United, we can defeat Boko Haram –Buhari -From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the only way Boko Haram insurgents can be defeated is for Nigeria and the neighbouring countries to be united in the fight against terrorism.
The president stated that the security situation in the region presented an opportunity for Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin to work together for their common security, peace and socio-economic development.
He made the observation during a state dinner at the Unity Palace in Yaounde, hosted by President Paul Biya, during his just concluded two-day working visit to Cameroun.
Buhari said countries in the sub-region could not afford to falter in their resolve to get rid of the evils of terrorists.
His words: “We recognize that none of us can succeed alone. In order to win this war, we need the collective efforts of each one of us standing together as a formidable force for good, to defeat and end these acts of terror against our people.
“Let me assure all of my relentless pursuit of all possible means to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial integrity, protect the lives and property of our citizens as well as my commitment to continue to collaborate with Cameroun and our neighbours, within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to respecting international norms to resolve this matter and to restore normalcy to all the affected areas as soon as possible.”
He thanked President Biya for providing refuge to Nigerians, who had fled their homes because of the insurgents.
He also commended Cameroun for its support to Nigerian military and security personnel in the fight against terrorism and offered his condolences to the families of the victims of terror in both countries.
In his remarks, Biya, while congratulating President Buhari on his successful inauguration into office, said his electoral victory had provided an opportunity for him to preside over the destiny of Nigeria.
President Biya told Buhari: “Mr. President, a dark cloud is looming over our countries. Even as we welcome you, we are facing the same threat, which may rock the foundation of our two nations.
Re-affirming Cameroun’s commitment in the fight against terror, Biya welcomed the ‘fresh push’ on economic ties between both countries through easing of trade.
Culled from The sun

Modernity Clashes with Tradition: Ife Chiefs Insist Ooni is ‘Alive’

Oba Sijuwade 

•   How Oba Sijuwade was flown to London
•  Prince Tokunbo arrives London as likely contenders to the throne emerge

By Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Modernity characterised by the social media and citizen journalism clashed with Nigerian tradition, when the Royal Traditional Council of Ile-Ife categorically denied news reports of the death of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II, adding that the paramount Yoruba traditional ruler was “alive and well”, and preparing for his son’s wedding this weekend.

Despite the denial, disbelieving residents of Ife and its environs thronged the Oba’s palace, which was shut to the public, to sympathise with the traditional council and his family, even as his first son, Prince Adetokunbo (Tokunbo) Sijuwade, arrived London onboard a British Airways flight yesterday morning.
Tokunbo had departed Lagos Tuesday night the minute he got word of his father’s “condition”.

He joined other members of the family comprising Olori Mori Sijawade, the Ooni’s most senior wife; Olori Odun Sijuwade; Olori Ladun Sijuwade; Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, who had a daughter – Oyinade Ademide – for the Ooni; and his nephew Prince Rasak Adewole.
Other children from across the world and Nigeria, as well as close family members had also all converged in London wednesday.

Upon his arrival, Tokunbo, THISDAY gathered, took full charge of the situation in London, and all members of the family were said to have deferred to him as the their new head.

However, addressing journalists in the House of Chiefs located within the premises of Ile-Oodua Palace of the Ooni, the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, said the reports in the media that the monarch had died in a London hospital from an undisclosed ailment was untrue.

Also speaking, the Secretary, Royal Traditional Council of Ife, the Ladin of Ife, High Chief Adetoye Odewole, said the Ooni was “hale and hearty” and even spoke to the chiefs on the phone a few hours earlier.

He said that those behind the death story were enemies of Ife, adding: “As I speak with you, chiefs have not heard anything like that. This is not the first time such a rumour will be carried about our father.
“They did it in 1984, also in 2004 and now, these people are coming up with another rumour. Oba Sijuade remains in a sound state of health.”
Commenting in a similar vein, Chairman of Ife Development Board, Prof. Muib Opeloye, said Ife as a town with rich tradition has its way of managing its affairs.

Opeloye maintained that the Ooni was preparing for his son’s wedding and urged the public not to panic.
Despite their assurances to the public, the entrance of the Ooni’s palace was firmly shut to visitors and only newsmen, chiefs and relations of Oba Sijuade were allowed into the premises.

Many indigenes and residents of Ife had converged on the palace but were prevented from entering by the palace guards.

The Osun State Government on its part, kept mum on the death of the Ooni, as the state governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, did not issue a statement nor did he pay a visit to the ancient town of Ife to confirm the truth of the traditional monarch’s death.
Also, at the family house of the Ooni, the Ogbooru Olubuse compound, there was no sign that the monarch had died as people were seen going about their normal duties.

The denial by the traditional council and refusal to confirm his death by the state government, notwithstanding, a renowned Christian cleric, Mr. Toluwase Akeredolu, said if indeed the Ooni was dead, it meant he died as a born again Christian, having confessed his sins recently.

Akeredolu said he was privileged to have ministered to the monarch a few weeks ago, adding that the Ooni, a staunch Christian, confessed all his sins to God after the ministration.

The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) pastor, who hails from Ido-Ani in Ondo State, said he lived as a youth  in Ile-Ife and got to know Oba Sijuwade during a revival programme he organised in the ancient town.

He recalled that the monarch, at one of the last crusades he attended publicly, announced his acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Lord and saviour.

According to him, “Oba Sijuwade told the congregation at the last crusade we organised in Ile-Ife that he had forsaken sin and accepted Christ as his Lord and personal saviour. He confessed publicly that he will live the rest of his life to serve the Almighty God.”
Oba Sijuwade who was said to have died in a London hospital on Tuesday evening, had in 2010 dropped the title of “Alayeluya”, meaning omnipresent, saying he took the decision out of reverence and fear of God.

Meanwhile, more facts have emerged on how the Ooni, who fell ill last Thursday, was whisked away to the United Kingdom.
According to close family sources, the Ooni had suddenly collapsed in Ife and was rushed to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, where a team of doctors led by Dr. Tony Akintomide attended to him.

A quick decision, said the sources, was taken to fly him to the UK the next day from Ibadan airport.
Accordingly, a private jet, which was given special immigration clearance to depart for the UK from Ibadan, which is not an international airport, was leased to fly him, a few family members and Dr. Akintomide to London.

However, a source said there was insufficient aviation fuel in Ibadan, which compelled the pilot to make a detour to Abuja, where the airplane refuelled and departed for London.

On arriving the London Luton Airport, he was taken by ambulance to The London Clinic, one of the UK’s largest private hospitals with premises across Harley Street and Devonshire Place in the centre of London.

The family source said Akintomide, alongside specialists at the hospital who had the Ooni’s medical history, succeeded in stabilising him at the weekend.

Up till Tuesday morning, the Ooni was said to be in high spirits and was talking with family members who had come to visit him, but suddenly his situation took a turn for the worse and despite spirited efforts to revive him, he was said to have joined his ancestors by the evening of that day.

His body, the source confirmed, was moved to a morgue in London.
Given the situation, the family source disclosed that two major problems have arisen, the first being the marriage of his son, Prince Adegbite Sijuwade.

“Ife tradition forbids any form of celebration when an Ooni ascends to his ancestors, so we are waiting for Tokunbo’s directive on the matter.

“However, there are others who believe that the wedding could go ahead since it is not scheduled to take place in Ife and Ooni had lived to a ripe old age of 85, which calls for celebration. So there is no basis for unnecessary prevarication,” the source said.
The second issue has to do with one of the Ooni’s closest friends and an Ife high chief, Chief Alex Duduyemi, who is the Asiwaju of Ile-Ife.

Duduyemi, he divulged, was meant to start his 80th birthday celebrations with a book launch at the Lagos Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island today.

“And the grand finale of the celebrations was billed for the ancient city of Ile-Ife on August 9. Now it is uncertain if this will be cancelled or shifted to another location,” he said.

The source also confirmed that major contenders for the Ile-Ife traditional throne are beginning to emerge. Major contenders include Prince E.O.C Eludoyin, a Lagos-based prominent businessman and close associate of Chief Bola Tinubu. Eludoyin is the Chairman of Paragon Holdings, which owns the popular Ikeja Mall in Lagos.

Another likely successor is Prince Ade Adefioye, who is an Executive Director at Wema Bank Plc and is a close confidant of the Osun State governor.

Also, there is Prince Adetokunbo Sijuwade, who is the crown prince of the Sijuwade royal family.
Others include Prince Akin Adewuyi, who is a Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS); and Prince Adegbambo Ademiluyi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

In addition, another likely contender is Prince Adedamola Aderemi, a lawyer and the grandson of the 49th Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi, who was also the first Nigerian Governor of the old Western Region pre-independence.

Prince Aderemi is said to have a very enviable pedigree, as in addition to being the grandson to the predecessor of Oba Sijuwade, his maternal grandfather, Alhaji Dauda Adegbenro, was also the Premier of the old Western Region.

Prince Aderemi is married to the granddaughter of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a renowned politician and statesman, another former Premier of the Western Region, a former Federal Commissioner for Finance in the 1970s, and a two-time presidential candidate in the Second Republic.

Culled from Thisday

US dentist: I thought lion hunt was legal

Cecil the lion in Hwange National Park.(Bryan Orford, YouTube)

Bloomington - An avid American hunter accused of illegally killing a protected lion in Zimbabwe said Tuesday that he thought everything about his trip was legal and wasn't aware of the animal's status "until the end of the hunt."
Walter Palmer, who has a felony record in the US related to shooting a black bear in Wisconsin, released his statement through a public relations firm after being identified by Zimbabwean authorities as the American involved in the July hunt. They said he is being sought on poaching charges, but Palmer said he hasn't heard from US or Zimbabwean authorities.
"I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favourite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt," said Palmer, a dentist who lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie.
According to US court records, Palmer pleaded guilty in 2008 to making false statements to the US Fish and Wildlife Service about a black bear he fatally shot in western Wisconsin. Palmer had a permit to hunt but shot the animal outside the authorised zone in 2006, then tried to pass it off as being killed elsewhere, according to court documents. He was given one year probation and fined nearly $3 000.
Doug Kelley, a former federal prosecutor and Palmer's attorney in the bear case, was unavailable for immediate comment on Tuesday, according to his assistant.
Beloved lion
Palmer was identified by the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe and police as the American facing poaching charges for the crossbow killing of Cecil, a well-known and protected lion. The animal's death has outraged animal conservationists and others.
Local authorities in Zimbabwe allege the lion was lured from a protected area and killed in early July. Zimbabwean conservationists said the American allegedly paid $50 000 for the trip.
The lion's death has outraged animal conservationists and others, including US Republican Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat. In a statement late on Tuesday, the congresswoman called for an investigation by the US Attorney's Office and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to see whether any US laws were violated.
Palmer's whereabouts were unknown on Tuesday. No one answered the door at his home, and a woman who came out of his dental office in nearby Bloomington said he wasn't there and wasn't taking patients on Tuesday. Phone calls to listed home numbers went unanswered.
Palmer has several hunts on record with the Pope and Young Club, where archers register big game taken in North America for posterity, said Glenn Hisey, the club's director of records. Hisey said he didn't have immediate access to records showing the types and number of animals killed by Palmer, but noted that club records involve legal hunts "taken under our rules of fair chase."
Although African game wouldn't be eligible, Hisey said he alerted the group's board that Palmer's ethics were being called into question. He said Palmer's domestic records could be jeopardised if he's found to have done something illegal abroad.
Criticism
A Facebook page for Palmer's Minnesota dental practice was taken offline on Tuesday after users flooded it with comments condemning Palmer's involvement in the hunt.
Hundreds of similar comments inundated a page for his dental practice on the review platform Yelp, which prior to Tuesday had only three comments.
Palmer is properly licensed and able to practice in the state, according to the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Board records show that Palmer was the subject of a sexual harassment complaint settled in 2006, with Palmer admitting no wrongdoing and agreeing to pay a former receptionist more than $127 000.

Culled from News24

N300bn bail out: States to begin drawdown soon –Presidency From Juliana Taiwo-Obalony

The Presidency has said states are to start drawing from the special intervention fund of between N250 billion and N300 billion in a matter of weeks.
This, it said, was part of the three-pronged financial intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari to assuage workers’ plight and support the states in distress.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, in a statement disclosed that meetings were ongoing between the Federation Account Allocation Committee, (FAAC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the one hand, and between CBN and commercial banks on the other hand, regarding details of the special intervention fund and the debt relief programme of the President for the states.
He said the meetings were reviewing loan profiles of the states, issues around restructuring of existing loans including time span and reconciling the figures.
“Already, it has been agreed that existing state loans be restructured for 20 years, and regarding the bond option, the rates to be applied would be market-based but with a cap to make it affordable. Within weeks from now, the states are expected to start benefiting from these two other parts of the presidential intervention fund.”
The details of the presidential intervention are in three parts including the sharing of about Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) $2.1 billion funds, the CBN’s N250 to N300 billion soft loans to states and a debt relief programme by the CBN and Debt Management Office (DMO), to extend state loans by 20 years.
“By extending the commercial loans of the states, the third part of the presidential intervention would therefore make available more funds to the state governments, which otherwise would have been removed at source by the banks.
“To be able to offer this option to the states, President Muhammadu Buhari had brought the financial muscle of the Federal Government to bear on behalf of the states, guaranteeing the elongation of the loans.
“Besides, the availability of the $2.1 billion from LNG, which has now been shared to the states was made possible because President Buhari had set a new fiscal standard and tone that all monies generated should go to the federation accounts. Before that constitutional standard was upheld by the President, LNG dividends were going to other NNPC designated accounts.
“To date, the states have now drawn from the LNG taxes and dividends totalling $2.1 billion besides a second sharing from the federation account, which is the regular monthly allocations of over N518 billion last week,” he said.
Akande reiterated National Economic Council (NEC)’s advise to state governors to henceforth make the payment of salaries a first-line charge, do more to increase their internally generated revenue, clean up their payroll to eliminate ghost workers and have  fully functional DMO.
Culled from The Sun

2 Generals Clash Over DICON’s Top Seat By Midat Joseph

The outgoing director-general, Defence Industrial Corporation of Nigeria, DICON, Major General E.R. Chioba has refused to hand over to the newly appointed director-general of the corporation, Brigadier General Augustine Odidi.
Sources said that a mild drama ensured when newly appointed DG, Brigadier General Odidi went to Kaduna, the headquarters of DICON, to take over from Major General Chioba who was appointed DG in February 2013. General Chioba, it was gathered, told General Odidi that he was not going to hand over to him.
While some sources said Chioba’s refusal to hand over to the new DG was based on general order to put on hold all recent postings done in the Nigerian Army on the eve of the exit of the former Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, other sources maintained that the outgoing DG may be afraid of handing over to Odidi who is known to be a straightforward and no-nonsense officer.
Odidi was appointed as the new DG by President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter signed by the Military Secretary, Army (MSA) Major General I.I. Abbas and was expected to resume duty on July 20, 2015.
Born on March 4, 1961 in Kano, but hails from Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government of Edo State, Odidi joined the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, as a member of the 27th Regular Combatant Course in 1980 and won the best graduating Army Cadet Silver Medal which was awarded to him by the then President Shehu Shagari. He was commissioned as second lieutenant and posted as member of the Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Corps (NAEME).
Before his appointment, Odidi who was promoted Brigadier General on 4 January 2008, was the deputy director, Production, Department of Logistics, Defence Headquarters Abuja.
DICON was established to produce small arms and ammunition for the use of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies. It also produces machinery spare parts for industries and other products for civilian use.

Culled from Leadership

Police Arrest Passenger for Smoking on Board Lagos-bound Flight-Chinedu Eze

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The Airport Police Command has arrested one Lawal Oluwabusola for smoking onboard an Arik Air flight from London to Lagos against international safety regulations, which establish all commercial flight cabins as non-smoking.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Airport Command, Mr. Livinus Chukwuma, said the man was apprehended on arrival at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

According to Chukwuma, the suspect was smoking an electronic cigarette in the lavatory, which triggered off emergency alarm system in the aircraft causing fear among passengers.

The PPRO said the suspect’s action was not in violation of in-flight safety procedures.
Chukwuma said the suspect had been arraigned in court on a two-count charge in accordance with Section 2(1) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) by law and Section 166(1) (d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

In a related development, the command has also apprehended a man for stealing the sum of $1,400 from a passenger at the MMIA. The passenger was billed to travel with Air France to Paris.

Chukwuma said the passenger was resting on a couch in the Gabfol Lounge while waiting for her flight. But when she left the lounge to board her flight she forgot her purse, which contained the said sum of money.

In order to maintain law and order at the airports, the Airport Police Commissioner, CP Frederick Lakanu, has urged travellers nationwide to conform to the rules and regulations guiding the airports and aviation industry, as ignorance is no excuse for acts against the law.

Culled from Thisday

Police nab suspected killer of Benue PDP chieftain -Rose Ejembi

Suspected killer of former Governor Gabriel Suswam’s political godfather, Chief Atoza Ihindan has been paraded by the Benue State Police Command.
The suspect, Aondoaver Nough who was paraded alongside 52 other suspected criminals who were arrested within the state in the last few weeks is now being interrogat­ed by the police on the spate of killings in Katsina-Ala axis of the state.
Commissioner of Police, Hyacinth Dagala while parad­ing the suspects before news­men said when the news of the gruesome murder of the Peo­ple’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain got to him, he imme­diately deployed an Assisstant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to lead a team of policemen to the area.
He explained further that the Police team raided the hideouts of the suspected criminals and arrested Aondaver while the chair on which Chief Ihindan was sitting before the mer­chants of death visited him was also recovered.
Dagala however noted that during interrogation, the sus­pect did not link Governor Samuel Ortom’s Chief Secu­rity Officer (CSO), Dickson Pawa to the murder of the second Republic legislator as being alleged in some quar­ters.
He said even though son of the late PDP stalwart, Terfa Atoza Ihindan had at a press conference in Abuja, fingered Pawa as the mastermind of his father’s murder, he was yet to make a formal report to him on the matter.
“Since the incident, Terfa and I have been in constant touch but he has not made any formal complaint to me on this matter. So, we cannot just go and arrest somebody all because someone made an allegation against him until we receive a formal complaint”, he stated.
However, when asked if he was the actual killer of Ihindan as alleged, Aondaver denied saying he had been in Port- Harcourt for the past 10 years and only came home to take a wife when he was arrested by the police in Katsina-Ala.
Our correspondent ob­served that the suspect who was carrying a bandage on his ankle owing to a gunshot wound was very incoherent in his speech while speaking with newsmen.

Culled from the sun

Clean Up Your Military, US Senator, Leahy Tells Buhari-Yemi Adebowale and Tobi Soniyi

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Coordinator, Honourary Investment International Council, Baroness Lynda Chalker during a courtesy visit to the President at the Presidential Villa, A… Godwin Omoigui

•Presidency: Buhari did not indict US government     
•Fani-Kayode: US imposed international arms embargo hurting terror war

United States Senator Patrick Leahy, the sponsor of the Leahy Law on Human Rights has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct his attention to the Nigerian military and clean up military units allegedly implicated in atrocities in order to get more military support from US instead of rebuking the Leahy Law.

Buhari had on Wednesday in the US stated the Leahy Law “aided and abetted” the campaign of bloodletting by Boko Haram.
Also yesterday, the Presidency denied reports that Buhari indicted the US Government for helping Boko Haram under the cover of Leahy Law; on his part, former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode accused the US of imposing an international arms embargo on Nigeria that has immensely hindered the war on terror.

Leahy in a statement titled, “Buhari’s Mis-Directed Criticism of the Leahy Law on Human Rights released on Thursday alleged: “It is well documented by the State Department and by respected human rights organisations that Nigerian army personnel have, for many years, engaged in a pattern and practice of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian people and others, including summary executions of prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, torture, forced disappearances and rape. Rarely have the perpetrators been prosecuted or punished.

“This abusive conduct not only violates the laws of war, it creates fear and loathing among the Nigerian people whose support is necessary to defeat a terrorist group like Boko Haram.

“President Buhari ignores the undisputed fact that most Nigerian army units have been approved, under the Leahy Law, for U.S. training and equipment.  Only those particular units against which there is credible evidence of the most heinous crimes are ineligible for U.S. aid.  And even those units can again become eligible if the Nigerian Government takes effective steps to bring the responsible individuals to justice.

“I strongly agree with President Buhari about the need to defeat Boko Haram, and I have supported tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to Nigeria for that purpose.  But rather than suggest that the United States is at fault for not funding murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military, he should face up to his own responsibility to effectively counter Boko Haram.”
He charged Buhari to direct his attention to the Nigerian military, and the Nigerian courts, and clean up the units implicated in such atrocities.

Buhari Clarifies Position on Application of Leahy Law…
Meanwhile, Buhari has clarified his position on the effect of the application of the Leahy Law on Nigeria's war against Boko Haram.
A statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said claims in  the local and international media that Buhari  accused or indicted the US Government of helping the terrorist group, Boko Haram were untrue and widely off mark.

Adesina described reports to that effect as, “an unfortunate misinterpretation and distortion of Buhari's remarks at the United States Institute of Peace.”
According to him, Buhari made it abundantly clear in those remarks, that he was convinced that the US could never support groups such as Boko Haram.

Adesina said the regrets expressed by  Buhari at USIP about the impact of the application of the Leahy Law on Nigeria's war against Boko Haram and terrorism could not be construed as an indictment of President Barack  Obama and the US Government.

"Within the context in which they were made, President Buhari's comments on the adverse effect of the Leahy Law on Nigeria's efforts to contain Boko Haram's atrocious acts of terrorism should only be taken as a passionate appeal for even greater understanding and support from  a very powerful and longstanding ally," the statement added.

Fani-Kayode: US imposed international arms embargo hurting Nigeria…
Femi Fani-Kayode yesterday accused the US government of imposing international arms embargo on Nigeria and of helping Boko Haram immensely by refusing to classify them as a terrorist organisation until 2014.

Fani-Kayode in a statement said: “Worst still, they (US) imposed an international arms embargo on us so that we could not buy arms from anyone else in the international community. When asked why they are doing this to us, they tell us that it is because of the Leahy Act which prohibits them from selling arms to governments that violate the human rights of their own citizens.”

“They forget that we are in the middle of a bitter war and that our enemies are being sponsored and supported by both ISIL and Al Qaeda. They forget that over 50,000 innocent Nigerians have been slaughtered in cold blood and thousands more raped and abducted during the course of that war over the last 5 years. They disregard the fact that every day, Nigerians are bleeding more and more and that our gallant Armed Forces, through no fault of their own, have not been able to get the necessary weapons to fight back effectively.

“However in this matter of arms supply to our country it appears to me that a double standard is being applied. It is almost as if they want Nigeria to be brought to her knees and that they want us to be humiliated and destroyed. All the territories recovered from Boko Haram by the Jonathan administration are now being threatened again or have been retaken by Boko Haram in the last few weeks.”

The Leahy Law prohibits the US Department of State and Department of Defence from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights with impunity.
It was the primary reason the US government refused to sell weapons to the Nigerian Army last year and even blocked attempts by Israel to sell Cobra helicopters to Nigeria.

Other than Nigeria, other countries that have been stopped from receiving assistance by the US under the Leahy Law are: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Speaking at the United States Institute for Peace (USIP), Buhari urged the US government to review the law so that it could provide the needed assistance to Nigeria to crush Boko Haram.

He said that the blanket application of the Leahy Law by the US on the grounds of unproven allegations of human rights violations levelled against the Nigerian Armed forces had denied the country access to appropriate strategic weapons to prosecute the war against the insurgents.

“In the face of abduction of innocent school girls from their hostels, indiscriminate bombings of civilians in markets and places of worship, our forces have remained largely impotent because they do not possess the appropriate weapons and technology, which they could have had, had the so-called human rights violations not been an obstacle.

“Unwittingly, and I dare say, unintentionally, the application of the Leahy law amendment by the US government has aided and abetted the Boko Haram terrorist group in the prosecution of its extremist ideology and hate, the indiscriminate killings and maiming of civilians, in raping of women and girls, and in their other heinous crimes.

“I believe this is not the spirit of the Leahy Laws. I know the American people cannot support any group engaged in these crimes.
“I therefore strongly appeal to both the Executive Arm and the US Congress to examine how the US government can provide us with far more substantial counter-terrorism assistance with minimal strings. The longer we delay, the deadlier the Boko Haram gets,” he said.

Culled from Thisday

Tension In N/Delta As Tompolo Convenes Meeting Of Ex-Militants-Osa Okhomina

 

 

There was palpable tension yesterday in the nine states of the Niger Delta region following the decision of the foremost ex-militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo known along the creeks and waterways of the region as Tompolo to summon ex-militant generals to a meeting in Bayelsa State under the Movement for the Enmancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
A statement issued by his media aide, Paul Bebeminibo and signed by Tompolo stated that the meeting is fixed for tomorrow, July 25.
Tompolo, who is a close confidant of former President Goodluck Jonathan, had his multi-million naira Surveillance contract with the Nigerian Maritime Authority cancelled by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The MEND, which was declared non-existent during the trying days of the administration of Goodluck Jonathan, may be revived at the meeting.
Leadership gathered that though the agenda of the meeting is being closely guarded by the ex-militant generals, they may deliberate on issues concerning the recent position of former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the alleged poor performance of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan will continue to affect the Niger Delta region.
Also slated for discussion are the issues of alleged plan by the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe, arrest and jail the former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the refusal to accede to the plea by the people of the region for the quick appointment of a substantive Special Adviser on Amnesty Programme, and payment of three months outstanding allowances and scholarship fees to ex-militants undergoing trainings in Nigeria and abroad.

Culled from Leadership

Okada riders chase Ondo commissioner out of office- Bamigbola Gbolagunte

A mild drama played out yesterday at the Ondo State secretariat in Akure, as protesting commercial motorcyclists, also known as Okada riders chased out the state Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Nicholas Tofowomon, from his office.
The Okada riders, who stormed the office of the commissioner at about 3.30pm, were protesting the state government’s new policy on number plate, which enforced the use of new number plate at the cost of N6000.
The protesters had forced themselves into the commissioner’s office despite heavy security mounted at the office.
The commercial motorcyclists, under the aegis of the Amalgamated
Commercial Motorcycle Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN) also grounded commercial activities in the city, as they prevented vehicular movements in major parts of the city.
The protesters also forced taxi and bus drivers to join the protest as they marched round major streets in the city.
It, however, took the combined efforts of armed policemen and soldiers deployed to strategic locations in the city to douse the tension created by the protest.
Addressing the protesters, a leader of the association in the state, Mr. Bayo Adekunle, alleged that the state government came up with an anti-people policy of banning old number plates aside the ones from the state used by commercial motorcyclists.
Adekunle said officials of the state task force from the Ministry of Transport were also using the opportunity to extort many of their members in all parts of the state.
“They started arresting our members who did not get the number plates and were forced to pay N6000, including a compulsory fee of N2000 for the Residency Card known as Kaadi Igbeayo,” he added.
Reacting, the State Commissioner for Transport, Mr, Tofowomo, said the action of the state government was to guide against all forms of criminality among Okada riders in the state.

Culled from The Sun

Tribunal Dismisses Ihedioha’s Petition, Upholds Okorocha’s Election-Stanley Uzoaru

The election petition tribunal sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, yesterday, dismissed the petition filed by Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) in the April 2015 governorship election in the state.
Dismissing the petition, chairman of the tribunal, Justice David Wyon, agreed with the contention of the lead counsel to Governor Rochas Okorocha, Chief Adeniyi Akintola(SAN) that the petitioner abandoned the petition having failed to do all he was expected to do after filing including the payment of the approved fee within the time-frame.
Counsel to Governor Okorocha, Chief Akintola had filed a motion to that effect, asking the tribunal to strike out Hon. Ihedioha’s petition on grounds of the serious flaws in the whole exercise and quoted extensively both the electoral law and the constitution vis-à-vis certain legal authorities to back up the motion.
Addressing journalists at the end of the verdict, lead-counsel to Governor Okorocha, Chief Akintola(SAN), said the petition was clear and was dismissed for running short of the provisions of the electoral Act, adding that the petition at the tribunal had come to an end, although he said the petitioner has the right to go for appeal.
“The petitioner filed on June 23, and later went on July 3, 2015 to pay, which was clearly outside the 7 days prescribed by paragraph 18 of first schedule of the Electoral Act, then we latched on that, and then the question was whether the letter for pre-hearing notice without payment was valid and whether the payment made on July 3 , will validate the pre-notice that was submitted. No valid pre-learning notice was filed,”Akintola explained.

Culled from Leadership

Buhari to Extend Dragnet to Corrupt APC Members-Tobi Soniyi

President Muhammadu Buhari

• President secures US promise on repatriation of stolen funds, Nigeria to renegotiate
extradition treaty
• Nigerian leader woos US investors, vows to continue privatisation

President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to extend the war against corruption to corrupt members of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that there will be no party member or personality that can escape justice.
Buhari, who is on a four-day official visit to the United States of America, made this known yesterday on the CNN current affairs programme Amanpour.

The programme’s anchor, Ms. Christiane Amanpour, had asked the president on his campaign promise to root out corruption and if he would crackdown on members of his own party or his associates if they turned out to be some of the guilty ones, he said: “I just have too. There isn’t going to be any party member of personality that can escape justice.”

On the issue of insecurity in the country, Buhari restated that Nigerians were rooting for normalcy in the country, making references to oil infrastructure vandalism and kidnappings in the Niger Delta and the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.
“This is major preoccupation in Nigeria now and is a realistic way of looking at things, and nothing will work until the country is secure,” he told Amanpour.

When she reminded him that there had been at least 400 deaths since he assumed office and the credibility of the military had been eroded due to the Amnesty International report on human rights abuses, Buhari stated her that under the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the member countries had agreed to set up the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

“So whatever happened before that decision was taken, we have to allow further investigation to verify the question of human rights abuse, and I’m sure you must have known of the decision taken by this government, the Federal Government of Nigeria, on changing the military command,” he said.

On if his government was willing to trade the kidnapped Chibok girls for incarcerated Boko Haram inmates, the president called for caution on the credibility of various Boko Haram leadership that show up claiming that they can deliver, adding: “We have to be very careful. Indeed, this is why we are taking our time, because we want to bring them safe (sic) back to their parents and to their school.”

He maintained that he was not against negotiations with the Islamist sect so long as he can verify the credibility of those who approach the government, “because our main objective as a government is to secure those girls safely and sound back to their school and rehabilitate them to go back to normal life.
“So if we are convinced that the leadership that presents itself can deliver those girls safe and sound, we will be prepared to negotiate what they want”.

When Amanpour reminded him that he came to power on the promise of doing better than the previous president in the areas of security, corruption and on the economy, yet there had been hundreds of people killed since he became president, Buhari said he could be held to his promises for the next three and three-quarter years ahead of him, noting that it was too early for anyone to pass judgment on his campaign promises.

Responding to the question on if he was disappointed that President (Barack) Obama was yet again not coming to Nigeria, he said: “I wouldn’t say I am disappointed, but how I wished he would change his mind and come to Nigeria."

He added that he had asked Obama verbally to visit Nigeria and would follow up with a formal invitation.
Meanwhile, as Buhari’s visit to the US enters its second day, the US government has suggested that Nigeria re-negotiates the extradition treaty it signed with it in 1985.

A statement issued by Mr. Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media to the president, said this was part of a fallout of Buhari's meeting with the US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch on Monday.

The statement also said that the US government had agreed to assist Nigeria recover all identified ill-gotten wealth in countries in which they have jurisdiction, including the US itself.

It said the US would also offer training to judicial staff and prosecutors “in order to place Nigeria in a good position to uncover proceeds of corruption and for improved prosecution of cases of crime”.

Details emerging from the meeting the president and Lynch had on the subject of support for the war against corruption in Nigeria indicated that the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty signed between the two countries in 1985, which came into effect in 2003, would be given teeth.

The statement read: “There will be collaboration. Each of the two countries will receive legal assistance from the other on criminal matters and that should cover the recovery of ill-gotten wealth.

“On extradition, we already have a treaty with US by virtue of being a former British colonial territory. There is however the possibility that Nigeria might negotiate a new extradition treaty to meet our other requirements.

“The negotiation will be done under the auspices of a reenergised US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission.”
In another development, Buhari yesterday invited American businesses to invest in Nigeria by taking advantage of the liberal trade and investment climate in the country.

The president, who gave the challenge at a business forum organised by the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Council on Africa, said his administration would go ahead with the ongoing privatisation programme with an improved moral architecture.

Buhari also enjoined the business community in the US and Nigeria to take advantage of the excellent political relations between the two nations to expand trade and investment activities including joint venture projects in priority sectors of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, the privatisation exercise will be expanded to include aviation, telecommunications, energy, gas, solid minerals, health and infrastructure development.

He said: “It is my intention to create the necessary environment for future investment in Nigeria. We are the most populous nation with the largest market in Africa, with vast human and natural resources and blessed with an abundant young skilled workforce.

“We are therefore proud candidates to become the destination of choice for United States investments in Africa. I will work assiduously to welcome new investors to our country.

“I will like to remind you all that we are continuing in major privatisation programmes with sectors ranging from telecommunications, energy, gas, solid minerals, aviation, health and infrastructure development but with an improved moral architecture.

“We will also simplify visa procedures based on the principle of reciprocity. May I therefore seize this opportunity to formally invite the American business community to take advantage of our liberal trade and investment climate to do profitable business in Nigeria.”

He listed the sectors where he would want US investors to invest to include power generation, gas, the full value chain in agriculture, mining, health sector, tourism and other non-oil sectors of the economy.

He said: “While I recognise the pivotal role of government in facilitating and promoting economic growth, the private sector must assume an increasing role as part of the engine of growth.

“We will welcome genuine investors who are willing to come to Nigeria for solid minerals exploitation.”
He pledged that his administration would fulfill its key campaign promise, which included creation of employment opportunities for millions of Nigerian youths.

“I will do my best to keep this promise. There is no other way to expand economic opportunities and create employment opportunities for millions of our youths than boosting domestic manufacturing, undertaking infrastructure development and industrialisation.

“Let me repeat, Nigeria will partner with genuine investors who are willing to join us to achieve our economic objectives and at the same time realise handsome returns to recoup their investments
“There is more to Nigeria than oil. This is why I will continue to stress the need for increased US investments in our non-oil sector.
“In this respect, the present administration will be attentive to the needs of the business community and pursue policies that will strengthen the sectors that drive the growth,” he added.

Buhari also promised that his administration would reduce waste in the management of the nation’s resources with focus on prudence, accountability, good governance and respect for the rule of law, as well as strict compliance with and observance of contractual agreements.

He noted that Nigeria had enormous economic potential that required heavy funding, which could not be sourced locally.
“In this regard, I want to use this platform to encourage United States investors and funding agencies such as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the United States Export-Import (USEXIM) Bank to increase access to capital and funding of such businesses under favourable terms. Nigerian potential is already being exploited,” he said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Corporate Council on Africa, Mr. Paul Hinks, expressed the readiness of US investors to do business with the new government in Nigeriia and invited Buhari to chair the council’s summit slated for Ethiopia in November.
The president also met with the US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry yesterday and reiterated his appreciation to the US for its support and assistance to Nigeria.

He particularly thanked Kerry, who visited Nigeria twice before the general election and presented the US government’s position on the need for free and fair general elections in Nigeria.
Buhari said Nigeria would remain grateful to the US for exerting pressure on the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to ensure peaceful and credible elections.

“The US’ message to the previous administration was clean and clear that it would not accept anything extra-constitutional and that prepared the minds of Nigerians and got us to where we are today.
“Nigerians will remain very grateful to the US, to the president (Obama) and to the Secretary of State.
“And by the day the US maintained pressure on the former government, the law enforcement agencies and the electoral body to make sure that the elections were free and fair.

“We thank God, we thank the US and we thank technology with the introduction of permanent voters’ card (PVC) and the card readers, which made a significant difference from previous elections,” he said
Responding, Kerry reiterated the determination of the US government to partner with Nigeria in tackling the problems of insecurity, corruption and other socio-economic vices facing Nigeria

According to him, Nigeria is an extraordinary and important country to the US, promising that his government would continue to assist Nigeria to enable it perform its national and regional responsibilities on the African continent.
Kerry, who described Buhari as an “intelligent retired military officer”, expressed confidence in the ability of the president to fight corruption and the menace of the Boko Haram insurgency.

Culled from Thisday

Why I won’t appoint ministers till September, by Buhari- Seun Akioye

Nigerians are to wait till September to know their ministers.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday confirmed that ministers will not be appointed until September.  He said the delay in naming members of the yet-to-be constituted Federal Executive Council (FEC) is to allow for critical reforms which will guide the  conduct of the ministers when appointed.
President Buhari dropped the hint in an article published by the Washington Post. He said it will  neither be prudent, nor serve the interest of sound government to have hastily made ministerial appointments immediately after coming into office without the necessary reforms.
Buhari, who criticised recent calls in some quarters about the slow pace of his administration said the task cannot be rushed, insisting that Nigeria must put new rules of conduct and good governance in place before making key appointments.
Buhari said: “When cabinet ministers are appointed in September, it will be some months after I took the oath of office. It is worth noting that Obama himself did not have his full cabinet in place for several months after first taking office; the United States (U.S.) did not cease to function in the interim.
“In Nigeria’s case, it would neither be prudent nor serve the interests of sound government to have made these appointments immediately on my elevation to the presidency; instead, Nigeria must first put new rules of conduct and good governance in place.”
The President who met with the U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday, stressed the importance of carrying out the critical reforms correctly before appointing ministers. He said it was also crucial to install correct leadership in the military and security services before fully taking the battle to Boko Haram.
He said: “There are too few examples in the history of Nigeria since independence where it can be said that good management and governance were instituted at a national level. This lack of a governance framework has allowed many of those in charge, devoid of any real checks and balances, to plunder.”
In the article which was published ahead of Buhari’s meeting with the U.S. President yesterday, Buhari said he would be seeking President Obama’s help in locating and returning about $150 billion looted funds.
“The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former corrupt officials is testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our affairs cannot continue.”
He also blamed the inability of the previous government to defeat Boko haram on what he called the failure of governance.
He insisted that rules and good governance must be instilled in government, “installing officials who are experience and capable of managing state agencies and ministries; and third, seek to recover funds stolen under previous regimes so that this money can be invested in Nigeria for the benefit of all of our citizens.”
The President also revealed that Nigeria would seek the help of the U.S. in the fight against terrorism and corruption through the provision of the much-needed military training and intelligence. He spoke of plans to seek the increased investments from the US in the areas of energy and electricity.
While addressing issues around reforms and change, the President acknowledged that reforming Nigeria after many years of abuse cannot be achieved overnight, and therefore called for patience and support.
“I was elected on a platform of change. I know this is what the people of Nigeria desire more than anything else. I realise the world waits to see evidence that my administration will be different from all those that came before.
“Yet reforming my country after so many years of abuse cannot be achieved overnight. In our campaigns against both Boko Haram and corruption, we should remain steadfast and remember, as it is said ‘have patience. All things become difficult before they become easy

Culled from The Nation

US to Trace Stolen Loot, Boost Military Aid as Buhari Arrives Washington-Senator Iroegbu

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The United States will offer to help President Muhammadu Buhari, who arrived Washington D.C. last night, to track down billions of dollars in stolen assets and increase US military assistance to fight Boko Haram, US officials said, as Washington seeks to “reset” ties with Nigeria.

Buhari’s arrival in the US was announced by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who tweeted: “Pres. @MBuhari has just arrived the Joint Base Andrews International Airport, Washington D.C. for tomorrow’s meeting with Pres. Obama #PMBmeetsOBAMA”

This week’s visit to Washington by Buhari is viewed by the US administration as a chance to set the seal on improving ties since he won a March election hailed as Nigeria’s first democratic power transition in decades, reported Reuters.

US cooperation with Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, had virtually ground to a halt over issues including his refusal to investigate corruption and human rights abuses by the Nigerian military.

“President (Obama) has long seen Nigeria as arguably the most important strategic country in sub-Saharan Africa,” US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken told Reuters. “The question is would there be an opportunity to deepen our engagement and that opportunity is now.”

Improving ties with Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, come as US relations have cooled with two other traditional Africa powers - Egypt and South Africa.

US officials have said they are willing to send military trainers to help Nigeria counter a six-year-old northern insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist movement.

Since Buhari's election, Washington has committed $5 million in new support for a multi-national task force set up to fight the group by Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroun. This is in addition to at least $34 million it is providing to the countries for equipment and logistics.

Buhari’s move last Monday to fire military chiefs appointed by Jonathan clears the way for more military cooperation, US officials have said.

“We’ve made clear there are additional things that can be done especially now that there is a new military leadership in place,” a senior US official said.

Another senior US official said Washington was urging Buhari to step up regional cooperation against the militants and to provide more aid to afflicted communities to reduce the group’s recruiting power.

Buhari has said his priorities are strengthening Nigeria’s economy, hard-hit by the fall in oil prices, boosting investment, and tackling the biggest monster of all - corruption.

“Here too he is looking to deepen collaboration and one of the things he is focused on is asset recovery,” the official said. “He is hopeful we can help them recover some of that.”

In 2014, the United States took control of more than $480 million siphoned away by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his associates into banks around the world.

Washington has broad powers to track suspicious funds and enforce sanctions against individuals.
Jonathan fired former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and now Emir of Kano, Mohammad Sanusi II, in February last year after he raised questions about the disappearance of about $20 billion in oil revenues.

Johnnie Carson, a former assistant secretary of state, said Washington should not let security issues overshadow the need for closer trade and investment ties.

“Nigeria is the most important country in Africa,” said Carson, currently an adviser to the US Institute of Peace.
Now more than ever, “the relationship with Nigeria should not rest essentially on a security and military-to-military relationship,” he added.
Lauren Ploch Blanchard, an Africa specialist with the non-partisan Congressional Research Services, said the US challenge was to work with Buhari while giving him time to address the country’s vast problems.

How Buhari will handle the campaign against Boko Haram is still unknown, Blanchard said.
However, suicide bombings and village attacks blamed on Boko Haram extremists have killed hundreds of people at home and in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroun just in the past two weeks.

Buhari’s May 29 inauguration was followed by a surge in attacks by the six-year-old uprising that aims to form an Islamic state and has killed more than 15,000 people while driving 1.5 million from their homes.

As a retired army major general who put down a small Islamic revolt in the 1980s, Buhari is expected to have more success motivating troops demoralised by poor equipment and bad leadership.

“Privately, the new security commanders are warning of no quick fixes ... arguing that Boko Haram infiltration of the army and civilian structures is a major unresolved difficulty,” political analyst Antony Goldman wrote in African Arguments.

Goldman said a military overhaul could include returning procurement to the Defence Ministry, a duty usurped by the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is now being investigated for “felony, corruption, misuse of power and possession of firearms,” according to the Department of State Service (DSS) on Saturday.

Cleaning up the military may also unblock sales of US attack helicopters, reported the Associated Press (AP) yesterday.
US law forbids the sale of certain arms to militaries accused of gross human rights abuses and Amnesty International has accused the army's leadership of complicity in the death of 8,000 detainees in the battle against Boko Haram.

Buhari has promised to investigate and prosecute perpetrators. He has also pledged to tackle root causes that fuel Islamic extremism. The North-east is the poorest part of the country with some of the world's highest illiteracy rates.

“We’re looking forward to what we can do with a president who has staked out an agenda that we think is the right agenda at the right time,” the US National Security Council's Grant Harris said last week.

Culled from Thisday

Four-year-old cancer patient 'marries' favourite nurse after he organises her dream wedding

Abby, who is being treated for leukaemia, 'wed' Matt Hickling in a ceremony complete with cake, rings, pink toy car and rose petals

A four-year-old cancer patient’s dreams came true when she got to "marry" her favourite nurse complete with cake, rings, pink toy car and rose petals.

Abby, a patient at Albany Medical Centre in New York, ‘wed’ Matt Hickling, one of the nurses treating her for leukaemia at the hospital, in a ceremony organised by staff.
A video – which has gone viral on Facebook - shows Abby, clad in a white princess gown and holding a bouquet, being walked by her mother down an aisle of pink rose petals towards Matt, who is wearing a tuxedo t-shirt.
Their hot pink car was decked out with cans and a ‘just married’ sign, and the couple shared a messy slices of cake.

So today I got to help make a 4 year old leukemia patient's "wedding" to her favorite nurse Matt Hickling happen at the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancers at AMC. Thanks to Scott Wright and the team at the Enchanted Garden for donating your time and amazing flowers and to everyone at AMC that helped pull this together in less than 24 hours. You people are amazing. THIS is why we go into nursing.
Posted by Lori Ciafardoni on Thursday, July 16, 2015

The wedding was organised in just 24 hours after Abby’s mother told Matt that Abby was looking forward to being treated by him that week – and that she planned to marry him.


A flattered, if probably somewhat bemused Matt, sprang into action and organised the surprise ceremony with other staff at the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders.
Most of the Melodies Center staff attended the ceremony and they hummed the wedding march as Abby began to move down the aisle – before running to Matt for a hug and exchanging rings.
Matt wrote on Facebook: “Our patient shyly asked me to marry her. I didn't hesitate to say yes, I got a HUGE hug and we sealed the deal with ring pops being placed on our fingers!
“We then took a stroll down the hall in our "Just Married" car (well I pushed) and headed back into the room for cake and photos.”


Matt said that a fellow staff member then helped Abby slam cake in his face.
He also thanked local florists for supplying flowers for the ceremony within 12 hours of the order being placed.
The video has been viewed more than 20 million times since being posted on the Facebook page of local news channel WNYT last week.

Culled from The Independent

Anti-Saraki senators dig deeper - By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi

File court case against Saraki, Ekweremadu’s elections

Stormy days are still ahead for the Senate as the Unity Forum has gone to court to seek annul­ment of the election of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.
The Senated Unity Forum is loyal to Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, who is also the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of Senate President. Sunday Sun learnt that the Forum instituted the case at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking, among other prayers, annulment of the Tuesday, June 9 election of Saraki and Ekwer­emadu on the premise that the Senate Standing Orders used on that day was “a forgery.”
In the build-up to the case in court, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, representing Kaduna North senatorial district, had petitioned the Police on the al­leged forgery. Consequently, Ekweremadu, key staff of the Committee on Rules and Busi­ness and the head of the National Assembly’s Directorate of Legal Services, were all questioned on their alleged roles in the matter.
Sunday Sun can reveal that the case suffered a slight hiccup on Wednesday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where the case was filed. But on Thursday, July 16, the details were finally perfected. It was gathered that the Forum is insisting before the court that a cursory reading of the Votes and Proceedings of the entire Seventh Senate and the Hansards did not reflect an amendment of the Senate Stand­ing Orders.
“Former chairman of the Rules and Business Commit­tee was the first to be invited by the Police and he has given a statement washing his hands off the amendments. The whole election of June 9 was a fraud; it should be annulled. You cannot build on something that doesn’t exist,” a source told Sunday Sun.
It was further gathered that no amendment was carried out.
A source who is close to the Unity Forum told Sunday Sun: “The leadership of the Saraki group knows this. It’s now a moral burden on them because those in charge of the rules know what they did. They should come out and tell Nigerians where, when and who sponsored the rules change.” In another devel­opment, it was gathered that “in 2014, the Committee on Rules and Business did propose 30 amendments to the Senate rules, which the leadership knew about and those proposed amendments of the Senate Standing Orders were laid on the table in the chamber. But, the leadership then, in its wisdom, didn’t see it through.” Regardless, a National Assembly source dismissed the Forum’s case in court, adding that the Senate, as an institution, was never dissolved, stating that it was only a session that ended in the first week of last month.
“It was only plenary that was adjourned sine die on Thursday, June 4. There was never a time there was no Senate, and if we do agree that there was a Sen­ate before the proclamation of a new Senate on June 9, why are members of the Forum crying wolf where there’s none?” the source said.

Culled from The Sun

Check out Man "Sits on Air" in Lagos

Commuters in Ikeja were shocked yesterday when a man supposedly sat on nothing for more than 30 minute

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   Lequte, in Information Nigeria

Buhari Goes to America; First Son, 32 Others Make Entourage -Nduka Nwosu

Muhammadu Buhari

• Shettima, Oshiomhole, Amaechi, Emefiele among delegation     
• President to hold town hall meeting with US Diaspora Nigerians

With an official entourage of 33 including his son Yusuf, President Muhammadu Buhari arrives the Joint Base Andrews Airport, Washington DC Sunday to kick start his official visit to the United States.

Apart from getting a brief on the visit from Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US Professor Ade Adefuye and his team, Buhari will have a private dinner with Madeline Albright former US Secretary of State after settling down at the historic Blair House in Pennsylvania Avenue, the first time a visiting Nigerian leader would be so honoured.

The President who is billed to hold a Town Hall meeting with Nigerians in the Diaspora Tuesday will on Monday be officially welcomed at the White House starting with a breakfast meeting of five at the Naval Observatory, the official residence of the US Vice President Senator Joe Biden.

When THISDAY put a call to Adefuye on the expectations of the visit and what Nigeria stood to gain, he said the visit was strategic on many fronts because Nigeria and the US remain partners on many fronts.

According to him, the US recognises Nigeria as an emerging economic giant not just in Africa but in the global village adding this is the first time the US is inviting a newly elected African leader who has been in office for less than two months, to a state visit.

President Buhari, Adefuye said, “has what it takes to drive this emerging role of Nigeria and I am glad to receive him on this historic visit. The expectation that President Buhari will reposition the nation along the path of greatness is not misplaced.”

The importance of the visit to the US, Adefuye added, “is in the fact that the US is accommodating President Buhari at Blair House, the first of its kind for a Nigerian leader and at no expense to the country.”

Part of the high point of the visit is the long awaited lecture of Buhari at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on his last day in the US.

The institute had expected him to deliver a public lecture at the heat of the Presidential campaign in February. USIP Director of Programmes, Ms. Jennifer Cooke had envisaged an event that would attract a large audience of US policy makers, academics, business leaders, and Nigerians in the Diaspora, an expectation that has even become heightened with the President’s rising profile since his defeat of Goodluck Jonathan a sitting president and the first time this is happening in the political space of the country.

The interactive session jointly organised by USIP, National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, Centre for Strategic Studies and the Atlantic Council will offer the President an opportunity to highlight on his policy direction and the expectations in the days ahead.

The Corporate Council for Africa (CCA) which also cancelled its lunch session with Buhari will along with the US Chamber of Commerce hold an interactive dinner with the president who would also have another media chat at the Blair House, later holding talks with Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Economic Assistance Programme for the North East and other important stakeholders on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

The Blair House breakfast meeting which is restricted to five people includes the President, his host Senator Biden, the Permanent. Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Governor of Borno State; Ambassador Ade Adefuye and Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State.

The White House visit which is billed to last one hour will be followed by a media chat at the Pool Spray, a bilateral meeting with Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, US Trade Representative Michael Froman with Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and his Nassarawa State counterpart in attendance

Buhari will also hold talks on corruption with Loretta Lynch, US Attorney General with Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Permanent Secretary, MFA; Director General, Nigerian Intelligence Agency and the Solicitor General of the Federation in attendance
He would later hold talks on Strengthening the Nigerian Economy with Jack Lew, US Secretary of the Treasury, with the Governor of the Central Bank Godwin Emefiele Permanent Secretary, MFA and Director General of the Budget as part of his team.

Apart from receiving in audience the US Black Caucus in the House of Representatives, Buhari will be at the Capitol Hill the equivalent of the National Assembly holding sessions with the Senate and House committees on Foreign Affairs with lunch hosted by US Secretary of State, John Kerry with Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, his Oyo State counterpart Abiola Ajimobi, Permanent Secretary MFA, Ambassador Ade Adefuye, Director-General of NIA, Permanent Secretary Trade and Investment and businessman Ismaila Funtua

After his meeting with the US Director of the CIA, the President will be host of a courtesy call from his colleagues of the Class of 1980 of the US Army War College arriving at the Nigerian Embassy for the Town Hall Meeting as well as the Meet & Greet Session by Nigerian Youths in the US with Mo Abudu moderating while meeting later in the afternoon, a group of potential investors in the agricultural sector

On Buhari’s entourage are Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, Adams Oshiomhole, Kashim Shettima, Abiola Adeyemi Ajimobi, Godwin Emefiele, Rotimi Amaechi, Senator Hadi Sirika, Ambassador. Paul Bulus Z, Ambassador. Ayodele Oke, Alhaji. Aliyu Ismaila, Ambassador. A.A. Musa, Ambassador. G.B. Igali, Aliyu Yahaya Gusau, Dr. Mahmud Mohammed, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Ismaila Isa  Funtua, Mr. Femi Adesina and Dr. Suhayb Sanusi Rafindadi.

Also on the entourage are Malam Garba, Mohammed Sarki, Kalu Abba-Snr, Ambassador Lawal A. Kazaure, Air Commodore N. B. Bali, Nura Rimi, Bashir Abubakar, Lt. Col. M. Lawal Abubakar, Abdulkarim Dauda, Yau Abdullahi and Sabiu Yusuf.

Others are Yusuf Maiyaki, Adamu Sambo, Emmanuel Anrihi, Bayo Omoboriowo, Baba Ujah,        Lawal Mato-Snr, Gbenga Folagbade and Shehu Lawal Abubakar.

Culled from Thisday

Oshiomhole To Okonjo-Iweala: Blackmail Won’t Save Your Case- By Patrick Ochoga

The raging war between Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole and former minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday continued unabated with the later declaring that there is nothing personal in the fight against the embattled minister over the mismanagement of the nation’s resources that led to her present woes.
Oshiomhole reiterated that Okonjo-Iweala should as a matter of urgency “come clean on the issue of revenue that accrued to the Excess Crude Account” as “much as her spokesman tries to dramatise his response in defence of his boss”.
He challenged the former minister to tell Nigerians and the whole world “what happened to the ECA withdrawals?”
Governor Oshiomhole in a statement by the special adviser on Media and Publicity , Prince Kassim Afegbua in Benin, the state capital, lashed at Dr. Okonjo-Iweala for changing her position four times in the last 40 days and that each position exposes her dubiety of facts and inherent contradictions in the concocted tales she has been weaving on one simple issue.
While questioning “what happened to the $2.1 billion ECA funds” the governor expressed shock over “how come those accruals into the Excess Crude Account got depleted without the knowledge of the National Economic Council and how come monies that were supposed to accrue into the said account cannot be found in it going by the balance sheet provided by the former minister?”

Culled from Leadership 

Buhari's US itinerary confirmed-Augustine Osayande

Abuja - Measures to strengthen and intensify bilateral and international cooperation against terrorism in Nigeria and West-Africa will top the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari's meetings with United States President Barack Obama and other officials.
The Presidency has disclosed the agenda ahead of Buhari departing Abuja on Sunday to Washington DC on a four-day official visit.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the President will hold high-level talks with President Barack Obama and other senior officials of the United States government.
Adesina added that Buhari would meet Obama at the White House on Monday before further discussions with the Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and the Deputy Secretary of Defence, Robert Work, on military and defence cooperation.

The President will also meet Vice President, Joe Biden, and confer with the US Attorney-General, Loretta Lynch, Secretary of Treasury, Jack Lew, Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, and the US Trade representative, Michael Froman, on US support against corruption as well as fresh measures to boost Nigeria-US trade relations.
Buhari is also expected to meet US Senate and Congressional Committees on Foreign Relations, as well as the Black Caucus of the US House of Representatives.
He will address the United States Chamber of Commerce and Corporate Council for Africa before returning Abuja on Thursday next week.

News24 in Caj News

Fighting the Global Scourge of Misappropriation of Government Fund-Odunze Chioma

 

Images credited to freedomworks.com

Fighting the Global Scourge of Misappropriation of Government Fund

In his book, The Prince, ― Niccolò Machiavelli noted that "Only the expenditure of one’s own resources is harmful; and, indeed, nothing feeds upon itself as liberality does. The more it is indulged, the fewer are the means to indulge it further. As a consequence, a prince becomes poor and contemptible or, to escape poverty, becomes rapacious and hateful. Of all the things he must guard against, hatred and contempt come first, and liberality leads to both. Therefore it is better to have a name for miserliness, which breeds disgrace without hatred, than , in pursuing a name for liberality, to resort to rapacity, which breeds both disgrace and hatred." Continuing he went on to say that “Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.”

We are all aware of the detention of 5 ex governors as a result of fraud , money laundry and other financial crimes perpetrated  these governors  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Schuller (1988:112) noted that success without social respect can be an ultimate and dismal failure. But that is not the feelings of con artist, fraudsters and politicians who t continually scheme, plan and put in strategies that will bring in money no matter who ever that is involved. They do not even care about the state of such poor people, poor masses at times they deliberately target retiree’s monies because of their vulnerability.

But what these scammers do not know is that wealth do not bring happiness as it is stated in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 10-11 “ How absurd to think that wealth brings happiness, the more you have, the more people come to help you spend it and  continuing  in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 12, 14, it sates “ But the rich are always worrying  and seldom get a good night sleep” Riches are sometimes hoarded to the harm of the saver, or they are put into risky investment that turn sour and everything is lost”

And continuing in Ecclesiastics 5 verse 19 and 20, “And it is good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it” “To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life- that is indeed a gift from God, people who did this rarely look with sorrow on the past ,for God has given them reason for joy”.

And so in making wealth, it is pertinent for us to have that God given joy that gives one  happiness- a lasting happiness.

Anything short of that may not augur well especially for con artist as Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich dad Poor dad, noted that there are so many ways, one can be rich, and he included the following, through inheritance, playing lottery, investing or by being a crook or an outlaw but there is a price, you risk going to jail. Kiyosaki  (1995:351) continuing he stated that ‘A great story must interest , excite and cause people to look into the future and dream a little, there should also be integrity behind the story, because our jails are filled with great story tellers without integrity”.

As we wait for the outcome of the various charges against the former governors, we are no longer expecting issues of bargain plea. Let our law , judges do their utmost best to regain our failing economy, the failure of Greek economy is still being debated, the idea of bringing economy to a default and the impact it may have on the Euro and the European Union leaves much to be desired.

In Nigeria we do not know what to believe again, the  $2.1 Billion Dollars dividend paid to the Federation Account by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG)' is still surrounded in  controversy.