Saturday, 1 August 2015
Cameroon deports 2,000 Nigerians in fight against Boko Haram
Yaound̩ РCameroon has deported more than 2,000 Nigerians who were living in the country illegally as part of new security measures intended to prevent suicide attacks by Boko Haram jihadists, according to reports last night.
Regional newspaper L’Oeil du Sahel reported that about 2,500 Nigerians had been “rounded up” in Kousseri, in the far north of Cameroon, and sent back to their country on Thursday.
The weekly posted a photo on its Facebook page showing several departing trucks crammed with hundreds of passengers.
A source close to regional authorities confirmed that “more than 2,000 ‘irregular’ Nigerians have been expelled from Kousseri”.
Mey Aly, an official from a local NGO, said that most of the Nigerians “had fled the atrocities of Boko Haram” to take refuge in Cameroon.
Thursday’s deportations came just a day after President Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon for talks on how to combat the escalating regional threat from Boko Haram.
Buhari and Cameroonian counterpart Paul Biya pledged to strengthen cooperation between their two countries in the fight against the insurgents.
The Cameroonian border post at Kousseri — which has been hit by two suicide attacks since June — occupies a strategic position, with just a bridge separating it from Chad’s capital N’Djamena.
Authorities in Cameroon’s far north have taken significant steps to boost security, including banning women from wearing the full face-veil amid fears that suicide bombers could use the garment to conceal explosives.
“With these attacks, the tone of the authorities has changed,” said a security source in Maroua. “They have asked that foreigners (notably Nigerians) and displaced people in the border areas go home.”
Some 300 Cameroonian children were removed from their Koranic schools in Maroua and taken back to their villages on Friday, according to a source close to local authorities, as the schools’ managers feared that insurgents could try to use them for suicide attacks.
Aregbesola’s battles with opposition in Osun
WAHEED Lawal, a comrade and known activist in Osun has over two decades of pro-democracy activism in the South-West state. He could go on and on to reel out the nitty-gritty of the various pro-democracy and human rights struggles in the recent history of Nigeria, especially as they were organised in the state.
“We know when to organise our people to defend their rights and protect democracy and demand for good governance,” says Lawal in a chat with our correspondent during a recent visit to his office on Station Road, Osogbo, Osun State.
“But in spite of your claim to being a frontline member of the pro-democracy groups in the state, the CSCEO (Coalition of Civil Society for the Emancipation of Osun) appears to have taken the shine off you,” the reporter queried.
The reporter’s observation seemingly drew Lawal’s anger. Looking straight into the reporter’s eyes, he queried: “Who are the people behind the group you just mentioned? They are nothing but a hired group of misguided youths sponsored to blackmail the government of the day.
“You media people in Lagos, Ibadan or Abuja or those reading the newspapers may take the noise they make seriously, but the few people that call themselves the coalition have no relevance here because they have never been known to lead any good cause for our people here.
“Their sudden emergence is attributable to the determination of the opposition elements against the government of the day to ensure the government achieves nothing.”
The conversation between Lawal and our correspondent took place against the background of incessant allegations against the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. At the begining of July this year, the CSCEO began to send press releases to media houses detailing various allegations against the governor.
Apart from accusing the governor of embarking on too many projects which, in its own conclusion, have led the state into many months of unpaid salaries, the coalition has accused the governor and his party of intolerance, alleging that some of the opponents of the governor have come under attacks in recent times.
“But that is part of the blackmail. Call a dog a bad name in order to hang it,” said Semiu Okanlawon, spokesman of the Aregbesola government.
“They make outlandish and outrageous claims and allegations. Why not just ask for one proof of these allegations? For instance, how do you accuse a governor whose works already delivered far outweighs the resources available to him within the same period? How do you see a governor whose initiatives in the areas of employment, security, education infrastructure, poverty reduction and others keep earning him local and international recognitions? Those are the achievements those few bellyaching individuals seek to divert attention away from. But they cannot succeed in that.”
The group had claimed responsibility for the July 6 protests in Osogbo, the state capital, purportedly in support of a judge in the state, Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, who wrote a petition against the governor and also in solidarity with the unpaid workers of Osun. But the government says the wage crisis in the state, like in many other sates of the federation, has only been turned into an opportunity by the opposition to pillory the Aregbesola government, having failed in all the legally acceptable means to get the mandate of the people of the state.
The government described the coalition as “a gang of misguided and disgruntled individuals who are just being sponsored by many of those who lost in the August 9, 2014 election in the state.
“They are no more than errand boys of Iyiola Omisore of PDP, Niyi Owolade of Accord Party and Segun Akinwusi of Social Democratic Party. It is an emergency group put together to give voice to the opposition’s joint battle against this government.
“All they do is to send out false information in press releases everyday to confuse people and misinform the general public. The last of its release was that there was danger to the life of the petitioner judge, Folahanmi Oloyede,” Okanlawon said.
In a release signed by its media coordinator, Seun Adeoye, on July 4, the CSCEO, which though was less than one week old, had claimed responsibility for the protests in Osogbo.
A part of the release had stated: “For your information, CSCEO is just a week old today. We have no allegiance to any political party in opposition to Osun State Government or financiers as being wrongly insinuated by the ruling APC regime. Rather, we are together as men and women previously slumbering but have all been woken up by the realization of the doldrums in which we now find ourselves as a result of the recklessness, cluelessness and wanton disregard for time-tested principles of public management and international best practices of those who we have trusted with our collective destiny in the last four years.”
But Amitilu Shittu, Executive Director of the Committee for the Defence and Rights of the People, a popular human rights and pro-democracy organisation in Osun, says the group has chosen very wrong reasons to sell itself to the people.
Shittu said: “If you say you are in opposition here, the people will ask you what you are really out to oppose. This is because opposition must have its logical reason. Do you oppose a government that has provided the kind of infrastructure that Aregbesola has provided in the first four years?
“Do you oppose a government that has provided infrastructure far higher than the resources of the state can afford? Do you just oppose a government when it keeps getting local and international recognitions for its initiatives?”
CSCEO’s allegations against the government are legion. Its Chairman, Sulaiman Adeniyi Alimi, said in one of the many press releases sent out by Adeoye that “all the characteristics of a failed state have been manifesting in this state: hunger; poverty; closed hospitals, schools, government offices and courts; internal displacement of persons and failed and abandoned projects from roads to buildings. Jungle justice in the absence of the judiciary, collapse of public utility, insecurity as burglary and petty stealing pervades the land arising from excruciating hunger and lack.
“This is not about unpaid salaries alone; it is about paucity of managerial skills and high level corruption as exhibited by Aregbesola’s government.”
Comrade Wale Adebisi of the Ola Oni Centre for Good Governance, directly links the activities of the group to the political opponents of Aregbesola.
Adebisi said: “It must interest you that this so-called group emerged after Iyiola Omisore, PDP’s defeated governorship candidate, reached his final bus stop over his election petition at the Supreme Court.
“Before then, there was no group like that. But immediately after the ruling of the Supreme Court which put a final nail on the Coffin of his governorship ambition, they resorted to these illegal means to continue to keep their few followers together as well as attempt to discredit the government.
“It is a project in the hands of the PDP and other allies to bring down the government, and that forms the basis of all these daily accusations against the governor.”
Adebisi says the CSCEO has been sending out wrong information about the state to give it a wrong image. “But they can only do that for a while before the whole world sees through their lies,” he said.
Ademola Yaya, a former Student Union leader and now researcher, who lives in Osogbo, the state capital, in his analysis of the group’s activities, explained that it is merely catching in on the opportunities that media platforms offer to gain attention.
“Before now, real activism involved deep understanding of the issues at stake. Activism involved commitment and not cash and carry pursuits. More importantly, it is the activities you engage in as a group of people fighting the cause of the people that bring you attention from authorities and the people. Now, an unknown group of people can just hide under one name and send out falsehood and the media give them audience,” Yaya said.
Asking the media to wake up to its responsibilities, Yaya said it is not enough for media houses to just take press releases from everyone who has access to the internet without adequate verification of the claims they make and the activities they claim to engage in.
His assertion appeared to corroborate an earlier charge by Comrade Waheed Lawal that most of the claims the so-called coalition sends out should be verified by media houses. “For instance, often times you read about that group claiming to have held press conferences in Osogbo whereas no press conference was held. That is unprofessional and fraudulent,” he said.
Adeoye, the regular issuer of the press statements containing the allegations against Aregbesola says he is not connected in any way to politicians in the state, yet there are those who insist that he is one journalist who has had more than casual relationship with politicians and still enjoys same with some of the leading opposition figures in the state. As a former correspondent in the state, he was was alleged to have taken a stand against the government of former Governor Bisi Akande; a situation that was said to have endeared him to Akande’s political opponents, including Omisore, the then deputy governor.
Adeoye later became two-term chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists’ Correspondents’ Chapel in Osun and subsequently won election to become the State Chairman of the NUJ. In all these periods, he was said to have openly identified with Omisore and his political allies.
“Call him a politician and you will not be far from the truth,” says Ibrahim Lawal, a lawyer based in Osogbo, who said he had watched the activities of the group and the involvement of Adeoye.
“I think he uses his pen to arrange imagined atrocities of the Aregbesola administration with a devious view to raising anxiety and causing confusion. That is what they send out every day in the name of press releases. But the people in this state know the truth. There is no coalition anywhere. It is just a camouflage by Adeniyi Sulaiman and Seun Adeoye.”
A quick ride through the state capital gives the impression of a peaceful city. While the effect of unpaid workers’ wages appears to have slowed down business, commercial activities in the state capital do not reflect the topsy-turvy pictures that are being painted.
Bose Ande, an event management consultant in Osogbo says the state remains at peace with itself.
“If you go by the impressions being created in the minds of news readers, you would think the state is upside down. But that only exists in the imagination of those who are doing that for their own reasons.” She said
Buhari under pressure to move against oil thieves
Pressure is mounting on President Muhammadu Buhari to kick start his clampdown on oil thieves following his recent admission that he now has in his possession a list of such thieves.
Buhari, addressing Nigerians during his just concluded trip to the United States, had announced that Washington gave him the list.
He said that some members of the Jonathan Federal Executive Council stole as much as 250000 barrels of crude daily.
Several Western countries including the United Kingdom and France are said to have reached out to him to waste no further time in bringing the suspects to book.
Nigerians are also itching to know the identities of the oil thieves .
A cross section of prominent Nigerians say President Buhri should make the names public forthwith and prosecute them.
Frontline lawyer,Professor Itse Sagay (SAN) told The Nation yesterday that he shocked by the magnitude of the stealing.
“Before this fresh revelation, one was very disturbed when Okonjo Iweala, raised the alarm that about 400, 000 barrels were being stolen every day. To hear that the quantity is as much as one million barrel per day is something else,” he said.
“It shows the country went into a total rot under the last regime of President Goodluck Jonathan. They would have looted the country to bankruptcy within a year if they were not removed from office. We should be grateful that a disciplined and upright man has taken over to clean the mess and save the country.
“The punishments are not farfetched. They are already enshrined in our law books.
“We may ultimately have to resort to special court with specific time frame to decide the cases. The situation is very grave and we need to deal with it in an exceptional way.”
Also shocked by the revelation is Chief Ladi Williams (SAN) who said: “the President should make public everything about it because the oil they stole belongs to the good people of Nigeria. The people have the right to know what is happening.
“Some schools of thought have suggested that the Chinese option should be applied in dealing with the suspects. It is a common knowledge that corrupt public officers in China always end up being executed. But here in Nigeria, we have the criminal and penal code. The suspects should be tried.
“The National Assembly has the power to establish a tribunal to try the suspects because the courts have too many cases already. From the tribunal, the next step should be Supreme Court because many of us are not happy with the way the Appeal Court has discharged itself. The Supreme Court has discharged itself creditably well.
“The suspects should be made to produce the money they realised from the sales of the stolen products. Any of them that parts with a substantial part of the money should be leniently dealt with.”
Elder statesman Tanko Yakassai said:“The president should not only tell us about the crime, he should go a step further to list the names of those involved in the criminal act and the amount involved. He should get them arrested and prosecuted. The truth is that these atrocities didn’t start today. They started way back when Obasanjo was the head of state.
“Key figures during that regime became instant multi-millionaires. There is not going to be any solution to the atrocities except the perpetrators are brought to book. I want to appeal to President Muhhamadu Buhari not to limit the probe to the Jonathan administration. If he really wants to get to the root of the problem, he should go back to the days of Obasanjo as military head of state.”
Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Second Republic politician, Enechi Onyia, said the suspects should be made to face the wrath of the law.
“The government should not stop at that. They should also do everything possible to retrieve the full value of the money that the country ought to realize from the product from the suspects. The government should not be swayed by sentiments that people are likely to express about its position or action plan because in everything that happens in life, people would always express sentiments,” he said.
Lagos lawyer, Festus Keyamio called for prosecution of everyone found culpable in the crime, saying: “The effort of the President in fighting corruption in the country is highly commendable. This is what Nigerians looked forward to when they voted for him and I am glad that he is living up to his electioneering promises. I want to do everything possible to make sure that the perpetrators do not escape justice.”
Former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Abubakar Tsav, expressed surprise at the revelation.
He said:“ “If the president’s statement is true, then, it is a serious matter. How can one person steal such quantity of crude oil? What are they using the money for when many people are hungry, homeless and sleeping under the bridge?
“ The crime is capable of collapsing an economy of a developing country. The perpetrators don’t mean well for the country and should be severely dealt with.
“I don’t support death penalty, but the offence is worth it. I will suggest that they should be sent to 25 years or life imprisonment. If the suspects are not fished out and dealt with, there would be a big challenge if Buhari is not re-elected after four years. If Buhari is not elected and another government that is worse than Jonathan’s come tom power, the country would be worse for it.
“If I were Jonathan, I would be ashamed of myself and refrain from making any comment. I think he should also be probed because it was before his very eyes that all this rots was taking place and he did nothing to stop it.”
The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State chapter, Joe Igbokwe, said more sad revelations of the activities of government officials in the Jonathan’s administration are coming.
According to him, “What Nigerians are hearing and seeing now will be a child’s play when the full story of how Nigeria was pillaged and plundered under Jonathan is told.
“In the fullness of time Nigerians will get to find out that former President Jonathan’s tenure was a systematic regime of heists. I am believing God that President Buhari will have the energy, strength and power to go the whole hog in repositioning Nigeria in the comity of civilized nations. Nigeria is getting better and this, l believe because a good man is in charge.”
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.”
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