Again, Robbers Raid Ikorodu Banks Despite Police Dragnet-By Chiemelie Ezeobi

 Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase

• Man arrested for taking picture of bribery scene

Despite the heavy presence of the police and some men of the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Navy, the notorious armed robbery gang terrorising the Ikorodu area of Lagos struck again on Wednesday, and succeeded in robbing two banks.

After holding the Ebute Road, at the Ogolonto area of Ikorodu hostage for about an hour, and robbing two second generation banks, the armed robbery gang escaped.

Numbering about 10, the heavily armed gang was said to have executed their act in a Gestapo-type operation that saw them cover their targets successfully, aiding their escape.

The attack came exactly three weeks after the armed gang invaded Ikorodu and robbed the First Bank and Wema Bank branches in the neighbourhood, killing two people in the process.

How the robbers succeeded in storming the area Wednesday and robbing the banks of yet-to-be specified amount remains a mystery, going by the fact that the banks are opposite a police station.

Although the policemen from the Ebute Ipakodo police station were on duty, the armed gang held the entire area hostage unchallenged.
Information made available to THISDAY indicated that the police were allegedly aware of the plan to attack some banks by the same robbery gang terrorising the area.

A top police official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said after the robbers struck three weeks ago, they (the police) had succeeded in infiltrating the gang and may have been aware that they planned to strike again.

The source said that there were already plans to move in and arrest the suspects when they launched yet another attack on the two banks on Wednesday.

The source said: “After the first attack, which was quite devastating, the men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) were detailed to investigate the matter and unearth them.

“True to type, they made great inroads into arresting them because of the insider information they were ferreting from a source.

“What we knew was that after the attack, this set of armed robbers usually escape by boats to their hideout in the swamps and thistles of Ikorodu.

“From the information at our disposal, we knew they were planning to strike but did not know when. Our plan was that we would arrest them before they did so, but unfortunately they struck again before we could act.”

Wednesday’s robbery attack, which began at 8.30 am, saw the heavily armed men storm the bank in their getaway vehicle.
According to an eyewitness report, the gang had tacitly trailed a bullion van carrying money to the bank and robbed it before moving on to the second bank.

The gang attempted to enter the second bank through the thick glass metal detector door but was repelled by the private security men who locked it from inside.

When attempts to break into one of the metal detector doors proved difficult, they shot their way through a second one.

In a fit of rage, they not only shot and cut through the metal detector, they also tore down the windbreaker affixed atop the door and also the wires connecting the alarm system.

After robbing the bank and its customers, their attempt to flee was impeded by the presence of the police from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and the Ipakodo police station who had arrived at the scene of the robbery.

Thus, a gun duel ensued between the police and the gang, which lasted for over 30 minutes before the gang fled the scene.

The gang was said to have escaped through the lagoon with their loot intact and sped off in high-speed boats through the many canals that dot the Ikorodu area.

As at press time, business activities were gradually resuming in the area although banks remained closed to customers.

Expectedly, the incident worsened the traffic situation in an otherwise traffic-prone area, stretching into kilometres.

The South-west Zonal Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the gang was able to escape because they used speed boats.

He said: “When we got the alert about the armed robbery attack and their plans to escape in their speed boats, we alerted the marine police.

“The marine police immediately deployed three speed boats but they didn't catch them, as they had already disappeared through the many canals in the lagoon.”

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Spokesperson, Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the attack, but said no casualty was recorded.

But despite the police’s inability to arrest the robbers, they were, in an unrelated incident, unusually prompt at arresting a civilian who attempted to take a photograph of a policeman receiving a bribe from a commercial bus driver in the Okota area of Lagos State.

The victim, Ntiedo Thompson, was arrested and detained at the Okota Police station for daring to take a photo shot of the policeman receiving the bribe.

The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Solomon Arase, had warned policemen on several occasions against demanding or accepting bribes from motorists.

Thompson, who was detained for some hours and his two phones held in custody overnight, only succeeded in recovering them yesterday after the intervention of a human rights activist.

Attempts by THISDAY to help secure his release on Tuesday was unsuccessful.

Although the policemen had initially claimed that the DPO, CSP James Chu, had ordered them to arrest and detain Thompson, it turned out that Chu was not even aware of the incident.

While narrating his ordeal, Thompson said: “I was in a commercial bus when we got to the Okota area, one of the policemen on the road was demanding that our driver give him a bribe.

"I brought out my phone to capture him and they saw me. They dragged me out of the bus and seized the phone I used to take the pictures.

“He said I was placed under arrest but I begged that they should release me, and suggested that they could delete the pictures and return my phone to me, but they refused.

“The next thing, they called the station and a patrol van appeared and they demanded that I boarded the patrol van because the DPO wanted to see me.

“When we got there, they didn't take me to meet the DPO neither did they release me. I was there from 6 pm to 9 pm.

“Afterwards, they asked me to go home and report back by 9am the following day (yesterday). But before I was released, I had to call one of my brothers with my second phone to come and bail me.

“Meanwhile, before I left that night, they also seized the second phone from me and I went home without any phone on me.

“I got there yesterday by 9 am and waited till 2.40 pm before my second phone was released. This was after a human rights activist intervened and asked them to let me go.

“Even at that, the policeman handling my case went to Ikeja to submit my report and so I had to wait till he got back for him to release my phones.”

Although his bail bond was signed by his brother, and he was released on bail, he said his brother was compelled to also pay some money to perfect the bail bond.

Culled from Thisday

Nollywood Actress, Eucharia Anunobi Loses Dad

 One of the pioneers of Nollywood movie industry in Nigeria, ageless and quintessential actress, Eucharia Anunobi, has lost her father, Pa Felix Anunobi.
According to sources close to the actress, Pa Anunobi prior to his death was sick for a rather long while. He passed on the to glory on June 1, 2015.
There are indications that the late Pa Anunobi will be laid to rest on August 1, 2015 although details are a bit hazy at the moment.

Culled from My celebrity and I

NSCDC arrests five for allegedly stealing and slaughtering goats -By Oluwaseun Akingboye

The suspects and the slaughtered goats

THE Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Ondo State Command, has arrested five persons for alleged theft and slaughtering of other people’s goats in Oshinle Quarters, Akure South Local Council of Ondo State.
In a statement released to journalists by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Kayode Balogun, the suspects include Ogunmola Kayode, 60, Ogunmola Kehinde and Ogunmola Taiwo, 20, Stephen Isaac, 22, and Ifeanyinwa Okonkwo, 21 years old.
According to Balogun: “They were arrested at No. 19, Fadeyi Street, Oshinle Quarters, Akure at about 5.30a.m with 13 goats already slaughtered, 10 out of the goats were pregnant and one of them was in labour when it was slaughtered.”
The NSCDC officer said “the suspects are still under interrogation and will be charged to court for prosecution immediately after the ongoing detailed investigation is concluded.”
Balogun urged the good people of Ondo State to always give timely information on any suspected criminal activities in their neighbourhood to the security agencies in order to nip them in the bud at the nick of time.

Culled from Guardian

Bail-out for states doubtful as Buhari laments empty treasury-By Mohammed Abubakar

First Day inside Aso villa Office President Muhammadu Buhari in his office at Aso Rock Villa, Abuja …yesterday PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA 

A BAD-case scenario of the new government inheriting an empty treasury bandied about by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was yesterday confirmed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
With this development, the expected bailout for states by the Federal Government may have hit the rocks, at least, temporarily.
Meanwhile, the President has directed that all the military checkpoints on highways be dismantled.
Speaking during his maiden interaction with State House correspondents, the President lamented that the culture of celebrating 100 days in office has brought so much pressure on the government to show its achievements, even in the face of “virtually empty treasury with debts in millions of dollars, with state workers and even federal workers not paid their salaries.’’
He said such a scenario was “such a disgrace for Nigeria.”
The President, who said it was the duty of government at every level to ensure that workers’ salaries are paid, lamented that the bad management of the economy had put a strain on the ability of state governments and some Federal Government agencies to pay their workers.
He underscored a smooth working relationship between the government and the media as essential, noting that, such relationship would go a long way in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy a quality dividend of democracy.
Alluding to his not-so-easy relationship with the media in the past, the President said he had decided to engage the services of the best brains in the industry as his media aides to enhance a smooth working relationship, noting that democracy means that the government and the media should work in partnership for the development of the country.
His words: “It is not by accident that I got one of the best among you, Mr. Femi Adesina, one of the 15 aides I had to get clearance from the Senate.‎ He is one of the best that I can have so that he can consistently defend me against you. Whether my job is a difficult one or an easy one is up to him, but I’m here to thank you in advance for ‎what good and ill you are going to do to me.”
Also, during a meeting with journalists after the president’s meeting with heads of security agencies yesterday at the State House, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Aliyu Ismaila, disclosed that preparations for the final movement of the Command Control Centre to Maiduguri were underway.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, led the Service Chiefs, including Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, his Naval and Air counterparts, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin and Air Marshal Adesola Amosu among others to the meeting.
On the absence at the meeting of the Inspector-General of Police and Director-General of the Department of State Services, Ismaila said:

Culled from Guardian

Brickbats in Rivers

on June 23, 2015   /   in News, Politics 4:00 am   /   Comments

Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State wouldn’t have expected to live in peace with his former aide turned foe as his successor. But whether he expected what he calls the Nollywood drama he says is going on in the state is another thing.
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
13 months before the last presidential election, the former supervising minister of education, Chief Nyesom Wike had warned that President Goodluck Jonathan would arrest Governor Rotimi Amaechi after the president would have won re-election in 2015, since Amaechi would have then lost his immunity.
“Once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announces the victory of President Jonathan, we will immediately shut down the Port Harcourt International Airport and all land and sea borders in Rivers State to prevent Governor Amaechi from escaping,” Wike was quoted as saying during a ceremony when he presented buses to all 23 local government area chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
With a tone of finality on the imminent incarceration of Amaechi, Wike who at one time was Chief of Staff in Amaechi’s government, said “Does he think we don’t know that he is planning to run away? But he and his cohorts will not succeed.”
He spoke with anger at the defection of Amaechi from the PDP to then emerged All Progressives Congress, APC. Whether it was that threat or whatever, Amaechi was to lead the national fight that eventually halted the return of Jonathan for a second term.
Nevertheless, Chief Wike’s predictions may have partially come true. After his emergence as new governor of Rivers State, Wike has wasted little time in pounding and discrediting what had until now been praised as the veritable legacies of the Amaechi administration. However, his threats of locking Amaechi up which very few would have doubted had Mrs. Patience Jonathan returned to Aso Rock has, however, eviscerated.

Wike and Amaechi

After his controversial victory over Amaechi’s preferred APC candidate, Dakuku Peterside, Wike has now launched a blistering attack on the Amaechi legacy.
Stories that once emanated from Rivers of state of the art primary schools, model secondary schools that looked like universities and world class hospitals, have now been replaced with allegations of corruption the Wike administration is alleging against the former regime.
Wike has been aided to some extent in his offensive by the immediate past deputy governor of the state, Engr. Tele Ikuru, who served as deputy to Amaechi’s predecessor, Celestine Omehia, served in the same position in the Amaechi administration and subsequently served as the chairman of Wike’s Transition Committee.
Indeed, not long after he took over the affairs of the government, Wike announced that officials of the Amaechi administration had looted Government House noting that they stripped even the Government House of beddings.
Last Thursday officials of the state administration went to the Port Harcourt residence of the former commissioner of information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari where they forcefully took away a Lexus SUV officials claimed was government property.
“In furtherance of efforts by the Rivers State Government to recover government property from officials of the immediate past administration in the state, security agents and Government House officials, yesterday, took possession of government vehicles from the home of the former spokesperson for the Amaechi administration, Semenitari.
“The security operatives carried out the operation at the home of Mrs. Semenitari located on Ernest Ikoli Street, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.
“The operatives recovered a Lexus Armoured Vehicle from the residence and a Range Rover vehicle is said to have been in the possession of the former Information Commissioner.
The accusations were immediately dismissed by Semenitari who claimed that the Range Rover belonged to her husband who bought it before her appointment as a commissioner while she claimed that the Lexus was officially purchased by her as part of the monetisation policy of the government.
“The monetization policy of the government allows public officers to leave government with their official vehicles as this is in lieu of vehicle allowance, transport and other allowances, which they cannot draw because of the monetization policy of 2002. Mr. Nyesom Wike served as Chief of Staff, and upon departure left with all the vehicles he used as Chief of Staff. This has been the practice since this democratic dispensation.
“Having served as Commissioner for two tenures, I am entitled to my status cars and have proof of allocation. While I understand that Mr. Wike feels a dire need to destroy the reputation of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and all those who worked with him, it is unacceptable that he will engage in brigandage, thuggery and underhand tactics to do so. A simple letter from any government official requesting me to make a submission or tender documentation would have been the appropriate way to go and I would have willingly tendered all the relevant documents to them.
“Breaking into my home, invading my privacy, damaging my property and removing property from my premises is inappropriate and illegal.
The following day, Friday, Governor Wike officially launched the expected probe of the Amaechi administration with the inauguration of a judicial commission of inquiry.
The panel headed by Justice George Omereji is mandated to investigate alleged sale of some state assets and to investigate projects for which funds were released but not utilised.
Other members of the Commission of Inquiry include Dr. Edith Chukwu, Chief Monday Ekekenta, Rev. Canon Alex Usifo and Elder Ignatius Piegbara. Mrs. Florence Fiberesima is to serve as the secretary while Dr. Zacheaus Adango would serve as the counsel to the Commission. Inaugurating the probe, Wike said he expected to receive the cooperation of President Muhammadu Buhari in his alleged war against corruption in his state.
It was a remark that was picked up by the APC in narrowing the actions of the new Rivers governor as an attempt to deny Amaechi a role in the new Buhari administration.
“One thing Chief Wike and his collaborators fail to understand is that President Buhari knows the politics of Rivers State as he knows his fingers. President Buhari is fully aware that Amaechi and his associates are being viciously persecuted by Wike because he engineered the ouster of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the President of Nigeria and the election of President Buhari.
“Apart from the above, Chief Wike is embarking upon this worthless vindictive venture knowing very well that he will soon be ignominiously sacked by the Election Petition Tribunal since he never won election but was imposed by Rivers INEC in collaboration with the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party,” the party said in a statement issued last weekend.
Amaechi, himself has responded saying through his media aide: “This so called Wike’s probe of Amaechi is dead on arrival. All the noise Wike is making is to grab media headlines with his lies of monumental corruption against Amaechi. It is all drama made for the media. What is playing out is a script written and directed by Wike,” the statement said.
“While it is no longer in doubt what would be the report of Wike’s sham probe commission, what may shock Nigerians is the extent Wike has gone and is ready to go to manufacture stories of corrupt practices and the kind of bogus tales of corruption against Amaechi that he will soon be feeding the nation,” the statement added.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/brickbats-in-rivers/#sthash.JUX2xFtT.dpuf

Three Weeks After, Buhari Moves into Villa-Jaiyeola Andrews

President Muhammadu Buhari

More than three weeks after his inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday evening began to move his personal effects into the presidential villa, his official residence.

Before and after the inauguration President Buhari as well  the Vice President,  Professor Yemi Osinbajo have been living in their private residences, outside the Villa.

The duo have also performed official functions by operating from the Defence House, Abuja, where they have hosted dignitaries including foreign Heads of State including party chieftains and various elder statesmen.

The delay in moving into Aso Villa is said to be because of the renovation works being carried out at the Villa, after the former occupant, Dr Goodluck Jonathan moved out.

Julius Berger, which had held the retainership of the maintenance of the presidential villa for years was said to have repainted the internal and external walls of the president’s residence.

It could not be immediately confirmed if the furniture at the president’s lounges were also changed as part of the renovation.

In an interview earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu had explained that,  “As far as the President is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the President will move in.”

The president's wife, Mrs Aisha Buhari had indeed begun the relocation into the seat of power when she began to move her personal belongings into the official residence of the president    since last Thursday.

Buhari, who returned to Abuja from Katsina State on Saturday after a visit to his farm, began the movement of his properties to the seat of power on Sunday evening.

Many believe that the movement into his official residence signals a getting down to brass tacks in governance, as basic appointments like Chief of Staff, Secretary to the Government of the Federation as well as National Security Adviser, etc., are expected to get underway soon.

Aside the naming of his spokesmen, President Buhari has not made any other appointment since he was inaugurated on May 29.

In an interview with Arise News Television, in South Africa last week, President Buhari had said he was not in a hurry to name his ministers as he was yet involved in wide consultations.

Culled from Thisday

Thousands flood London streets to protest against austerity

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of London to air their anger over austerity
Waving placards and posters, they gathered outside the Bank of England as they made their way from the city’s financial district to Parliament Square in Westminster.
There is frustration over measures aimed at resolving a government deficit, which ballooned after Britain rescued trouble banks during the 2008 financial crisis.
“The government seems to be very interested, almost obsessed with cutting benefits for young people who are looking for work,” said one demonstrator.
Another added: “A lot of people from up and down the country are here because they’ve just had enough. They’ve had enough of austerity, cuts and privatisation.”
Britain’s Conservative party unexpectedly won an outright majority in a national election last month.They had been in a coalition focused on cutting spending to narrow the country’s deficit.
Finance minister George Osborne now says that he wants to make extra cuts this year. The government also plans to reduce spending on social security benefits.

Culled from Euronews

Saraki Visits Obasanjo, Supports Review Of Legislators’ Salaries-By Abiodun Fagbemi, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, and Charles Coffie Gyamfi

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo (right) congratulates newly elected Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki during his visit to Obasanjo at his Hill Top Mansion, Presidential Hill, Abeokuta … yesterday.

• At Ilorin, Thanks Kwarans For Support OSTENSIBLY as part of efforts to cement his legitimacy and acceptability and consolidate his reign, Senate President Bukola Saraki early yesterday visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Hilltop, Abeokuta residence in Ogun State.
Saraki and his entourage arrived the residence at 9.08 am and held a two-hour closed-door meeting with Obasanjo.
At the end of his meeting with Obasanjo around 11.15am, Saraki told journalists: “I am here with some of my colleagues to pay homage to one of our fathers (Obasanjo), to seek his advice, to get his blessing and also to consult him.
“We all know Obasanjo’s value to this country and we are here to tap from his wisdom and that knowledge and that experience.”
Answering a question on the present situation in the Senate, Saraki said: “As you can see, things are moving smoothly. Definitely, be rest assured that all that (disagreement) will be put behind us very shortly. We are very confident about that.”
On whether his leadership would support a downward review of legislators’ salaries, he stated: “Well, I think already that is in progress. If you remember last time, it was about N150 billion and it is coming down to N120 billion.
“I think the situation in the country deserves that every public servant must make sacrifices and whatever sacrifice that is necessary, we will do it. And that is being done.
“So, be rest assured that we are sensitive; we are aware of the situation in the country and if we are going to lead, we must lead by example. And we would do that.”
A statement signed by his Media Assistant, Bamikole Omishore, said: “The courtesy visit to the elder statesman was in continuation of the senate president’s tour of drawing from the wealth of experience and knowledge from elder statesmen across the nation on ways to move our dear nation forward.”
It was gathered Saraki may have prevailed on Obasanjo to help him reach out to those aggrieved by his emergence. The former President was said to have assured him that channels of communication would be opened with all those concerned.
Thereafter, Saraki departed for Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, into the warm reception of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ishola Balogun-Fulani and a mammoth crowd of party supporters, associates and well wishers.
The crowd had waited patiently from 8.am till 1.35pm, when the presidential jet that conveyed Saraki and his entourage touched down at the tarmac of Ilorin Airport. Yesterday’s visit was his first visit to his home state, where he was governor for two terms Ilorin, since his election on June 9.
Those in his entourage were Senators Andy Uba, Danjuma Goje, Ahmed Sanni Yerima and Tayo Alasoadura, as well as former Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and APC chieftain, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.
At Ilorin, it was a tug of war before the senate president could move from the tarmac to the arrival hall, as everyone struggled to catch a glimpse of him.
In a brief chat with journalists, Saraki, beaming with smiles all the way, thanked Kwarans for their support.
“It is a great reception. I will have time later to thank the people of Kwara State. It is a great opportunity for the people of Kwara State to have one of them to serve at this level. I pray and thank all the people for their support and prayers and everything and I assure them that I will not disappoint them,” he said.
From the airport, his motorcade drove to the palace of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to pay homage. After exchanging pleasantries, Saraki, the emir and other dignitaries walked from the palace to Ilorin Central Mosque to observe Juma’at service.
Later, the emir canvassed prayers for sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy and the growth of the nation. Sulu-Gambari, who expressed joy over the emergence of Saraki as senate president, prayed for his success in the new assignment.
The monarch prayed that Saraki’s tenure would positively turn around the fortunes of the country. The duo later held a closed-door meeting which lasted over 40 minutes.
Those who accompanied Saraki to the palace included his wife, Oluwatoyin, and some top government functionaries in the state.
2018

Culled from Guardian

Waterloo handshakes as Europe marks bicentenary united-By Alastair Macdonald

Fireworks explode as re-enactors perform during the opening show "Inferno" by artistic director …

By Alastair Macdonald

WATERLOO, Belgium (Reuters) - Descendants of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington shook hands at Waterloo on the 200th anniversary of a battle that ended French imperial hegemony over Europe and ushered in a century of fragile peace.
Belgium's king and prime minister, hosting the celebrations, used the occasion on Thursday to hail the European Union, based a few miles away in Brussels, and characterised Waterloo, fought with great loss on June 18, 1815, as a turning point in the development of systems to manage the continent's many states.
In a symbolic gesture, descendants of the French, British, German and Dutch commanders shook hands: Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, a London financier; Arthur Wellesley, son of the current Duke of Wellington; Nikolaus Prince Bluecher, a descendent of the Prussian marshal; and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, whose ancestor led Wellington's Dutch allies.
"Those who yesterday were enemies have become the closest of allies," said Belgian premier Charles Michel. "It is not so much a battle, it is a reconciliation I want to celebrate today."
He spoke on day when the European Union, already stressed by confrontation with Wellington's old ally Russia and by fears of Britain quitting the EU in a referendum, found itself facing a "Waterloo" of its own as Greece refused to cut its budget to qualify for EU loans it needs to avoid looming bankruptcy.
King Philippe of the Belgians, whose state was created through the diplomatic system set up in the wake of Waterloo, recalled how the final defeat of a post-revolutionary Napoleonic French empire stretching from Iberia to the Russian frontier led to a "concert of Europe" aimed at settling disputes in peace.
"Today, the European institutions are firmly established in Brussels, a few kilometres from Waterloo," he said. "Certainly, it is not always easy to get along. But it is always better to meet around the negotiating table than on the battlefield."
France sent its ambassador to the ceremony, making it the first major anniversary at the site to be marked by all sides.

A music-and-fireworks spectacular, featuring several hundred of the 5,000 battlefield re-enactors gathering for the weekend, marked the end of the bicentenary day on Thursday. Some 200,000 visitors are expected at Waterloo over the coming few days to watch vivid evocations of the bloody summer Sunday 200 years ago when tens of thousands of men died on the field.

(Additional reporting by Yves Herman and Christian Levaux; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Lisa Shumaker)

Culled from Reuters

National Assembly broke, borrows to pay lawmakers-By Mathias Okwe , Bridget Chiedu-Onochie and Karls Tsokar

PAST MEETS PRESENT: Senate President, Bukola Saraki in a handshake with his predecessor, Senator David Mark PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo

THE stark reality of the sharp drop in the nation’s revenue following crude oil price slump at the international market now stares Nigerians, including federal lawmakers in the face.
Now, the National Assembly Service Commission which is on first line charge and used to get about N150 billion yearly to run its affairs, has come out to say it is cash-strapped and cannot pay salaries of its legislators most of whom have completed their tour of duty and were either voted out or did not seek re-election.
Also unable to pay salaries in their states, governors will consult with President Muhammadu Buhari next week to discuss the way out of the quagmire.
They will meet him under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) that has also congratulated and pledged to work with the leadership of the National Assembly.
A top management official of the commission with knowledge of the financial state of the National Assembly told The Guardian: “Our account is in the red. We can’t even pay our staff salaries. In fact, I can confirm to you that we are yet to complete the payment of salaries of the Seventh Legislators that wound up their activities last June 9. We have to obtain loans from banks to be able to pay them. So nobody is talking about the allowances of this Eighth Assembly now. We don’t know how we are going to handle it.”
“I don’t know where the information came from that we are going to pay wardrobe allowance amounting to almost N9 billion.
“Whoever is peddling that rumour is really doing a disservice to the new presiding officers and members of the Eighth National Assembly who may unduly come under pressure from their constituents. I can assure you that nobody knows when the Eighth Assembly members are going to get any kobo here.
“In fact, our financial situation is compounded by the inability of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) to meet last Tuesday or yesterday as is normally the case, because even after the meeting, it takes more than two months before the Federal Government would source for money to its agencies. That is why you see that salaries of some agencies too are in arrears.
“What the Federal Government does after every FAAC is that it manages to settle the states and local government counterparts of the allocation while it begins to source for its share of the allocation which is just on paper.
“The implication of this is that even if FAAC meets today or next month, we don’t expect to get our own share of the allocation released to us immediately until the next two months except President Muhammadu Buhari is going to reverse the trend.”
“What is most disturbing to us as management at this time is how to even arrange for residential and office accommodation for the new presiding officers as the residences of both the Speaker and the Senate President were sold to former Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and immediate past Senate President, David Mark.”
Speaking after a meeting of the NGF at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, its Chairman and of Zamfara State Governor Abdullazeez Yari, said they “deliberated extensively on various issues of national interest to be discussed with Mr. President in order to seek lasting solutions to the economic challenges confronting the nation”.
While noting that the non-payment of wages to workers in some of the states has adversely affected workers’ productivity, Yari said the issue of unpaid salaries also applies to some Federal Government agencies.
He said contrary to some reports, a bailout may not be requested from the Federal Government as the capacity to provide it is not there.
“But the government does not have liquidity, so we cannot ask for a bailout when we meet President Muhammadu Buhari next week.
So the governors will press for payment of outstanding funds owed them by the Federal Government for projects carried out using state resources.
“Nearly all the states are involved in this, ranging from N20 billion or less to Lagos with about N50 billion. So if we can get that, we would be able to get some of the issues resolved.”
In a related development , the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which only last week set up a committee to review allowances of public officers in the light of the current revenue drop yesterday told The Guardian that it was not aware of any such approval given to the NASS to pay the Eighth Assembly members such amount as wardrobe allowance as stated in the media. It said the committee set up on the review was yet to conclude its assignment.
A commissioner representing one of the states of the federation who is in the know of the review assignment but was not officially authorised to speak said : “It is ridiculous because we are yet to conclude our assignment on the review, so nobody can be talking of allowances now. As far as we are concerned, it’s speculative, non-realistic and at best the imagination of those behind the rumours. We would soon come out with a position on the reviewed allowance,” the RMAFC Commissioner explained.
Expectedly, the on-going downward review may set the Fiscal Commission and some legislators of the Eighth Assembly on a collision course if statements credited to the new Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, are considered.
Lasun had on Tuesday, defended the yearly budget of N150 billion for the National Assembly since 2010 .
It was reduced to N120 billion in the current 2015 budget, in the face of dwindling federal revenue.
But Lasun said the N150 billion which many Nigerians have criticised is not much compared to the entire budget of Nigeria, pointing out that the National Assembly budget was less than three per cent of the total budget of the Federal Government.
However, in what may appear as a different position, the new Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has swiftly waded into the N9 billion wardrobe allowance controversy telling Nigerians to be patient as the appropriate government agency is reviewing the allowances to reflect the country’s current economic realities.
Saraki’s appeal was via his Twitter handle (@bukolasaraki) yesterday where he disclosed that he had met with the chairman of the RMAFC to seek clarification on the issue.
According to him: “Chairman of was in my office to clarify wardrobe allowance. The amount is N506,600 per senator.”
He added: “Fixing of remuneration of political office holders is the sole responsibility of RMAFC. With the current challenges we are facing as a nation, RMAFC will be reviewing allowances to reflect the current economic trend.”
Culled from Guardian

Governors Meet Today, Seek Bailout to Pay Salaries-Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo

.

Governor Abdullaziz Yari,

• APC governors reiterate call for FG's intervention, to wade into N’Assembly crisis

Governors of the 36 states of the federation will meet today to consider proposals for a possible bailout for states with financial difficulties, especially those unable to pay workers’ salaries.

Also, the governors are expected to discuss their dwindling monthly allocations from the Federation Account and the status of the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

Last month, governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had met with President Muhammadu Buhari requesting a bailout to enable them pay the backlog of salaries to workers in the states.

Already, workers in Osun, Enugu, Ekiti, Benue and Ebonyi States have embarked on strike over the inability of their state governments to pay their salaries.

In a statement by the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Asishana Okauru, he said: “I have been directed by the Chairman, Governor Abdullaziz Yari, to invite you to a meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum holding as follows on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 10 am at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.”

He listed the agenda for the meeting to include: brief by the chairman, update on the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and ECA, proposal for bailout to states, and a revenue enhancement scheme for states, among others.

In their last meeting last month, the former chairman of the forum, Chibuike Amaechi, in a communique said the governors asked the former Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to account for the money that accrued to the ECA from 2013 to 2015.

Specifically, the governors asked the former finance minister to account for over $20 billion that was saved in the account between May 2013 and April 2015.

In response to their demands, the minister published a schedule of how funds from the ECA were utilised by the federal, state and local governments during the period.

She reminded the governors that despite her advice that money in the ECA should be saved for a rainy day, the states had insisted on spending most of the savings.

She also reminded them that she repeatedly advised the state governments to make the payment of workers’ salaries a priority, but they ignored her, thus leading to the present backlog of unpaid wages.

Ahead of today’s meeting of the NGF, THISDAY learnt that APC governors under the auspices of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) met in the Imo State Governor's lodge in Abuja while their counterparts from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also met in the city last night to articulate their position on the bailout for the states.

A notice of the meeting of the PDP governors made available to the media yesterday stated that the governors would also elect a new chairman for the PDP Governors’ Forum.

The notice signed by the coordinator of the forum, Onaiwu Osaro, said the Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, who was the deputy to the former chairman, Godswill Akpabio, would be elected to lead the forum by his colleagues.

The meeting was also expected to deliberate on the state of affairs of the former ruling party, following the recent resignation of its national chairman, Adamu Mu’azu.

The PDP governors’ meeting, which started at 9 pm yesterday, had eight of its 13 governors in attendance.
Those present included Mimiko, Capt Idris Wada (Kogi), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi) and Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom).

The governors of Delta and Bayelsa States were represented by their deputies.
Also, rising from their meeting last night, the APC governors reiterated their call on the federal government to provide funds to enable them pay the outstanding salaries of their workers and meet other necessary obligations.

Addressing journalists after the meeting which lasted for over five hours, the Chairman of the PGF and Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorcha, conveyed the concern of the governors over the state of the economy and called for urgent attention by the federal government.

“We the governors of the progressive party met today to review the state of the economy. We also met to review the issues as it affects our great party.

“First, on the economy of the nation, we are concerned and worried by the dwindling revenue of the states which today has affected negatively the lives of our people.

“It has become so serious and urgent action must be taken for a bailout for the states. States are not getting better either. We sat down to review what steps could be taken.

“We are calling for an overhaul of the system to block all the leakages in our economy.
“We have realised that what we are going through today is as a result of the poor management of our economy in recent times. The APC government met a near empty treasury. This has become very worrisome, not just for us, but for the entire nation.

“We have some natural challenges in the country because of the drop in the oil price and the issue of oil theft. There are other issues like the crude swaps.

“We have the gas revenues which has never been reflected before. We have the mismanagement of oil subsidy. A few years ago, we paid about N200 million (for subsidies). Today, it is about N1.4 trillion. We are worried,” he said.

Okorocha also stated that the forum would wade into the crisis trailing the election of the new leaders of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

“We also have congratulated the leadership of the National Assembly. We are aware that the process led to a disagreement. We, the governors of the party, have resolved to embark on a peace process to make sure that we return as members of one family that we have always been.

“We have also discussed how to strengthen our party. This is the party that brought change and that change must stand. We will make the party meet the desires of our great members.

“We are assuring Nigerians that we will remain focused and address some of these issues,” he said.
The meeting was attended by 16 governors of the APC.

Culled from Thisday

African Union to send military experts to Burundi

Soldiers clear barricades in Bujumbura, Burundi after the police shot dead a protester. (Jerome Delay, AP)

Johannesburg - African leaders meeting at a summit in Johannesburg on Monday agreed to send military experts to Burundi, which has been rocked by weeks of violence over the president's controversial bid for a third term.
Since surviving a coup attempt last month President Pierre Nkurunziza has faced down international pressure to reconsider his attempt to stay in power, which diplomats fear could plunge the country into war.
"We are hoping to deploy at least 50 [military experts]," the African Union's peace and security commissioner Smail Chergui told reporters.
"The mission of these people will be to observe what is happening and also to give counsel to the police if need be."
The unrest has left about 40 people dead and scores injured, mostly in the capital Bujumbura. More than 100 000 people have fled the violence to neighbouring countries.
Parliamentary elections are planned for June 29, ahead of the presidential poll in July.
Both polls were postponed following weeks of demonstrations that were brutally suppressed by police and a failed coup attempt by a section of the army.
The Burundi election commission on Friday approved all eight candidates who put themselves forward for the upcoming presidential poll, including Nkurunziza and his leading opponent Agathon Rwasa.
Despite being cleared to contest the election, Rwasa is keeping open the possibility of an opposition boycott.

Culled from News24

Justice dept still doesn't know where Al-Bashir is

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrives for a group photograph of leaders at the 25th AU Summit in Johannesburg. (Gianluigi Guercia, AFP)

Johannesburg - The whereabouts of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir were still not known on Monday morning, more than 12 hours since the first report that he had left the country despite a court order halting his departure.
Justice department spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga told News24 on Monday morning: "As a legal team we move from the premise that he is still within the country as we are yet to verify these conflicting media reports."
The confusion started when Bloomberg News quoted Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman as saying, "the president finished his business in South Africa and is coming back home". But a while later, the news agency reported that journalists had seen Al-Bashir at an African Union summit in Johannesburg.
Police escort?
The KZN-based Mercury newspaper reported on Monday it understood that Al-Bashir left South Africa under a heavy police escort.
“He was escorted by all the security detail, including the Saps VIP Protection Unit, metro police and intelligence officials,” said a highly-placed source familiar with the developments.
The High Court in Pretoria will hear an application on Monday morning on whether South African authorities should arrest Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes committed in the conflict in Darfur.
The war led to the deaths of an estimated 300 000 people and the displacement of 2.5 million. A year later, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
On Sunday, Judge Hans Fabricius ordered that the Department of Home Affairs ensure that all points of entry and exit be informed that Al-Bashir is not allowed to leave until the SA Litigation Centre's (SALC) application that South Africa arrest him, is concluded.
Mhaga told News24: "We are still on course in finalising our papers to file by 09:00."

Culled from News24

COMBATING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRIME AND CORRUPTION-ODUNZE REGINALD C

Images credited to freedomworks.com

One of the trending manifestos of APC is change, the incoming administration campaigning for change in the quest for 2015 presidency, canvassed for change. Change in everything, Change in Government, although their opponents wanted transformation and continuity but the overwhelming majority of Nigerians  wanted a change. And that change culminated in loss of the ruling party. But analyst in politics and the economy are of the views that the only change that matter most to them would be in the way corruption is being tackled.

In an article captioned “Can corruption be eliminated “which appeared in REGINALD ODUNZE.COM, Odunze (2013) observed that “corruption has reached an endemic state that virtually all areas of our public sectors, has been corrupted” and those who decides not to follow with the trend fall out with the authority that be”

It should be noted that corruption was so humiliating and of age that it becomes so difficult to tackle it. Tackling corruption that is mind blowing requires the active support of all and sundry.

Corruption has fizzled business and rendered people useless, and at some times droved organization, states, countries and individuals to a state of confusion and utter helplessness.

As the peoples’ president General M. Buhari (Rtd) mount the saddle for the presidency, we are expectant of the necessary fight against corruption, this is the time to strengthen the anti corruption bodies like EFCC, ICPC, NDLEA, and the judiciary for a joint collaboration in the necessary fight against corruption, Advance Fee Fraud, popularly called 419, a corrupt version of the criminal code where it was cited. Drug related offences and more currently insurgency and terrorism which analyst have come to see as the most major act of corruption, as undistributed earnings, capital flight and murder also goes with it.

Corruption and fraud has been with the people for a long time, as far back as 1720, When Isaac Newton, the powerful scientist who enunciated the Newton’s Laws of motion lost his fortune in the South Sea Bubble Company of 1720 due to corruption. He said and I quote “I can calculate the motions of heavenly bodies but not the madness of men”. Today in my people there is madness, everyone is thinking of getting rich quick. ( Kiyosaki 1990:70)

And according to Ojo (2009:11) in an article captioned, “Reps set to pass cyber crime bill, he stated that corruption has grown so wide to include advance fee fraud, password sniffing, hacking, web cramming, credit card fraud, identity theft , data kidnapping, software piracy, cyber squatting, unlawful interceptions etc”

The preamble to the 2003 United Nations against corruption (UNCAC), which Nigeria has ratified states that corruption “is no longer a local matter but a transnational phenomenon that affects all societies and economies. The African convention on preventing and combating corruption which Nigeria has ratified acknowledged the need for international co-operation to combat corruption and note the corrosive effect on individual and society” Falana 2008:120.

The world is a global village, what affects economy in our society will definitely affect other economies and countries. Though the World 3.0 mindset has a different believe. They believed that there are barriers, bridges and that what affect one society may not definitely affect the other. That is not our subject of study.

Continuing Falana stated that the ground corruption exacerbates scarcity of fund in Nigeria, frustrating any interest in enriching quality and life, Nigerian leaders must accept responsibility for the continued poverty in the country, he noted that ground and blatant corruption degrades life, he went further to say that in 2006 the Commonwealth working group on assets repatriation specifically refers to corruption being defined as  an international crime  and suggest that jurisdiction of the international court be extended beyond the prosecution of crimes against  humanity as defined in Article 7 of the Roman Statutes. Falana further stated that the early draft of the statute did in fact include  reference to crimes other than crime against humanity such as Terrorism and Drug Trafficking.

Corruption has reached an alarming rate globally, and do we continue to fold our hands and watch corruption kill our great economy, the answer is an emphatic No.  It could be observed that most people who involved in corruption often end in poverty so also for a country. And as Prof Pat Utomi 2008 in “The Limit of lets share Economy, he stated that like people who won lottery, they often return to poverty.

This is the time for the President to fight corruption to a standstill.

Culled from reginaldodunze.blogspot.com

EFCC Files Fresh 50-count Charge against Sylva-Tobi Soniyi

EFCC logo



The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has again filed fresh charges against former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed (of the Federal High Court, Abuja) had on June 10 dismissed one of the two charges earlier brought against him and some others by the EFCC on the ground that it amounted to an abuse of court process.

However, EFCC disagreed with the judgment on the grounds that it was premature as the accused persons had not taken any plea before the court.

Earlier on June 1, Justice Evoh Chukwu (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja) struck out the other charge upon EFCC's application for withdrawal.

In the fresh 50-count charge filed on Friday, Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun and Samuel Ogbuku.

They are accused of using three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limited to move about N19.2 billion from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretence of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers.

EFCC's Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren confirmed that a fresh charge had been filed. He said his agency was awaiting the assignment of the case, to pave way for the arraignment of Sylva and others.

Culled from Thisday

We’ll remove 0bstacles to foreign investment –El-Rufai- by Ismael Omipidan

Kaduna State gov­ernor, Malam Na­sir el-Rufai, has assured foreign investors that his admin­istration would remove all bottlenecks hindering foreign investment in the state.
He made this known yes­terday in Kaduna, when he played host to the Nige­rian- American Chamber of Commerce.
And to demonstrate his willingness and commit­ment to his promise, he named his deputy ,Arch. Barnabas Bala,to head a joint investors’ committee with the Nigerian-Ameri­can Chamber of Commerce.
The aim, Saturday Sun gathered, was to harmon­ise the requirements of the American investment drives in the state.
“ Unemployment has brought insurgency and oth­er crimes in some parts of the country. We will create jobs for our young people. We have a big challenge to attack the high rate of un­employment. We are taking employment of our youths seriously, “el-Rufai, said.
Earlier,President, Ni­gerian – American Cham­ber of Commerce,Kaduna State chapter,Sheriff Ba­logun, said they have confidence that el-Rufai would transform Kaduna State to greater level, con­sidering his antecedents while as Federal Capital Territory,FCT,minister.

Culled from sun

Boko Haram: Buhari Calls for Limiting Sect’s Access to Funds, Weapons, OthersJaiyeola Andrews and Senator Iroegbu

Muhammadu Buhari 

•  Nigerian to head MNJTF till Boko Haram's defeat  • To offset $100 million pledge to troops
• Military Requirements to be transmitted to G-7 soon   • Terrorists kill 43 in Borno villages

Determined to work out practical ways to completely rout and terminate the activities of the terrorist gang, Boko Haram,  President Muhammadu Buhari  yesterday called for strategic ways of  limiting the access of the terrorists to  funds,  weapons, food, just as he advocated the strengthening of cross border patrols, as well as increase in capacity to gather and share intelligence.

Consequently, the president has directed that all necessary steps be immediately taken to re-invigorate the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit (RIFU), just as he insisted that a Nigerian be made the head of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) until the scourge of Boko Haram terrorism is markedly terminated. 

But this avowal coincided with yet another attack by the insurgents resulting in the killing of 43 persons in some three Borno villages.
Buhari expressed his determination in his welcome address at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission held at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Buhari said: "Our Ministers of Defence have proposed modalities for the operations of the MNJTF. I want to commend them for the painstaking effort and the outcomes of their deliberations, which they have presented to us for our consideration and approval.

"While I agree that this is a joint operation with shared responsibilities, I am, however, of the opinion that military operations that are subjected to a rapid turnover of command and control structures, six months duration, as it is being proposed in the documents before us, do not augur well for effectiveness and efficiency.

"Such a process will undermine, even if it is not intended, the military capacity to sustain the push against the insurgents, who also have the uncanny ability to adapt and re-jig their operational strategies.

"I am inclined, on account of the above, to suggest for Your Excellencies’ consideration that Nigeria retains the position of the Force Commander of the MNJTF for the period of the war effort. This command will be to the effectiveness of military strategy, since Nigeria will be providing the bulk of the troops and the main theatre of the war is on Nigerian soil.

"Permit me, at this juncture, to recall that Nigeria has already pledged the sum of one hundred million ($100,000,000) USD for the smooth take off of the MNJTF. I hereby reassure you that my government will keep faith with this promise.

"Notwithstanding this pledge by my government, funding still remains a major issue of this campaign. I had raised this issue at my meeting with the G7 leaders, while I am encouraged by their support, I also urge you to garner the support of your international friends and partners to sustain this campaign."

The president stressed that the campaign against Boko Haram must be seen within the wider context of the global war against terror.
According to him, terrorism has no frontiers and they must, because of the great implication for regional and global peace and security, be defeated.

"I want to place on record and express my profound gratitude to Your Excellencies, and to the governments and peoples of the Member States of the LCBC and Benin for your unrelenting support in our campaign against insurgency and terrorism.

"Let me, once again, convey the condolences of the Nigerian people to the families of our fallen war heroes who have been left to mourn their loved ones. We fervently pray that this war will soon come to an end and that the much needed peace and security and progress will be ushered into our sub region.

"I thank you for honouring Nigeria with your august presence and wish us very fruitful deliberation. I am confident that our deliberation will be undertaken against the backdrop of our common resolve to defeat insurgency and also the historic, fraternal, ethnic ties that unite and bind us together," Buhari added.

He expressed the gratitude of the Federal Government and people of Nigeria to the commission for the unwavering support in the campaign against the Boko haram insurgents.

The president however regretted the loss of gallant soldiers who have fallen in the battle, as well as numerous civilians who had died in the cruel hands of the insurgents.

"Nigeria will forever cherish the memories of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in order that we may be free from the strangle hold of purveyors of hate and extremism. Please accept, Your Excellencies, the appreciation of a grateful nation.

"Nothing has emphasised our common humanity and destinies more than the dastardly crimes against our people by the insurgents, who have maimed and raped our women and children and held our nations in a vicious strangle hold" Buhari noted.

Understandably, President Buhari’s speech formed the fulcrum of the communiqué at the end of the summit.
The Heads of State and Government of LCBC and Benin further agreed on the need to support military operations with an emergency    development plan in favour of vulnerable populations in the region in   order to fight against the root causes of insecurity relating to poverty.

The commission also approved the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) Strategic and Operational and related documents of the MNJTF for the fight against Boko Haram terrorist group.
It also approved the immediate deployment of the MNJTF HQ at N’Djamena (Chad) by implementing its human, logistic and financial requirements;

The summit further approved the deployment of the national contingents to the MNJTF under the operational command of the MNJTF Commander assisted by his Joint Headquarters by 30th July 2015.

Other highlights of the approvals by the summit include the funding of the sum of Thirty Million Dollars ($30,000.000) USD for the installation and equipping of the MNJTF HQ.
*the establishment of the Executive Secretariat as the Headquarters of the Mission and the Executive Secretary of LCBC being the Head of Mission.

*the nomination of the 3 key post of responsibility of the MNJTF HQs as follows:
i. Force Commander:  Nigeria (Until the end of the mission)
Ii. Deputy Force Commander: Cameroun (Rotational  every 12 Months)
iii.    Chief of Staff: Tchad (Rotational every 12 months)
The Summit also agreed to requests the African Union’s support to the MNJTF in its operations, logistics and general mission support; by mobilizing financial support.

It also  resolved to seek the support of strategic partners, notably European Union, France, United Kingdom and United States of America in favour of the MNJTF.

The Commission will also request the President of the UN Security Council to make a declarative statement in support of MNJTF Operations against the Boko Haram terrorist group, just as it dopted the Emergency Plan for Development in the Lake Chad Basin.
Those present at the meeting were  Presidents of the Republic of Niger, Issoufou Muhammadu, Idriss Deby Itno of the Republic of Chad, Boni Yayi of the Republic of Benin, Paul Biya President of the Republic of Cameroun was represented by Mebe Ngo’o Edgard Alain the country's Minister of Defence, Ministers of Defence of Niger, Chad, Benin, as well as the Executive Secretary of the Lake Chad Basin Commission and Benin Engr Sanusi Imran Abdullahi.

Meanwhile, President  Buhari  yesterday also disclosed that Nigeria's security agencies had commenced the compilation of comprehensive logistic needs to tackle Boko Haram insurgency, which is to be transmitted  to t G-7.

The president disclosed this while speaking with journalists at the end of the Extraordinary summit of Heads of State and Government of LCBC member countries and Republic of Benin at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

He said he had already intimated other members of the commission during the meeting to also make available their own lists.
He had presented the nation’s wish list to the world leaders at the G-7 meeting that held in Germany last Monday.

The need to receive support in the fight against terrorism is one of the cardinal demands of President Buhari to the world leaders.
According to Buhari, the final list to be forwarded to G-7, will be decided after the African Union (AU) meeting in South Africa.

"I am sure you will recall that I was personally invited to the G-7 meeting. I went there and I was asked to brief the G-7 and I was impressed with the tremendous sympathy they have for this sub-region, Lake Chad Basin Commission. All of them from President Obama and the rest, are willing to help us.

"And they have actually asked me to discuss with their Chief Defence Staff or their ministries of defence or talk to them directly what we need.

"So, I brought this case to our meeting here and I told them that Nigeria has gone quite far. I had five hours meeting with my service chiefs and I asked them to produce comprehensive logistic requirements.

"I also advised my colleagues to be prepared to produce their logistic requirement so that after AU meeting, we will agree on what to send to the head of G-7, President of Germany. They are very anxious to help us, especially when Boko Haram declared their loyalty to ISIS and you know what ISIS is doing to the world" the president said.

He added that the rules of engagement among the troops of the member states had been clearly spelt out.
And to ensure that rthe rules of engagement are being observed, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen  Kenneth Minimah, recently embarked on an operational and morale boosting visit to troops in the frontline fighting the war against Boko Haram in  Borno and Adamawa States.

This is contained in a statement signed  yesterday in Abuja by the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman.
According to Usman,  Minimah visited the operational areas on Wednesday June 10,  during which he addressed and encouraged the troops of 7 Division Strike Group (7 DSG) and 121 Special Force (SF) Battalion that comprised the Armed Forces and Nigerian Army Special Forces located in Pulka,

He said that the Army Chief also addressed troops of 26 Task Force Brigade in Gwoza, 28 Task Force Brigade and 174 Battalion in Mubi.
In Pulka, he said, the Commander, 7 DSG, Lt-Col. Umar Faruq Abubakar and the Commanding Officer of 121 SF Battalion, Lt-Col Murtala Danjuma Abdulsalam briefed him on their respective commands.

The COAS commended them for their performances, and thereafter addressed the troops wherein he said that he came to thank and commend them for their valour, courage and bravery, which turned the tide against the Boko Haram terrorists.

He informed the troops that the president and indeed the whole nation are proud of them. He reiterated his determined effort to continue to support and encourage them and enjoined them to maintain the momentum.

Minimiah also urged the gallant soldiers to remain disciplined, professional and continue with the same zeal and determination till attainment of the set objective of locating and destroying Boko Haram camps and enclaves. 

He said: "The exploits of these troops are quite numerous; apart from recapturing most Boko Haram terrorist held territories such as Pulka and Gwoza, they were able to destroy quite a number of the terrorists’ camps in Kirawa and Kinene, as well as their workshops, training camps and arms stores, weapons and equipment.  

"They also recovered a T-55 Battle Tank, 2 Armoured Personnel Carriers, various calibres of arms and ammunitions from the Boko Haram".

Minimah also visited the troops of Brigade Garrison, elements of 82 Battalion, 121 Special Force Battalion and 122 Special Battalion But as if determined to wreak more havoc and prove its destructive capacity, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram killed at least 43 people and burnt down three villages in northeast Nigeria, residents told AFP yesterday, the latest in an upsurge of attacks by the Islamist militants.

Dozens of rebels on motorcycles stormed Matangale, Buraltima and Dirmanti in restive Borno state on Tuesday, opening fire on villagers before looting and burning homes, fleeing residents said.

News of the assault was slow to emerge due to poor communication in the region after Boko Haram destroyed telecoms masts in previous attacks.

"They came around 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) on 20 motorcycles, three gunmen on each, and attacked Matangale before proceeding to Buraltima and Dirmanti,"‎ said resident Dala Tungushe.

"They killed 43 people and burnt all the houses in the three villages after looting food supplies," Tungushe, who fled Matangale to Biu, some 90 kilometres (56 miles) away.

Matangale was worst hit by the attack as the attackers opened fire at an open well outside the village where residents had gathered to fetch drinking water and do their laundry.
"The Boko Haram gunmen opened fire on the crowd at the well where they killed around 16 people," said Bulama Karuye, another resident.

"In all, we lost 43 people in the attacks. All the three villages were completely burnt."
He added the number of casualties could have been much higher had some of the villagers not been away at a weekly market around 40 kilometres away.

Hundreds of residents of the affected villages, particularly women and children, fled to nearby Damboa town where they had sought refuge in a primary school, both Tungushe and Karuye said.
They said the attackers came from nearby Sambisa Forest, a major Boko Haram stronghold from where hundreds of women and children kidnapped by the militants were rescued during recent military operations.

Troops and local hunters from Damboa pursued the fleeing attackers into the bush and a gunfight erupted.
"The soldiers and the hunters brought back a pickup truck and some motorcycles they recovered from the Boko Haram attackers... but we don't know how many of the gunmen they killed," Tungushe said.

More than 150 people have been killed by Boko Haram since President Muhammadu Buhari took power on May 29, vowing to crush the militants and end their bloody six-year insurgency.

Culled from Thisday

APC still in shock over Saraki’s emergence as Senate President -Doris Obinna

Twenty-four hours after Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged as Senate President and Speak­er of House of Representatives respectively, against the wishes of the leadership of the All Progres­sives Congress (APC), chieftains of the party are still in shock.
Fifty-seven senators on Tuesday elected Saraki as Senate President unopposed, having been the only candidate nominated for the post at the inauguration of the Senate. In the House of Representatives, Dogara emerged winner with 182 votes against Hon Femi Gbajabiamila’s 174. The APC had endorsed Senator Ahmed Lawan and Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.
Daily Sun gathered that after the initial reaction by APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mo­hammed, wherein lawmakers elected on the platform of the party were de­scribed as treacherous, leaders of the party have not come to terms with how the plan to have Senator Lawan elected as Senate President and Hon Gbajabiamila picked as Speaker, House of Representatives, fell like packs of cards.
Sources revealed that owing to the shock, APC leaders are divided on the next line of action.
It was gathered that a section wants sanctions to be meted to the lawmakers, who defied the directive to vote for Lawan and Gbajabiamila, in line with the threat issued by Mo­hammed on Tuesday.
However, another section of the party prefers that the outcome of the elections at the Senate and House of Representatives be respected and accepted, as Saraki and Dogara are already functioning as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.
The group that is pressing for sanctions, sources said, is of the opinion that if nothing is done, other members of the party, in future, may engage in activities that would jeopadise the collective interest of the APC.
Sources revealed that the group, which has the sympathy of former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, with Mohammed and others, wants the APC to show that it can bark and bite by sanctioning the erring lawmakers.
The group, which wants APC to recognise Saraki and Dogara, it was gathered, are afraid that sanctioning those who supported the duo will not only send wrong signals that the party does not want independence of the legislature, but also could cause the polarisation of the Senate and House of Representatives.
The group fears that such division may not only destabilise the Muham­madu Buhari government but also give the opposition Peoples Demo­cratic party (PDP) the leverage to control the National Assembly, since its members are working together.
Also, the group is afraid that sanctioning the lawmakers may push them out of the party, as it happened in the PDP.
The APC had, in reaction to the outcome of elections in the Sen­ate and House of Representatives, stated that the emergence of Saraki and Dogara as Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives was totally unacceptable and a mark of indiscipline and treachery.
In a statement by Mohamed, APC said: “Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker. The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Rep­resentatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision.”
The APC maintained that it’s supreme and its interest “superior to that of its individual members.”
Threatening to sanction lawmakers involved, APC said: “Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration, adding: “There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party,” it said.

Culled from Sun newspapers