Information reaching Greenbarge Reporters has indicated that five senior lawyers have been invited by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for questioning in regard to the missing of about $32.5 million recovered from the Halliburton scam.
The five lawyers were said to have been hired by the former attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN) in negotiations and out-of-court settlement on the widely publicized scams – Halliburton, Siemens, Samprogetti and Japan Gasoline issues.
They were led by the former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN) with Damien Dodo (SAN), Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), Godwin Obla (SAN) and Rowland Ewubare as members of the negotiating team.
Sources at the EFCC said that they were being questioned to determine their involvement and that they had made useful statements to the agency on the matter.
The federal government had on December 11, 2010, entered into an agreement to settle the Halliburton scam out of court in exchange for ex-gratia payment of the said $32.5 million.
The allegedly missing $32.5 million was part of the over $180 million recovered by five senior lawyers for the federal government.
The sources said: “we are unable to locate the said $32.5 million at the CBN and the Office of Accountant General of the Federation even though the said amount was purportedly paid into the federal government’s account. We suspect a conspiracy in this matter as so many people were involved.
“But I can tell you authoritatively that investigation has reached an advanced stage. Once investigation is concluded, the suspects will be charged to court.” [myad]
After decades of deadlock, the federal government has finally taken over the running of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex. It has also signed a renegotiated concession agreement with Global Steel Holdings Ltd (GSHL) for the Nigerian Iron Ore Mining Company (NIOMCO), Itakpe.
With the new arrangement, Ajaokuta Steel Complex has effectively been freed from all contractual encumbrances that had left it uncompleted and non-functional for decades, as GSHL retains NIOMCO.
The new agreement, which followed four years of mediation, was signed at a ceremony presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Solid Minerals Development Minister, Kayode Fayemi signed on behalf of the government while Chairman of GSHL, Prammod Mittal signed on behalf of the company.
The Nigerian Steel Development Authority was created in 1971 to serve as a catalyst for the development of the country’s steel and iron ore deposits. In 1979, it entered into an agreement with Tiajpromexport (TPE), a Russian company, to construct a steel plant in Nigeria for five billion Deutsch Marks (DM); and the entity known as the Ajaokuta Steel Company was born. [myad]
Mark Zuckerberg’s two-day visit to Nigeria has done a lot for the country; it is a pity no government official or agency has tried to tap into the gains of that visit. He arrived at a time there was much talk about economic recession, concerns about companies folding up or retrenching staff, or international investors leaving the country in droves, out of frustration with the uncertainties in the system. Zuckerberg’s arrival raised our hopes: co-founder of Facebook and the 5th richest man in the world, sneaked into Nigeria to meet with developers and entrepreneurs and to discuss investments in Nigeria’s growing start-up ecosystem. And for two days, he went round the city of Lagos, visiting start-ups and interacting with young entrepreneurs.
The way Nigeria is often painted abroad, and in those travel advisories that foreign ministries issue, you would think Nigeria is such an unsafe place where kidnappers are permanently on the prowl. Zuckerberg helped to show the rest of the world that Nigeria is not so bad at all, and that something really exciting is happening here among the country’s young population. He had no bodyguards. He did not have to hire a lorry load of Nigerian policemen to keep watch over him. He trekked on the streets of Lagos, surrounded by a few of his hosts. On Wednesday morning, he jogged across the Ikoyi-Lekki bridge. He ate pounded yam, shrimps, snails (I thought they said he is a vegan!) and jollof rice (Nigerian jollof (!) not that one from Ghana). His visit went smoothly. More investors may well be encouraged to visit Nigeria too, seeing how confidently a whole $53.7 billion walked freely about in Nigeria, and he was not stolen or kidnapped.
Zuckerberg’s visit also provided great publicity for Nigeria’s emerging Silicon Valley, and the young entrepreneurs to whom Zuckerberg paid compliments. He has already invested in a Nigerian start-up, Andela, and he has made friends with other young Nigerians, the guys behind Jobberman and C-Creation Hub (CcHUB) and so many others. Zuckerberg cut the picture throughout his visit of a true inspirational figure. His simplicity and humility was impressive. He kept going about in a T-shirt, and interacted freely with everyone he met.
Many young Nigerians can learn from his example: the way some people whose biggest possession is a laptop sometimes carry their shoulders in the sky, if they were to be half of what Zuckerberg is, they won’t just claim that they are voltrons or overlords, they will look for more intimidating labels. But Mark Zuckerberg, who is just 32, shows that it is not all about money, or influence, character matters. There is no doubt that his hosts were also impressed with him. And that probably explains the protest that greeted the attempt by CNN International and American artiste, Tyrese Gibson, to refer to the visit as Zuckerberg’s visit to sub-Saharan Africa. Young Nigerians kept shouting back that Zuckerberg is in Nigeria, not sub-Saharan Africa! They wanted the publicity for their country.
Inspired by Zuckerberg’s visit as the tech entrepreneurs in Nigeria’s Silicon Valley may have been, the Nigerian government should see in the visit, and the excitement that it has generated, the need to provide greater support for technological innovation in the country. There are many young Nigerians out there who are gifted, hardworking and innovative. They belong to the 21st Century. They are aggressive. They want to operate at the international level and become superstars. They have ideas. They are ready and willing. The basic thing that government owes them is to provide an enabling environment for their talents to flower. It has taken a few young men and ladies to bring Mark Zuckerberg to Nigeria. There are other young Nigerians doing wonderful things in other sectors of the economy who can save this country if they are given the chance. There is also a large army of untapped and yet-to-be-discovered talents, whose future we cannot afford to waste. Investment in education will help. Uncommon sense will make things happen.
Zuckerberg’s visit also did a lot for Nollywood. He described Nollywood as “a national treasure”. That statement should be framed and sent to every major agency in the private and public sectors in Nigeria. He may not yet have invested in Nollywood, but there was no doubt that the members of Nollywood and other celebrities who met with him appreciated their being recognized by one of the most successful young men of the 21st century. I watch Nollywood movies, but I don’t think I have ever seen those Nollywood stars who met with Zuckerberg smile that heartily and broadly – not even in the movies. The ones who did not bare their 32, were staring at the Facebook ambassador in that typical Nigerian fashion: “ah, see money, Mark, abi make I send you script make you sponsor?”
The way the visit went, if Mark Zuckerberg had wanted a Nigerian wife, or girlfriend, he would have been met at every turn with echoes of “Yes, Yes, Yes…come and hold something.” But he is already married. So, don’t worry, Priscilla Chan (Mark’s wife), your husband is safe, Nigerian ladies will only admire him, they don’t mean any harm, and they won’t initiate him into coded runs. But of course you trust him – you know he is not Justin Bieber. But money is good oh. After money, it is money. Ha, Ori lonise, eda ko la’ropin o, Edumare funmi ni money…
Altogether, it was a great business outing for Zuckerberg and Facebook. Over 16 million Nigerians are on Facebook, it is the largest and most influential social media platform in the country; on a daily basis, over 7 million Nigerians log onto the website. Many more are on whatsapp, another Facebook acquired platform. With Zuckerberg’s visit, that number is bound to grow. The strategic friendships and partnerships that he has been able to build is a demonstration of power and influence: Facebook is on the ground in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, and he has taken that further by visiting Kenya – look beyond the T-shirt, this young American billionaire is building constituencies and spheres of influence across Africa; he is exploring new markets and staying ahead of the competition in a continent that many other investors may overlook, or desert for reasons of inconvenience.
As a business strategy, Mark Zuckerberg’s exploration of the African market is brilliant. It may be the subject someday of a Management, Leadership and Marketing Class. Businesses must innovate, innovate and innovate and the best way to do that is through people. Nigerian entrepreneurs have a lot to learn in this regard: the mindset of the business leader is the soul of strategy. There are too many thermostatic leaders in the Nigerian business environment, and that is why at the slightest confrontation with hard choices, they close shop and run. Here is Mark Zuckerberg, in the face of proven recession, he wants to support start-ups and SMEs in Nigeria; at a time others are fleeing, he is coming into Nigeria and Africa. He is smart. Wicked problems in a business environment should inspire genius, change and innovation. That is what leadership is all about.
Beyond business and culture, there was a small political side to the Zuckerberg visit. The Facebook CEO had said Facebook will promote the use of Hausa Language, some reports indicated he had said he loves Hausa language, and then a storm followed, resulting in a hot, healthy spat between two friends, colleagues and brothers of mine, Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) and Reno Omokri (@renoomokri), with one claiming that Americans are promoting Northern hegemony (John Kerry, now Zuckerberg and Facebook), and the other saying it is not a big deal, and in the exchange, we got some lectures about Nigeria’s ethnic and hegemonic politics.
On Wednesday at a town hall meeting, Zuckerberg more or less edited himself by saying “I am glad we support Hausa, and we are planning on supporting more languages soon.” He didn’t specify what those other languages are. I hope he knows Nigeria has over 400 languages and ethnic groups, and they all form part of the Nigerian Facebook community. He should tread carefully here, because I am not too sure Facebook can adopt Yoruba language before Igbo, or vice versa, without a social media war on its hands, and if Facebook chooses to accommodate the three major languages in Nigeria, it could be confronted with a major battle over minority rights on its platform. We are like that in this country, Mark.
But the difference is that Mark Zuckerberg is not a politician, he has voted only once (in 2008) and he doesn’t make political statements, except when business interests are at stake. Eyin boys, FFK and Reno, Zuckerberg doesn’t really care about the local fights we fight: he wants to create new markets and if promoting Hausa on Facebook will create more customers in that part of Nigeria, so be it. And in case religion is part of that politics, it doesn’t concern him either, he was born Jewish, but he is a self-declared atheist. If he worships any religion, it is the religion of Facebook. In Nigeria, he has Igbos, Yorubas and other Nigerians working for him. (https://techpoint.ng/2016/08/ 31/nigerians-working-with-mark -zuckerberg-facebook/).
He is interested in their intellect not where they come from. One more thing: The Nigerian government snubbed him or did he snub our government? When he got to Kenya, he was received at the airport by the Cabinet Secretary of Information and Communications and later given a delicious lunch of fish, semo and soup (https://techpoint.ng/2016/09/ 01/mark-zuckerberg-in-kenya/), no Nigerian government official offered him common sachet water and yet he was here to create jobs and markets! We shouldn’t frighten him away with our politics! The good news, though, is that he is a humanist even if a secular humanist: End of story. Thank you Marky, for the visit and for giving us a good story to tell. [myad]
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of running what it called ‘voodoo’ economics and reckless fiscal policies for 16 years it was in power, bringing the nation to the present economic recession.
This was even as it gave assurance that the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration remains solidly committed to resuscitating the economy in the quickest possible time and in the best interest of the people.
In a statement reacting to the PDP’s call on President Buhari to resign as a result of the recession, APC said the call by the PDP was an insensitive plot to deflect attention from the voodoo economics and reckless fiscal policies the country was subjected to during its 16-year rule.
APC said that for the PDP lacks the moral basis and credibility to comment or condemn the government on the economy after the mess it left behind and that instead, the PDP must apologize to Nigerians.
“The warning signs were glaring to the immediate-past administration but it chose the path of economic sabotage by looking the other way and squandering the country’s commonwealth – a reckless decision that has brought the country to its knees.
“Nigerians will recall that even the immediate-past finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy, confessed that the zero political will to save under the immediate-past administration is responsible for the challenges facing the country.
“Happily, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has embarked on well- thought economic agendas, policy actions, appropriate fiscal, governance and socio-political reforms to revamp the economy and tackle the nation’s current challenges in the short to long term.
“Under the new flexible foreign exchange policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in June 2016, we now have a single market-determined exchange rate which enables suppliers of foreign currencies to bring in their money and take the same out at market-determined rates. The new foreign exchange policy being implemented will ensure our economy recovers in the medium to long term.
“As contained in the assented 2016 National Budget, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is aggressively formulating and implementing policies aimed at diversifying Nigeria’s economy from oil to other sectors such as agriculture, mining and manufacturing.
“The administration is also proactively tackling increased attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta region which has led to disruptions in crude production.
“The President’s shuttle diplomacy has yielded positive effects on the country’s economic policies. As a result, several agreements concluded during the visits are positively impacting on key sectors of the Nigerian economy including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.
“The fight against corruption remains a top priority for the President Buhari APC-led administration. In spite of desperate attempts by some partisans to discredit anti-corruption efforts in some quarters, the war against corruption is being won and has been well-received and supported. The generality of Nigerians agree that the days of impunity are over.
“Through the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the President Muhammadu Buhari APC-led administration, revenue leakages have been greatly plugged.
“The new petroleum products supply and pricing framework which eliminated corruption-tainted subsidy payments has among others greatly solved fuel scarcities by ensuring availability of products at all locations in the country; reduced hoarding, smuggling and diversion substantially and stabilize price at the actual product price; encouraged investments in both Refineries and Retails; provided Government more revenue to address social and infrastructural needs of the country.
“In line with the critical infrastructural focus of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, an unprecedented 30 per cent of 2016 budgetary provision has been committed to capital projects.
“As the administration works assiduously to build a new solid foundation, credible image and pull the country out of the present hardships, the APC appeals for patience and cooperation from Nigerians.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the pains which they are going through will not last even as he appealed for more patience.
The President, who spoke in Osogbo on Thursday at the inauguration of the Osogbo Government High School built by the administration of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, stressed that very soon the pains would give way to development.
Buhari insisted that the ‘change’ mantra is aimed at restoring the nation on the path of integrity and prosperity, and that his government is working hard to avoid the mistakes of the last administration in tackling insecurity and corruption and to revamp the economy which was badly affected by the drop in the price of oil.
”We promised Nigerian people positive and progressive change during our campaign. We are not and shall not be deterred from that noble undertaking.
“But as we have learnt from history, change has never been attained by any nation on a bed of roses, but rather, through patience, perseverance and steadfastness.
“We are quite aware of the pains and inconveniences that have been the lot of the citizenry in the past one year as we strive to faithfully implement our programmes in fulfilment of our change agenda.
“We are however comforted by the real change and progress we have made in fighting corruption and restoring integrity to government; providing security for lives and property; and positioning the government for effectiveness and especially deregulating the oil sector.
“We must also not forget the fiscal discipline that has now characterized government business at all levels. This indeed is how it should be and we are determined to introduce and implement actions and measures that will entrench the change mantra in our individual lives just as we are doing in curtailing excessive waste and rent seeking in governance.
“We are determined to remain on track as we strive to deliver to rescue the country from past mistakes in fulfilment of our promise of improving the conditions of our people and making Nigeria a prosperous country.” [myad]
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, is set to become a Catholic saint on Sunday in an open-air Mass led by Pope Francis.
Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the Canadian priest who promoted her sainthood cause, said on Thursday in Vatican that hundreds of thousands of faithful are expected to attend the canonisation service to be led by Pope Francis in front of St. Peter’s basilica.
He said that her canonisation is one of the highlights of Francis’ Jubilee of Mercy. “Affectionately called the “saint of the gutters” during her lifetime, Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be made an official saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, just 19 years after her death.
“The Church defines saints as those believed to have been holy enough during their lives to now be in Heaven and able to intercede with God to perform miracles.
“She has been credited with two miracles, both involving the healing of sick people,’’ he said. Kolodiejchuk said that Mother Teresa was one of the most influential women in the Church’s 2,000-year history, acclaimed for her work amongst the world’s poorest of the poor in the slums of the Indian city now called Kolkata.
He said critics view her differently, arguing that she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to stamp out the root causes of poverty.
The priest recalled that in 1991, the British medical journal, the Lancet, visited a home she ran in Kolkata for the dying and said untrained corers failed to recognize when some patients could have been cured.
Kolodiejchuk said that her detractors missed the point of her mission, arguing that she had created a place to comfort people in their final days rather than establish hospitals.
“We don’t have to prove that saints were perfect, because no one is perfect,” he said.
He said that several events are planned in the run up to the ceremony, including a prayer vigil on Friday, an audience in St Peter’s Square with Francis on Saturday morning.
Kolodiejchuk said that it would be followed in the evening by a veneration of Teresa’s relics in a Roman basilica outside of the Vatican.
“As the canonisation falls on the eve of Teresa’s feast day, which marks the anniversary of her death on September 5, 1997, there are expected to be more celebrations and religious services on Monday and later on in the week.”
He said that on September 7-8, pilgrims would be allowed to visit the room Teresa used on visits to Rome, in the convent of the Church of San Gregorio Magno near the Colosseum, where her Missionaries of Charity have a local branch.
Kolodiejchuk said that the Indian Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj and other dignitaries from Teresa’s adopted nation are scheduled to attend the Mass.
Mother Teresa was born Agnese Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents in 1910 in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire and is now Macedonia.
She became a nun at 16 and moved to India in 1929, creating her mission in 1950 and gained worldwide recognition for her work, including a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Private letters published after her death in 1997 also revealed that for the last 50 years of her life, she despaired over having lost a personal connection with Jesus, while she continued steadfastly to serve his cause.
In a preface to a book on the soon-to-be saint, published in July, Pope Francis recalled how giving to the needy is a key to Christian teaching.
Pope said that “Mother Teresa made this page of the Gospel the guide for her life and the path to her holiness and it can be for us, as well.”
Mother Teresa still has legions of supporters in India, including BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi observed that all her life she worked to serve poorer sections of Indian society. “When such a person is conferred with sainthood, it is natural for Indians to feel proud. The Roman Catholic Church has more than 10,000 saints, many of whom had to wait centuries before their elevation.”
But Mother Teresa, one of the most recognizable faces of the 20th century, was put on the fast track to sainthood after dying of a heart attack on Sept. 5, 1997. The late Pope John Paul II bent Vatican rules to allow the procedure to establish her case for sainthood to be launched two years after her death instead of the usual five, and she was beatified in 2003. [myad]
Darryl Howard, who was convicted of the 1991 strangling and sexual assault of 29-year-old Doris Washington and her 13-year-old daughter, Nishonda has been released from prison after spending 21 years when it was discovered that he did not after all, committed the offence
Howard was originally sentenced to 80 years in prison and has been spending his prison term in the Durham County Detention center in North Carolina.
The judge yesterday threw out the double murder conviction and ordered Howard’s immediate and unrestricted release from prison, saying that there was no DNA evidence available at Howard’s 1995 trial.
According to the judge, new DNA evidence shows Howard did not rape the women, and no other physical evidence connected him to the crime as conviction was based heavily on testimony of witnesses at the Durham public housing project where killings occurred.
Superior Court Judge Orlando Hudson said on Wednesday: ‘I don’t see any reason he can’t be released today.’
DNA tests unavailable at the time of Howard’s original trial identified the man who had sex with Doris Washington shortly before her 1991 death as Jermeck Jones, who dated Nishonda before her death and the DNA tests also proved her killer was Jones.
Jones was identified as the killer from DNA samples stored in a federal database. Jones’ criminal history includes 35 convictions, including several assaults against women, the Charlotte Observer reported last year. Jones refused to answer questions from Howard’s attorneys, saying he had constitutional right against incriminating himself.
Upon being freed on Wednesday, Howard was received by his wife, Nannie, who married him several years after he was convicted.
Nigeria’s Presidency has announced the massive distribution of food items and medical facilities to various Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) Camps in Nigerians in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (SSA-P) on IDPs in the Vice President’s Office, Dr. Mariam Masha said that the Federal Government through NEMA has distributed thousands of bags of essential food and non-food items to Nigerians in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The list of food items distributed to the camps in the three countries include amongst others:
12, 332 bags of parboiled rice/rice;
6, 084 bags of maize;
6,156 bags of millet;
5,180 bags of granulated sugar;
2,000 bags of salt (25kg);
800 bags of semolina;
4,016 bags of beans;
9,800 cartoons of Indomine noodles;
1,800 cartoons of powdered milk;
800 cartoons of spaghetti;
2,000 vegetable oil (20 litres);
2,180 cartoons of Omo detergents;
600 kegs of palm oil and
400 cartoons of 3-in-1 tea
The monthly report for August indicated that non-food items supplied to the camps in the three countries from 2015 to date include medical and non-medical supplies such as antibiotics, antifungal, anti-malaria, Anthelmintic, NSAID, non-SAID Analgesics, Antitussives and Antithasmine drugs.
There were also eye drops, anti-diabetic drugs, Antacid drugs, multivitamin, laboratory consumables, blankets, mattresses, mosquito nets, men’s and women’s wears.
In Minawao, Cameroon alone, 48,400 bags and cartoons of non-food items like medium and small mattresses, pillows, mosquito nets, blankets, towels, guinea brocade, nylon mats, plastic plates, cups, spoons and buckets, Omo detergents, washing soaps, bathroom slippers, pampers as well as exercise books pencils and textbooks were distributed to IDPs.
In the report titled Monthly Report of Federal Government Actions in the North East States Affected by Boko Haram, Dr. Mariam Masha, said that the National Humanitarian Coordination Forum (NHCF) is effectively addressing the welfare of IDPs in these areas.
The Forum, partnering with critical stakeholders, establishes important intervention mechanisms to check and mitigate the incidence and negative effects of flooding on the IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States.
NHCF humanitarian interventions covers areas such as health, nutrition, food security, water, education, protection, sanitation and hygiene across the States affected by insurgency in the North East region.
The report showed that the Federal Government through the bold initiative of the military has constructed a temporary school for IDPs in the Bama camp and deployed teachers for a population of over 3,000 children.
The military also provided solar boreholes in Dikwa, Gamboru, Monguno, Marte, Mafe Gwoa, Buni Yadi, Bulla, Allargano and in several other communities in Borno State.
The scale of humanitarian efforts by the military also cover road construction and reconstruction, donation of educational materials to schools as well as rehabilitation of worship centres and markets in Adamawa and Yobe States.
The report also noted that the military through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has formed a working group which is to develop a policy framework and national action plan in preventing and countering violent extremism
Commending the commitment of the UN System for its various humanitarian and policy initiatives, Dr. Masha noted that the World Bank organised a workshop towards developing a strategic plan which will assist the Federal Government to effectively articulate and implement its programmes for the North East.
Also, the World Bank and the Federal Ministry of Health are to collaborate with the military and civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to vaccinate children in all accessible LGAs in Borno State in support of government’s Polio Response Plan.
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), according to the report, relocated a total of 23,391 IDPs from schools that were initially used as camps to new sites in Bakassi and Dalori IDP camps in Maiduguri. Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Education provided emergency classroom supplies for learners in Borno State communities such as Konduga (675), Bama (2500), Dikwa (500), Damboa (500) and Monguno (500).
The report which noted the interventions by the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE), showed that displaced persons also received from PINE, various food items ( rice, millet, guinea corn, maize, iodized salt, vegetable oil and Indomie noodles) were distributed to the six (6) frontline States as follows:
Items(Qty) Borno Yobe Adamawa
Rice – 3,900 3,600 900
Millet – 700 600 300
Guinea corn – 700 600 300
Iodized Salt – 800 600 600
Vegetable oil – 250 200 200
Indomie N. – 1,100 1000 500
Items(Qty) Bauchi Gombe Taraba
Rice – 900 900 900
Millet – 300 300 300
Guinea corn 300 300 300
Iodized Salt – 600 600 600
Vegetable oil – 200 200 200
Indomie N. – 500 500 500
In Michika LGA, 1,780 IDP households benefited from package consisting of food and non-food items and 2,000 bags of 25kg rice for IDPs were supplied to Gujiba and Gulani towns all in Adamawa State.
As for Gombe, several bags of food were supplied to the State for the Operation Safe Corridor in the reporting period as follows:
Food Items (Qty) Non-food Items (Qty)
Rice (25kg) bags – 450 Mattresses – 800
Beans (5kg) bags – 400 Blankets – 500
Maize grits (25kg) – 400 Nylon mats – 500
Millet (25kg) bags – 200 Plastic buckets – 1,000
Sorghum (25kg) – 200 Plastic spoons – 1,000
Spaghetti – 750 Plastic cups – 1,000
Maggi – 50 Plastic plates – 1,000
Tin tomatoes – 810 Plastic slippers – 1,000
Vegetable oil (kegs) – 102 Men’s wears – 2,000
Palm oil – 102 Bath soaps – 63
Salt – 50 Bath towels – 1,000
Sugar – 50
Milk – 460
Milo – 460
It would be recalled that Operation Safe Corridor (OSC) is a programme set up by the Federal Government in its bid to war against insurgency in the North East. The objective of the programme is equally to enhance government efforts to rehabilitate and re-integrate surrendered and repentant terrorist members in the region. [myad]
Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has disowned a Twitter handle in her name, describing it as fake. In a statement, the minister, who was quoted to have said in the handle: “recession is just a word,” insisted that she did not own a twitter account. “The Twitter handle currently trending, and any other twitter handle presently in existence is not, and cannot be that of mine, as a twitter account has not yet been set up for me.” She made it clear that the message carried in the said twitter does not represent her views and opinions. Mrs. Adeosun said that at no time did she made any statement other than the one she made when she addressed news men the immediately after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Minister said that she has consistently demonstrated empathy for the plight of Nigerians who are hard hit by dwindling oil prices and the impact on the economy. “This administration is known for integrity and has never hidden the true situation of things from Nigerians. Rather, it has looked for ways to alleviate the hardships through social intervention programmes.” She called on all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard these spurious allegations against her, adding that the Muhammadu Buhari government remain committed to reflating and resetting the economy on a path towards sustainable growth. myad]
The Nigerian Military has confirmed that its men and officers have killed two leaders of Boko Haram bearing Abubakar Shekau in two separate operations in the past, while the third one had just been fatally wounded.
“I can confirm to you that the original Shekau was killed, the second Shekau was killed, and the man presenting himself as Shekau, I can also confirm to you that few days ago, he was wounded. We are yet to confirm whether he is dead or not.”
The Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, who spoke in Adamawa State during a tour of formations under his command, said that the individual originally identified as Shekau has indeed been killed, though the latest person bearing the name was recently wounded.
The Commander also confirmed division within the ranks of the insurgent group which was due to constant military pressure, adding: “they released videos to prove that they are still active, but that’s just a façade.” [myad]
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Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has disowned a Twitter handle in her name, describing it as fake.
