Hilux vehicles including those mounted with anti-aircraft guns
were also destroyed. However, two soldiers lost their lives while 10 others were wounded in the course of the operation.
Olukolade said the cordon and search operations is continuing along with aggressive patrols by troops who are now dominating the
11 cleared communities including Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Zuntur, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and
Kabrisungul.
He assured that "the various phases of the highly coordinated air and land operations is also ongoing in the designated theaters being
handled by contingents involved in the renewed counter terrorism campaign in and outside Nigeria"
The Islamist extremist group, Boko Haram has vowed to disrupt next month’s re-scheduled Nigeria general elections.
The group yesterday Tuesday released a video in which the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau vowed to disrupt the polls at any cost.
He said the group will use any means possible to make ensure the elections did not hold as planned by INEC.
The 15mins video was released through the group's new twitter account, prompting some analysts to question whether they had been
influenced by Islamic State.
But something looks different this time around about the quality of the video. Previously, Boko Haram videos were of a lower quality and were being distributed to journalists on DVD.
But the latest video is of a better quality.
In Abuja Today 17th February, Gen. Buhari- the APC presidential candidate in the forth coming general election addressed the leaders and elders of the party @ Shehu Musa Yar'Adua centre in
Abuja encouraged them to carry on with the party's mission, vision and objectives which has its base on change.
Read below the full text of his address at the occasion.......
The National Chairman Chief John Oyegun, thank you very much for your speech.
Leaders and elders of our party, I want to join the Chairman in welcoming you all to this meeting. In the last two months, we have travelled the length and breadth of
this country, we have heard the cry of our people and we have told them that we hear their cry – the cry for change.
As you are all aware, our country is passing through trying times imposed on us by the bad PDP administration. The imminent change in answer to the yearnings of our people has been delayed by the postponement of the February 14th, 2015 elections. Our patience and resilience will be tested in the days ahead. We must pass this test. In a time like this, which in football analogy can be referred to as extra time, we must avoid making costly mistakes.
In the weeks ahead, I would like to implore you to remain true to the vision – to build a country that works for all of us and not just for the few. To rescue and stabilize our nation from the hands of plunderers. On this, I believe we are all agreed.
The important issue today is that we must use the next six weeks that have been imposed on us, to re-charge and re-focus on our goal.
The goal is to win the elections now slated for March 28th and April 11th with a convincing majority.
We should aim to achieve a victory that will be beyond dispute and proceed to form the next government and start work on the task of rebuilding our beloved country.
Our eyes must be on the objective to build a great society that works for all of us. A country where every child has an equal opportunity to get an education, where every young Nigerian who needs a job can find one. Where the sick are looked after and senior citizens are provided for.
A country which gives value to human life, where the welfare and security of all is a national priority and corruption is defeated.
However, I must not fail to mention at this point, one issue which has become topical in the last few days and that is the worrisome revelations by Capt. Sagir Koli about how he, a serving officer at that time, was deployed, with other
serving officers, some more senior in rank to work with key politicians of the PDP to rig the Ekiti elections. Up till now, there has been no official denial of this most unfortunate event. It makes me wonder, in the circumstances that led to shifting of the date of the Federal Elections,
whether the security services are even now being prepared to play similar roles in the March 28th
and April 11th elections.
Let me reiterate once more that our security services have serious
constitutional responsibilities to the people of the nation and so their importance to the health of the country cannot be under estimated. It is therefore imperative that their leaders must not drag these invaluable institutions into the realm
of partisan politics.
I personally and, am sure, all Nigerians, have tremendous respect for our security services. I therefore urge strongly that they stick to, and
concentrate on, their constitutional duties, otherwise they stand the risk of becoming part of our already complicated national situation.
I am deeply encouraged by the very high degree of cooperation and commitment to our common purpose of changing Nigeria for good that you all have exhibited in our campaign. I have noticed
many of us embarked on our campaign trips without carrying a change of clothing hoping to
return home the same day only to spend the night on strange beds because the dynamics of the campaign required that they spend the night away from home. You have ignored in some cases personal health challenges and given yourself to the campaign effort just to be part of the movement for change.
There are some of you who lost in the various primaries to choose candidates for our party during these elections and rather than being disappointed you have thrown your energies and resources to the campaign not minding your personal losses. And there are others who have been made mind boggling offers by our opponents in a bid to break our ranks and curtail our momentum in the march to change Nigeria for good, yet you have chosen to be on the side of a cause that is just.
I therefore appeal to you all party leaders and faithful not to rest thinking that all is won. Six weeks is a long time and we do not know the
plans of the other side but with our strong resolve we will prevail.
Therefore let us keep our eyes on the ball.
Let us work as we have never done before, and let us watch and help each other. The days and weeks
ahead will be tough. Our resolve will be tested and all kinds of evil tricks will be on display.
But do not despair.
The goal is in sight.
Change is coming.
The people of Nigeria will prevail. God has destined Nigeria to be a great country. We shall overcome and Change shall be achieved.
God bless you all, God bless the APC and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Thank you.
General Muhammadu Buhari GCFR
(Presidential Flag Bearer of the APC, 2015)
Something serious is wrong with this photo. Who can spot it? Lol
T.B Joshua fined N25,000.00 for delaying court process on the suit filed against him and his Church for the collapse of the Church's guesthouse in which 116 persons lost their lives. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN,.........
An Ikeja High Court has awarded N25,000 in cost against the Synagogue Church Of All Nations and its founder, Temitope Joshua, for delaying further hearing of their suit against a Lagos state coroner.
Justice Lateefa Okunnu awarded the cost against the applicants on Tuesday for “wasting the time of the court and tax payers’ money”.
The applicants had sued the coroner, Oyetade Komolafe, and the Lagos State Government, over its ongoing inquest into the collapse of SCOAN guest house.
One hundred and sixteen persons were killed after the six-storey building collapsed on September 12, 2014.
In the suit, counsel to SCOAN and its
founder, Lateef Fagbemi, said his clients had asked for a judicial review of the proceedings before the coroner’s inquest which began on
October 13, 2014.
They had prayed the court to declare that the coroner had exceeded the jurisdiction of a coroner’s court by delving into areas that were beyond its scope.
However, on the resumption of hearing on Tuesday, Mr. Fagbemi told the court that he had filed two fresh applications relating to
the suit.
“We filed two processes yesterday. One is a motion and the other one is the applicants consolidated Reply on Points of Law”, he said.
Responding, Counsel to the respondents, Karmardeen Bakare, said the processes were served on his team in court and he needed
time to prepare his reply.
He, therefore, urged the court for an
adjournment to enable him examine the applications.
Following the development, the judge said it was clear that the day’s proceedings could not go on as scheduled.
Mr. Okunnu observed that the suit had been adjourned several times at the instance of the applicants.
She, therefore, awarded the N25,000 cost against them.
The court also ordered that they should file an affidavit of compliance before the next adjourned date of February 20.
(NAN)
The Cable reports that President Goodluck Jonathan has sent eight
ministerial nominees to the senate for confirmation.
The president's letter, read by David Mark on the senate floor listed the
ministerial nominees as follows:
1. Patricia Akwashiki (Nasarawa),
2. Augustine Akobundu (Abia)
3. Fidelis Nwankwo (Ebonyi),
4. Hauwa’u Lawan (Jigawa)
5. Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos),
6. Kenneth Kobani (Rivers) and
7.Joel Danlami Ikenya, Taraba.
More to com....
It’s more news the North wants GEJ out
of the way, so their licenses can be
renewed cos most of them are expiring
from 2016 upwards.
Monumental injustice is being
perpetrated to the people of Niger Delta
on whose soil the oil was found.
These people constitutes the main
opposition to President Goodluck
Jonathan today. Please Read on:
(1) This oil block business is so lucrative
that Danjuma’s Sapetro divested of its
investment in Akpo condensate for
$1billion dollars. This business is second
to none in Nigeria. That is why any
attempt to investigate the activities in
this sector will always be futile. The
money is so much that they give bribes
in millions of dollars.
A birthday gift or child naming gift from
an oil block owner to a government
official could be as paltry as $2million
dollars, and if the official’s father died,
the condolence gift could reach mere $3
million dollars. When they want to bribe
legislators, it is in millions of dollars and
any ongoing investigation ends within
weeks. They are so confident that with
excess money they can buy up Nigeria
and they are succeeding.
(2) OML 110 with high yield OBE oil
fields was given Cavendish Petroleum
owned by Alhaji Mai Daribe, the Borno
Patriarch in 1996 by Sanni Abacha. OBE
oil field has estimated over 500 million
barrels of oil. In layman’s language and
using average benchmark of $100 dollars
per barrel, translates to $50 billion
dollars worth of oil reserve. When you
remove the taxes, royalties and sundry
duties worth about 60% of the reserve
payable over time you get about
$20billion dollars worth of oil in the
hands of a family.
(3) OPL 246 was awarded to SAPETRO,
a company owned by General Theophilus
Danjuma, by Sanni Abacha in 1998.
Akpo condensate exports about 300,000
barrels of crude daily.
(4) NOML 112 and OML 117 were
awarded to AMNI International
Petroleum Development Company owned
by Colonel Sanni Bello in 1999. Sanni
Bello is an inlaw to Abdulsalami
Abubakar, former Head of State of
Nigeria.
(5) OML 115, OLDWOK Field and EBOK
field was awarded to Alhaji Mohammed
Indimi from Niger State. Indimi is an
inlaw to former Military President
Ibrahim Babangida.
(6) OML 215 is operated by Nor East
Petroleum Limited owned by Alhaji Saleh
Mohammed Gambo.
(7) OML 108 is operated by Express
Petroleum Company Limited is owned by
Alhaji Aminu Dantata.
(cool OML II3 allocated to Yinka
Folawiyo Pet Ltd is owned by Alhaji W.I.
folawiyo
(9)ASUOKPU/UMUTU marginal oil fields
is operated by Seplat Petroleum. Seplat
is owned by Prince Nasiru Ado Bayero,
cousin to the Central Bank Governor
Lamido Sanusi. This oil field has the
capacity of 300,000 barrels of oil daily.
This translates to $30million dollars
daily at average benchmark of $100
dollars per barrel. Deducting all sundry
taxes, royalties etc , this field can yield
$12billion dollars daily for the owners .
(10)Intel owned by Atiku, Yarádua and
Ado Bayero has substantial stakes in
Nigeria’s oil exploration industry both in
Nigeria and Principe and Sao Tome.
(11) AMNI owns two oil blocks OML 112
and OML 117 which it runs Afren plc and
Vitol has substantial stakes in oil blocks.
Afren plc is operating EBOK oil fields in
OML 67. Vitol lifts 300,000 barrels of
Nigerian oil daily. Rilwanu Lukman,
former OPEC Chairman has stakes in all
these named three companies.
(12) OPL 245 was awarded to Malabu
Oil& Gas Company by Sanni Abacha.
Dan Etete, Abacha’s oil minister owns
Malabu Oil. In 2000, Vice President Atiku
Abubakar convinced Obasanjo to revoke
OPL 245 given to Malabu Oil. Etete had
earlier rejected Atiku’s demand for
substantial stakes in the high yield OPL
245 and it attracted the venom of Ota
Majesty who revoked the licence.
However, in 2006, Obasanjo had mercy
on Dan Etete and gave him back his oil
block worth over $20 billion dollars.
(13) OPL 289 and OPL 233 was awarded
during Obasanjo era to Peter Odili fronts,
Cleanwater Consortium, consisting of
Clenwater Refinery and RivGas Petroleum
and Gas Company. Odili’s brother in law,
Okey Ezenwa manages the consortium
as Vice Chairman.
(14) OPL 286 is managed by Focus
Energy in partnership with BG Group, a
British oil concern. Andy Uba has stakes
in Focus Energy and his modus operandi
is such that you can never see his name
in any listings yet he controls OPL and
OML through proxies.
(15)OPL 291 was awarded to Starcrest
Energy Nigeria Limited, owned by Emeka
Offor by Obasanjo . Immediately after the
award, Starcrest sold the oil block to
Addax Petroleum Development Company
Limited (ADDAX) Addax paid Sir Emeka
Offor a farming fee of $35million dollars
and still paid the signature bonus to the
government. Emeka Offor still retains
stake in ADDAX operations in Nigeria.
(16) Mike Adenuga’s Conoil is the oldest
indigenous oil exploration industry in
Nigeria. Conoil has six oil blocks and
exports above 200,000 barrels of crude
daily.
(17)The oil block national cake sharing
fiesta could take twists according to the
mood of the Commander-in –Chief at
the particular time. In 2006, Obasanjo
revoked OPL 246 which Abacha gave to
Danjuma because he refused to support
the tenure elongation bid of the Ota
Majesty. In 2000, Obasanjo had earlier
revoked OPL 241 given to Dan Etete
under the advice Atiku. However, when
the Obasanjo-Atiku faceoff started, the
Ota Majesty made a u-turn and handed
back the oil block to Etete.
(18)During the time of Late President
Yarádua , a panel headed by Olusegun
Ogunjana was set up to investigate the
level of transparency in the award of oil
blocks. The panel recommended that 25
oil blocks awarded by the Obasanjo be
revoked because the manner they were
obtained failed to meet the best
practices in the industry. Sadiq
Mahmood, permanent secretary in the
Ministry of Petroleum endorsed the
report to then president with all its
recommendations. As a result of the
report Yarádua revoked eleven oil blocks.
(19) In April 2011 Mike Adenuga
attempted to buy Shell’s OML 30 for
$1.2 billion dollars. The Minister for
Petroleum and Nigeria’s most powerful
woman refused the sale of the OML30 to
Adenuga citing national interest. This
block was later sold to Heritage Oil for
$800 million dollars eleven months later.
(20) In the name of competitive bidding,
which Obasanjo introduced in 2005,
Officials bring companies overnight and
through processes best described as
secretive and voodooist they award
blocks to party faithful, fronts and
phoney companies. They collect
gratifications running into hundreds of
millions of dollars which is paid into
offshore account and the nation loses
billions of dollars of revenue to private
pockets.
During the third term agenda, Obasanjo
was deceived that the allocation of oil
block to party faithfuls is to fund the
third term agenda. With the failure of the
third term, the beneficiaries went home
with their fortunes and thanked God or
Allah for buttering their bread.
Senator Andy Uba co ordinate the award
of the last rounds of oil block by
Obasanjo in 2005 and 2007. The then
minister of petroleum, Edwin Daukoru
was a mere errand boy who took
instructions from the presidential aide
The process of sharing Nigeria’s oil
block national cake is as fraudulent now
as when Ibrahim Babangida started the
process of discretionary allocation of oil
blocks to indigenous firms. Discretionary
allocation of oil blocks entails that a
president can reward a mistress who
performs wonderfully with an oil block
with capacity for cumulative yield of over
$20 billion dollars without recourse to
any process outside of manhood
attachments.
Babangida, Abacha, Abdulsalami and
Obasanjo awarded discretionary oil
blocks to friends, associates, family
members, party chieftains, security chiefs
and all categories of bootlickers,
spokespersons and cult members without
any laid down procedures.
The recipients of such oil blocks will get
funds from ever willing offshore
financiers and partners to graciously
settle the benefactors, the awarders,
facilitators and the Commander-in-Chief
through fronts. These settlements mostly
paid into foreign accounts runs into
hundreds of millions of dollars according
to the potential yield of the block.
Sometimes, the awarder (sharer of
national cake and direct intermediaries)
demand additional stakes in the bidding
company. The awarder sends fronts as
part of the directorship and management
of the bidding firms without leaving a
link to them. That is how the oil block
national cake is distributed to a few
Nigerians.
Signature bonuses which are paid when
an investor successfully bids, wins and
signs agreement with the petroleum
ministry, running into tens of millions
and sometimes hundreds of millions of
naira ,is often waived off. There is
actually no waiver; rather a diversion of
what would have been paid to
government t coffers is paid into private
purse as appreciation gifts.
That is why those in the Petroleum
Ministry dread retirement as though it
signifies going to hell fire. No matter
how little your influence, something
substantial must enter your hands
especially in hard currency. The nation
loses billions of dollars in diverted
revenue whenever any round of auction
occurs.
The regime of President Goodluck is not
showing any signs of changing the
status quo. Controversies have trailed
the activities of the Minister of Petroleum
and many players in the Industry accuse
her of demanding stakes from every oil
deal. It is hoped that President Goodluck
Jonathan will remember his
transformational promise to Nigerians
and endeavour to face the hawks in the
oil industry.
The angst in the air is so much that if
this monster of illegal allocation of oil
block is not addressed, the much touted
revolution could begin all of a sudden
and all who condoned this illegality at
the expense of hungry Nigerians may
have nowhere to hide.
Culled from How Babangida, Abubakar,
Abacha, Obasanjo Shared Nigeria’s Oil
Blocks –
Written by Obinna Akukwe
Boko Haram militants has attacked a Cameroon military base near the town of Waza in the north of the country on today Monday wounding several soldiers, an army spokesperson confirmed.
"The wounded are being evacuated. The insurgents have been stopped. An APC [armoured personnel carrier] was taken from them and several of them were killed,"
a Cameroonian military officer told journalists in Maroua.
Formal president and chieftain of the People's Democratic Party, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo today had his ward chairman tear his PDP membership card at a press conference today in Abeokuta.
OBJ said this is to further convey his desire to be out from party business from henceforth.
More pics below....
About twelve prominent women from Bayelsa State including the wife of the State's Secretary General have lost their lives following a
ghastly auto crash near Old Ahoada
Market on the Ahoada/ Elele section of the East/West Road, Rivers State.
The accident happened when the women were on their way back to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital from the Port Harcourt International Airport where they had gone to see off the president's wife, Mrs
Patience Jonathan.
It was further gathered that the women, who are members of Mrs Jonathan’s female wing of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, known as Women For Change Initiatives had earlier visited Patience Jonathan in her country home of Okrika community in Rivers State.
According to the preliminary report
from the men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC) issued by the Bayelsa state Commander, Vincent Jack, 29 passengers in three separate vehicles were involved
in the accident, and 18 persons were
reportedly injured, while 11 others were burnt beyond recognition.
The three vehicles involved were
identified as a Toyota Hiace Bus with registration number, GBB591FS, Toyota Siena with registration number, ABU640AE and Toyota Highlander Jeep with registration number, YEN 371RJ.
The FRSC who attributed the cause of the accident to tyre burst said,
”The injured were taken to Madonna Hospital in Elele by the Police who first came to the scene.
The Corpse of one dead Woman was
deposited at Oepdem Mortuary in
Ahoada while police took another Corpse to Rumuji. Nine others were burnt beyond recognition”.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iwariso- Markson, expressed deep pains, shock
and grief over the sudden death of the wife of Professor Edmond Allison-Oguru, the Secretary to the State Government and a group of prominent Bayelsa Women in a fatal road accident along the Ahoada/Elele section of the East/West
Road in Rivers State.
Among the dead were former Members of the State House of Assembly and Commissioners from the state and the wife of the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, all from President Goodluck Jonathan’s State, Bayelsa.
The victims include a former Member of the State House of Assembly from Brass Local Government and Special Adviser to
Governor Seriake Dickson, Mrs. Ruby
Benjamin, a Former Commissioner for Women Affairs under the
administration of Gov. Timipre Sylva, Gimbra Panowei, the Wife of Prof. Edmond Oguru, the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Elizabeth Allison-Oguru.
Others include a Woman Leader from Otuoke Community in Ogbia local government, Madam Consider Amadi and the wife of the owner of a popular Montessori school known as Ayakpo International schools, Mrs. Inamamu Ayakpor.
However, Mrs Ebisinte Ayabowei, a
former Bayelsa State Commissioner
survived the accident.
It was also a lucky escape for Former Commissioner for Transport, Mrs.Marie Ebikake, who was recently sacked by Governor Serieke Dickson’s administration for alleged disloyalty to his administration.
She also visited Patience Jonathan in Okrika but reportedly drove back to Yenagoa in a separate vehicle.
May their soul rest in peace.
A female suicide bomber detonated a bomb which killed at least seven people at a crowded bus station in Damaturu Yobe state today. Meanwhile, reports from police says more than 30 others were severely wounded in the attack.
Though no group has claimed responsibility but the jihadist group Boko Haram
Yobe state commissioner of police Marcos Danladi, said Sunday's attack took place at the Damaturu Central Motor Park.
A Witness Adamu Muhammad said the female suicide bomber arrived in a vehicle and walked into a crowd outside a grocery store at the end of the terminal where she detonated her explosives.
Aston Villa has contracted a new coach to take over the management of the club after it parted ways with the former coach Paul Lambert.
Tim Sherwood took over from Paul Lambert, after the later had a winless run of 10 matches. This surely sent Villa into the relegation zone.
The 46-year-old who has managed Tottenham Hotspur after he took over from Villas Boas agreed a contract until the end of 2017/18.
December 2013 and led the team
to a sixth-placed finish in the Barclay's Premier League.
Tom Fox, Aston Villa chief executive has this to say......
"We strongly believe Tim has the qualities to get the best out of our current squad and help us build and develop for the future."
For Sherwood it was “a great honour to manage one of the biggest clubs in English football".
"I can't wait to get started and I'm really looking Forward to the challenge," he said. He will start with a home match against Stoke City on 21February.
"While being forever conscious of the frustrations that we all suffer, we feel that a change that Offers a positive, fresh approach will be very good for the club," Villa chairman Randy Lerner said.
"I know that Tom and many others at Villa worked very hard to recruit Tim in the face of severely limited time constraints and pounding pressure.
"More importantly, I know further that internally we remain focused and committed to challenges we face, and I am deeply appreciative for that."
