Air Force Vows To Protect Territorial Integrity Of Nigeria From South South

August 13, 2016

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has made it clear to the officers and men in the service that they have to stand up to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria, especially, from the South South.

Abubakar said that having substantially addressed the security situation in the North East, the main focus focus of the NAF is to prevent the destruction of the nation’s infrastructure in the South South.

The Air Chief who spoke at the quarterly route march for personnel of the NAF in Abuja on Saturday, challenged the officers and men of the service to be ready at all times to respond effectively to the task of defending the territorial integrity of the country.

“Be ready that at any time you are called to serve in the defence of the Nigerian state; you will be willing to do so out there and do it with every sense of patriotism.

“The challenges in the North East have been substantially addressed, so we are not too worried now about the North East. Our main focus will now be to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria in the South South and to ensure that oil and gas infrastructure are not destroyed by any group or group of individuals.

“Very soon we will launch an exercise in the South South also and the aim of the exercise is to protect our people and to protect the infrastructure of Nigeria.”

He said that the route march was organized to give the leadership of the service the opportunity to have an appraisal of the tasks given to younger officers, adding that the service is keen on a perfect state of health for its personnel as the current security challenges facing the country required the best form of health and physical well-being to tackle.

Meanwhile, the NAF launched aerial patrol of the FCT, the Abuja-Kaduna High Way, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna High Way, the Falgore Forest area, Minna general area and the Kano-‎Kaduna High Way on Saturday. [myad]

Buhari Is Rebuilding A Nigeria Of Tomorrow Where Things Work – APC Chairman

Greenbarge Reporters

August 13, 2016

Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari — President, Muhammadu Buhari

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has again assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari is rebuilding a Nigeria of tomorrow where things would work properly and that he is determined to bequeath a Nigeria that can provide plentiful opportunities to its people

Odigie-Oyegun said this on Friday in Abuja on the occasion of the 77th birthday party organized in honour by the APC’s workers said: “God gave us a president who is ready to take challenge, who has determined that this is the last economic hardship this nation will ever go through.

“The Nigeria of tomorrow will be a Nigeria that produces, that can give employment to its youth, will be a nation that can provide plentiful opportunities for its people.

“That is the Nigeria that President Muhammadu Buhari is building and my appeal is that we should all see ourselves as participants in this struggle, that we have sacrifices we have to make to ensure we get there.”

Chief Oyegun said that this is the last economic hardship Nigerians will go through after the right structure anchored on sound economic policies is put in place, adding: “God in his wisdom has provided APC to the nation at this crucial time and in his wisdom gave us a man of strong will, iron determination, courage in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“He has decided that we will never ever again depend upon a single crop, so he is laying a very solid foundation for the take off of this nation such that all resources that God has endowed this nation with whether it is anything.

The APC chairman pledged that the party is ready to make life better for all the staff of the party who weathered the storm with it.

“I remember when we were just a few staff, when this baby needed rehabilitation, when we had no chairs, when members of the National Working Committee were making sacrifices to prepare for the election that has now become history in the country.

“We have set up a committee to look into the working conditions of the staff of the national secretariat headed by the deputy national chairman south who has completed his assignment and we will have reasons to smile in the few months ahead.”

He said that they knew things were bad with the economy but did not know the extent to which they were bad. [myad]

Swedish Female Minister Drives While Drunk, Forced To Resign

Greenbarge Reporters

August 13, 2016

Swedish female minister for secondary and adult education, Aida Hadzialic, 29, has been forced to resign after being found to be heavily drunk while driving a car. Hadzialic is a refugee from Bosnia.

The minister, who announced her resignation on Saturday, said that she was stopped by police in the southern city of Malmo and after that tests were conducted and it was found that she had an alcohol level of 0.2 grammes per litre of blood, just the level considered an offence in Sweden.

“That was the biggest mistake of my life. I will take responsibility. I announce my intention to resign from my ministerial post.”

Hadzialic told news men at government headquarters in Stockholm: “I understand that a lot of people are disappointed in me. And I am angry with myself, and certainly I deeply regret it.” Hadzialic was born in Bosnia and immigrated to Sweden at the age of five, in 1992, with her parents fleeing the war in the Balkans.

She became involved in the Social Democrats youth movement in high school and went on to be elected a municipal councillor at age 23. In 2014 at 27, she became the youngest ever government minister in Swedish history.

She is not the only politician to have to drop out since Sweden’s political left returned to power two years ago. Deputy Premier and environment minister, Asa Romson from the Green party, resigned in May after a series of gaffes, the last being to describe the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States as “the accidents of September 11.”

Housing minister, Mehmet Kaplan, of Turkish origin, had to step down in April after comparing Israelis to the Nazis, and Mona Sahlin, the national coordinator for protecting democracy against violent extremism, was forced to resign in May after media revealed that she had made false income declarations for her bodyguard to help him obtain bank loans. [myad]

Abuja Electricity Company Incurs Anger Of Niger State Over Poor Power Supply

Greenbarge Reporters

August 13, 2016

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has incurred the anger of Niger State government which accused it of persistent power outage despite the state’s nearness to the power source.

The state Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Abdulmalik Cheche, who spoke to news men shortly after the State Executive Council meeting, complained that the power failure in the state has persisted despite government’s pleas to the power company to increase electricity supply.

He said that the state which hosts three Hydro power generation stations with 4,800 megawatts combined capacity (1,600MW each) should not suffer power outage, adding that since AEDC has refused to increase electricity supply, the state government will stop all payment to the company.

“It was resolved in the council that the state may decide to stop its own debt payment to the AEDC if the service they provide did not improve. The state has also resolved to stop provision of transformers since the power sector is no longer owned by the federal government but the private sector.”

Cheche asked the people of the state to be patient on the matter and that government is planning for an alternative source of power supply.

“We are calling on our people to continue to exercise patience as plans are under way to have an alternative state owned backup power supply that will be generated and distributed directly to the state.” [myad]

Zipp Sports Firm Holds First International Half Marathon In Enugu, October

Greenbarge Reporters

August 13, 2016

A private company, Zipp Sports Limited, has slated October for staging of the first Enugu Half Marathon, otherwise known as the Coal City Half Marathon with over 3,000 athletes and thousands more spectators from across the state and the country participating.

The Head of Publicity for the CoalCity Half Marathon, Nnaweudo Ani said in a statement that this is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

“It is a marathon event designed to be held annually in our state and will be used to promote health, youth engagement, tourism and sports.”

He said that registration will start in September with free Race kits for the first 3000 people to register even as the Head of Sponsorships for the CoalCity Half Marathon, Mr. Ikenna Udoji also said that with companies such as Enel Lotto already signing up for Sponsorships, “this chance will provide organizations with the opportunity to penetrate the South Eastern market as well as the tourism industry.

He said therefore that potential Sponsors are being invited to contact Zipp Sports Ltd for more information. [myad]

Pope Francis Visits, Chats With 20 Ex Prostitutes

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2016

Pope Francis surprised 20 former prostitutes on Friday by knocking on their door in Rome and popping in for a chat.

The Pontiff was said to have sat down with the group, including four women from Albania, seven from Nigeria, six from Romania, three from Italy, Tunisia and the Ukraine each.

According to a statement from the Vatican, the 79-year old Pope listened for over an hour to the stories of the former sex slaves, “all of whom suffered serious physical abuse and live under protection,” the Vatican said.

The women, all aged around 30, are being sheltered by a Catholic association in an apartment in the Italian capital after being rescued from their pimps.

The Pope has repeatedly described the human trafficking behind much prostitution as “a crime against humanity.”

The visit fell under what have been termed Pope Francis’s “Fridays of Mercy,” whereby he carries out one unscheduled act of mercy a month on a Friday, mainly in or near Rome, throughout the pope’s Jubilee year, which started in December and runs to November.

In January, he visited a care home for the elderly and people in a vegetative state, while in February he went to a community for drug addicts. In March, he toured a refugee centre before visiting asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos in April.

The pontiff then spent time with the seriously mentally ill in May before visiting old and ill priests in June and dedicating his July “Friday of Mercy” to sick children in Krakow after praying for the victims of the Holocaust at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. [myad]

Hillary Clinton Declares Her Assets, Donald Trump Gives Excuses

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2016

Democrat Presidential candidate in the forthcoming American election, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, on Friday, declared her assets, including her tax return for last year, even as her rival in the Republican, Donal Trump, has been giving excuses why he would not declare his assets.

Mrs. Clinton and her husband Bill, the former president, reported $10.6 million in income for 2015. They paid $3.6 million in federal income tax, according to the document, which was posted on the Democratic presidential candidate’s web page.

Over the course of their careers, the Clintons have published all of their tax returns since 1977. Democrats repeatedly point to this as evidence of transparency on the part of the power couple.

Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine also released his returns for the past 10 years on Friday.

But the billionaire Trump has declined to release his, arguing that his tax returns for the past several years are being audited.

“Donald Trump is hiding behind fake excuses and backtracking on his previous promises to release his tax returns,” Clinton campaign communications director, Jennifer Palmieri said and asked: “What is he trying to hide?”

The Clintons’ main sources of income were Mr Clinton’s paid speeches, to the tune of $5.2 million, and a payment to Hillary Clinton from the publisher of her last book, Simon & Schuster, for three million dollars.

Hillary Clinton gave dozens of paid speeches in 2013, 2014 and 2015 but gave this up before launching her candidacy for the White House in April 2015.

The Clintons also donated a million dollars to the non-profit foundation that bears their name.

The Republican and Democratic candidates in the last nine presidential elections — since Ronald Reagan in 1980 — have released tax returns at least for the previous year, according to Politifact.

Most released their returns for several years, such as Bob Dole en 1996. He did so for the previous 29 years, according to the Washington Post.

In 2012, Mitt Romney released two years’ worth of tax returns.

Trump presented the Federal Election Commission with a mandatory personal financial disclosure form in May and says this is enough.

That document gave only an estimate of Trump’s assets, liabilities and income.

Trump has said he is worth more than $10 billion, but no one has been able to confirm this independently. Forbes magazine estimates Trump is worth less than half that — $4.5 billion.

Democrats suspect Trump is holding back because his tax return might show he earns less than what he says, pays little or no tax, or gives a negligible amount to charity. [myad]

Cultists Sack Imo Villagers

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2016

Two rival cult groups, Asland and Deegbam, have invaded Obitti autonomous community in Ohaji/Egbema Council Area of Imo State, chasing away the indigenes.

The rampaging cult groups in their latest attack, took over the entire community after killing one person and wounding many villagers. They also burnt several buildings belonging to their members.

An indigene of the community, Chief Emmanuel Odunze, called for urgent intervention of both the security agencies and government to restore normalcy and protect the people.

He said: “as I speak with you now, the entire community has been deserted by the owners for their own safety.”

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Niger Delta Affairs, Justus Ojika, condemned the incident and appealed to the villagers to remain calm and not to take laws into their hands.

Ojika, who said the villagers had been subjected to threats, extortion, abduction and brutalization over time by the suspected cultists, regretted the development.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, said the Imo State Deputy Governor, Eze Madumere, and the Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, have visited the area and are working to end the conflict. [myad]

Sweden Sends US Women World Football Champion Out Of Rio

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2016

The United States Women’s football world champions have been sent out of the Rio Olympic Games by Swedish women side. The US advancement to the next level was cut short with 4-3 loss on penalty shootout in Brasilia on Friday.

Defeat is the Americans’ first in 15 games at the Olympics and only their third ever in Games history, having won four gold medals and a silver since women’s football was introduced to the Olympic programme. [myad]

Buhari To Nigerian Youths: This Government Belongs To You

Greenbarge Reporters

August 12, 2016

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerian youths that his government belongs to them in view of the outstanding roles they played in making his 2015 electoral victory a reality.
“The roles that young Nigerians played in the historic election that brought our government to power will never be forgotten. This government belongs to you.”
The President who addressed the youths on the occasion of International Youth Day assured them of his commitment to improving the quality of their lives and to creating opportunities for them to achieve their dreams and ambitions.
“We are mindful of the fact that Nigeria has one of the youngest populations in the world. Those young people are immensely energetic and talented, consistently blazing the trail in the arts, sports, business and technology. We are proud of what you have done and what you are able to do.
“We have launched a number of initiatives targeted at expanding the economic opportunities available to young Nigerians.”
President Buhari said that the N-Power programme is his government job creation scheme for which applications are ongoing, after which 500,000 youths would be employed in agriculture, education, healthcare and technology.
“The Aso Villa Demo Day will soon bring 30 of the most innovative young Nigerians to the State House to showcase their talent in providing technology-based solutions to some of our most challenging problems.
“The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), part of our N500 billion Social Investment Programme, will provide soft loans to thousands of young entrepreneurs across the country. These are just some of the many initiatives we have designed and are implementing for you.”
Buhari stressed that the youths are the strength and future of the country, even as he assured that his administration will create an enabling environment for them to realize their potentials. [myad]

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