The Chief Imam of Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Abubakar has expressed gratitude to God for freeing President Muhammadu Buhari from the ailment that kept him away from the country throughout the Ramadan Fasting period last year.
In a sermon today, Thursday, which involved the translation and interpretation of the Holy Qur’an at the Villa Mosque to begin this year’s Muslim Fasting, Sheikh Abdulwaheed asked God to continue to grant the President full health and the energy he needs to discharge the requirements of his office.
The Chief Imam thanked Nigerians for their prayers for the President and the nation, even as he asked them to submit to the will of their creator.
Sheikh Abdulwaheed also prayed to Allah for peaceful elections in the coming year.
President Buhari, joined other Muslims in the mosque to listen to the preaching. [myad]
Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed has made it clear that he has nothing to do with suspected cultists arrested in Ilorin, the state capital and transferred by the Nigeria Police to Abuja, describing insinuations linking him and the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as false and misleading.
Governor Ahmed, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, said that neither him nor the Senate President nor any of their aides have links with the suspected cultists or their alleged activities.
He also denied any knowledge of or any intention to harm any individual as the political leadership in the state has never used violence as a political tool.
The statement referred the general public to the parade of the suspects by the state commissioner of police, Mr. Aminu Pai Saleh on Thursday, May 10, 2018 in Ilorin, during which he announced that the suspects were arrested for alleged murder and membership of cult groups but made no mention of any confessional statement linking their activities to any sponsors.
Ahmed described the alleged killings as the outcome of clashes between rival cults in the state as most victims have been identified by security agencies as members of cult groups.
“The growing problem of cultism and cult-related criminalities formed the basis of the new Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Saleh to focus on ending the menace on his resumption last month”.
“The state government sees cultism as a serious security issue requiring urgent attention and has accordingly amended the State Cultism Law to prescribe stiffer penalties for convicts and those who aid and abet them, besides providing operational support to all security agencies in the state in their fight against all forms of criminalities, including cultism.”
Governor Ahmed warned that cultism is a serious security challenge which should neither be trivialised nor turned into a political tool nor be treated with levity.
He urged well-meaning Nigerians to disregard any attempt to politicize the menace of cultism but focus instead on joining hands with the government and security agencies to bring the menace to an end in the interest of public safety while allowing the rule of law and justice to prevail in the matter.
Oil prices, today, Thursday, hit $80 a barrel for the first time since November 2014 even as there are concerns that Iranian exports could fall due to renewed U.S. sanctions and reduce supply in an already tightening market.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 reached an intraday high of $80.18 while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 57 cents at $72.06 a barrel, also their highest since November 2014.
President Donald Trump’s decision this month to withdraw the United States from an international nuclear deal with Iran and revive sanctions that could limit crude exports from OPEC’s third-largest producer has given strong tailwind to oil prices.
France’s Total on Wednesday warned it might abandon a multi-billion-dollar gas project in Iran if it could not secure a waiver from U.S. sanctions, casting further doubt on European-led efforts to salvage the nuclear deal.
A rapid decline in Venezuela’s crude production has further roiled markets in recent months.
“The geopolitical noise and escalation fears are here to stay,” said Norbert Rücker, head of macro and commodity research at Swiss bank Julius Baer.
“Supply concerns are top of mind after the United States left the Iran nuclear deal.”
Several banks have in recent days raised their oil price forecasts, citing tighter supplies and strong demand.
But high oil prices could hit consumption, the International Energy Agency warned on Wednesday, lowering its global oil demand growth forecast for 2018 to 1.4 million from 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd).
Asia’s demand is at record highs and with rising prices its crude could cost $1 trillion this year, about twice what it paid during the market lull of 2015/2016.
The IEA said global oil demand would average 99.2 million bpd in 2018, although U.S. bank Goldman Sachs said consumption would cross 100 million bpd “this summer.”
President Muhammadu Buhari Presenting 2018 appropriation bill to the national assembly
Six months after President Muhammadu Buhari laid the 2018 nation’s budget before the joint session of the National Assembly, the lawmakers have just passed it, with an increase N508 billion compared.
The original estimate which President Buhari presented to the National Assembly in November 2017 was N8.6 Trillion while the lawmakers finally passed the sum of N9.21 Trillion.
The National Assembly which passed the budget today, Wednesday, barely a day after the report on it was submitted by the appropriation committees of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, said the increase was done after due consultation with the Executive arm of government.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Danjuma Goje, said that the reason for the increase was based on the decision to increase oil benchmark from the proposed N45 to N51.
The passage of the bill was expected to have come long before now, as it was presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari since November last year.
The National Assembly had blamed the delay in the passage of the budget on the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that were said to have refused to submit details of the budget proposals.
They were also said to have refused to appear before the committees working on the budget.
At a point, the leadership of the National Assembly met President Buhari over the delay and informed him about the alleged refusal of some of the agencies to co-operate.
Buhari, at that point intervened and directed the agencies affected to submit the necessary documents to aid the completion of work on the budget.
Governor Tanko Umar Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has predicted that Dr. Kayode John Fayemi, who had just won the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket as candidate for the forthcoming election in Ekiti State will find it easy to clinch the final victory.
Al-Makura, who headed the APC election committee at the recent party primary in the State said: “I think we can consider this election as a foregone conclusion, given the support and the solidarity shown by other aspirants after the declaration.
The Nasarawa governor, who spoke to news men shortly after he formally presented Dr. Fayemi to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, today,Wednesday, said that he had an inkling that Fayemi is going to enjoy the support of all the aspirants who contested with him for te party’s ticket.
“If you look at the quality, the competence, the maturity of the delegates who have unanimously voted Fayemi, you will know that out there, the caliber of people they control are also people that represent the interest of Ekiti State.
“Should the election hold today, I can assure you that with what we have seen, we are comfortable that Fayemi will emerge the governor of Ekiti State.”
Also speaking, Dr. Fayemi, who is currently the minister of Mines and Solid Minerals, said tat with the party election concluded: “we can say that we are ready to go forward and campaign for the election in line with INEC conditions.”
The APC governorship flag bearer said that a critical hurdle has been crossed but that he had a major work to do.
“The important thing is to see this as a collective rescue mission and I am glad that my co-contestants have seen it in that light. I have met with all the co-contestants, I have broken fast with them, I have shared ideas with them, I have also extended an olive branch to them to be part of the candidate advisory council for this election, and they have all graciously agreed to do that. “We are confident that the APC will carry the day but there is still a lot of work to do.”
On the issue of the current governor, Ayodele Fayose calling him a walk in the park and that PDP candidate defeat him woefully, Dr. Fayemi said: “Well, as far as I am aware, Fayose is not on this ballot. We will deal with the candidate on this ballot and the track record that we have in Ekiti is what will sell us.”
Responding to a question on the probe panel that brought out the report and his recent public apology, he said he did not just apologize on its own, adding that what he said was that there were people in Ekiti even though they were minority, who were not happy with some of the policies and programmes of his government whilst he was in office “and to such people, I tender an apology.
“But, for me the rescue mission in Ekiti is a job that has to be done. What do you want? You want continuity or lack of salary, continuity of poverty, continuity of want, continuity of directionlessness or so you want to return to a past of buoyancy, human development, accountability and transparency in government. That is the clear dividing line and people can see that.
“As to the probe panel that you mentioned, well, I don’t want to dwell on the probe panel. But, the law the land of the land is clear, it is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can convict anyone, any Nigerian for any malfeasance. You cannot seat in your house, cook up a probe panel, a kangaroo tribunal and you say you have indicated someone and that person is guilty and should be ban from public office. That is just a joke but then the man we are taking about is an Alawada like we say in Yorubaland, so that is not surprising.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent his greetings and best wishes to Muslims in Nigeria and across the world as they commence the 30-day Ramadan fast tomorrow, Thursday, May 17.
In the message, the President reminded Muslims that fasting is not meant merely to stay hungry or thirsty, but an opportunity to strive for inner purification and self-accountability.
He explained that it is meant to inculcate righteousness and discipline, even as he advised Muslims to increase their love for humanity, acts of charity, kindness, generosity and gratitude. He reminded them of the Holy Prophet Muhammad used to spend very generously on the poor and the needy during this period, advising them to copy such good example.
He called on Muslims and all Nigerians to always remember men and women who are less fortunate than themselves and to help the government in confronting the challenges facing the nation.
The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has ordered that Senator David Jonah Jang, who had once served as governor of Plateau State, be remanded in prison on a 12-count charge bordering on misappropriation of funds to the tune of N6.3billion.
Jang was charged before Justice Daniel Longji by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly embezzling special funds released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), two months to the end of his tenure as governor of the state in 2015. He was Jang alleged to have pocketed N2 billion released by the CBN for disbursement to small and medium enterprises in the State under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Funds (MSMEDF), a month before the expiration of his tenure in April 2015. He was also said to have abused his office as the governor by collecting money to the tune of N4.3billion from the state coffers through the cashier of the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Yusuf Gyang Pam. Jang was docked alongside Pam, who was also accused of using his office for personal enrichment to the tune of N11.5million. Count eight of the charge reads: “That you, Senator Jonah David Jang, whilst being the Governor of Plateau State between January and May, 2015 in Jos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your office as Executive Governor of Plateau State to confer unfair advantage upon yourself by collecting the sum of N4,357,195,000 (Four billion, Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven Million, One Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Naira) from the cashier of the Office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, and which sum was derived from the account of Plateau State Government, and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000”. Particulars of count nine read: “That you, Yusuf Gyang Pam, whilst being a cashier at the Office of the Secretary to the Plateau State Government on 11th July, 2014 in Jos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, used your office as cashier at the Office of Secretary to the Plateau State Government to confer corrupt advantage upon yourself by making a cash lodgment of the sum of N10,000,000 (Ten Million Naira) into your personal account with Zenith Bank and which sum was derived from the account of Plateau State Government , and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000”. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge. Upon their plea, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, asked the court to fix a date for hearing and to remand the suspects in prison custody pending trial. However, Robert Clarke, representing the defendants informed the court that, he had a pending “bail application for the 1st and 2nd defendants”. He urged the court to admit the defendants to bail on self recognition saying, “the first defendant was a former military governor, two time civilian governor and currently a serving senator”. In his ruling, Justice Longji ordered the remand of the defendants in prison custody and adjourned the case to May 24, 2018 for hearing of the bail application.
Jacobs, in response, opposed the application and urged the court not to grant it considering the weight of the offence adding that, “the defence counsel’s submission was not based on law”.
The Lagos State Police Command has warned hospitals and doctors to henceforth desist from rejecting gunshot victims, saying such act constitutes a flagrant violation of an existing law. Reacting to a media report on the refusal of an hospital to treat a victim who was shot and wounded by armed robbers, the police warned that doctors who do so are criminally liable on account of the provision of the Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims Of Gunshot Act, 2017. In a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Chike Oti, the police said it would henceforth arrest and prosecute any medical practitioner who rejects gunshot victims on the ground of police report. “The attention of the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Command, has been drawn to the Punch Newspapers publication of Monday, May 14, 2018, captioned ” Hospital rejects victim over bullet injuries.” “The story goes that one Engr. Adebayo Akinwunmi, a senior engineer with an Information and Communications Technology company, was shot and wounded by armed robbers in his house at Ofada-Mokoloki, Ogun state and was brought to Reddington hospital, Ikeja for treatment only to be refused admission on the unlawful and inexcusable grounds that there was no police report. “The Command considers the action of the hospital as cruel; perhaps, an indication that the hospital management may be ignorant of the “Compulsory Treatment and Care of Victims Of Gunshot Act, 2017.” The statement said the Act demands that every hospital in Nigeria whether public or private ‘shall accept or receive for immediate and adequate treatment with or without police clearance any person with a gunshot wounds.’ “The Act, however requires the hospital treating such a patient to report the fact to the nearest police station within two (2) hours of commencement of treatment.” It said that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal was saddened by the allegation against the said hospital, and had henceforth directed the arrest and prosecution of any medical practitioner who violates the law. “The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal, saddened by the allegation against the Reddington Hospital, has directed all Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in Lagos State to henceforth arrest and diligently prosecute any medical practitioner who rejects a gunshot victim on the ground of no police report. “The CP wants doctors to note that the Act recommends a 5-year-jail term for any person, hospital or authority who stands by or omits to do his bit which results in the unnecessary death of any person with bullet wounds.”
SP Chike Oti Police Public Relations Officer Lagos State May 16, 2018
Facebook has announced the removal of 583 million fake accounts in the first three months of 2018 as part of enforcing what it called “community standards” against sexual or violent images, terrorist propaganda or hate speech.
Responding to calls for transparency after the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal, Facebook said that the removal of the data came on top of blocking millions of attempts to create fake accounts every day.
Despite this, the group said that fake profiles still make up 3-4 percent of all active accounts, claiming to have detected almost 100 percent of spam and to have removed 837 million posts assimilated to spam over the same period.
Facebook pulled or slapped warnings on nearly 30 million posts containing sexual or violent images, terrorist propaganda or hate speech during the first quarter.
Improved technology using artificial intelligence had helped it act on 3.4 million posts containing graphic violence, nearly three times more than it had in the last quarter of 2017.
In 85.6 percent of the cases, Facebook detected the images before being alerted to them by users, said the report, issued the day after the company said about 200 apps had been suspended on its platform as part of an investigation into misuse of private user data.
The figure represents between 0.22 and 0.27 percent of the total content viewed by Facebook’s more than two billion users from January through March.
“In other words, of every 10,000 content views, an estimate of 22 to 27 contained graphic violence,” the report said.
Responses to rule violations include removing content, adding warnings to content that may be disturbing to some users while not violating Facebook standards; and notifying law enforcement in case of a “specific, imminent and credible threat to human life”.
Improved IT also helped Facebook take action against 1.9 million posts containing terrorist propaganda, a 73 percent increase. Nearly all were dealt with before any alert was raised, the company said.
It attributed the increase to the enhanced use of photo detection technology.
Hate speech is harder to police using automated methods, however, as racist or homophobic hate speech is often quoted on posts by their targets or activists.
“It may take a human to understand and accurately interpret nuances like… self-referential comments or sarcasm,” the report said, noting that Facebook aims to “protect and respect both expression and personal safety”.
Facebook took action against 2.5 million pieces of hate speech content during the period, a 56 increase over October-December. But only 38 percent had been detected through Facebook’s efforts, the rest flagged up by users.
The posts that keep the Facebook reviewers the busiest are those showing adult nudity or sexual activity, quite apart from child pornography, which is not covered by the report.
Some 21 million such posts were handled in the period, a similar number to October-December 2017.
That was less than 0.1 percent of viewed content, which includes text, images, videos, links, live videos or comments on posts, Facebook said, adding it had dealt with nearly 96 percent of the cases before being alerted to them.
Facebook has come under fire for showing too much zeal on this front, such as removing images of artwork tolerated under its own rules.
In March, Facebook apologised for temporarily removing an advert featuring French artist Eugene Delacroix’s famous work “Liberty Leading the People” because it depicts a bare-breasted woman.
Facebook’s head of global policy management Monika Bicket said the group had kept a commitment to recruit 3,000 more staff to lift the numbers dedicated to enforcing standards to 7,500 at the start of this year.
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki is presently mobilizing his fellow senators to counter what he called ‘plot by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim to implicate him (Saraki) in a criminal matter. The Senate President is believed to have concluded arrangement to lead a 10-man delegation to President Muhammadu Buhari to protest against the alleged plan of the police boss.
Saraki, who addressed his colleagues, today, Wednesday, said that the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatai Ahmed brought his attention to an alleged plan by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to force some suspects to implicate him in a criminal matter.
He said the Governor informed him that the suspects who were arrested in Kwara for cultism were allegedly ordered by Idris to Abuja to force them into altering their statements.
“According to information available to the Governor, the Inspector General of Police directed the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State to immediately transfer the men to the Force Headquarters
”The plan, as the Governor was made to understand, is that under duress, the suspects would be made to alter the statements already made in Ilorin.
“They will be made to implicate the Kwara State Government and myself in particular in their new statement.
”This plot is part of the strategy by the IGP to settle scores over the declaration by this honourable Chamber that he is not qualified and competent to hold any public office.
“In my view, this plot is an act of desperation, blackmail, intimidation, abuse of office and crude tactics aimed at turning our country into a Police State.
“The tactics is aimed at turning the country into a state where top officials cannot be made to obey the law, follow due process and subject themselves to constituted authorities.
“I want to bring this dangerous development to the attention of all of you, the entire country and the international community so that you can be aware of the level of impunity in our country and the danger it constitutes to our democracy.”
Contributing, the Deputy Leader of the Senate, Bala Na’ Allah said the matter should be treated with the seriousness it deserved, adding that for the matter to come from the Chief Security Officer of Kwara State, it should be taken seriously.
He called for the setting up of a committee to investigate the matter, saying: “in view of the fact that Saraki is involved he should step down for Ekweremadu to preside on setting up of the committee.”
Senator Gbenga Ashafa-(APC-Lagos) said the committee should comprise of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives in view of the fact that Saraki is the Chairman of the National Assembly.
The Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye, said the committee should comprise of seven lawmakers from each of the six geopolitical zones and added that the House of Representatives should be intimated on the development and advised to do same if they so wished.
Senator Sam Anyanwu(PDP-Imo) lamented the fact that lawmakers were being intimidated from carrying out their responsibilities, adding: “we should not trivialise this matter. If it is happening to Saraki then we are all in trouble.
”Many of us have been earmarked. It is a calculated attempt to ridicule the person and integrity of the Senate President and the national Assembly as an institution.”
Sen. Kabiru Marafa(APC-Zamfara) suggested that rather than setting up a committee to investigate the matter, the committee should visit President Buhari to inform him of the development.
“There is already a problem between us and the IGP, so I suggest that we raise a committee as suggested by others but instead of investigating they should sit down with President Buhari to discuss the matter.
“This is not a joke as it can turn democracy upsidedown.
“If we investigate, where are we to take our resolutions to. They might end up inviting the IG and what if he still doesn’t appear again,” he said.
Marafa said visiting the President on the matter and other related matters had become necessary as it was obvious that he was not in the picture of some of the problems lawmakers were facing.
Sen.Emmanuel Bwacha(PDP-Taraba) decried increased spate of intimidation of lawmakers.
He also suggested that the matter should be taken to the president, stressing that,” he ought to know that our democracy is collapsing. “
He further narrated his ordeal when he applied for security backup on his way to a volatile part of his state. Each and everyone of us stand the danger of this development.
” I applied for security backup to an area that is known for kidnapping.
“As we were proceeding on our way, there was an instruction for the police officers to withdraw to a nearby police station.
“My security detail was withdrawn in an area that is notorious for kidnapping and I was left alone. I had to drive alone in fear. We are no longer safe,” he said.
Senator Isah Misau(APC-Bauchi) said he brought the recent hounding of lawmakers to their attention when he noticed the turn of events but was not taken seriously.
“When I was making observation in this chamber that a lot of people will fall victim of persecution people thought I was saying this because of politics.
” It is not up to a year and everything is coming to light.
“We know that under any government no minister is arrested without the knowledge of the president.
” Today lawmakers are arrested and detained without the knowledge of Senate President and everyone kept quiet. Why appointees of the government should be doing this.
“For me we are not running a democracy. Let us know what we are operating in Nigeria because we cannot continue to operate under intimidation. Let us see President Buhari so that it can be on record,” he said.
In his remark, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu said: “we all know that the Parliament is the temple of democracy. We have the responsibility to our people not only to preserve our democracy but to also ensure that it is purified.
”What the Senate President has raised today is an exposure of some of the things that are wrong with our democracy which we need to halt.
“So we need to ensure there is rule of laws and we need to ensure that we respect our various rights. We are a country that is bound by conventions, laws, culture and tradition.
“So it is our responsibility as a Parliament to ensure that we protect the rights of our citizens, to ensure that we make progress as a nation especially on the issues of human rights and democracy.”
Those who were picked to accompany the Senate President to see President Muhammadu Buhari include the leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, the Chief ,Whip Olusola Adeyeye, Minority Whip, Godswill Akpabio, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos) and Senator Raji Rasaki (APC-Ekiti).
Others are Senators Aliyu Wammakko (APC-Sokoto), Sam Egwu (PDP-Ebonyi), Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe) and Abdullahi Adamu (APC-Nasarawa).
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Oil prices, today, 
The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has ordered that Senator David Jonah Jang, who had once served as governor of Plateau State, be remanded in prison on a 12-count charge bordering on misappropriation of funds to the tune of N6.3billion.
Facebook has announced the removal of 583 million fake accounts in the first three months of 2018 as part of enforcing what it called “community standards” against sexual or violent images, terrorist propaganda or hate speech.
The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki is presently mobilizing his fellow senators to counter what he called ‘plot by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim to implicate him (Saraki) in a criminal matter. The Senate President is believed to have concluded arrangement to lead a 10-man delegation to President Muhammadu Buhari to protest against the alleged plan of the police boss.