The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III is celebrating his 60th birthday on Wednesday, August 24, even as President Muhammadu Buhari hailed his leadership qualities as well as patriotism to the nation.
In a message to the Sultan, President Buhari said that as the head of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), the Sultan has demonstrated uncommon leadership style, patriotism and wisdom in his consistent advocacy for security, peace and unity of Nigeria.
The President said that the wise counsels and support of the royal father on issues of good governance, girl-child education, infant and child mortality, and agriculture has greatly enriched his administration’s efforts to improve the livelihood of Nigerians.
Buhari prayed that the almighty Allah will grant the Sultan good health and long life to continue in the service of humanity. [myad]
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is not happy with nine commercial banks in Nigeria over none remittance of the sum of $2.12 billion from the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) into government coffer.
The banks, which have consequently banned from participating in Forex market transactions are United Bank for Africa (UBA) $530m; First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) $469m; Diamond Bank Plc ($287m); Sterling Bank Plc ($269m); Sky Bank Plc ($221m); Fidelity Bank ($209m); Keystone Bank ($139); First City Monument Bank (FCMB) $125m; and Heritage Bank ($85m).
They are however allow to return to NGR FX market operations once they fully pay-up NNPC earning into Treasury Single Account (TSA) domiciled in the CBN as directed by the presidency last year.
A top Central Bank source said that President Muhammadu Buhari has already been briefed on the matter and the sanctions to be imposed on the defaulting banks. The nine banks comprise of three tier-one lenders and another six tier-two deposit money banks.
The Treasury Single Account of the government was established in August 2015, with the government saying it would help check leakages in the system.
The apex bank’s decision to bar the banks comes two months after it released the highlights of the much awaited flexible foreign exchange market policy.
The highlights, which are key notes and agreements reached by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), were released on Wednesday, weeks after the Monetary Policy Committee announced the introduction of the policy.
After its meeting of May 24, the CBN said the policy would allow the bank retain a small portion of foreign exchange for critical transactions. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has described the war against terrorism as a most unconventional one.
“The enemy is essentially an insane nuisance because he revels in un-cowardly attacks. He does not obey the rules of warfare, kills the defenseless including prisoners, uses children as human guns and considers the killing of anyone at all as a victory.”
The President, who spoke through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday, at the launching of the Revised National Counter Terrorism Strategy at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, made it clear that the team in his government should not only review the strategy, by “we must remember that to permanently win the physical battle, we must win the battle of the minds of the often impressionable young men who sign up to join Boko Haram. We must also educate the millions of other young men, through the leadership of our faiths.”
President Buhari recalled that since May 29 2015, his government had committed itself to the absolute defeat of the terrorists and to re-equipping and rebuilding the morale of the nation’s armed forces.
“The gallant men and women of our armed forces have in a few months freed many from Boko Haram-held territories and fatally degraded their fighting capacity. Our neighbours in the Lake Chad Basin area have also been tremendous allies in the various military engagements.
“But like all evil, the vestiges of their activities and warped ideology still linger. Through personal contact, the social media, and even personal contacts, capture and intimidation, men women and even children are induced, persuaded or forced to engage in acts of terrorism.
“This is why a robust and dynamic Counterterrorism strategy is crucial in the fight against terrorism, and must be constantly reviewed for relevance to contemporary challenges.”
Buhari said that the revised part of the strategy underscores the fact that terrorism has numerous iterations, adding that since their strategy is not static, “our response must be dynamic and versatile.
“We must let them know that Islam or any other religion we know, does not endorse the slaughter of any one. That anyone who kills the innocent and shouts that God is great either does not know the meaning of those words or is deranged. We must work hard to provide opportunities for these young men and women who for years have lacked education and a real chance of doing well.
“Our Social Investment Programmes and Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, our vocational and technical training for graduates and non-graduates, our Teacher Corp programme are all designed to create real opportunities for young people.”
President Buhari stressed that his government is determined to ensure that the safety and security of every single Nigerian is its priority which is why he had repeatedly ordered the law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of violence in any shape or form are arrested and made to face the law.
“The activities of armed herdsmen and host farmers, kidnappers, and criminal militants all threaten our peace, security and the stability of our nation. We will not allow anyone under any guise whether it is politics, culture or religion to violate the physical person, lives or property of other citizens. This is the oath to which I swore and I will uphold it at all costs.” [myad]
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has praised the Nigerian youths for being “very creative and are everywhere trying to make space for themselves.”
The Vice President, who spoke on Tuesday when he received in audience at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, United Nations Special Envoy on Youth, Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi said: “we are looking at a new generation of people who have the vision, who have a different way of thinking and whose energy and creativity will benefit the nation.
“The youth enthusiasm in this country, their can-do spirit, their sheer force can energize the whole nation.”
Osinbajo announced that on September 2, Aso Villa Demo Day host 30 young Nigerians who will showcase their innovative ideas to a presidential audience, including venture capitalists, investors and decision makers in the ICT industry among other influential business groups and interests.
He said that the 30 most innovative and talented young people where picked out of the several thousands of young Nigerians who participated in a competitive selection process.
He expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the North-East, adding: “the military is gradually winding down its activities and all that we have now is humanitarian conditions that have challenged particularly everything we have.”
The Vice President called for more concerted efforts from the international community to address the humanitarian situation together with the Nigerian government.
Earlier, the UN Special Envoy, Mr. Ahmed Alhendawi said that he was in the country to discuss with the UN Country Representatives on youth programs and advocated for a coordinated national youth policy, pledging the support of the UN system in that regard.
The envoy was joined for the visit by UN Country representatives from UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, ILO among others. [myad]
Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has suggested the creation of a bilateral economic council that can bring business interests from Nigeria and Liberia together.
Osinbajo, who spoke when he received in audience, Vice President of Liberia, Mr. Joseph Nyumah Boakai in his office at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Monday, stressed the necessity for African nations to work together, especially in developing their economies for the benefit of their people ahead of other forms of international cooperation.
“We have to help ourselves first before others come, we should look for ways we can benefit each other.”
Professor Osinbajo said that there are Nigerian business people that can invest in Liberia, even as he said: “we must engender stronger relationships between our countries that are what Africans need.”
He stressed the important task for African governments to create enabling environments for agricultural and industrial development, saying: “our people depend on what government is able to do for them.”
Vice President Boakai of Liberia described Nigeria as a very important big brother to Liberia, adding: “you have made a lot of sacrifices to our country, including through ECOMOG and the United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL.”
He acknowledged that Nigerian businesses are helping the West Africa country in sectors like aviation, banking, insurance and investments.
He said that there are teachers and doctors from Nigeria who are currently helping to set up schools and health infrastructure in Liberia.
“We are grateful to our brothers and sisters here. We want this relationship to go on; this is the way Africans should go.” [myad]
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for their disastrous 16-year rule that has left the people pauperized and traumatized. The Media Aide to the Chairman of the APC, Segun Dipe, who issued a statement in Abuja, said: “due to PDP’s perfidy, our country’s resources were stolen and opportunities frittered away. But instead of being contrite, the PDP is arrogantly putting itself up as the alternative to a government that is barely one year in office and has inherited a totally ruined economy. This is brazenly irresponsible.”
The statement said that it was just as well that the PDP has not even been able to reposition itself to provide robust opposition to the APC-led Federal Government, adding that PDP’s lack of patriotism; recklessness and outright wickedness towards the ordinary Nigerians have finally caught up with the disgraced former ruling party.
“What the nation can now testify to is that the only thing that united the PDP was their singular commitment to milking the resources of this nation dry, as evident in all the corruption cases that have now been exposed.
“The PDP cannot therefore expect to move on without first taking responsibility for their shameful conduct and ignominious behaviour. The starting point in their long journey to rehabilitation is to apologize to Nigerians “It is immoral, insensitive, unconscionable and unacceptable for the PDP to hire spin doctors to reel out some figures of GDP growth in their time that never impacted positively on the Nigerian people. Our advice to the party chieftains is that the time is now for them to look Nigerians in the eye and say, ‘we are sorry’.” It said that the arduous work of rebuilding the nation, recalibrating the nation’s value systems and creating a wide gulf between the sense of right and wrong must continue to be prioritized. [myad]
Wife of Bishop Jonathan Musyoki Muthoka of Jesus Liberation Ministry International in Nairobi Kenya, Irene Kavata, has accused the Bishop of making love with a girl he brought to the house and introduced her as house help in their Savannah estate home in Nairobi.
The alleged infidelity forced the wife to separate for a month with the bishop, who also works as a sales manager for a telecommunications firm. Kavata has since moved to court seeking maintenance and upkeep payments for their children.
In a sworn affidavit dated July 19, 2016, Kavata said that Bishop Muthoka has been cheating on her since their grand church wedding in 2008 after they had cohabited for seven years.
In the court documents, Kavata claims that she discovered his infidelity during their honeymoon. Her affidavit reads: “The applicant states that she has been subjected to live under psychological and physical torture since she found out that the defendant was having extra-marital affairs with women known and unknown to her.”
It further states that, “…each and every house help whom they employs has to be subjected to sex with the defendant, who enjoys socializing with women in church, place of work and other places as he travels a lot due to the nature of his work,” and that his sexual mania endangers her life.
Kavata claims the house girl in question is almost the age of their daughter who is barely 18, making their sexual escapades in the same house a taboo.
Kavata has submitted damning CCTV evidence against the husband. She is now demanding monthly payment from Muthoka of Sh25,000 for house rent, Sh30,000 for food, Sh6,000 for house help, Sh1,500 for electricity, in addition to Sh25,000 annually for clothing and Sh6,500 for their children’s school transport, besides their school fees as per fee structure, together with medical and other related expenses.
Kavata installed two close circuit cameras to monitor her husband’s movements in their three bed-roomed house. The two cameras were installed in May and a month’s recording was enough to nail the man and the house help.
“Though my husband’s behaviour with the women was not new to me, I sensed something was totally wrong when he brought in the girl and told me she was his niece (his cousin’s daughter) after our maid left,” claims Kavata, whose observations from close quarters revealed that theirs “was more than that of blood relatives judging by how they held each other.”
According to her, she took drastic measures when the house help became pregnant last year and then disappeared for three days, only to later return without the baby bump.
Kavata says, “I thought he will change after that, but he defended her every move. My suspicion was raised as I noticed they were getting closer.”
She revealed further that the house help was in the habit of sneaking to their matrimonial bed for sex each time as she leaves her house very early in the morning for work.
“Whenever I left them alone in the sitting room, I would hear funny moans that forced me to start peeping and watch them having sex on the couch,” claims Kavata, whose suspicions were further raised by a plumber who warned her that her hubby and the house girl were more than blood relations.
“It is then that I decided to seek help from a CCTV technician who assisted me to fix the cameras. But when I confronted him with the evidence, he became furious and assaulted me,” claims Kavata who reported the matter to the Savana Police Post under Buru Buru Police Division. She however, claims no action was taken. [myad]
Delta State has recorded a fresh case of Lassa Fever in Asaba, the state capital.
The Commissioner of Health, Dr. Nicholas Azinge on Monday, confirmed the case and the death of a medical doctor who resides and owns a hospital in Asaba.
He said that the doctor died three hours after he was admitted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, after a blood sample earlier collected was confirmed to be positive.
The wife of the doctor is said to have tested negative and 32 others the doctor had contact with, have been quarantined.
Meanwhile, the hospitals which the late doctor visited have been disinfected. [myad]
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, has assured Nigerians that the army will soon rescue the Chibok school girls that were abducted in Borno state by members of Boko Haram.
Speaking to news men at the commissioning of a nursery and primary school built by the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), One Division chapter in Kaduna State, General Buratai said that the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the volatile region would ensure the release of the abducted Chibok girls and others kidnapped by the Boko Haram insurgents.
The army chief who said that over 20,000 people kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorists have so far been rescued since he assumed office, stressed that the military is determined to completely flush out the terrorists from Nigeria.
General Buratai appealed to the public to always avail the military or any nearby security agency of any useful information that would lead to the continued success in the counter-insurgency war. [myad]
A Nigerian Athlete, Mariam Usman has said that Nigeria never prepared for the just concluded Olympic in Rio, Brazil as other serious nations did.
Mariam, who competed in the +75 category, amassed 265 kg and finished 8th in her group, said: “it is painful to come to the Olympics and see people who are your contemporaries perform better than you; not because you lack the ability but because you were not prepared like them. “For me, it is not just about jumping into the plane every four years to go to the Olympics. Every athlete you see here wants to step on the podium. If you can’t aim to climb up there, you have no business coming to the Olympics. I can only consider going to another Olympics if things change for the better. But if the status quo is maintained, I don’t think I will go to another Olympics again. She felt bad about what she called lack of preparation for the Olympics while other Olympians from other countries were preparing for between and four years. “Olympic gold medal doesn’t come cheap. It is painful that one has to suffer and when competition comes they expect you to win a medal with your blood. “The people you have to compete with had everything they needed: training grants, competitions and are exposed to the most modern equipment. I had nothing. You don’t expect such people who have invested so much to lose to one who don’t even train adequately.” [myad]
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for their disastrous 16-year rule that has left the people pauperized and traumatized.
A Nigerian Athlete, Mariam Usman has said that Nigeria never prepared for the just concluded Olympic in Rio, Brazil as other serious nations did.
