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Delta APC Asks Gov Okowa To Clear Himself Of Alleged Misappropriation Of N48.6 Billion, Diversion Of $10 Million

Okowa of Delta stateThe All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State, has asked the state governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa to come into the open and clear his name from the allegation making the round that he misappropriated N48.6 Billion and diversion of $10 Million from the bailout funds released by the Federal Government which was hijacked by his America-based mistress.
In a statement by the state acting publicity secretary Engr. Leonard Obibi, the APC said: “given the gravity of the allegations, we call on Governor Okowa to step into the open and clear the air on this scandalous fleecing of the wealth of Deltans, including the reported misappropriation of N48.6 billion DESOPADEC funds.”
The party implored the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to dig deeper with this investigation and uncover other possible covert misappropriation by Governor Okowa who has still not responded to a recent allegation that he misappropriated a colossal sum of N48.6 billion from the statutory allocation due to Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), being half of the total 13 percent derivation funds that accrued to Delta State from May 2015 to November 2016.
“This has left the major oil-producing areas without any meaningful development since the advent of his administration.
It is obvious to Deltans that under Governor Okowa’s PDP-led government and indeed, all previous PDP-led administrations, Delta State has nosedived in all ramifications: economically, educationally and in the quality of its infrastructure, leaving the state impoverished and left behind on several development indices.
“The online and social media channels have pointedly revealed that Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa of Delta State is the culprit in this hideous matter; and that it is Governor Okowa that commissioned and connived with his mistress, who is an actress that hails from the Ika-speaking area of Delta State and based in Texas U.S.A., to launder the $10m into slush accounts in order to avoid detection by security agencies. “This is the reason why President Buhari directed that the bailout funds and the London-Paris Club loan refunds to all states be monitored, as these monies are principally meant to relieve the burden of outstanding debt to workers and pensioners.
“We, APC Delta State, roundly condemn this damnable fraud on the people of Delta State and demand that the EFCC does everything to bring the culprits to book immediately. Deltans are eager and waiting. Nigeria is waiting.” [myad]

Nigeria Customs Intercepts 661 Guns, Arrests 3 Suspects In Lagos

pumpThe Controller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service retired Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali has announced the interception of 661 pump action rifles and arrest of three suspects at Apapa road Lagos.

Retired Colonel Hameed Ali, who addressed newsmen today in Lagos said that the intercepted rifles are under absolute prohibition and that its importation is illegal.

“Such deadly contravention of the law is even more unacceptable considering the fragile security situation in some parts of the country.”

He named the three suspects arrested are 51-year-old Oscan Okafor, an importer; 56-year-old Mahmud Hassan, a clearing Agent and 28-year-old Sadique Mustapha, who accompanied the consignment to its destination.

He said that the interception was affected the NCS the Roving Team of the NCS Federal Operations Unit while on information patrol anti-smuggling operations yesterday, Sunday.

The Customs boss said that the items were being transported in a Mack truck with registration number BDG 265 XG conveying a 1x40ft Container with Number: PONU/825914/3.

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“The truck was immediately taken to the premises of FOU Zone A, Ikeja where Physical examination revealed49 boxes containing a total number of 661 pieces of pump action rifles concealed with steel doors and other merchandize goods.”

Hameed Ali said that investigation has already commenced even as he had directed that the dragnet should be wide enough to fish out all persons involved in the importation and clearing of the consignment.

“Already, the Officers involved in the clearance of this container are with the Comptroller FOU Zone ‘A’Ikeja.

“This seizure underscores the determination of the Service to enforce all laws relating to importation and exportation of goods into and out of Nigeria thereby contributing to the economy, security and wellbeing of the Country.

“This feat is no doubt commendable and represents the new normal in the service where most Officers and Men are on a daily basis ensuring that illegalities are not allowed unchecked. I commend the Comptroller, all Officers and Men involved in this great seizure.

“Let me seize this opportunity to call on all well meaning Nigerians to support the service with information that could assist the Service to perform their statutory responsibilities in the interest of our fatherland.”

[myad]

EDITORIAL: President Trump’s Phobia For Muslims

U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to impose tighter vetting of travelers entering the United States, at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., January 27, 2017. The executive order signed by Trump imposes a four-month travel ban on refugees entering the United States and a 90-day hold on travelers from Syria, Iran and five other Muslim-majority countries. Picture taken January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Of course, the new American President, Donald Trump, rode to power on his much touted America Will Be Great Again mantra. His idea was that true Americans would be made to be superior to others across the world; that America would be made the super power of the world again.

And whether or not he was truly elected by majority of Americans is no longer the issue. What is the issue is the way he has been carrying on as if the only thing he has come to do is to brainwash his fellow Americans that they are truly great. And that the only challenge America has had all the while has been the Muslims from certain parts of the world who must be extricated and banished from the great American land.

Since coming to power, Trump has been so much in a haste to implement his anti-Muslim agenda that he trampled on the principles of democracy for which America is reputed. He had given executive orders, barring Muslims from seven independent countries from America, forgetting that in those countries there are Americans who can also be ordered to leave.

President Trump, ruling America obviously from the prism of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of conglomerates and with some kind of fury and impunity, is leading American down the socio-economic and even political abyss. As a matter of fact, the President has since presented a clear picture of a man who has been used to giving orders to his workers and subordinates without as much as a whimper.

This is a man who has ran successful business conglomerates, controlling men and women of power, timber and caliber; a man who had never had any experience about consultation, lobby and taking advice from anybody; the man whom Americans have elected to now be practicing what is completely strange to him – democracy.

Of course, everyone knows that in a conventional situation, a new President starts his tenure by looking into the economic status of his country; by examining the political rating of his country, by addressing some ambiguities in the domestic and foreign policies with a view to positioning the country to derive great benefits from what the new world, with all the technologies, can offer.

And President Trump was expected to have packaged an economic agenda to address the growing unemployment, which, in deed, his immediate predecessor, ex President Barak Obama tried to resolve. He should have designed policies that would address even the growing terrorism across the globe, so that at the end, the world would be free of mindless killings in whatever name.

But, he came in smocking with anger with the only agendum or the strongest of all his agenda designed to attack Muslims and Islam. He has presented himself simply as another form of terrorist leader, for, while the ISIS terrorist groups have been on it for a long time, Trump is just coming in.

Indeed, immediately he was sworn in as President, his foot soldiers went wild in some parts of America, burning Mosques and threatening Muslims. This was long before he started his pronouncement barring Muslims from Syria, Iran, Sudan and other Islamic nations. Beyond his open pronouncements which can be summed up as religious hate-speeches, his body language has been sending signals to the effect that war against Muslims and Islam is in the air.

In the war he is declaring, Trump should be taught about the diplomatic language which talks about retaliatory actions. And Trump should be told that his warped idea about the world under the feet of America had since evaporated, and in its stead is the world where even the smallest country cannot be willingly challenged without repercussion. And that he cannot use petrol to quench the raging fire of terrorism across the world. That he can only do that at his peril and a great cost to the Americans who he is claiming to be protecting.

And above all, that if he and his likes look critically, they would see clearly that terrorism is not the exclusive preserve of Muslims. That Muslims too die daily as a result of the activities of terrorists. [myad]

Female Road Safety Officer Escapes Beating For Causing Accident In School

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A female officer in the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mrs. L Mamshep, with force number 980104675, escaped being beaten thoroughly by angry crowd in Kuje, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) today, Monday, after causing accident in a private school.
Eye witness accounts at the scene of the accident, said that Mrs. Mamshep had stopped the driver of a Sianna space bus for possible checks, but that when the driver refused to stop, she jumped onto the driver’s door and began to drag the steering with the driver while the vehicle was in motion.

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Eye witness account said that in the process of fierce struggle between the driver and the officer, the vehicle veered off the road and rammed onto the perimeter fence of Royal Nursery and Primary school, opposite forest side, almost breaking into one of the classrooms where pupils were already taking lesson.
It was learnt that people quickly gathered around the officer, who took possession of the driver seat and wanted to beat her, but for the human shield provided by some of her colleagues who were pleading on her behalf.
The driver of the vehicle had earlier been quickly taken away by other officers. [myad]

Dangote Explores More Investments Opportunities In Zambia

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Nigerian multi-billionaire investor, Aliko Dangote, has expressed the desire of his group to further consolidate on his existing investments in Zambia and other African countries by exploring opportunities in the energy and agriculture sectors.
Dangote was speaking when he paid a courtesy call on President Edgar Lungu, the President of Zambia to express his gratitude for the enabling environment that the country continues to offer investors at every level.
Already, the business mogul has a cement factory running in Zambia in which several hundreds of Zambia’s are gainfully employed.
Dangote urged Zambian government to roll out policies that will encourage massive investments in the country and the produce very competitive.
“I am here not only to explore investment opportunities and consolidate our existing business relations, but also to congratulate your Excellency for your victory in the last general elections. I wish you many years of success as you guide your nation to greater heights and prosperity,” said Dangote to President Lungu.
“During your tenure, you need to implement agricultural practices which will ensure that yields per hectare are high and competitive,” this is because, “Zambia’s natural advantage in the export market is the readily available captive market that consists of eight neighbouring countries and other nations in the great lakes region,” he said.
Dangote said energy is a critical requirement for economic development and so it is important that Zambia expands its energy supply footprint both for local consumption, and export to regional markets.
“We are going to explore investment opportunities in the energy sector and perhaps look at the viability of existing petroleum refinery facilities,” pledged Mr Dangote.
President Lungu said his government was determined to put in place policies that will be investor friendly and guarantee conducive and enabling environment for the businesses to thrive .
The Zambian helmsman then instructed the Minister of Finance and all relevant government ministries and agencies to ensure that the process of facilitating investments in job-creation enterprises is efficient.
“Agriculture is the major thrust in Zambia’s economic diversification drive and among our top priorities, which include the provision of affordable food, fuel and farmer inputs.
“I admire your tenacity and commitment to invest within Africa because that is what improves the brotherhood between nations. We will support you and facilitate your investments in Zambia,” assured the President, adding that, “we need to put our hands together to help our people out of poverty,” he said.
Earlier, Dangote held a consultative meeting with the Minister of Finance Felix Mutati. During the meeting, Mr Dangote encouraged the Zambian government to strengthen business management skills especially among small and medium enterprises.
The Nigerian multi-billionaire also said support by the banking sector to small and medium enterprises is key to deepening the Zambian economy and creating jobs for locals. [myad]

Just A Week In Power, President Trump Faces Impeachment

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Trump has been trying to govern by impulse, on whim, for personal retribution, for profit, by decree ― as if he had been elected dictator. It doesn’t work, and the wheels are coming off the bus. After a week!

Impeachment is gaining ground because it is the only way to get him out, and because Republicans are already deserting this president in droves, and because the man is psychiatrically incapable of checking whether something is legal before he does it.

Impeachment is gaining ground because it’s so horribly clear that Trump is unfit for office. The grownups around Trump, even the most slavishly loyal ones, spend half their time trying to rein him in, but it can’t be done.

They spend the other half fielding frantic calls from Republican chieftains, business elites and foreign leaders. Trump did what? Poor Reince Priebus has finally attained the pinnacle of power, and it can’t be fun.

It is one thing to live in your own reality when you are a candidate and it’s just words. You can fool enough of the people enough of the time maybe even to get elected. But when you try to govern that way, there is a reality to reality—and reality pushes back.

One by one, Trump has decreed impulsive orders, un-vetted by legal, policy, or political staff, much less by serious planning. Almost immediately he is forced to walk them back by a combination of political and legal pressure—and by reality.

Unlike in the various dictatorships Trump admires, the complex skein of constitutional legal and political checks on tyranny in the United States are holding—just barely at times, but they are holding. And the more reckless Trump’s behavior, the stronger become the checks.

Only with his lunatic effort to selectively ban refugees (but not from terrorist-sending countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt where Trump has business interests) has Trump discovered that the American system has courts. It has courts. Imagine that.

The more unhinged he becomes, the less will conservative judges be the toadies to ordinary Republican policies that they too often have been. Anybody want to wager that the Supreme Court will be Trump’s whore?

In the past week, Republicans from Mitch McConnell on down have tripped over each other rejecting his view of Putin They have ridiculed his screwball claim of massive voter fraud.

They are running for cover on how to kill ObamaCare without killing patients or Republican re-election hopes. This is actually complicated, and nuance is not Trump’s strong suit. Rep Tom McClintock of California spoke for many when he warned:

“We’d better be sure that we’re prepared to live with the market we’ve created” with repeal, said Rep. Tom McClintock. (R-Calif.)

“That’s going to be called Trumpcare. Republicans will own that lock, stock and barrel, and we’ll be judged in the election less than two years away.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, mocking Trump’s own nutty tweeting habits, sent out a tweet calling a trade war with Mexico “mucho sad.”

Trump’s own senior staff has had to pull him back from his ludicrous crusade against Mexico and Mexicans, where Trump forces the Mexican president to cancel an official visit one day, and spends an hour on the phone kissing up the next day.

Trump proposed to reinstate torture, but key Republican leaders killed that idea. Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the Senate’s third ranking Republican said Wednesday that the ban on torture was settled law and the Republicans in Congress would oppose any reinstatement. Trump’s own defense secretary holds the same view. After blustering out his new torture policy, Trump meekly agreed to defer to his defense advisers.

All this in just a week! Now capped by federal judges starting to rein him in.

Two weeks ago, in this space, just based on what we witnessed during the transition, I wrote a piece calling for a citizen’s impeachment panel, as a shadow House Judiciary Committee, to assemble a dossier for a Trump impeachment, and a citizens’ campaign to create a public impeachment movement.

In the two weeks since then, Free Speech for People has launched a citizens’ campaign to impeach Trump. About 400,000 people have already signed the impeachment petition

The bipartisan group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has been conducting a detailed investigation. Senior legal scholars associated with CREW have filed a detailed legal brief in their lawsuit, documenting the several ways Trump is in violation of the Emoluments Clause, which prohibits a president from profiting from the actions of foreign governments.

There are already plenty of other grounds for impeachment, including Trump’s putting his own business interests ahead of the country’s and his weird and opportunistic alliance with Vladimir Putin bordering on treason. A lesser-known law that goes beyond the Emoluments Clause is the STOCK Act of 2012, which explicitly prohibits the president and other officials from profiting from non-public knowledge.

Impeachment, of course, is a political as well as a legal process. The Founders designed it that way deliberately. But after just a week in office, not only has Trump been deserting the Constitution; his partisan allies are deserting him.

Despite his creepy weirdness, Republicans at first thought they could use Trump for Republican ends. But from his embrace of Putin to his sponsorship of a general trade war, this is no Republican. One can only imagine the alarm and horror being expressed by Republicans privately.

In 1984, the psychiatrist Otto Kernberg described a sickness known as Malignant Narcissism. Unlike ordinary narcissism, malignant narcissism was a severe pathology.

It was characterized by an absence of conscience, a pathological grandiosity and quest for power, and a sadistic joy in cruelty.

Given the sheer danger to the Republic as well as to the Republicans, Trump’s impeachment will happen. The only question is how grave a catastrophe America faces first.

Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School. His latest book is Debtors’ Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility. [myad]

Gov. Wike Shuts Down 16 Private Schools In Rivers State

wikeThe Rivers state governor, Nyeson Wike has ordered the closure of 16 private schools in the state for reasons that are not yet known.

In an announcement signed by the state commissioner of education, Professor Kaniye Ebeku and dated January 27, 2017, the governor said more schools would soon be similarly closed down.

The schools that have been shut down are:

  1. Charles Dale Memorial International School
  2. Bereton Montessori Nursery/Primary school
  3. Aladumo High School
  4. Jephthah Comprehensive Secondary School
  5. Beulahland Standard Nursery/Primary School
  6. Royal Girls Academy
  7. The Grove Nursery/Primary School
  8. Graceland International Secondary School
  9. Trinitate International Secondary School
  10. Brookstone Secondary School
  11. Uniport International Secondary School
  12. Greenoak International School
  13. Benedict Immculate Canada Academy Secondary School
  14. Kateville International High School
  15. Goldsrpings High School
  16. Montessori International Nursery/Primary School.

The education commissioner said: “by the directive of his Excellency, Nyeson Ezenwo Wike, Governor of Rivers State, the approval licence of the following private schools is hereby withdrawn forthwith.” [myad]

Aisha To Buhari: Don’t Mind Them Jare, You Can’t Die Now

Aisha and Buhari in London 1

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari sits with her husband in London where he is resting, assuring him that the death which evil Nigerians wish for him would never come to pass before the God’s appointed time. That is the soothing words of a devoted wife.

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Aisha poses with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari ‘in the living room.’ [myad]

 

How We Kidnapped Turkish School Students – Suspect

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A key suspect in the January 13th abduction of eight staff and students of Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC) in Ogun State, Bekewei Agbojule, has revealed how 10 of the 15 men who planned the operation eventually executed it.

Bekewei Agbojule, alias Prince Yellow, claimed he was fishing to enable him raise funds to start a small business when he was invited to be part of the operation.

The 29 year old Arogbo Ijaw from Ondo State was one of the four paraded yesterday by the police at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

He was caught by the police with N1. 2 million cash believed to be his share of the ransom paid for the release of the abductees.

Paraded with him were: Are Philip Joel Kakadu, aka General Kakadu; a militant, Romeo Council, aka Raw; and Totki Okoda, 34.

“I was fishing when America (a gang member) called me to come to Lagos; I told him I didn’t know where he was and he told me to come to Lagos.”

”When I arrived in the evening, he asked me to join them in a boat to where the operation was to be carried out. He did not tell me that they were engaged in kidnapping business. We were 15 in number but only 10 of us went for the operation.

“I don’t have any job and my plan was that once they gave me the money from the operation, I would travel back to the village and use it to establish some business with my family.”

Police spokesman, Mr. Moshood Jimoh, a Chief Superintendent, said Agbojule was arrested when he came out from the creeks to enjoy his N1.2 million loot.

He spoke of the determination of the police to track down the other men involved in the planning and execution of the kidnap.

He added: “The Inspector-General of Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), working in synergy with the Tactical Intelligence Unit (TIU) of the Nigeria Police Force in a joint operation supervised by AIG Kayode Aderanti, AIG Zone 2, Lagos successfully smashed the notorious kidnap gang and arrested four vicious kidnappers who are active members of the gang responsible for the kidnap for ransom of five Turkish School Children and three members of staff of the school in Ogun State on 13th January, 2017.

”In the course of investigation into the dastardly crime, three suspects namely Are Philip Joel Kakadu, aka “General Kakadu” a militant leader; Romeo Council aka “Raw” and Totki Okoda who lives in the fishermen community behind the school and provided information about the victims to his gang, were trailed and arrested at different locations in Delta, Ogun and Lagos States respectively, for the criminal roles they played in the commission of the crime.

”Further investigation and sustained pursuit of the matter by the Intelligence Response Team, led to the arrest of Bekewei Agbojule aka “Prince Yellow”, a principal suspect and one of the key members of the gang on the 25th January, 2017, at about 0700hrs in the morning.

”One million, two hundred thousand naira (N1, 200,000) his share of the ransom money was recovered from him.

”The four suspects confessed to the crime, volunteered useful statements to the investigators and are cooperating with the Police.

“Concerted efforts are being made to arrest the remaining suspects who are at large.” [myad]

Iran Pays Trump’s US Tit-For-Tat, Bans American Citizens

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Iran has begun a retaliatory measure against the United States of America under the new President, Donald Trump, as it announced a ban on all the American citizens from entering the country.

This was contained in an Iranian Foreign Ministry statement published on state media Saturday. The country’s decision is in response to President Trump’s executive order limiting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

“The US decision to restrict travel for Muslims to the US, even if for a temporary period of three months, is an obvious insult to the Islamic world and in particular to the great nation of Iran,” the statement said.

“Despite the claims of combating terrorism and keeping American people safe, it will be recorded in history as a big gift to extremists and their supporters”, it said.

Iran said the ban would remain in place until Trump’s order is lifted.

Iran is among seven countries whose nationals are barred from entering the United States for 90 days under Trump’s order.

The other six countries listed in the executive order are Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Other nations may be added.

The order, which exempts diplomats and members of international organizations, also stops the admission of all refugees to the United States for four months. [myad]

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