Friday, 31 July 2015
10 die, others injured in multiple vehicle accident
At least 10 persons were killed and others injured in a multiple vehicles accident at the Ogunmakin(Ogun state) stretch of the Lagos – Ibadan expressway.
The accident which ocurred on Friday involved two trucks and two commercial buses.
Mr Adegoke Adetunji, Sector Commander of Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) in Ogun, Adegoke Adetunji, who confirmed the accident said the two buses rammed into the trucks.
He said: “we went to the scene and met the crash which involved two trucks and two commercial buses
“A Mazda bus with registration number MAY 152 XA and a Toyota bus with registration number LND 21 XQ, were travelling to Ibadan before they rammed into the trucks.
“We understood that the first truck had broken down in the night and was rammed into by the second truck while the two commercial buses also rammed into the trucks around 5a.m.
“Motorists should desist from travelling at night because visibility is limited. Broken down trucks should always use reflective signs so that oncoming drivers would be able to see them.
“I appeal to the general public to always call our number 122 anytime they see any broken down vehicle on the highways.”
According to Adetunji, the remains od the dead were deposited at the morgue of Fakoya Maternity, a private health centre in Sagamu.
Police nab suspected killer of Enugu monarch
The Enugu State Police Command has apprehended one of the suspected killers of a traditional ruler in the state, Peter Onuoha of Nkerefi in the Nkanu East Local Government Area of the state.
A statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Mr Ebere Amarizu, said the suspect was arrested at Ebu Village in Illah, in the Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta.
He said that the suspect, who gave his name as Sunday Agbara Edwin, was a mason from Mgbaraocha Umuokpala Community in Nkerefi.
Amaraizu said the suspect was arrested through intelligence gathering, adding that he had confessed to committing the crime along with others now at large.
“The suspect said they committed the crime because of the actions of the traditional ruler in their community.
“The monarch was violating human rights by killing people and throwing them into the river as well as forcefully collecting pieces of land belonging to helpless people,” he said.
Amarizu, said the suspect confirmed that some youths had organised themselves and unleashed their anger on the monarch and his supporters.
The spokesman quoted the suspect as saying, “I was not the one that fired the two gun shots on the day the victims were killed. I had only machete with me.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the monarchs, along with some of his supporters were on July 11 murdered in cold blood by hoodlums numbering about six.
MTN with a day easy plan
Two policemen killed in foiled Kogi bank robbery
A gang of four suspected robbers attacked a commercial bank in Okene, Kogi State, on Friday, killing two policemen in their attempt to break into the banking hall.
An eyewitness said the gunmen arrived at the bank premises at about 8.55am shooting in all directions.
The source explained that though security operatives at the bank foiled the attempt of the robbers to enter the bank, two policemen were killed in the gun duel between the hoodlums and security operatives.
The Police Public Relation Officer of the Kogi State Command, Mr. Sola Adebayo, confirmed the attack and the killing of the two policemen.
The PPRO said the police would commence investigation into the robbery attempt with a view to apprehending the perpetrators.
Thursday, 30 July 2015
71 captives rescued as troops smash Boko Haram camps
kinny men and women. Frail old people and ailing young boys and girls. They were all excited to be free — thanks to troops who subdued two Boko Haram camps in Chuogori and Shantumari, Borno State.
The seizure of the camps was spearheaded by troops from 21 Brigade and Nigerian Army Engineers.
In Kashingeri, Wale, Kushingari and other camps, 151 Task Force Battalion troops rescued 71 civilians from the terrorists’ camps.
Amid the success, the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, yesterday listed why the war had been tough.
He said:
the military’s equipment was not enough;
some fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies were leaking operational plans to the insurgents; and
when the insurgency broke out in the Northeast, the military had been overstretched.
The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman, said troops dislodged insurgents from two camps yesterday and rescued 59 from three others.
In a statement last night, Col. Usman said: “As part of efforts to rid Nigeria of Boko Haram terrorists, troops of 21 Brigade and elements of Nigerian Army Engineers yesterday cleared a notorious terrorists’ camp at Chuogori and Shantumari, Borno State.
“During the offensive operations, the fleeing terrorists left underground silos.
“In addition, troops of 151 Task Force Battalion conducted operations on Kashingeri, Wale and Kushingari Boko Haram terrorists camps today.
During the raids, quite a number of the terrorists were killed; a Landrover vehicle and a tipper were recovered.
“The troops also rescued 59 civilians that were held captive by the terrorists and cleared the camps.”
Some of the captives told The Associated Press that they were in the clutches of the extremists for as long as a year.
“I was waiting for death … they often threatened to kill us,” said Yagana Kyari, a woman in her 20s, who said she had been kidnapped from her village of Kawuri and taken to a militant camp in Walimberi, about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Maiduguri.
Kyari said they often went hungry because the extremists never provided enough food.
“Our gallant troops have rescued 59 civilians in two camps of the terrorist group,” army spokesman Col. I.T. Gusau said. “Many of the terrorists were killed in the course of the operations, but mop-up is still going on.”
The 59, all women and children except for five elderly men, were freed on Thursday, he said. Another 12 women and girls were rescued Wednesday from Kilakisa, 90 kilometres (55 miles) southwest of Maiduguri, he said.
Air Chief Marshal Badeh was delivering his valedictory address at his Pulling-Out from the Nigerian Armed Forces.
He said: “Notwithstanding the modest successes we recorded in the fight against terror, I must say that the task of co-ordinating the military and other security agencies in the fight against the insurgents is perhaps the most complex and challenging assignment I have had in my over 38 years in service.
“For the first time, I was head of a military that lacked the relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace.
“Added to this was the exploitation of a serious national security issue by a section of the press and the political class to gain political mileage.
“Furthermore, the activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorists, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult.
“The activities of these unpatriotic members of the military not only blunted the effectiveness of the fight, but also led to the needless deaths of numerous officers and men who unwittingly fell into ambushes prepared by terrorists who had advance warnings of the approach of such troops.
“The decision by certain countries to deny us weapons to prosecute the war also added to the challenges we faced.”
He said the military was overstretched by the time Boko Haram insurgency reached its peak in the Northeast.
He said: “Over the years, the military was neglected and underequipped to ensure the survival of certain regimes, while other regimes, based on advice from some foreign nations, deliberately reduced the size of the military and underfunded it.
“Unfortunately, our past leaders accepted such recommendations without appreciating our peculiarities as a third world military, which does not have the technological advantage that could serve as force multipliers and compensate for reduced strength.
“Accordingly, when faced with the crises in the Northeast and other parts of the country, the military was overstretched and had to embark on emergency recruitments and trainings, which were not adequate to prepare troops for the kind of situation we found ourselves in.
“It is important therefore for the government to decide on the kind of military force it needs, by carrying out a comprehensive review of the nation’s military force structure to determine the size, capability and equipment holding required to effectively defend the nation and provide needed security. This is based on the fact that without security, there cannot be sustainable development. The huge cost that would be required to rebuild the Northeast and other trouble spots in the country could have been avoided if the military had been adequately equipped and prepared to contain the ongoing insurgency before it escalated to where it is today.”
Notwithstanding, Air Chief Marshal Badeh said his tenure witnessed many achievements.
He said: “Despite these challenges, I am glad to note that a lot was achieved during our time in the fight against terror. The achievements recorded are largely due to the commitment, patriotism and fighting spirit of our men and women in uniform who saw the fight against terror as a task that must be accomplished no matter the odds and in spite of the campaign of calumny against the military by a section of the media with their foreign collaborators.
“The support of our teeming populace who have continued to stand behind their military has been quite encouraging.
“Also, our true friends who stood by us in our time of need and provided us the weapons we are now using to conduct the operations will always have a special place in our hearts.
“I must also mention the support and co-operation we have continued to enjoy from our neighbouring countries, which have enabled us to present a united front against a common enemy.
“The great support we have continued to receive and the determination of our patriotic troops to defeat this enemy of our nation has not only helped us to remain focused, but to also embark on other projects for the armed forces.
Air Chief Marshal Badeh, however, said no nation could depend on other countries for its defence needs.
He asked Nigeria to look inward by building a defence industrial complex.
He added: “I want to state emphatically that no nation can achieve its full security potentials by totally depending on other nations for its defence needs. The lessons of the civil war and the ongoing war against terror where certain countries frustrated our attempts to procure much needed weapons are very instructive.
“Again, as I have always said, when a nation is at war, it is not the military alone that is at war, it is the entire nation. Accordingly, every segment of society must see itself contributing to the overall war effort by presenting a united front against a common enemy.
“Therefore, I appeal to the relevant agencies of government to mobilise the huge human and material resources we have in this country towards the development of a vibrant Defence Industrial Complex that would contribute to meeting our critical arms and equipment needs. This is crucial if we must reduce our total dependence on foreign sources of supply for critically needed arms.
“That is the only way we can retain our dignity as a nation in order to have freedom of action in international affairs.”
Air Chief Marshal Badeh, under whose tenure newspapers were confiscated, still criticised the press in his valedictory address.
He said: “A major challenge we faced during my tenure was the negative media coverage of the activities of the Armed Forces in the ongoing war against terror in the Northeast.
“We, therefore, resolved to have a medium through which we can tell our own side of the story in an objective and accurate manner. This gave birth to the establishment of the Armed Forces Radio, broadcasting on 107.7 FM from the Mogadishu Cantonment.
“Also, we were able to complete and commission the Armed Forces DNA Laboratory in Mogadishu Cantonment.”
Ooni: Ife chiefs meet with Aregbesola
The Royal Traditional Council of Ife on Thursday met Governor Rauf Aregbesola briefly behind closed-doors at the Government House.
The delegates first told the governor in the presence of some journalists that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was alive, contrary to the news in the media.
The detail of the brief meeting held behind closed-doors was not made available to journalists. The chiefs, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, had earlier said it was regrettable that the Ooni was always a target of negative publicity in the media.
Some prominent indigenes of Ife, who were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, were present at the meeting. They included Senator Babajide Omoworare; the immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun; a former member of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Adetilewa Sijuade, and a former Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, Mr. Biyi Odunlade.
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The Lowa said, “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour of baba’s death. If at all such an incident had occurred, the Royal Traditional Council of Ife would be the first to know and equally break the news to the entire public.
“Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn’t look like he was going to die and should such a thing have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it. We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health.”
Aregbesola thanked the chiefs for holding forth the monarch’s domain while he was away and he prayed God to give the monarch long life in good health.
Meanwhile, the palace of the Ooni looked deserted on Thursday when our correspondent visited the place.
There was no crowd. The hordes of okada riders, who had gathered at the entrance of the palace on Wednesday when newspapers broke the news of the Ooni’s death, were clearly absent.
While visitors to the palace including journalists were not allowed to go beyond the first court which houses the Press Centre, the Emese’s court and the police station, some chiefs who visited the palace were seen going inside the inner part of the palace.
A palace source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the rebuttal of the news of the Ooni’s death by the RTC was in order.
The source said although the monarch had passed away, the procedure for breaking such big news must be followed.
He said, “The Traditional Council did a good job. They tried as much as they can to ensure that things are done the way they should be done.
“Although they may not be able to do all those things the same way they were done about 100 years ago, there must be a semblance of it. He was not just an ordinary person, so the announcement of his death must follow the due process.
“The news quickly filtered out because it happened outside the country. Nobody would have known except some very few persons if he had died right inside the palace.
“You know that the same thing happened to one of the foremost Obas in the country (name withheld); it is almost two months now and they have not announced it officially. But the Ooni passed away outside the country; so it is difficult to manage the situation but the chiefs did what was expected of them.”
Asked when the corpse of the departed monarch was expected to be brought back into the country, the source declined comment.
Ooni: Ife chiefs meet with Aregbesola
The Royal Traditional Council of Ife on Thursday met Governor Rauf Aregbesola briefly behind closed-doors at the Government House.
The delegates first told the governor in the presence of some journalists that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was alive, contrary to the news in the media.
The detail of the brief meeting held behind closed-doors was not made available to journalists. The chiefs, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, had earlier said it was regrettable that the Ooni was always a target of negative publicity in the media.
Some prominent indigenes of Ife, who were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, were present at the meeting. They included Senator Babajide Omoworare; the immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun; a former member of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Adetilewa Sijuade, and a former Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, Mr. Biyi Odunlade.
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The Lowa said, “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour of baba’s death. If at all such an incident had occurred, the Royal Traditional Council of Ife would be the first to know and equally break the news to the entire public.
“Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn’t look like he was going to die and should such a thing have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it. We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health.”
Aregbesola thanked the chiefs for holding forth the monarch’s domain while he was away and he prayed God to give the monarch long life in good health.
Meanwhile, the palace of the Ooni looked deserted on Thursday when our correspondent visited the place.
There was no crowd. The hordes of okada riders, who had gathered at the entrance of the palace on Wednesday when newspapers broke the news of the Ooni’s death, were clearly absent.
While visitors to the palace including journalists were not allowed to go beyond the first court which houses the Press Centre, the Emese’s court and the police station, some chiefs who visited the palace were seen going inside the inner part of the palace.
A palace source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the rebuttal of the news of the Ooni’s death by the RTC was in order.
The source said although the monarch had passed away, the procedure for breaking such big news must be followed.
He said, “The Traditional Council did a good job. They tried as much as they can to ensure that things are done the way they should be done.
“Although they may not be able to do all those things the same way they were done about 100 years ago, there must be a semblance of it. He was not just an ordinary person, so the announcement of his death must follow the due process.
“The news quickly filtered out because it happened outside the country. Nobody would have known except some very few persons if he had died right inside the palace.
“You know that the same thing happened to one of the foremost Obas in the country (name withheld); it is almost two months now and they have not announced it officially. But the Ooni passed away outside the country; so it is difficult to manage the situation but the chiefs did what was expected of them.”
Asked when the corpse of the departed monarch was expected to be brought back into the country, the source declined comment.
Ooni: Ife chiefs meet with Aregbesola
The Royal Traditional Council of Ife on Thursday met Governor Rauf Aregbesola briefly behind closed-doors at the Government House.
The delegates first told the governor in the presence of some journalists that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was alive, contrary to the news in the media.
The detail of the brief meeting held behind closed-doors was not made available to journalists. The chiefs, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, had earlier said it was regrettable that the Ooni was always a target of negative publicity in the media.
Some prominent indigenes of Ife, who were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, were present at the meeting. They included Senator Babajide Omoworare; the immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun; a former member of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Adetilewa Sijuade, and a former Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, Mr. Biyi Odunlade.
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The Lowa said, “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour of baba’s death. If at all such an incident had occurred, the Royal Traditional Council of Ife would be the first to know and equally break the news to the entire public.
“Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn’t look like he was going to die and should such a thing have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it. We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health.”
Aregbesola thanked the chiefs for holding forth the monarch’s domain while he was away and he prayed God to give the monarch long life in good health.
Meanwhile, the palace of the Ooni looked deserted on Thursday when our correspondent visited the place.
There was no crowd. The hordes of okada riders, who had gathered at the entrance of the palace on Wednesday when newspapers broke the news of the Ooni’s death, were clearly absent.
While visitors to the palace including journalists were not allowed to go beyond the first court which houses the Press Centre, the Emese’s court and the police station, some chiefs who visited the palace were seen going inside the inner part of the palace.
A palace source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the rebuttal of the news of the Ooni’s death by the RTC was in order.
The source said although the monarch had passed away, the procedure for breaking such big news must be followed.
He said, “The Traditional Council did a good job. They tried as much as they can to ensure that things are done the way they should be done.
“Although they may not be able to do all those things the same way they were done about 100 years ago, there must be a semblance of it. He was not just an ordinary person, so the announcement of his death must follow the due process.
“The news quickly filtered out because it happened outside the country. Nobody would have known except some very few persons if he had died right inside the palace.
“You know that the same thing happened to one of the foremost Obas in the country (name withheld); it is almost two months now and they have not announced it officially. But the Ooni passed away outside the country; so it is difficult to manage the situation but the chiefs did what was expected of them.”
Asked when the corpse of the departed monarch was expected to be brought back into the country, the source declined comment.
Ooni: Ife chiefs meet with Aregbesola
The Royal Traditional Council of Ife on Thursday met Governor Rauf Aregbesola briefly behind closed-doors at the Government House.
The delegates first told the governor in the presence of some journalists that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was alive, contrary to the news in the media.
The detail of the brief meeting held behind closed-doors was not made available to journalists. The chiefs, led by the Lowa of Ife, Oba Joseph Ijaodola, had earlier said it was regrettable that the Ooni was always a target of negative publicity in the media.
Some prominent indigenes of Ife, who were members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, were present at the meeting. They included Senator Babajide Omoworare; the immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Sikiru Ayedun; a former member of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Adetilewa Sijuade, and a former Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Sports, Mr. Biyi Odunlade.
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The Lowa said, “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour of baba’s death. If at all such an incident had occurred, the Royal Traditional Council of Ife would be the first to know and equally break the news to the entire public.
“Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he didn’t look like he was going to die and should such a thing have happened to him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it. We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health.”
Aregbesola thanked the chiefs for holding forth the monarch’s domain while he was away and he prayed God to give the monarch long life in good health.
Meanwhile, the palace of the Ooni looked deserted on Thursday when our correspondent visited the place.
There was no crowd. The hordes of okada riders, who had gathered at the entrance of the palace on Wednesday when newspapers broke the news of the Ooni’s death, were clearly absent.
While visitors to the palace including journalists were not allowed to go beyond the first court which houses the Press Centre, the Emese’s court and the police station, some chiefs who visited the palace were seen going inside the inner part of the palace.
A palace source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the rebuttal of the news of the Ooni’s death by the RTC was in order.
The source said although the monarch had passed away, the procedure for breaking such big news must be followed.
He said, “The Traditional Council did a good job. They tried as much as they can to ensure that things are done the way they should be done.
“Although they may not be able to do all those things the same way they were done about 100 years ago, there must be a semblance of it. He was not just an ordinary person, so the announcement of his death must follow the due process.
“The news quickly filtered out because it happened outside the country. Nobody would have known except some very few persons if he had died right inside the palace.
“You know that the same thing happened to one of the foremost Obas in the country (name withheld); it is almost two months now and they have not announced it officially. But the Ooni passed away outside the country; so it is difficult to manage the situation but the chiefs did what was expected of them.”
Asked when the corpse of the departed monarch was expected to be brought back into the country, the source declined comment.
Reopen Bola Ige, others’ murder cases —Reps
The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Thursday asking the Federal Government to reopen investigations into several unresolved high-profile killings in the country.
Lawmakers also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to take decisive actions against kidnapping, which they said had assumed an “embarrassing dimension” in Nigeria lately.
Among those on the list of victims of unresolved killings were a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige; Pa Alfred Rewane; Chief Funsho Williams; Chief Harry Marshall; Dele Giwa and Chief A.K. Dikibo.
The list also included Dr. Ayo Daramola, Chukwuma Ogbuefi, the ‘Apo Six’ and the deaths resulting from attacks on communities in Delta State, Zaki-Biam in Benue State as well as Odi in Bayelsa State.
The House noted that those behind the criminal acts were still moving freely.
The motion on the issue was sponsored by a member from Rivers State, Mr. Kingsley Chinda.
“The House resolves to urge the Federal Government to urgently re-open investigations into the aforementioned high-profile and unresolved murders with a view to bringing the culprits to justice.
“The House also urges the Nigeria Police Force to be more alive to its responsibilities in the prevention and proper investigation of crimes,” the motion read partly.
Chinda had told the House that the unresolved cases had emboldened killers who continued in their unlawful acts, forcing Nigerians to live in perpetual fear.
The resolution further directed the committees on Police Affairs, National Security and Public Safety to monitor the investigations and report back to the House within four weeks.
On kidnapping, the House specifically asked the IG and his men to be proactive in dealing with the perpetrators.
The motion initially sought to wade into recent rising cases of kidnapping in Ondo and Ekiti states.
However, the House later amended it to cover cases of kidnapping in other parts of the country.
There was a mild drama when lawmakers from the South-South and the South-East disagreed over the geo-political zone where kidnapping first started in the country.
While those from the South-South said the criminal act started in the South-East, their colleagues from the zone disagreed, as they traced it to the activities of the Niger Delta militants.
WAEC Threatens To Withhold 19 States Results Over Debts
Hundreds of candidates who sat for the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination may not have their results released in the next two weeks, the West African Examinations Council has announced.
No fewer than 19 states of the federation owe the council about N4bn examination registration fees.
The WAEC Head of National Office, Lagos, Mr. Charles Eguridu, announced this on Monday at a briefing in Lagos.
He, however, failed to make public the affected states.
Eguridu said, “A total number of 19 states in the country owe the Council in respect of entry fees for state government sponsored candidates for the May/June 2015 WASSCE. Some states also still owe the Council registration fees for the May/June 2014 WASSCE.
“We have written to the affected state governments without any response. The poor response of the debtor states is threatening the smooth operations of the Council.
“We, therefore, want to publicly plead with the affected states to off-set the registration fees of their candidates as soon as possible, as we cannot guarantee that the results of their candidates for the May/June 2015 will be released along with others.”
FCSC denies online recruitment, warns against fraudsters
The Federal Civil Service Commission on Thursday in Abuja dissociated itself from an advertisement that it had embarked on recruitment of applicants.
A statement by the spokesperson for the FCSC, Dr. Joel Oruche, entitled, ‘No online recruitment exercise by FCSC’, advised the public “to discountenance this and be on guard against fraudsters.”
He added, “The commission hereby dissociates itself from the advertisement and states categorically that no recruitment exercise is being conducted by FCSC as being advertised by some faceless individuals in the social media.”
The statement reads, “The attention of the Federal Civil Service Commission has been drawn to an online advertisement that it has embarked on a massive recruitment of applicants.
“The commission hereby dissociates itself from the advertisement and states categorically that no recruitment exercise is being conducted by FCSC as being advertised by some faceless individuals in the social media.
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“The public is hereby advised to discountenance this and be on guard against fraudsters.”
Nigerian Passport Ranked 57th Most Useful in the World
The Nigerian passport is ranked 57th in the world out of 199 indexed passports. This is according to Passport Index - the interactive tool recently unveiled by Arton Capital, a financial advisory firm which specialises in procuring multiple citizenships for its clients.
Commenting on the Index, Oluwakemi Ojo - Head of Communications for Travelstart Nigeria - said, “Arton Capital’s assessment bodes well for Nigerians who love to travel. Currently, Nigerian passport holders enjoy visa-free access to 61 countries in the world including Fiji, Dominica, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Kenya. Visa-free travel is extremely important because it facilitates doing business in foreign territories, and for leisure travellers it reduces the costs and administrative hassles of international travel.”
In West Africa, Guinea has a leg up on the rest of the sub-region. The second most useful passport in the region belongs to Togo whose bearers can travel to a total of 67 countries without having to apply for a visa. Citizens of Sao Tome & Principles are less fortunate with visa-free access to just 28 countries.
The Passport Index filters passports by country, by region, by colour (of the passport cover), and by passport power rank - the ranking system allocates 1 point for each country the passport holder can enter without applying for a visa before departure.
The United Kingdom and United States share the highest passport power rank in the index with access to 147 countries, while Palestinian Territories, Myanmar among others have the lowest with visa free access to just 28 countries. Nigeria holds the same rank on the passport ranking as with Tunisia, Zambia, Mali, Namibia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Tanzania and Bahrain.
The Index’s visa-free count is based on data and consultations from IATA’s Timaticweb platform and other sources. Passports are ranked based on their Visa Free Score. The higher the Visa Free Score, the better the Passport Power Rank.
The country list is based on the 193 UN member countries and 6 territories (Macao, Kosovo, etc.) for a total of 199. Territories annexed to other countries such as Norfolk Island, French Polynesia, etc. are excluded. Data is based on research from publicly available sources, as well as information shared by government agencies.
Below is a table showing the 17 passports from the West African region, according to Passport Index.
Country
Passport Power Rank
No. of Visa Free Countries
Guinea
42
80
Togo
50
67
Liberia
52
65
Burkina-Faso
53
64
Mauritania
53
64
Cape Verde
56
61
Ivory Coast
56
61
Senegal
57
60
Nigeria
57
61
Mali
57
61
Benin
60
58
Ghana
66
52
Gambia
66
52
Niger
66
52
Sierra Leone
69
49
Somalia
78
39
Sao Tome & Principle
80
28
Mourinho slams Mrs Benitez
Jose Mourinho has launched a stinging attack on Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez after the Spaniard’s wife teased the Chelsea boss by saying her husband always had to tidy up messes left by the Portuguese.
Montserrat Seara triggered the attack after Spanish newspaper La Region published her light-hearted remark following Benitez’s appointment at the Bernabeu last month, the third time he has joined a club previously managed by his rival.
Mourinho was clearly not amused and speaking to reporters after Chelsea beat European champions Barcelona on penalties in a Washington friendly, he delivered a withering straight-faced response.
“The lady is a bit confused,” he said after the match that ended in a 2-2 draw. “I am not laughing…
“Her husband went to Chelsea to replace Roberto Di Matteo and he went to Real Madrid and replaced Carlo Ancelotti.
“The only club where her husband replaced me was at Inter Milan where, in six months, he destroyed the best team in Europe at the time.
“For her also to think about me, and to speak about me, I think she needs to occupy her time.
“And if she takes care of her husband’s diet, she will have less time to speak about me.”
Benitez was hired by Inter Milan in 2010 after Mourinho had led an aging team to a European and domestic treble before leaving for Real Madrid.
UNDP, ECN provide solar energy for five FCT communities
The United Nations Development Programme has provided solar-power energy for five rural communities in Bwari Area Council in the FCT.
The benefitting communities are Tokulo, Zhiko, Sunape, Youpe and Goipe.
The gesture came under the “Expanding Access to Off-Grid Renewable Energy (Solar and Biomass) Based Sustainable Energy for All,” a project initiated by the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
Director General, ECN, Prof. Eli Bala, said the UNDP provided the fund for the project, while the commission supervised the implementation.
Bala, who spoke to newsmen after a two-day inspection tour of the communities, said the objective was to utilise renewable energy sources to provide basic needs for the communities.
He listed those needs as lighting, cooking, heating, water pump and health care delivery.
“These rural communities are not grid-connected and even those which are grid-connected, supply is epileptic and not regular to sustain a good standard of living.
“Fortunately, these areas are endowed with some energy sources referred to as renewable energy, like the sun, wind and the biomass,” (plant-based materials).
“They can utilise these with modern technology to enhance their standard of living.
“What we did in these villages in Bwari Area Council is to provide them with clean water supply from underground through solar energy,” Bala said.
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Air Force cuts Boko Haram’s supply routes
A wooden canoe containing supplies to Boko Haram intercepted by the Air Force
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has intercepted supplies to Boko Haram insurgents along Nigeria-Cameroon borders.
NAF said last night that it seized over 4,000 drums and several plastic containers filled with petroleum products meant for the insurgents.
NAF spokesman Air Commodore Dele Alonge broke the news in a statement in Abuja.
The statement reads: “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) through its intensified and persistent efforts in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) has intercepted over 4,000 drums and jerry cans of petroleum products and other smuggled items.
“The items, suspected to be supplies meant for Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) were confiscated from the smugglers in Pepe, Dashin-Hausa, Belel Bilachi, and Konkul villages, all located on the Nigeria-Cameroon borders on Tuesday, 28 July 2015.
“The NAF was able to achieve the recent feat through its air patrol activities, covering both land and water, on the Nigeria-Cameroon borders.
“The NAF has continued to identify and destroy BHT camps and resupplies by employing surveillance and combat aircraft. Intelligence gathered revealed that these efforts have greatly strained the supply efforts of the BHT.”
There was a massive shake-up yesterday in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Maj-Gen. Tukur Buratai appointed new General Officers Commanding (GOCs) for commands and divisions.
He also named new Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) to manage the Army Headquarters.
Also appointed were new Corps Commanders, Special Task Forces Commanders, a new Commander for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to tackle Boko Haram, new Brigade Commanders and new Defence Advisers in Nigeria’s foreign missions abroad.
The Deputy Commandant of the National Defence College, Abuja, Maj-Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade, has been named the GOC, 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna; Maj-Gen. L.C. Ilo replaces Maj-Gen S.M. Muazu as the GOC 2 Mechanised Division, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Maj-Gen. Muazu has been moved to Infantry Corps, Jaji as Commander.
The new GOC, 3 Armoured Division, Jos, Plateau State, is Maj.-Gen. H. Umaru and Maj-Gen M.A Koleoso has been moved to take charge as Commander at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Minna, Niger State.
Maj-Gen Koleoso takes over from Maj-Gen Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, who was recently appointed the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He was formerly the Director of Administration at the Defence Headquarters.
Maj-Gen. Edet, formerly the Commandant, Nigerian Army Training Center (NATRAC), Kotangora, has been named new GOC, 81 Division, Lagos.
Brig-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru has been moved from 13 Brigade, Calabar, Cross River State, where he was the Brigade Commander, to take charge as the Acting GOC, 82 Division, Enugu.
He will be taking over from Maj-Gen S. Yusuf, who has been redeployed to Defence Headquarters as Chief of Training and Operations.
P’Harcourt, Warri refineries begin crude production – NNPC
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has announced the successful re-streaming of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries after nine months of phased rehabilitation conducted by its in-house engineers and technicians.
The national oil company made the announcement on Wednesday through a statement.
It said the plants had commenced preliminary production of petroleum products after successful test-runs, noting that while the Port Harcourt Refining Company was ramping up capacity to about 60 per cent of the 210,000 barrels per day of crude capacity, production from the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company had been projected to hit 80 per cent of its installed capacity 125,000 bpd.
According to the NNPC, the Port Harcourt refinery will have a product yield of five million litres of petrol per day, while the Warri refinery will contribute 3.5 million litres of petrol to the local refining capacity.
Providing insight into the rehabilitation of the plants, the NNPC noted that it had to adopt the phased rehabilitation approach after the original builders of the refineries, who were initially contacted for the turnaround maintenance of the plants, came up with unfavourable terms.
“Though a decision was taken in 2011 to rehabilitate all the refineries using the original refinery builder of each of the refineries, we were impelled to switch strategy after the ORBs declined participation and nominated some partners in their stead, who came up with outrageously unfavourable terms,” it explained.
The corporation stated that the nominated partners, as sole bidders, came up with humongous price offers after two years of thorough and exhaustive scope of work definition and negotiations, adding that the proxies were also unwilling to provide post rehabilitation performance guarantees.
“The phased rehabilitation strategy, which entailed phased and simultaneous rehabilitation of all the refineries using in-house and locally available resources in line with the spirit and letter of the Nigerian Content Law, also involved the use of Original Equipment Manufacturer representatives to effect major equipment overhaul and rehabilitation,” it added.
The NNPC also noted that the phased rehabilitation programme, which commenced in October 2014 after the required funding stream was established, created a 70 per cent reduction in costs, which helped largely in mitigating the financing challenges of the rehabilitation.
It said that with the successful re-streaming of the PHRC and WRPC, attention had now shifted to the 110,000 barrels per day Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, which is billed to come on stream soon.
In a related development, the NNPC has said that it has successfully recovered the System 2B Pipeline, which was breached last week in Arepo, Ogun State.
The corporation stated that its team of engineers deployed in the scene immediately after the pipeline was vandalised, was able to access the pipeline after the fire had put out the ensuing fire and commenced repair work immediately.
It added, “We wish to announce that the vital System 2B Pipeline, which was breached at Arepo last week, has been fixed and brought back on stream. Pumping of products through the system commenced on Monday upon the successful completion of repair works over the weekend.
“We also wish to call on all those engaged in the criminal acts of pipeline sabotage and oil theft to desist in order to avoid such horrendous deaths as was witnessed in the recent incident.”
Tompolo hails Buhari over new Amnesty boss
A former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Chief Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a. Tompolo, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh as the new head of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
He said tha the action of the President only portrayed him as a listening leader with a desire to contribute to the development of the Niger Delta.
He also hailed the President for the choice of a retired military officer, rather than the politicians who had been scheming to get the job.
He urged the new Amnesty coordinator to ensure that critical stakeholders were consulted in the running of the programme and to avoid political jobbers.
He said, “It could be recalled that I called a meeting of ex-agitators, leaders and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta last week as a result of the pressure on me to intervene in the seemingly troubled Amnesty Programme due to the non-payment of the stipends and allowances to beneficiaries for months now.
“And so, it gives me joy for the President to appoint a high-ranking retired military gentleman to coordinate the programme, rather than have any of the political jobbers, who had advertised themselves in very negative forms in order to be appointed.”
Also, frontline ex-militant leaders from the nine states of the Niger Delta have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment of Boroh (retd.) as the substantive Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee.
According to the ex-militant leaders, the appointment will undoubtedly resolve the concerns raised by the people of the region over the hitches in the Amnesty programme and payment of outstanding allowances and scholarship fees. They said the choice was apt.
The former agitators, under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative, led by Pastor Reuben Wilson, said on Wednesday that the choice of Boroh was commendable.
Wilson said though the appointment was delayed, he said nevertheless, it would calm frayed nerves among beneficiaries of the programme.
Oil worth $13.7bn stolen under NNPC, says NEITI
The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna-Ahmed, on Wednesday said between 2009 and 2012, about 160 million barrels of oil valued at $13.7bn was stolen under the watch of the national oil giant, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
She also said that subsidy payment from 2005 to 2012 indicated that $11.63bn had been paid to the NNPC but that “there is no evidence of the money being remitted to the federation account.”
The NEITI boss, who called on the Federal Government to privatize the refineries, stated this during a courtesy call on Governor Nasir el-Rufai, at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, on Wednesday.
El-Rufai is among the four governors appointed by the National Economic Council to scrutinise the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Excess Crude Account managed by the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.
Part of the terms of reference was to unravel the N3.8trn not remitted to the Federation Account by the national oil giant between 2012 and May 2015, as well as $2.1bn said to have been deducted from the Excess Crude Account.
Governors of Akwa-Ibom, Edo and Gombe states were members of the team.
Hajiya Ahmed said, “Crude product swap of $866m was lost from 2009 to 2011 and $8243m in 2012. Total amount expended in subsidy payment from 2005 to 2012 as captured $11.63bn have been paid to the NNPC. However, there is no evidence that these amounts were remitted to the Federation Account,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Governor El-Rufai disclosed that since he called for the scrap of the NNPC, the corporation has being sponsoring articles in the media to attack him to fight on till NNPC will be killed.
He added that the corporation would be made to pay all monies it owed before its final death.
El-Rufai said, “NNPC has become a monster that is too powerful. I will continue to fight NNPC till it dies for Nigeria to survive.
“It is either Nigerians kill NNPC or NNPC will kill Nigeria.
“Since, I called for the death of NNPC, the corporation has sponsored articles attacking me, but I am telling them my skin is thicker than an elephant.”
10 things you didn’t know about the late Ooni of Ife
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